Thai Odyssey - the best massage in JB

I never used to like massages but my first boyfriend was a fan of massages. I would go shopping while he had a massage, especially when we crossed the causeway to City Square where Thai Odyssey is located. My second boyfriend went for massages every week or so too, and I went with him once but the experience was so painful that I swore never to go again.

Well, since last year, age has caught up with a vengeance and I experienced backaches (esp lower backaches) and other body-aches that made me downright uncomfortable. I wasn't incapacitated by any degree but the soreness and sometimes, pain would make grouchy me even more grouchy.

Today was 1 of those days where I awoke with a backache between my shoulder-blades that would not ease up. And remembering how a Traditional Thai massage at Thai Odyssey (the city square outlet) eased the aches I had once before, I made my way to the outlet at KSL city.

Thai Odyssey at KSL City is located at one corner of the 2nd floor near the bridal shops and appears to be dimly lit at the reception area and throughout the entire shop. But the staff were friendly and accommodating even though I walked in without an appointment. I had my feet washed before exchanging my flip flops for their bedroom like sandals. Unlike the outlet at City Square where there are individual rooms with thin walls, privacy for each person here is assured through the use of curtains. Despite the appearance, everything appears to be very clean (From what I can see at least in the dim light), and smells fresh and nice.

I had the 90mins Traditional Thai massage (RM108) because I had more time than usual, and the 60mins massage was just RM20 cheaper. I was at first apprehensive of the masseur's capabilities because this was my first time at Thai Odyssey at KSL City but at first touch, I knew I was in good hands. Somehow she knew exactly which areas hurt the most and needed the most stretching and man, it felt good. And of course, hearing the crack of my spinal cord being manipulated gave me a feeling that I was "fixed" good. I was served a cup of tea at the end and found my flip flops just outside the curtain when I was done.

Oh, and after the massage, I did not have any bruises whatsoever unlike the times when I tried other massages which were really torture sessions. There was this massage place my CEB brought me to at the recommendation of the wedding studio early this year, and at the end of the session, my back looked like this. The masseur said it was because I had too much heat, and that's utter crap - she was just rough and applied too much pressure. The bruises were so bad that I had trouble sleeping on my back the first night! And when I tried another massage place at KSL's ground level, I had bruises around my shoulders because the lady squeezed so hard there. She said I had too much heat too. What bull. And for those places, the masseurs aren't the shop's employees (unlike Thai Odyssey) but come to do a massage when called for by the shop owner. 

Ugh.I'm not paid in any way to write about Thai Odyssey but I thought I'll share about this great place to those looking for a clean safe pleasant place for a cheap massage in JB / Johor. And unlike those "promotional" massages in Singapore, there is absolutely no selling or promotion by the staff of any massage packages.

You can check them out at this link (click here). They appear to be a well established branch with many outlets throughout Malaysia including KL.

Lee Fun Nam Kee Chicken Rice at Toa Payoh

1 of the places that sells the most delicious and tender soya sauce chicken is Lee Fun Nam Kee Chicken Rice Stall at Toa Payoh, a traffic light or so down from the exit door of Risen Christ church. I've eaten at this place for years, and the staff and quality has not changed one bit. The shop has undergone renovations of course, over the years and from the pic below, is evidently well-lit and clean with about10+ tables in the restaurant, and a counter for takeaways. Other than soya sauce chicken, the stall also sells other types of roast meat and veg dishes but believe it or not, I've never even bothered to try the other dishes because the soya sauce chicken is THAT good.

If there are 2 of us, I'll order half a chicken and a bowl of sui jiao soup. And if there are 4 of us, like there were last Sunday, 1 chicken (See the pic below) is just the right amount for all. And before I forget, the chili that the stall serves is mighty good too (a little sweet), but it is unlikely that one would eat much of it given how mouth-watering the dark sauce that the chicken comes in, is.

The price was pretty reasonable at SGD 30 for the entire chicken (not a very big one though, there were loads of cucumber slices under the chicken meat), and about SGD 10 for 1 big of sui kao (dumpling) soup which had about 10 sui kao. We asked for a couple of refills for the big bowl of soup and the service staff was friendly and prompt in bringing us bowls of steaming fragrant soup. Be warned though that one gets rather thirsty after drinking all the soup.

So, if one is in the mood for great soya sauce chicken, do go to

Lee Fun Nam Kee at Blk 94 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh.

Opening Hours: 11am to 3pm, and 5pm to 9pm

Tel No: 6255 0891

Immortals (2011) Movie

Despite the thrilling and promising trailer for this movie, and the exciting still picture below, I would say that this movie was a huge disappointment compared to the movie "300" (the same director for both movies).

The actors and actresses in "Immortals" were largely unknowns which should have given us a clue how the movie would turn out. And the lead actress was seriously...well, unattractive. If she was eye-candy, then that would have been at least 1 saving grace. The pace of the movie was contrived, the plot thin, and the graphics nothing like those in "300". I watched "300" at least 3 times.

But I would NOT watch this movie again...in fact, if I could go back in time, I would not have wasted the time and money (Even though it was in ringgit) to watch it the first time. To read a good summary of the plot, click here .

