Monday, July 13
Abby and I got out of lab early so we took some time to go to Haw Par Villa which is an old amusement park built by the two guys who invented Tiger Balm. It was really creepy and built to teach children about ancient Chinese culture. We started our tour of the park by walking through the ten levels of hell which details the punishments each person must endure based on what sins they had committed in life. We then wandered through the rest of the park which was a little less creepy and mainly consisted of big, painted, sculptures with different Chinese myths and legends depicted in them.
Wednesday, July 15
This was the day of the Barclay's Asia Cup. We went to the new sports hub in Singapore which is a new billion dollar stadium. The first game was between Everton and Stokes City. The game ended tied at 0-0 so the teams went directly to a shoot out to decide the winner. Everton ended up winning. Go Tim Howard! Whenever he was in goal the whole stadium would chant USA! USA! USA! which was pretty neat. The next game was between Arsenal and the Singapore national team. Arsenal crushed Singapore 4-0 but it was still a fun game to watch. One of the goals was a header which was pretty exciting.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Week 6: Museums, Treetops, and Beaches
Another week in lab.
Tuesday, July 7
Some of the girls went to dinner at Holland Village which is a popular location among some of the ex-pats living in Singapore. We all ordered milkshakes and they were delicious. I also ordered chicken cordon blue. It was on of the biggest meals in terms of portion size that I have had since being here.
Friday, July 10
Four of us decided to go to the Singapore Art Museum in the evening. They had 2 exhibits: After Utopia and The Learning Gallery. It was all modern art and to be honest not really my style but it was still interesting to visit. The most memorable piece was one that had several caskets with models of the bodies of some of the current dictators of the world. The creepy part was that the body of what looked to be Fidel Castro was lying in a bed beside the caskets and his chest was moving like he was breathing and he looked so real it made us all feel a little uneasy.
Saturday, July 11
In the morning a few of us headed out to do the MacRitchie treetop walk. It was in the same are as the Bukit Timah hike we did earlier in the trip. We had to hike about 5 km to get to the 250 m bridge that stretched above the treetops. In the distance, the sea and the city were visible. It was breathtaking that high up. On the short trek back to the bus stop, we encountered a large group of monkeys, but luckily they seemed more interested in the food they had found than the group of people walking through them.
Later on, Abby and I went to the National History Museum to see the 700 years of Singaporean history exhibit. It was interesting and helped me to learn more about the country that I have been living in for the past month.
That night, we all headed down to Gardens by the Bay to watch the light show again. Then we watched fireworks over the bay because they were practicing for SG50 before watching the Marina Bay laser show. It was a weird concept but the execution was cool. They would play videos in bursts water. It's hard to describe but I've never seen anything like it before.
Sunday, July 12
In the morning, we took a bumboat out to some islands off the coast of Singapore. The first island we went to was St. Johns and from there we walked to Lazarus island where there was a nice beach to hang out at. The water was pretty clear and calm and we just floated all morning since it was really hot and there wasn't much else to do. We left Lazarus and headed to Kusu island or turtle island. There was a small temple with some turtles in little ponds. There was also a Malaysian shrine on the island. We waited there for the next boat to com and take us back to the city.
Tuesday, July 7
Some of the girls went to dinner at Holland Village which is a popular location among some of the ex-pats living in Singapore. We all ordered milkshakes and they were delicious. I also ordered chicken cordon blue. It was on of the biggest meals in terms of portion size that I have had since being here.
Friday, July 10
Four of us decided to go to the Singapore Art Museum in the evening. They had 2 exhibits: After Utopia and The Learning Gallery. It was all modern art and to be honest not really my style but it was still interesting to visit. The most memorable piece was one that had several caskets with models of the bodies of some of the current dictators of the world. The creepy part was that the body of what looked to be Fidel Castro was lying in a bed beside the caskets and his chest was moving like he was breathing and he looked so real it made us all feel a little uneasy.
