My first day at NTU

One of the great German traditions I enjoyed in Marburg was the "First Day" email. When someone left the group, they always wrote an email describing their first day at the new job. I continued the tradition and here is what I wrote. I'm gonna miss those krauts.

My first day at NTU-Singapore

My first day started out with a meeting to the Office of Human Resources. Here they describe the benefits you are entitled to, how to get you RFID Name card (this opens all the doors, no key involved), and what will generally get you fired (like downloading porn….darn). The benefits are actually quite interesting—they give you a special account with a value of 2300 SGD (Singapore Dollars). This account can be used to reimburse yourself for hospital copayments, dental expenses, and even HOLIDAY EXPENSES. I love that part. Up to 200 SGD of my account can be used to reimburse any travel expenses, since going on vacation is therapeutic. Airline tickets cost just about that much from Singapore to Thailand, so I know where I am going next. I can also use it for acupuncture and other Traditional Chinese Medicines.

After the meeting, I went to get my RFID Name Card. This card acts as my key to all the doors I am allowed to go in. I did some of my own experiments with the new RFID Name card. I put it in my wallet and then put my wallet in my back jeans pocket. I found I could then open doors just by hitting my ass next to the card reader. It makes my ass look magical. The Chinese coworkers were not impressed however, but then again, most of them are too short for their asses to reach. They lack the magical ass needed.

Next was an introduction to my new office cubicle. Compared to Marburg and Minneapolis, I was in heaven. I received a new desk, new cushy chair, Quad Core 2 Intel computer, Laser printer, my own office phone, file cabinet, and a bundle of office supplies. I got so excited over my own office phone I called myself on my cell phone—but found the guy on the cell a jerk so I hung up. It all looked so nice and perfect; I wanted to sleep there, right on the desk. Unfortunately, I have few excuses of why work can’t be done now. Now I want to rent the Office Space DVD and make it complete.

After getting a short nap in at my desk (had to test it out), I had a afternoon coffee break with my boss. He is a pretty laid back Indian who asked how everything was going. He said the only thing I needed to get done the next week was to familiarize myself with the projects (literature search) and try to settle in into my new office. Next week I have three meetings, Monday through Wednesday, to meet the group members that are involved in the three projects I will be working with, which includes drug eluting balloons, drug eluting stents, and ocular implants. I have a lot to read in the next week, with a few proposals to write too.

That was the end of the workday, but not the end of the day’s drama. The bet in Marburg was to see if I could last more than two days without ‘police intervention’. Well I am proud to say that in this land of rules, rules, and more rules, I was able to escape the attention of the police, so far. But unfortunately it hasn’t been going so well with the PRC Chinese roommates. After six days of living with the Chinese family of three, they politely asked me if I wanted to leave early from my contract—like in the next week. I guess I haven’t been so good with the rules at the apartment, or so conformist, as I like to think about it. What finally scared them was some prescription drugs I had to store in the refrigerator—but there were scared they were real ‘street’ drugs. I even got a translator to explain what it really was, but they weren’t satisfied, so I have to look for another apartment now. What a bummer.

Hope all is well with you and feel free to visit in Singapore anytime you want. I’ll show you where you can find the tastiest frog legs.

Santosa island.

Me on the right, treading for joy.
The salt water made it really easy to float, but tasted like hell.

As one might expect from an island nation, beaches are plentiful in Singapore and the most popular beach of them all is Sentosa island---you could say its a 'MiniMe' version of Singapore. One has to take a tram to the island, whereupon you get off the train and you literally step onto the beach. As I (like most of you reading this blog) have never swam in the waters of southeast asia, I didnt quite know what to expect. The waters were really warm, a little too warm though, as I wanted to jump in and cool off from the hot weather, but it was refreshing anyway. I met up with an expatriate group to form some instant friends (just add water) and we had a pretty good time, since none of us had any significant others to celebrate with on Valentines Day :( . We swam out to the little island in back of us--the sand had a very peculiar feel. Everytime you stepped down, one sank about calf deep--so the initial impression was that of quicksand. I thought I would be smart so I stepped out an SOS just in case.

Sautee'd frog legs any one?
They are quite tasty.

Above is a plate of freshly grilled frog legs with some vegetables for color. The meat was pretty tasty but the bones are really tiny and easy to miss. You learn just to chew them and swallow. Same for shrimp shells--its too much work to get them off and after awhile you start to like them. Some of the unusual food (to me anyway) I have seen over here in the fast food restaurants is pig liver, pig kidney, pig feet, (nothing is wasted here), fish head soup, deep fried chicken feet (REALLY popular), sea cucumber, tripe (guts), and grilled, pickled eggs (all sorts of birds, but duck is popular).

