If there is anything that can really sour my day it's not being able to access money when I need it. Citizens Bank has done just that and gotten on my last nerve. While I can understand the idea of protecting the bank against false charges, the bank owes its customers the right to be informed that their charges have been flagged and that future activity on the account may be stopped.
Chase called me not one, not two but, THREE times to verify some charges I made. Citizens Bank did not even attempt to call me once. They didn't even send me an email or one of those "secured messages" through their website. Just all of a sudden, they started declining charges. Of course, I immediately checked my account balance as soon as I returned to my computer and everything looked fine... still no notice of suspicion. Given the crazy time difference, I sent Customer Service a "secured message" explaining the situation and asking them to remove the flag. Still, no response. Anyway, earlier today, I went to withdraw some money from my account and guess what happened? The ATM retained my card (needless to say, it also did not give me any money). So, now what??
I call that bank responsible for the ATM and they tell me that because of the various processes required, I should get my card in about two weeks. TWO WEEKS?!?!?! Two weeks and no access to my money?!?! Sadly, I realized that they weren't kidding... not even a little bit. They said they'd try to expedite it but couldn't promise anything. You can only imagine how bullsh*t I was at this point.
So then, I call Citizens' remarkably unhelpful 24/7 "help" line. All the call center rep could do was confirm what I already knew... yes, my account had been flagged. I think our conversation went something like this...
Me: Can you remove the flag?
Her: No. Only the consumer fraud department can do that but, (optimistically) they're open between 9am & 9pm EST.
Me: Well, seeing that I'm 13 hours ahead that means 10pm to 10am.
Her: Oh, I'm sorry. Well, that's really your only option.
At this point I wanted to reach the phone and shake her, really really hard. Then I explained my whole card problem and she said well we can send you an emergency card via FedEx and you have to sign for it. She almost made up for her prior uselessness in that statement alone. But then just when there was a glimmer of hope she says, however, we can't do that until the fraud department has removed the flag so you have to call back tonight. And all of a sudden, she was useless again.
While this may be the biggest incident where Citizens has managed to completely frustrate me, it is, sadly, not their first. Therefore, one of the first things I will do as soon as I return to Boston is change banks because quite frankly Citizens is doing NOTHING for me.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Brownie Points for Cambodia
I never thought I'd find myself saying this but, many a country - including the "developed" ones - could do to take a page out of Cambodia's book.
As a citizen of a nation where our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is quite possibly one of the most useless ones out there, I have to obtain tourist (and/or transit) visas for practically everywhere. I'm sure you can imagine the aggravation and hassle this involves for anyone who might want to actually leave the country now and again to visit someplace other than a fellow commonwealth nation.
Usually, it involves at least two trips to the embassy of a the desired destination country (and if you know anything about any government office anywhere, that means lots of waiting, both times), shelling out some cash, and scrambling to find additional passport photos. All for a single entry visa... too bad if you're planning on making multiple trips. You'll need to return to the beginning and repeat the entire process (unless you are lucky enough to be visiting one of the few countries that grant multiple-entry tourist visas).
So, you can only imagine my surprise to discover that Cambodia, in it's technological advancement, gives tourists the option of applying for their visa online. They evidently want to make it as easy as possible for tourists to visit their country and I have to commend them on the entire process. Three things in particular won me over (not that I needed much extra beyond an online application):
(1) the entire application process took about 5 minutes to complete
(2) you don't need a standard passport photo... as long as the picture is only of you, comprised mostly of your head & shoulders, and your head is facing forward, you're all set and
(3) very fast response time... I submitted my application online at 12:30 am and when I woke up this morning at 8:30 am there was my approval notice.
Now, if only places, like France, would follow suit I'd really be happy.
As a citizen of a nation where our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is quite possibly one of the most useless ones out there, I have to obtain tourist (and/or transit) visas for practically everywhere. I'm sure you can imagine the aggravation and hassle this involves for anyone who might want to actually leave the country now and again to visit someplace other than a fellow commonwealth nation.
Usually, it involves at least two trips to the embassy of a the desired destination country (and if you know anything about any government office anywhere, that means lots of waiting, both times), shelling out some cash, and scrambling to find additional passport photos. All for a single entry visa... too bad if you're planning on making multiple trips. You'll need to return to the beginning and repeat the entire process (unless you are lucky enough to be visiting one of the few countries that grant multiple-entry tourist visas).
