Christmas Socks

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Red Velvet socks for Christmas decoration.

I believe many people would face the same thing as what I faced, which is the most headache things are the ideas for what stuff (a present) you can put in the sock for your family or loved ones. 

Merry Christmas on year 2013!

McDonald’s Bubblegum Flavourburst Ice-Cream!

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This time McDonald has launched its new flavour of Bubblegum Flavourburst ice‐cream. I tried this from the McDonald's desert kiosk.

Although bubblegum is strictly prohibited in Singapore, but get easy to eat this Bubblegum Flavourbust ice‐cream here because it is completely legal. Don't get yourself wrong as the ice-cream is not as chewy as bubblegum but it tastes the flavour of bubblegum. It is still a soft, cooling and creamy ice‐cream though.

I believe with the name itself it gave many of a first impression with an open jaw asking whether are we suppose to swallow the gum? No! It is basically a vanilla ice‐cream swirl with bubble gum flavour on top of it.

If you have not try the McDonald's Bubblegum Flavourburst ice‐cream, do get one at your nearest desert kiosk with only SGD$1 while stock last as it is only available for a limited period.

IKEA Tampines, Singapore 7th Birthday!

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Went to IKEA at Tampines, Singapore on 30th of November 2013, and it was so coincidence that they are celebrating their 7th Birthday. So I was lucky to get door gift cupcakes with the decorations of their 7th Birthday celebration.

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I thought IKEA is only creative in their furniture design, and it's no doubt that they are creative in cupcakes decoration as well. With a simple cupcakes topping with whip cream on top of it and with a piece of sugar candy which looks like a piece of wood for decoration. That's a brilliant idea of decoration where it remains their impression of specialization in housing furniture stuff.

My New Toy Of Apple Products, iPad Air!

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Finally the new born generation of iPad, after the fourth generation of iPad with Retina display, has arrived after long time being awaited.

Basically the size of the iPad is slightly reduced compare to the previous generation iPad. I even saw from an advertisement article stated that, you would probably feel the table almost get blown away when holding with your hands. Wouldn't it be over exaggerating? Although the size of the tablet is slightly reduced, however the size of the screen is still the same which makes it looks supremely clear when reading on this larger screen.

I saw an interesting odd review from an article saying that, "the iPad Air is lighter, but it's neither light nor heavy". From my understanding on how Apple able to reduce the weight and size of the tablet is due to enhancement of lower power components usage. With such great improvements, it reduces the need for a huge battery.

I don't quite understand why it is named as "Air" and how the name is actually comes from. I assumed it is designated to be name for the device as light as air? But it doesn't seem reasonable as the weight of the tablet is much heavier than a paper.

Perhaps, it might be because the new design of the tablet is thinner and lighter. It's a fresh hot newly baked from oven, iPad Air! It will be my new toy for now! *grin*

Moreover, the new iPad Air features a design that is reminiscent of the iPad mini. The new design with thinner bezel makes it so attractive. I would say that the overall design brings up the premium feel to the device.

There is even an improvement on its camera. Now you can have a better snap of your moments, which makes it more impressive than expected.

I would suggest you to get at least the 32GB version as nowadays the apps are getting bigger and bigger due to its high quality. However, for the SIM Card cellular availability and non SIM Card cellular availability is up to your own preference to decide. 

The new iPad Air is almost near to the perfection among tablets, but unfortunately the fingerprint sensor that places in the iPhone 5S is nowhere to be found on the iPad Air.

I would say it’s a product that don't just work smart, but it looks smart too!

McDonald’s Ebi Burger Available In Singapore!

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Finally, McDonald's Ebi Burger has been brought to Singapore recently! I dropped by McDonald's for dinner and had my first try on the shrimp burger. It's illustrated with crispy shrimp patty filled with succulent shrimps, layered with a tantalizing mix of thousand island sauce and mustard, topped off with fresh lettuce and lightly‐toasted sesame seed bun.

Now you don't have to fly to Japan to eat McDonalds Ebi Burger because McDonalds has brought the shrimp burger to Singapore. I advise you would better try it fast if you wanted to taste it so much, yet you still haven't sink your teeth into it, as it is only available for a limited time. MIT is said that Ebi Burger is one of the Japan's best-selling burger. Besides, I saw this burger available in McDonald Hong Kong since few years back.

