Oh those Singapore Nights...: Sentosa, Soccer and Sandals...

Good morning everyone! Sorry I could write my post last night, I got home pretty late and was too tired to write. I had myself a pretty action-filled Saturday yesterday, and had some great things to write about. But sleeping in my uncomfortable twin size bunk bed was more important to me last night so too bad! Anyways I am awake now and more than willing to share the tales of my day:

The day started with a quick jaunt over to Sentosa Island which is basically a resort island with a universal studios, a hotel, a casino and nice beaches. Prashant and headed to the island despite it poring down rain (guess i should have checked the weather first) and we made it to the beach part of the island. I don't know why I decided that was a good place to start, since it was still raining and there was nothing to see since most of it was closed due to bad weather. So instead we headed over to the hotel and casino area. In an effort to keep locals from gambling, the casino charges them $150 just to get in to the casino. Foreigners get in for free though. I thought this was hilarous, that they make you pay to come in and give them more money. I tried to go in, but was turned away because I was wearing sandals. Apparently in Singaporean high class casinos, you cannot wear sandals because it is far too low class. Again, too low class to go in and give them your money. So Sentosa was basically a bust because of the weather, but I will definitely be going again and will have more information and pictures.

After Sentosa, I went to back to little India (begrudgingly) to meet up with my buddy/co-worker Matt and his wife for dinner. We met outside a shipping center called Mustafa. Everyone on this island knows about Mustafa because it is HUGE and they sell EVERYTHING! It is the size of a square block, and it is 5 stories. When you walk in, there are products everywhere. The glass counters are full of piles of watches, razors, jewelry, anything you can think of. There is so much there and anything you can imagine is sold there. Its like a super target, super wal-mart, nordstrom , macys and jc penny all rolled into one. Food, clothes, accessories, knick-knacks, doornobs, beds, animals, anything! Pretty sure most of it is used, but still pretty damn cool. I am told on one of the floors you can even buy a car. It is one of the coolest places I have ever seen and I really want to go back. When I left I saw that there were some prostitutes walking around outside the entrance and that just further proved my point that you can literally buy ANYTHING at Mustafa.

After dinner we went to a soccer game to watch the Singaporean team Lions XII play the Johor football club from Malaysia. Now I was informed we were a much better team so we should win handily. From the start it was pretty obvious we were the better team. We were constantly taking shots on goal and their offense was nothing compared to our defense. There was only one problem. We could not score. It was like watching a horror movie when you keep jumping at scary parts. They must have had at least 40 shots on goal throughout the game and could not convert a single one. And they were all close! Just stupid mistakes. The other team however had 2 shots on goal from defensive lapses and actually scored on 1! We lost 1-0, and everyone left depressed, everyone except me. I have never been to a professional soccer game, let alone with British people who love it so much. Matt was losing his mind during the game, much like I would in a sport that actually excited me. I have never heard so many American curse words and phrases mispronounced and said wrong at one time than sitting with the locals during the game. I have gotten Matt to shout out "Go Ducks!" at random points during a match, which generally follows me saying "For the Queen!" So now when I need inspiration at work Matt will say Go Ducks! and everything is better. The game was a very fun experience, except watching a kid pay for a hot dog that look about 4 weeks old and pour mayonnaise on it before eating it. I wanted to throw up. Cannot wait for more authentic Singaporean moments, and Ill make sure to keep the Tums handy.