Good grief, can it get any hotter?? The day would have been perfect but for nearly melting outdoors. I mean, breakfast of bak chor mee and kaya toast at 6th Ave, then a meetup with the Lohs on Sentosa followed by drinks at Wine Co on the boardwalk with Rishad and Shefali coming along too? It should have been idyllic had we not been nearly flattened by the heat.

Just as well that it was too hot, I guess, since Sentosa is completely overpriced and we dropped a bomb for the kids to try the Mega Zip and luge. Becky and I sat in the shade at Trapizza and watched with a glass of wine in hand. Ran fortuitously in Gillian Koh with her kids there so I got to say hi to an old acquaintance.

The excessive heat was matched only by the excessive drink, I think. By the end of the evening at Wine Co, only good sense and the children's horrified expressions saved us from topping it with bak kut teh at Keppel. The kids were so sticky when they went to bed but too tired to bathe that I dusted them all over with talcum powder like sugared donuts. It never got cool enough to be pleasant, really. You just wish you had a portable shower with you all the time.

Only poor Ethan had to leave for tuition at 4.10 after just one luge ride. He never dares to complain either.

I woke up early, got into my running gear and high tailed it to Clementi Ave 4, hoping to find the wonton noodle lady from Sunset Way but the stall is now occupied by some other hawker. One more link with the past gone. A moment's mourning and I returned with bak chor mee instead.

Not much on today -- washed clothes, went to Holland Village with J and Izzy to apply for Internet banking and update my phone number so I can get an OTP if I have to use my card online. Had lunch at the hawker centre where Izzy had curry rice with tofu, J had wanton noodles and I had fish soup. Bought sundries and toiletries at Guardian, where the cashier had to ask me about my pretty mixed-blood daughter. Mum and dad arrived at about 5. J and I cleaned out the TV cabinet while getting the living room ready to sleep in. The place is filthy. I don't think Lucier cleaned anything but I guess she must have been too afraid to touch anything she was not expressly permitted to. Mum is still upset about the whole period. It is too bad she cannot live with hired help because she could so do with it.

The girls ended up having la mian for dinner and mum and dad were not hungry, so after J came back from his run, we went to Forture and had scrumptious vinegar pork ribs, oyster omelet and sambal kangkong. Dom and Huichieh joined us for drinks at Bar Bar, as well as Ember. Some experiences do bear repeating, but perhaps not the pear cider I ordered.

Met Hui Chieh, Theresa and Sher Maine for lunch. Kandagawa was unfortunately booked up for a party so we had to eat at the Trishaw Cafe, which was serving very mediocre bak kut teh.

But that was a minor disaster compared with the big one that occurred later, when I went to the toilet at United Square and left my Kindle Fire in a cubicle. It serves me right for being so much in a hurry. I had left my friends at Udders, which could have saved me from this outcome had it had a toilet. Instead, I had to go into the mall to find a loo and they were doing renovations to their loos so there were long queues for the bathrooms. I don't know what was up with me but I forgot my Kindle Fire and i did not think about it for a few more hours.

In the meantime, I drove to the Botanic Gardens, where I met J and the girls coming from lunch to see if the gift shop would have souvenirs. I had arranged to meet Rosh at Fosters, so she came to the garden instead, with Darshan.

But it was only when we had gone back to Pine Grove to get ready for dinner at the Lohs', that I realised what an idiot I had been. It was too late to panic: I called United Square and no one had turned anything in. The security guard asked the cleaner to check the toilet but of course it was gone.

J removed my credit card details from Amazon and I went back to United Square but it was too late. No more Scramble games or Draw Something! A pox on the thief, may her hand shrivel up and fall off.

Amazingly I was still able to enjoy the delicious Peranakan meal Rebecca had cooked for us, though everyone else had finished eating by the time I got there. The itek tim was fabulous, as were the assam prawns. David had to go to work, and J got his nose in a photo book but the girls had great fun playing Twister and Blokus. I just wish I had my Kindle Fire for company. No more devices for me.

