If you’re planning to travel and you’re on a really tight budget, then you ought to check out Hostelworld because they offer a wide range of 27,000 properties from 180 countries worldwide where you can book your accommodations. In fact, in a 2012 travel survey conducted [associated with Lonely Planet], Hostelworld was voted the most trusted hostel website so you can be fully assured that the accommodations that you booked for are 100% guaranteed.
What I personally really like about Hostelworld is that the properties that are generally offered are pretty affordable, thus saving you money which you could otherwise spend on visiting other tourist attractions. Also, some of the properties have been reviewed by seasoned travellers and it would probably give you a hint on what to expect. There are also other features on the website which I found pretty useful, such as the guides and info where you could obtain more information about the places that you’re visiting, and you could also check out some sample itineraries to aid you in your travel planning.
Well, if you from overseas [maybe France or Europe] and you’re planning a visit to Singapore, then you should check out Hostelworld <– link specifically for European guests!
Hostelworld has a wide variety of functions that you can use to search for your choice hostels that cater specially to your budget and needs. In fact, you could also compare up to 5 different properties. If you’re not sure which hostels suit you, you could actually try the ones that Hostelworld recommends.
Now, here’s the best part; the properties that are offered are rather affordable and they are extremely suitable for backpackers who are seeking for no-frills accommodations.
Hello Everyone,
this is a post ORD blog entry and in this post, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone whom have made my National Service (NS) experience a rather meaningful and a positive one.
I enlisted into NS on the 14th of September 2010 and was assigned to Whiskey Company, Basic Military Training (BMT) School 3. Thereafter, I was posted to Hotel Wing, Officer Cadet School (OCS) to undergo the 82/11 Officer Cadet Course. Due to an injury sustained during training, I was put out-of-course and was attached to the Human Resource Shared Services Centre where I performed administrative roles. Subsequently after a ligament reconstruction surgery, I was posted to the Commandant’s Office, SAFTI Military Institute where I served my NS till I ORD-ed.
+For foreigners whom are reading this blog, ORD stands for Operationally Ready Date and it is the day where National Servicemen whom are serving full-time National Service complete their 2 years of National Service.+
There are really a lot of people that I would like to thank personally and it is difficult for me to recall the names of everyone whom I’ve met and interacted with during the course of my NS. Hence, this thank you note is really meant for everyone whom have contributed one way or another to my NS experience; whether commanders, fellow peers, or even the canteen aunty and uncle.
NS is something that many male Singaporeans dread because it means a loss of 2 years worth of time that could otherwise be put to good use. I can truly understand the sentiments on the ground especially when we male Singaporeans tend to lose out to the ladies and also to the foreigners in terms of job, finance, and education. Time is truly money and it is also a resource that can never be gained back. So, since NS is compulsory, I thought to myself, why not make the best out of the 2 years? Yes, people can question, “Will serving NS equate to higher pay after ORD? Will serving NS help to secure a job in the future? Will serving NS guarantee a place in University?”, so on and so forth; but really, the only reason why we can sleep soundly in our beds every night is because of the dedicated service men and women whom out of their conviction chose to serve in the military, the best that they know how.
Personally, I have a rather all-rounded NS experience and although I sustained a permanent wrist injury during training, I have never regretted giving the best that I’ve got to offer. Yes, I’ve heard of cases where people went AWOL (absent without official leave), malinger/feign illnesses (also known as “keng”), and do all sorts of funny things to evade NS but honestly, NS is something that we cannot run away from and it is something that we have to face one day.
During the course of my NS, there were quite a number of training incidents/mishaps that resulted in deaths and although I do not personally know any of the servicemen whom passed on, I can understand and feel the pain and burdens that the respective family members have to shoulder. These training incidents/mishaps ought to be a constant reminder to all of us that safety during training ought to be accorded the highest level of consideration and priority. However, we also will have to know that no matter how stringent the safety requirements are, there are bound to be processes that are beyond the control of the commanders and there will definitely be risks involved even if its minimised. On a separate note, I personally feel that there are a few admin lapses that SAF needs to address [especially with regards to the recent spate of events] or citizens might just lose their confidence in SAF. More importantly, I think there ought to be some form of sensitivity especially when it comes to communications [names ought to be spelt properly, and you don’t address a letter to someone who’s already passed on do you?]
