Check out my earlier blogpost HERE for all the details! :D

The BF asked if I want to get the entire set for S$108. No, I don’t. Have no use for a lanyard or Hello Kitty stamps (which I can’t bear to use anyway). But yes, I DO want that S$88 set with all 5 plushies.

What about you? :D

I was at Jurong Point yesterday to check out yet another store which stocks Sonny Angel – my latest obsession. Jurong Point is located at the other end of Singapore, from where I stay. (@_@) So, I don’t usually shop there.

Imagine my surprise and delight when we spotted Hong Kong egglet at #03-10 Jurong Point! Hong Kong is famous for its food and in particular, its snacks. And we were both FAMISHED, having skipped lunch in order to attend a Toastmasters meeting.

Unfortunately for us, we had to WAIT before we could collect our order of a Chocolate Egglet (S$2.60).

We guessed that it meant the snack must taste really good as there was a short queue for collection.

And since we were both hungry, whatever we ate then had to taste really good, right? Doesn’t everything taste good when you are hungry?

We were disappointed.

I thought I was eating cardboard when I bit into these little ball-shaped ‘egglets’. (@_@)

It LOOKS like it’s chocolate flavored, but it tastes nothing like chocolate. I might as well have torn off the cardboard backing from foolscap paper to satisfy my hunger.

Lesson learnt: Don’t assume that anything with ‘Hong Kong’ in its name must automatically taste good, and don’t mistake a ‘queue’ for an indication of good food. Also, never expect something to taste good just because you are hungry.

For the record, I had him finish the egglets. I went in search of better snacks. Heh! :D

I was highly amused as I unwrapped the new Kata i4. The white box it came in reminded me of Apple’s product packaging. And let’s not even discuss the name – i4. :D As you probably already know, I’m not an Apple fan (oops!) and what I really want to know is whether this Kata i4 will make me a convert. I’m currently using the Samsung S5, and to borrow a phrase from McDonald’s, “I’m lovin’ it”.

First things first:

The Kata i4 (on the left) is flatter than the Samsung S5, and just a little taller. I weighed both phones, and found that the Kata i4 weighs 163g, or a negligible 19g heavier than the S5, which weighs 144g.

And I usually use my smartphone for product shots, or at events, because I don’t like lugging a camera around with me. So I was definitely enticed by Kata i4’s 16 megapixel rear camera and 8MP front camera.

I’ve put together a few Sonny Angels, and taken the same ‘picture’ using both the Kata i4 and the Samsung S5:

The two photos were taken without any camera flash. And as you can see, the image produced by the S5 is superior – vivid, brighter and with less obvious shadows…

The reverse is true when I turn on the camera flash for both phones. This time round, the S5 gives a ‘harsher’ image while the Kata i4 gives me a photo that’s more pleasant to view:

I also found that the images produced by the Kata i4 can easily be used on websites or retail sites as ‘product shots’. No need to hire a professional photographer or rent a studio! I can simply upload the picture to this blog, and start selling Sonny Angels! :D

As for the 8MP front camera, you may have read online that it has a ‘Beauty Mode’ function (it’s nothing new, right?). BUT there is an awesome ‘Gesture Capture’ function. When you do the victory sign, the phone will automatically snap a picture of you. This function will come in very useful when taking group shots, or ‘wefies’! Just have one person hold up two fingers in the victory sign, and the shot will be taken! Perfect! :D I’m just waiting to test this out. Group shot, anyone?

~

Other perks that come with the Kata i4 include FREE 35GB Online Storage (KataCloud), 32GB storage + 2GB RAM, and a 5.0 inch Super HD Display. I love phones with big screens! :)

As for the pricing, it’s S$358. Get it online at Lazada: http://www.lazada.sg/kata-store/

To answer my own question of whether the Kata i4 is better than the iPhone (6)… I’d say the price makes it more affordable, for sure. A 16GB iPhone 6 costs S$988 while a 32GB Kata i4 costs S$358. It’s a no-brainer.

The iPhone 6 is lighter, has a smaller screen, and a less-attractive 1.2MP and 8MP cameras.

If you want to buy a new phone but you are put off by the price of iPhones, and don’t want to get a Samsung phone, then Kata might be a good choice.

I’d definitely like to see Kata phones in more colors please! Perhaps with a fingerprint identity sensor too! :D

To find out more about the Kata phones, head to their website HERE or their facebook page.

The MyStamp Folder set (S$21.80) is also out of stock at the time of writing. :D The 1000 sets of the SingPost SG50 Hello Kitty Limited Edition Bundle Set (S$108) are all sold out! I managed to purchase 3 sets this morning.

I noticed that sales started before 10am. I was already on the site by 9.30am and around 9.55am or so, when refreshing the site, I noticed that the kitties were up for sale. So I quickly grabbed 3 of these limited edition sets. :D

Why 3?

