Ben & Jerry's : Free Cone Day

An annual event by Ben & Jerry's - the Free Cone Day! This year, you can redeem your cone Ben and Jerry's icecream absolutely free at all Ben & Jerry's stores in Singapore on 9th April 2013. Mark this date down on your calendar.

Ben & Jerry also has another ongoing promotion till 31st May 2013. Flash this coupon to buy a cup or cone B&J icecream and get the same size free~

Yep~ I had redeemed this offer. Here's mine~
A weird tasting scoop of Mango and a scoop of yummy cookies and cream icecream.

Ben & Jerry's 
http://www.benjerry.com.sg/
https://www.facebook.com/benjerrysingapore?fref=ts

Mitju Warehouse Sale

Mitju Warehouse Sale is back again this weekend. The previous Mitju warehouse sales I went to, I loot at least 2 pairs of shoes. Huge sales! So, I went to try my luck, thinking that since the sales starts at 10am on Friday, I will reach around 10am, giving me more than enough time to avoid the crowd and queue.

Boy, was I wrong. I reached 15 minutes past 10am, and here's the queue! Freaking long. I for waited at least 45 minutes to get in... Sighs... I was overly confident that I could beat the crowd. Haha..

Finally, I am nearing the door into the heaven with mountains of shoes... Yep, just at least another 5 sets of 10 queuers before me.....

Inside, was the same as previous two warehouse sales. But this year, the shoes are not as cheap as the last. Sobs. This year, each pair of shoes costs $20 and two pairs cost $35. They have a premium section selling 1 for $30 and 2 for $50. (Just to share, last year, the "normal" shoes were selling at 1 for $18 and 2 for $25)

Even though Friday is just the first day of the public sales (Thursday evening from 6 to 9.30pm, they had a members only sale), there were at least 5 pairs of shoes that I like does not carry my size. I have the most common size feet, Size 38. Sobs... I was "rejected" by so many courteous sales youngsters. But I still scouted 2 pairs and headed for payment after an hour.

From the "stage" where the cashiers are, we can see the crowd. Yep, it's to a point that you can't even move along the passageway. Sighs.. I didn't even got to see the super sales shoes on the extreme right. The girls are not giving my any space to slot myself in. Haha..

Here's my loot. The pink soft leather shoes retails at $42.90 (I wanted to get the same design but in black too, but no size...). The blue leopard print with gold colour in front retails at $29.90. This is the pair that I managed to find after so many rejections. So I saved $37.80! Yay~

Red Star Restaurant

Today is a public holiday, Good Friday, and we planned to go for dim sum breakfast with my FIL. He chose Red Star Restaurant. We left our house at 7.30am in the morning and headed there in a cab (By the way, the cab was not easy to get). We reached an hour later. There was a long queue (At least 6 groups in front of us) and a super crowded restaurant.

Here's the restaurant's view from the queue. CROWDED. And we were fascinated with the groups and groups of people in certain areas. You will get to know why later. After more than 30 minutes of queuing, we were ushered our table. Just to share, the queue got twice as long than when we just reach. Lucky us...

After being seated, we waited for SOMEONE to come and give us a card. It took pretty long. It was our first visit to this restaurant, we were not quite sure what to do. I even wanted to be a kiasu auntie and join in the long queue before getting the card =P

One of the long queues we spotted while queuing for our table was the porridge "corner". Mainly it is not because that the auntie is slow, but the orders were humongous. I'm not joking. When we joined the queue, the auntie is attending to prepare 19 bowls of porridge. And I overhead the group behind wanted 11 bowls. We only wanted 2......

After queuing two long queues, we only got these 4 items. Haha.. Quite pathetic. I wanted to rush to get more, but I don't see any carts around.

There were alot of people camped right outside the kitchen doors. The carts did not even manage 10 steps away from the door, not to say to go close any tables. Sighs.. It really was a "fastest action wins" situation. Even the two most common dimsum, 虾饺 and 烧卖, we only managed to get one basket each. 肠粉 was no where to be found.

