tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4286029496263837552024-03-05T16:23:48.830+08:00Life SucksAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.comBlogger713125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-20204618870582397512015-02-25T21:13:00.000+08:002015-02-25T21:13:04.939+08:00Moving on to www.runeatgossip.com<div style="text-align: justify;">
I migrating from Blogger to my own domain. So this site will not be updated any more. Over time once I figure out how to do the redirection, this blog will cease to exist. But fret not, all the contents here, the controversial posts, the contentious posts, the cheesy photos, the blurred photos everything have already been migrated over to the new blog. In fact, there is a new pull down menu that makes it easier to zoom down to the specific topic you looking for.</div>
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So hop on over to www.runeatgossip.com for the latest on running (yes it still sucks), food and all the blurry photos that come with it (somehow I can't seem to be able to take good photos with the camera phone) and gossips and chats on everything under the sky.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-52338958327714529122015-02-10T23:37:00.000+08:002015-02-10T23:37:12.810+08:00You litter I litter Everybody Litter<div style="text-align: justify;">
The current debate here is of course the littering problem. Some people are asking why after many years of successfully keeping Singapore clean, it has gotten so bad. Actually, in my opinion, the littering problem has always been there. It just got swept away (pun intended) by a task force of cleaners.</div>
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When the PM first talked about the littering problem at the recent Laneway concert at the Garden by the Bay, a lot of fingers were pointed at foreigners. But really, is it really the foreigners that are contributing to all the litters here. I sorry and sad to admit that it is likely not so. The way I see it, most of the litters here except for certain specific areas where foreigners of similar nationality hang out, most of the litters are generated by us local.</div>
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I talked about the <a href="http://lifebesiderunning.blogspot.sg/2013/11/smokers-are-selfish-and-inconsiderate.html">smoking and littering problem outside my office previously</a>. The people who hangs around there and smoke are from the 2 office buildings next to it. Some of them are my colleagues as well. And 99% of them are locals. In fact, I once saw the security guard at my building dump his breakfast bag there! Beats me why he couldn't throw it into the bins in the building?</div>
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On my runs during the weekend, I often see litters left behind by people who had appeared to stay overnight at the park. One time there was a whole lot of Macdonalds wrappers and cups at the Punggol Waterway. Then there is the perpetual lot of rubbish at Alexandra Arch. Beside it being featured prominently in the papers, on the 2 occasions that I was there over the last 2 weekends, the litters were at the same place. Obviously somebody must have decided to have a overnight picnic there. Foreigners? I don't think so. The domestic maids will have to go back to their owners' place. The construction workers all have curfew and definitely have no money to drink so much. And even if they do, they are at Little India, Beach Rd, Tanjong Katong but not the neighbour parks. Rich expatriates? I don't see people like them hanging out on a overhead bridge in the middle of the night. A good example is the void deck of HDB flats. Who hangs out there overnight talking and drinking until the wee hours? And leave everything on the table for someone to clean up thereafter? Foreigners? I think most Singaporean know the answer to that.</div>
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And it is the same scene everywhere. At the beaches, at the bus stops, in the cinemas, in the parks and even in the trails. I think the big problem we people here have is not, contrary to what the press is saying, that we have this thinking that somebody will clean up after us, but is that we are by and large selfish and inconsiderate and ill bred. The littering problem persists because us Singaporean do not care. Simply bochap about the environment. Just wait at the bus stop and observe. See the student drinking? Watch when the bus comes along, just leave it on the bench and board the bus. Same with the uncle fisherman at the beach. Catch the fish and leave the small fish, newspaper, drink bottles behind. Same with the kids who drinks at Clark Quay and Alexandra Arch. And after every movie, look at the amount of trash left on the seat and floor. At my place here, there is a resident who will leave his/her trash in the corridor! And the central rubbish bin is like another 10 steps away! Fact is we have a first class economy but a third class mindset.</div>
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To lick the littering problem, another round of campaign is not going to work. People are too well educated nowadays for this type of goosebumps inducing campaign. What we need is more enforcement, heavier fines and more prominent Corrective Work Order. The only way to nit the problem. Fine them and shame them. Sad but the only way to go. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-73386684854138634022015-02-05T22:00:00.000+08:002015-07-02T22:26:54.378+08:00Bidadari Park<meta content='1;url=http://runeatgossip.com/2015/02/bidadari-park.html/' http-equiv='refresh'/>
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Not exactly a park. Just a patch of forest land that is soon going to go the way of the dodo bird. So thought before it disappear forever, to go down there and try to take a shot at the birds that abound there. And I wasn't disappeared. Could hear many different type of bird call. But Uncle's eyes not so good and has to rely on friends and other photographers who were there to spot them.</div>
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One thing I long realised is that a 70-200 lens is not enough to take photos of little birds perched high up in the trees or far away. So while other photographers with the tokong lens captured beautiful close up, all I managed to do was get many blur blur shots of little birds. Fortunately, some cropping helped and I didn't go away empty handed though the quality could be better. Oh well....</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzEGyZumGczmRb4HRYCUr_OcrRWMIeuNBQD2Z9Oit4eI5oB3EtuX3X22KUao3DmlwHVmDjIauHLiCBFv49VObpy22BRIWf1UF8XgeMuf1psDdVGsnJdGe5otEinCVpHiHZNt4Kx2nM_wF/s1600/BDR_6416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzEGyZumGczmRb4HRYCUr_OcrRWMIeuNBQD2Z9Oit4eI5oB3EtuX3X22KUao3DmlwHVmDjIauHLiCBFv49VObpy22BRIWf1UF8XgeMuf1psDdVGsnJdGe5otEinCVpHiHZNt4Kx2nM_wF/s1600/BDR_6416.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Throated Kingfisher</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWw_ai87zFWiskBqAQpIHCxgkwh7zqAL2E71PlSZJYRb3TX7Jsir87nc2APqE-23_c9rABqaTxM0TSOvYt_9-usrAXKNDSdIoLBez1cg6dlpxQijUWuRrk4ZR6iF2_xwlSM2Lg3gJN0It/s1600/BDR_6438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWw_ai87zFWiskBqAQpIHCxgkwh7zqAL2E71PlSZJYRb3TX7Jsir87nc2APqE-23_c9rABqaTxM0TSOvYt_9-usrAXKNDSdIoLBez1cg6dlpxQijUWuRrk4ZR6iF2_xwlSM2Lg3gJN0It/s1600/BDR_6438.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotted Flycatcher, I think</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMKTvNZ4jTNPdb_zg9ts6Q_XjY9xPW1SBQ6kZlfT7_9Thkhe8XrMmNoU2K_9huUrIFjmj2vptgWzPC88_mRbKfrctRBal3GXdz8giONcLAtFHgTpxOIAyrKUD9IaR9_bBUs7X2LbOM8N4/s1600/BDR_6514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMKTvNZ4jTNPdb_zg9ts6Q_XjY9xPW1SBQ6kZlfT7_9Thkhe8XrMmNoU2K_9huUrIFjmj2vptgWzPC88_mRbKfrctRBal3GXdz8giONcLAtFHgTpxOIAyrKUD9IaR9_bBUs7X2LbOM8N4/s1600/BDR_6514.JPG" width="630" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rusty Breasted Cuckoo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6Tcqd29tlniAiAfuh6mgxz35PQEJDP0J53zsK7C-bUefJqz2-JkO9DafoWXnhUrQ1GiOV_f9c74B4OJrjufHipnwOmPA_TZekEr3VfajSPPncWNXzw1Md4-uNeJg0iX6fF7u0rXINrcM/s1600/BDR_6603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6Tcqd29tlniAiAfuh6mgxz35PQEJDP0J53zsK7C-bUefJqz2-JkO9DafoWXnhUrQ1GiOV_f9c74B4OJrjufHipnwOmPA_TZekEr3VfajSPPncWNXzw1Md4-uNeJg0iX6fF7u0rXINrcM/s1600/BDR_6603.JPG" width="630" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hodgson's Hawk Cuckoo</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-38312321929875041412015-01-31T18:34:00.001+08:002015-01-31T18:34:06.258+08:00Joe's Kitchen<div style="text-align: justify;">
Went to this little Thai place at Alexandra. It wasn't as crowded as we feared after reading the reviews in HGW. But maybe it is because we were there around 2 pm. Well after lunch. </div>
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We ordered our usual staples of Thai food.<br />
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Mango salad. This come comes with lot of mango, peanuts and onion. A bit too spicy for me but M loves it. But then again, she always like this dish everywhere.<br />
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Clear tom yum soup. M wasn't really impressed with it though. I thought the portion could have been bigger but then again it is for 2 so it wasn't that little.<br />
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Olive Rice. It comes with a separate dish of parsley, onion and cashew nuts to mix into the rice. The rice was topped up with fried egg. The portion was too big for the 2 of us but this was the dish that I really enjoyed.<br />
