The First Week Or So

I seem to have fully recovered from my cold now, although a mysterious backache has cropped up in its place. I wonder what I'll suffer from next.

I've had a lot of spare time since I reached Singapore. A typical day will consist of me waking up at about 6:30 and either getting a lift with Yolande to her workplace for breakfast, or going back to bed for a while. I would then study Chinese either at home or in Coffee Bean.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is a chain of coffee shops, much like Starbucks, which has an outlet in Raffle's Place, where Mitsui, the company Yolande works for, is based. I have a regular spot (in the corner on the comfy chair - nice enough to sleep on if I'm feeling particularly overwhelmed by the morning's hectic pace) and a regular order (small/regular iced tea). Today was a milestone, since it was the first day where my order was repeated back to me before I had the chance to make it. I'm a creature of habit, so this type of situation is not uncommon to me. It's usually a sign that I need to start exercising some more creativity in my daily life.

I will then typically meet Yolande for lunch from 12pm - 1pm. The variety of places at which to eat in the area surrounding her workplace is astounding. We haven't eaten at the same place twice since I arrived, and I'm sure it's possible to go an entire year without the need to do so. Anyone who's ever worked at Nintendo in Frankfurt will verify that to go a whole week without revisiting one or two of the same places for lunch takes some imagination and willpower.

After lunch it's back to studying Chinese, although on one occasion I did venture as far as Orchard Road's Ngee Ann City (a shopping centre more commonly referred to as Takashimaya after the department store which accounts for much of its volume) to get my hair cut, wander around, snack at Mosburger (a Japanese burger chain), peruse the Languages section of Kinokuniya (a Japanese bookshop) and, ultimately, study Chinese.

It's probably obvious by now that I spend an unhealthy portion of my day studying Chinese. Happily, I am already feeling the benefit, as I seem to have progressed by leaps and bounds since I arrived. The textbook that I have moved onto (which also includes CDs which I have imported to an SD card so I can listen to Chinese wherever I go on my Creative Zen X-Fi) covers lots of interesting topics, including China's geography, its language, etc. I'm forcing new vocabulary into my head at dangerous volumes, in the hope that the day when I can comfortably watch a Chinese drama without subtitles, or read a Chinese newspaper, is not far off. That's not to say I haven't been tempted by other languages. Much of my time in Kinokuniya was spent researching my next foreign language. The current favourites are Korean and Cantonese. However, it would be suicidal for me to attempt another foreign language just yet. I need to take into account that my Japanese needs some serious brushing up for any upcoming interviews I may have that are conducted in Japanese. My brain copes best when it can focus all its energy on one thing at a time. Even two is pushing things a bit.

The evenings have been far more varied. Yolande and I have often met up with her friends, Rene and Kenny, whom she has known for a number of years and who are due to get married later this year. So far we've played tennis twice, at a tennis court situated on the roof of Kenny's Queenstown apartment. It's been many years since I've played. I started off very badly, but by the end of the second session I had recovered most of my old skills (although it's arguable whether I had any skills to speak of to begin with). Last Saturday we went for Karaoke, where I tried my voice at some songs in Chinese (see my other blog, http://www.maomaomeow.blogspot.com/ for examples). Yesterday we went to the cinema to watch Red Cliff II, a film directed by John Woo, based on a famous ancient Chinese battle. I would thoroughly recommend this film to anyone else who is thinking of going to see it.

Sunday was spent at Yolande's Ma's place (her aunt, in fact) where we were treated to dinner and I got the opportunity to meet more of her family members. We watched Mama Mia, chatted and, as you might have guessed, I studied some Chinese. That evening Yolande and I attempted to play badminton at one of the nearby outdoor courts, but windy conditions forced us to retire early and go for a walk instead. We walked as far as Frontier Community Centre, where a couple of evening courses caught our eye - ballroom dancing and basic Korean. We're still thinking about it.

However, I did come to Singapore with a purpose - to secure a long term visit pass (1 year) and to embark on job hunting. This meant a trip to the ICA (Immigration Control Authority) building in Lavender last Saturday morning, and a waiting time of about 4 hours to eventually have my application processed. For anyone thinking of coming to Singapore to work, my advice is this: apply for your EPEC online as soon as possible, but leave the visit pass application until you arrive in Singapore and do it online. The system is remarkably straightforward, fast and efficient, as long as you never have to deal with people. By applying too early online (last October), I missed the deadline to settle the formalities, and thus had to reapply in person. Everyone we spoke to gave us conflicting information concerning the application. At one point we almost went home after queueing for a couple of hours when we were told I could apply online again after all. Fortunately we didn't go home, and instead located a computer in the building where we could test out this new theory. The computer verified this was an impossibility and thus we waited out the remaining hours. I am to expect a 4-6 week wait before the outcome is revealed (when applying online, it takes a few days), during which time I must go for a medical. It's a great relief to have finally submitted the application, since it was a cause of worry to me last year when my first application didn't go according to plan, and I wasn't sure whether or not I could reapply. It was also a great relief to learn that I can in fact stay 3 months in Singapore without a visit pass, instead of 1 month as it has always been until very recently.

One thing I've noticed since I've been here is how Singapore's numerous rules and regulations, often criticised by outsiders as being too strict, actually do result in a positive outcome. For example, it is not permitted to eat or drink in trains or stations in Singapore (punishable by a fine). However, when compared with stations and trains I have encountered elsewhere in Europe, the difference is remarkable. There isn't a drop of litter or crumb of food to be found anywhere. Neither will you come across mindless graffiti or scratched out train windows. The clean, safe atmosphere that results from these strict regulations ultimately make a huge difference to how you feel when taking public transport. No more do I have to share a morning train with a drunkard, beer in hand, accompanied by a dog who smells a great deal better than its owner and apparently deserves two seats to itself...for example.