It was late and we wanted a drink. Gusttimo over at ION Orchard was opened and so we went over and just chilled, watching the vehicles drove by. I had a lychee soda which was lychee syrup with soda water and a tiny scoop of kiwi sorbet. It was pretty refreshing, but they could have serve it with a spoon too. The kiwi sorbet added a tartness to the sweet lychee syrup.
I have read some bad reviews about Gusttimo, particularly on its "rule" about having to order 3 flavors of gelato. The cost is decent at $5.90 for 3 flavors, but they are very rigid about the customers having to order 3 different flavors. That really does not make any sense at all, to force customers to choose 3 flavors when they only want 1 flavor.
I really don't see the issue if the customers want 1 flavor. Just give them 3 scoops of the same flavor and the price will still be the same. Maybe they just want to stick to their claim of having "29,760 ways to indulge flavors of love."
The flavors look interesting. I would love to try dolcissimo (pecans + brownies) and panna cotta (vanilla pudding + macadamia nuts) and the various chocolate flavors. Maybe next time. The food menu also seems quite ok.
I have been drinking Old Town White Coffee instant coffee mix more than I ate at the outlets since the office only stocked that. I like the coffee as it is strong and robust, plus there is a 2-in-1 mix which excludes sugar.
However I am not used to the coffee served over at the outlet as it just tastes different from the mix. You need to add your own sugar and frankly, I much prefer to add condensed milk than sugar. Maybe that is the reason for its popularity? Because its coffee is different from other coffee places like Killiney and Ya Kun.
The chicken rendang nasi lemak is so good. The rice is lemak (very coconut-flavored) and the chili is gorgeous with pieces of ikan bilis (anchovies) and strips of onions in it. The chicken rendang is super yummy. Soft and tender with rendang gravy over it. It is quite a huge portion so it will be nice to share.
The fried mee siam is not too bad also. I'm strange, I actually prefer those packets of fried mee siam that are sold in 7-11 or cold storage :p The portion is slightly smaller as it is only available during breakfast hours.
Somehow I don't find their french toast or kaya toast that nice, when compared to the other places or even the neighborhood coffee shops. I think it is only the food which is not too bad.
It has been a long time since I last had a meal at Marriott Cafe inside Marriott Hotel. So J was in town and we just decided to have dinner at Marriott Cafe since it was nearby. Initially I wanted the dinner buffet, but after checking out the dishes, I changed my mind. The food was not that appetizing since I was feeling a bit under the weather. The start of my low grade fever then.
I decided on the sea bass with olive sauce over it and steamed asparagus and baby potatoes. It was very nice. The fish was smooth and slid down the throat easily and the asparagus was crunchy and fresh. A simple but yummy meal.
We wanted to go to Pete's Place at Grand Hyatt but it was full so the next best alternative was Prego at Fairmont Hotel (off Raffles City Shopping Centre), especially since I still have the FAR card. The caesar salad was so good. Fresh and crisp lettuce made it all the more enjoyable. As one of my friends is a muslim, the staff was very accommodating in removing all pork from our dishes. They forgot the first time and we had to send back the salad and this was the second bowl. But after that, they remembered. Even without the bacon bits, the caesar salad was still enjoyable.
The seafood squid ink pasta which we shared too. Another friend who is a very fussy and exacting eater did this. Now we could understand why. Look at the way she served our portion on the plate. Such a neat coil of pasta with a huge piece of prawn.
And of course, I just had to have my white pizza. The bacon had been removed but the porcini mushrooms and cheese still infused an appetizing flavor to the pizza. I just love white pizza.
We ended the meal with this dessert. It was very late when we ordered it, around 11ish pm or so, and the kitchen was more or less closed. Only a few desserts were available and this was our choice. I could not remember the name but it was like a mudpie or ice cream cake. Chocolate ice cream topped with an oreo-like crust drizzled with caramel and served with berries.
It was so good, even better as we shared it. This was a much better option than tiramisu which could get a bit heavy at night with all the cream and mascarpone cream.
Prego always gave good service. Many times we had stayed there till after midnight and never once did they make us feel unwelcome. Probably that was why we stayed past midnight as we just did not notice the time at all. Or maybe it helped that everytime that happened, we had a bottle of wine :p
There is something about flowers which can make a bad day go good, or lift up the mood or just to brighten the room and makes everything look better.
