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28 March 2018

Singapore Airlines Boeing 787-10 arrival in Changi Airport | New business class economy cabin

Singapore Airlines (SIA) new Boeing Dreamliner 787-10 with first commercial SQ flight to Osaka and Perth in May 2018 arrived at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 from Boeing production facility in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Singapore Airlines is the first in the world to take delivery of Boeing’s newest aircraft 787-10 which is fitted with 36 SIA all-new Business Class fully-flat bed seats and 301 economy seats cabin in the twin aisle aircraft. 
  
 
Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, SIA CEO Mr Goh Choon Phuong, beneficiaries from the Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN) Katong School, media and invited guests witnessed Singapore Airlines 787-10 plane arrival followed by the traditional water cannon salute celebration.
 
 
Singapore Airlines 787-10 new Business class cabin products feature comfortable 76” fully-flat beds,  personal 18” full high definition Panasonic touchscreen monitor for KrisWorld, SIA’s award-winning in-flight entertainment system, adjustable dividers at centre seats for privacy and forward-facing 1-2-1 staggered configuration for direct aisle access.
 
SIA business class passengers will enjoy ample stowage space for personal items, a business panel with in-seat power supply and USB ports and integrated reading light unit with adjustable lighting intensity.  
 
 
Singapore Airlines new Economy class  ergonomically-designed contour backrests with six-way adjustable headrests ensure comfort during in flight. A  personal storage space for small personal items, a coat hook, USB port and in-seat power supply completes the new SIA 787-10 economy class cabin experience.
 
 
All SIA passengers across cabin class can enjoy complimentary culinary meals, beverages and alcohol, in flight WiFi, GSM phone services and personalised in-flight entertainment (IFE) experience through a customized myKrisWorld with a selection of more than 1,000 movies, TV shows, audio programmes and games from Toca Boca and Sago Mini.
 
Singapore Airlines is the launch airline and largest customer for Boeing 787-10 with 49 aircraft and 20 Boeing 777-9s orders.

Scoot, SIA low cost subsidiary operates both 787-8s and 787-9s to Athens, Honolulu USA, Japan Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo,  Australia Gold Coast,  Perth, Seoul South Korea, Taiwan Taipei and soon Berlin Germany, making SIA the first airline group in the world to operate all three variants of Boeing’s Dreamliner aircraft.
 
 
The all new Boeing Dreamliner 787-10 features  quieter tranquil cabin experience with customisable lighting preferences large electronically dimmable windows and cleaner using exceptional operating efficiency and advanced technology.
 
SIA’s 787-10s will be used on flights up to eight hours and selected Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur flights for crew training purposes. 

Experience  Singapore Airlines 787-10 with new cabin features on SIA flights from Singapore to Osaka and Perth from May 2018. Make your reservations at www.SingaporeAirlines.com .
 

16 March 2018

Scoot Singapore Kuching Malaysia Review Flight Travel + Food tour & Nature itinerary

Scoot to Kuching, East Malaysia from Singapore on board award winning Asia Pacific’s Best Low Cost Airline. The inaugural Scoot flight from Singapore Changi Airport to Kuching International Airport (SIN-KCH)  last October marks Scoot's Airlines first-ever destination in East Malaysia. Scoot's Singapore flights to Malaysia includes Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Ipoh and Kuantan.    


Vinod Kannan, Chief Commercial Officer, Scoot on the inaugural Kuching flight with the passengers were welcomed by a traditional dance organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board.  Sarawak Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister, Datuk Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah  and acting CEO, Mary Wan, acting CEO Sarawak Tourism shared that with the new Scoot Singapore flight to Kuching further affirmed  East Malaysia as a ultimate holiday destination for authentic Sarawak cuisine, heritage, culture, nature and adventure tourism.
 
Setting sights on Sarawak
Kuching, the capital of Sarawak located on the mythical island of Borneo, East Malaysia is reminiscent of a secluded paradise, just 85 minutes flight from Singapore.

Scoot Airlines Singapore Kuching Flight review

Scoot Airlines uses Airbus A320 for its short haul flights, 3 by 3 arrangement in the 180 economy seats in the single aisle aircraft. We were booked on Scoot stretch seats with at least 34inches seat pitch, located at front Row 1 bulkhead seats. Scoot super seats with extra legroom seat pitch of minimum 34 inches are located at row 1 to 4, 12 and 13.


