the hungry geographer

IPPUDO Singapore

2012-02-25T21:41:00.000+08:00

Grabbed dinner with Divya and Movin, to celebrate Movin's 20th Birthday.

IPPUDO Ramen! First time there, after hearing all the great reviews.

We reached at 7pm, when the queue was already pretty long. Took about twenty minutes of queueing - but we weren't let to our seat because MOVIN wasn't there yet! We waited at the front of the line until 8+ pm when Movin arrived, and by that time, we were ravenous!!!

There's a usual long queue outside, and as you make your way in, there's kind of a bar area where the line extends. So you can look at the menu while queueing.

All kinds of Ramen available, including a pretty extensive list of side dishes that looked SO tempting!

Seating is very limited, unfortunately.

Actually, it was a bit hard to decipher the difference between the different kinds of ramen, but thankfully the waitresses were patient enough to explain it to us. And Divya knew the dishes pretty well.

You can select soft, medium or hard ramen!

Divya ordered the SHIROMARU MOTOAJI, $15. Tonkotsu broth served with thin nooles, rosu chashu *(like charsiew), cabbage, kikurage & spring onions.

I got the AKAMARU SHINAJI, $16. Tonkotsu borth enhanced with special blended miso paste and fragrant garlic oil. Served with thin noodles, buta bara (pork belly), kikurage and spring onions.

NOMS NOMS NOMS.

Movin got the MISO TONKOTSU, $17. Oringinal tonkotsu broth mixed with blended quality miso. Served with cabbage, Japanese leek, spring onions, chashu and flavoured egg.

I don't even want to begin describing the dishes - they were DELICIOUS!!! All the soups (I tried all of them) were freaking FANTASTIC - very worth the money!

I really enjoyed this food, so, despite the queue, I will definitely be back for much more!

Rating: 4.5/5
I spent $20.

We're at:
Ippudo Singapore
333A Orchard Road
#04-02
Mandarin Gallery

Kiseki Japanese Buffet

2012-02-25T20:53:00.000+08:00

Booked out from camp in the morning, rushed home, and the headed to the Heeren to have a Japanese Buffet Lunch with Meng and Lu.

At the basement of the almost-dilapidated Heeren is a pretty popular buffet! KISEKI JAPANESE BUFFET RESTAURANT.

Weekday Lunch is about $23.30 after prevailing taxes.

Upon entering the place, I was very impressed by the layout of the entire place.

We were there early, so it was still pretty empty at the time.

As you can see, the layout of the place is really neat and spacious. Design makes the food look mouth-watering too.

Oh there was a huge load of Sashimi too, so you can eat to your heart's content.

A lot of mix-and-match dishes. Just select and the cook will get it ready!

Mix-and-match pasta - carbonara.

Yup, there was actually a lot more food there, but it got a bit too crowded after a while. And also, I was a bit too busy eating.

Pretty decent selection of desserts too - fondue, ice-cream, and meringue tarts (my love).

Toppings!

Yum!

Overall, I thought the food was just slightly above average. The design of the place can be a bit misleading? But still a decent buffet, and for weekday lunch, it's still worth it, I guess.

Rating: 3/5
I spent $24.

We're at:
Kiseki Japanese Buffet Restaurant
260 Orchard Road
#B1-01
The Heeren

The New Bishan Park

2012-02-23T19:14:00.000+08:00

Three years ago, we embarked on a project, trying to use Geographic Information System to restore and re-engineer the huge Bishan Canal. Little did we know that PUB already had such plans, and our team did a smaller-scale study on aquatic pollutants within our waterways.

... and 3 years later, Bishan Park is now reopened, and my, my, it's really beautiful! Rather than a conventional drain, it's great that Singapore has followed in the footsteps of other nations in redesigning the canal to make it a more ecologically sustainable location. Plus, it doubles up as a recreational spot!

Just a short walk from Bishan MRT.

We decided to have a dinner picnic here, bought from the McDonalds from Junction 8, before we realized there's a new McDonalds in the park itself!

Saw Cattle Egrets frolicking in the sun :)

Doesn't this exude the image of kids jumping from rock to rock, being one with nature?

An unsustainable diet in a sustainable environment.

Contemplative!

For the residents to enjoy :)

Our yummy dinner.

It's a pretty long stretch of land, and is really beautiful.

We stayed till sunset, and frogs started to emerge. We felt so one with nature!

Take a trip down to Bishan Park soon!

Pies & Coffee @ Rochester

2012-02-23T14:59:00.000+08:00

Just one day before Rebecca's actual 20th birthday, we met up again to pass her our birthday gift.

Made our way to Pies & Coffee at the new mall at Rochester for our lunch. PIES! It's a short walk from Buona Vista MRT.

Only one pie was ready (the rest were in the oven), so we had to nom on other things while we waited half hour for the pies to be done.

Good selection of cakes, even though each slice is a bit pricey, if you ask me.

Pies came in 4-inch or 9-inch.

Camille got the Iced Green Tea.

On the left is my Hazelnut Caramel Frappe, $7.90.

Rebecca got the Truffle Mushroom soup - $5.95. This is pretty good!

... and FINALLY the pies were ready. Sadly, there were only two choices available - apparently the rest were still in the making!

Couldn't wait anymore, so we dug in.

The Wagyu Beef 4-inch pie, $10.90, with mashed potato and a little salad on the side.

A very satisfied Beryl.

Camille and I with our pies.

On the left is the Cheddar Chicken (4-inch), for $8.90.

Here's a better picture of both pies, close-up.

Pretty filling, and the pies were very rich in taste, which was good. My advice would be to just get a 4-inch one, because we underestimated how full we would be after the seemingly small pie.

and then it was time for us to present Rebecca with her BIRTHDAY GIFT!

