(Note: I first wrote and published this on Facebook this morning, 28 March at 1.30am. Sharing it here as a memory of what is happening right now in Singapore during the #covid19 crisis, as a personal reflection.)
1) It's very important to have personal savings to tide through rainy days or its one big thing to worry about. And am glad we have such great national reserves for precisely this thunderstorm.
2) Also important and grateful to have a job that still gives me a monthly salary. That being said, I have been deleting all shopping emails now in light of a recession. None of that matters, or helps. It made me realise how important enduring, good quality goods are and how little we really need to live well.
3) I learned that our eggs come from as far as Ukraine. And appreciating that we are not completely reliant on any 1 country for food or tourism and our government has thought through a lot of things in advance given our circumstances (e.g. not enough masks so give to frontliners).
4) We need at least 3kg of rice and 15 packets of instant noodles per person per 2 weeks to stockpile sensibly. No mention of toilet paper.
5) Information is power. I learned that data science and visualisation is super important in showing projections and concepts such as social distancing to #flattenthecurve to the public. I also believe that communication transparency by the gov gave Singaporeans a peace of mind and awareness of an invisible virus, due to vigilant contact tracing and public releases of case details/clusters, especially in the first 100 cases. If we knew how infection occurred during a dinner, or workplace, it becomes more real.
6) Existing knowledge has been reinforced around public hygiene and socially responsible behaviour, like not going to work if you have the cold/flu and hand washing. I automatically wash my hands now whenever I enter a new room, for 2 birthday songs. Soap and water, so important.
7) Virtual social groups are the next best thing to social groups who help each other. Even if its just the sharing of useful or insightful information. Loneliness from working from home and being isolated can get a bit much. That being said, I'm grateful my work allows me to #WFH and all the tech is there for friction-free contactless comms.
8) Bill Gates actually predicted this pandemic 5 years ago and said we're not ready to cope with it. And now he's come out to say that nobody listened to him and we are still not ready. I hope we can use this experience to prepare for the next; SARS was a small dry run for Asia that made a big difference still.
9) This pandemic is a stress test of the most extreme level for governments, politicians, citizens and philosophy, even. It can devolve to a blame game just as quickly as international cooperation can happen. I learned that there's 2 models out there: the early China model (lockdown, treat) and the South Korea model (test, contact trace and isolate). I am grateful we followed the latter - it will be even more chaotic if we go into lockdown with schools closed, but the government is assuring us it won't.
10) And lastly, while most Singaporeans are sensible and listen to the gov and abide by the rules, nothing can stop us from getting to the food we want or need, or try to go out and socialise "one last time". There's always covidiots all around the world, including Singapore. Hope you're not one of em, and learned something from this pandemic like I did! 😷
1) It's very important to have personal savings to tide through rainy days or its one big thing to worry about. And am glad we have such great national reserves for precisely this thunderstorm.
2) Also important and grateful to have a job that still gives me a monthly salary. That being said, I have been deleting all shopping emails now in light of a recession. None of that matters, or helps. It made me realise how important enduring, good quality goods are and how little we really need to live well.
3) I learned that our eggs come from as far as Ukraine. And appreciating that we are not completely reliant on any 1 country for food or tourism and our government has thought through a lot of things in advance given our circumstances (e.g. not enough masks so give to frontliners).
4) We need at least 3kg of rice and 15 packets of instant noodles per person per 2 weeks to stockpile sensibly. No mention of toilet paper.
5) Information is power. I learned that data science and visualisation is super important in showing projections and concepts such as social distancing to #flattenthecurve to the public. I also believe that communication transparency by the gov gave Singaporeans a peace of mind and awareness of an invisible virus, due to vigilant contact tracing and public releases of case details/clusters, especially in the first 100 cases. If we knew how infection occurred during a dinner, or workplace, it becomes more real.
6) Existing knowledge has been reinforced around public hygiene and socially responsible behaviour, like not going to work if you have the cold/flu and hand washing. I automatically wash my hands now whenever I enter a new room, for 2 birthday songs. Soap and water, so important.
7) Virtual social groups are the next best thing to social groups who help each other. Even if its just the sharing of useful or insightful information. Loneliness from working from home and being isolated can get a bit much. That being said, I'm grateful my work allows me to #WFH and all the tech is there for friction-free contactless comms.
