Pempek Kolecta (Batam)

There's just something so alluring about Indonesian food that I can't put a finger to. So, using what limited time we had in Batam, we decided to hop over to Pempek Kolecta, also located in Megamall. 

When the Nasi Kuning (20 000 Rupiah, around $2.85 SGD) first came, we were impressed by the presentation of the food. Look at the colour combination of the food. I can't comment on how this tasted because I didn't eat this, although my friend said that it was quite good.

I ordered Nasi Timbel (23 000 Rupiah, around $3.27 SGD). Its presentation is even better here, with the food not losing at all to the presentation. The rice and chicken is wrapped beautifully in the banana leaf, accompanied by a soup (probably sayur asam) which is slightly spicy but sweet at the same time.

The way it tantilises the taste buds  is good enough a reason to order this dish at the restaurant. However, I felt that the chicken was a little too salty for my liking although the texture was perfect. There were also two large pieces of ikan billis looking fish, fried beancurd and fried tempeh- good, although ordinary. The sambal given was quite little but tasted shiok anyway.

This place may be a little pricier than the rest. But the food is tasty and what a feast for the tummy and the eyes!

Pempek Kolecta (Batam) 
Megamall Batam Centre
Tel No: 778-470513 

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Warung Cobain (Batam)

A write up about Batam is in the works, but before that, just a few food reviews of the food in Batam! The food's so good, so cheap. First on the list is Warung Cobain. 

They gave us a menu that only had Malay food item names on it and we couldn't decipher much beyond nasi,goreng, ayam and mie. So, we asked for the picture menu to have a better idea on what we could order.

The Ayam Pandan (2 pieces) (5454 ruppiah, around 78 cents SGD) was moist and bursting with flavour. 

This is the Mi Goreng Jawa (16 363 rupiah, around $2.33 SGD) which was spicy, and we thought pretty much looked like instant noodles. Not too oily, and perfect with the "side dishes" like tomatoes and prawn crackers.

Sate Ayam (5 sticks) (9090 rupiah, around $1.30 SGD) had a peanut sauce that we don't really see in Singapore. It didn't have the humongous amounts of peanuts we normally see but it tasted good nonetheless. I tried googling but couldn't find an answer to the components of the sauce. Anyone care to enlighten me?

Along with a vegetable dish, Sayur Asem (8181 rupiah, around $1.16) and a plain rice, both of us spent 46 496 rupiah (around $6.60). That's like $3.30 per person for all these food! You can choose to sit on chairs or on the floor. A great place with good and cheap food!

Warung Cobain 
Megamall Batam Centre
#UG 311
Batam, Indonesia 

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Same Kind of Different as Me

I purchased Same Kind of Different as Me, a New York Times Bestseller more than a year ago, as a Christmas present to myself. After all, it had received good reviews from Amazon, B&N and Good Reads. So, being the lazy and superficial reader I was, I ordered the book after viewing the top few good reviews plus a description of the book.

Summary: It's a true life account of Ron Hall, an international art dealer, and Denver Moore, a "modern-day slave", and how they got to know each other through a mission home. Ron's wife, Deborah, always felt that Ron had to know more about Denver and they formed an unlikely friendship. Denver, through the Halls' support, started his spiritual journey. (that's Denver in the middle and the Halls on the right)

(photo credit: Book's official site)

Good stuff: Unlike The Help by Kathryn Stockett that made me a little confused on who exactly was talking after a while, there were only two characters narrating their story and it's pretty to easy to differentiate based on the writing. It's also an honest account, as seen from how Ron Hall was willing to talk about his fling with a girl during his marriage or his suspicions of Denver on many occasions. It's also a touching account which talked about Deborah's struggle with cancer, where quoting Hall, "she ran out of strong".

Some good writing and worthy quotes. This one is where Ron asks Denver if they can be friends.

“I heard that when white folks go fishin they do somethin called 'catch and release." 

Catch and release? I nodded solemnly, suddenly nervous and curious at the same time. 

