I'm "Impressed"! It was 9pm when our rail (real) nightmare started on 16th May 08 @ Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. As soon as we passed through the Malaysian Customs, we realised that our passports were not stamped. Seeking clarifications from the unsmiling Mr Custom Officer was futile as he was more engrossed in his newspapers than performing his duties. He managed an unconvincing "No" before returning back to his papers. Reassurance instead came from a Singaporean family whom we spoke to. The family was also taking the train to Malaysia for the first time. Their passports too were not stamped. "If that's how things work at the Malaysian Customs at Tanjong Pagar, I'm really impressed!" We were relegated to the air-con second class cabin as we did not managed to secure the sleeper cabin tickets. It ... read more

The Langkawi Cable Car Experience turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip for 4 of us. We left our resort early only to be greeted by hoards of crowds at the Cable Car Station. I guess it was a public holiday in Malaysia today. The waiting time was about 30 minutes before we boarded our car. At times, it was quite steep as it made its ascend towards Mount Mat Cinang, about 652m above sea level. Once the cable car reaches the summit, we were greeted by a mist of clouds and a magnificent view of the "Blue Mountains". It was a cool way to escape from the scorching tropical heat. As I lay on the beach overlooking the coconut trees in the afternoon, there was a sense of inner peace within ... read more

This was my first time @ 木船民歌餐厅. Located at Carpenters Street, this was just minutes from the Settlers Cafe which we went two days ago. I last step into a 民歌餐厅 about 10 years ago @ 爱琴海 in Marina Square. I couldn't recall what made me stopped going or started to visit 民歌餐厅 again. Probably I was just trying to relive some of the 新谣 memories that accompanied me while growing up. Or perhaps, I just wanted to follow what J wrote on her facebook ~ to enjoy life while you can. Or probably, I wanted a change of environment on Friday evenings. No more rowdy places for me. Rather, a place where I could chill out and listen to my favourite songs. True enough, it was a lovely place. We were kind of lucky on ... read more

The Great Cambodian trip that kickstart the new year 2008 will certainly set greater heights for the better things to come for the rest of the year As the morning sky greeted me on my final day at the BeQuest Guesthouse, I knew that my 6 Day trip to Cambodia has almost come to an end. This morning, like most other mornings, H woke up later than me. After a quick wash up, we proceeded to the nearby coffee place for our daily caffeine fix. Somehow, I just did not have the appetite to eat anything this morning. Perhaps, I was sad that I would be leaving for Singapore in 2 hours' time. Or perhaps I had a bit too much the previous evening. Or perhaps...... Anyway, it was sad saying goodbye to Cambodia and H. ... read more

I’ve promised Mr Nou Savuth that I would be featuring his massage parlour in one of my entries for Siem Reap. For this was no ordinary massage parlour.... By modern standards, the decor is relatively run down compared to the many "normal" massage parlours in the vicinity. The enclosure is dimly litted with no ambience lighting nor air-conditioning to speak of. What makes this place, the Siem Reap Massage stands out is that it is run by a group of visually impaired personnel who are well trained in both foot and body massages. Even though they have difficulties with their sight, they are determined to earn their own keep with their bare hands. I had the opportunity to try both the foot and full body massage costing US$5 for a one hour session. The body massage ... read more