Flowers and plants add warmth and life into the rooms or places. That is probably the reason why some doctors' offices have them, or restaurants, offices and other establishments. I am never really a flower person, as in I don't go ga-ga over them. They are nice to have, pleasant to look at but not a must in my life.
I start to look at flowers differently after staying with JH when in Canada. She loves flowers and will always buy them to add a cheer to her place. It also helps that her then bf, now husband works in a nursery auction place and always has leftover flowers destinated for the dump, and he will bring bring lots of flowers for her. Everyday, there will be flowers everywhere, at least 5 vaseful. In the kitchen, bedroom, living room and work area. It really made the place very welcoming and cheerful.
So I was feeling a little down recently and when I passed by the flowers displayed at the supermarket, I just picked up the red roses to cheer myself up. It worked! Smelling the sweet rosy scent made me feel better. Putting the roses into the vase and looking at them brought a smile to the face.
In fact, I feel quite liberated to buy the roses as usually the flowers I received were gifts from others. I think I want to make it a habit to buy flowers once a week so that I will have something beautiful to look at when I am home.
This is my new favorite afternoon tea snack ~ Elvis toast set with Kopi - C from The Canteen at Shaw House. Or is it Shaw Centre? I can never get it right. Anyway, The Canteen is just outside Isetan Scotts, next to Canele. Under the Les Amis group, it serves local dishes. In the afternoon, they will serve different types of toast with coffee or tea.
This is absolutely the best toast I ever had. The bread is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with rich buttery taste exploding in the mouth with each bite. The peanut butter is smooth and sticks on the roof of the mouth which is super nice. The banana is mashed up finely and the sweetness contrasts marvelously with the salty sticky peanut butter.
It is a decent huge piece of toast too, and is a substantial snack. You get to choose the type of coffee or tea (regular or with evaporated milk or black) which is nice.
A friend recommended Euphon Menthol Lozenges which I bought from the Guardian Pharmacy as I was coughing non-stop and it worked pretty well. It helped to soothe the throat and stop the coughing spell.
I like that it looked like usual pastilles and the white flecks looked like sugar but it was not so sweet like sugar. It did not stick to the fingers too. It tasted cool which was probably due to the menthol.
My cough attacks had reduced and I thought I finally beat it yesterday but it came back again today. So yes, 3 weeks and counting. At least I have something on hand to cut off the attack.
It was always crowded when I went to the Dining Room at Sheraton Towers for the Saturday High Tea buffet, so it caught me by surprise to see the room barely half filled. So either the economy was still very bad or the regulars who usually frequented the place had left town during the long National Day weekend. We got there around 1+ pm and it became apparent that when the crowd is thin, it meant the turnover of food was slow. The sandwiches were soggy, not as tasty as before. They had been out there for too long.
The upside was that I finally got to take more pieces of the sashimi as this usually disappeared quickly. Unfortunately the sashimi at Sheraton Towers was not as fresh or nice as those served at Ritz Carlton Greenhouse.
The duck crepe and duck pie tie were still good as they were prepared fresh on the spot.
Laksa again. This was still very good with the lemak gravy and laksa leaves making it so fragrant.
The chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream. They brought it to the table when it was done.
The hot chocolate oozing out from the cake. I still did not really like it, except for the chocolate inside the cake.
Dessert - the chocolate truffle cake was real yummy with the rich taste of dark chocolate and the thin soft sponge cake with a biscuity base. The bread and butter pudding was not too bad either.
For once I did not take anything from the hot food selection. Somehow I was not that hungry that day though what I had was plenty enough too. We really tend to overeat when at buffet, just so we can try everything. Always an impossible feat.
It has been some years since I went to Brewerkz, and it still looked the same. I had the small portion of the Bistro burger which had blue cheese, onions and mushrooms. You got to choose between onion rings and fries for the side. The burger was medium well though it was still a bit tough, not that juicy at all. The bun was nicely toasted though.
A friend ordered the angel hair pasta which was vegetarian with only tomatoes and mushroom in a pesto sauce. After realizing there was no meat, we ordered hot wings to share. The pasta looked quite appetizing though after a while, I would think one would get sick of the pesto sauce.
I am still trying to find a dish that is really nice from Brewerkz, besides the hot wings. So far the cobb salad was not what I like, nor was the Shepherd Pie. Maybe that is why I hardly go to Brewerkz though it is a nice place to be for Sunday brunch.
