Explore Singapore

Just got back from a vacation away from Manila with Roxie and Ate Rochelle. 'Twas too short a stay. Didn't get to roam and explore Singapura as much as I would have liked, especially because most places of interest were closed for the holidays. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the trip. Well, maybe not as much as I should, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I've a bunch of photos to share and stories to tell and I hope that my memory would serve me right. Hehe.

02.06.08
I stayed at Roxie's place Tuesday night. She lent me her father's luggage. 'Twas smaller than what I had in mind. Just enough to keep two pairs of pants, a few shirts and underclothing, and some toiletries. Everything else, I dumped into Roxie's bag. Nyaha.

We were to meet Ate Rochelle 5am at the airport. While waiting for her, I tried activating my phone's roaming. As instructed, I texted ROAM ON to 333 and voil--- oh, shit.



Oh-kaaay. But exactly how long is later?! I mean, couldn't they be a tee bit more specific? Like, "Please try again in 3 minutes and 37.46 seconds"? At least I would know how long to wait. Hehehe. Absurd rant, I know! Oh well. I tried again in 5 minutes and 4.091 seconds and it worked all right. *toink*



Ate Rochelle arrived shortly. We went through security, checked in our luggages, and paid the terminal fee and travel tax amounting to Php2000+. Though our pockets were bleeding from all the moolah gone in a minute, we still managed to smile for the camera as we settled in for the wait. ^_^



Perfect! Hahaha. We boarded our plane and took off on schedule. We were served breakfast, which was a choice of Chicken Tocino or Daing na Bangus. The fish was good but my stomach wasn't. Needless to say, I stopped eating just after a few bites. Wrong timing! Lagi na lang! Argh!!!



We sailed through clouds for about 3 hours. Slept a bit during the flight. When we landed on solid ground, I turned on my roaming phone. Received a couple of text messages from friends asking what time our flight is and wishing us a safe trip. Really wanted to reply but I couldn't and I had no idea why! Coz I was sure I had the service activated on time and my load was still over its maintaining balance but I couldn't seem to send any text messages successfully! Seldom do I kvetch about Smart's services but yeah, that was soo fucked up! Amp.

Nweiz, we waited in our seats until the plane was half empty (or half full, depending on how you wanna look at it. Haha.) Bought some Singaporean dollars at the airport's forex. It took us quite a while to approach the guy at the counter coz we were having a hard time understanding the exchange rates. Turned out that the guy's Filipino. Nyehe.

Ate Lotis fetched us from the airport. Had our lunch with Jon and Arianne at Pepper Lunch where I had Salmon Pepper Rice. Food was served in an iron plate where you get to play with cook your food a little before eating. Nice! Heard that Pepper Lunch would soon be coming to Manila. Nicer! I could then try their Rib Eye Steak without going back to Singapore! Nicest! Hehehe. ^_^



After lunch, we headed to Ate Lotis' place. Roxie and I were knocked out to sleep while everyone else sang their vocal chords out. Sleepyheads, sleepyheads... tweedle-dee, tweedle-doo... dah-duhm, dah-duhm... ZZzzZz...

Went to Clarke Quay to try the G-Max reverse bungy, which works like a giant slingshot. I was a bundle of nerves before the ride. But the moment we were shot to the moon and back at a speed of 200kph, we just kept screaming and laughing! My stomach did a hundred and one somersaults and I swear it would've escaped out my mouth had I not grit my teeth! Hehehe. 'Twas one helluva ride I wouldn't mind strapping myself into again! Watch it here! ;)



We then had our dinner at The Coffee Connoisseur. I settled for the Smoked Salmon Linguine. At first, I was hungry enough to enjoy the meal despite the tinge of bitterness. But later on, I got fed up with the taste of the sauce. The pasta was literally swimming in it! Suffice it to say... Hehehe. They also ordered a couple of very sinful indulgences!



Since I've been carrying the weight of the tripod for quite a while already and my shoulder was already aching, it would be a high crime not to put it into use. So...

Perfect! Wehehe! ^_^

02.07.08



It was already pretty late when we started our trip to Sentosa. Since 'twas lunch time already, we went to Yoshinoya to eat. I wanted to have a bowl of Yakiniku Beef but I couldn't seem to find it in their combo meals so I had a bowl of Ebi Tempura instead. It was food that my tongue knew so I really had no trouble taking it in. But I'm a slow eater and as usual, I was the last to finish. Now that I mentioned it, I couldn't help but wonder why. Do I chew slowly and swallow slowly? Or do I just chew too much? Hmmm... The only comment I remember about the way I eat came from Onai. She told me that I always clear the edges of my spoon before I put it in my mouth. Is that slowing me down? Oh well.



