Dodo arrived on Friday from a few days in Chicago and brought the blue skies and summer weather with her. It had been a soggy, dark affair the whole month and presto-chango, summer.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Paris - a Change in Outlook
Someone Brought the Good Weather from Chi-Town
Dodo arrived on Friday from a few days in Chicago and brought the blue skies and summer weather with her. It had been a soggy, dark affair the whole month and presto-chango, summer.
Dodo arrived on Friday from a few days in Chicago and brought the blue skies and summer weather with her. It had been a soggy, dark affair the whole month and presto-chango, summer.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Germany - Vellcome to the Boonstockles
Three Hrs on a Train - but a World of Difference
If you could combine Germany's efficiency and technology with Frenchie cuisine, you'd really have something. Here we were in a small town near Heidelberg, in schwanks environs at software meetings eating boiled slop for lunch. It's just three hours away by train and after two days, as hard as this is to believe, I couldn't wait to get back to Paris. That's saying something.
If you could combine Germany's efficiency and technology with Frenchie cuisine, you'd really have something. Here we were in a small town near Heidelberg, in schwanks environs at software meetings eating boiled slop for lunch. It's just three hours away by train and after two days, as hard as this is to believe, I couldn't wait to get back to Paris. That's saying something.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Paris - Fighting Jetlag
One of my "Special" Job Benefits
I think I'm beginning to reach my happy limit with regards to flying. It was especially stupid of me to fly from Paris to Singapore for 5 days, though I enjoyed it tremendously. I'm now in the dreaded jetlag zone. When I awoke this morning the clock read 4:10 and if I'm lucky it will read 5:30 tomorrow morning when I look. Just when I get adjusted, it will be time to go back to Singapore....
I think I'm beginning to reach my happy limit with regards to flying. It was especially stupid of me to fly from Paris to Singapore for 5 days, though I enjoyed it tremendously. I'm now in the dreaded jetlag zone. When I awoke this morning the clock read 4:10 and if I'm lucky it will read 5:30 tomorrow morning when I look. Just when I get adjusted, it will be time to go back to Singapore....
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Paris - Welcome Back!!
To Autumn....
Luckily, I don't hate Paris as much as I used to. Otherwise I would've become apoplectic upon arrival. Cold, in the 50's, rainy, ugly grey. Stuck in traffic for an hour on the way from the airport. Packs of smokers crowding the front door with their choke cloud. If you look closely, you can just make out the Eiffel Tower. Gotta love it... I find myself repeating: It's only ten days. It's only ten days. It's only ten days.
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Luckily, I don't hate Paris as much as I used to. Otherwise I would've become apoplectic upon arrival. Cold, in the 50's, rainy, ugly grey. Stuck in traffic for an hour on the way from the airport. Packs of smokers crowding the front door with their choke cloud. If you look closely, you can just make out the Eiffel Tower. Gotta love it... I find myself repeating: It's only ten days. It's only ten days. It's only ten days.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Singapore - Exploring the New Hood
Joo Chiat
Just a five minute walk away is a neighborhood called Joo Chiat. It is one of the places that maintains the original Singapore look - shophouses. There are few tall condos or government flats around, the highest buildings are three stories.
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Just a five minute walk away is a neighborhood called Joo Chiat. It is one of the places that maintains the original Singapore look - shophouses. There are few tall condos or government flats around, the highest buildings are three stories.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Singapore - Morning
View From the Rental
We went straight from the airport to our rental, a room on the third floor of a house in the East Coast neighborhood. The house belongs to the parents of one of Jean's girlfriends. The other third floor room is rented to a German student on a 6-month exchange program (we haven't met him yet.) We made a quick trip to Jean's mom's house to pick up some clothes and then had a nice dinner outside. At around 11 we crashed. I woke up at 4:30am, which is pretty good by jetlag standards and passed the time watching golf on my laptop via Slingbox. At seven, when the birds started to chirp, I snapped this shot from our window.
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We went straight from the airport to our rental, a room on the third floor of a house in the East Coast neighborhood. The house belongs to the parents of one of Jean's girlfriends. The other third floor room is rented to a German student on a 6-month exchange program (we haven't met him yet.) We made a quick trip to Jean's mom's house to pick up some clothes and then had a nice dinner outside. At around 11 we crashed. I woke up at 4:30am, which is pretty good by jetlag standards and passed the time watching golf on my laptop via Slingbox. At seven, when the birds started to chirp, I snapped this shot from our window.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Singapore - SuperTravelCouple to Unite
Linking Up in the S to the G
I am typing this up from Paris, about to board a plane to Frankfurt and onto Singapore. The Dodo recently arrived in Sydney from Shanghai. She arrives in Singapore a half hour ahead of me and from there we are moving into our rental apartment. More photos to come from the rental and weekend fun in Singapore. Heading back to Paris on Monday night.
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I am typing this up from Paris, about to board a plane to Frankfurt and onto Singapore. The Dodo recently arrived in Sydney from Shanghai. She arrives in Singapore a half hour ahead of me and from there we are moving into our rental apartment. More photos to come from the rental and weekend fun in Singapore. Heading back to Paris on Monday night.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Syracuse - Taming the Jungle
It's a Green Oasis Up Here
The tree has taken over. It's the fastest growing tree I've ever seen. The back yard is totally shaded and green, it's really beautiful. I spent a few hrs hacking at weeds, mowing the lawn and trimming the bushes.
