I have had
Black Pepper and Chilli Crabs and soft shell crabs \m/
Barbecued Sting Ray
Deer meat
Pig Organ soup :(
Roasted duck
Tchu Tchu: Cockle shells you have to such the 'meat' out of
Pork ribs
Jelly fish
Octopus
Shark fin and crab meat soup
Abalone
An omelette with oysters!!
Grass jelly drink
Beef made from some special cows. These cows are handled with extreme care. The handlers even play music for the cows to relax!
Dumplings
Aaaaah! Life here is good
I've had HUGE black mushrooms and garlic prawns and all sorts of things made with tofu. I've tried soya milk, but it sux :(
I've had bee hoon noodles with fish cake and
the special Chinese dumplings made at the Dragon Boat festival time
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Third Weekend in Singapore
On saturday, I went to the Science Center. There was a Pixar exhibition going on.
When i walked in, I went straight for the Toy Story 3-d movie they were screening. It was charming! I loved it and so did all the other 6 year olds sitting in the audience oohing and aahing at Buzz and Woody! :D
After that I wondered around the Science Center. I went to the Green technology Hall. I got some ideas from there. 1) i want to grow artificial trees
2) there are several ways tidal power can be harnessed.
I then went for the pixar exhibition. it was the best thing i've ever seen!
I saw a zoetrope. I also saw several short and charming films and loads of crazy sketches! :D
On Sunday I went to dhobi gaut to buy a tuning fork. :P (i didnt manage to buy one :()
I then went to China Town and bought a kimono :P.
When i walked in, I went straight for the Toy Story 3-d movie they were screening. It was charming! I loved it and so did all the other 6 year olds sitting in the audience oohing and aahing at Buzz and Woody! :D
After that I wondered around the Science Center. I went to the Green technology Hall. I got some ideas from there. 1) i want to grow artificial trees
2) there are several ways tidal power can be harnessed.
I then went for the pixar exhibition. it was the best thing i've ever seen!
I saw a zoetrope. I also saw several short and charming films and loads of crazy sketches! :D
On Sunday I went to dhobi gaut to buy a tuning fork. :P (i didnt manage to buy one :()
I then went to China Town and bought a kimono :P.
Third Week in singapore
This week, I worked for 3 days with Winson, a phd student. he was testing a membrane bio reactor. His waste water purification technique involved using forward osmosis followed by reverse osmosis to make the purification process more energy effective.
I learned A LOT these 2 days.
I learned how to use the pH and conductivity meter, to measure the osmotic pressure, to measure the TSS. i learned how to use the master sizer to get an idea of the distribution of sizes of particle. I prepared the feed solution and the draw solution, I took TOC measurements and EPS measurements.
I was really kept on my toes for those 2 days!
The next two days, i spent preparing hollow fiber membrane strands for the integrity sensor and trying to see whether back washing the hollow fibers is easier than cleaning the flat sheet membrane. I ran this test, but unfortunately, I had increased the pressure to increase the flow rate to increase the rate of fouling. This had caused the hollow fibers to get deformed and back washing or even trying to wash it with cross flow, became nigh impossible.
I learned A LOT these 2 days.
I learned how to use the pH and conductivity meter, to measure the osmotic pressure, to measure the TSS. i learned how to use the master sizer to get an idea of the distribution of sizes of particle. I prepared the feed solution and the draw solution, I took TOC measurements and EPS measurements.
I was really kept on my toes for those 2 days!
The next two days, i spent preparing hollow fiber membrane strands for the integrity sensor and trying to see whether back washing the hollow fibers is easier than cleaning the flat sheet membrane. I ran this test, but unfortunately, I had increased the pressure to increase the flow rate to increase the rate of fouling. This had caused the hollow fibers to get deformed and back washing or even trying to wash it with cross flow, became nigh impossible.
2nd weekend in singapore
This weekend i participated in the international thomson tournament. It was a rapid tournament. Each player had one hour. I played colle from white and the scandivanian defense from black with Nf6 instead of Queen takes pawn.
