24 September 2008
Tragedy on the other side of the world
I just have to comment on Finland. Even here on the other side of the world (literally as far as it's possible to go), we're hearing about it. I must say I was slightly shocked. I believe it wouldn't have happened if we hadn't had that other school shooting less than a year ago. What Auvinen, the first killer, did certainly fuelled Saari, the second killer. What has got into these Finnish young men's head? That killing cold-heartedly is cool? That it will bring fame? Well, what's the fame for? Killing young students and thus hurting thousands of people, then not living to see the rest of it? They're cowards. Like suicide bombers. They are scared of facing the world that they feel has treated them badly. But they won't achieve any improvement on the way the world is treating them by killing. Or will they? That's the scariest part: will killing be necessary to open our eyes to society's shortcomings?
20 September 2008
Rough riding and burnt horns
We burnt the horns of some of the young calves two days ago. The smell was disgusting, and the "moo" of the calves the saddest sound I've ever heard. The horns look nasty when they've just been burnt: white bone shining through. Some calves in the neighbouring pen, not knowing what was in reserve for them, were lying in the corner, heads on each others' backs. Possibly the cutest sight I've ever seen.
Yesterday we had to separate some bulls from the cows and calves. We had to ride over some very rough terrain, steep and muddy hills, in four-wheeled bikes. I was steering, the boss was sitting on the back of the bike with his plastered foot. We had to grab one calf that was too weak to walk fast enough and put it on the bike. The boss was holding it down. Then the ground tilted, the bike tilted, and my boss and the calf fell off! He managed to hold onto the calf, I don't know how... I was very impressed. Not at my driving skills though.
Another calf lost. It was probably caught on an electric fence yesterday and its nervous system was wrecked. It bent its neck backwards and wouldn't stand up. We left it out in the sun. When we came back from lunch, it was wandering around the yard. We locked it in the shed. By the evening it had deteriorated back to its original state. This morning it was dead. Very, very cute little calf. I'll post a picture of when it was still alive.
Yesterday we had to separate some bulls from the cows and calves. We had to ride over some very rough terrain, steep and muddy hills, in four-wheeled bikes. I was steering, the boss was sitting on the back of the bike with his plastered foot. We had to grab one calf that was too weak to walk fast enough and put it on the bike. The boss was holding it down. Then the ground tilted, the bike tilted, and my boss and the calf fell off! He managed to hold onto the calf, I don't know how... I was very impressed. Not at my driving skills though.
Another calf lost. It was probably caught on an electric fence yesterday and its nervous system was wrecked. It bent its neck backwards and wouldn't stand up. We left it out in the sun. When we came back from lunch, it was wandering around the yard. We locked it in the shed. By the evening it had deteriorated back to its original state. This morning it was dead. Very, very cute little calf. I'll post a picture of when it was still alive.
17 September 2008
Cow and calf news
Sad news for today: one of our calves died, she'd been sick and weak for a while now. We'd been pouring electrolytes down its throat for days. Didn't help :( Two others are still being fed electrolytes, we'll see how they'll fare. Also, one calf was born dead. It was a difficult calving, since the calf had its legs bent backwards. The guys had to drag it out, but it was already too late. :(
Other news: We separated one calf from its mother. Grabbed the calf in the paddock and threw it on the trailer. Except I could never have lifted that kicking little creature, so I just lifted its from legs onto the trailer and pushed it in. The poor cow followed the trailer as we drove away; it mooed sadly. But that's the way it works; the only way we'll be able to produce enough milk for all our dairy products.
And here's another tactic the guys use for moving calves: drag them from the tail. Or even better, a back leg. I can do the tail thing, but not the back leg.
I was kicked by a cow that didn't want to be first in the milking row. Right wrist hurts a bit when touched, but there isn't a proper bruise and I can do practically everything I want, so it'll be fine. It'll heal.
Other news: We separated one calf from its mother. Grabbed the calf in the paddock and threw it on the trailer. Except I could never have lifted that kicking little creature, so I just lifted its from legs onto the trailer and pushed it in. The poor cow followed the trailer as we drove away; it mooed sadly. But that's the way it works; the only way we'll be able to produce enough milk for all our dairy products.