Warmly welcomed by the cheerful Scootitude Scoot cabin crew, the flight journey from Singapore to Kuching and back was a smooth flight with no air turbulence.

Seated comfortably with ample legroom at row 1, we enjoyed our pre-ordered Scoot's Premium Selections in-flight deluxe meal with two deluxe sides and a drink.

Scoot’s Premium Selections menu include Singapore Signature Chicken Rice, Signature Nasi Goreng with Chicken  (Halal), Braised Beef Cheek with Penne, Sweet & Sour Fish with Steamed Rice and Teriyaki Chicken, depending on flight routes, available for purchase up to 72hrs before flight.

On Scoot TZ430 Singapore to Kuching flight, we tried Scoot deluxe hot meal - signature Singapore chicken rice, served with salad,  Haagen-Dazs Belgian chocolate ice cream and water. The tender chicken meat goes well with the chicken stock flavoured rice and special chilli sauce.

From Kuching to Singapore flight TZ431, the Nasi lemak hot meal set with chicken chunks, fish tofu, long beans and coconut rice was average and a bit too spicy.



Scoot inflight menu offers hot meals selection from popular Singapore local food like Signature Nasi Lemak, Beef and Mushroom Lasagne, Braised Chicken with Rice, Chicken Corn Curry, Makhani Chicken with Basmati Rice, Roasted Chicken Thigh with Honey Garlic Sauce, Stew Chicken with Rice, Teriyaki Chicken with rice, Tom Yam Fried Rice to vegetarian menu of Pomodoro Fusilli, Spiced Lentils with Basmati Rice and Spicy Oriental Vegetables with Steamed Rice. Light meals choices include Halal food choices like Chicken Ham & Cheese Croissants, Teriyaki Chicken Wrap with Shimeiji Mushrooms, Greek Salad Wrap and kids meal of Cheese hotdog, Snyder’s cheddar cheese pretzels with Ribena cheer pack.

Order Scoot hot meals set with Coca-Cola or Heaven and Earth Jasmine Green Tea + Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate with Cornflakes online and enjoy $4 OFF or $3 OFF Scoot light meal set with Coca-Cola or Heaven and Earth Jasmine Green Tea + Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate.

Walks in the Wild - Kuching Sarawak Malaysia

Soak in Sarawak's richly diverse tourists attractions like Bako National Park, Gunung Gading National Park, World’s first Cat Museum as well as the first Malaysia UNESCO World Heritage site, Gunung Mulu National Park, Miri, Sarawak are on tourists must do checklist.


Sarawak - the world's third largest island, is blessed with the world's oldest rainforests and a wealth of rare flora and fauna.

The perfect countryside to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life, explore Sarawak vast mountains caves, spot endangered species and wildlife, extensive coast lines, pristine sandy beaches, exotic cultural festivals and ethnic groups, authentic Sarawak cuisine, a mix of old world charms, heritage and cultural amidst modernization.


Kuching National Parks, wildlife spotting, bird watching and eco-tourism
Bako National Park, Kuching, Sarawak - Board the 25 minutes boat ride from Kampung Bako village and enjoy the river boat ride to Baku National Park, the entrance fee to the park is 20 ringgit. Visit Bako National Park visitor centre for walking trails information and updates.

 
Picturesque and private, Bako National Park is bordered by limestone and sandstone cliffs with remarkable rock formations like the famous Sea Stack along the beautiful coastline.


Borneo's endangered species - proboscis monkey, long-tailed macaque monkeys, silver leaf monkeys, Bornean bearded pig or wild boars, squirrels, monitor lizards, green snakes, rare flora and fauna of Sarawak live in the oldest nature reserve in East Malaysia.


The mostly arboreal rare proboscis monkeys have reddish-brown fur, grey limbs and a white tail and can be spotted  in the forest or mangroves, feeding on young leaves, shoots, sour fruits and seeds. The male proboscis monkeys can be distinguished by its huge pendulous nose and a large pot-belly.

Bako National Park walking trail consists of 16 extensive colour-coded jungle routes walking and hiking options from relaxing forest walk to full-day jungle hikes or overnight camping expeditions.


Walking trails like Telok Paku, Telok Delima and  Telok Assam mangroves are popular for rare and unusual proboscis monkeys spotting. Follow the trails quietly, keep listening and look around to spot the wildlife. Telok Pandan Kecil will lead to one of Bako’s best beach by the coast.

