Video: Singapore Fireworks Preparation: the View from Marina Bay Sands

Video: Marina Bay Sands Infinite Pool

Final Moments in Singapore: A Photo Gallery

Here are the last of the photos of Singapore. I’ve excluded a lot for the sake of time/space, but these highlights show the general path of adventuring Jason and I took to get where we wanted to be and see a smattering of local sites in a condensed time period. Again, I would love to go back and see more, take more time to enjoy more of the places, and so on and so forth. I will probably have to go back for a week or so. Maybe after Cambodia? A final note: a bug in WordPress uploaded all my pictures in reverse order, so it’s like traveling backwards in time.

Little India:

Gardens by the Bay:

Even more Marina Bay Sands:

Arab Street;

Hindu Temple and Chinatown:

And our new friends in Singapore: Hweesh, Daphne, Jason, Me, and Justin

There will have to be a post down the road where I reflect on Singapore’s culture and people, but I’ve got a lot of catching up to do with the photos.

Next: Kluang, Malaysia

Photo Reflections: We Get Singey in Singapore

Daily adventuring in Singapore means lots of walking, lots of shopping, and lots of eating. Here are the highlights. By now you’re probably sick of Singapore, but I say let the wildness begin!

Apparently denizen doesn’t have the negative connotations in Singapore that it does in the USA.

I like (but not really) all the generic names of stores on this list.

Public transit innovations never cease to surprise me.

Nice to see other uses of SPD coming from the land of the Seattle Police Department.

Woods in the Books is an amazing Children’s bookstore.

So is Books Actually.

Cyril Wong is a fantastic local poet.

“Please Use Me.”

“Tipping/Dumping Prohibited.”

“Pizza Wine.”

“No Naked Lights.”

Hell notes are those you buy to burn for your dead ancestors. A curious activity I’d never heard of before visiting Singapore. We also saw people burning paper goods for ancestors in Kampot, Cambodia.

“Frozen Pleasures.”

I definitely did a double-take after this. Below: the Hawker Market!

Sugarcane juice.

Durian! And below: Jason does not like Durian.

 

Next: final moments in Singapore, and our trip to Malaysia!

On the Edge: Swimming at the Infinity Pool in Singapore

From the staggering Infinity Pool on the rooftop at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore:

Photo Reflections: Exploring the National Library Board of Singapore

As a student of Library and Information Science (LIS), my travels throughout Southeast Asia have seen several spikes in excitement. When I have had the opportunity to encounter non-American libraries, my mind has been blown. The pinnacle of this engagement occurred early on in the trip when visiting Singapore’s beautiful National Library Board. Essentially a Central Library megaplex, this fourteen-story hub of knowledge, reflection, and engagement was by far the coolest library I have ever been in. Why? Because it combined what I love about the stereotypical library (quiet rooms, people reading, and lots and lots of printed resources) with innovations in space, presented exhibits, and social interaction. I could write for days about this library, and I will do so, but not here. Here you will see a brief set of images showing off the highlights of the building.

First we have the library itself. With a combination of sleek contemporary design and old school office building design, the building manages to stand out just enough for praise, but also fit right in with the surroundings.

In the main entryway you’ll notice a focus board for events (“happenings”), which also discusses exhibits within the building.

A clever informational sign from Circulation.

You may or may not be looking at a future librarian. Which one? I’m not sure. Also, I needed to get permission to take all these photos. It was pretty sweet having to say “I’m studying libraries” in order to get approval.

A socialist scheme? Strong government overdose? I’m not sure, but having this huge spread available in the entry to the library vaguely reminded me of Seattle’s Central Library, where they host free tax services to the public.

I think this is pretty self-explanatory. Oh, and it’s pretty outstanding community engagement. I’d obviously love to see the statistics of people who use e-books in the Singapore network . . . future research study, perhaps?

Obviously I had to visit the space for kids. What follows are what I discovered in the “My Tree House” room.

(Mario?!)

Don’t you wish you had a Children’s Section like their’s?

I love seeing security signs that actually feature contemporary objects. Most places still feature the flip phone as a symbol of “cell phone” technology. And rarely do you see anything but a laptop to represent all other mobile devices.

Huge American Poetry collection. Check. Bonus points to anyone that can tell me what classification system is being used here (Hint: it’s what you would expect in a public library, and this number in particular might be inscribed on me as a tattoo when I get back to the USA.)

Read more about the Time of Your Life Initiative to see once again how Singapore takes it to the next level, in this case for older people.

Above: one of the many semi-outdoor reading areas in the library. Below, the same reading area, and all those people are statues. That way you never feel alone. Creepy or genius? Or both?

