Happy Halloween 2010!

It has been a while since I last updated my blog.  Since Halloween is just round the corner, this is the best time to update it.

To make things interesting, I've enlisted the help of JibJab to customize a Halloween Rap Song with photos of me, my brother and my friends.  Without further ado, click below for the MTV!

Its a nice addictive MTV Rap eh? Hahaha!!!

I'm dedicating this MTV Rap Song to all my friends, relatives (living or dead) =P and all who see this blog of mine.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

Sucking Blood Away Now...

Kevin Tan

Count Von Dracula... =P

BOO!!!

汤点王 Tang Dian Wang Shanghai Restaurant

Another Gastronomic Experience of a lifetime.
This time round, located at the basement level facing Suntec's Fountain of Youth Wealth. A restaurant based on Shanghai cuisine called Tang Dian Wang 汤点王.


Chanced upon this restaurant along with dearie Eileen and feeling famished, we decided to try it out.
Looking thru the menu, we order the following soup & dishes beginning with:


Double-boil Chicken Soup with Pears 雪梨暾鸡汤
Though not a fan of soups, I must say the soup is quite refreshingly sweet and the double-boiled pear slices were soft & tender. Next up:


Lotus Leaf Rice with Roasted Pork & Salted Egg Yolk 咸蛋黄烧肉荷叶饭.
Crispy roasted pork, simple salted egg yolk, combined with steaming lotus leaf rice, nuff'said. It's a MUST TRY even on the menu! Next up:


Fried Egg Beancurds with Oatmeal Flakes 麦片蛋豆腐.
This dish is among the best of all that we ordered, though not menu branded, we both felt that this is tasty and of course visually appetizing. Finally the last dish to be served; which took over 30mins and after 3-4 urgings:


Tang Dian Wang's Special Fried Rice 汤点王特别炒饭.
Our first immediate expression of the above dish was "Mui-Fan 烩饭?" "Well, not really, it's actually fried rice!" claims the manager who overheard our expression. Nonetheless, we tried this special fried rice that comes with a sauce containing some prawns, scallops and lots of diced chinese mushrooms!
After trying out this 'special fried lice rice', we felt that it is overrated to an extent. The fried rice is comparable to Ding Tai Feng 鼎泰豐 version except the sauce was a bit special but not unique.


Service however, was not consistent and requires quite a fair bit of urgings and a lack of knowledge or menu introduction to new diners. Overall, the restaurant could only deserve about 2 out of 5 as graded by Eileen, maybe it's still worth another visit in the future hoping they will be better!

Wanton Noodles 雲吞面

Another Foodie Review!
This time round, it's located at Pek Kio Food Centre 白桥熟食中心. The foodie review today is this SGD 3.00 only Wanton Noodles 雲吞面 from Soon Kee Wanton Mee 顺记雲吞面. 

Note that the queue at this stall can be horrendously long. Patience my laddie, anything for good food right? LOL.

Anyway, after trying out this noodles, it's definitely worth revisiting again!
So, what are you waiting for? Go try it out!!!

Teochew Bak Chor Noodles 潮州肉脞面

Early this morning, my brother brought me to try out this traditional Teochew Bak Chor Noodles 潮州肉脞面 located at Kim San Leng Coffeeshop 金山岭食搁 behind the Mustafa Shopping Mall.

The stall name was called "Ah Ho's Teochew Kway Teow Mee 亚河潮州粿条面". The look of the stall doesn't seem to be capable of churning out any delectable food;

However, Boy was I wrong! The presentation wasn't something to shout about…BUT the key ingredient that makes this dish so delectable is the Special Belachan (Shrimp Paste) Chili! Yup! Without this chili, the noodles would not be nice at all!

However, it is also worth mentioning that the other ingredients like Fish Balls, Fish Cake Slices, Lean Meat used are also quite fresh especially the fish balls, upon biting into it, one can taste the fresh sweetness of the meat. Overall, a large portion of this meal only cost SGD 3.00! What a wonderful deal!

As I write this entry, my stomach is already growling and yearning for the noodles again. So, dun wait anymore, go ahead and try them now!

Selamat Hari Raya Adilfitri

Selamat Hari Raya Adilfitri!