I know everyone’s probably wondering what all these has to do with me writing a thank you note but I’m highlighting these issues because they encompass my NS experience too! Anyhows, for those of you whom are still serving, keep on pressing on for you shall see the ORD drawing closer and do remember to train safely; question your commanders if you’re unsure of any orders/instructions and always sound out if you’re not feeling well. For the commanders whom are reading this blog entry; thank you for working tirelessly in ensuring that standards are met and for exemplifying the SAF core values, you are greatly respected for your utmost dedication in keeping our country safe and I salute you in doing everything that is possible to provide a safe training environment. For those of us who have ORD-ed, thank you for your utmost commitment to the defence of our country; now that we’ve tasted the freedom of being a civilian once again, let us not forget the core reason why we served NS and as we move on to pursue our own individual aspirations, may you all find success in all that you do. Last but not the least, ORD LOH!
Anyway, the ticket/admission was $25 per person [inclusive of one regular popcorn, one regular drink, one serving of Somersby Apple Cider, one serving of Carlsberg Beer, a goodie bag, and the movie screening as well] and it was really worth it! So, when I first heard the news about the Ted Party from GV’s Facebook Page, I decided to purchase tickets for it right away and I was glad I did because the event was a sold out! When we arrived, there was already a long-line of people queuing up to get their goodie bags and as we were all encouraged to bring along a Teddy Bear, a majority of the party-goers did brought along their own Teddy Bears. So, you could imagine the puzzled look on the faces of the general public when they saw so many people carrying Teddy Bears and walking around at Great World City.
When we entered the party area, it was bustling with lots of fringe activities where we could design our own teddy-tee shirt using the materials that were provided, take some rather “naughty” photos with the props provided, or participate in the games that were hosted by Ross.
We also saw lots of people designing their own Teddy-Tee Shirt and I must say, some of the tee-shirts were really well-designed! I wonder where they get their creative juices from.
If you frequent NTUC, you would’ve noticed that Somersby Apple Cider were having some sort of promotion; though I’m not sure if they are still having some sort of promotion now. If you’re wondering how Somersby Apple Cider taste like, think Jolly Shandy. And in case you’re wondering how Carlsberg Beer taste like, it just tasted like Calsberg [like duh!]
The real fun began when Ross took centre stage and hosted a few “naughty games” which include memorising and reciting the Thunder Buddies Song [I have blurred out certain words because I want to keep this blog visitor-friendly].
The first game was some sort of a “what can you do with your bear” game and when Ross was calling up some people from the audience to come up to the stage and play the game, little did we realise that we were selected as well. And so, the good old me arrowed Baby up the stage.
Some of the participants did small talks with their teddy bears, others did a little bit of acting with their teddy bears; but Baby did something that was totally different from everyone else; Baby did a strip dance for MelMel BearBear [the name we gave to the Teddy Bear back in February 2011]. In case you’re wondering, no, Baby didn’t strip, it was MelMel BearBear that was stripped of his removable camouflage clothing.
I do have a video of the strip dance but I think I shan’t upload it for now as I haven’t got the time to edit the raw footage that was shot. But anyways, Baby and MelMel BearBear came out top in the game and hence, won us a pair of GV Gold Class tickets!
Congratulations to Baby for the big win. If I was the one that went up the stage instead, I would have gone blank.
Anyways, before the movie was screened, there was a lucky draw conducted at the Ted Party which ended the event on a rather high note. Well, both Baby and I would like to thank GV for organising such a fun event and we definitely enjoyed ourselves very much. We definitely look forward to more of such events in future!
Now, here’s a rather short review on the movie, Ted.
Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane brings his boundary-pushing brand of humor to the big screen for the first time as writer, director and voice star of Ted. In the live action/CG-animated comedy, he tells the story of John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), a grown man who must deal with the cherished teddy bear who came to life as the result of a childhood wish…and has refused to leave his side ever since.
Movie Trailer:
Our Verdict:
Ok, before we begin, Ted is rated M-18 because there are Coarse Language, Sexual Scenes, and Drug Use involved. Hence, it is definitely not a movie for family outings/gatherings. In fact, I would recommend Ted for class/buddy gatherings, couple dates, and the likes. If you can’t stand hearing swear words, avoid this movie at all costs.
