Friday Five: Singapore Style!

Since it’s Friday, I decided to recap my last day in Singapore, Five Things Friday style.

Always a great day when it starts with a run! I got up early again this morning (damn that jet lag) and spent the first couple hours catching up on work. Once it was light out, I decided to go for a run. I had hoped I would beat the heat by going out at first light but I’m beginning to think that might be impossible here. But hey, hot or not, I got my miles in for If Girls Ran the World…(I started a day early…because I likely won’t be able to run tomorrow).

I used my run to explore Little India…the markets, the streets, the colors!! So amazing!

I got so swept up in observing all the Deepvali decorations and colorful markets while running by that I ended up on the Kallang River trail. I didn’t even know it existed until I ended up there today. When I stopped to look around to try and figure out where to go next (and where I was!), an old lady who was doing her morning tai chi took notice of me and started to explain to me that I was in the area where the “real people in Singapore live…” She gestured at her own clothing and said, “you see. We wear normal clothes here. Not like Orchard Rd….those are rich people.” She told me the government built the river park and trails to give the community a place to stay fit. It was a nice place to run and there was plenty of outdoor gym equipment to use.  The internet is AMAZING. After my run, I got on a Google Hangout with my bae (Casey, duh…) and I’m pretty sure the first thing that I said to him was….you look sweaty! And he said he had just gone for a run which made me happy because that basically meant we went running together…and that is awesome. Also, I got to see Abbie. 🙂

Coffee and hipster cafes: There’s nothing I like more than a hipster cafe with good coffee. And that’s just what I found today in Singapore. After my run and Google Hangout, I realized it was almost noon and i still hadn’t had anything to eat. I headed out down Arab street and stumbled into a little cafe called Artistry Cafe. And it was the perfect place to grab some coffee, get some work done…and omg, eat the most delicious toast. Just look at that bread!!!

It wasn’t just the coffee or even the toast…also, the staff at Artistry Cafe is amazing. Super friendly. Super cool. And great taste in music, to boot.

Rainy exploration: My next stop was a walk along the Marine Promenade towards the Singapore Flyer (everyone said it was a must see in Singapore). It started to rain while I walked along the water and it was actually a nice and refreshing change from the boiling hot sun. I arrived at the famed Singapore Flyer after walking a good 2 miles or so and took some photos and looked around.

Self care, like whoa: My feet were seriously KILLING me. I have been walking everywhere – was on my feet for nearly 12 hours yesterday and another 6+ today – so on a whim (and with sore, achey feet yelling at me, practically shoving me in the door), I decided to hop into Rule of Thumb, a spa on Beach Road for a foot massage. And it was…AMAZING. First, she hit my feet with these crazy rattles and while slightly violent, it was also really quite nice. From toes, to feet, to heels to calves and even shins, she worked me over. My feet promised not to scream at me for the rest of the week. Thanks feet!

Next up was yoga. It was like the universe was trying to tell me something…SELF CARE, YOU FOOL…..because when I tried to reserve the 7pm power class, it said it was full so I went for the 6pm zen class instead. And it turns out, zen was just what the doctor ordered. A whole lot of deep stretching later had me feeling clear headed and grounded. On my way back to the hotel, I found a quick bite to eat (I was literally fighting my way through the Friday night crowds) and then it was time to  pack, jump on a call, and get some work done!

Bali, here I come!

Stay sweaty friends!

XOXO

Jamie