Monthly Archives: June 2009

Shaw Centre Is Half Empty!

If you go to Shaw Centre, you’ll probably get the same impression I got. You’d think that this once fashionable place has become a ghost town. You’d think that at least half the tenants have moved out. The place has … Continue reading

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Broke Traveling

The Barclaycard Commercial Business Travel Survey reveals that more than 30 per cent of employees don’t claim back all of their travel expenses. The average amount left unclaimed was £373/- per person each year in the UK, totaling a possible … Continue reading

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What Makes a Great Hotel?

More than 30 years ago, when I first visited China, hot tea would be served in my room the moment the hotel staff saw a silver of light underneath my room door, indicating that I have risen for the day. … Continue reading

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The Romance of Travel

You spend a lot of time packing, and then two hours before your flight you leave for the airport. Despite all these years of traveling, you’ll probably forget to pack something. At the airport you struggle with the check in … Continue reading

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Malaysian Durians

If you are really serious about your durians,  forget those supermarket ones – those are for hoi polloi – instead, head down to Chin Yong Fruits Trading at 23, Teck Chye Terrace (tel: 6285 9371) and look for Ah Heng. … Continue reading

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I Miss Korea

More than ten years ago, long before even the term “Korean Wave” was coined, I spent a year in Seoul on a consulting engagement. I enjoyed my time in Korea, the friends I made, the weather and the cuisine. I’ve … Continue reading

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Reduced to a Dash

Look at the obits  in the papers. Isn’t it sad to note that a person’s life is usually summed up by “[year of birth] – [year of death]”? No matter who that person was, the dash between his year of … Continue reading

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Ordering at the Local Kopi-tiam

Kopi: coffee, condensed milk, sugar Kopi oh: black coffee, sugar Kopi oh kosong: black coffee, no sugar Kopi si: coffee, evaporated milk, sugar Kopi si kosong: coffee, evaporated milk, no sugar Kopi siew tai: coffee, condensed milk, less sugar Kopi … Continue reading

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Good to the Last Dropping

If you are a purist, and you insist on grinding your own coffee beans using your coffee machine that costs beaucoup moola, then don’t waste time drinking all kinds of crap. Drink the best. Drink Kopi Luwak. Did you watch … Continue reading

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New Toy

I had coffee machines that cost thousands of dollars. These machines grind the coffee beans before brewing me a “fresh” cuppa of my fave Java. Effort is required to purchase the right beans from the right sources, loading them into … Continue reading

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