Tuesday, August 28, 2012

FLEA FOR GOOD at Sentosa This SATURDAY~

FLEA Lovers Fall in!


In conjunction with Sentosa's 40th AnniversaryAdrenalin Events is organizing the biggest FLEA FOR GOOD on Sentosa Boardwalk, a total of 180 booths to see see look look.

Sentosa's Publicity

Grab a booth now at $45, $60, or $80 only instead!

As you all might have already noticed, Sentosa would be celebrating Sentosa’s 40th birthday this year. The anniversary Celebrations will culminate in a Birthday Bash on 1 September. Throughout the day, the public will enjoy complimentary island admission so that they can come and enjoy the programs on Sentosa. The marketing for the bash is going out big time on TV, radio as well as print ads.

The exposure is huge!

As part of the on-going events, they would be organizing a flea market over at the Sentosa Boardwalk. The location is perfect, being along one of the most scenic walk in entrances of Sentosa from the mainland. Also, activities including buskers performance, a guest appearances from Djs from radio stations, as well as a floating giant inflatable birthday cake have been prepared for those who are coming to have fun!

Here's your LAST CHANCE to get a booth at FLEA FOR GOOD,

REGISTER NOW at:

More than 80% of our booths are taken up, while booths last!


Rent a booth along Sentosa Boardwalk this coming Saturday and do your part for Charity!
For every booth you rent, S$15/booth will be donated to the Singapore Children's Society.


Sentosa Flea for Good Flyer V5 copy-1

I'll be there this Saturday with Skincare products from Korea, See you there Peeps!

Monday, August 13, 2012

[Behind The Scenes] Song Recording For V-singer Contest: Ka Fei by Jackie Cheung

Another stepping stone for me.

I suck when it comes to performing during singing contests: breaking into cold sweat, body trembling and feeling nauseous. My knees go weak and I turn pale as ghost standing in front of the panel of judges. I still do.

Then again, I can't seem to stop myself from participating in these contests to gain more exposure-- the learning milestones. Whenever I make progress and move a step higher by being selected to the next round, I tell myself that I want to strive to improve; a boost for myself and my undying passion for singing.

I found another reason to join singing contests: Making new friends who hold the same value as I do; our love & value for music are unbeatable. We hold the same frequency, the understanding of fear of rejection and anticipation we contain within ourselves. In times like these, we support and encourage one another to do our best; Times like these when we meet true friends.

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I met Tommy and Hanrey for the first time. Actually it's the 2nd. The first time when we were at the TCP awards ceremony, I didn't have a chance to speak with them.  They are the funniest & funkiest duo I met at singing contests!

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Left to right: Tommy, Hanrey, Me


Tommy Ng (Duo Mi) is the 'class monitor' of Channel U Youth Talkshow, Let's Talk (Ni Zai Jiong She Me). Catch him on Season 3 which will be telecast this month, AUGUST 2012.

The trailer is already showing and he's acting in it.
Tried to find the trailer on Youtube but can't find any*

Hanrey is one of the youth speakers as well from Let's Talk Season 2 and recently starred in Jack Neo's latest film, Ah Boys To Men. I believe he will be in Let's Talk Season 3 too! His nickname is Mee Kia.

Here is Hanrey's audition video:



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I have another friend who is passionate about singing and his name is extrodinary: Tiger Zhou.
I'm trying to find the video of others but there are just too many of them!



My hands were waving this sacred sheet of paper like the people in the picture: exhilarated & breathless. I'm in the NEXT ROUND!!!

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The 2nd round of audition is done online through this announcement video:



The theme for the 2nd round audition is: Love Song.

I decided to choose the song 'Coffee' by Jackie Cheung.

Unlike any other songs, the song title does not appear anywhere in the lyrics. The song writer relates how love is like coffee (a metaphor) ; using its sweetness, bitterness, hotness & coldness to describe a relationship.

Beautifully written.



