Going West with Mark Powers

Summer in Beijing 2009

2009-08-22T21:08:00.002+08:00

Mark's Frisbee Trick

Wow, this feels strange, to write a post in English! I have been writing in Chinese so much I almost forgot what its like to write in my native language. Unfortunately because Blogger.com was blocked since June, it has been difficult to find ways to get posts onto this website. Since then I focused on the Chinese website because A) it gets more viewers and B) I use a different system to write posts with the Chinese blog which is more convenient where I am.

Since my last post I have moved to Shuangjing, not far from downtown Beijing. I like this area quite a bit because it feels more international and cosmopolitan. There are nice restaurants and shopping. Traffic, particularly public transportation, is also more convenient than where I stayed before in Lishuiqiao.

Since March I have done a lot of sightseeing around Beijing with my Chinese friend. We have had such a good time I have stayed much longer in China than I imagined. I have also live in a nice apartment with a good view of downtown. For the price, and few thousand Yuan, which amounts to a few hundred US dollars, I can't imagine living in such a nice apartment in the US. Honestly, to live in the capital city, near downtown, in an apartment with a spacious living room, bedroom and nice kitchen and have a nice view of downtown and only pay few hundred dollars a month would be nearly impossible in the US.

For exercise, I usually do a little workout in the morning I have been doing for years. And nearly every evening before sundown my friend and I play Frisbee near the apartment. My friend has really improved since the first day we played. A lot of Chinese people pass us on the street as we play and seem very curious and interested in Frisbee as its not a sport or activity played at all in China. Matter of fact, we had to buy the Frisbee online because none of the stores around here sold them.

There are some international stores nearby and those have really helped me. I can buy things like cereal which I like to eat and even some taco sauce and pepper-jack cheese so I can make Mexican tacos, which I made for my friend. Life has been pretty nice this summer. However, I do need to start working regularly again soon. I prepared my resume and need to remember how to get myself into the job market. I have decided long-term that I want to be a website designer or media mogul, but a decent job would be good for the short-term.

6 weeks and counting in Beijing

2009-05-10T14:30:00.002+08:00

So I have been in China for a little over a month and a half, most of that time in the northern edge of Beijing, an area called Lishuiqiao. It feels more like the wild west in this part of Beijing. The streets are wide and dusty, the traffic chaotic, people everywhere going to and fro. That is a distinct feature of the eastern half of China where 90% of the Chinese population is located, it feels like there are people everywhere. You can't hardly go anywhere without seeing someone else.

It feels like a frontier town because everything is this area is relatively newly built, but not necessarily more modern or nicer. Its seems like people rushed to build up on the outskirts of town like a fevered gold rush during the boom around the Olympics. The contrasts of a modern shopping mall nearby surrounded new 30 story high rises, followed by tiny little brick housing left over from 30 years ago where some people line up to buy hot water.

Anyway, there have been some things that have struck me over the past few weeks, good and not so good, so I will be sharing them here. Here are some examples:

For example, Beijing transportation has improved. The subway and monorail system has gotten so much better in Beijing than before. I live near a very convenient station and it is much easier to get around town than my last stay when I often had to take the bus. The fair is still about the same, only 2 RMB per ride, that is about 25 cents. Still very cheap. Taking the bus is even cheaper.

However, I was shocked to see a new phenomena on the streets of China. There wer children literally, in the streets working. They would walk between lanes of traffic, going from window to window, passing out fliers or putting little cards into doors. Drivers hardly slowed down to avoid them.

I was dumbstruck to see this. I asked, how could people pay children to do such things, how could a society permit it? But I understand when some people are so poor, safety and education may not be above survival and eating. As everyone here tells me its not uncommon and that China is a developing country. When I see people struggle to survive here, it makes me treasure even more the opportunities for education and work so available and accessable in the US.

My Chinese website

2009-04-14T07:34:00.010+08:00

My English blog doesn't get even a tenth of the attention or viewers my Chinese blog does today. I remember a few years ago the reaction people had when I just had an English blog about my life in China. A Chinese girl asked to see my blog and I gave her the web address. She said it looked nice but everything was in English and she felt it was too tiring to try and read it. Which left me sorely disappointed.

I am sure there are some Chinese who enjoy reading in English, but I learned something very important from that girl's reaction. First, Chinese people are quite interested in foreigners, but reading English can tiresome for them. I can completely understand this and have the same feelings about reading in Chinese. I am interested, but reading a Chinese newspaper article or blog can quickly drain a lot of mental energy.

I wanted to reach a Chinese audience with my websites, so I decided the best way to do it was to try and write a blog in Chinese. I took my first shot with a website called Xiaoxitian "Little Western Heaven" which was the name of the community I lived in, in Beijing. I created a nice background, added pictures, and did my best to explain a little about my life and the community.

The reaction from Chinese readers was not what I expected, but positive. I was concerned my poor writing would be a big turn off. But on the contrary, Chinese didn't seem to mind my Chinese writing, and seemed anxious to help me improve. Additionally, they said they really liked my unique perspective and thought my writing was funny and cute (maybe cute in the sense that my writing was more like a child's than an adult). Anyway, the reaction was very positive. However, one big problem at that time was the long load-up time in China of web pages from web servers in the US. Normally, a website should load up within a few seconds, but from servers in the US, load-up times in China could take 30 seconds or more, which made people give up rather than wait. I fortunately overcame this problem by finding a local web host in China, and www.getpowers.net was born. The Chinese you see there actually says De-dao Li-liang, which means "Get Powers" in Chinese. Below that it says, "A blog written in Chinese by a foreign friend"

There were more twists and turn to the story, and the website still needed (and still needs) a lot of work. But average daily viewership has hit a few dozen a day in China, which I truly believe could just be the beginning.

There are plenty of videos, music, and one-time articles made by foreigners using Chinese, but I have scoured the web for other blogs written in Chinese by foreigners and there are very very few. Most have either stopped or write rarely. I was surprised to discover the prime minister of Australia (a former diplomat to China) speaks perfect Chinese, he's quite amazing.

My goal is to keep writing and promoting my website. I just love how the web can leverage one man's work to reach so many 24 hours a day. I think that is the big attraction of the Internet for me. The ability of one person to reach so many in time and space, to be so accessible, to reach such a broad audience, so quickly.

When I realized a few years ago while living in China how often I would be asked the same questions, and found myself repeating the same answers again and again, I knew there was interest, but not enough of me. I only have a limited time in a day, a limited amount of voice to talk with before I go hoarse, a limited amount of energy, and a need to make money somehow. The Internet leverages your time and energy a seemingly infinite amount.

