"Dangerous Encounters" Live with Brady Barr @ Singapore Zoological Gardens

Who is Brady Barr? I had no inkling of this person although my friend did mention he was a popular host for the National Geographic cable channel.

Nonetheless, i was promised a free admission to the zoo and a sumptuous bento meal to beat the inflation! Okay, that's not entirely the truth as i know i would enjoy the company of the Gang of Four and it is always informative to attend such educational events. 

Held in the Forest Lodge of Singapore's very famous zoo, the place rapidly filled up with Starhub's employees and their families and friends. 

Here's the man himself; Dr Brady Barr who shared with us his many daring yet interesting encounters with reptiles, notably his favourite subject - crocodiles. On the screen to the right was a picture of a croc who was eventually subdued using cable wires and his underpants! 

Nothing's more appropriate than having live animals on site to conclude the presentation! As you can see, the kids were so excited that safety was not an issue! And Brady, being the most experienced, was actually more worried than any of their parents.

For the benefit of adults who remained glued to their seats, Dr Barr took a tiny croc (which could still give a nasty bite) and walked down the main aisle. 

He gave a fantastic presentation; one that was convincing enough to almost persuade me to sign up for the National Geographic Channel. Thankfully, i am a realist. 

Anyway, a photo session was available for attendees to take a picture with this famous man who has captured all 23 crocodile species! 

That's not all, at least not for the kids. There was an origami session and even a balloon sculptor who could twist balloons into animals! 

Now's the long awaited bento meal. 

The food were served in a bento alright but they were mere snacks! Such 'disappointments' were in fact blessings in disguise as i really have to reduce my food intake due to an expanding waistline.

:(

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Since we were free to roam around the zoo after the live encounter with Brady Barr, we might as well make full use of the complimentary ticket that would otherwise cost us twenty bucks each!

There was a wedding proposal during the Splash Safari show! So sweet sia and we all thought the man was about to be thrown into the water for real! 

However, i thought the ending of the animal show could be managed better (the presenter actually asked visitors who would like to be splashed to stand in front of the stage to end the show). Not my cup of tea but of course there were many willing parties! 

For those interested to read about my more comprehensive zoo visit in 2010, please visit http://cavinteo.blogspot.sg/2010/10/singapore-zoo-pictorial-its-no-secret-i.html

Merang Jetty (Terengganu) - The Main Gateway to Redang Island

After a long bus ride that took eleven and a half hours (with a half hour break in between), the Konsortium coach from Singapore finally reached the jetty to Pulau Redang at 7.35am!

One of two main gateways to Redang (the other being Shahbandar jetty), Merang jetty is located 45-60 minutes away from the main city of Kuala Terengganu and looked basically very laidback with limited amenities. 

It gave the nostalgic feeling of Air Hitam, a small place in Johore that used to be the stopover for many coaches originating from Singapore to Malaysia; albeit at a much smaller scale. 

When i heard jetty, i was thinking of a centralised building that all ferries to and fro Redang would berth at. That thought was thrown into the water!

There were many jetties. In fact, every resort has a dedicated jetty to ferry their guests! During peak seasons, it would be recommended for you to purchase a room package (with ferry transfer included) with your preferred resort. 

Our resort was Laguna Redang Island and had the biggest jetty in the vicinity! Not that it matters since the resort is the second biggest on Redang and therefore, has a lot more guests than other resorts. 

With the first ferry leaving at 9am, we took the opportunity to explore the area. 

Information time! Most of the jetties have only two timings for boats/ferries going to Redang and they are usually in the morning. The other option is to charter a private boat.

Most stalls at Merang Jetty sell knick-knacks; T-shirts, swimsuits, soft toys, bags, sunglasses, board shorts, hats, sunblocks etc etc. Once you reached Redang, you are going to miss these stalls as there is no shopping street (at least not for the most congested stretch known as Pasir Panjang) where you can bargain.

Terengganu is famed for turtle landings and the fact was reinforced by the many soft toys and ornaments depicting cute turtles of various sizes.  

Sign announcing your pending entry to Malaysia's marine parks (consisting of thirteen islands) and a fee payment of RM5 (roughly S$2). I am aware of this marine park fee although the ticket given to me was eventually only used to access an island for snorkeling. 

Ladies will love these beautiful straw hats that have already been instilled in our minds as the perfect female accessory in any beach vacation! 

We took less than twenty minutes to explore the street. The above view showed the river that meanders deep into Peninsular Malaysia. 

Holding area for another jetty. As you can probably see from the side, some of the guests would be using non-air-conditioned speedboats that are guaranteed to be an uncomfortable journey for those who are slightly prone to seasickness. 

For us, we took a fully air-conditioned fast craft. :)

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Given the time spent on travelling and waiting, i would likely spend a bit more and take the plane the next time i visit Pulau Redang. Next Up => Snorkeling Episode 2! 

My Wrist Surgery for De Quervain's Tendinitis @ Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH)

The big day has finally arrived for the surgical treatment of my wrist!

B35 - the area holding a number of operating theatres in KTPH. I reached fifteen minutes before the appointed time of 1.30pm together with my concerned mother and assumed the surgery would start no later than 2.30pm.

You won't believe it; i waited two hours dressed in a clean sterile surgical attire that was barely sufficient to keep me warm in the insanely cold environment!

