Amara Sanctuary Resort, Sentosa Island

This is my 1st management retreat but the company's 2nd at Sentosa Island. The rest of the management team had their inaugural retreat in January this year. Amara Sanctuary Resort is a fairly new establishment in the Island, about 1 year old. It has a modern resort theme, with tall glass panels, wood paneled walls, marble floored staircase that rises majestically across a double volume space, luscious wool carpet in the conference rooms, earth-toned marble flooring in the bathrooms and simple modern lines. Amara Sanctuary Resort is perched on a hill slope, just off the Sentosa Gateway, facing the World Resort theme park, and across Vivocity. I like this wooden door, with hazel nut colored laminate wood, and mirror-finished door handle. One can see Nigel and Glen's reflections on them. The resort has a relaxed outdoor, covered by a luscious blanket of tropical flora and fauna. I managed to catch a glimpse of a few peacocks in the vicinity before the sun set. These birds are the mascots for the resort. They are so used to having humans around them that they were oblivious to my photo taking. The reception lobby and its hotel rooms are in a separate building, away from the conference rooms and ballrooms. We had to shuttle between the two buildings every day. It is considered a boutique-style resort hotel with limited number of rooms. Occupancy during the last weekend was all right, but not full. Many of my colleagues believe that this hotel will face tough competition from the neighbouring world resort hotel and theme parks when they open in 2010. But until that day comes, Amara Santuary Resort is still a pretty good choice for a weekend getaway from the bustling Singapore CBD.

The hotel rooms are standard-looking 5-star quality. The white sheets are comfortable enough for my liking - soft, smooth, and not cutting into my delicate flesh. Generous use of wood panelling in the room, with natural materials throughout.

Modern Terrace

This re-built intermediate terrace along Watten Road looked like a Semi-D. The owner is an architect in his 40s, and he designed this house. The old dwelling was a traditional inter-terrace that was torn down to make way for this swanky modern minimalist house. Yan and I took a peep at the house the other day when we drove past Watten Estate. We were rather impressed with the effect; it's basically an illusion of a Semi-D. To circumvent the constraints of an inter-terrace house, the owner-architect had cleverly positioned the void areas to create an opening on one side of the house that's linked to the neighbouring unit.

Using this trick, the inter-terrace now has a 3-sided opening, much like a Semi-D. The drawback of such a design is a reduction in usable floor area. Overall, this is an innovative design. Something that I have not seen being done on an intermediate terrace before.

Food and Everlasting Music

21 June 2008: I had a fantastic birthday. Set lunch at Au Petite Salut at Dempsey Hill, followed by a treat to a one-night only "Air Supply" concert in the evening.

Like many other restaurants at Dempsey Hill, the locality of this restaurant is a sure business head-start. Housed within a modern resort-style bungalow, Au Petite Salut @ Dempsey offers value-for-money French cuisine in a perfect rustic setting. The interior decor is simple but well executed. Its alfresco dining section is inviting. Two glasses of house red wine, and a 3-course meal for two set us back by only S$115 (inclusive of GST and service charges). We were pleasantly surprised.

Food quality here is not bad considering the price tag and ambience. Of course, one cannot compare it to Michelin-star fine dining, but the experience was well worth it. For appetizers, we chose garlic infused grilled escargo, and pan-seared beef slices topped with tuna spread and rocket leaves. They were as delicious as the pictures shown here.

For the main course, we ordered grilled steak served with french fries. The steak was grilled to perfection, very tender and flavor-full.

As for dessert, I ordered creme brulee (a safe choice), while Yan went for the fruit salad. The home-made tangy raspberry ice-cream really packed a punch. A casual lunch crowd. No pompous atmosphere. Every table, both indoor and outdoor was filled throughout lunch hours. Thumbs up for Au Petite Salut@Dempsey.

I was rather apprehensive about attending the "Air Supply" concert initially. Yan had been conditioning my mind for weeks on this prospect. I was worried of being the only "younger" fan. But the concert turned out to be such a surprise in so many ways. Contrary to my belief, there was a good mix of audience, with more than half born in the 80s and 90s, long after most of the Air Supply hits were released.

And it was the younger crowd that sang along and dance to the songs. I was amazed at Russell's flawless live performance given his age. His voice was as solid as his recordings. He belted out those high-pitched songs with such ease as if he has never aged. I learned at the concert that the pair had been together for 33 years, and they are still actively singing together and composing songs for each other. There was an abundant of chemistry and brotherhood between the two.

