There is a lot to put in this blog, and since I know I wont remember it all if I only post on Sunday, I'm breaking it up into two entries. We are now midway through Jordan's stay here, so this is a good point to write.
My pledge brother from AEPi, Jordan Rothstein, was one of my biggest supporters in the move to Singapore. That's probably because he's already taken a big leap of his own, teaching English in Seoul, South Korea. Anyways, as soon as he found out I would officially be making the move, he started making plans to come here for his winter break.
That takes us to Monday. Due to some poor planning on my part, we had a little adventure at the airport Monday night. I had worked the day before so having to go to the airport at 9:30 PM and then be back at work by 3 AM wasn't the most idea. Unfortunately, I made it even more difficult by not checking his flight status (because, stupidly, I never got his flight number). Suffice it to say, his flight was two hours delayed from Beijing and we didn't leave the airport until 12:15 AM. I got to sleep by 1:15 and then went to work at 3. A nice present though, Jordan brought me a pair of Michael Jordan shoes from Beijing. They are really nice and much cheaper than in the states...they are straight out of Chitown haha.
Work was nice and oddly, I was the one able to watch the Chicago Bears beat the Vikings (Jordan loves da Bears). I got back from work and Jordan met me there. He spent the morning visiting the National History Museum (the one I like so much). Once we reconnected, we headed out to this great little microbrewery my roommate Manuel suggested (Manuel is the guy that is moving out, thus the reason there is a room available...he actually officially moved out Tuesday). Reddot Brewhouse is a nice little brewery near the Singapore Botanic Gardens and the beer is good. We were there for happy hour so we had some drinks, some onion rings and some beef skewers...all delicious. We came back to the apartment and I was sure I would fall right to sleep. When we got back, our plan was to set up the next day's trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Well, after calling some bus companies, we decided it just wasn't worth it. Again, I should have planned this out a little farther ahead of time, but it is what it is. The decision was made that instead of us going across the border, we would just spend my two off days having an awesome time in Singapore, and we have done just that.
Wednesday, we woke up and headed for the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. On the way, we got off the MRT and ate at the Newton Hawker Center. We both got chicken rice and it was very nice. I was surprised that a lot of the stalls weren't open at the center, luckily this one was. Anyways, we then took the bus (again, I enjoy getting to see the city on the bus) down to where we thought the BT Nature Reserve was. I don't think we ever really found the one we were looking for, but we did go to the Bukit Batok Nature Park. We walked up this long hill and saw that there was a Japanese WW II Memorial there. Back when Japan was occupying Singapore during the war, they had POW's make this 40 foot memorial for the fallen Japanese soldiers. Before they surrendered, the Japanese took down the memorial. Anyways, right near there, we saw these little monkeys running around. It was awesome! They were swinging from trees and everything. We didn't take pictures, because I was scared flash might freak them out.
So we took this nature hike and it was really beautiful. It reminded me that Singapore is a jungle, even if it's now more of a concrete jungle. The wildlife was beautiful. After going down the hills, we took the bus over to Orchard road. The two places are the complete opposite, but I loved being at both.
From there, we went back to the condo and headed down to the pool. Yep, that's one of the great things about Singapore, it's late December, and we were swimming. We showered up and got ready for our nighttime activities.
We headed to the Raffles Hotel to get a Singapore Sling. I have been here for a month, but I didn't want to go have the famous drink by myself. Of course, I knew Jordan would want one, because if you come to Singapore, you have to get a sling. We went to the famouse Long Bar at the hotel. Here is one of the craziest parts about this bar. As you know Singapore is a very clean city, but at this bar in a five star hotel, they serve peanuts and you throw the shells away on the floor (just like Texas Land and Cattle haha). How funny is that? We got our Singapore Slings, and I can officially say I've had one. The drink was good, definitely not the strongest of drinks, but it was the experience that counted. Side note, we met this couple in their late 50s that are taking five weeks to go to Singapore, Australia and New Zealand...yeah I was a bit jealous.
We then headed down to Clarke Quay, my favorite spot, and found a nice little place to relax at. After, we went to this nice Thai place right along the river. My friend Akshobh met us for dinner as well (and pointed out that Sri Lanka's Cricket Captain was at the table right next to us...he was quite excited). After dinner, we met up with Manuel and his fiancee in hopes of going out. However, Jordan and I made a crucial mistake, we were both wearing shorts. A big no no apparently. There is an international dress code everyone is just supposed to know-guys have to wear pants and closed shoes. So, instead, we just hung out at another place in Clarke Quay, wrapping up a really nice day.
This morning, we got ready and headed to Sentosa. Obviously, Singapore is a very small island, but part of it is an even smaller island called Sentosa. As Jordan said, it's a tourist destination in a tourist destination. After eating a nice lunch, we got on the monorail to the island. We decided to go on the street luge. In order to get there, we took this awesome sky ride up to the top of the hill. It's like a ski lift, but instead of snow, you just look down at the beautiful tree tops of a jungle. Another side note, in the harbor, I saw cruise ships-must do more research haha. We did the street luge, which was a lot of fun. It's on a little course and they take you through safety stuff before hand. After the luge, we went to a little restaurant called Cafe del Mar (very Singaporean name right?). Outside they had little cabanas we could sit in. After, we went to the beach and got into the water. It was very nice, not too cold and not too salty (still salt water, but it wasn't unbearable). After spending about thirty minutes in the water, we headed to a different part of the island and went to a 4D movie. 4D is a three dimensional movie with the touch aspect as well. For example, when one guy hits his head on a tree, the chair moves. It was very nice, but I'll still take Avatar.
When headed back to the condo and now we are relaxing before New Year's. I have to cut our celebration a little early as I have work in the morning. At work though, the plan is to have the Mizzou bowl game on. I will be busy, but Jordan will probably come with me so he can watch.
So far, it's been great having Jordan in town. It's nice to have someone to go around with and be a tourist with. That sounds so basic, but it's really good to not be by myself and just doing touristy stuff. We are having a great time and hopefully it continues the next couple of days.
Go Mizzou and Happy New Year's everyone!
Michael
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
What a Weekend's Worth
Before we get to the fun of the weekend, let me just start by saying this was a very nice work week. Because of the weird schedule, I had only a couple of days at work this week. Not only that, but at work, I got to watch Mizzou basketball beat Illinois for the first time in almost a decade in the Bragging Rights game! That is one of the awesome benefits of where I work, sometimes I can check in on Mizzou sports. Later this week, Mizzou's bowl game will be on while I'm at work. Hopefully that results in a win.
Alrighty, now to the weekend. Okay, I fibbed, we'll start with Thursday night. I was very tired, but I was in the mood for pizza. So, I decided to be a big boy and get pizza delivered to my big boy apartment. Well, lost in translations was my order. I ordered two ten inch pizzas, knowing that would be plenty and there would be leftovers. When the delivery man got to the door, it was two fourteen inch pizzas. I'm not really one to turn down more pizza, but this was more than I was expecting. After eating about five slices, I felt really good about myself (sarcastic comment).
On Friday morning, I woke up and skyped for a little while. The mornings are normally the best time to chat, because my mornings are the nights in the states. After chatting, I had pizza for lunch (why not, I have enough for ten friends). I went to the fitness center for a light workout and realized how much I like the condo facilities. The fitness center is just what I need it to be and the pool area is really, really nice (I shall be visiting it this week).
Enough about the residence, yall know how happy I am with it so far. I got ready and headed over to the Koch's. Way back when I first got here, I went over to the Koch's for dinner one night. While there, I met "The Divas," Raye's group of four expat women who live here. Lucky for me, the group was getting together with their families for Christmas dinner and I was invited. At the party, there were two American families and two Canadian families. The house this party was at was incredible. It certainly ranks up with some of the nices houses I've ever been in. It is a renovated shop house, meaning it used to have a store on the bottom level and a living area upstairs. Now, it's been remodeled into a beautiful home. The hosts are renting out the place which had a koi pond, beautiful living room and all sorts of nice things. The party had a great balance of people my age and people the Koch's age and I really enjoyed everyone's company. We played a Christmas trivia game-my team didn't do so well...hmmm I wonder why. We did a Secret Santa exchange to which my gift was successfully received and I enjoyed what I got as well. The highlight, besides meeting everyone, had to be the food. It was incredible, like Thanksgiving part 2. All the Divas chipped in to create a table full of Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, vegetables, mashed potatoes, green beans, challah (a traditional chritzmach item) and desserts. The food was simply phenomena and I had seconds. For my first Christmas dinner, this really showed me why people love that holiday so much. We didn't do any religious stuff, we just all got together and enjoyed each other's company.
Now to Saturday and getting back to the tribe hahaha. I woke up and went to Chabad. Services were very nice, although to be honest, I got there toward the very end. After services, there was a lunch upstairs at the community center. I sat down with the twenty year old crowd again. The food at lunch was really very nice and the conversation was good as well.
After lunch, I came back and got ready for the second half of the day. Earlier in the week, one of guys I met at the other congregation called me and was nice enough to invite me to go with him and his wife to a movie and dinner on Saturday. I ended up taking a bus to the theater, which was a first for me. I was a little nervous about taking the bus, because up until this point, I've been a train guy. The bus was a nice change of pace. It maybe took a little longer, but it was nice getting out and seeing some more of the city. On the train, all I see is the inside of stations. The bus takes you through the streets, allows you to get a view of more things.
Anyways, I got to the theater on time and met Matt and Mel upstairs. They moved here about two years ago I think. Anyways, their friend Julia met us at the movies and we went to go see Avatar. For those non movie buffs, this movie had a lot of hype for it's cinematic value. This was my first experience with a feature length 3D film and I loved it. The movie was a bit long, but I was really into it. I wont go through a full review of the movie, but you can check out my friend Steve Chaitman's thoughts here on Movie Muse. I don't know if the link worked, hopefully it does. http://moviemusereviews.com/2009/12/review-avatar/#more-512
After dinner, we all headed out to the East Coast Food Center. I haven't been out to this part of Singapore yet, but I will definitely be going back. I don't want to call this touristy, but it definitely has a more islandy atmosphere than the other hawker centers. Two more of Matt and Mel's friends met us for dinner. We found a table right near the beach with a nice view of the water. We ordered a pitcher of Tiger and Matt brought back some satays to the table. Satay, I'm sure, you might be more familiar with. It's meat on a stick-they are little small bites with a side of peanut sauce. I really liked it, I mean come on, meat on a stick, what's not to like. After, everyone went and got their own main course. I had a tough time choosing what I want, but I settled on nasi ayam. It's a Malaysian chicken and rice dish. The chicken had a nice crispy and sweet flavor to it.
That pretty much wrapped up a great Friday and Saturday full of good people, good food and good conversation. Today, I've been getting things ready for when my friend Jordan comes in town. My pledge brother from Mizzou is teaching English in South Korea for the year. I think he's on winter vacation and so he's spending a couple of days in Beijing and then he's coming here. On Wednesday, we're planning to go to Malaysia. Unfortunately, this is one of the big work weeks for me, so it will be a little difficult to do a bunch of stuff during his visit. Hopefully, it will all work out though. He definitely can handle doing some sites on his own as he's already traveled quite a bit more than I have.
This whole weekend, the one thing that has stuck out to me in terms of travel, is there are lots of opportunities to go to different beaches and cool tropical spots in the region. I really hope that in my time here, I get to go to some of them. Thanks to my visits going to Miami growing up, I've always had a love of beaches and there are some of the best ones in the world here. If anyone comes to visit, I promise we'll go to a beach or two (of course work schedule allowing haha).
All in all, I had a great weekend and the best part, the fun is just beginning.
Michael
Alrighty, now to the weekend. Okay, I fibbed, we'll start with Thursday night. I was very tired, but I was in the mood for pizza. So, I decided to be a big boy and get pizza delivered to my big boy apartment. Well, lost in translations was my order. I ordered two ten inch pizzas, knowing that would be plenty and there would be leftovers. When the delivery man got to the door, it was two fourteen inch pizzas. I'm not really one to turn down more pizza, but this was more than I was expecting. After eating about five slices, I felt really good about myself (sarcastic comment).
On Friday morning, I woke up and skyped for a little while. The mornings are normally the best time to chat, because my mornings are the nights in the states. After chatting, I had pizza for lunch (why not, I have enough for ten friends). I went to the fitness center for a light workout and realized how much I like the condo facilities. The fitness center is just what I need it to be and the pool area is really, really nice (I shall be visiting it this week).
Enough about the residence, yall know how happy I am with it so far. I got ready and headed over to the Koch's. Way back when I first got here, I went over to the Koch's for dinner one night. While there, I met "The Divas," Raye's group of four expat women who live here. Lucky for me, the group was getting together with their families for Christmas dinner and I was invited. At the party, there were two American families and two Canadian families. The house this party was at was incredible. It certainly ranks up with some of the nices houses I've ever been in. It is a renovated shop house, meaning it used to have a store on the bottom level and a living area upstairs. Now, it's been remodeled into a beautiful home. The hosts are renting out the place which had a koi pond, beautiful living room and all sorts of nice things. The party had a great balance of people my age and people the Koch's age and I really enjoyed everyone's company. We played a Christmas trivia game-my team didn't do so well...hmmm I wonder why. We did a Secret Santa exchange to which my gift was successfully received and I enjoyed what I got as well. The highlight, besides meeting everyone, had to be the food. It was incredible, like Thanksgiving part 2. All the Divas chipped in to create a table full of Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, vegetables, mashed potatoes, green beans, challah (a traditional chritzmach item) and desserts. The food was simply phenomena and I had seconds. For my first Christmas dinner, this really showed me why people love that holiday so much. We didn't do any religious stuff, we just all got together and enjoyed each other's company.
