Celebration @ Boon Lay Raja Restaurant!!

Dear all, =)

We had an advanced Birthday celebration for Dad as Dad and Mum will be in Europe on his Birthday. We decided to go to Boon Lay Raja Restaurant for lunch as Grandma likes the food.

After much deliberations, we decided to order individual dishes instead of a Set. Reason being I was having a sore throat and most of the Sets comprise some fried dishes. And we get to order what we like.

We picked 8 items from the menu:

1. Crayfish Salad with 4 Other Sides Cold Dish

You will have to check with the waiter or waitress if you want to find out the names of the other sides in this Cold Dish. There is a moderate selection of Cold Dishes. Each with a different "Main Character", e.g. Abalone, Lobster. I love the sweetness and chewy texture of Crayfish, thus this is an obvious choice. The other sides are: Baby Octopus in Thai Sauce, and Mini Pacific Clams ("Bao Bei"). I did not eat the other sides as they are fried. My overall rating for the Crayfish Salad, Baby Octopus and Mini Pacific Clams is 2.5/5. The reasons, the Crayfish Salad was average, the Thai sauce for the Baby Octopus was too sour and the Mini Pacific Clams taste horrible. All in all, the Seafood does not taste fresh and it was a disappointment!

2. Fish Maw Soup

The Fish Maw Soup was not too bad in terms of appearance, aroma and taste. The ingredients were rather plentiful and fresh. Unlike the usual clear Fish Maw Soup found in Nyonya Restaurants, this soup has a thick mouthfeel. My rating is 3/5.

3. Fried Tofu with Spinach

My Grandma loves Fried Tofu with Spinach neatly packed on them. So we decided to order this. However, the Tofu is too oily and the Spinach is too dry. The Spinach does not add any flavour to the Tofu. A heartbreaker. My rating is 2/5.

4. Hong Kong Style Steamed Marble Goby ("Soon Hock")

The Marble Goby is supposed to be one of the best tasting freshwater fishes. The meat should be smooth, tender and sweet. For the dish we ordered, the fish is indeed smooth but not so much of tenderness and sweetness. My rating is 2.5/5.

5. Braised Duck with Sea Cucumbers

The Duck is roasted and the meat is tough. Not what I had hoped for. The Sea Cucumbers are another disappointment. Most of them are hard and not chewy. My rating is 2.5/5.

6. Mixed Vegetables

There is a handful of nutrients in this dish. The vegetables include Broccoli, Flat Beans, Carrots, Baby Corns and Mushrooms. The gravy complements the vegetables quite well. It tastes a little like Shark Fins' Soup. My rating is 3/5.

7. Longevity Noodles and 8. Longevity Buns

What is a Birthday without a symbol of our Well Wishes towards Dad? Longevity Noodles or Longevity Bun is commonly eaten by the Birthday Boy or Girl in the Chinese culture.

I hope you will find the above useful. The location of Boon Lay Raja Restaurant is Blk 135 Jurong Gateway Road, #02-337, Singapore 600135. For more details, you may visit the website at http://boonlayrajarestaurant.com/

P.s. I love you, Dad!

New Energy Drink in Town!

Dear all, :)

Energy Drink is for people who need an energy boost.

Recently, I have spotted a new Brand of Energy Drink in Singapore. It was spotted in NTUC Fairprice in mid-September 2011. The brand name seems to be 235. I am not sure how it got its name. But the words appearing in mind are "Casual", "Fun" and "Energizing".

This is the image of the Energy Drink:

What is special about this Energy Drink? To me, it's about the blend of flavours - Plum + Cranberry! I have not seen this mix of flavours in the Energy Drink category in Singapore.

The energy-boosting ingredients in this Energy Drink are - Sugar, Taurine, Caffeine, Inositol and Glucuronolactone. Taurine and Caffeine are well-recognized by the Consumer for energy boost. The product is also fortified with Vitamins B3, B5, B6 and B12. These ingredients are quite common in the Energy Drink category.

I believe that there is an opportunity for addition of natural ingredients like Ginseng and Gingko Bilbo Extracts.

Hope the above is useful for those who simply love to rock with the "Power" of Energy Drinks!

p.s. Personally, I wouldn't recommend more than one Energy Drink a day. The key is moderation.

