Spent one weekend in June with Jules at the pool.

Played in the baby pool with him until he mastered the skill of filling a watering can and emptying it through the nozzle. It’s the simple pleasures in life, watching this little fella learn, absorb and grow.

Found it fascinating that baby board shorts come with a little “catchment layer” in case of “accidents”!! O_o

My favourite picture of the day top left. That little curl in his lip is distinctively my sister’s genes. Doesn’t Jie Jie look beautiful in these photos?

Not very PC, but check out the photo bottom left. He looks like a mini KKK from the back! Or maybe an Ewok from Star Wars?

Friends & Family Jules, Julian, Pool, Singapore, Water, Wong

Another item off the bucket list, I am finally a certified Open Water PADI diver!

One of my close friends Ignatius, has always discouraged me from diving. As a salvage engineer/rescue/advanced diver, I guess he has seen enough to know how dangerous it CAN be. But this was something I really wanted to do for myself.

I took the PADI Open Water Diver Course with the wonderful guidance of Terry & Gary from Freestyle Divers. They come highly recommended, especially for a slightly difficult student like me. I am a bit claustrophobic and have a fear of drowning, not exactly the qualities of a easy student. But Terry & Gary were wonderful, constantly giving me assurance and the confidence to follow-through skill tests. They will not force you to do something you’re not comfortable with. Everything is done at your pace, and at your comfort level.

So I’d highly recommend taking up a course with them if you’re living in Singapore. Here’s a quick run-down on what to expect for an Open Water license.

Knowlege Development sessions x2

1. Watching the PADI “Introduction to Scuba Diving” DVD and course material collection
2. You will then need to self-study
3. Theory lesson where you go through syllabus and quizes
4. After all that, the actual multiple choice exam

Skills Development Sessions x2 (pool sessions)

1. Introduction to dive equipment
2. Fundamental diving skills
3. 200 meters non-stop swim test
4. tread water or float for 10 minutes

Open Water Evaluation x2 sessions

1. 2 dives a day at Pulau Hantu for 2 days
2. Skills evaluation on what has been taught during confined water training and development

Looking back, the only thing I disliked about the whole experience is the mask-off and mask-clearing skills test. In this exercise, you are taught how to clear your mask when it’s half-filled and fully-filled with water. Obviously when you’re diving at >10m of water, you can’t expect to resurface just to clear your mask and head back down.

So the method is to take a breath, title your head back a bit and blow through your nose. Basically you force out the water by filling the mask with air.

I was just absolutely terrified of that. REALLY REALLY terrified. During the pool sessions, there were a couple of instances when I started to choked on some water and had to quickly resurface. Imagine if you’re 30m underwater!

Plus, I can’t open my eyes underwater because it burns, so can you imagine how nervous I was?

So when it came to the open water dive mask of skills test, we were about 10m deep kneeling on the seabed. You have to take your mask off, put it back on (which is now filled with water), and then clear it. Terry was well aware of my concerns, had this hand on my shoulder throughout the exercise just to reassure me that he was there and it will be OK. I tried to remain calm and take things slow, the trick is to just keep breathing and take things slowww and don’t freak out. Luckily, that went alright. Phew!

I’m so happy I got to strike this off my list!

To be honest, I still have my apprehensions about diving, but like everything its calculated risk and of course don’t do anything stupid.

I started the course in February this year and finished all my exams and dives in march. Now I’m looking forward to my first overseas dive.

Suggestions anyone? Where should I go for my first overseas dive? Not somewhere too $$$.

Me Time Dive Schools, Diving, Diving School, Freestyle Divers, Learn how to dive, Singapore

I keep calling it Ching Chong instead of Chong Qing! Only realised today the restaurant’s full name is “The Magic of Chongqing Hot Pot”. Don’t diss the name, the food is actually pretty good. Possibly the most well-known hot pot restaurant in Singapore.

