Closing out our SG chapter

I got up at ridiculous o’clock this morning, as we had to go back to the apartment to let the cleaners in to do the moving-out clean. We got back so early that the evening security guard was still on duty. I’m glad he was, so I got to say goodbye. He’s been very helpful and friendly, and has pretty much been working at the apartment complex the entire time we’ve lived there. He seemed genuinely sad to see us go 😢

We got back to our hotel, and N went back to the room to go back to sleep 😂 I somehow magically woke up and just went straight to breakfast! I loitered there for the next 1.5 hours until N woke up and joined me. I had two cups of coffee, pancakes and a bowl of noodles while he was still sleeping. Ah to be a morning person and do this every day! #goals

The cleaner said that they will call/message us about half an hour before they finish up, but it was 12pm already and we still hadn’t heard from him, so we went back anyway. And of course they had already left – and left us with an apartment that looked dirtier than when we left this morning 😲 We never have good luck with cleaners, they never seem to do a good job. So we ended up spending the next three hours cleaning the apartment ourselves. And it was pretty clean already! If we didn’t have to get professional cleaning done as part of the lease contract, we probably wouldn’t do it, as we have wasted so much money on dodgy cleaning services over the years. Sighhh…

The handover went relatively smoothly, thankfully. The agent was checking everything: checking that all the taps and lights were working, the toilets were flushing, the showers were working, the curtains were clean, the rangehood, the oven… 🙄 I need that same checklist for HK as no doubt the landlord is going to be as nit picky there too 😳

But thankfully she was happy with the condition of the apartment, and we will indeed be getting our bond back! Phewww! 😅 She better not find more faults in the apartment over the next few months while we wait for the bond to be returned to us! She said it’ll take about 1-2 months to return the deposit, I don’t know why it’ll take that long? Is it to give the landlord time to return the money to the tenant? Why should it take them so long to return it anyway, they should already have the money there?! Anyway, whatever the reason for the long wait, fingers crossed that we do eventually get it back!🤞

We then visited Kitty one last time, and she was actually pretty good with us. The nurse asked that since she’s behaving well with us, if they can give her fluids while we’re there – and Little Miss complied! 👏 But then she started getting agitated again soon after, so we put her back into her room to let her chillax on her own. Just a few more days and she’ll be back with us – just in an entirely different country! 😱

And we finished the evening catching up with dancing friends. We booked the table for 7pm, and it was midnight by the time everyone left. But even I, one of the most introverted people, barely noticed the time. We went to Overeasy at One Fullerton, which overlooks the iconic Marina Bay Sands, so we got some awesome group shots with MBS, the Art Science Museum and the SG Flyer in the background. I’m glad we chose to go there, it was such a nice way to close out our SG chapter 😍

We got a few farewell gifts, which I thought was very thoughtful of people 🙏 Now we’ll have to find room for them in our luggage…! We have to re-pack anyway, as we just stuffed everything in our suitcases with no sense of order, so they’re not packed in the most efficient way at the moment. Hopefully we won’t have to pay for excess baggage tomorrow…! 🤞

Food and sunflowers

Today is the only full day that my parents have in SG – and we spent the day eating 😂 We had breakfast at home, but then by the time we left, my mum was like “well it’s 12pm, we should go and have lunch”. Okayyy… But we just had breakfast less than two hours ago…?!? 😐 So we went and had lunch.

And then just before we started heading over to Marina Bay Sands, my mum wanted to stop by Bread Talk to pick up some bread for snacks later in the afternoon. So we stopped by Bread Talk 😳

And so we make it to Marina Bay Sands, and then my mum suggests that we stop somewhere for coffee. So we stop somewhere for coffee and cake 😳

And then we finally make it to Gardens by the Bay, where we roamed around the Flower Dome for a while, before we headed back home – and my mum whips out some Bread Talk bread for their afternoon snack 😳

We actually had a bit of break from eating for a few hours before we grabbed a quick dinner down the road. I was surprised there was no pre-dinner snack 😂 But we did stop by the supermarket on our way home to buy some dessert, so we had that when we got back home after dinner 😳

So obviously my intermittent fasting went out the window today.

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

And the current sunflower theme at the Flower Dome is not one of my favourites. They had this Wizard of Oz theme running through it, but Lion was tiny as, compared to Scarecrow and Tin Man, and Dorothy looked like a scary-ass doll 😂 Plus I’m not really a fan of sunflowers, so coupled with a mediocre Wizard of Oz, I just wasn’t that excited about this theme.

I hope I can get to see the next theme before we go, and I also hope I enjoy it more than this one. I’d like the last theme that I see as a SG resident to be one that I really like. Fingers crossed…! 🤞

Buzzing with energy

We had a double Latin lesson today, followed by a bit of Ballroom practice after, with a quick lunch in between the two sessions. N was completely spent, so he didn’t do too much Ballroom today. His muscles were really right, so he went for a massage straight after practice.

