I have to be honest. The way the phones in the office are programmed is starting to short circuit my brain. When it rings, all the phones ring in sequence, with different ring tones (pitches) until somebody picks up, which is not always. I was mentioning the words "purchase" and "headset" one day, and ding! A reaction! My good friend Fong Long came to rescue my sanity, offering me his super deluxolicious headset, which he produced from his top drawer. There it was, this technological gem, and it had been there, unused for so many months. I could no sooner grab it and plug it in my computer, fire up iTunes and let the music boom. So long ringing phones.
Thank you Fong Long.
A Swede in Singapore, Part 3
I recently had the pleasure to enjoy one of the great benefits of living here, a travel hub on the equator. 3 hours and 20 miutes straight east - across the vast jungles of Kalimantan and the rugged coastline of Northern Sulawesi, fringed with volcanic cones and unspoilt nature - lies a postcard perfect cluster of islands around Manado; one of them Bangka.
I have said it before - life on isolated islands is incredibly relaxing. Life on Bangka is no exception. With its perfect crescents of white sandy beaches, tall and slender coconut trees and azure, transparent waters packed with surreal coral gardens, it's a vacationer's heaven. The most famous part, however, is under the surface, in the deepths of the South China Sea. The diving here is beyond excellent, and has a very good worldwide reputation.
For a guy like me, being able to go to these places so easily more than makes up for my three weeks of vacation per year. 3-4 days can feel like 1-2 weeks, simply because it's so relaxing, and adventure is lurking around the corner.
When those places are out of reach, Singapore offers sweet weekend beaching as well. Yes, the Singaporeans don't like it much, the rest of the South East Asians only see how inferior it is to their own beaches, but it's really nice to have so close. Besides, they hate to be in the sun, and we love it. It takes me 30 minutes to get out to Sentosa by public transport, and I have already purchased my beach-nerdy Islander Card :) (again, thanks Fong Long)
Finishing up now before going to bed. I'm in my couch, using my brand new 24" widescreen Samsung monitor (yeehaw), it's the usual 27-28C - more in the apartment, and I still haven't gotten around to get a fan. Oh dear, oh dear. Tomorrow, I'll get my recently ordered desk and chair! Not a moment too soon. I'm feeling that my creativity at home is being set back when I have to sit with the laptop in the couch. It will be very nice to once again have a proper work environment.
Until next time...