Now to Saturday and getting back to the tribe hahaha. I woke up and went to Chabad. Services were very nice, although to be honest, I got there toward the very end. After services, there was a lunch upstairs at the community center. I sat down with the twenty year old crowd again. The food at lunch was really very nice and the conversation was good as well.
After lunch, I came back and got ready for the second half of the day. Earlier in the week, one of guys I met at the other congregation called me and was nice enough to invite me to go with him and his wife to a movie and dinner on Saturday. I ended up taking a bus to the theater, which was a first for me. I was a little nervous about taking the bus, because up until this point, I've been a train guy. The bus was a nice change of pace. It maybe took a little longer, but it was nice getting out and seeing some more of the city. On the train, all I see is the inside of stations. The bus takes you through the streets, allows you to get a view of more things.
Anyways, I got to the theater on time and met Matt and Mel upstairs. They moved here about two years ago I think. Anyways, their friend Julia met us at the movies and we went to go see Avatar. For those non movie buffs, this movie had a lot of hype for it's cinematic value. This was my first experience with a feature length 3D film and I loved it. The movie was a bit long, but I was really into it. I wont go through a full review of the movie, but you can check out my friend Steve Chaitman's thoughts here on Movie Muse. I don't know if the link worked, hopefully it does. http://moviemusereviews.com/2009/12/review-avatar/#more-512
After dinner, we all headed out to the East Coast Food Center. I haven't been out to this part of Singapore yet, but I will definitely be going back. I don't want to call this touristy, but it definitely has a more islandy atmosphere than the other hawker centers. Two more of Matt and Mel's friends met us for dinner. We found a table right near the beach with a nice view of the water. We ordered a pitcher of Tiger and Matt brought back some satays to the table. Satay, I'm sure, you might be more familiar with. It's meat on a stick-they are little small bites with a side of peanut sauce. I really liked it, I mean come on, meat on a stick, what's not to like. After, everyone went and got their own main course. I had a tough time choosing what I want, but I settled on nasi ayam. It's a Malaysian chicken and rice dish. The chicken had a nice crispy and sweet flavor to it.
That pretty much wrapped up a great Friday and Saturday full of good people, good food and good conversation. Today, I've been getting things ready for when my friend Jordan comes in town. My pledge brother from Mizzou is teaching English in South Korea for the year. I think he's on winter vacation and so he's spending a couple of days in Beijing and then he's coming here. On Wednesday, we're planning to go to Malaysia. Unfortunately, this is one of the big work weeks for me, so it will be a little difficult to do a bunch of stuff during his visit. Hopefully, it will all work out though. He definitely can handle doing some sites on his own as he's already traveled quite a bit more than I have.
This whole weekend, the one thing that has stuck out to me in terms of travel, is there are lots of opportunities to go to different beaches and cool tropical spots in the region. I really hope that in my time here, I get to go to some of them. Thanks to my visits going to Miami growing up, I've always had a love of beaches and there are some of the best ones in the world here. If anyone comes to visit, I promise we'll go to a beach or two (of course work schedule allowing haha).
All in all, I had a great weekend and the best part, the fun is just beginning.
Michael
Monday, December 21, 2009
Weekend's Worth Plus One
This was very much a work weekend and a real test. On Friday morning, I started my 3 AM to 3 PM shifts. Last week, I worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday. When I accepted the job, I knew it would be 4 days a week, 12 hour shifts. The 3 AM start threw me off at first, but when I realized that's really when the British sports news happen, I knew it would be fine. Back at KOMU, I used to wake up to be at the station by 3:30 for the morning sports anchoring shifts. So, this isn't terribly new to me. As the news director back in Missourah always said, if it was easy, everybody would do it. I'll happen to think it's just the price to pay for getting to cover sports as my job.
Okay, let's go through how the days went. Thursday night, I tried to go to sleep early, but that just didn't work. I ended up falling asleep around 11:15 PM and then woke up at 2:15 AM to get going. I called a cab and got to work early. The shift went well. I learned a lot from the leader of the shift. He was pushing me to really flesh out a story by going beyond the obvious. That got me to dig a little deeper and ultimately made the content better. I was running on adrenaline for most of the shift, so I wasn't too tired, just surprisingly hungry. Toward the end of the shift, we had a department end of the year lunch. I made sure to say thanks to the team for helping me out so much in the first couple of weeks.
After work, I grabbed lunch, went home and pretty much went right to sleep-bad idea. I ended up waking up at about 5:30 PM, only a two hour nap. So, I got up and got ready to go to shul for services. It was a very nice service, I was just a bit out of it as you might have guessed. After, I went upstairs for a Shabbat dinner, but I was just really too out of it to enjoy it. I went home and went to bed, got up, got a cab, got to work (this time maybe 4 hours of sleep--so, in two days, a total of 9 hours of sleep). Getting through Saturday was much tougher. The work wasn't more difficult necessarily, I was just tired. I ended up going and taking a twenty minute nap during my break. I decided after the shift, I wasn't going right to bed.
My goal was to stay up until 6 PM and then hope I could sleep until 2ish. I had lunch and came back to the apartment to find my roommate watching How I Met Your Mother! I brought the dvd's with me and I'd hoped he'd like them. He watched quite a few of them, so I think he's on board. The funny thing about watching the shows on his television, is that it looks like it was shot in a studio. Obviously it is, but this is the first time I'd noticed that it looked like that. I didn't mind as the first season of HIMYM is legen wait for it, I hope you're not lactose intolerant, dary. Those early episodes are packed with great lines.
So, I pretty much accomplished my goal- I went to sleep at 5:45 and woke up at 2:30 (almost nine hours of sleep!). What a difference that made. Sunday's shift was very good. We were a little short staffed, so it was crucial to get stuff done fast. Sunday mornings seem to be action packed because there is a lot of Premier league football to cut. Plus, we had La Liga and Club World Cup games. Mark Hughes, the Manchester City manager, got sacked (fired) surprisingly, so that was more good content. One of the things I love about this job so far, is that I get to work on lots of different sports. This weekend, I did stories on football, swimming, Nascar, NBA, Chinese basketball and the NFL.
Ah the NFL, definitely my favorite part of the weekend. The Cowboys/Saints game was broadcast on NFL Network in the states, and both ESPN Australia and Sky Sports (UK) had the game live. So, starting at 9:00 AM, I got to watch Dallas try to give New Orleans its first loss of the season, while trying to keep the Cowboys in the playoff hunt. I'm waiting for a video to get up on Facebook of me predicting a Cowboys win (shot Tuesday night at the Channukah party--oh, side note, I lit Channukah candles for the first time in my own apartment last week, very cool feeling). So, Dallas dominates the Saints for most of the game and then comes the fourth quarter. The Saints fantastic offense gets going and makes it a 7 point game. Are the Cowboys really going to give up this game....that would be crushing. Tony Romo drives the Cowboys down the field, milks five minutes off the clock, and sets up a Nick Folk field goal from 24 yards out. All you Cowboys fans out there now, for some reason this guy just can't make a kick these days. His first couple of years in the league he was spot on, but he's in a funk right now. He missed of course. That leaves, MVP candidate Drew Brees one more chance. Of course, I'm now thinking, well here it comes. The Dallas secondary will let them make the completions to get down to the 50 and then they'll just heave it. Luckily, DeMarcus Ware forced a fumble around the 45 yard line and Dallas won! Whew, really intense. The Scottish guy I work with loved how intense I was, because he would be doing the same if his club were on. I cut those highlights, what a joy, and then was done for the day.
I came back, went to sleep around 7 PM and woke up this morning at 9 AM. That's roughly 14 hours of sleep. As my mom likes to tell me, that must be what your body needed if that's how long you slept. It felt great. I woke up and skyped with Dad, David, Melissa and Amanda. It was my first type skyping with David and family, which was great because I also got to see the kids. Aaron was super cute with the computer. He told me about his birthday party and asked if I was there. Of course I wasn't, but hopefully I'll be at many of his future shindigs.
After watching some episodes of Glee (really liking it), I went to the National Museum of Singapore. This was probably my favorite of the museums so far. The History part of the tour has an audio guide you get. The displays were fantastic and so was the information from the headset. There are two different ways to take the tour, so next time I go, I'll do the other one. There is also a living gallery which was nice - showed food, fashion, movies and photos from the cultural and physical landscape of Singapore.
After thoroughly enjoying the museum, I set out for dinner. I went into a food court and to my surprise found a stall called the Mexico Taco Hut. Of course, I checked it out, it looked good so I ordered. I got chicken tacos with peppers, onions and guacamole and it was so good. The lady who owns the stand moved here about eight years ago to set up a Mexican restaurant. She then moved to Beijing for a couple of years to open a restaurant there. She finally moved back to S'pore and opended this place for her own. I'll definitely be going back, the food was good and so was the price.
So, that wraps up a weekend plus one. Go Cowboys!
Michael
Okay, let's go through how the days went. Thursday night, I tried to go to sleep early, but that just didn't work. I ended up falling asleep around 11:15 PM and then woke up at 2:15 AM to get going. I called a cab and got to work early. The shift went well. I learned a lot from the leader of the shift. He was pushing me to really flesh out a story by going beyond the obvious. That got me to dig a little deeper and ultimately made the content better. I was running on adrenaline for most of the shift, so I wasn't too tired, just surprisingly hungry. Toward the end of the shift, we had a department end of the year lunch. I made sure to say thanks to the team for helping me out so much in the first couple of weeks.
After work, I grabbed lunch, went home and pretty much went right to sleep-bad idea. I ended up waking up at about 5:30 PM, only a two hour nap. So, I got up and got ready to go to shul for services. It was a very nice service, I was just a bit out of it as you might have guessed. After, I went upstairs for a Shabbat dinner, but I was just really too out of it to enjoy it. I went home and went to bed, got up, got a cab, got to work (this time maybe 4 hours of sleep--so, in two days, a total of 9 hours of sleep). Getting through Saturday was much tougher. The work wasn't more difficult necessarily, I was just tired. I ended up going and taking a twenty minute nap during my break. I decided after the shift, I wasn't going right to bed.
My goal was to stay up until 6 PM and then hope I could sleep until 2ish. I had lunch and came back to the apartment to find my roommate watching How I Met Your Mother! I brought the dvd's with me and I'd hoped he'd like them. He watched quite a few of them, so I think he's on board. The funny thing about watching the shows on his television, is that it looks like it was shot in a studio. Obviously it is, but this is the first time I'd noticed that it looked like that. I didn't mind as the first season of HIMYM is legen wait for it, I hope you're not lactose intolerant, dary. Those early episodes are packed with great lines.
So, I pretty much accomplished my goal- I went to sleep at 5:45 and woke up at 2:30 (almost nine hours of sleep!). What a difference that made. Sunday's shift was very good. We were a little short staffed, so it was crucial to get stuff done fast. Sunday mornings seem to be action packed because there is a lot of Premier league football to cut. Plus, we had La Liga and Club World Cup games. Mark Hughes, the Manchester City manager, got sacked (fired) surprisingly, so that was more good content. One of the things I love about this job so far, is that I get to work on lots of different sports. This weekend, I did stories on football, swimming, Nascar, NBA, Chinese basketball and the NFL.
Ah the NFL, definitely my favorite part of the weekend. The Cowboys/Saints game was broadcast on NFL Network in the states, and both ESPN Australia and Sky Sports (UK) had the game live. So, starting at 9:00 AM, I got to watch Dallas try to give New Orleans its first loss of the season, while trying to keep the Cowboys in the playoff hunt. I'm waiting for a video to get up on Facebook of me predicting a Cowboys win (shot Tuesday night at the Channukah party--oh, side note, I lit Channukah candles for the first time in my own apartment last week, very cool feeling). So, Dallas dominates the Saints for most of the game and then comes the fourth quarter. The Saints fantastic offense gets going and makes it a 7 point game. Are the Cowboys really going to give up this game....that would be crushing. Tony Romo drives the Cowboys down the field, milks five minutes off the clock, and sets up a Nick Folk field goal from 24 yards out. All you Cowboys fans out there now, for some reason this guy just can't make a kick these days. His first couple of years in the league he was spot on, but he's in a funk right now. He missed of course. That leaves, MVP candidate Drew Brees one more chance. Of course, I'm now thinking, well here it comes. The Dallas secondary will let them make the completions to get down to the 50 and then they'll just heave it. Luckily, DeMarcus Ware forced a fumble around the 45 yard line and Dallas won! Whew, really intense. The Scottish guy I work with loved how intense I was, because he would be doing the same if his club were on. I cut those highlights, what a joy, and then was done for the day.
