Singapore: Day 62

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.

Shunji Matsuo at Holland Village

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.

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.

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.

Love the food stalls in front of People's Park Complex!

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.

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.

Walked along the river

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.

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!

Fish porridge

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.

Empty MRT

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.