What's for Dinner? Episode one

Dear fans,

I consider myself lucky. I have a great mother who is a fantastic cook. My mum will cook at least thrice a week. :)

Here are some photos for your sweet admiration (taken on 13/10/2011):

Fried Eggs with Onions and Prawns

Braised Bittergourds with Pork

Yong Tau Foo

Ah Char
(My mum bought this for our Appetizer)

Isn't the above lovely? I hope these photos will inspire you to be an "iron chef" for your loved ones! :)

p.s. Stay tuned for the next Episode! :)

Home-made Breakfast!! =)

Dear Readers, =)

Recently, I made a heart-warming breakfast for my family. Pictures are as uploaded. :)

First Occasion:
Scrambled Eggs, Cheese Chicken Sausages, Biscuits and Baby Tomatoes
+ a Glass of Milk
(The Biscuits are similar to the Popeyes's Biscuits)

Second Occasion:
Scrambled Eggs, Cheese Pork Sausages, Pancakes and Baby Tomatoes
+ MacDonalds Coffee
(I used "White Wings" Instant Pancake Mix. On the packaging, there is a label that states "Just Add Water". When cooking the pancakes, it is critical to use low to medium heat. Make sure your pan is hot enough first. Use a drop of water to test. If it dances and evaporates, your pan is ready.)

I hope the above pictures have enticed you to prepare Breakfast for your loved ones. If you have any great Breakfast ideas, please feel free to share them with me. =)

Wanton Mee @ Nex Serangoon!

Dear all, :)

I must blog about this superb Wanton Mee from the Graffiti Cafe, located at Nex. It has successfully created a burning craving in me for its Wanton Mee. At least three times a month.

The combination of its "special" Black Sauce and Mee makes my mind, heart and soul crave, race and dance! :)

You can have the flexibility to choose the type of sauce(s) you want for your Wanton Mee:

- Black Sauce

- Chili Sauce

- Ketchup (Tomato Sauce)

My good guess is that many people will go for the Black Sauce + Chili Sauce combination or just Black Sauce alone.

Here are the pictures that I have taken:

1) Black Sauce Wanton Mee ($3.80 a Bowl for Eat-in)

The spotlight is definitely on the Black Sauce and Mee. They complement each other extremely well. The Sauce is right for me - neither too salty nor too oily. 5/5

The Wanton is crispy and the meat within is really minced. I don't quite like the texture of the meat. Sometimes I get the feeling that there is some bone finely minced with the meat. 3/5

The Char Siew pieces are thinly sliced and have a well-balanced sweetness. I wish the store will be more generous with the Char Siew though. More Char Siew please! 4/5

2) It comes with a Bowl of Boiled Wanton Soup (For Eat-in)

The soup is flavourful. The saltiness level is just right. Slightly peppery. I am speculating that they use pork bone to boil the soup. 4/5

My sincere appeal - Try it yourself! You might just fall in love with it! Besides, the store is quite cosy - the interior is "decorated" with artistic Graffiti.

That's all for now. If you have any comments, please feel free to express them. :)

The King Louis Grill & Bar

Hi all, :)

In the month of May, I visited the King Louis Grill & Bar @ Vivocity. It has a castle theme. Obviously, the management has put some thoughts into it. The shop name, exterior store front, interior design and food menu are all aligned to create the intended atmosphere.

Erm.. hem... Let me try to paint your imagination. :)

The Exterior:
The main entrance is an elaborated fortress with the store name, The King Louis, in an enormous font size.

The Interior:
Standing knights in shiny silver and golden armours, gold-beaded curtains, hanging silver torches, wooden tables and a beautiful castle wallpaper.

There are also modern, leather sofa seats located beside the glass window where you can immense yourself in the seaview. From the view, you can easily see a part of the Integrated Resorts World at Sentosa.

One thing weird though. A black-stripped tiger figurine? Can you imagine that? I am not sure why they would want to place a tiger in the restaurant. Maybe the late King Louis has a thing for tiger?

Food Menu:
There are Knight and Queen Feasts where the dishes are bundled. If I recall correctly, the Knight Feast serves a few selections of meats while the Queen Feast has some meats and seafood. In my opinion, unless you are with your guy friend(s) or love meat, stick to Ala Carte (ordering individual dishes) or order the Queen Feast.

