Went to Sentosa, came back with nothing.

There goes my weekend, in another blur of activities. The wife and me went to Sentosa, well, it was more of me hell-bent on going while she having had no choice or say in the matter, simply tagged along. Well, I starterd the day very early, washed the car and cleaned the house, while my wife cooked up breakfast and lunch, knowing we would be spending lunch at Sentosa.

It was supposed to be a meetup of the car club, of which I am a member, and a grand one at that. There was this marquee event for car enthusiasts, featuring a drifting competition, some booths and a movie screening ofThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. So, at around 10am we left the house and made our way there, all the while imagining in my mind what to expect. On reaching the island, after paying the $6.00 entrance fee, ouch!!, we proceeded to the wrong carpark. Only after a flurry of phone calls was I able to make my way to the right place.

What I came upon sank my heart.

While I did expect the car drifting competition to be held in the sun, what I didn't expect were the spectators were also standing in the hot sun. While I expected there to be booths all lined up with a carnival-like atmosphere with fun and games, what I got was 20 or so booths, mostly automotive in nature (it is a car enthusiasts event after all), with a smattering of booths hawking ladies accesories, all with a distinct lethargy in hawking their wares. Well, maybe with the exception of the Pioneer booth, there was an air of disinterest in the whole event. Disappointed was a feeling my friends and me shared.

After 1 hour, I decided to make full use of my time in Sentosa, having not visited the place in years, plus I had set aside $100 for some fun. So, off we - we being my wife and me - went to explore what changes has been taking place on the island. First, we tried Cinemania, at $25 for 2 to enter for all of 15 mins spent strapped to a chair going thru the so-called adventure. Damn, I got ripped off. Then, we went to the Orchid Garden, nothing much but, what else, orchids. Next, we went to Imbiah Lookout, where we were greeted by heavy rain.

Now, I know where's the new Carlsberg Sky Tower and the Sentosa Luge & Skybridge. Well, I'm ignorant about Sentosa, or choose to be. Being the big boy that I am, I wanted to try both the Sky Tower and the Luge, but darling wifey managed to convince me otherwise. In the end, I could only look on as those happy people queued for their turns. Well, at $10pax for the Sky Tower, I guess, missing it wouldn't be such a bad thing, but missing the Luge and Skybridge which would have set me back only $8pax was a travesty. In truth, she had left her "bravery scarf" at home, so walks on the wild side were out for the day.

Being the mountain tortoise that I am when it concerns local attractions, I had also wanted to go to the Underwater World. Could you believe it? I'm 29 and have yet to visit the Underwater World and the Night Safari. Then again, at $19.50pax, I could come back another time. In the midst of much haggling over where to go next, my wife said something to me which did make some sense. The reason why we were reluctant to part with our cash to visit local attractions is because we are not in a holiday mood. I mean, she's right, had we been elsewhere, we'd have no qualms splashing the cash.

I mean, we were at Langkawi for our honeymoon, and I remember visiting the Underwater World there and, though it was such a disappointment, I didn't come out feeling as empty as I would have had it been a local attraction. I mean walking around the complex, gawking at fishes in tanks and not their natural environment was not exactly what I envisioned the Underwater World to be. Same goes for the Sky Tower. While I would have paid for entry into the KL Towers, I'd have second thoughts at paying to look at familiar surroundings, albeit from a different angle. I'd have a great view from Mount Faber for free.

All said and done, at least we had a nice finish to the crappy day at Sentosa - dinner at Delifrance Bistro, courtesy of my leftover budget.