Singapore After Five Years

My April 2013 was a total nightmare.  First the chasing of the housing thief Mr. Saeed episode then my legal stay in Abu Dhabi took a nose dive.  I will not delve into the dirty details of the latter as I still feel bitter and angry of what happened and what is continuously happening. To make the story short, I get to be a reluctant vacationer.

First stop is my first home abroad: Singapore.  It has been 5 years since I last step foot on this vibrant city.  I must admit, Singapore still is an exciting city.  Aside from re-exploring Singapore - I am visiting my sister.  I get to bond with my cheeky niece.

I often daydream of retracing my steps in Singapore particularly in the food department.  I try to look for cheap noodles here in Abu Dhabi but still that distinct taste of Singapore noodles is just not there.  Though some may say there are a lot of Chinese/Singaporean cuisines in the city - still not the same as that from the kopitiam.

My first day in Singapore was not exactly in Singapore style because we decided to give Jollibee Singapore a try.  My niece was particularly happy about it because there will be fries (shhh!) and my sister was craving for pinoy fast food.  Sad to say though, the chicken was not what I have expected. It is not the same back home.  Anyway, we still binge.  We ordered practically everything on the menu!

After the big bee moment, I had kaya toast.  The thin brown bread with a generous amount of butter and kaya spread is absolute heaven.  For those who are not aware of kaya spread, this is a coconut and egg jam.  If you visit Singapore never forget to try it.

Then came the noodles.  Yes the noodles that I think will never be replicated.  I had mee goreng.  The spicy vegetarian noodle will definitely burn your lips.  For a good reason, of course.  Then the ban mian.  Unfortunately, the store where I got the ban mian is not the same with the one I used to buy from in People's Park in Chinatown.

Mee Goreng

My sister also introduced me to bah kuh teh.  We bought two orders for lunch.  Sadly, I am not a big fan.  It was just too bland for my liking, but the ribs was well cook.  The meat literally falls off the bone.

Bah Kuh Teh

My Singapore rendezvous without a visit to Mustafa.  Who could pass up a chance to scour floor after floor of goodies.  Every visit is totally wallet-killing.

My Three-Day Weekend: Eid Ul Fitr 2013

It was one of those holidays where you didn't have a good plan on how to use it.  Eid ul Fitr 2013 fell on a Thursday making it a three-day holiday for my husband.  We don't exactly have a plan for the said day.  Most of my friends were already booking hotels to stay over and to bask in the sun.

As I am totally scared of the heat, being baked under 45 deg Celsius is not my idea of fun.  What else can we do without getting sun burned during the summer in Abu Dhabi?  Of course!  Head to Dubai.

We were a bit wary of going to Dubai because for sure most of the Abu Dhabi residents will also be going there.  Luckily, we arrived around 12 noon and headed straight to Dubai Mall.  I just like it there.  I don't exactly know why, I just do.  As promised husband took me to my favorite restaurant for lunch - Le Pain Quotidien.  Perfect timing because its also my Nanay's birthday.  Something to celebrate.  I ordered one of my favorites chicken tartine and husband had duck fricasse.

It was a scrumptious lunch.  So we had to walk off those calories and began our 6 hour window shopping and sort-of-shopping.  I know!  6 hours.  I thought my legs are going to give up by the time we went home.  During those we found this exhibit at the Grand Atrium of the Dubai Mall.  It was titled The Genius and His Inventions.  I was so thrilled to see such works.

Albeit it being a replica, it was still beautiful and amazing.  Leonardo da Vinci is truly a genius.  Who would have thought those machines he drew and created with what is available back then would somehow aid the machines of today.  The exhibit is free and its only until the 13th of August 2013.

The remaining two days of the holiday was spent running around the city with tons of errands.  Oh!  I just discovered that if you are craving for some fresh buko.  You can go to Mina Fish Market, one store by the entrance sells them and they can open it for you.  You can enjoy fresh buko juice and get to have the flesh for buko salad.  But if you don't want to rough it out, you can always go to Green House along Airport road.  They have tons of Filipino stuff that you miss from our country.