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In Gift Ideas 6 Mins Read

Jaillance is Bubbling to Singapore Shores

Jaillance is bubbling to Singapore shores in late September this year and many of you must be thinking, “What exactly is Jaillance?” Well, Jaillance originates from the Drome Valley, nestled between Vercors and Provence, and it represents the Cave de Die, a cooperative founded in 1950; which produces sparkling wines that are second only to Champagne in France and it is the leading French brand in Appellation d’Origine Protegee sparkling wines.
I figured that many of you must be scratching your heads right now and you probably might not be familiar with certain technical wine terms; hence, I would try my best to keep this blog post really simple to understand.

Anyhows, Jaillance is making its debut in Singapore with two bottle-fermented French sparkling wines; the demi-sec Muscat, Clairette from Die and the brut Semillon from Bordeaux. Before I go on to introduce these two really fabulous sparkling wines, please allow me to define certain wine terms for you so that you more or less will understand what I am about to share with you.

The term demi-sec means semi-dry and the term brut means dry. So in other words, if you see the word, “brut” on a wine label, it means the wine has an extremely low or no sugar content; on the other hand, if you see the word, “demi-sec” on a wine label, it means the wine has a slightly higher sugar content level and is mildly sweet. If you prefer sparkling wines that are extremely sweet, you should look out for labels that indicate moelleux or doux [very sweet]. However, it is extremely rare that sparkling wines are moelleux or doux; most of the time, sparkling wines are either brut or demi-sec. If you’ve a sweet tooth, then demi-sec sparkling wines are actually good enough.

The terms, “Die” and “Bordeaux” are wine producing regions in France and the terms, “Muscat”, “Clairette”, and “Semillon” are the grapes that are used in producing the sparkling wines.

Here is a picture of a bunch of Clairette grapes; and Muscat and Semillon grapes look kinda similar as Clairette grapes.

So now that you have more or less essentially understood the wine terms, let me introduce you to the two fabulous sparkling wines that Jaillance is bringing to Singapore; the demi-sec Muscat, Clairette from Die, and the brut Semillon from Bordeaux.

The wine tasting session was held at Balzac Brasserie, a French restaurant at Rendezvous Gallery.

This is where Balzac Brasserie is located.

From Jalliance 2012
From Jalliance 2012

Jaillance‘s Muscat, Clariette and Semillon.

From Jalliance 2012

A closer look at the wine label. I believe that by now, you would have more or less understand what the wine label means. What’s probably ancient to you is, “Methode Ancestrale” and “Methode Traditionnelle”. Well “Methode Ancestral” means that the sparkling wine is made using the ancestral method while “Method Traditionnelle” means that the sparkling wine is made using the traditional method [similar to how Champagne is being made in Champagne].

From Jalliance 2012

A closer look at the back portion of the wine label. Good information to know but might be a bit hard to understand.

From Jalliance 2012

This is Mr. Oliver Campos, Business Manager of Asia-Pacific, UK and Scandinavia. He gave us a short but informative introduction to Jaillance and the two sparkling wines that we were going to sample.

From Jalliance 2012

Just look at those small fizzy bubbles. You just have to know, the smaller and finer the bubbles, the better the sparkling wine is. Usually, big bubbles are associated with cheap sparkling wines.

From Jalliance 2012

After the informative introduction by Mr. Oliver Campos, we had a food and wine pairing session where delectable canapes were served.

From Jalliance 2012

To pair with the Semillon, we had the Carpaccio of Red Beetroot and marinated Calamari

From Jalliance 2012

and the Balzac Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche and Chives on Mini Tartine

From Jalliance 2012

To pair with the Muscati, Clariette, we had the Reblochon Tartiflette and French bacon

From Jalliance 2012

and the Camembert Croquette with wild Mushroom Veloute

From Jalliance 2012

As the Muscati, Clariette goes well with desserts too, we had the Classic Homemade Lemon Tart

From Jalliance 2012

and the French choquette and Vanilla cream

From Jalliance 2012

Ok, I know alot of French terms here are pretty confusing but well, they’re French.

And because I really don’t want to give you readers an information overload, a lot of information regarding Wines can be found on the Internet and Wikipedia is a good start. Anyhows, both the sparkling wines are just superb and I really like it because the taste of the sparkling wines are mellow, balanced, and it certainly exudes a rather exuberant kind of sophistication. Unlike other sparkling wines where the grapes used in producing the sparkling wine are harvested using machines, Jaillance harvest the grapes by hand, a method that is really costly and that which proves its commitment to producing only the finest French sparkling wine that is second only to Champagne in France. No wonder it is indeed the leading French brand in Appellation d’Origine Protegee sparkling wines!

After the wine tasting session, Jaillance was really so generous that they gave each of us attendees a bottle of the Muscat, Clairette and the Semillon. Not only that, they gave us an Ice Bag which would really come in handy for picnics and also a Wine Bottle Stopper.

From Jalliance 2012

So, if you’re wondering where on earth you could find Jaillance‘s sparkling wines, you can find them in Cold Storage, MarketPlace, and Bottles & Bottles from late September and you can also find them in FairPrice, FairPrice Finest, and FairPrice Xtra from early November onward.

The best part is, the Muscat, Clairette is going at $26.90 and the Semillon is going at $29.90; a price that is really value for money, considering the fact that you’re getting award-winning sparkling wines which usually cost about $40+ a bottle. Hence, if you’re planning a 18th or 21st birthday and you’re thinking of having some booze to rock the night away, you might want to consider getting Jaillance‘s sparkling wines for that extra special touch.

————————————————————————————-
Sparkling Wine Trivial:

Do you know that Champagne is a sparkling wine but not all sparkling wines are Champagne? As a matter of fact, the word, “Champagne” has been used too casually that people tend to associate all sparkling wines with Champagne. Now what is really true is this, that Champagne is a sparkling wine that is produced exclusively only in the region of Champagne in France; and all other sparkling wines that are produced outside of Champagne are known as sparkling wines.

Stay tuned to more updates from us!

God bless!

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In Gift Ideas 5 Mins Read

The Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine

IMPORTANT UPDATE:
*Many have asked when the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine will be available and as of now, it is not available in Singapore yet until Mid October. However, you can pre-order the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine on Moleskine Asia Online Shop <–. Currently, only <10 people has the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine in hand and Yours Truly here is one of those <10 people*

—————————————————————————————–
Hello Everyone,

I’m not sure if anyone has heard of the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine but I’m pretty sure you probably would know what Moleskine is.

Well, in case you don’t know what Moleskine is, Moleskine is essentially a brand that encompasses a family of nomadic objects such as notebooks, diaries, journals, bags, writing instruments, and reading accessories. If you frequent bookstores such as Popular and Kinokuniya, you might have noticed Moleskine notebooks and diaries at the Stationery section.

So anyways, thanks to the folks from Working Unit and Moleskine, I was given a set of the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine to try it and here are my honest opinions.

I personally find Moleskine products to be rather expensive but they do make great gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, so on and so forth. In fact, if you were found to be carrying Moleskine products around, people generally have a different impression of you [very much like how you would associate people whom carry products from Gucci, Louis Vuitton]. So, if you’re planning to get a gift maybe say for a tech-savvy executive, you might want to consider getting the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine.

The Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine.

From Evernote Smart Notebook 2012

They also gave me this pen to write with but I didn’t quite like the feel of it. I would still prefer my usual ballpoint pen.

From Evernote Smart Notebook 2012

This is how the front cover of the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine looks like.

