Pitting itself against the likes of Borders and Popular book store. Kino emerged and created its own niche by positioning itself as a place where you can practically find everything you require in the shop.
Spanning almost an entire section of Ngee Ann City, Kino has a selection that rivals and even supersedes most Singapore bookstores. Its collection ranges from fiction, non fiction, magazines, Japanese books, travelling books, cooking, photography, children's books, self improvement, religious, philosophy, business etc etc. In simple terms, basically, theres a huge selection and it just keeps getting bigger.
The reason i patronize the place is because of the ease in locating a few select books which are elusive elsewhere. For example, the Sandman comics, Alastair Reynold novels, Philosophy arguments and traveling books. Its "ease" that is the key word here. Because "price" is definitely a little on the high side.
No matter, the place is comfortable for book junkies like myself to spend entire days just standing around, reading and buying that elusive title for pleasure. A good place for a good read.
Buses buses buses. Where in the world would we be without them? They ferry us to work and ferry us home. Comes at a pretty regular timing and gets the job done. Now, there are even more reasons to take the bus since the price of oil is increasing like the end of the world is coming and the gov is helping out by imposing more fines on an already crowded road so that buses now have the power of the right of way during peak hours. So we should all switch to using buses and ditch our cars......or should we?
Now, i'll take my stand and say my answer is no. I'll be basing my idea on the bus service 27 that goes from Hougang to Changi Airport and back.
Reasons are as follows:
1: Buses do not come at regular intervals. We've heard this countless times and the morning working adult population who needs to get to work at a certain time have definitely felt this. Regardless of the implementations of rules and fines, buses simply still come late. Of course, we've seen the compaign they ran about "unseen reasons" behind the lateness but honestly, poor planning is as much a factor. 27 is not a new service, in fact, its been ongoing for 8 years at least and still no improvement is seen. Buses are still packed and still late.
2: Buses with huge traffic do not get upgrade to double decks. Same problem, bad planning. 27 has a big enough traffic to at least warrant a double deck bus for its services. This kills 2 birds with one stone since it'll allow people to board faster with its bigger capacity and thus will not delay the bus journey. However, till now, it is still not done. The reasoning continues to elude me as to why there's no upgrade.
3: Space is simply not sufficient and squeezing with a whole bunch of people simply isn't a great feeling. Especially since i'm paying close to $2 to go on a journey to work, at least i expect a little space to breathe and hopefully sit down. Somehow, paying to be packed like sardines does not entice me one bit.
4: With company comes inconsiderate people and to keep it short, they irritate the hell out of me.
In its defense, i do not blame the bus drivers although sometimes, i do need to. (Try being 30 minutes late for an important meeting because the driver insists on driving 30km/h on an EMPTY road and you'll get the idea). Otherwise, they are not to blame. The planning department is the problem. They need to wake up and smell the thorns. We're all a part of the system, make life better for us all eh?
K box buffets are generally a hit or miss thing since first of all, the company specializes in nothing but offering rooms for the general public to scream their lungs out. And secondly, all casual outlets i've been to thus far have only offered fried items for their meals. So what do you get from the buffet anyway?
Quite a bit actually, the one i've been to serves a variety of salads, fish balls, sotong balls, squid, pasta, fried chicken wings, chawan mushi, soba, cakes, pastries and a myriad of items for the customer who selects the option for buffet and a room. All in all, choices number between the figure of 20-30 items for the choosing.
Food quality is sketchy at best since none of the items stood out enough to be remembered and none of the food was bad enough to warrant a complaint.
However, i'd still prefered if they had a package for free flow of drinks since thats exactly what clients really need for their 4 hour long screaming session. Removing the throat killing plate of nuts and replacing it with cooling items would be a good idea too.
Last word, if i had to pay for the meal at K box. I wouldn't visit again. Thats pretty much what you need to know.
lingderellasaid: perhaps then you can try their lunch which cost $13.60nett from 11am-2pm. Or the new hi-tea promo which is only available at specific outlets. 28 Jul 2008 at 4:12 am
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Taking a ride on Singapore Airlines is akin to being treated at a posh restaurant. Expensive and sometimes good.
Rides on the planes vary greatly in comfort, entertainment and space when you factor in the choices and different kinds of seating arrangements which you are provided with. Add to the fact that they also provide online check in services and a world famous service standard and there's just a lot of expectations for the Airlines to fulfil.