One will definitely be for my collection, and two sets for giveaways probably later this year. Or, they could become birthday gifts for my fellow Kitty fans/friends. :D

Why pay so much for 5 plush toys and some stamps? I mean, the plush toys probably cost 3 or 5 dollars to manufacture in China, right? BUT this design cannot be found elsewhere! It’s in celebration of SG50! And it comes with a certificate and all, so yes, a pat on the back for getting them. :D

And to my friends who are celebrating birthdays soon, and want to get this (*ahem) expensive set as a gift, feel free to drop me a message with an obvious hint. Depending on how much I like you (or not), I may/may not gift it to you. :D Hahaha!

This is one book I believe most people cannot afford to not read. Your digital reputation is going to have a huge impact on your life, if it doesn’t already exert such an influence. “It determines whether your bank will lend you money to buy a house or a car, whether a landlord will accept you as a tenant, which employers will hire you and how much they will pay you. It can even affect your marriage prospects.”

In fact, it is possible to access tonnes of information about you – your buying habits, your finances, your professional and personal networks and even your physical whereabouts.

Even if you stop using credit cards and pay for everything with cash, don’t own a social media account on any platform, and don’t allow anyone to ‘tag’ you when checking in to any venue, you can’t stop people from writing about you (even with a protection order, heh heh) or upload a picture with you in it (face recognition technology, anyone?)

This book offers a treasure trove of information, including which keywords to put into your LinkedIn profile so you come up tops in search results, how to curate your on- and offline activity to reduce premiums calculated by insurers, lenders and investors, tricks to get express or VIP treatment at banks and hotels, etc.

In fact, the author leads by example. On the back cover, there is “Advance Praise” for the book. It seems that many best-selling authors and famous people are happy to endorse this book. The power of having a good reputation, it seems. ;)

Some Of The Highlights:

1) Insurance Companies use social media platforms like Facebook to investigate claims. On page 55: “a Californian woman was convicted of workers’ compensation fraud after she typed more than two hundred posts (not terribly clever) to Facebook after claiming that a wrist injury prevented her from typing at work.”

2) If you are flagged for having a concern about fitness or health (this could affect your insurance premiums, job or dating prospects), take steps to reverse this. The author’s cheeky suggestion is to strap a Fitbit to a dog and make your Fitbit profile public – it’ll make people think you are “the fittest person in your town”, OR “start posting photos of your coworkers’ salads on Instagram while you chow down on french fries”. :D [page 39]

3) Hang out with the right crowd (pg 59) as you will be judged based on the company you keep too! (@_@)

4) [pg 95] “…your professional reputation can mean the difference between whether you are offered a million-dollar signing bonus or a meager starting salary (or not offered the job at all).”

It reminds me of the AIA S$50 angpow saga that I blogged about here. I’d mentioned, and tagged, Ho Lee Yen (AIA’s Chief Marketing Officer). If you do a Google search with her name, my blogpost appears on Page 1 of the results. Unfortunately, she may not have realized this, as she doesn’t seem to want to take any action to rectify the glaring mistake in sending out those AIA letters. I have already alerted MAS and will definitely be following up on this issue.

The book even provides the key to resolving this, on pg 195: “Reconcile with anyone who is publicly complaining about you.”

5) Be a responsible guest everywhere: [p145-146] “prospective guests who enjoy good digital reputations on Airbnb will likely soon enjoy lower prices, diminished or disappeared down payments and deposits, and other privileges… Get blacklisted from Airbnb, and other services may follow as well.”

And chapter 9 is a particular must-read. I love that line on pg 179 – “nothing motivates bloggers more than legal threats to shut them down”. Remember the obnoxious legal letters I received for my Data Register blogpost? ;)

I’ve ‘collected’ so many nuggets of wisdom from this book, therefore I highly recommend it. Go get a copy from your nearest bookstore! It costs just S$30.79 before GST – and what is 30 bucks when the things you learn from this book could help lead to a 6-figure starting salary?!

Whatever you do, online or offline, be sure to “carefully curate the reputation you have”. :)

~ Giveaway ~

WIN a copy of ‘The Reputation Economy’ by leaving me a comment on this blogpost and telling me why you want to read this book. :)

~

Also, read my earlier book reviews here:

1) Leading Women by Nancy D. O’reilly *giveaway*

2) Playing Big by Tara Mohr *giveaway*

I’m a huge fan of Secret Recipe’s Tom Yum Kung, but I’ve never ordered the dish in Singapore before. I’ve always ordered it when overseas, in Malaysia. After all, if I’m paying ‘half price’ for the same thing in JB, why would I want to order it here, right?

In Singapore, it costs S$14.90 before tax. (I’ll update this post with the RM price in future)

It’s actually an award-winning dish, so do try it when you next visit Secret Recipe. I had a late lunch there today, and I was starving as it was right after gym. It was either this or Marche. But I’ve been to Marche many times already, so Secret Recipe it was.

