It's the last Friday for 2011 so I kicked it appropriately off with a nice little breakfast for one. The wife got fresh muffins and I made one of my favourites. 2 slices Toast topped with crispy fried back bacon, creamy scrambled eggs finished with grated Monterey Jack Cheddar Cheese and a splash of Heinz Chilly Sauce accompanied by a hearty cup of coffee. Yummy.
It's that time of the year when we reflect back and get ready for the next year. 2011 has certainly been a huge year for us from a personal perspective with major decisions and the big move to Singapore and our new home at least for the next 5 years. I am not one for re-inventing the wheel so here is a video that cover some of the major events of the year according to Goggle Zeitgeist.
Watching AM live this morning, they featured the Top 10 topics searched on the Net in 2011 by Singaporeans and number 5 is Planking. What the hell is that so I did some research and here it is. Planking is a game played worldwide where a person basically takes a picture lying face down in various locations, name it and post it on Face book. It's also become very popular in Singapore now with its own Facebook Page . They claim they have more than 112,000 members and growing. What people will do for some attention.
Check it out here Official Web page
I want to finish the posting with a special mention on a very worthy programme in Singapore featured in the Voices magazine. It's called Pass It On organised by the Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC) and has been running for the past ten years. Excellent idea!!!!!!
Finish the year in fine style, enjoy and whatever you do.
DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE
Thanks for all your support.
Singapore in 10 Days
Our best friends came for a 10 day visit the previous two weeks which proved to be a real challenge. Here is the thing. There is just too much to cover and although it sounds like loads of time the reality turned out to be quite different. As Expat's and very proud of our new home, we wanted to show of the best and awesome sights Singapore has to offer and share the awesome food we have experienced so far which did not turn out to be quite the expectations our friends had. Don't get me wrong, the trip was awesome.
Prior to their visit I had done extensive homework and worked out a budget that would be sufficient to cover the trip from their perspective. Some of the things that you have to consider is the weather, the amount of walking involved and its effects, and what your visitors actually want to see and do which is not the same as what you may have planned. If shopping for specific items is involved it will take up more time than planned which leaves less time for the other planned excursions.
Hit the weather depending sites as soon as possible and incorporate things like Chilly Crab, Singapore Sling etc into other excursions which we did not do and ended up not getting to do it as the weather ruined the last planned evening trip. Allow time to take a break in the planned schedule when the feet need a rest and mix trips with lots of walking with some less walking ones.
I guess the biggest lesson I learnt was to not Plan the trip and allow your visitors to decide what they would like to see and do based on their personal preferences to avoid disappointment. The bottom line, you can not cover it all in 10 days.
December is definitely not the best time for a visit as it is very busy and most attractions also more expensive due to peak time rates. Universal Studios turned out to be a real challenge as a result with long ques and unless you pay for an additional VIP Pass (pricey) you end up not doing half of the available rides due to long waiting times. Between us we took 812 photos, obviously too many to post
The things we managed to do include East Coast Lagoon, Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay Sands and the Skypark, Orchard Road (some of it), Universal Studios, Funan Digital Mall, China Town, The Singapore Zoo, Dempsey Hill and some local shopping centres. The highlight of the trip, Universal Studios and my personal favourite ride, Battle Star Galactica. We did both the Red Human and Blue Cylon rides and without a doubt the Blue ride the most Thrilling and outrages. Did it 3 times in a row just for good measure.
Grab a mouthwatering Burger at Mel's Drive Inn in the Hollywood Boulevard and a must see the Mel's Dinettes show outside the diner. Great Music!!
And so another memorable trip came to an end with 2012 around the corner.
I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year.
Prior to their visit I had done extensive homework and worked out a budget that would be sufficient to cover the trip from their perspective. Some of the things that you have to consider is the weather, the amount of walking involved and its effects, and what your visitors actually want to see and do which is not the same as what you may have planned. If shopping for specific items is involved it will take up more time than planned which leaves less time for the other planned excursions.
Hit the weather depending sites as soon as possible and incorporate things like Chilly Crab, Singapore Sling etc into other excursions which we did not do and ended up not getting to do it as the weather ruined the last planned evening trip. Allow time to take a break in the planned schedule when the feet need a rest and mix trips with lots of walking with some less walking ones.
I guess the biggest lesson I learnt was to not Plan the trip and allow your visitors to decide what they would like to see and do based on their personal preferences to avoid disappointment. The bottom line, you can not cover it all in 10 days.
December is definitely not the best time for a visit as it is very busy and most attractions also more expensive due to peak time rates. Universal Studios turned out to be a real challenge as a result with long ques and unless you pay for an additional VIP Pass (pricey) you end up not doing half of the available rides due to long waiting times. Between us we took 812 photos, obviously too many to post
The things we managed to do include East Coast Lagoon, Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay Sands and the Skypark, Orchard Road (some of it), Universal Studios, Funan Digital Mall, China Town, The Singapore Zoo, Dempsey Hill and some local shopping centres. The highlight of the trip, Universal Studios and my personal favourite ride, Battle Star Galactica. We did both the Red Human and Blue Cylon rides and without a doubt the Blue ride the most Thrilling and outrages. Did it 3 times in a row just for good measure.
Grab a mouthwatering Burger at Mel's Drive Inn in the Hollywood Boulevard and a must see the Mel's Dinettes show outside the diner. Great Music!!
And so another memorable trip came to an end with 2012 around the corner.
I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year.
NotaTourist & The Brave Monkey
Some two weeks ago I met with Daphne from the Notatourist Editorial Team to join the team as a writer. We actually did make contact when I first started my Blog but somehow I got confused and ended up doing articles for another Expat site thinking it was for this project.
The website was officially launched on 29 November 2011and will feature articles by locals and expats on life in Singapore. I have submitted my first article and is very proud to be part of the team. The site already contains various articles posted by the team of writers.
There is a badge on my Blog where you can follow me.
Here is one naughty Monkey who is going to see his ass soon.
Check it out.
The website was officially launched on 29 November 2011and will feature articles by locals and expats on life in Singapore. I have submitted my first article and is very proud to be part of the team. The site already contains various articles posted by the team of writers.
There is a badge on my Blog where you can follow me.
Here is one naughty Monkey who is going to see his ass soon.
Check it out.
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