touring singapore

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Uniquely Singapore (part 3)

We've only stayed for three days in Singapore yet I couldn't finish writing this trip in just one sitting. Anyway, I'm now still in Day 2. After having conquered the birds in Jurong Birdpark, we were now ready for some action in Sim Lim Square, an established 390,000 square feet commercial shopping centre specialising in electronics and IT Products in Singapore. We went to look for some cheap electronics. I was looking for a flash drive and my friend Mira wanted me to get her a cheap digital camera. I ended up though not buying anything. But I tell you the products were cheap. I found a Canon IXUS 7.0 cam amounting to some 8k pesos which I later learned is a cheap price. Why wasn't I able to get something when items were priced low? Well, because I didn't exactly know what to buy. I didn't have the specs of Mira's cam. It wasn't that easy going there asking the vendors for a cam that was worth only 5k pesos. Mira and I should have researched beforehand. Why not the flashdrive? Well, because I found the flashdrives a bit expensive. Then again, it wasn't that much of a priority for me. After going around Sim Lim, which closes at about 8pm, Romy fetched us there and brought us to Lau Pa Sat, a hawker center located in the Central Business District. Hawker centers are large groupings of informal open-air food stalls. These were Singapore's answer to fast and cheap food in the days before McDonald's and are still the best way to sample every kind of Singaporean cuisine. Awaiting in Lau Pa Sat is another dear friend of mine, Emman. It was so good seeing them both. I just miss the "gayness" of those two prime movers of PICPA-TMC. Emman and Romy introduced us to delicious and not so hot Singaporean food. There was a "chicharon" squid, kangkong, sting ray. We were all so stuffed. We could hardly stand up. At Lau Pa Sat also, I saw a man selling tissues. Romy told me that there are no beggars in Singapore. Instead of them begging, they sell small stuff like tissues. And anyone who does small business should ask for a permit. Even those blind people performing on sidewalks soliciting money from passersby are required to have a permit. Singapore is indeed a very strict and disciplined country. I wonder if we can impose such kind of rules in the Philippines. Hmmm...

After a hearty dinner, we were off to Merlion Park. Anyone who goes to Singapore should have his/her picture taken with this creature, the Merlion - half fish, half lion. The statue fronting Marina Bay measures 8.6 metres high and weighs 70 tonnes. It spews out water on to the Singapore River. We also took pictures with a background of the Fullerton Hotel and the Esplanade Theaters. The theaters remind me of the Sydney Opera House. Why? Both have unique architecture. Our tourist guides in the Hippo Bus, tell us they look like the durian fruit or the microphone. However they look, they are just simply stunning at night.

With tired legs and feet, before the MRT shuts off its operations for the day, we walkd to the nearest MRT station (I think it was Raffles MRT). We stopped at Outram Park station, and that's where all the running happened.

Finally, we're back at our beds and ready to take our deserved rest. We'd have to be up early again tomorrow. Tomorrow, we're going to Emman and Romy's place. Then they'll take us to Sentosa.:)

Day 3 soon...

Uniquely Singapore (part 2)

So day 2! Day 2's itinerary was Science Center, Snow City, Jurong Birdpark, then Sim Lim Square (supposedly Sentosa, but we were just so tired & we wanted to conquer Sentosa w/ energy). This is our first day on our own. With the map, my knowledge (gained from Internet research), and our inquisitive attitude, and yes with a dose of adventure spirit, we went to those places we wanted to go to. Mind you, it was also our first time to use their MRT and buses. First, we asked our host. She was kind of enough to direct us to the nearest and most convenient MRT station and from there, it was all on our own. At the Outram Park MRT station, we were saying, "Let's watch how these people purchase cards for their ride." So that's what we exactly did. It was easy! And it's not like how we do it in the Manila (not exactly convenient). Gosh, we're so laid-back!