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Sambal long beans.<br />
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Stuffed chicken wing. Supposed to be their house special. At $2.50 each, it was kinda expensive but man, this is like damn shiok! I could have more than 1 except that I have been over eating for the past few days.<br />
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Plus drinks, the total was slightly over $40.00 which was really value for money. This is the place to go for cheap, home cooked Thai food.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-64203204427484160582015-01-28T00:00:00.000+08:002015-01-28T23:25:27.938+08:00Jurong Eco Garden<div style="text-align: justify;">
Been meaning to drop by the Jurong Eco Garden but never had the time until recently. Not very easy to find place set within NTU itself and with small teeny weeny signboard. To get there, it is easier to look for Thow Kwang Pottery, the last remaining kiln in Singapore. The Jurong Eco Garden is just next to it.</div>
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Disappointingly, the garden is another cultivated park. Perhaps there used to be a big forest patch there but most of these are gone now replaced by neat cultured landscaping, bridges and proper footpaths. Great for those looking for a stroll in the park but not great if you are looking for the great nature. And without the big trees, the place was hot hot hot!</div>
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About the only "natural and wild" portion left was a 1 km Nature trail but sadly that will also have to go in due course. There was a sign at the trail head that stated that the nature trail will only be opened till year 2019.</div>
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Nothing much to see there but still did managed to spot a fair number of critters.<br />
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A few different butterflies flitting around but despite our "request" for them to pose for my camera, none of the butterflies took heed except this one</div>
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At least the dragonflies were more co-operative<br />
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There were also a number of lizards on the trees<br />
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And I could hear the sound of parakeets and koel but they were nowhere in sight. Still I did managed to spot some birds<br />
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And these group of swifts or swallows flying over the pond. Too bad my camera skill and setup was not good enough to take a close up shot of them</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-59546605253540868672015-01-25T16:39:00.000+08:002015-01-25T16:39:22.261+08:00Salt Grill by Luke Mangan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Its the kid's birthday and since he is very big into steak, we decided to go upmarket. After checking out all the reviews, we decided that Salt at Ion was interesting enough. Got quality food, good view and great service. So we went there. Getting to the restaurant itself was already an eye opener. First we had to find our way to an obscure corner of the mall and there was a counter there where we were greeted by a staff and then shown our way to the lift that will take us to the 55 floor where the restaurant is located. And so after a 'long' ride, we reached the place.</div>
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We were served throughout by a very attentive Caucasian staff. I not too sure what they call these people in the restaurant (restaurant manager?} but it is rare to see someone take so much pride in his work here in Singapore. He was able to rattle off everything in the menu, told us what each item were and recommend them to us.</div>
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Beside the usual bread, we were served a complimentary soup which tasted like tomato soup and which came in a teeny weeny bowl. </div>
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We ordered two starters to share. This weird looking dish is "sashimi of kingfish". Of course it comes with some other stuff. The taste was very unique. Being a country uncle, I especially like the yellowish sauce that they pour over it.</div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">This is the crab omelette. Some egg and crab and enoki mushroom. It was real good. Too bad that like all atas restaurant, all the food comes in small portion not enough for the 3 of us to slurp it down.</span></div>
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The kid and I had our usual steak. This a an Australian restaurant so the steak are Australian steak. Not that I can tell the difference where they come from. A cow is a cow to me. But then again, I quite like my piece of steak. It has some toppings that is not usually found in other restaurant. And the size was big enough for me. Not a tiny little piece. Of course, it didn't exactly come cheap though.</div>
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The kid had this "miserable" looking piece that comes with chips. He assured me it wasn't miserable at all even though there was no other sides that comes with it.</div>
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M had the barramundi with prawn. She didn't complain either and wolfed down everything. I don't recall her passing me some of the stuff so either she was very hungry or it was real good. </div>
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What is a birthday celebration without a birthday cake? Well since we didn't buy any cake, we decided to make do and ordered something from the dessert menu. We let on that it was the kid's birthday and the ice cream dessert came like this. No cheesy birthday song over the PA system or a group of waiters standing there singing to embarrass the crap out of him. Thank goodness.</div>
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We also ordered this Mango and coconut bomb. Why did we ordered this? Because we like that it was called a "bomb".<br />
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Overall, it was an expensive, probably the most expensive meal I ever had in one sitting for just 3 person. The staff were so friendly and so helpful. I mean they looked at our appearance but could probably tell we are country bumpkin and gave us the cold shoulder but no, everybody was so nice. When we walked out to the lift, the lady there asked whether we had took in the view and when we said no cos we were too shy to walk, she led us right back in to take in the sights. </div>
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The view was great. The cameraman not so. Unsteady hand, poor lighting and a phone camera make for lousy photo. </div>
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Overall, it was a great experience. Did I said that already? We enjoyed the food. Great service. Great view. But it not a place that we can afford to eat at regularly so I don't think we be back any time soon though. But for those who have some money to splurge and want to impress a date, this got to be The Place. </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-44093913731676775972015-01-19T00:00:00.000+08:002015-01-28T23:08:31.193+08:00Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Extension<div style="text-align: justify;">
When the Nparks announced the opening of the extension, I was fairly excited. So one afternoon I went there only to discover that it was the former <a href="http://lifebesiderunning.blogspot.sg/2012/03/kranji-nature-trail.html">Kranji Trail</a> which I had visited before and which sadly is now "sanitised to become the new Sungei Buloh Extension. The former nice trail has been partially replaced with a concrete path and there are now more beautiful viewing structures but somehow it seems more like a park now than a nature reserve.</div>
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Board Walk with shelters<br />
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Rope walk including one that goes partially into a pond<br />
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Nice looking shelter. There are a number of them all over<br />
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Didn't spot many birds. Some of the things we spotted in the short time that we were there<br />
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Common Nerita snails<br />
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My first hornbill photo<br />
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Mud crab<br />
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Tree climbing crab<br />
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Mudskipper<br />
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Of course the monitor lizard<br />
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Golden Orb spider<br />
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Waterhen<br />
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A slug<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-52729025555212081692015-01-16T22:31:00.002+08:002015-01-16T22:31:59.668+08:00Full of Crab<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I have been reading a lot of these new no cutleries, eat with your hand seafood joints like Crab in the Bag and other cajun seafood places. And after more than a year, I finally get to eat at one. Full of Crab at East Coast Road!</div>