There were few diners then as it was already close to 4pm. And I got to enjoy the ‘tea time special’ of a slice of cake and a beverage for just S$6.90 before tax. And oh, keropok is on the house.

I have to warn you, though, that the dish does not look terribly appetizing when served. In fact, the prawns were overcooked and hence, no amount of filters could ‘save’ it…

Not the most photo-worthy dish, I know. But I still slurped up all the noodles. And that broth is pretty good. Any fan of this dish will know that it’s slightly different from the ones served in Malaysia. There, it’s spicier and less sweet. Also, the noodles there are just a little bit thicker I think, or it could just be my imagination.

Anyhow, service at Secret Recipe (Vivocity) was fab today. The very young wait staff, Aryna, was polite, served me iced water promptly (without my having to request for it), cheerful, and very quickly noticed that I had left my water bottle behind when I got up from the table to head to the cashier – she quickly retrieved it and handed it to me. *If I’d been ‘mystery shopping’ here, she’d have gotten top marks.

Because I was dining on my own, I overheard (ok, call it eavesdropping if you want) her conversation with her colleague. Apparently, her dad had wanted to name her ‘Arena’ ‘cos he’s a big soccer fan. Like, erm… ok. But after her mother opposed to that choice of name, blah blah blah, they settled on Aryna, I believe. :D Interesting.

And I also had *ahem* chocolate banana cake. I just really like Secret Recipe’s cakes – they hit the right spot, always. If I can’t get Awfully Chocolate’s, I’ll settle for Secret Recipe’s anytime. :)

My lunch cost a total of S$25.65 – this could easily have bought a meal for two in JB. The prawns were overcooked, but the service was awesome. So I’d have to say that the money’s well-spent anyway.

~

Add: Vivocity, 1 Harbourfront Walk #02-108/109

Tel: 63769618

The reason I am putting this post together is because I received an email last week from an angmoh working for a job portal. He wanted to know my take on this issue. I don’t know if it’s for an article, their newsletter or what not. And like all such requests, there is no guarantee they will post my answers on their site, so I’ve decided to post it here too, so my efforts don’t go to waste.

1) If you were going to give career advice to a fresh college graduate based on your experiences what would it be? Would it be to settle for nothing less than something they are passionate about?

Grace: My take is always to gain as much working experience as necessary. It would be best to get a job in sales right after graduation. This is because the skills learnt will be very useful in any job later on, even if he/she decides to become an entrepreneur.

The danger lies in getting too comfortable in any one job. If you stay in a company for too long, i.e. anything more than 2 years, you might get addicted to that (reliable) monthly paycheque. And quash your dreams of becoming your own boss in an instant.

[Addition: My first job right after graduation from NUS with a History degree was in real estate. After I’d sold property (off the piece of paper) worth over a million Singapore dollars, it gave me an unshakeable confidence that I can sell just about anything, except for rockets I guess]

2) Would you tell them to not put too much stock into their first job?

Grace: Whatever you do, give it your best shot. Don’t hold back.

[Addition: I don’t know why this question was even put together. Who, in their right minds, would advise a fresh graduate to ‘not put too much stock’ into a first job. NO! How you do anything is how you do everything! If you hold back, if you are lazy, if you don’t take the initiative, if you like to take the backseat always… well, good luck for getting that testimony that will land you your next job :P]

3) Would you tell them to put as much money into their savings as possible?

Grace: Savings are important but investments are even more important. Make sure you set aside some funds for investments every month. And don’t forget about investing in yourself too – no, not that new Chanel bag! Go for courses, workshops, buy great books.

No matter how much you can save, you won’t beat inflation. Make sure your money works as hard as you do.

[Addition: Set up passive streams of income too. You could write a book and get royalties. Buy the right stocks and get dividends? THINK… then DO… and grow rich!]

I’ve been having fun on a new social media platform (*new in Singapore, but rather established elsewhere). Head over to Migme and look for me (‘thegracetan’) :D I’ve recently been doing a series of posts about the National Flowers of various countries over on Mig and this blogpost is a summary of the posts that I’ve uploaded.

-> Connect with me: http://mig.me/u/thegracetan <-

1) National Flower of Nepal

2) National Flower of Bangladesh

3) National Flower of India

4) National Flower of Pakistan

5) National Flower of Singapore

6) National Flower of Maldives

*repost of National Flower of Nepal*

7) National Flower of Indonesia

8) National Flower of Korea

9) National Flower of Malaysia

10) National Flower of Syria

Have you noticed how the trains in Singapore tend to break down pretty often during rush hour? Could be due to a signal fault, train fault, track fault, whatever fault.

The silver lining to this is the possibility of making some cash out of taking off-peak trains. I, for one, LOVE avoiding peak hour (human) traffic and I travel off-peak pretty often. Hence, I’ve taken full advantage of the Travel Smart Rewards program which rewards commuters for taking off-peak trains.

