And so the journey ends..

Grades for the module Digital Media Across Asia were released on Monday, and that means I've been officially released from my commitment to this blog. As most of you know, this blog came into fruition due to academic requirements. We were advised to blog about twice a week, and the frequency and quality of posts combined with the number of comments generated for each post would be reflected in our final grade.

This also explains why my url is hongxii.blogspot.com, and not something cooler, since I wanted the prof to have a better recall of my name! Blogging has never been much of my thing, in the sense that I belong more to the blog-stalking category and not on the other side of the fence like what I've been doing the past few months. Starting a blog has changed me to a certain extent, and this change is most starkly demonstrated by the fact that I now look for a good photo-taking opportunity wherever I go, which is quite a big change as I've never been much of a photo-taking person. I'm the sort who used to go on holidays without a camera, but then again, that could be because lugging a camera around would add unnecessary weight which would impede my shopping activities.

Anyways, the point of this post was to provide some form of conclusion to this blog, as I will no longer post anything on this page. I have registered a new url, skinnyandspoilt.blogspot.com, which I believe is kind of more apt for a personal blog. You can understand my reluctance to use this url initially as that would have left quite the unfortunate impression on the prof. I have yet to post anything there, and am not sure I would, but I suppose it would be a good platform should the blogging bug decide to rear its insidious little head. 

On a different note, I am absolutely loving the holiday season! Lots of parties to look forward to in the coming weeks, which will be crazy but so much fun! Pictures and posts will be up on the new url when I get back from my double-date trip with Qiaomei, so my loyal readers can look forward to that next year, HAHA.

Finally, thanks all for being faithful companions of this blog and for reading all the nonsense I spurn out so religiously. Happy happy holidays everyone!! :)

XOXO

Post-exam Euphoria

As promised, some updates! :)

We had dinner at Margarita's in Dempsey, which was not all that fantastic. But then again, that could be because I had very limited choices since I don't take spicy food, and even something as innocent as salsa sauce has the ability to set my tongue aflame. Yes, my tolerance is that low, unfortunately.

I thought that with the completion of my courses at SMU I would no longer be subject to any meetings for quite some time, but that was not to be. I can't believe we had a meeting to discuss holiday plans, with activities mapped out for every week at least. Shanjin was actually checking out the dates on her mobile to correspond with our activities to ensure that everyone could make it!

Since we had yet to conclude our meeting (we kept getting sidetracked by various gossip) and the restaurant was closing, we decided to head down to Holland V for some drinks. I didn't drive since my sense of direction is inexplicably non-existent and I did not know the way to Dempsey from my place. Seriously, I realised that I've been cabbing a lot this hols since we have been visiting pretty obscure places like Ann Siang and all, non of which I know how to drive to. 

But anyways, my point was that since I did not drive, we were forced to squeeze all 8 of us into Shanjin's car, which made for quite an adventure. Geri took the picture from the front, and you can see all 6 of us in the back seat. The girls were pretty happy, though both mine and Shirley's smiles looked kind of forced, because they were. We had the most uncomfortable positions and it was quite the torture waiting for everyone to conclude the cam-whoring before we set off. Come to think of it, how come we didn't just take the pictures as Shan was driving?!

Our next escapade was at Butter/Zouk, and Aloha was high even before the drinking started, as I deduced from that pose. But then again, we were all very happy people post-exams.

On a sidenote, I was rather proud of this dress I scored, which was only 32 bucks! I found this on one of our shopping excursions last week in some obscure part of Singapore; I never knew that traipsing down unknown streets and malls could be so much fun. :)

 

It is always fun to hang out with the girls. Am looking forward to the popiah and bubbly party in a couple of days! 

Golf and Monkeys

Pardon the lack of updates, it has been a mad week of mugging for the exams and post-exam activities have left me with no time to sleep, much less blog.

The very first event I attended after my paper was the Lexus Cup held at SICC on Saturday. We only went for a day and ended up missing the finals due to a last minute decision to take a short trip to Malaysia. ;)

It was blazing hot that day after some rain in the morning. Since I'm not much of a sun and perspiration kind of person, I was kind of irritable and grumpy, hence that wretched face I was giving. My arms were also getting tired from holding the huge golf umbrella- it's no joke carrying that thing around for even 5 minutes! Either that, or I'm really weak.

