Hey folks.
I sit there at 81 days and while I'm not going to drink today, I'm just struggling. I've got a lot going on right now in life, and I'll spare you every detail, but yesterday was a good old fashion shitshow.
It started with buying a couch on FB Marketplace. Went over to the persons house to pick it up and load it into a truck. Brought it over to my house. Everything was going well. I'm newly single and bought not just any couch, but a reclining couch, something I've always wanted. I steam cleaned it and continued about my day. I have a dog who is a huge couch potato and she was already warming up to it.
Hours later, I'm in the bathroom getting ready to meet my ex to negotiate buying her out of our mortgage (a whole other debacle). All of a sudden, my dog jumps into the shower after what I thought was a squirrel. I immediately freak out and leave the bathroom as I want nothing to do with what is about to unfold. My first thought was "I have no idea how a squirrel got into my house, but at least she has it in the bathtub. It will be easier to cleanup".
...And then I hear it, the cries of a cat struggling for life. My heart sank, I was absolutely gutted. How the hell did a cat get into my house? It must've snuck in while I was moving the couch in piece by piece, I assume. Whoever's cat it was, they were killed within a matter of seconds. I'm disgusted, saddened, and just completely besides myself at this point.
I call my ex to tell her our discussion about the house will have to be rescheduled. She offers to come up and help with the cleanup which was extremely gracious of her. We removed the cat and cleaned up the aftermath, taking my dog outside to hose her off in the process.
But then it hits me, the woman who I bought the couch from told me to look out for her cat who loved to hide behind the couch I was purchasing. I saw no sign of the cat while we moved it from her house into the pickup truck, and assumed it must've scurried away elsewhere. The woman selling the couch did not seem concerned, so I thought nothing of it.
To my horror, the cat that was killed was in fact her cat, and it must have hitched a ride somewhere inside a piece of the couch as we transported it to my house. I had to break the news to her last night. It went about as well as it could have, and I told her if there was any compensation or something else I could do to help the situation, I would be more than willing. Nonetheless, it was an incredibly traumatic and just awful thing to go through, over something as mundane as replacing my living room couch.
Anyway, that's the story of how my new couch got a cat killed, and now I have to look at my dog as a bloodthirsty killer. If you read through all of this, thank you, it means a lot.
With all that being said, normally I'd drink an IPA or 5 to help get through yesterday. But I handled it head on. What I did do, was order McDonald's since there was no way I was going to cook after that travesty. Cheers folks, IWNDWYT.
TL;DR Bought a couch, killed a cat

Back again with my pile of funky little builds for people who want something different on their board.
These pedals are built on vero or point to point, many in upcycled tins, a few in hammond boxes. They all run on standard 9v pedal power.
I have valued them in 4 tiers:

• D tier are my trashy cheapies, made from reclaimed components. I don't feel right asking a lot for reclaimed components. I value them in the $40 - $50 range, not really picky about what I trade for.
• C tier are the cheapies made with new components. I value these in the $50 - $60 range, not very picky here either.
• B tier I will trade for pedals in the $65-$90 value range, depending on the complexity of the build. A little pickier.
• A tier are my favorite or most complex builds. I will be picky about trades for these. (But still not Boutique prices; I have no delusions). It's probably less about value here and more about how much I actually want the thing you have. Think in the $90 - $150 range.

I have prices for most of these listed here if you want to buy.
MOBILE USERS: There are 4 columns in the table below: Name, Tier, Links, and Notes. If you don't see all 4, scroll over or ask for more info.
Drives, Distortions, and Boosts

Name	Tier	Links	Notes
Delfterential Distortion	A	PIC Demo	Willmott Differential Distortion with an added tone control; knobs are Gain, Bias, Bass Cut, Tone, and Volume. Housed in an antique Delft-style tin. Has a big ampy sound to it, can get pretty crunchy and fuzzy.
Shining Hope Drive	B	PIC Demo	Differential mirroring drive, gives a kind of overdriven-mixer-channel distortion. Controls for gain, tone, and volume. Housed in a star-shaped Christmas tin.
PoormansSans amp sim	B	PIC DEMO	This is an all-in-one amp & speaker sim prototype in a small square tin. The preamp is custom designed, based loosely on a DOD 250 but with many changes. Soft clipping can be toggled on or off. The speaker sim is a 4x12 simulator designed by TruVAL. Controls for treble, bass, gain, volume, nd clipper toggle. No stomp on this one, it's always on.
Bright-on	C	PIC	MOSFET bright boost with loads of gain and adjustable bass cut. Built in point-to-point fashion and housed in a reinforced heart-shaped tin.
Phoenix Drive	C	PIC Demo	EasyDrive-type circuit with a symmetry knob. Sounds a little muffy on the symmetric side, more crunchy on the other.
Green Sparkler Boost	D	PIC	Just an Escobedo Duende JFET boost built point-to-point in a sparkly little round tin. Gives a little gain and a bit of warmth to the tone.
Christmas Goose Boost	D	PIC DEMO	Point-to-point build of Brian May treble booster made with old clock radio parts. In a little goose tin.

Fuzzes

Name	Tier	Links	Notes
Copper Top Harmonic Plonkulator	A	PIC DEMO	The "harmonic plonkulator" is a two-stage fuzz based on a harmonic percolator mashed up with a bazz fuss going into an octave fuzz. Lots of weird fuzz tones available from this one, it has controls for A and B gain (kind of acts like Fuzz and Bias), Tone (which is between the two fuzz stages) and an octave switch that changes the second fuzz stage from a non-octave to octave fuzz. Housed in a 125B with top jacks.
Vulpine Deluxx Timbre Contraption	A	PIC DEMO	My perversion of a Foxx Tone Machine, with a pot to dial in the octave and a battery drain simulator for nastier tones. Has a mid scoop switch for the Tone knob giving you muff-like sounds. In a 125B with top jacks.
Sparkly Sili-Face	A	PIC DEMO	Runoffgroove Siliface II, a wonderful silicon fuzzface implementation, built point-to-point style and housed in a sparkly 125B with top jacks. Controls for Bias and Volume, gain is always cranked on this. Bias goes from full, rich fuzz to choppy gated fuzz nicely.
OogieBoogie Scarecrow Fuzz	B	PIC Demo	Jordan Bosstone-based fuzz with controls for input gain, battery drain, and volume, as well as a switch to toggle between LED and Schottkey clippers. Capable of some truly horrific noises as well as stock fuzz sounds. Housed in a reinforced tin.
Creature from the planet Chyowngg	B	PIC Demo	Prototype of a unique fuzz I've been developing that I call the Chyowngg fuzz. It's a 2-stage octaver that gives a bright synthy tone with a distinctive envelope (hence the name). You can toggle each stage from octave to non-octave mode for a variety of interesting timbres. Also has a tone control, but the tone control is before the octave stages so it results in interesting behaviors depending on the switch settings. It's in a tin meant to be painted like an alien, though some say it looks more like a triceratops.
Lizard Monster of the Planet Chyowngg	B	PIC DEMO	This is like the "Creature from the planet Chyowngg" except it also has a glitchy sub-octave tone that you can blend in for some truly monstrous tones. Housed in a painted tin.
Happy ChrizzMuss Tree Fuzz	C	PIC Demo	Another gated double-bazz-fuss type fuzz, this one features a bias knob for adjusting the bias of the first stage and a bass boost switch. Housed in a Christmas tree tin.
Avenger's fuzz	C	PIC DEMO	Another harmonic fussulator (Bazz-fussified harmonic percolator) built into a little avenger's puzzle tin. Knobs control gain and volume, switch toggles "Hulk Smash" mode.
Pup Power fuzz	D	PIC DEMO	A trashy perversion of a harmonic percolator circuit, built point-to-point from recycled components. Housed in a painted paw patrol puzzle tin.
Stripedy Trashtone Fuzz	D	PIC Demo	A point-to-point perversion of a Jordan Bosstone housed in a bandaid tin. Only volume control here.

Non-Dirt

Name	Tier	Links	Notes
Splatter Funk envelope filter	A	PIC DEMO of identical circuit	Quackmire envelope filter with added knobs for attack and drive, as well as a smoothing switch. In a 125B with top jacks.
Koozebanian Spoobletron	A	PIC Demo	Not exactly a vibe, not exactly a phaser, not exactly a tremolo, but kind of all of them or thereabouts. Knobs control speed and depth, the switch goes from vibe-ish mode to phaser-ish mode. Housed in a hand-painted 1590b box, side jacks
Oh the flubbles you'll Wubble	B	PIC DEMO	Kind of a vibe, kind of a phase, but also a ring mod if you want it to be. This is an evolution of my spoobletron circuit. Controls for Rate, Depth, and Waveshape; switches for vibe/phase and ringmod mode. Housed in a giant oval tin that probably won't sit nicely on your pedal board. Read the full story here
Shay-key-tay-tur	B	PIC Demo	Simple colorsound Tremolo with knobs for rate and depths. Gives a pretty classic amp tremolo sound. Housed in a Mr Potato Head tin.

Little Amps

Name	Links	Description
Ample iMank	PICS	This is a Runoffgroove Ruby Amplifier built into this old multimedia speaker enclosure designed to look like an old iMac. Glows blue when you turn it on. It runs from a standard 9v pedal power. It's not terribly loud, nor terribly clean, but if you dig the classic mac vibe it might be fun. Controls for gain and volume, and a power switch on the back.

Some Non-DIY Stuff
Will be a little picky on the pricier ones. Make an offer.

Brand	Name	Condition	Notes
Olsen Interfaces	Mudwedge	Excellent	Boutique fuzz with tons of tweaking options and a second stomp with configurable functionality. Pretty deluxe item here.
Line 6	POD 2.0	Good	Had this for 20+ years, just not using it anymore. It toured and it looks it. Still holds up, though. Can throw in the FBV4 footswitch if needed.
Ammoon	Pock Loop	Excellent	Good looper, I just prefer some other loopers I've acquired. I have the box for it, if that matters.
Danelectro	Fab Chorus	Excellent	Cheap plastic chorus, but sounds great. Probably just a make-weight, too cheap to trade on its own.
Caline	10-band EQ	Good	Works fine, I just don't really need 10 bands of EQ. Has velcro on the back, and sometimes makes a weird noise when you turn on the pedalboard. Another make-weight.
Ibanez	PH7	Good	Tonelok phaser. Great pedal, has some glue on the bottom I couldn't get off, but works fine.

What would I trade for??
I'm really open to almost any sort of gear if it relates to music and audio (see the don't wants, though). Leaning more towards synth or recording gear than pedals, but still open to pedals.
Musical wants of various specificity:

• Fancy DSP type pedals (the kind I can't build)
• SM57 or similar mics
• Korg Volcas. Especially the sampling or FM one. Or other MIDI synths.
• Any yamaha reface keyboards
• A 4x4 MIDI interface
• Pedal power with multiple 300mA+ outputs.
• Mackie 1202 VLZ in good shape
• Cheap guitars or basses
• Unbuilt pedal kits/enclosures/parts, or DIY in need of TLC.
• A small 8-ohm cab
• Studio, drum, keyboard, or midi gear. Any interesting music-related equipment, really. Even boring stuff like power conditioners. I play keys, bass, guitar, some percussion, and record, so I'm into all kinds of gear.

Non-music-gear wants:

• DIY electronics tools (would love a decent scope or transistor tester)
• Your old laptop, especially if its a Dell, maybe in the 5-8yr-old range (let's say >4GB ram, >i5 processor). Don't even need the hard drive or OS, or much battery life, as long as everything else works.
• If you just want to do cash, some of this stuff is listed on my reverb.com store. Moving away from reverb due to fees, though. Paypal/venmo works if we want to avoid any Imperial entanglements, just DM me for a price (let me know your zip code too).

