J82Productions

J82Productions will be closing down.

2015-02-15T09:40:00.002-08:00

As years goes by, my duties at work has been increasing in the challenging markets and I have not been able to cope with my blogs recently. As such, I have decided to close down J82Productions.

However, don't be disappointed because this is not the end to my blogging interests. During this period of time, I will be shifting and focusing all my blogs into one blog, +BeriShiok Singapore. It was a blog started off just for massage services in Singapore, but I decided to keep this blog and expand its genres.

Do feel free to visit us at www.berishiok.com for our future posts and hope to see you again with our new facelift.

Thanks for your continuous support all this while.

Regards
J82Productions.

Finally, i Got My Haircut ! - Headlines Hairdressing by Gary Lee

2015-01-10T13:08:00.001-08:00

Newly Opened Headlines Hairdressing Salon outlet at International Plaza.

I was so proud of myself because I have achieved an amazing feat of not cutting or trimming my hair for almost two months ! However, as days goes by and my unkempt hair is getting on my nerves by falling over my forehead almost every other day, I think it is really time for a good haircut. My girl friend had helped me to booked an appointment at Headlines Hairdressing International Plaza outlet late in the evening.

Luxurious styled salon by Gary Lee himself. That him in the photo !

In the past, I does not really have a preference over any hairstylist or salon, but after I was recommended to Gary Lee, I thought he really had a good foresight and incredible skills to manage your hair which can really fits into your image. Apart from that, Gary really had a good sense of humour which will keep you entertain throughout your haircut session. I will always go for the "Omakase", meaning leaving it to him to cut and style my hair, which he never failed me and his returning customers.

For those interested in having a haircut, below are the salon information. Do remember to call in to make an appointment !

Headlines Hairdressing
#03-32 International Plaza
10 Anson Road
Singapore 079903
Tel: +65 6223 3133
www.headlines.com.sg

Prior to that, International Plaza has recently revamped on its interior and the lightings and decoration are really creative with style. I took a photo or two to share with all !

Bringing Xiao Jian for Training at Smartdoggy Studio

2015-01-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

My younger sister called me last minute in the late afternoon to ask if I will be free to bring her loved Bull Terrier, Xiao Jian, for training at Smartdoggy Studio. My dog has been not feeling well for the past week and it would be a good time to train her physical up.

I think Xiao Jian was too excited as she knew that we are bringing her out on my car. After she entering the car, it just became a playground for her, walking along my back seats and snuggling into the arms of my younger sister. We set off at 8pm and reached in time 8.30pm. Apparently, we was early and there was no other dogs inside Smartdoggy Academy.

Xiao Jian was so excited that she was moving around all the times while watching all the owners with the dogs going into the shop. The training lesson lasted for almost two hours before we hit the road back home. She just need to have more training

About Smartdoggy Studio

For those interested in training your dog, Smartdoggy Studio was opened by Lucas Bong, whom has been working as a private consultant since 1990, focusing on dog sports training. In 2004, he founded Smartdoggy Services to offer a wide range of canine services for dog lovers to achieve Wonderful Dog Companionships in Singapore. With more than two decades of working experience with dogs, Lucas is currently the multiple award winner of Singapore Kennel Club's SKC Agility Dog of the Yera 2012 and The Overall Champion Top Agility Dog Award Winner in The Singapore Open Agility Championship 2011. You can check out more information of their services at their website below.

Smartdoggy Studio
118 Tembeling Road
Singapore 423617
Tel: +65 6448 2633
Mobile: +65 9790 3033
www.smartdoggy.com

Wisdom Tooth Extraction ! Anesthetic Wearing Off Soon...

2015-01-06T07:27:00.002-08:00

Random Photo - Taken from the hotel while I was staying in Melbourne with mom and sis.

After a tormenting week of toothache, the dentist called yesterday to inform that there is an evening slot for my wisdom tooth extraction which are initially scheduled two weeks from now. Instead of dragging on the pain for the next two weeks, I booked the appointment immediately without much hesitation.

Weather was so bad today, so was the traffic. I left office at about 5.45pm but reach Heartland Mall at almost 7.30pm. The vehicles are all slow moving (maybe Monday blue) and raining just dropped the visibility of the roads as well. In fact, my girl friend managed to reach earlier then I do by taking the train even though she left the office at 6.15pm. Crazy traffic jam, just drained all my energy away. I made a phone to DP Dental and informed them I will be late which someone else could jump my queue and go ahead first. But...

I am not sure but even when I reached the dental clinic, it took me 15 minutes for all the paperwork and procedures, I was ready to be "admit" to the "surgery room". The stern looking dentist gave me a greeting and started off inspecting and explaining to me the procedures of the entire surgery.

Wisdom Tooth Finale

Once everything is all set, we are ready to go. First will be the anesthetic which took about 5-10 minutes to be effected. Only the first injection has a a sensation of needle jabbed into the gum, the rest is just felt the force but no pain.

Then they have this piece of clothing that covers upper portion of my face and my chest, leaving only a hole for the mouth. By the way, the clothing covered my eyes so I could not see what are the tools and actions they are doing.

Extraction of upper wisdom tooth is easy. Before I could get prepared for the extraction, the dental surgeon just sound out that the tooth is out.. less than 5 minutes. Next is the tricky part, my lower wisdom tooth is growing horizontal so my gum has to be cut open, extract the tooth and stitch back again. The next signal from the dental surgeon that there will be some drilling which will caused some vibration. He drilled about 3-4 times and stopped. The tooth is being extracted and the last part will be stitching. Once everything was completed, I just take a look at my watch.. A mere 15 minutes and two tooth are removed !

By the way, I think that DP Dental are providing really good services from the moment you stepped into the clinic, in the surgeon room which they will carefully explain to you, and their professional surgeon to finish the surgery quick and painless.

However, I thought the price might be slightly on the high side or I have not been visiting dental for too long ? The total bill is about $1,500+ (without GST) which breakdown as follows:

$1,250 (including surgical room charges) - wisdom tooth surgery (Direct deduction from Medisave, no payment upfront);
$250 - wisdom tooth extraction (Please note extraction cannot claim Medisave)
$63 - anti-biotics and painkillers.

I am not sure if $250 for an extraction is considered expensive for private dental clinic or market rates ? The last time I did my extraction was maybe $100++ ? The end bill totalled up to S$ 420+, inclusive the GST which I had to paid.

Now I am back home a happy man with two of my decayed tooth in a container and waiting for the last hour before the anesthetic fully worn off. Even thought I have taken the painkillers, I am not sure I will have a good night sleep or nightmare in the mouth.

Big Changes Around My House ! Going for Staycation Today !

2015-01-03T09:19:00.001-08:00

Yesterday night was a disaster as my wisdom tooth came back to hunt me down which I had to go down for a super last minute check up at Heartland Mall's DP Dental. Unfortunately, the surgeon dentist is not around and I had to wait two weeks later to remove both of my wisdom tooth. I am going for stay-cation today at Ritz Charlton and hopefully that the pain will not spoil my day.

Bartley Residences in its last stage of works.

Weather does helped me a lot this morning. It has been the only few of the weekends that are not raining and sun is shining down on us. While I looked through the Bartley Residences, it seems that only some more exterior works to go before everything will be completed.

Foundation equipments has been shifted into Botanique's site.

While on the other side, I see foundation works are getting on the way on UOL's newly acquired land to build new condominium, Botanique. From the previous news, UOL plans to build a 17-storey condo with 700 units, that means it will transform the junction of Bartley and Upper Paya Lebar in a condominium community soon.

It's time to go, to check in at Ritz Charlton for my stay-cation. Ciao.

