Frenzeelo 2012: Year In Review

Well, it's that time of the year again. The time where people come together to remember all the great things that happened this year and where people will count down from 10 to 1. Since all the other blogs out there round up the great things that happened this year, I might as well do it for Frenzeelo too. Unlike my previous blogs, Frenzeelo is still alive from the beginning of the year all the way to the end of the year. And you know what, it is still going to continue going on strong in 2013. So below are the following list of all the great things that happened to Frenzeelo in the year 2012.

Far East Square and the Fuk Tak Chi Museum

In the Central Business District of Singapore is a shopping district that is located in the Far East. Wait a minute, isn't the CBD located in the central area of Singapore? Anyway, Far East Square is a great shopping district located in the CBD. It's called Far East not because it's located in the Far East, the parent company that owns this place is by Far East Organisation. Wherever it's located, Far East Square is an awesome place to eat, drink, shop and find out more about history with its stunning shophouse architecture and the wonderful Fuk Tak Chi Museum.

Welcome to the New Frenzeelo!

 

Frenzeelo is back! Welcome everyone to the new Frenzeelo! After more than two months of inactivity and redesigning my blog, Frenzeelo is finally back with a brand new look. Plus, it's so much easier to use and the colours are no longer making your eyes hurt anymore. (Unless your eyes are sensitive to the light blue colour). Since it's the restart of Frenzeelo, let me walk you through all the changes in the new Frenzeelo.

I'm Taking A Break

In January this year, I started this blog, Frenzeelo, with the aim of telling people the great places, food and events happening around Singapore. I wanted to prove to everyone that it is possible for people to have fun in Singapore. However, maintaining a blog is a difficult thing and it really needs dedication. I have tried my best to give my readers, including you, the best content I can. You may have noticed on the Archives section along the sidebar, I have posted posts at a rate of 10 posts per month earlier this year. Only a few months back, that rate has been decreasing. That does not mean that I don't like to write anymore, it just means that I do not really have the time to dedicate a day to write a post as I used to earlier this year.

I am not going to close this blog down. I just want to announce to all my readers that I will be taking a break in the coming weeks and I will be back to writing again in the middle of November. So for now, do take your time and read the other posts that I have written. Also, do look out for a redesign of the blog soon. I'm sick and tired of the bright green background so I will change to a new design and colours soon. The picture above will be a hint to the redesign of Frenzeelo. I will be taking a break to concentrate on my work and you don't have to worry so much as I will be back soon. Thanks for being patient with me. I will promise you that I will bring better content on this blog as soon as the time comes.

Big Box Mania at Tampines Retail Park

When I hear the phrase 'big box retailers', I will immediately think of popular retailers in the US like Target, Walmart and Best Buy. Unfortunately, they did not make their presence in Singapore so we can't enjoy affordable furniture, clothes, electronics and groceries. Not all is lost though. Singapore does have its own set of big box retailers in the east called Tampines Retail Park which consists of a Giant Hypermarket, Ikea Furniture Store and Courts Megastore. Let me give you a brief tour of all the three big box retailers here at Tampines Retail Park.

Exploring Holland Village

Holland Village is a great place in Singapore that's popular among expatriates and the place has several shophouses that looks like it was stuck in the olden days. The thing about Holland Village in Singapore is that it's neither related to the country nor is it a village. Holland Village is named after Hugh Holland who was an architect and an early resident. However, there was also some speculation that Holland Village was named after a nearby road called Holland Road. Whatever it is, all I know is that Holland Village is a place with many traditional shops along with some modern shops and food establishments located almost everywhere within the area.

Baybeats Music Festival 2012

I am sure there are quite a number of you who love listening to independent local bands. In fact, as Singaporeans, we all should support local bands because they put their hardwork and dedication for the benefit of entertaining audiences in their home country. I support local bands and that is why I attended Baybeats. Baybeats is a music festival that happened from the 29th June to 1st July organised by the Esplanade Theatres to showcase some of the best independent bands in Singapore. Some bands performing include Obedient Wives Club, The Great Spy Experiment and so much more. Now I am going to show you my experience at this awesome music-oriented event.

