Kampung senang

I can’t believe it took me so long to visit this place! It’s one of the older vegan places in Singapore, with wholesome healthy vegan Chinese food.

The restaurant, being more religiously affiliated, is similar to Si Hao min Su in the sense that customers are required to remove their shoes before entering. Before visiting, I was “warned” that the food might be Super bland. Well, they clearly improved by leaps and bounds, because the same Friend is now really impressed with how flavourful their dishes are.

We ordered both dishes available on menu today – the thunder tea rice and Bak kuh teh with organic noodles. Both sets came with a side salad, which I thought was rather interesting for a Chinese place. The sauce was probably supposed to replicate sour cream or something, but it is clear that it was homemade, with a distinct cashew cream and lemon taste. What is most interesting about the salad is that it actually has white fungus inside – something you won’t expect to see in salads, except maybe at fine-dining Chinese restaurants.

The thunder tea rice portion was actually really really huge, with very generous portions for toppings. Well, that justifies the price (this place isn’t cheap). While most places probably put only one scoop of radish, the amount of radish in this dish is almost on par with the other chunky toppings. The addition of cooked carrots with its juicy sweetness lended an interesting unique texture and taste to the savoury dish.

The soup is really good too, being lightly herbal, though with a more distinct nutty taste than thunder tree (ie my favourite thunder tea rice place). It was not oily at all, and because of the thickness, managed to coat every single mouthful of rice evenly with the herbal fragrance.

The Bak kuh teh was my friend’s favourite, with their seemingly light but extremely flavourful soup base, large chunks of tau pok (tofu puffs) which soaked up the soup fully, and unprocessed monkeyhead mushroom lending a nice chewy texture contrast. There were also really generous portions of vegetables (bok Choy), which I totally appreciate.

They use organic noodles, and again was quite generous with their portions. The noodles are very smooth and not overly cooked – perhaps a little too smooth, as it was a real struggle to take the picture.

Overall, this place is definitely great in terms of quality and quantity. The one slight downside is their price, in which this 2 dishes amounted to $19. But taking into consideration the quality and quantity and amazing ambiance, it is definitely worth an experience!!

Shaw House Lido

I went with my Friend to Shaw House Lido for Paddington 2, a movie I’ve been dying to watch for a really long time. (If you would like me to do a review on the movie, please comment.)

In Singapore, there are 3 main cinema “chains” – Cathay, Shaw and golden village, with outlets across Singapore, making movie watching extremely convenient. Each chain has one theatre grander than its counterparts, for instance Cathay Cinneleisure at Dhoby Ghaut and our focus for the day, Shaw House Lido at Orchard.

Ticket sales for the first screening (usually 10am) began at 930AM, but we arrived pretty early, and were told to wait around. The waiting area or lounge is HUGE, and pretty cozy, with mats covering even the sides of staircases so those who are waiting can sit comfortably. This is apart from the round area in the middle of a raised platform, where people can have a little more privacy while chatting with their friends and family during the wait, as well as small sofas lying on the other end of the cinema.

Large ceiling-to-floor windows covered nearly half of the entire level, allowing the place to have one of the best views and lightings I have ever seen at cinemas. While it is not the first time I have came here, it is the first time I could be here alone, and get a full experience of the vast interior space and brilliant view of Orchard road from up high.

I have a perpetual fear of height, hence I did not take any pictures of the ground below. At 6 storeys high, the view is pretty amazing, where most of the architectural landmarks (Marriott hotel, four Seasons hotel, ION Orchard, Wisma Atria, mandarin oriental, just to name a few) can be seen in full view. But despite the extreme proximity of these buildings, it is amazing how green the place is, with the bushy trees along main roads and rooftop garden at ION. While I do go to Orchard very often, this is one of the first times I noticed the intense greening done, and truly start to appreciate the shade provided.

The cool thing with globalisation and commercialisation is how festival is celebrated through decorations and sales. In this case, more prominently the former. Almost every corporation has a Christmas tree like this, with presents at the bottom. I always wondered who those presents are for, and what is inside…? Though logically I am aware that it is more likely that they are empty. The ceiling, however, is slightly more unique, with snowflakes hanging from the down lights. I have to say this is quite a smart design, as it adds on to the magical atmosphere of Christmas when these snowflakes reflect the light, but not excessively (as compared to places which decide to hang fairy lights).

I think my biggest takeaway from this trip is that while we are constantly trying to look for adventures beyond our typical living spaces, why not look for adventures where we usually reside in? I do love going overseas, and experiencing foreign life as a tourist, but when time doesn’t permit, travelling to less visited places within the realms of Singapore can also be a fun adventure on its own.