I ordered the Ebi Feast meal set, which it comes with one Ebi Burger, Tropical Tango McFizz drinks, a hot toasty Banana Pie and a large French Fries shaker with Curry seasonings. The Ebi Feast meal starts from SGD $7.75. It's seem a little pricey for the meal set but it's quite worth it with the shrimps filling. If you think just the Ebi Feast Meal set alone is not enough for you, you can ordered the double patty Ebi Burger. For me, the Ebi Feast meal is already quite full for me as I seldom take heavy meal for my dinner.

The Tropical Tango McFizz also available only for a limited time. It is a mango‐flavored beverage with fruity sparkling taste. I miss their banana pie so much and it is not been selling for quite some time. I love Banana Pie as the taste is akin to that of the authentic Malaysian desert, banana fritters or commonly known as "pisang goreng".

None of us complaining about shrimp shortage in the burger patty because you will taste real shrimps in it. The shrimps is so fresh and it's pretty much like eating a fried prawn dumplings or known as fried "Har Gao".

I heard that Ebi Burger is only available while stock last and it is only available for a limited period of time! Better not miss out to taste it while it's still available or else the word regrets should not appear on your mind later on, especially for prawns lover like me.

Starbucks Triple Chocolate Cake!

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Enjoying a free treat from Starbucks while waiting for flight departure at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta. I know you might be figuring out what is the cake from the picture above, as it is a bit dark from the capture. It is the Triple Chocolate Cheese Cake!

It is great to have a naturally delicious selection of a sweet treat with a cup of hot Caramel Macchiato coffee. This combination of chocolate cake and coffee certainly generated a buzz while waiting for the flight.

The taste of the cake is pretty good, especially with its soft texture of the middle layer of the cake. The chocolate on the top layer using nuts as the topping makes it taste nicer, instead of a plain and boring chocolate layer.

Having a perfect combination of a cup of coffee and slice of cake on a cooling weather is going to make your day. Isn’t that how life should be?

With so many subtle variations in texture, sweetness and chocolaty goodness, it will become an obsession for you. After taking the first bite, it makes you stop sinking your teeth into its luscious and creamy goodness.

Bouquet of Red Flower in Deco.

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A beautiful red flower in deco.

Flowers are always the favorite for most ladies I would say, instead of using the word “woman”. I’m not saying it’s a favorite of every girls, certainly there will be some who are “allergic” (dislike) of it, but anyway it’s still the favorite of majority of the ladies. Isn’t it true?

I know some of the guys might be asking, there are so many types of flowers and which one should they get for their lady? Is it just pick any bouquet from the florist, as long as it looks attractive and beautiful will do? No!! Each types of flowers symbolize its own purpose or meanings.

With so many connotations, you could end up with a harmful feedback instead of a positive one if you pick the wrong one. There are some articles which showing that different types of flower having its own meaning. For example, certain flowers symbolize the meaning of faith, hope, admiration, longevity, loyalty, love, friendship, romance, and the list goes on.

Here is a partial list of recommended flowers which you could select as a gift. The list goes from Iris, Sunflower, Lilac, Carnation, Orchid, Lily, Tulip, Daisy, Rose, and the list goes on.

Some studies even shows that flowers are a great way to win over a girl’s heart. It is a gesture which shows a girl that you really do love her. A simple bouquet of flowers could always impress a girl in a romantic way. The flowers itself could make a girl think of how special they are to you. Receiving a fresh, luminous flower can transform her ordinary day into an unforgettable moment.

Although getting a flower is as easy as you just walk into a flower shop, point on the attractive flower, then you pay for it and it’s done. It is simple as nowadays the florist in the flower shop will just help you to get one of it. If you would like to make it more meaningful to give a bouquet of flowers to your lady rather than just for the sake of giving, I would rather suggest you to get a flower that match to your lady’s personality. She will definitely notice your sincere gift, because your girl will probably make sure that you are just as happy as she is.

Flowers can be a fun and great way to bond a stronger relationship between couples. It can be a way to express a secret message embedded in the flowers, but make sure you include a greeting card with written messages to tell her the meaning of the flowers to her. Otherwise, ladies nowadays have forgotten the meaning of flowers.

A gift of flowers has always been the best way for a man to make a lasting impression on a woman. In fact, some study shows that women can remember the last time they received flowers and receiving flowers makes them feel special.

Guys, you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to give flowers to your loved one. In fact, most women say, “no reason” is the best reason to get flowers. Always bear in mind, don’t wait for a perfect moments because the moments will only become perfect when you take some action on it! Hey, what you waiting for guys? Create your own perfect moments today! 

