Hello again, Singapore
After my Cebu stint, the trip back involved an overnight stopover at Singapore. There were aspects of this place that I absolutely loved before so I made them my first priority!
Another season, anther fixture! Last time it was the giant rooster, this time, a giant boat! It turns out it's mid autumn festival or whatever the mooncakey festival thing is, which is pretty cool! Not only was the main street lit up with bright fixtures, but there was also heaps of incense being burned on all the streets.
First stop, claypot frog porridge! I loved this place last time and I didn't even know frog porridge was its specialty! This time I ordered the actual item, instead of the ginger claypot frog and adding porridge to it. The porridge tasted so good, but I felt the frog may have been a bit overcooked compared to last time. Still delicious and a great treat, but I think I prefer the ginger claypot with porridge separate - the sauce of the standalone frog seeps into the meat better. And I'd love to eat the chicken feet from here again!I'd also deliberately undereaten because I decided that I'd take my chances at Burnt Ends too. The porridge was enough that I could continue eating, but also if I didn't manage to get a table, I'd be satisfied and not hungry again till morning. So after a short trek through Chinatown, I came upon a closed Burnt Ends. Oh, they're not open Sundays... which meant no extra feed, but my wallet thanked me!!
Instead I snacked on this croissant taiyaki since last time I had the mochi version. Not bad, especially as this was freshly made!
A quick scout of Chinatown also meant to opportunity to say hello to these adorable foxes!
Alright, hotel time! As this was an overnight stay and I'm not allowed to splurge, I decided to test out a capsule hotel! I chose one that wasn't quite budget and seemed rather nice and had decent ventilation according to reviews. I ended up at Cube, which had some cool and hip interior design. Just don't expect much in the way of their continental breakfast; the hawker fare 2 minutes away is so much more worth it.
How cute! It came with a towel and water bottle, a main light and a reading light, three pull out compartments, of which the largest doubled as a table and had a mirror installed, as well as a towel rack at the end of the bed.There was a secure set of doors located below this capsule to store luggage.
I actually found this quite roomy! There were also charging ports and a powerpoint tucked away, which was really convenient. I think I like small spaces like this, I wish my bedroom was this size!
And how the capsule room looked. Here you were supposed to place your shoes in the lockers just outside this room, but I guess most people ignored that. You can see the massive air conditioner that did really well to keep the temperature regulated, but also, the capsules had pull-down blinds. This meant there was a draft into my capsule though, and moving cold air prevents me from sleeping well. I managed okay, and it was better than being stuck in a place with no air movement at all.The bathroom was located across the lobby though, I found that setup a bit odd since you'd have to walk in your pyjamas through a public area. There were more bathrooms on the other floor, but I didn't venture or explore the full setup.Also, I didn't anticipate that because these were just capsules sharing a room, with the only privacy being a blind, that there's no way to tell the time and you can hear everything. So.... how does one set an alarm if they need to be up at a specific time? No idea. But if I was ever on the clock, I wouldn't choose a capsule hotel. My flight wasn't till midday so I let my body clock do its magic. However... that didn't stop me waking up to the sound of someone else's alarm at 2am!
Morning came around, and luckily, having had the same morning schedule 7 days a week meant that I got up at around 7AM - 8AM. Perfect time as most hawker shops should start opening soon! And here are more foxes!
I circled the stalls at Chinatown Complex, wanting the 1950s cafe I went to last time. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't find it, until after my third lap I realised it was closed. Maybe it's closed on Mondays? That meant I had to find some other food to eat. I also did a round of Maxwell Centre, and in the end went back to Chinatown Complex and tried out the vegetarian shop.Time to do the point and choose thing! I ended up with noodles, tofu, soy "chicken" thing? And hopefully that white stuff was radish cake. I said no to extra soy sauce, and I think the lady thought I was weird for saying so! However it had enough saltiness as is, and was actually rather enjoyable! Man, the food here is so simple, so cheap and so good!
My final mission was also supposed to be impossible. When I had heard Kurasu Singapore opened, I thought I wouldn't have the chance to try it since I hadn't planned a Singapore visit. But hey, when opportunity presents itself... I had to get this cafe when it opened at 9AM, try all the coffees I needed to, and then get to the airport as fast as possible to check in for a 12PM flight. Okay well, it was made slightly easier because I already had my boarding pass and my luggage was automatically being transferred cross planes.This is such a nice space! It wasn't too difficult to find Odeon Towers, but my GPS wasn't playing nice this visit so it did take some fiddling and old school map orientation efforts to get to all my places this visit. In addition, Kurasu is located on level 2 of an open office, rather than an actual shopfront.Like all Japanese cafes, Kurasu has a lovely and clean aesthetic. Lots of Kalitas and nice glassware! Single O's Reservoir blend was great as an espresso, and the filter by Mount Coffee was quite nice too! Would have loved to spend twice the time here to really take everything in!