And yes, Shaw is big enough to house a McDonald’s outlet on its own.

Gardens By the Bay (Christmas) – Part 2

(Read Part 1 here)

Part III: Sparkle

Sometimes when I visit these attractions, I can’t help but realise the way many people pose to take photos at places with actual , then scurry off without a second glance. It was almost as though they were here just to take photos, post, and show off on social media. Which is actually not untrue, because honestly colourful lights are pretty impractical, and there are no fun activities either, so the only thing one can do is to take pictures for memory and for showing off.

But if you look around carefully enough, you’ll notice that at a certain spot, slightly above the main garden, you can spot views like this:

Which also allows you to look down and see what is going on in the $10 carnival extremely clearly. Is it worth it to pay $10 for a close up look at the concert, or to spend more money within to purchase gifts and food from the carnival booths? For those who have the ability to spend more lavishly, and wish to have a fun time squeezing with crowds, joining the hype of an open-air concert, and check out the carnival booths or have booths that you are interested in already, it is definitely worth it.

But if you are only there to look at beautiful lights, I would say don’t bother, because Gardens by the Bay did a beautiful job with light works elsewhere in the park. I mean, you can’t really go wrong with grand gates popping up at major pathways.

Part IV: Details

Ah yes, my favourite part. My favourite part about exploring, and the reason someone like me who gets tired of things very easily (even people) can enjoy going out so much, is because the details are ever changing. Today, the lavender (at least, that’s what I think it is) is bush is in full bloom, and shone like flower fairies under the light at the most unnoticeable corner of the garden. Tomorrow, it might be the poppies who look better, because buds are forming.

I think everyone is guilty of finding life as it is mundane and repetitive. When I complained to my mother yesterday that my Christmas was too boring, without a significant detail, her response made me realise that as long as we are alive, there is something special about every single day in life. It’s just whether we notice the little details or not, not just when we are travelling or roaming around the streets, but also while we are going about our daily routines.

So my challenge post-Christmas for everyone is, as you settle back into work life and school life, try your best to take note of what is the one thing that changed today. Did your friends’ faces all seem more vibrant from the rest? Did your boss smile at her phone as she walked out of the door? Or maybe you noticed something you never did before, like how your best friend types the short form of because as “coz” instead of “cos”. Note them down and notice how you feel as you recognise these interesting details.

Gardens By the Bay (Christmas) – Part 1

Singaporeans who know about Christmas Wonderland – behold your criticism over the title of this post because no, this is not about Christmas Wonderland.

Our family appears to have a fascination with night visits to the CBD area, and try to do so every holiday. This year, however, we were too busy trying to settle administrative issues in moving to our new apartment. Hence our visits to Marina Bay Sands was postponed to right before Christmas Eve, which was probably a bad idea because the sea of humans was scary for someone like me. Not to mention the $10 ticket required to enter the main garden in GBTB, where Christmas Wonderland was ongoing.

Us being us decided it was not worth it to spend money on joining the party, and took a stroll along the park.

Part I: Pathways

For some reason, I have always been fascinated with taking photos of pathways. They remind me of life, of my journeys so far. It is not always bright, but at some point, streetlights and ground lights are bound to appear to guide us through even the darkest days. Sometimes, they are there already, standing right beside us, and it just takes a while longer, and a little more awareness to realise how close they actually are. These lights can be a book, a song, a family member, a friend, or even just the more optimistic part of yourself. The funny thing is, when we are in the presence of light, we don’t notice their brilliance and importance, until they are no longer there. Then, only then, do we realise that they had always been there, and crave their presence.

Part II: Fears

I don’t know the reason for my many fears – specifically the one over statues and non-life objects, especially at night. It’s not obvious from the pictures, but when I was taking that last photo I was clinging on to my mom for dear life, cold sweating, and shaking fervently. For visitors who are interested the final photo is part of a transformers exhibit, made entirely from plants/vines/grass. From an objective perspective, it is very magnificent.

On the other hand, the mushrooms were very magical… until I looked up, and the first thing I noticed was an entire dome of insects and arachnids. It didn’t help that I have slight arachnophobia. Impressively, I went in and stayed for 5min, trying to get perfect shots.

Everyone have their own fears, and everyone have their own ways of dealing with them. I am personally quite proud of myself this year, for successfully overcoming so many of my fears, or at least reducing the intensity for most. On hindsight, it seems unreasonable to be so afraid of things that are not alive, but like many other things in life, it is easier said than done. I just hope that in the new year, we can all keep that in mind, and try to understand others better before passing judgements.