I LOVE AMERICA!!!!

So lately my blog hasn't been about my fabulous experiences in Singapore, and I want to keep my blog super happy and frivolous...but i just need to say this I LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE AMERICA with ALL my HEART!! No matter what has happened or is happening at this moment, thank you for making a place that is so diverse and exciting and just plain GREAT! I love that I am able to speak my mind and can chose for myself what is appropriate for me to watch/read/listen to. If any Americans have doubts of how amazing the United States is, take some time and live here and you will learn to appreciate our country!

     

I HATE how everyone has an opinion on the USA...when I tell you I am American do you think I want to hear your opinion. Do you think I give a shit? Do you think I want you to belittle my nation? Do you really think I will enjoy that...do you think PRETENDING to understand what is going on in MY COUNTRY because you watch Chanel 5 News (which is actually on Chanel 2...so don't you think you should rename it?) or worse FOX NEWS will make me want to be your friend?! Back off Singaporeans (and people who live here)...just because I live here at the moment DOES NOT mean I am some sort of political/economic migrant!

Maybe you are wondering what is bringing on this intense patriotism? This month in particular I have had a lot of people SHOVING their opinions of the United States of America, Obama and Americans down my throat. I've heard tons of people putting down America all while knowing that I am an American. And just about EVERYONE here seems to have an opinion about America.

SG, what gives you the right to have an opinion on America when I am not able to have an opinion on you? And for the record: 1) Just because we are fighting a war does not mean we ALL support the reason, but I do support my country. 2) The color of President Barrack Obama's skin has nothing to do with his ability to govern our country...what century do you live in anyways?! 3) America is not filled with murderers and gun slinging criminals...I have never been caught in a shoot out, a bank robbery or a gang fight. I have never even seen a gun in person. 4) I am not speaking "American Slang". I am speaking proper English...maybe you should learn it?!? 5) Just because America faced a recession, does not mean its all downhill now!

Let me just recap a conversation I had in the jacuzzi tonight with a random stranger who I had previously met at the jacuzzi with J

Stanger: Hey girl I met you before. You from California?

Me: Um yes?

Stranger: How you like it so far? Don't you work for a hotel or an airplane? How it compare to California?

Me: Well it is different here, especially work. People can be mean...they make you work a lot and put you down a lot.

Stranger: Oh they probably just work you hard here...

Me: Well I mean here, they are allowed to tell you that you are dumb which is kind of mean and you would get sued for that in America.

Stranger: Don't talk about America.

Me: (in my mind) you asked me to moron!

Stranger: In the next 50 years there be no money in America. All the money will be in Asia

Me: (still in my mind) you will be dead in 50 years...and yeah fucking right all the money will be in Asia

Stranger: America no going to recover...it has 200 billion tied to Europe and Europe crashing too

Me: (still in my mind) where do you get your ideas from?!

Stranger: Fox News says that...

Me: Fox News is not the opinion of the whole of America

Stranger: Still America will have no money. Europe fail...Asia will have all the money

Me: That's what I mean, people in Singapore are kind of mean....

Yes. that conversation happened today. I may have corrected his grammar a bit...but I tried to keep it authentic! Like who in their right minds goes to insult the country that someone says they are from. That is like me saying to a French person....hey don't you guys lose a lot of wars? Why isn't anyone taught manners here? This type of conversation happens to me all the time and it is sooooooooo annoying! Please learn some manners or I mean please don't think that I as an American am interested in your opinion on my place of citizenship.

Sorry for the rant, but my point is...that I am so proud to be an American!! I miiiiiss you USA! Get a grip Singapore...and stop giving me your opinions...I am not a gallup poll!  No matter how hard you try I am not going to change my mind...until next time, xxoo!

     

PS I adore the President and the First Lady!

Weird Singapore

Singapore is filled with funny things! From food to people Singapore is great for laughs and new experiences! For example....

smart advertising inside a public toilet

you have heard of shaved ice with syrup...but these blocks of ice are already flavored! this is mango and strawberry

SH was brave enough to eat this "soursop ice jerry"...its a dessert supposedly

Goldfish shaped dumplings!

happy happy joyful fruit drink and grape jelly juice

you can't see it too well but you put your legs in the water and there are little fishies who eat the dead skin off your feet/legs...all while you surf the web/play games

last but not least the excellent fashion choices made by singaporeans...yes that is a man in a fishnet shirt sitting on the subway

Wouldn't you agree...Singapore is a funny place to be! xxoo!

