6 Places in Singapore Tourists Should Avoid

Singapore is an attractive travel destination with a record of 15.6million tourists in 2013.

Known worldwide for its safe, clean and green environment coupled with world class transport and its multi ethnic cuisines, it is no surprise to see Singapore taking the top spot of the Lonely Planet Best Place to Travel in 2015.

Singaporeans are also unbelievably helpful – just approach one when you are lost and you will see them pointing to the map or even bring you to the destination.

Need a dining recommendation? Just ask. They will go the extra mile to help you rather than rip you off.

However, in a city of 5.4million inhabitants, you’ll always find a few black sheeps with a different intention. Not to scare you off, but in comparison to other countries, there are not as many tourist traps out there. We are going to name you 6 places in Singapore tourist should keep at bay and keep your dream trip in place.

1. Sim Lim Square

Sim Lim Square is a large retail complex that sells electronic goods. There is six level of 500 retailers selling goods such as computers, electronic peripherals, mobile phones, games and cameras.

If you are not aware of the recent spate of tourist scams, you better think twice before stepping your foot here. Of course, not all the shops there are dishonest but as a tourists – you know nothing better and are at the mercy of these vendors that employed dirty and errant sales tactics.

You are promised a cheap price for the phone and only when you sign on that piece of paper and paid the money, you are asked to cough out more money to unlock the phone or to pay for the warranty which costs as much as the phone.

2. People Park Complex

While Sim Lim Square is getting all the limelight and attention, another retail complex known as People Park Complex has been reported to have more complaints.

Likewise, these errant vendors uses the same tactics to make a one-off sale as tourists are the best target because they never return.

3. Lucky Plaza

Lucky Plaza is situated along Orchard where you can shop till you drop but it makes it to the third of the places to avoid list. It seems that electronics products are the easiest products to exploit due to its larger price tag and the need for warranty.

4. Newton Circus Food Centre

If you think that tourists are only ripped off by electronics products, you would be surprised that a food centre made it to the list as a ‘no-go’ due to the rampant touting and overcharging by the vendors.

Newton Circus is a food centre where you get to sample a plethora of cuisines from BBQ seafood to satays (skewer meats) and it was all good until there were too many stalls selling the same kind of food and drinks. This led to stiff competition and incessant touting by stall owners where they are often criticised for overpricing their food and compromising food quality.

In 2009, six American tourists were charged S$491 for their meal, out of which almost half of the cost is due to the 8 tiger prawns they ordered costing $239.

Avoid that place unless you have deep pocket for mediocre quality food.

5. Boat Quay

Along Singapore River, you will find Boat Quay situated right in the CBD where you can catch picturesque view of the river surrounding two and three-storey shophouses. It’s romantic to walk down the quay and at the end you will find the iconic Merlion statue, a national personification of Singapore.

Of course, don’t miss out these attractions when you are in Singapore but when you are famished, take your meals elsewhere. Don’t get tempted by the humongous Alaskan Snow Crab and other crustaceans on display outside the restaurants. They are overpriced and high chance that you will be ripped off from its ‘priceless’ [sic] menu.

6. Geylang

Geylang is the red light district of Singapore and while prostitution is legal in Singapore you don’t want to walk here with your kids at night.

If you bringing your family for a holiday, consider bringing them to Little India or Chinatown where you can still immerse yourself and experience the cultural heritage of Singapore.

So where should we go?

Consider going to well established stores in Funan IT Mall or Challenger to shop for your electronic goods. Remember to claim your tax refund during your departure at Changi Airport.

If you want to indulge in seafood and order your favourite chilli crab, go to the few places where the local would go – Jumbo Seafood, No Signboard, Longbeach and Mellben.

For tourists who want to sample the different ethnic cuisines, head over to Makansutra Gluttons Bay or Chinatown Food Centre.

Don’t fall prey to the above tourists trap, do your research and make sure you find out the real cost to it before committing.

The Real Cost of Owning A Pet

At times visitors who come to my house will often ask me: “That’s a cute poodle, how much did you paid for it?”

I would reply “I adopted it.” and almost certainly i would get a standard response: “You mean you got that puppy for free? I’m so envious. I want one myself too!”

Think twice.

Many people who walks into a pet shop will first walk into the pets area and peek into those glass windows to admire the dogs, rodents and fishes. These animals are so cute that everyone would wish to own one as a pet. The thing is they often don’t know the true financial cost of owning a pet and underestimate the overall expenses – not to mention the emotional cost when your pet is sick or when its time is up.

