See you in America!

We’re less than 18 hours from getting on a plane to go, and I haven’t started packing yet. Yesterday I spent the day relaxing and making sure I had done everything I needed to. Jessica and I splurged and got special Geisha pedicures, relaxing and thinking about our time in Singapore. In the afternoon we went out to dinner with Maria, Alissa, and Dana. There was an amazing Greek restaurant across the street from our hotel, called Esmirada, and we saved it for our very last official meal. We ate until we were bursting… warm garlic bread, fresh Greek salads, moussaka, couscous, and a melty chocolate cake to finish it off. Maria surprised us all with a bottle of champagne, since she’s definitely not coming back on the next leg. It was great! It’s amazing to see how close I’ve gotten to some of the people in the cast… spending this much time with someone can make you love or hate them, but no matter what you get to know people extremely well.

The show went well, although people are starting to tear up at the end now. I’m determined not to cry tonight, because if I do I’ll be unable to sing! During our second curtain call, the lights on stage went off, and the house lights came up. It was totally a mistake, but for the first time we could see the audiences faces just as the show was ending. It helps keep it new to think that there are people every show who are seeing you perform for the first time. There was also a little boy in the audience named Jeremy, who’s in a wheelchair. He came backstage before the show to talk pictures with all of us, and to tell us that The SOM was his favorite musical ever. He had already seen the show once, but he wanted to see it again because he liked it so much. Things like that make me actually think about what impact the show is having, instead of thinking about myself or the personal drama within the cast or outside the show.

I was also reminded what it’s like to be in the audience the other night, when Lea Salonga played at the Esplanade with us! I totally forgot to blog about it, because I was in shock. Remember, the way the Esplanade is set up? There are two theatres (a theatre and a concert hall) and they share the same lobby and greenroom and backstage area. So over the weekend, Lea was doing a concert in the concert hall. If you don’t know who she is, she was most famous for originating the role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon. She was basically an undiscovered 19-year-old before that. She’s gone on to play Eponine in Les Miserable, and tons of other stuff. She has an amazing voice and I was really anxious to see how her concert was! Her actual concert was happening during our evening show, but her sound check was held after our matinee. A few people saw her eating lunch in the green room while we were in the intermission of our first show! We got dinner and came back early to listen, and most of it was gorgeous. Then during the nighttime show we could hear her over the monitor! During our intermission a bunch of us crossed over to the concert hall side so we could watch her on the TV monitors, and we sat in the hall for at least 30 minutes. Her singing was awesome, her patter was a little rambling, but it was amazing. When she finished we all met her in the hall clapping, and she was totally cool. She was so nice to us, and a few people asked for autographs. I’m not usually star-struck, but she really is someone who I admire as a performer, and she gave a great performance. It makes me want to do my best every show!

After the show we had a reception upstairs in the hotel with snacks and beer. We took a ton of pictures and smiled for pictures with costume people, orchestra members, and tons of Asian admirers. I got to play little (now 6 years old) Mary's favorite game where I pretend to eat her, and I got to hang out with my besties. Now with only this show (we’re almost to my song) and one more tonight, I’m a little sad. I’ve made so many friends, grown in so many ways, and seen so many amazing things! However, I’m totally looking forward to seeing all of you, who I’ve missed so much! I’ll be home with souvenirs soon! This will probably also be my last blog for some time, although I will do one more when I arrive home. After that, keep your eyes peeled in mid-August to see if I show up back in China! Take care, and thanks for reading!

I've been to the Southernmost Tip of Asia

Wow. Only two more days left! It’s funny how we’ve been looking forward to going home SO MUCH, and suddenly we all feel like we haven’t had enough time and there’s still so much to do… and we’re a little sad that it’s over. Whether or not people come back for the next leg, it really is the end of a whole year of something that was pretty big, and encompassed our whole lives! I’m just keeping busy and not thinking about this being the end yet, because we all know how I get about crying.

