Chill Out in Singapore...

My week has been crazy! I’ve been so overwhelmed with work that I barely have time to breathe… 12 hours of work in a single day is simply insane. I feel like I’m in a refugee camp. Work… work… and more work…… Since when have I turned into such a workaholic? Oh… Help me! Save me from this Malaysian workaholic syndrome!

Now don’t misunderstand me for be lazy, I’m actually pretty hardworking, but I play hard too! Everyone who has the opportunity to be my friend has always heard me telling them to take a ‘chill pill’. Well, I have not been taking my own chill pill for awhile. I remember my dose of chill pill has always been taking a trip down south during my semester break. Living amidst KL city’s chaotic lifestyle and atmosphere can get very stressful; the change of scenery being in Singapore is a total divergent for me. Organized and clean at almost everywhere I set my eyes upon, the air in Singapore even bring order to my frenzied lifestyle.

I've chill out right at the steps with the Merlion

You may be wondering why a getaway to Singapore is my dose of chill pill. It all boils down to the feeling of glee which I get when I watch the eternally faster lifestyle pace of Singaporeans. Have you ever experience the feeling of leisure in such a way, where you’d just stand in the middle of a busy MRT station during rush hour, watching people hurried away to their work place, while you have the time of the world just watching, and not have to be in their shoes and rush off to some place?

While people-watching at MRT station brings me amusement, I don’t usually stand there the whole day. There are a few of my favourite chill out spots in Singapore which I enjoy tremendously every time when I visit. And no, this time, I’m not talking about touristy venues. I’m on a ‘getaway’, remember? I do not need to visit yet another mega mall. (Orchard Rd. malls can get pretty overwhelming for me and it’s crowded all the time)

The MRT crowd... Luckily, I'm not one of them!

Being quite a little hippie myself, Bugis is a chill out spot for me. Before you comment to me that it’s another Singapore’s tourist location, let me tell you, it’s different. I find Bugis designed in a more spacious manner, the crowds never get too crazy, and it vibrates a relaxing calming beat. Following the name ‘Bugis’, it is a place where other migrants gather too. That’s how Bugis got started anyway, it adds more flavours and colours in a somewhat sterilize modern ‘city-city’ feeling of Singapore. In this hippy reorganized place, even though there’s 2 pretty big shopping complexes (Bugis Junction & Bugis Village) right off the Bugis MRT station, the little Indian-run laundry dobby, Middle Eastern merchants selling colourful fabrics and other cultural wares stirs the heart of many who gets captivated by the myriad of charming colourful wares they offer.

Indoor open air concept with skylight at Bugis Junction.

Bras Basah, an area part of Bugis, often has budding musicians performing gothic, experimental and other kinds of alternative music at the bars and pubs. Before heading for a drink at one of these pubs/cafes, I’d normally go browse the second hand shops nearly to pick up some good steals of books or some sort of eccentric items. I’m a supporter for second hand items. It helps save the earth, and helps me go easy on my shopping budget.

A great steal of second hand books.

To satisfy more to my hippie self, trying out some different food fares at Arab Street in Bugis can be quite fun. There’s Arab cuisine, Russian cuisine, Indian cuisine, as well as Malay cuisine. I normally pick Arab food as I love their fragrant flavoured rice as compare to the regular white rice that Chinese eat. They also serve you food where you have to sit on the floor and eat off a very low table. To me, it’s all about a different eating experience, a pleasurable change from my regular eat-in-a-rush kind of meal. There’s also nice fruity smelling sheesha (water pipe) too around this area for anyone who enjoys it.

Neat row of shop-houses at Arab street.

Oh well, I’m promising myself to take my chill pill soon before I get burn out. Anyone want to come and chill out in Singapore with me? Let me know, a free and easy kind of travel package would work perfectly well as my chill pill.


** photos courtesy of Yoshihiro Miyagawa, Mable...