But alas, it was airport time, where I actually had another goal. Last time I visited I had some great beef tendon noodles with a really good flavoured sauce, but I couldn't find it again. Maybe it was a different terminal? So I settled for this other cantonese place and ordered similar, but this didn't quite taste as amazing, but was good feed before my flight.Man, Singpore is so cool! I really should come back and explore things like the art gallery and surrounds. Maybe even pay more attention to Suntec City and Raffles. Plus maybe even actually save up to enjoy Burnt Ends!!But different adventures are lined up for me in the upcoming year, hopefully!
Cebu, Philippines 2018
My adventures this year have lead me to a place I didn't think I'd ever get to visit - the Philippines. Even rarer that I'd end up away from the capital city. But here I was, with a super short trip to Cebu.The way there wasn't overly complex, but did take some time. Also, I confirmed that flying budget isn't my thing. There's actually nothing wrong with the flights themselves, which were quite pleasant. It was just that I was used to all the mod-cons of full service - inflight entertainment, USB charging ports, and a constant offering of free water. Time sure crawls when there's no distractions in a restricted space!One quirk I was bemused by was that my first leg from Perth to Kuala Lumpur had a plane decorated both inside and outside, with anime style girls - an ad for a Chinese mobile game called "Girls Frontline" apparently.I had a five hour stopover at Kuala Lumpur airport. In order to save money, I didn't opt for lounge entry. Instead, I'd planned ahead and packed myself a good book to pass the time.
There was a decent selection of food at the airport, and the first thing I decided to try was some beef ball soup. Not too bad, but nothing special either.
What did catch my attention though, was the durian McFlurry, and then also a "Milo dinosaur McFlurry party"! Both were probably unique to Malaysia/Singapore, so it was hard for me to decide which I wanted, but I ended up choosing the stinky option. Yep, just like the artisan durian gelato I had last year in Singapore, this also tasted like raw onion to me. I certainly appreciate the sweetness that did come through; I can taste the deliciousness, but it's just so tucked away behind a really strong unpleasant flavour.Several hours later, and finally landed in Cebu!
The ride to the hotel was interesting. Everything was poor, old and dusty. There doesn't seem to be any kind of modern public transport (trains, large buses), instead, just small open air vehicles about the size of a large van/small bus, taxis, and motorbike taxis. Most intersections also didn't have lights, instead relying on human traffic controllers.While stuck in traffic (I feel the roads are congested since it seems to be the only mode of transport), individuals would walk up and down between the lanes, selling bottles of water. For some reason this didn't seem all that unfamiliar, though I can't recall where I may have encountered it before. I feel my adventures in China and Cape Town meant that I kind of knew what to expect in non first-world places.Crossing the road was also a rather daunting activity since even in the city, traffic lights were few and far between. The locals were used to casually walking across several lanes of traffic, wheras I, in contrast, ran across in panic for fear of becoming roadkill. I'm pretty sure there was nothing to worry about though!What was a bit of a surprise for me, was the state of the street shops. So many stray dogs and really dingy looking shopfronts. Most of the area had incredibly old looking shops which I imagine sold super cheap street food, but given that tap water isn't safe to drink here, I wasn't allowed to experience local life. Instead, I had to play it safe and stick to hotel food, which was interesting enough for the couple of days I had - dried fish, adobo chicken, vegetable stews, and lots and lots of rice. Turns out pandan sticky rice is amazing and I should figure out how to make some myself!
Well, I was here for a specific reason, so I attended a group dinner at a place in Beverley View. It was a super nice place and heaps of food prepared, home cooked style - with some delicious beef soup! - as well as this gorgeous suckling pig! I really wish I could have asked to take the head and eat it, but this wasn't a foodie trip and I had to remain lady-like the whole time.
Here I got distracted by a kitten!
There was a performance for us by the local dance group who had performed internationally too. They were adorable and had so much enthusiasm for what they do!Then it was a big day as there was a dance competition on, so my camera got a small workout. There's a much larger and more enthusiastic audience here than compared to Australia!
The dancing and partying continued all night!! The people there were all super friendly and what was really funny was that everyone's a fan - if you're in costume, passers-by will ask for a photo taken with you!I was only here for the competition so I wasn't able to get a full feel of the place, but I'm also way too used to built up cities that I don't think I'll end up back here. Instead, it was onward to my overnight stopover in Singapore on the way back home!
I am a squishy green caterpillar, and I have a daddy long legs as a housemate
One day this will be a children's book.
Reine's hospital adventures... again!
