oops its been over a week

but it was a really busy week so forgive me! Busy with classes and everything else - Karen is over at the moment, well she's in Kaula Loompa at ze momento and I just got back from class (10pm) only two more Islamic classes left - I'll be gutted, its been extremely interesting and amazed me in so many ways. I got so much to recommend you read if anyone is interested in this area btw, so we're going for a wee shisha sesh the morro night after class!

Picking up the sister at the airport was as eventful as ever as in her unique way she never gave me very much info, so I just kinda hoped I was standing in the right terminal...but i got her fine eventually! The best thing we did was go on a wee hike and do a tree top walk - I basically looked down as little as possible an busied myself with the sky and trees :p but it was awesome to see monkeys in the wild - Karen has all these pictures so I'm afraid we'll be waiting until she manages to return to scotland! also did the night safari that night - worth it but it rained a bit too much for my liking, karen is loving it thought since she's been in the desert! I just feel wet and miserable, it is warmer and you do dry off but I prefer the happeee happeeee sunshine that we had this morning

Eating SO MUCH good food - its impossible to keep the weight off! I play lots of badminton and after my intensive can do more exercise cause man is it completely bonkers how good the food is - i'm bored of chinese food, mostly cant eat it anymore!

so karen comes back from Malaysia tomorrow and we need to decide where to go to this weekend as Bintan now isn't happening, i wanted bangkok but there are riots there at the moment so could be interesting! might do it anyway hehehe

emails and shizzle always welcome guys :p

salaams xx

Botanic Gardens

I quite liked the random street lamp! It felt very tropical Narnia or something

palm tree, one of those will totally fall on my head...

View of the lake after immediately walking from my Law Campus


Thing about Singapore is that its beautiful but always in the background there is some insane mix of it being a city and building works

Sitting in ze library

Salaams my dears

Sitting in the Library on a Sunday afternoon with the thunder raging outside whilst I'm snuggled up in a wrap due to the airconditioning, I am indeed meant to be reading about the UN's relevance but thought a little blog would be appropriate right now.

This last week has gone incredibly quickly, its been quite scary. In a way it is a blessing but it also shows to highlight that time really does seem to be going by faster now - I'll be 40 tomorrow :( hehehehe

Classes have been interesting - only in singapore do you not finish classes until half 9 on a friday night :p serious dedication to education out here Alh its amazing and I'm grateful to experience it - hopefully it'll mean I'l get my head down in 4th year when it really counts (oh yeah also my resit next August, how awful does that sound!)

Now a 1/3 of my way through my Intensive - Islamic Law - and its really very very interesting and inspirational. The lecturer is inspiring and quite barking mad at times, but he speaks with passion and thats why I'm so enthusiastic about my research paper. Having not yet come up with a topic of course... Its a really interesting mix of Islamic history and Usul al Fiqh, which I can not even begin to describe how fascinating it is or how amazed I am at the abilities and capacity of the peoples at that time as well as the way society operated that is so different from the State system we are used to today. Totally requires thinking outside the box!

I discovered the Botanic Gardens were literally 5 minutes walk from the door of my seminar room. Took a wee walk around there on Friday, I'm so lucky man! I seriously know it when I get this just outside my door - I don't take it for granted like we do in Edinburgh. In Edinburgh you can't sit with your back against a palm tree reading about post 9/11 constitutional theory :p its usually tax in a cold flat !!

And yesterday I went shoooopping! Ooops...I discovered Arab Street and bought quite alot for reasonable prices in comparison to the UK - spent about $250 but thats only about £90 which is quite good considering the amount I bought Alh. I can safely wash my clothes and still have stuff to wear, which reminds me I have washing hanging out to dry in a thunder storm, that doesn't make sense on so many levels but I can't be bothered moving...