What must be the best beef noodles in Singapore

I'd been wanting to write about this place for some time, and blogging about the beef noodles we had at Seremban reminded me that I had yet to.

So. I believe this place sells the best beef noodles in Singapore. The stall is located in the hawker centre opposite Parkway Parade Mall, along the same stretch of stalls as the famous and popular wet fried kway teoh stall.

We always order the dry version which comes with a small bowl of soup. The gravy is extraordinarily delicious and the beef, oh, the beef is so tender and sweet. The best bit is of course, the hawker is pretty generous with the amount of meat given for each bowl he dishes out. Looking at this picture brings back the memory of how absolutely delish this dish is...and easy on the pocket too.

Be warned though that the place does a pretty brisk business - we were disappointed a couple of times when we got there at almost 8pm for the stall was already closing for the day.

Yee Kee Beef Noodles at Seremban

Thanks to the friendly and helpful server at Pasar Besar where we bought more of the famous Empayar Seremban Siew Pau who gave us clear directions (go pass Jusco which will be on your left and at the end of the road where you see a Petronas, turn left), we managed to have some famous Seremban beef noodles while in Seremban. When we got there about 6.20pm, there was only 1 other table occupied at this so-called famous beef noodles stall and I had my misgivings. But it was too late to do anything and so we sat down and looked through the menu which was pretty extensive with set meals (RM 13 for a bowl of noodles, beef ball soup and a drink) and stand alone beef noodle dishes.

The picture below shows the interior of the restaurant. I found it strange too that most of the servers were Malays and not Chinese, given that beef noodles are more of a Chinese dish than Malay dish.

And where we were seated had me facing a mural that covered the entire wall of peaceful grass-eating cows. However, even the cow staring straight out at me did not faze me or my CEB from tucking into the bowls of dry beef noodles, which were served within minutes.

Here is a close up picture of the beef noodles. I had the set that came with the soup while my CEB ordered a large bowl of dry beef noodles (there is the option of a regular bowl but my CEB being my CEB....).

I should mention here too that Yee Kee Beef noodle stall sells more than just beef noodles per the poster they had up below. If not for the fact that we had a complimentary buffet dinner waiting for us back at our hotel in Port Dickson, we would have tried the other dishes too.

Or maybe not. Now, if one has limited capacity, one should definitely just order a bowl of their ultra-delicious dry beef noodles. Despite my CEB's resolution not to eat everything (so he would have space in his tummy for the buffet), he finished the entire bowl of beef noodles and even eyed my below. The Slog Reviews: 9/10. We agreed that Seremban beef noodles are indeed the best. The gravy was not too thick or salty but was just the right texture and taste, and the noodles were cooked to soft perfection, sliding down our throats together with the sauce. The seasoning of nuts and sour veg made a perfect complement to the gravy and noodles. The only thing that could do with some improvement was the beef - not that it wasn't tasty or well cooked but this dish would have been perfect if the beef was sliced beef fillet.

I should also mention here that my CEB said that the beef balls were the best he ever had - they were so springy that when he bit down on them, he could feel the sponginess and the soup squirting out of 'em balls.

In any case, I would definitely recommend a visit to this beef noodles stall if one is in Seremban. I don't have the exact address but I took a picture of the road's signboard on our way out and I hope that helps, in addition to the directions at the start of this post.

In search of the famous Seremban Siew Pow

I feel like 1 of those sad characters in stories where there is a race to the finish line and one just makes it in the nick of time...only to find out that the prize one was racing for was given away.

We left Berjaya Times Square at 4.15pm and since Seremban was on the way back, we decided to buy the famous Seremban siew pau. Now, based on my research the night before, I'd read that the best siew pau was from Kee Mei Siew Pau in Seremban. Despite setting my GPS for the address, it was difficult finding the way to the shop as it was off the main road (a road behind the main road) and one had to really look out for the place. (Address: 1849 Jalan Tok Ungku. Contact No: 06-633 6219)

I knew the shop closed at 5pm and after my CEB asking at 2 restaurants for the exact location, we finally found the shop...at exactly 5pm. I pumped my fist in the air with glee when I saw the shop was still open, and with a mouth full of drool in anticipation of the hot siew pau that I would reward myself with, I rushed into the shop.

Only to find that all the siew paus were sold out. Every single epithet I'd learnt, English, Chinese and Hokkien, filled my mouth in place of the warm savory buns. Since I knew better than to spit them out, the lady boss seeing me wordlessly staring at the empty tray where those damn siew paus used to be, suggested that I return the next day at 7am when they opened. She was even prepared to reserve some of those pows for me. But alas, when I told her we were staying at Port Dickson, she agreed it was too far for us just to drive back for the paus.

Since there was nothing to be had but to move on without my pows, we went next to the alternative source: Warong Serembang Siew Pow shop which was located at 1607 Jalan Rasah (Phone number in case you get lost is 06 764 9360).

There were many W-plate cars (KL folks) there and the shop did a pretty brisk business of selling its paus, which thankfully it had in abundance per the pic below. Although I was thankful that we hadn't make a wasted trip to Seremban and we could at least try the paus, I felt a tinge of regret that I couldn't compare these paus to the ones from Kee Mei - the paus that got away.

