♥하루 124 - Hi Singapore! (Day #1)

Aloha! I'm anticipating to write up this post for such a long time already, but I could not find time for it. Eeeeep. I can't wait to reminisce this super awesome trip, it must be one of the besttttt vacation I've ever went on. \o/ As for now, I'm jobless, and ready to begin a new chapter of life next Monday (I'm late by a week! #badass nah, made this decision too late). There's so many overdue happenings and it is unfavourable that I'm such a perfectionist when it comes to blogging. (the amount of times I QC every single syllable - grammar error - spelling mistakes) you never know.

Anyhoo, before I start with anything else, I want to announce that I finally..

Meet Peter.L! Say Hello! Actually I prefer the name Peter Pok. He will always be a Pok in my heart. His birthday is on Labour Day! (I doubt I'll still remember the date), Thank you big bro, pap, and dai sou! Anyway my friends are pretty overwhelmed with the fact that I finally own a piece of life-consuming gadget and we're going to have a celebration in conjunction with this "life-changing" event next week. (-.-)

By the way, you can choose to  you must follow me on instagram! (5 years too late lol) Three days ago I finally jumped into the insta-stream. I have this and I already have 8 posts. (Nicole you suck) HAHAHA. I also promise that this will not be a place I dump all my selfies. I promise. *place hands on heart*

Ok back to the topic! 

Where were we? Oh, right. We have not even started yet. 

I have lived in Malaysia for all eighteen years of my life, but have never visited our neighbouring country S'pore. "What are you serious?" Actually I don't think that it's such a big deal compared to the fact that two years ago I've not been to Sunway Lagoon and Genting. Hahahaha I also don't know why, but this is the very matter that have affirmed the awesomeness of my family and friends, who filled in my inessential vacation blanks throughout these years. Heh.

So during CNY I sat in big bro's car (abundant Joyseet glares) and we chit-chatted about a lot of things and suddenly the topic regarding S'pore was brought up. I mentioned that I have not been to the country before, hence dai sou invited me to join them on their trip on April. "Oi very lightbulb lah you" I thought so too but in fact I can be a very nice helper and photographer ok. HAHAHA. (self-reassuring) 

Javen boy is very insistent that he should walk on his own with no assistance! Hahaha

The Firefly plane is very tiny but surprisingly they provided free food (cheese cupcake!!!) and juice during the short flight. Hehehe #freefoodftw #yums #instafever 

So basically the plane ride there was pretty comfortable cause there were lots of vacant seats and I can selfie as much as I want. Kekekeke. Then half-way there I had a horrible stomach ache so I had to use the plane lavatory. During the 10 minutes time in there, the pilot must have decided to do some stunts cause the plane keeps tilting 45 degrees left and right OH MY GOSH. 

"Javen smile! No Javen you should not grab the camera lens!"

We arrived at Changi Airport! So beautiful and well-organized and so many ang mo I can't stop "wah"-ing at everything I see #rusamasukkampung #siasuay

Then dai sou's cousin, David picked us up from the airport and brought us for lunch at a famous Hainanese chicken rice stall at Maxwell food centre, China Town. (Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice) - got very very long queue! So David ordered from the neighbouring stall, which is supposedly related to Tian Tian but had some kind of conflict. Wah I've never tried such succulent, flavourful and tender steamed chicken resting in such fragrant sesame oil and soy sauce, topped with coriander leaves then accompanied with the special garlic, lime and chilli dip. 

I LOVE IT!

Then summore hor, all the food court there got NO FLIES AT ALL. and GOT NO RUBBISH AT ALL. (used tissues la used cigarette butts la sheeeesh) Then everybody pay and pick up their food in one go, then after the meal stack up their used plates neatly at the drop-off point. Impressively organized! *thumbs up*

Then, we checked into Marrison Hotel at Indian Street (65 Desker Road). It was Sunday afternoon when we arrived so the whole place was super packed with Indians and Bangladeshis, who are known to spend their weekends at that particular area, whereas the Filipino ladies will be at Orchard Road.

It is really different, cause if we were in Malaysia we will probably be shaking in fear of crazy rapists or snatch-thieves under such environment. Surprisingly at S'pore you don't worry much! There are video cameras everywhere, and there are not much vehicles on the road. Even if there are any, it's probably a BMW, Audi or Porsche, if not Volkswagen. (80k S'pore dollar for a driving certificate! You gotta be really, really, extravagantly well-off!) Most of the cars are taxis, which provides great convenience to the public. (more about that in post Hi Singapore! (Day #4))

  

Marrison Hotel is surrounded by charming shop lots and houses that probably carry decades of stories from our grandparents' generation.