ME Me me

As part of my Being a Better Me plan I am going to be a self-centered chick this year! And while that may sound like a bad thing...I truly believe this will be a great thing for me. I am constantly comparing myself to other people, being competitive when there is no need and generally tolerate the drama of others. That is all going to stop now!

The biggest thing this year is that I do not want anyone else's drama bringing me down. I feel like since I've been in Singapore I have been caught up in this he said/she said/ i don't like these people but you can't tell them drama. And I also believe that I fuel this drama myself, as people tend to feel comfortable enough around me to share their feelings on just about everything and I am usually the one validating their feelings or giving them a boost of self confidence when they need it. I admit it; I am a total gossiper. BUT I do not want that in my life anymore...I am focusing on me and my issues this year so I am sorry but I do not have time for yours. If you are looking for juicy dirt, a self esteem boost, or an ally in your frenemy drama, I am no longer your go to girl! Save your drama for someone else because I don't have the energy to pretend to care anymore.

And I am trying my best to fit in in a working culture that is the total opposite of what I am used to...so I want to apologize in advance if I am not too interested in your career issues and achievements at the moment. I am doing my best to convince myself that this MAJOR change/sacrifice in career contentment is worth it...so trying to prop you up on your bad job days or hearing about how great your perfect job is not going to help my self brainwashing.

I also do not want to tempt myself into being my competitive self. I am trying to come to terms with the fact that I can't be perfect and not all employers are going to love me. I just need to worry about myself and do my job as well as I can! Lucky for me Asia is not big on firing unless you do something AWFUL. I do not not to focus on what everyone else is doing in their program and just focus on my development (however little or big that may be). It is ok if I don't speak French, or have business cards, or have projects,  or a close bond with the big boss, because I am getting almost exactly what I asked for in this opportunity. And I am doing the best that I can, so I am pretty sure that is all that matters.

Like this quote I have always been self-centered, but for this year only my radius of self-centricness is growing. I hope you can see that this is a good thing, because I definitely think it is. I promise when I am done in Singapore I will be back to my normal self, competiveness and gossip included! But until next year I hope you will accept my new attitude on life (translation: me, myself and I).

Chanel

SH has been reminding me of how much I love Chanel. I stopped using my Chanel bag because I did not want to rub in a certain someone's face that my parents support me to the fullest and will buy their only daughter nice things. As for a brief while this someone was the friend I relied on the most...however I have tried to cut back on this habit as she brings out the worst in me.

But the point of this story is that SH also <3's Chanel...and we saw this probably fake version of an adorable Chanel purse at Far East and I just wanted to share with you!

How cute is that?! It combines two of my favorites...chanel + nautical theme. I wish I was already my future-hopefully-successful self.

And while we are at it...how about a few more pictures?

SH: i would be so much more motivated to try tennis if we had these cute rackets!

I find the designer bike trend a bit much...I mean bikes are easy to steal and you're just asking for it by riding on a designer bike...but I bet people who buy these don't ride them around the street

skiing is totally cool when you have chanel skis!

I hope that I can acutally save some money this year...and if/when I finish my time in Singapore I can buy myself I nice Chanel something. I am so motivated to pull out my Chanel bag now....until next time, xxoo!

whataya want from me

Singapore is super behind on popculture. I never hear new music and my only link to the world of celebrity gossip is the E! Entertainment. Since last week I kept hearing this song and I had no idea who it was! I couldn't place it so at first I wondered if it was a random asian singer or something? I mean I don't know if they have that in Singapore. I could not get it out of my head...and then I found out it was Adam Lambert! I don't even remember him being famous! Like I know his name and that he was on American Idol...but I'm missing out on soooo much by living on this isolated city/state/country. So I am sure this song is really old...but at this moment...I can't get it out of my head. What are you listening to at the moment (translation...what am I missing out on?)

Adam Lambert - New Music - More Music Videos

My walk home!