Sartre allusion?

Above: a Paul Klee painting just hanging out among plenty of other cool paintings and photographs in a gallery. Below: I would have never expected to find “A Mini-Poetry-Anthology of Tan Swie Hian,” but there you go.

Pictures below are all related to the “Campaign City” themed exhibit, which delves into Singapore’s recent history. Exploring the many campaigns the city did to reform, shape, and/or control population behavior, “Campaign City” provides a rather unbiased look at those campaigns. I found this exhibit one of the most informative pieces on Singaporean culture of the few I experienced while visiting.

Next: More Walking, More Eating, and More Seeing in Singapore. Even further: Kluang, Malaysia.

Photo Reflections: More Innerworkings of Singapore

Unfortunately for folks following this blog, the Singapore trip was a bit messy. And my photo collection even messier. But that being said, there’s no shortage of content to share. Below are some more images from visiting the streets of Singapore. And if you think there are a lot here, you haven’t seen anything yet. We start with an image of the Sentosa train:

“Stress -> Bad for Health.”

Skyline from Marina Bay Sands. Below: Daphne and Jason in awe.

You will slip.

The Pacific Ocean from the rooftop of the Marina Bay Sands, and the garden complex, below:

“Bus Topping.”

Alighting: the term used for getting off a bus or train. Below: Daphne engages in some public art.

The art school.

“Life of Liquor.” And: “F.M.L.”

“Flashing Green Man.” Or: “Press for Green Man.” Below: Bean Curd in Bugis!

“NO TIPPING 🙂 Please.” And in the distance: the National Library Board.

 

Next: I visit the National Library Board with Daphne!

Photo Reflections: Welcome to Sentosa

There are many things to do in Singapore and you can’t do them all in two days. It’s just not happening. You pick and choose your biggest interests and then you can find a reason to return. When we were in Singapore we saw a lot (as you’ll see, too) and didn’t see a lot. We didn’t see the Zoo, for example. We did see Sentosa, the “Island Resort” (man-made, kind of Disney-epic) the first full day of our trip. Jason’s a shark guy. He’s a shark fanatic, and it was his birthday. So it was of to the world’s largest aquarium, which has many, many sharks. Below you’ll find a lot of pictures from the Singapore Aquarium, but also a lot of pictures from walking around a fraction of Sentosa. If I go back to Singapore, I want to revisit Sentosa–not to pay to go to Universal Studios or any of the other expensive activities, but to walk around the “Free Area” and see what there is to be seen.

Curious about this creature below? Look up “Merlion.”

“Floor is Wet. Slippery Surface.”

Below: withinthe “entrance” to the aquarium, which currently features a pretty extensive history of sea trade in Southeast Asia,.

“I am Only a Display. Please be Gentle with Me.”

“Interactive Point.”

The introduction to the 4D theatre, which is one way to go from the aquarium’s entrance into the actual aquarium.

The name of my next sci-fi thriller book: “Plant Room 1.”

Jason touching a shark!

“Fishermen of Sri Lanka.”

“Great fish name: Banded Blenny.” And below: what nightmares are made of.

“Strange Sea Urchin.”

Singapore’s aquarium also has the largest aquarium viewing display in the world, apparently. There’s also a restaurant that allows you to sit right next to the tank, but the minimum table amount was something outrageous like $70 USD.

The shark tank.

Jason and the Lemon Shark:

And last but not least, the aquarium gift store, which had candy bar characters!

After the aquarium, we went for a bite. In Singapore, life can easily be structured around eating food, which is everywhere, and usually good. Of all the places we ate in Singapore, though, Sentosa’s was the most absurd. We had heard about McDonald’s in foreign countries having exotic versions of their standard US menu. We found that to be the case. From the durian McFlurries to the seasonal Rendang burger, McDonald’s was trying to cater to the locals. I should note that I rarely eat fast food and hadn’t had McDonald’s in probably three years (the last time was in Nevada when moving across the country, and having no other options for food in the small town).

Don’t get your order by the time the hourglass empties? Free ice cream for you. (We got the free ice cream, by the way.)

Next: our second day in Singapore reveals what it’s like to live large, walk a lot, and eat a lot!

Photo Reflections: Introduction to Singapore

In this sequence of images, I share some of the initial impressions of Singapore. We were staying at the Marina Bay Sands hotel, probably one of the craziest buildings I’ve ever seen, stayed in, been on the rooftop of, etc. etc. and that may have skewed our experience in Singapore but it certainly, at least, was comfortable enough to allow us the comforts needed for early travel.

Our first foray into Asian public transit! Surprisingly . . . clean, smooth, comfortable.

