Everything Else Archives - Page 24 of 27

[the view from the chalet… imagine waking up to this every morning~!]

[me using eye power to supervise the setting up of the BBQ pit =P]

[decided to help out and get in the action of setting up the pit]

[the kitchen area- comes with refrigerator, induction cookers, pots, pans, rice-cooker~!]

[celebrating jiejie’s birthday]

[the reason why I’ve been putting on weight~! =p]

[stairways to the second storey]

[look at the variety of channels they have on Cable TV]

That’s all folks! Stay tuned for more exciting news and events coming up! On a side note, this is an appeal from me, myself, and I; should you find my blog an interesting read, I would really hope you would decide to subscribe to A Winsome Life so as to allow me the opportunity to connect and touch base with you. No obligations though. On a separate note, I have a Golden Village Gift Card worth $35 to be given away to one lucky winner who subscribes to A Winsome Life. Cheers~!

A Post Dedicated to Suhailah, A Really Awesome Friend of Mine~!

By delta December 12, 2011

Hello Everyone,
this blog entry is specially dedicated to Suhailah whom I have known for almost more than 7 years [gosh, that’s really long!]. This is the 3rd wedding that I have attended so far this year and it is also the first traditional Malay wedding that I attended. And in case you’re wondering, I’m not doing an event review here. Rather, I’m sharing my joy and heartfelt experience of celebrating this wonderful occasion together with my other fellow comrades from the National Cadet Corps.

And no, I’m not going to type alot here. Rather, let the pictures paint you a thousand words.

[the beautiful bride & suave bridegroom]

From Suhailah’s Wedding

[the really beautiful cupcakes! zoom in for a closer look~!]

From Suhailah’s Wedding

[It’s really amazing how NCC has brought all of us together… the bonds we shared… through thick and thin…NCC did made a difference in our lives~!]

From Suhailah’s Wedding

And Suhailah, if you’re reading this:

You have been a really awesome friend to me for so many years now and I’m really glad that you have found your Mr. Right! My heartiest congratulations to the both of you once again on your marriage and may the both of you be blessed in the many years to come!

And…..the following video is just for you! [your husband was really brave and he sang really well =)]

Suhailah’s Wedding

Pictures and video are taken by my baby so credits goes out to her~!

A Winsome Look- A New Look~!

By delta December 10, 2011

Hello Everyone,
if you have noticed, http://www.awinsomelife.wordpress.com is no longer available and you have been redirected to http://www.awinsomelife.org instead [this is not a mistake]. Due to your unwavering support for A Winsome Life, I have decided to host my own site so as to offer you a more enhanced interactive blog experience. What you’re seeing on my website now is the result of me spending tons of hours working over-the-clock to finetune the website layout, user-interface, and social media integration [I’m putting what I learn in class to use eh].

As of now, we have crossed 3000 pages views in less than 3 months and that is considered a huge achievement!

For such an awesome achievement, I have 1x Golden Village Christmas Gift Card worth $35 to be given away to one very lucky winner.

All you have to do is to subscribe to A Winsome Life! Just follow the steps as mentioned below:

Step 1: Click the “Follow” button and key in your email address in the box as indicated.

Step 2: Check your email inbox for the confirmation message. *Note: the confirmation message might end up in your junk mail/spam mail

Step 3: Click the confirmation link.

Final Step: You have successfully subscribed to A Winsome Life!

The lucky draw will be held on the 21st of December 2011 and the winner will be notified via email to submit his/her particulars so that the prize can be mailed out by Christmas! Note: upon receiving the prize, the lucky winner will have to submit a photograph of himself/herself with the prize! The closing date for participating in this giveaway is 20th of December 2011 @ 2359hours, so if you subscribed after the above mentioned date, your entry won’t be counted.

The blog giveaway is only open to residents residing in Singapore and all decisions made by the author is final!

So, don’t wait any further! Just follow the 3 easy steps to subscribe to A Winsome Life and you may walk away with a Golden Village Gift Card!

For more information about the Golden Village Gift Card [its benefits, terms&conditions, and etc.], you may visit here<–

New Year’s Eve (2011) Movie

By delta December 7, 2011

Hello Everyone,
I have caught the movie, “New Year’s Eve” with Baby just now and the show is set to be released tomorrow, December the 8th. Out of a score of 5, I would give this show a 5 and I would strongly recommend it to you if you’re planning to catch a movie that’s heartwarming, funny, and romantic. So here’s to you guys out there, if you want to impress your date/girlfriend, bring her to this movie because it’s definitely her cup of tea. This movie although is more for couples, it is also suitable for families and a gathering of friends.