Sarawak Rhinoceros Hornbill, Bornean Banded Kingfisher, Bornean Wren Babbler, and Blue-banded Pitta are some of the divese bird species spotted at Kubah National Park, minutes away from  Santubong National Park which is renown for its sandstone terrain and tall rainforest.


Kuching Wetlands National Park is a a popular place for spotting wildlife like  proboscis monkeys, long tailed macaque monkeys, silver-leaf monkeys, monitor lizards, estuarine crocodiles and birds watching for white-vast bellied sea eagles,  adjutant stork, kingfishers and shore birds.


On our way back to mainland, we met fishermen boats going home with the day's freshly caught seafood of lobsters, crabs, sea urchins, fishes and shell fish.  One fisherman showed us his prized catch happily.


Fresh lobsters, sea urchins and crabs for dinner ? Yes, you could buy from some of the local owner fishermen at extremely low prices like 5 ringgit for a sea urchin, from 20 ringgit for 1 kg of crabs or lobsters before they supply to hotels, seafood restaurants and food centres like Topspot food court. This is great if you have access to kitchen during your vacation, yearn for home cook food or love cooking.


Semenggoh Wildlife Nature Reserve Rehabilitation Centre, Kuching Sarawak East Malaysia

The Borneo Orangutan is an endangered primates of apes and semi wild Orangutans live in Semenggoh Wildlife Reserve Centre where orphaned and injured orangutans are nursed before returning to the wild.

In the natural habitat, the orangutans may visit the park rangers for bananas, fruits and milk during feeding times in the day between 9am to 10am and 3pm to 3.30 pm, offering visitors an opportunity to see them at a closer range.


Gather around the viewing area across the feeding platform and you may spot squirrels and orang-utans swinging from the forest canopy to the lower branches of trees and guided ropes once they hear the flute whistling by park wardens that its snack time.
 
Prince Charles of Wales visited Semenggoh Wildlife Centre and got up close and personal with the Borneo orang-utans as part of his tour in Southeast Asia and India.


Support orangutan conservation with adopt orangutan program where 100% of the funds will be used for Orangutan conservation projects, educational activities to support orangutan conservation and food medication for orangutans in rehabilitation centres.

Besides orangutans, squirrels, birds and other wildlife, there is an enclosed area where crocodiles can be seen sun bathing in the natural habitat.

 
If you like adventure sport, try the guided kayaking or water rafting down the Sungai Sarawak Kiri river (Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg, Kuching) and explore hidden waterfalls, limestone formations and unspoilt nature or continue for lunch at the Bidayuh tribe.


Kuching City Tour, Sarawak Malaysia.

Kuching,  known affectionately as the City of Cats is unpretentious with quaint charms. Make a pitstop at Kuching city centre roundabout on Jalun Padungan for a souvenir shot.

If you are a feline fan, do visit Kuching Cat Museum in City Hall building, Petra Jaya, the first Cat Museum in the world for cat lovers housing cat photographs, paintings, art and craft and of course cat souvenirs.
 
Kuching is a compact city and easy to explore. Visit Chinatown or take stroll on the esplanade riverside on the south bank of Sarawak River, in the heart of the city.

 
Ride on the local Penambang boat on Kuching Waterfront scenic, jetty hoping to explore the rich heritage and cultural attractions like the Astana, Fort Marguerite, Sultan Iskandar Planetarium, Jalan Taman Budaya Civic Centre tower, Chinese History Museum, Sarawak Steamship Building, Square Tower and the Malay kampungs across the river.

Kuching Food recommendations


Sarawak is renown for springy Kolo mee, delicious Sarawak laksa and Sarawak fried rice. Carpenter street is lined with many local coffeeshops and food centre that served Sarawak kolo mee, Sarawak laksa, pork satay, fried kway teow, prawn mee and wonton noodles that are popular with both locals and tourists.

We visited the coffee shop in front of Lau Ya Keng Temple to satisfy our local food cravings. Walk around the vicinity and look out for crowded coffeeshops with queues at individual stalls for affordable tasty local food.

 
For true blue Sarawak cuisine, try Lepau restaurant with local live music performances, run by ethnic tribal orang ulu in a beautiful Sarawak house decorated with intricate wood carvings and native ornaments.
 
