But I AM just doing it, Libby! :)
Despite yesterday’s post about day dreaming and having nothing technically “to do”, I am so not not busy in Singapore! I never intended to write about every detail of my life in Asia, nor do I particularly want to … Is this whole exercise self-indulgent? Is it more or less self-indulgent if no one really reads it? If a tree falls in the woods, does anyone hear it?
Anyway, here are some of the highlights of October –
The Peranakan Museum – I went here with an American woman I met named Belle. In the Malay speaking parts of Southeast Asia, the term ‘Peranakan’ means “child of” or “born of” and is used to refer to the people of mixed ethnic origins. The focus of this particular museum is on the Malaysian – Chinese group, the biggest of Southeast Asia. There was an exhibit of Peranakan jewellery called “Baba Bling”. I did not add the emphasis which makes that title even more awesome.
A discussion at Unifem – a NGO supporting women’s issues. The talk was led by a HIV positive Cambodian woman who was infected by her husband who died two years later. She has been living with HIV for almost 9 years. This woman was absolutely beautiful, and you’d never even know she was sick. I went to this event alone but struck up a very interesting conversation with a Dutch woman who had volunteered for a year in India working with HIV positive patients. With the current increasing infection rates in India, China, and Russia, it is projected that the focus of HIV will shift from sub-Saharan Africa to Asia. I heard that on an iTunes U download from Stamford the other week. iTunes U is quite possibly my new favoritest thing in the world. You know, besides peanut butter.
Opening night of ARTSingapore – Contemporary Asian Art fair – with VIP access! I was invited by this very interesting Singaporean woman I met named Sharmini. One of the best parts of the evening was getting to see where she lived and meeting her children. The art was typical in terms of contemporary art for me – some I loved and some I absolutely hated. But the coolest piece I saw was a sculpture by a Korean artist named Hwan Kwan Yi. He makes these sculptures of squashed people that make you feel so tripped out and a little dizzy and nauseous! But very cool just the same. I pulled this photograph off the internet – with the other people standing there, you get more of a sense of what I’m talking about. Right?!!!
Participated in the Pledge of Silence to raise money for Action for AIDS. Unfortunately, it was the same day as my school wide staff dinner, so I thought it would be SUPER weird of me if I didn’t speak to anyone hahaha. I pledged 4 hours of silence (no talking, no phone, no internet) and raised about $150. Thanks to a little help from my friends…
Speaking of – I love forging my own path in Singapore and spending time with people who live here and engaging with the community (which is how I find out about most of these things). But I also love that I have a built in network of PIA’ers, who, let me just say, know how to throw down! This is a photo of me and Ana – my chemistry guru – at her surprise birthday party. I also love this group photo, although it’s incomplete, and has a couple of PIA fellows from Thailand thrown in.
Upcoming in November: My first Mandarin lessons! A walk with 75 diabetes patients at 7am in the Botanical Gardens! A night of documentary screenings on Myanmar! Stay tuned to find out how much I suck at Mandarin, how many tissues I will use when I cry through the documentaries, and if I’ve slept through my alarm clock and missed the walk…