Anyway, as it was almost dinner time and although we had a complimentary dinner waiting for us back at the hotel, my CEB wanted to go for the Seremban beef noodles and I keyed in the address Pasar Besar into my GPS because that was where the famous 747 beef noodle stall was supposed to be. To our surprise, we ended up instead at another famous Seremban Siew Pau shop. There was a restaurant in the premises but the attraction was the siew paus and being KS Singaporeans, we joined the queue just because we were there.

Well, it turned out that no one knew about the so-called famous Seremban beef noodles at this market and the restaurant most certainly did not sell beef noodles. I even asked if the beef noodle stall was on the second level of the market but the helpers around all replied in the negative. However, one of them did direct us to a beef noodle stall which I shall blog about next.

Oh, and guess what, the siew paus we bought from this famous Seremban Siew Pau shop was exactly the same as the ones we bought from Warong, right down to the packaging. We hadn't realized that at the time we bought the same and so we ended up with 12 Siew Paus.

I ate about 5 in the night and I thought that the crust was nice and flaky , and the meat juicy and tasty despite the pau's rather unappealing appearance. And if you are after the famous Seremban Siew Paus, do eat them when they are piping hot. The ones we got were right from the oven and even in their boxes, filled the car with a wonderful mouth-watering porky fragrance.

Weng Yin Seafood Village at Port Dickson

I figured that since we were so near the west coast of Malaysia, having at least one seafood meal was a must. "Google-ing" "best seafood restaurant in Port Dickson" threw up the name of this restaurant "Weng Yin Seafood Restaurant" more than once.

And hence, we decided to have our last meal in Port Dickson at Weng Yin before driving back to Singapore. The restaurant is located almost opposite Thistle Hotel, and next to PD polyclinic. You can't miss the place from the main road, given how close it is. The pic below shows how the interior looks like and it is evidently pretty crowded on a Sunday afternoon (about 12noon) for lunch. There were many cars with the local number plates, so we figured we were going to have a great lunch.

Well. Let me start by saying that the servers were very polite, helpful and friendly. They showed us to a table and gave us a menu which had no prices next to the dishes. We figured it couldn't be too expensive given the ambiance (or should I say lack of) so we ordered crabs. But we must have offended the God of Seafood that day because we were informed, rather regretfully, that the restaurant had no crabs.

So, we decided to order the other dishes we'd read about on the web. The first dish was the sambal kangkong. The Slog Reviews: 6.5/10. This dish was the really wet, loads of oily moist not spicy gravy kind. It was not definitely not outstanding in any way but was the 2nd best dish of the lot we ordered.

As there were no crabs, we decided to have the Kam Heong Lala (instead of Kam Heong crabs). Alas, alas, the slog reviews: 5/10. This dish was so ordinary tasting with overly salty sauce and shells which was smallish in size and tough in meat. Enough said.

And because we would not have a chance to stop by my favourite Muar restaurant for my beloved otah, I thought my craving for otah would be satisfied with a helping of hot plate otah but instead, I was most sorely disappointed. The Slog Reviews: 1/10. Yes, just 1 point for the dish being edible. The otah was so horribly tasteless except for the excessive sprinkling of pepper on the otah. I would absolutely not recommend this dish to anyone else.

The only saving grace in my opinion was the 3 flavored fish. This was a 750gm fish which was not only fresh but cooked very well so as to be very nicely crispy on the outside yet moist and not burnt at all on the inside. The thick sauce on the top of the fish was something we'd never had before and went very well (slightly sweetish it was) with the fish. I would say that if one had to go this restaurant, this fish dish is a must-order.

Anyway, the meal I had at Weng Yin was one of the shortest most unpleasant meals I've ever had. Not because of the food or the service...but because of the sheer number of flies. It was horrid, simply a horrid experience trying to eat with the flies landing boldly on the straws of our drinks and taking every opportunity to land on the dishes with their dirty "Gawd-knows-which-pile-of-dung-they-have-been" legs. 

We spent much time swiping away the flies until towards the end of the meal, a lady server brought over some lighted candles (flies-repellents) to the table. But guess what - the flies still buzzed around and when the flame of one candle went out, a few flies boldly landed on the candle too.

Oh, and there is no air-conditioned area at all. I would absolutely never go back to Weng Yin, even though it was amazingly cheap (the fish was only RM34 and the total meal was about RM50+).

哩香海鮮村 Weng Yin Seafood Village KM15.5, (Batu 10), Jalan Pantai, 71050 Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan. Phone: +60(6)6627559, +60(12)6281660 URL: www.portdickson.net/wengyinseaf ood

Lucky Seafood Restaurant at Lukut in Port Dickson

One of the "must eat" places in / near the Port Dickson Area is Lucky Seafood Restaurant which houses the infamous Lucky King Bun stall. When we were there, every single table at the restaurant (the entire place is non-conditioned, more like a coffee shop) had at least one curry chicken bun from the stall. And there were quite a few folks queuing to "take away" a bun. Although the female server rattled off the restaurant's specialties (which was kind of touching given that she must know from experience that everyone goes there solely, if not primarily for the chicken curry bun), we decided to have just one curry chicken bun to share for brunch.

