Bali

Wednesday: We were set to head out to Bali after class on Wednesday night. The group consisted of me, Mike, Samm, and Sarah. The flight was about 3 hours long so when we finally got to Kuta Beach (the name of the first town) we headed straight to the hostel to check in. We were staying at Suji Bungalows. After quickly checking out our new place we headed out to explore the town. One of our goals was to dive so we went to a shop that arranges diving trips. Sarah, the only non-diver, was going to surf the next day so the three of us arranged a dive Thursday. By the time we had arranged the dive it was around 10:30 and the local guys (Hogan and his friend) that were working at the dive shop asked if we wanted to go out to the club with them. We walked to the street know for its clubs and were pretty shocked by the size and scope of some of the clubs. Most of the clubs were crawling with Aussies because of Bali's proximity to Australia. And for some unknown reason the unofficial dress code was shirtless guys with sweatbands or local wife beaters with local beer logos. The place was pretty fun but we didn't stay long because we had a dive in the morning.

Thursday: We had to wake up early because diving is a lot better in the morning. We got a wake up call from the front desk because our driver was already there waiting to bring us to the dive site. The place was about a 30 minute drive. After trying on the equipment we boarded the boat and we were on our way. On the boat ride over we counted several banana boats and 7 para sailing boats. It was quite chaotic. The water was very clear.
The first dive was pretty similar to the dives in Phuket but the dive masters brought bread in plastic bags down for us. When we got to the bottom we opened the bags and were immediately swarmed with fish. They were so close that we were able to easily touch them. We swam around the reef and went deeper than we had ever been which was about 15 meters. We got back on the boat and headed to another reef for another dive.
The second dive was a bit deeper (22 meters). The sights and reefs were similar but near the end of the dive one of the guides caught a puffer fish under a rock, inflated it, and swam around with the volleyball shaped puffer fish for about 5 minutes. Another highlight was when one of the guides decided to turn off the others air under water. Requiring him to use my back up regulator until it was turned back on. It was hilarious.
Lunch was provided at the dive shop as was the transportation. All of it together was about $35 USD for everything together.

After showering at the hotel we went to find a converter so we could plug in Samm's computer. He was the only one that brought one and without it we wouldn't be able to charge any of our cameras or ipods. While shopping we ran into Guy and some of his friends (Grace, Lisa, and Heather). They were having lunch so we pulled up some chairs and grabbed a snack while discussing plans for the night. Without phones it was somewhat difficult to arrange meetings etc. The group decided that they wanted to try some of the famous (and legal) mushroom shakes (not me). So after discussing a game plan on when and where we would meet up we went our separate ways. We relaxed around the pool and then headed out to dinner. We went to a food court where I stumbled across some locals playing chess. I watched for a little bit and when the current game ended the winner challenged me. Naturally I had to accept. He was a lot better than I thought. It came down to the end game where I was finally able to finish him off.
Some other friends (Frank, Stephane, and Alexi) were suppose to be joining as well but ended up just missing the group. Hogan, our local friend, was going to meet us and take the group to a good place for the shakes. We stayed at the first place for a little bit but decide to take the shakes to go and having a swim at the pool would be more fun for everyone.

Friday: We slept in late. Guy (who had planned on staying with the 3 girls throughout the trip) decided to make the switch and join our traveling party. He wanted to join us on the wreck dive but the girls weren't certified so he just joined our party. Arnuad and Stephanie also joined us. After an easy morning we decided to head to the beach to try and surf. Unknown to us was the fact that Kuta Beach is known for the dead fish that are killed by the break. The later in the day the more dead fish. The water smelled terrible. After surfing (trying to) for over an hour I finally stood up on the board for about 2.5 seconds. I quit after that momentous victory and waited a little bit for everyone else to finish up. We took showers and grabbed dinner. The plan was to go out to the Sky Garden where some more NUS students were going to meet us. When we got to the club we saw a lot of friends from NUS. We stayed pretty late before finally heading home (but not before we stopped by the 24 hour McDonald's)

