July was really busy!
Work was well, rather busy with some of the quarter stuff we gotta to do but that happens every 3 months, no fuss.
I was really busy due to YT's STB Project in 2014.
Here's the schedule, check out the insane number of times my friends came to visit (X) and coincidentally, all my visitors flew in from Hong Kong! 港新友好。
Legend
Pink: 2 of my favourite Hong Kong girls
Green: dude who spent most of his life in Hong Kong but studied in London, currently a teacher, tv host & inspirational speaker(lol)
Blue: just some French guy working in Hong Kong
How/when did we meet:
We were exchange students in Soka University, Japan (SUJ) in Autumn 2009. It was a beautiful season, the wind would gently blow, carrying with it leaves bursting in vibrant red, creamy yellow and luscious green. We spent about 4 months together, all through autumn and that bitter cold. Most of all, we are beautiful people. HAHA~
Recent updates
The last we met was about 2 years back. I went to Hong Kong, they came to Singapore yada yada~
STB 2014 #1 - 2 gorgeous ladies
Catered for our visitors on their virgin visit to our little tropical island, we visited Legoland.
WHAT? hahaha (
read about our adventures here!).
A must-see would be everyone's favourite--
the Merlion. The original can be found in the Merlion Park, with its little cub. Albeit originally created by man for the Singapore Tourism Board's (
the real one) marketing strategy, the Merlion has earned some sort of status that encompasses legend & what's iconic of Singapore. Most people might think it is related to the discovery of Singapore (another legend) by a Palembang prince, Sang Nila Utama.
short story:
Apparently, the prince was wandering about one day and he spotted an island across the sea. Being a curious & adventurous young lad, he decided to explore this island. While sailing on the ocean, they met with a huge storm that was threatening a shipwreck so they began throwing things off-board. Finally, he threw away his crown and the sea was appeased.
He arrived at this island and spotted a creature which his subordinate identified as a lion. (Records then say it was impossible to have lions in our region but anyway, this is a legend. Do not argue, be creative & open.)
He then decided to make this his new home/kingdom and named the island Singa-pura (the lion city).
The legend would sound pretty great if he had spotted a mermaid-lion instead, right? #mermaids hahaha.
Anyway, we have proudly made our way into the "Tourist Shot User Manual" (credit: 9gag.com)
I think the most popular pose so far is to drink from the Merlion and to lift up the 57th floor Sky Park (Yes, the one with the dreamy infinity pool) of Marina Bay Sands.
Still, as long as you are not annoying everyone around you or causing inconvenience/destroying property, feel free to be creative!!
*Note: Unless you have a camera for night shots, I would suggest you take these shots in the day. Even though the night view of the bay area is a lot more stunning.
more fun facts:
As you know, it is usually the tourist who knows more about the country than a local. A Japanese friend once told me there are more than 3 Merlions in Singapore (the Original, the Baby Cub, the HUGE Ah Gong @ Sentosa). Recently, I came across this summary of the Merlion (credit:
irememberSG@facebook)
For great food & rich culture, take a stroll in Little India & Chinatown!
I personally recommend Little India. Chinatown is everywhere, of course Chinatown is different in every country. They have a different sanitary level but that's the excitement of it.
Frankly speaking, Singapore's Chinatown is not as flavourful as our local wet markets.
Okay, back to Little India, 3 reasons why you should totally go.
1) it's not only full of Indians (not being racist here but it's really a sight you gotta see.) but feel free to walk on the roads because the place is usually so packed and that's what everyone else does! The atmosphere is also different from the usual Singapore that you see at the bay area.
2) They have great Indian food there. I'm no expert of Indian cuisine but most of the food I've had there are rich with spices and flavour and ooh, the NAANS (pronounce "nuns").
Original naan, garlic naan and cheese naan :)
Best dish so far is Butter Chicken, try it! *slurps*
3) MUSTAFA
It's a HUGE shopping center/supermarket that sells EVERYTHING.
It doesn't look fancy but IT SELLS EVERYTHING.
The key to the place is, you'll have to know where to find what you want.
Also, due to cases of theft, there are security guards (yes, please don't be alarmed. They're not there because there are firearms lying around.) who will check your bags and hand you a fastener to tie up your plastic bags so you don't have the chance to slip something in conveniently.
Last stop, Haji Lane!
Young people these days are constantly
sharing their joy on social media so photographs of places worthy of a
like such as Haji Lane is a spot that you cannot miss when you're here in Singapore!
Of course, it still caters to people of all ages and whether or not you're showing off.
Haji Lane is located in Kampong Glam, the initial settlement area designated for Malays during Sir Raffles' time. (similarly, Little India is/was for Indians and Chinatown is/was for Chinese immigrants)
Anyway, the place not only houses the Sultan's old residence, Istana Kampong Glam, but also a golden mosque, Masjid Sultan, which I personally find stunning (best viewed in the late afternoon).
We were there during Hari Raya so the exterior of the mosque was lined with food stores!
------------------------------------------------
As kids, we were brought to these places as part of the National Education programme. I don't know if kids these days still do that because the school programmes only seem to get more atas. Still, I really like these old settlement areas as we do not have much historical sites left now. I think we have amazing skyscrapers for our bayview but I also like the old stuff. Skyscrapers can be built by money, anyone who has money can do it. Old stuff is only made by time and none of us can create or store time.
I rambled too much. For more, check out part ② !!
------------------------------------------------
Merlion Park
Nearest MRT stations: Esplanade, Raffles Place
10-15 mins walk
Nearby landmarks: Esplande, Fullerton Hotel, directly opposite Marina Bay Sands (it's huuuuuuge)
Little India
Nearest MRT station: Little India
2 mins walk to Tekka Food Center
10 mins walk to Mustafa (nearer from Farrer Park MRT station)
Also visit the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple
Haji Lane
Nearest MRT station: Bugis
10-15 mins walk (head towards Raffles Hospital)