Sarawak orang ulu cuisine dishes we tried includes Ayam pansuh - tender chicken cooked in a bamboo with tapioca leaves, midin jungle fern, a vegetable that locals eat daily, Umai sliced raw fish with onions, chillies and lime juice, fried fish, nourishing chicken soup and calamari  served with Nasi Bungkus (banana leaves wrapped rice).

Homemade coconut ice cream drizzled with home brewed rice wine completes the meal as we unwind in the evening to the local music performances. 
 
 
Always dine where the locals go. For affordable fresh seafood dinners, visit Top Spot, the most popular Kuching food centre located at Kuching waterfront, Level 5, Taman Kereta, Jalan Padungan, 93100 with open air dining area patio serving halal and non halal seafood.


Rows and rows of freshly caught fishes, crabs and lobsters to freshly plucked local vegetables beckons from the bright neon lit stalls in the huge hawker centre with tightly packed seating areas. Take your pick from the selection or ask the chefs to chose for delicious local seafood.

Salted egg yolk egg crab, cereal prawns,  local sharks fin soup, steamed river fish, crispy oyster pancake, squids, bamboo clams, Midin vegetables were some of our selection from Bukit Matta seafood restaurant stall at Topspot food center.


Sarawak souvenirs shopping include Sarawak kolo mee, laska paste, pepper, crab crackers, dried fish fillet, cuttlefish, city cafĂ© 3-in1 Sarawak coffee, rice crackers, layer cake to name a few.

Rainforest World Music Festival, Kuching Sarawak
Sarawak's Rainforest World Music Festival is a unique music festival that brings together renowned world musicians and ingenious artists from all continents to the extraodinaire island of Borneo, against the magnificient backdrop of the legendary Mt. Santubong.

Jamming sessions, mini concerts, interactive and educational workshops, ethno-musical lectures, Sarawak souvenirs and CDs by the performing artists, local food fair, arts and crafts market and amazing evening performances on the main stage is the winning formula where Sarawak celebrates its 21st anniversary Rainforest World Music Festival this year from 13 to 15 July 2018 at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Kuching. Visit RWMF.net for more information.



Borneo Jazz in Miri, Sarawak is an annual two-day international festival on 11- 12 May, 2018 with eclectic bands and jazz repertoire.

Stay at Kuching luxurious 5-star properties or Hilton Kuching, a hotel located at Kuching waterfront, popular with both business and leisure travellers to clean budget accommodations like Abell hotel, located in the heart of the city centre or home stay with the locals.
 
 
Scoot airline currently fly to a total of 64 destinations in 17 countries including newly launched Scoot  flight destinations Honolulu in the United States of America, Harbin Northeast China, Kuantan Malaysia, Palembang Indonesia and soon, Pekanbaru  Indonesia on May 30 and Scoot to Berlin on 20 June 2018 on Scoot 16 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 24 young and modern Airbus A320 family aircraft, with four more Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 39 Airbus A320neo aircraft on order.

Book flight tickets at FlyScoot.com or contact Scoot Call Centre. For Scoot updates, visit FlyScoot.com, Facebook.com/FlyScoot, Instagram.com/FlyScoot, and Twitter.com/flyscoot.
 
*Thank you Scoot Airlines and Sarawak Tourism Board for the warm hospitality.

Next : Novotel Singapore On Stevens hotel review and opening launch


08 March 2018

Microsoft Surface Store Singapore opens + Surface Book 2 prices | Surface Laptop | Surface Studio Hub

Microsoft Surface Book 2, Surface Studio, Surface laptop and Surface Pro, together with Microsoft accessories like Surface Precision Mouse, Surface dial, Surface pen and stylus, type cover keyboards, power adapters and dock, laptop sleeves and covers are available at the first South East Asia Microsoft Surface Store in Singapore for the ultimate Microsoft Surface windows devices experience, complete with a dedicated Microsoft Surface Concierge service, located at Harvey Norman Singapore Flagship Superstore at Millenia Walk.
 
 
Surface empowers the best-in-class Intel® Core™ processors, best in battery life and support for your favourite applications — all on stunning PixelSense™ displays, designed to be viewed, touched and written on in striking, true-to-life colour for the ultimate Surface device user experience with Surface book 2 laptop tablet, surface studio, surface laptop and surface pro. Microsoft Surface Hub will be available at a later date, visit https://www.microsoft.com/en-sg/ for updates.