Russell amazed me with his rendition of "the Power of Love". He is probably the only male recording artist that can pull off a song that was obviously written for a female vocalist. Both of these two grandfathers looked great on stage. Song after song, with powerful vocals and great control. We also learned that Graham is a left-hand guitarist. It was fun watching the two veteran singer-songwriters living out their passion till their old age. That thought alone was inspiring. The concert ended with "All out of Love", the one song that I had been waiting for the entire evening.

It must have been the same for others. What a perfect end to a wonderful evening.

Valentino

Original Italian cuisine in an authentic Italian setting, minus the gimmicks. This is perhaps the reason why Valentino is perennially full, and walk-in dining is an impossibility. Valentino is owned and run by an Italian chef who settled in Singapore a few years ago. On the walls of this restaurant are photos of his family - his Singaporean wife and their child - a clue to how and why he had ended up cooking in Singapore. It's an interesting place. Located within an old shophouse off Rifle Range Road, it could have been easily missed and dismissed. But despite its locality, Valentino has an enviable reputation as one of the best Italian dining place in town. Its cozy interior decor and ambience evokes memories of little Italy.  Home made pasta, top quality olive oil and fresh ingredients. 

As a starter, we each ordered a bowl of seafood soup.  It was thick in seafood flavor with a well-balanced tinge of tomato taste, and an abundance of fresh seafood in it.  

For the main course, I would typically go for spaggetti vongole, and this was what I ordered in my first visit to Valentino. The serving was generous with clams.  

The Smoked Salmon Salad was refreshing and tasty.  

  

"Tropical Bird" By Chef C

This was completed more than a year ago. It was an experimental exercise. I was attempting cubist-style painting. I started with colors in mind, based largely on the limited range I had on hand, and moved from there. The result was a combination of free form and cubist. Somewhat odd, I must admit. Since this initial experiment, I had attempted another piece titled "Mother and Child", which now sit unfinished in our study room at One Balmoral. It is a portrait-style oil painting based on a cover of a book in my collection. Yan has said it is a horrifying image because the child looked still-born. Perhaps that is why I have left it unfinished. I may revitalize the project one day, but until that day comes, it will remain an unfinished piece of work. Painting requires inspiration, and inspiration does not come often enough for me, especially in busy working days like now.

A Crude Awakening

We screened this eco-film at lunch break last week. It is a startling film looking at the phenomenon of Peak Oil - a point where oil production starts to decline. This film has been described as one of the most important documentary to date. It has received numerous awards in the film industry as well as invitations to screen in more than 30 film festivals worldwide. The topic is timely and very relevant to our company's strategy. In fact, it is timely for anyone who cares about our future generation.

Energy is a critical, if not the most critical issue, faced by mankind today. If we take away everything around us in our modern world, from food to manufacturing to transport, there is hardly anything left. Our cities have been designed and built around an almost never ending supply of oil. If you think oil at US$135 per barrel is crazy, think again.

I encourage everyone to watch this film. You'll have a crude awakening and it is better to realize it now. Some has described this film as another "Inconvenient Truth", but I think the materials here are compelling, underpinned by strong academic references and researches. If you are interested in watching this film (which you should if you care about the future of mankind), do drop me a note here.

Construction in Progress

This is a picture of ground beam work in progress (taken a month ago). Sub-structure work had now been completed, and the contractor is moving ahead with super-structure work.   A catch-up program will be needed, given the delays in the last 2 months due to incessant rain. I understand that once the second floor slab is erected, work will be expedited. No alarm has been sounded yet, so I am still optimistic about the original schedule. So far so good with the project management of JY International. It is still early days but their conduct has so far been professional, and this gives us the much needed confidence to stay away from micro-managing the project. While it is completely understandable why many home-owners tend to do that, it can be extremely draining on your every day life. We are (or at least I am) trying hard to avoid this behaviour. This picture was taken last week by our architect, showing the preparation of formwork and scaffolding for the construction of the second floor slab. The house looks smaller from this angle, with all the steel scaffoldings and planks. I just hope that this is the case, or we will be rather disappointed. There is always the risk that the final product can be very different from the plans on the drawing board. A risk we have to take.

Hong Kong Street Restaurant

Many "Tze Char" restaurants bearing the name "Hong Kong Street" have mushroomed in the last few years in Singapore.

