8 Things I Learned in Singapore

WARNING: EXTREMELY LONG AND PHOTO-HEAVY. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

So I treated my mom to a 5-day trip/vacation to Singapore for her birthday (I booked a bit early as I’m not too busy these days) and it was a really fun, long weekend. I promised her, however, that the next time she goes there with dad, Imma make them stay at the Fullerton and not at some red-district hotel like the one I booked for us. I hate myself sometimes, you know…

Also, I don’t normally blog about my travels and the things I see and do but I felt the need to write about this because uhhh… *points to title*

1. That you only need 4 hours or less to enjoy Sentosa.

“Wut? Wait, where am I? Huh? I’m such a tourist! Look, I even have a Sentosa map!”

The resort-island is apparently a must-see in the country and of course, we didn’t miss out on the chance to hang-out there, too. But after we’ve tried the Luge and Skyride and saw the dolphin show and the Underwater World thingy and went around to see some stuff, we were like “Uhm, what else do we do?” The other attractions didn’t interest us anymore but that’s just me and my mom- totez non-outdoorsy people. There were also “beaches” there but lolz I’m Filipino and I know my beaches.

2. That gay friends are made of rainbow-colored, glittery awesome.

Shan in blue and Jose in white. Fabulousity personified.

I met up with a very good friend, Shan Plameras who is now working there. I knew him back in college and even after graduation, we also worked together on some shows. He introduced me and my mom to his other friend, Jose, and I swear to gawd they’re half of the reason why my mom and I enjoyed the trip so much. Our tummies were hurting from laughing so much. We hung out on Friday night at Clarke Quay (more on that later) and on Sunday, they toured us around the malls of Orchard road and made our stay truly worthwhile. Thanks, badetssss!!!

3. That there are more people in Tropical Hut at 10pm than there are in Hed Kandi, Clarke Quay.

What’s up with the crocs at the back? What’s this, Enchanted Kingdom?

Now, we all know that when Hed Kandi sets up an event in Manila, partyphiles from all over flock to NBC tent and pay some ridiculous amount just to be one of the “cool people” so imagine my surprise when we went inside the club and I could still lie down on the floor and make a snow angel and still not disturb anyone. The crowd’s probably at the Ministry of Sound but whatev, we went to a Turkish bar, had wine, watched a hot milf do a belly dance and smoked the night away instead. Speaking of smoking…

4. That I can smoke shisha 24/7.

When I told my dad that mommy and I loved shisha, he said “It’s probably cannabis.” Win.

I tell you I’m officially addicted to Shisha now. I mean, I’ve tried it here before in Manila but man, I never realized it’s sssoooo good!!! We went to this obscure Turkish restaurant at #48 Arab Street called Sufi and I was just pwned. GUYS, IF YOU’RE GOING TO SINGAPORE MAKE SURE YOU DROP BY THAT PLACE. They made us sit on this round Arabic couch and mom and I had shisha while munching on garlic bread and sipping on their apple tea, which is the best tea I’ve tasted in my life. The best, I say. Plus, the staff and even the owner were just so friendly and accommodating, they even gave us free chestnuts! So here’s a shout out to the folks at Sufi!!!

5. That I can actually pass for a Japanese. Lulz.

Konnichiwa! Shina desu! Wtf My morena skin is already a give-away that I can’t possibly be a Jap, unless they think I’m a ganguro

Singapore is a multi-cultural country and other than the Chinese, Malays and Indians, there are also many expats walking around the city so just imagine my delight when I was mistaken for a Japanese (and even an American-born Chinese)! I even asked this girl for directions and her eyes went O_o when she learned I’m Pinoy. “But you’re so pretty and your skin is fair!”, she commented and I honestly didn’t know if I’d be offended or flattered by what she said. C’mon, gaiz. Filipinas are beautiful. Seriously.

6. That my mom’s getting old, and so am I.

Like mother, like daughter. For the love of shoppeeeehhhnnnnnggg!!

When I was younger, my mom would always hold my hand and lead the way whenever we’re walking together. She’d always say “Oh, be careful!” or “Can you walk faster?” especially since she used to walk so fast, I couldn’t keep up with her. But now, the roles have changed. I was the one in-charge of everything, of where we’d eat, what we’d do, what time we’d get back to the hotel, etc. But it’s a nice feeling, you know. To give back to your parents after they’ve taken care of you when you were younger. I love my mom, I really do but if there’s one thing that kind of boggles me about her, it’s that I can bring her to Egypt, Kenya or Guatemala and she’d rather be inside the local malls, shopping. >_>

7. That I will own a Vuitton Speedy 30 bag come hell or high water.

Those bags will be MINE!!! Mine, I say!!! *insert maniacal evil laughter her*

Much thanks to our trip at Ngee Ann City, I suddenly have a new motivation in life: to work my ass off and eventually own a Speedy 30 no matter what happens. Funny thing is, I was never into expensive stuff because I’m stingy like that until I went into the LV store and saw upclose the real thing. Lolz. It’s sad, really. And because everything else in Sing is much more expensive (except for the branded/signature items), I didn’t really get to hoard-shop like I did in HK and ended up buying only 2 things- a Lacoste bag and a Kenneth Cole watch. Wait for me, Bangkok. Wait for me…

8. That I can spend my life savings in a weekend.

Whattarandom photo of lolz. Why can’t the ladies’ rooms here be as clean and posh as this? And why do I look so happy taking that picture? Do I look like Tegoshi Yuya in that angle?

AND NOW I’M EFFING BROKE. Bow.

*other additional interesting tidbits*

- If imma have a kid, I want him to be this KAWAIIIIIII!!!! I forgot his name so let’s just call him Shintaro-chan.

- This is actually a type of SHRIMP. I wonder if it tastes good, too.

- I can live on Kaya with butter and Milk Tea everyday.

- There were actually peacocks randomly roaming around Sentosa.

- Dear Singapore government, you love smokers, don’t you? *I haven’t had a stick since Saturday night*

- Zhang Yi Mou was at Marina Bay, lighting fireworks and shit.

- I swear this kid was totally hitting on me on the plane. He tried to kiss me and was saying “Mahal na mahal kita, asawa ko…” WUT.