I had pictured this for a long time -- sitting at a table outside Mr Prata eating a fluffy egg prata with fish curry. Only it is now called Prata Planet, but it was pretty much as good as I remembered. Eating off our tin plates amid other workers having breakfast while traffic zoomed below on Ave 5, early enough so it wasn't too hot yet, I felt content. Afterwards we drove to Clementi Market and brought home lots of goodies for the kids. So far so good.

Unfortunately, it's never so perfect once the kids are up. Finally after much angst, we decided to go to the birdpark. By the time we got there, it was 1, and the heat of the day had climbed to its zenith. Still, we fortified ourselves with laksa and chicken rice and were ready for the sun's onslaught.

I sound like a broken record but again, it would have been so nice had it not been so hot. All the children wanted to do was escape into the airconditioned places like the owl and penguin enclosures. Luckily the lory loft was a blast as usual. I got to meet Ruby, a king parrot who used to be a showbird but had to be retired after she bit someone in the audience. I noticed her sitting quietly by the birdkeeper, who then got her to talk and whistle by feeding her sunflower seeds. Every time I have been to the bird park or the zoo, something surprising and worthwhile will emerge.

Finally, we headed home for a much needed swim (at least for Izzy and me), and a lot of rousting to go to dinner at Margarita's with Margaret and Izzy Capodanno! Margaret has not changed one whit and Izzy has become an adorable young person. It was a little awkward at the start because the kids had forgotten each other and Ethan  had never had Mexican food. By the end of the evening, the kids had hit it off and Ethan pronounced his tacos "quite nice". Margaret drove us home, as J had taken the car to go running at MacRitchie. I wish we lived closer to them -- beginning with being in the same country! Margaret told me that the Hallocks are also moving back to Singapore. They will find it much changed.

So we're a day late but at last we got our Ghim Moh breakfast. The table looked as I had imagined: prawn noodles, two types of carrot cake, youtiao, char siew rice and mee, nasi lemak, mee soto, soybean drinks and coffee. Amazingly, the kids were up early for the repast. I must enjoy this jetlag while it lasts.

Ah, the Pine Grove of yore. Kids swam when we got back while I worked on the Phillips newsletter by the pool. Things are looking up and they got even better when Alexis found J's glasses when she dug around in her drawer for something. I must have gathered up a bunch of her clothes along with these dastardly frames and dumped them in the drawer by mistake.

Able to see, he went for a haircut at Sunset Way (very bad -- sometimes nostalgia has to remain unrevisited) followed by a contact lunch with the NHG folks at Holland Village. I took the kids to Casa Verde for lunch at the Botanic Gardens, which would have been lovely had the girls not been bickering as usual, then Ethan back home for tuition. We regrouped later for MIB3 at the Orchard Cineleisure. Realised I could not buy tickets online because this silly Verified by Visa security feature needed a cell phone they could send a one-time password to. Luckily, there were still tickets when we went.

Afterwards we had a good dinner at 313 Somerset. There are hordes of people, however, on Orchard Rd, and they range from those in shorts and tees to some strange looking trendoids. The girls were hooked.

The hiccups continue. Haneda was an oasis of free WiFi, sparkling loos, eye-popping Japanese snacks and smiling service staff but when we arrived in Singapore shortly before 6am on Monday morning, there was NO ONE at the arrival hall to meet us, and not a useable phone between the four of us.

But hopeful sign 2: the guy opening up the Quiznos kiosk gave me some change, and hopeful sign 3: there was a payphone and hopeful sign 4: Alan was waiting by the kerbside. He'd sent a text/email but of course we are not that mobile coming from America!

That familiar wall of damp heat. We loaded up and drove to Ghim Moh where mum and dad were to meet us. I planned the menu: hae mee noodles dry, youtiao with black coffee, carrot cake two kinds, nasi lemak and prata. The table was laden....But alas, as we parked and walked towards the deserted hawker centre, a banner cheerfully told us the place was closed for cleaning.

Argggghhhhhhh....

Setback number who's counting: the Holland Village hawker centre was closed too. But of course. It's Monday. What was I thinking? Have I been away for so long that I've forgotten this is the day of rest for many market stalls? We settled for a barely-operational Crystal Jade and then a bit of Ya Kun kaya toast. Adequate but not ideal.