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The place is pretty small and there are only a few items on its menu. The friendly waitress recommended the combo for us. Each combo serves 2 - 3 and since there were 8 of us, we decided to have 1 each of the combo. Each combo comes with 500 gm of prawns and a choice of corn or mashed potatoes</div>
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This is the best of the lot - the King crab.<br />
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This is the Sri Lanka crab<br />
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Crayfish<br />
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Snow Crab<br />
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The food comes with 3 different choice of seasoning - cajun, garlic butter or a mixture of both. Most of us like the fully loaded house special which is the cajun and garlic butter mix. And it also comes in 3 different level of spiciness - mild, medium or hot. Because we have all set, we tried everything. The hot was hot but not so hot to be intolerable. Mild is too mild. The medium is a good compromise and most people should be able to tolerate it. </div>
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Our party of 8 spent slightly over $400.00 for the food which includes drinks and bread (must have) which works out to a reasonable $50.00 per person quite worth it considering the amount of seafood we had.<br />
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And the place had some quirky decor so do check it out when you there.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-1602435539618772402015-01-11T22:56:00.001+08:002015-01-11T22:56:12.516+08:00The Quest for the Merlion<div style="text-align: justify;">
Everybody know the national emblem of Singapore is not the Lion but the mutant Merlion, a product of cross mating between a lion and a giant fish. Legend has it that the Merlion was caught in the sea somewhere off the Esplanade and so the wise gahmen decided to build a statue of it there just like how they put a statue of Stamford Raffles at the site where he first landed in Singapore.</div>
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But since the first Merlion came up, somehow mysteriously over the years, it has reproduced and today its offspring can be found all over Singapore. Some are legit and some are bastards. So one fine Saturday morning, a group of us decided to track down the legitimate children of the Merlion.</div>
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We started our hunt with the second most famous of them all - the gigantic one at Sentosa. This one was easy to spot. Right up there on top of the hill and bigger than its papa in town. </div>
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But surprise surprise, we found another one not too far away. This one is a multi-colored Merlion. Now who is the mother? Some rainbow fish?</div>
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The next Merlion was not on an island or near the sea but right on top of the 2nd highest peak on the island. Poor thing. A fish errr lion out of water!</div>
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At our next destination, we discovered not one, not two but 3 Merlions. And one of them is colored too.. Talk about multi-racial! But hor the Merlion here seems to be like quite different. Probably from a different side of the family.</div>
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This one is too skinny. Either they starving it or its sick. And it looks funny too with its moustache.</div>
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This one seems about right though. Maybe because it is next to a koi pond and has a ready supply of food</div>
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This one must be a naughty boy though. Kept inside a glass cage. So sad.</div>
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And back at the original location where papa Merlion is, we discovered another bastard</div>
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And of course there is the baby of the family. Right under the watchful eyes of papa Merlion. But I think it got shingles. So many lines on its body.</div>
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And of course there is papa Merlion. The most majestic of them all</div>
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We heard there are some more Merlions all over Singapore. Some said Ang Mo Kio, Woodlands and even Batam. But I think we leave the hunt for another day.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-37095551584708320332015-01-04T22:23:00.001+08:002015-01-04T22:23:28.905+08:00Not in my own backyard again? But....<div style="text-align: justify;">
When the news first broke about the ruckus concerning the temple and columbarium in Fernvale, Sengkang, I though not again. These not in my own backyard thingy again! What is the big deal? After all, many temples and even some churches in HDB estates have columbarium and provide funeral services. So what is the big fuss about?</div>
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Then upon further reading, I realised that this one is different.</div>
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The "temple" will in fact be run by a private entity and not a religious organisation. In fact, it is a company listed on the Stock Exchange of Australia and the business of the company is providing funeral services. In fact in its <a href="http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20141121/pdf/42twpnf9r3yc63.pdf">announcement</a> to the ASX, it stated clearly that "securing the land is integral to Life Corporation's expansion plans and strategic direction to provide a full suite of premium funeral services. Life Corporation intends to embark on a exciting new project to construct a Chinese Temple with an integrated state of the art columbarium on the land"</div>
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From what I can gleaned from this short sentence, it looks like it will be similar to the Nirvana columbarium in Choa Chu Kang in concept with the main emphasis being the provision of columbarium services rather than religious services. After all, providing religious services is not going to make money for the company. Selling of niches and providing the ancillary services like prayers on occasions like the Seventh Month and Qing Ming will. The other thing that reinforce this view is that the published photo of the proposed building certainly do not resemble any Chinese temples. If anything, it looks like just any state of the art building which, looking at the brighter side for the affected residents, actually might just mitigate the issue a little bit.</div>
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The HDB has now come out to state that it does not restrict any type of organisation from bidding for land zoned for religious purposes as long as it is ultimately used for that purposes. But this is drawing a fine line here. If this trend continues, other companies with deep pocket will also set up division to bid for land parcels meant for religious use and use it to provide for profit business. What they just need to do is to throw in a little sweetener like employ a full time priest to do some prayer now and then and volia! Sit back and watch the money roll in. After all, nothing is as certain as taxes and death.</div>
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Bidding for land for religious use should be restricted to registered religious organisation and charities. Private companies should not be allowed to participate in such exercise. If not, soon all temples and churches will not be able to build new buildings as I don't see how they can outbid commercial business. </div>
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Of course now that the tender has been awarded, I don't see how HDB can do an aboutturn so what they need to do now is to strictly ensure that as stated in the press release, provision of ancillary services like the columbarium will be kept to only 20% of the total land use. Also the MP for the area has stated that the place will not be used for funeral services. If that is the case, I will foresee that the place will not be able to generate enough revenue to cover the cost of the land and the construction of the facility and will not be profitable and if that is the case, whether the company will still want to go ahead with the project. After all, if a funeral company cannot provide funeral services, what other things can it do there to generate income?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-9969489425051453632015-01-01T21:38:00.003+08:002015-01-01T21:38:58.234+08:00Goodbye 2014 Hello 20152014 - A year of adventures, joy, sadness and mishap and grief. A year of contradictions.<br />
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In 2014 I finally managed to check off 2 off the bucket list. 2014 was also the year of first for many things and the year where I got to know many wonderful new friends.Up till October, I would have said this was the best year ever in my slightly over 52 years of living. except for the year I got married and the years the kid came along. And then things went horribly wrong.</div>
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But lets recap from the beginning. </div>
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I went <a href="http://runningsucks.blogspot.sg/2014/01/never-stop-exploring-gunung-nuang-hike.html">mountain climbing</a> in January. That was the first time I attempted a real climb up a real mountain even though this wasn't terribly high. But it was tougher than I expect but I had a lot of fun. But best of all, I got to know a bunch of swell fellas and thereafter for the rest of the year we spent a lot of time together crazy things together - like climbing Mt Kinabalu and going for a "Prawn Mee Marathon".</div>
