juls random thoughts

So what exactly did we do in Singapore. Hubby and I have no itinerary for our Singapore trip, I only requested that we go to Sentosa during daytime (since I haven’t seen it on broad daylight yet) and we have a list of food to eat. Yep! That’s the only requirement for our trip – that we eat the food on my list. This trip was originally scheduled last year, unfortunately, we cannot get airline booking as we’re both using free miles for this trip. Hubby left ahead of me, his flight was Thursday evening while mine was Friday morning. Since we did not plan on anything, even our hotel booking was done the night before he left so not a lot of choices already.

So, what exactly did we do in Singapore? Walk and eat. As in! that’s all we did. We wake up, walk, then when we get hungry, we eat, then we walk again. That’s the cycle!

Day 1, Friday, Feb. 22

• I was early for my 8:20 flight, spent the time waiting in the airport with my sister and her officemates as they’re going to Hongkong, their flight is at 8am.
• Hubby fetched me at the Singapore airport, top-up my MRT card then went to our hotel to drop my things and freshen up
• Our first agenda: lunch in No Signboard in Esplanade. Our food: chili crab (Australian snow crab) and cereal prawn. The bill: never mind. Let’s just say that this is the most expensive food that hubby and I ever ate in our entire life. Imagine, the crab we ate are more than one kilo!
• After eating, we strolled on the river bank, hubby took pictures of the Merlion across the river then we walked on the bridge. Seeing the good view of the esplanade hubby took more pictures of the durian shaped theater. Crossed the road and walked at the back of the Fullerton hotel until we reached the business district and took the MRT from Raffles Place station – our next stop – Orchard road
• In Orchard, did some window shopping in Takashimaya and Wisma Atria. We saw the LV boutique in Ngee Ann City with people all lined up outside the store, so out of curiosity hubby and I lined up too, we’re actually thinking that probably there’s a sale going on, only to find out that well, it’s just a way to control the crowd as LV is so popular in Singapore that you’ll see a lot of Chinese or Singaporean clutching an LV bag.
• Met my brother then had dinner in Food Republic of Wisma Atria. Of course I ordered Hainanese chicken and the experience will not be complete without buying the S$1 ice cream sandwich along Orchard.
• Went back to the hotel then walked around our “wholesome” neighborhood. Yung mga akala kong houses, eh hindi pala houses but not so wholesome place, then the side streets becomes a "casino" at night and there are a lot of girls waiting for customers. Haaay... see related post here.

Day 2, Saturday, Feb. 23

• We woke up late. We’re supposed to watch the air show but since we arrived in Orchard visitor center at 11am (the airshow will start at 1pm), we decided to postponed it to the next day, we just bought the tickets. Had lunch first in the mini-hawker in Orchard. Ate barbecued stingray and noodle hot pot soup. Looked for kurt’s avent teats, unfortunately we can’t find #2, I guess out of stock and did more window shopping.
• Went to Sim Lim to look for some gadgets and other techie things, explored more of the Little India then went to Vivo City (the new mall) and took the ride to Sentosa.
• It was my first time to see Sentosa during daytime so I was happy. Saw people sunbathing, watched for a while, pasyal-pasyal, then hubby and I decided to try the sky ride and the luge. The sky ride was terrifying and exciting at the same time while the luge is all about excitement.
• Went back to Vivo city then had kaya toast and kopi for merienda. Then more pasyal in the mall.
• We met up with my brother again. This time, we decided to have dinner at Clarke Quay. Ate at Quayside Seafood and ordered satay, calamares, beef with broccoli, Chinese cabbage and seafood rice which I partnered with Singapore sling.
• Stayed in Clarke Quay for a while, ate the famous Turkish ice cream then watched those brave people who rode the reverse bungy jump and extreme swing. My brother left ahead of us as he still has work the next day. Hubby and I had a big adventure because we were not able to make it to the last trip of the MRT. We took the wrong bus, walked and walked hoping we’ll get to our hotel (we’re actually on the right road – but we found out that the bus stopped on the other side –not near our hotel). When we finally realized that we can’t reach our hotel walking, we decided to ride a cab, I think we arrived in the hotel at past 2am.

