Archive for May 2014

Cycling Fun – at East Coast Park

Another weekend, another exercise opportunity. I met up with a colleague from work at East Coast Park to try my hand at ECP cycling session.

We really aimed to push ourselves to get to the Changi Beach, but really only managed to get half way along the Changi perimeter road, before we decided to return back. On the way back, we stopped to enjoy the sights and sounds at a racing track – where we noticed some very nice vehicles paired up at the on-street parking. A nice red Ferrari (yes it still has to be red!), and a yellow Lambo.

We couldn’t resist to stop and enjoy the moment 🙂

Shakesphere – The Merchants of Venice

I was invited to attend a theatrical performance on one of Shakesphere’s plays, the Merchant of Venice – as part of the Shakesphere in the Park – which was performed by the Singapore Repertory Theatre.

I’ve couldn’t recall this particular play, but it was an enjoyable performance, but the funniness was that it appeared to be a special night – for various ‘schools’ of Singapore…and no I am not talking about University schools…I am talking about secondary schools! So we were surrounded by loads of teenagers making lots of noise and enjoying the evening away from school.

I’ve wondered around Fort Canning Park, but didn’t realise that they actually held performances in this area – but it was a great location and the performance had a sterling group of talented actors. It was a modernised twist, with LED-light backdrops and a nice music score to support the scenes and performances. As it was an outdoor event, I was wondering whether the clouds were gather and the skies open – but the weather held out and it turned out to be a great evening – with a picnic to boot.

All in all, an enjoyable event and a relaxing setting!

Singapore Repertory Theatre
DBS Arts Centre
20 Merbau Road
Singapore 239035
Tel: +(65) 6733 8166

Go Green Segway Fun!

What do you get when you get a group of adults-turn-children in Sentosa and a Segway? Well definitely fun and entertainment – and plenty of laughs!

We went to Siloso beach in Sentosa for the initial training (yes all of that health and safety melarkey), but also an introduction on how to use a Segway – which was a first for me. It was actually pretty easy to get the controls, or linked to your centre of balance, you lean forward to lean forward, lean back to brake/stop, and then move your weight to your left or right leg to steer – pretty easy after you get use to it!

We then did a few puzzles: ranging from Segway scrabble, a memory game on the Segway, egg and spoon race (segway style) and then spot the mystery pieces…followed by a luge event, which was absolute speed funness, and then ended with beers and food – well all that hard work must end in some style.

It was a great session, definitely recommend the Segway and Luge, although both did seem quite a short event, but definitely good to ride both and enjoy the afternoon in the Singapore sunshine and humid heat!

Gogreen Segway Eco Adventure
Sentosa Leisure Management Pte Ltd
39 Artillery Avenue
Sentosa
Singapore 099958
Tel: 1800-SENTOSA (736 8672) / +65-6736 8672
E-mail: guest_services@sentosa.com.sg

Kota Kinabalu Holiday (10th to 14th May)

Well I thought it would be good to schedule my third holiday for 2014 into my busy calendar.

A colleague from work and I decided a few options in Malaysia – all centred in Borneo. Miri was one option, Kuching was another (although I had already been) and so was Kota Kinabulu (KK for short). After much discussion, we set our mind on KK, noting that it was going to be a cheap and relaxing break away from Singapore and work, and where we can also have a bit of fun.

The Air Asia flight wasn’t too bad – priced at $241 – I guess it could have been cheaper on a promo, but we couldn’t wait any longer to book up. We looked at the various accommodation comparison sites (hotels.com, booking.com and the newest site that we also now use is wego.com) – and we found a nice place in the centre of KK called “Imperial Boutec Hotel Waterfront” – at Warisan Square. it cost us 30RM to get there from the airport via taxi. The area seemed okay, not too sleazy, and it was up on the 7th floor of the shopping mall, so away from the hustle and bustle of the shopping area. We were based very central within the town, near to the seafront / promenade and near to the night food market – which we went to a couple of times in the end.