"That really bothers me", Denver went on. "I just can't figure it out. 'Cause when colored folks go fishin, we really proud of what we catch, and we take it and show it off to everybody that'll look. Then we eat what we catch...in other words, we use it to sustain us. So it really bothers me that white folks would go to all the trouble to catch a fish, when when they done caught it, just throw it back in the water."

Not-so-good stuff: The description on the book cover states that this story is about "a modern-day slave, an international art dealer and the unlikely woman who bound them together". And it goes on to say that this book is "gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality". I find this description slightly inaccurate because Denver was not a modern-day slave, but rather a homeless man. Brutality? Maybe, depending on how one would want to see it. Just a small note, there have been extreme views on this book, especially because religion is a very strong theme in this book. Read some of the reviews if you want to have a better idea on what you will be looking at.

Interview: An interview with the authors, if you are interested. And apparently, this is going to become a movie. What's up with NY Times bestsellers becoming movies all the time now?

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Kudos to Peking University Vice Principal

I read something interesting from The Straits Times this morning. This piece of news is related to an incident in 2006 where a guy helped an elderly woman who fell, but ended up getting sued for $6076 for allegedly hurting her.

The vice principal of Peking University, Wu Zhi Pan then said this on his microblog:

"你是北大人，看到老人摔倒了你就去扶。他要是讹你，北大法律系给你提供法律援助，要是败诉了，北大替你赔偿"

(photo credit: fangzhan)

Loosely translated, this means "You are from Peking University, if you see an elderly person fall, go ahead and help.  If he falsely accuses you, the law faculty of Peking University will provide legal aid, if you lose the lawsuit, Peking University will foot the bill for you."

I found this statement pretty comforting, because this shows how a university rallies behind its students, how it seeks to inculcate the right values, and how this could possibly set the stage for a more progressive and caring society.

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Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition

I belonged to the era where Titanic was being screened for the first time in 1997. This is about all I remember of the movie.

So, when I saw that Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition was coming to Singapore, I knew I couldn't miss this exhibition.

Here's a promotional video.
p.s. Since photography is not allowed in the museum, I would be leeching from different sources, but due credit will be given. Kindly inform me if you would like the pictures to be taken down.  



These are a few highlights of the exhibition.

1) Passenger ticket 
Before you enter the exhibition, the people at the door will hand you a ticket of a real passenger who boarded Titanic. Towards the end of the exhibition, you will check from a board whether the person survived the sinking of Titanic. Mine was Miss Jean Gertrude Hippach, who was travelling Europe with her mother trying to recover from the loss of two brothers in the Chicago Iroquois Theater fire.

2) Disparity between different classes
The disparity between different classes was a very prominent theme throughout the exhibition. For example, there were reconstructions of parts of the ship. These included the first class and third class rooms. I obviously would have belonged to the third class rooms in modern era- this is the kind of rooms I stayed in hostels while touring USA!

(photo credit: Science Museum of Minnesota)

(photo credit: The Travel Editor)

3) Construction of the Titanic 
The construction of the Titanic is the first thing you see when you enter the museum. Honestly, not that interesting for me. It's not as if I'm interested in building a ship or anything. But if anything this place shows you, it's the incredible dreams that people from a century ago harbour and the hope they have for a better future. Many actually believed that the Titanic was unsinkable. This is Captain Edward Smith, who unfortunately perished.

(photo credit: Premier Exhibitions Inc)

4) Artifacts
Here is where stories of people, people who were once on board the Titanic, come alive. The ones who wanted to start life anew, the ones who wanted to make it big in another land etc. Perfume bottles, necklaces, socks are all part of the stories left behind. Just read on wallstreetjournal a few days ago that the owner of the artifacts is putting the vast collection up for auction.

(photo credit: Associated Press)

--
I have covered very brief stuff about the exhibition in this blog post, otherwise it won't be fun when you go there yourself! Many people have described this exhibition as "haunting". More than that, if you think deeper, you will observe many societal norms from these facts- differences in treatment between first and third class passengers, women and children allowed to leave the boat first etc. Are these justified? It also narrates interweaving stories of ambition, love and heroism.

