Last day of work in Singapore! It's been such a quick summer, especially with all the traveling that I've been doing the past two months. Traveling so much here makes me realize how little I understand and know the United States. I've barely even ventured out of the Northeast! When I get back I will definitely make trips to the West Coast, the South and yes, maybe even the Midwest, haha.
Singapore really is a very unique place. A hybrid of East and West, with a lot of very efficient planning and strong marketing ploys. It's ridiculous how good they are at selling you stuff. Just yesterday I realized that some restaurants give you a whole bottle of wine when you order a glass, and you can just pour however much you want without waiting for service - this way you drink more without even really realizing it! Gosh, they're so smart. I'm going to miss the shopping malls at every MRT station, the ATMs that litter the entire island, the hawker stands, the humidity (well maybe not this last one, haha). Singapore is such a safe city that I feel like I've really been embolded here to try new experiences and be more carefree (but its probably also part of the ploy to encourage us to consume also though >.<).
Just by being here, I've learned a lot. I've become exposed to such different cultures, histories, regimes and peoples. The Singapore government is so unique - the efficiency and amount of control they have is truly amazing and they're able to propel the country forward at such a rapid speed. Not something that the U.S. can imitate of course but still, the prosperity of this small country is impressive. I've come to appreciate the complexities of SE Asia politics, though I've certainly only scratched the surface. Going to Myanmar was especially eye-opening.
I'm not sure if I would come back to Singapore just for being in SE Asia, but who knows where life will bring me - and I certainly wouldn't complain about an opportunity to work in Singapore. It's an amazing place that sucks in foreigners, it seduces you once you get here with all the VIP-ness.
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Thursday, August 4, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Back from the Golden Land (Myanmar)
After a weekend in Myanmar, it feels great to be back in Singapore. Everything is efficient, air-conditioned, modern, new, English-speaking and comfortable (Sorry I'm spoiled by modern technology). But that said, Myanmar was definitely an amazing experience where I learned so much about a country that is stereotypically viewed as hostile and dangerous. The people there were just incredibly nice. In contrast with most other SE Asian countries with developed tourist industries, people here want your business, but if you're not interested, they don't get all nasty. There isn't that sense of always needing to have your guard up against scammers. It will definitely be interesting to see what Myanmar would be like in a couple of years when/if the country becomes more open and develops a stronger tourism industry.
Mike Montesano, a Yale alumni with connections to people in Myanmar, introduced us to people that just made the trip 100 times better. Firstly, Aung Aung and Zar Zar (an engaged couple who studied in Singapore before), took us around for most of the time we were there and just made everything so much easier and more authentic. We even took the local bus where the usher basically yells to people on the street and at each stop herds people into the bus. The bus jerks around every 5 seconds and sometimes don't even have real seats (basically wooden boards). We even saw a bus that broke down and had to have some people get off to push the bus.
At night, Myanmar basically closes down super early. At around 11pm, most places are closed (even bars) and the streets are almost pitch dark. The only illumination on the streets come from small street stands. Apparently, its really popular for Myanmar men to sit on the streets until the wee mornings drinking tea (they just call it tea, but oftentimes its tea + milk, almost tastes like boba).
Another highlight of the trip was going to an organization called Myanmar Egress (which kind of means - way to freedom) and meeting Nay Win Maung. He is highly involved in trying to build up the Myanmar government institution economically, politically and socially, from the inside out. Although there is a lot of criticism that he is working for the government, his philosophy is very pragmatic. He desires to see democracy develop in Myanmar but wants to achieve it through pragmatic reform of the government from within rather than a complete overthrow. He is accepting of compromises in order to slow move towards a goal. Meeting with him was basically an incredible crash course in Myanmar politics that gave us an inside perspective. Definitely SUPER COOL! :D
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Mike Montesano, a Yale alumni with connections to people in Myanmar, introduced us to people that just made the trip 100 times better. Firstly, Aung Aung and Zar Zar (an engaged couple who studied in Singapore before), took us around for most of the time we were there and just made everything so much easier and more authentic. We even took the local bus where the usher basically yells to people on the street and at each stop herds people into the bus. The bus jerks around every 5 seconds and sometimes don't even have real seats (basically wooden boards). We even saw a bus that broke down and had to have some people get off to push the bus.
