SQ Movie Marathon (The Return)

It's like 9pm when we left Singapore. I never got to learn how to sleep properly on the plane, so it's another movie marathon session for me.

Batman Begins
Think of this as the prequel, where we get to see Batman in his formative years, how his father moulded him, why he's obsessed with bats, his ninja training at the Himalayan highlands by the League of Shadows, how his underground headquarters came about, where he gets all his cool toys and gadgets, and his first awkward steps as a crimefighter. The action scenes are nothing spectacular, but DC fans (most of them at least) will be happy with how Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia, etc.) handled the movie.

Initial D (a.k.a. Tau man chi D)
Heard of Intial D the manga series before, but not the movie. I wanted to see how an anime series about outrageous car chases will translate on screen. More that than, I wanted to see what's all the fuss about Jay Chou, Taiwan's Prince of Pop. All throughout the movie, his hair is messed up and he looks sleepy. And I go, hey, I can do that. That's probably because he spends his nights delivering tofu in his father's white Toyota AE86. He was so good at downhill drifting that he beat one of the best street racers without even thinking about it. Next thing you know, there's a bunch of professional and amateur racers lining up to beat him. All you need to know is that Takumi wins all his races. Throw in a bumbling sidekick as comic relief, and a double-crossing girlfriend for dramatic moments to complete the movie. Passable car-chase scenes, bad story/character development.

She's on Duty (a.k.a. Jam-bok-geun-moo)
There were a few good Korean films on the outbound flight. They changed the movie line-up, since it's the start of a new month, so I'm stuck with this one. I'm almost convinced this is going to be a bad one, even before it started. The thing with Korean comedies is that they start to look and sound similar after you've seen a couple. Anyway, this movie is about a spoiled lady cop who goes undercover as a high-school student. Her mission is to befriend a criminal's daughter in order to find his whereabouts. The fight scenes are quite good, but like I said, it's the same wire-fu in My Wife Is a Gangster, so don't expect too much.

Last Day in Singapore

Bag-packing. Borders-browsing. Newspapers and magazines at the Orchard Library. Espresso and carrot cake at Dome Park Mall. Tour of Changi Airport.

The airport is a destination in itself. Grab a free copy of Financial Times or Changi Express. Take a break at the indoor garden and koi pond. Take a seat and watch the latest sports channels or even a free movie showing. There's a few Samsung-sponsored terminals offering free Internet access. I joined a carpet survey for Changi Airport and walked away with a handphone pouch. There's also an Airbus A380 raffle contest. Who knows? I could be coming back to Singapore for free. Oh, and the best way to use up excess coins? Donate them. If you're into philately and not philanthrophy, buy some specialty stamps at the airport post office.

Rendezvous with Raffles

With one night and one day to go, I decided to visit my old haunts. Never mind that I still have a mild fever and flu since yesterday. After a quick dinner at Lucky Plaza, where I met a couple of former colleagues from Manila, I proceeded to Raffles Place. Once you get out of the station, you're surrounded by some of Singapore's tallest buildings. Somewhere near the UOB Plaza is a sculpture by Salvador Dali called Homage to Newton. Go through the buildings and you end up at the mouth of Singapore River. This spot affords a great view of the restaurants along Boat Quay, the Asian Civilizations Museum, Sir Raffles' Landing Site, and Fullerton Hotel. To your right, you'll see Botero's Bird - so round and plump.

Continue to your right and you'll pass by Cavenaugh Bridge. My cabbie tells me that Cavenaugh Bridge is originally patterned after London Bridge, which can be raised an lowered to allow tall ships to pass through. (Or was he referring to Tower Bridge?) Anyway, the bridge was named after Orfeur Cavenaugh, who was appointed as Governor of the Straits Settlements by the East India Company in 1859. The bridge was built in 1867 to commemorate the establishment of the Straits Settlement as a crown colony. To your right is the magnificent Fullerton Hotel, which used to be the General Post Office building. Further down is Anderson Bridge, constructed between 1908-1910 and named after Sir John Anderson, Governor of the Straits Settlements (1904-11) and High Commissioner for the Federated Malay States. It was built because Cavenaugh Bridge can't handle the increasing traffic. If you go back to Cavenaugh, there's a notice which states: "The use of this bridge is prohibited to any vehicle of which the laden weight exceeds 3cwt. and to all cattle and horse."