So part of my Being a Better Me plan is to walk more. So my work is not that far from my home...but I have never waled home until now...and I just want to share with you some of the views I get from my walk home. Its actually a beautiful walk; going past cultural icons such as the Esplanade theatre, the Fullerton Hotel, One Fullerton, the Merlion, baby Merlion, and of course the soon to be Marina Bay Sands!

Don't you wish you were here to be my walking buddy?! I will take more pictures on my hopefully many future walks home! xxoo to the mostest!

Week one of the Better Me!

So this was week one of my Being a Better Me challenge...and I have to say that I am way proud of myself. I don't know that I have ever been this motivated! I have the best intentions but I am usually such a slacker when it comes to these things. Slacker no more! First, I updated my list to Being a Better Me.

1. Learn spanish- living here has made me realize how important it is to know more languages in the hospitality world...and if i want to work in los angeles spanish will be very useful

2. Learn floral design- it seems soooo fun and and i think it will be great for event planning

3. Learn calligraphy- i totally need better handwriting

4. Start learning web design- ditto number two

5. Learn to cook actual food- i think this is inspired by this cooking for beginners book i saw at the bookstore.

6. Exercise more/ just be healthier- if I am going to be this much more awesome person and love life more...well i need to be super healthy so I can enjoy life for a longer time. You know unless i die in a freak accident.

7. Practice chinese- i should take advantage of living in this crazy asian country right?!

8. Spend less money on things...and save it to spend on experiences- i want to be less materialistic

9. Take yoga/pilates- it seems to make people more zen and i want to continue on this zen streak that i have been on

10. Read the newspaper at least twice a week- its scary how little i know about the current going ons of the world

11. Say YES to more things- i dont want to miss out on any opportunity because i am scared or worried what others will think

12. Focus on me- sometimes i get caught up in what everyone else is doing and how i compare, but it really doesn't matter does it? I am my own person, and these 11 months I am going to focus on bettering myself!

13. Travel around Asia- if I am stuck in this place, I want to see all the amazing places that surround it

14. Stop HATING on Singapore- whether I like it or not I am stuck here for 11 more months, so maybe I can stop focusing on the negative and focus on the positives...like the great friends I have met!

15. Take more pictures- pictures are like moments in time, and I want to remember every moment I can when I am old!

16. Wear Sunscreen- I have noticed that I am getting sun spot/freckles on my arms...and I don't want skin cancer

17. Read more- but not just easy summer beach reads, but also legitimate works of literature and business-y books. Does someone know of a good reading list/book I should read next?

18. Develop a basic understanding of wine- that just seems very important in the hospitality industry. And I already bought the Wine for Dummies book when I first got here so I really need to start reading that.

19. Network- even though it is Singapore and I have zero intentions of staying here longer than i have to...its good practice for when it actually counts. And I think I am terrible at networking!

20. Walk more- I really want those funny reebok-make-your-ass-look-great sneakers! And I also just realized how close to each other everything is in Singapore


So that's my updated list! And then on Thursday I went around looking for a Spanish course to sign up for...and C told me of one at Sommerset. I had no idea what it was called...but I showed up and they told me there was a Basic Spanish course starting that night in 1 hour. So I signed up and have had my first Spanish lesson. Its great...my instructor only speaks in Spanish for the entire class and the class size is really small!

Then, yesterday I had my first floral arranging class...and it was so much fun! I was hoping that this would be my secret talent, but I'm not sure it is as I broke some flowers. But check out my first arrangement...what do you think? I'm pretty impressed with myself, if I must say.

And I walked home from work for the frist time ever...and realized that its actually a gorgeous walk home and its not too far! So far I've walked home twice. And I also went to the gym with SH...and we are going to make a fitness plan for when we live together as well. All in all, I had a really productive week...watch out world, here I come!

Eclipse!

OMG I AM SO EXCITED! I wish I could be home to watch this movie instead of watching the "edited" version in Singapore....BUT I am still EXCITED! Are you?!

Boucheron- Tentation Macaroon collection

So you are probably thinking, this girl is crazy obessed with macaroons! Well  that you are correct and I am going to deepen this obsession with this post. I walked past this ad at ion mall yesterday and instantly fell in love.

