We are well into the Chinese New Year now. The celebration here was just spectacular. It's probably because I have been away from the Far East too long. The atmosphere is so very different. In NY, we celebrated because it's a touristy thing to do. I remember a few years back they moved the New Year's Day to Saturday because it attracts a bigger crowd. Here they celebrate it because it's a real holiday. You actually get days off from work 8-)
I had a good view of the firework at the Marina from my place, 26 stories up 8-) I also decided to venture into Chinatown on New Year's Eve to look for bargains. People told me that you can find cheap bargain because people are closing up shops for the holidays. Oh boy, was that a big mistake. I thought it was crowded during the lighting ceremony, this time the streets were simply impassible. Everyone apparently had the same idea. I barely managed to get some oranges because I needed to visit a friend the next day. It wasn't a very pleasant experience. On the other hand, if you prefer crowd...
Three things helped me get over the New Year break. First was the American fast food. Yes, my New Year's resolution of not taking any fast food in S'pore went totally out of the window because none of the regular food places was open. Thursday was KFC, Friday was Burger King and Saturday was McDonald. Actually, I was quite surprised by the food. At KFC, their extra-crisp chicken is spicy. Most S'poreans prefer "chili". Unlike the Mexican chili we refer to in the States, "chili" here simply means hot peper. So in all the fast food places, chili sauce is the default instead of ketchup. The French fries IMHO tastes better with chili sauce. Maybe they should start to offer it in the States.
Burger King in S'pore has something called Rendang burger. I am not quite sure what it is, but I think it's a Malay thing. Maybe someone can help me out on this. Nevertheless, it tastes quite good. I think it's time for me to venture into some other fast food places, like Pizza Hut. American fast food, you can't live without them 8-)
Second thing that was indispensable for me during the New Year was the TV programs. SBC (S'pore Broadcast Corp) broadcasted for a few days in a row. It's normal hours were from 3pm to 1am. But during this time, they extended their hours and offered quite interesting programs. Malaysian TV had a few good Chinese Kung Fu movies on: The Swordsman II, Once Upon a Time in China I, and Once Upon a time in China II. It was a far cry from the Saturday martinee Kung Fu movies that I am used to seeing on Channel 9 in NY. Too bad they were in Cantonese 8-(
Last thing that helped me survive the New Year was a very nice and tolerant friend that was willing to put up with me during the Holidays. I was given plenty of food and plenty of TV, not to mention a Red Bag from her parents 8-) Of course, I am back into collecting Red Bags. Call me thick face skined if you will, but I am making up for all these years of neglect. Got quite a few as a matter of fact. Even got a few from my bosses, non-taxable income. Wish they were more substantial though 8-)
One thing I have seen in S'pore that I haven't seen in the States is SBC text. It's a one-way videotex system that's transmitted like regular TV signal (someone please correct me if I am wrong). When you buy a TV set in S'pore, you have a few options. You can have NTSC, PAL or both. You can also buy a set with SBC text. It costs about S$100 extra, but it gives you 3 channels (for now) of videotex. You can get instant news, stock quotes (yes, Jonathan, instant stock quotes), and other information. It's a nice and convenient way of getting information.
Because of disk crash last week, I wasn't able to write about my experience at HRC (Hard Rock Cafe) in S'pore. I will write about it, along with Clark Quay, the new tourist attraction in S'pore, in the coming weeks.
