Singapore — Week 1

I realized I could fill in some of my earlier travel notes. I will add more when I have time.

This series looks back on the weeks I spent at the NUS summer school.

It feels like a large project, but I should be able to finish it within four months.

6.28 — Arrival

The arrivals wall at Changi Airport.

The airport’s enormous waterfall.

My single room at Helix House was a very comfortable little space. It would have been perfect if the bed were slightly wider; having a room to myself was wonderful.

An old drinking fountain, usually with three taps for hot, cool, and ice-cold water. Singapore’s tap water is already potable, so perhaps the machine only filters it lightly and adjusts the temperature.

6.29 — Shopping and Holland Village

The program had not officially started, so I used these two days to explore and buy supplies.

The self-service shop beneath the dorm sold AD Calcium Milk, which I happily bought. Getting a local SIM for mobile data is much more convenient: this unmanned shop, for example, required a phone number to register, and I ran into some trouble getting inside.

I went to the nearest supermarket for supplies and spotted some familiar food.

Sitting on the upper deck of a double-decker bus.

Google Maps tracked the bus route quite accurately. You simply tap your transit card when boarding and alighting.

The supermarket was tiny…

After buying some daily necessities, I headed back. Beside this “supermarket” was a small market and a dollar-store-style shop.

6.30 — Into the City

There are many museums and similar attractions around the City Hall area.

St Andrew’s Cathedral

This is St Andrew’s Cathedral, with a strongly Gothic style.

National Gallery

Singapore’s National Gallery is nearby.

Here are some of the artworks; the collection seemed to focus mainly on Asian art.

A sketch with an unusual style.

A portrait by Xu Beihong.

The design on the Singapore dollar came from this painting.

The special exhibition Asian Artists in Paris.

A modern-art-like installation on the staircase.

Welcome Dinner

Before the program began, there was a dinner featuring speeches from the program leads and a buffet.

7.1-7.4

The first week of classes.

The School of Computing’s COM3 building has a newly opened canteen called TERRACE. I ate most of my meals either there or at the food court beneath Prince George’s Park.

Sichuan food.

Japanese food.

The red junglefowl, commonly seen in Singapore.

7.5

Fort Canning Park

Fort Canning Park sits on a hill. Singapore’s tropical rainforest climate means that it is filled with trees.

Quite a few local people were walking here.

At noon I found a nearby mall and ate at its food court.

National Museum

In the afternoon I visited Singapore’s National Museum.

A school building I saw on the way.

The museum did not contain all that much, perhaps because Singapore’s recorded national history is relatively short. A large share of the exhibits concerned people and objects brought south to Nanyang.

The presentation also seemed unexpectedly appreciative of aspects of the colonial period.

Guitar workshop

In the afternoon I found a second-hand guitar shop and looked around.

An entire wall of Fenders! They appeared to be production models, and many had been modified by their previous owners.

There were also many effects pedals and amplifiers.

Unfortunately I did not have the budget. I asked whether the owner had a Fender two-point tremolo bridge, but none was available.

There was another vintage shop in the neighboring mall, which I briefly viewed from outside.

The window displayed a ‘56 reissue Stratocaster. Apart from some dust, it seemed to be in excellent condition—but it was very expensive.

Shops devoted to used or vintage guitars now seem rare in China. Larger music stores may have a used section, but even those are uncommon. Ishibashi Music in Shanghai used to be well known, but it closed before I had a chance to visit. A new shop later opened under a different name, apparently focusing on Yamaha, which interested me less.

Marina Bay

Scenes from the walk toward Marina Bay.

This building may have been converted from a government building into a hotel.

The Merlion fountain.

The enormous Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay.

Marina Bay Sands as seen from the gardens.

Marina Bay’s beautiful evening sky—it looked even better in person.

Because Singapore’s National Day was approaching, a fireworks rehearsal was taking place over Marina Bay. I initially squeezed into the Apple Store to watch, but my phone could not capture it at all.

So I went back outside to watch.

The photos still turned out rather poorly.

There seemed to be fireworks every weekend I stayed in Singapore, continuing until National Day, and I heard that the later displays were even better. I also met a European couple who had settled here; they told me the lawn at Marina Bay offered a better view. My schedule did not allow me to return, however.

7.6-Santosa

A trip to Sentosa.

Sentosa is an island to the south. After taking the MRT to the nearby station, visitors can reach it by monorail, cable car, or on foot. I walked onto the island and left by cable car.

Harry Potter

The island has many entertainment attractions, most notably Universal Studios and the Harry Potter experience. Since Universal Studios did not appeal to me much, I chose Harry Potter instead.

Overall, it was an interactive themed experience. You carried a sensor-equipped wand and used it to interact with objects throughout the sets, which was quite fun.

The wand is shown below.

Pointing it at one of these sensor locations triggered an interaction. Unfortunately, the blog cannot currently display Live Photos.

Diagon Alley.

A crystal ball for divination.

The Chamber of Secrets.

Fantastic Beasts.

The gift shop at the end also sold rather expensive wands. I bought two cute Hedwig charms.

Around the Island

Afterward I wandered around the island. It has several beaches, but I had no plans to go out to sea, so I only walked on the sand.

The island has another cable-car line separate from the one connecting it to the mainland. The two routes intersect roughly in a T shape. It may be worth considering for an aerial view or island transport, though the value for money did not seem especially good. These are views from the island line.

I had wanted to ride the Skyline Luge, but tickets were sold out. A gravity racer in Jeju later made up for that disappointment.

The highlight was the cable car at night. The ticket apparently covered a round trip, so I first left the island by monorail and then rode the cable car around the full loop.

The harbor was stunning at night. I also met a talkative Western couple, apparently programmers who had moved from Europe for work. They encouraged me to learn Rust and consider working in Singapore.

And this was my dinner: ramen with a pork cutlet.