Friday, September 10, 2010 ~ A day in which our Muslim friends from all over comes together to celebrate the successful ending of the month long Ramadan fasting period.  It is also the celebration of the new year, which our friends shall receive "Green Packets", a green colored paper packet that contains money from their parents and relatives.  So its time to get rich collecting all the money packets!

Here's a little well-wishing banner for all Muslim brothers and sisters out there!

As it is also a Singapore gazetted public holiday and it happens to fall on a Friday, which is tomorrow...  it is also pretty much a LONG WEEKEND for all of us!  So its time to "PARTAY" and enjoy the extra off day!

Cheerios!

ADV: Canon "You Are My Inspiration" TVC

I was just browsing around YouTube and Facebook and saw this TV Commercial from Canon.  The theme was called "You Are My Inspiration", a 2 minute love story.  It has nice music, great shoots and an impressive way of expressing one's love.  Super love it!

Check the video out!

Sushi Tei すし亭 (寿司亭)

Sushi Tei すし亭 Logo

Sushi Tei (すし亭), the name so synonymous with the ideology of the Best Quality Sushi in town.  Sure it was definitely more expensive that other common sushi restaurants in Singapore, but since it came well recommended by my best pal, Wubing , I decided to give it one try while at Raffles City Shopping Center.  Upon arriving, was informed there is a 30 min minimal queue, and was asked to leave my number for them to call me when a table opens up; nonetheless, the availability opens up pretty quick within 10 min.  Not bad at all.

Appetizer Dish - Deep Fried 'Sotong' Tempura ($5.50)  (Score: 5 / 5)

 Comes highly recommended by Wubing, the dish that is supposedly to make you 'fly up to the nine heavens' (飞上九重天)， the squid tempura was ordered first and after trying it out... I must say, I'm definitely convinced, resisted the "flying effect", haha..  What makes this dish so wonderful was the good quality tempura batter, not too oily and crispy and the sotong was tender without being too chewy or mushy.

Grilled Scallops with Mayonnaise ($12/-) (Score: 3.5 / 5)

 Next up, is the Grilled Scallops with Mayonnaise in the picture above; presentation wise - it is not too bad as seen in the picture.  The taste however was abit too fishy for me, maybe not enough lemon juice.  It would have been about 4 out of 5, but the price for this dish is a bit too high and thus knock out another 0.5 score, totaling only 3.5  out of 5.

Assorted Sushi Platter ($18/-) (Score: 4.5 / 5)

Well, nothing much to rave about this Assorted Sushi Platter and my favorite sushi from this platter would be the top row sushi, covered with fish roe.  Nice and Tasty, it sure leaves me smacking my lips over and over again savoring the sweet taste lingering on in my mouth (齿甲留香，回味无穷).  Almost a full 5, but some of the sushi like the bean-curd skin sushi, just plain rice and the skin, that's definitely a disappointment; resulting in a 0.5 point knock off.  Price wise, I guess S$18 bucks for a smacking good assortment of sushi wasn't that unreasonable. =P

Dai Dai Roll with Salmon & Mango ($12/-) (Score: 4 / 5)

 Last dish to go is this Dai Dai Roll with Salmon & Mango at the price of S$12/-.  The presentation of the dish is very aesthetically pleasing and it didn't disappoint my taste expectation as well except for this greenish sauce (Wasabi base) that was drizzled over the roll.  The salmon definitely tasted fresh, the mango just the right ripeness.  I guess the Wasabi base sauce just didn't go down well with me as it seems to sting the sides of my tongue, which is kinda uncomfortable.  (Of well, maybe its only me as the common quote goes:"One Man's Food is Another's Poison." =P).  Anyway, overall I still give this dish a good 4 out of 5, so it is definitely worth a try!

Finally, washing down the meal with unlimited servings of chilled green tea just makes it all seemed so right!  However, the ambiance wasn't really too conducive for a romantic time but more suitable for gathering of friends as the seating arrangements are too close together.

My Overall Grading:

Ambiance = 3 out of 5. (As stated above)

Food = 4.5  out of  5. (As graded above)

Service = 4 out of 5. (Prompt service, but lack of warmth.)

Cost $ = 3.75 out of 5. (Well, two person at a gross of $50, it a bit on the high end!)

