This wee, I was absolutely spoiled by Norma, Ariana’s lovely mother. On Tuesday, Ariana invited me to join her family for dinner. It was my first time at Marina Bay Sands, and I was in awe the entire time. As Ariana discovered, military time can be tricky; we ended up arriving for our reservation two hours early. But it worked out perfectly as we spent the extra time drinking and chatting.
When we were finally seat at LAVO, Ariana’s sister Alexa enticed me to get a Shirley Temple instead of another cocktail. I ordered the special of the day: lasagna. That’s when I found out Norma makes the best lasagna in the world, which she apparently only makes it once, maybe twice a year. So, to the joy (or dismay) of the Carerro’s, I will be joining them for Christmas this year. Then came the showstopper we’d all been waiting for: a 20-layer chocolate and peanut butter cake. It was divine as expected. It truly was a perfect evening filled with conversation and incredible food.
Wednesday night was the alumni meeting. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much, but it turned out to be a blast. Lauren, Maddie, and I spent the night chatting with four lovely alumnae and got the inside scoop on Singapore’s must-sees and must-dos.
On Thursday, a group of us went to Ce La Vi. It was definitely pricey, but you can’t come to Singapore and not visit this iconic bar. The ladies and I got two Singapore Slings. They were amazing. We’re already planning a visit to Raffles Hotel to try the drink where it was originally invented.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling great the morning everyone left for Bintan, so I stayed behind and made the most of my last weekend in Singapore. On Saturday, I spent the day at the National Gallery and the National Museum. It’s so interesting that we’re labeled as Singaporean locals because of our beloved work holiday pass, so I got a huge discount! I made it inside just before it started pouring, so I knew it was going to be a great day. Half of the gallery is housed in the old Supreme Court building. I loved learning about Singaporean history on one half and look at stunning art on the other.
I originally planned to visit Gardens by the Bay that day, but the rain changed my plans. I made up for it Sunday morning by heading there early. I got a ticket to the Flower Dome and luckily for me, Tulipmania had just started, so everything was in full bloom. It’s basically a reverse greenhouse with humid heat outside and freezing cold inside. One section was filled with cacti and I no idea how they’re thriving in that cold, but they are!
After a few hours there, I stopped at a café for a matcha and some reading which is something I haven’t done since arriving in Singapore. Afterward, I headed back to see my lovely roommates, who had just returned from Bintan. They were eager to head out for sushi, so I joined them and got caught up on everything I missed over the weekend.
To top it all off, Ariana cooked Easter dinner for all of us. We ended the night with great food and a few rounds of cards. It was such a wonderful week, and I’m beyond excited for my upcoming trip to Thailand next weekend!
