november babe of the month

Abercrombie & Fitch (coming soon)

2011-07-08T15:48:00.001+08:00

All-American brand A&F is set to open its first Asian store here in mid-2011. The flagship store will occupy four storeys and will share building space with similarly famous men's clothing brands like Topman, Brooks Brothers and Tommy Hilfiger.

New restaurants that i like to try

2011-07-08T15:26:00.002+08:00

New restaurants
1) Medz at Orchard Central
2) Bronte
3) Salt Grill 54th Ion
4) kinki japanese restaurant
5) Ritz carlton to confirm that the buffet selection is really crap
6) La Brasserie at St Regis
7) Oriole
8) Bedrock
9) Swissotel Stamford
10) Equinox Lunch buffet
11) One ninety (thou not so keen on ala carte buffet)
12) il Lido at Sentosa Golf Club
13) White Rabbit
14) Tanjong Beach Club
15) Cold Stone Cremery

Restaurants / Cafes that i tried b4 and will recommend to others :
1) St Pierre By Emmanuel Stroobant Belgium Chef
2) Hard Rock Cafe Singapore
3) Anatolia Turkish (many times)
4) Jones the Grocer at Dempsey and Mandarin Gallery
(must buy choc croissants & french butter)
5) Brewerkz ( 4 times)
6) Kushinbo buffet
7) Marriot hotel buffet
8) Carousel hotel buffet
9) Grand Copthorne hotel buffet
10) Kuriya Japanese bento sets ($65 set)
11) ku de ta at 55th floor of Marina Bay Sands for dinner
12)Cantina Italian Restaurant at Changi Village Hotel
13) Cova Pasticceria italian restaurant at Paragon (Lobster spag and pizza)
14) Swiss Merchant Court hotel buffet (countless times)
15) Prive bakery cafe at keppel island
16) House dempsey truffle fries
17) Aerin's at Raffles City duck confit and fish
18)

Official Launch of companies for financial year Oct 2010

2010-10-27T20:27:00.003+08:00

Companies Soft Launch :-
1) trysk studio'z
2) Tryk iphoneography
3) Tryk photo studios
4) Daylesford iphoneography
5) VEUILLEZ PHOTOGRAPHY
6) Veuillez iphonology
7) dec.oh.seven iphoneography studios
8) Yorkshire iPhotos Studio
9) vanilla77 studios (Singapore)
10) Decoh seven studios
11) TRYSK IPHONEOGRAPHY STUDIOS (HQ : GREEN PARK , LONDON)

oops i ate a snail .

2009-07-16T18:50:00.002+08:00

hey folks, yes'day i wiz at e infamos st pierre by emmanuel stroobant .
got a picture taken with the incredibly good looking chef.
my mum and me had a degustation menu .
about 9 courses.Each person will pay min $118 +++.
food wiz excel't. so good until i couldn't tell which is the pork loin and which is the breast of duck . since both are red in colour. no. it was too dim

it wiz a full house on a Wednesday night. couples , couples and more couples. the whole atmospheric of love was in the air. no. i would not want to come this place on Valentine's day . it is too cosy . i could sometimes brush past the angmo guy hairy arms at the next table . or perhaps the hairs were too long . the tables were too close to each other . Squeezing 13 tables in a restaurant that is the size of a living room . Nay !

Now , i juz need to upload this minute plates of "baby food"
why i call it baby food.
regurgitated foam , bubbles of olive oil mix with pistachio nuts and pine nuts chopped finely. smallest portions that even my dog will say it is not enuff .
oh yes . and a pungent cheese that smell like my brothers sneakers which havent been washed for 2 months .

stay tune if you want to see this "baby food for adults"
and oops i ate a escargot (snail)

Luxury instant $90 cup noodles from Harrods

2009-04-27T22:27:00.000+08:00

Famous UK department store Harrods has launched a luxury Pot Noodle - the Posh Noodle sells for £29.95 with all the proceeds going to charity. To add to the exclusivity, only a limited quantity of 100 are made.

The vegetarian-friendly posh noodle comes in a hand-flocked and gold-leafed pot. It also comes with a fork and table linen.

Luxury bathroom design by Lineatre

2009-04-27T22:24:00.000+08:00

http://www.luxuo.com/page/2

The collection includes two built-in under sinks cabinets made of solid wood and marble tabletops, mirror in wooden frame with gold trim, low tables and other accessories.

You can also choose from a variety of plenty of marble styles, hand-painted cabinets and trim styles.

And if you really want your bathroom to glitter and shine, you can opt for the Swarovski crystal studded metal handles.

Capella Hotel Launch on March 31st 2009

2009-04-27T22:20:00.002+08:00

Models pose in Gucci dresses before a presentation of the Gucci Spring/ Summer 2009 collection at the Capella Hotel in Singapore March 31, 2009.

Gucci held the collection at Capella, a six-star luxury hotel that opened last week despite Singapore being in recession and the economic crisis affecting tourism numbers across the region.

The $260-million hotel is set within more than 12 hectares of sprawling land and lush greenery. It boasts 111 rooms, including 32 private villas – the first of its kind on Sentosa which come with their own pools.

Designed by acclaimed interior designer Jaya Ibrahim, founder of Jaya and Associates, the warm and inviting palettes of the rooms reflect the underlying influence of the tropical setting.

Featuring prominently the use of rattan and wood, the rooms are spacious, comfortable and relaxing.

But a night’s stay at the hotel can set you back by at least S$750 ($499). Villa stays cost at least S$1,800 ( $1,185) a night !

A Sweet Valentines Day with Bvlgari chocolates

2009-04-27T22:17:00.000+08:00

article can be found at : http://www.luxuo.com/gastronomy/page/2

Him and Her, two exclusive chocolate pralines handmade by Miura Naoki, celebrates Valentine’s Day in Il Cioccolato, a top quality chocolate shop in Bulgari’s Omotesando twin store of Tokyo.

Elegant and refined gift boxes includes these two different melodies for the palate: Her represents the courage to break the rules with white and extra dark chocolate blended with floreali notes and strawberries accents. Him is a small poem of taste, born from the union of the paste of cocoa with coffee and grappa.

Macaron keychains , where to find ??

2009-04-27T22:15:00.001+08:00

Access to French macarons is not readily available if you live in the US for the most part.

However if you are lucky enough to live in Japan, things are different.

Not only are French macarons shops on almost every corner But also there is a ton of macaron toys and souvenirs to be had!

PIERRE HERME COLLABORATE WITH LIPTON

SO WHO IS GOING TO JAPAN ???

Luxury Hotel for Dogs and Cats !!

2009-04-27T22:10:00.003+08:00

A luxury £2.5 million Pet Hotel, called Elmtree, has opened its doors as London’s first luxury boarding kennels and cattery and is offering pampered pooches and frisky felines somewhere to stay when their owners go away.