Return To Visit (RTV) = YES! (No doubt about it! Need to try out the other items!)

The Hungry Ghosts Festival （中元节）

Every year, between the months of August and September marks one of the biggest scale Chinese tradition observation in Singapore; it is commonly known as The Hungry Ghosts Festival (中元节) or to the European world, the Chinese version of Halloween except instead of just one day where the ghouls roam free, the Chinese version marks an entire lunar month during which the Taoism religion believes the "Gates of Hell (鬼门关)" are thrown open to allow these "good brothers & sisters (好兄弟姐妹)" or "ancestors' spirits (祖先)", who have endured 11 months of hunger and suffering to come up to the mortal realm for a month holiday of solid feasting of food offerings as well as collect "incenses and paper ingots (元宝蜡烛香)" offered by their descendants, so that they may "buy off / bribe" the hell guards for an easier time when they return back to hell.

Incenses and paper ingots (元宝蜡烛香) ~ courtesy of Jerome Wong

It is also during this specific month, where I recall my parents telling us from young what the taboos are, such as:

1.) Do NOT step on or near the burned pile of paper ingots as these represent their currency in the underworld (now, you wouldn't like it if someone steps on your money right?)

2.) Do NOT wander out too late as the 'ghouls' are out roaming the streets as Chinese believes that these ghouls comprises of people who once suffered 'unjust' deaths and are out looking for a living substitute so they may reincarnate).

3.) Do NOT turn your head around if you ever hear 'someone' calling your name.
4.) Do NOT move house (might risk inviting the 'ghouls' into your home).
5.) Do NOT get engaged or married (might risk getting married to a 'ghoul' partner)

Ghoul Couple (鬼夫妻) ~ Courtesy from Google

As a celebratory function manner to entertain these affectionately termed "good brothers & sisters (好兄弟姐妹)"; the Taoism temples or dialect associations will host large scale dinners on tented open fields especially around homeland areas or near their workplaces.  Often at these dinners, there will be an open auction for the dinner attendees to bid on 'lucky items' at ridiculous prices to bring home and naturally, these raised funds are either donated to charity organizations or as operations funds for the temples and associations.

A typical celebratory dinner setting. ~ Courtesy from Google

 Another common sight during the Hungry Ghosts Festival is the traditional Chinese Street Operas, where the performers wore heavy makeups and periodic costumes and acted out opera classics such as Mulian Rescue His Mom (木莲救母) - a filial story of how a son named Mulian stormed Hell to rescue his mother by offering to suffer the punishment on her behalf;

A scene from the play: Mulian Rescue His Mom (木莲救母)
~ Courtesy from Google

Another play one may get to see could be the famous Journey to the West (西游记) - the journey of the Tang Monk (唐僧) to the West to obtain scriptures accompanied by Monkey King Sun Wu Kong (孙悟空)，Piggy (猪八戒) and Sandy (沙僧).

A scene from the play: Journey to the West (西游记)
~ Courtesy from Google

A modern day variation to these street operas is the emergence of modern day Musical Stages or Getai (歌台).  Singers would wear outlandish clothing and belt out modern day songs or performers would do talk shows or comedy gags to entertain the modern day "good brothers & sisters".

Modern Day Getai (歌台) Performers.
~ Courtesy from Google

Now, a point that one must note when attending these performances be it the traditional Chinese Street Operas or modern day Getai is that you will notice always, the first two rows of seats by the front are always left vacant.  These are the VIP Seats (贵宾席) for the "good brothers & sisters (好兄弟姐妹)" and as such are not meant for the living, so remember always, NEVER EVER sit in those seats should you attend these performances!

Lastly, as the Hungry Ghosts Festival draws to a close, believers would prepare one last food, incenses and ingots offerings for the spirits to bring away as the Hell Guards (狱卒) under the command of the two famous Hell Generals, General Fan (范将军) & General Xie (谢将军); commonly known as Black and White Impermanence (黑白无常) will come into the mortal realm to gather the good brothers & sisters back to Hell as well as 'arrest' the deserters (those who refuses to return).

The Black & White Impermanence (黑白无常)
- representing also Peace & Stability (国泰民安) with Wealth & Prosperity （风调雨顺).
~ Courtesy from Google

PS: Images on this blog post are 'Googled' and publicly shared and I do not claim any ownership.