8) Bill Gates actually predicted this pandemic 5 years ago and said we're not ready to cope with it. And now he's come out to say that nobody listened to him and we are still not ready. I hope we can use this experience to prepare for the next; SARS was a small dry run for Asia that made a big difference still.
9) This pandemic is a stress test of the most extreme level for governments, politicians, citizens and philosophy, even. It can devolve to a blame game just as quickly as international cooperation can happen. I learned that there's 2 models out there: the early China model (lockdown, treat) and the South Korea model (test, contact trace and isolate). I am grateful we followed the latter - it will be even more chaotic if we go into lockdown with schools closed, but the government is assuring us it won't.
10) And lastly, while most Singaporeans are sensible and listen to the gov and abide by the rules, nothing can stop us from getting to the food we want or need, or try to go out and socialise "one last time". There's always covidiots all around the world, including Singapore. Hope you're not one of em, and learned something from this pandemic like I did! 😷
In this weekly vlog from 16-22 March 2020, I investigate the #MysteryFlavour from Pringles and appeal for everyone to help out private hire drivers if possible to maintain social distancing! Lastly about Netflix's Kingdom show I've been watching and other post-apocalyptic shows I enjoy.
I seldom travel to the east, but one of my BFFs has moved there with her family so I decided to head down and check out a cafe there with her and make it an adventure! The bistro cafe in question's called South Union Park, located at this row of shophouses at Jalan Kembangan. It was a pleasant Saturday morning if I didn't recall wrongly, and the place was moderately crowded when we started, and got progressively more packed.
Overall a nice spot for brunch if you live in the East. Food's decent, but service can be a bit slow especially when the big crowds some in during weekend, so anticipate that. Also be prepared to pay slightly higher than normal prices for average brunch items.
South Union Park
101 Jalan Kembangan, Singapore 419139
Tues 11.30am to 9.30pm, Wed-Fridays 11.30am to 10pm (Saturdays open at 11am), Sundays 11-9pm
Closed on Mondays
Here's the interior. Super duper functional, as you can see. The good thing is that ventilation's quite alright inside so there's not much of a food smell.
Here's on their framed menu of some specials they were offering. Since we were there for brunch, we decided to look at their breakfast items instead.
For example, there's this. Note the price... (sorry but I find it extremely hard to swallow)
More of their breakfast items. Eggs benedict for $19? OUch.
I think their mains might be more worth it, actually!
I had the vegetarian Avo Mato Bruschetta (S$17) which was alright, but pretty odd to be paired with fries. The tomatoes as you can see are oiled, rather juicy and quite generous. I was super full by the end of it, but not blown away by the elements, gastronomically. I guess we are really just paying for someone to take the effort to assemble all these ingredients together on a plate, and clean up afterwards. 3/5
My friend's duck confit hash (S$21) was also a substantial plate, tasty but again not really very stellar. But I guess their combinations work to attract the family and friends crowd. 3/5
Overall a nice spot for brunch if you live in the East. Food's decent, but service can be a bit slow especially when the big crowds some in during weekend, so anticipate that. Also be prepared to pay slightly higher than normal prices for average brunch items.
South Union Park
101 Jalan Kembangan, Singapore 419139
Tues 11.30am to 9.30pm, Wed-Fridays 11.30am to 10pm (Saturdays open at 11am), Sundays 11-9pm
Closed on Mondays
weekly vlog
Weekly Vlog: Telling lame jokes, Covid-19 in Singapore and making Dalgona Coffee
March 15, 2020
Hi guys! I should post blog posts which have my vlog in them, so they can form part of my memories when I look back in time. So here goes!
Here's my weekly vlog for 9-15 March 2020 where I tried out some lame jokes and sharing how Singapore is kinda almost done with the Covid-19 thing and the new normal is people working from "home".
I hope you enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed making them!
Here's my weekly vlog for 9-15 March 2020 where I tried out some lame jokes and sharing how Singapore is kinda almost done with the Covid-19 thing and the new normal is people working from "home".
I hope you enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed making them!
weekly vlog
Weekly Vlog: Going short, working from home and having a Sugar Daddy milkshake
March 08, 2020
Here's my weekly vlog for March 2-8 2020: I've cut my hair! Also just finished a week of working from home. Finally, we tried Black Tap's Crazy Milkshake with peanut butter and caramel pop (Sugar Daddy). The place at MBS is pretty cool, I might go back to try other things!
