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Old-Style Children's Toy Box @ Shiroi Koibito Park [Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan]

May 31, 2018, 8:21 am
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What relevance do toys have with a chocolate factory? Plenty as i recall loving milk chocolates as a kid and even though i find them a tad sweet nowadays; i have taken a gradual liking to bitter chocolates! 

Anyway, this children's toy box held a lot of classic toys that came from the Japanese imperial periods of Meiji, Taisho and Showa; for those who are better acquainted with Gregorian calendar, i am referring to year 1868 to 1989. 

Though i might not have lived THAT long, i can recognise some of the toys popular in my childhood; ultraman, astroboy etc. A few have regained popularity in recent years; like Pokemon! 

No idea why this monster was placed here and i am unaware of what show it belonged to! Anyone can help to enlighten as i don't think it's part of the alien / predatory film series?

Box compartments filled with childhood memories; mickey mouse, snoopy, winnie the pooh, characters from sesame street, doraemon etc. I can even recognise some of the toys that i actually still have in my parents' place! 

Strangely, i couldn't find my favourite manga character which, coincidentally, came from Japan! Maybe because it's not a good influence for kids. Want to guess which character? It's the dirty-minded five year old kid; crayon shin chan! 

Shelves full of toys from over the years! It's a bit cluttered as i was rushing for time; i didn't have the luxury to scroll through every single item.

Unless it caught my attention; e.g. darth vader surrounded by force lightning although he can't use the dark side power as his arms were already severed by Count Dooku. 

An antique organ?

More familiar with the jukebox; up to the early 1990s, i still remember listening to music played by the coin-operated device. However, the gaining traction for MP3 quickened the death of this nostalgic instrument. 

Those interested in tin toys would be amazed by what they have in this toy box! Okay, maybe i exaggerated a little as this is the first time i am seeing so many on display! 

Housed on a large table with a glass / plastic cover, i counted a lot more war machines like warships, fighter planes which i presume were popular during the war times. 

I have seen them around even though i don't know if there's a name for such dolls. Omg, they belonged to a brand known as kewpie that 'debuted in 1908' according to Wikipedia and all the while, i thought kewpie is the brand of a personal-favourite salad dressing! 

A luggage with maybe a dozen footballs! I am no football fan and wouldn't recognise the significance of the signed balls. It's the brand of the luggage that took my breath away; a Louis Vuitton! 

Specially for football fans who might be interested to know more about the footballs.

Despite my lack of understanding for the game played on a soccer pitch chased by 11 players from two teams, i do know that Brazil footballers are known to be the best and the team has won the World Cup 5 times! 

More toys from eons ago.

Peko Chan - apparently a very famous mascot from a confectionery company! In my google search for the character, i chanced upon a website which provided a rather unbelievably scary background. You can read more here.

Mock up of a Japanese home in the past - kind of reminded me of the visit i made to the interesting Ghost Museum in Penang! 

Not sure if i should count a memorial of The Beatles as part of 'toys' even though music entertainment could also be considered as part of our childhood. 

On the bottom of the cupboard was a section dedicated to Princess Diana; wife to Prince Charles, mother to Prince William and the recently hitched Prince Harry. In my childhood, the real-life example of a princess for many kids is Princess Diana and for that, it's definitely deserving to include her in the Old-Style Children's Toy Box at Shiroi Koibito Park.

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Location
Level 2, Tudor House, Shiroi Koibito Park, 
Miyanosawa 2-jo 2-chome, Nishi-ku, 
Sapporo 063-0052, Hokkaido, Japan 

Nearest Subway Station 
Miyanosawa Subway Station (Tozai Line) 

Website

Pricing 
Free Access! 


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Tropical Monkeys Section @ Sapporo Maruyama Zoo [Hokkaido, Japan]

June 1, 2018, 7:47 pm
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Coming from a tropical country and one with a zoo that's known to be one of the top ten around the world, i wasn't expecting anything much when i stepped into the tropical monkeys zone at Maruyama Zoo.

The line of segmented glass enclosures greeted us.

Mock tree trunks with tied up tree branches and sometimes, toys to simulate playing. Strangely, we didn't see any primates in the enclosures.

Turned out they were all 'outdoors'; albeit still in caged enclosures to take advantage of the cool summer in Hokkaido. As Singapore is summer all year round (weather is either hot, wet or both), the residents mostly preferred places with air-conditioning; i.e. shopping malls. 

Finally spotted the monkeys! 

Have i mentioned before that i have always been drawn to the mandrill with its unique, colourful features? Two most noticeable features stand out; one is obviously the face.

The other is the butt! In the wild, mandrills live in big groups and if you want to find a dominant male, look for the one with the most vibrant face and butt! To read more about mandrill, click here. 

Ring-tailed lemurs; popularized by the characterisation of a confident King Julien in the animation movie, Madagascar! 

De Brazza's monkey - with an iconic orange forehead, the one in the zoo appeared depressed. I think it's hard for humans not to attribute human behaviour to animals; put it this way, put me in a cage and i am likely going to go into a depressive state! 

Signs in English and Japanese were displayed to educate visitors.  

Ruffed lemur - with eyes that glazed over, it's sad to see and while i am of the opinion that animals should be free, where possible; i am also in a dilemma as i understand the educational value of a zoo.

Tufted capuchin - it can be heartbreaking for some (especially animal activists) to see an animal trying their ways to break out of their cages and unlike a pet dog, you can't just bring them out for a walk.

I am not going to delve into the various, often emotional, debates about animal rights and welfare in zoos etc; i have definitely seen some that ought to be closed down but i hardly have the credentials to step in and give my point of view. 

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Location
Maruyama Zoo, Miyagaoka 3 Banchi 1, Chuo-ku, 
064-0959, Hokkaido, Japan

Nearest Subway Station
Maruyama Koen (Exit 3).
Walk about 15 minutes.

Website

Pricing
Entrance tickets to the zoo apply at 600 yen an adult.


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Japanese Monkeys Section - Observatory & Resting Place @ Sapporo Maruyama Zoo [Hokkaido, Japan]

June 3, 2018, 5:51 am
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The picture of a troop of monkeys soaking in a hot spring that's surrounded by a blanket of white snow is unforgettable and while i didn't manage to encounter that for real; i did see, with my very own eyes, the said monkey species in Maruyama Zoo! 

Housed in a pit enclosure, there's also an observatory which functions as a resting place for visitors. In Singapore Zoo, a resting place is likely air-conditioned with a few vending machines selling expensive drinks but this one in Sapporo is even better.  

Endemic to Japan, this particular Japanese monkey species actually doesn't exist in Hokkaido; according to the information panel, the species 'occurs from Yakushima Island, Kogoshima, in the south to Shimokita Peninsula, Aomori, in the north'.

Whatever the case, they are here at Maruyama Zoo even though the sight that greeted us wasn't too enthusiastic with monkeys that appeared listless and lethargic.

Maybe because the weather was a bit warm on the day we visited, it could have counted as the day Singaporeans would term as 'nua' day where we basically stay in the house the whole day to rest and do practically nothing.

The attempts to escape - should monkeys be as intelligent as humans, we might be able to see a Sylvester Stallone in the making; the 'escape plan' movie he starred in remained memorable.

Alex making full use of his binoculars; a rarity itself as he had that for about ten years and i can count with one hand, the number of times he brought it out. 

Entering the observatory and resting place.

I mentioned vending machines and air-conditioning earlier for the zoo in Singapore; this one upped the game by providing rock climbing facility for kids! 

Glass separating humans from the primates.

Only one, seemingly elderly, monkey was close to us and he didn't give a hoot to our existence. 

Better view of the monkey mountain from the second level although without many monkeys in the premises, our interests waned after a while.

Most were hidden under the shade and on cool concrete flooring; without any simulating activity, many were focusing on just the picking of fleas / ticks.

Hm.... this piece of glass didn't seem safe; i can just imagine monkeys surrounding and subsequently attacking me if it were to crack under my feet! Maybe, it's only for the kids. 

