Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Lunch At White Restaurant, Singapore

ANDY'S TURN...

While Aaron did his chores, Andy took me out for a good lunch at White restaurant, one of the branches at Sembawang.  Using his Waze and directions, we reached this place after half an hour drive.  By then I was very hungry... He told me that the food here is kind of special, fried white meehoon, that is why the restaurant is called White Restaurant... I guess.

To make sure, I googled... and this is what I found out...
Founded by Mr. Tay, the original Sembawang White Bee Hoon dish today has developed into a well-loved dish by all, that tastes anything but common, fully deserving of an identity on its own and now today, it is rebranded and currently known as White Restaurant.
This is the place!
And this is their signature dish, White Bee Hoon... 
Very special in a way... I like it!!
And on the contrary, the dark side... Koay Teow in gravy... 
Andy recommended this dish.... Or Hiang?
Since there are only two of us, we did not order much other than these... 
Total bill is around $20... I think... 

Friday, July 27, 2018

Our Dinner At Tim Ho Wan, Orchard Road, Singapore

FIRST TIME AT TIM HO WAN....

I never been to any Tim Ho Wan in Malaysia and before I do, I heard that they were closed down.  Now the only chance I get to eat is in Singapore, thanks to my kids who took me there on a Friday evening.  Maybe in Malaysia, there are plenty of Dim Sum restaurants to choose from, that might be the reason why they did not fare good business?  Anyway, whatever the reason is, I had my good share of eating the varieties in one of the outlets here at the Orchard Road, Singapore.
Business was pretty good here... 
Don't look at the prices... just order what we want to eat... 
Not for any other reason but this...
If we look at the prices and convert, 
we would end up with one or two plates... 
LOL... 
Let's order!
Everything here looks so good!


Fried Taro Dumpling...
Fried Rice with shrimps...
Needs no introduction for this... 
Hongkong Style Fun Cheong...
Still warm to our hands... the pastries... 
The Dim Sum-s.... 
And some desserts... Steamed Pumpkin or something.... 
Oh dear... Here comes the Big EATER!!
1, 2, 3.... Let's Dig In!


Thursday, July 26, 2018

So natural, yet so dangerous!


Let's spend some quality time as we are going through some facts about the most favorite plant on the whole planet!

What is tobacco?
Tobacco is a plant that is grown for its leaves, which are dried and fermented before being placed on tobacco products. Tobacco contains nicotine, an addictive ingredient, and that is why many people who use tobacco have a tough time when trying to stop it. The latter also has a lot of other chemicals that are potentially harmful to the health and the overall well being as combustion releases such things when smoking.

How is tobacco used?
There are a few ways people can smoke, chew or smell tobacco. Tobacco as an ingredient can be found in multiple products. The list includes mainly cigarettes and cigars. Some people also smoke tobacco in bulk in pipes or shisha. Tobacco products that have been chewed include chewable tobacco, snuff, sauce.

Many studies have identified the bizarre inverse relationship between smoking and Parkinson's disease. People who are smoking a lot of years have a tendency to be protected from Parkinson's disease, not because smokers die of other things sooner. The reason lies behind the fact that a recent and well-executed research was published in a March 2010 edition on neurology. Instead of determining the cause of the protective effect, these researchers found that the number of years that one is smoking, rather than the number of daily smoked cigarettes, was more critical for a stronger protective effect.

Harvard researchers were among the first to provide convincing evidence that smokers were less likely to develop Parkinson's disease. In a study published in Neurology in March 2007, these researchers concluded that the protective effect decreases after smoking cessation. And they came to a conclusion where,  scientifically speaking, they had no idea why something like this could happen.

Trying to lose some weight?
The process of smoking- and particularly nicotine in tobacco - can reduce appetite drastically. This has been known for centuries and goes back to the indigenous cultures of America in pre-Columbian times. Tobacco companies started in the 1920s and started to focus on women with tobacco baits that would make them thinner.

A study published in the July 2011 issue of Physiology & Behaviour is actually one of many studies that claim that the inevitable weight gain associated with smoking cessation is a major barrier to smoking cessation after addiction.


What are the other health effects of smoking?
Although nicotine is addictive, the most serious health effects come from other chemicals. Smoking can cause lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema. It increases the risk of heart disease that can lead to a stroke or a heart attack. Smoking is also associated with other types of cancer, leukemia, cataracts, and pneumonia. All these risks apply to the use of smoked products, including water pipe tobacco. The latter also increases the risk of oral cancer.
Pregnant women who smoke cigarettes are at increased risk for miscarriages, stillbirths, premature births, or low birth weight babies. Smoking during pregnancy can also be associated with learning and behavior problems in exposed children

How does tobacco use lead to addiction?
People that are smoking can experience long-term changes in the brain caused by prolonged exposure to nicotine. When a person tries to quit smoking, they may experience withdrawal symptoms, including
irritability (which is the worst thing as you are misbehaving with people that love you)
attention problems
sleep disturbances
increased appetite
high need for tobacco

How can people with nicotine addiction be treated?
Behavioral treatments and medication can help people quit smoking, but the combination of medication and counseling is more effective than both alone. The Department of Health and Human Services has established a toll-free national hotline, 1-800-QUIT-NOW, to serve as a point of contact for anyone seeking information and help in quitting smoking.


Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Food Opera At Orchard, Singapore

BETWEEN BREAKFAST AND LUNCH...

After a good night rest, we woke up feeling refreshed and took the shuttle bus to Orchard Road again.  Must make full use of the hotel services and facilities given... LOL... During the day, it is a bit "too hot" to walk under the sun especially when we have not input anything yet...

What shall we eat?  Aaron told me that most of the food court are similar at the malls.  It is more like a franchise?  Anyway, the food looks good to me, I really had a hard time choosing what to eat... so I left the decision to Aaron, he is more familiar with the food at the court....
Oh yeah, not food court but opera.... 
He ordered this for me... 
Teochew fish balls and noodles..
This is an extra side dish... 
Our brunch for the day.... 
Looks good, eh?
I mean the food... LOL.. 
After that, we had something sweet from here.... 
And then, it was all walking and window shopping...
Yes, really window shopping only... 
Mall after mall we walked in and out... 
And after that we took a shuttle bus back to the hotel to rest... 

Monday, July 23, 2018

Honeymoon Desserts To Complete Our Dinner

HONEYMOON... DESSERTS...

Oh  yeah, now I remember WHY we had to walk back from Orchard road back to our hotel in Stevens Road!  After our heavy dinner at Outback Steak House, we went in search for desserts and finally we decided to have that at Honeymoon Cafe or whatever it is called.  There was a wide selection and it took me some minutes to decide on which to go for....

All looks good to me... hmmm...



Finally these are the three types of desserts we ended up ordering ....
Three from near... 
Three from afar... 
These were satisfying... then... 
Yes, our desserts-looking faces before digging in...
That completed our dinner on our first night in Singapore.... 
That is the reason why we were more willing to walk back to the hotel!
LOL... 

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Our First Dinner At Outback Steakhouse, Orchard, Singapore

FIRST DINNER IN SINGAPORE...

Since we were at Orchard area, we decided to take our dinner at one of the malls.  Don't ask me which one, they all look the same to me.... I remember walking in and out, above and underground, up and down the escalators, yes, I just kept on walking, following my kids, wherever they go, I follow.... We were just undecided on our dinner... too many choices... you name it, they have it except Ipoh food. LOL...

Then suddenly one of them mentioned Outback Steakhouse, it struck my mind, OH YES, let's go for that one!  It reminded me of the one in Sacramento, supposedly to go there one evening but we did not.  So it was meant to be... not in Sacramento but in Singapore... Outback Steakhouse, one of the largest steakhouse chain in the world... and we were here at one of the branches at Orchardgateway...
Weekday... and we beat the crowd, no queuing over here.... 
Picture, picture before we began digging into the food... 
And what did we have?
Their Prime Ribs... medium well... 
And the condiments... 
Half Baby Rack ribs.... 
Followed by a Double Steak Burger... 
And Chicken Tacos... 
Eat while it is still crispy and nice... 
Each meal to each person... 
Yes, we tried a bit of everything here on the table... 
And walked away with a full stomach leaving the empty plates.... 
Bill?  Total cost... er... around $140?  
hhhmmm... who paid for this meal, by the way??
One of them did... naturally... 
And after the heavy meal, it was a twenty to twenty five minutes walk back to the hotel... 
WE welcomed the straight long walk... no doubt about that!
LOL... 

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Short Holiday At Mercure Hotel, Singapore

SINGAPORE HERE WE COME!

We drove in to Singapore on a weekday. Or should I say, I drove in... according to Singapore laws on driving, once you become a permanent resident, you cannot drive in Malaysian cars anymore.  Hence I was the driver for the next few days in Singapore, no joke! :)

From Tuas, Johor, we passed the customs, opened our boot for inspection, went through the counters, showed our passports, paid the VEP or whatever it is called.... and using google maps as our guide, we managed to get to Mercure Hotel at Stevens Road without and glitch, Thank God for journey mercies, our one hour long journey was smooth.  Parked our car at the hotel basement and registered ourselves to this pleasant and comfortable hotel.
Driver in Singapore.... 

Our destination... 
Our place to stay for the next few days... 
Lazy chair for me to do relax while they work... 
From our 18th floor window.... 
20 minutes walk from our hotel to Orchard Road...
The hotel provides shuttle van service every half hour to and from
T-Galleria Mall at Orchard Road.... 
Very convenient for us....
We normally take the shuttle bus and from T-Galleria.... 
And walked around.... no shopping though...
Lots of walking and talking..... 
Good to be together again!


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