Final Year Project

Army Arghhh

Recently, I've been bombarded by a flurry of mail from "The Decisive Force" of the Republic of Singapore.

Our Army is to deter aggression, and should deterrence fail, to secure a swift and decisive victory. In peacetime, our Army is to be ready and capable of conducting a spectrum of operations to protect our national interests and the well-being of our citizens.

So here's the "spectrum of operations to protect our national interests and the well-being of our citizens" which I plainly interpret as pure harassment.

REMINDER TO ATTEND REMEDIAL TRAINING

What the... I take extreme offense. Since when did I fail my IPPT that would warrant a "warning letter"? (Though I wouldn't be too confident for this year...)
But seriously, I haven't taken my IPPT yet so this kind of ominous insinuation is simply uncalled for. In addition, it's still over a month to my birthday! (insert subtle hint, 25/9)

PIONEER

This is probably one of the few "compulsory" must-haves that all army-serving males would receive every month. Despite numerous attempts to try to unsubscribe it, my cries have obviously fallen on deaf ears.

For the sake of mother nature, I will still try to convince those idiots at MINDEF to save the earth and stop wasting paper on me.

Anyway, call me a quibbler but have you ever wondered why this magazine is still called Pioneer? The last time I learnt about this word, Pioneer was associated with new, leading and maybe even trailblazing.

But at Issue 369, and you're still calling it Pioneer?!

armynews | pulse of the army

WOAH. Hold it. What is this? I've never received any publications other than PIONEER . And now this?

The cover proclaims that it is issue number 154 so I wonder what have I been missing out on all this while? Heh.

The New Adventures of
Army WOSpecs

This really takes the cake. While I was initially horrified that I had received a third propaganda from SAF, I was soon laughing my ass off when I saw the title.

Seriously, who in the world suggested using the phrase "The New Adventures of..."?!

I mean I could understand if people used it in comics and cartoons such as...

The New Adventures of Captain Planet

The New Adventures of Superman

or maybe throw in Batman.
I definitely wouldn't bat an eyelid.

Goodness. Maybe I should consider laminating this publication since it's the FIRST EDITION.

Oh, did I mention they even include real-life testimonials to convince that this "New Adventures of..." book is really good. And my favourite quote:

Every so often there comes a book that make you sit up and think about your place in the Army as a WOSpec. This isn't one of them but it will keep you motivated. It's simply manificent!

3SG Mahmud (NSF)

Frizzling Food

It's unbelievable.
It seemed almost yesterday that I was fretting about my lack of internship, and before you know it, I'm outta IBN. Just as I celebrated my final days in IBN, attempting to treasure my last few days in Biopolis, I was more than stumped to find out that my FYP (Final Year Project) will be at IMB (Institute of Medical Biology).

Yes. I'll be stuck in Biopolis for another year.
To think I wanted to dedicate this post to the food in Biopolis... Agad.

Coffee Culture

Fried Kway Teow with Oat Chicken with Teh Tarik

Chicken Rendang with Butter Rice

A random attempt at al fresco dining.

It was awkward, particularly I was eating curry with rice on the steps.
Messy affair, I would say.

Baking Boys

Chicken Curry with Rice

Here's to dining on a proper table...

Chicken Baked Rice with Mocha

Rainy weather plus a cup of Mocha really made my day.

Khansama Tandoori Castle

So...
My final lunch on my last day ended majestically at a palace in Biopolis.
Free lunch by Dr Min Hu and Rensheng!
Why not?

Vindaloo Curry with Basmati Rice, Mango Lassi

The mango lassi though better than the Raj (another Indian restaurant in Biopolis), it still lack the mango "punch" I was looking. Vindaloo curry tasted familiar and brought back flashbacks of Auckland. Unfortunately, it was hardly spicy and lacked the "kick".

GOBI Tiramisu Cake

Despite the perils of using the public transport during the peak hour rush, the cake remained intact... well largely. And yup, I would say the Tiramisu cake certainly didn't disappoint my family.