The Enfield establishment was designed by property developer and pet fanatic Ray Fawehimi on the edge of green belt land in the London borough. Mr Fawehimi, who owns both a cat and dog himself, said he has a vision of opening a guest house for pets so he demolished his house which stood on the site and built the animal hotel.

From its glamorous reception, adorned by a wall lined with dog biscuits of varying sizes and tastes to greet all guests, to its indoor canine gymnasium with toys to stimulate the guests, under-floor heating, well-designed individual guest ‘rooms’ and acres of outside space including a small lake, this is pet heaven

He added that he has hired a “great pedigree” of staff and is now ready for business. “Our manager, Diana Skoyles, previously worked with Sparsholt College, teaching animal care, and previously worked for the Blue Cross. We have six staff members in total and there is always someone on duty and awake throughout the night,” he explained.

The services offered include all the usual boarding amenities like individual kennels, accommodation of any special diet requirements, and daily walks, plus they also have luxury pet bedding options (if you don’t want to bring your own), exercise and play rooms, and even in-kennel web cams so you can keep constant tabs on your pet while you’re away.

The Hotel has 29 cat “rooms” and 55 dog “rooms” - but pairs of dogs or cats who normally live together will room together to avoid upsetting them. There is an isolation ward for any animals who fall sick and an on-call vet in case of need. The luxurious bathroom has hydraulically operated baths and pedicures are available, so that dogs can enjoy full grooming parlour services on the premises.

Even the underfloor heating has been well-planned: for cats there is a choice of sleeping position as the designers recognised that some cats prefer to be on an elevated level (with a cat flap from the mezzanine sleeping area) whilst others would prefer to be at ground level, to enjoy the underfloor heating. The lower bedding area, too, has a cat-flap also leading to the cool, anti-glare glassed sun-room.

Prices start at £20/day for dogs and £12/day for cats. Owners are welcome to view the hotel but for those pressed for time, the Elmtree Hotel Pet Taxi can fetch and carry your pet !

QUITE CHEAP !
SPENCER PLEASE PACK YOUR LUGGAGE AND GO !

Victorian Cosy cottages for DOGS !

2009-04-27T22:09:00.000+08:00

SPENCER , DO YOU NEED THIS ?? REALLY >?????

http://www.luxuo.com/pets/page/2

After showing you the luxury doghouse complete with spa and 52-inch plasma TV, we bring you another kennel that brings luxury to your beloved pooch.

Designed for uber-rich fashion-conscious pet owners, the Victorian Cozy Cottage Kennel Dog House is a safe haven for your best friend.

For the proper pup that appreciates the finer things, the house is designed with a gingerbread trim and gable that surrounds a 6 x 8-foot space for Fido to frolic in fair weather and a covered snooze nook to escape into when it is time to put paws to rest.

cute handphone accessory

2009-04-27T22:05:00.001+08:00

http://www.luxuo.com/gastronomy

Last time, Lipton teamed up with Pierre Herme and this time, collaborate with the Westin Tokyo!

These freebies are named “Tea time accessory collection”. Eight kinds of faux cakes or cuties are ready for tea time. Via: 8tokyo

New 2009 Rolex collection : Datejust 36mm

2009-04-27T21:56:00.001+08:00

As part of its 2009 collection, Rolex unveils the new Rolex Datejust 36 mm.

In polished steel with either a white or yellow gold bezel emblazoned with 52 diamonds, the new Datejust 36 mm is a resolutely feminine version that continues the Datejust tradition.

The Datejust 36 mm classic pieces are available in eight different models each featuring exquisite dials (four floral motif dials, two mother of pearl dials and two wave dials).

this article is extracted from : http://www.luxuo.com/watches/datejust-36mm-rolex.html#more-10449

Daniel Boulud Restaurant in Las Vegas

2009-04-27T21:00:00.003+08:00

this article is from : http://skinny-epicurean.blogspot.com/

Daniel Boulud Brasserie is a casual offshoot of the original Daniel Boulud Restaurant in NYC. Located at the basement of the grand Wynn hotel, the Brasserie offers a really good value tasting menu between 5pm to 7pm. Not only that, if you stay past 8pm, you would also get to watch the Wynn's fountain show that shows at 15 minute intervals starting at 8pm.

The food focuses on classical French food and style of cooking and whilst quite ordinary, was perfectly executed so this meal turned out to be one of the most enjoyable one for me. The waiter was casual and friendly yet professional. The bread was interesting too - one of them had poppyseeds and the other had figs and walnuts.

My warm frisse salad with roasted mushrooms and poached egg was a lovely start to dinner. The soft, runny yolk added a richness to the earthy mushrooms and different flavours and the textures just all blended and melded in my mouth.

The scottish salmon with asparagus was perfectly pink and raw in the middle and had an interesting meyer lemon and radish relish that was sourish and did a good job in preventing the palate from becoming too tired. The skin was so crispy I savoured each bite of it. I cannot understand why most Westerners do not eat the skin of the fish. The first thing they do is to lift up the skin and set it aside. What a shame! Anyways, the portion was generous as well so we had to share dessert.

Dessert was a chocolate hazelnut fondant with nougatine crunch and coffee ice cream. It was a good dessert with tried and tested pairing but oh my gosh, the ice cream was sooo good. The bittersweet effect from the coffee grounds and the sweet cream was a match in heaven and I could only complain that the scoop was too small!

We got a complimentary bowl of mini citrus madelines because my friend's steak was slightly overdone. These were surprisingly really fluffy and light, almost ethereal and just not like most madelines that are heavy and dense like muffins. It was a pleasant surprise and a sweet ending to dinner.

Wynn Las Vegas
3131 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89136

(888) 320-7110
www.danielnyc.com

The Singel 404

2009-04-27T20:58:00.001+08:00

i tot i saw singtel 404
but this foodie place is in amsterdam

I’ve been away. After about two weeks of sleeping in foreign beds and waking up to a hammered jet lagged feeling; I’ve just made it home.

The feeling of being home is a strange feeling. You can be perfectly alienated at home and at home in a completely foreign environment. This trip I went back to a place that I called home for a while, parts of it still looked foreign and other parts looked and smelled familiar. The supermarket that was a seven minute walk away from my then home, my supermarket, had the same smell that it had five years ago. Thankfully not one of those bad smells, but just a distinct smell that was strangely reassuring.

After walking down the aisles of the Albert Heijn and reacquainting myself with the delights of pindakaas (the Dutch version of peanut butter that taste nothing like the smooth Skippy’s/peter pan types that I grew up eating), stroopwafels those waffles that justify are thin enough to hold the maximum amount of caramel, speculaas a Dutch spiced biscuit that I was seriously addicted to and the cheese, I started feeling more at home.

