Hall-Reppens in Singapore: Visiting Chinatown and Meeting the Happiest Man in Singapore

I returned to Chinatown to look for gifts for people at home. I was especially looking for tea for my college students, as it is their beverage of choice. I was also looking for fans, because Singaporeans have shown the benefit of a good fan when fighting the hot and muggy weather. I found a store that sells boxed tea and tea drinks. Unfortunately, there were so many options, and many of the boxes were in Chinese only, so I could not make a choice. Luckily, the rest of my souvenir shopping went more smoothly.

After I finished shopping, I went down to the Chinatown MRT Station. A few weeks earlier, my electronic transit pass had stopped working. I knew I had about $12 on the card, so it wasn't lack of funds. When I had stopped at an MRT station earlier, they told me that I could get the balance put onto my card in 2 weeks. The balance had to be collected before the end of June, and I was getting ready to return to the States soon, so I needed to get the money put back on my card before I left. Once I located the correct window, the process went smoothly. As a bonus, I got to see a part of the Chinatown Station that I had never seen. I saw a really cool mural, so I took a picture of it to share.

I also needed to pick up a vacuum cleaner that my husband had received as a "Thank You Gift" for subscribing to the "Straits Times". My husband had told me that the vacuum was to be picked up at the Yue Hwa building, and this forced me to exit the Chinatown Station a different way than I had ever gone. As I was walking to the Yue Hwa Building, I passed a shop selling cards and gifts made by the disabled. With Mother's Day and Ollie's birthday approaching, I thought I might be able to find some unique cards and help the disabled. It would be a win/win. I love win/wins! I found some beautiful cross stitch cards and a beautiful Mother's Day card with pressed flowers on it. I was very tempted to buy some earrings made from Guinness Beer cans for my sister, but I had run out of cash, and they don't take NETS (debit). Hopefully I can get them another time.

The real highlight of this store, however, was the man who ran it. When he heard that I was from the United States, he started showing me his casino cards from different places, including New York and Las Vegas. Apparently he loves to gamble, but, more importantly, he loves life! After I paid, he pulled out a bag with tattered news clippings in it. In 2008, there was a contest to find the happiest person in Singapore, and he was nominated. I am not sure how many people were nominated in all, but he was among the final three when all their attributes were tallied. The other 2 people were women, and the judges told him that they couldn't name him, because it would make the women cry. He said he could cry, too! But he didn't cry. He was happy to come behind the 2 women, as that made him the happiest MAN in Singapore! He was delightful. I will be sure to visit him and the store again!!

I then went to Yue Hwa department store. This really did not look like the place to pick up a vacuum cleaner, but I was supposed to pick it up on the 6th floor, and the store did have 6 floors, so there was a possibility that this was the right place. Despite the fact that I'd been past the store at least 20 times, I'd never been inside. With Mother's Day approaching, there were some beautiful displays of gifts for her on the first 2 floors. But the real star of the shows was the vibrant glass block of the ceiling. On the fourth floor, there were candy and food options for sale. There was tea here, but the price was much higher than the tea in the Chinatown stalls. When I reached the 5th floor, I had to take an elevator to the 6th floor. The elevator doors were decorated with bamboo plants. I took some pictures, and then noticed that no pictures were allowed! Oh well...

When I finally reached the 6th floor, I spoke to a receptionist, who did not seem fluent in English. Sure enough, I was in the wrong building.. Not only that, but I was in the totally wrong neighborhood! A kind man told me where to catch a bus to get to the the right location. But I was hot, tired, penniless, and it looked as if it was going to rain, so I called it a day.