So, you can only imagine my surprise to discover that Cambodia, in it's technological advancement, gives tourists the option of applying for their visa online. They evidently want to make it as easy as possible for tourists to visit their country and I have to commend them on the entire process. Three things in particular won me over (not that I needed much extra beyond an online application):
(1) the entire application process took about 5 minutes to complete
(2) you don't need a standard passport photo... as long as the picture is only of you, comprised mostly of your head & shoulders, and your head is facing forward, you're all set and
(3) very fast response time... I submitted my application online at 12:30 am and when I woke up this morning at 8:30 am there was my approval notice.
Now, if only places, like France, would follow suit I'd really be happy.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Chicken Bolognaise Fish Fillet Rice
One of my favorite things about Singapore is the wide variety of tasty food that is available. On any given day, I may have kaya toast for breakfast, ebi tempura for lunch and mutton with prata for dinner. It is worth noting however that all the meals previously mentioned are Asian/SE Asian dishes. The reason for that is, "western" food is something of an adventure.
Undoubtedly, the first question that comes to mind is what exactly is "western" food? And the best I can say is that it is some weird amalgam of what Asians imagine American, British and miscellaneous other western cuisines must be. As far as I can tell, the standard rules appear to be (1) fry (preferably deep-fry) the designated meat, then (2) cover it in some sort of suspicious sauce/gravy and finally (3) serve it with plain spaghetti or fries (except not the McDonald's fries but those rippled ones you'd only find in the frozen food aisles at the supermarket). Oh, and of course, give it some bizarre name, like "chicken chop", that will completely baffle any "westerner" to the point that you're pretty much guaranteed that they will choose some other cuisine to eat.
Anyway, this is pretty much what I encountered when I decided to get dinner tonight. I let my curiosity outweigh my better judgment and opted for the Chicken Bolognaise Fish Fillet Rice because the name was just far too fantastic for me to pass it up.
As I figured, there was no such thing as "bolognaise" but perhaps they were referring to bolognese sauce (they were) and to substitute chicken for beef should be fine. Now, in a standard Italian restaurant the dish should end there because this sauce is typically served with spaghetti. Alas, here, in the land of interpretive "western" food it did not.
One guess as to how the dish was "creatively" interpreted.
If you said, rice instead of spaghetti, brownie points for you! And if you said a deep fried fish fillet was thrown in just for the heck of it, bonus points!!
And one guess of what it tasted like...
Let's just say, there's a reason why the Italians use pasta and keep fish out of it.
Undoubtedly, the first question that comes to mind is what exactly is "western" food? And the best I can say is that it is some weird amalgam of what Asians imagine American, British and miscellaneous other western cuisines must be. As far as I can tell, the standard rules appear to be (1) fry (preferably deep-fry) the designated meat, then (2) cover it in some sort of suspicious sauce/gravy and finally (3) serve it with plain spaghetti or fries (except not the McDonald's fries but those rippled ones you'd only find in the frozen food aisles at the supermarket). Oh, and of course, give it some bizarre name, like "chicken chop", that will completely baffle any "westerner" to the point that you're pretty much guaranteed that they will choose some other cuisine to eat.
Anyway, this is pretty much what I encountered when I decided to get dinner tonight. I let my curiosity outweigh my better judgment and opted for the Chicken Bolognaise Fish Fillet Rice because the name was just far too fantastic for me to pass it up.
As I figured, there was no such thing as "bolognaise" but perhaps they were referring to bolognese sauce (they were) and to substitute chicken for beef should be fine. Now, in a standard Italian restaurant the dish should end there because this sauce is typically served with spaghetti. Alas, here, in the land of interpretive "western" food it did not.
One guess as to how the dish was "creatively" interpreted.
If you said, rice instead of spaghetti, brownie points for you! And if you said a deep fried fish fillet was thrown in just for the heck of it, bonus points!!
And one guess of what it tasted like...
Let's just say, there's a reason why the Italians use pasta and keep fish out of it.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Four countries, four days
On Wednesday of last week, I decided that I had to get on the traveling ball and go somewhere this past weekend. Seeing that I didn't want to be bothered with getting visas or overly concerned that I still haven't gotten my JE shots as yet, HK & Macau seemed like perfect destinations. So, I booked my tickets and headed out on Friday.
Of the two, I preferred HK. Not that Macau is all bad.
In fact, there's a lot of unique cultural sites to tide me over for the day I was there. Macau was, until recently, a colony of Portugal which has made for an interesting mix of architecture and unexpected quirks. (Check out these pictures.)