So, if you have no issues with the reason why Ted is rated M-18, then you ought to catch Ted because it really offers a good laughing therapy session throughout the entire movie. Towards the end, the movie might leave you in tears but fret not, I promise the ending is a rather sweet and heart-warming one. I shan’t spoil the movie for you any further, so if you haven’t caught Ted yet, do go and catch it! The release date for Ted is 10 September 2012 [which is today]!
Hello Everyone,
after such an eventful week that has gone by, it is now time again for us to blog a new entry!
However, this time round, we are not going to blog about the events that we had attended but rather, we are going to blog about our dining experience at the Four Seasons Taiwanese Cuisine Restaurant/Cafe that is situated along Joo Chiat Road.
Baby and I are true blue fans of Taiwanese food and we have been to a couple of food and beverage outlets that serves Taiwanese cuisine. So far, we have been to two eateries that serves Taiwanese food and they are Xi Men Ding and 8 Degrees Taiwanese Bistro [you can click on the links to check out our reviews on them].
So anyway, Four Seasons Taiwanese Cuisine was recommended to us by Baby’s sister and as we had a craving for some Taiwanese food, we decided to check it out.
I don’t exactly know whether to call Four Seasons Taiwanese Cuisine a Restaurant/Cafe but I don’t think it matters anyway.
Dining Ambience/Atmosphere:
The dining area is average in size and it’s not too crammed up like ThaiExpress. The interior decorations and furnishings are pretty common and nothing out of the ordinary. Though I would say that the dining area is cosy, it lacks an “oomph” to it. Also, there are no music played [maybe forgot to play the music] and that makes it a tad too plain unlike 8 Degrees Taiwanese Bistro that plays Jay Chou’s songs [not that I’m an extreme fan of Jay Chou but a little bit of music would be nice]. Though the place is able to fit large groups of people, I think a maximum number of 4-6 people in a group is more ideal. In fact, we feel that the place is a rather suitable venue for a dinner date.
Four Seasons Taiwanese Cuisine offers a wide variety of food choices and one can really be spoilt for choices as there are simply too many dishes to choose from.
Four Seasons Taiwanese Cuisine also has a tie-up with around! [an app that you can download on the App Store or Google Play] that allows you to enjoy certain promotions. All you have to do is to download the app and you will get 1 stamp for every $13 spent. These stamps that you accumulate would entitle you to free complimentary food items that are listed in their promotions.
First up, we ordered the Honey Jasmine Green Tea with Pearls. Well, I’m not sure if my taste buds had an issue at that point of time but I didn’t really fancy this drink because the flavour is just quite odd [not like the normal Jasmine Green Tea that I always consume straight from the bottles]. Anyways, the serving for this drink is huge and if you’re not really a drinker, you might want to consider sharing it with another person.
Secondly, we ordered the “Yan Su Ji”, otherwise known as Salted Crispy Fried Chicken. Comparing Xi Men Ding at Vivocity and 8 Degrees Taiwanese Bistro; Four Seasons Taiwanese Cuisine’s “yan su ji” is the best because it is extremely flavourful and crispy, though a little too salty.
Thirdly, we ordered the Fried Oyster Egg Omelette. I personally like the Fried Oyster Egg Omelette because the sauce complements the egg really well and its not too starchy [unlike those you find in some Hawker centres]. What’s even more amazing is that there it contains 8-9 oysters!
Fourthly, we ordered the Beer Battered Fried Button Mushrooms. I honestly don’t know what to say about this dish because I didn’t really fancy it that much. In fact, I find the mushrooms to be bitter in taste and Baby was telling me that it could be due to the beer. On top of that, this dish isn’t that cheap.
Fifthly, we ordered their Signature Fried Rice. Both Baby and I really love this dish a lot! The fried rice was extremely fragrant and it was sweet in taste. The portion is a little large but I think it is just nice for 2 persons. Also, there are Taiwanese sausage added and that makes it really special because usually for fried rice, “lup cheong” is added but not in this case.
Last but not the least, we ordered the Four Seasons Signature Dessert. Looking at the photos, you could really tell that it really looks good and seriously, it does taste good. The dessert is sweet and tangy in taste and it is extremely unique because there’s green apple, mango, strawberries, and red bean by the side; and shave ice at the bottom.
