August 20, 2011
I arrived in Singapore from Melaka and got off the train station. From there I figured out the way to Jurong East MRT where I would meet up with my friend, Ate Liselle.
It was already late in the afternoon when Ate Liselle welcomed me to Singapore.
We just dropped off my backpack at her apartment and headed to Marina Bay to start my sightseeing for the day.
We were lucky to catch the Bay Beats event, which was an alternative music festival that featured artists from all over Asia.
Upon checking the band list, we saw that Wolfgang and Julianne were the representatives from the Philippines. We weren't able to watch them though.
I was so famished from my trip from Malaysia that Ate Liselle suggested going to Glutton's Bay or
Makan Sutra. It was packed with people, seemingly as hungry as I was.
I left it to Ate Liselle to decide on our dining options for the night. She ordered the BBQ Stingray and fried rice and of course, the famous Chicken Rice.
After filling our tummies, we walked off our gluttony at Clarke Quay. We took the requisite tourist photos.
A group of people were huddled at the side of the road and I wondered
what it was about. Ate Liselle and I walked over and saw the people
surrounding a man selling local street fare called the ice cream bread. I
didn't get what all the fuss was about for it was quite literally, just
a pair of colorful tasty bread with ice cream in the middle. We bought
anyway to satisfy our curiosity.
I couldn't say I was in Singapore if I didn't have a photo with the Merlion, could I?
Benny, my friend who lives in Singapore as well, joined us for our night-out.
We passed by the Reverse Bungee which I couldn't bring myself to spend on.
We also saw some street performers inside a tunnel we passed through. Ben and Ate Lis were explaining that these street performers apparently had licenses to perform. The Singapore government thinks of everything!
Singapore is truly a clean and organized city. Thankfully, the city saved itself from being utterly boring by staging cool art exhibits along the streets and train stations.
We reached Clarke Quay and spent the night dancing and drinking at China 1. I'm glad I was among friends who earned in Sing dollars as the drinks were surprisingly expensive! I wouldn't get drunk here on my own money!
We didn't really get drunk but we were hungry anyway. So after our night-out at China 1, Benny led us to Spize for an after-party meal.
Sounds, food & drinks, sights (not
to mention, smells) during my 1st night in Singapore - my senses almost
couldn't keep up! CHECK!!!
August 21, 2011
My fellow church choir member, Ate Liselle, woke me up on Sunday and brought me to the Catholic church near Dhoubi Ghaut station to hear mass.
I met up with my other friend Aela after the mass and had lunch at Cedele in Orchard
Road.
Benny met up with me again so we could spend the whole afternoon at the Universal Studios.
I love theme parks and USS did not disappoint. I obviously had so much fun posing with the characters all over the park.
USS had a good
mix of rides, with kiddie rides and a few thrilling ones. Benny and I conquered two of the thrillers, Human and Cylon.
We watched the last show of Waterworld for the day.
It was pretty cool.
The Waterworld show ended our tour of USS. I had a last photo with a mascot. The one taking my picture said my pose was creative. Little did she know that this is an originally Filipino pose made famous by none other than Aiza Seguerra.
Granted all my poses are genuinely fun, I would say my favorite photo would still be with Kung Fu Panda. He's just so adorable!
After our well-spent afternoon at the Universal Studios, Benny and I continued on living in our childhood dreams and headed back to Sentosa for some ice cream. I had yet another photo with a merlion lest I be mistaken for a local.
August 22, 2011
I spent the last day of my birthday trip in Singapore being as touristy as possible. I went with yet another set of friends who lived and worked in Singapore. They took me shopping at Orchard Road and Vivo City Mall.
They also brought me picture-taking at Sentosa boardwalk.I found the Siloso Beach so sad. But hey, Singaporeans had to make do. Their land was not blessed with the gorgeous beaches like in the Philippines.
Being in a makeshift beach, I started to miss the real beaches of my homeland. And with that, I said goodbye to all my friends in Singapore.
I had a blast on my few days of adventure in Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Singapore. It was a birth-week well spent indeed! It was then that I vowed to myself to travel every year. Looking back, I feel so blessed to have been able to do so.