This is the first time I had such a hectic and stressed out meal.

When we went to make payment at the counter at about 9.30am, I was surprised by the queue. It was VERY long (follow the arrow). Later when we walked out, the queue went all the way to the staircase area. Sighs... The place is too huge, understaffed, low on food supply, and has even more people queuing, wanted to get a table.

Maybe it is due to it being a public holiday. Almost everyone in Singapore wanted to have dimsum for breakfast, thus resulting in this stressed environment. I should go try it again on a normal weekend. Maybe......


Red Star Chinese Restaurant 
Blk 54 Chin Swee Road #07-23
Tel: +65 6532 5266
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Star-Dim-Sum-Restaurant/222440634436698

omy.sg Blogger Sharing Session

I was invited by CF to join her for a omy.sg blogger sharing session, Blogging for Leisure VS Profit: A Blogger's Dilemma, at SPH Auditorium.

Four bloggers, panelists for the upcoming Singapore Blog Awards 2013 in July, shared with us their views and experiences on blogging. They shared their initial reasons of starting up their blogs, and for some, how their blogs progressed to a source of earning money. One topic was on integrity. Whatever blog entry you post, paid or not, the authenticity of what you share online, has to be a personal experience and true.

After listening to what they shared with us, I had got a different perspective to bloggers and blogger. For this blog, I'm blogging mainly as a diary, with photos, feelings, feedback and dates, to keep "track" of what I did, so as to reference back in future.

Here are their blogs:
http://chrispytinetoo.blogspot.sg/
http://danielfooddiary.com/
http://workingwithgrace.wordpress.com/
http://www.aussiepete.com/
http://alvinology.com/

Movie tickets from Clear.24.7

Collected two Cathay cinema movie tickets at lunch today. It's a prize from Citibank's Clear.24.7 mobile web app.

To be honest, I didn't expect this win. The last usage of this mobile web app was last year when it was still quite new.

I was notified with an SMS, stating my win and how to collect the prize. I only need to present the SMS and my ID at the redemption centre at The Central.

Nevertheless, thank you Citibank.

MDF March 2013

This month's HOT FM's Must Drink Friday happens one week earlier as the last friday of the month is a public holiday, Good Friday. It was held at the rooftop bar Fabrika @ The Klapsons Boutique Hotel.

Fabrika by Chivas is a rooftop bar located on the 17th floor of The Klapsons Boutique Hotel. It's accessed by the lift located at the back of the lobby, just follow the sign on the wall. The bar is a collaboration between the hotel and the whisky label.

Shan and Cheryl from The Shan and Cheryl Show from 4pm to 7pm gave me a call and invited me and three friends to this month's Must Drink Friday. Cool! I was so happy and excited to get the invitation.

My friends and I reached the place a little over 8pm. The registering and photo taking at level one took quite long. At registration, we were given a slip of paper each to finish this sentence "I am HOT and HAPPY because ..." The winner will stand to win a staycation at The Klapsons Boutique Hotel. Another win is the lucky dip to win a bottle of Chivas Magnum. We also each got a shot of BT's drink at registration.

There are live singing, games by the radio DJs and freeflow cocktails. There are five cocktails to choose from. We preferred mix of Chivas, Malibu and Pineapple Juice.

It was a fun night. And really a HOT night, with no air conditioning.

Thank you HOT FM. Thank you Klapsons.

Hot FM 91.3 Facebook Event photos 
Klapsons The Boutique Hotel's Facebook Event photos

Klapsons The Boutique Hotel
15 Hoe Chiang Road, Singapore 089316

Happy White Day

White day is marked on the 14 March on the calendars in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. What do people do on White Day? I read up on wikipedia...

White Day was first celebrated in 1978 in Japan. It was started by the National Confectionery Industry Association as an "answer day" to Valentine's Day on the grounds that men should pay back the women who gave them chocolate and other gifts on Valentine's Day. In 1977, a Fukuoka-based confectionery company, Ishimuramanseido, marketed marshmallows to men on March 14, calling it Marshmallow Day (マシュマロデー). 

