This is home truly..

Deepavali decorations, Changi Airport, Singapore
October 2009

I was extremely excited the moment we touched down at Changi
i was barely functioning at that point; totally groggy from lack of sleep
thanks to sharing a room with Niu Niu the previous night
she just wouldn't go to bed!!!
and she had a bell of course..

still, even at 8am in the morning, I just couldn't stop smiling
:D
:D
:D
Singapore was celebrating Deepavali (the second i've missed since 1993)
and i took these pictures as I was waiting for my luggage

i've been through this arrival hall so many times
it's almost a part of my life
:)

and when i got home, i found my room prepared just as I'd wanted
thanks to mummy and papa who indulge all my whims
:D
:D
I really love that mattress!

My first day was spent with just my parents running errands
and eating burmese food and sleeping
so it wasn't until the next morning that I went out on my own
Papa dropped me at Eunos MRT, something he's done for years
but the moment I got to the platform, I screeched to a halt because:

my head swam; i wondered if circle line was somehow up already
and if i was meant to change my trains at another station
but of course, it turned out that Joo Koon was just beyond Boon Lay
that's alright then

my first stop was bugis, bugis village to be more precise
it was almost a novelty to absorb the sights and sounds

Bugis, with its street pedlers.. and shop houses with spiral staircases

I winced when I saw this though.. The Iluma
Singapore, in its own fashion, has turned out yet another monster of a shopping centre
do we even need another one?

i was so depressed by The Iluma I didn't cheer up till lunch
chicken murtabak at Mr Teh Tarik Cartel at Tiong Bahru Plaza
they apparently serve really good teh tarik (ha!)
but that would have been too much for my stomach

a construction site at Tiong Bahru, a sure sign that i was in Singapore
:P

For tea, it was the Toast Box (or is it Yakun?) at Wisma
Kaya toast (yeay!!!) plus sponge cake, coffee and half-boiled eggs

yes, i think those half-boiled eggs are yucky too; but it is a singaporean thing
as usual, i manipulated it so that we shared the set and i only ate the kaya toast
hiakz!

Dinner was Paragon Fish & Co.. almost a standard gathering point with this group of pple
i had my usual Seafood Platter; the best part about that is their butter rice
:D

we then went for "coffee" at orchard central just because it was new to me
but by then, i was already stuffed, even for a cup of tea
and my tour guides were so lousy that we went around half hour just looking for toilets