Singapore Life

This visit to Singapore has been more fun than the last. We've found an area in Singapore that we really like and we have gone there for dinner the past two nights.

Most of our adventures begin by us seeking Mexican food. Our Singapore adventure is no different. On Friday, when we were ready for dinner, we asked if there were any Mexican or Spanish restaurants nearby. The front desk referred us to Cafe Iguana at Riverside Point on the Singapore River. The food was good, the ambiance was better, and the area was magnificent.

Riverside Point is near Clarke Quay. After dinner we walked across the pedestrian bridge to Clarke Quay and found an abundance of restaurants, clubs, and even a bungee ride that I plan to do when we have family visiting in October. Much to our surprise, we found another Spanish restaurant called Tapas, a Latin club, and a Spanish fast food restaurant. We ate at the Tapas restaurant - which has live Spanish music - tonight.

Clarke Quay appears to be Singapore nightlife at its best. It has tourists, expats, and affluent locals all mingling for fun, drink, and merriment along the Singapore river. I wish we had found this locale on our last trip. My review of the city may have been vastly different.

Aside from the fun we're having with the nightlife (with our daughter in tow), two other major events have marked our trip. First, was my fantasy football draft. Arguably of no interest to anyone but me, I was quite pleased that I was able to complete the draft before going to my endoscopy this morning. The second, obviously, was my endoscopy - an event in itself.

The first time I had an endoscopy, about seven years ago, I was awake for the whole ordeal and was able to watch myself swallow on some LCD screens over the gurney. This time, they knocked me out cold. My appointment with the doctor was at 10:30. He spent five minutes with me and sent me to the operating room for an endoscopy. At 11:45, they brought me in for the procedure. They sprayed my throat with a numbing agent that made it difficult for me to swallow and then gave me a shot. My doctor told me it would be like having five drinks. I told him he better make it a double, then, as five wouldn't be enough. After they gave me the shot I think I had time for two thoughts - the first one being, I wonder if I'll be awake for this, the second one being, I can feel it now. The next thing I knew I was waking up an hour later in recovery. Between my second thought and when I woke up they could have shaved my head and painted a clown face on me for all I knew. Whatever sedative they used would have been a great party favor in college.

When I woke up, I wasn't quite sure where I was or how I got there. I did find a device sitting on my belly that enabled me to call the nurse , so I called one. She brought me food and drink - hot chocolate and biscuits. I called her a second time - and she brought me more food and drink, this time an egg sandwich and orange juice. I had to fast all morning before the procedure, so I thought about pressing my luck with a third time, and then remembered I needed to go get the results from my doctor.

The results were what I expected - I have GERD. But, I have the mildest case of GERD. I have pictures - high definition, color pictures - if anyone is interested. With this diagnosis, they finally gave me the medication I asked for 7 weeks ago. Within four hours of taking it, I feel so much better.

I have so much more to catch everyone up on. There have been continued shootings at our mine site - though I haven't heard of any this week. I need to give pictures and information about our housing in Singapore. Finally, some more "human interest" information on how this assignment is changing, at least me, but more likely all of us. Those will have to wait for a later post.