Singapore: Day Three

Today will be our last day in Singapore. Destination: Orchard Road. Today, we will shop till we drop. Well, more like window shopping till our legs hurt like hell, anyway. :P

Our first stop was Ngee Ann City which boasts of quality tenants such as Takashimaya, one of the largest departmental store in the region and Kinokuniya, the famous bookstore. While my brothers went for a ride on a Bendy-Bus (a very long bus that is able to bend in the middle), my mom and I went to Kinokuniya to look at more books. The collection is really extensive and the atmosphere just perfect. There's also a dedicated section for kids where parents are able to read to them. I went from one section to another and browsed through the books that interested me. It was here that I finally found the illustrated version of The Da Vinci Code. It was nothing special except for the price tag! :P As usual, I would read some magazines whenever I'm in a bookstore. It has been awhile since I bought a magazine. Well, I used to buy when I was in Terengganu because it was kinda boring there and the magazines were relatively cheaper there although brand new!

After my brothers came back from their escapade of sorts on the bus, we went for searching for a place to have lunch. Man, it is really costly to have lunch in that building! After walking around looking for a suitable place and found none, we exited the building and decided to search somewhere else. We found this place where all the food stalls were put in one place, a basement where you have basically all types of cuisine. We chose to try some Thai food at the ThaiExpress. The food was really delicious and very spicy, exactly how it should be. Since we had a mini-feast, it probably cost us an arm and a leg...but it was definitely worthwhile. One thing I realise is I've never really seen a food outlet that is not packed with people. At any given time of the day, the shops will be at least half-full and this on a weekday!

While walking towards another shopping centre, I was attacked/harrassed by a promoter from Samsung, which was having a roadshow of sorts. He grabbed my arm and used his microphone to speak to me. Obviously it was quite embarassing considering this happened on Orchard Road during lunchtime! I was invited to listen to some music clips and identify the songs and if I guessed correctly, I would be given a gift. As I walked away and declined his offer, he tempted me with more prizes....TWO if I got two answers right....and he even offered himself if I got three answers right. WTF?!? As if I would go to that extent to try and get three answers right to bring him home!!! Yucks! :P

My mom was looking for a place selling cheap CDs, a place recommended by her boss. My brother brought her to HMV but turns out it wasn't the one cos the CDs weren't cheap! They have an extensive collection though, which they fill up in their four-storey outlet. I sampled some songs of popular albums and relaxed with the music. Hey, I just had a big lunch and I wasn't in the mood to walk, ok. Listening to some free quality music definitely beats walking.

Since prices are quite steep in Singapore, my brother took us to Urban Warehouse which is considerably cheaper than other outlets on Orchard Road. It is decorated in glaring orange but I didn't find much bargain there. My mom targeted Marks & Spencer next. We went through the English toffees, the chocolates, the cookies, candies and stuff to bring back as gifts. I managed to buy some chocolate nuts for my labmates. Robinsons was my mom's next destination. She was looking for some bedsheets and comforters, and maybe some towels (don't ask me why) there but the price was just insane although it was purportedly on sale. Go figure!

Walking across the street, walking towards the MRT station, we came along some bargains at John Little. I purchased two long-sleeve Alain Delon shirts for just $28! Now, I think that's a real bargain. I picked the blue and peach colours and that's part of my Chinese New Year shopping done. ;)

We boarded the MRT at the Somerset station and headed back to my uncle's home. One thing I noticed during my three days here was that practically everyone had their ears stuffed with some sort of headphones. They would always be listening to some MP3s or tune in to the local radio stations from their MP3 players or their mobile phones. In every MRT ride, there is bound to be a substantial amount of them. I guess I would do the same too if I were to take public transport.

We did our final packing and freshened up. For the first time, we met and talked to our aunt and cousins since our visit. Everyday, they would leave for work or school before we got up and they would already be in bed by the time we came back. We were treated Chinese food at a nearby restaurant by my uncle. It was something like an eight to ten course meal and it was an extremely sumptious meal! It must have cost a bomb but I guess my uncle is able to afford it with the pay he draws monthly. We were taken to the bus terminal of sorts at Beach Road to catch our bus. We said our goodbyes and boarded the bus. My brother wasn't following us back since he still needs to undergo some exams to get his shipping license or something like that. Soon they went back to my uncle's vehicle and the bus started to move. We were on our way home. Once again, Singapore didn't disappoint me.