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In February, I broke my vow not to do any more full marathon and ran the <a href="http://runningsucks.blogspot.sg/2014/03/tokyo-marathon-2014.html">Tokyo Marathon</a>. This is probably the only marathon Majors that I can ever hope to do in my life. Check one off the bucket list.</div>
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In June, I climbed <a href="http://runningsucks.blogspot.sg/2014/07/the-journey-to-mt-kinabalu.html">Mt Kinabalu</a>. Another one off the bucket list. Unfortunately, while we came back from this trip unscathed, a <a href="http://runningsucks.blogspot.sg/2014/12/an-officer-and-gentleman-terence-yeo.html">promising young man</a> that I got to know during the first climb in January didn't. He climbed the same mountain in December but did not managed to come back home to his family here in Singapore. He passed away in Kota Kinabalu of a massive brain haemorrhage probably induced by the climb. </div>
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In September I went for the longest trip in my life. All the way to the United Kingdom. And while there, I also ran the <a href="http://runningsucks.blogspot.sg/2014/10/fantasy-island-50.html">longest distance race</a> ever. 50 km to be exact. Not very long distance by some ultra standard but long enough for a lazy bump like me.</div>
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But things started going horribly wrong thereafter. Inexplicably I did 2 very dumb things that were totally not in character with my usual self. 2 things that I will remember forever and yet which I cannot do more to rectify in this unforgiving culture. And of course there was the death of my friend. And the diagnosis of the dreaded C for Mum and a minor health scare for me which hopefully will remains just that.</div>
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Not the way I had hoped for a wonderful year to end. But I guess that is life. What is going to lie ahead im 2015? The signs isn't exactly good. I spent the last day of 2014 and first day of 2015 mainly in bed, down with a body ache that saps me of all my energy. Probably sign that I am going to come down with something soon. What a crappy way to start the year.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-68742324370996333932014-12-28T11:20:00.000+08:002014-12-28T11:20:18.361+08:00Pietro Ristorante Italiano<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Aeoc6swMrEL2MSkdfJRkNhteZpKysvnwBmpvbQemGmP6BH7BlTYd2f4yLGivwXSdUy3zaGNEjH1gsMaw1VqYdJdI2UUsAiitXkJFQkVsaBKDBMVQ6DADNmEIg5WbO_UXJbh7C93AMG_K/s1600/1-DSC_0382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Aeoc6swMrEL2MSkdfJRkNhteZpKysvnwBmpvbQemGmP6BH7BlTYd2f4yLGivwXSdUy3zaGNEjH1gsMaw1VqYdJdI2UUsAiitXkJFQkVsaBKDBMVQ6DADNmEIg5WbO_UXJbh7C93AMG_K/s1600/1-DSC_0382.JPG" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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With a name like that, one will expect a restaurant helmed by an authentic Italian. But no, instead there is a home grown Chinese chef behind the kitchen and not just an ordinary Chinese chef but a celebrity Chef at that!</div>
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Chef Neo must be so confident of his cooking that not only did he choose to do Italian dishes but he set up the place in the most ulu of places at a teeny weeny little road in Yio Chu Kang that is so off the beaten track that I had to use my gps to get to the place. And his confidence show in some of the unusual items he has on his <a href="http://www.pietro.com.sg/Download.cfm?DPID=5&DObjID=17&Mode=1&FN=/Pietro%20Menu%20caa070612%20v1%20(All).pdf">menu</a>.<br />
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For starter, we ordered the Funghi Portobello which is fresh portobello mushroom baked with crab meat, ebiko and prawn finished with rich gorgonzola sauce.<br />
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M wasn't really that hungy so she ordered the Zuppa di Mare which is actually a Seafood Soup concocted with prawn, clams, mussels, squids in spicy tomato sauce, white wine, basil leaves. She said it tasted like tom yam soup.</div>
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I had the Spaghetti alle Vongole which came with lots and lots of fresh clams. I must admit that this is one of the best spaghetti I tasted.</div>
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The kid ordered something that looks like a cross between the Hakka abacus seed and Chinese la-mian. Didn't get the name and can't find the item on the online menu.</div>
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We found out later that the chef made everything ie the pasta and dough from scratch. I enjoyed the meal especially the Spaghetti alle Vongole although I felt the price was a bit on the high side because of the portion size but then again that is the way most Italian food place priced themselves.</div>
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Overall, this is a nice place to go to for a quiet dinner. There is live music, nice decor in a rather romantic setting with a picture of a Venice canal. Very suitable for impressing a date.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-626041370811458392014-12-23T23:17:00.002+08:002014-12-23T23:17:56.728+08:00Of Rats, Cats and Dogs<div style="text-align: justify;">
The rats at Bukit Batok have been hogging the headlines for the past week. The authorities and pest controllers have been blaming the people there for the infestation. It seems the people have been feeding the stray dogs and the leftover food have attracted the rats which it seems is enjoying life there. Of course the people who are feeding the dogs are denying that the problem was caused by them..</div>
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The way I see it, the rat problem at Bukit Batok is the same as the monkey problem at Bukit Timah, the stray dogs problem at Punggol and other places and the crow problem at food centres. What they have in common is that all these are caused by us human. </div>
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Like the monkey problem, we human have encroached into their territory. While that would have ordinarily driven them further into the remaining forest, we human decided to feed them. And when the monkey got used to human food and human presence, they start to move into our area and the conflict with human then begin.</div>
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Ditto the stray dogs problem. Most of these dogs are the offspring of previous house pet kept by people living in farms and kampungs. When these people were resettled into HDB flat which does not permit keeping of large dogs, the dogs were abandon and left to fend for themselves, Left alone, the dogs starts to hunt and breed and become progressively aggressive as they fight to survive.</div>
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The cats have the same problem. But fortunately for the cats, there are many cat lovers who feed the cats daily. So all the cats need to do daily is to sleep and eat.</div>
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Which brings me to the rats and crows. What has these got to do with the monkeys, dogs and cats. I believe in the theory of the survival of the fittest. My theory is this:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Human feeds the monkey, stray dogs and cats.</li>
<li>The monkey, dogs and cats become well fed and indirectly "domesticated". Because they are well fed, they lost their ability to forage and hunt and with more time on their hand, they end up doing what comes naturally to all living beings - reproduce.</li>
<li>So we end up with 2 new problems - growing population of monkeys, stray dogs and cats</li>
<li>And the growth of pests like the rats, crows and cockroaches. Why? Because the dogs and cats are well fed, they no longer need to hunt. Here in Singapore, there is not much other creatures down the pecking order below the dogs and cats excepts the birds, rats and cockroaches. And since the dogs and cats are not eating these pests, they are allowed to breed with no natural prey to curb their population. </li>
<li>Compound that with the indiscriminate feeding of the strays with leftover not removed which means a steady stream of food source for these pests, what we have is a blooming growth in the population of rats, cockroaches and even crows and bingo, problem like those at Bukit Batok!</li>
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Nature has its own way of dealing with problem. But when human steps in and upset the eco system, what we get is nature goes haywire. And we see it everywhere all over the world - leopards going into villages, snakes creeping up toilet bowls, locust infestation, </div>
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The way to deal with the rat problem after the pest control has done it job? Stop feeding the stray dogs and cats. Certainly the weaker animals will die. But the stronger animals will be forced to hunt. And when they start hunting, they will have less time to mate. Which means less strays. And they will also eat up the pests which will help to control the population of rats and crows and other pests. And over time, everything will balance out. </div>
