Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Travel: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Honestly speaking, Vietnam has never been in my "list-to-travel-places" list mainly because one, i don't know much about the place as a tourist destination and two, i think i won't be able to get used to the local food (because everything there seem to be served with veggies, and i don't take veggies at all.) But anyway, i was looking to get out of country for a short getaway during December "time to clear annual leave" period but airfare to practically anywhere were pretty steep. Even a return fare to BKK would cost me around $300! Usually it's only $160 for non peak period :( 

I was then randomly browsing one night and i came across VietJet advertisement and they were running a promotion to Ho Chi Minh City at only $130. Not the ideal getaway i had in mind but better than nothing, LOL Told K about it, blocked our leaves and booked the tickets to Ho Chi Minh City! Accommodation booked at Liberty Central Saigon Hotel! 
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Departure at Changi Airport Terminal 3! Flight time: 2 Hrs 5 Mins.

Prior to our trip, we did some research on where we want to visit, where to eat etc. Important note for those who stumble upon this post while researching on HCMC: Apparently there are two taxi companies that you should take. Either Mai Linh (mostly white with green lettering, though sometimes green or silver) or Vinasun (white with green and red lettering) The others are not to reliable. Fares increases by thousands but is typically quite cheap in HCMC so no harm taking, even for short distances. Exchange rate was SGD 1: 15,500 Dong when i exchanged prior in Singapore.
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I tend to take a photo of the taxi number every time i enter a taxi, just in case. Anyway it took about 30 mins to reach our hotel (Liberty Central Saigon Hotel) from the airport. Sorry, no photos of the hotel but it's highly recommended. The location is right beside the famous Ben Thanh market and the hotel is quite reputable in HCMC, paid about $100 a night? Checked in, and roamed out to the streets. Made a reservation at AB tower Chill sky bar, one of the taller tower which gives you a panoramic view of the whole HCMC. Drinks and snacks are slightly pricey but i guess it's pretty worth it :)   
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Next morning we roamed out to search for a noodle place recommended by Nina. It was scorching hot that day. I swear we should go for a colder destination for our next trip. The noodles was pretty good but i had no idea what the dish is called or what was i eating. LOL We then headed to the nearby War remnants museum because i was interested in the war aircraft static display. Admission to the museum was 15,000 dong if i didn't remember wrongly. Inside you get to learn about the Vietnam war, basically the remnants of war and whatever is left over or preserved lah. LOL
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Bến Nghé, tp. Hồ Chí Minh, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Notre Dame Cathedral Saigon. Not as magnificent as the famous one in Paris but good enough.
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1st floor, 26 Lý Tự Trọng, District 1, HCMC, Vietnam

One of the list of cafes in our list to visit: Loft Cafe. Saw photos of it on Instagram while researching on HCMC and i was like MUST GO because the cafe seem so white and chic, plus there is this huge Roman clock which i definitely must take photo with. HAHAHA i sound so bimbo. Apparently there is 2 Loft Cafe in HCMC so we googled-map ourselves to the other one. I was like, where is the clock, where is the clock. LOL Then the staff told us the other outlet is just nearby. Heng ah. Service was excellent, food was good and it's very cheap for a cafe compared to Singapore. Took my photo!
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2 Công xã Paris, Bến Nghé, tp. Hồ Chí Minh, Hồ Chí Minh

Another place in my list of places to go: Saigon Central Post Office. I love both of the interior and exterior of this post office! Even though it's now considered a "tourist attraction", this post office is still fully functional and you can still post parcels or send a postcard. It was pretty crowded that day but i would still recommend people to visit the place :)

Booked a Củ Chi tunnel tour the day before at USD10 which included admission fee, pickup and drop off at our hotel. There are a lot of tour agency everywhere so do survey around before booking your Củ Chi tunnel tour. Some maybe slightly more expensive because it's conducted in a slightly smaller group or they provide lunch, some might be super cheap like USD 6 which probably means it doesn't include the admission fee etc, only transport.

