Danish Danial Bin Anuar

Seafood From Across The Border

No political implications (this blog is neutral by the way) but… thanks to Najib, you can have about 3 Malaysian Ringgit for every Singaporean Dollar. Yay!

It was the night before polling day, which was a public holiday, when all of a sudden, my family decided to go for an overnight stay at Johor, which was kinda next door. My mom figured out that if we went the night before, the jam at the causeway won’t be so bad. Hehe.

That night, we left our luggage at a hotel called the Bayu Marina Resort located next to Sungei Tebrau. There wasn’t really a view because of the haze. Then, we set off straight to a village called Kampung Senibong which was about a 15-minutes’ drive away.

The seafood “market” kinda has a few restaurants placed next to each other. Surprisingly, the prices for their food are significantly different. …and of course we went for the cheapest one. We were greeted with a bunch of waiters and waitresses begging us along with other passers-by to come to their restaurant. Of course, we gave it a pass (and it did put a frown on their faces) since the money they charge for their food ain’t great.

It's a small little alleyway. — It’s a small little alleyway.

Satayman taking a rest... — Satayman taking a rest…

He's a Satay cook I think. — He’s a Satay cook I think.

Outside, along the restaurants, there are a couple of shops that sell a variety of things like pirated DVDs, toys, cotton candy, popcorn, and mostly, fresh seafood. It is from there where the restaurants get their supply and cook their food so… you know. Great. Fresh seafood. The smell stinks. Haha. The seafood ranges from crab, to prawn, stingray, fish, lobster, and a bunch of sea creatures that I don’t really recognise at all. Usually the crabs are put in glass containers, prawns, lobster and fish in water tanks, and the rest in blended ice.

More crabs and prawns... — More crabs and prawns…

So, after doing a little bit of looking around, we found a table and started ordering our food. I didn’t really remember exactly what we ordered, but I guess the photos can sorta tell the story themselves. We were sitting right next to the ocean. The view of the sea (Well, Singapore was opposite) wasn’t as great, once again, thanks to the haze.

Now comes the food. Well… the food actually ain’t bad. But personally, I didn’t try the crab, lobster or crayfish since I don’t fancy eating crustaceans. Yuck! However, my favourite, ironically, was the butter prawns. Oh, and we ate all of the seafood with rice. There was chicken and beef satay too! They were amazingly tender!

Some form of fish I can't remember the name. — Some form of fish I can’t remember the name.

My Finished Plate (: — Look mom! I finished my plate!

Overall… it was a great experience! We are planning to return there in the future someday!

Behind My First VSCO with Distinction Photo

Just recently, I received an email from VSCO. This is what it says:

At the top it writes, “With Distinction, VSCO.”

MUHAMMAD DANISH DANIAL BIN MOHAMED ANUAR — Thank you for sharing your image. Your work has been selected to appear in the curated search results.

Well, of course when I received it, I got really excited since I (finally) got some recognition for my work. So here’s a little story behind the photgraph.

Before school starts at 1pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I would usually go to work in the mornings at Roxy Square, a small centre below a hotel (Well textbooks aren’t going to pay themselves right). When I finish my work at about 11:30am, I would have my lunch at KFC, located at the shopping mall opposite my workplace’s building. There is an overhead bridge, and then a traffic light I have to cross to get over to the other side. As I make my way there, I would always see this frail elderly uncle in his electrically-operated wheelchair slowly guiding his way through the crowd to get to his usual spot, which was in front of the traffic crossing. What really caught my eyes was that he had a couple of Singapore Flags planted at every inch of his wheelchair. I was thinking maybe it was due to the Nation’s 50th Birthday season. But I kinda noticed that he still has those flags even many weeks before and days after the National Day season. I’m really kinda touched by his patriotism to his country.

In front of the traffic light, he would stop his wheelchair, sit comfortably, place a small box on his lap for passer-by’s to put their money in, and then start playing some tunes on his harmonica as he tries to entertain the public, and at the same time gain some fortune to be able to last through the day. You know, for me, some music would really ease a lot of stress especially after long hours of working. Before leaving for school at about 12 noon, I never fail to deposit some coins I have in my wallet into his money box, and he would give me that grin, and say a sincere, “Thank you”. I really do appreciate the entertainment he is giving to the crowds under the hot scorching sun, and hopefully, currently, he is doing well.