At night, Myanmar basically closes down super early. At around 11pm, most places are closed (even bars) and the streets are almost pitch dark. The only illumination on the streets come from small street stands. Apparently, its really popular for Myanmar men to sit on the streets until the wee mornings drinking tea (they just call it tea, but oftentimes its tea + milk, almost tastes like boba).
Another highlight of the trip was going to an organization called Myanmar Egress (which kind of means - way to freedom) and meeting Nay Win Maung. He is highly involved in trying to build up the Myanmar government institution economically, politically and socially, from the inside out. Although there is a lot of criticism that he is working for the government, his philosophy is very pragmatic. He desires to see democracy develop in Myanmar but wants to achieve it through pragmatic reform of the government from within rather than a complete overthrow. He is accepting of compromises in order to slow move towards a goal. Meeting with him was basically an incredible crash course in Myanmar politics that gave us an inside perspective. Definitely SUPER COOL! :D
Schwedagon Pagoda
Royal Lake (Karaweik Hall on the right)
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Sunday, July 17, 2011
Taking Time off?
I don't know why, but suddenly I came to the realization that I do want to take some time off from Yale. I'm NOT going through some early-life crisis. I didn't go through anything traumatizing that made me want to leave Yale (or stay in Singapore for that matter). I guess what I really want is not exactly time off from Yale but more time to learn more about things I'm interested in, while still being able to take advantage of all the career development support that Yale has. This partially stems from how I developed my interest in energy policies and environmental issues at the beginning of this year. I haven't even begun to skim the surface of the complex issues embroiled in all of this climate change/renewable energy/sustainable practices debate. I want to spend a semester, or year studying or interning or even doing research on something relevant to my major. Even though I realize that it will still not be enough for me to fully understand anything substantial, I just want to be more knowledgeable and buy myself sometime before I have to make decisions about a career. I also realize that I could go to graduate school, but life of a graduate student doesn't seem too appealing right now. I think taking a year off is less of a commitment than graduate school, especially when I'm definitely not thinking about going into academia.
I have no idea what I would want to do but I want to explore my options. See what things I could get funded for and what opportunities are out there. I'll definitely be coming back in this fall, I have way too many obligations to flake out. But hopefully I can do this between junior and senior year. It will be quite sad to not graduate with all of my classmates, but I've heard that getting time off is actually well worth it.
Oh yeah, on a lighter note. This past Saturday we just came back from a dinner hosted at Lee Suet-Fern's house. SO COOL! She's the wife of the second son of Lee Kwan Yew (the former PM of Singapore)!!! It was such a beautiful house. Being in Singapore has been amazing. We've been able to have an audience with such high profile people that it seems slightly surreal. Their willingness to entertain us is so flattering, especially when their usual guests are definitely powerful people.
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I have no idea what I would want to do but I want to explore my options. See what things I could get funded for and what opportunities are out there. I'll definitely be coming back in this fall, I have way too many obligations to flake out. But hopefully I can do this between junior and senior year. It will be quite sad to not graduate with all of my classmates, but I've heard that getting time off is actually well worth it.
Oh yeah, on a lighter note. This past Saturday we just came back from a dinner hosted at Lee Suet-Fern's house. SO COOL! She's the wife of the second son of Lee Kwan Yew (the former PM of Singapore)!!! It was such a beautiful house. Being in Singapore has been amazing. We've been able to have an audience with such high profile people that it seems slightly surreal. Their willingness to entertain us is so flattering, especially when their usual guests are definitely powerful people.
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Tuesday, July 12, 2011
More than half way through!
It is now basically the halfway point of my time here in Singapore. I guess it's time for some reflection. After coming here, I think what I've learned the most about is schmoozing. All these events that the Bulldogs have been invited too has only shown me how important know the right people is and what the right connections can get you. Singapore is all about giving perks to VIP members. I've always kind of been disdainful of the term "networking." Even though I realize that a large part of the value of Yale is the people we meet, I never wanted to think of my friendships in that way. All the networking events that I've been to here have been different though. Yes you do go to these events and make small talk with a lot of different people, but the purpose is to find those several that you really click with, not kiss-ass to every single person you meet. And we have been meeting extremely cool people at these events.