From Evernote Smart Notebook 2012

If you were to ask me how practical it would be for you to get an Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine, I would say its 50-50. The reason why I would say its 50-50 is because if you’re a person that brings your smartphone [iPhone/Galaxy S3/any other brand] or tablet [iPad/Galaxy Tab/any other brand] around, you are very likely to jot down your personal notes using your mobile devices and organise your notes using the applications that you’ve downloaded onto your mobile devices; hence, you probably would not have the need for a physical notebook and pen to jot down your notes. But, if you’re someone like me whom still prefers doing things the old-fashioned way and enjoys writing your ideas on paper, then getting a physical notebook is something that is extremely practical.

Ok, if you belong to the first category of people that I mentioned, then this is one application that you have to download [available on Google Play and App Store], “the Evernote application“. I personally find the Evernote application to be extremely useful in organising my notes and in fact, you can do a whole lot of other wonderful things such as sharing your notes with other people conveniently and carrying out simple word processing with the Evernote application. The best part is, the application is free. However, if you sign up for the premium which cost USD$5 a month, you can get a wider range of benefits which you can find here –> http://evernote.com/premium/

If you belong to the second category of people that I mentioned, then you might want to consider getting the Evernote Smart Notebok by Moleskine because it has a rather chic and stylish front and back cover design and it is designed to work seamlessly with the Evernote application. Because of the Evernote rules and Evernote squared page styles in the notebook, it allows the user to digitally capture a clean image. Not only that, the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine comes with the Evernote-ready Moleskine Smart Stickers that allows you to sticker-tag the pages of the notebok so that when you capture a page with the Evernote application, the Smart Sticker icons become searchable, digital tags that can make it easy to keep your ideas organised and to synchronise your digital and analog workspaces. The best part is, every purchase of the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine comes with a 3 months Evernote application premium subscription.

At the back of the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine, it tells you how you could use the notebook to your advantage.

From Evernote Smart Notebook 2012

At the last page of the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine, instructions are provided to let users know how they can use the notebook with the Evernote application and this is also the page where users find the code for the free 3 months premium subscription of Evernote application.

From Evernote Smart Notebook 2012

The colourful tags that you see are the Evernote-ready Moleskine Smart Stickers.

From Evernote Smart Notebook 2012

Having said so much, if you’re still unsure what to expect from the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine, the video below summarises everything I’ve mentioned thus far.

The Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine is available in large and pocket sizes and they cost SGD$41 and SGD$30 respectively.

So, if you’re interested in getting an Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine for yourself or for your family members and friends, you can actually pre-order it at –> http://www.moleskineasia.com/Evernote-Smart-Notebook

I honestly feel that its a rather perfect gift for dads/mums/teachers. Stay tuned to more updates from us!

God Bless!

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In Gift Ideas 7 Mins Read

Mooncakes in Singapore are Grossly Overpriced!

From the title of this blog entry, you most probably would be able to guess what I would be ranting about; and yes, its the grossly-overpriced mooncakes that are being sold in Singapore! After checking out a few mid-autumn festival fairs where mooncakes are being sold by top hotels and popular restaurants, I can only conclude this; that suppliers/vendors are overcharging their mooncakes! I know I would definitely be flamed/grilled by the various local merchants for putting up this blog entry but seriously, I really would like to share with you readers how you could get better quality mooncakes at just half the price and why you should avoid buying mooncakes that are grossly-overpriced.
The ingredients used to make mooncakes are really cheap and no matter how “premium” a mooncake may be, its not exactly as premium as it may seem. As a matter of fact, what people are really paying for is the branding/reputation of where the mooncakes are coming from and the extravagant packaging that complements the mooncakes. Yes, I do agree that mooncakes make perfect gifts for this special occasion but surly these packaging and branding do not cost that much.

In my own personal opinion, there are only 2 types of mooncakes even though others may argue that there are more; one that is the traditional kind, and the other that is the snowskin kind. Much of today’s traditional mooncakes are still rather traditional except that there may be certain variations such as the alteration/substitution/addition of certain ingredients that somehow give vendors/suppliers the “right” to tout their mooncakes as being a healthier choice/low in sugar content, and etc.

However, for the snowskin mooncakes, there are indeed lots of variations and they come in a myriad of fascinating and interesting colours. In fact, some of the snowskin mooncakes now have added ingredients such as liqueur and chocolate truffles! Not only that, the snowskin mooncakes come in a variety of designs and in one of the mid-autumn festival fairs that I visited, I chanced upon a box of snowskin mooncakes that come in the design of Angry Birds and they were selling it at SGD$80 a box for 4 pieces of mooncakes! And just in case you’re wondering, a box of traditional mooncakes from these popular restaurants or hotels are selling at a minimum price of SGD$50 and above!

While I do understand that mid-autumn festival is a once in a year affair, I do not see the reason why suppliers/vendors ought to commercialise this historical/traditional event just like Valentine’s Day! In fact, I really do believe that we ought to revisit the reason for celebrating mid-autumn festival and understand the origins of mooncakes.

Anyways, if you still have the urge to splurge on mooncakes, may I beseech you to make your money worth by purchasing high-quality and good-tasting mooncakes just across the causeway! During one of my usual weekend trips to Johor Bahru, Baby and I checked out the mid-autumn festival fairs there and we found that their mooncakes are reasonably priced. In addition, given the favourable exchange rate, I believe you will definitely get your money worth!

Anyhows, if I don’t practise what I preach, then I suppose nobody is going to be convinced that buying mooncakes across the causeway is cheaper right? So, Baby and I decided to purchase 3 boxes of mooncakes [1 for my mum, 1 for my aunt, and 1 for ourselves] across the causeway and we’re going to introduce them to you here on our blog!

For the 2 boxes of mooncakes which we gotten for my mum and aunt, we got them from The Bakers Cottage. In each box, there are 4 mooncakes, so in total, we ordered 8 mooncakes and they only cost us a total of RM 100.16 [after 20% discount] which is about SGD$40.39 for 2 boxes of 8 mooncakes! Not only that, it comes with a rather presentable packaging too! Having garnered feedbacks from my dad and mum about the quality of the mooncakes, both of them said that they were rather tasty and that the taste was just right for them. In fact, my mum liked it so much that she requested us to purchase a few more boxes for her when we visit Johor. Well, if you don’t want to travel all the way there, The Bakers Cottage has set up their booths here in Singapore [so far I have seen them in Junction 8 and Bugis Junction] and you might want to check them out and sample their mooncakes.

Here is the packaging for the box of mooncakes that we gotten from The Bakers Cottage

From Doraemon Mooncakes 2012

As for Baby and I, we ordered a rather special box of mooncakes for ourselves and these mooncakes are only available in Malaysia. If you have been checking our Facebook wall, you would have more or less heard of the Hello Kitty mooncakes and the Doraemon mooncakes; and yes, we ordered the Doraemon mooncakes to try and see for ourselves how the mooncakes fared in terms of taste.

We ordered the Tiramisu, Mango Tango, Nanyang XO Jing-Sa, and Chocolate Lotus Almond Biscuit Doraemon mooncakes and so far, we have tried the Tiramisu and Nanyang XO Jing-Sa mooncakes. If you were to ask us how we felt about the mooncakes, we would definitely give it two thumbs up! Not only do the mooncakes look cute, special, and unique; the mooncakes tasted fabulous too! You got to really try it for yourselves in order to believe what we say. In fact, Baby and I are planning to buy a few more boxes of the Doraemon and Hello Kitty mooncakes so that we can bring over to Taiwan, since we are going to spend mid-autumn festival there at CingJing Farm. In case you’re wondering how much our box of Doraemon mooncakes cost, it cost us only RM 67 which is about SGD$27.02 [3X cheaper than the Singapore Angry Birds mooncake].