My brother was kind enough to offer me shelter since the face was rapidly getting blacker, so I was a much happier girl. :)

We had invitations to the Rolex marquee, and the air-conditioned interior was a welcome change from the blasted weather outdoors. The food was pretty decent as usual, though the guest list this year was significantly shorter. The boyfriend stole a peek at the list whilst signing in, so I was informed that the people who were sent invites were so few in number that they barely filled up an A4 sheet of paper. Seems like not even Rolex was spared from the downward spiral the economy seems bent on taking! Perhaps they should start giving 70% discounts on their watches, that would be beyond awesome. Oh well, a girl can dream, can't she!

We later proceeded to an outdoor table within the marquee to better watch the action taking place on the golf course. It was incredibly fortunate for me the marquee was built so strategically on the 18th hole, for this meant that we got to see the pros up close and personal, without having to suffer the treacherous weather conditions. As can be seen, my boys were altogether rather too enthusiastic, hanging by the rails to get the best possible view while I was reclining coolly in my corner seat. Such proximity to the game meant that they ended up receiving much more airtime than me when we watched the replay on ESPN.

Here are some of the shots we took. The second picture marks the momentous point where Annika's pitch rolled ever so sweetly into the 18th hole, resulting in a win for the International Team for her tie. I sound like such a golf enthusiast, when really, it's just from hanging out too much with the boyfriend. I can't believe he conned me into buying a whole set of clubs when I detest the sun so, they are just sitting in my storeroom gathering dust! Anyone interested in learning golf with me please let me know, I need some motivation to get my money's worth out of them. 

We enjoyed a free flow of bubbly, which is always appreciated.

Unlike the boys, I was far more interested in flipping through the catalogue than the game since my parents refused to let me see the ones they sent us as previous cursory browses have led to too much damage. 

When we left the club, we chanced upon 2 monkeys fornicating. It was too bad my brother laughed so loudly when faced with that sight, for that spoilt the mood for the monkeys and resulted in a missed (and very much lamented) photo opportunity for me. It could have been the photo of the day!

Will update soon again with photos of what I've been up to for the subsequent days, I promise. Stay tuned! :)

Tim turns 24 - Steven Lim Style

To provide some background to this post, read Tim's post on birthday pranks here. For even more background on this post, watch this video of Tim's last birthday, which was aptly titled "What are friends for?". Tim has been the instigator of many a birthday prank, and I will not forget how he threw me into the pool 2 years back on my birthday. As Tim mentioned on his blog, he subscribes to the rule that "if you wanna give punishment, you got to be able to take." This basically means that Operation Payback Tim was inevitable, and I am glad to announce that it was a resounding success. 

We threw a surprise party for the birthday boy at Steve's place, with a mystery guest - Steven Lim. Tim has always been a big fan, and it's scary how he can quote whole reels of the stuff that Steven Lim spouts at will. He also likes to imitate certain key moves of Steven Lim, and it can get a tad scary how close the resemblance becomes.

Everyone was in on the secret, and it was with much excitement (and a fair bit of trepidation) that we awaited the arrival of our mystery guest. Steven Lim was late, so the girls indulged in some photo-taking. It was kind of annoying how we couldn't take a decent photo because the boys were literally bouncing off the wall with enthusiasm over the coming act. This was the most decent picture that I could get, and it still had Charles Boo's stinky foot in it! -_-

Here's Steve on standby for our mystery guest. Pardon the lack of sharpness of the picture; I was convulsing with silent giggles.

It was good that Tim was sitting directly in front of the door, for he got the full effect when Steve swung open the door. It was quite a pity I missed the look on his face, but I was told that Tim actually went white for a couple of seconds when the enormity of the situation registered.

Before Steven Lim could step fully into the room, Tim had already walked to the other end of the room and crouched there in what might be perceived as despair. He was scared shitless. It was insanely hilarious watching his face turn red, I swear, I've never seen anyone's face go that red before, he looked like he was about to burst! He kept going "Oh my fucking goodness, oh my fucking god.. fuck!" 

HAHAHAHAHAHAH

This was what Steven Lim appeared in: a little black vest and Astro Boy boxers. He literally waltzed through the door in that ensemble.