Due to a Yale Alum, Cary Schmelzer, who introduced us to another Cary who works at the FBI, we were able to get an audience with the Singapore Ambassador, David Adelman and the Deputy Chief of Missions, Louis Mazel, held a happy hour in our name. Ambassador Adelman spared 30 minutes of his time to talk to 6 Yale undergraduate interns in Singapore. He was down to earth, humble about his achievements and very personable. BUT he also demonstrated how knowing the right people at the right time would land you the right job. He met President Obama several years back, before the elections and because of several common interests, became friends. He helped President Obama tour around the country and gave speeches for him and after the elections was granted his first choice of coming to Singapore as the Ambassador. Granted he had an impressive resume of having his own start-up, being a partner at a major law firm and serving as former Senator of Georgia for several years, but working one's way up the Foreign Service ladder would not have landed him the job. At this meeting we were also able to see Ambassador Adelman present Mike Davis, a retiring FBI officer with his retirement credentials, which is apparently a great moment in their career. It was amazing that we could be there to witness that moment. (This Mike Davis guy was also featured in the National Geographic on his work in Istanbul)
Later that day the DCM also hosted a happy hour, inviting other Yale alums and some Embassy officers to gather at his "residence." Which was pretty amazing. He had us stand up in front and introduce ourselves, like as if we were important people. The rest of the crowd were all people who have careers in the government, or Yale alums their own amazing careers. It really was such an honor.
On another note, I think something else I've learned this summer is something about how I interact with others. It really wasn't until this summer that I've felt a strong desire to change someone around me. I feel like pushing this person to step beyond this imaginary line that she has created for herself and stop living life so carefully. At the same time, I can't justify why I am doing this because how she leads life is perfectly fine. There's nothing wrong with how she makes decisions, but I am always overcome by this immense desire to just shake her and break apart these ropes that she's tied around her feet. But I also feel totally egotistical saying this. Like as if I have the right to tell anyone else how to live life. By pushing her all the time and questioning her actions, I now almost feel like I've been bullying her. But because she always responds with a smile, I never know when I'm going too far, when my words of "encouragement" turn into words simply impose my views of life onto her. Maybe I should keep my comments to myself? Plenty of people do that and many times with other people I do keep them to myself. But for some reason I just feel compelled to tell her about my dissatisfaction with what she does. After 4 weeks of such interactions, I'm kind of tired and I'm sure she is too, maybe I should just stop?
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Due to a Yale Alum, Cary Schmelzer, who introduced us to another Cary who works at the FBI, we were able to get an audience with the Singapore Ambassador, David Adelman and the Deputy Chief of Missions, Louis Mazel, held a happy hour in our name. Ambassador Adelman spared 30 minutes of his time to talk to 6 Yale undergraduate interns in Singapore. He was down to earth, humble about his achievements and very personable. BUT he also demonstrated how knowing the right people at the right time would land you the right job. He met President Obama several years back, before the elections and because of several common interests, became friends. He helped President Obama tour around the country and gave speeches for him and after the elections was granted his first choice of coming to Singapore as the Ambassador. Granted he had an impressive resume of having his own start-up, being a partner at a major law firm and serving as former Senator of Georgia for several years, but working one's way up the Foreign Service ladder would not have landed him the job. At this meeting we were also able to see Ambassador Adelman present Mike Davis, a retiring FBI officer with his retirement credentials, which is apparently a great moment in their career. It was amazing that we could be there to witness that moment. (This Mike Davis guy was also featured in the National Geographic on his work in Istanbul)
Later that day the DCM also hosted a happy hour, inviting other Yale alums and some Embassy officers to gather at his "residence." Which was pretty amazing. He had us stand up in front and introduce ourselves, like as if we were important people. The rest of the crowd were all people who have careers in the government, or Yale alums their own amazing careers. It really was such an honor.
