弄子里 Alley Wei @ Northpoint Part 1

Opening in April 2021 in Northpoint, as what the shop said, they sells traditional, freshly made Taiwanese/ Chinese street food favorites. So what we got here is the Pan-Fried dumpling, Soybean Milk and You Tiao. So their Soybean Milk is served in a bowl instead of a cup. The takeaway is in the cup form. So far, i like both the Soy Bean Milk and You Tiao alot. As for the Pan-Fried Dumpling, is so-so, but still pass the normal standard. 😋

Fish Price still OK if you prepare at home

Although fish prices had increase for so many years and sometimes shortage of supply, it is still reasonable to buy and cook it at home. Not as if to eat fish everyday, sometimes preparing and cooking fish like twice a week is still possible to get the necessary nutrients. Be it fried or steam, fish are easy to prepare. As what I compared, I think Sheng Siong had the best competitive cheap prices for their fishes. So don't deprive ourselves for having some fishes once in a while. Coming years will be difficult, but we will SURVIVE ! 👍 

Saizeriya @ Sembawang Shopping Centre Part 2

Before I start, you can referred to my first post on Saizeriya here. So I came back in 25 June 2022 and found out that Drink Bar had returned !!! 😆 But we came to eat and planned to have our drink elsewhere after this meal so we skipped the drink bar. So we came for a small bite. My wife ordered the Carbonara and Mushroom Soup while I ordered the Pepperoni Pizza. Both the Carbonara and Mushroom Soup was good. However, the Pepperoni Pizza was surprisingly good ! 😲 BUT it is very oily and salty, thats why it is good. 😈

Even Gardenia Bread is increasing price !

Just IN ! As you guys know that I had started to add the essential Item tracker on the right side column for your viewing pleasure. It seems that from August 2022, there were be another price increase being passed down to us consumers. Referencing from the cheapest enriched white bread that I buy and eat frequently, the cost is going to increase twice in a year. So from August 2022 onwards, the same white bread is going to cost us SGD2.20. If these essential items also increase, what do you think about the many other things we need to buy and stay alive? 

Its time to pull out one of my "reserve"

Its time to pull out one of my "reserve" to place into an even more defensive investment. Its not much, but its a decade of hard work, blood and sweat. Based on the past year, it was fluctuating like crazy just because of Covid-19. Due to the nature of my policy feeding on China and India funds, it had fluctuate at about 8% drop as compared to last year. Despite this, i am still profiting from a 11 years policy since I started working. When I take leave, it mean that I am doing something important and not shaking banana🍌 like many others. As my crazy plans are supposed to take place early next year, but seems that I am able to take it forward earlier to begin in November 2022. I would say that 2021 was the WORST year in 3 decades, mid-term review 2022 is more of the bitter sweet year and I will be squeezing more brutal and aggressive character in how I approach matters to recover and build up in all aspects of life. 

Throwback to my watch hunting back in 2019 in Hokkaido

Before getting my very first Seiko watch, i used to get Casio watches and Samsung smart watches. So when I was in Hokkaido, Japan for a 2 weeks trip during September 2019, I bought my first Seiko watch in a BIC Camera in Sapporo. Although I did not own one for many years, I had done some minor research on getting their JDM watches in Japan. I remembered spending at least one hour to look through their entire collections which they really showcased so many different models in their store. So i eventually chose Seiko Air Diver JDM [SBDJ017J] which is retailed at 38,795 yen. However, they had a 25% discount and provided my passport for a tax-free transaction. During 2019, the exchange rate was SGD$1 to 80 yen. When I asked the Japanese salesman, whether this is made in japan? He proudly mentioned that this is made in japan and kept saying Japanese products were made with high precision and had the best QC in place. In my heart, I had never doubt japanese workmanship in watch making. 😀 Till today, despite knocks and bumps, my Seiko Solar is still surviving strong ! With this, it is time for me to hunt for my next Seiko watch in SG. Will be aiming for an Limited Edition one this time. Stay Tuned ! 😂

Putu Piring Stall at Chong Pang

This Putu Piring Stall at Chong Pang really hit the spot. Located at the corner of Swee Sian Yuen Eating House, i got the Gula Melaka Putu Piring at $1.50 for 3 pieces. It is sweet just right together with the hot steamed rice cake and the grated coconut. They also had many other different flavors and it definitely worth getting it for your snacks or small bites 😋 

Bullionstar SG - Looking at Silver & Gold

I am back to Bullionstar once again after about 2 years ago when I last came here. Went over with my "Silver" Expert colleague to check out some stuffs. Gold and Silver prices are at its rock bottom at this point of writing. Everything is looking so tempting today as compared to a few years back. Had a long discussion there and targeting to get a brick by end of the year. However, before leaving, we managed to grab the biggest gold bar there and gosh, it is damn heavy at 400 Oz Gold Bar. It is priced at S$980,000 at this point of writing. In addition, I had added another two javascript widget on the right bar for quick monitoring. Don't worry, my website don't run ads for now.

