It’s been quite some time ever since I crossed the border over to Johor Bahru (JB) for a short trip. And things have really changed over the years. The immigration queue at the checkpoint has gotten longer and there are now three Johor Bahru shopping malls which are minutes away from Malaysia’s checkpoint. A Good Bargain More importantly, our Singapore dollar has been rising high against Malaysian Ringgit. The exchange rate of the Singapore dollar to Ringgit is approximately SGD 1 to RM3. No wonder so many Singaporeans flock to Johor Bahru to spend their money to their hearts’ content. Food in Johor Bahru is especially tasty and affordable. I…
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The Bicentennial Experience at Fort Canning Hill: What to expect there?
If you did not already know, Singapore marks its bicentennial this year. It has been almost 200 years ago since Sir Stamford Raffles came to our shores. The Singapore’s bicentennial experience revolves around the theme of Singapore’s pre-colonial and colonial history. It is indeed a special year for Singaporeans but I didn’t sense the hype it deserves. The public interest generated among Singaporeans is pale in comparison to Singapore’s grand SG50 celebration in 2015. But to me, it is rather exciting and intriguing to dig up our past and to re-examine our history textbooks on the mythical story of Sang Nila Utama. Our history plays a huge part in shaping…
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Will Changi Airport clinched the Best Airport title again with Jewel?
The world is eyeing on this JEWEL. This gigantic jewel, worth SGD$1.7 billion, sparkles like diamonds under the sun. From a distance, it looked like a futuristic building from a Sci-fi movie. Even from the photos (which I took with my mini Canon EOSM10), this interior of Jewel looked surreal. JEWEL is Singapore Changi Airport’s latest development which has just opened its doors to the public on 17 April 2019. Before the official opening, I went a day earlier for the special preview. The attraction was equally packed even though access was only granted to preview ticket holders. Both Singaporeans and foreigners are equally excited about this latest addition to…
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7 Things You Didn’t Know About Tulips
Thanks to Gardens by the Bay, Singaporeans are able to witness tulips blooming across the flower field at The Flower Dome. It has been a yearly affair for me to visit their annual Tulipmania in the months of April and May to catch a glimpse of these beautiful blooms. But during each visit, I constantly found myself taking photos of the tulips without truly appreciating this spring-blooming flowers. There were signages planted throughout the flower field with a general description of the flower and scientific name printed on it. However, these descriptions did not really stuck with me or help me understand more about the plant. And I find that…
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Costa Venezia Through My Eyes : A Venice-themed Ship
Last weekend, we went onboard Costa Venezia as the cruise made its maiden call to Singapore. It was an exclusive media tour we attended which allowed us to view the interior of the ship and discover what are the unique offerings of Costa Venezia. It’s been quite some time ago ever since I last board a cruise ship for a holiday. Going for a short cruise getaway has been an annual family tradition when I was still a kid. I always remembered the energetic crew members, dazzling evening performances, fun kids-friendly activities and endless buffets that kept me occupied throughout the trip even though in reality, I was stuck in…
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Our First Attempt at Rock Climbing at Climb Central
Looking for a new hobby or a sport to hone this new year? Or tired of the usual HIIT or cardio workouts at the gym? Then you should give rock climbing a shot! I believe that this outdoor sport is becoming really popular judging by the number of rock climbing enthusiasts who gathered at Climb Central to scale up the wall. Scale to a greater height at Climb Central Climb Central is an indoor sport climbing facility which is located at Kallang Wave Mall. It has the tallest indoor rock face in Singapore! The moment you walk into the mall, you will see these towering structures studded with colourful boulders.…
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Heritage Stories: Rediscovering Queenstown
Going for heritage walks and learning about the history of Singapore culture is my current favourite thing to do on a weekend. I find such heritage trails and tours very enriching and inspiring at the same time. It could be due to the nature of my job or it’s just an age thing. But for whatever reasons, I find that I’m falling in love with history and arts all over again. Why our past is important As I listened to the interesting life stories from the guides, I start to question about life and my roots. Through that deep reflection process, I begin to discover more about myself and my…
