Earth Hour (again)!

this is not my first time blogging about Earth Hour here!see post here and here. but yes, it's the annual Earth Hour again! think when we first started out on this blog, it was the first year that earth hour took place. Im so glad the annual event is still going on! though sadly, I didn't take part these 2 years.

anyway earth hour was today from 8.30 to 9.30pm. I wasn't around this time to see the participating buildings switch off their lights. I hope the participation rate has increased since 3 years ago. so did u take part in earth hour this year?

The iconic starlet (91/365)

I was doing window shopping this afternoon when this starlet caught my eye. it is the latest collection from Predo. Like every girl, i have a thing for shoes, especially pretty red ones and shoes with heels as high as such. I naturally went in Predo to take a look at their other shoes, but they are not having a sale and everything seem pricey. if i buy only one pair, the rest will be sad. So i decided to take a picture of this pretty iconic starlet to remember it always. =)

Fellowship (90/365)

Fridays at cell group is always a good way to end the work week. Sharing with friends, over food and drinks

"We are here to carry each other's burdens and to encourage one another."

I like it

seeking help

found this random brochure, sorry for yet another badly taken picture. anyway today key topic thats been highlighted to me seems to to be about giving back to society. we had a town hall at work today and there was much focus on corporate social responsibility and how the company actively takes part in volunteering activities. today I also met a person who checked himself into a halfway house to curb his addiction. I think halfway houses are a good place for people, especially exconvicts to learn and adapt before assimilating into the society.

so let's be more appreciative of the things we have and at the same time think of how we can give back to society and help those in need :)

Mummy is back! (89/365)

With a ugly hat! Haha! I think they join some tour which gave this hat or something.

Mummy went Chiangmai for company paid trip. And just returned. Finally someone is back to clear our laundry basket.

Easter is coming!

one more weekend to Easter! still remember how i love art lesson nearing Easter cos we always get to design our own Easter egg! and our teacher will normally give us Easter egg chocolates! happy!

but now I've come to know about the importance of Easter. and the greatest gift I've been given on Good Friday. that makes Easter even more worthy of celebrating! :)

kickboxing

so I've been attending kickboxing for 3 weeks now. next week gonna be my last! it was a groupon deal. I feel like I've been working out intensely after every session because my whole body will be aching! probably also cos I'm so lousy and haven't been exercising! thinking of signing up for some fitness class! any cheap recommendations?

A greying momento (88/365)

I found this buried behind alot of my stuff hanging in my room. As you can see, dust already formed and the whole tiny shirt looks so dirty!! Haha. This was given to me back in the days where I was pretty active in Singapore polytechnic, being a committee of this activity and that. Life would have been really boring without those fond memories I had

doormat

this doormat looks like something usually found at a retail store but this picture is actually taken at my aunt's house. what a formal door mat! hmm, was wondering what's the purpose of having a doormat?

Daddy cares (87/365)

Daddy is back from Bangkok and he bought me this. At first glance, I was like what is this? I thought some diamond shapes pendant or earrings. It is a iPhone cover! Though nothing fantastic but at least I know daddy thought of me while he is away as he knows I like red.

( I will keep it for a long long time, when to use? Hmmm.... )

United Square

this shopping mall is marketed as a kids' mall with most of the shops catering to kids. there's cotton on kids, Ben n Jerry's, enrichment classes and even a hair salon specially for kids with little salon chairs and kids entertainment to distract them while having their hair cut.

look! the dustbins are also specially designed to attract kids!

A is for apple, B is for boy, W for? (86/365)

Watermelon! I love these learning charts for kids. I couldn't take the whole chart so i found something red to take. Look how green and red goes nicely together- watermelon, classic example.

anyway back to learning charts. I used to grow up with different learning charts pasted on the wall. one of it was alphabets, just like this one. then i had a recognising colour chart and as i grew older, i had the multiplication learning chart. i will paste pretty learning charts around the house when i have kids in the future.

