MRT subway Singapore

In order to save up some money, I tend to take subway.

1. there are about 3-4 ticketing machines in each station. The touch screen requires you to touch and hold for 1-2 seconds. Don't treat it as an iPhone. So a shortest journey cost is about S$1.1 to 1.2 (HK$7-8) for 2-3 stops, but you need to pay a S$1 deposit. Please also be patient when you buy the tickets and refund the tickets. Allow yourself more time for this ticketing process. So it takes 25 minutes from my hotel to my meeting place (2 stops including 3-4 minute walking and changing the lines).

2. when you pass the machine, don't cross the ticket sensor. Stay back a little.

3/4. Platform. I didn't adjust my AWB or EV on my cameras. These are straight out of my camera.

5. this is the station for Clarke Quay.

River pool of Park Regis Hotel Singapore

This scene reminded me of that time my sisters and I saw some people with their clothes on, jumped into the swimming pool of Abloom apt. (Ari, BKK) after shopping outside. Those men took off their pants in the water, with their wet semi-transparent underwear on. My sisters immediately called up their kids to go back to the room.

This time this group of people jumped into the pool with all their clothes and belongings. If their religion refrain them from wearing swim suits, then they should check how their clothes are even more transparent than a swim suit. If I miss some logical senses, please enlighten me. Thanks.

Park Regis, Clarke Quay/China Town, Singapore

Park Regis (an Australian branded hotel) is in between Clark Quay and China Town. If possible and if you know Singapore well, better get a hotel not near the Marina, Financial and Orchard areas. There will be surcharge of around HK$500 to $700 for weekdays. So if you book a 4 star hotel (like this one) at HK$2,000, that will be even more. Then air ticket also has surcharge for weekdays. Actually there are quite different surcharges. I even found out the taxi has double the fares with those surcharges on this visit. I paid S$20 ($11 fare and $9 surcharge for rush hour and CBD) for a journey about 2km (but that taxi driver took a big turn). S$1 = HK$6.5 now. Was S$1 = HK$3.8, then 4, 5... So it's HK$130 for a 2 km trip.

Actually over the past few years, if I go to Singapore, I need to book a hotel near the subway. There are times if I had my dinner and it's about 10pm. You can hardly get a taxi. It's because after 11pm, there is 50% extra charge on the fare. There comes a scene that most of the taxis are on calls in the street, because on-call also has surcharges of S$3-5.

Back to this hotel, it's a very new one. The design is a bit strange that the living room is at the back end (facing a wall) with the bath room in the middle. As you can see, if you have kids, they would love to play hide-and-seek in this room. Overall, it's a good room as compared to other hotels I stayed before.

Marina bay and Financial district, Singapore

Boon Tong Kee (Wen Tung Gee) 文東記海南雞飯 Balistier Road, Singapore

Whenever I am in Singapore, this shop is a definitely certainly absolutely irresistibly must for my visit, and it's always a nice gift for my tiring days.

In seeing this shop growing from a Dai Pai Dong stall to a big 2 storey air-con. restaurants serving not just chicken rice but also some other nice Chinese cuisine, I am happy for them. They deserve it!

1. Thousand year eggs with ginger.

2. Calamansi (lime) juice. This one is so quenching, especially at 35 degree city heat.

3. My favourite chicken by Boon Tong Kee. Still the best in Singapore!

4. Bitter gourd with salty eggs. This one is pretty nice.

5. Rice of course!

6. the chicken kitchen.

曾媽媽與她的生炒骨

初中時有一位同學，在某一天午飯時候，他不屑校內飯堂所弄的生炒排骨飯，誇言自己母親所弄的生炒骨有多棒。 當年才入廚數年的我，自然想找個機會一嘗伯母這道菜。

終於有幸到了照片中這房子，踏進屋內，已聞到陣陣炸排骨酥香味，隨即走向廚房，眼前一大盤粉白淡黃的炸排骨，整齊地如兵馬俑列陣舖排。細問曾媽媽為何排骨只是半炸熟，曾媽解說，炸物要分兩段，原因是要讓肉汁與外皮穩定下來，及讓它風乾三數小時，曾媽更說弄生炒骨是不能急的，從醃肉、風乾到完成，足足一整天。我即時打了一個大問號 ﹣ 一整天？ 想著自己一輩子也不會為了弄一道生炒骨要花上一天？ 那我的搖控車、單車還有石澳泳灘怎辦？

