The jellyfish is back! I have decided to write a post collating some of the memories I had with F4 in 2021. :)
Part 2 (Jun to Sep 21): http://jellyunderthesea.blogspot.com/2021/08/f4-outings-non-group-2021.html
Part 3 (Oct to Dec 21): http://jellyunderthesea.blogspot.com/2022/04/f4-outings-2021-33.html
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27th Feb: Wax Museum (PH)
In the 2019 AU trip, War and WL went to the wax museum (Madame Tussauds) while me and PH went to the Sydney Tower Eye. This is a trip that makes up for the wax museum, except its a SG version. We got our tickets through Klook at $15 (there is a promotion), which includes the museum entrance ticket and a 3D show).
0900h: A beautiful Saturday starts off with a fail opening of the syrup packet. XD
1145h: The wax museum which is located in Sentosa. We alighted at Siloso station and walked about 10 minutes uphill to the facility. It was a really hot day, but thankfully the air-con in the museum made up for it. =P
The wax museum has multiple themes relating to Bollywood, Singapore history, famous people, etc. Figures are made of wax and has a height supposedly the same as the actual person.
Museum lobby, with a SIA air stewardess figure bracing for impact visitors
Bollywood area
Wheels above air picture, without wax
Some old articles relating to SG
Life of early SG peeps
Visiting the wax museum requires enthusiasm in taking photos, as otherwise it would be quite a boring journey. The wax museum has some figures that can hold smartphones, so it is easy for people to take pics with their favourite characters. :)
This door looks like its from some horror video game ><
Coolie quarters in the past
Theatre in the past
There are a lot of figures from different countries, including k-pop stars and political figures. One can test their general knowledge by attempting to name every figure there. :D
We watched a 3D Transformers short action movie that ends up showing that the characters were in SG, and in particular the wax museum and other famous SG attractions. I swear a lot of people were confused by the plot. =P
1330h: We finished the wax museum walk and proceed to Vivo to have lunch. Had Pizza Hut's baked salmon and mashed potatoes. Delicious! <3
Overall the wax museum is a nice place to visit if you like to take photos and see how people took the effort to wax up real life figures. I think its ok, but probably that's because PH was more entertaining than the facilities. XD Maybe going with a friend / date adds another dimension of fun~ :)
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19th Mar: Fookin + Board games (F4)
WL's turn to choose a dinner place, and thankfully its not Pizza Hut. :D
Even though the actual place is a Fook Kin restaurant, the interior is decorated like an old coffeeshop with bird cages, but with nicer lightings. Ambience is great.
Restaurant recommendation: Fook Kin char siew
A meal that is Fook Kin delicious =P
The char siew is really nice, sweet, and definitely not dry. They also gave some sweet sauce that one could choose to dip in. That is kind of the same sauce as the one we drizzle on our char siew rice. The roasted pork is great too, with its crispy skin and tender meat at the bottom. At some coffee shops, one may feel sick after eating a small portion of the roasted park as there is too much fat. The meat is cooked nicely here. :)
I got myself an extra lava egg and a lychee sorbert drink. The lava egg feels more like a normal hard boiled egg, but the lychee drink is quite nice and foamy~ The nicest item however is the salted egg lotus chip. (uwu) Those are thinly sliced lotus roots, which they are fried and then added with salted egg sauce. WL ordered it as a side dish, but it seemed like I ate that the most while the guys had a Fook Kin good time with their meat. :D
F4: "Jeff will definitely recommended the lotus chips dish in a meat restaurant."
The total bill amounted to about $29+ per person~ Its a rather good meal, though I am not sure if peeps will really spend that much for a char siew roasted pork rice. >< Good to have a Fook Kin experience at least once though!
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After dinner, we went to a board games cafe near Clarke Quay. Initially we could not find the place, but only then we realised that a jungle looking indoor room was actually the lower level of the cafe~
Entrance to the cafe
Besides games, the cafe served some food too.