We were supposed to ride the cable car to Sentosa but the queue was soooo long. And I mean, ridiculously loooong!!! So we decided to take the train instead. But just the same, we were greeted with a long queue. Good thing there were Filipinos in line who invited us to cut in. Hehehe.



Got on the train and it was jam-packed! We were squeezed into it like vacuum-packed sardines! And to make matters worse, we were surrounded with a bunch of Anaps! Talk about "close encounters" with the un---kind. What an experience! Nyahaha.

When we arrived at Sentosa, there was this flower festival called "Tales of Spring", which was a lovely celebration of blooms. There were lots of flower-bedecked floats around the area but we didn't get to appreciate the beauty of each one of them, let alone steal some shots. I think our tourist guides were in a hurry. Hehe. ;)



Our first stop was the Merlion. Roxie, Ate Rochelle, Anette and I were handed Merlion coins on our way in. We entered this cave-like structure adorned with mythical dragons and mermaids. While waiting for our turn to watch the short animation about the Merlion's origin, we had our pictures taken in this black-lit part of the cave. I think it was cool how my belt glowed like neon under black light. But I didn't notice that it wasn't just my belt that was glowing! Nyahaha. Nahiya naman ako. Wehehe!



After the short animation, we inserted the coins handed to us into the Mercub's mouth. We received a stub from the Mercub which we later exchanged for a Merlion keychain.



Then, we had our pictures taken from the viewing deck where we caught a glimpse of Singapore's skyline. Nice!



While we were in the Merlion, Ate Lotis, Jon and Arianne bought tickets for the Luge and Skyride. The luge ride was another proof of how much of a speed freak I am. I really, really enjoyed driving the luge down the hill and you could tell coz I'm gonna end this sentence with three exclamation points!!! Hehehe. But I think it would've been much more exciting if we did a little race to the finish line.

We then took the Skyride back to the top, which gave us a nice view of the greeneries. There was this camera taking pictures of people in the Skyride. We wanted to have our photo taken with our legs in Indian sit, but they didn't take our picture. Bawal yata pasaway. Hmp! Nweiz, they say that riding the luge once is not enough. So we did the whole thing thrice(?)! Adik. Hehehe.



Next stop was the Cineblast: Extreme Log Ride. We kinda experienced how it was to be a newly chopped down log transported from high mountains to dark caves, from deep ravines to wild rapids. 'Twas just like a roller coaster ride minus the stomach-churning feeling. Which made it less enjoyable and less exciting for me. Coz I think it's that sick feeling you get in the pit of your stomach that makes roller coaster rides thrilling.



After grabbing a bite to eat at Delifrance, we headed to Siloso Beach to watch the Songs of the Sea. We had trouble going down at the venue. There was a bottleneck of people trying to go up and people trying to go down. One personnel suggested we take the bus instead. But we could no longer walk back because of the thick crowd behind us. Our only option is to cross the jumping fountains. I was able to get across dry. But as I stood waiting for the next person to cross, a jet of water hit me! The left side of my shirt was soaking wet! Amp talaga! Nyahaha. No wonder I had another bout of cough and colds before the night ended. Ugh.

We rode the bus going to the venue. When we arrived, we had our tickets stamped for the 9:30pm(?) show. To kill the boredom while waiting in line, we played with our ringtones. We once again tried playing the Tsukurimashou song simultaneously. Hehe.

Utaimashou! Utaimashou!
Minna de utaeba, tanoshii na. Ehe!

We also played the kabaong ringtone. Funny how the male Anaps infront of us reacted upon hearing it! Guess it scared the bejeezus out of them! Hahaha.

Nweiz, the show was a dazzling visual feast. The display of laser lights, pyrotechnics, fire and water effects, and computer images was highly entertaining! We were seated in the front row so we also felt the heat from the flames and a gentle shower of water. You could watch parts of the video here and here.

Apparently, a day wasn't enough to enjoy Sentosa to the fullest. Well, not to mention the volume of people we had to share the air with because of the holiday. One thing we really missed though was the Underwater World. Waah! Too bad.

