Hey Singapore!

Remember the cheesy documentary "Hey Singapore!" on Channel 5?

Well Jem and I went our own little "Hey Singapore!" trip! :)

He was sweet enough to allow himself to be dragged around by me to the far north of Singapore to visit the Kranji War Cemetery and to the Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve!

Lalalalala... tee hee.

I know I know... I can hear the collective gasps and the "PWAH! So boh liao ah?" (Translation: WOW! You have alot of free time huh?") (Sorry.. must put la.. in case I got more angmoh ppl looking at my blog not understanding anything...)

But I digress..

I hate it when people whine that there's nothing to do in Singapore... Well, I say there's PLENTY to do. I say its a shame that I, being a Singaporean, have never explored so many places in this tiny island in all my 25 years. (DISCLAIMER: This has nothing to do with the upcoming elections!)

Anyway...

The Kranji War Cemetery was a lovely place. Quiet and peaceful... The tombstones all neatly and smartly lined up. Looking at the names and ages of the young men who died... 21 years, 22 years... all buried far away from home. Kinda made my heart wrench.. The saddest were the unnamed graves. Their families and loved ones probably till this day wondering where their son/husband is laid...

*sniffles*

Sungei Buloh was pretty much an unplanned stop. We didn't walk around far or for long as it wasn't the migratory season for birds, but we did catch glimpses of sandpipers, a lone heron, a squirrel jumping right across our path and a couple of huge water monitor lizards :)

Today was hot. It was muggy. I was scorched. I perspired like a pig. I let the mosquitoes feast on my blood.

BUT I LOVED IT.

And because Jeremy was with me every minute of the way and not a complaint out of him... It just made me appreciate him all that much more. He's snoring on my bed now by the way... he's totally pooped out.

:)

Kranji War Cemetery - "They Died for All Free Men"








Jem looking at the names of the victims of the Dogra Regiment


Yep... Its Dr. Benjamin Sheares. Bet u guys din know its a state cemetery too.. :)

Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve






Big Water Monitor Lizard!



Thanks again Dearie! I had fun! *kiss*

KNNBCCB LEOPARD!

Bloody hell! You're right! It is a Cheetah! Fark!

And all along I thought it was a god-dammed leopard.

You should have heard Jeremy's horrified voice telling me off over the phone that it was a cheetah and how I was yelling back insisting that it was a leopard.

Fuck.

I could just stab myself.

Thank you Evelyn for pointing it out. ;p

Cheetah




Leopard



Now I see the difference. Dammit.

Surfin Safari

I went for a Safari in Cape Town! *Whee!*

This was my second time in Cape Town... was SO GLAD that I managed to find someone to go sightseeing with me. :)

Found one kaki to go on the safari together... and off we went the next day!

I paid about SDG400 *gaspgasp*.. And honestly.. it wasn't worth the price. Sigh.... The animals were so few and far between. And honestly... they looked so sad.

No elephants (they din "stock" them) and the lions were all in hiding. Bloody hell. Sianz or wat.

Even with all the the dissapointment... I still had a really great time. In my kaki's words, "the company made it all worthwhile." *smile*

My female colleague and I attempted to search for a place in town to eat. We barely lasted 10 minutes out of the hotel as we were totally freaked out as the people were staring and the men started harrasing us with "where u ladies from?". We literally only crossed two streets and were back in our hotel in less than 10mins from the moment we stepped out. I'd say its not such a safe place. Heh.

I'm hooked on the song "Unpredictable" by Jamie Foxx. Totally F**kalicious song. I say its meant to be listened to while making love.

:)

View of Table Mountain from the Plane



So nice rite... sigh.

The Waterfront







Safari!



The view on the way there.. I kept smiling to meself when i saw the sun shining on the mountains... :) Cannot explain the feeling.. *sigh*





Hippos!



Springbok



Giraffe (duh.. dun think u needed me to tell u that...)



Mommy Rhino with Baby Rhino :)



Rhino Plop! The smell was unbelievable! *phoo!* Beats Jem's fart anyday...