Once I pulled myself out of the supermarket, I did the next thing that was top on my priority, to eat at my favourite sandwich shop in Amsterdam. Anyway, the Singel 404 is small, so you need take any choice table that you get and if the sun decides to come out, sitting along the Singel to watch the boats, bikes and people pass it a great way to spend lunch. The menu here is huge – with nearly fifty different bread + ingredients options ranging from the failsafe toastie, club sandwiches, and my personal favourite section: specials where they have great combinations – it is hard not to at least one option that you would like. Or the last option is for you can be an impossible person like me on my first visit where I insisted on creating own sandwich despite the dizzy array of choices, but I am not too sure if this option is still available.

This trip I made it to the Singel 404 twice – for lunch and brunch. In the peak lunch hour, it is annoying having to stand around and to watch people eat whilst you are starving but in a seriously twisted manner, there is perhaps a magnified sense of gratification when you grab a choice table and savour lunch with conversation. For brunch, I made it there really early and so I enjoyed a full twenty minutes of quietness from me being the solo diner in the lunchroom. Everything I’ve ever had in this place is good. Everything. That and I’ve had fabulous memories at this place. Needless to say, I love it.

Singel 404
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Tel: +31-204-280154

i seek to find the best foods in asia

2009-04-27T20:55:00.002+08:00

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Hong Kong
this article is from : http://eatbma.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.html
(the travelling hungryboy)
>>>>

It totally blew past my expectations, be it the tiny foie gras ravioli, the crunchy salt crystals in the amuse bouche, or the rich pork on toast topped with truffles. Even the little wad of marzipan that was used to secure a porcelain cup of fries to the plate of steak tartare was playfully impressive. Fresh high-quality ingredients were the key, and the maitre d' was warmly engaging.

I'm not a huge fan of fancy food as it oftentimes becomes too dependent on truffles, and I usually question whether it's worth the high prices. This place changed my mind about that (although that was easy for me to say given that our friend picked up the tab tonight). Michelin gave this place two stars; combine that with Yung Kee, the one-starred Cantonese goose place from this morning, and I guess we had a three Michelin star day today.

this is how i spent my sunday

2009-04-19T18:15:00.001+08:00

dreaming what a voice !
rewind and play x 90 times
thank you very much susan boyle !

Susan Boyle on Britains Got Talent 2009!! Incredible Voice!! @ Yahoo! Video

2009 resolutions

2009-01-01T07:16:00.001+08:00

1) i will read all my emails
2) i will delete my 20000 emails and keep inbox to 500 mostmost
3)

What should you be when you grow up ?

2009-01-01T07:14:00.003+08:00

juz did a quickie test on this website
http://www.testq.com/career/quizzes/results/5

You should work with Things
Practical, logical, and thorough, you’re probably most at home with things you can tinker with, upgrade, and destroy. People are nice to have around of course, but you’d rather spend most of your time dealing with material things that you can usually rely upon to follow the rules, and you might like to be the person who makes those rules in the first place.

And it’s an even better thing for you that careers that deal with concrete objects tend to be well paid, interesting, and highly respected. So take some time to think about careers in fields like engineering, logistics, and architecture — the possibilities for a thinker and doer like you are pretty much endless.

Why is a Christmas tree better than a woman ?

2008-12-30T22:26:00.000+08:00

10. A Christmas tree doesn't care how many other Christmas trees you have had in the past.
09. Christmas trees don't get mad if you use exotic electrical devices.
08. A Christmas tree doesn't care if you have an artificial one in the closet.
07. A Christmas tree doesn't get mad if you break one of its balls.
06. You can feel a Christmas tree before you take it home.
05. A Christmas tree doesn't get mad if you look up underneath it.
04. When you are done with a Christmas tree you can throw it on the curb and have it hauled away.
03. A Christmas tree doesn't get jealous around other Christmas trees.
02. A Christmas tree doesn't care if you watch football all day.
01. A Christmas tree doesn't get mad if you tie it up and throw it in the back of your pickup truck

Why is a Christmas tree better than a man ?

2008-12-30T22:24:00.000+08:00

A Christmas tree is always erect.
Even small ones give satisfaction.
A Christmas tree stays up for 12 days and nights.
A Christmas tree always looks good - even with the lights on.
A Christmas tree is always happy with its size.
A Christmas tree has cute balls.
A Christmas tree doesn't get mad if you break one of its balls.
You can throw a Christmas tree out when it's past its 'sell by' date.
You don't have to put up with a Christmas tree all year.

Triangle House / JVA

2008-12-28T05:31:00.002+08:00

Architects: Jarmund/Vigsnæs AS Architects MNAL
Location: Nesodden, Norway
Client: Heidi Gaupseth og Geir Kløver
Year of Design: 2004-2005
Year of Construction: 2005-2006
Primary Architects: Einar Jarmund, Håkon Vigsnæs
Collaborators: Alessandra Kosberg, Stian Schjelderup, Roar Lund-Johnsen
Structure: Siv.Ing. Otto Bjørgum MRIF
Contractor: Torgeir Brune Bygg og tømrermester
Constructed Area: 360 sqm
Photographs: Ivan Brodey

This house is situated with views towards the sea between the branches of the surrounding pine-forest. The permitted aerial building lines define the plan and even the heights of the roofline.

While the exterior views are singularly framed by the window openings, closely related to individual spaces, the interior is treated in a more fluent way with overlapping sequences of space and light in section and plan. This duality of focal and flow is the theme of the building.

The exterior cladding of wooden panels is related to guideline of the window openings.
The interior is clad with OSB-boards, the floors are cast in concrete and partly covered with sisal mats.
The bathrooms are paneled with brushed aluminum panes and mirrors.

A vast collection of books will cover the walls and soften the acoustics. The owners claim that they sleep very well in this house.

Juvet Landscape hotel

2008-12-28T05:10:00.002+08:00

Don’t you think it is a beautiful retreat for blogger or even retirement? Perhaps you might disagree my point. But I think it is a incredible architecture settlement in its beautiful landscape, Gudbrandsjuvet in Norway.

In fact, this is a hotel tourist project Juvet Landscape Hotel with 6 unique plans designed by Jensen & Skodvin Architects. Each hotel room has its own incredible view over the dramatic landscape.

+ architect’s statement, Jensen & Skodvin Architects

One of the local residents at Gudbrandsjuvet, Knut Slinning, is building a landscape hotel. The idea emerged at another site, Aurland, but was not realized there.

Basically each room is a detached small independent house with one, or sometimes two of the walls constructed in glass. The landscape in which these rooms are placed is by most people considered spectacularly beautiful and varied and the topography allows a layout where no room looks at another. In this way every room gets its own surprising view of a dramatic piece of landscape, always changing with the weather and the time of the day and the season.

On the rink: Posh and Becks at winter wonderland , Hyde Park London UK

2008-12-28T05:07:00.002+08:00

Advance tickets for London's largest ice rink have gone on sale.

The 1,300 square-metre rink in Hyde Park is part of the hugely popular Winter Wonderland event, timed to coincide with Christmas.