Nonetheless, being cheerful is still better than pulling a long face.

No picture for the surgery and despite it being a local anesthesia procedure, i was blocked physically from seeing anything bloody. 

Personally, i would prefer to be under general anesthesia (where you sleep); it was seriously unnerving to hear the surgeons spewing sentences like "be really really careful, that's not the right way, what's that, oh dear, gosh etc etc"!

For those who would like to see what the procedure is really like, please click the above video. Mind you, some scenes can be really eeeeuuwwww. 

The 25-minute surgery was of course a success and i was surprised to find butter sandwiches, milo and a bowl of chicken soup in the rest area afterwards! Always good to have food around!

Wondering how professional the dressing is?

Ta-dah! I could not help comparing it to a pig trotter and i have to keep it on for the next few days! Maybe i can pretend to be Rockman.

It's way cooler to say it is a Mega Blaster arm cannon!

Zhen Zhen Chicken Porridge (中国街真真粥品) @ Maxwell Market [Singapore]

8.30am in the morning - to beat the electronic road pricing (known "affectionately" as ERP), i woke up exceptionally early on a Saturday morning. 

There was plenty of time to kill and i figured i might as well have a good breakfast in Maxwell hawker centre, together with my sister and mother.

The desire to lose some weight before my highly anticipated pulau redang trip compelled me to join the longest queue in the popular hawker centre that morning; that of Zhen Zhen Porridge.

I stood and waited thirty minutes to finally get my hands on a bowl of chicken porridge! The consistency of the porridge was the type i like; thick, smooth, essentially nua-nua. 

Some people hate spring onions and the same goes for me, at least when i was younger. Nowadays, i actually enjoy the fresh, spicy flavour of chopped spring onions. And don't get me started on those delicious shallots! The more the merrier! 

My order was chicken porridge (weirdly, this stall does not offer pork porridge) although i remember finding many pieces of century egg as well. Not sure if that was a wrong order but i am not complaining.... 

You must be expecting a rave review of Zhen Zhen. 

Unfortunately, that's not exactly the case. Generousity is not good sometimes; the rice gruel was plain tasting with flavours generally taken from the spring onions, shallots, garlic paste, thin strips of ginger, sesame oil and soy sauce. 

It would have been much more memorable if two things were added; deep fried pork lard and Chinese crullers (you tiao). Eventually, to clear up the bowl, i had to resort to buying Chinese crullers from a nearby stall. 

A great pity that pork lards were not available for sale.  

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Location

Stall No 54

Maxwell Food Centre

Opening Hours

5.30am till 2.30pm

[Closed on Tuesday]

Price

Price list as above! :)

Additional Information

Be prepared to queue! 

What Was That Pipe Thing Behind The Fast Craft?

I did a very stupid thing in my recent trip to Pulau Redang. 

As you might have read by now, my first snorkeling expedition in the island required a short journey via a fast craft (otherwise known simply as a boat).

Prone to seasickness, i would usually step out of the stuffy enclosure, where everyone was seated, for some fresh sea breeze. 

That was when i notice this pipe thing sticking out from the back, like some kind of periscope used by submarines except that it was permanently stuck!

I moved my palm across the pipe hole and did not feel anything. Curiousity forced me to do something i would least expect myself to do - i peered in!

My nose immediately took in an immense amount of rich exhaust! Darn! That was a bloody exhaust pipe! And i don't understand why i didn't realise that earlier! 

Should have asked Alex to check the pipe out. It's not difficult; just need to tell him there are many nemo swimming in the pipe.  

Desserts @ Saveur [Sah-Vere], Purvis Street [Singapore]

To conclude a meal comprising of French food without dessert is like not adding sugar to a pot of green bean soup. Since there were only three available on Saveur's menu, it made more sense to order everything and share among the Gang of Four!

Textures of Citrus

This dessert is well named as over 90% are citrus based and they could not be more right on the different textures; from the chewy fruity gummies, bouncy grapefruit jelly, shaved frozen orange juice to little drops of sourish liquid.

I was impressed with the amount of work dedicated to this and it only cost no more than S$7! 

The only non-citrus product are the cornflakes that provided a nice crunch - yet another texture. Given my normal disdain for sour products, the things i loved most from this dessert are those yellowish cubes mixed together with the cornflakes; dried and sweet pineapples! 

Chocolate and Hazelnuts

Nutella would have tasted similar although the bigger star was the block of chocolate sticking out of the colourful chocolate shit pile. Alex described it aptly; like Maltesers! 

Pistachio Panna Cotta

A small glass filled with absolute goodness! 

Served chilled, each spoonful of the cream pudding (layered with grated pistachios) sent my heart fluttering and i was almost on the verge of stopping Alex from claiming his share! 

Definitely a must-order! 

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Location

5, Purvis Street, #01-04

[near to the main National Library and Bras Basah Complex]

Map

As above.

Price

Textures of Citrus - S$6.90

Chocolate and Hazelnuts - S$7.90

Pistachio Panna Cotta - S$6.90

[Subject to GST. No Service Charge]

For my main post on Saveur, please visit 

http://cavinteo.blogspot.sg/2012/06/saveur-sah-vere-cheap-good-french-food.html