singapore 2014: the last few days
One last long post about our Singapore trip, and then we can return to regular programming here in Geneva.
Day 9 (Thursday)
~ Most of today was spent in town because Bao had an appointment with the paediatrician to review her eczema and her hip. She had eczema as a baby and we moved to Switzerland armed with an arsenal of creams and oils to use on her… only to realise that over here, her eczema flare-ups are infrequent and mild. On her second day of this trip, the heat and the humidity kickstarted a reaction again, and Bao was scratching at her elbows and arms until they were red and bloody. Her doctor agreed that it was probably the heat and perspiration that caused the eczema, and again we left with more creams. The doctor is also not too worried about Bao's hip and thinks that it will correct itself as it grows.
~ We shopped around Paragon and Takashimaya after the appointment and bought two boxes of mooncakes from the atrium sale. The kids and I love mooncakes and I'm glad we were around to catch the first of them. Lunch was at Crystal Jade (again!) where I had pork liver with noodles, which sounds gross but is a total comfort food for me. I also bought The Bun some local-style ice-cream (atap chee, red bean, the works) from the vendor at the traffic crossing between both malls - he doesn't remember these and found it highly entertaining that the ice-cream was sandwiched in a colourful slice of bread.
~ Back home, Bao took her nap while I went with The Bun to Bukit Timah Plaza to print the photos from the photoshoot so that each set of grandparents could have some and we could bring some home to Geneva to frame and hang up. While I was there, my friend SC called and came over to meet us because she wanted to pass a couple of small gifts to the children. We spent an hour walking around chatting and after that she dropped us home.
~ The family had made plans to go to the Gardens by the Bay and thankfully the rain had stopped so we went for dinner at Satay by the Bay, which quite frankly, was disappointing. The setting was very scenic but the food was expensive and pretty average. All of us just shared some satay and chicken wings and left without eating much more. When we got to the Gardens, the sun had already set so we were advised to go just visit the Cloud Forest which has some lighting; the Flower Dome is lit only by natural light. Our walk was quite an eye-opener - I had no idea just how huge the structure was, and although there were some lights they were there mostly to illuminate the walkways, not the plants, so most of our attention was on the architecture and the Marina skyline in the distance. Pretty awesome, and the kids definitely enjoyed it.
~ Unfortunately my father, who was in charge of getting the tickets, didn't buy the tickets for the Skywalk, and by the time we finished with the Cloud Forest the ticket counter had closed and there was no way we could go for the Skywalk after all. The Bun was so disappointed by this he simply stopped in his tracks and sobbed for a long time. This put us all on quite a downer for the rest of the night; we'll be back next summer to visit this for sure.
Day 10 (Friday)
~ The morning was devoted to packing. J and I have our system all worked out - I organise the stuff into piles, and he packs them into the suitcases. He is much more efficient at packing than I am, because I tend to get overwhelmed in the face of all the stuff and just shut down. Anyway, we stuck the kids in front of the TV (the only way to keep them out of our hair) and got the job done in about two hours.
~ J then left to pop into the office and to meet some friends for lunch. The kids and I hung around at home for lunch, and some family friends visited again and we all ate (more) mooncakes.
~ After J got home, my sister came home too and said that she was on leave, and why don't we go shopping? It has been a long long time since the both of us shopped together, so I quickly left with her and we drove to Orchard Ion where we spent three hours browsing the shops. I didn't end up buying anything, but it was good nonetheless hanging out with my sister and immersing myself in consumerism. I also managed to finally get my Old Chang Kee and bubble tea fix.
~ Just as well I had a snack with my sister, because after that I went on to Plaza Singapura to meet my friends Y and S, who were both coming from work. (J had taken the kids to dinner with his parents at Clementi.) By the time we sat down for dinner at Itacho Sushi it was 8pm. We were in our own bubble as we talked and talked and talked. After dinner we moved on to Starbucks at the Cathay for more talk and eventually I shared a cab home with S. It was so good to see them.
Day 11 (Saturday): last full day in Singapore
~ Nothing much happened in the morning: a bit more packing, a visit to the temple with my parents, and another quick stop at Beauty World. I had to rush off after that because my friend C had planned a birthday lunch and I was already running late. This gathering was actually meant to be a private yacht cruise and all of us had blocked out the date weeks ago, but it was cancelled last minute because the guy running the company claimed there was an engine fault with the yacht. The story sounded fake and we think he probably overbooked himself, but by the time he tried to offer alternatives the mood had been spoilt so C settled with a lunch out instead.
~ Lunch was at Potato Head Folk at Keong Saik Street. It is a very quirkily decorated restaurant serving burgers and cocktails. I didn't eat much because I already had a bit while I was at Beauty World, but I ordered an iced coffee that was watered down and overpriced and which I didn't finish. Overall none of our group was impressed by the food there, and we found the music too loud so after the girls were done with their food we quickly paid and left.
