Verbalism Personified

A Sound of Thunder

Demonstrative of the kind of torrential rain Lion City experiences, the amount of water unleashed is enough to blot out the skyline.
Good for water catchment reservoirs but bad for anyone heading out to town on an appointment.

posted by Teutoburg @ 1:13 PM 0 comments

Big Sheet!

Yeah, big taste!

With food items being given weirder named by the day, big 'sheet' could have turned out a whole lot worse!

Chew up, people!

posted by Teutoburg @ 8:17 PM 0 comments

Blowing Chunks, Part 4

It had to happen sooner or later. Having to leave the place smelling like fried chicken is just too much of a good thing, especially after a greasy lunch.

Wind dynamics had made it necessary to give the huge extractor fan on top of Megabites a longer neck. After blowing chunks into the floor area of the adjacent building for a month, there will now be another problem arising from blowing cooking exhaust directly onto the roof.

It doesn't solve the problem entirely but at least your spouse won't suspect you of having an affair with the chef or kitchen assistant during lunch.
It is said that a senior staff member had shook his head after realizing how low the first extractor fan was placed.

posted by Teutoburg @ 1:59 PM 0 comments

Cut from the Same Cloth?

Try to spot the difference.


Both men, seated at a round red table, at one of the Spinellis outlets with red walls, drinking the same drinks, donning red collared shirts in solidarity with Lion City's Booted-Out Day, spotting close cropped hair, totting white Macintosh laptops, both wear glasses, are into internet media and publishing, have the same interests in ecology and heritage, work for the same organization as I do and are members of the same Macintosh Meet Up and heritage groups.

Could these two have been separated at birth, or are they cut from the same cloth?

posted by Teutoburg @ 11:38 PM 1 comments

Icon

I took more shots of the concourse at the Esplanade Theatre while waiting to dinner a friend. The last time I came through was in April this year to attend an organ recital by the fabulous Carol Williams.

When the plan for the Esplanade was unveiled, the reaction from anyone who saw it ranged from the derisive to the intrigued. Some likened it to bugs eyes that should have been squashed, others scoffed at it as the "uneaten durian". Today however, this odd duckling is now the iconic 'durian' by which Lion City identifies itself. And so it should be, when not too long ago the Changi Airport Tower and Merlion were roped for duty to represent the country.

The reaction to national icons are not always favorable and even fewer manage to endear themselves to the very citizens they are supposed to represent. But as with the passing of time, icons that draw the strongest reactions, either positive or negative, always make a statement.

Take the Sydney Opera House, once ridiculed as "erect orange peels", is now treasured as Australia's national icon, much to the irritation of Melbournites who want an icon of their own. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was derided as a feeble attempt to salvage French manhood. Never mind that the Allies had to rescue France from the Germans twice in a single generation. Today, you haven't been to Paris if you haven't been to the tower.

So the Esplande has had a promising start as Lion City's unlikely representative. Shaped like the very fruit Lion Citizens salivate over, would the integrated gambling dens and that giant hamster wheel steal some of the limelight?

posted by Teutoburg @ 1:16 PM 1 comments

Mac OS X and a Pile of Junk

Clearing house is always fun. Stuff that is added in minute amounts, end up a torrent of junk when you open your closet of skeletons. So this afternoon was no different for Otterman.

posted by Teutoburg @ 10:20 PM 0 comments

Blowing Chunks, Part 3

"I have to warn you, this [milkshake] is addictive."
- Megabites Floor Manager.

Four scoops of chocolate ice-cream, a cup of milk and a blender will whip you up a tasty shake. With that amount of chocolate swirling, a rich taste is guaranteed to rival other celebrated establishments save for Billy Bombers.

Not quite.

Otterman, Ruoyu, Huaqin and myself were down after another day of work, for a second crack at gastronomic redemption. We were lucky to arrive before the dinner crowd and proceeded to raid the lines for goodies.

Hua Qin's Spaghetti Carbonara was given the personal attention of the chef after the lady behind the counter told him that there was no Carbonara left. This was a good thing as the sauce and pasta were made fresh on the spot, a far cry in standard from the pre-made load in anticipation of the crowds. However Hua Qin made the observation that the egg was cracked in at the wrong time, turning it into a scrambled egg as opposed to having it mixed in with the sauce. The grated cheese was ordinary Cheddar and not Parmesan. The chili flakes were damp.

Otterman did a double take on his toasted tuna sandwich. As he noted some confusion among the counter staff as they went about preparing his order, he make the point of emphasizing his order just to make sure that there was no ambiguity. Going back to the counter to inquire after some moments, he was handed a hot toasted sandwich in a plastic, seemingly pulled out of the microwave oven by an alert staff. His attempt at ordering milkshakes didn't fare that well. Repeating his order for two chocolate and one strawberry milkshakes, the first request disappeared into a black hole. Eventually, what came out the other end was a chocolate, a vanilla and a strawberry shake.

My order for a black pepper steak was straightforward. However I wasn't so lucky when placing my order for fresh apple juice. The first lady I spoke to wouldn't entertain the thought of juicing apples unless it was mixed with other fruit as stated on the menu. I was the trouble maker until her colleague stepped in and took charge. She didn't even flinch when I asked for less ice in my drink.

The overall impression isn't too shabby provided you got there before the lunch and dinner crowd. That was the secret to hot and freshly made food as this afforded the chefs time to give their personal attention to your order. As opposed to a mass culling of dead meat, we were tipped off by a colleague during yesterday's lunch attempt.

Initial forays are always a mixed result. Yesterday Leaf Monkey and I ordered the fish and chips. Arriving, her fish was lukewarm while mine was piping hot. Our fries, I knew when I saw it, were cold. Ann, who had a craving for pizza, waited for hers before it was nonchalantly consumed. She wasn't too excited about it. The pizza base was unevenly browned while it wasn't large filling enough for her cavernous stomach. Otterman and Hua Qin made haste for toasted sandwiches after witnessing the bloodbath.

For a lunch and dinner crowd foaming at the mouth, timing is most important given the layout of Megabites. It is done in similar fashion to Ikea, with customers snaking a bee-line for the show. As I looked around me, with customers eating without a care, we would faintly hear the huge extractor fan blowing chunks out towards the canteen. The surrounding area does smell like fried chicken!

posted by Teutoburg @ 9:18 PM 0 comments

Blowing Chunks, Part 2

Naturally it was too late when we walked over. Otterman and I had just finished our lunch and we were heading round the bend to grab our drinks.


True enough, the area where the huge extractor fan was blowing down on, smelled of fried chicken. After a month of construction and furtive glances by enthusiastic foodies, the staff at Megabites were dishing out plates to the hungry lunch crowd. Watching people crowd inside the new establishment, we stepped in to check the place out ourselves.

In between the choking, I interviewed some of the early birds and received fairly feedback along with a recommendation to a return visit. It was an off the cuff interview as we walked through the cafe.

posted by Teutoburg @ 10:54 PM 0 comments