Resting outside Ion (85/365)

First time i added someone in my red picture of the day. I thought it was appropriate because i had to show that it was a seating place, instead of some artifact. Anyway, outside ion, there are these pretty red seats for people to rest. But on a Sunday like today, I just see alot of maids gathering there, sitting down, chatting loudly and taking photos of each other. We are lucky to get this corner to ourselves and we are there to google where to find the shop we wanted to find.

stationary shopping

since young, I've always liked stationary shopping. I can spend hours just browsing the shelves of a book store and getting fascinated with any new pens launches (notice i didnt mention books. haha) Popular is my favourite bookstore! it has everything! and I never fail to be tempted to buy a new pen everytime!

Strawberries

i love berries! black berries, cherries, strawberries. you name it i love it! and a bowl of fruits like these never fail to make me smile.

They say strawberries are like love, sometimes sweet, sometimes sour.

"roses are red,
violets are blue
strawberries are sweet
and so are you"

erratic weather (84/265)

today's weather was super humid!! almost died walking the short distance from my place to the train station. the weather can be really erratic though. it was scorching hot in the early afternoon today but later in the day, the sky suddenly had very dark clouds and i even heard thunder. not sure if it rained in the evening in the end because I was mostly indoors. the weather was like that a few days ago too. one moment it was humidly hot, the next it started pouring cats and dogs!

'Tong Kong' (83/365)

This money box is always silently present in my cell group each time we gather. It is for members of the group to contribute some sort of funding for cell group gathering. But the treasurer of the group, which this 'tong kong' belongs to will just place at one corner, far away from our fellowship session for anyone to notice so sometimes, we tend to forget it exist.

seaweed shaker fries

pardon me for the badly taken picture. had to take it in a rush with shaky hands. anyway this fries probably needs no introduction. it's McDonald seaweed shaker fries! many people are very happy it's back and raving about it. personally I think the seasoning is alittle too salty for my liking. but I like the idea of shaker fries. reminds me of the childhood snack Mamee! :)

Iphone covers (82/365)

anyone who owns a iphone probably has more than one cover. maybe i am speaking for the ladies. i was packing my room today when i realised all the covers i have are almost all red. these 2 are the surviving ones. some broke, some misplaced. and my current iphone cover is red as well!

how many iphone covers do u own?

bak hu

that's the hokkien name for chicken/pork floss! =p it's always good to have floss around to add flavour to a plain meal. on days when I'm too lazy to get food, I'll just whip up instant noodles and add pork floss to it and I get a simple meal. another way to eat pork floss is adding it to bread with butter! theres so many ways to eat pork floss! how do you normally eat yours?

shopping again

the weekly kickboxing session is not helping my wallet! because the kickboxing place is the heart of orchard, I couldn't resist the lures of forever 21 and h&m after a tiring workout. got myself something new again. oops.

anyway for f21 fans like me, I've got good news to share! if you own a UOB credit/debit card, you get 10% off any regular price from now till 29apr! some serious self control is in order!

Ralph Lauren Male Fragrance (81/365)

awhile back ago, i was choosing male fragrance for my boy. and this Big Pony series of RalphLauren has 4 colours- rblue, red, green and orange. each has its own smell. I guess i was biased somehow, i liked the red colour one the best!!!

RalphLauren has its own market share when it comes to male fragrances. I have to admit here, i am a person of smell. Perfumes and colognes attract me. So i always insist that my boy smell good and thus, i started him using fragrance, which he usually didn't in the past. When people see the way i spray, they always make the same comment, "free one ar". it is a old school habit i had when i was in IJ. After PE lessons, those who have deodorant will spray like mad at themselves. and old habits are still there for me

work desk

while trying to look out for my green pic of the day, this thing on my work desk caught my eye. well in my company, we adopt the hot desking approach so none of us have our own desk. it's suppose to b a clean desk policy too but well the desks are getting messier and dirtier. anyway I have no idea what this product is. it look interesting. i can't figure out if it's a hair serum or a face mist. haha!

so what junk do you have at your desk? do you personalize your work desk? I definitely would if I had one of my own!