Quote of the Day

Success is not the key to Happiness.
Happiness is the key to Success.
If you love what you are doing, you will be Successful
Albert Schweitzer

Short "Excursion" at Marina Bay Financial Center Tower 3

2015-01-02T22:12:00.001-08:00

The Art of Gao Xiaowu, two Standard Times series, Fibreglass, colour coated, Edition 18/20 acquired in 2007.

After my dinner at Kaiko Japanese restaurant, my girl friend and I decided to explore the 3rd level of MBFC Tower 3, which was the DBS Office. She wanted to show me the unique sculptures that are displayed along the hallways. There stood two shiny white figures sculptures, both in different body postures, bowing down with a smiling faces pointed towards us. After some research, these are sculptures done by one of the famous China's artist, Mr. Gao Xiaowu.

About Mr. Gao Xiaowu

Gao Xiaowu (高孝午) was born in Sanming, Fujian province in 1976 and currently lives and works in Beijing, China. He enrolled in the sculpture department of Xiamen Art Academy, Fujian province before continuing his studies at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, graduating in 2004.

Gao's works are not only baed on the lives or ordinary people living in the city, they also serve as an exploration of his own identity. Although born in the 1970's, his artistic creation resembles those who were born a decade later. He does not try to express his ambitious aspirations that concern the country nor complains about the current situation, but instead more concerned about the the happiness and grief in his everyday life. Gao's aesthetics fall into the generation of comics and cartoons. He is one of the representative sculptors in these new trends and his creation avoids political symbols and totem. Like other 1908s artists, Gao spontaneously returned to the nature of artistic creation, pursuing their own aesthetic display of expressing the interest achieved by content and medium.

Another female Standard Times sculpture standing right in front of DBS Treasures.

Gao's Standard Times Series.

The Standard Times sculptures is the first thing that strikes the viewer about Gao's sculpture. Gao's works is an expression of reverence that he sees as innately Asian, and in an act similar to a genuflect, the personification of respect transcends to the motion of bending forward. Often the erect form is the norm and yet in this works, the intention of the artist manifests through the choice of overarching form of the figures. In a similar way, the smile to serves the purpose of demonstrating congenial attitudes. The viewer though is left to ponder if this is where the interpretation stops or if the works reflect a satire on the current social-political position of the Chinese.

If you are looking for more arts of such kind, you can visit the Ode To Art located at Raffles City, Singapore or at The Pavilion, Kuala Lumper.

POSB Loves SG Signboard

A huge POSB Loves SG signboard at MBFC.

We explored the rest of the level, and there was this huge signboard hidden at one corner. I have posted this onto my Facebook Page to let everyone make a guess. Scroll down further to reveal the answer !

Guessed correctly or you still cannot figure out what it is ? Scroll down further to see the final clue..

It's a board full of plastic bags ! However, there is no accreditation which organization or who has done this signboard, I believe it is one of the green environment movement to encourage reducing the use of plastics bags and provide a more eco-friendly environment.

Happy Birthday Mr. Garry (Kelly)

2014-12-28T12:13:00.000-08:00

After our dinner at Teru Sushi Zen Dining.

Happy Birthday Garry !!! Today was my best friend's birthday and he would like to keep it a low profile celebration (not sure if I posted this considered a low profile). We had a good dinner with dozen of one dollar oysters and a special made "Sushi Cake" at Teru Sushi.

Best wishes to my brother and hope that he can find good ways out of life as well !

Meanwhile, I would like to share one proverb that my girl friend has taught me yesterday as well. I will named it the best quote for today !

谣言止于智者，愚蠢在于谣传
只有足够智的智者才能止住谣言

Flashback - Photo of Green Field Beside Serangoon NEX

2014-12-26T03:13:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken about 3 months back while I was standing on the top floor carpark of NEX. The parcel of land next to NEX has been empty for quite sometime since NEX opening, but there wasn't any news on development on this piece of land at all. Wonder what will be happening next ? Residential or commercial ?

Correct Images Sizes for Different Social Media

2014-11-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

I believe that when anyone was excited to update his or her social media profile picture or page after a incredible photoshoot with your beloved girl friend, you find it hard to adjust the correct length, width or height of the photos that fits into that small window.

Supposedly, it takes only 5 minutes to complete the simple task but it drags almost the entire afternoon just to get the alignment right. Is any facing this problem ? (Hands up please !)

Definitely, like anyone that is viewing this post at this moment, I had my difficulties and thought that it will be good to share these information which I have found from the internet. I will only briefly touch on the general dimensions so you might have to read up a bit from the respective links.

Below are a list of social media which I have found to have the solutions to your problem.

Facebook Page

Want to have your logo sitting nicely in the centre and background picture with the optimised settings just like I did for my Berishiok spa blog ? I have found out from one of the PagesSizesDimensions Facebook Page that has been updating the changes that Facebook are making on their pages design. Below are the latest changes made.

The optimum size for profile image and background for facebook page. (Note this picture is not to scale).

Profile Photo: 180px x 180px.
Cover Photo: Width: 851px x 315px.

Most of the other details can be seen on the image above.

Google+ Profile & Page

Although Google+ does have their own support page, but I think it will still be quite difficult to understand without any pictorial aid. I searched through the internet and found David Coleman Photography who provided a more comprehensive explanation of the Google+ Profile & Page image settings.

Profile Photo: 120px x 120px
Cover Photo:1080px x 608px. (aspect ratio of 135:76, very close to 16:9) This is the ideal size, for smaller size you can use 480px x 270px and largest is 2120px x 1192px.

One of the important point that David Coleman pointed out was that Google+ applies pretty heavy compression to the JPEG photos for the cover photo, it will be the best that an PNG-24 image (.png format) is uploaded. Just take note it might take a little while longer to load the pictures for some users with slow connection speed.

That is how I did it exactly for my crane blog, Crane Wikipedia.

Hope that this post is beneficial to those searching for a solutions.

Another Working Sunday at Fusionpolis with Star War's Yoda

2014-11-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

The giant tree stood in between the open space at One North Residences.

It was raining heavily the previous night and I was quite worried about my job at Fusionpolis. Indeed, calls poured in the following day late morning and we have some issues that requires me to go down to take a look. While I had to stay on to supervise my job, my girlfriend and I decided to grab some food at a nearby cafe, Jimmy Monkey Cafe & Bar at One North Residences.

A link bridge between the two blocks of condomium.

So far as I know, One North Residences is currently the only residential development in Fusionpolis and housed a lot of foreign talent. Entire place was surrounded by green and atmosphere was serene in a Sunday afternoon.

Inner of the Sandcrawler building from the enclosed garden.

While I was walking back to my site location, I was curious about this odd-shaped building and decided to cut through into the middle of it. What I found was a greenery sight enclosed by a sleek building design. I did some research and this is the Sandcrawler building by film making giant, Lucasfilm.

Sandcrawler building was officially opened by Mr. Lee Hsien Loong on 16th Jan 2014.

Taken directly under the sandcrawler building.

Stony Yoda guarding the garden new Sandcrawler's garden ?

Before I end my "journey" in sandcrawler, there stood the famous Star Wars character, Yoda, solitary on a stone surrounded by water. Interesting. If you does not have much activities to do on a Sunday afternoon, I will suggest walking through these new buildings in Fusionpolis. Enjoy the quietness and unique architectural designs of the buildings.

It's raining whole day today !

2014-11-06T09:24:00.001-08:00

Driving in the MCE tunnel.

Has been raining the entire day and night. Traveling along the MCE and on my way to pick up my girl friend at MBFC before going for our dinner and dessert at Ice Edge Cafe.

au revoir Paris and 5 things I dislike about you

2014-10-04T13:45:00.003-07:00

Location: Paris, France

No. of days: 3

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are my own, from my personal experience. If you disagree, please chill out and take it with a pinch of salt!