Here’s a screenshot of my actual CASH earnings:

Yup, I’ve made a total of S$58 so far. Not bad eh?

Here are the Frequently Asked Questions:

1) How do I earn points?

You earn points by taking train trips using the CEPAS card registered in Travel Smart Rewards. You will automatically earn 1 point for every 1 kilometre you travel on the train all day during a weekday, Monday through Friday. Weekend and bus travel does not count. If your trip on the train begins during a designated decongesting hour on a weekday you will receive 3 points per kilometre instead of 1 if you are Bronze, 4 points if you are Silver, 5 points if you are Gold and 6 points if you are Platinum! Decongesting hours are between 6:15 – 7:15am and 8:45 – 9:45am.

2) What are “decongesting trips”?

Travel Smart Rewards targets peak-hour commuters by offering them additional credits for shifting their schedules to less congested trains before or after the morning peak commute hour. Specifically, a “decongesting” trip is initiated between 6:15am and before 7:15am, or between 8:45am and before 9:45am on a weekday. You will receive 3, 4, 5 or 6 points per kilometre travelled if you are Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum respectively, when you tap into the train station during one of these decongesting hours.

3) What are “peak” trips?

A “peak” trip is any trip Monday through Friday initiated between 7:15am and 8:45am. You will receive 1 point per kilometre travelled when you tap into a train station during this hour.

4) What are “off-peak” trips?

An “off-peak” trip is any train trip Monday through Friday, which is initiated after 9:45am and before 6:15am. You will receive 1 point per kilometre travelled when you tap into a train station during these hours.

5) How many points do I earn on weekends?

Train travel on Saturdays and Sundays are not part of Travel Smart Rewards at this time and no points are earned for travel on weekends.

In short, all you need to do is sign up for a free account, link your ezlink card with your account, and you will automatically start collecting points each time you travel by train on weekdays. You can have the system auto-spin the wheel using your points, and when you earn any amount of cash, you will receive an email to notify you to either get the cash credited to your ezlink card at any top-up machine, or be credited to your bank account. I’ll always get the $$ added to my ezlink card balance. Free travel. :)

Sign up here -> https://travelsmartrewards.sg/r/8Lv7vtMx/

Yes, I have yet another new bag from Maku Store Singapore! It comes in a combination of 3 beautiful pastel shades that makes me think of macarons, for some reason. :D And pictured above are my Sonny Angels, and some macaron erasers from Smiggle Singapore. Aren’t they all just too adorable?

This sling bag is just the perfect size for dates and meetup with pals, when I don’t want to carry a bag that is too big or heavy. This one is just right, and makes me carefully consider what I want to put inside.

There’s a compartment at the back (as you see above) and it comes with a detachable sling which you can remove if you want to carry this as a handbag.

*Sudden brainwave: Instead of using the sling, I can hook on a little dangly accessory by the side. I’ll definitely have to look out for either a furball or hello kitty one. Hehehe.

And here’s what I had in the bag for this shoot. There’s my umbrella, a book (which I will review soon), my Maku Store limited edition wallet and a powerbank from Julie’s Biscuits! :) And of course, my handphone will fit in there too, except that I used my phone to take these pictures.

The bag also has an inner zipped compartment and some card and phone slots too. I usually stick my ezlink card and a tube of eyelash glue into those slots.

This is definitely one pretty bag you will want to treasure. To check out this design, and many more others, pop by Maku Store Singapore at Bugis Junction #03-20 and be sure to quote my name / blog name for exclusive discounts and privileges. And don’t forget to check out the limited edition items in store. For barely any difference in price, you can be the sole owner of that particular design (bag, wallet, etc) in Singapore! Yes, no one else has this particular wallet featured above. *WINK*

It’s been a while since I last did an interview feature on Smiggle. Read it here. That was done way back in 2011! *gasp* Since that time, Smiggle stores have sprouted up everywhere in Singapore. And I’m not ashamed to admit this – I love their stores, products and sales!

Just last week, I popped by one of their outlets and bought a set of scented stamp markers (S$5 after discount) and macaron erasers ($7.95). The macarons did not come with any discount but I thought they were too cute to say no too.

On one hand, I’m happy that I’m now able to afford any of those cute stationery I see in stores, unlike those times when I was in primary school and my daily allowance did not allow for any of these frivolities. On the other hand, I’m shocked at the amount of money parents would end up spending if they allow their kids to walk into one of these Smiggle stores. Lunch boxes, notebooks, colorful stationery – gotta get them all. And not forgetting those bags, headphones, note pads, umbrellas, water bottles, etc. (@_@)

I took out those macarons for one of my product photos for Maku Store Singapore. While the macarons look all vibrant and colorful, they come with a very strong smell. Most of the products made in China don’t smell too awesome, and yes, Smiggle’s products are manufactured in China. Though I have to admit that the scented markers smell great.

