The Relax

After four days in Singapore it is surprisingly not that hard to get back into the swing of things. I really enjoyed my time in Singapore, but I think that it had very little to do with the actual city. In fact I know that it had nothing to do with the city. Singapore did not have much of a culture. The city itself was a large mix of cultures and the area I stayed in seemed very Americanized. I think there is definitely an American culture, but if I were going somewhere to experience American culture, where better than America. The other American cities that I have been to are much more enjoyable.

One cultural thing that I did notice was the relationship between males and females. The females are extremely timid. Knowing my personality I absolutely can’t stand this. There was one point on a subway where I accidentally stepped on a girl’s foot so I apologized. She said nothing and looked the other way. It was clearly a cultural thing, but I really can’t stand people that are overly timid. It felt insulting to me. If I take the time to apologize to you for an accident, just turn and say, “no worries.” I’m not going to hit on you just because you talked to me. (Over reacting? Maybe. But I still don’t like that part of the culture).

For most of my time in Singapore I just relaxed. I ate good food, I spent time by the pool, and I drank. (I tried a Singapore Sling. If you don’t care for sweet things, this drink isn’t for you.) Going back to what I originally said, these things are the reasons that I really enjoyed my time in Singapore. After so much routine onboard the ship is was nice to not have plans. I spent a good amount of money, but I had fun doing what I was doing and going where I was going.

The first night I went out to a bar at the top of our hotel called the New Asia Bar. The drinks were expensive, but they had American Music and considering that I like to dance, that worked for me. It was a fun night, not too much drinking, but the great part is when you are a bit drunk you sleep like a champ. I slept until 12:30 the next day which was such a change from my previous schedule.

The next day I spent by the pool, having drinks and eating food poolside. I fell asleep a couple of times which was also nice. The swimsuits in foreign countries look ridiculous. To see grown men wearing what looked like a female one piece, but with short shorts attached to the bottom is a sight to see. It looked like something you would wrestle in, but then it had sleeves also. It felt like a Mr. Magoo cartoon at the beach.

That night we had our hail-and-farewell (for those of you that don’t know it’s when we say goodbye to people leaving, and welcoming those that are new onboard). We started drinking there and you could tell early on that it was going to be a long night. I went to a few bars and ended up at a bar with a live band. My friend, Nisa, ended up on stage with the band, doin’ her rock out thing. We all danced and because there weren’t many people in the bar, and the group I was with were the only ones dancing, we ended up getting to pick the songs that we wanted to hear (assuming that the band knew them). At this point things get a bit hazy. From what I am told we decided to leave and as we began to walk back to the hotel we walked by a bar playing music. I, apparently, turned, looked, and immediately headed into the bar. I vaguely remember a lot of Asians singing and dancing on the stage (which I later found out was some sort of professional karaoke bar).

Late into the morning we went back to the hotel. Nisa and I needed to go back to the ship for duty. We got back to the hotel and I needed to go get my stuff (this was around 5am). Well I guess for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to get a quick nap in. I fell asleep and I randomly woke up at 6:20 am. I grabbed all my stuff, got in a cab and flew back to the ship. I made it back to the ship in time to find that countless people had tried to wake me up to no avail. I made it back in time and then proceeded to sleep the day away. Sounds like a good first port.

Here are some pictures from the trip:

Things have been busy back on the ship. I have been doing a lot of work to prep for the Arabian Gulf. It feels like the closer we get the more important the work that I do is, which in turn makes me busier. Still things are good. Keeping busy makes the time go by quickly and that makes me that much closer to San Diego.

We have crossed the equator and our crossing the line ceremony is coming up. I have stuck my head out a bit too far and I think some people will be gunning for me. I actually have already gotten a subpoena from “Davy Jones” himself and I will be getting “special attention” from the Royal Court. I think that all the parts that come up to the ceremony are part of what makes the day so fun.

Sorry that it has been a while since I have answered some of your questions on the blog or have emailed. I will make sure to answer them when I get the time. I will make sure to write after the WOG ceremony (WOG is the name for the people that haven’t crossed the line, Shellback for those that have). I am going to see if someone will take my camera and follow me around and take pictures, so I will fill you all in after it happens.

I hope all is going well on the other side of the earth. Love you.