So my dream of a web-based business was born. Of course its still in development, but I have hope that with continued work, good things will happen. Since I have returned to China, I have been able to promote my site further and write more content relevant to Chinese, and have seen a boost in the number of viewers and hits. Time will tell how things go. If you are interested to read what I write about on my Chinese blog, but can't read Chinese, there is a Google Translate tool on the webpage that allows you to change it to English instantly.

Back in Beijing

2009-03-25T07:35:00.002+08:00

Well, its back to Beijing. I had some trouble at the Singapore airport though on the way. They typically allow 50 Kilograms on long-haul flights, like LA to Tokyo, and I considered Singapore to Beijing the same. But I found out at the airport, all flights within in Asia are considered short-haul and only allow 20kg. So I had to negotiate with airline and basically beg them for a break. Otherwise I would have been 30kg overweight with my check-in luggage and pay more money than the cost of my ticket! I wasn't about to throw away my skateboard and guitar to get the weight down. I eventually got them down to just 10kg and paid that instead. I had to find a Internet Cafe and find my old e-ticket that proved I flew in from the US 6 months ago and that I would be returning to the US, which allows for more weight. What a pain in the butt.

Arriving in Beijing I got to see the new airport terminal they had built for the Olympic games. It was a massive glass and steel structure, very clean, well-designed and modern. Its nicer than the old terminal by far, but it takes a while to get around because its so big.

Also, once I got through customs I was not greeted by dozens of "heiche" drivers like before. Heiche means "black car" or illegal taxi. There used to be many of these drivers who would harass you as you get into the main lobby of the terminal. They supposedly charge less than a regular taxi, but if you are not sure what you are doing or where you are going, they could really rip you off. I used them before because I didn't know any better and learned the hard way.

But this time, they were all gone, and I went to a taxi stand where the taxis actually lined up. I just had a bit of bad luck in getting a taxi with a very grumpy driver who seemed like he just wanted to get his money and go home. I had him call my friend to tell him where to drop me off, and he dropped me off somewhere in that vicinity on the street, but I didn't know where. It was an embarrassing scene. Here is this foreign guy with all this luggage just standing on the sidewalk next to a busy street full of people. There wasn't another foreigner to be seen and I felt like all eyes were on me. I could feel the curious gazes.

Since I didn't have a phone I got some people on the street to call my friends and tell them where I was. Finally they came by car and picked me up. That taxi driver was really bad, he dropped me off about a block from where I was supposed to be.

My friends treated me to a giant Huoguo, literally "Hotpot" dinner that night. They take a pot that has a steel separator in the middle. They boil water on one side and spicy stuff on the other. You order all the noodles, meat and vegetables that you like and put them in the hotpot. If you like spicy, you put them on the spicy side of the pot. Once we got into the restaurant I could really smell the powerful aromas.

I ate a day's worth of food. I even ate a kind of tofu-like duck blood which looks like little red cakes. Actually it takes fine and is supposed to be good for you. I ate more than I wanted to, but when you are being treated its just polite to eat as much as you can of what's ordered.

My friend's also lent me a room to stay in. It was cozy and I can use the Internet, so I have was I needed. I can even see the Olympic stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest" from one of the windows. Its good to have friends in China.

The first thing I did the next day was go to the US embassy. I had only half a page left in my passport and needed to get more added. The US embassy does this for free if your passport is still valid for a few more years and you have less than a few pages left. The embassy compound is near Liangmaqiao on the east side of Beijing alongside many other embassies. There was a huge crowd of Chinese outside the building waiting for whatever reason. I was able to get straight in with my printed appointment letter and passport. They took care of me right away and was done within 30 minutes. I met some fellow Americans there, the first I had met in a long time.

I still have a lot of work to do. Extend my Chinese visa, find a apartment, find a job, etc, etc. Beijing is still cold in March, fortunately I brought a jacket with me.

Singapore - end of the line

2009-03-09T22:59:00.007+08:00

As I can't go into details here, but due to lack of trust, I feel I can't stay with my current employer. The last couple of years have been a bad time to work in the financial industry. Sometimes I think I have a little bit of bad luck, because the last time I got into the industry was around the time the Internet bubble busted and sent stocks into a free fall. However it seems this is much worse. I fortunately should come out of this financially a little better than before, but mentally exhausted and motivation to work in the industry again spent. Going forward I will probably choose work that I enjoy than whatever pays well. If I could get this website business off the ground, that would be even better.

I feel like I am getting closer. I have figured out some technical items, learned to better promote, and getting better content. I was surprised when I created my Mixed Martial Arts website just how quickly that could get viewers. As well as the website on probability. My Chinese websites are also doing well. I feel like that is the direction I want to go in. I have always dreamed of building great websites that could make money. I am still working on it. I want the freedom, control, and ability for them to work for me 24 hours a day 7 days a week. You make a website once, it keeps working for you and doesn't stop. But maintaining it is hard work. You have to keep adding and adding to keep it relevant. That's why I am working on finding other writers.

Anyway, the end game between my employer and I has finally arrived. I had to work hard just to get what was due to me. Since the work situation has changed now, I will have to move on soon. I have an idea of where I want to go, but I am keeping my options open until I have committed to a certain direction.

Ich bin Amerikaner

2009-01-20T23:30:00.003+08:00

"Ich bin Amerikaner" means "I am American" in German. I love to say that, it sounds so cool. I feel like Arnold Swarchenegger when I say it. From the couple of books I bought on the German language and the flash cards, I have started learning German.

I have discovered its so much easier to start reading German than Japanese or Chinese mainly because reading a new word doesn't require memorizing a whole new Chinese character. The grammar is more complicated in German though. Chinese and Japanese grammar is much easier. Its funny, because Chinese uses the same word for "He", "She", and "It", everything is a "ta". That is easy to remember. Chinese has no feminine or masculine grammatical conjugations. In German, everything has a feminine or masculine tense or formal and informal one. But at least I can start reading right away. I just need to learn how to pronounce them correctly.

I think in today's world it must be easier to learn a language. There is so much material on the Internet available to start learning and applying your language skills. For learning Chinese, my favorite website is http://www.chinesepod.com/. I can also easily read the original story of Hansel and Gretel written in German on another website.