Saturday, July 11
In the morning a few of us headed out to do the MacRitchie treetop walk. It was in the same are as the Bukit Timah hike we did earlier in the trip. We had to hike about 5 km to get to the 250 m bridge that stretched above the treetops. In the distance, the sea and the city were visible. It was breathtaking that high up. On the short trek back to the bus stop, we encountered a large group of monkeys, but luckily they seemed more interested in the food they had found than the group of people walking through them.
Later on, Abby and I went to the National History Museum to see the 700 years of Singaporean history exhibit. It was interesting and helped me to learn more about the country that I have been living in for the past month.
That night, we all headed down to Gardens by the Bay to watch the light show again. Then we watched fireworks over the bay because they were practicing for SG50 before watching the Marina Bay laser show. It was a weird concept but the execution was cool. They would play videos in bursts water. It's hard to describe but I've never seen anything like it before.
Sunday, July 12
In the morning, we took a bumboat out to some islands off the coast of Singapore. The first island we went to was St. Johns and from there we walked to Lazarus island where there was a nice beach to hang out at. The water was pretty clear and calm and we just floated all morning since it was really hot and there wasn't much else to do. We left Lazarus and headed to Kusu island or turtle island. There was a small temple with some turtles in little ponds. There was also a Malaysian shrine on the island. We waited there for the next boat to com and take us back to the city.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
July 4th, Gardens, and the Zoo
Saturday, July 4
We had the cooking class in the morning where we learned to make traditional Singaporean food. The first food we made was onde onde which is a dessert. It is a dough covered with fresh coconut and filled with nectar. It was great warm because when you bit into it, the sweet, sugary inside melted in your mouth. Next, we made Char Kuey Teow which was rice noodles in soy sauce. The lady who taught the cooking class bought the rice noodles fresh from the market that morning. Finally, we made the famous dish: Chilli Crab. It was super messy to eat but delicious all the same and I'm glad that we finally got to try it.
That night we walked to an American restaurant that served chicken and waffles, cornbread, burgers, and homemade cider. We hung out there to celebrate the holiday.
Sunday, July 5
We got up early and headed to the zoo. The Singapore Zoo is world famous and suppose to be one of the best zoos in the world. It lived up to its reputation making you feel like you were part of the exhibits. There were hardly any fences and they were able to use deep ditches and moats to contain the animals making it feel more natural. There were giraffes, tons of monkeys, elephants, big cats, lemurs, bats, sloths, tapir, koalas, kangaroo, komodo dragons, and so much more. The bats, sloths, and lemurs were in an exhibit where there was no separation or barriers between the animals and you so you could see them really close up.
We were able to see the elephant feeding and the white tiger feeding. For the tiger feeding, the zoo staff threw chunks of meat at the tigers waiting in the water below. It was incredible to see them jump out of the water to catch the food. It made me wish I had a better camera to capture just how magnificent of an animal they are.
After the zoo, we headed to the Gardens by the Bay. Our first stop was the flower dome. When we first walked in we were greeted by cacti and succulents along with some ornately carved wooden figures in the shape of eagles, dragons and more. As we moved through the dome, we entered a child's story book come to life with mother goose and other bedtime story characters created from flowers. It was very bright and colorful.
The cloud forest was next. It was awe-inspiring and when you first walked in you were greeted by a faux mountain with a waterfall flowing from it. As you moved through the exhibit, you climbed up the mountain and went out on a railing above the ground with a spectacular view. I don't even know how to put into words how cool this place was.
Finally, we went to the super-trees which are these giant fake trees that actually harvest power for the center. We bought tickets and were able to climb up to the top and walk between them. After the walk, we watched the light show. There was a music montage and the trees lit up with the beat of the music. They played songs from Superman, Disney, and pop music as the trees flashed from green to blue to pink and more. It was spectacular and one of my favorite things that I have seen in Singapore.
We had the cooking class in the morning where we learned to make traditional Singaporean food. The first food we made was onde onde which is a dessert. It is a dough covered with fresh coconut and filled with nectar. It was great warm because when you bit into it, the sweet, sugary inside melted in your mouth. Next, we made Char Kuey Teow which was rice noodles in soy sauce. The lady who taught the cooking class bought the rice noodles fresh from the market that morning. Finally, we made the famous dish: Chilli Crab. It was super messy to eat but delicious all the same and I'm glad that we finally got to try it.