I, on the other hand, for some bizarre reason, still had all this energy. I felt totally wired, as if someone had injected me with caffeine or some similar drug that gives you an energy boost. I could feel my body was tired, but at the same time, this natural drug that was coursing through my veins was telling me to go, go, go! It was the oddest feeling.

I thought maybe I’d go for a session at the gym to get rid of this excess energy. But I was toying with the idea of riding my scooter around Marina Bay and Gardens by the Bay, taking a similar route to what we did with our friends last Tuesday on the public holiday. It’s not as physically taxing as going to the gym, but it still does require some effort with balance and coordination, so I thought it was a good compromise.

And so I went riding 🛴 and got some nice evening shots 😊

Evening shot from a different angle

City skyline behind the Merlion

Anderson Bridge and the Fullerton Hotel

Now that whatever drug it was has worn off, my body is completely sore and I am totally knackered 😂 I like to think of this as evidence of a successful day 👏 Now if only this drug actually existed and I could take it whenever I needed a boost…! 😉

An actual public holiday

Today was an actual public holiday in SG, unlike the “enforced” one yesterday 😆

We did a lot of riding today: first, we cycled with our friends to Gardens by the Bay and back, stopping by for coffees, smoothies and milkshakes at Marina Bay Sands; and then lunch at Robertson Quay. I rode my scooter, while the others rode their bikes. I don’t get much opportunity to use my scooter, after I ruled out using it to go to the vet with Kitty, so I’m glad I decided to use it today.

After lunch, we parted ways and N and I did part 2: we rode the North Eastern Riverine Loop! It’s still very pretty, and once again, there were very few people on the trail. I rode the bike this time, to get a bit more of a workout, while N rode on the scooter. The scooter actually lasted all day, which was unbelievable. It only started dying when we were a few hundred metres to the finish line, its battery life is very impressive.

We were so knackered by the end of the day. I took a nap as soon as we got home, and then we finished the day with the third and fourth Jurassic Park movies. I’m all caught up and ready to watch #5! 👍

A beautiful day

N and I were talking about gratitude last night, and I remembered our discussion again this morning. I mentioned to him last night how I’ve worked hard over the last few years to consciously bring more gratitude and mindfulness in my life, so now it comes much more easily to me. It’s not automatic, and I don’t think it ever will be, but there are definitely a lot more moments in my day now when I am appreciating the moment, and not worrying or complaining or getting frustrated at something or someone.

I think too many of us go about our day complaining about everything that’s not “right” in our lives. Case in point: I do it all the time on this blog! 😂 But what we don’t do often enough is just stop and smell the beautiful roses that are right in front of us. Whatever those proverbial roses are in your life, see them for the beauty that they are, and appreciate them and be thankful that you have them in your life.

I read this blog post the other day, and I really liked her technique of stopping and letting herself take in her surroundings through her five senses. I’ve been doing this whenever I remember to, and it’s been such a wonderful experience when I do. I notice just how clear and blue the sky is; just how peaceful and quiet it can be at home; how soft Kitty’s fur is or the rug in our living room; or even the fact that I can actually breathe today. Because it’s not every day that you have a clear nose and can breathe with such ease that you don’t even notice it.

And on the bigger things: I try and appreciate our time here in SG, as we never know when we have to leave this country. Our friends moving back to Oz in the next month or two is a perfect example of how life can just suddenly take you places, whether you want it to or not. So whenever I can, I try and stop and appreciate this city: its unbelievably efficient public transport system; the various food options available – at all hours of the day and at all different price points; how so very clean it is; and how safe I feel in this country.

It’s very easy to just notice all the bad things happening around you and around the world, but there is also so much that is good and right and beautiful. We just have to make the time to notice those things too.

So here is my pause for the day, and I hope you can do the same sometime today too 😌

It was a beautiful sunny day today, and so after my usual FX seminar, I went for a walk around the Marina Bay area, as I figured the iconic attractions around the Bay would look very pretty on such a lovely day. I’m glad I went for this walk, even if it was a brief one- as I still wanted to be back at my desk in time for the European session – because the Bay looked very lovely indeed. Plus a clear day in SG = extra warm ☀️ So I wasn’t keen on being out for too long.

N was catching up with a friend from our uni days, who’s apparently in town tonight, so that meant no dancing. As per my new habit, this meant I was going to the gym. So even though I was still feeling rather tired today, I made my way nonetheless and still put in a bit of an effort. Even though 3 minutes in I was dying on the elliptical, I stuck it out 😓 I also didn’t lift as much weights as I did last time I was there, but I don’t mind. The point is, I still made it. I could’ve made up any old excuse not to go tonight, but I still made it. I’m sticking with my “consistency” theme for the year, and I am really happy about that!

And I finished off the evening with a Downton Abbey Christmas special. Aaaand yet more people leave. It’s Game of Thrones all over again!

T-0

I decided to go to Marina Bay Sands this morning, and if I had enough time afterwards, perhaps make a quick trip to Gardens by the Bay 🍃🌼🌱 But by the time I finished breakfast, it was almost 1pm 😲 (So my breakfast actually ended up being brunch hehehe) And I like to be in front of the charts by 2pm at the latest, just before the European session open, so Gardens had to wait for another day.

