After AFA and CGM, I had woken up with a sore throat like no other. I had lost my voice and often coughed uncontrollably. There was no way I could meet up for WLNF, and sadly, had to live vicariously off of other bloggers’ posts on the get together. It looked like fun.
For the next week and a half, I couldn’t really go anywhere or meet up with anyone. I had fortunately brought my DS with me, and had decided to play Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor.
[amazon_image id=”B001QTW2HS” target=”_blank” size=”Large” link=”true” ]Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor[/amazon_image]
Check it out on amazon!
An absolutely excellent RPG with a very fun and challenging turn based combat mixed with classic SMT battles, and a deeply involving storyline and characters. I loved the story and the conspiracies it brought up, the religious tones were great too, giving God and other divine beings a sort of physical entity. Quite recommend, if you haven’t played it, and are itching for an RPG that’s more anime themed.
The following pix are interesting… see if you can figure out what’s interesting about them.
One of the breakfasts that my mother in law gets for me sometimes. She’s under the impression that I really enjoy this breakfast. It’s not bad of course, but there are definitely other things I don’t mind eating… like prata, and McDonald’s.
I’m still impressed with how many malls there are in Singapore. This is just some sort of “small mall” where it used to be a tiny plaza-y “hole in the wall”. I’m amazed at how much stuff gets built in Singapore in such a short period of time.
Can’t say this is very Singaporean, but it tasted good. It’s fish.
Much better. Self-heated hot pot. It tasted very good. I still remember.
Uniq-lo. One of my favorite clothing stores in Singapore. An excellent place to pick up gamer/anime T-shirts. The styles are definitely more in-line with fashion trends as “Graphic Tees” as opposed to the “In Your Face” type nerd-shirts. The Hadoken shirt I got last time is epic win, and very stylish. I’ll post about this in the future.
One of the many offerings at Uniqlo.
Courtesy in Singapore is so bad, signs like these need to be posted. I do like the comedic entertainment value of this though. Honestly, there’s something wrong at a much deeper level if a government has to use signs like these to try and fix the problem.
Mangosteen. My wife tells me this fruit stains shirts. It tastes pretty sweet and delicious, but not very refreshing. If you’ve never had mangosteen before, I suggest you try it. It looks weird, and is somewhat slimy/squishy inside. They kinda remind me of oranges, but feels yucky. 😛
Now that’s refreshing. What’s this called again?
Common traffic at the MRT. I hate this. It’s one of the reasons why I don’t want to live in Singapore. I am assuming this isn’t as bad as Japan though.
What really drives it home is that this traffic continues from 5pm all the way till late. The people of Singapore work way too hard, and for what? I heard a saying once “Work to live, not live to work.” Singapore breaks this to no end.
At the same time, Singaporeans seem to play just as hard as they work. I noticed many Singaporeans will go shopping or hang out after work. The social bonding aspect of the Singaporean culture is a lot better than North American’s xenophobic nature.
Not sure if this is real. This was taken at the Ion. So new and interesting! Weird stuffed exotic animals make excellent decor for the modern shopping center. It’s so controversial!
Amazing architecture. And this is just at the food court area!
The modern chocolatiere. There’s something… missing. Oh yes, tradition. I really like the design of this place though.
Colorfully packaged chocolates on display.
I can tell you right now, that the chocolates taste good. We got a bag of chocolate covered potato chips last time. I can say that not everything tastes good covered in chocolate. It was an interesting taste experience though.
This year, I bought some new chocolate medallions. Basically as pure chocolate as you can get. They taste incredible.
Woodblock toys at Meiji. I really like how Japanese it all seems. Nanaa na na na na na na na na na na na na naaaaa (cookie for you if you know what that refers to).
More human transports. Not as crazy as the network of conveyor belts from my previous Singapore post.
You probably can’t see it at this size, but that dude with the hot chick in the center is Jackie Chan.
There is only one place in Vancouver that has upscale stores like Dior – Holt Renfrew. It seems so exclusive! Seeing all these big names in Singapore makes me happy. It proves that there’s a market in Singapore. It also makes Vancouver look like a hick-town.
While Holt-Renfrew seems a little more upper-class than most Vancouver department stores, the branded shops within are more like little stalls as opposed to full-sized boutiques shown at Ion.
More amazing architecture. Did you know I wanted to become an architect when I was a kid? And I can’t even spell architect without using a spell checker!
When I came out and saw this, I was blown away. That wall of lights and glass on the left is actually some sort of screen composed of all these florescent-tube-like lights that change color and everything. Singapore’s city districts are so amazing, and it brings me back to the disparity between the rich and the poor there.
Inside the massive Christmas tree. (taken last year) You may recall Alodia took a picture in here too. To think, I stood in the same spot as Alodia squeeeeeeal.
Inside the Takashimaya, they were having some sort of toy fair in their umm… fair area. That area is so huge, they’re always having some sort of fair there. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that floor empty.
Obligatory.
Obligatory.
