Category: I Used to Live There!

Goldilocks Treats

Bradley Farless8 Comments

Goldilocks is a pretty well known bakery in the Philippines.  You can find outlets all over the place there and the things they sell are really tasty.  The first time I was in the Philippines over a year ago I noticed the place and we wound up buying some cakes to try them out.  Well, my wife already knew they were good.  She just wanted to share the joy I guess.

The cakes were very good, and I’m looking forward to the next time I’ll be able to get something from them.  There are bakeries all over Singapore but the things that are produced here aren’t quite as “Westernized” as what I’d like.  Generally they’re more bland and it’s nearly impossible to find fruit filled pastries.

The snack pictured at left is called ‘polvoron’.  I’d never heard of it before, and found the following information about it when I looked it up (source):

Polvoron is powdered milk candy, made of flour, sugar butter and powdered milk. The flour is toasted, all the ingredients are mixed and shaped into round or oval-shaped molds. It is believe that making polvoron started during the American occupation to use up the huge amount of powdered milk brought in by the Americans. Polvoron over the years has become one of the most loved sweet Filipino delicacy.

It has a sweet taste to it, but it’s mild.  It’s not something that will make your teeth feel like they’re rotting out of your head with every bite.  Also, it’s dry and has a tendency to stick to the teeth and gums, so it’s best to have a drink handy while eating this.

Microwaving Shoes

Bradley Farless10 Comments

There is a shoe store here in Singapore, in Tampines, that has a microwave sitting on the floor of the store.

I happened to be sitting there, idly looking around the store while my wife tried on shoes.  That’s when I noticed it.  I sat there, looking at it, trying to figure out why they have a microwave in a shoe store.  Then I put two and two together.  If you look at the reflection in the mirror above the microwave, you’ll see a treadmill.

The treadmill is in the store so you can test out your potential purchase.  That’s a pretty good idea I suppose, but then I really thought about it and realized that it’s kinda gross.  There can’t be just one set of shoes set aside for this purpose, since everyone wears different sizes.  This means that people ask for the size they need, try it on, and then possibly test it out on the treadmill as well.  But, what happens when the person decides they don’t want the pair of shoes they tested?

I guess that’s where this microwave comes in.  I imagine they put the shoes in the microwave and toast them to dry them out and potentially kill bacteria or fungus.  I have to wonder how effective that really is though, and I also have to wonder what sort of effect that has on the shoes.  Of course we all wash our shoes sometimes, and in the US it’s not uncommon to put them on a rack and run them through the dryer, but that wears down the shoe.  So, if a few people try on a pair of shoes and they get nuked and then you decide to buy them, you have a brand new used pair of shoes, potentially complete with fungi, bacteria, dried sweat, and already decomposing rubber.

At first glance this sounds like a great way to convince people to buy a product.  On the other hand, you wind up selling people something that’s not on par with the price they’re paying, and running shoes aren’t cheap here.

Keep in mind that this is all speculation.  I suppose it is possible that there is one test pair of every size of shoe that’s separate from the pairs they have for sale, but given the price of shoes here, and common business sense, I doubt it.

Update:

The mystery has been solved, and unfortunately it’s not quite as entertaining or provocative as I had imagined.

The microwave, or toaster oven, sitting there is used to heat up ‘heat moldable’ shoe inserts that the store sells.  These inserts are then put in the shoe and the person puts their foot in it to have it mold to their exact foot contours.  It’s done at the store as a convenience to the customer.

Typical Movie Experience in Singapore

Bradley Farless13 Comments

Going to the movies in Singapore can be an ugly experience if you’re not prepared for it.  I’ve often been told by Singaporeans that this is a small island and there isn’t much to do.  I’m not sure I can agree with that, since there seems to be quite a lot to do here.  There’s definitely more to do than in most places I’ve lived, but I suppose it’s a matter of perspective. Regardless, I think that mentality is partially why going to the movies has become so popular here.  More so than what I’ve come to expect anyway. Every movie is packed, even the bad ones.

The first thing you should know about going to the movies in Singapore is that you HAVE to book your seats in advance.  That’s not something I was used to, coming from the US.  There, it’s possible to book your seats in advance through the internet if you want to, but it’s often not necessary.  In some cases, there is no internet booking and you just have to show up early enough to get a ticket before the movie you want to see is sold out.  In Singapore, even days after a movie has been out, if you wait til the last minute and try to get your tickets at the theater you’re likely to be disappointed.  Movie theaters here fill up fast, often leaving only the front two or three rows open to latecomers.  I’ve sat through a movie in the 3rd row before, and it was a very unpleasant experience that left me with a stiff neck.

