A Square & A Row

Far East Square and Nankin Row- I find them so irresistibly charming. Perhaps it’s the way they feature facades painted in cheerful colours and pretty trees lining the walkway. Most of the buildings here are old shophouses converted to house eateries and cute shops.

Far East Square, in particular, has delightful passageways peppered with cafes, restaurants and the ever-popular ‘kopitiam’. Looks like Singaporeans really have this thing for coffee- long lines at takeaway counters are a common sight!

The 'Water Gate' at Far East Square

Trees lining Nankin Row

Had lunch with Harry Potter at Beppu Menkan in Far East Square- I call it the one-chilli, two-chilli place. Basically you can choose the spicyness of your ramen- there’s one-chilli, two-chilli, four-chilli and one more level that I can’t even bear to imagine. Two-chilli is already quite a challenge; I think four-chilli will definitely give one a tummyache. O_o

Oniyama Jigoku- the fried chicken is REALLY yummy!

SENTOSA- So Expensive Nothing TO See Also?

I was tickled pink when I first heard about the SENTOSA acronym- it’s amazing how people come up with such clever things! Heh.

So… is Sentosa really that bad?

Well, I suppose it IS rather expensive- S$19.90 for Underwater World! But overall we managed to get some small discounts here and there so at least there were some savings.

We decided to get to Sentosa early and were the first to enter Underwater World. It was nice to be able to walk around without having to jostle with the crowd. I must say that public transport on Sentosa island is great- frequent buses were at hand to ferry people from one attraction to the other.

This dugong was playing with the hose, and even cradled it like a bolster at one point :)

The Leafy Seadragon- one of God's many amazing creations!

Had quite a lot of fun at the 4D-Magix- it’s 4D because the picture is in 3D and the extra ‘D’ comes from the element of touch. Imagine feeling the wind on your face, getting sprayed with water (only a bit) and getting nipped by crabs! Hahaha- that was one funny ride!

The wax museum

The pink dolphins at the Dolphin Lagoon were ever so cute. These lovely creatures start off grey and get pinker as they grow older. The dolphin show wasn’t too bad- but I think the seating layout could do with some improvement (think Singapore Zoo style). Chairs were just laid out on the sand, under some tents which provided some much-needed shade. This meant that at certain points in the show, the people at the back had to resort to standing on their chairs to see the dolphins- especially when some annoying idiot at the front decides to stand up and block everyone else’s view. Already feeling cranky from all the sweat trickling down my face and the discomfort of sitting on a dirty, sand-filled chair; I had to bite my tongue and resist the urge to yell at one particular inconsiderate idiot. Sheesh.

Overall, I think the biggest rip-off was paying to go up the Merlion. S$8 to see the view from the Merlion’s mouth and the top of the head- and the view wasn’t great either! Plus, it’s no fun standing up there with the sun burning down on you.

Think it would have been sufficient to see the Merlion from the outside and take a leisurely stroll down the colourful ‘Gaudi-inspired’ Merlion Walk.

As usual, it was terribly hot- good thing we were done about 2 p.m. or so; didn’t think we could last much longer in the heat. Wonder what it would be like when the Integrated Resort (featuring the much-publicised casino) is ready- wouldn’t it be even warmer after all the trees are gone? Hmmm.

All in all, Sentosa isn't too bad!!

The End

*No spoilers here*

It was with great sadness that I read the final sentence in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows last Saturday night. The journey has finally ended, and what an amazing journey it has been.

I remember only getting caught up in the Potter frenzy much later- quite a few years after the boy wizard was first introduced to the world. I was still at university in London at that time, and I could not understand what the hype was about this Harry Potter boy who went to magic school to learn spells and stuff, and thought it was rather odd to see huge men in suits reading Harry Potter (with the kiddie cover, no less) while riding the Tube on their way to work.

And then, when I was going through a rough patch (final year exams being only one of the problems) I started reading the 1st book- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone; to ‘escape’ into another world. I remember curling up under my duvet as I sought relief in Harry’s magical world- bursting out into laughter as I read about mail-delivery-by-owl and chuckling at the way Hermione ALWAYS had an answer for everything.

With my dramatic outbursts and all, no wonder SW (my roommate) thought I was going bonkers!! Hahaha.

It was as if someone had cast the Lumos spell in my head (or the more sinister Imperius curse, perhaps? :p), and I’ve been hooked on Harry Potter ever since. And now, to reach the end of the journey with Harry, has been bittersweet indeed.

Sigh. Maybe I should read from book 1 all over again.

Pottermania!!