After resting, we took MRT to the financial centre to meet up with dai sou's cousins for dinner. The whole place is deserted during weekends and there aren't any shops open except for this high class 7-eleven which sells all sorts of imported products including these Magnum flavours we've never seen before. Honestly, Singaporeans' living costs are actually super affordable if the money you earn and the money you spend is in the ratio 1:1. SUPER AFFORDABLE. ;/

Hehehehe! ♥♥♥♥

Dinner at No Signboard Restaurant, Geylang. This restaurant was opened in the 80's, where at that time Mr. and Mrs. 朱亚九 didn't have money to make a signboard, but their seafood is very famous and people from everywhere come for it. Hence the customers named the place "无招牌海鲜" (No Signboard Seafood). This place is well-known for their chilli crab and is fully packed every night. 

Sorry no photos of food cause I was busy eating and my hands all chilli gravy from savouring deliciousss, fresh, juicy seafood. Hee hee hee.

After the belly-bulging and satisfying meal, dai sou's cousin Tango took us for a little walk at the Merlion Park, One Fullerton. My "wah" unlocked a new level! Seriously. It's splendid! There's a slight breeze and there are many people strolling along in groups or hand in hand, and some of them riding in LED-covered boats. There are also restaurants and bars which overlooks the place, at the dazzling city lights, and superb Marina Bay Sands. 

THEN I FINALLY SAW THE MERLION!! HI MERLION!!! #whyyousoembarrassing #shutupplease It's huge and there's a concert going on further away so there's a little thumping of bass underneath our feet, and the distant chatter, and lots of "say cheese!", and the merlion's slosh of saliva spraying on everybody nearby in tiny drops. It's just awesomely serene. 

Ofcourse I had to take a selfie with him!

The One Fullerton buildings, which I realized look similiar to how it looks like in reality if I manually focus em'. The lights are stunning! and do you know that the 'lake' is actually a water reservoir? Here let me give you some #nerdtime

That is the Marina Barrage, (滨海堤坝) Singapore's fifteenth reservoir. It is a S$226 mil project that turned Marina Bay and Kallang Basin into a new downtown fresh water Marina Reservoir. It provides water supply, acts as a flood control and is a proven new lifestyle attraction. *combs long white goatee*

Then it was a pleasant surprise that we got to watch the Light Show. Initially dai sou thought it's at 8pm but it's actually at 9:30pm, and we were there right on time after all! Basically the laser light would light up the sky from the roof of the Marina Bay Sands, and reflect on the water. The lights seemed like to be dancing, accompanied by orchestral music that could be heard all around the bay area.

I wouldn't say it's very spectacular cause laser lights are pretty skinny hahaha but it's worth a watch if you're a tourist, like me! 

Really hugeee thanks to dai sou's cousins Tango and wife, David and wife, who took time off after a day's work to drive us around the business district and guide us in search of good food and cool places. ;)

This is day 1/4. Too much awesomeness to summarize into one post! The next day we went to the Singapore Zoo and had a delightful dinner in the heart of China Town. Stay tuned! ;)

I was feeling pretty guilty on the first day, cause I keep saying "If this was Malaysia.. (inserts all sorts of horrible comparisons)". Aiksss. However I know it's true and I feel horrible inside cause Malaysia is my country and is definitely the country I love most. If everybody migrates to "somewhere better", malaysia will probably turn into a desert, and S'pore will sink. As the saying goes, "The grass is always greener on the other side." Ok, so why not we water our own grass?


There are so many things we could learn from advanced countries like S'pore, how their public transport systems work and is always punctual (in fact, sometimes the train comes earlier), how their escalators move in order to keep the rush hour flow going smoothly (it's like spitting people out from the station wahahaha). When the public transport is improved, the pedestrians pathways are well organized, and a driving certificate costs a freaking bomb (not necessarily but it definitely controls the quantity of drivers, hence car owners), the traffic conditions improves 200%. There is no need for so many petrol stations, which are confirmed to be one the main reasons for pollution. Then summore they build so many smart tunnels beneath lakes (which are also reservoirs) so can save space to plant trees and plants. Walaoeh.


I feel like I'm back in the school hall, completing my SPM English paper 1 again.
HAHAHAHA.


My verdict for the first day. How much far behind we actually are. I promise I will stop comparing but honestly, something needs to be done! This is not a comfort zone. We are richly abundant in resources and it's just the matter of utilizing them the right way.


I love you Malaysia and I'm a proud Malaysian.

Thanks for reading!