After staying one night in Koh Samui, I went back to Singapore for Christmas with my family. My brother, Peter, flew in from Afghanistan and my sister-in-law, Jenica, flew in from Los Angeles. Our plan was to go to Johor Bahru on Christmas day to take my father out for dinner.
After being in a tropical paradise for almost a month, I felt a little hesitant about going back to Singapore. The crowds, the super high-tech atmosphere, the rampant materialism were a little too much to absorb at first. However, the convenience and ease of being able to access and obtain anything were really nice.
It was so nice to spend time with my family. My father looked elated when we saw him and whisked him away for dinner on Christmas. We ate delicious seafood at a Chinese restaurant on Danga Bay.
After living as a backpacker for over a month, I’ve become so appreciative of the smallest luxuries in life and was stunned when I first walked into the 4-star hotel where Peter and Jenica stayed. I was shocked at how sparkly clean and fancy everything was. I wanted to weep when I walked into their white, granite-floored bathroom, and I couldn’t stop myself from exclaiming “Your bathroom is so beautiful!”
The time spent in Singapore turned out to be a gastronomic tour. There was really nothing that I wanted to do but eat, and Peter and Jenica kept me well-fed. From going to Newton Circus to feast on stingray, baby calamari and popiah (a Malay “burrito”), snacking on curry puffs on the street to sneaking me into their hotel’s nightly cocktail hour for unlimited drinks and appetizers, they were so generous. Hanging out with Peter’s Singapore friends from his National Service days didn’t stop the food extravaganza, as we feasted in delicious roti prata (Indian flatbread dipped in curry-traditionally eaten at breakfast) and authentic dim sum (including Peking duck (!), when done well, is just heavenly).
We walked on Orchard Road one afternoon, and Peter and I kept on commenting how things have changed so much. Orchard Road is so upscale now. It seems like every shopping mall there has the same set of stores. But unlike the US, where all malls have a Gap, Banana Republic, Victoria’s Secret, Crate & Barrel, etc., the malls on Orchard Road have the following: Prada, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, etc. So if you were eyeing a $4000 bag at Dior, walked away from it and decided to buy it 5 minutes later, don’t fret; you don’t need to walk back to the original Dior store, you can buy it at the next Dior store you’re approaching 20 meters ahead!
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- Hanging out with Janice, Andrew, Jenica and Peter.
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- View of Singapore’s port.
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- Christmas with Jenica (my sister-in-law), dad and Peter (my brother).
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- Orchard Road at night.
Tags: Singapore