I came back, went to sleep around 7 PM and woke up this morning at 9 AM. That's roughly 14 hours of sleep. As my mom likes to tell me, that must be what your body needed if that's how long you slept. It felt great. I woke up and skyped with Dad, David, Melissa and Amanda. It was my first type skyping with David and family, which was great because I also got to see the kids. Aaron was super cute with the computer. He told me about his birthday party and asked if I was there. Of course I wasn't, but hopefully I'll be at many of his future shindigs.
After watching some episodes of Glee (really liking it), I went to the National Museum of Singapore. This was probably my favorite of the museums so far. The History part of the tour has an audio guide you get. The displays were fantastic and so was the information from the headset. There are two different ways to take the tour, so next time I go, I'll do the other one. There is also a living gallery which was nice - showed food, fashion, movies and photos from the cultural and physical landscape of Singapore.
After thoroughly enjoying the museum, I set out for dinner. I went into a food court and to my surprise found a stall called the Mexico Taco Hut. Of course, I checked it out, it looked good so I ordered. I got chicken tacos with peppers, onions and guacamole and it was so good. The lady who owns the stand moved here about eight years ago to set up a Mexican restaurant. She then moved to Beijing for a couple of years to open a restaurant there. She finally moved back to S'pore and opended this place for her own. I'll definitely be going back, the food was good and so was the price.
So, that wraps up a weekend plus one. Go Cowboys!
Michael
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Moving In
I'm now officially living in the condo and so far, so good. I will get photos up on facebook eventually.
I moved most of my stuff over on Tuesday night with help from the Koch's. I only have two suitcases, so it's not like a full day of moving or anything. After we dropped off the luggage, we headed out for dinner. Knowing that I'm a little timid at going into the more local places, my adventurers knew they'd have to take me to a Hawker Center for me to go. If not, I probably would have avoided them for at least another couple of weeks. The places are clean and look nice, I just have no idea what to order when I go there. Anyways, as we were driving, Paul realized we were in the area of the Adam Road Hawker Center, which is one of the more famous in the city. We were able to find parking and went in. A lot of the stalls there are Halal-which is good because that means no pork. Anyways, as per usual, I told them, whatever is ordered will be just fine. We ended up getting some very red looking foods (a tad scary, because the red normally means pretty spicy). The three dishes were nasi padang (I think that's right), which is a rice dish with chicken, a lamb dish and then another more interesting lamb dish (more on that later). I also tried sugar cane juice to drink...it's not for me-I'll stay with lime juice. The third lamb dish was the real treat, although I was too scared to try it. Before I came here, I saw a No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain episode where he goes to Singapore. While there, he eats this lamb bone dish where the real treat is the marrow inside the bone. As I told people before I left, I eventually would force myself to try this. This was just not the day. I'm pretty sure this was the same place Bourdain went, if not, looks just like it. Paul seemed to really enjoy it, and I was proud of Raye for giving it a go.
After our food adventure, they dropped me off at the synagogue where they were having a young people get together. On the roof of the community center, the Chabad boys organized a little Channukah party. It was really nice and lots of young people there, at least fifteen. I met some people who are studying here for the semester (sadly, the semester is about to end, so they'll be off soon) and some more young people working here. There was latkes, falafel, a chocolate fondu fountain, drinks, really the works. After hanging out and chatting with everyone, we lit the menorah....but this was unlike anything I'd ever done before. The menorah was at least five feet tall and made out of LEGOS! It was very cool and nicely done.
I went back to the hotel for one last night. Unfortunately, I woke up in the middle of the night with a bad headache. Luckily, it went away in the morning. Moving on. After checking out of the hotel, I went in search of the National Museum of Singapore, but I didn't end up going there. I ended up taking a wrong turn, but stumbled upon the Peranakan Museum and went in. Here is a quote from the museums website:
"Who are the Peranakans?
For centuries, the riches of Southeast Asia have brought foreign traders to the region. While many returned to their homelands, some remained behind, marrying local women.
The Malay term ‘peranakan’ which means ‘locally born’ also refers to other communities that developed in Southeast Asia like the Chitty Melaka and Jawi Peranakans."
For more, http://www.peranakanmuseum.sg/
I enjoyed the museum quite a bit...definitely a nice way to spend an hour and a half.
I went to the condo after and started unpacking. I made the bed in the guestroom, put clothes in drawers, etc. After, I got hooked up to the web and started cracking away. I put up a new facebook album, must have made comments on way too many walls and did my best not to be too annoying, but it was a treat to have full use of the Internet. I also watched the last HIMYM and Office episodes--both very funny.
Later, I met the other guy living here (the one leaving in January, thus the reason for the room opening). He is very nice and pretty funny as well. He is moving back to Germany and is actually getting married to a girl he met here. Very nice. After, I went to the mall and had dinner at a western pizza place not to be mentioned. I looked around and saw what the mall had to offer and to my surprise, there was a grocery store in the mall. I picked up a few things and came back. Nothing really exciting after that, just watched television with Felix.
Today, I've been farely lazy. Had some time to chat on skype which is nice. It's just nice to be in a real place and not the hotel. On the docket today, I'd like to go to Little India and check on a television price. Also, I want to go get some snack food in preparation of my first real shift. Tonight starts my 3 AM - 3 PM shifts. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a couple of hours of sleep in. We'll just have to see.
Toodles,
Michael
I moved most of my stuff over on Tuesday night with help from the Koch's. I only have two suitcases, so it's not like a full day of moving or anything. After we dropped off the luggage, we headed out for dinner. Knowing that I'm a little timid at going into the more local places, my adventurers knew they'd have to take me to a Hawker Center for me to go. If not, I probably would have avoided them for at least another couple of weeks. The places are clean and look nice, I just have no idea what to order when I go there. Anyways, as we were driving, Paul realized we were in the area of the Adam Road Hawker Center, which is one of the more famous in the city. We were able to find parking and went in. A lot of the stalls there are Halal-which is good because that means no pork. Anyways, as per usual, I told them, whatever is ordered will be just fine. We ended up getting some very red looking foods (a tad scary, because the red normally means pretty spicy). The three dishes were nasi padang (I think that's right), which is a rice dish with chicken, a lamb dish and then another more interesting lamb dish (more on that later). I also tried sugar cane juice to drink...it's not for me-I'll stay with lime juice. The third lamb dish was the real treat, although I was too scared to try it. Before I came here, I saw a No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain episode where he goes to Singapore. While there, he eats this lamb bone dish where the real treat is the marrow inside the bone. As I told people before I left, I eventually would force myself to try this. This was just not the day. I'm pretty sure this was the same place Bourdain went, if not, looks just like it. Paul seemed to really enjoy it, and I was proud of Raye for giving it a go.
After our food adventure, they dropped me off at the synagogue where they were having a young people get together. On the roof of the community center, the Chabad boys organized a little Channukah party. It was really nice and lots of young people there, at least fifteen. I met some people who are studying here for the semester (sadly, the semester is about to end, so they'll be off soon) and some more young people working here. There was latkes, falafel, a chocolate fondu fountain, drinks, really the works. After hanging out and chatting with everyone, we lit the menorah....but this was unlike anything I'd ever done before. The menorah was at least five feet tall and made out of LEGOS! It was very cool and nicely done.
I went back to the hotel for one last night. Unfortunately, I woke up in the middle of the night with a bad headache. Luckily, it went away in the morning. Moving on. After checking out of the hotel, I went in search of the National Museum of Singapore, but I didn't end up going there. I ended up taking a wrong turn, but stumbled upon the Peranakan Museum and went in. Here is a quote from the museums website:
"Who are the Peranakans?
For centuries, the riches of Southeast Asia have brought foreign traders to the region. While many returned to their homelands, some remained behind, marrying local women.
The Malay term ‘peranakan’ which means ‘locally born’ also refers to other communities that developed in Southeast Asia like the Chitty Melaka and Jawi Peranakans."
For more, http://www.peranakanmuseum.sg/
I enjoyed the museum quite a bit...definitely a nice way to spend an hour and a half.
I went to the condo after and started unpacking. I made the bed in the guestroom, put clothes in drawers, etc. After, I got hooked up to the web and started cracking away. I put up a new facebook album, must have made comments on way too many walls and did my best not to be too annoying, but it was a treat to have full use of the Internet. I also watched the last HIMYM and Office episodes--both very funny.
Later, I met the other guy living here (the one leaving in January, thus the reason for the room opening). He is very nice and pretty funny as well. He is moving back to Germany and is actually getting married to a girl he met here. Very nice. After, I went to the mall and had dinner at a western pizza place not to be mentioned. I looked around and saw what the mall had to offer and to my surprise, there was a grocery store in the mall. I picked up a few things and came back. Nothing really exciting after that, just watched television with Felix.
Today, I've been farely lazy. Had some time to chat on skype which is nice. It's just nice to be in a real place and not the hotel. On the docket today, I'd like to go to Little India and check on a television price. Also, I want to go get some snack food in preparation of my first real shift. Tonight starts my 3 AM - 3 PM shifts. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a couple of hours of sleep in. We'll just have to see.
Toodles,
Michael
Monday, December 14, 2009
Another Weekend's Worth
Well boy oh boy, what a difference finding a place makes. This weekend was drastically different from my first as I was able to put aside my residential worries and just have a good time. Friday night, I left work and was able to get to the American club just as dinner was about to wrap up. Let’s start by saying there are two synagogues in Singapore, an Orthodox one and a more liberal one. On Friday, the reform/conservative congregation got together for services. Since they don’t actually have a building to themselves, they use a room at the Singapore American Club (more on how cool that place is later). So, I got to the club at about nine at night. Obviously, services were over, but as it was the first night of Channukah, people were still hanging around. When I got there, I first said hello to Raye and Paul, and like the good Jewish mom Raye is, she guided me quickly to the food and challah. After getting some food, I sat down at a table with all young adults. It was a bit of quick fire introductions, but it was really nice to meet more people. As you all know, I’m not one to turn down a conversation. Most of the guys work in finance. For some reason, I was a little bit tentative to talk about ESPN, but it’s quickly where the conversation went. We all chatted around for about the next thirty minutes, which was really nice. After, the Kochs were nice enough to drop me off at the hotel.
The American Club is best described as a country club like place. Normally, to go in, you have to a paying member or a guest of one. The club is very pretty and elegant. The ballroom where the congregation met was very nice. There is a huge pool and a bowling alley there. The coolest part though is definitely the Union Bar. It’s exactly what you’d expect from an American bar. I only went in briefly, but it is cool that they have hundreds of college pennant flags in there. I didn’t find Mizzou’s but I will.
Saturday was really nice, more of the type of day I’d like to continue having on off days. I woke up and walked to Maghain Aboth, the Orthodox synagogue here. I will simply begin by saying the building is beautiful. The actual sanctuary building was built in the late 1800s. It is very nice outside and just as pretty inside. I got there right in the middle of the Torah service. The congregation is Sephardic, so I had a tad bit of trouble following along, but luckily I found an Artscroll siddur to use. Services were nice and it still amazes me how far religion spreads. After services we went next store to the less than five year old, Jacob Ballas Center. It’s the community center equipped with ballroom, kosher market, restaurant, children’s playrooms and housing for students. I only got to see the ballroom today, but that was plenty to give me an indication of how great the rest of the building must be. The room was really beautiful. I sat with another group of young people, a couple of people work in Singapore, and some are staying and learning with the rabbi (I don’t know if it’s a yeshiva or if I can call them yeshiva buchers). I had a great time talking with everyone and the food was excellent. In addition to not being one to turn down conversation, I also rarely turn down food haha.
After, I went to the Singapore Art Museum which is very close to the synagogue. At the moment, the museum is featuring a Pilipino art exhibit. It took an English tour which was quite nice. I’m really not the type that goes to art museums, but I’m also not opposed to it. After the tour, I walked around for a little bit. There was a cool section where an artist had made these beautiful bottles and then also made scents that described states of being. For example, I smelled the dream one and the wasted youth one. I’d never really thought of that as an art, but the glass figurines holding the scents definitely were. I’ll be posting some photos from the exhibit on Facebook I’m sure (Including, a wedding party getting married there). I almost forgot to mention, the art museum used to be a private school called St. Vincents I believe. Well, enrollment was down and the school couldn’t afford to stay open, so the government turned the building into the art museum (how cool is that? This follows a little bit on the Chijmes renovation mentioned in a previous post). In total, I probably spent about an hour and fifteen minutes at the museum and really enjoyed it.
Just as I got back to the hotel, I went to go grab an afternoon snack with Helmi and Nazmah Talib. The Talibs are in the international accounting group my dad used to be a part of (might still be a part of?). Anyways, they were nice enough to invite me out to coffee at a local coffee chain (I think it’s called The Coffee Corner). It was very nice meeting them, as Helmi had been so helpful in making my decision to come to Singapore. I ended up getting a delightful oreo milkshake (original, I know).
After, I went shopping for a small TV at the technology center near the hotel. I haven’t made my decision on what I’m going to do, but it was nice being able to look at a couple of different stores. My goal is that if possible, I’d like to get a television that I could possibly use in the US as well. We’ll just have to see.
