Ya Kun Kaya Toast

Visit to Singapore Ya Kun Kaya Toast

In the old days, loaves of freshly baked bread were delivered to coffee shops daily. I would watch the uncle in his white plain T-shirt and long trousers slice off the top and sides of the bread loaf and then cut thick slices of bread. He would toast them on a charcoal grill and spread kaya and butter and finally slice them in half. This was breakfast.

At home, we would have soft boiled eggs with a little soya sauce and clean the bowl with a piece of white bread.

Today you can get this traditional breakfast at Ya Kun in air conditioned comfort. They serve kaya toast, butter sugar toast (cold butter sprinkled with granulated sugar), soft boiled eggs, coffee, etc. You can also buy coffee powder and kaya (which does not contain preservatives, artificial colouring or flavouring).

Ya Kun is the Chinese name of the founder, Mr Loi Ah Koon. He learnt the trade in a Hainanese coffee stall. Today the shop has expanded overseas and is franchised but his children run a few Ya Kun coffee shops including the main branch at:

Ya Kun Kaya Toast
18 China Street
Weekdays 7:30am - 7pm
Weekends 8am - 5pm

Singapore Flyer

Visit Singapore Flyer

Where can you get a bird’s eye view of Singapore?

The Singapore Flyer is the world’s largest observation wheel. As the wheel turns, you get to see views from the Marina Bay to the Singapore River, Raffles Place, Merlion Park, Empress Place, the Padang and also catch glimpses of the Indonesian Spice Islands and the Straits of Johor, Malaysia.

Quick Facts

Height: 165m (30m taller than the London Eye)

Cost: S$240m

View: 360 degree

No. of capsules: 28

Max capacity in a capsule: 28

Duration of a rotation: 30 mins

Opening hours: 8.30am – 10.30pm

Nearest mrt: Promenade

Complimentary: Journey of Dreams multimedia showcase on Singapore Story and the construction of the Singapore Flyer

	Adult >13 yrs	Child 3-12 yrs	Senior*	Senior* Promotion
Ticket	$29.50	$20.65	$23.60	$10.00 (Mondays only)
*Senior rates are for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents aged 60 and above

For a unique dining experience, the Flyer offers a Sky Dining Package at $269++ per couple. You get to enjoy a 4-course fine dining dinner with dessert and coffee and two rotations of the wheel.

Or enjoy high tea at $99++ per couple. Group high tea can also be arranged with a maximum size of 16 persons per capsule.

Save up to 10% when you book online.

OG Department Store

Visit Singapore OG Department Store

OG People’s Park brings back memories of my first taste of western food. It was a simple dish of sausage, eggs, baked beans and a bun served in the department store’s restaurant about 30 years ago. OG has since upgraded to a modern look and the current restaurant serves Chinese food.

It is still a place my mother goes often to shop for clothes, bags and shoes. She is happy to get a 10% discount with her OG membership card which also lets her redeem some gift items.

OG People’s Park is located at the door step of Chinatown mrt. It is next to People’s Park Complex and People’s Park Centre, the highest concentration of tour agencies and money changers in Singapore.

OG has 2 other outlets in Albert Street and Orchard Point.

Outlet	Daily Opening Hours	Nearest Mrt
OG People’s Park 100 Upper Cross Street	11am – 9.30pm	Chinatown
OG Albert Complex 60 Albert Street	11am – 9.30pm	Bugis
OG Orchard Point 160 Orchard Point	10.30am – 9.30pm	Somerset

Work in Singapore

Work in Singapore

Foreigners need to obtain either a work permit or work pass before they can work in Singapore. Once you are recruited, your company will apply the work pass for you. The application process is simple and easy.

Various work passes cater to different types of skills and qualifications. You can get more information from www.mom.gov.sg.

Type	Minimum Monthly Salary	Application Method	Documents Needed	Response Time
P1 Pass	S$8,000	EP Online	Application form Travel document Educational documents Testimonials A passport size photo Co. business profile	2 weeks
P2 Pass	S$4,500
Q1 Pass	S$3,000
S Pass	S$2,000
*Work Permit	varies	WP Online	Similar documents as above is required upon collection of work permit	1 day

* Company has to pay foreign worker levy and medical insurance for work permit holders. In addition a security bond is needed for some workers.

If you are looking for jobs, you may want to visit these popular sites:

www.stjobs.sg

www.sg.jobsdb.com

www.jobstreet.com.sg

www.careers.gov.sg

www.monster.com.sg

National Day Fireworks

Visit Singapore National Day Fireworks

Once a year for the entire month of August, you see many people hanging the country’s flag outside their house to celebrate National Day. Singapore became independent on 9 August 1965.

