Complaint: SUCKY RIVER HONGBAO 春到河畔 TRIP

So I just came back from my River Hongbao (春到河畔 2015) trip.

If you have no idea what River Hongbao is, it is an annual CNY carnival - Something like a huge-scaled night market a.k.a Pasar Malam.

*Don't ask me why my face look like this. YOU WILL KNOW WHY WHEN YOU READ ON!

I used to visit River Hongbao when I was a kid. (Sigh, those memories...) and enjoyed the CNY decorations, food and most importantly... The GAME STALLS!

Oh boy, those game stalls were one of the main reasons why I loved visiting River Hongbao. I would feel rich after receiving the tons of ang baos from my relatives and spent them on the games that were considered fairly cheap then.

UNFORTUNATELY, this blog post is not abut reminiscing the memories. Instead,it is a COMPLAINT that I felt I HAVE to blog about after my visit. Believe me, I was in a huge rage after the visit, so much that I promised myself that I would blog about this immediately when I get back.

No doubt that the CNY decorations were breathtakingly beautiful, especially when they came up with a special SG50 theme this year.

However, the food and game stall prices were WAY BEYOND ridiculous - almost like a daylight robbery. 

Can you believe that the prices are DOUBLE to that of a normal Pasar Malam (For eg: A Popsicle that can be commonly found at typical Pasar Malams for $1 cost twice as much at River Hongbao) and the game stalls do not come with cheap anymore.

Gone were the times when I could have the choice to try my luck at game stalls that used to be  $2 per game.

Call me outdated, but imagine my horror when I discovered that the minimal price to pay for the games were NOW $22 and $50 respectively, and they come in cash credits form. It's similar to an arcade concept - You top up the card once credits have ran out.

I didn't take any photo as I was too infuriated at the moment. But here are some photos found online:

(Credits to bumblebeemum.net)

As I was tempted by the soft toys that were hung there (one of the games didn't seem difficult), my Dokiboy got us a $50 card to play with.

Of course, I felt the pinch when he paid for it. I am one who doesn't believe in luck games (Yes,I don't believe in arcades even)

I was hoping that I would at least WIN one of the soft toys back. HOPE.

(Image credit to: spunktitud3.wordpress.com.) 

(Of course, what are the chances of not getting any single shit if $50 was invested, right? I mean, SURELY there would be a consolation prize or something...)

BUT BOY, was I wrong.

Here's what we got after $50 was spent:

Yes. A freaking SG50 balloon.

(Actually, we "won" 2 balloons. 1 of it burst along the way)

I mean, I am not complaining because I was unable to win anything.

I AM COMPLAINING BECAUSE THE GAMES WERE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO WIN.

(Probably the losing ratio is like 8:2)

Even the most supposedly basic Wheel of Fortune is no longer just a simple spin-and-win thing.

I had to "predict" the color of what the wheel would land on before spinning it.
WHAT KIND OF LOGIC IS THIS?!?!

Let's say if I bet on YELLOW and the wheel landed on other colors, then there would be 0 prize for me.

Not to mention that it is $5 per CASH CREDIT. 

That's $5 gone within split seconds.

Wow, easy money for them - Boo-hoo for me as the loser.

And there's another balloon dart-throwing game stall that only offers you 1 dart. It's a hit-or-miss thing and the player only has ONE freaking try for $5.

The worst part is, even if you managed to burst the balloon with your dart... It does NOT guarantee you a soft toy.
You will get this... ... for $5.
Congratulations.



Needless to say, many were on a losing streak.
(Poor thing, most people did not even get a balloon)

OH, OH - and not to mention that we witnessed a group of Indians CHEATING at those games when the stall keeper was not looking. 

One of their friends actually used their hand to swipe the ball and the stall keeper happily gave them the soft toy that they totally did not deserve at all.

I was flabbergasted at the audacity and how openly the organizers have allowed that to happen.

Of course, how could one hide the disappointment of not winning anything and possibly losing all my ang bao money on those games? I was hoping for a sure-win game stall but there appeared to be none. 

Is the organizer really that CHEAPSKATE? People already spent so much money at your stalls and I believe you would already have recouped your $$$. In fact, is there even anything to recoup?! You have absolutely nothing to lose at all and I believe there would still be a truckload of soft toys left even after the event. 

COME ON LAH, I believe I have higher chances of hitting jackpot at casinos than winning 1 single soft toy from any of your game stall.