The cost of our curry chicken bun above was about RM 24 (I'm guessing this is the price cos we paid RM27 for the bun below and a can of coke). My CEB said the dish was like "Jin Zheng Tou" and nothing exceptional. However, his actions spoke louder than his words, and he ate at least 65% of the dish, ripping off the soft buttery fragrant bread slices and soaking them in the thick flavorful warm curry. *wipes drool.

As you can tell from the picture above, there was plenty of chicken meat and potatoes in the bun - quite sufficient for 2 hungry folks, and all of it, especially the curry gravy which was amazingly tasty despite not being spicy. Coupled with the prompt and friendly service, and the lack of flies, I would recommend this restaurant to all who go by P.D.

To make things easier for all, here is the exact address and telephone number of Lucky King Bun / Lucky Seafood Restaurant / Lukut Seafood Restaurant. 好運海鮮飯店 Lucky King Bun (Lucky Seafood Restaurant) No.4366, Taman Aman, Lukut, 71010 Port Dickson Negeri Sembilan. Phone: +60 (6) 651 2392 (Mdm. Lew)

As the restaurant was in Lukut which was in the direction of Kuala Lumpur from Port Dickson, we decided to try driving up to KL. With the help of the trusty GPS, and after several tolls, we reached Berjaya Times Square in about one and a half hours (there wasn't a traffic jam because it was the eve of a public holiday)

Hard Rock Shop in Melaka is open! ( Nov 2011)

I had read on Hard Rock's website that the Hard Rock Cafe in Melaka would only be open 2012 but when we dropped by Melaka on the way up to Port Dickson this long weekend....guess what, the Rock Shop was open and doing a pretty brisk business.

And of course, I just had to buy the hard rock cafe guitar-shaped magnet, the second one from a different country in the span of one week (see post below on the magnet from Makati, Manila)

As for eating at the Hard Rock Cafe in Melaka, the restaurant at Hard Rock Melaka will only be open end of 2012 according to the guy manning the Rock Shop.

First day of this biz trip to Manila

I would write more except that I am too tired. And I am using my iPod touch besides.

I woke up at 630am for my 940am flight out to Manila. My mum's flight was one hour later and that left me some time after landing at the NAIA airport terminal 1, to take the free shuttle to terminal three where she would arrive. And en route there, (the terminals are not connected at all and definitely not within walking distance), I saw Resorts World Manila. If I had known of the existence of RW Manila earlier, I would have booked a flight back later and stayed a day there to try my luck at the machines, just for fun you understand.

But anyway, I managed to meet my mum at the arrival hall without any problem. The airport taxi cost 500 pesos which I think was a total rip off because it was such a lousy uncomfortable mpv and the ride to makai took less than half an hour without any tolls. The driver also did not want to give me back the full amount of change I am glad we don't have to take any more taxis for the rest of the trip.

My mum seems to be enjoying herself a fair bit this evening - we went to Red Crab for dinner which is one of the more famous restaurants here. After that, we walked away to Glorietta 3 so I could get my Manila Hard Rock Cafe magnet.

Tomorrow I have arranged a day tour to all the attractions in Metro Manila and I think we are going to have a pretty awesome time. It has been 4 years since I've been too Makati and sadly, I return at least 10kg heavier. I think all the travelling is really doing me in. Ah well.

Real Steel (2011) Movie

This movie was exhilarating. I loved the fight scenes between the robots. I loved the underdog theme. I thought all the actors, especially the little boy and his dance routine, were just awesome. I'm hoping there will be a Part 2, and I am still wondering what the robot ATOM's secret is.

The Slog Reviews: 10/10. Is this a must watch on the big screen? Yeah! I had a seat 6 rows from the front and even from that awful angle, the thought "Oh wow, how far we've come in terms of digital technology" crossed my mind. I can't think of a single awful thing about the movie at all!

And in the final fight scene with Zeus, the ultimate fighting bot, it occurred to me that to win

(a) you really just have to get your as* in there and try, even if the odds are stacked against you; and more importantly

(b) being able to sustain major blows may be more crucial than getting a good one in ie one must be able to roll with the punches and take the hits without folding until the window of opportunity opens.

I really dig this show.

The Thing (2011) Movie

I have no idea why I am so tired of late. I haven't been able to make myself switch on the laptop the past few evenings and upload pics to blog about our honeymoon. Unlike my CEB, I consider the 4 hours between after-work and bed-time, time that goes by just too quickly. Throw in time used for dinner and a bath, and the day is over. Just like that. And then the week rolls by. Followed by the month. 

 I have 4 short business trips coming up in November. It won't be like that next year, I think, this travelling every single month for work since I joined this new company. Business trips are so disruptive and bad for the old waist-line. But in the meantime, I am leaving for a short weekend getaway in Bangkok with my CEB tonight. This holiday was supposed to be last week on his birthday but we rescheduled because of a wedding we were told we had to attend (but didn't have to at the last min). So this is one more holiday to blog about, in addition to the back-log from South America. But in the meantime, I thought I'll write about a movie which we had no plans to watch, but ended up watching because of the timing. The Thing. M

y CEB knows me pretty well (which really annoys me) and he asked me if I was sure if I wanted to watch this movie because I generally hate horror movies. And since there is nothing better than giving my old jaded tired self a fright, I said yes

 The Slog Reviews: 8/10. The movie was short (less than 2 hours) but well-paced with good acting all around. Special effects did not disappoint and The Thing scuttling about with 2 faces is something I can't wait to forget in a hurry. But before you get me wrong, the Thing is a hostile alien lifeform that scientists have discovered buried in the ice in Antartica, an alien which has the ability to devour and replicate human cells. So most of the movie was spent guessing which scientist in the group was the alien, and watching how folks turn against folks in times of doubt and fear. If I had to rate this movie on a horror meter, I'll give it a 3/10 - one would definitely be able to sleep in the night after watching this flick.

