Blink and you miss it

With all the excitement of Christmas, I realised it's been ages since my last post.

It was so good to get home and catch up with friends and family.. and of course my gorgeous dog! Early morning walks on the common in the dark with woolly hats and wellies. Cosy nights in with friends, wine and cheese. Pub lunches, ice skating, board games and port.

Polaroid pals

It was all too quick though. And before I knew it, Phil and I were on a plane and back in Singapore.

Thankfully we've had a relatively chilled start back at work and a couple of visitors from the UK passing through to see us which has eased any blues we might have had.

My friend was in town for just a few days, so we planned a weekend soaking up the culture and getting active. (This is the guy who ran 32 marathons in 36 days last year!! Don't even..)

On Friday night we headed over to Art After Dark at Gillman Barracks for some art, music and food. I'm not really into contemporary art, but the live music and set-up they have for their evening open house is pretty cool, so definitely worthwhile checking out.

Art After Dark

As it's Chinese New Year coming up, China Town is buzzing with activity at the moment. The annual international Lion Dance competition took place on Saturday so after an afternoon of dragon boating, we bought our $10 ticket and headed over to see what it was all about.

Not having done any research beforehand, I didn't really know what I was expecting - but it certainly wasn't two acrobats in a lion costume carrying out jaw-dropping manoeuvres and jumps between small raised platforms! Tak a look at the video:

Our final day with my friend saw us pack a picnic and walk the Southern Ridges trail. Starting at Mount Faber, walking over the Henderson Waves, along the Canopy Walk and over to Hortpark. It was a bit of a novelty finding a decent hill in Singapore so I'd recommend it to others who want to get away from the bustle of the city on a weekend. 

I didn't take photos of the walk, but did manage to get a shot of the Bell of Happiness at the top of Mount Faber!

The Bell of Happiness

It's always so nice having friends over and I love that everyone who has visited so far has fallen in love with Singapore just as I have. My folks are going to be in Singapore in just a few weeks an I can't wait!

I think all I really do is work and eat...

AustCham really do put on some awesome events. I've mentioned their epic wine and cheese night in a previous post; well last week I went to one of their other networking events and had a blast. Made some great contacts and I'm already looking forward to their next event... they're doing another wine and cheese night in March. I'm there with bells on!

Work's been crazy again this week so I've been trying to counter the long days by being more active: Swimming in our pool for the first time in ages, tried out a couple of boot camp sessions (which made me ache for days), and of course the usual dragon boating on Saturdays. I'm getting so much better at dragon boating now, they even put me at the front as pacer this week - I'm chuffed to have found something I'm good at and really enjoy doing. 

At the weekend Phil treated me to a slap up meal at an Italian place called Zafferano which is on level 43 of the Ocean Financial Centre. I had a huge octopus tentacle which was delish. We also had a lip-smackingly-good dinner after dragon boating this week. We were craving cheese (I mean, when are we not..) and a mate recommended we try Wine Connection's cheese bar on Robertson quay. Ah.. it's amazing. We had a huge slab of raclette, potatoes, bread, salad, pickles and a huge plate of cold meats.

I'm off to Hong Kong for work tomorrow, and Phil has just left for Melbourne where he'll be working for the next three weeks. I'm sure I've have lots to update on in my next post!

Divas and Drags

Winesday was the last day of indulgence as I've decided it's about time I got back to exercising again.

A girl from work is on the netball team with the Singapore Cricket Club, and on Thursday she invited a couple of us to play in a friendly match against Standard Chartered. I took a netball to the nose in the first few minutes. I dropped the ball. I ran the wrong way. ...Generally got the feeling that netball and I were never meant to be. It was good fun though so I think I'm going to join the slightly more casual club which is going to be running after work for staff - will be a good opportunity to get to know some of my 399 colleagues as well!

Continuing in the same vain this weekend; I took part (and lost) my first ever competitive dragon boat race! Every year all the different international dragon boat teams enter into 'Divas' where the ladies race and the men put on a drag show - all to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. The Gaelics entered two ladies teams.. and came last in both heats... but the boys did us SO proud and won the whole drag show with their outstanding Bhangra performance.

