Our First Outing: Vivocity

We had all intentions of hitting up Ikea Singapore on our first full day (shower curtain, floor mats, dishes, etc) but all 3 of us were so jet lagged that much of the day was spent napping, playing Angry Birds (thanks a lot for getting us hooked, Kevin and June!), and making runs to the PGP food courts.

This morning, we finally got ourselves out of the NUS compound and headed to  one of Singapore's great malls: Vivocity. After much online research (for those of you who know me well, you know I'm all about the economy of motion) I decided that Vivocity would be able to help us with many of the things that were on our initial to-do list: banks, phone stores, baby stores, toy stores, houseware stores, and food courts. And if one doesn't find everything that they would need and want at Vivocity, not to worry because right next door is the Harbourfront Centre, which also has banks, phone stores, baby stores, toy stores, houseware stores, and food courts. Hey, one can never have too many options when it comes to goods.

Our wonderfully productive morning taught us some lovely things about Singapore: 

1. Taxi rides are much more costly during peak hours. Though cabs are quite cheap to take,  avoiding going during peak hours can save you at least a couple Singapore dollars since cabs charge a peak fare increase for rides during rush hour. Such a smart idea! 

2. Kaya toast is an amazing invention. Last night we had a kaya waffle from our local PGP Snack Bar (just steps away from our apartment). Both are delicious. I wish I had introduced kaya into my life earlier than now.

3. I'm not sure why I packed pots and pans in our shopping boxes. For one, our kitchen burners are as big as the Pottery Barn Kids' Play Kitchen. Second, we are surrounded by amazing food everywhere that is quite cheap. My favorite is the amazing Food Republic. It is filled with delicious culinary options from all over Asia, including one stand that will juice you your very own fresh dragonfruit and mango juice. Sometime this week, in the cool aftermath of an afternoon Singaporean rain shower, Derek promised me a trip to a real hawker center. Bring on the sweat! Too bad Angelo won't be preparing my hawker food of choice. 

4. The Giant store here is not like the Giant by our DC home on 9th and P. Instead, it is huge and carries food, housewares, furniture, shoes, floor mats, you name it, they have it. Our most important purchases there were our new cheesy house slippers and bolster pillows. 

Please take a closer look at my house slippers. At first glance you'd think it was strawberry themed, but upon detailed inspection it is actually watermelon-themed. And as for the bolster pillows (a.k.a. guling for my Indos), after 7 years of knowing me, I have convinced Derek that one's nightly slumber is never complete without your very own guling. Give it a try, your life will be forever changed.