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Hi Everyone! (or quite possibly no one, given the amount of confirmed people following this blog!)
Hows it going? Hope alls good and if you are reading, you're enjoying it so far. I meant to write again sooner but I really have been so busy recently I've just not had time. Anyhow speaking of which, I'll get started….!
So since my last entry I've been all over the place. The first weekend of August was a long weekend so me and my new found buddies headed off to Malaysia for a roadtrip! I personally was really excited, surprisingly enough it was my first with a bunch of Singaporean guys and I wanted to see what they do for fun. We headed off after dinner on Friday night to Genting which is an hour outside of Kuala Lumpur up a mountain! Before the casino's were built in Singapore this is where all the locals used to head to gamble and partly due to the favourable exchange rate a fair old number still head this way. We got there after a pretty quick trip about 3am but took another hour to park! The hotels and casinos are pretty spectacular and we had a good time betting on dice and roulette and enjoying ourselves, without losing (too) big! Headed to Kuala Lumper on Saturday afterwards which is a place I've been before and it was really cool to be back. Such a vast and beautiful city, I enjoyed seeing the sights again, even though we were pretty tired after the night before. Headed to Chinatown in the afternoon and then out on the town on the night before crashing and burning about 1am!
More city exploring on Sunday before heading back to Singapore via JB, which is just on the border, for dinner. Man, did I eat well all weekend! Let my friends pick for me and they have good taste! Stingray and Crayfish were particular favourites! Got back on Sunday night after a good trip and ready for the national day in the morning. It was Singapores 45th birthday and so we had the day off work which is never a bad thing. Headed downtown for the parade but sadly didn't have a ticket for the show so went and watched what I could from the amazing backdrop of Marina Bay. Saw the air show and some of the military marching, before a spectacular firework display to close out. Thoroughly enjoyed it and good to learn a bit about the history of the country and again how much it has achieved in such a short period of time.
I was in need of a quiet one the following weekend to recover but that really didn't pan out. My friend from home was in town for a few days so catch-up beers were a must. I hadn't really been out properly in Singapore as yet, as its quite expensive and was still awaiting my first payday, but I'd heard of a few good spots so we went and checked them out and weren't disappointed. On the Friday night we hit Orchard Road which was a lot of fun and headed to a couple of bars with live music and dancing. Woke up with a bad head and a much lighter wallet, but definitely worth it. The following night we tried out Clarke Quay which is the main place in the city centre to go out drinking and clubbing. It's a proper hub of activity and has something for everyone. We hit a couple of bars before ending up in China One for more dancing and sillyness, good times. Vague memories of stumbling out around 4am, still with plenty of people out and about. Nights don't end early out here. Pulled ourselves together on the Sunday and headed to Sentosa Island as I'd heard it was a lot of fun. Its just off the mainland and accessible on a monorail. It's a big resort these days with hotels, casino's and a beach, and there's a lot over there to do. Had a good look round and then ended up heading to the newly opened Universal Studios, because you know, rollercoasters are always good on a hangover! Not every ride is open yet which is a shame but we still managed to have a great time and hit all the rides we could. I recommend the Mummy ride, in fact we went on it 5 times in the end!! Finished my friends stay with a token trip to Raffles to have a Singapore Sling. Amazing hotel and it was fun to say we've done it, but such a rip-off really and everyone in the bar was drinking one and then leaving! Ticked it off though!!
So all in all a good weekend, though the next one was definitely earmarked for some R&R!! Stuck to the soft drinks and just generally took it easy, though I did manage to cram a couple of games of football in. Really enjoying playing with the locals, and we're not doing too bad, though I cant last the whole game in this heat! Also good to get some exercise in and a couple of weeks of beer and junk food!
I think its fair to say I'm pretty settled here now. Works going ok, still exploring plenty as my pictures should show, and I've made a few friends now, including some drinking buddies, so I've got everything I need! As I've said before I'm amazed at how easy its been, its all set up for you really, cant go wrong. In fact another example of this was last week when I went along to an event organised by the Ministry of Manpower for people on my working holiday visa. It was a chance to meet people here in the same boat as me and it was really great to make some more friends and see how people were finding the place. Sounds like most people were having a similar time to me and it was interesting to see so many students on work placements for the summer. Kudos to them, never would have made it all the way out here from the UK when I was their age. It was a really positive move by the government to help us newbies get settled and network and I'm pleased to say its resulted in a facebook group being set up to keep in touch and more events are planned. Drop me a line if you're heading over and want to join and I'll send you the link.
Anyhow I'd best wrap this up before it gets way too long! Just before I do though the last thing I wanted to mention was the Youth Olympics. Not sure how much coverage they've got outside of Singapore but they're the first ones ever and look set to become a permanent feature after the success of them here. Was really cool to be part of the buzz of the city with the games going on and it created a really positive attitude on the streets and more interest in the various sports on the whole. Singapore managed a couple of silvers and bronzes and I managed to head to the Athletics last week to catch some hurdles and pole vault amongst other things. Was great to see some history being made, the atmosphere was brilliant and personally it brought back good memories of Vancouver earlier in the year. Its all over now but I think they've been a massive success here so look out for them somewhere else in the future!!
Ok well that'll do! As you can see I'm enjoying myself! Already been here 2 months and time is flying so need to get some more plans sorted out. Don't worry though, you'll hear all about them. Lucky you! Hope you're enjoying reading, as always drop me a line with any specific questions. Hope to see you here soon!
Ralph
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