~ C, the birthday girl, had bought us all little gifts - small framed postcards from the Little Dröm Store featuring classic Hokkien phrases with funny illustrations. They were all wrapped and we each picked one frame randomly. Mine said 'Jiak gan tang' (= 'eat potato') which was very apt because it is a phrase that refers to a person who becomes too Westernised, i.e. preferring potatoes to rice. We all had a great laugh about each other's postcards because somehow they all fit their recipient.
~ We moved on to Bread and Hearth, a bakery a few doors down, for coffee, and everyone ordered a bunch of pastries as well because they felt so unsatisfied with the food at Potato Head. We talked there till 6pm and after big hugs for everyone (I probably won't see most of them for a year or more), I took the MRT down to Harbourfront to meet J and the family for one last big reunion dinner.
~ Dinner was at Crystal Jade (again!) because it had a private room that could accommodate all sixteen of us - family members from both J's and my side. The kids got most of the attention, of course, and my father ordered a cake from Fruit Paradise because he knew how much The Bun loves it. The meal was over all too quickly. Farewells were said, red packets given, and I got a bit wistful thinking that the next time our families see the kids, Bao will be two-and-a-half and The Bun will be six. Kids change so much in a year.
Day 12 (Sunday): departure
~ Everyone was up at 7am for last-minute packing and to leave for the airport. Check-in was quick and left us enough time to have breakfast at Wang Cafe. J's parents, my parents, and my sister and G were there to see us off. The mothers cried a bit at the departure gate and The Bun too, later on, when he was at the boarding gate. Poor kid now understands all too well how far away we live from our extended family and I know he misses the extra attention, the fun things to do in Singapore, and possibly the food. He did recover quickly once he was on the plane and distracted by the inflight entertainment system, though.
~ And so we flew on to Dubai, which I've written about previously. J has asked me to add in the bit where I left my iPhone at a cafe in the Dubai Mall and only realised it was missing when we were back in the airport hotel preparing for bed. He called my phone and miraculously, someone picked up - one of the staff at the cafe who had found it and kept it aside for us. So poor tired J had to go through passport control, get a cab to the mall, pick up the phone, and then make his way back all over again, stopping for a beer along the way. I was suitably contrite.
THE END.
Day 9 (Thursday)
~ Most of today was spent in town because Bao had an appointment with the paediatrician to review her eczema and her hip. She had eczema as a baby and we moved to Switzerland armed with an arsenal of creams and oils to use on her… only to realise that over here, her eczema flare-ups are infrequent and mild. On her second day of this trip, the heat and the humidity kickstarted a reaction again, and Bao was scratching at her elbows and arms until they were red and bloody. Her doctor agreed that it was probably the heat and perspiration that caused the eczema, and again we left with more creams. The doctor is also not too worried about Bao's hip and thinks that it will correct itself as it grows.
~ We shopped around Paragon and Takashimaya after the appointment and bought two boxes of mooncakes from the atrium sale. The kids and I love mooncakes and I'm glad we were around to catch the first of them. Lunch was at Crystal Jade (again!) where I had pork liver with noodles, which sounds gross but is a total comfort food for me. I also bought The Bun some local-style ice-cream (atap chee, red bean, the works) from the vendor at the traffic crossing between both malls - he doesn't remember these and found it highly entertaining that the ice-cream was sandwiched in a colourful slice of bread.
~ Back home, Bao took her nap while I went with The Bun to Bukit Timah Plaza to print the photos from the photoshoot so that each set of grandparents could have some and we could bring some home to Geneva to frame and hang up. While I was there, my friend SC called and came over to meet us because she wanted to pass a couple of small gifts to the children. We spent an hour walking around chatting and after that she dropped us home.
~ The family had made plans to go to the Gardens by the Bay and thankfully the rain had stopped so we went for dinner at Satay by the Bay, which quite frankly, was disappointing. The setting was very scenic but the food was expensive and pretty average. All of us just shared some satay and chicken wings and left without eating much more. When we got to the Gardens, the sun had already set so we were advised to go just visit the Cloud Forest which has some lighting; the Flower Dome is lit only by natural light. Our walk was quite an eye-opener - I had no idea just how huge the structure was, and although there were some lights they were there mostly to illuminate the walkways, not the plants, so most of our attention was on the architecture and the Marina skyline in the distance. Pretty awesome, and the kids definitely enjoyed it.