Probably not wants:

• Dirt pedals. Might make an exception for something really intriguing, though.
• Guitar parts and speakers. Haven't gone there yet, though I'm getting a bit into small DC amp building.
• Anything I can easily get on Amazon or Reverb for under $50, unless we're bundling items. Just not worth shipping one thing when it's that cheap.
• Behringer pedals. Just not a fan.

A Note about mods/repairs/custom jobs: I've been asked about this a few times. Right now, I think I'd just prefer not to. I enjoy doing what I do on my own terms. Cheers!

It's in order of me thinking about it. I need this off my chest.

1. The freezer in the back freezes shut, the exit button doesn't work. Sometimes, the door either shocks us or showers us in sparks.
2. The rotisserie oven "backfires" aka flames shoot out of the heating element and there's a boom. The oven was put in seven years ago, turns out it's thirty years old. No replacement parts allegedly.
3. There were exposed wires behind the fryers. The manager looked right at it. It was only fixed because corporate needed to time how long we filter the grease.
4. There's black mold around the deathtrap freezer.
5. My dept manager refuses to print the schedule that allows us to see who is coming in and when. Ex. I didn't know the cake decorator was on vacation.
6. The bakery workers leave at four or five. Us deli workers are expected to take cake orders.
7. The frail woman who works GM was in so much pain this weekend was laying in the floor in the breakroom. She keeps asking for a helper. (We keep losing pricing workers for same reason.)
8. My coworker had a serious coughing fit in break room, the district manager shushed her.
9. The deli manager leaves cold food on a cart pushed up against the very hot rotisserie oven and she doesn't want us putting the food back in the cooler. (Cold foods such as salad, cooked Asian food, cooked chicken and macaroni and cheese.
10. Deli manager leaving bags of mac and cheese or mashed potatoes on top of the not hot oven instead of using the warmer. She'll also leave cooked chicken sitting inside not hot, open oven for hours.
11. In 2020, co-manager went to Mardi Gras, got sick. He came back and had us all sign papers saying we wouldn't talk about Covid with each other or customers. He also tried to claim workers who tested positive we lying. He also tried to deny their leave because they were tested "in wrong place". Today, he told me he expected me to tell the truth and not lie to him like the other deli workers. We are NOT allies. Period.

In just under two weeks, ARMYs will descend upon Singapore to see SUGA! Help an ARMY out and let them know about safety, how to get around, where to eat, tourist attractions, BTS-related things to do, or anything else that you think someone should know when they visit! (Special thanks to the mods for your input and feedback for this guide!)

BTS' Past Visits

Red Bullet Tour (2014 BTS Live Trilogy Episode II) at the The Star Performing Arts Centre (13 Dec 2014)

• Fancam
• Official photos by Hallyu Singapore
• Official photos of Hi-Five session by Hallyu Singapore. Session was for all Cat 1 VVIP ticket holders ($268), who got a Hi-Five Pass and Concert Poster. The first 100 VVIP ticket holders also got to go up on stage to get a "Dark & Wild" album autographed by BTS.

Music Bank performance (4 Aug 2017) at the Suntec Convention Centre

• Fancam
• Quiz game video
• Outing at the Merlion statue and Singapore flyer: Photos Set 1 Photos Set 2.

Love Yourself World Tour (19 Jan 2019) at the National Stadium
This made history as the first time a K-pop group held a concert at the venue (largest concert venue in the country) and tickets sold out in about 3.5 hours! (45,000 audience)

• Concert review
• Witty notice from the Singapore Police Force abt avoiding ticket scams (it uses the BTS song titles!)
• Bonus: Jimin picked Marina Bay Sands as his special spot in the BTS x Street Galleries collaboration with Google revealed on ARMY Day (July 9) 2022

Concert Venue

Do note that it’s currently the June school holidays too (26 May-26 Jun), so the Sports Hub and surrounding areas may be crowded with many other visitors besides the concert-goers. Please be mindful!

• Singapore Indoor Stadium, right next to the National Stadium (both are part of the Singapore Sports Hub) where BTS performed at their last concert here in 2019. In fact, the Indoor Stadium was then used as the waiting zone for the standing zone ticket-holders.
• Concert guidelines been posted yet (will update here when they are), but here are the general guidelines for events there (links opens a pdf)
• The nearest MRT station is the Stadium station, on the Circle line - here is a train map (with Stadium MRT circled out in light purple). You’ll know when you’ve arrived as the station design is quite unique! Go up the elevator and follow the signage - the path is sheltered.
• You can find Kallang Wave Mall right next to the venue, for a spot of shopping and dining before the concert (opening hrs:10am-10pm daily). There is another smaller mall Leisure Park Kallang located next to the carpark, which houses an ice skating rink, bowling alley and cinema alongside more food options. The open space in front of the MRT station and the two malls is where ARMYs are likely to gather to exchange fan support and stuff
• The nearest hawker centre (i.e the affordable street food) is Old Airport Road Food Centre, one of the oldest and largest hawker centres in the country. It is about 20 mins walk away from the stadium, or you can simply alight at the Mountbatten/Dakota MRT stations (one or two stops away from Stadium MRT station respectively); both are about a 5 mins’ walk away from the food centre. Here is a list of recommendations (unfortunately, not a lot of Halal food stalls here. Let me know if you need those).
• There is also a McDonalds’ & KFC near Mountbatten MRT if you want something more familiar, or potentially try whatever new promo is currently going on at these places.

Sightseeing/Activities

Non-exhaustive list (all prices are in SGD)

• National Gallery Singapore. There is a special Namjooning Tour as part of the Gallery Wellness Festival. Slots are fully booked for the guided tours on 25 & 30 June. You could try the self-guided tours instead, which start on 17 July. Gallery passes for general admission to the permanent galleries (needed to access the tour) cost $20 for non-Singaporeans aged 13-59. Closes early (by 3pm) on some weekends in June and July (see dates on website).
• National Museum Singapore. Has very interactive and engaging exhibits. Highly recommended (I used to be a volunteer docent there for abt a year). Tickets cost from $15 (for access to permanent galleries only)
• Singapore Zoo & adjacent parks (Bird Park, River Wonders, Night Safari). We have one of the best zoos in the world! Single park tickets cost $50. Multi-park options also available. .
• Gardens by the Bay. Pretty gardens with outdoor sections and 2 indoor air-conditioned conservatories - you may have heard of the supertrees that have been featured in the movie "Crazy Rich Asians" and K-drama "Little Women". Provides a welcome respite from the heat. It’s free to visit the outdoor areas, but it’s really worth it to pay for entry to the conservatories. There are various pricing packages, so best to check out the website yourself.
• Singapore Botanical Gardens is our first UNESCO World Heritage site, the first and only tropical botanic garden on the list. Admission is free.
• The Merlion and the Marina Bay area. I personally recommend going at night to see the famed cityscape of Singapore all lit up (the temperature’s cooler too!). Marina Bay Sands Mall has a light and water show every night. There is also the iLight Festival going on now until 25 June with artistic light installations (mix of free and paid attractions). Bonus: Yoongi wore a Merlion Singapore t-shirt in a travel-themed Lotte Xylitol ad!
• You can also ride the Singapore Flyer for an aerial view of our city like the boys did! Admission costs $40.
• Visit our ethnic enclaves, Chinatown, Little India, Kampung Glam and Geylang Serai to see old shophouses, shop for souvenirs and try ethnic food
• One of the fanbases here, BangtanSG, has teased an ARMY event from 11-13 June. Will update when more details are released.
• Sentosa & Universal Studios Singapore theme park - you can access the island via various modes of transport with varying admission fees. Transport within the island is free.
• If you don’t want to think too hard, the best airport in the world for 12 years running is also an attraction in itself! See its dedicated section below for more information.
• Singapore is also located in the centre of Southeast Asia - if you’ve never been in this oft-forgotten region of the world, take the chance to check out our neighbouring countries as well! Malaysia can easily be reached via bus, and Indonesia via ferry.

(Note: You may want to check out Klook for discount tickets/passes)

Dining

Singapore is a food paradise with various cuisines from the local ethnic groups, as well as international ones. For Muslims, there are a lot of Muslim-owned or Halal-certified options around (look for this certificate, or the label “Muslim-owned”), including most of the fast food chains like McDonald’s/KFC/Burger King/Subway.
Carrying some cash with you (~$10 per pax) is a good idea, especially if you’re venturing out to hawker centres; while many places now have an electronic payment system in place, cash is still king in terms of versatility, and anecdotally most stores prefer cash or will charge a credit-card payment surcharge.

Where to eat?

• Most of the malls have a good selection of dining options, ranging from the (relatively affordable) multi-stall foodcourts to fast-food restaurants, cafes, and more upmarket restaurants.
  • It can get crowded during lunchtime (12-2pm) as office workers come out for their break, so try to avoid those hours if possible, or make advance reservations.
  • If you are staying/shopping in Orchard Road, Far East Plaza (level 4 & 5) and Lucky Plaza (multiple levels) have relatively more affordable food options for the area..
  • There’s a myriad of other malls in the suburban areas outside of Orchard to be explored.
• Hawker centres: A “hawker” in Singapore refers to a street food vendor, and in Singapore they’ve been centralised into food centres to create an iconic Singapore dining institution. These places are generally not air-conditioned, but they are the most affordable dining option. If you see an item on a table even if it’s something innocuous like a tissue paper packet or name-card, it means the seat's been reserved (“chop-ed” in the local slang) by people who are off queuing for their food.
  • Look for stalls with the longest lines (the most popular stalls will have long queues all day long), but most stalls should have decent food.
  • Newton Hawker Centre (near Newton MRT station) and Lau Pa Sat (near Telok AyeDowntown/Raffles Place Stations) are probably the most well-known to tourists, but beware of touts and over-charging, especially at Newton.
  • Taking the MRT out to slightly less central areas like Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh, Kallang, etc. should bring you to other hawker centres that cater to locals.
• Order in: GrabFood and Foodpanda are the two most popular food delivery apps with extensive coverage all around Singapore. Deliveroo is also available. Just be prepared to pay upwards of $5 delivery fee during peak periods, and the listed online prices are usually higher than in-store. The apps also have pick-up available if you’d simply like to order in advance.
• The ethnic enclaves like Kampung Glam (Malay/Muslim), Chinatown and Little India have a higher concentration of the respective ethnic cuisines, but most places in Singapore have a good mix of different local and international cuisines

What to eat?

Breakfast (These are generally very affordable options that should cost you below $10 per person, particularly if you go to food courts/hawker centres)

• Tea/coffee with kaya toast and half-boiled eggs. Available at most hawker centres (usually at the drink stalls), and chains like Ya Kun Kaya Toast and Killiney Kopitiam in malls. Order tea/coffee like a local by referring to this guide.
• Among the fast-food chains, KFC offers the more local option of chicken porridge (congee)
• Roti prata, a south-Indian flatbread (also known as paratha in India, or roti canai in Malaysia), available at most hawker centres and Indian coffee-shops
• Nasi lemak, coconut milk-flavoured rice with a variety of side dishes (usual ones: omelette, fried chicken wing/fried fish, fried anchovies).
• Beehoon, rice vermicelli with a range of toppings like fish cake, luncheon meat (spam), chicken wings, veggies etc.
• Chai Tow Kway (“carrot cake” - it’s actually radish cake), Tau Huey (soya bean curd pudding) + Youtiao (chinese fried dough)
• Mee Rebus, a Malay noodle dish with thick & spicy potato-based gravy topped with hard-boiled egg, bean sprouts, fried shallots, tau kwa (fried beancurd) and spring onions

Lunch & dinner

• Chilli crab: I don’t have any personal recommendations, and it could be costly because the crabs are usually charged by weight, which may vary daily. The link gives a run-down of some popular places
• Hainanese chicken rice: Again, no personal recommendations, but you can find this in most foodcourts and hawker centres. You should be able to find one of these for $5 or less.
• Murtabak/Briyani: My favourite is ZamZam Restaurant (est, 1908) at North Bridge Road in the Muslim enclave of Kampung Glam, but there is a whole row of Singapore-Indian restaurants serving a similar menu there
• Everything under the sun :) Google maps & data coverage generally works well in most parts of Singapore, so search & explore! Some sites you can start at include Chope & Burpple.