Click here for admission charges, OCBC card 20% off. If possible, go when it's less crowded (i.e. weekday mornings/afternoons), otherwise you will be jostling with the crowd to read the fine print describing everything. I would have preferred for admission charge to be cheaper, but I suppose it's also partly due to the fact that I have been too spoilt by the free National Heritage Board museum visits for students to the other museums, including the National Museum and Singapore Art Museum!

Just to round off this post, the person whose ticket I'm holding survived the sinking!


Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition 
Art Science Museum

10 Bayfront Avenue
Tel: +65 6688 8826

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JPot

JPot is a relatively new restaurant, set up in 2009. Its focus is to use Singapore-style hotpot soup bases. These soup base include JPot Superior Broth, Bak Kut Teh, Herbal, Laksa, Silky Porridge, Tom Yum or Vegetarian.

We ordered Set D ($98++) for 4 persons. Note that they only serve the more expensive sets for dinner, public holidays and weekends, during lunch time. So, if you intend to save some money, opt for the lunch set on other occasions other than those mentioned above.

Set D gives you a Seafood Jumbo Pork Ball Platter which includes prawns, scallop, gauropa, cuttlefish, fish noodle, pork ball, freshly sliced & marinated meat (we opted for marinated pork and chicken), deep-fried dim sum, (we chose the deep fried wanton), vegetables (spinach with enoki mushroom) and noodles or rice (we took laksa noodle and vermicelli).

$30 for steamboat is frankly quite expensive. But this is in exchange for quality and novelty. Quality in the sense that the food is very fresh. The scallop, prawns etc were screaming of freshness. Freshness is really not a given at steamboat places. Novelty in the sense that you get this fish noodle thing where you squeeze it out like piping icing on cakes, and also where they give you a giant meatball and you have to slice it using a wooden apparatus.

It's not your typical hotpot where you have fire at the bottom of the pot. This is by induction cooking- how cool's that. The tom yam soup base was exactly how it's supposed to be- spicy and sour. Perfectly appetising.

You also have an a choice of sauces where they give you instructions on how to make your perfect dip for the steamboat. I didn't try it simply because 1) I was too lazy to get to the station and 2) I thought the tom yam soup's flavour was strong enough.

The hotpot was quite filling for me and as I mentioned above, the freshness of the food is something that you are paying for. Plus, if you are a stickler for hygiene, getting your individual hotpots while sharing the raw ingredients, may be a good alternative to the anything-goes shared steamboat.

Tip: 20% off from 930 pm onwards! You might also want to consider getting a Jumbo Rewards card (we did) if you intend to eat at more Jumbo restaurants!

JPot

VivoCity
1 Harbourfront Walk
#01-53
Tel: +65 6273 3536

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Happy New Year

I wrote a review of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother some time back and the author's daughter, Sophia, is a very talented writer. In one of her blog posts, she wrote:

"when you play music, you are supposed to phrase and follow the melodic line as though you were singing. i'm not sure how to explain it, but somehow the sounds become synced with your breath and are naturally pleasing to the human ear.

one note almost always lives a double life. the last note of one phrase, my professor reminds me, is the first note of the next. it's so obvious, yet so easy to overlook. every end is also a beginning, and you have to feel both at the same time."

And this feels exactly like how 2011 is going to gently slide into 2012. As this transition takes place, may you never forget the lessons learnt in 2011 and to face 2012 with a positive outlook. May you appreciate the little things in life and to appreciate the beauty around you. Love yourself, love others. Respect yourself, respect others.

With that, here's a chapter closed in 2011, and a complete new chapter in 2012! Happy New Year! 

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Mango Sago Pomelo 杨枝甘露

I love mangoes and always order some form of mango dessert when I'm out, whether in hawker centres or restaurants. The fact that mangoes are healthy is of course secondary. What matters is its taste. So, I decided to make Mango Sago Pomelo 杨枝甘露 based on noobook's recipe. Since Chinese New Year is coming soon, give this a try! I assure you everybody will love it! 

And regarding the pomelo... 

