Universal Studios Singapore!

Come January 2010, South East Asia's first and only Universal Studios theme park will open at the Resorts World Sentosa. Packed with 24 attractions, 18 of them new or adapted for Singapore, visitors to Universal Studios Singapore will be the first to try out many blockbuster theme park rides.

Entry passes starts at S$32 for senior-citizen day pass to S$118 for a 2-day adult pass. Weekday 1-day adult (12yrs and above) passes are priced at S$66, and goes up to S$72 during weekends, public holidays, eve of public holidays, and super-peak periods. There are also a limited number of express passes issued each day which allows the holder priority access to all attractions (a.k.a. no queue) for an additional S$30-$68.



The theme park boasts a collection of many world firsts: the world's biggest single collection of DreamWorks Animation attractions; the world's first Far Far Away Castle from the world of Shrek; the world's first and only Madagascar theme park ride; the world's tallest dueling roller coaster Battlestar Galactica; the worlds's first Sci-Fi zone; and more.

Visitors will also get to enjoy non-stop live entertainment that takes them back to 7 thematic worlds, as well as 30 theme restaurants and foot carts, plus 20 theme retail stores and kiosks - all within the park.



1. WaterWorld
Based on the blockbuster film, WaterWorld, witness a tidal wave of death-defying stunts, awesome explosions and thrills at this sensational live water show.

2. Amber Rock Climb
Scale the walls of The Lost World to explore precious stones and fossilised insects. A treasure awaits those agile enough to climb their way to the top.

3. Dino-Soarin
Children can pilot pre-historic dragonflies, soaring up into the sky or plunging down into the shadows.

4. Canopy Flyer
Tucked safely under the wings of a flying Pteranodon, soar over the lush foliage of Jurassic Park and get a prehistoric bird's eye view as the coaster gently glides over the tree-tops

5. Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure
Featuring a white water raft system, thrill-seekers on circular rafts will be tossed on waterways within the Jurassic compound, where prehistoric creatures roam free.



1. Donkey LIVE
Shrek's fairy tale sidekick Donkey will entertain the guests in this all-new interactive live show, where guests sing along and even talk with Donkey in an intimate theatre setting.

2. Magic Potion Spin
A miniature ferris wheel for the children, it drives a clinking, clanking potion assembly line that circles the room, bottling magical elixirs from a giant wooden vat.

3. Shrek 4-D Adventure
Help save Princess Fiona in a totally in-your-face fairytale adventure. Through the miracle of OgreVision you'll see, hear, and actually FEEL the action right from your seat.

4. Enchanted Airways
Climb aboard Donkey's beloved Dragon for a flight over Far Far Away and beyond in the form of a junior roller-coaster ride serving destinations throughout the world of Shrek.



1. King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round
Be a part of King Julien's Party carousel with crazy lemurs and pesky foosas as you go up and down and round and round enjoying all the Madagascar characters.

2. Madagascar: A Crate Adventure
Join our four heroes Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria on a river boat adventure complete with state-of-the-art animated figures, digital projections, evocative sound, and moving show-action effects that create a one-of-a-kind, immersive ride experience.



1. Pantages Hollywood Theatre
Featuring a 1,500-seat indoor theatre fully equipped to host major Broadway musicals, come watch the infamous Universal Monsters in a rock-n-roll style revue.



1. Lights! Camera! Action! Hosted by Steven Spielberg
Be blown away by the filmmakers incredible special effects as an empty sound stage becomes the setting for a major hurricane about to hit New York City.

2. Stage28
Unravel the secrets of film production at the fully-outfitted sound stage shocasing some of Universal's feature films and props. Get behind the scenes and see real film production right before your very eyes!



1. Battlestar Galactica: Cylon
2. Battlestar Galactica: Human
Themed after the hit television show Battlestar Galactica, the world's tallest pair of dueling roller-coasters will propel thrill-seekers on several inversions, a zero-g roll, a Cobra roll, corkscrews, vertical loops and near collisions mere inches apart.

3. Accelerator
Test your inter-galactica stamina and see if you can keep your wits about you while madly spinning on this whirling twirling attraction.

4. Transformers
(Opening 2011)



1. Treasure Hunters
Venture out on an expedition into sandy ancient Egypt, where young treasure hunters can drive their own vintage motor car through an abandoned excavation site.

2. Revenge of the Mummy
A high-speed psychological thrill ride through sharp turns and fast reverse, as it pits guests against fireballs, scarab beetles and robotic warrior mummies - all in total darkness.