Tim loves Steven Lim's She Bangs routine, so he was kind enough to perform that specially for us. That routine got famous in part due to Steven Lim's little striptease on Singapore Idol, so we all know what to expect next.

Behold the appearance of the yellow swimming trunks!

I don't understand why Tim appears to be cringing away and shielding his face from his idol. Steven Lim really put on a great show and the audience was really entertained. The boys were hooting and clapping along, but Tim was just kind of cowering into the sofa. I think he was just shy.

Words fail me. JUST LOOK AT TIM'S FACE!

So the boys had a group shot, with Steven Lim perched proudly on Tim's lap. Steven had perspired quite a bit by this time due to the 2 hot dances that he had performed for Tim, so I imagine he must have been dripping quite a bit on Tim in his yellow swimming trunks.

Tim looks like he can't decide if he should laugh or cry.

You can really see how big a fan Tim is. I mean, when Steven Lim left, the first thing he did was to show us some of Steven Lim's past videos. He even made sure that Steven Lim would be in his birthday picture even though Steven was no longer physically there! That kind of devotion is really quite touching.

 Videos of Steven Lim at Tim's party are up on facebook! Tim, just so you know, all this would not have been possible if you had not shared with us your ideas of hiring Steven Lim for Steve's/Randy's birthday. You probably should also not have kept saying "Loo Hong Xi, you better watch out know. Your birthday coming right, later you see Steven Lim how." 

This planted the idea in my head, and Steve was really excited about it when I raised it up in the email thread. Thanks must also go out to Ian, who liaised with Steven Lim on your behalf. :)

Happy Birthday Tim, you are truly blessed to have such caring friends. I know you had a good one. ;)

Night out with my boys: The Line at Shangri-La

The parentals were overseas, which meant that my brothers and I were left to our own devices for a week. Whilst waiting for the boyfriend to finish work one day, we had the following conversation:

B1: Where are we going for dinner tonight?

B2: Let's go for the Shangri-La buffet! 

Me: Did you bring your supp card? 

B1: Ya.

B2: OK. LET'S GO.

So that's how we ended up stuffing our faces at The Line. 

I felt like such a tourist that day, taking so many photos, which was embarrassing. I've never been much of a photo-taking person until this blog, but I've learnt to be much more thick-skinned about such stuff. I was still a tad mortified though, when a table of people actually turned to look at me as I was getting all trigger happy. Stupid ah-beng with his yellow dyed hair and pockmarked face. I caught him pointing me out to his friend and they were giggling at my camera! I just looked at them and smiled till they got awkward and looked away. Grr. I can never understand grown men acting like girls.

Moving along to happier things, here's some of the food that I had. The sashimi was good, as usual. I must clarify though, I absolutely am not the one who did the happy face on the prawn noodles. That was Brother No. 2. Still it was really cute how excited he was when he thought of the idea. Also, don't be fooled by appearances. Although the pasta looks like a mess of mush, it was actually pretty decent. I wanted one with lobster and mushroom bits, and the chef rustled it up on the spot. :)

As you can see, I was not the only one snapping away. Brother No. 1 was playing around with all the functions on the camera and I was quite surprised when I downloaded the photos into my com, for I realized that almost every shot of me showed me stuffing my face. -_-

The boyfriend's wanton mee. Seriously, it's like he's eating fishballs with wonton mee instead of the other way round.

Some shots of the dessert bar, together with the obligatory chocolate fountain.

Ooh, I had a chocolate brownie crepe with freshly cut strawberries, which was delish. I also thought to be adventurous on my next dessert, and include some gummies into the raspberry sorbet. The chef warned me that the gummy would get hard, but I thought to proceed since I loved cola gummies and raspberry sorbet, so the marriage of the two should be pretty wonderful... 

I was wrong. 

The taste was really weird, and the gummy was so hard that my teeth hurt after I bulldozed my way through. No more food experiments for me, I don't understand why they always go so badly! :(

The boys wanted this picture on the blog, as evidence that I'm torturing them. Apparently, they are unable to enjoy their food properly (especially when they are at a buffet with so many choices laid before them) as I'm always getting in their way, preventing them from attacking their food until I've taken my picture. Boys are so annoying.