Also, in the midst of signs written in Chinese you'll see street signs for Rua da [insert Portuguese name here] or Travessa da something.
Nonetheless, I'm not much of a gambler so I was at a loss for things to do at night because they don't even have the shows you can find in Vegas. As far as I'm concerned, if I'm going to lose money I at least want to get something out of the process - be it new clothes, shoes, fat or a pleasant buzz - but gambling doesn't actually make me feel good because from the start I know I'm just going to lose money with no return.
However, I do feel obliged to share one utterly delicious encounter in Macau... egg tarts - YUM! Imagine the best creme brulee you've ever had and then combine that with really flaky, buttery pie crust... almost like a croissant... with each bite you can just feel the fat piling on but it's oh so good.
As for HK, it's a lot more like any big city as far as skyscrapers, crowds of people and efficient transportation is concerned. While HK cannot claim the ridiculous cleanliness of Singapore or Tokyo, it is a far cry from the dirt of Bangkok. On my scale of big city cleanliness, I'd probably say it's somewhere around Chicago or NYC.
What's really striking about HK to me is how the towering skyscrapers of the Central district are flanked by huge hills (they could be mountains but I'm pretty sure they're just hills... I must confess my ability to judge these things is a bit off) on one side and then the harbour on the other. The result is that HK is an incredibly picturesque city. (Of course, it was overcast when I was there but I could still imagine what it must look like on a clear day.)
Across the harbour (and yes I took the Star Ferry), in Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon), you can get a fantastic view of the lights from Central and at 8pm every night the tourism folks put on a show - The Symphony of Lights - which is actually pretty cool (that or I was really feeling my cocktail... which I suppose is possible). I couldn't get a good shot of the light show but here's a taste of the lights in general.
And of course, what would a trip to HK be without some Bruce Lee action? :)
[If you're trying to figure out the other two countries referred to in the entry title... S'pore (a little too obvious perhaps) and Malaysia. I flew into Johor Bahru, Malaysia and then took public trans across the border back into S'pore. So yes, it's arguable if I should get to count it but c'mon, four countries in four days just sounds cool.]
Of the two, I preferred HK. Not that Macau is all bad.
In fact, there's a lot of unique cultural sites to tide me over for the day I was there. Macau was, until recently, a colony of Portugal which has made for an interesting mix of architecture and unexpected quirks. (Check out these pictures.)
Also, in the midst of signs written in Chinese you'll see street signs for Rua da [insert Portuguese name here] or Travessa da something.
Nonetheless, I'm not much of a gambler so I was at a loss for things to do at night because they don't even have the shows you can find in Vegas. As far as I'm concerned, if I'm going to lose money I at least want to get something out of the process - be it new clothes, shoes, fat or a pleasant buzz - but gambling doesn't actually make me feel good because from the start I know I'm just going to lose money with no return.
However, I do feel obliged to share one utterly delicious encounter in Macau... egg tarts - YUM! Imagine the best creme brulee you've ever had and then combine that with really flaky, buttery pie crust... almost like a croissant... with each bite you can just feel the fat piling on but it's oh so good.
As for HK, it's a lot more like any big city as far as skyscrapers, crowds of people and efficient transportation is concerned. While HK cannot claim the ridiculous cleanliness of Singapore or Tokyo, it is a far cry from the dirt of Bangkok. On my scale of big city cleanliness, I'd probably say it's somewhere around Chicago or NYC.
What's really striking about HK to me is how the towering skyscrapers of the Central district are flanked by huge hills (they could be mountains but I'm pretty sure they're just hills... I must confess my ability to judge these things is a bit off) on one side and then the harbour on the other. The result is that HK is an incredibly picturesque city. (Of course, it was overcast when I was there but I could still imagine what it must look like on a clear day.)
Across the harbour (and yes I took the Star Ferry), in Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon), you can get a fantastic view of the lights from Central and at 8pm every night the tourism folks put on a show - The Symphony of Lights - which is actually pretty cool (that or I was really feeling my cocktail... which I suppose is possible). I couldn't get a good shot of the light show but here's a taste of the lights in general.
And of course, what would a trip to HK be without some Bruce Lee action? :)
[If you're trying to figure out the other two countries referred to in the entry title... S'pore (a little too obvious perhaps) and Malaysia. I flew into Johor Bahru, Malaysia and then took public trans across the border back into S'pore. So yes, it's arguable if I should get to count it but c'mon, four countries in four days just sounds cool.]