For our first game, we played off-track, which is a uniquely Singapore game that focuses on building a nice track from a home base to a destination, while trying to sabo people building tracks and dealing with common situations such as Track faults. XP
For our second game, we played the Singapore version of cards against humanity --- limpeh says (?). Whoever gave the best answer wins a point in the round, and whoever gets the highest points wins the whole game. Uhhh I think the guys are generally great in this game, but the one thing that was most memorable was that WL is fond of the uwu bird (Asian Koel).
We played games for 2 hours, it was fun but slightly more expensive than expected? Still, a great place to visit with friends~ :D
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25th Mar: Russian dumplings (War)
"Do you want to try something new and risky, or go with something safe?"
And that's how we ended up eating Russian food near Tanjong Pagar. Apparently War had passed by this place many times with his colleagues, but they did not try the place. This is the restaurant's website, which is quite nice: Home | Dumplings.RU (angmohdumplings.com)
It wasn't really crowded when we reached there. The layout looks very much like a bar even though it's a restaurant, and plays some electronic/club music for patrons to listen. Quite a nice ambience. =P
Russian cuisine is really different from Western and Asian cuisine. They may have similar ingredients or food names (e.g. stews, dumplings), but the way of cooking and the flavours can be very unique.
(Kotlety) Chicken patty with mashed potato and pickles. The mashed potato is really delicious. Just the right texture. Chicken patty is delicious too, and not dry.
(Zharkoe) Looks a bit more mushy and less appetizing than what is shown on the menu, but this is a delicious and really filling dish. Plenty of potatoes and meat inside the stew.
Assortment of Russian dumplings. The restaurant is famous for their dumplings.
(Kompot) Fruit punch with a darker colour
The fruit punch tastes extremely different from the usual sweet-tasting fruit punches in parties and supermarkets. This fruit punch is not so sweet and tastes a little of alcohol (reality has no alcohol though). I think neither of us were really used to this taste. XP
A very beautiful Russian lady (perhaps she is the lady boss) hosted our table, and she was really enthusiastic in promoting the large variety of alcohol beverages the restaurant has to offer. I was so paiseh when I told her that neither of us drink alcohol, and she looked slightly disappointed? lolol~ Still, she gave really nice recommendations for the food and alternative drinks. :)
"See you tomorrow". --- What the lady boss said before we left the restaurant.
We did not visit the next day, but I shall pay a visit again with another friend in future. :D
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6th May: Sentosa outing (PH)
Clearing leave in May, and this is one of the outings with PH. :) We had a discounted Sentosa attraction package which involved a few luge rides and 2 attractions.
0900h: A beautiful Thursday starts off with a delightful breakfast deluxe.
1145h: The combo got us 2 skyrides (going up) and 2 luge rides (going down). Although it was hot in the morning, it suddenly rained and everyone who queuing for the skyrides were stranded in the shelter. We waited for about 40 minutes, and finally got up a skyride with a really light drizzle. Very cooling. <3
The last time I rode the skyride was probably about 15 years ago. Nothing much really changed about the ride. Quite slow, can be a bit high at the slopes, and I felt a bit nervous when nearing the top of the towers. Otherwise it was a nice and soothing experience. We chat about random stuff with the raindrops falling on us.
Bottom of the skyride
Luge station at the top
View from Sentosa Starbucks
1245h: The rain got even heavier after we reached the top, and rides were suspended once again. We decided to get an earlier lunch at Starbucks while waiting the rain out. Very little people, the seats were spaced out due to Covid, and is a really nice change in atmosphere as compared to the indoor counterparts.
Wholegrain egg croissant with a fruit tea <3
1400h: We got back to the rides with the improving weather. The luge ride is quite interesting. The luge is totally mechanical and operates purely based on gravity and braking. I had a bit of trouble initially with the legs and moving the luge, but after that all is good and fun. :)
The luge ride has 4 different trails, each with their own features, and some trails being slightly longer than the others. PH had a really fun time zooming his way down the slopes while admiring the lush greenery, while I was on the safer side applying brakes to ensure I don't go out of control.
