Things to do in Singapore: Golden Mile

I've always been an advocate for the non-conventional places to go, eat and do. Getting our picture taken against a couldn't-be-more-fake backdrop and shopping for gifts in Little India couldn't be more amusing. This is probably another of those places not mentioned in any traveller's guide like Geylang.

Even I, myself only recently discovered Golden Mile to add to the cheap date ideas list. Golden Mile have always just been a location for me to board the coaches to Malaysia. Only stepping in to visit the loo before departure, i never did think it was a place i would come hang out or eat. The entire building is permeated with smells like salted fish and the floors were grubby. A huge difference from the shiny malls on Orchard Road.

Little did i know that if you want to experience Bangkok, you can do it in Golden Mile without buying an air ticket.

En-route to dinner, i pass by skimpy cladded Thai girls. I can't decide if they are working girls from the bars around or they're Singapore residents missing home.

Reeling in the sights and sounds, i hear noisy Thai chatter and animated Thai songs thumping through the KTV lounges.

My friend introduced me to New Udon Thai Food. There's nothing Japanese about it, but rather it's steamboat plus bbq in one!

Costing $21 per person, it's a novelty to see a concave steamboat. The ones along Bugis Street usually have a bowl sunken in the middle for the soup while the hot plate surrounds it. Food is cooked with electronic gas.

At Golden Mile, New Udon Thai Food is the only one offering steamboat bbq and with the concave middle where you grill food, while soup surrounds like a moat.

Lard is given to put on top, the food is cooked with charcoal beneath.

Not free flow

The ingenious bit is that as the food is cooked on the concave plate, all the juices will drip into the soup adding that extra oomph. You may cook the seafood and meat on the hot plate, and the vermicelli, egg and vegetables in the soup. 

While this may be an unconventional date idea, do note that not every girl will appreciate being taken to a meal filled with smoke that would make her hair and clothes stink.

 Ask for the Thai ice tea!

 Thereafter, take a stroll and check out what Little Thailand has to offer.

Clothes comparable to Bangkok prices. Starts at $15 for a decent dress.

I was thrilled to see Thai massages although my friend doubt they are "clean".

Missing any mobile wires? They have shops selling random stuff.

 I was amused to see "hampers" packed in a pail with goodies and toiletries inside. It costs $35 and i exclaimed a bit too loudly, "Do the Thais give this to each other as gifts?!?"

 I got corrected by the store owner that this is for praying. This "hamper" is presented as gifts to Buddha and not to men. Ignorant me!

The Thais like in Thailand are very friendly and have no problem with you taking photos.

I find the strangest things on sale.

Turning nipples pink, whitening groin areas.

 I try not to make a deduction from the numerous vanity products for naughty bits i found on sale.

Will you dare try these slimming creams?

 If you'd like to get the BBQ Steamboat thing home, you can purchase one from the supermarket on 2nd floor for $30+

But otherwise for a souvenir, you can get Lighter Babe of the Month.

I know of someone who collects Lay's flavours around the world. Here, you can find Thailand's flavour e.g. Sushi, crab, lobster

 Like in Mustafa, i chuckled to myself as i discover strange perfumes.

 Brue Lee's deodorant surprisingly smelled pretty good (i like it) and it was long lasting (my hair still smelled after a shower). For ONLY $3.90, it is MADE IN FRANCE!! Don't play play...

 I love their copy liners. No limitation, No Imitation 0_0

Comes in Be Water, Anger Blinds and Don't Think, Feel.

 HILARIOUS!

 I saw this and it reminds me of the Harajuku Lovers fragrance collection created by pop star Gwen Stefani! It also smelled pretty good except it's only $8.50 and made in China.

Harajuku lovers can be bought in departmental stores, starting from $70+

After strolling around and having a chuckle at what we find, we went back to level 1 for desert!

 As authentic as it can get! It reminds me of the food court in Platinum Mall in Bangkok.

 We settled for red ruby and mango sticky rice (my favourite) for $3+ each.  

Unlike Little India and Chinatown, stipulated by the government and the urban planners that it shall be named as that, i wonder how did Golden Mile come to become "Little Thailand". Like how did Lucky Plaza becomes Manila on Sundays or Peninsula is Mynmmar (next post coming up). Did one villager move to Singapore, set up shop in Golden Mile and started bringing more towner in? I heard that's what the Indians do at banks. Ha ha ha.

Golden Mile, due for an en bloc any time now, where will the Thais move to if it gets demolished?  Better visit now before it disappears.

As the night gets late, i spot more skimpy cladded girls appearing and i saw them taking off their cardigans and leaving them in these lockers unlocked.

Golden Mile, what a colourful sight.

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www.gudanggrosiran.com Categories: date ideas, thailand, things to do in singapore, uniquely singapore

A Dummy's Guide: Singapore Turf Club

Advertorial

Here's an unconventional date idea. Take her/him to the Singapore Turf Club.

