samosir car ferry

Post-Holiday Blues

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Have you ever experienced coming back from a vacation feeling depressed? I have. Since 2005. And it’s still happening in 2017.

I have just returned from my hometown three days ago. My energy has been very low since my return to Singapore. I didn’t have much appetite nor enthusiasm. My mind kept on playing flashbacks of events that occurred during my time in my hometown. I felt tired most of the time. And I felt lonely in my rented apartment room when I was unpacking, doing housekeeping and clearing my emails. Continue reading “Post-Holiday Blues” →

Before and After photo, how i lost weight with slow carb diet

How I Lost 7 Kg in 4 Months with Slow Carb Diet, and 6 More Kg Without Diet

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Travel makes you either gain weight or lose weight rapidly. I have experienced both cases. In 2008 I went to Mexico for my university’s summer exchange program for a month, I ate food at regular times every day at school, I ate so much fast food, and I stuffed myself with tequilas and coronas. But I lost weight at the end of the trip. Part of me wanted to believe that the stress of living abroad and eating food that was not Asian’s staple have caused me to lose weight.

In 2011, I went to India for, a very challenging country, for a month. I fell sick due to food poisoning. As a result, I had limited choices of food that I can consume safely. In the end, I came home slimmer than I was before the trip.

Other than those 2 extreme cases above, my other trips have seen me bringing home extra kilogrammes in the form of body fat, after the trip. Continue reading “How I Lost 7 Kg in 4 Months with Slow Carb Diet, and 6 More Kg Without Diet” →

Main bridge, Migratory Bird Trail, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Kranji Countryside, Singapore

Mangrove and Wildlife at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve – Migratory Bird Trail @ Kranji Countryside, Singapore

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Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is known for its rich biodiversity. The park itself is quite huge, with a total size of 202 hectares. It is too huge for us to explore in a day, so we are going to split it into a few visits. For our first visit, we explored the Migratory Bird Trail. Between September and March is the migratory season for the birds. The mudflats at Sungei Buloh serve as a place for waders to feed and roost. We spotted birds on the mudflats, along with other animals throughout the trail. The length of the trail is 1.95 km, it took us 1.5 hours to complete the loop while walking slowly and stopping occasionally to snap photos. You can find park information and the walking routes at here. Continue reading “Mangrove and Wildlife at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve – Migratory Bird Trail @ Kranji Countryside, Singapore” →

Feeding and petting goats at Hay Dairies Goat Farm, Kranji Countryside, Singapore

Watch Goats Milking, Drink Goat Milk, Feed and Pet the Goats at Hay Dairies Goat Farm @ Kranji Countryside, Singapore

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I was born and raised in a city. I ended up moving to an even bigger city in my late teens. So, anything related to farm excites me! I first visited Hay Dairies in my university time, around 10 years ago. I don’t remember much about it. I decided, now is the time to revisit this goat farm. This time, I’m going with my boyfriend, and it’s his first time visiting Hay Dairies.

What can you expect to do in Hay Dairies? Well, basically I’ve listed them all in the title above! Now, let’s dive into the details, shall we? Continue reading “Watch Goats Milking, Drink Goat Milk, Feed and Pet the Goats at Hay Dairies Goat Farm @ Kranji Countryside, Singapore” →

My Love For Reading

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I still remember vaguely how my love affair with reading started. I was in Primary School. My family (my parents, my younger sister and I) went out for a dinner at a roadside night market. As we waited for our food to come, a magazine seller came to our table holding a stack of magazines and comics. He shoved a few children magazines to our faces. My parents ask us whether we were interested in any. I told them, I think I want the Donald Duck magazine. My parents paid for it. The seller handed me the magazine. I felt joyful. That was the first magazine I’ve ever read. That was a critical moment in my life. If that seller didn’t come to our table that night, I am not sure if I would develop a love for reading growing up. Continue reading “My Love For Reading” →

Singapore Skyline’s View From ION Sky Orchard

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So, I am currently in a skyline craze. I found another place to see Singapore Skyline! This time, it’s from the 55th floor of ION (a shopping mall located at Orchard Road). The observation deck is called ION Sky. Admission is free, but they are open only from 3pm – 6pm, so don’t go there too early. Before you go, you should check here to see if ION Sky is open for public or closed for private events. I can’t wait to show you some photos! Continue reading “Singapore Skyline’s View From ION Sky Orchard” →

Singapore's skyline view of Chinatown

Singapore’s Skyline View From The Pinnacle @ Duxton

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I’m a big fan of city skyline. I’m always ecstatic looking at all the buildings from above or from far. When I went to Hong Kong this year, I revisited The Peak, was and will always be in awe with Hong Kong’s skyline. In Tokyo, I went to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building’s observation deck on 45th-floor to get an awesome view of the city.  In Bangkok, I witnessed an astonishing night cityscape from Baiyoke Sky’s revolving observation deck at 84th-floor.

In Singapore, I had gone up to MBS’ Skypark and ridden Singapore Flyer. They were breathtaking and deserve “must-visit-before-you-die” mark. The only downside was, they were expensive. The ticket for MBS’ Skypark is S$ 23 per adult; meanwhile, an adult ticket for Singapore Flyer costs S$ 33 at the time of writing.

Recently I was researching for things to do in Singapore and found out that the rooftop of The Pinnacle (a very posh public housing apartment building) is open for public for a mere price of S$ 5. How cool is that? You paid a small price for an access to a rooftop at 50th-floor and you get to see Singapore’s city area with much lesser crowd compared to MBS or Flyer. Continue reading “Singapore’s Skyline View From The Pinnacle @ Duxton” →

Summary of August 2016

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August. It’s the month of national days. At least 3 countries that hold a special place for me are celebrating their national days: Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. It is also the month of Olympics in Rio, Brazil. As a proud Indonesian, I’m thrilled that the mixed double badminton team of Ahmad Tontowi and Liliyana Natsir won the gold medal on Indonesia’s Independence Day on 17 August 2016. As a resident of Singapore, I am also happy to see Joseph Schooling won Singapore’s first-ever gold medal in Olympics. It’s been a month of celebration. Continue reading “Summary of August 2016” →

Bus 170x, cw1 from kranji singapore to johor bahru

How to travel from Singapore to Johor Bahru (JB) by Public Transport Bus

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As someone who stays and works in Singapore, I have to admit that I am constantly looking for short getaways to neighboring countries. The nearest city from Singapore would be Johor Bahru (JB), one of the major cities in Malaysia. You could travel to JB from Singapore (SG) via public transport or by driving. The travel duration depends greatly on traffic condition. And nope, there is no flight between JB and SG. Some people, on rare occasion, do walk across the border. However, please do not walk because it is dangerous as there is no pedestrian footpath. In this post, I will write about public transportation by bus. Do note if you pay bus fare by cash, please pay with exact money because no change will be given; you will then be given a ticket that you must keep throughout the journey until you reach your destination. If you don’t have exact cash and are taking CW buses, you can go to CW counter to buy the ticket instead of paying on the bus; the counters are usually available at every starting point of the buses’ routes.

Continue reading “How to travel from Singapore to Johor Bahru (JB) by Public Transport Bus” →