On another note, I think something else I've learned this summer is something about how I interact with others. It really wasn't until this summer that I've felt a strong desire to change someone around me. I feel like pushing this person to step beyond this imaginary line that she has created for herself and stop living life so carefully. At the same time, I can't justify why I am doing this because how she leads life is perfectly fine. There's nothing wrong with how she makes decisions, but I am always overcome by this immense desire to just shake her and break apart these ropes that she's tied around her feet. But I also feel totally egotistical saying this. Like as if I have the right to tell anyone else how to live life. By pushing her all the time and questioning her actions, I now almost feel like I've been bullying her. But because she always responds with a smile, I never know when I'm going too far, when my words of "encouragement" turn into words simply impose my views of life onto her. Maybe I should keep my comments to myself? Plenty of people do that and many times with other people I do keep them to myself. But for some reason I just feel compelled to tell her about my dissatisfaction with what she does. After 4 weeks of such interactions, I'm kind of tired and I'm sure she is too, maybe I should just stop?
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Tuesday, July 5, 2011
July 4th Weekend Success!
Weekend in Vietnam and then BBQ at our apartment was a great combo.
Vietnam was amazing for the following reasons:
1. Hong
2. Hong's mom
3. Hong's uncle
4. Yale alumni
5. Banh mi (YUMMM)
6. interconnected history with US (yeah i know this is more boring, but still a big part of this trip)
So once we got out of the airport Hong has this huge 15-seater van come pick us up
and bring us straight to the Cu Chi tunnels. For a group of 9, having transportation taken care of is an amazing thing, especially when the cu chi tunnels are like almost two hours away. Of course, along the way there we pick up some fresh and yummy omelette banh mi (vietnamese sandwich).
When we get there Hong tells the "Asian looking ones" to hush and pretend to be Vietnamese since its free entry for locals, haha. But once we get to the counter, this guy starts speaking to us in Vietnamese and we all stare blankly at him...total fail. Walking through the Cu Chi tunnels was a pretty cool experience though, made me feel slighly claustrophobic. It's a miracle that Eric (who is over 6 feet) got through them. To imagine running through these three feet high tunnels with guns is slightly ridiculous. They showed us this video at the beginning of the tour that was total propaganda: "The Americans came and bombed women and children, and pots and pans." Molly was definitely falling asleep during the video.
Later that day we went to the War Remnants Museum and it was the first time I've wanted to cry after a museum exhibit. I'm sure Auschwitz and other concentration camp musuems are probably worse, but for me, this was the most heart wrenching exhibit I've seen. At first walking in, all I saw was propaganda talking about American aggressors who attacked and tortured innocent Vietnamese women, children and farmers. But when I got to the exhibit about the after effects of Agent Orange, it was impossible to detach oneself and think about war purely from an abstract political standpoint. These were pictures of individuals whose lives were completely destroyed by the after effects of war. Mothers whose children were severely deformed or disabled and would need taking care of for their whole life. So 70 year old women were still bathing and washing their 50 year old sons. They displayed a letter that a girl wrote to President Obama. She was a third generation victim of the aftereffects of Agent Orange, pleading to Obama to give aid to the victims. She quotes his speeches in which he talks about his daughters, and his belief in providing children with opportunities to pursue their dreams and asks, "don't we deserve a chance too?"
Going through this museum puts our lives into perspective. How insignificant our own fears and concerns are. How we're so privileged to be going to college, to live in a rich country and have the resources to travel and spend money on frivolous things. I think for most people, seeing horrors and atrocities is a reason to refute the existence of a higher, all-good, supreme being. But I think that seeing such violence makes me think how much more we need God. A world without God would be unimaginably ugly.
After that we went to drop by at an alumni's house and I discovered in these neighborhoods there are hidden gems everywhere. By that I mean that you can walk into an alleyway or street that looks extremely dilapilated and poor, but then walk through gates to find a beautiful house, several stories high. Houses are built on an individual basis, so what you find around it doesn't necessarily signify what every house is like.
