Singapore, Singapore

...is like any other big city you'd find in the States. You have your eateries, clubs/bars, and shopping plazas.
Singapore has Sentosa Island--imagine creating a fun-park/island to suck up tourist money. However, I did rather enjoy renting a bicycle and riding around the island, through the trees and along the waterside. And, watching the Musical Fountain show for the first time was neat. Imagine a high water pressure spray and mist creating a screen on which to project a laser-light show. The accompanying music selection was of course something disney-like and famliy oriented. Some techno and E would be nice. Just kidding. Electronica/trance/techno and a dance party would have been fun. :-} Night Safari was cutesy, too. Imagine going to the zoo at night time and seeing nocturnal animals.

If you like shopping, you'll may love Singapore. Little India offers inexpensive goods. Chinatown...well, the whole city is Chinatown with some areas cleaner than others. Spitting on the ground could win you a $300 (SD) fine. Flicking a cigarette butt, $250? (Correct me if you know better).

There are pros and cons to S'pore, for me. I like that it's clean and orderly compared to other countries. But, the fact that I already grew up in a western, developed environment, I find S'pore to lack luster. In short, my reaction to Singapore: Eh, been there done that...

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

...is like any other big city you'd find in the States. You have your eateries, clubs/bars, and shopping plazas.

Looking out my hotel window, I see the same image (buildings, sporatic high-rises, car traffic, grey skies) as if I would in Reno, or Las Vegas, during the daytime. One of the main attractions of Kuala Lumpur (KL) is the Petronas Towers.
Me, in front of the twin towers. I really enjoyed looking at the structure's architecture from different angles and during different times of the day (here's another picture). The KL Tower was not as impressive but it offered a nice 360 degree view of KL. (pictures to come)

I had fun shopping in Chinatown. Good shyt, yo! Fo cheap!
377 ringgits = $1 USD

One other note:
Driving from Singapore to KL looks *just like* driving from LA to SF--except there's slightly more greenery alongside of the road. I had no idea Malaysia was so developed.

Feeling @ home

Ever meet a group of people and feel very much at ease? So much that you believe you've found "home"?

Location doesn't really matter. You can build a life anywhere. What's interesting is feeling you've found kinship (with the people, or maybe the environment) and calling that "home". The well-being of your state of mind is important, yes?

It's been a while since I've felt at home. San Francisco has not felt like home for a long time (years), because I often yearned to be in Asia travelling. As if I had left for Asia long before my physical being concluded to follow.

On July 7th, I went to Singapore for what was to be a few days stay but due to circumstances--coincidental, or otherwise--I stayed for what could easily have been months. (It was only two weeks, injected with a few days of Malaysia). I was lodging at the house of some friends of a friend. As it turned out, I felt at ease--at home--with these affectionately (self)labeled hippies. They've got their day jobs (designers, techies). By night, they twirl fire and play with drums (pictures to come). They're creative, artistic, easy-going people. Non-pretentious, and aware of their surrenderence to the rat race as a means to an end. I stayed in a flat nestled on a hill surrounded by trees (pictures to come). And, although I loathe the mosquitos that bit up my flesh leaving Orion and Big Dipper constellations all over my body, I felt like I was home, for the first time in years. I don't feel compelled to live in S'pore, but when I was at the flat with these [new friends] I didn't really want to leave. In all fairness, I should say one person in particular made it hard for me to depart the city-country of Singapore.

My good friend (partner in crime), Brian, on business visiting VN, was ultimately the reason that pulled me out of S'pore and washed me back into Saigon. Things happen for a reason. Maybe, I'm getting carried away with "holiday romance".

I need to figure out if S'pore, or Malaysia, is where I want to be (or, can be) for the next couple of years. I know I want to be in Asia. So far, amongst the Asian countries, Vietnam offers the best opportunities for me in terms of work. But, I suppose that could be a matter of perspective as well.

Onward with the journey…

No more bartending at the Heart Of Darkness; and, I’ve taken a leave-of-absence from work.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been contemplating whether to continue working or do what I came to VN to do: travel Asia and improve my Vietnamese. I’ve finally concluded that I have a big itch to travel; and, I best scratch it now before settling into a routine (i.e., permanent job, Vietnamese/martial arts classes, etc.). So, two days from today, I will fly to Singapore to visit my good friend, Cheryl. Big sis, Ngoc Lan, who owned Heart Of Darkness, will join me as she will visit her friend too. We plan to visit Malaysia and/or Bali when we grow tired of Singapore.

When we’re done with Sing./Mal./Bali, I will return to and travel within VN. I hope I don’t run out of money before then. :-P