First stop was the Science Center. Well, this was just our gateway to Snow City. At the center, we just took pictures of whatever took our fancy. Then we got to Snow City!!! Super excited about playing in the snow. Yes we had so much fun. Too bad we didn't get a pic of us in the snow. :( The photographer went out for a while and didn't get back very soon. Anyway, it was soooo fun! Next stop was Jurong Birdpark. But we had lunch first before heading to Jurong. Full. full. And we're ready to conquer the birds! Jurong Birdpark's entrance fee was pegged at SGD22 (including the tram ride). Our first stop was the hornbills and toucans area, then near to that is the lory loft where we got a chance to feed the lories! Oh, I should mention, there were a lot of swans and flamingoes at the park. My first time to see them! What a pretty sight. Then they also had a man-made waterfalls at the forest with fake forest mist. This was the Waterfalls Aviary. It was like walking through the Amazon jungle (I think that's what the signage said) We concluded with the Birds of Prey Show where big birds were swooping above our heads. We then went to their souvenir shops and bought very few items. They were expensively priced! So we got just a few. And...we're going back to the city...Day 2 night time - next post. See yah!

Uniquely Singapore

Uniquely Singapore. Is it? I think so. But I say, Cleanly Singapore. The small nation of Singapore is very very clean. You don't see litters. You don't see smoke-belching vehicles (ooops, I did see one!But only one!).

My sister Christine, my friend Elma and his brother Joedan and I went on a short 3-day trip to Singapore for some fun and excitement. We weren't there to relax, you know. And I tell you, it wasn't a bit relaxing at all. It makes my legs ache when I remember all the walking and running we made. Yes, there was running at the Outram Park MRT Station. Because we thought the station was going to close its doors after the last trip, we raced to the exit. Unfortunately, we got lost. And we were like going up and down the escalators searching for the exit. Finally, we got out. And later we learned that all MRT stations don't really close their doors. Haha. It was a good laugh.

We did a lot of walking. It wasn't like in the Philippines where there are "trisikads" and tricycles for short distances. So we had no choice but to walk.

We flew in with Cebu Pacific (with their very cheap rates) on July 11, 8pm Flight No. 5J547. The trip was a first for us. It was our first travel outside the country. It was everyone's (except me) first plane ride. You can just imagine the excitement we felt. The plane ride was a bit "bumpy". We experienced some turbulence. I guess that was normal for frequent travellers, but I don't think it was! We arrived at around 12 midnight. My friend, Romy (also a Pinoy) who is based in Singapore, fetched us at the Budget Terminal of Changi Airport. We always joked about the Budget Terminal. Obviously, we flew with a budget airline. The terminal services low-cost carriers, Cebu Pacific and Tiger Airways. But even if it's termed Budget Terminal you wouldn't think it is "cheap" at all.

Romy was so kind enough to bring us to our hostel, A Traveller's Rest-Stop, which is also catering to budget travellers. But the place is generally clean, and cozy. The hosts were very accomodating and hospitable. They had a lot of brochures. They have travel books too. We stayed in their 4-bed private dorm which had a little bathroom. It was airconditioned. There were lockers. It was good for budget travellers like us. But, I tell you, there are still much cheaper hostels in Singapore. Just book early. The hostel was in the Chinatown district. So you could see a lot of Chinese here. The buildings are also of Chinese architecture.

Romy got us a pepper crab. Ahh, lots of pepper really. I've never tasted anything with that much pepper. Singapore also has the chili crab, their so-called national food. But Romy tells us that it's too hot that you couldn't taste the crab anymore. Actually, tourist can get one free chili crab from participating restuarants. We weren't able to get one though. With such limited time, it wasn't a priority.