To keep busy on Thursday, we went to Sentosa. Jessica, Joe, and I spent a ton of money so that we could do the ultimate vacation thing… swimming with dolphins! Sentosa is a man-made island on the very Southern-most tip of Singapore. It’s been developed kind of like it’s Disney, with sandy beaches and palm trees, and about a thousand tourist attractions. We caved and finally went, and it was great! Although we had to wake up super-early to get there, it was an amazing day. We woke up to rain, which was pretty scary, considering the dolphin swim can be cancelled because of inclement weather. Luckily, it cleared up, and by 9:30 am we were arriving at the Dolphin Lagoon. We changed into life vests and water shoes, and got a lesson about how to act around the dolphins. One of the neat things was that the dolphins we would be swimming with were Indo-Chinese dolphins, which are actually pink! They’re born grey, but they turn pinker and pinker as they get older. We learned to feed them, and tricks to do with them, and then we actually got in the water with them.

The dolphins were so sweet and gentle! Their noses are a little longer than dolphins I’ve seen before, and they have a bunch of tiny teeth, so at first I thought they might be a little scary. However, up close they were lovely. We got them to shake hands, twirl around, jump, sing, and tons of other tricks. We got to hold onto their dorsal fins and get pulled around the lagoon, which was amazing. I knew that dolphins were smart, but they totally impressed us. They all had their own personalities, like Han, the snobby one. When she kissed Joe she spit afterwards! Jumbo was the oldest, with the most patience. He was a little chubbier than the other dolphins, so his spins were a bit slower and clumsier. We even got a painting done by Young, the youngest dolphin there. She held the brush in her mouth and painted with us. Her trainer said that her paintings would always reflect her mood, with long, short, wavy, smooth or dotted lines. We got to spend an hour in the water with them, and when it was done we didn’t want to leave! It was so beautiful.

Afterwards we watched the official dolphin show that’s sponsored by the aquarium on Sentosa. Our dolphins did all the tricks we had done with them, along with a few more. They were fantastic! After it was done, the sky was finally clearing up. We walked to the closest beach and tried to get some sun. After about an hour in the scalding sun, Jessica and I were dying. The first 30 minutes were great, and then we had fifteen minutes of sweating, and the last fifteen minutes were spent lamenting about how we were cooking, and how we had never been hotter in our whole lives. I finally jumped in the water, but since this is a fake island the water is from the Singapore Straits, where tons of shipping boats go. It was fine, but not really cold and refreshing. We eventually gave up, and joined Joe at the beachside bar in the shade. We had some food and pina coladas, and met some peacocks who were roaming free around the island.

Although we could have spent the whole day there, we were pretty exhausted by the end of the day. After lunch we checked out the aquarium, and the famous travellator there. We had heard about it for weeks, and I had imagined a tube reaching out into the ocean. Instead, we got a people mover that moved you by the fish tanks so you didn’t have to walk. Wow. It was a fun time though, and Jess and I both went nuts in the gift shop. On our way home, we decided to take the scenic cable car that goes to and from Sentosa. We got a great view of a lot of Singapore, and when we finally arrived home were hot and sweaty enough that we jumped right into the pool!

After more time in the sun I showered to get ready to head to the theatre. Thursday was actually a pretty exciting night because I had a visitor at the show! It’s pretty rare that someone I know comes to see the show while I’m in Asia, so this was definitely something to look forward to. The visitor was Alex Thio, who’s actually from Cincinnati. He plays the piano for Mrs. Gartner at Sycamore Jr. High, and everyone my mom knows was dying for him to see my show. He was in town visiting family, since he’s originally from Singapore, and it was awesome to meet him! I got him tickets, and met him and his sister before the show to talk shop about the jr. high and Linda. He was so nice, and it was great to see somebody from home, especially when I’m almost there. That night we headed to Medesto’s for our last night of pizza in Singapore, and lamented the end of our midnight meals. We’ve had some good times there and we’ll definitely miss the huge 20’’ pizza! I'll probably miss everyone in the show, too...

