*sponsored*

A friend and former coachee has quit his job to start his own company (www.seats.sg) *hurray for him* specializing in quality seats for your home and office.

He sent me one of the chairs pictured above (I like the red one) and told me to find out how awesome it is. So I did.

I love the adjustable height (I can lie flat on it for a catnap or sit it upright for a spot of blogging). If you’re watching TV, levels 4 or 5 would be good, any lower and you may fall asleep!

I think it is a pretty and practical addition to any living room

I was told that among the available colors (black, red, brown and green), red and brown are most popular. And it’s easy to see why.

Yes, I have an apple tree at home – Mum’s idea

It’s great for chilling out at home with a good book, some macarons and tea or maybe a slice of cake or icecream and cookies… *ahem*

I worked on this blogpost while seated on the Kherlax too. Pardon the messy hair – I’m at home, what do you expect? XD

Then when your Hello Kitty-loving, Japanese-wannabe friend comes over, you can seat her and her Hello Kitty plush (of course) on this very cushy Kherlax. Oh wait, said friend is still me. Muahaha.

I suspect your friends will also want to lie on it to watch TV or simply fall asleep on it ‘cos it is just too comfy.

Also, the Kherlax can be used on bay windows, providing you with a comfortable seating area by the window, for you to curl up and chill out.

BUT WAIT

“Isn’t this chair too pricey? I asked my friend. It sure has many uses and I think both kids and adults will love it but I will likely only buy one for my future home. I don’t know many people who will pay $178 for a chair.

Hence, the good folks at Seats.sg have decided that if you are willing to pick up the chair yourself (it’s really very light!), you’ll only need to pay $78. That’s a cost saving of $100 !!!

If, however, you require delivery of this item, it is chargeable at only $15 for unlimited pieces to one location. *Only for this blog’s readers!*

How to order:

1) Go to Seats.sg.

2) Select the Kherlax and quantity you want to order, including other specifications like color.

3) Enter code “workingwithgrace” when prompted to “input promotion code”. Tadah! You’ll get your brand-new Kherlax at a cool $100 discount. *Promotion valid only till 23:59, 16th Dec, 2012.

You’ll thank me for it!

Whether as a versatile piece to add to your home or a Christmas gift to someone you know will appreciate it, or a useful chair to have around when pals come to visit at Christmas or Chinese New Year, the Kherlax will delight.

Own one now.

Additional Information:

* Choice of color is subject to availability – order yours early.

* All chairs will be delivered by 22nd Dec, 2012. In time for Christmas

* Self-collection location: 58 Tannery Lane

* Enquiries: promotion@seats.sg

Yesterday’s lunch was at Yummy Green at Downtown East. Someone bold enough to include “Yummy” in his restaurant’s name had better serve up delicious fare!

It’s easy to miss this restaurant (or rather, eatery) unless you are specifically looking for it.   On many occasions, I’d missed this place and got lured by the bigger, brighter premises of BBQ Chicken.

It has just two rows of tables but strategically-placed mirrors make the place look bigger.

The boss served up 8 dishes (I suppose they were the ‘best’ ones but I’m not sure) for us to sample. Though the eatery offers a range of canned drinks, hot beverages and juices like lime juice, we were served iced water only.

*This place serves vegetarian fare and all “meat” items are mock meat actually.

Here’s what I personally found less-than-yummy:

(clockwise: mushroom soup, yakiniku bento, karage, baked rice)

I’d already read reviews that the soups here are a tad watery and I wouldn’t have ordered it but the boss served it up and thus confirmed those reviews. We didn’t finish the soup. ‘Nuff said. The yakiniku was just spicy and I quite liked the tofu. The karage was fried to a crisp and I found it too hard for my liking but half the table liked this dish so what can I say? Finally, the baked rice… erm, don’t spend your calories on this one. Nothing special there.

Now, what I DID like:

(clockwise: agedashi tofu, “fish” & chips, skewers, veg tempura)

Normal agedashi tofu, what’s not to love. The fish was made from soy bean protein and has an interesting chewy texture. The fries were cold though (bit disappointed there). The skewered “meat” was juicy and tender and while some may say it tastes like the “fish”, I quite liked it. The tempura, well, was tempura though the giant “prawn” is supposedly all flour-based.

I guess Yummy Green is great for vegetarians who are visiting Downtown East. For a meat-eater like me, if I’m going to have deep-fried food, I’d much rather have the real deal (i.e. real meat).

~ www.simplefood.com.sg ~

After Yummy Green, we went to the bright, white store next to it called ‘The Jelly Hearts’. I was attracted to the jellies in heart-shaped cups and us 3 bloggers bought the jellies ($6 for 3).

As it turned out, the jellies were so hard and chewy that I remarked that if they dropped to the ground, they’d bounce back up! Not a great conclusion to our lunch! (>_<)

~ Anyway ~

*Any cafe or restaurant owners who think they serve really delicious food can write to me with a review invite at gracewwg [at] gmail [dot] com.

