Jalan-Jalan Singapore

The last time we were in Singapore was way back in December 2019. We all know what happened in 2020, and we hadn’t been back to the city-state, until this past November.

It was actually a trip back to my kampung JB, but I decided to squeeze in a day in SG as well. And oh yeah, a couple of weeks prior to that, I finally renewed my passport that had been expired for a good few months, so the thought of getting that first immigration stamp was rather exciting, haha.

The original plan was to drive into Singapore as per the last few trips. But first, we had to go through all the new SOPs post the pandemic. Virtually everything has moved online, and yes, that also means no more filling up the iconic white card!

We applied for the VEP (Vehicle Entry Permit) a few days before the trip, but on the morning of our planned day of entry into SG, we were told at the pick-up point that our VEP would only be ready in the evening. Oh, man. But I had a contingency plan in my head, i.e.: to take the bus instead, something we had never done before as a family.

Of course, this was a normal thing for me decades ago as my late mum and I would usually take the Singapore-JB Express bus every time we went over to visit our relatives there. But with my own family, we usually take a flight or drive in ourselves.

But when I mooted the bus idea, it was enthusiastically received by everyone! So, I drove to Larkin Sentral, parked our car there and walked into the busy terminal looking for the bus station.

Read the full article HERE

Food, Glorious Food!: The Halia, Singapore

Had an excellent breakfast at The Halia at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Tasty food with peaceful, green surroundings. Perfect!

Foo Fighters In Singapore: Here's My Experience

I've got another confession to make: there are nights when I would put on my headphones and watch that 2008 Foo Fighters Wembley performance of "Best Of You" on repeat. And I would get choked up from the sheer power and emotion of it all. And I often wondered what it'd be like one day to experience that moment myself. Well, I got my answer a couple of weeks ago at the National Stadium in Singapore. And then some.

But before that, this would be take two of my effort in catching Foo Fighters "live" in SG. A few years back, with a ticket bought and my flight booked, they had to cancel when Dave injured himself. I must admit I sulked for a while and laid off Foo Fighters music for a while : / But I never gave up hope...

For the full article, click HERE

Metallica In Singapore 2013: Through The Never (No Shit)

Yes, no shit. I mean, it was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. But it was also the worst concert experience ever. And never had I imagined I would go through such an ordeal in super-efficient Singapore.

But let me go back to the start. The first question you might have for me is, "Why tak tengok in KL, bro?" Well, when the Singapore gig was first announced, most of us never actually expected they would be coming to KL too, did we? And as soon as the tickets went on sale, I was online, and settled everything within minutes.

But it was perfectly OK. I mean, it's not really a big deal to be going down to Singapore, and I've done so for a few other big gigs before. But I WAS apprehensive about the venue, the Changi Exhibition Centre. A quick google check, and I discovered there was no MRT station there. No matter, this was Singapore, surely public transportation would be sorted for us, right?

Well, the first sign of trouble was when my uncle cabbie from the hotel didn't really know where it was. He had to call up a few friends to confirm, and even then, we went round and round a bit before actually finding the place.

Getting inside though was a breeze as the lines for the two sections were clearly separated and I was more free-and-easy as opposed to the thouands who had turned up earlier for the opening bands a couple of hours earlier.

Only when I got "inside" that I realised the stage was built on an empty lot on the other side of the hall. Well, no matter. The crowd was pretty huge by then and everyone was getting more and more anxious waiting for band to come on.

I probably stood around for less than 30mins when the huge LED screens came to life and "The Ecstasy of Gold" blasted over the stupendous sound system. The hair on my arms began to stand as Metallica finally took the stage, and quickly blasted into "Hit The Lights".

"This is it," I thought. Years of waiting and wondering if the chance would ever come. These metal legends were fiinally right in front of my eyes. In the flesh. And playing as hard and loud as they could.

But it became even more surreal when the first few notes of "Master of Puppets" filled the air. As they launched into the complicated riffs of one of the best metal tunes ever, I closed my eyes, and almost wept. This masterpiece that I've heard a million times was now being played right before me, and it felt just as I imagined it would be.