Harry Potter fever is here again. With movie number 5 (Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix) already out and book number 7 (Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows) out tomorrow, Harry Potter is just everywhere!! Woo hoo!! :D

Managed to catch the movie recently- I REALLY enjoyed it, even though I didn’t like the book all that much. Couldn’t stand the way Harry was raving and ranting all the time. Felt like slapping him all throughout the book!! Fortunately, he wasn’t THAT annoying in the movie.

Boy, Daniel Radcliffe has really grown- and into quite a dashing young man might I add. Oh, and watch out for Luna Lovegood- there’s something about her that I find rather enchanting.

Few more hours till I get my hands on Harry Potter 7!!

Gatsby Bar & Restaurant, CHIJMES

Found ourselves back at this restaurant, since the 1-for-1 offer on main courses was just too good to pass up. They had this same offer when I last dined here, which was years ago. Good to know that some things stay the same.

Moonie had the Frutti di Mare, which was quite nice.

The name of my main course escapes me, but it was this dish with different kinds of seafood swimming in a bowl of creamy sauce. Bread was served together- ideal for mopping up every last drop of the yummy sauce. As with all things creamy, beware- diminishing marginal utility can set in pretty quickly, so it may be a good idea to share.

Profiteroles for dessert...

Isn't this pretty?

Carl's Junior, Plaza Singapura

Harry Potter was quite eager to introduce this fast food chain to me- apparently they serve the most delicious, super-size burgers. So off to Carl’s Junior we went.

I had no idea which burger to choose- they all looked huge; so I finally decided on a burger (can’t remember the name) that had guacamole inside. Maybe the avocado will balance out all the other unhealthy stuff in the burger? I don’t think so. Moonie told me later that I should have gone for the one with Portobello mushrooms. Odd, but I didn’t recall seeing that on the menu. Drat, am quite sure I would have loved that. Maybe next time then?

Or maybe not. I felt positively stuffed after that meal (in addition to our burgers we had the chilli cheese fries too). Talk about a recipe for disaster. Don’t think my heart can take eating burgers like these too often. O_o

Heart attack-inducing chilli cheese fries..

Amazing Grace

Sang this song in church on Sunday; it’s been a long time since we’ve sung it the slow, reverent way…I’ve always thought that beautiful songs like these should be sung in a manner that allows the worshipper to absorb the meaning of the words.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me ;
I once was lost, but now am found ,
Was blind, but now I see.

T’was grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ'd!

Thro' many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
T’was grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

When we've been here ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun;
We've no less days to sing God's praise,
Then when we've first begun.

This reminded me of the recent ‘Amazing Grace’ movie that I watched with Mum and Moonie in Singapore. Thought it would be a movie about John Newton, who wrote this wonderful hymn- but it turned out to be the story of William Wilberforce and his 20-year struggle to abolish slavery in the United Kingdom.

No matter, it was still an interesting movie. Granted, it was probably very low-budget compared to most movies we see these days. No special effects (except for the makeup- that was excellent), or dramatic scenes requiring expensive props and all.

Ioan Gruffudd starred as William Wilberforce; a role he played with much passion and conviction as he fought the powers-that-be on the issue of slavery, whilst trying to defend his loyalty to his Queen and country. His opponents in parliament accused him of being a traitor; they argued that the abolition of slavery would have a huge negative impact on trade, and therefore the economy of the British Empire. He sought encouragement from John Newton himself (brilliantly played by Albert Finney), who was an ex-slave trader who repented of his ways when he came to know God, and went on to pen the beautiful hymn- Amazing Grace.

For Ioan Gruffudd, this is such a different role compared to the one he plays in another big-budget Hollywood movie! Wonder how many people in the audience knew that he is also the ever-flexible Mr Fantastic of the Fantastic 4 Fame?

All in all, Amazing Grace is an inspiring, thought-provoking movie indeed.

Robertson Quay

It was great to be able to meet up with some dear friends for dinner at the Riverside Café in Robertson Quay. We originally wanted to try the mussel place but there weren’t any tables available! Guess it’s true about crowds at restaurants being the economic barometer. Apparently many of these restaurants were struggling to survive a few years back.

Anyway, Riverside Café turned out to be quite lovely in the end. I had the lamb (with a Shiraz glaze and lots of other ingredients which I can’t recall now); it was absolutely delicious- flavourful and tender! SY had a Beer Batter Fish & Chips- loved the beer batter, not something we get here often, I don’t think?

We moved on to the Chocolate Factory for dessert and decided to takeaway a slice of chocolate tart and another slice of something else. Again, the name escapes me- I only remember that tiny piece of something else costing $9 (!). Nine Singapore Dollars?!?. But then again, it was really, really good. It was like this biscuit with layers of great stuff (I remember hazelnuts) and every bite was a dream. Mmmm…

The chocolate tart was a bit too sweet- even for me!

This is really quite tiny- don't be fooled by the close-up! :p