From Anderson Bridge, cross the road, go down a flight of stairs, and you'll end up in Merlion Park. There's a mini-Merlion facing inland, and behind it is the real Merlion facing out to the bay with a stream of water gushing out of its mouth. From here, you can see the whole of Esplanade quite nicely.

Peranakan Dinner

After so many trips to Singapore, this is the first time I've had a Peranakan dinner. From what I was told, Peranakan (aka Straits Chinese) is a term used to refer to Malaysian Chinese or Chinese Malaysian. I took the MRT to Yio Chu Kang, then walked to my friend's flat in Castle Green. From there, we took a bus to Bukit Timah, then dinner at Ivins. A typical Peranakan dinner would probably consist of crabmeatball soap, honey pork, prawns with spinach in ginger sauce, and rice because that's what we ordered. Turns out my friend is allergic to crustaceans so I had to finish most of the dishes. For dessert, we went to another place (actually a kopitiam), and we ordered durian prata and ginger tea - only because I've never tried them before. Not too bad, but probably not the right combination.

Shall We Dansu? in My New Shoes?

First saw this movie (Shall We ダンス?)many years ago during a Japanese filmfest in Manila. Can't say what drew me to it. Is it because I took social dancing classes before in university? Or maybe I found the idea of a shy, timid loner accountant getting close to his unreachable dream girl appealing? Anyway, since then I've been searching for a copy of Shall We Dansu? (Don't even mention that American remake to me.) The counterfeit video stalls in Paranaque don't have it, neither do the DVD shops in Funan. So I was quite relieved to find it in the video shop of Best Denki on the top floor of Takashimaya. Also bought a VCD of The Iron Ladies, which is about a team of mostly gay Thai volleyball players, who went through a lot of difficulties and eventually won the national championship.

What else did I buy? Two cans of almond cookies and pineapple tarts, some cool daylight bayonet-type fluorescent bulbs, and a pair of Nautica Hydro loafers.

Albert Goes to Melaka

At the center of the Melaka old town is the Dutch Square. At the center of the square is Queen Victoria's Fountain. Surrounding the square are the Malaysia Youth Museum, Christ Church, and the Stadthuys - all of them in bright salmon pink. Off to one side is a clock tower (also in the same color scheme) called the Tan Beng Seng Clock Tower. Beside it is a big cannon. Due to time constraints, I concentrated on the Stadthuys. A fine example of Dutch architecture, the Stadthuys was built in 1650 as the official residence of the Dutch Governor. It now houses the Historic and Ethnography Museum. The entry ticket is actually a 5-in-1. Once inside Stadthuys, you also have access to the Governors Museum, the Democratic Government Museum, the Literature Museum, and another one which I already forgot. The museums are not really that nice - just some paintings and artifacts and metalware and pottery and mannequins in traditional clothes and old books, etc. I walked through most of the museums in half an hour or so.

Atop St. Paul's Hill is the ruins of St. Paul's Church. It was first built in 1521 by Portuguese Captain Duerte Coelho, and was originally called Our Lady of the Hill. This church was later enlarged into two storeys and a tower was added. When the Dutch came, they renamed it as St. Paul's Church and used it as a place of worship until Christ Church was completed. It is said that St. Francis Xavier used to visit the church. He was later enshrined in the open grave in 1553 before being shipped to Goa, India. The church fell into ruin, and was used to store gunpowder by the Dutch and the British. Inside the church are still tombstones with Latin/Portuguese/Dutch(?) inscriptions on them. Outside, a statue of St. Francis stands guard with his right arm missing. On the grounds of the church lie many graves of Dutch noblemen. At the base of the hill are the ruins of A' Famosa. When the Portuguese captured Melaka in 1511, they built a fortress to protect themselves. It sustained heavy damage during the Dutch invasion, and would've been totally demolished by the British had Sir Raffles not stepped in in 1808. Further off are the Malacca Sultanate Palace and the Proclamation of Independence Memorial.

