Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Breaking Internet Silence
Yep, I've been more or less Online-Incommunicado for 11 days. The reason is the boring one; once The Wife arrived, I moved from the Old Friend's pad to a little bed n' breakfast (I'm still amazed that after putting up with me for nearly a week, we're still friends) which claimed to have a wireless internet connection. While it's true that the place does indeed have a wireless network, the wireless modem on this ol' laptop I'm still using was unable to connect.
Which means, of course, that this post is now being made from the New Digs.
So here's what's been happening in the meantime.
The Wife arrived safe and sound. Much to everyone's surprise, especially hers, she didn't immediately die upon stepping out of the Pearson International airport into the wintery white of Ontario. We checked into said B & B, thus causing said internet outage, and spent the last few days doing stuff like getting Social Insurance Cards (her first, mine lost since the Clinton administration and needing a replacement) and then checking out potential apartments that she'd sussed out online.
That did not go so great.
The old adage once again prevailed, about things looking better in pictures than they do in real life. The apartments ranged from either downright appalling to bizzarly Lynch-ean in aspect. A few were just in bad neighborhoods with genuine crack whores hanging around outside the doors while others were inhabited by strange cowboys surrounded by lace and Hindi decor.
However, while wandering around in the neighborhoods around the B & B, we found a few nice looking old houses that had "For Rent" signs outside the doors. One of those ended up having an entire second floor, complete with old fashioned water radiators for heating and bay windows. The neighbors on the first floor were incredibly friendly, cool people, and the landlord actually bent over backwards to accomodate the fact that we were basically immigrants with no credit record or any of the usual references from previous landlords that seems to be de rigeur for Toronto rentals.
We also checked out some of the other areas such as Bloor (which is in walking distance, we've got a pad in the Annex area of Toronto. Go us!), downtown with Eaton Center, and we're slowly putting things back together. A quick trip to Ikea got us our cheap, standard issue Insta-Home, and there are still a few boxes waiting to be opened and assembled. The Wife has her studio slowly coming to life with a drafting table, and I totally lucked out on a decent Hi-Def TV. Thanks to the magic of Craigslist, we found someone selling a never-out-of-the-box Samsung 30 inch CRT flatscreen for $625. He had some kind of deal going with the distributors where he took damaged goods off their hands and in this case, damaged goods meant the box, NOT the TV, had gotten banged up during shipment. So I've got my first HD TV, and even though it doesn't go all the way up to 1080p (only 720p and 1080i) it's still a hell of a lot better than what I was initially expecting (which was more like a crap, used 20 inch CRT) and I'm seriously contemplating getting some HD cables for the ol' PS2. I also got a new cellular phone and unfortunately, it's pretty fancy, despite the fact that was trying to get the cheapest phone with the fewest functions when we signed on for our subscription plan. The screens are in color and it has camera and video playback, a far cry from my old monocrhome Nokia who's single greatest feature was that it had flashlight built in.
I also think that perhaps my body is slowly regaining its Edmonton constitution. The first few days were a shock, and the cold was almost like a physical blow, today however, even just helping the delivery man bring in the futon sofa, I was able to walk out in just a pants and T-shirt, even though it was -6 outside. While I'm sure I'm no longer a match for Edmontonians dealing with a typical winter, I think I'm better able to cope now than the native Torontonians.
Things are still going to take a while to completely settle down. While the Ikea-fication of the apartment is nearly complete, our stuff from Singapore still hasn't arrived, and won't until later in February. The cats, however, will arrive on Friday, which is good, because I miss having them around, poor bastards. They must be traumatized by having not seen us for a week and the the plane trip will be an ordeal and a half for them.
There are a few more things, but I can't really remember them right now, I'm a wimp and I'm tired from moving TVs, bed frames, drafting tables and other heavy stuff up two flights of stairs as well as using the almighty Allan Key to screw together chairs, tables, book cases and night stands.
But at least things are coming together. The Wife is here, our cats are on the way, and so is our stuff. Pretty soon, we'll be able to call this place home.
Yep, I've been more or less Online-Incommunicado for 11 days. The reason is the boring one; once The Wife arrived, I moved from the Old Friend's pad to a little bed n' breakfast (I'm still amazed that after putting up with me for nearly a week, we're still friends) which claimed to have a wireless internet connection. While it's true that the place does indeed have a wireless network, the wireless modem on this ol' laptop I'm still using was unable to connect.
Which means, of course, that this post is now being made from the New Digs.
So here's what's been happening in the meantime.
The Wife arrived safe and sound. Much to everyone's surprise, especially hers, she didn't immediately die upon stepping out of the Pearson International airport into the wintery white of Ontario. We checked into said B & B, thus causing said internet outage, and spent the last few days doing stuff like getting Social Insurance Cards (her first, mine lost since the Clinton administration and needing a replacement) and then checking out potential apartments that she'd sussed out online.
That did not go so great.
The old adage once again prevailed, about things looking better in pictures than they do in real life. The apartments ranged from either downright appalling to bizzarly Lynch-ean in aspect. A few were just in bad neighborhoods with genuine crack whores hanging around outside the doors while others were inhabited by strange cowboys surrounded by lace and Hindi decor.
However, while wandering around in the neighborhoods around the B & B, we found a few nice looking old houses that had "For Rent" signs outside the doors. One of those ended up having an entire second floor, complete with old fashioned water radiators for heating and bay windows. The neighbors on the first floor were incredibly friendly, cool people, and the landlord actually bent over backwards to accomodate the fact that we were basically immigrants with no credit record or any of the usual references from previous landlords that seems to be de rigeur for Toronto rentals.