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Just take a look at this video. This is what I mean when we allow Mother Nature to do its job.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ysa5OBhXz-Q" width="560"></iframe></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-24874794123401012832014-12-14T13:28:00.000+08:002014-12-14T13:28:22.916+08:00Chin Mee Chin Confectionery<div style="text-align: justify;">
Probably the last of its kind left in Singapore, Chin Mee Chin Confectionery or CMC as it is popularly called in Katong is a old style Hainanese coffee shop serving beverages and bread served the traditional way.</div>
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Inside the 2 old style glass cabinets are trays of freshly baked buns</div>
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Authentic custard tarts.<br />
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And custard buns. These are good. Soft and the custard literally oozes out.<br />
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And they sell kaya too. Sickeningly sweet kaya. Damn shiok but don't eat too much though. Its really really sweet.<br />
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Its most famous item has to be the butter kaya bun where instead of the usual 2 slice of white or brown bread, the kaya and butter is spread onto a sweet bun.</div>
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And we not talking of a small thin slice of butter either. It is a thick thick slice right on top of the kaya which is spread on both sides of the bun. Yummy.</div>
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Another hot favourite of theirs is the lucheon meat bun but it was not available on this occasion.<br />
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Go try it if you in the area. Before the old owner retires and the shop makes way for another new style coffee joint.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-37552340980409949592014-12-06T00:00:00.000+08:002015-01-31T22:11:09.801+08:00Good Food in London<div style="text-align: justify;">
Other than the usual fish and chips and Italian food, I didn't really know what was good and inexpensive. But hailing from Singapore, a lot of people had told me about this place Burger and Lobster and so we dutifully found our way to out of its outlet one day.</div>
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Everyone was raving about this place and we were warned to go during off peak so that we didn't have to wait too long. So we went after 2 pm and still ended up waiting nearly 40 minutes for a seat. The joint only serves 3 items - a steak burger, a lobster roll or a whole baked lobster. All the items were priced at the same price of <span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.8181819915771px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">£</span>20 Since we can have burger everywhere, we went for the lobster. I had my steamed while M had hers grilled. The lobster comes with a side of fries and some salad.</div>
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Was it worth the wait and worthy of the hype? Hell, if I am going back there again, that will be my first stop for a meal! </div>
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Another place that we were told is a must try was surprise surprise - Chinese food - roasted duck to be precise and at this outlet in Chinatown.</div>
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This photo was taken before dinner time but at dinner time, the queue was super long. Luckily our host for the evening had some "connection" and we managed to get in without waiting too long. We had a whole lot of Chinese food but the highlight of course was the roasted duck.</div>
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How good was it? Maybe to the English and the Chinese staying over there who do not see this dish being sold everywhere, this has to be good. The meat was tender enough without much fat. It was a bit too charred too. So nothing great there but not having had decent Chinese food for the past 3 weeks, this tasted real good. But frankly coming from Singapore, where there is a roasted meat stall at every other food centre, it wasn't spectacularly good. </div>
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We went to 2 other Chinese food places over the course of the visit and they were mostly forgettable. So if you in London and wants good Chinese food, this is probably the best choice as long as you don't mind queuing up.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-71219848881695162072014-12-02T22:34:00.000+08:002015-01-31T22:11:09.806+08:00London<div style="text-align: justify;">
After a long haul in Scotland, we finally made it to London, the last stop before we fly back to Singapore. By then, I was tired and the glam of London wasn't really my thing. I wanted to go Stonehenge, Kew Garden but the schedule we had didn't permit us to go that far and we had already been to 2 gardens so another one seems a bit overkill. In the end, we did the tourisy thing and went on a open top bus ride taking in the sights of London. And I swear this is the best way to see everything at one go.</div>
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The bus route covered all the major tourist attractions and we could hop on and off wherever we choose but because the priority was shopping, we only gawked at most of these places from the outside. We also .took the Thames river cruise which comes with the bus trip so we covered all the places:</div>
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Trafalgar Square</div>
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The most famous of them all - the London Eye with the County Hall next to it.<br />
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The Tower Bridge which I think is the most magnificent bridge I ever seen. Much nicer than the Millennium Bridge which is a monstrosity next to all the historical bridges along the river.<br />
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The Tower of London<br />
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Another view of the Tower of London. They were planting the poppies at that time.<br />
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Buckingham Palace as seen from outside the fence<br />
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Of course there was the shopping but while everybody loves all the branded stuff, I went mad over this place.</div>
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This has got to be every M&M's fan idea of heaven!<br />
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But a visit to London would not be complete without going to the more traditional shops and this is another delicious find.</div>
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And of course it is not complete without a visit to the world famous Harrods<br />
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And last but not least, a makan session at Chinatown</div>
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We did squeeze in some time to make a pilgrim to the hallowed world of football. Emirates Stadium! Read more about that visit <a href="http://runningsucks.blogspot.sg/2014/11/emirates-stadium-home-of-arsenal.html">here</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-13827411793256072772014-11-24T23:35:00.001+08:002015-01-31T22:11:36.428+08:00Birds & Butterflies of ScotlandBeside the birds in the zoo and bird parks, we saw many wild birds on top of the countless sea gulls and ducks. Here are some of those that I managed to take a picture of.<br />
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A magpie. They are supposed to be pretty common but I only saw them in a few places.<br />
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Another of the more commonly sighted bird which unfortunately like in Singapore has outlive its welcome<br />
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And this is the famous Robin!<br />
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This was spotted in London all over the place outside the London Tower but I believe it is native to the whole of UK. I think it is a thrush. Somebody correct me if I am wrong.<br />
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And my one and only photograph of a butterfly - spotted right on top of <a href="http://runningsucks.blogspot.sg/2014/10/glen-nevis-cow-hill-summit-scotland.html">Cow's Head Summit</a>. This is a Red Admiral butterfly.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDr3y2oPMtwR1Errmy-mU5sqatzOxHcCFWlLl-DGR8O_XYPjz4olpY22MbIa5ImteELdeh4v1fyfjJT-9fKKAbdPcb8HDnqYxzLHfAY9ujOqpfY1iGJufnJUrlH8pzH6YuevT1eSfx8Lx/s1600/7-SCT_4014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDr3y2oPMtwR1Errmy-mU5sqatzOxHcCFWlLl-DGR8O_XYPjz4olpY22MbIa5ImteELdeh4v1fyfjJT-9fKKAbdPcb8HDnqYxzLHfAY9ujOqpfY1iGJufnJUrlH8pzH6YuevT1eSfx8Lx/s1600/7-SCT_4014.JPG" height="506" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span id="goog_1731499497"></span><span id="goog_1731499498"></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-71427246972953633952014-11-19T00:00:00.000+08:002015-01-28T23:08:31.242+08:00Flowers of Scotland<div style="text-align: justify;">
One great thing about cooler temperature country is the variety of colorful flowers. In Scotland, there are beautiful wild flowers everywhere. And then there are the planted flowers in gardens and homes. We couldn't get enough of the flowers and visited 2 Botanic Garden - 1 in Glasgow and 1 in Edinburgh.</div>
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Here are just a few of the interesting looking flowers. For more of them, go to my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ckohst/media_set?set=a.10203543930693961.1073741855.1085463244&type=1">Facebook album</a> or <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/100089323625863338224/albums/6082326580829770097?authkey=COPF8au4ttywBA">Picasa Web Album</a>.<br />