Hope you liked it!
Hope you liked it!
No this isn't a sponsored post, but when SleepWiz emailed me to say they'll send me a Plushopedic Memory Fluff Pillow I was intrigued! Actually my good ol' pillow had no problems - but it was made like a conventional pillow and it was getting old. That means it got flatter with every sleep, and in time I would have to replace its insides. So I agreed to receive it and after trying it for a few months, the conclusion was I've been missing out!
When I first received the memory fluff pillow, it came rolled up and was completely flattened. I was assured that it will go up to 3x its size if I 'fluff' it up, so I tried sort of dubiously. But it totally worked like magic!
Get 10% off their best selling products with my discount code AlexisCheong2020
Plushopedic™ Memory Fluff Pillow (the one I tried) - RRP SGD39.90
ErgoLush™ Gel-Infused Memory Foam Mattress Topper - RRP SGD87.90
Herculean™ All-Natural Latex Mattress Topper - RRP SGS209.90
There's also free local shipping and 7 days free trial, so why not?
Anyway thanks SleepWiz for sending across the pillow and you guys should definitely check them out :)
![]() |
I reviewed the Plushopedic pillow in my vlog, check it out here |
When I first received the memory fluff pillow, it came rolled up and was completely flattened. I was assured that it will go up to 3x its size if I 'fluff' it up, so I tried sort of dubiously. But it totally worked like magic!
After sleeping on it for 2 months I can safely say that its been super comfortable so far with no issues on my neck or shoulders. I think it's because I could 'adjust' it to my liking - I would squish it more if I wanted a taller pillow, or spread it out if I needed it to be lower.
By the way guys, the reason why I am sharing this is because SleepWiz is also giving a special 10% off for my readers of their top sellers from now till 15th March 2020, in conjunction with World Sleep Day.
Get 10% off their best selling products with my discount code AlexisCheong2020
Plushopedic™ Memory Fluff Pillow (the one I tried) - RRP SGD39.90
ErgoLush™ Gel-Infused Memory Foam Mattress Topper - RRP SGD87.90
Herculean™ All-Natural Latex Mattress Topper - RRP SGS209.90
There's also free local shipping and 7 days free trial, so why not?
Anyway thanks SleepWiz for sending across the pillow and you guys should definitely check them out :)
Hey! In case you're searching for the Gongcha menu while queueing, here it is from the AMK Central outlet taken in Feb 2020. Click on image to view larger version in new window.
They have promotions and new flavours regularly too so check out their FB Page.
brunch
Food review: Trying Tiong Bahru Bakery Diner at L4, Funan Mall, Singapore 179105
March 01, 2020
This could be considered my first tasting of 2020, properly! The year got off to a slow start, what with my travel to Bali right during CNY, coming back to a world that got itself saddled with a new Covid-19 virus that people are only starting to figure out. That got my office into a 50% workforce while the rest worked from home. In between, life goes on - and so does tastings, hopefully! And this one at Tiong Bahru Bakery Diner is just the right one for me to kick things off for a greener 2020, be it sustainable food sourcing or healthy alternatives. While TBB has started as literally just that IN Tiong Bahru, the brand has expanded under the Spa Esprit Group umbrella. And the branches in Raffles City and Funan are the only two to serve modern Western food that's savoury and warm, on top of the usual AMAHZING pastries (I'm a fan!)
The space at Funan was also very spacious and airy, with a 'circuit board' decor as the feature wall to match the IT Mall legacy of Funan. Now's actually the best time to eat out, IMO, because crowds are lesser and you're doing malls a favour by visiting them!
TBB Diner is a great spot for a healthy, light and enjoyable Western meal if you are City Hall area and looking for a chill, comfortable place for you and the family to go to. I highly recommend this place if you are wondering if it is worth a trip! I'll be back there myself soon!
Tiong Bahru Bakery Diner
#04-22 to 25, Funan Mall
107 North Bridge Rd, Singapore 179105
Daily 8am to 9pm
+65 68774866
Thanks to TBB Diner and Daniel for the invite!
The space at Funan was also very spacious and airy, with a 'circuit board' decor as the feature wall to match the IT Mall legacy of Funan. Now's actually the best time to eat out, IMO, because crowds are lesser and you're doing malls a favour by visiting them!