Saturday: We hired a driver for the day for 10 hours (it only cost $40) to take us around Bali to the various temples. The van was designed to seat nine (which would have been perfect for the seven of us...unfortunately we all had our luggage). The van was pretty packed but we were able to fit everyone somewhat comfortably. We started north west towards the island temple (all of the temples have actual names but I don't remember them). It was built on a tiny rock island and during the low tide can be accesses by wading across the water.
Next we headed much further north to check out the floating temple on one of the largest lakes in Bali. It is surrounded by mountains so the drive there was actually very interesting all to itself. At the the top of one of these mountains our driver pulled over so we could take some pretty cool pictures. The temple itself was very ornate and different from the first temple but not that exciting (partially to do with the weather). However, it did provide some pretty sweet photo ops and right before we left the clouds began to break revealing the lake and the surrounding mountains. It reminded me a lot of Lake Como. We stopped at an all you can eat buffet ($10) on the way there at the perfect time because just as we arrived it began to rain very hard. The restaurant also had a pretty amazing view of some rice terracing. Next we headed to Ubud (considered the cultural capital of Bali). The plan was to check out some pretty cool views of more rice terracing but decided we had enough of the cramped car conditions and would prefer to spend more time walking around Ubud.
After checking in to the hostel we headed to the market which was closing up as we got there. I made a few t-shirt purchases (hopefully you like them Chris/Evan/Patrick...you'll have to wait). We were told that going to the traditional dances was pretty interesting, and it was for about 15 minutes. Unfortunately for us it lasted an hour and a half. After that we headed back to grab dinner. Mike and Guy made the wise decision to skip the dance and instead checked out the monkey forest and booked the wreck dive for the next day. By the time they got there it was already pretty dark so when Mike found himself under attack they ran as fast as they could out of the forest. Turns out monkeys do enjoy throwing their feces in the wild, not just at the zoo.
We heard the place called the Dirty Duck was good but as we arrived they were already closing. We wandered around for a bit till we found a place that was open. It was actually very good (and had wireless Internet). People took turns using my itouch to check their email/etc which was very handy (thanks mom).

Sunday: We woke up at sunrise to go to the monkey forest located just on the edge of Ubud. It was about a 10 minute walk from out hostel. It was pretty eerie because we were the only people in the forest. We finally came across a large troop of monkeys feasting on some potatoes that the locals throw out to them. They were a lot more aggressive and intimidating then I thought they would be based on their size. I got more comfortable around them eventually but still kept my distance. Samm got much closer, so close that he actually had his water bottle stolen from him. The monkey proceeded to open the bottle and drink from it (quite impressive). We were on the way out when a monkey was able to mark his territory by urinating on Stephanie from the trees. She was not happy.
When we got back it was already time to load up the car and headed to Tulamben. It was about a 2.5 hour drive and we wanted to get there in the morning while the diving is still good. On the way there I witnessed my first motorbike accident. It wasn't that serious but I knew it was only a matter of time before I would see one because of the way everyone drives. The town of Tulamben is tiny, so tiny that the directions were "It's on the left side of the road". Sure enough it was. We got fitted for our gears and then went to grab lunch. Arnuad, Stephanie, and Sarah weren't certified so they had to do an instructional course before being able to dive with instructors holding on to them. While they did the first course we went ahead with out first wreck dive in the USS Liberty (A US ship sunk by a Japanese sub during WWII). It was incredible. As soon as we were underwater you could see schools of neon fish everywhere. The wreck was amazing. The fish were much bigger than we had ever seen before and the fact that we were swimming through a ship made it that much cooler. Not to mention the depth beneath during parts of the dive. We swam down half of the ship and then through the old engine room and then back to shore. The current back to shore was incredibly strong so it took a lot of energy to swim in. Just as we were leaving the other group was doing their first dive. We went back to the pool to relax and decompress while we waited for them to finish. When both groups were done we planned on heading to the hotel to unpack while waiting to do the second dive. We planned on getting 2 rooms between the 7 of us. The dive company suggested we check out one of the villas because they thought it would be a lot more comfortable for such a large group. They were right. They took us to a private villa with 3 bedrooms, 3 bath, a full kitchen, living area, a private pool, and sun area. It was incredible. But the original price range was still out of our budget so we opted to take only 2 of the rooms and have a few people sleep on coaches etc. Eventually they lowered the price per room to it worked out to $20 per person for 3 rooms which made us all very happy. Even the smallest things at the villa like a toaster was a cause for celebration. It was nice to treat ourselves although we knew it was only going to be for the night.
That night we had food delivered and ate dinner as the sun set. It was pretty cool. Our dive master helped us acquire the necessary amounts of beer at a fair price and some of the local moonshine called Araq. We spent almost all of the night playing King's in the pool. Arnuad, who is Swiss, especially enjoyed the new game. We were also able to significantly grow his vocabulary with various words that he used repeatedly throughout the remainder of the trip. The original plan was to wake up early to drive back to Kuta to catch the bus to Java but none of us wanted to leave the Villa any earlier than we had to. Instead we all slept in.