Soon there after, confectionery companies began marketing white chocolate. Now, men give both white and dark chocolate, as well as other edible and non-edible gifts, such as jewellery or objects of sentimental value, or white clothing like lingerie, to women from whom they received chocolate on Valentine's Day one month earlier. If the chocolate given to him was Giri choco, the man likewise may not be expressing actual romantic interest, but rather a social obligation.

I knew that March 14 is the day when guys return chocolates to the ladies who gave them chocolates on Valentines Day. Saw this gesture in many manga and anime. Only that I didn't expect to receive one today. And it was the first thing in the morning, and I was not even awake. So sweet...

Confession of Murder

CONFESSION OF MURDER - A Korean Action Thriller Movie. Written and directed by Jung Byung-gil. Starring Jung Jae-young and Park Si-hoo. The movie is about a serial killer who became a celebrity after 15 years, by publishing a book on his murders, and the detective who was on this case but is unable to apprehend this murderer turn celebrity, because the law has forgave him.

I was invited by CF to join her in this movie preview today at GV Plaza. This movie preview event is jointly-organised by GV and omy.sg. CF is one of the lucky 20 bloggers who are selected to bring along a guest to watch and review this movie. Their blogs will be shared on omy blog club. There were other guests with goodies bags, I guess they are from other contests'. It is a free seating event.

Confession of Murder will be available on Singapore's big screen starting this Thursday, 14 March 2013. This movie is rated NC16.

Confession of Murder

Synopsis:

15 years ago, an infamous serial killing case that left 10 women dead shook the nation. Now its statute of limitations is about to expire, and a member of the victim family throws himself off a building in front of the detective Choi who is the primary detective on the case.

2 years later, a man named Lee Du-seok publishes a book titled “Confession of Murder”, claiming his responsibility for the murders that took place 17 years ago. His book becomes a huge success, making him an instant celebrity thanks to his beautiful façade and innately danger that’s associated with his presence. Choi can only watch from the sidelines as his hands are tied, because Lee has been pardoned legally.

The law forgave him, but even after the expiration of statute of limitations, the case is not yet over!

In summary, the movie though is a action thriller, there are parts in the show enough to make it a comedy too. But comedy sounds like a rude term to the women who had died in the story. There are a few twists to the story, making me want to scroll back the movie and re watch to get my bearings on the story's orientation.

Love Detective Choi's mother. She's such a cute woman and the detective behaves so cutely around his mother.

The ending was... peaceful. It's a nice weekday movie.

Clarins White Plus Total Luminescent Intensive Brightening Serum

Clarins is giving out a free trial of their new White Plus HP Total Luminescent Intensive Brightening Serum and a complimentary skin consultation when you sign up via their Facebook App, New White Plus.

When signing up, you can choose from a list of counters islandwide for your free trial and free consultation. They are located in:
BHG Bugis, Clarins Skin Spa, Isetan Nex, Isetan Katong, Isetan Scotts, Isetan Tampines, Metro City Square, Metro Paragon, Metro Seng Kang, Metro Woodland, Robinson Centrepoint, Robinson Raffles City, Takashimaya, TANGS Orchard, TANGS VivoCity


Clarins White Plus HP Total Luminescent Intensive Brightening Serum (Trial)
https://www.facebook.com/ClarinsSingapore/app_345494272223342?app_data=trial

Shock The World Tour Design Competition

I was browsing contest ideas on Facebook and came across a G-Shock competition. It looks pretty interesting. Maybe I will try to submit too? Maybe maybe...

The competition lets you design your own G-Shock, base on the brand's 30th Anniversary milestone, and stand to win amazing prizes like a trip to Japan for 2, Casio Exilim cameras and Casio vouchers.

Interested participants can start by downloading a blank template of the CASIO G-SHOCK G-6900 from http://www.shocktheworldsingapore.com/design_competition.php to design your own G-Shock.

OBJECTIVE: The design should reflect the G-SHOCK brand identity of real toughness and highlight the brand's 30th Anniversary milestone. 

