Singapore

No, I am not in Singapore but Nick is there for another work-related trip and he has been texting us lots of photos, as he usually does when he goes to Singapore.  He's been there several times, I've lost count, but he goes there often for work.  He would love for us to go to Singapore because he is so fascinated with it but I'm not sure I could handle the heat.  It's on the equator and it is hot twelve months of the year and mean hot and humid, my most unfavorite type of any weather.  I was in Japan last year in July and Nick said that was similar to how Singapore always is. It's the humidity that's tough; that muggy, jungle-type heat.  But there are so many things he loves about Singapore that he doesn't mind the heat.  The first thing he loves is the food.  He sent us the photo above of Chinese/Japanese/Singaporean fusion humbao sliders.  Top left clockwise;  vegetable tempura; tempura salmon mentaiko (Japanese spicy fish egg); Singapore chilli crab with a fried humbao; and salted egg over fried chicken.  The chilli crab was the best one, he said.  I think chilli crab is Nick's favorite food in Singapore.  He even took us to a Singaporean restaurant in Tokyo last year so we could experience it.  

The type of crabs they use in Singapore are called mud crabs and they are stir-fried in a semi-thick, sweet and savory tomato and chili-based sauce.  It's not a spicy dish like you might think but just a very distinct flavor that compliments crab very well.  Here's a photo Nick sent us the first time he had it.

Chilli crab is listed at number 35 on the World's 50 most delicious foods complied by CNN Go in 2011.  It is often served with steamed or deep fried buns known as mantous but always eaten with your bare hands and restaurants will provide you with wet towels or a washing bowl with lime in order to cleanse  your hands after the meal.  Here's a photo that Nick took of a woman selling mud crabs in Singapore.

The street food in Singapore is supposedly excellent, as well.  Chilli crab was derived from a husband and wife selling stir-fried crabs mixed with chilli and tomato sauce from a street pushcart in 1956.  The food in Singapore is a mixture of Chinese, Malaysian and Indian - the three most prominent ethnicities which makes for a lot of interesting food.  Nick never goes hungry when in Singapore.  He also sent us this photo of an orange juice machine in his hotel lobby - fresh squeezed, of course. 

  

I know how much he loves this because he drinks a lot of orange juice when he comes to visit.  I always know to get his favorite when he comes: Trader Joe's fresh squeeze organic orange juice.  After the food, Nick favorite thing about Singapore is the hotels he gets to stay in.  This time he is staying in the Oasia Hotel that is covered with plants on the exterior, or a tropical "living tower", shown in the background of this photo he took. 

In this photo, Nick is with co-workers and the famous Marina Bay Sands hotel is in the background, a common landmark of Singapore. 

Here are more photos Nick has sent from previous hotel stays:

the hotel pool on top of the building

You can see the Marina Bay Sands in the background

One time he was in Singapore when they were having a Formula One auto race going on.  That is when the cars race throughout the city on a track set up specifically for the race.  There was also a big stage set up where the band Maroon 5 played a concert.  

That was quite the party scene in Singapore during that visit, which was one of Nick's first visits.  I think it left quite the impression on him.  Singapore is it's own island country or a sovereign city-state.  It is a global hub for finance, trade, transport, education, healthcare, innovation, logistics, manufacturing, technology and tourism.  It also has been ranked as the world's safest country, third-largest foreign exchange market and financial centre, oil refining and trading centre, fourth-healthiest country, fifth-most innovative country, and second busiest container port.  

And, for five years in a row, Singapore has been ranked as the most expensive city to live in the world.  Therefore, the latest summer movie craze, Crazy Rich Asians, is a must see.  Bruce and I went and saw it and we loved it.  I mainly wanted to see it because I knew it was filmed in Singapore and I wanted to see Singapore.  They did a great job in portraying Singapore.  They covered the amazing food, the architecture and of course, the super rich people.  My favorite was the wedding scene that was really quite over-the-top.  The movie was your typical romantic comedy, which I've always been a sucker for.  I loved all the Meg Ryan romantic comedies.  Frankly, I wish they had more of them. So, if you like romantic comedies, like seeing how super rich people live and want to see Singapore, I'd highly recommend Crazy Rich Asians.  I understand why Nick loves visiting Singapore.  There's no place like it in the world.