Honestly, comparing all the Taiwanese eateries that we have been to, Four Seasons Taiwanese Cuisine now ranks the top and it is very likely that we will be visiting them more frequently; now that we have tried their food. Also, the price is rather affordable and it is also definitely cheaper than Xi Men Ding and 8 Degrees Taiwanese Bistro. So, if you’re craving for some good quality Taiwanese food, you might want to check out Four Seasons Taiwanese Cuisine.
Hello Everyone,
I was privileged to have the honour of being invited by SPRG to an exclusive screening event for an upcoming big-budget [yes, really big] Korean action drama entitled, “HERO”.
Synopsis of HERO [extracted from the Press Kit released by Celestial Movies]:
In the near future, the Republic of South Korea is bankrupt. Mooyoung, a port city which dreamed of being Asia’s financial center, is heading towards demise. It’s a dark world where evil knows no bounds, and justice is obsolete. In the midst of the crisis, an unexpected hero emerges. Huk-Chul, the notorious bad boy son of the city’s mayor, is caught in the cross-fire of a police sting and is hit by a bullet meant for the beautiful detective Ih-Ohn. Huk-Chul falls into a coma and his father convinces the doctors to experiment with untested technology to revive him. When Huk-Chul wakes up, he discovers that he has superhuman powers and decides to use his new abilities to fight evil and corruption in the city. But little does he know, the source of all the corruption and crime is closer than he thinks…
About HERO:
HERO premieres exclusively on Celestial Movies on 3rd September and will air every day from Monday to Friday at 8pm, with an encore telecast at 10:45pm, on SingTel mio TV ch 52 and Starhub Cable TV Ch 868. Starhub Subscribers can also enjoy an exclusive HERO marathon featuring the first five episodes of the show for free, but it will only be made free on 9th September, 1pm-6pm. Celestial Movies[the channel] will be made free for viewing from 8th to 10th September.
Some Highlights About HERO:
This show will be the first Korean Superhero action series to be broadcasted in Singapore on our local cable channels; Starhub Cable TV and SingTel mio TV, and to celebrate the channel’s maiden foray into Korean content, Celestial Movies will be made free for viewing on Starhub from 8th – 10th September, where HERO will be featured in a five-episode marathon on 9th September. Also, HERO is premiered as the #1 programme in its timeslot among all cable channels in Korea in March 2012.
My take on HERO:
During the exclusive screening event, we were shown two episodes of the drama and I must admit, the drama was full of suspense, action, and also a little bit of humour. There were certain parts of the drama which I felt was quite cheesy but it was overall rather entertaining. In fact, after watching the 2nd episode, I was quite hooked for more. I can’t wait to catch the rest of the episodes [marathon-style] that will be screening on 9 September, Sunday, from 1 to 6pm! When I mentioned that the drama is a big-budget drama, it is really big budget because the first 2 episodes of HERO incurred a hefty sum of US$1 Million production budget! How many dramas do we know has such a big budget for its production? With HERO, the big budget nature of this production makes it feel more filmic than your typical Korean drama.
Here are some photos that were taken during the exclusive screening event at The Screening Room [Ann Siang Road].
I have a personal confession to make though; close friends of mine would have known that in the past, I was not a fan of cable TV and even then, the only channels I used to watch were Cartoon Network and Discovery Channel. Today, things are pretty much different for me because my fiancee has cable TV at home and we will always spend some time to watch and enjoy Taiwanese and Korean dramas together. In fact, she was the one who got me hooked to all the rather entertaining channels that are available on Starhub Cable TV. So, if you’re a fan of Korean dramas [or if you’re a new convert like me] and you like action/thriller, you must catch this Korean drama that will start on 3 September [in 2 days time], Monday to Friday, at 8pm.
Hello Everyone,
last Saturday, Baby and I were at Ben & Jerry’s Chunkfest 2012 and well, it was sort of a last minute decision to go for the event as we flipped the coin to decide whether or not to go.
Not knowing what to expect for the event [or thinking that free ice-creams would be served], we drove down from the office. Entrance fees to Sentosa via private passenger car is super “chor”/ex and furthermore, we have to pay the parking fees at the Beach Carpark!
Anyways, the weather was hot and sunny and it was about a 10-15 minutes walk to the venue where the event took place.