Last year the show attracted more than half a million visitors, including celebrity couples David and Victoria Beckham and Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. And this year promises to be bigger and better than ever.

Returning for 2008 will be the Giant Toboggan snow slide, the 53- metre observation wheel and the authentic German market. New attractions include the Mir ror Maze, the Haunted Mansion, Sleigh Ride and the Bungy Dome.

For the little ones there are carousels and arts and craft stalls and the opportunity to meet Father Christmas at Santa's grotto.

Winter Wonderland, which is open 10am-10pm every day from 22 November until 4 January, is free to enter, with tokens for all rides and attractions available to buy on the day.

However, tickets for the ice rink, which is sponsored by London Lite, and giant wheel are available to purchase in advance at £7.50-£12.50.

Hyde Park , London

2008-12-28T04:29:00.003+08:00

Stop by the House of St Nikolas to wander amongst the tastefully decorated Tyrol-style chalets or check out the Bavarian Village, tucked snugly under the Snow Slide it comes with its very own Oomph Band!

Café Grell is the only two-storey café at WINTER WONDERLAND - enjoy the table service as you watch the skaters from a birds eye view. The German Christmas Market has a range of wooden huts offering continental food whilst you shop including sweet treats such as Stolen and Gingerbread to a savoury delights including a Bavarian Hog Roast and seasoned steaks.

All of these cafes and bars have outdoor seated areas so you needn't miss a single second of the WINTER WONDERLAND action. Hearty German sausages, chilled beer and mulled wine are sold across the site - one café will even be selling a half metre Bratwurst!

Reflections at Keppel Bay

2008-12-28T04:23:00.005+08:00

http://www.keppelland.com.sg/res_sg_reflections.asp

Location : Keppel Bay View

Type of development : Condominium

Tenure : 99-year leasehold

No of Units : 1,129 units
Some 650 units launched to date

Sales Status : 98% of launched units sold (30-Sep-08)

Reflections at Keppel Bay is the second phase of the residential development in the Keppel Bay waterfront precinct.

Designed by world-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, Reflections at Keppel Bay comprises a total of 1,129 luxurious waterfront condominium units housed in six glass towers of 24 storeys and 41 storeys as well as 11 blocks of 6- to 8-storey villa blocks. It offers choice units of 1- to 4-bedroom apartments and penthouses with sizes ranging from 700 sf to a super penthouse of 13,300 sf.

The towers will all be topped with sky gardens on sloping roof lines. Sky bridges will connect each pair of towers, providing pockets of open spaces high above the ground and platforms for appreciating the panoramic views of the sea and the lush surroundings.

This iconic development will feature a sculpture-like clubhouse with a full range of recreational facilities to meet the lifestyle of discerning homeowners. Every detail and aspect of design will optimise interaction with the sea and the commanding views of its scenic surrounds including Mount Faber, Keppel Club Golf Course, Labrador Park, Sentosa Island and its upcoming integrated resort, and the city skyline.

Homeowners of this exclusive development will enjoy 10 years of free membership and five years free subscription at Marina at Keppe Bay, opened in January 2008. Located on the privately owned Keppel Island and linked to the mainland by the iconic Keppel Bay Bridge, Marina at Keppel Bay features 170 berths which can accommodate boats ranging fromm 20 feet to mega yachts of more than 200 feet long.

Members will enjoy lifestyle facilities that include a clubhouse with a member's lounge, gourmet restaurants, recreational amenities and leisure charter services to access neighbouring islands

For more information, please visit the project website at www.reflectionsatkeppelbay.com.sg,

Sweden plans to be world's first oil-free economy

2008-07-13T05:27:00.000+08:00

John Vidal, environment editor The Guardian, Wednesday February 8, 2006
Article history

Evergreen... Sweden will develop biofuels from its forests. Photograph: Mattias Klum/Getty Images

Sweden is to take the biggest energy step of any advanced western economy by trying to wean itself off oil completely within 15 years - without building a new generation of nuclear power stations.

The attempt by the country of 9 million people to become the world's first practically oil-free economy is being planned by a committee of industrialists, academics, farmers, car makers, civil servants and others, who will report to parliament in several months.

The intention, the Swedish government said yesterday, is to replace all fossil fuels with renewables before climate change destroys economies and growing oil scarcity leads to huge new price rises.

"Our dependency on oil should be broken by 2020," said Mona Sahlin, minister of sustainable development. "There shall always be better alternatives to oil, which means no house should need oil for heating, and no driver should need to turn solely to gasoline."

According to the energy committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, there is growing concern that global oil supplies are peaking and will shortly dwindle, and that a global economic recession could result from high oil prices.

Ms Sahlin has described oil dependency as one of the greatest problems facing the world. "A Sweden free of fossil fuels would give us enormous advantages, not least by reducing the impact from fluctuations in oil prices," she said. "The price of oil has tripled since 1996."

A government official said: "We want to be both mentally and technically prepared for a world without oil. The plan is a response to global climate change, rising petroleum prices and warnings by some experts that the world may soon be running out of oil."

Sweden, which was badly hit by the oil price rises in the 1970s, now gets almost all its electricity from nuclear and hydroelectric power, and relies on fossil fuels mainly for transport. Almost all its heating has been converted in the past decade to schemes which distribute steam or hot water generated by geothermal energy or waste heat. A 1980 referendum decided that nuclear power should be phased out, but this has still not been finalised.

The decision to abandon oil puts Sweden at the top of the world green league table. Iceland hopes by 2050 to power all its cars and boats with hydrogen made from electricity drawn from renewable resources, and Brazil intends to power 80% of its transport fleet with ethanol derived mainly from sugar cane within five years.

Last week George Bush surprised analysts by saying that the US was addicted to oil and should greatly reduce imports from the Middle East. The US now plans a large increase in nuclear power.

The British government, which is committed to generating 10% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2012, last month launched an energy review which has a specific remit to consider a large increase in nuclear power. But a report by accountants Ernst & Young yesterday said that the UK was falling behind in its attempt to meet its renewables target.

"The UK has Europe's best wind, wave and tidal resources yet it continues to miss out on its economic potential," said Jonathan Johns, head of renewable energy at Ernst & Young.

Energy ministry officials in Sweden said they expected the oil committee to recommend further development of biofuels derived from its massive forests, and by expanding other renewable energies such as wind and wave power.

Sweden has a head start over most countries. In 2003, 26% of all the energy consumed came from renewable sources - the EU average is 6%. Only 32% of the energy came from oil - down from 77% in 1970.