The only thing that holds me back from learning more and faster is my own energy level. Sometimes I am just to plain too lazy to pick up the flash cards and learn something. But once I get going, I usually will enjoy it. Also, I don't want to forget one language while learning another, so its important to try and review.

Singapore TV has a Chinese channel that I watch often. But sometimes I will just read the English subtitles rather than focus on listening to what is said. I suppose that really is not helpful except for getting used to the sound and rhythm of Chinese speakers.

When watching TV in a foreign language, not only do you have to listen and pay attention to what is said, figuring out what words were said, you also have to figure out what was the meaning of what they just said. That takes concentration.

One interesting thing is I feel I have overcome the various accent differences in Chinese. For example, Americans in New York and Atlanta both speak English, but may have different accents. Chinese speakers from different areas are the same. Just like I can understand what a New Englander or Southerner from the US says in English, I feel like I can pick up what a Chinese speaker says no matter where he or she is from, as long as they use Standard Chinese words. In some parts of China they use almost completely different languages, like Cantonese in Guangdong province, or Hokkien in Fujian Province. Those same people when speaking Standard Chinese usually have an local accent. This difference, I feel I have overcome. When I first started learning Chinese, the vast variety of accents confused me. My experience going to a university to learn Standard Chinese helped me recognize what standard pronunciation is supposed to be like. Its funny when Chinese people tell me my accent is very standard, compared to Chinese people from provinces who grow up with strong local accents.

I really look forward to going to China again in the future. And maybe, someday, I will be able to make use of learning German and even go to Europe.

New Activity

2008-12-28T17:14:00.002+08:00

Wow, its almost 2009 already! Since moving to Singapore, I first struggled to get started, but I feel more relaxed and stable over the past month or so.

I finished reading the last book of Harry Potter. The series is 7 books long and took me a awhile to completely finish, but I enjoyed them a great deal, expecially the last 3 books as the story became more intense, darker, and more challenging for Harry.

I have purchased several books over the past few months on many topics from Chinese History to Economics to Brain Teasers to How to pick up girls. But I really enjoyed Harry Potter for the escapism, the magical world, the challenges and heroism.

Besides Harry Potter, I have been playing alot of basketball lately. I found a outdoor court, where people of many nationalities come to play. The level of play is in the range of my ability, not too hard, not too easy. It really has become part of my regular routine to go to the court in the evenings and play games of 3 on 3, 4 on 4, or full court with the guys. Its hard to believe, here we are in late December and I am playing outdoor basketball, sweating like a pig in shorts and a t-shirt, but that is Singapore for you, hot and humid.

I have become a huge fan of Mixed Martial Arts. I read news and watch the events over the Internet. I liked it enough I just recently started a new website at www.getpowers.com/mma to share news, videos and such.

Finally, I also added a new section to my PresidentSeek.com website for videos. I will add the debates, nomination speeches, inaugration speech, and other related videos so people can look back at all the excitement of the election and upcoming presidency. I look forward to building the site up to be 100% ready for the 2012 election.

Americans under attack

2008-11-28T08:34:00.003+08:00

Somehow, I get the feeling America and Americans have become the some new symbol of repression. It seems people around the world hate Americans because they consider us to be arrogant, overbearing, loud, short-sighted, aggressive, and almost imperialist.

They see Americans as takers and not givers.

Recently, there were attacks on foreigners in India. The attackers wanted to find anyone who had US or British Passports. I told a friend about this, and she said, "But why the British?", which sounded to me like, Americans, oh that is understandable.

If some attacker with guns calling out Americans and British stepped up to me, I would do my best Danish impression, "I'm from Coppenhagen Denmark!" Why Denmark? Because I think few people can distinguish what a fake Danish accent sounds like.

Obviously, I don't believe America and Americans are all bad. Matter of fact, I think Americans have shown many times they are ready to step up in times of global crisis. The first to give in times of need around the world. The people you can count on when the going gets tough. Americans have done alot of good and the world takes that for granted.

How can America improve its image? How can America change the growing tide of negative attitudes towards it? A change of foreign policy is certainly in order. Does America need to have its finger in every pie? A decrease in our demand and consumption of the rest of the world's resources would be another improvement. Stop attacking places without reason or provocation would be a big step in the right direction. Help the rest of the world with medicine and technology where we are wanted without demanding a change in that country's culture and politics would make us look better. We need not bow to dictatorships and oppresive regimes, but we need to learn to show respect and genuinely try to understand other countries systems, values, cultures, and differences. Rather than demand improvement from other countries, improve our own country. Lead by example. Let others follow our lead if they so desire.

I hope these kinds of changes will improve America's image.

GetPowers.com Two Year Anniversary

2008-11-11T12:18:00.007+08:00

I started GetPowers.com in October 2006. Previously, I had a little blog on Yahoo! GeoCities which I started in order to share pictures and stories from my stay in China, but I saw that Yahoo! kept putting their ads onto my website, partially blocking out the page and generally being annoying. I also wanted my own website, but I knew nothing about web hosting.
It was a cold Friday evening at Renmin University in October 2006 that changed my life. I was at English Corner, chatting away with some of the Chinese students. I met another foreigner there, a guy from South Africa, who was also visiting China. I asked him what he did there, and he explained to me that he was a writer and was making an income from his website. I was intriged, I had always been interested in making money on the Internet, how did he do it?

He said he didn't sell anything, simply he put ads on his website, and when people clicked on them, he could make a little money. Of course, I knew Yahoo! could make money by putting their ads on the website I made that was hosted by them. But how could I make money doing that? Would I have to find advertisers?

The South African man explained that you simply set up an account with Google's Adsense program, you get the programming code, you cut and paste it onto your website, then the ads just come up on your site. Of course the agreement with Google prohibits you from clicking on the ads on your own website, but if your vistors do, you can make a little money, and I do mean little. But with time and traffic, it adds up.

I really wanted to give it a try. I liked using the Internet, I already had my own website, so I thought lets give it a try and see what happens. I needed my own website though. I decided at first to use Yahoo! Webhosting, with a small fee, they would take off their annoying pop-up ads.
Then I had to rack my brains for a good website name. I wanted to think of something that was related to me, but unique and easy to remember. After a couple of days of brainstorming, I stumbled on "GetPowers". Like, if you want to get in touch with Mark Powers, just go to GetPowers.com! I contacted my family to ask what they thought, I wanted to make sure it was not to corny of an idea. They said it sounded alright and was easy to remember. Additionally, the domain name was still available. Nowadays its harder and harder to find website names that are not already taken. Soon, GetPowers.com was mine!