For dinner, Hong's uncle (who isn't really a relative), in addition to hiring us a driver, takes us out to eat at a seafood restaurant and gives Hong money to buy each of us a drink later. This man can barely speak English, so we couldn't even express our gratitude in any way or have much of a conversation with him. All I ended up finding out was that he owns a rubber exporting company. But his generosity is just amazing. It pays to have friends around the world.
Later we tried to take a look at the clubbing scene in Vietnam but Hong's mom, like most other moms is a protective mother hen and came to pick us up at 12 am sharp from the bar and ushered us home. Even though it was a little early, we didn't mind. We were tired and she has already been so generous. Hosting 8 of us all at the same time.
Sunday was visitng the Reunification Palace and shopping at the touristy markets, the quintiessential haggling experience. We got on at 5:30p.m. flight and got home by 10 p.m.
Right after, Monday was July 4th! BBQ at La Crystal. It got a rough start since the charcoal we got was taking forever to light. Most people just ended up snacking and drinking some beer. But it was plenty fun. We definitley had almost 50 people there throughout the night and I met quite a bit of interesting people. It's crazy to halfway across world and meet people who are just from all over. Really shows you how small technology has made the world.
I probably won't be traveling again this weekend, but it's going to be a busy week with two dinner seminars, Hong's birthday and a bunch of other things coming up!
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Vietnam was amazing for the following reasons:
1. Hong
2. Hong's mom
3. Hong's uncle
4. Yale alumni
5. Banh mi (YUMMM)
6. interconnected history with US (yeah i know this is more boring, but still a big part of this trip)
So once we got out of the airport Hong has this huge 15-seater van come pick us up
and bring us straight to the Cu Chi tunnels. For a group of 9, having transportation taken care of is an amazing thing, especially when the cu chi tunnels are like almost two hours away. Of course, along the way there we pick up some fresh and yummy omelette banh mi (vietnamese sandwich).When we get there Hong tells the "Asian looking ones" to hush and pretend to be Vietnamese since its free entry for locals, haha. But once we get to the counter, this guy starts speaking to us in Vietnamese and we all stare blankly at him...total fail. Walking through the Cu Chi tunnels was a pretty cool experience though, made me feel slighly claustrophobic. It's a miracle that Eric (who is over 6 feet) got through them. To imagine running through these three feet high tunnels with guns is slightly ridiculous. They showed us this video at the beginning of the tour that was total propaganda: "The Americans came and bombed women and children, and pots and pans." Molly was definitely falling asleep during the video.
Later that day we went to the War Remnants Museum and it was the first time I've wanted to cry after a museum exhibit. I'm sure Auschwitz and other concentration camp musuems are probably worse, but for me, this was the most heart wrenching exhibit I've seen. At first walking in, all I saw was propaganda talking about American aggressors who attacked and tortured innocent Vietnamese women, children and farmers. But when I got to the exhibit about the after effects of Agent Orange, it was impossible to detach oneself and think about war purely from an abstract political standpoint. These were pictures of individuals whose lives were completely destroyed by the after effects of war. Mothers whose children were severely deformed or disabled and would need taking care of for their whole life. So 70 year old women were still bathing and washing their 50 year old sons. They displayed a letter that a girl wrote to President Obama. She was a third generation victim of the aftereffects of Agent Orange, pleading to Obama to give aid to the victims. She quotes his speeches in which he talks about his daughters, and his belief in providing children with opportunities to pursue their dreams and asks, "don't we deserve a chance too?"
Going through this museum puts our lives into perspective. How insignificant our own fears and concerns are. How we're so privileged to be going to college, to live in a rich country and have the resources to travel and spend money on frivolous things. I think for most people, seeing horrors and atrocities is a reason to refute the existence of a higher, all-good, supreme being. But I think that seeing such violence makes me think how much more we need God. A world without God would be unimaginably ugly.
After that we went to drop by at an alumni's house and I discovered in these neighborhoods there are hidden gems everywhere. By that I mean that you can walk into an alleyway or street that looks extremely dilapilated and poor, but then walk through gates to find a beautiful house, several stories high. Houses are built on an individual basis, so what you find around it doesn't necessarily signify what every house is like.