We also checked out some of the other areas such as Bloor (which is in walking distance, we've got a pad in the Annex area of Toronto. Go us!), downtown with Eaton Center, and we're slowly putting things back together. A quick trip to Ikea got us our cheap, standard issue Insta-Home, and there are still a few boxes waiting to be opened and assembled. The Wife has her studio slowly coming to life with a drafting table, and I totally lucked out on a decent Hi-Def TV. Thanks to the magic of Craigslist, we found someone selling a never-out-of-the-box Samsung 30 inch CRT flatscreen for $625. He had some kind of deal going with the distributors where he took damaged goods off their hands and in this case, damaged goods meant the box, NOT the TV, had gotten banged up during shipment. So I've got my first HD TV, and even though it doesn't go all the way up to 1080p (only 720p and 1080i) it's still a hell of a lot better than what I was initially expecting (which was more like a crap, used 20 inch CRT) and I'm seriously contemplating getting some HD cables for the ol' PS2. I also got a new cellular phone and unfortunately, it's pretty fancy, despite the fact that was trying to get the cheapest phone with the fewest functions when we signed on for our subscription plan. The screens are in color and it has camera and video playback, a far cry from my old monocrhome Nokia who's single greatest feature was that it had flashlight built in.
I also think that perhaps my body is slowly regaining its Edmonton constitution. The first few days were a shock, and the cold was almost like a physical blow, today however, even just helping the delivery man bring in the futon sofa, I was able to walk out in just a pants and T-shirt, even though it was -6 outside. While I'm sure I'm no longer a match for Edmontonians dealing with a typical winter, I think I'm better able to cope now than the native Torontonians.
Things are still going to take a while to completely settle down. While the Ikea-fication of the apartment is nearly complete, our stuff from Singapore still hasn't arrived, and won't until later in February. The cats, however, will arrive on Friday, which is good, because I miss having them around, poor bastards. They must be traumatized by having not seen us for a week and the the plane trip will be an ordeal and a half for them.
There are a few more things, but I can't really remember them right now, I'm a wimp and I'm tired from moving TVs, bed frames, drafting tables and other heavy stuff up two flights of stairs as well as using the almighty Allan Key to screw together chairs, tables, book cases and night stands.
But at least things are coming together. The Wife is here, our cats are on the way, and so is our stuff. Pretty soon, we'll be able to call this place home.
Labels: My Life, Neat-O Gadgetry, Them Crazy Kitties
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Last Night
Just watched Clerks II and strangely feel as if I've grown up a little bit by watching it. But I loved it.
And this is the last night without The Wife. She got on her plane hours ago (or so goes the theory) and should be enduring the most horrific part of the flight, crossing the Pacific. If she's very lucky, she'll manage to get some sleep, something I was unable to do.
I'm looking forward to this, since, in a clear sign of my weakness and co-dependency, it feels really, really, really weird without her around. Now as along as I remember to bring that hat, scarf, pair of gloves and coat to the airport, she might just survive the trip across the frozen arctic wastes of the Pearson International parking lot...
Just watched Clerks II and strangely feel as if I've grown up a little bit by watching it. But I loved it.
And this is the last night without The Wife. She got on her plane hours ago (or so goes the theory) and should be enduring the most horrific part of the flight, crossing the Pacific. If she's very lucky, she'll manage to get some sleep, something I was unable to do.
I'm looking forward to this, since, in a clear sign of my weakness and co-dependency, it feels really, really, really weird without her around. Now as along as I remember to bring that hat, scarf, pair of gloves and coat to the airport, she might just survive the trip across the frozen arctic wastes of the Pearson International parking lot...
Labels: Icky Couple Stuff, Movies, My Life
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Crime Has More Color
One of the interesting contrasts between Singapore and Toronto is how they handle crime. For example, in Singapore, we lived in a "colorful" part of town. That's not to say it was a particularly bad part, but there's more potential for conflict of the illegal kind in our area. Our apartment building was directly across the street from an older, ramshackle, vaguely sort of falling apart kind of complex which was in such poor condition because no one of consequence (ie, wealthy) had yet thought of renovating the "quaint" somewhat old building for their post-modern, revisionist requirements. So instead, that crumbly old building across the street was used to house foreign workers en masse, and when I say foreign workers I don't mean "professionals" that wear a tie and go into the office, so much as the legion of hedge trimmers, street sweepers and construction workers that fill out the jobs much of the locale populace had already deemed beneath them.
As a result, when you squeeze that many poorly paid, disgruntled manual laborers into a such a confined space, in bulk, nastiness is bound to occur. So while it was by no means common, we were privy to the occasional manslaughter, where people would die as a result of getting a bit too angry with each other during arguments.
This would normally result a cop car, perhaps an entire van, showing up while a few cops tried to figure out what to do next, since their normal activity in Singapore consists of helping citizens to fill out forms notifying government organizations of a change of address. Whenever anything even remotely forensic comes up, a kind of student-like bafflement ensues with the local cops, who more or less have the same reaction to a murder as a classroom would when someone bumps the class fishbowl onto the ground and while the teacher is out taking a call and will be back in five minutes.
However, this evening, just across the street from the Old Friends house, some kind of crime was committed (I've been told that despite the fact the rest of the neighborhood is decent and safe, that one particular apartment building is a mini-Mos Eisely in that it's a hive of scum and villainy) and whoo hoo! Ambulances! Fire trucks! Cop cars! Doughnuts and coffee! It was just like TV, but... colder. And no commercials.
Also, I have been informed by The Wife that the last vestiges of Singapore still cling to me with the annoying stickiness that only red tape can produce. The Ministry of Manpower, aka MOM, is now saying that the banker's guarantee we had as Crime Insurance in the event I committed a major infraction (y'know, like owning gum or not flushing the toilet in a public men's room, and yes, these ARE chargeable offenses in Singapore) still requires some kind of signature from me before it can be completely nullified. Unfortunately I wasn't aware of this because we never received their Psychic Telepathic Communication informing us of that detail, and it's not a detail that's readily accessible unless you're a bureaucrat.
I guess it's true what they say. You can never really leave a place. Because there will always be one last form to fill before they can file it, process it, put it out in triplicate, stamp it, sign it and enter it into a database...