Night Festival 2012

When it's night time, what do you usually do? Sleep? Have dinner with your family? Working late? Well, in late August, I went to the Night Festival at the Bras Basah Bugis area to check out all the various artworks and light installations available. The Night Festival is a yearly festival related to arts and multimedia and a huge array of performances, installations and events were held at night on the 24th to the 25th of August. It also happened on 31st August and the 1st of September. It's a free event and there's something for everyone. During the Night Festival, selected museums were opened till 2am like the National Museum and the Singapore Art Museum.

Allgood Cafe @ NEX

Residents of Serangoon Central will find it difficult to find delicious and affordable food like Fried Rice and Kway Teow as there is no hawker centre nearby. In fact, the nearest hawker centres from Serangoon Central is the Chomp Chomp Food Centre and Serangoon Garden Market and Food Centre which is too far away. However, they don't have to worry because at NEX shopping mall, there is one cafe selling delicious and affordable fried dishes without having the need to go to a hawker centre called Allgood Cafe.

Taking A Walk Around Sengkang Riverside Park

It's been a while since I last wrote about parks and gardens around Singapore. Well, after several posts on Ramadan Bazaars, it's time for me to talk about various places around Singapore. In today's article, it's going to be about my visit to one of the parks in Sengkang called the Sengkang Riverside Park which is a park along the river.

Woodlands Ramadan Bazaar 2012

This will be my last article about Ramadan bazaars around Singapore. Previously, I have written posts on the Muscat Street Bazaar, Geylang Bazaar and Raja Kuih Hari Raya Cookies Bazaar. This will be the final one and it's about the Ramadan Bazaar located at Woodlands right in front of Woodlands MRT Station and beside Causeway Point. This is one of the largest Ramadan bazaars to be found in Singapore alongside the Geylang/Paya Lebar Bazaar. Just like other bazaars, there is a wide range of street food, clothes and all kinds of stuff to be found here.

Raja Kuih Hari Raya Cookies Bazaar 2012

I hope you enjoyed my previous articles about the Muscat Street Ramadan Bazaar and the Geylang/Paya Lebar Ramadan Bazaar. However, in today's article, the Ramadan bazaar featured will be slightly different as I'll be talking about Raja Kuih which is a bazaar selling large varieties of Hari Raya cookies. Unlike a regular Ramadan bazaar where you get to find various street food, clothes or items, this is a small bazaar that only sells imported and factory-made Hari Raya cookies. Hari Raya is nothing without Hari Raya cookies. Every house that's open for Hari Raya, there will always be several bottles of Hari Raya cookies served on the table for guests to enjoy.

Introducing Frenzeelo TV

 

Here at Frenzeelo, I want to give you information about the best of Singapore in as many ways as I can. That is why I want to introduce to you Frenzeelo TV. Frenzeelo TV is the online web show about the best of Singapore on video. You can watch it wherever you go whether it's on your desktop, smartphone or tablet. Frenzeelo TV is the perfect companion to the existing written posts on Frenzeelo. You can get new episodes of Frenzeelo TV by subscribing to my YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/paperfrenzy 

The episode above is about all the best rooftop gardens available in Singapore. With new developments and buildings found around Singapore, rooftop gardens are a must-have. You'll find various video clips of various public rooftop gardens available in Singapore and most of them are free to access. Whether you like rooftop gardens that has full of greenery, great views, fun playgrounds or peacefulness, there is something for everyone. Also don't forget to check out my article on the best rooftop gardens in Singapore here for more pictures and detailed write-ups.