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The tree has taken over. It's the fastest growing tree I've ever seen. The back yard is totally shaded and green, it's really beautiful. I spent a few hrs hacking at weeds, mowing the lawn and trimming the bushes.
Becoming a Chauffeur - Part 4
The Dreaded Five Hour Course
I was going to sit inside a windowless room for five hours on a sunny Saturday. As upsetting as that idea was, I was happy to be getting it over with. I picked a course at Shoppingtown in the third floor of a JC Penney's. The room was normally used to do JC Penney training but was rented out by the Branch Driving School for the occasion. I was first to arrive at ten am sharp and had to turn on the lights. It looked like a place where old furniture went to die. The same could be said for the air, it smelled tired as if it had been recycled over and over, trapped for years. Soon I was joined by the octogenarian teacher and about 8 students. They ranged in age from about 16 to 28. The class started off like a funeral and slowed down from there.
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I was going to sit inside a windowless room for five hours on a sunny Saturday. As upsetting as that idea was, I was happy to be getting it over with. I picked a course at Shoppingtown in the third floor of a JC Penney's. The room was normally used to do JC Penney training but was rented out by the Branch Driving School for the occasion. I was first to arrive at ten am sharp and had to turn on the lights. It looked like a place where old furniture went to die. The same could be said for the air, it smelled tired as if it had been recycled over and over, trapped for years. Soon I was joined by the octogenarian teacher and about 8 students. They ranged in age from about 16 to 28. The class started off like a funeral and slowed down from there.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Becoming a Chauffeur - Part 3
Taking the Written Test
I don't remember studying for this test the first time I took it around 20 or so years ago. The study materials are on the internet now and I perused them and took some practice quizzes. The stakes are much higher, how embarrassing would it be to fail this test at age 45. Matter of fact, I was determined to get a perfect score so I studied for a few hours. When the day arrived, Sal drove me over to the DMV and waited for me in the parking lot. When I walked in I almost feinted, there were about 400 people sitting there.
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I don't remember studying for this test the first time I took it around 20 or so years ago. The study materials are on the internet now and I perused them and took some practice quizzes. The stakes are much higher, how embarrassing would it be to fail this test at age 45. Matter of fact, I was determined to get a perfect score so I studied for a few hours. When the day arrived, Sal drove me over to the DMV and waited for me in the parking lot. When I walked in I almost feinted, there were about 400 people sitting there.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Becoming a Chauffeur - Part 2
Why Do Passports Only Last Ten Years?
A quick glance at the passport and shit, it's about to expire! Matter of fact, I need a renewed one just to be able to go to the DMV to take the learner's permit test. With only a week to go before the test, I decided to use an "expedited" service. I chose a private company from the internet and read up on the steps. First, fill out their internal forms. Second, get two passport photos. Third, make out a money order to them. Fourth, fill out the passport forms. Fifth, prove that I have an international flight within two weeks. Sixth, package it all up, Fedex it to them and pray. They promised to have a new one back to me within 4 business days and surprisingly, that's exactly what happened. A brand-new, microchip-embedded passport arrived exactly 4 days later. Damned good service, though expensive. Cost three hundred bucks - but I passed that along to company by way of my expense report.
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A quick glance at the passport and shit, it's about to expire! Matter of fact, I need a renewed one just to be able to go to the DMV to take the learner's permit test. With only a week to go before the test, I decided to use an "expedited" service. I chose a private company from the internet and read up on the steps. First, fill out their internal forms. Second, get two passport photos. Third, make out a money order to them. Fourth, fill out the passport forms. Fifth, prove that I have an international flight within two weeks. Sixth, package it all up, Fedex it to them and pray. They promised to have a new one back to me within 4 business days and surprisingly, that's exactly what happened. A brand-new, microchip-embedded passport arrived exactly 4 days later. Damned good service, though expensive. Cost three hundred bucks - but I passed that along to company by way of my expense report.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Becoming a Chauffeur - Part 1
The Beginning of a Long Process
Becoming a chauffeur in Singapore is easier than I thought, all I have to do is hold a driver's license printed in English. NY driver's license, here I come. Step 1 - proving my identity to the Department of Motor Vehicles. With just a passport and an original social security card I could prove who I am. Of course, I couldn't find my original card so I had to get a new one. In order to prove my identity to the Social Security Administration all I needed was a passport. So, if you do the math, the DMV should be able to accept just a passport, right? But why fight it? Off to the Social Security Administration I went.
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Becoming a chauffeur in Singapore is easier than I thought, all I have to do is hold a driver's license printed in English. NY driver's license, here I come. Step 1 - proving my identity to the Department of Motor Vehicles. With just a passport and an original social security card I could prove who I am. Of course, I couldn't find my original card so I had to get a new one. In order to prove my identity to the Social Security Administration all I needed was a passport. So, if you do the math, the DMV should be able to accept just a passport, right? But why fight it? Off to the Social Security Administration I went.
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