Sunday 1st March '09

[0930hrs] I met my cousins downstairs for an included buffet breakfast at the Italian restaurant Prego's. The gorgeously display of food woke me up - the colourful fruit, vegies and juicy delicious hot foods.

There was a chef preparing omelettes cook-to-order and I asked for one with the works. I met the head chef, Salvatore, who followed me back to my table with my omelette when it was ready. Now that's service!

Salvatore - head chef
& Me!
my first round of food
cold meats
smoked salmon
tomato with baby bocconcini & basil dressing
roasted vegetables
baked tomato with cheese & herbs
chicken sausages
deep-fried prawns
baked fish with spinach
mini eggs florentine

my omelette with the works

my second plate
more prawns
salad
marinated antipasto
roasted vegetables

Jit Hiang piled up his plate

Jit Hee made a mess when he squirted egg yolk from his poached eggs onto the floor.

time for sweets!
freshly squeezed orange & cranberry juice
tropical fruit salad
yoghurt with strawberries
banana smoothie with cornflakes

[1130hrs] I went for a swim with Zhi Heng. He's still got a fascination with running water and lights. He let me carry him into the deeper end of the pool a few times...he's getting brave!


Zhi Heng and his parents were only staying one night at the hotel so he had to go back upstairs to change and get ready to check out. I spent the next few hours by the pool, in the pool and eventually fell asleep for about an hour while working on crosswords and listening to my mp3 player. The weather was getting increasingly hot, so it was time to go and find lunch.

[1500hrs] I took a taxi to Holland Village, hoping to get some seafood or pasta for lunch. Alas! The restaurants along Jelan Merah Saga Road closed their lunch service at 2:30pm. Ah well, there's always the hawker centres a few streets away in Holland Village.

Chicken Rice - $3.00

[1500hrs] After lunch, I went into the Holland Village Shopping Centre and found a little salon to finally have a manicure and pedicure.

a herbal foot bath

All up, my pampering cost SD$63.

[1700hrs] I emerged from the shopping centre feeling rested and my nails looked healthy and pretty. While I'd been indoors, the weather had gone from horribly hot to a heavy downpour. That's tropical climate for you. I managed to hail a taxi to take me back to the hotel.

I lazed around a bit in my room and then got ready to head out to have a few drinks before meeting my cousin for dinner.

[1830hrs] I went downstairs to the Ink Bar. I thought I was early, but while I was in the middle of my first cocktail, the only other patrons (four elderly tourists) got up to leave. I moved to sit at the bar to chat with the bar staff and turns out that Sundays are really quiet.

Cherry Wonder - SD$16
Absolut Raspberry, Creme De Casis, Cointreu,
Lime Juice, Cranberry Juice & Soda


It was happy hour until 9pm, so I had a few vodka, lemon & limes.

[2000hrs] David picked me up and we arrived at his friend Willin's restaurant.

WILD ROCKET at Mount Emily
Willin was actually heading home but stayed back at work when he heard we were coming so that he could personally prepare a degustation dinner for us. How fantastic is that!? I felt like a VIP.



Amuse Bouche
saute garlic, shitake, white truffle oil
in a 'kueh pie ti' shell

Seafood
congee of blue swimmer crab & tiger prawn
with egg emulsion
I couldn't help but laugh thinking what my mum and aunty's reaction would be if they were sitting here with us eating this degustation menu. They would have been horrified and in utter disbelief that people pay to eat like this. They would have questioned why so much trouble goes into preparing these little morsels of food. Especially this congee dish. They would have been left wondering where the rest of the meal was. Just as well they weren't there...we were able to enjoy our bottle of wine without the nagging!

Duck
consomme of duck, preserved mustard greens
& duck confit ravioli

Tofu
deep-fried home-made egg tofu & poached spinach
in cold sun-dried oyster broth

Rice
salmon carpaccio on spiced brown rice
with baby octopus & bonito flakes

Fish
roast chilean seabass with kecap manis, garlic
& baby asparagus

Beef
seared rib-eye with coarse French sea salt
& truffle sabayon

Sweet
black sesame puree with vanilla ice cream
& green tea powder


The bottle of South American red wine that David selected was perfect.

[2230hrs] After dinner, David dropped me off back at the hotel and he headed home to catch some z's before work tomorrow. I went upstairs and housekeeping had come and performed the nightly 'turn down' service. They even folded my pyjamas neatly on the bed.

I got my stuff together and then headed out. I stopped by at the Ink Bar to say goodnight to the staff. There was still no one there! They recommended that I head to Clarke Quay to the Pump Room if I wanted to see a live cover band. I took a taxi there and enjoyed a few hours there drinking and dancing. There was a guy who looked like the spitting image of Kevin Rudd!