Me in the pink garden with the green backpack.
I am a fusion of color, race, and style. Sandals are a must.

Painted bamboo is the new clothes dryer for me.

I'm livin like the locals as much as I can. I am even starting to like rice a lot more. I have it pretty much at every meal, but havent figured out how to work it into breakfast. In the background is the blue cannondale, taking the world tour right along with me. The front rim got a little bent this time, probably by about an 1/8 of an inch but she still rides. I explored the Jurong neighborhood I live in with this afternoon and discoved yet another mall, flea market, and hawker food stalls a block away from where I live. They even had a music school there, where I promptly signed up for more violin lessons.

The above picture proves I can fix anything with a zip tie.

During the move, my poor computer broke down once again. I was trying to start it up and kept smelling funny plastic-burning smell. Uh-oh. While the box handlers were using my computer as a bowling ball, the pins holding the processor and heatsink/fan broke and my processor was bouncing around like Terry in a Techno club. I thought the computer was a goner for sure this time, but I spent about a half hour straightening the 300 copper pins (a real PITA) so I could plug the processor back into the socket. Since all the plastic clips broke, I had to find a method to hold the heatsink/fan on to the processor--then came the zip tie, circled in red to save the day (of course my leatherman deserves a little recognition too). What was junk, I am now typing my blog on. Lets cross our fingers and hope the zip tie doesnt melt hold the heatsink......

I seen a good article on CNN today:

Study: Experiences make us happier than possessions

Click above.

Since I have very little possessions, I should be a very happy man someday. Ode to the future.

Outcomes and expectations

Apartment searching in Singapore. I had the wonderful plan to find budget accommodations in Singapore as rental prices here are on par with New York and London. Budget means no place to myself and me having to find someone with a free room. This I thought, could be a good thing--find a chinese family living close to work, integrate myself with them, take some mandarin courses, and before you could say wham, bam, thank you mam, I would be speaking fluent chinese with a whole bunch of new friends. Funny, its not quite working out that way.

The apartment search was quite brief. I looked at six apartments, six very budget apartments, less than a 30 min walk to my work. All sharing houses with chinese families mixed with other students too. Over here, the major negotiating article is air conditioning (which the singaporeans call aircon, except when the say it, it sounds like acorn). without it, you can have an apartment for 500, with 'acorn' its 700, and really deluxe is finding a master bedroom with private bathroom, which costs about 900 USD.

At first, I thought I could be tough, and tough out the hot weather, and for go for the really cheap rooms. But the more I realized it, I remembered I was a white boy from Minnesota with skin pale enough to see through. That and one of the agents said I was stupid to consider such a thing, since he had been living here his whole life and couldnt function without the 'acorn'. But then again the higher the price, the higher the commission for him.

On one of the places, they actually tried to speak some english to me, and seemed somewhat interested in me being there, as with most it felt like they were just looking for a warm paying body in the room. So I chose them. But at every place, I was shown the list of rules and the list of what NOT to do: These generally fell along these lines:

1) no cooking allowed, the kitchen is mainly for looks. Boiling water is allowed.
2) No one over ever, hundred dollar fines should you break this rule.
3) anything over 1.348 decibels is likely to get you kicked out. They've measured. Twice.
4) everything should always be cleaner after, then when you first touched it. Prepare to buy new if this is not adhered to.

After smelling some of the hawking food stalls here in Singapore, the no cooking allowed actually makes some sense. Imagine overcooking fish in the microwave and you have the basic idea.

One lucky provision I did negotiate was the 'acorn'. I told them, every month I used it, I would volunteer another hundred dollars toward rent, and this was duly noted in the contract (along with uncleanliness--which could get me kicked out with no deposit).

So me and the new family are trying to adjust to each other. They keep getting mad at me cause I where my flip flops into the house. Yes, I wear flip flops everywhere now, otherwise the feet start to float in their own sweat, creating the most potent anti-woman odor repellent ever been made. I keep getting mad at them, because everyday their is a new rule that seems so perfectly obvious to them, but so far has eluded me. Flip flops stay outside, but shoes should be carried inside and placed in own room. Double sentry doors must be locked at ALL times. Windows should be closed the majority of the time, so no dust can come in. and on and on and on....and I am going to nutz with too many rules. its only the second day I have lived here......

Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye again.

I had to say goodbye to a lot of people in Germany I am really going to miss. I created a little family away from the family that I duly left again. Saying goodbye is hard--sometimes I would rather avoid it, sneak out the back door while everybody is still happy and celebrating, and choose to have my last look at them just like that. But goodbyes do show you care, show you showed up even if the hugs and last words seem to come out awkward with the right words always escaping, unable to express what you are truly trying to say. Hmmm........