Anything Batam

I only made 1 entry last month, that's not good.  Lots of catching up to do!  😆😆 Actually I don't have anything much to say either...  From my last entry up to this point I had been busy with work, working on my company's new website.

And for the first time ever in 13 years, I attended company D&D.  I never liked attending some dinner party/dance, etc.  I just don't like parties in general, even more so if it's a company function.  I prefer to see my colleagues as professionals instead of them making fools (or fun.. whichever way they see it..) out of themselves.  In fact during the mass dance event finale, I just stood outside the ballroom, waiting for the whole thing to be over with as I couldn't stand the whole revelry anymore which at that point in time I felt resembled absolute debauchery.

I guess I'll just write something about Batam food from previous mini trips.

I'll start with this nice hyperlapse video which I took with my phone camera in Harbour Front Centre, just prior to departing for Batam. 

A Forgotten Bangkok Biz Trip Post

I was wondering what I was going to write about this month.  And when I looked through my photo library I noticed that I hadn't mentioned anything about my September 2017 business trip to Bangkok.  My mind was very much occupied with so many other things back then...

On that trip I actually visited the sunflower garden in Changi airport's Terminal 2 and took a few snaps before departing for Bangkok.  It was a Sunday if I remember correctly.

Changi Airport Sunflower Garden @ Terminal 2 - RX100 Mk3

Ranoh Island Adventure - Part 2

So here's part 2 of the Ranoh island adventure.  You can't miss this colourful signboard the moment you set foot on Ranoh.

Welcome to Ranoh - RX100 Mk3

Ranoh Island Adventure - Part 1

Last week I just came back from an island trip to Ranoh with Lincoln and a couple of friends.  Ranoh island is a small isle off Galang Baru island (and Batam), which is accessible by the Trans Barelang bridge, followed by a 30 minute ferry ride from a jetty.  For the whole of this first part I just used my Sony RX100 Mk 3.

Screenshot from Google Map, Ranoh Island, there you are

Geylang Serai Bazaar 2018

Yesterday I made my first trip to Geylang Serai in like almost 20 years.  It was really amazing to see a different kind of bazaar/carnival (as compared to the ones in Chinatown and Gardens by The Bay).  My main purpose for the trip was actually to snap a cover photo for my company's newsletter, the secondary purpose would be to satisfy my curiosity on Hari Raya Aidil Fitri lighting.  Lastly, to try the hipster bazaar delicacies.

So I went with Lincoln to Paya Lebar MRT station where we met my wife and together, we took a 7 minute walk to the bazaar area near Tanjong Katong Complex.

Some food stalls were still closed and would re-open nearer to break fast time at approximately 7 pm local time.  Other stalls were already open possibly as they need some time for preparation and also to serve the non-Muslim crowds who are there to experience the fun.

So while waiting for the blue hour, we went around playing some games and trying the food.  Before we chomped down on any of the food, we tried our luck playing some carnival games.

Shoot some pokemon and win a prize - A7R2 + Batis 2/25

Notice the cleared row on the left next to the bad piggy?  I cleared that row first and passed the toy gun back to Lincoln for him to just have some fun shooting.  We got a small prize from this game.

Jurong Bird Park Trip

On Vesak Day holiday, I brought the kids to Jurong Bird Park.  It's a kind of reward for Lincoln.  I had promised him that for each subject in which he scores at least 80%, I'd take him to an attraction of his choice.  Well.... He managed to get 90% for his math, but 72% for English & 69% for Mandarin.  Although he still has a lot of work to do for both English and Mandarin, he did fulfill his end of the bargain for math, so he chose to go to Jurong Bird Park, all the way in the West.

It was a beautiful day, just after a dawn rain, so the weather was not so hot although it was still very humid.  Both Lincoln & Lindsay couldn't contain their excitement from the moment we stepped out of the car and walked towards the entrance which was beautifully styled as a garden.

Vegetation arches at the entrance - A7R2 + Batis 2/25