I had a problem defending against d4 from black. My tarrasch opening is weak.
In my first game I was white and played colle and won. I was seeded really low so I got a decent opponent. (Lower seeded participants are paired off with the top seeds)
In the second game, I got a really tough egg. I was black. Luckily, he played e4 and I managed to trap his rook and was piece up for 2 pawns.
The third game was my biggest mistake. The guy who I played with went on the come first later. I was rook up after a brilliant ( i am modest aint I? :P) combination. We were both in time pressure at the end. he was in a worse condition than I. yet, when he asked me for a draw i accepted :(
He went on to win all his other games. I wish I had had the guts to continue playing. I would have easily won.
The next day, I lost my first game. My opponent played stone wall and I was completely screwed. I forgot how to defend against it :(
I won the next game, i drew the game after that. The position was dead equal.
I won the last game. It was crucial. I was really glad.
I knew I was in the top 5, but was really surprised to see I had come third.
It was a rather grilling 7 games
I had a problem defending against d4 from black. My tarrasch opening is weak.
In my first game I was white and played colle and won. I was seeded really low so I got a decent opponent. (Lower seeded participants are paired off with the top seeds)
In the second game, I got a really tough egg. I was black. Luckily, he played e4 and I managed to trap his rook and was piece up for 2 pawns.
The third game was my biggest mistake. The guy who I played with went on the come first later. I was rook up after a brilliant ( i am modest aint I? :P) combination. We were both in time pressure at the end. he was in a worse condition than I. yet, when he asked me for a draw i accepted :(
He went on to win all his other games. I wish I had had the guts to continue playing. I would have easily won.
The next day, I lost my first game. My opponent played stone wall and I was completely screwed. I forgot how to defend against it :(
I won the next game, i drew the game after that. The position was dead equal.
I won the last game. It was crucial. I was really glad.
I knew I was in the top 5, but was really surprised to see I had come third.
It was a rather grilling 7 games
Next week
On Monday, I went with Corliss to the New Water Plant to try and calibrate the Integrity Sensor. i learnt a lot from that!
On Tuesday, we performed the postmortem of the Integrity sensor and tried to figure out how to vary the SDI of the plant to calibrate the sensor for different SDIs.
On Wednesday and Thursday, I went to the lab to work with a phd student Stanny on his reverse osmosis apparatus. They cut up the membrane into 28 parts and then tested each part of the membrane to test it for cultures of bacteria. They prepared an agar solution to grow the cultures. They used an autoclave to sterilize the agar. They also measured the EPS of the membrane. EPS is the slime bacteria emit to stick on to the membrane. To get the test solution, they soaked the membrane in water and used the process of sonication to make sure that all the particles mixed with the water.I learnt how to use the various instruments and was extremely happy.
They also performed test to measure the amount of polysaccarides and proteins found in the sample. They also performed a TOC test to find the total amount of organic carbon present in the sample.
On Friday, i again helped with the setting up of 6 new integrity sensors for the 6 feeds in the new water plant.
On Tuesday, we performed the postmortem of the Integrity sensor and tried to figure out how to vary the SDI of the plant to calibrate the sensor for different SDIs.
On Wednesday and Thursday, I went to the lab to work with a phd student Stanny on his reverse osmosis apparatus. They cut up the membrane into 28 parts and then tested each part of the membrane to test it for cultures of bacteria. They prepared an agar solution to grow the cultures. They used an autoclave to sterilize the agar. They also measured the EPS of the membrane. EPS is the slime bacteria emit to stick on to the membrane. To get the test solution, they soaked the membrane in water and used the process of sonication to make sure that all the particles mixed with the water.I learnt how to use the various instruments and was extremely happy.
They also performed test to measure the amount of polysaccarides and proteins found in the sample. They also performed a TOC test to find the total amount of organic carbon present in the sample.
On Friday, i again helped with the setting up of 6 new integrity sensors for the 6 feeds in the new water plant.
