Singapore: Day 60

Today, I missed my alarm and overslept until about 10:20 AM. Two months of sleep deprivation have definitey worn me down, and I can't wait to go home and finally hibernate. While I was walking to the Kent Ridge MRT station, I couldn't resist my craving for Mr. Bean; whoever put Mr. Bean next to the MRT station is very clever, because whenever I am near the Kent Ridge MRT I am always tempted to make a quick stop at this delicious soya dessert store. I ordered my usual warm 25% sugar soya milk and tried the cheese pancake. As usual, it was delicious! I don't know how I am going to survive in the U.S. without soya milk and pancakes, especially since I eat them so frequently in Singapore. 

Cheese pancake and soya milk

 I arrived into lab in the afternoon, and quickly picked up my project. I ran a gel for the two genes that I left in the PCR machine yesterday as well as ran PCR for two more genes. I only need to run one more gel tomorrow, and I will be done with my project at last! I worked efficiently and quickly, such that I finished all that I needed to do that day by 4 PM. As a result, I left work early to explore Tanjong Pagar. Ever since last night, I have been craving the Pad Thai Jessica had for dinner; the egg prata also did not fulfill my craving for murtabek, so I wanted to actually eat mutton murtabek. That is why, at 5 PM, I found myself at Amoy Street Food Centre eating another huge feast.

Amoy Street Food Centre during the day

Pad Thai and mutton murtabek

The meal was very delicious, because I was able to satisfy my craving for Thai food and Indian food simultaneously. It is rare that I have cravings for two very different foods, and I was immensely happy that I was able to fulfill both. I quickly ate the food and shortly began my explorations of Tanjong Pagar afterward. 

Tanjong Pagar was one of those places that just resonated with me. I am not sure why, but sometimes a place just feels like home and we can't explain it. I felt this way with Chinatown as well, but I had the chance to explore Chinatown and now was my opportunity to explore Tanjong Pagar. I first went to the Red Dot Museum only to find it closed until August 2 (the day I leave Singapore, sadly); however, the receptionist gave me a "Design Map" that pointed out many stores in the area that featured creativity and design. I made it my goal to find the Little Drom Store. Here are some shots from my journey to find the store. I was lost on multiple occasions, which gave me the perfect opportunity to explore the area.

Thian Hock Keng Temple

Statues detailing Chinese processions

Ann Siang Road

Finally found you!

The interior of the store. Such a cute find!

At the Little Drom Store, I purchased a pair of hand-made owl earrings as a commemoration of my journey. It was fun exploring Singapore with friends, but I wish I had more independent journeys like the one I had today. Perhaps I like being by myself, but there is nothing like getting lost with a map.

After my explorations, I returned to PGP, took a quick shower, and headed to Holland Village for dinner with Luke, a graduate student I recently met. We ate at Cha Cha Cha Mexican Restaurant, and I ordered the Enchiladas de espinaca y papa. The food was pretty good, considering that it is Mexican food in Singapore. It was not comparable to the Mexican food in California, but it fulfilled my cravings for Latino food. 

Enchiladas de espinaca y papa (sorry for the poor image quality)

 Afterwards, we went for dessert at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, which is an Asian chain store similar to Starbucks. I ordered the raspberry cheesecake, which was overpriced at $5.80 and at best decent. As a baker of cheesecakes, I am quite critical about what a good cheesecake is, and this one was definitely too thick and dry. However, like the Mexican food, it satisfied my cravings for Western desserts.

Raspberry cheesecake

Looking into the distance

After our dessert stop, we made our way back to PGP and separated ways. It was an interesting encounter with Luke, to say the least. When I returned to my room, I showered and continued working on my blog until the AM.