3.31.2014

The Weekender


Hey Guys! (I know, I know, don't yell at me - we still owe you an India recap. It's coming soon, I promise)

A rundown of our weekend below. Is it just me or are they all starting to sound alike? I swear, we are not nearly as interesting as this blog makes us out to be :)

Enough self-deprecation, let's get to it!

Friday night we headed out to this super cute little area called Emerald Hill. All the shop houses were various shades of green with beautiful shutters and old emerald tiles. Shop houses, as they are called here, are the equivalent of (if not more rare and harder to snatch up) the coveted and expensive pre-war brownstones you find in the states. The pics I took just as the sun was setting do not do it justice - maybe we should come back sometime with the nice camera.


Emerald Hill is a peaceful little area right off the craziness of shopping mecca Orchard Road. 


The objective of our adventure was a great cocktail at No.5 bar. It was a fun Friday night atmosphere and the drinks were great. File this bar in the 'night out with friends' folder, not so much 'date night' but it's always a great time out with my lova no matter the location ;) 


I could live there. 


As we turn the corner into the homestretch of the wedding countdown, I had an appointment for a facial on Saturday afternoon. I figure 3 months is probably a good time to start thinking about an amped up beauty regimen.  

how cute is this place?
While I was getting pampered, Michael was supposed to be going to the bike doctor to get a flat tire and missing pin fixed, however I came home to him pathetically sitting on the curb by himself with his broken bike. He won't admit it, but I know he was secretly waiting for me to get home to help him carry the other half of his bike over 1/2 a mile in the 100 degree heat ;)

suns out, guns out 
Hmm... what does one do for an hour while your bike is being serviced...


$4 beers at the China Town hawker center of course! 


Saturday night, at the recommendation of one of my colleagues, we tried out a new 'Mexican-inspired' place called Lower East Side (one of the owners is American). 


It was no Ponak's (nothing is) but the tacos were amazing. (pulled pork and chorizo below) As Midwestern-Americans used to amazing Mexican food with gooey cheese and free flowing chips and salsa, it's a little hard to get used to the small portion sizes and outrages prices, but hey, sometimes you do what you gotta do to get your fix.
   

Relaxed atmosphere and cute decor - Saturday night win. 


Sunday was mostly spent on our bikes (a whopping 3hr, 55km ride! - yes, I am bragging, it was hard!) and recovering from said bikes. 


I have been whining like a little child that we never have 'fun' at the pool and only go there to work out (boring). So Michael humored me and we had a little Sunday-funday relaxation time to wrap up the weekend.


See ya later! 
-C
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3.26.2014

The Weekender

The weekend is over and all 3 of my teams (KU, Creighton, Nebraska) are out of the tournament already? Talk about depressing! 

Short and sweet recap this week. Like I mentioned, Michael was traveling in India most of the week into Sunday so I was on my own for the first half of the weekend. I was so excited to get geared up and watch some basketball after work! Oh yeah, that time change. FAIL. 

No fear, we are still loyal Jayhawks as Michael's dad is so kind as to tape all of the KU games on the sling box for us to watch at a more respectable hour. I avoided the internet and enjoyed watching the game first thing when I woke up on Saturday. Have not and probably will not watch Sunday's game :(

March Madness in Asia is hard.
I thought to myself, I'll have a fun night staying in watching a movie and ordering Domino's. Just like the old days! FAIL. What the heck is a 'classy chic' pizza?  


Friday and Saturday were not that exciting. Confession, I think I am officially 'one of those' people who is a total hermit loser when their significant other is away (at least here in Singapore). I did manage to get in a couple good workouts, grocery shopping and errands completed, but the amount of 'relaxing' that was done and Mad Men that was watched was most certainly pathetic level red.   

Sunday morning Michael finally returned home after what seemed like an eternity and came bearing gifts. He was so excited to be home and show me all the things he brought back. Michael rustled me out of bed at 6:30AM and demanded a fashion show of the saree he had excitedly purchased for me. I am only sharing this picture because I consider you readers to be my closest friends and family --- So this is what me wearing an Indian saree at the crack of down looks like. 

Am I dreaming?
Since we were already up, we dedicated to beat the foot traffic and head out on a long bike ride up the East Coast. I finally had the chance to stop and take some pics since Michael was pretty far ahead of me and I was in the process of turning around for him to catch up on his return path. 

How gorgeous is this golf course? 


SCSS
 - South China Sea Selfie


I tired so hard to get the perfect shot of all the jumbo jets landing at the airport, which is about 100 years behind me next to the course, but I didn't have any luck. Michael (and a ton of other bikers) like getting out on the bike path on Changi Road for, and I quote, 'my own personal Top Gun moment.'

I was afraid of getting lost so this was my turning around point
There sure are plenty of pretty things to look at during our long rides.


6:00 AM wake up = 7:00 AM bike ride = 9:30 AM breakfast. Not brunch for once! I real proper breakfast! We were also able to catch the end of the Saturday night basketball games on TV too. 


Oh hi! 
 

Stay tuned later this week for a guest post by Michael highlighting some of his travels throughout India!