"Tze Char" is a Hokkien dialect, loosely stands for "Chinese-style cooking using the wok". Tze Char is particularly popular amongst local Singaporeans, and occasionally the discerning westerners. Take this Hong Kong Street restaurant at Bukit Merah Lane 1. It has probably about 30 tables, all full to the brim, at every opening hour. I would not be surprised if the owners of these restaurants actually make more money in a year compared to an SGX listed company.

It is famous for many signature dishes - fish head soup with noodles (as shown here), fried chicken wings marinated in prawn paste, steamed herbal chicken, and deep fried giant doughnut yam cake with sinful fillings (colloquially known as "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall"), just to name a few. It makes a pretty intense meal, I must say. Not something that you could have too many of, especially when you are watching your waistline.

Xu BeiHong - Master of Contemporary Chinese Arts

My interest in Chinese contemporary arts started when I first laid eyes on a painting in Yan's dining room more than 8 years ago. According to his mum, the painting was commissioned by his family. The artist was from mainland China who had come to Singapore to exhibit his works. It was a rare opportunity, and Yan's parents were fortunate to be able to convince him to paint for them. The painting depicts imperial concubines in beautiful royal robes riding on horses and playing polo.

I was told polo was an official pastime amongst royal families in feudal China. I was captivated by the elegance of each stroke on the painting. I paint at times, but I would have never been able to do something like that. Ever since, I have been paying keen attention on the difference between Chinese and Western works. I do like certain types of oil paintings, but Chinese works resonate more at this stage in my artistic journey. So when a Xu BeiHong private collection arrived in Singapore recently, it was a real treat.

Xu BeiHong (1895-1953), had received both Chinese and Western training during his lifetime. He was well travelled, and had spent a fair bit of time in France and Germany, learning and mastering Western arts. Xu is famous for both his oil paintings and Chinese paintings, but it was the images of his heroic horses that he is best known for.The exhibition at the Singapore Arts Muzeum carries a wide variety of Xu's works, ranging from charcoal sketches, portraits in oil painting, as well as Chinese-style paintings. The works shown cover mostly his times in Singapore, Malaysia and India; stops he made when he was travelling extensively to the West. It is an impressive collection, reflecting his observations and understanding of the cultures he visited. There were also several of his handwritten letters to his long time friend in Penang on display. These writings are highly precious, for they are proof of a man who was a genuinely passionate artist, interested only in artistic freedom and excellence, not wealth or fame.

One of Xu's "Drinking Horses" is shown below.

Two drinking horses watched over by a third horse. Its manes are upright, showing it is in alert.

The pictures here were all taken using my Iphone, and edited for sharpness using Iphoto. The results are not bad considering it was ad hoc stealth photography.

The "Preying Mantis" is an interesting piece for me. How lively and refine the strokes are in conveying the action of "preying". The color choice for the mantis, using sharp strokes, in contrast to a fading background of leaves using broader and diffusing strokes, is an excellent technique, as far as I am concerned.

Long Beach @ Dempsey Hill

We celebrated Father's Day at Long Beach Seafood @ Dempsey Hill. This is the latest Long Beach outlet that is near est to Orchard Road. Opened less than a year ago, it is already seeing brisk business. This place is undoubtedly more upmarket compared to other Long Beach outlets and seafood restaurants in Singapore, due to its unique setting, perched on elevated ground at Dempsey Hill, overlooking the greenery and Holland Road, and housed in a fully renovated army barrack. But this also means a meal here would not be light on your pocket. Dishes are priced at a premium, and despite this, it is virtually impossible to get a table unless reservation is made at least one day in advance. Beside local seafood lovers, bus loads of tourists are also often seen here. The great advantage here is that there is a ample parking space.

This Long Beach outlet serves the same old Singapore signature dishes. Today, we chose the Father's Day menu for 4 persons, consisting of chilly crab, steamed bamboo clam, grilled fresh scallop with cheese & butter, and glutinous rice. We topped it up with an ala carte order of braised Ee Fu noodle with Japanese mushrooms. The bill totalled S$300. Food quality here was just average, but the unique setting of the restaurant more than made up for that. An overall pleasant dining experience with my father, Yan and Oon Hoh.