Snacks

• A must try, it’s sold by any ice cream man you see roaming around with a popup like this
• We have a ton of bubble tea (boba) stores if you’re craving it, you’d probably find a bubble tea store or two within 20mins of walking anywhere. Koi/Gongcha/LiHo are quite standard options, and then there’s others like Playmade/Chichasansen with their own unique points. Here’s a list with 61 of them...
• There’re plenty of 7-11s and convenience stores around, as well as “mama shops” around public residential housing.

Getting Around

Singapore has a great public transport system. It’s really easy & cheap to get around on the MRT (mass rapid transit trains) and buses. Use Google Maps or the City Mapper app to navigate yourself and get route recommendations (the latter also has transport arrival timings and fare estimates. It also works in many cities globally, so is very useful for tourists). Various transport passes are available for tourists, but you can also use your contactless credit cards (Visa and Mastercard) to pay for the fares (no registration required).
In general, using the Circle Line (yellow) or Downtown Line (blue) should get you to most tourist attractions. Orchard Road (main shopping belt) can be accessed via the North South Line (red), between Orchard and Somerset MRT stations. Map for reference, with links to versions in Chinese/Malay/Tamil available for download.
Taxis and ride-hailing cars: We have Grab and Gojek in place of Uber.

• The largest local taxi fleet - the blue Comfort Cabs - also have their own ride-hailing app to compete, although they can also operate via the traditional meter & can be booked via phone call/flagged down as usual. Fares can be paid via cash post-ride or credit card for all these private car options.
• Ride-hailing tends to be very expensive. At peak periods, ride-hailing services could be even more expensive than taxis, but at least you know the price beforehand. All malls have a taxi stand where you can stand in queue and hop on the next available cab. Queues can be long at morning and evening peak periods, so avoid taking cabs then if you can.

General navigation
All signs are in English, and the locals - esp the younger generation - are able to speak English fluently. If you’re really lost, feel free to approach others to ask for help! People are generally friendly and helpful despite initial appearances :)
As a side note: in general, if Google Maps is asking you to circle around a building to get somewhere - don’t. You can cut through most places on the ground floor quite easily, even the residential buildings (unless they’re private properties like condominiums/landed housing). MRT stations are connected to a good number of places via sheltered corridors if they’re nearby enough. Enjoy the aircon & shade instead of walking outside in the heat if you can.

Shopping

• Orchard Road is our main shopping belt, running from Orchard to Somerset MRT stations. You can find many shopping malls there, with collections ranging from upmarket to fast fashion. Check out Design Orchard, a retail space for fashion and lifestyle items by Singapore designers.
• For an old-style emporium experience drop by Mustafa Centre. It used to be open 24 hours but this was disrupted by COVID19 and now it is only open until 2am (best place for late night shopping!). It's not a glitzy mall, but has crowded aisles chock full of all manners of things, including snacks and souvenirs (avoid going on Sundays when it gets super crowded with migrant workers on their day off).
• Already mentioned above are the ethnic enclaves Chinatown, Little India, Kampung Glam and Geylang Serai with smaller standalone shops. Special mention for Haji Lane in the Kampung Glam area, a small street with cute boutiques.
• The many, many other malls scattered across the country - a brief list. For example, Paya Lebar alone (just another station up from Dakota!) is connected to several malls like Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ), PLQ 2, PL Square, Singpost centre, and a couple more within a 5-mins’ walk (Tanjong Katong Complex, City Plaza, KINEX etc.).

Weathewhat to wear

The weather is especially hot these days (max temp of up to 35 degrees celsius, or 95 Fahrenheit), with possible spurts of heavy rain at certain times of day, so dress light and carry an umbrella (most places do have sheltered walkways between buildings and bus-stops/MRT stations though, so don’t worry too much about getting around in the rain). Mall air-conditioning can be cold, so hv another layer (e.g. cardigan/wrap/scarf) on hand. Remember to hydrate frequently & avoid staying outdoors for too long!

Airport

• Singapore Changi Airport is often voted by travellers as the best airport in the world, with lots of shopping, dining and leisure options in the various terminals. BTS (except Jin who took a different flight) stopped over at Changi Airport on the way to New Zealand for Bon Voyage 4 (airport lounge scenes shown in Episode 1)! While you may not have access to the business class lounge like them, there are various other options to rest and hangout, like the many gardens (some even accessible from the public areas) and even a free 24h cinema (Terminal 3 transit area).
• Jewel Changi Airport which is attached to Terminal 1 is an attraction in itself. It's worth arriving 2-3 hours earlier than your flight check-in time to grab a meal and have a look around Jewel. A particular highlight is to take the skytrain between Terminals 2 and 3, cutting across the centre of Jewel, to get a spectacular view of the indoor waterfall. There is also shopping aplenty (Tip: NTUC Fairprice supermarket in Jewel has a nice selection of food and non-food souvenirs which are pretty affordable).
• There are various transport options for getting to the city from the airport. Public transport like MRT is convenient if you are travelling light, else there is a shuttle service to selected downtown hotels. Taxis and ride-hire cars can be expensive, especially with the airport surcharge.
• Sort of related, Yoongi gave a shout out to our national airlines (Singapore Airlines) for its great seat and amenities in business class in BV4! (He said: let's always fly Singapore Airlines in the future!). The airlines must have taken notice, because they recently announced that they would be adding BTS content like songs, MVs, LY New York concert, and Break The Silence docu in their in-flight entertainment system to commemorate BTS' 10th anniversary. An ARMY also spotted a write-up abt BTS in their in-flight magazine.

We’ve tried to achieve a balance between being succinct and informative, but certainly the above info is not exhaustive. So do feel free to ask in the comments below if the info you need is not here! Fellow SG ARMY, or those familiar with Singapore, feel free to chime in!