Halfway into the 2nd ride, PH's luge rode up to the safety corner, and we took a bit of time to get the luge back to the main track. A very interesting experience. =P
Extremely handsome person wearing the luge helmet
1445h: Next up was the butterfly park and insect kingdom. Not many people in the attraction, and it was not a really big place either. The attraction showcases the life cycle of the butterfly (with real life stages), a bird region and an indoor museum with info on various insects.
Butterflies growing on a net
Butterfly area and growing hut
The butterfly has a very large variety of free roaming butterflies that are resting on plants or just simply flying around the area. The hut is a growing area for the larvae and pupae stages? There are also small butterflies inside, which probably are the ones that just entered the final stage.
Some bird which I remember seeing on a Bird Park Vitagen card >25 years ago.
Bird exhibit. Lots of parrots.
Preserved butterflies in the exhibit
Gift shop. Very quiet.
1520h: After the quick walk around Butterfly Park, PH suggested to take a look at Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa since we have extra time on our hands [Supposed to find War and WL for dinner]. Took a bus over to the Fort Siloso bus stop, and walked up a small slope. The hotel is rather beautiful, and it seems like a nice hotel to stay in for guests who love the beach and the islander's life. :)
Lobby area
Swimming pool and sea area
Hotel structure
1615h: Took the beach tram back to Beach station, and having a stick of Old Chang Kee fish nuggets along the way. =P
That concludes the day trip at Sentosa! :D
Before meeting the guys, we had another small snack at Vivo Awfully Chocolate.
Chocolate cake and two scoops of chocolate ice-cream
Damn shiok. The chocolate cake consists of dark chocolate and thus not so sweet. It is neither sticky nor falls apart, and has a nice consistency of flour and chocolate. Nothing too overpowering. The chocolate ice-cream is amazing, dark chocolate greatness, and does not melt too easily. :D
At night, we ate with the rest of F4 at One North Timbre+. Nothing too eventful, except War and WL were raving about how delicious their salads were, while me and PH were enjoying nice non-salad meals. XD
WL's face of happiness while eating his salad
That sums up a really fun day! ^^
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10th May: F4 May outing (F4)
Following the previous Thursday's outing, this is another Sentosa outing with PH [finishing up the discounted bundle], and visiting some other places with F4 :) Due to the increasing number of Covid cases, the government introduced a Phase 3 Heightened Alert, but thankfully that does not affect us as F4 only has 4 people~
0815h: A beautiful Monday starts off with a delightful breakfast deluxe Ya Kun kaya toast. Something that is not from Mac. XD
1000h: We went to the Trick Eye museum, which was PH's 1st visit while a repeated visit for myself. As compared to 2017, there got a new app(?) that offers a augmented reality experience. For e.g. if the app detects an exhibit with a cold setting, there will be snowflakes coming down.
Trick Eye Museum is an area where the exhibits look perfectly normal and not very interesting if one just sees the exhibit without doing anything else. But this whole perspective changes when a photograph is taken with a subject in the photo. The exhibit props will look more realistic and adds in a 3D feel. :) Taking pictures and using the app AR is highly recommended~
PH took a lot of pictures of me inside. Shall post 3 random ones. XD
Me balancing random nonsense in my life
A really beautiful ice mountain
All things white and beautiful
1230h: Met up with the rest of the F4 and had lunch at Stirling steaks. This is located at East Coast Road, and requires a bus from Paya Lebar. War chose this place because it had a rather good reputation of steaks, and is often booked during the evening peak hours. Monday lunch should be a great time to check out this place~ It's quite a nice cosy restaurant and looks really clean.
