As Far As You Know

I am back in the northern hemisphere (just barely)!

Aside from the absurd 4:00 a.m. shuttle pick-up (compounded by the fact that my 8:15 flight was listed as a 9:15 departure when I got to the airport, supposedly on account of daylight savings time--which meant I easily could have slept in and taken a later shuttle) the trip from Perth to Singapore was quite pleasant. The woman at the check-in counter not only got me an aisle seat, but put me in an otherwise empty row so I could stretch out and be comfortable. The Singapore Airlines service was excellent, with good food and a choice of periodicals on board the plane (a rarity nowadays); I digested the latest issues of The International Herald Tribune, Newsweek, Time, National Geographic, and Conde Nast Traveler.

Upon arriving in Singapore, I cleared immigration and customs quickly and took the train into the city to Orchard Road, the shopping district and the location of my hotel. The walk from the station to my hotel gave me the impression the whole city was one big shopping mall, but I think that's a function of this particular neighborhood. Still, there were a range of shopping options, from the "flea market" feel of electronics vendors to upscale department stores.

One other thing: it's incredibly humid here. Australia was warm, but never got as humid as today in Singapore is. It just started pouring, so maybe things will get more comfortable once the rain breaks.

One of my favorite Bruce Springsteen songs: "Human Touch."

I met up with former student and tennis captain Ming Ong '05, who took me to his house for dinner (we stopped for ice cream on the way and I picked up the last two issues of Entertainment Weekly--one of my favorite guilty pleasures back home--in a shop). After dinner we polished off half a bottle of scotch (!) and then went out clubbing--not a typical night in Wallingford for me. One of Ming's friends was celebrating a birthday at the fashionable Ministry Of Sound, and I lasted until about 1 a.m. when my sleep-deprived state led me back to my hotel via a taxi to crash.

Few pop songs have hooks as well crafted as "Invisible Touch" by Genesis. This reminds me of the year of my college graduation and the five weeks I was a substitute teacher at my alma mater, Bayport-Blue Point High School, and particularly of the 10th grade field trip I chaperoned to Great Adventure theme park the last week of school. (By the way, the key change late in the song is sublime.)

I connected with a current applicant to Choate--a tennis player--who had contacted me via e-mail in the fall. He met me at my hotel this afternoon and he and his mother drove me around the city a bit to see the sights and then treated me to high tea at the Ritz-Carlton, a very Anglophile experience in an enjoyable setting with all sorts of sweet treats for consumption. It was a pleasant meeting.

Earlier in the day, I explored the shopping on Orchard Road. Lots of what's there is typical of what you'd find in a good U.S. mall: a Borders bookstore, an Apple store, a Nike store, etc.

Singapore seems as though it would be an easy place for an expatriate to live.

The timeless "Pinball Wizard" from The Who's rock opera Tommy. (By the way, Elton John, who played the Pinball Wizard in the movie version of Tommy, has a great cover of this tune, too.)

Nadal just prevailed in five sets over Andy Murray, wearing the Scot out in the final stages of the match in the wee hours of the morning in Melbourne. Though Rafa trailed 0-1 and 1-2 in sets, he battled tenciously and his edge in fitness enabled him to take this first meeting between the two players. This could be the beginning of an interesting Murray/Nadal rivalry.

What this tournament demonstrated was that Andy Murray clearly will be a threat in the majors in the foreseeable future. He was one of only two players to beat Federer last year and the addition of Brad Gilbert to his coaching team is only going to hasten is development as a player. He looked impressive when I saw him in person beating Safin at Kooyong and was repeatedly drilling winners against Nadal for much of tonight's match--something precious few players can pull off. Murray has already broken into the top 20 and I suspect a top 10 slot is not too far away.