MOSAIC Music Festival (Singapore)

MOSAIC, the yearly Singapore Music Festival, is officially kicking off today for 2009! Music lovers are in for a treat in this 10-day event as performers from around the globe and across genres entertain Singapore. Billings include Brian McKnight, Indigo Girls, George Duke, Mike Stern, and a lot more jazz, funk, and world musicians who I'm not familiar with and I'm probably doing injustice to by not mentioning here. Philippines is well-represented by the popular (and reunited?) rock band Wolfgang, former child-superstar and now recording artist Aiza Seguerra, and jazz and neo-soul singer Julianne.

Tickets are reasonably priced with concert tickets starting at $58. Having said that, this event can still burn a hole in the pocket as you have to buy 1 ticket per concert! Good thing that there are a lot of free open concerts available that feature talents (though lesser known) from all over Asia Pacific and even the US. Some well-known artists such as Wolfgang, Indigo Girls, and Mike Stern, will also grace the open spaces and perform for free for 30 minutes!

These free performances are welcome news because there are a lot of concerts outside of MOSAIC happening this month and the next, and due to my limited budget have been conflicted for days on which performance to see! Oasis, Duffy, Coldplay, Craig David, and even CATS(!) are all coming to Singapore in the next 2-4 weeks that I'm glad I can drop the MOSAIC performers from the (financial) equation!¹

Here are the performance schedules of artists from the Philippines:

	Mar 16	Mar 21	Mar 22
Nokia Music Station Outdoor Theatre (FREE)	Julianne 7.50-8.30pm and 9.50-10.30pm	Aiza Seguerra 7-7.30pm and 10.50-11.30pm
In the House FM Library @ Esplanade (FREE)		Aiza Seguerra 3.45-4.15pm Wolfgang 6-6.30pm
Mosaic Studio Recital Studio ($38)			Wolfgang 7.30pm (70 minutes)

MOSAIC tickets are available through SISTIC website and outlets and the Esplanade Box Office.

For more information about the event, click here to go to MOSAIC's official website. You can download the MOSAIC calendar of events here.

Footnotes

¹ I'll most probably see CATS as repeat performances of productions like these rarely happen. As for the concerts, right now it's a toss between Coldplay and Duffy. I'm leaning more towards Duffy because, again, I'm not sure if she'll come back to Singapore. Coldplay at least has done 2 concerts (all sold out!) in Singapore and is likely to perform here again given a chance.

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Pinoy Music Festival in Singapore!

Have been neglecting my mails (and been living in my shell) that I had not realized that a musical storm has been brewing for Filipinos in Singapore! This Sunday, March 1, Philippines' greatest bands will gather in Singapore to blast some serious sounds! Eto lang naman ang magpeperform ng full set and maririning nyo: 6 Cyclemind, Afterimage, Bamboo, Imago, Kamikazee, Moonstar88, Parokya ni Edgar, Razorback, Sandwich, Siakol, The Dawn, and The Youth!

Such a great idea! Kudos to pinoySunday and RonJohn Productions.


What: Pinoy Music Festival in Singapore
Who: You and the bands mentioned above
Where: D'Marquee, Downtown East, 1 Pasir Ris Close
When: March 1, 2009 (10 am to 10 pm)
Wagkano: VIP - $180; Almost VIP - $120; General Admission - $70

The poster should give more info but if you still have questions, email: pinoytalents AT pinoySunday DOT net.

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Singapore Public Holidays in 2009

New Year 01 Jan, Thursday	National Day 09 Aug, Sunday*
Chinese New Year 26-27 Jan, Monday & Tuesday	Hari Raya Puasa 20 Sep, Sunday*
Good Friday 10 Apr, Friday	Deepavali 15 Nov, Sunday*
Labour Day 01 May, Friday	Hari Raya Haji 27 Nov, Friday
Vesak Day 09 May, Saturday	Christmas 25 Dec, Friday

* The following Monday will be a substitute public holiday.

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Soft-boiled eggs the Singapore way

If you thought that boiled eggs are boiled eggs, and couldn't possibly be exciting, you clearly haven't been to one of Singapore's kopitiams¹. Order eggs and you'll get a big plastic cup covered with a saucer. You'll also get soy sauce and pepper. Hep, before you say, "I didn't order this!" let me assure you that you did order that. That's soft-boiled eggs served the Singapore way.