As we ordered 4 pieces of Doraemon mooncakes, we were entitled to choose a bag that we fancied and so we chose this particular cooler-bag.

From Doraemon Mooncakes 2012

These were the 4 Doraemon mooncakes that we ordered.

From Doraemon Mooncakes 2012

Here’s the Tiramisu Doraemon mooncake that we tried. We found the mooncake to be rather flavourful as it has quite a strong hint of coffee flavour when we bite into it. It wasn’t too sweet and the taste was perfect.

From Doraemon Mooncakes 2012

How the inside of the Tiramisu Doraemon mooncake looks like.

From Doraemon Mooncakes 2012
From Doraemon Mooncakes 2012

This is the Nanyang XO Jing-Sa Doraemon mooncake that we tried. We found the mooncake to be extremely tasty because the chicken floss really complemented the fried bean paste rather perfectly and it has a balanced taste of sweet and salty.

From Doraemon Mooncakes 2012

This is how the inside looks like.

From Doraemon Mooncakes 2012

So, having shared my opinions and thoughts about overpriced mooncakes in Singapore, what are your own personal opinions and thoughts? Well, I certainly hope that this post would have kinda enlightened you and hence, you would have found out how to make your money worth especially if you have to splurge on mooncakes. Have a blessed mid-autumn festival in advance!

Stay tuned to more updates from us!

God bless!

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In Gift Ideas 14 Mins Read

LegoLand Malaysia [2012]

WARNING: this is a blog post that is full of photos and videos! For best viewing experience, do use the computer to check out this blog entry!
Hello Everyone,

I am sure everyone’s waiting for this blog post and I just can’t wait to show you all the beautiful pictures that we took at LegoLand Malaysia.

However, before I begin this blog entry proper, I would like to take this opportunity to thank M for linking me up with the PR Company [Bell Pottinger] to attend the exclusive media invitation to LegoLand Malaysia. Also, I would like to thank LegoLand Malaysia and Bell Pottinger for the warmth hospitality and welcome when we were at LegoLand.

Well, ever since Baby and I heard about LegoLand Malaysia a few months back, we have been thinking of making a trip down to check out what Legoland Malaysia has to offer. A 1-day adult [ages 12-59] ticket cost RM 140 and a 1-day child [ages 3-11]/senior [ages 60+] cost RM 110. Here’s one piece of very good news; if you book your tickets online 7 days in advance, the adult and child/senior ticket will cost ONLY RM 105 and RM 75 respectively!

To get to LegoLand from Singapore, you can either drive there or take the public buses! For both Baby and I, we decided to utilise the public buses. Here’s how you can get to LegoLand Malaysia via public tranportation.

First, you will have to take the MRT train to Jurong East Station. Once you have reached, head to the Jurong Bus Interchange and look out for CW3 or CW4 buses. These buses go to CIQ 2 [Malaysia Customs] via the Singapore Customs and the trip in will cost you SGD $4.

This is how the Causeway Link buses look like.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

The interior looks very much like a tour coach bus.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

The bus will reach the Singapore Customs in Tuas and you will have to alight the bus to clear immigration. Once that is done, board the same bus [CW3/CW4] and it will take you to CIQ2. After you get your passports stamped at CIQ2, you will have to board a separate bus [JPO2] to LegoLand Malaysia. This will cost you RM $2, so be sure you have small Malaysian currency notes on hand. By the way, JPO2 also goes to the Johor Premium Outlets; so if you fancy some shopping after checking out LegoLand Malaysia, you can do so at your convenience. However, do note that the frequency of buses are unlike that of Singapore’s; so please plan your trip properly before you go to LegoLand. For information regarding the busing details, you can check out http://www.legoland.com.my/Plan/Bus-Services/

This is the interior of JPO2, very much like the buses in Singapore but much more comfy.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

The bus journery from CIQ2 to LegoLand will take about 20 minutes.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

About 50 schools from Johore were invited to LegoLand Malaysia yesterday and though it wasn’t crowded, we had to queue for certain rides and attractions at LegoLand. Looking at the cheerful and joyful children certainly reminded us of our pre-school times!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Baby posing for a photo with the children.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

The children were really so excited about going to LegoLand and here they are waiting just behind the entrance gates for it to open.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

You can choose to purchase your tickets on the day you’re visiting but I would strongly recommend you to get your tickets online as you will enjoy great discounts. But well, if you’re a ticket collector, then you can purchase the tickets from the ticketing booths.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Here’s even more exciting news for you. LegoLand will be opening a water theme park next year and in 2014, they will have a LegoLand Hotel too! During the media briefing session, I overheard a conversation that a Hello Kitty Land is in the pipelines as well but I can’t be too sure how reliable this news is.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Check out the colourful entrance of LegoLand Malaysia!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

After obtaining the media passes, we entered the main gates and were ushered to the Market Restaurant where the media briefing was to take place.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Check out the menu being offered at Market Restaurant

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Here’s the media registration booth that was setup by Bell Pottinger

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

There I was checking out the press kit to see if I had any questions for the “Q&A” session.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Baby went around taking photos of Market Restaurant.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

The Market Restaurant has a lot of food choices where you can choose your appetisers, main courses, and desserts. It has a large seating capacity and an alfresco dining area.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

The food prices are quite typical of theme parks and attractions all over the world. So if you’re expecting cheap affordable food, I’m afraid you will be in for a disappointment.

Here’s Julie Estrada addressing us.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

and here’s John Jakobsen [in the middle] and Siegfried Boerst [third from left] hosting the “Q&A” session.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

This gentleman here, Pat, is the brainchild behind the 3D Lego structures/sculptures in LegoLand Malaysia.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

These were what we had for lunch at Market Restaurant.

Fish and Chips

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Spaghetti with Meatballs

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Cold Potato Salad

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Blackforest Cake

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Baby and I having some fun at the entrance of Market Restaurant

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

While waiting for the LegoLand Guard Marching Band, Baby and I went around to shoot some photos at Lego City.

A photo at the fountain outside of LegoLand Express

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

The colourful and fascinating Lego Express Train!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

A mini carnival game booth at Lego City.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

I believe City Stage is one of the attractions in Lego City but when we were there, it was still under maintenance.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

The Rescue Academy at Lego City.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

The Fire Academy is a rather interesting attraction as it requires the park guests to form up in groups of 4 to put out the fire in the shortest possible time.

Park guests will have to drive this Fire Truck to the intended destination and seriously, it takes teamwork to have this fire truck driven manually using kinetic energy.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Here’s where park guests will have to put out the fire and it takes team effort to put out the fire because one will have to aim the water hose at the right spot while the rest will have to pump water from the fire hydrant in order to have water flowing to the water hose.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

This was what I meant! Just check out the video below about the Fire Academy Attraction at Lego City.

Here’s one of the park rides which is children-friendly.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

A photo with the Lego Figurines just outside the City Airport

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Another photo with Lego Figurines at the Lego City

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Its real ground, not those made out of styrofoam!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

We were treated to a splendid performance put up by the LegoLand Guard Marching Band! By the way, they were flown over to Legoland Malaysia all the way from LegoLand Billund Resort in Denmark! The LegoLand Guard Marching Band is a corps of young musicians that marches through LegoLand, spreading smiles and music whenever they go!