The talking was kept to a minimum as the fearsome foursome belted one crowd favourite after another. Of course, there will always be debates on the setlist for any band with such a catalogue of awesome tunes, but I generally had no complaints. Even though there was nothing from the much maligned "St. Anger". Hey, I honestly think there are at least three great songs from the album, OK?

It was also awesome having a glimpse at all the axes and basses that the band used. But here comes a complaint; a couple of years ago, I watched Green Day at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and it was the greatest gig I had ever seen then, not just because of the band, but also because of the awesome crowd reaction and participation.

Unfortunately, and ironically, the metalheads who came for Metallica weren't as boisterious. Seriously, it felt really dead at some points and in fact, I thought the crowd simply couldn't keep up with the band! And I did sense some frustration on James's part who tried some measured provocation to get the crowd going, but never really got the 110% they deserved.

So much so that I felt the band lost focus a couple of times. I definitely did not understand nor appreciate the end to "Blackened". And even during the encore which climaxed with "Seek and Destroy", it was a matter of "hangat-hangat tahi ayam", as the energy was never quite sustained by the 40,000 crowd.

Still, on the music and the band's performance, I give it a 9 1/2 out of 10. But as a whole concert experience, it was a 7, at best. Which became even worse after the band had left the building...

Where do I even begin? Well, it was obviously a shit deal for everyone who depended on public transportation. If you didn't pre-book a shuttle bus ticket to Singapore Expo, that only meant you had taxis to depend on. And immediately I knew I was in trouble as my hp battery died and I couldn't call for a cab pick-up.

The line for the cab became longer and longer past midnight, but it was apparent there were really none coming. I thought about sleeping by the roadside and hoping for a taxi the next morning, but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep a wink.

So, along with a few thousand others, we started to walk to the main road, which was 3km at minimum. When we got to the main road, it was apparent that it was still a dead end. So, we just walked, and walked, and walked, and walked. In the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, hoping for God knows what.

People were dropping like flies. Some were massaging their girlfriends' legs, some just decided to sleep on the grass, totally drained and exhausted. I kept on walking. And walking. For 1hr and 40mins.

That was when I got to the first point of civilisation; Changi Village. I bought a drink and gulped it down and saw many others, still cursing and waiting for some sort of way out.

I then stopped by a food court, had some roti prata, and sat by the roadside, totally down and out. There were some cabs seen by this time, but there were too few of them and too many of us. BUT, one "limo" cab suddenly appeared, and I flagged it down. The driver wanted $120 to go into the city. I told him I have just enough in mixed currencies and he said yes.

I was finally saved.

I reached the hotel at 3am and wondered what had happened. But I knew this would be my last time for that venue, and those organisers. You ruined the dream, assholes. You ruined the dream...

Set List

1. Hit the Lights
2. Master of Puppets
3. The Shortest Straw
4. Ride the Lightning
5. Fade to Black
6. The Memory Remains
7. Broken, Beat & Scarred
8. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
9. Sad But True
10. ...And Justice for All
11. One
12. For Whom the Bell Tolls
13. Blackened
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
ENCORE
16. Creeping Death
17. Battery
18. Seek & Destroy

Wet In The Lion City

We were quite nervous about the traffic going into Singapore last Saturday, but taking the Second Link proved to be the right decision. It was pretty smooth going in, although it poured heavily as we got to the immigrations.

The AYE then took us all the way to the city, and ultimately our hotel of choice, the Novotel Clarke Quay at River Valley Road. Yup, instead of staying in the heart of the city, I decided on Novotel knowing how it can get really happening by the river, especially on the eve of a big holiday.

I had booked the room through an online service, and more good news came when we checked in: our room had been upgraded! : ) It was a decent-sized room with a nice bed, big TV and a great view.

I would recommend this hotel if you're down in Singapore the next time around. Service was overall very good, there's also the complimentary use of Macs at with wi-fi at the lobby, and if you're driving, you can easily park the car next door at Liang Court. Everything's downstairs as well; Starbucks, supermarket, McD and other makan places, and even the Singapore River Cruise!

