Enjo Party!

*Shinta and I did something very domestic (and probably uncool amongst under 30s?). We hosted an Enjo party...

A WHAT?!?!

Well basically it works like a Tupperware party.
Hosts hold a gathering to "show off" the goods to friends and neighbours, who then become so awed by how much easier their lives would be if they had the items, that they buy lots of products. The key differences were
1) Enjo not Tupperware
2) The Hosts did not own any Enjo products themselves (yet)
3) "Showing off" was done by a professional demo

Basically how this started was that while visiting a friend, we found out that she was using what I called a "magic cloth"... it requires no soap to be used while washing oily greasy plates. We didn't believe the plates would be sufficiently clean at first, and insisted on testing it ourselves. It was only when we managed to easily produce the squeaky clean sound that we were finally convinced of its effectiveness.

So we did what our generation always does and googled for the Enjo contact, arranged for a demo to be done at our place (Enjo only sells through "direct marketing"), and invited a few friends over. I must admit we had an ulterior motive, secretly hoping our house would be cleaned in the process of the demo...

Well as the 1hour presentation/demo came to a close, all of us ended up placing orders for various products in the different Enjo ranges. Since *Shinta and I don't normally clean the place ourselves, we decided to stick to the kitchen related items, which we would use more of. It should be interesting testing them out once the goods arrive!

48 red roses!

My vote is for sale...

So I was innocently having a coffee at Toast Box with a friend, when this young lady approached us and asked if we could help them with a survey. Spying a stack of vouchers in her hand, we decided to let her talk more about it rather than just waving her away.

Turns out that in conjunection with Toast Box running for the Singapore Promising Brand Award, they are conducting a survey and asking customers to vote for them in exchange for a nice free coffee/tea voucher. When we asked if we could just get the voucher for just doing the survey, she looked a little paiseh when she explained that she would have to walk us through the voting procedure on our handphones and only then we could get the voucher.

So basically it comes down to 20 cents SMS for a $1.50 drink.

I have mixed feelings on this. On one hand they're effectively bribing us for our vote (something the lady couldn't deny when we pointed it out). On the other hand, they're taking the initiative to garner votes in a way that promotes their products.

Hm.. time to find out who else is running and see if they will "bribe" me to vote for them as well...

Supper

1.30am, Saturday morning
Newton Hawker Center
Supper with friends
- BBQ stingray
(1 large to share)
- BBQ chicken wings
(1 each)
- Oyster Omelette
(1 large to share)
- Small squid
(1 large plate to share)
- Beer (640ml each)

3.00am, Saturday morning
Totally knocked out (thanks to the beer!)

Spotted! #7

Ok ok, I do feel a little mean for posting this...

...but I was just speechless when I saw this tall and actually not too bad looking guy with brown hair wearing a ROYAL PURPLE JUMPSUIT (yes, a one-piece jumpsuit) and holding an LV handbag on the bus.


Look at his nice legs!
And YES, I am sure it was a guy!

It's been a year...

Happy birthday to my blog!

Food Bytes: Special Occasions (Morton's the Steakhouse)

Had a special birthday occasion to celebrate, so I made reservations at Mortons. The last time I was there was before the mad cow disease and the subsequent ban on US beef, so you can imagine how long ago that was.

Telling them in advance that we were there to celebrate a birthday paid off. They had prepared a special table for us, decorated with shiny bits...

... and a customised menu. Little touches like that probably don't cost very much, but definitely help make the occasion more memorable.

After we had sat down and made ourselves comfortable they gave us their usual presentation of the menu with the various cuts of meat, selection of veggies and seafood. This practice is not really uncommon, but personally I must say I'm not that keen to see cuts of raw food, or a live lobster waving its claws at me just prior to getting slaughtered.