Intimidated by the whole plastic cup, and pepper and soy sauce thing? Don't worry. I'll tell you everything you need to know, you'll look like a pro!


To eat soft-boiled eggs the Singapore way:

1. Well, first you've got to wait. Two minutes if you want a really watery yolk. Four to five minutes if you want the yolk a bit firmer.
   
2. Take the eggs out of the cup one at a time and crack them open.
   
3. Pour the egg white and yolk into the saucer provided.
   
4. Add a little dark soy sauce.
   
5. Sprinkle a little love, errmm, pepper.
   
6. Mix.
   
7. Mix really well!
   
8. Enjoy!
   

It's really easy! But if you still can't picture the whole process and you're still feeling a bit insecure about the whole thing, watch this lovely video by Aram Pan for a short demonstration:


Eggs And Toast - Singapore Style Breakfast from Aram Pan on Vimeo.

Related Posts

• When in Rome be a Roman; when in Singapore, have a Singapore Breakfast!

Footnotes

¹ I'm referring here to the local coffee and breakfast shops in general and not specifically to Kopitiam the brand.

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When in Rome, be a Roman; when in Singapore, have a Singapore breakfast!

Forget Starbucks, local is definitely the way to go; the question is—which Singapore breakfast??!

You see, there is no one Singapore breakfast. The breakfast here is as different as its people. A light but energizing (and surprisingly not boring) meal of toast, coffee, and eggs for the Chinese; a hearty meal of rice, eggs, sambal, and fish or chicken for the Malays; and pratas, dosas, lassis, and other exotic-sounding food for the Indians. For the Eurasians? I guess that depends on which part of Asia and Europe the parents came from!

With all the different and uncommon choices available, breakfast in Singapore can be an event in itself to guests of the island. To get you started in the right direction, this article lists the more popular breakfast choices in Singapore.


Kaya toast set
A great fave of mine. It's not your usual set of toast, egg, and coffee. For starters, you get kaya--a delicious concoction of coconut milk, eggs, and sugar--instead of the usual berries as jam. Layer that with butter and voila! You might just go to health-hell for eating something so sinful! But, hey, you're on vacation, you'll walk it off.

Anyway, leave the guilt for a second because I'm sure that by the time you've said "kaya toast, please" the person tending the shop would have gotten back with "kopi? kopi?" That was pronounced correct alright. Kopitiams¹ have kopi not coffee. Actually, you'll find out that kopitiams have a whole other lingo going on in the coffee department. Order a kopi and you'll get a strong black coffee with a layer of sweet condensed milk at the bottom. It's really good stuff² but be careful when mixing the milk with your coffee, it can get too sweet sometimes. What if you don't want the milk? Then ask for kopi-o, which is coffee without milk and with sugar only. Kopi-c will get you coffee with evaporated milk while kopi-peng will get you iced kopi. There's a longer list to this lingo but kopi, kopi-o, kopi-c, and kopi-peng, should give you a good start.

Things get even more interesting with the eggs. Order boiled eggs and you'll get a big plastic cup covered by a saucer. You'll also get a set of soy sauce and pepper. Yup, that surprised me the first time. Thank god you have this blog, you can act cool and eat the eggs like a pro. Click here to learn how to eat soft-boiled eggs the Singapore way.


Nasi lemak
Another fave! I loooove the flavor that those peanuts bring to the meal. The creaminess of the rice and the saltiness and crunchiness of the peanuts are just brilliant together! But I'm getting ahead of my self.. Nasi Lemak literally means "rice in cream." So named because the rice is soaked and cooked in coconut milk, a method that makes rice more interesting than usual but manages to maintain the rice's low profile role in a meal. So what's exactly in a Nasi Lemak meal? Usually wrapped in banana leaves, buying Nasi Lemak is really just like buying a box of chocolates--you'll never know what you'll get. There are a couple of Nasi Lemak essentials though--rice (of course), ikan bilis (anchovies or dilis to Filipinos), eggs (boiled, fried, scrambled), sambal (a spicy sweet sauce that gives that extra oomph to the meal), fried peanuts, and a few pieces of cucumber so you can report home that you've taken your veggies for the day. If you're a meat lover, add fried chicken or beef rendang or whatever it is that strikes you at the seller's stall.