USS ~ Universal Studios Singapore (Aug 7, 2010)

Universal Studios Singapore (USS) theme park, a term often heard especially when Singapore's first Integrated Resort (IR) - Resort World Sentosa (RWS) entered operations.  Often I heard questions accompanying this term is; Is it Fun? Is it Expensive? What rides are available?  Well, I guess after this blog entrée, they should be quite well covered.

A nice early morning shower on Saturday, Aug 7, 2010 was a great blessing as it definitely washes away the humidity and heat wave away, blessing Eileen and me with a great day ahead.

The Famous Universal Studios Globe.

Walking through the main gates at Universal Studios, one must make sure to go to the customer service counter first to redeem a F&B and Universal Store Voucher worth 5 SGD each.  Moving on down Hollywood Strip, one can definitely see the Hollywood Stars on the pavements but we couldn't really be bothered cos' what definitely caught our attention is...

Woody the Woodpecker! "Ha-ha-ha-HAA-ha!"

After a couple of mug shots with Woody, we decided to make a clockwise tour of the theme park, beginning with no other than...
MADAGASCAR!

Yup! Saw the sign, Abide by the warning! DO NOT FEED THE FOOSA!

Some of the rides in Madagascar, sad to say are not ready yet till late August but no worries, King Julien is here to move it - move it with his merry-go-round, bringing us big babies on a memory lane say at least 20 years back?  Haha..

Now, where Marty gonna take ma'Eileen to? Wild Safari?

Before we could thanked King Julien for the wonderful merry-go-round ride, we got teleported to a location so "Far Far Away", its so hard to even see how 'Far' we were!

Kingdom of Far Far Away! Hmmm.. its really far ain't it?

Before reaching the Kingdom of Far Far Away, I definitely need to answer the call of nature, where else but at SHREK's Toilet!

Man! It sure stinks!  Shrek! Hurry up & get out of there!

Reaching the Kingdom of Far Far Away finally on a Dragon's Class Roller-Coaster, we were warmly welcomed by Shrek & Fiona!

Now why ain't Fiona in her Ogress form?

We were then "invited" into a beautiful castle bearing this flag sign and it left me wondering are we still in "Far Far Away" Kingdom or...

The Kingdom of FACEBOOK?

 Actually, It represents Lord Farquaad, the villain that was "eaten" by Dragon in Shrek 1, who now comes back as a "ghoul" in Shrek 4D!  Experience it for yourself! Nuff' Said!

 

Time Traveling was next on the menu and moments later, we arrived some 65 million years back into the Lost World...and got ourselves Lost!

Eileen looking all lost in the Lost World... lol

Not wanting to be lost forever, we 'hacked' our way through the human-raptors and finally arrived at the entrance of what promises to be an adventure of a lifetime...

The famed Jurassic Entrance

 Just before entering the Jurassic world, I decided to take a photo of a T-Rex statue for memory keepsake only to realize much after, I've captured a dinosaur-pervert in action!

Now, someone call the Dino-Police!  Dino-Pervert caught on camera!

 Although, Jurassic Park would be a great place to interact with the dinosaurs, we didn't get to try out the rides as it just so happens that the coaster ride needed some maintenance and well, the 'water ride' in Jurassic Park was overwhelmed by human-raptors with a waiting time of minimal 90 min, Eileen and I decided to go for lunch under the accompaniment of the fossilized T-Rex instead.

Now, that was as close I could get to a dinosaur on that day and a dead one at that!

 After a satisfying meal each and looking for a way out, an 'ancient-looking portal' appeared out of no where and we moved through time again, arriving some 5,000 years before into the world of Ancient Egypt!  Making our way through to the Egyptian Palace before us, we chanced upon Anubis, (Jackal) the Egyptian God of Embalmy and took a photo with him...

Alas! I ended up with a "broken neck"!

 Just as I thought I was a 'goner', both Eileen and I suddenly found ourselves outside the Palace, 'being looked upon' by two massive Anubis statues beckoning us to venture inside to face and defeat the evil sorcerer, Imhotep on a thrilling roller coaster ride.  Definitely worth it!

Anubis: "Face & Defeat Imhotep to Save Egypt!"

