MONTE CARLOS

Personally, I am pretty fond of the old Arnott's Monte Carlo, though if you're feeling Martha Stewart-y then you might like to give this home-made version a try. Serve with a nice cup of tea, or even better, do it the 'kid' way with a neverending glass of cold milk. I used the recipe from the Women's Weekly 'Biscuits and Macaroons' cookbook. They're as easy as pie.

185g butter
½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1¼ cups self-raising flour
¾ cup plain flour
½ cup coconut
raspberry or other jam

FILLING
60g butter
¾ cup icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla
2 tsp milk

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add egg and vanilla, beat well. Add sifted dry ingredients and coconut, mix well. Roll teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls, shape into ovals and place on lightly greased oven trays, rough up surface with back of fork. Bake in moderate oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, cool on wire rack. Put a tsp of jam and a tsp of prepared filling in centre of half the biscuits. Top with remaining halves and press together lightly.

FILLING: Cream butter and sifted icing sugar until light and fluffy, add vanilla, gradually add milk, beat well.

END OF THE SINGAPORE FLING

MORNING POOL TIME. TACKLING THE DRAGON FRUIT. LOUNGE-ROOM DANCE PARTY. KU DE TA ROOF BAR. SATAY STREET HAWKER CENTRE. CHINA ONE.

I had a fantastically amazing last day in Singapore, I couldn't have asked for anything more! My day started with a refreshing swim in the pool, after which I attacked the Dragon Fruit. I'd never tasted this before; I would liken the taste and texture to kiwifruit, except a more subdued flavour. It didn't quite live up to its rough-and-tumble exterior. Following the fruity excitement I took a twenty minute stroll along the river and over to the closest mall for some retail fun. I found that clothing in Singapore was much the same price as here, so I didn't go too crazy, just a little.

Megz arrived home around 4pm and we toasted the afternoon with a couple of vodka lime sodas, then later headed to the Ku De Ta roof bar, which is the 'cruise liner' building from my photos yesterday. After a week of gazing at it longingly from afar, I was so elated to finally be on board the "ship". We arrived just on sunset so managed to get a couple of pics on the flashless phone. With cocktails in hand, we enjoyed the balmy atmosphere and took in the stunning city views. It was then a case of riches to rags as we made our way to the Satay Street hawker centre, an open-air food market popular with the locals and tourists. We ordered our food from the cheap stalls and sat outside on a rickety table in the street along with hundreds of other diners. We had spring rolls, this thing called a 'Carrot Cake', which had nothing to do with cakes, or carrots, and satay sticks. It was without a doubt the tastiest (and cheapest!) meal of the trip, and definitely a must-do if you're visiting Singapore.

From the hawker centre we set out on foot towards Club Street for another beverage, when all of a sudden my ridiculous shoe strap clean broke in two. There was no repairing it so we taxied back home, and since it was only half past nine, decided to have a little party-for-two before heading out again. Fun times ensued with vodka and dancing in dresses and sneakers. Something you can really only get away with, with a best friend.

Once the shoe situation had been sorted we made our way to the Quay to visit some of Megz' regular haunts, including China One. There was a live band playing, which was awesome, and a great crowd. Since my flight was leaving at 7am we reckoned we'd be home by 1am, but the first time we even looked at the time it was just about 3 o'clock. Copious tequila shots had already been downed. We decided we may as well keep going, making our exit only when encroaching travel schedules absolutely demanded it. We debriefed the evening as we wandered home along the river. It had been such a fun night. Needless to say, I was dead on my feet at the airport, among other things, but it was definitely worth it.

Considering I flew to Singapore last week without a single idea of what I was going to be doing all week, it turned out to be the perfect mix of adventuring, relaxing, eating and getting a little bit crazy. Thanks Peg for the perfect week. <3

VERY HIGH TEA

Yesterday started with a leisurely swim by the pool, followed by lunch at the Boomerang. A garlic prawn and mango salad.

Followed by a half hour wander through the Botanic Gardens. 

Singapore Orchid

Then headed towards Orchard Road, the retail mecca.

I didn't know that Pippi was affiliated with Wendy's.

London calling. How was I expected to avoid TopShop?!

I like the service in clothes shops here. They remove all the hangers so you don't have to fiddle around at the end. There was also a buzzer in the change room to call for assistance.

A taxi to the Swissôtel to meet Meg after work, then upstairs to the Enquinox for high tea. We had tried to get into Raffles but I'm so pleased they were booked out, because you couldn't beat the view (the sight of the skyline and our plates, combined, was just phenomenal).

Brings new meaning to 'High Tea'. Ho ho ho.

Floating soccer field. Kewel! (I'm all about the puns this morning.)

Oops.

Probably my new favourite piece of architecture, the "cruise-liner casino" at Marina Bay Sands. Errrrrrrrrm, there's a ship on top of your building. Reminds me of my brother's Computer Battleships game.

Storm clouds brewing, right on cue. Oh, that tall building with the tip lopped off is where Meg earns a crust.

The rains are 'ere.

Movies in the evening, followed by a little shopping and a walk home along the river.

The sun is out and I'm about to head down to the pool for a swim to wake up my foggy, sugar-messed head. It's my last day in Singapore and I'm pretty happy with all that I've managed to do so far. There's just one Singaporian activity I've yet to give a proper go: shopping. Saving the best til last. Yippee! Later tonight we're going to head to the top of my favourite piece of architecture, the casino, for a grossly overpriced cocktail. There will be a little bar hopping tonight, which hopefully won't spell disaster for my 7am flight, eek! Only one way to find out. 

