NUS

I have been a true blue NTU-ian, having spent my three years of tertiary education in the Nanyang grounds. NUS, to me, conjures up a vague memory of cramped blocks of building claustrophobically close to one another with little greenery. Indeed it is so.

My first stop was at the Business school where I was greeted by a long flight of stairs to reach the canteen. Despite walking around, we could not spot any lift. My goodness, were the talks to make Singapore more friendly to the elderly and less mobile people just talk? How could a world-class college which educated some of the elite students of Singapore be so lacking in basic infrastructure? Moreover, that was not the only long flight of stairs I have to climb for the day.

In case, you think this was going to turn up to be a whiny complaints of a bad day spent at NUS, you are completely wrong. In fact, the trip to NUS was the highlight of the day.

The various canteens had so much to offer at so cheap a price. I had the western food from the Business canteen. Wow, the quality was good. My friend had the Mediterranean food and it looked exotically delicious. Most of these were below $5. Amazing!

As it was V-day, the school grounds were occupied by many stalls set up by the students in celebration of the day. Of course, for those of you who had ever joined any club in poly or U would know that V-day would be one of the best days to canvass for the much needed funds for your club. The flowers and cuts gifts sold to fellow students who wished to impress their girlfriends or who wished to profess their loves to their crushes all meant potential dollars to us.  Many years on, I could see that this still remained one of the most lucrative occasions.

As it was still a school day, touring around the campus also provided an opportunity to look at the youngsters of today. My friend pointed out to me the differences between the students of the Arts, Business and Engineering schools especially in terms of dressing. I was surprised that there was indeed marked differences among the cohorts. Well, I was certain the Engineering students were late bloomers and sooner or later, they would catch up with their Arts or Business peers. I wonder the apparently different dressing sense was also replicated in NTU. Hmm.

Time flew especially happy times. We could not believe that we had spent close to 4 hours at the campus. If the opportunity arose in future, I would definitely come back to try more food and to people watch.

Asian Civiliation Museum

This is the first time I have been to Asian Civilisation Museum despite wanting to visit this Museum many times, especially when the Kangxi exhibition was on last year. This time, I have caught the start of the Treasury of the World: Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals. This exhibition catered to both men and women - few men would not be fascinated by the different daggers and swords of the Princes while few ladies would not be charmed by the sparkles of the gems and exquisite jewellery.

The exhibition spanned half the floor of ACM. First, it gave you a brief history of the Mughal history including the various kings. Of course, the one which was likely to catch people's attention would be Shah Jahan - the romantic King who constructed the Taj Mahal for his beloved concubine Mumtaz Mahal. For those who are interested to find out more about  Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal and their beloved daughter - Jahanara, you can refer to "Beneath the Marbled Sky" which is a fictitious novel based on their stories will introduce you to the colourful history in more light-hearted manner.

The resplendence and the exquisitive workmanship of the jewels emphasize the opulence and the progressiveness of the art during the Mughal empire. My friend noted that many of the daggers are curvaceous rather than straight plates of steel. This led us to ponder if the daggers are largely ornamental and symbolic without any practical use for a straight dagger should be more effective as a weapon than a curved one.

Surprisngly, we are not the only ones who are lured by the bling blings, there are many visitors who are conscientiously taking notes and photos of the exhibits. This is certainly an encouraging sign that the marketing campaigns by the National Heritage Board are finally taking flight with the ability of the Museums to engage more crowd. Musuems are no longer perceived to be unattainable or too lofty for the men on the streets.

I will certainly come back to ACM again when there are other interesting exhibitions. A point to note though, I wonder if there is any utility function behind the doors leading to the exhibition halls - they are certainly very heavy even for an adult like me to push through.

Singapore's Version of Cherry Blossom

During the spring season, the 2 rows of trees along Yishun Ave 11 just framing the perimeter of Yishun Park will be ablazed in a sea of pink. It almost gives me the illusion of seeing Cherry Blossoms. If you ignore the flowers and from afar, the trees do resemble the much famed Cherry Blossoms of Japan. Since I have not seen Cherry Blossoms yet, this will be a consolation till I can truly have a picnic under the Sakuras.

