morning ride to punggol waterfront

Two mornings in a row, the boy and i decided to go explore Punggol Waterfront/ Waterway. 

Getting there

To get there, you can either cycle about 30 odd minutes along the Serangoon Park Connector, before reaching the Punggol Promenade. Otherwise, you can hop onto the NEL and stop at Punggol MRT station and then take the LRT to Riveria LRT station. You will alight very near the Punggol Promenade (:  The first time we went there, we kind of got lost and walked aimlessly for almost an hour before nearing the waterway. Do check out how to get there before going, don't make the same mistake as us!

Arriving there

There are several activity centres at Punggol Promenade, including seafood restaurants and an indoor soccer court (i think!). From Punggol Promenade, there is a long board walk where you can cycle, jog or stroll along to enjoy the scenery. I wouldn't exactly say that its very scenic (afterall, there are really nicer views overseas), but i guess this is pretty enough for Singapore, given our extremely rapid urbanization rate.

 there are toilets along the way, so fret not if you have to answer nature's calls (: or, you can do it army style (highly not advisable)!

after walking a short distance (maybe 300m?) from Punggol Promenade, you will see this red bridge, leading to the Lorong Halus Wetlands. If you are an avid bird watcher/ nature lover, do check this out. We happened to see a couple of bird photographers with their extremely large Canon L lenses! heh. 

Lorong Halus Wetlands

We decided to explore the Wetlands, as well as shoot some pictures. So here goes...

view of Punggol waterway from Lorong Halus Wetlands

view of Punggol from Lorong Halus Wetlands

gravel track within the Wetlands, leading to even wetter grounds, which we didn't manage to explore

 water lilly pond inside the wetlands

gravel tracks and tall grass, very suitable for wedding photoshoots (:

Back on track- Punggol Waterways

Generally, we didn't manage to explore much within the Wetlands as most tracks are made of gravel (not tar) and its pretty bicycle unfriendly /: We went back on to the waterways before heading home. Just a couple more shots!

oh yeah, there are seats along the way for you, so fret not if you feel tired yeah. but its a pity that there isn't much shade along the way.

This marks the end of my trip to Punggol Waterways. My parents have traveled the entire stretch and told us that there were still many places we have not covered! Can't wait to go on another exercising-cum-shooting session (:

On a side note, HAPPY LAST DAY OF 2011 (: Enjoy your countdown later (:

house "warning" at yap's

boxing day was spent "warning" yap's house (:

it was a simple night with my favourite people and awesome food. <3 you all.

Brunch@A Curious Teepee

Decided to meet Shirlyn for brunch last saturday @ A Curious Teepee. Tucked away in a corner of *scape, beside the Flesh Imp, it was extremely quiet for a saturday afternoon. Well, it actually wasn't very surprising. Afterall, the menu was rather limited and the cafe was not exactly at a very eye catching location. Nevertheless, we managed to try their famous quiche as well as waffles for brunch. (: By the way, the meal came up to be $22.30 for the two dishes. 

Am still quite a noob at correcting confusing white balances. The cafe lights were extremely warm (in terms of colour), my photos were tinted orange (oops!). Should have just used custom white balance to get the optimum colour, damn.

Anyway, the ambiance at the cafe was nice. Maybe because its been raining, or that its was really quite empty, i really enjoyed the peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of Orchard Road.

After waiting for a while, say about 15 mins, our food were finally served! 

 Above is the highly raved quiche. On the menu, it is listed as "A Curious Quiche", yet when its being displayed, its labelled as "Quiche Lorriane". I guess "A Curious Quiche" is like Quiche of the day, afterall they only have 1 quiche there.

This quiche is definitely the best that I have tasted. The crust was fluffy and the filling was extremely flavourful and cheesy. I never really liked quiche as sometimes the crust will be too hard or too thick. But this one is just right. The quiche costed $9.50, slightly pricey for such a small slice. But then again, anymore than this size and you may feel a little overwhelmed with cheese.

