**SINGAPORE LIVE**

14:35 Singapore Time, 11th June 2009
AT: Saaaarraaaaah!
SJ: Anh-tooooot!!
AT: Whoa. What are you doing here at Sleepy Sam's Hostel in Singapore!?! Aren't you supposed to be in S. Africa?
SJ: What am I doing here? Thought you were supposed to be in Vietnam? I just got in from Jakarta, chasing my childhood...visiting family in Singapore...you?
AT: Came to visit a certain loveable gal whom I won't see for a while... It's just a short hop skip and jump away fr VN. Plus gotta dig the shopping malls and their AIRCON. This heat is killing me...
SJ: Indeed. Why don't we go find some now actually? Find an antiseptic foodcourt to munch some yummy food in? octupus balls?
AT: MmmmMmm. And I'd loves me some durian ice cream too. Then we can head to Ann Siang Hill in Chinatown to check out one my fave bookstores in the world, Books Actually!
SJ: Then maybe a boatride along the Singapore River, watching the many malls & restaurants fly by without actually having to trudge through them...
AT: Yippeee. Then dinner at an overpriced Thai joint right on the water? I need a pint of ice cold beer right about now.
SJ: burp! uh oh. feeilng kind of funny. oh no....
AT: Aww. Better hold it in. Let's chill by the river munching on our rambutan and lonbon until you feel more steady. Maybe we can just call it a night til tomorrow.
SJ: uuuhhhh...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

....

AT: Rise and shine!
SJ: FOOD!
AT: Where?
SJ: Marine Parade hawker centre?
AT: Sounds good to me. But now my stomach is feeling a bit off so for lunch I'll just have some Hainanese chicken with noodles. Keeping it safe.
SJ: munch munch. gees, it's sooooo hot. i'm dying over here.
AT: How 'bout some SUGAR CANE JUICE for refreshment?
SJ: AAAAAAHHHHH! hit the spot. ready to hit East Coast Park? sand, sea, ships and a lovely long promenade under coconut trees...
AT: Yea, I didn't get to see it on my last trip here. Twould be nice.
SJ: I've been coming here for 20 years, but usually on my own so it'll be lovely to go with you and jean.
AT: Jean? Who's Jean? Is that the guy who's been trailing you this whole time looking shady in his short jean shorts?
SJ: that's him! maybe his hot legs can take the pressure off us on a three-person tandem bike? I swear I've seen them around...
AT: Oh! Bike ride under the shade of palm trees. Precious. Let's!
SJ: darn. they don't have the three person ones. 2 and 1?
AT: Sure. Then we can do a switcheroo half-way through so you get a lil QT with your boycrush.
SJ: awesome. sh*t but my bum's really hurting here. what to do?
AT: Well, we'll get thru the ride, then relax on an AC double-decker bus with a view of the city on the way back. That way you can de-stress your bum on the plush leather seats.
SJ: why thank you. then i think we should have cold cold showers and lie comatose on the beds under the fans for a while til the heat of the day dies down a bit.
AT: Yep yep. But don't get too comfy cuz we have a dinner date for Egyptian food with a college acquaintance o' mine, Kiran. She's doing the NYU-sponsored film program here. Would be good to chat w/ her to hear her thoughts on the scene.
SJ: sounds good. hey - have you noticed there's a lot of arabs around here? hookah everywhere...and a giant mosque at the end of the street.
AT: Well, we ARE right off of Arab Street. S'pore amazes me. Once you dig a bit deeper past the veneer of well-oiled, clean and modern shopping centers and high rises, there's such a fascinating assemblage of people here: Chinese, Indian, Arabic, Malay. And with all their different religious practices, all co-existing in peaceful, functional manner.
SJ: all in their neat little segregated categories- did you notice at the (WONDERFUL) bar we went to later that each group was totally homogeneous? apart from the sleazy white men hitting on the locals?
AT: Hmm yea, interesting. I didn't realize there was such segregation even though everyone occupies the same spaces. Well we can have an endless convo abt the racial politics and power dynamics here... But let's take in the scene at this hotspot: BluJaz Cafe.
SJ: too right!! it's amazing in here... totally un-singapore (to me!).. incredible brightly coloured children-story-book aztec...uhhh....
AT: You mean that big yellow painting over there? With the fantastic comic cat drawings? That's pretty cool. But I dig these crazy lamps with mannequin legs and sprawling wrought-iron chandeliers with trinkets dangling from them. What a scene.
SJ: shame we can't afford any of the drinks : (
AT: And the music's getting lame. C'mon. YMCA and the Macarena? What say you we get out while we're still feeling good?
SJ: yeah.... I'm beat. What a trip.
AT: Yea, gotta get up for my flight out tomorrow. Will miss you toooooons. Safe travels with Jean the rest of the time you're here!
SJ: Thanks luv, you too... I hope you withstand the weight of the camera ok in VN. red bull?
AT: I don't know if it's entered the market yet. But I've got yummy VN coffee with condensed milk to keep me going. Uh oh... time's up. Huuuuuuuuuuuugggs.
SJ: sniff sniff... have a wonderful time with tom... byyeeeeee!!!!