Besides Smiggle, there is another company that specializes in selling stationery and has stores all over as well. Cannot recall the name now but it sells stickers, pens, notebooks, diaries, etc.

I think Smiggle definitely has a great chance of surviving and thriving in Singapore as they constantly have new and exciting product ranges and everything’s so colorful and cheery. As for the other store, I’m not too optimistic about it. After all, how many stickers can a student buy? *Will update this post when I get a picture of one of their stores.

I love the awesome bargains at tech shows but the place is always so crowded and it is extremely tough to get to the deals that I want. Haven’t you experienced this before too? ;) This year, Singtel’s helping us enjoy their tech show deals in a rather unexpected way – with their UnexpecTech Deals. :D There is just one catch though – it’s still fastest fingers first, but this time round, you can hunt for those deals in the comfort of your home!

Does that sound good already?

You will get the chance to take advantage of their best tech show deals before the tech show even starts! And that’s not all! You can enjoy these deals at the Singtel Shop or get them online!

And it’s also a lot of fun.

Singtel has hidden all their fabulous deals – from extra mobile data, to free months of fibre and great discounts on phones – in the one place you’re used to searching for stuff: your web browser! Say what?! Yes!

Get online and get everything from Free data, Extra Talk Time, Free 3 Months Off Fibre Broadband, $0 Samsung Phones, Xiaomi Powerbanks and more! As I’ve mentioned, it’s fastest fingers first as some of these are limited in quantity, so you’ll have to really swoop in fast.

Don’t worry though, as they have put clues all over the place to help you search for the deals. Just keep your eyes open for them…

Here’s one clue I found:

Hint: Milky Way is not a bar.
unexpectechdeals/_ _ _ _ _ _tab4forfree

;)

Have a lot of fun, get good deals, plus stand a chance to win some great prizes too! You’ll have to act fast because some of the really cool ones are available for a limited time only! *wink*

For more details on how to play, visit Singtel.com/unexpectechdeals and keep an eye out for all of these #unexpectechdeals :D Good luck and happy shopping!

I love crab. And I’m a huge fan of Dancing Crab. Thanks to my student and pal, Steven Lek, who first brought me to Dancing Crab, I am now hooked on their Cajun-style crabs. Earlier this week, the bf and I gave Steven and his family a Dancing Crab treat. We also had their interesting Dancing Yu Sheng (S$48++ for 4 pax).

Instead of chopsticks, use your (gloved hands) and HUAT AH:

I initially had my reservations about the Dancing Yu Sheng. Sure, it’s a novelty but I really don’t like smoked salmon. Give me fresh salmon slices any day. However, the smoked salmon is not as salty as those served elsewhere and the fried salmon skins were awesome! I really did enjoy this Dancing Yu Sheng. Yes, it is non-traditional. But what do you expect? When you dine at Dancing Crab, you don’t use cutlery, you eat using your hands, so don’t be an old fogey and just toss your yu sheng as the patrons here do. :P

We also ordered the Combo Bag 1 (S$88) with an extra crab (S$65) in the first picture you see above. Plus my favorite Crab Cakes (S$18.50) and Steven’s Cornbread (S$5). Including drinks, the bill came up to S$282.50 after tax and service charge. That’s S$56.50 per person. And we also agreed that it’s way more value than Blue Lotus – totally not going back there.

If you don’t already know, Blue Lotus is located at Sentosa Cove. Steven Lek brought me there previously. In terms of service and how welcome guests are made to feel, Blue Lotus pales in comparison despite the obviously way-higher prices.

After our dinner at Dancing Crab, their staff Wai Linn (who always greets us cheerily and makes us feel welcome on EVERY visit, plus we even have his mobile number for making reservations) came over and offered us coffee. Only my bf and Steven ordered coffee… which to my utter surprise, was “on the house”!!! When my bf told me the post-dinner drinks were on the house, probably ‘cos we are regular customers, I told him “No lah, where got such thing? Want to bet or not?”

I lost the bet. The coffee was INDEED on the house. Compare this with my last Blue Lotus visit…

Previously, Steven brought me to Blue Lotus (our 2nd visit, I think it was) and he brought a voucher along with him. He had been given that voucher on an earlier visit and he was looking forward to utilizing it. Unfortunately, he did not read the fine print that it was only valid for certain days and timing. (@_@) And even though BOTH THE BOSS AND LADY BOSS were there, and they appeared so friendly towards Steven, they did not want to honor the voucher.