Its the Tentation Macaroon collection from Boucheron. And I adore this ad...and went home to look up the jewelry...and i also adore the jewelry! Its like bitten macaroons...how cute. Who wants to win the lottery and buy me part of the collection?

How cute are the rings?!! I love that my obsession is validated by the magazine article and by an entire jewelry collection by some big parisian jewelry house. I have no shame, I am obsessed with macaroons and I am not alone, xxoo!

Skype!

i totally skype with my puppy who lives in america with the parents...i have no idea if he can understand me or anything but i still want him to hear my voice! its funny because i can hear him breathing/snoring...and it makes me miss him soooo much! how adorable is he? i think one of the biggest things i miss about home is this puppy! i love him soooo much!

macaroons are the new cupcakes

So back in America, I was obsessed with cupcakes but in Singapore I am obsessed with macaroons...and I saw this magazine cover that totally validates my obsession. Just thought I should share....I love macaroons! Go out and get yourself a macaroon, xxoo!

Being a better me!

I am feeling so zen for some reason...i think its because I have come to a certain realization about my job, and have made some great friends. I feel great and super motivated.

I have decided that I have 11 more months in this place, and there are no excuses I have to become a better person because damnit when I'm done you're going to hire me and you're going to be glad you did! I am actually behind...because there are so many things I need to accomplish. If you're not going to hire me because of my education or work experience, you are going to hire because of the things I can bring to the table.

But this isn't just to be a better job candidate...I want do all that I can to be a better person. i have recently just come to the realization this is my only chance at life and there are no second chances. And while it would have been nice to have been born a princess or heiress, or to live the life of a socialite lady who lunches, that is not my life but I still have to do all that I can to make the most of it. I don't want to wake up one day  and realize that I am unhappy and realize my life has just passed me by. I want to be an active participant in life. I am going to live life to the fullest in Singapore, be crazy happy and nothing is going to stop me.

I am still trying to list out my goals and make a plan for myself but these my ideas so far..

1. Learn spanish- living here has made me realize how important it is to know more languages in the hospitality world...and if i want to work in los angeles spanish will be very useful

2.  Learn floral design- it seems soooo fun and and i think it will be great for event planning

3. Learn calligraphy- i totally need better handwriting

4. Start learning web design- ditto number two

5. Learn to cook actual food- i think this is inspired by this cooking for beginners book i saw at the bookstore.

6. Exercise more/ just be healthier- if I am going to be this much more awesome person and love life more...well i need to be super healthy so I can enjoy life for a longer time. You know unless i die in a freak accident.

7. Practice chinese- i should take advantage of living in this crazy asian country right?!

8. Spend less money on things...and save it to spend on experiences- i want to be less materialistic

9. Take yoga/pilates- it seems to make people more zen and i want to continue on this zen streak that i have been on

10. Read the newspaper at least twice a week- its scary how little i know about the current going ons of the world

11. Say YES to more things- i dont want to miss out on any opportunity because i am scared or worried what others will think

12. Focus on me- sometimes i get caught up in what everyone else is doing and how i compare, but it really doesn't matter does it? I am my own person, and these 11 months I am going to focus on bettering myself!

13. Travel around Asia- if I am stuck in this place, I want to see all the amazing places that surround it

Well thats all for now...but I think of things I want to accomplish all the time...I really need to carry a notebook around with me. I am really pumped for this better me plan! until next time, xxoo!

View from the Top

Last night my mom and I went to dinner at Equinox restaurant at the Swissotel. It is supposedly the highest place to eat in Singapore or maybe it is also the tallest hotel in Singapore also. And the view did not disappoint...the food was delicious too. They even had a vegetarian menu! I love the life I live, xxoo!

The future Marina Bay Sands!

Do you see the building in the middle with a curved point? Thats my apartment building!

Macaroons, you make me happy!

I am sooooo obsessed with macaroons. They fascinate me with their crisp squishiness. And like I am shocked that I spent 22 yrs of my life without them. Its funny because they are everywhere in Singapore and are delicious everywhere, but my favorite desserts from home (cupcakes) are disgusting everywhere in Singapore. You would think that cupcakes are easier to make. Look how cute....I love macaroons!

Giant heart-shaped macaroon for Valentines Day

Other cute giant macaroons!

and mini macaroons...next to normal macaroons!