To help you work out the cost of owning these companion animals, let us take a look at the real cost of owning them.

1. Dogs & Pups

Lifespan: 10-17 years

One time costs:

Purchase price: $1.5K-$4K (Depending on the size and breed)

Spaying/Neutering: $300-$500

Leash/Collar/Cage & other accessories:$100-300

Disposing: $300-$500

Recurring cost (Yearly):

Food: $300-$500

Treats: $100-$200

Grooming: $200-$300

Shampoo: $30-50

Vet: $200-$800

Toys: $100-$200

Total costs: Approximately $20-30K

2. Cats and kittens

Lifespan: 15-20 years

One time costs:

Purchase price: $300-$1K (Depending on the size and breed)

Spaying/Neutering: $80-$150

Cage/Carrier & Other Accessories:$100-$300

Disposing: $200-$300

Recurring cost (Yearly):

Food: $300-$400

Kitty litter: $400-$500

Treats: $200-$300

Vet: $100-$200

Total costs: Approximately $15-25K

3. Rodents & Lagomorphs (Hamsters, Chinchillas, Gerbils, Guinea Pigs,

Rabbits)

Lifespan: 2-10years

One time costs:

Purchase price: $25-$500 (Depending on the type and breed)

Spaying/Neutering: $70-$150

Cage, Waterbottle & Other Accessories: $100

Disposing: $100-$200

Recurring cost (Yearly):

Food: $50-100

Bedding: $50-$100

Vet: $40-$200

Total costs: Approximately $600-$2.5K

4. Aquatic Animals (Fishes, Terrapins, Tortoise)

Lifespan: 2-50years

One time costs:
Purchase price: $5-$50
Glass tank, rocks, air pump, lights, etc : $8-$300

Recurring cost (Yearly):
Food: $20-30
Filter: $50-$500
Vet: $50
Dechlorine solution: $10-$30

Total costs: Largely varies, depending on what type and species you are getting

A final word to anyone who is getting a pet after this: Don’t buy a pet on impulse. Make sure you have the time to look after it and do not abandon your pets!

10 value for money restaurants in Singapore

With rising costs in Singapore, house, car, transport costs has climbed faster than your wage increment. Even basic necessity like food is not spared. Where can you get a bowl of noodle for 50 cents or a packet of chicken rice for a dollar nowadays?

No, I’m not going to tell you which Kopitiam to find those cheap eats. Because there isn’t –
Perhaps you can still get them from the Primary School’s canteen.

We are talking about restaurants in Singapore that offers the most value food without hurting your wallet. What’s worse is when you are being slapped with GST and service charge. I know how you feel when you thought you have spent $20+ for your food and you get billed for $30.

Don’t you want to spend more and still want to enjoy dining in a restaurant?

To get your moola worth of dining experience, let’s take a look at some of the restaurants below which offers the most value meals. By most value, we mean you get the most bang for your buck without compromising quality and quantity. Restaurants that offers cheap eats but at small portion don’t meet our selection criteria.

1. Saizeriya Ristorante E Caffe

Where can you get your pasta fix for $5.90 in a restaurant nowadays? Saizeriya offers a wide ranging Italian foods from pasta to pizza at affordable price. There are also hotplates offering pork, chicken and beef steak coupled with potato wedges, corns and sunny side egg with the lowest priced at $5.90. No, it is not a typo and i have not forgotten to add a ‘1’ – it’s $5.90 and not $15.90.

Wait, so a 2 person meal will cost $20+ after GST and service charge? You’ll be surprised that you end up paying less than $20 as there is no GST and service charge.

Estimated cost for 2 Pax: $15

2. Nakajima Suisan Grilled Fish

(Photo Credit: duhville.com)

If you have not heard of this place, i’m not surprised. Hidden in a corner of Takashimaya’s foodcourt at the basement, you will usually witness a queue outside Nakaijima Suisan during peak hours. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary Japanese food store selling grilled fishes that is placed alongside stores that sell Katsu, Udon and Ramen.

When you browse the menu, you will see a wide variety of grilled fishes set and they are reasonably priced.

Try their signature Gindara (Cod) Teriyaki and you’ll be taken back by the freshness and sweetness of the fish. The succulent white meat melts in your mouth and makes you eat smaller portion so that you can extend your enjoyment to the fullest.