Random pictures of Singapore
I know, it's about time I posted some photos from Singapore. Problem is that I haven't really taken any pictures since my first day here. Nonetheless, here are a few to tide you over until the next round.
One of the many expressways. I cannot get over just how green this little island-city-country is... it's incredible.
Chinatown's night market
Bussorah Street in the Arab Quarter.
I know, it doesn't look very Arabic... you just have to trust me on this one.
The Sultan Mosque.
(It's at the end of the street pictured above. See? Very Arabic after all.)
One of the many expressways. I cannot get over just how green this little island-city-country is... it's incredible.
Chinatown's night market
Bussorah Street in the Arab Quarter.
I know, it doesn't look very Arabic... you just have to trust me on this one.
The Sultan Mosque.
(It's at the end of the street pictured above. See? Very Arabic after all.)
Thursday, January 17, 2008
In the land of little people
At the risk of stating the obvious and at the same time possibly over-generalizing, Asians are small people.
You'd think if I didn't get that when I was in Thailand, where I (a US size medium) was forced to purchase XL clothing and pray it fit, then I would certainly get it after Japan, where I pretty much did not buy any clothing at all, but somehow it still managed to sneak up on me. It's as if my mind just cannot wrap itself around the concept of how it can be normal for a population, the women in particular, to be so small.
Well, I was recently forced to revisit this issue because I desperately needed to purchase more shorts (they're really the only things comfortable to wear out and about in this incredible heat and humidity). Many (if not most of the stores) don't really sell anything larger than a US size small but there is no end to the extra-small or extra-extra-small sizes (which is really awesome because I think if I try real hard I can fit one thigh into something that size... maybe I could just buy two... you know, one for each leg... I'll start a new style). So, it becomes much more of a treasure hunt... where oh where is there clothing that will actually fit? and then of course, am I really willing to wear that or does it cross the line and make me look like my grandmother?
I suppose I can look at the bright side and say I have incentive to go to the gym regularly and eat super-healthy so that I can miraculously shrink to an extra-small but what really gets me is that it's not even that I eat a whole lot... just reasonable sizes of the recommended three square meals a day. If you really want to see eaters, just observe Singaporeans. I have no doubt that even the littlest young woman in any of my classes could probably eat twice as much as I can and does on a fairly regular basis. As an example, Taryn (my buddy assigned through the law student group at NUS) took Chris (the other BU exchange student) and I out for lunch at a local sushi place. She ate almost as much as I did but, this was her second lunch of the day. We commented on this to her and she couldn't really explain it... our best guess is that she sweats off the calories in the constant heat that is Singapore but honestly, I'm not buying it.
To make matters worse, I have freakishly large feet here. (Of course, there are some who may say that my feet are freakishly large anywhere but that's beside the point.) So freakishly large that the vast majority of shoe stores/departments simply do not carry my size at all (which is a European size 41... pretty much all the stores only carry up to size 40). Finally, at my wits end, I (just a tad bit desperately) ask a saleslady if she knew of any stores that carried my size... she knew one. On all of Orchard Road, she only knew of one! (To give you some sense of scope, Orchard Road is kinda like Newbury Street, except at least twice as long and instead of little boutiques lining the street, there are megamalls. Many, many megamalls. And when I say megamall, it's as though you combine the Copley & Pru and then double it and then you've got the smallest variant.) I don't care how large my feet may seem in the US, I rarely have problems finding shoes in my size... in fact my closet can attest to this fact. All in all, it makes for a relatively sad Roxie because it's no secret, I love to shop but this whole hard-to-find sizes thing is really not helping... not helping at all.
You'd think if I didn't get that when I was in Thailand, where I (a US size medium) was forced to purchase XL clothing and pray it fit, then I would certainly get it after Japan, where I pretty much did not buy any clothing at all, but somehow it still managed to sneak up on me. It's as if my mind just cannot wrap itself around the concept of how it can be normal for a population, the women in particular, to be so small.
Well, I was recently forced to revisit this issue because I desperately needed to purchase more shorts (they're really the only things comfortable to wear out and about in this incredible heat and humidity). Many (if not most of the stores) don't really sell anything larger than a US size small but there is no end to the extra-small or extra-extra-small sizes (which is really awesome because I think if I try real hard I can fit one thigh into something that size... maybe I could just buy two... you know, one for each leg... I'll start a new style). So, it becomes much more of a treasure hunt... where oh where is there clothing that will actually fit? and then of course, am I really willing to wear that or does it cross the line and make me look like my grandmother?