I have started a new blog!

But don’t worry, this blog will still be maintained because the new blog has a different focus.

The new blog is about Fashion, Beauty, Health & Wellness. It can be viewed at http://www.gracetan.com/

*It hasn’t been officially launched yet and I’m still working on the layout and all but you can go over and have a peep.

Here’s what I’ve written about at the new blog:

1) M.A.C Cosmetics – and how I bought a lipstick in an OUTRAGEOUS color. Read about it here: http://www.gracetan.com/m-a-c-cosmetics-glamour-daze-lipsticks/

2) Clinique’s Wrinkle Correcting Eye Cream: http://www.gracetan.com/clinique-repairwear-laser-focus-wrinkle-correcting-eye-cream/

3) SkinLab’s Aqua Peel Advance Whitening Facial: http://www.gracetan.com/skinlabs-aqua-peel-advance-whitening-facial/

4) AsterSpring’s Full Back Acne Radiant Treatment: http://www.gracetan.com/astersprings-full-back-acne-radiant-treatment/

5) Dermalogica’s SkinPerfect Primer: http://www.gracetan.com/dermalogica-age-smart-skinperfect-primer/

There will be more articles coming up. So head over to gracetan.com now.

Meanwhile, I still require your help with voting. I’ve previously blogged about The Icing Room’s Who Has The Best DIY Yule Log Contest here and now I need your votes!

Look! Competition’s really fierce and I won’t stand a chance if you don’t cast that vote for me now. Pretty please! >.<

All you have to do is:

Photo Credit: STOMP

1) You’ve mentioned that a close friend’s comment prompted this radical change in your life. Tell us about that comment, how it made you feel and are you still friends with that person? 

 The comment was ” If you could lose weight, pigs will fly”. Well, I was definitely saddened upon hearing that comment…but I was not angry/upset with her. She is a good friend of mine for many years, and I know the type of person she is. She’s just a very straightforward person, and means no harm. Though it really hit me hard that time and the comment remained in my memory ever since. I’m still friends with her! There are too many fond memories to cherish

2) Do you think you would have made those changes to your lifestyle and be the very slim you right now if not for that friend’s comment?

Hmm, I think I would. The main reason I decided to embark on this weight loss journey was because I wanted to wear pretty clothes and have the ‘right’ to fall in love. When I was plump, I felt I wasn’t good enough to be in love with anyone. Well…not a good stream of thought but yeah. Deep down in every person, there’s always gonna be 1 or 2 insecurities, right?

3) How did you lose that incredible 45kg? 

I totally changed my diet. Cutting out refined/processed foods entirely. I eat very healthily now with foods that mother nature provided us with. Meat, seafood(<3), veg, fruits, whole grains, nuts etc.

Some people believe that I’m totally against carbohydrates, which is not true. I just do not eat the ‘white’ sources, like white rice/white bread because they have gone through many man-invented refining processes which have removed all the nutrients that the food used to possess. I eat rolled oats every morning, and believe it or not, veg and fruits are also sources of carbohydrates. People say “fruits are high in sugar leh, you are gonna gain weight” but please, that can of soda or piece of cookie you’re eating probably has 10x or more sugar content then the fruit I’m eating.

Fats and protein are essential for everyone. Protein gives you a sense of satiety and boosts your metabolism. Fat is required for your body processes to operate, although I would recommend everyone to eat good oil sources (oily fish, nut, avocado, olive/canola oil) and cut down on the deep fried, junk & saturated fats.

4) What do you do to maintain your current weight?

I’m still sticking to my ‘diet’. However to me, it has already become a lifestyle instead of a ‘lose weight diet’. I’m not torturing myself by limiting myself to the non-refined/processed foods. In fact, I totally love the food I’m eating. And I frequent buffets to indulge in the glorious seafood and sashimi <3<3<3

Though time is tight, I still try to remain as active as possible. Taking stairs all the time instead of the escalator. Do not be afraid to be “different from the crowd” hahaha. I also do a lot of walking.

*sponsored*

Oh wait, I’m the one who wanted that. @_@

Yes, I wanted chicken floss, not on top of a ‘talking’ bun from some famous bakery chain in Singapore, but in my chocolate bar!

And if chicken floss is NOT bizarre enough for you, check out what else went into my chocolate bars…

~

The Background

Coreen, from Cocoa B, contacted me and asked if I’d like to try creating my own chocolate bars online. All I had to do was  (1) Choose my choice of chocolate, (2) Choose the toppings and (3) Checkout and have my chocolate bars delivered to me.

I would have LOVED to order just chocolate bars with raisin toppings. End of story. Thank you, goodbye. But what would I blog about then?

