Coke and its sharing can

I love this! Can't wait for it to come to Bangkok! Must try when I get back to Singapore next. Hope they have it in my favorite Diet Coke and it is here to stay, not just a fad!! =)

Check out their video here and my visit to the World of Coca-Cola here.

Till my next blog post, have a Coke!!
 

Top of mind mentions for Singapore

When I say 'Singapore', what comes to your mind? Most people, I believe, will say "Merlion, Orchard Road, Changi Airport, Sentosa, shopping, Marina Bay, chicken rice, Universal Studio, Night Safari". 

During my recent trip to Seoul, we had a taxi driver who drove us to the Pyeongchang Trout Festival. His name is Mr Park and he spoke English. We told him that we are from Singapore and the first thing he said was "Ah! Singapore! Jumbo!". JUMBO?!? Are you kidding me? Jumbo Seafood Restaurant is top of mind for Singapore to Mr Park! I guess their chili crab must be quite good to have left quite an impression on Mr Park. =)

So, I spoke to a few foreigners and locals and apparantly Jumbo is like a tourist attraction in Singapore. So, when you visit Singapore, a one-day family adventure will look like this: Botanical Gardens in the morning, the Singapore Zoo in the afternoon, dinner at Jumbo, followed by casino at night.

I like the chili crab, fried man-tou, scallops in yam ring, stuffed you-tiao and mee goreng. Loaded with calories but good. My husband likes the pepper crab but I don't. And do wear the bib that they provide. =)

Till my next blog post, have some seafood! =)

Bukit Timah Hill, Singapore

Took a short hike at the Bukit Timah Hill in Singapore last month. I think this is the only hill in flat Singapore, standing at a hight of about 164 meters.

Relative to the Achasan and the Bukhansan, Bukit Timah Hill is a baby. =)

The map. We took the blue route to the quarry and also the yellow route to the summit.

A warning about feeding the monkeys. But I did not see any monkeys at all.

Steep slope at near to the start of the trail. Really steep. You must be really stupid to run.

Nothing much at the summit. Just a pavilion for people to catch their breathe and a boulder for picture-taking.

Short hike. Easy climb. Good workout. Suitable for all ages. Fantastic way to spend a Sunday morning! =)

Till my next blog post, go hiking!

Not your usual type of toast

What can you do with slices of toasted bread? Look at these fascinating, creative pieces of art!

Mona Lisa's image made with slices of toasted and colored bread.
I saw this at the K11 mall in HK a couple of years ago and thought it is a fad. I remembered the mall smelling so delicious! =)

Then I saw this in a few weeks ago at an apartment showroom in Singapore. Amazing spiderman! =)

Till my next blog post, get creative with your toast! =)

Skyline Luge at Sentosa, Singapore

Another post on Sentosa. Like I have mentioned before, there is more to Sentosa other than Universal Studio and the casino.

There is also the Port of Lost Wonder and the Skyline Luge. My family and I have been to the Skyline Luge twice before and it is good fun. First you take the 'Skyride' up the slope to the top and then your take the 'Luge' down. There are 2 Luge trails - the Jungle trail (aka the easier one) and the Dragon trail (aka the slightly longer and more challenging one).

Kids who are too young and cannot control the Luge on their own will have to ride with an adult. The staff will check if your children can manage the luge, if they cannot, then they will not let them ride the luge by themselves. Wearing a safety helmet is a must. Safety first!

The Skyride. Look back on the way up and enjoy the good view. Leave your crocs and slippers at home, they may fall off during the ride. =)

The Luge - good fun for the kids!

Till my next blog post, go luge! =)

Marketing Drinks

On my recent trip to Singapore, I spent a bit of time at the drinks section at a supermarket, trying to decide what new drinks to buy when I saw some interesting marketing for drinks.

Straight red tea ... so this can make gay people straight?

Cloudy Apple. I don't understand this ... I know this is supposed to be better than 'clear apple' but if I want all that 'bits' in there, I will go eat a real apple instead. 