Well, after a desperate battle with Imhotep, we won and permanently imprisoned him inside the sarcophagus of eternal damnation and buried in the very pits of hell... hahaha.. (Okie, I made that up myself).  As a reward, we were given the opportunity to buy the following:

The Pharaoh's Throne for SGD 2,800! >_<  or

 choose our next destination within the Universal world to visit; Sci-Fi City or Queens, Brooklyn NYC.  (Well, I'm darn not gonna spend that money for a throne replica even with a complimentary 5 SGD Voucher! =P).

We decided to opt for Queens, Brooklyn NYC instead because well, you heard the news, Sci-Fi City's greatest attraction, the dueling roller coasters were out of commission until December. =(

Arriving in New York City via the Subway!

 Well, What's best to do in NYC but to head on down to Broadway and Fifth Avenue and do a little theatrical sing and dance by the roadside?

A scene from an upcoming musical ~ Old Skhool Musical? =P

And not forgetting of course to do the following...

Unnecessary Noise Prohibited? Nah! This is NYC ~ Kev's Style! =D

  A little further down Universal's NYC, do remember to try out this well hidden special effects studio called "Lights, Cameras, Action! by Steven Spielberg" (hint: pretty near this unnecessary noise prohibited signpost!).  Moving on, we came to this store that offers various free hats and what-nots for all to try on and take pictures of.

Cowboy and Cowgirl of Universal Studios Singapore! LOL!

After trying on various hats and a personal collection of them photos later, we waited near the theater at the end of NYC Street for a live rock musical called Monster Rock starring various monsters and had a group shot with the casts of Monster Rock.

Phantom of the Opera, Wolfgal, Dracula, Frankenstein, Mummy, Rock Star & Wolfie!

A good 30 min later, choking under the extensive use of indoor pyrotechnics from the Monster Rock apart from a pretty fantastic musical show, Eileen and I decided to go check out the Universal Studios Store on Hollywood Strip to get for ourselves each a memorabilia using the 2 complimentary 5 SGD vouchers and while browsing around, not to mention some more additional cute photo-shoots! Hahaha!

Who's cuter?  The Penguins or Eileen? =P

Awww.. Ain't Eileen even more cuter than Puss?!?!

 Pretty much a fun-filled day has gone by, with lots of fond memories, we decided to call it a day as the stomachs were growling in protest already.  This has been a pretty long blog post and I hope it pretty much answered the questions one might have about the Universal Studios Singapore.  Was it fun? Absolutely! Was it expensive? I think still acceptable but could do with more rides & faster queues!  

So, what are you waiting for? Go Experience Universal Studios Singapore for yourself now!

Meanwhile, do check out the HERSHEY'S Store outside the USS, you never know what are the surprises in store there.  Here's one!

World's LARGEST Hershey's Chocolate Bar!  60 SGD Each!

NOW, WHO'S HUNGRY?!?!  =P

Futuristic News!

Can anyone spot what's wrong with the image below?


If ya spot it right, welcome to futuristic news by Straits Times.
Future 4D or Toto results anyone? Huat ah!!! =P

Birthday Bash with Elinne

July 31, marks the 6th time my good gal-pal, Elinne celebrates her 21st birthday and she held it at this Latin pub called Cuba Libre located at Clarke Quay.

The aghast birthday girl. I'm 26!!!

Got the birthday gal the above hooded X-Men shirt, and she simply loves it and flaunt there and then! =P

It was a fun night especially attending it with my dear Eileen (yup, no mistakes about it, Eileen and Elinne! =P). We ordered our favorite ice-blended mojitos, danced and posed for a few mug shots (Eileen so gonna strangle me! =P)

My favorite couple mug shot ever!

(cos out of ē many, my eyes managed to stay open! Haha!)

2nd favorite "in-the-eyes" mug shot.
(my side view is so urmm... haha!)

3rd favorite "Shoot! Our Alienated Mojitos!" mug shot.

My "Angel of the Night" enjoying her ice-blended mojito. 

Now, ain't she a sight for sore eyes? =P

Alrighty, I better stop now before I'm mentioned on the next news headlines! =P

Adios! Next up! Universal Studios Singapore! Haha!

Location: Cuba Libre, Clarke Quay