It has gone a long way

From 3 major EW, NS & NE Lines serving the little-red-dotians for years...

Comes the not-so-circle Circle Line, the long-awaited new MRT.

Hopefully this will ease the pressure on Raffles City & City Hall station in transporting people during peak hours. And most importantly, I hope won't have to spend 1 hour plus to get to work everyday from now onwards.

And more MRT are coming our way, with Downtown line underway

MRT line in the near future

Speculated MRT line in the not-so-near future.
Can't imagine the face of those tourists when they first see this.

They are gonna dig my TOMB!

To ease the traffic on Lornie Road, they are gonna dig Gan Eng Seng's TOMB.
Buried together with me are other Singapore Pioneers, such as Chew Boon Lay, Lee Hoon Leong, Lee Choo Neo and Tay Ho Swee.

Counting Down 1 Month...

Eagerly waiting for the arrival of 8th October 2011. Then the other half of the Circle Line, now still in dotted line, will be complete.

See HERE

The not-so-circle Circle Line

FINALLY!!!!!!!!! It's COMING!!!!!

from Straits Times

Har Jeong Kai Burger, Korean Burger??

Ordered a Har Jeong Kai Burger thinking it's Korean food. But turn out to be 虾酱鸡 Burger...

EwF by Everything With Fries @Orchard Central

Photo Credit to WWJE

The Har Jeong Kai Burger is too salty for my liking, but the Cha-Siu Burger taste not bad.
The flavoured fries also not bad. But I think it gets soggy a little too quickly. Maybe that's a sign it is not those McD-style over-processed fries. But for a restaurant who uses fries as its signature dish, it definitely need some more improvements.
But for guys out there, there are a lot of eye-candies. The fast food restaurant is fully-manned by friendly 年轻美眉. =)

All in all, it is not the type of restaurant that I will go for a second time in the near future, but it's not bad for a first try when you run out of places to eat in this little red dot.

During CNY, What shop can beat KOI in terms of Queuing Lines?

肉干 aka Bak Kua...

KOI Note: some are just passerby along this narrow corridor.

Bak Kua Shop Note: and it's not even 林志源 that we are talking about here.

Most Pathetic McChicken

Was waiting for my order at the counter after making the payment. Then suddenly a guy came to the counter and ask, 'Can I have some lettuce for my burger?'
I peeped at the burger in his hand, and to my astonishment, it's not that there is very little lettuce.. THERE IS NO LETTUCE AT ALL!!!!

I opened mine.. $4!+#%*&

a pathetic piece of chicken, kiap between 2 bread. and some mayo.. that's it...

McDonald's... If this is how you treat customer... you win... I have nothing to say...

If you ran out of lettuce then just say so la...
Tell the customer the burger is sold out. Don't just keep quiet and sell us sub-standard products and expect customer to accept it.

I miss my Ramly Burger...

SG Wedding Ang Pow Calculation

Been receiving quite a number of Red Bombs recently, but as newbie to the working society, I seriously don't know how much should I 'pau'. So coincidentally a friend of mine send this to me.
So I'm gonna share it here.
And...
NO!! I'M NOT BY ANY CHANCE GETTING MARRIED ANY TIME SOON!!!

Correct as of 2010. Amount may increase with years due to inflation

OMG! Is that a potty that they are wearing on their head?!?

Ever wonder how does it feel like to wear your potty (aka Tam Pui, aka 痰盂, 尿壶) on your head?
I know that thought never cross my mind.
But in case you did but never have the chance to try it out, you can go ask those working at McDonald's now.


Kid: Daddy, I want to wear my potty like that too.
Father: Don't be ridiculous lah. Wear like that later you become stupid like them.

Seriously don't know what are those marketing people in McD thinking...

Welcome to 'MY' Tomb

Scenario 1: Meeting freshmen
GES: Hi, I'm Eng Seng
Freshman: Sorry?
GES: Eng Seng, as in Gan Eng Seng.
Freshman: OHHH!! You are 'THE' Gan Eng Seng
GES: -_-|||

Scenario 2: Meeting Lab attachment student
GES: Hi, I'm Eng Seng
Attachment Student: Oh.
GES: My full name is Gan Eng Seng
Attachment Student: Ha Ha! Don't bluff lah.
show her my matriculation card and she look back in disbelief...

Scenario 3 and the most common one: submitting personal document
Receptionist looked at my application form, double checked with my photocopied IC and smiled
GES: (smile back) mere coincidence, mere coincidence..

These aren't the first, and I don't think they will be the last.

A friend of mine shared this with me on Facebook few months ago

Not really my tombstone la.

It belongs to Gan Eng Seng (the one here, not the one listed here), one of the early chinese pioneers of Singapore. And that explains why my name is ever so easy to remember among the Singaporeans.
Even if they don't know who he is, I guess they should at least know the 2 schools named after him, Gan Eng Seng School and Gan Eng Seng Primary School. =)

Photo taken with Gan Eng Seng School during my first trip to Singapore.
taken ~10years ago

Monopoly Singapore is back

Still remember the McDonald's Monopoly hype I talked about last year here?

