On Sunday, I decided to visit Changi Airport to explore the famed Jewel mall that included a garden and what was effectively an artificial indoor rainforest centered on a circular waterfall from the glass ceiling. It was quite an architectural marvel. I had booked a table at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant to try a tasting of the famed Singapore Chili Crab at 11:30 am. But since I was already there at 10 am, I decided to head up to the Canopy Garden on top. I purchased a ticket that also included the Canopy Bridge, a transparent glass bridge that offered stunning […]
On Sunday, April 21st, the Istana held an open house. The Istana, or “palace” in Malay, is the presidential palace of Singapore and is open only four to five times a year for holidays like Deepavali, Chinese New Year, and National Day. Today, the Istana is open in celebration of Hari Raya Puasa (the end of Ramadan) and Labor Day, which are relatively close to each other in the calendar only a few weeks apart. So, the Istana decided to hold one event on a Sunday on a weekend between the two holidays. Unlike the American White House, the Istana […]
Halfway through Singapore now! I started off Tuesday morning by waking up at 6 am to catch the sunrise at 7:02 am at Merlion Park. That way, I get to see the majestic sun rising behind the Marina Bay Sands as the Merlion spouts water. The Merlion is Singapore’s official mascot. The Merlion comes from a legend that a shipwrecked Malay prince ran aground at Temasek and encountered a lion, a rare animal not found in this part of the world. The Malay prince renamed it Temasek to “Singapura”, Singa being lion in Sanskrit. The legend of the lion was […]
For my third week in Singapore, I was invited by my boss to our employer’s personal finance event, which was really cool. While I was not there for long, I really enjoyed learning about investment strategies and personal finance. It is especially important for me, since I hope to have a career in wealth management. Afterwards, I went to Ce La Vi. It was at the top of the Marina Bay Sands next to the famous infinity pool. The pool is restricted to guests only. Ce La Vi itself had multiple rooms including the restaurant, the bar, and a lounge. […]
On our second weekend in Singapore, we had the opportunity to spend the weekend at the Bintan Resorts (which is actually in Indonesia). Bintan was an hour ferry ride from Singapore and popular for Singaporeans to go to on a long weekend. We stayed at the Nirwana Gardens Resort Hotel. The property featured multiple accommodations and different clusters of buildings featuring different activities. At our accommodation, we had a large pool to welcome us that came with a bar built into the pool. On my first day, I went to the gift shop and bought myself a t-shirt and necklace. […]