Weekend in Merlion City (Nature Enthusiast)

Today I am gonna tell you how to spend your weekend in Singapore the different way. Getaway from bustling crowds at shopping malls and catch a fresh breathe of pythoncidere from the wonders of nature. Pretty ironic that although I have stayed in Singapore for more than 3 years but I have never been to the Botanic Gardens. To be frank I don't even know its existence until recently when I started to look for lush greenery within the city-state. The garden spanning across a whopping 74-hectare is probably the one and only spot in Singapore where you can lost yourself in the middle of rainforest and enjoy the sunshine lying on the green field. What more can you ask for?

The entrance from Tanglin Road

One of the lakes

Sun beam breaks into the thin canopy

One of the heritage trees which has girth size up to 8m

Swan lake

The must try ice-cream when you are in downtown

It is a slice of ice-cream in rectangular form sandwiched either in waffle or bread

Apart from it's tempting freezing flavour to combat with the tropical climate

It is definitely cheaper than any of the cheapest drinking water you could find in 7-11

(It used to be $1 I had few months back, but it has now become $1.2-1.4,

20-40% inflation in just few months time?

Singapore is definitely no longer a cheap place to live)

You can spend at least half a day to one day at Botanic Gardens depends on your liking. If you just strolling slowly across the different themed flora attractions you can expect to spend 3-4 hour in the parks. From "Healing Garden" for herbs lover to solitary drought survivor of deserts in "Sun Garden" and lots more which you will at least find one your favourite. The gardens also has a few shady spots for picnic as well as track for runners.

I will do another post on the second garden in Singapore - "Gardens by the Bay" next time. Practically I don't really like this one as the entire garden is man made even the land where the garden sits on. It is more on stunning architecture than to its natural appeal.

The "Super Trees" at Gardens by the Bay at night

BMW i8                                                        BMW i3

I bumped into BMW I roadshow when I walked from Botanical Gardens to Orchard Road. I have always been fanaticised by the jaw dropping technology of German engineering especially the automobile industry. BMW and Audi are always my all time favourite. Today I had the chance to see and touch my dream concept car and never thought that the car will hit offshore in Singapore one day - the BMW i8. The i-series are incorporated with the latest blue efficiency technology of BMW which is fully petrol free and electrical powered. The chassis is also made from BMW home developed new carbon compound which is lighter, has better aerodynamic flow and harder than conventional steel. Germans always inspire the little engineer inside me. 

Book. Music. Bed.

I don't have lots of drinking kaki in Singapore but this definitely does not lead to a saddening night life. I reckon myself as an academic person as I can master almost everything a little quicker than other people do. I don't want to take this gift as granted so I started to pick up new language as I could to further ameliorate my language proficiency. Twenty-one years ago I was given Mandarin as my mother tongue following English as my second language. Fourteen years ago I was admitted to the national primary syllabus where Malay is added to the list of my language proficiency. Three years ago I picked up German as my affection for engineering grows stronger day by day. Few weeks ago I started Spanish as a friend from Boston who happens to be a Spanish teacher told me I would have conquered the world if I could speak Spanish in addition to Mandarin and English (Three most widely spoken languages in the world). Since I am taking a break from the technical engineering knowledge these days, I think it would be best I utilise the time to polish my German and quickly pick up the new Spanish. I hope by the end of 2014 I can be real fluent in five languages - Mandarin, English, Malay, German and Spanish. 

*The little perk of speaking Spanish is it is so similar to Portuguese that both are mutually intelligible. 

If you have recently done watching "Game of Thrones" and being paranoid and in dire searching for another good show, here you are - Da Vinci's Demons.

A Listener or A Getaway

Past 1.5 month was never easy on me. I was pretty happy the first few weeks having freedom doing what I love to but it didn't last long when it eventually gets boring where I have to interact with myself everyday. Thanks to the people I have met in Kuching who set foot in Singapore in early July and August where I have a little time filled with socialisation. I don't know why I have this feeling, the feeling of being lost in life. Do we always have to study, work, fall in love, get married, have children, build a family, buy a home, get a car, aging and eventually die. Is this cycle forever going to be the same and to repeat after one another generation? I am a person who doesn't after the usual phenomenon. I love to do things of how I feel it should, not thru the publicly recognised and deemed to be usual pattern.

