Trip to IKEA Home Furnishing
December 28, 2009
This is the last part of my Singapore travelogue last Oct. 23-25, 2009. For prior details on this trip, please click the links below: Bonding with the Boys @ Clarke Quay Visiting Royal Selangor at Singapore Up, Up and Away @ Singapore Flyer Singapore City Tour (Maxwell, URA, Chinatown) Visiting Makansutra, Esplanade & Merlion ~~~oOo~~~Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards
Kate suggested that we go to IKEA Home Furnishing together with Jane to check out some stuff. I always hear this store being mentioned by friends and acquaintances and their reviews were always good. I figured, I love furniture and house stuff. I may not be able to buy them but it always makes me feel good to see beautiful things for the house. They inspire me to make my home more cozy and comfortable too. ^_^
Since it was our last day in Singapore and we have nothing better to do, I went with the girls. I woke up late (again!) coz I was just so tired from all the back-to-back tours. Anyway, it was good that I saw them by the bus station near the Link Hotel. It was just a short ride going to the MRT station and there was no traffic at all.
Their MRT station was clean and big. It definitely felt foreign to me. They also have these MRT card vendo machines where you can insert money, press the button of your desired location then it will eject an MRT card for you and change (if any).
We went down near the Tampines Mall where Kate said the bus that will take us to IKEA Home Furnishing store is located. This bus follows a schedule and it’s for free. Since this seems to be the only ride available going there, we looked for its station and waited for the bus. We almost seemed lost. Thanks to Kate, she was able to find the right location. Then off we went to IKEA! Unlike any other warehouse I have been to, IKEA is a lot bigger and offers a lot more stuff! My heart was beating so fast thinking that if I couldn’t control myself, I might just go on a buying spree c/o my Platinum Visa! ^_^ Trying to control myself, I bought a hotdog sandwich. It’s harder to control my buying impulses when I’m hungry, you know. ^_^
Visiting Makansutra, Esplanade and Merlion
This is a continuation of my Singapore travelogue last Oct. 23-25, 2009. For prior details on this trip, please click the links below: Bonding with the Boys @ Clarke Quay Visiting Royal Selangor at Singapore Up, Up and Away @ Singapore Flyer Singapore City Tour (Maxwell, URA, Chinatown) ~~~oOo~~~Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards
After visiting Mint, our tour guide gave us a choice to visit Orchard Road or head directly to Link Hotel so we can rest. At first, I was one of those who raised their hands to signify intent of being dropped off at Orchard Road for some major shopping. As we were nearing the drop off site, I started feeling so tired that I decided not to go anymore. Instead, I let the bus driver bring me to the hotel so I can rest. I was actually already feeling a bit feverish since I haven’t been sleeping since Oct. 22. Thank God I brought a couple of Vita Plus sachets with me and it helped me feel a lot better. I took a nap from 5-7pm. Afterwards, I dressed up and met with my blogger friends for dinner.
We went to Makansutra Gluttons Bay where they say the food is great and not so expensive. True enough, I was able to order one chili crab for only S$12. At last! 
Wala lang… nagpapa-cute lang! LOL! (L-R: Me, Ivy, Jane, Jonel and ES)
Mint Museum of Toys
This is a continuation of my Singapore travelogue last Oct. 23-25, 2009. For prior details on this trip, please click the links below:
Bonding with the Boys @ Clarke Quay Visiting Royal Selangor at Singapore Up, Up and Away @ Singapore Flyer Singapore City Tour (Maxwell, URA, Chinatown) ~~~oOo~~~Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards
” A museum of toys and not a toy museum — the realization of a dream of a man and his wife who believed in him” - Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. George Yeo and wife Jennifer Yeo.
Me with Mr. and Mrs. Chang Yang Fa, owner of MINT Museum of Toys.
MINT (Moment of Imagination and Nostalgia with Toys) Museum of Toys is the world’s first purpose-built museum of toys. Showcasing an extensive collection of vintage toys, the unique collection originates from over 25 countries, such as Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, United States and even Bulgaria. It is regarded as one of the finest in the world and the largest in Southeast Asia.
Exquisitely displayed in an award-winning contemporary building, this world class collection of over 50,000 pieces of vintage toys to mid-20th century, is thematically exhibited over 4 levels of the museum namely Outerspace (Level 5), Characters (Level 4), Childhood Favorites (Level 3), and Collectibles (Level 2).
I was just so overwhelmed with all the toys that I saw. Mr. Chang Yang Fa said that not even his children and grandchildren have played with these toys. They are so precious that’s why he preserved them all in order to showcase them for everyone’s viewing pleasure.