Monday: When we woke up walked right next door to grab the breakfast that was included. Then we were on our way south. The plan was to stop a few times to check out the surfing but when we arrived in a few places the surf had already gone out. We went back to Kuta for the night and checked back into the Suji Bungalows. We met up with German Mike and his friend for Mike's birthday. After a long night it was finally time for bed. The mini-bus was coming at noon for the trip to Java that I will continue in my next blog post.

As always check out my Picasa/ facebook for more pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/WilliamStoudt

Chinese New Year Dinner

So I know I'm way behind but I intend on doing some major catching up this weekend. In a time saving strategy I will be opting for shorter blogs.

Our spring break fell over the Chinese New Year. I was suppose to join the Tay's for the traditional family celebration on the New Year (which I would have missed) but because Uncle Mike was going to be traveling he decided to do the dinner a week early. I went over for dinner (but not before texting Melissa to make sure there would be no durian). Uncle Mike (the traditional way of referring to family friends) was making Chili Crab, a favorite and unique Singaporean meal. Everything was very good. We sat around the table for a few hours eating and toasting one another. Afterward we caught a soccer match before I finally headed home.

SUPER BOWL MONDAY

Sunday/Monday: The anticipation is killing me. I slept in my jersey last night (as I have done for the last couple of nights). I slept in, as usual. When I woke up I filled my time by gchatting, facebooking, watching random TV shows, and watching and reading about the Saints journey. While facebooking I checked out the event details for the Super Bowl party at the Chili's and got some pretty terrible news. The info box read "Please call to confirm your reservation. At this time we are not taking any more reservations or walk-ins." My heart sank. The previous information was that they would not be taking reservations and it would be first come first serve. I called all over town looking for another bar that might be showing the game. No luck. So naturally all that I could do was to call and confirm my reservation. Knowing the chaos of the event I decided I would simply call to confirm my party of four. It worked like a charm. "Oh yes sir we have you confirmed for four. Please arrive early at the south end of the Tanglin Mall. We look forward to seeing you Mr. Stoudt". I was ecstatic. The plan had worked perfectly. We had to be up at around 5:00am so we could be there for 5:30. The place wasn't slated to open till 6:00 but with all of the confusion there was no way we were leaving it to chance. I tried staying up the entire night but eventually settled on about a 2 hour nap. It took about an hour of lying there before exhaustion finally took over. Samm opted to stay up because he had some work to do. When we went to wake up Mike he informed us that he wasn't going. He had developed a pretty nasty rash all over his arm. He headed immediately for a doctors office as soon as one opened. Our friend Ian from Norway, who is a big football fan, joined us as well. We grabbed a few beers for the road and got a cab down to Chili's. When we arrived we were greeted by some other NUS students that we had planned to meet there. The two groups actually arrived before the wait staff. They let us in the restaurant as they prepared to open. Everyone else was forced to wait in a line outside until they were ready to open. Each table had a name card with the parties name but the three of us decided to sit at the bar. We had a much better view than everyone else. Additionally because we got there so early we were able to get the best pick of seats. They had purchased the Game cast online so we missed out on most of the pregame talking heads. Instead we watched a hockey game via a sling box until it was game time. At 6:30 they started offering 2 for 1 drinks for the first hour. When Melissa (Tulane) and her friends showed up without a reservation the host tried to send them away but after some arguing (because I did have a reservation for 4, as they said) I was able to get them a table. Singaporeans really don't like conflict so situations like this are usually resolved favorably. By this time it was almost game time.
I don't think I need to go over the game highlights but do have a pretty good story that happened in the 3rd quarter. I was watching quite intensely when I heard a somewhat familiar voice from behind say "if the Saints are going to win they are going to need to play some defense". I turn to find that my Singapore Foreign Policy professor is the person that is talking shit. After a brief conversation I tell him that I probably won't be in class later that day and that the Saints don't have anything to worry about (at that point I think we were in the shootout).
Among the host of people watching the game (most of them cheering for the Saints) was a very nice couple from Houston that I talked with a lot during the game. They were cheering just as hard for us as many in the Who Dat nation.