And here's another tactic the guys use for moving calves: drag them from the tail. Or even better, a back leg. I can do the tail thing, but not the back leg.
I was kicked by a cow that didn't want to be first in the milking row. Right wrist hurts a bit when touched, but there isn't a proper bruise and I can do practically everything I want, so it'll be fine. It'll heal.
Photos from MacRitchie
Here are some photos from the Singaporean rainforest. Read my previous post, "The paradise of Singapore", for reference.
This is the rainforest in Singapore. I adored it. So beautiful and green.
This is the rainforest in Singapore. I adored it. So beautiful and green.
This might be my favourite photo. It might not be 100% sharp, because I was shooting on manual focus, but it's still pretty good.
This is the biggest lizard I saw. It was a very polite lizard, didn't move an inch when I was frantically shooting :)
This is the second lot of monkeys I saw. Adorable. That mother walked right past me, a metre away, with its baby hanging from its belly!
16 September 2008
First photo from NZ
Ok, this is from New Zealand. I won't say this is New Zealand, because NZ is also much more. This is the view from my hosts' front door. Gorgeous, especially on a clear day.(I managed to resize the image, so it didn't take so long to upload :))
15 September 2008
A hell of a day - going back tomorrow
That was it. First day of work. I bloody work in Hobbiton! Except that the hills are dotted with cows. But it is wonderful.
I began at eight, so not too early. First we milked the colostrum cows (= cows that have just calved, and therefore produce milk, called colostrum, that has many antibodies in it. This milk preserves relatively well and is used to feed young calves). The other dairy cows were milked in a different shed and earlier in the morning.
Then we fed the calves their milk. Some of them have been sick and wouldn't suck on the fake teats. These were given electrolytes. (I didn't do that; you have to stick a pipe through their throats and pour the liquid down their throats.) The calves are really cute. The only thing they know is to suck. So, if you let them, they'll suck on your fingers. These things are greedy: give them your little finger and they take the whole hand. Literally. Some of them have teeth, too, and, ouch, that hurts (well, they all have teeth, but not all of them use them). If you don't let them suck on your hand, they'll suck on your clothes. There were about 160 calves to feed.
After lunch, we moved some calves from the pen into the paddock, and some calves from one pen to another. I will never learn that. The guys (the farm has two full-time employees and one who's helping out now that the boss has his foot in plaster) just lifted the calves and threw them onto the trailer. These calves weigh as much as I do, or more. And plus, I'd be afraid to hurt them, the guys are so violent. I know, the cuties are very robust... but still! Poor calvies!
Then there was the afternoon milking. We milked about 300 cows, it took about two hours. I was watching the line of cows coming down the road from the paddocks over the hill (not the Hill, unfortunately). It seemed never-ending. Thankfully, it wasn't.
When I finished, it was already getting dark. When I got back to Malcolm and Alison's, it was dark. That was one hell of a day. Enjoyed it though, and I'm going back tomorrow :)
There are some things I won't get used to. Like darkness coming so early. Like driving on the left (the wrong side of the road). Like getting in the car on the left. Like spring. Like turning clocks one hour forward soon. Like school being halfway through the school year.
I began at eight, so not too early. First we milked the colostrum cows (= cows that have just calved, and therefore produce milk, called colostrum, that has many antibodies in it. This milk preserves relatively well and is used to feed young calves). The other dairy cows were milked in a different shed and earlier in the morning.
Then we fed the calves their milk. Some of them have been sick and wouldn't suck on the fake teats. These were given electrolytes. (I didn't do that; you have to stick a pipe through their throats and pour the liquid down their throats.) The calves are really cute. The only thing they know is to suck. So, if you let them, they'll suck on your fingers. These things are greedy: give them your little finger and they take the whole hand. Literally. Some of them have teeth, too, and, ouch, that hurts (well, they all have teeth, but not all of them use them). If you don't let them suck on your hand, they'll suck on your clothes. There were about 160 calves to feed.
