Casino Wars: RW Sentosa vs Marina Bay Sands 2

This is a continuation of Part 1, this time it's about my visit to the other casino, the Marina Bay Sands.

We took the MRT to the Marina Bay station before continuing our journey by foot for about 15 minutes, with the distinctive looking towers in the distance acting as our guide. I can't help but marvel at the architecture of the building as I neared it.

The integrated resort itself was still very much a work in progress, construction was ongoing all around the place at a hectic pace. After a very enjoyable stroll aided by nice weather & gentle breeze, we arrived at the entrance of 'The Shoppes at Marina Bay'.

In front of it was a gigantic glass bowl with a hole in the middle, which I presumed is used to collect rain water. A not so subtle feng shui element incorporated into the design that I am sure needs no explanation.

Inside the partially completed shopping mall was a man made canal, where you can experience riding a sampan rowed by a real human. This certainly reminds me of the gondola ride in Venetian, Macau.

I read in a website that some of the sampan rowers are actually degree holders. Hmm...not easy to survive in Singapore even with a university's sand paper.

Other than that, the mall was filled with luxury brands that can only be afforded if you are really lucky at the gambling tables. Now talking about gambling, the casino is housed within the same building and has a much more discreet entrance when compared to Resorts World Sentosa.

Split into multiple levels, the interior of the casino was stunning with a very high end feel to it. They had workers pushing trolleys from table to table making coffee/tea for the gamblers. If you prefer something plain instead, they will happily hand you a bottle of Marina Bay mineral water.

Alas, we left without placing any bets again but not before grabbing 2 bottles of mineral water for good measure (kiasu-ness at work!).

Outside, we were finally able to witness the three towers up close. It's very hard trying to fit everything into a single frame, that's why we ended up taking many senget shots like the one below.

Another attraction at the Marina Bay Sands was the Helix Bridge, made to resemble the structure of a human DNA. We went back to the bridge again at night but unfortunately all the photos we took were blurry.

Well, this concludes my two part post about my experience at the 2 newly opened casinos in Singapore. Yes, I know it's a bit anti-climatic as I did not actually gamble but I just can't bring myself to do it after seeing this while eating at Maxwell Food Centre.

Exploring Resorts World Sentosa

Here are some of the photos we took while exploring the sprawling ground of Resorts World Sentosa.

Since our visit took place close to Singapore's National Day, the resort was decorated to mark the occasion. This board located not far away from the casino's entrance, displayed drawings by children celebrating the event.

Public art installations like this colourful butterfly can be found littered around the same area. Visitors can rest their tired legs, sitting on the bench while admiring such artworks.

At the Festive Walk area was this large fountain called the Lake of Dreams.

Here's another shot of the fountain from further away. Note the many pyramids incorporated into its design. Must be the work of the Illuminati again, blatantly hiding such images in public places! Not content with making Santa Claus Hari Raya ads on TV3, they had taken over Singapore as well.

I like how the surroundings were distorted & reflected on this gigantic sphere. Also, it gives new meaning to the phrase 'balls of steel'.

Situated further up was a reproduction of Auguste Rodin's famous sculpture, The Thinker. A man in serious thought sitting on a throne, with water gushing all around. Doesn't it reminds you of the toilet?

Look at the intricate patterns of the roof.

Inside one of the hotel's lobby (I had forgotten which one), we found this cute sculpture entitled 'Adam & Eve'. I think this is what Adam & Eve will end up looking like if the Garden of Eden was in America and they spend their time gorging on hamburgers instead of apples.

The posh shopping area connecting the hotels.

In front of the hotel lobby, we saw this majestic Rolls Royce Phantom. I have yet to see one in Malaysia. Unfortunately, the only person able to afford this, our Agong prefers to ride in a Maybach.

Following the signages, we arrived at the beautifully landscaped pool of Hard Rock Hotel. Many hotel guests were seen frolicking at the man made beach.

I particularly liked this private little corner where you can soak yourself in peace, away from the screaming kids.

Singaporean flags were hung from every balcony of the hotel, reminding me of similiar sights at the government flats in our country.

This being a Hard Rock Hotel, there was a wall dedicated to showcase memorabilia from the stars. I was excited to see two items from one of my favourite bands of all time, Oasis. First, a sparkle finish Dan Electro guitar owned & signed by Noel Gallagher.

And an autographed Manchester City jersey by Noel as well. Too bad he supported the wrong side of Manchester though.

Away from the hotel, this is the grand entrance into Universal Studios Singapore. We actually went there a day early to purchase our tickets, as we heard they were sometimes sold out during peak days.

We also spotted this. What? Resorts World Singapore closing down already?

