eevon.sg

2 days ago, I woke up really early for a special tour at the Central Fire Station! Was pretty excited to visit the oldest existing fire station in Singapore with 3 other bloggers! Thanks Andric, Andy and Claire for making time to join me on this tour! Well, I was supposed to facilitate them as the representative from 24seven but it was more like a fun outing with friends.

(:

Our guide was LTA Foo Yiing Kai, a former Fire & Rescue Specialist and presently an Senior Officer. Pss. He has a gold badge for IPPT! Impressive! LTA Foo Yiing Kai was also deployed to Sichuan when international help was needed for the earthquake disaster. He’s exactly how I would imagined a fireman to look like! Suave, muscular and manly! Oh la la. Haha. OK come to think of it, all of the officers there fits the bill too! Perhaps it’s because they were all oozing with passion for their vocation. That must be it. Don’t you agree that passionate people are extremely sexy?

Well it’s no laughing matter to be in the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). This is not an occupation for the faint hearted. Besides providing fire-fighting, rescue and emergency ambulance services and mitigating hazardous materials incidents, these guys also formulate, implement and enforce regulations on fire safety and civil defence shelter matters. We are talking about a dedicated team that respond to all types of life-threatening emergencies round-the-clock.

They actually sleep in their uniform and are ever-ready to grab a pole, hop on the fire-fighting vehicle and leave the fire station in 1 minute after the alarm bell rings.

After giving us a really informative special-guided tour with exclusive entry to some of the off-limits areas to the public, LTA Foo Yiing Kai shared a heart-wrenching story with us of how he once rescued a toddler from an accident scene. The terrified baby girl actually clung on to him like a koala baby, refusing to let him go because of the trauma she suffered. He had to leave his team at the accident site and accompany the baby to the hospital. I can’t imagined how bloody the scene was. The little girl’s mom was on her way to the hospital for a check-up. They were in a cab and apparently the cabbie took a wrong turn. When the stupid cab driver made a u-turn ILLEGALLY to get to the ride side of the road, a lorry ran over the cab. Luckily the mom and baby survived.

High chance that the firemen had to use this super loud and scary saw to rescue the mom who was stuck at the back of the car when they found her. The roar of this heavy machine (which he lifted effortlessly) was deafening.

After the tour, I kinda got inspired to join SCDF as a part-time fire woman. Oh look! I had loads of fun trying out the equipments!

The gun-like hose handler was so heavy! How can they hold on to this thing for so long while fighting fire? No wonder their arms looked so yummy sturdy!

Oh that’s the Light Fire Attack Vehicle or more affectionately known as the “Red Rhino”, a formidable well-designed vehicle which could maneuver into every corner of a HDB void deck! Woah, it looks small but it is equipped with a hydraulic system for rescue tools, a water mist gun and a water monitor.

You know, it was amazing to see so many families spending their Saturday morning at the fire station! Kids were running around in firemen helmets and attire, playing pretend. These mini fire-boys/girls were so adorable! I strongly recommend parents to bring their kids to visit a fire station! There’s a few fire stations around the island. Just pick one that’s near you. Visiting a fire station a fun activity for both kids and parents to do on a weekend. Plus, they will get so exhausted by the end of the day, you can enjoy some quiet time with your spouse alone. Have some wine and laugh over your kids’ hilarious stunts at the fire station.

OMG I had so much fun! A big thank you to LTA Foo Yiing Kai for broadening my knowledge on your occupation. Don’t you agree that the peeps at SCDF are unsung heroes who we remember only in times of need? Perhaps in time, more will acknowledge the efforts put in by SCDF to protect and save lives. You can start by finding out more about what they do here or even drop by a fire station and talk to one of the friendly officers. If you’re lucky, they may stay long enough for a chat before the alarm bell rings!

(:

I’m so pleased with my experience at the Central Fire Station that I shall end this post with a whacky picture of me taken by Andric! Thanks aaandric de blondee for the nice shot! The building totally rawks! I mentioned earlier that it’s 100 years old, remember?

Disclaimer: SCDF is a client of 24seven. This post is not an advertorial by SCDF. I wrote it because I really enjoyed myself and I want share my awesome visit to the Central Fire Station with my friends!

I had so much fun at Snap Snap November Outing!

This is the Eevon-the-photographer shot by Geng Hui. Thanks Geng Hui, I like this pic alot!

The purpose of this visit is to discover fun places and facts of Singapore in light of the contest by S’pore Discovery Centre called SG Tidbits 365. More info about the contest here!

This group picture was taken at the Clementi Railway Track, Our last stop. Before that we were at Dairy Farm Park and Bukit Timah Hill.

