31 Mar 2025 - My boy's 16th Birthday Lunch @ Joji's Diner

Today is Javier's 16th birthday.  As he said he's busy with his schoolwork, we did not have any elaborate celebration.  Instead, we just went to a lunch place where it serves his favourite steak.

The place is Joji's Diner along Upper Serangoon Road.  This cafe was founded during the pandemic in 2021, because the boss really liked American food and wanted to bring the true American themed diner, back to Singapore.

This cafe does not accept reservation, and it was very crowded during the usual meal hours.  We waited outside the cafe for about 20 minutes before there was a table for us.

Happy Birthday, my young man!

26 Mar 2025 - Gold Medal for NOI 2025!

The results of this year's NOI competition are out and published on NOI website.

As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, Javier's target is to achieve at least a Silver medal, which will be an improvement from last year's bronze.  And guess what, he had overachieved it by obtaining a Gold Medal this year!  Contestants who win special awards (including Gold Medal) will be presented their prizes in a separate ceremony that will be conducted during the APIO (Asia-Pacific Informatics Olympiad) competition.

Well done, Javier!  All your effort is shown in your results.  Congrats!

23 Mar 2025 - The Newly Open Mandai Boardwalk

This morning, we woke up early as we planned to have our Sunday morning walk at the newly open Mandai Boardwalk, next to the Singapore Zoo. This new boardwalk opens at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve on 14 January 2025, offering the public breathtaking views of the Upper Seletar Reservoir and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

The Mandai Boardwalk is free to public from 7am to 7pm daily.  Visitors can enjoy the Mandai Boardwalk for free via Mandai Wildlife East where they are greeted by a larger-than-life Pangolin Mother & Child sculpture. A second entrance to the boardwalk is next to River Wonders. 

The 3.3km Mandai Boardwalk stretches around the perimeter of River Wonders and Singapore Zoo.  The boardwalk has been designed to be wheelchair-friendly and accommodate visitors of all abilities and ages.  It also boasts five thematic stations, along with a look-out point along the route.

At one point we saw a family of otters swimming in the reservoir.

Along the walk, we saw several monitor lizards lurking in the water quite near to the boardwalk.

Nature lovers can now get up close to the flora and fauna around Upper Seletar Reservoir.

The boardwalk went under a bridge of River Safari and the photo below reminds me of those photos taken under the jetties overseas.

The boardwalk boasts five thematic stations, along with a look-out point along the route.  For example, the Iora's Nest is designed to resemble the nest of the common Iora, showcasing its use of spider’s webs to weave together materials for nest construction.

We completed the full 3.3km boardwalk in about an hour and a half.  Glad that we were there early as there were many groups of visitors arrived at the boardwalk while we were leaving.

Below videos show some of the wildlife that we saw during our visit to the boardwalk.

22 Mar 2025 - NOI Final Contest at NUS campus

Based on the result of the online preliminary contest for NOI held one month ago, Javier was invited to participate in the Final Contest, which was held at NUS today.  Below is the schedule for today's final.

Only contestants who were present for the Final Contest will be applicable to compete for medals and prizes. Accordingly, let N denote the total number of contestants who are present during the Final Contest. Based on the ranking and scores of these N contestants during the Final Contest, the following medals are awarded.

- Gold Medals: about N/12 contestants

- Silver Medals: about N/6 contestants

- Bronze Medals: about N/4 contestants

What it means is that if there are 300 contestants, the top 25 (300/12) will be awarded Gold Medals.

Javier participated last year and was awarded Bronze Medal.  This year, his target is at least a Silver Medal.  All the best, Javier.  I'm sure all your effort will pay off.  :-)

15 Mar 2025 - Rare Solar Halo (22° halo)

While having lunch at a prata shop nearby our place, I looked up and was amazed to see a bright ring of light around the sun.  I had never seen such a phenomenon before.  I immediately took many shots of such a rare and spectacular sight in the sky.

After doing some research, I understand that this is called a sun halo (or 22° halo) which forms when sunlight interacts with ice crystals in the atmosphere. These crystals are from thin clouds so high in the sky that they are made of ice rather than water droplets.  A 22-degree halo specifically refers to the ring of light having a radius of about 22 degrees

This sun halo stayed for quite a while and I could still see it after returning home.

I continued to take tons of photos and videos at my roof terrace, thinking that I may not see such a phenomenon ever again.

11 Mar 2025 - Biennial Executive Health Screening

I went for my biennial executive health screening at Fullerton Novena this morning.  This was my second time having my health check at this screening centre.  My previous experience here two years ago was great so I decided to return.

Same as my last visit, I was served the following snacks and milo at my waiting pod after I had done most of the checks.