Chinatown... not really like China

Things are speeding up as we get closer and closer to HOME! Today we went to Chinatown (maybe to psyche ourselves up to eventually go back to China) to shop and eat, and we had a great time. It wasn't much like China, since it wasn't dirty and smelly, but it did have all the same merchandise... just more expensive! Luckily China taught me to bargain, and I got to show off my skills while buying gifts for people. We even stopped for lunch and experienced the Chinese phenomenon where you think you're ordering one thing and you get something totally different, but you just eat it and smile. It was about the hottest day of my life, so the food and cool lime juice were perfect.

In the afternoon we had to watch American Idol, but I don't really want to talk about it. Let me just say that it is a very disappointing year for me, and when Bo Bice wins I will be very unhappy. Where are the superstars? Bring back Clay! I got some more pool time, since I'd love to come back very tan, and I ate some good food at the California Pizza Kitchen. Most importantly, I finalized plans for tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I'll be swimming with pink dolphins! I'm going to the island of Sentosa (the southernmost tip of Southeast Asia) to hang out on the beach and swim with dolphins. I promise I'll write about it, because it will be awesome! Can't wait! And now, back to the show.

Birdies and Tea

Time is running out! We officially had our last day off yesterday, which means we are less than a week from being home! Yippieeeeeee! Luckily the day off came when it was sorely needed, because a break has helped us all calm down going into the final shows. I spent my days relaxing and taking in the famous Jurong Bird Park!

Monday morning Jessica, Joe and I woke up early to get to the bird park before it got too hot. The Jurong Bird Park is famous, because it's a bit older than a lot of the others in Southeast Asia, and so alot of other bird parks have been modeled after it. The cool part about is the fact that in a lot of the park, birds are just walking around and you can hang out with them. There are also sections that are caged, but the cages are huge, and you can go hang out in them with the birds. The only birds that are in regular cages are the ones that are dangerous or that eat humans or something.

Not only did we get to hang out with birds and see tons of beautiful ones, we also got to see a great bird show. I think it was called the "Super Star Bird Show" and the birds in it were VERY talented. Not only did they fly, eat, and perform tricks like playing basketball, but they even spoke, sang, and pooped on command. Joe volunteered one time and got to make friends with Sassy the bird, who gave him a coupon for a free coke (this made him very happy). Jessica and my favorite were the two birds that talked to each other. Not only could they imitate, but they could say hello in English, Japanese, and Chinese. They could also make other animal noises, like chickens and cats, and they could even sing - with vibrato - kind of. Our secret favorite part of the show was the end, when they released about 30 Macaws who flew around the arena. One bird flew slower than the others, and finished his show by pooping directly on the row of Korean tourists in front of us. Mind you, they didn't freak out, they just pulled out their tissues and wiped. Pretty impressive!

My other favorite part of the day was when we got to go into the Lory habitat. It was huge, a caged in area about the size of a tall soccer field, where all the Lories lived. They are a little bigger than a parakeet, and they're brightly colored... red, blue, yellow, green. I splurged on a tiny cup of nectar that I got to hold and feed the birds. As soon as I had it, the birds went Nutso! They fought on my arm, and jumped onto my head and shoulders. One red bird was very territorial, and he loved me. I ended up with some battle scars, but it was totally worth it.

Ooooo, there were also penguins there, and I really like penguins (probably because my dad drags us to the aquarium all the time, and the penguins are the best thing there). By the end of the day we were hot and definitely sweaty from walking around in the tropical weather. We headed home and took some naps (and watched a lame samurai movie on tv) before going out to dinner with Alissa and Joel. We found a Dan Ryan's Chicago Grill and had some good cheeseburgers and tiny sundaes. Delish!