That’s one thing that makes Singapore and Japan closer. And one more thing that puts Vancouver and Japan further apart. I can’t believe there’s only ONE place in Vancouver where you can get these. And I’m not even sure if it’s still there!
$1.20 each is freaking EXPENSIVE. Needless to say, I didn’t buy one. We have Purdy’s Hedgehogs in Vancouver. They cost less, and probably taste better.
More Japanese favorites! Which flavor did I get? Have a guess! Next pic shows the answer.
You get a cookie if you guessed right!
I believe it’s Chun’s favorite. Popiah? It’s fully loaded, Chun!
I can’t remember what these were, what was inside of them, and if it tasted good.
Yup! I bought one! Chocolate filling! Now I know how Ayu-Ayu feels.
I actually quite like the youth Olympic mascots. The drawings are cute. Not fond of the stuffed toys. They look lame. It’s a shame that the very first Youth Olympics wasn’t promoted enough. I heard Singapore wasn’t all that excited about it. Vancouver didn’t even do any news coverage of it, which was sad. I mean C’mon! It’s the first one EVAR!
Didn’t manage to go there last time… didn’t manage to go there this time. Also didn’t get to go to Mos Burger last year either. This year however, I managed to get some, but it wasn’t very tasty. Dang, I love how Singapore is so much like Japan!
There’s nothing special about this. You can find this in Vancouver. But the fact that you can also find this in Singapore makes me love it. So much diversity!
The sausages look a little pale though. But it was good anyway.
It’s like I’m in India.
Drill Holes in Hand, Bleed on the Side the Bird Stands only.
This is the new kind of “hole in the wall” in Singapore. This mall was practically deserted. We came here just to find a washroom. It’s new too!
Singaporeans may know where this is. Them’s a lot of stinkers. I’m glad that it’s uncommon to find in Vancouver.
I could have spent some time to do some photoshop magic on this, but I don’t have the time.
Looked colorful.
While this is common in Singapore, it only just started appearing in Vancouver.
This building looks incredibly out of place in Singapore’s mostly gray skyline.
Ice Kachung. Cannot stay in Singapore without having eaten this. And my favorite Qoo (I wish it was orange)
Look how old this pic is! It’s Otacool ONE! And I managed to find all three Shana artbooks at a discount book store. Screw you, Kinokuniya!
No idea what this was, but was tempted to buy it. Anyone know?
That’s it for now. Unfortunately, this week I’ve been a little busy, so hadn’t had time to write some decent material for this post. Hopefully, I have an art post made soon too.
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I love your photos 😀
I’ve never seen any of that food before, it was an interesting experience ^^
thanks! yes it definitely was interesting! I’d say Singapore is probably best known for its variety of food!
Nice to see that you like Singapore^^ hope to see you soon. XP
heh heh yeah, I do like Singapore actually. The people there are so energetic! The atmosphere is great, and the malls are awesome!
and just if your wondering, ERP stands for Everyday Rob People XP jkjk it stands for Electronic Road Pricing
it totally does stand for Everyday Rob People! Especially considering the government has put up “dormant” ERPs everywhere for “future use”. But mind you, 50c to $1 isn’t too bad, considering the alternative of stuffing yourself in the MRT like sardines.
that drink is probably Chendol.
wow u saw Jackie Chan! that’s cool lol
oh and it’s ice kachang, kacung (pronounced “kachoong”) means slave in Indonesian language lol
I think you’re right. 😀
Yeah seeing Jackie Chan was cool. My wife pointed him out. And there was a lot of loud music going on. I would have loved to have met him instead though. 😛
Slave? Really? wow lol would love to order a female Kachang! 😉
You owe me some cookies.
And was the taiyaki good?
I’ll draw a cookie for you sometime down the road. 🙂
Yes, the taiyaki was delicious! :9
Welcome to Singapore! You are lucky to see Jackie chan. LOL
lol it kinda is, considering it was some sort of unannounced private party!
I think this is the first proper look I gotten at Singapore, usually it is the background and not the subject of the comrade’s pictures.
I like the buildings much more interesting than my neck of the woods, ditto for the food too.
lol you make a good point! No worries, more to come. And do check out the travelog category for more pix and posts about Singapore (as well as AFA 09!)
I don’t think those buildings would be considered “all” of what Singapore looks like. ^^; But the food, most probably! 😀
Singapore looks like an awesome place, lots of cool people there too ^^ the architecture for those malls are crazy, especially that one that i think its new, its all shiny and squiggly… yea thats how i will describe that building XD haha but ive seen a few bloggers go there for photoshoots, really nice design for a mall.
seeing the food shots made me hungry! whoa what is Jackie Chan doing there?! and nice bird sign interpretation Lol
Yeah, it’s pretty crazy with the mall designs. Since they’re always building something new, there’s always newer designs everywhere. The older buildings also get renovated a lot because they gotta stay competitive! Things don’t stay old for long in Singapore. O_O
I think Jackie Chan was brought in as a guest to endorse the grand opening of whatever that shop was. Funny I didn’t go take a look this year. Probably exclusive to rich people anyway lol.