Brother No. 1 also insisted on the other picture to be placed on the blog as he twiddled around and did some funny thing with the camera that created this mystical effect (or so he claims). Still, I looked really happy in this photo, because I was. It's always great fun when I'm out with my boys! :)

quote of the day

Was browsing through some purse forums today in search of more information on this bag that I'm thinking about getting. Been receiving lots of mixed reviews from friends and family, but the feedback on the bag in purse forums seem to be very positive! Anyways, I read a post that was particularly funny, and the following line just took the cake:

"I never really understood the hype about Hermes leather, but that was because I never touched it or saw it up close before. My goodness... I am unworthy!"

That was just hilarious. See, the fanaticism women display when they are lusting after a bag!

My Favourite Chef Part 2: Abalone Porridge

So I got hungry one night, and was too lazy to leave the house to get some food. Enter the boyfriend, who was very sweetly asked to rustle something up for me. I told him to surprise me, and surprise me he certainly did.

 

He decided to try a new recipe- abalone and sweet potato porridge! I was initially hesitant about that combination, but was told to keep quiet and to refrain from disturbing the chef at work. Since I was of absolutely no use in the kitchen, I decided to document his culinary journey instead.

For anyone interested in making this dish, here goes! First, wash the rice. Then, pour the remains of the watery substance (I have no idea what it is) from the can into the crock pot to add flavour. We were later berated by my mother though, for that liquid was apparently not very healthy since it was full of preservatives and what not, so you may not want to follow that particular step. Next, cut the sweet potatoes up and dump them together with the rice to cook.

Whilst waiting for the rice to cook, the boyfriend fried a couple of eggs. Halfway through this process, the conversation went something like this:

C: "Shit, this ladle is new."

Me: "Huh, so? Good wad, means it's clean."

C: "Ya, so clean until the label is still on."

Me: "Oh."

.

.

.

(A bout of silence and a couple of minutes later)

Me: "I don't want to eat the eggs, you eat ah."

Anyway, I went a tad overboard with the abalone, for I thought we should each have one with our porridge. That turned out to be overkill, for literally every mouthful was one of abalone! If you guys need a gauge, I think one piece of abalone for 2 people would be more than sufficient. All you have to do is cut the abalone into bite-sized pieces then pour the cooked porridge over them, and you're good to go!

Since I refused to eat the eggs, I had some simple condiments with my porridge instead. The sweet potato was awesome- it really enhanced the flavour of the rice and was a wicked complement to the abalone, to my disbelief. All I can say is, thank goodness I have a bf who can cook, for I most certainly can't! 

Brasserie Les Saveurs

My brother called me saying he felt like some French, so I was to make reservations at Brasserie Les Saveurs at St Regis for the family. It was quite the last minute decision, so I made my way there straight from school. It was fortunate I had pumps on that day, or entrance would have been denied!

Please pardon the weird sheen of colour that some of the photos have taken on, the lighting in the restaurant was conducive for dinner, but not all that great for photo-taking. I thought it was nice that everything was so beautifully presented; even the hot water came in a pot. :)

Our amuse bouche was foie gras with creme brulee, which was magnificent. The smooth texture of the dish was incredible; it was melt-in-your-mouth good! The taste was just insane. It was an explosion of flavour, and the tastes of creme brulee and foie gras just came together in an incredible fusion. I could go on forever, but you get the idea. This was my favorite dish of the night, hands down, and that is saying something. 

Most of us ordered the six course set dinner menu, other than my mom who opted for just a main and an appetizer as her appetite is crazy small, and my brother who was stuffed from tea. As with all decent French restaurants, the chef serves up complimentary courses to ensure that no one is left idle and neglected whilst the rest are busy eating. This means that my mom and brother got a very cute miniature of the wild salmon gravadlax that was part of our set. It came with sour cream and fresh oysters, which was a really good combination. The oysters break the monotony of the salmon, and the sour cream was a great complement to just about anything.

My mom decided on some spicy tomato soup with ricotta cheese and tarragon; my brother had the mushroom veloute soup with scented argan oil, which was an additional order on top of his set. French chefs are really quite fastidious about arranging the order of dishes in an optimum way so that everyone is equally engaged, so this came together with our Maine poached lobster with green asparagus and Aquitaine caviar.