The Swedish government is working with carmakers Saab and Volvo to develop cars and lorries that burn ethanol and other biofuels. Last year the Swedish energy agency said it planned to get the public sector to move out of oil. Its health and library services are being given grants to convert from oil use and homeowners are being encouraged with green taxes. The paper and pulp industries use bark to produce energy, and sawmills burn wood chips and sawdust to generate power.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2006/feb/08/frontpagenews.oilandpetrol

Sweden: Breaking Dependence on Oil is “A Matter of Political Will”

2008-07-13T05:26:00.001+08:00

Speaking at the “Peak Oil and the Environment” conference, Sweden’s Minister for Sustainable Development, Mona Sahlin, outlined some of the approaches the country is taking in pursuit of its recently articulated policy target: the creation of the conditions necessary to break Sweden’s dependence on oil by 2020.

The government appointed a broad-based expert council, The Commission on Oil Independence, in December 2005. This spring, the Commission, led by Prime Minister Göran Persson, is reviewing actions necessary to achieve the new policy target.

...there is, indeed, an increased sense of urgency. If we prepare now, the transition to a sustainable energy system can be smooth and cost-efficient. If we wait until we are forced by circumstances, the transition may be costly and disruptive.

Sweden, which already has a high percentage of hydropower, has set up an ambitious target to increase the use of electricity from renewable energy sources. Wind power, the Minister noted, is probably the renewable energy source with the greatest potential in the short- and medium-term in the Sweden. To that end, a high-level wind-power council has been established and tasked with the responsibility for the overall coordination of the continued expansion of wind power.

Transportation, however, given its almost total dependence on oil, presents a much more difficult problem, and one Sweden is looking to tackle with biofuels.

Breaking dependence on oil in the transport sector will probably be the greatest challenge and the Government therefore has an ambitious policy to increase the percentage of renewable fuels.

Today, around 15 percent of new cars sold are environmentally friendly cars that run on ethanol or biogas. But this is not enough to break the dependence on oil. For the individual, it has to pay to choose an environmentally friendly car.

Carbon dioxide neutral fuels must be cheap—they are exempt from both carbon dioxide tax and energy tax for a five-year period. Environmental cars will be exempt from congestion charges and will have access to free parking in some municipalities. Cars that are classified as a taxable benefit and run on environmentally friendly fuel will continue to enjoy tax relief. The Swedish Government will give priority to purchasing environmentally friendly cars.

Sweden is also working actively in the EU for us to permit a higher blend of ethanol in petrol, a measure that would quickly have a great positive effect. The readjustment of the transport sector requires both international and national efforts with broad contributions by researchers, industry, users and the state.

Environmental technology has become Sweden’s 8th largest export trade, and the environmental sector in Sweden is the industrial sector with the largest economic growth. By leading in development, Sweden intends to be in a position to succeed in the export market as well.

Breaking the dependence on oil is, in my view, a matter of political will. A consistent policy will turn obstacles into opportunities. To hide behind excuses of ignorance or economic considerations is not leading us to a sustainable future.

May 13, 2006 in Biodiesel, Biomass, Biomass-to-Liquids (BTL), Biomethane, Ethanol, Europe, Policy | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)

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Sweden was the first European country to adopt three-way catalysts in the 80s, followed by Switzerlan and Austria. Eventually, Germany forced the then EEC to follow suit, prompting a continent-wide transition to lead-free gasoline in 1991/92. France, Italy and Spain were rather more reluctant at the time but eventually went along.

It therefore comes as no surprise that Sweden, Switzerland, Austria and Germany are once again in the vanguard of the switch to biofuels. The Nordic focus on alcohols and biogas is mostly due to available waste streams from paper mills and furniture producers. Further south, farmers can grow rapeseed, a biodiesel feedstock.

The EU has set itself a target of 20% biogenic fuels in the road transportation sector by 2020. Meeting it will likely require the early adoption of 2nd generation biofuel processes, despite the relatively high price.

In this context, it is surprising that Sweden is limiting its low-tax pledge on biogas as a transportation fuel to just five years, except for company cars. Germany has pledged low taxes on gas-powered vehicles so through 2020 (for NG, though that may contain scrubbed biogas), leading to the belated establishment of a distribution infrastructure and the production of CNG-powered passenger cars.

Opel has already raised the compression ratio of its monovalent-plus engines to 12.5 to take advantage of the high octane rating. Once fuel availability is no longer a problem, ratios of 14 will be common, extending operating range. Efforts are underway to raise the safe maximum pressure limit in the tanks from 200 to 300 bar.

Btw, Italy has the largest deployed CNG fleet in Europe.

NOTE: In Europe, gasoline (liquid) is called "petrol". The term "gas" is used for methane (+ other gaseous fractions).

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/05/sweden_breaking.html

Minori restaurant Singapore

2008-07-10T04:01:00.004+08:00

81 Clemenceau Avenue
#03-15/16 UE Square
Telephone: (65) 6737-3353

Website: http://www.minori.com.sg
Category: Japanese

One of the chief reasons Singaporeans love a Japanese a la carte buffet is the unlimited orders of sashimi. At Minori, you get a choice of salmon, tuna, yellowtail, snapper, black king fish, octopus and cuttlefish. However, I think sashimi at Ikoi’s is sliced much more generously, and tastes better too.

I will go through the rest of the food just very briefly. We ate a lot of dishes - really easy to do so as the portions served are very small. The potato salad was creamy but light-tasting, served on an interesting raised glass platter.

The California maki was messy but tasted passable. We had a repeat portion of this.

Handrolls here are not spectacular. Mainly because the dried seaweed sheets they used had a musty odour. Probably an inferior quality or type of seaweed used. And it wasn’t crisp nor easy to bite through.

Minori also differs from Hanabi in that it offers grilled skewered items, mostly of chicken parts. The “buta to garlic” is probably the only pork item there, fatty pork belly cubes strongly laced with garlic. The tebasaki (chicken wings) strangely butterflied here, tasted a bit too plain. Kawa (chicken skin) was not crisp enough.

The tsukune (minced chicken meat balls) were huge. They and the yakitori tasted alike. Just all right. Lacked serious punch.

This is the SMALLEST ever tempura moriawase set I have ever seen. Two prawns and three thin slices of vegetable. I guess it’s a small eater’s single portion only. Average tasting, and the batter could be lighter.

The Kabocha korokke - pumpkin croquette- was a pleasant surprise. Sweet creamy pumpkin mash greets you as you bite through the crisp breaded exterior. It can be really hot though, so beware.

Moyashi itame (teppanyaki beansprouts): Plain looking but intensely garlicky beansprouts from the teppanyaki section. Not bad.

Morokyuri miso (cucumber with bean paste) appetiser: Refreshing kyuri (Japanese cucumber) in this appetiser but I didn’t care much for the miso bean paste - a bit too close to “taucheo” (Chinese bean paste) for my liking.

Sushi isn’t their forte, I guess. Or maybe I just really don’t like that dried seaweed that they use. It made me long for the good quality, crisp seaweed that Sushi Kikuzawa uses.

Hiyayako: Two bites and this one dish is gone. Cold tofu in soy sauce topped with bonito flakes and scallions.

Everything here is in tasting portions. Which is nice too, it lets you try more dishes from across the menu. The saba shioyaki is all right but your mind is on the next item already.