After lunch, we moved some calves from the pen into the paddock, and some calves from one pen to another. I will never learn that. The guys (the farm has two full-time employees and one who's helping out now that the boss has his foot in plaster) just lifted the calves and threw them onto the trailer. These calves weigh as much as I do, or more. And plus, I'd be afraid to hurt them, the guys are so violent. I know, the cuties are very robust... but still! Poor calvies!
Then there was the afternoon milking. We milked about 300 cows, it took about two hours. I was watching the line of cows coming down the road from the paddocks over the hill (not the Hill, unfortunately). It seemed never-ending. Thankfully, it wasn't.
When I finished, it was already getting dark. When I got back to Malcolm and Alison's, it was dark. That was one hell of a day. Enjoyed it though, and I'm going back tomorrow :)
There are some things I won't get used to. Like darkness coming so early. Like driving on the left (the wrong side of the road). Like getting in the car on the left. Like spring. Like turning clocks one hour forward soon. Like school being halfway through the school year.
A hell of a day - going back tomorrow
That was it. First day of work. I bloody work in Hobbiton! Except that the hills are dotted with cows. But it is wonderful.
I began at eight, so not too early. First we milked the colostrum cows (= cows that have just calved, and therefore produce milk, called colostrum, that has many antibodies in it. This milk preserves relatively well and is used to feed young calves). The other dairy cows were milked in a different shed and earlier in the morning.
Then we fed the calves their milk. Some of them have been sick and wouldn't suck on the fake teats. These were given electrolytes. (I didn't do that; you have to stick a pipe through their throats and pour the liquid down their throats.) The calves are really cute. The only thing they know is to suck. So, if you let them, they'll suck on your fingers. These things are greedy: give them your little finger and they take the whole hand. Literally. Some of them have teeth, too, and, ouch, that hurts (well, they all have teeth, but not all of them use them). If you don't let them suck on your hand, they'll suck on your clothes. There were about 160 calves to feed.
After lunch, we moved some calves from the pen into the paddock, and some calves from one pen to another. I will never learn that. The guys (the farm has two full-time employees and one who's helping out now that the boss has his foot in plaster) just lifted the calves and threw them onto the trailer. These calves weigh as much as I do, or more. And plus, I'd be afraid to hurt them, the guys are so violent. I know, the cuties are very robust... but still! Poor calvies!
Then there was the afternoon milking. We milked about 300 cows, it took about two hours. I was watching the line of cows coming down the road from the paddocks over the hill (not the Hill, unfortunately). It seemed never-ending. Thankfully, it wasn't.
When I finished, it was already getting dark. When I got back to Malcolm and Alison's, it was dark. That was one hell of a day. Enjoyed it though, and I'm going back tomorrow :)
There are some things I won't get used to. Like darkness coming so early. Like driving on the left (the wrong side of the road). Like getting in the car on the left. Like spring. Like turning clocks one hour forward soon. Like school being halfway through the school year.
I began at eight, so not too early. First we milked the colostrum cows (= cows that have just calved, and therefore produce milk, called colostrum, that has many antibodies in it. This milk preserves relatively well and is used to feed young calves). The other dairy cows were milked in a different shed and earlier in the morning.
Then we fed the calves their milk. Some of them have been sick and wouldn't suck on the fake teats. These were given electrolytes. (I didn't do that; you have to stick a pipe through their throats and pour the liquid down their throats.) The calves are really cute. The only thing they know is to suck. So, if you let them, they'll suck on your fingers. These things are greedy: give them your little finger and they take the whole hand. Literally. Some of them have teeth, too, and, ouch, that hurts (well, they all have teeth, but not all of them use them). If you don't let them suck on your hand, they'll suck on your clothes. There were about 160 calves to feed.
After lunch, we moved some calves from the pen into the paddock, and some calves from one pen to another. I will never learn that. The guys (the farm has two full-time employees and one who's helping out now that the boss has his foot in plaster) just lifted the calves and threw them onto the trailer. These calves weigh as much as I do, or more. And plus, I'd be afraid to hurt them, the guys are so violent. I know, the cuties are very robust... but still! Poor calvies!
