No Spam, No Virus, No Kiddin'!: June 2011

Warning: Picture Heavy Post

Prior to the park visit, Dyanie and I already bought our Universal Studios tickets online. I read somewhere that there could be no available tickets on the day of your visit so it's best to purchase the tickets in advance. Luckily, MasterCard had a 20% off promotion. The ticket only costs S$52.80 that time.

Little India station to Tanjong Pagar

stone carvings in the subway

But before going to USS, Dyanie took me to Maxwell House (walkable from Tanjong Pagar MRT station). She said she'll have me try the best tasting Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Maxwell House
ang linis ng hawker stalls dito!

Tian Tian's Hainanese Chicken Rice

This stall has a long queue. I guess their hainanese chicken is really famous after Anthony Bourdain recommended it.

Hainanese Chicken Rice - S$3.00
it's so flavorful and tender! thanks Dyan for introducing this to me.

Char Kway Teow - S$3.00
2nd best to Jalan Alor's version in KL

After our meal, we headed to Sentosa Boardwalk. On the way there, we passed (and our feet dragged us) to Ben and Jerry's inside Vivo City Mall.

3 scoops for S$6.90
we got Ben and Jerry's Peanut Butter, Chocolate, and Coffee flavors.
the taste? nothing but outstanding!

At that point, we began to feel tired and sleepy. It was already past lunch and we havent reached USS yet.

Sentosa Boardwalk

walkalator makes our lives easy
but taking a bus could have make it easier!

..and finally Resorts World.

strolling here costs S$1

im not sure if guests can sail here

one step at a time

and finally, the most photograph icon..

thanks to remote control and tripod

It was almost 2:00pm so we hurriedly went inside.

welcome to universal studios

oh hai, Po!

Too bad, we really had no time to line up to have a picture beside him.
We just headed to the 1st attraction that we saw..

Madagascar
A fun boat ride that tells the story of these animals, based on the animated movie of course. The characters inside the tunnel moves and speaks. Well done effects.

this boat ride is fun, but my favorite cruise remains to be Disneyland's Small World

Next thing we saw was this castle.

so it's Shrek's and Fiona's castle

Shrek 4D Adventure
A visual story of Shrek's life, how he saves her Princess Fiona from the Evil Prince. With 4D effects, of course. Fun and entertaining. (photos not allowed inside the theater)

and I quote Dyan "san ba nakakabili ng potion na yan at bibili ako ng madami!"
me: "sa Cash Cash Pinoy!" ^_^

Waterworld
This broke our hearts. We arrived late for the last show.

lesson learned: always check the show schedule

Revenge of the Mummy
Dyan pushed me to try this scarifying ride. She stayed outside to watch for my things. Nothing can be brought inside. Since Im a solo-rider, I managed to be the 1st in line. It's like Disneyland's Space Mountain. A roller coaster in the dark. But Revenge of the Mummy is better. It has great effects, with unexpected turns and surprises. ^_^

Battlestar Gallactica
The tallest dueling roller coaster in the world. One half of the ride features an inverted roller coaster track in blue, and the other half features the traditional seated roller coaster track design in red.
This ride hurts my neck badly. The roller coaster seats dont have the head and neck support. Yes, thrilling. But Im not sure if I'll ride this again.

We didnt know that the park will close at 6:00pm, in preparation for the Grand Launch the next day. So that's it for our Universal Studios tour. Haggardness!

Grand Opening on the next day
we didnt regret it anyway, we knew there'll be a million guests too

Upon exit, we glimpsed to this Garret's Popcorn store. Since Ive read raves about this, Dyanie and I gave it a try.

Garrett's Popcorn for S$10

overpriced popcorn! hindi naman masarap!