As usual, once in a month or so, I would always find reason to treat myself to a sumptuous dinner. Thanks to online recommendations by hungrygowhere.com, I uncovered a couple of treasures in Holland Village.

El Patio Mexican Restaurant

Okay, the original intention was visit Monster Mash, a British Retro cafe. But thanks to my sweh-buangzness, it happened to be closed on Mondays.

So a random stab in the dark landed us in this Mexican enclave.

Cheese Quesadilla and Lime Margarita

The Cheese Quesadilla was... cheesy. But I must make special mention to their Tequila-spiked Lime Margarita served in a mug. Delightfully refreshing!

Chicken Fajita

Supreme Burrito

The Chicken Fajita probably emerged as my favourite dish of the night. Highly recommended when you factor in the reasonable prices!

Monster Mash Cafe

Two weeks later, I was back in Holland Village. This time, on a Friday night.
While I was initially regretful of not reserving a table, my fears was quite unfounded when it ain't packed with people. Even on the eve of a weekend.

Monster Mash is a British ‘retro’ Café, we give you what you’ve been wanting for years – great food, first class service and value – ‘top nosh at half the cost’ - ‘nuff’ said really!

ONLY two branches worldwide:

1. Edinburgh
4a Forrest Road,
Edinburgh, EH1 2QN
0131 225 7069

2. Singapore
26 Lorong Mambong,
Holland Village, Singapore, 277685

The Humble Looking CafeFor starters...

Pan-fried Fishcakes, Mixed Leaves, Tomato Vinaigrette

With fish bits mashed together in a potato patty and the tangy twist of the vinaigrette, it certainly whet our appetites.

Monster Sausage and Monster Mash

of course, not forgetting the Monster Gravy...

Okay. The phallic-shaped Monster Sausage looked grotesque and dry, even after pouring copious amounts of Monster gravy.

But, thankfully, the taste was a far cry from what it looked. The sausage was tasty and porky, in a good way. But the mash and gravy was slightly nuanced in taste. :p

Oven Baked Chicken and Fish & Chips

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Custard

I knew we had ordered a winner when the waitress commented that it was a "good choice". Lusciously rich and seductively sweet with tenacious toffee notes, this has definitely gone into my guilty-pleasure list.

And a cute Little Creatures Bright Ale to wash all the calories down.

Of course.
Good food need not be expensive, and expensive food.. might not be good.

Ricciotti, The Riverwalk

Despite my violent objections, I was compelled to dine at Ricciotti (all thanks to SOMEBODY). My previous visit was marred by irritating sub-par service along with mediocre pizza and mix platter. The only saving grace was the homemade Gelato.

So anyway, because of my lackluster experience with their "authentic woodbaked italian pizza", I decided to go with pasta, even though I was never really a big fan of it.

Fettuccine E Salmone

fettuccine with salmon and saffron cream sauce

Saffron?!
Maybe I should blame on my benumbed nose and untrained palate, but I swore it was simply run-of-the-mill cream sauce. Served barely warmed with shredded salmon bits, it was arguably the most unappetizing and soggy Italian meal I've eaten in a long time.

Moca - S$6.80
the classic Italian mocha flavour with espresso, chocolate and milk

At 7 bucks, this was the most expensive cup of coffee I've drunk this year. At first impressions, it had failed aesthetically due to lack of barista art. If normal cafes such as Gloria Jeans and McCafe could bother to invest that tiny bit of effort, I see no reason to excuse Ricciotti.

First taste revealed a whiff of over-roasted beans but it was almost immediately masked by the rather strong aroma from the chocolate. Admittedly, it could be just me nit-picking but it did remind me of the takeaway Mocha at a cafe located in Engineering block (University of Auckland) which I sometimes order just before my Thermofluids lecture.

The Café Cartel, Raffles Place

Jeepers! I went to Café Cartel?
Okay, relax. It was just for a cup of coffee. After all, as the name suggest, café would mean good coffee right?

Small Cup of Tiramisu Espresso

Thanks to deceptively shot photos in the menu, I had assumed it was a normal regular sized coffee.

But tada, it ended up being just a shot of espresso!