That night we walked to an American restaurant that served chicken and waffles, cornbread, burgers, and homemade cider. We hung out there to celebrate the holiday.
Sunday, July 5
We got up early and headed to the zoo. The Singapore Zoo is world famous and suppose to be one of the best zoos in the world. It lived up to its reputation making you feel like you were part of the exhibits. There were hardly any fences and they were able to use deep ditches and moats to contain the animals making it feel more natural. There were giraffes, tons of monkeys, elephants, big cats, lemurs, bats, sloths, tapir, koalas, kangaroo, komodo dragons, and so much more. The bats, sloths, and lemurs were in an exhibit where there was no separation or barriers between the animals and you so you could see them really close up.
We were able to see the elephant feeding and the white tiger feeding. For the tiger feeding, the zoo staff threw chunks of meat at the tigers waiting in the water below. It was incredible to see them jump out of the water to catch the food. It made me wish I had a better camera to capture just how magnificent of an animal they are.
After the zoo, we headed to the Gardens by the Bay. Our first stop was the flower dome. When we first walked in we were greeted by cacti and succulents along with some ornately carved wooden figures in the shape of eagles, dragons and more. As we moved through the dome, we entered a child's story book come to life with mother goose and other bedtime story characters created from flowers. It was very bright and colorful.
The cloud forest was next. It was awe-inspiring and when you first walked in you were greeted by a faux mountain with a waterfall flowing from it. As you moved through the exhibit, you climbed up the mountain and went out on a railing above the ground with a spectacular view. I don't even know how to put into words how cool this place was.
Finally, we went to the super-trees which are these giant fake trees that actually harvest power for the center. We bought tickets and were able to climb up to the top and walk between them. After the walk, we watched the light show. There was a music montage and the trees lit up with the beat of the music. They played songs from Superman, Disney, and pop music as the trees flashed from green to blue to pink and more. It was spectacular and one of my favorite things that I have seen in Singapore.
Week 5
Monday, June 29
Today was one of the rare days where Abby and I left lab and were able to go exploring. We went back to the botanical gardens because we didn't see very much of it the first time. We went in with the intention of just seeing the Orchid Garden but got distracted by the other sections such as the rainforest, the evolution garden, and desert garden.
The Orchid Garden was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I never knew there were so many types of orchids but everywhere I turned there was a new colorful, little flower. The evolution garden was another of the more interesting stops. The garden follows the evolution of plants over the course of 300 million years and was pretty neat.
Tuesday, June 30
That night we decided to go to the Ramadan food festival on Arab Street. We left so we would arrive around 8 pm because that is when they are allowed to eat. Unfortunately, most of the stalls were closed when we arrived because the festival is only open from 2-8 pm even though everyone who actually celebrates Ramadan cannot eat any of the food.
Wednesday, July 1
We were surprised on Wednesday night when a group of people staying at the hostels gave us a ton of free food that they had made including fish, satay, hot dogs, and wings.
Friday, July 3
After lab, we all went down to Clarke Quay to get on the river cruise which took us around on a bum boat and showed us some of the history of the area along the river. The cruise also took us by Marina Bay right along the water. It was nice to see the city lit up at night and relax on the boat.
Today was one of the rare days where Abby and I left lab and were able to go exploring. We went back to the botanical gardens because we didn't see very much of it the first time. We went in with the intention of just seeing the Orchid Garden but got distracted by the other sections such as the rainforest, the evolution garden, and desert garden.
The Orchid Garden was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I never knew there were so many types of orchids but everywhere I turned there was a new colorful, little flower. The evolution garden was another of the more interesting stops. The garden follows the evolution of plants over the course of 300 million years and was pretty neat.