I'm not quite sure what the green froth pictured is, but it was delicious. The saltiness of the caviar was a perfect accompaniment to the subtle sweetness of fresh lobster and was great with the crisp asparagus. Overall, a very delectable dish. :)

I would not have forgiven myself if I did not order foie gras in a French restaurant, and neither would certain other members of the family, so most of us ordered the pan seared foie gras on top of the set. Just look at that thick, juicy chunk of foie gras! It was awesome, especially with the slice of toasted white peach, french toast and chutney that came with it. I was in foodie heaven. 

My poor mom received the warm green asparagus with aged parmesan and black truffle vinaigrette as a balancing dish, which was good, but not quite comparable to the foie gras. Doh.

The next item was crab ravioli, with citrus foam and lemon confit. The chef was really generous with the meat, there were chunks and chunks of succulent crab hidden under the layers of thin handmade pasta. The first bite was scrumptious, but I kind of ran out of steam by the fifth bite. It was a rather thick dish, and a tad too creamy for my liking since I'm the sort who is simply unable to finish a whole plate of creamy pasta at one sitting. The taste gets too overwhelming and I'm usually left with a feeling of slight nausea. The boyfriend has no such quirks though, and he had a huge smile on his face whilst scavenging the remains. 

We then had grapefruit granite sorbet with a fresh basil topping. I really liked the packaging, for lack of a better word, that this came in. There was crushed ice underneath to ensure that the sorbet would be enjoyed at optimal temperatures without worries of it melting away to sludge as we carried on with conversation. 

Do not be fooled that this was dessert, for it was not! This was just to clear the taste buds before our mains arrived. I liked this item quite a bit, but my brothers hated it for they found it too bitter for their taste. I actually enjoyed that slight tinge of bitterness for it was pretty refreshing, and it really cleared the palate for more.

For our mains, I decided on the scallops rossini while the rest chose beef. The scallops were succulent and really good. They were air flown from Hokkaido and pan seared to perfection. That's not all to this dish, for there were huge wedges of foie gras too! These were all sprinkled generously with Madeira sauce and summer truffle, need I say more? :)

The grilled Black Angus beef rib eye came with fresh fava bean and red wine juice, which got my brother raving about it, so I stole a bite from the boy. I'm not much of a beef connoisseur, it all tastes the same to me, but I thought it wasn't all that spectacular other than the fact that the meat was really tender. It was just.. not bad. I thought my scallops were better!

So my mom got mango sorbet and my brother had an additional coffee ice cream under my persuasion. I thought to sneak a preview before deciding to order, and boy am I glad I conned my brother into ordering it first! I like my ice-cream really creamy, but this one was more icy, if you know what I mean. The taste of coffee was overwhelming, and it was like drinking iced coffee without sugar! Fortunately, my brother liked it. 

We finally come to the last dish in the set, which was simply named: "Crunchy". It was a hazelnut biscuit praline thing, with layers of Manjari chocolate mousse and raspberries sorbet. I'm not a fan of chocolate, so I did not really like this dish. The rest went wild though, attacking their pralines with much vigor as I languidly spooned my raspberries sorbet.

I was stuffed by then, and was in a bit of a haze when the petits fours arrived. I can't really remember much of what I ate at this point in time; I just know that the thing on the spoon was really good. 

Wow, this is a very long post, so congrats to those who have read till here. You must be quite greedy! :)

Cool Site

Guys (and I mean this literally), fret no more if you feel that you have been somewhat neglected by the blogosphere and fashion mavens who are very much focused on the female form and psyche. Lionel and his friends are here to provide you with instant news and fashion updates in the local retail scene, specially tailored for men! Receive information on the latest tech gadgets, music, fashion, and events.

Of course, girls, if you need any ideas on presents for boyfriends, brothers, or fathers, this is the place to go. It has this whole chic vibe thing going on that I totally dig. Check it out at www.plussixfive.com, I'm sure you'd love it too. ;)

Photo Credit:www.plussixfive.com

An Early New Year

CNY came early this year. A close friend working in Mediacorp needed a place for a New Year's music video shoot, and asked me for the favour. Since it was Miss Emily Foo asking, I couldn't possibly say no. :) 

This was some of the stuff that she brought over for the shoot. The ones from Mediacorp's storeroom were incredibly dusty and filthy, and there was even a tray of golden ingots with chocolates in them that the producers have been using for the past 10 years! I cannot begin to imagine the state of decay those chocolates must be in.