Yummy! (80/365)

Yummy Court. Nowadays, coffeeshops have all funny names. Yummy Court is one of them. I love coffeeshops because all coffeeshop has 'zhu chao'. i like ordering alot of dishes, sitting at a round table in a coffeeshop and eating zhu chao together with my friends. Thus, for the past two years, i always ask my friends bring me go zhu chao for my birthday.

i grew up in a 3 persons family. there is limited food we can order because there are only 3 of us. probably 3 dishes or 4. but with a whole group of friends, we can order alot of food. i can taste abit here and there. i love variety! that is why nowadays i hate eating main course.

HDB flat owners to be (79/365)

This is where all the HDB hopefuls sit while waiting to sign the Agreement of lease from HDB. This marks a huge commitment for all the couples who want to buy a HDB together as it is also the day of the first downpayment.

I feel that HDB is really overworked this period of time. with the number of BTOs coming up. it is not as easy as oh! new BTO, i select! and i get! i went through 6 months of waiting to get to this stage, finally signing the Agreement of lease. So imagine how much work all the HDB officer is going through. And my point is further proven when the girl serving us was a super young girl, with tattoos on her neck and thumb, not to mention high pitched voice.

And do you know the slection of flats process is even going on, on Saturdays AND sundays. The signing of agreement also ongoing after working hours. yes, they are working real hard.

clean sheets!

I just changed my bed sheets! -rolls around on my bed- I love the feeling of new clean sheets! :) I try to change my bedsheets at least once a month but I do get lazy sometimes. =p how often do you change your sheets?

Yet Con

celebrated daddy's birthday at one of our family's favourite restaurant - Yet Con at Purvis St. this restaurant has been around since forever and serves modest hainanese fare.

There's the traditional steamboat serve with chicken rice. and most people will also add on half or a full white chicken. the hainanese sweet and sour pork chop is also a must-try! the design of the place is really old school, probably been like this since it first opened years ago.

another prominent feature of Yet Con is the boss who still calculates the bills of all tables using abacus. and this place only accepts cash. no nets, no credit card payment. very traditional indeed! love this place :) :)

Pepsi (78/365)

Are you a Pepsi or Coke fan? Usually you are either one. Of course there's a group of people who don't care. But i wouldn't call them fans of anything.

Today i found out something. In a coffee shop or any F&B eating place, you can only be a coke supplier or a pepsi supplier. never both. So you cannot find a restaurant or coffee shop that sells both Pepsi and coke. usually they only have one or the other. I heard, not sure if it is true that you get extra money for selling per can of coke. So if coke knows you are selling pepsi, they will not let you sell their drink.

not sure if it is true. food for thought

Halia Restaurant

because my friend claims that all brunch food taste the same and that it's the environment that makes the difference, we made our way to botanic gardens with its luscious greenery for brunch today. and after walking ten million miles under the hot sun, I finally found Halia Restaurant at the Ginger Garden.

I've been having cravings for scrambled eggs for the longest time and I finally got to satisfy it today! ordered the scrambled egg on sourdough with sautéed potatoes and portobello mushrooms as my sides. no complaints about my food. afterall, you can't really go wrong with this combi! ordered the Moroccan mint tea which was good and we had many rounds of refills! good on them that they didn't have any restrictions on the refills and sharing!

ambience was not bad. the indoor seating is relatively small though. the toilet is worth mentioning! very well equipped and nicely designed :) nice place but I'm not such a huge fan of lush greenery and the long walk is quite a major deterring factor so i don't think I'll be back anytime soon!

Moscato (77/365)

Had a gathering today at a friend's place so decided to bring moscato over as a house gift. i've drank white moscato before, but not red ones. so decided to buy and try this. and at the same time be my red picture of the day.

conclusion: the white one is sweeter. this red moscato taste abit like sangria. not as sweet, with a hint of red wine in it. i think i quite like it. cos moscato is sweet, not much alcohol taste and kick in it. we also saw a pink moscato, maybe i will buy that and try and see which one i like the best. we opened a red wine and this red moscato and it was like a child's drink and adult drink in comparison. so now u know how different is this red moscato from the red wine. haha

I ♥ You (76/365)

I got this postcard @ a restaurant. And i like it very much. it stands out among all the other postcards in the midst and i knew i had to have one.

How many times do we say these 3 important words to someone we care, and someone we love. in our asian society, very often, love is not expressed outwardly all the times. and especially so toward our parents and maybe the older generation to their children. It is definitely true we don't know what we've got until its gone.