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Singapore City Tour (Maxwell, URA, Chinatown)
This is a continuation of my Singapore travelogue last Oct. 23-25, 2009. For prior details on this trip, please click the links below:
Bonding with the Boys @ Clarke Quay Visiting Royal Selangor at Singapore Up, Up and Away @ Singapore Flyer ~~~oOo~~~Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards
Our group was running late based on our itinerary. Since it was already noon when we finished our ride at Singapore Flyer, we headed to Maxwell Centre for lunch.
I noticed that a lot of people were lining up at this one stall that’s known for its delicious Haianese Chicken. Well, I was too famished to line up so I looked for another stall where I can get food fast. I had rice, roasted chicken and veggies. I was already done eating when the others just got their order. I took a bite of Jane’s Haianese Chicken and boy was I glad I didn’t join the bandwagon. Coz the chicken tasted so bland the long wait wasn’t worth it. Oh well… too bad for them, good for me. ^_^
Since I was done eating, I didn’t waste any time. I checked out URA (Urban Redevelopment Authority) just across the street by myself. I was so amazed with the way they planned Singapore’s redevelopment. Did you know that there was a time in the 60’s that the Philippines was faring a lot better than Singapore? And look at where we are now. We are still at the bottom of the pile while Singapore competes with other first world nations. Kudos to their URA. If only we can have the political will to change like they did. Tsk, tsk.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is Singapore’s national land-use planning and conservation authority. It was formed in 1974, though it has its roots in the Urban Renewal Department set up by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) in the 1960s. Its mission is “to make Singapore a great city to live, work and play in” and it is primarily responsible for planning and facilitating the physical development of Singapore to achieve this mission. It is currently located at The URA Centre along Maxwell Road.
Next stop for the group was the Chinatown Heritage Centre:
Located in three newly restored shophouses at the ethnic quarters of Chinatown, the Chinatown Heritage Centre houses a wealth of memories and untold stories of how Singapore’s early forefathers had settled in this area after their perilous journey from afar.
Each level of the Centre takes you to a different time in the history of Chinatown and allows you to trace the lives of its early occupants. Life in the old days was very simple and almost everyone lived in rented cubicles of shophouses. Poverty, diseases and harsh living conditions were common and widespread. The hard life of the migrants resulted in many of them seeking solace in the four evils: opium smoking, prostitution, gambling and secret societies. On a brighter note, Chinatown, in its heyday, was always bustling with life and activity. Traditional festivals of different races were celebrated here, thus making Chinatown culturally vibrant and unique.
Learn about this rich history through exhibits that relate the real life stories of Chinatown’s former residents. Get a chance to see how each cubicle of a typical shophouse was like in the past, as each has been skillfully re-created based on the recollections of its former residents. This personal touch enables you to relate to the core human spirit and guarantees an enriching Gallery experience.
Up, Up and Away @ Singapore Flyer
This is a continuation of my Singapore travelogue last Oct. 23-25, 2009. For prior details on this trip, please click the links below:
Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards
Bonding with the Boys @ Clarke Quay
Visiting Royal Selangor at Singapore
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Our next stop was the Singapore Flyer.
Visiting Royal Selangor @ Singapore
This is a continuation of my Singapore travelogue last Oct. 23-25, 2009. For prior details on this trip, please click the links below:
Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards
Bonding with the Boys @ Clarke Quay
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This day started with a scream. Yes, you read that right. My roomy (Frances) and I didn’t hear our alarms go off that morning and right at the same exact second, we both woke up with a jolt realizing that we were super-duper late for the tour and a nano second later, screamed “Aaahhh!”. Nevertheless, this was still such a good day for me. The fact that I woke up ten minutes before the bus was about to leave for the day’s tour (my roomy and I actually thought the bus already left us), that I managed to dress up in flash, look awesome and feel great, these were blessings enough for me. Oh, Mica and Hannah were also kind enough to let me sit beside them inside the bus. Thanks girls! You’re awesometastic! ^_^ Little did I know that our first itinerary for that day would be at Royal Selangor in Clarke Quay where I was at just a few hours ago. It looked so peaceful and quiet in the morning. All the restaurants and bars were closed and we were the only group of tourists visiting the area that early morning.