Then there was the afternoon milking. We milked about 300 cows, it took about two hours. I was watching the line of cows coming down the road from the paddocks over the hill (not the Hill, unfortunately). It seemed never-ending. Thankfully, it wasn't.
When I finished, it was already getting dark. When I got back to Malcolm and Alison's, it was dark. That was one hell of a day. Enjoyed it though, and I'm going back tomorrow :)
There are some things I won't get used to. Like darkness coming so early. Like driving on the left (the wrong side of the road). Like getting in the car on the left. Like spring. Like turning clocks one hour forward soon. Like school being halfway through the school year.
14 September 2008
Genuine Kiwi party
I've been to a genuine Kiwi party. Malcolm's sister's birthday party. We partied all afternoon and evening, morning began with a walk on the Pacific shore and breakfast, then some tennis and lunch. Wonderful!
Most importantly, there was an All Blacks vs Australia rugby match that evening. (If you don't know the All Blacks, you won't survive in NZ. They're the national rugby team.) The host kept his speech for his wife very short, or else he'd be "talking through rugby". I didn't follow the match, I watched the fans (apart from the All Blacks haka - classic! Watch it on u-tube). Everyone was watching the match. They got really excited (but not violent, there's enough violence in the game already). "Come on boys!", "Mummy loves you!" and "Bloody Aussies!" And NZ won! Good on you kiwis!
I had a lovely, lovely evening, everyone was so friendly it brought tears into my eyes.
Tomorrow I'll start work! Calf rearing on a neighbouring farm. That should be an experience... I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
Most importantly, there was an All Blacks vs Australia rugby match that evening. (If you don't know the All Blacks, you won't survive in NZ. They're the national rugby team.) The host kept his speech for his wife very short, or else he'd be "talking through rugby". I didn't follow the match, I watched the fans (apart from the All Blacks haka - classic! Watch it on u-tube). Everyone was watching the match. They got really excited (but not violent, there's enough violence in the game already). "Come on boys!", "Mummy loves you!" and "Bloody Aussies!" And NZ won! Good on you kiwis!
I had a lovely, lovely evening, everyone was so friendly it brought tears into my eyes.
Tomorrow I'll start work! Calf rearing on a neighbouring farm. That should be an experience... I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
11 September 2008
In the land of hobbits
In New Zealand! Yay!
I've been so excited and busy I completely forgot about my sister's birthday on the 11th (that's yesterday, at least here...)! Sorry, Aura! I wish you a fantastic, ballistic, optimistic and surrealistic birthday!
I'm staying with family friends' friends, on their small sheep and young dairy cattle farm, near to Otorohanga. They've been very friendly, helpful and welcoming. They've done a lot for me, they've been calling all over the place for work opportunities. Their house is absolutely stunning. Well, not the house, although it is comfy and above average, but the VIEW. Perfect V-shaped valley with interlocking spurs just out the front door. Looks rather like Hobbiton, a bit rougher though. STUNNING. (But the internet is really slow, the coverage isn't Finnish standards in NZ...)
I'm also going to be milking cows today. Yes, that's right, I'll be milking cows. I tried that yesterday for the first time, on a neighbour's farm. He has 130 cows that have to be milked (and some calves, that don't have to be milked). It takes about an hour. The milking itself is straight-forward. You just have to learn to dodge kicks, wees and poos, since you'd be standing behind the cows. The neighbour is a very easy-going, talkative guy, and I'm grateful that he'll teach me :)
Yesterday night I went to the local rotary meeting. It was very interesting, even the long speech, which gave me an idea of what the rotaries have been involved in. I also met a 16-year-old Danish exchange student, whose home is in Greenland. He's going to school in Otorohanga for a year and staying with four different rotary host families during that time. Then there was a 26-year-old French university student, Simon. He's studying the maori culture, or something along those lines. We spoke a bit of French :) He seemed pleased to hear someone speak his own language. He also told me to keep up my French; apparently there are some French people here I should meet.
I opened myself a bank account with KiwiBank today. The current balance is 0.00 dollars. Soon to change I hope. I haven't found work yet, but there are opportunities around, just have to keep talking and asking...