Truth is, I was terrified by the choice of toppings. Some looked so yummy, others looked like they could be yummy, and yet others looked how-in-the-world-is-this-yummy?!

End of the background

~

I went to Cocoa B’s website:

And I found out that they offer 3 types of chocolate (White, Milk, Dark) at S$7.90 each while toppings (there are 36 of them!) are priced between 50cents and 90cents each – you can select up to a maximum of 5 per chocolate bar.

There are the usual toppings like raisins and almonds, some festive ones like candy canes and pine trees, and some rather bizarre ones.

Out of the 36 toppings, I have chosen some interesting ones to show you – I’ve read customer reviews that they actually taste very good with chocolate.:

Yes, curry powder, seriously. One day, I will have the courage to add curry powder into my chocolate. One day.

Meanwhile, I chose two chocolate bars (one Milk Choc, and one Dark Choc).

Then I gritted my teeth and tried to imagine how the mixture of flavors (chocolate and toppings) would be like.

I figured milk chocolate is sweeter and hence I can opt for the savory toppings, instead of the usual sweeter ones.

I picked Milked Chocolate + Chicken Floss + Sea Salt + Macadamia Nuts + Oreo Pieces. And tadah…

I’ve named this creation ‘Floss After Food‘. Do you get the multiple meanings behind this name? Heh heh. I’m suddenly feeling very creative… so one more…

I picked Dark Chocolate + Raisins + Cranberries + Apricots. I don’t usually eat dark chocolate ‘cos I prefer sweeter chocolates. Hence I decided to pile on the sugar with this one. I figured it’d all balance out. So forget Eat Pray Love, here’s ‘Bitter, Sweet, Love‘.

I’m feeling like a creative naming genius now. Muahaha

And so, after sending my order, I waited for my chocolate bars to be delivered *rub hands in glee*. They came the very next day!

The Verdict:

Bitter, Sweet, Love was not really bitter actually. I like the sweetness of the fruits added.

The surprise came with Floss After Food. I guess the only way to describe it is this: Imagine sweet Ms. Milk Chocolate and sexy Mr. Sea Salt dancing on your tongue, with the Macadamia Nut band providing a delightful crunchy beat. Ms Chicken Floss and Mr Oreo decide not to dance but go ahead and smooch in a corner. [Serve Floss After Food to your guests and watch their eyes widen in wonder] It’s definitely the most unique piece of chocolate I’ve ever eaten! And it’s very yummy too!

Pricing

If you are wondering, here are the prices of the chocolates I created above:

1) Floss After Food – total ingredient cost: S$9.90

2) Bitter, Sweet, Love – total ingredient cost: S$9.80

* Normal Mail: FREE

* Registered Mail: S$2.24 (2-4 days)

* Personal Delivery :S$3

I think they make really affordable Christmas gifts!

Psst… there’s also 10% off any purchase right now! 

Go on. Check out http://www.cocoa-b.com/

You know you want some chocolate you’ve customised yourself!

Additional things to note:

1) The chocolate bars are freshly made and delivered. Each has an expiry date on the pack. For the best taste and quality, consume the chocolates within 4 weeks.

2) The chocolate bars are well-packaged with an insulated thermal bag and an ice pack, so they stay in the best possible condition while being mailed. No fears of crushing or melting!

3) All the Frequently Asked Questions here: http://www.cocoa-b.com/faqs-info-35.html

Enquiries: sales@cocoa-b.com

~ BIG CHOCOLATE GIVEAWAY! ~

Cocoa B is sponsoring SURPRISE chocolate bars for 5 lucky winners. Just head over to my Facebook page to find out how YOU can win a chocolate bar!

* sponsored *

I’ve always known that such an app would be created – it was just a matter of time. And now it’s here.

If you have an iphone, download the app Tring313. It is free and it will be your personal guide to shopping and dining at 313@somerset!

Tring313 is the first of its kind – a location-based app for a mall. If you’re meeting your friends at 313@somerset, you’ll want to know which outlets are offering discounts or promotions, right? This app will tell you.

You’ll receive push notifications when you are within 500m of the mall, informing you of the current promotions and event highlights. No more standing around wondering where to eat and which stores to visit!

There’s also an in-app payment gateway for online shopping! The result: convenience round-the-clock as you do your shopping. Yay!

Simply download the coupons and show them to the retailers. You can make in-app payment via PayPal or credit card too!

Here are some of the offers that look really good to me:

1) Forever 21: 10% off all shoes, 3 for $7 lip glosses

2) Shunji Matsuo Hair Salon: 15% off all chemical services

3) Food Republic: 10% off all regular priced items

4) Guess: 10% off any GUESS jewellery or watch

It’s a free app. It gives you the latest on promotions and events. It saves you time and walking about aimlessly.

It’s a no-brainer.

Download the app before visiting 313@somerset.