Hehe, I designed this and got it printed off snapfish. :D

Spent about 4-5 hours sitting there and having our usual rants about life. :)

Happy 20th Birthday, Becca!

-----

Will definitely be back here to try the other pies. However, the cakes are a little too pricey I think. Who knew a 4-inch pie could be so rich and so filling?

Rating: 4/5
I spent $15.

We're at:
Pies & Coffee
33 Rochester Drive
#01-02
Rochester Mall

White Dog Cafe

2012-02-23T14:28:00.000+08:00

After watching Spring Awakening in the afternoon (yums!), we proceeded to White Dog Cafe in VivoCity for Becca's early 20th Birthday Dinner.

There was a pretty long queue, but thank God becca and cedric were there early to queue for us :)

Pretty good selection of steaks, spaghetti, salads, etc. Service was a little slow, and the waiters weren't the most enthusiastic.

Water came in these bottles, just like Brewbakers. No charge for this!

Let's cut to the chase, and get to the food:

I ordered the Mango Chicken Delight, $16.90. It's chicken stuffed with sweet mango, breaded and fried.

Well, it's supposed to be sweet, but I sure didn't taste enough of the sweetness. The chicken felt a tad overcooked, a bit too tough for my liking. There should've been a bit more mango sauce as well.

Yang Xuan ordered the Aglio Olio, $9.90.

She said it wasn't too bad, at leaset it's much cheaper than mine.

Rebecca's Spaghetti Bolognaise, $10.90. Not sure what the verdict on it is, but Rebecca is the Queen of Spaghetti Bolognaise, and she didn't complain about it!

Cedric got the Black Pepper Pasta, $10.90, same as Darren.

Black pepper pasta!

More shots of us:

Darren's gift for Becca:

BECCA'S FIVE WAYS TO SAVE MONEY.

Happy 20th Birthday, Becca!

-----

Very average meal. Good for big group gatherings, but the food is decent at best. Seems good for dinners.

Rating: 3/5.
I spent $18

We're at:
White Dog Cafe
1 Harborfront Walk
#02-131/132
Vivo City Shopping Centre

Chuan Wang Fu - Steamboat

2012-02-14T21:29:00.001+08:00

Went to Chuan Wang Fu Spicy Hotpot Steamboat - or as the sign below says, "Authentics Sichuan Cuisines Spicy Hot Pot" - for CNY steamboat after a day of visiting.

$22.80 per person for ala carte steamboat.

We chose two soups. Herbal chicken, and mushroom.

All the portions are very small, so you have to order quite a bit in order to be full!

There was a pretty good mix of seafood, meat, vegetables, etc.

Sadly, the ingredients didn't seem very fresh to me.

We ate a ton of noodles, because it was the most filling.

Service was not good as well, the staff could barely speak English and in fact, was quite rude to us.

Overall, I would say this is not a very pleasant dining experience - the food isn't fresh, the variety is so-so, and the soup is not spectacular.

The aircon is really strong though, so no worries about feeling warm here.

Note: I didn't try the spicy mala flavoured soup, so this may not be the best review.

Rating: 2/5
I spent $24 - it was $22.80 for CNY dinner steamboat. It's $18.80 on a regular day.

We're at:
Chuan Wang Fu
9 Teck Chye Terrace
Singapore 545720
(nearest MRT: Serangoon)

On a side note, here are pictures of our gathering in the day:

Both at Pek's place. So Chinese, eh?

At my place :)

Spring Awakening: Afterthoughts

2012-02-14T16:39:00.000+08:00

Just caught the local remake of the Broadway hit, "Spring Awakening" by Pangdemonium!

I love theatre - the combination of music and lyrics provide a powerful vehicle for disseminating messages and provoking thought.

And 'Spring Awakening', is one moving, electrifying, and progressive musical like no other. Set in the 19th century bourgeois German society, the musical chronicles a group of teenagers as they stumble through their journey of unguided sexual discovery.

Raw and erotic, mature themes of masturbation, rape, abortion, sexual fantasies and homosexuality are played out on stage. These teens push the boundaries of the repression of their times, and make impulsive decisions that will change the course of their lives forever.

(from: http://www.feveravenue.com/the-purple-summer-of-a-spring-awakening/)

I was thoroughly moved by this musical, as each song and character accurately reflects the tumultuous years of growing up. With conservative parents who refuse to educate them on the birds and the bees, parents who pressure their children to conform and excel, the play provides an excellent plotline that is truly timeless and always relevant, no matter in 1890 Germany, 2012 Singapore, or 2189 Dubai.

To me, the themes and issues of anti-conformity, critical thinking and freedom in education, alongside the pressing need to provide a guiding hand to our youths, struck a deep resonant chord.

What impressed me the most was how I felt such a intense rush of conflicting emotions at each step of this musical journey - confusion, love, joy, sorrow, jealousy and guilt, within such a short span of two hours. It was money incredibly well spent, and I am still thinking and talking about this musical after a week.

(from: http://www.feveravenue.com/the-purple-summer-of-a-spring-awakening/)

The Singapore cast is nothing short of fantastic. I loved the stage - the walls are an incisive reminder of the barriers in society, as the cast work towards breaking them down and discovering the truth. Despite the smaller budget compared to other big-name reproductions, Pangdemonium has done a mind-blowingly fantastic job in choosing and reproducing this musical. Spring Awakening is truly a musical worth watching.

I've done little justice to this musical by this review - there is a litany of other issues explored in this masterpiece.

All I can say is: Head over to SISTIC.COM.SG, and purchase your ticket before the show's run ends on 26th February!

I paid $43 for what was supposed to be an $83 ticket (CAT 1), and I feel like I should have paid $150. It is truly BRILLIANT, and if you have never watched a musical, WATCH SPRING AWAKENING. No matter how old you are, there is something in this musical that will resonate with a memory within you.