The drink is chendol! We usually have it as a desert though, but more and more shops in the city and shopping malls sell it in a cup for easier drinking. That Ice-Kachang seems weird though, I haven’t seen it served like that before…
Courtesy isn’t that bad in Singapore, but we only have these signs in toilets. If you ask me, I think Singapore’s government is putting a little bit too much effort into keeping toilets clean…I mean honestly, I think we had awards for clean toilets, inspectors, and whatnot. The signs help make the cleaner’s job easier.
Glad you enjoyed your stay ( I hope) here in sunny Singapore! 😀
Yes, Chendol! 😀
I wasn’t aware that it was normally served as a dessert! I thought it was a drink, like a slurpee! Oh well… The Ice Kachang was from the food court at Bugis mall, if I recall correctly… it’s the one on the upper floor.
I’ve noticed signs on buses, on the MRT, at food courts, everywhere! “Be courteous and give up your seat! Be responsible and clean up your trays!” wow.
I did indeed enjoy sunny Singapore! 😀
Your photos make me hungry.. Love that pokemon shirt, and wow you were able to see Jackie Chan I only see him in movies XD..
ROYCE chocolate, I love their chocolates..
More photos to come! I would have bought the pokemon shirt if I was a fan of pokemon. 🙂
Seeing Jackie Chan from afar was… interesting. It’s almost like looking at animals in a zoo. I wonder how differently I would have reacted if I was right next to him.
Royce ROCKS. nuff said. 🙂
It’s too bad there’s no Royce in Vancouver. I’d be there all the time!
I miss SG, thanks for sharing these photos. I love mangosteen and Royce Nama Chocolates too. ^^ Hope to meet you guys in one of the gatherings (probably in Singapore too) someday. ^^
Glad I’m able to bring a little bit of Singapore to you. 🙂
Yeah, hopefully we can meet up. Maybe AFA 11? 😀
“Now that’s refreshing. What’s this called again?”
Chendol!
“Nanaa na na na na na na na na na na na na naaaaa”
Penguin Musume Heart!
Awesome meeting you again~
Chendol!!!! 😀 😀 😀
“Penguin Musume Heart!”
BZZZ! WRONG! Katamari!!
*shakes your hand* will hopefully see you again soon!
Ah the 3rd Noizi Ito artbook. I somehow am still hoping for a Taiwanese localised publication to come out soon or later, as they did with the 2 previous ones. Localised ones are not only printed in Chinese (most important for the side notes and random stories at the back of the book) but are at least 1/3 cheaper than the Japanese counterpart too!
The obligatory shot of 00 Gumdam with huge sword reminds me that I oughta make my same big sword soon, which is a Hobby Japan magazine issued kit. It is all white so painting is a must to look good! T_T
Interesting to see the architecture in malls. Despite there are always new things in development I remember someone who has been to Singapore for a Nuffnang award recently took keen notice of the older buildings and architecture instead, which reminds me of older parts of Hong Kong and Taipei 😮
Managed to pick up all three Noizi Ito artbooks at a discount book store for a really good deal, so that makes me happy. But yeah, my versions are the original Japanese ones.
I’m wondering if the price difference is due to simply it being done locally. I mean, the yen prices on these artbooks are pretty reasonable, imo. Just not if you buy them imported.
You probably don’t know this, but these pictures were taken last year! I never got around to posting these pics up for Singapore part 4/4. Some things have definitely changed, while some things remain the same. 🙂
hahaha thanks for the popiah picture/mention 😛 damn… want… lol, I keep hearing that singapore’s getting more and more crowded. I remember the last couple times I was in Japan, the trains were rather crowded in say shinjuku/shibuya area from off work hours to late too ^^;
It definitely is getting much more crowded! Everyday, the shopping malls are like Boxing Day. Even in the more rural shopping malls! It’s insane. It’s even worse after work!
I would love to shop at Uniq-lo, you completely won me with the Pokemon shirt. Just seeing that image filled me with a nostalgic feeling. Oh also those sausages really do look incredibly pale.
Uniqlo rocks. This season’s T-shirts are all very cool too. 🙂
You’re right, those sausages do look pale – it’s because it’s chicken sausage, I think. In Singapore, because of the different religions, some people can’t eat pork, some people can’t eat beef, but the majority can eat chicken.
Radiant, I would think Singapore is like a lot of places…same and modern together. I haven’t ever been, but would love to go. sorry you were sick for your trip though.
I dunno. Some places always seem new, while some places always seem old. There are certain countries that pride themselves in keeping old buildings standing, so the scene looks about the same as it did 20 maybe 30 years ago.
The sickness really hindered me from going out for very long, but it’s a good thing it didn’t last too long.
Wow, you actually went to Singapore? 😀 I live in Singapore myself! And I think I know some of the locations you took photos at 😀 I wanted to buy the Otacool books at Kino but I didn’t have enough money with me at the time ;_;
Cool! Maybe we can meet up next time I’m there. ^^