The lady at our tour agency told us to get ready and wait in our room at 8.30am and the guide will give our room a call once they reach. The next morning, we finally got the call at 8.45am and we got scolded by the guide for being late. He was like, "The whole bus waited for you guys for almost an hour. This is not a private tour you know?" I tried explaining to him but no use. Suan le, LOL Then on the bus, we got scolded again not bringing our booking receipt along. HAHAHHA I guess he must be really pissed off with two of us but he maintained his composure pretty well i would say.
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The half day tour was really interesting i would say. Everyone got to learn about the history of Vietnam war and how they fought and utilize the cu chi tunnel. The entrance was really camouflaged well and it was REALLY small. We even got to experience a slightly enlarged 100 meter version of the tunnel at the end of tour. Not easy and very very hot.
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3/F p. q. 1, 27 Ngô Đức Kế, Bến Nghé, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Another cafe to visit: The Workshop. The interior is very nice, service and food was just so so.

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Wanted to try the famous "broken rice" so we got kelvin's friend, Ryan to this place to try their authentic broken rice. IT WAS SO GOOD that i had another serving of rice. It was just BBQ pork with an egg but the marinating of the pork was so good. It was just a stall by the wet market, makeshift area with low tables and chairs along the pavement. I guess only the locals would know of such a place. I wonder if there is a place in SG that would serve such a good broken rice dish.
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In a blink of an eye, 3 days 2 nights was over just like that. The only downside was probably our return flight was shifted earlier so we had to wake up early on the last day, like 6 am to get a cab to the airport. Arrived Singapore in the afternoon. We could have spent the morning having some local food, oh wells. Wait, we didn't even had a single bowl of Pho in the entire trip!


Till the next trip,                                 

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Travel: ijen Crater, Indonesia

I actually forgot which month this trip took place but after flipping through my passport, i'm quite certain this trip happened in August. Like i've mentioned in my previous post, i always wanted to do a travelogue on  my trip to ijen crater in Indonesia but while editing the photos, i realized i have forgotten most of the details and the only thing i can still remember is how tiring the hike to the crater was. LOL Nevertheless, i picked out some photos which somewhat sums up my 3D2N weekend trip to Mt. ijen! It all started when Kelvin texted me one night to ask if i'm interested to visit ijen with his colleagues and it would be an night hike to the crater of a volcano (?!) and there will be blue fire (?!) It all sounded pretty out of the world and i went to do some google-ing and found that it's true and the photos of the place seem really magnificent. There was also an airfare promo ongoing (like around $120?) as well so i readily agreed!
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Fast forward to maybe a month later, the day has arrived. Met at the airport with the rest with our hand carry luggage (no check in luggage) and off we flew to Surabaya, Indonesia. The flight took about 2.5 hours. Upon arrival, we met our guide, hopped onto this mini van and traveled on the road forever to our accommodation for the first night. Yes, the journey took us literally the entire day. Not to mention that the accommodation wasn't exactly what we expected, LOL It's like a mini chalet kind of bungalow with the very basic necessities, 2 rooms, living room and a toilet. However there were no fans in the room, wall paints were peeling and moldy, electricity were turned off at midnight, the toilet had no shower and heater. There was just a huge basin filled with cold water and a small pail. Had a little camp fire outside with our guide and his friends, washed up and headed to sleep because we had to wake up early the following day for the sun rise - which wasn't really spectacular in my opinion. I think we slept for only a couple of hours.
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The next morning we woke up at about 5 am to catch the sun rise (which i think we got the timing wrong because of the time zone difference, LOL) Went back to the room to freshen up, had breakfast, explored the place a little and off we hit the road again. Come to think of it, i think we spent most of the time in the car, LOL! We passed by Baluran National Park which is touted as the "Africa of Asia" because of the landscape and it's like a safari zone. When we drove through the park the night before, the skies were full of stars and the view is amazing. We wanted to step out of the car to see the sky and take some photos but our guide told us it was too dangerous so we could only admire from inside the car...
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Stopped by this place along the road to have our lunch. Ordered the Ayam penyet (chicken) rice and these delicious banana and bread topped with chocolate sauce and shredded cheese snacks. I have seriously no idea why i was giving that eww expression when Sarah captured the shot. HAHA That's normally the kind of face i would give when i have eat something gross (like vegetables, lol) But nevertheless we all had a good meal before continuing our journey :)
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As we are driving up the mountains, the weather started to get colder and colder and we soon we had to put on our jacket. It was also foggy to the point where we can't really see the road in front of us! It was quite scary to be honest. Arrived at our next accommodation in the late afternoon where we unpacked and headed out to a natural hot spring. Returned for dinner and had a couple of hours sleep before waking up at 2 am to start our night hike to the crater.