I immediately went to work. The thought of trying to make some money inspired me to try to make my online journal look better and add interesting content. Things were working great for the first 3 months, I was very pleased. I was getting lots of visitors from the US and China, and actually making money, enough to pay off the cost of the domain name and webhosting at least.
But then a series of disasters befell my website.

At the beginning of the new year, an Earthquake near Taiwan knocked out the trans-Pacific cables that linked the Internet from Asia to North America. My website was inaccessable for weeks, and even when Internet traffic was rerouted and generally restored, it seemed my website was still very slow to upload to most of the visitors in China.

Additionally, a website forum that I spent alot of time working on that started to take off was being attacked by Spam robots. These "robots" would visit my website and automatically post garbage messages onto the forum to visit their bad websites and buy their junk. I was spending more time deleting junk messages than actually writing new posts. And with the lost visitors from the earthquake disruption, I nearly gave up. It was too much trouble for too little in return.

Later, I discovered the Great Chinese Firewall of Censorship was blocking out Yahoo! servers. If any website on Yahoo! servers got blocked for having material that was illegal in China, all the websites on that server got blocked. Of course, that could be thousands or websites. Even after the Internet was restored in general, my website would often load very slowly or not at all. When I contacted Yahoo! about it, they told me about their problems with working in China. I only wish I would have know about that earlier and used another webhosting company!

In 2007 I returned to the states. I still dreamed of doing something special on the Internet, but was unsure how to do it. I forgot to mention, just before coming to the states, I was finally able to find a trustworthy webhosting company in China. The cost was reasonable, and at least, the speed and reliabilty to have a website hosted in China was comforting. So, GetPowers.net was born. A website in Chinese for Chinese people, accessable in China.

I also decided to spend the extra money and start working with a superior webhosting company in the US as well. I picked Dreamhost.com, smaller but by far better than Yahoo! but maybe a little more difficult to use than Yahoo! webhosting for beginners.

I created several webpages under the GetPowers.com name that were of interest to me. Such as alternative energy investing, determining probabilities, and funny pages.

I also picked up some ideas about different website topics that I could make like teaching English and politics. I created findenglishteacher.com and presidentseek.com. These websites are not blogs, but more like specialty topic websites. Recently, I even started a new website about foreigners in China called littlechinaworld.com.

I ended up making more money by building websites for other people or creating videos to put on websites than I ever made with web advertising. But I have not given up and I still have a few ideas up my sleave.

Change is in the air....

2008-10-25T11:57:00.006+08:00

Here is a great news article from Yahoo! news :Iraqis have money but lack know-how in spending it What's really funny is that the problem is the Iraqi government has money, but is having trouble spending it. SO... the US Government is sending advisers over there to help them out. I can imagine many you see the irony in this.

I don't want my blog to be a political platform, so I will refrain from further elaborating, but what a problem to be in, "too much money". From the news I read nowadays, it seems there is a lot of fear out there about the direction of the economy, and rightly so.

Singapore is technically in a recession. The economic growth went backwards again in the last quarter, a whopping negative five percent! A recession is defined as two quarters of negative growth. The US looks headed in that direction. Despite Singapore having a relatively strong financial base compared to other SE Asian countries, the Singapore dollar has been weakening against the US dollar. It seems that even though the US is ground zero for the credit crunch and economic turmoil, people believe the US Dollar is still a safer place to be than currencies of small and developing nations.

Though I live in Singapore, I miss China quite a bit. To alleviate my feelings I bought a couple books on China recently. One book, called "China - Land of Emperors and Dragons" was a brief history of China from the first dynasty of a unified China (Qin Dynasty) through the present. Though I've read books on Chinese history before, the events and people are so interesting and dramatic, and the turmoil, the battles, the heroes and ladies, the fools and betrayals.... no comic book or movie could capture it all. I think that is what many western tourists are looking for when the visit China today. Glimpses of that amazing past.

I hurts me though to read the terrible role westerners played in Chinese history in the last century. From forcing the Chinese to import opium, to blackmailing the emperors, to having western armies ride roughshod into Beijing and destroying some the China's greatest palaces, and outright thievery as some westerners stole and looted Chinese historical treasures is truly shameful. It reminds me in a way of how the Europeans came to Americas and brazenly killed and removed the natives for their treasure and land.

I truly believe China was in for the same fate if they didn't stand up for themselves. I can sympathize with periods in Chinese history where they wanted the foreigners out of their country and wanted to be self-sufficient. However, history has shown that doesn't work very well.

One of my favorite lines from Chinese literature comes from the first sentences in the first paragraph in the Three Kingdoms, a Chinese masterpiece written centuries ago...

"The world under heaven, after a long period of division, tends to unite; after a long period of union, tends to divide. This has been so since antiquity."

Chinese history is the history of the rise and fall of kingdoms and dynasties in Far East Asia. I guess that citizens of the Roman Empire or the Tang Dynasty, great empires in history, could hardly imagine their civilizations would fall and new ones reborn on their ashes. It makes me wonder about the world today, are we in the midst of a great destruction of a society giving birth to new one which will take its place? Maybe not a wholesale destruction, but maybe in bits and pieces. This change seems to take place violently, if not in weapons, then in some form, maybe even money, or stocks and bonds. I watch the world with bated breath.

Lose those unwanted love handles the Singapore way!

2008-10-05T10:58:00.010+08:00

Singapore Style Trim & Fit Plan
Annoyed by fatty flabs that just won't go away around your mid-section? Now you can sweat them off - Singapore style! Forget about the Atkins diet, South Beach diet. Forget about exercise and eating right, pills and other weight loss gimmicks. You can lose those unwanted pounds even while you're sleeping in Singapore, the heat and humidity will melt those unwanted love handles right off your body.

Singapore's unique location in the world, near the equator and surrounded by water allow for the ideal weight loss environment. With year round heat and humidity, you'll be sweating away excess fat in no time! For maximum weight loss potential be sure to turn off your air conditioner. Better yet, just go outside and walk around the block. Once you see and feel your sweat soaked clothes, you'll know just how effective the Singapore Style Trim & Fit Plan really is!

Testimonial:
Mark Powers, originally from the US, arrived in Singapore just recently. What does he have to say?

Mark: I used to be a health nut, watching what I eat and doing exercise, but it required a lot of work and discipline. Now, I can just walk to the store and sweat off at least a pound on the way, and another two pounds back carrying the bags! Sometimes I can just sweat standing around waiting for the train or bus! Thanks Singapore!