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Enjoy the nice flowers but don't ask me what are their names cause I sure don't know.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-10348272223959826872014-11-16T23:19:00.000+08:002015-01-31T22:11:36.411+08:00Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland<div style="text-align: justify;">
Our last main stop before we move over to London was to the Edinburgh Zoo. It seems we must make a pit stop at a zoo in every major place that we visit. There are quite of marine park and zoo in Scotland but Edinburgh is one of the bigger and better zoo in UK so we felt obliged to drop in.</div>
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Edinburgh Zoo is one of the few zoo in the world to have the Panda bear. But it is more famous for its Penguin Parade where the Penguin goes on a real march through the zoo, Unfortunately we were there at the wrong time so did not get to witness this spectacular sight.</div>
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But we did managed to catch the feeding of several of the animals like the Oriental Short Clawed Otter gobbling down the mouse.<br />
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And the Asiatic lion running away with a piece of meat.<br />
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We also saw up close the Amur Leopard<br />
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The very rare Scottish wild cat<br />
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And surprise surprise surprise the Koala bear. This is the first time I seen one outside of Australia.<br />
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And another import from another country, the Stellar Sea Eagle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihwtbsEM8Pv_mYmuhjGInXF3Qs1_JSEg54RSoRe_t0cJGQjT3j0fARXxSIrvey_5s8Y16tBg04Lzc6GJsc0LmBTruRDUqEb-Xvc9SiLZFUq7eA54B0VDIgH1PDduNQ7sM2oPzdp-7L5ae/s1600/2-SCT_5462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihwtbsEM8Pv_mYmuhjGInXF3Qs1_JSEg54RSoRe_t0cJGQjT3j0fARXxSIrvey_5s8Y16tBg04Lzc6GJsc0LmBTruRDUqEb-Xvc9SiLZFUq7eA54B0VDIgH1PDduNQ7sM2oPzdp-7L5ae/s1600/2-SCT_5462.JPG" height="524" width="640" /></a></div>
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And last but not least, this beautiful snake aptly named Taiwan Beauty Snake.<br />
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But overall I was disappointed with the layout of the zoo. It was a bit messy and most of the primates were kept behind glass enclosures. Maybe it is to protect them from the cold but the view of them were spoilt by the glass which were badly scratched. The variety of animals were not as great as I had hopped as compared to say Ueno Zoo or the Shanghai Zoo. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-13746553832649565492014-11-13T22:51:00.000+08:002015-01-31T22:11:36.422+08:00Edinburgh<div style="text-align: justify;">
Edinburgh has got to be the most boring place so far in our visit to Scotland. Other than <a href="http://runningsucks.blogspot.sg/2014/11/arthurs-seat-edinburgh-scotland.html">Arthur's Seat</a>, there wasn't really much to see. The famed Royal Mile is just a stretch of old restored buildings that caters mainly to tourist selling food and tourist trinkets much like our restored Chinatown back in Singapore.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNPW0a-PldG33A_FF5WuV2F8WLkGYjXLxUXjT1hSBjnxD7J1GPVQvAEWj7Tzzo_loSSYirZej025nF3eLHykN6dcaY1kaghZocp1JomQDJPqE-BZissCOJTtZIX3k-2HACI_Bc00vU71Z/s1600/01-SCT_4851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNPW0a-PldG33A_FF5WuV2F8WLkGYjXLxUXjT1hSBjnxD7J1GPVQvAEWj7Tzzo_loSSYirZej025nF3eLHykN6dcaY1kaghZocp1JomQDJPqE-BZissCOJTtZIX3k-2HACI_Bc00vU71Z/s640/01-SCT_4851.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0EEoRlRAIv-FW9reHA8vNjLbfcEhkokk4CeyMLym4b4rokTGQZ-a5rQMQZ9QXRJDitqqy5k5UV_9R3SWNrrcRga1pgbwr29FnueyfFcCxLIxzg-Kc6gY-qLmzRuxkFLlD7EC9ICMU0fR/s1600/05-SCT_4950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0EEoRlRAIv-FW9reHA8vNjLbfcEhkokk4CeyMLym4b4rokTGQZ-a5rQMQZ9QXRJDitqqy5k5UV_9R3SWNrrcRga1pgbwr29FnueyfFcCxLIxzg-Kc6gY-qLmzRuxkFLlD7EC9ICMU0fR/s640/05-SCT_4950.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLKaU3y7jdwXHH6hyYeyrvi714ZT_6RXwIplbVze0CUZ2lND3PP08hVRH6mTX9KAdpS3mNeNWM8VlS51NXRchObM6d4DeXqM1lVLQ_IBs_p8or2VDBifRjDga6LBeFHTcwUoeyWQyzdlC/s1600/06-SCT_4951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLKaU3y7jdwXHH6hyYeyrvi714ZT_6RXwIplbVze0CUZ2lND3PP08hVRH6mTX9KAdpS3mNeNWM8VlS51NXRchObM6d4DeXqM1lVLQ_IBs_p8or2VDBifRjDga6LBeFHTcwUoeyWQyzdlC/s640/06-SCT_4951.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcSgMw5ETyoZwreMgjTUdz3J0Z1CLgM19NOd5mLm6vbfz_64T-GjfOBQZKekRdzCMX987qV5TJD5pSgaWw8bI6tzlKmqWOsg0Kpk3FTNzSK9Ib9Ut9PBSyNf6mJ4yXsvXfatEwKw0YVVN/s1600/08-20140921_182506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcSgMw5ETyoZwreMgjTUdz3J0Z1CLgM19NOd5mLm6vbfz_64T-GjfOBQZKekRdzCMX987qV5TJD5pSgaWw8bI6tzlKmqWOsg0Kpk3FTNzSK9Ib9Ut9PBSyNf6mJ4yXsvXfatEwKw0YVVN/s640/08-20140921_182506.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back view of the Royal Miles as seen from Princes Street</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We skipped Edinburgh Castle and instead went to Holyrood Palace which is the quarters for the Queen of England when she visits.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MVhyphenhyphenHxcH0GkoBSPzpaRNbMjXCnAtPaJroXI74cUnmRcdJDP4jD62WWDyUGQIk-1w1vYpvOMyzRKxv2nG6iCv2F6vKqP4aCon_PSHiAKFhSgXkNBV6ZT-tYvupf-rTYMihO4lNL_43bWQ/s1600/10-SCT_5190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MVhyphenhyphenHxcH0GkoBSPzpaRNbMjXCnAtPaJroXI74cUnmRcdJDP4jD62WWDyUGQIk-1w1vYpvOMyzRKxv2nG6iCv2F6vKqP4aCon_PSHiAKFhSgXkNBV6ZT-tYvupf-rTYMihO4lNL_43bWQ/s640/10-SCT_5190.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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One thing about European country is that there is always some sort of demonstration and protests going on. Like this one on Climate Change which we saw from our diner window.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQewgdU9mRh3VjSq67uF9pNwsodaiOK0HVow_rJ5nqwlRppAZW6bwpbyZNfI6McXnEx_aOyOOrot0Rpfnvfmf5d__YZKvJPzpdgwxkqPjWGaR4zVF8rleKRZ8dOxSh54lJi9sp5W98WfT/s1600/02-SCT_4858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQewgdU9mRh3VjSq67uF9pNwsodaiOK0HVow_rJ5nqwlRppAZW6bwpbyZNfI6McXnEx_aOyOOrot0Rpfnvfmf5d__YZKvJPzpdgwxkqPjWGaR4zVF8rleKRZ8dOxSh54lJi9sp5W98WfT/s640/02-SCT_4858.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And there are buskers a plenty. Practically one every 10 feet doing all sort of performance.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBcN0SkWrrFz3gF_wARNEded9Rnn2kMzjk4V77cn6P-44QzScvsR5T_dyXRlaW8VSV4pw2uGZjHL7fpHmKEoGaZMJCn0agta7HB8GLOzgQygZrLCf_zgCxEdFEXbvNA-1ELfVPTBZGM4S/s1600/04-SCT_4900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBcN0SkWrrFz3gF_wARNEded9Rnn2kMzjk4V77cn6P-44QzScvsR5T_dyXRlaW8VSV4pw2uGZjHL7fpHmKEoGaZMJCn0agta7HB8GLOzgQygZrLCf_zgCxEdFEXbvNA-1ELfVPTBZGM4S/s640/04-SCT_4900.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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But at the end of the day, I was glad to be out of Edinburgh and on to London.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-55523964091491046392014-11-11T00:00:00.001+08:002014-11-11T00:00:50.748+08:00The Sim Lim Saga<div style="text-align: justify;">
Like everybody else in Singapore or rather those on the good side and not the dark side, I feel very pissed off that the law as it currently stands is allowing scumbags like those shop owners in Sim Lim, People Park, Lucky Plaza and even Peninsula Plaza to get away with scams and high handed tactics. While I don't really like the idea of vigilante justice, I think this is one time that I am glad some people has took it upon themselves to help Singapore get rid of these scum while our politicians and government twiddle their times and do nothing but make empty threats. </div>
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The only thing I don't quite like is these people exposing the identity of the relatives of the Jover Chew guy. Was it really necessary to get at him through his family? Surely it would have been easy enough to just go after him. Collateral damage is not always a good thing or a necessary evil.</div>
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Sometime I think if our city is not so guai and law abiding, we could have got a few gangster, go into the shop with baseball bats and smash everything inside the shop to pieces. And while they are it, maybe a leg or two as well. Problem solve. But we are not, and short of amending the law which is gonna take another few generation of procrastination by our politicians, is there any other way to stop people like them? I think there is if CASE is more assertive and take the lead.</div>
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1. For starter, instead of just putting up notices at the entrance of the mall and on its website, CASE could with the co-operation of the MCST put up notices outside the shop premises where shoppers will be bound to see it. As these notices are in the common area, the shop owner will not be able to remove it.</div>
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2. CASE can also persuade the credit card companies and banks to cancel the credit card and electronic payment facilities to these business. As the scam involves mostly tourists and foreigners, this will impact a significant chunk of their business</div>
