Vancouver downtown

In order to prepare for my journey to the airport in 2 days' time, I decided that I needed to learn how to travel by public transport in Vancouver. This was made simple by a transportation card called the U-Pass which has "unlimited rides", which I learnt meant that every ride was FREE! I like paying 22 dollars a month for this.

So in order to learn how to travel by public transport, I decided to go "downtown". With my handy U-Pass and my Greater Vancouver Transportation Map, I made my way downtown...and proceeded to get lost. Well, I got lost because I didn't know where I was, until I found out that I was actually downtown so yay for that! But returning was a pain in the ass because I didn't know where the buses were after meandering around, and a grand total of 3 people asked if I needed help. I didn't really need help even though I did reply in the affirmative; downtown's not huge at all, and easy to figure out actually.

Downtown is just like Orchard Road, only more expensive. Much more expensive. I ended up not buying anything there because (1) I didn't want to spend all my cash, (2) I didn't have money in my debit card, and (3) it costs an extra sum to withdraw cash at an ATM, or from Cirrus, which I felt was a rip off. I just walked around, looked at how they managed to close one entire road off for some works and just looked at downtown Vancouver from the ground up.

One more thing, though. There is a bridge over this river known as False Creek and it has the most awe-inspiring view. When I remember to bring out the camera, I'll take photographs of the view from the bridge.

On my way across campus, I noticed that fall doesn't bring about red and golden and yellow leaves, just brown and black ones. Or perhaps it isn't really fall yet, or maybe it's just the beginning of fall. Or maybe the leaves got burnt by the sun which is not covered by any clouds. There are little streaks of clouds in the sky and nothing else. There is absolutely no cloud cover so wherever you walk, you get buffeted by sunlight. Perhaps the leaves got buffeted by sunlight.

I originally asked my Lebanese housemate who just finished his Phd and is leaving in 8 days whether he was going to town, and if he was, whether I could tag along. It turns out, after my return, that he never intended to go to town but planned on spending his whole day playing his PS2.

Another thing about Vancouver I've realised: Weekends are precisely what they are meant for. You don't see anyone working on Saturdays and Sundays except for the retail people. I love Vancouver's system already, but I still miss SG.

UBC, Vancouver, Canada

I'm in UBC already! I have been here for 2 days, and I'm still suffering from jetlag, sleeping at 6 in the pm and waking up at 3 in the morning. And that's only when I force myself to sleep late. If not, I'd probably sleep at 2 pm and wake up at 8pm or something like that.

Vancouver is cold. It's about 15 degrees celsius out, but the sun beats down hard and heavy, and when I walk in the afternoon, it's delightful because walking under shade means that a delicious breeze of cold air cuts to the bone, and walking in the sun is just so...Singaporean. So at the same time, I miss Singapore and don't miss Singapore just by walking on the streets.

What I have been doing these last two days: I walked around campus trying to fix my mealplan and accomodations. I got a UBC card and a U-Pass. I went to the UBC Village and bought 3 (!!!) packets of Ruffles Sour Cream and Onion (eh bob?) and a box of chocolate granola bar thingies, the kind of bars I used to eat during NS just before CPFT, and also, most importantly, my first meal in Vancouver which, sad to say, is Chinese economical rice (Sweet Sour Pork and Mixed Veg). I'll probably head out to town tomorrow because I want to see how the U-Pass works and because I have coins now in case the U-Pass doesn't work the way I think it should, and because I think I need to head out anywhere outside campus at least once before I fly off to NYC.

UBC is, for want of a better word, surreal. I saw my very first squirrel in a tree an arm's length away gnawing at something, and a few minutes later, a man with a jungle hat, singlet, shorts and sandals emerged from the bushes nearby with his guitar at the ready. People actually lie on the grass, and it feels like I'm in Sydney (even though I've never been to Sydney before).

The buildings here are different. There are log cabins, huts, little ceremonial-looking one-storey buildings and the requisite tall buildings (which aren't that tall actually). It is different from NUS because everything is spread across the land, rather than piled on top of it.

Which reminds me, I have opted to transfer to this place called Gage Towers, a 17-storey monstrosity situated at the Northeastern end of the campus which is only 5-10 mins walk away from my faculty. That's a huge different compared to Thunderbird Residences (where I am currently staying now) which is at the Southern end of the campus and which takes me about 20-30 mins to walk to Arts. The room here in Thunderbird is great; it's got a lot of space and it's really quiet. But it is just so far from everywhere else it just doesn't make sense. And what is worse is that the rest of my apartment is nearly disgusting. There're a couple of old Domino's pizza boxes strewn at the back of the living room, the kitchen is in such a mess and the living room smells of spice. Stains on the toilet seat don't make living conditions any better. Hopefully, Gage deals me better cards as far as living conditions are concerned.

I'm still lonely. The cold cuts through my bones and I woke up last night at 3 am and felt so utterly alone. I miss Singapore, even with its hot-until-sweat weather, where you can sleep under a fan in August and still wake up drenched in perspiration. I miss all my friends. I miss 3SG Boon, Bob, Baba, and most of all, I miss Michelle. It smells like paprika now and it's bright at 6 am, Canadian time. I know no one here, and I heard Singapore voices downstairs about 2 in the afternoon yesterday, and I missed Singapore even more. Canada will be fun once that is over.