And when the Boss came to bid us farewell because he was going to drive some guests to buy cigarettes, he proudly told us that he always ‘goes the extra mile’. I wanted to vomit. I could not help but ask if he indeed goes the extra mile, he would not disappoint an old customer like Steven who constantly brings new friends and introduces them to Blue Lotus. Alas, the Boss did not budge. #sohorrible #notgoingbackever

In Chinese, we would term what Blue Lotus did as ‘不会做人’. Dancing Crab has done really well in giving their staff the ‘authority’ to reward regular customers with certain perks that are not stated or published anywhere. Meanwhile, the Blue Lotus boss cannot even authorize a discount (for a regular customer) that they would have given on any other day. *rolls eyes* #comeiclapforyou

~

Moral of the story: If you are going to Sentosa Cove, you know where not to eat. And if you are a crab lover like me, go to Dancing Crab. ;)

Dancing Crab Add: 200 Turf Club Road, Turf City, #01-20/21/22, Singapore 287994

Tel: 64663303

~

Now… if you can’t be bothered with paying for a pricey crab meal, you can also try the Wai Wai Instant Rice Vermicelli (Crab Flavour). It costs just S$1.75 at NTUC. I bought one pack on Friday as I noticed there were only 2 packs left on the shelve, as if it’s really popular. So, I had to get one pack to try. (*I KNOW it’s junk food with too much MSG, so I don’t eat instant noodles very often either)

Takes just 3 minutes to prepare… but of course, I had to add other ingredients…

Tah-dah! My pot of yummy vermicelli:

I added chicken, prawns, egg, tofu, mushrooms, chili padi, asparagus, broccoli and chye sim.

And though I had used 2 packets of vermicelli, I added only the seasoning and chili powder for 1 packet. :D

Still, it was a potent mix. This is very, very spicy. But so yummy! :D

Once again, I don’t advocate the consumption of instant noodles. It’s just an occasional indulgence. And when you do eat instant noodles, be sure to add in other ingredients to make it a more balanced meal, ya? *wink*

Remember my blogpost on Feb 3rd about AIA and how it gave customers a S$50 angpow and then took it back? (Read it HERE) And true to my word, I contacted MAS regarding this lapse in service on AIA’s part, and the improper conduct from their agent Kenny Toh.

And here is the reply that AIA sent to me, after MAS instructed it to reply to me directly within 14 business days:

This is another one of those letters which is an absurd waste of time to read. Please don’t kill any more trees, AIA. I can sum up your letter in one sentence:

“We thank you for your feedback, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused.”

Hello???

I want to know:

1) Is AIA allowed to use vouchers to entice customers to sign up for policies, and two, if this is allowed then does AIA not have a duty to follow up on its promises and deliver those same vouchers?

2) AIA agent Kenny Toh has been making some disparaging remarks online. What sort of action is AIA going to take against him?

3) Why in the world is AIA’s Chief Marketing Officer, Ho Lee Yen, keeping silent? Shirk responsibility or hide behind the Customer Service department? Since her signature is on all the letters given to customers, whether it is the original redemption letter or the sorry-there-is-no-redemption letter, shouldn’t she step out and say something? Hello??

~

MAS and AIA, I am NOT satisfied. Despite what I have heard about the financial planning industry being a heavily-regulated one by MAS, I have seen otherwise. AIA has failed, on so many levels, to convince me that its leaders walk the talk and are accountable for their actions, and their agents (either Kenny Toh or the one serving my friend) have either failed to be responsible online citizens or failed in their duty to alert the customer to any mistake in a timely fashion.

~

As for the agent, Kenny Toh, who accused me of being an attention seeker who blogs “without finding out the real facts”, well well well. He has removed his LinkedIn page, I believe. But here’s the profile on http://www.affluence.sg:

*screenshot*

And I quote… “He strongly believe [sic] his role is primarily that of a communicator, listener, counselor and facilitator”. LOL!!! #laughdieme This brilliant communicator, listener, and whatever-nonsense did not even get his facts right before he decided to accuse me of behaving like some Taiwanese reporter:

You can read our whole conversation over at my previous blogpost, where Kenny proves that he’s not very proficient in English, and yet likes to engage bloggers as a keyboard warrior.

AIA, Ho Lee Yen and Kenny Toh, come, I clap for all of you.

The day I got my hands on this book, I completed reading it before bedtime. Yes, being able to speed-read helps. :D My gut feel about this novel is that it is part-fiction, part-truth because it knows too intimately the traumatic experience that is bullying in schools.

I’ll also give this book extra marks for the conclusion, which many writers fail to nail adequately. This one, however, delivers a punch to the gut as the protagonist (Xing Li) – and the reader – learns the truth about her grandmother’s life.

This book explores various topics: school bullying, racism, deaths of loved ones, euthanasia, among others. They are all really moving, and if you’d like a recommendation for a book to read on a lazy Saturday or Sunday, this would be it.

Some quotable quotes from the book:

1) “Lil sis, time is important. Life is about playing more and working less. People always think Chinese people are working hard but actually they’re smart and they’ve finished the work by lunch break so they can play games on their computer.”

2) “We have to pick our battles – be wise. Sometimes being quiet is wiser than saying a hundred words.”