Next up, we have waffles. I am a huge fan of waffles! I love it when they are crispy on the outside but fluffy on the inside, yet not too starchy. These waffles are on the buttery side, you can immediately taste/smell the butter when you eat it. And its pretty crispy, like quite similar to eating biscuits hahaha! Its served with an ice cream (in the background) and you can choose whether you want chocolate or vanilla ice cream. This dish is priced at $12.80, and I think its pretty much overpriced for waffles and ice cream /: You also can opt for the version without ice cream at $10+, but if I were you, I would just top up $2+ for the ice cream (which I did).

Generally, the food served were pretty good, not overwhelmingly fantastic and the prices are kind of steep. Will I go there again?? Umm, i am not too sure about that. 

Penang Day 3

places covered: Penang Hill, Kek Lok Si Temple, Farlim Night Market

And so, it was day 3 in a flash! we had breakfast at this quaint dimsum 60/80 year old "restaurant" called and the meal was super cheap! it came up to <RM40 for 5 people! and we had quite a few dishes (: (pictures to  be uploaded later, somehow i cant seem to find my food photos!)

We proceeded to explore Penang Hill and Kek Lok Si Temple, which were about 30mins walk away from each other (i.e.: a really quick car/bus ride away).

PENANG HILL

You will need to take a tram up to Penang Hill, which costs RM30 (both ways) for adults and RM15 (both ways) for children. Well, if you want to save some money, try asking a local to purchase the tickets for you! they can get it at RM8 (both ways) for adults and RM4 (both ways) for children! yeah!

view from Penang Hill. it was breathtaking, yet it was a pity that it was too cloudy that day ):

this is so cute! really!

SRI ARULOLI THIMURUGAN (or PENANG HILL HINDU TEMPLE)

On Penang Hill, they have a Hindu Temple, which we didn't manage to enter. However, here are just some photos of the temple!

this is really cool! In this picture, this looks like a cow. (wait till you see the next one!)

and from this angle, this looks like an elephant! COOL ISN'T IT!

 KEK LOK SI TEMPLE
We headed for lunch, near Kek Lok Si Temple.

food tip: there is supposed to be this extremely famous Penang Assam Laksa and Chendol store near the Kek Lok Si Temple. But somehow, it was closed that afternoon we went. If I remember correctly, they are at the food centre called Air Hitam Food Centre. You can ask the locals for directions to the food stores (that's what we did!) yeah (:

Kek Lok Si Temple is supposedly the largest temple in the whole of Penang. I mean, being the largest, its definitely worth the visit right? 

Here you have tiles with hand-written well wishes, for family, success, world peace etc. It costs RM30 to get your well wishes handwritten (someone will do the writing for you with a calligraphy brush). All these tiles will be used to help expand/maintain the temple. 

look! here there is a professional who will help you write your well wishes on the tiles (: Remember, its RM30 each (:

we saw extremely cute animal statues  all around the temple and couldn't help but want to take photos with them! hahahah! it was only later on when we realized what they are made for! (:

YAH! they are part of a bench! (: so cute right!

after kek lok si temple, we proceeded to the farlim night market via public bus. travelling there was a &%@#&%)# as the bus driver dropped us off at the wrong spot!

FARLIM NIGHT MARKET

But I must say, Farlim Night Market was quite an experience! Unlike the touristy night market at Batu Ferringhi, this one is so authentic and local. I simple loved it! Farlim Night Market sells an good mix of food,  clothes and even electronic accessories. The food sold range from local delicacies to taiwan food to local cakes! AWESOME RIGHT! We especially loved the Lok Lok van there, as it has our favourite cheese tofu. yumtums (:

i really really really wanted to try this yongtaufoo! but too bad i was soooo stuffed, i really couldn't  eat any more ):

DIMSUM!!! cool !

our favourite LokLok!

just some of their pastries (:

ok (: END OF DAY 3! oh my, i am just so lazy to blog already! especially day 4 as the pictures were.. quite horrid (due to uneven lighting and different white balance!) but maybe photoshop will save the day! (: ok day 4 last post. lets go!