Like many other restaurants, they offer appetizers, soups, main courses and desserts. And of course, they serve wines, beers, liquors and cocktails.

Apparently, I found out from The King Louis website that the restaurant serves Medieval cuisine. I wiki-ed Medieval cuisine and it was described as "the foods, eating habits, and cooking methods of various European cultures during the Middle Ages, a period roughly dating from 5th to the 16th century."

Okay, enough of painting. A picture speaks a thousand words. Here are some photos that I had taken:

Store Front

Dashing Knights

Bar and Sofa Seats

Stunning Castle Wallpaper

The King Louis Menu

Mushroom Soup - Rather creamy and full of fresh mushroom aroma

Pork Chop Served with Salad and Grilled Potato - The meat is quite tender and juicy. The mushroom sauce topping is ok, a little oily though. I really love the corns! The dressing is superb! Not sure what it consists of but it tastes sour. When you bite the corns, the sweet juice of the corns and the sour dressing complement each other so well. Like a married couple!

Fish & Chips Served with Salad and Potato Wedges - The fish is a generous portion. It is very tender and fresh. The amount of flour coating is fair enough. However, it is a little too oily for me.

A Glass of White Wine - I am not an expert in wines. But I just love drinking them!

Vanilla Ice Cream with Tiny Chocolate Bits, Topped with Chocolate Syrup - The sweetness of the ice cream is just right! It is fairly creamy. And I love biting the chocolate bits.

Overall, I would rate the food 4/5, customer service 4/5, ambience 4/5. For those who have comments, please feel free to share with everyone here.

For those who are interested to know more, this is their website:

http://www.thekinglouis.com/

My Blog is 1 Year and 23 Days Old!!

Hi all,

I just want to say "Dear Blog, I love you!"

My first post was on 17/06/2010.

Which means my blog is 1 Year and 23 Days Old and Counting...

Not forgetting the lovely readers of my blog, I love you too! :)

p.s. Please continue to love and enjoy your life.

All You Can Eat Ala Carte Buffet Lunch!!!

Hi everyone, :)

I'm back! I am so sorry for being away for such a long period (close to 3 months)! I have so much to share with everyone! Miss each and every one who cares about me and my blog! =)

I visited this Chinese restaurant called The Seafood International Market & Restaurant in May. I love their tagline - "If It Swims We have it". I am not sure if this is true, but it may not be possible to offer all variants of seafood. The tagline is just cute. It portrays their clear positioning of being "an expert" in seafood. Anyway, looking at the store name and interior design of the restaurant, my expectation of the food was pretty high.

I was surprised to find out that the price of its buffet lunch is relatively cheap.
On Weekdays: Price per Adult is S$23.80++
Price per Child is S$16.80++
On Weekends, Eve of Public Holiday & Public Holiday:
Price per Adult is S$25.80++
Price per Child (3 to 11 years old) is S$16.80++
The time starts from 11.30am to 2.30pm (Last order is 2pm).

According to the menu, there are 40 dishes, of which 12 dishes are limited to one serving. There are a variety of choices, ranging from soups, appetizers, salads, Tim Sum to main dishes. All you have to do is to indicate on a piece of paper what you want and the dishes will be served. There is also a dessert corner where you have to pick them yourself.

I had tasted about 15 to 18 dishes. However, I am only going to upload the dishes that are above average in taste.

1. Braised Mini Whole Abalone with Oyster Sauce

The mini abalone is fresh. The sauce complements it. I love that this dish is served with broccoli.

2. Beef Steak with Black Pepper Sauce
I only had a bite. The beef is tender and it tastes great with the black pepper sauce. Not too spicy.

3. Fried Assorted Mushroom with Baby "Gai Lan"
The Vegs are fresh and crunchy. The mushrooms are stir-fried with some kind of sauce (I figure there must be oyster sauce). It lovingly absorbed all the sauce. Overall, this dish has a well-balanced sweetness and saltiness, and a great mouthfeel.

4. Fried Turkey Breast with Tri-Sauce
What I love about this dish? I love the tenderness of the meat.

5. "Char Siu" Turkey Breast
The meat is lean, tender and thinly sliced. The sauce is pleasantly sweet.