Casino Wars: RW Sentosa vs Marina Bay Sands

There aren't many things that Singapore can claim to be better than Malaysia. With the recent opening of 2 casinos however, Singaporeans can now boast of having an extra casino than us. I did not miss the opportunity to visit both while I was there, strictly for research purposes of course.

We visited Resorts World Sentosa first, by taking the RW8 bus from Vivo City. It took us directly to the entrance, the word 'CASINO' in big & shiny capital letters hanged atop it. This is a proper entrance alright...no need to keep it hidden at the top floor like in Genting Highlands.

The entrance is divided into Singaporean & non-Singaporean sections. A very stern looking Chinese man stood in front it to check the passports of every tourist wanting to enter. He gave mine a long hard look before letting me in. This procedure is definitely less embarrassing than getting pull over by the police in Genting to check for IC (happened to me numerous times).

While Genting had a fleet of shiny Myvis & Alza to be given away & displayed along the corridor in conjunction with our National Day. Singaporeans have to make do with a Lamborghini Gallardo due to the lack of a national car maker. Tourists were crazily snapping away at the car as cameras weren't allowed beyond that point.

The casino itself was very nice, although it isn't as big as I first thought. Punters were crowded around a few tables (the others were either closed or empty), placing their bets quietly. The atmosphere is akin to a library.

I grabbed a cup of drink from a waiter who was busily walking around, handing out drinks. 'Hmm...hot Chinese tea, how healthy' I thought to myself after taking a sip. Walking around exploring the place, I reached the free drinks counter which served only hot Chinese tea (again!) & plain water. 'Milo must be very expensive in Singapore'.

We left the casino moments later, having to pass through the same cumbersome security checks at the exit. The new casino certainly looked impressive, but I wonder why the designers completely ignored some basic rules in casino building like having fugly carpets or not displaying the time (they had clocks inside).

Argh, my eyes!

One uniquely Asian element remained in the design though...feng shui. Like I said in my last post about casino, I am a man of science but here are some of the alleged feng shui incorporated into the layout.

If you took the escalators from the hotel, you will have to pass through these LED screens shaped like knives to cut you into pieces.

After that, you will have to walk pass a corridor with water like reflections projected onto the ceiling to drown you. The criss cross structure resembled a net trying to capture water fishes like you...

If you made it pass all of that alive, you will still be entering a casino situated at the deepest point of the resort, so you're practically entering Hell.

The feng shui arrangements are so powerful, even this peculiar sculpture of an elephant with a pyramid situated on top, is said to be deliberately placed to trap would be punters.

Beware the money grabbing elephant!

Note: Post about Marina Bay Sands will be coming soon. (Read it here)

Gambling in the Dark

For many Malaysian Chinese, entering Genting Highland's casino is treated like a symbolic passage into adulthood.

Being able to enter means that you have now reached the age of 21, matured enough to decide who to vote for & how to squander your wealth.

Me and a few friends went to Genting for over long overdue initiation 2 weeks back. Now, when it comes to gambling, the Chinese have a long list of superstitions. You can find some of it here.

Chow Yun Fat doesn't seem to have a problem with dark colours

I was wearing a black T-shirt for the trip, one of my friend (let's called him Superstitious Boy) quickly pointed out that bad brings BAD LUCK. Superstitious Boy was wearing a bright red shirt & God knows what underneath for maximum ONG-ness.

Being a man of science, I brushed aside his comments. I would love to see his expression when I came back down with 2 suitcases full of cash. As if trying to proof a point, I brought along a black jacket too.

I would have 2 of those please

Once inside the casino, we walked around before settling on a table playing Big Small, exchange our cash for chips & observe...

Trying to identify a pattern...Big, Big, Small, Big, Small, Small, Small, Big again, then Small.

Finally, I conclude that there was NONE.

I tried counting cards, problem is they used dice!

So, I sat down & placed my bet. I was inconsistent, winning some losing some. But what really irks me is my friend who was standing behind me.

Whenever he wanted to place his bet on the table, he would leaned forward & put his hand on my shoulder. That's a BIG no-no when it comes to gambling, but I am a man of science remember?

Oh, I think I should also mention that Shoulder Toucher is BALD, just like a MONK!

Soon enough, both me & Shoulder Toucher lost all our chips. Meanwhile, Superstitious Boy was on a roll, his stack of chips keep on multiplying.

That's my exact expression when winning

He was evidently enjoying himself, while me & Shoulder Toucher was reduced to walking around aimlessly & queuing repeatedly for free drinks (might as well get my money's worth!)

At the end of the day, Superstitious Boy exchange his chips for cold hard cash, while I make it a point not to mentioned the 2 suitcases full of money earlier *zipped*

I still have faith in science, but I must admit on that day I got my ass kicked by 5000 years of Chinese superstitions. Final score :


SUPERSTITIONS - 1
SCIENCE - 0