We were warned that it will get really cold in the middle of the night and we should wear more layers. We also bought gloves as well as rented gas mask because as we get nearer to the crater, the air will be filled with sulfuric gas. It gets really difficult to breathe with the mask on after prolong wearing of it though. The journey to the crater was pretty tough as it's an uphill hike and we don't exactly have proper shoes for hiking. Then again, it was nice to see each one of us encouraging each other along the way, waiting for one another and complete the hike together. The view at night was incredible. Even though it was dark, we could still make out the mountainous landscape and the skies were full of stars. I even stopped once in awhile just to take photos of the stars with my trusty G7x Canon camera (with this amazing star mode which never fails to amaze me!) The journey up took us about 2 hours but that's not the end. *cue drama music*
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Look at the incredible starry shot that i took with my camera! So amazing right! Anyway, at the end of the 2 hours hike, we arrived at the top of the crater and from there, we were able to the blue fire as promised! It was quite difficult to capture in photo and it was very far away. The shot above was taken with zoom. We had to make a choice at that point. To head down towards the blue fire and probably miss the sunrise or hike further up and wait for the sunrise... 

In the end we decided to head down. The way down was really dangerous and most of us almost wanted to give up towards the halfway mark. It was pitch dark (we only had our head lights) there were no exact indication on the way down, there were no railing to hold on to and we had to give way if we see any miners coming towards us. No exaggerating but i felt that if anyone were to step onto a loose rock and fall, he or she would probably plunge down and die or get injured really badly. It was that dangerous. Not forgetting the difficult in breathing with our masks...

As we got nearer to the blue fire, the skies also started to get brighter and brighter. 

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 WE MADE IT!!!!

There was a sense of achievement when we finally arrived at the bank of the crater where we saw the origin of the sulfuric fumes which ignited the blue fire. Apparently from Wikipedia, it's the largest blue flame area in the world. In front of us is this beautiful lake which we took photos with. It took us 2 hours to reach the rim of the crater, and another hour down to the bank.  A total of 3 hours in the middle of the night to reach this place, and that's only 1 way. LOL
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At the bank of the crater where we were at, is the source of elementary sulfur. The miners breaks the sulfur into pieces and carry it away in baskets as shown in the above photo. They carry about 75 to 90 kg each time all the way down the mountain and most of them do it as least twice daily. From Wikipedia, their typical daily earnings were equivalent to approximately USD$13 which is about SGD18 a day. Can you imagine them going up and down the mountain carrying heavy load in such dangerous conditions and having minimal protection? I still remember one of them asking if i still need my gloves when i was on the way up. I gladly gave mine away to him. Some of them would try to sell their creative sulfur cravings (e.g animal shapes) to tourists along the way to earn some extra money for themselves.
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Now that it's morning and bright daylight, we finally saw the dangerous route that we got down from. Even thought we took about an hour to get down, going up was much faster as we get to see where we are going and another reason to get away fast is because the wind is changing direction and we couldn't want to be caught in the toxic sulfuric fumes.
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The view was magnificent on the way back. It was really really tiring and guess what? We were heading back to Singapore on the same day itself. Took about 2 hours to get back to our starting point under the hot sun (totally different condition from our way up) It was sandy and slippery and a lot of people slip and fall along the way! Headed back to our mini van, changed and off we head to the airport. Another 4 to 5 hours ride and a couple of stops maybe?
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Overall it was a tiring but awesome experience. I'm quite sure i wouldn't have plan for a hiking trip like this without someone asking. (apparently there is also a Mt Bromo around the area but i guess not, LOL) It was quite an eye opener and definitely not the "usual" holiday getaway, That's it for my ijen trip, maybe you might want to try heading to ijen for your next holiday destination? :P


Mission accomplished,                     

Monday, November 16, 2015

Till then.

3 months since i wrote on this blog. There were several times where i told myself i must sit down and churn out a post since i have free time on that particular day, just like today. I told myself that since i'm on leave today, i would cater some time to filter out photos to do a travelogue on my trip to ijen Crater in Indonesia a couple of months ago but in the end here i am procrastinating and god knows when i will have another time like this. LOL

Since the last post (which was an advertorial for G-Shock. Come to think of it, quite wu hua for them. Top post for 3 months leh, HAHAHA) Anyway, since the last post, I went to Hong Kong (again), went to Indonesia, went to Batam for a weekend getaway and recently came back from my 2 weeks work trip to Australia. Oh ya, i went to Legoland Malaysia for a day and guess what? I have already booked tickets to Vietnam for next month! #wanderlust? HAHA Time really flies and probably in a blink on eye, it will be Christmas and soon we will be counting down to 2016. 