Top 5 plays during the game that need mention.
1)Ambush.
2) PT screen TD - How is he so good at those
3) Fumbled exchange after failed 4 and Goal
4) Roby's special teams plays.
And Lastly
5) #22 sealing the game.

After the game it all seemed pretty unreal. It was probably my most unique Super Bowl experience, as it was for everyone at home, but for slightly different reasons. I'm bummed I missed it but I don't think I would trade my experiences.

The Week Leading up to Super Bowl Monday

I apologize for the lack of pictures as most of them are up on my Facebook or Picasa.

Monday: This continues the previous blog of getting off the plane on Monday around noon from Thailand. I had to hustle from the airport which is about an hour away back to Commonwealth so I could change and pick up books/etc for class. I had just enough time to take a shower before it was time to head out. Mike and I split a cab which costs about $6 from the apartment to school to save ourselves a lot of time. I made it to class just in time. The first class, Singapore Foreign Policy went by pretty smoothly. As did the second which is in the same lecture hall and was actually taught by the same professor due to an absence. Naturally he was a little tired so he let us go a bit earlier. Still tired from the weekend we enjoyed a relaxing night in.

Tuesday: Every other Tuesday is an off day for me. This was one of those days. Except for sleeping in a little later than normal I actually used my day wisely catching up on some much needed laundry. I was nearly depleted of almost everything so this day off couldn't have come at a better time. I decided that the best way to use the time in between loads was to clean the apartment. So I went about my day sweeping, mopping, and taking out the trash. But my productivity didn't stop there...I even managed to work in a run. For those of you that know me well enough I assure you that this is not a joke. I'm actually going to stop procrastinating my fitness and now is as good a time as ever. The food is good but can be wearing at times. Chicken and rice is also relatively healthy, which has caused me to lose a little weight since being here. By the time all of this was over some of the roommates who had school began arriving to a much more livable apartment. We grabbed dinner and waited for the Tuesday tradition. This one was pretty fun. I met Arnuad and Stephanie (two people who will appear in the Bali and Java posts to come).

Wednesday: I overslept and missed my first class. I called Erik to see what I missed and he gave me the best news of the day...class was canceled. I vaguely remember the professor telling us that class would be canceled but only because Erik reminded me. Had I bused my way all the way over to campus just to learn that there was no class I would have been very upset. Instead I got to sleep in and go over some of my readings for my class at 4. I got to campus with enough time to go to the library to print out notes. The class, about public policy, is very interesting but can also be very boring. I was fading fast so during the break I made a quick stop at the canteen to get something to wake me up. After class I headed to the free shuttle that resumes pick-ups at 6:30. By the time I was back it was almost time to start getting ready for ladies night. We were headed to Baroque. It offers a live cover band and free flow from 8:30-11:30 for $20. We planned on meeting some other exchange students there but were surprised by the number of people that we knew from school that were at the club. This wasn't the first time this has happened either. The best way to explain this phenomenon is to relate it to the high school party. Although there is an endless number of clubs exchange students always manage to bump into one another. One person will tell another until most of the exchange students end up showing up. When the free flow ended the bar began to empty, naturally. I called it a night.