I shall not spoil the surprises in this movie which was acted by many popular celebrities and just in case you’re curious as to what this movie is all about, here’s the movie trailer and movie plot.

Movie Plot:

The film chronicles the lives of several individuals in New York on New Year’s Eve, including two people who become trapped in an elevator, a couple preparing to give birth and a man who enjoys his last New Year’s before dying.

Movie Trailer:

Credits goes out to M1 for the complimentary movie tickets~!

Bank Savings Account for Youths

By delta December 4, 2011

Hello Everyone,
recently, I have been rather intrigued by the savings account introduced by the various banks just for youths/young working adults/students/teenagers. In this blog entry, I will be making a comparison between 3 banks, namely, UOB, OCBC, and DBS.

UOB Bank

UOB has introduced the TX account for a very long time now but I have no idea how many people have actually signed up for the account. In fact, it was one of the earlier savings deposit which introduced e-statement/online banking. Many years ago, I wanted to sign up for this account but have decided not as it didn’t quite appeal to me. By the way, the account is only available to students aged 16 to 21 years old and a minimum deposit of $100 is required. There is no fees that will be charged to you to maintain the account as there is no fall-below rate. The interest rate offered is only a miserable 0.05% per annum. For details, you can click here <–

DBS Bank

DBS has recently launched the DBS Remix e-Savings Plus account targeted at Young Adults aged 16-29 years old. [I have a feeling DBS launched this account because it wanted to compete directly with OCBC] No initial deposit is required to open this account and its also made available to foreign students studying in Singapore. There is no minimum balance requirement, with perpetual waiver of fall-below fee [honestly, I got this information from the website and I am quite confused. If there is no minimum balance requirement, why would there be a need for a perpetual waiver of fall-below fee? Hmm]. And, there will be a $2 fee for each cash withdrawal made over the counter at any DBS/POSB branches. Should you close the account within 6 months, there is an early closure fee of $20. Oh, and the daily interest rate is 0.05%. [similar to what UOB is offering] For details, you can click here <–

OCBC Bank

OCBC launched the FRANK account a few months back and this is one account which I have been eyeing on. The account is specially catered for Young Adults aged minimum 16 and there isn’t any age limit. No initial deposit is required to open this account and there is no minimum balance if you are aged 26 and below. If you are aged 26 and above, there will be a $2 monthly service fee if your average monthly balance falls below $1000. [which I believe will not be the case if you’re a working adult who saves regularly] Should you close the account within 6 months, there is an early closure fee of $30. [yes, its higher than DBS Bank by $10 but why would you want to close an account in the first place if your intention was to save for the long-term?] Also, there is no fee for any transaction made over the counter at any OCBC branches. And the best part is this, the interest rate is 0.30% per annum [that is way better than what you get at DBS or UOB] But just for your information, the interest rate is for a promotional period only and would be subjected to changes without prior notice. But more than just that, the FRANK account comes with a powerful online tool to help manage your money wisely and you can choose from a wide variety of designs for your debit card too. [now that’s really awesome] For details, you can click here <–

Conclusion?

Well, these 3 savings accounts offered by the respective banks are mainly targeted at young adults/youths/students and honestly, I feel that OCBC offers a savings account which is really unique and true to its own. The FRANK account is really full of benefits [higher interest rates, more functionality and practicality, lesser fees] and I would strongly recommend it to youths/teenagers/young adults who are looking for a dynamic and vibrant banking solution. Despite the fact that OCBC may have lesser ATMs than DBS/POSB, the advantage is that you hardly have to queue up for OCBC ATMs. Now, why wouldn’t you decide to switch over to OCBC today?

Footnote: Information as given here are updated as to the date this blog entry is published.

Taiwan- The Heart of Asia (Final Part)

By delta December 1, 2011

Hello Everyone,
this blog entry about our most recent trip to Taipei would be the final entry as it dictates our last day in Taipei.

Well, as our flight was in the early afternoon, we had to check in at about 0900 hours. As the journey from our serviced apartment to Taoyuan International Airport takes about an hour or so, we had to leave at about 0800 or earlier. Prior to our departure from the serviced apartment, I logged onto the internet the night before to search for taxi services that could bring us to Taoyuan International Airport and I chanced upon the following site: http://www.taipei-taxi.com/

I called the number that was listed on the website and the driver promptly arranged our transport arrangements to the airport. When we met him on our departure day, he was really friendly and he even bought us coffee to freshen ourselves up. The journey to the airport was an interesting one as the driver engaged us in conversations about the scenic and nice places to visit in Taiwan. We then found out that he is also a tour guide and offered to arrange a personalised itinerary the next time we travel to Taiwan. And by the way, the rate he charged us was one flat rate of NTD$1200 which was way cheaper than the regular taxis on the streets. Honestly, we were very pleased with his services that we will definitely recommend him to those who require transport arrangements.