November has been a pretty stressful month but i'm quite sure it will get better when December comes. After all it's the holiday season and i'm clearing 9 days of leave throughout the month. *cross fingers that the dates i requested for will be approve* I do miss blogging and writing about about my life but i guess it's all about priorities nowadays and what matters most to you. Not that i'm going to neglect this blog forever but i wished i can manage time better and stop procrastinating. HAHA That's all i have for this short entry. I really hope to blog about my ijen trip because it was really an interesting experience!

 Till then,         

Thursday, August 27, 2015

I can has a new watch! Casio G-Shock G'MIX

It's been awhile since i updated this blog of mine. Not that i don't bother anymore but i have been busy with my personal life, busy with work and recently just got back from a trip to Indonesia! Can't wait to consolidate the photos and probably do a short travelogue on the trip! On another note, i'm flying to Hong Kong next week (i know i just went HK recently but still. LOL) Quite an impromptu decision to book tickets but i think i will enjoy it more compared to the previous time *wink After which a few weeks later, i'll be flying over to Aussie in October for work, once again "celebrating" my birthday overseas for the 2nd year in a row. Quite glad it's only for 2 weeks and not any longer. Phew.
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Anyway, recently Casio (very kindly) gave me one of their latest G-shock G'MIX watch that comes in 7 different colors and after careful deliberation, i chose the red one. Was contemplating between the black, black-gold and red but decided to go with the red since i don't have a red watch and the red seem to be the nicest (and most attractive) out of the bunch. I'm always wearing monochrome colors like in the above photo and my Red G-MIX watch really stands out.
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The main highlight of this G-Shock G'MIX watch is that it's a Bluetooth watch! It may look just like any other ordinary G-Shock watches but this G'MIX watch allows you to connect to your smart phone to control your music using your watch via Bluetooth - which also means you can actually leave your phone in your pocket or in your bag and wireless-ly control music tasks like increasing/ decreasing the volume, next track etc. Sounds pretty cool hor? There is even a cool function whereby with SoundHound technology, you can search for the song playing at your area and if found, the title of the song will be displayed on your phone! When the Casio people first demo-ed to me this function, i was pretty impressed.
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Basic functions that can be set via the G-Shock+ app where you can set the time, alarm, timers and even how long you want the light illumination to last and because the watch and your phone is linked via Bluetooth, the timing displayed on your smart phone will automatically be adjusted to be the same on the watch. So imagine going overseas to a place where there is a time zone difference, the time on your watch will auto reflect the time zone you are in seamlessly :D
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You can even set the functions of each button for your music control :)
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Here's a glimpse of the G-Mix app where there is a dedicated music player which allows you to have intuitive control over the sound quality i.e equalizer. Note that you can still control the music functions with your smart phone's music player without using the app. While playing your song, the title will also be displayed on your watch as shown below:
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Quite cool hor? HAHA
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The G-Shock G'Mix watch currently retails at $269 at G-Shock Factory islandwide and for my readers/ followers, if you flash this blogpost or my instagram post (https://instagram.com/p/5oMsILO2cZ/) you will get $20 off the retail price! This promotion is valid from now till 23rd Sep 15. Psst, i heard now the stores are also giving a free music headset with any purchase of the G'Mix watch! But do note that you can only either have the $20 discount or receive the headphones. Visit http://world.g-shock.com/asia-mea/en/ble/gba/ for more info on the watch :)

That's all i have for this post, till the next update! Even though there might not be a lot of people reading my blog now compared to last time (thankful for those who still religiously visit everyday, haha) I hope and i will still update my blog every now and then! Keep those emails coming, be it personal or blog engagements. I will do my best to reply every single one of them :)


Still hanging around,                           

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Cafe hopping across the border - Johor Bahru!

