My second day in Singapore
started with a realisation that I haven’t ironed my batik shirt and bought any
wedding presents for the newly wed. It said ‘formal attire’ on the wedding
email invitation (I didn’t get a card; a lowly-civil-servant-from-Sarawak-who-stays-at-the-cheapest-hotel-he-could-find-despite-it-being-in-the-middle-of-quite-possibly-the-biggest-red-light-district-in-the-world
does not deserve a card. He should learn his place and be grateful that the
bride decided that he was worth at least an email). However, I could no longer
fit into my suit and I didn’t have time to get one made, so I went for the ‘pakcik’
/ ‘dato’ look with my pink batik shirt (it had to be pink).
They are either catering to a niche or just taking the piss
So I took my camera and went walking
to town to see some of the sights and hopefully find something suitable for a
wedding present. I didn’t want to take the MRT to the city centre because I didn’t
want some old uncle to stare at me suspiciously for carrying a DSLR in an MRT like
I’m some kind of pervert. Besides, it’s nice to walk in Singapore, there are
trees everywhere.
I walked from Geylang to Kallang,
where they are building the new stadium, past the river and Kallang’s riverside
park. Then I somehow managed to reach the Singapore Flyer which I did not go
on. It was midday (photographic lighting is better at sunset) and I had my
reservations as to how worthwhile it would be to go on a giant Ferris wheel. The
one in London was too overrated and that perhaps influenced my decision.
Singapore Flyer
Marina Bay Sands Hotel
The Expo and Convention Centre plus shopping complex is the building on the left. The flower like thing is the Arts-Science Museum (I didn't get a chance to enter as I was short for time)
Then I walked on until I reached
the place where the wedding was to take place – Marina Bay Sands Expo and
Convention Centre. To be honest the place seemed to share not a little
similarity with KLCC. It’s got a hotel, a park, a shopping complex, and a
convention centre around what is currently Singapore’s latest landmark. I browsed
around for a bit in the shopping centre and having decided that nothing there
was worthwhile (read: within my budget) to buy as a wedding gift, I took the
MRT to Harbourfront. Fortunately this time around there was no uncle to
chastise me for having a DSLR in an MRT and I was free to take a photo of the ‘no
durian’ sign.
Vivo City
At Vivo City, I came across some
really nice Japanese cups that came in their own wooden box at a newly opened
shop called FrancFranc. The shop itself was perhaps well established but there
was a sense that this was a new branch or a maybe a reopening so a few items
were going for cheap. I did entertain the thought of buying the couple a
Sarawak vase before leaving but Singaporeans probably will not appreciate such ‘native’
artwork (racist pigs...) plus I was afraid that it might get broken in transit.
There was a clock that was going for $13 and it would have been perfect had it
not been wrapped in cheap plastic and I was having this sense of dread that
they might recognise it as a sales item when they eventually go to Vivo.
So I settled for the cups. The place
was pretty much a department store much like Parkson’s is and the staff there
gladly wrapped it up for me as a gift. I thought that was nice. So yes, I had a
good shopping experience at FrancFranc in Vivo and I can recommend it if you’re
looking for home items.
There were five of these cups in a box. They are really nice and well made I think. More importantly they don't look cheap :P
Next, I took the MRT back to
Kallang Station. The problem was, I didn’t have a map with me. Thinking that I was
heading back to the hotel, I had a jolly stroll along Kallang Road until
suddenly I realise that I was in Little India. I had walked the OPPOSITE
direction to where my hotel was for the past one to two hours or so. I was too
cheap to spend money on taxi and dutifully backtracked until I reached my hotel.
I asked to cute reception lady
(whose name on her badge was ‘Trainee’) to lend me an iron and get me a taxi and she
cheerfully obliged. I finally met a nice cute Singaporean and now I had to rush
off for this wedding that was due to start in less than 15 minutes. Damn it!
In all honesty I had some serious
reservations about attending this wedding. CS and I were close, sure. But that
was back in university. She hadn’t contacted me since I last saw her about one
and a half years ago. Plus she only
mentioned this guy to me once. In passing. So I wasn’t so sure what to make of
it. However, I promised her I’d attend her wedding and a promise is a promise.
It’s just that I wish I had not have to go through so much just to attend a
wedding. My experience in Singapore has so far been boring, annoying,
miserable, and lonely. The only positive was the two to three sentences that I
exchanged with Trainee the cute receptionist. I wasn’t even sure if she really
wanted me to be there or whether her invitation was merely just a courtesy
call, seeing that all I got was an email (better than a Facebook invitation I
guess).
Anyway, I arrived about 5 minutes
late and was rather surprised that the whole thing hasn’t started yet. I was
put at the same table as the other Newcastle friends. I saw Eng Wai’s name but
he didn’t show up. I sort of recognise Xiu Bin who was CS’s housemate in Fenham
(I met her once) and I didn’t know anyone else. Rather fortunately there was
this one guy called Nick who was quite friendly and I didn’t feel as awkward as
I thought I would be. Who is Nick? Dunno. Apparently he was from Newcastle too.
I said hi to the bride but the
groom was busy talking to someone else. Then the event got under way. The
waitress asked me whether I was a Muslim and she made arrangements for me to
get halal food, which I thought was nice. Why can’t the average Singaporean on
an MRT be this nice?
After the whole thing was over I
said congratulations to CS and told her that she won the bet as to who would
get married first. Then I made her introduce me to her husband (she referred to
me as her ‘best friend in uni’). His name was Andrew. Then I went my way. I didn’t stay for desert.
When I got back, Trainee's shift was over so I went to bed. Later that night, I missed the
England-Italy match.
Singapore skyline from Marina Bay Sands area
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