Science Centre (Singapore) - An Unexpected Visit

During my primary and secondary school days, a visit to the science centre was guaranteed every one to two years!

The excursions were always very enjoyable since the exhibits entailed the usage of all five basic human senses and greatly enthralled us.

Would i be equally fascinated at this ripe age?

According to my "goodest" friends, i tend to be easily satisfied and it's not difficult to make me feel contented. So let's go through this pictorial post and see if their statement stands.

Rabbit is the Chinese zodiac sign this year and it's pretty common for some of Singapore's attractions to bank on it. Even the bird park has an enclosure for these rodents!

Besides information explaining the physical attributes of the rabbits, a machine was also available to purchase auspicious red packets and instructions to make a rabbit out of them.

This is how they look like! Cute right?! Opps, guess it is no longer available! Damn, should have posted this much much earlier! :(

Map of the kinetic garden. The hot weather dampens any hope of further exploration! Sighz.... when are the scientists introducing economical air-conditioned clothing?! I am so anticipating them!!

Okay, i wouldn't mind this! Definitely welcome for this unbearable weather! Unlike most water parks for children, this one in the science centre incorporates some science to the structures like the water tornado.

Let's challenge our eyes now. What did you see? Mere pillars of Roman architecture or Roman senators having a discussion?

Magic mirror! Stand in front of the mirror and it will show you four different faces of yourself! This was the ghostly face. Guess it will be more fun at night!

Can't remember which exhibit this belongs to but toddlers will most likely be attracted by the neon colors of various shapes.

An enclosure that could induce motion sickness with its weird slanting angles.

Metal grass (iron powder) that danced to the music! Super nice to watch as these 'balls' kind of reminded me of small little fur balls!

The egg incubator that seems to be there like forever! However, it continues to attract the attention of visitors. The power of birth!

Be god and stop the small scale but man-made twister!

Let's continue to the outdoors - the ecogarden. I am slightly keener to venture out for the great outdoors. Living things like plants and insects are more interesting than non-living stuff.

You can see the source of food and even feel them! Very educational for any school children who have no idea how basic ingredients like chilli is grown and harvested.

Surprisingly, the science centre managed to include quite a few crops like corns, brinjals, potatoes, ladyfingers, rice and even peanuts!

There was even a tree house! This is rare in a country like Singapore where landed properties are commonly small in size.

A tiny lotus pond. The biggest i have encountered so far is in Kampong Java park.

Back to the indoors again! The marina alcove - a much smaller Underwater World. Not that i am complaining as the science centre operates many permanent exhibitions.

iSpace exhibition touched on infocomunication technology! For me, i found this to be most interesting as it affects us the most (think mobile internet, facebook etc).

And when we think of mobile phones, those born before the 1980s will definitely recognise this 大哥大. It was said that gangsters used this phone as weapon in their gang fights!

My camera is unable to capture these shot by shot frames! It was actually a machine with a turn knob that enables to control the speed of the video. Damn fun to play!

This exhibit is quite abstract with a theme tagged as "imagination". I thought it was quite lame and a waste of resources. Either that or i am just not imaginative enough.

Similar to Google Earth, you turn the circular screen to zoom in and out and tilt it to move the satellite map left and right! After fiddling it for around ten minutes, i realised Google Earth is much easier to use.

A temporary exhibit by the name of Robot Zoo, it strives to educate visitors by simulating the movement of animals and insects.

We paid a dollar each to enter this exhibit and was disappointed to find that it's not very big and the technical terms were too... technical for us.

The information panel was actually very informative but having targeted only three and half hours for this visit, we were in fact rushing for time! And we had already tried to cover as much as we can!

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Lesson Learnt?

Reserve at least six hours for my next visit!

Additional Information.

Visit the Science Centre webpage for information on permanent/temporary exhibitions, pricing of tickets, opening hours and other information that might be helpful.

http://www.science.edu.sg/

Pizzeria Mozza (The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands) - The Best Pizza in Singapore?

