Nusa Dua, Bali

We began our trip to Bali at a quieter beach on the main island. The hotel was amazing and the pool was 100 meters long! The beach had a really low tide that would go out every evening and morning. So one evening we went walking across it.

There was a wedding on our second night there. Totally wanted to crash it, but seeing how only 15 people were invited I felt like we might stick out. It's a really pretty island to have a wedding. But a very popular place for Aussies to get married. It's like Hawaii for Aussies.

This kid was hoe-ing around. Har har.

We walked all the way out into the ocean, this is the view from the beach. Obviously the tide came in and we had to half swim back to shore.

The water is so clear!!

Each night we went to a little cafe for dinner. The other place we went to had a Balienese band playing Johnny Cash songs. The nights ended by watching fireworks from the balcony. Pretty awesome.

that's what fat people do.

Dear self,

That bag of kettle chips and pint of Ben and Jerry's was probably not part of your diet. Just saying.

Warm regards,
me

the gym experience.

So far, so good with the gym. I went to this class today called ABT. Yes, that's exactly what I need to work out. Abs, butts, thighs. The instructor was the littliest, happiest Asian man(think gay Jackie Chan). At the beginning of every class, they always ask who is new to the class. I couldn't understand a word he said. Just sounded like Whhco whaqhee zhoiechoa e? So I raised my hand. Then he laughed. Ha! Ha! Ha! Oh God, what did I just volunteer for... As the workout goes on, he sings to every single song(aka William Hung) and never once stops smiling as if he's auditioning for Glee while doing a Jane Fonda workout. I'm not going to lie, it was kinda awesome.

Also, I have to mention this because it is SO Singapore....and SO the opposite of Egypt. In the dance studio, there are mats that have a sign above them. "Sterilized Mats" and another pile on the other side of the room "Used Mats". I ALWAYS think about how gross it is that we use those things after someone else and they are probably never cleaned. LOVE it!!

why i'm excited about Bali.

I've been rereading the part on Bali. We are staying in the mountain town that is mentioned in the book. I want to see the movie before we go, but Owen refuses to acknowledge anything having to do with the book. It is a very American/naive view of the island from what my friends have said about Bali. Whatever, the book is still entertaining. We'll just have to have a girls night and go see the movie! When I first read the book, it made me want to go to Italy, India and Indonesia immediately. When I was in Italy I could totally relate to that part of the book where she eats everything in sight. The food/wine in Italy is so amazing. The part of India in the book, I couldn't relate to at all. Probably because I wasn't going through a divorce or mediating every day in an Ashram. Plus, I thought India was all about the food. We have several friends who will be in Bali at the same time so that should be fun. I'm excited about staying in Ubud, the mountain town, because it's known for it's unbelievable artwork. It's funny how that is barely mentioned in the book. We have to watch out for monkeys and stray dogs because most of them are rabid. Also not mentioned in the book, but that would take away from the romance. I liked the book because it was entertaining and about travelling. But I felt very little sympathy for her as she decides she wants a divorce and to travel the world at 35. Probably because she was married at 24 and never was really on her own. Her husband wanted to work it out, but she didn't want to try. Sorry, no sympathy for your crying fits, lady. She just seemed very selfish about the whole thing. Maybe that's why they had to have Julia Roberts play her character. Everyone loves a good Julia Roberts movie. Anyways, can't wait for BALI!!!!

Workin' on my Fitness

I went in to a gym yesterday with a 2 week free pass. I tried to remind myself to be strong, don't join the gym no matter what they try to talk you in to. Alas, I'm such a sucker. First of all, they start with a full body analysis. Excuse me, but I just want to work out. I'm quite aware of my NEED to work out. But before you can enjoy your free pass, you have to get this analysis done. Fine, whatever. I think it was supposed to make me depressed and get me to hire a personal trainer immediately. Instead, I was impressed by my weight. It's not so bad. I've already lost some weight from Egypt and wasn't trying. Well done, me. However, to reach my fitness goals. I need to lose 10kilos(about 20lbs) of fat and gain 2-3 kilos(about 5lbs) of muscle. Totally got suckered in to paying for a gym membership for an entire year. But I saved over $400! I said no to the personal training and plan on working out by myself at first and then later if I need some extra help, might employ a trainer. It's not very motivating when the personal trainer isn't super fit herself. If someone who had Madonna's arms was offering me personal training, then obviously I would immediately sign up.

