Photo Adventures with Curiosity and Learning


October 5, 2006:
Filling in for Sparky - going to work with Frank

Sparky's camera is being repaired and I was having a guilt attack with no updates for the past week. So today, you have the opportunity to go with me to work - at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School.

Singapore is simply an interesting place to work and live. Convenient to just about everywhere, you can fly to Bali for about $150 (US), to India for about $300 (US) and to Bangkok for about $100 (US), Vietnam for about ($150) etc etc etc). We are 1 degree above the equator and the sun rises about 7am every morning and sets about 7pm every evening. Little variation.

We do not own a car - but use the MRT (subway), bus and Taxi. I have an EZ-Pass for the MRT - cost to get to work is about us 50 cents. The EZ-Pass costs US $10, and can be increased in value when you almost use it up. It works for the bus and it works for McDonalds should you have a hankering for a kid's meal (as Ellen often does). Coka Cola is a disappointment here - I was addicted at home (ask my family) - but in the US, it is made with corn syrup. Here in Singapore, it is made with sugar. It tastes too sweet - like Pepsi - so now I drink tea at work, fresh lemon tea at lunch, and tea / mango juice at dinner.

Eating is a pleasure. Singapore is filled with food courts - called Hawker Centers. Typically there are 10 - 40 food stalls - with food varying from South Indian to Vietnamese to Chinese to Thai. Usual lunch is S$2.50 or about US $ 1.80 . Actually, it is cheaper to eat out than to cook in - so we have lots of culinary adventures. There is even a guide with rave reviews in the New York TImes: Makansutra - "The frank and no frills guide to street food and restaurants in Singapore". I like it because I can find food courts that serve fried bananas - my new addiction!.

So here is how I go to work each morning.

It all starts here outside our building as I pass by kids on their way to the local Japanese school.

oct 05 9746 waiting

Here is their bus and in the upper right is the MRT station (elevated part of the Singapore subway)

oct 05 9748 bus

And here they are lining up to enter the bus

oct 05 9750 line

Moms waiting for the last wave good-bye

oct 05 9756 moms

Moms on the outside and faces from within - all in their yellow cap uniforms

oct 05 9767 moms faces

Now the fun - playing with an egg carton

oct 05 9762 hat egg face

A funny face

oct 05 9777 face

and more funny faces

oct 05 9780 faces

Then about 50 meters to the MRT station (elevated subway here)

oct 05 9785 mrt

Then out of the subway at Outram Park Station

oct 05 9788 outram out

Looking the other direction

oct 05 9789 outram mrt

The exit gates

oct 05 9791 outram exit

and the way out

oct 05 9792 outram wayout

Outram Road

oct 05 9793 outram rd

and crossing the street

oct 05 9798 st crossing

It frequently rains in Singapore - and here is the covered walkway

oct 05 9801 covered walkway

and extension of the cover as the walkway crosses a street

oct 05 9803 street cover

and a covered alley walkway

oct 05 9804 alley cover

Here is the covered walkway at the corner of Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Block 4

oct 05 9805 sgh cover

And a sign indicating how many parking spaces remain

oct 05 9806 parking oct 05 9807 parking

This is the entrance to Block 4

oct 05 9810 blk 4 entrance

and the entrance to the Outpatient Clinics (Blocks 1, 2 and 3)

oct 05 9812 blk 123

Block C houses our new research labs

oct 05 9813 blk c research

and Block C's car park

oct 05 9815 car park

Walking to my office, one of our guys is coming up the steps

oct 05 9820 salute

Block 3 - where my office lives

oct 05 9821 blk 3

and a typical 4 language sign - English, Chinese, Tamil and Malay

oct 05 9822 language

My colleagues: Li Fook, our architect

oct 05 9827 li fook

Kok Heng, my IT Lab

oct 05 9828 kok heng

and Wai Kuen - who is the force behind our fast paced researchers

oct 05 9829 wai kuen

and my office with bridge photos, of course

oct 05 9832 frank office

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

C. Frank Starmer

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