當時曾媽邊說邊切芥蘭，小小的一段一段斜切，曾媽看到我好奇的目光，說著 “江仔不能啃粗梗的菜，要慢慢小心地切。” 。 曾媽對兒子的呵護備至，完全反映在她做菜的一絲不苟，令我對自已的廚藝深感漸愧，甚至不算是廚藝，粗枝大葉把食物弄熟加點調味就是，還好多多少少受這些影響，日後也不至於太粗略。

晚飯時，曾媽看著兒子一口飯一口餸，不消十分鐘已扒了兩大碗飯，曾媽一臉心滿意足，懶理“辛勞”這二字，這就是曾媽的幸福，曾媽的一個家。

直至目前為止，再沒有碰過多一位媽媽要如此費心，花一整天去弄一道生炒骨，自問也沒這本事，或許可以說，要留待只有曾媽才有這份高尚情操。再或許的是，我們平時就像江仔一樣，看不見母親這份厚意，更把它當作是理所當然，還有百般挑剔，通常到了能領悟箇中情義時，往往只在追憶中憑記。倒不如在彼此有生之年，先偷步把追憶變成感激，體驗人與情。

Apita (Uny) food court, Taikooshing HK

Food court offers various types of food, from noodle soup, steak, stir fried, combo meal to burgers. Uny's basement has changed quite a few times. In the recent 10 years, some food stalls like Wing On BBQ shop, Curry House and Sweet & Thai have been there while all others come and go. It has a reason.

1. Veggie chicken with rice HK$45. Surprised to see half chicken is served. Though we can't expect a fresh chicken at this price, at least the chicken is not over or under cooked and some ginger/salt to season. The rice is huge. This meal is good for 2 persons actually.

2. Can't get away with the nice Thai smile of the lady in Thai & Sweet. Ordered this stir fried flat noodle with veggie and pork in basil, HK$35. Nice stir frying and I like lots of veggie put in it. This way it's not dried out.

3. the shop Sweet & Thai. 4. the shop Wing On BBQ.

Zen and Central World BKK - suspended in time in google map

As when I have been finding out a number of images on google map weren't updated for years, I then came to check on Zen and Central World. Happy to see the suspended image of Zen and Central World (check photo 1 below). Zen is on the lower left. Big C on the top right. Seems like there weren't any fire. No fighting. No fire. No destruction.

Further on are images of some places of a few years ago. Photo 2 shows ICC (Kowloon West) was still under way. Photo 3 shows Hotel Palais de Chine and the mall The Station in Taipei were still a construction site. Photo 4 shows Yai Ya Hua Hin wasn't there - should be on top of Sheraton (Yai Ya has been there over 2 years). Photo 5 shows the factory outlet is still a wasteland and Blue Lagoon was named Sun Villas. Photo 6 shows The Bale' Bali wasn't with its new extension of the Deluxe villas on the top right. Photo 7 shows St. Regis Bali wasn't there either (on the right). Thanks to Google map not being updated for years. We can see Zen and Central World in its old time.

The Pawn, Wanchai HK 和昌大押

Posted about this place 3 years ago when it was first opened. Didn't have much courage to try it after all. Lately I have been in a trend for lousy food, I then thought about this one to fill up my course. It turned out half and half; so in this instance the experience is considered good on a curve standard. I told my friend already "this place doesn't need any booking for sure.". Turned out "not at all. We can get a table straight away", and it's the peak lunch time 1pm.

1. The table setting and the bread is pretty good though.

2. 3 course set lunch at HK$150+ with a starter salad. I think this one is the best in all the 3 courses. Then I was sliding down...

3. Pan fried sole with water cress salad. The sole was pan fried pretty nice but a bit too salty to me. Water cress is a bit rotten.

4. Banana walnut cake. A big mistake made - the chef was a bit in a rush for having it done by speeding the raising process. That resulted in a "dry bitter" flavour in the cake. So he used tons of sugar to cover it. So worst covers worse. Double shot, but not a cup of coffee.

5. The drink menu doesn't have any coffee or other drinks except tea and lots of wine and wide choice of cigars. So this place is tended for drinking and smoking. My apology for entering into a wrong place for food.

6-9. OK, then switch to the point as a place for drinking and smoking. The Luard road refuse (garbage) station is only 20 feet opposite away to it. So at this balcony and if it's in the winter time (when north wind prevails), your wine and cigars would be added with some complimentary "fermented" aroma.

10. a speaker but no music. Supposed this is a place for drinking and smoking. Music is the most essential thing. No bossa nova. No Jazz. No R&B. No lounge music. Is it a "talk" bar then? Talk, inhale complimentary "fermented" air from the refuse station, smoke, and drink and pass out? I really don't know what this place is oriented to. My label for this place in this blog section would be "unclassified". Congratulations on its first to be on this label.

11. the inside.

12. the outside.