Acknowledgements

This trip would not have been possible and enjoyable if not for the following people:

Dad & Mum, for sponsoring part of my trip expenses

Baby, for taking leave to accompany me during the trip, for arranging the accommodations and itinerary, for the treats and presents, for taking nice photographs and for everything else

Uncle, for sponsoring the air tickets

The People of Taiwan, for their hospitality and graciousness in accommodating our needs and exemplifying the high service standards of guest services

Well, we didn’t took much photographs during our last day but here are just some photos that I took while I was on the aircraft back to Singapore.

Can you see an Angel here?

From Taipei Day 6

So that’s all for our trip to Taiwan and I hope you have found the entries informative and entertaining!

Taiwan- The Heart of Asia (Part 5)

By delta November 28, 2011

Hello Everyone, today I am going to blog about Day 5 of our trip to Taipei.
Some Background Information: Baby and I initially wanted to go to Taipei Zoo and also take the Maokong/Gondola to view the surrounding scenery; but due to the rain/bad weather, we had to take that out of our initial plan. As such, we visited the Bao An Temple, Confucius Temple, and once again, back to Ximending for some last minute shopping before we called it a day.

First Stop: Bao An Temple & Confucius Temple

Some of the Interesting Stuffs We Saw @ Confucius Temple

And Baby and I were really lucky because we even got the opportunity to participate in a 30 mins tea-appreciation presentation conducted by the staffs from the Confucius Temple and man, we were really blessed and fortunate to have been there at the right time.

After touring the whole of Confucius Temple, it was time for some souvenir-shopping and yes, we spent about 45 minutes inside the gift-shop hunting for souvenirs for our family and loved ones.

Since we didn’t have any plans, we decided to head back to Ximending once again for some last minute shopping and of course, to try their Japanese Cuisine!

Pictures of the Yummy Japanese Food that We Had!

Overall, the service standard and food quality at the Japanese restaurant was superb! Though quite pricey, but it was totally worth it. Thanks to Baby for this treat as she knew that I was craving for some Japanese food.

After which we headed to the Modern Toilet restaurant for desserts. And well, this particular restaurant has a “toilet” theme and so, everything [from the seats to the decorations, and even the food] are themed in such a way. Though it may attract first-time goers, Baby and I reckoned that it would probably be the first and last time we would be visiting this theme restaurant. It’s not the price but rather the quality of the food that was served which made us reconsider whether to dine here again in the future. Unique as it may be, but I guess people would patronise a restaurant again and again ONLY IF the food served was up to expectations. Either way, here are some pictures of our dining experience at Modern Toilet.

If you looked closely enough at the above pictures, you would have noticed that both of our hairstyles are quite different from the photos in the previous blog entries. That’s only because we went to have our hair done at Ximending. Its pretty worth it if you ask me, so if you want to get your hair done, you might just want to head to any one of the many hair saloons over at Ximending. [Just a precaution: please don’t blame me if your hair is not done up to your expectations]

Well, Baby and I had a really fruitful trip to Taiwan. Although it was our last night there, we decided that we would definitely be coming back to Taiwan again to let our hair down and unwind. Although its more than a week since we have been back from Taiwan, we still miss the place quite alot [the locals were really hospitable, the service staffs were very accommodating, and there are just so many positive things to write about our experience in Taiwan that we can’t really put it in words to you because you really got to experience Taiwan for yourself]

That’s about all for the last night as we wanted to have a good rest back at our serviced apartment so as to keep ourselves fresh and ready for our flight back to Singapore. Stay tuned for our final blog entry about Taiwan!

Taiwan- The Heart of Asia (Part 4)

By delta November 22, 2011

Hello Everyone,
today’s blog entry on Taiwan might perhaps be the most interesting part of my trip to Taipei.

For this entry, I will be blogging about our sightseeing and dining experience on the 4th day of our trip [in details].

Some Background Information:

Baby and I initially planned to go Beitou Hot Springs to relax and rejuvenate ourselves but because of the rain [bad weather], we decided to cancel that and headed straight to the city [Zhongxiao Fuxing] to shop and eat.

