Singapore Trip (Part 3) - May 2016

Went to eat and drink at Glutton Bay. Nothing to shout about. Good for real foreign tourists. Cold beer on a hot day was good...

Waiting for the skyline to turn into night...

When all the lights came on.

There was a performance that evening by a Japanese comic (included good juggling skills). The good thing as a comic was that when he dropped the orange while juggling, he could pretend it was deliberate!

The best I could do to take a digital full zoom, hand-held phone camera photo of the Merlion across the bay.

The young kids were excited when the transformers appeared.

A touristy night photo taken on the Jubilee Bridge (Singapore 50 years old in 2015) of the Merlion and Sands Marina Bay.

Singapore Trip (Part 2) - May 2016

I joined the longest queue there in ION Orchard. As Singaporeans say, "If long queue, whatever they sell must be good!"

It's for the BAKE Hokkaido Cheese Tarts. The shop just opened in May.

So, there I was, with all of them, queueing, for 1.5 hours...

The professional brought her own little stool....

The practical but not so professional just sat on the floor on a piece of paper and scoot along on his backside. So no need to stand up!

After waiting that 1.5 hours, I bought 6 (each customer allowed maximum 12 tarts).

I got a nice yellow bag...

And even a set of instructions on how to eat the tarts! I was told by the staff that the tart casing, cheese mousse, box, bag and printed materials were all made and sent from Japan. Only bake in Singapore (making the shop's name really appropriate!).

It was very nice; cheesy and tasty. Best to go after the crowds have moved on to the next new thing.

I read there's no queue in Bangkok.

There's also a branch in Causeway Bay in Hong Kong.

While at the 4 Finger Korean fried chicken shop, I saw the Singaporean way to "book"  your table, while you go order.

But we guys can't leave our wallets on the table, can we now?

Then we went and did the touristy stuff at the esplanade.

It was more fun to people-watch though (all them people trying to catch the water from the Merlion)...

higher? lower? a little left?...

If you are travelling alone...

Singapore Trip (Part 1) - May 2016

 Changi Airport (see, they didn't have to put "International" - because everyone knows it is International standard).

Even toilets also ask you to give rating. "Likes" given by me. There was also a ratings meter after each Immigration officer. The Sargeant serving me wasn't smiling or friendly, so I gave him "average" lah.

Marketing extreme... When I only wanted to buy a bottle of drinking water.

Not to say that Singaporeans are so saintly, they are also human. The 2 cars in the middle refused to give way to each other. Both got into a horning and shouting match. I was waiting for fisticuffs... but they got back in their cars and drove off.

We were on the way to Tim Ho Wan in Aperia Mall. This branch started as the only 24-hour branch. But now reduced to 18-hour one (9am to 3am).

Early opening and no queue.

 Had the usual baked bau(s), cheong fun, siew Mai etc....

... but got laksa wanton in Singapore. Laksa soup very tasty, but wantons were normal.

A nice signage in a shop at ION Orchard. I believe they sell stationery items from Sweden(?).

(to be continued...)

Kota Kinabalu Airport - May 2016

The condition of the seat (all the seats in Gate B3) at our KK airport. I felt I couldn't include the word "International".

Did the boss walk around and see this?
Were the airport fees, charged to the airlines using the airport, not enough to cover maintenance of these seats?
Did they go for style and looks fabric rather than easy-care vinyl?
Did they use these because we were flying low cost carriers?

Hmmm....

The Center of Kota Kinabalu

I didn't know that we, in Kota Kinabalu, had a marker for the center of the city.

Apparently it was installed on 16 March 2011, after it was gazetted.

I went down to the city to pay my house assessment at City Hall. It was 9.30am, so the only easy parking was at Wisma Jubilee just to the right of the Tourism Center (shown above). The marker and plaque are in front of the Tourism Center (left side as we look at the building).

A Visit To Boulevard

I paid a visit to a recently opened Departmental Store cum Supermarket.
Most items were no different from our existing stores. Many items seemingly imported from China. Prices didn't seem that attractive, probably a reflection of our poor ringgit.

If you can't afford a real Caterpillar Bulldozer, you can buy a 1:50 scale model of the D10 (metal n plastic parts - very detailed) at rm539.

If you prefer a Komatsu, there's an excavator at rm499.

If those "toys" too expensive, you can buy a BMW X1 mop. Check out the streamlined aerodynamic design at only rm95.

Mia Boat Noodle, Popular Mega Book Fair, and Nandos

Went for lunch at Mia Boat Noodle at 1B (1 Borneo mall in KK). It was pretty  crowded the past few times I was at 1B.

From all the writings and signs on the wall, we can gather that this restaurant's menu came from that served on the those sampans in the river at Bangkok.

Looking through the menu showed it was pretty simple. At the top you select either rice noodles (rm1.90 per bowl) or rice (rm4.90 per bowl). For either one, you have the choice of chicken or beef meatball (spicy or original)  .

Then, you can add on other dishes at around rm6 or rm7 each. Choices include fried in batter mushrooms, or chicken wings...  You can then pick one of the beverage from the bottom section of the menu.

From the photo, you can see that each bowl of rice noodles had 1 spoonful of noodles, 1 chicken or beef meatball, and some soup.

Some customers had their table fully covered with these small bowls!

All the add on dishes were nice. I enjoyed them. This was the deep fried oyster mushrooms in an appropriate boat-shaped dish.

Popular Bookshop had a Mega Book Fair over this Christmas and New Year holidays. I bought a couple of discounted books (non-fiction). I may post some of the photos in the book from Life Magazine.

We had dinner at Nandos. I had the Espenada. A skewer of chicken thigh pieces (usually beef in the Portuguese  dish). Very well seasoned, impressive presentation, goes great with all the peri-peri chilli sauces. But insufficient quantity of meat though. Maybe 2 skewers needed?

I tried the Portuguese Egg Tart. Very small and not that tasty. It seemed to have been microwaved?