Crime in Sing City?

(The following post may contain disturbing images. Parental guidance is advised.)

I thought I was witness to a crime scene.

'Gruesome' sums up my whole experience.

There were four 'corpses' in the art installation. A common theme that runs through is death by impalement. By not one instrument, but multiple ones. Murder weapons range from brooms, toilet bowl brushes to saws and screwdrivers.

Louie Cordero drew his inspiration for this art installation 'My We' from the recent spate of murders of people single Frank Sinatra's 'My Way' in Filipino karaoke bars.

I certainly hope there are no copycats in real life.

Take a step in Simon Fujiwara's mind, as you wander through 'Welcome to the Hotel Munber'. He spins a tale of oppression and release, with inspiration drawn from his personal experiences living in his parent's bar and hotel in Spain in the 70s.

There are 2 other art installations at the Singapore Art Museum, as part of the Singapore Biennale 2011. These include Julian Gothe's 'Events during Flood' and Ryan Trecartin's video works.

Stay tuned while we bring you other highlights from Singapore Biennale 2011 in future blog entries.

Crave for a tasty American burger in Hanoi?

I have been scouring the streets of Hanoi. I constantly risk my palate to continue bringing you the unsung food outlets, bars and restaurants.

Sometimes, the disappointments have been so bitter. But I choose not to write about them.

On this occasion, I find something truly worthy of sharing.

Introducing: My Burger Mỹ

They serve the Super Works Mỹ Burger - an absolutely mouthwatering burger, with nice char-grilled beef petty, jalapeno peppers, chillis, thin strips of fried bacon, toasted cheese, and hot buns. A real bargain at VND125,000.


Also seen in the picture above is a glass of totally refreshing strawberry smoothie, specially made for me. It wasn't even on the menu. They serve smoothies made from seasonable fruits. What's in season now are pineapples, bananas, and mangoes (VND30,000). The mixed fruit smoothie is made from those fruits, and strawberries (VND35,000). As it's a special order, the strawberry smoothie costs VND35,000.

Besides burgers, they also serve Mexican food (e.g. nachos, burritos), and ice cream.

All these wonderful food brought to you by a wonderful American chef, who has been living in Hanoi for 3 years already.

My Burger Mỹ
Address: 5 Hang Bac Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi
Tel: 84.4.73090777
Mobile: 0912 223 966

Celebrating Tết

On the 23rd day of the 12th month of the Vietnamese lunar calendar (4 days ago on 26 January), the Vietnamese prayed to the Kitchen God (Ông Táo) with offerings of sugarcanes, fruits and chicken, so that he can ascend to the heavens and make a favourable report of the family when he meets the Jade Emperor. Some of the prayer items are shown below:

Prayer Chicken

Mandarin Oranges

Due to the unforgiving cold weather, the peach blossoms (hoa đào) have suffered. (Read 'Cold ruins peach blossom harvest' here). So I can show you the rather unspectacular sight of a rather bald pink peach blossom tree. Apologies for the fuzzy image of the hoa đào flower up close, but you may be just able to make out how it looks from the flowers in the background of the picture on the right.

Pink peach blossom (hoa đào) tree

Close-up view of hoa đào

The Vietnamese government has declared that the period from 31 January to 7 February 2011 will be official holidays for Tết. Tết falls on 3 February, and coincides with the Chinese Lunar New Year this year.

Already the Vietnamese people are returning in droves to their home towns, leading to massive traffic jams everywhere. You can see motorcyclists with all kinds of bulky items on their bikes - pots of kumquat, hoa đào, large boxes, etc. Everyone is going back home to attend the important reunion dinner on the eve of Tết.

If you are travelling to Vietnam during this time, be prepared to pay expensive prices for food in upmarket restaurants. Most shops will be closed during this time. For 31st January and 1st February, banks will also keep some of the branches open for basic transactions.

Our next destinations will be Malaysia and Singapore. So stay tuned.

State Bank of Vietnam

This stately-looking building is home to the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) (Ngân Hàng Nhà Nước Việt Nam).



It is located close to the Old Quarters at 46, Lý Thái Tổ, Q.Hoàn Kiếm, Vietnam.

It is becoming difficult to take a nice picture of this building, with tall skyscrapers of BIDV Tower and Vietcombank Tower sprouting in the streets behind and dwarfing the building.

I resorted to squatting on the street corner opposite the building, and angling the camera upwards to capture this image. If you look closely, you can still see the Vietcombank Tower jutting out just slightly above the top of the SBV building as a backdrop to the Vietnamese state flag fluttering on top of the SBV building.

You can read more about SBV here.