Tree of Life (2011) movie

I had intended to keep all my next few posts about my South America trip but I'm on a mandatory teleconference call now (not active participant) and brain dead from having woken up at 6am and being at work since 7am. So I thought I would write about this movie instead. I fell asleep early into the movie. 

But let me clarify - this movie was the first movie I caught on the flight back to SG from Sao Paulo. The flight was at 1.45am and we were served supper about 2.30 in the morning on that flight. So I was really tired at that hour. But if you read the reviews on the web from common folks like me, you will find that there were those who fell asleep/walked out ie they hated the movie that much. And those who raved about the movie, calling it a masterpiece (hey this movie clinched some award). 

 Myself? The moment I woke up, I went to replay the movie from the start. And I couldn't decide after watching it again whether I loved or hated it. I definitely felt "something" watching the movie and I know it is going to be one of those movies that will stay with me for a long time. So, what is the movie about? There are plenty of really beautiful artistic shots of the world, dinosaurs even..read, national geographic stuff, and that takes up a lot of movie time. 

There is some sort of a story about a young boy growing up in a suburban family in the 1950s, a family where his gentle mother believes in the way of grace (to forgive, to accept all, to trust God etc) and his authoritarian father believes in the way of nature (dog eat dog world). This boy has a brother die, a brother who taught him lessons of forgiveness, a brother who was "good". And in his convo to God as a child, this boy says "God if you can't be good, why should I be". The Slog Reviews: This movie is not for everyone and the only way to find out if it is for you, is to watch it. And to find a means of doing at minimal cost just in case like the other people out there, you fall asleep or just walk out.

Taking a public bus to the Corcovado Train Station in search of Hard Rock Cafe magnet

Those who read the blog will know about my recent obsession with collecting hard rock cafe guitar shaped magnets from all the cities I've been to. The driver for my airport transfer in Rio informed me that Hard Rock Cafe in Rio was located at this district called Barra da Tijuca which was about an hour and at least 140 Reals (Brazil currency) away from my hotel at Copacabana. However, she said that there was a small stall at the Corcovado Train Station which sold Hard Rock Cafe merchandise and I could try my luck there.

Now I had taken a day tour up to Corcovado where Christ the Redeemer statue was (the reason I'd come to Rio) on my first day in Rio but the day tour operator had arranged for a mini van to take us up the mountain (the cost of an aircon minivan to take one up the mountain is 27 Reals as opposed to a train ticket which cost 36 Reals) and despite my plea, the coach driver did not stop at the train station for me to buy my magnet.

So, after much agonizing, I decided to use my last and final day in Rio (I had a flight back to Sao Paulo at 4pm and the airport transfer from the hotel was at 1pm) to acquire my heart's desire instead of hanging out at the beach as I'd planned. After rationalizing that I would never ever come back to Rio, I was prepared to spend the the 70 Reals (SGD 50) quoted by the hotel for a taxi to take me to Corcovado train station and back.

And as I was leaving the hotel reception to go up to my room and get my bag, it suddenly struck me that there was the option of public transportation. Now, my colleague who is at least six feet tall and 200pounds had told me that the only place he felt safe in Rio was the airport lounge. Which is why I was extra cautious in Rio since I was alone there. But 70 Reals was quite a pretty sum to part with so I decided it was worth my while checking if there was a bus that went to Corcovado station and if it was safe.

The hotel staff (The same one who had booked me the taxi for 70 Reals) obligingly told me that there was a public bus (853) less than 5 mins away from the hotel which would take me to the doorstep of the Corcovado train station for 2.50 Reals. And to get back to Copacabana from the train station, all I had to do was take the bus 854 in the direction of Leblon for another 2.50 Reals. To top it off, he said the public buses were v safe, clean and the ride was only 20 min. 70 Reals compared to 5 Reals...of course the public bus it was for me!

From the pic above, the public buses in Rio have a driver and a conductor who sits at this turnstile collecting money from passengers who do not have a card (to tap). I asked the fat conductor to tell me where to get off for the Corcovado train station and although she nodded obligingly, she kept dozing off which made me feel uneasy. The biggest problem I had in Rio was that few common people spoke or understood fluent English (the national language is Portuguese). So I went up to her again and took out my Portuguese guide book and pointed to the phrase "Can you tell me when to get off".

A passenger on board saw this and he came forward to help. With his help, I found out that the old lady sitting behind me was getting off at the same station and she would tell him when to get off. And throughout the journey, he kept trying to make conversation in his limited English, and gave me his email address and phone number. After he got off, the old lady tapped my shoulder and looking straight at me, wagged her index finger in the "no no" manner. She then gave me a thumbs down before pointing at my chest and then rubbing her thumb and index finger in the money sign. Yes lady, I get it. That friendly young man is a bad dude who wants my money.