09 September 2008
The paradise of Singapore
I walked in a rainforest yesterday. It was heaven.
I was very badly prepared, in slippers and with only half a litre of water. I hadn't realised, as I looked at the brochure, that the Tree Top Walk in MacRitchie Nature Reserve was 5km from the bus stop.
There was loads to photograph. Plants, trees, flowers, butterflies, birds... I saw two small lizards and one medium-sized one. The medium-sized one was sitting in the middle of the road and I didn't notice it before it escaped to the undergrowth. I crept nearer; there it was, sitting peacefully on a log. It's body was at least 30cm long and the tail another 30. I took out my camera and shot like a maniac.
Birds were impossible to capture. They were impossible to see if they weren't moving, and if I did see them they didn't stay still long enough for the camera to focus.
My favourite were the monkeys. The first lot was sitting on a fallen branch right beside the road. They were literally four metres away from me, and I wouldn't have noticed them if they hadn't made so much noise. There were three grown-up ones and a baby. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen and it made everything - the trouble of finding the place, tricky to get to by public transport - worthwhile.
The second lot was sitting some 10 metres away when I noticed them. There was a female with a baby dangling from its belly fur and a male (I presume) hanging about in a tree. As I was shooting frantically (camera, of course), the female gracefully got up and walked past me - barely a metre away! I was astonished, couldn't move. It was the best thing that happened to me in Singapore.
I was frustrated that I only discovered the existence of this nature reserve so late. I can't believe I spent a whole day on Sentosa, instead of wandering in the rainforest! Now I only had half a day to explore, when I could have spent an entire week there.
Then I met someone who seemed like the nicest person in the world at the time. He was driving one of those golf cars (the trail edged a golf court towards the end), laden with ice-cold drink. "You very thirsty? This is for you." And he handed over a water bottle. For free. No payment, nothing. I drained half a bottle immediately.
I was very badly prepared, in slippers and with only half a litre of water. I hadn't realised, as I looked at the brochure, that the Tree Top Walk in MacRitchie Nature Reserve was 5km from the bus stop.
There was loads to photograph. Plants, trees, flowers, butterflies, birds... I saw two small lizards and one medium-sized one. The medium-sized one was sitting in the middle of the road and I didn't notice it before it escaped to the undergrowth. I crept nearer; there it was, sitting peacefully on a log. It's body was at least 30cm long and the tail another 30. I took out my camera and shot like a maniac.
Birds were impossible to capture. They were impossible to see if they weren't moving, and if I did see them they didn't stay still long enough for the camera to focus.
My favourite were the monkeys. The first lot was sitting on a fallen branch right beside the road. They were literally four metres away from me, and I wouldn't have noticed them if they hadn't made so much noise. There were three grown-up ones and a baby. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen and it made everything - the trouble of finding the place, tricky to get to by public transport - worthwhile.
The second lot was sitting some 10 metres away when I noticed them. There was a female with a baby dangling from its belly fur and a male (I presume) hanging about in a tree. As I was shooting frantically (camera, of course), the female gracefully got up and walked past me - barely a metre away! I was astonished, couldn't move. It was the best thing that happened to me in Singapore.
I was frustrated that I only discovered the existence of this nature reserve so late. I can't believe I spent a whole day on Sentosa, instead of wandering in the rainforest! Now I only had half a day to explore, when I could have spent an entire week there.
Then I met someone who seemed like the nicest person in the world at the time. He was driving one of those golf cars (the trail edged a golf court towards the end), laden with ice-cold drink. "You very thirsty? This is for you." And he handed over a water bottle. For free. No payment, nothing. I drained half a bottle immediately.
Sydney airport, 6AM
I feel dead.
Well, that's an exaggeration, but I do feel knackered.
By the way, what did I say about 20 shopping malls in Singapore? There were twenty in Chinatown's vicinity alone. I counted all the malls on my map: 119. A shopper's paradise, they say. Well, I'm not a shopper, so it wasn't paradise for me. Apart from the rainforest I walked in yesterday (on my last day). That was paradise.
Well, that's an exaggeration, but I do feel knackered.