You might ask, what about the other dishes? The other 10 to 13 dishes that I had tasted were really not worth talking about. They were average. I was most disappointed by the two Tim Sum that I had - Steamed Crystal Prawn Dumpling and the Steamed Chicken "Siu Mai" Dumpling.

Overall, I give the food 3/5, customer service 3/5, ambience 3.5/5. Maybe my expectations were overly high.

For those who are interested in patronising The Seafood International Market & Restaurant, this is the address:
902 East Coast Parkway, Blk A #01-01 Playground @ Big Splash

The website is: http://www.lobster.com.sg/

Welcome Lunch!

Dear all, =)

My company's Bosses and colleagues were kind enough to hold a welcome lunch for 2 other colleagues and I. Today marks the start of my 2nd month in the company. Actually, I already had a great welcome lunch in my 1st week. But today is a larger group, involving 3 departments.

Today we went to "Prosperous Kitchen", a Chinese Restaurant located at Basement 1 of West Coast Plaza. We had Dim Sum and some Chinese dishes.

These are what we had ordered:

Dim Sum: Carrot Cakes, Yam Pies, Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Bean, Fried Beancurd Rolls (Fu Pi Juan), Steamed Prawn Dumplings (Ha Gao), Steamed Pork Dumplings with Prawn (Siu Mai) and Barbecued Pork Buns (Char Shao Bao)

Chinese Dishes: Fried Chicken with Bean Paste Sauce, Lettuce with Sauce and Braised Ee Fu Noodle

I will only highlight the ones that are tasty to me (the rest are either below average or average):

1. Yam Pies



The Pie is crispy. Biting into it, the aroma swam joyously in my mouth. The sweetness of the yam is just right.

2. Fried Beancurd Rolls



This is impressive! The exterior is crispy and the interior is soft and juicy. Best of all, it doesn't have the oily mouthfeel.

3. Fried Chicken with Bean Paste Sauce



The chicken is crispy and it goes rather well with the bean paste sauce.

All in all, I give a rating of 3.5/5.0 for all the dishes that we had ordered. The 3 dishes that I had highlighted above contributes to bulk of the score.

=)

Xin Wang Taiwan Cafe @ CityLink Mall

Hi,

A good evening to start a Blog post. The weather is cool after a heavy rain. =)

I am going to comment on a Taiwanese Cafe which I had visited with a friend about a month ago.

The name of the Taiwanese Cafe is called Xin Wang Taiwan Cafe. You can read more about its profile at this link: http://www.xinwang.com.sg/profile_taiwan.htm

The atmosphere is quite comfortable and casual. I browsed through the menu. I like the cartoon drawings of some of the dishes on the menu. So cool and creative. Basically, the cafe has a range of Taiwan's well-known snacks. But I was quite disappointed that the Oyster omelette is not on the menu. It is my favourite Taiwan snack.

Anyway, we ordered the Braised Pork Noodle, Tempura and a Mango Smoothie.

Here are my comments for the first two:

Tempura - Don't be mistaken. This is completely different from the Japanese Tempura. This dish is something like a Fish Paste Cake. There are three served on the plate. It is not very flavourful but it has the desirable aroma and sweetness of a fish paste. The dipping sauce is supposed to be sweet but it is quite bland.

I would like to contrast this dish with the other Taiwanese Tempura that I ate at one of the night markets in Taipei. The colour and texture are different from this. That one is pale yellow in colour, topped with a sweet sauce (taste a little like ketchup sauce without the sourness). The texture is more chewy. To say the truth, I prefer that.

Braised Pork Noodle - The gravy of the braised pork is not too salty - just right. There are some fats on each cube of meat. It is meant to be this way. The noodle is nice. It is not very chewy though. So if you are looking forward to a chewy noodle, you may be disappointed. Overall, the dish is satisfying. :)




Based on my overall experience (food choices, the dishes we ordered, ambience and customer service), I give it a 3.5/5.0. I will probably visit the store again. I would like to try other dishes like the Salted Crispy Chicken Bites.

Breakfast for Thought!

Hi,

Tonight is a great night to think about breakfast! =)

Breakfast is about the most important meal of the day! Has anyone heard of this phrase?