They have other grilled dishes such as Saba, Salmon, Meiro, Sawara and Squid grilled nicely with different sauces such as Mirin, Teriyaki and Saikyo where diners are spoilt for choices.

The set comes with miso soup, tofu with bonito flakes, appetiser and salad.

It costs around $8.50 for a grilled saba lunch set and $11.50 for a grilled salmon set.

They only charge you a 7% GST excluding the 10% service charge which makes it an affordable dinner or lunch fix in the town area.

Estimated cost for 2 pax: ~$25-30

3. Swee Choon Tim Sum

(Photo Credit: lifebesiderunning.blogspot.com)

Swee Choon has been around for 50 years and they serve different kind of Hong Kong and Shanghai Dim Sum. You will definitely see items such as your usual Siew Mai, Har Gow, Char Siew Pau on the menu.

Don’t miss out the salted egg yolk custard bun! The custard ozzes out on your first bite so make sure you savour every drops of it!

Their standard item are priced around $2-$3 and they also serve cooked items such as Horfan, Fried Rice and other Zi Char food.

This place is good for late night supper as they close around 2am.

They don’t charge you 10% service charge so you’ll save on that.

Estimated cost for 2 pax: $20

4. Little Vietnam Restaurant & Cafe

(Photo Credit: Burpple.com)

This is one of the popular casual Vietnamese restaurants in Singapore. You can find authentic Vietnamese food such as your Pho and Vietnamese Rice Roll at affordable price.

It costs around $6-7 for a bowl of Beef Pho.

You can also try their Com Tan (Broken Rice with Grilled Lemon Grass Pork Chop with a sunny side up) which is a favourite of mine.

There is no GST or service charge so expect to pay less than $20 for 2 pax.

5. Kim Dae Mun

(Photo Credit: phyllistan.blogspot.com)

If you are in town and crave Korean food, drop by Kim Dae Mun which is located at Concorde Hotel level 2.

Their highly raved Spicy Chicken set cost $6.50 and you have the option to choose brown rice to go with it. The set also comes with two sides where you can choose kimchi, cucumber slice or anchovies.

Pair it with a bowl of kimchi soup and you will walk out of the place feeling hearty and satisfied.

Estimated cost for 2 pax: $13-$15

6. The Wicked Garlic

(Photo Credit: Burpple.com)

Craving for Italian food but on a budget? Look no further to The Wicked Garlic. You can get your usual Italian fares like pasta, pizza and risotto but what stands out is the price. Most of their pizza and pasta are priced below $10 and the portion and quality are not compromised.

Your Margherita and Hawaiian pizza cost $8.70 for a 10′ and did i mentioned their pizza are hand-made?

For pasta lovers, you can consider their Aglio Olio at $4.70 – top that off with 5 huge gigantic prawns for an additional $6.00. I will take that.

7. Standing Sushi Bar (8 Queen Street)

(Photo Credit: aspoonfulofsoul.blogspot.com)

You are missing out the good stuff if you have not heard of Standing Sushi Bar.

What? Do i have to stand and consume my food? Is it cheap?

No, you don’t have to “stand” as there are seats around for you to enjoy your food.

If you are having Monday blues, make a trip to Standing Sushi Bar located at 8 Queen Street for their promotional $3 salmon sashimi. It’s not 1 slice but 5 think slices! They have a similar promotion on Thursday night.

End off by washing down the goodness lingering in your mouth with a $2 sake or $5 Asahi Beer and Umeshu.

8. Aston’s

(Photo Credit: Foodstreetdirectory.com)

This place don’t need any introduction. Aston has been around since 2005 and open its first shop in a coffeeshop before moving into a flagship store and expanding to 27 stores as at November 2014.

Aston served quality Western fares such as your fish & chips and steaks, with your own choice of hot and cold sides ranging from fries, onion rings, salad, baked beans, potato wedges and even tasty rice.

It’s simply great food at great price.

It costs less than $10 for most of their mains. If you want to slightly indulge and go for a steak, it’s not too bad for a Prime Ribeye Steak at $16.90.

9. Taste of Thailand

(Photo Credit: joonelovesfood.blogspot.com)

Taste of Thailand was formerly located at Sembawang Shopping Centre before moving to Yishun’s industrial canteen.

Not too much of an authentic Thai cuisine but rather cheap and affordable Zi Char dishes. There are still Tom Yum soup and Pineapple Fried Rice for those who insists on a Thai fares.