By the way, what did I say about 20 shopping malls in Singapore? There were twenty in Chinatown's vicinity alone. I counted all the malls on my map: 119. A shopper's paradise, they say. Well, I'm not a shopper, so it wasn't paradise for me. Apart from the rainforest I walked in yesterday (on my last day). That was paradise.
07 September 2008
First photo
This was in Sentosa Butterfly Park. New camera! This computer is so slow I can't be bothered to upload more. And I know, I don't look very fresh in the photo. It's bloody I don't know how many degrees hot here!
The best attractions are free
Went to Sentosa island - the Singaporeans' chilling-out island and rich tourists rip-off attraction - yesterday. That was a disappointment. As a German guy in the hostel said, it's more "plastic" than Singapore itself. The attractions are expensive and overrated. The butterfly park was the best, I got to use my new camera :)
Sentosa is definitely a place to go with friends. I felt very alone, walking along the beaches. (Gosh, I hate sand.) The helpful English blokes and the friendly German guys had left that morning, and I felt almost deserted. I couldn't even go for a swim, although I wanted to, the water was so WARM, because I couldn't leave my stuff (camera!) behind.
The (free) Nature Walk & Dragon Trail was the best. Wandering in a secondary rainforest... Among dragons, they try to convince us... I didn't see any birds - their camouflage is brilliant - but I heard them. One of them sounds so monotone and artificial that I thought it was an attraction screeching (although I could hear those too, all the time). Then I was told it was a bird. On my way back I saw a squirrel scurry into a tree and across the path on a branch. That made my day.
Some guy from DNA (a Finnish network company) called me today: "Do you know about our new promotion...?" No, and do you know how much answering this call will cost me...?
The MRT (local metro) reminds me of the tube. No wonder people get paranoid about terrorism, when they show you videos of someone blowing the train up! “The threat of terrorism is real!" They also tell you to "Please mind the platform gap". Hilarious。
Now this computer wants to write in Chinese again，so I'll just try uploading some photos。
Sentosa is definitely a place to go with friends. I felt very alone, walking along the beaches. (Gosh, I hate sand.) The helpful English blokes and the friendly German guys had left that morning, and I felt almost deserted. I couldn't even go for a swim, although I wanted to, the water was so WARM, because I couldn't leave my stuff (camera!) behind.
The (free) Nature Walk & Dragon Trail was the best. Wandering in a secondary rainforest... Among dragons, they try to convince us... I didn't see any birds - their camouflage is brilliant - but I heard them. One of them sounds so monotone and artificial that I thought it was an attraction screeching (although I could hear those too, all the time). Then I was told it was a bird. On my way back I saw a squirrel scurry into a tree and across the path on a branch. That made my day.
Some guy from DNA (a Finnish network company) called me today: "Do you know about our new promotion...?" No, and do you know how much answering this call will cost me...?
The MRT (local metro) reminds me of the tube. No wonder people get paranoid about terrorism, when they show you videos of someone blowing the train up! “The threat of terrorism is real!" They also tell you to "Please mind the platform gap". Hilarious。
Now this computer wants to write in Chinese again，so I'll just try uploading some photos。
05 September 2008
Goods for free?
I have just spent an awful lot of money on a new camera and additional equipment. Singapore is dangerous!
First, I was going to buy a Canon EOS-450D with a standard lense and a 75-300mm lense. And a 4GB high-speed memory card and a card reader. They would give me a camera bag for free.
Then I was convinced to buy a macrolense, a spare battery and protective filters for my lenses. I would also get a smaller camera bag, "for the field".
After that I was told that the 75-300mm lense was an old model without an image stabiliser. Switching it to a newer, 55-250mm lense would cost some money. Quite some money, in fact. But I would get a 2GB memory card with it.
When I was walking through Little India I missed someone who would sing with me in the street and stop me from buying expensive camera equipment. Ale* would satisfy the first criteria, but not the last. Although just someone who would satisfy one of the criterias would be awesome.