From inside the Marina Bay Sands. What you can’t really see is this genetic model sculpture hanging above the main lobby.

In the huge mall attached to the hotel. One of the many impressive sculptures we’d continue to see during our time in Singapore:

The view of the Singapore skyline from outside mall:

What do the following buildings look like?

I think it was three or four years since I’d seen Daphne last, which was when she visited Philadelphia with a couple of her friends. Daphne, who would be the official tour guide and helper and temporary BFF for our time in Singapore, originally studied abroad at UCONN and met my sister. That’s how I met her. I’d been wanting to visit Singapore ever since learning about it initially from Daphne, and there was no better guide than her!

No, that isn’t a Morrowind-themed park in the distance. It’s a huge garden complex. But I’ll be showing some more up-close-and-personal shots of that space in the future!

“Spore Flyer.”

“Green Funpack Distribution Point.” This strange sign was for the Singapore National Holiday celebration. Each distribution point for the color-coordinated festivities was guarded by a couple of young military dudes, showing more boredom than I’ve ever seen.

“Activate Art.” And below: Jason tries Milo for the first time.

Daphne shows us the magic of soft-boiled eggs:

Okay, so small pieces of toast with large slabs of butter do taste good, but not in that “I have to have this regularly in my diet” kind of way. In fact, they are good in that “I can’t believe I ate that but at least it tastes good” kind of way.

The following pictures are from the library @esplanade, which is one of Singapore’s famous “mall libraries.” The library specializes in media (music, art, video), and was impressive overall. But very, very quiet.

I call this “Bummer.” Below: the view from the Esplanade to the Marina Bay Sands.

Getting to and from subway stations (MRT in Singapore) are often adventures. Like being in a video game, you have to pass through parking garages, strange hallways, and endless mall complexes.

Next: Sentosa and the Singapore Aquarium

Photo Reflections: Singapore Airport

When we arrived to Singapore, it was late. We had the option of risking trying to find a hotel/hostel still open, and we had the option of hanging out in the Singapore airport for 6 or 7 hours until the trains started running again the next day. Here’s what happened: Jason and I were way too tired to try and exert ourselves too much. On the other hand, we were also at the Singapore Airport, recognized by some as the best airport in the world. I haven’t been to every airport in the world, but I can say that being in Singapore’s Changi for 12 hours was nothing short of an experience. There’s an entire area in one of the terminals where you can sleep . . . in reclined bed/chair things, in darkness, etc. There are gardens everywhere. There’s a butterfly garden. There’s a movie theater. There’s street food stalls. There’s fancy food. There are chocolate stores everywhere. All the luxury designer brands. Everywhere. Everything. Here are some pictures.

“Caution! Buggy Movement.” And what follows are pictures from just one of the many extreme gardens littered across a “garden walk.” For those of you who have hours to kill, this was the most enjoyable way we found to spend our free time.

Singapore is definitely eco-friendly. Here’s just one example of conservation signage we saw. One picture I forgot to take was of the screens outside each bathroom. It tells you the bathroom attendant on duty and lets you rate the cleanliness of the bathroom 1-5 stars. Talk about crowd-sourcing employee performance reviews!

Notice the coy fish in the ponds. Yes, they are real. And every major garden had them.

Even in the most mall-like sections of the airport (Singapore and Malaysia have extensive mall cultures), the design was invigorating enough to keep my anti-capitalist notions from growing out of control:

It was easy to find food (and many different types of it) in Singapore at all hours of the night. From Indian to Chinese, you could pretty much satisfy your palate 24 hours a day:

“No buggies.”

“M&M w/ Durian.” And what follows are pictures from the butterfly garden. Being open-air with a mesh wall to keep the butterflies from escaping, going into the garden (even at night, which was when we visited) was hot and tropical. We were actually impressed that they let people go inside in the middle of the night. Though it probably would have been a lot more majestic during the day, seeing the creatures sleeping and the ambience of the night-lighting and the waterfall was quite lovely.

Sleep time:

“Mind the Gap.” The Entertainment Deck (below) is an entire floor dedicated to movies, video games, and music. There were apparently recording studio/booths, but we couldn’t find them.

“Last Plane to Jakarta.” (Mountain Goats, anyone?)

“Popular. Famous.” This picture would be the first of several taken throughout the trip featuring Jason in front of positive adjectives.

“Southern Indian.”

Here’s a pic of Jason being sad in front of the impressive  three-story slide (yes, in the airport), which was closed for repairs during the time we were visiting.

“The Soaring Egret, Leads You to a Wider World.”

Next reflections: Singapore Day 1