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Location
Maruyama Zoo, Miyagaoka 3 Banchi 1, Chuo-ku, 
064-0959, Hokkaido, Japan

Nearest Subway Station
Maruyama Koen (Exit 3).
Walk about 15 minutes.

Website

Pricing
Entrance ticket to the zoo applies at 600 yen an adult.


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Busy With the Home Improvement Programme at my Parents Place - Start of Renovation! #hip #homeimprovementprogramme

June 4, 2018, 7:35 am
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I have been kind of busy with the home improvement programme (HIP) offered by Singapore's housing board which aimed to resolve maintenance issues faced by flats built before 1986; major of which would be a massive overhaul of the two toilets! 

While my own flat had already undergone the programme before i purchased it two years ago, it's not the case with my parents' flat as they only received the notification last year (i think) with work starting last Thursday.

There's a need for me to help out as we needed to clear so many things and most importantly, i had to put up plastic sheets so that the items are shielded from the dust and debris. To be honest, i am so glad i didn't have to go through the ordeal. 

It's extremely hard work to put up the sheets and as close friends would know, i am easily the clumsiest person in Singapore; it's a wonder i manage to survive for so long! 

Three hours; and my dad and i were only done with the kitchen, the master bedroom and the television console. We didn't even have enough plastic sheets to cover the big altar and the sofa set. It didn't help that the tapes didn't do a fantastic job sticking themselves to the wall tiles and ceiling!  

And given my age, it was back breaking! Compared to my 66-year dad, however, i think it's still safer for me to be on the ladder and high chair; despite my clumsiness. 

Purposely taking leave the next morning, i arrived at my parents' place after buying extra plastic sheets and tapes; only to realise that some sheets had dislodged and we had to re-tape them! After the trial and error the night before, we were much faster in taping the sheets with the stronger masking tapes recommended by the paint shop. 

Pity we were not as fast as the workers who quickly laid the flooring with protection and set up more plastic sheets (probed with poles) to protect our furniture; the sofa set was already cordoned off and i made the "executive" decision to just leave it "uncovered".

Dad giving a thumbs-up; hoping the minor renovation would proceed smoothly without any hiccup as the poor man has to take leave to 'jaga' the house. 

Anyway, just two pictures of the empty toilets; one in the kitchen and another in the master bedroom. Rare to see them so empty and definitely looking forward to their new 'look' in two weeks' time!
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Takara Box Vending Machine - Unveiling the Mystery and Expecting a Surprise @ Suntec City Shopping Mall [Singapore] #takarabox #sunteccity

June 5, 2018, 8:27 am
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Mama shops, scattered at void decks of housing estates in the 80s, were popular with Singaporean kids due to the wide array of toys, snacks and sweets. I was no exception and particularly enjoyed the pack of mystery bags where i always hoped to be surprised by what's within the thin layer of black plastic. 

I am now closing to 40 years old yet i couldn't resist allure of 'mystery bags' when i walked past the two vending machines above, with photos of customers beaming with attractive wins like iPhone, game stations using just S$5!

Just in case you have assumed wrongly, i didn't force Alex to feed the machine. He loves being surprised and apparently, his confidence of lady luck smiling on him was sky high that day. 

Now is the 'lottery' moment; key in the number for the takara box you feel you are fated for. Choose correctly and you would get a big win; wrongly and the value would likely be much lower than the five bucks you fed into the machine. It's a gamble.

Identical boxes with colour differentiation; blue or pink. I would have preferred something neutral like black, white, gray, silver or gold but i guess the operator has to make their products visually attractive to appeal to the increasingly picky consumers. 

As expected, Alex got himself the blue one and i can sense his nervousness as he attempted to open the box. It's not a big sum for him although the draw lies with the thrill of getting stuff that's worth a lot more than the S$5.

Oh. Yes, that's the exact word going through our minds at the same time. It sure didn't look much even though we were hopeful there's more inside the zipped pouch. 

Sadly, it's really just a coin pouch that might not cost more than S$3 at pasar malams but being a seasoned gambler (who occasionally visit the casino at Marina Bay Sands); he took the loss in his stride. Sometimes in life, you win some, you lose some. 

Anyway, please recycle the empty box by throwing it in the dustbins by the sides of the vending machines!

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Location
Numerous and the one we went to was at 
Suntec City Shopping Mall 
North Wing Level 2

Facebook Page
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Children's Zoo - Where Some Animals Roam Freely @ Sapporo Maruyama Zoo [Hokkaido, Japan]

June 6, 2018, 7:11 am
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In any zoo, i believe the proportion of children takes up a high percentage in their visitor numbers and for that same reason, many of them chose to come up with attractions that specially target the kids.

In Singapore, we have the Rainforest KidzWorld at Singapore Zoological Garden and in Maruyama Zoo in Sapporo, there's a zoo in a zoo; the Children's Zoo. 

Upon stepping in, you would immediately be captivated by the free roaming sheep although they mostly kept within the hardly-there barricades; likely to stay beyond the reach of inquisitive and hyperactive kids. 

Talking about the kids, do keep an eye on them! Plenty of chocolate-like pebbles were scattered all over the floor and the last thing you want is to have your own kid generously taking a handful and putting them into their mouth! 

Shetland Pony - the word pony refers to horses below shoulder height of 147 centimeters and their comparatively diminutive size makes their popular as house pets.

Maybe that's possible in Hokkaido; just not in land-scarce Singapore. 

Informative panel, in Japanese and English. Honestly, i really appreciate the effort to have the information translated to a language that i can understand. 

Guinea pigs! 

All 24 of them; each with their own name and description of their pattern for ease of identification. Guinea pigs are actually extremely vocal and i can imagine their squeaks in response to their names being called.

There were enclosed sections within the children's zoo and the above would showcase one cute primate that can also be found in Singapore's River Safari! 


However, the experience is much more intimate at Singapore's River Safari where the primates reside in an open-concept enclosure known as Squirrel Monkey Forest.

Compare the above (at Maruyama Zoo) with the one at Squirrel Monkey Forest. Click here for more photographs of the Squirrel Monkey Forest in Singapore's River Safari.

Another free roaming area; this time for the geese and surprisingly, i don't see the environment to be littered with pee and poo. In Japan, almost everywhere is spick and span and the worst i had encountered was in a toilet near Suitengu Shrine at Otaru. 

Found the geese waddling about the compound.

Dosanko Forest - had no idea what animals were contained behind the glass panes although i did see a number of rat-like creatures.  

A subspecies of the mountain hare - it has a special ability; their coat turns white in winter! If you ask me, that's really interesting! 

Subspecies of the raccoon dog; the enclosure looked like it was close for maintenance with a net hanging over it. If i am the raccoon dog, i would 'fly up' to the net and chew my way through for freedom.

Not for this raccoon dog; maybe lack of motivation. By the way, the raccoon dog is known as tanuki in Japan and the tanukikoji shopping streets in Sapporo is named after it! 

The black tailed prairie dogs in Beaver Forest section; super adorable with their cute chipmunk faces, short legs and round bodies! 

A common raccoon sleeping comfortably in an uncomfortable position! So in comparison to the raccoon dog, what are the differences? In terms of species, raccoon dog belongs more to the dog family and if you are interested to know more, check out the post here. 

The missing American beaver; likely hidden in the mountain of twigs and woods! 

Did you realise the details that the operator put in? Knowing that kids can't be that tall, the fence was purposely built at that height so that the children of primary age can peer in without having to tiptoe. 

Domesticated fowl with the domesticated European rabbits.

Rabbit species at Maruyama Zoo were the kind highly sought after in Singapore; like the lop-ear, the flemish giants and ultra adorable Netherlands dwarf rabbits! 

Some barriers were literally just ropes across wooden poles! Should the same arrangement be made in Southeast Asian countries, i can guarantee you that kids and adults would venture in simply because it's not considered a barricade.

Parents might even argue that if you want to prevent people from going in; build something that's prohibitive. Sad yet true. 