Today I actually had to start doing all the things on my list to get ready to go home. Luckily, that included high tea at the Orchard Hotel. Because Singapore was a British colony, English things are very traditional and famous here. Jessica and I enjoyed tons of delicious tea, finger sandwiches, and some goodies dipped into the chocolate fountain. My fave! I definitely will miss the food of Singapore (even the non-American stuff!). But, I can't wait to be home!!

Drama Ensues...

The closer we get to the end of this tour, the more the drama intensifies. Now I realize that whenever you’re around "theatre people" you should expect a little drama, but this is getting out of hand! The drama began months ago, with a cast member who created some internal drama. When she was fired two weeks ago, we though things would be smooth sailing from here on out. Little did we know...

The biggest drama of all has been The Great Who Will Come Back to Hong Kong drama. Basically, the SOM tour is going to start back up in August, and tour through December. Since the contracts of the whole company are up in May, they could have hypothetically fired us all. Instead, they decided to extend a blanket offer to the whole adult cast. They offered us all a little more money and a sign-on bonus so that we would all come back. Troika also pulled a fast one and sent us their schrewdest negotiator for a week... Roberta Roberts. Roberta is a super-nice lady, but she is one of the best business people I've ever encountered. She can talk her way out of anything! You can go to her with the best laid plans, with questions and requests and a million other things, and when you walk out of a meeting you feel like you didn't say anything you wanted, because she's had such a good answer for everything!

Roberta showed up on Tuesday and gave the offer, and then we all asked questions. She came back on Wednesday with answers, and then we all had to decided YES or NO by Saturday morning. Of course there were people from the very beginning who had decided. Some of the men in the cast have Chinese girlfriends, and were dying to get back to the country where fat middle-aged white guys are Gods. Some of the people had been with the tour since the US leg, and after 400-plus shows were pretty sick of The Sound of Music. For a great majority of the cast though, there was a lot of wavering. We all scheduled meetings with Roberta, planning on asking for more money, single rooms, first class air tickets, and when we left... nothing. As the Saturday deadline drew closer it became more and more tense in the dressing rooms. Finally Saturday came, and by the time today's matinee started, everyone had answered.

Everyone that is, except our Maria and our Captain and their respective husband/fiancees. Since they're super stars, they can ask for thousands of dollars and parts for their lovers. It's crazy! I'm just hoping somebody will throw me a bone here. Also, if you're wondering, my answer was YES. It was a super tough decision, but the money looks good. Hopefully my agent will be able to negotiate better with Roberta than I was. Anyway, after all that, we thought the drama was over. But no, it was just beginning!

Since Roberta was in town, a lot of other issues started coming up. One of them was the issue of per diem. Per diem is the money we get every week (paid in local currency) to pay for our food. We usually get a certain amount of money per day. On this (cheapskate) tour, they are not planning on paying for our food past Saturday, even though we leave on Sunday and don't arrive home for more than 36 hours. Because we're sponsored by Malaysia Airlines, they're flying us super-cheaply around the world for a million hours. We have layovers for days, and tons of tiny flights to get us an hour away. Usually it wouldn't be a big deal if we just flew from Singapore to LA and then home, but we're talking 5 stops for some people. Because of this, we don't get food on most of our flights, and since our contract says we should be fed until we arrive at our home, we're pissed. We begged and pleaded for days (crappy cast representative job again) until they finally decided that we could have $15. But, they're not giving us the cash, we instead have to buy $15 worth of food, and then send Troika the receipts so they can reimburse us. WHAT?! This is ridiculous. I'll probably lose the receipts, and that's what they're counting on. Anyway, this is not yet resolved, because people are pissed and trying to figure out what to do. DRAMA!

The third piece of dramatic arts is actually kind of funny. One day during the show we were given 30 programs backstage and asked to sign them. Now it's not unusual that we would sign programs... sometimes for orphans or sick kids, or something like that. This was however, a pretty big number. We asked what they were for, and were told "starving children in Cambodia". Riiight. Imagine our (and Troika's) surprise when we discovered a sign in the lobby selling a limited number of signed programs for $75!!! Now we're pissed that we were lied to, and Troika's pissed that they're not making that money. Craziness! Somebody's going down for this, that's all I know!

