"Love Seafood" Restaurant

On our second evening in Batam, we went to ‘Love Seafood’ restaurant for dinner. This came highly recommended by someone from Singapore who had been there. So, of course, we had to go and try it for ourselves.

Apparently, they have been around since 2013. They have a branch very near to our hotel. But we didn’t know that, or rather, we didn’t know that it belonged to the same owner. Anyway, in the restaurant, there were tanks displaying the seafood where customers can have their pick for dinner.

We had six dishes, excluding rice. They were all good and prices were a third of those in Singapore. Someone in the group suggested that we should go back again. But unfortunately, that was our last night in Batam. However, I am sure the evening, and the restaurant will be mentioned to friends in Singapore, and should any of us go back to Batam, I am sure ‘Love Seafood’ will be one of the stops.

Drunken prawns

Fried Squid

Fried rice vermicelli

Stir fry spinach

Chilli crabs

Steamed pomfret

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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Atlantis Beach Club

On our first evening in Batam, we ventured out to look for a restaurant recommended by a friend of a friend. Unfortunately, we arrived to find the place closed and deserted. It would seem the place was no more in operation. Our taxi driver recommended that we should try ‘Atlantis’, a beach club by the sea. And that’s where we went for dinner on the first night in Batam.

Atlantis beach club and the adjacent Deepsea beach club are two beach clubs that opened in June 2024. So, they are still quite new on the scene. ‘The beach clubs combine leisure with entertainment, offering activities ranging from sports to live music events.’ They are meant to position Batam as a burgeoning entertainment hub in the region: “A boost to the local tourism industry, combining sports, music, and entertainment to create a unique attraction that appeals to a broad audience. This initiative is expected to draw more visitors to the region and contribute to its economic and cultural vitality.”

The Deepsea beach club was a lot busier and more happening. But they had an entry charge which we were reluctant to pay. So, we ended up at the Atlantis beach club. They were rather quiet. There were only two other tables besides our table of seven.

The atmosphere was pleasant enough, and the food was okay. It would be better if there were more lighting so we can see what we ate. It was pricey, no doubt, but expected.

Fried Noodles

Fried rice

Chicken dish

A mix grilled seafood

After dinner at the Atlantis, we went to this open air food place called A2. The place reminded me of the Newton hawker center back home. They were very busy despite it being a weekday night. It seemed like all the tourists and half the locals in Batam were there. We had a few beers and some light snacks before going back to our hotel nearby.

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Batam Island Trip

My friends and I spent three days and two nights in Batam Island last week. Batam is the largest city in the Indonesian province of Riau Islands. It is the closest part of Indonesia to Singapore, at a distance of 5.8km across the Singapore Strait. The Singapore Strait separates Singapore and Batam.

The ferry ride takes about forty to fifty minutes depending on which ferry terminal you arrive at. There are quite a few ferry terminals over in Batam.

Batam doesn’t have much to offer in terms of tourist attractions. Most tourists, a big number of them from Singapore and Malaysia go there for ‘rest and relaxation’. The Indonesian currency is low, so Batam is a hot-spot for tourists who want to shop, or go to a spa for massage, and to eat, and drink. Unfortunately, none of these are of interest to me. I went along for the company and to see first hand what the place was like because most of my friends have been to Batam.

So, I didn’t have any expectations, and therefore, I was not disappointed. However, something I ate on my first day didn’t agree with me and I had to put up with the discomfort in my belly, for the duration of my visit. That was not pleasant. It further put a dampener on the trip.

There are quite a few mega malls in Batam. One could literally ‘shop till you drop’. There are also plenty of restaurants, and eateries. Spas and massage parlours are prominently featured everywhere you turn your head.

Traffic is quite bad in Batam – many cars and motorcycles. They weave in and out of the traffic with nary a care. There are hardly any traffic lights. There is a pedestrian crossing, but no cars will slow down for you to cross the road. You just walk quickly across the road and hope that you make it to the other side before some vehicle knocks you down. Side streets are narrow, uneven and not too clean.

I saw many young people. Quite a difference from the aging population here. But surprisingly, they are not very proficient in English even at the shops and restaurants, where there are many tourists.