Here are the lyrics to this beautiful song and I chanced upon an accurately translated english explanation of the lyrics from http://lyricstranslate.com/en/ka-fei-coffee.html:

咖啡

太浓了吧
否则怎会苦的说不出话
每次都一个人在自问自答
我们的爱到底还在吗

已经淡了吧
多放些糖也很难有变化
不如喝完这杯就各自回家
别坐在对面欣赏我的挣扎

一场失败的爱情像个笑话
热的时候心乱如麻
冷了以後看见自己够傻
人怎麽会如此容易无法自拔

一场无味的爱情像个谎话
甜的时後只相信它
苦了以後每一句都可怕
人怎麽会如此难以了无牵挂


Coffee

The flavor's too strong, isn't it,
Or else why would it be so bitter we can't speak?
Everytime, I'm all alone, asking myself
"Is our love really still there?"

Or maybe the flavor's already gone,
Even if we put in more sugar it wouldn't get any better.
Maybe it's best that after drinking this cup, we each go our own way
Don't sit across from me and enjoy my suffering!

Chorus:
A failed love is like a joke,
When it was hot, I couldn't get my mind to think properly.
But after it cooled down I see that I was so stupid..
Why do people get trapped so easily?

A flavorless love is like a lie,
When it's sweet, you only believe in it.
After it becomes bitter, every sentence is torture..
Why is it so hard for people to stop being attached?



=== BURST OUT LAUGHING ===

My sister made an interesting discovery to my video which made me burst out laughing like a mad woman.

In the chorus, the lyrics mentioned that a failed love is like a joke. The word 'Joke' is pronounced as 'Xiao Hua' in mandarin, which has a similar pronunciation as 'Little Flower' (Xiao Hua).

Then, it said a flavorless love is like a lie. The word 'Lie' is pronounced as 'Huang Hua' in mandarin which has a similar pronunciation as 'Yellow flower' (Huang Hua).

Sounds like what I'm singing in the video.
I. agreed. with. her.

Is that a good or bad thing? 

Jokes aside, I've done recording and wish I have better sound equipment to do it! How budget was my recording done?

Let's go on the tour and you'll see.


==== BEHIND THE SCENES ====

Welcome to my 'recording studio'!

The chair was where I was seated throughout my recording. Knowing I was doing work, Bubble Leong kept very quiet in his bed next to me.  The pretty backdrop belongs to Silver Ang.

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As for the background, one side of it was held on with pieces of masking tape while the other side was pegged up.

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My childhood books for reading to act as a tripod for my camera. They come in handy that's why I couldn't bear throwing them away after so many years. Recording from high angles make your face look slimmer.

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It took me more than 10 takes, with plenty of trial-and-error with the macbook, speaker & mic to finish my recording. Stuffed myself with peppermint candies to smooth out my vocals as I'm still having a sore throat and cough since a week plus ago.

Thankfully, my boss is able to save minus one tracks from his home-karaoke system so I got him to help me. But the minus track wasn't passed to me until a few days back as he was extremely busy at work and didn't have time to prepare the track for me.

First, the music was too soft from the ASUS laptop, I found an external speaker (my 25th birthday present from William bro) to enhance the music. Then I realise the music became too loud and my voice couldn't be heard at all in the video. I dug in my closet and found an old but working computer mic to pick up my voice. The mic didn't work at first and it took me about 30minutes to figure how the plug-in works.

Finally I had to adjust the screen to fit the backdrop nicely and test out a suitable angle to place my mic.

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By the time I finished recording 4 hours later, Bubble Leong was fast asleep in his bed. My voice is too soothing or it may be because of the too-long waiting time.

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After reviewing the video after uploading, it turned out the music is STILL louder than my vocal probably as I have placed the mic too close to the speaker. It sounded okay on my headphones though.

MAJOR  (- _ - "). 

Tip when doing recording at home: SWITCH OFF YOUR FAN to minimise the 'walkie-talkie' effect (noise that makes people think you're driving); unless that's your intention.