Tuesday, June 30
That night we decided to go to the Ramadan food festival on Arab Street. We left so we would arrive around 8 pm because that is when they are allowed to eat. Unfortunately, most of the stalls were closed when we arrived because the festival is only open from 2-8 pm even though everyone who actually celebrates Ramadan cannot eat any of the food.
Wednesday, July 1
We were surprised on Wednesday night when a group of people staying at the hostels gave us a ton of free food that they had made including fish, satay, hot dogs, and wings.
Friday, July 3
After lab, we all went down to Clarke Quay to get on the river cruise which took us around on a bum boat and showed us some of the history of the area along the river. The cruise also took us by Marina Bay right along the water. It was nice to see the city lit up at night and relax on the boat.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Week 4 and MALAYSIA!
June 20-26
More of the same during the week. Go to lab and go back to the hostel. Our projects are going pretty smoothly although I wish we got out with more time to go exploring after lab. Once this week, I was able to make it to Little India and explore the market for a while before heading home to Chinatown.
Now for the good stuff.
More of the same during the week. Go to lab and go back to the hostel. Our projects are going pretty smoothly although I wish we got out with more time to go exploring after lab. Once this week, I was able to make it to Little India and explore the market for a while before heading home to Chinatown.
Now for the good stuff.
Malaysia – Tioman Island
We left the hostel by taxi at 5:30 on Saturday morning to
catch the bus at the Singapore Flier. We
drove an hour to the border of Malaysia and Singapore and crossed without a
hitch. We boarded the bus and headed for
Mersing. It was about two hours from the
border to the port city and I tried to sleep for most of the trip but the bus
was moving very fast and I could never doze off for more than a few
minutes. When we arrived one of the
people on the trip said that we were airborn at one point but I’m skeptical of
that.
We
arrived in Mersing around 9:30 in the morning.
We ate breakfast at a small Malaysian food stand. I had egg roti which is kind of like prata
and it was delicious. I also had Milo
which is the Asian version of chocolate milk.
We wandered around for a while we were waiting to board the ferry. There was a small beach area that we explored
and found some interesting shells like the ones you would find in a tourist
shop in America. We also wandered into
town and explored the Malaysian grocery stores on our search for water. After that, we went into a more touristy
restaurant for lunch and to sit until the ferry came.
We
boarded the ferry around 4:00 and it was nicer than expected. It was about an 1.5 hours to the island. I chatted with some people for the first part
of the journey and then fell asleep again.
When we arrived at the island, I was immediately struck with how
absolutely gorgeous and pristine the island was. The water was bright blue and so crystal
clear that the fish could be seen swimming beneath the water. We walked along the beachside path to the
Impiana Inn where we were staying. It
was very cute, quaint, right on the water.
We put our stuff in the room and went straight into the water. It was absolutely gorgeous. We could be up to our necks in the water and
still see our feet perfectly.
We
stayed in the water until dinner when we went to have some great local
seafood. We ate squid, crab, fish, rice,
and prawn. It was so much food and so
cheap. I also learned how to eat the
prawn head and it turns out to be the best part of the prawn. Finding placed to eat was interesting because
most place don’t open until after 8 pm because the majority of Malaysia is
Muslim and it is Ramadan. After dinner,
we went back to the Inn and hung out for a while.
The next
morning, we woke up and ate breakfast at the Inn. They had fried eggs which were delicious on
toast, kaya, strawberry jam, and chicken hot dogs. I have noticed that hot dogs are very popular
in Asia and served as a side with a lot of food. After breakfast, we left to go hand-line
fishing. Unfortunately, the water was
very rough and after about an hour lots of people were feeling seasick and we
had to go back early. We ate ramli
burgers for lunch which were similar to a hamburger, but could be made with egg
or chicken instead and had a ton of sauce on them. Then we went and waded in the ocean until
dinner time. We went to a beach bar and
I had fish and chips that was very fresh.
After
dinner, we hung out with a group of Malaysians who were also staying on Tioman
for the weekend. They were super
friendly and we even took pictures with them on the beach.