It's been awhile since i updated my blog and i'm finally back with a new blog post! I have to admit that i've been too lazy to update this blog of mine but i'm still thankful to you guys who religiously visit this site every other day just to see if there is any update. I'm now kinda more on other social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram (id: andystorm) or Snapchat (id: imandystorm) to update bite sized of my life here and there nowadays but rest assured i will never neglect my blog totally! It's just that i now take a bit more time to think of content to blog. Pai seh ah, LOL 

I have been reading articles on the up and coming cafes in Johor Bahru, Malaysia (JB) for the past few months and always wanted to go across the border to visit these cafes but the number 1 thing that is deterring me is the lack of transport knowledge. The cafes are spread out everywhere throughout JB and i honestly think it's not easy to get from places to places, even on a cab since most of us are not familiar with the area. So the plan to go cafe hopping in JB was always KIV, until i read online about this Jalan Dhoby "hipster" area that is of walk-able distance from City Square Mall!
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(Source unknown - please let me know if this image belongs to you)


Above is a hand drawn map that i found online which roughly shows the way to the hipster area where you can find quite a number of cafes. It takes about 10 to 15 mins to walk from City Square Mall to the area, quite easy to navigate honestly if you follow the "map" religiously. There are also signage along the way to tell you which road you are at. Once you find one of the cafes, you probably will be able to spot the rest since they are all situated in the same area.

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#1: IT Roo Cafe
17, Jalan Dhoby, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
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Touted as the best chicken chop in town and awarded the “Best Chicken Chop in Malaysia” title by The Star newspaper in 2003, how can i not give it a try! I wanted to have a proper lunch before any cafe food so i suggested that we head to IT Roo Cafe for their chicken chop! For their famous chicken chop, you can choose to have either the Grilled or Fried version (RM14) and it comes with a potato side along with coleslaw. Honestly, the dish is delicious and filling but then again i feel that i can find similar tasting grilled chicken chop in Singapore. The taste of the chicken and mushroom sauce is not really that unique to me but still do give this famous chicken chop a try and do let me know what you think!

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#2: The Ice-Cream Project
31, Jalan Dhoby, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru
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After a proper lunch, it's time to explore the area and we passed by The Ice Cream Project. Wasn't sure what kind of ice cream they serve but we decided to go in anyway (the place was air conditioned and the weather that day was quite hot too, LOL) The place is located opposite IT Roo Cafe and it should be quite easy to spot because of the instagram worthy swing and fake grass right outside the shop. Apparently The Ice Cream Project (TIP) only serve 5 flavors (including original) and the ice cream are all made to order using liquid nitrogen. Each cup cost RM10, not the cheapest ice cream around but definitely worth it! I ordered the Brownies and cream and it was delicious! Every mouth of filled with chewy brownies and the original milk flavor was not overbearing. I would definitely want to come back to try other flavors! :D

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#3: Coffee Valley
12, Jalan Trus, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru
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I would say Coffee Valley was one of the hidden gem we found that day. Tucked at a quiet corner and only accessible via the back valley, we would have easily missed it if we weren't looking for somewhere to take our #ootd that day! LOL

When we saw the staircase leading up to the cafe, we had no idea what kind of cafe "Coffee Valley" is and what they serve. We decided to go up anyway and we found a nice little cafe on the second floor which to me, is a perfect place to spend the afternoon with a group of friends. They serve brunch, drinks and waffles at a really affordable price! (Can't remember the pricing though) Even though we were full from the chicken chop and ice cream, i still wanted to order their signature waffle just to give it a try, haha. #fatdieus The waffles were made to order and came nice and fluffy with a scoop of ice cream along with the sauces. I also ordered a cup of hot chocolate to paired it with the waffles. Really nice place and i would definitely bring my friends here for my next trip! I want to try their brunch sets! 

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#4: Roost Cafe
9, Jalan Dhoby, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
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It was already evening by the time we finished Coffee Valley and exploring the area and we wanted to head to Faculty of Caffeine for the last stop aka dinner (yes, we were full but still need to eat dinner right? LOL) but by the time we found the place, it was closed -_- Apparently they only open till 6 pm. Anyway Faculty of Caffeine is not really at the Jalan Dhoby area, i will share more on it when i visit the next time. So since Faculty of Caffeine was closed, we went back to Jalan Dhoby and decided on a cafe that we passed by earlier - Roost Cafe. Ordered 2 mains - Banger and Mash and Eggs Benedict. The food there is pretty decent and reasonable priced. We sat on the 2nd level which looked rather "hipster-ish" with all the funky designs like the bookshelf you see in the photo above. Pretty nice place to chill at night.

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One of the #ootd shots that day at the back alley, which also led us to Coffee Valley.

