Guide to Singapore Rooftopping

Want to see Singapore from a better place? I found a couple options for you:

(If you want to see a list of roofs, scroll down.)

Getting onto rooftops in Singapore can be quite tricky. I have done it alone and with friends, here's how:

1. Find a good condo on Google Maps, with a sky garden in the middle preferably.
2. Walk into the condo by acting like you belong there. Just walk in through the residents entry (if a card is needed wait for a resident and follow him in). If a guard asks you where you are going, just tell him you are meeting a friend from unit #04-02. In the worst case scenario, he will stop you. Just tell him you are calling him and slowly make your way onto the street. 
3. Take the elevator up to the sky garden. If you need a card, wait for a resident to get into the elevator and press the sky garden level (or tell him you're meeting your friend up there to ask him which level it is)
4. Find a staircase. Some staircase doors indicate which staircases have roof access. If not, just try anyone and go all the way up by foot. The roof is generally 5 to 10 stories from the sky garden.
5. Climb up onto the roof by any means possible (without hanging out into the open obviously, nobody wants you to die). If the door at the last level of the staircase is open, just walk onto the roof. 
6. Don't get caught. Even though most guards won;t call the police if you are nice and pretend like you where looking around while waiting for a friend, try not to make yourself stand out. Act like you live there.

Remember, no one will ask who you are if you act live you live there. 

Now here is a list of roofs that you should be able to go on:

1. Clarke Quay Roof: This circular roof is quite good for hanging out at night, and it is public

1. Go to The Central (mall).
2. Take the escalators all the way up to the parking garage. You should come across the Ikeda Spa Prestige.
3. Go outside, and look for stairs ( right outside the spa ) going up.
4. You should come to a sort of wooden helipad, where you can chill and relax. 
5. Also in the same area, if you hop the metal fence outside the glass doors by the escalators, and walk past the glass roof, then hop another fence, you should find yourself on a wooden sky patio, where you can find chairs and even a rooftop pool. OH yeah, and this view:

2. Lincoln Suites, Novena: This condo is amazing. It was recently finished, and after going up to the sky park, you can take the staircase and walk into the penthouse. 

1. Go to the condo
2. Wait for a resident to enter the lift lobby, and walk in after him.
3. Go to the 24th floor (the skygarden)
4. Find a staircase in the tower on the left (when you look at it from the entrance from the ground)
5. Go all the way up and you should be able to walk into the left tower penthouse, where you can enjoy stunning views, a pool and a  Jacuzzi (which are unfiltered).

3. 360 Skyline: My favorite
I can't really help you much on this one. I had access because a friend lived there. It is one of the highest condos in Singapore. If you get past the guards, walk up to the 37 floor by the only staircase entrance you will see (in between the to lift lobbies). No cameras so don't worry. Best view ever:

4. Orchard  iON Sky: Also public, this top floor has one of the best 360 view on Singapore (from 218m)

1. Go to iON, then make yourself to the 4th level
2. Find the concierge desk, and find the iON Sky queue
3. Queue if you need to, then take the elevators up to the 55th floor, where you can enjoy panoramic views over Orchard.
4. P.S: This is only open for entries from 3pm to 5:30pm.

Why Applying to American Universities is Annoying (as an international student)

Here are a couple things you need to know before applying to an American University

I am a French 17 year old, that has just started the application process, and has incredibly bothered by the difference between American applications and others such as Canada and the UK. Here are a couple things I found:

1. You need to pass the SAT. Apparently American Universities don't care much for you national diplomas. I, like you, have worked very hard to obtain a good grade at my exams, the French baccalaureate, but they don't care. They can't be bothered to acknowledge your test results. Only the SATs are acceptable. 

2. You need the TOEFL . If you have any other diploma demonstrating your English level, they don't care. I happen to have scored an A* on the International GCSE and a 8.0 on the IELTS, which are both acceptable English certifications in Canada and the UK. But Americans being Americans, the only thing they care about is their own test: the TOEFl.

3. They ask a lot of questions. If you want to apply to an American University, settle in and get comfortable. Your application will take you about 10h, while McGill for example will take you 5h. Americans are so suspicious: they enquire about your parents' education, their jobs, and even the company they work for. In fact, that is usually a whole page of the application process.

All in all, applying to an American university can be quite frustrating when compered to applying to a Canadian or British University. That being said, what I have said above should definitely not hold you back from pursuing your aspirations and going to the University that you feel is right for you.

Good Luck,
The Young Traveler