Anyway, to escape from the drama we keep sightseeing. Yesterday Dana and I ventured to the zoo, which is INCREDIBLE. No fences, just animals up in your face. I have never been so close to lions and tigers... and we skipped the bears. My pictures are wild! Then last night after the show a whole group of us headed to Raffle's for a nightcap. Mr. Raffle was the Englishman who basically built Singapore, and his hotel is the oldest and most beautiful in all of Singapore. It's also the place where the famous Singapore Sling was invented. We sat on the veranda and drank what I would definitely consider the most disgusting thing I've EVER had to drink (and it was $25 - US), but luckily they give you free peanuts so it was a pretty fun night. From here on out, hopefully it will be downhill, since I think we only have 8 days and 9 shows left! Oops, not counting the million I'll do in Hong Kong. Oh well, I'm a working actress!

Gone to India... be back soon!

Guess where I was yesterday…did you guess India? Then you’re right! Well, not totally, since I wasn’t really there, I was just in Little India, one of the suburbs of Singapore. However, it was pretty authentic, and probably the closest I’ll get to real India in the near future. It was incredible!

Since Little India is one of the cool places to go while in Singapore, a bunch of us actually woke up early yesterday to get there with plenty of time. It’s crazy, because as you drive down the street, suddenly the architecture changes from typical city to a tiny village. The store fronts are tall houses smushed together, painted in some of the brightest colors I’ve ever seen. They range from pink to green to blue to yellow, and the intensity is only brightened by the colorful wares hanging in and outside of the stores. The other funny thing is that everyone there is Indian. Now I have to clarify here, because all the people in Singapore love the joke about Indians (woo woo woo woo) and Indians (with the dot). On the way to Little India we actually had a gregarious cab driver who sang us "Ten Little Indians" and then laughed hysterically when we said we wanted to see Indians from India. When we did arrive, that’s what we saw.

The whole district is great for the shopping, and I definitely picked up one of the last batches of souveniers that I’ll be buying before I come home (hopefully, although you never know because I’m a compulsive shopper). There are beautiful saris, gold jewelry, bells, and temporary tattos. There are pillows and throws and fabric everywhere. There are small boxes and statues of different Hindu gods and goddesses. The people selling are pretty outgoing, and they’ll try to talk you into buying anything. The sweet smell of incense pervaded every room, stall, and space we walked. Every few clothing/fabric/accessory stall we would pass, there would be a tiny restaurant with Indian food. Now I’m not always a fan, but after a few hours of shopping Maria, Jessica, Joe and I decided to get adventurous.

We found the restaurant that our cab driver had recommended, where they served you a traditional South Indian meal on a banana leaf. We ended up with tons of food – although with a lot of it we had no idea what we were eating! Luckily, I had gone for Indian food in Malaysia with our friend Peter Hoe, who had explained a lot of it to me. We had chicken, rice, curry to pour over the rice and food, a cold cucumber vegetable dish to cool the spice in your mouth, fried salty bread, a bean dish with bacon and veggies, lime juice, and spicy mango chutney. Even though the only thing called spicy was the chutney, I have never been in such pain in my whole life. When we ordered we told our waiter that we wanted the un-spicy version, but the smirk he gave us should have warned us. The un-spicy version was so hot! I had to keep shoveling food into my mouth or it would burn and make my eyes water. By the end of the meal we were all sweating and our lips were tingling, but it was great!

While we walked around we also found a small temple that was very intricately decorated, and had apparently been around since the 1500’s! The style of a Hindu temple is also very different from most religious buildings that we’re used to. The deities are sometimes human, but they also could have a human body and a head like an elephant or something. They’re very into statuary and even small scenes made of these people. The whole roof of the temple we saw was covered with brightly colored statues -–making it the craziest building on the block. Maria (a staunch Catholic) considers the whole Hindu style a little tacky, but we all admire it for its originality.