Participants may submit as many designs but only ONE entry per participant is allowed to be shortlisted for the finals.

The contest ends 15 April 2013

Find out more http://www.shocktheworldsingapore.com/

Font of the month

Brain Flower

I have just used this font for a Facebook Cover. It's a handwriting, casual font. Great for using on artwork to depict fun and displays personalisation.

Download font

http://www.fonts2u.com/brain-flower.font

Here's where I used the font. Looks cute ay?

Facebook Covers

I have been doing quite a number of facebook covers for my friends and myself. It's quite fun, but also challenging, as to what words to put in, what topic to present, what kind of feelings you wish to bring across.

When designing Facebook covers, I will always make sure that my design fits in both pc browser and mobile app/browser. Elements placed outside the mobile app/browser width will be cut off. So always remember to position the key element in the middle.

Here's a diagram showing the dimensions and positioning. The area in the center that is outlined by dotted lines, is the area to put your key elements in the cover photo. Do take note of the hole at the left side, as that is the location of the display picture in mobile app/browser.

The positioning seems straightforward? Try it yourself. Here the dimension to save your final file.
- 851px x 315px


Here are a few Facebook covers that I did.

Notion Age Chinese New Year theme
Adaption of the Chinese New Year Card that I've designed for my employer's company.

Valentines Day
Did this for myself. Sweet salmon pink as the main colour. Messenger love bird delivering a love letter, with the message "Love you..."

Valentines Day
Misslittlepatches asked for a Valentines Day cover. Did a sweet pink penguin version for her.

Valentines Day
My girlfriend TS asked for a Valentines Day cover aftering seeing mine. Adapted from my version and came up with a lovebirds version.

Me.Penguin
Misslittlepatches shared a penguin image with me. I had adapted from it and transformed it into a sweet pink Misslittlepatches version.

Hyangtogol Korean BBQ

The date for a gathering with my poly friends was finally set on today. It is really not easy to set a date to meet up with so many of us. Nine to be exact. My two close poly girlfriends were not able to join us as one is heavily pregnant (<3 baby baby~) and the other just got into a bicycle accident (dear girl, get well soon).

Dinner was at Hyangtogol Korean BBQ, located on the second level of Amara Hotel. We were ushered into a room. Cool! Private room. I was feeling honored to get our own room without any additional charges and we are able to hear each other talk. The common area is very noisy. Even being in a room, I was able to hear the noise from outside.

Table settings

The name is printed on the napkin

It could be due to being in a room, we have this device to call for service. At the initial part of the meal, pressing the button gets us almost immediate service. But at the end of the meal, pressing multiple times gets us no service. Guess the service crew is busy running around.

Press to call for service

The side dishes were quite nice. Some of the side dishes we only managed to eat during the first round. They ran out of the nicer ones like the potato and the pancakes. 

Side dishes. About six for the first round.

The BBQ orders like chicken, pork, beef, vegetables that we ordered, the lady servicing our room helped us cooked the food. I'm not sure whether this service is throughout the entire restaurant though. I have read about this service on other blogs. Nice....

BBQ ing the beef.

She change the BBQ plate after every dish she cook. She says that if to cook again on the same plate, the food will have the dark charred residue on it. Nice~ So thoughtful.

Pork and chicken on the plate

At the end of the meal, we were all filling very full, though I feel that I didn't eat alot. That's the thing about Korean BBQ. I will feel full in the tummy, but hungry by the mouth.

We were full from eating

The place scored points with assigning us to a room. It scored even more points with helping with the cooking. The food are nice. The sauce is yummy too.

OCBC credit card gets a 10% discount. It costs roughly about $30 per person.

Things to note.

• It is better to call (Tel: 66816423) and make a reservation before going. The manager who ushered us in was telling us that it was a full house that evening. 
• Enter through Amara Hotel's lobby, and take the lift up to second floor. The restaurant is NOT located at the shopping mall, AM 100.

Hyangtogol Korean Restaurant 
165 Tanjong Pagar Road #02-00 Amara Hotel
Tel: 66816423