2-day Break at York Hotel

Weeks just seemed to fly by towards the year-end, and before I knew it, it was time for our family's pre-planned STAYCATION at the York Hotel. 

Staycation begins:

Situated at the heart of Orchard along Scotts road, the York Hotel is a pretty old establishment surrounded by newer ones as well as similarly mature hotels such as The Elizabeth, which boasts a strikingly European accent from its architectural design and colour. It is situated a stone's throwaway from Far East Plaza; turn right at the main road facing out from the mall and you'll see an asphalt hill leading into an enclave of hotels, spa and dining outlet/s. There was a distinct holiday mood the moment we entered the hotel region. Suddenly the hustle and bustle of the corporate districts seemed like a distant affair. My eyes almost couldn't peel away from Goodwood Park heritage hotel which is strategically placed at the entrance of the enclave. It looks like a palace or museum of sorts, with its heavy Victorian flavour, turrets, and castle-like design. I made a mental note that that was probably next year's stay. 

York hotel is right at the END of the hill. It has a very minimalistic exterior, with a Singapore flag and York Hotel flag flying high at the entrance where a middle-aged butler waited. He smiled as we entered. The lobby is comfortably lit with soft yellowish lights and decorated with a bronze half-body sculpture of Khoo Teck Puat. 

(Decided to capture moments in photos, but the resolution and vibrancy isn't excellent because my Sony camera, reserved for special occasions, was recently damaged and I had to contend with my mediocre Samsung S5 phone camera.)

We had booked a family deluxe room for our short stay, which turned out to be extremely spacious and hospitably clean. One of the best parts was the fluffy pillows and extremely smooth bed sheets and quilts that spelled a good night's sleep.

As the staycation had been arranged to celebrate Mother's birthday, Jie and I arrived earlier to decorate Mum's mattress with our birthday card (prepared by us three sisters), a small bouquet of flowers, as well as a mat with “Happy Birthday” wishes printed on it. Mum was led into the room with her eyes closed, followed by our voices unanimously singing 'Happy Birthday'. 

Thereafter, we decided to take a dip in the hotel pool, urged on by little sister’s ecstasy about taking a post-exam swim - she has a fondness for pools, bathtubs, and frolicking in waters. I, on the other hand, have developed a slight to deep waters. Curiously, I've lost the ability to keep afloat despite having undergone two cycles of professional training in swimming. I cannot conceive how that’s possible, because swimming relies a huge deal on muscle memory, which even Alzheimer’s patients don’t lose.

So Jie spent a good bit of time attempting to teach me how to keep afloat. I adamantly stayed at the 1.2m end of the pool and kept away from the 1.4m end, even though I’m 5 foot 2.5 inches. Then us sisters played 7-up in the pool, having to replace reciting a numerical name with a bopping movement each time the number reached a multiple of seven or included a seven in its digit/s. I spent a good amount of time bopping about in the water, because I failed ignominiously at swimming or floating while wading, so I stuck to something that was easy and repetitive. Mum lazed on one of the poolside lounge chairs, because like me, she can’t swim to save a life. 

Realized how tiny I was when my body readily fit into my childhood swimwear. (Slim doesn’t even begin to describe how skinny I am). 

Jie and I gave lunch a miss that day because of our busy daytime preparation. Our family arrived promptly at our dinner reservation place by 6.30pm, after a quick stopover at the nearby Korean provision shop. Dinner was to be had at SAVEUR French restaurant, located at Far East Plaza. It was handpicked by Jie as an excellent dining location given its reasonable pricing, scrumptious food, and decent ambience. 

Very importantly, dinner was my treat – my first on my current job. I flipped open the menu book to a Christian verse of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and made a note to read that up later on. And for those of you curious about what this verse says, it broaches on the subject of love:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

For a shared starters, my family ordered Tiger Prawn pasta w/ caviar & crispy ebi. Mum and I ordered the same main dish of Half-oven Roasted Chicken, which was a new item on the menu, served with savoy cabbage. Much to my delight, it came with a side dish of mouthwatering truffle mash, which became the highlight of my meal that evening. Jie ordered Duck Confit served with mashed potato and a very tasty mushroom ragout. Disliking mushrooms in general, her ragout became an add-on on the rest of our plates. Little sister ordered pan-seared Sea bass paired with vichy carrot, caper vinaigrette, and potato cubes. We ate heartily to the song cover of ‘Safe & Sound’ by Jayesslee playing soothingly in the background. Dinner was delicious. 9 out of 10; would recommend!  

During dinner, Jie presented Mum with a classic SKAGEN timepiece she had bought for her to replace her spoiled one. Simple, silver, classy. Mum loved it! 