The next
morning, we had to wake up early to catch the ferry. It was supposed to be at the dock at 6:30 but
it didn’t arrive for another hour. This
boat was not as nice as the other, and at first, there was not room for all of
us in the boat so they had to put most of our group up top which I was okay
with because it was open to the outside and not as cramped. I fell asleep for most of the ride again and
it was a good nap.
When we
arrived back in Mersing, we went back to the same Malaysian food stand and I
ordered roti again. The bus wasn’t
scheduled to come until around 5 and we had plenty of time to spare so we sat
and chatted for about 2 hours. We then
moved to the town center near a restaurant that had wifi so we could check
email and use the internet. We sat there
and walked around town for a few hours until we moved into the restaurant for
lunch. We sat there for hours until we
went back to the town center and read until the bus came. It was over an hour late though.
The bus
ride went smoothly until the border crossing.
We got through the Malaysian side fine, but when we were crossing into Singapore,
the bus didn’t wait and left half of us at customs. Luckily, we were able to find a bus that
would take us to the nearest MRT station where we could get on the train and
get back to the hostel and finally order dinner.
Overall,
it was a fantastic trip to an utterly gorgeous island that I would love to go
to again.
Bossabol and Pulau Ubin
Saturday, June 20
Dr. Alexis organized a bossaball lesson for us. Bossaball is a mix of volleyball and soccer played on a trampoline. It was super fun, but most of us were pretty bad at it. I am pretty uncoordinated so it didn't go so well for me. After, we went to a local Indian restaurant and I got a delicious cheese and mushroom prata. Our group got a free lime juice and water chestnut drink which sounds gross but was actually pretty good.
That evening we went to the Esplanade at Marina Bay which is nicknamed "The Durian" because of its spiky appearance. There we watched an outdoor hip hop dance competition. The dancers were very talented and it was a good way to end the day.
Sunday, June 21
We woke up early and headed to Pulau Ubin, a small island just off the coast of Singapore. We rode on a small bum boat for about half an hour to get there. The island contains a small fishing village and a large nature reserve. We rented bikes when we arrived and biked along the trails that cross the island. We went to the wetlands and saw wild boar that liked to knock over peoples bikes in search of food. The island was beautiful with both wonderful ocean and forest views. At one point we climbed a large observation tower and it was one of the most breathtaking things I have ever witnessed.
When in a fishing village, one must eat fish. We order fresh squid, fish, and prawns. The fish was served whole and it took us a minute to figure out just how to eat it. After that, we went to a stand that sold durian because Pulau Ubin is apparently the best place to eat durian. Durian is about the size of a small melon and covered in spikes. It is very popular here and often referred to as the king of the fruits but it reeks (there are even signs in the MRT banning durian because you can smell it all the way down the train). I tried one bite and it was not for me. You basically are just eating this mushy pulp that surrounds the seeds of the durian and it tasted like onion. Definitely not my cup of tea. I also tried lichi which was good and haw candy which tasted like a weird strawberry thing on the trip.
The last thing we saw on the island was a small Buddhist temple on a pond. It had tons of brightly colored flags hanging everywhere and was very serene. It also had dozens of turtles swimming around in the pond.
Dr. Alexis organized a bossaball lesson for us. Bossaball is a mix of volleyball and soccer played on a trampoline. It was super fun, but most of us were pretty bad at it. I am pretty uncoordinated so it didn't go so well for me. After, we went to a local Indian restaurant and I got a delicious cheese and mushroom prata. Our group got a free lime juice and water chestnut drink which sounds gross but was actually pretty good.
That evening we went to the Esplanade at Marina Bay which is nicknamed "The Durian" because of its spiky appearance. There we watched an outdoor hip hop dance competition. The dancers were very talented and it was a good way to end the day.
Sunday, June 21
We woke up early and headed to Pulau Ubin, a small island just off the coast of Singapore. We rode on a small bum boat for about half an hour to get there. The island contains a small fishing village and a large nature reserve. We rented bikes when we arrived and biked along the trails that cross the island. We went to the wetlands and saw wild boar that liked to knock over peoples bikes in search of food. The island was beautiful with both wonderful ocean and forest views. At one point we climbed a large observation tower and it was one of the most breathtaking things I have ever witnessed.
