We are all that we have met.

I was fortunate enough to stay in a posh place called Shangri-La Serviced Apartments because a fab friend named Riga (first shout out, lucky you =) is working there temporarily. My 10-day stay was more than enough to gain a sense of the atmosphere. I felt incredibly safe and people are polite, minding their own business almost completely.

Taking the town by storm, my iPod and I ventured through botanical parks, a National Orchid garden, walkways along koi fish ponds, an Asian Civilization Museum, Little India and its “ethnic” fragrances, and of course, the bustling and everso fashionable Orchard Street. My parents and younger brother visited Singapore during a stopover to India 15 years ago and before I left the States, I looked at their pictures from the trip; after experiencing the spectacles of Singapore myself, it seems that the only difference between my family’s photos and mine is that today, I look at them on an Hypercrystal LCD screen rather than developed pictures out of an old shoe box. The Merlion, for instance (captured in the image below), still represents Singapore’s name (Singapura aka “Lion City”). I spent a day at Sentosa Island (literally a 20 minute sky train ride from the mainland). It’s been a tourist attraction for years and it’s a family-oriented place. I got to pet a boa-constrictor and hang out with a parrot on my shoulder which I was pretty excited about. Sentosa is also up and coming with large areas under construction upon entrance of the island. It’s not too attractive now but it’s soon to be transformed into magnificent hotels and resorts along the river and overlooking the breathtaking Singapore skyline.

Riga and I decided to take a weekend trip to Tioman Island, Malaysia since it’s less than 5 hours away by bus and boat. We were lucky enough to have cheesy karaoke videos rolling on the boat and we could’ve sung along to smashing hits like “I want it that way” and “Backstreet’s back alright!” We left early Saturday morning and got there in time to relax on a beach that felt all our own. The island is beautiful and the place we stayed at was intimate and very private. After lounging around for a few fleeting hours, we decided to hike up to a nearby town to grab food, all the while, we got eaten alive (I realized that ignoring a bug bite takes an enormous amount of disciple, that which I lack altogether). As our bites grew by the minute, we watched the sunset from our very own elevated, wooden-shelter above the ocean waves. There was a massive thunder storm in the distance, so we got front row seats to a lightening show without the rain or scare. It was all rather romantical :].