By Chuck Hustmyre
Not every town is on the map.
"Daddy, I gotta pee."
Dale Thornton looked over his shoulder at his six-year-old son belted into the back seat of their Jeep Cherokee. As the boy squirmed around, Dale looked at his wife in the passenger seat beside him. "Didn't he just go?"
Carol glanced at her watch. "That was over an hour ago." She twisted to look into the back seat. "Can you hold it?"
In the rearview mirror, Dale saw Jesse shake his head. His wife checked her watch again. He could almost see the wheels turning inside her head. She was the family mediator, and she had just come up with something that made perfect sense. One of the reasons he loved her so much was her ability to change gears. In himself, Dale recognized his single-mindedness as a drawback. He admired her flexibility. In more ways than one, he thought. She was a good wife and a good mother.
"It's almost five," Carol said. "Let's stop at the next town. We can all use the restroom and get something to eat."
Dale tugged the spiral-bound road atlas down from where he had wedged it between the visor and the roof. They had left Tulsa that morning, headed for Mardi Gras, and he hoped to be in New Orleans by 10 p.m. Looking at the LOUISIANA page, his eyes traced the route he had highlighted in yellow. They had detoured down old U.S. 167. Rural America was disappearing and Dale wanted his son to see something of it before it was completely gone.
They were somewhere south of Ruston. He couldn't remember if they had passed Jonesboro or not, so the next town was either that or--if they'd already passed it--Winnfield. The gas gauge was on a quarter of a tank. They needed to stop anyway. "All right, honey," he said. "We'll take a break."
Carol laid a hand on his leg. "I'm glad we came this way. You can't see anything from the Interstate."
Ten miles later they sprang upon a small town. There was an old-fashioned, carved wooden sign posted beside the highway. Dale read out loud, "Welcome to Batesville. Population 875."
"What's that mean," Jesse asked.
Dale glanced at his son in the rearview mirror. "That's how many people live here."
"When somebody dies, do they change the number on the sign?"
Carol smiled over her shoulder at Jesse. "I bet they change it when a baby is born."
Just like her. She didn't like to talk about death or dying. Instead, she liked to focus on the good things in life, babies, birthdays, and family vacations. She had always been like that but more so since her grandfather passed away last year. She had been very close to him, closer than she had ever been to her father.
Dale sneaked a glance at her. She was his angel but an angel with dark secrets. She had shared some of those secrets with him but not all of them, probably because she knew the abuse in her life disturbed him so much. "That sign probably hasn't been changed in twenty years," he said.
"Why put it up if it's not right?" Jesse asked.
Good question. "I don't know, son."
As they got into the little town, Dale was impressed. The side streets that cut off of the highway were lined with neat wooden houses, most of them with white picket fences. A lot of the little towns they had passed through looked run down and dirty, but not this one. Batesville was clean and pretty.
When they came to the town's only traffic light, Dale saw a business on each corner: a hotel, a gas station, a restaurant, and the Batesville General Store. Before the light turned green, Dale pulled the Jeep beside the pumps at the gas station. A middle-aged man wearing oil stained coveralls stepped out from the office. "What can I do you for?" he asked. His tone was friendly, something you didn't hear at many gas stations these days.
Dale stepped out of the driver's seat and stretched. "I need a fill-up and some food." Then he jerked his thumb toward the back seat. "And my son needs to use the head."
The man wiped his hands on a rag he pulled out of his pocket. Then he shook Dale's hand. "Dudley Simpson. I can help you with the gas and the bathroom for your boy, but as for food, afraid all I got is potato chips and sodas." He pointed to the restaurant across the street. "Right over there is the best food in town." He laughed. "Only restaurant we got, but I wouldn't kid you. It's really good. Restroom's not too bad either."
Jesse said he could hold it until they got to the restaurant, so Dale sent him and Carol across the street to get a table. When he reached for the gas pump, Dudley Simpson stopped him. "I don't charge extra for full service. Every car comes through here I pump the gas, look under the hood, and check the tires."
"Don't see that too much anymore," Dale said.
"Guess I'm kind of old-fashioned."
After Dudley finished, Dale added a couple of bucks to the bill. He felt a little awkward, unsure if he could tip the owner of a gas station without insulting him. But Dudley took no offense, just said thank you and asked him to stop in again on their way home.
When Dale turned the key, nothing happened. He turned it again and still nothing happened. Just a click. No dash lights, the motor didn't turn over, nothing. Dudley told him to pop the hood again. After Dale turned the key a couple more times with Simpson's head buried under the hood, Dudley said he'd found the problem. "Alternator's shot. You must've been running on battery for a good while."
"Can you fix it?"
The gas station owner looked at his watch. "Not today. Parts store is closed 'till tomorrow."
Great, just great, Dale thought.
"I could arrange a tow to somewhere else, next town down the highway has a Goodyear Service Center," Dudley said, "but even they won't get to it until tomorrow."
Dale nodded, his mind stuck on having to spend the night in Batesville instead of New Orleans.
"I'll get to it first thing," Dudley said. "Have you out of here by ten o'clock." He pointed at the hotel. "Mrs. Jensen has a nice place. A-C, cable TV, and no bugs."
Great. No bugs.
Dudley told Dale that he could leave the Jeep right where it was. No need to worry about it, he said. They had a town marshal but nothing ever happened in Batesville. So quiet the state police never even came by.
"Sorry I'm blocking your pumps," Dale said.
Dudley shrugged. "Other side's open." Then he looked at his watch. "Besides, it's five-thirty. I close in half an hour."
As he crossed the street, Dale remembered his gun. A Smith and Wesson .357 revolver that he always brought with him on road trips. You never knew what could happen. They might break down on the highway and get attacked by a drug-crazed motorcycle gang. The gun was in the cargo compartment, wrapped inside a cloth and tucked between the spare tire and the side wall. It would be safe enough.
At the restaurant he told Carol the news and in typical Carol fashion she looked on the bright side. "It'll be fun being stranded in a small town," she said. "Who knows what'll happen?"
"Do they have TV?" Jesse asked.
A cute young waitress served them. The plastic tag pinned to her blouse said her name was April. When she brought out their food she set Jesse's down first.
"That's the cutest little mark on your face," she said. "Almost looks like lipstick."
Unabashedly, Jesse pointed to the red oval shaped birthmark set high on his right cheek. "It means I'm special."
She smiled. "It looks like a kiss."
"Really?" Jesse asked.
Dale saw a look of contentment on Carol's face. Jesse's birthmark was something she'd never wanted their son to be shy or embarrassed about.
The waitress set out the rest of the plates. "I heard a mark like that means that right before you were born an angel kissed you."
Jesse turned to his mom. "Is that true?"
Carol smiled at her son and nodded. "I think she may be right."
April bent down and kissed Jesse on the top of his head. "I'm not an angel, but there's a kiss from me."
Dudley Simpson had been right; the food was excellent. After they ate, Dale got up to use the bathroom. "You need to go again, Jess?"
The boy shook his head. "No thanks."
Dale handed Carol a credit card. "Let's save our cash."
She nodded. "All right, baby."
"Back in a sec," he said as he turned away.
***
When he came out of the men's room, Carol and Jesse weren't at the table. The waitress had been quick. Most of the dirty plates were gone; the only ones left were his. Dale looked for his family near the front door, then up by the cash register, but they weren't there.
Maybe Jesse had changed his mind and Carol had brought him into the bathroom with her. So Dale waited, but after several minutes passed and they didn't come out, he decided to check outside. They might have gotten cold or Jesse could've gotten restless and they were waiting out front for him. But they weren't out front, either.
Across the street the lights were out at the gas station--Dudley was closed for the night. The Jeep Cherokee sat at the pumps. Anxiously, Dale looked at the hotel. Maybe...but they wouldn't do that, wouldn't have gone without him. That wasn't like Carol. Smart and independent, but she liked her husband doing the man things, and in her mind, checking into a hotel was a man thing.
Back inside he knocked on the door of the women's restroom. No one answered, so he cracked it open. "Carol?" No answer. "Carol, Jess, you there?"
"Can I help you, sir?" It was their waitress.
Embarrassed, Dale forced a laugh. "I seem to have lost my wife and son." He nodded toward the men's room. "While I was in there."
"Your wife and son?" She looked confused.
"When I came back they were gone."
She had a blank look on her face.
Annoyed, he said, "I ate with them."
The waitress furrowed her brow. "Sir, I didn't see you with anyone else."
Dale stared at her. For a second he thought that maybe he was wrong, maybe this wasn't his waitress. He checked her name tag, saw it said April. "You waited on us." Dale pointed to his right cheek. "My son has that little birthmark. You said an angel kissed him."
She shrugged. "I think I'd remember that."
He pointed to himself. "You remember me?" Then at their table. "We were sitting right there."
She nodded. "Yes, sir. I remember you, but you ate by yourself." She turned to the table where Dale's dishes still sat. "I was just bringing you your bill."
He raised his voice. "Is this some kind of a joke?" People began looking at him.
April took a step back and raised her hands. "You need to talk to Mr. Simms."
"Who's Mr. Simms?"
"The owner."
"Well that's who I want to see."
Mr. Simms was already scurrying over. "What's the problem?"
Dale turned to him. "I can't find my family." He pointed at the girl. "She was our waitress and she's telling me she doesn't even remember them."
Mr. Simms looked at April.
She shrugged again. "I'm sorry but he was alone. I've never seen his family."
Simms looked like he didn't understand. April tried to explain it again, but Dale cut her off and pointed to the table. "My family and I ate right there. I went to the restroom, came out, and they were gone."
Mr. Simms clapped a hand on Dale's shoulder. "Maybe they're outside waiting for you."
"I've checked outside," he barked. "They're not there."
Simms glanced at the waitress. "Why don't you get back to work. I'll handle this."
Dale grabbed her by the arm. "She knows where they are."
Everyone in the restaurant stared at him.
Mr. Simms jerked Dale's hand away from the girl. "Sir, she said she doesn't know where your family is."
April pleaded with her boss. "He didn't have his family with him."
"She's lying!" Dale said, as he inched closer to April.
Simms stepped between them. Looking at Dale, he said, "Have you checked your car?"
He nodded. "It's broken down at the gas station across the street. We've got to spend the night at the hotel."
Mr. Simms smiled. "That's probably it."
"What?"
"I bet they're at the hotel."
"He was by himself," April said.
The restaurant owner snapped his head towards her and pointed to the dinning area. "Go."
She looked at her boss for a second, a half-formed protest on her lips; then suddenly she spun on her heel and stomped away.
Simms looked back at Dale. "Have you checked the hotel?"
"They wouldn't do that."
"Have you checked?" Insistent.
Dale could feel himself losing control as the sweat dripped from his armpits. He took several deep breaths, trying to force himself to calm down. "No, I haven't."
"Maybe your kids got tired."
The deep breathing had made him light-headed. "Just the one boy." As Dale turned toward the door, Simms patted him on the back. "I'm sure everything's going to be fine."
But things weren't fine. At the hotel, he woke up Mrs. Jensen. Turns out she and Mr. Jensen had an apartment behind the office. Dale had banged on the glass door of the office for five minutes before a light came on.
Mrs. Jensen had come out first. A white haired old lady, covered in a paper-thin pink housecoat, imprinted with blue flowers the size of a quarter. A minute later, Mr. Jensen, looking about seventy, dressed in a full set of dark green, silk pajamas and a pair of matching slippers, stumbled into the office, smelling like he'd taken a bath in Jack Daniel's.
Dale's heart sank. He went through the story anyway, but as he expected, the Jensens said that no one had checked in or even come by since mid-morning.
Walking back to the restaurant, he looked at his Jeep. Still empty and no one near it.
A marked police car was parked near the restaurant's front door. As he got closer, Dale read the decal on the side, BATESVILLE TOWN MARSHAL. Maybe now he could get some help.
Just inside, near the cash register, Dale found April the waitress, Mr. Simms, and a heavyset man in jeans and a T-shirt, talking. As he walked up, all three stopped and stared at him. He felt like a freak in a boardwalk exhibit.
"Did you find them?" Simms asked.
Dale shook his head. "The people at the hotel haven't seen them."
The big man in jeans took a step toward him. "Mr...?
"Thornton. Dale Thornton."
The man stuck out his hand. "Jerry Stillwell. I'm town marshal."
"Saw your car outside." Dale shook the marshal's hand. "My wife and son are miss--"
"I understand there was a problem here earlier."
"Yeah there's a problem. My family disappeared."
The marshal and Simms traded glances; then he looked back at Dale. "So I heard. What do you think happened to them?"
Something didn't feel right. "If I knew that, they wouldn't be missing."
Marshal Stillwell stuck his belly out. "No reason to get smart. You all ready scared some customers. Don't make--"
"Scared some customers. Is that why you're here, because I scared some customers? My wife and son are MISSING!" Everyone in the restaurant had stopped eating and was watching the soap opera at the door. With a sharp edge to his voice, Dale said, "What are you going to do about it?"
The marshal jabbed a finger at him. "You better calm yourself down or I'll do it for you. Now I need to ask you some questions," his eyes swept the customers, "and I don't think this is the place to do it."
"I'm not going anywhere." Dale pointed to the completely cleaned off table where they'd eaten. "Half an hour ago my family and I ate right there. Now they're gone. Someone in here knows what happened to them."
The marshal dropped a big hand on Dale's shoulder and tried to guide him out the door. "We're going to find your family, but not here, not like--"
Dale pulled away. He pointed to Simms and the waitress. "They coming with us?"
"I don't see the need for--"
Dale reached out for April. "She's lying!"
With surprising speed, the town marshal slipped behind him and clamped a meaty forearm around his throat, sealing off his windpipe. Dale grabbed at the hairy arm and tried to twist it away as the marshal whispered in his ear, "Take it easy, son." Then something jabbed him in the kidney that sent waves of pain shooting up his back.
Seconds later, Dale was on the floor, his cheek pressed against the cool tiles, as the marshal handcuffed his wrists behind his back.
###

So, I am broke and recently discovered a local food pantry that offers a TON of food for a family of up to 4. They let you take home like 3 giant bags of food.
All of it, or almost all of it is processed food... Pringles, Doritos, Ding Dongs, potato chips, Jugs of Fruit punch, Sunny Dee, soda, candy and Salad Dressings.
The trouble I have is that most of this stuff is long expired. They're giving it out as part of a church group. It comes from the local grocers overstock. Granted, ALL OF IT IS UNOPENED AND SEALED.
6 month to a year old on highly processed snacks is okay, fine right?
What about juice, punch, mayonnaise, salad dressing? Should it be tossed? How safe is it? What would you do?