Be warned though – come early on a weekend evening or you will be joining the long queue to watch other diners enjoy the value for money eats.

Their deep fried calamari is chewy and tasty – goes well with the red and green chilli sauce they specially made themselves.

Don’t leave this place without trying their signature Deep Fried Fish. Drench it with the sauce that comes with it and you will go thumbs up!

It ends up costing about $40 for a family of five, which works out to be less than $10 a person, pretty value-for-money i would say.

10. Nakhon Kitchen

(Photo Credit: Yelp.com.sg)

Next on the list, Nakhon Kitchen is another Thai restaurant with wallet friendly price tag.

You might think it is cheap because the quality is compromised or the serving size is small but you are wrong.

The long queue on a Saturday lunch hour is a testament of how popular they are.

If you are a fan of Pad Thai, it costs $5 for a yummy plate of rice noodles top with prawns, squids and tofu.

Try their green curry chicken for $8 and Tom Yum soup for $6 and you will understand why this place make it into the list.

Why Men Hate Shopping And Women Are Obsessed

Christmas is just around the corner and while we get ready for the festive season, most ladies are racking their brain on where to get the most elegant Christmas dress and where to shop to get Christmas gifts for their colleague and loved ones. They visit different shopping malls, tried different dress and visit different stores – often spending hours to get something (or nothing at all).

It seems like a fun and enjoyable past time for the ladies as they comb the entire mall, leaving no stones unturned. It was almost like a conquest.

That’s also the time when you see men carrying shopping bags and look like they have never slept for days.

It’s a known fact that most men hate shopping while the ladies are the exact polar opposite.

Have you wondered why?

1. Men were hunters, women were gatherer

According to evolutionary psychologist, Daniel Kruger, it is natural for men to hate shopping while women love it due to our evolutionary past.

In ancestral culture, men are primarily the hunter and when the found an animal, they want to shoot it before it get away. While women tend cave and have a different inert characteristics of acquiring food in primitive time – they gather. They goes around looking for the ripest berry patch alongside other female members in the group.

2. Men go into a shop knowing what they want

Most salespeople would be delighted to see a man who come into the store. That’s because without much persuasion, men would already know what they want and take out their wallet and charge their card without hesitation – just like hunting.

For the ladies, they will go into a shop to try different dresses and go to the next shop to try the next (rinse, repeat) and then tell you “Oh the dress in shop A is better, but ran out of my size. Shop B is more expensive and not worth it. Shop C has too many designs for me to choose!” The men go crazy when when their girlfriend wants them to make a decision by saying: “So which one should i buy?”

The answer is neither, let’s go home.

3. Pushy Staff and Egocentric Men

In another study, they pointed out that men hate shopping because of pushy staff. Men are usually egoistic and they think they know their stuffs more than anyone does. If the salesman comes and pitch their sales talk, it usually won’t work for the egocentric men. It hurts their pride if you salesman or saleswoman out there tries to show that you are more knowleageable than him.

4. Men hate to try stuffs

You will often see snaking queue outside a female changing room in an apparel shop but not the male’s. Similar to the evolutionary theory, men prefer to be more decisive in making choices. They go into a shop, see something he like, pick it up and walk to the cashier to make payment. This also explains why men prefer to purchase their clothes online.

In constrast, the opposite gender see many things they like, pick everything with different sizes and different styles as though they are buying to stock up an entire year supply of clothes.

5. Men have better things to do than shopping

Ask your boyfriend out on a weekend’s evening to shop and he will say no. That’s because he don’t want to miss his favourite soccer game. Look, why would he want to squeeze with the crowd and idle around the mall doing nothing while you shop till you drop?

Hunger, tiredness and boredom is going to turn your otherwise perfect boyfriend into a grumpy old man.

Perhaps it is time to suggest to the mall developers to consider building a dedicated men area – to have a beer, watch soccer and play snooker for the ladies to drop us off.

Your Ultimate Guide to Planning Your Europe Trip

In our earliest post on How to travel Europe on a shoestring budget, we talk about how you can travel to Europe without breaking the bank. Careful planning is essential and that is what this article is going to focus on.

Step 1: Prepare the things you need

Things you need:
1. Map of Europe (Google map will do fine)
2. Notebook & writing materials
3. Internet and/or travel guides
4. Credit card (For making online booking)
5. Travel Companion(s) (duh, to discuss.)