Things I See Around School

My school’s located around Bras Basah, right opposite the School of The Arts (SOTA). On Wednesdays, I have this 4-hour break before my Economics lesson starts. During that time usually, I’d hang out and do “work” with my buddies. This week however, I got a chance to kinda walk around my school and take a few pictures of things I see.

Bras Basah is kinda caught in between the Downtown Core and where all the shopping takes place in Singapore. Usually, there is a lot of traffic coming through this area. Here, there is also a lot of developments and construction going on so it adds on to the “busy”ness of the place.

In front of Cathay Cinema, this friendly Ice Cream Man is always there. He likes to talk to his customers and asks questions like, “How was your day?” It’s amazing how he has a really cheerful personality even though he has to stand all day under the hot sun.

I used to be from St. Joseph’s Institution (SJI), my secondary school. After secondary school, I was admitted to this school in Bras Basah, and coincidentally, old SJI is just two blocks down my current school. I like to joke that SJI is stalking me wherever I go haha. Just recently they also held a Night Festival there so there were lots of stickers pasted all over the place including electrical boxes, lamp posts, and even pillars.

These stickers everywhere... — These stickers everywhere…

It’s August so… the Monsoon season is here. Rain can come in unexpectedly. I was in at the steps of SOTA when it rained. People started rushing in all different directions looking for shelter. Those with umbrellas though kinda remained very calm haha.

When it started raining... — When it started raining…

There you go… the things I see around school in the 4-hour break.

Celebrating Singapore’s 50th

I was fortunate to be able to watch this year’s National Day Parade thrice. It was my first time watching the National Day Parade live too. I was only given one ticket for each time I attend the rehearsals or the real thing so… I kinda went to watch the entire thing without my friends. However, I did make some new friends when we were waiting for the long queues and stuff.

Anyways, not relating to the parade itself, I kinda compiled some random pictures I took during this period, kinda related to the whole ‘SG50’ stuff. Most of them were taken around the Bugis and Little India area.

People Trying Make A Living Performing In Public

Construction worker rain. — A construction worker working in the rain.

Old Man Little India — A man walking somewhere in Little India

WOOHOO Hung The Flag Proudly On My Front Porch!

On the parade day itself, Team Nila volunteers (SEA Games Volunteers) meet up to collect tickets at the National Stadium first before making our way to The Float. That was where I met new people and made new friends!

This was the NDP Preview Ticket actually

Now, to the parade itself. At the Float, we were given a Fun Pack which consisted of a few nostalgic items like the “stick thing” (I had forgotten what it’s called sorry), a few country erasers that I used to like to collect when I was in Primary School, and also snacks that I loved to spend my pocket money on back in the day.

Well, the parade started with some sing-along session to some old National Day songs, and also some performances by Grassroots’ Performing Arts groups. There were also these cute Nila mascots to entertain us. At all corners of the audience, motivators were there to encourage the audience to stand up and start dancing to the music. Really appreciate their effort to get the audience on their feet under the hot sun. (:

Afterwards, the official parade starts. The parade this year is held at The Padang so we kinda have to watch the entire thing on a big screen. However the best part of the parade, the fireworks, is going to be lighted up in front of us at Marina Bay. So like every other National Day Parade, there was marching and more marching, it’s beginning to become a mundane thing you know, but I really do appreciate the people who were involved in it. Next comes the second best part after the fireworks. The airshow. This year, they made it extra special. There was an A380 with the SG50 livery fly-past, fighter pilots doing dangerous stunts around the city, and also fighter planes forming the number “50” in the sky!

People started waving their flags in excitement when the planes came thundering in, shaking the ground beneath us. I saw some parents who covered their children’s ears too. Haha.

If I remembered correctly, afterwards, the President came in, and all of us had to rise to sing to the National Anthem. It was also the cue for the chopper with the Singapore Flag to come in.

