When in Singapore...

...You have to use the free Internet that is provided at Changi International Airport! The last couple of days has been an incredible rollarcoaster ride! I left Calgary on Wednesday afternoon and it was one of the hardest things I have done in a long time. My friends Ruth and Tim came out to see me off. Bhavisha, Vinay, and my aunt and uncle dropped me off at the airport. We waited in the queue for the Air Canada flights to the US. The lady at the counter (Merilee) was a bit confused about all the luggage that I had (3 big ass pieces of luggage: 20, 36 and 39 kilos). I paid the $175 for the extra piece of luggage and totally fibbed the weight of them (I told her that they were all 30 kilos or less...opps). Before going into US Customs, I gave everyone a hug and when it came to hugging Vinay and Bhavisha, I cried. I couldn't do anything but. Bhavisha gave me a letter that I had to open on the plane. I couldn't stop crying - I am going to miss V & B so much. US Customs was a breeze and I boarded my flight without any problems. En route to LA, I read Bhavisha's letter and a card given to me by my friend, Trisha. The card and the 4-page letter with pictures were enough to bring me to tears for almost the entire flight! The person beside me was quite worried (perhaps shocked as well) at the level of duress that I was under. He asked if he should move and I said yes. Even the two stewardess were quite worried that I was going to pass out or something. Needless to say, I was well-attended to on the YYC- LAX flight.

In LA, I met up with Sara, a friend and colleague from the National Model United Nations Conference. It was nice to see a familiar face. Now, a word of caution: the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX is a whole new world. I mean, I felt as if I were in South East Asia or Chattarapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai. There was this smell and feel of 'ethnicity' (that is how Sara put it). I am not claustophobic but this place would turn me into one! While I was getting my boarding pass for the flight from LAX to Singapore, I asked the steward how long the layover was going to be in Tokyo. He gave me this quizzical look and said, "This flight does not go to Japan. It will be stopping in Taipei." I almost jumped in glee! (Good god...I used the word 'glee') Good thing I didn't make concrete plans to meet Rakhee in Tokyo or else she would have been pissed off. The flight from LAX to Taipei was the LONGEST flight I have ever been on - 14 hours. And in terms of life experiences, I can say that I have never seen to experience nor enjoy January 13th, 2o05. I am sure that I would have won the lottery or something like that on that day...how I am shaking my fist! Okay, back to the story...You can only watch so many movies and solve Super Mario Brothers 2. :) The seat beside me was empty and the one beside that was occupied by a younger Singaporean lady, whose family lives in Taipei and she commutes between LAX and Singapore. We arrived in Taipei and what would a person do for 3 hours? Most people would have stayed in the airport waiting to board for the next flight. I was invited by the lady that sat beside me (Thindart was her name) to come over to her family's house and have something to eat/drink and shower before heading off to Singapore. It was great! My experiences in South East/East Asian are practically nill - so this was a great way to broaden my horizons in a part of the world that I have not been to. So, after eating, drinking and making merry, Thindart and I were dropped off at the airport and we left for Singapore.

Singapore...wow. It was 29 degrees (36 with the humidity) when I arrived at 11am. I was taken away to my hotel (Hotel Royal), which is the middle of nowhere. Now, for those of you that are aware of your Singaporean geography - Singapore is a city-state and an island; it takes 45 minutes to drive from one end to the other. But this hotel was near nothing! I spent more money on the transit fares than anything else. Regardless, Singapore was a beautiful city that has all the amenities that we would find in New York City (shopping, nightlife, leisure & tourism, and diverse population). I saw all the main highlights of the city - Little India, ChinaTown, Arab Street, Marina/Habour Front, Sentosa Island, and the Parliament buildings. I missed having afternoon tea at Raffles Hotel but I will leave that for when I return to Singapore, en route to Calgary, in December. Alright, I should be off as my flight to Brisbane is boarding now! See you all in Australia!