War Heroes in America

Last friday was Veterans Day, and everybody had an extended weekend :)

I've always thought you can tell a lot about a country's culture by examining the public holidays that the country celebrates. America celebrates, among others, Veterans Day, Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day, Columbus Day (Christopher Columbus!!!), and Thanksgiving Day, which is just around the corner. War heroes and veterans, great politicians and leaders, pioneers are honoured here: everybody wants to be a hero. On the other hand, Singapore values multi-racial harmony, and multiculturalism, and so we celebrate Deepavali, Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Puasa, all of which are ethnic-specific holidays.

I am reminded of a serious study that compared the purchasing powers of each country's currency by looking at the price of a MacDonald's burger sold in each of these countries. This may seem frivolous, but I can understand the rationale. During my first hour on American soil, I checked the price of a Burger King meal in the San Francisco Airport, and it was reassuring to me that it costs only about 6-7 US dollars. I truly feel some measure of pity for friends who are studying presently in the UK, where a tissue packet can cost as much as 2 Singapore dollars. Which just goes to show how some smart people can make not-so-smart decisions when it comes to choice of country to study.

Right, Cheryl?

Daniel masters the salsa spin, girl-style. It's the only style that suits him.

Colin, my sexy roommate, always the light sleeper. He woke up to the faint 'click' sound of my digital camera, as I was taking this shot. He appeared incredulous, and would have said more, but turned over and fell asleep almost immediately.

Gilman Parking Structure, a place made infamous after a student jumped off from the top floor and killed himself. Personally, I'd pick a building that's higher than 3 storeys, because there's nothing more ill-adviced than failing a suicide attempt and being paralysed from toe-up.

All the way up.

Mee Siam (Yummy)