Around the World

Tired from the sleepover, all of us woke up late. It was already so late in the morning that our hosts were already at school. While waiting for Sophie to pick us up, we first ate breakfast, or should we say brunch, and had a nice morning talk with Nanay Nida. She is a Filipina house helper of the Tans for 20 years. For the first time in the entire trip, we were able to taste Filipino food again. The taste tickled our senses, and it brought us back to reality, because it made us realize that this wonderful experience will not last for long and we’ll be coming back home in the Philippines after a few days. The idea is very painful that we decided to focus on what’s happening today and not bother anymore on what’s gonna happen a few days from now . After eating breakfast, Sophie arrived and brought us to school.

The Indian tattoo artist with Zyra, Sam, and Bianchi (R-L)
after having their hennas.

We met up with our hosts only for a short while , because sadly, they wouldn’t be able to go with us the whole day due to their duties with the council . Since Shyh Horng is not a council member, he was able to join us. Our first stop was Little India. Little India is just like India, only a lot smaller (Duh!). Lots of amazing stuff such as cloth and jewelries are being sold there. Actually, we thought that it is the “it” shopping place if one needs Ramayana paraphernalia. We didn’t buy anything from Little India though, except that the girls got a henna tattoo. Despite this, we were able to enjoy the place as we visit some extraordinary sites like the temple. After much touring around, we headed for Chinatown.

Though we all know that we’re only in one country, a feeling of amazement still struck us as the trip from Little India to Chinatown was like teleportation. One minute, you’re in India; the next, you’re in China. It’s like there’s an MRT that connects India to China. Anyways, here was where all the spending happened. Shyh Horng led us to a store where we can buy cheap souvenirs.  You probably can already imagine what happened next. We had to let go of our money, but it was a really fun experience.

View of Chinatown from the MRT station.

From China, we teleported once again going back to Singapore. We went to the Peninsular Plaza and the Funan DigitaLife Mall. As we saw it, this area of Singapore is the center of technology. Though shoes, clothes, and food are also sold there, a greater portion of their products are tech goods. We actually loved every item we saw, but none of us bought anything except for Zyra. She bought an instax. :D

We thought we did things very quickly due to the fact that the sky was still bright, but we were wrong. Because of this, we hurried back to Hwa Chong as we were expected to be there by 7:30 pm. Why 7:30, we actually didn’t know at first. The sky was already dark, and the ambiance…... Later, it was revealed to us that we were there to experience the happiest hour of our lives. The council made sure that we will be able to enjoy every single moment of it. Thanks to them, the day ended great for everyone, even Zyra. :)))

By:  Zyra Krizia  Arcos and Ferdinand Sta. Ana

Sentosa Day!

It has officially been a week and a day since we came to Singapore. What was once a dream has now become a reality. Today we will go to Sentosa. The day started off by taking the MRT to Vivo city. Upon our arrival, we immediately went to the cable car station and rode our way off to Sentosa. From our view, we could see the fruits of Singapore’s labor. It was mesmerizing to see the tall buildings and the trees coinciding so smoothly.

The museum and history of Singapore was our first station. We watched a short film giving us the gist of how Singapore came to be. The faces and the timeline of Singapore were then showed through creative displays in the museum. You could see the rich and diverse culture of Singapore and how it evolved and become a superpower. It was so thrilling to see and witness and made me think that Philippines can still do it. Once we play our cards right, the ride to success will be possible.

The luge was our next destination. Honestly I was shocked to ride the luge. It was so much fun! I didn’t expect it to be so exciting like you’re really driving a car. I felt the wind on my face as I zoomed my way with my other Filipino friends. You just have to know how to control your speed and be a responsible driver :D

After we ate lunch at KFC, we headed to the beach to enjoy the warm summer sun. We enjoyed a game of volleyball while dipping our feet to the soft sands. It was my first time playing beach volleyball and it was definitely fun. You can freely dive and run in the sands and it won’t really hurt you. 

Other than playing volleyball, we also played card games by the beach and had a picnic.When night time fell, we went to another part of the beach to watch a show entitled "Songs of the Sea". We were amazed to watch as lights and images were projected on sprayed water in the air. With technology, bursts of fire, laser images and fountains have created a wonderful spectacle that captures the attention of kids and adults alike.

After the show, we went on the skyride to get back up to the entrance of Sentosa. The skyride was fun because from the top, you could see the city lights, buildings and the whole Singapore. We were able to appreciate Singapore's progress, accompanied by nature. Their roads were surrounded by trees that make you feel like you're in a forest. From the top, you would still see trees and greenery in their city. I personally loved this experience, as you would get a 360 degree view of Singapore and feel the cold wind rushing beneath your feet and blowing through your face.

