Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

A drunken night in Singapore.

Molly, Kerrin, Kendall and I were ready to take on the night life of this new city. We had a full day in Singapore, did some touring and were ready for a couple cocktails. We did a quick Google search for rooftop bars that offered a great view of the city skyline. It’s important to note that the prices in Singapore pretty much match the prices in the US, and when you’re on a backpacker budget, those prices are astronomical. But we figured, “let’s just go out for one”. Hmph. It felt so good to get dressed up.. put mascara on for the first time in weeks and finally I felt pretty! We ended up at Ce La Vie which is a lavish club/lounge on the roof of a huge hotel. This place was undoubtedly Singapore’s hottest rooftop bar. $20 cover — that was what we’d typically spend for a whole day in Thailand. Things were not cheap here in this country. The girls all drank tequila on the rocks, I with my Kettle One dirty martini - a little somethin’ different from the usual Chang beer. We stood at a high top and gazed at the city skyline. It kind of felt like we were back home on a night in Boston. It was a really nice breath of fresh air; a reminder to what life was like back at home.

We finished our drinks and, with these girls, it’s never “just have one”. Who was I kidding? We knew we had to find another place to turn up, preferably where the drinks were cheaper. We took an Uber to Clarke Quay, where the younger crowd hangs and there’s tons of night life. Our first stop was Chupitos, Singapore’s only specialized shooters bar. I knew this place was trouble just by how excited Kerrin was to go here. This bar had a whole menu full of all different shots with funny names: Bloody Tampon, Warhead, Boob Job, Condom, some Harry Potter one. All different ingredients, each name based on something funny or raunchy. Kerrin and Kendall got 3 different shots and raced each other, not allowing themselves to use their hands. Kendall won! 3 shots right after one another.. the night was going to take a turn. Molly’s Dr. Pepper shot was literally on fire. Flames! We decided a beer bucket challenge would be a great idea. (The last time we held a drinking challenge we were in Bangkok and, although I don’t remember, my GoPro footage reveals us asking the cab driver to take us to where they shoot ping pong balls out of their vaginas..) The night was bound to get weird. Kendall, a drinking champion, won first place in the beer bucket challenge; Kerrin second place; I shockingly didn’t come in last but I did puke foam so that’s probably disqualification in an actual competition. We had such a fun time, the best throwback music playing. In true ‘Kylie’s had a little too much to drink’ fashion, I tried dancing on the table and got behind the DJ booth. When we were leaving, there was a live band performing Valerie at Highlander, the Scottish themed whiskey bar across the street. There’s something that needs to be said about live mashups of Justin Bieber and the Beatles. We literally danced our asses off - I don’t think a smile left my face the entire time.

The night was winding down. While trying to find a taxi, we stopped to grab a snack at Subway. Here is where we met these two high school boys Dylan and Harry. They were actually both from the States but moved to Singapore because of their parent’s jobs. They went to very expensive private schools. Their story seemed so fascinating to us & the conversation kept circling back to how nice Dylan’s house was. We ended up taking a cab to this kid’s house and quietly getting an MTV Cribs tour of his parent’s home. Us 4 older girls, sat in this kids room and chatted with these 2 boys about life in Singapore until right as we were about to leave, his mom knocks on the door. “Dylan, how many people do you have in there? Can you come out here? I want to speak to you”. Harry said he was definitely gunna be grounded from this. If his mom only knew it was just four college graduates wanting to hear more about an American living in Singapore, maybe she’d understand. We then, climbed out of his window for dramatic effect. Grabbed McDonalds and headed to bed, 4 hours before we had to leave for the airport. The next day was just as bad as I figured it would be. Puking for several hours.. in an airport. On the plane. In public trying not to cry. The hangover totally sucked but I will literally never forget this night. Harry and Dylan - I hope you’re enjoying college life! And Dylan’s mom - I’m sorry; you’re house is fabulous!