Asia

Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. The Terrace, a restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand

2013 in signs and sayings, plus life lessons for 2014

On my travels to various parts of Asia, I often stop and take photos of interesting signs or pieces of English that I find interesting. Here’s a list of life lessons that we can glean from signs I’ve come across in 2013.

We all need money…

"Press for money" sticker on a crosswalk button in Singapore.

“Press for money” sticker on a crosswalk button in Singapore.

…but it isn’t worth going to jail.

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Sunset in Port Barton, Palawan, The Philippines

How to travel to a place that just had a natural disaster?

Last Wednesday night before I left for the Philippines, I had a think about if I should really be going. Considering that they were just hit 6 days before by Typhoon Haiyan aka Yolanda, I got on my flight with mixed feelings.

It may come as a surprise that our ultimate tournament in Manila scheduled for the weekend right after the typhoon didn’t get cancelled, but I’m glad that I at least was able to bring clothes and money to donate to people who are recovering. The tournament organizers rallied all tournament goers to bring donations of food, clothes, supplies, and of course money. There were teams and players coming from different parts of the Philippines, Singapore, China, USA, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, and probably other countries that I’ve missed. One Singaporean team gathered about 450 kg of donations to bring over! I’m not sure how much was donated in total in the end, but will update here if/when I find out. Continue Reading

[Review] Cafe Bicycle (Bangkok) review

Cafe Bicycle near Phloen Chit BTS station in Bangkok

From what I’ve heard, this cafe has closed down. That’s really too bad. It was a nice place!

Another cafe you might like is Too Fast to Sleep, or you can check out this list.

Cafe Bicycle is another coffee shop in Bangkok that I recently visited on my trip to Thailand. It is tucked away under the Phloen Chit BTS station. It’s a cute cafe with a sustainability angle and modern vibe. It isn’t a very big place, but it is pretty cute and comfy! Continue Reading

The communal cats of Singapore

Many apartment complexes in Singapore have communal cats that are fed by people who live in the various buildings. You’ll often find residents sitting at tables with benches in the open air communal areas on the ground level, feeding the cats and playing with them. These are the communal cats of Singapore.

How this cat hides from sun

It gets warm and sunny in Singapore, and the communal cats have a few favorite spots around the apartment complexes. On my morning commute which takes me through the parking lot to the bus stops on the other side of the road, I usually see this cat curled up in the shade of some motorebikes.
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[Review] Too Fast To Sleep in Bangkok

Too Fast To Sleep is a coffee shop or cafe in Bangkok, Thailand near the Sam Yan MRT station, and a short walk from the Sala Daeng BTS station. This is my Too Fast to Sleep review.

In addition to having a pretty awesome name, this coffee shop is a cool place to settle in and get some work done. Like the name suggests, it is open 24 hours and 7 days a week. Although I haven’t seen much of this city, I think this is my new favorite hangout in Bangkok… Continue Reading

Tips for moving to the USA from Singapore

Considering moving to USA? Here are some general tips and thoughts.

Since a lot of traffic has come to my blog from searches for moving to USA from Singapore, I thought I’d actually do a post on this topic. For reference, I grew up in New York City, so a lot of what I know is what I’ve experienced there. I don’t know much about the middle of the country except that it is very flat and there is a lot more space with less people. Though I have spent some time on the West Coast, I mostly know New York City and the East Coast. I moved to Singapore from the US in January 2013.

#bleedinghearts street art in Freemans alley in Manhattan New York

#bleedinghearts street art in Freemans alley in Manhattan New York

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Leaving Sakaerat today…and some thoughts on meeting Americans abroad

Chewy in Sakaerat

I’m leaving Sakaerat today! I’m a bit sad to go, definitely because the people here have been great and the nature and wildlife have been amazing. I wish I could come back, and I’m glad that I came. The colleague I came to visit has some really impressive research going on here, and I’m glad that I got to go out and search for her study species (Chiromantis hansenae) with her field team.
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