Candylicious has given me yet another goodie bag filled with yummy candy! Why are they so sweet? I suppose they can’t help being sweet since theirs is a candy store, after all.  XD

Hence, here’s another post about Christmas goodies you can purchase for that loved one who has a sweet tooth. Or, you can buy some for me. Ha! I have many sweet TEETH.

Oh Hershey’s. How I love you!

Plus, Candylicious also gave me one of these cute Christmas badges:

I GOT SANTA!!!

And oh, Candylicious has a delicious new website you’ll want to check out: candyliciousshop.com

Out of the many Christmas products shown in the press release they gave me, I’ve picked out some I think anyone will love:

Hershey’s

And this chocolate bear… omg so cute!

The bear is grinning at YOU. Go bring it home now.

Eat Happy… Be Happy this Christmas.

As the blogpost title suggests, you can receive exclusive discounts at The Trunkshop because I have recently partnered with them

For Christmas, The Trunkshop is launching a special collection, and among it is this gold dress I wore to an SK-II event with celebrity Kym Ng:

You can read about the event HERE.

This dress will be launched after Dec 16 – I’ve gotten only very sketchy details ‘cos it’s all hush-hush now. And I’ve been told you’ll get 20% discount(!) off the price of this dress [How much is it? Find out on The Trunkshop after Dec 16]

* The shopping code to enter is “TTSisWorkingWithGrace” <- Clever, isn’t it?

I love how this dress is figure-hugging but does not reveal my tummy, sexy but keeps me warm, and is sparkly and classy enough for just about any event I’m attending recently.

So, if you like it, watch out for it on The Trunkshop.

* Will update if I get more details. *

Thanks to this blogpost, I won a S$200 SPELL shopping voucher.

And shop I did!

I was disappointed when I found out that the items I raved about (but did not buy) in that winning blogpost ALL got SOLD OUT! It was devastating.

Still, I managed to get a dress, a skirt, two bags and two bracelets for me, and a shirt for the fiance.

The perks of being a blogger…. and also, of being in a relationship with a blogger. XD

SPELL continues to fascinate me with their wallet-friendly prices and I’m definitely visiting again the next time I am at Terminal 3 for a flight!

The tote bag in the bottom right corner of the photograph above has a price-tag of $29 and there’s also a 20% discount if you want to purchase it now.

The skirt I bought was also going at 50% discount.

In fact, many items in the store are going at 20% or 50% discount. There were even polo tees at S$7.50. Unbelievable!

Do sign up for (free) membership too! If you want me to SPELL out the benefits (hur hur), here they are:

 In subsequent blogposts, I’ll show you more photographs of my haul. So stay tuned!

Note: This is not a sponsored post nor is it an advertorial or anything like that. I’d consider it more of a public service announcement. XD

It’s because I’m really happy about something.

Something like winning S$13 just for travelling on trains.

If you have not heard of Insinc, well, head over to www.insinc.sg now.

Very quickly now, what Insinc does for you is that, once your ezlink card is registered with them, they award you points for riding on trains. And these points can be redeemed for cash rewards. So essentially, I’ve gotten S$13 of free travel on trains (or, of course, I can use the money for just about anything else).

They have already given out S$450,007 so far. So go sign up now – I’m sure you’ll thank me for it.

Thanks to Sushi Tei and Omy.sg, 13 of us bloggers got to enjoy a sumptuous dinner at Sushi Tei (Paragon).

Brace yourself for a visual feast!

First up was the Sashimi Salad and the Sashimi Moriwase-Asama.

My.Favorite.Salmon – I can write a poem about how much I love you~

 Some of the bloggers were raving about how good the taste of the yellowtail was. But my loyalty still lies with salmon.

Then we had the Kani Mentai Mayo Roll (deep-fried crab meat sushi with mentai mayo)

Deep-fried and comes with mayo – how yummy and sinful this is. XD

Then some dishes which were milder in taste. I liked the clams as they weren’t too salty. Some other chefs tend to give us an overdose of soya sauce. XD

* Asari clams with butter & soya sauce *

* Squid with smelt roe tempura *

* Homemade Meat Gyoza *

Then we had the Kaisen Chankonabe – a hot pot with seafood and vegetables. I have to say that the claypot(?) it was served in was really too small to contain the generous amount of vegetables. Not only does one have to worry about the food being under-cooked (by us), there was also a real danger of the boiling soup overflowing:

I liked the Golden Roll (mango & king prawn sushi) a lot! This sushi is really yummy.

Dessert was pretty good too. Love the chocolate-inside-icecream-inside-a-waffle. Have no idea what’s the name of this dessert:

Not a fan of these, erm, ice balls (?) though:

The dress that I wore for the dinner and an SK-II event was sponsored by The Trunkshop.

My bag and bracelets (love ‘em!) were purchased when I won a S$200 voucher from SPELL’s bloggers’ contest.

