Hello friends! Time is flying by and I now stumble upon the 13th week of my semester abroad in the Asia Pacific region! This makes seeing as many places as possible even more imperative, so I have fewer second thoughts going home. I have prioritized going out and exploring random locations, which is quite fun. This leads to an interesting point about my experiences so far this week. I have run into people I know twice this week by sheer luck. This occurred during my lunch break with my colleagues when I saw Lauren and Bianca, who work at Blockoffice. It was such a pleasant surprise to my day to see two other Bucknellians! However, the most surprising part came on Sunday when I visited MacRitichie Resorviour, many kilometers north of our hotel. About six (give or take) kilometers into the ten-kilometer loop, I reached an observatory tower, which I climbed to the top of. Once, I was climbing the last set of stairs, I heard a very familiar voice. It was my roommate Dylan Jones, along with Sabrina, who was also a student in the program. It was rare enough that I saw Lauren and Bianca at lunch (at a restaurant and not a hawker center, too!). However, the fact that I stumbled upon my roommate kilometers away without plans or discussions beforehand is wild! I do not know the chances of something like that happening (and the combined chance), but it sure is very, very slim.
I managed to get a one week free trial to MLB TV to have unlimited coverage of Major League Baseball. Nothing makes me feel more at home than watching some good old Mets baseball. I was so determined to watch a full Mets game while I was here that I woke up at 7 am Sunday, just in time to catch the first pitch of the Mets against the Blue Jays at Citi Field. Better yet, my parents were at the game too! Unfortunately, I did not see them on the big screen, but maybe next time! The Mets ended up walking off against the Marlins 3-2, and I was overjoyed! The beaming smile on my face said it all. Apart from this, I have started going to the gym at night more; I can’t tell whether I like the morning or night more, but the night may be better. Also, I have been resisting the urge to watch the Minecraft movie until I return home. Although I want to watch it in Singapore, I already planned to watch it with my two best friends from high school upon my return to the States! Also, here is a really cool night photo I took of our hotel on one of my night runs!
Changi Airport Exploration
After an early flight from Ho Chi Minh, I returned to Singapore in the early afternoon, where I took a few hours to explore Changi Airport. Usually, when your flight arrives, you only want to go home and unwind (or leave the airport, to say the least). Not at Changi! Ranked nicest airport in the world, Changi Airport is home to one of the most incredible and largest indoor waterfalls in the world, which is located in a large section of the airport called the Jewel. Surrounding this giant rainforest-style area was a massive mall with multiple floors and endless shops and experiences you can explore. The mall is so big that there is even a grocery store on the terminal’s lower level where I came out of. I ended up eating at one of the hawker centers on the lower floor and had a great conversation with a man who was from China and was visiting Singapore to see his relatives. It is always great to talk to people who live in the area and hear their experiences. I especially love being able to share my experiences living in the States and how I ended up in Singapore. Besides getting lunch and walking around, I took incredible waterfall photos and even got ice cream at “Birds of Paradise.” The flavors here are based on real, natural ingredients. I got a scoop of pistachio and a scoop of macadamia butterfly, and it was, by far, one of the best ice cream cones I have ever had! I will include the photo below in the Foodie Favorites gallery for this week.
Cookery Magic
On Saturday afternoon, four other Bucknellians and I took a bus to a cooking class called “Cookery Magic,” where we made an iconic Singaporean dish called “Laska.” This dish is popular in Southeast Asia, and being able to cook it was a fantastic experience, to say the least! One of my favorite parts was using this small rock-like pot to crush the ingredients. In one of the steps, we were instructed to pound the ingredients as hard as we could (to a reasonable degree) to combine them. After finishing making the soup (the central part), we took turns taste-testing our soups to the other two teams’ soups. While Estrella and I did a awesome job making the soup, we decided it was best to add more salt and coconut milk to make the taste more prosperous and flavorful. We also tasted the other two teams’ soups, which were a bit different but allowed us to compare and contrast the tastes better. The lady eventually showed us how to prepare the final dish with the prawns, noodles, and all the other add-ons. Although a difficult question to answer, I would consider this dish a contender for one of the best I have ever eaten. I hope to one day recreate this dish at home in the States!