Mortons is famous for its beef, and they do pretty large cuts of it. The waiter was not pushy about whether we ordered 2 mains or shared 1, although he did gently remind us that they would be happy to help us wrap up leftovers to take home. We noticed with amusement that they had renamed their "ladies cut" as a "slightly smaller steak". Probably to make the guys feel better about ordering it?

The famous Mortons Onion Bread...

*Shinta ordered "shrimp" as his appetiser, so I was imagining some really small pale looking prawns and was really surprised when the waiter appeared with 3 huge grilled prawns cooked with butter. As you can probably guess, I stole some!

My oysters were fresh and juicy. I'm not a fan of the large fat ones (bit gross for me), so these medium sized ones suited me just fine.

*Shinta's medium Porterhouse steak...

My "slightly smaller" New York Strip...

Done medium rare just the way I like it!

We also ordered a side dish of sauteed buttom mushrooms to share. Really liked it a lot despite the fact that we were so full.

Dessert was the "Morton's Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake" which came complete with a candle and waiters gathering around to sing Happy Birthday with great gusto. The staff also took our photo and presented us with it in a signed card from them. During the course of our 2hour dinner there, we heard the birthday song sung no less than 5 times. According to the waiter, apparently up to 10 times a night is "normal"!

The chocolate cake was liquid on the inside. This was the slightly sweeter version, less rich and easier to finish than my favorite one at Pump Room.

At the end of dinner, we departed happy, and like most others, holding a take away bag.

The cold steak and mushrooms were still excellent the next day. Mortons is probably not as accessible a restaurant to most since they specialise in steak, but for those who do like beef, its great to pay them a visit every now and then. If only we could afford to go more often!

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Morton's the Steakhouse
Mandarin Oriental, 4th Storey, 5 Raffles Avenue, Marina Square
Tel: +65 6339 3740
Hours: 5.30pm to 11.00pm(Mon to Sat), 5.00pm to 10.00pm (Sun)
http://www.mortons.com/singapore//
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Handyman

Table from Ikea: $39
# of screws and badly pre-drilled holes: 20
Handdrill from Black & Decker: $33

Total cost: $72

Spotted! #6

Thanks to a friend for pointing out this one from The Straits Times Online.

Headline: Protectionism lauded at Apec

Text: Economists and academics have praised the outcome of last week's Asia-Pacific economic Cooperation (Apec) forum here for its strong anti-protectionist stance and the promise to keep...

Spin the wheel!

The rear right side of the car is really an unlucky spot. All 3 accidents we've had involved denting that exact spot above the wheel over and over again. Luckily each time we had decided not to bother to repair, otherwise that would really be money down the drain!

About a year ago I somehow managed to somehow puncture the rear right tyre while turning into a carpark. It was totally flat by the time we returned from lunch and had to be replaced.

This time round, *Shinta was the one who punctured the very same tyre (stupid confusing roads at Havelock carpark where you must alternate keeping left and right as you turn!!!). We didn't realise it at first and continued to drive on unsuspectingly (testimony to the Citroen's excellent suspension!). We found out only after we entered a carpark and 3 different groups went out of their way to tell us we had a flat. Never let it be said that Singaporeans are unhelpful!

Anyway, changing tyres is expensive. We ended up changing all 4 wheels because it was "about time". Be careful when you drive!

Victor Victoria! Is She a King or is He a Queen?

Caught the musical Victor Victoria with a friend. Originally starring Julie Andrews in the 1982 original, this version featured Laura Fygi as Victoria Grant / Count Victor Grazinski.

Here's my take on the 2h30min show.

(Warning: while the show itself is PG, the content is probably NOT suitable for the young, and those uncomfortable with gay themes!)

The Singing
Starting off a little shaky, Laura Fygi managed to warm up and give an entertaining performance. Her voice was easily the best and strongest of the entire cast. Matt Greg's Carroll Todd the Queen who helps Victoria with her act was easily the most fun and enjoyable character.