The ever appealing peacock! I read in a news article that somewhere in China, visitors would actively search for peacocks and cruelly pluck out their feathers! 

Chicken coop.

Last few photographs of the free-roaming sheep before we exited the Children's Zoo to check out the rest of Sapporo Maruyama Zoo. 
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Location
Maruyama Zoo, Miyagaoka 3 Banchi 1, Chuo-ku, 
064-0959, Hokkaido, Japan

Nearest Subway Station
Maruyama Koen (Exit 3).
Walk about 15 minutes.

Website

Pricing
Entrance ticket to the zoo applies at 600 yen an adult.



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Big Fish Small Fish (Halal Certified) - Loving the Potato Crisps @ Northpoint City Shopping Mall [Singapore] #bigfishsmallfishsg #northpointcity

June 7, 2018, 8:57 am
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The line of container bistros in Punggol generated quite a buzz in the food scene last year and this popularity has no doubt resulted in the potential branching for the most famous ones.

One of which is Big Fish Small Fish which ventured into the 'dangerous' yet happening town of Yishun with its first air-conditioned restaurant in the expanded Northpoint City! 

I am obviously ecstatic as it's much closer to home and the last time i was in Punggol, i didn't manage to have its signature fish and chips crisps as the number queue was crazily off the chart; like 90 minutes of wait or something. 

Order via the self-service kiosks and pay using your cards (credit cards, NETS, Ezlink etc); just like McDonald's nowadays! For traditional cash payment, please visit the manned counter next to the kiosks.  

My parents and Alex were already seated and while it's free seating; a queuing system might be imposed during peak mealtimes; i chanced upon one on a Saturday evening. 

When i first saw this roll of paper, i honestly had no idea what it would be used for. Thankfully, i took references from other diners and as it was dinnertime, i had many to take references for. 

Let me assure you that it's not a large roll of patterned toilet paper; one touch and you would notice it feels somewhat like baking paper! 

Usage - to be laid on your table and i found them to be extremely useful after the meal when we cleaned up the table! Shall show more at the end of the post.

In the meantime, let's attack the self-served counters!

Self-served doesn't equate to free flow; at least not for the drink dispensers except for water. Cups can be collected from the manned counter after you order and pay for the drink at the kiosk.

Highlight of the restaurant - the free flow dips and sauces! You can choose from favorites like chilli sauce, cheese, salted egg, mayo curry or conventional ones (i.e. tartar, XO mayo, tomato sauce).

Aside from using your hands (no free flow serviettes by the way), you can also take the plastic forks, spoons or knifes? Still prefer eating with the hands yet dislike the greasiness? You may consider the plastic gloves from the box next to the hanging sauce dispensers.

I didn't check out all the sauces / dips; if i recall correctly, the above are chilli sauce, tartar sauce, salted egg and curry mayo! No cheese as our family isn't big on cheese. p.s. curry mayo tasted like a thicker version of McDonald's curry sauce.

The TV screen above the self-served counters finally screened the number on my receipt and it's so satisfying to have all the crisps poured onto the grease-papered table! 

Seabass Rice - mom isn't a fan of western cuisine and it's so fortunate that big fish small fish offered mushroom rice offerings with either fried salmon / seabass! You know what? The mushroom rice is legit not bad and i actually initially thought it's just a gimmick to justify the high price. 

Coleslaw - fresh, chunky and crunchy; reminded me of the coleslaw in the good old kentucky fried chicken days more than 20 years ago. 

Dory Fish & Crisps - close friends would know i don't enjoy anything that's potato related unless it's sweet potatoes. However, the thinly sliced potato crisps from Big Fish Small Fish are irresistible and it's a literal walk on clouds when you dip them in the sauces! 

The comfortably sized deep fried dory - texture was solid and you know it's not the mushy kind that has the ability to get stuck in between your teeth. Very dangerous by the way as it can result in tooth decay if you don't floss your teeth correctly. 

*Crunch* The thin, crispy crust gave out that delightful sound and the next thing meeting my teeth was hot dory fish that remained moist to the bite! Oily? It's not dripping oil for sure and i must say its greasiness was managed well; in some places, the fried fish tasted kinda of disgusting after a while and it's not the same case here. 

Cleaning up was a breeze with the grease paper and the large paper cones that came with the best selling dory fish and crisps.

Just crumbled up the paper, squeeze them into the cones and throw them in the bins! Gosh, the table was so clean; to the extent that you wouldn't have guessed we were having delicious fish and crisps just a few moments ago!  

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Location
930 Yishun Avenue 2, 769098Northpoint City, 
South Wing #02-132, Singapore 769098
(across from Yishun MRT Station)

Website

Usual Menu
As above.

Pricing
Seabass Rice - S$11.90
Coleslaw - S$3.90
Dory Fish & Crisps - S$7.90
(Inclusive of GST)
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Mae Noi Thai Food - A Hidden Gem at Bugis Street Market in Singapore

June 8, 2018, 8:30 am
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To be totally truthful, i assumed that the bugis street market opposite bugis junction was solely catered for the tourists and didn't even bother to check it out despite being a regular visitor to the bugis area!

Thanks to BakingLala, i was brought to the top level of the supposedly touristy market (there was a ton of manicure / pedicure salons) where a small dining area, with two stalls, existed. 

Even though i have been quite a big fan of the china-originated mala, Lala insisted i must try the thai food and i can see why; most of the tables had dishes of Thai food on them! 

Thai Ice Lemongrass - loving it as it was strong of lemongrass with a touch of ginger and unlike many Thai beverages, it's not insanely sweet!

Deep Fried Lemongrass Chicken Wing - this didn't quite make the cut as i couldn't discern the lemongrass in it! However, the skin was pretty crispy and if you could forgo the rather bland meat, i believe it might be good provided you get a saucer of thai chilli sauce from the counter.

Thai Green Curry Chicken with Rice - after my Phuket trip earlier this year, i frequently have craving for curry whenever i patronize a Thai stall / restaurant and while the consistency was thicker at Mae Noi Thai Food, it wasn't as memorable as what i had in Thailand. p.s. quite generous with the meat.

Thai Style Fried Omelet - i always mention about the thai omelet at Terminal 21's Pier 21 in Bangkok and although quality has dropped in my recent visit; the above one was in fact better than Pier 21 when it was still good!

An impressive crisp underside with a fluffy, oily middle! It was so delicious and i am now thinking if i should persuade my friends to lobo at bugis tomorrow, instead of the decided tiong bahru. 

Whacked up everything! I took a bite of BakingLala's tom yam seafood fried rice and it was surprisingly good. Shall keep that in mind the next time i visit (which could be tomorrow). By the way, you can opt for less spicy, more spicy or even non-spicy and the chefs would try their best to accommodate! 

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Location
3 New Bugis Street,
#03-38, Bugis Street Market,
Singapore 188867

Location Map

As above.

Opening Hours
Mondays - Saturdays: 10.00 am to 9.00 pm
Sundays - Closed

Facebook Page

Menu
As above.

Lunch Menu
As above.

Pricing
Thai Ice Lemongrass - S$1.80
Deep Fried Lemongrass Chicken Wing - S$1.60 a piece
Thai Green Curry Chicken with Rice - S$5.00
Thai Style Fried Omelet - S$6.00
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Reptiles and Amphibians Hall @ Sapporo Maruyama Zoo [Hokkaido, Japan]

June 9, 2018, 8:53 am
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Reptiles and amphibians generally don't interest me and i used to be afraid of stepping into an arena filled with them as my only fear in life is snakes. Nevertheless, i believe in facing my fear! 

Map of the Reptiles and Amphibians Hall. 

Tortoises and turtles are much more agreeable for my mental health but the selection in Maruyama Zoo was rather limited and for those who take a strong liking to them should consider the Singapore's The Live Turtle and Tortoise Museum.

False gharial with its long snout which is common in the Malay peninsula, Sumatra and the Borneo islands; technically meaning they are located pretty near Singapore! 