Momo sarada (peach salad): This was quite nice, a sweet fruity salad with a tart, soy-sesame dressing. The peach is of the canned variety, of course.

Fukahire chawanmushi and Pumpkin chawanmushi: There are two kinds of chawanmushi here, the kabocha (pumpkin) one just has the addition of a layer of pumpkin puree on top. The mixture is a really surprising attack of flavours on your palate - both sweet and savoury combining to jolt your senses. The egg custard is quite smooth. and has lots of nameko mushrooms at the bottom. Yum.

Tori karaage (fried chicken nuggets): This was one of the unexpected highlights. I thought they did their tori karaage really well. There is no oilyness on the surface and the meat inside is tender and juicy. Nicely seasoned.

Gyuniku shogatayaki (beef with special sauce): I have seen people rave about this here. It’s like a richer-flavoured version of Yoshinoya’s beef. The soft beef slices taste almost buttery. We got served a really large portion too.

Shake Wafu Teppan (salmon with special sauce): The salmon teppan special dish was too salty and sweet for me. Very strong hint of mirin (sweet rice wine) in the soy mixture.

Salmon sashimi: Understandably, they aren’t the most generous with their sashimi servings. Don’t expect the best of fish slicing skills here either. Some of the sashimi were still sinewy. But for the price, I don’t think anyone will complain.

Nankotsu karaage (chicken cartilage): This is very similar to the tori karaage, just that it involves the breastbone cartilage. I just love cartilage. Is that really odd? I remember even my Japanese friend looking at me strange when I ordered this at Nanbantei in Tokyo some years back.

Minori serves free-flow green tea and water as part of the buffet. Alcoholic drinks and desserts (mostly ice cream) are available separately. If you don’t want the buffet, you can opt for their set meals.

In summary, Minori’s food is fairly competent across the board but is still very average. Much like a jack-of-all-trades but master of none. The variety is undoubtedly better than at most joints, but many of the dishes involve same ingredients done differently (as sushi, maki, handroll etc). Personally, in terms of all-you-can-eat places, I’d rather head to Ikoi or Sushi Kikuzawa for a more fulfilling experience.

MINORI DINING AND SAKE BAR
(full buffet menu available online but prices not updated)
81 Clemenceau Avenue #03-15/16 UE Square
Tel: 6737-3353
Open: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6 to 10.30pm
Lunch $28
Dinner $33 (price raised)

11th July 2008 - Apple iphone 3G

2008-07-10T03:41:00.002+08:00

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2008-07-08-iphone-3g-review_N.htm

Apple will be selling a white version, as well.

The design changes aren't merely aesthetic. They're a nod to iPhone's 10 internal wireless radios. Plastic, unlike metal, is transparent to radio waves, improving reception, Apple says.

The headphone jack is now flush so it can accommodate any standard (3.5-mm) headphone, a welcome development to those of us who needed a clumsy adapter to use our favorite non-Apple headphones.

You can use iPhone's internal microphone to talk if your own headphones don't have one. Just be sure to really snap in your headphones; otherwise, sound comes through the iPhone's own speakers, not the headphones.

GPS

By "triangulating" signals from Wi-Fi and cellphone towers, the iPhone could previously determine your general location. GPS adds live tracking and may deliver more precise results.

I was pretty impressed by the accuracy on the new device as I drove along in my car, searched for nearby pizza places, and requested directions.

Alas, the feature begs for the audible turn-by-turn directions found on Samsung's Instinct and others. (Again, I'm hoping a third-party developer will fill the void.)

Pictures

IPhone remains a fabulous photo viewer. But Apple hasn't done much to improve its 2-megapixel camera. You still can't zoom, shoot video or use a flash. Taking pictures is a tad clumsy.

But the presence of GPS means pictures can be "geo-tagged" with the location in which they were taken. After syncing images with a computer, you might plot their location on a map. Geotagged pictures ought to work well with social-networking applications.

A nice new feature built into the iPhone 2.0 software lets you easily save a Web image to your phone or a picture that arrives via e-mail. You can use the image as the phone's "wallpaper" or sync it to your computer.

You can also post pictures to Apple's new MobileMe Gallery on the Web, part of a $100-a-year subscription service. The MobileMe service, the latest iteration of what used to be called .Mac, was also not ready for testing.

Audio quality

Apple has improved overall audio quality of the device. The speaker phone sounded better, as did music played directly through the phone's speaker.

Of course, it all still sounds better wearing headphones.

Parental controls

A new "restrictions" feature (found in Settings) means Mom and Dad can prevent the kids from downloading any applications, or from accessing the Safari Web browser, YouTube, or iTunes.

Turn on the YouTube restriction, for example, and the icon for the video site disappears from the iPhone home screen.

Powering up

There's a new small, easy-to-travel-with power adapter. Apple says you'll get five hours of talk time on a 3G network, double on Edge, and up to 300 hours of standby.

You can turn off 3G to preserve the battery. I started receiving low battery warnings toward the end of a busy work day; I found myself charging the device overnight, the same as with the older iPhone.

But I couldn't juice up the latest device using my Bose SoundDock or Belkin car kit. Apple says there will be adapters to permit charging with certain older accessories.

Technical explanation: The new iPhone only supports USB circuitry, not another method known as FireWire.

Wish list

As with its predecessor, iPhone 3G doesn't support popular Web browsing standards such as Adobe Flash, Windows Media Video or Java. And there's still no removable battery.

I'd have also loved Apple to add a slot for expandable memory. It did not.

While not everything on my wish list made it onto the new device, Apple has raised the bar with iPhone 3G. To which I offer an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Christmas and New Year Breaks

2008-07-08T23:17:00.003+08:00

Quote from a source from The Innernet : " If you are looking for a break this Christmas and want to get away over the Festive period, why not try a Britannia Hotels Festive Break.

We have a range of Christmas and New Year breaks allowing you to make the most of the festive season, from 3 or 4 Night Residential breaks, to One night stays to visit Friends & Family. We have hotels in fantastic locations across the UK, from City centres, to Countryside to Seaside.

Our Residential breaks are 4 Night Christmas Breaks, 3 Night Twixmas Breaks, and 3 Night New Year Celebrations, all allowing you to spend the festive period relaxing in style. Alternatively if you are Visiting Friends and Relations we offer one night stays over the Festive period. Once the rush is over and the shopping sales begin we have our own January Sales allowing you to get away for a 2 night break with Dinner, Bed & Breakfast.

As well as our Accommodation Breaks, each Hotel also offers a range of Festive Parties and Meals running throughout December. These include Festive Christmas Lunch, Office Party Nights, Dine & Disco, Hogmanay Ball . . . Select the Hotel of your choice using the table below, and view the Hotels online Christmas Brochure for full details of ALL the available packages.

