sing so far - part 1

after weeks of waiting and three hours after my plane took off manila, i arrived in singapore excited and jubilant. changi airport is as beautiful as i remember it to be - its different than the other airports i've been to - not as grand as hong kong but far better than narita, osaka and los angeles. this is turning out to be a trip worth remembering.

• feeling adventurous and going against my baser instincts, i took the advice of a friend (based in singapore, let's call her A) to take the train instead of a cab from the airport to Sengkang where my friend Cindy is staying. the great thing about the Singapore MRT is that its actually fast, efficient and comfortable and even with two luggages in tow, it was easy. it took me close to an hour before i got to Sengkang riding and changing trams from the green route to the purple route. when i got to Cindy's place, i asked her how long it would have taken me to get there if i took a cab --- 10mins! Bwahahaha, i'll remember to slap A when i get the chance.
• dinner thursday night along a long line of hawker stands made me realize how different hawker is in singapore versus that in malaysia. hawker here is like the food court in manila while that in malaysia, hmmm let's just say is different. the food is cheap, its filling and its very good.
• a couple of friends who got sponsored PIT GRANDSTAND tickets was not watching the practice sessions friday and decided to give us their friday tickets. aren't we the LUCKIEST? the 3-day pit grandstand tickets cost 40,000 pesos each. The whole F1 experience deserves a space of its own so i'd have to find time to write about that. Besides, the real race is still happening tonight.
• Riding the MRT alone made me realize how difficult it would be live here by myself. While there are still a lot of things to love about singapore, being away from my family and my friends will leave me in an emotional wreck. The best thing about riding the MRT was that it helped me make full use of my ipod.
• The other thing i hate is the non-stop walking. walking and being flat-footed doesn't really go along very well. walking for the last three days was like torture. i swear every step i made was excruciatingly painful. if there were any lactic acid build-up anywhere near the joints of my feet, i could guarantee they're all gone now.
• there's a thing about being on vacation and in a different country that makes you eat like there's no tomorrow. being with friends who love to eat too doesn't help also. so yeah, i expect to pack in a few more pounds when i get back tuesday.
• singapore is freakin' warm. i bet i would need a number of likas papaya soap when i'm home.

i do have a lot of pictures to share but i've been dead tired being here that sleep is the only thing i think of when i come near the bed. sing so far has been fun ... and tiring.