Singapore Adventure

Friday, January 27, 2006

Random Lacks: She Said
by venitha

In no particular order, some random things I miss:
  • Double rolls of toilet paper. I don't know why it's so embarrassing to carry rolls of toilet paper, but, well, it is, isn't it? I stand out here already, and I can't even imagine the comments that drivers must make as I jaywalk across a street busy with rush-hour traffic armed with a 10-roll pack of toilet paper. Please post what you have said (yes, that was me) or what you would say (should you ever have the pleasure). I've taken to adding toilet paper to the shopping list any time Jim offers to make a quick run to the store. Heh.
  • Good low calorie salad dressings. For a while there, the salad dressing choices were so dismal that I actually stopped eating salads, very strange behavior for me, and a move that my waistline is still paying for.
  • NPR. Yes, I can listen to whatever I like via the web, but the extra steps beyond just flipping a switch on the radio are surprisingly prohibitive. For a while I thought I'd convert to the BBC, which is broadcast by radio in Singapore, but the time difference means that I'm subjected to lengthy cricket scores or depressing in-depth analysis of rebels battling in [insert a war torn country].
  • Football. One of my happiest Thanksgivings was the one during which Jim and I did nothing but lie on the couch and watch football. I don't think we even ate turkey, let alone made one. On Sunday, day four of the long holiday weekend for those of you unfamiliar with American Thanksgiving, as we once again dragged ourselves from the bed to our comfy nests on the couch, I remember saying, "Okay, but we have got to take showers today." Ah, bliss.
  • The library. Its organization. Its wide selection. Its simple web site. The fact that it's free. Yes, Singapore has a library system, but it's paler than me in comparison.
  • Free shipping from Amazon. I don't like to shop, so I miss the ease of buying over the internet in general, and I really miss free shipping. Yes, my favorite web vendors ship to Singapore, but they also charge a premium for it.
  • Crest toothpaste. Someone actually warned me about the lack of Crest in Singapore before we moved here, and I thought, "Get a grip! Toothpaste is toothpaste!" I was wrong. Mea culpa.
  • Wearing sweatpants. There's just a certain level of relaxation that cannot be achieved unless you're wearing sweats. See Football above.
  • The Sunday paper. The newpaper here is pretty sad in general, but Sunday, when I crave a hefty tome crammed with scads of comics, themed crosswords, and bristling editorials... when I have nothing better to do but lounge around and digest the paper slowly all morning and perhaps even well into the afternoon... Well, Sunday's paper is of particular disappointment. See Football and Wearing sweatpants above.

venitha