Sweet American Couple

In all honesty, Americans were never my favourite people. A lot of bad press and media reports sort of vilify them to a certain extent, and what little experiences that i used to have with people(some, not all) from the leading superpower have also led me to stereotype Americans as being loud, rude and quite ethnocentric. Seriously, i believe many Americans think Singapore is a part of China, and usually, they are utterly amazed when they hear a chinese speak fluent english. However, i must say my more recent experiences with them changed my view a whole lot, like Troy and Daija, one of the nicest and most interesting couples i have ever met. Adventurous and with lots of stories to share, yet very polite and well-mannered, they really made me think twice about stereotyping Americans again. After meeting Troy & Daija, coupled with all the great experiences my brother wrote about life there (My brother's blog), i kind of want to visit the states now...

Having Supper at Chomp Chomp

Remote Controlled Kite Flying at Clarke Quay

The German that hates beer and eats durian

Stephan Zimmerman- Cool, funny and a great storyteller, conversations with him are never boring. Moreover, he defies sterotypes by being the only German i know that does'nt like beer and the first 'Ang Moh'(singlish for caucasian) that passed the Durian test. Check out the pics we took at one of the many durian stalls at Geylang:

Prepping up by having a sip of coconut juice

'Hmm?', followed by a 2nd and then a 3rd...

Le Grand Voyage de Pierre Corby

Messieurs Mesdame, je vous presente...(drum roll) Monsier Pierre Corby! There's only one word to describe this person, as he himself puts it so aptly- SUGOII! Everybody loves him! Whether it's his smile, his sincerity, his jokes or whatever, he's just great to have around. Adventurer that he is, Pierre has already been on the road for six months from Europe to Russia, Mongolia, China, and most of South East Asia, and for the next three heading towards South Asia, going across Sri-lanka, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan to Yikes!- Iran, and Turkey before reaching home in Grenoble, France - nine months in all. Good news to all ladies - he's single, but seeing as to how much he is infected by wanderlust, it'll be interesting to see if anyone can keep him grounded.

Anyway, other than a little stroll around the Esplanade area,(lots of great free performances in May/June, check out the one below!) we basically brought him around on a little food tour- Rochor Bean Curd, Claypot Gong Bao frog legs with porridge at Geylang Lorong 9 and Fried Carrot Cake from what is probably the last mobile cart food hawker in Singapore.(location & identity kept secret coz it's illegal, i think- e-mail me) Think we fed him well enough for his journeys ahead - Godspeed Pierre!

Full Traditional Malay Orchestra performed by Siglap Secondary - Utterly Mesmerising!

Better than the French version, t'was not a bit left of our claypot frog legs

Nostalgic, ain't it?

International Museum Day 2006

It's International Musuem Day!(though its a good ten days of programmes 18-28) With free shuttle services, free/discounted admission on pre-determined dates and various special activites, it's an event that's too good to miss. So... over the weekend, yours truly thought of doing a little museum-hopping here in my own backyard, and well surprise surprise, it was really quite a delightful weekend. Read on... oh, and by the way, it's still on, so check out the website here.

First stop- Red Dot Design Museum. A haven for students of industrial design, it showcases lots of really neat inventions or rather improved designs of existing products. Not just from students, they feature stuff from some of the big names like Phillips & Tag Heuer just to name a few. Some are patent pending, some are award winning products already out in the market- Unisex urinals, jet propulsion life bouys, snazzy gadgets- all pretty amazing stuff, though not exactly my cup of tea. Oh well, i'm glad i'm only paying $2bucks to see it. (normally $5 for adults)

Some kind of chair which lights up with different colours

New-age layout

Next stop- Chinatown Heritage Centre. Had an amazing encounter here. Remember the Yip Cheong Fun photo Exhibition that i featured in an earlier blog? I met his son, Mr Andrew Yip, who's selling reproductions of his father's great work here for a while. A talent himself, he's written quite a number of poems to go along with his father's photogtraphs. I bought one, and i'm really glad about it! Back to the centre itself, what can i say, it's great! Really authentic stuff, portraying a really vivid image of what Singapore was like back in the 1900s, cramped quarters, food hawkers, opium dens, brothels and all. I think every grandparent would have lots of stories to recount after seeing all the stuff. There's even a really neat section that helps to retrace our ancestral hometown in China through our surnames. I think i'm from Hebei, if i did'nt remember wrongly. In any case, i think my $4 was pretty well spent for this visit.(usual $8.80)

Tai Tai having Dim Sum at traditional restaurant

Street Hawker: '来来 - "Fresh pomfrets 2 for $1!"