We're so sure you'll be satisfied with your new Singapore Style Trim & Fit Plan, we will give you a new convenient Travel Towel! Take it with you wherever you go, to wipe away the pounds as they come off your body!

The Macabre Box of Short Stories - By Jason Epple - Available Now!

2008-10-04T10:07:00.004+08:00

Interview with Jace

My best buddy from way back in 2nd grade in elementary school, Jason Epple, has authored a book! A real, 100+ pages book, ready for purchase online right now. Jason, who worked his tail off in California, first as a struggling musician, and then later as struggling student trying to get his degree in education so he could become a teacher, wrote in his extra time. I think he wrote a lot as a form of therapy, but in our difficult and darkest hours, if we let our minds go, we can unleash amazing amounts of creativity. I think that was what happened to Jason. When he wasn't substitute teaching for some of the toughest schools in the country, inner-city Los Angeles schools, or preparing for his university classes at night, he wrote stories to blow off steam. He said he couldn't tell where the inspiriation or passion for these stories came from, but he couldn't stop from writing them down. He wrote one story after another. The story topics were dark and mysterious, but thought provoking and memorable.

I had just started my website business and invited Jason to write stories that we could put online. Jason first wrote some stories for the website, but soon discovered he had enough good stories that he could put them together and publish a book. He went about copyrighting his work and finding a online publisher. Every step along the way, we talked about his progress and what to do next.

I invested in Jason's efforts and remade Jason's website to just show a couple of sample stories, introduce Jason and get people to buy the new book online. Jason had to go through numerous editings, read-throughs, get a cover design (which came out great!), while finding a way to pay for professional proof-reading and publishing services with a reputable firm. And now finally, Jason's long-awaited book is online and available for sale!! I admit, I'm so excited because I have talked with him and encouraged him to write his stories. I feel like I did play a small role in the new book's development and arrival, so I am also thrilled to see it go into the world. I have built the new website for the book and I hope you will take a look, and maybe even buy a copy!

Please visit www.macabrebox.com

Musings from Singapore....

2008-09-28T14:23:00.007+08:00

Bollywood is the nickname for India's movie industry. Singapore's Indian TV stations play many Bollywood movies throughout the day. Since I only get a few channels on my TV, I can often catch a Bollywood show.

In Indian movies, the pace is fast, and no holds barred. No one dimensional leading men in these movies. The leading man might be telling jokes and charming a lady in one scene, then avenging a relative's death using acrobatic Indian style kong-fu on the bad guys, then start singing and dancing with 50 extras like right out of a Broadway musical. During a fight scene a wild cow is seen walking in the background. Its like what the heck is that cow doing in the picture. Totally hilarious and unique. Most of the movies are in Tamil, the common language of southern India.

I also find Singaporeans of Malaysian heritage to be very interesting. I often see young students who go to private schools, the young Muslim students (people of Malaysian heritage are commonly Muslim) wear white beanies or headdresses and light-colored uniforms. But its funny, these young cosmopolitan Singaporeans still wear bright pink Swatch watches with a giant watch faces, Channel pins to hold the headdress in place, and eat at McDonald's, which offers Halal (Arabic term meaning "permissible) hamburgers, which is food that is permissible according to Islamic law.

I was invited out by some new Singaporean friends recently to go rock climbing. We went to a practice facility near Little India (next to Farrer Park MRT station). I was ready to go a couple trips up the wall. The first problem was the largest climbing shoes the place had was a size 12, and I am easily a size 13. So I had to try climbing in my sneakers or socks.

My new friends were very friendly and showed me how to climb, use the equipment and how to be safe. After a few slow and exhaustive climbs up the wall, I found myself sore and tired. You can imagine I was already sweating buckets with only big fans to keep the place cool. But my new friends kept encouraging me, "Now its your turn". "You wanna try this one?"... And how could I refuse, I kept going and going. I think I made at least 10 or more climbs.

After the climbing and the showers, everyone went out for dinner. We walked over to a outdoor dinning place in Little India. Actually there are many outdoor dinning places in Singapore, its cooler outside. There are lots of little food shops and you pick one or more and buy what you like. Just tell the staff where you will sit and they will bring your food to you, no tips. The food here is not like what you would find in a US mall. No pizza, hamburgers, or Panda Express. You can buy fried chicken wings on a stick, stir-fry seafood and noodles, Roti Prata Indian bread and curry, and you can even try Crocodile meat!

Chatting with my new friends, which included Singaporeans of Chinese and Malay heritage, I was impressed by how accommodating they are for each others customs and religion. Its obvious they understand they have to be in order to live and play together in this cultural melting pot. I even caught my Malay friend use a "Ai-yo" a Chinese word for "Oh man" or "Oh no". I said, "Hey that's Chinese, why did you say that?" He said, "No, that's Singlish!" Singlish referring to the mix of English, Chinese, Indian, and Malay that is used by Singaporeans.

Worst financial crisis since the Great Depression

2008-09-18T13:14:00.004+08:00

That's how many people see the current credit crunch effecting Wall Street, the US, and the world. Last year, there were 5 major Investment Banks, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, Bear Sterns. Bear Sterns was taken over last spring by JP Morgan. Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, Merrill Lynch was taken over my Bank of America, and now it looks like Morgan Stanley is in merger talks with Wachovia. Goldman Sachs stands alone, I guess they must be considering taking some action. A fire sale of assets has begun, as the value of securities falls, companies have to sell more and faster to raise money and stay in business. A vicious cycle of selling.

But that is just the investment banks, Countrywide, Indy Finance, and now AIG are some of the other huge financing and insurance companies that have recently merged, gone out of business, or are under the protection of the US Government, which itself is ballooning with debt and financial obligations.

The US Government also had to come in and protect the largest home loan organizations Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which back up most of the mortgages in the US, a foundation of the financial pyramid so to speak. The housing boom of just a few years ago, has completely bust.

SO the US Government, already the largest debtor nation on earth, engaged in a never ending war on terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq, with a negative balance of trade and massive social security obligations, is taking on billions, maybe trillions of dollars in additional debt, due to potential losses from these companies the US has essentially taken over.

Though the US Government has the ability to print money, essentially covering all the debt, that would drive inflation and reduce the value of the dollar. We actually have already seen the dollar fall to new lows against the Euro and Yen this year.