After the drag show,kegs of beer, food and a DJ were all delivered to the riverside where we celebrated alongside all the different international teams.

It was such a good day and we met heaps of cool people. I would recommend dragon boating to anyone who is moving to Singapore as you get to have fun, meet people and keep fit at the same time (as long as you don't drink too many San Miguel's afterwards...)

The Divas

The Drags

It was also Phil's birthday this weekend so we spent a lazy Sunday eating, lying on the beach, and wandering around the S.E.A Aquarium on Sentosa Island. The aquarium was the best I've been to - huge tanks with saw fish, sharks, manta rays and lots of other fish we are hoping to see on our next dive trip.

We had some Japanese food in the evening and went for drinks at a Japanese speak-easy in Outram called D.Bespoke. They make bespoke cocktails based on taste preferences, the decór is beautiful and they sit you in these gorgeous armchairs along the bar. We will have to go back soon!

D.Bespoke and the birthday boy

Diving in Tioman

Day 1 - morning
After a 5 hour bus ride and a 3 hour ferry ride we arrived on Tioman island, Malaysia at 4am.

I'm writing this on the boat at 9am, after only 3 hours sleep. I feel half dead but am so excited for diving this weekend!

Day 1 - evening
We just got back from our first day of diving. Four dives today around Paya Bakau, Renggis and Genting; the last one being a night dive! The night dive was actually a bit spooky as I couldn't see anything other than where my torch was pointing.. Had some issues with my mask being a bit steamy on that one too which didn't help!

Earlier in the day we did a bit of peak performance buoyancy, drift diving and fish spotting. We spotted a 1.5m black tipped reef shark which was awesome! 

The only slight issue today was that there are 8 people in our group, four of which hate sticking to formation and kicked me in the face a few times.

Off to bed now, another early start and 5 more dives tomorrow!

Day 2 - evening
Such an amazing day! Went to some incredible dive sites (La Bas, Malang and Soyak) where the reef looked like someone had come along and turned the saturation up on everything. We saw loads of blue spotted ray, giant moray eels, barracuda, angel fish, clown fish, bat fish, bumpheaded fish, cornets, file fish, trigger fish and best of all - a 1.5m hawksbill turtle. It took my breath away... which isn't the best situation to be in at the bottom of the ocean. 

We also did some basic navigation; practising using a dive compass and dive computer. I've learnt to maintain perfect buoyancy upside down now too which is fun, especially when looking around all the nooks and crannies of the reef.

Bed now. 6.30am start tomorrow for our final 2 dives.

Day 3 - afternoon 
I'm on the coach on the way back to Singapore. We did two dives this morning: the Sipidan Wreck and another leisure dive at Renggis. The wreck was cool, we went down to 25m and swam around fish spotting, although it was pretty murky down there - maybe 2 metres visibility max.

It's been a great weekend and Phil and I are now qualified Advanced Open Water divers - hurrah! Someone was telling us about a war ship wreck in the Philippines where you can see the bomb craters and dive down through them into the ship! I think that's out next dive trip sorted already!!

Cocktails & Dinosaurs

I've had some cracking cocktails this week. On Monday after work I met a pal for drinks at a bar called Bochinche where the barman made me my new favourite: blackberry, rasberry, chilli, lemon juice and gin. They've called it 'The Rowan' which obviously makes it that bit better...

The Rowan

The rest of the week was fairly uneventful but Friday came around nice and quickly, and after a naff day at work I met Phil at Bar Stories on Haji Lane. The bar doesn't have a menu, so you instead ask for your preference in flavour combinations then they work their magic creating something bespoke to each person's taste. The barmen were so attentive to what we wanted and spent ages finessing each cocktail and presenting it beautiful ways. I will definitely be back there again and would recommend to all.

Passion fruit, rosemary, chilli
& pisco 

Raspberry, blackberry, lemongrass
& berry liquor

After Bar Stories, we walked a couple minutes to a Japanese restaurant called Box n Sticks which I need to write about so I remember to go back! Box n Sticks is a really casual, authentically Japanese, reasonably priced little restaurant on Kandahar Street. We had sushimi, yakitori, hotate and teriyaki, all washed down with several glasses of umushu, shochu and sparkling sake. We are deliberating whether to fly back over to Japan for Christmas this year, and meals like that make it so bloody tempting!

