A blue tinted world it truly is when one gazes out the windows of the Courtyard by Marriott at Novena.
Why one's view is meant to be this way regardless whichever side you face, I don't know. It might be due to the glare of our hot tropical sun, it might be due to the UV rays beaming down to our equatorial position, it might be due to just about any other reason, scientific or not at all.
What is clear, though, is that this property has been (like many of their properties are) strategically planned.
For not only is it the first, and only, Courtyard by Marriott in Singapore, it sits conveniently on Thomson Road in a north-south direction right next to Novena Medical City- the medical hub that holds the medical suites of Mt. Elizabeth Novena, government-run Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the NCID. and every other department that falls within the designation of the wide TTSH arena.
It is also within close vicinity of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Community Youth and Sports, and the SLF Building.
Now, whilst all this may not mean much to the international guests who check in at the hotel, it does mean plenty to a local like me.
Because all this footfall (three ministries and a hospital, would you imagine!) means that the MRT is literally downstairs, there are enough buses to go around, I've got plenty of surroundings to explore, and best of all, I've got three malls within a circle of 10 minutes for me to go.
I didn't go to all three malls during the short time that I was there.
I only went to two.
And both were more than enough for me.
One mall had Daiso, Don Don Donki, Itacho, Jollibee and Popeye's; the other had Cold Storage, Hans, Fat Papa's, Cedele and lots of cute little joints for takeaway.
And both were more than enough for me.
One mall had Daiso, Don Don Donki, Itacho, Jollibee and Popeye's; the other had Cold Storage, Hans, Fat Papa's, Cedele and lots of cute little joints for takeaway.
It was enough for the functional shopper.
I spent a good amount of time weaving through the shelves of Don Don Donki. I looked at the tote bags and pouches and stationery on the comfortable shelves of Daiso. I had a healthy serving of salmon with soy sauce and roasted salmon belly at Itacho. And I had a less healthy serving of burgers and fries at Fat Papa's.
To say that I came here solely for the sake of having a staycay would not be a lie, what with me being a fan of Courtyard by Marriott, having had been one since LA, San Diego, Bangkok and Seoul.
To say that I came here for a specific purpose with a specific meaning would also not be a lie. Because the day I saw this building on its way up was the day I told myself (by faith) the s*** would be over and I would come here have a stay.
Guess what, the s*** is over.
So it is a symbolic gesture that on the first afternoon, I decided to lunch on an egg and ham mayo bun (bought from downstairs!) with a glass of milk at the multi-use round glass table, overlooking this blue tinted view.
It is a symbolic gesture that I embraced the fun side of me and spent fifteen minutes opening and closing the wooden sliding doors which doubled up as a divider between room and bath.
And it is a significant reminder that through the windows of this heavily tinted glass, I caught a clear, unblocked view of the mountains in the country up north, far, and beyond.