Buffalo



Zebras. (When I was young.. I just couldn't spell "zebra". Kept spelling it "zebar". So my mum finally sat me down and said, "You know "bra"? Same as the "zeBRA". I never forgot how to spell after that. Thank you mum. U always know wat makes me tick. )



Wandering Wilderbeast



Up close and personal with Mr. Leopard!




I'll visit you again Africa! :)

Johannesburg(er)... ;p

No.. i didn't have any burgers in Johannesburg. In fact, I had good steak! SO damn shiok...

Went to this restaurant called The Butcher Shop. The last time I was there, I had ostrich meat.. which wasn't too bad. But the steak I had this time was really super good! Purely melt in the mouth.... The mushroom sauce... thick and creamy... the sour cream with the baked potato... whipped and fluffy. *siiggh*

Managed to find the huge 1kg packs of Endearmints. (They're the mints you get at Fish & Co.) I bought two huge packs! I will go home and distribute to everyone.. :)

Off to Capetown tomorrow.... Been there. Done that. Unfortunately...

Sigh.

Just a pic of me and Mr. Mandela. hehehe.

So I Like to Be Alone… OK?

Been going out alone in Perth for the past two days… A friend was asking me, “Why don’t you go out with the rest?”

Well, I just don’t want to. Oddly enough… I just like to go out alone. It’s nice to have company... but sometimes being alone is nice. Although I do sometimes wonder if it’s a good idea or maybe get a little scared, I’d still rather be on my own.

I get to go where I want, take my time to browse and I don’t feel obligated to anyone. It’s exciting too, discovering things on your own. At the end of the day, I feel alittle sense of achievement. :)

Well, I went out to Fremantle today. (Yes… On my own...)

First time taking the train. I was obviously one of those suaku tourists who was holding up the queue at the ticket machine coz I had to read the instructions, look for the station I was going to, dig out all my coins… yea. I was “One of those people”. ;p

The train ride was so nice. I enjoyed it and was disappointed when it ended.

Got off at the end of the line in Fremantle and started exploring my way around. Decided to head to Fremantle Prision to have a look see. Glad I went!!! (considering I have been to Alcatraz...) Bought a ticket to join the tour. The tour guide (an ex prison warden) was so good and really funny! I really enjoyed it. When we were in the execution hall, he started talking about Changi Prison and how they have hung so many hundreds of people yadda yadda yadda and all the tourists started shaking their heads and tsking.. I quickly lowered my head and tried not to laugh. Especially since I was the only Asian in the group… I was so afraid he was going to ask me where I was from. ;p (Anyway I’m sure they all thought I was Vietnamese…haha.)

Can I just say this… Aussie TV sucks…. This is the only hotel I know with NO CABLE. The only thing I love about Manila and Bali night stops are the HUGE array of cable channels. Comedy Channel, E! Entertainment… shiokz.

And the comment about Changi Prison? It was the 2nd comment about Singapore I had heard today. The first was on TV and two hosts were interviewing Pauly Shore (apparently some famous standup comedian from the US of A). He was commenting how clean Melbourne was and the female host was asking if he had been to Singapore, as Singapore is apparently much cleaner. He said no… and he started talking about the no chewing gum law and that they probably chop off the hands of litter offenders.

What the...

It really struck me how skewed the Western world’s viewpoint of our country and of Asia is in general.

I guess we are all guilty of stereotyping aren’t we ?

You bloody Angmohs you... (hahaha)

Pics!


Anzac Day! 25April2006

Perth City





Train Ride to Fremantle





Fremantle









Fremantle Prision







(Check out the artwork on these prison cell walls)






Anyone wanna play Hangman? *gulp*




The leaver is pulled and the person drops down below, tightening the noose. The body is then collected below and up those stairs you see. The chair is provided for those whose legs are too wobbly to stand up on their own. *heartbreak*

You're Mine Now!!! *BUAHAHAHAHAhahahahaaa*

After lusting after it for Godknowshowmanyyears...... The Sony Vaio is finally MINE!