I know this could be controversial because I've had very different feedback from people about Paris depending where they come from. I got bullied by a French auntie while I was shopping in London years ago, and I have been scarred by the French ever since. Europeans, in general do not seem to think very much or well of Paris, and almost all British I spoke to told me "don't bother" about going to Paris or "you didn't miss much" not going to Paris. BUT, how can I NOT go when it's Paris right?

Asians, in general have a much more forgiving view of Paris, most love it for its "romantic-ness", and a few people I know even proposed on top of the Eiffel Tower. Maybe it will feel more romantic in autumn and winter, but certainly not in summer. So, what's my beef with Paris?

Before I go into the things I dislike and start sounding like a sad old sod, let me start with the things I do like.

1. French Patisserie

Giant macaroons!!!!

'Nuff said.

2. Condensed city, easy to navigate

Basically all the key tourist spots are along River Seine, so as long as you can tell which direction along the river you are walking along, you pretty much won't get lost.

3. Little sidewalks and cafes

The little cafe culture everywhere probably emerged from Paris, where every cafe is supposed to serve great coffee, has a nice porch for people watching or reading a book, and has yummy pastries. 3 days is very insufficient to fully explore the proper cafe culture given that there are tons of things to see and places to go, but at the recommendation of my French colleague, I went to this one...

Mariage Freres

Which I got very shocked when I walked in because the interior looks like this...

Looks familiar?

For those of you still scratching your heads, it looks suspiciously similar to a certain Singapore homegrown Tea shop that has branches in Takashimaya and MBS. I used to think highly of them, having done well as a local brand until I realised they pretty much copied everything from here. (don't want to name names and get into legal trouble!) Pretty sure it was the Singapore shop that did the copying because this shop has been around way before the Singapore one existed.

That aside, my French colleague recommended I came here for tea, but I ended up having lunch here and I'm happy! It's a bit light for lunch so if you're a big eater stick to tea!

I loved the green tea toast!

Ok now, for the dislike bit.

1. Beware of thieves!

People tell me I have a negative view of Paris because I got pickpocketed here. Didn't help that someone I know also got pickpocketed here too. The thieves here are so skillful chances are you pretty much wouldn't realise until it's too late. In my friend's case, her bag got slit and in my case there was no slit, and carrying a backpack with a metal hook buckle, it is still a mystery to me until now...

That aside, this is my number one because friend and I spotted a thieving looking person looking for his next target at the metro station ticketing counter. The good news is, if you are alert enough to tell that there are potential thieves around, you'd probably be more aware of yourself. The bad news is, what about those who don't look like thieves? That makes it double the problem!

Even the metro stations didn't make me feel safe as the tunnel walks transferring between the various metro lines were poorly maintained, smelly, dirty and dark. Lots of quiet and/or blind spots which means if you get into trouble in one of the blind spots, you're on your own.

2. This place is dirrrrrrty

One thing that got me really annoyed is how the smell of pee permeates almost everywhere in the streets. And I mean EVERYWHERE. This is probably not surprising given the lack of toilets in this city but still...

Let's not even go into the rubbish strewn everywhere on the streets.

3. Expensive

Amongst the list of EU countries I visited (between Spain, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy) I would go as far as to say Paris is the most expensive with regards to food and drink so far. Maybe its for good reason, given that the French seem to have a knack for making expensive things: Chanel, LV, Longchamp......

This is a very standard local breakfast set in a non-tourist area and costs EUR 7.5 or 7.95. (Two crossaints, one coffee and half an OJ)

4. The Queues

I moaned about this in Rome but at least there is a way to get around the queues in Rome - pay! But not in Paris. Money is not going to help you skip the queues at La Fayette, LV megastore, Laduree, etc. Not "normal" money anyway. And tourist spots like Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum. It reminds me of Hong Kong where it's almost impossible to get anything without queuing.

Special mention to the Louvre, where the Mona Lisa portrait resides.

Do bring a camera with 20x optical zoom to take a picture of the original Mona Lisa.

Of course, this isn't even a queue, but worse because there is no beginning and no end. :(

The Louvre from the outside

5. Discrimination

Clearly a large number of EU countries don't speak English as their first language but nowhere else have I come across bad service simply because I can't speak their local language. Now, a single traveller girlfriend of mine said she did not suffer any service abuse but my travel partner did, for all the times she has been to Paris (maybe 3 times in the past few years for work).

On multiple occasions while dining we received next to no attention and slow service while other French-speaking people walked in later than us and got served much faster than us. (Receiving menu, taking orders, delivering tap drinks like Coke.) I don't think we were being difficult because I'm not even referring to delivery of food knowing that that varies according to the complexity of the order but we suffered abuse for everything else in the whole process.

I was on the verge of going crazy until I witnessed ah tiongs getting French treatment because they spoke French. I don't even know what form of discrimination this is: too-bad-you-don't-speak-my-language ism?

So make sure you have lots of patience before you visit Paris.

Other notes...

1. Eiffel Tower

Now I am not a fan of paying obscene amounts of money to go up metal tourist traps for the view (Tokyo Tower, Singapore Flyer, London Eye - I've been to all of them but not been UP) because I figured you can always go up a tall building nearby and achieve the same effect. Not in Paris because there is nothing taller than Eiffel Tower within a radius of... many many kilometres? But that's not why you should go up because as a tourist you pretty much can't tell the difference between what's what from the top.

My reasons for recommending going up were:

the building is curved inwards and so is the lift. I am in awe at the engineering of the lifts that goes along the insides of the bottom half.
The lifts have ceiling to floor transparent doors. I stood at one of the corners of the lift and literally feel my legs going jelly because ~~I was wondering if this old cranky lift is going to breakdown in the middle and trapping me and the maybe 100 other tourists around me.~~ I got a kick out of seeing Paris grow smaller and smaller beneath my feet as I went up the second top half.

And the view from the bottom is just as impressive:

2. Lock bridges

If you didn't watch the TVB drama Triumph in the skies 2 (衝上雲霄 2) you probably don't know what's the fuss about this one. At least it led me to an unconventional "tourist spot" in Paris, if anything. Basically a few bridges along River Seine got so saddled with locks that one of them was closed for a while recently as it semi-collapsed under the weight of the locks. Unfortunately I went to the "wrong bridge" - this is not the "official" one.

My friend didn't watch it so wasn't half as excited as I was to finally see it but she admitted it was a sight to see. Now who's this Alan Tay?

3. Fast cars

I might have succumbed to this if my driving license didn't get pickpocketed the day before:

Ferrari and Lambor for EUR 89, anyone?

But then again tourist scams are aplently and this may be one of them so it's probably a good thing I didn't get to do it.

4. Picture Perfect

Again at the recommendation of my French colleague who advised me that if you go behind the pyramid at Louvre, you should be able to see in a straight line Tullieries to Arc de Triomphe to Grande Arche. Another engineering feat. I didn't figure that one out but if you do please let me know.

This was what I got:

Can't even get to Arc de Triomphe

That's all folks, au revoir!

When in Rome, we do as the Romans do - 5 things travel guides will probably not tell you

2014-08-25T10:43:00.002-07:00

Location: Rome, Italy
No. of Days: 3.5

The first thing that struck me when I landed in Rome: THIS PLACE IS A MUST-VISIT BEFORE YOU DIE!