It was getting late, so I had to force myself to face the issue of getting back to Singapore. After asking a few people, I found some buses at the back of this shopping mall. I got on one of them, and fortunately it brought me back to Melaka Sentral. I went to the ticket counters to find that most bus tickets to Singapore have been sold out for the day. (A lot of Malaccans go to Singapore for work.) Worse, I don't have enough ringgits on me for the fare. I went to the information booth, and the lady informed me that the money changers have all gone home. If I want to change my SGD, I have to go to the city. But I don't have money to the city, and I wouldn't even know how! She then suggested I go to one of the booths, which might be able to help. And help me they did. Due to increased demand, that particular bus company decided to field another bus, and yes, they accept SGD. I was so relieved to be on the bus, I didn't even mind my talkative seatmate. Come to think of it, that's 10 hours of travel time (round-trip) and two hours of actual sightseeing. Bah!

(Hopelessly) Lost in Malacca

Of course I know that buses to Malacca leaves every hour on the hour, and the earlier I get to Malacca, the more time I have to explore the city. However, being the optimistic procrastinator that I am, I woke up late, so I go: "At least that means I have an extra hour to enjoy my buffet breakfast." By 8:30am, I was running along Orchard to get to the MRT station. I got to Lavender by 8:45am. The 10-min. walk to the bus station became a 5-min. sprint. "A ticket for the 9am bus to Malacca please." "The 9am bus has been cancelled. Next bus leaves at 10." WHAT?! Cancelled? "Yeah, no one made bookings for 9am." What does that make of me then? I was short of breath, and the look on the lady's face assured me the cancellation is going to remain a fact, so I let it go.

This tourist originally thought that since Malacca is so close and no visa is required, maybe the passport is optional. Ah, don't we all love naive tourists. At the Malaysian border, everyone had to get off the bus, go through immigration, then back to the bus. Repeat at the Malaysian border. By 1pm, we made a pit stop at this roadside depot. And this is going to be the first of my many misfortunes: I don't have a single Malaysian ringgit on me. It's true that I'm not tempted by the food they're serving or the fake CDs and VCDs they're selling, but that's not the point. Good thing the lady at the groceries section also sidelines as a money changer. Her rate is S$1=RM2. She obviously knows I'm one of them tourists, so I'm thinking, "Is she ripping me off?" Of course I can use my mobile to browse xe.com, but that would rude. S$10 then, I said. Thinking back now, she must be pretty amused.

The bus arrived at Melaka Sentral around 3pm. I started worrying again because 3pm doesn't give me much time to explore Melaka. But I've got a bigger problem - I don't want to go to Melaka Sentral; I want to go to the Melaka old town, where the tourists are, where the old churches are; not another bus station! I assessed the situation, and it's not looking good. I'm not where I thought I'm going. I don't have a description of where I'm going. I don't even know exactly where I am. The Melaka old town could be just a few hundred meters away or it could be another hour's drive. Worse, I have no idea how to get back to Singapore as the bus drove away in a puff after dropping everyone off. Some of the locals must have sensed my fear, as they started approaching me with the international greeting, "Teksi? Teksi?" Yeah, right. Like you're not gonna take me on a wild-goose ride and demand me to pay double the normal rate as the meter is broken, even though my destination is just next door.

The thing that every tourist need to know is never give any hint that you're lost, clueless, or afraid. Walk in a direction as if you know where you're going, even if it leads to the washroom. Technically, I can ask around until I find a local who understands English, and get him/her to help me, but that's going to give me away as a lost/clueless/afraid tourist, so I didn't. It's just my luck that I spotted this Japanese tourist carrying a backpack almost as tall as she. She got on this beat-up, decrepit bus, so I followed. I didn't even tell the bus conductor where I'm going because I have no idea. I simply handed him a bill - hoping that he'll give me back my change if there's any left or that he won't berate me if it's not enough because I wouldn't understand him. Turns out the fare to wherever I'm going is a measly 80 RM cents, which is good. The bus is jampacked with people. There's no airconditioning. Most of the metal surfaces are rusty. The windows have bars. Somewhere, someone is smoking. I would've liked to get out my camera and take a few shots of the places where passing through, but I didn't feel safe enough to do so.