It's BACK!!!
And It's BIGGER!! with S$80,000 Cash

Monopoly Singapore website: http://www.mcdwin.com/

On the world tallest Ferris wheel- the Singapore Flyer

Went to the Singapore Flyer not because we have nowhere better to spend that S$29.50, but because we have a free tickets from the New Paper Big Walk 2010. =) And that's the original intention of participating in that Big Walk.
Standing at 165m, it is currently the world tallest Ferris wheel, for now. It will soon be surpased by the 208m Beijing Great Wheel scheduled for opening in 2010.

To take a ride in the Singapore Flyer is like taking a flight. The whole architecture (though badly designed) mimics the experience of taking a flight from the airport. From the signs hanging from the ceiling, to the Jet-bridge like walkway to the wheel.
Not too sure if it is because it is a weekday, the number of visitors is not as many as I thought for a tourist spot, though presentable by Singapore standard. Thou shalt not compare thee to the London Eye.

Anyway, for a first-timer it was a pleasant experience.
I have not been to the Eye on Malaysia, and No, I have not ridden the London Eye. The snaking queue in the day and even at night fight off my desire to ride the London Eye.
The queue for the Singapore Flyer was just nice. Not too short, such that I can take time to snap a few pictures of its exterior n surroundings, and not too long til the boredom dominates over the excitement of taking the Flyer.
They have nice 'steward' and 'stewardess' n a nice bluish lit 'cabin' in the gondola.
And from the moment we got on, our cameras didn't stop snapping.
Over the 30-min flight, we have the Marina Barrage, the Marina Bay, and Downtown Suntec and Bugis area as the backdrop for our group photos.

The view of the Marina Bay is always blocked by the gondola in front.
Until... Our gondola reaches its peak at the turn of the wheel.
And that's what all of us have been waiting for... the whole bird's eye view of the skyline of Singapore's CBD and the Marina Bay Sands.
After taking the Singapore Flyer, I seriously think the landscape of the surroundings can be better designed.. like have a few places where people can take picture using the Flyer as the background. and maybe have a few more shops or stalls that can engage the visitors after their rides... Now the Flyer is just a standalone Ferris wheel, there is nothing else to enhance the experience...

If you ask me if I would recommend it to my friends, I would say 'Nar... your S$29.50 can be better spend else where.."

and I just know that, like the Internet, the Ferris wheel should be written with a big letter 'F'. The original Ferris Wheel was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. as a landmark for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. And later the term Ferris wheel came to be used generically for all such structures.

A comparison of the tallest Ferris Wheels in the world.

Huh? the YOG is over?

YOG... the Youth Olympic Games...

I don't really care about the giving way to the YOG buses, since I don't drive.
I don't really care if YOG budget tripled the original estimates to $387 million dollars, since it's not my money to begin with (I have not started paying taxes).

Well... I do pity those volunteers who are being "volunteered" and their crappy food given.
But, what ticks me off is that I can't find the medal ranking on the OFFICIAL YOG website.

Guess my only fond memory of this YOG is this photo taken with Lyo & Merly, the YOG mascot, at Orchard Road.

Not too sure which part of this YOG caused the International Olympic Committee president, Jacques Rogge to comment this in his closing press conference, “I did not expect this level of perfection”, “Hats off to Singapore for what they’ve done. I now have 22 Olympic Games under my belt and the YOG is ranking at the very top.”

Guess it's just another proud mum bragging about her child.

*Jacques Rogge was the one who came out with the idea of YOG.

KE Soul, Another Magnificent Float by King Edward VII Hall

NUS Rag Day 2010 was held for the first time at night
in conjunction with the Youth Olympic Flame Arrival Celebrations.

This year the 6 halls were given the tasks of building a float that represents the cities where the Olympic Flame had journeyed through.
From Athens (Temasek Hall), to Berlin (Raffles Hall), Dakar (Sheares Hall), Mexico (Eusoff Hall), Auckland (Kent Ridge Hall) and finally Seoul (King Edward VII Hall)

Well Done King Edward VII Hall Float Team
Despite the lack of manpower, you guys had pull out another magnificent float and performance

This is a tribute to you all and the Most Magnificent Float

embrace our soul

KE Soul

PC Show 2010 @ Suntec

In Singapore, there are 4 Electronics Show held quarterly, showcasing the latest digital gadgets, electronics appliances, and most importantly offering them at a special bargain. Namely,
~IT Show - near Mar period
~PC SHOW - near Jun period
~COMEX - near Sep period
~SITEX - near Dec period
They are usually held from Thursday to Sunday, at either Suntec City Exhibition Centre or Singapore Expo. Unlike some of the other exhibitions such as NATAS Fair and International Food Fair which requires an entrance fee, these IT Fairs offer free admission. The take is, you will have to squeeze with the thousands of people there to get the things you want.

After gotten myself my FujiFilm S5700 in COMEX 2007, I have not gotten anything from the fairs. However, a cock-up from my laptop last weekend forced me to buy myself an external hard drives for back-up.