Geylang/Paya Lebar Ramadan Bazaar 2012

I hope you enjoyed my article about the Muscat Street Ramadan Bazaar previously. For today's article, I will be giving you a virtual tour of the biggest Ramadan Bazaar in Singapore which is the Geylang/Paya Lebar Ramadan Bazaar and it's located in the heart of Geylang Serai and Paya Lebar. You can find stalls from Paya Lebar MRT Station all the way to the Geylang Serai Food Centre. There were also stalls found along Haig Road Food Centre and along Tanjong Katong Complex. Lots of people were there and the bazaar sold a wide variety of things ranging from food to clothes and so much more.

Muscat Street Ramadan Bazaar 2012

If you don't know, Ramadan is a period in the Islamic calendar in which healthy Muslims have to fast from Dawn to Dusk every day leading up to Hari Raya. This is also the time where Muslims will prepare for Hari Raya celebrations. Ramadan will not be complete without Ramadan bazaars which are basically a bigger version of regular neighbourhood night markets. In today's article, I'll be giving you a tour of the Ramadan Bazaar at Muscat Street which is near the famous Sultan Mosque and Haji Lane.

Cake Talk @ Blk 183 Toa Payoh Central (Closed)

Singaporeans love bakeries. It's always a joy to walk past bakeries because you can smell the freshly baked bread and pastries. It's even better if you actually head to the bakery itself and try out their baked goods. Today, I'll be talking about a new bakery in the heart of Toa Payoh Town Centre called Cake Talk which sells a variety of buns, breads, pastries, cakes and so much more. Let's have a look at the store and the things I bought at the bakery itself.

The Orange Lantern @ HarbourFront Centre

Singapore is an eating paradise. Everywhere you go, you will sure to find food establishments selling food from all sorts of cuisines especially Asian cuisines like Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese and so much more. Right at the heart of HarbourFront, is a shopping mall called HarbourFront Centre which also doubles up as the Singapore Cruise Centre. In today's food review, I'll be talking about my visit to The Orange Lantern at HarbourFront Centre which is a Halal restaurant that serves a variety of delicious Vietnamese dishes. Let's take a closer look at some of their interesting offerings.

Domino's Pizza Delivery in Singapore

In Singapore, the most common pizza delivery service is Pizza Hut Delivery. Other than Pizza Hut, there are so many other options when it comes to pizza delivery like Canadian Pizza, Sarpino's and so much more. In today's article, I'll be talking about another popular pizza delivery service known as Domino's Pizza. Domino's Pizza is a popular US-based pizza restaurant that serves varieties of pizza and other dishes and it's found all over the world including Singapore. However, the most popular part of Domino's is not their pizza but their lightning speed delivery service. They claim that their pizzas will be delivered to you within 30 minutes flat. Does that mean their quality will be affected? Scroll down to find out more.

Wonderful Greenery at Gardens By The Bay

Previously, I have written a write-up of Gardens By The Bay when it was opened for a sneak preview in early January. I went to the preview in the middle of November last year and it was a great preview. Most parts of the garden still have not opened then. Now, Gardens By The Bay has fully opened to the public in 29 June at 6am and it is considered one of Singapore's newest public attractions. I went to the Gardens during the Youth Day holiday and man it was awesome. Now let me give you a run through of all the things I checked out at Gardens By The Bay.

Awesome Town Centres Part 3: Hougang Central Town Centre

In the last installment of the Awesome Town Centres series, I will talk about the town centre that is located in Hougang called Hougang Central Town Centre. If you don't know, Hougang is a big neighbourhood and there are different town centres in the area. There's the Kovan City Town Centre in Hougang St 21, Hougang Neighbourhood 6 Town Centre in Hougang Ave 8, Hougang Central Town Centre in Hougang Central and many more. If you see this article for the first time and don't know what the heck is a town centre, don't worry because you can refer to the first Awesome Town Centres article here where I'll explain what is a town centre. Without further ado, let me give you a short tour of this town centre.