I did not look forward to the prospect of entering the Pine Grove apartment and it was as I expected, but no worse. Ethan is staying here this week and had a happy reunion with the girls. I went to work clearing out my old room as best as I could. We do have some breathing space though, as mum and dad are going to church camp in Desaru this week so we can have their room. They left around noon. I got to work cleaning up in the kitchen as well, and the bathroom, and unpacking all our luggage, except for Alexis's, which is simply voluminous and unmanageable. I think she brought nearly every piece of clothing in her closet.

Try as they might, J and Izzy succumbed to jetlag and went to sleep. The other two children clamoured to see MIB3, so we got to the laborious task of waking them up. But setback # way off the charts by now: J's glasses have gone missing!!!! I went through all the suitcases and every bit of trash I had taken downstairs but I could not find them. Woe is me! I knew we should never have come!!

There was no help for it. The movie was out of the question. Instead, I drove everyone to Sunset Way, where Alexis had mee pok from her regular stall and I bought some pasta/pizza for Izzy and Ethan from Rocky's. Afterwards, we got prepaid mobile cards from 7-11, and while everyone spaced out, I went to work contacting friends etc. As expected, I am immune to the 12-hour time zone difference jet lag, and I went to bed at 11. Of course Izzy was up half an hour later and needed a snack. Luckily, we had foreseen this earlier and were prepared with cup noodles from 7-11.

So, the first day ends and we survived. Hopeful sign # 5: The heatwave took a break today.

The day I've dreaded has come. Maybe dreaded is too strong a word, but I've not looked forward to going to Singapore, despite my professions to the contrary. Everyone thinks I'm excited to be going home but I'm worried: will the kids and J find staying at Pine Grove too crowded? The house is old and cluttered and grimy now the maid is gone. Will J and my parents get along? Will that tension be difficult to manage? What will the children do for fun now they don't have many friends left in Singapore? Will they complain there's nothing to do? Will they even get out of bed before noon? Will I find it frustrating that our wishes, agendas and schedules will rarely coalesce and be guaranteed to clash? After all, this has happened with every trip in the last four years.

Anyway, I have not relished the prospect that this trip, which means such different things to each of us, could be disappointing to everyone in the end on some level. But here we are now.

Still, if beginning omens are worth anything, this departure was less stressful than those of previous years. Of course J had multiple chores which "had" to be completed, but we were more or less packed and ready to go by noon or so.

Pam and Jan as usual were troopers, bringing breakfast, washing up and driving us to the airport when it came time. Finally we are on our way. At our three-hour layover in JFK, Alexis was desperate to facetime with people at the party she was missing (which included her new boyfriend, Tucker) and. Izzy was super bummed that she didn't go walkabout with J and me and so missed a Selena Gomez sighting. I mean, she was this-is-the-worst-day-of-my-life typical Izzy bummed. Maybe I was premature in reading hopeful signs. Especially as it turned out that we had not ordered a vegetarian meal for Izzy on American Airlines, which was not inclined to find a solution (this is why one flies SQ if one has money), so she was reduced to eating the side dishes and cheese/crackers. She did it with very poor grace, I guess to punish us. Oh, forget it. I downed an Ambien and went to sleep for the rest of the 13 hours to Haneda.

I felt a pang when I saw an ad for the new Clementi Mall in the papers today. It was one of those artist illustrations of the new mall rising behind the bus stop at the MRT station. Instantly it transported me back to our old neighbourhood.

I imagined myself shopping at the NTUC in the new mall, and having tim sum at the Crystal Jade Kitchen. How many times did I ride the 284 to the interchange, daydreaming along the way? And how many times did I walk Ave 5 back home after getting off the train? These were simple diversions and there should be nothing memorable about buying a pair of jeans at Giordano, or bringing home a packet of Brothers Rojak or roti prata. But there you have it. Nostalgia comes easy when times are gone, and now those seem like simple happy times, when the kids were little and it didn't take much to live comfortably.