Places: My first visit to "Princely Treasures: From the House of Liechtenstein

Princely Treasures: From the House of Liechtenstein is one of the exhibitions in Singapore that I would make repeat visits. Here's a blog on my first visit to this exhibition: Places: My first visit to "Princely Treasures: From the House of Liechtenstein

Bukit Brown: Our Roots, Our Future

Bukit Brown: Our Roots, Our Future
(In Mandarin and English)
29 Jun - 7 Jul 2013
9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Venue: Chui Huay Lim Club,
190 Keng Lee Road, Level 4, Singapore 308409
For media enquiries, please email a.t.bukitbrown@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/bukitbrown.today


This is an event for heritage and nature enthusiasts to look out for. All Things Bukit Brown and Chui Huay Lim Club will be presenting an exhibition and a series of talks on the Bukit Brown Cemetery tracing its history and significance to the development of Singapore.

Bukit Brown Our Roots, Our Future has four themes: history, our pioneers, tomb culture, the living cemetery.

For more information, please visit: Bukit Brown: Our Roots, Our Future by a.t Bukit Brown
For the full programme of the talks, please visit: Our Roots, Our Future: The Talks by a.t Bukit Brown

Directions to get to Stephen Riady Centre Auditorium 2, part II

Yours truly will be performing in the following concert.

Journey to Vienna 
By NUS Symphony Orchestra 
Date: 30 Jun 2013 (Sun) 
Time: 8.00 p.m. 
Venue: Stephen Riady Centre, Auditorium 2, University Town, NUS. 
Tickets at $10 each. To order the tickets, please approach any member of the NUS Symphony Orchestra or contact nusso.contact@gmail.com

For the convenience of friends, supporters and members of the audience who will be attending this concert, here is a second part to how we can find our way to the Auditorium 2 at Stephen Riady Centre, University Town, NUS. 

The weather-proof way

This method is possibly suitable for people who prefer sheltered pedestrian walkways which will prove to be helpful during wet weather condition. It is also suitable for people who are familiar with getting to the University Cultural Centre and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, yet have no clue how to get to University Town. Soon you will learn how to get to University Town!

Getting to Auditorium 2, Stephen Riady Centre, University Town, NUS

1) Take bus service 96 from Clementi bus interchange and alight at bus stop #16169 opposite the NUS University Cultural Centre and on the same side as NUS Raffles Hall. Then cross to the other side of the road to the bus-stop #16161.

1b) Alternatively, take bus service 151 and alight at bus-stop #16161, just after the NUS University Cultural Centre.

Bus stop #16161. After University Cultural Centre, and opposite Raffles Hall.

2) From bus stop #16161, you can choose to walk along the sheltered pedestrian walkway until you get to University Town. The walk is approximately 15 minutes from bus stop #16161 to University Town, Stephen Riady Centre.

2a) Alternatively, depending on the schedule of the NUS Internal Shuttle Bus Service, you can take bus service D2 from bus-stop #16161 and alight at the next stop. Please take note that the frequency of bus service D2 is about 30 minutes on Sundays.

Walk under the shelter of the sheltered pedestrian walkway.
This is the weather-proof way to get to University Town.

On the way to NUS University Town, enjoy the sceneries and the experience of walking across an expressway.
In the background is a glimpse of NUS University Town.

Congratulations! You are in University Town, NUS.

3) Look for directional signs or simply walk forward towards the direction of the Stephen Riady Centre, formerly known as the Edusports. Along the way, you will pass by Subway, Fish and Co Express and Koufu Food Court.

Koufu Food Court on the left.

4) After Koufu Food Court, look ahead and you will see the Stephen Riady Centre. Walk towards the Stephen Riady Centre and you will find yourself on the second level of the Stephen Riady Centre.

Stephen Riady Centre.

5) Take one of the nearby lifts or the stairways to get to the first level of Stephen Riady Centre. You will find the main entrance to Auditorium 2 on the ground level.

Second level of Stephen Riady Centre.
There is a Food Court on this level.
The toilets in this centre are gender-neutral.
Please expect to find doors to the Gents painted pink and doors to the Ladies painted blue and vice versa.