Nicole Ainton who played the (intentionally) annoying dumb blonde Norma Cassidy managed to bring across her high pitched whining role with such humour that one couldn't help but forgive her character. Jake Macapagal's King Marchan (the Chicago gangster who falls for Victoria) made me nervous because he had a strong Philippines accent while speaking, which somehow managed to give way to a strong accent-free singing voice.

In fact, the rest of the cast had really terrible inconsistent accents. The mixed international cast which included Singaporeans just couldn't hang on to their fake French / American accents consistently. It's a bit disconcerting to hear someone start off in a Singaporean accent only to complete the sentence in a fake American one.

The Dancing
The male dancers were pretty good, well co-ordinated and with exciting dance moves. The ladies on the other hand... it was pretty sloppy to be totally honest. They definitely needed more rehearsals.

The Music
I liked the band and the jazzy numbers, but don't expect catchy songs that you can hum along to as you wash the dishes or fold the laundry.

The Wardrobe
I actually loved the brightly sequined costumes that flashed beautifully under the stage lights during the dance scenes, but there were too many wardrobe errors to be forgiven...

First Victoria's bracelet flew off her wrist and managed to get kicked around by the dancers on stage until one of them finally managed to pick it up and throw it into the wings. Second one of the dancers lost his hat during a dance move where he had to put it on the floor, and there it remained for quite a while. Third, a white piece of cloth from someone's costume managed to fall off while dancing and there it lay on front of the stage again...

Overall, I still did enjoy the show. Our mistake was probably going so early in the run, when the cast hadn't yet polished their roles enough. Victor/Victoria is showing at the Esplanade until the end of the month, so you can still catch it if you want.

Heard #1

So I was along Orchard Road and wanted to get to Suntec City. A bus I didn't normally take came along, and I wanted to make sure I was boarding the correct one.

Me: (tapping card and not looking at driver) Does this bus go to Suntec City?
Driver: (silence...)
Me: (looks up and realises driver is a Chinese national) er... Suntec City?
Driver: 车是直直走的
Me: (no idea what Suntec City is in Chinese) er...
Me: (fumbling to describe the wealth fountain) 有没有去那个"圆圈"
Driver: er...
Me: (gives up and just boards bus)

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against other nationalities working here. Furthermore its not like the driver didn't try... When another person asked him about the route, he brought out the bus route guide and tried to help. Still, I do think bus drivers should learn at least the names of extremely key areas like Suntec City in English. After all its not like they have many names to remember if they drive the same route every day.

I guess the other thing to note is that my Chinese is really embarrassingly horrible...

Spotted! #5

It's barely November and not only are the Christmas lights up, they are also already lit!

Isn't it a little early? Or is it due to Singapore hosting APEC this coming week?

Either way, its a reminder that time is passing and yet another year is coming to a close...

Not for sale...

To: All the property agents in Singapore...

Our rooms are NOT FOR RENT.
Our flat is NOT FOR SALE.

Please cease the endless

i) stuffing of flyers in our mailbox
ii) shoving advertisements on to our gate
iii) unsolicited phone calls

because it
a) is thrown unread into the bin
b) creates a lot of unsightly litter
c) is just plain annoying.

If in the distant future we do wish to divest our property, we will get an agent ourselves through recommendations from trusted friends. We WILL NOT be using some random agent that has to resort to advertising via flyers.

Thank you

Yours sincerely,
The Flat Owners

Food Bytes: Customised Ice Kachang...

On a hot day, my favourite place to go is Adam Road's dessert stall. Have found its opening times to be irregular, so I'm quite glad every time its actually open.

The place is recommended for its ching teng, but what I usually like to order is the ice kachang. Except that its not really ice kachang, but its my special order of "ice-kachang-kosong-with-only-lychee-and-only-brown-sugar-syrup-and-extra-milk".

I love the ice there because its super fine and soft, not horrible hard crystals. It does depend sometimes on who the person at the ice machine is though. The last time I went there, I polished off 2 bowls almost all by myself!