Toxic Rats: Geoff, Scott, Trent, Leshawna, Sammy, Sierra
Mutant Maggots: Anne Maria, Katie, Molly, Scarlett, Dave, DJ
Episode 05: Backstabbers Ahoy
"Last time, on Total Drama Revenge of the Island!" Chris opened, the standard shot of the island quickly cutting to a clip of the campers hurriedly assembling in the common area between cabins as the recap montage began. "Twelve campers went on a scavenger hunt," a close-up of the screen that showed the scavenger hunt locations was next, "that was spoo~ky~!" he said in an appropriate tone, several scary eyes opening up in the hollow of a tree. "And very, very, painful," he added with a laugh as Leshawna was shown getting choked by the squid-tree while some of her teammates threw rocks at both her and the tentacle, and Geoff ran right into a minefield and got blown up.
"And when we thought it couldn't get any weirder," the host continued over a shot of Dave being wrapped up by the spider, "Arachna-Izzy showed up to do an eight-legged tap dance for a captive audience and her buddy Chef," the wild child's reveal was shown as was her shooting plungers at Chef. "Which turned out to be not so fun for her," Dave was shown pounding on the spider's abdomen.
"In the end, Katie left five teammates behind," the sweet girl was shown getting on the zipline, "and lost the challenge for her team," The Maggots were at the elimination ceremony. "Someone would've been eliminated, but I decided to be swell and call it a non-elimination just to keep tensions running," Chris laughed a bit. "And I also brought Sierra back into the game for fun," Sierra coming in unannounced was shown.
"Hey, it's my show. I can do what I want," the host said as the montage ended to show him standing on the Dock of Shame. "Who will ride the Hurl of Shame next? How many times can I laugh at them, before then? Find out right now, on Total! Drama! Revenge of the Island!"
XXXXX
A shot of the morning sun opened the episode, a flock of geese flying across the sky in formation in the distance. The scene cut to the girls of the Maggot cabin, the camera angled to show Katie and Scarlett awake.
The shot cut in close to Scarlett as she was deep in thought. "It's pretty fortunate for us to not lose a teammate last episode." Scarlett started her conversation with Katie.
Katie, who was brushing her hair, stopped when she was finished. "I know. Even though we lost, we still won in a way."
"But something still questions me about last time," Scarlett continued.
"What is it?" Katie wondered.
"I'm curious who would've gotten voted out since Chris didn't reveal the votes at all during our elimination ceremony," Scarlett explained.
Katie got uneasy hearing that. "Oh, I'm curious as well." She let out an awkward chuckle.
Scarlett easily saw how nervous her bunkmate was acting, and decided to press on. "You're not looking very comfortable. Care to explain what is bothering you?"
"The thing is, I voted for-" Katie tried to say, but was interrupted by Molly opening the cabin door.
"Good morning everyone," Molly greeted the two girls.
"Oh, Molly's here," Katie changed the subject. "Hi."
Confessional: Katie
"If I'm being honest, I voted for Scarlett in the last challenge," Katie admitted. "She was kind of acting cold towards us and didn't even feel as bad for our teammates getting captured."
Confessional: Scarlett
"She didn't say it, but I know they voted for me," Scarlett grimly said. "I suppose it's because of how I came off not showing my sympathies for my endangered teammates or for being too intellectual for them." She smiled proudly. "It would've been their loss had they gotten rid of me for I am the more academically skilled member of the bunch."
Confessionals End
"Guess what I found at the bonfire?" Molly eagerly said.
"What could you have found that would be beneficial for us?" Scarlett skeptically asked.
"I found this old mp3 player by one of the stumps," Molly pulled out the object. "I don't know how it got there, but I'm keeping it."
"If it's so old, why are you gonna keep it?" Katie asked her.
"It plays all the indie music from my favorite bands," Molly answered. "Modest Mouse, Bon Iver, Arcade Fire, those types of people."
"I've never heard of them," Katie said. "Sorry."
"Well you're missing out," Molly shrugged before leaving.
Scarlett and Katie watched her leave for a few seconds before Scarlett turned to Katie. "If I'm being honest, I'm not a fan of indie-themed activities."
Confessional: Molly
Molly was listening to one of her indie bands on her mp3. "Come on, skinny love, just last the year!"
Confessional Ends
A pleasant tune played as the scene moved to a shot of the lake, a few red birds flying and tweeting past the camera. The perspective inverted to show Anne Maria sitting in one of the stump seats of the bonfire pit, filing her nails as a woodpecker stood on top of her poking at her hair.
"Hey, I wasn't expecting to see you up here so early," Geoff said, walking up from the right and immediately attracting Anne Maria's attention. He was in his swimsuit rather than his usual attire.
"I didn't have much of a choice," Anne Maria said. "Katie's snorin' is drivin' me nuts, and Scarlett is kooky with her sleep analysis or whatever."
"So you're doing your hair care out here?" Geoff wondered.
"Yup," Anne Maria replied. "Why are you out in your swim shorts?"
"The water was feeling pretty cool and refreshing, and I wanted to salvage the moment as quickly as I could," Geoff answered.
"I would've been in the ocean, but I have to be fully tanned before I can go into any form of liquid," Anne Maria continued.
"Your body is tanned?" Geoff widened. "Do you use orange paint?"
This comment quickly offended the hairspray girl. "Excuse me?! Did you just disrespect my tan?!" Anne Maria glared at the party boy.
Geoff instantly realized his mistake. "No no no. I'm just saying that I like your tan. It's pretty cool."
Anne Maria cooled down. "Oh right. Now I get it."
Confessional: Geoff
"If you didn't know, I tend to slip up when talking to chicks," Geoff opened up. "Anne Maria's a babe, and a super hot one, but I have to watch what I say if I don't want to get messed up."
Confessional Ends
The scene flashed to the girls' side of the Rat cabin, where Sammy was sleeping in her bed peacefully, until she got woken up by Sierra snapping a photo of her.
"Sierra! I'm trying to sleep!" Sammy shouted in anger, causing Sierra to be frightened.
"Sorry Sammy. I was just updating the sleeping section of this season's profile!" Sierra said happily.
"Sleeping section?" Leshawna said in bewilderment. "Who would want to see us sleep?"
"I don't even want to know," Sammy mumbled.
Confessional: Sierra
"Apparently, the viewers love to see the contestants in their pajamas," Sierra said. "They probably want to make fanart of them."
Confessional: Sammy
"Was I being mean back there? Sorry," Sammy sheepishly said. "I usually get cranky if I don't get my full hours of sleep, and with Sierra back, it's going to get worse."
Confessionals End
Over on the boys' side of the Rat cabin, Trent was putting on his shirt in order to get dressed fully. "Getting dressed is done. Now to play some music to get my day off on the right foot."
The cool guy got on his knees and stuck his hand under his bunk bed to find his guitar, and his face became more and more worried as he couldn't find his instrument.
"I swear I put my guitar under here!" Trent said to himself while peeking under his bunk.
Scott entered the cabin and saw Trent's predicament. "What seems to be tugging on your strings, guitar boy?" he asked.
"Someone stole my guitar," Trent responded. "I remember placing it under my bunk bed, but now there's no sight of it."
"Ultra fangirl returns, guitar goes AWOL. Do the math, and come eat breakfast before you starve of paranoia," Scott told Trent.
Confessional: Trent
"Scott's on the rough side, but he does have a point about me not needing to overreact about my guitar being taken," Trent stated. "Someone probably just took it as a practical joke, and I'm sure they'll return it back to me."
Confessional Ends
A loon called as the scene moved to the Mess Hall, cutting inside to the Mutant Maggots, who were seated at the forward table this time around, while the Toxic Rats had been forced to claim the table closer to the kitchen. All of them were eating what appeared to be trays of mostly meat – bacon and roast chicken and some kind of intestines, with a bit of mashed potatoes and an apple on the side.
DJ was in line with his tray out. After it got filled with breakfast, he smiled a bit. "This is looking pretty good," he said to Chef, to which the cook actually smiled in appreciation.
Dave walked up to DJ with his own tray. "This is too much protein," he complained out of Chef's view to DJ.
"I know," DJ told his friend. "I'm gonna see if I can use this to make a gift for Katie."
"Why do you wanna do that?" Dave asked him. "Are you into her?"
DJ looked at Katie making a house out of her food. "Look at her. She's creative, sweet, and totally full of life."
"I didn't know you were interested in her," Dave said.
"I didn't realize my feelings for her until later on," DJ told him before walking to the right. "I'm gonna go see if there's any more leftovers for my gift."
"Attention campers!" Chris announced through the loudspeaker. "Breakfast is cutting in to precious time that you could spend getting injured!" The shot cut to the loudspeaker outside as Chris laughed. "Grab your swimsuits and meet me at the dock, pronto!"
The campers, who'd already gathered in the middle of the lodge aside from Dave and DJ, began to groan and complain. "You have ten seconds to exit the Mess Hall," Chris added, "before I release...The Raccoon!"
"The raccoon?" Anne Maria repeated in disbelief, and the ten teens started to laugh as the camera pulled back and a large crate was lowered down from the ceiling on chains. It stopped just before it hit the floor, and the campers immediately looked at it with dread.
The front face of it was punched off, revealing the giant mutant raccoon inside. It roared, and with a shriek the two teams fled the building.
The camera cut to the entrance to the kitchen, where DJ was wheeling in a service cart full of the morning meal and whistling to himself. "Hey," he asked, apparently not hearing the warning. "Where y'all goin'? Oh well," he shrugged. "I'm gonna see what I can take from this cart!"
He put the meat into his shorts, unaware of the menacing shadow creeping toward him.
\
The scene cut outside to the campers catching their breaths, Chris watching them nearby with an impish smile.
"What were you thinking?" Scarlett asked him. "We could've been viciously assassinated by that intoxicated raccoon!"
Chris just laughed. "Nah, only if you got between him and food." He sent a pensive look off-screen and said "Team Maggot, looks like you're still missing a player."
The camera cut to the main lodge, where DJ was tossed out of a window with a scream.
"Nevermind," Chris said jovially.
\
The footage flashed ahead to the two teams assembled on the Dock of Shame in their swimsuits – On the left: DJ in his usual shorts, Katie in a white and black striped bikini, Scarlett in a black one-piece, Molly in a purple dotted two-piece, Anne Maria in a bikini with the same color scheme as her top, and Dave in a white tank top and a pair of trunks consisting of his normal attire's colors; On the right: Leshawna in a teal speedo, Scott in his red swim trunks, Sierra in a light and lime green bikini, Trent in his orange and brown swim trunks, Sammy in a white bikini, and Geoff in his normal shorts; Chris was in the middle. Each team also had an old-fashioned diving suit connected by hose to a hand pump lying between them and the host.
"Alright," Chris began, "here to help us get today's competition underway, say hello to one of our classic competitors, Brick!"
He motioned to the side and the camera zoomed out as the cadet arrived at the dock in a patched-up red canoe.
"I'm ready to go," Brick told the host, "but remember," he gave a reminder, "my contract said demonstration only."
"Relax," Chris smiled, "no demo needed! Just chum the water and try not to get eaten."
Brick reached into the canoe and picked up a bucket of green slop. He took one whiff of it and retched. "What is this stuff?" he asked in disgust.
"Leftovers," Chris grinned, "from last season."
"This almost smells as nasty as my boots," Brick shuddered.
It was then that Fang rose out of the water and chomped down on the end of the boat, devouring the bit of chum that had been spilled on it and forcing Brick to yelp and dart over to the back of the canoe.
"This is highly not acceptable!" Brick scolded him.
"Challenge, part one!" Chris moved on. "Each team must get a pair of water-skis in an underwater mission." The shot cut underwater as he spoke, showing two sets of water skis tied to a pair of rocks on the lake bed. A school of vicious, spiny fish swam past from the right to the left, and a second later a school of eels passed through from the opposite direction. "Or drown trying," the host added as the camera zoomed in on the skis.
"One victim-I mean camper," Chris continued with a sly look, "will snag the skis in an old-school diving suit," he held up the Rats' suit, "and float them to the surface while the rest of their team pumps them oxygen," he held up the Maggots' pump. "First team to surface their skis wins, and gets an advantage in part two."
\
The focus moved to the Maggots, Molly standing before her teammates and holding the diving suit's helmet. "Listen up Maggots. I'm diving."
"No problem with me," DJ agreed. "I'm not good with water, so I'll pump the air."
"Just consider it my way of making it up to you for the ice challenge," Molly said before feeling her pockets, only to realize something. "Who took my mp3 player?"
Confessional: DJ
"When I was eight, my brothers dared me to jump off the high-dive platform at the pool. I jumped, but I landed on my butt, and my trunks went so far up my butt, I had to go to the hospital and get them removed. They invited a new word for what I did. The wedgie flop. I've been afraid of water ever since," DJ explained his fear of water.
Confessional Ends
The focus moved to the Rats, Geoff at the center of their attention. "So who's gonna pump and who's gonna dive?"
"I got captured first last episode, so I'll pump the air just to show that I'm not useless," Sammy went to the hose.
"Sierra, you just came back, so you can dive in order to prove yourself to us," Scott suggested.
"Of course I'll dive," Sierra said. "I'm a certified swimmer."
Confessional: Scott
"That was much easier than I thought it'd be," Scott quipped.
Confessional Ends
"Ready?" Chris asked, now standing between Molly and Sierra, the two now fully dressed in their diving suits. Molly smirked confidently at her opponent, with Sierra doing the same, and with a sharp "GO!" from the host, the two were off.
The shot immediately cut underwater as the two splashed down and sank to the lake bed. The perspective moved behind them as they looked ahead to the tied-up skis in the distance, and after sharing a brief glance the two raced off...rather slowly through the water, thanks to the heavy suits and water pressure. The camera focused on Sierra as she suddenly stopped as though her hose had been caught on something.
She looked back and the camera panned to follow, revealing Fang holding back the uberfan's hose with a single hand. He grinned toothily, and Sierra screamed.
The scene moved back above the water, focusing on the Rats. Sammy was currently pumping with Leshawna and Scott watching her, and Geoff and Trent were leaning off the edge of the dock to watch Sierra's progress.
"Tired already, Pom-pom?" Scott asked the cheerleading girl as her breathing became heavier.
Leshawna took Sammy off the pump. "It's okay," the sista said. "I can do it for you!" She pumped so furiously that the hose started bulging as air pockets moved down it.
The scene cut back to Fang swimming viciously at Sierra; the girl turned around and screamed just as the bulging air pocket moved through the hose towards her...blowing up her suit like a balloon, causing Fang to ram into her and bounce off.
"You better get those skis, girl!" Anne Maria shouted near Scarlett as the camera cut back above the water.
"Yeah, keep up the pace," Dave added halfheartedly while kneeling on the dock.
The camera panned away from them and on to Katie and DJ, the latter operating the pump while the former talked to him...absentmindedly standing on the hose while doing so.
"Nice muscles you got on," Katie told DJ sincerely.
"Can I ask you something?" DJ said.
"Sure," Katie replied, looking up at her teammate. "What do you want to ask me?"
"What's your favorite kind of food?" DJ asked Katie. "Mine is gumbo, especially when made by my Momma."
"I like bacon. You can put it on any food you want, and they've been useful for my vlogs," Katie said.
"Bacon wouldn't go great with gumbo if you're thinking about that," DJ joked with the sweet girl.
"I know that. I'm not off the wall," Katie laughed at his sentence. As she spoke, the camera focused down on the slowly-growing bulge in the hose, trapped from moving onward by Katie's weight.
Confessional: Katie
"DJ is such an attractive guy," Katie swooned. "Is this what having a real life crush is like?"
Confessional Ends
The shot cut back underwater, Molly eagerly approaching the water skis...until she suddenly gasped, stopped, and held her breath with a look of shock. She frantically started tugging on her hose, and the scene returned to the edge of the dock as the other end of the hose began to yank and twang.
Scarlett quickly noticed it, and moved her wide gaze up the hose to Katie's feet. "What are you doing standing on the hose?" she asked sternly while pulling Katie off. "You're blocking the air." The air pocket finally rushed down to the hose.
Back underwater Molly's face had started to lose a bit of color as she kept on tugging at the hose. The air bubble finally reached her, and she let out a sigh of relief.
Back up shore, Katie started to feel really guilty. "I'm so sorry about that. I didn't know."
Confessional: Katie
"I almost killed Molly," Katie said in regret. "She's annoying sometimes, but that doesn't warrant murder."
Confessional Ends
The static cut away to the Rats, Leshawna continuing to pump air at a fast pace.
"This is taking forever!" Scott complained while holding his wood. "I gotta whittle something." He put his hand on his pocket. "Wait, where's my lucky shark tooth? Sierra must've stole it!" Scott thought out loud. "Like she stole Music Note's guitar and Indie Lady's mp3."
Anne Maria heard the commotion and came over. "Sierra couldn't steal a TV in a riot," she explained.
"Think about it. That girl's been obsessed with getting information about the show, even us," Scott replied.
Anne Maria proceeded to pat herself down. "As if, there's no proof that-" she retorted until something caught her attention. "Hey. Where's my hairbrush?" The jersey shore reject grew angry. "Oh, that is it! Sierra's getting a beat down!"
The scene flashed back underwater where Fang had gotten a hold of Sierra's air hose and was using her as a punching bag. The hose snapped from the unintended stress and the obsessive girl was sent flying through the water.
Sierra got to the Rats' skis first. Her diving suit knocked Molly down and smacked into the rock holding the skis, the force was enough to dislodge them; seconds later the two skis floated up to the surface.
A ship's horn was blown, and Chris called out "The Rats win the first challenge!" over the shot of Sierra flying out of the water between the skis with a scream.
/
"The Rats are the first to grab water skis," Chris announced over a shot of everyone assembled on the dock, "and their reward?" he said as a light-skinned female intern with a black ponytail drove a speedboat up to the Rats' side of the dock. "A McLean Brand Speedboat to use in part two of the challenge."
"Cool!" Trent cheered in excitement.
"Yeah baby!" Leshawna chimed in, the rest of their teammates smiling.
"And for the Maggots," Chris turned to the losers, a spluttering engine attracting their attention to the lake as well as the southeast Asian male intern drove up an inflatable boat to the left side of the dock. "A totally leaky dinghy!"
The six Maggots groaned and hung their heads in disappointment.
"This is almost too easy," Scott chuckled to himself before he saw Sierra catch up to the Rats with her diving suit torn up.
"Did we win the advantage?" Sierra told the farm boy.
"We sure did…stealer!" Scott muttered the last part under his breath.
"Part two of the challenge," Chris continued, briefly holding up two fingers as he continued his exposition, "a death-defying water ski race! The goal? Be the first to ring four bells on these four totally harmless buoys."
As he spoke, the shot cut first to one of the bells, then zoomed out to show it – and the others floating nearby – were attached to the top of what were very obviously sea mines. Brick arrived just then, the cadet frantically paddling his canoe up to one of the mines. He bumped into it just as Chris proclaimed its harmlessness, and the cameo and canoe were blown away by the resulting explosion.
Chris laughed. "Make that three bells," he corrected as a screaming Brick landed on the dock beside him. "See?" he told the slightly-charred young man. "You totally got to demo the challenge." The host then looked at the camera. "Who will cry for their mommy? And who's cries will be drowned out by explosions?" he asked with a wide smile. "Find out when we return." He looked down at Brick, who coughed out a little more soot.
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(Commercial Break)
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Please, feel free to add any events below! Check out the Visitor's Guide for more things to do around town!
Looking to meet up with people? Check out Meetup St. Louis.
​
Be sure to continue scrolling past the Weekly Events for Trivia Nights, Live Music, Sporting Events, Local Comedy, and more!
​