We also went around the town – which was enough to get around with relative ease. We did find a nice quarter down Jalan Gaya which overlooked the Signal Hill Observation Tower. We visited a place called ‘Party Play’ which seemed to be an tourist expat type of place, but it was a nice spot to get out of the rain and chill over a beer or two, as we watched the world go by during one afternoon.

The key intention of our visit was to visit Mounta Kinabulu mountain…whilst we weren’t that keen (or possibly well versed) to do the actual climb (about 4,095.2m or 13,435.7ft above sea level), but we did enjoy the view from below 🙂 Haha! We went as part of a tour, so we had other groups come with us, it was a nice walk up, and the lunch time food was quite tasty.

We went to the Poring Hot Springs, which was pretty relaxing. The springs were pretty close to the Kinabulu National Park, so it was good to visit and relax before the next part of the walking trail. This also included a tree-top walk during the walk, it was very similar to the one in Singapore, and a nice relaxing walk up hill. The last part of the trip involved walking to the Waterfall, it is always amazing to see the great views of nature in all its glory.

We then ended the trip and headed back to KK town, and we decided to head out to get a drink after a long days walking – exercise is hard work remember 🙂

The next day, we decided to take a taxi to visit the Low Kawi Wildlife park, just to the south of KK town – however, it wasn’t that good to visit, although it was good to get out back and see some nature again. It just looked a bit run down.

On the last day, we just walked around the town again, and we decided to find a Buk Kut Teh place – and we decided to go with the herbal variety – and it was actually very refreshing indeed. We then ventured around looking for gift ideas, and enjoying people watching in and around the town.

we then went to Hot Rod nearby for our last dinner – this pub was quite nice, and we enjoyed the live music and the pool playing – ergh… and the drinks 🙂 before we headed near by for a nice seafood dinner, our last dinner as we ended our holiday. The next morning, we had a quick brekkie nearby, before we headed to the airport for our return flight back to Singapore…I would certainly recommend visiting Kota Kinabulu and would definitely suggest going up the mountain – as there is only a limited amount of things to see and down within the two itself.

An Evening with John Cleese in Singapore

A few months back, it was announced that the legendary Mr John Cleese was going to visit Singapore and do a talk at the National University of Singapore (NUS). I was actually really excited to hear about this, as I always wanted to hear about his history, his upbringing, and more importantly share the laughs of the great guy that I grew up with.

The days of Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, A Fish Called Wanda and even James Bond (well not as James Bond, but in a couple of the more recent films), made feel honoured to be in a place with such a legend.

The show itself was scheduled for Sunday 4th May and Monday 5th May – and I brought 4 tickets – to share the fun and laughter with a few friends. The show tickets that we brought were $151, whilst slightly on the expensive side, I felt it was worth it (after all – it is not every day that someone like John Cleese visits Singapore!).

The show started at 8pm, and it went on for about 3 hours – it certainly was full of laughter, and it brought back the fond memories of by-gone days. One thing I didn’t know is that his family name was originally ‘Cheese‘, but he grandfather changed it to ‘Cleese’ when he went to joined the army to avoid him being picked on. That was quite amusing, and I can see why it was changed 🙂 It was such a fascinating upbringing and life story – and he certainly brought it to life. The comedy aspect all started at Cambridge University at an Amateur Theatrical club called “Footlights” – where the likes of John Cleese, Clive James, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Hugh Laurie, Peter Firth etc all were members.  Wow – what a list of stars! From there Cambridge Circus was originated, after which the Frost Report, and slowly all of this moved onto the Monty Python show. It is amazing to think that this all happened in the 1960’s and 70’s and it continued in the 1980’s. This really emphasises the good ol’ Brit humour of the days and it was fun to watch a montage of video clips throughout the night – really got the audience in stitches.

What a life this legend had – I certainly found the whole night humurous and intriguing – all in all – a sensational experience.