Aside from eating and drinking, we have had a great weekend of culture and sport. Singapore have an annual Night Festival which was on this weekend around the Bras Basah / Bugis area. We walked along one of the recommended routes, taking in the art displays and cultural performances. There were interactive light displays, drumming bands, men and women on stilts, dragons and giant dinosaurs falling through the air. It was all a little bit surreal.. but incredible.

I'm writing the end of this blog post, completely battered and bruised from being thrown around the seat of my little race kart at the KF1 circuit in Kranji. Phil and I spent the day there with a few friends and had such a great time. The karts went to 60Kph which doesn't sound alot, but feels really fast when you're in such a small vehicle so close to the ground. I am chuffed because I was better than I thought I'd be, just paying for a bit now with all the aches and pains!

KF1 score board

We have just booked tickets to the Singapore F1 in a few weeks time - today definitely got us in the mood. So excited!

Wine, cheese and heaps of paint

This week flew by and before I knew it, it was Friday and I was at The Australian Chamber of Commerce's Wine and Cheese networking night at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

It was food and drink heaven. There was every Australian and NZ red, white, rose and sparking wine (and beer) you could ever want. Then in the centre of the hall there were stacks of hard, soft and blue cheeses; breads, olives and other antipasti which were all absolutely delicious. On top of all this, there were some guys walking around with strips of juicy lamb and beef steaks (courtesy of The Meat Club) which were to die for. 

I still can't get over how amazing an event AustCham Wine and Cheese is - it takes place annually and I will definitely be back next year!

AustCham Wine & Cheese

After ingesting our body weight in steak, cheese and wine; a colleague and I headed over to Bar.Nkd on Club Street to meet Phil and some pals. We then walked a couple of doors up to Beaujolais where we drank and danced until the early hours.

Club Street is a great place to hang out and drink on a Friday night. They pedestrianise the area at night so all the bars spill out into the street. It kind of has that European holiday strip vibe, but without the fishbowls of miscellaneous cocktails and people vomiting on the pavement...

The next morning we went for brunch at Breko in Holland V with Phil's colleagues, then the two of us headed over to Sentosa Island to meet some of my colleagues for Singapore's 2016 Colour Run. Running in 35 degrees was sweaty and tough, but they put on a bit of a festival afterwards where we drank beer, threw paint and danced for hours in the sun. It was awesome.

This evening we met some pals over at Fort Canning Park for a picnic and to watch Anchorman as part of the the 'Films at the Fort' open air cinema. It's this kind of thing that makes me love Singapore so much. The weather and the expat crowd means there's so much to do and this weekend I feel like we have really made the most of what's on offer over here.

Waiting for Anchorman to begin..

Today marks our second month living in Singapore and I still haven't found anything about the country to complain about!

Keep calm and have a martini

Phil was still away in Australia this week which was a bit naff, but I have definitely adjusted a bit more to being alone over here now. I think last week was especially difficult because I was just starting my new job and - as we're still quite new to Singapore - I don't really have any close friends over here yet. Anyway, this week was a lot better. I've been busy in the evenings so the days have whizzed by (also helped by the fact we got Tuesday off work for Singapore's 51st birthday)!

Other than working, working and working some more, the main updates for this week are the three great new bars I've been to...

1. The first is a place called No.5 Emerald Hill opposite Somerset MRT. I went with a Singaporean colleague from work, else I probably wouldn't have ever known it existed. They have amazing martinis - lychee, dragon fruit, mango and loads more, and it's a bit like Raffles Long Bar with the old colonial vibe and the peanut shells all over the floor... but without all the tourists.

2. The next place I went to was Lantern which is a rooftop bar at the top of The Fullerton Bay Hotel. The cocktails and food there were good and it's right on the water so has great views of MBS. It is well-worth a visit, but I'd say some of the other rooftop bars I've been to over here are a tad better.

