Colour me jealous!
I was there in January, stayed with some Chinese friends. As always, enjoyed a special meal prepared by her Mom. We are so not worthy!
If you don’t like shopping or eating, check out the zoo, it’s one of the best kept in SE Asia. The Bird park is worth seeing, and there are a couple of great museums if you like that kind of thing. If it’s weirdness you’re wanting do visit Har Paw Villa, but it can be very hot there, better for a cloudy day.
Get the fried noodles. Everywhere else they are called Singapore Fried Noodles. ha ha, I’ll be here all week, folks.
hope your daughter feels better.
Have you picked up the Singapore Pass? We did, and it pays for itself. You can get it at the tourism office on Orchard Road or just go to Suntec Center where the bus tours start and get it there. The bus tours are relaxing – double-decker and so air-con down below if you’re wanting that. Includes the goofy amphibious Duck Tour, which was fun, and a river cruise on the Singapore River. That might cool you off. Includes entrance fees to quite a few museums. Recommended.
We did some great walking tours of little India and WWII sites. It sounds like maybe your daughter’s bug is affecting how much you get to see the city.
Balestier is probably not the right place to be if you’re a first time tourist, IMO. How did you end up there?
It is, however, a bit of a foodie paradise. Not that it’ll help you, but the bak kut teh in the area draws CROWDS. HungryGoWhere: Food Reviews, Trends, and New Places in Singapore
What kind of things do you like? Museums? Might be good to get out of the heat by visiting the Asian Civilisations Museum, if that’s your thing. It’s right by the mouth of the Singapore river, across the bay from Marina Bay Sands (which features lazer shows at night). We’re running up to national day celebrations, so you get to see fireworks displays on saturdays as well. Evening stroll along the Singapore River is a very touristy thing to do, you get to see the Merlion, etc.
I’d say we’re rather nice for the region of the world we’re in, actually… 
This sounds like a chinese restaurant. It’s a holdover from “napkin service”, same as “tea service”. It’s like a cover charge, basically.
That’s not true. However, when taking your driver’s licence, everyone is taught how to reverse park, whereas parking head in is not taught/tested. So most people go with what they know. I actually find it rather difficult to park head first.
Sounds like chinese tea? It’s not uncommon in chinese restaurants.
I don’t know you! Why are you looking at me!
It being Singapore, I’d be ready to suspect that being fat was a capital offence. Much of what I hear about Singapore, I find off-putting: it seems to be run in a Draconian way, with a whole host of things (some truly trivial) forbidden, with harsh punishments for them. I’m far from being a hippie; but feel that Singapore would give me the creeps, and I would not want to go there. A high degree of order and safety, but at what a price…
I go to Singapore constantly for medical and other reasons. As much as I love Indonesia (where I live now), it is a breath of fresh air by comparison.
Food in Singapore is hands-down the best ever. If you don’t want to go all chi-chi and make reservations at a place like Chijmes, then walk into just about any low-key restaurant you can see from the street, and plop yerself down.Hard to imagine your experience won’t be exceptionally tasty, unless you do something dumb like choose Hooters (Clark Quay) or McDonalds (various locations).
Sentosa is expensive but pretty cool, if you have the sense to pick out the good attractions like the aquarium, and go there by cable car.
The zoo? Extraordinary, especially if you have little kids in tow.
Jurong Bird Park? Well, maybe not worth repeated visits, but one or two, sure. The science museum? Weeelllll…the upkeep could be better, but it still rivals anything I’ve seen in the continental US. The botanical gardens? Excellent, and huge enough to be worth more than one visit just to see it all.
Singapore’s national museum? WOW. I have learned so much by my repeated visits there, especially by attending the interesting lectures that are often held.
I don’t know what your beef is with Singapore. I cherish every moment I spend there. And I have no idea what you are complaining about in terms of congestion. Take public transit or a readily available taxi (with no tipping for drivers, and you can pay credit card - talk about easy). Nightmares are New York City, Houston, Boston, or even Washington DC. Not Singapore.
Regardless of that image, which a lot of people who have never been there do get, the wife and I find it a very relaxing place. We’ve never seen anyone being beaten in the street by police or anything like that. But if you don’t think Singapore is for you, you might not care for Asia as a whole.
Yeah, I’m always amazed how few pice I see there. Mostly the general public seems to keep an eye out. I saw a guy litter and three people started giving him shit at once.
I’ve been to India, and to China (PRC) – liked both, in a “chalk-and-cheese” way. China being (supposedly) of the Communist persuasion, I’d expected as “going with the territory”, regimentation and strictly-enforced rules and regulations. In the event, I found China in some ways, surprisingly and pleasingly anarchic.
There clearly are, as per this thread, a fair number of positive aspects to Singapore.
My wife wanted to save money, so she booked us in a cheap hotel. The rooms are incredibly small, and it’s a 20 minute walk to the nearest MRT.
Yesterday we went to Gardens by the Bay and the mall at Marina Bay Sands. It was quite amazing, I must admit.
I’ve tried to enjoy myself here, but I just can’t seem to do it. I know I sound like a brat, but this place just isn’t for me. Singapore is basically one big shopping mall. I guess I’m a bit unusual – I hate shopping, I hate cities, I hate crowds, I hate touristy stuff, I don’t care for museums, etc. I just want to be home working in my barn.
I also think part of the problem is my mother-in-law. She’s a bit of a control freak, and we go only where she wants to go and eat only where she wants to eat. The rest of us are passively tagging along, day after day. I told my wife yesterday, “I was thinking about taking our middle daughter to the Hard Rock Cafe tomorrow for dinner. But I don’t want to upset your mother.” (She’s Chinese. Her mother only likes Chinese food, and we eat at the same place every day.) Perhaps I would have a better attitude if I could decide where to go.
In all fairness, it is an amazing place in many respects. I’m an engineer, and the civil engineering feats they’ve pulled off are quite amazing. The subway system (MRT) is unbelievable.
But I still want to go home. 
This place isn’t for me. Am counting down the hours.
The Hard Rock Cafe isn’t bad, actually. My favorite thing on the menu is actually the chilli crab. yes, Hard Rock Cafe Singapore has chilli crab, and it’s pretty good!
Sorry to hear about your experience, but if you don’t like cities, well, that’s what Singapore is , basically. 
if you have any freedom left, you could try macrichie nature reserve, it’s a nature trail around a water reservoir, not crowded and lots of nature. The jungle trails in the botanic gardens might be good too.
Cheap (for Singapore) cocktails too. OK, reasonably priced cocktails for Singapore.
It is a fine city, but 'tis no barn.
I really think you need to find the aforementioned Brewerkz on the riverside and quaff a few of those cheap(-ish) afternoon beers for an attitude adjustment.
Would *love *to, but I think it would upset my (control freak) mother-in-law.
You could push the old broad into the river. 
Have certainly thought about it.
Dun do that - you will get arrested for
a) Littering
b) Murder has mandatory death penalty
On fatness and Singapore - being fat is a HUGE sin here…
My 10 year old had to go visit the hospital for being dangerously overweight, and get a letter to be cleared for physical activity.
The school made the appt without notifying, advising or checking with us first (I thought it was a dental appt)
How heavy is she? 48 kg, at 1.3m
Her activities
a) weekly swimming lesson - 90 min
b) Twice a week Wushu lesson (she is in the school team) - 90 min each time
c) Weekly TKD lesson - 90 min
d) School PE - 2 hours a week
Then I take her jogging when we have the chance - once or twice a week, four km each time