Anyway, the public bus journey was safe, clean, fast and comfortable. I reached Corcovado Train Station in about half an hour. The bus stop was just 1 min away across the street and when I got there at 8.45pm, there was a long queue of people waiting to buy the train tickets. Now, I had no interest in going up to see Christ the Redeemer again and all I wanted was the hard rock cafe magnet so with the help of friendly folks who pointed me in the right direction of "Hard Ock" (that's how they pronounce it), I found the small stall near the boarding entrance. And to my horror, I found that it was closed (the other shops near it were all open),

I asked the stall operators of the stall next to it whether the stall would open and I managed to gather from their limited English that because it was a Sunday, it might not be open. I think I could taste despair at that moment. I went to ask another stall operator and she said the stall might open at 10am so I figured that since I was there already, I might as well wait till 10am (even though this would mean a waste of time on my last day in Rio). As there wasn't any place for me to sit and wait, I decided to give in the herd mentality and joined the queue to buy a train ticket to kill the time

Now, according to the informational stuff around the train station, the train which can carry up to 124 passengers runs through the Tijuca National Park. One can apparently get to see lots of flora and fauna, as well as enjoy an amazing view of the city on the way up.

Below is a picture of the boarding area of the train station. There is a small cafe, some mock train carriages as well as various write ups about the history of the Corcovado Train. Apparently, the late Pope took a ride up the train to see Christ the Redeemer. Anyway, about 9.20am I reached the train counter and bought a ticket for 36 Reals. The ticket I got entitled me for a train ride at 10.40am. The trains before that were full.

So, I asked the counter staff for help to see if anyone in the long queue wanted to buy my ticket off me and we managed to find a single traveler like myself who did. (The counter staff was very nice though and offered to give me a full refund for my ticket if I could not find anyone to buy the ticket). If I hadn't had to check out of the hotel by 12noon and go to the airport, I would certainly have wanted to try out the train given all I'd read about it. :( I would certainly advise anyone who takes a day tour that includes Christ the Redeemer statue to check whether this includes the train ride up the mountain instead of the air-conditioned vans.

I walked around the souvenir shops a bit more to kill the time and at 10am, made my way back to the Hard Rock Cafe stall with my fingers crossed. And when I got there, I saw a young lady setting up the stall. *pumps fist in the air, Yeah baby yeah! I was literally dancing with excitement and thanking God that the damn stall wasn't closed on Sunday.

I have to confess that I was very close to tears when I finally laid my hands on the guitar magnet I had come for. Christ the Redeemer is on the magnet, as well as the colors of the Brazil flag at the bottom. This magnet is certainly the most expensive Hard Rock cafe magnet I've purchased to date, and not just in terms of cost (at 59.90 Reals which is SGD 42) but in terms of effort to get it.

And in my exhilaration at managing to secure the magnet and saving 70 Reals on cab fare to boot, I indulged myself with a Hard Rock Cafe T shirt that had the words Rio de Janerio on it. It was about 69.90 Reals, the cost of the cab fare there. Hah.

I will write about the day tour I took in the next entry but silly as it seems, getting the magnet is the most significant event of my entire trip to Rio. Because it goes to show that if you want something really bad enough, you would take all risks and find all means possible to go out and get it.

Journey to Rio

I now know why I gain weight after almost every business trip.

I left for the GAC 2011 4 days earlier so I could spend 3 days by myself in Rio before the work week started. And as usual, I flew on my company's preferred airline, SQ for the 26 hr flight into Sao Paulo where I would then take a flight on TAM to Rio.

The flight to Sao Paulo was some time after midnight and the almost non-stop feeding started soon after we were airborne. Courtesy of the Supper Menu (yes, at that hour) or the SG to Barcelona leg, I had one of the best crabmeat cocktail I'd ever had in my life.

This was followed by the main course. I had the recommended "Veal Grenadin with crystallised tomatoes, eggplant cavier, button mushrooms and black olives". Now, despite how it turned out on picture, I would strongly recommend this dish to anyone on a SQ flight if the dish is available. The eggplant cavier did not taste the least mushy or "vegetable-tasting" but was a rich flavorful concoction that had me ThisClose to licking the plate clean.

The Supper Menu ended with the selection of gourmet cheeses, by which time I was satiated and sleepy. So I watched a couple of movies and then folded down the seat to sleep.

I was awakened by a pretty stewardess in time for breakfast which I'd pre-ordered before falling into slumber. And I ate every single bit of the "scrambled egg with chopped chives, grilled chicken sausages, sauteed mushrooms and hashbrown potatoes". Because it was that good.

Anyway, after abt 11+hrs, we landed in Spain where those of us going on to Sao Paulo were hustled off to the transit area. The shops beyond the glass window of the sala VIP lounge beckoned invitingly but I was told expressly that I was not allowed to help the Spanish economy with my tourist dollars. Oh well, their loss....and mine too, I might add, given how expensive everything turned out to be in Brazil. The transit in Spain was about one and a half hours, and we were delayed another hour because of some (idiot) passenger's luggage issues. As WIFI access was chargeable in the VIP lounge, I ended up using the lounge's computers to write about the movies I'd watched on board and of course, stuffing my face with the complimentary food in the lounge. Nothing like an opportunity to eat Spanish food for free. Yay for the waistline right? Right. So after stumbling rounded-belly back to the plane for the next leg of the trip which would last about 10hours, I was served with the Lunch Menu for Barcelona to Sao Paulo. As if I'd never eaten all that Spanish chow, I downed the Prelude which was 3 sticks of satay, followed by the Starter, smoked ham with roasted capsicum and mesclun.