Myanmar - A Country Rich in Buddhist Sanctuaries

Dear fellow travel bugs,

What do you know about Myanmar?

Not many people have been to this member country belonging to the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN).

Most people would have formed certain impressions based on the news coverage, history lessons, and book reviews they have encountered.

To some of you, the memory of the immense devastation wreaked by Cyclone Nargis remains recent. To pro-democracy advocates, the release of Aung San Suu Kyi may herald a new dawn.

Myanmar has indeed gone through turbulent times throughout the centuries.

But yet, a journey to the countless stupas and pagodas dotting all over the whole landscape of Myanmar will not even remind you of those turbulent times. One feels at ease, and at peace at these Buddhist sanctuaries.

You see these stupas and pagodas in small towns and big cities; on top of hills, in forests, and by the river.

Myanmar has three seasons – the hot season (early March to late May), the monsoon season (late May to mid October)and the cool season (late October to late February). In fact, this is the best time to visit Myanmar - during the cool season!

The weather is unbearably hot during the hot season, if you are visiting Myanmar during the hot season. You might end up spending large amounts of time staying indoors to escape the torrid heat. Temple visiting is almost impossible between 10am and 4pm, because the ground would be so hot - you might feel like you are dancing on hot coals. Just in case you do not know, you are only allowed to walk with your bare feet on temple grounds.

If you are planning a trip to Myanmar, you will have to arrange a visa (whether for business or for social visit) before you enter the country. There is no such thing as visa upon arrival.

Generally, the requirements for visa application are:
(1) Original, signed passport with at least 6 months of remaining validity
(2) Passport-size photographs: 2 (in some Myanmese embassies in some countries, the requirement is for 3 photographs, so check the requirement with your local Myanmese embassies)
(3) Copy of round trip tickets or confirmed itinerary.

If you are arranging a trip to Myanmar from Singapore, you will have to prepare a letter to the official in the Embassy of the Union of Myanmar, explaining the purpose of your visit.

You are advised to obtain the visa first, prior to arranging your flight tickets, to avoid complications with rearranging your flights. The expected turnaround time for processing of visa is 3 working days in Singapore, though this may vary from country to country.

You may also apply your visa online at http://myanmar.visahq.com/. Further information can be obtained from the Lonely Planet Myanmar (Burma) (Country Travel Guide).

I wish you happy travelling.

Mysterious Xinjiang

Dear fellow travel bugs,

Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (新疆维吾尔自治区) remains one of the more underexplored travel destinations in the People's Republic of China.

This is partly due to its harsh terrain. Much of Xinjiang remains uninhabitable with vast mountain ranges and long stretches of barren deserts. If you are travelling in summer, be prepared for the unbearable heat. Drink lots of fluids to prevent yourself from getting a heat stroke.

Long bus rides (up to 22 hours and beyond for some routes) are the norm, when commuting between destinations. Train tickets to Kashgar from Urumqi (Xinjiang's capital) and back are mostly in hot demand. It is best that you buy the train ticket at Urumqi, if you want to be assured of a seat in the train carriage. Otherwise, if you are buying a ticket from a train stop along the Urumqi-Kashgar route, you may have to endure a tiring overnight journey, squeezing with strangers in the train compartments. For the latest travel information, do check out the Lonely Planet China (Country Guide).

Xinjiang offers plenty for the adventurous. Being home to a number of different ethnic groups, it has lots to offer in terms of languages, religions, cultures, and dressing. If you hunger for adventure, Xinjiang is the place to go.

I leave you with a picture of an aerial view of the stark mountain ranges. This was taken during a summer trip, when you could even feel the piercing heat from inside the aircraft.

Welcome to sunny Singapore

Dear viewer,

Welcome to my blog. This is my maiden post, and I thought of introducing you to the sunny island of Singapore.

Singapore is an island state, that is situated around the Equator. That means, we do not experience four seasons. In fact, we only have two seasons – the rainy monsoon season that happens usually towards the end of the year, and the dry season in the middle of the year.

You can expect to have frequent spells of rain interspersed by occasional bursts of sunshine right at this time of the year. Weather check right now - sunny!

So for those of you who love to brown yourselves and get that beautiful tan, Singapore is an ideal location.

However, given that the sun rays are really strong here, you are advised to get some sun protection. For those of you who are determined to get that alluring bronzed look, don’t forget to bring your SPF 15 Protective Tanning Oil.

I leave you with a picture of the kitchen of KT’s Grill, where mouth-watering authentic New York Grill are being prepared. If you are craving for a taste of New York, head right down to Universal Studios Singapore on beautiful Sentosa.