Did you know? Sambal is to Malays what bagoong is to Filipinos.

Roti Pratas
It took a while for me to remember the names of Indian dishes and associate the name with the dish. And although I love Indian food, I'm struggling with it even now. But one dish that I took an instant liking in and remembered right away is the roti prata. Roti prata is a popular breakfast choice in Singapore. It is best eaten straight from the grill and dipped in curry sauce. Some put butter and sprinkle the prata with sugar like you would an american pancake. A true blue Indian will probably have lassi with their roti prata. Lassi is a drink made from yoghurt flavored with pepper and salt. It's a bit different from what most are probably used to but should be tried at least once. A popular flavor is the mango lassi and pineapple lassi.

Related Posts

• How to eat soft-boiled eggs the Singapore way

Footnotes

¹ I'm referring here to the local coffee and breakfast shops in general and not specifically to Kopitiam the brand.
² I have to warn you though that I'm no coffee connoisseur.

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Wondering if you need a Singapore visa?

If you're a Filipino (with a valid Philippine passport, of course!) you do not need a visa to visit Singapore. Officially, you can stay in Singapore for 15 days, which the immigration officer usually extends to 30 days. The same applies to passport holders of other ASEAN-member nations: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar. Citizens of these countries also do not require a Singapore visa:

• British Commonwealth-member nations, except for India
  
• Belgium
• Denmark
• Finland, France
• Germany
• Iceland, Ireland, Italy
• Japan
• Luxembourg
• Norway
• South Korea, Spain, Sweden
• United States of America

Singapore immigration usually checks for the following, so ensure that:

• Your passport is valid for the next 6 months
• You have a return ticket or a forwarding ticket to your next destination
• You have sufficient funds

If your country is not listed above, check if you need a Singapore visa here.

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List of Ghim Moh shops

(Last Update: January 22, 2009)
As mentioned in my Ghim Moh Livin article, convenience is one of the greatest advantage of living in the Ghim Moh estate. The 21-block estate is littered with shops-from food stalls to clinics to beauty salons! This article lists, by block, the different shops in Ghim Moh!

To go directly to a particular block, click one of these:

• [ Blk 11 ]
• [ Blk 19 ]
• [ Blk 21 ]

NOTE This list is a work in progress. Please bear with us as we endeavour to complete it.

Shops in Block 11 Ghim Moh Road

Shop Type	Shop Name
Grooming Salons & Spas	Ghim Moh Unisex Hair Salon 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-160
Grooming Salons & Spas	Facewear (Face & Body Spa) 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-160
Grooming Salons & Spas	Excellent Beauty Center 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-162
Grooming Salons & Spas	Pao Cherh Lee Beauty Salon (Unisex) 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-162
Bakeshop	Smiling Orchid Confectionery 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-164
Dry Cleaning & Laundry	Lan Bee Wash Laundry 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-166
Barbershop	Lan Bee Barber (Hair DRSG/PER Wave Salon) 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-166
Marts & Provision Shops	Kim Chua Provision Store 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-168
Marts & Provision Shops	iEcon 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-170
Medical Clinic	John Chiam Medical Clinic11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-172
Dental Clinic	Royce Dental Surgery (TOOF Dental Affiliate) 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01- 174