On a happier note, The Wife will be here in a couple of days. Yay for wives...
One of the interesting contrasts between Singapore and Toronto is how they handle crime. For example, in Singapore, we lived in a "colorful" part of town. That's not to say it was a particularly bad part, but there's more potential for conflict of the illegal kind in our area. Our apartment building was directly across the street from an older, ramshackle, vaguely sort of falling apart kind of complex which was in such poor condition because no one of consequence (ie, wealthy) had yet thought of renovating the "quaint" somewhat old building for their post-modern, revisionist requirements. So instead, that crumbly old building across the street was used to house foreign workers en masse, and when I say foreign workers I don't mean "professionals" that wear a tie and go into the office, so much as the legion of hedge trimmers, street sweepers and construction workers that fill out the jobs much of the locale populace had already deemed beneath them.
As a result, when you squeeze that many poorly paid, disgruntled manual laborers into a such a confined space, in bulk, nastiness is bound to occur. So while it was by no means common, we were privy to the occasional manslaughter, where people would die as a result of getting a bit too angry with each other during arguments.
This would normally result a cop car, perhaps an entire van, showing up while a few cops tried to figure out what to do next, since their normal activity in Singapore consists of helping citizens to fill out forms notifying government organizations of a change of address. Whenever anything even remotely forensic comes up, a kind of student-like bafflement ensues with the local cops, who more or less have the same reaction to a murder as a classroom would when someone bumps the class fishbowl onto the ground and while the teacher is out taking a call and will be back in five minutes.
However, this evening, just across the street from the Old Friends house, some kind of crime was committed (I've been told that despite the fact the rest of the neighborhood is decent and safe, that one particular apartment building is a mini-Mos Eisely in that it's a hive of scum and villainy) and whoo hoo! Ambulances! Fire trucks! Cop cars! Doughnuts and coffee! It was just like TV, but... colder. And no commercials.
Also, I have been informed by The Wife that the last vestiges of Singapore still cling to me with the annoying stickiness that only red tape can produce. The Ministry of Manpower, aka MOM, is now saying that the banker's guarantee we had as Crime Insurance in the event I committed a major infraction (y'know, like owning gum or not flushing the toilet in a public men's room, and yes, these ARE chargeable offenses in Singapore) still requires some kind of signature from me before it can be completely nullified. Unfortunately I wasn't aware of this because we never received their Psychic Telepathic Communication informing us of that detail, and it's not a detail that's readily accessible unless you're a bureaucrat.
I guess it's true what they say. You can never really leave a place. Because there will always be one last form to fill before they can file it, process it, put it out in triplicate, stamp it, sign it and enter it into a database...
On a happier note, The Wife will be here in a couple of days. Yay for wives...
Labels: My Life, Singapore Stupidity
Monday, January 15, 2007
Caller ID Is There For A Reason
Mental note to self:
The next time the phone rings in a your Old Friend's home, do NOT just arbitrarily pick up the phone and say "Hello, [Old Friend's Last Name] residence, the mistress isn't in, how can I help you?"
Especially do NOT do this when the other person on the line is Old Friend's mom, who, after a few moments of shocked silence asks, "Who... IS... this?!?"
And then reply with an abashed, "Oh... hello Mrs. [Old Friend's Last Name]... er... how've you been?"
"WHO... IS... THIS?!"
Fortunately after revealing who the moron was, she immediately went back into friendly mode (I was the always the nice, but disturbingly odd young man in Old Friend's life, who was either destined to have a nice, odd life, or else bury several busloads worth of children in my backyard in her mother's opinion, I suspect), and I brought her up to speed on what I was doing, who I was married to, but not why I was referring to her beloved daughter as Mistress.
Mouth, meet foot. I knew you two were meant for each other...
Oh, and I managed to get my articles in on time. A quiet, productive day with a little bit of work and a little bit of humiliation. Perfect...
God, I'm such a schmuck...
Mental note to self:
The next time the phone rings in a your Old Friend's home, do NOT just arbitrarily pick up the phone and say "Hello, [Old Friend's Last Name] residence, the mistress isn't in, how can I help you?"
Especially do NOT do this when the other person on the line is Old Friend's mom, who, after a few moments of shocked silence asks, "Who... IS... this?!?"
And then reply with an abashed, "Oh... hello Mrs. [Old Friend's Last Name]... er... how've you been?"
"WHO... IS... THIS?!"
Fortunately after revealing who the moron was, she immediately went back into friendly mode (I was the always the nice, but disturbingly odd young man in Old Friend's life, who was either destined to have a nice, odd life, or else bury several busloads worth of children in my backyard in her mother's opinion, I suspect), and I brought her up to speed on what I was doing, who I was married to, but not why I was referring to her beloved daughter as Mistress.
Mouth, meet foot. I knew you two were meant for each other...
Oh, and I managed to get my articles in on time. A quiet, productive day with a little bit of work and a little bit of humiliation. Perfect...
God, I'm such a schmuck...
Labels: Friends, Journalism, My Life
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Oh, I Remember This
Today I stood stunned for a few minutes outside in the morning as the snow fell and tried to remind myself I actually grew up with this.
Other than that the rest of the day was mostly preparing for some articles that still need to be written for GameAxis (and are due very, VERY soon) and wandering around in the southern part of the city simply referred to as The Beach because--surprise, surprise--it's the part that contains the shoreline of Lake Ontario.
Then the Old Friend sat me through several episodes of a show called Arrested Development which is brilliant. And psychotic. In equal measure.
But I'm pretty much concerned about The Wife. She just came down with a stomach flu a day or two ago, so now on top of missing her somethin' fierce, there's the worry about whether her recovery will be interfered with by the grueling plane ride across the Pacific to come over here. Call me schlocky and whipped, but I just want her to be okay and safe.
Today I stood stunned for a few minutes outside in the morning as the snow fell and tried to remind myself I actually grew up with this.