Shroom 'N Cheese Pockett Meal

Nowadays whenever KFC comes out something new, I will go and try it. 😅 So when they released Shroom 'N Cheese Pockett Meal, i ordered, but changed the damn potato wedges to Mashed Potato. Fortunately KFC had removed the potato wedges from their side menu already. However the main stuff, Shroom "N Cheese Pockett is really good. It contains the chicken, mayo, wrap, cheese and mushroom. The mushroom is really well made and really brings up the flavor. The only disappointing factor was the size. It is kinda not worth the value, but it does give the kick.

Ishiro Fusion Bowl Canberra [Part 1]

Once again, my place opened a new kopitiam stall called Ishiro Fusion Bowl last month. We ordered one bowl of Iberico Pork Bowl and one bowl of Mentaiko Salmon. Service and preparation time is acceptable. The Mentaiko Salmon was good, but the egg was still kinda raw and ice cold [probably they cook abit and place the egg into ice water]. Rice have the japanese rice texture so probably they might be using japanese rice. As for the Iberico Pork Bowl, think the meat is below average. Doesn't taste as good as the rest of the Iberico Pork bowl elsewhere. I will be coming back again for another try to determine whether it is because of their first few days of operation.

Setup Ready | Registered Interest | Opt for e-Voucher Promo Code | Samsung Z Fold 4

Samsung just posted their official announcement yesterday. Registered Interest and registered to get a "e-voucher" instead to further offset my upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 😀 Can't wait to hear out the launch early next month. This is to debut my very first foldable phone from phone and tablet usage. Let's hope that I can preordered early without much hiccups, considering Samsung SG always have problems during their launch, be it minor or major 😒 SGD$80 is not much, but it is sufficient money to offset for my accessories or a much trusty case.

Diablo Immortal is still popular regardless of complains...

Enough said. Diablo Immortal is still popular regardless of how haters whack Blizzard. Blizzard and game companies were out to do a business while delivering gaming contents to the world. It is not an easy job and these games requires tons of money to develop and maintain them. Of course, we can't deny that those PayToWin (P2W) players will be able to play better in the "End Game". Even with money, sometimes it really depends on luck. Not necessary to get the best gears or equipment to ace the game. Overall, i think the game is well made and I truly enjoy the game as usual as a FreeToPlay (F2P) player. You still do enjoy the process and I felt that fellow gamers just relax lah. If other players want to pay money to advance better in the game, so be it. Peace Out 😉

Modern Mobile Game - Diablo Immortal really takes up space

Seems that Smartphone storage have to be at least 256GB as the new baseline storage. Having only 128GB storage space is quite a hassle to keep backing up your videos and photos on a separate storage. As you can see actually most of the permanent storage were on the Mobile Games installed in the device. Of course, Diablo Immortal which had finally launched in 2022 shows us that modern game storage are growing a lot and requires more processing power to run smoothly.

Before using iPhone 13 Pro Max, I was using iPhone 12 with 128GB of storage and that overall lifespan for me is to utilize its strong processor chipset purely for gaming. At the same time, was using it for a little testing on Content Creation. Using iCloud and paying for monthly subscription is definitely against my style. However I got to admit that it is a very good tool for backing up and transferring the files between iOS and PC.

Moving forward to 2022, I upgraded my iPhone 12 128GB to iPhone 13 Pro Max 256GB. With this, it solve both the storage problem and it allows me to shoot better videos and pictures for my content creation purpose. 

To be better manage the storage between iOS and PC for my editing work and data transfer, I got the SanDisk 128GB iXpand Flash Drive Luxe to work seamlessly with my transferring of files. This is to avoid using the "complicated" iTunes software to transfer or even screwed up by syncing unnecessary data between iTunes and iPhone.

In summary, do consider getting at least 256GB storage space for all your device, especially you are one who does not like to deal with data clutter. In fact, nobody like to clutter their data because whenever we need that data, it is unable to grab that necessary information. 😀

Congrats to the Michelin 2022 Restaurant Awards !

Michelin Food SG 2022 Source

Personally not saying that 100% the restaurants are confirmed "Good" based on Michelin Star Revelation 2022. But this serves as a very good guide for people to go try out and spend their resources on these reviews. Because of this guide, looks like I might be spending some time to pay these places a visit throughout the year. I had also included the full list on the right side bar for my readers to view and make quick plans to visit these restaurants. 😇

Too much durians in a short time...