Step 2: Shortlisting the places in Europe you want to visit

This is going to be the most exciting and fun part of the planning. With occasional squabbles, you will spend hours researching on the best places to go with your travel companion.

Go do some research on the most travelled places and UNESCO’s world heritage sites. Use a travel guide to do your research if you have one. Otherwise, just connect to the internet and use Google.

Jot down the places you want to go in this order.
[Places of attraction] – [City], [Country]

For example,
1. Eiffel Tower – Paris, France
2. Colosseum – Rome, Italy
3. (List goes on, depending on how adventurous you are)

Mark a cross ‘X’ on the map for each destination. (I hope you don’t fill the entire map with crosses.)

Step 3: Plan your travel route

Now that you have shortlisted the places you want to go, it’s time to plan your travel route in the most efficient manner. By efficient, i mean the route that saves you the most time and resources.

Before you jump into planning the route, go search for the cheapest airfare to any of the European city that you have shortlisted first. This will be the first and your last stop of your travel plan.

There are online aggregators that compare the cheapest flight for you. For example, there are sites like SkyScanner, FareCompare, Kayak, Expedia and Zuji where you can enter your departure and return date and you get a list of flights where you can sort and filter the prices accordingly. Try to search for the cheapest return airfare. For some, there are also other factors to consider such as the quality and service of the airlines, convenience of the airport, miles point, etc. I will leave the prioritisation to you.

Once you have confirm the city to be the first and last stop. Label the cross ‘X’ with 1. I will use Amsterdam, Netherlands as an example.

Next, look for the next ‘X’ that is bordering around Amsterdam, Netherlands. By bordering, i mean connected that is not separated by land or sea. In my example, my next stop will be to visit Kölner Dom in Cologne, Germany. Mark it as 2, and follow on with the rest.

My third stop will be Museumsinsel (Museum Island) in Berlin, Germany

The rest as follows:

4th stop: Prague (Czech Republic)
5-6th stop: Vienna -> Salzburg (Austria)
7-11th stop: Venice -> Rome -> Florence -> Pisa -> Milan (Italy)
12-14th stop: Lauterbrunnen/Junfraujoch -> Zurich -> Basel (Switzerland)
15th stop: Paris (France)
16th stop: London (UK)(There is a train operated by Eurostar that takes you from Paris to London)
17th stop: Amsterdam (Netherlands) (You can take budget airline such as Ryanair or a Ferry from London to Amsterdam)

*Note: Such itinerary took me a month to travel to all the places. It was tiring but fun and satisfying to conquer all of them within one month. If you were to ask me again, i would suggest condensing the above itinerary to 10stops/4 countries tops if you can only afford anything less than one month of travel. If you can afford to be away longer, go for it!

Step 4: Get busy with the nitty gritty

Now that you have a map filled with ‘X’s and numbers. You need to work out your mode of transportation that takes you from each stop.

Europe is connected by high-speed rails and you can easily hop around country in a matter of hours.
You can purchase the Eurail Global Pass that allows you to take their high speed train.

If you are age 25 and below, good news for you! You can get the Youth Traveller Pass. It costs about €442 for a 10days travel within 2 months. Check out the latest price at their website. You can also purchase them from our local travel agency. Just call them and ask.

It is not cheap, but it beats taking a more costlier option – budget airlines. Taking rail also save you times if you travel at night and book one of their sleeper cabin.

Now you need to schedule your train’s timetable time. Eurail has a very useful timetable that allows you to check out the train arrival and departure time.

For example, a route from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Cologne, Germany.

There are a few routes with different timing and train. Some of the route requires you to change train. Make sure you pick the right one.

Note down the details of the train station and arrival timing in your notebook. You will need them later.

Step 5: Book your accommodation

Once you are done with planning for your train timing, you need to settle your accommodation. Look for
an accommodation that is situated near your railway station (if you are reaching at night) or a somewhere near the places of attraction.

There are different kind of affordable accommodation which you can consider instead of booking a hotel.
1. Backpackers/Hostels (Use Google)
2. Homestay (I’d suggest airbnb)

3. Couchsurfing (free)

You will need your credit card to make the booking.

Step 6: Prepare and print the confirmations

Your last step would be to print out all the booking confirmation, fix them onto your notebook or file. I stapled all the confirmations and maps on each pages of my notebook from day 1 to day 30 so that it won’t drop. I also download offline maps of each cities on my iPad.

Now you can skip the travel agent and save the cost on tour packages!

Here’s the final product on a map.