Cuckoo Clock

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Impressive traditionally hand carved cuckoo clock. The traditionally handmade wall clocks are hand painted. A cuckoo clock actually stands for century long click making tradition, and it was origin from German craftsmanship. This cuckoo clock is a much simpler types where it does not have the chipper cuckoo bird perched in the window, but it has a fake cuckoo bird carved on the upper window with the cuckoo sound alert for every hour.

Typically, a cuckoo clock will strikes the hours with a sound like a common cuckoo’s call and typically has a mechanical cuckoo that emerges with each note. Clocks are essential element in any home design, unless you would not like to know what are the time of the day and it probably doesn’t matter to you. I believe that is what many of us wish to as you will never worried about the rush hour of the day and live with the fullest without care about the time.

Durian For Dinner and Diet?

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The portion of durian above as a replacement of my usual dinner meal. My friend were asking, “Are you sure it is enough as your dinner?” and I answered him with a serious look, “Why not? I’m on diet dude”. I know some of you might show me with a surprised face and with the words playing on the mind, “Durian as a replacement of dinner meal and as diet meal as well? Crazy?”.

Durian is very high in calories and carbohydrates. In other words, durians can cause weight gain and it is fattening! Durian contains high sugar level and people with diabetes should be alert of their limit of durian intake.

At most of the time during durian season, you will find at the fruits stall where they sell durians together with another seasonal fruit, named Mangosteen. This two different fruits are seasonal fruits and the coincidence things that happen is both fruits harvest at almost the same season. Not too sure if you might notice about this. Therefore, since decades most of the Asian practice the culture of consuming Mangosteen after taking durians. The reason being is because it is believed that durian is a heaty fruit while mangosteen is a cooling fruit. Hence, Mangosteen is best taken to reduce the heatiness associated with the durian intake. 

Never ever consume durians together with alcohol. It is serious lethal combination to be concerned of. The content of the alcohol itself will rise the blood pressure level after consuming durian. 

For a durian lover like me would only able to tell you whether the durian taste nice or taste bad, when you ask me about durian. Perhaps, I can also tell you where to get a nice durian, for those which I tasted before. That’s all! Nothing more than that! However, if you were to ask a local connoisseur about durians, I believe they will be able to tell you from A-Z types of durians from various types of breeds. If you were to ask more, I believe they could even tell you the story or history of how each name of the durian breeds come from. 

At my last visit to Thailand, I was lucky enough to taste the durian in Thailand and I was told by my local friend there that one of the most expensive and famous breed of durian in Thailand is called “Morn Tong”. Another famous type of durian which we often see some of durian stalls where they wrote on the board, “D24” or “D101”. I definitely couldn’t differentiate the type from its physical look.

Recently, I even saw in Singapore that there is a type of durian named “XO” and the flesh of the durian has the taste of XO liquor. XO durian is one of the smaller durian species; the flesh is typically watery, clumpy and bitter. It is famous for having a distinctively alcoholic after taste. 

Some of you might be asking whether is it safe to eat XO durian, as there are fatal incident of consuming durian together with alcohol? The reason being is because of the mindset itself, where the first impression of XO durian to many of us is that the durian contains liquor content, when they heard the name of “XO” liquor in it. That’s not right; it’s only the aftertaste of the durian itself that taste like a mild alcohol taste. It is not a mixture or fermentation of any alcohol on the durian. You won’t get drunk if you eat the XO durian. 

It is quite hard to look for XO durian as not many places in Asia having this breed of durian. Therefore, you should not be surprised with the selling price of this seasonal breed of durian, especially when the demand is very high during a limited supply. If you would like to get a cheaper price, maybe you will need to wait for the end season of the durian, where the durian is over supply and it could not be keep too long, else it will be rotten. 

Jumbo Curry Puff.

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Having a quick breakfast with this delicious pastry.

Curry puffs are commonly found in a buffet style party and they are usually made in a smaller size. A Jumbo Curry Puff could definitely cause Cibophobia (known as a food phobia) to the guests, as the portion itself is too filling.

Curry puff is a famous Malay food and it is better known as “Karipap” in Malaysia. You might find the exactly same curry puff in Singapore as well, but the difference is the naming of the puff itself, where in Singapore, it is better known as “Epok-epok”.

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This Jumbo Curry Puff has single-layered skin and it is more doughy compare to another type of puff which is multi-layered with flaky skin.

The filling of this Jumbo curry puff is more on potatoes and there is no egg in the fillings compare with the usual curry puff with egg and yolk. The curry of this Jumbo puff is a bit milder, and it suits for those who prefer less spicy spice.

Anyway, just having one Jumbo Curry Puff is already more than enough for a full breakfast of the day. It is extremely full for me, as I took the puff together with a glass of milk.

