Monthly Archive for July, 2009

Late night dinner at the Read Bridge

Published on July 23, 2009 in This I like and Usual Ramblings. 2 Comments Tags: clarke quay, food, read bridge, singapore food festival.

In a bid to celebrate the end of her examination for this trimester and do our part to participate in the Singapore Food Festival, Lyn (my boo) and I headed to the Food Street at Read Bridge for a late night dinner. Converted into a Food Street from last Friday until this Saturday, the 30 food stalls at Read Bridge feature a treat of local fare such as Peranakan, Chinese, Malay and Indian delights as well as a little bit of western.

For a temporary food area, the prices are not extremely costly with prices starting from $2. Adding to that, with one hour to closing time, the Read Bridge was still bustling with both locals and tourists looking for great deals and last minute specials in particular, not too shabby for a Tuesday night I think. Given that it was rather late into the night, Lyn and I were extremely famished and forked out a good $28 for dinner, with about a third of it going to beer. Here’s what we ate that night:

Left: Some omelette and lasagna from Cuba Libre | Right: Chicken skewers and fried chicken from the same stall

Left: Hokkien mee | Right: Man tou with chicken (I think)

Chicken tikka

Yes as you can see, we went overboard ordering chicken. Being the alcoholics that we are, the highlight of the night was the beer. At just $4, you can buy yourself a nice cup of frosty Chang Beer on tap. For those who think that a cup is not enough and are looking a great deal, how does $10 for 3 cups sound like? Sweet eh?

You beautiful thing you..

Soaking in the festival and food atmosphere aside, the stall owners were not only friendly, but took time to smile for the camera. On a number of occasions, I see some stall owners and assistants walking out of their stalls for a couple of photo opportunities with the tourists. Service although was slow due to the big orders were excellent. Heck even a dude the beer stall delivered one cup of beer to my table (I was holding on to two and wasn’t confident carrying three at a go).

Smiles smiles smiles

With two more days to go (yes another late entry, I had intended to write about it but was rather lazy..surprise surprise), I recommend you head down to the Read Bridge for a night (or afternoon) of great food food and food…

Garlic comes home

Published on July 19, 2009 in Usual Ramblings. 0 Comments Tags: chili, macdonald, sauce.

I’m pretty sure fans of MacDonald’s here rejoiced a few weeks ago with the return of the garlic chili sauce. After making a quiet exit some time back, MacDonald chili lovers like me and especially a fellow colleague of mine were left scratching our heads wondering how the heck we are going to get used to the crap they replaced. I guess some folks out there voiced their opinion and before we knew it, they made a quiet return. Well…not so quiet..anyways .

Welcome back you beautiful sauce you…

Good ad for an attention seeker

Published on July 12, 2009 in This I like and Usual Ramblings. 4 Comments

Its not very often that you will come across an advertisement that is so unique, so creative, but yet so simple that leaves you wondering why the heck didn’t you think of that. My favourite camera brand Nikon (or rather one that I’m stuck with now) has one such example in a Seoul subway station with their sensory lightbox advertisement. What was initially thought to be just a normal billboard with an image of photographers taking photos of you, turns out to be an interactive one with camera flashes firing straight at anyone who walks by. With a simple idea of installing motion sensors that will trigger off the flashes and complemented with a stretch of red carpet treatment, it will give any passerby that superstar feel. Something a camera slut/whore (there are loads more to that list and don’t I know it) like me would enjoy. My only question is..where is the velvet rope? .

[Taken from: adgoodness and Funny Commercials World.]

When our Merlion visits instead…

Published on July 8, 2009 in Usual Ramblings. 2 Comments

Got this from a colleague of mine. Beyond hilarious I say..

Merlion

We’re so screwed, bye bye home ownership

Published on July 3, 2009 in Things that suck and Usual Ramblings. 6 Comments

Yesterday’s news in the Straits Times Online about how the prices for HDB resale flats have risen despite the downturn (wait, there is a downturn right?) is a real downer for us especially when Lyn (my boo) and I are contemplating getting one sometime late this year. Given that prices are going up while our pay, bonuses and pretty much anything related to money is heading the other direction, everything seems to be going downhill.

Don’t get me wrong, we can still afford a new HDB, but waiting for a good three years for one to be completed isn’t exactly what we have in mind. Yes we do want our privacy after the big project. And adding to that, a new one would be located so far that it would take eons for us to get to work or anywhere else. Sure we do have an Off Peak Car but we like it the way it is and have no plans for a conversion. At the rate things are going, keeping our heads up high and and looking positive amid the gloomy future don’t seem to cut it for us anymore. How we managed to keep ourselves optimistic all these years despite getting screwed from just about any direction is a wonder to me. So where do we go from here?

HDB resale prices up 1.2% – Taken from Straits Times Online

Surprise increase in index reverses first quarter’s dip to reach new high

PRICES of HDB flats have staged a surprising comeback, reversing a first-quarter dip of 0.8 per cent to rise 1.2 per cent in the second quarter and reach a historical high.

Flash estimates from the Housing and Development Board (HDB) released on Wednesday show the resale price index rising to 140 – a record level not seen since the current index started in 1990. It beats the previous record set in the fourth quarter of last year when it hit just over 139.

Market analysts said they were caught off-guard by the turnaround, as many had been predicting 2 to 10 per cent declines in HDB resale flat prices for this year after a descent began in the first quarter – the first one since 2006.

Wednesday’s numbers have changed expectations, with analysts reversing their forecasts for HDB flat prices to hold or increase by up to 5 per cent this year. Industry observers attribute the latest surprise figures to three factors.

First, talk of an economic recovery has gathered momentum, backed by the recent stock market rally and brisk private property sales. This has slowed the slide in private property prices islandwide. Flash figures capturing sales prices in the first 10 weeks of the quarter, released by the Urban Redevelopment Authority on Wednesday, show prices falling 5.9 per cent in the second quarter, compared to a 14.1 per cent decline in the previous quarter.

The marked slowdown in the price decline is in line with rising transaction prices evident since the strong rebound in home sales since February, said Colliers International’s director for research and advisory, Ms Tay Huey Ying.

More bullish sentiment, coupled with the strength in HDB resale prices, has supported the private market, say analysts.

High HDB valuations is another key factor. HDB upgraders – buyers with HDB addresses buying private property – have been able to sell their units at high valuations and for tidy profits to fund private property purchases.

Due to the high valuations, buyers do not need to dig deep for upfront cash – otherwise known as cash-over-valuation – to purchase resale flats.

The third factor, flagged by Chesterton Suntec International head of research Colin Tan, is that demand far outstrips supply. HDB launched 7,793 new flats last year and will launch another 3,700 in the first nine months of this year. A Credit Suisse report released recently notes that total public and private housing supply for 2008 to 2012 is 16,000 on average per year – 42 per cent lower than the 10-year historical average.