Ok my first impression of Rome wasn't at all that impressive: we stepped out of the airport at about 9pm and for the first hour in the city it almost felt like zombie town. We hardly saw anyone and the 40min train ride out of the airport was just darkness, remoteness and quietness. It also didn't help that when we arrived at Ostiense Train Station (supposingly a major train station) there was no one in sight and the next time we saw another human being, it was a good number of homeless people sleeping around the perimeter of the train station... Trying not to be judgmental but I can't help being freaked out after being robbed twice in Europe and the tons of horror crime stories I've heard before arriving.

So from that we learnt that we really shouldn't be out past daylight hours, and luckily for us, dusk only happens at about 9ish in summer...

The thing about Rome (I'm gonna use Roma from now on - just feel more comfortable using the Italian word!) is that the whole city IS a museum, full of impressive architecture and historical artifacts. And luckily for me, an architecture and history buff, I loved every minute of everything!

Key tourist spots we visited were:

Day 1: Colosseum, Palatine Hill, Roman Forum
Day 2: Vatican City
Day 3: Pompei
Day 3.5: Piazza del Popolo & Spanish Steps

Lesson 1: Pay For Guided Tour

If anyone tells you a place is full of tourists, they probably haven't been to Roma. There is a minimum of 2 hour queue for everything if you didn't pre-book your tickets and/or sign up for guided tour. Even with pre-booking we had a bit of queuing (about 15 minutes ?), but nothing like the throng who showed up unprepared. I don't usually like to pay for guides, but in Roma, this is quite necessary because there are so much stories that not all are printed on the boards and you probably don't have the time to read everything. Plus, you may not know what you are looking at... And not everything is in English. There are also SO MANY tourists that you never get to read everything because someone is blocking you all the time. There is next to no chance of taking a picture without any stranger in it. Guided tours also tends to bring you into more exclusive areas that normal ticket holders don't get to go.
Colosseum, Palatine Hill, Roman Forum

The moment the guide talked about Gladiators, my brain woke up. You can read about the history and all elsewhere, so I will save you the pain of reading it here. Our guided tour brought us to the underground and the top floor which was not open to the normal ticket holders so I was a happy camper.

PS: Some places will spell Colosseum as Coliseum, it means the same thing!

The underground - View from the underground!

The underground - view from the top!

The Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum are essentially next to each other, so it is necessary to dedicate one full day to them. So when you buy tickets, make sure it covers all of them.

This is the walk up to Roman Forum, and it is quite common for me to snap a picture at such a perfect timing (the flapping pigeon in the middle) so I thought it is worth a little brag. The pebble flooring is not easy to walk...
All ruined.. by what and how, I don't know (didn't get the guide for this one, thus the regret!)
In awe that people of almost 1,000 years ago can build something like that, and still standing! Brings a whole new meaning to "built to last".

It was a bit sad to see the ruins and imagine what it looked like in its heyday...
I probably burned a lot of calories trying to take this view. Made all the pasta I ate worth it.

Lesson 2: Walk as much as you can!
Being a Singaporean, I know walking is not our favourite pastime especially it is 30+ deg C here was well BUT it will be worth it here because it is actually possible to walk this city and there are so many things to see along the way! There are only 2 train lines here (anyone remembers the days of EW and NS lines?) so that gives you an idea how small this city is. Doesn't help that the Metro looks really dodgy... I don't think I've seen more graffiti on trains more than in Roma.
Even the train station is not spared. I couldn't even tell what station this is!
Vatican City

A proper visit usually consists of Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum and St Peter's Basilica. Again, this is one place where a guided tour is necessary - because there are too many people and there is very little signage to tell you where you are going. All 3 are almost linked internally, so having Google GPS is kind of useless. The Vaticam Museum alone is so big, it is probably second to the Louvre, so if you were to roam around yourself (with the human jams caused by the army of tourists) it will probably take forever. Sistine Chapel strictly bans cameras, so no pictures BUT silly me only found out this piece of art came from inside the Sistine Chapel...
So I sent a post card to myself! hur hur...<

Royalty's bathtub... And they bathed in milk. Mmm I want!

Too many items to post, but here's a few teasers to demonstrate the grandeur...

Art on tiles, if this is not impressive, I don't know what is

Map of Sicily - some kid once asked the guide how did people hundreds of years ago without Google Maps do this. Answer: don't know!

St. Peter's Bascilica

Everything is made of marble so it didn't feel like 30+ deg outside. No wonder my parents loved marble tiles at home... It finally all made sense!

St Peter's Square: too big, too big.

The window that the Pope gives his blessings every Sunday. THIS IS IT!

And before there was Fiat 500... (and in case you don't know, Fiat is Italian)

That Pharrell song ringing in your head yet?

I would totally get one of these if I lived here.

Lesson 3: Don't dine at restaurants that have menus in 5 languages

This tip came from one of our guides. These usually mean: Italian, English, French, Russian, German and we've gone as far as to see one containing Japanese. These restaurants also tend to be more expensive - at the most expensive one we paid EUR 3.5 for a 300ml of Coke. A more reasonable restaurant price should be closer to EUR 2.

Nonetheless, quick snapshot of what we had for 3.5 days:

Lots of Vongole, every pasta imaginable, melons with parma and my favourite pinot grigio!

And I must recommend this pasta place that was 3 min walk from my hotel, extremely friendly people and THE best Carbonara ever. (That's the one on the top pic). And their menu is only in Italian and English, phew!

Pompei

This was a place that to me only existed in history text book. I only realised by chance that Pompei is a 3hr bus ride away from Roma and doable as a day trip. Its one of those things that I don't even bother researching - I just knew I wanted and had to go.

In case you can't remember what your primary school text book taught you, Pompei was a town that was buried by volcanic ash when Mt Vesuvius erupted more than 2,000 years ago. People were so caught unprepared that many were fossiled in whatever they were doing at that time. It is not a tiny town, though.. I'd imagine it the size of... half of Tampines???

This one is better left for the pictures to do the talking...

Gladiator School

Ampitheatre

A fast food shop

Pompei Forum

The road to the brothel (not kidding) - look at the shape of the "arrow"

Brothel menu (really not kidding - the "menu" is painted on the wall)

Immortalised - notice how small sized they are. Made me wonder what a long way we've come to evolve to the size we are today.

Street signs

And this is the volcano crater that destroyed it all - Mount Vesuvius.

Lesson 4: Eat gelato everyday.

It is worth your calories (not much anyway) but don't fall for the tourist traps. To be specific, I'm referring to pushcarts run by "Foreign Talents" with big banners claiming to sell gelato. A proper shop should look like this...

Any gelato shop that can grow to this size is worth a visit.

And very cheap too! EUR 2.5 for two scoops I think?

Gelato cakes, anyone?

And I chanced upon this one around Piazza del Popolo. I think it must have been mentioned in some Korean tourist guide because there were more Koreans than any other nationality...

Piazza del Popolo & Spanish Steps

This is one of the shopping areas, but not the main one. But it was good enough, after all we were not there to shop... There are lots and lots of Piazzas around Roma but this is one of the key ones because it is one of the oldest and the grandest. Built around 1,000 years ago...

With a impressive fountain in the centre, and two at the sides hence its tourist factor.

Come here to people watch...

For the life of me I can't remember why it is called the Spanish Steps, all I can remember is that it is built so that people can move up and down easily.

Spanish Steps from the bottom

Spanish Steps from the top

Lesson 5: Free drinking water everywhere!

This is not really a lesson but an advice to bring an empty bottle on your travels here. There is probably no other place on Earth that you get clean, ice-cold (despite the hot summer) natural drinking water spouting out from the walls/grounds. There are 600 of them around the city, and there is no faucet - water just flows out 24/7. Just wow. I love Roma!