Day 3, Sunday, Feb. 24

• Had breakfast in a nearby mini-hawker, had roasted duck and rice partnered with teh (milk tea) while hubby had congee.
• Since we were able to buy our ticket already yesterday, we proceeded to the pick up place for the air show.
• Spent two hours on line baked in the sun waiting for our turn to ride the bus (abuso sa dami ng tao). When we got to the place, stayed the entire time out in the sun again! Grabe! Nangitim talaga ako even with sunblock (to think maya’t maya eh naglalagay ako tapos may taklob pa kong shawl). What can I say about the experience? Well, the only thing I enjoyed is seeing the new airbus A330 up close. I guess the reason why I did not enjoy the whole experience was I actually watched an airshow already in San Francisco and that was even better but hubby really had a good time. Well, he’s really the one who wants to watch this, ako, I just went with him for bonding pero sobrang I want to tell him na that I will not go with him, that I’ll just spend the day on the mall. But decided against it. After the airshow, we checked the aircrafts in the exhibit area, mesmerized at the arrival of the HUGE airbus 330. We got really good close up photos. I also enjoyed having pictures taken with the hunky US navy LOL! Spent another 1 ½ hour on line waiting for our turn to ride the bus back to the MRT station. I am so MAD with these Singaporean police or martials when we passed by the long line of waiting buses. Imagine my disgust. Ang haba-haba ng pila ng tao waiting for a chance to ride the bus tapos nakita ko na ang haba-haba din pala ng pila ng bus somewhere sa may labas naghihintay na papuntahin na sila dun sa sakayan. Maryosep! Kasi naman, ang bagal-bagal nila magpasakay, nung una, it’s one bus at a time, hinihintay nilang mapuno muna yung first bus bago pasakyan yun sunod na bus. Grabe talaga! Good thing later on ginawa nilang dalawa. They could at least have more bus there like nun papunta na like mga 3-4 bus yun sabay-sabay na pinapasakyan nila. The children are fussy and crying na kasi ang tagal talaga ng waiting time. Grrrrr….. I was so dead tired after that. That’s when I really realized how big and heavy I am na kasi nahihirapan na yun legs and feet ko carrying my whole body eh I remember in 2006, I was able to walk pa thirty blocks in NYC with my boots ha! Eh eto, naka-flip flops lang ako.
• After resting for a while, took a bath then went to Newton hawker center for a dinner with Francis friends. We had a good meal and great conversation, enjoyed my sugarcane juice then we had cereal prawns, barbecued stingray, calamares, sinigang na fish, Chinese petchay (not sure of the proper term).

On a good side, please read about it on this website if you want to know more of how it turned out and for pictures. The pictures that hubby took are still in his camera.

Day 4, Monday, Feb. 25

• It’s already hubby’s last day. We packed up our things, checked out then went to my brother’s apartment to leave our things there.
• That’s when we did our shopping. Went back to Ngee Ann City and bought ourselves Lacoste polo shirts (hubby’s gift to me) and Lacoste shoes
• Went to Funan and hubby bought external hard disc, while I bought a girly laptop bag and dvd case for kurt’s portable dvd. Finally, hubby decided not to buy the Apple laptop as wala naman talagang reason for him to buy that and finally he decided din not to buy muna the Samsung LCD TV. I’ve been convincing him not to buy kasi meron naman kaming TV sa room and we still don’t have our own house so impractical talaga to buy.
• After Funan, hubby went back na to my brother’s apartment and got his things for his flight back to Manila. I went with him to the airport but did not leave the MRT na para walang charge. Hehehehe… kuripot!
• On my own, went to more malls: Raffles Place, Citylink Mall, Marina Square and Suntec city looking for more things to buy and looking for my Melissa shoes, I found the shop that sells it kaso the style that I want has no more available size for me = (
• Went to a children’s mall near to my brother’s work to buy pasalubong for kurt
• Had dinner in a famous bah ku teh restaurant with my brother and his officemate. Sabi nila, this is the original bahkuteh and people are lining up just to eat here kaya we went there early. Bahkuteh is pork ribs with soup tipong nilaga style but with additional spices for that different twang
• Decided just to go home to my brother’s apartment after dinner as I am really tired with all the walking that I did.

Day 5, Tuesday, Feb. 26

• My flight back to Manila. I was able to buy Charles and Keith shoes from the airport, it's on sale tapos tax free pa. Good thing, di ako agad bumili, too bad lang na yung isang shoes na pang office sana doesn't have my size anymore. Nakakatawa pa ko kasi nasa boarding area na ko, when I decided to go back to buy the shoes that I tried =)

Hubby and I enjoyed this vacation. We’re so tired with all the walking pero masaya kasi walang pressure. Hubby wants to go back to Singapore on September to watch the Formula One. If we push through with that plan, I’m thinking of bringing kurt along na.