Also, I decided on a way to motivate myself. Here is the break down of rewards:

work out 5-7 days/week: new piece of clothing
eat healthy all week: new jewelry
work out only 3 days: pedi/mani

I know this makes me seem like such a princess, but my gym is in the middle of the shopping mecca of southeast asia. Basically every store you have ever heard of is within walking distance. It's hard to not think about shopping. So there it is. Let's see how it actually works.

Project Get in Shape needed to start like yesterday.

I've been fighting the fact that I need to get in shape. Initially, I lost a few lbs when I first moved to Singapore, probably just from the increase of walking everywhere. I feel like I just need to suck it up and join a gym. There's a gym at my complex, but there's not much there. I always feel like I get more out of it when I go to the classes. There's a class at the gym near my school called ABT= Abs, butt, thighs. I think that class is calling my name!!
Ugh. I hate going to gyms sometimes. Think I might just get a week pass and see if I really go. I do like to go running, but the coolest time of the day to go run is at like 5am. And it's still 80 degrees! Maybe if I write about it on here, then I'll have some accountability. Comments? Snide remarks?

F1

Had a really great time last night at the Formula One Racing. It's just a practice race but still very loud and tons of people out. Also, Missy Elliot performed. Singapore is not really known for being a really hyped up crowd. The cars go so fast, it's hard to actually see them. We found a place where they had to slow down on a curve so we were able to see them better. With that kind of stuff, I'm bored in like 15 minutes so I'm glad we had good friends there and loads of cheap beer. It's so weird to think I refer to $10/beers as cheap, but it is for Singapore. Before the race we went to this bar on the 70th floor. The elevator goes from the 4th floor straight up to the 70th so it's crazy fast. The boat building is my favorite. It's $20 just to go in it. There's an infinity pool that goes the entire length of the boat and there's a famous casino. A few weeks ago, a man sued the casino for letting him gamble away $3 million. He claimed the casino should have stopped him as he doesn't have that kind of money. Self control, buddy.

This is where the concert was.

View from the 70th floor bar.

upcoming trips

Because I'm excited about more travelling.

October- week break- Bali!!!!
November- long weekend- Borneo to see the Orangutans
December/January- 3 1/2 weeks- Cambodia, Vietnam
February- week break- Thailand
April- week break- ?? Trekking through Bhutan?
May- long weekend- Hong Kong to see kayla, darby, dan!
June-Trekking through Nepal?
July- looking into getting my master's in Prague - hoping to visit friends in Germany,Poland, and Italy at the end of July

A Different Sky

Finished this book about Singapore. It was really slow at first, but then got a lot better in the middle. It spans from 1920s-1950s with a focus on World War 2. I had no idea about Singapore's history especially the Japanese invasion and how everything changed from being run by the British. I liked how the places mentioned are places I go to and even the same grocery stores are around! It's about 3 different families and how their lives interconnect during those years. I really haven't made a lot of Singaporean friends as we tend to always stick to the expat community when living abroad. So I really know little about their culture. However, I'm learning a lot about New Zealand's culture. 4 of our close friends are from New Zealand so every time we hang out there are always new words and phrases that we learn from each other.
Here are some I learned last night:
jandels= flip flops
chilly bin= a cooler
Well, those are the only ones I remember. I learned so many other words, sometimes it's like learning another language. Of course we talked about the difference between marmite and veggiemite. It's funny when stereotypes are so true. The best question I've been asked is "Is living in the states just like the movies?" No, of course not. Wait, yes it is. Yes, we have a prom queen, king. Yes, we have prom and everyone dresses up and takes limos. Yes, there's a big graduation party for high school. Yes, in college you have keg parties. Yes, there are fraternities and sororities. Everything is just exaggerated, but yeah it's like the movies. The other thing I'm learning about is Rugby and Aussie Rules Football. Who knew there 2 Rugby leagues and different rules for each? One of our new friends is a former pro Rugby player who is famous enough to have a wikipedia article about him. So when we watch the games with him, he knows some of the players who are still playing. It's actually a pretty entertaining game to watch. After watching a Rugby match, it's painful to sit through a NFL game b/c it's soooo slow compared to Rugby. Can't wait to visit New Zealand.

lil weekend in indo.