"Eat like a King for Breakfast, Eat like a Prince for Lunch and Eat like a Beggar at Night"

It is important to have a nutritious meal for breakfast. So I am going to "share" my breakfast with you. I had these for a week about two weeks ago:



I am not saying that this is the best breakfast. There are so many choices out there. For example, egg (scrambled egg, omelette etc.), cheese, tuna, toast etc. A sandwich is great.

I would appreciate any comments you may have. =)

P.S. This week I am having White bread + milk.

Brotzeit (German Bier Bar & Restaurant)

Hi everyone, =)

I had an awesome dinner session with my University friends last week. Definitely a good way to celebrate before my first week of work!

We went to Brotzeit's flagship outlet in VivoCity. Queued about 15 minutes before we were let in. I really don't mind waiting for the good food and ambience! To avoid queuing, you can make a reservation in advance (to play safe, call in at least 3 days in advance).

Before commenting, a little background of Brotzeit (Source - http://www.brotzeit.co/about.html):

"Brotzeit offers the world famous quality of German beers accompanied by authentic Bavarian cuisine in a chic and contemporary setting.

"Brotzeit" is a typical Bavarian expression – "Brot" being German for bread and "Zeit" for time, referring to a cozy meal complemented by fresh beer."

The atmosphere of Brotzeit at VivoCity is unbeatable! There are 3 "themes" - outdoor table seats, bar counter and indoor table seats. I visited this outlet a couple of times before so I had tried all the "themes". I personally prefer the indoor table seats because of the coziness. If there are empty seats, you can choose where to make yourself comfortable. We were allocated seats outdoor (near the seaside facing Sentosa).

Every time I visit Brotzeit, I will order the Smoked Pork Sausages! In my eyes, they are something to die for. Not too salty, not too hard, just right for me!

These are the dishes we ordered for the night:

1. Salat mit Wurst (mixed salad with the best of our julienne cold cuts, emmenthaler cheese, mixed bell peppers, gherkins, boiled eggs, onions and sour cream)

I am not a super salad fan. To me, this is average to slightly above average. Worth ordering if you want some greens.

2. Kaspressknödelsuppe (Onion soup with cheese dumplings)

I love this soup! The onions are not overpowering and the cheese dumplings are lovely!

3. Naturschnitzel vom Huhn (Grilled US chicken breast on mashed potatoes with sour cream sauce served alongside a mixed salad tossed in balsamic vinaigrette)

Average. I don't really like the taste of the chicken breast.

4. Würstelplatte (Authentic sausage platter with spicy chicken sausages, Nürnberger pork bratwurst, mini pork-beef cheese sausages, weisswurst sausage and garlic sausage with sauerkraut and mustard)

The dish comprises of 5 types of sausages. The spicy chicken sausages have a thrilling and somewhat addictive spicy aftertaste. Recommended for those who love the thrill. Certainly not for me, I can't even finish one.

The most memorable sausage for me is the pork sausage. I simply love the taste.

The other sausages are rather average.

There are 3 sauces for dipping - sweet mustard, sweet chili and "satay sauce". The best for me is sauce that tastes something like our Singapore satay sauce.

5. Pork Knuckle (Served with potatoes and some greens)

The pork knuckle has a crispy texture. I must say I am a little disappointed. It has this meaty pork taste that not everyone can appreciate.

Please enjoy the photos that I took:







Feel free to share any comments if you have! I would love to hear them.

p.s. The menu can be found on Brotzeit's website.

Pasta for dinner

Hi all, =)

Tonight I had a wonderful time preparing dinner with my Mother. =)

We cooked pasta (Spaghetti and Linguine) for four. But probably is enough for five.

These are the ingredients we used:

1 carrot
2 stalks of celery
6-8 mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus)
1 brown onion
$5 minced meat
1 can of Campbell's Pasta sauce (We added 1/2 can of water to make a larger serving)
2-3 tablespoons of Tomato sauce
1/2-1 tablespoon of sugar
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil (to stir fry the first five ingredients above)
1/4 pack of Linguine
1/2 pack of Wholemeal Spaghetti

All we did was to dice up the first four ingredients. We did not have to dice the meat as it is already minced when we bought it from the market.