For dinner, Hong's uncle (who isn't really a relative), in addition to hiring us a driver, takes us out to eat at a seafood restaurant and gives Hong money to buy each of us a drink later. This man can barely speak English, so we couldn't even express our gratitude in any way or have much of a conversation with him. All I ended up finding out was that he owns a rubber exporting company. But his generosity is just amazing. It pays to have friends around the world.
Later we tried to take a look at the clubbing scene in Vietnam but Hong's mom, like most other moms is a protective mother hen and came to pick us up at 12 am sharp from the bar and ushered us home. Even though it was a little early, we didn't mind. We were tired and she has already been so generous. Hosting 8 of us all at the same time.
Sunday was visitng the Reunification Palace and shopping at the touristy markets, the quintiessential haggling experience. We got on at 5:30p.m. flight and got home by 10 p.m.
Right after, Monday was July 4th! BBQ at La Crystal. It got a rough start since the charcoal we got was taking forever to light. Most people just ended up snacking and drinking some beer. But it was plenty fun. We definitley had almost 50 people there throughout the night and I met quite a bit of interesting people. It's crazy to halfway across world and meet people who are just from all over. Really shows you how small technology has made the world.
I probably won't be traveling again this weekend, but it's going to be a busy week with two dinner seminars, Hong's birthday and a bunch of other things coming up!
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Monday, June 20, 2011
Ping-pongs? Buddhas? All in one weekend
Wow. That was just a crazy weekend in Bangkok, Thailand. I have no idea what I expected but it definitely was not what I experienced this weekend. The first night that we got there, it was already 10:30 p.m. on Friday and we were wandering for an hour before we found this "Best Comfort Residential Inn" and we definitely walked past some super shady areas where girls were waving to us, offering certain "special massages." But thank god we eventually found the place and it was quite nice, a block away from the main street, close but not too lose. We put our stuff down and hit the streets right away -- headed towards Soi Cowboy (what a name). Once you hit this area you know why it's called a redlight district. Red neon lights everywhere with establishments named "Suzie Wongs," "Spice Girls," and "Cowboy." We found the least sketchy place to sit in and observed the streets. People watching on this street is quite amusing. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment:
Later on we walked into some random bar and BEWARE, anything that is behind a door or curtain on a street like this, once you walk in, there is EXPLICIT X-rated material. Completely naked girls on stage. Haha. We all walked straight out after we walked in. This was the beginning of our Bangkok experience.
The next day was full of touristy destinations. We took a private Chata Praya River boat tour for 350 batt each, which is a little more than $10. Totally worth it. The person driving our boat was super nice and tried to give us our money's worth by going slowly past places of interest, pointing out to us every time we passed a huge lizard (he had a thing for those lizards). Along the way we passed by Wat Arun, a huge temple.
Climbing that thing was a pain. The steps were so steep, basically up to my knees. Then we went to this floating market that had so much good food. It was a shame that we spent only 30 minutes there.
The boat tour ended at the Grand Palace and this is where we started getting scammed. We walk past this huge opening of the Grand Palace (not the main entrance) and some guy tells us that it's Buddha Day so there's a ceremony until 1:30 p.m. It was only noon so he suggested us go to two other temples in the area that were free, no entrance fee. At first he suggested we take the bus there, but then he said since we have 6 people a taxi would be cheaper and then he changed his mind again and said taking the tuktuk would be better. These two tuktuk drivers came up and said they would take us around for 40 batt/tuktuk for two temples and back. Each tuktuk would fit 3 people so that was definitely a good price. Our tuktuk guy didn't talk much but the other tuktuk driver was friendly and spoke English. He seemed so amiable and friendly and nice. I almost got a picture of him too. Tik in his Tuktuk (we should have had Tik the Tuktuk take us to the pingpong show in Patpong, haha):
But after the first destination he tried to bring us to this shop that sold tailor made suits. What? None of us would buy anything like that, so we left immediately and at the next stop they dropped us off and the tuktuks never came back. We didn't pay anyways so we felt like we gained. We just took a taxi back to the Grand Palace for the same amount that the tuktuk would have cost us, but in addition we got a free tour of several temples :D We get back to the Grand Palace and some other guy tells us that its Buddha Day and the temple is closed until 2:30 p.m. Something was fishy here so we ignored this guy and went to the main entrance and lo-behold, there's no such thing as Buddha Day, the Palace was never closed during the day and these were freakin scammers trying to sell us stuff. That is just so hilarious. We thought these nicely dressed guys were so friendly for giving us such detailed directions, but they were complete scams. The rest of the day went by without drama, but I can't believe how tricky those scammers were, lying to us that something was closed to send us off to some random place to sell us stuff.