On our first long weekend, we went to a little island that's a 45 minute ferry ride from Singapore. It's in Indonesia so you have to get a visa for Indonesia that takes up an entire page in your passport which is pretty annoying. It's such a pain when your passport is filled and you have to get more pages added. The whole weekend was super expensive with all these added taxes and fees. We've found in Singapore that everything has this ++ at the end of the price which means it has 2 types of taxes added. So something that might cost $40 would end up being $55 or sometimes more. You just never know how much tax will be. Alcohol is heavily taxed so a bottle of booze is 1/2 the price at duty free, but you can only get 1 bottle each time. Wine and beer in the stores is also a little expensive. It was a really nice weekend, but just overpriced. Being so close to Singapore, I guess they can charge whatever they want. It was nice though that we didn't even have to exchange money- everything is in Singaporean dollars. I'm really glad we don't have to worry about money or it might have broken the bank. I'm really glad our friends were there with us or it might have been a little boring.
It rained the first day we got there for awhile. Since we haven't really seen a lot of rain for the last 2 years living in a desert, we just sat and watched it.

The beach. It's okay. I feel like I'm such a beach snob now that we're a hour flight from Thailand. Thailand beaches are the most amazing in the world. Next time we'll just fly to Thailand.

These are the little huts that we stayed in. They're not really huts, but just hotel rooms that are set up like this so it's nice and private.

Teacher's Day

There's nothing quite like Teacher gifts. My favorite are always the cards.

HA! What??


The girl who gave me this said it was for my business cards. Hmmm...yes, thank you.

Ultimately, the best gift for Teacher's Day would be a day off....

A very Singaporean moment.

The other night, I went to dinner with a few gals from work. During our conversation, I realize that I'm the only one without a live-in maid. Seriously. Later I realize that my only friends without live-in maids are the newbies. Apparently, everyone gets a live-in evidently. It's really cheap and they do the cooking and everything. Even though I am accustomed to a weekly maid, I really can't see the point of a everday maid. I've been told that it's just a matter of time before I change my mind.

Sentosa

Last Saturday, we went out to Sentosa Island. It's only like 30 minutes away by bus. Then you take a tram for like 5 minutes. It's pretty nice considering it's the closest beach. There's a Universal Studios which I promised Owen I would go back and ride the roller coasters sometime. They have an indoor wave pool, zip lines that go to other islands, a luge, theater for concerts on the beach, etc. Looks like you could never get bored here.

This is Merlion Park. Reminds me a lot of Parc Guell in Barcelona.
Just a random shot from the beach. There's a tiny island across from this beach that you can walk out to on a bridge.

The Merlion statue. Yes, mer-lion. Part mermaid- part lion. Symbol of Singapore? Not sure why. I need to look that up.

This sign was on our bus. The third picture is the Durian fruit. Apparently, it smells like poop and tastes like a banana. Singaporeans love it. Personally, I have no desire to try it.

book reviews....why not

I finished 3 books before going back to work. I don't think I'll have much time for reading in the next few weeks since my schedule is pretty busy. Just wanted to recommend these books b/c I liked them.

This was a story about a circus in the 30s. I really liked the way the story was told. Very unique. A very quick and easy read. Can't wait to see the movie.
This books is about the slave trade in the 1700s told from a woman's perspective. Very good book, but also very disturbing. Slavery must be the worst thing humanity has ever done. Most is based on facts. Just unbelievable what some people have been through. "The book of Negroes" was a real list of people who were allowed to escape slavery and go to Canada which reminded me a little of Shindler's List. Also, just bought that book too- even though I know the ending.