The kind of action humans like to do in zoo; including me. This brings to mind the movie i watched tonight; Jurassic World. Imagine doing that to an indoraptor! 

Rhinoceros Iguana - cute right? When i was younger, i actually wanted to keep a green iguana! Despite their fierce-looking face, green iguanas are vegetarian and known to be affectionate towards caring keepers. 

The cutest among crocodiles and alligators; the Chinese Alligator! I first saw this species at River Safari and in addition to be taken aback by its adorable face, i was equally shocked to hear that there were only about 150 of them left in the wild. 

Looks like a red eared slider turtle without the signature red marking. 

Forging ahead to the snake enclosures - i did mention about facing our fear and i will provide they are probably caged up in enclosures. You wouldn't catch me walking in the woods if i were to know there were plenty of snakes! 

Thankfully for me, i am relatively 'blind' to my surroundings and i can't spot snakes very easily; not when they are well camouflaged!  

Jungle Carpet Python.

Water Monitor - incredibly common in Southeast Asia and at Bangkok's Dusit Zoo, there's an outdoor area where the water monitors thrive! 

Beautiful snake with emerald-like skin.

Tokay Gecko - i can't stand lizards too even though being fearful of them would be too exaggerated. Anyway, to me, geckos are bigger versions of lizards. 

Monkey-tailed skink - well, doesn't look anything like a monkey tail... Skinks are not that uncommon in Singapore and i spotted one before, right in my office! 

Green and Black Poison Dart Frog - eh, isn't that more blue and black? No, i don't have colour blindness. According to the panel, this species has different colour combinations.

In order to make the reptiles and amphibians feel at home, it's important to replicate their local setting and even though it's financially hard to provide a large space, a smaller space does provide visitors a convenience in trying to spot them.

Like this mossy frog; i thought it had fused with its water bowl! 

Yellow banded poison dart frog and blue poison dart frog, respectively. Their name is appropriate as their skin secretes a defensive nerve toxin that indigenous tribes apply to their arrows. 


Alex took a lot of photographs and i wonder if he would ever refer to them again in the future. Nowadays, we tend to hold on to too much data! 

Angel Island Chuckwalla - named after angel de la guarda; an island in Mexico. 

Chinese Crocodile Lizard - after a while, the only creature running in my mind is dinosaur! All of them have the same features according to an untrained eye! 

Broad-shelled Turtle - Singaporeans are more aware of their alternative name; snake necked and there were many at The Live Turtle and Tortoise Museum.

Japanese Rat Snake! Non venomous and can grow up to 2 meters! Found all over Japan except in Okinawa and the one in Hokkaido is known to have a bluish tinge! 

Japanese Forest Rat Snake - similar to the Japanese rat snake, i thought this forest species had a more palatable look; to the extent i can consider keeping one as pet! 

Japanese Striped Snake - apparently, there are quite a number of snake species endemic to Japan. Whatever the case, it's a heart in the mouth moment when i saw the above.

An active snake attempting to break free! 

And i didn't know why; another snake (a black variant of the Japanese striped snake called crow snake) in a separate enclosure was making the same move! The last thing i want is to have a free snake roaming around! 

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Location
Maruyama Zoo, Miyagaoka 3 Banchi 1, Chuo-ku, 
064-0959, Hokkaido, Japan

Nearest Subway Station
Maruyama Koen (Exit 3).
Walk about 15 minutes.

Website

Pricing
Entrance ticket to the zoo applies at 600 yen an adult.



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FX Metrolink Makkasan Hotel - A Long, Overdue Review @ Bangkok [Thailand]

June 9, 2018, 9:27 pm
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First and foremost, this is long overdue as the subject indicated since i stayed at FX Metrolink Makkasan Hotel almost a year back in August 2017! Hence, there might be some changes over this almost one past year.

The reason why i chose this particular 90-room hotel is due to its centralized location in between the city center and the airport and its convenience of being situated close to petchaburi MRT station and Makkasan station of the Airport Rail Link stations. Both factors were important then as i was only in transit (from Hokkaido to Singapore) for less than 24 hours!

From Makkasan station of the Airport Rail Link, it took us about 8 minutes' of walk to FX Metrolink and this involved going down the underpass that connects to petchaburi MRT station.

Checking in to the hotel; maybe due to its location, the standard of English is one of the highest i have seen for a hotel that's not of 4 / 5-star category.

Resident restaurant on the lobby level; my stay came with breakfast as my flight the next day was pretty early and i thought we might as well add it in for just a few dollars extra.

Got the keycard to room 501 and WiFi password!

Wah! In comparison to our tiny accommodation at UNIZO Inn in Sapporo, the space was a luxury and even the bed was the legit queen size!

There's a large window overlooking the busy cross junction and there's a pretty comfy chair for us to sip on a cup of tea while we mesmerized about our past few days in Hokkaido. Latter didn't happen obviously as we didn't have sufficient time in Bangkok!

A wardrobe, which we didn't have in UNIZO Inn, although we only had a backpack with us for the one night stay. In addition to the bathrobes, safe and hairdryer, there's strangely a mini-fridge in the wardrobe. Thought it's more common to have it near the tv console or the study table.

The usual - the hotel is managed by Furama International and branded as a boutique hotel; hence, some of the items are labelled with the Furama logo.

In-house massage service which we would have considered if not for the fact that i had already made  my mind to re-experience the super relaxing massage at Urban Retreat!

Bathroom - no rainfall shower and most importantly, don't have the Japanese bathtub that i had been extremely comfortable with using for the past few days at UNIZO Inn in Sapporo! :(

On our way to the swimspa pool and fitness room; otherwise known simply as the pool and gym, respectively, at the rooftop level of the seven-storey hotel.

Simple gym.

Pool had a fantastic view of the surroundings.

Only issue; it was more a humongous bathtub that honestly needed some cleaning and maintenance; you should be able to spot the yellowish stains in the photo above.

Breakfast time with a decent spread consisting of salad, toast, cereals and mains. Again, i am never much of a breakfast persona and if i need to kick-start my day, it's usually just toasted bread with jam and butter.

Which i did once again at FX Metrolink Makkasan Hotel; i did attempt the mains and must say the fried noodles were unexpectedly yummy!

=====

Location
57 Asok-Din Daeng Rd, Khwaeng Makkasan, 
Khet Ratchathewi, กรุงเทพมหานคร 10310, Thailand

Location Map


Pricing
S$66.43 via hotels.com
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A Refreshing Walk Along a Boardwalk Lined with Tall Trees @ Maruyama Park [Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan]

June 11, 2018, 7:55 am
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A walk in the park isn't exactly desirable in Singapore given the heat and humidity but i think i will manage in Maruyama park in Sapporo; especially this particular section that's lined with towering trees! 

Although it's situated rather near to the road that runs towards Maruyama Zoo, we were fortunate that the traffic that day was slow and it proved to be an exhilarating stroll for both Alex and i.

Coupled with the peacefulness was of course the mere fact that summer in Hokkaido was still in the mid-20 degree celcius range! And given the gloomy weather, i think it felt more like the low 20s. 

Spotted a torii beyond the foliage and it's not part of the impressive Hokkaido Shrine which was in fact across the road that leads to Maruyama Zoo. As it was our official last full day in Hokkaido, we didn't manage to explore further.

Vertical panorama to show you how tall the trees were! 

Protecting the trees rather than removing the trees to accommodate the installation of boardwalk; honestly, i don't what these trees actually were. More like pine trees even though i tend to collectively categorize such tall trees as pine. I could be wrong.

Other examples of trees being protected instead of sacrificed.

Coming to the end of the path which took us maybe about five minutes? It was definitely well worth the time and i will strongly encourage those who walk from Maruyama koen subway station to Maruyama Zoo to check out the boardwalk! 

The above gave me a good scare as i thought they were baby snakes! 
*faintz*

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Location
Within Maruyama Park,
Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

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Daruma Honten Genghis Khan (Main Store) - Mutton BBQ in Sapporro [Hokkaido, Japan]

June 13, 2018, 7:47 am
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I was all out to ensure i chose the correct place for my 'last dinner' in Hokkaido and even though there were a few recommendations listed in my itinerary; it's hard to narrow down a decision!

