Cheap NUS Date Idea for the Dastardly Poor
When you’re broke af but bae wants some romancin’.
Valentine’s Day or not, cost-efficient dating within campus grounds doesn’t have to be restricted to studying together at the libraries or Netflix-and-chill sessions (wink wink) in the residences. For us peeps at The Bullet, here’s how a perfect(ly affordable) date in NUS would look like:
English Breakfast @ The Terrace
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Start off the date with an exquisite English breakfast served at The Terrace, a.k.a. our very own NUS Business School Canteen. For just $2, you will be lavishly treated to garlic toast, baked beans (straight out of the can), a sunny side up egg and single slices of sausage and ham, courtesy of the western food stall. If you’re feeling extra generous, impress your date by upgrading your typical hotdog to a bratwurst sausage for only an additional $1.50.
Just drop the name “Full Tank” to the stall uncle and it’s guaranteed that you and your date will be all fueled up for the rest of the day’s activities.
Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum
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After breakfast, head over to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum and make the over-done, but yet somehow still necessary comment, “Eh, Night at the Museum.” when you first lay eyes on the gargantuan dinosaur. To not look like a complete fool for having made aforementioned comment, charmingly flex your brain muscles in front of your date by unloading a barrage of little known facts that you wiki-ed the night before instead of studying for that upcoming mid-term.
Leave your credit cards at home as the only card you need to enter is your matriculation card. Then again, if you’re reading this, you probably don’t own any to begin with.
Yong Tau Foo @ The Deck
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In the event that you feel like the date is passing way too fast, a good way to freeze time is by queueing for the Yong Tau Foo stall at the FASS canteen (The Deck), known for its ridiculously long and ever-growing lines. Take this chance, perhaps, to find out more about your date - likes, dislikes, childhood dreams, kinks, sexual deviations, etc.
Additionally, you may attempt to conduct a personality assessment of them based on their choice of YTF ingredients. After all, do you really see yourself long-term with someone who likes (insert personally offensive ingredient) in their soup?
Haw Par Villa
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No money for a horror movie? No problem.
Next, have a switch-up of scenery by venturing slightly outside campus grounds for more excitement. Conveniently located a few bus stops away from NUS, the Haw Par Villa theme park is best described as the bastard child of a USS Halloween Horror Nights haunted house and the mythical land of Spirited Away, but like, way more accessible and free-of-charge. And also free of elderly psycho bird witches hunting you down.
Hold your date close as you both walk through gruesome attractions such as the Ten Courts of Hell and think about why the hell (pun intended) children were even brought here on school excursions. No wonder our generation is so f-ed. Sparks will definitely fly as the adrenaline pumps through your blood while you both contemplate your eventual and inevitable doom.
Infinity Pool
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UTown’s very own infinity pool offers a classy and opportune excuse for you to show off your beach-worthy body. While it is no Marina Bay Sands, the sprinkle of angmoh exchange students hanging around will certainly give the illusion of it being so. We highly recommend skinny-dipping for more a rousing experience but we doubt that’ll fly well with the guys at school administration, so you didn’t hear it from us.
Picnic @ UTown Green
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Finally, end the day off with a romantic picnic under the vaguely (or not at all) visible stars, a feat usually accomplished only by american sitcom teens. UTown Green’s endless expanse of grass is a great spot to hang at if you don’t mind the possibility of being stared at while engaging in “romantic dalliances”. Seriously, the pool, study rooms and 24-hour Starbucks - literally every main building in UTown - is a vantage point.
Affordable dining options worth considering include the variety-ridden selection of quality instant noodles at Cheers. This, coupled with perpetually on sale, 2-for-cheaper Pokka milk tea, will add indefinite flavour to your night without any heavy-lifting by your wallet. If by chance, you have already run out of conversation topics with your date, we suggest playing some pre-loaded movies on your laptop to get over the awkward silence - unless, of course, the chirping of crickets alone can tide you over.
With that, you may end your perfect tryst at NUS, having been through hell and high water together (literally). Hopefully, this budget-friendly rendezvous will save you enough money to bring them out on an actual date next time.