"Pizzeria Mozza has the best pizza in Singapore!"

That's what many people have been telling me.

The gang of four's last visit to Marina Bay Sands (MBS) was to DB Bistro and Mr Kon had kindly foot the bill then. Now, it's our turn to return the favour (under the pretence of birthday celebration as Mr Kon has always been very insistent to reject our offers)!

Never been one to adhere to the prim and proper decorum for fine dining, i was stumped when handed the menu. With the exception of pizza and dessert, all the other subject titles are "foreign" to me.

So paiseh (embarrassing)!!

Anyway, let's start on food first!

Squash Blossoms

This was not on the menu and came strongly recommended by the waiter. They are not lady fingers and according to here, they are highly perishable and not commonly found in supermarkets.

As promised, each squash blossom was fried to a crisp and filled with a generous amount cheese to satisfy any cheese lover. Nice and duper sinful!

Funghi Pizza

Let's talk about the crust first. Handmade and wood fired; it was fluffy light although i found it to be slightly chewy and difficult to swallow. Maybe i am too accustomed to fast food pizzas.

As a lover of mushrooms, i am afraid i didn't enjoy this - too strong a taste and too salty a flavour would be my verdict. Should not be caught with any surprise as taleggio and fontina (both are a variety of cheese) were used.

Well, unfortunately, i don't know Italian and i am not a great lover of cheese. So how the heck am i supposed to know it's layered with so many kinds of cheese that i don't even know how to differentiate!

Goat Cheese Pizza

This was much better! Once the plate was placed on our table, the fragrance of leek hit us straight away and in fact, i got a bit hungrier despite having some food earlier.

Goat cheese might be a bit too smelly for some of you but for someone who loves smelly tofu; this was definitely acceptable and proven to be very appetising! Especially love the combined taste of healthy yet pungent strings of leek and salty cured bacon.

Meat Lover Pizza

Just when we had a slightly better opinion of Pizzeria Mozza, this was served.

Visually, it was just not as presentable as the others. However, as i have always said, taste matters most in food. Even if it looks like a pile of shit, it could still taste bloody delicious!

I was wrong.

The pizza was comparable to a pepperoni pizza but the meat flavour was well over my limit (even Kon agreed)! The use of Italian cured meats (salumi, fennel sausage) and bacon (pancetta) should be welcome for any pizza tagged as "meat lover".

I guess Italy should not be on my travel list.

I will likely starve there.

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Location

10, Bayfront Avenue,

Marina Bay Sands, #B1-42-46

Price

Squash Blossoms - S$16

Funghi Pizza - S$28

Goat Cheese Pizza - S$27

Meat Lover Pizza - S$37

Subject to GST and Service Charge

Additional Information

Always make a reservation! If possible, try to do it one week in advance. For reservation, please call 6688-8522.

The cutlery was cutely placed in an envelope!

You may keep the envelope and the postcard. Leave the knife and fork in the restaurant before anyone accuses you of shoplifting!

Service didn't meet the gang of four's expectation with the exception of one person (the guy who recommended squash blossoms). The service was heavily penalised because one of the service staff rolled his eyes at our question.

Hallo, not everyone can read Italian.

Get that right when you are in the service line!

Your Vote is Secret (Singapore General Election 2011)

From young, well before i can even vote, i was informed that voting in Singapore is not a secret and the gahmen knows exactly which political party you have chosen.

Reason? The serial number on your polling card which can be traced directly to your name and your home address.

Just a few moments ago, i casted my vote in the designated polling station for my area; Ahmad Ibrahim Primary School and this time round, i dedicated more attention on the voting process!

My conclusion?

Your vote is secret!

The serial number is necessary to prevent any fraud and is a common practice in many countries for integrity and accountability.

The polling officer will verify your serial number on his/her list with your name and IC number, cross it out and then pass you your ballot paper.

