I got up too late for breakfast - or rather I blanked on
the time we were to meet, and everyone was gone by the time
I hit Oscar's, which was setting up for the extremely lavish
brunch that it's so proud of and that costs so much. Where
to go? I may have neglected to note that for unknown reasons
I had access to the executive lounge, despite being a mere
silver (note to self: work on those 12 more stays just in
case I'd not get so lucky next year). There was as expected
abundant and good FT company up there, and I didn't have so
much energy (photos from the Do show me off-color and
horribly bloated - I weighed in at an appalling 192, 15 more
than last I checked stateside), so I vegged it and missed
the much anticipated Muthu's lunch. Sorry, bseller,
especially as I'd been a booster of this event from the
beginning, and I do like masala chicken and fish curry.

Oh, I guess I misremembered - Saturday must have been Bird
Park day (I didn't feel up to that, either), and this must
have been walking tour day: anyhow, giving these things a
miss seemed like the prudent thing to do.

E-mail, FT, a glass of Cab, and a brief nap, after which I'd
promised lili a tour of Chinatown on the way to dinner.
She met me downstairs, and we walked through Marina Square
(much redeveloped since the last time I visited) to the bus
stop by the Durian. My map from last year showed a route
from there straight to Outram Park, but when we got there,
there was no such line listed. Plan B - show her around the
Durian and then take the underground mall to the MRT. As it
turns out, we'd missed the start of a Symphony concert by 10
minutes; checked out the free performance situation - there
was a folky-rocky thing that didn't seem interesting, so we
went up on the roof to look at the southward panorama - also
much changed since the last time I did this, with the new
Marina Bay Sands dominating. As she'd not seen the Merlion
before, we walked on to it, and at which we paused an
inordinate time, not owing to the beauty of the statue
itself (sorry, lili, I overestimated my stamina). Then
along the highway to Lau Pa Sat, across to my favorite
temple park (now in slightly dubious condition owing to
renovation or something) on Telok Ayer, past the Maxwell
Hawker Centre, and then to Kok Sen Coffee House, where we
were greeted by 40 or 50 of our nearest and dearest!

As anyone who's been to a SIN Do knows, this is a well known
no-frills eatery that happens to be next door to where
infoworks used to work, so it was well known to him and he
to it, so he organized a dinner there for us a few years
ago, and it's become a tradition for the dinner after the
big seafood dinner. The Do is always well enough attended so
we are banished to multiple tables in the alley behind, a
strange to us but locally pretty well accepted behavior.

I was pretty hungry after the 2-mile walk, and it's lucky I
wasn't in charge of ordering. I believe that karenkay had
that honor, and we ended up with, as I recall:

sweet-sour fried whole fish - nice, with crispy fins and
tail and tender white flesh, a tangle of delicately
vinegared and sweetened peppers, onions, and a couple other
things strewn over the top;

shrimp omelet - good in a very plain sort of way: plain eggs
and plain shrimp, perfectly fresh;

fried chicken - not marinated as before, so perhaps of more
popular appeal, crispy and tender;

black pepper beef - spicy and good, but in deference to the
nonfishies at the table, I had only one taste;

and perfectly fresh, perfectly plain greens with garlic.

Oh, there might have been the kangkong with hot pepper and
fish flavor, but if there was, it was missing the pork
cracklin' topping that gives its extra-special appeal, so
I don't remember it.

One small bowl of rice per head; with this amount of food,
there was some left over.

S$20 a head, counting beers and soft drinks.

The company was as always excellent, the food as always
good. We stood around a long time chatting in the alleyway
before repairing to the Conrad for a farewell shindig
featuring more Tigers and more of the Cabernet. I didn't
pull myself away until close to 3: pretty bad considering
I had an 0430 taxi.

I barely remember showering, packing, checking out, getting
into a cab, and checking in at the airport. I must have done
so, of course. [Oh, God, I think I stole an orange off the
fruit basket and put it in my suitcase, where it resides
several days later, far away from the hospital bed that is
my current home.]