View from The Fullerton Bay Hotel

3. The final bar worth mentioning this week is the Little Island Brewing Company right over on the East Coast. It's a microbrewery so they have lots of great beers, live music and they serve huge boards of meat. I can't fault the place; everything was delicious and the ambiance was great.. I just wish it was a little closer to where we live! 


Phil got back from Melbourne on Friday so it's been really nice spending the weekend together rather than me hanging out on my own like last week! We popped over to Pasarbella at Turf City on Saturday which is a bit like Borough Market in London; with lots of stalls serving cheese, wine, meat, bread, oils, chutneys etc. We had a really nice cheese board then headed over to Kallang for another dragon boating session with the Gaelics. I feel like I've got the hang of the technique now and can't wait for next week's session. I've also signed up for a couple of their competitions later in the year!

Today Phil and I are catching up on Super Saturday from the Rio Olympics. Mo Farah has just won his third Olynpic gold, and Jess Ennis is just about to run the 800m  - fingers crossed for another medal...!

No work, all play

It's been a slightly strange week for me this week as, after starting my new job last Monday, I wasn't able to go back in this week due to a delay with my background check being approved. It has been a right pain as this was the week I should have been shadowing three events which I will then have to manage next month. Anyway, these things happen and my fingers are crossed that my check will come through today and I can be back in work as normal again come Monday!

As I haven't been working, I have once again been filling my days with yoga, swimming, shopping and meeting new friends.

I adore Yoga Movement classes - this week I tried normal Yoga Power which is so much better than hot Yoga Power (as I could actually breathe!) and also another Yoga Core which involved continuous planks and leg raisers for an hour. That was two days ago. I still ache. 

I've discovered this quirky little place called the Plain Vanilla Bakery a few doors up from the Tiong Bahru studio which is a great treat after yoga. The bakery floor is covered in fake grass and cushions and they have the most delicious little cupcakes of every flavour.

I mentioned I've been shopping. Now, if you haven't already heard of Daiso, you need to. It's Japanese and has all the weird and wonderful things you would expect; from kawaii stationary, clothing and home decor, all the kitchenware you will never need and lots of great Japanese snacks and canned hot coffee. The best thing about Daiso is that everything costs $2 SGD. It's a dream.

Phil and I also headed to Dempsey Hill to check out all the cool shops selling rugs, furniture, lamps and other soft furnishings. Dempsey Hill shops felt alot like Bali - lots of statues and carvings we really wanted to buy but wouldn't have anywhere to put. We did buy a fun candle holder though, and spent a bit of time trying to 'feng shui' our living room when we got back.

Dempsey Hill purchase

Now our apartment is looking a little more homely and our fridge is well stocked; we had a few friends over for dinner mid-week. It's been really nice cooking and hosting again and we've got a few more dinner parties, game nights and BBQs planned in the coming weeks and months. 

I also went on another blind 'friend-date' with a girl I met on InterNations. We went for breakfast at Baker and Cook in Holland V and ended up chatting for hours. I love how easy it is to make friends here. I can't begin to imagine the reaction I would get in the UK if I asked a random girl I met online for a coffee. One of the many good things about Singapore!

It's Friday today so we're out with some pals in the CBD. Tomorrow we have been invited to a Singaporean wedding which I'm really looking forward to. Will update on that next week :)

Starting work and joining the Dragons

I started my job at the international school this week. It's been half term so it's been nice settling in without the thousands of kids there. Trying to learn the names and roles of the 400 staff has been a little tough though..

The school have several events per week; whether it be an Open Day, an Induction Day for the new families, hospitality drinks or dinners for alumni or parents etc... I'll be kept busy that's for sure! I've never really thought about or realised how great international schools are until now.  Kids get incredible opportunities in sport, music, arts, languages and academics; in addition to being surrounded by other children and teachers from - in this case - over 60 different counties. The only downside is that it inevitably costs a small fortune to go there!

Aside from the working, Phil and I discovered two new places to eat this week. The first is a brunch place called Park HV.  It's in Holland V and probably better than Hatched as there is way more variety on the menu - truffled Mac&Cheese or Salted Egg Yolk Pork Ribs, Mmmmmm. The second place is Obatignolles wine bar on Club Street. We had a cheese-craving on Friday night so, after drinks with some friends, we headed to Obatignolles to gorge on a big fat cheese board. (Top tip: cheese is so expensive to buy over here so it almost works out cheaper to go to a restaurant to get your fill!)