Must Try Cafe in Ubud. Our Lunch and Walkaround at Kampung Cafe (Day 2)

2014-07-01T11:02:00.002-07:00

More than an hour's ride through the winding and bumpy uphills and downhills, we finally reaching Tegallalang. However, before we reach our destination, an unexpected traffic jam drew us back. Since it was almost noon time, the driver recommends that we should go for lunch and try our luck again.

Alighting in front of the cafe front porch, you could immediately feel the connectivity with nature. Unlike modern cafe, The Kampung Cafe is styled in a balinese architecture in a quiet ambience. Surrounding the cafe was pure greenery the peace your mind entirely despite the humid weather. We settled down quickly and we ordered a Bali Coffee (Rp 14,000) and Coffee Float (Rp 26,000) for a late morning wake up drink. The Bali Coffee was definitely aromatic but due to its powdery taste, not much people much like it. I believed I have made a wrong choice for Coffee Float as it was almost tasteless and lacks the aroma of coffee at all.

Though it is called an cafe, they do serve main courses for the patrons. I ordered an Pork Spare Ribs (Rp, 61,000) while sharing a Rice Paper Roll (Rp, 36,000) with my girl friend as well. No long later, the waitress handed out the dishes to us. Both dishes are superbly plated with garnish. The rice paper rolls are wrapped with chunks of chicken, lettuce, spring onion, cucumber with thai sweet chilli sauce. The fact that the taste ressemble a vietnamese rice roll.

Rice Paper Rolls, Rp 36,000

Pork Spare Ribs (250 gm), Rp 61,000

Kampung Cafe
Ceking-Tegallalang, Gianyar, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Tel: +62-36-901201
Operating Hours: 8am to 9pm, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Kodomoroid - World's First News-reading Android Developed By Japanese Scientists.

2014-06-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

TOKYO: Japanese scientists on Tuesday unveiled what they said was the world's first news-reading android, eerily lifelike and possessing a sense of humour to match her perfect language skills.

The adolescent-looking "Kodomoroid" -- an amalgamation of the Japanese word "kodomo" (child) and "android" -- delivered news of an earthquake and an FBI raid to amazed reporters in Tokyo.

She even poked fun at her creator, telling leading robotics professor Hiroshi Ishiguro: "You're starting to look like a robot!"

The pitch-perfect Kodomoroid was flanked by a grown-up fellow robot, who caught stage fright and fluffed her lines when asked to introduce herself.

"Otonaroid" -- "otona" meaning adult -- excused herself after a quick reboot, saying: "I'm a little bit nervous."

Both androids will work at Tokyo's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, interacting with visitors to collect data for Ishiguro's studies into human reactions to the machines.

"We will have more and more robots in our lives in the future," Ishiguro told AFP.

"You can take my androids on planes -- the torso in the suitcase and the head in carry-on."

Ishiguro has a humanoid version of himself which he sends overseas to give lectures.

"It cuts down on my business trips," he said. "Technical advances mean robots look and act more human, and that makes us think about our worth."

Otonaroid looked as if she could need rewiring before beginning her new role as the museum's science communicator, her lips out of sync and her neck movements symptomatic of a bad night's sleep.

But Ishiguro insisted both would prove invaluable to his continued research as museum visitors get to have conversations with the 'droids and operate them as extensions of their own body.

"This will give us important feedback as we explore the question of what is human," said the 50-year-old. "We want robots to become increasingly clever."

A chatty humanoid called Pepper designed by SoftBank as a household companion is set to go on sale for around US$2,000 in Japan next year after a successful debut earlier this month.

"That's the same price as a laptop computer," said Ishiguro. "It's incredible."

As the line between humans and machines continued to blur, Ishiguro's mechanical newscaster performed tongue-twisters, to the amazement of their human counterparts.

"My dream is to have my own TV show in the future," Kodomoroid said.

Source: ChannelNewsAsia, 24 June 2014

Clear Blue Sky and Green Ricefield along The Way to Ubud (Day 2)

2014-06-21T23:57:00.001-07:00

My girl friend had to drag me out of the bed after I was unable to wake up after my late night movie marathon at the villa. We have scheduled the driver to pick us up at 11am to travel to Ubud, for the famous rice field at Tegallalang.

The journey took more than an hour and I was catching my wink while my girl friend was looking over the car's window, looking at the life of Bali. When one part of the journey, I was woke up by the bright sunshine and a beautiful blue sky greeted me.

This is one of the amazing photos I have taken. The motorbike is improvised with a bamboo-made structure to hold the goods while traveling. Just look at the overwhelming goods that it is carrying and I doubt the rider is even able to look through the side mirrors for the coming traffic. Not crazy but just imagine life is still hard in places like Bali, even if it is a tourism spot.

Brussels and 10 things you need to know about losing your passport in a foreign land

2014-06-16T15:08:00.003-07:00

Location: Brussels/Bruxelles, Belgium

No. of days: 2

So my first trip as a Londoner was to Brussels (Belgium). This is also the place my bag got stolen with my passport, phones, wallet, credit cards, cash and camera in it. So read on for my (realistic) advice on how to cope if the unfortunate befalls on you too. I emphasize on the "realistic" because most people will tell you "you should have done this, you should have done that", but having felt like I went through hell and back, I can safely say no amount of preparation is ever sufficient.

On happy things first, this is my second time to Belgium. The first time was to Antwerp and Ghent in 2012 and although I don't recall much of Antwerp (but I loved Ghent - another story for another day!), I felt like Belgium has way much more old buildings that date back to the 1200s than any other country in the EU. After a while, you will realise that Europe is all about 1) Museums, 2) Churches, and/or 3) Architecture. My favourite out of the 3 is architecture, so that's the main thing I always look out for.

Other than the architecture, the only other (few) things I took away from Belgium was the chocolate (heavenly), moules and frites (mussels and fries) and of course, Belgian waffles! By the way, Belgian waffles did originate from Belgium...

In case you find the little boy below familiar, his name is Mannekin Pis (Pis as in Piss) and he is Belgian and he resides in Brussels.

So because my camera got stolen, I only managed to salvage those pictures I uploaded into Facebook before they were gone. So I don't have other pictures of Brussels. And neither do I have much other memory of Brussels other than I spent the worst 2 days of my life (ever!) there.

A lot of people I spoke to (whether they had lost their passports before or not, whether they were Singaporeans or otherwise) sympathised with the fact that I suffered poor service and poor attitude at the Singapore High Comm (I will not go into details) but I went as far as to complain to MFA. I know that nothing would come out of it (nothing did), but at least it gives me (and friends and those of you reading this) a sense of what to expect or what not to expect from Singapore High Comm because whatever treatment I received was "by the books" and any better treatment received by the victim is their good luck (irony).

So, here is the interesting part.

LESSON 1: THE ABSOLUTE FIRST THING THAT YOU SHOULD DO WHEN IT HAPPENS IS CALL THE LOCAL SINGAPORE EMBASSY/HIGH COMM.

Because you will need them to issue you a document called Document of Identity (DOI) that proves you are Singaporean. This document will allow you to get back to Singapore.

You will need a passport photo for this and a small amount of cash. So STUFF SOME SPARE CASH SOMEWHERE ELSE.

Oh, and make a police report. You will need it to replace your passport. Just bear in mind the language barrier...

LESSON 2: YOU WILL HAVE 3 OPTIONS AFTER COLLECTING THE DOI.

i) Stay in whatever country that you are stuck in and apply for a new passport there (this means if you are all alone and have nothing on you - in my case, alone, no phone, no cash, no credit card and literally nothing to save myself with) you'd probably end up begging. And without money, how are you going to apply for a new passport?

ii) In my case - try to return to the UK and have my passport replacement done here. Obviously this was far more palatable but this is a big risk because the UK is notorious for their strict immigration rules and it is a gamble whether they will let me in based on photocopied documents or calls to verify my background. Didn't work for me.

iii) Go back to Singapore. Seriously??