During the durian season, I had been having durians for the past few weeks and it is starting to make my body 😖. Too heaty kept making me felt headaches and unable to concentrate hard. On the other hand, I felt very hot while all my colleagues felt very cold in the air con environment. I tried from the cheapest to the expensive durians from Chong Pang to Ang Mo Kio and to Yishun. There are moments I board up the bus with durian, felt very pai seh cos the smell was very strong and actually there is a "No Durian Sign" in the bus. Oh well, anyways, the cheapest one really cannot make it. The mid to expensive ones were certainly very good. Once you started eating, it is hard to stop until you finish all the available durians. 😝

NEW Currycano Zinger With Hasbrown Cup

A pretty late post when I tried this pretty early after it launched last month. Due to KFC shortage of French Fries previously, potato wedges was given instead and the potato wedges was very bad seriously. Mango Peach was just ok. So for the limited release of Currycano Zinger, it was a messy affair pouring the curry sauce onto the burger. The taste of the curry with the potato curry was in fact not bad. Thats why they actually charge if you want another container of curry gravy. When mixed together with the burger, it is ok, but not really fantastic. The overall feeling is that you will only once and its the last time you will ever try, but it is not bad. Overall damage of a Currycano Zinger set is SGD11.70.

Gift from my company - Awfully Chocolate

First of all, its great that we got chocolates rather than peanuts as an appreciation gift. However i have no complaint of such gift. Secondly, supporting local product is something i appreciate the most. I don't always eat chocolate, but Awfully Chocolate is still quite ok, though a little costly. The packaging is certainly top notch, but probably that is what most people are paying for. The Chocolate Chip & Vanilla cookies is good and individually packed. Smoked Salt and Matcha Latte is good, but not a fan of Dark Chocolate.

Ice Sherbet Peach & Melon

Sherbet (pronounced SHER-bet) falls in between sorbet and ice cream and includes dairy ingredients (in small amounts, about 1-2%), but it is distinctly different from ice cream in flavor and texture. Sherbet typically uses citric acid, which can make for more of a tart taste. <- Source of meaning

So I got these from Don Don Donki, one Peach Ice Sherbet and one Melon Ice Sherbet. To be frank, this is nice in terms of looks and design, but the taste is lousy in my opinion. Looks more like Cosmetics of face cream. 😑

Don Don Donki Pork Fried Rice & Pork Katsu Don

Started to find value at Don Don Donki Bento Sets. Just pop into microwave and reheat, it is a sumptuous meal. At times, if your workplace is nearby a Don Don Donki outlet, you can actually buy and eat it on the spot as it is freshly prepared at their outlet. The amount of quantity and quality certainly beat out local cai fan nowadays. The packaging is obviously so much better as there is different compartment for different ingredient and easy to reheat inside the microwave. With this said, I hope the upcoming Don Don Donki will be ready at Northpoint soon !

My 1st Gameplay on Diablo Immortal

Finally had the day off yesterday to spend some time playing Diablo Immortal on my iPhone 13 Pro Max at home. Probably had to go slow since my work will be busy everyday 😢 My initial impression on the game mechanic is good seriously. So far no bug experienced and the gameplay were easy to pick up. The walkthrough of the game is typically playable even for those who doesn't play Diablo before. Managed to clock 3 hours yesterday from the beginning. Although I will stay F2P, I think I will grind slowly and enjoy the process and storyline of the game.

Jurassic World Dominion

Well, I personally think the very first series of Jurassic World is much better than this. But good effort. Watched at Yishun Golden Village Cinemas with large popcorn. In summary, it is a kidnap of dinosaur and human and a team went to rescue them back to home 😆

Burger King Deals

Always look out for BK deals when you want to dine in or takeaway. They often had good deals. Just simply google Burger King Coupon or this link to view what is the ongoing promotion and order them via BK Kiosk. What I order as above is what I redeem from the deal. Whopper Jr Burger + TenderGrill Burger + 2 boxes of Cheese Fries at SGD9.90. You could also order other deals based on your preference. So I am having all of these for SGD9.90 and certainly filled my stomach. Nowadays Cai Fan can be SGD8.90 also. So save money and eat happy 😆

[Enhancement] New Tracker of Necessity Items and Price

Another new add category to further enhance information, I will be adding different common items, especially necessity items like Bread, Rice, Egg, etc at the side column [right side] of my webpage. This is to track the overall costs of these necessity items and how we can better manage our finances. The whole world is facing higher cost of living and this is why Singapore is affected too. If we are not careful, our saving will be depleted and "Game Over". Basically from 2018 till date, we subconsciously realised that things and groceries were increasing year by year, ending up us paying for lesser things with the same value. Stay tuned and I will slowly be working to populate the data.