*evil laughter* *thunder* * lightning*

:)

I first set eyes on this baby a couple of years back when I was on the train one day, and this guy seated next to me whipped out this teenie Sony Vaio and started watching "La Bi Xiao Xing" on the train. Bloody Showoff. BUT! It was love at first sight (The Sony, not the guy... He was some geeky looking fellow.. but thats a whole different story... ;p).

Since that day, I had always wanted one. But the price always made my (non-existent) balls shrivel up.. But now that I am financially independant *cheers all around* I can afford to buy my heart's desire!

Nothing like retail therapy to cheer me up.. :)

Who said therapy was ever cheap?

Some Things Just Turn Me On...

Hopefully by this time tomorrow, I will be the proud owner of this sexy Sony Vaio VGN-TX26GP/W.

Went to check it out today. Cannot wait liao. That's me. If I want something badly, by GOD I will have it.

So yep. I WILL HAVE IT.

Hopefully... heh.



*oooooh*

*SALUTES*

I FINALLY steeled myself to watch the infamous "Tammy Video" today, courtesy of Mr. Png. (Who Else??!)

I'm traumatised beyond belief. Poor girl.

However, I must salute her boyfriend for his... erm... impressive capabilities.

Mebbe I'm ignorant or wat la.. but... PWAH.

You Lucky Poor Girl you....

hehehe.

Loser...

*sings loudly*

I'M A LOSER BABEEE..... SO WHY DON'T CHA KILL MEEEee....

ugh.

*stabstab*

West Side Storyzzzzzzz.....

Went to watch West Side Story yesterday.

Dissapointed.. totally.

Most of the singers (except for the leads) voices were so garbled I could hardly hear what they were saying. Although the dancing was good, I felt the director tried to make it too... artistic?

I hate to admit it, but i did nod off at one point. :p

I did also hear one lady complain she had to read the chinese subtitles just to catch what they were saying... unfortunately for me, the only words I could read were "Ma Li Ya! Ma Li Ya!"

Heh..

On another note, I have brusies on my knees.. Two on the left knee and one on the right. So awful. Where the hell did it come from? I think my job is cruel sometimes.

*rubrub*

Off to Melbourne tonight. Goodbye Bed. Goodbye Bolster. *sob*

Water Therapy

Felt so sluggish... decided to go for a swim.

Swam for an hour then decided to take a walk to the beach. Sat at the breaker for awhile until the rain clouds gathered and all hell broke loose. Managed to make it back to Downtown East... sat for a while... rain didn't go away, so I bought a bright baby pink umbrella and decided to walk all the way home in the pouring rain.

It felt SO GOOD, I was literally smiling to myself while splish splashing all the way home. People must have thought I was mad... but who cares? :)

Had a good long hot shower when i got home.

I feel so much better. :)

Life is good.

Love Me Please...

From Ron:

"Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need it."

I Say:

"Life's a bitch."

Sleepless In Singapore.... *yawn*

I need sleep... why my body so koyak?

Why can't I just knock off...?

ArrGGGgggHHhhh.........

My head feels numb. My heart hurts from beating too fast.

God I need to get a life....

CHRIST! I Din go to CHURCH! (Cornee...)

If you havent gotten it by now, I was apparently in Christchurch.

Wanted to go see mountains, whales, do the whole 100% Pure NZ ad thingee butbut.. no one wanted to go with meee!!! *sob*

*nobody likes me, everybody hates me, im gonna have some wormsss...*

Sigh, next time I guess.

I went on a wine tour with my colleague instead, it was interesting. We started sipping and gargling and swirling at 9am so by 2pm I was pretty buzzed. *hic*

Bought a LOVELY Reisling from Pegasus Winery. Cant wait to open it up! Anybody want to join me??

*wiggle eyebrows*

Next time I will go sightseeing MYSELF. Harrumph.


Grapes! (Suaku Singaporean strikes again! ;p)


Posing with Mr. Grape Tree/Vine... watever...


*swirlswirlsniffsniffgarglegargle...* (But does she spit or swallow? I swallow(ed). *wink*)


View from the winery


So clever rite? They used bottles for lamps! :)


Aging Gracefully...


My backyard (I wish...)


You know u are in NZ when you see a Kiwi instead of a Rooster...