We ended the day by getting Henna tattoos – don’t worry Mom, it’s not permanent! Alyssa on her hand, Joel on his bicep, Joe on his leg, Maria on her lower back, me on my upper back. Dana couldn’t stand the incense and had to leave for some fresh air, and Jessica declined because she was content with her own real tattoo. I am definitely much happier with the idea of a temporary tattoo, since I could never make up my mind if I were to get a real one. This makes my parents sigh a huge sigh of relief. Anyway, overall Little India was awesome! If anyone ever goes to India, my advice is this: eat bread when things are too spicy, cover your nose when things are too smelly, and don’t be surprised if you stand out!

Don't sleep, just sing

I keep wondering how I'm doing so much sleeping in Singapore, and then I realize, I'm not! I’m just on the average sleeping schedule of an actor…up all night. Last night the whole company was up late, and for good reason. The whole time we've been on tour we've been talking about doing a cabaret. Originally we wanted to do one for tsunami relief (back when it had just happened or when we were in areas that had been affected) but we had trouble finding a venue. We've been talking about it for almost four months, until Jen (our Maria) decided to bite the bullet and just do it.

She recruited my help (as cast representative - an elected position - I often get stuck with some dirty work) and it finally came together last night. We were able to sing at a fabulous Brazilian restaurant that was owned by one of our presenters. When it all came together, Troika decided to throw some money at the project, so everyone ate for free, and it turned into our closing tour party. Because the food was free, everyone used it as an opportunity to drink all night long, and it ended up being a barrel of fun.

Now you know when you get a bunch of actors together to sing, it's gonna be a good time. Since we've been doing the same show for so long, a lot of people have talent that they never get to use. It's strange, because you don't really realize how good people are when you only hear them say one line every night, and they don't sing on stage. Because of this, a lot of people were eager to have the opportunity to bring it. It also didn't hurt that one of Troika's top ladies, Roberta Roberts, was going to be there to listen.

The evening started at seven, with about 10 different kinds of salads, and then they started bringing out the meat. All over Asia it's been hard to get good meat (China was gross quality, Japan was expensive), so we've always gone to Brazilian BBQ restaurants whenever we could find them. The whole concept of the restaurant is that you get unlimited meat, brought out to you freshly cooked on skewers. This is my favorite part, and last night was no different. I think I had about a million pounds of filet, sausages, chicken, lamb, brisket, and many others. We ate heartily for about two hours, while we also paid homage to two couples that are on the tour. Our Captain Von Trapp, Jim, is engaged to our child minder, Chrissy. They’ve been supposed to get married for over two years now, but something always gets in the way of the wedding date. Most recently they were going to get married in KL, but Jim had too many press conferences and couldn't get away. Our prop master Heather is also engaged to our head carpenter John. Because of all this, we added to the evening wedding showers for the two couples. It was great fun, and by the time it was cabaret time, people were excited to begin.

I think total, 19 of us sang, including three kids, and not including a number done by all the mothers (titled The SOM Aging Tour). We even got the restaurant owner to come up and sing a little opera. I pulled away from my daily wrinkles and classical singing to belt out "Miss Byrd" from Closer than Ever. Two hours later we were exhausted and laughed out by the fun. We left the restaurant around 11, and after the bus got back to the hotel we headed to our local 7-11.
This 7-11 is very interesting, because it's right by a notorious nightclub that the locals call the "Fourth Floor Whores". Apparently if you're a Western man who wants an Asian girlfriend, this is the place to go. Also, if you're unlucky inside, you can come down to the street right by the 7-11 and you'll find a nightly collection of transvestite prostitutes. We like to make the guys walk alone at night to 7-11 just to see how many times they're propositioned. Last night though, we went with them on a beer run, before heading to Jen and Matt’s room for a party. We chatted and chowed down on leftover desserts until the wee hours of the morning, when we went around the hotel building pyramids of empty beer cans outside the rooms of the people who had gone to sleep early. Heidi (our Lisle) has a proclivity towards kleptomania, and she ended up acquiring a rug, a few chairs, and who knows what else from the hotel lobby. All this was definitely a good enough reason for us to sleep most of today away, before Jessica and I rose around 2 to hang out at the pool. My tan's coming back, and with only 12 days to go I’ve got to squeeze in all the tropical sun I can get.