Eventually, we opted for something different from the typical Japanese fare; Mutton BBQ (also known as Jingisukan) and i selected a well known restaurant currently ranked 10th on TripAdvisor and that's out of 9,296 restaurants in Sapporo!

Daruma Honten Genghis Khan (Main Store) - judging from the queue in front of the store, i think we can roughly gauge its popularity. However, it wasn't insanely long as compared to the epic queue we have in Singapore sometimes (think Man Man Japanese Unagi restaurant) yet i was in line for almost an hour.

Only when i was slightly nearer to the entrance that i managed to peek in and totally understood why the queue was moving so slowly! This original store, founded in 1954, had only seating for 15 persons!

Those who couldn't stand waiting might want to consider exploring three other branches which are all within walking distance. Do take note that seating capacity would also be limited; from 18 to 25.

Alex grinning from ear to ear as he was famished and we were finally at the head of the queue! With the alluring BBQ aroma dispersing out whenever a satisfied diner exited the restaurant, i can tell you that we couldn't wait to immerse outside in the smoky environment!

Finally! p.s. please do not do any shopping or bring in large bags as there's literally no extra space! I was lucky to be seated right at the end; for those in the middle, you would have diners walking in and walking out and having a big bag blocking the way can be a huge inconvenience!

Had smaller hangs? Make use of the hooks!

Charcoal powered BBQ and i am assuming it's some high quality charcoal as the smoke, though thick within the restaurant, wasn't choking and there were so many such 'urns' around the bar counter!

Originally wanting to try the special mutton cuts, i am saddened to hear from the sweet Japanese server that they were sold out as the restaurant was only open from 5pm and i would have expected the stock to last more than just a few hours.

Had to make do with their standard Mongolian barbecue set instead.

Since almost every diner had a mug of Kirin draft beer in front of them, i felt obligated to get one to wash down the oily content i was going to indulge in shortly! Didn't regret my choice as it was a perfect combination to barbecued meat!

Otoshi - a plate of pickled vegetables would be served as part of the culture for those who ordered alcoholic drinks. Please keep in mind that it would cost you 200 yen (before tax) and honestly, i could do without it as the lightly pickled vegetables can't be compared to our local achar or korean kimchi! Nevertheless, respect for the local culture is a must when one is overseas.

Our raw mutton - i was expecting some kind of marination but i looked left and right; conclusion, think it's really just plain meat. Now, i can be negative about this but serving non-marinated meat is a real test on its freshness! Hence, my only grouch was on the portion; not many slices of meat...

On the metal skillet which was oiled by a thick chunk of raw fat! I am a big lover of onions and really liked the fact that a generous amount was given.

Meat was about done, i think.

Throw it in the dipping sauce that's peppered with sesame seeds and take a bite. Hm...... i couldn't quite discern the freshness of the meat and it didn't help that i am not a great cook with a tendency to undercook / overcook my meat.

More on the skillet! By the way, although the meat was mutton, there's only a faint gamey taste towards the end that's barely noticeable! Alex didn't quite like it though and would rather spend his money on wagyu beef at Log House Wagyu Bibi Restaurant.

A new piece of fat; no, i didn't manage to eat the one that had oiled the skillet from the beginning and almost cursed the server from throwing the 'old' fat. :(

Waiting for the new 'fat' to be grilled to an 'edible' state.

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Address
Minami 5jo Nishi 4, Crystal Building 1F, 
Sapporo 064-0805 Hokkaido, Japan

Location Map
As above.

Operating Hours
5.00 pm - 3.00 am

Menu 
As above

Pricing
Mongolian Barbecue - 785 yen
Oolong Tea - 250 yen
Rice (Large) - 300 yen 
Pickled Vegetables - 200 yen
Draft Beer (Medium) - 500 yen
(Subject to Tax)

Brochure
As above for your viewing pleasure. 


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The Pink Ferris Wheel on Top of NORBESA Building @ Sapporo [Hokkaido, Japan]

June 15, 2018, 8:30 am
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The fact that we didn't manage to check out Mt Moiwa the day before kind of resulted in us thinking of alternatives and while we had options like JR Tower and Sapporo TV Tower; we guess it's more memorable to take the "only Ferris wheel on the roof of a building in Hokkaido"! 

Purchase your tickets via the self-serviced kiosk which was extremely straightforward; in my opinion, foolproof. Select the number of persons, slot in the money for payment and collect your tickets.

Let's now enter the gondola; p.s. in case you are wondering, entry wasn't self-serviced and you would have to show your ticket to gain access. Hence, don't lose the ticket if you decide to buy first, shop and then take the ferris wheel later. 

Each gondola can only sit 4 persons! 

It's literally a largely-pink ferris wheel with the other color being the mainly white. This brings back memories of my stay at Taiwan's Misty Villa in Cingjing where we were allocated a pink room.

Beginning our ascent with a view of the bright yellow-orangey horizon as the sun prepared to set at about a little past 5.00 pm. Look closely for the location of Tokyo Hands building! 

NORBESA is a seven-floor commercial building situated in the popular entertainment and nightlife district known as Susukino. It's interesting to go through some of their resident retailers which include a huge comic store and a 24-hour internet cafe. 

Mountain view.

Sapporo TV Tower in front of us! As Japan is known as the Land of Earthquakes, i am frequently marveled by the number of towering buildings we chanced upon in Hokkaido. 

I know it's weird for me to share the above photo but the objective is applicable for those who would be renting a car. Parking in Sapporo can be deadly expensive and i saw that this particular multi-storey carpark is charging just 900 yen for one-day parking! p.s. to be fair, i am unsure if the rate is for 24-hour.

Reaching the apex of the ferris wheel! Come at night for illuminated view of the city! Furthermore, the wheel itself would be decked out in moving lights that highlighted its location in Sapporo! 

Highest point, if i didn't read wrongly, should be 78 meters above ground, with the diameter of the wheel being 45.5 meters. yes, not freakish tall compared to JR Tower and Sapporo TV Tower.

Can't remember why i took this picture; likely to show the pink ledge with flaking paint that looked like birds have decided to bomb it with their natural digestive output.

Another view of the mountain range that's shrouded with low lying clouds.

Zoomed in view of Sapporo TV Tower which also showed the time at that moment; by the way, each cycle of the ferris wheel takes about 10 minutes.

Alex with his wide, braces-perfected smile! 

Picture of me trying to capture a shot of the internal workings of the ferris wheel.

So many bars just to hold up everything! Sometimes, i find engineering fascinating although i don't quite understand physics despite scoring a decent B3 for pure physics in the 'O' levels. 

Remember the above? Those who have read Day 6 of my Hokkaido trip might recall it's the Mt. Okura Ski Jump Stadium used for the 1972 Winter Olympics! 

Coming to the end of our cycle - maybe because it's a slow moving Thursday, there were not many visitors and i think there's only a group ahead of us and another one stepping in when we left.

Final picture with an ugly plastic bag on the side! 

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Address
Japan, 〒060-0063 Hokkaido, Sapporo, 
Chuo, Minami 3 Jonishi, 5 Chome−1-1

Location Map
As above.

Operating Hours
Sundays to Thursdays - 11.00 am to 11.00 pm
Fridays to Saturdays - 11.00 am to 3.00 am

Ticket Pricing
600 yen per person
2,000 per gondola (4-person)


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Penang Place Buffet (Meat From Halal Sources) - Good Quality Food at Less than S$30 Per Person for Weekday Lunch @ Suntec City Mall West Wing [Singapore]

June 16, 2018, 12:12 am
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My first visit to Penang Place was when it was still located at Fusionopolis and on both times; they were for official departmental lunches. I love the food there and despite having the intention to bring my family one day, it never did materialize and before i knew it, it had closed for good.