3 days’ ago,  I was awarded the FIRST PRIZE in The Icing Room’s DIY Yule Log Contest!

Honestly, I’d wanted very much to win but didn’t think I stood a chance. There were people with over 100 votes for their log cake creations. And there were some really lovely log cakes, such as these:

I guess I won because the top 3 prizes were “awarded based on creativity and selected by judges”. Based on votes, I was probably ranked 9th. But I was the only one who sliced up the log cake and made it resemble something else (a train).

Anyhow, A BIG THANK YOU to the people who voted for me and loved my log cake, and to the judges (whoever you are) for picking my log cake creation! This is the first log cake I’ve ever decorated in my entire life and winning first prize for it makes me feel super lucky and happy!

I love the party that The Icing Room threw for the top 10 winners!

Chef Kelvin made a VERY long log cake train for us to decorate:

Our log cake photos had also been printed out & were stuck onto their glass paneling:

I’d invited fellow blogger Priscilla to attend the party with me and together, we decorated a logcake:

Our log cake creation:

The emcee, Maureen aka Miss Tam Chiak, decorating her log cake:

A picture with the famous Miss Tam Chiak:

The completed log cake train:

The head carriage, decorated by Chef Kelvin:

The Prizes:

Collecting my prize from Chef Kelvin:

My iPad mini

Goodies that The Icing Room folks prepared for us. Too sweet of them!

I took home Chef Kelvin’s train creation with M&Ms on top

I hope The Icing Room has another such contest in 2013. It’ll be such fun to take part again.

*Sponsored*

When Joy from Canvas Perfection emailed me and offered to print my photographs on canvas, I was initially at a loss – what would I do with those canvas prints? Then I visited their website and found that a canvas would not look out of place in a living room, it’d, in fact, beautify the room and is more meaningful than a random painting.

I selected two photos to be printed on canvas – one’s the photo in my blog banner (at the top of this blog) and the other photo is of my friend Stella gazing at one of her twin boys, Joseph. The mother and child photo was taken sometime in June this year.

I sent Joy the photos on Nov 22. Received the canvases about a month after.

I believe Stella has never received such a present before. She took the canvas from me and immediately went to show it to her husband. I think it’s a meaningful present that I wouldn’t hesitate to ‘gift’ to another friend in future.

It’s pretty evident that Joseph has been *ahem* growing well these past 6 months. He now looks like this:

I think it’d be pretty cool to decorate a kid’s bedroom with canvas prints of him/her at age 1, 2, 3, etc.

Are you thinking about getting some canvas prints yourself?

Pros

- Great as gifts!

- Looks great as decorative pieces in your living room – No more boring, white walls!

- Affordable: prices start from S$61

- Comes in many sizes to suit your space requirements

Cons

- Requires very high resolution pictures (hence those taken with your phone cameras are unlikely to make the cut).

- Photos should ideally be pre-edited: No photoshop or touching up of photos was done for my photos after they were sent to Canvas Perfection

- I didn’t know exactly when the canvases would arrive – I was told it’d either be one week or the next. Best to state beforehand if it’s an urgent order or required by a certain date.

If you are ready to decorate your home for the new year…

~ Visit CanvasPerfection now ~

*If you’d like to sponsor a product/service, write to me at gracewwg@gmail.com

The folks at Singapore Poly are simply too sweet. On top of awarding 2 of us prizes for the best blogposts about SPELL’s fashion show, all bloggers and their partners were invited to a dinner at NYDC at Holland Village.

For starters, we had this platter:

The fiance loved the cheesy baked potato skins(?). The dip for the nachos was incredibly watery though, and the chicken wings were greasy and not flavorful enough.

Andy ordered The Meatball That Ate Manhattan (S$17.50) – The tennisball-sized meatball reminds you that size really matters. Everyone wanted a photograph of this dish.

I ordered The Prawn Who Got Creamed (S$17.80)

It was very ordinary-tasting pasta though NYDC was generous with the capsicum, mushrooms and prawns. The fiance helped me finish up this dish though – he claims the cream sauce is yummy.

What he ordered was the I’ll Be Home For Christmas Steak (S$22.80) *prime ribeye*

The highlight of the meal was undoubtedly the chocolate cake:

NYDC’s Boo Boo cake *a must-try!*

Decadent. Rich. And oh-so-yummy! The piped swirls of whipped cream also seemed to contain marshmallows, I think. My blogger pal Melvin told me it had marshmallows, I said it looks like it’s all whipped cream, had a bite, and wow, it did seem as though there are marshmallows within – awfully sweet though!

And to top it all off, Yvonne from SP gave everyone who attended a bottle of SP’s newest His & Her perfume – Romance II. This perfume is available at duty-free stores so watch out for them.

It was a lovely evening with good company. Thank you, Singapore Poly!

Also, I’ll definitely be going back to NYDC again – just for the cakes, this time.