Awesome Town Centres Part 2: Toa Payoh Town Centre

If you read my previous article, I talked about my trip to Ang Mo Kio Town Centre. Ang Mo Kio Town Centre is located in the heart of the northern estate, Ang Mo Kio and has several facilities available at the town centre. These include Courts furniture store, Broadway Plaza, Ang Mo Kio Public Library, Ang Mo Kio Hawker Centre and so much more. I hope you enjoyed that article and I do hope that you have visited the town centre after reading about it on my blog. 

Next, I am going to give you a brief tour of another town centre that I also enjoy going which is Toa Payoh Town Centre. Toa Payoh Town Centre is located in Toa Payoh which is the first HDB satellite town in Singapore. Toa Payoh has a mixture of old HDB flats and new HDB flats within a short distance. Toa Payoh also currently has HDB flats which are considered Singapore's tallest and it has a town centre, a shopping mall and an integrated public transport hub similar to the one found in Ang Mo Kio. If you don't know what a Town Centre is, do check out my previous town centre article right over here. Without further ado, let me show you around the town centre.

Awesome Town Centres Part 1: Ang Mo Kio Town Centre

If you don't know, majority of Singaporeans live in HDB flats which are also known as public apartments. HDB flats (Housing Development Board) are the government's solution to affordable housing and it's also the solution to old villages AKA Kampungs. In today's article, I'll be talking to you about my visit to a town centre in a HDB estate. A town centre is a central place where shops and restaurants are located at the void deck of low rise HDB flats. Most old HDB estates have town centres and when I mean old HDB estates, I meant flats that don't have lift access to every floor (Yes there are such things). Many activities are held here, many affordable goods can be found here and many food establishments can also be found here at the town centre. In this Awesome Town Cendres series, I'll be taking you on a tour of Ang Mo Kio Town Centre in the heart of Ang Mo Kio housing estate. The other town centres will be featured in a later date.

Singapore Arts Festival 2012

When it comes to art, Singapore has plenty of places, museums, exhibitions and events that celebrate the arts. You can even find public artworks and public sculptures when you're in public. In today's article, I'll cover one of Singapore's long-lasting arts event which is known as the Singapore Arts Festival. The Singapore Arts Festival was founded in 1999 and it's also organised by Singapore's National Arts Council. Every year, the Arts Fest will have different themes so for this year, its theme is Our Lost Poems. I did not check out the paid performances and exhibitions of the Arts Fest but I did check out the Festival Village.

Wonderful Greenery at the Singapore Botanic Gardens

At the end of June 2012, a botanic gardens will open for the public at the Marina South area called Gardens By The Bay. It's Singapore's second botanic gardens and will feature lots of great new features such as the Cloud Forest, Flower Dome and the SuperTree Grove. However, we must not forget about Singapore's first botanic gardens which is the Singapore Botanic Gardens located at the Bukit Timah area. The Singapore Botanic Gardens has already existed long ago since the year 1822. It's a very old garden but the Botanic Gardens still manage to attract lots of people. A lot of great plantations, trees and other features such as the National Orchid Garden, Bandstand, Swan Lake and so much more can be found at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Scroll down further to check out my visit to the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Texas Chicken @ NEX

If you read my blog regularly, I have written a lot of food articles and three of them were about chicken restaurants. Now I'm going to add one more to the list which is Texas Chicken, a fast food restaurant that serves delicious fried chicken and finger foods. Texas Chicken has various outlets around the island and the one that I'm going to feature in this article is the outlet at NEX which is a shopping mall in the north eastern part of Singapore called Serangoon.

The Jurong Bird Park

You have heard of wildlife attractions in Singapore like the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari, right? There's also another wildlife attraction worth checking out in the western part of Singapore called the Jurong Bird Park. The Jurong Bird Park has different varieties of birds ranging from the cute and chubby penguins to the tall and graceful flamingos. The Jurong Bird Park also has plenty of activities and shows for the public to enjoy and it's also a great place for the whole family to have a great day out. Scroll down to check out more photos and write-up of my trip to the Jurong Bird Park.