Level One. Entrance to Auditorium 2, Stephen Riady Centre. University Town, NUS.

Last but not the least, may you enjoy the concert. 

Also see:

Journey to Vienna. Directions to get to Stephen Riady Centre Auditorium 2
Journey to Vienna, Pre-Tour Concert, NUS Symphony Orchestra

Places: Teochew Cultural Festival - Teochew Music and Opera

If Teochew Music and Opera interest you, please visit the Teochew Building at 97 Tank Road this weekend.

For more information, you may read about my recent visit to the Teochew Building here: Places: Teochew Cultural Festival - Teochew Music and Opera at the Teochew Building.

Journey to Vienna. Directions to get to Stephen Riady Centre Auditorium 2

Yours truly will be performing in the following concert.

Journey to Vienna 
By NUS Symphony Orchestra 
Date: 30 Jun 2013 (Sun) 
Time: 8.00 p.m. 
Venue: Stephen Riady Centre, Auditorium 2, University Town, NUS. 
Tickets at $10 each. To order the tickets, please approach any member of the NUS Symphony Orchestra or contact nusso.contact@gmail.com

The NUS University Town, or UTown for short, is designed for the entire NUS community. The Stephen Riady Centre where Auditorium 2 is located offers a range of sports, educational and performing arts facilities.

Many of my friends have asked for directions to get to the Stephen Riady Centre, University Town, NUS. Here's a map with directions to the NUS UTown Stephen Riady Centre, Auditorium 2. The directions for friends and supporters who are driving are fairly clear, so please refer to this map.

Directions to Stephen Riady Centre, Auditorium 2 via public transport:
As the concert is held on a Sunday night, I will suggest that friends, supporters and members of the audience who are coming by public transport could consider enter University Town via the Dover Road entrance. Although there is a discreet entrance with the shortest walking distance to the Stephen Riady Centre via Clementi Road as we can see from the map, some members of the audience may find the street lights relatively dim to find their way around, so I shall suggest the use of the Dover Road entrance.

I am personally not in favour of using the College Link wall to go to Stephen Riady Centre because shuttle services in NUS on a Sunday night is relatively infrequent. The frequency is one bus every 30 minutes for Bus D2 (refer to NUS shuttle bus services guide).

Here are my suggestions:

1) Take MRT and alight at Buona Vista MRT station.

2) From opposite Buona Vista MRT station, next to the MOE Building, take bus service number 196 towards Clementi bus Interchange. The journey will take about 10 minutes, and there will be 6 stops along the way before reaching the designated bus-stop.

3) Alight at bus-stop #19059. It is opposite the New Town Secondary School.

4) You will see a glimpse of the University Town, NUS.

5) Walk on the pedestrian foot-way that is somewhat parallel to the construction site to get to Stephen Riady Centre. The walk will take about 10 - 15 minutes depending on your pace. Along the way, if you see anyone, you may choose to say 'hello' to the strangers that you would see. The NUS community is generally friendly and you can also asks for verification that you are walking in the right direction.

6) Before reaching the Stephen Riady Centre, you will pass by the Education Resource Centre. There is a 24-hours Starbucks Coffee outlet at the Education Resource Centre. If you do not need a drink from Starbucks Coffee, continue walking ahead. You will see the Yale-NUS College under construction. After that, you will see the Stephen Riady Centre about less than 1 minute walk away.

On the left of this photo: Education Resource Centre. University Town, NUS.
On the right of this photo: Yale-NUS College under construction.
In the middle of the horizon: Stephen Riady Centre.

7) When you are at Stephen Riady Centre, find your way to the first level (i.e. ground level) either via the stairways or the lifts. Auditorium 2 is located nearby NTUC Express, Fortune Village and the Dance Studio.

Stephen Riady Centre.

Facilities nearby Auditorium 2, Stephen Riady Centre. University Town, NUS.

Entrance to Auditorium 2, Stephen Riady Centre. University Town, NUS.

Stephen Riady Centre.

Dining and retail options:

There are various dining options in University Town. 