With the games so expensive to begin with, the difficulty level is unbelievably ridiculous.

I suggest that the organizer should review the difficulty level of the games and the pricing - I will NEVER, ever pay for anything like that again. 

I would rather spend the $50 on eating Ding Tai Fung or restaurant food than spending it at game stalls that require a miraculous amount of luck to win.

So, to those who are considering to visit River Hongbao.... Think twice.

Even if the price are in Ringgit, I would still find it ridiculous!!!

*(#&$*(#$

CNY Day 2: A visit to Istana

Having spent most of my CNY days slacking and watching endless "Ghost Adventures" episodes during previous years, there's a special twist to my CNY this year!

Yes - That's the visit to Istana,  the official residence and office of the President of Singapore.

I never thought that I would have the opportunity to tour the area, so it was a rare one!
(Come on, it's not an everyday thing that one gets to enter the Istana!)

Of course, many of the areas in the Istana are still kept at bay.

Here's one of the photos I posted on Facebook - somehow a summary of my trip:
(I even wore a "I LOVE SG" shirt - actually a couple tee- to Istana. So patriotic and so me! LOL)

Some of my friends have mistaken that it requires money for the admission. NO, no and NO - Admission to Istana is FREE. The $2 ticket shown in my photo above was just the admission to one of the buildings in the Istana, which was optional. (It was stated publicly that the money from ticket sales would be donated to charity though)

The building would entitle one to have a rare glimpse of some of the few precious gifts given by other countries to the President of Singapore, which includes golden vases, silver high-class looking figurines, etc.

Unfortunately, photo-taking was a big no-no in the building and I was not able to capture any despite my hands itching to do so!!! GRRR.

Security guards were stationed at every corner so we could only retain the memories in our brains.

Oh well.

I did not want to leave the Istana empty-handed, and ended up with the purchase of 2 Istana mugs (Lucky us, those were the LAST 2- so we bought them off as couple mugs. Lol)

Blurry pic, but that'll do.

For those of you who are interested in visiting the Istana, do take note of the few Open House dates!

The Istana grounds is open to the public in celebration of Chinese New Year; Deepavali; Hari Raya Puasa; Labour Day; and National Day. The Istana Open House is scheduled to be held on the following dates in 2015:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Chinese New Year (2nd Day) Labour Day (Actual Day) Hari Raya Puasa (Actual Day) National Day (Sunday before) Deepavali (Actual Day)

-          20 February 2015 (Friday) -          1 May 2015 (Friday) -          17 July 2015 (Friday) -          2 August 2015 (Sunday) -          10 November 2015 (Tuesday) [TBC]

 For more information, you may visit their official website at (If you are a Singaporean, admission is entirely FREE!):
http://www.istana.gov.sg/the-istana/open-house

Honestly, there is nothing fanciful but will be a great experience for all. :)

SP Bloggers' CNY Appreciation Dinner

Even though CNY has already ended by the time I updated this entry, but I'm still gonna share this awesome-licious post - Beware, it's gonna' cause alot of saliva dripping.

Of course, I would like to thank the lovely staff from the Department of Corporate Communications of Singapore Polytechnic for the exclusive invitation to their CNY SP Bloggers' Appreciation dinner! It was very kind of them to extend an invitation for my partner as well, in which I brought my momo along. :)

(Thank you so much for helping me with the pictures, love!)

It was a complete surprise as I had no idea which cafe/restaurant the dinner would be held at - and it turned out to be a cozy Japanese-themed restaurant, GEN SUSHI! :)

I was admiring the paintings on the wall and couldn't take my eyes off them - Those are real drawn-on drawings and not printed!

Amazing,right?!

While chatting with the lovely girls, I started snapping photos away. *blogger mode turned on*

I just wanted to share how awesome I thought the interior design was! Look at those wine bottles. It was a fascinating sight to watch - and I somehow felt I was in Japan for that split second. #Hallucination.

Hahaha.

Since it was CNY, the dinner started off with Yu Sheng, or aka "Lou Hei"! This was a pic taken before the power and misc ingredients were added in. 

And here's the beautiful lady whom attended to the next table - The way she poured the ingredients was so graceful. (If it were me, everything would be in a mess. Hahaha)

*I just noticed that Jiun Ngee (the guy in specs) was looking at the food in awe! Hahaha. Cute expression*

And this was the graceful lady who attended to us at our ladies' table. Both ladies mixed in the ingredients at the same time together - everything was so in sync!