I ordered the "Roasted duck breast, ginger bread sauce, carmelised pear, parsnip and leek" as the main course. The duck breast was not very tender or tasty but ate it all I did, rationalizing that it would be a waste of good food otherwise.

And then after the plates and all were cleared, I watched some more movies sprawled in the seat. Before sleeping again. I mean, come on, how could I possibly have thought that I could get away with not gaining any weight? It certainly didn't occur to me on the flight how much I was eating and how little I was exercising (do trips to the bathroom count?) in the 26 hours to Sau Paulo but as I write this blog entry with the aid of the pics I'd taken en route to Rio, I now realize how much I'd gorged just on the way there!

Oh, and before we reached Sao Paulo, there was one more meal to be served. Dinner! Yes, because of all the time differences between Singapore, Barcelona and Brazil. I can't remember what the starter was and I didn't take any pics of the menu this time round but it was beautifully presented and extremely tasty,

However, I do remember being disappointed by the cod fish which while well cooked and tender, had this strange taste to it. I guess I should have ordered the beef and was almost minded to ask for a replacement of my current main course which I'm sure they would have willingly given until I realized that the button of my jeans was biting into my belly. Not good.

I was glad when we finally reached Sao Paulo and the 26 hours of movies, sleep and food was over. The sight of the city of more than 39million people laid out below me got me all excited (the pic below is the first pic I took of the city from the plane) and I kind of forgotten how much I'd eaten on board.

Till I got up and the button of my only pair of jeans popped off when I reached up to get my laptop bag down. Way to start a holiday. After a short walk around the duty free at Sao Paulo airport in the hope of buying some pants, (Trust me, everything there is hideously more expensive than if purchased in Singapore or USA), I collected my check in luggage and made my way to the TAM counter for my flight to Rio.

My flight out to Rio was supposed to be at 9.40pm - I'd decided against booking the 7pm flight despite my arrival time being 5pm because the ticket was a lot more expensive. However, because the 5pm flight was relatively empty, the counter staff put my name on the standby list for that flight and I found myself rushing ticket in hand to the departure gate 5 mins before the take-off time.

The flight from Sao Paulo to Rio took an hour and because I'd stupidly forgotten to charge my blackberry on board the plane, it was dead after the 26hours of travelling. I was pretty much resigned to having to wait at Rio's airport (which had all of one cafe at the arrival area) for my airport transfer to come get me at 11pm (I'd arranged this based on my earlier flight time of 9.40pm) but a very kind stewardess helped me call the airport transfer 24hr hotline and the driver came at 8pm to send me to my hotel in Rio.

And that was how after almost 30 hours of travelling and feasting, I found myself in the city I'd always wanted to be in since watching Fast and Furious - Rio De Janerio.

Saudade

After 20+ days or work and leisure in South America, I'm finally back in Singapore.

Getting used to the humidity and time difference (Brazil and Peru are like 11 and 13 hrs behind SG time) is a real challenge for us.

Stepping back into, or rather, finding a routine/semblance of a life after I left, is going to be a challenge too, but only for me and not my CEB.

In Brazil (the work bit), I learnt a word that accurately describes how I feel right now - Saudade. (Click here for the definition).

When all along I thought that word was "Lost" or "Restless".

Mad World

Finally the GAC 2011 is over and I am done with the presentations and sumptuous meals. As well as riding around in armored bullet-proof vehicles and being surrounded by security wherever we go. I wanted to go to church this morning, the only church in this city that has gregorian chants but I was strongly discouraged to by the security folks. 

So here I am in this luxurious downtown hotel waiting for checkout before I go to the airport to meet my CEB who is coming in for our honeymoon. Coming here has been an experience in itself. I've never felt so caged before. No shopping, no church even...and sitting inside the armored vehicle and having 1 big tough security guy climb in and ensure the windows were bullet proof...what can I say. I'm so glad I live in Singapore. I'm so grateful to LKY and the present government we have for making Singapore safe. Safety so many of us have taken forgranted but so many here do not have. Car jacking, 1 of the world's highest homicide rates, a city of more than 39million which means it is easy to disappear, the favelas (slums), the horrific traffic jams, the astronomical cost of living...I can't thank God enough for just the simple fortune of being born in Singapore at the time I was. 

 It's a Mad World we live in...and talking about Mad World, while cooped up in the hotel room last night with only the TV to accompany me, I watched the Glee Project and they had this song which is so hauntingly sad, so disturbingly true. Mad World, yes it is.

Conan (2011) Movie, Last Night (2011) Movie, Bridesmaid (2011) Movie, and Something Borrowed (2011) Movie

After watching a violent movie over the weekend at Batu Pahat Mall with my CEB, I decided to indulge in 3 chick flicks on board the plane from SG to Barcelona. So, because I am going to scarf my face with Spanish food right after this entry, I am going to just write about each movie I watched very briefly.

