The destination for the day trip was Johor Bahru – a favourite haunt for Singaporeans looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and stretch the value of the dollar up North.

The first stop for the “band of brothers” was Ah Koong, a restaurant specialising in scrumptious fishball and a wide variety of seafood and frequented by Singaporean media celebrities.

After a satisfying brunch, it was off to Mid Valley Southkey for some exercise to work off the calories.

At Supreme Cosmic Bowl, the first activity was bowling, made visually exciting with glow-in-the-dark lanes and pins, as well as neon-lit funky seats and lighting. After a few false starts, the real-estate division managed to chalk up some decent scores but still lagged behind the more “professional” investment division in terms of points, with Jamien having the best score and form.

Next was electronic darts which literally was a game of hits and misses.

At the 8-ball pool table, Louis edged out Edmund to bag all the balls with the least number of strokes.

In the end, the investment division was the decisive winner in the three games.

By the time the games ended, it was already way past lunchtime, so the boys headed for KSL to get some “snacks” in the form of triple-A Mao Shan Wang durians. To tame the “heatiness” of the durians, fresh coconuts were also ordered.

After a brief break for some last-minute shopping, the group adjourned to Grand Bayview Seafood for dinner. The restaurant had a dizzying array of “live” seafood in row upon row of tanks, including many species of crabs, lobsters, shellfish and fish – both local and imported.

The group enjoyed a delicious spread of seafood, chicken and greens al fresco as the evening sun changed from a brilliant white to incandescent orange before dipping below the horizon, symbolically drawing the day trip to a gratifying close.

During dinner, Edmund said, “It was a day filled with good food, good activities and good vibes. Beating my boss in the game of darts was the icing on the cake. LOL.”