One day, I will definitely see the real Cherry Blossoms for myself.

Hort Park

Hort Park drew quite alot of publicity when it first opened to Public. However, as it was pretty out of the way, I have not had chance to visit it yet. When a friend suggested going there to have a look, I jumped at the chance to see for myself this park that was always captured with great scenic beauty in photos.

It was a super hot day. My friend and I were in sweat even before we moved out of sight of the Hort Park's gallery. As it was my first time at Hort Park, I was totally clueless on where we should move. we decided to move towards the Kent Ridge Park direction. The parks were connected by a canopy. The trail was slightly fraught with dangers with the loy hanging tree trunks and spider webs. For the less observant, banging into the tree trunks or getting kissed by the spiders could be a likely consequence if you did not open your eyes wide enough.

We spotted some lavender-like flowers near the entrance. We were puzzled if they were real or not as we did not detect any fragrance coming from the flowers.

Being normally very susceptible to mosquito bites, the 2 hour walk of course left me again with rounded and itchy bumps, courtesy of the mosquitoes. Sigh, I could not understand why the mosquitoes could never leave me in peace. They were always attracted to my blood like honey to bees, even when there were more than one person around.

It was a good way to spend a weekend afternoon exploring a different part of Singapore and sweating it out. Don't you agree?

Quest for Immortality Exhibition

I knew it was a popular exhibition because the last time the National Museum opened house during the New Year's Day, there was a long queue waiting to view the the exhibition. I thought this second free entry would attract less crowd as the more enthusiastic members of the public would have already seen the exhibition in the first open house.

I could not be more wrong.

To play safe in case the fascination among Singaporeans on Ancient Egypt civilisation has not waned, we thought going there early meant that if we needed to endure any queues, it would have been a shorter one. Moreover, we could then finish our visit early for lunch. When we marched into the museum at 1030 am, the end of queue was already just behind the concierge. We were dismayed by the waiting we had to subject ourselves to as the other end of the queue was about 1 floor down.

About half an hour later, we were finally admitted into the exhibition grounds. we were pleasantly surprised that National Museum allowed photo taking for this exhibition. Photography was banned two years ago for the Greek exhibition. Of course, how could we now miss the chance to snap some pictures as momentoes? Unfortunately, I did not bring my digital camera alone, hopefully my phone's camera would not do any injustice to the glory of the exhibits.

The scale of the exhibition was much smaller than that of the Greek exhibits when National Museum temporarily housed part of the Lourve's collection when Lourve underwent major renovation 2 years ago. I was amazed by the carvings of the Ancient Egypt civilisations on the stone slabs especially mindful of the technology and the types of tools available then. When we saw the mummies, we were again taken aback by the length of the mummies, they seemed smaller than what I would have imagined them to be.

Other than the Ancient Egypt exhibition, the rest of the National Musuem was also open to public. Having been to the History gallery before, we thought we would venture into the Living Gallery instead. The exhibits in the Living Gallery were closer to our hearts with themes on photographs, such as photos of families, festivals and customs and food, such as the mortar and pound, the making of satay and laksa and the various spices used commonly in Singapore cuisine.

Overall, it was an interesting visit on a public holiday.

Orchard Road on Christmas Eve

I have not been to Orchard Road on Christmas Eve for a long time. I have almost forgotten about the crowd that thronged the streets on Singapore's most famous shopping belts on major holidays. Suddenly, I am overwhelmed by claustrophia again especially with the shoulder rubbing with people around me. Maybe I should be glad that Orchard Road still remain a popular hangout place after so many years.

Christmas Lighting

I have enjoyed walking down Orchard Road admiring the Christmas Lighting put up by the STB. Each year, the Christmas lightings drew varied and even opposing comments. This year is no exception. Some of my colleagues prefer the white lightings at Marina Area. I, on the other hand, welcome the more traditional red lightings especially with the drip-drop blue lights.

There has never and most likely will never be a white Christmas in Singapore. Unlike the temperate countries where they can probably hurdle around their furnace with their families and friends for a cosy and heartwarming Christmas. Christmas in Singapore can be equally heartwarming with a walk down the Orchard Road admiring the lightings.