When is the last time you said it to someone you care? have you said it enough?

standard chartered perks!

I'm officially a standard chartered convert. in a week, I've become their #1 fan. got myself the manhattan card and even opened an account with them. I must say their aggressive marketing gimmick is actually working!

well I was enticed by this luggage at the IT fair last weekend and signed up for the manhattan card at the standard chart booth. the perks pretty good! firstly you get an immediate $80 cashback upon signing up for the card! free money! :) and for the manhattan card you get 5% rebate on every purchase. I think the cashback is really a big draw as I have friends who have signed up for the cards because of it! I'm happy I got the free luggage! woohoo! can't wait to use it at my next travel!!

Tissue paper

if you do follow my project 365 closely, you would have realised that I'm someone who likes my things slightly different from the norm. don't like to use plain boring stuff. and yes when it comes to tissue, I like the nice cute colorful packaging. I like buying the looney tunes tissue from value shop and my friend always has to stop me from buying them. here's Onwards brand that uses Tom & jerry as their design. i know Kleenex uses Winnie the pooh! but I'll go for onwards instead because it's cheaper!

Busy Days (75/365)

on busy days like this, i have to resort to packing food to the office to eat alone. and packing food in tanjong pagar is not cheap. especially around my area. i'm not situated near markets like maxwell, ah moy or tanjong pagar. and the nearest buidling opposite me, international plaza is not that ideal to pack because it is expensive.

that is why, i love my new found gem. which everyone in tanjong pagar knows and never tell me. This veggie rice. really economical veggie rice. unlike some other economical veggie rice at raffles city food court that cost me 8 bucks! (well that is a story for another time). this veggie rice stal; starts selling around 11 plus and by 2 plus, you will not find anything left. it's relatively cheap, compared to the other stuff around it and my solace when i cannot find anyone to lunch with me.

cheers to REAL economical rice. =)

retail therapy

finally checked out the first H&M store in Singapore. i remember going crazy at h&m in hongkong 3 years ago. that was my very first encounter with the brand.

Well this 4-levels store in orchard reminded me of one of the h&m stores I went in Tokyo in terms of the layout. but I guess the layouts should be all pretty standard. anyway I wanted merely to window shop but I succumbed to temptation and tried on 4 pieces. mostly basics. guilty as charged, I ended up buying all of them..

retail therapy really rocks. definitely cheered up my otherwise gloomy day :)

Rose Syrup (74/365)

How to make the perfect rose syrup? Alot of people will tell me try and error. But my formula is 2:1. 2 part syrup and 1 part water. It always works! And it's always yummy.

And let me share with you all a little secret. How to prolong the shelf life of your syrup? Add vodka in! Depending on how large the batch of syrup it is. the normal 1.5 litres, just add 3.4 tablespoon of vodka in will do. This will help to keep your syrup longer!

Grade B

do u take notice of the hygiene grading at food stalls? will it affect your decision whether to eat at that stall? for me, I think the grading system is a good to know but it will not stop me from eating at a stall with a C grading if I know the food is really awesome. anyway, sometimes ignorance is bliss, we should just enjoy the end product of that piping hot bowl of soup noodles and not look at the preparation process. we probably won't want to really know what is happening in the kitchens of restaurants and hawker stalls! ;p

O'Bean Soya Milk (73/365)

this cup of soya bean is no ordinary cup of soya bean. it's o'bean organic soya drink and if you haven't heard of it. now you should! it's rich, tasty, safe and healthy!

Signature Soya is only S$1.20 a cup, they also serve Bird Nest Soya, Almond Soya,Red Bean Soya, Ginger Soya, and very refreshing tea drinks like Oolong Tea Soya, Black Tea Soya, Red Tea Soya and Green Tea Soya. Or, if you prefer Icy cold, ice blended Smoothie, at O’bean, they have, Banana Soya Smoothie, Mango Soya Smoothie, and also 2 in 1 Cocoa + Banana Soya Smoothie. All their drinks can top up with our sweet, soft and chewy Pearls, Grass Jelly or Red Beans.