On our first day in Singapore, we took the Hippo Tours. It was an open-top touring bus doing a hop-on hop-off touring system. They have 32 bus stops.The one-day tour is for SGD23. It was an easy way to get around the city. On the way to the bus stop, we did some street shopping. We bought souvenir items mostly. We hopped on in Chinatown and hopped off at Suntec City, went inside the convention center and then went around Marina Square. We hopped on again at past 12noon. We hopped off at the Singapore Botanic Gardens which spread over 52 hectares. Wow! It was so large. We spent a great deal of time there. Inside the Botanic gardens is the National Orchid Garden, home to 20,000 orchids. I've never seen so much orchids in my life. I even saw Pres. GMA's name there. An orchid was named after her, I think. But we didn't get to see the orchid, only a pic of the orchid.
It just felt so refreshing and relaxing inside the Gardens. You can breathe fresh air. I love the smell of the Gardens. (Okay, this is a relaxing one.)

After the Gardens, we continued the bus tour. Then we head off to Orchard where we had our PHP exchanged for SGD. Then we had dinner at a food court in Isetan Mall named Food Rebublic. We had our taste of a Singapore dish. They were right after all. Much of the food in Singapore are hot. Yet I was sooo full with the food I ate. It was delicious, not to mention. Food in Singapore is relatively expensive. Well, everything is relatively expensive except for electronics! In Singapore, the cheapest meal (food only)you can find is almost SGD2.00. And that's like Php60.00! Here in the Phils., you can get a P20.00 meal which is less than a dollar. Can you beat that?! Besides, their McDonalds are more expensive. But then again, they say that food is cheap in Singapore. (but cheaper in the Philippines!) The cost of living in Singapore is really high but then the price you pay is worth it. No pollution. Crime-free. Good transportation system.

After having dinner, we went to the Night Safari. We took their express bus for SGD8, two-way trip. We had much fun there also. We saw animals which we only got to see in pictures. The tram ride was scary. The animals weren't caged! There was the lion, the tiger, the leopard. What if they jumped at you!!! Flash photography wasn't allowed. And we didn't dare took a pic of these animals or else they come right at us. I suggest that a good camera that can do without flash or a videocam that's got to be high-tech too should be carried. We got to our hostel at 12midnight, tired yet happy.

The second day. Snow City and Jurong Birdpark were our destinations because the two are near to each other. We had so much fun in Snow City. It was our first time to experience a very low temperature. It was just sooo cold. And we were like, "Is it really this cold in snow? I doubt I can take it." But it was fun to do the snow tubing.

After Snow City, we went to Jurong Birdpark...I'm tired of typing already. So I'll just continue next time. Watch out for more of Day 2, and yes Day 3. :)

cable car ride

from mt. faber to sentosa (taking the cable car ride)

singapura

it's our last day in singapore...funny that i'm writing this entry on our last day... i don't have the first day... all i can say is my feet are just too tired right now... i'll write more when i get back home...:D

Of Repentance

I attended the second to the last part of a Christian Life Program (CLP) of Ang Lingkod ng Panginoon. One of the topics was Repentance. It was this topic that touched me most. I had been going through some sort of struggle against my habitual sins and it was so perfect that on that night I was there and found some answers to my questions, a ray hope of this struggle...

Allow me to share this story which I stumbled upon when I was browsing through old e-mails. This is also a story of Repentance.

The Duck & the Devil

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was
given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods;
but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed
back for dinner.

As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he
let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He
was shocked and grieved! In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile;
only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said
nothing. After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the
dishes." But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the
kitchen." Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the
dishes. Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing
and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper."

Sally just smiled and said, "Well that's all right because Johnny told me
he
wanted to help." She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went
fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's; he finally
couldn't stand it any longer.

He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma
knelt
down, gave him a hug and said,
"Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the
whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering
how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."

Thought for the day and every day thereafter:

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done... and the devil keeps
throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits,
hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.)... whatever it is... You need to know that
God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing. He has seen
your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are
forgiven.

He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.

The great thing about God is that when you ask for
forgiveness, He not only forgives you, but He forgets. It is by God's grace
and mercy that we are saved.

Go ahead and make the difference in someone's life
today. Share this with a friend and always remember:

God is at the window!

When Jesus died on the cross; he was thinking of you!