Third weekend in Singapore
On Saturday I went to the Jurong Bird park.
I will upload pictures later. I have taken loads! Unfortunately, as I went alone, I do not feature in any of the pictures :(
On Sunday, I met up with Kishore and went with him to Universal Studios.
It was awesome maxx! UNFORTUNATELY, the 2 big roller coasters were still not operational. Also, there were long lines for some of the rides as it was the weekend. To give you an idea of how crowded the place was, tickets were not available on the spot. Luckily, Kishore had booked beforehand.
The first ride we went on, showed how film producers mimicked a category 5 hurricane. It was awesome max! And we loved it. The scenery in universal was lovely and picturesque. It was totally magical!New York and Hollywood it was when we stepped out of the ride and into Wonderland!
The next ride we went on was at Jurassic park. A group of us had to sit in a huge float and after a ride through rapids in dinosaur territory we plunged down at 90 degrees to get soaking wet at the bottom! We would have loved to go on this ride again! But the queues were too long! :(
We then went on a ride called Return of the Mummy. It was a roller coaster in the dark. The effects made us totally gasp in wonder! We liked it so much, we went on it again!
We then went for an awesome max water show, where we saw a lot of cool water stunts!
After that we went on the Canopy Flyer, another roller coaster. We then went for a 4-d movie (Shrek!) I totally loved it! It was executed brilliantly!
Kishore then went rock climbing while I took pictures :P
Lunch was awesome at some Indian restaurant. It was a pity that Kishore got most of his food ON him rather than IN him.
After that, we went for a rock show :D
It was brilliant.
We then window shopped at Vivocity and wandered into the Nat Geo shop again!
Perfect weekend
I will upload pictures later. I have taken loads! Unfortunately, as I went alone, I do not feature in any of the pictures :(
On Sunday, I met up with Kishore and went with him to Universal Studios.
It was awesome maxx! UNFORTUNATELY, the 2 big roller coasters were still not operational. Also, there were long lines for some of the rides as it was the weekend. To give you an idea of how crowded the place was, tickets were not available on the spot. Luckily, Kishore had booked beforehand.
The first ride we went on, showed how film producers mimicked a category 5 hurricane. It was awesome max! And we loved it. The scenery in universal was lovely and picturesque. It was totally magical!New York and Hollywood it was when we stepped out of the ride and into Wonderland!
The next ride we went on was at Jurassic park. A group of us had to sit in a huge float and after a ride through rapids in dinosaur territory we plunged down at 90 degrees to get soaking wet at the bottom! We would have loved to go on this ride again! But the queues were too long! :(
We then went on a ride called Return of the Mummy. It was a roller coaster in the dark. The effects made us totally gasp in wonder! We liked it so much, we went on it again!
We then went for an awesome max water show, where we saw a lot of cool water stunts!
After that we went on the Canopy Flyer, another roller coaster. We then went for a 4-d movie (Shrek!) I totally loved it! It was executed brilliantly!
Kishore then went rock climbing while I took pictures :P
Lunch was awesome at some Indian restaurant. It was a pity that Kishore got most of his food ON him rather than IN him.
After that, we went for a rock show :D
It was brilliant.
We then window shopped at Vivocity and wandered into the Nat Geo shop again!
Perfect weekend
First week in Singapore
On the next day, I met my professor Dr. Adrian Yeo.
Almost immediately, I found myself in a meeting with Adrian, an American Professor Willian Krantz and Claire, a lecturer at the SP institute of Singapore to discuss my project on hydrogels. The concept was simple and I was slightly disappointed that I had been given what seemed to me an almost childish project. But as the discussion developed and the implementation was discussed, I felt totally depressed! Things were not as simple as they seemed!
I spent the rest of the day reading papers on the chemicals I would use to produce the hydrogel beads.
The next 2 days I discussed with Claire the various steps of implementation.
On Thursday and Friday, I helped Corliss who works in SMTC to run their new membrane integrity sensor and read some papers about it.