Now for the last night in Bangkok, we went to so a Ladyboy show called Calypso that was pretty amazing. Not sleazy, people of all ages were there, they sang (lip-sang) and danced to random American and Asian song. They sang to "Nobody" by that Korean girl band too! It was super fun. But then...after that we went to see a Ping-pong show and that was completely ridiculous. The girls there were pulling stuff out of their vagina (razors, shooting darts, needles). The mainstay of the show was definitely the ping-pong girl though. She shot those out with such precision and accuracy. The pingpong balls went at least 10-15 feet. I was trying to avoid having the balls hit me with all my power, and hitting the balls back with a paddle. The goal was to hit the ball into a basket that some girl on stage was holding. What a show, haha.
On the last day we went to the Chatuchak market, with over 1000 stalls, it felt like the Silk Market times 10, haha. Then we ended the day with a nice Thai massage. The first massage I've ever gotten. Molly says it feels like a bus hit her but I thought it was nice. It was a big sketchy at first though since it was on the second floor of some small hotel, but things turned out alright.
That's the end of my Thailand rant. For more pictures, please visit my facebook :D
Bye for now!
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Later on we walked into some random bar and BEWARE, anything that is behind a door or curtain on a street like this, once you walk in, there is EXPLICIT X-rated material. Completely naked girls on stage. Haha. We all walked straight out after we walked in. This was the beginning of our Bangkok experience.
The next day was full of touristy destinations. We took a private Chata Praya River boat tour for 350 batt each, which is a little more than $10. Totally worth it. The person driving our boat was super nice and tried to give us our money's worth by going slowly past places of interest, pointing out to us every time we passed a huge lizard (he had a thing for those lizards). Along the way we passed by Wat Arun, a huge temple.
Climbing that thing was a pain. The steps were so steep, basically up to my knees. Then we went to this floating market that had so much good food. It was a shame that we spent only 30 minutes there.
The boat tour ended at the Grand Palace and this is where we started getting scammed. We walk past this huge opening of the Grand Palace (not the main entrance) and some guy tells us that it's Buddha Day so there's a ceremony until 1:30 p.m. It was only noon so he suggested us go to two other temples in the area that were free, no entrance fee. At first he suggested we take the bus there, but then he said since we have 6 people a taxi would be cheaper and then he changed his mind again and said taking the tuktuk would be better. These two tuktuk drivers came up and said they would take us around for 40 batt/tuktuk for two temples and back. Each tuktuk would fit 3 people so that was definitely a good price. Our tuktuk guy didn't talk much but the other tuktuk driver was friendly and spoke English. He seemed so amiable and friendly and nice. I almost got a picture of him too. Tik in his Tuktuk (we should have had Tik the Tuktuk take us to the pingpong show in Patpong, haha):
But after the first destination he tried to bring us to this shop that sold tailor made suits. What? None of us would buy anything like that, so we left immediately and at the next stop they dropped us off and the tuktuks never came back. We didn't pay anyways so we felt like we gained. We just took a taxi back to the Grand Palace for the same amount that the tuktuk would have cost us, but in addition we got a free tour of several temples :D We get back to the Grand Palace and some other guy tells us that its Buddha Day and the temple is closed until 2:30 p.m. Something was fishy here so we ignored this guy and went to the main entrance and lo-behold, there's no such thing as Buddha Day, the Palace was never closed during the day and these were freakin scammers trying to sell us stuff. That is just so hilarious. We thought these nicely dressed guys were so friendly for giving us such detailed directions, but they were complete scams. The rest of the day went by without drama, but I can't believe how tricky those scammers were, lying to us that something was closed to send us off to some random place to sell us stuff.Now for the last night in Bangkok, we went to so a Ladyboy show called Calypso that was pretty amazing. Not sleazy, people of all ages were there, they sang (lip-sang) and danced to random American and Asian song. They sang to "Nobody" by that Korean girl band too! It was super fun. But then...after that we went to see a Ping-pong show and that was completely ridiculous. The girls there were pulling stuff out of their vagina (razors, shooting darts, needles). The mainstay of the show was definitely the ping-pong girl though. She shot those out with such precision and accuracy. The pingpong balls went at least 10-15 feet. I was trying to avoid having the balls hit me with all my power, and hitting the balls back with a paddle. The goal was to hit the ball into a basket that some girl on stage was holding. What a show, haha.