Enoteco L’Operetta Boat Quay Dinner

The May Day Bank Holiday was on Thursday, and this coincidently was the day I returned from my Phuket holiday, so I decided that I should ‘try’ to go back to work on the Friday…yes it did feel weird, and of course was ‘tough going’ – haha! But at least I could catch-up with my colleagues, and clear through my email box…

Relaxing at Enoteco L'Operetta

Relaxing at Enoteco L’Operetta

Friday afternoon came very quickly, and I had arranged a nice drinks and dinner gathering with a few work colleagues and a friend. We ventured down Boat Quay (the tourist trap), and got to the end, where we found an intriguing but very interesting place called Enoteco L’Operetta – it looked very formal and up-market, but seemed very a delightful Italian restaurant, so we decided to give it a go. It had a nice ambience, and we sure got to relax and chill…and for me reminisce the nice holiday break away. It also gave me an opportunity to start thinking where to go for the next one 🙂 hehe!

Anyway, the food was good, service was superb, and it wasn’t too pricey, for this type of upmarket place this turned out to be.  I certainly would suggest venturing towards the end of Boat Quay and give this place a go – you will be pleasantly surprised how good it is!  5 stars indeed!

Enoteca L’Operetta
78-79 Boat Quay
Singapore 049866
Telephone: +65 6438 2482
URL: http://www.operetta.sg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Enoteca.LOperetta

Holiday in Phuket (25th April to 1st May)

So, the magic decision for a holiday relates to what, why, where, when and how, so here goes…

The Why? Well after a couple of months of really hard work (yes I do work very hard! haha), I decided I needed a well deserved holiday!

The Why? Well, I decided that it would be good to spend some ‘me time’ on a nice relaxing break away from Singapore, and try to re-charge my batteries. I’ve learnt that I know people can burn out very easily (work and life stress and all that, and it is not worth reaching that line in my life.

The Where? I decided to try out Phuket in Thailand, as I haven’t been there for years, and a friend suggested it to be a good getaway spot…with some ‘entertainment’ too. Whilst I was there to enjoy the sights and sounds, I was there to be a good boy and chill only!

The When? I had two date options in mind, the Easter period (Good Friday would be on 18th April), or the May Day Bank Holiday (1st May). I decided to go towards the end of May, and thus take advantage of the May Day Bank Holiday.

The how? Well I had 2 Tiger free flight codes to utilise (which came with my Tiger Airlines SCB Credit Card). They allow you to go to 11 destinations on Tiger Air (outward flight from Singapore only), so I might as well go with that. It is a totally free flight, however, I decided to check-in my luggage, so it only cost me $18 on the outward journey, and only S$114 for the return – so a generally cheap return flight.

I was recommended by a friend to stay at Yorkshire Hotel and Spa, in Patong town. I decided to give it a go, and arrived on Friday evening after work, to arrive late in the evening. After arriving, I managed to get a taxi to the hotel, and arrived in about 30 mins or so. It was so central, it was the perfect location, and it certainly was a short walk away from the main Patong beach. The hotel in the end was only THB10,080, which equated to SGD$407.69, equiv to SGD$68 per night. Pretty good value for money, methinks.

I decided to grab a quick bite outside and then head back for an early night. Over the next few days, I wanted to enjoy the beach and eateries in and around Patong, but also sample some of the night life as well (after all, that’s what Patong is famous for!). I was very keen to get some good (clean) massages in, so managed to locate one that seemed to be good quality, no funny business (no ‘extra service’), and very reasonable.

Whilst Patong has it’s dirty side, it is also a very nice place to relax, the beach is wonderful and very clean, and the people are so friendly. I got to know the beach crew very well as I stayed at the same area during my stay, they looked after me pretty well and it was good to chat with them. I also got to know a few of the regulars at the beach – great fun indeed. It is always good to chat with them, especially when you travel on your own, and it makes it more relaxing indeed!

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