Almost immediately, I found myself in a meeting with Adrian, an American Professor Willian Krantz and Claire, a lecturer at the SP institute of Singapore to discuss my project on hydrogels. The concept was simple and I was slightly disappointed that I had been given what seemed to me an almost childish project. But as the discussion developed and the implementation was discussed, I felt totally depressed! Things were not as simple as they seemed!
I spent the rest of the day reading papers on the chemicals I would use to produce the hydrogel beads.
The next 2 days I discussed with Claire the various steps of implementation.
On Thursday and Friday, I helped Corliss who works in SMTC to run their new membrane integrity sensor and read some papers about it.
First day in Sgpore
The instruments that I saw in the lab:
I saw an instrument that used chromatography to determine the cut off molecular weight that would pass through the membrane. A standard compound is used as a reference. This is called gel permeation chromatography.
There was another instrument that used the same principle to determine the trace organic compounds that are present in the feed and permeate.
There was an instrument to measure the size of the particles present. This used optics to do so.
There was another instrument to measure particle sizes of smaller magnitudes. This would require a larger angle between the light rays.
There was an instrument that measured the contact angle of a liquid. This will give us an idea if the membrane is hydrophobic or hydrophilic. This is important as in pervaporation, only the water vapour is allowed to pass through the membrane while the water is not allowed to do so. This means that for this process we need a hydrophobic membrane. However, as in most of the applications we want water to pass through the membrane, most membranes are hydrophilic.
There was another instrument to measure surface tension as well.
There were many other instruments to determine the pore size of the membrane.
There was an instrument to measure the mechanical strength of membranes. Most membranes have a very thin top layer. This layer is supported to provide mechanical strength for the membrane. However, it is the top layer that is most important as it determines the process of transport through the membrane. The top layer changes dynamically with time as membrane fouling occurs.
There was an instrument present that measured the turbidity of the liquid.
This is because liquid polymer is used to make membranes. This is because, SMTC buys the polymer from a company. This polymer is then dissolved in a solvent. The turbidity of this liquid then determines the properties of the membrane.
There was another instrument present which measured the zenon layer of the membrane. This would determine the electrical properties of the membrane. This would be useful for the process of electro osmosis.
There was another machine there, which SMTC has in collaboration with professors from Sydney. This also examines the zenon layer of the thin top layer of the membranes. This machine can also be used for the characterization of thin film solar cells.
I also saw a machine that measures the total TOC of water. This is done by oxidizing the total Carbon present into carbon dioxide.
I saw the instrument that is used for the preparation of tubular membranes. These membranes are used in reverse osmosis. The way this machine worked is that the liquid, that these tubular membranes are made out of is present in a container. There is a spinaret present which spins this liquid around. Polymerization takes place and thin tubes are formed.
Later, I saw another machine that was used to make thin flat sheet membrane. This machine seemed interesting and used what looked like screen printing to produce thin
at sheets of membranes.
I saw some processes that were exclusively designed for the use of membrane technology in waste water management. Aerobic micro organisms reduced the waste into biomass and energy. Thus the BOD of the waste water reduces. Then the processes of ultra filtration or micro filtration take place. After this to purify the water still further we have distillation or reverse osmosis. The water is then removed via the membrane leaving the retentate behind. Thus the micro organisms have to go on being replenished.
We cannot simply use nano filtration because a tremendous amount of pressure is required for this process. The instruments that I mentioned above are the membrane bio reactors.
I also saw the membranes used to test forward osmosis and the bio processes involved to help in waste water reclamation. 'New Water' is a new concept that is steadily gaining force in the conservation of water.
For distillation, the temperatures maintained are around 50 degrees celsius. Most micro organisms are most active at temperatures around 30-35 degrees celsius. This is why for distillation micro organisms must be chosen carefully such that they are most active at temperatures around 50 degrees. There were machines to maintain the temperature constant.
