Singapore Night Festival 2013

Singapore Night Festival 2013 happens on the last two weekends of August, with performances ranging from aerial, music, dance and installation artworks, located in Bras Brasah on 23, 24, 30 and 31 August 2013.

I was there with girlfriend last night, who was free to accompany me view the different performances and installations starting from Plaza Singapura, ending at Raffles City. There were many people at the Night Festival, very happening. We did not manage to go to ALL of the performances/exhibits due to the timings/dates of the show. Here are some of our key visits.

Absolut Canvas at the Singapore National Museum. I love the Absolut Vodka's Absolut Canvas exhibition the most. I'm a Absolut Vodka collector. And most of the bottles showcased are rare and special.

Mega stunt by 'Magic Babe' Ning and J C Sum at the Singapore National Museum - We were unable to see the actual performance as a huge crowd was already gathered there and we were only able to catch the performance's projection on the museum wall.

Travelling C.O.W at Armenian Street - A moving food truck selling local fusion delights like rendang burgers, satay hot dogs, laksa wraps and chilli crab pasta.

Visual Arts of Mixed Media (Wood, Laminates, Lights) at Armenian Street - One-word definitions of 'Aspiration' were collected from friends and more, and 365 of these were selected and laser-cut onto wood panels.  - Very inspirational installation.

Bras Basah Bugis Arts Flea Market at Chijmes - A market hosting independent businesses and creative individuals. Lots of people in there.

At the end of the day, we were feeling hungry and tired. Aching legs and backs. But it was a great night. Absolutely worth it.

A nocturnal extravaganza of spectacular aerial performances, music, dance and installation artworks at the heart of Bras Basah, Bugis precinct, Singapore’s arts and heritage district.

The main events and special events with late night openings will take place at cultural venues such as the National Museum of Singapore, the Peranakan Museum, Singapore Art Museum and The Substation and More! Treat your senses to an outdoor showcase of spectacular interactive light installations, and immerse yourself in a vibrant showcase of heritage, arts and culture in Singapore.

In conjunction with Singapore Night Festival, National Heritage Board will be presenting Night Lights, an outdoor showcase of spectacular light installations. Night Lights 2013, which promises to be a visual feast for all to enjoy, will feature light installations at Singapore Art Museum, National Museum of Singapore, The Cathay, School of The Arts and Raffles City.

Singapore Night Festival 2013
http://www.brasbasahbugis.sg/SNFPortal/
http://www.brasbasahbugis.sg/nightfestival/files/SNF2013-A5Booklet.pdf

A photo a day : Singapore Night Festival 2013

The 2nd last night of the Singapore Night Festival 2013. I was there, somewhere. Love the cute owl hand fan. 

Banks' credit cards and their "marketing"

As an avid follower of kiasu-ism, I did what my "belief" told me to do: 宁可杀错也不可放过. And yet again, I was disappointed. I 杀错-ed. Sighs.

OCBC Robinsons credit card was having a roadshow in John Little the day I was shopping with girlfriends. The standee banner was marketing the credit card saying that by signing up the Robinsons credit card, upon approval, the applicant is able to receive $80 worth of vouchers that can be used in either Robinsons, John Little and Marks & Spencers. (Too bad I did not take a snapshot of the little booth)

So, being the kiasu me, I signed up for it. Girlfriend asked the promoter if there is any terms and conditions like spending a minimum before using the vouchers. Promoter said No. And guess what? Girlfriend and I both had our applications approved, and both of us were greatly surprised. There are three vouchers, in denomination of $50, $20 and $12. To spend the :

• $50 voucher, which is only valid for Robinsons stores and is "Valid only with a minimum nett purchase of S$250 charged to your OCBC Robinsons Visa Elite or Platinum Card". 
• $20 voucher, which is only valid for M&S stores and is "Valid only with a minimum nett purchase of S$100 charged to your OCBC Robinsons Visa Elite or Platinum Card". 
• $12 voucher, which is only valid for John Little stores and is "Valid only with a minimum nett purchase of S$90 charged to your OCBC Robinsons Visa Elite or Platinum Card". 

And of course other terms and conditions which the lady promoter failed to address. Of course, it was my own mistake to be greedy, obviously there are no free lunch in the world. Just letting off a little steam since the promoter did not do her homework, and was assuring us that we can just spend the vouchers at any of the 3 stores without minimum purchases. Now the vouchers are simply useless to me. I don't really usually spend THAT much in one go in these stores and I can't shop discounted items either. 