Mango Sago Pomelo 杨枝甘露 (adapted from noobcook) 

(Serves 6) 

Ingredients

1) 600 ml mango juice (freshly squeezed or ready made)
2) 200 ml evaporated milk
3) 3 large ripe honey mangoes, cubed
4) Sugar syrup by mixing 2 tbsp caster sugar with just enough hot water to dissolve
5) 120 g sago pearls
6) Pomelo, peeled and sacs separated (about 75g or more)

Directions 
1) Boil a pot of water to boil. Add sago and simmer for about 10 minutes.Turn off the stove, cover the pot with lid and let the sago continue to cook on its own for about 10 minutes, until all the sago turns translucent.
Run the cooked sago through a fine sieve and running water to remove excess starch. Set aside.
2) Reserve one quarter of the cubed mangoes for garnishing (step 4). In a blender, blend the rest of the mangoes and the evaporated milk for a short while till well mixed.
3) Mix mango smoothie prepared in step 2 with mango juice. Add sugar syrup to taste. Add cooked pearl sago prepared in step 1 to the mixture. Chill in fridge.
4) To serve, portion out to individual serving bowls and garnish with pomelo sacs and cubed mangoes.

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Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak

This stall at Adam Road, Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak, is where the Sultan of Brunei goes to, when he comes to Singapore. (The Business Times, 6 Feb 2010) Food fit for royalty! Anyway, there are different sets of nasi lemak sold at this store which have fancy names such as Full House and Royal Flush, and that's because Mr Hassan, the owner of stall "like[s] wrestling and gambling."

The queue was long and it took around 25-30 minutes to get the food. But after I had two mouths of the nasi lemak, I found the nasi lemak really good. The stall owner attributes this to the top-grade ingredients, such as the chillies which are imported from India and high quality basmati rice.

I liked the rice the most. Some people may find that there's nothing special about the basmati rice, but I think the well separated texture gives it a more defined taste, along with the coconut aroma. As for the ikan billis and egg, they were pretty ordinary although the egg is fully cooked which I prefer over runny yolks. The chicken was crispy and hot. I also liked the chilli because it was very mildly spicy and mostly sweet. It would have been better if it were more spicy.  While I liked the sweetness of the chilli, my friend prefers his chilli not to be so sweet.

For $3.50, it's pretty worth it- only if you have the time to queue. Otherwise, just settle for something else. Also, many people have crowned this stall the best nasi lemak in Singapore. While I think it's not bad, I think that there are other stalls that can compare or are better than Selara Rasa Nasi Lemak.

Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak

Adam Road Food Centre
2 Adam Road
Stall 2 

Tel: 9843 4509

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Singapore Footprints Walking Tour

For those overseas intending to make a trip down to Singapore in the near future, you may be interested in Singapore Footprints Walking Tour, where a team of undergraduates bring you on a walking tour at no charge (although tips would be great!).  This is their facebook page, have a look if you are interested!

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Top 10 News 2011 (Singapore Version) (Part II)

After doing a Top 5 List, I realised that there were possibly 5 other news that I could add to this list to make it a Top 10. But I'm separating them into Part I and Part II, because  Part II concerns news that involve a tinge of incredulity. Click here for Part I.

6) H&M, A&F
Singaporeans are really good at four things- eating, shopping, complaining and queuing. So when Swedish high street fashion label H&M opened in Singapore (3 September 2011), 1500 people braved the rain and wind to enter the shop. Some even started camping the afternoon before.

(photo credit: cnngo.com)

As for Abercombie and Fitch, the 30 shirtless greeters caused quite a stir, attracting all kinds of people to take photos with these guys, like how Winnie the Pooh gets attracted to honey.

(photo credit: The Straits Times, Desmond Lim)

7) Night Safari cancels Halloween Horrors
At the Night Safari every year, there is a Halloween Horrors event. But, this year it was cancelled despite the 7 months preparation by the Singapore Polytechnic students. Reason given by Isabella Loh, Director & Group CEO of Wildlife Reserves Singapore?