Last Saturday, from my kitchen window I saw 2 helicopters flying past with the national flag. My 11 year old nephew was attending the last rehearsal for National Day Parade (NDP) at The Float @ Marina Bay. After dinner as my family drove past the vicinity, my sister captured the spectacular fireworks with her iPhone.

Do you know what the flag represents?

Red – universal brotherhood and equality of man White – purity and virtue Moon – a young nation on the rise Five Stars – democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality

Do you know where is the best place to catch the fireworks?

Open Area

1.       The Esplanade Theatre Waterfront Promenade

2.       The Esplanade Bridge

3.       Merlion Park

4.       Clifford Pier

5.       The Promontory @ Marina Boulevard

6.       Marina Bay Sands Waterfront Boardwalk

7.       Helix Bridge

8.       Marina Barrage

Restaurants

1.       Equinox Restaurant (Level 70, Swissotel the Stamford)

2.       Hai Tien Lo (Level 37, Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel, Tel: +65 6826 8240)

3.       Dolce Vita (Mandarin Oriental, Tel: +65 6885 3551)

4.       The Axis Bar & Lounge (Mandarin Oriental, Tel: +65 6885 3098)

5.       The Lighthouse (Fullerton Hotel, Tel: +65 6877 8933)

6.       Sano Bar (One Fullerton, Tel: +65 64239182)

7.       Pierside Kitchen & Bar(One Fullerton, Tel: +65 6438 0400)

8.       Palm Beach Seafood Restaurant (One Fullerton, Tel: +65 6423 0040)

9.       Starbucks (One Fullerton #01-04)

10.   Orgo (Roof Terrace @ Esplanade Theatres, Tel: +65 63369366)

11.   Al Dente Trattoria @ Esplanade (Colours by the Bay, Tel: +65 6341 9188)

12.   One on the Bund (Clifford Pier, Tel: +65 6221 0004)

Hotels

1.       Swissotel the Stamford (Level 68 downwards, with balconies)

2.       Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore

3.       The Fullerton Hotel

4.       Mandarin Oriental Singapore

5.       Marina Mandarin Hotel Singapore

6.       Pan Pacific Singapore Marina Bay  

LoveSG.sg

Buy LoveSG T-Shirt

Some time ago, a friend’s friend commented that Singapore souvenirs are not interesting. The common souvenirs found in Chinatown are T-shirts, key chains, fridge magnets, etc. But I have found some interesting souvenirs. An example is the T-Shirts from LoveSG.

The T-Shirts are locally designed and display local themes such as “I love Laksa”. Laksa is a spicy noodle dish served with chilli, cockles and dried bean curd.

For a distinct Singapore T-Shirt and other souvenirs, head out to the below outlets.

I love SG

T Shirt S$29.90 Note book S$18.90 Luggage Tag S$9.90 Badge (4 in a pack) S$9.90 Passport Holder S$23.90

Outlets

·         Asian Civilisations Museum - Museum Pop-up Shop (Lobby)

·         Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay #02-02 Tel: (65) 6828 8397

·         National Museum of Singapore - Museum Pop-up Shop (Basement)

·         RISIS Nature Gallery - Singapore Botanic Gardens Tel: (65) 6475 5104

·         Singapore Art Museum - Museum Pop-up Shop (Level 2)

·         Singapore Flyer #03-03 Tel: (65) 6837 2668

Traditional Biscuits

Visit to Singapore Traditional Biscuits

When I was as child my next door neighbour owned a provision shop nearby. I remember bringing 30 cents to buy biscuits from his shop. In those days he would use a small piece of newspaper, fold it into a triangle holder, and fill it with the tiny round biscuits from a large round glass container. The icing sugar in pink, white, yellow, orange or green colour on top of these biscuits was delicious. Biscuit maker Khong Guan sells them as Fancy Gems (S$1.30).

You can hardly see those large round containers now. But you can still find these traditional biscuits in rectangular tins in wet markets. The biscuits are sold by weight. One of my favourite is pineapple jam biscuits (below) which now cost S$7.60 per kg.

                                          

My mother’s favourite is cream crackers and she likes to dip them in hot coffee. She also pounds them till they resemble bread crumbs and uses them to make pork chop.

Khong Guan sells these traditional biscuits in small packs in supermarkets. The individually packed ones cost slightly more but that keeps the biscuits fresh and crispy. My two favourite flavours are Lemon Puff (S$1.95) and Sultana Biscuits (S$2.55).