A Life Far Removed from Durian Trees

Been eating at a lot of food courts and hawker centres, but often disappointed. Found some gems though... Warung M. Nasir on Killiney Road for Padang food - love the rice (kinda sticky) and the dishes are really authentic-tasting, Johorean-like food. Really sedap. Like home cooking. For me, the best Malay food resto in Singapore so far. The portions are balanced i.e. not too much rice, the juices are not too sweet and the sweets are yumm. Muslim food stall @ Hopspot on Killiney for nice roticanai with good dhal curry. The best roticanai/paratha I've had here so far. Mee goreng not so good. But it doesn't beat my #1 Roticanai place of all time: Raju's in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. Thick, fluffy and not oily. Raju... me love you long time!

A month since my last post. We are 90% unpacked - just need a bookcase, shoe rack, dish rack and a couple of foldable mattresses... and we're good to go! Our first guests will be my family - they are coming for Hari Raya. Will be a nice change... Otherwise, life in Singapore has its good and bad. I like the freedom and independence. I like having cooked lunches. I like dressing up for work and wearing clothes that have been in storage for ages. I like that most things are in English (a relief after years of only Portuguese/Arabic/French). I like that we can get almost everything here. BUT I find it TIRING. Struggling with the long commute and still adjusting to office life... who would've thought that socialising and listening to gossip would be so draining??? In my former life, I would have finished work, gone to the gym, showered and started dinner by 7pm. Now I get home to an empty and messy apartment, sweating and cranky... and barely having the energy to put i...

Not that I've looked very hard but this is the closest thing I've seen to a durian so far...

Singaporean invention? Haven't seen this before

Sugar-free Ritter Sports chocolate at Candy Empire in VivoCity (a little guilt-free treat for my diet!) Pumpkin puree (brings back memories of having pumpkin pie during my uni days in the US - one day I will learn to make this) and Knorr halal chicken cubes (surprisingly hard to find abroad) at Tanglin Mall Reese's chocolates at The Cocoa Trees at Tanglin Mall (childhood favourite) Hediard Café and Restaurant! (tried to look for chestnut cream, i.e. the French 'kaya' as my sister puts it) I feel like a kid in a candy shop...

Touchdown, Singapore! Arrived about a week ago and then straight to the office. We're both struggling with jetlag for some reason, despite never having had a problem when on holiday in Malaysia. Shipment should arrive in the next week or so, and we should also get the keys to our apartment soon. One thing I know by now: keyword, should. Today I visited the apartment for the first time (S did the viewings during business trips and sent me photos)... and was disappointed to find that the living room is so small... Otherwise it's ok; it's a small development with a pool, gym, BBQ area and tennis courts. Working in the office again, getting used to it. The commute sucks. So does the fact that social apps/pages are blocked. But the lunches are great. And it's been very interesting learning about Singaporean culture through my colleagues. First thing: Singaporeans don't wear sunglasses. In spite of the weather, they don't. Didn't notice until someone said, "N...

The Singapore move is becoming a reality. Flight tickets have been issued. Various pieces of paperwork filed. Packing date is set. Temporary accommodation booked. Employment Pass is ready. My company knows I will show up at work on July 4. Eeek! After 5+ years of working in my pyjamas being a remote worker!