Thursday: No school every other Thursday. Its pretty great. The excitement I have for the Super Bowl is almost unbearable and I still have to wait till Monday. I think the only highlight of the day was ordering McDelivery. You can do it online or via the phone. It is also 24/7. I also spent a lot of time reading almost every article I could find about the Super Bowl.

Friday: It turns out that every other Friday I was forced to sign up for a tutorial. It sucks but I can live with it for another 3 weeks (only three more tutorials). These are discussion based classes. I'm not sure how much I already talked about them but it was definitely an interesting experience. For starters the icebreaker used to introduce one another was: name, year, where you're from, and something interesting about your grandparents (ie where they are from, etc). The highlight of the class for me is when another exchange student came in late (without knowing the topic) to about midway through a girl talking about how her grandparents are dead. Her face was priceless. The rest of the time is spent by the tutors asking the class useless questions like "what would you like to discuss?" and "how should we go about discussing this?". I sat through almost two hours of a class where we never reached anything relevant. The discussion was literally how we would discuss things in the future and arguments on what are the best ways to discuss. It was maddening. This Friday in particular I had my first group presentation. The professor threw our group under the bus in class on Wed. and none of us had time to work on it till the morning. I ended up presenting about something I knew very little about but the professor seemed to enjoy what I was saying and I think it ended up going pretty well.
Tonight was another one of those night were everyone ends up at the same place. We went down to Arab St. (bars, restaurants, and hookah cafes) and met up with some friends. After waiting a very long time at a the large table with a a ton of other NUS students Samm, Sarah, and I decided to go to another place down the street to grab some hummus, kabobs, and a hookah. The food was very good and we had a good time talking and drinking. Some of our friends were going out to the bar but it was already about 11:30. We got a cab and headed to China Town. It was all lit up because of all of the decorations for the new year. It was a pretty good night of strolling through the streets and shops of China town at night. Everything was about to close so there weren't as many people which was nice. After about an hour and a McFlurry we grabbed a cab back to Commonwealth. The can took us through downtown which is very impressive at night and past the giant new casino under construction.

Saturday: Other than the amount of sleep I got this day was probably the most wasted day since being here. Normally I could give an insight on something silly or interesting that happened specifically today. Since I waited too long to write this post I'm going to just talk about some of the general things I've noticed about Singapore. Everyone walks like they are in a grocery store all the time. They have almost no homeless and the ones that are don't beg for money, instead they try to sell you travel packs of tissues (which can be very useful especially because of the next point). The food courts don't have napkins. They are nowhere to be found. Instead Singaporeans bring and use tissues as napkins. Police officers are almost never seen. In fact the only time I've seen one is for a traffic accident. I even walk by a small police station every day and I still don't see them (I'm not sure if this is as interesting to everyone else or if I've already typed about them...for which I apologize).

I decided that the Super Bowl deserved its own post so look for that tomorrow. A picture of the Pig Organ Soup stand. Calling my name. The bet calls for me to eat this shops namesake if the Saints win the Super Bowl.

Web Album

If you want to see more pictures check out my Picasa Web Album at http://picasaweb.google.com/WilliamStoudt or for those of you on Facebook I've uploaded most of them.