It was a dewy evening
The muddy trails were soft

There was a fresh scent of greenery
and life whizzed by the moment

I thought I heard squirrels are scurrying back
but perhaps I was wrong
for the trail was mostly silent
if not for our chatters and laughs

I enjoyed the stillness of hiking
We were aware of the scenery along every hidden path

I breathed the scent of nice fresh air
I saw clouds form shapes within the skies
I smelt the flowers with my nose

No real dairy cows but
I saw two black bears play

(:

Out of the forest,
we chanced upon an abandon trail

We trekked the unkempt path and took a chance
The way across this old bridge seem peculiar, different and strange

It must had been the caramel-grained face of the rusty bridge
or the gushing waters from the river beneath it
for my senses danced as I walk upon the rustic tracks

As I navigated the old train tracks that made up the rusty bridge
I thought that this was a fabulous photo-outing
A good start for many more to come

(:

After hopping on the free shuttle bus from the ferry terminal to Casino Lisboa, we followed this map to get to Augusters Lodge. Why Augusters? Location location location. When you are backpacking, it’s all about location! Augusters is walking distance from Largo de Senado and it’s a whole lot cheaper compared to the 2-star hotels in the same vicinity. We spent S$46/night for a twin-sharing room.

Check out the old retro building where the backpacker inn is located. Woah super old school!

Many asked me why I love backpacking so much. Why not just check into a normal hotel and let the good service staff take care of my needs. Surely I can afford it but hey, what’s with the fuss over backpacking? One of my bestie never fails to squeal whenever I tell her one of my backpacking horror stories. Don’t you have to agree that the best time to rough it out and travel on a shoe-string is when we are young! There’s no way we’re gonna do this when we are like 30?

Yup you are looking at the entrance that’s our ‘lodge’. We almost missed the little green signboard. It has a narrow little stairway like you have seen in those typical HK dramas up to the 3rd level where August Lodge is situated. It does not really help if you have bulky heavy luggage as it does not have any lifts. Luckily we travelled light!

This ‘lodge’ is actually a little 3-room flat. The owners were really friendly and they had backpackers from Germany, Australia and a family from Malaysia! We were surprised to see 5 people (all ang mohs) sleeping in the small living room.

We were lucky to have a tiny little private room.

Well the flat was very old with parquet floorings almost flipping out and the water pressure was pretty bad. Guess what? The common toilet is sub-divided so that one can actually use the sink while another shower and ANOTHER poo poo-ing!. Can you imagine that??

Also, there wasn’t any water heater! OK maybe it was spoiled or I can’t get it figured out. At least, they have a common computer terminal to surf the internet but its first-come-first-serve.

Again, you must be asking WHY I put myself through all this crap! lol. There’re really a lot of reasons for backpacking! For some, the emphasis is on the exercise or the exploration, for others it’s the social side, and the romantic type like me will focus on the scenery/experience of noticing things that have been taken for granted, or perhaps have not seen before. But there is a little of everything for each of us!

So if you think you can survive dusty bed sheets + super-cramped toilet and room with a few cockroaches scurrying pass your stuff, do go off the beaten track and try this backpackers lodge.

Pss. We only lasted 2 nights here.

Augusters Lodge
24, Rua Do Dr. Pedro Jose Lobo
Floor 3J, Block 4, Edf. Kamloi, Macau
+853-66645026 or +853-28713242

Thanks to STB (thanks Ben!) and Singapore Flyer, Ken and I had the best Halloween ever! Honestly, this invitation was a pleasant surprise! Never knew my post on having a sky dining experience would be picked up by them. Isn’t it good to know that companies do actually listen to what people are talking out there?

Certainly, candid observations on a given product/service is much more credible than any forms of advertising/ information found on their own website. Kudos to those organisations that are proactively engaging people on the ground.

(:

Actually, this is our 2nd visit to the Flyer. Previously, we went on a boat ride to catch the F1! This time, we took the MRT to City Hall and walked to Coleman Street where the FunVee bus stop can be found. It’s directly opposite St. Andrew’s Cathedral.

This was our first time on FunVee. Purchased the $2 shuttle bus tickets and sat on the open-deck. It was kinda enjoyable to have cool breeze slapping our cheeks!

We hung out at the Halloween Village (Singapore Flyer’s Outdoor Promenade) before checking in the VIP waiting area! Check out the crowd!

The highlight of the village was the Tarot Card wizard! The way he presented his divination was professionally crappy. LOL. The performance was so well done that the balding guy sitting there actually believed!

Come to think of it, due to mundane circumstances in life, many of us had to dress a certain way, wear our hair, limit our jewelry to only conservative pieces. Hence, Halloween is really a good time to express our own fantastic wild side! Imagine being who and whatever we want to be! But it’s not a local custom for people to dress up for Halloween so it was pretty hilarious to find lots of ‘interesting’ characters hovering around us.

One particular ghoul really spooked me out.
Make a guess which one!

