My last post was pretty critical of Singapore so in the spirit of positivity, I wanted to write about the top 10 things I am grateful for since I've been here. I have found that this has been a really good year to work on my faults (as there are many!) and patience is my biggest hurdle. I seem to be able to battle my impatience by looking for the silver lining and being grateful for all of the amazing blessings in my life. My best friend Kat and I exchange 5 things we are grateful for everyday to remind us how beautiful the world is and how lucky we are to be living our lives! With that being said, here's my top 10 gratefuls for Singapore thus far!
10. The MRT and everything it brings with it
One of the biggest things I missed when I left New York was the subway (obviously, not for it's glamour.) Public transportation is awesome. I'm so glad that Singapore has it so you can get from point A to point B without much need for a car. Plus, it's so clean you could eat off the floor, though you would be shot and fined for it, so don't. And, really, how could you NOT enjoy riding on a train that plays this video over and over again? That's PCK. He's the Ryan Seacrest of Singapore, except that he is an actor as well as a host. The character in that video is a character he plays in the only Singaporean sitcom I've seen. He also hosts Singapore Idol among many other things.
The MRT also allows all of the stupid caucasians to try and mimic what the announcements are saying in Mandarin. Pure fun for everyone! And I like to pretend I'm getting tazored everytime the doors close and the train emits a very "tazor-like" sound. Boy, I can't tell you how much Del is NOT sick of seeing me do that for almost 4 months!
9. The view from my apartment
It has made such a huge difference since we have moved. We were in such a depressing, dank, hovel of an apartment before and now we are in a brand new high rise condo on the 14th floor. It's tiny, but we don't care. When I walk in the door and I am looking out over Singapore it's really calming. Whether it's day, night, raining, etc, it's always a good view!
10. The MRT and everything it brings with it
One of the biggest things I missed when I left New York was the subway (obviously, not for it's glamour.) Public transportation is awesome. I'm so glad that Singapore has it so you can get from point A to point B without much need for a car. Plus, it's so clean you could eat off the floor, though you would be shot and fined for it, so don't. And, really, how could you NOT enjoy riding on a train that plays this video over and over again? That's PCK. He's the Ryan Seacrest of Singapore, except that he is an actor as well as a host. The character in that video is a character he plays in the only Singaporean sitcom I've seen. He also hosts Singapore Idol among many other things.
The MRT also allows all of the stupid caucasians to try and mimic what the announcements are saying in Mandarin. Pure fun for everyone! And I like to pretend I'm getting tazored everytime the doors close and the train emits a very "tazor-like" sound. Boy, I can't tell you how much Del is NOT sick of seeing me do that for almost 4 months!
9. The view from my apartment
It has made such a huge difference since we have moved. We were in such a depressing, dank, hovel of an apartment before and now we are in a brand new high rise condo on the 14th floor. It's tiny, but we don't care. When I walk in the door and I am looking out over Singapore it's really calming. Whether it's day, night, raining, etc, it's always a good view!
8. New friends of different cultures and backgrounds
I love learning about new things! And how great is it to learn new things from the amazing people who have experienced it? It's SO great! I have friends now from all over: England, Phillipines, Sydney, Melbourne, Scotland, France, Indonesia, China, Viet Nam, India, Malaysia . . . you name it, I've got a friend from there! I feel so fortunate to get to work with them and learn from them. It's incredibly inspiring to see the kind of talent that exists all over the world.
7. Del
No, he's not from Singapore, but getting to experience all of this with him is something I am so incredibly grateful for that I had to include it in the list. And listen, it's not easy moving across the world, even if you have the love of your life with you, but I never would have survived it without him. Every night I get to come home to him and curl up on the couch watching the shows everyone else in America watched weeks ago and I couldn't be happier or more grateful for that. Gees, he sure is handsome, huh?
6. Pepper Lunch
I love it! And before anyone corrects me, yes, I know, it's actually Japanese. But, with the exception of the incredibly creatively named "Chicken Rice" there isn't much as far as cuisine that comes strictly from Singapore. Everything is sort of brought over from other areas of Asia. And since I'd never had pepper lunch before I lived here, I will count it! It's basically your own little skillet with either fish, chicken or beef (or a combination! Oh the possibilities!) and you can add an egg or cheese. It comes with rice and miso soup and it's just peppery goodness. I can't get enough of it.
5. Insanely Fast Escalators
At first, I despised the escalators in Singapore because they are insanely fast and I have a big fear of them. I think it has to do with my fear of heights, but getting on and off escalators gives me a momentary major panic attack. But with having to get on and off escalators all day, you start to get good at it! Even though I'm still a bit anxious about it, I'm far better at it now. Woohoo!
4. Pole Dancing Class
No, that is not me in the picture but hopefully I'll be able to do stuff like that soon! Pole dancing for fitness and just as a form of dance is really big here and I am really loving my classes. It's definitely not as skanky as it sounds. It takes a WHOLE lot of strength and flexibility. I've gotten many bruises and burns but it's worth it.
3. NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia
I can't express how great it is that there is an NYU Tisch here in Singapore! I have had an amazing time with the masters program writers in their Drama Lab class. They use actors to get their work up on it's feet. I've also done a student film with them and did a workshop with the directing students. It's been really great and I'm so thankful that it is here so I feel like I am still stretching those acting muscles.
2. Takeout Comedy Singapore
Another great challenge has been to start doing stand up again. I had only dipped my pinky toe into it in LA because I was pretty intimidated by all the "regulars" there. Out here, I have all new challenges! It's great because I don't feel like I care as much about being judged because I don't know most of my peers out here, however, I am never sure whether my jokes or sense of humor will translate to the crowd! It's amazing how many everyday references are lost because they are just "American." It's been a fun journey.
1. Improv Group
Bill, a friend I met out here but is from LA, started an Improv class with a bunch of us a couple of months ago and it has been such a great outlet. I hadn't done improv in quite a while back home and was starting to dread it in auditions. I started to feel like I couldn't improv anymore. Then I took this class with him and many of my other coworkers and we have just had a blast! I remembered how fun it is to do and how much better I am when I'm not stressing out or thinking, "I'm not good at this."
Bonus: Nobody But You by the Wonder Girls
I actually only just realized this wasn't a hit song all over the world. It's so huge in Asia and ridiculously catchy. I love the little dance. Everyone here knows it and does it whenever it's on the radio (which is every three seconds.)
There they are, my top ten "gratefuls." And with links and pictures! Can you tell I have the day off today? My blog is so much more ornate! Thanks for stopping by!
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