Entry 2: The Land of the Odd Mythical Creature

Song of the Moment: Get There by Boa

The moment I saw the odd-looking cartoon on the 5-min film, I couldn’t help but chuckle. 

I was at the Merlion attraction of Sentosa yesterday; it was basically an airconditioned room for those who have been walking under the sun for too long that includes a five-minute clip that explains why Singapore’s national, uhm, creature is the Merlion. The lion image is derived from the story that the young prince who discovered a mysterious island encountered a lion upon setting foot on the shore. And they had an eye-to-eye moment. And soon, there was mutual respect. 

Hmmm. 

And then the “Mer” part comes from the nation’s tribute to the sea --- remembering how the sea has been their source of livelihood in the early years. Put them together, you have a fierce lion head with a graceful fish-like body.

Hmm.

Whatever oddities that can be observed, Singapore still ranks number one on my ridiculously organized places list. It’s that place that puts signs like “Steep Road in ____ Meters, Get Off [Your Bicycle] Now.” Or has time indicators for everything (e.g. bus arrivals, MRT arrivals, road traffic). Or has everything plotted out for the inexperienced traveler. It’s the best place to test drive my “surviving alone” skills, because, well, I’ve been fairly spoiled by an overly OC country that is probably so close to thinking for you. The city’s alive and I could have sworn I was being watched all the time (apart from Bangladesh immigrants who weren’t taught that it’s rude to stare).    

Anyway, the theme of the Singapore leg was: “How To Get Muscle Pain”. A great part of the trip was spent walking and taking the MRT and climbing stairs and walking some more. In a nutshell, I spent my time eating local street food around Bugis, got lost in Chinatown, had a Singapore Sling at Clarke Quay, walked along the Orchard Road and Novena, took the Sentosa Express for beach & garden photos, scaled VivoCity and Plaza Singapura, tinkered with every video clip at the National Museum and finally rode the Singapore Flyer with Kat and Carl. I will post the photos on Multiply soon.. And you’ll see Little Enzo walking quite the stretch.

Let’s just say that when I woke up this morning, I had to give myself a full blown foot and leg massage to lessen the pain. I promised myself I won’t do a lot of walking in Kuala Lumpur, but we’ll see about that.