My take-away from the trip: Batam is a nice place to get away to for the weekend or for a couple of days, when you want to pamper yourself with some shopping, spa treatment or dining. It’s affordable and convenient. And that is all Batam has to offer. Basically, you go there to eat, drink, shop, enjoy a spa treatment – these don’t have to be in that order – and then repeat until you are ready to go home.

All in all, this wasn’t the best of my trips, but it was something different for a couple of days. Some photos of the place: The ferry that took us to Batam.

One of the ferry terminals in Batam.

We stayed at the Aston Inn Gideon Hotel.

View from my hotel room.

Streets of Batam.

Malls and mega malls.

When you are too tired to shop you find a nice place to relax and enjoy a nice pastry and cup of coffee.

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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Truisms

We have much to learn in this life. But we do not have a lot of time to learn everything first hand or through personal experiences. However, we can learn from the wisdom of others.

Take an interest in Aphorisms. They are life lessons full of truism and wisdom. They are valuable lessons on, and about life. You will get a head start in life, if you can learn the lessons they contain.

Have a look at the following truisms and see what you think of them.

The difficult tasks to be performed are not the ones that mean physical and mental labor, but the ones that you dislike, the ones that you do not love. - George Matthew Adams

Many times what we perceive as an error or failure is actually a gift. And eventually we find that lessons learned from that discouraging experience prove to be of great worth. - Richelle E. Goodrich

Illusory joy is often worth more than genuine sorrow. - Rene Descartes

If a man has directed his course to great ends there is compensation even in ruin. - Arthur Lynch

It is easier to go down a hill than up, but the view is from the top. - Arnold Bennett

Make it thy business to know thyself, which is the most difficult lesson in the world. - Cervantes

There are no mistakes or failures, only lessons. - Denis Waitley

Actions determine what kind of characteristics are developed. - Aristotle

We live as though there aren’t enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with much less stress. - Viggo Mortensen

He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second, and third time till at length it becomes habitual. - Thomas Jefferson

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Humorous Quips

Life can be stressful and difficult. However, all problems will be resolved one way or another eventually. So, why brood, worry and be unhappy. It doesn’t solve anything. We will just be wasting our precious life away.

We have to be able to laugh no matter what life throws at us. Maintain a sunny disposition, and the lingering dark clouds will disperse. Sometimes, it can be a matter of perspective – how you look at a situation, and/or how you accept it.

Anyhow, here are some humorous quips. I hope they can bring on a smile, or a chuckle. May your days be filled with laughter.

It’s a strange world of language in which skating on thin ice can get you into hot water. - Franklin P. Jones

Unfortunately, creative people are at their most creative when writing their autobiographies. - Steven Pinker

There is no love sincerer than the love of food. - George Bernard Shaw

No one dances sober, unless he is insane. - Cicero

Sometimes, I drink water to surprise my liver. - Unknown

There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it. - Oscar Wilde

Think before you speak, unless it’s urgent. - Benny Bellamacina

I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing. - Marsha Doble

If you want your wife to listen to you, then talk to another woman; she will be all ears. - Sigmund Freud

It is one of life's bitterest truths that bedtime so often arrives just when things are really getting interesting. - Daniel Handler

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A Blast From The Past

A collection of Singapore scenes from the past. Images are courtesy of Facebook Pages ‘The Long and Winding Road’, ‘Heritage SG Memories’ and '十里之外'.

The original Merlion - taken in 1978

Newspaper vendor - 1983

Chinatown 1970s

The formal National Library with the eatery nearby.

The old Esplanade

Orchard road, Oxley road juntion.

Old Raffles Place

Pagoda Street in Chinatown

Yellow top taxis in the 1970s

Street hawkers

The old waterfront

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Batam Island

I am going to Batam Island tomorrow with my group of friends, (six of us), for a three days two nights holiday. Some in the group had been to Batam before, many years ago. This is my first trip. Looking forward to seeing what Batam is like. We are taking the 9.10am ferry. It will be one of the following ferries.

👉 Source A bit of background on Batam.

Batam, officially the City of Batam, is the largest city in the Indonesian province of Riau Islands. It is the closest part of Indonesia to Singapore, at a minimum distance of 5.8km across the Singapore Strait. The Singapore Strait separates Singapore and Batam.

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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