When we reached, the place was just bustling with curious onlookers and excitement, and I took the liberty to pose for lots of photographs. Oh and yes, pets are allowed!
Every visitor was given a carnival game card [where you have to complete certain activities at the various booths and get a stamp] that gives visitors the opportunities to win some prizes.
What we found really cool was the Merchandise that Ben & Jerry’s were selling. Unfortunately, they didn’t have what I was looking for [Ben and Jerry’sCalendar].
Just in case I forgot, the only currency used at Ben & Jerry’s Chunkfest 2012 was the Fair Coins [which we could exchange at the booth with cash]. 1 Fair Coin is equivalent to $1.
When we entered the fair area, there were lots of activities that were going on. Some adhoc games were organised and there were even performances that were put up by local bands.
As it was our first time checking out Ben & Jerry’s Chunkfest, we didn’t really know what to expect but having checked out the various booths, we more or less realised that Ben & Jerry’s were very big on corporate social responsibility and Chunkfest was organised for the purpose of contributing its success back to the society/community.
Hence, some of the following photos that you see are actually photos of the various booths that were set up by various organisations that cater to people with different needs.
Not many people know about this condition known as Dyslexia and I felt that it is important for us to recognise that this condition exists and that we can help to make a difference by understanding what this condition is all about.
Dyslexia is a condition that makes it very difficult for children to read, write and/or spell. It has nothing to do with the person’s intelligence. In fact, many people with dyslexia are very bright. But not being able to read well can make many areas of learning a problem.
Dyslexia is a specific learning difference that is neurological in origin. It can go undetected in the early years of schooling. The child can become frustrated by the difficulty in learning to read, and other problems can arise that disguise dyslexia. One will notice a severe discrepancy between the child’s intellectual abilities and achievements. In the long run, the child may have low self-esteem and displays frequent behaviour problems at home as well as at school. In addiion, the child may become unmotivated and develop a dislike for school. As a result, the child’s success in school is jeopardized if the problem remains untreated.
It has been estimated that about 10% of Singaporeans may be dyslexic which tends to be run in families. Dyslexia can range from mild to severe and often occurs alongside other specific learning difficulties, such as Dyspraxia or Attention Deficit Disorder, resulting in a variation in the degree and nature of individuals’ strengths and weaknesses. Dyslexia is life-long, but the difficulties caused by dyslexia can be overcome with successful specialist teaching and the use of compensatory strategies.
And I truly believe in this because education is a right and a privilege and that people should not be deprived of quality education just because of learning differences.
Speaking of Maple Tree, Maple Tree Hugger is a new Ben & Jerry’s flavour that was launched in Singapore and you got to absolutely try it. There were other flavours specially imported from the US but they were only available at Chunkfest; so for those of you whom missed it, you could either head to US or wait for the next Chunkfest.
On a parting note, it was really an eye-opening experience for us at the Ben & Jerry’s Chunkfest 2012 and though we didn’t really participate in most of the activities, we had the opportunity to learn about how Ben & Jerry’s enforces Corporate Social Responsibility and that is more important than anything else.
Hello Everyone,
Baby and I caught The Expendables 2 recently and I must say this [although I was a fan of The Expendables 1], I was pretty disappointed with how the movie turned out.
It is no doubt that the movie trailer was full of non-stop heart-pumping action which made [almost] everyone excited about the movie; especially with star-studded casts such as Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and even Arnold Schwarzenegger!
However, the movie plot was relatively weak and the story didn’t really gel up pretty well. I would daresay the storyline was somehow haphazardly written. Though there were some lighthearted humour, the movie still didn’t quite appeal to me. Out of a rating of 5, I would give this movie a 2.5; so if you’re planning to catch a movie this weekend, I suggest that you save the money for some other upcoming movies.
Movie Plot [as extracted from GV’s website]:
The Expendables are back and this time it’s personal… Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren),Toll Road (Randy Couture) and Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) — with newest members Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan) aboard — are reunited when Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) enlists the Expendables to take on a seemingly simple job. The task looks like an easy paycheck for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries. But when things go wrong and one of their own is viciously killed, the Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory where the odds are stacked against them. Hell-bent on payback, the crew cuts a swath of destruction through opposing forces, wreaking havoc and shutting down an unexpected threat in the nick of time – six pounds of weapons-grade plutonium; enough to change the balance of power in the world. But that’s nothing compared to the justice they serve against the villainous adversary who savagely murdered their brother. That is done the Expendables way….
