We flew into Singapore with Tiger Airways. We soon found out why the flight was so cheap, I've seen more legroom on a city bus, but it got us there. A lady in front of us on the jetway had a baby on her shoulder - we asked her if it counted as carry-on, and made a few cracks with them about "becoming unsettled in the overhead compartments during the flight" and so on. The guy next to me spoke about some crazy 9/11 conspiracy theories and how the Queen had killed Diana. I smiled and nodded.
31st August Arriving into Singapore at 3am may not have been the best idea but we coped with it ok, and got up at about noon the next day with no problems. The air conditioning in the room had actually made it too cold if anything, but it was better than the intense heat in Singapore, which I hope I'll adapt to next year! We walked to Parkview Square, the Batman Building as I've grown to call it thanks to Michelle. The Sultan Mosque was as imposing as I remember, but the heat was a bit much for both of us, so we left that part of town and headed to Esplanade. On the way I pointed out the Asian Civilisations Museum, where the wedding reception would be the following day, and we saw a young girl sliding down the concrete slopes of the Singapore River flyover by Esplanade, soon joined by her whole family, having an excellent time. Elissa and I sat on the steps by the outdoor stage and listened to a soundcheck for a later show, and just watched the world go by - something we should have done more of, if we'd had more time. Later on we caught some bands there too - Daphne was very impressive, and the two guys who did a Pink Floyd song were a favourite of Elissa's.
1st September - Wedding Day. We left the hotel at 9am, nervous we'd be late for the 10am service. We grabbed breakfast at a cafe a few blocks across Rochor Road, and were a bit concerned about our choice when we realised everyone in there was, well, white. I always gauge a place on whether the locals eat there, but this was a pleasant surprise. The tea was good, and we both had filling breakfasts, even if each was a heart attack waiting to happen. Bacon, egg, maple syrup and pancakes, mmmm.... I should have used the butter they provided too!
St Teresa's Church was a beautiful white building, and lots of guests were already waiting there when we arrived, including several (Wilson, Lauren, Larry) who I hadn't seen in 5 years! Father John O'Leary, our old chaplain at university presided, and the service was really touching - not least the moment when Michelle lost her lines for a few seconds, so Alec mouthed them to her as they gazed at each other.
Elissa and I wandered down Orchard Road for lunch, and nearly picked up some Dr Seuss books in a bookshop there. I reacquainted myself with Kopi Ping, the cold coffee flavoured with condensed milk which seems to be something of a Singapore delicacy. We spent most of the afternoon napping, still recovering from the flight.
The reception was beautiful. The view from the verandah was stunning, the Singapore skyline pressed up close, a bar below playing live jazz. Inside the speeches were wry - Mr Quah's line about the usual Singapore proposal being the guy saying "Dear, you know our incomes are now above the tax threshold....". James Molloy Jr's remark about Alec wearing tights as a young lad... Alec and Michelle both had a few words to say about how happy they were too, and I think everyone there is sure they'll be just as happy now as they've been these last few years. I was proud to be there to see it.
2nd September Most of the morning was spent recovering from the last few days, but we spent a great afternoon in the block by the hotel shopping for trinkets. Elissa bought a mushroom that flashes when your phone rings, and I went hunting for DVDs in Suntec City. After we'd got through most of Madagascar (Thank you, giant freaks!) we hit the road for our evening of Karaoke with the newly weds. I killed my throat with "Master of Puppets" (yay for Rock Karaoke!), Alec pulled out an excellent "Whole Again", Michelle wowed us with "Loser", "The Real Slim Shady" and "Man in the Mirror" and Elissa belted out "Since you've been gone" (I felt very proud). Getting home at 2am probably didn't help two already very tired travellers, but we had no deadlines to meet the next day.
3rd September After a late start, we made it to Sentosa and the Underwater World by 3pm. Sadly there were no cuttlefish, but the rays, angelfish and crabs made up for it. The highlight of Sentosa for me though was the Dolphin Lagoon. The show was unashamedly entertaining, unlike most other shows I've seen where they tend to overemphasise the good treatment of the animals. The music was astoundingly melodramatic - when Sanjay, a random audience member from India was being kissed by the dolphin it could have been music from the film of a Mills and Boon novel, and when the formation jumping was going on, I half expected Harrison Ford to drop from a helicopter. If it had been a drier day, I'd have paid the $15 to get a photo with the dolphins (who were, by all indications, extremely well looked after, in case I appeared glib about that above). A quick go on the luge and we took the cable car back to the mainland, and grabbed a quick dinner in a hawker centre.
4th September I can't tell you how relieved we both were that the flight was at a more reasonable time. We arrived into Perth at 9pm, slightly ahead of schedule, and Elissa and I raced each other in the customs queues. Amazingly, as a non-Australian entering Australia, I won! Aside from a telling off about bringing in some sweets without declaring them, everything went smoothly, and we drifted back into Perth, exhausted but pleased to have done everything we had planned to in Singapore.
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