Cramped quarters at a Chinese shophouse

Day 2 morning- Singapore Philatelic Museum. I'm not a stamp person, so i shan't comment much on it. Should be fun for kids though, as there were quite a number of sections and guided tours catered for kids. Oh well, it's free, so no complaints.

Antique Postbox

Last stop- Asian Civilisations Museum @ Empress Place. Wicked! This one's really amazing- It was free on that day, but even if i had to pay the $5 normal admission fee, i'd say that it's well worth it. I've been to several World-class museums around Europe like the Louvre and the Hofburg palace, but i must say our our own ACM certainly holds itself well against them. Sure it's not as big or as grand, but everything is done beautifully- from the lighting of the displays to the decor of the different region-themed galleries. The whole place just emanates a mysterious but nevertheless impressive aura- loved it. One small complaint though- the Hydraulic lift. There's a sign pasted next to it that warns any user that it's a slow lift, taking about a minute to move between floors. Its not just slow, its REALLY SLOW. Take the stairs- you won't regret it.

Eerie-looking sculptures

Silhouette of an Indian Princess

A projection instead of real frescoes - Ingenious!

Meet Kate from Norwich City, UK

Typically, i believe, adventurous girls are usually wild and pretty talkative, while the demure quiet types are usually not so adventurous. Meet Kate, who's really adventurous,(21yr old English girl traveling by herself for half a year now through New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia, with another 2 months through Malaysia and Thailand) yet still sweet and demure at the same time. Though only spending a night here in Singapore, it was a pleasant experience for us to show her around the Esplanade\Merlion area, Clarke Quay and Boat Quay. Hope you had fun in Singapore Kate, and have a safe Journey home.

Boat Quay with the Fullerton Hotel in the background

If it's only one thing we've got, it's beautiful night scenery

Pulau Ubin - Our last rural Paradise

In my opinion, Pulau Ubin's the best place for cycling in Singapore- dirt tracks, beautiful scenery at the abandoned quarry lakes (well, all you non-locals may think it's not all that great, but that's all we've got), lots of trees, kampong style buildings and a resident wild pig called 'Jack'. Just a 15-minute bumboat away,($2 one-way) i'm amazed why i haven't visited the island for the past 5 years. Had a great time with my bud, my gal and her friends- gonna be back soon again, i hope. The next time will be to Chek Jawa, the wetlands area- gotta check the bookings.

Touristy pic i know, but i just have to take it

"The Return to Brokeback"

Freestyle Diving

'Huh? Where'd he go?'

Beautiful People

Happy People- Me, Veria & Terence

Chatting with the locals- Veria's new friend

'Hmm, who to save first, my girl or my bud?'

Of Mozzies and Mangroves

First time to the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve,(7.30am to 7.00pm everyday, $1 admission fee) now i can say 'been there, done that' and strike it off my list. True-blue nature buffs must really love this place, what with all the birds and vegetation, but i guess it's not my cup of tea really. Don't get me wrong, i love nature, but i haven't got the patience to sit around waiting for birds to appear while swarms of killer mozzies feed on my blood, and to think we coated ourselves with a thick layer of 'OFF'! These must be the commando types, the totally-immune-to-insect- repellent kind that i used to encounter during my army days. Also, as far as fauna is concerned, it's mostly birds and retiles(saw a monitor lizard and a skink)- i hate reptiles. Couldn't find any furry mammal friends, maybe it'll be better with a guide around. But oh well, to be fair, it is a well-structured reserve, complete with boardwalks, well-marked walking trails, towers and viewpoints, and it does deliver an authentic experience- the smells, the sounds, and of course, the mozzies. Damn it- i hate mozzies...

Nature Beckons

'To the Aerie!"