(The original production won 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.)

EVENT DETAILS
Pangdemonium! Productions Presents: Spring Awakening!
Date: 3 – 26 February 2012
Venue: Drama Centre Theatre at the National Library
SISTIC.COM.SG

Watch this:

My NUS High School Experience

2012-02-13T11:45:00.000+08:00

Time and time again, there are parents out there who email or comment on my blog, asking for more details about the NUS High School Experience.

It's a relatively new school, and I was part of the pioneer batch, the first cohort that stumbled through six years of a specialized school with a novel approach.

There is no doubt that in my previous blog, I complained excessively about the amount of homework I had to do (which is no doubt by the truckloads). If you merely read those, you would've missed out the later entries, in which I expressed immense gratitude for the educational journey.

What I loved most about my education was the fact that there were no major exams. Rather than mugging away for one round of examinations that would have sealed my fate for the rest of my life, I had the space to pursue numerous other undertakings. The opportunities I received, and grabbed, broadened my worldview and enhanced my educational experience significantly.

And this is the reason why you should send your child to NUS High School - opportunities abound, be it extracurricular, academic, research, community involvement, etc.

During the six years, I had the time to do so many amazing things:

Travelled EIGHT times - 3 exchange programmes, 3 scientific conferences, 2 ecology field courses. My trip to London was all-expenses paid, as I represented Singapore at a Science Forum.
Completed SIX research projects - participating in local competitions, I dabbled in research under scientist-mentors in fields such as ecology, water quality, engineering, geography and environmental studies.
Participated in NUMEROUS student conferences - leadership conferences, Model United Nations, environmental congresses, etc.
Organized a YOUTH CONFERENCE on SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT in NUS High School, leading a team of youths.
Organized school-wide events - National Day concerts, International Coastal Cleanup Singapore for NUSHS, Racial Harmony Day events, etc.

These options are all within reach, if you are ambitious enough to stretch your hands out and grab them!

I created a section on the right for the parents that frequently stumble upon my blog after googling 'NUS High School' (yes I noticed the keywords that people search when they are directed to my site).

There are two entries, one written post-graduation, and another in 2009, at the end of my fifth year in NUS High School:

Thoughts on my education so far (end-2009)
2010 in a nutshell (end-2010)
Reflections on the NUSHS experience (and giving thanks) (end-2010)

The school has given me what I think is an excellent education that has broadened my horizons. However, if you choose to sit idly by, these six years can pass without you achieving anything significant. So take a look at the wealth of opportunities available, and grab them, fast!

Wimbly Lu Chocolates

2012-02-08T17:46:00.001+08:00

After dinner at the Fat Cat, we headed next door to Wimbly Lu Chocolates. Fascinating chocoheaven.

with some Valentine's Day promotions:

I absolutely adore this place's interior - I felt like I was whisked away to some Parisian cafe.

They have breakfast foods... and big breakfast platters are my first love .

This is the first thing that catches your eye when you enter... choco delights! They all look so good. The last time I entered a dessert place salivating was probably at Loola's by Awfully Chocolate.

CREME BRULEE!

The TIRAMISU caught Andy's eye, and he said it looked like what they served in Europe, which he was dying to find in Singapore.

This reminds me of my own experience with Croissants in Paris... once I put those in my mouth, I could never find satisfaction in any of Singapore's Croissants anymore.

Root Beer Float!

Got myself a funtastic Creme Brulee, for $6.

Loved how it wasn't too sweet, and the crust had just the right proportion of chocolate!

Free flow of plain water.

And they had little Meringues... I sorely regret not getting this. I kind of miss the huge Meringues at Canele too.

of course, the customary shot:

Another great dinner and dessert :)

Rating: 4.5/5
I spent $6

Pretty good service, cosy ambience... but I only tried the Creme Brulee. I'll bring a bigger group here the next time!

You can get pretty awesome chocolates (complete with beautiful packaging) right here, which would make great Valentine's Day gifts.

We're at:
Wimbly Lu Chocolates
15-2 Jalan Riang

----

Got home, unwrapped the gift, and viola:

My two favourite starbucks drinks, in ice-cream form! I didn't know these exist!

Thanks Andy :D

The Fat Cat

2012-02-08T16:59:00.000+08:00

What a fantastic name for a restaurant: the FAT CAT. Gives off a vibe of laziness and constant food ingestion, which is exactly what I needed after booking out of camp.

Andy met me near my place, where he passed me my birthday present... which has a shelf life. So I had to get home and store it in the freezer first.

Then we headed off to Jalan Riang, near Serangoon, to this fascinating restaurant. It was a five+ minute walk from Serangoon, during which we got lost, but thanks to Google Maps, we found our way.

This place is tucked away in a row of shophouses, surrounded by landed property. It's a little hard to find.

We went on a Tuesday night, and we had to wait for a while before we could get a seat.

It looked like a little canteen, with European, Thai and Indian selections available.

and let's cut to the chase:

Same as the last time, we had Calamari Rings again because Andy has this thing where he's searching for the best Calamari Rings. :D ($6, with Salsa sauce)

I'm not very discriminating towards Calamari Rings, but I gathered from him that the outer layer of flour on this plate of Rings was a bit saltish.

Olive Fried Rice, $10. With some traditional condiments to boot.

It took me a few mouthfuls before I actually felt some affinity towards this dish. Maybe it's because I haven't tasted anything quite like this, even though I've been to Chiangmai, Chiangrai and Phuket.

But I grew to enjoy the taste :)

And the final dish, on the bottom left, is Green Curry Fish, $10. A little spicy, but just the way green curry should be. Gosh, and now I miss Nakhon Kitchen.

