Singapore's Gardens by the Bay

When Jay visited a few months ago we checked out Gardens by the Bay to see if it would be a place my Mom would like to visit. We just hopped on the shuttle to see the whole property since I wanted to conserve energy because we were planning to go to IKEA after (haha). The park was still pretty new during that time and the conservatory was closed that day so the experience was like walking around my Mom's garden. We'll likely go back when my Mom comes for a visit.

 

 

 

 

Singapore River Cruise

I've been going back and forth to Singapore for almost a decade now, but never got the chance to explore it. In my last trip I finally got the chance to go on the Singapore River Cruise (thanks Google!). I was pretty please that I finally got to see some important landmarks up close, except the Merlion (yet again!) since it looked like it was under renovation (again!). Argh! Anyway, here's some of the pretty sites I saw during the cruise:

That's the boat we rode. 

Clarke Quay. I wonder if the Turkish ice cream man is still there. 

The guide said that this area is reminiscent of how Singapore started.

Tall buildings in the CBD. 

The Fullerton Hotel, one of the first hotels in Singapore. 

Kids used to dive in the river. 

The Esplanade.  

Marina Bay Sands. 

The Singapore Flyer. I haven't had the chance to try it out. Maybe next time!

Singapore Philatelic Museum

I've been meaning to visit the Singapore Philatelic Museum since 2009, but I've just been terribly busy every time I'm in Singapore. I finally got the chance to visit last January because I took an early morning flight, so after checking in at the hotel and eating lunch I took a short walk to the museum.

I've been looking forward to visiting the museum because I wanted to relive the days when I was an avid stamp collector. I have quite a lot of stamps. I got most of them from my Kuya and the others from being a member of our school Philatelic club and my Mom's friends who'd collect and pass on their stamps to me (special thanks to Fr. Bernard!). Anyway, I hope I find time to unearth my collection sometime this year.

An old-style mail box greeted me as I entered the museum. After paying SG$5 I immediately went through the exhibits on the first floor. The first exhibit detailed how stamps are made. It's quite a long tedious process. I realized though that nowadays only a handful of kids are probably collecting stamps since not many people send snail mail anymore.

What excited me a lot was seeing the Penny Black (one famous rare stamp) in the flesh! I probably peeked through the magnifying glass for about five minutes. I only moved on because a kid stepped inside the room and I kinda got embarrassed. Haha. Anyway, I've seen the Penny Black in magazines/write-ups only, so it was my first time to actually see one. (Hyperventilating!!!).

Other things of interest were old mail boxes and post office paraphernalia in the Room of Rarities. I was disturbed with how long postal mail took to deliver in the past. I remember sending my sister snail mail to the US when I was a kid and she relayed to me that it would take at least 2-3 weeks for her letters to reach her husband (back then her boyfriend). Now it just takes a split second for our mail to reach anyone in the US. Communication has definitely changed a lot in the past three decades!

I wanted to bring home a replica of an old-style mailbox, but I found it quite expensive. I guess I'll save up for it so I can match it with my locker replica. In good time. Anyway, I just got myself a copy of a 2009 Singapore-Philippines joint issue.

Hope to find my collection soon!

Singapore Philatelic Museum (map)
Open hours: Monday 1-7pm; Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 7pm
Admission: adult SG$5; Senior citizen/child SG$4
It's just a 5-minute walk from City Hall MRT and is just one tawid from Funan IT Mall