My Review

They are back again in Singapore. (They first came years ago but they left but now they are back! They were back for quite sometime but took me this long to revisit them at JCube) Gindaco  - Takoyaki When takoyaki was introduced to me, I wasn't a fan cos I like the batter but I ain't a seafood lover. So I always ordered takoyaki without tako (I opted for the ham and cheese filling) It was when my friend told me about this must try takoyaki that totally conquered my tastebud. The octopus piece was so nice and the takoyaki was crispy on the outside and soft and melty fillings within. Topped with the takoyaki sauce with bonito flakes, everything is just so nice~~~~ Yes, I am referring to Gindaco . The takoyaki comes in 6pcs, 8pcs, 16pcs to 24pcs!! My usual order would be 8pcs as 6pcs isn't enough while 16pcs is a bit too much to finish on my own. And no.. I won't go for takeaway because I find it best to consume it on the spot.

It was many years back... that I bought very first smart plug was a bulky one which I got it from a bundle deal with a local telco. It was 5 years back and it was simply not so useful as the pricing stopped me from getting more sets. Also, I didn't have  Google Home   or  Alexa   etc. After my previous encounter with bulky smart device, I stopped looking at smart plug until recently I came across smart plug from China. By Chance...  I came across the smart plug again while online shopping. I was amazed that smart plugs are now almost the same as normal plug in terms of size and everything else. 1. Size The one I chanced upon was a squarish look and a circular one. I went for a round shaped plug for space saving. (As reviewer for the squarish design commented it blocked the on/off button of the socket) 2. App compatibily The smart plug/smart socket extension both used  Smart Life  App. It was quite easy to set up, but the main hiccup w...

I was so looking forward to the movie... Another Resident Evil movie! Since I have watched the previous few titles so I thought it might be more or less the same kind of vibe but I was wrong.  In this film, we were shown  Gill Valentine, Westor, Chris & Claire Redfield and Leon. ( Ada  appeared at the very end of the film for a few seconds.) I didn't play the games so I ain't sure how the actual characters are linked to each other in the game play. and seeing the creatures/monsters all over again, but something just feel missing. The movie review: The focus in the movie jumped from showing Claire Redfield's childhood at Racoon City and then back to the present and back and fro and also details on why the current Racoon City and a brief moment on why Claire Redfield was back in town.  One third of the screen time gone and the movie was still on giving details about Racoon City, the reason for the team of four who ventured into the now-abandoned mansion which led ...

Day 1:  SG > Taipei (Jiufen) Day 2:  Jilong Mountain > Jiufen Old Street Day 3:  Jiufen Old Street > Taipei Main Station (Ximending)  Day 4: Xindian (Bitan) > Wulai > Raohe Night Market + Rainbow Bridge Day 5: Banqiao > Day 6: Back to SG Day 5: Banqiao  It was purely a shopping day. Just relax, eat, shop and go. We headed for Mega City Mall   (Banqiao).   From Taipei Main Station , just take the train to Banqiao Station and followed the signs to the mall. A pity we were there too early and Xmas deco wasn't up yet else it would have been a romantic/crowded date. Finally the first time we had Ding Tai Fung at Taiwan. Quality food from Ding Tai Fung . Back to Taipei Main Station after Banqiao's shopping trip, we continued more shopping around Taipei Main Station.  Just more food and drinks before we ended our shopping spree for the day! ---------------------------------- Day 6 : Back to SG Start of our day, finally get t...

Day 1: SG > Taipei (Jiufen) Day 2: Jilong Mountain > Jiufen Old Street Day 3: Jiufen Old Street > Taipei Main Station (Ximending) Day 4: Xindian (Bitan) > Wulai > Raohe Night Market + Rainbow Bridge Day 5: Banqiao > Day 6: Back to SG Raohe Night Market From   Xindian (Bitan) Station , we took train to Songshan Station  and walked to Raohe Night Market .  So after a long journey, what's next at the Night Market is food!! We took no time to buy, take photo and eat!  Some snacks we go along our night market walking. Takoyaki , Soufflés Pancake and Fried Sweet Potatoes ! Apart from food indulgence, there is the popular Rainbow Bridge .  A big LOVE sign that has many locks on it. The Rainbow Bridge We took train back to Taipei Main Station . For our dinner, we bought takeaways from  三商巧福 Always tasty, always for you , an outlet that sells delicious Taiwanese style family meals and is conveniently located near to our hotel. Just a shor...