I suppose I can look at the bright side and say I have incentive to go to the gym regularly and eat super-healthy so that I can miraculously shrink to an extra-small but what really gets me is that it's not even that I eat a whole lot... just reasonable sizes of the recommended three square meals a day. If you really want to see eaters, just observe Singaporeans. I have no doubt that even the littlest young woman in any of my classes could probably eat twice as much as I can and does on a fairly regular basis. As an example, Taryn (my buddy assigned through the law student group at NUS) took Chris (the other BU exchange student) and I out for lunch at a local sushi place. She ate almost as much as I did but, this was her second lunch of the day. We commented on this to her and she couldn't really explain it... our best guess is that she sweats off the calories in the constant heat that is Singapore but honestly, I'm not buying it.
To make matters worse, I have freakishly large feet here. (Of course, there are some who may say that my feet are freakishly large anywhere but that's beside the point.) So freakishly large that the vast majority of shoe stores/departments simply do not carry my size at all (which is a European size 41... pretty much all the stores only carry up to size 40). Finally, at my wits end, I (just a tad bit desperately) ask a saleslady if she knew of any stores that carried my size... she knew one. On all of Orchard Road, she only knew of one! (To give you some sense of scope, Orchard Road is kinda like Newbury Street, except at least twice as long and instead of little boutiques lining the street, there are megamalls. Many, many megamalls. And when I say megamall, it's as though you combine the Copley & Pru and then double it and then you've got the smallest variant.) I don't care how large my feet may seem in the US, I rarely have problems finding shoes in my size... in fact my closet can attest to this fact. All in all, it makes for a relatively sad Roxie because it's no secret, I love to shop but this whole hard-to-find sizes thing is really not helping... not helping at all.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Welcome to Singapore!
Now that I’ve been in Singapore for a few days, it seems appropriate that I should write an entry at least touching on this big move. (It also helps that I need an excuse to stay up late b/c if I let my body have its way, I’d be asleep already and normally that wouldn’t be such a huge deal except I can’t say that I’m a fan of waking up at 4AM.)
Anyway, to state the obvious, it is hot here… and humid. Apparently, this is the rainy season but I have yet to see any rain and quite frankly I’d welcome some if it means that it would break the humidity. I’m beginning to think that I may never wear my hair down while I’m here – unless, of course, I’m going for the wild-crazy-mass-of-uncontrollable-curls look. The good news is that despite the fact that my tiny dorm room does not have a/c it does have a world’s fastest spinning ceiling fan which does a remarkably good job keeping the room cool… so long as I don’t think about the harm that fan might cause should it somehow break free of its base, I’ll be fine.
As to be expected, the country is very clean… a lot like Japan in that respect. And from what I can tell, the residents tend to follow the laws closely. (Then again, the government is not known for being all that lenient so I’m not about to try breaking any myself.) My first night in town I stayed in a hotel near Chinatown, where there is a fairly large night market, and ended up being convinced into getting a massage (granted it didn’t take that much convincing). And as the guy giving me the massage put it, the government acts as the father for all Singaporeans and Singaporeans are very good children. (He also said that I have a really stiff back – which is not good apparently but, more on that another time.)
I also have to mention the food because I’m floored at how cheap it is yet still be so tasty. All over the city, there are hawker centers, which are essentially food courts, where you can get an incredibly low cost meal. About 4-6 SGD should do the trick and even in today’s market where the USD trades at approx. 1.5 SGD (apparently in the days of old, it used to be 1 USD = 2 SGD) that’s still cheap. There are also a number of other restaurants that charge much more. One night I ventured down to Clarke Quay (pronounced “key”), where there is a remarkable array of bars, restaurants and clubs, to have dinner and paid the equivalent of what a moderate to inexpensive dinner in Boston would cost but that was a splurge (despite the fact that there are far more expensive restaurants to be had) and my plan is to keep meals like that to a minimum.
Right now, things are fairly quiet in my residence. Classes do not begin until next week and most students won’t check in until this weekend at the earliest. I suppose it is good that I arrived early so I don’t have to deal with the chaos of thousands of others checking in with me along with settling in but the quietness tends to lead to a bit of boredom, particularly because it’s a bit of an undertaking to get from the residence into town. Nonetheless, I’m planning, now that my room is in order, to use these few days before classes begin to play tourist. My cab driver recommended the Night Safari and Sentosa Island is supposed to be enjoyable as well.
Until next time…
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