Dinner & A Show

Today was my birthday! It was the first time I've celebrated away from family and friends. I thought I would be sad and homesick, but my sweet husband made it a happy and fun day for me. Plus, I received so many birthday wishes through Facebook. I love technology!

Tony first surprised me with cupcakes for breakfast. 

Later in the evening he made reservations at Ku De Tah Restaurant located at the top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel: http://www.kudeta.com.sg/. The restaurant was on the 57th floor which allowed a 360 view of the city. We were at the front end of the boat-shaped rooftop. 

The infinity pool is at the far left.

When we arrived, we suddenly saw people parachuting down from the sky with red smoke coming out of their parachutes. Everyone stared in awe wondering what was happening. Our waiter told us they were practicing for Singapore's National Day holiday which was on August 9th. After we ordered drinks a loud sound shook the restaurant. When we looked up a group of F16 fighter jets flew by. The noise scared some little kids, but we we felt like kids ourselves enjoying the spectacle. 

Canons going off

 

The F16 jets kept flying by during the meal, but at that point we were too busy enjoying the pork belly and my surprise birthday dessert. 

To cap off the night we ordered one last round of drinks and waited for the next show. Our waiter Leonard revealed one more treat - a fireworks show! What were we going to see next? Iron Man? This night couldn't get any better. While we walked around the SkyPark (located on the 56th floor) we took photos of the view and enjoyed the fireworks. Unfortunately, we couldn't get into the infinity pool area since it was only open to guests. However, we took a photo from afar. This was the best birthday yet.

The Sky Deck

Infinity Pool

The colorful cityscape

Marina Bay

Start of the show

Finale

House Hunters International

We finally got iPhones! We were made fun of back home because we had "dumb" phones and used them proudly. Since having these smart phones we've played on them every night. It's very addictive!

Another momentous occasion happened today. We started our real-life "House Hunters International" and began our apartment hunt. To find places, most people use realtors due to the rules and regulations of apartment owners. Rent prices can sometimes be negotiated which the agent helps with. We found a realtor who actually used to live in Daly City. It was great to have that local connection with her. We saw 2 places today and will look at a few more tomorrow. The housing market is very competitive (5.5 million people and a small island). So if you like a place you usually have to place an offer that moment and write a check for the deposit and 1st month's rent. We'll be on the lookout for that perfect place with an "open-concept" and "granite counter-tops."

Some photos from our hunting. Thank you iPhone and Instagram!

The area we're targeting is Kembangan which is close to the MRT and has a nice locals vibe. 

 

The Mitzelfelt's Friday night dinner.

Maid To Order

It's been a week since we arrived here and have settled in well. We've learned more local customs and started to understand local slang. For example, if you eat at a Hawker Center or casual food court you must find your table first before placing an order. The vendor brings the food to your table and then you pay him/her. Drinks are ordered at a separate stand which are also brought to your table.

Locals here speak "Singlish" which is Singaporean English. However, it sounds like a whole other language to us because it's spoken very fast and broken up. Here are some common terms:

Lah - Added at the end of a sentence to add emphasis
Can hah? - Are you sure? 
Can leh - Yes of course
Die die - No matter what happens
Oso can - No problem
Issit? - Really? 
Dun play play - Don't fool around
Talking cock - Talking nonsense (check out http://www.talkingcock.com/)

Another cultural difference here is that it's common for people to have live-in maids. The other day I was at home while Tony was at work. Then suddenly the doorbell rang and someone started opening the front door. I rushed over and said "Hello who's there?" To my surprise a lady appeared and said "Hello, I'm here to clean your apartment. I come once a week." I knew the building offered a maid service, but we had to request it. Being skeptical I asked if she could come back later. I was really stalling so I could call Tony and ask if he knew about it. Turns out his company paid for the maid service while we're living here. Whew! I'm used to cleaning up after myself (thanks Mom!) so it felt weird to have a maid. However, when I came home and the place was spotless I thought, a girl can get used to this. :)

Teh-O...Me Say Teh-O

Each day we've learned new aspects of the Singaporean culture. Since what people do the most here is eat, we've started with learning food terminology. The first lesson took place at our favorite breakfast spot, Toast Box. 