That's 4 cafes i visited that day and i'm quite sure i will be sharing on the other cafes in JB within the next few months! The awesome thing about cafe hopping in JB is the pricing! You know how we always spend like $30 or more for every time we have brunch in Singapore? Well, guess how much i spent that day? A grand total of SGD$25 for all the food that i had! (after dividing by half since leon and i split the bill) The amount reflected on the menus are the same as in Singapore but that is before conversion, which i think is about RM2.75 is to SGD1 now? *throw confetti* LOL Plus it's so convenient to take the public transport to go over to the JB and back. That's all i have, till the next JB cafe post! 


Crossing the border,                            

Friday, June 12, 2015

Visit to #TrappedSG Escape Room!

Recently i was invited by Trapped.sg to head down to their outlet to have a go at one of their 5 escape rooms that they offer! I've always been a fan of these escape rooms because it really requires you to work together as a team to find clues, solve puzzles, use the very last bit of your brain juice to find the way out of the room within a certain time limit. 
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Trapped.sg has 2 outlets in Singapore, one at Kandahar Street and the other at *Scape. The room that we attempted that day was the "Hunger Games" and it was hosted at the Kandahar Street outlet. Nearest MRT would be at EW12 Bugis.
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I invited the "brunch buddies" group (4 of us) to join me for this exciting escape room challenge! Each room can take a group size of about 2 to 10 players but from my experience, i would recommend the team size to be about 4 to 6 players. (Even though there is a saying, the more brains the better. LOL) I mean imagine having 10 people in one small room trying to find clues and solving puzzles, it's definitely gonna be noisy and everyone will be all over the place! LOL
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Before the start of the game, the game master will give you a briefing on the game rules, the story line for your room (in our case, something along the Hunger Games movie) and what is expected of you and your team. 60 mins was all we had to "escape" from the room and the next thing we know, the huge countdown timer started. #panicmodeon HAHA
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The thing about these escape rooms is that you are literally "thrown" into the room without a single clue so you really have to start from scratch and find clues to gain access to the next room. You have to literally rampage through everything (at the same time be mindful of the game rule of not flipping any furniture, lol. We got scolded a few times for moving the furniture, opps) You have to solve the different puzzles, find the locker combinations etc. It was really stressful but exciting at the same time. You will realise the one hour you have passes really fast! zomgbbqwtf

Oh ya, did i mention they provide you with a wireless phone before you enter the room? Well, you technically have 3 calls to the game master just in case you are stuck at any one point and require a clue to advance further. I honestly think we made more than 3 calls that day, lol. According to their website, the "Hunger Games" room is 80 out 100% difficulty and 86% intensity. I have no idea how smaller groups can handle the intensity when the 4 of us literally went crazy inside. LOL Sometimes the clues are just right in front of us and we can just missed it or the clue can be found at the last place you would think of, example - the air vent or in the power socket on the wall. LIKE SERIOUSLY. tian ah...
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As you might have guessed it, we failed our mission. Damn! I thought we were smart enough to solve it. LOLOLOL

When the 60 mins were up, the game master came into the room and started explaining the flow of the game. Like what we are supposed to look for, how to solve the puzzle etc. Throughout the explanation, in my mind i was like, "how would you expect anyone to think of this?!" but apparently he said a quite a number of teams managed to solve the whole game in under an hour. I guess we are just not good enough or maybe we are just tired after work. #excuses, lol

Overall it was a really fun experience and i would totally love to do it all over again. Not the same room since we already know how to "solve" the Hunger Games room, but the other 4 rooms. Throughout the 1 hour session, i really felt that i was really squeezing my brain juice to think out of the box to solve the puzzles. If you are looking for a challenge with your friends, or you think you have amazingly high IQ and problem solving skills, i would highly recommend you to give Trapped.sg a try! More details like the different rooms, location and pricing can be found on their site - http://www.trapped.sg! Thanks Trapped.sg for the invite, i will be back!!!!! :D