After postponing my massage appointment at Touche over at Palais Renaissance a few times, I finally made it there. Utilizing the voucher which I received from Shape Run 2009, I had a free rose body scrub and a massage which I added on for a trial fee.
This was my first time to Touche at Palais Renaissance and I could safely say it would be my last. It was on Level 4 and I did not realize the escalators in the main building only get up to Level 3. I had to take the elevator to Level 4.
Basically above level 3 of Palais Renaissance was where offices are housed, not the mainstream or luxury boutiques and restaurants. So I felt a bit strange to walk to Touche as it felt like I was walking to an office unit. The reception area of Touche was pretty standard with the burning of essential oil and soft music playing in the background.
The staff were polite and service was decent. The restroom was located outside at the end of the corridor. Initially I thought the office across from the restroom was a domestic helper agency as I saw the helpers all standing outside in a row, waiting. Then I realized the office was a pre-school or early childhood learning school and the helpers were all waiting for their charges.
These factors were still acceptable as the massage and service were usually key to having a good experience though ambience and place play a part too.
The therapist was pretty good and had firm strong hands to knead the muscles. But my main gripe was with the room. It was the tiniest room I have ever been to. Barely room to be in between the door and bed. It was that small a room. The therapist told me she used to bang into the wall when massaging when she first started as there was just no room at all.
Hardly any space between the sink and the bed and the wall. See the marking on the wall? It was caused after prolong rubbing against it, probably by the therapist.
There was another door leading into the bathtub and portable shower which was shared by another treatment room. So there were 3 sliding doors for the bath/shower room and people could just enter when you were showering even though there was a shower screen for privacy.
The portable type of shower meant that it was a very plasticky type of space. I was told to wear the flip-flops into the shower area and then I realize the drainage was very slow so I was standing in a pool of water while showering. It also took a long time for the water to subside so I just rinse my foot one at a time before stepping out.
The total treatment was pretty short too. When I made the appointment, I was told it would take about 90mins. But my entire treatment took just 60mins or so. Very short for a body scrub and massage. I told the receptionist the massage was very short when she asked me how I found the service. She said it was a trial so it was only 45minutes. I still felt it was short than that as how could you squeeze in a body scrub, shower time and massage in 60minutes when the massage was already 45minutes?
I doubt I will go back to Touche again as the room was just too small. I have been to the outlet in Bugis are and it was equally small but I did not recall it as being that small. Then again, I only tried the eye mask at the Touche in Bugis.
It is always crowded during dinner time (or actually most times) in the Orchard area. You will see long lines at most food places. ION, Wisma, Taka and Wheelock are packed with people waiting for a table, and much worse on weekends.
So we ended up at Din Tai Fung and joined the wait which was about 30mins. Thankfully they served the dishes fast and you would usually have your order ready by the time you were seated. We decided to have the spinach appetizer and it was good. Fresh and crunchy with light seasoning.
Next up was the xiao long bao which was still good. Translucent skin with a flavorful broth and meat inside.
The zhajiang noodles took some getting used to as there were beans in there. I guessed I was more used to the version at Crystal Jade.
The promo item ~ chili crab dumpling ~ for the Singapore Food Festival. There were 4 pieces, J was too hungry and took one immediately.
Crabmeat over meat with a chili crab gravy broth inside the dumpling. I felt a bit cheated as I thought it would be only crabmeat inside the dumpling. I did not expect the pork at all. The chili crab broth was a bit sweet. So I did not like this dish much, I thought it was just so-so.
The shrimp dumpling soup was also average, not that memorable at all.
A friend sent a forwarded mail to me and I thought it was pretty good, and something to think about, reflect upon. BEST POEM IN THE WORLD
I was shocked, confused, bewildered As I entered Heaven's door, Not by the beauty of it all, Nor the lights or its decor.
But it was the folks in Heaven Who made me sputter and gasp-- The thieves, the liars, the sinners, The alcoholics and the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade Who swiped my lunch money twice. Next to him was my old neighbor Who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought Was rotting away in hell, Was sitting pretty on cloud nine, Looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal? I would love to hear Your take. How'd all these sinners get up here? God must've made a mistake.
'And why's everyone so quiet, So sombre - give me a clue.' 'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock. No one thought they'd be seeing you.'
JUDGE NOT.
Remember...Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.