If you have time, why not take a stroll down Orchard Road with your family and friends to bask in the festive mood?

White Cranes

I have not witnessed such a sight since I graduated from university as these birds could often be observed in some of the vast fields on the school campus. My school is well-known for its greenery. Hence, I eas very excited when I chanced upon the white cranes as I was passing by Jurong East recently. The rows of white birds was a very impressive sight.

313 @ Somerset

This was the most exciting event of the year - the grand opening of a new mall and Uniqlo's megastore. We were anticipating this grand opening since we saw the advertisements. Moreover, this was right beside our office. How could we give this a miss?

We were so excited about this day and had been talking about it for ages. When we met the throngs of crowd who were as eager as us to see the mall on its opening day, our excitement was heightened. We could not wait to rush to Uniqlo.

Oh no, the queue waiting to get into the boutique snaked about at least 500 metres from the entrance. We decided to abandon our original mission of shopping at Uniqlo. Instead, we just went for the food at Food Republic. Oh dear, the queue continued here. There was a queue length of at least about 8 to 10 people for almost every stall. I was getting abit nervous about whether I could make it back in time for a 115 pm meeting.

I ordered handmade noodles which was quite good. However, the queue was quite slow. My colleagues had Yong Tau Hoo and sliced fish noodles. In the end, we really did not make it back in time. We only managed to reach office at 130pm. I guessed we would have to wait till the crowd die off at 313@ Somerset before we ventured here again.

Wonders of Nature

I never ceased to be amazed by the wonder of nature. In this morning's jog, I notice a tree with 2 shades of leaves. The lighter shade leaves are found evenly around the tree so that they appear to be tiny ornaments on the trees.

Jurong Point

I never stepped into Jurong Point after I graduated from NTU about 7 years ago. NTU used to be the only shopping centre that we could visit to kill our time while in between lessons. However, being relatively not a very smart person and who craved lots of sleep, most of my free time were spent catching up on my work or sleep. My favourite hangout during those break times were either on the benches outside all the tutorials and lecture theatres or inside tutorial rooms, if I was lucky to find one. My preference was of course the tutorial rooms with proper chairs and aircon and mosquitoes free.

During those times, Jurong Point had already undergone one round of expansion. This time I saw a much bigger Jurong Point with high roofs and so many more shops. At the new wing, I felt like I was transported back in time and across continent to Australia. It reminded me of Harbour Tour in Perth wiht the sun light streaming in from the transparent roof, the high ceiling and the white pillars and structures on the roof. The rather Al fresco Starbucks outlet was also a huge draw among man students.

The numerous eating places with some of the lesser known eating styles and eateries were rather attractive. There were a couple of Western restaurants offering Italian pasta (Olive & Fig and Ambush) and foodcourt style eateries with well-known local names such as Fatty Weng and Japanese restaurants like Botejyu. There were also the ubiquitous food courts such as Banquet and Kopitiam. For those who looked forward to local cafes, there were Old Town coffee and cafes offering Nyongya cuisines.

For boutiques, there were many shops selling fashion and shoes. There were also departmental stores such as NTUC Extra and John Little.

What we foresaw as a short trip became a half day trip with so many to see and walk around. The place could easily occupy us for a long time if you slowly stroll among the many shops. This was indeed a good hangout for people living in the west.

Kranji Farm

I was enticed by the publicity revolving around the Kranji farms, so visiting Kranji farms was definitely part of my agenda when I was on leave. Armed myself with a bus schedule and a list of the farms, I set off on my journey hoping to have a date with the flourishing vegetables and the charming animals. Being not truly an outdoor person, I wondered why I had thought it was a good idea.

I was slightly apprehensive when the bus was late. Then I was more worried when I was not certain where I should alight. If I alight at the wrong stop, then I would have to linger at the place for at least 1 hour before the next bus would arrive.

Looking as the bus zoomed past the many farms, we decided to just choose any farm and alight. I was under the impression that once we alight at eaach farm, there would be at least an information counter, a sales counter for selling the fresh produce and probably some activities to engage to the public. I was hugely disappointed when I alighted at a fish farm to find there no human to talk to. I was only greeted by a dog. Being private property and no visible sign that all were welcome, I retreated quickly back to the entrance in case I was chased by the dog or being prosecuted for trespassing private property. In the end, I had to wait for about half an hour for the bus to pass by again on its loop out.