Mayson Bakery @ Jurong Point

Bakeries are very popular among Singaporeans. You can find bakeries almost everywhere in Singapore including the famous ones like BreadTalk and PrimaDeli. There are also some unknown and never-heard-before bakeries such as the one that I'm going to talk about known as Mayson Bakery. Mayson Bakery is a Halal bakery which sells a variety of freshly baked buns, loafs, puffs and egg tarts. It only has two outlets in Singapore which are Suntec City Mall and Jurong Point. Let's take a closer look at what I have purchased from this bakery.

Yong Soon You Tiao @ Food Republic VivoCity

VivoCity is also known as one of the largest shopping mall in Singapore. The mall has great architecture, facilities, shops, food establishments and so much more. Right at the top most level beside the SkyPark and Sentosa Express station is a popular food court called Food Republic which serves a wide variety of local dishes and snacks. One particular stall that caught my attention was Yong Soon You Tiao which is a stall selling Soya Bean drinks, Beancurd and a range of fried dough fritters. Let's have a look at some of their offerings.

The MacRitchie Reservoir

Singapore has various water catchment areas around the island. These water catchment areas are areas whereby rainwater will be collected and made into fresh and clean water for Singaporeans. It's also one of the National Taps of Singapore. In today's article, I am going to give you a walkthrough of one of Singapore's famous water catchment area/reservoir known as MacRitchie Reservoir formerly known as The Impounding Reservoir and Thomson Road Reservoir. Previously, I have written about Bedok Reservoir Park which is another water catchment area/reservoir in Singapore. The previous article was one of the most popular articles for Frenzeelo so I thank you for your support. Anyway, let's continue with my write up of the MacRitchie Reservoir.

Popeyes Chicken @ Square 2

Fried Chicken must be one of the most popular comfort food in Singapore. There are lots of places to find fried chicken in Singapore from fast food restaurants to food kiosks to hawker centres to food courts and so much more. There are literally thousands of places to get delicious hot and crispy fried chicken that's satisfyingly good in the island of Singapore. In today's article, I am going to talk about the fried chicken and my experience at Popeyes Chicken at Square 2. Square 2 is a mall in the Novena area and it's just right beside Novena Square (AKA Velocity) which is another shopping mall and it's much older. It links to nearby hospitals such as Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Novena Medical Center, Novena Specialist Center and Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital. After eating so much fried chicken, you might want to check out your cholesterol level at any of the neighbouring hospitals. It's also directly connected to Novena MRT Station on the North South Line.

Pizza Hut @ Heartland Mall Kovan

About a few months ago, I wrote an article about Singapore's Pizza Hut Delivery service and what I ordered. Since Pizza Hut is also popular with its restaurants, in today's article, I am going to do a write-up of my experience at a Pizza Hut restaurant and what I ate at the outlet in Heartland Mall Kovan. Heartland Mall Kovan is a relatively small shopping mall with a lot indie shops. The anchor tenant is Cold Storage Supermarket and has a wide variety of food and beverage outlets like KFC, Yoshinoya, Old Chang Kee, Pizza Hut and more. Heartland Mall Kovan is located in Hougang South also known as Kovan City.

6 Best Rooftop Gardens to Visit in Singapore (VIDEO) (UPDATE)

UPDATE: SUNTEC CITY SKY GARDEN AT LEVEL 3 HAS CLOSED DOWN DUE TO THE MALL'S RENOVATION WORKS

When you see the words, 'Rooftop Garden', I am sure you will immediately recognise one of the most iconic rooftop garden in Singapore which is the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark right? Marina Bay Sands isn't the only place with a nice rooftop garden but there are also other places in Singapore where you can visit very nice rooftop gardens with lots of greenery, a water play area, a playground, outdoor shops and so much more. In this article, I'm going to show which are the best rooftop gardens in Singapore in my opinion. Do note that the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark isn't featured because all the rooftop gardens I featured here are free to access.