Hahahahaha! I LOVE this phrase which is so true and funny. I am so tired of people who think they are holier than thou just because they go to church every Sunday, yet sometimes their behavior for the rest of the week is something to think about.
It is really so hard not to judge, but it is something I always try to strive for. Maybe that is why I always try not to bother about what others think cos if I do, then I will try to analyze and then I will be judging. And by my above statement, I know it also has some form of judgement in it. So yes, I am still a sinner trying hard to live a life which will be pleasing to God.
Another analogy which Candace Cameron Bure (actress from Full House) used in a video of her testimony was pretty good too. It was something she read and stuck with her.
"When you take a white sheet and place it on the grass, it looks very white. Yet when you take the same white sheet and place it on the snow, it does not look so white anymore."
It means that when you compare yourself to others whose behaviors are worse than yours when based on current yardstick e.g. stealing, drugs, killing, etc, then you seem to be a very good person because you are not doing criminal acts. But when your "good" behavior is measured against God's yardstick, then it may not so good after all.
For Candace, she based God's yardstick on The Ten Commandments, and so she tries to follow the 10 commandments which she says will be what God will be looking at during Judgement Day.
Every saint has a PAST.... Every sinner has a FUTURE!
Yay! I have graduated!!! After about 2 months of 3x a week treatments, I have moved on to 2x a week. My spine has improved its position and I can finally tell.
I am pretty much "duh" when it comes to myself as in I don't really focus on myself. I don't really scrutinize my body, my face, my skin, my emotions, my anything. I just go and do things and let it be.
So I did not realize that I have stopped "cracking" my neck in the last 2 months after I started chiropractic treatments. I have been "cracking" or "popping" my neck (the sound you hear when I turn my neck quickly) for so many years as it just helps to release the tension in the area. And it got to a stage where I just have to turn my head and it will just "pop".
When I first started chiropractic treatments, I had to consciously remember not to "crack" my own neck. Reason being that if I do that, I will be reversing what the chiropractor has done to adjust the spine back to its original position.
I do not know when I stop getting the urge to "crack" my own neck, but when the chiropractor said I have "graduated", then I start to think about it and realize I have stop this habit. Yay for me. I guess this is the most telling impact of chiropractic treatments for me.
I usually get such nasty migraines that my painkillers are those super strong, prescribed only pills which cost about $9 each at the doctor and over $10 each at the pharmacy. Since it was so strong, I always try not to take it unless absolutely necessary as I did not want to be addicted to it or for it to lose its effectiveness. I know people who take painkillers daily as it has become like an addiction for them.
So far I have not had any headaches after starting chiropractic treatments. Then again, I am also not very highly stressed at moments. It seemed like my headaches or migraine attacks come when I am extremely stressed. Though sometimes they come when my eyes are very tired and I do not have enough sleep.
I also do not feel the need to go for regular massages now. I used to feel the want or urge for a massage every few days but now I find I can get through the week effortlessly. Not much aches or soreness. Sometimes I still feel a bit of achiness on the upper back where the shoulder blades are, but it is no longer as bad as before.
I used to go for massage once a week or alternate week though it has dropped to a monthly affair. Massage is still a nice thing to have and I find I can really use the massage treatment as a form of relaxation and no longer as a form of remedial therapy. So now I will usually go for Swedish or Balinese massage where the long soothing strokes and kneading will relax me. I stopped asking for sports/remedial massage where pressure points are the norm to remove the knots in the body. I never like Tui Na as it was always too painful for me.
So it is indeed great news that I can see and feel the improvement in my spine with chiropractic care. I know sometimes people do wonder and think if it is all in the mind or something as it is not something you can see immediately.
Except for the instant relief the body feels after each treatment, you really do not know if your spine will or can be moved back to its original position. But now I can safely say that even if I cannot feel or see my spine, I can definitely feel the difference at this moment.
So hopefully it will continue to improve and the body will be at its optimum stage.
Food Opera (the food court) in ION Orchard was so crowded in the first few weeks after opening that it was so hard to find a table. So I waited and in just a couple of weeks, it was fairly empty on a weekday afternoon or even weeknight. I guessed people have satisfied their curiousity about the food there.
Food Opera is under the same people who bring us Food Republic, so the prices are higher than usual. The place seemed to have an animal theme as you can find sculptures of animals scattered around the place, with mirrors and other wall decorations.
