Sentosa Express

It was very last minute. I wanted to go to Sentosa on my off day, yesterday. And then Wee Lee came online and asked if I wanted to go swimming. And then I suggested that we made our way to the beach instead. I'm really thankful that he's game and delighted with his company. We took the Sentosa Express for the first time and it led us straight to the beach station, which had trams to to Palawan and Siloso. Brilliantly planned, super convenient. It's fantastic to not have to wait for a bus and ponder about which one to take!

But it was kind of weird to stop at the Waterfront Station when it's only going to be opened in 2010!



We settled down just in front of Cafe del Mar, the newest beach club that's located on Silosa Beach. It was also featured in Life! last Friday. It is my goal to become a frequent customer there. It's kind of "fantasy" that Sidney shared with me, to go in and order your "regular" like you're some big shot! As I remembered reading, entry to the beach club is free . However the posh setting is rather overwhelming, and you'd definitely feel the need to acquire a drink to earn yourself a place in the posh settings. Yeah, if you look closer, there's actually a bed-like thing with cushions on stilts. It looks insanely gorgeous - you have to see it to believe it.

We finished our McDonalds breakfast before chilling out in the sea. The water was freezing cold, and the sun only came out once in a long while (but me, being easily tanned, got a bit burned!).



Despite the overcast sky, the weather was good enough for a day at the beach. Usually at around noon, the sand would be roasted to temperatures that would make standing on it unbearable for bare feet. It was really relaxing just being in the sea, getting tossed about by the waves and just talking.

I think my photography has improved due to having a limited capactiy as I spoiled the other memory card! I've stopped cam-whoring that much, and taking pictures that actually mean something!

Anyway, we locked our stuff and rented a bicycle after that. I carried along my backpack (which, after repeated trips to Sentosa, smells of the sun, sand and sea), which contained my camera and other valuables. All for the sake of buying a drink and taking photos of the scenery which I had missed out on capturing the previous time I took the jungle trail with Jie Yu.



We cycled to Palawan, and then made a U-turn once we made it all the way to the end of Tanjong beach. We each got a bottle of Gatorade at the 7-11 on Palawan beach. I like the way it's constructed. It gives the place an updated version of a kampung. Okay, imagine that, just way classier. The place gives a good view of the sea and is a fantastic place to chill out as well.

We then made our way to the very end of Siloso beach which was where the Underwater World was, and also where the Jungle Trail started. We made a steep descent to the Lost Civilisation, which was rather deserted after the removal of the monorail. It was really 'lost' in a sense that it was forgotten, and I was in awe as we stood for a moment to admire the picturesque view at the opposite side.



Something I wanted to kick myself for not being able to capture due to my stupidity of not bringing a camera along the previous time I came on the trail!

I'm aware of how cloudy it looks - I was equally baffled by Wee Lee's confidence that it wouldn't rain - and it didn't!

After we returned the bicycles, we went to chill out at the beach again. It was so cooling and comfortable that I almost fell asleep! We then made our way to Vivocity on the Sentosa Express (yeah, it's 2-way!) and did a bit of shopping. Apparently there are some very impressive pieces of apparrel at Puma - a brand I've always overlooked. Wee Lee left home for dinner while I met Ryan, who just came from work.



The amazing thing about Vivo is that after all the hectic shopping and squeezing with the crowd, you can take a break and slow things down by heading outside and enjoying a bit of the scenery and the breeze. That's why I think Vivo is a brilliant piece of architecture that focuses not only on the fast-paced money-sucking uber-materialistic art of shopping, but it also gives you the opportunity to enjoy the moment with the company you're with, in the amazing ambience.



We went into almost every shop that sold guys' stuff and got some pretty good ideas of what we were going to get for Chinese New Year. Having said that, I've got a mini-shopping trip with Wee Lee to Malaysia in two weeks. That would certainly be fun.

I thoroughly enjoyed my off day, and I'm so glad it wasn't wasted.

As Mak would say, Live It Up!