A Tour of Singapore's National Library Building

Everyone knows that the library is full of great educational content and useful resources. Singapore's National Library is no exception. The National Library is also the tallest library in Singapore with a wide range of reading materials especially reference materials. The National Library has different libraries in the building which includes the Central Lending Library and the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library. An arts venue known as the Drama Centre is also present in the Library's building along with several exhibitions and galleries. Let us get a closer look of the National Library Building.

Underground Shopping at Marina Bay Link Mall

 

You may have heard about CityLink Mall which is Singapore's first underground shopping mall. Opened in 2000 and located in the Marina Centre area, the CityLink Mall has a wide range of popular shops and food outlets. Plus, it's directly connected to two MRT stations which are City Hall MRT Station and Esplanade MRT Station. However, in today's post, I'll be talking more about the Marina Bay Link Mall which is one of the newest underground shopping malls and it's located in the Raffles Place and the Marina Bay area. The Marina Bay Link Mall is a competitor to CityLink Mall although the developers of the mall don't see it that way. Compared to its competitor, the Marina Bay Link Mall has fewer people and most of the shops found here can't be found in other places around Singapore. Furthermore, it mainly caters to the working people working there and it's directly connected to Raffles Place MRT Station and Downtown MRT Station (opens in 2013).

The F1 Pit Building

It's great that Singapore is the first country in the world to host the World's First Night Race. Every September since 2008, an interesting event will be taking place in Singapore known as The Singtel Singapore Grand Prix otherwise known as the F1 Night Race. The night race is an event where racing enthusiasts come together to witness and cheer for their favourite racing teams. It's also one of the biggest races in the world.

Checkin' Out The Singapore Flyer Building

When you visit the Marina Bay and the Marina Centre area, I can bet you that you can find a ferris wheel type of thing from afar. That ferris wheel thing is actually the Singapore Flyer, also known as one of the world's largest observation wheel. It's like a ferris wheel that you can find in carnivals but an observation wheel is bigger, taller and has 'capsules' which are air-conditioned and gives a panoramic view of the whole city of Singapore. In today's article, I'm going to give you a tour of the Singapore Flyer building. The actual ride itself will be done on a later date.

Breeks Cafe @ City Square Mall

Right at Singapore's first eco-friendly shopping mall, also known as City Square Mall, is a restaurant which serves different kinds of pastas, main courses, Western dishes, delectable desserts and mouth-watering Buffalo Wings. It's called Breeks Cafe and it's unlike any other restaurants you have visited before.

Located right in the heart of Farrer Park, the lesser-known area of Little India, is filled with lots of Indian-oriented shops and restaurants. You'll find shops selling Indian merchandise, the mega department store known as Mustafa Centre and Indian restaurants like Komala's located just right across the street from Farrer Park MRT Station. But we're not going to concentrate on that now, we're going to concentrate on City Square Mall and the awesome Breeks Cafe that's in the mall.

Delifrance Cafe @ Causeway Point

There may be some French restaurants (also known as Bistro) available almost everywhere around the island. However, if you are on a slightly smaller budget, you can look forward to Delifrance Cafe, a Halal French cafe selling things from pastries like eclairs and fruit tarts to croissants and baguettes and more. There are also a wide range of main courses such as sandwiches and pastas available at Delifrance. Read on to find out more about their offerings.

Raffles Place: Singapore's Central Business District

Where else in Singapore can you find tall skyscrapers and a huge amount of office towers? Well, Raffles Place of course! In this article, let me talk more about Singapore's Central Business District, Raffles Place. Raffles Place is the place where most office workers come to work at several office towers. Most headquarters of banks are located here and this is also the place where you can find several indie food establishments and the famous Lau Pa Sat food centre.