After a not-so-bad trading session, I went to the gym. I made a decision today: I’m going to go to the gym on weekdays when we don’t have dancing. Now that’s one helluva commitment 😂 Let’s see just how well I go with this. Although I’ve somehow made writing a blog post a daily habit, so maybe I can actually commit to this too… But let’s just take this one day at a time, and assess after one week 😂

I watched a video ages ago with these guys doing Rumba walks on a treadmill, and I thought that was really awesome idea, especially given the limited amount of time that we get to spend in the dance studio, and the limited amount of space in general here, since it comes at such a hefty premium in this small city country.

I went looking for that same video again, but instead came across this couple who had made clips doing four of the five Latin dances on the treadmill! So after seeing their short clips, I now know that you can indeed do some basics on the treadmill, not just for Rumba, but for the other three as well 👍 (never mind Paso Doble, it’s always the black sheep anyway 😂) I’m now even more keen to keep this commitment of going to the gym!

And then in the evening, I went to one of my other favourite places in SG: Changi Airport! I got there a tad late, and didn’t really get to enjoy my dinner as leisurely as I would have liked, coz N’s flight was mega EARLY! I was hoping that they’d do loop de loops in the air coz there were too many planes wanting to land all at the same time, with N’s plane just adding to the chaos, but that didn’t happen. Changi is just too efficient 😆 So I wolfed down my meal as quickly as I could, and headed down to Arrivals. Not that I needed to rush, since the whole disembarking and getting your luggage business takes another 30 minutes anyway. But the important thing is that N’s flight landed safe and sound 👏

But his luggage didn’t. Argh! 😔 The Virgin Australia staff said that they’ll organise for it to go from Sydney to Melbourne to SG. Obviously some part of the process fell over coz it didn’t make it to SG. So when it was announced that the last bag had been put on the belt, and his didn’t show up, N had to report his delayed baggage. Luckily they could track it down. “It was delayed”, they said. But apparently it’s on the next flight to SG and so they said it should be arriving first thing in the morning. Oh well. At least they know where it is and it hasn’t gotten completely lost. And that there are multiple Melbourne-Singapore flights each day! But still, it is all rather inconvenient. This wouldn’t have happened at all if it was coming from Changi 😊 (well, the chances would be much slimmer ☺️)

So the day didn’t quite turn out as I had hoped, but it was still a good day 😊

Too much of anything is good for nothing

I went to Gardens by the Bay again today 😂 I have been here five times in the last month or so, which I think is a bit overkill, even for me. I may have to give myself a bit of a break for at least a few months before I return. I don’t want to get to the point where I find the place boring. Because if I get to that point, then I will lose my happy place, and that will be a very sad situation.

My friend and I then had a very late lunch at Marina Bay Sands, and then briefly parted ways as I had to swing by our dance studio to pick up our competitor number for tomorrow’s comp. We then met up again later in the evening with N, to go and have Bak Kut Teh for dinner! It was her first time trying it, and I don’t think she was terribly impressed. Not sure if she’ll want to have it again anytime soon… Hahaha oh well. At least now she can say she’s tried it 😊

It was her last day in SG, so we bid her farewell soon after dinner and wished her a safe flight home. She’ll spend a few hours at Changi before her flight, so that’ll be a great way to end her holiday (seriously! She’s flying out of terminal two, where the cinema is (!!), as well as a gaming room and a resting area, among other things 😊). I’m sure she’ll be happy to be out of the SG humidity. She was struggling big time while she was here – and it’s only “spring”! 😂

Argh, I’m starting to freak out again about the comp. Why do I get so stressed each and every time?!? There really isn’t any point stressing about it. I just wish I didn’t get stressed so much, so I didn’t waste so much energy unnecessarily – and instead redirect it to something more productive: my dancing!

Nonetheless, I have my Oompa Loompa Tan on; my nails are all painted (albeit dodgily, as always, but the judges won’t see them up close so it’s all good hehe); and I’ve done some visualisation of a few of the dances. Now I just need a decent night’s sleep, and I’ll be ready to go for tomorrow. At least physically. Mentally not so much 😆

Being a dancing tourist

It was a pretty chilled day. I caught up with my friends for lunch at Suntec City, my friends who flew in from Sydney yesterday. And then we walked over to Marina Bay Sands and headed up to the viewing deck up on L56. You get an awesome view of Gardens by the Bay from up there, so purteee…

We then wandered around the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands and caught a lion dance! They were “blessing” (is that how you describe it?!) one of the stores, and we stuck around and watched the whole performance. Always quite fun to watch 😊

And we finished the evening with our usual dancing. Jive is still so damn fast… sighhh… As much as I like a particular section (and the fact that I even like a section is impressive), we may have to change that part of the choreography. Which is a bit sad, because I rarely (if ever) use the word like to describe Jive! 😂 And if we can’t get this section up to speed, then we just have to replace it. But in the meantime, we just have to keep working on it…