Was it Scar, Simba’s evil uncle?

Male Sadako ghoul with unkempt hair?

Screamm/pretty Corpse Bride with smeared make up?

Unknown Prince of Egypt with odd coffee stain? Perhaps related to Pharaoh Tutankhamen from Night at The Museum.

Slasher!!! The psychopathic killer!!

Haha So which spooks/monsters is your favourite?

(:

That pesky Sadako ghoul was the one who gave me lots of frights! OMG he kept creeping behind me, sweeping his uncombed hair against my arm! EWwWW so itchy! Then he knew I was freaked out and he kept coming back to haunt me! Haha. I had fun. In fact, we had so much fun at the Halloween Village that before we know it, it’s time to board the Flyer!

The set-up was lovely! We quickly got into the mood to savour our romantic Halloween sky-dining.

Wait wait before I start, take a look at my bird-woman get-up.

ROARRR I WANT FOOD.

Oops fine dining. I forgot. I should be chirping demurely instead.

HEHE. Tada! First up, our Halloween cocktail! The Spicy Dracula! It contains vodka, celery stick and chilli padi bits served in salt-rimmed glass. It was a really quirky drink but I couldn’t finish it! There was some Tabasco sauce in it. Felt like I was sipping pizza. lol.

For appetizer, we had the Maggoty Pumpkin Soup served with ghoulish fingers. The soup was creamy and rich in flavour but… where were the maggots? Can’t find any gross maggots swimming in my soup.

:/

Luckily, it was filled to the brim with pumpkin goodness!

O look! Happy face on my soup with a third eye (the inner eye)!

Ghoulish fingers were sliced ham stuffed with pumpkin.

You know, I really need to brush up on my close-up macro shots. Perhaps it’s time to get a new lens instead of using the kit lens which comes with my Canon 450D.

Our main entree, Chucky’s Bloody Eye looks pretty tame. I’m sure everyone knows who Chucky is.

It was ribeye on a bed of eyeball salad and roasted pumpkin. The steak was so tender I could cut it with a fork. We couldn’t get enough of the roasted pumpkin. It looked like wedges but so much sweeter.

Let’s take a closer look at Chucky’s Bloody Eye.

Booyah! LOL. Do they look alike?

Dinner was sumptuous! We were serviced like VIPs by our butler. Dinner would be creepier if there was some eerie music playing over the background. Overall, the sky-dining experience was sophisticated and tasteful for a romantic date.

And you know what? A guy actually proposed to his partner in our capsule! Then again, he should had booked the entire capsule instead of sharing it with 2 other couples! haha. AND he did not went down on his knees!!!!!! Isn’t that how a wedding proposal should be? Probably he was feeling awkward with 4 other sets of eyeballs staring at him.

:/

Well, he shouldn’t worry so much because we were too absorbed with the stunning view than anything else! ?

So after 2 rotations, we were escorted by our friendly butler, Grace to the VIP Lounge where we enjoyed dessert. Witches’ Hat was served with a choice of freshly brewed coffee or specialty tea.

Looks like the ‘witch’ was wearing a pretty white sugar bow instead of a hat. She had long mustache too. Sexy?

:p

Need I say more? Our Halloween experience at the Flyer totally RAWKS!

Though it wasn’t spooky at all, our sky-dining experience was so amorous! Guess what, I think SDU should arrange speed dates on the Flyer and run a campaign called “Romance is in the Air”. Seriously, romance is a creation of circumstances that makes lovers feel special and for that, Singapore Flyer passed with flying colours.

BTW I found out that the Flyer has lots of interesting stuff coming up. For starters, they are extending the $10* Student Weekday Flight. Any student with a valid student ID can enjoy this offer! Also, check out the sky-dining menu for November. Mm. the Braised Beef Cheek with Aromatic Spices sounds scrumptious. Well, $199 for a date with full butler service is pretty reasonable.

Where else can you have a romantic dinner date 165m from the ground?

Singapore Flyer
30 Raffles Avenue, #01-07
Singapore 039803
Tel: 6734 8829 / 6333 3311 for bookings

A combination marine park and amusement center, Ocean Park conveniently is located on the south side of Hong Kong island.

To get there, we took the Ocean Park Citybus 629 from Admiralty MTR station.

After a 15 minutes ride, we found ourselves at the Tai Shue Wan entrance which is near to the park’s Headland.

OK here’s how it goes, Ocean Park’s marine attractions, thrill rides and shows are divided between 3 areas: Lowland, Headland and Tai Shue Wan. There’s two modes of transportation to move between the Lowland, Headland and Tai Shue Wan. The Lowland-Headland is connected by cable cars while, the Headland-Tai Shue Wan is connected by the second longest outdoor escalator in the world which stretches over 225 metres!