Charlie is really honest. No concentrate, no added sugar, no preservations in his smoothies. Just berries, acai and more fruit.

Don't get dirty-minded .. Naked means 'all natural'. Though I'm not sure what 'boosted' means here. If it is 'boosted', it is still naked?

Till my next blog post, remember .. an real apple a day keeps the doctor away! =)

Port of Lost Wonder at Sentosa, Singapore

It was Singapore's 47th birthday last week and since school was off on the 9th and 10th of August, I decided to bring my son back to Singapore so that he can spend some bonding time with his 3 cousins. I have only one son and it is important for him to spend time and bond with his cousins .. they will, afterall, be his family when my husband and I are gone. I should have heeded LKY's advice of having more kids but ... never mind, that's another long story altogether and I wouldn't bore you now.

We did the usual stuff like shopping, watching movies, eating, swimming, etc in Singapore. We also went to Sentosa.

There is more to Sentosa other than Universal Studio and the casino. There is a new water play park called 'Port of Lost Wonder' at the Palawan beach and my son and niece spent a morning there.

The park is really small. It is essentially just one 'pirate ship' with 3 mini-slides and a lot of water splashing around. Nevertheless, the kids had a great time. They went on the slides for like a million times and sprayed each other numerous times with the water hoses and water guns. Kids are so amazing, they are very simple people ... it takes so little for them to have tons of fun.

I would recommend this place for young kids below 6. The area is small and parents can sit under the shade and still keep an eye on their kids. =) Lots of families brought their own picnic mats and lazed around on the lawn.

As usual, some form of price discrimination is practised at this place. Weekend entry is S$15 a child. During the weekdays, it is S$8. Adults can enter free if they have a child with them. No time limit imposed. But after 2 to 3 hours, the kids will be super-tired.

Obviously, it is best go in the morning. We went on a Sunday and arrived there at about 10am. There were not that many people at 10am but by noon, the place was quite packed.

There is a super-big bucket of water that tilts and pours water down every 5 minutes or so. The kids love it .. you can hear their joy from their squeals of delight! =)

This pirate ship is the centerpiece of the whole play park

Till my next blog post, go and make some babies! =)

What makes me a Singaporean?

I am a true-blue Singaporean because ....

1) I use tissue packs to ‘chope’ seats at hawker centers so that I can go and queue up to buy my food. Don’t you think that is good time management? My 'kiasu' syndrome at work. =)

2) I end my sentences with lah or lor, lah!

3) I love abbreviations! ERP, PIE, CTE, MBS, RWS, GSS, LKY. I just realised that WTB stands for Where To Buy at the motherhood.com.sg forums.

4) I love ‘fooding’ – this means going around and looking for food to enjoy. Singapore is a heaven for foodies! (BTW, Bangkok is a food heaven too!)

5) Childhood? What’s that? I send my son for enrichment and tuition classes during the weekdays after school and over the weekends because passing with Cs and Ds are not good enough for me. He must get straight As. Experts say that ‘preschool should be free in Singapore’. You mean the government will pay for my son’s enrichment and tuition classes? Yippee!! =)

6) IseeIshootIstomp. Don’t you love those busy-buddy people who go around taking pictures of everything and post them on STOMP with their own opinion? But, CAUTION! Don’t believe everything you see and read there, even STOMP content producer can fake amazing story and stomp.

7) I blame the government for everything and expect my MP to solve my problems. Today morning, on my way to work, the escalator at the MRT broke down and I have to use the stairs! Why can’t the government ensure that the escalator is in good working condition all the time? Must write to the MP and complain. Or maybe write to ST forum and let everyone know.

8) I am a middle-age aunty who walks with a limp and I expect people to give me the reserved seat on the MRT. It’s mine and I don’t need to thank them for their very kind and considerate gesture.

9) I hire a maid and I expect her to take care of my elderly parents, my 2 active toddlers, do all the housework and cooking, wash my 2 cars and also clean the windows without a safety harness. I have to work from 9 to 5 in the office and all she does is stay at home. Of course, she has to do some work, lah!