Seriously mindblown,                       


Saturday, May 30, 2015

香港 Hong Kong '15 - Day 4 & 5

The last post for this 香港 trip which consist of Day 4 and 5. Normally when i finish a blog travelogue, it would meant that i am departing for another trip real soon but i guess this time it's not the case, HAHA. I'm still in Singapore, working my ass off, growing more white hair from all the stress (but in the meantime also trying to plan for another trip, probably within the next few months, LOL) Who knows i might just go for another impromptu trip! I'm trying lah. HAHA
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Woke up quite late and decided to head down to this old rustic cafe that i have been passing by for the past few days. My cousin told me i should totally visit the place because of their old school breakfast and setting. Mido Cafe, 63 Temple St, Hong Kong. I ordered a cup of hot cocoa and traditional toast with luncheon meat and egg. Awesome! :D
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After breakfast, i went to explore the area and came across the street market. Very happening place.
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Came across a store where they sell the HK famous curry fish ball so i decided to order some for myself. Apparently i got cheated because the auntie prepared the largest portion (instead of the usual 1 or 2 sticks) for me, probably because she realized i'm a tourist. I ended up with a huge bowl of fish balls (about 25 of them?) and had to pay like SGD7 for it? So angry. Kept eating while walking around until my jaw became sore from all the chewing. TMDDDD! >:(
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Just had to take an #ootd in front of the old grey buildings of Hong Kong.
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Went to this "Mei Ho House" cafe which is a cafe at a hostel. Address: Hong Kong, 石硤尾巴域街九龍深水埗石硤尾邨41座 It's a very nice place to chill and maybe meet people, make friends because it's located in a hostel area for backpackers and tourists. I literally spent my whole afternoon sitting there. LOL The design of the place is really nice as well! :D
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Salad. French Toast. Hot Chocolate to last for the entire afternoon at Mei Ho House Cafe.
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Passed by this long street where they mainly sell pets and fishes. The fishes are individually packed into these plastic bags and hanged outside the shop. It makes me wonder what happens at the end of the day the shop closes... do they refill the oxygen in the bag or do they pour the fishes back into a tank. Whichever way, it seem like a lot of effort.
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Had to give this milk pudding a try since i'm in Hong Kong and my cousin recommended me the ones from Yee Shun. Not a fan of milk so i chose the chocolate version. Still very milky, not to my liking. HAHA Do give it a try in Hong Kong!
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Last day in Hong Kong and i forced myself to wake up for one last breakfast. Chose a cha chaan teng 茶餐厅 to have the standard Hong Kong breakfast (which i loveeee!) Ordered the Polo bun set with ham and egg, additional luncheon meat toast and lemon coke (?!). Last day liao, must order more what! HAHAHAHA I was really full when i left the place, hehe
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Decided to explore the area and digest my heavy breakfast. HAHA Went into another street market and also this jade market. The morning life in Hong Kong is really interested. Exactly like what was depicted in the HK dramas, LOLOL
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Thanks to Visondata for providing their portable WIFI device, i was able to stay connected throughout my 5 days in Hong Kong! Normally when i touched down at my destination, one of the first things i would do would be to get a local sim card, but this time i could do without getting one! Having one of these portable WIFI devices allows users to stay connected to the internet while traveling, without worrying about hefty data roaming charges. How awesome is that! :D

VDS currently offers their portable WIFI rental to 15 popular destinations including Japan, Korea, Europe and more and rental cost as low as $9 per day, definitely cheaper than what local telcos offer for data roaming. With the device, you can even connect a few devices to it at the same time! So if you are traveling in groups, you guys might want to share and rent one of these WIFI devices to stay connected throughout the trip! It was very useful having data connection throughout the trip because i depend on GPS to navigate around and also to search for places and food around the area.

Just 4 simple steps in renting your WIFI from VisonData:
#1: Make a reservation via phone or online - http://visondata.com.sg
#2: Pickup the device at the store (#05-41C,IMM Building 2) or arrange for courier.
#3: Enjoy your device at your destination!
#4: Return the device at the store or arrange for shipping.

Once again, thank you VisonData for extending your service for my Hong Kong trip! Connection was great throughout the trip. I was able to stay connected, update my Facebook Status, upload photos on my instagram, contact my friends using whatsapp and many more! I would definitely want to rent one of these devices for my future overseas trip! :D

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Time to checkout of my hotel and head to the airport!
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Jetstar flight back to Singapore. Good bye Hong Kong.
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#selfie on board. First solo trip a success! Weeeeee~
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Like i mention in my very first post, this trip was rather a fulfilling one. I came to Hong Kong without knowing what to do, where to go. I just wanted to leave the country to get some "alone" time and move on. When people say go for a trip, you will feel better. It's somewhat true and false at the same time. True as in you get to reflect but false because when you spend time alone, you tend to think more and further. Irregardless, it was a fruitful trip to me.


Till the next trip,                           

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 & 5