And now it’s time for Sunday. I woke up and headed over the Koch’s to hang out and chat with family. While at their apartment, I was able to phone with Dad, Pammy, Zach, David, Melissa, Ellie and the birthday boy Aaron Lazaar. Skype wise, I was able to have lovely conversations with Susanne and Evan. However, that was after my lovely chit-chat with Amanda. After a nice conversation, I was telling Amanda how it’s been difficult to watch my favorite show “How I Met Your Mother.” I’ve been using a site my cousin Jimmy showed me, which so far has been okay, but the Internet can sometimes be slow. Well, I’d watched about half of the latest HIMYM episode, when I figured out a plan. Amanda has a DVR, so she turned the computer and camera toward her television and played the last half of the show! It was kind of like we were watching together even though we’re half a world apart. It was a very good episode by the way.
After hanging out a little bit more, I went over to the Raffles Hotel. Let me just say, this place is like a paradise. Make sure to check out the Facebook album for photos. I looked around at the hotel museum for a little while. The hotel was built in the late 1800s and is a beautiful British style bungalow. It reminded me of what Gatsby would have liked to stay in. Back in the olden days, there would be live music, lots of dancing, carousing and billiards. I mean this place is very luxurious. The Queen has stayed there, Presidents and Heads of State as well. However, everyone knows this place for it’s famous drink, the Singapore Sling. I didn’t have one while there, but I will at some point. I walked around the courtyard, looked inside the super expensive restaurants and shop. It is fun to go there and just think of what is possible (to actually ever stay there, I’d probably have to win the lottery to justify it). Also, I saw my second wedding of the weekend, very nice.
After Raffles, I met with my friend, Akshobh, in Little India. He took me to a vegetarian restaurant that was really good. I can’t tell you the names of the things we ate, it was good though. With these places, I’ve just been telling the people I go with, just order it and I’ll try eating it (of course, I preface that with no pork). It was a little spicy, but not terrible. One dish had a crispy flat bread, while the other was more of a pancake filled with potatoes.
Right across from the restaurant is the very famous Mustafa Shopping Center. This place is really impressive. It’s about six floors of shopping with pretty much everything you can think of. It’s not so much of a mall. I would say it’s more like a big department store. I looked at tv prices there, bedding, cookware, all sorts of stuff. If anyone comes to visit, I’ll take you here, it’s too impressive to pass up. I’m sure I’ll be back there to get a pot and pan, maybe my television as well. As Akshobh loved to tell me, the place has great rates.
Then it was off to Clarke Quay. As you might remember from the first blog, this was one of my immediate favorites in the city. It’s a mixture of the Riverwalk in San Antonio and a place like Legacy center. We really only walked around, but it was fun to go there. It’s just funny to see how different the demographics are in different part of the city, definitely one of the coolest parts of Singapore.
IF YOU DON’T READ ANY OTHER PART OF THIS BLOG, READ THIS ONE.
So on the way to Orchard Road, we were on the MRT and someone said, do you go to Mizzou (I was wearing a homecoming shirt)? I looked up and saw two young people. I said yeah, I actually just graduated from Mizzou. The young lady told me she had graduated from there in 2005. Naturally, she said so what are you doing here? I told her about ESS and she quickly started asking me about people from KOMU (of course realizing I was a journalism kid, we’d have similar professors). I don’t know how to explain this, but it was such a cool feeling to be all the way across the world and to meet a fellow member of the Mizzou Mafia. This fellow Tiger, Caroline, and her husband were visiting Singapore for a couple of days. They live in Japan at the moment. She just moved over there and before moving she’d worked at KAKE-TV in Wichita. So, of course, I told her oddly enough, that’s the first place I applied for a job at back in February. Unfortunately, our visit was too short as we’d gotten to our stop. As I was walking out of the MRT, I realized that I might have actually sent her an email way back when to get some help applying there. How crazy is that? Bottom line, I love Mizzou. I’m glad she had asked, because I am definitely the person who will go up to someone whose wearing a MU shirt and say hello.
Continuing on, the reason we were going to Orchard was to go to the hotel where the Arsenal Fan Club meets. Akshobh is a huge Arsenal (one of the Big 4 English Football teams) fan. We met up with his cousin and some of his friends around a quarter past eleven. Here is what is awesome/crazy about Singapore-football fans, the games often don’t start here until past midnight and people stay up and watch, then go to work the next morning. I wasn’t planning on staying for the Arsenal/Liverpool, game but once I was there, the atmosphere pulled me in. Football fans are awesome. The dedication, the team songs, it’s all very cool. I mean as the game was starting, singing of Arsenal songs just continued from kickoff until about three minutes in. As many of you know, I haven’t picked my team just yet, but Arsenal definitely now has a leg up. It doesn’t hurt that Arsenal had a cool second half comeback to beat the struggling Liverpool side, 2-1 (Plus, if I become an Arsenal fan, I know one Dallas Rabbi that would be pretty happy). It’s just funny because I didn’t intend to stay for the game, and then I wasn’t going to stay for more than a half, and of course I stayed for the whole match. It really was quite fun.
That pretty much wraps up a great weekend. Since I’m writing this second part on Monday, I’ll also note that I’m learning Final Cut Pro at work. It’s an editing program used in newsrooms all over the world. It’s similar to Avid (the one I used at KOMU), there’s just different buttons and shortcuts to learn. It was nice getting to mess around with it today.
Until next time,
Michael
The American Club is best described as a country club like place. Normally, to go in, you have to a paying member or a guest of one. The club is very pretty and elegant. The ballroom where the congregation met was very nice. There is a huge pool and a bowling alley there. The coolest part though is definitely the Union Bar. It’s exactly what you’d expect from an American bar. I only went in briefly, but it is cool that they have hundreds of college pennant flags in there. I didn’t find Mizzou’s but I will.
Saturday was really nice, more of the type of day I’d like to continue having on off days. I woke up and walked to Maghain Aboth, the Orthodox synagogue here. I will simply begin by saying the building is beautiful. The actual sanctuary building was built in the late 1800s. It is very nice outside and just as pretty inside. I got there right in the middle of the Torah service. The congregation is Sephardic, so I had a tad bit of trouble following along, but luckily I found an Artscroll siddur to use. Services were nice and it still amazes me how far religion spreads. After services we went next store to the less than five year old, Jacob Ballas Center. It’s the community center equipped with ballroom, kosher market, restaurant, children’s playrooms and housing for students. I only got to see the ballroom today, but that was plenty to give me an indication of how great the rest of the building must be. The room was really beautiful. I sat with another group of young people, a couple of people work in Singapore, and some are staying and learning with the rabbi (I don’t know if it’s a yeshiva or if I can call them yeshiva buchers). I had a great time talking with everyone and the food was excellent. In addition to not being one to turn down conversation, I also rarely turn down food haha.
After, I went to the Singapore Art Museum which is very close to the synagogue. At the moment, the museum is featuring a Pilipino art exhibit. It took an English tour which was quite nice. I’m really not the type that goes to art museums, but I’m also not opposed to it. After the tour, I walked around for a little bit. There was a cool section where an artist had made these beautiful bottles and then also made scents that described states of being. For example, I smelled the dream one and the wasted youth one. I’d never really thought of that as an art, but the glass figurines holding the scents definitely were. I’ll be posting some photos from the exhibit on Facebook I’m sure (Including, a wedding party getting married there). I almost forgot to mention, the art museum used to be a private school called St. Vincents I believe. Well, enrollment was down and the school couldn’t afford to stay open, so the government turned the building into the art museum (how cool is that? This follows a little bit on the Chijmes renovation mentioned in a previous post). In total, I probably spent about an hour and fifteen minutes at the museum and really enjoyed it.
Just as I got back to the hotel, I went to go grab an afternoon snack with Helmi and Nazmah Talib. The Talibs are in the international accounting group my dad used to be a part of (might still be a part of?). Anyways, they were nice enough to invite me out to coffee at a local coffee chain (I think it’s called The Coffee Corner). It was very nice meeting them, as Helmi had been so helpful in making my decision to come to Singapore. I ended up getting a delightful oreo milkshake (original, I know).
After, I went shopping for a small TV at the technology center near the hotel. I haven’t made my decision on what I’m going to do, but it was nice being able to look at a couple of different stores. My goal is that if possible, I’d like to get a television that I could possibly use in the US as well. We’ll just have to see.
And now it’s time for Sunday. I woke up and headed over the Koch’s to hang out and chat with family. While at their apartment, I was able to phone with Dad, Pammy, Zach, David, Melissa, Ellie and the birthday boy Aaron Lazaar. Skype wise, I was able to have lovely conversations with Susanne and Evan. However, that was after my lovely chit-chat with Amanda. After a nice conversation, I was telling Amanda how it’s been difficult to watch my favorite show “How I Met Your Mother.” I’ve been using a site my cousin Jimmy showed me, which so far has been okay, but the Internet can sometimes be slow. Well, I’d watched about half of the latest HIMYM episode, when I figured out a plan. Amanda has a DVR, so she turned the computer and camera toward her television and played the last half of the show! It was kind of like we were watching together even though we’re half a world apart. It was a very good episode by the way.
After hanging out a little bit more, I went over to the Raffles Hotel. Let me just say, this place is like a paradise. Make sure to check out the Facebook album for photos. I looked around at the hotel museum for a little while. The hotel was built in the late 1800s and is a beautiful British style bungalow. It reminded me of what Gatsby would have liked to stay in. Back in the olden days, there would be live music, lots of dancing, carousing and billiards. I mean this place is very luxurious. The Queen has stayed there, Presidents and Heads of State as well. However, everyone knows this place for it’s famous drink, the Singapore Sling. I didn’t have one while there, but I will at some point. I walked around the courtyard, looked inside the super expensive restaurants and shop. It is fun to go there and just think of what is possible (to actually ever stay there, I’d probably have to win the lottery to justify it). Also, I saw my second wedding of the weekend, very nice.
After Raffles, I met with my friend, Akshobh, in Little India. He took me to a vegetarian restaurant that was really good. I can’t tell you the names of the things we ate, it was good though. With these places, I’ve just been telling the people I go with, just order it and I’ll try eating it (of course, I preface that with no pork). It was a little spicy, but not terrible. One dish had a crispy flat bread, while the other was more of a pancake filled with potatoes.
Right across from the restaurant is the very famous Mustafa Shopping Center. This place is really impressive. It’s about six floors of shopping with pretty much everything you can think of. It’s not so much of a mall. I would say it’s more like a big department store. I looked at tv prices there, bedding, cookware, all sorts of stuff. If anyone comes to visit, I’ll take you here, it’s too impressive to pass up. I’m sure I’ll be back there to get a pot and pan, maybe my television as well. As Akshobh loved to tell me, the place has great rates.
Then it was off to Clarke Quay. As you might remember from the first blog, this was one of my immediate favorites in the city. It’s a mixture of the Riverwalk in San Antonio and a place like Legacy center. We really only walked around, but it was fun to go there. It’s just funny to see how different the demographics are in different part of the city, definitely one of the coolest parts of Singapore.
IF YOU DON’T READ ANY OTHER PART OF THIS BLOG, READ THIS ONE.
So on the way to Orchard Road, we were on the MRT and someone said, do you go to Mizzou (I was wearing a homecoming shirt)? I looked up and saw two young people. I said yeah, I actually just graduated from Mizzou. The young lady told me she had graduated from there in 2005. Naturally, she said so what are you doing here? I told her about ESS and she quickly started asking me about people from KOMU (of course realizing I was a journalism kid, we’d have similar professors). I don’t know how to explain this, but it was such a cool feeling to be all the way across the world and to meet a fellow member of the Mizzou Mafia. This fellow Tiger, Caroline, and her husband were visiting Singapore for a couple of days. They live in Japan at the moment. She just moved over there and before moving she’d worked at KAKE-TV in Wichita. So, of course, I told her oddly enough, that’s the first place I applied for a job at back in February. Unfortunately, our visit was too short as we’d gotten to our stop. As I was walking out of the MRT, I realized that I might have actually sent her an email way back when to get some help applying there. How crazy is that? Bottom line, I love Mizzou. I’m glad she had asked, because I am definitely the person who will go up to someone whose wearing a MU shirt and say hello.
Continuing on, the reason we were going to Orchard was to go to the hotel where the Arsenal Fan Club meets. Akshobh is a huge Arsenal (one of the Big 4 English Football teams) fan. We met up with his cousin and some of his friends around a quarter past eleven. Here is what is awesome/crazy about Singapore-football fans, the games often don’t start here until past midnight and people stay up and watch, then go to work the next morning. I wasn’t planning on staying for the Arsenal/Liverpool, game but once I was there, the atmosphere pulled me in. Football fans are awesome. The dedication, the team songs, it’s all very cool. I mean as the game was starting, singing of Arsenal songs just continued from kickoff until about three minutes in. As many of you know, I haven’t picked my team just yet, but Arsenal definitely now has a leg up. It doesn’t hurt that Arsenal had a cool second half comeback to beat the struggling Liverpool side, 2-1 (Plus, if I become an Arsenal fan, I know one Dallas Rabbi that would be pretty happy). It’s just funny because I didn’t intend to stay for the game, and then I wasn’t going to stay for more than a half, and of course I stayed for the whole match. It really was quite fun.