A Walk in Bedok Reservoir Park

 

Despite being infamous with the recent suicides and deaths occurring here, Bedok Reservoir Park still remains one of the best places for joggers, brisk walkers and regular people to exercise, relax and unwind. In this article, I'll talk about Bedok Reservoir Park which is located in the eastern part of Singapore called Bedok and it's also one of Singapore's water catchment areas.

Strolling Along The Singapore River

Located right in the heart of Singapore, the Singapore River is an awesome tourist attraction with malls, shophouses, bars and boat rides found all around the river. It's also a free tourist attraction and you don't have to pay for entry unless you decide to shop, eat or take a boat ride. It's a great place to relax, unwind and take a stroll because of the calm and peaceful river. If you want some adrenaline rush, there's the G-Max bungee jump attraction and if you want to learn more about the history of the Singapore River, there's the Singapore River bumboat rides and the Asian Civilisations Museum. Whereas if you just want to have a picnic, there's plenty of seats facing the river. Read on to check out more pictures and details of the Singapore River.

Mad Jack Cafe @ NEX

G'Day mates! Are you hungry? Do you have XTREME attitude and character? Well, it's time for you to get MADDDD!!! You know what I'm talking about? I'm talking about Mad Jack Cafe. I'll be showing you the delicious food and desserts available here located in a heartland shopping mall also known as NEX in Serangoon, Singapore. Mad Jack Cafe is a restaurant which serves up Western, Asian and Vegetarian food in an Australian theme. They serve mouth-watering food and desserts ready to unleash the inner Aussie in you.

What's great about this restaurant is that you won't get charged the 10 per cent service charge. Almost every restaurant in Singapore will charge the Service Charge because waiters take your order and serve you. Think of it as a convenience fee. Whereas here at Mad Jack, you take the order chit, write down your order, present it to the counter, pay and wait for your food to be delivered to you. It's that easy. It may be slightly inconvenient, buy hey, you'll save money. After eating, you can just exit the restaurant since you have already paid for it in the beginning. Read on further to check out their selection of delicious food that I got from the restaurant.

Swensen's @ Parkway Parade

Once in a while, you will see yourself indulging in restaurant food. Yes, restaurant food whereby the food's more expensive and a service charge will be charged upon your bill. In today's article, I am going to talk to you about my experience at Swensen's restaurant, one of Singapore's most popular family restaurants at Parkway Parade shopping mall which is located around the Marine Parade area.

Memories of the Old Serangoon Bus Interchange

Have you ever visited a bus interchange in Singapore? A lot of people see a bus interchange as just another facility to transfer to buses/MRT, head to the nearest shopping mall/market or just top up your EZ Link card. A bus interchange is more than that. It's where thousands of people rely on for their daily commute, it's where people meet up with friends or family and it's a hang out place for bus drivers. The Old Serangoon Interchange was full of activity and with effect from 3rd September 2011, it has closed down and moved to the new Serangoon Interchange which is integrated with Serangoon MRT Station and NEX Shopping Mall along Serangoon Ave 2.

Arnold's Chicken Delivery

There are so many places in Singapore that sell crispy fried chicken. You may like fried chicken from some place while others may prefer fried chicken from a different place. For me, I prefer Arnold's Fried Chicken. I think it's one of the best fried chicken I have ever tasted and it's not from a fast food restaurant. Arnold's Chicken has juicy, tender and mouth-watering fried chicken unlike any other places. About a week ago, my sister called Arnold's delivery service and ordered some chicken along with some sides for my family. You can either order the items individually or you can order by choosing the meals offered. My sister ordered the Party Meal with an additional 1.5L bottle of Pepsi and Potato Platter. 

The meal consists of 5 pieces of fried chicken, 1 whole spring chicken, 6 pieces of fried buns, 1 bowl of mashed potatoes and 1 bowl of coleslaw. As you can tell, that's a whole lot of food and that does not include the extras. Extras include a 1.5L bottle of Pepsi and the Potato Platter which is one of the most popular side dishes of the restaurant. We didn't finish everything though so we kept the remaining food as leftovers.

