Day 1 - allo again!
Due to the fact that I detest packing, I stayed up the night watching DVDs while I packed. Eventually, I didn’t get even a wink before the cab arrived at my house at 5 a.m. to take me to the airport. I eventually had one pair of cargo, 2 pairs of gym shorts, 2 gym shirts, a pair of gym socks, my gym shoes, two polo Ts, 1 T, a towel, a t-shirt and shorts for sleeping and a bag of toiletries – and those took me ALL night to pack!
After checking in at the Miramar, Singapore, I took a walk thinking that I (more or less) knew where I was. I managed to find Clark Quay with the hope of finding some collectibles but was totally crushed that the place was under major renovations! There was absolutely nothing to see except the work in progress!
Then I walked further and realized that fatigue had hit me! I got disoriented and didn’t know where I was! Had to flag down the next cab that came along!
When I reached Orchard Road with the thought of going to the gym at Paragon, I was not only hit by extreme tiredness (due to the lack of sleep while thinking that I was ten years younger where I had an abundance of energy), but also hunger! Ended up at a Thai restaurant and ordered a Thai seafood fried noodles, a mango salad and washed everything down with a thick but disappointing avocado shake (that was tasteless)! I was surprised when I saw some of my colleagues from the office walked into the restaurant. We said hi and made small talk. They were there for the weekend.
After my meal and feeling very guilty, I walked up to the gym and asked them what time they would close for the day (10 p.m.). I intended to go after I had walked off the feeling of fullness from the meal, but the fatigue to me was secondary (and so I thought). I was cocksure that I would hold myself up to at least 10 p.m.
At around 4 p.m. after having walked around along the shops on Orchard Road, I was beginning to feel like a zombie! I was disinterested in everything and my eyelids were as heavy as dump trucks!
By 6 p.m. I had to raise the white flag and abandoned any plans for the gym! Went to the supermarket and got some drinking water, ham, fruits and bread before hailing a cab.
The minute I got into my room, I turn on the faucet and let the tub fill up for a bubble bath. After I had put my groceries into the mini-fridge, I laid on the bed to watch some local programs while waiting for the tub to fill.
An hour of so had lapsed before I was awoken up by the sounds of running water! I had obviously drifted off to sleep unconsciously and the sound of the water overflowing from the tub onto the floor somehow woke me up! After turning off the tap, I had to drain the excess before I could get in without further flooding the bathroom! I felt bad for the (precious) water being wasted though!
As I was immersing myself in the deep warmth of the bubble bath, the sight of my stomach amused me! It was sticking out from the water (besides my toes) like an island (well, who said, “No man is an island!”?)! The bath was therapeutic for this old tired body nevertheless!
Called the operator and requested for a morning call at 6.30 a.m. Hit the sack and was ready for the day that was to come.
Below:
Image 1: Moments before landing at Changi Airport. 26 November
Image 2: Orchard Road on Sunday
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Day 2 - of lumbers and looms
The doorbell was ringing incessantly while who ever it was also shouted, “Good morning!” right outside my door. For a split second, the thought of door-to-door, and in this case, room-to-room salesman or the Mormons, did cross my mind!
“Yeah?” I shouted back
“Good morning! This is your morning call, sir!”
“Oh! Thank you!”
“You are welcome!”
That was the first time a morning call was delivered in that mode. Maybe that was part of their hospitality practice – to give that personal touch. If I was sleeping in the next room and had just managed to slip into sleep after a night of insomnia, I would have stuffed him into the laundry chute!
My seminar was held at the Grand Copthorn Waterfront. The hotel next to mine was Copthorn King. I was told that the hotel that I needed to go was actually nearby. I asked the hotel lady guard and she was very clear and through with her instructions- cross the pedestrian bridge, turn left and Copthorn Waterfront will be at the bend.
I found my bend and hotel. The seminar, which was titled “FACE2FACE– Rethinking: Design & Entertainment or Beyond 2006 - A global summit for creative industries” was held at their ballroom on the fourth floor. There were so many air kisses blown across the hall that I thought an “air” orgy would happen at any instant. I also saw quite a bit of Malaysian creative people including those that had pitched for my company’s annual report several years ago (they obviously couldn’t recognize me by choice)!
The seminar was inspirational, informative and in a way enjoyable. By almost six-plus in the evening, I was amazed on how fast the time for the day had passed. I walked beck to my hotel and planned on what and where to eat.
A note was waiting for me when I got back to my room. A “Mr. Endy” had asked me to call the number given. I do not know anyone in Singapore or any where with the name of “Endy” and I presume that it was my older brother-in-law. He must be in town and the last I heard of him was that he had to make a trip to China. He must have stopped over on his trip back to Perth from Shanghai.
As the message indicator on the phone was also lit up, I called the operator to ask if there were any other messages other than from Andy, or any recorded messages.
“Alo”
“Yes, I believe that there is or are messages for me as the message indicator on my phone was lit up”
“Your loom prease?”
“1111”
“Darber-one, darber-one?”
“Yes”
“Mr. Andy called. Do you wan to know his number?”
“Yes”
“Prease hole on”
Pause.
“Hello?” I asked.
Pause.
Pause.
“Hello?”
Pause and I hung up after about a minute or so.