The new Microsoft Surface Singapore store  officially open on 10 March 2018 and will allow Microsoft fans and new users to have a hands on experience to explore the Surface family devices and the powerful laptop tablet desktop application performances that one could achieve easily. There is 10% education discount for students and academic staff for both Microsoft Store shop purchase or Microsoft Surface online store.
 
 
Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Prices from S$2,188 - S$4,588)
True to its mantra as the most Powerful Surface ever, Microsoft Surface Book 2 laptop tablet features the latest 8th generation Intel® Core™ processors with NVIDIA GeForce GPUs graphics performance on 17-hour battery life. Switching seamlessly between professional grade software like Adobe, Autodesk and Unity to  playing popular PC games, Surface book 2 support four different modes like Studio Mode, Laptop Mode, View Mode and Tablet Mode, connecting with USB Type C, USB Type A, full size SD card, surface dial, surface dock and surface pen for the ultimate user experience.
 

Surface Book 2 prices starts from S$2,888 - 13.5” Intel® Core™ i5, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, Intel® HD Graphics 620 to S$4,588 - 15” Intel® Core™ i7, 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM, NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060.
 
Surface Studio (Price S$6488, Microsoft Surface Pen, Keyboard and Mouse included)
Microsoft Surface Studio known as the Ultimate Creative Studio is an entirely new Surface device with an adjustable 28” PixelSense Display and Zero Gravity Hinge aluminium design, transforming from desktop upright to studio flat, creating a stable 20 degree angle, optimised to draw naturally with the surface pen, like a drafting table canvas for infinite creative ideas.
 
Powered by Intel® Core™ i7 with  NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX980M discrete GPU 4GB GDDR5 on 32GB RAM with 128GB SSD and  2TB Rapid hybrid drive storage, four USB 3.0, full size SD card, Surface Studio work seamlessly from Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, intensive desktop class software to PC games and VR experiences.  


 
Surface Dial (price $159) is a controller that allows the user to store, customise, access, navigate and reimagine physical tools in the digital world – from concept to creation. 
 
Surface Precision Mouse (price $148) is designed for exceptional precise accuracy, comfort, and control with patented magnetic scrolling, customisable thumb buttons and the ability to use with up to three computers at the same time.
 
 
Pair Microsoft Surface Studio with the Surface Dial and Surface precision mouse for fluid creative applications process for both on-screen and off-screen experiences.
 
Microsoft Surface Laptop (Price from S$1,488 - S$3,888)
The sleek Surface Laptop is a trendy design device, powered by 7th generation Intel® Core™ processor, starts up and runs faster with InstantOn optimized OS. Marrying performance with style, the lightweight Surface laptop is fitted with 128GB SSD, 4GB RAM, Intel HD® Graphics 620 and up to 14.5 hours of battery life. 

Aesthetically designed, the Surface laptop features a signature keyboard finished in luxurious Italian Alcantara® material, large precision trackpad and soft palm rest for typing comfort. 
 

Surface Laptop prices starts from S$1,488 for Intel® Core™ i5, 128GB SSD, 4GB RAM, Intel HD® Graphics 620 to S$3,888 for Intel® Core™ i7, 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM, Intel Iris™ Plus Graphics 640.

New Microsoft Surface devices - Surface Book 2, Surface Laptop and Surface Studio will join Surface Pro to complete the Surface family of devices available in Singapore.


Surface Book 2 and Surface Studio will launch in Singapore on 15 March 2018  and available for pre-order at shop online Microsoft Store and authorised retailers like Best Denki, Challenger, Courts, LOL by Epicentre, Harvey Norman, and Newstead online shop and in-store.   

Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are now available in Microsoft Store and authorised resellers.
 
 
Visit the new Microsoft Surface Singapore Store and the first in South East Asia, with the latest range of Microsoft Surface devices - Microsoft Surface Book 2, Surface Studio, Surface laptop and Surface Pro with Microsoft Surface concierge, located in Harvey Norman Singapore Flagship Superstore Millenia Walk, next to Promenade MRT Circle line at No. 9 Raffles Boulevard, #01-59 to 63, Singapore 039596, open daily from 10.30am-9.30pm, telephone number 6311 9988.