Singapore Sling

The missus of mine wanted to head to Singapore again after reading about a couple of nice places to visit, pick up a Charles & Keith bag which is unfortunately unavailable in Malaysia, and to hunt for some retro Casio watches. I happily obliged to the road trip as i had intentions to take the Odyssey for a drive and have an autopass card registered for it anyway. Plus i like Singapore, and it would be our last road trip/holiday for the next four months. So, we hopped into the car after clocking in half-days work on Friday and headed to kiasu-land. To those of you Malaysians who constantly complain about Singaporean food, you need to pay attention to this blog post.

First stop was to check-in to our hostel (yes, its not a spelling error). Its a quaint little old house that has been creatively converted into a boutique homestay that is managed by an extremely friendly old lady named Irene. Who by the way thought EmilyT was "very pretty", i couldn't agree more really. One Florence Close as it is aptly named (its house no.1 on Florence Close, duh!) is conveniently located 3-mins walk away from Kovan MRT station and proudly has Singapore's Best Nasi Lemak situated directly opposite! We'll dwell on the nasi-lemak later on. One Florence Close is clean and affordable albeit the small rooms and the shared bathroom. Which isn't bad as the toilets are clean and designer like. I'm the sort that likes to splurge during holidays, and my standards in hotels aren't Burj-Al Arab but i'd like to come back to G-Hotel like type of Ambiance and facilities (G-hotel btw is my regular stay when in Penang nowadays, hehe), but for the money, One Florence Close makes the grade in my books. They could do with a bigger parking area though...it currently fits one.

(sorry as there are more pics of my car than the hotel, i'm a lil' engrossed with it at the moment)

Sleeping arrangements aside and back to Singapore's Best Nasi Lemak. Its called PONGGOL NASI LEMAK CENTRE, which really is only a corner shop lot. The amazing thing about this nasi lemak... is the QUEUE!! yes! the Queue! from 6pm till late, there's literally a Queue! And earlier parts of the evening/night sometimes sees the Queue going round the shop!! amazing.. utterly amazing! The nasi lemak is Chinese-style nasi lemak, with the sambal being a little sweet. They also serve up a smorgasbord of dishes. You can have luncheon meat with your nasi lemak, which is great! I honestly thought it was pretty good. Where's it at? Its located at the corner of Florence Close and Upper Seranggoon Road.

Ponggol Nasi Lemak

The mad Que forming...

Our yummy nasi lemak

The next day we took a one and a half hour trip to The Singapore Zoo, only to decide not to go as we wanted to catch the sunset at Changi (which is the other end of Singapore!!) and we had wasted 2 and a half hours waiting for some friends to arrive (tsk! tsk!). En route to Changi Point Boardwalk, we pit-stopped at Queensway Shopping Centre and another mall (i forgot the name) to pick up the aforementioned Charles & Keith bag and a pair of kicks. There's a food stall near the main foyer of Queensway shopping mall that serves up one of the best packet-nasi lemak and otak-otak combo and awesome curry chicken with bread. It is one of the more popular stalls, as we had to wait around to get a seat. And when we finally did, it was at the very corner of long bench-like table next to the ice dispenser! Must try if you're in Singapore.

A routine for me when visiting Singapore.

yummy!!

Then it was off to Changi Village & Changi Point Boardwalk. The sleepy hollow of Changi Village comes alive on the weekends as it plays host to a flea market and some lively entertainment. I'm a sucker for sunsets, which makes Changi Point Boardwalk a notable mention as it's probably one of the best places to catch the sunset in Singapore. Unfortunately for us (and a host of pro-looking photographers), there was heavy cloud cover and powerful as the sun may be, it's rays could not penetrate the darkside. Fear not! We'll be back!!. Word of advice though, be prepared for a whole lotta walking if you intend to visit. I'll let the pictures below do the talking.

Us in Changi Village

Changi Village Flea Market
En route from Changi Village to Changi Point

The boardwalk, that seems to stretch on forever

Children scurry away as Jwan approachesSights along the boardwalk

EmilyT strikes a pose!