Shops in Block 19 Ghim Moh Road

Shop Type	Shop Name
Drink Stall	Beverage Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-235
Eating Place	Master Crab the Crab Specialist Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-235 NOTE Crabs and seafoods!
Eating Place	Mahan Nasi Lemak Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-235
Eating Place	Western Chow Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-235
Eating Place	All Mighty Muslim Food (All Mighty caterer) Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-235 NOTE Muslim-Indian food
Eating Place	Mixed Vegetable Rice Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-235
Marts & Provision Shops	7-Eleven 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-237
Banking, ATMs, & Payment kiosks	UOB ATM Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-237
Books, Stationery, School & Office Shop	Fullway (Photocopy, Book Binding, Laminating) 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-239
Beauty Salons & Spas	Hairwerkz Studio 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-239
Marts & Provision Shops	ABC Bargain Centre (Cheapest shop in Singapore) Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-241
Marts & Provision Shops	Singa Fresh Pte Ltd Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-243
Optical Shop	Ming Optical Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-245
Banking, ATMs, & Payment kiosks	OCBC ATM 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-245
Marts & Provision Shops	Organicmart 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-247
Bakeshop	Jin Seng Confectionery 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-249
TCM Shop	Bee's Brand Birds Nest & Health Products 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-251
DIY, Home Appliance, & Maintenance Shop	Budget Store Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-253
DIY, Home Appliance, & Maintenance Shop	Eng Household Enterprise (Hardware Household Electrical Appliances Lighting) 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-255
Eating Place	G18 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-257
Banking, ATMs, & Payment kiosks	DBS/POSB ATM & Cash Deposit Next to G18 Eating Place

Shops in Block 21 Ghim Moh Road

Shop Type	Shop Name
Barbershop	Fair Lady Barber Shop 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-139
Dental Clinic	The Dental Pal Pte Ltd 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-141
Grooming Salons & Spas	Zentury Nails 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-143
Video Rental	Lay Ming Trading 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-143
Grooming Salons & Spas	Innovative Hair Design 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-147
TCM Clinic	Ta Seng Traditional Therapy Center 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-143
Medical Clinic	Merlion Clinic 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-149
Grooming Salons & Spas	Jun Beauty Spa 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-151
Grooming Salons & Spas	Gil's Hair Corner 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-151
TCM Clinic	Tan Ching Ngee Chinese Physician 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-153
Books, Stationery, School & Office Shop	Xin Yu Book Co 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-155
Grooming Salons & Spas	Unisex Hair Salon 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-157
Pet shop	Buzzy Paws Professional Pet Grooming 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-157
Bakeshop	Prima Deli 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-159
Gambling	Singapore Pools (Toto & Lottery) 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-161
Optical Shop	M-Specs Optical 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-163
Fashion-RTW, Shoes, Bags	C & T Fashion 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-163
Dry Cleaning & Laundry	Chip Lee Seng Laundry & Dry Cleaning 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-165
Grooming Salons & Spas	Beauty Forever 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-167
Grooming Salons & Spas	Helen Han Beauty Salon 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-169
Marts & Provision Shops	Shop N Save 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-177
DIY, Home Appliance, & Maintenance Shop	Kim Yong Department Store 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-179
Fashion-RTW, Shoes, Bags	BB Apparels 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-181
Grooming Salons & Spas	Creative Beauty Salon 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-181
Pet Shop	Ocean Sun Aquarium 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-183
TCM Shop	HockHua Tonic Pte Ltd 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-185
Medical Clinic	HealthLink Family Clinic & Surgery 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-187
TCM Shop	Fook Choon Won Kee Medical Store 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-189
TCM Shop	Tong Suy Medical Hall 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-191
DIY, Home Appliance, & Maintenance Shop	Sindy Radio Company 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-193
Fashion-RTW, Shoes, Bags	Liew Chian Fay Traders 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-195
Fashion-RTW, Shoes, Bags	Fashion House 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-197
Dry Cleaning & Laundry	Brighton Dry Cleaning & Laundry 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-199
Fashion-RTW, Shoes, Bags	Simply Fashion Craft 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-199
Drink Stall	Sweet Talk (Desert & Milk Tea) 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-199
TCM Shop	Mah Kuang Chinese Medicine 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-201
Dental Clinic	Perfect Dental Clinic 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-203
Dental Clinic	Victory Clinic & Surgery 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-205
Grooming Salons & Spas	Zion Hair N Beauty Studio (UNISEX) 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-207
Jeweller & Goldsmith	(shop name unknown) 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-207
Banking, ATMs, & Payment Kiosks	Hong Leong Finance 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-211
Eating Place	Pizza Bar da Donato 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-213 NOTE Great Italian food!
Handphone Retail	(shop name unknown) 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-215
Photoshop	Astro Imaging 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-215
Postal Office	Singapore Post Office 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-225

Related Posts

• Ghim Moh Livin

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Jalan-jalan in Putrajaya

I was going to write about Putrajaya at a later date but my tracker revealed that someone from Australia searching for "from singapore to kl shopping tour", visited this blog recently and stayed a decent amount of time in the Kuala Lumpur day trip write-up.