I saw an instrument that is used to grow algae. It bubbles oxygen to the algae. It takes 2 weeks for the algae to grow. The water is then removed and the algae remains. The algae are used for the waste water cleaning processes. Membrane fouling reduces the performance of the membrane. Thus methods that either prevent membrane fouling, or methods that minimize fouling are being looked into. I was told that many processes to clean the membranes are also being looked into, like shining UV light onto the membrane to kill the micro organisms. Other techniques like preventing the micro organisms from using bio signals to communicate are also being looked into are used to prevent membrane bio fouling.
I also saw the protein aqauporin being used to make the pores of the membrane more permeable to water. Our kidneys are the best membrane system possible. They are selectively permeable and allow only certain ions to pass through as well. The protein aquaporin is basically biomimicry. However, it is in the initial stages of research only and work is ongoing.
I saw another machine used to measure trace compounds present in the feed and permeate. This is because, the danger of new contaminants is always present.
There were many machines in the lab to measure the pH of the water etc.
There was also an osmometer. There were machines to measure the flux rate. There were machines for surface charge analysis.
Reverse Osmosis is one of the accepted techniques for cleaning waste water. National Geographic broad casted a program which definitely established this as one of the most effective solutions for the future of water management.
Many machines produce various kinds of membranes so that the best membrane for a certain process can be chosen. I saw some finished membranes in the lab. They were of different colours due to the different polymers that were used to prepare these membranes.
I saw an instrument that used chromatography to determine the cut off molecular weight that would pass through the membrane. A standard compound is used as a reference. This is called gel permeation chromatography.
There was another instrument that used the same principle to determine the trace organic compounds that are present in the feed and permeate.
There was an instrument to measure the size of the particles present. This used optics to do so.
There was another instrument to measure particle sizes of smaller magnitudes. This would require a larger angle between the light rays.
There was an instrument that measured the contact angle of a liquid. This will give us an idea if the membrane is hydrophobic or hydrophilic. This is important as in pervaporation, only the water vapour is allowed to pass through the membrane while the water is not allowed to do so. This means that for this process we need a hydrophobic membrane. However, as in most of the applications we want water to pass through the membrane, most membranes are hydrophilic.
There was another instrument to measure surface tension as well.
There were many other instruments to determine the pore size of the membrane.
There was an instrument to measure the mechanical strength of membranes. Most membranes have a very thin top layer. This layer is supported to provide mechanical strength for the membrane. However, it is the top layer that is most important as it determines the process of transport through the membrane. The top layer changes dynamically with time as membrane fouling occurs.
There was an instrument present that measured the turbidity of the liquid.
This is because liquid polymer is used to make membranes. This is because, SMTC buys the polymer from a company. This polymer is then dissolved in a solvent. The turbidity of this liquid then determines the properties of the membrane.
There was another instrument present which measured the zenon layer of the membrane. This would determine the electrical properties of the membrane. This would be useful for the process of electro osmosis.
There was another machine there, which SMTC has in collaboration with professors from Sydney. This also examines the zenon layer of the thin top layer of the membranes. This machine can also be used for the characterization of thin film solar cells.
I also saw a machine that measures the total TOC of water. This is done by oxidizing the total Carbon present into carbon dioxide.
I saw the instrument that is used for the preparation of tubular membranes. These membranes are used in reverse osmosis. The way this machine worked is that the liquid, that these tubular membranes are made out of is present in a container. There is a spinaret present which spins this liquid around. Polymerization takes place and thin tubes are formed.
Later, I saw another machine that was used to make thin flat sheet membrane. This machine seemed interesting and used what looked like screen printing to produce thin
at sheets of membranes.
I saw some processes that were exclusively designed for the use of membrane technology in waste water management. Aerobic micro organisms reduced the waste into biomass and energy. Thus the BOD of the waste water reduces. Then the processes of ultra filtration or micro filtration take place. After this to purify the water still further we have distillation or reverse osmosis. The water is then removed via the membrane leaving the retentate behind. Thus the micro organisms have to go on being replenished.
We cannot simply use nano filtration because a tremendous amount of pressure is required for this process. The instruments that I mentioned above are the membrane bio reactors.
