It's officially Dr. Lee now!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Singapore Lah!
Hello, riri-tea here, ex-faithful blogger writing to you live from Singapore!
Radio silence ended. I've been living in Singapore for the past six months, where officially I've been on a postdoc affiliated with the main university here. Unofficially, it's been a whirlwind of dramatic life changes, new people, and places. I think I am finally regaining balance aka getting my groove back.
Singapore is nothing like I expected. "Boring" was my major anticipation and "alienating bureaucracy" a close second. It turns out that Singapore is still in Asia, and that there is something inherently warm about this part of the world (certainly the weather which is on average 90 degrees year round but I'm talking about the interpersonal). This morning it poured for nearly 2 hours straight. A tropical thunderstorm is a real equalizer in that it flattens all your problems through epic proportions of water, deafening thunderclaps, and lightning bolts. I live in a colonial bungalow, once used by soldiers, that is largely open to the elements and surrounded by tropical plant and bird life. During the storm, the trees are blanketed in rivulets of water, and afterwards the air is filled with thrills of birdsong from all over the block.
Today I organized all the odds and ends in my room, parted the curtains in the shape of mihrabs, and let in the fresh air. I've started using a ceiling fan instead of an AC, and the circulation is wonderful. I much prefer it to the clamminess of freon and sore throat after effect. I'll be traveling to different parts of Southeast Asia this next month (Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia are on the agenda), and I hope to at least post a picture or two. I'll definitely give you one of my room soon. For now, hello after a while, and you'll hear from me again.
Radio silence ended. I've been living in Singapore for the past six months, where officially I've been on a postdoc affiliated with the main university here. Unofficially, it's been a whirlwind of dramatic life changes, new people, and places. I think I am finally regaining balance aka getting my groove back.
Singapore is nothing like I expected. "Boring" was my major anticipation and "alienating bureaucracy" a close second. It turns out that Singapore is still in Asia, and that there is something inherently warm about this part of the world (certainly the weather which is on average 90 degrees year round but I'm talking about the interpersonal). This morning it poured for nearly 2 hours straight. A tropical thunderstorm is a real equalizer in that it flattens all your problems through epic proportions of water, deafening thunderclaps, and lightning bolts. I live in a colonial bungalow, once used by soldiers, that is largely open to the elements and surrounded by tropical plant and bird life. During the storm, the trees are blanketed in rivulets of water, and afterwards the air is filled with thrills of birdsong from all over the block.
Today I organized all the odds and ends in my room, parted the curtains in the shape of mihrabs, and let in the fresh air. I've started using a ceiling fan instead of an AC, and the circulation is wonderful. I much prefer it to the clamminess of freon and sore throat after effect. I'll be traveling to different parts of Southeast Asia this next month (Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia are on the agenda), and I hope to at least post a picture or two. I'll definitely give you one of my room soon. For now, hello after a while, and you'll hear from me again.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Monday, May 23, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Say No to Tatooed Eyebrows
You might not know this, but a large percentage of Lebanese women tattoo their makeup onto their faces. I learned this from my neighbor, a 21 girl named Niveen, who has gotten her eyebrows, lipstick, and eyeliner "done" at her future mother-in-law's beauty parlor. I went to said parlor the other day for a pedicure, and found that most of the space was devoted to tattoo artists cum cosmeticians (or vice versa). The place also administers Botox, and quite a lot of it, judging from the faces of the clientele. I enjoyed my pedicure, which while rather rough, turned my little toenails into roses. Upon leaving, however, I was stopped by the head cosmetician, who told me that I must let her "do" my eyebrows. After a few awkward phrases about how my Asian eyebrows are too thin to possibly allow the thick, calligraphic penline of tatooed eyebrow to appear "natural," I told her I'd think about it. Yeah right.
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
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