Later on the bus ride, I spied the Japanese girl taking out her travel guide and staring at some maps, and I start worrying again. We pass by a busy plaza with lots of tourists, which eased my mind a bit. Worst case, I can always jump off the bus, then walk back. A few hundred meters away at a shopping mall, some locals got off. Both of us followed suit. I introduced myself to the girl and asked her if she knew where she's going. No such luck. She said she's looking for her hotel in Chinatown. We eventually managed to get proper directions for Chinatown, and we parted ways at the plaza we passed by earlier. At 3:30pm, I start my tour of Melaka.

Little India

Today is supposed to be Malacca day, but I sort of got lost finding the bus station after getting off Lavender station. I do have a detailed map drawn by a friend, but some of the street names were mixed-up. Took me an hour before I found the bus station where the Singapore-Malacca Express buses are. By then, it was too late in the day to make the trip. No worries - it only means that tomorrow will be smooth sailing all the way. I decided to explore Little India and Chinatown instead.

Never been to India, but I reckon Little India should be very close to the real thing. Getting off the Little India MRT station, the place is just packed with cars and people. Indians outnumber the Chinese 50:1. (Just my own estimate; don't quote me on that.) Beside the station is the Tekka Market, filled with stalls selling household items, bargain clothes and shoes, fresh vegetables and meats. Next stop is Little India's Arts Belt along Kerbau Road. Here you'll find Art Deco-style shophouses selling Indian crafts, jewelry, traditional clothes, textiles, flower garlands, etc.

There are two mosques that are quite famous in Little India: Masjid Abdul Gafoor and Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple. Masjid Abdul Gafoor is quite impressive with its Moorish-Islamic architectural style and its yellow-and-green color scheme. At the entrance is a sunburst design with 25 rays donating the names of the 25 chosen Prophets. Remember to take off your shoes before approaching the mosque - something which I don't suggest on a sunny day as the polished floor can burn your bare feet. (I'm speaking from experience here.) When I got to the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, it was still closed. (The temple is closed from 12:30pm to 4pm daily.) The temple is dedicated to Kali, Goddess of Power and incarnation of Lord Shiva's wife. Tuesdays and Fridays are when the temple is at its most active. For now, I have to be content with taking pictures of the main facade.

Chinatown in Singapore

Yes, Virginia, there is a Chinatown in Singapore. And no, it doesn't encompass the whole Singapore.

My tour of the area starts from the Chinatown MRT station. Right across the street is Yue Hwa Chinese Products emporium, which used to be the Great Southern Hotel. Said to be the first hotel in Singapore to have passenger elevators. Right beside it is The Majestic. It's now a shopping mall, but it used to be called the Tin Yin Dance Stage. Local tycoon Eu Tong Sen built it for his wife after another opera house refused her entry. (Ah, to be rich.)

From New Bridge Road, take a left to Pagoda Street, which is the mail shopping alley. Shops and stalls offer everything from souvenir items to Chinese crafts to CDs/DVDs to toys and trinkets, etc. This is also where the Chinatown Heritage Center is. It's sort of a like a museum on the local history with recreated rooms and video displays depicting how life was then in old Chinatown. At the end of Pagoda Street is the Sri Mariamman Temple. Said to be Singapore's oldest, it is built in 1827 and dedicated to the Mother Goddess, Sri Mariamman. I usually get Sri Veeramakaliamman and Sri Mariamman confused as their facades are very similar. There are bells on the front door. As devotees enter the temple, they ring the bells to make their wishes come true. To the left the temple is Masjid Jamae. Notice that the structure is not aligned to the grid of the street. That's because it is facing Mecca, as all mosques do.

Further down is Smith Street, more popular known as Chinatown Food Street. The food stalls open from 3pm to 11pm during weekdays, but starting from Friday, they close later at 1am. At the corner of Smith and Trengganu is Lai Chun Yuen, a former Cantonese opera house. Famous opera singers from China and Hong Kong would perform here during its heyday. Across the intersection is the Chinatown Complex, Market and Food Centre - part hawker center, part wet market. Follow Sago Street and you'll end up at Kreta Ayer Square. Formerly a market square, this is now where the old-timers hang out. Also in the square is the Trishaw Park, where you can hire a trishaw for S$36 for a memorable tour of Chinatown.

Two temples not to be missed in Chinatown is the Al-Abrar Mosque and the Thian Hock Keng Temple. After all that sightseeing, take a break at the nearby Telok Ayer Green. Enjoy the shade and the sculptures.