3) “When life is tough, you have a choice. You have a choice to curl up in a ball and wither away like the crocuses in winter. Or you can fight like the fir trees that grow come snow or rain.”

4) “Mama once said that being strong was a blessing and a curse. When you are strong, people expect so much out of you. They rely on you to be the friend who they can turn to or the colleague who will stand up to the boss at work. You are the person who will have the right word, the one who will give them the strength to carry on. But when your heart is collapsing inside who can you turn to?”

~

I even came to love how this book helps me understand the Chinese people and their idiosyncrasies a little better. Such as how a Chinese person can be on a Business Class flight yet still do something as odd as stuffing his/her pockets with the free toiletries, or even think about swiping the airplane headphones. Or why they have to TALK SO LOUDLY. :D

I’ll not say more. You simply have to pick up a copy of this book and read about ‘The Llife Of A Banana’. I’m sure you’ll love it. :)

Back when I was working for someone else, I’d always get bags in dull and drab colors, namely, black and brown. It’s been a while since I quit my job in 2011… and my bags and accessories are all getting bolder and brighter in color, just the way I like them. I used to carry an agnes b handbag back when I was working for Adam Khoo. I still have that bag but I probably use it just once a year. I am now in love with bags in vibrant shades that are a delightful pop of color to match any outfit. :D This sling bag in hot pink from Maku Store Singapore is one of them.

The two clasps in front can give you a little bit of trouble if you are carrying many shopping bags but need to get your ezlink card or wallet out of the bag. :D Otherwise, it’s great, with an additional zip inside to ensure the bag’s contents do not fall out.

Also, there’s an inner compartment (zipped) in the middle, and another by the side. The usual phone and card slots are in there too. The presence of the inner compartment means I can’t place a slightly more bulky item into the bag, such as a book, for instance. But for everything else, there should be space. I’ve had an umbrella, wallet, phone, Sonny Angel toys, and tissue in the bag.

And it comes with another compartment at the back – can place that ezlink card in here. And of course, that all important sling comes with the bag too. :)

Reader privilege: Get a discount when you shop at Maku Store Singapore (#03-20 Bugis Junction) just by quoting my name / blog name. Check in-store for more details. :)

My pal, Samy, shared a link to a Business Insider video on Facebook, and I found it extremely useful. Hence, I’ve taken screenshots from the video about 15 brand names that people keep mispronouncing all the time. :) I find ‘Hermès’ particularly hard to pronounce, since the time I was told that there’s a certain nasal sound that has to be articulated, as with so many French words. I’ve almost been resigned to calling it the ‘H’ brand. And how about ‘Porsche’? Is it ‘Por-shay’ or ‘Porsh’? Turns out both are wrong. (@_@)

First up that brand whose name, if you mispronounce, will rhyme with herpes. One you get from having too much sex, the other from having too much money. Or, it could be the other way round, I’m not sure. :D

I have no problems with pronouncing ‘Adidas’. You?

Never even heard of this next one before. Apparently, it’s one of the top pharmaceutical companies in the world. The company mainly manufactures prescription medicines for diabetes, HIV, hypertension, stroke, etc…

Fage is a Greek dairy company, and on their facebook page with over 1.3million fans is this description: “FAGE (pronounced “fa-yeh”) is known for FAGE Total, all natural Greek strained yogurt.”

And some more-familiar brand names:

This next one is a “yoga-inspired athletic apparel company”… lulu-lemon :D

And a couple more that you might be familiar with…

And for the record, it’s por-sha, not porsh or por-shay. :D #NowWeKnow

And what about words like “esplanade”, ‘clemenceau”, “reservoir”, etc that Singaporeans tend to struggle with? Well, that’s a blogpost for another time. ;)

So, it’s Monday and I have some Cocktail Truss Tomatoes still sitting in the fridge for about a week now. And I felt like I had to do something with them before they started rotting. I thought they were simply giant-sized cherry tomatoes, but a Google search found that…

“Truss” refers to the fact that these tomatoes are ripened on the vine (as opposed to being picked unripe and then left to ripen actually off the vine) which maximizes their flavour. They are then picked still attached to their stem. Also, the tomatoes at the top of the vine, the truss, ripen the first. If baking, pierce the skin to avoid the tomatoes exploding. Keep them out, in a bowl, at room temperature; don’t keep them in the fridge – the cold spoils their flavour.

Oops. Didn’t know they should be kept at room temperature. Oh well.

Anyway, I came up with a quick 5-picture story, or comic strip if you’d like, about my Sonny Angels and the tomatoes, hence the title ‘Sonny And The Giant Tomatoes’. :D

Ok, I have no idea what they were doing in the last bit. :D Kinda like what people do at the fountain of wealth, I guess. Just going round in circles.

And if you are a parent, feel free to share this story with your kid and ask:

1) Is the tomato a fruit or a vegetable? *wink*

2) If you find something strange on the ground, and you think it might be food, should you pick it up and eat it?