Other than that the rest of the day was mostly preparing for some articles that still need to be written for GameAxis (and are due very, VERY soon) and wandering around in the southern part of the city simply referred to as The Beach because--surprise, surprise--it's the part that contains the shoreline of Lake Ontario.
Then the Old Friend sat me through several episodes of a show called Arrested Development which is brilliant. And psychotic. In equal measure.
But I'm pretty much concerned about The Wife. She just came down with a stomach flu a day or two ago, so now on top of missing her somethin' fierce, there's the worry about whether her recovery will be interfered with by the grueling plane ride across the Pacific to come over here. Call me schlocky and whipped, but I just want her to be okay and safe.
Labels: My Life
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Seeing The City
Morning was spent having brunch at some amazingly charming little restaurant called "Noon." Where I met the Old Friend's newer friends. They were a very easy going, extremely likeable bohemian style artsy couple and with any luck I will get to know them better, because they just seemed like two really nice people that you should be friends with.
After watching it on TV during my youth, I finally got to stand in front of the Muchmusic building on Queen Street West, and watched some of the high falutin', "Cooler Than Thou" cosmopolitans buying coffee (with super cool upturned collars!) at the Starbucks across the street.
I also found at least one promising comic book store which has already won me over. Also in the same area, it's called "Silver Snail" and when I was picking up the next trade paperback of Fables that I didn't have (that being Book 5) I was pleasantly surprised when teen-ish, female cashier behind the counter with the red streak in her hair informed me "We charge American prices for Marvel and DC books. Not for indie publishers though, sorry."
Still. Here I had thought that comics were actually cheaper in Singapore, and now, at least over at Silver Snail, they actually end up being surprisingly affordable.
Watched Black Dahlia. I'm trying to decide whether the parts I really liked outweigh the parts I really disliked, and vice versa.
Also, the Wife is sick and I feel bad about that, and miss her horribly, but at least she will now own some decent gloves and other assorted bits of winter wear after a visit to some place called the Mountain Equipment Co-Op. Or something like that. It seems horrifyingly Canadian though, in that everything seems designed to keep you alive and comfy in an igloo submerged under the Arctic ocean with an enraged polar bear scratching away at the roof...
Morning was spent having brunch at some amazingly charming little restaurant called "Noon." Where I met the Old Friend's newer friends. They were a very easy going, extremely likeable bohemian style artsy couple and with any luck I will get to know them better, because they just seemed like two really nice people that you should be friends with.
After watching it on TV during my youth, I finally got to stand in front of the Muchmusic building on Queen Street West, and watched some of the high falutin', "Cooler Than Thou" cosmopolitans buying coffee (with super cool upturned collars!) at the Starbucks across the street.
I also found at least one promising comic book store which has already won me over. Also in the same area, it's called "Silver Snail" and when I was picking up the next trade paperback of Fables that I didn't have (that being Book 5) I was pleasantly surprised when teen-ish, female cashier behind the counter with the red streak in her hair informed me "We charge American prices for Marvel and DC books. Not for indie publishers though, sorry."
Still. Here I had thought that comics were actually cheaper in Singapore, and now, at least over at Silver Snail, they actually end up being surprisingly affordable.
Watched Black Dahlia. I'm trying to decide whether the parts I really liked outweigh the parts I really disliked, and vice versa.
Also, the Wife is sick and I feel bad about that, and miss her horribly, but at least she will now own some decent gloves and other assorted bits of winter wear after a visit to some place called the Mountain Equipment Co-Op. Or something like that. It seems horrifyingly Canadian though, in that everything seems designed to keep you alive and comfy in an igloo submerged under the Arctic ocean with an enraged polar bear scratching away at the roof...
Labels: Comics, Friends, Movies, My Life
Friday, January 12, 2007
Toronto Day Two
Not much was accomplished due to the fact that I have an insufficient number of valid pieces of government approved ID, so that kind of squelched the whole "Hey, let's open a bank account" idea I was nursing. But a little bit of shopping was done and it looks like the next few days may hold some scoutin' out of apartments and/or art stores.
And I totally need to sleep right now...
Not much was accomplished due to the fact that I have an insufficient number of valid pieces of government approved ID, so that kind of squelched the whole "Hey, let's open a bank account" idea I was nursing. But a little bit of shopping was done and it looks like the next few days may hold some scoutin' out of apartments and/or art stores.
And I totally need to sleep right now...
Labels: Boring And Insipid Posts, My Life
Thursday, January 11, 2007
First Impressions
There is that lucid period in my head right now, the one that's two states past exhaustion. Was the trans-Pacific crossing long and painful? Yup. Was the stop in the American airport similar but with an added dash of paranoia? Oh yeah.
However, stepping out of the Toronto airport in a T-Shirt and jacket was surprisingly survivable. I'm going to chalk that up to the unseasonably warm weather the area's been having, since it was clearly not sub-zero. I couldn't see my breath. Met with Old Friend. Had pizza. Played with cat.
And now I should seriously try to crash for 12-16 hours.
But wow.
I'm home.
There is that lucid period in my head right now, the one that's two states past exhaustion. Was the trans-Pacific crossing long and painful? Yup. Was the stop in the American airport similar but with an added dash of paranoia? Oh yeah.
However, stepping out of the Toronto airport in a T-Shirt and jacket was surprisingly survivable. I'm going to chalk that up to the unseasonably warm weather the area's been having, since it was clearly not sub-zero. I couldn't see my breath. Met with Old Friend. Had pizza. Played with cat.
And now I should seriously try to crash for 12-16 hours.
But wow.
I'm home.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Sayanora Singapore
And, after over ten years on the Island That Common Sense Forgot, I now bid contradictory government policies, shameless elitism and a fear of failure so pathological it has its own reality distortion field, goodbye. That's all you get out of me, Singapore.
I'll dearly miss the people I've met and befriended here.
But I won't miss you.