02.08.08
Having no clear itinerary for this day, except for the swimming party at night, Roxie and I decided to explore Singapore on our own. With just a map and a couple of brochures in hand, we got in the train and started our little adventure.

Our first stop: Chinatown. The place was decorated for the Chinese New Year. And it wasn't just ordinary decorations. Mickey Mouse and his friends were all over town! Ancute! Sobra! Had a blast taking pictures of them all! Super glad it's the year of the rat! Hehehe. ^_^

We had our lunch at McDonald's. Hehe. I ordered a McChicken Sandwich meal. The chicken wasn't as juicy as what we have here in Manila. But the fries was just as good. ;)



We walked and walked until we saw another train station. There was this huge and colorful kimono in a spacious lobby with only a few people passing by. It was a perfect venue for a jumpy three shots! Hehehe. But no matter how many times we tried to capture our jump, we just couldn't! Nyaha.

There were brochures in the station and we browsed through some. Saw this Art in Transit brochure saying that every station in the purple line features the best of Singapore art. Roxie and I thought of stopping at each station to steal some shots but we didn't push through with our plan. Oh well. I was able to have my photo taken beside one artwork anyway. Hehe.



From here on, we simply walked to wherever our feet would take us. Not only did it save us some money, we also had the chance to appreciate the surroundings more, which also meant more photo opportunities! ;)

Pardon the lack of mention of the places we visited. I'm bad at remembering names. Hehe. I know I should've taken note of it with the help of my phone's locator. But... But... *toink*

Nweiz, we saw this sculpture outside the mall. From afar, I thought it was a ring. Thought of having my picture taken inside it and pose like a hamster running in its wheel. Not on all fours, of course. Hehe. But when we got near it, it was an oblique circle. Kainis. I couldn't do the hamster-in-its-wheel shot. I couldn't even position myself comfortably inside! Nyaha.



Our feet took us to many places. We had our picture taken in front of a hotel...



in the park...



beside longs walls of colorful artworks...



and structures that appeared beautiful and foreign to our eyes.



Our favorite background: the Esplanade! Hehehe.



We saw all these places but what I really wanted to visit was the Mint Museum of Toys. Well, we were able to locate it but sadly, it was closed for the holidays. Huhuhu. T_T



Got tired from walking so we decided to rest inside the Esplanade. Favorite talaga! Hahaha. Bought some chocolate-dipped strawberries. One of the ladies behind the counter was a Filipina. She gave us an additional strawberry for free! Yay! Thank you very much! We know how much April loves strawberries so we offered some of it to her! ;)

I've heard Ate Rochelle rave about how much she wanted to eat this ice cream sandwich many times that it piqued my curiosity. So when Roxie and I saw a vendor slicing a block of ice cream, we did not resist the temptation! Hehe. We both had Chocolate-chip flavored ice creams between wafers! I felt like five again! Yum! Yum!



Our next destination was the Merlion Park. Again, they were all over the place! But unlike yesterday, there weren't any close encounters. Hehe.

Had a laugh trip while trying to take the picture of Roxie with the Merlion statue. I was asking her to move backwards and go near a pair of Anaps to achieve the shot of catching the water gushing from the Merlion's mouth with her own.

Me: "Atras pa! Atras pa! Hahaha!"
Roxie: "Ok na ako dito!"
Me: "Hindi! Atras ka pa! Hahaha!"

Good thing they noticed that they were hindering our photo shoot so they moved a little bit. Hehe. Buti naman.



We once again took a rest inside the mall. The longs walks left my legs feeling tired. Took out the strawberries we saved for April. We thought, "If only we could bring these back to the Philippines. If only the chocolate wouldn't melt. If only the strawberries wouldn't soften in the trip. We would give these to April." But the chocolate would melt and the strawberry would soften and we were hungry. So we ate the strawberries right there and then. Nyahaha.

We then went to Suntec City mall where the Fountain of Wealth is located. The fountain is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest fountain in the world. Coolness!



Ended the night with a dinner at New York, New York. We ordered Fried Calamari and Chicken Carbonara. 'Twas nice to know that almost all the servers were Filipinos. Talked to one of them and she told us that they were just there for their OJT and would be going back to the Philippines in a week or two. Sosyal! They're having their OJT in Singapore! Hehe.