Now, I do not know what to do with the OCBC Robinsons credit card that I greedily signed up for, and the OCBC Pink by-procedure-I-have-nochoice-but-to-signup-in-order-to-signup-for-the-Robinsons-creditcard Titanium credit card and the EasiCredit with cheque book, also a by-procedure-I-have-nochoice-but-to-signup-in-order-to-signup-for-the-Robinsons-creditcard. 

Girlfriend felt like cancelling all these especially after feeling so "cheated". Should I do that too?

A photo a day : Swimming day

Today, we went for my favourite sport. Swimming! Swam for 16 laps, and then enjoyed a round of the waves before heading home.

August Black Box

My first Black Box arrived at my doorstep today~ Yippee~ The courier guy was a little scary though. Knocked (very loudly) and tried opening my main door (of course it was locked). Scared me, so I open a small gap and he just passed me the box and went off. I did not even see his face hahaha

"Curiosity Satisfied" - Very curious indeed.

The contents when I opened up the box. Very neatly packed with a note from the Black Box Team and also a list of items in this month's box. The next survey is on 2 September (to check email) and to submit before 23 September. Winners will be notified by 30 September.

This month's Black Box is a consolidation of products that can help our skin look younger and and more radiant. Excited to try out these products.

And tadah~ Here's what we have for August's Black Box. This month's box contains products from Purer Skin, Dettol, Zappy, Darlie, GlucosCare and a stack of vouchers from various brand partners.

Purer Skin Miracle Serum, $66.90 (30ml) - Purer Skin Miracle Serum is made with 100% Pure Bird's Nest and the nutrition of Bird's Nest is easily absorbed by your skin to effectively reduce fine lines and wrinkles, leaving your skin looking younger and more radiant. 
Purchase from: www.PurerSkin.com and selected Watsons ( ION Orchard, Parkwayy Parade, Bugis Junction, JEM, Ngee Ann City, Jurong Point, Marina Square, Vivocity, Raffles City, Toa Payoh Hub, Compass Point)

I'm excited to try this out. Lately there has been quite a number of promotions and brand awareness going on Purer Skin's Facebook and have been curious about it.

Purer Skin Miracle Serum

Dettol Radiance Body Wash, $3.20 (250ml), $7.20 (625ml), $10.50 (950ml) - New Dettol Radiance Body Wash reveals the inner radiance of your skin, leaving it glowing with health. In addition to the trusted germ protection of Dettol, it has a unique blend of Vitamin B3, C which helps rejuvenate and purify your skin for it to regain its radiance. 
Purchase from: Major hyper/supermarkets and pharmacies

Dettol is always the trusted brand against germs. With the new body wash, we can now have a younger and healthier skin together with the protection from the germs and bacteria from our everyday lives.

Dettol Radiance Body Wash

Zappy Sample Pack, $2 to $5.50 per pack, consists of the following items:

• Zappy Sun System Sunscreen Wipes (6pcs per box) - Formulated with concentrated emulsion with excellent skin feel and skin nourishing characteristics ingredients. The water resistant wipes provided protection against ultraviolet rays and other damaging effects of the skin. It contains Vitamin E which helps to maintain skin's natural oil balance, thus delaying premature aging.
• Zappy After-Sports Wipes (8pcs per box) - Refreshing and cool wipes that contain natural mint, antibacterial and moisturizer designed to be tough enough to remove dirt and sweat, but gentle to use on your entire body. The wipes can be used after any sports activities, workouts, practice or any time you want to feel refresh.
• Zappy Boy Antiseptic Wipes (10pcs per box) - Contains blend of antiseptic agents to work synergistically to give a faster and broader germs reduction efficancy. Zappy Boy is alcohol-free, safe and gentle to the skin for every day use. 
• Zappy Insect Repellent Wipes (8pcs per box) - Offers effective and long-lasting protection against mosquitoes. It uses IR3535 (Ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate) which is highly effective against a broad range of stinging and biting insects including mosquitoes.
• Zappy Boy Alcohol Wipes (10pcs per box) - Rapidly kill all fungi and bacteria and kill most viruses. The rapid killing action and lack of chemical residue makes them ideal for disinfection for many medical items. 