I'm so proud of this close-up shot - I am sure salmon lovers would find your tongues hanging out.

Yes, these pieces of raw salmon are WICKEDLY fresh. Note: I am not really a fan of raw food, but I actually LOVE these salmon pieces and found myself digging for them after they were mixed into the Lou Hei. Hahaha.

Messy in a beautiful way~

Here goes!

LOOK AT THOSE SALMON PIECES!! *screams*

 I snapped a photo of the guys - Theirs was a much messier version than ours!!

HUAT AH, HUAT AH~~~

.

And this was ours! :) The ladies were more careful not to drop any on the table. Hahaha.

We were so hyped up while tossing the Yu Sheng. Hee.

The baby squids that were served next. (Gosh, they actually looked adorable T_T)

Sashimi!! =) Are you tempted yet...?

Now, here's a close-up that's guaranteed to turn your taste buds on... 

Okay, I don't really know what this is called (Ok, I just went to google and found out its known as chawanmushi)-  it is one of the popular Japanese dishes that I always thought as "steamed egg". Oh man, it's so frigging' delicious that I finished everything in the bowl.

Grilled Salmon that came with special sauce that tickles your taste buds... I was craving for more after each bite........

Miso soup! One of my faves!

And we had the sushis, too! These were half-raw. But hey, I am sure any Jap food lover will love them!

Ice-cream for dessert!!!! 

Gosh, I actually feel like reaching my hand out and pull these food from the computer screen.  (Damn, it's now 11.52 pm and definitely not the time to feel hungry! BUT I CAN'T HELP IT!!)

Here's a group photo of us at the event:

Thank you so much for the great hospitality as usual, my lovely SP lovelies! It has always been a lovely journey joining and blogging for SP-related events. It's truly a blessing and I'm so glad to see SP soaring so high since my days.

It sure does feel good to be still connected to my ex-school in a way!

And yes, not to forget ....Here's a shoutout to Ms Yvonne Chan - It was indeed a pity that we didn't manage to catch up with each other at the dinner; but still - thanks for the invitation and I do look forward to seeing you again in future events!

HUAT AH!!

And to anyone who is interested in having authentic Jap food (I can vouch for its freshness!!! Hahaha) Here's the address!

Gen Sushi

33 Mohammed Sultan Road #01-03, Singapore 238977

Happy CNY!

Okay, so I have not been really active in blogging lately as I am sick.. :(

Yeah, it was terrible because I always have a phobia for coughing and yet I am caught up with the coughing virus just a week before Chinese New Year. (Gaah!) This is no fun at all!

I had visited two different doctors within a week and the coughing hasn't stopped.

I guess the medication wasn't strong enough.

*Pardon the picture quality. All photos were taken using my mobile's camera*

AND I WAS PRAYING So HARD THAT I COULD RECOVER BY THE FIRST DAY OF THE NEW YEAR! 

*wails*

You know how terrible it is to witness all the new year goodies in front of you and yet you can't have them in your mouth?! Grrrr...

Still, that doesn't stop me from going visiting with my family. ^^

It has been quite some time since I last cam-whored and I finally had the opportunity to yesterday! LOL.

And yes, I am wearing the maroon dress that I bought from Singapore Polytechnic's SPELL store @ Changi Airport!

Okay, I guess this is only going to be a short update. 

I am currently addicted to watching Ghost Hunters and some paranormal shows (I don't know why I have this habit of watching such shows during CNY every year!)

Might be going to the movies  (and catch a VAMPIRE movie!) with my besties tomorrow before starting work on Wednesday.

Happy CNY to all who are reading my blog! :)

Happy CNY!

Just a short post.. to wish each and every of my friends a HAPPY CNY!

Thanks to my sis for the delicious chestnuts! (Referring to the red packet in this photo) 

And guess what? I had my first "A&F" spray on the first day of the new year!

Thanks to KC for helping me to place the orders from luxuryperfume! Although there were complications with the company, but I am glad that our "FIERCE"  (that's the name of the scent) arrived to Singapore in our hands safe and sound.

Yeah, I am sure any typical A&F (Abercrombie & Fitch) freak will be familiar with this scent. Its the exact scent that the store uses daily. You can't miss it! I fell in love with the scent when I stepped into the store, and have been yearning to OWN the scent. Haha, and I finally did! *happy mode* And not to mention its the 100ml version!

But I did it with a huge hole damage in my pocket. This cologne is not cheap. At all. * trying hard not to think about it* Oh well.