For example, there is a food-court, Flavors@U-Town at Stephen Riady Centre, on the second level. Flavors@U-Town opens daily from 7.30 a.m. - 10 p.m. At Flavors@U-Town, one can find a variety of food from Western food, Chinese style soups, Chinese food, Malay food, Indian food. 

Nearby Stephen Riady Centre is Town Plaza. There is a Koufu Foodcourt there that opens till 10 p.m. Koufu presents Korean food, Chinese food, Malay food and more.

For more dining and retail options in University Town, please visit: http://www.nus.edu.sg/oed/services/retail-and-dining/outlets.htm#edusports

Also see:

The weather-proof way to get to Stephen Riady Centre: Directions to get to Stephen Riady Centre Auditorium 2, part II 

Journey to Vienna, Pre-Tour Concert, NUS Symphony Orchestra

Journey to Vienna, Pre-Tour Concert, NUS Symphony Orchestra

Dear friends,

Yours truly will be performing in the following concert.

Journey to Vienna
By NUS Symphony Orchestra
Date: 30 Jun 2013 (Sun)
Time: 8.00 p.m.
Venue: Stephen Riady Centre, Auditorium 2, University Town, NUS.
Tickets at $10 each.
To order the tickets, please approach any member of the NUS Symphony Orchestra or contact nusso.contact@gmail.com

During this concert, audience will preview the NUS Symphony Orchestra's programme that will be performed in the upcoming Summer Cum Laude Internation Youth Music Festival in Vienna this July.

Programme:
1) Beethoven: Symphony No. 1, 4th movement
2) Low Shao Suan, Low Shao Ying: Danses Joyeuses
3) Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.1
4) Strauss: Voices of Spring
5) Dvorak: New World Symphony, 4th movement
6) Liu Tieshan, Mao Yuan: Dance of the Yao

I am looking for share the gift of music with you. See you there.

For more details, please visit the Facebook event page of Journey to Vienna.

Please find below a map with directions to get to the venue of the concert:

Read: The Little Book of Value Investing by Christopher H. Browne

Title: The Little Book of Value Investing
Author: Christopher H. Browne
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

To learn more about value investing, I decided to make time to read books on this subject matter. This book by Christopher H. Browne is a relatively easy to read book on the subject matter. Although it does not deal with the specific details of value investing, it does cover the concepts of value investing pretty clearly and matter-of-fact. He illustrated the importance of ensuring a margin of safety when conducting value investing.

Christopher H. Browne gave examples to demonstrate why he thinks value-investing is the way to invest. In this book, he clearly stated that "patience is sometimes the hardest part of using the value approach". He acknowledged that it is sometimes tempting to give in and relax one of the criterion of value investing just a bit. However, he argued that patience shall be rewarded.

This is a relatively accessible book on the subject matter for anyone who would like to appreciate the basic concepts and philosophies behind value-investing. It offers a glimpse of the thoughts behind Christopher H. Browne who has the reputation to be one of the best value investors in the world.

**
While writing this post, I came across a good review of this book by Trent in The Simple Dollar: Review: The Little Book of Value Investing.

artFIESTA 2013! at Emily Hill

I have a fascintation to visit pre-war buildings and when the opportunity came, I visited the building at 11 Upper Wilkie Road to attend the artFIESTA 2013!. It was here that I became acquainted with the Maya Gallery and the good work that it is doing.

More about my visit to artFIESTA 2013! can be found here: Places: artFIESTA 2013! at Emily Hill.

Launch of the DVD: Eat to Live: Wartime Recipes

Many thanks to the invitation of the National Museum of Singapore, I attended the Launch of the DVD: Eat to Live: Wartime Recipes. Watching the screening of the first two episodes of this documentary series during the launch reminded me not to take food and the peace that we have for granted.

If this exploration of people's experience of food consumption during the Japanese Occupation intrigues you, do get a copy of this DVD from the major book stores.

Read: Theo and Co: The Search for the Perfect Pizza

Source: UWA Publishing.

Title: Theo and Co.: The Search for the Perfect Pizza
Author: Theo Kalogeracos
Publisher: UWA Publishing

This book is one that has set me drooling and thinking about how the various pizza toppings will blend with one another.