Here are photos of us with the awesome young musicians of the LegoLand Guard Marching Band!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

A group photo of the LegoLand Guard Marching Band with Siegfried Boerst

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

A musician of the LegoLand Guard Marching Band

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

And here’s a photo of the LegoLand Guard Marching Band Leader presenting a momento to Siegfried Boerst.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Guess what it was? It was a Lego set of the LegoLand Guard Marching Band!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

I really enjoyed the performance put up by the LegoLand Guard Marching Band and I especially like their drum section! Check out the video below!

After the band performance, we moved on to the Land of Adventure where we saw many other rides and attractions!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Here’s the Pharaoh’s Revenge attraction at the Land of Adventure

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

The Beetle Bounce at the Land of Adventure

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Here’s us posing for photos with Lego figurines at the Land of Adventure!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Jungle Cafe, a food and beverage outlet in the Land of Adventure.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Here’s Baby queuing up for a ride at the Land of Adventure!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Sadly, the Dino Island at the Land of Adventure was closed for maintenance during our visit!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

We went on to Imagination after the Land of Adventure and took more photos with the Lego figurines!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Pizza Mania, a food and beverage outlet that serves Pizza at Imagination

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Many theme parks have some sort of a 4D show and LegoLand Malaysia is not an exception. So, Baby and I went to check out their 4D show and sorry to say this, it wasn’t up to our expectation.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

In imagination, there is an Observation Tower which goes up to about 50 metres in height and you must check this out because it gives you a bird’s eye view of the whole LegoLand park! Unfortunately, it was closed for maintenance when we went there.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Here’s where you can see inventions come to life in Lego bricks at the Build and Test Centre. We didn’t manage to check this out as we were running short of time.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Here’s me posing with a Lego figurine near the Kid’s Power Tower.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

I decided to give the Kid’s Power Tower a go on my own!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Check me out in the video below, having some fun on the Kid’s Power Tower!

As we were rushing for time, we hurried along to Lego Kingdom and this is perhaps one of the best zones in LegoLand Malaysia!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Here’s the entrance of The Dragon roller-coaster!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

and that’s me fooling around with the human catapult! I almost had a heart attack when I heard some sound coming from the catapult and thought that I was really going to be catapulted! Lesson learnt: don’t anyhow sit on objects that seem harmless and stationary.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Here’s us at The Dragon!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Baby and I wanted to go on a ride on The Dragon roller-coaster but due to the long queues, we decided to forgo it. But do check out the video below to see how the roller-coaster works!

Here are other children-friendly rides at the Lego Kingdom, The Dragon’s Apprentice, Merlin’s Challenge, and Royal Joust!

The Dragon’s Apprentice

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Merlin’s Challenge

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Royal Joust

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Here’s Baby and I playing around at The Forestman’s Hideout!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Here’s us posing for photos along the tracks of LegoLand Express

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

After checking out Lego Kingdom, we went to check out the Miniland and we were really so amazed at the intricate details that the team at LegoLand Malaysia put together to create Miniland! As we were running short of time, we only managed to shoot some photographs of Singapore’s landmarks that were seemingly real!

One Fullerton

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Singapore River Cruise

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

The Fullerton Hotel

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

The Singapore Flyer

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

By the way, Miniland was created using 30 million Lego bricks and the structures were recreated in miniature sizes on a sale of 1:20!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

It’s really a pity we didn’t got much time to check out Miniland. If not, we’ve more photos!

We quickly moved on to the last zone of Legoland Malaysia and that is Lego Technic!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

For thrill-seekers, Lego Technic is a place you must visit because its rides are perhaps the most exciting ones in the park!

There’s the Project X!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

and there’s also the Aquazone Wave Racers where bystanders can have a blast by splashing water at the park guests whom are riding the rides.

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Before ending our day, Baby and I decided to visit The Big Shop and we bought some souvenirs for ourselves!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Here’s what we bought from The Big Shop! Keychains!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

and we got this keychain for my brother! By the way, the keychains are not cheap and so are the souvenirs! In fact, the 3 keychains cost us a total of RM 59+!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Here’s our parting photos at LegoLand Malaysia!

From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012
From LegoLand Malaysia Media Invite 2012

Baby and I really enjoyed ourselves at LegoLand Malaysia and it was a pity that we didn’t have enough time to catch all the attractions and rides as we wanted to catch the 1630 hours bus back to CIQ2. So, we will definitely visit LegoLand Malaysia again and we just can’t wait to check out the rest of the exciting park attractions that we have missed.

ps. please pardon us for the laggy videos. it’s our virgin experience trying to upload videos and we’re still in the midst of learning how to use Adobe Premiere Pro properly. hence, do excuse us if the videos are not up to your expectation!

Stay tuned to more updates from us!

God bless!

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In Gift Ideas 5 Mins Read

Food Tasting at Hard Rock Cafe Singapore

Hello Everyone,
recently, Baby and I were invited by Dawn [blogger of 365 Days to Play and Eat] to an exclusive all-bloggers food tasting event at the Hard Rock Cafe Singapore and I must say this, the dinner was a blast!

It was my virgin experience to Hard Rock Cafe Singapore and when I received the invite from Dawn, I was totally excited about the whole event! As I was there early, I went around taking photos of the external facade of Hard Rock Cafe Singapore. Here are some of the noticeable structure that caught my attention.

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

I believe everyone whom frequents Orchard Towers/St. Regis/The Forum Mall would have past by the Hard Rock Cafe Singapore and noticed this rather unique facade of Hard Rock Cafe Singapore.

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

I also like their unique guitar railings along the stairs.

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012
From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

In case you’re wondering what are the operating hours of Hard Rock Cafe Singapore, they are open from Tuesdays to Fridays from 1100 hours to 0200 hours and from Saturdays to Mondays from 1100 hours to 0300 hours. It is highly recommended that you make a reservation before going to dine at Hard Rock Cafe Singapore. Their contact number is 6235 5232.

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

And yes, Hard Rock Cafe Singapore has live band performances so do enquire about it before heading down.

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

When we were inside, the interior was simply vintage and classic. There were musical instruments all over the place and they are real! It would have been lovely if Hard Rock Cafe Singapore gave me a guitar as a welcome gift instead! =P

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

Anyway, the dining area at Hard Rock Cafe Singapore is pretty cosy and it is suitable as a venue for group gatherings, romantic dates, or even for a simple drink and snacks.

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012
From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

The Happy Diners for the Night!

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

While we were looking through the menu, we were really spoilt for choices because there are really tons of food and beverage offerings! Nevertheless, because Hard Rock Cafe Singapore recently launched their Seafood Menu, we had the privilege to try all their seafood items!

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

And also, we were given the liberty to order any sort of beverage for the night [liquor included]. Hence for beverage, Baby ordered the Berrilicious while I had the Mango-Berry Cooler.

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012
From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

I really like the presentation of the drinks and what’s really cool is that you can actually bring the glass home as a souvenir, just by paying a few additional bucks.

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

Alright, so much for the introduction, here comes the glorious food from Hard Rock Cafe Singapore! By the way, due to the poor lighting, some photos might look a bit darker than usual.

As mentioned earlier on, Hard Rock Cafe Singapore recently launched their new Seafood Menu and here are all the seafood dishes that we tasted.

Seafood Platter

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012
From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

Chilli Crab Spaghetti

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

Crispy Sea Bass

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

Crab Fried Rice

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

Chilli Crab Dip– served with either Chinese buns or Nachos

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012
From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

Of all the seafood dishes that were served, I personally like the Seafood Platter and the Chilli Crab Dip.

