Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Busy Days, Busy Nights

It's been a busy two days, with me starting work and getting use to the 9-6 schedule. I haven't gotten over jetlag yet, so for the past two mornings I have woken up around 5 or 6. I get dressed for work and make some breakfast. In order to save a little money, we bought some bread, oatmeal, and yogurt to stock our fridge. I don't think we really saved any money though. Food prices are pretty high because everything is imported into Singapore.

My workplace is located a bit far from where I live. I either take the subway or the bus, and both ways take about 30 minutes. The transportation systems are pretty efficient here, even during rush hour. The office where I am interning is located high up in this modern building in a neighborhood filled with malls and offices. Upon reaching work, I usually settle into my station after making some coffee. We're on the 23rd floor, and my desk actually is against a window which showcases a beautiful view of the Singapore skyline. Below is the building (right side tower).


At noon we break for lunch, though there isn't a set lunch time. There are numerous eateries in the neighborhood, and today we wandered into an underground mall with a food hall. Various eateries and food stands lined the air-conditioned pathways. I saw everything from fried shitaki mushrooms on a stick, fish ball noodles, and kaya toast, to shaved ice and greek yogurt.

Here's a "tornado potato," which are thick potato chips on a stick.


Fried chicken cheese balls on a stick...


"Street sausage," which seems to be covered with french fry bits...


And lots of other street food! I promise not everything is fried and on a stick, but it seems to be all I've taken pictures of!


Then it's back to work! At six the office begins to empty out and I head back to the apartment. I really love our street. It has a quaint, historic feel, shops and restaurants take up the first floor, and flats are on the second and third.


After everyone reconvenes, we decide upon a place to eat dinner. By the time we pick at place, meander to the location, and eat, usually it's around 8 or 9. We've discovered a few good places around the area and we are going to try new restaurants everyday. Yesterday, after dinner we took a walk to the beautiful riverside, where we enjoyed the warm breeze and the far-off echoes of an orchestra concert playing across the water in the Marina Bay Sands. It was after 10 when we made it back, and being so exhausted from the jetlag, I did a little research and planning for our time here, then showered and went to straight to bed.

I have no idea when I will have time to do laundry, cook, or even shop! I realized that we still need to buy basics such as salt before we can do any real cooking. But we are actually pretty spoiled, as I learned that we have maids that will be coming in once a week to clean, change sheets, and even wash the dishes. Our weekends are completely booked with fun activities and international travel. I'm definitely still running on energy from the excitement of being in an amazing place and doing new things.

4 comments:

  1. Wow that's beautiful, Molly. The city looks and sounds like a palace. And is that Chinese on the "Street Sausage" sign - the font seems a little funny? Are all of the signs multilingual? I'm glad you're having a great time! It seems like an amazing place!

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  2. The sign is in traditional Chinese, not simplified, so that's probably why it looks different. And yes, many signs are multilingual, since Singapore is really such a cultural mixture. Most signs are in English, Chinese, and sometimes Malaysian. It makes getting around very easy!

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  3. Molly!
    I love how there's food in almost every post. I'm glad the potato tornado is vegetarian (?). Also, your building looks beautiful. Is it in a very central place in the city?

    P.S. Food is a tad expensive in HK. I am, however, going to try a new bread roll every morning.

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  4. Hey! The building is in a central place, in the Orchard District, which is a new, shiny, commercial neighborhood. I'm glad you like bread - I am obsessed with the different types of bakery products here and I have been buying baked goods every morning before work!

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