Mudflat in all its Natural Glory

Monkeying around at the Mangrove Arboretum

View from a Bird Observation Hide

Abhijit from Calcutta

Hailing from Calcutta, India, my guest for 3 nights- Mr Abhijit Bhattacharjee. An extrememly knowledgeable man, we had a really good time chatting, from Food to Politics, travelling experiences to Travel tips, just about everything under the sun. I learnt a great deal about India from him, probably more in the few days than all the news i've heard(& cared to remember- the media always exagerate Indian-Pakistani tensions, but i'm told the locals are always on friendly terms with people from across the border) so far from TV. Moreover, he's more passionate about Singapore than many of us locals; he could even give me lots of local statistics that even i don't know. Anyway, among some of the places we brought him to was New Asia Bar for the view, East Coast Lagoon Hawker centre for the local fare, (hear this: like there's no chicken rice in Hainan, they don't have Rojak in India as well) and the Treetop Walk at MacRitchie reservoir for a nice stroll. (took the easy way out, parked at Venus drive) Check it out.

Famous Claypot salted Veges & duck soup, Satay Beehoon & Rojak

HSBC TreeTop Walk (9am-5pm, closed Mondays)

Pretty bunches of Wild Ixora along the trail

Hot n Spicy at the Esplanade

At the spur of the moment, I decided to have a walk at the Esplanade after dinner. First off, we checked out Max Brenner, the chocolate bar opposite the esplanade shop. It's Veria's first time here, so i recommended the 'Suckao'(sort of like a fun DIY chocolate drink with chocolate tablets, milk and a spiffy container for heating up the concoction) to Veria. Me? I remembered that i read somewhere that before it was introduced to the masses, Chocolate was a drink mixed with spices and served only to Spanish royalty. So, feeling all adventurous and also wanting to indulge myself in the thought of being King for a day, i decided to try the 'Mexican spices and chilli hot chocolate', which was served in a 'Hug Mug'. Bleh- i paid for my vanity. Too hot, too spicy. We did find out though that chocolate does taste better with just a little tinge of spicyness. So...mixing the 'Suckao' and my spicy drink, we made a pretty great drink actually, not to mention a lot of fun. Hmmm.... in time, i shall make my own Nectar of the gods...

Anti-depressant, Aphrodisiac, Fights heart diseases - all good!

Next, there was a free performance by the Chicas – Blanco ey Negro at the outdoor theatre. Hot! I've always been enthralled by Latino beats, and these chicas were really sizzling. There were a few couples(both local and ang mo) dancing salsa beside the stage as well- seems like Singapore is on its way to becoming pretty happening. Not quite there yet, but it's a start! Brings back memories of my time at salsa bars in Lyon dancing away with Cristina, Turki, Carlos, Mila & Azumi. Hummm...

Chicas - Blanco ey Negro (performing again at the Union club, Amara Hotel)

Of Milk and Marble

"With the milk stones, the milk is what it is. It is not white paint. I could not create the milk... and that is what is beautiful and what is important...

Milk on stone it is so still so incredibly still. It seems like it can last forever... and it lasts only a few hours" - Wolfgang Laib

We've gotten slightly more high class and snobbish these days, going after higher pursuits like contemporary art and... and... (what other kinds of art are there? Is anime an art?) Oh well, truth is, we just paid a visit to the Wolfgang Laib Transit-Transition exhibition at the Laselle-SIA college of the arts(Earl Lu Gallery, open daily from 10am to 6pm till 7th of May 2006) coz it's 1) free 2) near my house & 3) we've got nothing else better to do. It really is quite cool, deep... but cool. Nevertheless, we had to add a little more fun to it.

Beeswax & Wood - Deep Stuff

Veria & her Ricemeals - quite a lot, but trust me, not enough

Happier with more rice meals!

The famed Milkstone

Kitty lapping up all that milk

Rice Houses - another profound exhibit

Let's go to the Zoo!

Must have been ages since i last visited any zoo, and this trip really made me relive my childhood days when i would visit the zoo everytime there was a new attraction. I must say, Singapore really doesn't have that many spectacular tourist spots, but our zoo is indeed among the best in the world. True enough, a large part of the original exhibit has been moved to the night safari, but it's still big enough to make me spend a good 4 hours just to check out all the animals and see one show at the amphitheatre and one of the feeding times, and we did'nt even stop for any meal. Check out the beasties!