• Blues on the Block at National Blues Museum
  • Every Saturday until August 5th
  • Come on down to the corner of Washington Ave. and 6th Street from 4 to 7 PM. Bring your lawn chair!
• Brentwood Summer Beats
  • June 9, 2023
  • Join others for an evening of music in Brentwood Park!
• Cardinals HOF Presents Flashback Fridays
  • June 9, 2023
  • Visit the Cardinals Museum for a candid interview in Sportsman’s Park Theater with 2006 Cardinals World Champion Gary Bennett on Friday, June 9th at 4:00pm.
• Cardinals HOF Presents Saturday Signings
  • June 10, 2023
  • Saturday, June 10th is Saturday Signings with 2006 Cardinals World Champion Gary Bennett from 10am-12pm in the Cardinals Museum!
• Central West End Cocktail Party
  • June 10, 2023
  • Mark your calendars for the 7th Annual Central West End Cocktail Party on Saturday June 10, 2023, from 5-10 PM! Enjoy live entertainment, a cocktail competition, and food and drinks available for purchase from CWE bars and restaurants. Grab your friends and family for a fun-filled evening, featuring live music, street performers, fire dancers, roller skaters and more!
• Cherokee Pop Shop
  • June 10, 2023
  • Join others at the Rita Ford Community Center, where talented artisans will gather to showcase their handmade goods, art, fashion, jewelry and more. This is a perfect opportunity to discover new artists, support local businesses, and connect with the vibrant community of St. Louis. With live music, food & drink trucks, the Cherokee Pop Shop is a must-visit event for anyone who loves creativity, community, and shopping.
• Chess at the Brewery
  • Every Wednesday
  • Local meetup group of chess players that meet at breweries on Wednesday nights. They rotate locations each week.
  • See their Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/chessatthebrewery/) for the location this week.
• Chihuly in the Missouri Botanical Garden
  • Running until October 15, 2023
  • The work of world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly is coming to the Missouri Botanical Garden in a stunning exhibition uniting art and nature. With thousands of pieces of blown glass forms in 20 dramatic installations throughout the Garden’s grounds, Chihuly in the Garden 2023 presents these artworks on a grand scale
• Circus Flora presents "Undercover"
  • June 1 - 25, 2023
  • This summer, Circus Flora enters the daring world of espionage! With nods to beloved spy stories throughout the years, Undercover introduces the world’s top double agent who faces an archvillain obsessed with world domination. Our spy has plenty of helpful allies – but the villain has a team, too. Will good overcome bad . . . and how? Aerialists, acrobats, contortionists, and comedians will craft this thrilling story, which will captivate your whole family!
• City Social on Washington Avenue
  • June 9, 2023
  • City Social, downtown St. Louis’ ultimate summer block party, returns on June 9 from 4 to 9 p.m.
  • Free and open to all, the event will take place on Washington Avenue between Tucker Boulevard and 14th Street. This is your chance to kick back, relax and enjoy live music with family, friends, neighbors and coworkers.
• Family Night with Fredbird
  • Wednesdays
  • Join others at Cardinals Nation Restaurant & Bar for Family Night with Fredbird on select Wednesday evenings this off-season! Bring your family down for games, prizes, and meet Fredbird from 6:30-7:30pm.
• Ferguson Farmers’ Market
  • Every Saturday
  • Enjoy live music and special events in a festive family atmosphere, and discover a wide variety of edible delights, including homemade jelly, farm fresh eggs, honey, spices, and meats. You’ll also find an ever-changing array of gift and specialty vendors, selling everything from cut flowers and bedding plants to hand-painted artwork and small-batch soaps.
  • If it’s homemade, handmade or fresh and tasty, you can buy it at the Ferguson Farmers’ Market.
• Golf the Galleries at The Sheldon
  • June 9, 2023
  • Join others for the 6th season of this playable, artist-designed, nine-hole mini golf installation, designed to be inclusive, family friendly and accessible. All proceeds from Golf the Galleries support The Sheldon’s visual arts programming, offering opportunities for local and national artists to share their work with the St. Louis community through free gallery exhibitions and educational programs.
• Juneteeth Celebration in the Delmar Loop
  • June 10, 2023
  • Expect live art demonstrations, including a community mural painting; animated performances from the Red and Black Brass Band, DJ KP and more; bounce houses, face painting and other activities for the whole family.
• Karaoke Wednesdays at HandleBar
  • Every Wednesday
  • Browse the catalog and find your favorite songs to sing! Songbookslive.com/stlredcarpet
• Karaoke Wednesdays at Mack's Bar & Grill
  • Every Wednesday
• Lafayette Square Summer Concert Series
  • June 3, 2023
  • As part of Lafayette Square’s free summer concert series, Power Play Band will perform in Lafayette Park on June 3. Spanning genres such as jazz, classic rock, R&B, swing, Latin and pop, Power Play does it all! Gather friends and family, pack food and beverages, and don’t miss this lively event.
• Landmarks Downtown Walking Tours
  • Every Saturday
  • Landmarks Downtown St. Louis Walking Tours: History, Culture, Architecture, and Exercise: What could be better on a Saturday morning?
• Open Mic Night at Schlafly Bottleworks (Maplewood)
  • Every Wednesday
  • Join others every Wednesday evening and showcase your talents with our Open Mic Night! Open sign up begins at 6:30PM with music starting at 7:00PM. They welcome original material, covers and spoken word! Grab a beer, then play and listen every Wednesday! There are no cover charges and no drink minimums to attend.
• Picnic in your Park at the Arch
  • June 11, 2023
  • Join others at the third annual Picnic in Your Park. Picnic in Your Park raises awareness and critical funds for their mission of park conservation, preservation, education and community programs.
• Rockin' the Riverfront at the Arch
  • Every Friday & Saturday
  • Gateway Arch Park Foundation presents a new series, Rockin' the Riverfront, to bring fun, summer-long, family-friendly entertainment along the St. Louis’ Riverfront to enhance your trip down to the Arch, riverboats and surrounding parks!
• Sensory-Friendly Family Night at the Missouri Botanical Garden
  • June 5, 2023
  • Explore, discover and experience the beauty of the Missouri Botanical Garden at this family-friendly event, which allows children and adults with sensory-processing needs to experience the attraction in a secure environment.
  • Attendees will be able to participate in hands-on activities, play in the Children’s Garden and explore the indoor Brookings Exploration Center, which features a calming corner.
  • Musical guest Low Rent District will perform during the event, and Different Dynamics will join for interactive music activities.
• Shakespeare in the Park: Twelfth Night
  • May 31 - June 25, 2023
  • Often regarded as William Shakespeare’s greatest comedy, Twelfth Night is bursting with romance, music and high times.
  • Shakespeare in the Park is free to attend; no reservations are required. Just show up with your blankets, chairs and picnics and find a spot on the lawn. Shakespeare Glen opens at 6:30. Food by Steve’s Hot Dogs is available for purchase, and drinks by STL Barkeep.
• Soccer Pre-Match Street Party at Schlafly Tap Room
  • June 10, 2023
  • Join others before every City SC home match for a Street Party with the St. Louligans Soccer Supporters Group. They will block off the street next to the Tap Room (now known as Louligan Street) so fans can enjoy good beer, great food, music and fun before they march over to the stadium together.
• Soulard Farmer's Market
  • Wednesdays - Saturdays
  • Soulard Farmers Market is located at 730 Carroll Street in St. Louis, Missouri, a half mile north of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. The market is open Wednesday through Saturday, year round. They feature locally grown and shipped in goods, including: produce, meats, cheeses, spices, gourmet kettle corn, flowers, baked goods, and general merchandise. There are also several different eateries that have many food options, which allows customers the convenience to grab a quick bite to eat and a drink while shopping.
• St. Louis Soap Box Derby
  • June 11, 2023
  • The All-American Soap Box Derby is a youth racing program, which has run nationally since 1934. Hosted by the St. Louis Jaycees, the regional St. Louis race has been held each June on The Hill for more than 15 years.
• Summer Beer & Food Pairing at the Biergarten
  • June 9, 2023
  • This beer and food pairing at the Anheuser-Busch Biergarten will get you ready for summer.
  • The meal begins with pineapple-chicken kebabs paired with Beach Bum, a combination of Kona Big Wave Golden Ale and Mango Cart, and a summer solstice salad accompanied by Stella Artois Solstice Lager. The entrée will be Spanish paella paired with Cutwater Lime Margarita, followed by a dreamsicle float for dessert and a NÜTRL Orange Hard Seltzer to wash it down.
• Sunrise Yoga at Kiener Plaza
  • Every Tuesday
  • Awaken your body and bask in the morning sunlight! This gentle yoga practice is designed to energize and align your body and mind through movement and breath. Bring your own mat/towel and water bottle.
• Thursday Nights at the Museum
  • Every Thursday
  • Kick off your weekend at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park! Each Thursday Night at the Museum will be the most fun, engaging, uplifting, thought-provoking, perspective-shaping night of your week. And there are drinks.
  • Join others starting at 5:30pm for happy hour and pop-up activities, such as brief tours, games, and performances. The main stage comes to life at 6:30pm, light appetizers and drinks are available for purchase until 7:00pm, and the Museum’s exhibits are open until 8:00pm for you to explore!
• Tower Grove Farmer's Market
  • Every Tuesday & Saturday
  • Join others every Saturday of the 2023 Tower Grove Farmers Market Season. They'll have over 100 vendors with local produce, meat, flowers, eggs, honey, prepared foods, art, jewelry, live music, and so much more.
• Twangfest at Off Broadway
  • June 7 - 10, 2023
  • Twangfest, a nonprofit grassroots music festival presented by Urban Chestnut Brewing Co., returns to St. Louis from June 7 to 10.
  • Held at Off Broadway, Twangfest will feature the best in live Americana, country, folk, pop, rock and soul. This year’s lineup includes Black Joe Lewis, James McMurtry, Nadine, The Waco Brothers and more.
• Whitaker Music Festival
  • Every Wednesday until August 2nd
  • The Missouri Botanical Garden is an idyllic place to listen to live music. On Wednesday evenings throughout the summer, the garden hosts free, open-air concerts as part of the annual Whitaker Music Festival.