Nothing's lost though as Penang Place had re-opened at a way more centralized venue (Suntec City Mall) and while i procrastinated on visiting its new outlet; a friend's sister passed me two buffet vouchers which kind of 'forced' me to go as there's a validity date!

I took time-off from work on a Friday and was right on time! My partner-in-crime shall be my dearest mom who is a great cook herself! The good thing about eating out with my mom is that she likes to have her dinner early and we often have the whole place to ourselves, as in the case at Penang Place.

Featuring the same wooden tables and chairs found at Fusionopolis, there were touches of class with the hanging chandeliers. There were two separate dining sections with the one we were in hidden from the shoppers' view.

A jar of ice-cold plain water was placed on our table! You can choose to order other drinks (at extra cost) but i am good with just good, old healthy water.

It's hard deciding how to conceptualize this post and i guess it might be better to show what's available in the buffet first to whet your appetite. Do note that there are usually about 30 dishes and what you see today is not a full menu. 

Like this pot of chilli chicken de sri mutiara - essentially, 'fried chicken in special sweet chilli sauce'! As with any buffet, take just one and try; if it is something that eventually tastes good, take another one later! Don't be greedy and take a lot as it would not only deprive others from trying it, you might not even like it!

Make your own kueh pie tee! Now, i never like making my own as i tend to not follow the ratio and might even eliminate a few ingredients thinking they might not make a difference.

Mains with first two photos showing both ends of the line; you can find curry chicken, beef rendang, curry sotong, vegetables, assam prawns and nasi lemak rice (with the accompanying sambal chilli, peanuts etc). 

Most popular dish in the entire Penang Place has to be their Penang Char Kway Teow! At the moment when we stepped in, all food were ready with exception of this popularity number 1 dish.

Here it is! I had tried the so called authentic char kway teow back when i visited Penang in 2016 and honestly, i still prefer the one from Penang Place!

Live stations for penang hokkien mee (soup based) and jiu hu eng chai (cuttlefish with water spinach); nope, not a big fan for both dishes.

Another self-service station; this time for the assam laksa!

Crispy spring roll, variety of lobak, salted egg custard bun, prawn / chicken siew mai and chicken satay! Hint: grab the chicken satay first as they run out pretty fast.

Another self-serviced kiosk - for Penang mixed fruit rojak! Despite the instructions, i pretty much failed in whipping up a decent plate of fruit rojak. Think mom would do a better job than i. 

My favourite section; desserts! 

There were your usual salads like garden and mesclun salad plus local versions like mango kerabu (mango salad) and acar (pickled vegetables with peanuts and sesame seeds)! Do also try the century eggs if you have never tried it before; you either like or hate it, like durians! 

Loving most of the nyonya kuehs; kueh lapis, kueh kosui (palm sugar rice cake), pulut tai tai (steamed glutinous rice that's eaten with kaya) and kueh salat (steamed glutinous rice with pandan custard top). Missing from the above picture are two pots of hot soupy desserts; pulut hitam (black glutinous rice porridge) and red bean longan soup.

Make your own chendol or ice kacang! 
Okay, at least i managed to pull off something decent from this. 

Last stop - the fridge that's had fruits (watermelon, oranges, apples, honeydew) and others like mango pudding, gui ling gao (herbal jelly) and agar agar (old school jelly).

Now that i am done with showcasing the variety of food you could expect at Penang Place, it's time to present to you what my mom and i had in the 90 minutes we were there! 

Starting with the soup based mains which my mom likes; penang hokkien mee and assam laksa! Former had a flavourful broth while the latter had an addictive sourness that's super shiok! However, let's not waste our stomach space on carbohydrates! 

Not bad salted egg custard bun (grey dough), prawn siew mai (green dough skin) and chicken siew mai (chicken dough skin). Take caution with the salted egg custard bun as the hot, delicious content would burst out if you are not careful. 

My failed rojak; my fault for being too generous with the prawn paste which kind of made the fruits overwhelming tasting. 

I often feel that satays sold in restaurants were lacking in standard and couldn't even be compared to what we had in the hawker centres. These at Penang Place were meaty and juicy and definitely comparable to those from the good hawker stalls! 

Herbal duck soup was like one of the best-tasting soup i had with a herbal sweetness that's light on the palate! I would have drunk the entire pot in my younger, growing days but give my age, and (full stomach), it's still a marvel i managed three bowls.

Mains which included the spicy, wok-heo infused char kway teow! If you can't take spiciness, inform the server as i understand they could specially fry a non-spicy one for you. Chilli chicken de sri mutiara was like the southeast Asian version of 4Fingers while the assam prawns had a sweet tinge that's totally not the assam i was expecting. Curry chicken (not in picture) was tender and submerged in a rich, coconut-milk gravy that's not spicy in my opinion. 

Popiah was crispy with generous filling; would have enjoyed it as a snack (with my favourite kimball thai chilli sauce) if not for the so many food on display that i had to fit into my stomach. That's the issue with buffet; there's nothing as too much except for the lack of tummy space!  

Pulut hitam - for mom as i never like this dessert. To be fair for those who enjoy this southeast Asian dessert as much as my mom, she took a liking for it.

My decent chendol! Obviously not as good as Jin Jin power chendol or the cendol melaka at Changi Village but good enough to fix a craving.

Fruit platter with agar agar! Okay, maybe not a platter but at that point, we knew it would be a waste of food if we took too much! Honeydew were sweet and the agar agar tasted like the type sold in fruit stalls.

How could i forget about the nyonya kueh? They were exceptionally nice and i regretted not starting on them earlier! The only one i didn't quite like is the kueh talam (right side with white top, green bottom).

Red bean longan soup - preferring green bean over red bean soup, i am surprised i am totally bowled over by Penang Place red bean longan soup which was rich in flavour, balanced in sweetness and a lingering longan aftertaste. 

Second helping was needed.

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Location
3 Temasek Boulevard Suntec City Mall, 
West Wing (below Convention Center),
#02-314/315/316, Singapore 038983

Website

Pricing
Weekend Dinner - S$30.90
(Subject to GST and Service Charge)

Additional Information
No pork and no lard and even though it is not a halal restaurant, all the meat are from halal sources. Guess it has something to do with the alcoholic drinks that were available for ordering.
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Deer & Wolves - Prey and Predators @ Sapporo Maruyama Zoo [Hokkaido, Japan]

June 17, 2018, 8:06 am
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I think it's evil to keep deer and wolves in the same building and i am definitely standing on the side of the deer here; imagine having to face your predator every single day, until the day you die!

Of course, i am over-imagining things here as both species didn't have to literally face each other in their mundane zoo life and if those animated movies like Madagascar were even true; there's the ultra faint hope that they might have already been friends for being next-door neighbours.

Anyway, the Hokkaido Sika deer in the enclosure were in utter relaxed mode! As the largest subspecies of Sika deer, the Hokkaido Sika deer has a history of colliding with cars and trains in Eastern Hokkaido.

Guess humans would generally get all freakish when you place a human skin in front of them (e.g. Bangkok's Death Museum) and the taxidermied head might be of a discomfort to the living deer.

Onward to the wolves enclosure where the Eastern Timber wolves were housed behind glass! However, it's a long enclosure and taking the passageway on the side (2nd floor) was strongly recommended.

A wolf skin was hung on the wall although i couldn't quite remember if this was on the first or second floor. If on the first floor, it would be in full view of the wolves!

Second floor view of the enclosure; while long, it can never replicate the scale in the wild. 

Sheltered passage with glass on the sides to peer into the wolf enclosure.

Loving this howling wolf silhouette sticker that appeared to bring terror to the neighbouring enclosures; sea lions and seals right ahead and the polar bears further behind.

Caught a Eastern Timber wolf - with the largest body among all wolves, their natural habitat is in Canada and Alaska and they hunt wild boars and deer for food.

A sproutness of mushroom!

Unlike the wolves in Singapore Zoo, the ones here at Maruyama Zoo were way more active and alert and were seen pacing from one end to another; as if planning for some big escapade.