Restaurant sells raw cuts too
Steaks, fish, and sauces
Diners were given a menu on the type of cuts, chicken, fish, pork and other sides. Just like how WL does not eat pizza at Pizza Hut nor pasta at PastaMania, he ordered fried fish at a steakhouse. I absolutely love that. XD The steaks were quite delicious, and goes well with the sauce. The fried fish is really nice though! It's very crispy, not too heavy on the breaded component, and overall a good taste.
Stirling Steaks offers a buffet style, so a table can try various items in one sitting. Drinks are sadly not covered in the buffet (if I remember correctly), so it will be good to get some plain water or order beverages separately. Good to visit this place at least once!
1530h: We went to the Art Science Museum (ASM), but divided into two groups. While War and WL visited the Star Wars exhibition (temporary special exhibition?), me and PH went to the original ASM gallery.
ASM gift shop
As Science and Engineering students, we definitely did not see the light and meaning behind the amazing artworks and associated descriptions. We ended up spending our time at the more interactive activities that are meant for kids(?), such as colouring and playing with the colourful musical balls.
Sunflowers. Very artistic.
Colourful balls that make sounds. We irritated each other for 10 minutes with these.
Left F4 fish, right F4 fish, or PH? XP
Drawn fishes swimming in the screen
Now that is one cool thing about the ASM. Once a person is done decorating the fish, he/she can scan the drawing with a machine. The scanned fish is then animated and seen swimming in a really long screen with all the other previously scanned fishes. The same concept was also used for trucks.
Vehicles moving in the screen
Jeff's fire engine travelling in town
Do you want to be saved by a medical vehicle, fire engine, or PH? XD
Uhh... Other than that nothing really interesting. We brought back the drawing as nice souvenirs. I think one of it is pasted on my office cubicle lolol~
1700h: Visited the Apple store. It's a really cool place, and apparently requires an appointment to go in. Not sure if it is a COVID measure or a normal practice... The store is really nice though. It has a lower level at the basement that looks pretty normal, but an upwards escalator takes one to a round-shaped dome with even more products and a cool view of the water. A feeling of luxury even when I don't intend to buy anything. =P
Upper level of the Apple store
Outdoor exit to MBS exterior
1845h: The evening was dedicated to be more chill and relaxing at Raffles Marina. Unlike the name, this really awesome place is located near Tuas Link MRT station. It is a country club(?), and has many small boats and yachts parked for recreational purposes. One can also walk the boardwalk to reach a mini lighthouse at the end of the trail.
Sunset at Raffles Marina
Lighthouse in the sunset
Sunset clouds
Lighthouse at a darker setting
Small boats and the pier
Oh yes, the boardwalk has some sections that are not barricaded at all. One can jump down into the sea easily, so please be careful when visiting the area. Other than that it is a beautiful place to visit and good for evening dates. The place closes at 10pm though~
We spent a bit of time to appreciate the sunset, and hear the sound of the waves while looking at the lighthouse and the 2nd link. I swear I enjoyed this portion of the outing more than the ASM. XD The interior of the lighthouse was not accessible to the public, and I am not sure if that really served any purpose. Hmm~
2000h: War seems to be tired from the day's activities and decided to go home early. The rest of us were not really hungry, and so we opted for some dessert at Jurong point. :)
Delicious mango and durian desserts
That concludes the F4 outing! Hopefully it was a fun outing for everyone! ^^
I was quite thankful that the outing was on this date. A few days after the outing, SG went on a "Heightened Alert" which meant that gatherings were capped at 2 people per group and no dining-in was allowed. Just make sure to stay safe uh~
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Thanks for reading up to this point~ Feel free to read more of my memories with F4~ :)
Part 2 (Jun to Sep 21): http://jellyunderthesea.blogspot.com/2021/08/f4-outings-non-group-2021.html
Part 3 (Oct to Dec 21): http://jellyunderthesea.blogspot.com/2022/04/f4-outings-2021-33.html
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