We had an assortment of food to test out, so lucky to be able to try the creations under a young but very talented French chef de cuisine, Paul Albert.
First up, the Chayote Kimchi & Mung Bean Salad (S$18) that is vegan, which is great news. I like that there's quite a lot of meat-free and vegan options here. The salad did not need any protein, with the local 'green bean', or the mung bean, being a good replacement. The watercress also added a nice texture amidst the sour flavours. The purple plant is from their roof top garden, right here in Funan as well! 3.5/5
My personal favourite of the evening was the Hot Chicken Salad & Caramelised Pumpkin (S$20) which had such tender, juicy and flavoursome chicken breast that went surprisingly well with the slightly bitter and sour pomelo. The sweet pumpkin also added a different dimension, all together creating a balanced dish. I know this must be a perfect dish after a work out! 4.5/5
Another popular item that people who just come for especially is the vegetarian Super Green Warm Soup (S$16) which in here is a sample serving size. It's very green, reminiscent of the leicha soup. It has Chinese spinach, bok choy, Shanghai green, chye sim and lady’s finger cooked in a mushroom broth with potato for thickness and almond milk blended in. That's a cup of antioxidants right there! 3.5/5
Next was the Miso Wholewheat Spaghetti with Broccolini (S$19) which is pretty decent for the price point, with lots of flavours and textures once again. So much so, meat is again optional, especially when the grana padano cheese is mixed in to the basil almond pesto sauce. 4/5
We also had the Pulled Pork Creamy Risoni Pasta (S$22) which is earthy in every way. Here the pulled pork lent itself to the salty, rich overtone that the risoni rice (cooked just right!) helped balance out, though I miss out on any creaminess it might have. But overall the dish wasn't too salty nor heavy. If you are looking for an easy to digest pasta dish with meat, this is the one for you. 3/5
On the lighter side of meals, we have the vegan Portobello, Avocado & Hummus Black Sandwich (S$19) which is pretty decent and a sight to behold. The portobello (meat replacement) and avocado gave the sandwich its heft, and the dhal hummus made it creamy without having to rely on mayonnaise. Yum! 4/5
Chef Paul had been really helpful to come out and introduce each dish to us, as well as add finishing touches. Before this, he was explaining and showing us a 158 year old sourdough starter that he had procured from Brazil when working there. Since then it has become the motherstarter for all the sourdough waffles and pancakes we enjoy now. So literally eating history!
The 100% Sourdough Waffle (S$23) itself was sweet, but executed as a savoury brunch dish with the bacon and eggs. I liked the combination - beats the McGriddles ANYTIME. The sourdough waffle also had a chewy, slightly sour (but not distracting) texture that was different from the usual. If you are coming to TBB Diner for brunch, you definitely need to get this. 4.5/5
The Fluffy Brown Butter Pancake (S$21) is also made with the same sourdough batter, but executed as a dessert dish with mango and Chantilly cream. This pancake had everything inside swapped out. The milk is swapped to buttermilk, sugar to brown sugar and of course the dough to sourdough. I liked it, though it is tremendously generous. Prolly can share between 3-4 pax! 4/5
And of course, TBB is not that without their croissants. And we were given a small secret surprise at the end of our tasting!
Tadah! Each of us had a croissant and a Secret Kaya (S$0.50). The light green jam is made in-house with a secret recipe that has differing proportions of fresh pandan juice, coconut milk, castor sugar, egg and virgin coconut oil emulsion. I had it for brekkie next day and it was delicious.

Tiong Bahru Bakery Diner
#04-22 to 25, Funan Mall
107 North Bridge Rd, Singapore 179105
Daily 8am to 9pm
+65 68774866
Thanks to TBB Diner and Daniel for the invite!
weekly vlog
Weekly Vlog: Trying Nissin Ippudo Gogyo Cup Noodles and DORSCON levels in Singapore
March 01, 2020
Here's my weekly vlog for 24 Feb to 1 March 2020: I tried out the black garlic noodles from Nissin that I brought from Japan 7-11 after a newspaper report about the best cup noodles in Singapore. I wasn't too impressed. Watch on to find out what else happened!
Hope you liked my vlog!
Hope you liked my vlog!