We got off the skyride and went to see other parts of Sentosa like the globe of the Universal Studios and the Merlion Statue. Afterwards, we went back to the cable car. Before going back to Vivo City, we went to a place called the Jewel Box. It was where good restaurants can be found, with good food and a breathtaking view of the city. In that place, a cable car museum could also be found. It showed the old cable cars and their development through the years.

After that, we rode the cable car once more to get to Vivo City where we ate dinner. After dinner, we said our goodbyes and headed home, eager for another day of fun.

Bust Your Windows

Everybody loves shopping. Or should it be window shopping instead?

Yesterday, we all slept earlier than usual and were able to get the rest that we are yearning for. After all the shopping, the bargain, and the spending we did, we were still not satisfied. Today, as much for the happiness of our relatives and friends in the Philippines who persistently ask for gifts, we went to Singapore’s place for high class shopping-- the Orchard road.

Pisay delegates with Sir Bingcang posing in front
of Hwa Chong's infamous clock tower.

As usual, we first went to our classes in the morning. I must say that though we've been around the school for only a short period of time, I'm already kind of used to the surroundings and got a hold of things  as well. This I was able to prove when we went around the Hwa Chong grounds on our own.

After we finished our classes, we met with Sir Jayson in the council benches. We shared our own stories of the day until we reached one topic that brought us to experiment a little. Since all of us students stay in the homes of our hosts, we still haven't seen the Hwa Chong Boarding School. As Mr. Jayson described it, their dormitory is just like our own posh Serendra condominium put up inside a campus. Hearing this, we got really excited into seeing it that we cannot even wait for tomorrow. Also, this can be an excuse for us to visit the high school section of Hwa Chong and to be able to take pictures of  Hwa Chong's infamous clock tower, both of which are somewhere along our way to the dormitories.

At last, after almost 20 minutes of walk (with certain amounts of gossiping and vanity), we reached the dormitories. Even when we were still outside the gate, we can already see the Serendra-like style of the compound that houses thousands of Hwa Chong-ians.  Usually, visitors that don't have swipe cards (?)(same as the cards used in MRT stations) are not allowed to enter, but thanks to the convincing prowess of Sir Jayson and Katrina Tan(a Filipina student in HCI), we were allowed to get in, and when we did, I was shocked. Seeing the conference rooms, the indoor waterfalls, the landscaping, and the elevators, I could've not reacted that way if I only knew that it's not a dormitory but a classy condominium instead. Unfortunately, this 8-building, fully furnished, and condo-like place is a dormitory, a dormitory that is obviously superior to what we have back home. Looking around, I kept thinking what if Pisay dormers have such a place like this that looks very conducive to a student's learning and would probably inspire them and even help them to excel despite their distance from their families.

Hwa Chong Institution Boarding School

Afterwards, we already left the dormitories. Ate Katrina and Sir Jayson stayed in the dormitory to go up to their respective rooms. This was the time we started our little adventure-- to be able to go back to the council benches before three in order for us to be able to prepare for our tour and be able to start off early. This was not only our problem as we should first look for our way back. But as I've said earlier, though we've been here for only a few days, we already are quite familiar with the school. Because of this, we successfully found our way back despite of some misdirections.

 Jeks, Bianchi, Renzo, Zyra, Sam,and
 Ferdie (L-R) after (window) shopping. 

We left school early with Sally, Shyh Horng, and Yang Cheng as Sophie and Dennis are still having their classes. Our first stop was Ion Mall in Orchard Road. It's a shopping mall where you can find some of your label brands such as Topshop, Aldo, Charles and Keith. Fortunately, there are some shops in Ion that offers some affordable products from bags, to clothes and shoes, which allowed us to buy some stuff, mostly for our relatives back home. After a little buying and lots of window shopping, we went to Wisma Atria which is just nearby ion. Same story happened here, lots of walking and lots of window shopping...oh great! We finished early going around the orchard road so we decided to go to a bookstore. I'm not sure if we really have a problem of letting money go away from our pockets because even in a bookstore, we ended up window shopping.

We left Orchard road at around 7pm to meet up with Sophie and Dennis who are waiting for us in  Bugis. There, we ate different Singaporean favourites that have really good aroma and amazing taste which made us full even before we eat and left us wanting for more.

Of course, the spirit of the night wouldn't be so much exciting and enjoyable without a good conversation. As the guys and girls sat in different tables, secrets, gossips, and tons of stories were more comfortably shared, laughed at, and discussed. These actually made the night as everyone of us still continued talking and laughing inside the train, in the streets, and on our way home.:)

Again, we ended late, but I must say that it  is one of the most memorable days of our stay. This day allowed us to know each other more and allowed us to open up and show the others what our personality really is. Also, this day helped us be more comfortable as we already are with our hosts. I just hope that tomorrow will be another day of fun and adventure, and I pray that no one will fool around during April fools'.

by: Zyra Arcos