Yu Shan and I were roped in to help with the decorations, and it was interesting how our dear friend was busy texting away while the two of us were working our butts off for her. -_-

Emily and some of the crew were pottering about the house placing additional decorations at strategic spots outside the day before the shoot. 

Those are the rotten golden ingots! They look deceptively innocent, but I'm certain the insides must be beyond gross. It was quite amazing how such simple decorative touches added an immediate air of festivity, which led to an unhealthy and unfulfilled craving for some pineapple tarts. :(

Apparently some hidden photographic skill of the boyfriend resulted in this shot of me framed with glowing light. Anyway, I'm a terrible morning person, so it was with some grumpiness that I opened the door at the ungodly hour of 9 am to herald the arrival of the tour bus and the star of the shoot- Zoe Tay. 

Although I'm not a fan of Zoe, my grandmother most certainly was. You should have seen her that day, I've never seen her so excited before! She was really cute. My grandma, that is. :)

Here are some of the shots I took of my grandma's idol whilst she was filming at selected areas in the house. It was insanely embarrassing that I was snapping away like some crazed paparazzi. I wouldn't have been surprised if she must thought I was her number 1 fan or something. The lengths I go to for my blog!

It was fascinating observing the process of the shoot. I was amazed that Zoe could sing the New Year's song so freely and without inhibition in the face of so many people. I would been mortified if I were her! There were awkward moments though, when she had to act all chipper for the camera without any background music. I guess it would look natural when the images have been cropped and merged with the soundtrack, but I cringed when I saw some of the moves she made- she literally laughed into empty air! It was quite impressive how she managed to make it look somewhat natural though. 

I took some shots to document the amount of hard work that goes into producing a music video. Although the final piece of work lasts mere minutes, I was told that the entire process towards making the finished product could take quite a few days.

Here are some of the people who have not been recognized for the amount of hard work that they have put in, i.e. the production crew. Honestly, how much fun can it be standing under the hot sun holding a reflective board to ensure sufficient light falls on the star's face? And that is just the tip of the iceberg, their scope of duties are far wider than that!

 I went back to my work once sufficient photos had been taken to document the occurrence of this rather interesting event. The workload at SMU these couple of weeks have been insane; I have been constantly rushing to meet deadlines and have had no time to myself at all. :(

On Bracelets and World Events

As everyone knows, I'm not the sort to keep up with current events unless absolutely forced to. A recent conversation lies testimony to that fact. I had dinner with my boy and his aunt a week ago, and the conversation went something like this:

Aunt: "So Hong Xi, what do you think of the US Presidential elections? Who are you supporting?"

Me: "Who's running?"

At which point my boy sank into his seat.

 Now the point of that enactment was not to demonstrate my lack of interest in and ignorance of politics. Rather, it is to explain that I am not one to bother myself with world events unless it has a direct impact on my daily life. Ask me anything about US/Australian exchange rates, and I will have much to share.

 I had purchased some accessories online from Australian sites some time back. A week later, the exchange rate dropped drastically to its lowest in recent years, much to my chagrin. If I had waited just ONE week, I would have literally saved hundreds of dollars! The boy was grumbling too, for he had ordered me something from Australia, just before the drop in rates.

He had gotten me a bangle because he thought that the words carved on it, "Ripped off by Chanel", were very apt. -_- A couple of friends have urged me to post about this particular item, for there is quite an interesting story behind it. 

This is actually a handmade scrimshaw bangle by well-known designer Jessica Kagan Cushman, and not from Chanel as many have assumed. Jessica's coveted couture designs have made quite a splash in the fashion world. So striking is her signature style that legions of fans rebelled against Chanel's alleged attempt to copy Jessica's unique creations, and there was quite a controversy over this whole matter.

I got the above picture from frillr.com, and the resemblance that the Chanel bracelet bears to Jessica's pieces is undeniable. By means of response and as a show of retaliation, Jessica created her famous "Ripped Off by Chanel" statement piece to slam the fashion giant. There was even talk of a lawsuit, but I'm not too certain of that eventual outcome.

Anyway. I digress from my main point, the exchange rates. Everyone should really take advantage of the exchange rates right now and indulge in online shopping! I was so disgruntled that the exchange rates fell only after I had bought my stuff, so I decided to scour additional sites to see what I can milk out of this very advantageous situation that we have suddenly been placed in.