That pretty much wraps up a great weekend. Since I’m writing this second part on Monday, I’ll also note that I’m learning Final Cut Pro at work. It’s an editing program used in newsrooms all over the world. It’s similar to Avid (the one I used at KOMU), there’s just different buttons and shortcuts to learn. It was nice getting to mess around with it today.
Until next time,
Michael
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Mall Moving
Week 2 in Singapore is going very well so far. The weather has been very nice here (and by comparison, I’ve heard it’s been miserable in the states). Although, I haven’t been spending that much time outdoors. This has been a very inside week.
With my newfound ability to use wireless Internet at the malls, I’ve been spending quite a bit of time at Raffles City mall and Funan Digitalife center. I go to Funan before work and Raffles after. There’s been a bit of a routine, in the morning go use the Internet for about thirty minutes, grab lunch and then go to work. At night, get off the MRT, go to the food court at Raffles, eat, then sit at my table next to the display cars and see who is online. Doing this has allowed me to chat with Amanda, Mama, Dad, Evan, Sheri, David, Melissa and the kids. Although, some of my international time on my phone card is being used up as well. Once I get settled into my place, I’ll have full access to Internet all the time, which means, I’ll be able to stay in better contact with everyone.
Which leads me to being able to officially say, I’ve found where I’m living. Last blog, I described my hope that moving into a condo with a guy named Felix would work out. We’ve talked all this week and we signed the paper’s Thursday night. I’m very excited. On Tuesday night, I’ll start moving my things in. For the rest of December, I’ll be staying in the guest room as his current roommate will still live there until New Years. Originally, it had looked like I wouldn’t be able to move in there until January, so this is much better.
This week, I really haven’t had a chance to go explore and do much of the fun stuff. Granted that is a bit my fault as I could have woken up earlier and gone. It’s no big deal though, this weekend I’ll be very active. After work on Friday, I plan on going to services at the Conservative/Reform synagogue and then on Saturday morning, I’ll go to the more traditional shul (I’m very excited for that as the building looks beautiful online). In addition, I plan on going to at least one museum this weekend. Also, I’m looking forward to meeting my dad’s accounting friend, Helmi, who lives here. This weekend will be a bit more adventurous. I’ve just needed time to set things up here before I can go out and do all the fun stuff. I will have to be a bit careful as I start the real shifts at work on Monday morning (the 3 AM-3PM shift- I’m sure that will be in blogs to come).
As for food notes, I’m definitely not going back to Mos Burger. That’s a Japanese fast food burger chain here and it’s a one and done. As for food courts, this week I ate a chicken in a noodle dish that was okay. I got breaded chicken and it just didn’t work. I got a fried rice dish one night that was very good, it just needed some soy sauce (I’ve found I need a bit of salt with some of the dishes here). Here’s the biggest surprise of the week, I enjoyed a falafel pita for dinner on Wednesday night. The falafels were night, plus the cucumber and I won’t call it hummus, but a hummus flavored sauce. It was enjoyable for sure.
Okay, a couple of completely non-Singapore related things, although in a way they are. First, this Tiger Woods story just continues to grow and grow. I was in the air on the way over here when the car crash happened. I’m not going to say the scandal saddens me, because it doesn’t. It simply makes me continue to think it might be foolish to get married if you’re a male star athlete, rock star or movie star (haven’t decided how I feel about women stars). Let’s be honest, there is just too much candy in the store. I hope that when Tiger met Elin and they started dating he thought, this is the love of my life. Because of that, they got married and have a child, etc. But seriously, he’s Tiger Woods. What single female wouldn’t be at least tempted if there was an opportunity to seduce him? He’s in great shape, extremely wealthy, powerful, the best at his craft and good looking. Back to my original point, if he was a single guy this stuff wouldn’t be as much of an issue. It all goes back to the fact that he’s apparently had this string of women while married. Lebron James isn’t married (or at least I’m pretty sure he’s not). I know he has a child with his high school girlfriend. And I can’t imagine he doesn’t have plenty of fun being a star athlete. I will say the other end of the argument is that there is, of course the benefits of marriage and family life. Not to mention, it’s good for some of these athletes to have one person, just one person being able to say you have responsibilities to others. I hope this all goes away soon. I do believe this will all end up as a footnote. He’ll do the apologizing thing at some point. He’ll win majors and in the end we’ll remember him as the best golfer of our generation and most likely ever. If not, golf is in trouble. Not having Tiger would be ten times worse for golf than MJ leaving the NBA in 1994, just look at the period while he was rehabbing his knee last year.
Second, I’m sad that Mizzou lost to Oral Roberts in basketball. It’s a rough start, but ORU is good and the Fighting Hands (in Tulsa, there is a large sculpture of two hands praying on the ORU campus) are tough. Also, this will be a tough season for Mizzou. Hopefully, the younger players will develop with great experience. Of course this team features two of my favorite Mizzou athletes of my time, JT Tiller and Zaire Taylor. Mizzou football will have a tough time with Navy in the Texas bowl. While it’s not the bowl MU wanted, it will be another opportunity to be in the talent rich state of Texas and make an impression.
Lastly, I’m excited to figure out ways to watch my shows. Hulu doesn’t work over here and it seems streaming from network sites doesn’t work well either. For the most part, it seems like it’s all for rights issues. I know itunes is a possibility for some shows. If not, I’ll just have to deal. Maybe a slingbox is in my future (absolutely should have taken the Rude’s up on their offer for that before I left).
Alrighty, that’s all for now. It’s time to watch more discovery channel (pretty cool stuff). FYI, I’m righting this blog before I go to bed. I’ll post it in the morning, when, as you guessed it, I’ll go to a mall to use the Internet haha.
Good night and good luck,
Michael
With my newfound ability to use wireless Internet at the malls, I’ve been spending quite a bit of time at Raffles City mall and Funan Digitalife center. I go to Funan before work and Raffles after. There’s been a bit of a routine, in the morning go use the Internet for about thirty minutes, grab lunch and then go to work. At night, get off the MRT, go to the food court at Raffles, eat, then sit at my table next to the display cars and see who is online. Doing this has allowed me to chat with Amanda, Mama, Dad, Evan, Sheri, David, Melissa and the kids. Although, some of my international time on my phone card is being used up as well. Once I get settled into my place, I’ll have full access to Internet all the time, which means, I’ll be able to stay in better contact with everyone.
Which leads me to being able to officially say, I’ve found where I’m living. Last blog, I described my hope that moving into a condo with a guy named Felix would work out. We’ve talked all this week and we signed the paper’s Thursday night. I’m very excited. On Tuesday night, I’ll start moving my things in. For the rest of December, I’ll be staying in the guest room as his current roommate will still live there until New Years. Originally, it had looked like I wouldn’t be able to move in there until January, so this is much better.
This week, I really haven’t had a chance to go explore and do much of the fun stuff. Granted that is a bit my fault as I could have woken up earlier and gone. It’s no big deal though, this weekend I’ll be very active. After work on Friday, I plan on going to services at the Conservative/Reform synagogue and then on Saturday morning, I’ll go to the more traditional shul (I’m very excited for that as the building looks beautiful online). In addition, I plan on going to at least one museum this weekend. Also, I’m looking forward to meeting my dad’s accounting friend, Helmi, who lives here. This weekend will be a bit more adventurous. I’ve just needed time to set things up here before I can go out and do all the fun stuff. I will have to be a bit careful as I start the real shifts at work on Monday morning (the 3 AM-3PM shift- I’m sure that will be in blogs to come).
As for food notes, I’m definitely not going back to Mos Burger. That’s a Japanese fast food burger chain here and it’s a one and done. As for food courts, this week I ate a chicken in a noodle dish that was okay. I got breaded chicken and it just didn’t work. I got a fried rice dish one night that was very good, it just needed some soy sauce (I’ve found I need a bit of salt with some of the dishes here). Here’s the biggest surprise of the week, I enjoyed a falafel pita for dinner on Wednesday night. The falafels were night, plus the cucumber and I won’t call it hummus, but a hummus flavored sauce. It was enjoyable for sure.
Okay, a couple of completely non-Singapore related things, although in a way they are. First, this Tiger Woods story just continues to grow and grow. I was in the air on the way over here when the car crash happened. I’m not going to say the scandal saddens me, because it doesn’t. It simply makes me continue to think it might be foolish to get married if you’re a male star athlete, rock star or movie star (haven’t decided how I feel about women stars). Let’s be honest, there is just too much candy in the store. I hope that when Tiger met Elin and they started dating he thought, this is the love of my life. Because of that, they got married and have a child, etc. But seriously, he’s Tiger Woods. What single female wouldn’t be at least tempted if there was an opportunity to seduce him? He’s in great shape, extremely wealthy, powerful, the best at his craft and good looking. Back to my original point, if he was a single guy this stuff wouldn’t be as much of an issue. It all goes back to the fact that he’s apparently had this string of women while married. Lebron James isn’t married (or at least I’m pretty sure he’s not). I know he has a child with his high school girlfriend. And I can’t imagine he doesn’t have plenty of fun being a star athlete. I will say the other end of the argument is that there is, of course the benefits of marriage and family life. Not to mention, it’s good for some of these athletes to have one person, just one person being able to say you have responsibilities to others. I hope this all goes away soon. I do believe this will all end up as a footnote. He’ll do the apologizing thing at some point. He’ll win majors and in the end we’ll remember him as the best golfer of our generation and most likely ever. If not, golf is in trouble. Not having Tiger would be ten times worse for golf than MJ leaving the NBA in 1994, just look at the period while he was rehabbing his knee last year.
Second, I’m sad that Mizzou lost to Oral Roberts in basketball. It’s a rough start, but ORU is good and the Fighting Hands (in Tulsa, there is a large sculpture of two hands praying on the ORU campus) are tough. Also, this will be a tough season for Mizzou. Hopefully, the younger players will develop with great experience. Of course this team features two of my favorite Mizzou athletes of my time, JT Tiller and Zaire Taylor. Mizzou football will have a tough time with Navy in the Texas bowl. While it’s not the bowl MU wanted, it will be another opportunity to be in the talent rich state of Texas and make an impression.
Lastly, I’m excited to figure out ways to watch my shows. Hulu doesn’t work over here and it seems streaming from network sites doesn’t work well either. For the most part, it seems like it’s all for rights issues. I know itunes is a possibility for some shows. If not, I’ll just have to deal. Maybe a slingbox is in my future (absolutely should have taken the Rude’s up on their offer for that before I left).
Alrighty, that’s all for now. It’s time to watch more discovery channel (pretty cool stuff). FYI, I’m righting this blog before I go to bed. I’ll post it in the morning, when, as you guessed it, I’ll go to a mall to use the Internet haha.
Good night and good luck,
Michael
Sunday, December 6, 2009
A Weekend's Worth
Well, my first full weekend went very well. It started out with a lovely dinner at the Koch’s on Friday night (described more in detail in previous post). After dinner on Friday, my sole focus was on finding a place to live here. I found a website called easyroommate.com, a cool website where people can look for flat mates. It’s kind of like the Internet version of a poster board, with listings of the rooms for rent and profiles of the possible roommates. We saw the website Friday night and I knew I would spend a bit of time on it the next day.
I slept in Saturday morning and boy did that feel nice. After getting ready, I made my way back toward the Koch’s. Side note, yet again I feel it’s necessary to say how wonderful they have been to me. They have helped me get set up with phone, wireless Internet at café’s and of course, they have fed me nicely as well. Okay, back to the story. As I got off the MRT, I saw that it was raining pretty hard outside. So, I figured I’d go grab a bite to eat at the Food Junction (a food court that is common in many of the malls) and hoped the rain would be subdued when I was done. After looking at some of the stalls, I decided to eat at “Korean Cuisine.” My friend Jordan Rothstein (AEPi Pledge Brother) is teaching English in South Korea and he told me he ate Kimchi everyday. My understanding is that Kimchi is a spiced cabbage dish. Anyways, I ordered Kimchi fried rice. Well, as I saw them making it, I could see them adding more and more chili flakes. Yikes! When I got the dish, I saw those pepper flakes staring right at me. I ended up getting a side of white rice to dilute it a little bit. I tried funneling my inner Jimmy George while eating the hot stuff. It wasn’t all that bad, but to be fair, I also downed a full bottle of water in about ten minutes.
The rain had let up a good bit by the time lunch was over. I walked to the Koch’s and hopped on magic jack and talked to my dad for a bit. After, Amanda and I skyped for about an hour which was very nice. During our conversation, I’d been sifting through easyroommate.com and looking at various places close to work. If I saw one that was interesting, I sent the poster an email. It basically said, I was a personable guy in my early twenties, keeps clean and will be working quite a bit so would keep things quiet. Anyways, I ended up seeing a couple of places that really piqued my interest. I got impatient with waiting for an email back, so I ended up getting a 10 day subscription to the website that shows me the poster’s number.
I ended up going later that day to see a room for rent very close to where I work. I mean within walking distance. The place didn’t blow me away. The big issues were that it was too expensive, the showerhead was set way too low for me, but the biggest issue was I couldn’t use the kitchen. It was more like a room in someone’s house than a real place to rent. Still, it has a great location for work.