Well, a queue started to form while we were eating.

Another great dinner and catch up... before we headed for dessert next door at Wimbly Lu Chocolates.

Rating: 4/5
I spent $16

Pretty interesting hidden place, would go back to try some other dishes if I'm around Serangoon.

We're at:
The Fat Cat Bistro
15 Jalan Riang
Singapore 358987
(closed on Mondays)

Check out their menu on their website: www.thefatcat.com.sg

Keen on Crepes

2012-02-05T10:10:00.000+08:00

After a very early dinner at the Selfish Gene Cafe, afterwhich the floozy, short-attention-span Sandra decided to go home, Cherry and I decided to continue and look for a dessert place.

Wanted to go to Flor Patisserie, but they were closing by the time we entered... so we walked out of Duxton, and down to Tanjong Pagar Road, where we stumbled upon Keen on Crepes.

This made me miss my time in Paris, where the Crepes were to-die-for. Cherry just returned from Paris, which made it even worse :(

Meat, vegetarian, sweet crepes...

Very orangey and bright, and service was quite good.

We decided to share a Chocolate Banana crepe, for $6.00.

They charge you $0.20 for an additional wrapper (kind of retarded, if you ask me), so anyway, we also had to cut the crepe out by ourselves, as stated clearly on one of the notices.

noob crepe eaters.

So incredibly sinful!

But it was quite a good treat, and reminded me of the S.pizza chocolate banana pizza that we ate with Jason a few years back.

There was just the right amount of chocolate, and abundant banana, which was great!

Too bad we only ate one though, will come back to try some of the other crepes.

Rating: 3.5/5
I spent $3. (Each crepe costs around $6-ish)

We're at:
96 Tanjong Pagar Rd
Singapore 088517

selfish gene cafe

2012-02-04T11:26:00.000+08:00

Met up with Cherry and Sandra to do some holiday shopping at People's Park. We were cracking our brains over where to go and which travel package to choose... which is such a #firstworldproblem.

Anyway, we ended up at the Selfish Gene Cafe, right behind the Pinnacle at Duxton, for an early dinner.

... and the opening hours are right there.

It was a very small cafe which felt very homey. I was craving the breakfast platter on the menu, but strangely enough, I opted for toast instead.

They have a decent selection of sandwiches and cakes.

They have tons of Today's Specials - Cake of the Day, Soup of the Day etcetc.

Apparently the owner is called 'Gene'.

This reminded me a lot of the Plain.

Cherry's bottle of water (looks like those lab bottles that store chemicals like hydrogen peroxide, eh?) and my Iced Mocha for $6.80.

Pretty decent iced mocha, in my opinion. Really liked the texture and level of sweetness.

Cherry and Sandra ordered the Chicken Sandwich - chicken breast, meschun, dressing, mayonnaise - foccacia. $9.80.

I loved the leafy-greens.

I ordered the Mushroom Toast - mushroom duxelle, thyme, garlic, cream cheese, arugula, olive oil on toasted bread. $10.80.

The toast was crispy, well-toasted, and the mixture of olive oil and cheese witht he mushroom was just... delicious!

A very satisfied customer!

Last but not least,

Yummy soon-to-be holiday buddies!

The place closes pretty early. Service is pretty good, and with a decent selection of cakes and sandwiches... worth a visit if you're around the area!

Rating: 4/5
I spent $15.

We're at:
Selfish Gene Cafe
40 Craig Road
(Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pgar)

KUALA LUMPUR 2011 (Part I)

2012-01-30T20:04:00.002+08:00

After Darren graduated from his specialist course, he had a full week's worth of block leave, so we decided to make a short 2D1N trip to Kuala Lumpur. I was clearing some offs and leaves too, so we grabbed Pek and we were ready to go!

We booked the trip from Singapore via easibook.com. Pretty decent coaches with a lot of space for the $20+ we paid. Pretty worth it!

We left at night from Golden Mile complex.

Sri Maju Bus Company.

After about 7-8 hours, we arrived in Kuala Lumpur! There are many destinations to alight at, and you can chose based on what's near your intended residence.

It was about 5 AM in the morning (we left Golden Mile at around 11 PM).

The nearest available place for breakfast was KFC!

Porridge... As smooth and delicious as the one in Singapore.

We were actually crazily tired due to the lack of sleep.

Right after, we headed to Reggae Mansion Hostel, before going to the nearby train station... towards the Petronas Towers!

Lesson for Singapore - trains that have flaps that you can open for ventilation during breakdowns!

We paid about 11 Ringgit for a new card, and that would prove to be more than enough for our two days worth of journeying.

Right when the sun is rising...

In Suria @ KLCC, which is a mall right beneath the towers. I wonder what a Premier Paid Toilet is.. I swear I wanted to pay just to enter and see if this toilet has golden taps!

Shops open at around 11 AM, just like in Singapore, so we were off to do more sightseeing!

There's a park right next to it, equipped with a running track for joggers.

Us playing around with the steel balls perched on the pavements.

Shortly after, we made our way to Yut Kee Chinese Restaurant, which Darren found online. Highly recommended!

Very traditional coffee house.

Just like in Singapore.

A lot of Chinese old folks dining here.

Beef Stew Rice with our Teh Peng. The Beef Stew Rice is approximately 7.50 Ringgit, and the Iced Tea is around 2 Ringgit.

Then came Pek's Fried Rice:

Don't mind the pained look, it was actually quite tasty!

Darren proceeded to order the French Toast:

Apparently the cross-eyed-ness was by accident.

It was a pretty good meal I would say, and we spent around S$6 each.

... and with that, we're off to do more sightseeing on foot!

Look at the multitude of landscapes in this picture alone.

the KL TOWER!

Admission is around S$5.