There ended by farm visit. Totally misadventure and uneventful.

(The only consolation is the ability to see the landscape of Johor Bahru enroute to the farms)

MacRitchie Tree Top Walk

The tree canopy was beckoning to me. Although I kept telling myself I wanted to go there and see for myself, somehow I procrastinated going there. Finding the appropriate company was one thing. Finding the time to go was another. I knew, even these sounded lame excuses to me.

Well, the two weeks break would be a good time to go. I had no reason to put it off further. Moreover, with a 2 weeks' break, I should have more than enough time to recover even if I suffered any muscle aches or any sort of injury. Not that I was being pessimistic but with some blurness, the tendency of some form of injury was not hard to imagine.

I did some research on how to get to the place and the trail. The shortest and less challenging route was via Venus Drive off Upper Thomson Road. However, as this route was not near the main entrance, I was concerned if I could even locate the trail in th first place. Hence, I decided that it might be easier for me to enter from the main entrance.

The trail from the main entrance was one of the longest where one way trip would take about 5km. A two-way journey tof 10km would take about 4 to 5 hours. I estimated that if I started at around 9am, I would finish at around 1pm, just nice for lunch. An alternative would be to enter from the main entrance and exit from Venus Drive if I could even locate it in the first place.

I never expected the trail to be so physically challenging with the up-and-down slope. The sunny weather also meant that it was very hot walking around searching rather diffidently for the Tree Top walk. Surprisingly, we took a shorter time than our estimate to reach the Tree Top Walk. We reached the Canopy in about 2 hours' time.

The Tree Top walk was slightly disappointing because it was the shortest walk among the trail with only about 250m. When we reached the Tree Top Walk, it was close to noon, so the strong sun made it difficult for us to leisurely admire the scenery. We were trying to complete the wobbly walk, both from our tired legs as well as the swaying bridge, in the shortest possible time.

(View from the top)

If you thought the adventure ended here, there was more. in fact, the greatest adventure happened when we were walking out along Venus Drive. We were surrounded by a group of monkeys which looked ferocious. Then we nearly missed our way in the narrow and rather secluded trail which got me abit worried because losing one's way in MacRitichie Nature Reserve was not unheard of. Along the endless walking, we came across a very large amphibian which nearly got us screaming. We hurried away quickly without taking a proper look if it was snake. At this time, we saw a jogger coming along and decided to follow him out of the trail.

(A small river on the way out from the Tree Top Walk to the Ranger Station)

Phew, we finally completed the trail. Despite it being slightly physically challenging, we were so proud of ourselves for completing the trail. However, it was indeed very tiring and I doubt we would want to attempt it a second time.

(A map of the trail)

Snacks at Ion Orchard

Now is the lull period of our work cycle for the whole year so we can afford to take a slightly longer lunch than usual. We decided to go and eat the snacks at Ion Orchard.

We had suckling pig (a portion) and takopachi (grilled octopus balls). The suckling pig was so-so. The grilled octopus balls were fantastic. After tasting it, I wondered how I have managed to live with the ones at Taka basement for so many years. Among the 3 of us, we finished about 16 octopus balls.

I was surprised that on a week day afternoon, Ion Orchard B4 could be so crowded.

Balloon Galore

This is almost an exhibition of balloon sculptures. I wish I was a child and could be allowed to enter this 'underwater world'.

Ion Orchard

We were dismissed from class early after we ended our test. On my way home, I decided to drop by the newly opened Ion Orchard to check out this mammoth shopping landmark along Orchard Road.

The concept again resembled that of Orchard Central. Gone were the days where all shopping centres had a large lobby which allowed one to view all the shops from the lobby. There were many shops and the whole complex was pretty maze-like. One could never know what to expect as one turned the corner or travelled up the escalator. Some of the escalators would also bring you to different floors. Hence, while taking escalators, beware or you would end up in a different floor from where you wanted to go.