A fear that has been talked about for years, but has not gotten much credibility until recently is that the countries that have lent us money, in the Middle East, China, and Russia, will start to demand higher interest or reduce their purchases of US debt.

The US already pays a substantial amount every year as interest on our national debt. If countries require greater interest rates to take on more debt or stop buying our debt, the US Government will have to A) raise taxes substantially to pay interest and government bills B) cut spending drastically, we may no longer be the superpower we have prided ourselves as in the coming years. So the US Government, like the average consumer, will have to face economic realities and face the collectors. The average consumer may spend everything available to him on his credit cards, do balance transfers, borrow more money, pay off the interest on the initial loans and buy more, but this is a cycle that is bound to crash.

That is what many fallen stalwarts of US finance and business have learned recently. That is what the US Government may have to face now as well, some very tough choices going forward, unless some crazy country is willing to lend us more money. One thing is for certain, Wall Street and the US Government are becoming a shadow of the financial powerhouses they were a year ago.

Skiing - Singapore Style

2008-09-14T15:10:00.010+08:00

First, to get around Singapore, I needed some transportation. The MRT trains and subways are convenient, but I can't easily get down to the beach from the station. Skateboarding is nice, but my knee acts up if I go a long distance, so I bought a new bicycle yesterday. I had to ask around where is a good place to buy a bicycle in Singapore and was recommended to go to the Parkway Parade Shopping Centre. Notice that "Center" is spelled "Centre" here, must be British English. Anyway, on the top floor is a store called Giant, kind of like Singapore's version, albeit smaller, of Walmart. I found the bike section and tested out several bikes in the store. No one gave me any crap around riding in the store, and even a cute girl smiled at me.

Anyway, I chose the best and cheapest (call it a value?) bike I could find. A red framed S$98 off-road econo-bike. I rode it through check-out and took it home, not without getting lost on the way in Singapore's crazy street system.

I must mention for a moment here, some cities like Beijing and Phoenix have great street systems, well thought out, with all the roads running north-south, east-west, very easy to understand. Tokyo and Singapore on the other hand, with their constantly curving and diagonal streets, confuse the heck out of me. Especially when I pop out of a train station, I usually am totally lost. Even having a map in hand is not always enough to prevent me from getting lost. Come to Singapore and see what I mean.

Anyway, I took my new bike and camera to Singapore's lovely beach park today. With its clean, wide bike and walking paths, lush trees and flowers, and plenty of recreation equipment, I think I will be heading over there quite a bit. Today, I even discovered a small lake for doing water-skiing and wakeboarding! There is no boat involved, simply a cable system erected around the lake and people hold onto the cable and are pulled around as if behind a boat. I took this video because it looked so fun.

The bike path never seems to end. I wonder if it goes around the island. Unfortunately, I wasn't using any sunscreen and could feel my skin turning beat red and decided to head home.

Of all the people....

2008-09-10T08:45:00.005+08:00

By my first impression, I don't want a person who is pro-oil and best known as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska to be a heartbeat away from becoming President of the United States of America.

Of all the people available in this country to be a leader of all Americans, why did John McCain pick Sarah Palin?? She certainly doesn't seem like an experienced leader who can navigate the incredibly difficult challenges this country is facing.

Ok, people like soccer moms. But does that make them fit to be President nowadays? Do you know Abraham Lincoln wrote all his own speaches and prepared by himself for debates? George Washington faced the greatest challenges standing up to the British during the Revolutionary War.

Sarah Palin has to be coached on all the issues by the McCain team on everything from foreign policy on Russia to illegal immigration. She has to be coached because she doesn't know anything about the issues. She hasn't even been allowed to speak to the press since she was picked as a VP candidate.

I used to think McCain was honest and a patriot. I even supported him in 2000. But after his lengthly support of all the Bush policies, and the hypocrisy of picking Sarah Palin after berating Obama for inexperience, I have lost all faith in McCain. How could he pick someone with so little credentials to be our Vice President. Does he not have any respect for the office? There were no better candidates among the Republicans for VP than Sarah Palin, former mayor of a tiny town and 2 year governor of Alaska with no outstanding record? What does that say about the Republicans? How would she choose our next supreme court justices? What would she do in the face of Putin's attack on Georgia? When OPEC raises oil prices, will she start drilling in Alaska to support her cronies in Wasilla? What do we have to measure her against? The press isn't even allowed to talk to her yet! How could people so easily support someone so unproven to be their leader?

I want true leaders who have overcome great challenges and shown good judgement for president of the United States, not soccer moms and dads. I want someone I can look upto, not someone I have no respect for. I have no respect for Sarah Palin, I never heard of her until recently, only know little of her, and of what I do know, doesn't impress me.

Where are the leaders of America? Of all the people....

Skating through Singapore

2008-09-08T10:04:00.005+08:00

One pleasant thing about Singapore is that the local beach park is very nice. It runs all along the east coast of the island, and stretches from the shore to the freeway, at least a football field in length full of grass and trees. There are smooth walking and bike paths, BBQ pits and exercise equipment, and places to wade into the water, with life-saving emergency equipment set up next to the beaches. There are several park custodians who trim bushes, pick up trash, and take care of the park. Its very clean despite all the visitors, a hallmark of Singapore.

I visited on a Sunday, and the bike and foottrails where full of people of all ages on roller-blades, bikes, and some funny new shoes that have springs on them. Actually, I saw people walk and run around on these things, but they seemed more uncomfortable and unstable then if they were just walking. The people didn't seem like they were moving around any faster, rather they looked like they would fall down in a second if they bumped into anything.

I went there with my long-skateboard (which looks exactly like the picture on the left). Its about double the size of typical skateboard and used for going long distances rather than tricks. I rode along the bike path, weaving around, people watching and being watched. Of course, I was the only person in the whole park with such a skateboard, and as I flew by, I stood out from the crowd.

I can do one trick, a kind-of skateboard pop-a-wheelie. I kick the back of the board and let the front rise up and roll along on just the back wheels. Its always fun to hear little kids yell out as I go along "Woooow! A Skateboard!"

Of course, I see mostly Asians in Singapore. I can't really tell their nationality by their looks. Most people look anything like from Indian to Chinese to Indonesian and everywhere in between. I hear alot of people speak Chinese dialects.

Singapore Languages:
Mandarin (35%), English (23%), Malay (14.1%), Hokkien (11.4%), Cantonese (5.7%) and other Chinese dialects (source: Worldatlas.com). Hokkien is spoken in Fujian province of China. Its like a different language, hardly resembling Mandarin at all. Cantonese is spoken throughout Southern China, particularly Guangdong Province and Hong Kong. Like Hokkien, its sounds like a different language from Mandarin, though they use traditional Chinese characters in writing.