[0300hrs] I asked my taxi driver to drop me off at a nearby 24 hour hawker centre so I could get some supper to take back to the hotel. I bought my food, then walked a few streets over to where my hotel was. I feel so safe walking around Singapore on my own.

Late night supper!
steamed prawn dumplings
carrot cake

chicken feet

duck noodles

century egg & pork congee

For all this food, I only paid SD$10

Saturday 28th Feb '09

[0330hrs] Landed in Singapore at the Budget Terminal. I flew Tiger Airways, which wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The seats are comparable to those on Jetstar. I didn’t manage to get any sleep but just kept my eyes shut for a while. There was a toddler in the row behind me crying for the last half of the flight and its parents were not doing much to console the poor kid. Much to my disgust and annoyance.

The terminal in the midst of construction and renovation, but in its current state, I’d have to say it looks worse off than Perth’s domestic airport haha! The walls were unpainted, carpet barely laid, windows looked like they were held in place with concrete. It was even funnier to see posters and printed advertisements around the place and on the luggage trolleys:

Yes, there certainly is a difference.

[0400hrs] My cousin, David, met me at the airport and we went for supper. I think it was in the Geyland area. We found a seat outside on the street. I was famished after the flight!

Kang Kong with Sambal
Beef Kuay Teow

[0500hrs] David took me to the hotel that he’d made reservations at for me. I was a tad early for check in, but I thought I could just leave my luggage there and find something to do. As it turned out, due to ‘low occupancy’ they gave me my room straight away. Sweet!

I was totally speechless at my room! It was absolutely fantastic! Luxurious! Spacious! I couldn’t get over how beautiful the bathroom was. I even had my own private balcony.



David left to go home and get some sleep. I decided to draw a hot bath and see if that relaxed me enough to get some shut eye myself after.


Nope, the bath actually refreshed me and I recognised those unmistakeable pangs in my stomach. I need food.

[0745hrs] On the way out of the hotel, I asked one of the attendants if there was a twenty-four hawker centre nearby. I was in luck. I need only walk a few blocks away and there was one.



Roast Duck Noodles – SD$3.50

Coffee Tarik – SD$1

*Wah* Even though the food is cheaper in Singapore than in Australia, it’s still frustrating to remember that the Australian to Singaporean dollar exchange rate is less than it used to be. It’s pretty much on par now.

[0830hrs]I got back to the hotel and spent some time by the pool chilling out while waiting for my spa treatment appointment. My room is on the same level as the hotel’s pool – the eighth floor. It’s just around the corner actually!

fresh guava – SD$1.20

[0900hrs] I went to the day spa early so that I could get settled in and use the facilities before my massage.

WILLOW STREAM SPA

I got changed and spent some time in the spa. I didn’t want to get wrinkly so I went back outside to the pool. The weather had warmed up by this time so I lay in the sun listening to my mp3 player until it was time for my massage!

I decided on the Stress Relief Massage - even got a 15% discount when I paid with American Express! It was a one hour massage and I was so at peace that I drifted in and out of sleep towards the end.

[1300hrs]I met up with David, his brother Richard, and Richard’s son Zhi Heng for lunch on the basement level of Raffle City. I don’t remember the name of the restaurant, but it was a Chinese themed place with many chefs in a glass-walled kitchen making dumplings and the like. David ordered starters for us.

Drunken Chicken

Chilli Cucumber

Wantons

Fried Rice

Shanghai Dumplings


With the dumplings, the way you eat them is to dip them into a little dish of soy sauce and julienned ginger. You have to pop the whole thing into your mouth because there is liquid in it. You also have to be careful when you handle it because if you should happen to pierce it, the liquid will leak out and you’re left with... just a dumpling. They way they do this is to wrap up meat and solidified gelatine in the dumpling skin so when they’re steamed, the gelatine liquefies and becomes the ‘soup’. Delicious!

I also had a bowl of noodles.

Noodles with Beef Brisket

The soup tasted exactly like the ox tail stew Mum makes. Yum!


After lunch, we went back to the hotel and I spent the next several hours playing with Zhi Heng. I bought him a whole bunch of stuff and amongst them were some crayons and scrapbook paper. He’s rather shy about drawing, so I asked him what he wanted me to draw and he started to see how fun it was. He loves the lights and filters found in swimming pools. He calls the filters ‘spinach’. He drew a pool with lights and ‘spinach’. He’s so adorable!