Purchase from: NTUC, Giant, Cold Storage, Unity and Guardian

Zappy Sample Pack

Darlie Expert White, $5.90 (120g) - Inspired by professional whitening treatments, to help whiten teeth, remove stains, dental plaque and tartar, Darlie Expert White toothpaste contains Prophylaxis Silica-micro particles (PS-mp) - an ingredient similar to what dentists use for Ultrasonic scaling and Polishing. It brings you a professional teeth-whitening experience at the comfort of your home.
Promotion: Enjoy 16% discount. Darlie Expert White at 2 for $9.90 from 1 to 30 September 2013 at NTUC Fairprice, Giant, Cold Storage, Sheng Siong and Watsons.

Wow, professional teeth whitening experience at the comfort of my home. This is good. I badly need this as I drink at least one cup of coffee a day. The dentist during my annual visit (by right we should visit the dentist every 6 months, but then I am only able to book a slot every year at the polyclinic) always advised me on drinking less coffee. But but how do I survive a day without coffee? haha

Darlie Expert White

GlucosCare Tea, $15 (24 sachets), $35 (60 sachets) - A natural herbal tea that is proven to lower sugar absorption in the body. 
Purchase from: Guardian, Watsons, Unity, OG, Fairprice, Mustafa & chinese medical halls or imart.com.sg

GlucosCare Tea

Together with this month's Black Box, there is a stack of vouchers on trials and discounts, kept neatly in the lovely blue Black Box zip bag. I'm interested in a few of them.

Vouchers

Subscribe to BLACK BOX to receive a mysterious and sleek package that uncovers a selection of sought-after products from independent labels sealed and hand-delivered to you at your doorstep.

Black Box Singapore
http://www.blackbox.sg/
https://www.facebook.com/BlackBoxSG

A photo a day : Cheese sausage

Rained the entire afternoon and i was so so hungry. Lunch was only porridge, and after digging the house for food, I found frozen cheese sausages that had been waiting for me for a very long while. Yummy. 

A photo a day : Ikea dinner

Ikea shopping with misslittlepatches and had dinner there too. I ate too much >.<

A photo a day : Cakes!

Hubby bought me cakes to eat. So happy he remembered. Was craving for cakes yesterday after seeing a picture of a very delicious looking cake online. But somehow didn't get to eat any cake.

A photo a day : Little pretty ladies

We were at hubby's cousin's baby girl's first year birthday celebration. There were many pretty girls around. 

A photo a day : Evening by the park

It was great to sit by the sea, enjoying the seabreeze while watching the clouds whizz by, owners & dogs take walks and the activities of the nearby boats. Relaxing. 

Win a trip to Boracay

Fancy winning a trip for two to Boracay, a tropical paradise located on a small island of Philippines? Boracay has been recently ranked number 1 on Travel + Leisure’s ‘World’s Best Islands’ list. The recommended time to visit Boracay is during the Northeast wind season, between October and June, with moderate temperature (25–32 °C), little or no rainfall, and a prevailing wind from the NorthEast.

Read more on http://blog.omy.sg/boracay-island-escapade/about-boracay or on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boracay

Image borrowed from http://contests.omy.sg/boracay-island-escapade/

Stand a chance to win a trip for 2 to Boracay Island, Philippines.
Vote for your favourite blogger. There is only one winning voter though.

1 lucky voter will be picked to win a 5D4N trip for 2 to Boracay*!

Voting ends: 12:00PM 30 August 2013

Find out more from http://contests.omy.sg/boracay-island-escapade/

The prize includes:

• Return airfare on Tigerair Philippines from Singapore to Kalibo and fuel taxes.
• 4 nights' hotel accommodation with breakfast
• Return coach-boat transfers from Kalibo to Boracay
• Selected water sport activities (fly fish, helmet diving & island hopping tour)

Prize excludes:
Personal expenses, Meals, Gratuities, International terminal fee of PHP550/person, Travel insurance, Check-in luggage allowance

See Terms and Conditions

A photo a day : Free vouchers

Did a survey back in.... April? May? haha can't remember when, but it was LONG ago... It was a survey on Facebook, an activity ran by Ministry of Manpower. It was a "project" of a friend, and I don't remember that there will be any vouchers in appreciation of completing the survey. Yet another present surprise. Happy.