When in a fishing village, one must eat fish. We order fresh squid, fish, and prawns. The fish was served whole and it took us a minute to figure out just how to eat it. After that, we went to a stand that sold durian because Pulau Ubin is apparently the best place to eat durian. Durian is about the size of a small melon and covered in spikes. It is very popular here and often referred to as the king of the fruits but it reeks (there are even signs in the MRT banning durian because you can smell it all the way down the train). I tried one bite and it was not for me. You basically are just eating this mushy pulp that surrounds the seeds of the durian and it tasted like onion. Definitely not my cup of tea. I also tried lichi which was good and haw candy which tasted like a weird strawberry thing on the trip.
The last thing we saw on the island was a small Buddhist temple on a pond. It had tons of brightly colored flags hanging everywhere and was very serene. It also had dozens of turtles swimming around in the pond.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Week 3
Monday, June 15
I started working with my Cy5 dye and learned how they do cell culture. We are working with breast cancer stem cells which is pretty cool. It was a pretty easy day. Abby and I grabbed paninis for dinner and watched The Bachelorette thanks to Joey who helped get the Clemson VPN to work.
Tuesday, June 16
We got to go into the clean room in lab today. We had to wear special suits because there isn't suppose to be any dust in the room since they deal with such sensitive devices that fabricate extremely tiny instruments.
When we returned to the hostel, we met some really cool Swiss guys who were in Singapore for a few days but had been surfing in some random town in Indonesia for the past few months. They were really interesting to talk to because we got to learn a little of what life was like in Switzerland and be jealous of how cool their lives are. We went to dinner with them at Lau Pa Sat and they showed us that we could walk there which was nice because we had been taking the train which was more expensive and actually a longer commute. After dinner, we chatted and watched Django Unchained.
Wednesday, June 17
Wednesday was just a typical day. Lab in the morning and then hanging out later.
Thursday, June 18
We went into lab in the morning and food street for dinner before heading to the movies. We went to see Jurassic World at the Dhoby Ghaut station. It was a great movie! It was interesting though because they do not show movie previews before the movie here which was kind of sad because I always like the previews.
Friday, June 19
Lab in the morning like always then we decided to go get burgers at the South Street hotel. The service was the worst service I have ever had. They messed up all of our orders and food didn't arrive for at least an hour after ordering. They also had a promotion where they gave everyone a free beer and it was very weird and tasted like coffee.
I started working with my Cy5 dye and learned how they do cell culture. We are working with breast cancer stem cells which is pretty cool. It was a pretty easy day. Abby and I grabbed paninis for dinner and watched The Bachelorette thanks to Joey who helped get the Clemson VPN to work.
Tuesday, June 16
We got to go into the clean room in lab today. We had to wear special suits because there isn't suppose to be any dust in the room since they deal with such sensitive devices that fabricate extremely tiny instruments.
When we returned to the hostel, we met some really cool Swiss guys who were in Singapore for a few days but had been surfing in some random town in Indonesia for the past few months. They were really interesting to talk to because we got to learn a little of what life was like in Switzerland and be jealous of how cool their lives are. We went to dinner with them at Lau Pa Sat and they showed us that we could walk there which was nice because we had been taking the train which was more expensive and actually a longer commute. After dinner, we chatted and watched Django Unchained.
Wednesday, June 17
Wednesday was just a typical day. Lab in the morning and then hanging out later.
Thursday, June 18
We went into lab in the morning and food street for dinner before heading to the movies. We went to see Jurassic World at the Dhoby Ghaut station. It was a great movie! It was interesting though because they do not show movie previews before the movie here which was kind of sad because I always like the previews.
Friday, June 19
Lab in the morning like always then we decided to go get burgers at the South Street hotel. The service was the worst service I have ever had. They messed up all of our orders and food didn't arrive for at least an hour after ordering. They also had a promotion where they gave everyone a free beer and it was very weird and tasted like coffee.
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