Playing around with my camera's miniature mode.

Gross brown-coloured river canals.

and we zoomed into the hostel we were staying at for the night:

Oh, there is a photographer that helps you take pictures. However, no matter how they take it, the railings can be seen anyway. Might as well take one on your own.

Cutesy little trains.

Got back down, and we were off to another place again!

And then we tried to get a passerby to help us take a photograph. this is what we got:

As a rule of thumb, ALWAYS ask a dude who's carrying a DSLR to help you take a photo. Those never turn out wrong!

We continued on our way... KL has a pretty good mix of old buildings and new ones, in a pretty spacious environment. Gives the city a lot of character.

Went to a Telephone Museum:

afterwhich we visited the brand new Kuala Lumpur City Gallery:

We were immediately ambushed by their staff to rate them on TripAdvisor.

This place is highly reminiscent of Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Singapore City Gallery. Singapore's gallery is a lot more interactive, with a huge model and fantastic panels, so this one falls short.

Singapore's gallery has a better collection of historical maps as well. Nonetheless, this is still a pretty good place to visit to get a 'bird's eye view' of KL.

Slightly off this place was:

Dataran Merdeka! or the Independence Square.

Just like our Padang.

There was a museum right here - they have so many museums tucked in so many locations, which is a lot like Singapore.

Proceeded to Central Market:

Sadly, didn't take a picture inside, but there's plenty to buy, including fake Anna Sui purses (which YangXuan bought). We also ate at Secret Recipe for lunch.

More commonly found, though, are the outdoor markets.

Moving along, we quickly proceeded to the Islamic Museum in KL.

... to be continued!

Becoming a Dinosaur: 20th Birthday Celebrations

2012-01-30T15:09:00.000+08:00

Had an amazing five days of birthday celebrations!

'BECOMING A DINOSAUR: 20th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS'

DAY ONE was epic enough... it started off with a:

PICNIC LUNCH at the PROMONTORY.

Followed by...

PINNACLE at DUXTON.

You could say I carefully selected this place for its photo opp value!

... to round off the day:

DINNER at GEYLANG CLAYPOT RICE.

Love this place since I was a kid :)

... and, on to DAY TWO

Lunch with Camille at TCC, followed by:

Wicked at the SANDS THEATRE! Now I've watched WICKED in TWO CITIES, London and Singapore!

That was followed by dinner at Tony Roma's with my family:

... on to DAY THREE.

Not so exciting day, I guess. Spent the early afternoon at a Columbia interview which turned out pretty good.

In the evening, met my BMT friends for dinner!

Korean BBQ!

And the lubricant that they gave me as a gift... LOL.

... on to DAY FOUR.

UNIVERSAL!

Went with Darren :D

Had dinner with my family afterwards, with a cake on my actual birthday!

... finally DAY FIVE.

Lunch with AH PEK at Ramen Ten:

Dinner with my old Sengkang CC friends at You & Mee:

... and that concludes five straight days of celebrations!

So grateful for all the people who made it. Of course, there were the others who celebrated with me outside of these five days, including Andy, and a few others I've yet to meet.

Thanks so much for all the well-wishes :)

JOGJA! (Part III)

2012-01-27T18:10:00.003+08:00

(July 2011)

... still on Day 3! (continued from Part II)

Post-cooking course at Via Via, we headed back to Hostel 1001 Malam, gathered with Becca and Brenda, and made our long way to a hostel near Mount Merapi.

We got on a motorbike (2 of us with 1 driver, on two trips), and headed to the nearby Taman Rekreasi Kaliurang, where we had dinner by the roadside.

There were virtually no tourists, and it was pretty high elevation, so it was around 18 degrees. Fantastic weather.

We walked around the place, before the sunset...

It's a pretty beautiful place, and we had to use malay to survive. Well, thankfully Darren did.

Carts selling food that was really cheap, from noodles to corn, omelettes etc.

Guess which is RABBIT satay and which is CHICKEN satay?

We kept ordering, cause it was all so cheap!

There were a few kids, one of whom pointed at Brenda and said, "CHING CHONG!"

Then... we went back to the hostel:

Day 4!

WOKE UP EARLY, and got on our way to our Mount Merapi hike! I know this sounds crazy because this volcano is renowned for being explosive... but we went ahead anyway!

Sleepy faces.

Got free breakfast, and a little introduction before we began our hike... all of this way before sunrise.

Well, since it's so active, there IS a limit we can climb to...

The sun rose as we climbed, and it was breathtaking!

Us, with two german travellers.

That was right about where the marked path ended... after that, we went on this crazy path - actually it's not even a path - where we had to climb and burrow under fallen trees.

At some parts, it was REALLY SO DANGEROUS, I thought I was gonna die!

We just followed wherever the guide took us - and he had a lot of stories to tell us about the previous eruptions!

Becca, so appropriately dressed for hiking.

Would you go on such a hike?

Stunning views!

A little break for some creepy stories.

The fearsome MOUNT MERAPI!

In fact, we hiked along the edge of this cliff where beneath us was just destruction caused by a previous eruption... and you could see remnants of some civilization there. :/

After about 3-4 hours of hiking through some madness, we finally arrived back at the hostel where there was complimentary lunch. THANK GOD.

Went back to our hostel, packed, and ordered lunch in :D

Pretty decent food, good for the weary soul.

And a photo with the awesome staff, who tried really hard to communicate with us... with our minimal command of bahasa indonesia:

With that... we took a long taxi ride back to Jogja, and headed for Adisucipto International Airport.

Right next to the airport was a train station, so we camwhorred:

We had to time these photos of course.

... and with that, we conclude our trip! Got on our Garuda flight back to Singapore via Jakarta!

