Finding the Ocean & Friends

I thought jet lag was something totally made up, until yesterday. When I traveled to Thailand a few years back I didn’t feel it. But, I was also drinking a lot of cheap rum so I probably wasn’t really feeling anything. I didn’t leave the hotel or even my bed yesterday. So, I’ll spare you the details of day 3 and move on to today.

I was able to sleep in for the first time. And by sleep in I mean 7am, but that’s a hell of a lot better than 5. Today’s mission was to find the ocean and I did. Twice. The first attempt was a total bust. I took the train down to to West Coast Park with high hopes of breathing in the fresh ocean air and snapping some pictures of some sea creatures. The water was gross, the sky was grey and it smelled like dead fish. I had basically decided to explore an industrial park on water. I must say I was warned. I was told that the best place to find a beach was on the East Coast. But I’m stubborn and lazy so I ignored this wise friend’s advice and took the quickest route from my hotel to the water.

The ocean part was a bust, but the park itself was actually pretty nice. There were a bunch of these trees that look like they grow coconuts, but I have no clue if that’s what they are.

And there were a lot of my people walking around. And by my people I mean softball players, of course.

These guys were playing fast pitch. I wish I had my glove but it’s still in a box on a ship somewhere between here and Chicago. But, it gives me hope that my mad softball skills won’t go to waste on this island.

I watched the game for awhile and decided to walk back to the train and head to Holland Village where I had plans to meet up with a fellow American to talk apartments. We weren’t suppose to meet until 3 and it was only 12,  but I thought I’d just walk around the neighborhood and burn time. But when I got to the train station & saw a stop for Labrador Park I changed plans. I like dogs. I like parks. And according to the map this was another opportunity to see the ocean. Here’s a pic from Labrador Park.

This park looked much more like the mental picture I had conjured up. It is a beautiful park. The sea was lined with a bunch of pavilions filled with families grilling out. But I still didn’t see any monkeys. Or Labradors for that matter. I wandered around here for a couple hours before heading to Holland Village.

I didn’t take any pictures of Holland Village which was really stupid. But I really didn’t walk around much because by this point my feet were killing me. I headed straight to the agreed upon meeting place and ordered a cider. Here’s a picture of that. They look and taste just like the ones in the U.S.

The meeting went great. Super nice and laid back guy who came to Singapore for similar reasons. It was nice to talk to someone since I hadn’t held a conversation with anyone since last Tuesday. I have to talk, it’s in my genes. Right Dad?

After my new friend and I made a bet on who would get caned first, I headed back to the hotel so I could get plenty of rest before my first day of work. Speaking of work, two future coworkers also responded to my craigslist ad at random. They are creatives, one writer, one art director, and they are looking for a 3rd roommate. How crazy is that!?

AND I literally bumped into a woman while taking this picture of the hotel.

The outside lights change color and it was on pink. I don’t like the color pink (unless it’s on a school bus) so I was waiting for it to change color before I snapped a photo. This woman was patiently waiting for my dumb ass to snap the photo so she could get inside and out of the rain. Anyway, after I nearly stabbed her with my umbrella she introduced herself. Her name is Alice, she works in Marketing research and she just moved here on Friday. She’s staying here for 7 months and doesn’t know a soul, just like me. So, I think we’re going to meet up this week for a bite.

So, overall I’ll mark this day down as a success. I found the ocean and possibly a few friends.
Go Bears!