Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 2

I was walking down Telok Ayer Street in Singapore a few weeks back and came across this Bang & Olufsen Bluetooth/Wireless conical speaker. I mean, I was intrigued by this. Bang & Olufsen always does this…get people captivated and I certainly was. The sound was good, as was the look of it. It was outside a small restaurant and it sure captured a lot of looks. Now for speakers, the plain vanilla ones that do the job will more than suffice. But tis one, you pay for the aesthetics. This speaker costs more than $3,500. Yes. You read that right. Three thousand bucks will get you one of these! For the money you are paying for this, I decided to see what is so great about it and on their page, I came across the technical specs:

• Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.1
• Wireless Networks: Wi-Fi/WLAN 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz & 5 GHz)
• Connectivity: Google Assistant
• Steaming services: AirPlay, Bluetooth, Chromecast, DLNA – DMR, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, QPlay 2.0 (China specific)
• Remote control: Bang & Olufsen App, Beosound Essence Remote
• Dimensions: Height: 43.1 x Width: 19.6 cm
• Weight: 4.1kg

So as you can see, it has a lot of options when it comes to connectivity. It is like a mini PC built-in which is what probably adds to the costs of this thing. There are other options out there but I must say that the specs are not too bad. But I will say this…the price will be a turn-off for many.

IKEA Dimpa bag for the Brompton folding bicycle

There are some hawker centres and eating places that do not allow Brompton folded bikes to be pushed in. well, to be honest, as far as restaurants are concerned, they have a right to refuse entry to Brompton bikes as it is their premises…and they have an image to uphold.. Some shopping malls do not allow Bromptons to be brought it…folded or unfolded. That is where this IKEA Dimpa bag comes in. As you can see, a folded Brompton fits in very nicely and you can carry it almost anywhere. So next time, when you go to IKEA, buy one of these Dimpa bags. They are easy to carry around when they are folded as well.

Woodlands Waterfront jetty

A few days back, on Hari Raya Haji, I took a ride to the Woodlands Waterfront. This is a place that overlooks the Straits of Johor. Saw lots of people cycling there. Some anglers were trying their luck at fishing. There was also a restaurant at the end of the pier…a Malay restaurant. I thought to myself that this was like Kukup , with a restaurant at the jetty. It was a hot day and I got myself sunburnt. The ride was nice though and I totally enjoyed myself. I might go there more often to relax and get away from it all…and I might give that restaurant a try.

Wireless coaster paging system

I was at Killiney Kopitiam for lunch a few days back and I noticed that they were using a wireless coaster paging system. I gave my order and after I paid, I was given this coaster. After some time, my coaster started beeping, signalling me that my order was ready. I went to the order counter with this coaster and exchanged it for my ready order.

I have seen quite a few restaurants using this ordering system. I was wondering how it worked and I finally know, thanks to this YouTube video below. I wonder…how far is the effective distance for one of these?

Many bars and restaurants fear collapse

Many bars and restaurants fear that they will collapse. That is because after the authorities announced on the 19th of May 2020 that there will be no dining in at eateries even after Singapore eases Covid-19 movement curbs, many restaurants owners got anxious. There are three phases in which the Singapore Government put in phase after exiting the circuit breaker. These phases are:

1. Economic activities that “do not pose high risk of transmission” can resume
2. If community transmission rates remain “low and stable” then dining out and going to gyms (for example) are allowed.
3. Until Singapore reaches “a new normal”, then places like bars, cinemas and nightclubs can open

The thing is, many establishments have moaned about the high rents that they have to pay. Many establishments have laid off workers. Also, many businesses have claimed that landlords are still charging them high rentals even though they are facing difficulties.

It is a tough time for everybody.

Let us hope that all will return to normalcy soon.

Restaurants still charge for drinking water

Remember I did a post about a week back about this restaurant in Sengkang Compass One? Well, I will hide it no more. The restaurant is named Canton Restaurant and I was charged $2.40 for four glasses of plain, hot water. That is about 60 cents per glass of water. Then in TodayOnline I see this article in which I find out that I am not alone in thinking this way.

Some time back, there was this lady named Veron who runs this blog named Sparklette who went on a crusade (with the support of many of her readers) against restaurants who charged for plain drinking water. Looks like that she may have to update her list to include Canton Restaurant as well

Honestly…some of the excuses given by these F&B outlets is simply ridiculous. And some very conveniently chose to charge for water after the water tariff had been raised but still can vehemently deny they did so because of that factor. Let us hope that people see this post of mine and make that decision themselves

Customers smoked weed and walked out on $420 restaurant bill

I could not believe when I read this piece of news. It was reported in WREG that a group of nearly 20 people who tried to do drugs inside a restaurant, then skipped out on a $420 bill. Surveillance video from inside the restaurant shows a table of 16 people eating and enjoying themselves.

Can you understand the temerity of it all. They ordered some of the most expensive things on the menu including $11 margaritas. They also ordered grand burritos, steak and shrimp. That is when one of them started smoking weed and when he was told to stop, they created a scene after they were told to stop smoking weed.

Seems that the police are investigating. Bloody right too. These fellas ought to be arrested and locked up!

Restaurant with aircon charges?

This is hilarious. A friend of mine showed me this bill from a Malaysian restaurant. You can see all the orders have been itemised…including the charge of sitting in an air-conditioned environment. There it is right there, at the bottom…aircon charge. I wonder. Did they tell the patrons that there would be an aircon charge before they started eating at that restaurant?

Gopal’s Dining & Catering

Had dinner at this restaurant today. I was supposed to go back home earlier but my friend suggested that I eat here. Really a fantastic place and I must say that the thosai is really great here. It’s a vegetarian restaurant and I am quite sure that I will be going back there, next time with the wife, as they also make some very nice sandwiches out of Italian bread. In case you, dear reader, want to know its location, the address of the restaurant is 517 Serangoon Road, Singapore 218156