Many bloggers have visited Kampong Buangkok – the last surviving kampong in Singapore. And after reading their blog entries, I felt the kampong’s worth a visit as a kampong is such an oddity in “modern” Singapore. According to Wikipedia, Kampong Buangkok has 28 families which pay about $13 in rent. How’s that for affordable housing?

Welcome to Kampong Lorong Buangkok

No proper carpark for visitors

We visited the kampong just after rain and had to side-step many puddles of rainwater. Yes, it was the authentic kampong experience.

What looked really out-of-place in the kampong were the many cars (including one Mercedes) which supposedly belonged to the residents:

Loved that there was a lot of flora and fauna within the kampong:

The highlight of this visit was an encounter with a cute and very affectionate cat *meow*

Want to visit the kampong before it gets *erm* “upgraded” by the government?

Kampong Buangkok (Lorong Buangkok) is accessible via Yio Chu Kang Road. It’d be best to drive there, or walk from the nearest bus-stop.

I’ve made cupcakes, chocolate truffles and cookies before [a long time ago] but I’d never tried baking bread, until Tuesday’s Practical Bread Baking (Foundation) class at Bakerz@Work.

Here’s my workstation, right at the front:

All the equipment was pretty foreign to me but making my own bread from scratch was a very satisfying experience.

Round and round it goes…

Here’s the instructor and my friend, Chef William (doing his best to avoid the camera!!!)

Fellow student, Kelly (a property agent) all amused that (1) I’m snapping a picture of her and (2) the dough’s sticking to her fingers!

Kelly settling her dough into the container behind William’s ginormous dough:

And attentively listening as the chef explains:

I took more pictures with Kelly in them as she was the more cooperative photography subject. The two other guys in the class tended to shy away whenever I readied my camera to snap pictures, William hardly looked at the camera and since I’m the photographer, there aren’t many pictures of me. LOL!

Here’s William (actually, his hands) making a chicken ham bun:

He taught us how one simple recipe can be used to make many different varieties of bread. Here, the same dough is used to make many different buns, combined with a variety of ingredients and sauces on top:

Here’s the brioche (before it’s baked):

And… in the oven:

Want to see what they look like after being baked??

Here are those I made (the buns with fan-like wings are those containing cheese, which melted during the baking process) oops:

I’m especially proud of my Hello Kitty bun and the one in the picture above which has 7 round balls forming a chain (each ball has a different surprise inside – it could be raisins, red bean paste, lotus seed paste or green tea paste! You’ll never know what you’re gonna get!)

Creative eh??

I’m also very proud of the plaited loaves…

[In the oven]

[Done]

In the picture above, you’ll see one small bun in the bottom left-hand corner. It’s a baby plaited bun I made with the excess dough. LOL!!! Cute or not?!

I also made a floss bun (not as awesome as BreadTalk’s legendary one but I ate it all)

And here’s Kelly making one too:

Because I wore a Hello Kitty tee to the class, and also ‘cos I love the mouth-less cat, I made a Hello Kitty bun!

Initially, I used some bean paste to make a ribbon for my HK bun, but it fell off during the baking process. So sad…

So I used some chocolate and strawberry jam for the ribbon:

Another of my creations:

Bread shouldn’t just talk, it should smile at you…

An awesome spread made by all of us who attended the class.

I loved how the class provided a truly hands-on experience. And I’m very glad that all nail art and nail polish was removed before I attended the class (Plus, I trimmed my nails too!).

Here’s what we did whether Chef William was watching or not…

Felt the dough, kneaded it, stretched and folded it, made all sorts of buns out of it:

A most fruitful session.

To enquire about this Practical Bread Baking (Foundation) class, contact Joalin or Agnes at 68207578.

Upcoming classes also include:

1) Festive Cookies like Pineapple Tarts, Cookies and Biscotti

2) Fondant Cake

3) Artisan Bread

Will you rise to the challenge of bread-making? XD

[source]

You MUST have seen them before – those people on Facebook with pictures in which they are grinning widely and holding a “Wish You Were Here!” or “You Should Be Here!” banner.

Some may have even sent you private messages to ask if you like to travel, want to travel to exotic destinations at great prices, and/or make money while you travel (thereby getting free holidays). Others just write cryptic messages on their own Facebook walls about how they are flying off for free AGAIN or making lots more money while having fun (thus prompting you to ask them what exactly they are doing, ‘cos you’re now curious).

If the above sounds familiar to you, you’ll know I’m referring to World Ventures.

I have gotten too many private messages and emails from people (some friends, some strangers) who want to tell me about this awesome company called World Ventures. One even went so far as to tell me that if I didn’t sign on immediately, I’d regret it for life. [Erm... I'm still not feeling an ounce of regret, mister!]