If you have been missing the Scotts Picnic beef noodles, you can find it over here. They located and got them to set up a stall in Food Opera. I ordered the beef noodles with a side order of the beef ball soup and it came to $6.50 or so.
The beef noodles was not too bad. The sauce did not lose its sticky, gooey starchiness nor did it turn watery after a while so that was very nice. The beef slices were tough and chewy which I did not like. However the beef balls were soft and springy and those were good. If I was to order this again, I would just ask for beef balls noodles instead.
We shared a plate of oyster omelette. This was very nice. I liked the crispy edges and the oysters were plump and fresh. The chili was tangy and so yummy with the dish. Now I know where to find oyster omelette when I get a craving of it in town.
I was at Coffee Club earlier in the month and found out its soup promotion has ended. The new promotion then was the Twist Food Fiesta with baked pasta or rice. So I had that instead. It came with a choice of the special smoothie plus an entree. I selected the Tropical Blast which had bits of rambutan in it. Cool, icy and refreshing. Perfect for our warm weather.
The server recommended the Skipper's Delight which was penne topped with dory with a lobster bisque-like sauce. The pasta was not very al dente, the fish was usual, but the sauce really had a lobster flavor to it. So that was good.
Since I could still find the promotion information on its website, it is probably still available till early September.
Can you believe this was my very first time to Dian Xiaor Er? I have always skipped it when deciding on where to dine as I am not really a duck person. Friends had told me it was really very good but somehow I was not convinced. So it must have been a blue moon when I agreed to try it earlier in the month.
As usual, there was a long line though it did move fast. We were given a menu to browse while waiting for a table, and the waitress came to take our order just before we were shown to our table. That helped to speed up the process as the food came shortly after we were seated. The seasame chicken. It was not too bad, the sauce was sweet and the seasame seeds fragrant. The chicken was a bit tough though, so it would be easier to eat using your fingers.
Baby kailan with lime and salted fish. I liked this dish. The veggies were fresh and crunchy, the lime gave a tangy twist to it and the salted fish added a new dimenson to the taste.
The famous dish - roasted duck in 10 herbs sauce. There were 3 options for the duck (Angelica - Dang Gui, 10 herbs and Ginseng) and we chose 10 herbs. It was surprisingly good. The sauce was not overpowering or herby, instead it was a bit sweet. The gravy was light and not thicken with starch. The meat itself was not very gamey which was the reason why I dislike duck. The meat was tender and lean and the skin was crispy. It kind of grew on me after a while.
Now I know why there are always long lines outside all the Dian Xiao Er restaurants. They do have pretty tasty duck and veggies. There are also other signature dishes such as the cereal prawns, dongpo (stewed pork belly) and mongolian ribs and spinach with salted and century eggs. Hmmm...dishes to try for next time.
A friend posted about The Cove, a movie which starts screening in Singapore today. It is a documentary about a dark secret happening in Taiji, Japan. With hostility from the Japanese, the people in the movie had to film the footage secretly. Whether that is right or wrong is another issue.
The Cove highlights what is little known about how we actually get the dolphins which we see in the various marine theme parks in the world. Pods of dolphins are actually chased, hunted by Japanese fishermen and then driven into the cove in Taiji, Japan. Once there, nets are dropped to prevent the dolphins from escaping. Dolphin trainers from the marine theme parks will travel to Taiji to select dolphins which they think will be suitable for their shows. These dolphins can fetch up to US$150,000 each, a very lucrative business. The rest of the dophins (some 23,000 or 2,300 - I got different numbers from different reports, but in any case either numbers are too just too many!) will be inhumanely slaughtered, turning the sea into a pool of red.
The meat will be sold in supermarkets for mass consumption in Japan, and are even sold as lunches to the schools. Then two Taiji authorities actually tested the meat and found out the mercury content in them was way too high (5 to 3500 x more than allowed by health officials). So they are also slowly "poisoning" their own school children by making dolphin meat as part of the lunches. I don't know how long this practice has been happening, but when you keep reading about the violent outburst which has been happening with the Japanese youths, I start to wonder if that has a correlation. And people always wonder why cancer is so common now ~ it's probably all in the food (meat, veggies, seafood, fish, etc) we are consuming now plus the environment.