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Try your very own recording too, it's FUN!


For more information and updates on V-singer contest, visit www.v-singer.com.

Wish me luck in this contest!
Show your support by liking my video.

Here it is once more:

Monday, August 6, 2012

#CookForFamily: "Fast"- Food!

FOOD. TOPICS. NEVER. GO. WRONG.

I come from a family who can cook incredibly sumptuous meals:
Cantonese cuisine, Teo Chew dishes, Buffet-style, Snacks, even desserts!

When Cousin Jiaxin celebrated her 21st birthday, her younger sister, Jianing, made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese for her, already world-class-baking-standard on her first attempt.  The cupcakes were so delicious we kept asking her to bake somemore!

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When I was young, I would climb up onto the kitchen cabinet and sit near to the stove so that I'd be tall enough to observe how my mum cooks. At the age of 11, I began whipping up weird dishes for my parents and siblings: Dry Pineapple Mee Hoon Kuey, Apple Fried Rice, Sardine porridge etc.

We moved a few times after that and I stopped cooking. In my first new house, we got a maid who can cook everything; all my meals were being prepared for. In the next, the kitchen was too small. Then, I was staying at my aunt's (Jiaxin & cousins) place where the entire family cook so well all I have to do is eat. After moving back home, I'd eat out with my mum.

At first, I was spoilt for choices as there are a few coffee shops around my neighbourhood. Occasionally, I'll still whip up some porridge for myself. It has come to a point where I have gotten so bored with eating-out. We are always having the same food from the same stalls over and over again. Sometimes I wonder why the stall owners don't seem to make any improvements to their cooking even though they have been cooking the same food for years.

When pre-mixes and ready-made food were introduced in supermarkets, I was so thankful! Cooking became so much easier than before! Besides, we can customise and add in ingredients to our own likings. Instead of boiling the soup with pork ribs, we can change it to chicken thighs. Add as much of our favourite veggies into our noodle soup, change an ingredient for our porridge and more!

In other words, we can choose to eat as healthy or as sinful as we want when we cook for ourselves!

This year, my friends, family and I have organised 2 mass food gatherings so far: CNY bring-your-own-bbq-food-item BBQ and a beach picnic.

The beach picnic was held in June. BFFs and I brought a home-made picnic food item each. The thrill of food outings: you'd never know who made the same food dishes. But even if we bring similar food items, the ingredients & cooking methods may be different: double-thrill!

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Despite running a fever, Conan still came for the picnic. Together with Fenny, they made Tuna & cheese Pizzas, using white bread as the pizza crust. Innovative.

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Calvin Timothy and Nicole made Wafu seafood salad, topped with plenty of crunchy cashew nuts!

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Angie made Japanese Jelly with Longan to quench our thirst.

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I brought fried beehoon for everyone. Yongwei cheated and bought some BBQ chicken from GIANT on the same day.

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Calvin and Nicole brought the cutest napkins ever!

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Our sick bird, Conan:
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We finished the food and played games, a great catch up session with BFFs!


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My 'FAST-food'

Rainbow Congee: Ready in 20 Minutes.

Talking about pre-mixes and ready-made food, I fell in love with the Rainbow Congee. Priced at only S$3.80/packet, it's an award-winner food product!

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The rainbow congee is developed by students from Singapore Polytechnic. It's the grand winner of the SFMA Food Product Concept Competition 2007. The congee consists of buckwheat, brown rice, green beans, seaweed, mushroom, barley & more. Each packet serves 4.

The award-winning rainbow congee is formulated to be ready-cook in about 20minutes -- fast & convenient. So if you're looking at a light & healthier meal, the rainbow congee is the perfect choice.

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In each packet, the congee is further packed into 2 smaller packets, considerate to small families when it comes to food storage.

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The ratio of water to one smaller packet is 3:1.
Add in 3 bowls (rice bowl) of water to 1 packet of congee.