The Travel Bug: Things I learnt in Egypt

*Shinta and I had our reservations about going to Egypt at first. We were a little nervous after reading warnings about how to behave there, what to wear, terrorism, customs, cheats and hassling. Despite some minor hiccups however, we had a fantastic time and it was definitely one of the most exciting trips ever. Egypt deserves its reputation as host of the world's most amazing wonders and everyone should go to at least once in their life.

Here are some interesting things we discovered on our trip. It's a mix of travel advice as well as interesting facts I didn't see on other Egypt guides. Hopefully it will make your own travelling experience better!

1. Independent travel is probably not possible

Many of the archaeological sites are situated in far remote places, and a scary and complicated transport system makes getting there on your own a huge pain. Tourists are not allowed to take the "local" public transport and unless you're used to driving in places like Rome or Greece, don't even think about self drive! You could hire a taxi or a driver + car, but the problem is making sure you find a reputable agency with reasonable rates and pray they don't abandon you in the middle of nowhere unless you pay more...

2. Compromise - A fully arranged private tour

Most people would probably choose to join a tour group. May I suggest you think about a private tour. Basically one company will take care of the logistics from end to end, including hotels, air tickets and transfers, entrance fees. You will be met at each city by your private guide and car. You can personalise your itinerary, have full flexibility over your time, and enjoy a better guide-to-guest ratio. Because you are not travelling in a large group, you spend less time waiting around for others, and more time admiring the sites. We managed to spend significantly more time exploring the ruins without the large crowds/groups around, and had the luxury of waiting for others to move off first, leaving us with a chance to take beautiful photos without other tourists in the foreground ruining the shot like the example below.

3. Talk to your guide - he knows a lot

Don't underestimate your tour guide. To be a guide in Egypt, you have to attend college for 3-4 years to study history, details on the archaeology sites, and read & write a second language. Guides are then given a licence for that particular language and have to take a test to renew it every 6 years. Being a tour guide is viewed as a pretty good career option, and our guide was telling us how his brother chose to become a tour guide over doing a fully sponsored PhD! If you're nice to your guide, he will help defend you from hustlers, get you out of trouble, give you advice on how much to pay for things and where to buy them from.

4. Ask your guide where to eat

If you go on a private tour, breakfast is usually provided, but lunch or dinner may or may not be. The best meals we had in Egypt were not the ones included in the package, but the ones our guide actually eats at himself and recommended to us.

5. High security??!! Er... if you say so...

Tourism being one of the top 4 drivers of Egyptian economy, the government took security very seriously after the 2005 terrorist attacks, in an effort to reassure tourists that Egypt was "safe" and encourage them to return. Everywhere throughout Egypt at the entrances of all the ruins, monuments, hotels (basically anywhere tourists might go), you will find x-ray machines and metal detectors similar to airport security procedures. Maybe they were more vigilant at the beginning, but today these are all pretty much for show. No one gave us a second glance or even looked up when we walked through the metal detectors still holding our bags in our hands and setting off all the alarms. We spotted quite a few Tourism Police nodding away at their posts, not even pretending to look around for suspicious characters.

6. Respect the place

What surprised us was how "open" Egypt was in terms of access to the sites. Tourists were free to wander around the premises, and while most respectfully kept their distance from the pillars and walls, there were the few rowdy ones climbing on the ruins or indiscriminately leaning against the intricate carvings on the pillars and walls. I guess the Egyptians think if the temples have been standing there surviving the hot sun for thousands of years, it can survive a few thousand tourists trampling on its grounds every single day.

7. Cairo and Giza stink. Literally.

Bring your inhaler if you're asthmatic. There was a constant haze in the skies and stink in the air, very much like Singapore at its absolute worst when the fires in Indonesia are raging. Alexandria in the north by the sea was marginally better, while it was very much better further south in Luxor to Abu Simbel.