When it rains, it pours. I thought I had my one hospital visit, when something much smaller but really annoying decided to happen. I had some sort of pimple-like thing right under my right eyebrow, and I didn't think too much of it at the time, until after a day or two it made my whole eyelid red. I still figured it'd just heal, so I didn't do anything until a week later it didn't get any better and instead, started to swell.After a visit the doctor, I wasn't any closure to knowing how long it would take for the lump to go away. All the doc figured was that it was probably some sort of cyst, and I was prescribed antibiotics.A few days passed, and the condition got worse, and I wasn't able to open my eye properly, especially in the mornings. Eventually everyone at work became super concerned too, and after a doctor friend took a look, she recommended that I go straight to the hospital.So the next morning I took the trip there. I actually have a secret enjoyment of heading in the direction of the hospital because one of my favourite cafes is near there, so I took along my camera. I'd also brought along my charger pack for my phone, since my doctor friend said it'd need the emergency department to drain my lump and then I'd also need antibiotics via IV.The triage area was quieter than my last visit, with not as many patients. After the triage nurse asked a few questions, I was taken into the eye area, where they wanted me to read out the eye chart thing, and then they looked at my eye. They confirmed that the lump I had wasn't related to my eye, however, they did discover I have a tiny scratch on my cornea, so they gave me some eye drops for that. The lady also said that the emergency department docs wouldn't operate on my face, and that it required plastic surgeons instead, just to ensure that there was as little scarring risk to my face. The plastic surgery department was pretty busy, so I waited around for four hours before someone came to take a look.Upon inspection, they said that they would put me under general anesthetic and make a small cut to drain the stuff. Well, there goes my day. As I was listed as an emergency patient, they were aiming to complete the operation that day.Luckily I didn't have to wait too long, though the eye department was so busy that they didn't manage to get a blood test or stick a cannula in. All the paperwork was done in what seemed like more of a rushed manner than my previous visit, and my cannula inserted in the room just before the operating theatre. This time it was pink!
The operation experience this time was also slightly different, the anesthetist this time put a dose of something first through the pink knobby thing, and I felt myself slightly disorientated by the time I was wheeled into the theatre. It was going to be a quick and simple operation, so they weren't even going to move me onto the table, instead they'd do it in the bed I was already on. Once again the mask went on me, and for some reason I found it hard to breathe, before promptly blacking out. I was in a deeper sleep this time with what felt like a long dream, so whatever they used must have been pretty strong! I felt groggier upon waking up too! But just like last time, I wasn't in any pain after the operation.Post-operation stuff was incredibly uneventful this time. I got a handed a sandwich since I had to fast before the operation, of which I ate half, and then dinner was served shortly after, as I was transferred from a private room into a shared ward. I was still waiting for staff to find my belongings, so there's no picture of the crumbed fish with tomato, broccoli and potato plus yellow jelly. The potatoes this time round were all cooked through a lot better than last time though!It turns out though that my low blood pressure and low heart rate while sleeping become a problem during their regular checkups though, but luckily unlike last time, I was able to devise a short exercise regimen so that I could pressure up when they came around!The next morning I had the same breakfast as last time, with cornflakes, prunes, bread, fruit and juice. I was also allowed to roam around and leave the hospital as long as I was back in time for checkups and medication, so I took a sneaky trip out to my cafe here!
What isn't pictured here is the espresso and filter I had while I was there! A triple coffee adventure plus jam donut was probably not the best decision since I did overcaffeinate slightly, but hey... when there's a coffee opportunity... I'll do my best to keep 1% sensibility :)
The weirdo meatball style boneless pork ribs strike again! But they taste good so I enjoyed it. Here's a dessert I didn't get last time, some creamed rice! It was okay, I'd rate it above the trifle and custard from last time. But so far jelly is the undisputed winner of hospital food.
Dinner was a beef pie with sweet potato mash, potato mash (this time the mash had salt!) and some cabbage. Not too bad!I also realised that I have really tiny veins, because cannula pain struck again. Just like last time, after having the cannula in for a day, any drip tends to cause excess pressure and my vein starts hurting. The nurse had to take it super slow on the syringe (I didn't have the drippy machine this time round), and the nurse the night after managed to have a neat trick of pressing on my vein while delivering the antibiotics to reduce the amount of discomfort I was experiencing. That being said, the pain goes away as soon as the IV is done.
Being day 2, I was allowed to choose my own meals! Having learned the lesson of salty porridge from last time, this time I went with Just Right, yoghurt, milk, and Weetbix with jam. Except they forgot the jam. Oh well! I dipped my weetbix into yoghurt instead. Not that great, but this was infinitely better than my breakfast choice from last time! Do other people put as much thought into what they want for hospital meals?
And finally I got the all clear and was discharged, just as lunch time came around. I really shouldn't make a habit of revisiting the same hospital, as I'll figure out how the food works too quickly and will eventually get bored of this! For now though, I know not to order the fish. Who knows what fish it is and where it came from! But yay I got my ice cream too! Don't eat ice cream straight after the fish....So all in all I've found hospitals less scary than before, though I now know I hate cannulas and night observations. The game of "check out that hospital meal!" is still fun for now. My wardmates were also less weird this time!I still can't believe my eye swelled to the point where I needed a hospital visit though. I don't think any of it was preventable... though, who knows!Okay, now I should really just wrap myself in a bubble to avoid this in future... not! There's so many more exciting and silly things to do! :)