Arab Street!

Last Friday I went to visit Arab street. After spending the morning shopping at Bugis, I thought that in order to get the most out of my time in that area, why not take a spontaneous stroll down Arab street?!

Arab Street is basically a colourful strip of small stores all selling culturally authentic items including rugs, lamps, bowls and materials. The street itself is not very long, so you can get through all the stores in no time! Along this street there is an abundance of Middle Eastern food outlets which are beautifully and traditionally decorated.  There is definitely not a shortage of food in this area!

Something I love about Singapore is that it is so incredibly culturally diverse. Due to this, there are so many areas dedicated to certain cultures that it is so easy to feel like you are no longer in Singapore.

Along Arab Street the outside of the stores scream Arabia from the brightly coloured exteriors to the colourful floor tiles and the lavishly decorated ceilings. I love exploring places such as this as in Singapore as you are able to get a small glimpse into a culture without having to leave the country!

I was totally mesmerised by the colourful ceramics and the small lamps. The craftsmanship was so beautifully intricate, which caused each item to possess great amounts of unique personality. Some stores also included oceans of materials which were dyed literally every colour of the rainbow. The middle eastern lamps I personally thought were the most eye catching. The stain glass glistened off them as they sat contently on the floors of the small vendors.  The never ending stream of colourful items added a prodigious amount of life to the area and exerted evident excitement and wonder from those who passed by.

If you wish to visit Arab street, you can be certain that you will have a lot to look at. The only downside is that it is quite far from the MRT, but there are many places to find extremely affordable refreshments.  Something to remember when visiting this area is to make sure you are wearing shoes which can be taken off easily before you enter a store.  

Lunchtime Feasting!

On Tuesday I had a few of my uni friends over for a lunch time feast!  I decided on writing this post as, for me, it is important that I remember moments like these. I have been more than blessed with the most amazing, loyal, funny and genuine friends here in Singapore of which I am eternally grateful for. Additionally, who doesn’t love looking at photos of delicious, delicious food?!

The day before I busied myself preparing the honey soy chicken, traditional Aussie Pavlova, melting moments, sausage rolls and spinach and french onion dip. I deliberately chose to make Pavlova and sausage rolls as my friends had not tried them before and I was excited to see their reactions.

On Tuesday, my friends contributed to the feast bringing donuts, cupcakes, pasta and even Japanese Choya fruit liquor (of which I had never tried).  The liquor was much sweeter than what I had anticipated and the ice assisted in diluting the strength of the alcoholic flavour. Overall, it was actually quite nice!

We spent the afternoon, which continued on to the evening, seated around the dining table, eating, drinking, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. It’s moments like these that I know that the decision to follow my family to Singapore was the definitely the right choice.  

Even though the day was incredibly simple, it was all I could ever ask for. To be able to spend hours around genuine, entertaining, hilarious, likeable people is incredibly idyllic and perfect in my opinion.

One of my biggest concerns when moving to Singapore was that I would struggle to make good friends. To know that within less than a year of living here, I have been able to make some of the strongest friendships, is incredibly special for me. By having such loyal and wonderful friends here has made my experience living in Singapore so much greater than I could have imagined. I very much look forward to how the rest of the journey here unfolds!

Movie VS Book: Gone Girl

Finally, after a busy week of submitting final assignments and completing exams, I was able sit down and watch Gillian Flynn’s ‘Gone Girl’.

One of my first posts actually included my personal review of the book. I absolutely adored the novel. It was heavily layered with brilliantly written, complex characters and the suspenseful and twisted story line continually kept me guessing. The novel was extremely addictive; drowned in scandals, narcissistic and sociopathic tales, which made it utterly thrilling and quite dark to say the least.  With this in mind, I was so excited to see how the story line would be reflected on the big screen.

What I was particularly happy to see in the film adaption was how often the exact text of the book was recited, especially the sections from Amy’s diary which included many clues and haunting recounts.  As the language in the book was so incredibly unique, descriptive, thought provoking and insightful, I am SO glad to see that this element was not overlooked.

Additionally, the movie was really accurate with the book. It included all the main events; in fact, I’m struggling to recall some of the ones they forget to mention. I was even surprised they included the gummy bear scene! This was definitely a film where I found myself thinking that yes, some movies can be just as good as the book.  

I was so happy to see my favourite character Go, was just as colourful, witty and bluntly honest as she was in the book. In fact, the casting was pretty much spot on for each of the characters. This aspect definitely assisted in making the plot just as deliciously unexpected and thrilling as the book.