I liked this book alot. It's based on a true story about a man who escaped from an Australian prison and lives in the slums in India while working for the Mafia and also acting in Bollywood films. He also started a free health clinic and then fought in Afghanistan. Most of it is true. It doesn't really matter that some of it is fiction because he's such a good writer. My favorite parts are when he talks about what it's like living in the slums of India. After seeing those slums, you just have to wonder what a life what that is like as a foriegner. I loved reading this book because it has such vivid descriptions of India. Can't wait to go back and see more of that amazing country!

conveyor belt sushi rocks

Still having a great time in Singapore. Did a little Ikea shopping today and controlled myself as best as I could. I love that place. Not much to report, just trying to keep an update on stuff. In the Lonely Planet books, there is always a section on each country entitled "Dangers and Annoyances". Sometimes they make me laugh so I always try to think of what I would add to this section with each country I go to. For Singapore, I would say that the people tend to walk "at" you. They will walk straight toward you until you jump out of the way at the last minute. It's slighly annoying because I don't understand it. I mean, evidently, you will have to move so why walk staight toward someone. I've been told by friends who have been here several years that you just get used to body checking a few people. Also, enormous amounts of the cutest babies I've ever seen. I just have to keep reminding myself that it's illegal to 'accidently' take one home from the store. In the paper, they have a whole section of cute Asian baby pictures. At first I thought it was all the ones that were for sale. No, just parents who are so proud of their cute babies. Pretty funny stuff.

conveyor belt sushi

Orchard road at night

I walk past this guy ever day so I thought I would take a picture. Lots of tourists take their pictures in front of him while laughing hysterically. I decided against that.

Singapore

I've been told that I need to update this as soon as I get to Singapore. I've been here a few days and nothing out of the ordinary has happened. No culture shock or anything odd to report. The only thing that really shocked me was this article. It's so crazy to think that I left the Middle East for Southeast Asia and I have to worry about a terrorist attack here. I don't think that article says which metro stop it was- but it's the main one. It's kinda the Times Square of Singapore and my school is a five minute walk away so that would be the MRT stop I would take. Kinda scary. It makes sense though. Singapore is a big city flaunting it's capitalistic ways. We've also seen a few muslim women covered, but very rarely. At the hotel breakfast there is this middle eastern man with 3 wives all wearing the burka and the Asian waitress hate them so much, they throw him hateful looks and refuse to refill their coffee. It's not really about religious intolerance, it's more about women's rights. It makes me just as mad to see something like that and to know that these women are his property in a form of slavery. Disgusting. There are so many religions here it's so awesome. I've seen buddhist temples, hindu temples, mormon churches, mosques, catholic churches, etc. I haven't really taken any pictures yet, but I'll try to post better ones later. These pics are just outside our hotel.

more culture shock

This morning I was asking my dad about the scanner. Our conversation went like this:

Dad: What do you need to use the scanner for?

Me: To scan my passport and email it.

Dad: What?! You shouldn't do that, you need to be careful about identify theft.

Me: What....? How is someone going to steal my identity through an email?

Dad: Well, may I ask who you are sending it to.

Me: My boss in Singapore for my work visa.

Dad: Ohhhhhhh.... Well, that should be fine.

He thought I was just going to scan it and send all my info to some scam online? I may have been out of the country for the past 2 years, but I'm not an idiot. It's funny how there are all these commericals about identity theft, making sure your baby doesn't die from whooping cough, all the diseases you could die from, etc. And the shows are all about how people just snap and kill everyone in their family for no reason. Wow. I feel like I should be afraid to leave the house. It's so similiar to the book, 1984, where the people live in fear of things that probably won't happen to them. Just this past year while driving to work each day in Cairo, I saw 7 dead bodies on the side of the road. Just from crossing the road. It's not unusual to see an entire family riding on a motor bike with the mom carrying a newborn. Obviously without helmets. You know it will only take a bump to kill them all. It's so extreme to see absolutely no safety measures to the extreme American fear of everything. Part of me wants to laugh at the idea of identity theft being the worst thing to happen in your life, but I guess that would really suck if someone stole your credit and stuff. I get it, but it just seems like we have it sooo good here. It's weird how the cops just sit and wait for someone to speed just a little. I hate driving in fear of going slightly over the speed limit. It's a really big change from just doing whatever the hell you want in Cairo.

