A Tale of Two Weekends

HAND PAINTED LANTERNS HAIKU
Each one a story :: Lit from within and glowing :: Shining souls take flight

As if to show me how fast my time in Singapore is going, the weekend before last went by before I knew it. I had full intentions to update my blog on Monday... Then Tuesday... Wednesday... Thursday... Wait - what do you mean it's Monday again? 

Which brings us to Tuesday!  So here are the highlights of the last two weeks in Singapore.

A beautiful view of the old and new

Lazy River Friday ~ On Friday I decided to return to Marina Bay Sands to check out the River Cruise. So after a yummy lunch of falafel, (which I've missed, as a Buffalonian!) I purchased my ticket and enjoyed 40 minutes of beautiful river breeze and views of Singapore that I could get from no other perspective.

Open House at SIM ~ On Saturday I headed over to SIM for an Open House for prospective students and their parents. I was excited to have the opportunity to give a brief presentation on the Communication program and meet with the attendees  as it provided an interesting look at the program from their perspective.

My first impressions of Chinatown: One picture wouldn't suffice!

Dim Sum Sunday ~ The next day, I joined my friends for a trip to Chinatown for dim sum at Yum Cha! What an experience! Bamboo baskets of dumplings, pastries, noodles... food of every type imaginable. It would be hard to choose a favorite item... but if you really pushed me, I'd have to go with the coconut tarts! A repeat visit is GOING to happen.

Samy's Curry ~ On Wednesday we all went out for dinner at an Indian restaurant called Samy's Curry near Holland Village. While the food was spicier than I expected (my experience, turns out, has been mostly with northern-style Indian food, and southeast Indian food is a whole new world!) the ambiance and companionship - and garlic naan! - was terrific.

A wonderful evening!

More Adventures in Chinatown ~ On Friday, I returned to Chinatown with the sole aim of wandering. The Mid-Autumn Festival to me will forever be symbolized by the beautiful strings of bright lanterns of all sizes, shapes and colors. Also in abundance are mooncakes - sweet, confection-filled cakes imprinted with Chinese symbols for good fortune.

Mid-Autumn Festival ~ That evening, I returned to Fraser Suites to attend a Mid-Autumn Festival right here at the poolside. I was presented with a lit lantern and enjoyed delicious food while mingling with other guests.

Gracious hosts - and
check out that spread!

Wine & Mooncake ~ The next day, I headed back to Chinatown to attend a wine and mooncake pairing event. This unconventional idea was the brainstorm of the new Chinatown Visitor Centre to bridge traditional and contemporary customs. This delightful, casual event gave me a chance to meet new people, enjoy delicious wine AND indulge in sliver after sliver of mooncake!

Mooncake with traditional lotus
paste and salted egg yolk

Which brings me around to another week! My classes are going really well - in fact, I'll be giving students their midterm a week from today! It's hard to believe I'm already at the mid-point of the semester!  What new adventures wait around the corner? We shall see!