Last, but not least, Universal Studios icons rumoured to grace the theme park include characters from Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, Frankenstein, Woody Woodpecker, Peanuts, Garfield, Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Betty Boop, BeetleJuice, Scorpion King, Crash Bandicoot, Pac-Man, An American Tail, Tom and Jerry, Popeye, Pink Panther, Yogi Bear and The Flintstones

All images and information courtesy of Resort World Sentosa.

313 @ Somerset

The last addition this year to the already crowded Orchard Road, the 313@Somerset, finally opened its doors yesterday. Unlike its neighbour, Orchard Central (whom opened a few months earlier), this bad boy looks set to challenge the superiority of Heeren, Cineleisure, and by extension, upmarket Orchard - with outlets aimed at the youth market. If anything, its already caused havoc within the architectural community - being the second shopping mall in Singapore to achieve the Green Mark Platinum Award, the first being City Square in Serangoon. Amazingly, its also the first shopping mall that I know of that has a training centre, providing free customer service courses aimed at mall retail staff.

From what i've heard, the project was down with lots of problems - so much so that it was rushed through-and-through, in order to make it in time for the christmas shopping crowd. I seriously doubt any of those workers got any sleep in the past week. Heck, they didn't even have time to install the flooring - prefering carpets instead as a temporary measure!



Ah well, its all in the past now - those workers can now take a semi-breather, come back next week for those remaining 2-million touch-ups. It was worth the hard work - the mall was buzzing with excitement. Almost 80% of shops made it for the soft opening - most of them internal shops which did not have to deal with too much window display. Unfortunately, their facade starlets weren't that lucky. Out of the few, only Zara made the day.



The great buzz could mostly be attributed to the current carrot of the mall, Uniqlo. The Japanese casual wear label opened their biggest store in South East Asia with a bang - by dangling a big fat discount carrot. Queues were seen extending way beyond the shop entrance - mostly made out of teens and young adults.




Other attractions include a 4-level Forever 21, UK fast fashion brand - New Look, HMV Music Store, and Stadium, the sports concept store. Cotton On looks set for their first facade flagship along Orchard Road too.



On the F&B side, Marche makes a return with an outlet strategically positioned next to the Somerset MRT entrance. The entire B3, dubbed the Food Hall, houses plenty of small bite, fast food and budget friendly restaurants. If you're looking for more, there's also a few unique upper-range restaurants such as the Hand Burger, Flying Chillies Thai Restaurant, Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant, Kamado Japanese Wood Fire, and Trattoria Cucina Italiana. Last but not least, there's always the food court - Food Republic housed on the 5th floor, opened their largest outlet in Singapore here - boasting 21 stalls and 5 mini-restaurants. Hence, rest assured, there will be food.




313@Somerset Floor Plans






Can't wait to return nearer towards Christmas - when all the shops open. Should be a great place to shop in future!

Orchard Road Christmas Light Up 2009!

Nuff said. And now, on to the photographs!!! Trust me, they're hilarious!

The Hitachi Sales People

Ms I'm-Trendy-and-I-Know-It, complete with a ra-ra skirt and ballet flats,
and Mr I-Need-To-Rethink-My-Fashion-Sense

Ms My-Nose-Is-Not-The-Only-Ones-Red, complete with a star mirror,
and Ms Will-Shop-Till-I-Drop

Ms Shoe-A-Holic (reminds me of... well, me!) and Ms Glam-Mama

And the finalist for the Best Dressed Competition...

I liked the christmas tree best, what about you?

.. And Best Dressed Building Award goes to... The Singapore Visitor Centre!

simply cause simplicity rocks my socks!

Giant Boite Flacon Suitcase @ Ngee Ann City

French Luxury House, Louis Vuitton, celebrated the re-opening of their newly expanded duplex store in Ngee Ann City with the installation of a giant replica of its iconic monogrammed trunk, the Bolte Flacon suitcase. The huge replica, measuring 6m (width) by 2m (depth) by 4m (height), will be on display at the Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza till 7th December 2009.

The New MRT Trains... More Standing Space!

Yup! Your eye are not playing tricks on you - they took out the entire strip of seats.

The next time you climb onboard the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit), especially during peak hours, don't be surprised if you see more people than you thought the train could possibly handle. SMRT recently retrofitted some of their new trains with more standing space to support the ever increasing number of public transport users in Singapore. They come as relief, especially to those working in the city centre, whom have been complaining about the overcrowdedness of trains - so much so that they can only board their 2nd or 3rd train.

My take on the situation? First, Singaporeans (and this includes all the PR's and Work Permit kia's) seriously should learn to appreciate what they have. Already the frequency of trains here are shorter than in many other countries - heck, they come every 2 mins during peak hours! How much time can you save? So STOP complaining!

