More jalan-jalan

I was taken to dinner again tonight after another long day. This time it we went to Arab Street for some Peranakan food. The venue was authentic enough but the food wasn't. It was more South Thai and Indonesian than Straits Chinese. But it was still very nice food. Can't really complaint.

The restaurant was located by Kandahar Street, where the Indian Moslem community congregate. I performed the Maghrib Solat by the Mosque there, while enjoying the bright moon. Apparently, that was the nearest the Moon going to be to Earth for the last 20 years it certainly was very bright.

The old Malay Istana. Now a museum.After the wholesome dinner, we took a stroll by Bugis Street some 10 minutes away. There was a lively night market there, and the place was packed even though it was past 9pm. Our host wanted us to try dome reflexology, but according to others, it was not a good idea to do so right after a meal.

Apart from the family-friendly stalls along the walk, there were also sex toy shops and other fun stuffs can be seen there. The nearby shopping complexes were still opened. At that hour, I did not really fancy doing any shopping.

On the way back to the hotel, we were driven by the Marina, where the Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands were located. We did not stop however, but I managed to snap a couple of frames of the landmark. We reached the hotel by 10.30, just in time to pack, hit the shower and get ready to snuggle in bed to watch the ManYoo match for the week. We would be playing Bolton. A bit of a bogey team actually.

Starting Day Two

Talking about an early start, it doesn't get any earlier than 7am. I decided to have breakfast dirt before attending the talk as I suspect the breakfast at the talk will be more basic. And it was. Just some bread, fresh fruits and yogurt. Yes, healthier of course compared to the omelet that I had.

Turn-up was surprisingly good. I wonder if we can expect similar number I'd the talk was done in Malaysia. Well she should do next weekend when I will be in Melaka giving a morning breakfast talk on Saturday morning. Wish me luck ......

Day One

The first day just flew by and it has been a long and tiring one. It was basically non-stop lecture from morning till about 5.30pm. We even had talks during the lunch break. And tomorrow morning, there will be a talk during breakfast. There was another satellite symposium later in the day, with dinner slapped in of course, but I don't think my brain could take it any longer. Instead, I went out with a few colleagues to Clarke Quay, on the other sude of town.

Dinner was a seafood affair, and it was great. I thought I may have doubled my cholesterol level with the amount of crab that I took. After dinner, we had a stroll down the quay, the weather being being very warm, with clear sky and full moon, made it it a relaxing one. Being Friday night, the place was packed and happening. It was the hip part of town, full of trendy bars, restaurant and clubs. Since we were all rather tired, we did not stay for too long. After 30 minutes, we climbed back onto the minibus, taking us back to the hotel.

Maybe I would catch some TV but honestly, I could do with an early night. Just called Anita and the boys, hitting the showers, then bed .... I'll blog more about Clarke Quay later as most of the photos were taken on my LX3.

The morning after

It was an early start and to be honest after the marathon sessions I had last night. I was starving when I woke up and breakfast would be a welcome. Shower, then a lift ride downstairs and on I went. I managed to avoid the crowd being early - I was down by 6.30am.

I was the first there though. My senior colleague, Alan (@palmdoc) was already there, playing around with his Palm Pre2 naturally. The breakfast spread was very good. I went vegetarian though as I wasn't sure if they were all Halal, but there wee enough on offer.

By the time I left, the queue was already building. A quick surf on the Net back in the room and it was already time for the lectures. The talks were held on an annex to the main hotel building, with room for more than 400 people in the main hall. A huge place.

Registration done. Now it was time to listen. As you can tell, the sessions were rather heavy. Lasting the whole day would be a challenge.

Checking in

The Shangri-La is impressive. And the attention to details were equally so. You would noticed that from the moment you stepped through the door. As you passed the entrance the staff would greet ad walk you towards the check-in area while taking your details to see if you have had prior booking. If you did - as I was - they just printed out your details, take your deposits and off you go. So painless.

The main lobby was spacious and formed the hub of the hotel. The restaurants were a floor down, so were the pools and the gyms. The meeting rooms were a floor up.

The room I was put up in was a standard one, but even the standard rooms ha plenty to offer. You have all the amenities you would expect, and more. I had an alcove in the room as a reading area. The broadband was world-class - pinged under 20ms and capped at 4Mbit - and it was free. I had all the TV channels I needed. I also had a comfortable work area. Upon checking in, a pot of hot Chinese was delivered into the room. A nice touch.

A hot pot of freshly brewed Chinese tea delivered to the room on checking inThe alcove really made me want to readSo I did, a bit. I read the 'Bro Code' of course.The lift lobbyAnd the it was down to businessUpon arrival, I had lunch at a Japanese restaurant at the hotel. Food was excellent. Unfortunately, I had a full afternoon program right after that. I finally escaped at 9.30pm, fired up my Skype and gave Anita a call.

I was really tired by ye time I finished my showers and done with the ironing - yes, I iron. I went straight to bed, falling asleep with the TV on.