Singapore Learning Curve and Food Critic

I'm slowly learning my way around Singapore and I've learned a few things since we arrived.

• You have to deposit a $1 coin (20 cent coin works as well) to use shopping carts at most grocery stores, you get your coin back if you connect the shopping cart back to its designated area. Brilliant! You never see shopping carts randomly spread around parking lots. 
• Houston driving trained me well.
• Everyone backs up when they park. It's just what people do. I've become pretty good at it. 
• Car parks are tiny and they suck.
• Most car parks are managed by an electronic parking system. Therefore, most cars have a cash card machine attached to their windshield. You have to "top off" or transfer money or else you wont be able to exit the car park if you don't have enough money on the card. Yikes!
• Car parking coupons, purchased at 7-eleven for 50cents (half hr), $1 (1 hr) or $2 (2hrs) allows you to park at other areas around the city that are not car parks.
• Napkins are hard to come by at restaurants. I've learned this the hard way.
• Fruit (and food in general) is super expensive in Singapore. I don't throw anything away.
• New Horizons Milk USA - $4 Singapore - $16-$18
• Organic Fresh Strawberries USA - $6 Singapore - $17
• Gas prices aren't advertised. That's how expensive it is. 

It's the trend.

 A few examples:

$4.35/each SGD -  $4 USD. How do I justify?!

$7SGD+ - $5.60 USD

$16.25 SGD = $13.03 USD

Food Critic:

One of my new pals, Beate, writes for the Wine and Dine section of ExpatLiving a local Singapore expat magazine. She invited me to a tasting at a new local Mexican restaurant. I think having some Mexican blood in me made me a legit food critic. It was a really neat experience; however, the food was not so yummy. The concept was a "Mexican Food Subway" - you select your dish (taco, burrito...etc), followed by your meat (Carne Asada, Brisket...etc), followed by rice, beans,.. you get the idea. Well the Brisket was like BBQ and the salsa lacked salt and spice (everything lacked salt and flavor). You know what they say - 'If the rice and beans aren't tasty, then nothing else is going to be' - and well, that was about right for this place. What do we expect right - we're in Singapore! I was just hoping they would get it right, given that 2 Americans opened it up. Surely, they've tasted the good stuff?!

I didn't take many pictures, we quickly walked in and walked out. It was fun being a food critic for a night. 

((Side Note: My mom would make a killing if she moved here))