Second, I pity the "burdened". Even now, with most trains having double the number of seats from what you see in the photo above, I still do see people sitting pretty while pregnant mothers hold on to the poles with one hand and support their bellies with their other.

Ah well, just as much, my days of sitting in MRT's are numbered - just take the damn bus.

Things You Should Know When Shopping At Changi Airport

Yes, there may be a difference in the amount you pay when you shop at the airport, depending on whether you're departing or arriving.

1. Singaporeans and Permanent Residents enjoy GST-free shopping ONLY when they depart from Changi Airport, and NOT when they return. The only exception to that rule is for liquor (restricted to 1bottle of wine, 1bottle of liquor, and 1x six-pack beer per person) and all beauty products at the 18 Perfumes & Cosmetics stores run by Nuance-Watsons in Changi.

2. All travellers on incoming flights from MALAYSIA are NOT allowed to buy liquor at Changi Airport's duty-free stores. This is meant to prevent liquor trafficing due to the large number of incoming (and cheap) incoming flights from Malaysia.

3. Singaporeans do NOT enjoy GST savings at the DFS Galleria (at Scotts Road). The GST-free prices applies only to those with foreign passports (yes, that includes us PR's). Shoppers should complete a tax rebate form at the customer service counter on Level 4 (with their passports) before redeeming the 7% GST at tax rebate counters in Changi Airport (before departure).

4. Nuance-Watson offers pre-order services on duty-free fragrances and cosmetics, which may be collected at their central stores (in each terminal). In addition, you may choose to collect your pre-purchased items when you return to Singapore. To browse their products, visit http://www.nuancewatson.com.sg/ (with a min 3 working days in advance booking notice).

Extracted from Urban, 20th November 2009

Lunch Buffet @ Equinox, Singapore

Yup! Went to Equinox - currently, the highest (approximately 226m above sea level) and probably one of the most expensive restaurants in Singapore - for lunch. Paid a hefty ~S$69 (S$59++) per person for the lunch buffet (inclusive of an a-la carte main course). I guess, it being my second time there, didn't help the price issue... Without the city view as distraction, focus was mainly on the food.

Generally the food, which is supposedly prepared by award-winning chefs, was pretty good. Well... everything minus the Cordon Bleu which IMHO failed (so far, nothing beats the one we ate at La-Manila).

Amongst my favourites:


left Pan-fried Foie Gras de Canard with Garnishes
right Classic Mayonnaise Potato Salad with Mountain Cheese and Spring Pickles


All the sashimi you can eat - Tasmanian Salmon and Kingfish being my favourite


left Their bread were just too good looking to eat!
right Cured and Smoked Norwegian Salmon,
with Small Mountain Capers, marinated Red Onions and Apple-Horseradish


left Individual Specialty: Mushroom Consomme
right Individual Specialty: Seared Tuna with Tamago and Caviar

Interestingly, the spread had 2 types of oysters - Canadian and New Zealand Oysters (as part of their eat-to-make-your-dollar-worth spread). At first glance, I was like "why do you need to serve 2 types of oysters?". Seriously, they both looked as similar as 2 oysters could be! Imagine my shock when I found them both to taste distinctly different. Whilst the Canadians were smooth, though a lil gooey, the Kiwis were slightly chewy - like muscles.

They also had both tiger prawns (absolutely delicious and fat!) and fresh-water prawns (not that great a fan - with their powdery texture), and crabs!


Main Course: Grain-fed Chicken Breast Cordon Bleu, with Potato Mousseline and Market Vegetables


Main Course: Char Grilled Beef Onglet
with Sautéed Idaho Potatoes, Caramelized Red Onions and Café de Paris Butter

Their selection of cakes, simply put, just failed. However, as expected, their homemade Ice-Creams and Pure Fruit Sorbet were as good as ever. This time, I tried their Espresso Ice-Cream. Yumm.... And don't get me started on the fondue...

The best was the Chocolate Mouse!


left Warm Apple and Blackcurrant Crumble
left Finest Swiss Chocolate Mousse


Swiss Bittersweet, Milk and White Chocolate Fondues,
with Fresh Fruits, Marshmallows and Cookies for dipping

Great experience all-in-all.

If you're feeling up for the place, i'd recommend the high-tea buffet instead. First, it's cheaper ($38++). Second, they feature a larger buffet spread - with a few cooked-on-the-spot stalls like pasta and eggs. However, I don't recall oysters or fresh prawns. No smoked salmon either.