I also saw the membranes used to test forward osmosis and the bio processes involved to help in waste water reclamation. 'New Water' is a new concept that is steadily gaining force in the conservation of water.
For distillation, the temperatures maintained are around 50 degrees celsius. Most micro organisms are most active at temperatures around 30-35 degrees celsius. This is why for distillation micro organisms must be chosen carefully such that they are most active at temperatures around 50 degrees. There were machines to maintain the temperature constant.
I saw an instrument that is used to grow algae. It bubbles oxygen to the algae. It takes 2 weeks for the algae to grow. The water is then removed and the algae remains. The algae are used for the waste water cleaning processes. Membrane fouling reduces the performance of the membrane. Thus methods that either prevent membrane fouling, or methods that minimize fouling are being looked into. I was told that many processes to clean the membranes are also being looked into, like shining UV light onto the membrane to kill the micro organisms. Other techniques like preventing the micro organisms from using bio signals to communicate are also being looked into are used to prevent membrane bio fouling.
I also saw the protein aqauporin being used to make the pores of the membrane more permeable to water. Our kidneys are the best membrane system possible. They are selectively permeable and allow only certain ions to pass through as well. The protein aquaporin is basically biomimicry. However, it is in the initial stages of research only and work is ongoing.
I saw another machine used to measure trace compounds present in the feed and permeate. This is because, the danger of new contaminants is always present.
There were many machines in the lab to measure the pH of the water etc.
There was also an osmometer. There were machines to measure the flux rate. There were machines for surface charge analysis.
Reverse Osmosis is one of the accepted techniques for cleaning waste water. National Geographic broad casted a program which definitely established this as one of the most effective solutions for the future of water management.
Many machines produce various kinds of membranes so that the best membrane for a certain process can be chosen. I saw some finished membranes in the lab. They were of different colours due to the different polymers that were used to prepare these membranes.
Friday, June 11, 2010
First weekend in Singapore
I am currently doing an internship at the Singapore Membrane Technology Center at the Nanyang technological University. My project is on Waste Water Management. I found out about this intern via the placement cell. 3rd year and 2nd year Chemical engineering students and energy engineering students were eligible for this project.
At first, I was rather reluctant to sign up for it. This was because Membrane Technology is not exactly a main stream in ‘energy engineering’. But the project involved coming back to India and continuing the project in India and for India. This aspect of the whole intern appealed to me. I am not really the type of person afflicted with the disease of overwhelming patriotism etc etc. But I guess I don’t mind benefitting society in some way and get paid for it at the same time! :D
I reached Singapore on the 22nd of May on a wet drizzly Saturday. As the youth Olympics were being hosted by NTU, there was no accommodation available for interns on campus. Luckily, my boss’s secretary was living in a rented room in an htp flat close to campus. She managed to wheedle her landlady into letting me rent a room in the same flat!
That weekend was wonderful! I roamed around the city at will on Saturday. I was determined not to turn my nose up at anything. I boldly walked into a Chinese food place and pointed determinedly at a picture on the menu (It was in Chinese). Before long, a huge hot steaming plate was placed before me. Just as I was about to take my first mouthful, I saw the English translation of the menu card. I had ordered ‘pig’s organ soup!’
Needless to say, I went hungry on my first day :P
I have a school friend studying in NUS, On Sunday the two of us arranged to meet . Mehul was determined to give me a real Singapore crash course! I met him at NUS and he gave me a grande tour of the entire campus. It was really, really grand! The hostel rooms looked like hotel rooms. Each hostel had state of the art basketball courts and even a swimming pool!
A really interesting thing is that here students are given a lot of freedom. NUS has actually tied up with a night club! The students get free entry into this club on weekends! In Singapore, the government LOVES you!