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3. Work with the telcos to install proximity devices near the shop and to send SMS alerts to shoppers within the vicinity of the shops.</div>
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4. Police can also be more pro-active. Obviously even no matter how stupid our policemen are, I am sure they can smell a scam when they see it. Just that more often than not, they are too lazy to do the dirty work. Instead of telling the victims to file a civil complain or take it up with CASE or the Small Claims Tribunal, why not invite the errant shop keepers to drink kopi. Do it often enough and these people will get the message.</div>
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Of course I doubt CASE will do all of the above. After all, it is just a toothless cat (I don't even consider it a tiger). Sama sama the Police. Or at least until one day when an angry victim turn violet and somebody gets physically hurt. Meanwhile, our politicians who are twiddling their thumbs must be very proud and happy that we made it onto another international list. The "Advisory Warning List" of some countries. I am quite sure that this is another first for us and something to add to our growing list of "accolades".</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-6653023655208216342014-11-06T00:00:00.000+08:002014-11-06T00:00:13.502+08:00Good Food in Scotland<div style="text-align: justify;">
Let's just say Scotland is not exactly known for its goods other than fish and chips, haggies and black pudding. Good Chinese food is hard to get and most outlets serves a mixture of Italian and basic Western cuisines like steak and fish and chips. But yet somehow, we managed to uncover some gems and surprisingly all were seafood!</div>
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The first place is this <a href="http://www.obanseafoodhut.co.uk/">little shack</a> at Oban.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6A3jMCLTjkonQ_653yLb4U4FodEzXKyDsv7kKRevUzlQ5IWKc6Lulguuk_TU4gKkZCHq7FW6l5Zr-urlxDANyXc_Wql9JNDgHa1upFiutPz33KiheBlsCOHaagmipoE9UN3-rITZAD_H/s1600/1-SCT_3417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6A3jMCLTjkonQ_653yLb4U4FodEzXKyDsv7kKRevUzlQ5IWKc6Lulguuk_TU4gKkZCHq7FW6l5Zr-urlxDANyXc_Wql9JNDgHa1upFiutPz33KiheBlsCOHaagmipoE9UN3-rITZAD_H/s1600/1-SCT_3417.JPG" height="422" width="640" /></a></div>
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We chanced upon it while on our way to <a href="http://lifebesiderunning.blogspot.sg/2014/10/isle-of-mull-scotland.html">Isle of Mull</a>. There was a long queue and reviews on Trip Advisor were pasted on the wall. So it has to be good right? This little shack sells local freshly caught shellfish. Its speciality appears to be oysters and mussels caused everybody seems to be eating those. But both of us don't eat oysters so we contend ourselves with this cold dish of seafood:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzekkucFJQeo16tvDLxllX7NCiKSFVze6iUfkZ21v3tzsEzJvEq94aAA4xP1TBkjeKlrOxBRUCKdXrJO9H69JdPBJ_gibbk2K01Of4XjKkIUKVEguIw4z-qhK_rF5MmAoua2StReYxPbhh/s1600/05-SCT_3845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzekkucFJQeo16tvDLxllX7NCiKSFVze6iUfkZ21v3tzsEzJvEq94aAA4xP1TBkjeKlrOxBRUCKdXrJO9H69JdPBJ_gibbk2K01Of4XjKkIUKVEguIw4z-qhK_rF5MmAoua2StReYxPbhh/s1600/05-SCT_3845.JPG" height="422" width="640" /></a></div>
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There were prawns, squid, crab, mussels and more mussels. And it was real good and cost only <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">£20. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">On the Isle of Mull, there wasn't much option but what we found was probably the best deal ever. At Tobermory</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">there was this little restaurant, <a href="http://www.thecafefish.com/">Cafe Fish</a> - the only one that was opened at the time.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ozklmfMKfIu-sdIcXXmti8WV1VZiscMj8C72taIP9NDqQfSM4InmULJv27cUS68h3hi0z0wdjqla61cwV3uY-BfuigsxHY_7XEBd3AK90hz38mCa1rh7vnV5sygtnXg83NhT9606XsL2/s1600/01-SCT_3537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ozklmfMKfIu-sdIcXXmti8WV1VZiscMj8C72taIP9NDqQfSM4InmULJv27cUS68h3hi0z0wdjqla61cwV3uY-BfuigsxHY_7XEBd3AK90hz38mCa1rh7vnV5sygtnXg83NhT9606XsL2/s1600/01-SCT_3537.JPG" height="422" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></div>
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But what it lacks in size it more than make up for in this super giant size seafood platter</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9WuyVHeJAfTCjZPOUvz1lkhn04awCD_zQq-dcX0aCkVhM_AfIrCpuy0OJH4Gknc-7soyTJEwOLyH1C8QJ35pl5KZdsqRzO0oEGcBRcDx8yBYtOkD24nzauPuB1XlN1GTPXDBsdo6G921/s1600/04-DSC_0095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9WuyVHeJAfTCjZPOUvz1lkhn04awCD_zQq-dcX0aCkVhM_AfIrCpuy0OJH4Gknc-7soyTJEwOLyH1C8QJ35pl5KZdsqRzO0oEGcBRcDx8yBYtOkD24nzauPuB1XlN1GTPXDBsdo6G921/s1600/04-DSC_0095.JPG" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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This platter cost £30<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"> and just to be clear - it is only for 1 person. Can't tell exactly how huge this platter is? Just look at this next photo:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">That how much food there is. Crab, prawn, scallops, squids, oysters, lobsters, langoustines. So this was the catch of the trip. The best meal ever!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Last but not least, up in the Highlands, the proprietor of Camus House recommended this joint,<a href="http://www.lochlevenseafoodcafe.co.uk/"> Lochleven Seafood Cafe</a> for dinner:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Situated right next to Loch Leven, it serves seafood as well. For this meal, we decided to spurge a bit and ordered </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">1) Another seafood platter for 1 at </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">£40</span></div>
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2. A plate of small scallops for <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">£10.50 although I certainly won't describe it as small</span><br />
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3. Brown crab for <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">£12.95</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Another sumptous meal. And this place is listed in the Michelin guide wor.... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">There you have it. 3 of the best in Scotland. If you ever there, die die must try.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">On a side note, no place is worth visiting without tasting the ice cream and this place <a href="http://www.nardinis.co.uk/">Nardini's,</a> we went to at Largs has apparently the best ice cream in the whole of Scotland according to several websites. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">But frankly I think the ice creams here pales in comparison to what we have back in Singapore like those at Scoopz and Udders and all the little ice cream outlets sprouting up all over the country. But hey if you ever visiting in Largs, this is a must try of course!</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-75409731121955347932014-11-03T22:28:00.001+08:002014-11-03T22:28:32.113+08:00The Ugly Side of Us<div style="text-align: justify;">
At the just concluded Hello Kitty Run, there was a big hue and cry over some perceived "faults" created by the event's organiser. But is it really the fault of the organiser? My take on this event <a href="http://runningsucks.blogspot.com/2014/11/hello-kitty-run-singapore.html">here</a> but in general we Singaporean can be pretty ugly and downright unreasonable.Let me relate some personal encounters with these people.</div>
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Now as most people who have attended AGM knows, there is a big group of shareholders who are super horrible in their behaviour at the buffet table. Take this AGM that I went to recently. The company had put 4 servers to each table to serve the food. I understand this was necessary because in previous years the shareholders "tabao" the food even before everybody else had eaten. So the server were distributing the food and even the utensils. But did that deter the shareholders? No. One man stood in front of the dessert section and just used his hand to keep picking up the kueh and eating it there and then. And despite the server's polite request to queue up, he continued to just stuff his face like a hamster with the kueh! Another lady went straight for the fruit and in her rush to get the fruit, she toppled the whole plate onto the floor! Another man went behind the servers and stood between them and help himself to the food! And many other just use the toothpick on the finger food to pick up the other foodstuff because the cutleries was being distributed last! It made me sick just to see them eat. One shareholder even commented drily that they were shareholders and not beggars but nobody seem to be listening or feeling ashamed.</div>
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Another time at an outdoor event, it started to pour just like in the Hello Kitty Run. The place was crawling with children and their parents and everybody rushed into whatever shelters that were available. One of the tent was reserved for VIP and guests but did the people care? No, they didn't. They just went in. Of course because the rain was so heavy, the security personnel did not turn the public away and so what did the public do? They started eating all the food that were meant for the VIP and the guests. At another tent, a sponsor had prepared some food for some children from some children home. A few parents just snatched the food for themselves despite being told that the food were meant for the children from the homes!</div>