For a nearer and way more excitable encounter, proceed to the ground level before you step into the building; put it this way, you can almost touch them if you are willing to risk your fingers.

See how close they are?!

Want to feel more protected? There were mini-glass windows on the side where you can get pretty close to them without the feeling you would be physically threatened!

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Location

Maruyama Zoo, 

Miyagaoka 3 Banchi 1, Chuo-ku, 
064-0959, Hokkaido, Japan

Nearest Subway Station
Maruyama Koen (Exit 3).
Walk about 15 minutes.

Website

Pricing
Entrance tickets to the zoo apply at 600 yen an adult.


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The Factory Tour of Shiroi Koibito Park (白色恋人) - Well Worth the 600 Yen Admission @ Sapporo [Hokkaido, Japan]

June 18, 2018, 8:30 am
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Planning to visit Shiroi Koibito Park in Sapporo at Hokkaido yet balk at the admission fees (600 yen per adult / 200 yen per child) for the chargeable factory tour? Don't be a miser and just pay for it!

I did and aside from getting a pack of their signature sandwiched biscuits and passports (in both native Japanese and English language), i must say my visitation wasn't as bored as i expected and i felt like i was brought to an aristocrat's dwelling in the golden era of Queen Victoria.

It's a self-serviced factory tour and i spent like close to two hours, which also included a sweetness-overloaded relaxation at the Chocolate Lounge on the 4th floor. 

Let's take a picture with the iconic packaging, in its humongous form! 

Want a nicer, personalized souvenir? Get your photo imprinted onto the old-school biscuit tins of Shiroi Koibito! This exclusivity came at a price of course! 

Details as above! You can choose from three backgrounds and imprint the photo (takes 20 minutes) on either the 36-cookie box or 54-cookie box. Prices as reflected had already included the photo cost.

The fireplace that's made of 19th century Baronial-style oak. 

Aurora Fountain - as if walking into a solemn place, the standalone fountain, manufactured back in the 1870s, was a beautiful sight to behold with its ceramic tiles and good placement of lights.

Going up one level to the passage where the ambience and decoration continued to marvel me. If not for the many Asians in the building, you would be forgiven for assuming you are in Europe. 

Hot-Chocolate Cup Room - come to think about it, cups are now mainly used for any beverage although back in the 'old' days, chocolate was a luxury item and it's only right to accord it the appropriate vessel to signify its extravagance.

They came in stunning designs with many of them commanding an age that was even older than the discovery of Singapore by Sir Stamford Raffles in year 1819. 

Stained glass ceiling, letting in natural sunlight, lighted up the passage.

Mom would have requested to take a picture while seated on the above chairs in front of stained glass panels. She might already have as fortunate her had been to Hokkaido on a tour package with my sister a few years ago! 

A mannequin blowing a trumpet - if i recall correctly, the robotic mannequins will move to music every hour; you would have a better look of it outside the building.

Nicely decorated chocolate boxes before the popular use of paper and plastic as containers! 

And the labels! 

Climbing up to the third floor; think the nets were a safety measure but can't help feeling they were an eyesore to the otherwise pretty historical concept. 

While Alex went to the washroom, i couldn't resist and devour a pack of the Shiroi Koibito biscuits even though i don't fancy sweet stuff as much as before.

Cat-paw-prints on the floor for ease of navigation!

'3-D' painting adorned the stairway.

The 3rd floor where you can go back in time to check out the working conditions of a chocolate factory in 19th century United Kingdom and at the same time, see with your own eyes the present conditions via the actual production line for Shiroi Koibito biscuits! 

Chocolate Time Tunnel - miniature showcasing of conditions in a chocolate factory a few centuries ago. Is it just me or that such showcase is quite popular in Japan? I recalled seeing the same format at the music box museum in Otaru. 

Now the highlight of the Shiroi Koibito Cookie Production Line. 

There's a piece of bad news that i just read about on the website of Shiroi Kobito Park; the production line is closed until 31st May 2019. The rest of the park remains open and you may refer to here for more information. The good news? Admission for this factory tour would not be charged from now till March (estimation) 2019. 

Guess i can use this posting to show the before-renovation which can be used as comparison should i visit again in the future. Anyway, some basic information of chocolates as above.

I am way more interested on the ingredients that go into making the Shiroi Koibito cookie! *jotting down egg white, beet sugar, milk and wheat flour*

Of course the recipe remains a secret and knowing the basic ingredients without knowing the ratio, the process and the nitty-gritty would not help much in replicating the actual product! Maybe looking through the glass would help!

Not really as most processes were replaced, unsurprisingly, by machines! There were some pretty useful information on the panels though; like the liquid chocolate needing a 6-hour mix for a smooth, velvety finish and has to mature for 12 hours at 20 degrees celcius before it can be used! 

I love the langue de chat biscuits best (also known as cat tongue) though and each of them goes through a conveyor belt that starts with 130 degrees celcius, tips at 190 in the middle and ends at 130 at the end.

How to make the chocolate middle stick to the biscuits? By putting in the slice of chocolate between the two biscuits while they were being cooled down; the remnant heat would make them stick together! 

Video as above for your viewing pleasure. With machines, everything is done to precision and i guess it would be hard for me to replicate with just a household oven in my house. :(

The journey continues with Alex posing for a picture with the artwork i showed earlier.


4th floor of the factory - comprising of the Chocolate Lounge Cafe where you can chill over a cup of delicious hot chocolate and the Cookiecraft Studio! 

Cookiecraft Studio is a place where you can make cookies or even decorate them depending on which course you choose. There's a fee for each course and i am unwilling to spend my precious time making cookies while i can do it in the comfort of my home. Nevertheless, i think kids would love it!

A massive display of cakes, including traditional stacked wedding cake! They looked so unreal; i am not sure if they were even edible in the first place!  

For my review on the Chocolate Lounge (Ishiya Original Tea Set), click here! 

Quality Control Division Inspection Room - as the name suggests, this room does all the ingredient and product testing, including inspections of factory machinery.

Ishiya Gramophone Theatre - think there's a gramophone gallery music and exhibition halls (they were listed in the English passport) but strangely, i don't remember i walk past any gramophone related place except for the above. 

Souvenir shop where you can buy many things related to the Shiroi Koibito trademark; from tee shirts, keychains, phone covers to even bags! 

I was more taken in by the gold and silver lucky charms known as 'fuku no tane' which is supposed to bring happiness and protect the carrier from bad things. My friend actually got one for me a few years ago when she toured Hokkaido.

Visiting the children's toy box! Click here for more photos! 

Grand staircase that would bring us down to the ground level. Thought the lady struck a rather nice pose for me even though i was waiting, desperately, for her to finish up her photo shoot so that i can take mine with anyone! 

Know what this is? Use the magnifying glass to take a closer look! 

Sea angels which are in fact shellfish that have lost 'their shells in the course of evolution'! I think i saw them in some aquariums before; hm... maybe the SEA Aquarium or the now closed Underwater World.

Ground floor would also be the place where you can get your hands on many delicious delicacies from the Ishiya's brand, including the Shiroi Koibito biscuits! Furthermore, you can also claim for tax rebates as a tourist if you spend a specific amount (think it's 5,000 yen or something).

Exited via the revolving door! 

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Location
Shiroi Koibito Park, 
Miyanosawa 2-jo 2-chome, Nishi-ku, 
Sapporo 063-0052, Hokkaido, Japan

Nearest Subway Station 
Miyanosawa Subway Station (Tozai Line) 

Website 

IMPORTANT NOTICE

The Shiroi Koibito cookie production line is closed until end of May 2019 whereas the CookieCraft Studio and Chocolate Lounge are scheduled for closure from 01 November 2018. Good news is that the factory will have free admission during this period until end May 2019! 


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My Disappointing Last Meal @ Food Court Wing in the International Terminal Building of New Chitose Airport [Hokkaido, Japan]

June 19, 2018, 7:06 am
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In my eight days in Hokkaido, the meals i had were generally pretty good with the exception of a minority few that although didn't make the cut; could still make their way down my stomach. 