For this day, I bought myself a new shirt that was on sale at Giordano, the Freedom Writers Diary book and a Sweeney Todd magnet. Ahihi. ^_^

We didn't join them at the swimming party at Pasir Ris. 'Twas a red day for Roxie and we would go to the beach in two weeks anyway. They left a note saying that they would be staying there over the night and that they would just meet us at the station tomorrow morning.

02.09.08
Prepared ourselves for the day. My clothes were unironed and wrinkled so I borrowed Ate Lotis' iron. Ayun. I accidentally burnt the iron table's cover. Lagot. I was really on a guilt trip the entire day. Super sorry! *toink*

Nweiz, we started our journey to Pasir Ris station. We weren't able to estimate the trip correctly coz we weren't really that familiar with the travel time. It goes without saying that we arrived late at the meeting place. Nyaha.



We had our lunch first. Again, I ordered fish. The food was ok. But I didn't eat the mungbean sprout. Haha! Sosyal! Mungbean sprout. *toink*



Also, I found it rather disturbing to see the elderly working in the foodcourt. They were carrying trays of plates and glasses that I think were too heavy for them. At their age, they should be resting comfortably at home. Well, I guess that's a little glimpse of the cultural differences we have with the people in this part of the world. Haaaay. :(

We then headed to the Escape Theme Park. Honestly, I was oddly unexcited about it. I dunno. It just felt mundane. Oh well.



First went to the Central Pavilion, which is basically a peryahan, where we played some games. I tried shooting hoops but my shots were no good. The balls kept on going off my hand at a different angle than I intended. Nakomang ata ako. Hahaha.

They tried the Roll-A-Ball game, which is a horse race. You roll a ball into a hole and your horse would either walk, trot, or run.

I tried the Ring Toss. At first, I wasn't able to shoot any rings into the bottle's neck. But I felt that I could do it, so I gave it another shot. And I did it! Got this furry white dog strapped into a long stick. Sana hindi ko na lang na-shoot. Nyahaha!



We then entered the horror house. Funny how Ate Rochelle and Jon acted like they were really scared of the thingamajigs scattered around the house. Ang kulit. Hahaha.



Then, we rode the Pirate Ship. According to the girl doing the controls, we weren't allowed to use the camera while on the ride. Ok. But being the pasaway that I am, I still tried capturing the ride. Out of all the clicks I made though, there was only one decent shot. The rest were just photos of strangers and poles. Nyaha.



They got some rest while Mark, Roxie, Ate Rochelle and I fell in line at the Daytona Go-Kart. I can't say it was better than the luge ride. I think both were enjoyable. Only this time, I had more control with the cart's speed and 'twas really meant for racing. Hehe.



I just wanna insert this at the middle of this post. Hehe. I think it would be better if we did set the camera to 10 shots so that people would be moving at the background. Hahaha. Well, this photo kinda represents how I see Singapore. I think everyone is in a hurry to get from one place to another. People rushing in and out of the trains, fast-paced walks, fast escalators, and all that. Hehe. Wala lang.



After spending some time at the theme park, we went to Orchard to shop! I miss the feeling of walking inside the mall without guards having to inspect my bags. Hehe. Dropped by Lacoste, where they bought bags and bags of polo shirts. Richness! Hehe. Roxie and I went to Gap to look for anything to buy. She looked for a cap or a shirt for Jolo while I looked for a shirt for myself. Hehe. I've been eyeing the (PRODUCT) RED Chucks at Converse for quite some time now but I couldn't get myself to buy a new pair of shoes. Nyaha. So when I saw that Gap is also part of the campaign, I wanted to buy one of their RED shirts. Coz just like what their shirts say, I am INSPI(RED), EMPOWE(RED) and BO(RED). Hehehe. And yes, because I also want to change the world. Hehe. ;) I really wanted to, but the available sizes didn't fit me well. Huhu.

Nweiz, I stopped looking for things to buy for myself and started buying for my family. I bought my mom this distressed black leather bag from Dorothy Perkins. I chose something that I could also use myself. But of course, I really bought it for her. Believe me. Hehehe.