"We are now staging a festival centered around Deepavali in October in our parks. This is a multi-cultural family event for all Singaporeans and tourists to join in. With our focus on Asian festivities, we have therefore decided to cancel Halloween in view of the clash in dates. 

(photocredit: 8flo lifestyle)

8) Occupy Raffles Place
With the Occupy movement all around the world, it is no surprise that it has landed on our shores. So, it was called Occupy Raffles Place, Raffles Place being the centre of Singapore's commercial activity. It was organised by a group called Occupy Singapore.

And here's the turnout.

 (photo credit: theonlinecitzen.com)

9) Curry Day 
A family, who had just moved here from China, had resorted to mediation because they could not stand the smell of curry that their Singaporean Indian neighbours would often cook. The Indian family, who were mindful of their neighbour’s aversion, had already taken to closing their doors and windows whenever they cooked the dish, but this was not enough.

“They said: ‘Can you please do something? Can you don’t cook curry? Can you don’t eat curry?’,” said Madam Marcellina Giam, a Community Mediation Centre mediator. But the Indian family stood firm. In the end, Mdm Giam got the Indian family to agree to cook curry only when the Chinese family was not home. In return, they wanted their Chinese neighbours to at least give their dish a try.

(quoted from Today)

This sparked off Cook A Pot of Curry, a facebook event where people from all walks of life in Singapore were invited to participate, and to cook a pot of curry. This spread beyond our shores and people from other countries indicated their attendance as well.

Here's a video by famous satirist blogger mrbrown.


10) McDonald's runs out of Curry Sauce 
Just another case in point on how much Singaporeans value our curry- when people discovered that there was no curry sauce in McDonald's outlets, it was as though life.is.now.over.

(photo credit: stomp.com.sg)

But later McDonald's updated on its Facebook page:
We know many of you have come to love our signature curry sauce, and are sorry that it is temporarily unavailable. This is due to unforeseen supply issues, and we expect new stocks of curry sauce to arrive from the US by the end of next week. To all our valued customers and curry sauce lovers in Singapore, we sincerely apologise and thank you for your patience!


This statement mended a few broken hearts. The good news? The new curry sauce does not contain peanuts, allowing people with peanut allergy to dip happily into this sauce. The bad news? It apparently tastes different, in a bad way.

(photo credit: stomp.com.sg)

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Victor's Japanese Delights (日本小吃）

I love Old Airport Road Food Centre to bits and pieces. It's almost as though if you didn't know what to eat and just threw a stone, it would hit a stall where your tastebuds would be satisfied. Nam Sing Hokkien Mee is one of the best hokkien mee around, although I couldn't have it for lunch this afternoon because there was a long wait for it. 

Instead, I tried my luck at Victor's Japanese Delights (日本小吃) and ordered a bowl of Tempura Udon ($5.50) because I was craving for deep fried stuff. 

Anyway, I'm determined to learn more about ramen so ramen experts out there, kindly enlighten me on any errors that I make in this post. Afterall, it was only today that I realised that those fish cake with lovely pink swirls are called narutomaki. Anyway, the ramen had a miso soup base (i think) which was refreshing and not oily at all. The abundance of unidentified green-black stuff (I would like to think that it's seaweed but its texture doesn't feel like it) added to the springy texture of the udon. 

The star of the show- tempura prawn. Another discovery today- apparently the word tempura comes from the word tempora, a Latin word meaning "time period" used by Spanish and Portuguese missionaries used to refer to Lenten period or Ember Days, Fridays and other Christian holy days. (from Wikipedia)

Anyway, this batter was perfect. Light, crispy, not oily. Prawns were fresh as well!

For $5.50, you are getting a steal for Japanese food. But if you are looking for ambience or wishing that you had green tea served to you, then perhaps this is not the place! If you are looking for a relatively cheap place to satisfy your Japanese food craving, then by all means, go to Victor's Japanese Delights!

Victor's Japanese Delights (日本小吃）

Old Airport Road Food Centre
#01-05
Tel: 97619626

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Myths about Singapore

It's nearly obligatory to write this post, to dispel some myths about Singapore, just so that people wouldn't think Singapore is a place in China where you get caned for chewing gum. If you hold such beliefs, do yourself a favour by reading this post.

