Far Far Away

The Castle of Far Far Away

And so, just like that, Justin’s back at school in Singapore. This is a crucial semester for him. Hope he does well. Singapore parents (and people in general, I think) are bonkers over studies. There’re scores of tuition centres all over the city-state. When I went to Singapore to drop Justin off on his first year, I visited a mall in the city (I forgot the name), which was just teeming with tuition centres, for whatever thing you can think of, languages, music, art, science, maths, computing… You name it. (But psst, I later found out that they DON’T have tuition for Justin’s type of syllabus of the Chinese Language, Chinese Language B or CLB which is Chinese aimed at foreign students, strange huh?) And there’re signs inside that mall, prohibiting people (hint: parents) from waiting at specific locations in front of the tuition centres, so as not to block the mall’s corridors. That’s Singapore for you.

Talking about CLB, Singapore is just obsessed with abbreviations, and they expect people, including people who aren’t clearly Singaporeans, to understand it. Just try reading a school letter, and you’ll crack your head trying to guess what a CCA, or a CAS, or an OP or an IP is? WTF!

Justin’s Singaporean cousin, Stacey just so happens to also be studying like crazy this year. It’s her last year at primary school. She’s gotta do well to get into a good secondary school. That’s the dog-eat-dog world life in Singapore…

Anyway, not all Singapore’s like that. There’re still some places that are fun (and expensive). Since I’m on theme park mode in my last couple of posts, here’s another, Universal Studios in Singapore which we visited in 2022. This was actually our second visit. Our first was in 2011 when Justin was just a tiny tot, and Jayden’s not even in our imagination. Here we go. One for the kids!


Welcome to Universal Studios, Singapore. That contraption on the left is the Battlestar Galactica ride, where you can choose to be Human, or Cylon. Cylon is the cooler one, where your legs dangle out from an inverted roller coaster (i.e. where the rails are above your head). Human is the conventional roller coaster, but still friggin fast, with drops and friggin loops. Aaaaaaahhhhh!


There, that’s the Human Ride in Battlestar Galactica!


Hail! Optimus Prime! There’s a Transformer Ride, which only Jayden and Mommy went on, while the ‘bigger’ kids, Justin, Stacey, and yours truly, ahem, were on the Battlestar Galactica rides


What’s happening? Aren’t those creepy scarab beetles the ones that devour everything in its path in the Mummy Movie? The Treasure Hunters, another ride for Jayden and Anu


Enter the temple if you dare! Revenge of the Mummy is an indoor high-speed roller coaster in the darkness. It’s my favourite ride in Universal Studios! In 2011 and 2022. The first time I went in 2011, with Amrita, Anu’s sister, I didn’t even know it was a roller coaster. I thought it was some horror house, because we had to go thru a long, gloomy, sinister path (like in the photo below). Right after the ride, I convinced Anu to try it, and she did! Then she swore that she’d never go on a roller coaster ride ever again. Until 2022, hehe


The path to the Revenge of the Mummy. This time we all went, including Jayden and Anu. (Yes, Anu. Surprised?). Except Jason (Stacey’s Dad). Anu figured that maybe she’d have conquered her fears by then, after so many years. She didn’t. This time she swore never, EVER, to go on another roller coaster…


We’re in Jurassic Park! Click on this link to see the 2011 photos of Jurassic Park and the Mummy’s Temple


Hey, a stegosaurus! On your right


The Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure. Get ready to get wet!


Welcome to Far Far Away


Fancy a ride up the beanstalk?


Say Hi to the kids before we sign off! Universal Studios, Singapore, Jul 2022