Here are some of the side dishes that we had for the night.

Hickory Smoked Chicken Wings

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012
From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

Hard Rock Nachos

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

The side dishes were fabulous and I really like the Hickory Smoked Chicken Wings. There are in fact three flavours that you can choose from; classic rock, heavy metal, and tangy BBQ and you have to try them all because their flavours are unique and extremely tasty!

For Mains, we had the Hickory Smoked BBQ Ribs.

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

I’m not exactly a fan of pork ribs but if you fancy them, you could give it a try.

After all the awesome tasting food that we had, it was time for desserts and we tried three of their dessert offerings.

Apple Crumble

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

Mud Pie

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae

From Hard Rock Cafe Singapore 2012

Honestly, all their desserts taste good although they are kinda sinful to my diet plan. Nevertheless, they are really a sweet ending to an extremely perfect meal.

Well, this will definitely not be the last time I will visit Hard Rock Cafe Singapore because the food is truly awesome, the ambience is comfortably cosy, and there’s live band performances for some chill-out session too. All thanks to Hard Rock Cafe Singapore‘s Marketing Manager and Dawn of 365 Days to Play and Eat for hosting us and the kind invitation. It was really a lovely start to the weekends and both Baby and I really enjoyed the dining experience at Hard Rock Cafe Singapore.

If you haven’t been to Hard Rock Cafe Singapore, you should visit it one day because it is something you must do once-in-a-lifetime and not only that, you should check out their souvenir shop that sells memorabilia items too [perfect place to shop for gifts!]

Stay tuned to more updates from us!

God Bless!

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In Gift Ideas 6 Mins Read

Let’s Talk About Food Using the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone

Hello Everyone,
as you can see from the topic of this blog entry itself, yes, it’s all going to be about food but for this particular blog entry, the photos that are published here were taken using the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone!

So anyway, in conjunction with the Singapore Food Festival that is organised by the Singapore Tourism Board, 313@somerset is presenting a month-long celebration of food, entertainment and shopping from July 27 to August 31 at the Discovery Walk, Level 1 of 313@somerset. This event is none other than the, “Let’s Talk About Food”. As part of the Let’s Talk About Food event, a series of exciting themed acts and performances have been lined up; so if you happen to be at 313@somerset on 3-4 August, 8 Aug, 24-25 Aug from 6pm onward, be sure not to miss these whimsical performers! The best part about Let’s Talk About Food is that during this period, you can definitely look forward to indulging in your favourite dishes at significantly discounted prices and I really mean it!

Here’s why; 313@somerset is launching the exclusive 313 Dining Wallet where you can purchase it for just $19 and inside this 313 Dining Wallet, it contains $40 worth of dining vouchers that you can use at selected Food & Beverage [F&B] outlets. Now that’s really something you ought to consider because you pay half price for the value that you are getting! However, this promotion is only valid till 31 August 2012 so be sure you don’t miss out on this awesome deal.

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

In case you are wondering, there are many F&B Outlets where you can utilise your vouchers. The vouchers that are inside the 313 Dining Wallet are, $5 Coffee Bean Voucher, $5 Famous Amos Voucher, $10 The Flying Bread Voucher, Lunch Voucher, Drink Voucher, Snack Voucher, and Dinner Voucher! For the vouchers that have cash value such as the Coffee Bean Voucher, the Flying Bread Voucher, and the Famous Amos Voucher, all you have to do is to use the vouchers at their outlet respectively and use it to purchase whatever food you are planning to purchase. If the amount exceeds the indicated value on the voucher, all you have to do is to just top it up with your own cash.

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

For the Lunch Voucher, Drink Voucher, Snack Voucher, and Dinner Voucher, all you have to do is to present the voucher at the respective participating outlets as indicated in the brochure found in the 313 Dining Wallet and select your food choices that are also indicated in the brochure. For the Lunch Voucher, you can only utilise it at a stipulated time from 1130am to 230pm and for the Dinner Voucher, you can only utilise it from 6pm onwards.

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

Thanks to OMY.SG and the team from Land Lease, I was part of a group of 20 bloggers whom were given the opportunity to taste some of the food that the participating F&B outlets have to offer.

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

We started off at the Basement 3 Food Hall where we sampled some snacks and light-bites from Jollibean, Umi Sushi, The Flying Bread, and Paradise Inn.

The Umi Sushi Outlet at 313@somerset.

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

Look at the variety of sushi, handrolls, and sashimi that they have.

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

The Green Salad we had from Umi Sushi

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

The All Salmon Platter from Umi Sushi

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

Jollibean Outlet at 313@somerset.

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

The Chicken Floss Pancake that we tried [from Jollibean].

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

The Flying Bread Outlet at 313@somerset

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

Look at all the wraps they have!

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012
From Let’s Talk About Food 2012
From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

And yes, we too got a chance to sample the wraps made by The Flying Bread.

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012
From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

The Flying Wrap’s Calamansi Juice with Mint is really something I really like because of its refreshing minty taste.

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

The Paradise Inn outlet at 313@Somerset.

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012
From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

I have earlier done a review on the Paradise Inn restaurant so do check it out here for further details –> https://awinsomelife.org/2012/07/05/paradise-inn-greenwichv/

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

Here are some of the dishes that we sampled from Paradise Inn

Braised Vermicelli with Seafood

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

Homemade Style Fried Vermicelli

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

Then we went to the Malones Irish Restaurant and Bar and the Charlie Brown Cafe, both of which are situated at the Discovery Walk, Level 1 of 313@somerset.

The Malones Irish Restaurant and Bar at 313@somerset, where we tried their Margherita Pizza [with tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil].

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

The unique Charlie Brown Cafe, one of its kind in Singapore.

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012
From Let’s Talk About Food 2012
From Let’s Talk About Food 2012
From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

At Charlie Brown Cafe, we sampled their Chicken Wings and specially concocted drinks.

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012
From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

Oh, and they even gave us a lovely badge too!

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

And we finally ended the whole food tasting session at Food Republic, Level 5 of 313@somerset where we sampled dishes from You Men HK Roast, Bangkok Gem, and Heniu Teppanyaki.

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

Bangkok Gem’s Olive Fried Rice

From Let’s Talk About Food 2012

Just in case you are wondering, the dishes that are featured in this blog entry are not exhaustive of what is offered in the 313 Dining Wallet. In fact, there are also other F&B outlets [such as Yoshinoya, Wang Cafe, The Handburger, Blue Mountain Cafe, Honeymoon Dessert] that are not featured here. For a full list of participating F&B outlets and the food choices available, click here –> http://apps5.noisycrayons.com/313somerset/foodfest/coupons.html

Well, through this event, I also got the opportunity to meet some bloggers and they are Albino, Elrica, Luke, Isaiah, Deenise, Dawn, William. Do check out their blogs because they are really interesting.

So, do make use of this opportunity to check out the 313 Dining Wallet and go on a food fiesta!

Stay tuned to more updates from us.

God bless!

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In Gift Ideas 9 Mins Read

LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone

Hello Everyone,
I am really excited about this blog entry because in this entry, I will share with you readers the latest information first-hand, regarding my experience [thus far] with the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone.

From LG Optimus 4X HD Launch 2012

Thanks to the team from LG Mobile Singapore and One9Ninety, I was selected to be one of the 12 bloggers whom are given the opportunity to try out LG’s latest mobile phone, the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone. In case you are wondering, yes, the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone was loaned to me for 2 months so that I can try it out and give you readers my honest opinion and review.