IT'S A YES FROM ME

1. Twihard: An serious/obsessive reader of the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer.

2. Twihard: Stupid obsessive people (mostly teenage girls) who are "in love" with fictional characters and wouldn't know a good book if it punched them in the face.

Source: Urban Dictionary

I fall into neither of the above categories. I've read the books, I've seen all the movies, but 1) am not on a mission to wed R-Patz 2) am not hoping that maybe one day I can become a vampire, too, and 3) belong exclusively to neither Team Edward nor Team Jacob. On the contrary, would be more than happy to be an active member of both teams.

Meg and I saw Breaking Dawn Part One tonight (on a gigantic screen in Singapore, awesome) and we both loved it. Sure, it may not have been an exact adaptation of the book, but close enough. Was I entertained? Yes I was. Have a little giggle? Yeah, along with the rest of the cinema. This latest installment was in keeping with the distinctive Twilight style, but I also appreciated the fresh tone it generated in the honeymoon scenes. I'm not just talking about the saucy/bed breaking bits, which were a great addition, but also that it felt 'human', and it was nice to be able to relax and enjoy those happy parts of the storyline for a bit  a change of pace from the usual vampire/wolf/Volturi dramas. If you don't know who the Volturi are, I'd be willing to bet you do know who Voldemort is, so shut up.

Some of the wolf interactions were a little tiresome, but bearable. Let's talk make-up. Poor Edward looked like he'd fallen face first into a vat of Liquid Paper. As my fellow blogger and Twilight aficionado pointed out, "I know he's a vampire, but it was just not a hot shade of white". Strangely tanned torso in the bedroom, though. I was willing to overlook it. Bella's make-up during her demon-baby pregnancy was pretty stunning, and I think they did a great job with the guts and gore during the birth scenes. Ed seemed to cope fairly well when he thought Bella was dead though. Bit weird, and I wasn't feeling it. I would have liked to see the depiction of her vampire transition with a bit more hellish pain, as was described in the book. There was nowhere near enough screaming and writhing. I loved the ending of the movie before the credits, though. Obvious, I guess, but nevertheless, effective. I want to see the next one, so mission accomplished.

All that aside, I will now give my girly-girl opinion of the movie. I really liked Bella's clothes and hair. She had great pajamas, dresses, floppy tracksuit shorts and knits in this movie. And that right there is as close to my real review as we're going to get!

HAJI LANE

HAJI LANE. BABUSHKAS FOR MISS CHARLOTTE. MEXICAN DRINKS. NATIONAL MUSEUM. OLD FASHIONED PORTRAIT AND FILM CAMERA. LUNCH FOR ONE. RAFFLES HOTEL. SINGAPORE FLYER. CRUISE LINER CASINO. CHINATOWN. CLUB STREET. FANCY BATHROOM #2. BLOOD ORANGE MARGARITA WITH CHOCOLATE SUGAR RIM. 

It's been a busy couple of days here in Singapore. Okay, bit of a lie – I spent most of Tuesday sleeping, reading, and relaxing in the pool. In the afternoon Meagan and I shopped our way along Haji Lane, a quaint street of quirky little boutiques. At the end of the lane we stopped for cocktails; she a caprioska and I, a margarita. The barman was exceptionally generous with the pouring of the spirits and we were both festively tipsy when we tottled from our bar stools to the street to hail a cab. Speaking of which, the taxi system is so effective here. You register your name and then any time you need a taxi (when you can't flag one down) you just send an SMS and you get a reply with the rego of the taxi and the number of minutes til he/she arrives. Taxis are cheap, too. Anyway, that evening we went out for chili crab and pork ribs, mmm, and then took a drive along Orchard Road to see the pretty Christmas lights.

Yesterday I psyched myself into tourist mode and trotted off to the National History Museum. They had carted in some paintings from the Musée d'Orsay Paris for a special exhibition. I also enjoyed the film, photography and fashion exhibitions. By the time I got to the History of Singapore wing (the main purpose of my visit) I was over museums, so afraid I can't tell ya much about that. Afterwards I went back to Raffles for some pictures and a wander. It's such a stunning landmark, soaked with opulence. You can feel the history of the place as you wander along the corridors, it's quite amazing. After that I wandered towards the Flyer, until the storm clouds closed in again and I headed back to Meagan's. Later in the afternoon we meandered through Chinatown and then took a left and then a right into Club Street. Enjoyed a beverage at '83' and then onto P.S. Cafe where I had the best calamari I've ever tasted. As my Dad would say, it was a "taste sensation" (on a holiday in Thailand over a decade ago, he'd say this at every meal, and it has stuck; we bring it out from time to time for teasing purposes). Meg sipped on the most elaborately garnished mojito ever, and I couldn't resist the blood orange margarita with a sugar and chocolate rim. Genius. Also genius was the heavenly bathroom, a black and cream tiled haven complete with fresh hydrangeas, classical music and a personal fan. Oh me, oh my. After dinner we headed back to Meg's place, stopping for a 40 minute reflexology massage on the way. With cocktails dancing in my bloodstream, the treatment's affect on my qi is doubtable, but it was a nice massage all the same.

Today I'm thinking of checking out the Botanical Gardens, book in tow. I have a date with Miss Meagan at 3.25pm for High Tea at Emporium on top of Swissotel. Excited! And afterwards we have tickets to Breaking Dawn. Movies are only $8 (AU$6.29!) here, so what better time to hop back on board the Twilight Saga train? Exactly.

It's 8.59am right now, I think I might head down for a little swim while the sun is shining.