Therefore, i was just hoping to get something decent for my last meal in Hokkaido before taking the plane and finally decided on a bowl of miso ramen from the food court in the departure terminal of New Chitose airport. 

It didn't come cheap at 850 yen (more than S$10) but i wouldn't have expected things to be cheap in the airport, except for maybe duty-free snacks.  And why did i choose miso ramen? Because this particular ramen style actually originates from Hokkaido! 

Food pager rang in about five minutes and i happily carried my bowl of miso ramen to my table and as with all soup ramen, i took a generous sip of the broth. While okay tasting, the broth was a bit too weak for the palate and that's disappointing. 

In addition to the obviously fully cooked half egg, the ramen had a hard texture and even the meat was too tough for my liking. It's actually rare for me not to clean up the entire bowl of ramen but in this particular case, i left more than a half bowl untouched and that said a lot about how i felt about the ramen.

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Location
Food Court Wing, (restricted to international passengers only) 
International Terminal Building, New Chitose Airport, 
Hokkaido, Japan

Menu
As above.

Pricing
Miso Ramen - 850 yen


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Memorable Recollections - Spring Cleaning My Stuff at My Parents' House

June 20, 2018, 8:34 am
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The Home Improvement Programme (HIP) scheduled for my parents' flat kind of forced me to spring clean the items i still kept stored in their house and while a tiring chore; the session was definitely filled with memorable recollections of the past! 

There were just so many things like the three bookcases at my dad's room, the pile of things in my old room (now belonging to my sister) and items in the super messy store room.

Despite my apparently poor writing skills, i am actually quite an avid reader in the past and love books written by Jeffrey Archer, Matthew Reilly, Lesley Pearse etc. Pity i no longer read and prefer to spend my free time on Facebook instead. :(

Aside from English novels, i enjoyed reading Chinese language comic books too! As the series can get really long, i often forgot about the content and had to read from the start. My solution was not to buy until the whole series was completed. Favourite comic has to be Crayon Shinchan where i had almost the entire translated collection that i couldn't bear to part. 

I used to wear accessories like necklaces, rings etc. That was during the rebellious stage and now, i believe it's hard for you to find any accessory on my body, except for maybe the lanyard carrying my staff pass. 

Anyone still remembers this?! Friends might recall that i used to drive an off-peak car (known generally as red-plate) and the above was the day license coupon that would allow us to drive in the day (from 7am to 7pm on weekdays). I amassed a stack of them and no, they don't come cheap at S$20 apiece! 

My personal 'corner'; a shelving that housed the items with memorial value like my berets from the air force, my first stack of name cards, old wallets etc. 

Smoking was a social pastime for me before i entered the national service (NS) at age 21 and the above was supposedly my last pack of cigarettes that i didn't even manage to open and decided to call it quits! 

Love peas that i diligently picked from the compound of Saint Andrews Cathedral (next to City Hall MRT station). Commonly known as jequirity, the seeds are actually toxic and just one could kill an adult. 

I was a dental orderly in my NS days and the best physical memory that i brought home was the many wisdom teeth extracted in the clinic i was attached to! Please be assured that all of them were sterilized and taken from patients who didn't want to keep their extracted tooth. Why not right?! 

Lastly, a piggy bank that my parents didn't want and i gladly decided to 'adopt' it for my family of pigs at home! Maybe i should come out with a separate posting on the number of pigs i have in my possession; friends who visited were often shocked of my collection!
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Boiled Corn near Sapporo TV Tower - Waste of My Calories @ Hokkaido [Japan]

June 21, 2018, 8:27 am
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It was a mad rush to Nijo Market as it would close in an hour or so but i couldn't help stopping in front of this stall next to Sapporo TV Tower when i caught a whiff of what was 'cooking'.

Hokkaido corn and it came in either grilled or boiled version. I know i just had a delicious ear of corn the day before at Sapporo Curb Market. However, it was my official last full day in Hokkaido and if i were to choose not to get any, i believe it would as a major regret! 

Purchased the boiled one so that i can savour its natural sweetness! Sadly, it didn't taste as good as expected; there wasn't much sweetness and the crunch, while in existence, didn't result in the burst of the popped corn. Alex took a bite and threw the entire thing back at me. 

For someone who didn't like to waste food, i literally finished the entire corn by myself. :( Not a food waster although it's definitely a waste of calories given that i could leave my stomach space for other, more worthy, Hokkaido fare. :(

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Location
Near Sapporo TV Tower,
Odori Park, Hokkaido, Japan

Price
Boiled Corn - 300 yen


http://cavinteo.blogspot.com/2018/01/touching-nose-of-tengu-long-nosed.html
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Flaming Wagyu Beef Bowl @ The Butcher's Kitchen Express in Suntec City Mall [Singapore]

June 22, 2018, 7:36 pm
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Taking time-off from work to indulge in a highly-rated meal is pretty common for a few close friends of mine and we did that a few months' ago with the intention to check out the flaming beef bowl at The Butcher's Kitchen Express! 

We didn't manage to as the queue was simply too long and it's unfortunate that this was the same group of friends who joined me in the 2-hour wait for Man Man Japanese Unagi Restaurant! Anyway, i went back on a Saturday afternoon after lunch hour, found plenty of seats and no queue.

Remember, you have to place your order first before securing your seats.

The ordering counter which appeared to be more fast-food like. As there's only one cashier and it's our first visit, we spent a bit of time deciding what to have! It's lucky we didn't have a line behind us; if not, i can so imagine the cursing and swearing by them. 

'How to order' notice - do we really need it when the buzzer is now quite a common sight in Singapore? Oh well, i would recommend five steps for future update; to include step number 1 - don't find seats first. And print it out in AO size for placement right at the entrance. 

Not everything you want would be available. Again, i thought it would beneficial to print this out right at the entrance so that those queuing or walking past would know straightaway if the item they want is sold out. 

Time to get seating and there's ample of space! 

Since there's no queue, it didn't take long for the buzzer to light up; i think like less than five minutes after our ordering at the counter. Do bring along your phone when you approach the collection point. Why? You will know in the next few pictures.

A fire show and for someone who loved to play with fire in his young days; it's mesmerizing to see the blue flames rising from the alcohol saucepan. 

Followed by the shocking inferno! I honestly didn't expect this and got a bit surprised; even took a few steps back. I should bring Jovyn here so that i can capture her expression! 

Continuing the touching of the beef and the egg.

And eventually topping it with a stalk of parsley leaf. The entire process would leave you wide-eyed; as it did to me and it's obviously very instagrammable. My only regret was forgetting to take a video! 

Final product - the Flaming Wagyu Beef Bowl.

Can't complain about the mouthwatering presentation and i couldn't wait to dig in after craving for Japanese style beef bowl for the past few months! Mixing everything up before i took a big spoonful. 

Mmmmmmm... Well, it sure didn't recreate the expression on my face when i first had the gyu don from megumi or beef rice bowl from waa cow. For something that had been torched, the highly expected smoky, caramelized taste turned out weak and the Japanese rice, while mixed with furikake (a Japanese seasoning), failed to evoke a rice-eating frenzy. 

The thin slices of wagyu beef were medium rare on the undersides; providing a tenderness that, sadly, corresponded to a taste blandness with a touch of alcohol. Only saving grace? Each slice of beef was large and definitely worth the price we were paying for.

Nonetheless, i had my craving satisfied although i could have cleared it earlier by dropping by Waa Cow which is much nearer to my work place! 

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Location
Suntec City Towers 1 & 2 North Wing,  
#02-472, Singapore 038983

Operating Hours
Mondays - Sundays: 11:00 am to 10.00 pm 
(Closed Between 3.00 and 5.00 pm) ​ 
Fridays & Weekends: 11.00 am to 9.00 pm

Website & Instagram

Menu
As above.

Pricing
Flaming Wagyu Beef Bowl - S$15.90
(Subject to GST)
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