Toa Payoh Ahoy!

Right, it wasn't exactly lunch. In my mind lunch ends at two and my appointment with Jim and Venitha was exactly for 2 pm, so it was more like tunch. Ok? Thanks.

Venitha picked Toa Payoh Lorong 7 coz the Makansutra guide said there was popiah to die for over there.

I too had my own guidebook - The Singapore Bus Guide which has a map in it. I walked from home. Took about 15 minutes with the help of the map. I thought I wouldn't know where the place was, or to even understand how to read a map but turned out I was just there the week before, just that I wasn't paying attention.

The first one I saw was Jim. I couldn't have been wrong. Besides Jelte, there aren't a lotta white guys in Toa Payoh. I tailed him.

He went into the toilet.

Um...

I called Venitha to tell her I thought I saw Jim. She said yeah he was going to the bathroom (Houston, we got confirmation) and that she was in front of the popiah stall waiting. Right, where in the heck was the popiah stall?

I found her, Jim found us and that was the first time I met the two of them together. Venitha said she didn't expect me to be so good-looking in person. Heh. I just had to mention that.

I initially emailed Venitha to meet them up before my reservist. I thought it'd be nice to meet them before their stint here is over.

Nice people they are. Just ordinary folks with no airs, no expaty attitude... [this bit on this post has been removed in response to a scary article I read on the news today that might implicate Team Singadventure].

They just refuse to fall into the expat trap of ya know, being on a high horse and acting like as though they are too big for anything. So no American Club, no ExpatSingapore.com where the people who post on there are vicious (and I agree having been BoardAdmin since 03), no cars when the public transportation system here is so efficient (can't argue), yes to hanging out with locals (I feel so, so blessed) and yes to eating out where us locals do.

We connect on many levels like the fact that Maoris are scary especially when they do the Haka before their rugby games, we talked about the evolvement of civilization and languages of the world, we touched a little on religion and current affairs. Well basically I just want them to feel lucky knowing that there are actually Muslims out there who do not bay for American blood all the time as yours truly is and they wanted me to understand that not all Americans are ugly.

They certainly weren't. And they were pretty assured I was an OK guy who hasn't got any murderous intentions... at least for the few hours I was with them. Heh heh heh *rubbing hands in glee, eyeballs darting left and right a few times*

After three and a half hours, we had to mosey ("make a move" in John Waynish as I just learned). They were meeting some friends for dinner before watching some people fly all over the place at Choa Chu Kang in some acrobatic show but we promised to keep in touch and hang out again. That'd be nice.

The moment Venitha posts our pictures on their blog I'm gonna hijack them and post them here ok. So hold on to your horses.