Love Your Ride...

Train is coming...
Train is coming...
Train is coming...
Please start queuing
Love your ride.

For the fortunate ones who don't need to take public transport, the above are lyrics to a jingle being played at the train stations to announce the trains' arrival. It is part of the Public Transport Council's efforts to encourage commuters to be more gracious on public transport so as to make it a more pleasant commuting experience for everyone.

Mr. Robotic heard the catchy and happy little jingle and fell in love with it immediately! It is an entertaining and fun marketing programme. The satirical one in Mr. Robotic also pictures someone who cannot squeeze on the peak period trains rolling his or her eyes each time the jingle sings at their misfortune. Apparently, there are different versions of the jingle. Maybe, there is one that sings happy waiting... happy waiting... happy waiting...?

The jingles are sang by the local icon, Dim Sum Dollies, who are also the programme ambassadors. Watch the video and love your ride!

Deep Fried...

For the health conscious, you have been warned to take a deep breath before reading this post as you may find it potentially disturbing...

Deep Fried Squid
Learned of this recipe from NoobCook.

Ingredients (serves 2):
- 1 medium squid (about 300g)
- 40-50g corn flour for a heavier/crispier batter
- sea salt and pepper
- vegetable oil, for deep frying

Lemon Mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tbsp boiling water

Directions:
1. Mix ingredients for lemon mayonnaise in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside.
2. Slice the squid to thin rings.
3. Place cut squid into a shallow but wide dish. Season squid with salt and pepper, then add flour. Toss squid to evenly coat squid in the flour (add more if needed); shake off excess.
4. Heat oil to 180C (356F) in wok/large saucepan/deep fryer and deep fry squid in batches until tender and browned lightly (about 3 minutes). Drain on absorbent paper.
5. Serve warm with a lemon wedge and the lemon mayonnaise dip prepared in step 1.

Experience:

It turned out to be like onion rings. And like always, Mr. Robotic overcooked the food and it is a bit too chewy. The sauce is good though and Mr. Robotic has come to a conclusion, mayonnaise can hide bad cooking. Haha...

Vacation Leave means...

People around Mr. Robotic is always puzzled at how Mr. Robotic spends his vacation leave especially when he does not utilise the leave to travel overseas. While Mr. Robotic may not be a frequent flyer, it does not mean he is enjoying any less the time off from work. In fact, Mr. Robotic likes such day off on the weekdays compared to the weekends as he gets to wander around Singapore without the crowd. Yes you hear it right! Mr. Robotic is more of a crowd avoid-er rather than a party-goer. Surprise surprise? It ain't surprising for those who knew Mr. Robotic prior to his work days where he is the nerdy kind... He still is today actually... :S

So what did a typical day off entails?

Firstly, Mr. Robotic gets to laze and crawl out of bed when he is indeed awake. Waking up naturally is a better way to start the day, ya?

A bit of physical exercise is crucial given that Mr. Robotic's job only requires to exercise his brains. Mr. Robotic will usually choose among weight trainings, swimming and jogging. Thankfully, instead of just off days, Mr. Robotic is now trying hard to squeeze those activities into his weekend too. Just this weekend, Mr. Robotic got to do all 3! Kudos!

Next up, appreciating food with Mdm. Agaration. For the previous off day, the duo ate at Crystal Jade at Vivocity and was the food excellent! The top to bottom glass panel allows a view of Sentosa. The view would be more magnificent once all the construction work at Sentosa is completed.

Mr. Robotic likes the sleek white and black utensils. These colors are simply timeless.

Kai Lan with Garlic. A simple dish but delicious nonetheless. It is a bit costly though at $14 for small serving.

Xiao Long Bao. Don't you just like the soup gushing out when you bite it? Frankly, Mr. Robotic didn't appreciate this delicacy until Ms. Queen kept raving how good Din Tai Feng's ones are!

Crab and scallop bits fried rice. At $18, it is on the pricey side but the rice is really fragrant and the serving is meant for 3 to 4 people. Yup, Mr. Robotic and Mdm. Agaration finished it all though there were only 2!

Cod fish. Under the fish is a thin layer of steamed egg. Nice combination of ingredients.

Egg Tarts. No meal is complete without some sweet stuff... dessert! Mr. Robotic likes the fluffy texture of such egg tarts.