Last year, I took up a pizza-making class by Chef Theo Kalogeracos at ToTT. Subsequently, after the class, I have been making pizzas so as to keep practising the art of making pizzas. My pizza endeavours were perfectly supported with Theo Kalogeracos' book "Theo and Co.: The Search for the Perfect Pizza".

This book lends us a glimpse of the inspirations behind Chef Theo's love for bread, pastry and more. It also gave us a clue how he eventually became an award-winning world pizza champion. This book is also filled with interesting recipes. I have yet to experiment with the dessert pizzas. In the meantime, I shall focus on the savoury pizzas first.

A good book to consider for anyone who would like to search for the perfect pizza. The search has gotten me to pay more attention to raw ingredients whenever I visit the supermarkets. I would be thinking how to mix and match the ingredients together to make a perfect pizza.

Also see:
http://www.theoandco.net

Many thanks to Chef Theo for sharing his love for making good pizzas and his quest for the perfect pizza.

Places: Displacements. At 13 Wilkie Terrace. The launch party

I have a special liking for houses with high ceilings and usually such houses tend to be built before WWII. When I heard about Displacements, a community arts exhibition and event program held at 13 Wilkie Terrace, I felt a compelling urge to visit the house. I suppose one of the reasons was that I used to rehearse in a Chinese orchestra that had its rehearsal venue somewhere nearby the area. Furthermore, the street names associated with "Wilkie" somehow remind me of a good friend.

Join me as I write about my visit to 13 Wilke Terrace on 1 Jun 2013: Places: Displacements. At 13 Wilkie Terrace. The launch party

***
Displacements
2 - 23 Jun 2013
13 Wilke Terrace, Singapore.
Exhibition hours:
Tue - Fri, 3 p.m. -8 p.m.
Sat and Sun, 2 - 8 p.m.
Admission is free
http://www.13wilkieterrace.com
https://www.facebook.com/13wilkieterrace

Places: A visit to Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb

On 18 May 2013, I visited the exhibition Mummy: Secrets to the Tomb held at the ArtScience Museum. It is an interesting exhibition for people who are curious about the world of the ancient Egyptian. I would have gladly visited this exhibition more often if the admission rates had been more affordable for repeat visitors.

In the meantime, please sit back and take a peep to find out more about my visit to this exhibition: Places: A visit to Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb.

Simple American in Singapore, Part 2.

The Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee. Stall #02-17.

(continued from Simple American in Singapore.)

After a very short weekend in Singapore, Simple American and his missus returned yet again to the garden city of Singapore. Given the short duration of their time in Singapore, what would leave them with positive memories to reminisce many years later? 

Our visit to a hawker centre

Enjoying treats to good food at one of our popular hawker centres came to my mind! The dictionary's definition for the word "hawker" is "a person who travels from place to place selling goods" (source: The Free Dictionary). Based on this definition, we would have expected a hawker to be someone who peddles from places to places to sell goods. However, in today's Singapore, the word "hawkers" commonly refer to people who sell food or goods in purpose-built facilities called hawker centres.

It is intriguing for me to read about the history of hawker centres in Singapore. In the days of my parents' childhood, street hawking was very common. Many people were travelling from streets to streets selling goods and services. However, one of the problems created by street hawking was poor sanitation. This posed to be a threat to public health. To improve the situation, between 1968 and 1969, there was an island-wide registration of street hawkers being carried out. From 1971 to 1986, the government constructed purpose-built facilities called the hawker centres to house these hawkers. These hawker centres providing marketing and eating facilities for residents of the public housing estates.

Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee stall. Stall #02-17.
Photo by Simple American.

My pick for our overseas friends was the Hong Lim Food Centre and Market at Blk 531A Upper Cross Street. It was situated in the heart of Singapore's Chinatown and was reasonably nearby the hotel that my friends were staying. My key recommendation was the Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee. For S$3 per plate, the stall serves an outstanding plate of delicious Kway Teow Mee, also known affectionately as Char Kway Teow.

