O hi, Asia!

hairdresser: You from Australia?

me: Yeah.

hairdresser: Where in Australia?

me: Canberra.

hairdresser: Ah, the capital!

me: Yeah.

Asians I’ve met can’t decipher Westerners from one another. They can no sooner hear a British / Australian / American accent than they can hear a Valley / New Jersey / Deep South accent. To them, we are all simply English-speaking Westerners. It makes sense. I’d just assumed it was obvious where I’m from as soon as I opened my mouth. Not the case.

As for agreeing to be from Australia, I’m just being lazy. And a little weary of the repetition. (“Where you from? –> Where in [country]? –> Ah, I know [this thing about the place]!”) I get the point of small talk; it just feels meaningless. It doesn’t matter what I say, so much as I just say something. I told my last cab driver that I’m from Germany. He couldn’t tell.

As for the haircut, it was great. She managed to keep my hair the same length, but somehow cut about a pound out, which is perfect for this heat. Billie cut my hair at: Hair By Billie @ Raffles City Shopping Centre tel: 6333-4811 (Two locations.)

Boring, but not bored. I’m a little boring here in Singapore, which is not to be confused with “bored”. As a shameless Faulenzer (see? German!) I’m pretty content to just relax for extended periods with the internet and TV. I’ve been watching an appalling amount of Sex And The City reruns and Fox News. I never noticed how Miranda talks with her mouth full all the time.  And I am amused by how obsessed Fox is with Bengazi (“Benzagi-Gate”). At this point, I tune in just to see if they’ve finally run out of things to say about it.

Looking Forward. Buckle up! Things are changin’. At least in 2 weeks they are. I booked a one-way flight to Vietnam for November 14! Just $75 gets me to Ho Chi Minh City and another $114 got me my own room for a week at Long Hostel. Vietnam’s the only country in Southeast Asia where I’ll need a visa. The easiest route is to apply online here for $20, then pay another $20 stamping fee at the airport.

My plan for the next 3 months is loose. I have a short list of locations but no particular order or timeline.

I. Bought. Crocs. Ok, forget everything you know about Crocs. (A tall order, I know.) I just bought some and I love them! Not the hideous kind, of course, but these:

Here I am writing this post (since I know you wanted to see my new hair. See? Looks the same. Feels very, very different!) and Neko and I doing our normal, lazy morning thing. He loves burrowing under the covers and pretending it’s his lion’s den!

And finally: Looking down. Check out the straight-down view from Rob’s balcony! The pool in the 2nd pic is the one in this post. I’m not suicidal at all, but it strikes me how little effort would be required to end one’s life so certainly from here.