Then there were a couple of different performances of all sorts by different schools and stuff. …And I’ll just fast forward to the Fireworks bit. This year’s fireworks are supposed to be twice bigger than last year’s. They lighted up the fireworks at two different locations, one at the mouth of the Singapore River, and one at the Marina Bay. I must say this year’s fireworks was spectacular! It was blinding at some points but still, great.

Processed with VSCOcam with hb2 preset — Lights At The Bay

I took part in the One-SG Pledge Moment so all of the Team Nila participants, including me, had to go down to the float to do the pledge… and I was happy to be among the hundreds to reaffirm our loyalty to this country. (:

Overall it was a fun experience! Partly… because it was my first time seeing the Parade live. Anyways, Happy Belated SG50 Singapore!

Aidilfitri 1436 A.H.

Aidilfitri! The happiest time of the year! Well my family and I did lots of stuff to prepare for this occasion. Recently, I got a job so I had some independence on the use of my money. Might as well use it to decorate my bare room. Got a bunch of wine boxes from a nearby wine store, gathered all of my souvenirs from my travels, and mounted a little display on the wall. I also had painted some black acrylic paint at the side of my workstation and did some chalk art.

Afterwards, I went to the store room to help my grandmother to sort out some stuff. I found this old keyboard that can’t be used no more so I kinda made good use of it.

Turned my room into a mini music studio haha!

On Aidilfitri, mostly, I look forward to tasting the food. On the eve of that day, my grandmother started cooking loads of dishes from Rendang to Ketupat. As for the Ketupat, before we can actually steam it, we have to weave the “shell” of it first using some sort of leaves-which-I-don’t-really-know-what-it’s-called.

It was like 11pm at night but our house wasn’t ready yet. We still had to paint the living room white and do some gardening. Traditionally, we would hang colorful lights in our backyard.

My younger sister painting the living room :) — My younger sister painting the living room 🙂

Haha I slept at 3am the following day. Arranging books, dusting the living room, et cetera.

At a nearby mosque, we started Aidilfitri prayers at about 8:15am. The mosque was kinda packed with people so we actually had to pray in the middle of the road.

Haha right in the middle of the road. — Haha right in the middle of the road

Actually the best part of Aidilfitri is that we get to spend time, and ask for forgiveness from other family members. Honestly, I hadn’t cried for a long time.

Eid Mubarak!

Cycling Through Balinese Hillsides

It was my second day in Bali. Woke up and prepared myself at about 7:00am in the morning for a two-hour drive to the mountains. My family and I were planning to go for a cycling tour in a few of the villages there. As we went up the mountains, our sightseeing landscapes were basically a bunch of paddy fields after another.

Bali Rice Paddy Field — More Paddy Fields!

We started our cycling tour at the peak of Mount. Kintamani, also known as Kintamani Volcano. At the peak, we were greeted by a breathtaking view.

Another view of Mount. Agung — View of Mount. Agung

You can find Mount Agung in the background. — Another view of Mount. Agung, Bali’s highest point, in the background.

The temperature at Denpasar, the “main” city in Bali was about 30 degrees Celsius. At our current location, it was about 15 degrees, kinda a shock to me, but luckily we didn’t need jackets since the Sun was keeping us warm.

Anyways we had our delicious breakfast in this little restaurant. Simple fried rice, and some tea. Afterwards, we immediately started our biking journey!

Lol I'm all the way at the back. — Lol I’m all the way at the back.

Our first stop was at a Primary School. It was a holiday so there weren’t any students there. There were a couple of teachers there though. Awkwardly staring at us outside their staff rooms, each holding a cup of tea, as we trespassed the school’s boundaries. The Primary School had about 2 small blocks; one for the staff rooms, and one for the student block, which only consisted of about four classrooms. The tour guide told us that a normal school curriculum had about 3 recess times (haha I wished I had that in my school), and students are allowed to go home to have their lunch (I got even more jealous).