I was initially skeptical when I heard Ben Affleck would be taking on the role of Nick Dunne, but I was pleasantly surprised! Since watching it, I could not think of someone better suited. He perfectly adopted the role of the weary yet fiercely resentful husband. Additionally, Rosamund Pike pretty much stole the show as Amy Dunne; she left me speechless. She executed the role of the perfectionist, intelligent young woman; plagued by the overbearing obsession with seeking evil forms of revenge seamlessly.

If I had to choose one character in particular that I probably would have cast differently, it would have to be Neil Patrick Harris as Desi Collings. Perhaps it was my own personal interpretation of Desi when I read the novel that caused me to be somewhat displeased with the casting choice. I perceived Desi to be incredibly shy yet sternly possessive and creepier as a character.  The book allowed for more detail when it came to Amy and Desi’s relationship and the inhumane actions she was going to take to frame her escape.  

Part of me was disappointed that director, David Fincher did not alter the ending of the film.  I was totally surprised by the ending in the book, considering the relationship Nick and Amy Dunne had following her disappearance. Although, in saying this, I did appreciate how there was more reasoning and a deeper explanation in the film in comparison to the book as to why Nick chose to stay with Amy. 

As the movie obviously could not go on for hours upon hours, it did lack the deep level of suspense and questioning that the book offered. I do really recommend reading the book beforehand, just because the story line is fantastically detailed and complex (I cannot stress this enough); diving head first into the nitty gritty of Amy’s disappearance.  

This movie is a cynical portrayal of the sexes and marriage. Although it is the dark, funny and brutal signs of the characters madness that make it so unforgettable. 

Short review of Gillian Flynn's 'Gone Girl': http://australian-living-abroad.blogspot.sg/2014_02_01_archive.html

Visit to the Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle

Last week I visited the Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle. It took us a while to get there as it is located on the other side of the island from where I live.

As we made our way to the destination, I noticed the number of HDB’s dwindling and soon there weren’t many buildings in sight. Entering the pottery jungle, you could immediately notice the wide stretch of luscious greenery circling the exterior of the property, which definitely signified the inspiration for its naming.

The wide assortment of colourful pots, vases, cups and objects of all sizes were incredibly eye catching. They overflowed into each stall, filling up all the shelving spaces to the absolute brim. I have honestly never seen so many clay objects in my life, not that they are that easy to come by! I suppose I did not expect for there to be so much on offer, in an endless amount of shapes and forms,  that naturally I was extremely surprised.

The massive kiln. 

The clay work was incredibly intricate and so detailed. I loved seeing the different oriental pieces and comparing them to the designs of the more modern pieces.

I recommend this place for anyone who is interested in unique sights. The maze of clay objects located at the Thow Kwang Pottery jungle will stimulate your mind, causing you to feel as though you are in fantasy film or book.  For me, the sheer amount of pottery, the overgrown greenery and the lack of customers; which added to the deserted feel, made me feel as though I was on the set Tarzan. Particularly the scene where the gorillas trash Jane and her father’s camp site (shameless reference). Additionally, this site is definitely somewhere for those who enjoy broadening their list of shopping destinations.  

Kaylah in Kuala Lumpur #3: FOOD

My long weekend escape to Kuala Lumpur was filled with glorious, glorious food. I had heard that food in KL was much better than in Singapore, but I did not anticipate for it to be as wonderful as what it was.

While we were in Kl, we stayed with some friends of which had been living there for the last few years. By staying with people who knew all of the best places to eat and the best dishes to order off the menu was a HUGE help in expanding my palette and getting the most out of our culinary experience whilst in Malaysia.

On the first night we arrived, Friday, we headed to a Japanese restaurant, located at the Publika shopping centre. It was called Edo Ichi. We ordered a delicious array of foods from soft shell crab salad, sashimi, teriyaki chicken, tempura prawns, prawn and crab sushi as well as mushrooms wrapped in beef. Everything was absolutely delicious to say the least. I loved trying out new dishes such as the sashimi and soft shell crab. The food was incredibly flavoursome and tasted incredibly authentic in comparison to anything I had ever eaten when I was living in Australia, which I loved.  Even though some of the dishes we ordered we had only simple ingredients, they were executed so well that dining at this restaurant had to be one of the best Japanese food experiences I have ever had.