Candy crush : new update

There's a new update for candy crush mobile app. A set of 15 new stages. Need to clear another 5 stages to hit the top :P it's nice to play on the phone again. I keep forgetting about this game while i'm seated in front of my desktop. 

A photo a day : GNO

It's Wednesday. And it has been ages since i partied. Lol but we were Cinderellas. Left even before it was 12. We have aged. Haha there's work tomorrow. 

Most Popular Bloggers in Singapore 2013

Wow.. I'm honored. My blog ranked me as one of the "Most Popular Bloggers in Singapore 2013", ranking 30. A list of 36 local blogs was compiled by Bryan Choo on http://www.thesmartlocal.com/. It's my first time getting any "award" for my blog. The ranking in the article is based on the 17th August 2013's ranking. thedaintycandy.blogspot.sg is ranked 613,210 in the Alexa World Ranking. Cool! World Ranking!

This article will contain a list of the 36 most popular blogs in Singapore. Choosing the "Best Blog in Singapore" is a very subjective thing and perhaps 'best' is not the perfect word for it. To be completely transparent this ranking is actually determined solely by Alexa traffic numbers.

I am flattered by the compliments from the author. Truly. One point to note on why most of my posts are about food; the hubby likes to eat, and he tries to bring me to different places to eat so that I can blog about them. Maybe if I travel more often, my blog will be more like a travel blog? *hint hint* :P

Curious about my friends' blog ranking and their ranking is wayyyyy better than mine. haha... I will have to buck up by ALOT.

• gamerz's http://lesterchan.net/ : Ranked at 47,444
• misslittlepatches' http://misslittlepatches.com/ : Ranked at 329,909

Curious to see how much traffic you get compared to the rest of the world? Simply go to Alexa and enter your blog address. A rank under 3,000,000 is generally good for a blogger, remember, this ranking is pitting you against all the websites in the world and there are billions of them! A rank under 1,500,000 is very good and a rank under 500,000 probably means you're a strong influencer and should leave a comment here so i can add you to the list. :)

http://www.thesmartlocal.com/read/most-popular-bloggers-in-singapore

New song by Mayday五月天 : 入陣曲

Yay~ A new song by Mayday 五月天 【入陣曲】. It's an opening theme song for a TV drama 【蘭陵王】(View the trailer here: http://youtu.be/BeyFh1Es_Hc)

入陣曲
詞｜五月天阿信
曲｜五月天怪獸


當一座城牆 只為了阻擋 所有自由渴望
當一份信仰 再不能抵抗 遍地戰亂饑荒

蘭 陵 撩 亂 茫 天 地 離 人 忘 無 畏 孤 塚 葬 只 怕 蒼 生 殤

夜未央 天未亮 我在倖存的沙場
只盼望 此生再 奔向思念的臉龐
淚未乾 心未涼 是什麼依然在滾燙
入陣曲 伴我無悔的狂妄

當一份真相 隻手能隱藏 直到人們遺忘
寫一頁莽撞 我們的篇章 曾經如此輝煌

丹 青 千 秋 釀 一 醉 解 愁 腸 無 悔 少 年 枉 只 願 壯 志 狂
夜未央 天未亮 我在倖存的沙場
只盼望 此生再 奔向思念的臉龐
淚未乾 心未涼 是什麼依然在滾燙
入陣曲 伴我無悔的狂妄

忘不記 原不諒 憤恨無疆 肅不清 除不盡 魑魅魍魎
幼無糧 民無房 誰在分贓 千年後 你我都 仍被豢養

夜未央 天未亮 我在倖存的沙場
只盼望 此生再 奔向思念的臉龐
淚未乾 心未涼 是什麼依然在滾燙
入陣曲 四面楚歌誰獨唱

夜已央 天已亮 白晝隱沒了星光
像我們 都終將 葬身歷史的洪荒
當世人 都遺忘 我血液曾為誰滾燙
入陣曲 伴我無悔的狂妄

入陣去 只因 恨鐵不成鋼

【蘭陵王】(View the trailer here: http://youtu.be/BeyFh1Es_Hc)

