Off to Singapore

I'm off to Singapore!

A couple of suppliers for parts I'm designing at Xerox are in Singapore and Malaysia. So from October 2nd through October 12th, I'll be staying in Singapore!

I flew out on Tuesday October 2nd (Happy Birthday Tom!). Amanda was super sweet and bought me a ton of magazines, some video games, etc. for the grueling flight. I flew from Portland to Narita (Japan) and then to Singapore. I ended up getting really sucked in to the book I started and ended up reading it cover to cover in one sitting. It's Storm Front by Jim Butcher (Book 1 of The Dresden Files). It was really good, I highly recommend it.

There's a picture of me holding the finished book on the air plane. If you look closely, you can see the crazy amount of leg room available on international business class. ^__^

It was an 11 hour flight to Japan, and even with too much leg room, it gets REALLY old. I tried to break it up by looking for Dutch Harbor as we flew over the Bearing Strait.

Also, I played a lot of Final Fantasy III for the DS. If you have a DS and liked the old FF games on the original NES, then you should definitely go pick this up.

I stopped in Japan for an hour and a half. I haven't been there in 12 years, so it was pretty nostalgic.

By the time the flight left to Singapore from Narita, I was really feeling the jet lag. I slept pretty much the whole way (about 7.5 hours).

I was worried about Singapore Customs, because of all their VERY strict import laws. But it was a snap. Two checkpoints, very little hassle.

The cab ride to the hotel was a little nuts. The driver apparently views the lane markings on the streets as rules of thumb - he was weaving all over the place while using both hands to describe to me the difference between flat and round noodles. Interesting conversation though.

So, now I'm here in the Marriott on Orchard Road. Here's my hotel (yep, the tall one with the roof of destiny):

Here's a view out of my window (this was pretty early in the morning):


Orchard Road is apparently the main shopping district. There's just tons and tons of shops. I walked around for a bit this morning - I'm trying to not sleep during the day to get over the jet lag quickly. It's hot and humid enough to feel exotic, and has that not unpleasant smell that reminds me of Japan (I think it's a combination of the humidity, the concrete, bamboo, and the cigarettes).

Tomorrow I'll visit Malaysia. Wish me luck!