After freshening up a bit, we drove to Orchard Road (where else?) to soak in the holiday atmosphere and do a bit of shopping. And also to get wet, apparently. Yup, Singapore's been at the receiving end of more-than-usual-rainfall, and in fact, just a couple of days before we got there, flashfloods had disrupted some businesses here.

So yeah, we had to move about while covering our heads with our hands, but it wasn't too bad lah. What was quite "bad" was the over-crowding. Understandably, people were doing their last minute X'Mas shopping, so everywhere was really packed. But the bargains were quite good, and we left with more than a few bags in our hands : )

Dinner was back at Clarke Quay.  As expected, the place was pretty happening and festive, despite the rain coming down again.

We had a look around and settled with Bayang, a Balinese makan place. Food was pretty good (especially the sup sapi!), and it was cool to just sit down and people-watch.

 After more photo-snapping, we went back to the hotel to chill before my Day To Remember : )

A Day To Remember...

We were in Singapore this past X'Mas weekend, and while it was yet another nice, short break, it was made all the more meaningful for me as I got to see family members I've not seen in ages. My cousin Bernie who lives in Australia with hubby John and their kids David and Patrick, had contacted me sometime back to say they were coming back to Singapore this holiday season, so I just had to do whatever it took to see them.

Also living with Bernie is my aunt Doreen, my late mom's elder sister. FAVOURITE elder sister, I should add. They were really close. In fact, we were close with the whole family, Bernie's sister Vicky included. I had very happy memories with all of them in Singapore.

Their house was like my own second home. My late mom and I would always make the trip down south during every holiday and stayed with aunty Doreen and family for days. I would meet up with my other cousins there and there would always be something to do.

Aunty Doreen was always there for us. She's kind, funny and love her close family members immensely. I can't recall when was the last time I saw her, but through my emails with Bernie, I got to know that she now has Alzheimer's and needs a lot of tending to. Her short term memory is almost gone too.

And so before meeting up, Bernie told me that there might be a chance that she wouldn't remember me. I was fine with that actually, I was just excited to see everyone.

The whole family came by the hotel where we were staying so we could have lunch together. When I came up to aunty Doreen, everyone asked her: "Do you remember who this is?". And she said: "Joey Boy". I felt like tearing up. I was just happy to see her, and knowing that she remembers me made it even more special.

We all then had lunch at this place at Liang Court. I remarked that Bernie and Vicky still look like the way they did 20 years ago. : ) And I had a good conversation with Bernie's hubby, John. They actually live on a farm in Sydney and it was a blast listening to all their animal stories.

David and Patrick didn't speak much though, but I know from the bits and pieces of info that they're big on rugby (of course!) and are very "rajin" boys who help out around the farm as well as taking care of aunt Doreen.

The lunch lasted less than two hours, but it was one of the best days ever for me. It brought back all those childhood memories of mine and wifey remarked about how warm and loving they are. Aunt Doreen took a while to finish her food, but one thing she didn't lose was her sense of humour. She even made jokes in Malay!

The sad moment was at the end when she asked me about my mom and dad. When told that they had passed on, she was taken aback and I could see she was holding back tears. Cos even though she knew this, but due to her condition, the emotion she felt was like her hearing the news for the very first time.

Still, it was a day to remember for me. I just hope it won't take another decade or so to see everyone again...

Irony In The Lion City

So, we spent the weekend in the Lion City, you know, for fun, and a spot of shopping. Of course people were wondering if I was in town to catch the Malaysia vs Singapore Pre World Cup qualifier, but it was all a coincidence. I DID watch the game, but it was from the comfy confines of our hotel room. Didn't make the result easier to swallow though.

Anyway, like I said, it was a fun weekend trip for some consumption of wind (makan angin lah) : ) Before that, we did the whole self check-in at LCCT for the AirAsia flight, and the experience was rather mixed. The checking in using the kiosk was quite a breeze. BUT if you had baggage to check-in, you'd need to drop it off at the "Baggage Drop" counter. WHICH took ages to process. Which also means, you don't really save time, ultimately... So AirAsia, looks like you need another round of brainstorming to sort this out.

