Don't You Just Love Sundays?

Since we were too late in booking Sunday's wakeboarding slot, we were unable to have any action at Punggol Marina. What a disappointment! Hence, we decided to venture into the the backward realms of Pulau Ubin.

Rousing myself up at an ungodly hour of 8 in the morning isn't fun, especially when you account for the fact I slept at 3 in the morning the night before. Gees. Nevertheless, we were able to board the bumboat for the island, consequently reaching at 11am. The skies were overcast and ominous.

Anyway, Adeline's boyfriend, Mark bought a new waterproof camera. For some reason, the photos they uploaded are all in landscape lah. So if you wanna view the pictures in a portrait manner, please tilt your head to the left. When you finally develop a sore neck, please direct complains to Adeline.

Update: Okay, I think there is something about this Kodak Gallery that fails to load the pictures to people who doesn't sign in to view the pictures. So hey, if you are really interested in the pictures, you can look at the slideshow here. When you click back right here, you might be able to view the pictures. I'm not too sure. Hmm.


We didn't really have to wait long to board a bumboat. 2 buckeroos each way!




Adeline displays her glee upon disembarkment.


Welcome to Pulau Ubin!


The sight of reaaaaally aged vehicles greeted us. You can't get anymore vintage than this.


Here we are, gathering information on how to get around.


We rented the old bikes for about 6 buckeroos for the whole darn day. Quite a steal, I must say. There is no need to rent the spanking new bikes because the trails are strewn with really sharp stones and your bike is just gonna get really muddy at the end of the day. At least, might did.


Onwards we go!


Halfway towards cycling to Chek Jawa, the skies turned really dark and it started to pour.


We reached the entrance of Chek Jawa, where cyclists aren't permitted. Hence, we left our bikes and explored on foot.


As we explored the mangrove swamps, we still managed silly pictures in the drizzle.




Then, the drizzle crescendo-ed to the ultimate downpour. We were thoroughly soaked and cold. Yet, Mark's waterproof camera proved undefeatable. It can go to a depth of 10 metres you know, Adeline proffered.

A bunched of drenched chickens


The downpour was so great that the map I had thoroughly disintegrated in my hands into at least 6 pieces.


If there is a most compatible couple contest, I am so gonna submit this.


In the downpour, we can hardly see any of the preserved corals of Chek Jawa. The sea was absolutely churning and it looks like a perfect scene where a tsunami is pending.

Adeline does the perfect star jump!


Unable to see anything through the glass panels on the floor, we tried to provide our own entertainment by spoofing starfishy reflections upon them.


Mark did look quite miserable, huddling to himself in the rain. Each time we met with an uphill path while cycling, the girls would try their darnest to conquer it while Mark would mutter 'WHY MAKE YOURSELF SUFFER???' before disembarking to push his bike.


With his dripping wet hair and zen-like 'why endure the sufferings of the world?' look


After exploring Chek Jawa, we cycled back near the jetty to have our lunchypoos at the First Stop Ubin restaurant. We tried to attempt the exotic and ordered wild boar...

Me: Can we have claypot wild boar please
Waitress: Aiya, sorry no wild boar. Durian season over, so no wild boar!
Me: Huh, why?
Waitress: Wild boars eat durians already go to sleep. So no wild boars to catch.
Me: Wah, wild boars eat durians!
Waitress: Yah, they eat durians one.
Me: How do they open the durian husks?!
Waitress: HA! I also want to know leh. But we always catch them in traps.

So er, that marks the failure of our exotic cuisine attempt. :(

After lazing around at the restaurant, freezing my ass off in my wet things, we finally got going to explore the quarries in Pulau Ubin.

Enroute to look for the German Girl Shrine, we stopped by several quaint spots for photo-taking.






*pant pant* Uphills!


And we found the ultimate cool lavatory. I love it!


We saw a doggy guarding a grave.


Getting alittle disoriented along the way... Figuring out the maps...


Finally, at about 3pm, we embarked the bumboat for our journey back to not-so-sunny Singapore.




Ah, more food explorations at Changi Village. MMmmm.


Burp.


Despite our exhaustion, we were still incredible crazed enough to bring our muddy selves down to the Botanic Gardens for the Garden Party. The first part of the performance was a bore, with people dispensing salsa moves. Yawn.