The verdict on this point was: Singapore hasn't realised that globalisation has taken place and the system assumes all Singaporeans who travel originate from Singapore.

LESSON 3: DON'T EXPECT THE HIGH COMM TO OFFER YOU A PHONE CALL, ZAPPING DOCUMENTS TO HELP YOU GET OUT OF YOUR SITUATION.

I literally had to argue with the handling officer why I needed to borrow a phone to call a friend to buy me a ticket to either go back to UK or Singapore. I had to repeat myself 3 times that I had no money, no phone, no credit card, no friend. So according to MFA, it was out of her kindness that she allowed ONE call in the end. Kindness much? You decide.

I also had to beg her to zap photocopies of my passport and visa to try to get back to the UK. According to the handling officer, it is taxpayer money and they are not allowed to do it. (hello, I paid Sg taxes too and I literally needed them to save my life, do I really need to argue with you over taxpayer money?) Ditto point above, I got lucky she eventually agreed to zap them.

LESSON 4: THEY WILL NOT OFFER YOU A LOAN TO BUY TRAIN/AIR TICKETS.

You have to ASK, you cannot expect them to OFFER it to you. My handling officer went as far as to "encourage" me to be a fare cheat on the local tram.

I was too distraught to think of asking, but someone told me that there are 2 ways on getting money via high comm: a) Get your family to wire you some money and b) direct loan. But a) would be challenging if you don't even have means to contact friends and family! and b) I've been told what happens after you arrive home will drive you crazy...

So basically, you need to remember ask (in your tired, muddled, confused, scared mind after all that's happened to you), not their job to offer it to you.

LESSON 5: THEY DON'T CARE IF YOU ARE FED OR HAVE A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD. OR YOUR SAFETY.

'Nuff said.

LESSON 6: FORGET THE ~~SHIT~~ ADVICE ABOUT PHOTOCOPYING YOUR CREDIT CARDS

Because the only thing useful about that action is to call the credit card company and cancel them. Obviously that means buying a train/air ticket online is therefore out of the question.

The correct thing to do, is to spread out your cards. Ditto with cash. Not in different pockets of the same bag, obviously.

But remember in most countries (especially outside of Asia), using your credit card requires photo ID so have another card (work ID?) that has your photo and name on it to use it in a physical shop.

LESSON 7: TAKE A PHOTO OF YOUR DRIVING LICENSE/ IC/ PASSPORT/ VISA ETC AND STORE THEM IN YOUR PHONE, IPAD, ONLINE EMAIL ACCOUNT, ETC.

Provided you have access to your email account.

LESSON 8: KNOW AT LEAST A CLOSE FAMILY/FRIEND'S PHONE NUMBER BY HEART =.=

Luckily for me, I had my iPad (Thank god!) and I didn't actually have to memorise numbers but I've come to realise we get so reliant on phones that we would be completely lost if we didn't know any number by heart! - some people cannot even remember their own phone numbers...

LESSON 9: BUY A TRAVEL INSURANCE

My insurance agent/friend always joked with me that this is just kopi money to him. Before this happened to me I never saw the value of why I should be buying travel insurance. I reckoned I lost at least SGD 2k replacing my passport, camera, phone, penalties for the various replacement cards etc. And that's not including my flights and visa costs. Chinese say 不怕一萬之怕萬一 but when the 萬一 happens...

LESSON 10: PACK AN EXTRA DAY'S WORTH OF CLOTHES/TOILETRIES

You never know when your plans will get delayed.

I never came closer to the fear that I may die that day. Financial losses aside, I was still having nightmares one month after that. So, what is the verdict when all the odds are stacked against you? In all honesty, I don't know because my silver lining was that my employer saved me (where my own government failed). So let's hope nobody has to have literally everything stacked against them.

Special Shirodhara Head Treatment at Bail's Dewi Fortuna Spa (Day 1)

2014-06-09T22:12:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of our trip in Bali, my girl friend and I have planned to have at least one massage everyday for our next three days stay in Bali. That should be one of the main purpose of coming to Bali, isn;t it ? After we finished our exquisite balinese lunch at Warung d'Sawah and "checking-in" at my friend's villa for a short rest, we excitedly asked the driver to bring us to a nearby spa for a good body massage. While the driver drove us around to look for a place to massage, most of the spa salons are fully booked until we reach this spa - Dewi Fortuna Spa. No doubt the first impression of the spa does not throw a "WOW" factor to us, what impressed us further was the wide variety of the spa packages in which they offer.

As we entered the reception area, we were greet politely by the masseurs while they ushered us to waiting area, serving us a cup of spicy ginger tea. One of the masseurs handed over the menu to show their incredible wide selection of spa packages available, we was really spoilt for different choices. Both my girl friend and I opted for a same package cost about U$ 65 per person (excluding tax). The spa package consists of an hour of traditional balinese body massage and Shirodhara head treatment.

After choosing the spa package, we are being showed to a scarcely decorated couple room that has a simple bathtub with amenities. After we wash up and changed to disposable under garments and robe, we lay down onto the bed while waiting the masseurs prepares for our traditional balinese body massage.

The masseurs worked on our bodies with their experienced hands, rubbing our back with adequate force. One of the most amazing was the masseurs' synchronised massage pace. Though we were both facing down, you could actually hears both of them clapping (part of balinese massage style) almost at the same time throughout the entire session ! What a sensory experience to both the body and senses.

After an hours of holistic body massage, the masseurs walked out of the room and brought in the apparatus for our Shirodhara head treatment. Shirodhara is a Ayurvedic head massage technique that drips a slow stream of warm oil onto the forehead. As it is our experience with Shirodhara, we felt a peculiar feeling while the oil slowly flow into the scalp. The masseurs then slowly massage our scalp periodically to allow the stream of oil flow evenly through our heads. As the process continues, the combination sound of oil dripping onto the forehead and the basin that is placed on the floor beneath our head, it creates a tranquil melody that ultimately calmed my mind before I fell asleep completely.

The masseur woke me up with a gentle tap on my shoulder, to indicate that we have to go to a room at second storey to wash off the oil from our hair. They have tended to us with ultimate care while grooming our hair. We might have ended the spa slightly over two hours but the masseurs still tried their best to attend to us. Unknowingly, it is already almost seven thirty, time for a nice dinner at Bawang Merah beach front restaurant.

Conclusion
pampered by their holistic Balinese massage and rejuvenated with their Shirodhara head treatment at reasonable price. Dewi Fortuna Spa indeed has taken good care for our well-being during this two hours of sensory experience.

Dewi Fortuna Spa
Jl. Bypass Ngurah Rai No. 38
Nusa Dua, Denpasar, Bali
Tel: +62-361-771322
Opening Hours: 9am to 10pm daily
www.grahabali.com/dewifortunaspa/

Taking Stock of 1 Year in London

2014-06-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hello Followers of the J82Productions Blog!

I am a new contributor on Jeffrey's blog and I have never blogged publicly before so any feedback and comments are welcome! In my posts will be a bit about my life in London, travels and food. If there is anything you would like to see or know about please feel free to let me know.

The Who

A born and bred Singaporean girl who moved to London exactly 51 weeks ago. I work as a Business Analyst in an Insurance company and have worked 7 years with my current company. An opportunity came up to move here a bit more than a year ago and am Thankful to have been the one to be given the chance to experience life here.