Behold! More packages from Australia! The boyfriend swears that my eyes light up manically and I behave as though possessed every time I see one of those packages perched so prettily on the mail table at home. Happiness in a box! :)

This package arrived today, which explains the sudden impetus for this post. I had ordered my stuff from miijo.com on Monday, and it was here by Friday! It was the first time I had received a parcel from that site (my previous purchase is still on backorder), and it was such a pleasant surprise to see all the stuffing in the box! It was such incredible fun digging around for the tee and bracelet in the box; I felt like a kid indulging in a very fulfilling treasure hunt!

 I guess the inordinate amount of exclamation marks in the previous paragraph illustrate just how excited and happy I was. See, the current financial crisis and credit crunch isn't all bad. There are silver linings to be found, you just have to know where to look for them. ;)

Podcamp Singapore

As part of my Digital Media Across Asia course, I had to organize a Podcamp with my fellow team mates. A podcamp is essentially an unorganized conference, where anyone with an interest in New Media can attend for free. People can also sign up for slots as speakers, and share with others their thoughts and experiences on Web 2.0.

I brought home lanyards and name tags the night before the event, then proceeded to slice up a a whole lot of paper to place into them. It was quite the tedious task trying to arrange all 83 names into alphabetical order, so I enlisted the help of my boy and we decided to make a game out of it. I had printed out a list of names alphabetically arranged, so we were to follow it and spot the corresponding name card first amongst the sea of name tags. I lost, unfortunately, and he ended up crowing the whole night long about my lack of coordination and slower reflexes. -_- Boys are so childish.

So anyways, a backbreaking three hours later, we were finally done and so commemorated the completion of task with my favorite snack- bird's nest! On a side-note, I really love bird's nest. It's such a pity that it is such hard work to prepare decently, what with the feather plucking and all, so I'm left with those pre-processed bottles to get me through the days. =(

 

So this was Geri and I standing in as receptionists for the event. It was really tiring having to be all cheerful and bubbly when I only had 2 hours of sleep the night before!

I was awfully pleased that the turnout for the event was so good- the room was packed! It was very rewarding to hear all the positive feedback and comments from the attendees post-event, as it meant that all our hard work had come to fruition and our efforts recognized within the community. :)

Here are some of the speakers. They did a great job in engaging everyone and sparking off some very interesting discussions about social media. I enjoyed the talks exceedingly, for the speakers really knew their stuff and I came away a much more informed girl than before. :)

This was the first time in all my years in SMU that I've actually seen every single person in the seminar room concentrating on the speakers and actively taking down notes. It was interesting to observe the various mediums that people used to record their thoughts, and how they shared it with fellow social media enthusiasts on the internet. There was live podcasting going on whilst others were typing away at their laptops; people took snapshots of slides with their cameras, and some were even mobile blogging! 

Podcamp was a delightful experience, made all the sweeter because I had such awesome team mates. :)

I want this.

The store manager from the Dior boutique in Hong Kong was kind enough to pull me aside to offer me a peek at the limited edition Dior mobile. She got one of the store assistants to dig out this gem of a phone from the storeroom, and it was love at first sight. Although the mobile is currently retailing in cities like Shanghai and London, it is not out in Singapore or Hong Kong yet. I was told that purchase is by by pre-order only, which makes it even more exclusive.

Have you ever seen a phone this beautiful?

I couldn't stop thinking about this phone after discovering its existence, to the extent that I actually dreamt about it. It comes in two versions: the basic and luxury. The above pictures illustrate the luxury version, diamonds and all.

This will be retailing in Dior stores in Singapore for approximately $40,000 at the beginning of next year. You can get the basic version for a slightly more reasonable price at about $8,000. Which is not all that reasonable actually, considering that $6,000 could get you a basic Vertu that, in my opinion,  is more timeless. But I'd rather spend the money on this phone though, it is so much more fun!

Here are some of the colours available under the basic version, which are also very pretty! Let me give you some insight on The Turning Point that made me fall desperately in lust for this phone. Each mobile comes with the addition of a miniature phone identical to its parent. This baby phone is only the size of a USB key, and is linked to the main mobile.

It's called "My Dior" and was designed for women (like me) who have trouble finding their mobiles in the dark recesses of their bags. This awesome miniature can be hung outside the bag and used to receive and make calls. More complicated functions would have to be done using the main phone. Additional information on the phone can be found here.