"Don't let the sun go down on me..." (sing it)

After all the walking, and lugging the shopping around, we headed back to the hostel. I was supposed to head to China One in Clarke Quay with the missus and her friends, but my feet were killing me and i just wasn't in any mood to go squeeze with people in that tiny club that i honestly think kinda sucks (i was there during Christmas btw). The thought of going to that club again kinda just dampened my spirits even further. So much to the dismay of the missus, i opted not to go...which created much unwarranted inconvenience for her as she had to travel one and a half hours on the MRT by herself, which naturally resulted in flowing rivers and red eye generation when she got back. My apologies for my insensitivity my dear. Small sacrifices have to be made in the future.

We went to collect some family portrait photos from a studio the following day, then headed to Mustaffa Centre to hunt for some retro CASIO digital watches. For those not in the know, yeah, retro is in. Mustaffa centre is located in the heart of Little India which makes for a very lively and colorful place to be. EmilyT netted a couple of watches and a huge luggage bag, and we were off for some shopping mall hopping before heading back to KL.

BrekfastOne of the reasons we were in Singapore - going retro

Shanghai "small dragon bun" lunch

Pics by: EmilyT & Jwan

Reebok Ex-O-Fit Hi SG Strap

Sadly, catching the flu bug a day before resulted in my inability to attend the Reebok Strap SG media launch event at SOLE WHAT?. Managed to obtain some info on the uber cool Reebok Strap SG to share with everyone though. It retails for RM429.00, and comes in choice colours of Red, White and Black. You can check them out at Sole What?, located at The Gardens Mid Valley. Extended thanks to Advertlets for the invite, hope to meet up with you all at future events bar the flu bug.

Reebok Strap SG picture courtesy of Sole What?

Singapore Swing

The family made a quick trip to Singapore last weekend to join my younger brother for his graduation ceremony. It was supposed to be in Perth Australia where he studied, but due to an unfortunate turn of events, we had to attend his graduation ceremony in Singapore. As i didn't bother with professional graduation photography during my grad ceremony in oz, we thought we'd get some taken for Jinn's graduation, which reminded me why i didn't take them before, family portrait pic: $SGD280/pc (for a small pic mind you!), solo graduand pic: $SGD110/pc. And you don't even get the soft copy!! But it was well worth it... i hope! We'll know after we make that trip to Singapore again to check out the prints.

Not surprisingly I netted myself a few spoils during this weekend dash to Singapore, including a digital camo phone pouch, a GOLLA laptop bag, and a pair of Asics cracked leather casuals. And my brother picking up 3 pairs of new kicks courtesy of Lacoste, Nike, and Asics. It's become almost obligatory to buy shoes every time we visit Kiasu-land... talk about being Kiasu. As how my Singaporean friends would say: "Walaueh! Like this soo-wer spend lot money wan-neh!"

Speaking of Singapore...Last year's scheduled trip to Zoukout was binned due to work obligations, i hope this year's planned Zoukout excursion with the missus goes according to plan. Anyone else interested in partying in Sentosa Island, drop us a tinker!

The proud parents & graduandStylishly lateMum & DadSpotted outside Raffles City... "rolling on twenty-fourz". Bling! Bling! And lastly... Digi-Camo on Digi-Camo... can't spot the phone huh? hahaha.

Sole Seduction

A friend of mine cringed and cursed "F*#k i'm not paying 500bucks for a pair of sneakers!" and walked right out of the CAMPER store in The Gardens @ Mid Valley the other day. I calmly explained its not a pair of sneakers, its CAMPERS..its a casual shoe not a sneaker. Besides, nowadays even a pair of good jogging shoes costs close to RM500. That incident sparked a thought, not many men pay attention to their "Soles". So, I thought i'd share a little on the differences of men shoes and the recommended essential Soles a metropolitan man should have in his shoe cabinet. To hopefully help those of you who are still "sole searching". Ever heard the saying "The Shoes Maketh the Man" and "You can tell alot about a man from his shoes"?. So spare a little thought, some cash, and add that crowning glory to your wardrobe.