These were our tickets to a entire day of fun-filled activities!

That’s Chief (Mr.Parrot) and James Fin H2O (Mr.Shark)! Ocean Park has 6 mascots. Besides Chief and James Fin H2O, there’s a waving sea lion named Whiskers (known as Wai Wai in Chinese), Jewel (a butterfly), Swift (a dolphin) and Professor (a turtle)!

With much stuff going on, we decided to plan which attractions, thrill rides and shows we wanted to catch so we won’t be wasting time running all over the park aimlessly. The map was pretty useful.

Despite ‘studying’ the map for few minutes (too distracted), we started our adventure with a terribly wrong choice.

Our first ride was the Space Wheel.

It still baffles me why we went on that monstrous contraption of thrills spills and action before other moderate attractions. Perhaps we were too excited and couldn’t wait to get ourselves in a giddy adventure.

I puked 3-4 times after that damned ride.

That was a really wrong decision, I ended up feeling nauseous and weak the entire outing. Which was pretty upsetting because there’s so much other stuff to do at the Headland! Headland houses many thrill rides, including the Dragon, Eagle, Crazy Galleon, Ferris Wheel, Flying Swing, Raging River, Mine Train, and Abyss Turbo Drop.

I was too weak to go on any rides after the horrifying Space Wheel! Sat at a corner while he tried other rides.

:/

After that hair-raising experience, we hopped on the Ocean Park Escalator to get to the other side of the park. At 225 m (745ft), it is the second longest outdoor escalator in the world and I felt like puking the moment I stepped on the escalator. It doesn’t help that it was a super long way up. Baby laughed at me when I had that manic look, searching for places to vomit!

To make me feel better, he dragged me to watched an ice skating showing with people juggling fire batons, performing acrobats, and dances.

But half-way, we left because I felt like puking. Not that the performance was sucky. It was Space Wheel.

He laughed at me again!

:S

Had to rest at a bench for about 10 minutes before moving on. Lucky the weather was cool and breezy. I felt much better and that was the last time I puked. Thank God.

Eventually we gave up following the map and decided to roam randomly. We found ourselves at the Marine Land. We were hoping to get a seat at the Ocean Theatre but it was totally packed! Well, this show is a family favourite where dolphins and sea lions participate in lively daily shows. Good place to bring your kids and educate them on marine mammals. Probably that explains why it’s so popular. We had to stand all the way at the back. Snap a few pictures and made our way to other attractions.

Ocean Theatre features shows by talented dolphins, sea lions, and a killer whale. How exciting! But we only caught the dolphins. Here’s some shots of the dolphins doing tricks!

Nearby there’s the world-class Atoll Reef aquarium which holds 2,000 fishes from close to 250 species and the unique Sea Jelly Spectacular, where we could interact with 1,000 beautiful sea jellies!

Had to grab a drink near the Pacific Pier. Felt thirsty. Here’s a weird ice drink everyone buys at Ocean Park. A witch hat with a green ice ball!

Since we couldn’t grab a real sea lion to hug, the fake ones were perfect for photo-taking!

(:

Oh there’s plenty of choices for food here. We grabbed some BBQ spring chicken and BBQ sausages from the Light House Grill somewhere near Pacific Pier. Pretty ok but a little over-priced. Hmm there’s McDonald’s with typical hamburgers, french fries and soft drinks at Headland rides. Over at Adventure Land, you can find this stall, Raging River Squid which offers delicious-looking fried squid and drinks. Chinese food is available at Noodle Bar (somewhere along Tai Shue Wan entrance). They serve Chinese soup noodles, wanton, dumplings, Chinese dessert and beverages.

Took a quick stroll to one of the tallest observation towers in Southeast Asia, the Ocean Park Tower! This tower gave us a 360º gently rotating view that enables us to see clear to Aberdeen and the outlying islands. I think my body is better-suited for this sorta ride. sigh. sad. I’m just not made for zany rides.

That was our last stop at the Headland, shortly we boarded the cable cars for a spectacular 8-minute ride over a hill to the Lowland. The cable car system offers a convenient and exceptionally panoramic route between Ocean Park’s Headland and Lowland.

The view of the rocky coastline was spectacular.

The lowland is also subdivided into several areas and attractions. But most of the stuff here are more suitable for kids. We were thrilled only at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Giant Panda Habitat (?????????) where Le Le, Ying Ying, An An and Jia Jia, greet visitors!

Adorable! If you want to see what they are doing now, check out the Giant Panda Live Broadcast!

After about 4 hours here, we rushed off to catch a church service at Cain Road. Yup, to do Ocean Park justice, plan on spending at least 4 hours here, but you’ll probably stay the whole day if you’re travelling with kids.

Note: never NEVER go on crazy rides first and do plan your trip beforehand.