2013 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix!

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This is definitely going to be another historic event of night racing performance in town. It is the Singapore’s largest motorsports and entertainment extravaganza. The ticket sales for the 2013 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix is moving fast and most of the categories are sold out, which include the ticket above with Zone 4 Walkabout on 22^nd September 2013, Sunday. Perhaps you might still able to get the ticket now but it’s from other seller on some websites like eBay. However, the price for the ticket might be extremely expensive due to its high demand.

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The world’s famous social media superstar, Rihanna is going to perform and raved about her 2013 Diamonds World Tour. Rihanna is going to be the headliner for the 2013 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix concerts.

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The entry to the show is only included with any 3-days 2013 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix ticket or the Sunday single-day Pit Grandstand special ticket.

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There is even another stage performance of 2013 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix closing concert on Monday, 23^rd September featured by the famous Canadian pop star Justin Bieber and special guests at the Padang Stage.

Ice-cream Sandwich.

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Who says only super-premium ice-cream taste good? Sometimes a dollar ice-cream sell along the street during a hot weather taste fantastic too, especially the ice-cream on bread or waffle. It is also known as ice-cream sandwich.

You might find the similar ice-cream on bread from various ice-cream pushcart sellers, but it only tastes the best with moist and tender bread. A fresh loaf of bread would have such taste. It usually comes with ice-cream wrapped with rainbows color bread, where the old folks pushing the pushcart around selling the ice-cream.

Ice-cream on bread slice is one of my favorite childhood treats. The funniest is biting the ice-cream with every small bites because just don’t want to finish the scrumptious favorite too fast and end up the ice-cream oozing out the sides.

You may also try out on your own with a toast bread. Hence, it will be ice-cream on toast. Maybe you can just try to imagine of French Toast. Although the ice-cream will melt fast due to the hot toast, but biting up the crunchy toast together with the cold ice-cream taste good. Try it and you will love it!

Goodwood Park Hotel Moon Cake 2013!

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One of the most popular lunar festivals is around the corner! It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration!

Moon Cake Festival is always a great time to spread your love by sending moon cakes to family, friends, and business associates.

Received another elegant moon cakes gift on 2013 from my associate business partner, with a nice packaging of moon cakes from Goodwood Park Hotel. I would say that it is an elegant indulgence with just the right touch for the oriental occasion.

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The Goodwood Park Hotel’s repertoire of fruity snowskin moon cakes tastes great! I personally prefer the green one shown in the photos above, with the natural taste of Guava. The aromatic scent of the guava itself makes you never stop biting on it. It is a new flavour of the year, which is the pink guava with passionfruit and rambutan skin. The one with the yellow colour, which is the Mango with Pamelo tastes good as well. The snowskin moon cakes taste is superbly delicious. It is definitely worth for self-indulgence or as a gift.

Compare to some others snowskin moon cakes, the taste is not too sweet and it just suits well for health-conscious folk.

For this year, its packaging comes with a classy and elegant beige-gold with chrysanthemum motifs on the box. 

Shangri-La Premium Moon Cake Gift 2013!

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Moon cake Festival celebration is around the corner and here are the premium gift set of moon cake from my business partner to commemorate with the 2013 Mid-Autumn Festival. The gift is really elegant, where the moon cake is encased in an exquisite and distinctive box.

The actual date for the celebration of Mid-Autumn Festival by the Chinese tradition is fall on the 15^th of August of the lunar calendar every year. For country like China, it is often a grand festival celebration, where people in mainland of China usually enjoy one day off from their work for the celebration with family and friends. Ancient Chinese culture believes that eating moon cakes could express their love for their family and their hope for a happy life. The roundness of the moon on the day symbolizes family unity and harmony.

Most of the traditional moon cakes are usually embossed with Chinese for “togetherness” or “harmony”, on top of the surface of the moon cakes. There are various types of fillings in the moon cakes, but the traditional moon cakes usually consists of salted egg yolks at the centre, which symbolize the full moon.

Mid-Autumn Festival is also better known as Moon Festival because as at that day of the year, the moon is at its roundest and brightest. Besides, it is known as moon cake festival, as every family will gather on that day itself to have a family reunion dinner celebration and at the same time enjoy eating the moon cakes. The cake is as round as the moon. Hence, it is called moon cake.

Have you started placing your order for moon cakes? There are so many moon cakes being paraded out there in the market.

I was puzzling around until I saw from an advertisement and just got to know that actually this year Mid-Autumn Festival falls on 19^th of September 2013, which is on Thursday!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!