The Magic of Chong Qing Hot Pot
Opening Hours:
Lunch : 12.00 – 3.00pm
Dinner : 6.00 – 11.00pm

*Last Orders an hour before closing
*Reservations recommended

Address: 19 Tanglin Road, #04-06 Tanglin Shopping Centre
Tel: +65 6734 8135
Website: http://www.chinesefeasts.com.sg/

Close

Food Ching Chong Hot Pot, Chong Qing Hot Pot, Food, hot pot, Singapore, Steamboat, The Magic of Chong Qing Hot Pot

Second baby snake we found in the house in the past 2 weeks. Apologies for the shaky and out of focus video, was quite squirmish at the sight of that thing.

Dad thinks it might be black cobra because we get quite a few of those around our area. I shudder to think where Mummy cobra is…

What worries me is the fact that we found these 2 UPSTAIRS! Where could she have laid them babies?!

I think it’s also an old Malay folklore that if you find the nest and don’t kill the mother, she comes back with a vengeance and attacks! Whole villages have said to been evacuated until the mother is hunted and killed.

What can we do to drive them out of the house? Suggestions?

Random Babt Snake, Cobra, House, Singapore

Am so disappointed. All that sneaking around this whole week living in fear to avoid assassination gone to waste.

First of all the game got canned, and second, found out my target was not even in the country! I didn’t even stand a chance.

Today is Sunday and I’m still recovering from the Saturday morning stake out! Woke up at 3:30am to pack my bag ready for battle. Snacks, newspaper, water, dossier, handphone, water pistol. Waited at his HDB block all morning only to see his mother leave the house and no sighting of Agent Ice_Cool_Dude.

Back to the first point. So what happened? Typical of the Singapore Police to rain on the parade. They should be renamed the Fun Police. Sometimes they just got to loosen up a bit, it’s just a game! Citing the reason why it was cancelled is because organisers should have applied for an Entertainment License (which honestly they wouldn’t have approved anyway).

Here’s an excerpt from the email sent by the “Shadow Government” (organisers) to all “Agents” (me).

Police involvement:
Assassins, we regret to tell you that the Singapore police has requested that we shut down the tournament.

We always work with the local authorities to ensure a safe and fun environment, and although this really sucks for us, we shall respect their wishes and close this tournament early at 00:00hrs Monday March 17th

What happens to you and the game now?
As much as we respect the police’s concerns, we also respect your experiences so far, working hard as a top notch assassin.

We want to give you, the remaining players, some sense of closure, so we will end the tournament 00:00hrs next Monday March 17th. So those of you who are close to your first or next kill, you still have a chance to tally up your score and and close out any pending assassination plans that you have.

After that, we will be forced to officially close down the tournament as requested by your police department.

What the hell happened?
In over five and a half years of our history, we’ve never had issues with the Police. In fact, we’ve had help from the police in cities like Vancouver.

Apparently, we’ve just learned yesterday, that the Singapore police had contacted our local partners to express their concerns…..
…… we would have done all we could to iron out the issue right then and there with your police so that we can provide our best game experience for you all.

We are filled with sadness at this unfortunate and regrettable turn of events. We loved reading your stories and how much ass you guys are kicking.

We are sorry, sad face.

Response from the local rep at http://www.streetwars.sg/

The Real Story – Singapore’s Not Ready?
What did life lack in Singpore? A little excitement and color? Well that was what we thought when we decided to bring this game to our sunny shores. We always wanted Singapore to be a vibrant city and this was a great game concept that we just had to try to bring over for everyone to experience.

After just a week of play almost everyone that we spoke to mentioned about what a great experience this game has brought to their life. How it brings out the best in people as killers and targets trade stories talk about each other’s experiences and meet new friends. It was our great pleasure to see so much excitement in the players and it was fun while it lasted.

After spending over 4 months trying to get this great game over to our shores it looks like luck has stuck out for us. This was a love affair by the local organizers personally and not comercial in nature. If you were to run a quick calculation you can see that it was run at a break even/loss contrary to popular belief that it was for profit.

