JPOT – hotpot Singapore style

One of the benefit of being one of Jumbo Rewards Member is that you’ll be entitled to $100 discount voucher (with a minimum $200 spent before GST and Service Charge) at either JPOT, Jumbo or Chui Huay Lim Teochew Cuisine.

As I’ve joined the Jumbo Rewards late, I’ve only receive the voucher somewhere in beginning August where the validity date state from 20 July 2016 to 17 August 2016. 😀

As we couldn’t make any reservation in Jumbo as it’s fully booked, we headed to JPOT at Vivocity.

The concept of JPOT was like hotpot Singapore style which was inspired by the increasing popularity of hotpot dining in Singapore. Click on the link to find out more: http://www.jpot.com.sg/en/about-us

This is like my 2nd time having JPOT and the last time I had was about 3 years back. 😀 The thing about JPOT is that we’ll order all the items via iPAD (so atas and technology geek). As we had to spend a minimum of $200, we started ordering seafood and alot of stuffs which we don’t usually ordered if we’re having it without any food.. 😀

This was what we ordered before Hung Kai arrived, and we ordered a lot more after he arrived.. We ordered the “famous” pork and fish noodle (as seem in the bottom) and it looks abit (uhm, digusting when it’s in the soup.. ahhahaha).

Apologised for the lack of photos as I’m busy eating.. Hahha.. Sorry.. We even ordered dessert to hit that $200!

The total bill with the $100 discount ended up with the 4 of us paying about $30 each for that dinner! To end it off, that’s our empty plates! 😀

Well, I’ll definitely go back again if there’s any discount. But if there isn’t, I don’t think I’ll be back as the price isn’t something I could afford on a daily or even occasional basis. Still prefer Jumbo Seafood..! However, do note that their seafood it’s FRESH! The quality is the price you paid for!

 

Cycling & Pokemon Go Haunting!

I’m back! Haven’t been updating my blog as often as I would wished to.. Sorry to you guys who have been following my blog! 😀

I’ve went to the lowest point in my life (especially at work) at I have lost most of the confident in my work.. Hahaha, lets talk about it another time! 😀 I am slowly walking out that “pit hole”, so.. Let’s blog about something happier!

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Cycling @ ECP (East Coast Park)

I have been wrecking my brain every weekend to see where I could bring my kid to and what kind of activities I could do together with him. Recently, we found a new found hobby (as we couldn’t go to the beach/swim due to 7th lunar month) – Cycle!

During a period of 1 month, we went to cycle 3 times! 30th July, 7th August and 20th August 2016! Wow, I’m amazed!

So went to the same store for the 3 visits to rent the bike but the first 2 visits, we only rent and cycle for an hour as we reached ECP late. We cycled for 3 hours on our last visit and realised that there’s a promotion! Rent the bicycle for 2 hours on weekends and get another hour free!

The cost of rental isn’t cheap! The kids bicycle cost $6/hr and the adult bicycle costs $6-$12/hr depending on the type of bicycle you choose! I wanted to take the big one with the shelter and stuff but it cost $30/hr and $45 for 2 hours! (That’s too much for my small wallet!).

I didn’t take much photos as I’m cycling too! Hahaha.. But that’s what I had on the 1st cycle trip! I didn’t take any picture on the 2nd trip as it’s the 2nd day that the Pokemon Go was released in Singapore and the WHOLE ECP is FULL of people catching Pokemon!

He felt a lot on the 2nd trip and hence, when we go for the 3rd cycle trip, we doesn’t want to cycle anymore.. Although it’s the same bike, he just said that the bike is too small for him.. 😀

Guess what, then it’s Mr K job to “carry” him around! Hahaha.. We got the kid/baby sitter for him and off we go for a 3 hours cycle! Well, I’m so tired and my leg just feel like breaking! Next time, I’ll get the double bicycle so I don’t have to cycle as much! Tada, & that’s my bike! Hahaha..

(PS: We did catch a lot of Pokemon during our ECP cycling trip! )

Did I also mentioned that there’s a huge playground area in ECP where kids could roam around and get engaged! (Social networking skill got to start young right?)

 

 

Depressed BUT I’ll need to move on!

I had a bad feeling that I won’t be able to graduate after all my papers but I can’t really be bothered about it and enjoyed for a full 3 months till Monday, 15th August 2016. when I got my result.

I failed 3 modules out of the 5 modules I took last semester and the worst part! To graduate, I can only fail up to a MAX of 2 modules, which indirectly means: I’LL NEED TO RETAIN FOR ANOTHER YEAR!

As this degree was sponsored by my company, I’ll need to go through them to get extension and it’s subject to approval and I’m still pending for their approval. Nevertheless, I’m going to retake the failed subject and I’m just like a stone throw away from passing!

Sometimes, I really don’t know why I failed. Like I really did study for the exam and I started early and did revision almost every week, but the results still came up with 3 failed.. It’s just so demoralizing.. This is one of the worst exam failure I had, other than my O levels where I also failed 2 subjects out of the 7 subjects I took (hahha, it feels like I didn’t study ya? But actually I did).

Nevertheless I’ll need to move on, stop thinking about the 3 failed modules but concentrate on the re-takes now! I don’t believe with double the effort in and working smart (gotta start later instead of earlier) I will fail again! Mmm, unless I’m damn SUAY! I think what I need now it’s just a good rest before school start and then work hard & SMART!.. I can’t wait for my short JB trip beginning of Sep!

Aww, JY! Move on and stop brooding about it! (It’s difficult not to think about it and over-stress yourself thou. T-T It’s complicated)

 

Book Review: For One More Day

2nd blog book review: For One More Day by Mitch Albom

It’s my 2nd time re-reading this book. Usually I don’t re-read books, but I found this book somewhat familiar and distant at the same time and I can’t confirm for sure I’ve read this hence I pick up this book and started reading.. It was till about chapter 3 that I realised I’ve read this book before.

