Plan B - Clean Out The Room!

It's bloody time for an update on the resettlement process for my messy bedroom that has been delayed for way too long! The last post was almost nine months ago!

After the decision was made to reclaim my birthright territory, i threw away a lot of books to make space.

Great memories were kept in many of them - the polytechnic textbooks with my handwritten notes and underlined statements, the many notes photocopied from hardworking classmates like Jessica, Kimberly, Jane and Peiping, the comic books and novels that provided me with much laughter and comfort in times of stress and unhappiness.

The clutter was finally cleared and for the very first time since i moved to this 4-room flat in year 1986, i could literally hear echoes whenever someone spoke in the room!

Clearing the room is only for one purpose; repainting the yellowish walls.

Painting is a backbreaking chore and i swear never to attempt it again! I would rather pay someone to do it for me. Eventually (after 6 painful hours), i gave up and left a section untouched - it shall be blocked by the wardrobe anyway [typical man's thinking, i heard].

Now's IKEA time!

Delivery was required as my intention was to have a 2.5 meters long wardrobe! And there's no way i am going to assemble the 2.4 meters tall wardrobe myself.

Let's leave it to the professionals for a sum of S$50 for delivery and 0.6% of the total retail price (for the item or items you ask to assemble).

Don't assume it would be a speedy business for the guys to assemble the furniture. Mine took almost six hours, until 11pm at night! And i had to clean up the dusty room! Sighs...

To save costs, i visited IKEA (its humongous Tampines store with free parking) the following week to buy study / computer tables. Like most men, i do enjoy assembling products so long it does not take up too much time.

The last task on installing the curtain rod was thought to be the easiest.

It turned out to be another tiresome job resulting in shirts soaked with sweat!

Should have paid for a professional.

=_= but thanks to Johnny for helping!

BERGS Gourmet Burgers [The BFB & Alamack] @ Far East Square

When i was raving about the burgers from De Burg a few months ago, both my sisters suggested i give this burger joint near their offices in the business district a try.

As expected, i deliberated for quite a while! It is a hard decision to make with Singapore having far too many eateries. At times, the dilemma was frustrating enough for me to decide to stay at home and eat cup noodles.

Coming back - given Bergs location in the central business district where 5-day working week is the norm, the eatery was almost devoid of any customers on a Saturday afternoon. *hint - go on Saturdays*

Ordering was a breeze (thanks to the lack of customers) and since everything is freshly made upon your order, please give around 10-15 minutes before your burger is sent to your table.

Delivered in a brown paper bag! This type of delivery reminded me of the mystery bags i used to buy from the mamak stall at the void decks! Damn, it was so exciting to see what surprises lie within!

Chips (Fries)

My younger sister absolutely loved the chips in Bergs! For fries fanatics who prefer fat and crunchy fries, like those from MOS Burger, this is definitely the place for you.

However, the serving was incredibly generous and it was a carbohydrate overdose after the burgers. Recommended to share with a buddy! Or you can ask my sister to help you.

Onion Rings

Failed - sogginess aside, oiliness aside, what i could not stand is the use of onion mix when perfectly round slices of pure onions are so much more delicious!

Alamack Burger (Berg Size)

Basically, this is a fish burger; albeit a pretty big one known as berg size.

Everything was fresh and quite palatable except for the patty. It was too solid for my liking, resulting in a dry texture that was a bit off. Oh, it can also do with more tartar sauce or maybe a spoonful of mayonnaise.

The BFB Burger (Berg Size)

Gigantic! And from Kon's analysis, this BFB (i have no idea what it stands for) burger was even larger than the epic De Burg Decadence! It may look smaller at the first glance but this BFB was compactly packed with all the goodness!

What i expect from a gourmet burger is simple; a true burger must be juicy, meaty and preferably with an egg. Although BFB satisfied all the criteria, it lacked a special enticing flavour to differentiate it from the others.

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Location

137 Amoy Street,

#01-01, Far East Square

Price

Onion Rings - S$4.50

Alamack (Berg Size) - S$14.50

The BFB (Berg Size) - S$18.00

Top Up Burger with Chips and Drinks -S$4.00

[No Service Charge. No GST]

Website

http://www.bergsburgers.com/

Additional Information

Outside seating available!

You can request for complimentary water!

And there is free wifi (request from the counter)!

Chinese Calligraphy (中国書法) in the Uncultured Eyes of Cavin

I am not known to have an "officially correct" artistic eye and could not really understand the deep yet symbolic meaning for most art pieces.

Chinese calligraphy is undeniably one arts segment i have major difficulties in grasping. To me, a Chinese character is purely a Chinese word and i could at most differentiate between a nice handwriting and an ugly one.

Anyway, this post touches on the calligraphy the Great Kon bought in Raffles City a few weeks back! Just for clarification, it was not taken off the rack and in fact, required the strokes of a calligraphy master from China.

Paper is one of the four treasures of a typical study room in ancient China. In the present, the colour of the paper and patterns of the border are equally important for decorative purposes.

Ink is no longer the traditionally black form; in view of the charcoal black paper base, gold ink (signifying wealth and prosperity) is definitely the most suitable.

The name of the Master (张永红) came next. It marvels me to see someone writing with such a thin ink brush! Such delicate action is beyond me.. Trust me, i tried before and what appeared at the end were not words but blots of ink.