Here are the 5 reasons why I have refused to join World Ventures despite being harassed multiple times:

#1: Too many invites – some are not even personal [like a copy-and-paste job]

The most recent Facebook message from a World Ventures dude

I’m from Singapore too, dude! Which country do you think I’m from?

The questions also seem very scripted and if you look at them carefully, all three questions are likely to elicit YESes from most people. Very sneaky.

#2: I don’t fancy traveling with many other people.

The good news: yes, you may end up getting free holidays. The bad news: you’ll get many people joining you on your free holiday – somewhat like a company retreat. Bummer.

I like solo holidays or holidays with just one pal or my fiance. The last thing I want is to travel with a bunch of people carrying blue banners.

#3: It is quite obviously another Pyramid scam scheme kind of company!

#4: The holidays are NOT cheap – One young and very enthusiatic “rep” of World Ventures [the same one who said I'll be regretting] offered to show me how travel would be much more affordable once I joined WV. So I said ok, I’m planning a trip to the Maldives, how much would my holiday cost? He logged in to the WV site and found the figures for me and lo and behold, they were much steeper than what I’d found via my own research.

So no, holidays are NOT cheaper with WV. If anything, they are more expensive as you have to pay a joining fee to get into the whole WV programme.

#5: The insiders have already revealed that the company is not what it seems to be. If you fall prey, you can only blame yourself for not doing simple research online first OR believing that friend of yours who just wants to make some money off YOU. Read the insider account: http://isworldventuresascam.blogspot.sg/2011/09/honest-revealing-worldventures-review.html

If someone asks you to join WV again, send them this blogpost link k? If you just respond with a simple ‘no’, they will want to know why and also ask to meet up with you. I’ve done all the explaining for you right here.

*sponsored*

Ladies, Chinese New Year outfit shopping can be such fun but it is also tiring, right? On top of having to ensure you get your outfits in time, you also want to avoid wearing an outfit that is similar to what someone else in your extended family is wearing (gasp!).  Hence, here are 15 outfits from The Trunkshop which will delight you with the quality of the fabrics used, and at the same time, ensure that you stand out from the crowd!

I’ve also indicated my faves – see if you like the same pieces!

Blouse with Collar Detail
Measurements:
Free Size
Bust: 42CM
Waist: 49CM
Hips: 58CM
Length: 59CM
$25

Peplum Tube Dress
Free Size
Bust: 40CM
Waist: 35CM
Hips: 42CM
Length: 61CM
Also comes in Black
$39

Bodycon Tube Dress
Free Size
Bust: 37CM
Waist: 32CM
Hips: 37CM
Length: 70CM
Also comes in Blue
$33

~

Grace’s Fav! This dress has eye-catching studs for your shoulders! Too bad they can’t be seen in the picture below – but it’s a definite must buy!

Sleeveless Dress with Stud Detail
Free Size
Bust: 41CM
Waist: 37CM
Hips: 43CM
Length: 83CM
Also comes in Khaki, Blue, Black
$45

Peplum Work Dress
Free Size
Bust: 38CM
Waist: 39CM
Hips: 45CM
Length: 87CM
Also comes in Blue and Black
$49

60s-inspired Bugle Jumpsuit
Free Size
Bust: 38CM
Waist: 38CM
Height: 50CM
Length: 150CM
Also comes in Black
$65

Cape Back Dress
Free Size
Bust: 40CM
Waist: 28-34CM
Hips: 37CM
Length: 118CM
Also comes in Green
$59

Turtleneck Sleeveless Dress
Free Size
Bust: 34CM
Waist: 31CM
Hips: 40-50CM
Length: 130CM
Also comes in Nude
$59

Romper Dress
Free Size
Bust: 35-45CM
Waist: 27-35CM
Hips: 35CM
Length: 75CM
Also comes in Black
$39

Rock Princess
Free Size
Bust: 40CM
Waist: 34CM
Hips: 40CM
Length: 81CM
Also comes in Blue and Black
$45

Buttoned Playsuit
Free Size
Bust: 42CM
Waist: 39CM
Hips: 41CM
Length: 77CM
Also comes in Black
$39

~

Grace’s Fav! – I love how Japanese this outfit looks! And what with the bell bottoms, it’s too cute!

[Polka Dot Peplum Top - price and measurements: TBA]

Bias Cut Dress
Free Size
Bust: 40CM
Waist: 31CM
Hips: 40-60CM
Length: 89CM
Also comes in Turquoise
$39

Mural Dress
Free Size
Bust: 44CM
Waist: 30-35CM
Hips: 44-55CM
Length: 94CM
*Belt not inclusive
Also comes in Turquoise
$39

Enchante Work Wear
Free Size
Bust: 43CM
Waist: 34CM
Height: 48CM
Length: 95CM
Also comes in Khaki and Black
$39

To purchase any of the items above, head over to The Trunkshop:

TheTrunkshop.com.sg

If you haven’t already read from the Straits Times yesterday, it’s great being a student these days! If you take part in the National Spelling Championship 2013, organized by RHB bank and The Straits Times, you stand a chance to win $5,000 and a trophy for your school! The first runner-up gets $3,000 and the second runner-up gets $1,000! The spelling championship is only in its second year, so this explains how I totally missed out when I was in primary school. XD

Thanks to Omy.sg, some bloggers (including myself) got to attend the media launch on Friday afternoon.