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Another time another event. Participants had to produce a coupon to redeem a gift. Those who did not tried their luck anyway but were turned away. It got so ugly with one lady even throwing money at the poor chap giving away the items and saying she has the money to pay for it so why can't she get one!</div>
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So when I read all the unreasonable demands that is popping up in social media on the Hello Kitty saga, somehow I don;t think it is the organiser's fault but the problem lies with the people themselves!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-49497392972051635332014-10-29T00:00:00.000+08:002015-01-31T22:11:36.445+08:00Camus House, Onich, Scotland<div style="text-align: justify;">
During our sojourn through Scotland, we stayed at quite a few places. Mostly bed and breakfast but the place that stand out the most was the Victorian style <a href="http://www.camushouse.co.uk/">Camus House</a> at Onich, Fort William run by Alastair and Louise.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">Not only did these lovely couple made us feel welcome, they also gave us many tips on the best place to visit in the area, the best place to eat. It was from them that we managed to have the best time in Scotland, hiking through the Glens. Read the account of our visit to Glen Righ and Glen Nevis <a href="http://runningsucks.blogspot.sg/">here</a>.</span><br />
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The whole place is so beautiful and romantic. From the lovely cottage bedroom to the warm inviting living room to the countryside looking dining room and the view of the Loch.</div>
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Can you imagine a more beautiful bedroom than this? Possibly the most romantic bedroom one can get. Honeymooners, this will be the most perfect place to smooch around if you are not the sun and sand type.</div>
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The cosy looking living room. There is absolutely no hotel style lobby to spoil the whole setup.<br />
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And the beautiful dining room where breakfast is served with a gorgeous view of the Loch Linnhe<br />
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Lochside <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3A7fj8AkxVCQzt7yUfyVjoSEk133MMdmuMOOHfflx0q-Lc0jvBP2EOtfkiU7SUb8-i6zGjrT_UiPuVsR3LGVlT132jL7Y0hW20y3Wr5rbJaDT9ly28DoI5gV_gt8Z8fNC32f6_wxKeoFx/s1600/17-SCT_3935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3A7fj8AkxVCQzt7yUfyVjoSEk133MMdmuMOOHfflx0q-Lc0jvBP2EOtfkiU7SUb8-i6zGjrT_UiPuVsR3LGVlT132jL7Y0hW20y3Wr5rbJaDT9ly28DoI5gV_gt8Z8fNC32f6_wxKeoFx/s1600/17-SCT_3935.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a><br />
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So if any of you reading this decides to go to Scotland and in particular the Highlands, this is the place to stay. You can make your reservation through their website <a href="http://www.camushouse.co.uk/">here</a>. And no, I am not paid to sing praises of this place. Just my way of saying thanks for the hospitality and the great stay.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428602949626383755.post-39615120398998099032014-10-26T21:35:00.000+08:002014-10-26T21:35:59.053+08:00The Prawn Noodles Shootout<div style="text-align: justify;">
A friend posted a link to a webpage review of the 6 "best" prawn noodles in Singapore. One thing led to another and soon we were talking of doing our own tasting. A wicked idea then came to us. Instead of going to the different outlets over several days, why not do it all on the same day! And so we rounded up a small group of friends and whittled down the list from 8 to 6 and finally 4. Everyone was in agreement that 6 bowls of prawn noodles in a day will be a tad too much calorie and cholesterol overload. The final shortlist - Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodles at Cambridge Rd; River South (Hoe Nam) Prawn Noodles at Macpherson; Blanco Court Prawn Mee at Beach Road and last but not least Adam Road Prawn Noodle at Zion Road.</div>
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We started out quest at the seemingly most highly rated stall of all, Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodles. As a testimony to their fame, there was already a queue at 9.50 am when our early birds reached. After queuing for 1 hour, we finally got our noodles!</div>
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This stall sells only 1 version of the noodles but with super jumbo; jumbo, big or small prawn. There was no more "small" prawns when it came to our turn. But the bowl of noodles we ordered with 2 big and 1 small prawns at $5.00 was real value for money. And the prawns were very fresh too. Unfortunately, it was also almost an unanimous agreement that the broth was too bland for our taste bud. Maybe it is because they don't add pork to the broth unlike most prawn noodle stalls. Whatever it is, it tasted different. </div>
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Next stop was River South (Hoe Nam) Prawn Noodles. This is in a small coffee shop and there were not enough tables for the people waiting. But they have a digital queuing system so we could place our order, find a place to sit and wait for our number to be called. Very efficient. No need to stand and queue for 1 hour. We waited for about half an hour for our food.</div>
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Here they serve many different of prawn noodles - with pork ribs; pig tail; abalone; clams; To ensure a fair comparison, we only ordered the plain old prawn noodles. Broth was definitely more tastier than Wah Kee but the prawns wasn't that big or fresh. Plus point was they provided chilli powder. At the end, everybody agreed it was not too bad but not really that good too. In fact of our group who used to eat there twice a month commented that the standard seems to have dropped a lot.</div>
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From Macpherson we went to Beach Road to Blanco Court Prawn Mee. This particular place has 4 other related stalls including probably the most famous prawn noodle of them all, the Beach Road Prawn Mee at East Coast Road. Maybe because it was raining, it wasn't as crowded as usual. The wait here was, actually what wait? There was no queue and the noodles came to our table in less than 5 minutes.</div>
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They also serve various version of prawn noodles but again we ordered only the plain vanilla although some of us opted for jumbo prawn and some the normal prawns. By now some of the group were a bit jaded and has resorted to sharing 1 bowl of noodles between them. Everyone agreed the broth here was the most flavourful and the prawns were big and fresh. At least, the jumbo were. But the prices here were much more expensive with prices from $4.80 to $10.00. This bowl of small prawn noodles cost $4.80. The jumbo cost $10.80. And we all think they used MSG although we are not too sure of that. Last but not least, the portion is very small.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgete70jEUA3M7fSAwegjmUhGNI54Q0hIpUJP_FFHx30VZHDNS6i3IL17IggRRtuiTCLu2WhcBNqzdZiJiX_QHMEX4RX_fFnrHbZhyphenhyphenvFDXqhwJLY_a23InQITmbAmObt5jCKuvdao8BQIPY/s1600/DSC_0230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgete70jEUA3M7fSAwegjmUhGNI54Q0hIpUJP_FFHx30VZHDNS6i3IL17IggRRtuiTCLu2WhcBNqzdZiJiX_QHMEX4RX_fFnrHbZhyphenhyphenvFDXqhwJLY_a23InQITmbAmObt5jCKuvdao8BQIPY/s1600/DSC_0230.JPG" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medium size prawn verses Jumbo size prawn</td></tr>
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The last stall was the Adam Rd Prawn Noodles at Zion Road. There is another outlet at the Adam Road Food centre but we choose this place because we ate at the latter more often. Unfortunately we didn't do our homework well enough and reached there at 3 pm only to realise that the stall only open at 5 pm. But on the plus side, that gave us some time to digest the food by going for a walk along the Alexandra Canal. Maybe because we were early, when we returned, there were no queue at the stall and so we ordered the medium size prawn noodle which cost $6.00 a bowl.</div>
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When the noodles came, everyone of us were surprised. There was pork added. On top of that, unlike the other stalls, the color of the soup was more milky and not so orangy. But looks can be deceiving because everyone agreed this was the best of the lot so far.g</div>
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So exactly which one is the best. Food, as I always tell people, is very subjective. One man meat is another man poison but never the less, we all agreed to give a rating on a scale of 1 - 5 for each stall so here is the range of scores.<br />
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Wah Kee: 3 Most value for money<br />
River South: 2.5 - 3.5<br />
Blanco Court: 3 - 4 Most expensive<br />
Adam Road: 4 - 4.8<br />
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But don't just look at these scores. Go try them out and see if you agree with them.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07579773431818508168noreply@blogger.com0