Meeting Many Friends in Singapore

Hello. It has been a while since I last posted on the blog. I have been busy lately with work, but also out meeting new friends in Singapore. I thought I would share some photos of groups and events that I have attended recently.

There are many activities to do in Singapore. On such a small island with such a large population, there are plenty of festivals, theatres, museums, restaurants, and other amusements to keep people entertained. There is also a very young and active population eager to socialize. I have found the local and expat communities to be full of friendly, interesting people. Here are some photos and short descriptions of some of the events I have attended and people I have met.

The first is a photo of a group that met for Cinco de Mayo. We met at a Mexican restaurant at Clarke Quay -- which is very close to my house. I strolled over after work and met the group. It was here that I met two nice people who have subsequently become pretty good friends. One is Vera, from Indonesia and seated in foreground on the right. The other is Saul (not pictured) who is actually from Mexico and gave a half- thumbs up to the Mexican cuisine we ate that night. Other people you can see in the photo are from: Singapore, Minnesota, London, Vietnam, Philippines, Michigan...

The second photo is just as international. This is a group of eight of us who met to see an Italian film at Singapore's National Museum. They have a international film series this time of year. Moving around the table you can 'meet' the following people (right to left): Natalie (from Singapore, but coincidently attended Univ of Minnesota the same years that I did -- also coincidentally, she now works in the same building as I do!), Kei (from Japan -- and coincidentally he too works in the same building as me!!), Amar (from Delhi, India), Dan (from Singapore), Alek (full of boring stories), Joyce (from China, and interested in calligraphy), Tanya (from Russia), and Aisha (from UK).

Third is a photo of four of us (out of a group of maybe twelve) who attended an outdoor classical music concert at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Sanie (front left) organized the event. She is from the Phillipines. Next to her is Paul, from Germany. I am wearing shorts. And Saul (from Mexico, and missing from the first photo) is on the far right. I witnessed him purchase the hat he is wearing at a mall a few hours before the picture was taken. The concert was very nice.

The last picture is from this past Sunday. I met this group to watch the movie, "Night at the Museum 2", at a cinema in the mall next to my office building. (no comment on the quality of the movie). In this group you can see (from left to right -- starting with back row): Vera and Mai (from Indonesia), Yiyi (from China by way of Australia), Kei (again, from Japan), David (from Singapore), Thierry (from France), and Alek (whose head looks unusually large in this photo...). The two ladies in the front row are Vera (again, from Indonesia), and Ria (from India).

So you can see I have kept pretty busy here. I am meeting a lot of people and enjoying to learn about other countries and cultures. Singapore is a great and diverse city filled with interesting and friendly people.