SingaporEnid

2006-11-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

My favorite saying these days is "Life, and the way things are going".
Life is soooo beautiful and I wish everyone could feel the happiness and the tranquility that my mind, soul and heart feels at this moment in time. Spending 8 days with myself on this trip, going to Malaysia, stopping by in Hong Kong and travelling for 24 hours each way taught me so much about myself.
But I love the simplicity of one of the many lessons learned...
In my younger college and post college days I would dread hours spent by myself. I looked for someone to study with, someone to visit, someone to eat with, someone to always share a moment with.
Today, I realize that I don't need anyone. Because, when I am by myself reading, thinking, and exploring...the possibilities are endless.

ENID P. "Dreams come true for those who believe in themselves"

2006-11-13T21:29:00.001-08:00

The DHL Hot Air Balloon in Singapore This is the view from my balcony. It took me two days to realize that this was a hot air balloon and that it was coming up and down all day to pick up passengers. I thought it was just a globe that stayed at the top of the building (right corner of picture above) I was laughing at myself, once I realize my eyes were not playing tricks on me.

ENID P. "EP...you are too funny sometimes"

2006-11-13T15:05:00.001-08:00

The MRT in Singapore Arrows indicate where the doors will open and where you should stand in order to wait for your turn to enter the subway car (picture above).

Inside the subway cars (above)...clean...clean..clean...

Every train has a schedule and comes on time, which you are informed of when you enter the subway escalator. The subway has flatscreens everywhere (picture below) with CNN News, commercials, etc.

This is the most organized and clean subway system that I have ever seen in my life. This is the Chinatown subway station.

ENID P.

2006-11-13T15:05:00.000-08:00

Singapore Art Museum (SAM)Once I was inside the museum looking at the different exhibits I was not aloud to take any pictures.

In the courtyard...
The courtyard had two walls full of what they called free-form art and I took some pictures at what I thought was interesting...

ENID P.

2006-11-13T13:49:00.001-08:00

Bugis Street, Chinatown, and Little India in Singapore

2006-11-13T09:10:00.000-08:00

I am probably the only person that thinks this is interesting...but I must post about it.
These pictures are the billboards for a new residential building being constructed in Singapore right now. However, I think it is hilarious that,
1. The women is knitting,
2. The husband is helping her knit..or maybe this is her brother,
3. The TV is not on,
4. There is no other furniture in the living room, and
5. The slogan is..St. Regis Residences, The Epitome of Luxury Living.

Below is what St. Regis will look like in the future.

"The Epitome of Luxury Living"..interesting... ENID P.

2006-11-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

THE FOUNTAIN OF WEALTH-SINGAPORE

This is the largest fountain in the world located in the Suntec City Mall. The fountain structure is made of bronze, and consists of a circular ring supported on four large slanted columns. The Suntec City design has 5 buildings surrounding the fountain that represent the fingers and thumb of a left hand emerging from the ground, the fountain forms the palm of the hand.
The circular ring top of the fountain is visible at ground level. The water pours inward.

During certain periods of the day, the fountain is turned off and visitors are invited to walk around a mini fountain at the center of the fountain's base. I went to The Fountain of Wealth one the evening, and it was turned off. So, this was my only chance to go around the mini fountain three times make a wish.This is me at the base of the fountain after I made my wish.The ring shoots water inwards into the reservoir below while at the heart of the fountain, water shoots up to 30 metres into the air. According to feng shui experts (Chinese geomancers), the water flowing inwards represents riches pouring in.ENID P. "Always believe and your wishes will come true"

2006-11-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

On my way to Vivo City At Vivo City

ENID P.

2006-11-07T07:29:00.000-08:00

Hong Kong... This place is so very kool!! I took the Express from HONG Kong International Airport to the middle of Hong Kong and it took me exactly 26 minutes to get there. It is the equivalent of Times Square in NY. However you must trust me when I say that you could never get to Times Square from any NYC airport in 26 minutes.

The HSBC Headquarters Building. It is an urban legend that the building's design enables it to be dismantled and moved, in case there is any possibility of a disrupted handover to the People's Republic of China.
The building doesn't have elevators as the primary carrier of traffic. The elevators stop at very few floors, and the floors are interconnected by escalators. Natural sunlight is the major source of lighting inside the building. There is a bank of giant mirrors at the top of the atrium which can reflects natural sunlight into the atrium and the building. This design helps to conserve energy. Also, the building uses sea water instead of fresh water for toilet flushing and as a coolant for the air-conditioning system.
Me at the foot of the HSBC building.

