2002/12/26
Anyways, the Gillman unit is very large; over a thousand square feet
(this is one of the few things that they measure in English units,
unfortunately; A/C power in BTUs is another) and has a nice floor
plan. I live on the sixth floor (hence the 06 as the leading number
in the address), facing south. It works out quite well as the balcony
gets some sunlight but it doesn't make it into the living room
(less direct sunlight, less heat, less A/C needed. The unit has a
sunken living room and a through counter kitchen that is very nice.
It's really a unit meant for a whole family but oh well, I will
have to make do. :)
Food here is very cheap. The canteen here is really your only option
to eat but the food is quite good by my standards. The canteen is
organized like an American food court, with several different stalls
set up and run by local families. In the canteen closest to the
department (it's really just underneath the department) there's
a Japanese food stand, two noodle stands, a Muslim food stand, bakery,
fruit juice and other beverage stand, and a bubble tea stand. Average
lunch runs about 3 Sing dollars or about 1.80 US. Food stands
(sometimes called hawker stands, as sometimes there are family members
outside trying to get you to order food) in this configuration are
pretty common and found all over the island, although at the
university the prices are about half of what you'd expect in other
places.
This last entry points out some things which I have yet to really
understand here. There is a marked disparity between providers of
services and their consumers. I don't think a family that runs a
hawker stand at the university actually makes that much money to net
much of a living.
(this is one of the few things that they measure in English units,
unfortunately; A/C power in BTUs is another) and has a nice floor
plan. I live on the sixth floor (hence the 06 as the leading number
in the address), facing south. It works out quite well as the balcony
gets some sunlight but it doesn't make it into the living room
(less direct sunlight, less heat, less A/C needed. The unit has a
sunken living room and a through counter kitchen that is very nice.
It's really a unit meant for a whole family but oh well, I will
have to make do. :)
Food here is very cheap. The canteen here is really your only option
to eat but the food is quite good by my standards. The canteen is
organized like an American food court, with several different stalls
set up and run by local families. In the canteen closest to the
department (it's really just underneath the department) there's
a Japanese food stand, two noodle stands, a Muslim food stand, bakery,
fruit juice and other beverage stand, and a bubble tea stand. Average
lunch runs about 3 Sing dollars or about 1.80 US. Food stands
(sometimes called hawker stands, as sometimes there are family members
outside trying to get you to order food) in this configuration are
pretty common and found all over the island, although at the
university the prices are about half of what you'd expect in other
places.
This last entry points out some things which I have yet to really
understand here. There is a marked disparity between providers of
services and their consumers. I don't think a family that runs a
hawker stand at the university actually makes that much money to net
much of a living.