1) Myth #1: Singapore is a city in China
False.
Even though the majority ethnic group in Singapore is Chinese, that doesn't make Singapore part of China. Don't believe me? Check out Google Maps. Just because Singapore is a small red dot on the map doesn't make it part of another country.

2) Myth #2: Singaporeans don't speak English/Mandarin 
Largely false. 
When I speak to people who have English as their dominant language, they say, "Oh wow, you can speak English very well!" Then I speak to Chinese, and they tell me, "你能说华语阿!" Days like this, I really wonder what language they think Singaporeans speak.

Why I say this is largely false, but has some element of truth in it, is because some of the older generation don't speak English. Also, as Singapore has four major racial groups, schools provide for lessons in our mother tongue, besides using English language as a common medium to teach subjects like Mathematics and Science. Even so, no matter which racial group we belong to, we are all Singaporeans and enjoy racial harmony.There is also an increasing trend for people from different races to learn the language of another race.

Former Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew recently published a book on bilingualism and he has kickstarted a fund to promote bilingualism in education.

(photo credit: Singapore Press Holdings)

If it is anything to count for, most of us are fluent in Singlish, which honestly doesn't really count as a language although it's probably something we identify with. Hone your "lah" and "lor" and you may be able to pass off as a Singaporean.

3) Myth #3: You can't chew gum in Singapore
False.
"Oh you are from Singapore? Aren't you sad you can't chew gum?" Those horrified faces make me horrified too. Anyway, I don't get what the big deal is about not being able to chew gum. I'd love to curse and swear everytime I step on a piece of gum on the road in other countries.

Personal bias aside, the truth is, you can chew gum in Singapore and you'll not be shot for doing so. The ban is on the import and sale of chewing gum although certain therapeutic gum is allowed for sale at pharmacies, pursuant to the US-Singapore FTA.

(photocredit: Law is Greek)

4) Myth #4: You get hanged or caned for everything 
Largely false.
Well, the truth is that you wouldn't get hanged or caned for littering or jaywalking or failing to flush toilet bowls. But you may get fined. And no, you don't even get punished for chewing gum, unless you decide to be a jerk and litter.

As for caning, one may get it for offences including robbery, hostage-taking, vandalism etc. Michael Fay has experienced caning in Singapore. You may think it's ridiculous to get caned for vandalism but you have to that Singapore prides itself on being clean and green and also to prevent public property from being destroyed. Scoff at me for being so narrow-minded, but with many other outlets for your artistic expression, vandalism shouldn't count as one of them.

The mandatory death penalty is imposed for very serious crimes, including murder, offences involving firearms and drug trafficking. (Please look up Singapore's laws if you are interested in the exact circumstances (e.g. amount of drugs to be imported) where the penalty is imposed.)

(photo credit: Taken off singapore2025.wordpress.com)

Well, if this tells you anything at all, DON'T COMMIT CRIMES.

5) Myth #5: Singapore Fried Noodles originate from Singapore
I was so amused when I came across this on the web because this is the first time I read about somebody pointing it out and yes, it's..
UNVERIFIED, although probably FALSE. 

(photo credit: Yummy Mummy)

I seriously have no idea why this dish features so prominently in Western countries. The irony is that this dish doesn't even seem to have originated from Singapore. We have fried beehoon (vermicelli) but we don't have curry powder added to it.

Hopefully, this post cleared some doubts about Singapore- remember, tell your friends, they don't get caned for chewing gum in Singapore! 

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Top 10 News 2011 (Singapore Version) (Part I)

With the year drawing to a close, here's my version of the Top 5 News that happened in Singapore in 2011, in no particular order. I wanted to do a Top Ten but could not think of enough to reach 10.

Update (28.12.2011): I have now identified 5 other news, which appear in the Part II installment. 

1) SMRT breakdown
If you don't know this, you definitely don't stay in Singapore. The headlines regarding this matter were splashed across front page of newspapers consecutively for a few days. The culprit was some dislodged rail claws. Although this problem has since been fixed, when one ingredient goes wrong in the broth, the broth gets thrown out. I think this is how the issue has been advancing, with calls for SMRT chief Saw Phaik Hwa to resign.