SNEAKERS - sporty looking, rubber sole with a fabric upper and sometimes with a mix of leather thrown in for good measure - generally used for sporting activities and informal casual wear. As you don't spend your entire life in the office, a good pair of sneakers for your weekend social activities is a good way to sporty-up and dress down your wardrobe.

THE CASUAL SHOE - This is a shoe that allows you to go from coffee at Starbucks straight to a dress-up dinner by just adding a jacket to your ensemble. The casual shoe is more fomal than the sneaker and is more suited for occasions where sneakers are deemed inappropriate. Generally a sleek non-bulky design equipped with an all leather upper in earthy colours or black with a thin rubber sole. Paired with a pair of dark colored slim or straight jeans, a shirt or simple t-shirt/jacket package and you're ready for a smart night out on the town. Ready to impress.


THE DRESS SHOE - Also known as the Oxford. For work and the super formal occasions, there are no exceptions. The classic all black laced dress shoe is a must. An all leather construction with a leather sole says "Formal" and "Classy" without a doubt. A must have for any man. Recent times have seen the birth of many new different designs and styles. If you're like most other people, you won't need more than a pair or two of dress shoes, and may face difficulty trying to choose one that suits you and your wardrobe best. Try and stick to the simple classic design and you won't have a problem matching it with your slacks or your suit.

Building a wardrobe can be a challenging task, stick to what suits your body and style best. When it comes to shoes you can't go wrong these three types of shoes as a start, sprucing up your look for any occasion. Of course there are other types of shoes you can purchase - boots, loafers, boat shoes, high-tops, etc. there are even a few types of dress shoes, classified by the way they're closed. But these are the three basic types of shoes i'd recommend every man should have before proceeding with the other variants. If you don't intend to purchase numerous pairs of shoes, stick to designs with simple lines and black/white or earthy colors. That way you won't have trouble matching your shoes to your wardrobe. Also consider spending a little more on top-dollar quality shoes, as they generally (well, in theory sometimes) last longer.

My Heart & Sole..
Shoes seem to flow in my blood, i blame my mum for it really. My mum used to idolize Imelda Marcos, and her sizable collection of shoes would be adequate to stock up a small women shoe store. Shoe fetish is proven to be hereditary - both my brother and i share a passion for shoes and fashion. We're lucky in a way, as we both wear almost the same sized shoes. Though my brother does occasionally buy shoes a half size smaller on purpose to curb me wearing them, and impose restrictions and guidelines for certain shoes. I on the other hand, have no qualms about sharing.
Between us, i think we have access to about 30-odd pairs of shoes, majority being sneakers. Unlike some shoe enthusiasts, we actually wear our shoes! including limited edition snake-skinned Nikes, rare Tiger's, Yasuhiro Mihara Pumas.. yeah, box fresh special editions fetch sky-high prices, but will you actually sell it when the time comes? i highly doubt it...
Always buy shoes that suit your wardrobe and you're comfortable with, ensuring that you'll always have an opportunity to wear them with a variety of clothes for a longer period of time. Here are pics of some of the shoes in the Heah stable...

Some of our shoes

Its wise to pay top dollar for shoes, this pair of classic BALLY loafers is 11 years old

Nike Force One Snake Skin

The Dress Shoe

Gold flaked and mid-top Tigers

"These shoes are made for running" -Shocks & Frees
Military themed Nikes
Always keep your shoes in a breathable cabinet:
Black 2-door 4-tier shoe cabinets, RM99 each from Cavenzi, 3-tier open shoes racks, RM19 each from IKEA.

May god bless your sole!

* Shoe Pics Courtesy of: Sneakerhead, Nike, Sepick, Puma, Ebay, Amazon, Jwan, and Jinn Heah.