As the title of this blog entry suggests, it is about the Diner en Blanc event that will be taking place in Singapore on the 30th of August 2012 [in exactly 5 days time]. Previously, I was reading some Tweets by Daniel [blogger of Daniel’s Food Diary] and I came across one particular Tweet where he mentioned that someone had asked him to remove a blog post. Being the curious me, I Tweeted him to find out what blog post he was talking about and I soon came to know what it was all about.
Well, I personally haven’t heard of Diner en Blanc and from what I gathered from Daniel’s Blog Post, Diner en Blanc [also known as The White Dinner] first started in Paris in the year 1988 [the year I was born] and it was where the creator François Pasquier, asked his attendees to convene at the Bois de Boulogne dressed in white so that they could all find each other. This eventually became a must-go, world’s most viral outdoor food & party event which has taken place at Paris, Lyon, Amsterdam, Munich, Zürich, Berlin, Montreal, New York, and now Singapore.
And well, Singapore will be the FIRST Asian City to host this prestigious world-renown viral secret pop-up picnic.
“Imagine this – as if on cue, the sun peaks through the early evening mist as a cloud of people, some 1,000 strong, descend on one of Singapore’s most recognizable landmarks. Just minutes before they had no idea of where they were going and now they form a vast sea of white.
White-swathed tables appear in orderly rows, white balloons drift lazily skyward as gleeful attendees, dressed head to toe in the color du jour, unwrap their summer’s eve repast. The backdrop of the secret location add the only splash of color to the monochromatic celebration known as Dîner en Blanc or The White Dinner.
And several hours later, when it is time to leave, they fold their tables and chairs, pack their crystal and dinnerware, gather all their debris and head into the night, leaving no sign of their elegant revelry.”
And how does it work?
“At the last minute, the location is given to thousands of friends and acquaintances who have been patiently waiting to learn the “Dîner en Blanc’s” secret place. Thousand of people, dressed all in white, and conducting themselves with the greatest decorum, elegance, and etiquette, all meet for a mass “chic picnic” in a public space.
Over the course of the evening, the diners enhance the function and value of their city’s public space by participating in the unexpected.
Beyond the spectacle and refined elegance of the dinner itself, guests are brought together from diverse backgrounds by a love of beauty and good taste. Le Dîner en Blanc recalls the elegance and glamour of court society, and diners engage one another knowing they are taking part in a truly magical event.
There are no disruptions: no car traffic, no pedestrian traffic, except for the occasional amazed and astonished looks from passers-by at the scene unfolding before them. And we, as they, wonder whether it’s all not a dream.”
So what’s the big deal?
Well, this high-class [atas] event that is going to be organised in Singapore has stirred up quite a big “hoo-hah”. Daniel [blogger of Daniel’s Food Diary] was invited to be part of this event with other local bloggers and when Daniel put up a blog post about this event [what to expect and what food to bring], he was told to remove his blog post by the Diner en Blanc representative. The reason for the removal? Both the French and local organisers [for the event] felt that the local delicacies that Daniel suggested in his blog post were not in line with the image of the picnic.
In case you’re wondering, the 12 white food that Daniel recommended were tau hway, teochew pau, cheese raisin buns, xiao long bao, chee chiong fun, fishballs, Hainanese chicken rice, white bee hoon, chwee kueh, kueh tu tu, soon kueh and popiah.
And making matters worst, they dis-invited all the rest of the local bloggers and social media personnel after the controversial post, citing that there was insufficient space. Well, in any case, Diner en Blanc is gaining criticisms from locals here and I really wonder how this event will take off in 5 days time.
To find out more about this big hoo-hah, do check out the various links below:
and the proud partners of Diner en Blanc Singapore are OCBC Bank and Perrier-Jouet.
On a parting note, let me say this clearly; for an event to be truly successful, it requires the support of participants whom in this context, are those whom are going for this event. While I am not sure how many of these participants are going to boycott this event or forgo the invitation, I sure do hope that people will stand by our local food culture and heritage. Whether Chinese, Malay, Indian, or Eurasian, we ought to be proud of our food culture.