P.S. Roberta called a meeting tonight to talk about the next leg of the tour. I know, we though it was over, but the tour's picking back up in late August to go back to China and Hong Kong, finishing up at the end of the year. Now I'm torn, because they offered some nice signing bonuses, and as an actor it's hard to turn down work! I'll let you know what I decide. Any advice?

The Fabulous Esplanade

I suddenly realized, as I discovered an illegal internet jack in this theatre, that I hadn't had the time yet to tell YOU all about the amaziness that is the Esplanade. It's more theatre than I've ever been in, so I've got to share all the juicy details.

The Esplanade: Theatres on the Bay sits right on the edge of the Singapore River, in the heart of downtown Singapore. It's actually two theatres that share the same lobby, a theatre and a concert hall. The whole complex is designed to look like a variety of things, depending on who you ask. Among these are: two microphone heads, a ladybug stretching its wings, or the horrible smelling dorian fruit. In reality it looks really cool, and I promise to send you all postcards (or at least buy some and bring them home because I'm lazy). Not only is it the two theatres, but it also contains a small mall with a few shops and about ten restaurants. Plus, it has a Lincoln Center quality library filled with sheet music, cds and videos galore. Outside it has a fantastic fountained area for the entrance, and the back is a courtyard filled with restaurants. If you walk outside the courtyard you can find the outdoor amphitheatre and the gorgeous Esplanade Promenade, where you walk along the river. Can it get cooler?

The green room is the most amazing one I've ever seen, especially since some amazing theatres don't even have official green rooms. It's got computers with internet access (although the kids are always on and won't get off), a small kitchen, an area that gets natural lighting by being connected to the lobby, and couches and sitting galore. It's so pretty that I'd love to have it in MY apartment! We're super excited that Lea Salonga is playing in the concert hall next weekend, and we'll share a green room with her... although I doubt she'll be hanging out. Our dressing rooms are super, with lots of lights and drawers and shelves and bulletin boards and the stuff that makes it fun.

Security is also very strict, and we have to keep satellite passes with us at all times, or we could be physically removed from the theatre! It's not a big deal while we're in a show, but if we forget our passes we can't get in, and if we lose them we've got to pay $50 Sing! Overall though, it's a pretty cool thing to say that we're performing there, and we loooove it so far. OK, the show must go on... meaning I have to be onstage. Talk to you soon! When I get back I'll tell you all about what we do on our day off tomorrow... there's a cabaret planned and it will be really juicy!

Welcome to Singapore... where there's NO internet!

My goodness! I’m so sorry for not having written in weeks, but it’s been crazy busy over here! We stayed up all night talking and watching movies in KL before waking up hours later at the break of dawn to fly to Singapore. It’s amazing how we have to spend hours packing, driving to and from airports, gathering the group together, and waiting for luggage only to spend 45 minutes on the plane. We were glad to arrive though, since being in Singapore means we’re almost home!

