First foray into the First World

February 24-28, 2016

Singapore City, Singapore

With Gabriel's Tita hosting us in Singapore, finally we got to go on this trip which I hadn't been able to take last year, because reasons. *eye roll* Haha. Anyway, February seemed to be the ideal period to go to this sole ~First World~ ASEAN country, so off we went to the Lion City. 

We arrived Wednesday evening, almost midnight, escaping our Metro Manila lives. Hahaha. Our agenda for the whole day of Thursday was to go to Universal Studios. Because it was a weekend, there were hardly any lines. The shops and the whole park still had a lot of visitors, but the lines for the rides were tolerable. We had Express Passes so we were able to hop on the attractions more quickly, although even with just regular tickets, weekday visitors won't have too much trouble queuing.

Turista shot with the Universal globe!

Walk of Fame at Far Far Away!

Of course, we had Arya join the adventure :D

A cute cul-de-sac at Far Far Away.

Plotting our stops on the map after our lunch at Fossil Fuels

We really planned where we wanted to go first, thinking of time constraints. Apparently, that fear was unfounded, because we managed to go around the park in much less time than we expected. We even had time to go around for the second (and third) time. :))

I kept thinking while walking around the Sci-Fi City, "Miguel would get a kick out of all of this."

Definitely taking the little bro here sometime soon. :')

Atlas Shrugged! (Hi from Ayn Rand, Claire! Haha.)

Matching shirt! :))

Gabriel had the unenviable job of being my model during these trips. Haha.

On the second round of our stroll, we found a New York back alley, with none to very few people around. 

All the details are so cute, in their urban, red brick charm. Haha.

Gabriel and I once again had the inner kids in us resurface with all the sights to see in the park. And you expect nothing less from a renowned theme park, of course.

Most of the pictures I took were blurry and/or unflattering selfies. Hahaha. But it was really fun. One thing I noted was that there were elderly park attendants. It's a job I would automatically assume would be performed by younger people. However, in the following days of roaming the city, I found that elders are a big part of the labor force of the service sector in Singapore, which is quite interesting, leading me to assume that the job opportunities in the country are also open for the elderly who wish to still earn a living. I wish the same would also be possible for the Philippines.

 

We capped our first day in Singapore with a dinner at home, ready for some more exploring the following day. >>

Our itinerary for the second day was quite flexible, but a visit to Chinatown was non-negotiable. Haha. We started our meandering from SG's central business district, towards the Collyer Quay, Singapore River and finally to the Merlion Park before turning back and searching for the Chinatown Complex.

Yes, Singapore is so, so damn clean. How ardently do I wish that we have this sort of discipline and responsive urban planning in Metro Manila. The efficiency and beauty, and the satisfaction of seeing urbanization harmonized with preservation of the environment, more than makes up for the high cost of... well, everything here. 

Even in the morning, there were so many tourists around the famous Merlion.

Arya and the Baby Merlion

The Singapore Flyer across the Singapore River

Mission accomplished when we finally found Mosque, Pagoda, Temple and Smith Streets, comprising the Chinatown Complex. There was no shortage of things to see, and because we were there in the morning, the crowd wasn't as thick as expected from a Chinatown.

How quaint, how clean. ♥ 

Singapore's Chinatown has a roof and large ceiling fans for ventilation. How convenient is that. The free Wi-Fi and the public restroom were also looooaaadsss better than expected. I was smitten! It takes the "Riza's favorite SG hangout place" award.

Of course the food was great. ☆☆☆☆☆ Let me also rave about how Milo is always so readily available everywhere? In restaurants, in theme park kiosks, here in Chinatown. Everywhere! I love Milo. Haha!

After souvenir-hunting and a bit of window-shopping at the shops lining Chinatown, we had some snacks. Street food platter, ftw. (Quite fancier, although basically the same as the kikiam, squid ball, hotdog, and fries we could find in the Philippines.)

We then met Tita so we could try riding the MRT. Oh man, I don't want to get started about their train station–underground, accessible to the whole city (I would assume), so orderly and beautiful in spic-and-span chrome, well-lit, well-guarded, complete facilities, direction guides, protective features. Ah. What joy. 

We went to the mall in Bugis to check out some things Gabriel wanted to see, and played the Cards Against Humanity, which we got from the mall, when we got home until the wee hours of the evening.

On our third day, a Saturday, we headed towards Marina Bay Sands to watch a circus with an urban twist. ID, a French production, is what could be considered a modern circus composed of breathtaking stunts and acrobatics set against the backdrop of the buzzing and hustling metropolis.

Before and after the show, we roamed around the area and took in the sights of Singapore from the skypark. Looking at Singapore's progress, I could only lament, "Singapore doesn't have anything that the we don't. We probably have even more." And there's the rub. Seeing and experiencing for myself how meticulous and careful the city was planned and is being run, I thought that perhaps, it's because the Philippines has so much that we take a lot for granted. Here in Singapore, they greatly value what little resources they have, careful not to overreach. 

All the colors!

Colors!

Turncloak! 😂

A photo posted by Riza Atienza (@_rizaatienza) on Feb 27, 2016 at 1:19am PST

Someone had a little too much fun choosing his lunch. :))

ArtScience Museum

The iconic MBS

After the show, we visited the nearby ArtScience Museum for a dose of Singapore's art scene.

I squeed a little. Haha!

After our tour around the MBS area, we headed for the Night Safari. Because we were hungry even before the tram tour began, the idea of hopping off and taking the walking trail went out the window. Haha. The line was long because it was the weekend, and the animals were a little shy. (Some fellow tram passengers were also quite obnoxious with their flash cameras and noisy chatter.)

Lest I miss out on the famous Hainanese chicken.

On our final day, a Sunday, we went out early morning for a walk around the beautiful Ang Mo Kio Park. Again, it was enviable how the trees and plants were given much priority, even in the residential districts. The park was big, with winding paths lined with trees. 

Also, their McDonald's is lanscaped! I think that's really cool. Hahaha.

Cry, heart, but never break. :))

Afterwards, we headed for to attend Mass and had lunch at Cathay Cineplex, where one kid got his wish of watching a movie instead of exploring Orchard Road. -_- Hay. :)) We left for the airport immediately after, for our flight back to Manila.

One taxi driver back there, upon knowing we were Filipinos on a holiday, eagerly discussed the Philippines with us. One remark from him that struck me was, "Personal interest, especially for the people in the government, is always there, even in Singapore. What makes the difference is how much they are willing to help the country." Simple as it is, it's true. Singapore isn't perfect, I'm sure there are issues that hound its government, their leadership. But there's no special formula, no messiah can deliver a country. Everyone should be involved and it takes a lot both from the leader and the citizens.

I understand the sentiment that once a Filipino sets foot on a country like Singapore, going back to the Philippines would result to so much frustration, even to the strong desire to not go back, because "Why can't we be like Singapore?" Surprisingly, with all my exasperation about Metro Manila and the country in general, I didn't feel this way. Instead, I get to thinking that, "Hey, it's possible."

I'm glad I had the opportunity to take this trip and observe a fellow ASEAN country, even for just a few days. It rekindled my hope, trite as it sounds. Definitely going back, to check out everything else I missed out on.