Ying Hui's Scrapbook: we walked Here, There & Everywhere

For the past 3 days, the 7 of us were like, thrown unsuspectingly into a dead-or-alive reality programme. One that bore the name

Survivor Asia: The Concrete Jungle

Honest. We had to endure a perilous journey to the island itself, conquer mountainous buildings, trudged through grey valleys with occasional scuttering crotchets (our music equivalent term for cockroaches), cross rivers of traffic and fend off threats from night creatures near our camp. And armed only with passports, cash and delicate music instrument-accustomed limbs.

But we pulled it off really well, didn’t we?

Screw our dehydrated bodies, aching heels, sore muscles, stiff joints and puffy eyes from deprivation of sleep, we relished the ~~torture~~adventure.

Night 1

NEVER EVER try to ride a train with upright seats. At least not on an interstate/cross-country trip. And especially not one where you spend a whole night on. Trust me.

Heed me not and thou shalt suffer.

I guess none of us predicted a 10 and a half hour of rattling voyage with us flopping like desiccating starfish. Blame the intellectually-challenged KTM conductor or whoever that managed the lighting. I mean, what kind of train does not switch off its lights on a night journey, or at least dim them? And the squashy butt-numbing seats did not help either.

Thank God there was a deck of cards, David Blaine and Andrew’s insanity.

Andrew received an award from Kevin!

I swear I didn't know this person.

Cho Dai Di

Andrew in labour

Day 1

First bus ride. First crossing of roads utilizing the hiccupping pedestrian signals. First losing-our-way experience. First taste of hiking to every single destination.

Turned out we overshot it by a block. The only part of Betel Box that was visible was a narrow green door wedged between 2 dull-coloured flaking walls.

Carmen

Andrew and me

Audrey

“So who’s the leader?”

All of a sudden, I became a magnet and everyone’s eyes and index fingers were iron pins.

Oh alright.

I just needed to collect their passports, wait for Justin to finish registering us and return them. Uh huh.

Got our access to the 16-person dormitory 20 minutes later. Put on the bed sheets and pillow casings and had a refreshing bath, intending to merely loll about till noon before beginning our hunt. But we accidentally dozed off.

It was a comical sight, us dropping off without warning, then waking up in a shock, afraid of being left alone, only to fall back assured upon finding everyone else dead asleep.

Forcefully dragged ourselves up 3 hours later. Still groggy but much bearable.

Bunks

Lockers

Bathroom and sink

Childish

Started trekking towards Swee Lee music shop/factory/warehouse after lunch. First MRT ride, which would have been the most wicked transportation I had ever taken if not for the treacherously lethargic machine. Especially when prying for our deposit.

Your card has been refunded (from previous user). Please wait.

Return deposit. *Click*

Please insert card.

Processing and analyzing card.

Refunding.

A coin pooped out.

SHEESH. Even a Malaysian bus would have arrived by the time I got my deposit.

Anyway, Audrey, Carmen and I just pried and poked around the place since they didn’t have any woodwind instrument/accessories nor did they sell viola (why was I even surprised?). Jia Wen, Rachel, Andrew and Kevin listed down a bass amplifier, a bass guitar, an electric guitar and a wah-wah effect between them.

That done, we headed towards Swee Lee number 2 in Bras Plaza. No viola there either. At least not one that was shrunk to 14¾ or 15 inches. Sad.

Mission accomplished, we exercised a little more and recharged at Raffle’s City’s food court. Ambled around before surrendering and going back to the hostel.

Carmen with her Mocha Mr. Bean

Icy CHOCOLATE Soya Bean (:

Audrey and Kevin. And that mega-sized Ice Lemon Tea available only in Singapore.

Our new friend!

With hands!