Overall:
Compared to more established parts of Indonesia like Bali or Jakarta, Jogjakarta might be a little harder to navigate as the general command of English is not as good. Shopping-wise, they sell pretty much the same things that you can find across Southeast Asian countries. But of course, you would come if you're here for the CULTURE - and Jogja is seeped rich in Indonesian culture. Food and travelling around is cheap, which makes it a great destination.

It's more authentic compared to if you visited Bali, of course!

brewbaker's at anchorvale

2012-01-26T22:41:00.002+08:00

(21st January)

Haven't caught up with Andy since... a long time back, so it was high time for a dinner. Was supposed to go to a Vietnamese restaurant, but since it was pouring so hard, we went to brewbaker's at anchorvale instead.

I was thinking it was a pretty long walk from Compass Point (Sengkang MRT), but I guess if you have a steady supply of conversation fodder, length's not an issue eh?

So... at Anchorvale CC.

Lo and behold... a crappy picture.

They serve water in these bottles, which is pretty cool. Plus, it's free flow - which actually, should always be the case.

So, here comes the barrage of food:

Garlic Bread. Not sure if this came together with a dish, or if it was complimentary. Very average, anyway, not crispy enough.

Caesar Salad. $9.

Apparently pretty good... but I'm not a big fan of salad, actually.

Delicious green veggies!

And some finger food:

Calamari Rings! $6.80.

Pretty good, in my opinion (Y). So get this, if you're eating here.

Andy's main course was a Prawn and Spaghetti Pesto, $13.50.

Didn't try it, but it looks good.

I got the Seafood Spaghetti, also $13.50. Pretty average-tasting, reminded me a bit of a certain dish from The Garden Slug but I can't quite remember which one.

Great spread!

Thanks Andy for the birthday treat :)

Service was pretty decent, location is not so good though, a bit hard to get to. Food is a little above average, that's all, but pretty pricey. Food is just so-so, which doesn't justify the price.

We spent $60 in total.
Rating: 3/5

We're at:
Brewbaker's Kitchen & Bar
59 Anchorvale Road
http://brewbakers.com.sg

JOGJA! (Part II) - ViaVia Yogyakarta, Cooking Course

2012-01-23T21:29:00.000+08:00

(July 2011)

... continued from Part I.

Day 3!

We read about the cooking course in ViaVia GuestHouse, and decided to try it out. Since the two girls didn't want to pay $20 for a cooking course, we went our separate ways for the morning. Darren and I went to ViaVia, while Brenda and Rebecca went to get a full body massage.

We made our way to ViaVia Jogja in the morning :)

It costs about 140,000 Rp per person if you have a class of 3 or more, 160,000 Rp if it's just two students.

We were first introduced to our chef and teacher, Made (if you have been to Bali, you would know that this is a common name, as their names are given by birth order). She was incredibly friendly, and apparently famous because of a TV programme that featured her.

Oh, we joined two other tourists from the Netherlands, and they've watched the cooking programme that she was on! So she's pretty qualified, I must say - she has even written a cookbook!

So, the first part is to walk to a local market to buy the ingredients. This will be paid for by the hostel, since we already paid the course fee.

It's a pretty good experience, getting to see the different foods. For southeast Asians, this is probably nothing new - we have wet markets at home - but for the westerners, this might be quite a fun experience!

She can converse pretty well in English, so we learnt quite a bit from her.

Everything was really quite cheap in the market, I asked for the prices quite a few times and they're even cheaper than they are back in Singapore.

Spices! We got some of these.

There were all kinds of eggs available too:

With all that done... it was time to get to work!

Us with the two dutch backpackers :)

So, Indonesian food is all about spices, spices and more spices. A blend of the correct ones will give a fantastic taste to the food.

Mortar and pestle, as we ground the spices together...

The chicken! She explained the steps to us, and we got to do it ourselves!

Me, the noob chef, in action.

Darren, very happily cooking.

We were taught how to manually adjust the chicken so that the presentation style is more 'Indonesian'.

She also explained a lot about how the spices came together, and how different dishes used special spices for their unique tastes.

This is going to be deep-fried!

We fried our own Keropok as well.

... and with that, it's all done!

LUNCH IS SERVED!

We all ate together, and there was free flow of iced lemon tea.

It's amazing how you learn to appreciate the food so much more, after seeing the vast diversity of spices that go into creating just one dish, like this one.

Our TEMPE, that was caramel coated. We made the caramel sauce and cooked the dish by ourselves too. She just guided us along.

Final shot:

This is definitely a very value-for-money experience if you're in Jogjakarta, and keen to have some hands-on experience. We learnt quite a bit just by going to the market with her, and had so much fun in the cooking process.

It's only $20 for a half-day course, and you get to eat your own food! Yummy!

We're at:
Via Via Jogjakarta
Jalan Prawirotaman 30
Yogyakarta 55153
Indonesia

You & Mee (20th Birthday, Part V)

2012-01-21T18:30:00.000+08:00

On the 5th Day of Celebrations... grabbed dinner with Cherry, Sandra, Gerou and Darius. Darius kind of forgot our dinner and was working at United Square at a Roadshow, so we dropped by that area to visit him :)

Anyway, we had dinner at You & Mee, at United Square. It's tucked in a little corner at the basement.

This really reminded me of Old School Delights, except more Indonesian.

Well, I detected the Indonesian flavour because I saw this:

TEH BOTOL! Can never stop drinking this whenever I'm in Indonesia - it's not a very flavourful iced lemon tea, but it's just the right amount of sweetness.

Mee Ayam - for $4.80. It was dry noodles, but it tasted too strongly of IndoMee (Indonesian instant noodles) seasoning!

Sandra's Mee Kangkong, also for $4.80. She found it a bit too saltish too.

Me + Floozy.

Cherry's Mee Bakso, also for $4.80.

