First topic: Durian, the King of Fruits!

Have you ever heard of durian? This tropical fruit is the one that smells like stinky feet, or worse (some would say) and is even illegal to carry on a bus here because of it's very strong and offensive smell! 

The taste is equally unique...and I have yet to meet a non-Singaporean who likes it. Most cry out in disgust when I mention the name! Yet the locals are crazy about it, proudly.

Well, needless to say, I was dying to try it. The smell I found quite int resting, but not grotesque..just different. I started discussing and planning my "durian initiation" as I called it, with a my Indonesian buddy- the father of a dancer friend from NY- months ago, back in September. But the timing, you see, has to be right. Durian are in their prime in November. So, months I waited and finally the date was set. I just knew in advance that I would be one of those bizarre people who LOVE Durian...mainly because I like things in general that others would find a bit odd...lol

I think the pictures tell the rest of the story...

 Lots of Durian....how exciting!

 The chosen one...

 Evaluating very intently..notice the closed eyes

 Not too bad!

Quite delicious, actually!

Part 2: Thanksgiving.

2011 marks my first-ever Thanksgiving away from my family, and away from NYC.

Finally, a change! (hehe...just kidding)

Although last Thanksgiving, I remember thinking very clearly that I was "over" this holiday,

perhaps because I had volunteered myself to cook everything and it was a ton of work!

But anyways, to celebrate Thanksgiving here in Singapore, I had a rendez-vous with my French/Moroccan buddy,

who was very adamant upon having a feast to commemorate the American holiday.

So, after much debate, we decided to forget the turkey and instead have a Japanese feast of salads, sushi, and sashimi,

after a rainy walk through the Botanic Gardens where I joined in on some tai-chi, of course.

Nutcracker and it's 90 degrees!?

This past weekend was the annual Nutcracker performance for the dance school I teach at. Sunday: 3 shows in one day, 10:30, 1:30, 4:30..following a day of 3 dress rehearsals in one day! Happy news is that the shows were a great success!

Finally, I can breathe again after all the planning and work involved in putting on such a large-scale production with over 300 kids...the show has been the focus point of my last 3 months of work here.

I even got a chance for my Singapore stage-debut, as my oh-so-cute 4 year old Angels forgot their dance...so I was obliged, as their loving teacher, to come onstage and try to help them out. Weeks of practicing over and over in the studio...gone! They came onstage, and proceeded to flap their arms like angels...but couldn't seem to remember anything after that, so I came onstage to their rescue. At least they are cute, so I can forgive them. hehe

Celebrating Deepavali

The end of October marked a celebratory holiday here in Singapore, Deepavali- meaning Festival of Lights!

In Sanskrit, Deep= light
Avali= in a row

Deepavali is a 5 day celebration, filled with plentiful candles and lamps lit all around. Lighting lamps on the night of Deepavali symbolizes lighting a lamp of knowledge within.


It is definately one my new favorite holidays; it's a very happy, joyous occasion with yummy Indian food, traditional Indian attire, henna tattoos, fragrant flowers to wear, candles lit galore, and colorful lights. I celebrated plentifully with good company!

My first ever Henna tattoo- I was never able to get one before because I didn't want it for ballet!

Light-up in Little India on Oct.26th

Work.....or is it play?

Many of you may be wondering, in between shopping for vegetables and sightseeing like a devout tourist...what exactly does Courtney do in Singapore? I am here to answer all your questions and put an end to your hypothesizing!
Work has several different facets: on one occasion, it might involve (my personal favorite) of putting on my most joyous bright silly ridiculous self and dancing with the most adorable 4 year olds in a purple dance studio: Happy little girls wearing tutus and skipping around and calling me Miss Courtney and interrupting pointing and flexing our feet to tell me the most random and unrelated facts that have nothing to do with ballet yet I find rather amusing.
Work also can be the flip side which is a room full of 3 year-olds who are not cognitevely aware of much of anything yet, and who refuse to listen to a word I say and would rather hang upside down on the barres and pretend they are in a zoo....not so fun.
Work can also be serious- phone calls, registrations, emails, merchandise sales, etc etc
And finally, work is a source for creativity. With the Nutcracker coming up very soon here, I am choreographing on students of all ages and involved in most aspects of the production- scenery, music, props, etc etc
I teach during the week until 8 or 9pm. But at least I am in a dance studio- I'm not complaining!
The more you give, the more you receive, as the saying goes.
And of course, even with a "real" job, there is still plenty of time for my own dancing and personal endeavors. I am currently training in Classical Indian Dance with a company that merges contemporary and classical indian into one genre. After my first class, I could not walk or sit or squat or use the restroom for a week because I was so sore! This is intense!! So, you see, I am still finding as many opportunities for my own growth as well in the midst of a busy work life! TADA!

Tekka Market- a true find!

In NYC, one of my absolute favorite things to do- whether it be summer, spring, autumn, or winter- is to stroll through the union square farmer's market. I love the bounty of fresh seasonal produce and abundance of so many vendors to choose from, and the sunshine that somehow always pokes through the towering buildings to shed light on the farmers who stand there, come rain or snow....Anyways, enough reminiscing! My last week in NYC I was starting to feel sad about leaving my dear friend, the Union Square Market, especially because, after doing some research and asking locals through email, there supposedly was no market in Singapore that would compare. Luckily, and thank god-fully, they were wrong!