There were many Japanese eateries at basement 4, some of which were pretty unheard of or were previously only located at one part of Singapore. For eg, one would find the famous bakery along Holland Village - Provence having another outlet here. There were also new eateries selling Hokkaido ice-cream, Japanese burger such as R burgers. The doughnut chain - Dunkin Donuts which had disappeared from Singapore market for some-time made a come-back at Ion.

With this new shopping mall, it would certainly enhance the shopping experience along Orchard Road.

Orchard Central

Every morning as I passed by the underground from the train station to my office, I was entranced by the beguiling expression of the girl with doe-like eyes enlarged many times and plastered all over the wall. After being inundated with this image each time I went to work and back home, it was inevitable I was curious about what Orchard Central looked like.

After lunch with 5050 and KW, we decided to walk to Orchard Central. As usual, I was the most mountain tortoise among the 3. Both KW and 5050 had already somewhat explored the place. With them as guide, I could see more of the place in a shorter time.

The place reminded me of Langham Place in Mongkok, Hong Kong. From one end of the mall, you might not see the other and you could not see all the stores at one-shot. There was also a rock wall for rock climbing at the top of the mall. We spotted a few caucasians attempting a climb. There were also some slopes which bring you across the levels. The shop mix was slightly less common than what we saw in other malls, such as many new Japanese and Korean eateries. The boutiques were of smaller scale and cosy. There was also a rooftop garden overseeing Orchard Road.

If you have time, do drop by Orchard Central as well.

Marina Barrage

I have heard about Marina Barrage many times. It was the first reservoir in the city. The view of the interface between the city landscape and the vastness of the sea wooed many locals there weekly for walks and picnics. I held the belief that Singaporeans should be more familiar than any tourist of every corner and tourist attraction in Singapore, I ought to see and experience for myself the state-of-the art dam.

There was a free shuttle bus from Marina Bay MRT Station to ferry visitors to the Marina Barrage and back.

There was a long ramp at the entrance to guide the visitors up to the green field on the second storey. The ramp helped to make the climb less strenuous. Visitors could also more leisurely admire the CBD landscape as well as the construction of the Marina Sands IR, the Singapore Flyers and Esplanade. As one moved southwards and upwards in the climbs, the city landscape gradually gave way to the blue seas and the sea breeze cooled us down from the climb.

There were many families and friends either having picnics and games of frisbees on the green field. Many lovers of photography also perched their DSLR on their tripods at strategic locations hoping to capture the best photoes from the NDP rehearsals.

Suddenly, our ears were deafened but the whirl of the het engines as the Black Knights zoomed past us overhead towards the Floating Stage at Marina. Shortly, we heard the swirling of the propellers as the helipcopters carrying the giant National Flag flew overhead. Many visitors shouted and clapped.

There was also a fountain on the ground floor which kept many young children happy as they ran free in the raining waters which was only ankle deep. For those who wished to find out more about the efforts of PUB in water conservation and discovery, there was also a gallery which provided information on the board's efforts. If you were hungry after the information overload and playing with water, the famous 7th Storey Hotel Chinese restaurant could be found here.

I would certainly come back for more.

Crackers?!

Crackers?! was the performance for the closing ceremony of Singapore Arts Fest 2009. It was a free visual treat with videos, colours and fireworks. Of course, I was there for the fireworks. I was never tired of fireworks despite its transient nature. It was truly spectacular and awesome. Enjoy the pictures.

Strong Winds

We were all in our dreamlands.

Suddenly, there seemed to be commotion outside the windows. My curtains flapped loudly. It was almost thrown outside the windows. The winds continued to howl outside. Fearing that a thunderstorm was imminent, I quickly tried to close the windows to prevent the lashing rain from wetting the curtains.

I had underestimated the strength of the wind.

I was trying to pull the window panes in to close them. I was fighting a losing battle against the strong wind. What I had only managed was to hold the window panes from moving even further out while calling out for help to my sister. It took the two of us to jointly to hole one window pane in. After a good 5 minutes did I manage to close and the lock the windows.

Wow, it was like a typhoon sweeping past. Never have I encountered such strong winds before.

P.S. We only knew from the papers the next day that the strong winds were caused by the Sumatra Squall.