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...

Checking Out Sentosa Island in One Day

Check this out! SENTOSA ISLAND – the winner of the Large Attraction Category in the Asian Attractions Awards for the third consecutive year. There is no other theme park has got so many different smaller attractions in it like Sentosa! Well, the list would be too long to list all out. However, I must highlight these :

The Jewel Box
A beautiful crystal-like building located on Mount Faber, opposite Sentosa Island. You can take a cable car uphill and drop off at this place before hoping back into the cable car to enter Sentosa Island. There are four different themed restaurants in The Jewel Box and due to its location, you can view across beautiful sceneries of Singapore and Sentosa Island. It’s also a calm and peaceful place for relaxation while sipping down a cup of hotly brewed coffee.

Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom
Upon entering Sentosa Island, you may find yourself amused by various attractions and might not know where to start first. Well, may I suggest to start exploring the Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom first. It’s located next to the entrance within walking distance. The sanctuary, which is the home for over 1,500 live butterflies of more than 50 species, is indeed filled with natural greeneries and colourful flowers. Aside from butterflies, you may find yourself surrounded by different kinds of beetles, spiders (which is NOT an insect), scorpions (again, NOT an insect) and other REAL insects here. Don’t worry. They are all kept in their respective display boxes and cases.

Now that's a huge bug!

Dolphin Lagoon
Take a bus ride to the Dolphin Lagoon (pink dolphin to be exact). Do not miss their Dolphin Show Sessions. The shows are on at 11AM (On weekends & public holidays. Training sessions on weekdays), 1PM, 3.30PM and 5.30PM daily. Watch how the smart pink-coloured dolphins dance and perform!

Don't miss the dolphin show

Underwater World
Welcomed by a Touch Pool, you can feel some “tame” sea creatures like starfish, stingrays and baby sharks with your hands. Then, walk around and admire the wide variety of sea creature display. Find yourself adoring herds of seahorses and seadragons while being surrounded by a circus of clownfish and anemonefish! We would reach the escalated walkway which would bring you to the underwater world. Find yourself surrounded by gigantic fishes like stingrays, eels and sharks! There is also a special pool for dugongs. I am sure you would be amazed by these ocean creatures on display along the tunnel!

Starfish : "Hehehe... That tickles!"

The Merlion & Merlion Walk
Not far from Underwater World, you will find the 37-metres high trademark of Singapore – The Merlion. You will find yourself walking around the kingdom of myths and legendary creatures like mermaids and merman. Next, go up to the Mouth Gallery Viewing Deck to witness the mesmerizing skyline of Singapore.

"I am the mascot!"

Images of Singapore
Wrapping up the one-day tour in Sentosa Island, it’s time for some history of the country. To be exact, this is NOT a place where old pictures and artifacts are displayed. This is a place where you will find yourself interacting with the human-size displays. Before entering the showcase of Singaporean cultural diversity and history, you would be sitting in a mini theatre to enjoy an introductory story of Singapore by a few ‘historic’ personnel. Venturing into time-tunnel, you would be brought to life, passing through different happenings and events, witnessing the real Singapore. Surely, you would be extremely impressed by Images of Singapore. It surely left a deep impact on me!

MUST VISIT - Images of Singapore

Sentosa Island is indeed THE place for a family vacation or even a weekend extravaganza! Grab some tour packages here!

*Thanks to Jeff Wong for the photo of Merlion and some photos of Images of Singapore

A Love-Hate Relationship

It has always been a love-hate relationship between Malaysia and Singapore. Being neighbours, we’re tied closely together in terms of geographic location, only separated by the Straits of Johor (Selat Tebrau), a mere 50km wide where a wanted terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari managed to swim across it with the help of an ‘improvised flotation device’ in his dash to freedom on 8 May 2009. So, that makes us, Malaysia and Singapore, really really close neighbours.

I love Singapore being my neighbour. It is my time of shopping extravagance whenever I go over for a visit. (at least once a year, usually year end) Who have not heard of Singapore’s infamous Pre-Christmas Sales and Boxing Day Sales? It’s quite fanatical, I’d say from personal experience. As a shopaholic, I think I gel into the atmosphere pretty decently.

In USA, New York City has its 5th Avenue: Gucci, Prada, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdoff Goodman, Lord & Taylor, Tiffany & Co, Cartier, BVLGARI, Armani, Fendi, Versace, Harry Winston, Van Cleef & Arpels, Louis Vuitton and the rest of the world’s most exclusive, classy retail stores reign the most expensive street in the world, as it is ranked in Forbes magazine in 2008. As it is exclusive, posh, and classy, let’s not forget that it is p.r.i.c.e.y too. Nice to see, nice to hold, once broken, considered sold! I’ll be bankrupt if that ever happen to me over at any of the stores there. Well, I’m not sure I want to spend a couple of hundreds or thousands USD$ on a single item there anyway.

In another class of its own, Singapore has Orchard Road to boast, known as the retail and entertainment hub of this state-country. It opens its hands to the locals plus the throngs of foreign visitors everyday. The heavy human traffic on this shopping belt proves its popularity as the best shopping delight, I’d say! To me, if there’s class division in heaven, Orchard Road is the premium class shopping heaven! Instead of exclusive private luxury stores, Orchard Road has a zillion malls that will spoil you for choice. Ranging from the zany arrays of eccentric shoplets at Far East Plaza to the winner of tourism award for best shopping experience at Centre Point, where you’d find Robinson & Co., Orchard Road guarantees ever shopper its one-of-a-kind (the good kind) of shopping bliss, one that you can truly shop oh-so-joyfully with its wonderful exciting sales.

The Crowd @ Orchard

It is by no coincidence that June is fast approaching (in 5 days!) Singapore is changing its facet as it dresses itself up to welcome you to its mid-year island-wide mega sale with offers up to 70%. For a more thrilling shopping experience, join the Great Singapore Shopping Challenge where you may stand a chance to be crowned as the ULTIMATE Bargain-Hunter/ Huntress.

Don’t resist it, treat yourself and indulge in this irresistible offering of great bargains! It’s not sin for some self-pampering once awhile.

P.S. - If you don’t already know what I mean when I say there are a ‘zillion’ malls on Orchard Road, you can check it out here, and then book your trip with a click right over here.