To cook the pasta, just boil enough water to submerge the pasta in the water. After the water is boiled, leave the fire on. Place the pasta into the water. Depending on what type of pasta you use, the cooking time will differ. Usually, there will be a label on the packaging stating the time needed. In our case, we decided to use linguine and wholemeal spaghetti for a healthy combination. (It's like mixing brown rice with white rice). Two reasons why people mix the rices instead of using pure brown rice I believe are, brown rice is more expensive and some people dislike the taste. After the pasta is cooked, take it out and pour some water (we just use tap water) onto the pasta so that they will not stick together.

Our dinner is perfect. But I feel that we should dice up the mushrooms in larger sizes. Or next time we shall try using a different type of mushroom. Probably a can of straw mushrooms will do fine. In my opinion, I think that it is good to mix wholemeal pasta with another type of usual pasta because the wholemeal pasta does not taste starchy, which I happen to like the starchy taste of my pasta.

These are the pictures I took:





Please feel free to share your comments or cooking recipes/tips.

Colored "Sand"

Hi everyone, =)

Every time I see that piece of decoration in the cupboard of my living room, it never fails to make me feel so warm inside!

Recalling my polytechnic days, when my friends and I signed up for the Citibank-YMCA Youth for Causes programme... It was a really meaningful programme!

A little background:

"Citi-YMCA Youth for Causes is a community initiative launched by Citi and the YMCA of Singapore since 2002. Funded by Citi Foundation, the programme is a catalyst to promote social entrepreneurship and community leadership development among Singapore youths. It provides youths aged 13 to 35 with seed funding, resources and guidance of selected mentors, to execute sustainable social entrepreneurship ideas and business models that benefit and support Voluntary Welfare Organizations (VWOs) of their choice." (Source: http://www.youthforcauses.com/)

Our business model was simple - to sell as much items as we could to raise funds. We managed to source for cheap food items and gifts.

This is one item that we DIY (Do-it-yourself):



We actually use different colors of chalk to color salt. And then we place them into test tubes. I believe you can use food coloring and sand instead. Sand is more fine than salt. So it all depends on what you are looking for.

I encourage everyone to contribute their parts (big or small) to the Community. There are many people who need our help. =)

Patience is the Key

Hi all,

I was at the Traffic Police Headquarters a few days ago. I saw a few interesting banners (motivating phrases) on the wall at the waiting area.

I took a photo of the banner which was the closest to my heart at that moment.



I feel that Patience is really important. Time will tell everything. So try to keep your cool. And everything will be fine!

I hope it can give you some motivation at some point of your life. Please feel free to share your comments. =)

Watami - Japanese Casual Dining Restaurant

Hi everyone,

I MUST blog about this Japanese restaurant. What I love about the restaurant? The great service, the variety of food & beverage choices, and the warm and relaxing dining experience! And not forgetting - the prices are so reasonable!

To date, I have recommended the restaurant to more than 10 people. It has 4 branches in Singapore - Clarke Quay The Central, Orchard Ion, Raffles City, Bishan Junction 8. I personally patronised the first 3 outlets, 7 times in total!

You can look at the online menu - http://www.watami.com.sg/menus/grand-menu/

I have tried several dishes myself. Just to name my 2 hot favourites:

1) Tonkotsu Kimchi Nabe



But I changed the soup base to Sukiyaki (soy sauce base) instead of Tonkotsu Kimchi (pork bones + kimchi base). If you do not feel like having a spicy meal for the day, feel free to ask the friendly staff to change it for you.

They will give you a raw egg with the hot pot. I would recommend that you beat the egg into the soup so that it would not be too salty for some. Don't get me wrong! I love the soup base. And I love the thinly sliced pork. I love to play with my food, especially when it comes to Shabu-shabu. So if I were you, I would remove all the raw sliced pork from the hot pot and slide each slice on the surface of the soup for about 10 seconds when I am ready to eat the pork.

Oh, you can choose to order either pasta or udon at an extra cost. I prefer to eat rice with the hot pot though.