Flag post in front of the classroom block — The Indonesian flag flies proudly in front of the classroom block

Classroom entrance with Balinese-style features — A classroom entrance with Balinese-style features

The tour guide also told us that before school starts, normally, the students would pray – according to their beliefs. In a typical Balinese community, there are Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists living together in harmony. Normally, the Hindus would pray in a nearby temple, which was a stone throw’s away from the school.

A 'Candi' with beautiful patterns — A ‘Candi’ with beautiful patterns

Well there was a small village nearby and I did a very brief look-around.

Afterwards, we continued cycling downhill passing a couple more villages. It’s interesting how there’s a temple every few minutes.

Along the pathways, as we were going downhill, we could find villagers carrying on with their own normal lives. And on top of that, the villagers whom we passed by were friendly too! Almost very single villager waved their hands frantically in the air, and shouted “Hello” with their wide smiles. It was as if they knew us personally.

A villager taking a walk — A villager taking a stroll

A farmer pushing a cart filled with banana leaves

Probably resting after a few hours of work

This child happens to be taking a walk outside his home

Our next stop was a paddy field. The farmers there let us give a taste of what is like beating the rice grains.

Afterwards, we visited a Balinese home which was under-construction. We explored the different parts of a Balinese home; which included the kitchen, bedroom, guest area, and a family praying area.

A child playing with planks of wood in the Balinese house

We ended our tour at another village. There was a busy market in the village with loads of villagers shouting out offers for what they were selling. We closed with a dance by a bunch of young Balinese girls and had some authentic Balinese cuisine.

A kid playing with a kite near the market

An elderly woman takes a break outside the market

Balinese village 'skyline' — Balinese village ‘skyline’

Hope to revisit here again. 🙂

Ubin Day 2015

It was Ubin Day, and I volunteered for a coastal cleanup of the beaches on Pulau Ubin, an island in the north-east, still trapped in time. It was the first time in a few years I revisited this island. It’s an interesting place to go to since it is one of the last few villages we have here in this country. In just a 10-minute boat ride away, you are taken to a completely different environment and place. Well I finished my duties helping out with logistics and stuff, and there was a 2-hour break before the coastal cleanup starts. So, I decided to take the time to explore the island’s main village. Here are some of the photos I took during my time there.

One Of The Drink Stalls In The Main Village

A Bike Rental Shop Owner Looking Out For Customers

Sadly, my phone kinda died halfway through so I didn’t really get a chance to take more pictures of the village. Anyways, see you again Ubin! :’)

My First 5 Weeks At Temasek Polytechnic

Well after a 6-month long holiday, orientation for my new school started. And so I got my stuff ready.

I was kinda excited since I didn’t keep in touch with friends in a very long time. And also, it was going to be my first time cycling to school. Thankfully, on the first day, the skies were clear, and there weren’t any signs of the weather raining anytime soon. My grandfather told me the easiest way to cycle to school was this park connector which runs through a canal, and that I have to cross three junctions.

Of course, I took a couple of photos on my journey to school.

On the first few weeks of school, I would usually park my bicycle in the void deck opposite school, then eat my favourite Egg Prata with a glass of Milo in the coffee shop nearby.

After Breakfast, if I have the time, I would sit in the benches in front of the block of flats and stare blankly at the traffic.

Actually after a few weeks, I found a much faster route to my school, which was through another canal which runs behind this forested area. Sometimes you can find monitor lizards and snakes and stuff. In the canal, you can find otters too!

By the time school ends, it would be like around 6 in the evening. So, I kinda have to cycle in the dark sometimes.

If I choose not to cycle home immediately after school ends, I would stay in school until 9 at night and probably do fun stuff with my friends.

I remember that Friday on Week 0, when I made really good friends with a guy named Jian Shun. We sat together during a School Olympiad and we did all the sneaky photo-taking and cheering together.

Our recess times are like, on average, 3 hours long. In the three hours, normally we would go to the library to study.

Haha there were times we would also goof around in the library like the time he broke my watch.

I remember there was this Co-Curricular Activity fair and the both of us signed up together for like 7CCAs. One of them was Music Vox. I signed up as a vocalist. Actually, I didn’t know what I was thinking. I have never performed in front of people before, neither do I have any vocal experience. So during the auditions, I screwed up here and there, and as a result, I didn’t go through the first round.