Conan ~3/10. My CEB would disagree but I found the movie overly violent, unimpressive and predictable. The whole movie is essentially about a barbarian boy whose father is tortured and slain by a dark lord in search of a missing piece of a mask which would make him invincible. The boy grows up and goes in search of this dark lord to takes his revenge. It happens the dark lord is searching with his witch daughter, for a descendent of the house of some ancient king. The blood of his descendent would activate the power of the mask and give the dark lord the power to raise his witch wife who was burnt to death at the stake. Anyway, Conan manages to save the descendent who of course happens to be a pretty nubile young lady and defeat the dark lord. Yay right? Sorry but this movie is so lame.

Last Night ~7/10. The movie leaves the audience wondering whether the couple will eventually tell each other or find out the truth about the night before when each of them slept with someone else. While on a business trip, the man slept with a colleague whom he was attracted to, and who was of course very attracted to him too. And on the same weekend, the lady bumped into an ex boyfriend and they ended up in his hotel room. The only thing I took away from the show is that affairs by women are usually led by the heart and that affairs by men are led by their eyes and well, d!ck.

Bridesmaid 8/10.~I get why this show was such an unexpected hit. It was hilarious but with so many cringeworthy moments that I had to shut my eyes at certain bits when Annie (best friend and maid of honor of the bride Lillian) wrecked the bridal party, and when Annie got drunk othe plane. Do people like her even exist? Ok, maybe they do so the question is, are people like her even allowed out with a free pass from the asylum. Eek. This movie is strictly for females and those who are like...females.

Something Borrowed ~8/10. I confess I have not finished wastching the last 10 mins of the show but the show really is nothing more than a lady having an affair with her best friend´s fiance. After they both discover they love each other just 60 days before the big day. The stuff that my CEB would shake his head at and call a big waste of time.

I guess my CEB and I are going to be watching very different movies on our way back from Sao Paolo. I can´t wait till he gets to SP but before that I have a gruelling week of presentations and meetings. Bah.

Our last night in Bali - Matahari Guest House

Because of all the work-related travel, I'd hesitated buying our return tickets from Bali back to SG till the very last minute. With the price of the tickets being therefore exponentially more expensive, I bought the cheapest tickets on the day we had to come back, which meant a 9am flight.

 

Since being a SPG gold member meant that we could get a late checkout from our very nice hotel the day before, I decided to find 1 of the cheapest possible lodgings to spend our last night in Bali (Tune Hotel was fully booked). The reviews of Matahari Guest House on Agoda (about SGD48) were pretty mixed so we decided to bite the bullet and give MGH a go.

Now, getting to the hotel is a story in itself. We made the mistake of hailing a cab from DFS about 7pm and going by meter instead of agreeing on a fixed fare. The traffic towards Kuta was just simply awful at that hour, the kind that makes you want to get out of your car and walk because traffic wasn't moving. And that is what we did when we were one street away - thankfully we both were travelling light without any check-in luggage.

The receptionist at MGH spoke some basic English but despite me producing the Agoda voucher, she claimed that there was no reservation under my name. She asked me if I was Fifi twice. I said no, and she asked me then if I was some other person which I really couldn't be, even if I tried. Anyway, despite not locating the reservation, she showed us to a room on the 2nd floor (all stairs, no lift) which she said was a deluxe room as I'd booked.

I'm sorry I don't have pictures of the room - I think I was too tired from all the walking to the hotel to whip out the camera. But it was clean and decently sized. No toiletries of course, and no cupboard to hang up clothes (just a basic clothes rack on the wall), It definitely isn't a place to stay for too long or to stay in during the day - it is, all in all, a good base to shower and crash after being out the whole day for day tours. There is a "restaurant" within walking distance from the guest house called Satsuma which sells basic Jap food. And I mean really basic as in no sushi or sashimi, just ramen and rice dishes.

Anyway, because we were starving from the long walk to the hotel, we were easily lured in to Satsuma by the pictures and promise of bowls of steaming tasty ramen. Well, the ramen took some time coming, and while it was steaming, it certainly was not tasty - more like instant noodles cooked in some weak gravy. This eatery while decent, is not a must-eat-at in Bali, esp if one is there for a limited amount of time.

We walked to Kartika Discovery Mall after dinner (a 10-15min slow walk) and with Mark and Spencers, Top Shop etc as some of the Mall's tenants, I think this has to be 1 of the larger malls in Bali if one is to do some shopping. After dinner, we walked back to MGH where I spent the remainder of the night hearing the phrase "We are going to crush them" said in a menacing tone at least 102 times while my CEB played his iphone game, oblivious to his wife's misery in the stark room.

We checked out about 6am the next day and while the staff at the counter took ages (to the extent that we just walked off after 7 mins of just standing there and waiting), there wasn't any problem with the checking out process at MGH (and how could there be if there was nothing worth taking from the room which had no fridge/mini-bar, safe or even hairdryer).

My CEB absolutely became my hero when he took me into the airport lounge with his premier card and we had a really nice breakfast of eggs, noodles and croissants before our flight out back home to Singapore.