Living as an expat in the wonderful city of Singapore can be quite a delight in the truest sense. You’re basically a wanderer or a nomad, breaching political barriers and borders as you look for a place to live in beside your own motherland; yes, I am in my fatherland. Being far away from home can be a bit daunting, to say the least, but the experience here is unfathomable. The work, the culture, the entire setting in the heart of the eastern world, Singapore has never ever failed to impress and send me babbling with alienated words and picking up on cheap street language to describe how truly at home I feel right here.
The place is exceptionally great for people like me who love to experience the nuances of life. I’ve been here for 5 years now and the place has given me great opportunities and warm and wonderful people to interact with. I even love the nightlife here as it truly expands and glows in the dark. As a lot of Singapore is still into the traditional Chinese customs and culture, the ways of the world is constantly putting it through amazing changes and Singapore has now embraced globalization completely. It amazing to watch it grow and be part of the upbeat of the world.
As for me, I am weird guy living in a completely sane city. When words fail me I stick to hooting, and that my friend, can get you in trouble in Singapore. While the rules of domesticated life, something I will never know, hover over you like a chandelier, you know you have entered Singapore. Girls are hard to find, as they seem to turn the other way around when they know you’re an expat and you live on pretty much an unstable salary schedule. While Americans roll either way, when in Singapore, you need to abide by the culture brewing hot but untouchable girls, unless you’re in the fantastic phase of spotting and attending a bash or an event. Here, girls leave their rule books at home and guys, well they act just like guys!
Once such event that changed my life in two ways as it graced to show its beautiful face on my way to a quick project meeting in the summer of 2016 with a Singaporean businessman who, by the looks of it looked old and young at the same time… perhaps it was just the lighting. On my way there, I hailed a cab and drove through this picture-perfect, magnanimous structures of The Marina Bay Sands. Almost instantly, my smartphone buzzed and I checked to find a message from by bud Colin, who sent me a poster of the greatest party ever all painted in the colours of the rainbow. My jaws dropped and my eyes popped at the crime scene. I would reckon the cab driver too jumped off his seat at my stark and unruly hyperventilation. I was staring down in complete and utter distrust and typed back,
“No way…”.
Quickly a response entered, “Get ready, you’re in for a treat!”.
I clicked on the media file once again and there it was, looking at me, the poster inviting me to the biggest party ever! ULTRA and Ultra Worldwide had brought the party to the shores of Singapore with their project called Road to ULTRA 2016. Yes! Yes! Yes! I shouted as I made a fist and jabbed it in a victorious, maybe also graceful gesture. The cab driver looked at me with disgust and he was quite exasperated. Probably he had wife issues and disliked the sight of happiness, joy, and the likes, or perhaps, he was just too miserable in his life. But not me. Not right now. Today I am jumping with joy, my rave days are back again. This will be the closest I’ll be to the shores of Miami beach.
When I reached Mr. Siong he was as sore to my eye as a platypus to a tiger who was too afraid to go into the water. I bet he would feel the enthusiasm reeking from my skin as he was giving it his all to try and repress the beam of light shining through me. After great difficulty and tries, he hung up his shoes and let me have my moment of glory as he wrapped up his assignment quickly and he even spoke quicker than anticipated. I shook his hand and bowed as I made my way to the end of the room. Just as I went to show myself out of the room.
I turned back and said, “I hope you can make it to the Ultra Singapore 2016. It’s going to be a blast.”
When there was nothing but a blank stare back, I quickened my pace and I headed out.I pressed 2 on my keypad and there was Colin on the ot
her side of the phone network connecting us.
“Two tickets!” I said as I caught up with my breath.
“Oh hoi! My boy’s got a date.” Colin was relieved, he really believed that I would enter my grave without a spontaneous erotic romp.
“Not a date, Colin. I meant two tickets for the two of us.” I clarified.
“Awww. I thought you’d never ask! Bye!” and there he slammed his clichéd line.
Ultra Singapore 2016 was taking place on September 10 and 11, just a day after my birthday and was 8 months away from the time I heard from Colin on the confirmation of the tickets. It was a great event that was coming across the sea and onto the lands where the lion spits water. Being it was created originally as an all-American event, it was a sense of belonging for me and I had to attend. It was like a tickle-in-the-back-of-my-throat experience that overwhelmed me. Like always, Colin had my back and he managed the tickets for us both. The date was now marked on my calendar and the craze was from another world altogether.
Ultra Singapore is an electronic dance music (EDM) festival that was conceived on American soil but now wanted to travel the world. Yes, I know the resemblance is uncanny. While the American festival is an expansive 3-day extravagance, the Singapore debut was just a one-night-only affair. But, now with the entire entourage coming in to greet us, we were in for a 2-day blast. With the EDM party on and my party cap ready, I kept striking off days on my calendar. More than my birthday, I was looking toward the crazy time I was expected to have at the craziest party on the surface of the planet. Trust me, Singapore is going to explode in the waves of the music!
The organizers must have thought, where can we have the biggest rave party of all time and looked at Singapore’s map. They looked at the Ultra Park at Bay front Avenue and childishly looked at each other, smirking till their jaw hurt. These were the thoughts squirming in my head through these days that passed by, and soon, it was my birthday! The wait from 12 am on the 9th till 12 am on the 10th was the longest day of my life. Yes, I was thrilled at turning 29, but urgh! it was the Ultra Singapore 2016 the next day and I was going for it!