Sentosa Beach

I spent much of yesterday at Sentosa with a bunch of other exchange students. We were on the beach mostly, and some of us even ventured a little further into the resort area to nab a beach volleyball court and play a quick set. All in all it was a great time, despite not going any further than knee deep in the water. It was warm compared to the Pacific I'm used to, but I didn't feel like swimming for some reason. Meh. Maybe I'll hit the campus pool sometime.

The beach, though, is odd for a few reasons. Apparently most/all of the sand is brought in from Indonesia, and just beyond the marked swimming areas are the tankers. Now, I know that Singapore is a busy port, and having been to Istanbul I know what "busy port" really means, but there's something odd about seeing endless lines of tankers just beyond the tropical beach.

That said, it was still a nice beach. Not the best beach I've been to, and not my favourite beach in the world, but it had everything a good beach has. The amount of beach bars lining the sand also supplied us with some free music while relaxing, though it is sometimes odd to hear so much of the usual Top 40 from back home while beaching it in Singapore. Globalization, eh?

all photos by me, more on Flickr

my New Island

I have been in the Lion City for five days now, but it feels as if I have been here weeks already. The city is so densely layered and proximate that there is so much one can do in a single day. Already I have been to too many malls to count, Marina Bay, Bugis, the University area, Holland Village, Little India, and the city centre. I have been taking full advantage of the multicultural basis of the city, sampling fusion cuisine that is simply delicious.

Of course, I would not have been able to do any of this without a few friends. One of the best things about being both an international student and a visible minority is that the friends come quick and easy. My usual group now includes other Canadians, Indians, Americans, Danes, Germans, Swiss, Dutch, and a few Singaporeans, too. Although I do love having so many friends from around the world, I'll admit that I like having Team Canada around - just a liiiittle bit!

I have had plenty of fun experiences to share here, such as when I bought the SIM card for my phone. I was required to show my passport, and almost immediately after seeing the word Canada stamped across the front, the middle-age Chinese woman proclaimed, "Like Bieber!" and launched into the chorus of "Baby." After my insistence that I don't like the Biebs, she told me with absolute certainty that I was just jealous.

School doesn't start for another few weeks, postponed further because of the National Day celebrations on the 9th of August. While at Marina Bay our tour group saw part of the rehearsal for the laser light and music show, and if that was any indication of what the entire celebration will entail, well, I'm in for quite the patriotic treat! I just hope that I can get down to actually see the festivities. I guess the height will come in handy, eh?

disclaimer: Van Isle is still my favourite and home island, Singapore is just doing a very fine job competing with that

photos all by me, more on Flickr

Music Monday: Lightning and Turbulence

So as I said last night, I've arrived safe and sound in Singapore. Despite my current safety, it was one bumpy ride to get here.

Making the trip over the Pacific is always interesting, at least in my experience. Flying up the BC and Alaska coastlines we hit a lot of turbulence. Like, plane sometimes dropping in those nifty air streams. It felt like a roller coaster, which I very much enjoy so it wasn't really terrible. However, we had screamers. Every time the plane so much as vibrated there were gasps. The same turbulence hit us while flying parallel to Japan. It was a long 11 hours.

Shanghai to Singapore was much more calm, although we had to make a very slight change in course when we flew beside a raging lightning storm. Now, I love lightning and thunder. So, obviously, I was glued to the window. I also switched my iPod from the "Downtempo" playlist (12am-5am flight, I was wanting to sleep) to a song called Turbulent Rock Anthem by 3LAU and Kap Slap. I had it on repeat. I listened to it four or five times. It makes for a rad storm soundtrack, hahah.

Oh, and the song is a mash-up. If you don't like those, don't click the link. Or, click it anyway and see if I can change your mind.

photo by snowpeak

Arrival

So I've been in Singapore since 5am, though it feels like a lot longer because of all the stuff I've done today. I'll do a proper update later, I'm in dire need of uninterrupted sleep. Just wanted to check in and say, "Hey! I'm here!" and whatnot.

Pictures will also follow, though I opted to not get a data plan for my HTC so the uploads won't be instant. Sad face. I'm sure we'll all manage.

In other news: I just ate dinner a few hours ago, and I'm already hungry again. Curses.

a Pre-Departure Checklist

...otherwise known as the things I've done and am doing before I leave.

Done

• drive to Kelowna with the cousin
• drive to Mission with the friends
• have a pig roast
• win at "beersby" multiple times
• play fetch with a random dog
• have a massive bonfire
• chug back tonnes of lukewarm Timmys
• have a games night that includes Rockband, karaoke, and dancing
• eat waffles at the Jammery
• go out for pitchers and wings
• watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part one
• eat a Boers breakfast at the Jammery
• drive to and from Sicamous
• buy UBC shirts to bring to Singapore

Doing

• watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part two
• eat more waffles at the Jammery
• go out for pitchers and wings, again
• drive back to Victoria
• watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part two, again
• eat hot pot bibimbop at Korean Garden
• go table hunting

Oh, and pack. Packing might help, too.

the Tattoos

So these are long, long overdue. I've had my most recent tattoo finished since December 2010. Better late than never, eh?