In the following week when I find myself getting sick from the dull life I have started to do something different. For the first time I have engaged my soul in art. I started to listen to very unique genre music probably those artists who create their one-of-a-kind classification or alternative. Like Of Monster and Men, Daughter, Miss Li and so. Sadly according to UberFacts - Teenagers who spend much of their time listening to music are more likely to be depressed. Maybe I no longer fit in the teenager's category which then there is another fact also from UberFacts - Music helps reduce anxiety, as well as helps the mind and body cope with stress. Both statements somehow coherent to each other. Music - the mother of emotional sway but also the answer to it.

Medicine by Daughter

Art in the visual way. I made a little "renovation" here and there in my room to kill time also to make myself feeling more relaxed with more random visual impact that projects upon me when I enter the room. With IKEA and Daiso I get to source many of my painting materials, frame, pictures and decorative accessories easier and much more affordable.

Frames and art cards from IKEA

 White lantern from IKEA

I paint it with colours

With the art cards in the frames and the painted lantern. 

I lit it up with scented candle at night, 

giving soft beam of yellow light at night 

and the soothing scent that aids my sleeping

Fixed up a wall shelf from IKEA

Canvas wall art featuring cities (IKEA)

Place some miniature cactus and succulent on top (some from IKEA some from AMK florist)

A wooden human block (joints can be formed into different posture) 

A standing white frame (IKEA)

and Campbell Soup coinbox (bundle free gift when I bought the canned soup from NTUC)

Few books with book-end (from Daiso)

This is a general view of my bed, window and the wall shelf.

I hang a 2 metre fabric on the ceiling facing my bed

(The hangers are actually made for hanging towel in bathroom but I customized it for ceiling, it's from Daiso for only $2, so why not?=) )

Giving me some imagination whenever I lie on bed and looking into the ceiling

A good way to stimulate my mind for thoughts

 When I lie on bed and look upon, this is the kind of view

The reason why I have time to do all the things mentioned above is because my application for EP (employment pass) got rejected. According to my company that MOM has recently tighten the rules for the pass seeing high influx of foreign talent into Singapore. They are doing appeal now which I don't think it's gonna work. I consulted EDB and NYP they both pushing their responsibility off and didn't want to bother much. My sixth sense directs me that I am leaving this tiny red dot for good and for studies very soon. Well, sixth sense may not be true at least for the next few weeks. While being placed in pending very likely I will start doing some study for uni that accept credit transfer in both Australia (particularly Melbourne) and the States (Virginia, DC and maybe Boston). Speaking of which I have a hard mixed feelings as if I really do leave I will miss the goods in Singapore, particularly the ease of public transport and the greenery of Fort Canning, Botanical Garden and Gardens by the Bay as well as some of my classmates and friends. Feeling relieved when I no longer have to deal with an almost fully urbanized community where profit and personal interest always come first, people who have left a scar in my life to remember along my path towards graduation. 

"At the verge of meritocracy and personal benefits, 

Singapore serves as an eye-opener for me 

to understand the world is not made up 

of just cheerful looks and innocent smiles 

from where I come from. 

Mundanity has become a vocabulary 

far beyond my ability of comprehension."

2 persons whom I wish they could be by my side now.

I have never realise how important they are to me
until the emptiness of life devoured my soul

Google Plus is my new twitter

La Franciose

I met a lot of Europeans and Americans, they all told me French are infamous of their arrogance and are difficult to get along with. Many of them who traveled almost every land on Earth but refuse to set foot in France. Since then I was always cautious whenever I have to deal with French. Not until I have met one myself.

Nicolas joined me, Lauren (Boston, USA), Duncan (Melbourne, Australia) and Arturoo (Madrid, Spain) during our excursion to Bako National Park back in June. Despite the language barrier to my surprise Nicolas always had a handy French-English dictionary in his pocket and whenever he finds it difficult to express certain word he will look up immediately.

I am impressed by his humbleness which is nowhere close to anything that people were describing about French. Soon he taught me lessons about life along with his travels' experience and stories. Each of every has given me impact in a way or another at certain degree of insight about life. He let me understand that hearings may not always be true until you have experienced it yourself. I speak no French, he speaks a little English. But language is definitely not a stumbling block to halter us from zero to becoming friends.

One more time, travel has surged me to a whole new horizon. Bon voyage Nicolas Mahé! I will see u somewhere in Asia again or else in Paris, I promise.

p/s: Does he somehow remind you of Robinson Crusoe?