Gerou's Mee Bakso, except with noodles instead of Bee Hoon.

Again, both of them found it a bit too saltish for their liking.

... and Darius popped by from the roadshow :D

Haven't had a groupshot in AGES!

*toss toss*

Our makeshift birthday cake :D

These brownies were actually really good!

Great birthday gathering - we also discussed our upcoming trip to Langkawi!

Overall, the food was pretty average.

Rating: 2.5/5
I spent $6.

We're at:
You & Mee Noodle Place
United Square
101 Thomson Road
B1-03

20th Birthday, Part II

2012-01-20T22:45:00.000+08:00

Day 2 of 5 Days of Celebrations! (Okay, so I didn't blog them in order.)

Paid $128 to watch WICKED in SINGAPORE.

Okay, I've watched the London production at Apollo Victoria, and you might think I'm crazy for paying so much to watch it again... but only because I was so blown away by the story and the music behind Wicked!

Second time, but fantastic nonetheless!

Prior to that, had dinner at TCC @ Millenia Walk with Camille.

Camille's Seafood Aglio Alio, $20.

Yummy, but a tad exorbitant.

I ordered the crayfish pasta (by now you should know that I love anything that has crayfish in it!)

A little spicy, but just nice. $20.

I also ordered the Ultimate Hazelnut Frappe, for $6.80.

This was before WICKED.

Post-Wicked, I headed to Tony Roma's at Orchard Hotel for Dinner with my parents.

Again, crazy good steaks, ribs and fries.

Yup, that concludes the second day of celebrations!

TCC @ Millenia Walk
Rating: 4/5
I spent $25.

Universal Studios Singapore (II) (20th Birthday, Part IV)

2012-01-20T22:13:00.000+08:00

On the fourth day of 20th Birthday Celebrations, took a trip down to Universal Studios Singapore AGAIN (last time was February 2011).

This time, I was looking forward to the newly opened Transformers Ride, and the Madagascar Ride. With some experience last time, I knew how to explore the park in the most optimal fashion.

Significantly fewer pictures this time, since the park is less of a novelty, and I was just there to take the roller coasters as many times as I could!

Along 'Main Street USA'.

Loved that they were performing CANDYMAN - just the right song!

This ride was fantastic! I was very surprised by how they shuffled the cart in between the theatres, and the 3D effects were great! Much better than the regular simulator :D

It's incredible that Singapore now has such a wonderful world-class tourist offering - the Universal Studios!

Of course... we came here for:

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA! Human + Cylon = Amazing!

There was virtually no queue as well, so we got to take it over 5 times.

Madagascar :D didn't see the penguins this time!

Sad that the flume ride was closed :(

Saw the Egyptian Diva :D

The awesome thing about USS is that its food courts are kind of blended right into the landscape, so it's actually kind of hard to tell when a restaurant is nearby.

Well, we decided to eat at the Sci-Fi food court.

$13.80 for a simple set meal... a bit too expensive, if you ask me.

More camwhoring!

There are a lot of photo opportunities in USS :)

Got a shot with Kung Fu Panda!

... and we took a long time to calibrate this shot :D

And of course, the final shot:

Great thanks to Darren for spending my actual birthday with me at Universal!

It was a non-peak day, so the ticket cost $68 per person.

SSIKKEK KOREAN BBQ (20th Birthday, Part III)

2012-01-16T23:42:00.000+08:00

Had an interview with a Columbia alumnus in the afternoon, before heading to dinner with my BMT friends at SSIKKEK BBQ at Novena.

How do you even pronounce this name?

For just $24.20, you can get a pretty decent dinner set.

It's set up by Koreans apparently, which is pretty cool.

Korean movie posters for your adoration.

Chicken, beef, meat, kimchi, soba - you name it, they have it. Okay, maybe not everything, but the spread is VERY decent for a $20+ buffet!

Do not follow - contamination in this picture!

At first, Weisheng and I were wondering, "where's the butter?" and then we noticed the copious amounts of oil that the meat were drenched in.

Chicken was fabulous!

They were also pretty prompt with clearing the aluminium foil, which was great.

If you don't believe the amount of oil:

DAMN GROSS!!!

But Jerryl loves it.

HEART ATTACK ON A PLATE.

Okay la, I think the oil is still bearable throughout most of the meal... although it was kind of jelak towards the end.

And these guys got me THIS for my birthday:

SERIOUSLY!

Anyway, we went on to get dessert at Baskin Robbins at Novena Square.

Sinful delights!

Let's end off with more photos:

And of course...

Memories are best captured on instant film :)

So grateful for all the wonderful friends - 3rd day of 20th birthday celebrations COMPLETE!

-----

Rating: 4/5
I spent $25.

We're at:
SSIKKEK Korean Barbeque
275 Thomson Road
#01-01
Novena Ville

The Hwang's Restaurant @ NUS University Town

2012-01-15T21:56:00.000+08:00

Went back to NUS High School to grab lunch with Cikgu Rohaida, before settling some UCAS admin. Tried to grab a few teachers, and failing to do so, I went off to meet Pek at NUS University Town for dinner :)

There was a new restaurant that recently opened... the Hwang's Restaurant, selling Korean Food. I tried the Fish & Co here a while back.

It's right smack in the middle of U Town.

It's pretty cheap and all, and you get the usual discount if you're an NUS student. I keep using my old NUS card to get discounts! So cheapskate.

I ordered the Bulgogi set + drink + 10% discount = $7.30.

Didn't really like it, but it's probably cause I tasted the Bulgogi at BIBIGO which was mind-blowing. This one is much cheaper, so I shouldn't expect that much. It's better than the standard food court fare though!

Yangxuan ordered the barbequed pork set + drink + discount = $7-ish as well.