Entering the Royal Selangor Gallery…
Royal Selangor is the world’s largest pewter company. Renowned for innovative designs and craftsmanship, they strive to create objects of desire in precious pewter. What is pewter by the way? For those who don’t know, according to Wikipedia:
Pewter is a malleable metal alloy, traditionally between 85 and 99 percent tin, with the remainder consisting of copper, antimony, bismuth and lead. Copper and antimony act as hardeners while lead is common in the lower grades of pewter, which have a bluish tint. It has a low melting point, around 170–230 °C, depending on the exact mixture of metals. The word pewter is probably a variation of the word spelter, a colloquial name for zinc.
A guided tour runs through the three sections of the Pewter Centre: The Pewter Gallery, Pewtersmithing Demonstration and Retail Floor. Our group was divided into two. I belonged to the first batch that went through the Pewtersmithing Demonstration. It was sooo cool! I thought it was going to be difficult, but with a little effort, making a pewter dish wasn’t really that hard to do.
In the Pewtersmithing Demonstration, we were afforded a firsthand view of and even participate in Royal Selangor’s pewter crafting processes.
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Bonding with the Boys @ Clarke Quay
This is a continuation of my Singapore travelogue last Oct. 23-25, 2009. For prior details on this trip, please click the links below:
Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards
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Right after the Asia Pacific Blog Awards, Mark and JP picked me up from the hotel lobby and we all headed to Clarke Quay for some drinks and much needed bonding. Though the last we’ve been together was just a few months ago when we went swimming in Subic, it felt like ages and I missed the boys so much! They’re Peter’s best buds and I just feel so comfy with them, it’s like having big brothers around. I may not be with these two as much as I’d love to but because they love Peter so much, I’d like to believe that I somehow grew on them all these years… I think they’ve come to love my weird quirks and idiosyncrasies despite everything.^_^
It was one humid evening. There was no wind and it felt quite warm. I was perspiring like crazy but it all got worth it when I saw this view of the river. The water was so still it perfectly reflected its surroundings. Nice!
Anyhoo, I wasn’t only excited to see Mark and JP but I was also really looking forward to seeing Clarke Quay at night. It’s one of those places I missed when Peter and I first visited Singapore in 2006. I heard many good things about it too, one of which is their spicy crabs. Unfortunately, in this place, the crabs cost a fortune so I just settled for cocktails and some pulutan. I was still full anyway from the 6-course dinner served during the Blog Awards.
Oh by the way, I had a little boo-boo that night. For the longest time, I kept saying Clarke Quay like KLARKEE KWEY when it’s just supposed to be KLARKEE. Lol! Thanks for correcting me boys! What a LOL moment!
Singapore 2009: Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards
November 14, 2009We are still on Day 1 of my Singapore trip. Date is Oct. 23, 2009. For prior details on this trip, please click the links below:
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At around 6 pm that day, all bloggers from the Asia Pacific region (Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia) got ready for the awards night. We all congregated at the lobby of Link Hotel and waited for the bus that will take us to Pan Pacific Hotel where the event was to take place.
Everyone looked so pretty and fabulous!
If only I had enough time and energy to fix my hair…
But since I still haven’t really slept yet since I got off work Thursday evening that week and I wanted to spend my time exploring the city rather than fixing myself, I was content and happy with wearing a pearl headband and ponytail while other bloggers really prettified for the event.
At around 6:30 pm, we’re off to our bus, excited and giddy.
The place was so impressive and illustrious. They really prepared for this event. Well, why not? It’s the first ever Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards, after all.
The event was hosted by Allan Wu (bottom right photo). He is the Amazing Race Asia host and is undoubtedly one of the most sought after hunks on screen.
Allan has hit the big screens with movies such as Raintree Production’s romantic comedy “I Do, I Do, I Do” and “Night Corridor”, a Hong Kong production produced by the acclaimed Stanley Kwan. Allan recently completed a film in China entitled “Kung Fu Hip Hop”.
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Singapore 2009: Little India
November 11, 2009We are still on Day 1 of my Singapore trip. Date is Oct. 23, 2009. For prior details on this trip, please click the links below:
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Please click to read more about Singapore: Little India.
Singapore 2009: Food Tripping at Tiong Bahru
November 10, 2009
We are still on Day 1 of my Singapore trip. Date is Oct. 23, 2009. For details on my arrival, please click the link below:
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After we secured our stuff at Link Hotel, five of us decided to start exploring the city with the hours we have left before the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards Night. The five of us included Kate, Crissy, Jonel and Jane. Near our hotel in Tiong Bahru is this mall called Tiong Bahru Market along Eng Hoon street. Before getting there, we saw locals happily eating along the sidestreet where delicious hawkers’ food are also located.
Please click yo read more about this Tiong Bahru food trip.