After the intensity of starting a new job, the weekend could not have come quickly enough. On Saturday, Phil, me and a couple of friends headed over to Kallang and spent a grueling but incredible two hours Dragon Boating with the Gaelic Dragons. (If, like me a week ago, you don't know what Dragon Boating is, click HERE to see a video the Gaelics created.

Dragon Boating is such a social thing to be involved in here as there are so many international teams: French, Spanish, British, German, Australian etc, and everyone comes together for parties, nights out and the odd race every month or so. Water training is every Saturday and land training is mid-week - seems like a good way to get fit and have fun at the same time and can't wait for the next training session already.

Throwing ourselves into Singapore life: part 2

This week has been filled with walking, swimming, yoga, boxing, art galleries, eating, drinking.. and most exciting of all... furniture!

At the beginning of the week I tried a class at MMA Evolve which is the #1 martial arts organisation in Asia. I had a 1-on-1 Muay Thai boxing lesson and was still aching three days later! I'm going to go back for another trial in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to suss out whether I want to join - the problem is that they ask all members to commit to training a minimum of three hours per week which I'm not sure I can do.. it is also something like £150/month!!

Phil and I tried out a new yoga class on Friday night with Yoga Movement - the class was hard work but the instructor - Amy - made the class fun amidst all the pain. Yoga Movement have four venues across the city and run several classes each day - it's so handy so I'm definitely going to do one or two classes a week while I'm living here. 

Yoga Movement

On one of the more overcast days this week, I popped in to the Singapore Art Museum which is running two exhibitions called 'Odyssey: Navigating Nameless Seas's' and 'Imaginarium: Over the Ocean, Under the Sea'. It was all quite interactive and one of my favourite collections was Entang Wiharso's surrealistic seascapes - the whole room was filled with underwater 'memoryscapes' of when Wiharso almost drowned as a child and of the Indonesian pedicabs which were outlawed by the government and thrown in the sea. A lot of the collections focused on sea pollution. There was a display by Tan Zi Xi called 'An Effort Most Futile' which I loved - a whole room filled with suspended rubbish giving the feeling of being underwater.

On Tuesday, Phil and I had an amazing evening out; first at the Indochine bar in SuperTree Grove with views of MBS and the bay, followed by the tastiest steak I have ever eaten at CUT by Wolfgang Puck. We went to Wolfgang Puck's other restaurant - Spago - when we were here on holiday a couple of months ago and loved it. This was another level of mouth-watering deliciousness. Highly recommend all to try it - but don't make the mistake we made by filling up on all the fresh bread beforehand!

Drinks at the top of this wonder!

CUT

 Also met some cool new people this week. I had got to know a girl from a Singapore expat Facebook group, so arranged for us to go on a bit of a double-date to get to know on another. We went to Aura which is the rooftop bar above the National Gallery - the views were stunning, and we all got on really well.

I also had lunch with someone I met last Friday at a place called Kazbar near Raffles Place MRT which serves great Middle-Eastern food. There are so many good eateries around there as it's where all the main banks and everything is (think, the Canary Wharf of Singapore). Then met her again on Sunday for brunch at Super Loco on Robertson Quay. It was the best brunch ever - here is a pic if you don't believe me :P

El Mexicano Grande

It's alot easier to make friends over here than it would be in London. One of the guys we met up with hit the nail on the head saying that Singapore is like one big university campus. It is like being at freshers week all over again - everyone talks to everyone and there is always something going on with new sports and activities to try.

The other social this week was an InterNations 'Singapore newcomers' event which was... interesting. We swapped numbers with one or two people who we might meet up with again, but I think those kind of events would be good if you've come to the country alone, or if you want to network. It all felt rather forced and intense so I'm not sure if we will be going back to another one.

So the final update for this week is.. furniture! It was all freighted over and it's just arriving as I type. Will be so nice to have a sofa, TV and storage and make the place feel a bit more homely :)