6.30 AM on X'mas morning saw me taking an MRT to Changi Airport. I reached by 7.30 (yes people, that how long it takes to reach the airport if I take an MRT). D had arrived in Singapore. We behaved typically like 2 girl friends meeting each other after 6 months - we screeched, hugged, and hopped around in joy. We dashed back home (not MRT thank you, one way is more than enough) and D pulled out all the goodies she'd ferried for me from Bangalore.
I am unashamed to say most of it was food, and from Nagarjuna. Food my loving parents had packed for me on my request (am so shameless). I have to list it people, please!
~ Chicken Biryani
~ Chicken Sholay Kebab
~ Chilly Chicken
It was finally X'mas!!! The day Singapore seemed to be waiting for months! I'd got my gift and now I HAD to spread the cheer! We had places to go and parties to attend! Well 2 parties actually. One @ Pari's place and the other @ my cousin Such's place. They both were as awesome as they were different. While D slept, I shopped and packed our goody bags with champagne, chocolate X'mas logs, flowers, and other X'massy goodies for our hosts. Then, a bleary-eyed D and I were off visiting.
1st stop Pari's place. It was a lovely Indian family X'mas affair, with her parents, and aunts and uncles. I stuffed myself on awesome Chicken Fry and Mutton Biryani, made by her mom and dad, partook of all the X'massy spirit, chatted and got high laughing. Basically had the time of my life. After all this food and bonhomie, I was ready to crash and D was positively asleep in her chair. But, as they say, no rest for the wicked and we dashed home, freshened up, changed into new plumage and flew off to Such's place.
Such's and Cee's party was all about new friends. None of their usual suspects were in town, i.e. people I'd met when staying with her, it being X'mas and all that. So I met loads of new friends. We all mingled and chatted and debated and laughed along with large glasses of wine, and even larger selection of food. Happy and buzzed, what more can one want? Getting back to the selection of food, it seriously was a cornucopia of food. There were @ least 20 dishes and all made from scratch! Maaaaan! Why does all this food have to come on the same day? I cannot forgive myself if I don't list them, so humor me. There was:
- fresh feta with crackers
- home-made hummus with pita
- fresh olives in olive oil
- baba ganoush
- potato patties stuffed with mince
- Moroccon meat balls
- chicken satay
- mousakka
- mushrooms in cream sauce
- salad
- baguette
- and more
Languidly the evening wore on and night fell. Before D collapsed on me, I got her back home. We settled down and watched a sweet X'massy (ugh!) Singaporean made movie called Delivering Susie (one of the guests in Such's party played Santa in that movie) on TV before we surrendered our stuffed bellied, alcohol soaked, satiated selves to gentle Morpheus.
Next day we woke up laaate, lazed, went to West Coast Plaza for breakfast, came back home and lazzed. Then D ate the dal pulao I made for her and I ate the biryani which she got for me. Happiness! Contentment! Blisss! Post lunch we set out for Singapore darshan. In the evening we met up with a mutual old friend (we were classmates and colleagues), in Clarke Quay. Three girls out to have fun - as you can imagine we had a rocking time! We took the bum-boat cruise along the Singapore river and wore the night out drinking, dancing and chatting @ Rupee Room, Cuba Libre, and Highlanders. (All pics on Facebook).
The rest of our days followed pretty much the same pattern, i.e. wake up late, laze, eat lunch @ home, and set out in the afternoon for loafing. We covered Orchard Road, Takashimaya, Paragon, Plaza Singapura, Asian Civilization Museum, Boat Quay, Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Sentosa, Aquarium, Vivo City, Botanical Gardens, Bugis, Arab Quarters, Little India, and of course Chinatown. One morning we managed to wake up early and take the The Time Of Empire walk, which was really nice, and concluded most satisfactorily - us getting drunk as skunks on the Singapore Slings at the Raffles Hotel. N i c e... hic!
Undoubtedly without a doubt, shopping and eating was done in all the aforementioned places. But maximum time was spent and fun was had in Chinatown. D loved it and we visited it as many times as we could. New Years was spent, predictably, in Clarke Quay - the countdown in Rupee Room, fireworks, courtesy Singapore government, overhead in the Clarke Quay sky (sort of), and dinner @ IndoChine. All too soon it was time for D to leave; our 10 days had whizzed past us, as time usually does when we are having fun.
D's recommendations:
- Foot massage in Chinatown
- Shopping in Chinatown
- Dresses in Chinatown
- Tops from This Fashion
- Spicy Doritos from any supermarket
- Singapore Sling from Raffles Hotel
- Singapore, for being so clean, convenient, and safe
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