I visited the Chinese Cultural Center in Singapore a week back and saw that many Chinese immigrated to Singapore over the past 100 years, under threat of death, (illegal immigration meant execution 100 years ago) to escape poverty and hardship in their native country.

I have to remember that many of these people maybe of Chinese, Malay, or Indian ancestry, but they are Singaporean. Just like in the states, we have people immigrate from all over, but they become Americans. I think many Singaporeans take pride in their citizenship like we do in the states. They owe their allegiances to Singapore, not the country of their ancestors. Just like I owe my allegiance to the US, not any European country where my ancestors came from.

As I skate along at the park, I turn into a sweaty mess. I'm a little embarrassed, but I take off my shirt and show my white untanned skin to this world of Asians. I'm sure the reflection of intense sunlight temporarily blinds many of them.

Besides a few pot bellies on the men, most Asians are slim. Even the overweight people look slim. Yet, among the younger generation there are a few kids who could use some exercise and reduce their McDonalds intake. At 6 feet tall, though about average in the states, I'm taller and wider than most people here. I have not done any clothes shopping yet, but typically I cannot find shirts with shoulder lengths long enough for me in Asia.

Do Asians use deodorant? I have not attempted any serious smell tests on people, but I hardly have ever seen Speed-Stick or Arrid Extra-Dry sold in stores like we have in the US. Matter of fact, Asian stores usually have some wet oily deodorants, that seem to me, would make things worse under your arms rather than better. And the package is so small you'd have to wipe with that thing several times to make sure you were covered. Maybe in Asia, a little dab will do ya'.

As I skate home, I cross the bridge over the freeway. The sign reads "Do not ride on the overpass, Penalty $1000" Another hallmark of Singapore, signs and fines. It seems to work though, every person who gets to the overpass steps off their bike and walks their bike across.

Political rant

2008-09-05T11:18:00.012+08:00

I read a news article today called "Asian soot, smog may boost global warming in US." First, I think its funny to say "global warming in the US". What's the point of writing global if its just happening in the US?

The other funny thing is I think the press is putting the blame for Global Warming on the wrong people. There is no doubt in my mind who are the biggest polluters in the world. Look in the mirror America, because its you! The US burns three times more oil and fuel per day than any other country in the world, period. According to the US department of Energy, the US goes through over 21 million gallons of oil a day, while the next closest country, China, goes through about 7 million. And they have 3 times more people!

So I think the press needs to keep focus on where focus is due, on US consumption of energy and its effects on the globe. We need to be the leaders of new alternative energy technology, not pinning the blame on asia. And we especially should not keep drilling off our shores for more and more oil. Has anyone looked a Brazil lately? Most of the cars there run on bio-fuels. Why must we do more expensive drilling when there are a multitude of better, cleaner options available? Honestly, politicians on both sides are really making me mad by trying to get votes by playing up oil prices and suggesting we do more drilling off our shores! Oil companies make enough already. Did you see the 160 story tall building they are building in Abu Dubai with oil money??? Its a statue to American energy policy idiocy! For all the talk about change in this election, its America that needs to change, and for starters, lets focus on energy policy.

See Official Energy Statistics from US Government

I am really here

2008-08-29T18:54:00.005+08:00

I was sitting at Irfan's Eating Corner, not from my apartment, waiting for my Murtaba. Irfan's Eating Corner is the name of a open-air restaurant that serves various ethnic food. The sign says you can even order

Thosai
Onion Thosai
Egg Thosai
Masala Thosai
Butter Thosai....

and some other Thosai varieties. But I don't even know what Thosai is. The logo for Irfan's is a big half moon, with a star next to it. Everytime I go into Irfan's, the waiter/owner wants to shake my hand.

He recommends the Murtaba, which I have no clue what that is. His English is about as good as my Hindu (if that is what he speaks), but a least he tells me I have a choice of Chicken or Mutton Murtaba. I choose Chicken.

Its about 5:30 PM, the overcast sky makes me think its later in the day. There is a good crowd of people at Irfan's. Sitting to my left is a old dark-skinned man, maybe Indian or Malay. He wears a beanie, loose fitting clothes and sandles. His skin is weathered, his nose turns downward at the end. He sips a dark orange colored drink.

Then I realize, I am in Singapore. Look at me, here I am sitting outside waiting for Chicken Murtaba, with people around me who don't share much similar culture with me, listening to music that sounds fine, but means nothing to me.

Well, at least I see my Chicken Murtaba arrive. Wow, its delicious! Its fried bread stuffed with chicken, egg, onions, and spices, and comes with curry to dip it in! Yummy!
The waiter gives me a fork and spoon, curiously no knife. I see other guys hold the food down with the spoon and cut with the edge of the knife. I do the same. Pouring helpings of curry over my Murtaba. Wow, its really good. As I concentrate on this delicious meal, cutting away pieces and covering it with curry before stuffing myself and swigging it down with water....where am I now?

Little India

2008-08-22T14:09:00.003+08:00

I am writing from a small internet cafe in Little India, with that high pitched Indian music in the background. Why is it that Indian music always sounds like its being played from a speaker system somewhere, its got a funny echo, maybe its recorded that way and intended to sound like like its coming from outside. Little India is actually really interesting to me, everything has a spicy smell, the music blaring from the shops is so distinctly Indian but very upbeat, the shops sell lots of colorful clothes. And of course the streets are full of real people from India. Their skin has a great color, but their faces seem more western to me. The men like to get perms. Nobody dyes their hair, its all a deep black color, and some men like to wear mustaches and turbans. Much of the artwork seems related to religious themes, the people or dieties are full of color and beauty.

People really do eat with their hands, I saw it with my own eyes. I saw two ladies seated at a table with a big plate in front of them. They pick up the rice with their fingers and eat it. The rice sticks to their hand. I would be going crazy to wipe it off, but they didn't seem to mind.

In other news, I will be signing the documents shortly for the new office and can start moving in next week. The hotel I have been staying in moved me into a SMALLER room (which I thought was impossible) because of high occupancy and I had only paid up until Frriday. The new room doesn't even have a window, now I can actually imagine what solotary confinement might be like, but it is cheaper than the old room. Hotels are really expensive in Singapore, expect to pay at least S$130 a night. This new room will only be S$105. Right now, one US dollar is equal to about Singapore $1.36 dollars. I use the abbreviation S$ for Singapore dollars.