Day 1: SG > Taipei (Jiufen) Day 2: Jilong Mountain > Jiufen Old Street Day 3: Jiufen Old Street > Taipei Main Station (Ximending) Day 4: Xindian (Bitan) > Wulai > Raohe Night Market + Rainbow Bridge Day 5: Banqiao > Day 6: Back to SG New place to explore in Taiwan Chanced upon Wulai from other blogs when I was planned my Taiwan travel itinerary.  Getting there : Take MRT from Taipei Main Station to Xindian (Bitan) Station  to transfer to Bus No. 849 , where the bus ends at  Wulai District Scenic Area .  After we reached Xindian (Bitan) Station , we headed straight for the bus stop but the bus interval was around an hour long. So we walked around and chanced upon a lake beside the bus interchange. That place is actually Bitan Scenic Area .  Bitan Scenic Area Rental Boats A cupid reading a newsletter The bridge @ Bitan Scenic Area Bitan Scenic Area Bitan Scenic Area Lunch time Still quite sometime, we decided to fill our stomach. Jus...

Day 1: SG > Taipei (Jiufen) Day 2: Jilong Mountain > Jiufen Old Street Day 3: Jiufen Old Street > Taipei Main Station (Ximending) Day 4: Xindian (Bitan) > Wulai > Raohe Night Market + Rainbow Bridge Day 5: Banqiao > Day 6: Back to SG Our time at Jiufen Old Street Day 3 marked the end of our 3d2n stay at Jiufen. Throughout the 3D2N, it rained almost 90% of the time. So we only managed to walk around Jiufen Old Street. And I liked that. I don't know why but rather than having a pack itinerary of exploring everywhere within a day time, I preferred to relax and take time to just laze and enjoy the scenery while sipping tea, eating and shopping. From Jiufen Old Street back to Taipei Once again, we engaged a taxi that took us back to Taipei instead of lugging our luggage and take the bus->train to Taipei. Yes, the cost is a lot more but we picked the ease of travelling back to Taipei. Back at Taipei Too early to check in, we left our luggage at O2 Hotel (Taipei...

Day 1: SG > Taipei (Jiufen) Day 2: Jilong Mountain > Jiufen Old Street Day 3: Jiufen Old Street > Taipei Main Station (Ximending) Day 4: Xindian (Bitan) > Wulai > Raohe Night Market + Rainbow Bridge Day 5: Banqiao > Day 6: Back to SG Jiufen Old Street The way back to Jiufen Old Street seemed shorter. Maybe it's also because we were just too keen to go for food and get some shelter from the rain. Although it was still early, tourists were already gathering at the Jiufen Old Street. We went to popular  A Mei Teahouse . This is definitely a nice place to chill out. The stairway to the teahouse Had snacks, sipped some tea, enjoyed the view. But our hungry stomach reminded us to head out for more food since we were at Jiufen Old Street. Local Delicacies not to miss: Braised Pork Belly Rice , Meatball Soup , Egg Omelette 九份芋圆 (Jiu Fen Taro Balls) Cold weather? It's time for steamboat ! And some Xiao Long Bao Some snacks to takeaway. Due to rain (and laziness), we he...

Day 1: SG > Taipei (Jiufen) Day 2: Jilong Mountain > Jiufen Old Street (Part 1) Day 3: Jiufen Old Street > Taipei Main Station (Ximending) Day 4: Xindian (Bitan) > Wulai > Raohe Night Market + Rainbow Bridge Day 5: Banqiao > Day 6: Back to SG Jilong Mountain Start of our day We woke up to a gloomy weather, cloudy morning. But after a quick simple breakfast catered for together with our accommodation package, we proceed to make our very FIRST attempt at hiking.  Cloudy morning Hiking... Walking It was only around 10 minutes walk from our accommodation place and we at the foot of Jilong mountain. Along the way, there were warning signs to look out for snakes which was a main concern for me. But fortunately, we didn't encounter it. The nice stairway up the mountain. The red color plate is the warning sign. Further up the walkway. And more steps ahead The more we ascended, the colder it became. We were still this far away and we turned back because...

I wrote the below 2 years ago but didn't post it.. Thinking I could actually revisit Taiwan again but sadly due to covid-19... Anyway, posting it now. Went during Oct 2019, it was a rainy season.  Took an afternoon flight...  The good and bad about travelling in the afternoon. "Good" = can check-in to our accommodation once we reached. "Bad" = caused of the timing. Almost the entire day gone when we finally reach our accommodation area. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A trip where I finally went for "trekking".  My 6D5N Trip Day 1: SG > Taipei (Jiufen) Day 2: Jilong Mountain > Jiufen Old Street Day 3: Jiufen Old Street > Taipei Main Station (Ximending) Day 4: Xindian (Bitan) > Wulai > Raohe Night Market + Rainbow Bridge Day 5: Banqiao > Day 6: Back to SG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a rainy day on our day of arrival.  Transport ...

Just one fine day, my window photo viewer become yellowish when I viewed pictures. Being a "lazy bum", I ignored it as I assumed upon my next computer restart, everything will be fine. But it didn't.  The problem was there on for months till I became quite annoyed by the yellowish flaw due to frequent computer picture viewing. So I tried to find the solution to fix it. It only took a while and I found this link which resolved my issue! So finally!!  I get to view my pictures on computer without the yellowish problem! Thank you so much! 1.                                                                                                                  2.        ...