Memories of The Malay Village

Singapore is now more mordernised and wherever you go, you'll find tall and modern buildings. Singapore used to be a village also known as Kampong (village in Malay language). The Malay Village at Geylang Serai located near the Paya Lebar area is a combination of museum, gallery, traditional shops and food court in the theme of, well, Malay villages. Unfortunately, this place has closed down in September 2011 to make way for a newer and more modern Malay community centre and heritage gallery known as Wisma Geylang Serai. Think of it as the bigger and better version of the Malay Village.

My Experience at The LG Service Center

Where do you go to when your phone dies on you and you don't know what to do? Bring it to the service centre of course. In today's post, I'll talk about my experience at the LG Service Center since my phone was malfunctioning and wanted to get help. When I checked out Google for pictures of the service centre, none popped up so I'll be the first to write about my experience. I'll also include photos of the service centre just in case if you want to know how it looks like. Of course, I can't just capture the photos like that, so I secretly took the photos of the interior and exterior while they were busy tending to my phone.

The Manhattan Fish Market @ Junction 8

Few weeks ago, I wrote about my dining experience at Fish and Co. They served delicious Fish and Chips and that has got to be one of the best Fish and Chips I've ever tasted in Singapore. What if you want an alternative? You can check out the Manhattan Fish Market which is also a seafood restaurant that serves delicious hot and crispy Fish and Chips along with some seafood and non-seafood dishes.

This is My Waterway @ Punggol

When you visit Punggol, what is the first thing that comes into your mind? Forested areas? Lots of new HDB flats? Lots of LRT tracks? In today's article, I am going to introduce to you the new Punggol Waterway also known as My Waterway @ Punggol which is a man made waterway that was just opened a few months ago in October 2011. The waterway contains several attractions and bridges along with shelters and walking trails for visitors to make use of and enjoy the wonderful sights and sounds of the place. This is a great place to take a walk or for jogging while soaking in the beautiful scenery.

Circle Line Extension Open House 2012

Previously, I talked about the opening of the new stages of the Circle MRT Line which was Stage 4 and 5 from Caldecott Station to HarbourFront Station. You can check it out here. Now, I'll be talking about the opening of two new stations which are Bayfront Station and Marina Bay Station also known as the Circle Line extension. So let's get to it! 

The new Circle Line Extension which started operations on the 14th of January 2012 brings people to the door step of the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort. Back then, visitors would have to take the MRT to Promenade Station and walk all the way to the resorts. With this new extension, passengers can simply board the train to Bayfront. Also, people who wanna go to the Marina Barrage or the Marina Bay Financial Centre can take the Circle Line to Marina Bay station which interchanges with the existing North South Line.

Circle Line Discovery Stage 4 and 5 Open House 2011

It's quite unusual to have an open house for a new train line. In Singapore, we have such a thing. Last year, SMRT which is Singapore's largest rail operator, organised an open house for the opening of the Circle Line Stage 4 and 5. Circle Line is Singapore's newest MRT line and to celebrate the launch of the new line, an open house filled with interim events, parties, performances and free train rides happened on 2 October 2011. It also happened in 2009, 2010 and 2012 for the different stages of the Circle Line.

You may have noticed that on the title you see 'Stage 4 and 5'. In Singapore, the Circle Line open in stages. The first stage of the Circle Line was Stage 3 which was from Bartley MRT Station to Marymount MRT Station and it opened in 28 May 2009. Stage 1 and 2 was opened in 17 April 2010 from Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station to Tai Seng MRT Station. Stage 4 and 5 was opened in 8 October 2011 from Caldecott MRT Station to HarbourFront MRT Station. And last but not least, the final stage, known as the Circle Line Extension was opened on 14 January 2012 from Bayfront MRT Station to Marina Bay MRT Station. Try saying all that in one breath.