So, booking online is a must. All of the major theater chains here offer the service and to get really good seats, you should try to book at least a day and a half or two days in advance. Ya, crazy right? That’s especially true if you want to book a ticket for a Friday or Saturday night. For example, about six hours ago (Thursday night at about 8pm) I booked tickets for tomorrow afternoon for a 4:40 showing. Half of the seats were already taken. Ah, and if you haven’t guessed, tickets are booked on a selected seat basis, whereas in the US it’s a first-come first-served when it comes to getting the best seats, regardless of when you bought your ticket.

An example of the seat selection screen for Cathay.  Notice the timer.  If you don’t finish in time the seats become available for someone else to book.  Also, keep in mind that this screen cap was taken 18.5 hours before the movie starts.  The blue Xs are occupied seats.

An example of the Cathay booking confirmation screen.

A friend of mine in Italy asked me what sorts of things you can expect to find at the refreshment stands in a Singapore movie theater, and in this regard things are basically the same as you would find in the US. You’ve got popcorn (sweet and salted), nachos, soda and other drinks and candies. I think there are hotdogs too. This is a bit off-topic, but I was amused to find out from Rowena that in theaters in Italy you can usually find beer at the refreshment stands. That’s an interesting example of cultural influence.

Once you get your refreshments and present your tickets you can head to the theater hall and find your seats.  You would think that at this point everything would go about the same right?  Well, sure, for the most part it does.  You sit down and get to see some previews, the admonition to turn off your cell phone ringers, and the warning that video recording is illegal.  But, interspersed with those previews and warnings are many, many commercials.  Half the time they’re local commercials for small businesses and they’re really not that great.  Also, there are a LOT of them.  I mentioned that right?  If your ticket says your movie starts at 4:30 PM, you can expect the actual film to not start until roughly 4:50 PM or a few minutes later.  I can understand sitting through a few previews and maybe a Coke or Sprite ad, but not 20+ minutes of the stuff.  So, when we go to the movies we tend to walk in a few minutes late, or we mess with our cell phones while waiting for the actual film to start.

After that it’s smooth sailing.

Just some other, dry info:  Tickets are usually 8.50 to 10 SGD apiece and refreshments are high as well, though that’s not anything new for most people.  For two people going to the movies and getting refreshments you can expect to spend 35 to 40 bucks.

Spinach Bacon OmuRice From Manpuku

Bradley Farless2 Comments

Lunch on Sunday was Spinach Bacon OmuRice from the Manpuku restaurant in Tampines 1.  I didn’t remember seeing the stall before and the dishes looked interesting so I thought I’d give it a try.  I was later told by a friend that it was added recently.

As you can see from the picture, this dish is a big tasty omelet covered in a white cream sauce with bacon and spinach.  I was actually disappointed with how little spinach there was on the dish.  I was hoping for more.  There was a nice amount of bacon, but it wound up not being enough either.

You see, I had sort of expected there to be a more interesting filling in this omelet, but instead it was filled with just plain fried rice and a very small amount of mushrooms.  I think I sifted through the rice and only found 5 tiny pieces of mushroom total.

It was tasty, but as soon as the sauce, bacon and spinach were gone, the rest of it became rather bland.  A good dish introduces a lot of variety, to keep your mouth and tastebuds happy.  This one just didn’t do the trick for me and I don’t think I’ll order it again.

Strangely enough, we wound up meeting friends later in the evening at this same restaurant and one of them ordered the exact same dish.  She didn’t finish it either and commented on how it wasn’t very good after the toppings were gone.

Cosplayers in Pasir Ris, Singapore

Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were on our way to the Pasir Ris MRT station when we saw this couple strolling down the sidewalk.  I was surprised and my wife told me we should run and get pictures with them, so of course we did.

Their outfits are really cool, but I have no idea what anime or game this is supposed to be from.  Maybe someone can help me out here?

Banana Caramel Crème Crêpes

Bradley Farless4 Comments

Not much to say here.  I just wanted to share the photos and make you drool!

On Saturday night (yes, that was a busy day for us!) our last stop before heading home was Plaza Singapura (another mall).  On the bottom floor there was a small Japanese Food Fair set up.  Well, that’s what the signs called it, but in reality it was just two stalls.  One was selling sushi and one was selling crêpes.

After eating the sushi (which came with free green tea by the way) I had an urge for something sweet and we tried out one of the Banana Caramel Crème Crêpes.  I took some photos while it was being prepared:

What’s missing from these photos is that the batter was first poored onto a flat black metal pan.  I call it a pan but it had no sides.  Perhaps a reader can give a name for it?  After the ingredients were added it was rolled up into a paper and handed to me like an ice cream cone.

The flavor wasn’t overpowering.  I mean, the crème wasn’t exceptionally sweet.  The flavors all augmented each other well and the final product was delicious!  I could’ve eaten another one by myself after the one we shared!