Well, the last LG phone that I personally owned and used was the LG KM900 Arena and that was in the year 2009! Thinking about my past experience with the LG KM900 Arena, I would never have thought that I would lay my hands on a LG phone ever again because the rise in Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy were just too attractive! But having touched, felt, and fiddled with the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone for the past 1 day, I’m now very confident and open to consider LG as a possible brand for my next phone purchase. Ever since I first started using the mobile phone in 2000, with Nokia 3210 being my first phone, I have used various mobile platforms such as Symbian, Windows, iOS, Blackberry and now, the Android. Out of these various platforms that I’ve used, I personally like the iOS and Android because of its user-friendliness and ability to personalise the phone. So, you can be very sure that my next phone purchase would be one that runs on either the iOS platform or the Android platform [unless there happen to be any significant developments that can far exceed the iOS or Android which I highly doubt so]

So, being a first-time user of the Android platform on the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone, I found the user-interface relatively easy to navigate around. I was able to run multiple applications on the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone with no problems and every applications ran rather smoothly. For me, the most important thing that must be in my phone are applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Instagram and I must say, I’m pretty pleased with the way these applications are running seamlessly on the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone. As I frequently access my emails, I am really extremely happy that my emails can be “pushed” to the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone instantly so that I will never miss any important emails and reply them on the go! One very important reason why I actually liked the iPhone iOS was because it had the iCloud function where every photo I take can be uploaded straight to my computer wirelessly. Thinking that this particular ability was restricted only to the iPhone, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that the Android platform allows me to do the same thing too! In addition, the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone was able to sync my Google Calendar and Picasa Photos which I used frequently on my desktop and that really made life much better for me because I can work efficiently and productively using both the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone and my computer.

Well, some of you may be asking me how the camera of the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone compare to other Smartphones like the HTC One X, the Samsung Galaxy S3, and the Apple iPhone4S. To be frank, I still prefer iPhone4S camera because its autofocus mechanism was pretty fast and the photos that it takes are pretty accurate in terms of colour and exposure. The photos that the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone takes appear to be more on the warm side.

The camera on the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone also has this, “Time Catch Shot” function where it takes a photo even before the shutter button is pressed. This would then allow you to pick the best image and save it accordingly. Such a function would be very much suitable for taking photos of moving objects, children, and pets.

One other cool function of the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone is its ability to zoom-in and zoom-out of a specific area in a video while watching it. While I don’t think I would use this function frequently, I believe it is useful for people whom want to scrutinise any inconsistencies in a video that they have probably directed or produced.

And check out this rather chic function of the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone. You can connect your phone to your computer and use your phone from the computer to send a text message, make a voice call, check out your facebook, and so much more.

From LG Optimus 4X HD Launch 2012

So if you’re wondering what the box contains, here’s what you will find:

The LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone

From LG Optimus 4X HD Launch 2012

A Quick Start Guide, A One-Year Warranty Card, A Charger, A Data Cable, A Stereo Handsfree Earpiece, and Two Near Field Communication [NFC] Tags

From LG Optimus 4X HD Launch 2012

Ok, I have heard of the NFC function before but I haven’t really utilise it. In fact, my Blackberry has this function but I do not use it at all. Well, as the box contains the NFC tags and it was a virgin experience for me to explore the NFC function, I actually stick the NFC tag which was labelled for car onto my car windshield. When I placed my phone near it, the phone detects the NFC tag and automatically activates the Car Mode where it offers navigational capabilities. Its pretty cool I would say. Oh, and I heard from a fellow blogger, Lester Chan, whom were there for the launch as well, mentioning that the NFC function could even let you check the balance on your EZ-Link card!

From LG Optimus 4X HD Launch 2012

Anyway, LG is having a promotion with Box.Net where every user of a LG Android Device [the device must have a display resolution of 320 X 480 or higher and must be running on Android OS 2.1 or above] can qualify for the free 50GB LIFETIME Cloud Storage Promotion. I must say, this is really an awesome deal considering that Samsung Galaxy S3 is only offering 50GB of Dropbox Storage for 2 years.

From LG Optimus 4X HD Launch 2012

Ok, moving on to the more important aspect of this blog entry. Personally, I am a heavy phone user where I make alot of phone calls, reply a lot of emails, and frequently access my social media applications such as Twitter, Instagram, Whatsapp, and Facebook; hence, the battery life of a phone is of utmost importance to me. In terms of capacity, the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone is the highest as compared to Samsung Galaxy S3 or the HTC One X. Given the way I used my phone, I reckon that the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone could last me 1 day on 1 full charge. Hearing from some of my friends who uses the HTC One X, they regretted getting the phone because the battery life is super short [lasting them a few hours]!

So, whats the price of the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone? Well, for Singtel, it is retailing the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone at a price of $288 for a 2-years mobile contract on the iOne Plus Plan; for M1, it is retailing the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone at a price of $448 for a 2-years mobile contract on the Sunsaver Plan; for Starhub, the phone is not available yet. If you compare the price of the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone to Samsung Galaxy’s S3 and HTC One X, the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone definitely offers much more value.

Well, I shan’t bore you all down with the details and specifications of the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone any further but if you do have any questions or if you want to have a feel of the phone, do let me know so that you can try out the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone that I am currently holding onto. Other than that, do stay tuned to my blog entries for the next two months which will feature photos that are taken using the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone Camera and if I really have the time, I would do some guitar recordings of myself and share it with you all.

In case you want to compare the specifications and features of the HTC One X, Samsung Galaxy S3, and the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone, check out the following screen grab I gotten from Singtel Mobile’s Website.

From LG Optimus 4X HD Launch 2012

Here are some photos that I took during the LG Live Event that was held at the Marina Bay Sands:

This replica was imported from Europe and it didn’t come cheap.

From LG Optimus 4X HD Launch 2012

The LG Smart 3D Split-Screen TV where two gamers can play games and see things from their own perspective is rather unique.

From LG Optimus 4X HD Launch 2012

Our trainer for the evening whom guided us to the various functions of the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone.

From LG Optimus 4X HD Launch 2012

The following commercial basically summarises the benefits of the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone:

And if you’re interested to read a review from Hardware Zone about the LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone, click the following link: http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/review-lg-optimus-4x-hd-affordable-quad-core-contender

Life’s really good with the zippy, trail-blazing and sleek LG Optimus 4X HD Smartphone!

Stay tuned for more updates from us!

God bless!

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In Gift Ideas 7 Mins Read

Vendors/Suppliers for Jacqueline’s 24th Birthday and Proposal Party

Hello Everyone, this is one long overdue post but nevertheless, here it is!
Here are the details of the vendors/suppliers whom I engaged for Jacqueline’s 24th Birthday and Surprise Proposal Party

Meyson Jewellery

Many ladies and gentlemen whom are of the same age as me have absolutely zero knowledge about diamonds. In fact, most of the people whom I know are absolutely clueless about choosing diamonds; especially the gents whom are preparing or planning to propose. Well, I am not a professional in this area but I shall attempt to impart some basic knowledge I have about choosing diamonds. A friend of mine once asked me if diamond rings are still relevant in today’s context and my answer to him was a big, “Yes!”.

Ok, there are 4Cs you got to look out for when considering to purchase diamonds.

The 4Cs are Carat, Colour, Clarity, and Cut.

