Singapore Slingin' and Tokyo Tales

I met Denny in Singapore from Phuket where, literally all i did was eat ... and eat ... and eat some more, for two days. It was ridiculous. I think i gained five pounds from all the delicious grubbin we did. From the minute i got off the plane and to the amazingly grungy Cozy Corner Hostel there was food shoved in my face. First thing first, whenever one goes to Singapore eating chicken rice is absolutely mandatory--I saw Anthony Bordain, my future husband, lovin on it in No Reservations, and ever since then, i had been determined to try it if I ever got to Singapore. It was the first thing I ate and boy did it live up to its reputation. Think perfectly steamed chicken, with chicken flavored rice (that tastes like it was deep fried in chicken fat or somethin, it is so damn tasty) smothered in soy sauce, chili sauce, and garlic ginger paste. we also munched on BBQ pork and green veggies with oyster sauce. After that we thought it absolutely necessary to make our way to the mall across the street, just to be complete gluttons and go shopping for more things I absolutely do not need, and can't fit into my monstrous backpack, and what else, but to eat some more at the food court.

The food court was a glorious experience. Every type of food you could ever imagine was at your disposal here--Japanese, Italian, Indian, Korean, Dim Sum, desserts of every variety ... you name it and this mall has got it. I bought a dress from one of the stores in the mall and then started feeling a grumble in my tummy telling me I needed to take more advantage of the local cuisine. I only had two days in this culinary capital after all. We went and found a Singaporean dessert place and settled on some soupy looking jelly dessert type things that　wet my appetite for something more delicious ... downstairs there was another food court and it was a must. Here we found ourselves stuffing our faces with BBQ pork sandwiches, strawberry donuts, and fish cakes stuffed with mushrooms and cheese. It was disgusting and amazing all at the same time. I have never eaten so much in my whole life (alright that's a lie) but seriously, it was a lot of food. That is basically all I did the day I got in. Great day. Fabulous day in fact.

We met up with Rav, my friend Rikkis boif that night for drinks. We ended up checking out the Supper Club, Singapore that night and it was dead. As dead as the cockroach I saw smashed on its back earlier that day at the Cozy Corner Hostel. We were the only people in the bar, but it was still kind of a cool place to see. Denny was set on seeing it and taking pictures to show our friends what cool, expat urbanites we are cool we are. The drinks were about fifteen dollars each and it was not much different from San Francisco Supper Club, minus the crowd. After Supper Club Denny dragged me to Chinatown, where supposedly, all the best gay bars were situated. We went to one, it was dead. As dead as Supper Club ... dead like the cockroach i saw on its back earlier that day in the hostel.

The next day we went to the zoo, which was ... full of animals. It was a zoo, and typically uneventful but Denny really wanted to go so i gave in. The rest of the day was spent eating more ... more chicken rice, a pork sausage breakfast sandwich, a chicken burger stuffed inside a fried egg, Turkish ice cream with chocolate sauce .... oh the glorious gluttony. I love Singapore. Really, the food is divine. Yeah, the media is completely censored, porn is illegal, oral sex is illegal, and if you get caught smokin a doobie you might get the death sentence, but ... the food really makes the place livable despite all the totalitarian, archaic laws they have in place. Oh, and spitting on the street ... totally illegal, but prostitution? Totally legit and legal. I'm not gonna lie it's a weird fucking place but they know how to make a mean chicken rice and the streets are really, really clean. Clean like Disney land on crack.

Rav took us out again that night and luckily for me, it was ladies night at a few bars which meant everything for me ... was totally free. Free drinks, free cover all night--just another fabulous thing about Singapore and being a lady. After eating some more chicken rice, we went to a bar in Clarke Quay that was serving free margaritas for the ladies. I had four ... obviously since they were free of charge. Rav and Denny had a twelve dollar beer each while I got tanked off of passion fruit margaritas. We then ventured off to O Bar, which i got into for free, and Rav and Denny had to pay twenty bucks each ... the good thing about this place was that they had pitchers of alcohol for twelve dollars, not bad for Singapore's usually exorbitant drink prices. I waited in line for a few free, watered down vodka cranberries, then started sippin on Rav and Denny's pitchers of Jack and Coke. The crowd was overly cheesy and the bar was all hip hoppin Singaporeans, but after a lot of free bevies, its all the same really ... fun. Lots of fun and a game of I Never--me and Denny's favorite get to know you drunk game. The night predictably ended with me stuffing my face in a chicken paratha. Pretty typical.

We left for Tokyo the next day, and I sit here now at my grandparents house in Iizuka after a night in Tokyo at Eugene's house. It feels good to be in Japan again, like no time has past at all, even though it has been two years since I used to live it up Tokyo style as an English teacher for Nova. Most of my friends have now gone home, and luckily for me i still have Eugene to bring me back to the old days of Shibuya nights ending in us passing out on the train at 7 a.m. while onlookers in their business suits stare awkwardly at us drunken gaijin in high heels and mini dresses from the night before--just another day in the life of an English teacher. I'm spending a few days here with my family then off to Kyoto with them and back to Tokyo. There's so much to relive and revisit, though i know it wont be the same without all of my friends there. Regardless, I can't wait to check out my old neighborhoods that i frequented weekly, see my old school that is now something else because of Nova's bankruptcy scandal, and undoubtedly shed a tear or two while reminiscing of what my life used to be like, and what it could have been if i stayed.

I hate regretting things, but its hard not to when you realize how much you love a place and wish you could still live there. I miss Tokyo daily ... a part of me always regretted leaving when i did though i know i did it for the right reasons--love. But now my love lies within a city instead of in a person, and a part of me wishes and hopes that i can find it again through Tokyo's falling autumn leaves and crowded city streets.