[We decided to wear our couple tees out]

1st Stop- Kitchen Pucci

Most of the time, Baby and I would go for Brunch instead of Breakfast because we would always be back at our apartment in the wee hours and wake up really late the next day. So, on the 4th day of our trip, we headed to Kitchen Pucci for Brunch. By the time we went there, it was already past 1pm and they do not have staple items like rice/noodles on their menu. Instead, they only had Dim Sum. Either way, as both of us were really famished and decided not to walk any further, we dined here instead.

What We Ordered:-

Custard Bun & Char Siew Bun [nothing special though, pretty similar to what Singapore has]

Boiled Chicken Mushroom Soup [tasted too “gingerish”]

Steamed Dumplings [average tasting]

Fried Yam Cake [nothing out of the ordinary]

Pan-Fried Dumplings [pretty tasty. in fact I like this quite alot]

Prawn Siew Mai [tasted pretty good. in fact, its almost similar like the steamed dumplings because when you bite into it, you can taste the juicy broth]

Total Bill: NT$615 [approximate SGD$26.74 for 2 persons. Not really expensive as compared to Singapore]

And so, after our lunch, we headed to Hello Kitty Sweets for desserts. When we arrived there, there were already people in the queue but thankfully, we made a reservation the day before and thus we managed to dine there. Oh, and the Hello Kitty Sweets Experience was my treat to Baby for our anniversary of being together for 10 months. Anyway, if you like more information about Hello Kitty Sweets, <– click here

The Interior of Hello Kitty Sweets [the interior decorations of the Hello Kitty Sweets shop will really appeal to ladies and really, its an experience you must try for yourself]

Some of the Cakes That Were For Sale [given the quality and visual appeal of the cakes, I felt that the price for the cakes were pretty reasonable. in fact, it would be a really nice and sweet gift for someone special.]

The Menu [they do not just have desserts alone. in fact, they do have main courses and side dishes on their menu as well.]

Merchandise and Souvenirs That Were For Sale

The Service Staffs [most of the service staffs there were guys and the service rendered were exceptional]

Our Desserts! [the drinks were very appetising and the cakes were of quality. I guess the visual appearance of the dishes really whet up one’s appetite]

And The Bill Folder [alright, dining here was slightly pricey but for an experience like this, I felt that it was totally worth it especially if you are bringing your loved ones there for a celebration]

As we had quite a lot of time to kill for the day, we decided to catch a movie @ Ximending/??? and well, we caught the movie, “Tower Heist”.

Alright, for those of you who have been complaining that watching movies in Singapore is expensive [which I used to be guilty off], I’m sure you wouldn’t want to catch a movie in Taipei. In this theatre that we caught Tower Heist, tickets were sold at SGD$12 per person and mind you, it was a typical weekday. And when we entered the screening hall, the seats were really very “old school” and well, they still use the really traditional way of screening movies. If you ask me, Singapore’s movie/cinema experience is way better and well, cheaper too. [anyway, I’m just sharing about my experience of watching a movie in Taipei, not exactly doing a down-to-earth review]

After the movie, Baby and I went straight to Raohe Night Market/??????? via the taxi. Well, the reason why we went there was because we wanted to eat the oreo peanut shaved ice dessert but it wasn’t open when we went there. But either way, it wasn’t a wasted trip as we decided to get souvenirs for all our family and friends at Raohe Night Market/???????. Baby also bought a bag for herself and well, there wasn’t anything much because it was raining when we wen there.

Baby’s Favourite Street Snack!

The Place Where We Got All Our Souvenirs [its seriously a good place to shop for souvenirs here as we have compared prices amongst the different places we visited and we felt that this shop provides the best value]

After a long day, Baby and I headed back to our apartment and put down our shopping bags. As we haven’t had dinner yet, we went out again to the nearby MOS Burger & 85 Degrees C/85?C to packet dinner back and eat.

Their MOS Burger although have similar items on their menu as compared to Singapore, but other than that, they do also have merchandise [2012 calendar, tea-set. tumblers, and etc.] for sale. I guess that’s what really make them different from the MOS Burger Stores in Singapore. And yes, service was exceptional though its just a fast-food restaurant.

Eggs Boiled with Tea-Leaves from 7-Eleven Store [really yummy and fragrant]

Tiramisu Cake

Blackforest Cake

And so, that’s how we ended day 4 of our trip. 2 more parts to go and we will have come to the end of this series of blog entries about our trip to Taiwan. We hope you have enjoyed reading about our travel experience in Taipei so far. Stay tuned for the last 2 parts of our blog entries about our Taiwan experience!

Taiwan-The Heart of Asia (Part 3)

By delta November 18, 2011

Hello Everyone,
today I am going to continue blogging about my trip to Taiwan.