Apparently she eats this almost every day. Madness!

Anyway, the food here is decent, need to try more of it to get a good gauge.

Rating: 3/5
I spent $8

We're at:
The Hwang's at University Town
1 Create Way
#01-09
Create Tower, NUS University Town

20th Birthday (Part I)

2012-01-15T10:28:00.000+08:00

I'm becoming a DINOSAUR!

Just three more days to my birthday, and I decided to gather everyone for a day of festivities :D.

POTLUCK PICNIC @ THE PROMONTORY
SKYPARK @ THE PINNACLE @ DUXTON
DINNER @ GEYLANG CLAYPOT RICE

We all met at 1 PM at Raffles Place (save for Camille and Divya who were grossly late!)

Bee Hoon, Drumlets, Egg Mayo sandwiches, Potato Salad, Fried Mushrooms, CUPCAKES, drinks!

Cupcakes from TWELVECUPCAKES!

Each one at $3. I love them.

Cedric and Royston :D

Camille and Divya, my Cebuano faves :D

with my BFF.

Of course, PHOTO SPAM!

Oooh, Divya took this shot.

Camille all fatigued from the heat.

Thanks Royston for the gift! He had to leave early to go for the OCS Commissioning Parade at SAFTI MI.

On what was supposed to be a cloudy day, it was blazing!

I love my friends :)

We headed out from the heat... and made our way to the Pinnacle at Duxton!

$5 per admission.

Such a fantastic chillout place. Oh, Movin joined us soon after.

Then BECCA came. Then Yangxuan... so let the photo spam begin!

The stunning Singapore skyline!

with Yangxuan and Becca!

I love this!

We got this on polaroid too!

AND EVEN MORE PICTURES:

We were there for about two hours, before we headed down and took two cabs to

GEYLANG CLAYPOT RICE.

PEK XUAN.

Movin, who was reading his book on 1001 foods to eat before you die.

CLAYPOT RICE!

As usual, we had to eat their fantastic LOTUS DUCK.

SOFTSHELL CRAB!

HONG KONG STYLE STEAMED FISH!

Intan was also there, which was great!!!

THANKS INTAN!

And Rebecca, Camille and Divya for the NatGeo book and the awesome card!

FANTASTIC MEAL!

Gotta be so crazy thankful for all my wonderful friends, for taking time off their busy schedules to meet up :D

I'M TURNING 20!!! GOSH.

We're at:
Geylang Claypot Rice
637 Geylang Road (Lorong 33)

We spent $210 (for 9 persons).
Rating: 4.5/5

-----

The Pinnacle at Duxton
$5 PER ENTRY.

Founder Bak Kut Teh

2012-01-09T17:42:00.000+08:00

Was trying lechon in Cebu, and one of the accompanying dishes tasted like Pig Trotters in Bak Kut Teh - and then I found out that Camille has never eaten Bak Kut Teh!

Even worse, BECCA, who's Chinese, has never tried it before either! Crazy!

So we had lunch (only served between 12 to 2pm) at Founder Bak Kut Teh at Balestier Road.

Camille arrived early and got a seat. She couldn't really order (she didn't know how to order, anyway), while the staff could barely understand her cause they couldn't speak mandarin.

It's my second or third time here... This place is full of photos of the owner with various celebrities.

Standard BKT fare - Bak Kut Teh, Pig Trotters, Salted Vegetables, Youtiao (which we ordered two bowls of), with Rice.

Pig Trotters! The best (unhealthiest) part of BKT.

Soup was fantastic, better than the Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh stall at Havelock Road. But I felt the dishes were better at Ya Hua.

Nonetheless, great meal!

The entire thing cost us $22.

I love Chinese food, so I would definitely be back here for more. We seldom eat Bak Kut Teh with our friends, right?

Rating: 4.5/5
I spent $8.

We're at
Founder Bak Kut Teh
437 Balestier Road
Singapore 329818

Starbucks at Rochester Drive

2012-01-09T17:08:00.000+08:00

I've been hearing many, many things about this new Starbucks at Rochester Park.

Plus, haven't really been there myself... and I recently saw this quote, "Rochester is the new Dempsey. Dempsey is soooo 2008".

Gotta be there to see it myself - just a short walk from Buona Vista MRT.

An entire building in itself.

A very warm ambience.

Pretty quiet, except for students studying upstairs.

This Starbucks serves Lasagne, pasta, among the standard coffee fare.

We decided to try their slightly exorbitantly-priced pasta. Just by the looks of it... they looked kind of small.

I ordered the Baked Penne and Meatballs in Tomato Sauce, $10.90

It came with Nachos!

The dish was terrible. Probably pre-made hours in advance, it seriously tasted like it was just popped into an oven and heated. Tomato sauce didn't taste fresh, and the meatball was just... crappy.

Didn't help that I recently had Ikea meatballs. But this was seriously not worth the money. I would give it a 1.5/5 rating.

Nachos was good though, but I'm not too big a fan of the Tabasco that came with it.

Darren ordered the Baked Rice with Roasted Chicken and Mushroom in Cream Sauce - $10.90.

Equally crappy. Cream was so dry (all the moisture evaporated or something), and it just didn't taste very fresh. The chicken was a bit too tough.

Overpriced!

Thankfully we had this:

Apple Crumble Cheesecake - $6. The texture of the cheesecake is not too bad, which is what we usually expect from Starbucks.

Overall, I guess you could go there to study, chill, and enjoy the atmosphere (check out the other restaurants and bars along Rochester!) but as a precaution, don't try the meals.

Rating: 1.5/5 (The coffee is good, as usual, though).
I spent $18 (including the $6.80 Frappucino!)

We're at:
Starbucks
37 Rochester Drive
Singapore 138640

Nearest MRT: Buona Vista