In the park exit, we met ate Joyce. She's my blog reader who's based in SG. More than the dinner treat, Dyan and I truly appreciate her company. She guided and (long) walked us thru every SG's landmark.

thank you ate Joyce, we deeply appreciate your company

Songs of the Sea
Tickets cost S$10. Show shedule: 7:40pm and 8:40pm

wahaha! feeling talaga ng kids ay estatwa ako! LOL
brings me instant happiness ^_^

Songs of the Sea
Actors and actresses sing and dance to tell the story. It also showcased pyrotechnics, laser show, and dancing fountains.
Sounds fun? Not really. I was expecting to see more spectacular effects. Not really impressive. I was bored.

once upon a time, there's girl who's under the spell of an enchanted village

the sea creature friend

villain #1

villain #2

the goddess

..and finally, the girl was out of spell.

rejoice and celebrate!

But again, it didn't meet my expectations.

im a bit bored

Well, it was still a fun day 2 in the theme park.

that ends a very long and tiring day in Sentosa

○ prices in yellow texts
○ also see my previous entry: Singapore and its Mesmerizing Nightscape

Who wouldn't be tempted by Airphil's Manila-Singapore and vv. promo for only P888?
Dyanie and I grabbed round trip tickets for only P2,717 each! And this also includes 15kg baggage allowance. Quite a steal indeed!

thank you Airphil
for the P2,717 round trip tickets and a vacant seat in between

The flight was smooth and on-time. Another good thing, we landed at Changi's Terminal 2. PAL and Airphil aircrafts land in this terminal. All others PH based carriers, at Budget Terminal.

Changi Terminal 2

Terminal 2 and Getting Around Info

ako na ang perstaymer sa Singapura

as far as I know hindi naman formal event ang pagsakay sa plane so any getup will do.. ^_^

Passing thru the SG Immigration and Security check were hassle free. The agents were actually nice.

From there, we met Dyanie's friends and we all headed to our hotel.
Honestly, I didnt even bother to check or read anything about SG. I entrusted everything to Dyan. =)

Hotel 81 Rochor
across Sim Lim Tower. nearest MRT stations are Bugis and Little India

checking in was a breeze

thank you so much Jo for this room! we liked it!
acdg to Dyan, she booked this room thru Agoda for around P8,000 for 2 nights

ensuite bathroom with hot and cold shower

The room is clean, looks new, and smells fresh. It's also spacious enough. A/C is working properly. The bathroom is clean and has basic toiletries. We don't have anything to complain about this room except for the weak wifi connection. Besides, who wouldn't love to stay here for free?! ♥

After the distribution of pasalubongs to Dyanie's friends, we went out to have dinner in the nearby Burlington Square. Here's my first Singaporean meal.

seafood noodles

vegetable soup with egg and mushroom

oysters and egg

crispy pata? hehe
ano ba to, help!

stir fried veggies with sauce

water chestnut
patok na patok kay Dyan!

Pardon me, but Im not really familiar with the names of these dishes. Hindi ako ang nag-oder. Plus hindi din ako nagbayad so di ko alam magkano.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed my first real SG'ean dinner.

it was a pleasure meeting all of you!
special mention to LA. ikaw ang favorite ko!

Since it's perfect to view Singapore's nightscapes at that time, we quickly hopped the MTR.

Press for Green Man and Cross with Care

SG's rail system is very efficient. But expensive as well. Linked here is the fare table. I always appreciate the PH government for subsidizing the LRT and MRT fares. Very favorable for me. =)
Anyway, EZ-Link card costs S$12, where only S$7 is consumable.

A little long walk and we finally reached the Merlion Park, along Fullerton road. The place is perfect for night photography.

Singapore's emblem: the Merlion
mythical beast with the head of a lion and body of a fish.

The fish tail of the Merlion symbolizes the ancient city of Temasek (meaning "sea town") and represents Singapore's humble beginnings as a fishing village.

Art Science Museum, Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino, and Helix Bridge
the cheapest room in that luxury hotel costs around P14,000 per night

Esplanade
built to be the center for performing arts

Im amazed. and I secretly wished we could also have something like these in Pinas.

We also dropped by Clark Quay to witness G-Max Reverse Bungy. Hearing the screams of the brave people already made me feel the adrenaline rush. Kuripot lang. ^_^

G-Max Reverse Bungy @Clark Quay
$45 (around P1,500) per person - ang mahal!

We decided to left the area after midnight. Too bad, MRT was already closed. We took the taxi instead, and found out that there's an additional 50% on the metered rate!