And, after over ten years on the Island That Common Sense Forgot, I now bid contradictory government policies, shameless elitism and a fear of failure so pathological it has its own reality distortion field, goodbye. That's all you get out of me, Singapore.
I'll dearly miss the people I've met and befriended here.
But I won't miss you.
Labels: My Life, Singapore Stupidity, Travel
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
The Last Night Sort Of
Since the plane leaves on Thursday at 6 am, but as far as I'm concerned, that's Wednesday night sinct I won't have slept in the meantime. Today was another goodbye dinner. This time with the Wife's aunt. Also said goodbye to another friend and gave her Stuff and Money which is always good to get for free.
Y'know, maybe at some point I should seriously consider packing...
Since the plane leaves on Thursday at 6 am, but as far as I'm concerned, that's Wednesday night sinct I won't have slept in the meantime. Today was another goodbye dinner. This time with the Wife's aunt. Also said goodbye to another friend and gave her Stuff and Money which is always good to get for free.
Y'know, maybe at some point I should seriously consider packing...
Labels: Boring And Insipid Posts, My Life, Travel
Monday, January 08, 2007
Closing Down Continues
Today my bank accounts and Banker's Guarantee and all that other financial stuff were officially closed down. The only link I now have to living a "local" life is the fact that my phone still works, and that's only got a lifespan of about 48 hours at best and then that too will have its plug pulled.
On some level, things are finally startint to seep in that I am leaving this place. For the last year or so I've been mostly hanging out with the editor of GameAxis for obvious reasons. We see each other all the time at the office, and, more importantly, we just get along really well, being in just about the same age group, and having a similar sensibility with regards to games, comics, art, film, authority, and how to buck authority. Tonight was his birthday and so the Wife and I had our last dinner with him in what will potentially be either ever, or for the next year or so depending on how his--and our--fortunes turn out with regards to certain projects. But he's been a really fun, great guy to hang out with, and like the fella' I had dinner with on Friday, is one of those people I count as a good friend here. I'm gonna' miss him and the way we'd launch into a tangent about a particular comic book, trashy film or obscure game that would usually leave the rest of the crowd kind of wondering exactly what Tibetan monastery we had gone to school together in.
Also, for the first time since one of my friends got married, I watched Transformers The Movie. The Wife had a vague recollection of it as a kid, but this time she got the full on treatment, and, thanks to my incessant playing of Guitar Hero, had a newfound respect for the wailing guitar solo that follows soon after the hardcore utterance "The Transformeeeeeeeeeeeeeers!"
And, in case anyone is interested, the Wife is now doing her own personal Top Ten Countdown, where she lists the things about this island she is not going to miss. You may have to scroll up to see it.
Today my bank accounts and Banker's Guarantee and all that other financial stuff were officially closed down. The only link I now have to living a "local" life is the fact that my phone still works, and that's only got a lifespan of about 48 hours at best and then that too will have its plug pulled.
On some level, things are finally startint to seep in that I am leaving this place. For the last year or so I've been mostly hanging out with the editor of GameAxis for obvious reasons. We see each other all the time at the office, and, more importantly, we just get along really well, being in just about the same age group, and having a similar sensibility with regards to games, comics, art, film, authority, and how to buck authority. Tonight was his birthday and so the Wife and I had our last dinner with him in what will potentially be either ever, or for the next year or so depending on how his--and our--fortunes turn out with regards to certain projects. But he's been a really fun, great guy to hang out with, and like the fella' I had dinner with on Friday, is one of those people I count as a good friend here. I'm gonna' miss him and the way we'd launch into a tangent about a particular comic book, trashy film or obscure game that would usually leave the rest of the crowd kind of wondering exactly what Tibetan monastery we had gone to school together in.
Also, for the first time since one of my friends got married, I watched Transformers The Movie. The Wife had a vague recollection of it as a kid, but this time she got the full on treatment, and, thanks to my incessant playing of Guitar Hero, had a newfound respect for the wailing guitar solo that follows soon after the hardcore utterance "The Transformeeeeeeeeeeeeeers!"
And, in case anyone is interested, the Wife is now doing her own personal Top Ten Countdown, where she lists the things about this island she is not going to miss. You may have to scroll up to see it.
Labels: My Life, Singapore Stupidity, Travel
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Respect Your Elders
Tonight was one more in a seemingly endless parade of dinners and get togethers that have been converging ever since it was announced The Move was happening and was not some fake, pathetic, plea for attention or, a petty way to try and get people to convince us to stay with offers of more money and better party invites. This particular dinner was with The Wife's grandparents and, as you might expect, I kind'a had to rein it in and not be as obnoxious as normally could be.
It's always a bit weird for me in situations like this. I don't live the typical Expatriate Lifestyle (that is to say, full of maids, money and more or less hanging out with other white people and experiencing the High Life while the locals madly scramble about to appease my every whim) and I don't live the local life either (that being, scrambling to appease white people, or, on lucky occasions, coming into enough money that you can pretend to be a white person). Actually, I think I probably live that most rare of things in Singapore, the non-wealthy Creative Life, which mostly entails doing some kind of creative work, but actually relying on it to make a living rather than being a hobby to kill time while waiting for your white husband to come back from the office.
But anyway, so yeah, The Wife's grandparents. It's interesting to see what the old fashioned Singaporeans are like, because this is, in my opinion, a far more genuine take on The Real Singapore than what you normally get if you try to read the pamphlets and brochures. I mean, these people were alive (albeit as kids) during the Japanese occupation of the island in WWII, and they were already adults when they witnessed their home go from British trading post to sovereign nation. More importantly for me, however, these people didn't grow up having cellular phones given to them at childhood, having maids accompany them to school to carry their books, and laugh at poor people, citing either idiocy or an innate genetic inferiority on their part on their part for their economic condition. I am sad to say that most of the Well To Do in Singapore (or at least their children) have PRECISELY these traits and characteristics. So it's nice when you meet some people with experience and history who have worked hard for what they have and actually appreciate what it can cost to get those luxuries their children may take for granted.