Blogs in Progress:
Super Bowl Monday
Bali
Java

Phuket, Thailand

Day 1: (Wednesday) After my two classes I hurried home to meet up with the roommates. The flight was for around 8:30 so I quickly packed the last minute items and we were off. We took the MRT to the airport which is a straight shot from our stop at Commonwealth (and takes about an hour). We were flying Jet Star which is a budget airline that is pretty cheap as long as your are traveling light. The security was somewhat different in that everyone was screened at each individual gate, not one large line for all of the terminal. The flight was about an hour and because of the time change we actually arrived before we left. Thailand doesn't require a visa, which is very convenient for last minute traveling. We met a guy on the flight that lives in Thailand and works in Singapore that briefed us on the arrival card (required when traveling internationally). He told us that they never look at it so we played around with the occupations a bit. Mike (the roommate) declared that he was a farmer and I was a teacher. No questions were asked and we were on our way. After clearing customs we were berated by individuals peddling tours, taxi rides, etc. from little stands. We grabbed a taxi and headed to our hostel in Phuket Town. The hostel was nice and very modern for Thailand. We checked in, consulted the desk, and got directions to the nearest drinking establishment. After failing to find the place we stumbled into a pretty cool place that had live music. Mike treated himself to a Singapore Sling (although this time it was pretty cheap). The music (all in Thai) was very entertaining but because we were diving very early the next morning we called it a night around 1am.

Day 2: We had to wake up around 9:00am to meet our driver (who was already there) so he could bring us to Calypso Diver's (name of the school). Boon (pictured) picked us up and dropped us off every day using the truck that was modified to hold passengers. This is very common in Asia, especially Phuket. We did all the necessary paperwork but before we were allowed to go into the water we had to watch instructional videos. They were incredibly boring and intentionally cheesy. The one take away we took was to constantly high five one another (a practice that we continued to do throughout the trip, much to the confusion of our diving instructors). After the videos we headed to a pool designed specifically for diving. We grabbed lunch and then it was time to go over some of the basics. The biggest hurtle was getting comfortable breathing in and out of your mouth under water. We swam around for a bit to get acclimated and then it was time for some of the safety skills. Everything was very simple and came pretty easily so we actually had time to finish all of the pool dives in one day. The long day at the pool was somewhat exhausting so we decided that the night would be more low key. We went to the local market to pick up a snack before dinner. One of the stands offered almost any type of meat on a stick. Samm, Mike, and I selected the beef satay (or so we thought). The first bite tasted pretty good but it was apparent almost immediately that the texture of the beef was much more like that of an organ. After the second bite it was clear we weren't eating beef so we gave up on the satay. Down the street was an Italian place that we had heard had good pizza. The reviews were very accurate (although it was no Tower, it did offer a more traditional Italian Pizza). Next we went to a place called Mike's Bar for a couple of drinks. All of the tables had little games like Connect Four, Jenga, etc. We played for awhile but eventually Mike and Samm gave up because they could not beat me. Another early day was in store, but this time it was actually going to be a dive in the ocean.

Day 3: We had to watch two more videos and then it was time to head down to the beach for the first official Scuba dive. It was quite a site with hundreds of people enjoying the beach and a few people in full wetsuits and gear walking slowly towards the water. After about a 150m swim out we dove down to the reef. My first thoughts were right out of Finding Nemo (complete with clown fish and all). We got to swim around the reef and explore for most of the dive. We also had to do various skills that would happen in an emergency like losing your regulator or water getting into your mask. We headed back to shore to talk about the first dive and go over some of the skills for the next dive. The second dive of the day was more skills based but we also got to go a bit deeper (10m). After a long day of diving we headed back and grabbed food at one of the local restaurants. The class isn't all fun and did require that we take some quizzes. We went over the book and took the quizzes (which were actually insanely easy). Wanting to get all of the class work out of the way we requested that we take the 40 MC test then and there to get it out of the way for the next day. Naturally we all passed quite easily. Knowing that all that stood in our way to passing the course was two beach dives the next day we decided that we were going to celebrate tonight. The popular tourist attraction Patong (about 20 minutes away) was the local version of Bourbon with bars, clubs, and tacky shops. Also present was a large population of "lady boys" a much more accepted and common profession for men. The day of diving made us hungry so we set out for dinner first which followed by a bit of shopping and eventually drinking. Patong's version of the hand grenade (the bucket) is quite simply a clear pale filled with mixed drinks. At 3 for 10 it was hard to resist. Its also very common for owners to throw in extra shots and such to keep customers from leaving. They also had a ton of bar games like those at Mike's bar but also a very simple game that involved using a small hammer to strike a nail into a stump. The first to do so was the winner. I was challenged by one of the bartenders to a game of Jenga, only this game was slightly different. We played for awhile before I eventually succeeded. The bar was family run and all of the employees were the children or friends of the family. We were content staying there and they were content giving us free drinks because we were drawing a lot of other people into the bar. By the end of the night we were making our own drinks behind the bar.

