Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Singapore 2016 (Nov)

First Coach Bus - Subang Parade, Subang Jaya, > Star Vista, Singapore
Malaysia-Singapore Causeway - 2nd Link in Tuas
Homestay in cousin Sung's Apartment at Faber Crest
Cousin Hoe's wake at Ang Mo Kio's HDB Condominium

" He was such a great soul. A great personality. May his eternal soul rest in peace. My heartfelt condolences are with you & your family. Stay strong "

" It is hard to forget someone who gave you so much to remember. Rest in peace, cousin Hoe "

" Our thoughts & prayers are with you "

" My 3 days overland bus trip (First Coach) from Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia to Singapore (12-14/11/2016) - attending cousin brother Chow Keen Hoe's wake & funeral at Ang Mo Kio, Singapore & together with my wife visited Gardens by the Bay, Orchard Road & Changi airport "

My beloved cousin brother, Chow Keen Hoe passed away at a local hospital in Singapore last Thursday (10/11/2016). After receiving the news from cousin Sung, my wife & myself took a bus trip to Singapore and attended his wake & funeral in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore during the weekend (12-13/11/2016).

On that weekend, I had cancelled two of my commitments with my friends in Klang Valley ie an annual badminton dinner at a restaurant in Sunway Pyramid shopping mall on Saturday night (12/11/2016) & a short overnight visit (Sunday & Monday) to Melaka, an UNESCO world heritage site in central Peninsula Malaysia (13-14/11/2016). 

After the Sunday's funeral (13/11/2016) and with the guidance of a MRT map, I took my wife to visit the Gardens by the Bay & Orchard Road for the whole of the Sunday afternoon. On Sunday night and after a delicious dim sum dinner at Tunglok Teahouse in Far East Square, cousin Sung drove us to Changi Airport Terminal 1 to send off her elder daughter who was flying to London to further her post graduate study in urban city planning course in Cardiff, Wales. 

One has to realize that LIFE is available only in the present moment. Sometimes you will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory ! 



Total costs incurred (3 days) : Rm189 (US$44.50)

Bus (First Coach) : Rm140=US$32.55=S$45 (Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia > Star Vista Mall, Singapore return)
Food & grocery: S$9.40
MRT city trains: S$6.40
Homestay (2 nights): hosted by cousin Sung at his own apartment in Faber Crest, Clementi
Lunch & Dinner: buffet lunch & dinner at cousin Hoe's wake & a dim sum dinner hosted by cousin Sung's family members
Exchange Rates: US$1-Rm4.25; S$1=Rm3.10

Travel itinerary: Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia > Clementi, Singapore > Subang Jaya, Malaysia (700km)

Gardens by the Bay


Orchard Road


Marina Bay Sands


Changi Airport Terminal 1



Get-together dinner with my cousin Sung's family members in a Singapore restaurant - one for the album 


Singapore 2016 (Nov) - Day 1


Day 1 - departs Subang Parade, Subang Jaya (07.45) arrives Star Vista Mall - 1, Vista Exchange Green, Singapore 14.30 (near Bouna Vista MRT station - Bus ticket Rm140 return ) . Subang Jaya town is approximately 19km from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia


A 20 minutes stop at PLUS's Pagoh Rest & Recreation area after an approximate 3 hrs drive - 2 hrs from Johor Bahru (154km)


A new tourist attraction in Johor Bahru

Malaysia - Singapore 2nd Causeway Link at Tuas - arrived 12.35


Singapore Immigration Check Point - as our arrival coincided over a weekend filled with bus loads of day trippers & tourists, immigration clearance took almost an hour - so be patience ! Our first immigration clearance at the Malaysia end was surprising fast & without any undue delay ! Upon our return trip from Singapore to Malaysia, immigration clearance on both sides were fast & efficient. 


Arrival at Star Vista Mall, First Coach's Terminal, Singapore (14.30) - 10 mins walk to Buona Vista MRT station

Star Vista Mall

A Malaysian style eatery outlet
at Star Vista Shopping mall


A quick lunch in Clementi Shopping Mall

S$3.80 for a bowl of
fish fillet rice vermicelli

Homestay (2 nights) in cousin Sung's residence at Faber Crest, Clementi, Singapore

Nice & cozy bedroom for our slumber
Cousin Sung's family members
love travelling

Singapore 2016 (Nov) - Day 2 (Part 1)

Day 2 - Attending cousin Hoe's wake at HDB condo, Ang Mo Kio, Singapore. Cousin Hoe passed away at a Singapore hospital on Thursday morning 10th November 2016 after stricken with cancer since April 2016. I was not ready to say goodbye to cousin Hoe as he was only aged 62 and had a loving family ... Too sadden to hear of his sudden death when cousin Sung broke the news to me last Wednesday ! Though cousin Hoe has gone but never forgotten by all his family members & cousin brothers & sister in Singapore & Malaysia ! May his soul rest in peace . 

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Ang Mo Kio Map, Singapore



A visit to cousin Hoe's family residence in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore






Ang Mo Kio 3G Centre (near MRT station)


Ang Mo Kio MRT > Bayfront MRT station (S$2.30)


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Gardens By The Bay - admission to the outdoor gardens and Children's Garden at Bay South is free, while charges apply to the Cooled Conservatories (Flower Dome & Cloud Forest) & OCBC Skyway. Foreign visitor's admission ticket to 2 conservatories is S$28 & OCBC Skyway is S$8. Internal shuttle bus service S$3 for unlimited rides all day but I chose to walk !
























Marina Bay Sands Hotel as viewed from the Gardens by the Bay





Bayfront MRT > Orchard MRT (S$1.80) - Orchard Road, A Great Street of Singapore. Christmas is coming ! A great delight to see Christmas decorations & lighting in Orchard Road by day & night - simply fabulous ! A great place for foreign maids to meet & hang out on a bright & sunny Sunday - their off day !



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MRT Orchard > MRT Clementi (S$2.30) > Faber Crest (free shuttle bus service from Clementi shopping center to Faber Crest - I hr interval during the weekends & 30 minutes during the week days, last bus service is at 19.00)