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Sporting Events This Week	Attractions Around the Area	Comedy This Week
St. Louis Cardinals schedule	Anheuser-Busch Brewery	Funny Bone Comedy Club
St. Louis Blues schedule	City Museum	Helium Comedy Club
St. Louis City SC schedule	Gateway Arch	The Improv Shop
St. Louis Battlehawks schedule	Missouri History Museum
St. Louis Billikens schedule	National Blues Museum
Gateway Grizzlies schedule	St. Louis Aquarium
Gateway Motorsports Park	St. Louis Art Museum
St. Louis Ambush schedule	St. Louis Science Center
	St. Louis Zoo

​

Trivia Nights
Location	Date/Time	More Information
Anheuser-Busch Biergarten	Tuesdays 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Trivia Details
Bar K	Tuesdays at 7:00 pm
City Foundry	Thursdays 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Joey B's on the Hill	Mondays 8:30 pm - 10:30 pm	Trivia Details
Nick's Pub	Mondays
Felix's Pizza Pub	Tuesdays at 8:00 pm	Trivia Details
Schlafly Brewpubs (Any Location)	Tuesdays 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Trivia Details
Rockwell Beer Co	Tuesdays	Trivia Details (Reservations required)
The Mack	Tuesdays at 8:00 pm	Trivia Details
The Pat Connolly Tavern	Wednesdays at 7:00 pm
The Post	Wednesdays 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm	Trivia Details
Pieces Board Game Bar & Cafe	Wednesdays	Trivia Details
HandleBar	Thursdays at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Trivia Details
Steve's Hot Dogs	Tuesdays 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Trivia Details

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Live Music This Week
Music Venues	Live Music Around Town
Blueberry Hill Duck Room	1860 Saloon
Chesterfield Amphitheater	BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups
Delmar Hall	Broadway Oyster Bar
Enterprise Center	City Foundry
The Fabulous Fox Theatre	Gallery Pub
The Factory	Game 6 Honky Tonk
Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre	Gaslight Lounge
Off Broadway	The Heavy Anchor
Old Rock House	Jazz St. Louis
The Pageant	Joe's Cafe
Red Flag	The Lot on the Landing
The Sheldon	McGurk's
St. Louis Music Park	SoFar St. Louis Secret performances around town
St. Louis Symphony Concert Calendar	Venice Cafe
Stifel Theatre	Yaquis on Cherokee

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Recurring Outdoor Activities
Big Muddy Adventures – STL Riverfront Adventure	Big Muddy Adventures was established in 2002. They are the first professional outfitteguiding company providing access to the wild wonders of the Middle Mississippi and Lower Missouri Rivers.
Gateway Arch Events	There are a variety of things to do along the Mississippi River.
Hidden Valley Ski Resort	Ziplining, scenic chairlift rides, and hiking trails opened during the summer. Skiing, snowboarding during the winter.

The following vent is much more of a general vent about my life and thoughts than a vent about a specific bad day or topic. I'm going to be writing quite a bit, so if you don't have the time I don't recommend trying to read it, because I feel you should only read it if you can make it to the end of my vent.
I'm posting this because I just wanna have all my thoughts spilled over a public page. For no particular reason. Maybe people may see this and some may give advice, and while I'd definetly appreciate it, getting advice is not the MAIN reason I am writing this here. I just need to have this sitting here because it's just what my brain is telling me to do.
I have been wanting to write this for maybe a month now, but just never got around to to it until now.
First, a lil' introduction:
I am a guy, I am 16 years old and I was born in Romania and been living here since.
Ok, now without further ado, I will begin listing off the 5 main topics that have been frustrating me for the past few years.

1 My Ethnicity and Its Bullshit

I am a gypsy. More specifically a "spoitor", one of the many subgroups of gypsies in Romania.
Now, I know what you may think when reading that, but no, I am not talking about racism.
I have never been made fun of or bullied for being a gypsy.
So it's not a racism problem. Rather, it's more about the gripes I have with my ethnicity's people myself. More specifically the dumb traditions and culture and how they affect me:
-Our traditions We have so many unnecessarily trashy aspects to our traditions, especially marital ones. So basically, in most cases at least, the groom and bride's parents choose their spouses for them, or at least heavily influence their decision. It usually goes like this: The groom's parents find a bride for their son. They pay the bride's parents money for their daughter's hand in marriage for their son. So the groom and bride end up together because the parents and maybe other relatives decided so, instead of just two people falling in love with eachother and deciding to get married. Although I see that many of the new weds among my close and distant relatives are seemingly happy with their spouses, so I'm not exactly sure about every aspect. But yeah, there's arranged marriage. Now, besides the arrangement of the marriage, I've also noticed many of the grooms and brides pairs are related to some degree, usually not to the point of first degree cousins though. Nonetheless, incest is not as frowned upon in our ethnicity as you'd hope. So there's that. Now besides the fact that many marriages are arranged, and there's a pretty high chance the espoused are somewhat related, most of these marriages occur when the weds are between the ages of 12-17. So, we also got a whole lotta teen marriage. And also, they usually have kids soon after their marriages, so teen pregnancy is also common. And besides their weird obsession with early marriage, they also put so much emphasis on virginity that there's a tradition where relatives will gather at an event where the groom and bride have to have sex for the first time while a white shirt is placed under them, and one of the old relatives (I can't remember exactly which) then takes that bloodied shirt and shows it off to the people at the event to demonstrate the bride's virginity. Oh, I forgot to mention that it's mandatory only for the bride to be a virgin at the time she marries her husband, but the groom could have as many bodies as he wants by then. Which brings me to my next point: Gender inequality. And overall overbearing gender roles you're expected to adhere to.
-Our culture It's really dumb and douchey. Who would have thought? There's a great emphasis on acting grander and richer than you are, excessive cockiness and flexing, unnecesarry conflicts, a lack of education, and overall being an ignorant, insensitive, close-minded and conservative douchebag. Most of our people are homophobic, racist and very judgemental in general. They are very loud and obnoxious towards people, and lack self awareness. They never bring facts to their arguments, instead they just bark at eachother and maybe eventually fight dirty using blades, swords or axes, and over the most stupid irrelevant shit. They also have unconventional, risky jobs. And they're also way more superstitious and guillible on average than non-gypsies. Also more likely to abuse things like alcohol/smoking, and to become beggars. Many of them have improper hygiene. And the kids want to grow up too fast. I could just go on and on. But that's not really culture, it's more of a general personality and way of living.
When it comes to things like music and fashion though, we don't fare much better. Although I do have to say things like that are subjective.
And in my subjective opinion, our music and fashion sucks ass.
The music spoitor gypsies (and gypsies in general) listen pretty much exclusively to is called "manele" (it's very popular with non-gypsy romanians in general too). It's kinda like a oriental type of music with whiny melodic vocals, and there's other variations of it in other balkanic neighbours and middle eastern countries. The drums are pretty much the same in all songs, most of the manele singers sound very similar, and just in general all manele songs sound like eachother. But yeah, I just don't personally fuck with this type of music, however it's pretty much the only music my parents and relatives listen to, so I constantly am bombarded with it. Therefore I've kinda started despising it, even though I'm expected to like it too.
Music aside, my people's sense of fashion sucks ass too. Again, in my subjective opinion.
It's basically tacky ass designs and patterns, slim fitting clothes, edgy text and things like Gucci/Versce type lions and gold prints and just a whole bunch of goofy shit. Also a lot of ugly designer clothes (usually fake). It's more about the brand than the look. But yeah, overall many ridiculous patterns, eyesore bright colors, childish matchy ass outfits and overall clothes that just scream "Give me attention!!!". And once again, I am expected to want to dress like that too. Which I don't.
And how do these things affect me? Well, I am constantly expected to like and embrace/adopt their culture and adhere to their traditions too, and frankly, that's just not who I am, and attempting to be like that just gives me identity crisises and a lack of self expression. Fuck that. Trashy ass culture. It's like you took many of society's flaws and dialed 'em up to 11.