The congee itself is tasteless. Flavour it with your favourite ingredients & condiments. For me, I like to add peanuts & sardine.

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Yang Sheng Le Herbal Soup: Ready in 40 Minutes

Another one I especially like is the Yang Sheng Le American Ginseng Concentrated Herbal Soup. Pour in this concentrated mixture & add about 750ml of water and chicken joints.

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Glutinous Rice Balls: Ready in 15 Minutes

For tang yuan lovers, check out this finding my Sis made a few days ago.
My ah ma makes the best PLAIN glutinous riceballs in the universe. I have a 2nd favourite and it taste exactly like my ah ma's.

The riceballs are so chewy like mochi I can't stop!

==== WARNING ====
One thing about Tang Yuans: Bring it out of the fridge only when you are about to throw them into the BOILING WATER. Otherwise all the flour is going to melt due to condensation. The moment water vapour condenses onto your riceballs, they are going to be lumped together & this is a irreversible reaction.

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Instructions are so CLEAR.
Just follow it.

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Add sugar and some pandan leaves when you're boiling your water. Tie the pandan leaves into a knot before you throw it in so that it's easier to take it out for disposal later.

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Continue to boil for about 10 - 15 minutes.

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Fried Bee Hoon: Ready in 10 Minutes

Friends, there's really NO secret to my fried bee hoon.
I'm sharing my recipe with you and you go try it.

What you need:

Bee Hoon
Garlic
Stew Pork (canned)
Oyster Sauce

Before you start frying the beehoon, soak it in water until it's soft. It takes about 20 minutes.

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My assistant of the day: Jackie Goh.

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To fried really tasty beehoon, get this brand of stew pork; no others.
ONE can is enough for 6 - 8 people.

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Using a metal spoon, gently scoop up & discard the top-most layer of oil (whitish layer). You can save up a little bit to fry the garlic later.

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Chop some garlic.

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I'm adding egg omelette strands to my beehoon this time. Previously at the beach picnic, we had cabbage and corn in the Beehoon. You can add veggies of your choice into your beehoon: beansprouts, kangkong, pineapple slices etc.

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Use a scissors to strand the egg omelette.

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Bubble Leong wants to help. LOL

Use moderate fire for this.

Add in the some stew pork oil to the pan. When it's moderately hot, add in the garlic. Make sure the oil is NOT too hot otherwise you will burnt your garlic and it'll taste bitter.

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Add in the the fried bee boon just as the garlic is turning golden brown together with the stew pork and oyster sauce. Allow the Bee hoon to be dripping wet so that you'll get a smooth texture later.

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Mix well and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

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Add in the egg omelette and mix well.

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When it turns soft and slightly watery like this, You're done!

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Last weekend, Cousin Jiaxin came over and we had a sinful food gathering: FRIED FOOD. We're using new oil.

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I'm not a fried food lover and the main reason is because I am afraid of being scalded by the oil during the initial frying process. So, my courageous friend took up the challenge to place the food in the frying pan instead while I did the flipping.

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Seaweed Chicken!

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Soak up the oil with napkins.

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Jackie & Bubble is hungry!

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Mom has marinated some chicken wings the night before and we'll be frying them too!

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Bubble Leong wants to eat some.
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Jackie: WAIT Bubble.
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Mum came home just in time to share frying tips with Jackie.

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FEAST everyone!

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Leftover Macdonald Chilli sauce is most useful!
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"Don't know how to cook' is no excuse to cook for your family when cooking can be THIS easy.
Let's #CookForFamily together!

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The #CookForFamily is a bloggers-for-bloggers initiative, initiated by Daniel from Daniel’s Food Diary. No competition, sponsors, or hidden agenda involved.  More than 100 Singapore Bloggers are participating in this, with a simple objective of getting more bloggers, and hopefully their fans and followers, to start cooking and bonding with their families.

We can make a difference!