I used the number given on the message slip, and true enough, it was Andy. He was what I had predicted, stopping by in Singapore before heading back to Perth the next morning. He asked me to meet him at Nee Aun City and join him (and his business associate) for dinner later.
It was great seeing my brother-in-law again. I told him that I might be making a trip with my parents to Perth this coming Chinese New Year (for a change as suggested by Andy’s wife IM, my oldest sister). We went to Sanur, an Indonesian restaurant joined by Andy’s business associate. The food was average to me but they didn’t like it. It was also the same restaurant chain at Suntec City that my former landlord had given my parents a dinner five years ago. Dad had food poisoning after that and we had to rush him to the hospital!
Anyway, the evening ended pleasantly. I had enjoyed catching up with Andy. I bought more fruits (grapes and strawberries) and water (where they had laughed at the quantity that I have bought), before another friend of theirs drove me back to the hotel.
As I crawled into my bed, I called the operator for another morning call the next morning. Again, I was asked for the lumber of my loom.
Below:
Image 1: The seminar hall.
Image 2: My “loom” and it sucked!
Image 2: At Sanur, the Indonesian Restaurant at Nee Aun City.
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Day 3- last minute sopping
Woke up at 5 a.m. due to some unknown reason. Couldn’t get back to sleep. I didn’t really like the din of television and I didn’t bring my iPod with me, so I decided to just play music in my head until my very primitive morning call!
Marveled at what the new hair gel could do to my “new” but sometimes troublesome hair! Raymond, my hairdresser seemed to have done quite a good job with this cut last Saturday. I am quite satisfied with it. How I wish I had more hair to play with!
The seminar hall wasn’t so cold as compared to yesterday. Benjamin Wood, the man who “transformed” Shanghai to what it is today took the podium and I was thinking of Andy who raved about his Shanghai trip. He would be awed with how Benjamin re-vamped greater Shanghai. I especially enjoyed his “Before & After” slide show.
After the seminar, I took a cab to Suntec City and bought some DVDs. My last trip to Singapore was last May (but it felt like it was years ago) and I had actually forgotten to buy my “Star Trek: Voyager” DVDs until I was somewhere over the causeway! Unfortunately, I could only find season 4, and I need season 5 and 6 to complete my collection of that title on region 1 format (US). Well, maybe on my next trip.
Had ribs at Tony Romas for dinner but too full for Max Brenner (the Mexican chili chocolate drink is my favorite but I had stomach upset after drinking it on my last trip there) and my feet were numb from the walking. Queued up for a cab and it took me almost 45 minutes to get one to take me back to my hotel. Most were booked by the people queuing up through their cel phones! Advice: have your phone with you and buy a phone card the next time you are in Singapore!
A note was slipped under my door reminding me of the check-out time the next day. I was also glad that I didn’t have to request for any more morning calls, and I was hoping that I could sleep until noon before I check out!
Below:
Image 1: My daily breakfast during my stay at the supposedly 4-star Miramar.
Image 2: Had an excursion (part of the seminar) to the Red Dot Museum. This is one of the two main halls inside the museum.
Image 3: Outside of Red Dot Meseum. This building was built in 1928 as a police barrack.
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Day 4 - windowless window seat!
Woke up by nine a.m. to pack up (and found myself cleaning up FOR them out of some reason I couldn’t comprehend. It was like some kind of reflex!). Since there were no morning calls, there were no daily papers (typical!). I checked out at 11.30 a.m. and took a cab to Orchard road to just walk around. Took some pictures but didn’t buy anything!
Went to the airport and checked in. I was asked if I would like a window seat. I said, “yes” and they gave me seat number 7A. When I boarded, I was stricken with a bad headache (not to the point of being “migraine” yet). It was further aggravated when I found that my window seat didn’t have a window (now a migraine)! It was just that this particular seat was situated in-between two windows with a gap WIDER than the rest of the gaps along the plane! With the low “ceiling” and the Japanese man sitting next to me who was reading his newspaper slightly extended over my space, I was suddenly stricken by a case of claustrophobia! The slightly petroleum-like smell that I find on airplanes turned nasty that partricular instance, plus the air being thick, stuffy and warm, I thought I would go berserk and turn into The Incredible Hulk!
I asked the next air stewardess if I could sit at the empty seats two rows in front but she said that one of them had an oversized bag strapped onto it (since this particular luggage couldn’t fit they ran out of overhead compartments. Whatever happened to carry-ons/hand luggage size and quantity restrictions?). I told her that I could sit on the one next to it of which I was quite sure was vacant. The plane was already taxiing onto the runway and she wasn’t too happy about it even when I had told her that I was feeling claustrophobic.
She finally relented as I squeezed my way out from my seat and headed to the vacant seat at the bulkhead. I felt totally relieved though this Caucasian sitting next to me on the aisle seat with his earphones plugged in from his iPod Nano looked annoyed as he kept on staring at me! “Go choke on your iPod and die!” I almost heard myself say if he ever continue to stare at me even for another second longer!
At that very moment, my aspirins arrived on a silver tray with a very pretty grin from an air crew to go with it. It couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time! The iPod Nano got away alive!
Below:
Image 1: Wheelok Place with its unique conical glass and metal roof where photography was not allowed. I was told of that by one of the guards after taking this image.
Image 2: A clever way of providing infomation to tourists.