Later that day, I called on the condo that from the listing was the one I really wanted. Luckily, the guy renting the room out was available for me to come by on Sunday-more on that later though.
After visiting the room on Saturday, the Koch’s and I went to an Indonesian restaurant they like. It was a little café, definitely not a fancy place, but the food was very good. We got a chicken dish (skin crispy, great flavor), a beef pot roast dish, a tofu dish and a variety of vegetable sides. The food was excellent and I topped it off with a glass of lime juice (my new favorite drink). After, we went into the adjacent mall where we scanned the food court and went into a golf shop. Then, we stopped in a grocery store where I bought some water bottles, more bread for peanut butter sandwiches (my breakfast most mornings) and are you ready for this, PASTRAMI! I couldn’t believe it. I only bought maybe six slices worth, but it was just too much fun to pass up. That mostly wraps up Saturday. When I got back to the hotel, the movie Twilight was on, so I gave it watch to see what all the fuss was about. I don’t see the wonderfulness of it, but I didn’t see it all and I’m not a 15-year-old girl.
Now, it’s time for the fun of Sunday. I went to meet this guy and see his condo in the Bishan neighborhood. We went to see the place, which is maybe a 5-7 minute walk from the Bishan MRT stop (one stop away from Lorong Chuan MRT-my work exit{perfect}). Right by the MRT, there is a grocery store and a mall (which of course means food haha).
The condo is in a neighborhood surrounded by HDB’s (government run apartments). That’s probably a good thing because that means construction will be pretty limited. Anyways, we took a look around the facilities, there’s a security guard on duty, a nice pool area, tennis court and workout area as well. The condo was built in 2003-2004, so that’s a positive that it’s fairly new (even though by Singapore standards, that is coming up on being considered old). The possible roommate is a 30-year-old guy and is an expat from Europe. He loves sports as well, so that was an easy jumping off point.
The condo is very nice. A great looking living room. It’s furnished in a Balinese style. There were bamboo plants and coaches in a cool bamboo structure. The floors are nice and granite I think, not exactly sure. The room I would live in is very nice, pretty much enough room for the bed and a tv with a nice wardrobe. I would also be getting another room, which I could use as a guest room. So, far all those wanting to come over here, you’d have a place to stay! All in all, this is the place I wanted to live in if he would want me as a roommate. We’ve talked again since I left and things are looking good. The one issue is that I might not be able to move in there until January 1st, but I’ll figure things out.
I still went with a property agent to view a couple of places in the afternoon. One of the HDB flats he showed me was super, super nice. The apartment had brand new furniture and kitchen appliances, but the condo was still at the top of my list. If I hadn’t seen it though, this would have been a great place as well. We looked at other places, but it was clear I knew what I wanted. I just have to hope it all works out, which it looks like it will.
After a nice rest, I ended up going to dinner with a friend from work, Akshobh. We went to a pizza place in the mall right by my hotel. It was pretty good and probably about as good as I'll get here. After dinner, we went over to Chijmes, a really cool spot in Singapore. Chijmes used to be a nunnery, but after some year it was going to be closed. Now, it’s become a series of high end restaurants and shops. We went downstairs to a cool looking spot to relax. We watched a little bit of Almeria-Real Madrid on a projection screen. I had a dessert while he got a Tiger beer. I tried the beer and it was very good. Tiger is the locally brewed Singapore beer. I am sure that won’t be the last time I have a Tiger, plus I feel so Mizzou spirited when I think of it.
After that, I used my newly added wireless Internet on my phone to skype with my cousin Sheri. We talked for probably about 45 minutes, very nice. After a light stroll to the hotel, here I am typing this blog to send the next time I have Internet.
Okie doke, for now, I hope you enjoyed this one. I’m trying to find the balance between typing too little and too much. As you’ve noticed, I’ve been going a little long. Do you all like that or would you prefer shorter entries? Again, I want to stress, I want you to feel free to read as much or as little of the blog as you’d like.
Until next time,
Michael
I slept in Saturday morning and boy did that feel nice. After getting ready, I made my way back toward the Koch’s. Side note, yet again I feel it’s necessary to say how wonderful they have been to me. They have helped me get set up with phone, wireless Internet at café’s and of course, they have fed me nicely as well. Okay, back to the story. As I got off the MRT, I saw that it was raining pretty hard outside. So, I figured I’d go grab a bite to eat at the Food Junction (a food court that is common in many of the malls) and hoped the rain would be subdued when I was done. After looking at some of the stalls, I decided to eat at “Korean Cuisine.” My friend Jordan Rothstein (AEPi Pledge Brother) is teaching English in South Korea and he told me he ate Kimchi everyday. My understanding is that Kimchi is a spiced cabbage dish. Anyways, I ordered Kimchi fried rice. Well, as I saw them making it, I could see them adding more and more chili flakes. Yikes! When I got the dish, I saw those pepper flakes staring right at me. I ended up getting a side of white rice to dilute it a little bit. I tried funneling my inner Jimmy George while eating the hot stuff. It wasn’t all that bad, but to be fair, I also downed a full bottle of water in about ten minutes.
The rain had let up a good bit by the time lunch was over. I walked to the Koch’s and hopped on magic jack and talked to my dad for a bit. After, Amanda and I skyped for about an hour which was very nice. During our conversation, I’d been sifting through easyroommate.com and looking at various places close to work. If I saw one that was interesting, I sent the poster an email. It basically said, I was a personable guy in my early twenties, keeps clean and will be working quite a bit so would keep things quiet. Anyways, I ended up seeing a couple of places that really piqued my interest. I got impatient with waiting for an email back, so I ended up getting a 10 day subscription to the website that shows me the poster’s number.
I ended up going later that day to see a room for rent very close to where I work. I mean within walking distance. The place didn’t blow me away. The big issues were that it was too expensive, the showerhead was set way too low for me, but the biggest issue was I couldn’t use the kitchen. It was more like a room in someone’s house than a real place to rent. Still, it has a great location for work.
Later that day, I called on the condo that from the listing was the one I really wanted. Luckily, the guy renting the room out was available for me to come by on Sunday-more on that later though.
After visiting the room on Saturday, the Koch’s and I went to an Indonesian restaurant they like. It was a little café, definitely not a fancy place, but the food was very good. We got a chicken dish (skin crispy, great flavor), a beef pot roast dish, a tofu dish and a variety of vegetable sides. The food was excellent and I topped it off with a glass of lime juice (my new favorite drink). After, we went into the adjacent mall where we scanned the food court and went into a golf shop. Then, we stopped in a grocery store where I bought some water bottles, more bread for peanut butter sandwiches (my breakfast most mornings) and are you ready for this, PASTRAMI! I couldn’t believe it. I only bought maybe six slices worth, but it was just too much fun to pass up. That mostly wraps up Saturday. When I got back to the hotel, the movie Twilight was on, so I gave it watch to see what all the fuss was about. I don’t see the wonderfulness of it, but I didn’t see it all and I’m not a 15-year-old girl.
Now, it’s time for the fun of Sunday. I went to meet this guy and see his condo in the Bishan neighborhood. We went to see the place, which is maybe a 5-7 minute walk from the Bishan MRT stop (one stop away from Lorong Chuan MRT-my work exit{perfect}). Right by the MRT, there is a grocery store and a mall (which of course means food haha).
The condo is in a neighborhood surrounded by HDB’s (government run apartments). That’s probably a good thing because that means construction will be pretty limited. Anyways, we took a look around the facilities, there’s a security guard on duty, a nice pool area, tennis court and workout area as well. The condo was built in 2003-2004, so that’s a positive that it’s fairly new (even though by Singapore standards, that is coming up on being considered old). The possible roommate is a 30-year-old guy and is an expat from Europe. He loves sports as well, so that was an easy jumping off point.
The condo is very nice. A great looking living room. It’s furnished in a Balinese style. There were bamboo plants and coaches in a cool bamboo structure. The floors are nice and granite I think, not exactly sure. The room I would live in is very nice, pretty much enough room for the bed and a tv with a nice wardrobe. I would also be getting another room, which I could use as a guest room. So, far all those wanting to come over here, you’d have a place to stay! All in all, this is the place I wanted to live in if he would want me as a roommate. We’ve talked again since I left and things are looking good. The one issue is that I might not be able to move in there until January 1st, but I’ll figure things out.
I still went with a property agent to view a couple of places in the afternoon. One of the HDB flats he showed me was super, super nice. The apartment had brand new furniture and kitchen appliances, but the condo was still at the top of my list. If I hadn’t seen it though, this would have been a great place as well. We looked at other places, but it was clear I knew what I wanted. I just have to hope it all works out, which it looks like it will.
After a nice rest, I ended up going to dinner with a friend from work, Akshobh. We went to a pizza place in the mall right by my hotel. It was pretty good and probably about as good as I'll get here. After dinner, we went over to Chijmes, a really cool spot in Singapore. Chijmes used to be a nunnery, but after some year it was going to be closed. Now, it’s become a series of high end restaurants and shops. We went downstairs to a cool looking spot to relax. We watched a little bit of Almeria-Real Madrid on a projection screen. I had a dessert while he got a Tiger beer. I tried the beer and it was very good. Tiger is the locally brewed Singapore beer. I am sure that won’t be the last time I have a Tiger, plus I feel so Mizzou spirited when I think of it.
After that, I used my newly added wireless Internet on my phone to skype with my cousin Sheri. We talked for probably about 45 minutes, very nice. After a light stroll to the hotel, here I am typing this blog to send the next time I have Internet.
Okie doke, for now, I hope you enjoyed this one. I’m trying to find the balance between typing too little and too much. As you’ve noticed, I’ve been going a little long. Do you all like that or would you prefer shorter entries? Again, I want to stress, I want you to feel free to read as much or as little of the blog as you’d like.
Until next time,
Michael
Friday, December 4, 2009
A Work Week
Today wrapped up my first week working at ESPN Star Sports (for the rest of the blog referred to as ESS) in Singapore. What a week! ESS is unlike any of the stations I've been lucky enough to be a part of. It really is part of ESPN, but it's taken me a while to realize that. It is the same worldwide leader simply tailored to different interests. Would Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger's lack of a handshake to Man City' Mark Hughes have been a big story in the US? No of course not, but if Urban Meyer didn't shake Mark Richt's hand it would be (for those not sportos, the first reference was to English Football managers and the second was to American College Football coaches). The end result is the same thing I was always taught in school, give the viewer what they care about.
The ESPN News channel is still fairly new here, so there are still some kinks being worked out. But as with most good newsrooms, it seems like the tasks are given out in ways to streamline the operation. For example, most of this week, I've been working out highlights for the NBA, NHL and NFL. It makes sense and to be honest, really helps my transitioning. It's allowed me to learn the editing and scripting systems without having to learn new sports.
Last bit about work and then I'll move on to the fun stuff and the reason you are probably reading the blog. I love how international the newsroom is. My co-workers are from Malaysia, Australia, England, Brunei, China, America, Canada, India, Singapore of course and many others as well. I've really gotten along with mostly everyone at the station which is a big relief. We all speak the same language, SPORTS (oh yeah, English as well haha). I still have a ways to go with my Football, Cricket and Formula 1 knowledge, but I'll get there. The more I'm around, the more I enjoy it.
Okay, now for the cultural adjustments in the last couple of days. In my last blog, I lamented the fact I'd been eating so much American fast food. How ridiculous, here I am halfway around the world and I've eaten McDonald's twice. I don't eat McD's twice in a month in the US (However, I do not apologize for going to Subway, it was perfect, just like at home{That sounds like I'm Happy Gilmore plugging the 6 inch tuna}). So, I discovered the malls equal food. My problem was that I'd been going downstairs to where the fast food joints were. Upstairs is where the goods are. Most of the malls have food courts upstairs where the food is good, the eating spaces are all super clean and best of all, it's cheap. Last night, I went to one of the malls by the hotel and got a chicken and rice dish with a brown sauce dinner for 4 Dollars Sing. That's $2.80 US. A real meal for that price. I added a bottle of water and was very happy. After dinner, I explored this mall, which of course had only high end stores (I could by 3 dockers shirts for 190 Sing or something like that). I then ended up outside right across the street from the Raffles Hotel. This is the hotel where the Singapore Sling was invented. I didn't end up going over there, but it's on my to do list.
I will say, without a doubt, my two best meals have been home cooked by the Kochs. Raye made delicious chicken, rice, assortment of vegetables and the best part, fresh Challah. Someone must have tipped her off about my love of Challah (she even mixes in pumpkin into it...I'd never thought of that, but it was wonderful). It was so nice to come off of work tonight and be able to go to the Koch's for Shabbos dinner. Yes, I got there at about 9 PM, but we did some blessings and it was nice to have that here. While it may not be the exact right way of doing things, it provided that connection I like so much. When we lit candles, I thought of my mom and how she lights them and tries to envision her triangle of sons. While I didn't make any shapes, the whole time I've been here, I've thought about how fortunate I've been. I have a wonderful girlfriend, an excellent family and friends I can rely on and trust. This is a small world nowadays and it's great that we can all stay connected.
