All Set to Go?

I have decided to err on the side of caution. It was 31 degrees Celsius in Singapore today. Shaine, my friend, told me via KakaoTalk that even Singaporeans found the heat to be particularly oppressive. It’s also raining (forecasts call for thunderstorms).

So, I have decided to pack more clothes than I should require. I figure I should get fairly soaked and/or sweaty. A change of clothes may be necessary at certain points.

My iPad is all set to go as well. I removed as many apps as I could to make way for video content. I don’t know what Air China provides for entertainment, but I will have something to keep me entertained, at least. With lay-over times taken in consideration, things will be pretty tight, video-wise. I decided to go with a British flair, and got the first season of Sherlock (which I’ve yet to see), and The Office (the original, British version, which I’ve also yet to see). I also have a million e-books on it too, and I’ll make use of them if the battery runs low (and I can’t charge).

Shaine says she has my itinerary all planned out, but there’s a problem. We don’t have enough time to cover it all. We’ll see about that!

I’ll do my best to get some decent video footage while there. I’m not lugging my laptop with me, so I won’t be editing it in Singapore.

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I will leave for Incheon, some time tomorrow morning. I haven’t exactly decided when. My plane doesn’t leave until 6:00 PM, and the last bus from Gangneung leaves at 4:00 PM. I’ll probably make my way to the bus terminal some time past 10 AM.

At the airport, I will inquire about KT’s roaming services. If they’re suitable, I’ll go with KT while in Singapore. If not, I’ll make sure my Galaxy S2 is unlocked (I was told that it was), and then just get a Singaporean SIM card to use. I should have plenty of time to sort things out.

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I went to the bank (I now have an account with KEB) to change my Korean won to Singaporean dollars. I was pleasantly surprised with the exchange rate. I thought the Singaporean dollar was more than 1000 won, but it’s the other way around. Sweet.

Some of the new bills are plastic. Now, I heard Canada will be getting plastic bills in the future, and I gotta tell ya, it feels weird. I dunno if Canada’s future bills will have the same texture or not, but prepare for an alien experience when handling them. They feel like stiff pillow tags.

Speaking of banking, my NongHyup bankbook can no longer be read by its ATM’s for whatever reason. What a useless bank.

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While I was adding stuff to the blog, last week, I updated the “Further Places of Interest” page.

I added two new gals to the page.

Jo Miller (who has the same last name as QiRanger. I wonder if they are related somehow) has a blog where you can see her photographic talents. She’s currently vacationing in the Philippines, so get ready for an onslaught of Filipino-related pics.

Mary Tanner is a fellow EPIK’er in merry ol’ Gangneung. Like Jo, she has a photography related site. She’s been to a million different places worldwide, and has quite the eye (some folks even say she has two).

Check ‘em out and give them some traffic!

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I’m thinking I’ll do the Japanese thing in February, on my second vacation. This one, I will go to Singapore, Daegu and maybe Seoul.

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Since I stop in Beijing for four hours, and am flying Air China, I will practice my Chinese. As of now, I only know Hello and Thank You. We shall see if I can expand upon that.

I will also try to crack the Chinese internet firewall they have set up. I’ve got a VPN app on my iPad, but I am unsure if it will work. If I post in here, or on Twitter/Facebook, know that the mighty Scroozle is a free man. If I am abnormally silent, know that the communists beat me to a pulp.

Because a vacation without 24/7 access to Facebook can hardly be called a vacation.