O'bean is very different. thery are 100% organic from cultivation to production, no preservative, no chemical substances added. And if you drink it and love it, you can even buy a packet to go home and make yourself. It's packed in sachets.

Running shoes (72/365)

Do you know what brand of shoes this is?

New Balance! When we talk about running shoes, one think of asics, addidas, even nike. does anyone think of New Balance? Frankly speaking, i've never tried their products before. But cos my friend who signed up for the JP Morgan run had a 25% off any thing you buy from New Balance so we went and see, see, look look.

New Balance is sponsoring the JP Morgan run this year and the discount they give is actually quite attractive. I know Sundown Adidas gives a 20% or lesser only. Anyway, i wanted to buy a small water bottle from them. But to my dismay, they don't sell bottles. I must say they don;t have a wide range of products. Oh well, i know i will not buy their shoes. maybe can buy their other sports wear

Sportswear

when it comes to sportswear, are you someone who is loyal to a particular brand or are you one more a functional person? for me, I'm totally non-brand loyal and will go for whatever that's cheapest around. =p or rather, I'm a superficial person so I go for the looks more than the functionality.

coincidentally, alot of my sports stuff are from mizuno. my current pair of sports shoes (which is time to change already), my golf clubs and today, I bought a pair of mizuno golf gloves. well this ad is actually for reebok. somehow i feel that the brand doesn't have a good reputation esp in terms of beauty in their range of products. well don't think the ad is that attractive either other than the bright green background.

Sofra Turkish Cafe & Restaurant

whenever I pass shaw centre on beach road, I'll definitely see this Turkish restaurant on level 2 and have always been curious to try it out as I've heard reviews that the food isn't too bad. so I finally had the chance for dinner today! :) was a random decision as we wanted to get away from the maddening crowd at the IT fair in suntec.

the food didn't disappoint! we had the red lentil soup, sultan kebab and the chef's plate. All 3 were good choices! the soup was simple yet flavourful. Love the cheesiness of sultan kebab. it's actually mildly spiced lamb with baked cheese and mashed potatoes. doesn't it sound drool-inducing! the chef's plate consist of a mixture of different meats, including 2 meat patties, chicken skewer and doner kebab with turkish salad. another thing we love about the food here is the HUGE portion! price was quite reasonable too, around the price range you get at the eateries around arab street.

i like the ambience of the place too. get the seats by the glass window and watch the cars go by. i'll definitely bring other friends back here again!

Happy 1st Birthday! (71/365)

I attended a 1st birthday party today and that place was filled with balloons. and screaming kids! due to my age and my social circle, attending 1st birthday parties are rare and seriously, i don't remember when is the last one i attended, probably my own!

anyway, attending first birthday parties will not be my fav thing on the list. there are so many kids there!and they are playing with balloons filled with helium that floats up towards the ceiling fan. i was so afraid some will burst! but the kids seem nonchalant about it, enjoying their fun and laughter and whatever keep that entertained.

ai was wondering, can i hold a first birthday party for my kids, invite all my friends but tell them they can't bring their kids? haha!

鼎泰丰 (70/365)

who doesn't know 鼎泰丰 in singapore? it is everywhere!! i always go there for the same stuff.. there's minced meat dry noodles, prawn pancake and their fried rice with pork chop slices! and not forgetting the red bean mini dumpling. you must be wondering how come i don't eat their famous 小笼包? i used to love it.. but somehow got sick of it. i am not that much of a pork person. but it's is yummy!! much better than crystal jade! i am definitely a 鼎泰丰 fan. =)

i have heard lots of good ravings about their 小菜. i wanna try!!! but no one to try with!!

the latest food craze

it started with bubble tea, followed by coffee buns, then it was donuts and now we have the latest food craze - the new generation ultra smooth beancurd.

it all started with Lao Ban beancurd which has a branch in old airport road and another in maxwell food centre. it's so popular, there's normally a very long queue and people usually buy more than 1 container. with the popularity of these ultra smooth beancurd, more of such stalls have started to open, all serving the same type of smooth, milky, melt-in-your-mouth beancurd. even good old rochor beancurd has jumped on the bandwagon and introduce an addition variety of these beancurd.