2 My Loneliness and Lack of Connections

I don't have many friends. Outside of my cousins, I'm genuinely friends with only one dude at school. And we pretty much only see eachother at school. Now don't get me wrong, he's a great guy, spending time with him is nice, we have many common interests to discuss and similar moralities. However, I would really like to connect to more people, and have a group of friends I know I could depend on to have fun and hang out with.
I mean there are 2-3 other guys that I don't go to high school with but I went to middle school with. We were friends in middle school and hung out sometimes. I'm technically still friends with them, but we haven't really been seeing eachother. Maybe only once every few months. At this point we're more like acquaintances on good terms than friends. And I just... don't feel very connected to them anymore. Like when we hang out something doesn't feel right. There was this one dude whom me and my best (and only) friend used to be a trio with. But him and my friend got into a fight once and stopped being friends. Then I was basically split between hanging out with the two separately, and eventually I kinda stopped talking to the dude. We never told eachother officially that we're not friends anymore or something, we just kinda fell out of connection with eachother, and I remained friends with my current best friend.
Yet once again, even though I do have one great friend, and a couple of nice cousins I hang out with, it just doesn't feel like enough to me for some reason.
In general, in public at least, I'm a quiet, awkward and shy person, mostly with new people, which made it pretty hard for me to make other friends. I'm introverted too, so my social battery is pretty low. Yet I don't want to be alone, I just don't know how not to be. I've missed quite a few opportunities of meeting new people and meeting older acquaintanes again, yet I was kept away from it by my social anxiety.
I spend most of my time alone, but not necessarily always because I want to.
I desperately want to have a bigger, connected group of friends to hang out with on the daily. Play fun games and record silly videos with them. Discuss personal issues and encourage eachother. Look at the stars in the night sky together and relax. But it just isn't happening, and I don't know how to get over my social anxiety and awkwardness, and it feels impossible to achieve.
I cannot hold a proper conversation with someone if I haven't known them for a while already. I'm reluctant to speak to the staff at stores or tell people on the bus that I need to get off the bus, because I keep fearing people care more than they actually do, and am afraid of judgement. I am especially awkward when it comes to talking to girls.
I feel weirdly envious seeing people hang out in large groups or having a significant other, makes me feel so left out and pathetic, like I'm missing out. I can't help but blame myself, because what else am I supposed to do?
I hate having social anxiety and a lack of social skills. It's eating away at my happiness anytime I remind myself of it.
And when it comes to my parents, well, although I'd say we're on at least ok terms with eachother, their conformation to the previously mentioned gypsy culture they try to enforce on me sours our interactions on the daily, and we just kinda have nothing in common to hang out over. And whenever I try being my true self and express my interests to them they judge me for it. So my relationship with my parents always goes from pretty alright to ohmygodimgonnafuckingleavethishouse. And through it all, I can't help but feel disconnected from them, which is so weird and kinda sad, because I felt genuine love for them when I was younger.
And when it comes to siblings, I have none.
So yeah, I'm lonely and I hate it. But actually trying to interact with new people is scary and tiring, so I hate that too. It's like an endless fucking vicious cycle of feeling depressed due to loneliness and feeling anxious due to attempting to socialize.

3 My Insecurities and Unfortunate Circumstances

I have a major insecurity: I'm a short dude. 5'5 (165 cm). I know it's not something I can change, therefore not something I should waste time and energy focusing on, but I just can't help it. When I see younger people and girls my age taller than me and I feel so bitter. It's just how my brain works. I get fucking happy when I see dudes shorter than me, how fucked up is that?
Besides that, I'm a little chubby, but I've been working on it and I'm like 6 lbs (3 kg) away from reaching my ideal weight. So that's something I'll fix, but in the moment it's still kinda annoying.
That's where the physical insecurities stop. I consider myself somewhat average to even maybe handsome when it comes to my face, just depends on the day. And I don't have problems like acne or crusty skin.
But now come some inconvenient circumstances that make feel more insecure in other areas.
One of them is my parents not wanting to accept my personal style, the way I wanna dress and have my hair cut, and it makes me feel so restricted and like I can't truly be myself. Which by the way is one of the things souring our relationship. While dressing and doing my hair the way they want me to makes them pleased, it also makes me feel opressed and disingenuous.
Another is that I don't really have my own proper room. I mean yeah, there is this room I sleep in and spend most of my time in, but it's less my room, and more just the only bedroom in our house.
So basically, this is my grandpa's fault. He had quite a huge amount of money but was greedy with it, so when he got our house constructed he only built one bedroom for all three of us (me, my mom and my dad). I slept with my parents 'til pretty late because of this, as I only started sleeping alone at the age of 9, when my parents moved to sleep on an extendable couch that becomes a bed, in the living room.
But yeah, the room I sleep is just a bed and a TV, with a closet with my parent's clothes in it, while my clothes are in a closet in the living room, the room my parents sleep in. Confusing, I know. But basically it was like it was never planned for me and my parents to sleep separately, which in turn caused the design of our house to be very inefficent and badly thought out.
I just want a desk in my room, you know? Something to put my PC on. It's currently in the living room.
Speaking of my PC, this one is partially my fault, but after having a potato PC since I was 3, I finally upgraded to a new one 2 years ago. My main goal was of course to run games smoothly. But, because I did improper research and my dumb ass thought the amount of RAM was more important than the video card when it comes to games, I got an expensive PC with a good motherboard and 32 GB of RAM, but with a shitty video card since I didn't focus on it. So yeah, there I was, new PC, but games running just as badly as on the old one because I was stupid.
I mean, even if would've had a good PC now, since it sits in the living room as I mentioned earlier I would have possibly been judged by my parents for the games I played on it, even if there was nothing inherently wrong with them.
And yeah I guess having some self-expressive posters and stickers in "my room" would've been nice too, but that's also not a possibility.
But at least somehow I guess my family got the bigger end of the stick. One of my mother's sisters (my aunt ofc), with her 2 daughters and her husband still have to live with my grandparents AND another one of my aunts and her husband, while another aunt lives in a cheap dirty apartment.
So my grandparents made a lot of money, but refuse to use it, therefore my family and my other direct relatives' families have to live in these flawed ways.
But yeah, I can't wait for us to rebuild our house eventually, so I can have my own proper bedroom and so can my parents.

4 My Lack of Productivity

Since I spend most of my time alone, in a room with only a bed, TV and a closet, I end up spending like 85% of my time on my phone.
Thing is, I have a few interests: drawing, animation, music, writing and photo/video editing. It's just that the combination of a lack of a proper personal space and minimal social interaction make me unable to motivate myself to actually pursue any of these interests or practice them as hobbies. I do doodle sometimes on my phone, but that's about as far as it goes. And I don't even at least consume content that would add to my culture, like watching movies/tv shows, reading books/comics or listening to albums. I just either mindlessly scroll through the same 3 social media apps or watch some meaningless video on YouTube, maybe even while snacking on junk food. Or maybe rub one out to porn after spending too much time picking the video.
Oh, have I mentioned that I'm also doing more poorly than ever when it comes to school and my academic endeavors? Oh, I didn't? Well, now I did. I'm not failing my classes, I'm just not putting in as much effort as I could, because it feels meaningless, but this is such a lazy approach.
So I do nothing good with my free time because of the frustration I have with other things in my life. At best maybe I'll hang out with my cousins.

5 My Overthinking Brain

Honestly, my mind might just be my biggest enemy. Pretty much any second I don't distract myself with my phone, my mind is going all out worrying about the most stupid shit. From cringing at that one thing I did years ago, to having existential crises over wondering what comes after death. From panicking about my future job and career to being overly curious to try drugs. My brain is active all the time, yet it chooses to keep on teasing me with problems I shouldn't even worry about. While I may come off as excessively negative in this rant, I actually am a rather optimistic person a good portion of the time, I just have this inconsistent mood, swinging between depressed and hopeful out of nowhere.
It makes me sometimes wish I was just dumber. So I wouldn't have to overthink anything and lose so much time and so many opportunities.
Basically my actual life is very underwhelming and boring while inside my mind I am constantly overwhelmed by the amount of possibilities and things in this world. Sometimes I even thought about suicide, but never actually considered doing it.
At this point I don't know if I may have some mental illness, and I don't know if I'll find out because if I'd tell my parents I want to see a therapist they'd either probably laugh at me or scold me then bring me to church or some shit.
So yeah. Through all these things that make me so unsatisfied with my life, I can't help but think I'm overreacting. Most of these things are pretty insignificant (I think) but there's so many of them it adds up and makes me want to just cry. But I can't. I'm emotionally numb.
And I'm tired. So tired. Physically and mentally (especially).
Just.. Just tired.
I'm tired.

Hello, everyone!
I'm planning the opening of a food truck in the area and wanted to get an idea of which kind of food the people would be most interested in.
Which sounds more exciting?

1. An all-day breakfast truck serving basic egg plates (like two eggs, home fries, some sausage, bacon, corned beef hash, or ham with some toast, an English muffin, or a bagel), Stuffed French Toast (and regular old-fashioned French Toast too!), Pancakes, Egg Sandwiches, Omelets, and Sausage Gravy & Biscuits. Some good old-fashioned diner breakfast fare.
2. A Soup and Sandwich truck. For soups - in the colder months, the truck will serve Loaded Baked Potato Soup, Broccoli & Cheddar Soup, and other hot soups (and some tremendously good chili!), and serve gazpacho and summer salads in the warmer months. The truck will also serve grilled sandwiches like Smoked Turkey, Avocado & Basil grilled cheese, Chicken Fajita grilled cheese, Garlic-balsamic Roasted Vegetable grilled cheese, and good old-fashioned plain grilled cheese.
3. What's your idea? What do you wish we had in the area? What is missing or could be better?

I appreciate it!

Hi everyone, I’m a 31 year old female that’s 5 ft 7 and weighs about 9 stone 9. I go to the gym four times a week and weight train. I’m not massively strong but I always try to train to failure - I do legs twice a week and upper twice a week.
I have an active job (teacher) and I walk a lot on average about six miles a week.
However, I’m finding it really hard to become lean. If anything, I’m convinced my weight is just creeping up rather than anything else. Here is what I eat on average for about a week:
Monday Breakfast: three eggs, teaspoon of butter and bagel: 446 calories
Lunch: chicken, mixed salad and tablespoon of salad cream: 216 calories
Dinner: chicken breast, onion, red pepper, blue dragon sweet and sour sauce and noodles: 771 calories
1515 calories overall
Tuesday: same breakfast as Monday with an extra egg 554 calories
Lunch: smoked salmon salad with potatoes 275 calories
Overall: 1669 calories
Dinner: chicken breast, jacket potato and salad with salad cream at a tablespoon 668 calories
Snack: protein pudding 152 calories
Wens: breakfast: can of tinned tuna, bagel and salad cream (table spoon) 447 calories
Lunch: chicken breast, salad and mayo. 331 calories
Dinner: two lean burgers, one small brow roll, some oven baked potatoes, burger sauce, 1 slice of American cheese and a tomato -700 calories
Snack: honey (in a lemon drink - 2 tsp)
Overall: 1541 calories
Thursday: three eggs and a bagel for breakfast 440 calories
Lunch: chicken, mixed salad and salad cream 262 calories
Dinner: jacket potato, tinned tuna, mixed salad and mayo - 574 calories
Snacks: welsh cake, three gins, chocolate and a rice cracker: 700 calories
Total: 2000 calories
Friday: breakfasts: bagel ns eggs 542 calories
Lunch: tuna, small brown roll and salad cream 340
Dinner: salad cream, pesto pasta, chicken, sald and corn on the cob 732
1700 calories
Saturday: similar foods to the other days t 1640 calories for the whole day
Sunday: almost 2000 calories with 176 grams of protein but I did drink again Sunday
Tldr: I didn’t usually drink: so you can not include drinking as my norm: I usually drink every few weeks on one day.
I do however eat bagels every day and use salad cream. What should I be changing from my diet? I eat on average 1700 calories a day with 140 (if not more with protein)grams of those calories coming from protein.

Does anyone know of a restaurant in the valley that serves an authentic, old-fashioned Caesar salad, prepared tableside, like in Tijuana?