Whilst I count myself to be relatively well-travelled for my age (the travel bug clearly bit my Uni harder than the other Unis), there was one regret that I left Uni with. Half (or so) of my Uni mates have gone on at least one-semester foreign exchanges before, most ended up in Europe; and of course with it, lots of travels. I'm glad facebook wasn't common then, if not I might have ended up with a psychological problem. And by graduation, I felt like I was one of the rare breeds who haven't been to Europe before. I wasn't sore, but just a tinge of regret...

The Why

I've heard it many times before I hit this stage: people my age or slightly older than me grumbling about feeling lost, bored, frustrated, etc with life. I used to not know what they were talking about until I reached there myself.

I think it might have been quarter/mid life crisis.

Lots of people have come to tell me how brave I am but I'm not as courageous as how these people perceive. I'd probably have NOT done it if I've never been to London, if I wasn't familiar with the local culture, if I couldn't speak the local language (so that means no other European country because you will be hampered - but that's another story for another day). I've been in this British company for 6 years, been to London 3 times over 3 years and spending a grand total of 2 months. So I think I have a pretty decent knowledge compared to the average tourist, so I'd like to believe I have a rough idea of what I was getting myself into...

And the weather - apparently a few people died of heatstroke when the temperatures hit 30 Deg C in summer. (Sorry, not funny but as a Singaporean where we'd be really Thankful if DAY temps ARE 30 Deg C, I just can't help wondering what these people did to end up that way).

The What
Over the past year, I felt like experiences of a lifetime have been crammed into one year and I don't even know where to begin. Moving homes twice, fixing an Ikea sofa from scratch (I'm very proud of this - how many girls you know built a freaking sofa by themselves?), cooking more in one month here than I have ever cooked in the first 20+ years of my life, changed about a dozen bulbs at home, watching more than a few live football games, learnt snowboarding, travelled lots, getting my bag stolen in Brussels (which had my most importantly worldly possessions plus passport - another story for another day), and then pickpocketed in Paris (and you would think I would be more careful after the Brussels incident, right?), and the list goes on...

I've had to look through at my pictures from the past year to remind me, I can't even remember everything! I hope its not because aging.

The How

I wouldn't have been able to do this without the support of friends and family - both here and in Singapore.

For friends in Singapore, I admit to have the FOMO-syndrome (Fear of Missing Out). But thanks to facebook these days and Whatsapp, we can still indulge of some of their idiosyncrasies even if you are not physically there. It is also a good time for you to filter your friends though - those who make en effort to see you when you are back, and those who don't seem to bother much. (Although I might have gone home a bit too often compared to others who're this far away....). So Thanks to all of you who remembered me and shown me love everytime!

On friends in London, I am glad to have met so many amazing people, you are indeed what I came here for. I wouldn't know what would happen to me otherwise.

I once hosted a dinner for 5 of us including me (yes, I can hardly cook and I hosted a dinner - that must be some kind of achievement in itself) and all 5 of us were of different nationalities - Singaporean, Malaysian, Hongkie, Japanese and Chinese - I am still very amazed by it till this day.

The When

Travels so far in the past 12 months include Brussels, Val Thorens (France), Oslo, Edinburgh, Manchester, Munich, Nuremburg, Paris.

Upcoming trips to Mallorca, Rome and Moscow.

Past locations include Barcelona, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Maastricht, Antwerp, Ghent, Cologne, and a few small towns within a 2 hour radius from London.

Lest you think we are living up the good life here and travelling, the truth is that: IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO TRAVEL TO EVERYWHERE DESPITE BEING STATIONED HERE because of 1) Money and 2) Time. The same problem that bugs us no matter where we go!

Ok that's it for now, sorry for the boring (no picture) rant that went on for too long, I promise the next one will be more interesting with photos!

Peko

My Long Sought Holiday ! Arrival at Bali (Day 1)

2014-05-15T12:09:00.002-07:00

Finally, after four years of working in the Company, I get to take a break on my birthday and travel together with my girl friend to Bali ! While I was writing this post, my mom was bringing out the old albums and saw that the last time I went to Bali in 1995 ! Thinking of to post my childhood photo... erm. Below are some of the photos I have taken while I am being drove to Warung D'Sawah for lunch before "checking-in" at my friend's villa.

10 Tips to Enjoy Your Solo Overseas Trip. Safely.

2014-05-06T10:38:00.001-07:00

I was surfing through the Facebook today and one of my friends who has been traveling in Europe has written a great post which I think should be shared with everyone ! I will keep the originality of the entire post, complete with explanation of the Singlish jargon.

When I told my friends/colleagues that I’m going solo for my Europe trip, I have reactions like: “Wah, sibei(very) brave to travel Europe alone. Dangerous. Confirm kanna(get) robbed/pickpocket” “You know hor(ya), that one time my so-and-so went to Europe with a BIG group and kanna(got) rob. So hor(ya)…” So now I’m back (thank god, safely), just thought to share some tips. Some of them might be useful to you; some seems ridiculous while others might just be crazy but these are what work for me.

#1: Traveling is meant to be fun and brainless. Which is fine. But do bring your common sense along. It will help you stay alive. (If there is a dark empty alley, DO NOT walk in. This is called common sense)

#2: If you are visiting some popular touristy areas known for pickpockets, walk with some random walking tour groups. Walking in big group reduce the chances of being targeted by the pickpockets. And you get free explanation and guide of the place!

#3: Dress like a homeless (Honestly, this is more of a personal preference. I usually don't care how I look when I’m overseas. Seriously no one knows me and I’m not there to hook up with some random chicks. So screw the hair gels, shaver and matching clothes). But I did saw some tourists who dress like a superstars walking along Champs-Élysées… So if your dream is to dress like Carrie or Samantha in Sex and the City and walk down Fifth Ave or the streets of Champs-Élysées, sure please go ahead. #4: Don’t hang your DSLR on your neck. Cause it scream “I AM A TOURIST VISTING YOUR COUNTRY”. Anyway iPhone cameras are good enough. If you die die need to have high resolution/professional photos of the scenery, just Google. Confirm will find a dozen of them. No need to take them yourself.

#5: Have two wallets. Got this advice from a friend. One is where you put your small change while another is to put the big notes and your credit cards. Keep the one with credit card safe (in your inner pocket of your jacket). So even if you got robbed, you can just throw the one with small changes at the robbers and run. I think it will work… If it works, please let me know: p

#6: Another advice from friend - Act like you being for a long while. Like an expat or student working/studying there.

#7: Be aware of your surrounding. If someone walks too closely beside/behind you (especially if the street is pretty empty), then something is not right. Walk into a shop or slow down to let him/her walk past you or walk into a more crowded street.

#8: Advice from friend – stuff spare cash and important contact details in your shoes. In case you got rob (including your jacket where you keep your second wallet), you still have some cash to head back to hotel and call the embassy or police.

#9: If you need help, approach the locals. An ex-colleague of mine once said this - ”To travel alone is to trust that mankind is naturally kind. You are at their mercy for help”. Well said.

#10: It’s a holiday. You are supposed to be relaxing, reflective and have an enjoyable experience. Don’t let fear of pickpockets; robbers robbed you of your experience and fun of traveling alone. Use a bit of common sense, you should be fine. If you let fear ruin your holidays or worse, stopped you from going, then you have already lost to the criminals.

These are just some pointers I have while I travelled overseas, and if you have any more advices, can share below!

Desmond Yong is the post contributor for this traveling advise. Do like him at his Facebook if you see him around.

Two Day Affair at Kuching - The City of Relaxation

2014-05-04T03:53:00.000-07:00

Kuching is the last station for my overseas trip in Borneo before returning to Singapore. We arrived at Kuching International Airport from Bintulu in the late evening and one of our friends picked up us and send us to Pullman Kuching Hotel which was estimated 30-minutes journey away from the airport. Despite being the third largest city in Sarawak, the traffic flow was smooth with minimal vehicles traveling on the road.