The Bank of China Tower...Hong Kong's best-known building is Ieoh Ming Pei's Bank of China Tower. It is Hong Kong's third tallest skyscraper. The building attracted heated controversy from the start, as its sharp angles were said to cast negative feng shui energy into the heart of Hong Kong. Behind me is the tallest building in Hong Kong named Two International Finance Centre.

ENID P.

2006-11-06T12:57:00.000-08:00

Some people will understand this post. I have never seen one of these trucks in the USA....

ENID P.

2006-10-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

Clarke Quay This picture is in Clarke Quay. I thought the statues that look like ragedy dolls were funny and cute...Took this picture at 2am with the self timer...

ENID P.

2006-10-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

The famous Orchard Road...
This place is packed with Mall, after Mall, after Mall..and many, many people..

ENID P.

2006-10-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

After 4 days in Singapore, I was tired of the same food options... These are the food selections of just one of the many places to eat in Singapore. However, the food options are extremely similar almost everywhere you go.
I got the fried rice with eggs shown in the lower left hand corner of the picture above for $3 USD.
Above is the real life version of my tasty food selection!!

ENID P.

2006-10-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

Fun and quirky Singaporean things...

You don't fall on the train tracks because the tracks are protected by glass doors.

If you live in New York then you would appreciate that the doors of the train always open in the same place on the platform, therefore you know where to stand in order to give space to the people getting on and off the train.I don't get these bathroom toilets... They are squatters with grips on the side so you don't slip while you pee...very interesting...
I love this Adidas ad.

Recycling in Singapore, very accessible...
These red little kids kind of scared me because they are naked and red... I think it's also because they look like they are laughing at me...

Parking lots tell you how many parking spots are left and in what section.
I love this place...

ENID P.

"Impossible Is Nothing"

2006-10-24T12:39:00.000-07:00

The Esplanade and The Merlion....The Esplanade is the name of the theater in Singapore. It is a huge architectural structure with two main domes which are covered in tiny little spikes. The domes are said to resemble Durian, a fruit native to southeast asia which has characteristic spikes on its outer shell. It was built to be energy effecient in terms of lighting and air conditioning. It sits right on the water. The Esplanade from my hotel.

Standing in front of the Esplanade...

The Merlion. I am in love with the Merlion because of what it stands for. The Merlion has the head of a lion and the body of a fish. They name comes from mermaid and lion.

My favorite part of the poem....

"I have sailed many waters,
Skirted islands of fire......."

"...travelled, travelled and travelled,
Suffering much,enjoying a little;
Met strange people singing
New myths; made myths myself..."

"Nothing, nothing in my days
Foreshadowed this
Half-beast,half-fish
This powerful creature of land and sea.

Peoples settled here,
Brought to this Island
The bounty of the seas,
Built towers topless as llium's.

They make, they serve,
They buy, they sell,
Despite unequal ways,
Together they mutate,
Explore the edges of harmony,
Search for a centre;
Have changed their Gods,
Kept some memory of their race
In prayer, laughter, the way
Their women dress and greet.
They hold the bright, the beautiful,
Good ancestral dreams
Within new visions,
So shining, urgent,
Full of what is now."

by Edwin Thumboo

2006-10-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

More pictures of Fort Canning Park...sin

This is where the wall of tombstones begins...

The door to the fort

The battle box. A bunker located 9 meters underground. It was the latest military operation in Singapore and part of the Malaya Command during WWII.

Excavation sight in Fort Canning Park where brick foundations, pottery and coins were found that shows that thier royal ancestors were buried on this site.

The Keramat

2006-10-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

2006-10-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

More Botanical Garden pictures.... The entrance to the Botanical Garden.
The Botanical Lake....The two young girls above had their school uniforms on. They were so funny to me because I could hear them making phone calls pretending to be their respective moms' in order to skip school.
The Orchid Garden, Singapore
The Orchid Garden, Singapore
The Orchid Garden, Singapore
I loved this flower above because it felt and looked like a cotton ball.
On my way out. I found this cave/waterfall...
ENID P.

2006-10-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

Some more daytime pictures in Malaysia....
Fran and I....
The Petronas during the day time.

Old railroad station

ENID P.

2006-10-18T16:55:00.000-07:00

Boat Quay... In the night time this place lights up and it just a nice hangout spot for drinks.