While this issue is a a serious one, it has a lighter side where netizens have generated a series of memes. This is in response to the guy who used a fire extinguisher to smash the glass on the MRT door, in order to create some ventilation. In response,  SMRT told commuters "if you are stuck inside a train, never smash the windows or force the doors open".

(photo credit: A TheOnlineCitizen reader)

2) Flash floods
Water is a sign of wealth. But not when it destroys your goods during a flood. This is even though there is a $200 000 flood barrier system and plastic barriers were distributed. The new word to learn is "ponding" as  Public Utilities Board explains.

(photo credit: Alan Seah's Facebook via mrbrown.com)

Just a side remark, the weather has been going pretty haywire pretty much around the world. Do your part for the earth, as part of your new year resolution. Every effort goes toward making this earth a better place for all of us. When in doubt, recycle, reuse, reduce and refuse. 

3) Elections- General Elections and Presidential Elections
I didn't get to vote in the General Elections but followed the news very closely. The political winds have started to change direction and the approach taken in the following years will be different from how we are traditionally used to being governed.

The rise of the internet is a double edged sword. Constructive suggestions or comments are good but people have to filter out background noise in order to form their own unbiased views. Even though studies conducted show that the General Election was not an Internet Election, it's important that people use the internet responsibly and not to sow seeds of discontent just for the sake of it.

As for the Presidential Elections, it has got to be the most exciting one ever because for the first time ever, there were four eligible presidential candidates. Something that was highlighted repeatedly, and rightly so, is the role of the president. Aljuned GRC MP Pritam Singh has raised the question of whether it should be mandatory of students to learn about the Singapore Constitution. I think it should be because you need an enlightened electorate in order to make the right choices.

(photo credit: channelnewsasia.com)

In any case, the star of the two elections Yam Ah Mee! This video done by mrbrown is quite interesting, and the song is actually pretty addictive.



4) SEA Games Badminton
Fu Mingtian, from the Singapore contingent, won Singapore's first South East Asian Games women's badminton gold. I caught the match on TV and it was a historic moment. Both players played a very good match and it was nearly heart stopping to watch them chase each other's points.

(photo credit: The New Paper, Jonathan Choo)

5) Bedok Reservoir
If you have troubles in life or just want someone to listen, please seek help instead of ending your life in a reservoir. There are better things in life awaiting you.

(photo credit: The Straits Times, Lau Fook Kong) 

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Charcoal Chicken Express

I went to Icon Village, hoping to try the fish and chips. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, it was closed on Christmas Eve. So we had no choice but to find another restaurant. We chanced upon Charcoal Chicken Express. It was totally empty in Icon Village during lunchtime, probably because people were shopping for Christmas presents somewhere else. 

Charcoal Chicken Express originates from Perth and apparently the theme adopted is a Mediterranean taste. The Master Franchise was acquired by a Singaporean who adopted green methods by reducing the greenhouse gases associated with traditional charcoal fired cooking method. 

While going green is a good thing, what matters more is the food. I ordered a Hawaiian Roast Chicken ($13.90). It came with chips and pineapple fritters. While the pineapple fritters would have been a cool alternative to the goreng pisang we are all so used to, the deep fried layer of the pineapple was unfortunately soft and a little soggy. The 1/4 chicken was too dry- far too dry. The thing is, if you're going to pride yourself on some cooking method that people can't master, then do it well, please. If it's just going to be dry, then there's no point. The stuffing in the chicken simply tasted of some Italian herbs.

Service wise, the servers were friendly but they seemed a little inexperienced. They didn't have a particular kind of salad that someone at my table asked for, and selectively asked some at our table whether they wanted sauces.

I would not recommend this place at all, because $13.90 is far too much to pay for dry chicken and inexperienced service.

Charcoal Chicken Express 
12 Gopeng St
#01-41,42,52 and 53
Icon Village
Tel: 6 222 1283 

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