Introducing....Tekka Market! Tekka Market is a landmark in Little India. It has a history dating back to when the area was filled with Bamboo ( or tekka in Hokkien) trees. It was a place all ethnic groups came to shop for their produce and cooking staples. It has been around a long time. Enough history. I actually don't usually care much about history. I care about the here and now, not the was or has been.

So...fast forward to 2011 and Tekka Market still stands strong. The first thing that grabbed my attention as I left the car was the smell! Of strong, stinky fish! Then all sorts of smells begin to waft in the air, vegetables, coconuts, fruit, flesh of all animals in front of your eyes...and of course, the most favorite of all smells...Durian! hehe

After my nose got adjusted to the plethora of smells in this huge, covered market, I was able to see how incredible and vast it is! Endless produce!! It is great. I managed to get a large bag of vegetables including a bag of tomatoes, zucchini, a pumpkin, and several other things...for somehow only six Singapore dollars- so about 4.5 USD...a clear bargain! If you don't mind walking past a pile of dead chicken heads or other things you usually don't see in everyday life, then I highly reccommend it- the produce is incredibly fresh and you can find all sorts of vegetables that are not so easy find other places.

I love vegetables.

The Many Facets of Singapore

Now that it's been a few weeks here, I can personally attest to the fact that Singapore is a city within a jungle- it's a slightly bizarre melange of uber-modern architecture with bits of British, Asian, European, and rainforest charm. Last Sunday I went on a private tour of Singapore with a true Singaporean, who showed me highlights and significant places here, shown below: "Wait a sec.....am I seeing things?? Why is there a ship in the sky? And is it just me, or do those silver domes on the left look like Durian fruit?" Yes, there is actually a ship laying across 3 tall buildings. Well, at the very least, it definately is original! The pointy silver domes are theaters shaped like durian- the fruit which smells like dirty feet- and have some of the best accoustics designed in the world!

Posing with Sir Raffles himself- the founder of Singapore!
Note the quaint terra-cotta roofs and "bum boat" in the foreground with the sleek silver monsterous skyscrapers towering behind- quite the contrast!
Kinda strange, right?
Now for some temples:
Singapore's oldest Hindu temple shown above.
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown
And lastly, you will see my favorite sight of all, MONKEY and rainforest:


TADA! And that concludes today's post. Next post will be about Litte India, so stay tuned!

1 week in Singapore!

A little over a week in Singapore. Some things to note:
1. switching time zones is relatively easy! After 2 days I felt totally in this new time zone, despite 12 hour difference...
2. Singapore is such an INTERESTING city. It is really quite interesting. The people, the neighborhoods, the architecture. A really nice balance between green/Nature and city. There are a LOT of parks here :0)
3. When it rains here, it monsoons. Almost every day, it rains like I've never it seen rain before. And then 10 minutes later it's gorgeous again. Always carry an umbrella! This really is a rainforest!
4. Monkeys are randomly spotted on the road! I saw my first monkey on 2nd day here- very very big deal for me (hehe)
5. Little lizards live in the same house as I do
6. Fresh young thai coconuts are cheap here. Why does that surprise me?- We are right next to Thailand...but in NYC those babies are crazy expensive!
7. Teaching= very fulfilling. Dance= very very fun. Fun job= happy Courtney
8. Singapore is an awesome city!
9. I need to get a bike
10. and a juicer
11. and now I need to go to sleep- it's late!!
12. Photo is of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, a preserved portion of primary rainforest just next to where I'm living!

(Bon) Voyage Performance/Party

On Saturday August 13th at 7pm I had the wonderful opportunity to present a dance performance to celebrate my upcoming departure to Singapore, as well as my BIRTHDAY!! What a success it was last night! The RIVAA gallery was completely packed with family and friends, and it was a very special evening with live music, dance, film, and theater performances by myself as well as my mother, aunt and close family friend. I will soon post a link to some awesome photos of the event! So, with that fabulous goodbye party behind me, it is now down to my last days in NYC! Meaning, time to finally....pack. Moving requires you to deal with all that material "stuff" that you work so hard to get and are so happy to accumulate, but that actually becomes more of a burden when you want to relocate across the globe. Packing is more than just putting things in suitcases - it requires you to really look at what you have and think about what you really need. Sooo.....that's what I'm pondering right now: what can stay safely in NYC and what can I fit into suitcases on the plane. Not an easy puzzle! I can find a reason why every possible item, even one that has not been used for years, should come along on my trip. I mean, what if, for example, I want to use my Neti pot for the rare occasion that I get a cold? It should come along too, right?! Everything seems so necessary when I know I won't see it for a long time. Ok, enough writing about it- it's time to finally get to work!!!

Welcome!

Dear friends, family, and random blog-readers whom I have never met, WELCOME to my travel blog! The count down until my trip is (drumroll, please...): 1 month exactly until I arrive in Singapore! Now is the time I start compiling endless lists in an attempt to organize the preparations: lists of mutual friends to meet with, lists of apartment possibilities, lists of the 10,000 things to take care of asap in NY, lists of lists to make...etc. I like to write lists. Especially when I am sitting in the Grand Jury "Chamber", as the D.A.s refer to it, every day for the next 4 weeks until I leave (Jury Duty will get you, one day or another!). Hey, I can't complain- it's a good use of my time to sit down for a few hours and get paid to organize my thoughts while I use half of my brain to take in any relevant information about the cases being presented...just kidding. I pay attention with more than half my brain on most days :0) Back to the subject of this blog, I welcome you formally to join me in the Far-Out Far-East and I look forward to reading your comments on the posts that will appear on this website. I bid you readers a fond farewell! Courtney