On the last day we went to the Chatuchak market, with over 1000 stalls, it felt like the Silk Market times 10, haha. Then we ended the day with a nice Thai massage. The first massage I've ever gotten. Molly says it feels like a bus hit her but I thought it was nice. It was a big sketchy at first though since it was on the second floor of some small hotel, but things turned out alright.
That's the end of my Thailand rant. For more pictures, please visit my facebook :D
Bye for now!
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Monday, June 6, 2011
Work Day Numero One
Just finished my first day of work and I'm exhausted. I actually feel like a working woman (obvious with less pressure to complete work by certain deadlines), getting home after dinner with friends and a long day, all I want to do is shower and go to sleep.
I got to work this morning on time and most people at the office weren't even at work yet. It wasn't until 9:30 a.m. when most people started filing in, how bizarre. Additionally, the whole office is basically women except for the two other interns, Alex and Adam, and all these women are so soft spoken. The whole office dynamic is weird because everyone is nice...but kind of distant and cold. Perhaps its the work place culture? My supervisors are super nice, but it's like no one talks to each other. We had a staff meeting today and cake because it was someone's birthday, but the whole ordeal was just awkward because it seemed so polite. The girl whose birthday it was didn't even seem excited and we just sat there in silence as someone cut the cake. Good thing I'm working with Molly, at least I have someone to talk to, lol.
Turns out that I'm going to be working events for most of the summer. Making programs, documents, putting in reservations, updating the website information, etc...A bunch of pretty mindless things that don't think much thinking. Kinda
disappointed that I won't really be challenged that much. Maybe I'm just underestimating this job, but I hope it won't be just a repeat of all the logistics stuff I do at school. On the other hand, the events that they organize seem pretty cool and I would be excited to attend them (some of them are at pretty fancy places :D) After work all the Bulldogs met up again, ate dinner and then walked on the Explanade. So amazingly beautiful.
Thank god the weather has been nice. Though it's been raining a lot in the night and mornings, it makes the rest of the day fairly cool. Hope this coolness keeps up!!
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I got to work this morning on time and most people at the office weren't even at work yet. It wasn't until 9:30 a.m. when most people started filing in, how bizarre. Additionally, the whole office is basically women except for the two other interns, Alex and Adam, and all these women are so soft spoken. The whole office dynamic is weird because everyone is nice...but kind of distant and cold. Perhaps its the work place culture? My supervisors are super nice, but it's like no one talks to each other. We had a staff meeting today and cake because it was someone's birthday, but the whole ordeal was just awkward because it seemed so polite. The girl whose birthday it was didn't even seem excited and we just sat there in silence as someone cut the cake. Good thing I'm working with Molly, at least I have someone to talk to, lol.
Turns out that I'm going to be working events for most of the summer. Making programs, documents, putting in reservations, updating the website information, etc...A bunch of pretty mindless things that don't think much thinking. Kinda
disappointed that I won't really be challenged that much. Maybe I'm just underestimating this job, but I hope it won't be just a repeat of all the logistics stuff I do at school. On the other hand, the events that they organize seem pretty cool and I would be excited to attend them (some of them are at pretty fancy places :D) After work all the Bulldogs met up again, ate dinner and then walked on the Explanade. So amazingly beautiful.Thank god the weather has been nice. Though it's been raining a lot in the night and mornings, it makes the rest of the day fairly cool. Hope this coolness keeps up!!
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