However, we perservered past the boring salsa dances and New York based jazz vocalist Nerissa Campbell finally gave a fantastic jazz performances, including my favorite bossa nova tunes. Awesomeeeee. She managed to make our boring-sounding national songs so much snazzier too.

A sea of red and white.


The mad people




As if this isn't mad enough, I still managed to rush home for a shower and warm dinner with the family, before heading out for The Simpsons movie which was an absolute hoot. It was superbly hilarious. Do catch it!

Withdrawal Symptoms

*Sniff*

I finished my Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. 'Tis a good way to end a decade of readings. It was an exciting and gripping read. I had too many favorite moments, really.

*Sniff* *Sniff*

Now, I feel strangely empty.

Sweeeeet

I have been burying my nose on the new Potter book with every opportunity I can, so much that I think I am cut off from all other readings including blogs, newspapers and magazines. I am a no-lifer!

It is quite freaky to realize Daniel Redcliffe's birthday is the same as mine. You are talking about Harry Potter here, you know! And J. K. Rowling seemingly likes the month of July, probably because she was born on 31st July.

Other than that, I feast. The gluttony continues! Die already lah.

Last Thursday, Weijie treated me to dinner at Sun with Moon Japanese Dining at Wheelock. I think the meal was really quite delectable.

I love the fried cheese that melts coyingly in your mouth. The spring onion and porky pancake thingy was rather heavy on the stomach, though.


We also had this hot plat of crab and spinach which kept sputtering its gravy at us until the alarmed waitresses took it away.


There was also a beef with rice bamboo thingy which is really quite tasty. We also ordered a sweet box with 4 assortment of desserts. Yum.


Friday, it was Ballet Under the Stars for us. Isabelle came up with the grand idea of watching a ballet (which isn't really my cup of tea) and decided to bail on us because she forgot she had some prior hot date. So, eventually, the 4 of us who turned up are really quite ignorant about ballets. Nevertheless, why would we miss out on the chance to feast and picnic?

Sandy got me a really good chocolate cake from Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie . This is one of the best chocolate cake I ever tasted.

Pardon the retard who rather eats the flowers than the cake, teehee.


There were tonnes of people waiting for the dance to start. I can't say I understand ballet much, though.


But we did have fun wearing funny hats!


And the food was plentiful as usual, and the champagne I bought from Carrefour was good!


Me, Emmie, Sandy and Alan


Amazingly, Alan won a t-shirt in a lucky draw but it is a tad too small for him. We tried to cajole him to put it on and join the men in tights on the stage but he declined. Boo!


Okay, plenty of retarded pictures with party hats. Here is how creative we got...

Meow!


Hyuck! Chun Li!


Pheeweet! Madonna!


Looky, the demurest jester one can get.


Twinkle Twinkle little star!


After the performance, we strolled past a very nifty looking National Museum. It really looks quite contemporary now. Impressive overhaul, I say.


On Sunday afternoon, we re-caught the Harry Potter movie because we had free tickets! Woohoo. Lunchypoos was a treat from Alan at Shin Kushiya Japanese charcoal grill restaurant within the vast Vivocity premises.







In the evening, I caught the performance of The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, presented by Singapore Repertory Theatre in collaboration with Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. Well, it wasn't as funny as any of the local productions I have caught and being a drama sort of play, it was rather dry. However, it is truly enthralling to see Gandalf or Magneto in skin. Sir Ian Mckellan is a hoot!

My companion unfortunately fell asleep in the first part of the play. Thank goodness he wasn't snoring. After the play ended and my whole my-camera-is-lost saga, there ain't many restaurants left. We had a late supper at Oscar's, a restaurant at The Conrad Hotel, but it really wasn't anything commendable.

Monday's lunch was a treat from Jervais and he managed to direct me to my favorite Watermelon Sorbet from Haato! I never thought I could taste it again since the people at Haato informed me they are taking it off their menu. I think the guys at Haato were exasperated when we ordered 3 whole pints of Watermelon Sorbet.

Dinner was at Galbati with the family. We ordered a huge assortment of italian food and the variety was largely authentic fare.

Quiche and bread basket


Stuffed Portebellos. Mmm.


Our pasta included some ganocche with four cheese, aglio olio, ravoli with meat sauce. We also ordered beef goulash and smoked chicken. What gluttony.


Mum!


Dad!


Bro!


BURP!

Okay, now the glutton needs to go work her ass off to get rid of the fats.