For those without cars, you can take a train to Kranji and then board a Turf Club shuttle bus (you pay for admission at the same time) to the race course.

 In Western countries, the races is a chi-chi event where ladies wear pretty summer frocks & fancy hats.

 In Singapore, it's not quite our culture so while i tried to blend in, i didn't want to be OTT (over-the-top).

Fancy hats aren't really a norm in Singapore either, so instead of going to the shops to hunt one, we made one!

 Because it was the Queen Elizabeth's Cup we were attending, we made a hat suited to the theme.

Symbolizing freedom, this hat will be auctioned in July by Turf Club for charity.

Races happen every Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, that's when dates happen too right? Instead of a movie and dinner, why not try something new?

While i do not promote gambling, I think a visit to the Turf Club as an unconventional date idea is permissible. Because you may not have done it before, read up so you'll impress your date!

You don't have to dress up to the Turf Club, i did only because i was asked to and we were invited to one of its special events.

Singapore Turf Club organizes special nights for major races where members of the public can purchase tickets at $60/$80 to participate.

While it provides a buffet dinner, the food and variety is not comparable to a hotel's where you pay on average $48++ for a dinner buffet.

Do also note that while other alcohol is available, only beer and cocktails are inclusive.

Otherwise, you get an exclusive viewing, betting and dining area. You can also participate in their lucky draw and fringe activities like Best Dressed, Guess The Winner etc.

Crossing over to where majority of the public will be, it's a stark difference. Here, you can wear flip flop and tank tops for a casual date.

                          

Mostly a male audience, you find people smoking and litter everywhere.

For $7, you get to enter the Upper Grand Stand (seen in below picture, the level below the bright lights). It is air-conditioned.

Otherwise, you can pay $3 and enter the Lower Grand Stand (seen in above picture, the level below the upper grand stand).

Though it's non-conditioned, it's a good spot to be in the heat of the excitement when the race starts. You are also closer to the horses when they do a parade showing the shine and stealth of the horses before you place your bets.

Here're the minimum items you need to place a bet. Seasoned gamblers will need more program sheets i guess.

From the top: This provides past performances of all the horses running on the day's program. While you're likely to win betting on the No.1 horse, your winnings are also much lesser. You can bet on the least likely to win horse, the stroke of luck may bring you bigger winnings.

The minimum amount needed to place a bet is $5, i was given a voucher.

The red car park coupon looking sheet is where you shade in your bets like an MCQ test paper.

There you fill in the Race you want to bet (you can see from the TVs around which is the latest race and you can bet on the next race), and under the section "Pool", you can choose to either shade Win, Pla or W-P

What it means:

Bet Type	Your Chances of Winning	Explanation and Expectation
W-P	Very good	Your horse must finish 1st, 2nd, or 3rd; modest payoffs
Pla	Good	Your horse must finish 1st or 2nd; payoffs better than W-P
Win	Average	Your horse must finish 1st; payoff determined by the win odds

I put $5 for Win on Speedy Cat, on record it has always won first place. If Speedy Cat comes in first place, i would win erm, $2 based on the odds.

Alas, it was the underdog who at the eleventh hour took over! If i had put my bet on Pla, i would still have won something, and more than $2.

Horse racing is something that is over in a blink of an eye. All the excitement built up is over even quickly than a roller-coaster. There are 10 races each night, each race lasting lesser than probably a minute. However, it's a 20 minute wait in between races.

So a date at the races could be $50 (bets) + $6 (entrance for 2 to lower grand stand).

I never expect to see the tiniest men on these massive stealthy beasts though.

The jockeys need to weigh themselves before and after each race to ensure no cahoots (slowing themselves down with weights so that their partner-in-crime can win).

The unlikely horse that won the Queen Elizabeth cup? The horse owner took home $35,000 that night.

The winning pout.

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www.gudanggrosiran.com Categories: advertorial, date ideas, things to do, turf club, uniquely singapore

Mad Hatter

Advertorial

Have you heard about the Queen Elizabeth II Cup where glamour and excitement reigns? It's happening at our very own racecourse next Friday. For $60, you get admission, buffet dinner, free flow of alcohol, lucky draw AND goodie bag.

Sounds like a splendid date idea!

When lived in Australia, the races is a big affair where ladies dress to the nines with gloves and hats while the men wear waistcoats and top hats. I didn't attend a race in Australia though but now i get a chance to, in Singapore!

It's tradition to wear a hat to the races. The bigger the better to block out the sun and to block out people (i'm kidding!) but the more attention grabbing your hat is, the more the media will fawn over the fashion elite.

However, in Singapore, our climate is different so here's some tips to prevent being a faux pas!

Simple classy hats will suit our weather but still fulfill the tradition and block out the sun/ people (if you wish).