8. Dress Code

Even if you don't enter the mosques, females should take more care with their outfits while visiting Cairo, Giza and Alexandria. If you don't cover up (no shorts, no sleeveless tops), you *will* feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. In Abu Simbel and the Nile Cruise areas (Aswan to Luxor), the concentration of tourists is very much higher, so the dress code accordingly becomes more relaxed. Covering up a little more does help shield your skin from the direct sun though, making the heat more bearable. Note that the further south you go, the warmer it gets. In Hurghada by the Red Sea coast where Russians seem to outnumber Egyptians, anything goes.

9. There's a lot of construction going on...?

When we first saw Cairo, we got the impression that there was a lot of residential construction throughout the city. The first few floors might look finished although not painted, while the top floor usually looked like it was half done, with no ceiling, unfinished brick walls with wires from open structural pillars sticking into the air... According to our guide, these were intentionally left uncompleted so that the owners could claim the buildings were not finished yet and hence avoid paying taxes. Never mind that families had already moved in and had been living there for years...

Along the way between cities such as Cairo to Alex, or Luxor to the Red Sea, the roads mainly passed through desert land. We did see a lot of what looked like construction of new residential / shopping compounds being built literally in the middle of nowhere. However, there didn't seem to be much on-going activity, and we were wondering if they had been abandoned halfway.

10. Shopping is not easy

The usual things to buy from Egypt are jewellery (Cartouches in gold, silver or metal), perfume essence, vases or carvings made from alabaster. I've heard so much conflicting information about whether the items are good to buy or not, that I must say I'm quite confused myself. For example, our guide brought *Shinta and I to a perfume store to get some perfume essence in oils, that were supposedly used for the base for famous scents like Chanel No. 5 and Tommy. We were later told by another guide that these oils might stain clothes, and so to be careful when using it. Your tour guide is likely to get a cut of whatever papyrus "museum" or alabaster "factory" or jewellery store he brings you to, so do take his advice with a pinch of salt.

In general for bargaining, start at 5% of their initial price they quote, and then settle around 10-15%. Seriously. I am NOT joking. The straw hats that they quote you EGP100 for? Pay at most EGP10. We walked away from an alabaster vase when they countered our 10% price with a 40% price, and only after we got into the car to leave, did they come running after us with an offer for 15% which we finally settled on.

One "safe" gift to buy and bring back is Egyptian sweets. These are not normally sold as gifts, but we got our guide to bring us to the bakery in the compound where he stays(Egyptians stay in "compounds" made up of many condo-like developments, all self-contained and with security around the period), and bought a few huge boxes back. They taste really good and can be easily shared with friends and family back home.

The Travel Bug: Wonders of Egypt #12/12 (Red Sea Snorkelling)

For the last of the Wonders of Egypt photo series, have decided to do a snorkelling special!

*Shinta and I were in 2 minds over whether to snorkel when at Hurghada. Just off the coast of our resort there are a lot of dead reefs, so to see nice ones you would have to take a boat out. We didn't take the full day snorkelling trip to Gifu island (which probably would have had better snorkelling), but went for the 3h glass bottom boat + sunset on sand dune instead.

The good thing about a glass bottom boat is that even non-swimmers can go for it. Viewing through the glass bottom wasn't a large part of trip, since obviously most of us were there to snorkel really. There are some pretty shots however, that can be taken even through the (dirty & wet) glass, as shown in the photos above and below.

There were quite a lot of clams lying around...

As well as sea urchins. Was a little afraid of them because the waters were quite shallow and we were snorkelling over the reef without wearing flippers. Definately wouldn't want to step on them!

There weren't many fish, just 4 to 5 varieties and in small groups, but those that were there were pretty friendly.

After the Maldives, the coral here was pretty disappointing. Not very colourful and only a few types. A lot of the coral was also kind of languishing, probably an effect of the pollution and abuse?

Still we managed to get in a few good shots before we got tired and decided to lounge on the boat instead.

So that's all for the pretty pictures of Egypt...!