Singapore Airlines A380

This is not my first time on the A380. I have been on it once before with Emirates. Even though it was a short flight to Hong Kong, it's my first A380 experience with Singapore Airlines and I am still quite excited about it!
Food was great! Fruits were fresh, bread was warm, fish was not too salty.

When the plane was air borne, I walked around the cabin and noticed that the emergency exit seats were not taken. So I asked the cabin crew if I could swap seats and then planted myself on it. yay!
Best part about the A380, upon arrival in Hong Kong, the A380 dock was right next to the immigration counter! Just walked 1 minute to immigration. I remember walking and walking in the airport to immigration when I flew in on other aircrafts.

My traveling companions

The beach at Nikoi

This being a private island, the beach is free of tourists! Perfect for relaxing and basically just stoning.
Beautiful clear blue waters and golden sand.




And at night, there's a bonfire!

Exploring Nikoi Island

The welcome drink that greeted us.

Spot the crab!

The rocky part of the island.

The concept is 'back to nature'.
No telephones in the room, no TV... The worst - no air conditioning.

The path to the room is a sand road.

But watch where you are walking coz you share the island with monitor lizards.

Getting to Nikoi Island

I spent some time in Nikoi Island. It's an island off Bintan. Getting there isn't the most pleasant of journeys.
It starts at Tenah Merah Ferry Terminal

Where it's a 1 hour ferry ride to Bintan.

Next is a 1 hour jeep ride. Bumpy and winding, this was the worst part of the journey.

Then we are greeted by this sign!

Following that is a half hour speed boat ride.

Then finally - Nikoi Island!

Street Food

Not the best food I had. But it was incredibly fun walking down Mon Kok, talking in the sights, smells and sounds!

Overseas Chinese Restaurant

My colleague said that food blogs all over say that this is the best Chinese restaurant in Kuala Lumpur. I wasn't so sure when I heard that. I mean what restaurant would name themselves 'Overseas Chinese'?? Then we walked by the restaurant. The exterior was shabby and quite depressing. Inside decor was gaudy and very dated. I didn't have high hopes. But I was wrong!
Yummy noodles

Superb fresh prawns!

Beancurd

THE BEST Char Siew ever!

Whoever thought lotus root can be sooo good? Crunchy and juicy at the same time.

tong fen!

Ba Kut Teh

I love ba kut teh ad boy I haven't had ba kut teh until I tried those in Kuala Lumpur!
The soup is so robust and flavourful! nothing like those I have ever tried.
Herbal Vegetable

Herbal without vegetable

Pig stomach in pepper soup.. Yummest!

a Hong Kong breakfast

My hotel in Hong Kong is in the heart of a residential area. So there's quite a number of local eateries. I went into one and ordered myself a breakfast set.
I must say I am not a fan of their breakfasts coz the health nut in me does not agree with it!

Sausages, instant noodles, oily and not very tasty. I was kinda disappointed with what was presented in front of me.

Joel Robuchon in Singapore

I have a friend in Hong Kong who is a foodie. We went to a cafe - Joel Robuchon cafe for afternoon coffee and snacks. All the snacks were sold out by the time we arrived! The only thing left was a cabbage quiche, which didn't sound appealing to me. So I had to settle for a cappuccino.

Now, when we were there, she raved about the meal she had there. Especially about their mashed potatoes. So when I was walking in RWS, I noticed that they are preparing to open a branch in sunny Singapore! Robuchon mashed potatoes, here I come!

a rare find!

I always head to the tie section in Hermès. I love their ties with little tiny cartoons all over the tie. BUT it seems like the house is till in the 80's! All the ties are chunky and fat. The selection of slim ties is small! None of those I lile match the new slim silhouette that has been around for the past 5 years and (I think) is here to stay!
That is until I saw this hanging in the Hermes outlet in the Hong Kong airport. Slim tie, small cartoons of horses with a jockey in an orange top (horses & orange! a nod to Hermès heritage)

THE trench

I bought my most expensive piece of clothing ever! The Burberry Trench - in black.

While I don't think I will ever wear it in Singapore, I figured it will last me many many years when I travel. So that justified the high price I paid. Now, I gotta plan some vacations to cooler places.

Slim fit, from the Black Label offshoot of Burberry, "made for Asians" the sales guy told me. haha.

it was almost like business class

Gotta thank my travel agent for booking a fabulous seat for me. The first row of exonomy is an extra spacious seat! It's almost like business class....

It happens in France too!

One gibe of public housing is how residents hang their laundry in the common areas and on the outside of their buildings, spoiling the nice facade of the estate.

Now in France, it came as a surprise when I saw that they too hang their laundry out to dry. Taken in the little village of Grasse, even residents of a village square facing unit have no qualms on hanging their laundry out to dry. We're talking about a village which is somewhat a tourist attraction.

Perhaps in the spirit of the Green movement sweeping across the planet, I should be ambivalent about clothes and sheets drying in public. But I do draw the line at under garments. What is hidden when worn in public should remain hidden while being laundered.

Skinny is OUT!

This morning, I read news that might as well have shook the gound below me. ChannelNewsAsia.com declared that in the world of Men's fashion, Skinny is Out!
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/beautynfashion/view/439120/1/.html

According to Paris, the new look is a looser silhouette that 'liberates men from strict dress codes'.

Nooooo!!!! Joshua does not work in a full silhouette. Sigh.. all the slim fit shirts, jeans and pants I bought haven't got their full milage! Dior cannot do this to me! I cannot walk round looking like a rapper from a music video, with my pants half way down my butt.

To add salt to the wound, the look of the moment is 'muscles and physique' and not 'sapling thin'. I thought I did the thin & preppy look quite well. Now, it's off with carrots and celery! Chicken breast and egg whites, here I come!

My first A380 flight!

I'm quite interested in airports and airlines. So flying on the A380 was an experience that I was looking forward to. And the verdict? It is a fantastic aircraft!


First and foremost, kudos to Emirates for their excellent food. I think that the food that they dished out was the best I've ever tasted on an airplane. Outdoing even SIA! Pictured here was breakfast on the A380. Egg rolls, hash browns corn and creamed spinach.


But, the entertainment system - ICE, cannot be compared to SIA's Krisworld. And on one flight, we weren't able to have video-on-demand. Service wise, the staff were warm and friendly.


The ambience of the aircraft is excellent. High ceilings and wider seats makes the passenger feel less claustrophobic. And the ride was very smooth and noise from the engine was minimal. Great aircraft!

From the Fear East to the Middle East

Well, after a 7 hour flight, I'm in Dubai Airport.

Flew Emirates. Not too impressed with the airline. Food - bad. Service - impersonal. Cost - CHEEEEEAP! That's why I'm flying Emirates. Cost trumps everything. Including time - waiting for 3 hours for the transit flight. Well, on the bright side, the next Dubai-London flight is on the A380. So that is something to look forward to. First time on the A380! Woo hoo!

Dubai's airport seems bustling with life. These pictures were taken at 5:30am and ALL the shops were open! The other time I took a 6am flight form Changi, the shops were still closed, except for the cosmetics counters. Changi can learn something from Dubai - since Singapore prides itself as a shopper's paradise.

Ok, that's all for now I guess... 2 more hours to go before the next flight. Watch this space! Next up: how to get to Central London from Heathrow when the Tube service is on strike: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/11970.aspx
Now that would be an adventure.