My friends are here! Part 2.

As I've been so busy with work I'd neglected to plan activities or outings with my friends when they came to visit. If we were in London I'm sure this would have proved to be a bit of a disaster, but in Singapore - no fear - there is always heaps to do.

If anyone reading this post is expecting visitors and needs a few ideas, please feel free to steal/replicate as we had an awesome few days.

Day 1

• Dinner at Din Tai Fung
• Marina Bay Sands light show 
• Gardens by the Bay, Garden Rhapsody 

Marina Bay Sands Light Show

Garden Rhapsody

Day 2

• Gardens by the Bay - Cloud Forest, Flower Dome, SuperTree Skyway
• 1 Altitude ($10 cocktails on Wednesday ladies night!)

Day 3

• Sentosa Island - MegaZip, beaches and lunch at Tanjong Beach Club
• Dinner at Club 55, all-you-can-eat cheese and chocolate buffet

Day 4

• ArtScience museum - Future World Exhibition
• Universal Studios
• The Library speak-easy, Potato Head Folk, Club Street

Day 5

• Xcape room (We did the 'Annabelle' room which was terrifying but incredible)
• Brunch at Super Loco
• Ce La Vi  for sunset drinks

There's so much more to do and they've already promised to come back next year. I'm thrilled they loved Singapore as much as I do.

Loving the Lights of Singapore

I had my first taste of Wednesday ladies night this week with a couple of girls from work. We went to the martini bar at the Grand Hyatt Hotel where we had lychee, berry, ginger, basil, mint, citrus and espresso martinis all half price, followed by a bottle of champagne courtesy of some guys in the bar. It was a good night. The drinks were delicious and the beef sliders were so good we ordered 4 each.

I'm glad I'm getting to know some colleagues my own age at work. One of the girls I went out with is part of a netball club, so in an effort to try some more new things, I've signed myself up to play a match in a couple of weeks time. Not sure I remember any of the rules which doesn't bode too well...I'd best get practising!

Another night after work Phil and I went to Din Tai Fung and gorged on pretty much all the dumplings. I can't rate Din Tai Fung highly enough. It's super cheap, delicious and you'll never be far from a branch as there about 20 of them across the island. 

We were eating at the MBS branch, and as luck would have it, just as we rolled out of the restaurant the MBS light show began. We've seen the show from almost every angle, but hadn't gotten around to seeing it the best way - sitting on the deck in front of the fountains. Light was projected onto the water from the fountains which told a story of childhood, love and family life, whilst music played from speakers either side. It was kind of mesmerising. At the end of the display everyone gave a huge round of applause... and this is something that happens every single evening in Singapore.

MBS Light Show 

After the light show we walked over to Supertree Grove and watched the Garden Rhapsody. I hadn't seen this before either and, once again, I was completely blown away by how beautiful it was. My parents are visiting early next year and I can't wait to show them - they're going to love it. 

Garden Rhapsody

It's the mid-autumn festival at the moment and in celebration, the Gardens by the Bay have been decorated with lanterns of all shapes and sizes. So after the Garden Rhapsody we wandered around looking at them all - here are some of my favourites:

The mid-autumn festival also means it is time for Moon Cakes! If you  haven't tried them or don't know what I'm talking about, then fear not - you are not missing out (although I should caveat that by saying that some people really do love them, I'm just not one of those people!). If you don't now what they are, Moon Cakes are pastry, filled with red bean or lotus paste, with an egg yolk in the middle. They're dense, fatty, sweet and salty, and at the moment they can be found absolutely everywhere in Singapore. 

Moon Cake

Phil and I are diving off the Malaysian island of Tioman this weekend to make the most of the Singapore public holiday. I can't wait! We did our Open Water course in Thailand in May, so are now progressing to get our Advanced Open Water qualification. We need to show proficiency in underwater navigation and deep diving, as well as peak performance buoyancy, fish ID, drift, night and wreck diving. Eek!! 

Sky-high places to eat, drink and enjoy in Singapore

Both Phil and I love a good view, and wherever we go in the world we always seem to end up eating or drinking in a skyscraper or on a rooftop. We've been to quite a few now in Singapore now, so I want to share my top five favourites for anyone else who loves a dizzying height.

1. Infinity Pool @ Marina Bay Sands Hotel. I know this is a little obvious, but it's well worth saving up for a stay at this hotel to make use of the infinity pool. The views over the city skyline are beautiful and it's fantastic watching the light show happen beneath you. The good news is that if you don't fancy forking out for a night at the hotel to access the pool, it's still possible to head up to the Sands Skypark Observatory or go to Cé La Vie, Flight Bar, Sky on 57 or Spago bars/restaurants which are all on the rooftop. I recommend Spago to anyone - it was one of the tastiest meals we've eaten in Singapore (just try not to fill up on all the delicious bread before your main course is served!)

2. 1 Altitude's gallery and bar @ 1 Raffle Place. 1 Altitude is right next to Raffles Place MRT and is a 'multi-concept destination' with a cafe on level 1, a VIP club (Altimate) on level 61, a restaurant (Stellar) on level 62, and a gallery and bar on level 63. The gallery and bar is incredible. It is the highest al-fresco bar in the world and gives 360 degree views of the city. There are lots of comfy chairs and areas to chill and chat; at the same time the music is great and there's a decent dance floor if you want to show off your moves! 