But bless Turf Club, for their Queen Elizabeth II Cup is in the evening on a Friday which means it'll be cooler so more daring hats are possible!

If you're wearing a loud hat, then be sure to dress in block colours so that the details of the hats will stand out and won't look top heavy. Cream/nude colours are trendy now, chic and sleek!

I'll be designing my own hat for this occasion, encouraged by Turf Club!

For more details about the event, click www.turfclub.com.sg
There are also luck draw prizes that are pretty enticing, other than the free flow alcohol, buffet, race AND goodie bag (first 1000).

Lady Luck Draw
1st prize: Gucci Wallet + Horseshoe Charm + $1000 cash
2nd prize: Burberry Wristlet + Horseshoe charm + $500 cash
3rd prize: Kate Spade Tote + $200 cash 

Email marketing@turfclub.com.sg if you wish to purchase tickets ($60/$80) to this race or join my mailing list to be picked as a winner (1 ticket only)!

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www.gudanggrosiran.com Categories: advertorial, date ideas, race, things to do, turf club, uniquely singapore

Charity Dinner Date.

Are you still looking for a Valentine's date?



Here's an interesting concept by Sold.SG. You can

1) Date me
2) Donate to charity
3) Eat for free (food, NOT me)

I am actually not as high maintenance as one would think. My starting bid value ONLY starts at $0.15.

Bid for Charity - All proceeds from this auction goes to charity. Win a dinner date at Limoncello with Christine on Feb 16th.

Christine is a storyteller. Her blog, as stated on her homepage, contains “no photoshop, no falsies, no push-up bras. Just real life situations.” Christine gives her readers her account of the world in funny, light-hearted posts.

ABOUT HER A vivacious nature, she has dived with the sharks, sky dived and bungee jumped. She seeks a like-minded adventurous soul who can share her bucket list. She enjoys listening as much as sharing stories. Capturing a pigeon enjoying KFC and a fly squashed by a fry, she titles the pictures "It's a Bird eat Bird world out there" and "Fly death by a Fry." A flawed but improving content creator. Make her laugh and she'll peel prawns for you. While studying in Australia, Christine got into blogging to keep her parents and friends informed with her news from Down Under. Her blogs initially comprised “mundane” posts like about her learning how to cook, but soon developed into more sophisticated posts on her various life experiences. To date, Christine has appeared in various print and television commercials and has an impressive modeling portfolio up her sleeve, including 2006 Miss Ralph Lauren Champion, FHM Girl Next Door Top 10 finalist and 2010 Miss Earth finalist. She has also hosted/emceed various events and provided written material or a number of organisations.

Christine Seeks: Balding, simple-minded, ex-circus weirdo. Loves eating mayonnaise with peanut butter sandwiches in the rain. Seeks exotic character who likes sleeping upside down, preferably hairy and stinky. No freaks please.

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Funds raised by this auction will be donated to

SCAS

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Limoncello Restaurant is the brainchild of Restaurateur Mark Anthonisz and Fabio Iannone who have brought about a Team of talented individuals including Evecutive Chef’s Emiddio Cioffi and Mauro Crescendo from the Amalfi Coast.

Fabio Iannone is a Chef by Profession having founded La Braceria with Chef Emiddio who returned from Japan for Limoncello’s project. A Trained Sommelier from Accor Hotels and having worked with Gordon Ramsey’s, Daniel Boulud and Marina Bay Sands Singapore to name a few, Mark has been tasked with heading both the Front and Heart of Limoncello’s House.

Limoncello strives to exceed the expectations of it’s guests. Genuine Service and Traditional Fare from the coast of Amalfi is the focus of each new day. Napolitana wood fired pizzas and charcoal grilled meats and seafood is what distinguishes us from the rest.

Date & Time Thursday 16 February 2012, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm 

So yes, if you win this bid, you don't have to pay the meal. I'm not the typical Singaporean girl, we'll go dutch and i can get home on my own. Ok, i'm joking. The meal will be generously sponsored by Limoncello and i promise i will gaze into your eyes and converse with you instead of being an irritating food blogger. I prefer my food hot, if you must know.

Use code 'xoxosold' for 1 bonus token. Get an account and start bidding!

Purchase starts at $15 for 20 tokens though, but each token is worth $0.15. You can use the remaining 19 tokens for other items available like a Galaxy Note (latest bid at $342), Kino $50 vouchers (latest bid $0.30), Nikon DSLR (latest bid $44.05), GV vouchers (latest bid $0.07) and many more. Wow! That's crazy prices and currently there not many bidders (this site is a best kept secret!). High chance of getting that DLSR at $50 or GV vouchers for $2. Look at the crazy prices things have been bought so far.

So bid away today and i'll see you soon ;p

www.sold.sg

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www.gudanggrosiran.com Categories: advertorial, date ideas, sold.sg