After dinner, it came time for a relaxing stroll as well as light dessert which would be easy on the stomach. We patronized our family’s favorite Froyo store ‘YAMI’ yoghurt for a sweet finish to our savory dinner. ‘Fruity pebbles’ cereal just seemed like an excellent accompaniment to my peach-flavored dessert! 

While in Ion Orchard finishing off our froyo, chanced upon a horde of squealing fans waving posters and trying to catch a glimpse of their idol – local actress Rui En. I didn’t actually see her; only saw the excitement her presence had created. I did see Night Owl Cinematic’s actress Michelle, though, and she was strikingly pretty with her ash-colored hair and matching-grey contact lenses. A few people managed to snap a wefie with her; I didn’t bother. But yes, she’s extremely pretty, even more so in real life, at least to me. 

When night fell, Jie and I explored Shaw theaters for movie options. Unfortunately, their last screening time was too early for our liking, so we ended up purchasing KOI bubble tea back to our hotel room to drink while playing “Old Maid” cards with little sister and Mum. The streets of Orchard are really a sight to behold at night, especially around Christmas season..

Ended the day snacking on terrifically delicious crackers made to resemble Korean spicy sticky rice. Except it was much tastier. Scrolled through social media and blogs on my iPad till I slowly drifted into sleep mode. 

The next morning, I was elated to be awakened to an extensive array of food for buffet breakfast. Good early morning food does wonders to my holiday experience, because I’m a foodie.  The food, though, in all honesty, wasn’t fantastic. Bacon slices were extremely dry and hard to chew, and the button mushrooms in my omelet tasted queer. That said, it was OK.  There was maple syrup to drizzle on my waffles, and that’s a HUGE plus point for me. Besides, I’m easy to please with fruit loops drowned in milk. (: The colorful rings had lost their crunchiness, though, due to overexposure to air. 

Altogether, I had THREE rounds of breakfast. My first round was an American kind of breakfast - my favorite kind - comprising eggs, bacon, waffles, and cereal. My second round was less heavy, comprising a slice of croissant and fruity danish dipped in Australian honey. My third serving of food was a bowl of porridge garnished generously with fried shallots and raw spring onions. I don’t think I was extremely full thereafter, but I was satisfied to stop eating. Gluttony is one of my sins although I'm sure my size doesn't account for it. :|

After breakfast, Jie and I went back to our hotel room to catch up on sleep. In the afternoon, I packed up my belongings and travelled to one of the heartland Starbucks for a work appointment. Bought myself a grande-sized Java Chip Frappuccino to pump some energy into my system and legitimize my use of the table at the coffee joint.  Post-appointment, met up with Best Friend to catch my first movie in two months, besides “Crimson Peak” which I watched just two weeks back. Being a movie junkie, it’s almost unheard of that I go for a month without catching a single movie at the cinema. My average movie frequency at the theaters used to be once a week.

“SPECTRE” turned out to be an awesome choice for a movie, from its haunting music to exciting fighting choreography, emotional storyline, talented cast, and elaborate setups. I maintain my stand that Daniel Craig is my favorite actor for James Bond to date, albeit not the most handsome. He simply makes Bond believable, and really swag. I loved that the director/producer gave his character emotional DEPTH, making him the inner-vulnerable/outer-hardy hero I have a weakness for. Let’s face it. Who can relate to a perfect human being with zero fears or vulnerabilities? I personally can’t, and don’t want to. Human complexities intrigue me and I think that’s the beauty of everyone. The show and music was put together so nicely, from start to finish, to illustrate the development of Bond from a deeply pained individual to one finding emotional release and freedom. This buildup was emotional, yet did not take away from his character’s credibility for capability and strength. I consider the show a masterpiece therefore, though views surrounding it from my counterparts have been mixed.

At night, I travelled to Bukit Timah Food Centre for dinner. My meal was a simple dish of Hokkien Mee, a delicacy I have grown familiar with in that area over my span of three years having studied nearby at the SIM campus. I nostalgically thought back on my days in university and all the blessings and craziness that happened in my life during that period of time. Even the long-awaited train station right beside the market that had been under construction since what felt like forever was finally up. But that shall be left to another post, if need be. I decided to take a really long bus ride home, the same journey I had to undergo on repeat back in varsity days. It gave me good time to reflect on recent events and to daydream - a luxury of the time-rich. 

After alighting from the bus, I sat at a park half a kilometer away from home, watching passers-by jog, saunter by, and chat at the benches. I began playing a karaoke instrumental to a Chinese song I had only recently learned, on my iPad, and sung to it. It was a good unwinding activity. The stillness and darkness of the night made good an atmosphere to unbend in. Loved the rare alone time.

Yawning now. Guess it's time to sign off at this unearthly hour after having satiated my sudden desire to write.

Till next time <3,
Meng Yee