Before you exclaim and protest, yes, i know that this paper also has a serial number but it came from a booklet that has the numbers in running sequence.

The officer doesn't mark this serial number besides your name on his register (at least i didn't see any on the officer's list - *post entry update* apparently i am wrong here. Read the comments by Mr Philip Chng) and is essential for a correct tally of the number of votes with the number of voters!

Therefore, do exercise your basic right as a citizen and cast your vote to the political party that best represents your interest in your constituency and the country!

After all, Singapore is home; our home.

Polling Station (Singapore General Election 2011)

Another eight more hours and i can, once again, cast my prestigious, once-in-every-five-years vote to select the political party to govern my united (finally) neighbourhood.

Similar to five years ago, i was again assigned to the polling station at Ahmad Ibrahim Primary School, which is basically a stone's throw away! Okay, i might have to throw really hard as this school is still roughly 200 meters away.

Joyce (my preggy sister) is luckier!!!!! The above polling station was set up right under her block, mere steps from the lift lobby!!!! Kaoz... She can practically cast her vote in fewer than 50 steps!

Since cameras are strictly prohibited in the polling stations, the rebel in me could not resist the temptation of taking pictures from the OUTSIDE.

But hor, i didn't dare to go too near.

A policeman was jaga-ing on the side!

Goreng Pisang (炸香蕉) @ Lim Kee Banana Fritters - Maxwell Hawker Centre

I love bananas despite its sexual association for those dirty minded individuals! But i have an excuse - i was born in the zodiac year of the most mischievous mammal on earth; the Monkey!

Now, bananas exist in various shapes and sizes and can be cooked in many different styles. My preference is either natural or deep fried in a pot of sizzling oil. Of course, Chinese-style fried bananas are the best!

My favourite goreng pisang stall used to come from a narrow building next to Singapore Power in Somerset. However, it disappeared suddenly and i thought it will be lost forever just like many of Singapore's famous hawkers who could not find anyone to inherit their marvelous culinary skills.

My worry was unwarranted as i found the same stall (Lim Kee-林记) again while walking around Maxwell Food Centre to source for food for the Gang of Four's feast!

And how could i resist not buying anything for a nostalgic recollection?

It felt plump and solid in my hand with a crispy crunch that delivered speckles of sand-like crusts. Surprisingly, it didn't leave an oily stain on my palm like most fried-banana stalls!

The inside was a stark contrast to its outlook; so ripe to the point of being so soft. It was at a richness that far exceeded what i had at Boon in Long House.

With so much good and delicious food in Maxwell, i guess i have to put aside my dieting plan and make it the "binge" place whenever my brain has enough of soupy products.

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Location

Stall #01-61,

Maxwell Food Centre

Price

S$1.20 per piece of Pisang Rajah.

Additional Information

Only one type of bananas is available (there's no need to wait, consider and ponder which type you should buy). Lim Kee sells other fried snacks like fried cempedak, tapioca cake, yam and green bean etc.

Please note that they run out very fast!

Total Destruction (Three Stars) for Easter Eggs @ Angry Birds Seasons

Given my continual obsession with Angry Birds, my mind has taken a controlling stake in overwriting any sleepy sensation in order to complete the most recent Easter Eggs episode for Angry Birds Seasons.

I had to get that remaining one star and repetitive index finger movement is necessary!

Having said this, the Christmas episode is too difficult and i am practically giving it a miss - My greatest regret in life; in addition to not bringing my dad to Universal Studios Singapore.

After a cumulative five hours (or was it six?), i finally managed to get this Easter egg in its glowing glory.

Total destruction - three stars in all levels! The sentence i look forward to in every Angry Birds games!

The final stage! Yooohooo!

Curiousity for how the last stage will look like is always on my mind. And for those who are still stuck at 1-15? Neh neh neh neh!!

By the way, when is Angry Birds - Rio launching the May episode?!? It's already four days past May!

BLOOoooddy!!!