Karen arrives on Wednesday and I hope to show her the madness of Chinatown and places and hopefully take a trip to Indonesia or Malaysia whilst she's here iA - maybe both! Will see what she fancies. Not been seeing enough of folk because of the late classes so I'll be really grateful when the intensive finishes and I only have a 3 day week Alh

So anyway battery is dying on laptop so need to find somewhere to charge it - photos should follow iA hope you enjoy your read of what I've been up to on the other side of ze world from you guys

gailxxx

So I havent blogged in a while...

mainly cause classes started yesterday and its been a really intense few days. Loving the classes here much better choice and more engaging than back home (I may end up as one of those students who sticks her hand up in class back home cause here you have to do it or else). Last night was just proper tired so skyped then slept.
UN was seriously interesting, it'll be slightly like EU law last year (but no stupid book), gonna have to get up to scratch with my knowledge of Zimbabwe, Kosovo, Darfur, etc cause alot of the time the class demands that you know the ins and outs and I'm like whaaaaaaaaaaaat? Emergency powers and legal theory is my favourite - its constitutional law and jurisprudence in one and you can just get such good debates going! And Islamic Law was my intensive which didnt start until 6.30pm ends at 9.30pm and is 3 nights a week for 3 weeks (ya intensive) and we didnt really get onto anything substantive and the guy was an eccentric palestinian who I think might be too intelligent to teach (think SIR PROF MCCORMACK) but we'll see on thursday - basically I need to read the syllabus by the weekend so that I can choose a research paper topic so if anyone has any ideas let me know :p
and tonight I just chilled out and met some more international people who were pretty cool, just utterly dislike that so often everything is about alcohol, how much they drank, what they did, which guys they slept with, which river they woke up in, what part of the body they broke, what it was they drank last week, 2 years ago, 5 months ago or whatever. You kinda sit back and think this is seriously all you have to talk about!? Its so meaningless and not as cool as everyone thinks it is, but everyone talks like getting wasted is the only way to be cool, and I get that its a personal choice, and I personally wont choose it, I'm not old before my time, I just have different priorities, I can still have fun and I think people enjoy my company Alhamdulillah but just minus a desire to be incoherent and embarrassing. probably offended about 80% of those reading my blog but hey thats why you love me cause I have wacky rants and am opinionated right?!

oh and Nurul's mum made me the most awesome baking again, bless her, she's keeping me well fed and has only met me once, nurul has been incredibly helpful too introducing me to some of the natives or else i'd only have international students as friends and its quite cool to get a daft mix of friends and experience people from other countries!

anyway my contacts are getting glued to my eyeballs so I should seriously sleep, I've lacked pictures recently apologies, I did take a neat one of my pineapple fried rice IN A PINEAPPLE, which was wicked....aah the simple things..

take care dude-eldeydoos

Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Salaam

Blogging late means you have no idea what you did 3 days ago but I'm pretty sure that was the day we went to Little India and crashed the art school welcome tea but were then given freebies after being discovered! We tried to get our student passes but it didnt exactly work out (apparently if you read the form it told us that it was only open 8am - 2pm on weekdays so the lady was very annoyed with us!). Little India was too clean to be India but busy enough and with enough shops of gooooold. We always get tired of walking around or standing on MRTs but its really worth it! I think we've seen everything in Singapore (bar the botanical gardens) and will become really bored of it! It is a small place, it literally is just a big city. Saw the olympics opening ceremony, cheered for Team GB, and Sri Lanka and Singapore and New Zealand and marvelled at the choice of Scotland the Brave for the music that the teams all entered into the stadium to.

But Saturday was good with the National Day Parade, very cool to see the airshow and fireworks. Afterwards we stayed around and discovered a concert which we were eventually allowed into free (seriously, if you stay in the right places you dont have to pay we're discovering pretty fast)!! We had to go, we'd only see it once! And it paid off, very good evening and always very educating. I really cant get over that we live and study in somewhere like Singapore, with its skyscrapers and weather and beaches and tropicalness. At times one of us just sits back and exclaims we freakin live here guys and we all appreciate it all the more. I am so thankful for this opportunity even if it does mean I miss people I love. Alhamdulillah the space to grow, think and experience is amazing. The way of life is different, the people's attitude are different, although its still a city and a very developed one at that, the pace feels different. Or maybe its my pace that is so difference given I'm not thinking about everything going on at every turn. At home alot of my friends are going through quite horribly serious times. And I would give anything to bring you all your own space in Singapore or wherever it is you needed I would if I could. It makes you torn between thinking this is the life and always staying out the picture from harsh realities (ignorance could be bliss?) and wanting to use this time to gather momentum and maturity and utilise this.

And today I have been starting work and cleaning my room (well not really). My courses are what fascinates me which is also much better than Edinburgh where I had to do the tedious courses, but out here its only the credits that matter. I hope the materials and studies I read out here give me a fresh and difference perspective from the course work set year in year out in Edinburgh. It really does allow you to expand your thought and bring new ideas to the table.