10) I know the 4 races in Singapore are Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian. The young Singaporean kids these days are so confused, they think the 4 races are Chinese, Malay, Ang-mor and Bangali. Or worse, some think there is only 1 race in Singapore ... the F1 race.

11) I don’t chew gum anymore but that’s worth it … look at how clean the grounds are in Singapore. There are no black, unslightly gum marks around and the MRT doors don't get stuck anymore. The MRT just break down every once in a while, that’s all.

12) I am a middle-age aunty and I can still recite the Singapore pledge. Years of going to Singapore schools would do that to you. When I recite it in my heart, I can still feel the lump in my throat when I’m at ‘pledge ourselves as one united people’. So true, regardless of race, language or religion, we are living harmoniously as one united people in Singapore.

Singapore will be celebrating its 47th birthday on 9th August 2012. It has come a long way since its independence. Have a blast, Singapore! =)

Till my next blog post, do something SINGAPOREAN! =)

Happy Ever Laughter

I am a fan of local comedy and by ‘local’, I mean Singapore. Yes, I am a fan of Singapore comedy. So, when I found out 12 comedians are lining up to amuse me in Happy Ever Laughter, I had to round up some funny friends to enjoy this show with me.

About Singapore comedy - you have to be a Singaporean, born and bred in Singapore to understand and laugh at the jokes. Poor foreigners get poked fun at in these shows and it can be quite offensive, so watch out! If you are not thick-face enough, just stay at home and watch football.

12 comedians entertained in Happy Ever Laughter. Some are more entertaining than others. I realized that age plays a big part. I can better relate and connect with the comedians of my generation. There were some younger comedians in the show and I have no clue who they are and what they were talking about. So you NOT only have to be a Singaporean, born and bred in Singapore, you also have to between 30 to 50 years old to enjoy the show.

I am sharing with you some of the comedians who left a mark on me .....

Kumar - He/She is hilarious. For those of you who do not know who Kumar is, he is the Indian, gay star of of the Boom Boom Room.He is the one who can proudly claims that he is ‘Singapore government-approved’ and has his ovaries hanging outside his body. I love his jokes. They are usually insightful like the one that he joked about army camps and hospitals. He reckons that all Singaporean sons should become nurses instead of soldiers for 2 years who they turn 18. Given the long waiting queues at the hospitals and the influx of Filipinos who do not speak the local dialects, I must say, that is a pretty solid suggestion. Who the heck wants to invade Singapore anyway, so we might as well put our Singaporean sons to good use. =)

Sebastian Tan - the Hokkien-speaking Broadway Beng. I love this guy, it takes a big guy to be able to put himself out there and joke about himself. He lamented about his recent weight gain that is giving him the man boobs. He swims to lose weight but is very conscious about his body. So while in the pool, he always make sure that the water level is at his ‘knee’ level, oops, not ‘knee’ level but ‘ni’ (Hokkien for boobs) level. I love the way he 'confused' us with a mix of English and Hokkien. =)

Selana Tan - the director of the show did the opening act. Finally at the age of 40, she voted for the first time in the Singapore General Elections last year. She also had some good insights for future politicians - use a household item for your party’s symbol so it is easier for them to show their support. Every household has a hammer and glasses. Who has a palm tree and a bolt of lightning at home?!?

Gurmit Singh’s jokes were okay but he really delivered them well. I feel he is more of a performer than a comedian. The show was rated R18 and it is liberating to hear the four-letter-F-word spoken with so much conviction in public. =)

A real surprise for me is Judee Tan as Teo Chew Muay talking about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM on TCM). She nailed it with her body language and when she joked that western doctors (think Grey’s Anatomy) like to cut you up and subject you to animal (“CAT”) scans to find out what is wrong with you when all Chinese doctors have to do is to look at your tongue and read your pulse. So true. =)

Misses for me: Michelle Chong who entertained as Salmonella, the bimbo vice-president of the SPGs Club was too similar to her Barbarella Noose character. Moses Lim was disappointing with his old jokes. The rest of the comedians were funny but not spectacular.