On a side note, I like what Daniel said, “You do not dictate to bloggers which posts to put up, which posts not to; invite us, then uninvite us. You do not own us; Neither do you own the Internet.”
Hello Everyone,
due to our extremely busy schedule for this month, we truly apologise that we haven’t been blogging as frequently as we would wish to. In fact, we will not be blogging much this week or the week after because we have to rush two urgent assignments that are due for submission soon. Nevertheless, we really want to thank all of you for your support and it is a cause for celebration because we have just crossed the 40,000 mark [the number of total views since our launch in December 2011]. Hence, this works out to be about 4,450 views a month and we really thank God for all of you whom have been constantly checking out our blog.
Also, in case you’re wondering, we do have a lot of exciting blog entries coming right up. In fact, we just came back from our Kelong trip over the weekends and there are definitely a lot of stuffs that we will be sharing. Also, after two rounds of the #CookForFamily initiative, my mum decided to take part as well and she whipped up a sumptuous meal for the whole family! We’ll be covering that in our upcoming blog posts soon.
Recently, we have received an invitation from SPRG to a special private screening event for an upcoming high-budget Korean Superhero action drama series and we are just so excited about it because we are true blue fans of Korean and Taiwan dramas. We’re not sure if you have heard of the upcoming Korean Superhero action drama series entitled, “Hero” but its going to debut on 3rd September 2012 on Singtel Mio TV Channel 52 and Starhub Cable TV Channel 868.
September’s also going to be a rather exciting month for us to look forward to as we will be going for a star-gazing event at one of the offshore islands of Singapore and following which, we would be flying off to Taiwan end of September. A friend of ours is also having his wedding in the month of September and we more or less expect ourselves to be really busy!
So, kindly pardon us for not blogging much these few weeks and we promise to make it up to all of you by putting up our really exciting blog posts soon. Thank you all once again and stay tuned to more updates from us!
Hello Everyone,
Baby and I had a rather fruitful National Day because we embarked on #CookForFamily round two! Seriously, we just couldn’t get enough of cooking for our family members and hence, Baby and I decided to cook for my family members this time round.
Similar as our first round of #CookForFamily, our theme this time round is also Western. Hence, we planned and cooked a 4-course meal for them.
National Day Family Dinner Menu
Appetizer: Salad served with Thousand Island Dressing Soup: Campbell’s Alphabet Chicken Soup Main Course: Black Pepper Chicken Chop Dessert: Strawberry Cheesecake
As it was our first time doing a new dessert; that is, Strawberry Cheesecake, we decided to prepare this first so that we will have some contingency plan if things didn’t went well.
Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe
1 Packet of Digestive Biscuits [300g]
2 Boxes of Strawberry-flavoured Jelly Powder
120G of Butter
250G of Cream Cheese
10G of Gelatine Powder
50G of Sugar
450ml of Hot Water
250ml of Cold Water
25 Strawberries
10-inches Square Baking Tin with Removable Base
First, we crushed the digestive biscuits into very fine bits. You could either use a blender or your hands to do that.
Leave the mixture in the refrigerator to chill once again. Meanwhile, prepare the jelly solution by mixing 2 boxes of strawberry-flavoured jelly powder with hot water.
Then, take out the mixture from the refrigerator and gently pour the jelly solution over the top layer; ensuring that all the strawberries are covered.
As for the soup, main course, and appetizer, I won’t be putting up any recipe for it [unless anyone requests for it] because they are pretty straightforward.
Here’s a picture of the appetizer without the Thousand Island Dressing
And guess how much the whole dinner cost? It cost us less than $8 per person and we cooked for 9 persons! Simply fabulous!
Conclusion:
National Day is always a time for families to get together; especially watching the parade live on television and talking [gossiping] about the parade participants.
For Baby and I, we made this year’s National Day a special one for my family by cooking for them and we were pretty happy and satisfied with the outcome [especially when we hear compliments from my family members]. My mum whom is an extremely good cook also commented us for the excellent effort and we were so glad that all of them liked the food we prepared.
Baby and I really make a good team so much so that we ought to participate in some cooking competitions! [haha]. But either way, Baby is always full of ideas and for our next cooking session, we’re planning to make an Ice-Cream Cake. Who’s up for it? Kee-chiu if you’re up for it!
