Old friends in Singapore

26 Decembre 2008

Today, we had to check out of the swank hotel and back into the common life. We went to Little India and check into Mackenzie hostel, our “usual” place. It was just as simple, reliable and wonderful as last time. It is Jonathan’s third time in Singapore and his third time staying at this hotel. We got a good room for 40SGD.

Once our things were dropped off, we went to Orchard road to try and catch a film. It looked like it was going to rain, so we thought we would treat ourselves. I really want to see James Bond, but it is not playing there. We figured there was nothing we liked at Lido’s so we went to walk around. We had lunch at “Carl Junior’s”, an “upscale” fast food place. The fries are delicious and the burgers are good quality (Jonny said). With that meal, we were good for the entire day. Jonny was very very satisfied. The fries made him giddy.

Before we arrived in Singapore, I contacted my friend Indra to meet up with her. The strangest thing was that she was leaving for Jakarta the day I arrived in Singapore! It wasn’t meant to be this time, but she travels so much, we’re bound to meet up again soon. She told me that our friend Jenna, who lived with Indra and I in residence and in 2nd year at McGill, was in town. I hadn’t spoken to her in a few years, but I was really looking forward to seeing what she was up to. So we emailed each other, and I called her today to figure out where we’d meet. She was at Lido’s cinema with her sister! She was likely buying her tickets there when we were debating which movie to see! Crazy!

So we met for coffee. It was so nice to see someone I hadn’t seen in years. It was great to hear about Jenna’s life as an economist, her life in London, and her master’s. So much has happened since I saw her last, so it was wonderful to catch up. It made me feel grown up. That’s what life is like now, we all have job titles, responsibilities, homes, and little lives. Catching up takes a lot longer than it used to! In uni we used to talk about who got drunk when and what classes we were taking...now we’re all turning into little adults. Also, Jenna was helpful in giving us places to visit in Thailand. She’s travelled all over, and it’s nice to get tips from people like that!

Coffee turned out to be a 4 hour long thing, and next thing we knew it was almost 11pm! We said our goodbyes, but we’re going to try and see Jenna again in Europe. We’re most likely going to go to the UK in the end, so we’ll see her if she’s there. I wonder how much will have changed again in the next 6 months!

After coffee, we went to the Mustafa centre in Little India. I bought a black bikini (FINALLY!) for 30 SGD! Great deal! Jonny got some shorts and a shirt. Jonny was tired, so we went for a quick roti parata and headed back to the hotel.

It was a great day!

Marie-C