2) Tompeiyaki (Omelette with sliced pork and cabbage)

Oh!! I love this dish! Don't you just love the combination of egg, sliced pork and cabbage? So Yummy and nutritious! You can have protein, fiber, vitamins from eating the dish. I always order a bowl of rice to go with it - Carbohydrates to fill my stomach.

To conclude, you must really go down and try! A good hang-out place for gatherings and celebrations! So many choices of appetizers, main courses, side dishes, drinks and desserts. And they do have a few choices of sushi for those who love sushi like I do. Trust me, you will be spoiled for choice! =)

P.S. Sorry, I only took a photo of the hot pot. I will post more photos when I get the chance to visit the restaurant again.

Hi all, =)

Have you guys seen the latest Singapore Airlines (SIA) advertisement on TV? Singapore Girl has made her comeback!

For your background, Singapore Girl is sort of the personification of the Singapore Airlines. The Singapore Girl has several key characteristics - gentleness, caring and a great serving attitude.

Back to topic, the TV ad is well-shot and it has definitely achieved its intended impact in my mind.

The general mood of the ad is so relaxing and comforting (with the great scenes, background music and the lovely smile and actions of the Singapore girl). The ad was filmed in four different countries in sequence - USA, India, Europe and China. But I could actually only recognise 2 countries correctly. I thought it was India, Europe and Vietnam.

Laughing out loud! Anyway, the general objective of the ad is to remind the public of the characteristics of Singapore Airlines, which I believe it had been successful!

The video for your viewing:

WeFeedback (A Programme by WFP)

Dear all,

I would like to encourage everyone to look at the new initiative by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) - WeFeedback. (http://www.wefeedback.org/)

"WeFeedback's mission is to enlist your help and the help of your social networks in the fight against the chronic hunger that burdens families all over the world."

I think the new programme launched in February 2011 is really meaningful. Imagine a life where you are constantly starving. Imagine having to sleep on an empty stomach!

If there are meals provided in school, the children will look forward to going to school. Their parents would even encourage them to go to school (both for learning as well as for food). They will have ample energy to focus in their classes. They will not have to suffer so much physically and mentally. If the children can attend school, they may have the chance to break out of poverty and contribute back to the society!

Basically, it's really simple. Just enter your favourite food into the bar. Afterwhich, estimate the cost of your favourite food. You will get to see the number of people being helped with one serving of your favourite food. There is a button where you can click to feed them now.

Please help spread awareness through your social networks now.

P.S. I think having enough teachers, classrooms, books and food work hand in hand. One cannot do without the other. Food is especially important in getting the children to have a constant attendance and energy level both mentally and physically. =)

The Green Hornet (2011)

Dear all, =)

I watched the Green Hornet two days ago. Generally quite a good movie. My primary purpose of watching the Green Hornet is because of Jay Chou. He acts as Kato, the Green Hornet's sidekick.

The Green Hornet first appeared as a radio program in the United States in 1936. Afterwhich, it has appeared on different media platforms like theatres, TV, comic books. More details can be found on Wikipedia.

My Movie Review:

In the movie, Seth Rogen acts as a playboy with no directions in life. After his father's death, he decided to do something meaningful when he met his father's ex-employee, Kato. Together, they tried to save the city from crimes. Their plan was to act as bad guys so that they can get close to bad guys and also avoid being recognised as good guys (to avoid any speculations).

To say the truth, I am rather confused by their plan. But I think it is quite a creative diversion from the usual superhero stories.

The movie focuses quite a bit on the relationship between The Green Hornet and his sidekick, Kato. All I can say is that it is a love-hate relationship. Kato rocks! Watch the movie and you will understand.

Generally, I love the movie. It has some romance, comedy and action. In terms of mystery, not so. All in all, I would give it 4.0/5.0. It would be good if there can be more fighting scenes between the bad guys and The Green Hornet (and Kato). More comedy would be nice too.

Applause to Jay Chou for trying so hard to pronounce his words clearly. It is not easy for someone who do not speak English on a daily basis.

Below is the Official Trailer I got from youtube:

Happy Chinese New Year Eve 2011! =)

Hi all, =P

The first day of Chinese New Year 2011 falls on 3 Feb 2011! Which means today is Chinese New Year Eve 2011!

Wish everyone a happy Chinese New Year!

P.S. Face the future with a great smile and nothing can beat you!