Everything I’ve heard about Singapore has made me expect things to be slightly different from what they actually are. My preconceived notions ahead of time were that the country was incredibly clean (gum chewing was illegal because they don’t want people to stick it to things and litter), and a country that was incredibly strict (remember when that American guy got caned a few years ago?). In actuality, Singapore is like a mix of Asia, Florida, and Cincinnati. There are tons of white people everywhere, whether for business or pleasure. It’s a country that tries very hard to be up with the rest of the world, through technology and business. Because of this, they gloss over their history and past, and have only recently begun teaching these things in school. This is also overall the greenest place I’ve ever been. The streets are all lined with trees, and the vegetation is immense and colorful. Even though it’s a large, busy city (as well as being a country) it feels smaller, with streets that aren’t that wide and one ways everywhere. Our hotel is in the middle of the biggest shopping area in town. Orchard Road is basically three miles of amazing malls, restaurants, and other places to spend money. This is problematic, considering that we’re relatively poor here considering that the dollar isn’t worth much. Somehow we’ve survived so far, by laying out at the pool for most of our mornings, and eating extravagant lunch/dinners only once a day. We’ve found our local hangout bar (Muddy Murphy’s is outside and has some good beer specials) and our local nighttime eats (Medesto’s has amazing Italian food and serves until 1:30). We’ve pretty much settled into a routine that involves a lot of sleeping and a fair amount of drinking. We do try to venture out for some sightseeing occasionally, but this is for real the hottest place I’ve ever been, and that is a big deterrent for most of the company.

For real, every day here would be an "extreme heat warning" day in Ohio. You know, "Do not mow your lawn… do not spend time outside unless absolutely necessary." We did find time on our day off, however, to go to one of the coolest things we’ve done so far… the Singapore Zoo’s Night Safari! Now I’m not someone who’s incredibly interested in zoos… I mean, I enjoy them, but I’m never going to go out of my way to look at animals (unless they’re really cute). However, this was fantastic! The way the Singapore zoo is set up, there are hardly any barriers between you and the animals. They use natural barriers, like moats, or a line of bushes, or a cliff. They also use a lot more vegetation than we do, so the whole zoo is designed like a natural environment. The coolest part though, was the fact that you’re there at night. It’s almost pitch black so you feel like you’re in the jungle up close and personal with the animals. The habitats are set up so that they’re long and shallow, so the animals are very close, usually within five or ten feet of you. You get to ride a tram around and learn about the animals, and then we hiked the trails so that we could see them even closer. It was incredibly peaceful and quiet, and the animals were so beautiful in the moonlight. We also got to see an animal show, where we interacted with a giant snake, saw tigers hunting, watched otters clean up trash, and brushed shoulders with owls. It was awesome.

That's all I have time for now, but I promise to be better over the next two weeks (that's all until I'm home!) Miss you all!

Packing Hell and my KL Goodbye

Well that title pretty much sums it up. I have been so bad about posting becuase my last week in KL has been so busy. Right now I'm sitting in my room amid piles and piles of stuff (probably junk) that I'm trying to fit into my suitcase. No, rather I'm trying to hypothetically imagine HOW it's all going to fit. I don't think I realized that all I did in KL was shop! You're all going to be very lucky when I get home.

Anyway, I promise that the second I find internet in Singapore (my next stop and believe me I'm very excited) I will post the three blogs that I'm in the process of writing retroactively. However, until then just imagine me lugging about 300 lbs of stuff through several airports, and the notoriously strict Singapore customs. I love traveling, but I don't really love the actual travel part. Maybe someday when I'm rich and famous and have people to carry the bags... ahh...

For now, the moral of the story is: Kuala Lumpur is a great place to live and visit. Everyone should take a tropical vacation to the island of Langkawi, and ride elephants, and go to the top of one of the tallest buildings in the world, and climb the trees in the rainforests. I'll let you know more details soon, but for now, just plan your trips and hold on.

P.S. A special shout out to a few people - my family Carol, Ed, Emily, Patrick, and Will for sending me girl scout cookies and making me instantly popular, my brother for being rebellious and getting a tattoo, my sister for becoming the most popular Scottish blogger ever (www.katherinekirkpatrick.blogspot.com), and the Northwestern kids in NY this weekend - break legs at New Leagues!! Love you all!