Carat is used to measure the weight of a diamond. The bigger the number of carat, the more expensive the diamond will be. However, the price of 2 diamonds that are of the same carat may differ greatly as there are factors such as Colour, Clarity, and Cut to consider.

Colour of a diamond is graded from the alphabet D to Z. Diamonds that are graded D in colour have the purest colour, that is, they are colourless and they are the best colour for diamonds. A totally colorless diamond allows light to pass through it easily, resulting in the light being dispersed as the color of the rainbow. For diamonds that are graded E-Z colour, you can actually see that the colour of the diamond is tinted yellow or brown.

Clarity of a diamond is graded from Flawless [FL] to Inclusions Visible to the Naked Eye [I3]. Most diamonds contain very tiny impurities know as “inclusions.” An inclusion can interfere with the light passing through the diamond. The fewer the inclusion, the more beautiful the diamond will be.

Cut of a diamond has a few varieties and they can be graded good, very good, and excellent. In fact, under the microscope, if the cutting of a diamond is perfect, you can literally see shapes of hearts and arrows. However, diamonds with rather fanciful cuttings tend to be quite expensive; especially those from Lee Hwa, Goldheart, and etc. Well, for Baby’s diamond ring, I specially got it from Meyson Jewellery [Serangoon NeX] because the price was extremely reasonable and their service were excellent. If you are planning to get diamond rings, you might want to consider getting them from Meyson Jewellery. And if you are going to the outlet at Serangoon NeX, do look up Angel [one of the retail staff] because she can really recommend one that your other half will like.

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Party Blasters Setting up decorations can be a tedious task and especially time consuming. Hence, for Baby’s party, I specially engaged Party Blasters to do up the decorations and they have indeed done a really excellent job. If you are looking for a trustworthy, reliable, and creative decorations team, do check out Party Blasters as they have a wide range of exotic balloons that you can choose from. Better still, head down to their office [situated at MidView City] for a non-obligatory discussion. To check out the various decorations they have done for events, like their Facebook Pagenow!

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Pine Garden’s Cakes I first tasted Pine Garden’s Cakes when I attended Winnie’s 21st birthday and I must say, Pine Garden’s Cake is absolutely delicious. The price of Pine Garden’s Cake is also rather reasonable and their service is prompt and efficient. There are also a whole range of flavours that you can choose from to customise the cake. If you are looking for cakes that not only taste delicious but one that appeals to the eye, you might want to consider Pine Garden’s Designer Cakes.

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Eesha Eesha is a Taiwanese professional make-up artist and Baby gotten her contact from Cozy Cot’s website. Since Baby wanted to look really pretty for her party, Baby engaged Eesha’s service and Eesha was really service-oriented. When we reached Eesha’s place, she made us felt rather comfortable and even offered us drinks. Eesha also has a professional make up space at her place so you can be rest assured that everything is all professionally done. If any of you are interested to engage Eesha’s make up service, you can contact her at 81812528.

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Foodlink Catering From what I heard, Foodlink Catering is a rather new food caterer and I had mixed feelings when I wanted to engage the services of Foodlink Catering. Even after the party, our guests had mixed feelings about the quality of the food. While the buffet line-up was pretty impressive, I personally felt that the food quality was perhaps average. The price per person is also not that cheap too. Hence, I perhaps would not recommend Foodlink Catering if you are going for quality food. In fact, Neo Gardenmight be a better choice instead.

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Bloom Room There are many florists in Singapore that sells 99-roses bouquet and I happened to chance upon Bloom Room during an Internet search on Google’s website. In fact, out of the many florists that sells 99-roses bouquet, I engaged Bloom Room because of their extremely personalised service and their reasonable pricing as well. Jaclyn [the staff from Bloom Room] was very helpful and she even went the extra mile by offering me 3 ideas of 99-roses bouquet to choose from. So, if you are looking for a 99-roses bouquet for your other half, you might want to consider Bloom Room.

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

No. 1 Costume Costume There are quite  a couple of costume shops in Singapore and the first time I heard of No.1 Costume Costume was when I performed for NDP many years ago. Although I did thought of checking out the rest of the costume shops apart from No. 1 Costume Costume, I decided that location was going to be the top consideration as I wanted to save the hassle of travelling to and fro. Moreover, No. 1 Costume Costume is perhaps Singapore’s largest costume shop  and they probably have the most widest range of costumes to choose from. If you are looking for a costume for a themed party, No. 1 Costume Costumeis one place you must visit!

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Sticky Sticky’s first candy shop was at The Central, Clarke Quay and since then, they have flourished and opened other outlets in Cathay Cineleisure Orchard and Jcube too. Sticky’s candies are honestly perfect for doorgifts and not only that, their candies are really tasty and addictive. The best thing is, it is not very expensive! If you are sourcing for suitable doorgifts for your party, you might want to consider Sticky!

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Stay tuned to more updates from us!

God bless!

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In Gift Ideas 10 Mins Read

Insights to Jacqueline’s 24th Birthday and Surprise Proposal Party!

Hello Everyone,
in this blog post, I will be sharing with you the insights to Jacqueline’s 24th Birthday and Surprise Proposal Party and how the event was conceived.

Well, the idea for the proposal was conceived in January earlier this year and the plan was to coincide it with Jacqueline’s 24th birthday. In fact, the main plan all along was to coincide the proposal with her birthday. I had about 6 months to plan this entire event and there were many ideas that came to my mind.

Some ideas for the proposal were:

1). Tell her that I have regimental duty in camp and won’t be able to book out in time for her birthday celebration; then tell her sister to bring her out to the movies and viola, screen a video proposal in the cinema where family members and friends have all been seated by then.

2). Bring her out for lunch with family members and friends at a restaurant and propose after the lunch; then have a staycation with her and a romantic dinner by the waterfront.

3). Take her to the Universal Studios Singapore for a day of excitement and fun; then have a dinner at one of the restaurants where family members and friends have all already been settled down to celebrate her birthday; and finally propose during the fireworks show.

4). Rent a private yacht that can accommodate 12 people for 3-4 hours and have a romantic dinner and propose to her out at sea.

As you can see, there were so many ideas for the proposal but there were also two main considerations that I had to bear in mind and they were:

a). Finance/Budget
b). Number of people Attending

Being a NSF [where allowance is just barely enough to make ends meet], I had to save really hard so that the proposal could come to pass. Hence, this was one important consideration that I took note of as I only had 6 months to save. The number of people that would be attending the event was also another important consideration for me as the greater the number of people, the more it would cost.

So, after much planning and re-planning, I finally decided on the final idea for the proposal and that is, to hold a birthday celebration for her at a function room where family members and friends would be present, do a “disappearing act”, and then dressed up in a mascot costume to surprise her during the cake-cutting, sing our favourite love song, and finally propose to her.

With that idea in mind, I went on to meetup with lots of vendors/suppliers to negotiate for a reasonable price for their services and it was really quite a draining process as I had to send out emails after emails for quotations and confirmations.

As I was counting down to the day of the proposal, I was naturally anxious because I wanted to make sure that everything would go smoothly. In fact, two weeks before the proposal, I had to change the date of the proposal from the 16th of June to the 17th of June as the function room wasn’t available on the intended date for the proposal! Hence, I really thank God that we managed to book the function room for the 17th of June even though I had to liaise/communicate with the suppliers/vendors via email regarding the changes.

Well, the day finally came when I had to propose and all the hardwork and effort that I put in was all worth it as Jacqueline was so surprised and touched with the proposal that she said, “Yes!”