Day 4: I was feeling fine the next morning but that wasn't the same for the roommates who were obviously moving a little slow the next morning. The second day of diving brought us back to the same beach and reef but we were content exploring different areas of the coral. Also much of these dives were to master the more difficult skills that are necessary to master like completely taking one's mask off or ascending to the service using a buddy's spare regulator. Not too much else happened. I was very tired so decided to stay in for the night but Mike and Samm went out with one of our instructors for drinks. They had a great time but ended up spending a lot trying to bet shots vs. some of the bar girls in many of the silly games. We officially completed the course and were given free t-shirts and our temporary PADI licenses.

Day 5: (Sunday) Because diving changes the amount of Nitrogen in the blood stream you cannot fly 18 hours after diving. Knowing this we spent this day at some of the local markets and exploring some of the city that we had yet to see during the day. The heat all week was incredibly but this day was especially hot because we weren't in the water. Other than a bit of shopping and watching a movie the day was simply a day of rest before we could head home early the next morning with just enough time to make it back for classes.

Week Two of Classes, Adventures, and the Weekend

I know it has been awhile. Sorry guys.

Monday: With my FP&D professor in running military exercises in the jungle somewhere (mandatory service for all males) that meant my second class of the day was still being web cast so a friend of mine in some of my classes, Erik (from NJ, goes to Wisconsin), headed down to Chinatown to do some exploring/ shopping and to grab an early dinner. The place was somewhat deserted because we went somewhat early. I was also on a mission to replace my flip-flops that somehow managed to get lost in Bintan. Chinatown is gearing up for the New Year so decorations were being erected everywhere. The place had a lot of flip-flops (and tons of other useless items) but nothing that I would be willing to wear. One of the most interesting shops was the dried meats stand (I'm not sure you can make out the entire ducks, chickens, and geese hanging in the picture). I ran into a stand devoted to selling durian, a fruit that is so pungent that I refuse to get within 15 feet. Somehow its considered a delicacy here. I grabbed a kiwi juice at one of the many fruit juice stands located at almost every hawker center and proceeded to locate satay (chicken on skewers served with peanut sauce). Erik got carrot cake, (nothing like our carrot cake...it is basically eggs, radishes, and a few other vegetables) which is actually pretty tasty. After dinner we headed back home.

Tuesday: I don't have class on Tuesdays so I did what any normal college student would do, I slept in. The day was fairly uneventful. I did manage to do my own laundry, a feat that hadn't been attempted since NYC. We don't have a dryer so we have to dry our clothing the old fashion way (like the rest of Singapore) on clothes lines. Being bored and still in search of flip-flops, I decided to join Samm on his trip to the Immigration Building to collect his Student Pass because it is located just down the street from Bogies (a mall/ market area with very good prices). After searching for quite a while I finally found a comfortable pair. Samm (who also lost his flip-flops at the beach) wasn't as lucky. It isn't that easy to find a lot of choices in size 14. We did manage to locate ping pong balls and solo cups. After a New Orleans DMV like experience we headed back to the apartment. We grabbed dinner and eventually headed to the hawker center. Tuesday night bottle service at Koufu has become somewhat of a tradition. The cast changes slightly each week but its a great way to spend the evening.

