The past two weeks...

....have been great. I remember the anticipation I had riding on the MRT to the airport in the middle of the night giddy with excitement and then finally seeing Brian walk through the arrival gate, my suitcases in tow. We explored, ate and bitched our way through a three nation cultural and gastronomic tour in 14 days flat and avoided the tearful spats and over dramatic apologies we were so used to back in DC.
Brian was a great sport and my family marvelled at his willingness to try the various spicy, smelly, sour and sweet cuisines of the region. I learned as much from his trip here as he probably did, visiting sights in Penang that I took for granted on previous trips to the island. Of course it was nice to have an ever available lunch buddy and we sampled food from a few restaurants I had been meaning to try but never knew who to go with. We had foot massages and hair cuts but stopped short of the manicures and aromatherapy massages. I took pictures of him with famous landmarks in the background for his benefit and for my memories. He met my friends and family and they got along well. We went to the gym.
I would like to think that Brian enjoyed himself despite a few tense moments. I'd also like to think that like the sunburn on my shoulders that is just beginning to heal, we are both trying to get used to not having each other around for a hug or a kiss, an understanding ear or a voice of opinion and most importantly a professional critic of hot men.

Photos

Photos from Brian's vacation in Asia are up in the Photo Album. Check them out!

A pictoral review of my time in Singapore

The Aeroline "Executive" bus - a double decker bus with big comfy seats and a lounge - that brought us from KL to Singapore

The interior of the bus. The top floor contains passenger seating and the entire bottom deck is used as a lounge with big comfy couches.
This is Little India on a Sunday afternoon, possibly at its liveliest.

These two photos are of Orchard Road, the main shopping avenue in Singapore.
I sojourned back to my old high school and snapped this shot. There used to be a back gate just below this building where we could sneak out of school.
This is the public library where I used to study after school. I always wound up reading magazines instead of doing my homework.


These are pictures of public housing flats. About 80-90% of Singapore lives in public housing. I suppose this is what most tourists in Singapore don't see, a rather depressing -- functional but unaesthetic -- view of a country where everyone lives in flats the size of shoeboxes and in buildings completely devoid of character.

This is the hawker center close to my old high school. Food at hawker centers is cheap and the ambience is decidedly more laid back. This is probably the largest eatery I've seen in Singapore.

Not THAT Down Under

Well, I'm off to Singapore tomorrow for a few days and I'll resume posting once I return (hopefully with pictures). Toodles!