Check out the photos below:

As the theme for Jacqueline’s birthday was, “Candylicious”, I decided to get handmade candies from Sticky so as to distribute it as door-gifts to all the guests. Each bottle would normally cost $2.50 but I was given a discount of $0.30 per bottle and hence paid $2.20 per bottle. On top of that, I was given a 5% off by Sticky. I’m so glad that all our guests loved the door-gifts!

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

To make the event a rather special and memorable one, I engaged Party Blasters to be the official decorations team for the event and I must say this, they did such a fantastic job that everyone talked about the decorations and commented that it was so fairy-tale like! So, if you are looking for someone to decorate your event, do check out Party Blasters and I’m sure you will be blown away with their stunning creativity!

The Hello Kitty Walker was quite a hit with everyone as everyone wants to have a picture with it.

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

The Tea-Light Candle set the perfect mood and ambience for the event and it was on every table and the buffet line as well.

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Here’s Cheryl and Winnie whom were manning the reception desk where guests had to write their well-wishes on the heart-shaped sticker and then take a Polaroid photograph to attach to the guestbook!

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

The Food Caterer was Foodlink Catering and it was our first time engaging their services. There were mixed reviews about the quality of the food as some said it was excellent, some said it was so-so, while some said it was not good. I guess everyone have their own taste but well, there were tons of leftover food because 10 people backed out from the event at the eleventh hour [yes, they said they could not make it on the day itself! If it was more than 3 days before the event, I could still accept, but well, on the day itself is a bit too much uh!] Honestly, I was quite disappointed as the people whom flew my aeroplane were the ones whom I thought I could trust and depend on. Well, from this experience itself, I could kinda tell who’s my friend and who’s not.

Overall Buffet Line

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Pineapple Fried Rice

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Xin Zhou Bee Hoon

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Curry Chicken

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Butter Prawns

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Spring Rolls

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Ngoh Hiang

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Sweet and Sour Fish

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Braised Toufu with Mushrooms

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Alright… so now on to the more interesting part of my blog post.

Ming Wei, Winnie, Xin Ying, Wanli, and Shaun were doing the “behind-the-scenes” work for the proposal and they went to my car to prepare the light sticks to form the words, “Will U Marry Me?”

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

And here’s Xin Ying and Winnie helping me out with the costume! Yes I looked retarded cause it was so hard to get dressed up!

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

In case you are wondering where I rented the mascot costume from, I got it from No. 1 Costume Costume and this was perhaps the cutest costume that was recommended to me by Jordan, the staff from No. 1 Costume Costume. They have a whole range of costumes for parties and you might want to check them out should you be attending any dress-up parties.

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

On my way to the function room from the carpark, with Winnie and Wanli guiding me!

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Meanwhile at the function room, Ming Wei was coordinating the whole birthday celebration and they were all getting ready for the big moment! Baby thought I was still in the toilet answering to nature’s call.

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

The cake that I gotten for Baby was designed by myself and it was baked by Pine Garden’s Cakes. Honestly, their cakes are really awesome. I personally tried it myself and I really like the soft texture of their cakes. The top tier of the cake that I designed for Baby was Bailey’s Chocolate Crunch while the bottom tier of the cake was Black Forest, both of which were simply delicious! If you are looking for delicious-looking designer cakes, you have to try Pine Garden’s Cakes!

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

And so.. the celebration began! Baby thought I wasn’t able to make it on time to celebrate her birthday as I was still in the “toilet”.

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

After the singing of the birthday song, I appeared in the Mascot costume and she was so surprised that she teared!

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Needless to say, she guessed correctly that I was the one in the Mascot costume.

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Then, a proposal video produced by Calista was shown to her on the iPad while I was preparing my guitar to sing our favourite love song, that is, Telling the World by Taio Cruz.

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

And so… I proposed to her!

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

and she said, “Yes!”

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

This was my birthday gift to Baby and I got it from TeddyHub at a really good price! The bear is 1.4M tall by the way.

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

And these are all the presents that Baby got on her birthday! She’s truly blessed indeed!

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Alright, for you guys out there who are going to propose soon, you must be wondering where you can get a 99-flowers bouquet! For mine, I got it from Bloom Room and they did a rather excellent job of designing the bouquet and wrapping it up. Well, I didn’t expect that a bouquet of 99 roses would be so huge and heavy but really, a 99-roses bouquet definitely adds a “WOW” factor to the proposal! I got the 99-roses bouquet at a rather decent price and many people whom asked me about it were so surprised that they asked me for their contact!

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012
From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

So, this is the story of my proposal and how it all went about. Well, I’m sure all of you would surely have your own story to tell too!

If you are interested in engaging the services of the vendors/suppliers that I engaged for my proposal, do feel free to contact me and drop me an email at melvinlee@awinsomelife.org

Stay tuned for my next blog entry as I share with you the details about the various vendors/suppliers whom I engaged for the proposal!

God bless!

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In Gift Ideas 3 Mins Read

Official Thank You Note for Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

Hello Everyone,
this is an Official, Sincere, and Heart-Felt Thank You Note to everyone whom attended Jacqueline’s 24th Birthday and Surprise Proposal Party!

As an individual, I am not really good at giving speeches as I mostly tend to give an overall view of a particular topic and may sometimes miss out on the more important minute details. Hence, this note serves to complement what I have shared during Jacqueline’s 24th Birthday and Surprise Proposal Party.
———-
Baby and I taking a photo with the Hello Kitty Walker before the start of the event

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

———-
First and foremost, I would like to thank my parents whom were really supportive of me in everything I do. If not for them, this event would not have been possible. In fact, they were the ones whom sponsored the entire food catering and I really felt blessed as it lightened the budget that I have allocated for the entire event.

To add on, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my siblings; Jacqueline’s sister and brother-in-law [Jasmine and Melvin]; my relatives [uncles, aunts, cousin]; and family friends [Mr. Ng and family] whom took the time off to grace this special occasion. Your presence has made this event a rather special and meaningful one and I really appreciate the thoughtful and kind gesture.
———-
Family Photo [with Parents, Siblings, Uncles, Aunts, and Cousin]

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

———-
Photo with Baby’s Sister and Brother-in-Law

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

———-
Photo with Mr. Ng and Family

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

———-
There are also a couple of people whom have contributed significantly to the event and I also want to show my appreciation to them. They are,

Ming Wei- for coordinating and assisting me in planning the proposal and birthday celebration

Calista- for burning her weekends to produce the awesome proposal video

Winnie- for assisting me with the bunny costume and the signing of the guestbook

Cheryl- for helping me out with the distribution of door-gifts and the signing of the guestbook

Xin Ying- for being the official event photographer

Wanli- for assisting me with the flower bouquet, proposal ring, and being the co-event photographer

I would also like to thank Yong Siang, Verene, Jing Yi, Kenny, Shu Yi, Shaun, Jun Xiang, Shane, Sihui, Chao Han, Chao Hong, and Xin Hui for being so helpful in every way that is possible so that the event can run smoothly.
———-
Group Photo with the Cellgroup

From Jacqueline’s Birthday and Proposal 2012

———-
In addition, here are the following suppliers and vendors whom have contributed to this memorable event as well and I would like to thank them for the efficient and attentive service that they have rendered. They are,

The Bloom Room; Sticky; Party Blasters; Pine Garden’s Cakes; Foodlink Catering, No. 1 Costume Costume, TeddyHub, and Meyson’s Jewellery.

That’s all for this thank you note and do check out my next blog post for more insights about Jacqueline’s 24th Birthday and Surprise Proposal Party!

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