I was really excited to see an organic search engine traffic that I felt compelled to write an article about my fave tourist destination near Kuala Lumpur (KL), one which most KL visitors fail to visit. This one's for you, aussie reader--I just couldn't let you go to KL/Malaysia without ensuring you see Putrajaya!¹ :-)



The first time I saw Putrajaya, I was blown away, transported to a different place. I'm not really sure how to put it in writing; the quiet, the scenery, the light, and the wind--it all blended and created a surreal moment for me and it felt like I was in foreign land.²

To put it in a less dramatic way, I've never been exposed to Islamic architecture, and seeing a concentration of mosque, domed buildings, intricate Islamic-influenced details in one place, created a surreal moment for me err, was really, uhm... awesome! Seriously, though, I've been enchanted by the place since the first time I saw it, so much so, that I bring family and friends there whenever I'm asked to be their KL guide.


What exactly is Putrajaya??
Good question. As Naz, a Malaysian friend who introduced me to Putrajaya, explained years back, Putrajaya is supposed to be the new center of government in Malaysia³, seating, among others, the prime minister's office and foreign embassies. Alhough the place is busier now (visited in July 2007 and again in Nov 2008) than when I first saw it in 2002 or 2003, the target residents have been slow in moving in. Streets and parking lots are nearly empty, and it seems that there are more tourists in the area than residents.

If you're like me, though, less crowd is actually a boon, especially that the infrastructures, such as wide roads, hotels, some restaurants, are already in place, and there's little convenience-wise to want for.


Things to do in Putrajaya

To me, the Islamic-influenced architectures is the best thing about Putrajaya, and the main attraction that draws me to the place. If you get tired of taking photos and looking at buildings, however, you can spend some time on the lake, canoeing or cruising. If you need some shade and nourishment, there's a food court near the mosque that offers a good selection of local food, desserts, and drinks. You can also drop by the seafood restaurant beside the lake or visit some of the posh hotels such as Marriott and Shangri-la, that have built fabulous accommodations in the area.

I'm probably not doing the Putrajaya justice by mentioning the places above so fleetingly. The truth is, I've canoed on the lake only once, and, though I've been there a few times, I've been to the same places that I've been to in 2002/2003. Before this article, I didn't even know that there were restaurants and hotels in the area. As I said, I was there for the buildings and structures! And you've got to trust me when I say, the buildings are enough!

Reading through various articles, however, it is obvious that there are many things that you can do in Putrajaya should you choose to do more. Different businesses have set up shop and more attractions and facilities will definitely spring up as the city matures and grows.


How to get to Putrajaya from Kuala Lumpur
By private car is the easiest of course. My Kuala Lumpur day tour article explains how you can get a car and a "free" tour guide to tour you around KL and Putrajaya.

If you have time, another option is to take the train from KL Sentral to the airport. This train leaves every 30 minutes and stops at Putrajaya. For RM9.50 one-way and RM15.00 return, the train can be a cheaper alternative to hiring a cab. From the Putrajaya station you can either hire a cab or take one of the intra-city bus services that ply the area.

I'll update you when I get a chance to explore Putrajaya more. In the meantime, here's the unofficial official Putrajaya website. It's a great site and will tell you everything you need to know to enjoy your Putrajaya trip, including Putrajaya intra-city bus services, routes, and schedules; details of buildings, parks, and other places to visit; and daily happenings and events in the new city. Have fun!

Related Posts

• Kuala Lumpur Day Trip from Singapore!

Footnotes

¹ I would have written about KL shopping tour if I was a shopper. But I'm not, and shopping memories don't really stick. It's probably too late to make me a shopper but I'll try to impress (upon myself) those shopping experiences better!
² Well, technically, I was in a foreign land, BUT one can be in a foreign land and not feel "transported!"
³ Isn't this set-up a little risky, security-wise?? Just thinkin.

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