We went to Top Spot Food Court which was 5-minutes drive located near Pullman Hotel. It is a seafood centre that is located above a 6-storey carpark with magnificent view. Seafood stalls are neatly arranged in an L-shaped and hundred of tables and chairs filled up the enormous land space for selection of your own. Fresh vegetables and seafood are lined up on stall front and customer are free to select their favourite food and request for any cooking method to the waitress. The food was good and reasonably priced. Three of us ate a fish, clams, soft shell crab, noodle and vegetables that cost only RM 66 / S$ 25. After a fruitful dinner, it is time to return to the hotel for a good night rest.

Bukit Mata Seafood 25 Sdn. Bhd (猫眼嶺海鲜25有限公司)
Taman Kereta Top Spot Food Court
Kuching, Sarawak
Tel: +60 (12) 8099522 / +60 (19) 8899838 / +60 (19) 8891266

It was a hectic second day while we visit few clients in Kuching around the industrial before coming back to the city centre. Even so, due to the smooth traffic in Kuching, we waste no time getting caught in traffic jams which we often have in Singapore, but managed to spend more time with the customer. One noticeable thing about Kuching was the human and vehicle crowd during the noon. It is amazing that you hardly see anyone walking on the streets ! You can see from the photos I have taken when I returned to our hotel in the noon, the streets are empty.

One of the scenery I loved is the Sungai Santubong river that runs through and meanders around the city. It is especially beautiful during the night.

Kuching has not undergone major development in recent years while the overall population is only around 325,000 people. Though it resemblance Singapore in the early 1950s-1960s, the slow-paced city is a good location for retirement. Time to packed my stuff and back to Singapore, the bustling city.

My girlfriend has mentioned before that Borneo is one of the top places she yearns to pay a visit and hopefully she settle down as a property agent and the dream will be realized soon.

Way to Bintulu - Visiting the 4th Largest Town in Sarawak

2014-05-01T10:59:00.000-07:00

We flown our way from Brunei to Bintulu via MASwings and it was also the first time I have take a flight in a turboprop plane. We boarded the plane using a rear door (quite usually for passenger plane) and the plane has only two rows of seat of either side. Some travellers have mentioned that smaller aircraft are more prone to turbulence, but nah. That really depends on the weather and we landed in a smooth ride within an hour.

While being to Bintulu is my maiden trip, understanding from my client and superior that during the past, the airport is only a doorstep away from the town and it was in fact listed in the Guinness World Records as the town sited nearest to a airport. It is unimaginable that you can actual walked into the town after the customs ! However, over the decade, there was dramastic changes and a decent airport has actually been built.

Bintulu is a major industrial centre and will be turning into a capital of energy due to the intensive industries in Malaysia. We visited some of the industries at the sub-urban area and our client took us for a tour around the town before bringing us for lunch.

Lunch was an interesting affair. The client treated us with a fish called "Unforgettable" or "忘不了" in mandarin. The client brought the fish from home to the restaurant for the chef to perform his ultimate culinary skills to cook it to perfect taste. The patin of the fish was so silky and soft that you don't even have to chew and it simply glide through the throat while the aromatic taste of the fish filled your entire mouth, a taste that words cannot simply described. The ultimate amazed "feature" will be the price of Unforgettable. My client bought a whole fish which weighs close to 7 kilograms (he mentioned that the texture differs for those under 3 kg) and though reluctant to reveal the price, it cost about RM700 or US$ 215 per 100 grams. I have just eaten 1 kilogram of this fish and it just became most expensive fish I have eaten in my entire life and it really lives up to its name because you will definitely not forget the taste. Damned, just forget to take a photo of it !

Unforgettable actual name is Empurau, a riparian specie freshwater fish which can only be caught in a river in Sibu, Sawarak that jumps our of the water to feed on the oily fruits that are overhanging from Engkabang tree along the fast flowing streams in jungle habitat. The fish need to be at least 3 kilograms so that the flesh would have firm body.

After our exquisite lunch experience, we are heading to the airport again to fly to Kuching.

Visit to Brunei - First Destination to Borneo !

2014-04-30T10:03:00.001-07:00

It is the first time I visited Brunei though since young it has been mentioned that Brunei has been a rich nation due to its huge reserve of oil and gas. I was being tasked together with my boss for an last minute assignment to visit some customers in East Malaysia and Brunei is our first stop. Arriving at the airport in late afternoon, the airport seems to be quite empty with people and I can see children playing around at the airport.

Soon after someone picked us up at the airport, he was bringing us to some Japanese restaurant for lunch and during the journey, we passed by a majestic palace which was said to be the residential location for Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah. The palace is named Istana Nurul Iman, located on the banks of Brunei River which is only a few kilometers south of Brunei's capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. (Tried my best to take a good photo of the palace, but what do you expect if you are sitting inside a moving vehicle ?)

The palace has been recorded into the Guiness World Record being the World's Largest Palace, spanning over 200,000 square meters of floor space. Be more surprised at the numbers I am going to show regarding this palace;

Contains 1,788 rooms, including 257 bathrooms
An expandable banquet hall to accommodate up to 5,000 guests
A mosque accommodating 1,500 people
110 car garage (not carpark)
An air-conditioned stable for Sultan's 200 polo ponies
5 Swimming pools
564 Chandeliers
51,000 Light bulbs
44 Stairwells
18 Elevators

We had lunch at a Japanese restaurant somewhere along Jalan McArthur and right behind was a waterfront lined up with water taxis ferrying passengers to cross the river over to the Water Village or Kampong Ayer.

These kampong houses are built on stilts above the Brunei River for fishermen to gain easy access to open water. Don't be surprised if the fishing industry is actually one of Brunei's largest contributors in revenue. With their strategic coastal location, it is ideal for commercial and subsistence fishing.

Done with our lunch and it is time to cross the border to Miri ! Please note that Miri is actually part of East Malaysia. Believe me, the checkpoint are even closer than Woodlands checkpoint between Singapore and Malaysia. Sadly, I did not managed to take any photos during my trip in Miri. Those that are interested in the Japanese restaurant I went, below are the information.

Kaizen Sushi Japanese Restaurant
Waterfront Yayasan Complex
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Tel: + 673 222 6336

We travelled by car back to Brunei the following day and after visiting some clients, we are ready to go for our next destination in East Malaysia, Bintulu.

Singapore Fibre Home Broadband Chart - Who is the Cheapest?

2014-04-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

Starhub

100Mbps - S$ 39.90 per month
300Mbps - S$ 49.90 per month
500Mbps - S$ 69.90 per month
1Gbps - S$ 395.90 per month

*Free Wireless AC Dual-band Router (worth $299)

Singtel

Fibre Home Bundle

200Mbps - S$ 49.90 per month
300Mbps - S$ 59.90 per month
500Mbps - S$ 79.90 per month

*Free Wireless Modem ($249) + Home Digital Line with unlimited local calls

Fibre Entertainment Bundle

200Mbps - S$ 69.90 per month
300Mbps - S$ 79.90 per month
500Mbps - S$ 99.90 per month

*Free Wireless Modem ($249) + Home Digital Line with unlimited local calls + mio TV (50+ channels)

M1

200Mbps - S$ 39.00 per month
300Mbps - S$ 49.00 per month
GamePRO 300 Mbps - S$ 55.00 per month

MyRepublic

Ultra 1Gbps - S$ 49.99 per month
Gamer Ultra Edition 1 Gbps - S$ 59.99 per month

*Have to purchase router range from $69-$259 (after $100 discount from the voucher)