3) If you find a lot of yummy food, should you eat it yourself or share it with your friends?

(In case you are wondering what those toys are, and where to get them, check out my blogpost about Sonny Angel HERE)

Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin was in the news today (The Straits Times) in an article about retirement plans for younger workers so I went to his Facebook page to see if netizens had left similar comments of annoyance there.

To my utter surprise, the cover picture of the Minister’s Facebook Page showed him holding a “You Should Be Here” blue banner and smiling gaily with three others:

I then sent him an email (his email addresses are on his Facebook page) and received a reply from the Minister himself within 35 minutes.

For the record, the Minister is “not endorsing them” (i.e. World Ventures).

[Sidenote: I am very impressed that the Minister sent me a reply so promptly and even more appreciative about the fact that he asked me what I do for a living. And yes, I am a full-time blogger]

The Minister’s new Facebook Page Cover Picture:

The Minister candidly shared with me that he manages his own Page and I must say that I am pleasantly surprised that he took action in changing the picture so quickly. He is a man of his word, it seems.

Sneaky or otherwise, the people from this MLM company are quite adept at getting political figures to appear in their pictures with the “You Should Be Here” banner. Satirical news site, newnation.sg, ran an article last year with the headline “PM Lee revealed as member of World Ventures”. The site (newnation) is known for their brand of humorous (fake) news – as evidenced in their tagline of “50% real news”.

(Read the article here: http://newnation.sg/2014/04/pm-lee-revealed-as-member-of-world-ventures/)

And one of their readers actually bought into the story (@_@)

This is how scary it can be when political figures, or any other influential figure, agree to a photo without requesting that people lay down their props, banners, products, or any other promotional material. They become unwitting endorsers of these products and services.

My recommendation to Minister Tan Chuan-Jin was to grab a copy of ‘Public Relations 247′ by Social Media and PR expert, Andrew Chow. Chapters 8 and 9 would be extremely beneficial for any politician to read. In fact, I noticed that MP Tin Pei Ling was also at the book launch for PR 247. :)

When told about the Minister’s facebook picture and my email, Andrew’s advice is…

“All photos posted on social media can become marketing material for unethical business. Protect yourself with the privacy settings and prepare a standard disclaimer in case of being misrepresented. Looking at the bright side; if your social assets are leveraged by others, it means you are seen as an influencer. It can happen to anyone; the more improbable it is, the more sensational it becomes.”

And for the record, again, I do not endorse this particular MLM company. Sure, I think MLM companies like Tupperware are great, but I don’t like this travel one. Not one bit.

I had a lunch appointment at Orchard Road yesterday and had some time to visit the SK-II #ChangeDestiny Museum at Paragon. It was the last day of the “museum”/exhibition, so if you’ve missed it, you’ll have to wait for their next event, I guess. :D I got to learn some new things about SK-II even though I have been a user of the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence for many years now. For instance, what does the “SK” in “SK-II” stand for? Make a guess, and I’ll reveal the answer in a bit.

Got a surprise when I spotted myself in their video (picture above) at the museum. I was one of a number of bloggers/SK-II users who were ‘interviewed’ at an event in the past. So yes, you might have seen “me” at Paragon recently. LOL!

And now… for the reveal:

The first bottle of Secret Key II Facial Treament Essence was launched in Japan on 21 December 1980. That’s even before I was born – I’m suitably impressed knowing this. :)

And that’s not all. I’m usually lazy about applying toner, or what SK-II calls their Facial Treatment Clear Lotion. So my very helpful (museum) guide did a demonstration on the back of my hands. The Clear Lotion was applied only to my right hand – it removes dead skin cells and helps with the absorption of other products. Then she dropped an equal amount of SK-II Facial Treatment Essence (FTE) on both hands, and the one which had toner applied beforehand quickly absorbed the FTE. However, without the toner, the FTE just stubbornly stayed on the surface of my left hand.

So yes, I am now convinced that I should always apply toner first, so any other (expensive) products I apply next will not go to waste.

SK-II also created many beautiful ‘experience corners’ for museum visitors to get acquainted with their products.

One of their products I don’t own (yet) is the Auractivator CC Cream:

A small amount was applied to my right hand (“a little goes a long way” according to my guide) and the result is pretty obvious. The skin on my left hand (without the CC cream) looks more yellowish.

The best part? This CC cream smells really good too, unlike the FTE which has no fragrance added to it. Be sure to grab a sample at any SK-II counter and try this product – I think you’ll like it. :)

What I’ll be doing next, over 2 weeks, is finding out which brand is better – SK-II or Sulwhasoo. I’ve long heard that Sulwhasoo is Korea’s answer to SK-II. And I have been gifted some Sulwhasoo products from a friend so I’ll be doing a little experiment. *I’m not paid by either company. So you can be assured of a very fair review. Stay tuned.