Of course, they usually also think them crazy hippie artsey types are bad for the economy which is why I had to be on my best behaviour and, when asked what it was I do, I replied with the half truth, "Uh... I'm a... Journalist. Yeah, that's it." Somehow, that goes over slightly better than "I bitch about games on the internet."
Still, it was an interesting snapshot view of The Wife's outer satellite ring of family orbits. And her grandfather has a Jaguar. That's the first time in my life I've ever sat in one of those things, and he wasted no time in showing off the thing by taking it from zero to 60 in about 6 seconds. I also paid one last visit to the Boys & Girls of GameScore, my all time favorite gaming store in Singapore. They actually didn't know that I was leaving, so there was the usual round of goodbyes and "keep in touch, man" and all that other stuff which I find endearing and at the same time vaguely depressing and painful.
Oh well, just a few more days now...
Tonight was one more in a seemingly endless parade of dinners and get togethers that have been converging ever since it was announced The Move was happening and was not some fake, pathetic, plea for attention or, a petty way to try and get people to convince us to stay with offers of more money and better party invites. This particular dinner was with The Wife's grandparents and, as you might expect, I kind'a had to rein it in and not be as obnoxious as normally could be.
It's always a bit weird for me in situations like this. I don't live the typical Expatriate Lifestyle (that is to say, full of maids, money and more or less hanging out with other white people and experiencing the High Life while the locals madly scramble about to appease my every whim) and I don't live the local life either (that being, scrambling to appease white people, or, on lucky occasions, coming into enough money that you can pretend to be a white person). Actually, I think I probably live that most rare of things in Singapore, the non-wealthy Creative Life, which mostly entails doing some kind of creative work, but actually relying on it to make a living rather than being a hobby to kill time while waiting for your white husband to come back from the office.
But anyway, so yeah, The Wife's grandparents. It's interesting to see what the old fashioned Singaporeans are like, because this is, in my opinion, a far more genuine take on The Real Singapore than what you normally get if you try to read the pamphlets and brochures. I mean, these people were alive (albeit as kids) during the Japanese occupation of the island in WWII, and they were already adults when they witnessed their home go from British trading post to sovereign nation. More importantly for me, however, these people didn't grow up having cellular phones given to them at childhood, having maids accompany them to school to carry their books, and laugh at poor people, citing either idiocy or an innate genetic inferiority on their part on their part for their economic condition. I am sad to say that most of the Well To Do in Singapore (or at least their children) have PRECISELY these traits and characteristics. So it's nice when you meet some people with experience and history who have worked hard for what they have and actually appreciate what it can cost to get those luxuries their children may take for granted.
Of course, they usually also think them crazy hippie artsey types are bad for the economy which is why I had to be on my best behaviour and, when asked what it was I do, I replied with the half truth, "Uh... I'm a... Journalist. Yeah, that's it." Somehow, that goes over slightly better than "I bitch about games on the internet."
Still, it was an interesting snapshot view of The Wife's outer satellite ring of family orbits. And her grandfather has a Jaguar. That's the first time in my life I've ever sat in one of those things, and he wasted no time in showing off the thing by taking it from zero to 60 in about 6 seconds. I also paid one last visit to the Boys & Girls of GameScore, my all time favorite gaming store in Singapore. They actually didn't know that I was leaving, so there was the usual round of goodbyes and "keep in touch, man" and all that other stuff which I find endearing and at the same time vaguely depressing and painful.
Oh well, just a few more days now...
Labels: Icky Couple Stuff, Musing, My Life, Singapore Stupidity
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Drills, Del Toro & Dinner
The Wife is currently harboring the opinion that Singapore, now realizing we are about to escape its grasp, is now doing everything in its power to make our final days as annoying as possible.
Case in point, waking up at 10 am on Saturday morning to the sound of drills and hammers tearing out chunks of wall of the apartment below you.
The odd thing about this is the Wife actually heard the noise from this sudden renovation yesterday and, duly alarmed about it, went down and asked the superviser of the fun whether this would continue over the weekend and was told, absolutely, positively in no uncertain terms, NO, there would be no construction over the weekened. But then you have to remember that in Singapore there is a tendency to simply tell people whatever they want to hear, rather than get into a conflict about it, so everyone agrees with everyone else verbally, but then continues to actually screw each other over in action and fact. This resulted in a hasty coffee and then retreat into town for the afternoon. As you may have already guessed, the afternoon was spent catching an evening sneak preview of Pan's Labyrinth. Of course, for people in North America, this is hardly a sneak preview since the movie's been out since December, but I'm still currently living on an island where V For Vendetta was heavily censored to keep it from giving anyone the wrong idea about government, remember that.
Still, after watching it, I liked it a lot. I didn't love it, though I can completely see why it has garnered so much critical praise. There's a little something in the film for everyone, and the script is very tight, the story is well told, the parallel narratives nicely balanced, and the performances are universally excellent all around. The imagery (particularly the fantasy elements) were gorgeously composed, lit and shot, and there were some very significant themes, both politically and socially. It's an extremelly well put together movie, and I cannot for the life of me understand why I don't unabashedly love it, despite the fact that I have nothing but good things to say about it. I see many parallels here between what Del Toro did in The Devil's Backbone, his other movie that takes place in the Spanish Civil War era that also centers around children, paranormal events and military instability running concurrent with the occult plot. This film however, was a much more elegant and mature attempt and what he had done in the other movie, and I generally prefer it more, though I like both.
In a weird sort of way, I'm beginning to think that the way Del Toro manages to weave the supernatural, macabre and humanistic story elements all into one movie might actually make him a good contender to do a worthy Death and/or Morpheus/Sandman movie. His visual sensibility is very poetic and I could see Dave McKeans visuals sliding quite nicely into Del Toro's methodology.