And there were some oh-so-cute mascots to greet us:

*The luckiest lion in the whole of SG that day*

*Want to score an A+ for your exams? Hug this mascot!*

Oh heck! Hug all three of them!

Friends from the media were also treated to a ‘live’ spelling competition between students from Yu Neng Primary and Tampines North Primary. And my goodness, the student supporters went wild with the clappers they were given as they cheered for their schoolmates.

The students had to spell the words ‘arithmetic’, ‘monstrous’, ‘diction’, ‘meditate’, ‘zoology’, and ‘hygiene’. Each letter was represented by a football which had to be shot into the net – not an easy task as there were some monkey defenders and a goalkeeper to get past!

These days, a spelling app cannot simply be a spelling app. It has to be an interactive game which not only has a countdown timer (that gets your heart racing) but also music, colors, and a lot of fun. I think all kids will love this app!

In the end, the team from Yu Neng Primary won and went home with a huge hamper of goodies plus a digital camera each. Tampines North Primary also took home an equally large hamper.

After the excitement of the contest, we were also treated to a screening of the movie ‘The Lorax’ – it was fantastic! Who knew that people could be taught to save the trees without getting bored? Ahhh… now, if only all trees looked all fluffy and cotton candy-ish.

~

ACS Junior was a big winner last year, winning both the champion and first runner-up titles – can they retain the titles this year? Jordan Foo, then aged 12, won by correctly spelling the word ‘jodhpurs’ (horse-riding pants that fit tightly from knee to ankle). <- Who knew there was such a word?!

I look forward to this year’s championship and more mind-boggling words that primary school students can spell. Are YOU better at spelling than a primary six student?

The iSpell app will be available for download by Jan 31, so watch out for it.

Head over to http://www.straitstimes.com/bigspell for more details about the National Spelling Championship 2013.

[Part One of a 'Local Creations' series]

The character, Ang Ku Kueh Girl, was designed right here in Singapore by Ms Sheryl Wong and her team. Inspired by a local pastry, the Ang Ku Kueh Girl has distinctive Singaporean characteristics, such as wearing her slippers everywhere she goes. She also has a brother, Ang Ku Kueh Boy, and friends like Png Kueh Girl! How cute!

Some products featuring Ang Ku Kueh Girl also involve a creative interpretation of Singapore’s national campaigns in the 80s, such as the “Stop At Two” and “Speak Mandarin” campaigns.

Besides the A4-sized folders and eco-friendly notebooks, there are also bags and wristlets with the ang ku kueh designs outside, and ang ku kueh girl printed fabric inside. The attention to detail is fantastic!

Sheryl sent me some of the products and I instantly fell in love with them. You’ll see why:

Folders: S$3.90 or 3 for S$10

I’ve never owned prettier folders! I’d initially thought I’d give at least two away but no, I’m keeping all three ‘cos they are so cute!

Eco-friendly notebook: S$6 or 2 for S$10

Ang Ku Kueh Girl Wristlet! I’m so gonna bring it with me during CNY visiting!

Very roomy! It’ll be great for stashing all my ang pows!

I asked Sheryl about why she decided to create Ang Ku Kueh girl.

Here’s what she said:

“I have always been interested in creating Singapore-themed products. I started doing it as a hobby from 2004, making Singapore-themed red and white rings and necklaces, complete with stars and the works.

Gradually, the idea evolved into Ang Ku Kueh Girl when I thought it will be fun to incorporate Singapore’s food culture into a cute cartoon character; this is something that Singaporeans can relate to and which showcases a part of our local culture to visitors from overseas. I thought that it would be interesting to create a character with a local flavour.

The team behind Ang Ku Kueh Girl is led by me; I provide the creative direction, ideas and concepts”.

Sheryl also shared that the ang ku kueh signify longevity and good fortune, besides being one of our favorite kuehs.

And here’s an Ang Ku Kueh Girl + Ang Ku Kueh Boy + Png Kueh Girl Birthday Card

You’ll have to get one to ooh and aah over the details, such as Png Kueh Girl’s white school shoes!

To purchase the Ang Ku Kueh Girl products or to find out more, head over to AKKG’s Facebook Page by clicking HERE

*I’m looking for more local companies with interesting Singapore-themed creations to feature here. To get in touch, email me at gracewwg[at]gmail[dot]com.

Stay tuned for Part Two of this ‘Local Creations’ series!