My Razer BlackWidow Mechanical Gaming Keyboard after a year Review

Yeah it have been one year after I purchased and still using actively on this gaming keyboard. You can refer back to my first post. How do i felt about this keyboard after a year of usage? I am quite surprised that Razer do actively provides updates on their Razer Synapse software. So far, the updates does improve the overall typing experiences as compared to the initial months when I first got this. The problem I faced during startup had also began to reduce alot like maybe once in 3 months where i need to unplug and plug back. I certainly do recommend one to get this on a budget as they had some discounts at Amazon at different intervals.

Clash Of Clan - Promoted to League Level: Legend

Finally achieved Legend ranking. This is one of the highest tier in Clash of Clan. As a F2P player, I do like games that can breakthrough without paying money to the game. However, I tried subscribing to the Legend League Clan War, but it is not a place to farm more gold, elixir and dark elixir. The problem is that there is a limit to the number of attacks each day and you do not pick to choose your opponent. So I personally think it is not a good idea to subscribe to the Legend League Clan War, but instead, maintain the rank and keep on attacking and gather more resources to advance with your base.

Diablo Immortal Delayed AGAIN for Asia Pacific Region :/

Haha ok lar, although the ang moh gets to play first. Most of them left negative reviews on Day 1 and showing all the cons more than the pros. It also note that most players felt that it is very "Pay to Win" game. In a business point of view, bo bian lar. As a gamer, lan lan suck thumb because I am a F2P player. 😏 At first, I was camping for 2nd June 2022 launch, then found out for asia pacific, its 23 June 2022. But then it further delayed to 07 July 2022. Oh well, i already waited for 2 years since it announced so earlier back that I was ready anytime for getting iPhone 12 [Apple A14 Bionic] in 2020 and now iPhone 13 Pro Max [Apple A15 Bionic] which is perfect for high end mobile gaming. Let's hope no more delay for 07 July 2022. See you fellow Diablo Immortal gamers ! 😉

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf [JB2022]

Ordered "The Ultimate Mocha" Iced Blended, "Matcha Green" Iced Blended, Salted Caramel Latte, Americano and Latte to wrap up the overall trip in JB as well as my 20 days post on JB updates in 2022. Overall the drinks had been all right and personally I would preferred Starbucks for the drinks. But of course The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is not that bad after all. 😆

Original Korean Taste, BORNGA @ JB City Square Mall [JB2022]

One of the strongest players in JB City Square is still operating. I am happy that Bornga is still in City Square, JB. Had been eating here for several years till it locked down and now it is opened again from the Singapore Borders ! Bornga is still one of the most authentic korean BBQ chain overseas in Malaysia and Singapore.

Food is still great when I went over to eat. However, they no longer cook the meat in front of your dining table, but over in their kitchen. So they will just prepare, cook the meat at the kitchen and serve the meat out in a plate. Because of this, somewhat the dining experience lose some points in this. Nonetheless the quality of the meat is still great. The sauce for the meat is still extremely good where I asked for more than 6 sauces plate ! Overall, it is still good and save quite a lot if you compared dining at Singapore branch.

Kim Gary Restaurant [JB2022]

If I will to describe Kim Gary, i will say it is similar to HK Cafe style in Singapore. So they have menu ranging from baked rices, westerns, hot plate dishes, HK style stirred fried noodles, rices and desserts. It is a budget cafe, but i personally think the food aren't so good. Just like a good place to chat over lunch or dinner thats all. If you want quality food, definitely not the place you want to come. Come only for the ambience, though ambience wise also not cosy because it is flooded with noise and people.

Dragon-i 笼的传人 Part 2 @ Mid Valley [JB2022]

When coming to JB with parents, the obvious choice is always chinese restaurant, so yeah coming to Dragon-i for the second time again this year. You can referred to the first trip here. This time, we ordered one whole peking duck which they splited into two half. This is the fried version which is crispy, but after trying this, i think everyone agree that they preferred the non-fried version which will be much more tender. As usual, we ordered the CHONGQING LAZIJI, 辣子鸡, cereal prawns and vegetable. Having the same restaurant within a short period of time is quite boring and personally i think i enjoyed trying different delicacies everytime.

A Special Gift - It is my direct colleague's last day :(

It is my colleague's last day of work. It is sad because our headcount had went down and the remaining colleagues had to hold the fort without a replacement and who knows when will the headcount be replaced? Nobody knows. I will be replacing my senior's role to fill in and cover the numerous amount of service requests. Work aside, i had prepared a 2TB Flash Drive from HP for my colleague. This is a fitting gift for a IT Professional, because mainstream gift is TOO COMMON. Can't wait to see his reaction 😄😄😄 Starting from July 1st, it is time for me to be more serious 😜