Not What I Expected

Singapore really is the land of the unexpected. No matter how familiar I think something will be, it always turns out to be "...not what I expected...". Whether it is a toy museum or a chicken sandwich or Japanese ramen or a black & tan or "Hawaiian Pizza", it always seems to be 3 degrees to the left of what I thought it would be.
This seems to be the case with food, more than anything really, but it is also the case with other things.  I've had cab drivers refuse tips, wait staff that stands behind you, patiently & politely but not about to leave, until you pay the bill and "American Breakfast" that is, again, 3 degrees left of what we'd really eat back in the States.
It's all similar, but just different enough to make you really miss or crave some basic things from your life back home. It all ends up being more surreal due to the similarities, rather then the differences.
Anyway, just some thoughts for the evening.

Dinner with Chuck

So, just got back from a great dinner with Chuck Spina at an Italian joint in Holland Village.

Holland Village is a little foodie neighborhood in Singapore about a 15 minute cab ride from the hotel. It's probably fairly touristy, but in a different way than the Clarke Quay area here where the Gallery Hotel is located. There are some pretty cool looking little restaurants, bars and shops there.

See the video above for a typical sign and the sort of typical flavor of the area. It's really a pretty neat little place here in Singapore.

I always enjoy having dinner with Chuck. He's a very interesting guy and works with some pretty fun people, so his stories about work and his job and his co-workers are fun to hear. And he is very excited that his wife and kids will be coming out to Singapore to visit for 2 weeks. They get here next weekend I believe. I'm sure they'll have a great time.

http://www.browhaus.com/