What I've learned from living abroad

Here are a few things I've learned the last 2 years living abroad.

1. I don't need as much personal space as I think I do.

I was running this morning on the sidewalk and a lady and her dog approached me. They move off of the sidewalk and into the street so that we can pass each other. My thought was geez, there's plenty of space.... This happened 3 more times with various people passing me. In Cairo (and most of the world) people are very close to each other. Physically close. When I would ride the metro and be the only person in the car, a woman would come and sit right next to me- practically on top of me. Why? They feel more comfortable being close to someone. I still need my personal space and sometimes it would bother me when people violate this, but I have come to realize that I don't need as much as I thought.

2. I don't need as much technology as I think I do.

In Egypt, I had a cellphone whose most advanced feature was the calculator. Nothing about it bothered me. I liked that I couldn't check my email every 2 seconds. I'm back in the states for a few weeks and here I am with a Crackberry that I'm already addicted to. I didn't have a tv the past 2 years and learned that not only can I live without it, but I don't even want one. It's very liberating to not have nonsense to distract you all the time. It forces you to sit down and really talk to people. I got to know my friends in Cairo better than I've ever gotten to know anyone.

3. Americans do not have a good reputation.

Sorry y'all, but it's true. When I would meet people while traveling and it would come up that I was American (which is something you want to hide as long as you can) they would get awkward and say something like "We love Obama!" or "Wow, you don't seem like an American, you're so easy going!" or "No, I don't hate Americans.....there was one time I met an American who was really cool...." Americans who travel are typically the biggest a-holes you've ever met. They are super high maintenance and worried about every little thing so they tend to have public meltdowns. When you see or meet English-speaking peeps, you can immediately tell where they are from before you get a chance to recognize their accents. Aussies are always the loud ones trying to get in fights. Kiwis are the same-less intense. The brits are the ones who are badly sunburned, wearing sock with sandals, and already loudly drunk before noon. The obnoxious young backpackers(18-25) are just trying to hook up and party hard. They care nothing about the culture or the people and are just looking for a good time. The Canadians are the ones that are super friendly and apologize for everything. Everyone loves Canadians. I've noticed that while travelling a lot of non-Canadians, especially Americans, have been putting the Canadian flag on their bags so people will think they are Canadian. Smart move.

4. Obama is the best thing that could happen to America.

I don't know about how he's doing as far as running the country. But as far as an international perspective, America NEEDED someone like Obama if we want to be supported by other countries. His reputation abroad is amazing and everyone loves him.

5. I like experiencing new cultures.

I haven't experienced the culture in each country that I've been to, but I like it more when I try to do so. I love how different everything is from the food, the language, the mannerisms, what pisses people off, etc. It's great learning about other people because ultimately I learn more about myself.

6. I do not have the American Dream.

I do not want to live in a suburb with a house, fenced-in yard, dog, and little white kids. There's nothing about that that sounds appealing to me. I would one day like to get married, en shallah (God willing) and have kids. I really really want to adopt kids. I want my kids to be bilingual and live in a culture that is very diverse. I want to have friends from different countries who are nothing like me. I don't want to be consumed in materialism and owning too much stuff. I am an expat and don't regret it.

7. I would like to never own a car again.

That sounds really random, but it's sooo much easier to walk, bike, or take the metro everywhere. A car is so much trouble. You have to worry about gas, oil changes, insurance, etc. I guess that means I'm going to keep living somewhere that doesn't require a car.

8. I love beaches.

This is always my fave place to vacay. There's something sooo relaxing about laying on the beach, reading a book, chillin with friends, possibly with a drink.....

9. I own too much stuff. And I hate it.

This kinda goes back to what I was saying before. When you see poverty on a daily basis you realize that you are sooo privileged and you just don't feel the need to spend money on new shoes or anything that seems excessive. Don't get me wrong, I like to shop and get new stuff. But I have to get rid of stuff when I get new stuff. This also goes with moving overseas. It's like the old saying. "You just can't take it with you." And it makes sense. Why keep stuff that I'm not going to use when someone else less fortunate might use it or even need it.