Everything else, I bought at Giordano. Polo shirts for my dad and my uncle. A white printed shirt for Mico. And another polo shirt for Kringle! Wait, that's me! *toink*



After splurging, Mark accompanied Roxie and I to buy an HDD and some souvenirs. We bought magnets, tees and shotglasses whose design are the things prohibited in this "fine" city. One of which is "No Urinating. Fine: $1000" Recalled the sign we read in the elevator saying that it is equipped with a Urine Detection Device. According to Jon, that's because some people really do pee inside the elevator. Now I wonder what the device is and what it would do (if there is really one). Does it detect the sound of dripping liquid or the acrid smell of urine? Would it stop the elevator, lock you in, and call the police? Or would it take a picture of you peeing inside the elevator and post it online? Wehehe.

Then, we went to the terminal and waited for a bus going to Night Safari. Thanks, Mark!

When we arrived, we first munched on some food at Bongo Burgers. The fries and the burger were good. Oily but good. Hehe.



While waiting for Blessy, Det, Edison and Mon... Roxie and I posed for a couple of pictures and roamed around the souvenir shops. We bought cellphone charms so that Roxie could purchase the seatbelt covers. Ahihihi. ^_^ I find the charm too long for my cellphone so I don't think I would be using it. But it's too cute to give away that's why I'm keeping mine. Hehe.



It was taking them forever to arrive. We thought that maybe the last tram would be gone so we got on without them. We just texted Blessy to follow us there if they could still make it on time.



Good thing they were able to make it. Ate Rochelle was right. The animals were too tame. Most of them just stayed still as we passed by. It would've been more thrilling if they were a little on the wild side. Hehehe. But the tram isn't enclosed, unlike the ones we have at Zoobic Safari, so it's not a good idea afterall unless I want something real and more dangerous than this...



After going around the Night Safari by tram, we spent most the night doing an awful lot of continuous shots!

There weren't any buses going back at that time. Someone offered us a ride for $40(?). It was too expensive a fare but Det said it's ok. As long as we could go home safe. So we just chipped in a little for the fare. Thanks, Det!

And thank you Mon for paying for the souvenir picture! Hehe. ^_^

02.10.08
Had our things in a messy heap on the floor. Our clothes, our pasalubongs, all waiting to be dumped into our bags. Haha. As if I could dump them all into my bag. *toink*



Nweiz, we left Ate Lotis' place quite late. When we reached the airport, we were already pressed for time. I dropped by the perfume section and bought a bottle of CK Euphoria for Dino. We also bought Merci chocolates and sugarfree bars for my mom and my lola and we were given a free strawberry-flavored yogurt drink.

Our terminal was soooo far from where we were. So we ran inside the airport like we were in the Amazing Race just to catch our flight. In the terminal, they checked our hand-carry bags and told us that the drink is not allowed inside. So we drank its sweetness bottoms up! When we got on the plane, everyone seemed settled down. Guess we were the only ones they were waiting for. Nyaha.

There were no seats available wherein we would be seated beside each other. I got a window seat overlooking the wing of the plane. Nyehe.



We were served our lunch. I had this seafood pasta of sorts, which made my head ache. I only ate the shrimp and tofu in it. I also ate the bread, the pudding, and the fruits. I wanted to have tea after but the stewardess gave me coffee instead. Hehe.



They were showing Bee Movie. I already started watching this movie at the office but I never got around finishing it. I planned to finish it in the plane so that I could start watching a new movie when I get back. But... I fell asleep in the middle of it. *toink* Sleepyheads, sleepyheads... tweedle-dee, tweedle-doo... dah-duhm, dah-duhm... ZZzzZz...



When we reached Manila, we said our goodbyes to Ate Rochelle. Roxie's brother fetch us from the airport. We dropped by Duty Free to do some more shopping. I bought a pack of Soft Batch cookies, Chips Ahoy Reduced Fat cookies, Loacker Tiramisu Quadratini wafers, Lays, Ruffles, and a bottle of Hershey's syrup. Learned that the Merci chocolates were cheaper there. Kainis. Excited kasi! Nyahaha.

Thanks to Roxie, Ate Rochelle, Ate Lotis, Arianne, Mark, Jon, and Anette! ^_^

~o0o~

When I got home, Dino told me that my mom's wallet was stolen by a pickpocket and took with him P2000 worth of cash. Someone broke in our house at San Roque and stole my dad's collection of wines and my mom's collection of angels. Good thing, we already brought most of our things here. And I already have my CD collection coz I think the burglars were after our collections. How about some good news? Amp.

Nweiz, tomorrow, I'm back to work. For sure, I'll be on leave in the morning. And because I've just shelled out some serious cash for this vacation, I would be eating Skyflakes until the next payday. Nyahaha.