It was our first time as well at the Royal Plaza at Scotts Road. And the experience was really good. Location was awesome, service was above-average, it had free wi fi (very important these days), and there was even a coffee machine in the room with some complimentary fancy coffee provided. We had no complaints whatsoever. Well, getting free newspaper in the morning wouldn't have hurt actually, haha.


No need to tell you guys where we went to buy stuff (we DID stay at Scotts Road), but we did get some really good deals, seeing how the Great Singapore Sale was still in full swing.



On Saturday, most of the excitement was centred around the match and Harry Potter. Yup, the Shaw Theatres had re-opened, and we were all pumped up to watch HP in 3D IMAX.

But as it turned out, Malaysia got trounced 5-3 and the IMAX tickets were sold out. But we did catch a regular 3D screening right after the match and I must say the concluding film was absolutely brilliant!

What wasn't so brilliant was the headlines in the local papers the next morning.



But OK, we're not dead and out of it yet. And come Thursday, I am confident Malaysia will roar back to win the tie with sufficient goals. Provided our defence don't play like shit, lah.

OK, I'm getting a little emo here. But the game didn't really spoil the whole mood of the trip. The weather was pretty good as well and we basically got the stuff we were looking for.



And oh yeah, here's a tip. If you're going on a short trip, it's better to park at the airport carpark instead of taking the taxi. For 52 hours of parking, I only paid RM85. Taxi would have cost me RM160!

Singapore: Pre-Wikileaks...

So, as previously mentioned, was in Singapore for a good 4 days mainly to attend the Asia Television Forum. Sort of like MIPCOM, only on a smaller scale. And much quieter, as it turned out.

But of course you would expect good organisation lah. Everything was properly lined up and the people were wonderfully polite. So as expected, registration at the Suntec Convention Centre was a breeze.



Overall, ATF was a pretty quiet affair, although the meetings with the networks and content partners were pretty good. So look out for more good shows on tonton.com.my coming your way in 2011.
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Of course, some time was spent on jalan-jalan, and who could miss Orchard Road during X'Mas season right? As usual, the lights were amazing. And I couldn't help noticing how there seems to be less of the obssession with snow and reindeers down south. I mean, walk into any mall in Malaysia, and you'll be greeted by totally out-of-place imagery of X'Mas. Come on lah, mati hidup semula also you will never see snow in Malaysia lah. Be creative a bit, can or not?
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.And yes, I celebrated my bday (not 40 yet, in case you're wondering) in the Lion City. It was a simple, yet memorable occasion this time around, punctuated of course by a big dinner by Boat Quay :)
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One of the nights was also spent lepaking by the latest landmark of the city; the Marina Bay Sands.

.And finally, a trip to the Universal Studios in Sentosa was also on the agenda. I got mixed reviews before going there though, some saying that we should wait till all the attractions were opened before bother going, but hey, we were already there, so why not?

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Didn't drive there though, but instead we took a taxi to Vivo City and took the monorail straight to the park. Which is an option I would recommend anyone.

.And my verdict? A solid thumbs up! It helped that everything's still brand new, and of course, very well-maintained so far. The layout's pretty neat and no, you won't struggle to find halal food.
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My only complaint though is that it was a pretty hot day out! Ok, ok, can't do anything about the actual weather, but they should really invest in my mist-fans and air-conditioning wherever possible. But otherwise, it's a much-recommended holiday destination, especially if you have young ones, or if you're simply young-at-heart :)
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Singapore, JB, But Not Batam lah...

Hey peeps, just got back from a trip down south; 4 nights in Singapore for work + pleasure and another night in my beloved hometown JB for the usual business. Will write more about Singapore, but was there officially for the Asia Television Forum that ran from this past Wednesday to Friday.

Which of course meant I celebrated being one year older in the Lion City. No big do, but I did get a surprise birthday pudding during lunch with colleagues and business partners. It's been a while since a bunch of strangers ie: the rest of the restaurant patrons, sang Happy Birthday to me. Slightly awkward, but thanks for the gesture, guys! :)