On our second day in KL, the Saturday, the people we were staying with took us to a Chinese restaurant located about 15 minutes’ drive from the city centre. I am sadly not sure about the name of the restaurant, but perhaps the photos can add some familiarity for my readers from KL. The restaurants layout reminded me of something similar to a Singapore Hawker Centre experience; the plastic chairs and the somewhat squashy eating area. Although, I have fast learnt that these kinds of environments tend to offer some of the best dishes. One of our friends was luckily able to speak fluent Chinese as many of the waiters were unable to understand or speak English.  

We ordered soft shell crab, steamed fish (mmmmm), friend rice; always a staple, steamed vegetables, venison; which I had never had before but LOVED and marinated chicken pieces.  Something I love about outdoor dining in Asia is that is it so incredibly casual; there are no rules. I do not have to be embarrassed to use my hands to gnaw at juicy pieces of crab. Additionally, all of the food is incredibly affordable for the portions you are given. Through dining experiences such as this, I am able to eat the kinds of foods that the locals treasure and love eating which is something I value highly when travelling to a new destination.

The food at the restaurant was really, really tasty. The portions were massive, meaning that I was able to try a large serving of each dish without the fear of missing out. Totally recommend checking out restaurants similar to this one if you are looking for more of a casual, authentic and cultural dining experience.

Following our extremely casual, outdoor dining experience, we contrasted and went for dessert at the highly acclaimed; Grand Hyatt Hotel. We primarily visited here as I wanted to see the Patronas Towers close up, and get a good view of them in all their glory.

I knew I was incredibly underdressed when everyone around me was wearing high heels and elegant cocktail dresses. But never the less, I was desperate to gaze upon the view and eat some dessert!

For dessert, we were told the servings were generous enough to be shared between two or three people, so my brothers and I ordered two desserts; coconut, pineapple and banana crumble which came with vanilla soft serve ice cream and the signature cake.  My mouth waters every time I remember the crumble; it was a heavenly reminder of summer and my love for tropical fruits. The signature cake was exactly as it sounds; grand, amazing and something this restaurant should be incredibly proud of as it was one of the most exquisite, rich and scrumptious desserts I have ever had the pleasure of eating.  As it was brought to our table, everyone’s eyes steered towards it; full of wander and similarly to my brothers and I; desire. It came in a glass cake stand, fogged with dry ice. The waiter then poured warm caramel sauce in the centre of the chocolate mousse cake.  This was most certainly a cake I thought I only had the capabilities of dreaming of.

My dining experience at the Grand Hyatt was phenomenal; it was also definitely not as expensive as what I had assumed. All the dessert dishes ranged between RM8 – RM40.  The dishes were incredibly decadent; it was an experience I will savour and never shy of telling people about. Both the dishes I had the chance of eating where winners in my eyes and I can only hope I will be able to go back to the Thirty8 Restaurant and Lounge at the Hyatt to try many, many more!

The final stop on my culinary journey in KL was brunch on Sunday morning. My family was taken to a café called Antipodean at the Mid Valley megamall. We had to wait about 20 minutes before we got to our table as the line was so long. The restaurant was actually the only busy one at the mall, which definitely signalled as to how good the food was going to be.

The only downside to this restaurant was that it was so incredibly busy. All 7 of us were stuffed into the back corner of the restaurant where it was almost impossible to get out of our seats. Additionally, there was no menu given to you; you had to read it off a large blackboard which was obstructed by other people dining.

Continuing to set my hopes high for my meal, I ordered the banana pancakes and orange juice.  I was pleasantly surprised by the servings. It came with three crunchy, golden brown, thick, fluffy, beautiful banana pancakes with a side of butterscotch sauce and fruit salad; definitely more than I bargained for. I even gave one of the pancakes to my brother as I was unable to finish the entire plate! It’s definitely a good sign that you have enjoyed your meal when you leave the restaurant incredibly full. Everyone seemed to love their meals as well, so I recommend this place for anyone with a big appetite and loves homely, comforting, good food.

Leaving KL that afternoon made me wish I was able to spend a longer amount of time there! I had such a blast and loved all the unique experiences I had. It was so awesome to travel to another part of Asia and see things that I cannot living in Singapore. Hopefully I will get to visit again sometime soon!

Previous 'Kaylah in Kuala Lumpur': 

Kaylah in Kuala Lumpur #1: Thean Huo temple

Kaylah in Kuala Lumpur #2: Chinatown