~ Unfortunately my father, who was in charge of getting the tickets, didn't buy the tickets for the Skywalk, and by the time we finished with the Cloud Forest the ticket counter had closed and there was no way we could go for the Skywalk after all. The Bun was so disappointed by this he simply stopped in his tracks and sobbed for a long time. This put us all on quite a downer for the rest of the night; we'll be back next summer to visit this for sure.
Day 10 (Friday)
~ The morning was devoted to packing. J and I have our system all worked out - I organise the stuff into piles, and he packs them into the suitcases. He is much more efficient at packing than I am, because I tend to get overwhelmed in the face of all the stuff and just shut down. Anyway, we stuck the kids in front of the TV (the only way to keep them out of our hair) and got the job done in about two hours.
~ J then left to pop into the office and to meet some friends for lunch. The kids and I hung around at home for lunch, and some family friends visited again and we all ate (more) mooncakes.
~ After J got home, my sister came home too and said that she was on leave, and why don't we go shopping? It has been a long long time since the both of us shopped together, so I quickly left with her and we drove to Orchard Ion where we spent three hours browsing the shops. I didn't end up buying anything, but it was good nonetheless hanging out with my sister and immersing myself in consumerism. I also managed to finally get my Old Chang Kee and bubble tea fix.
~ Just as well I had a snack with my sister, because after that I went on to Plaza Singapura to meet my friends Y and S, who were both coming from work. (J had taken the kids to dinner with his parents at Clementi.) By the time we sat down for dinner at Itacho Sushi it was 8pm. We were in our own bubble as we talked and talked and talked. After dinner we moved on to Starbucks at the Cathay for more talk and eventually I shared a cab home with S. It was so good to see them.
Day 11 (Saturday): last full day in Singapore
~ Nothing much happened in the morning: a bit more packing, a visit to the temple with my parents, and another quick stop at Beauty World. I had to rush off after that because my friend C had planned a birthday lunch and I was already running late. This gathering was actually meant to be a private yacht cruise and all of us had blocked out the date weeks ago, but it was cancelled last minute because the guy running the company claimed there was an engine fault with the yacht. The story sounded fake and we think he probably overbooked himself, but by the time he tried to offer alternatives the mood had been spoilt so C settled with a lunch out instead.
~ Lunch was at Potato Head Folk at Keong Saik Street. It is a very quirkily decorated restaurant serving burgers and cocktails. I didn't eat much because I already had a bit while I was at Beauty World, but I ordered an iced coffee that was watered down and overpriced and which I didn't finish. Overall none of our group was impressed by the food there, and we found the music too loud so after the girls were done with their food we quickly paid and left.
~ C, the birthday girl, had bought us all little gifts - small framed postcards from the Little Dröm Store featuring classic Hokkien phrases with funny illustrations. They were all wrapped and we each picked one frame randomly. Mine said 'Jiak gan tang' (= 'eat potato') which was very apt because it is a phrase that refers to a person who becomes too Westernised, i.e. preferring potatoes to rice. We all had a great laugh about each other's postcards because somehow they all fit their recipient.
~ We moved on to Bread and Hearth, a bakery a few doors down, for coffee, and everyone ordered a bunch of pastries as well because they felt so unsatisfied with the food at Potato Head. We talked there till 6pm and after big hugs for everyone (I probably won't see most of them for a year or more), I took the MRT down to Harbourfront to meet J and the family for one last big reunion dinner.
~ Dinner was at Crystal Jade (again!) because it had a private room that could accommodate all sixteen of us - family members from both J's and my side. The kids got most of the attention, of course, and my father ordered a cake from Fruit Paradise because he knew how much The Bun loves it. The meal was over all too quickly. Farewells were said, red packets given, and I got a bit wistful thinking that the next time our families see the kids, Bao will be two-and-a-half and The Bun will be six. Kids change so much in a year.
Day 12 (Sunday): departure
~ Everyone was up at 7am for last-minute packing and to leave for the airport. Check-in was quick and left us enough time to have breakfast at Wang Cafe. J's parents, my parents, and my sister and G were there to see us off. The mothers cried a bit at the departure gate and The Bun too, later on, when he was at the boarding gate. Poor kid now understands all too well how far away we live from our extended family and I know he misses the extra attention, the fun things to do in Singapore, and possibly the food. He did recover quickly once he was on the plane and distracted by the inflight entertainment system, though.
~ And so we flew on to Dubai, which I've written about previously. J has asked me to add in the bit where I left my iPhone at a cafe in the Dubai Mall and only realised it was missing when we were back in the airport hotel preparing for bed. He called my phone and miraculously, someone picked up - one of the staff at the cafe who had found it and kept it aside for us. So poor tired J had to go through passport control, get a cab to the mall, pick up the phone, and then make his way back all over again, stopping for a beer along the way. I was suitably contrite.
THE END.