Anyway I do rather have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Just know that my thoughts and prayers are with you guys. I hope things get better, just remember to keep your intentions right and think before you step out into the middle of the road. And I am missing you all, I would, as I said, love to just bring you out to me, and if you ever do think of a spur of the moment holiday I would be more than happy to see ya of course :p

GREAT...!!

...basically for the next week we have rain and thunderstorms, the monsoon is apparently properly hitting, I dont want to be continually wet and indoors!

Monged around to. Ate cookies and scones. Improved at pool. Ate awful dinner. Was exactly the same. Watched V for Vendetta but got sleepy. Blogged.

Thats what you do when it rains!

salaams

Wednesday wasn't very exciting

I say that because we had to hang around on campus for an international students meeting, which wasn't great but the wee chinese lady at the front was really cute and funny in that awful oh dear she's trying to be funny and quirky. Our Helen Leitch at Edinburgh is cool in that way too - whats with international office people!? I just hung around until Billy and I went to have dinner at our halls.
Muslim hall food is awful, I want to try it again tonight to see if its the same. For starts it came in a brown paper bag and I was thinking this isn't a terribly good sign - but it was basically an overly greasy fried chicken wing, some beansprouts (cold) and rice (cold). I had a look at the other stuff and it was far better even by my impression of hall standards. If its always the same I'm taking the veg option or refusing to pay for the meals here as part of my rent because it was really rank and old and basic and half arsed! But its ok - Nurul's mum made me some lovely scones, homemade jam and cookies. Absolutely delicious! I might have a scone for brunch. I eat so much out here. Check it out auntie has her own blogspot, the scones that are at the top are the ones she made me! http://www.ummisbakery.blogspot.com/
After that went to the cinema to see dark knight - how awesome is that! SO very twisted, kind of too twisted at times. When the lights went back up I forgot where I was and could so easily have been in the quay or the omni centre and I really missed home!
So today when the hungover folk wake up from the dead we'll be going to Little India hopefully with my CLEAN clothes (excitement) on!
salaams, g

Salaam

Was way tired last night so never got around to blogging but its ok because I didnt do anything interesting other than register, get xrays done, eat, play pool and sleep. Bar being followed by a malaysian guy with rubi and vicki, he was actually rather helpful and told us alot of useful info it was just random and weird. Uni is weird man, strange stuff goes on.

Today I went up to my law campus and sorted out all my subjects and had a wee nosy around. I'm taking....

United Nations Law and Practice
Islamic Law
Emergencies and Legal Theory
Comparative Constitutional Law
Public International Law

inshaAllah nothing will go wrong with that bunch now - it took a lot to get to this final 5 btw. I wish I hadn't forgotten my camera because I saw alot today! The campus is 20 minutes away by (free) bus and it very pretty. This campus is very very american stylee but the law one is far more like cambridge or oxford with its grass and quadrangles and white washed buildings. I had a little explore so I wouldn't get lost first days of classes and walk in late (and thus drop grades - how mean!). I'll take come cute little photos for you guys next time I go! There is a random dude from Glasgow uni which I proper cant wait to meet - he's also doing Islamic Law so wanna see what he's like!! It'll feel like home in my classes just slightly if I have another scottish accent. It does kinda mean I'm going to get cabin fever again this year when I dont see the lovely daylight that exists in singapore.

After that met up with Nurul and ate (again new food, sseriously there is just so much of it you cant fail but eat new stuff all the time and its all been first rate!) and shopped (books) and she took me to Mustafa Centre in Little India, which is just CRAZY! Seriously its like cash and carry/TK MAX and sells absolutely anything and everything - you name it and I will find it for you! Think I'll go back there with the uni folk and have a proper look around. Went back to Nurul's for some tea. I have missed tea so much, its just incredibly good. Met her mum and dad and was invited around for Iftar next month which is really really nice of them!

So back at the halls and writing this before I head to bed (its midnight), gotta get up nice and early for a 2pm kick off of an international students welcome tea, will remember and bring my camera for your enjoyment :p

I still get sad thinking about home and people there, I miss the politics muchly and rely on reading day old heralds (given the time difference!). Who's gonna get labour leadership dudes? Give me the inside gossip! Except now I kinda want to have them out there so they can eat and sleep and walk with me cause Singapore is truly fascinating when you sit back and just look at everything going on around you, especially today in Little India!