Peace, Love & Rock Chalk,
C 

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3.20.2014

In The News

...and we are back with this weeks segment of, In The News (Jeff Daniels a la The Newsroom voice)

Clearly, this weeks headlines have been dominated by the news and updates of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane. So unbelievably sad and tragic. I have been going back and forth reading local publications and U.S. news outlets and it's interesting. Kuala Lumpur (or KL as everyone here calls it) is just to our North - about the distance from NY to Boston. Everyone here is very interested in following the story. However, in my opinion, if there had been any Singaporeans on board (surprisingly there were not considering how close KL is and how often people living here travel back and forth from there) there would be a far different sentiment around town. Hopefully everyone in the region keeps peacefully working together for the greater good. Such an unbelievably strange and scary scenario.     


Okay, I am sad again, time to lighten up the mood...

Some newsy tid-bits from this week. 

I guess there is a new show out there called Rich Kids of Hollywood or something? (eye roll) I am usually a fiercely loyal fan of awful TV, but sometimes just no. Don't get me wrong, I love drama and excess (see RHO_), but do not enjoy straight stupidity. Gasp! Have Michael's years of TV shaming finally worn me down?

See this people - I'll see your rich kids of LA and raise you rich kids of Singapore.  



I spotted this gem while Michael was cruising the ice cream aisle at 7-11 the other night. And yes I did spend >30min stalking their instagram accounts later that evening. There is something about people who are totally unabashed and shameless that is really intriguing to me.  However, I will note that in Singapore high end designer shoes and bags, luxury goods and sports cars are borderline par for the course and people are half way numb to it. People don't even blink at a 20 year old driving a McLaren or Aston Martin - I saw a couple out the window of the bus just this morning in fact ;)



Next article was about a couple who spent a full day taking selfies at every train station in Singapore. I mean...everyone has to have their niche? #icant


And finally some pretty places to look at to cure your winter blues (it's still winter, right? JK) This was a recent Buzz Feed article about restaurants with amazing views - Asia edition below.  (my friend Mary sent me this :))

Fingers crossed we are lucky enough to be able to check some of these off at some point. We are going to Bali next month (with Michael's parents! Woo!) so maybe we can visit at least one of those then. Lucky ducks, I know, I know :)



17. Vertigo, Bangkok, Thailand

Vertigo , Bangkok, Thailand
Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts / Via banyantree.com
You’re sitting: in open-air at the 61st floor rooftop
At: Banyan Tree
Looking at: the heart of the business district, river, and city skyline
Eating: signature dishes like roasted snow fish, tenderloin, wagyu, or vertigo appetizer plate

18. Soneva Kiri, Koh Kood, Thailand

Soneva Kiri , Koh Kood, Thailand
Soneva / Via soneva.com
You’re sitting: in a bamboo dining pod
At: Soneva Kiri Resort
Looking at: Gulf of Thailand’s shoreline and an ancient rain forest
Eating: homemade Thai cuisine brought to you by a flying waiter

19. Bukhari, Uma Paro, Bhutan

Bukhari , Uma Paro, Bhutan
COMO Hotels / Via comohotels.com
You’re sitting: in a dramatic dining room named after the traditional Bhutanese fireplace — it’s that cool thing in the center of the room
At: Uma by COMO hotel
Looking at: Paro Valley
Eating: Bhutanese and international dishes with seasonal, locally sourced produce

Also at Uma:

Also at Uma:
COMO Hotels / Via comohotels.com
You’re sitting in: the villa terrace
At: Uma by COMO hotel
Looking at: Paro Valley
Having: a private dinner

20. Tapasake, Island of North Malé Atoll, Maldives

Tapasake , Island of North Malé Atoll, Maldives
One&Only Resorts / Via reethirah.oneandonlyresorts.com
You’re sitting: on a Maldivian lagoon
At: One&Only Reethi Rah
Looking at: Laccadive Sea in the Indian Ocean
Eating: Japanese cuisine, with highest grade sushi and sashimi shipped from Tokyo

21. Ayung Terrace, Sayan, Indonesia

Ayung Terrace , Sayan, Indonesia
The Four Seasons / Via fourseasons.com
You’re sitting: on the terrance
At: Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan
Looking at: the Ayung River and palm trees
Eating: Asian-inspired and Indonesian specialties

22. Felix, Hong Kong, China

Felix, Hong Kong, China
The Peninsula / Via peninsula.com
You’re sitting: on the 28th floor
At: Peninsula Hotel
Looking at: Hong Kong skyline and harbor
Indulging in: European cuisine
You can catch the Symphony of Lights, a nightly multimedia show between Victoria Peak and Hong Kong Harbor.

23. Kupu Kupu Barong Villas, Bali, Indonesia

Kupu Kupu Barong Villas , Bali, Indonesia
Kupu Kupu Resort / Via kupubarongubud.com
You’re sitting: in a split-level setting with outdoor terrace
At: Kupu Kupu Barong Villas
Looking at: the Aunug River and forest
Eating: Southeast Asian–French fusion

24. Waterfalls Restaurant, San Pablo City, Philippines

Waterfalls Restaurant , San Pablo City, Philippines
Daniel Nicholson / Via Flickr: adjacentfrontier /Creative Commons
You’re sitting: at the foot of Labasin Falls
At: Villa Escudero Resort
Looking at: Labasin Falls
Eating: All you can eat lunch buffet.
Labasin Falls is not actually a natural waterfall, but a spillway of the Labasin Dam. A slight bummer, but still cool.

See you on Monday! 

- C





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