For our itinerary, Baby and I initially planned it as such: 3 days of shopping, 2 days of sightseeing (places that are pretty standard in Tour Packages), and 1 day of just tying up loose ends. At the end of our trip, it was more like 6 days of shopping instead. This was because on the 2 days that we planned to sight see, we were told that there was going to be an incoming storm and moreover, it was raining really heavily; thus we didn’t have the chance to visit the Beitou Hot Spring and the Taipei Zoo. Oh wells, the next time we visit Taiwan next year, we will definitely be going to the places that we missed out on.

For today’s entry, much of the trip is focused on the following areas of Taipei:

Ximending– a rather happening shopping area selling lots of trendy clothings, shoes and accessories. If you’re planning to catch a movie in Taipei, you might want to consider watching at this place. Not only that, there are tons of hair saloons around; so if you’re planning to cut your hair, dye your hair, or do anything that is hair-related, you should visit this place too. Just so you know, Ximending is a place that’s filled with lots of youths [because the local schools are situated nearby] and that means you can expect to buy the latest trendy clothes at a rather affordable price.

Shida Night Market– a night market that’s not as bustling as Shilin Night Market but offers a wide variety of shops selling clothes, shoes, accessories and etc. In fact, we felt that it was pretty similar to the other night markets that we’ve been to.

Shilin Night Market– it was our 2nd time visiting Shilin Night Market this is one night market that you must visit because its filled with the latest fashionable clothes and accessories. Not only that, there’s lots of food to eat and many things to shop for. Besides eating and shopping, there are also carnival games available for you to try your luck and test your shooting skills.

Baby and I decided to venture out for our morning breakfast and as such, we settled our breakfast at the nearby street-stall selling noodles.

The Street-Stalls Nearby Our Service Apartment

Dining @ The Street-Stall Selling Noodles

The Menu

Maggi Mee with Pork Meat

Udon Noodles with Pork Meat

[Seriously, the noodles were very good! The soup base was tasty and really appetising and in fact, contains no MSG. Furthermore, the soup contains herbs and it is indeed nourishing. If you ask me, I kinda miss the noodles already and I really wish they have this in Singapore.]

[So after our breakfast, we headed straight to Ximending]

[as you can see, the place is really crowded and is comparable to Orchard Road, except that the price here are much more cheaper and you can even bargain too]

[colourful billboards everywhere]

[an art expert doing spray painting]

[one of his works which costs only SGD$5]

[I guess the Caricaturist is only available during the weekends because when we went back to Ximending subsequently, we didn’t see him there]

[Baby and I wanted to have our portrait drawn but then there were too many people in the queue]

[and so, we decided to walk around and try some food at the various street-stalls]

[as we didn’t got the chance to try the peanut shaved ice anymore, thankfully, they have a street-stall selling something similar!]

[Jumbo Hotdog!]

[Traditional Japanese restaurant which uses the train-convoy belt to serve food dishes. In fact, Baby and I dined here on a separate day and I would blog more about our dining experience at this restaurant in the upcoming blog entries]

[Starbucks Coffee occupies the whole entire second level of the building!]

[Baby and I caught a movie at this Cinema but that was on a separate day, so I will probably elaborate more on our experience in the next few blog posts]

[they even have a 4D movie thriller cinema. Those kind where the seats will shake violently and etc. more like an amusement ride.]

[and yes, for less than SGD$5 for a 4D movie ride with a wide variety of movies to choose from]

[a dog-friendly restaurant]

[an interesting shop selling lots of caps/hats]

[having a short break at Ximending’s Macdonald]

[Map of Ximending area]

[@ Shida Night Market and well, shopping and eating again]

[The place where we had our dinner @ Shida Night Market]

[The duck mee sua is quite good too because the duck meat does not have a strong meaty smell]

[This Oyster Egg Omelette is seriously way better than Singapore’s]

[As we found that Shida Night Market doesn’t offer anything much, we quickly took a cab back, put down our shopping bags, and went for a quick foot massage nearby our service apartment. The massage shop is worth mentioning because the therapists are visually-impaired. Thus, by having our tired feets massaged by the therapists there, we are contributing towards a good cause for them to earn some money. After the massage, we took a cab and went to Shilin Night Market for more eating and sight-seeing]

[more eating @ Shilin Night Market]

[A store that sells cheesy mashed potato served with corn]

[the cheesy mashed potato that Baby said was nice]

[couple shoes that we bought]

[couple slippers that we bought]

[the footwear that I bought]