Was the cancellation due to poor planning or lack of effort? Yes and No. We should have made 100% sure before commencing the game that was our fault and we apologize to you the players for that oversight. However, we did try, we had contacted the police on this issue a month before and got the round about on what was needed to run this event here. We had mistakenly assumed that if this was a private event taking place in the whole of Singapore with no mass gatherings where only 2 persons are playing at anyone time, that no permit would be required. We’ve all had orientation and other corporate games in and around singapore organized casually and those went without any issues so what’s the difference here, we thought? We were wrong.

After all that’s said and done, the police don’t have an easy job and we respect their decision to shut down the game. Our intentions were to bring this great game to Singapore, never to cause problems for anyone.

We all learn from our mistakes and we seek everyone’s understanding as we try to dig ourselves out of this hole. Stay dry guys.

Entertainment, Geek & Gadgets Ape Communications, Singapore, StreetWars, Water Gun

Forgive me if the tweets or blog gets quieter the next week or so. I’m on a mission…… Who am I kidding, I’m such an easy target! I’d probably get killed tomorrow! I paid S$50 to live in fear.

StreetWars is a 3 week long, 24/7, watergun assassination tournament that has already taken place in New York City, Vancouver, Vienna, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Chicago, and Paris.

At the start of the game you will receive a manila envelope containing the following:
* A picture of your intended target(s)
* The home address of your intended target(s)
* The work address of your intended target(s)
* The name of your intended target(s)
* Contact information of your intended target(s)

Upon receipt of these items, your (or your team’s) mission is to find and kill (by way of water gun, water balloon or super soaker) your target(s).

You can hunt your target down any way you see fit; you can pose as a delivery person and jack them when they open the door, disguise yourself and take them out on the street, etc.

If you are successful in your assassination attempt, the person you killed will give you their envelope and the person they were supposed to kill becomes your new target. This continues until you work yourself through all the players and retrieve the envelope with your (or your team’s) picture(s) and name(s). Then you win. Cash…but first live in fear.

Safe Zones:
* The square city block where you work.
* Buses, trains, train stations, and bus stops (any public transportation)
* Inside bars (not restaurants with bars, ONLY bars)
* No parking lot ANYWHERE is safe, unless you work at a parking lot (ex: you are a parking lot attendant). The parking lot on the block of your office is not safe.

Team Play
* You may sign up as a lone assassin, or as a team.
* No limits on number of team mates
* TEAM PROS: There is a challenging kill quota per week, having more team members will make it a LOT easier to meet your quota, and it’s more fun to split up the work. Our winners, and sudden death contestants in the past have been overwhelmingly dominated by members of teams.
* TEAM CONS: Any member dies, the whole team dies. So pick your team mates wisely.
* Yes, teams may sometimes go up against solo assassins.

Weapons:
* Brightly colored water guns.
* Water balloons
* Super Soakers
* Any Other Water-Based Weapon that is conceptually similar to the above.
* Nothing that remotely resembles a real firearm. Obviously.

Kills:
* 1 hit kills.

Geek & Gadgets, Random Singapore, Street Wars, StreetWars, StreetWars Singapore

I love Mexican food: Quissadilla, burritos, nachos, guacamole and magaritas.

Just yesterday, Victoria asked me on twitter for suggestions on Burrito places in Singapore. I remembered Tequila Blue, a quiet and casual little bar/restaurant all the way at Changi Village, and realised the post was still sitting in my drafts.

So here it is, some photos taken at Tequila Blue, where you can find some pretty decent and very affordable Mexican food. It’s quite a trek out to the east, but if like me, you’re keen to try something new, distance is not an issue coz guacamole makes the world all good again.

Tequila Blue
Address: Blk 5 Changi Village Road, #01-2011
Tel: +65 6543 1153
Opening hours: Mon–Fri 4pm – 12am, Sat–Sun 11am – 12am
Website: http://www.tequilablue.com.sg/

Food Changi Village, Food, Mexican, Singapore, Tequila Blue

So I’ve heard about the infamous chicken rice at Newton, but it was only last november when I tried it. Jim is a visiting brit so it was mandatory to have chicken rice checked off his must do list, I almost believe it’s our national dish! Our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomach, and ordered far more than we could handle for 6 of us.