And finally, there was a nearby eatery which had recently opened, and the Wife and I have been dutifully ignoring it until tonight. It's a "steamboat" restaurant, which, if you're not Chinese, means that every table has a small gas stove sitting on it. When you sit down to eat, they give you a big pot of chicken stock and turn on the stove so that the chicken stock can simmer. You order assorted meats and vegetables and then toss them in when the stock approaches boiling and thus, just keep adding to the soup and heaping more into your bowl as you see fit. Simple, filling and decent tasting. Also likely the first and last time we will ever eat this place.
And now, after all this pedestrian blogging, I'm going to be even more boring and scamper off to watch My Neighbor Totoro again. It's been years...
The Wife is currently harboring the opinion that Singapore, now realizing we are about to escape its grasp, is now doing everything in its power to make our final days as annoying as possible. Case in point, waking up at 10 am on Saturday morning to the sound of drills and hammers tearing out chunks of wall of the apartment below you.
The odd thing about this is the Wife actually heard the noise from this sudden renovation yesterday and, duly alarmed about it, went down and asked the superviser of the fun whether this would continue over the weekend and was told, absolutely, positively in no uncertain terms, NO, there would be no construction over the weekened. But then you have to remember that in Singapore there is a tendency to simply tell people whatever they want to hear, rather than get into a conflict about it, so everyone agrees with everyone else verbally, but then continues to actually screw each other over in action and fact. This resulted in a hasty coffee and then retreat into town for the afternoon. As you may have already guessed, the afternoon was spent catching an evening sneak preview of Pan's Labyrinth. Of course, for people in North America, this is hardly a sneak preview since the movie's been out since December, but I'm still currently living on an island where V For Vendetta was heavily censored to keep it from giving anyone the wrong idea about government, remember that.
Still, after watching it, I liked it a lot. I didn't love it, though I can completely see why it has garnered so much critical praise. There's a little something in the film for everyone, and the script is very tight, the story is well told, the parallel narratives nicely balanced, and the performances are universally excellent all around. The imagery (particularly the fantasy elements) were gorgeously composed, lit and shot, and there were some very significant themes, both politically and socially. It's an extremelly well put together movie, and I cannot for the life of me understand why I don't unabashedly love it, despite the fact that I have nothing but good things to say about it. I see many parallels here between what Del Toro did in The Devil's Backbone, his other movie that takes place in the Spanish Civil War era that also centers around children, paranormal events and military instability running concurrent with the occult plot. This film however, was a much more elegant and mature attempt and what he had done in the other movie, and I generally prefer it more, though I like both.
In a weird sort of way, I'm beginning to think that the way Del Toro manages to weave the supernatural, macabre and humanistic story elements all into one movie might actually make him a good contender to do a worthy Death and/or Morpheus/Sandman movie. His visual sensibility is very poetic and I could see Dave McKeans visuals sliding quite nicely into Del Toro's methodology.
And finally, there was a nearby eatery which had recently opened, and the Wife and I have been dutifully ignoring it until tonight. It's a "steamboat" restaurant, which, if you're not Chinese, means that every table has a small gas stove sitting on it. When you sit down to eat, they give you a big pot of chicken stock and turn on the stove so that the chicken stock can simmer. You order assorted meats and vegetables and then toss them in when the stock approaches boiling and thus, just keep adding to the soup and heaping more into your bowl as you see fit. Simple, filling and decent tasting. Also likely the first and last time we will ever eat this place.
And now, after all this pedestrian blogging, I'm going to be even more boring and scamper off to watch My Neighbor Totoro again. It's been years...
Labels: Anime, Icky Couple Stuff, Movies, My Life
Friday, January 05, 2007
The Tourist & Geeky Goodbyes
It cost me 30 Singapore dollars to become a tourist.
After going to the Ministry of Manpower aka, MOM, I got in line behind 200 other people who all decided that they needed so kind of Foreigner Love on Friday afternoon. It took a while, and many runs through the various futuristic race courses of Wipeout Pure on the PSP, but I finally did it. After the horrendously ridiculous bureaucratic storm that has dogged the attempt to renew the Employment Pass so I could stay legal until January, I went in with the official notice from my "employer" saying I'd been fired and they cancelled the renewal. I had to pay the administrative fee for cancelling the renewal, but it's now official; I am a tourist.
Then I went off to the home of one of my older friends on the island and we had one last dinner and geek out with Gears Of War along with the usual talking about the years we've spent as gaming losers, the good ol' days, etcetera ad nauseum. It was good. I'm gonna' miss the big lug. As well as those guilty hours being Huge Nerds when saner, more people were worried about their golf scores, or how the chick at the other end of bar perceived their flirtations. It's little things like hanging out with friends like him that made Singapore a slightly less intolerable experience.
It cost me 30 Singapore dollars to become a tourist.
After going to the Ministry of Manpower aka, MOM, I got in line behind 200 other people who all decided that they needed so kind of Foreigner Love on Friday afternoon. It took a while, and many runs through the various futuristic race courses of Wipeout Pure on the PSP, but I finally did it. After the horrendously ridiculous bureaucratic storm that has dogged the attempt to renew the Employment Pass so I could stay legal until January, I went in with the official notice from my "employer" saying I'd been fired and they cancelled the renewal. I had to pay the administrative fee for cancelling the renewal, but it's now official; I am a tourist.
Then I went off to the home of one of my older friends on the island and we had one last dinner and geek out with Gears Of War along with the usual talking about the years we've spent as gaming losers, the good ol' days, etcetera ad nauseum. It was good. I'm gonna' miss the big lug. As well as those guilty hours being Huge Nerds when saner, more people were worried about their golf scores, or how the chick at the other end of bar perceived their flirtations. It's little things like hanging out with friends like him that made Singapore a slightly less intolerable experience.