10. I like to travel.

Ok, that seems pretty obvious. I didn't realize how much I liked doing this until I was travelling every few weeks. I'm pretty sure that 2 years ago, I'd never heard of some of the places I went to- Tunisia, Bahrain, etc. I love it and hope I can keep travelling for many more years.

Mooooooole

Every year I go to the Dermatologist to get checked for skin cancer. I've had more than 1 dermo tell me that I WILL get skin cancer at some point in my life. Very positive feedback, doc. I've had a good friend(who is my age) who had skin cancer a few years ago, so I know it's a real threat. I've had 11 moles removed due to their suspicious appearance. All but one has been benign. One was deemed "precancerous". Isn't all of my skin "precancerous"?? Really? I think that's a made up term. So this time I had 2 moles removed. Now I've had moles removed on my butt, boob, underarm, bottom of my foot, etc. that have been in very uncomfortable places while healing. This one was on my scalp. Yes, my hair had to be shaved to get to it. Not only that but it's HUGE! When they remove a mole, they usually just scrape it off. But with a big one, they have to cut it out. When they finish they burn it so it'll stop bleeding. So now I have this giant hole on the side of my head sans hair and was burned. I look like a freakin burn victim. The doctor even gave me cream for burn victims and she would cringe every time she looked at my head. I was going to get my hair colored and cut this week, but that doesn't look like it'll be happening. Whatever, it is all in the name of skin cancer prevention.

Egypt made me fat.

That's crazy talk, right? No way. It's just facts. I feel like I can officially say this now. I've been back stateside for almost a week and have already lost 5 lbs and I'm sitting here eating a bowl of cereal with chunks of chocolate in it. (Yes, that's what fat people do) Everyone I knew in Egypt struggled with their weight. Guys and gals. It was just a normal part of life there- gaining weight and not being able to lose it.

So why does Egypt make you fat? Oh, I will tell you.

There's nothing to do to stay physically active except for the gym. You can't just go for a quick run. You will be chased by creepy men and stray dogs. You can't even go for a walk for the same reasons. Most likely walking you will be grabbed or groped as I had the lovely experience of screaming at men and boys who do this. The gym is more stressful than it's worth. The meatheads on roids who walk around the gym get in the way of actually accomplishing anything. One day I realized how hot it was at the gym. I actually had to ask the manager to turn on the AC. We are in the middle of the desert, people!! No one does anything more than walking slowly on the treadmill. The only people who are running or sweating are us whiteys. So it's annoying that they occupy all of the cardio machines. Don't get me started on the dressing room as it's a free-for-all. There are attendants in there who do nothing except randomly decide to get out their prayer rugs and pray. I'm all for religious tolerance, but when there is only a 3' by 3' area to access my locker and you are your yoga/prayer time is occupying that entire space, then your praying is now getting on my nerves. Why do they have to do it there? Because the Egyptian mindset is not thoughtful of others. You just do whatever you want, whenever you want. Plus you have to show everyone how religious you are. Like I said, the gym would stress me out.

The food is always soaked in butter before it's cooked. I would get so sick sometimes from eating out just because of the fat added. You can forget about eating anything fresh like salads because you are just asking for some food poisoning. Why eat out so much? Well, because it's sooo cheap and after a long day at work and the gym, the last thing you want to do is cook. It's also great socializing. I absolutely love my friends in Cairo and we have such good times together. But there's nothing for us to do except go to the bar and/or eat out. Mucho drinking took place as well. I should say moderate drinking each day. Just drinking everyday. You can't drink too much alcohol at once or you'll get a major hangover. Not only are the local spirits terrible, but they have so many preservatives that they give terrible headaches. Being in the desert dehydrates you more than usual too. If I wanted to have 1 beer after work, I would need to be sure to drink 3 liters of water during the day to curb the dehydration headache.

I'm sooo glad to be done with Egypt. I love it and I hated it. But very glad to move on to something else. When I tell people that I'm moving to Singapore and they have lived in SE Asia, all they can say is "That's great! It's sooo humid there! You'll love it! Oh, you'll love to food! You'll lose so much weight!" I'm very excited. It seems that there is great food from India and Thailand which are my 2 faves. Maybe one day I'll be writing a post on why Singapore made me skinny.