Anyways, that is going to have to wrap up blog number three. My last bit of info is that I'm trying to find a place to live here. It's not the easiest thing, but I know the right place will come along soon.
I hope all is well everyone.
Michael
The ESPN News channel is still fairly new here, so there are still some kinks being worked out. But as with most good newsrooms, it seems like the tasks are given out in ways to streamline the operation. For example, most of this week, I've been working out highlights for the NBA, NHL and NFL. It makes sense and to be honest, really helps my transitioning. It's allowed me to learn the editing and scripting systems without having to learn new sports.
Last bit about work and then I'll move on to the fun stuff and the reason you are probably reading the blog. I love how international the newsroom is. My co-workers are from Malaysia, Australia, England, Brunei, China, America, Canada, India, Singapore of course and many others as well. I've really gotten along with mostly everyone at the station which is a big relief. We all speak the same language, SPORTS (oh yeah, English as well haha). I still have a ways to go with my Football, Cricket and Formula 1 knowledge, but I'll get there. The more I'm around, the more I enjoy it.
Okay, now for the cultural adjustments in the last couple of days. In my last blog, I lamented the fact I'd been eating so much American fast food. How ridiculous, here I am halfway around the world and I've eaten McDonald's twice. I don't eat McD's twice in a month in the US (However, I do not apologize for going to Subway, it was perfect, just like at home{That sounds like I'm Happy Gilmore plugging the 6 inch tuna}). So, I discovered the malls equal food. My problem was that I'd been going downstairs to where the fast food joints were. Upstairs is where the goods are. Most of the malls have food courts upstairs where the food is good, the eating spaces are all super clean and best of all, it's cheap. Last night, I went to one of the malls by the hotel and got a chicken and rice dish with a brown sauce dinner for 4 Dollars Sing. That's $2.80 US. A real meal for that price. I added a bottle of water and was very happy. After dinner, I explored this mall, which of course had only high end stores (I could by 3 dockers shirts for 190 Sing or something like that). I then ended up outside right across the street from the Raffles Hotel. This is the hotel where the Singapore Sling was invented. I didn't end up going over there, but it's on my to do list.
I will say, without a doubt, my two best meals have been home cooked by the Kochs. Raye made delicious chicken, rice, assortment of vegetables and the best part, fresh Challah. Someone must have tipped her off about my love of Challah (she even mixes in pumpkin into it...I'd never thought of that, but it was wonderful). It was so nice to come off of work tonight and be able to go to the Koch's for Shabbos dinner. Yes, I got there at about 9 PM, but we did some blessings and it was nice to have that here. While it may not be the exact right way of doing things, it provided that connection I like so much. When we lit candles, I thought of my mom and how she lights them and tries to envision her triangle of sons. While I didn't make any shapes, the whole time I've been here, I've thought about how fortunate I've been. I have a wonderful girlfriend, an excellent family and friends I can rely on and trust. This is a small world nowadays and it's great that we can all stay connected.
Anyways, that is going to have to wrap up blog number three. My last bit of info is that I'm trying to find a place to live here. It's not the easiest thing, but I know the right place will come along soon.
I hope all is well everyone.
Michael
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
At the Starting Line
The first two days of working at ESPN Star Sports has been a great experience. It first hit me Monday when I went up to the third floor of the New Tech Park building. As the elevator doors opened, life size pictures of Tiger Woods and Wayne Rooney met me in the hallway, yep this is a sports station. I don’t know why, but somehow I guess it hadn’t hit me enough that I’d be working for ESPN. The reception area was gorgeous. There was a basketball hoop on the side and a wall of televisions tuned in to the ESPN networks around the world-simply awesome. The beginning of the first day was mostly HR work as you probably might guess. Then, I went back to the newsroom. It is definitely the biggest I’ve ever been in. There’s a graphics section, a feature show area and then there’s the news area where I work. The first day, I was really trying to meet people and figure out how things worked. ESPN News at the moment here does not have anchors. All the highlights are voiced over and compiled into twenty-minute segments. I also learned some of the content that comes out of Singapore-SC India, SC Hong Kong, SC Taiwan and SC Asia. I think this stuff is so cool. Singapore in itself just seems to be a land full of all cultures and the station is a microcosm of that. The highlight (yeah, I’m using that word on purpose considering highlights are what I think about non-stop) of the day was getting to be a part of SportsCenter Asia. While I had a very, very small part running the teleprompter, I still loved it.
On the way out of work, I was ready to get a bite to eat, but I really didn’t know what to do. I took the MRT back to near my hotel when I realized there were two malls in the area. I hate to admit this, but I ended up eating at McDonald’s for dinner. Can you believe that? It took less than two days in Singapore before I ate that junk. I don’t like going there in the states either, but this just made the most sense for the day. I walked around one of the malls just to see what was there. I heard Singapore has more than 50 malls on the island and I can believe it. It seems like there are shopping centers near every MRT stop. I don’t mind one bit though because that often means there are places for me to eat. What I really can’t understand is how there are so many high-end shops. It’s amazing. Tommy Hilfigger, Swatch, you name it, this island’s got it.
The second day of work didn’t even start at work. I had to swing by the Ministry of Manpower first to continue some paperwork to actually get an employment pass. It was very simple. I had to get some passport-sized photos (there was a shop right next door) and then I had to take some thumbprints at M.O.M. The whole process took maybe 15 minutes. After, I hopped on the MRT to work to start my first official training day. The main editing software I’ll be using is called Headline. It’s hard for my hands to break out of their stubborn AVID ways, but I’m trying to learn the system. At the moment, it doesn’t seem to be too tough, just a bit finicky. Hopefully, I’ll learn the tricks to make it easier. That was the main focus for the first half of my day. Later in the day, I tried to focus on learning a bit more about ENPS. That is the scripting system we use. I’ve never used it, but it looks very nice, and I’m positive I’ll figure it out. I asked one of the guys I worked with if I could work on a highlight, and he let me cut the Golden State-Indiana NBA game. It didn’t seem to difficult with the easy focus of Monta Ellis going off for 45 points, 5 boards and 5 steals. As I finished writing the script, I was told I could voice it if I wanted to. Did I want to voice a highlight that would go on ESPN News throughout parts of Asia? Heck yeah I did. Then the producer came over and asked if I could also voice the Mavs-Philly highlights. Of course, I was even happier to call those as Jason Terry had hit a great shot to get Dallas another win. This was all such a thrill for me. While I’m sure I’m blowing this a bit out of proportion, it really makes me feel good that I’m getting this awesome opportunity. I ran prompter again for SC Asia, which was fun. I really like watching the producer booth the show. He has a very relaxed and yet controlled way of doing it. Plus, the more standard producer in me likes to see how he interacts with the anchors and monitors the clock. The control room is beautiful and the studio is very impressive (and might I say tricky, but that’s to be a secret).
After work, I headed to another mall and another set of food choices. This time I tried a little café that served a dish called Chicken Tikka. I didn’t buy a drink, so I got lucky that the food wasn’t too spicy. After, I went around to look at some of the shops. I found a couple of shoe stores (of course, my guilty pleasure is shoe shopping even if I don’t always buy). In one of the stores I got to see a Singapore national team football jersey. It looks pretty cool and at some point I’m sure I will buy something like it.
That about wraps up day 2 and 3 in Singapore. I’ve been very tired while here, but I’m just blaming that on a combination of jet lag and adjusting to a new country. The Internet at the hotel is very expensive, so I’ve been without it for the last couple of days. I really miss having it. It is sad, but I miss being able to check Facebook, Skype and the other social networking sites. It’s okay though, I will get it soon I hope.
That shall do for now…until next time, good morning, good afternoon and good night.
Michael
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Onward to Singapore
Well, I'm about 42 hours in, and my excitement about this amazing opportunity just keeps growing and growing.
Let's start from the beginning. While leaving DFW, or should I say trying to leave, the airline officials said my work pass was not sufficient to enter Singapore. So, I had to purchase a fully refundable ticket back to Dallas just in cast (more on that later.) Anyways, after some tough goodbyes with Amanda and my parents, I rushed through security to make sure I caught the plane. Luckily, I arrived right as boarding was starting.
On the plane, I was lucky enough to be sitting next to two nice ladies from Albuquerque, Carla and Madeline. They were also headed to Singapore, but a cruise awaited them (a tad jealous, I'm a big fan of cruises). We chatted for a little while about the job and other chit chat items. As the plane started leaving, I found the wonderful world of video on demand for international flights. I was able to watch my favorite shows-How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, Curb, Entourage and The Office. I also got to watch HP and Half Blood Prince, I Love You Man and City Slickers (I figured why not, Billy Crystal's always good). I tried falling asleep a few times, but was only successful in getting in a 3o minute nap.
The airport in Tokyo was very nice. After a quick shuttle ride to the other terminal and a security check, it was time to board the plane to Singapore. As I got settled in to my seat, I get lucky again with good seat buddies. A Canadian woman and her 2-year-old son were in my row. They live in Singapore and she was giving me great advice on things to know here.
Now here is the best story of my traveling. So, twenty minutes after I sat in my seat, an airline official comes to my seat, asks me my name and requests I step off the plane with him to look at my bag. Apparently, security was having an issue with one of my bags. Of course, I'm a bit shocked at this point-really, my bag? Anyways, I get off the plane to find about six Japanese security guards surrounding my bag, which is for some reason vibrating. I really didn't know what it was, but of course I would comply with whatever they needed. I carefully opened my bag to find in my dop kit, some how my electric razor had been turned on hahaha. I was so embarrassed. I'd delayed the flight and boy, that was a walk of shame back to my seat.
All in all, another good flight, but with much less leg room. Again though, video on demand was awesome. I watched Taking of Pelham 123 and about an hour of Transformers. I tried fighting it, but I had to go to sleep. Oh some six and a half hours later, I was in Singapore.
Okay, back now to the earlier discussion of needing a return ticket. I went to the immigration counter, showed them my approved work pass documents and they let me through. Yahoo! So, now I can refund that old ticket. I got my bags (no longer vibrating haha) and went out to try and find my wonderful hosts. Raye and Paul Koch moved to Singapore a little more than a year and a half ago from Plano. I was very, very, very lucky to get in contact with them. They picked me up from the airport and took me to their condo, where I spent the night. I made a couple of magic jack and skype calls and then it was off to bed. To my delight, when I woke up I found out Mizzou had taken down dirty kansas in the Border Showdown. What a win, 41-39 in the Beast Mode uniforms. I love beating those chicken hawks. Just thinking of kansas makes me feel sick. M-I-Z-Z-O-U!
What a busy, busy day. We started by checking out the hotel I'd be staying at for the next couple of weeks. After checking in, we took a dry run of the route to get to work on the MRT (the subway system here). Taking all the trains really reminded me of visiting New York, just on a smaller scale. After our MRT fun, we headed to Little India for lunch. This is where my Bubba has to be proud. I ate a lunch full of things I've never tried before. The food was very good, a bit spicy, but I'm really trying to get better with that. After lunch, we got set up with a prepaid phone card for me for the next couple of weeks. Eventually, I will get a real cell phone plan, but this should work for now.
Next, it was off to Chinatown. I was stunned. The Kochs say Singapore is kind of like Epcott at Disney and it really is (within two hours, I felt like I'd been in parts of India and parts of China). We went to see a beautiful, beautiful Buddhist temple. I was really in awe of the structure (I will eventually put up photos). The attention to detail is outstanding. After a nice visit, we went to my first Hawker center at Maxwell Road. We didn't eat there, but I will at some point. You can get a lot of food there for almost nothing.
After some more walking, which by the way I am loving, we had to take a stop to get a drink at Chinatown Center. So, naturally, we went to SUBWAY!!! I knew it was over here, but I was shocked to see that it really is the same (even smells like Subway). Now fully refreshed, we walked through a wet market which was quite an experience. There was loads of fish, eels, turtle, frogs and this is something I've never seen before, chickens with black skin. The wet market was a bit much for me, but it was still cool to see.
After, we went to what has quickly become my favorite spot in Singapore, Clarke Quay. It's a really trendy set of restaurants along the Singapore River. It really reminded me of a mix of the boardwalk in San Antonio and Legacy Center in Plano (kind of like Power and Light in KC for my Missouri friends). Our trendy sight seeing didn't stop there though. We went to the Takashimaya Shopping Centre where they have all of the fancy shops- Prada, Coach, Mont Blanc, etc. I couldn't believe it. It was just like being at Willowbend. Plus, they had a Christmas fantasy land. It's hard to describe, but the pictures will eventually help. Below the high end stores, there is a great little food court with all sorts of goodies. This looks like a place I will definitely be coming back to for lunch at some point.
Well, that pretty much wraps up day one. We packed so much in. I am so thankful to the Kochs for all they have done in helping me get adjusted. I love that Texas hospitality even in Singapore. I now feel a great sense of responsibility that when it is my turn to help someone, I will step up to the plate and help to the best of my abilities. To the Kochs, I can not thank you enough for your help.
Hopefully, I'll post fairly often. If it's been a while since a post, remind me, and I'll get to it. Talk to you all soon.