I must say that I quite like the softness of these beancurd. and for the record, I'm not a big fan of beancurd.

also, I think Lao ban is overrated. I wouldn't mind just eating the smooth beancurd from the competitor just a few stalls down from Lao ban at old airport road. at least I don't have to queue!

Pretty Red Nails 1 ( 69/365)

i name it pretty nails 1 because i dunno how many other shades of red will there be in this whole project 365. hope it will only be this one. i won't wanna bore readers.

anyway, these are nails done in Batam @ $14 sing dollars. Good service. and the best thing is that the got OPI. i only use OPI nail polish nowadays and i always make sure i find out what is the name of it. This colour is call Modern Girl! And I am loving it!!

a note to my green partner- try OPI Shrek colour. i think you will love it! haha

transient workers count too (twc2)

my picture of the day is just a green machinery, most likely used on a construction site. what i wanna talk about today is somewhat related to construction and that is to raise awareness of foreign construction workers. how we honor the samsui women in the past who help contribute to the constructing of buildings etc, I think that construction workers are the silent heroes. without them, we won't have our tall buildings and wonderful infrastructure. they slog day and night, under the hot sun and in the wee hours when we are soundly asleep.


they are really an under-appreciated lot. i have to admit, i do keep my distance from the bangla workers and do feel uncomfortable when they do sit beside me on the bus. but yes, lets be more accepting towards them.

i'm sure behind every worker is their own poignant story. most of them leave behind their families, borrowing large sums of money to come here to work in hope of earning a better living so as to provide for their families. work here for them is tough. working long hours at a measly pay. putting up with not-so-ideal living conditions. sometimes, their safety may be overlooked at work. let me share a video with you. this is a something i've always wanted to do but my procrastination has allowed others to achieve things before me again. anyhow, it's a meaningful video and does make one start thinking. and do support the organisation too! http://twc2.org.sg/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc6WlEf27ic

jap food @cuppage

let me be honest, this is kinda of a backdated post. finally had a chance to try out the jap food at cuppage. izakaya is located on the 2nd level of cuppage plaza among the many jap eateries found there.

the food is pretty authentic. there were quite a couple of jap patrons. but I found the food so-so. my sashimi was not very fresh. my friend's fried beef with onions was very flavorful though. service was very bad! the wait staff couldn't wait to chase us away and kept hurrying us to order. another down side is that the menu is all in jap and the wait staff assume we knew what the dishes were and were very impatient in explaining to us. terrible!

food not fantastic. lousy service. don't think I'll be back here again. though I'll definitely come back to cuppage to try the other jap eateries!

Early Critical Care (68/365)

It is finally here! HSBC early critical illness coverage. No more people telling me, sorry I decided to go with Co. P cos they have early critical illness coverage. =)

Alot of people read the news that HSBC selling off their insurance to AXA and came to ask me about it. So here's a clarification. HSBC sold off its general insurance biz. that business is the one that sells home, motor, travel insurance, personal accident. Those group medicial insurance. The individual life business that i do is not affected. And in fact, we are looking forward to working with axa. cos i always prefer other company's general insurance as compared to HSBC. that is why for those who ask me to get travel or personal accident, i always get it from TENET. so yea, life insurance business is not affected and all and we even launched a new product! WOOTS.

and i love the way they promote it with a syringe like pen.

old school buns

I'm sure everyone would have seen or eaten such buns. there's usually a variety of flavours to choose from - red bean, kaya, chocolate cream, raisin, coconut etc. personally I like the red bean ones best! I can actually finish the whole packet of 6 mini buns on my own sometimes! =p they are really cheap too. this packet cost me 90cents only! good for breakfast, afternoon snack or even supper!

MOE (67/365)

i am using the logo of MOE as the 67th picture of my project 365 today to pose a question to everyone. Remember when we were younger, we have this thing call edusave fund, i think it's money given to us by the government to subsidise for school excursions or activity or whatsoever.

so after we finished my secondary education, i thought the remainder of the edusave funds goes into our cpf??? but i still receive letter yearly to say i have blah blah amount in my edusave fund!! what am i supposed to do with that sum of money!

hmmm...