Personally, i've taken many rides on the airlines due to good fortune and thus far, i'd say there are still areas for improvement at this point.
Service itself is across the board good with the ability and flexibility for the customer to choose and request for even the most mundane things like special food choices and seating arrangements.
The plane itself however, differs greatly on which flight you catch on the way back. First class seats and service ranks up there with the best and if you are fortunate enough to be allowed the side seat in the captains room, the view isn't really magnificent unless during the take offs and the landing sessions. Captains i've met thus far are very chatty individuals however.
For first class/business class seats, the amount of leg room and comfort is generous and the seats padding is also thicker and softer for maximum comfort. For the economy class seats, taking the Boeing series as a gauge, they can range from being extremely cramped to being mildly accomodating depending on your luck. Personally, i'd go for the isle seats along the center and hope that the flight puts me on a Boeing 747 for reasonable comfort.
Flights by SIA are also smoother by far to its competitors whereby i've had a really bad experience of hitting an air pocket and having the stewards and stewardesses flung to the ceiling with some injuries.
All in all, flying with SIA have been pleasant but the seats can do with a little more space for economy. Otherwise, i'd still say its a good way to fly.
Heard lots about Melvados cafe and its famous brownies but due to the fact that its location is on the other side of Singapore, i've never coerced myself to make the trip down to visit it. In fact, i still have not visited it due to mixed reviews on the service and the food from the place. However, i did manage to get lucky one day and got my hands on a box of Melvados brownies for a tea time treat for free.
Macadamia Nut Brownie ($28 for 10 pieces) & Mango Mousse ($26 for 10 pieces) - Fortunate me got this box of brownies and cakes for free due to over ordering and i can say that i found the brownies and cakes above average. The Macadamia brownie obviously had a crunchy layer of macadamia nuts strewn all over the top of a chocolaty and bitter brownie. Its also soft and crumbles easily with each bite, doesn't crumble in your hand though, which to me, is a mark of an above average brownie. On the downside, the only thing to pick on is that the bitterness gets to you pretty quick. The Mango mousse cake is smooth, creamy and soft. Its lightly sweet with a thin layer of cream for that feeling of indulgence and balance all in one. It also helps to note that it was fresh. Another yummy treat.
I liked the brownies quite a bit. Its fresh, pack with taste and pretty much comfort food for me. The fact that i didn't have to pay for them helped quite a bit as well. All in all, i'd recommend ordering out to try for yourself. It ain't cheap though so please take note.
1=SGD 0.0587
Pitting itself against the likes of Borders and Popular book store. Kino emerged and created its own niche by positioning itself as a place where you can practically find everything you require in the shop.
Spanning almost an entire section of Ngee Ann City, Kino has a selection that rivals and even supersedes most Singapore bookstores. Its collection ranges from fiction, non fiction, magazines, Japanese books, travelling books, cooking, photography, children's books, self improvement, religious, philosophy, business etc etc. In simple terms, basically, theres a huge selection and it just keeps getting bigger.
The reason i patronize the place is because of the ease in locating a few select books which are elusive elsewhere. For example, the Sandman comics, Alastair Reynold novels, Philosophy arguments and traveling books. Its "ease" that is the key word here. Because "price" is definitely a little on the high side.
No matter, the place is comfortable for book junkies like myself to spend entire days just standing around, reading and buying that elusive title for pleasure. A good place for a good read.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
They ferry us to work and ferry us home. Comes at a pretty regular timing and gets the job done. Now, there are even more reasons to take the bus since the price of oil is increasing like the end of the world is coming and the gov is helping out by imposing more fines on an already crowded road so that buses now have the power of the right of way during peak hours. So we should all switch to using buses and ditch our cars......or should we?
Now, i'll take my stand and say my answer is no. I'll be basing my idea on the bus service 27 that goes from Hougang to Changi Airport and back.
Reasons are as follows:
1: Buses do not come at regular intervals.
We've heard this countless times and the morning working adult population who needs to get to work at a certain time have definitely felt this. Regardless of the implementations of rules and fines, buses simply still come late. Of course, we've seen the compaign they ran about "unseen reasons" behind the lateness but honestly, poor planning is as much a factor. 27 is not a new service, in fact, its been ongoing for 8 years at least and still no improvement is seen. Buses are still packed and still late.
2: Buses with huge traffic do not get upgrade to double decks.