On a one-person-at-a-time escalator in Bras Plaza

Andrew, Jia Wen, Rachel and Kevin

Audrey, me and Carmen

Irresistibly cute gifts in Precious Thots

Some Korean dish

Unintentional pose. Was supposed to crop out my hand to fit the frame which was embedded on the wall in the food court

The couple

Day 2

First morning in Singapore. Woke up to the cold iron bars of the double-decker bed pressed against my forehead and the ceasing of the air-conditional. Spent seconds staring blankly at the alien cement floor before casting around for the others’ faces and thank God I did that. I didn’t need my first image of the day to be that hairy heaving chest of the man on the bunk facing mine.

A self-service breakfast of toast bread, tea/coffee and fruit and the marathon begun.

Planned to scout along Orchard Road but skies defied us. Stupid rain. So we retreated to Ion shopping mall’s Machines, some other random electronics shops and a couple of sports stores (to fulfill Jia Wen’s quest).

We continued on to Novena when the sun finally had the guts to shove the peeing clouds’ asses out of the way. Got directions from my aunt on getting to Sim Lim, the Singapore version of Lowyat, where Audrey made her first purchase: a jelly-shaped subwoofer twinned with a pair of speakers. Andrew called it the Mojojojo head.

Lunch at Burger King

The 3-storey tall escalator

Took a ride to measure how long it took to travel up and down

Holy crap.

The march back to Aljunied was like trying to wind up a rusted spring, our sore feet and thighs protesting in agony. Our batteries were literally drained. But it was worth it. My aunt and uncle treated us to our best meal there: white pepper- and chilli-flavoured massive Sri Lanka crabs, fried baby squids, steamed fish, those meaty brown Chinese mushroom, toufu and some dessert drink with soursop (I think there was one more dish but I just can’t seem to recall). OOH LA LA HEAVEN.

THANK YOU AH YI THANK YOU YI ZHANG (:

Burnt off a portion of the fats ingested with a stroll along the now-lit-up-in-a-kaleidoscope-of-colours Orchard Road. And out of the blue, Audrey, Rachel and I had a sugar rush. Yes you both did. Try and explain the crazed way we were hugging pillars with Taylor Lautner’s posters and racing against the escalator.

And the flow of adrenaline lasted us till 3am. As well as Carmen and Kevin. Like, WHOA.

P.S. I WANT WII!

The 4-storey tall Christmas Tree at Takashimaya

Me taking a photo of Rachel taking a photo of the gigantic Louis Vuitton bag

Her obsession

Blue blue Christmas Tweeeee

You better not shout,

You better not cry,

You better not pout,

I'm telling you why:

Santa Claus is coming to town.

It's raining glitter!

Long lost friend

Pressie!

Haagen Daaz Christmas tree!

Had us literally ROFL

Took a break at McD

Their 9 flavours of McFlurry compared to our pitiful 2

Day 3

My aunt’s brilliant plan led us girls to Tampines for a day of shopping and the guys to both Swee Lees to collect the guitars and amplifier.

I didn’t see what I like. I didn’t like what I see. ‘Nuff said.

There was one thing though. But judging from the perplex look on their faces, I supposed everyone was against me buying that snowy fur ball of a bunny. AHA.

Can I have it as my birthday present then (and don’t attempt to give me that ludicrous reason Lee Jia Wen Rachel Ng Audrey Then Chia Carmen)?

With our host, Justin

Cendol in a cup. Blek. I want my Malacca cendols.

The very first Maybank ATM we saw

Anyway, after meeting up in Bras Plaza with the guys, everything began to rush by so quickly it became a blur. Audrey, Carmen, Rachel and I did a desperate hurried shopping while the other 3 took a last minute trip to the factory. Then gathered back at Betel Box for a bath and takeaway dinner. And before we knew it, we were bidding Jordan and the place goodbye and divided and hopped onto 2 cabs to the train station, where we lingered till boarding time 30 minutes later.

*Groans* Another looooooong sleepless night. Even the card games and Andrew’s MUCH-APPRECIATED advices (and self-related stories) were just temporary entertainment.