On the bus I had yet another conversation with no idea what the heck I was talking about. A man and his son sat by me, and the son compared our arms ... he seemed amazed by my size, whiteness, and beard. The man talked genially but not quite louder than the engine noise. I think we talked about the nation's racial harmony, how I look Indian (many people resembling me turn up in Bollywood movies), that salaries in Australia are more -- or maybe less -- complicated than those in Singapore (?), and we were all smiling when they got off the bus. I understood one question clearly, and gave a good answer: ``Oh, yes, the wages here are much better than those overseas -- I didn't have a job offer overseas.'' (Mind, I didn't look, as I had this job offer before finishing my Ph.D.)
Bugis Junction had a ``Foods of Asia'' festival, offering the chance to try culinary delights of the Asia-Pacific region. You can hardly avoid this selection in any hawker center anyway, but it's the festivity that counts. Also in the Junction was a tourist promotion urging people to ``Come to Melaka,'' in Malaysia, though the attractions looked routine ... shopping, modern hotels, the zoo, OK, they have a Malayan sun bear (so does the Singapore Zoo), tiger (ditto), okapi (ditto), red panda -- oh, there's something new. It's not too far away, at that.
No sign of Star Trek, but Rocky and Bullwinkle Season 2 -- also released Tuesday -- is in HMV. I'll wait to hear whether it's bug-free.
Trivia: Union County, New Jersey, was formed by seceding from Essex County 18 March, 1857. Source: This Is New Jersey, John T Cunningham.
Currently Reading: Hijacking Enigma: The Insider's Tale, Christine Large.