If Dream Academy Productions do this again, I would go for a good laugh. But, can I pick and choose who I want to see?

Till my next blog post, LAUGH cos LAUGHTER is the best medicine! =)

You, not time, change things

Photo taken at the ArtScience Museum

Till my next blog post, SEIZE THE DAY and change!

Ice cream men on Orchard Road

I read on CNNGo a couple of months back that some mystery shoppers surveyed over 30 shopping streets in the world and Orchard Road in Singapore came in at the first place as the prettiest, most welcoming and most customer-friendly shopping street.


Not bad ... I like Orchard Road. The pavements are wide and clean (like most other parts of Singapore) and most malls are connected through a maze of underground 'streets'. The creative window displays of the iconic branded stores scream 'I'm new! Come, buy me!!' whenever I walk by them. The stores stock the most up-to-date merchandises.


One of my must-haves when I go to Orchard Road is the street-side ice cream. I wonder if the mystery shoppers were swayed by the ice cream men. 


I grew up eating these ice cream. There is an ice cream man with his cart in our neighborhood and my sister and I would call him 'Bugs Bunny' because of his 2 front teeth. =)


Along Orchard Road in Singapore, there are several ice cream men selling this 'local delicacy'. The little carts of theirs offer local flavors ranging from red bean, sweet corn, peanut butter and attap seed to traditional flavors like chocolate and ripple. They serve your desired flavor in a cup, piece of bread, in a wafer cone or in between 2 wafer biscuits. If you are a beginner and are not sure of the local flavors, just get a combination of all the flavors in a cone or cup. For any combination that you choose, it is a flat price at S$1 per serving! Very affordable! It is not the the best-tasting ice cream but I like the local flavors and the experience. =)

The Wall's ice cream man at work. There is also a King's man.

My favorite combination - red bean ice cream on colored bread

If you visit Orchard Road, other than the shopping, savor the street-side ice cream too! =)


Till my next blog post, enjoy your ice cream! =)

Marina Bay Sands

I finally explored Marina Bay Sands! This place has been around for the last couple of years but I have always equated 'Marina Bay Sands' to 'Casino' and that is why I have never had the urge to go there.

Marina Bay Sands area

The last time I visited Marina Bay Sands, I went there for the Lion King Musical. I barely made it there in time for the show and left once the show ended. So, limited exploration done.

This time, I visited the area leisurely. I went to the ArtScience Museum. They had 2 traveling exhibits on - Andy Warhol: 15 minutes External and Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition.

Entrance of the ArtScience Museum

Another attraction in the area is the concept store for Louis Vuitton, the Louis Vuitton Island Maison. There is an art collection and retail store inside. 

Louis Vuitton Island Maison at the Marina Bay Sands

I love the bayfront area, there are lots of sitting area and the skyline of the business district is fantastic. There is also a water and light show every evening at about 8pm.

Till my next blog post, explore somewhere! =)

Andy Warhol at the ArtScience Museum

When I think of Andy Warhol, I think of 2 things - Campbell Soup and Marilyn Monroe. I am not a fan of Andy Warhol but have always been fascinated with the silkscreen print technique used for mass producing images with different colors. Andy Warhol popularized this print technique with images of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Mao ZeDong. Different colors brought out different emotions and there are no right or wrong answers on how you feel about the emotions / colors.


He also did this with Campbell Soup but his realistic images of the soup can left a more lasting impression on me.




Andy Warhol Exhibits at the ArtScience Museum in Singapore



I visited Andy Warhol's exhibits at the Art Science Museum in Singapore over the Songkran holidays and got to know him better. Other than the Campbell Soup and Marilyn Monroe, he also dabbled with music (the Velvet Underground) and thought-provoking art installations like the Silver Clouds.


His work also inspired other pieces from South East Asian artists. These 2 pieces of realistic images are very popular canned food in the region. Everyone my age would remember these ... lychees in syrup with your homemade almond jelly and luncheon meat with your fried rice or fried meehoon.

Till my next blog post, explore pop art! =)