Here they are, then. The smaller one is a stylized Eye of Horus, and is the second tattoo I had done. The first, a stylized Eye of Thoth, is underneath the firebird's wing. That's actually the "tail" of the Eye curling out above the bottom-most feather.
The firebird is my latest and probably last tattoo. It took two sittings to complete, one in September '10 that lasted three hours for all the linework, and another in December '10 that lasted just under two hours for all the fills.

Suffice to say that, after around six and a half hours of total time spent under the gun, I'm in no hurry to go back for more.
I'm still not entirely accustomed to having the large firebird arcing across my body, and I often forget that I even have tattoos. I intentionally placed them somewhere I could hide them easily, so I guess the forgetfulness is a given.

Well, that's enough rambling from me. Ask any questions you might have in the comments below!

on Name Changes

An online era has come to a quiet close. It's probably a little too dramatic to say that, but it has a ring of truth.

Last night I switched over my Protagonize author account from JackRubashevskiy to Jackerbie. I'd been on the site three years with the former name, and had build up a reputation with that name. Laying it aside was difficult. So difficult, in fact, that I chose to keep it as my listed name.

Why the change, then? The main (and only?) reason was to solidify my online presence more. Almost every social account I currently use has the Jackerbie moniker attached in some way, in both the username and vanity URL. The change makes sense with that reasoning.

That, and people had a hard time remembering how to spell Rubashevskiy. Heck, I have a hard time remembering how to spell Rubashevskiy sometimes.

There shouldn't be any sort of outcry against the change, but you never know. No-one has said anything yet. That's a good thing. I said it was a quiet close to the era of JackRubberchicken. Shhhhh.

Rediscovered Pleasures

The other day my sister voiced her longing desire to play the Sims for PS2, a game she thought her boyfriend had lost. Almost immediately after the words left he mouth, I quipped that the disc was in the CD binder with all the other game discs. Of course, she didn't believe me. Long story short, I was right, and we've been playing the Sims for a few days now.

If you don't know, the Sims is an Electronic Arts property based on guiding a single person or multiple people, called Sims, through life. I don't really care for that part though. What I enjoy is the short part that comes before you take over the role of god: building and furnishing the house.

I love building things. This love probably resulted from a childhood filled to bursting with Lego, but that's another story.

Architecture and building design in particular have special places in my heart. When the family takes a trip to France or the Czech Republic and tours around the old castles, I'm not reading the information panels on local history. No, I'm staring at the walls and ceilings and staircases and the entire built form of whatever it is we're visiting. I guess that's why I've started to lean toward urban planning and community design as a career path.

I also have a casual interest in interior design, the way spaces are made and composed. A good portion of my high school years involved back-to-back episodes of Trading Spaces and While You Were Out, two design shows that were television and cultural phenomena in their day the same way cakes and cupcakes are now (I still don't understand that).

Again, long story short, I now have a design itch. I want a house to put things in. I want an unlimited budget, or unlimited time and skill to DIY anything and everything. I want to be a greater part of consumptive society!

That, or I want the first couple seasons on Trading Spaces on DVD.

both photos by Andrew Dupont

a Photoblog: Island Living

a Few More of those Favourite Things

Haven't posted any "real" blog stuff in a while, so I might as well do a list post. Here's what's keeping me going right meow:

Tim Horton's coffee and donuts are a Canadian staple. I love my double-doubles, sour cream glazed, chocolate glazed, maple dips, and turkey clubs. Unfortunately I can't get those in Singapore. I'm trying to do the math on how many Tim Bits (donut holes) I'll need to buy in Vancouver for my flight to Shanghai.

McDonald's Dollar Drink Days are one of the first signs of summer. As terrible as it may be, I love going into the drive-thru and coming out with a large Diet Coke for a little bit of spare change. I'm in at least four times a week. I may have an addiction.

Adele, particularly her song Rolling in the Deep, is one of my go-to summer playlist favourites. Even better are the amount of great covers of her material, so I can have multiples of the same song on my playlist and sing to each one. Also, I finally figured out what all the background singers' lines are. Victory!

Roller Coaster Tycoon became one of my favourite games the moment I started playing it. I recently reinstalled it on my family PC and have been glued to that machine ever since. My only problem is that I tend to make the rides "too intense" so no-one will go on them. Boo on you, wussy AI.

Living on an island and being able to hit the beach and the fact that it is finally hot outside. I love beach combing, suntanning, swimming, having bonfires, and all that good outdoor summer seaside stuff. Thankfully my next move will be to a tropical island. I might have plotted this in advance.



images by flamster2468, StayProud, jprice325, Mike Overall, and me

Under... Construction?

Yah, I've been inactive again. I know I promised posts about my recent trip to Turkey. Dropped the ball on that big time, yes. But I'm prepared to move on to what I really think the purpose of this space should be: me, rambling.

I fly to Singapore in just over two weeks, where I'll be living for about four months before setting out to travel once more. Hopefully I'll be good about updating this blog while I'm gone.

In the meantime, I need to change a few things around here. I'll be adding some pages to de-clutter the place, which is what that nav-bar below the title will eventually become. First, though, I need to figure out how this page thing works, hah. So I'm'a get to that.

Cheers!