I wonder if anyone would be kind enough to buy me this for my birthday? :)

Seafood Shenanigans

My parents had to work late one night last week, so my brothers and I, together with the boyfriend, decided to head on down to Jumbo Seafood at East Coast Park for dinner without them. 

We couldn't decide between the chilli or black pepper crabs, so we ordered both! Same goes for the buns. I still think the steamed buns tasted better when soaked in the tangy sweet chilli gravy, but the boys preferred the fried ones. The crabs were really good, the meat was fresh, juicy, and most importantly, it had that slight sweetness which I absolutely loved. They were of a pretty decent size too- the pincer was slightly more than 3/4 the size of my palm! 

Here are some of the other dishes we ordered. Ooh, I'm telling you, the steamed bamboo clams are a definite must-try. A sheer explosion of flavour greeted me on my first mouthful. I loved the savory sauce and the chewy texture of this dish; you really have to experience it for yourself to know what I'm talking about!

The baby squid and cereal prawns were standard fare, nothing spectacular, but I did like the fact that the prawns came peeled. I hate shelling crustaceans, it's such a messy affair. The deep fried scallop with yam rings received mixed reviews: Clarence loved it, but my baby brother thought it was really gross. I'm on the fence about it, even though I was the one who ordered the item cause it looked interesting. The scallops were a tad too bitter for my liking, but that bitterness was masked when dipped into the sweet sauce, so it was quite alright.

The table for four that we got was wayy too small. Not all our dishes had arrived yet, but just look at how full our table already was! My poor brother had to relocate to the neighbouring table to finish off the last of the awesome bamboo clams for there was simply no space for him to enjoy them comfortably at our tiny table.

The steamed fish deserves particular mention. The waitress was actually advising us against the fish because she thought that we would not be able to finish it with the amount we had already ordered. Baby brother announced that he could finish a whole fish by himself, so we went ahead with it. It was a good decision, for the meat was soft and fresh, none of that stale fishiness I detest. Plus, the sauce was so good that we drenched our rice with it! Of course, no meal with my brother would be complete without his favorite dish- abalone. I can't share a review since I did not try that dish, but he gave it 2 thumbs up. 

I took a picture of the pincer the boyfriend shelled for me because I realized that I needed some photo documentation of his current sweetness in case he changes 10 years down the road. Also, I've come to the decision that this should be the way to eat every meal, with my brother cracking coconuts and my boyfriend shelling pincers for me. But really, to be fair I couldn't dirty my fingers because I needed to take photos for my blog! They were eventually convinced that photo-taking is not the easy task it seems. I think.

Anyways, I was quite taken aback when I realized just how many coconuts my brother and I had. We polished 5 coconuts between the 2 of us within the course of 1 dinner! I thought that was pretty extreme. But really, the coconuts were a great complement to the food.

Finally, the last course of this meal, dessert! My boys got the honey dew sago, which was terrible. There was way too little coconut milk, which made the dessert very watered down and bland. My dessert, on the other hand, was great. It was very refreshing with a hint of lime, and the varied texture of the smooth jelly and aloe vera was quite a pleasant combination.

So, this marks the end of my seafood story. We were all so stuffed that we were practically rolling our way back to the car, upon which we located a summons. I thought it was hilarious that we had forgotten our coupons in the haste to get to dinner; we really are too greedy for words! 

My boy received tickets to the gala premiere and cocktail reception of Sing to the Dawn, and I thought I'd better humor him this time since we have been missing quite a few shows due to my hectic workload and crazy meeting times.

This was the food at the reception, which was pretty standard fare for local productions. We were too stuffed from dinner to try anything though, and to be honest the food did not look all that appetizing either.

The boyfriend got a shock when I started taking photos of the photographers. I love such shots, they are so much fun! Here are some of the more noteworthy guests mingling about. The woman featured in the bottom right photo deserves particular mention: she is Minfong Ho, whose novel this movie is based on.

Sing to the Dawn marks Singapore's first English animation movie. It was an alright watch, considering the fact that the technology used was not as advanced as its Western counterparts due to a tighter budget. I guess the movie's main selling point stems from being a local production with a lot of heart? Overall, I'd give it a 5/10.