Singapore Music Run 2025
On Saturday evening, I participated in the Singapore music run. This run was held at the F1 Pit building at Mariana Bay and was part of a more significant program that included a Duoathalon and a Triathalon. Although I thought about signing up for those events, my lack of experience with open-water events made me ineligible to sign up. However, I signed up for the Music Run which I had been highly anticipating for almost two weeks before I heard about. I left my room around 5:45 pm and took the MRT to the promenade station. As I got closer to the venue and even on the trains, I noticed more and more people wearing the music run shirt we had been given the day before. For those unfamiliar with racing, typically you have to show up once at the racing site (or another venue) to pick up your bib and running t-shirt (sometimes you get other accessories too!). With the price of the ticket, I got a bib, a t-shirt, a glowstick, some temporary tattoos, and a drawstring bag. Shortly after I arrived and joined the crowd, they steered us toward the large F1 building for rain and lightning. Okay, this can’t be too bad, can it?! I thought to myself as I walked into the facility. I ended up waiting there for two hours before we could start running. It felt like an eternity, and I debated whether to go home and call it a day. However, we eventually got the go-ahead, and they let us walk toward the start line.
Even though we had to wait two hours for the race to begin, many people were still eager to run the course (myself included). It was hard to hear much except for the music; however, I was in the second wave (out of 4 or 5 waves) of runners/walkers. It was crowded, but the music made the atmosphere super awesome. Even on that dark and drizzly night, the crowd was electric and eager to get moving! It was then our turn to race, and after a ten-second countdown, we were off. I am not going to go into too much detail about the race because I was disappointed with the reconfigurations done by the staff. Although necessary for safety reasons, the course was less than a mile long (as opposed to the 3.1 miles initially planned). After navigating around some people, I made my way to the front of the pack and took charge as the first one in my wave. However, I had to navigate all the walkers and people at the end of the first wave, slowing me down considerably. There was one cool illuminated tunnel with a whole band playing with many drums, which was terrific.
After a bit more running, I decided to slow my pace since it felt too much speeding past people while navigating a narrow, dark, and even slippery course. I then finished right back at the F1 building, where they gave out impressive medals to all participants. I loved the medal’s design; it is an excellent addition to my collection at home. After the run, they had an epic DJ and party where we celebrated and danced. It was amazing to see all the work they put into making this event possible, even with the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the weather.
MacRitchie Reservoir Trek
Inspired by an email Global Academic Ventures sent us, I trekked the ten-kilometer route that took me through a one-way bridge, up a tall tower, and through lush forests full of monkeys and wildlife at the MacRitchie Reservoir! I started the journey mid-morning Sunday after the Mets game ended. I took the MRT to Botanic Gardens and then walked part of the 23-ish mile-long coast-to-coast path toward the trails. I walked much more than intended since the sidewalk ended on the main road, forcing me to take a few detours. Those interested in going here should definitely utilize the buses (even if it is a long wait). Once I got there, I started my hike with nothing but my phone and water bottle. Overall, the weather that day was amazing. That Sunday was the most blue sky I have ever seen in Singapore. The only downside was I got a bit sunburnt (nothing too big, though). The hike was standard. It took me about 3 kilometers to run into any monkeys, but eventually, I did and took many photos. However, the best part of the hike was the Tree Tops Bridge. This bridge connects the two highest points of the reservoir and offers some breathtaking views for hikers. It had views all around the scenic landscape. After taking countless photos, I hiked a few more kilometers to the observatory tower, where I ran into Dylan and Sabrina! After finishing the last few kilometers to complete the loop (they were also hiking counterclockwise). I joined them for dinner in one of the local hawker centers. I decided to go to a Western place where I got spaghetti bolognese and a salad. As always, it was phenomenal!
Foodie Favorites (2)
Which foods are this week’s biggest competitors? Let’s take a look at the final results below!
Thank you for reading my blog this week. Although this week was certainly not the most grand of my weeks, I have had a lot of fun writing about my journey. Still, much is to come in the coming weeks. All the best.
-Colin