Week 3!!
On Tuesday, after the infamous cake fiasco of last week, we finally got our well-deserved cake. Our beautiful Pilates princesses, Alexa and Ariana, slaved away during their class and came home with a gorgeous fudge cake. It had been a few days coming, so we were all thrilled to dig in.
The rest of the workweek was fairly routine, but as I continue to gain the trust of my bosses, some of my work has become confidential, so now’s a perfect time to practice my restraint.
Friday was a big day. With some peer pressure from our new work friend Joseph, the oldest person in the office at 60, we impulsively booked flights to Japan. It was a glorious day: I got out of work two hours early, spent the evening shopping, and exchanged money for Maddie and me’s last-minute trip to Batam, Indonesia.
It was the biannual Sephora sale, so I picked up a new perfume, which turned out to be quite the adventure. The bottle was a collector’s edition, and honestly, I’m a sales associate’s dream; I’m very easily convinced. Unfortunately, the sales associate accidentally gave me the smaller size instead of the larger one on display. I didn’t realize the mistake until I opened the box at home, so Maddie met up with me to head back to Sephora, both to return my bottle and to pick up a perfume of her own.
To my surprise, because I had removed the plastic wrap, they couldn’t exchange my bottle for the last remaining larger one in Singapore. They told me, I had “mangled the packaging.” It was hard to leave it behind, but I couldn’t justify spending more money on the same scent. This was a major culture shock as back in the U.S., you can return an item as long as it’s more than half full. I hadn’t even sprayed mine, so it was hard to accept. Luckily, Maddie loved the scent too, and graciously agreed to buy the smaller bottle from me so I could splurge on the larger one.
As we left Sephora, both perfumes in hand, we spotted Dylan in the mall. We poached him from the hallway and spontaneously decided to head to the famous Newton Hawker Center. There, we tried black and white carrot cake, which was surprisingly delicious. Dylan and I both ordered satays, and I even got to try the Michelin-starred satay that Gordon Ramsay has also had before. Maddie opted for butter chicken. After dinner, we returned to the mall to get my tax refund slips but got delightfully sidetracked by the gorgeous Guerlain stand. I ended up buying an engraved perfume set for my mom and an engraved lipstick as a belated birthday gift for myself. It was an incredible day as it was completely full of shopping
Saturday morning was rough. Taking the ferry to Batam felt like flying halfway across the world. Security was insane, and the lines moved painfully slowly. I genuinely thought we were going to miss our ferry, despite arriving 1.5 hours early. After a long morning, we finally made it to Batam, only to face another tedious immigration process. It all ended up being worth it. Our resort was gorgeous, with massive rooms and a stunning pool. We were so exhausted that after a quick lunch and a dip in the pool, we immediately fell asleep.
Sunday was a full day dedicated to spa treatments and the exchange rate made it even sweeter. Maddie and I both enjoyed two-hour massages, then headed next door for head spas. I also treated myself to a facial, while Maddie got a haircut. We ended the night at the so-called Santorini of Batam. I’ve never been to the real Santorini, but I can assure you that this was not it. Still, with food prices at just $3 USD, I couldn’t complain.
Our journey on Monday began with brunch at Toby’s Estate, an Australian favorite, where we had salmon pasta and steak. It was delicious, and I had one of the best matcha’s ever for barely $2. Afterward, we set out to find a nail salon. We visited two different malls, but many salons were closed for Eid. Eventually, we found an open one and I am so happy with the end result. I just got them done and I am dying to go back.
As much as I loved the weekend getaway, I was happy to be back in Singapore, reunited with all the girls again.