[1830hrs]Before heading off to my cousin’s wedding, David shouted Richard and I to a bottle of Moet in the Lobby Lounge of the Swissotel. Since we had half an hour to down a whole bottle of bubble, we ordered some nibblies.

Deep Fried Chicken Pieces

[1930hrs] I arrived at the wedding reception. It was raining heavily so I was worried when I got into the taxi that I would be late for the “7:30pm sharp” start, but everyone reassured me that a Chinese wedding starts late no matter what. True to the custom, I had about an hour to mingle and meet some relatives I haven’t seen for yonks. Soon after we were all seated, the bride and groom made their grand appearance into the room and the dinner service began.

Course One - an assortment of appetisers:
Barbecued Pork Slices
Jellyfish
Lobster with Fruit Salad & Creamy Dressing
Deep Fried Spring Rolls
Crab Meat Salad

Course Two
Shark Fin Soup

Course Three
Steamed Fish

Course Four
Crispy Roast Chicken

Course Five
Prawns in a Herbal Broth

Course Six
Peking Duck Crepes
These crepes didn’t taste very nice. The filling was nice, the crepe was thick and floury.

Course Seven
Mushrooms & Broccoli

Course Eight
Fried Noodles

Course Nine
Yam
I have never had this dessert before. The waitress came and mixed it all up so that’s why it looks like sludge. It tasted like sludge. Me no like.

Here are some photos from the wedding:




[2330hrs] I got back to the hotel and went to my room to drop off my bag and then I headed to the New Asia Bar. I spent the next few hours drinking Smirnoff Green Apple Vodka & Sodas and just checking out the scene. I just couldn’t get into the music, so I left.

<[0230hrs] Back in my hotel room, I had a shower and then ordered room service.

Soup of the Day - Green Pea

The hotel is awesome. They offer a ‘turn down’ service. When I got back to my room, there was relaxing music playing softly, the corner of my sheets were turned down with a purple orchid place on the bed. They even leave a card with the next day’s expected forecast on your pillow.

*Sigh* This is the life.

Friday 27th Feb '09

I spent the early afternoon driving around running errands. My most pressing matter was the filter on my fish tank had conked out. Yesterday, as I was walking past the tank to leave for work, I noticed there weren’t any bubbles being produced by the filter. I backed up and had a closer look. Nope, no bubbles. The air intake tube was also full of water. Doh!

I immediately phoned Benoit, my on call fish expert, and asked him what the problem could be. He was a bit distracted, getting ready for a phone interview and all. Oopsies! I just needed to know if my fish would survive the night without the filter running because I could go and buy replacement parts or an entire new filter unit the next day if need be. The answer was ‘yes’. *Phew!* I rushed off to work.

So...today my first stop with dropping off the work pager at the closest collection centre. They were closed for the staff to have their lunch. Ok, next stop was Aquotix on Bannister Road, Canningvale. I like this aquarium store. I wasn’t able to get the replacement part that I suspected was faulty, so I purchased a whole new filter. Next stop, Carousel to run some errands there.

On the way home, I stopped off at Coles at Thornlie Square to pick up some groceries for dinner tonight. Kong has kindly agreed to give me a lift to the airport tonight so I told him to come over after work and I’d make him dinner before we head off.

Back at home, I set to work doing a water change for both the fish tanks and changing over to the new filter. I like to do maintenance on the tanks before I leave to go on holidays.

Afternoon Snack
Scones with Strawberry Jam & Cream

Christina decided to make scones as she was having a friend over. Deliciously warm straight from the oven. A scone just isn’t a scone without delicious jam and thick cream.

Time to start dinner! I was making steak and salad but also thought I’d make a potato bake. I layered thinly sliced potato with mozzarella, provolone, dried thyme and rosemary. I sprinkled a layer of the mozzarella on the top and popped it into the oven while preparing the salad.

The salad consists of orange, fennel, red onion, cucumber, mixed greens, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Dinner
Steak with Garlic & Chilli Butter
Orange & Fennel Salad
Potato Bake

For myself, I had a sirloin cut, while for Kong, I bought him a larger porterhouse cut from the butchers outside Coles. He had his steak medium rare; mine medium.

*Just the way ah huh ah huh I like it ah huh ah huh*

After dinner, I left for the airport.

Thursday 26th Feb '09

Snack
Thai fish cake
My mum bought these and had fried some in a pan for us to try. I didn’t like them. They taste much too processed and rather flavourless. I only tried one because I was starving and waiting for my supper to heat up.

Supper
Mum’s Pork Spare Ribs Soup

This is one of my favourites. Potato, carrots, tomato, onion, garlic, and juicy succulent pieces of pork spare ribs.

I went to bed praying I didn’t get a call out tonight.