My advice is to go with more people, so you all can have a taste of these must try dishes:
- Hainanese Chicken Rice
- Marmite pork ribs
- salad yiu tiao
- baby kailan with garlic
- fish head curry
- char siew, siew yok (roast pork)

Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice Restaurant
Address: 275 Thomson Road, #01-05 Novena Ville
Tel: +65 6255 6396
Opening hours: Daily 10.30am – 2am

Food Fish Head Curry, Food, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Marmite Pork Ribs, Salad Yiu Tiao, Singapore, Wee Nam Kee

Jono and Naree were in town last month for their yearly fix. Wish I could have spent a bit more time with that bugger.

Here’s John having his favourite beef kway teow/horfun from Geylang. It’s a yearly pilgramage!

Missing you already! Will plan a trip down under soon mate!

Friends & Family Australia, Friends, Jon, Jono, Perth, Singapore

I discovered this gem of a singer a few months back when I heard her on YouTube. Her music style was very much like Jack Johnson; mellow, acoustic, slightly melancholic together with a unique jazz-like vocals. Only after doing a bit more research did I find out she was signed on with monotone/Brushfire Records, the latter owned by Jack.

Was lucky to score an invite to last night’s gig at Timbre@Art House for her showcase organised by 98.7fm (Thanks Vanessa!) Was still feeling ill but this was too good to miss! Definitely not disappointing at all, she sounded great live. I had the pleasure of meeting her as well after the gig, and I have to say, she is the sweetest thing! I wish her all the success.

Here are my two of my favourite songs below. Others I like are: “First of the Gang and Bitterheart”

Oh btw, sorry for the hiatus. Be prepared to be to be inundated with random blog posts, food reviews and pictures in the next week!

Entertainment, Snaps & Clips Jack Johnson, Music, Singapore, Zee Avi

Lately my new food haunts are around the Robertson Walk area near Mohammed Sultan Road. A few months back, we walked passed a lively wine bar/cafe just down from DoubleO called The Wine Connection. Patrons chatted away over rich wines and aromatic cheese platters. It sounded like a perfect way to round off dinner.

So we sat ourselves down for a bottle of red and two cheeses.

The only disappointing things were the 2 unnecessary surcharges imposed at the end of the night.

For a bottle of wine (which was from the wine list by the way) we were charged a $10 corkage fee. To my knowledge, corkage fees should be charged if you bring your OWN wine, not ones that we order from the menu.

Then there was an extra $5 slapped on for a weekend surcharge.

What we ordered:
Richland Shiraz – $30.80
Candied Nuts – $2.20
Bread Basket – $3.30
Dry Fruits – $2.20
Roquefort – $10.89
Brie de Meaux – $7.26

So at the end of the night, the bill came up to $71.65. A bit pricey in my opinion. If they’d knock of the silly surcharges, I might consider going back.

Wine Connection
Address: 11 Unity Street #01-06
Robertson Walk
Singapore 237995
Tel: +65 6238 6878
Website: www.wineconnection.com.sg

Food & Travel Cheese, Food, Robertson Walk, Singapore, Wine, Wine Connection

It was a spur of the moment decision. On Monday, Wayne decided he wanted to go watch the Brazil Singapore International friendly match at the Singapore Stadium.

If you asked me I think it was a real waste of $60. The game was sloppy and the stadium was in an embarrassing state. It’s time to tear down that place already, what’s taking the government so long!

The only consolation was the company. Chi, Max, Ling, Leon and Lynette made the night entertaining, especially chi with his sudden outbursts during the match. “Oei, $60 can buy me alot of nasi lemak, and right now the nasi lemak is looking alot more attractive!”.

Final Score: Brazil 3 – Singapore 0

Friends & Family Brazil, Singapore, Soccer, Sports