Mehul and I covered a lot of ground that day. We went to the Marina Barrage. This is really interesting. A dam was built between the reservoir and the sea. However, the water in the reservoir is never allowed to mix with the sea water and is always fresh! We saw the recently built casinos as well. The government does not want Singaporeans to gamble, so it charges a heft entrance fee for Singaporeans. Luckily, both Mehul and I are Indians. But then again, another problem arose! We were under age!
Since neither of us wanted a lashing (its true! They whip public offenders), and neither of us had 1000 dollars (the fine), we decided to just take a picture for facebook and leave it at that.
We then strolled around the grandmax hotel Fullerton (which was once a post office :P). We had to use the under pass through this hotel to get to the other side. This was because the deputy prime minister of Singapore had just died and there was a whole procession in honour of him. We took pictures of the sea food restaurants alongside the bay. We fed the rather too friendly pigeons :) and took pictures alongside the jack fruit shaped theater and the baby merlion. We ate the biggest Mc Donalds on orchard street and then went to the Vivocity mall.
We went into the National Geography shop and browsed amongst the countless alluring treasures making plans to buy them 'when our ships came in' :P
We then took a train to the gates of Universal Studios to worship in wistful silence at the magical gates!
We then saw a small water show! The colors and special effects sealed the magic of the day. I had a blast!
At first, I was rather reluctant to sign up for it. This was because Membrane Technology is not exactly a main stream in ‘energy engineering’. But the project involved coming back to India and continuing the project in India and for India. This aspect of the whole intern appealed to me. I am not really the type of person afflicted with the disease of overwhelming patriotism etc etc. But I guess I don’t mind benefitting society in some way and get paid for it at the same time! :D
I reached Singapore on the 22nd of May on a wet drizzly Saturday. As the youth Olympics were being hosted by NTU, there was no accommodation available for interns on campus. Luckily, my boss’s secretary was living in a rented room in an htp flat close to campus. She managed to wheedle her landlady into letting me rent a room in the same flat!
That weekend was wonderful! I roamed around the city at will on Saturday. I was determined not to turn my nose up at anything. I boldly walked into a Chinese food place and pointed determinedly at a picture on the menu (It was in Chinese). Before long, a huge hot steaming plate was placed before me. Just as I was about to take my first mouthful, I saw the English translation of the menu card. I had ordered ‘pig’s organ soup!’
Needless to say, I went hungry on my first day :P
I have a school friend studying in NUS, On Sunday the two of us arranged to meet . Mehul was determined to give me a real Singapore crash course! I met him at NUS and he gave me a grande tour of the entire campus. It was really, really grand! The hostel rooms looked like hotel rooms. Each hostel had state of the art basketball courts and even a swimming pool!
A really interesting thing is that here students are given a lot of freedom. NUS has actually tied up with a night club! The students get free entry into this club on weekends! In Singapore, the government LOVES you!
Mehul and I covered a lot of ground that day. We went to the Marina Barrage. This is really interesting. A dam was built between the reservoir and the sea. However, the water in the reservoir is never allowed to mix with the sea water and is always fresh! We saw the recently built casinos as well. The government does not want Singaporeans to gamble, so it charges a heft entrance fee for Singaporeans. Luckily, both Mehul and I are Indians. But then again, another problem arose! We were under age!
Since neither of us wanted a lashing (its true! They whip public offenders), and neither of us had 1000 dollars (the fine), we decided to just take a picture for facebook and leave it at that.
We then strolled around the grandmax hotel Fullerton (which was once a post office :P). We had to use the under pass through this hotel to get to the other side. This was because the deputy prime minister of Singapore had just died and there was a whole procession in honour of him. We took pictures of the sea food restaurants alongside the bay. We fed the rather too friendly pigeons :) and took pictures alongside the jack fruit shaped theater and the baby merlion. We ate the biggest Mc Donalds on orchard street and then went to the Vivocity mall.
We went into the National Geography shop and browsed amongst the countless alluring treasures making plans to buy them 'when our ships came in' :P
We then took a train to the gates of Universal Studios to worship in wistful silence at the magical gates!
We then saw a small water show! The colors and special effects sealed the magic of the day. I had a blast!
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