Orchard Central Mall in Singapore

Bradley Farless7 Comments

Saturday evening my wife and I were wandering down Orchard Road.  We didn’t have any real goal in mind.  We just wanted to be out of the house for a while and take in the sights.  Orchard Road is usually pretty interesting.  I’ve seen everything from centurions to acrobats to musicians there.

While walking down the road we saw a building that we didn’t recognize.  It looked like a recently renovated, recently opened shopping center.  We decided to check it out.  Sure enough, it was a new mall called Orchard Central.  As we passed through the doors we were handed a brochure.  We were also handed a fairly basic looking map that proved to be rather useless later.

Rather than make our way upstairs inside the building, we used the long escalators that were mounted to the front face of the building.  It was a really neat experience.  Two of the escalators we went up traversed at least four floors nonstop.  Also, there was a plexi-glass shield beside the escalator that came about as high as my head and not much else so we got a great view as we went up.  Adding to the atmosphere there are several observation decks outside the building.  The escalator leading to the roof area was closed.  I suppose it’s not finished yet but I’m interested to go back when it is, if just for the view.

Here are two shots I took from the highest observation deck I could get to:

A view of Orchard Road from a deck at Orchard Central Mall
A view of Orchard Road from a deck at Orchard Central Mall
A view of Orchard Road from a deck at Orchard Central Mall
A view of Orchard Road from a deck at Orchard Central Mall

After reaching the top and taking in the view for a while we moved inside.  The interior of the mall is not at all what I expected.  First off, most of it is still closed and under construction.  I would even say that there are more closed than open stores there.  That’s not a bad thing, I suppose, but it just seems odd.  The second thing that was weird about the mall is that the interior didn’t look like a mall.  My wife was the first to point it out and after she mentioned it, it was pretty obvious to me too.  It looks like the building used to be an office building and the interior was renovated to turn it into mall space.  The hallways were just too oddly placed for it to have been intentional.

Inside Orchard Central Mall
Inside Orchard Central Mall

The other thing we discovered about the mall is that it’s incredibly hard to get around in.  That’s why I mentioned that the map we got at the front door on the 1st floor was practically useless.  If you start from the top down it’s like trying to work your way through a maze full of dead ends and trick passages.  There are places were it feels like there should be a way through and there’s  just a blank wall.  There are other spots where you would think there’s a way to the stairwell, but in front of you is a huge open area that looks 3 floors down.  Oh, or a fake rock climbing wall that spans four stories and causes you to have to backtrack.  We could have taken the elevators all the way down to the first floor, but that wouldn’t have been much fun.  Instead, we went around, by trial and error, until we got tired.  Then we found an elevator and took them to another floor that had escalators, which we then took down to the first floor.  Sounds complicated right?

Besides its crazy interior, there wasn’t much interesting about the mall.  It had a pretty standard selection of stores when we went through it.  There were a few names I didn’t recognize, but they were on all of the shuttered, still under construction stores.  When we go back to get a look off the roof, hopefully they’ll be open too.

A final thought:  I wish there were a First Person Shooter with a stage modeled after this mall’s floorplan.  I mean, look at it.  It even looks like something from an FPS:

Empty area of Orchard Central Mall
Empty area of Orchard Central Mall

Acrobatic Street Performers on Orchard Road

Bradley Farless2 Comments
Asian Acrobats on Orchard Road in Singapore
Asian Acrobats on Orchard Road in Singapore

In January I happened to be walking down Orchard Road and I saw a crowd gathering.  There were two girls doing an acrobatics performance for tips.  They were really good, so I pulled out my camera and tried to record some of it.  The lighting was pretty bad since it was late, but this is what I got:

This past Saturday I saw them again, doing another performance on Orchard Road.  I was a bit surprised, but their act is good, so I suppose there’s no reason for them to stop.  This time, it was still early evening so I got out my camera and managed to get some better video this time, as well as the nice photo at the top of this post.

At the end of the second video, you’ll see a man walk up and lean forward.  He was dropping money into a basket.  We decided to chip in too, since the performance was really good and when we dropped our money in we saw that they were doing really well for themselves.  That’s good.  Real Talent should be rewarded.

I hope you enjoy the videos!  Let me know what you think of this pair and their act!

Cats Are Good For Singapore

Bradley Farless11 Comments

I’ve heard a lot of complaining about cats in Singapore, both first hand and second hand through friends. People seem to think they’re a nuisance and that they should all be gotten rid of.

Well, it’s true that cats can be noisy sometimes at night. They’re territorial and they like to fight. Sometimes they’re horny and they want to get laid. How can you fault them for that? It’s in their nature to do those things. It’s also true that they sometimes utilize cars as cat beds. I know from personal experience that it can be annoying to come out of the house in the morning and find a fresh set of cat tracks on the hood of a car. It doesn’t make me want to get rid of them. It certainly doesn’t make me want to do something cruel and insane like mass poisoning.