Labels: Games, My Life, Singapore Stupidity, Travel
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Oh My God, I'm Worthless
Despite the fact that I didn't actually do much except watch, point and occasionally sign documents, after seeing the movers cart off the bulk of Our Crap, I am tired. I am also, as promised , typing away this blog entry on the somewhat crippled laptop (crippled, as in the battery doesn't work, so it only operates when actually plugged into a socket) because my computer is now on its way to some warehouse where it will sit until such time as the boat comes in and its loaded up for a trip to India and Africa, then across the Atlantic. At least that's my theory.
In practical terms what this now means is I have no value as a human being (or at least a very minimal one) since we all know that a person's true worth is defined by their material possessions and has nothing to do with their character or achievements.
There are still a few things left sitting around. Although Guitar Hero is now gone--and anticipate 48 more hours of lucidity until withdrawal hits and I get the shakes. Bad.--a few Playstation 2 games remain to kill some time with. I'll be bringing the PS2 with me along a few other assorted items.
So the next six or so days are going to be filled with little in the way of enterainment except for that which I can make myself. Mr. Rogers would be proud...
Despite the fact that I didn't actually do much except watch, point and occasionally sign documents, after seeing the movers cart off the bulk of Our Crap, I am tired. I am also, as promised , typing away this blog entry on the somewhat crippled laptop (crippled, as in the battery doesn't work, so it only operates when actually plugged into a socket) because my computer is now on its way to some warehouse where it will sit until such time as the boat comes in and its loaded up for a trip to India and Africa, then across the Atlantic. At least that's my theory.
In practical terms what this now means is I have no value as a human being (or at least a very minimal one) since we all know that a person's true worth is defined by their material possessions and has nothing to do with their character or achievements.
There are still a few things left sitting around. Although Guitar Hero is now gone--and anticipate 48 more hours of lucidity until withdrawal hits and I get the shakes. Bad.--a few Playstation 2 games remain to kill some time with. I'll be bringing the PS2 with me along a few other assorted items.
So the next six or so days are going to be filled with little in the way of enterainment except for that which I can make myself. Mr. Rogers would be proud...
Labels: Guitar Hero, My Life, Travel
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Last Night Of Rock
In anticipation of The Move (with the majority of the stuff being shipped off on a slow boat to Canada tomorrow afternoon), I brought the ol' plastic Gee-Tar down to the GameAxis office for one last night of Rockin' With The Boys. As usual there was much fun to be had, and I'm going to miss those guys.
I'm also going to miss this computer. After tomorrow, I'm going to be making all my blog entries for the next month or so from the somewhat crippled laptop. With any luck the computer--still functional, I hope--will arrive in Canada in February along with the Rest Of The Crap that the movers will be shipping off.
Speaking of which, I still have a few odds and ends to itemize...
In anticipation of The Move (with the majority of the stuff being shipped off on a slow boat to Canada tomorrow afternoon), I brought the ol' plastic Gee-Tar down to the GameAxis office for one last night of Rockin' With The Boys. As usual there was much fun to be had, and I'm going to miss those guys.
I'm also going to miss this computer. After tomorrow, I'm going to be making all my blog entries for the next month or so from the somewhat crippled laptop. With any luck the computer--still functional, I hope--will arrive in Canada in February along with the Rest Of The Crap that the movers will be shipping off.
Speaking of which, I still have a few odds and ends to itemize...
Labels: Games, Guitar Hero, Travel
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Not A Cartoon Character
Instead, The Wife started wondering whether or not them crazy female devils ever decided to take up new and interesting hobbies. Like bodybuilding and professional wrestling. Y'know, wholesome stuff like that...
Also, after tabulating all the "funny books" I have now arrived at the grand total of us having approximately 160 graphic novels between us, most of it English, some purely in Japanese for art reference. Of those, there are two separate copies of the entire Sandman run, one in trade, which is mine, and one in hardcover, which is hers. Am now tabulating DVDs, and just. Doesn't. End. So far, the only noticeable casualty of borrowing seems to be our copy of Triumph The Insult Dog, which was loaned to someone and for the life of me I can't remember who it was anymore. Oh well...
Also, in retrospect, it was naive in the extreme to believe we had less than $3000 worth of stuff... So much for cheap insurance...
Instead, The Wife started wondering whether or not them crazy female devils ever decided to take up new and interesting hobbies. Like bodybuilding and professional wrestling. Y'know, wholesome stuff like that...Also, after tabulating all the "funny books" I have now arrived at the grand total of us having approximately 160 graphic novels between us, most of it English, some purely in Japanese for art reference. Of those, there are two separate copies of the entire Sandman run, one in trade, which is mine, and one in hardcover, which is hers. Am now tabulating DVDs, and just. Doesn't. End. So far, the only noticeable casualty of borrowing seems to be our copy of Triumph The Insult Dog, which was loaned to someone and for the life of me I can't remember who it was anymore. Oh well...
Also, in retrospect, it was naive in the extreme to believe we had less than $3000 worth of stuff... So much for cheap insurance...
Labels: Artwork, Random Blargh
Monday, January 01, 2007
The Boring Way
And how do you ring in 2007 when one part of the couple is a talented neurotic artist and the other is a snarky, overly verbose writer, both about to start on a new chapter in life together?
You make lots of coffee and itemize your books, CDs, DVDs, comics and games on Microsoft Excel so that the movers will have a complete list of insurable items when they come to take your stuff away (and hopefully not lose or break any of the stuff) on the 4th of January.
Gee willikers, we're excitin' folks, yeah?
And how do you ring in 2007 when one part of the couple is a talented neurotic artist and the other is a snarky, overly verbose writer, both about to start on a new chapter in life together?
You make lots of coffee and itemize your books, CDs, DVDs, comics and games on Microsoft Excel so that the movers will have a complete list of insurable items when they come to take your stuff away (and hopefully not lose or break any of the stuff) on the 4th of January.
Gee willikers, we're excitin' folks, yeah?
Labels: Boring And Insipid Posts, My Life, Travel
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