Thwee and counting!

Yes! That's 3 friends from the US visiting me. Audrey came by yesterday on an 8 hour layover to Bangalore. I took her, her boss and her co-worker around the island. It was definitely good seeing her again, even though it has only been less than two weeks since we last met. Seeing someone again on the other side of the Pacific Ocean is often a marvelous feat, because the ocean is so huge and it takes so long to fly around it.

Firstly, I took them to City Hall to see the skyline of Singapore. There was the rehearsal for the National Day Parade, so all the tanks, the ATVs, and other vehicles were all driving past. They were pretty excited about seeing all these army vehicles. Quote "For our national day, there's only drunken brawlers. You guys have your nice parades!" After lots of picture taking, we went underground along CityLink Mall, bought bread from BreadTalk, and proceeded to the Esplanade. Behind that is the river mouth, where we saw the skyline of the financial district of Singapore.

We then went to Orchard Road. Somehow, it's kinda weird showing tourists to Orchard Road. There is really NOTHING to do there, unless you want to shop. Or drink coffee. Or watch a movie. The only really fun thing that we saw and did was the Mooncake Festival shops in the middle of Takashimaya Square. Seeing the food, the mooncake and just jostling with the people. Audrey bought some Dragon Beard Candy, which she loves. The others just hung around, looking at the different sights.

That only lasted 3 hours. And that was all that I had planned out. I was definitely hoping that it would take longer. So, after a short rest and much thinking, we went to Chinatown. That was pretty nice although it looked a little fake according to Audrey, as the buildings were all painted different vibrant colours. I thought the place looked very sterile, even though it was more "wild" than the usual polished Singapore. We took a walk around, looking at the different stores. We had dinner there too, giving the three of them a taste of what Singapore food is like.

After that, we took the MRT back to the airport. Audrey's boss and co-workers went through customs first to get to the business class lounge while Audrey and I hung out outside. We had more dinner at one of the food courts. She told me that she would have done more shopping at some of the stores, but didn't want to do that when her boss and co-workers are around. A shame, missing out on good shopping. She'll just have to do some more when she comes back in the airport. She also said that she would liked to have visited other parts of Singapore but there was just no time. We talked, caught up with what we were doing lately. Then time came for her to go. For me, it's sad, sending someone through customs. I don't know when I'll see her again, although she was pretty certain we would. Ah, the optimism of a free spirit. I stood at the customs gate and waited until she was out of sight before leaving.

My two worlds collide everytime someone comes to see me. The US world and the Singapore world. It's really difficult to live in these two worlds, both being extremely different, and one not wanting me to leave. It's a constant struggle to merge both worlds into one within myself.

Audrey and I were talking about the fact that it is not the place that you are in, but the people you are with that is important. I told her that I have way more friends in the US than I have here back home. She then said it was not the number of friends that matter, that even one extremely good one is fine. While I agree to quality over quantity, more friends give you a wider range and view of life. Often, with only one friend, there's only so much you can learn from the person. Then you spend extended amount of time with the person, and both of you become more and more like each other.

For me, I don't think I can necessarily find just one or two people to be friends with and that's it. I do too many things, and want to do many things. My friends have been from different facets of my life. I enjoy the company of some friends when doing some things, and the company of other friends doing other things. That's why I'm picky with people. I need the right person to be with when I'm doing some things. I'm not going to be asking my Singaporean friends to go clubbing. I'll ask my fraternity brothers. I won't ask certain people to go do crazy sports with me, but I will ask others.

David Lu has been the closest person I have come across who can embrace many of the aspects of my life. Andrew Schwartz is another. Dan Grier Roddy, Jason Bay, Clement Zhao, Lie Guohao are four more. My standards are high. I demand a lot from my friends, just as I demand that I give a lot to them. Unconditional demands. How can any one person fulfill that? That's why I think the more good friends, the better it is.