Such little breaks from work serves to motivate one or Mr. Robotic at least to work harder or smarter for his dream of early retirement where he can slow down and experience the life of a retiree instead of the super fast paced which one in Singapore is programmed to follow. Mr. Robotic refuses to believe that the retirement age is expected to lengthen yet again. The forefathers have a longer life expectancy and they retired much earlier. Come on, what about enjoying life and smelling the roses at the sidewalk instead of whizzing through everything? Mr. Robotic refuses to accept his "destiny"!

Wish him luck in overcoming it!

A Post of Mixed Feelings...

The trip to Johor Bahru was again very eventful as Mr. Robotic gets to learn about the rich culture of other races. Mr. Robotic has no idea that just nearby to City Square, there was a lane selling supplies found in an Indian Household. Manufactured in Singapore, Mr. Robotic is mistaken that only Singapore holds cultural diversity in the region.

Thanks to Ms. Limelight, Mr. Robotic gets to find out a little about the Hindu Gods that was displayed in the shop. At the same shop, Mr. Robotic was amazed at how nimble the worker was his hands at stringing flowers together. It was so fast that Mr. Robotic can barely follow the movement with his eyes. Sadly with modernisation, such a craft may eventually disappear one day. At the "little India lane", Mr. Robotic also finds that he can't resist bobbing his head to Bollywood dance tracks, much to the amusement of Ms. Hysterical. Indeed music transcends cultural barriers.

Of course, a day trip to Johor Bahru ain't complete without shopping and binging of food. Mr. Robotic cannot be more fascinated at how a bridge that divides the two countries means such differences in prices. It was apparent when Mr. Robotic compares the contact lenses solution of the same brand which is $4 cheaper in Johor Bahru.

Top from F.O.S. It is in cyan, a color which Mr. Robotic got to add to his collection.

Mr. Robotic meets Mr. Robotic?

Marybrown's Chicken. Chicken Delicious! Sides a bit weak though.

Note: Mr. Robotic deliberated on this post not that the trip ain't enjoyable as it was definitely a most fun day but rather the day following the trip holds lots of regret and sadness for Mr. Trust Me. If Mr. Trust Me is reading this post, Mr. Robotic hopes that Mr. Trust Me can let go of his regret and resume his smiley and cheeky character soon as everyone around him is missing that. Mr. Robotic is sure uncle also wishes for the same thing for Mr. Trust Me.

Pu Tien... the twists and turns...

Ever since Mr. Robotic was introduced to the fried yam at Pu Tien, Mr. Robotic has added that to his cravings list! Mr. Robotic must admit that he ain't a fan of yam (come on, the food is purple!) but Pu Tien totally changed his opinion.

It was Mr. Worry Too Much's birthday (coincidentally it happens to be Mr. Robotic 4th year at his current job too) and Mr. Robotic suggested Pu Tien at Tampines for the mini celebration. However, Mr. Worry Too Much whom again was true to his character was worried that there ain't any parking space at Tampines and suggested to go the Parkway Parade instead.

The group was at a loss at what to eat at Parkway Parade as Mdm. Agaration wanted to eat Chinese food. Surprisingly, as luck would have it, there was a Pu Tien at Parkway Parade too, tucked nicely at one quiet corner and the group was just in time at 2.30 pm to make the last order for the kitchen. So here's the food selection...

Hums with garlic as starters. It's not too bad. But for a party of 5, it is a bit much...

The Fried Yam which Mr. Robotic is raving about.

Stir fried bee hoon. The bee hoon has a interesting herbal kind of taste to it. Mr. Robotic liked how crispy the seaweed is. The rest of the group found it a bit bland compared to the rest of the dishes though...

Kai lan covered with bean curd skin. Though this dish is standard fare for lots of Chinese restaurants, it was wiped out by the group within minutes. A gesture of how good it is...?

Fried pork ribs with chestnut. Seldom does Mr. Robotic find chunky chestnuts in dishes. This was one of the rare occasions.

Steamed Sea Bass. Standard fare but good enough...

Chili. This chili has a nice spicy and sour kick to it. Very appetizing...

The cute little bag contains a bottle of the their chili. Marvellous!

UOB card holders will receive a discount for weekdays. Even without the discount on the weekend, the prices are very reasonable considering the group has ordered all medium size dishes except for the fried bee hoon and yet the group of 5 is super full by the end of the meal for just $125. Till the next craving for fried yam... :)