The Tourist & Geeky Goodbyes

It cost me 30 Singapore dollars to become a tourist.

After going to the Ministry of Manpower aka, MOM, I got in line behind 200 other people who all decided that they needed so kind of Foreigner Love on Friday afternoon. It took a while, and many runs through the various futuristic race courses of Wipeout Pure on the PSP, but I finally did it. After the horrendously ridiculous bureaucratic storm that has dogged the attempt to renew the Employment Pass so I could stay legal until January, I went in with the official notice from my “employer” saying I’d been fired and they cancelled the renewal. I had to pay the administrative fee for cancelling the renewal, but it’s now official; I am a tourist.

Then I went off to the home of one of my older friends on the island and we had one last dinner and geek out with Gears Of War along with the usual talking about the years we’ve spent as gaming losers, the good ol’ days, etcetera ad nauseum. It was good. I’m gonna’ miss the big lug. As well as those guilty hours being Huge Nerds when saner, more people were worried about their golf scores, or how the chick at the other end of bar perceived their flirtations. It’s little things like hanging out with friends like him that made Singapore a slightly less intolerable experience.