Michael
Let's start from the beginning. While leaving DFW, or should I say trying to leave, the airline officials said my work pass was not sufficient to enter Singapore. So, I had to purchase a fully refundable ticket back to Dallas just in cast (more on that later.) Anyways, after some tough goodbyes with Amanda and my parents, I rushed through security to make sure I caught the plane. Luckily, I arrived right as boarding was starting.
On the plane, I was lucky enough to be sitting next to two nice ladies from Albuquerque, Carla and Madeline. They were also headed to Singapore, but a cruise awaited them (a tad jealous, I'm a big fan of cruises). We chatted for a little while about the job and other chit chat items. As the plane started leaving, I found the wonderful world of video on demand for international flights. I was able to watch my favorite shows-How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, Curb, Entourage and The Office. I also got to watch HP and Half Blood Prince, I Love You Man and City Slickers (I figured why not, Billy Crystal's always good). I tried falling asleep a few times, but was only successful in getting in a 3o minute nap.
The airport in Tokyo was very nice. After a quick shuttle ride to the other terminal and a security check, it was time to board the plane to Singapore. As I got settled in to my seat, I get lucky again with good seat buddies. A Canadian woman and her 2-year-old son were in my row. They live in Singapore and she was giving me great advice on things to know here.
Now here is the best story of my traveling. So, twenty minutes after I sat in my seat, an airline official comes to my seat, asks me my name and requests I step off the plane with him to look at my bag. Apparently, security was having an issue with one of my bags. Of course, I'm a bit shocked at this point-really, my bag? Anyways, I get off the plane to find about six Japanese security guards surrounding my bag, which is for some reason vibrating. I really didn't know what it was, but of course I would comply with whatever they needed. I carefully opened my bag to find in my dop kit, some how my electric razor had been turned on hahaha. I was so embarrassed. I'd delayed the flight and boy, that was a walk of shame back to my seat.
All in all, another good flight, but with much less leg room. Again though, video on demand was awesome. I watched Taking of Pelham 123 and about an hour of Transformers. I tried fighting it, but I had to go to sleep. Oh some six and a half hours later, I was in Singapore.
Okay, back now to the earlier discussion of needing a return ticket. I went to the immigration counter, showed them my approved work pass documents and they let me through. Yahoo! So, now I can refund that old ticket. I got my bags (no longer vibrating haha) and went out to try and find my wonderful hosts. Raye and Paul Koch moved to Singapore a little more than a year and a half ago from Plano. I was very, very, very lucky to get in contact with them. They picked me up from the airport and took me to their condo, where I spent the night. I made a couple of magic jack and skype calls and then it was off to bed. To my delight, when I woke up I found out Mizzou had taken down dirty kansas in the Border Showdown. What a win, 41-39 in the Beast Mode uniforms. I love beating those chicken hawks. Just thinking of kansas makes me feel sick. M-I-Z-Z-O-U!
What a busy, busy day. We started by checking out the hotel I'd be staying at for the next couple of weeks. After checking in, we took a dry run of the route to get to work on the MRT (the subway system here). Taking all the trains really reminded me of visiting New York, just on a smaller scale. After our MRT fun, we headed to Little India for lunch. This is where my Bubba has to be proud. I ate a lunch full of things I've never tried before. The food was very good, a bit spicy, but I'm really trying to get better with that. After lunch, we got set up with a prepaid phone card for me for the next couple of weeks. Eventually, I will get a real cell phone plan, but this should work for now.
Next, it was off to Chinatown. I was stunned. The Kochs say Singapore is kind of like Epcott at Disney and it really is (within two hours, I felt like I'd been in parts of India and parts of China). We went to see a beautiful, beautiful Buddhist temple. I was really in awe of the structure (I will eventually put up photos). The attention to detail is outstanding. After a nice visit, we went to my first Hawker center at Maxwell Road. We didn't eat there, but I will at some point. You can get a lot of food there for almost nothing.
After some more walking, which by the way I am loving, we had to take a stop to get a drink at Chinatown Center. So, naturally, we went to SUBWAY!!! I knew it was over here, but I was shocked to see that it really is the same (even smells like Subway). Now fully refreshed, we walked through a wet market which was quite an experience. There was loads of fish, eels, turtle, frogs and this is something I've never seen before, chickens with black skin. The wet market was a bit much for me, but it was still cool to see.
After, we went to what has quickly become my favorite spot in Singapore, Clarke Quay. It's a really trendy set of restaurants along the Singapore River. It really reminded me of a mix of the boardwalk in San Antonio and Legacy Center in Plano (kind of like Power and Light in KC for my Missouri friends). Our trendy sight seeing didn't stop there though. We went to the Takashimaya Shopping Centre where they have all of the fancy shops- Prada, Coach, Mont Blanc, etc. I couldn't believe it. It was just like being at Willowbend. Plus, they had a Christmas fantasy land. It's hard to describe, but the pictures will eventually help. Below the high end stores, there is a great little food court with all sorts of goodies. This looks like a place I will definitely be coming back to for lunch at some point.
Well, that pretty much wraps up day one. We packed so much in. I am so thankful to the Kochs for all they have done in helping me get adjusted. I love that Texas hospitality even in Singapore. I now feel a great sense of responsibility that when it is my turn to help someone, I will step up to the plate and help to the best of my abilities. To the Kochs, I can not thank you enough for your help.
Hopefully, I'll post fairly often. If it's been a while since a post, remind me, and I'll get to it. Talk to you all soon.
Michael
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Working KOMU.com March 31st and April 2nd
This week I got the delightful opportunity to work the dot com shift twice in a week. On March 31st, Amanda and I found ourselves with the unique chance to really focus with one reporter. Conroy Delouche was working on an "8 On Your Money" report about the economy by the lake. He asked us to help visualize his numbers. Although it may sound simple, we decided to use Microsoft Excel to creat bar graphs. Once the graphs were created, we made them into JPEGs and loaded them to the story (which can be seen here). One issue I found on looking at the two stories on Friday is that the graphs end up being far to small to see.
My next shift was to make up for the shift I missed while attending my cousin's wedding in Miami. I used to produce on Thursdays, so I was very familiar with the reporters. I decided to help Adrienne Pedersen make a bar graph discussing prices of Columbia hotels (which can be seen here). In all honesty, most of this shift was spent exploring e-portfolios and starting to set up my own. It is easy to see how well many of my classmates are doing.
In the end, I felt rather silly for struggling to use Excel which I'd learned in fourth grade. However, the main point is that I continued to work and figure out how to use the technology. My generation too often sees a wall and can't figure out how to break through it. My philosophy is that even if I can't break through, I should at least be able to walk around the wall.
My next shift was to make up for the shift I missed while attending my cousin's wedding in Miami. I used to produce on Thursdays, so I was very familiar with the reporters. I decided to help Adrienne Pedersen make a bar graph discussing prices of Columbia hotels (which can be seen here). In all honesty, most of this shift was spent exploring e-portfolios and starting to set up my own. It is easy to see how well many of my classmates are doing.
In the end, I felt rather silly for struggling to use Excel which I'd learned in fourth grade. However, the main point is that I continued to work and figure out how to use the technology. My generation too often sees a wall and can't figure out how to break through it. My philosophy is that even if I can't break through, I should at least be able to walk around the wall.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Working KOMU.com March 3, 2009
Amanda and I spent time working on a flash project today for her story about Green friendly houses. It was very interesting because we used a government photo, but added to it to make it more exciting. It should be done by the time her story runs on March 17th.
Although I wasn't working KOMU.com March 10th due to my cousin's wedding, I got a chance to watch different newscasts in Miami. I decided although they were a little more crime heavy, the biggest difference was in the use of photographers. Almost every reporter had one and of course that makes the video look a little bit better. Their walking and talking during standups was average, but it did feel more natural than most of ours.
We finished up two more Best of Basketball episodes which can be seen here. The stories were more human interest ones, but they work for the series. Baseball season is just around the corner and I'm excited to work on Best of Baseball. I have to start making my interviews for it though.
I've got to get more work done on my website, but that's what weekends are for!
Although I wasn't working KOMU.com March 10th due to my cousin's wedding, I got a chance to watch different newscasts in Miami. I decided although they were a little more crime heavy, the biggest difference was in the use of photographers. Almost every reporter had one and of course that makes the video look a little bit better. Their walking and talking during standups was average, but it did feel more natural than most of ours.
We finished up two more Best of Basketball episodes which can be seen here. The stories were more human interest ones, but they work for the series. Baseball season is just around the corner and I'm excited to work on Best of Baseball. I have to start making my interviews for it though.
I've got to get more work done on my website, but that's what weekends are for!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Working KOMU.com February 24, 2009
This week we had an interesting situation at the dot com station, we could either do a daily slideshow as we always do or invest our time with one story to tell a story through a slideshow. Brandon Lewis had gotten great video from a brush fire at a Christmas tree farm, so we made this slideshow. It was a good discussion, because although we could have done decent jobs making both, we tried to truly tell a story through the pictures.
As always, we made the story skeletons for our reporters. I've realized the two big days I work, Tuesday and Thursday, the reporter aren't thinking for the web enough. I'm really going to try and push the reporters when I'm working dot com and producing to take pride in the web angle. I knew this the whole time I've been here, but I'm finally doing something about it.....News Directors want to see your web abilities. So, if you have a great story that you can put on your tape, if you make a web extra, you can show that to them during an interview.
As the job search continues, I think everyday how glad I am to be thinking in a web sense. Mostly, in the end, the web experience could be the difference in getting an offer or not.
As always, we made the story skeletons for our reporters. I've realized the two big days I work, Tuesday and Thursday, the reporter aren't thinking for the web enough. I'm really going to try and push the reporters when I'm working dot com and producing to take pride in the web angle. I knew this the whole time I've been here, but I'm finally doing something about it.....News Directors want to see your web abilities. So, if you have a great story that you can put on your tape, if you make a web extra, you can show that to them during an interview.
As the job search continues, I think everyday how glad I am to be thinking in a web sense. Mostly, in the end, the web experience could be the difference in getting an offer or not.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Working KOMU.com February 17th
Working dot com was splended yet again this week. Athough Amanda and I messed around a little on flash, we weren't advanced enough to create something for the dayside reporters. Hopefully this week, as we get the hang of it a bit better, we'll use it to make a cool web extra.
This week, I realized how important it is that I'm taking this class. If nothing else, it allows me to walk into news director's office and tell him/her that I understand news on the web. Even though we are still just at the tip of the iceberg with our web knowledge, I'm confident hosting online programs and learning how to post video, write content and make slideshows will all help.
In addition, this week's Best of Basketball was the best one yet. Here's the link to that episode. I wrote our web copy and made sure the video got posted. I just think being able to show two fantastic athletes, combined with having fun while editing, made it the best episode so far.
One more week towards the inevitable end of college, but i feel a bit more confident than last week.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Working KOMU.COM February 10, 2009
This was another step forward in web knowledge for me. Amanda and I made another slideshow and set up stories for our reporters as we did last week. On the links and numbers page, I added links to a story about Autism and also to our slideshow. An important lesson I learned is to make sure franchise stories are new before working on them. I spent at least 15 minutes on a school report story only to find out it was a re-run. So, I wont be making that mistake again.
This week has been an eye opener for the job search. I joined TVJobs and saw a whopping 15 sports opening. It shouldn't be a surprise, all journalists at this school know sports has to re-create itself. Which is why I'm so glad to be taking this class. The added web knowledge can only help in an interview with a news director. Who knows how everything will work out, but at the moment, I still think at some point next year, I could be at a local television station talking about sports. Well, we'll just have to see wont we.
This week has been an eye opener for the job search. I joined TVJobs and saw a whopping 15 sports opening. It shouldn't be a surprise, all journalists at this school know sports has to re-create itself. Which is why I'm so glad to be taking this class. The added web knowledge can only help in an interview with a news director. Who knows how everything will work out, but at the moment, I still think at some point next year, I could be at a local television station talking about sports. Well, we'll just have to see wont we.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Working KOMU.com February 3rd
This counts as another successful week for Amanda and I in our continuing education of the web. Our big goal was to work with images this week. We went to each reporter and asked to borrow their video cards in order to get images. Once we collected all of them, we created a slideshow on flickr. Here is the link to the slideshow. In addition, we also helped put up reporter links on Robin Carnahan and discounts on the links and numbers page. Also, this week, we posted our first two Best of Basketball episodes both on KOMU's site and to the Best of Basketball Blog. I think all in all, I'm starting to understand the process of getting things on the web. However, I still need to figure out what people are really looking for on the web. So far, our stories are traditional packages. Hopefully we can figure out if people might want to see whole interviews on the web. All of this is in hopes of getting the best content to the viewer.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Working on KOMU.COM January 27th
I thought this was a pretty successful week for Amanda and I on our second dot com shift. We took the twittering and facebooking to heart, trying to figure out more ways to get in touch with our viewers. In addition, I learned how to write the Your Health segment and how to post it as well. Both Jaryd and Emily did a fantastic job of letting us do most of it on our own (and of course still answering our questions). The Newsbase website was very helpful. In this web-crazy world, it's becoming increasingly clear to me how important it is for news stations to not only embrace the web, but be trailblazers as well for new media. If people are networking with different sites, we need to be able to market our stations on those sites as well.
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