Our Hotels all have their own dedicated "Christmas Coordinators" to help with your Festive requirements. "

OK , i am sold ...

Wow , sign me up , sign me up ....

It is only 350 pounds a night at Britannia Adelphi Hotel < Liverpool

Restaurante Cromptons Les Preludes menu , liverpool

2008-07-08T23:14:00.003+08:00

Map of the hotel in liverpool

2008-07-08T23:14:00.001+08:00

When is Irvine Welsh coming to singapore ??

2008-07-08T23:05:00.002+08:00

The uk accult writer Irvine Welsh , with his smattering of Britenglish that i caut ne'vr snaip cout bef cummin dwn twer Swingfore , if ownly in mae dreams.. yeah ...

paul, george , john ringo 's houses and the cavern club liverpool

2008-07-08T22:57:00.002+08:00

beautiful bedroom

2008-07-08T22:53:00.000+08:00

St Pancras Station , London

2008-07-08T22:49:00.002+08:00

The new international station at St Pancras, beautifully rebuilt within the original 19th century iron and brick structure, which reopened for train services between London, Paris and Brussels on 14 November 2007

THE ECONOMIST SAYS

2008-07-06T07:24:00.000+08:00

GREAT MINDS LIKE A THINK

10-day London & Southern Iceland Experience

2008-06-22T12:01:00.000+08:00

Iceland is a land of contrasting characteristics – fiery with active volcanoes and icy at the same time with glacier mountains – no wonder they call it the land of fire and ice. Iceland offers not only a range of extraordinary landscapes and natural wonders, but also tons of fun activities.

London adds to the magic of this European expedition, complementing Iceland’s natural beauty with the magic of modern technology and architecture. It is one of the world’s major cities, and is a business, financial and arts hub. It is also the most populous city within the EU.

Highlights
Exploring Iceland through a self-drive trip is a cinch thanks to Iceland’s easy-to-navigate roads. Filled with natural beauty, it is a welcome change from the usual city sights. Expect to see geysers, waterfalls, fjords, glaciers and thermal springs.

Your trip will take you to the deeply symbolic Thingvellir National Park, the famed black beaches of Vik, the spectacular scenic harbour town of Hofn and of course, the beautiful capital city – Reykjavik.

London will be your quick urban fix as you traverse through the cosmopolitan city and indulge in a plethora of museums, shops and cultural monuments. Located within this city are four world heritage sites and iconic monuments such as the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and the London Eye.

The Trip
Reykjavik to Vik
Your trip begins with a 180km scenic drive down to Iceland’s southernmost village – Vik. Along the way, you will get to witness some of Iceland’s most beautiful natural sights.

First of which is Glymur – Iceland’s highest waterfall, situated at the head of a fjord (a long sea inlet, nestled between high cliffs). If you are feeling adventurous, you can take a short hike (350m) to get up close to the waterfall.

Next up on the list, and a definite must see is the UNESCO world heritage listed Thingvellir National Park. This national park is steeped in history, having served as an assembly ground for the whole of Iceland from 930 to 1798.

We then move on to Strokkur Geyser, one of Iceland’s most famous and reliable geysers. Erupting every five to 10 minutes, you are guaranteed a chance to see this magnificent geyser in action.

Next, be enthralled by one of the world’s most spectacular natural wonders – Gullfoss (Golden Falls). Split into two drops, at 11m and then again at 21m, the sheer opulence of this waterfall, can hardly be described by words.

This portion of the trip concludes at Vik, which is renowned for its black beaches. The black beaches of Vik are often described as one of the world’s top ten most beautiful beaches.

Vik to Hofn
From the highest to the largest, this second leg of your trip takes you to Skogafoss, Iceland’s largest waterfall (25m wide, with a 60-foot drop). Legend has it that treasure is buried in a cave behind the waterfall.

Ease off at the picturesque Skaftafell National Park and enjoy a picnic lunch or barbecue. After lunch, spend some time taking pictures of seals on icebergs at the Glacier Lagoon. You even have the option of taking a boat ride out.

Spend the night at the scenic harbour town of Hofn, which oddly enough, means harbour.

Hofn to Reykjavik
It’s time to kick things up a notch as you take a super jeep tour to Joklasel for a snowmobile ride on Europe’s largest glacier on your way back to Reykjavik.

Reykjavik
At Reykjavik, you have the option to either spend the day sightseeing on your own or joining a whale watching expedition.

Finally, end your trip at the Blue Lagoon, as you rejuvenate in the natural thermal spa. It’s the perfect end to a perfect holiday.

London
It’s now time to cross the Atlantic Ocean into one of the world’s most advanced and populous cities – London. Explore the city at your own pace via bus and tube as you watch the changing of the guard, take that quintessential photo with the Big Ben and soak in the multiculturalism that makes London such a colourful city.

Options
If you haven’t had enough, you can choose to extend your time in Iceland by visiting the northern part of the island, or choose to continue to Amsterdam, London or Greenland. Check with us for more details.

*Price Conditions

Romancing Europe’s Rail (France & Switzerland)

2008-06-22T11:59:00.001+08:00

One of the most visited countries in the world, France offers everything from the bustling city life of Paris to great beaches, scenic mountains and world-class vineyards. Whether you are looking for a driving holiday, a ski vacation or a summer beach escape, France is definitely a destination worth considering.

Switzerland may be one of the most orderly countries in the world, but is by no means boring. From its unique mix of European cultures, to its breathtaking alpine scenery, to its modern cities, you’ll find no time is enough time to spend discovering this country of cheese, chocolates and watches.

Highlights
This trip will showcase the full potential of rail and take you to places that neither planes nor helicopters nor cars can access.

The trains will start with the French Tres Grande Vitesse (TGV), on the newly commissioned LGV Est line from Paris to Reirns and Zurich, travelling at 300km/h. A switch to the local Swiss trains highlight the unrivalled precision and efficiency of Swiss rail.

You will then have a chance to explore the narrow-gauge rails that take you to the mountains. At more than 10,000ft above sea level, some of these trains are a quarter way to airliner cruising altitudes. You will also enjoy a journey on the world’s slowest trains that take you from grassy meadows to snowy mountains, while you lunch in a panoramic glass cabin.

The Trip
Day 1 (Singapore to Paris)
Depart for Paris.

Day 2-3 (Paris)
Explore Parisian central landmarks such as the Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde with the Egyptian Obelisk, the Louvre Museum with all the great art works of the world and the Notre Dame – home to the fable of the hunchback.

Day 4 (Chateau de Versailles)
Take a train and explore the most magnificent palace in the world built by Louis XIV in the 17th Century with its formal gardens and mazes.

Day 5-7 (Chur)
Get on the LGV Est line from Paris onboard the TGV travelling 300 km/h to Zurich. From there you will change to a local Swiss train for the town of Chur. Chur is the oldest town in Switzerland and the town is perfectly preserved. Take time to explore the medieval cobblestone streets and visit the 12th Century cathedral.

