Hong Kong Phooey! Day 1: Mingle by the Park

It was The Trip of Many Hassles: hotel bookings, flight schedule coordination (Z did not have tickets 2 weeks prior to our scheduled trip), and itinerary planning (what the hell are we going to do there?). But I was glad that my friend Z and I took Hong Kong Phooey by storm!

It was my first time, and I really wished Hong Kong and I didn't meet in such circumstances: I was under a budget, I had to take unnecessary leaves from work, and lodging, for the first time in my seafaring adventures this year, is on me. No friends abroad to provide shelter (just a round of good drinks and tapas) this time. Z and I were literally left on our own devices coupled with mad researching skillz.

Good thing our VAIOs led us to this quaint boutique hotel called Mingle by the Park. Okay, okay. It sounded funny when I had to say Mingle by the Park to friends, to my parents, to the immigration officer, etc., when asked where in Hong Kong we are going to spend our nights, but Mingle provided more than we asked for.

Maraisms on the Web

Just like my Twitter description said, Oversharing since 2011, my oversharing tendencies were heightened when I got an iPhone 4 two weeks before the iPhone 4S was released (I regret nothing!). The minute I unboxed my unit, I downloaded all the Social Sharing apps imaginable.

Behold:

I now understand why people are so addicted to their iPhones. For a week or so, it became an extra appendage; it's practically an extension of my arm. BUT I'm not here to talk about my iPhone.
 
Not that my ego is bloated enough to think that 77 readers translate to 77 friends stalkers friends, but let's all stop pretending and let's admit that we like snoopin' on each other's muffin.

As a sort of reintroduction to anyone who just got here, and in celebration of Maraisms.com's first birthday (yay!), here's where I'm up and about on the Internet. Be warned though that having an iPhone made me a social networking site fiend! Name it and I'm on it. Here are several ways to get to know me without buying me dinner.

Let's keep in touch if you're up for it.

#KumuCulturalInSingapore2011: Strictly Pancakes

Has it really been 4 months?

Yikes!

Indeed. As much as I don't want to do a repeat of March, more important things have happened. I am, at the very least, a part-time blogger (and lover undercover. Hrhr).

Anyhoo, a loooot of time has passed (and I have admittedly been back to Singapore for the Great Singapore Sale), but I still have a lot to share for my #KumuCulturalInSingapore2011 series. So here goes.

Meet Zhorai.

Contrary to popular belief, Zhorai is not a grumpy Ex-pat living in Singapore.

She's just an Ex-pat living in Singapore who doesn't like their local food.

Gasps! You might say. Someone can actually dislike Singaporean food?

You see, Zhorai is a picky eater.

Doesn't like spices. Not even curry.

Which eliminates all basic Singaporean food groups in the menu - Malay, Indian, Thai.

So what is left for Zhorai to eat than Chinese cuisine? Which we all can agree gets to be a tad boring when eaten repeatedly for months on end.

So what is a good friend to do when she drops by Singapore?

Bring her to Singapore's first dedicated pancake cafe, Strictly Pancakes, that's what!

#KumuCulturalInSingapore2011: The MINT Museum of Toys

I'd like to believe that my recent trips to Singapore were entirely made possible by the Internet. For one, I bought my tickets online. Who doesn't anyway nowadays?

Then, to get around, I totally (like to'lly) GoThere.SG-ed my route and commuting tracks (I only missed my stop once!).

And then I Google-ed all the malls I have to hit once I got there. I developed a new skill and gained fake notoriety for being the Singapore Bargain Shopper (self-imposed title) overnight that I even wrote an article about it.

But more than surfing the Web for shopping ideas and good deals, my best find on the internet was not an item to purchase but a destination. And in theme with my #KumuCulturalInSingapore2011, I decided to hit museums this time around. I'm really not interested in art or history museums, so after some researchin' around the Web, I decided to go to The Moment of Imagination and Nostalgia with Toys (MINT) Museum.

Holy Tan, Batman!

(The rest of the entry is image heavy. But who's still on dial up anyway?)

#KumuCulturalInSingapore2011 Day 1: Disney's Lion King The Musical

My first, 70% of my second, and probably 100% of my third trip to Singapore are ALL ABOUT shopping. Sure, sure. Culturally uptight hipsters might think that I am such a product of consumerism to even fall to the trap of Singapore shopping. BUT I won't apologize for it. Still, it felt like I was missing out on some of sights and sounds of the city, so I decided to make part of my second Singapore trip into a cultural one.

My first time! Mark of a Singapore newbie: Forever 21 cardigan, Cotton On spaghetti straps top, Charles and Keith bag (ALL BOUGHT ON SALE), and a photo at the most touristy spot you can imagine (next to the Merlion, which I am puzzled to say that I haven't got a picture of yet).

And with this shopaholic, culture means watching a musical. Not even a local Chinese opera but a big Hollywood production. LOL. Baby steps, guys. Baby steps.

So on my first day, after an exhausting shopping trip (and missing my bus stop once!), my own   #KumuCulturalInSingapore2011 activity began. Here's how it happened, in the grand tradition of Twitter, 140 characters or less:

What am I talking about? Probably the most "cultural" thing I did while in Singapore was watch Disney's The Lion King Musical.

I really don't have pictures to show you aside from these