I slept around 4 AM this morning again, but did not sleep well at all
because there were loud noises outside (they may have been birds, but I
am unfamiliar with Singaporean bird noises). My sister texted me at
8:15 AM to contact our mother, so I decided to finally wake up. I
quickly webcammed with my mother and updated her about my time in
Singapore and my arrival to SFO at 11:40 AM. After this, I worked a bit
more on my blog and chatted with friends. I cannot wait to be home!
I
had a haircut scheduled for Shunji Matsuo at 11:30 AM. Laney and James'
supervisor recommended this salon and both of them recently received
likeable haircuts from there, which is why I decided to trust this
salon with my transition to short hair.
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Shunji Matsuo at Holland Village |
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Interior of salon... and the remainders of my long hair |
I
have been quite anxious about getting a short cut. I had short hair
during my sophomore year of high school, and it wasn't exactly the most
pleasant of experiences (I had wavy hair, which made my short hair
difficult to control). I spent the next 4 to 5 years growing out my hair
into the length it was today, and I was going to destroy my effort by
cutting it off. However, I needed change. I am tired of being called
"cute", tired of sporting a feminine and traditional look. Singapore has
definitely de-emphasized physical appearances, and I hoped the haircut
would secure that change in mindset. However, the salon did not entirely
fulfill my wishes. I do like my haircut, but it is not drastic. It
seemed that the salon staff admired my wavy hair and thought it to be a
pity to cut it all off; my hair stylist, River, wanted to preserve my
waves and instead gave me a longish bob. I hope that as soon as I grow
my fringe a bit longer, I can cut my hair even shorter.

While
I was in the MRT station and walking toward the train platform, I
stopped by Each a Cup for an earl grey milk tea at 50% sugar. Michael
said this place had delicious drinks, so I decided to try it before I
left the country. He was right-- it was indeed the best milk tea I've
ever had! Many American milk tea stores claim to have roasted milk teas,
but this milk tea actually had a roasted taste. I cannot put my finger
on it, but it had a roasted and rich sweetness instead of the pure
sweetness that most milk tea stores sell. However, despite its
deliciousness, I regretted drinking it before I had breakfast because it
upset my stomach and ruined my appetite for the rest of the day.
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Early grey milk tea |
I
needed to exchange the Singaporean money I received from NCCS into
American dollars, which is why I made a long journey to Chinatown. Along
the way, I stopped by Buona Vista to make a spontaneous trip to the
Star Vista. I've never visited the Star Vista before, so I wanted to
explore it a bit while I had the chance. The outdoor mall mostly had
restaurants and random shops, so I did not spend much time there.
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The Star Vista |
Afterwards,
I continued my journey to Chinatown and stopped by the People's Park
Complex. By the time I finished exchanging my money, it was already past
2 PM. I had a manicure/pedicure appointment (Laney, Emily, and I bought
a GroupOn deal for this) at 2:30 PM, so I quickly grabbed a pork bun
outside the complex and bought Singapore key-chains from Pagoda Street.
The pork bun didn't taste as good as it should've because my appetite
was askew due to the milk tea. It was definitely unfortunate that my
appetite was ruined on my last day in Singapore.
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Love the food stalls in front of People's Park Complex! |
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My last pork bun :( |
Around
2:20 PM, I grabbed a taxi to the Gallery Hotel, which is where the Nail
Spa Studio is located. The Gallery Hotel is located quite a ways from
the Clarke Quay MRT station, and I wanted to conserve time.
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The Gallery Hotel |
It
was my first time receiving a manicure and a pedicure and I usually do
not care about my nails, so it was an interesting experience. The
stylist was very friendly, and because we were around the same age, we
were about to talk about everything from Singaporean vs. American
culture to horror movies. She dropped out of high school, so she brought
a different perspective to life that I wouldn't have known about. It's
amazing the unique types of people you meet through these types of
conversations!
After my manicure, I decided to explore a bit. I sighted the Liang Court
from a distance away, and headed there as a reference point.
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Walked along the river |
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The Liang Court |
I
explored the Liang Court, but found that most of the shops inside were
food places. My appetite was still irregular, so I did not find the food
appealing and quickly left. From there, I headed to Clarke Quay. It was
definitely strange exploring the area during the day; it was empty and
dull, while at night it is bustling with activity and almost fantastical
as though it was another world. It felt surreal and appropriate for my sad farewell to Singapore.
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The empty bridge in Clarke Quay |


After
my explorations of Clarke Quay, I returned back to PGP. We were
originally planning to have a dinner with Jessica, Nelson, and his
friends, but Nelson and his friends wanted Japanese food while Jessica
and I wanted Indian. They went ahead with a Japanese buffet, which left
Jessica and I to look for food options. Wei Wei, the research associate
in my lab, recommended Annalakshmi, and we decided to head there for
dinner. However, Jessica who had arrived before I did found that the
restaurant was booked for a dinner, and we decided to have dinner at
Chinatown instead. I ordered a delicious food porridge, and because I
did not eat much today and it was my last meal in Singapore, I ordered a
second dish-- Fu Zhou noodle. Both were very tasty; I definitely love
the Chinese food in Singapore, especially the porridge and noodles. The
porridge is rich and flavorful, and the noodles are so perfect in
texture and chewiness that it seems as though they are handmade (perhaps
they are)! I will woefully miss these dishes when I am back in the
United States. Chinese food will never be the same!
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Fish porridge |
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Fu Zhou noodle |
After
we finished eating, Jessica and I just spend the remainder of the time
talking; we had interesting conversations and it was great to get to
know her better. Before we knew it, it was 11 PM and we decided to head
back before the MRT closes at midnight. The MRT ride back to PGP was my
last one, and that fact saddened me a bit. I took a clip of the ride and a photo of the map for memories.
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Empty MRT |
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MRT system |
By
the time I arrived home, it was about 11:45 PM. I called the taxi
company so I could book a taxi for 4 AM. My flight was at 7 AM Friday
morning, and I definitely didn't want to miss it. I had saved $34 SGD
for the taxi ride, but when I asked the operator for an estimation of
the price, she told me that the ride would be $50! I panicked, because I
did not have enough Singapore dollars, and asked if I could pay in
American dollars. After a series of calls, it was established that I
could pay with American dollars; However, luckily, I found more
Singaporean dollars while packing, which saved me from paying in
American dollars. I spent the rest of the night doing laundry and
packing for my flight.