Mian Jian Kueh from Granny's Pancake. Hong Lim Food Centre.
Photo by Simple American.

At the Hong Lim Food Centre, we also saw many other wonderful food treats such as the Mian Jian Kueh (pancake), curry puffs, and more. Simple American's missus shared that in her birth country, Mian Jian Kueh were available from the street-hawkers. I felt grateful to our hawkers for serving us with food at reasonable quality, affordable price and with good enough standards of hygiene.

Photo by Simple American.

Exploring South Bridge Road

After a fabulous treat to breakfast with my friends, we explored Chinatown. My original intention was to bring them to the Thian Hock Keng temple. It is one of the most important Hokkien temples in Singapore. Many Chinese immigrants would visit this temple to give thanks to the Goddess of the Sea for their safe voyages. However, due to the interest of time, we only had the opportunity to explore a part of the Chinatown, mainly along the South Bridge Road.

Traditional handmade BBQ pork slices from Kim Joo Guan.
Photo taken by Simple American.

During our stroll along South Bridge Road, our guests got themselves delicious traditional handmade BBQ Pork Slices from Kim Joo Guan's flagship store at 257 South Bridge Road. We also visited the Birds Nest Gallery inside Eu Yan Seng's International Ltd's Corporate Office at 269A South Bridge Road. We caught glimpses of Sri Mariamman Temple (the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore) and the Jamae Mosque. 

Jamae Mosque.  218 South Bridge Road.

Sri Mariamman Temple. 244 South Bridge Road.

Although I was well aware that Simple American and his missus were pretty full from our breakfast, I thought it would be worthwhile to get them a few egg tarts from Tong Heng to sample. Located at 285 South Bridge Road, Tong Heng has earned a good reputation of serving one of the best egg tarts in Singapore. Food that is made with good pride and love somehow tastes delicious.

Tong Heng's egg tart.

Tong Heng.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.
Taken by Simple American.

We did not visit the famous Thian Hock Keng temple. We did visit the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and also explored the adjacent Sago Street. A brief visit to Tai Chong Kok seemed to have brought nostalgic memories to Simple American's missus. For me, it was somehow heart-warming to see moon-cakes even though I confess that I have been consciously not eating moon-cakes so as to keep to a low-sugar diet. The moon-cakes reminded me of the occasional times during my childhood years when we could enjoy the moon-cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Moon-cakes from Tai Chong Kok.
Taken by Simple American.

The coffee treat

Simple American and his missus love having coffee. Simple American's missus spotted the Nanyang Old Coffee at 268 South Bridge Road and they generously gave me a treat to a tasty cup of coffee. There is a humble-sized coffee-museum inside this establishment. Somehow a visit to the coffee-museum further enhanced our brief break for coffee at the Nanyang Old Coffee. 

Lunch at Bras Basah Complex

For our lunch, we visited the Bras Basah Complex's Coffee Express. Simple American and his missus  ordered desserts while yours truly ordered noodles from the Parklane Teochew Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle stall. 

After lunch, we spent some time exploring a part of the Bras Basah Complex. I felt that this neighbourhood was quite a convenient and friendly one to live in.

Friendships are strengthened. Memories are created. May Simple American and his missus have a meaningful and memorable visit to the South-East Asia, including Singapore. Other bloggers from Singapore have also brought them to other parts of Singapore for interesting experiences.

Hopefully I did not work Simple American and his missus too hard physically during our adventures about Singapore. I am notorious for travelling long distances on foot during my adventures about Singapore. Whatever it is, may our overseas friends remember fondly, the taste, the smell, the sights and the friendly people of Singapore.

Simple American in Singapore

Breakfast at Chin Mee Chin Confectionery.
This coffee-shop is affectionately known by many as CMC.

One of my blog-friends, Simple American, and his missus, visited Singapore during two of weekends this May. His visit has brought together once again a group of bloggers from Singapore.