As I was walking through Little India it started to get dark. A middle-aged Indian man shook his head at locals walking at red lights, then glanced at me and started following me. I was thinking to myself: "Remember, don't panic. Even hitchhikers to the galaxy know that. Smile. And walk faster." So I did. And he stopped following me after a while. Situation over.
I'll try to upload some photos now with my brand new card reader...
First, I was going to buy a Canon EOS-450D with a standard lense and a 75-300mm lense. And a 4GB high-speed memory card and a card reader. They would give me a camera bag for free.
Then I was convinced to buy a macrolense, a spare battery and protective filters for my lenses. I would also get a smaller camera bag, "for the field".
After that I was told that the 75-300mm lense was an old model without an image stabiliser. Switching it to a newer, 55-250mm lense would cost some money. Quite some money, in fact. But I would get a 2GB memory card with it.
When I was walking through Little India I missed someone who would sing with me in the street and stop me from buying expensive camera equipment. Ale* would satisfy the first criteria, but not the last. Although just someone who would satisfy one of the criterias would be awesome.
As I was walking through Little India it started to get dark. A middle-aged Indian man shook his head at locals walking at red lights, then glanced at me and started following me. I was thinking to myself: "Remember, don't panic. Even hitchhikers to the galaxy know that. Smile. And walk faster." So I did. And he stopped following me after a while. Situation over.
I'll try to upload some photos now with my brand new card reader...
04 September 2008
Confusingly Singapore
Right. I found an internet cafe where I did manage to log onto Facebook. And this computer does not insist on writing in Chinese.
This place is very confusing. The streets are confusing, the buildings are confusing, the people's English is confusing. It takes getting used to, maybe more than what I have time for. I'll do my best in five days. On the other hand the metro system (or MRT as it's called here) is very clear, effective and easy to use.
The air is very hot and humid. Not at all my climate. Everywhere has air conditioning, and everywhere air conditioning is cold, which is comfortable. I sense a shock every time I walk outside again.
So far I've only managed to walk around Chinatown and eat. "Fried rice" was delicious, and it cost three dollars. That's about one and a half euros for a meal.
It's true when they say Singapore is the shopper's paradise. There are about 20 shopping malls on my map, which shows the city centre. I went into a smallish street shop and asked for camera prices. Canon EOS-450: 1000 dollars. But "I give you 20% discount". Are you sure it's Canon? Anyway, I will keep comparing.
I will also keep posting. From time to time.
This place is very confusing. The streets are confusing, the buildings are confusing, the people's English is confusing. It takes getting used to, maybe more than what I have time for. I'll do my best in five days. On the other hand the metro system (or MRT as it's called here) is very clear, effective and easy to use.
The air is very hot and humid. Not at all my climate. Everywhere has air conditioning, and everywhere air conditioning is cold, which is comfortable. I sense a shock every time I walk outside again.
So far I've only managed to walk around Chinatown and eat. "Fried rice" was delicious, and it cost three dollars. That's about one and a half euros for a meal.
It's true when they say Singapore is the shopper's paradise. There are about 20 shopping malls on my map, which shows the city centre. I went into a smallish street shop and asked for camera prices. Canon EOS-450: 1000 dollars. But "I give you 20% discount". Are you sure it's Canon? Anyway, I will keep comparing.
I will also keep posting. From time to time.
03 September 2008
The birth of the blog
Hi all
I'm in an internet cafe in Singapore at the moment. I'm still finding it hard to believe I've actually moved away from home! I'm on my way！And this bloody computer wants to write in Chinese letters！I won't promise to update my blog often, but I'll try to put some photos on from time to time. By the way，I couldn't log into Facebook，will try again somewhere else.
Plan for today: get over jet lag. Plan for tomorrow: flexible.
Plan for the 9th: leave to New Zealand!
I'm in an internet cafe in Singapore at the moment. I'm still finding it hard to believe I've actually moved away from home! I'm on my way！And this bloody computer wants to write in Chinese letters！I won't promise to update my blog often, but I'll try to put some photos on from time to time. By the way，I couldn't log into Facebook，will try again somewhere else.
Plan for today: get over jet lag. Plan for tomorrow: flexible.
Plan for the 9th: leave to New Zealand!
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