Orang Utans, Probably Singaporeans' favourite zoo animals

My girlfriend spent 10minutes taking this pic of the Cotton topped Tamarin- got to put it up

so high-class we don't have regular tigers in the zoo, only white ones

By the way, check this interesting fact out. All white tigers are descendants of this one white tiger by the name of Mohan; in fact, they can only be bred in captivity through in-breeding, so their story is a pretty sad one. All of a sudden, i'm not all that proud of our zoo anymore. Check out the article 'white tiger fraud' in http://www.bigcatrescue.org/white_tigers.htm. Oh well, enough of the depressing stuff, another interesting fact. Did you know that a good many species of animals live in harems? Imagine one male with 7-8 females... it must be a very successful survival model if so many species practice that.... if only i can convince my girlfriend. Anyway, animals aside, i think the overall layout and design of our zoo is really nicely-done too. Check out the animal road signs and tropical rainforest-themed toilets.

No excuse for not being able to read English

Doesn't that make you want to spend more time peeing?

My First Lithuanian Friends

Had a chance to host my first Friends from Lithuania from the 6th to the 8th - Avydas and Jolita - a really great couple that i got to know through the Couch Surfing Project. It's really fun - had a chance to show them around Singapore, many of the places which are not the usual tourist spots. They were happy, i believe, and my family and i had a great time as well. Moreover, through the many conversations that we shared, Arvy got me pretty keen on going to Lithuania... hmmm... going to have to do some research soon. Anyway, check out some of the pics i took while showing them around.

Sultan Mosque by Night

Cool Antique shop

Kampong Glam is absolutely my current favourite place in Singapore. Nice Arabic cafes (love Cafe Samar), great atmosphere, what i think is the most beautiful mosque in Singapore and a really cool little shop at Bussorah street selling antiques and little trinkets from my childhood days. I'll be writing more about this district in my later postings. Keep a lookout!

An Ingenious Reverie: The photography of Yip Cheong Fun

Brought them to see a free photo exhibition at the Nationary Library. It's got lots of pretty photos depicting scenes of Singapore's past, taken by the late Yip Cheong Fun, a Cultural Medallion awardee and probably our most highly acclaimed photographer. The introduction in the library website describes this as "largest retrospective photographic exhibition by a single photographer ever staged in Singapore". Anyway, it's at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library level 10 and it'll be on till the 15th may, everyday from 10am to 9pm.

View of The Oasis from Cosy Bay

Drove them to the condominiums near Cosy bay coz Jolita commented on how nice oasis looked when we were driving across Nicoll Highway, and yes, i was pleasantly surprised by the view myself too. I think they changed the colours of the lights at the Oasis, used to be more 'biang', i remember. It's a pity though that the spotlights that light up the top of the bridge linking the indoor stadium to cosy bay were not turned on - would have made the whole place more spectacular.

A Great Morning at Bollywood Veges!

A Ribena plant?

We had a really really great morning at Bollywood veges! (100 Neo Tiew Road) Not that i've been to many farms in Singapore, but i think this has got to be the coolest! Lots of different local plants clearly labelled and beautifully organised around the entire compound. Flowers, fruit trees, ponds - the whole works! It's really fun to explore the different sections of the farm, and I must say that a visit to Bollywood veges is a perfect day trip for city dwellers like us; even my new found Lithuanuan friends, who are already so acquainted with farms, seem to be absolutely fascinated by the range of tropical fruits and plants they have, especially the lemon grass, which they so wanted to grow back home in Lithuania to make more fragrant curry, their new-found favourite food. Special mention goes to Mrs Ivy Singh, owner of the farm, who so graciously gave Arvy some lemon grass plants and taught him how to grow them- really nice of her. Oh... and one last thing, i've got to say that Poison Ivy Bistro, the cafe at the farm, serves many delicious (and i presume healthy) and reasonably-priced dishes made with ingredients grown from the farm too.

Jolita & Veria at the Poison Ivy Bistro

Arvydas & Me

It's been Great Hosting you guys- Hope to see you again this summer in Lithuania!