shopping in singapore

A wiseacre (or was it a wise man?) once said, "There are only three seasons in Singapore: hot, hotter, and shopping." For most people who visit SG, this is true. But as my friends and family know, I'm not much of a shopper, preferring to spend my moolah on stuffing my face. There are some things, however, that I consider must-buys in Singapore because these items just aren't available here in the Third World.

To those of you who have wandered onto this page, all excited because of the keyword "shopping", let me apologize to you right away. This is probably not what you had in mind.

My usual first stop is Watsons. Yez, we have Watsons stores here, but we don't have Panadol. Why is that? Panadol is the most useful and effective pharmaceutical product in the universe.

Hoarding different types of Panadol. Extend (SGD 5.25), extra strength (SGD 5.20) and cough+cold (SGD 7.80).

Steph (silent H) introduced me to this variant of Halls. Better than Valda or Fisherman's Friend. Haven't pitted it against Altoids yet, though.

Halls extra strong candy (SGD 0.80). Make sure it's the black one.

When I was in high school, everyone used Biore to wash his or her face. And then suddenly it disappeared from the Philippine market, leaving a generation of pubescent acne-riddled youth despondent and desperate.

Biore facial foam (SGD 7.10), Biore marshmallow whip facial wash refill pack (SGD 10.90), and Eric Favre Beauty Hair color creme (SGD 34.90).

I bought the hair color because the salesman was so convincing, or maybe I'm just a sucker. I'm planning to try it out in a couple of weeks. I hope it doesn't make me go bald.

The Toblerone was on sale at Watsons, woohoo!

Toblerone fruit & nut (SGD 3 for 2). I can never resist discounted chocolates.

I was intrigued by this anti-perspirant. What does it mean: "So effective, one application will work 3-5 days"? To test this claim, I suppose you have to avoid washing your armpits. Hmm... must look for a guinea pig.

Perspirex roll-on (SGD 25). Any volunteers out there?

The Cold Storage supermarket in the basement of Takashimaya is one of my favorite places in Singapore. I suppose there are cheaper options out there, like Fairprice. But I've gotten used to it and I know where everything is.

Different flavors of Yakult (SGD 3.05 for a pack of 5). We only have one flavor here, so boring.

Bliss Hotel in Chinatown provides this brand of instant coffee in their rooms. We were pleasantly surprised by how yummy it was. So happy that it was available at Cold Storage.

Super Coffee 3-in-1 regular (SGD 5.40) and reduced sugar (SGD 5.20). Rich and creamy, despite being low-fat.

I chose this brand of milk tea because it promised foam.

Owl's teh tarik (SGD 4.30). Not foamy at all, boo!

They didn't have the cutesy Japanese variants of KitKat, but I was quite satisfied with these two flavors.

KitKat dark (SGD 4.50) and KitKat orange (SGD 6.15). The orange one is really, really good. I should have bought more.

Still in the basement of Takashimaya, I bought a gift for my good friend, Kaleidosflora. I didn't get to taste it, but here is a nice write-up about it.

A baumkuchen, meaning "tree cake", from Juchheim (SGD 9.80). It's a Japanese company, actually.

Speaking of gifts, I had to bring home some bak kwa for the parents. I normally buy Bee Cheng Hiang in the malls or at the airport, but this time I spent three nights in Chinatown and took the opportunity to visit Lim Chee Guan's original store along New Bridge Road. During Chinese New Year, locals would line up for hours just to buy this brand of bak kwa.

I spent over SGD 50 here. I bought three packs of sliced pork jerky and two of pork floss.

While walking through Raffles Link to get to the MRT, I bought a small bag of Garrett's popcorn because it smelled so good. And because there was a queue.

Garrett caramel popcorn (SGD 5 for the smallest bag). Still fresh and crunchy almost a week later. 

Love the packaging. "To me, from me."

Another place which had a long queue? Paris Baguette at Wisma Atria on Orchard Road.

People were going nuts at Paris Baguette Café, one of Korea's most successful exports. Besides K-pop, of course. 

Royal pudding original flavor (SGD 4). Disappointingly meh. I'd rather eat a creme brulée instead. Or a leche flan.

A very practical insulated bag with an ice pack inside, for take-away.

On my last day, I spent almost an hour at Kinokuniya and ended up buying just one book. Imported books aren't taxed in the Philippines, making them cheaper than anywhere else. Still, I can't walk out of a bookstore, any bookstore, empty-handed.

"The Apple Revolution" by Luke Dormehl (SGD 22.50). I admit I'm a member of the cult of Steve Jobs.

As a final indulgence, I bought myself a bottle of wine at Changi Airport Duty Free. I'm saving it for a special occasion. Or not.

Baron de Rothschild Lafite Bordeaux 2011 (SGD 47). Something to look forward to.