Wednesday: The roommates and I planned a day outing in Singapore. We got off at Bogies again (Mike and Brian hadn't been there yet) and browsed around on our way to Arab St. in search of an all you can eat Indian Buffet for $10 that Mike discovered. In addition to all of the chicken curry, butter chicken, and various other items that are delicious (but I have no idea what they are called) the buffet included all you can eat naan. After gorging ourselves we headed towards the Raffles Hotel for the famous (and overpriced) Singapore Sling. It tastes somewhat like a Hurricane. After walking around the downtown area for a bit we called it a day and headed back to the MRT. After dinner it was time to test out the recently purchased cups and balls the only way we know how, beer pong. We played room vs room in a highly anticipated match up. Samm and I slaughtered Mike and Brian in a 3-0 sweep. After we headed to a birthday party being held in one of the building next to us in Commonwealth for another NUS exchange students. It turned out that they had invited everyone so when we arrived the party of at least 100 had spilled onto the front lawn of their building. It wasn't long before a very timid security guard closed the party down. The group dispersed in various directions and I went with some friends to a 24 hour Muslim place that had late night chicken curry and roti prata (cheese bread similar to naan). After the late night snack I headed back to the apartment to call it a night.

Thursday: This was the first day that we can register for Tutorials (small discussion classes held every other week). Despite not having class I had to go into the Poli. Sci. office to sign-up. I also managed to get into Govt. and Politics of Singapore which means I can drop the extremely intensive Chinese 1. After signing up I went with Erik to check out PGP (where the other half of the international students live). We hung out there for awhile and then headed to the NUS pool to go swimming. It ended up raining near the end of our swim, cutting it slightly short. I went back to PGP to meet up with a kid who had picked my flip flops up in Bintan by mistake (so now I have two pairs). We followed peer pong with another game the next night, bombs. The plan was to go to an "American Party" but after that fell through we decided to head out to the Helipad (view from the rooftop bar). Mike stumbled upon a way to sneak into the club that involves a back stairwell and a balcony. We could see a Hooters from the club and decided that after such an American night it was the perfect way to end the night. Brian ended up getting the number of our waitress (who thought he looked like Justin Timberlake).

Friday: Our night at the track. We planned another roommate adventure to the Singapore Horse Track. It cost $3 admission to sit in the lower area. We checked out the horses being paraded around the showing area to determine which horses we were going to bet on. On the first race Mike bet based on the jockey. Samm determined that the crazy horse was the most likely to succeed because of all of the pent up energy. I bet based on the fastest pre-trial run and Brian bet on a number. Samm's strategy proved to be the worst because his rambunctious horse wouldn't even go in the gate and had to be scratched from the race. None of us won. With a little more experience under our belts and a better understanding of the odds we proceeded to make a few more bets. I won one race by betting on the favorite to show and Mike's underdog picks almost payed off when his 30:1 horse finished a head away from a 150 payout. Overall it was a pretty fun night. The weirdest thing about the whole night was that 95% of the thousands of people were all men.

Saturday: I went to lunch with the Tay's (Michael and his wife Marylin). They chose Uncle Sam's Clay Pot. Clay pots are very common (and somewhat similar to Steamboats). You order whatever meats and vegetables and mix them together in a hot clay pot with rice. Some of it was very good like the venison but some of it was not very tasty (like the fish cakes). After lunch I headed back home to enjoy the day off. We planned on heading to a small island for some mountain biking but the bad weather delayed that trip. I spent much of the day anticipating the NFC Championship game to be played early the next morning. I stayed in because I was feeling a little under the weather. Turned out I had a 38.6 degree temp. which meant nothing until I looked it up to discover I actually had a fever (101.5).

Sunday: I woke up very early (around 6) despite my illness to tune in for the Saints game. My roommate Samm woke up as well to keep me company for the game. Watching the game on the Slingbox at such an odd time was a very unique experience. When it was all finally over with I still couldn't believe what had happened. I wore my jersey proudly for the rest of the day but because of my fever that actually went up I did nothing more than sleep. The plan was to head to the health center on Monday for a diagnosis.