A morning along East Coast Road

On their first morning in Singapore, fellow blogger Eastcoastlife took Simple American to the Chin Mee Chin Confectionery at 204 East Coat Road for breakfast. This confectionery is a landmark coffee-shop in that neighbourhood. It is well-known for its kaya, a kind of custard jam.This confectionery roasts its own coffee beans and bakes its own confectionery. It is a lovely place to enjoy a simple yet savoury breakfast. Many thanks to Eastcoastlife and her husband for a generous treat to breakfast.

Breakfast at Chin Mee Chin Confectionery with lovely company.

After breakfast, we visited the Katong Antique House. This is a very beautiful place to find Peranakan related artefacts. I was impressed by the collection of antiques, beaded slippers, porcelain wares and more that were spotted in this shop. The Katong Antique House has an interesting collection that makes it good enough to be considered a mini-museum.

Eastcoastlife has written about our adventures with Simple American and his missus here: Singapore American's Singapore Holiday - RT.

Exploring Singapore

In the afternoon, Simple American, his missus and I explored a part of Singapore.

Merlion. Taken by Simple American.

One of our first stops was the Merlion. This sculpture with a lion's head and the body of a fish was created by Singapore sculptor, Lim Nang Seng, in 1972. Merlion spurts out water from its mouth with great might. My glasses were partially wet with droplets of water from the Merlion's mouth.

The Merlion Park is a good location to catch good glimpses of the nearby Esplanade on the Bay, the Marina Bay Sands, The Fullerton Hotel, and the Singapore Flyer. After the visit to the Merlion Park, we took a stroll about the Esplanade Park. This park is one of the oldest parks in Singapore and many historical landmarks such as the Lim Bo Seng Memorial and the Cenotaph can be found here.

Lunch took place just below the observatory wheel of the Singapore Flyer. We visited the Singapore Food Trail and met up with yet another friend whom Simple American had gotten to know through blogging too. It is fascinating to learn how blogging has connected people of diverse nationalities and backgrounds together.

It is my humble opinion that the Singapore Food Trail is one of the places to enjoy a collective of interesting and delicious local hawker fare. We treated ourselves to the Fried Oyster, the Satay Beehoon, Bak Kut Teh and Popiah. In the company of friends, lunch tasted extremely wonderful.

Sultan Mosque in the background. Taken by Simple American.

Malay Heritage Centre. Taken in Apr 2013.

After lunch, we visited the Kampong Glam district. We walked along Arab street to take a good glance at the various textile shops. That afternoon, we enjoyed the view of the Sultan Mosque from the Bussorah Mall. The Sultan Mosque is regarded as Singapore's principal mosque. I particularly like the architecture of the Sultan Mosque which somehow reminded me of Taj Mahal, doesn't it?

After taking a good glimpse of the Sultan Mosque, we visited the Istana Kampong Glam which is now the Malay Heritage Centre. There is a sense of beauty in symmetry from the Palladian-styled architecture of the Malay Heritage Centre. I imagined that a life living in this building as a member of the royalty would have been dignified and blissful. Won't you think so?

Teh Tarik.

Our visit to Kampong Glam was made complete with a treat to tea at the "No Name Teh Sarabat Stall" at 21 Baghdad Street. This is one of the place in the city area where one could find very tasty tea served in the most no-frills manner. I am deeply grateful to the gentlemen who passionately served good tasting tea at affordable rates at this sarabat stall. They reminded that a life of service may seem simple, yet it can be done with great pride and the attitude of excellence.

The dedicated gentlemen serving tasty tea at 21 Baghdad Street.
Taken by Simple American.

Dinner together
In the evening, various bloggers met up with Simple American and his missus at the Banana Leaf Apolo restaurant (54 Race Course Road). It was a meaningful time to get together with one another. I particularly like the Fish Head Curry from the Banana Leaf Apolo restaurant.

Breakfast on the Beach the next day
The next day, Eastcoastlife planned a special breakfast on the beach for Simple American and his missus.  She and her husband were very thoughtful to buy breakfast from some of the most reputable food stalls along East Coast Road. Many thanks to Eastcoastlife for a memorial experience enjoying breakfast on the beach.

We hope that Simple American and his missus would have positive memories of their visit to Singapore to savour.

To be continued: Simple American in Singapore, Part 2.