Starting on his skillful stroke, the master began. Anyone has watched the Curse of the Golden Flower (滿城盡帶黃金甲). The scene where Chow Yun Fatt apparently wrote the following four words; 忠孝礼义, is actually the words of this master.

Anyone can guess what is Kon's surname? By this time, it should be pretty clear.

His surname is Guan 官, which is actually the same character used for officials or official businesses! In case you are wondering, the word is currently upside down.

Finishing touch for a completed work of calligraphy; the seal of the master that is given the same status as a signature in the modern world. Such seals are still used in Japan for official documents though.

The Master and his work. Kon was too shy to take a picture with him! Given my limited artistic flair, my appreciation is only limited to one word: nice!

For a pretty good explanation on what makes a good piece of calligraphy work, please refer to Wikipedia here, under "Evaluation and Appreciation".

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Location

Event Hall, Level 3

Raffles City Shopping Centre

Note: The event (promoting Chinese culture) has already ended but from my understanding, such events are quite common and you may be able to find something similar in time to come.

Ikkousha Hakata Ajitama Ramen & Gyoza @ Ultimate Ramen Champion [iluma Shopping Centre, Bugis]

The challenge continues and i am back again (the second time within a week) at dusty iluma for the ultimate ramen champion!!

This time round, I did some clicking on their facebook page; this will at least give me an idea on what to have. Kon did suggest his favourite Tetsu but i eventually decided on Ikkousha which at the moment takes up an impressive 208 out of 591 votes!

Ikkousha it shall be.

For diners who are afraid they might forget which ramen stall they order from (trust me, such things do happen), be assured that the name of the ramen stall is indicated on this round disc issued to you upon your order.

Gyoza

Disappointingly normal and at a dollar a piece, i could make better use of my money on the comparatively humongous seafood dumpling from Chop Hean Kuan Dim Sum at only eighty cents each.

Hakata Ajitama Ramen

There are always a few types of ramen for you to choose and if you are an indecisive person, just choose the one tagged with a 人气 no 1. 人气 equates popularity.

Hakata Ajitama Ramen - straight, thin noodles with cha shu, egg, green onions and black fungus. It was said to NOT have the strong smell of pork bones.

I beg to differ - the taste of pork was obvious in my first sip although it quickly dissipated with the help of spring onions. I was happily stirring the ramen to ensure a good mix when i realised that the Cha Shu had already 'dissolved' into the soup!

It's alright; life goes on... The noodles were almost as thin as the mee kia Singaporeans are accustomed to and such thinness is usually a personal preference for me (except in dishes like horfun and pad thai).

Despite the initial (porky) shortcoming, i cleaned up the whole bowl! The broth may not be as flavoursome as Gantetsu but its lightness is something to look forward to.

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 Location

201 Victoria Street,

Iluma Bugis Level 4

Price

Gyoza - S$5

Hakata Ajitama Ramen - S$13 for regular

[Subject to GST]

Additional Information

For my review on Gantetsu, please click here.

Purchase of a Kindle from Amazon.com via vPost for Pig Sister

I purposely took leave this afternoon because there was no one at home and i am waiting for a very important delivery! The best part was i had no idea if the delivery would even take place today!

The best estimate is via the track and trace page for the item i ordered from Amazon.com via vPost (also known as virtual post). From the status page, it does seem highly probable that i would receive the item today.

Although i reached home at 12.40pm, it was not till 4pm that i received a knock on the front door. To be frank, i was almost about to kiss the courier man when i saw the brown package he was holding!

He has to thank the metal grilles which played a big role in preventing me from showering my kisses of gratitude. Anyway, this box held the equipment i purchased online.

Kindle - an electronic book reader (using an E Ink electronic paper display that is comfortable for the eyes) in its 4th generation that is lighter than a book and has a long battery life of one month! For more information, please check out the wikipedia page here.

Question: Why did i buy an e-book reader when it has been a long time since i last touched any book? For Cavin, any free time has already been taken up by iPhone games and blogging.

Answer: Due to my introduction a few years ago (well before i purchased the iPhone and Nintendo DS console), a family member is now obsessed with reading. And the poor lady has to endure the long walk to the library every weekend; each time tugging along a few kilograms of books!

This lady is none other than Pig Mother Louise, my elder younger sister.

And the main reason why i was so desperate to receive the kindle today?

Both violent sisters are leaving (in reality, their plane left Changi an hour ago) for their 3-week holiday in Europe today and i guess the kindle would benefit Louise who is rarely seen without a book. Joyce might benefit as well; if she needs some sleep.

It was meant to be a surprise but blabbermouth Alex has already told the pig mother Louise!! Regardless, i know she is really pleased to receive this early birthday present.

Let me share with you an open secret.

She is single and available!

=_^ 

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As i mentioned earlier, i made my purchase via vPost with the following breakdown - US$79 (roughly S$100) for the Kindle and S$20.60 for the shipping. I could have saved S$20 from the shipping costs (incurred from vPost) but i could not find my Maybank credit card!

Utilising vPost brings back a lot of memories as this e-business division in Singapore Post is actually my second industrial attachment when i was studying in Singapore Polytechnic! In fact, i was involved in the analysing stage for the first milestone [red box].