3. LeVeL 33 @ Marina Bay Financial Centre. The highest urban craft-brewery in the world and is a really relaxed and laid back place to go for a slap-up meal. The huge, copper beer brewing kettles looks pretty cool, the tenderloin steak and venison are melt-in-the-mouth delicious, and the view is excellent as the restaurant is situated on the rooftop of the MBFC, looking right across the water.

4. Aura / Smoke and Mirrors @ The National Gallery. I haven't been to Smoke and Mirrors (it's at the top of my to-do list) but I have been to Aura; both of which are at the top of the National Gallery. Aura is open all day serving brunch and dinner and turns into a Sky Lounge at night. They have happy hour until 8pm and it's a nice place to go as it offers a different view from the others I've mentioned above; overlooking the Padang with Marina Bay in the distance.

5. Club 55 @ Marina Bay Sands Hotel. I think I have left the best until last, but that is primarily because I am a cheese-fiend. I'll explain... Club 55 opens to the public at 8pm and offers an all-you-can-eat cheese and chocolate buffet heaven. There are over 40 little handcrafted desserts and all the hard and soft cheese, breads and chutneys you would wish for. Again, the views are as spectacular as you would imagine from the 55th floor and I don't think I could ask for anything more than cheese, chocolate, cocktails, good views and good company.

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 :)

         

Drink, hangover, repeat.

A little hungover after the wine and cocktails at MBS the night before, we took a dip in the infinity pool in the morning to wake ourselves up then explored the Gardens by the Bay together.

We spent pretty much a full day wandering through the Cloud Forest, the Flower Dome, the Dragonfly and Kingfisher Lakes and were completely awe-struck by the towering, vertical gardens of Supertree Grove. For a small fee you can walk along the OCBC skyway and, although it's a little surreal to be 50m up a giant man-made tree, the views right across Marina Bay Sands are well worth it.

Both Phil and I have been thinking about the kind of things we want to do here to make meet people, make new friends and also have some fun. He is keen to join a football team and I've been thinking about joining an AmDram group. By chance, one of the larger AmDram groups called Stage Club were showing a performance of the History Boys the following evening so we booked tickets and headed along to the KC Arts Centre.

The show was so fantastic, didn't feel like they were amateurs at all really and the theatre was packed out. I am going to express my interest for being part of their next production - fingers crossed!

After the History Boys we headed to 1 Altitude at Raffles Place to meet Phoebe and her colleagues. I feel like a broken record as I'm aware I'm saying how fantastic everything is, but.. wow.. 1 Altitude was incredible. It's an open air, 365 degree club on the 63rd floor which makes even Marina Bay Sands Hotel look tiny. We all had such a fun night of drinking and dancing until we could drink or dance no more.

 

We woke up to another hangover and our final day in Singapore before heading onto Thailand for a two week holiday.

A couple of friends, Amy and Matt, were in Singapore on holiday so we met for a delicious dinner at a tapas-style Indian restaurant called Coriander Leaf in Chijmes.  We then headed around the corner to Raffles Long Bar for a Singapore Sling, because, why not.

Singapore Slings @ Raffles

Knowing the four of us were cheese-fiends I had booked a table at Club 55 in Tower 1 of Marina Bay Sands Hotel. In case you were wondering, Club 55 is an all-you-can-eat chocolate and cheese paradise. They had everything you could want so we filled our bellies again until we couldn't move.

 

It was so great to be able to see Amy and Matt whilst we were in Singapore and they loved it so much they have already said they want to visit again later in the year - yay!

So many emotions.

Day 12 in Singapore was a real roller coaster.

I had an interview for an events role at an international school at midday, so I spent the morning prepping and getting nervous for that. I think the interview went alright but got the impression they had already filled the role so left feeling a little disappointed. I'm not sure when I'll hear back but my hopes aren't high.

Phil had asked me to pack a bag the night before with something smart, something casual and swim wear and to meet  him at the cable car to Sentosa Island after my interview. Needless to say, as soon as I had left the interview I was buzzing for what the rest of the day had in store!

We got the cable car over to Sentosa and spent a good chunk of the afternoon being big-kids.. whizzing along the 450m MegaZip wire, racing each other on the Luge and showing off on the flying trapeze. Sentosa really is just one massive playground. They also have a Universal Studios and waterpark there too which might be something we pop back to do another time.

Whilst we were queuing for the zip wire, we received an email from our realtor telling us that our offer on the Holland Hill condo had been accepted and it was all systems go to get all the paperwork signed off. We are still BUZZING. We wangled the price down a lot and the landlord has thrown in a new bed and mattress for good measure :)

The cable car to Sentosa

MegaZip Wire

Flying Trapeze

As dusk neared Phil said we had to go as had somewhere to be which he had arranged as a surprise... so we hopped into a cab and Phil asked the driver to take us to... wait for it... Marina Bay Sands Hotel. WTactualF.

We checked into our room on the 38th floor, and, as we entered the room, the curtains opened to reveal the most spectacular sunset over the city.

The view from our hotel room

We headed up to the infinity pool on the 57th floor and basked in the beauty of it all as the sun set and the city lights came alive.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel infinity pool

Once our fingers were sufficiently prune-like we spruced up and had dinner at Wolfgang Puck's Spago restaurant at Sands SkyPark where we got suitably drunk on Sancerre and Martinis.

It really was crazy day. The nerves of the interview, the excitement of moving to a new country and getting a home together, the adrenaline rush on Sentosa and the pure joy and awe of staying at Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

A day neither of us will never forget for sure.