I have not watched the film yet but I do so intend to, even though I will probably bawl my eyes out. The director decided to make the movie a la Ocean 11 style, so it is like an exciting action movie, except it is real. It is happening in real life. So I think the film showed them putting together a team like Ocean 11 and to try to tell people what is actually happening in Taiji. The actual senseless killing of the dolphins is about 2 minutes in the film but apparently it is enough.
Make a difference. It may not be about dolphins, but it could be about other issues you are passionate about. What this film shows is really how if someone (in this case, Richard O'Barry ~ dolphin trainer for the famed TV show Flipper turned activist to save dolphins) is passionate about his cause and what he believes in, things can happen.
Already things are happening. It was reported last Friday that Broome shire in Western Australia has said it will sever its sister tie to Taiji, Japan. It bowed to pressure from people emailing and asking the Broome authorities to do something about the dolphin slaughter in Taiji after they watched The Cove.
As with any issue, read more about it, do your own research and then form your own opinion. While I think it is great that we will get to know what is really going on with the dolphin trade, there are probably so many more things happening in the world that we are unaware of.
I am undecided if Aquariums and Marine theme parks are really evil. I think they walk a fine line between educating the general public about the marine sea life and mammals as well as being able to raise funds to continue its research and studies? I don't know, probably I need to go find out more about it.
For most people, such aquariums and marine theme parks (e.g. Sea World, Marineland, Ocean Park, etc) are probably where they first see dolphins and other marine mammals. However I do not agree with the shows now though I did not think much of them when I saw the shows when I was a kid. While the idea of "swimming" with dolphins sounds so cool, but when it is done in the theme parks, it is just another way for the parks to make money.
I learnt a lot when I was at Sea World Orlando. I took the "behind the scenes" tour where I paid extra so that I could be up close and personal with the mammals and also hear more about their natural behaviors, habitats and what Sea World is doing to help in conservation. Being young and like any park visitor, you would think that the handlers or park know what they are doing, that having small groups of visitors descending on them will not have any adverse effects on their well being.
According to Richard O'Barry, the trainer for dolphins, those dolphins who performed in shows are actually always starving. They learnt that if they do the "tricks" right, they will hear a whistle and get fed. Which is why you always see them being given food as a reward. The trainers called it positive reward, to O'Barry now, it was an act of cruelty. To starve the animals so that they will perform and entertain the visitors. And that usually it is the mammals/animals who dictate the timing of the shows as in they will go into the pool when they are hungry.
He could be right as I did remember some shows where an animal or mammal will start first and the trainer will say wow he sure is eager to start. Of course we will all laugh since we have no idea of what actually went on behind the scenes. If really they are not fed until show times, it sure is animal cruelty. I wonder how those animals in our own Night Safari, Zoo and Bird Park are treated.
There are dolphins in Vancouver Aquarium, and I have only been there once or twice in the mid-1990s. It never really occur to me to keep going regularly. Reading more about the Vancouver Aquarium, it seemed like the dophins were rescued after being trapped in nets, and they are scarred. One has lost a flipper after being tangled up in nets. It was rehabilitated and and kept in the aquarium to educate visitors. In this incident, then I think aquariums can play an important role. Save dolphins who are genuinely injured or trapped by nets, care for them and if they cannot be released back into the wild safely, then keep them to educate people.
The Vancouver Aquarium also has beluga whales. The tank is definitely much smaller than the vast ocean. I still don't really know how the aquarium got the beluga whale, but it has successfully bred beluga whales, with a calf born last year and another one this year. I think by now the beluga whales are so used being kept in captivity that it will be hard for them to adapt to the ocean.
Apparently there used to be an orca show at the aquarium though I don't recall seeing it at all. Maybe that was the year the activists has successfully forced the aquarium to stop the show and give up the orca. Living in Vancouver, I was actually blessed to be able to see the mammals in their wild habitats. That is, if you have the money to go for whale watching tours. Those tours do not guarantee that you will see them but you are just out in the open sea in areas where they usually travel.
I was on a trip once, and it was freezing cold out there. We had to wear thick jumpsuits provided by the operators and then we just wait. I did not see any whales then (maybe too early in the season in end April), but I did see porpoises, sea lions and seals. It was still amazing.
Some marine mammals become used to urban areas and will actually take the harbours and piers as their home. I would always drive to the Marina in Victoria, Vancouver Island just to catch a glimpse of the resident harbour seal. It is its home and the residents there just treat it as normal. Same for the famous Pier 39 in San Francisco where the seals have made it its home.