Don't worry mum i'm eating my fruit (bought apples and honey melons and grapes to store in my room) still not eaten the catered for food in the halls, might try it tomorrow actually. Should probably show my face to the randomers!

g'night, have a fun SIF meeting, take care and know that randomly every single one of you randomly pops into my thoughts for one reason or another most days

salaam gxx

China town and exploring Singapore city

salaam, hey hey

an awesome day wandering around China Town and checking out the markets, its incredible! I really want to go shopping there on my own one day, I'll just come back with such crap for everyone at home! But that'll totally be what my remaining dollars go on! But went out with some of the guys we met last night so at least our group is expanding slightly and everything feels a little less lonely when you have people around you. Its only when I get back to my room that everything goes flop so I kinda look forward to uni starting alot just so my evenings are kept busy too! But my feet hurt from walking cause we basically walked from china town to clarke quay which is a quaint bizarre very upper class bar and lounge area. I had the best ice cream (lavender honey!), honestly it sounds so wierd but first class!

Then went up to Fort Cannings to see around it a little and catch the sun set, as we were walking around we caught the last night of sing fest. Literally so close to the stage, we were watching it for free and everyone inside had to pay $250 so thats well jammy, quite good bands had been there travis, simple plan, panic at the disco (ok not so good) but alicia keys was finishing up sunday night!

Today we did a little tour of the places of worship, one of the Hindu Temples, a Buddhist temple and a one of the mosques so was pretty interesting to see the dramatic differences in these places of worship. Buddhists just seem to make everything gold. I didnt like that it asked for $33,000 dollars to be specially protected, etc and that all donations went to buying more stuff for the temple. Whereas the Masjid and the Hindu temple gave all money to charities.

My other awesome find of the day was $100 free local credit for my phone...It wont help phoning home at all but dont need to think about calls around these parts for quite a while now!!!

And now I seem to need to go to bed cause I gotta organise myself to get matriculated, have my student visa sorted and look at accommodation in PGP with the other international students. I prefer thinking of this as a holiday than do all this boring stuff. I need a foot massage from my sandals, someone, please? :(

another interesting day, will take the advice for a very wise old friend who told me to make sure no day was ever the same as another, thank you wise old friend.

ws gxxx

First few days

Were admittedly pretty awful cause I was all alone out here, was tired from no sleep on the plane and no food. Has started to get slightly better Alh now Vicki and Rubina are here from Edinburgh. Went a chilled out in town today and tried out the public transport. MRT (mass rapid transport or something, think monorail from the simpsons!) meant being packed like the london underground, but not that bad. Tis good to just have a wander around the centre part of Singapore city but SO HOT, I think its about 31 degrees out here, need to get used to this kind of heat. Hotel concierge thought we were mad walking to the centre, it really wasn't far but the humidty is insane! Walking out of Dubai airport wall of heat is dry and HOT, this is a totally different kind of heat, one were you sweat all the time. We've decided to just accept the sweat and go with the flow iA.

Nurul, my friend from Edinburgh uni who comes from singapore, was invaluable and very helpful taking me out to meet some people. The accommodation I'm in is pretty unfriendly, no one wants to stop and chat to the only european/western chick so I'm looking to get a transfer to the houses were all the other international students are. I guess I could stick out 4 solitary months here I guess though esp if uni starts up and I'm kept buseee. Its bizarre having freshers week next week, its so early and it'll be massively different so what I'm used to! (hope plans for scottish ones are well underway Angus). Rubi is infectiously happy and makes you just sit back, chill and think "man we're in singapore" which is pretty special and exciting in itself if you ignore the missing of people back home. I think you should just fly out to me, the weather is much better here :p faith has been amazing, I just keep trying and pushing myself when things get really poop and trust that He knows what happening and that'll it'll all work out iA

Will try and work out how to get some pictures up on this, havent taken very many yet but I should show you guys whats its like!

But i do miss you guys, please stay in contact with me, I love emails and blog comments and texts and skype telling me what your up to, even the boring "in work i did a spreadsheet" is better than not hearing from you at all :p

muchly love, salaams

gail