I’m quite slow in book reading and I try my very best to at least finish one book per month, which means I’ll read about 12 books per year! Wow! Not bad right?

I always find it hard to read Mitch Albom as it’s emotion stirring and it usually leads to lots of reflection on my side and I’ll then fall into this pit hole and I find it really hard to climb up of it! (Not say I can’t but it’s just a little harder, that’s why I tend to move away from biography as I tend to fall into the pit hole and get all depressed about it)

I do like how the way the story starts (source: For One More Day by Mitch Albom):

THIS IS A STORY ABOUT A FAMILY and, as there isa ghost involved, you might call it a ghost story. But every family is a ghost story. The dead sit at our tables long after they have gone..

and how the story ends with the epilogue:

My married name is Maria Lang.

But before that I was Maria Benetoo.

Chick Benetto was my father.

And if my father said it, I believe it.

Well, my maternal grandma and paternal grandpa came to my mind. If I were given one more chance to go back and fixed what I did wrong before, will I take that chance? What happened if my parents passed away, will I regret for saying things I shouldn’t or for not saying things I should have? Will I regret not standing up for them when something happens to them even though I know they stood up for me countless of time especially during my lowest point in life?

From that book, I learned the power of a mother’s love. However, I do reflect on my relationship with my dad and even my brothers too.. Sometimes, we shouldn’t see things on the surface, in our perspective, but theirs too (I know it’s damn hard and even till now, I’m trying, but I really don’t want to regret in future of not standing up for them or doing anything for them when I still could)

Would definitely recommend this book and ALL others Mitch Albom books! I started his first book, Five People You Met in Heaven and till now, I still believe that whoever I met till now, even stranger, they will have a little impact or something to do in my life. 😀

Book completed: August 2016

The Temporal Blooming Of A Flower Upon The Earth

I’m wondering how many of you actually follow my blog, but nevertheless, I’m going to try to blog about an on-going event happening now! Hope anyone seeing this post don’t just close this immediately.. (At least read till the end please… >.<)

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If you are around Maxwell/Tanjong Pager area, why not pop by URA, Singapore City Gallery to view some artistic photography by Akai Chew, his first SOLO exhibition..

As adapted from his FB event page:

Every year, during the lunar 7th Month, the cityscape of Singapore is lit up by brilliant lights of the getai.

The getai stages are inserted into the existing cityscape, affixing themselves onto footpaths, trees, lampposts, and existing buildings. For a short span of a few nights, they become a beacon, attracting audiences from far and wide.

Empty spaces are turned into lively places of show, ceremonies and rituals. These structures appear for a few days and then disappear, surviving and functioning through this temporal symbiotic architecture.

Do note tat his solo exhibition is till 10 September 2016 at Singapore City Gallery, 45 Maxwell Road. Definitely an exhibition not to be missed! PS: It’s located at level 3, just take the URA lift up to level 3, turn left and you’ll see it.. There’s the exhibition decoy on the lift too.. 

Tada, the entrance to the exhibition:

Some snapshot of the exhibition.. (Pardon for some blurry image, some images looks blurry on my camera and I don’t know is it because of my shaky hands or it’s actually normal but it’s the camera setting. Can’t wait for another month for my Samsung Phone!)

The idea is to bring out the getai tentage and architecture, from past to current, how getai’s stage “grow” these years..

We went to the “opening ceremony” held on 2nd August 2016. See the crowd! Hooohoo.. Success to Akai Chew.. Well, being a photographer/designer, solo exhibition is one of the best achievement one could get.. So, DO SUPPORT!

Bowling; Win it or Lose it ALL!

And so, we got to this agreement that whenever we want to eat “GOOD” food (anything more expensive like JUMBO, JPOT, BUFFET falls into that “GOOD” food category) we’ll go and EAT first then after that, play a sports/game after that to determine who pays for the meal! So, it’s like a winner takes all and LOSER pays all!

So, we’ve decided to go for either JPOT or Japanese BUFFET on this coming Friday, 5th August and will pay it via a BOWLING game! So to see how HE fare for bowling, we decided to go for some “practice” rounds last Friday and then the loser will pay that Friday dinner (which cost about $8.. -_- No kick at all..).

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A GAME to Determine Who PAYS ALL!

We had dinner at the hawker center (Teochew porridge) and ordered a spread of staple food to go with it and it cost $8! Aww, I just love the Teochew porridge at Bukit Merah Hawker Center.. (I always have that when I’m seeing the doctors in the polyclinic..)

So, we went to Safra Mount Faber for the bowling game! It’s under SuperBowl..

SAFRA Mount Faber Operating Hours
Open daily from 10am to 2am
(Friday, Saturday and Eve of Public Holidays from 10am to 3am)

 http://www.safra.sg/enjoy/recreation-leisure-entertainment/superbowl#.V59bDfl97IU

SO, before you bowl, you need to rent their shoes which cost $1 per pair of shoe rental.. 😀 And off we went.. We’re lucky that we were allocated a more secluded area as it won’t be embarrassing if all our balls goes down the drain.. We’ll need to choose the weight of the ball and then off you go.. Hahha..

We only played 1 game and he got a STRIKE “X” on his first throw.. Hahha.. I almost regret using bowling as the game to pay for meals after his strike.. T-T But I end up wining the game! WOhooo! (He said he wasn’t playing it seriously as it’s just practicing game. But, he seems to hide some of his talent thou, he had 2 strike!)

Tada, our score! I think we are like the bottom few that score 2 digits score for bowling games.. Hahhaa, but overall, it’s great fun! Can’t wait for FRIDAY (where the real game begin)! Cheers!