So I guess when it is a natural phenomenom, it is ok to go see them as long as we don't disturb them while they go about their everyday activities? It is only when people try to hunt, kill animals senselessly that is it bad?
It is a hard line to draw on what is right and wrong. I guess I have been rambling on but it sure has opened up questions and thoughts about animals/mammals in captivity.
Bottomline - go watch The Cove. If not for anything else, just for knowledge.
I met up with ex-colleagues for lunch earlier this month. We decided to try the lunch buffet over at Pan Pacific Orchard (formerly the Negara Hotel on Claymore Road). It is always quiet when I go to Pan Pacific Orchard and it is no difference on a weekday afternoon.
Besides us, only about 2 or 3 other tables were filled. One was a big group, obviously on a company lunch bonding thing. I started with a plate of salad ~ greens, grilled zucchinis, mushrooms, pomelo chicken ~ which was fresh and appetizing. There were more items available.
10 @ Claymore with its huge chocolate fountain in the background. It actually has a ring of food for you to dip into the fountain. Dried fruits, profiteroles, fresh fruits, marshmallows and many more. The buffet itself is not big but it is sufficient. I like that each chafing dish is spilt into two, so you get two types of foods in one. It saves space and the food is warm and fresh as they are not left that to harden over time. The food is replenish quickly and frequently too.
The table setting. It is quite dark with its warm brown color scheme. I like the glass all around the place, giving it quite a cozy yet modern feel to it.
The soup is served from the kitchen and the soup of the day is french onion soup. It was average. See the difference between what is served here and the picture I blogged about from Kelsey's which looked so much more appetizing.
There were many types of bread and the ones I had were warm and soft inside and crusty outside. You just sliced the bread to the thick you liked. I loved the butter though. Herb butter and tomato butter. So delicious on the bread.
The roast beef was very good. Super tender and almost melted in my mouth. The roasted sweet potatoes were very nice too. The fish was fresh and the chicken in some sauce was equally yummy. The carb was garlic rice which made a nice foil against the meat. Steamed veggies completed the mains. The grilled squids were not too bad, not too rubbery. There was also a pork dish and other stuff which I did not take.
I was quite happy to just eat the roast beef with roasted sweet potatoes and some fish. I think when you have good quality or decent food, you don't need a large variety to be satiated.
The dessert was a bit of a disappointment. It is obviously not their strong suit. The chocolate cake thing is meant to be a brownie but it obviously tasted like a chocolate cake and is good as that. So if you are really expecting a brownie, you will be disappointed. The strawberry cake thing was not that nice. The sponge cake was not too bad and the pineapple tart was not that good either. There was an apple crumble which I forgot to try. Fresh fruits rounded up the dessert section.
The weak dessert selection was probably the reason why the chocolate fountain had its place of honor right in the center of the restaurant and is the focal point for people walking into the place. If you are not a chocolate or fruits person, then you are totally lucked out for desserts.
I hardly go for the chocolate fountain now even at other restaurants as I am quite over it. Then again, most places only have the typical strawberries, marshmallows and melons to dip into the flowing milk chocolate. At least at 10 @ Claymore, you get the profiteroles which is a nice touch to counter the sweetness of the chocolate. It will be even better if they have two types of fountains ~milk and dark chocolate.
Another highlight is the coffee maker. You can choose the type of tea you like from the selection available. And for coffee, you get to select the type of coffee too. The waiter helped to make the cappuccino and brought it over to the table. That was a nice way to end the meal.
I would not mind going to 10 @ Claymore again to try the dinner buffet or just for lunch again. It is a nice place for a quiet meal. It is near town and yet is away from the crowd and madness.
It was late and we wanted a drink. Gusttimo over at ION Orchard was opened and so we went over and just chilled, watching the vehicles drove by. I had a lychee soda which was lychee syrup with soda water and a tiny scoop of kiwi sorbet. It was pretty refreshing, but they could have serve it with a spoon too. The kiwi sorbet added a tartness to the sweet lychee syrup.
I have read some bad reviews about Gusttimo, particularly on its "rule" about having to order 3 flavors of gelato. The cost is decent at $5.90 for 3 flavors, but they are very rigid about the customers having to order 3 different flavors. That really does not make any sense at all, to force customers to choose 3 flavors when they only want 1 flavor. 