These are all tombstones of people that fought for the island in the 1820's to 1840's. All the tombstones say wher ethey were from. I even found a spaniard there. I haven't seen one Spanish or Hispanic person here, so I was excited about seeing that.
The National Singapore Museum where I saw the Cartier exhibit. Cartier was the first person to see a diamond for over 1 million dollars. That piece of Jewelry was given to non other than Elizabeth Taylor.

Another fun fact, most of the richest families in the world had their own precious stones and they would go to Cartier with the idea of what they wanted done with their own jewels and Cartier would only charged for craftmenship.

The Spice Garden...Fort Canning Park has a Culinary school and has a spice garden right there on the park. They work in conjunction with Johnson and Wales University.
They had many different spices. I just took a picture of the cloves. I also saw mint leaves and cinnamon.

Fort Canning Park...These two copulas are original from the beginning of time and have been kept there. The highest point of the island was Fort Canning and from where I am you were able to see the entire island. This is not the case anymore as the trees and all the big buildings don't let you see the water that surrounds the island. I also can't help but think about how small these people were. I barely fit in the copula.

Enid P. "History will tell you what experience hasn't"

2006-10-17T19:25:00.000-07:00

I went to the Singapore Botanical Gardens where they have the largest aray of Orchids.

I also went to my hotel pool today!!... You can't appreciate what the pool area looks like because the skyscrapers surrounding the pool did not fit in my picture. So after some attempts I gave up and decided to just snap a picture of myself....

We went to the Crazy Elephant for some drinks at Clarke Quay...

I took this picture of myself @ the botanical gardens. I put the camera on a little nook on a tree and had to pull the branch towards me...

ENID P. "The simple joys of the world make you realize that life can be great"

2006-10-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

We went to a mosque in Malaysia and it was beautiful from the outside. I decided to see what it looked like in the inside. All women had to cover up in order to enter. I have my bag underneath the robe and that's why it looks like I have a lump in my back.

ENID P. "You will find peace in the place you least expect it"

2006-10-15T20:05:00.000-07:00

These are all pictures of our day time in Malaysia. We took a tour that took us all around Malaysia to many different sights. I just selected a few pictures to show.
This is a memorial site for all war veterans. I think it is very graphic. I don't think that I have seen something so graphic in the US.

This is me taking a picture at the memorial sight.

This is again in front of the Petronas building. The tallest twin towers in the world at this time. Each tower's floor plan forms an eight-pointed star, a design inspired by traditional Malaysian Islamic patterns. The 88 story towers, joined by a flexible skybridge on the 42nd floor, have been described as two "cosmic pillars" spiraling endlessly towards the heavens.

The above picture is just me posing for the camera. But I love this picture.

2006-10-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

My first night in Malaysia...
I was so tired I slept the entire afternoon...
But I woke up fresh for the evening and we went around town to visit some sights...
Here we have Fran and I in front of the Petronas building.
And the other picture is the fourth tallest tower in the world. People bungee jump from this building for $60 RM which is about $25-$30 USD.

ENID P. "Human kind has created such grandiose things, Does it make us closer to the heavens?"

2006-10-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

I arrived at Changri airport on October 13th at about 11.35pm. I had a drink at the hotel bar and went to bed to catch some sleep for the trip to Malaysia. When I woke up the next morning I was so excited to see what the view from my hotel room balcony looked like in the morning that the first thing I did was grab my camera. But, Singapore is so, so humid that I had to wait about 10 minutes until my camera lens defogged. This is the view @ 6am from the The Raffles Plaza. But, please trust me the view is better in person. Singapore so far has been very hazy and therefore my skyline pictures aren't the greatest.

Next pictures up....Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

ENID P. "Be silent, listen and then you will hear answers"

2006-10-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of me in the Hong Kong terminal waiting for my next leg; Hong Kong to Singapore....

This is the Hong Kong Marie Claire magazine I bought for $3 USD at the airport...
When I got to the hotel..The Raffles Plaza... I was impressed. The view from my room is gorgeous but the pictures did not come out great.

The below pictures are my new bathroom and bed.

Tomorrow, I am going to Malaysia...

ENID P. "I am not in Kansas anymore"

2006-10-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

I will arrive in Singapore on October 13th at midnight. The picture above is what I expect to see when I arrive.
ENID P. "You are the writer, director, and producer of your dreams."
Inspiration from the new Lincoln Zephyr ad.....