Singapore: Day 57

I spent most of early morning talking and packing with James, so by the time we separated ways it was 6:45 AM. I woke up again at around 8:30 AM to shower and pack. We had to check out of our current rooms by 10 AM, and in my case, I needed to check out and move into my new room. Because I extended my stay in Singapore for a week past the end of the program, I needed a room to stay in and the best I could find was a non-air conditioned single room for $20 SGD per night. While I was packing, I lost track of time and missed my goodbyes with Emily, Angelo and James. I was only two minutes late, which greatly saddened me. I said my farewell to James earlier this morning, but I did so nonchalantly because I thought I would see him again in a few hours and give him a real goodbye then. What truly saddened me was not being able to see Emily and Angelo, because they both graduated and I will not see them around the Berkeley campus. Emily will be working at UCSD for two years, while Angelo will be searching for employment and working as well. I hope that I did not miss my last chance to see them and that I will see them again in the states.

I went downstairs to the Fire Command Centre to receive my new set of keys. Because I was a bit down, I wandered into the lounge and spent time with Michael, Kate and Annette. It was sad seeing people trickle in and out and saying our goodbyes. Michael, Grace, and Allison left for Bangkok around the afternoon, and that left me, Kate, and Annette in the lounge. Eventually, I returned to packing and moving my luggages into my new room. It was a strenuous process because I had so much to carry (I can't imagine how terrible it'll be when I finish packing for my flight) and my new room was quite a distance away from my current one. Before I left, I took a couple of shots of my room at Block 5, Level 5, Room N as well as the general block.

The room was a mess because I was packing

The kitchen

The hallway. My and Emily's rooms are on the right.

The view from the 5th floor. We usually walked down that hill on our way home.

View from the elevator area

I spent two months in this room, so I was a bit sad to leave (I was more sad that I was leaving my precious air-conditioner and private bathroom.) After I finished moving into my new room, I webcammed with Emmie. I definitely miss her so much, and I can't wait to see her again when I go back to the states!

At 5 PM, I met up with Richard, who had arrived in Singapore earlier in the day. I became acquainted with Richard through the 2013 SASE West Regional Conference at UCSD, and he is studying abroad in Singapore for a year! After finding out that he had recently landed in Singapore, I messaged him so that we could spend time together before I had to leave. He wanted to go to Maxwell Food Centre for dinner and explore the Marina Bay Sands, so we did exactly that. At Maxwell, I ordered sliced fish bee hoon from Jin Hua. I have had fish soup before at Chinese restaurants in the states, but I never had it with noodles. It was sweet and rich in flavor, and very delicious. Maxwell definitely has the most amazing Chinese food! For dessert, I ordered a soya bean curd. Ever since I tried Michael's strawberry bean-curd on Thursday, I've been wanting to order one of my own. I chose the mango flavor, and it was good but the mango and soya flavors were not too compatible.

Sliced fish bee hoon

Mango flavored soya bean curd

Afterwards, we headed to the Marina Bay area. We were surprised by the fireworks showcase and the water and light show. Across the bay was something like a concert, because the arena was filled with people and cheering; I suspect that it is a celebration for Singapore's National Day, which is coming up on August 8. The fireworks were beautiful (sorry that my pictures do not capture the beauty of it, I was too busy gawking at them) because of the design and colors. It was not powerful, like how Americans would blast a large number a fireworks, but instead it was well-designed and elegant. Shortly after the fireworks, Marina Bay Sands had their light and water show. I have been meaning to see the show, because I missed it when I had my Gilman dinner and the others explored the Marina Bay without me. I'm definitely glad that I was able to see it before I left Singapore.

Fireworks!

Light & water show from Marina Bay Sands

Richard and I in front of the beautiful view

 After the light shows, we explored the mall a bit and finally headed outside to walk on the Helix Bridge and venture into Gardens by the Bay. I have to admit that it felt strange exploring Singapore without the Balongongs, because after all they have a strong presence in my Singapore experiences. However I have a few days to myself so I will be able to independently explore this country and not have experiences defined by others.

The Helix Bridge

Gardens by the Bay

Marina Bay Sands

By the time we got back to PGP, it was midnight. I was extremely tired at this point, because I only had little more than an hour of sleep last night. I showered and then went to bed at 2 AM.