Every Friday, at 1 in the afternoon I would have to go to a nearby Mosque to do my prayers.

Thankfully in the school campus there are spaces where we can do our obligatory prayers too.

So far after my 5 weeks here, this school’s amazing. You have awesome classmates (who are like soccer fanatics), and little kittens that run around the corridor.

This school’s huge too. There are a lot of hidden rooms and passages to explore. My seniors would also share spooky ghost stories. Like that time tables and chairs turned over and stuff. Actually, the more I explored the school, the more fascinated I am with the school’s architecture.

Like the seniors, many of the staff here too have lots of stories to tell on their experiences here in this school.

Haha so those were my 5 weeks of school so far here in Temasek Polytechnic. Sadly I’m going to be transferring into a University in a few weeks so I’m definitely going to miss all of this. 😦

Well, just recently I set up a Twenty20 account to see if it can help me with my university fund hahaha :p. https://www.twenty20.com/mddanial100

Returning To Bugis

Had lots of fun at SJI carnival. Got to keep up with past teachers, friends and got to do loads of activities there! So afterwards, I invited my friend, Monico to follow me to Bugis to get a new screen protector for my phone (the one that I ordered online didn’t arrive yet grrrr). I thought we were only going to be there for 10 minutes or so but haha, there were many interesting things that were going on there that stretched our trip for an hour or so.

Anyways, after getting my screen protector at Sim Lim Square, we walked back to the MRT Station through Albert Street. We kinda stumbled upon some fascinating stuff at Albert Street that we have never seen before. Like there was this sort of “art-kind-of-thing” happening in the middle of the square, where artists were fully dressed, and they perform skits that I think, intend to spread a message. Of course, there were people gathering around to see what it was about, children leaning forward, curious to see what’s going on, people rushing in to take photographs, and I was one of them hehe. There were three artists having fun with a few props, an artist in black taking selfies with random passers-by, and at the side, I saw cute little children giving dried leaves to an artist in red. The red artist kinda begged for leaves (well he didn’t speak a word) and then line them along a crack on the ground.

Just beside this square, there was this small shop selling some sort of insect bite ointment. It wasn’t clear since everything was written in Chinese. So there was this elderly uncle continuously saying stuff into the microphone, while the lady sorts the stuff on the table. I was surprised when I looked closer on the table to find actual live insects. The uncle who was selling the ointment actually invited the insects which included centipedes and even scorpions, to crawl all over his arm. It was scary but cool. Haha. I have never seen anything like this in Singapore, well, except for the Zoo.

Uncle promoting his ointment at his stall

Down the street, we found some Trishaw Uncles waiting for passengers to pick up and tour around the city. Never had a ride on one of these things before but hopefully, in the future :).

It was getting late and we decided to go home. Off we went into the MRT. Oh and there was this part of the MRT Station where we can see passengers moving in and out of the station from above.

I also wanted to try something new. Like right before the train door closes, take a picture of passengers entering and exiting the train from in between the platform screen doors, and the train doors. So here’s the result:

Hehe I remembered what my Mom used to tell me, “Don’t stick your head out of the MRT train doors like that!”

Waiting Around the National Stadium

My friends and I decided to go out together for a bowling session. Well, on that day I came quite early so I took the opportunity to explore the Stadium area. I can say is that the buildings here have some interesting architecture. I so do believe that the main architectural theme here is something to do with waves. There were many curves and bends along pathways and even the subway station is a little but curvy. What’s awesome is that even thought the subway station is underground, it has glass panels as the roof to let the sunlight in so that it doesn’t look as gloomy or dark.

Another interesting feature about this station’s architecture is that one side of the station has a straight corridor, and that the other has a curve.

As I exit the station, I could have an awesome view of the stadium itself.

This was my first time entering the stadium compound. It was larger than what I thought it actually was. There is this outer running circuit that runs along the circumference of the stadium. I believe it also serves as a waiting area for spectators. Just like the subway station, part of the shelter also uses glass panels to let the sunlight in.

Thanks for reading!

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