Halloween is conventionally associated with all sorts of scary stuff – spiders, vampires, and horror movies. This year I was hit with something far worse… over $10k worth of financial theft via cyber crime. Warning #1 On Tuesday, October 24, I got a vague text informing me of suspicious activities on my Citi Prestige and
Project Hegemon’s Spear – 霸王槍 Ba Wang Qiang
My third crafty project of the year is Hegemon’s Spear (霸王槍 Ba Wang Qiang), from 馬榮成 Ma Wing-Shing’s manhua adaptation of 古龍 Gu Long’s Seven Weapons novel franchise. Although it’s a wuxia classic, the story is not my favorite. Most of its characters and weapons are just so-so, as well. However, this spear captivated me
Spicy Beef Tendon Challenge – A Food Tournament with Friends
Spicy beef tendon (麻辣牛筋) is a cold dish easily found in restaurants specializing in Sichuan and Sichuan-adjacent cuisines. Hong is obsessed with it, and the rest of us are not far behind. It’s such a crowd-pleaser that the kids would happily eat it despite the spicy seasoning. With such premise, it was a matter of
The Face Mosaic Project
The LEGO store in Sentosa had unique models and cool sculpture on display, not unlike their other flagship locations such as Rockefeller Center or Disneyland. Though it also had a product for sale that we had never seen anywhere else – a customized face mosaic. For $160 SGD it came with: To say that we
SEA 2023 (17/17) – Notable Eats in Singapore
Last post of this trip report! Wow! It had been a seriously fun vacation. Kaya Toast A popular breakfast item in Singapore was kaya toast, a sandwich with kaya (coconut jam) and butter between toasted bread, often served with runny eggs. It tasted sweet and rich. We made a point to sample a variety of
SEA 2023 (16/17) – Singapore: Changi Airport & Flight Home
The last day of a good trip is usually depressing. Not only because it’s sad for a fun vacation to end, but also because airport logistics and a long return flight tend to be dreadful. Well, not today. While none of us was ready to go home yet, we had planned to end this trip
SEA 2023 (15/17) – Singapore: Deja Vu
Singapore was the first international city that we had returned with a child to. That meant a lot of memories… and opportunities to relive them. Ting wasn’t around the first time around but she didn’t mind mirroring her sister. When switching kids we made sure to switch adults as well. It began with Zam Zam,
SEA 2023 (14/17) – Singapore: Itinerary
This was the third time Hong and I arrived in Singapore together. It was familiar to us and almost like a home away from home, but frankly that complacency got the best of us. I did not properly study my logistics ahead of time and expected to just roll through immigration like we owned the
SEA 2023 (13/17) – Notable Eats in Thailand
Pad Kra Pao (Holy Basil Stir Fry) Ever since learning about this dish a few years ago, I had been ordering it by default at Thai restaurants. While in Thailand on this trip, we had also eaten it from the very first lunch in centralwOrld to the very last dinner in Chiang Rai Night Bazaar.
SEA 2023 (12/17) – Wats in Thailand
Wats, or Buddhist temples, were as abundant in Thailand as Catholic churches were abundant in Spain. You couldn’t walk very far without running into one. The best of them topped the “things to do” list in just about every city. As a result, we visited at least one wat on most days of this trip.