Same problem, bad planning. 27 has a big enough traffic to at least warrant a double deck bus for its services. This kills 2 birds with one stone since it'll allow people to board faster with its bigger capacity and thus will not delay the bus journey. However, till now, it is still not done. The reasoning continues to elude me as to why there's no upgrade.
3: Space is simply not sufficient and squeezing with a whole bunch of people simply isn't a great feeling. Especially since i'm paying close to $2 to go on a journey to work, at least i expect a little space to breathe and hopefully sit down. Somehow, paying to be packed like sardines does not entice me one bit.
4: With company comes inconsiderate people and to keep it short, they irritate the hell out of me.
In its defense, i do not blame the bus drivers although sometimes, i do need to. (Try being 30 minutes late for an important meeting because the driver insists on driving 30km/h on an EMPTY road and you'll get the idea). Otherwise, they are not to blame. The planning department is the problem. They need to wake up and smell the thorns. We're all a part of the system, make life better for us all eh?
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
Quite a bit actually, the one i've been to serves a variety of salads, fish balls, sotong balls, squid, pasta, fried chicken wings, chawan mushi, soba, cakes, pastries and a myriad of items for the customer who selects the option for buffet and a room. All in all, choices number between the figure of 20-30 items for the choosing.
Food quality is sketchy at best since none of the items stood out enough to be remembered and none of the food was bad enough to warrant a complaint.
However, i'd still prefered if they had a package for free flow of drinks since thats exactly what clients really need for their 4 hour long screaming session. Removing the throat killing plate of nuts and replacing it with cooling items would be a good idea too.
Last word, if i had to pay for the meal at K box. I wouldn't visit again. Thats pretty much what you need to know.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!perhaps then you can try their lunch which cost $13.60nett from 11am-2pm. Or the new hi-tea promo which is only available at specific outlets.
28 Jul 2008 at 4:12 am
Rides on the planes vary greatly in comfort, entertainment and space when you factor in the choices and different kinds of seating arrangements which you are provided with. Add to the fact that they also provide online check in services and a world famous service standard and there's just a lot of expectations for the Airlines to fulfil.
Personally, i've taken many rides on the airlines due to good fortune and thus far, i'd say there are still areas for improvement at this point.
Service itself is across the board good with the ability and flexibility for the customer to choose and request for even the most mundane things like special food choices and seating arrangements.
The plane itself however, differs greatly on which flight you catch on the way back. First class seats and service ranks up there with the best and if you are fortunate enough to be allowed the side seat in the captains room, the view isn't really magnificent unless during the take offs and the landing sessions. Captains i've met thus far are very chatty individuals however.
For first class/business class seats, the amount of leg room and comfort is generous and the seats padding is also thicker and softer for maximum comfort. For the economy class seats, taking the Boeing series as a gauge, they can range from being extremely cramped to being mildly accomodating depending on your luck. Personally, i'd go for the isle seats along the center and hope that the flight puts me on a Boeing 747 for reasonable comfort.
Flights by SIA are also smoother by far to its competitors whereby i've had a really bad experience of hitting an air pocket and having the stewards and stewardesses flung to the ceiling with some injuries.
All in all, flying with SIA have been pleasant but the seats can do with a little more space for economy. Otherwise, i'd still say its a good way to fly.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!there seems to be more news recently about being flung to the ceiling, it sounds really scary...
19 Jul 2008 at 7:52 pm
Macadamia Nut Brownie ($28 for 10 pieces) & Mango Mousse ($26 for 10 pieces) - Fortunate me got this box of brownies and cakes for free due to over ordering and i can say that i found the brownies and cakes above average. The Macadamia brownie obviously had a crunchy layer of macadamia nuts strewn all over the top of a chocolaty and bitter brownie. Its also soft and crumbles easily with each bite, doesn't crumble in your hand though, which to me, is a mark of an above average brownie. On the downside, the only thing to pick on is that the bitterness gets to you pretty quick.
The Mango mousse cake is smooth, creamy and soft. Its lightly sweet with a thin layer of cream for that feeling of indulgence and balance all in one. It also helps to note that it was fresh. Another yummy treat.
I liked the brownies quite a bit. Its fresh, pack with taste and pretty much comfort food for me. The fact that i didn't have to pay for them helped quite a bit as well. All in all, i'd recommend ordering out to try for yourself. It ain't cheap though so please take note.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!