Iggy's

I was told one of the must-try fine dining places for special occasions in town is Iggy's at the Regent. Yan's birthday this year was one such special occasion. I made my reservation one week in advance. I wanted to have the best seat in the restaurant, where both of us could have our own cozy corner, away from the pretentious crowd. We were only interested in the much talked about degustation menu. For the price, I was expecting an ostentascious setting and an elaborate service. But that was not the case. Iggy's place is nothing more than a small eating place slightly larger than a Japanese noodle bar. It sure boasts a very equipped kitchen, with quite a few chefs, but I was expecting more. At about S$250 per pax for a 5 course meal, I felt it was overpriced. Yes, the food is Michelin standard, but overall our dining experience fell far short of a 5-star. The only saving grace was perhaps the extra effort taken by one of its staff who noted that it was a birthday celebration. So, Yan and I were pleasantly surprised to find a catered dining menu with Yan's birthday details printed on it, as well as a on-the-house birthday cupcake. So, it ended well.

Prime Society

An upmarket Jack's Place in Singapore, that's how 

I would describe this restaurant at Dempsey Hill.  

Prime Society claims to serve premium cuts, and with some gimmicks, fancy designer lamps, and an excellent ambience, it tries to justify its above-average prices.  Given the limited selection of western restaurants, and the limited chill-out locations in Singapore, Prime Society still provide some value in that sense.  Admittedly, from the ambience perspective, it scores high.  This restaurant is housed in one of the old military colonial establishment at Dempsey Hill, that had been extensively renovated.  

A place where the old blends with the new, Prime Society provide a perfect rustic setting for dinner.  That is if one is not particular about his food, one may just be able to overlook the fact that this is a place where American-styled barbeque is packaged and priced as fine dining.

Little Taipei in the Lion City

This restaurant at Purvis Street bears the same auspicious name as my father's shop - Lai Lai. It means "Come, Come", literally in Chinese. Straight to the point. Beside the ingenuity of the name, the food is as authentic as one could get in Singapore. It reminds me of little Taipei as I stepped in and browsed through the menu. Stewed specialities in small dishes and iced bubble tea....

We went straight to the familiar dishes - stewed beef tendon, stewed pig intestines, stewed pork knuckles, and stewed pork cubes - and we were instantly transported to Taipei! Every dish was a delight, flavor-rich and aroma-rich. One could finish a whole pot of rice without knowing. The beef tendon was so thoroughly stewed that as I sank my teeth into it, I could feel the tendon melting away. The pork knuckles served here was also unlike any other Singapore-style cooking. No sweet black sauce. It's cooked in authentic Taiwanese style. Simply delicious.

Soba Master

Shimbashi Soba at Paragon has been around for a few years now. It remains popular, and has a consistent following. There are a number of reasons for this - the reasonable prices, for instance a bento set here costs about S$25; the short time from order to serving; a healthy menu, which is a common reason for Japanese meals; and the central location of the restaurant, being smack in the traffic flow at the basement of Paragon. But for me, it's the psychological pull - they make fresh Soba in the restaurant every day. A trained Soba master displaying his soba-making skills, live in front of the passing traffic, is an instant draw to the restaurant. Whether or not they will be attracted to try the Soba is just a matter of time. I am a good testimony. Although I have seen the soba master doing his trick many times before, I am still drawn to the window every time I walk past. And each time I do so, the same question will run through my mind, "What does one have to give up to be a Soba master like him?"

An Oasis Amidst a Concrete Jungle

It was nice to meet old friends. More so when we just recently shared a traumatic work experience together. This gathering of former colleagues was in a sense a "detox" session. The location could not have been better - an oasis in the middle of a concrete jungle!

Cynthia, our former boss, had just moved into her new home at Pandan Valley. It is a sprawling 6000 sft penthouse, with an alfresco space at the roof top. I knew I could trust Cynthia's taste, and it did not dissappoint at all. As one of us quipped, it's the "Indochine" of apartments. A smart selection of outdoor furniture, open space, wooden deck, rattan blinds, plants, candles and warm lighting - fused holistically to create the tropical paradise. What a perfect ambience for an intimate gathering.

The night was breezy, and we were oblivious to each passing hours. Moving from one topic to another, five hours on the roof top felt like a flash. It was nice to be able to talk uninhibited, and with no trepidation. The good and the bad things about Citi! As they say, get it out of one's system, and move on. There were 6 of us, and each of us had our many own stories to share.

It was only 6 months ago since Cynthia started the exodus. Now all of us are starting a new journey in life. Although none of us know exactly what lies in the horizon, there was a sense of peace in everyone. Despite all the difficult moments in the last few months, this does seem destined to happen for our own good. At the end of it all, it is heart warming to know that I have a group of ex-Citi colleagues that I can called friends.

I have many fond memories, and I count my blessings.