Apartment hunting

2008-08-19T06:33:00.003+08:00

I got an agent to help. Fortunately, a friend of a friend recommended an agent in Singapore. We spent nearly a week, but finally saw something that worked for me on Sunday. The place is within walking distance of a MRT (Singapore's subway system) station, so it will be convenient to get around Singapore. It was hard to find anything that didn't have two bedrooms, and this one will also have two bedrooms. It's wasted space to me, but hopefully I can find a use for it. Its quiet, that was important to me. Its modern and will have new furniture, I like that. It's got a kitchen, the first time I've had a real kitchen in years. It was more expensive than I wanted, but prices for apartments in Singapore are all outrageous. Basically, despite a slowdown in the world economy, the competition is fierce for places in Singapore. As soon as the one I saw was available, I took it. I felt I had to move.

Variety of Singapore

2008-08-18T18:19:00.005+08:00

Singapore's special feature is that it truly is a mix of asian cultures, languages and religions, but the people all consider themselves Singaporian. I was on the train yesterday, to my left was a Indian man, to my right a woman in a white head-dress, probably Malaysian and muslim, and to her right were a Indian woman and her daughter in colorful Indian clothes, and in front of me some Chinese speaking high school students. I thought, amazing...

On another note, as I said before the English here is not what I am used to. Rather than elevator or escalator, people say "Lift". For Exit, they just say "Way Out".....

Sweating in Singapore

2008-08-15T08:38:00.004+08:00

Got here about 2 Am yesterday morning. I feel like a several days have past in the last 24hours. Man its hot and humid. Singapore, its exactly how you can imagine a modern international mixed bag of cultures with a colonial history in SE Asia to look like. I am house hunting, living out of a hotel room, that is really like a box, near Little India.

In one day you can hear a plethora of languages. The taxi driver speaks Malay, the salesman at the electronics store spoke Indian, the guys in the elevator speak Tamil, the agent speaks Mandarin Chinese, but speaks Fujian dialect (which is like another language) with friends and family. The signs on the shops and buildings are written in at least 3 languages. I've heard Austrialians (Ozzies) and British accents. Throw in Thai, Indonesian languages, Vietnamese, Philipines, etc etc. You could overhear 10 different languages in a day. Even every channel on the TV is in different language. The English channel just plays CNN all day.

Most people here speak English, but not the English I'm used to. For example you say "thank you", and they say "no worries" like we say "no problem" in the states. They keep saying "Top Off" or "Top Up" for renew or extend or fill up.

With all the various enthnicities, you can imagine all the varity in clothing styles as well. I even watched a fitness program with a woman wearing a head-dress. Nothing like the US and all the spandex. Because of the tropical weather, most business people don't wear ties let alone suits, except in the central business district with air conditioned high rise buidlings.

And food, I can't really say much yet. But by the looks of all the restaurants, there is a lot to discover. Anyway, its honestly a little exasperating to learn everything new again, but what else is new in my life.

Touchdown Tokyo

2008-08-13T09:56:00.006+08:00

I always get nervous a few minutes before the plane touches down. Its not that I fear a crash, rather, its the nervousness of arriving in a different place, preparing your mind for what you have to do, the challenges ahead, and the unknown. I think that is especially true before arriving in a new country, like Japan!

I arrived in Tokyo for business a couple of days ago. Narita airport is very modern and clean, it was easy to get through and out. Japan is more of a cash-based society, so I had to convert currency into Yen. I took the bus rise into downtown Tokyo is really interesting. Narita airport is outside the city, surrounded by manicured rice patties and lush green vegitation. As the bus nears Tokyo buildings multiply, shipyards and factories, then office buildings, multi-storied apartments to giant modern skyscapers.

In Tokyo I had alot of business to do and meetings with lots of people. Almost everyone I meet doesn`t speak much English or just doesn`t want to try. I usually have to rely on my Japanese.

I meet with people in offices, high-rise conference rooms, coffee shops, and in restaurants. I focus on work, I try to the keep what I say brief and to the point, but am open to all kinds of questions about a variety of topics. Its not usual for many Japanese to have chances to speak with foreigners who speak some Japanese and they are curious.

The food is terrific. I could say that again and again. I love Japanese food. Japanese restaurants typically use fresh and healthy ingredients as well as a healthy / not overdone approach to cooking. However, the proportions are almost never enough for me. I feel like I should get 2 or 3 bowls or dishes of whatever I order.

The humidity was crushing the first day I arrived. After stepping out of the hotel in my suit and tie, I felt soaked in minutes. I decided that despite the location I had to go to was within a few blocks walking distance, that I would take the taxi to avoid looking like a sweaty mess at the meeting.

In the morning, I walked over to the building where I worked years ago in Tokyo. The stroll down Eitai-dori was line a stroll down memory lane. The tightly bound rows of office buildings that house countlesss Japanese finance companies, a kind of Japanese Wall Street. On one corner was the building I used to work in. The name on the outside had changed, but the conservative office building exterior remained the same. Memories of me running top speed out of Kayabacho station, with my tie flying over my shoulder to make it on time to the office. The cold nights coming out of the building after work. That may seem very trivial, but at the time I felt a huge sense of pride to do what I was doing in Japan.

On the way back to Narita, I was so impressed by another thing so Japanese. Before the bus left to the terminal, all the baggage handlers and ticket agents lined up on the sidewalk, and as the bus drove away, they all gave a slow and deep bow of respect to the passengers. Truly a memorable sight to behold and lasting memory of Japan.

Saying goodbye to Hawaii

2008-08-10T03:26:00.003+08:00

Due to work, the time to leave Hawaii has come. I'll be heading to the exotic, international, and leading financial center of Asia, Singapore.

I expect that there will be plenty of things to learn and new experiences. I have some butterflies in my stomach, but at this point, there is no choice but to move forward.

My good friend took me out for a farewell meal. Though I had a choice of a variety of foods, I just wanted a big burger. Who knows the next
time I'll get to eat one of those.

I would have liked a bit more time to swim in the ocean and really soak in the beauty and environment of Hawaii before I go, but time is short and have to move quickly.

At least in Singapore, I should have some interesting and fun things to write about and take pictures of. I have often thought of creating a travel blog, full of wonderful images and interesting articles. I believe that Singapore will offer plenty of opportunities for that.