This time we had Mee Rubus and Kaya Rolls

They specialize in Kaya Toast which are 2 pieces of toasted bread with Kaya spread (mix of eggs, sugar, coconut milk and pandan) and a slab of butter. You can also eat Mee Rubus which are Malaysian curry noodles. Their coffee and tea are the best we've tasted so far. Coffee is a Singaporean institution and there are various coffee shops or "kopitiams" around the country. You'll also find "coffeeshops" which are not what you think. They're casual restaurants where you can buy cheap beer. Alcohol is expensive here. We were shocked to see a 6-pack of Stella for 20 SGD. Anyway, here's a breakdown of the types of kopi (coffee) and teh (tea) you can order:

Kopi / Teh: coffee/tea with condensed milk, no sugar
Kopi-O / Teh-O: coffee/tea with sugar
Kopi-O Kosong / Teh-O Kosong: coffee/tea without sugar ("kosong" is Malay for nothing) 
Kopi-C / Teh-C: coffee/tea with evaporated milk and sugar ("C" is for Carnation a brand of evaporated milk)
Kopi-C Kosong / Teh-C Kosong: coffee/tea with evaporated milk without sugar
Kopi peng / Teh peng: iced coffee with condensed milk
Kopi gao: double espresso
Kopi poh: light coffee

To continue our search for the perfect neighborhood to live in, we decided to check out Siglap. A friend of mine told me it's the "Holland Village" of the east side. There was no MRT stop close to the area so we took the bus instead. Travel was easy and we were dropped off in the center of the area. There was an array of restaurants and shopping just like Holland Village. However, this area felt more like a locals' neighborhood. The only chain was McDonald's but that's to be expected. We ate lunch at a crowded food court where the "Auntie" or "Uncle" manned the drink station. Close to Siglap is an area called Kembangan which had a similar vibe. It had its own MRT stop which pleased us. The apartments were pricier (3500 SGD and up), but the neighborhood is still in the running for Tony and Trisha's new home.

Gardens and Expats

We've asked many people what neighborhoods in Singapore are cool to live in. Coming from San Francisco, we're used to the high density of people in small spaces. We never lived in the heart of the city, but were close to restaurants, bars, and sites in our neighborhood. That's exactly what we're looking for in a location over here. The #1 item on our house hunting wishlist is to be close to an MRT station. 

One neighborhood we heard about was Holland Village, so we decided to check out the area. It's located on the west side of the island which posed a longer commute to work, but it had its own MRT stop. We had high expectations at first because our friends told us the area had lots of fun shopping and restaurants close by and many expats lived there. What we didn't expect was how much it reminded us of home, but not in a good way. The main artery of the neighborhood was a street called Lorong Mambong which contained rows of chain and westernized restaurants and bars. We saw a Coffee Bean and a Kenny Rogers' Chicken joint. At the end of the road was a windmill, giving the place a kitschy and Disneyland-like aura. We saw many expats for sure, mainly Europeans and Americans which surprisingly made us feel some culture shock. We came to Singapore to experience the local culture and being here made it seem like we never left home. 

Close to Holland Village was the Botanical Gardens. Admission was free and we walked through the most beautiful array of exotic plants and flowers. The Orchid Garden had a 5.00 SGD admission so we decided to save the tour for when our parents came to visit. The gardens even had a Swan Lake and I hid behind some bushes to snatch a photo of a swan. 

Such colorful flowers

Flowers like chili peppers

Classical Music Venue

Different types of palm trees

Star of Swan Lake

Weeping Willows

Today was also a great foodie day. Close to the Botanical Gardens was an area called Dempsey Hill. Seeing all the BMW's and Bentley's driving by confirmed our research that this was a posh neighborhood. Tucked away among the fancy restaurants was this unpretentious but famous spot (thanks Anthony Bourdain) called Samy's Curry: http://www.travelchannel.com/video/tony-eats-fish-heads. We picked our dishes by pointing at them, then the waiter served family-style portions at the table. Instead of plates we ate on banana leaves. We were happily stuffed after eating savory curries, spiced fish, biryani and warm garlic naan. 

Later on we capped off the day with Porn. Do I have your attention now? :) Across the street from our apartment is a restaurant called Porn's - sexy, Thai food. The food was as delicious as its name: http://www.porns.com.sg/.