2013年古裝偶像劇。一千四百多年前，北齊、北周两王朝相争为背景，講述了北齐傳奇英雄蘭陵王的一生，以及其天女楊雪舞之间上演的一段缠绵悱恻、唯美動人的愛情故事。

主演：冯绍峰（饰高長恭），林依晨（饰楊雪舞)，陳曉東（饰宇文邕）
(View Wiki)

A photo a day : Red Eggs

A basket full of red eggs at Keith's full month baby shower. I love eating eggs ^^

Hai Di Lao Hot Pot 海底捞火锅

Here's a long overdued post =P

A hotpot gathering with the poly mates and partners at the Hai Di Lao Hot Pot 海底捞火锅, located on the second level of Blk C. Hubby attempted to call to make a reservation, but the lady on the phone said, just come as there are not alot of people around 5pm.

Upon reaching, we were overwhelmed by the "queue". Just outside the lift, the waitress gave out queue numbers base on the group size and people just gather around the entrance, seated at small tables snacking and playing board games. How did the lady over phone see that "there are not alot of people"?? We waited about 40minutes before we were ushered a table.

While waiting, you can help yourselves to the freeflow of popcorn, fruits (honeydew and watermelon) and drinks (sour plum and herbal tea).

Ladies can also get the fingernails painted while waiting. But it's so not tempting for me. So many people were waiting to have their nails done and there are only two "manicurists". I think I rather paint mine myself.

After 40minutes wait, we were finally ushered in. Ours is a big table for eight people. Near the entrance, there's this sauce counter where you can mix your own sauce to dip for your cooked food.

Our mixed hotpot. On the left is the Tomato base and on the right is the Ma La base. The ma la is too powerful for me although they ordered the not so spicy version. 

An apron was draped over each chair for us to wear to protect our clothes. The service here is GOOD. The waiter provided ladies with long hair, a rubber band to tie up the hair. Those with mobile phones in sight, a plastic cover. And those with spectacles, a clothe wipe. All these are to help you keep your stuff clean while you cook. Cool. Yup, I was very amazed.

Not sure if we ordered too much? But I was eating non-stop. haha...

This is the waiter allocated to serve our table, and some other nearby tables. He's real polite and I like the service. He even highlighted to us that we still have alot of food and asked us if we want to cancel some of the orders that were not served yet.

This noodle guy went around to "play" with the dough and made us noodles. Cool. But it's a little irritating when he tried to "scare" the ladies at our table by throwing out the dough to them and pulling back to continue his "show".

At the end of the meal, there were 8 filled tummies and a very messy table.

Group photo with the group. haha.. Look a little scary, but the lighting seems bad. Or were Mr good-service-waiter's hands trembling too much?

Overall, I love the service. Really good. But this ala carte hotpot meal costs a little too expensive? Each person has to pay $47.50, after splitting the total bill ($381.35). Here's what was on our bill:

• Hotpot x1 = $16.00
• Self serve (fruits & sauce) x8 = $32.00 [!! Should have eaten more fruits since I didn't take the sauce]
• Crispy meat x1 = $10.00
• Handmade noodles x2 = $6.00
• Frog legs x1 = $10.00
• Fresh clams x1 = $8.00
• U.S. Beef slices x1 = $18.00
• Luncheon meat x2 = $16.00
• Mini sausages x1 = $8.00
• Sliced fish x2 = $24.00
• Fish cake x1 = $6.00
• Pork balls x1 = $10.00
• Prawn paste x2 = $28.00
• Beef balls x2 = $28.00
• Shrimp cakes x2 = $28.00
• Meat and veggie dumplings x1 = $8.00
• Fried toufu skin x1 = $6.00
• Sliced bean curd x1 = $6.00
• Quail eggs x1 = $6.00
• Beech mushrooms x1 = $10.00
• Golden mushrooms x1 = $6.00
• Crown daisy x1 = $6.00
• Spinach x1 = $6.00
• Sweet corn x1 = $6.00
• Sliced bamboo x1 = $6.00
• 10% service charge = $32.40
• 7% GST = $24.95

PS. We saw local artiste Mark Lee 李国煌 there.


Hai Di Lao Hotpot 海底捞火锅
http://www.haidilao.com/sg/
Address: Clarke Quay, 2nd Floor, 3D Building, River Valley Road, Singapore 102218
Tel: +65 6337 8626 | 6337 8627 (Call to make a reservation)