Instead of focusing on the things cats do that may annoy you, you should focus on what they do that’s good for Singapore!

First and foremost, cats are good pets. If you see a stray cat, instead of kicking it, take it home. It’s a bit costly up front, but once you get your cat used to being in your home, and fatten him or her up a bit, they’ll become lifelong companions. There’s nothing quite like having a warm cat on your lap while you watch a movie. There’s nothing quite like having all your cats waiting at the door for you because they recognize the way you walk and want to welcome you home. There’s nothing like waking up with a cat warming your head, or sleeping curled up next to you.

Every cat has its own unique personality. I never knew that before I had cats of my own.

Tangible Benefits From Cats in Singapore

Besides being great, or at least interesting, companions there are other reasons to respect cats. If you’re thinking that indoor cats are fine, but it’s the outdoor ones that are a nuisance, ask yourself this: Would you rather see stray cats or see a massive increase in huge rats in your neighborhood? Which do you think carries more disease? Heck, which carries more of the ‘gross’ factor?

Cats are natural mousers. Having cats around keeps down the rodent population. If it weren’t for cats, the rodents might overrun the neighborhoods and that would be bad, because I’ve seen rats in Singapore that were as big as a six month old cat. Also keep in mind that rats aren’t as tame as cats. The chances of your child being bitten by a cat on the playground are slim. The cat would generally run away from a human being. A rat on the other hand might be more prone to attack.

To illustrate I have some photos of a cat doing his work. I was lucky enough to see this guy cleaning up the 24 hour hawker in Pasir Ris the other night. This is in the bushes just in front of the air conditioned area of the hawker center, near where people typically park motorbikes and bicycles at night.

 

 

As you can see, cats do a good job of keeping things tidy.

A Better Option

If, however, you simply cannot stand having a lot of cats around, or think there are too many, there’s another option. Volunteer your time and money to safely and humanely treat the problem. Work with the SPCA or the Cat Welfare Society. Or, do something above and beyond. Every month, catch a cat (lure with food into a carrier) and take the cat to a vet to have it neutered or spayed. Then, care for it indoors for a week and put it back out. That will effectively reduce the cat population by potential dozens for every ‘fixed’ cat.

Summary

[Update: Just to make it clear, the pictures below are not of the same cats. The ‘bad’ pictures were taken from online news articles in Singapore. Images of similar looking cats were used to emphasize the fact that cats are cute, and shouldn’t be hurt. Thanks!]

Do Not beat up, maim, harrass, torture, or kill cats. That goes for dogs too, though it’s not so much of a problem here. Besides the fact that it’s just sick and wrong, there are stiff penalties in Singapore for that. Are cats really so horrible that you want to risk a 10,000 SGD fine and/or up to 1 year in prison? Use your head! Think of alternatives!

This:

(Source – Edit: 2016, source no longer exists)

 

 

Or this (my cute kitties):

 

 

Which Do You Want To Have On Your Conscience?

Chili Sauce or Ketchup?

Bradley Farless4 Comments

One of the things that I had to get used to when moving to Singapore was the abundance of chili sauce and peppers, and the tendency people have to eating it.  It’s included with most dishes from hawkers, or in a bottle on the table.

There are a few varieties of it.  Sometimes there’s a thick, dark brown chili paste that’s added to the dish itself.  There are also green, slightly sweet peppers that are served alongside the dish in a small cup.  Or, there are red peppers mixed with soy sauce that are served the same way.  Those are just the most common.  There are quite a few more.

Typically I’m not a big fan of chili sauce or peppers.  I think this is mostly because in the US when you get something with peppers in it or have chili sauce, it’s really really hot.  The chilis and peppers in Singapore don’t hold a candle to their heat.  This is especially true of jalapeno peppers.

However, after living here for so long, I’ve come to appreciate these peppers and the different chili sauces.  Most of them add a lot of flavor to otherwise bland dishes that you purchase at hawkers.  In fact, I think some hawker dishes wouldn’t be palatable without them.  Don’t take that to mean hawker food is bad though.  Some of my favorite dishes are from hawker stalls!

Where it gets weird for me is when I see little packets of chili sauce in fast food chains.  Or when I see a chili sauce dispenser right next to the ketchup dispenser, like at the McDonald’s restaurants here in Singapore.  People in Singapore seem to enjoy dipping their french fries in chili sauce instead of ketchup.  I can’t get used to that taste, especially since it’s a weird sort of sweet chili sauce.

The thing about McDonald’s though, and perhaps all fast food chains, is that they tailor their menus to the country they’re in.  It’s only smart.  If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be able to gain any market share.  For example, in the Philippines you can get a longganisa meal.  Longganisa is a local type of sausage that’s quite good!  (Click here for a recipe.)  The chili sauce is the only difference I’ve noticed with the McDonald’s in Singapore though.

I’m just glad that ketchup is still available for my french fries!