Singapore

It seems that it is time for me to go back to work, marking an end to another enjoyable trip through South East Asia. As I write this, I am sitting in the airport in Singapore waiting for my overnight flight to Dubai.

Singapore is a cool place. I had previously read that it was too organized, too clean, too efficient, too...boring. It is organized, efficient and clean, but definately not boring. The city has an incredibly unique history in that it is also a country. It hasn't always been such. Originally colonized by the Brits in the 1800's, the city was eventually handed back to Malaysia, it's neighbour to the north. After only a few years of Malay rule, there was some sort of spat and Malaysia kicked Singapore out in 1965. This should have been devastating as Singapore has no natural resources and very limited space. However, smart management and a very enviable geographic position (prime location on the most important trade route in the world) has lead to its emergence as a 1st world country while Malaysia still toils in the 3rd world.

Singapore has always been a trade hub and this has lead to several different ethnicities populating the city. Predominantly Chinese, there are also large Hindu (Indian) and Muslim (Malay) communities. This multi-ethnicity is what adds the spice to Singapore.

Melissa and I spent 3 days in Singapore together and I spent another day after she left (I didn't do much other than hang around to 6 story IT mall looking for a hard drive). We stayed in Chinatown and spent time exploring Little India and Arab Street. My favourite part about Singapore is easily the incredible food. Unbelievable. The city is very well planned and is very green. A jump back into the 1st world was a refreshing way to end the trip.

So now it is back to work. I received my handover notes from my rotational partner today and there is plenty of work to do. During his shift, he somehow contracted a major ear infection and spent 11 days in between Sana'a and Dubai getting it treated. In fact, he still doesn't have his hearing back in one ear and is headed to another specialist as soon as he returns to Calgary. That said, a few things dropped off. I am looking forward to getting back to my pampered life there (clean clothes, comfortable bed, 3 meals a day)and getting this 5 week shift over with so that I can get back to Canada. It's been a while.