Sunday, December 28, 2008

Eastward bound

Have you ever had the feeling where you set your eyes on something for the first time and fell in love then and there? I had the exact same feeling when I first saw this area of Singapore. That was more than a year ago. During the course of the year, this love and fascination was strengthened considerably due to my frequent visits to this area. Somehow or the other, I would end up going there almost every weekend. The fact that I used to reside on the opposite end of the country didn't deter me at all.

Ever since I confessed my fascination to the place, she has been telling me to move there at every single oppourtunity which presented itself. Given the fact that the area has an abundance of restaurants, it is of no wonder that I would gush about it whenever I went there. The best part of the place was its proximity to the beach. Just a short 15 min walk away. I have always loved the beach and can spend the whole day next to it. Staying in a place like that where I can wake up early on a sunday morning(Stop that eye rolling! I can get up early if I want to!!!), take a brisk walk to the beach, spend some time sitting next to the shore and head back home after breakfast (Yes, I wholeheartedly believe than an outing is not complete until I eat outside) has always been a dream.

So, a couple of months back, we started searching for a house in this area (which is in the east). Looking through classifieds, calling up agents, viewing houses kept us kind of busy is the last one month (and that is NOT the reason I have blogged less. I was just plain lazy). And then the whole "love at first sight" happened again when we saw a lovely apartment. We decided to rent out the place almost immediately and were doing bhangra or to be more specific, we were going Tanah Merah Tanah Merah (my friends had become more obsessed about it than I was, Buhahahaha!!) in our heads. But the owner decided to think about our offer and told us that he would tell us the outcome by noon the next day. We were a bundle of nerves by noon next day and were literally jumping with anticipation each time the phone rang or a message was received. Finally, after many such 'false jumpings', we finally got the good news. It was such a relief. We couldn't wait to move in.

The much awaited day came and we moved in amidst much excitement. It took a couple of days to sink in that we live in the east now. Now that it has, here is a list of things which explains why the new house rocks and why we are so head-over-heels in love with it.
  1. The beach is just a 20 min walk
  2. The whole set of restaurants that I spoke about earlier is just a short 5 min bus ride away.
  3. Changi airport is just a 10 min taxi ride away. Yipeeee!!! No more of the hour long journeys to receive/drop friends/family at the airport.
  4. The new house is clearly the best house compared to all the ones that I have stayed in all my life.
  5. It is huge with plently of light and air.
  6. My room had got huge windows. The absence of building next to ours ensures that we don't peep into other houses and vice-versa
  7. From the dining room and my room windows, I can see flights approach a landing. Just a couple of days back, I saw the A380 approach a landing. Wow!
  8. The lady at the western stall in the food court nearby asked me if I wanted "Veggie burger" when I ordered a "Chicken Burger without the chicken patty but with a hash brown". I think I almost cried!
  9. There is an Indian shop nearby who sells fresh coriander amongst other Indian items. This came as a very pleasant surprise. I don't have to frequent trips to Mustafa Centre.
  10. We finally made this a reality.