I went to the PC SHOW 2010 in the afternoon. And as expected, you only have to follow the unidirectional flow of people from City Hall MRT to reach the Suntec Convention Center. And from the moment you walk near the entrance to the exhibition hall, you will be surrounded with promoters trying to stuff you with their brochures and leaflets.

But since I'd done my homework here, after 应酬'ingly getting a few brochures from them, I went straight to Western Digital Booth, to get myself a new

My Passport Essential 500GB 2.5" External Hard Drive

At a price of S$109.90, I think it's a pretty good deal. But then again in 1/2 years time you most likely can buy a 1TB hard drive with that money..
Oh well... time to back up and reformat my laptop...

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For those looking for a good bargain, Yes, the IT Fairs do offer you good deals.
But if you are smart consumer, you will wait til the last day to catch the moment the manufacturers or suppliers lower the prices even more.

Like THIS...

And THESE...

So.... Moral of the story, be smart..
The next time you want to check out the price of some gadgets, don't bother weaving your way through the sardine-packed convention hall. Just visit this site, and you can find scanned copies of all the brochure of the IT Fairs, and the floor plans too. Kudos to this guy.
Then, if you want that item and are okay with the price, go there on the last day, and see if they can offer you an even better deal. =)

McDonald's Doraemon Pig: Lost & Found

Wow! They actually listen!
Looking forward to mid-April to complete my collection.

Complete Set of Doraemon Chinese Horoscope Toys

Bought the last 3 Doraemon soft toys just now.
The customer traffic at McDonald@NUS during holidays and term time really differ a lot. In the holidays, I can still buy all 3 toys released that week after a few days. After school starts, by the time I reached McD after work, all 3 were sold out on the day of release...

My Complete set of Doraemon Soft Toys

'11' 生肖 + 1 Cu-Pig

Anyway, I'm bit disappointed that pig was not included in the set of Doraemon Chinese Horoscope soft toys. They changed the Pig to Cupid, a Doraemon holding a heart (instead of wearing a pig costume).
Well.. They can reason that it's because this year's Chinese New Year falls on Valentine's Day that they are riding on the Valentine's Day gift frenzy. But they could have release the Cupid as a 13th Doraemon.
Which leads the wide public to speculate that it has to be because McD is afraid of offending the Malay community, or it has something to do with their Halal license.
Never expected things like this to occur in Singapore.
If it happens in Malaysia then I'm not so surprise... But here in Singapore?!?

Oh ya! Not sure about the other places in Malaysia, but the Chinese Calendars I used to see in Kuching don't even have picture of Pig, instead the chinese character '猪' is printed. As if looking at a pig is a taboo that can blind them...

Attachment: 2010 Calendar no pig.rar

Finally Got My PR IC

After waiting for waiting for 5 months, I finally received my PR Acceptance Letter at the last few days of 2009.
Went ICA last week to complete the PR formalities, but the ICA officer didn't accept my photo, and ask me to go take another one at the photo room just outside. Damn 衰 the pimple on my chin burst that morning, making me look like I have a mole on the black & white photo...
Sien... Looks like this 'mole' will stay with me for a very long time..

Timeline:
5 Aug 2009   Went ICA to apply for PR
4 Nov 2009   Waited for 3 months with no reply, went ICA to renew Temporary Employment Pass (TEP)
22 Dec 2009   ICA approved my application and sent the Letter of Acceptance
25 Dec 2009   Opened my mail box and received my 'Christmas Present' from ICA
4 Jan 2010   Started preparing the remaining documents needed to Complete the PR Formalities
        - Book appointment slot
        - Fill forms
        - Request HR to certify my employment
13 Jan 2010   Went ICA for Completion of PR Formalities
21 Jan 2010   Went ICA to collect my PR IC

And This is Why Thou Shall Not Go to Countdown Party Alone

Monopoly Hype in Singapore

The recent launch of Monopoly Singapore by McDonald had caused a Monopoly hype, at least in NUS and my lab.
What we need to do is to order McD's meal to collect the label stickers. Each meal gives 4 labels, and you double you chances to 8 labels if the meal is up-sized.
Sounds simple, but it's not.
I have eaten for up-sized meals, enough to fill up a few maps and still have extras. But I have yet to get any of the rare pieces, namely,

• Toa Payoh (M114) - $200 Toys ‘R’ Us vouchers
• Joo Chiat Road (M112) - 32Gb Touchscreen MP3 Player
• Thomson Road (M118) - $400 Jetstar.com Travel Voucher
• Tanjong Rhu (M121) - 2N Malacca/KL Cruise for 4 Persons
• Scotts Road (M127) - 100,000 Esso Smiles Points
• Shenton Way (M122) - Courts Prizes worth $3000 each
• Orchard Road (M129) - 7D Hawaii Fly Cruise for 4 Persons
• Sentosa Cove (M132) - $50,000 Cash

I already have 1 map in my lab, and 2 maps at home. Hopefully I can win something this time...
Finger-crossed. =)

McDonald's Monopoly Map in the Lab

McDonald's Monopoly Map on the fridge at Home

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With so many people spending the extra $0.50 to up-sized their meals, who do you think the final winner will be?

I bet it will be Ronald...

Check out McDonald's Monopoly Singapore here