One Night Stand at Changi

Warning: It will be a quite a long post, and the time setting on this experience is mostly takes place at midnight, so make sure you have coffee beside you to keep you awake…yawn…see, I also want to sleep d…

Date: 10th May 2009 (Sunday)

10pm: Full moon shining brightly in the middle of the dark sky. Tonight, I’ll neither sleep comfortably in the house, nor going back to university to ‘kacau’ my friends and stay overnight in hostel.

Instead…

10.30-10.45pm: Exchange calls between me and Boon Pin & Teck Hong, who expected to depart from Pioneer MRT station around this time…me at Chinese Garden MRT.

10.50pm: Slight delay then, but still able to reach our destination on time…together with Boon Pin, Chee Seong and Teck Hong.

Where are we going?

As the title of this post mentioned…one night stand with Changi lu…

~11.50pm: Reached the destination…Changi Airport!!! Boon Pin would like to do contest submission which is due 12am. Using wireless@SG and get the password from our friend, somehow manage to submit on time. Actually Changi Airport has the wireless system and once you get online, just register and sign up yourself to get the login account with password to be sent to your handphone via SMS. 

Acting like a businessman...

Found luggage trolleys and unmanned counters around Terminal 3 (T3)…So, we weigh the luggage...to be 10+ kg. Realize that my school backpack weighs around 4.5kg…with camera, some stationeries and notes. If I include my 15.4” laptop + battery charger + mouse which I bring to university everyday, I could be 8-10kg heavier, hoho…

Teck Hong and Chee Seong are actually going to Yellowstone National Park for Work and Travel in USA for…3 months, if not wrong. Swine flu is spreading around US currently and from I heard from them, some participants had withdrawn themselves from the program, quite an unpredicted situation where they have paid deposits, air tickets and other fees months earlier, not sure can get refunds or not. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy working in US and take good care!

After 12am: Start ‘loitering’ around, as the flight is at 8.10am, Terminal 1…Go to Terminal 2 (T2) via Skytrain after received call from Yee Jian, who comes to Changi through cab. He’s going to US as well.

Enjoy supper (but actually more towards blowing water, except Boon Pin who says he still not having his dinner) at Burger King. Someone left whole set of meal on the table, perhaps rushing for next plane? Help to clear French fries…lol.

Boon Pin enjoying his dinner...


Another businessman...


Some uncles thought they are in the trading centre, see share market...

~1am: Proceed to McDonalds at Arrival level, T2. Looking for power sockets to maintain the power source of our lappies, but already blocked. Another reason we come to McD is that it has Internet-enabled computers. Make use the facilities to check mails, Facebook, news updates, read blogs, look for jobs, etc.

2am: Har…2am only a? Need 6 hours more to fly off from Singapore. Boon Pin types his internship report, Yee Jian online, Chee Seong with his friend in US, but somehow didn’t key in the IDD code, cost him finish his credit, aiseh…Teck Hong reads more about US, me browsing career guide book.

0810 hrs, China Airlines to US, 1 stop at Taipei

2.30am: Alone walk to the skytrain station, thought of taking a train to T3 to capture photos. Train comes, walk in and sit. At the same time, cleaners also go into the train capsule, start their cleaning jobs. One signals to me to move out the train. I sit aside, waiting………only then from the transparent window, I found that the train service is only available daily at 0500 to 0230 hrs…What I am waiting for? I thought 24-hrs tim.

Good night, skytrain...

Disappointingly, walk back to McD, capture photos along the way…sweat…









Changi Airport can be very quiet during wee hours.

3.00am: Don’t know do what, anything better than taking a nap or sleep? Sounds good, but fail after lying on table for 10-15 minutes. I slept in house noon just now. Walk around with Boon Pin, as he complains that seats around the airport are hard seats, quite uncomfortable to sleep…he needs to go for work 5 hours later.

3.30am: Chee Seong watching live NBA using McD’s free Internet service…midnight not much people using the service, so can use for slightly longer time. People around are either waiting for flights, night shift officers, or students doing revisions with friends. Yes, plenty of teenagers spend their night in fast food restaurants or café. Just wonder why not at home during wee hours, aren’t parents worried about them?

5am: Skytrain resumes operation. Go to explore T3 with Chee Seong, leaving Teck Hong who just happen to wake up and Yee Jian, Boon Pin who both are sleeping. 

Found that breakfast set by those franchised-oldtown kopitiam-kind shops in airport (hard-boiled egg with toasted bread and coffee/tea) can be very expensive: S$4.00+ per set! But found a food court at the basement level of T3 offering breakfast set at S$2.50. But can’t make it as they are departing from T1.

6am: Go back to McD to meet with others...

Still zzz...

Proceed to T1 via skytrain. Approach the China Airline counter for flight admission and baggage loading procedures. Met Adeline and her family. She will go to Yellowstone with Chee Seong them all as well.

6.30am: Thought that kopitiams not located at main floor level could be cheaper, but we’re wrong. No choice, settle ourselves at Changi Kopitiam for breakfast. Expensive breakfast with 4 thin pieces of toast bread, 2 hard-boiled eggs and a cup of Milo…S$4.70 ahhhhhh! Milo adds more 50 cents more than coffee / tea, blaming myself for not wearing spectacles before ordering, haaa… Quality is just so-so, my eggs are okay but my friends’ are not so ‘hard-boiled’; Milo milk powder not enough, causing the drink not 'pekat' or not concentrated enough.

7am – 7.30am: Phototakings among friends. Boon pin leaves earlier as he is going for work. Saying farewell with CS, TH, YJ and Adeline. Before leaving Changi, take some more photos first.

Before 8am: Done. Balik kampung.

9am: Home sweet home. Sleep dead then........................till 4pm.........zzzzzzzzzzzz...

-------------------------------------The End-----------------------------------------