From Chur you will have the opportunity to explore the following rail journeys:

1. The narrow-gauge Rhaetian Railway starts from Chur and sweeps through mountain tunnels and viaducts, passing by waterfalls and gorges as it climbs the Albula Pass. The ascent levels off and circulates into the Engadine Valley before finally arriving at the Bernina Pass at an altitude of 7,000ft. The train winds around snow-capped mountains and finally arrives at the town of Poschiavo in the Italian-speaking canton of Switzerland.

It is a beautiful and picturesque town and you will have plenty of time to eat and shop before returning on the same train. There is also an opportunity for you to get off at the exclusive and ritzy ski town of St. Moritz before resuming on the train back to Chur.

2. Lake Lucerne is another location that demands a day to itself. The train from Chur takes you to the lake town of Lucerne and from here you can choose to explore the mountain railways, the lake cruises, or simply take in the sights and atmosphere.

Day 8-10 (Brig)
Brig is a historic town that is best situated to explore Switzerland from. And day 8 is, as the cliché goes, “all about the journey”. Departing from Chur on the Glacier Express, billed as the slowest express train in the world, you will take eight hours to reach your destination. It will nevertheless be an enjoyable ride, with the train featuring panoramic cabins with large windows and partial glass roofs.

Lunch is taken aboard the train itself. Watch the meadows flit as your ride starts to wind and climb the mountain woodlands. Enjoy the use of the famous tilted glass on the train, specially designed to compensate for the tilt angle of the train ascending and descending the mountains. The train reaches its maximum altitude of 6,700ft before coming down the Rhone Valley to arrive at Brig.

From Brig you will have the opportunity to explore the following day trips via rail:

1. Take a narrow gauge railway to the mountain resort of Zermatt. Like St. Moritz, it is winter-home to the wealthy and there are excellent reasons why it is so. The Matterhorn overlooks Zermatt and from here you can also take another train to the Gornergrat, situated at an altitude of 10,000ft.

2. Another suitable day trip will be to the town of Montreux, perhaps the most beautiful town on the banks of Lake Geneva. Enjoy views of the dazzling opal of western Switzerland from a paddle steamer cruise.

3. You may decide instead to travel to Interlaken. From here you can enjoy a lake cruise, or take a mountain railway ride to the highest railway station in Europe, the Jungfraujochat, at an altitude of over 11,000ft.

Day 11-12 (Reims)
From Brig, board the TGV service to Paris. Upon reaching Paris Est station, you will change trains to get to Reims – just under an hour away.

View the great cathedral where all the kings of France were crowned, visit the oldest Champagne house in the world, the estate of Ruinart, and walk through its underground chalk labyrinth, which store the slowly maturing champagnes. At the end of the tour, compare the youthful fragrance of the latest vintage with the smoky oakiness of 1996 Grand Cru. The house is renowned for their Blanc de Blanc Chardonnay Champagnes, so be sure to stock up on some bottles.

Day 13 (Paris to Singapore)
Board the TGV to Paris and take a private transfer for the Charles de Gaulle Airport, where you will board your flight for Singapore.

Day 14 (Singapore)
Arrive in Singapore.

Inclusions:

International flights
Accommodation x 11 nights
1st-class rail
All maps, suggested itineraries & activities, and destination information
theTravelPlanner concierge service
Luxury Option Inclusions:

International flights on SIA (returning from Zurich)
Luxurious accommodation x 11 nights
1st-class rail
All maps, suggested itineraries & activities, and destination information
theTravelPlanner concierge service

A 21st Century Castle Adventure (Germany, Austria & Prague)

2008-06-22T11:56:00.000+08:00

Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic may be situated next to each other, yet each country offers distinctly different sights, cuisines and experiences. From the castles of Bavaria, to the rich cultural heritage of Austria, to spectacular medieval churches in Prague, you’ll come away enriched by the experience.

Highlights
This 16-day trip kicks off from the city of Frankfurt where you will follow loosely the historical castle route down towards Fussen. Departing from the original route, you will visit the historical spa town of Baden-Baden to try your hand at the roulette table in the town’s famous casino. Continuing your journey, you will visit the castle that inspired Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle – Neuschwanstein, and stop by Berchtesgaden, to check out Hitler’s home at the Eagle’s Nest.

Passing through the town of Salzburg and Vienna in Austria, you will end up in the romantic city of Prague, where the famous astronomical clock and Charles Bridge await.

The Trip
Day 1
Your trip begins in the town of Frankfurt. While more commonly regarded as a financial centre, there are many sights to dazzle the visitor. Here you can visit the numerous museums and art galleries, take pictures of the city’s stunning architecture (Saint Bartholomeus’ Cathedral, Römer, Saint Paul’s Church and Alte Oper), or hit one of the nightclubs for a night of fun.

Accommodation in Frankfurt is at a luxurious 5-star hotel, which is linked to the airport via a glass-covered walkway.

Day 2
Your adventure on the autobahn begins as you start your drive out of the city towards the town of Heidelberg. In this medieval city, you can take the cable car up the mountain to see Heidelberg Castle. Attractions at the castle include the gigantic 18th-century Grosses Fass (one of the world’s largest wine barrels) and the pharmacy museum.

Back in the city, stroll along the major street of Hauptstrasse to do some shopping or watch the mimes in action. A pleasant way to end the day is by crossing the Neckar River on the Alte Brücke and walking through Schlangenweg to get to the Philosophen Weg (Philosopher’s Way). This will give you a spectacular view of the city basked in the golden rays of sunset.

Accommodation for the next two nights is at a cutting-edge boutique hotel in Heidelberg, where each room is named after cities around the world. Even the elevator uses city names, rather than floor numbers.

Day 3
Moving on to Schwetzingen, 15 minutes from Heidelberg, and you will come upon a baroque-styled castle, surrounded by hedgerows and French gardens. The prized produce of this town are its award-winning Welde Pilsener and asparagus.

The next stop is the 2000-year-old town of Speyer, which was not too long ago featured in the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The must-see sight here is the UNESCO World Heritage Speyer Imperial Cathedral, which dates back to 1061.

If automotive technology is more your thing, then you’ll love the Speyer Technik Museum. Here, you can find an impressive collection of historic racing cars, steam trains and aircrafts, among others. The museum also sports a giant 22m x 27m IMAX dome theatre.

Day 4
Day 4 brings you to Baden-Baden – a famous spa town built on top of long-renowned thermal springs that even the Romans knew about. Attractions at this town include the Casino Spielbank, for spotting the rich and famous; Trinkhalle, for a chance to sample a large variety of beers; and Castle Hohenbaden and the Ruins of the Roman Baths, for a glimpse into the town’s illustrious past.

And while it has a reputation for being a playground for the rich, the fact doesn’t change that Baden-Baden offers some spectacular surrounding views thanks to its prime location on the western foothills of the Black Forest.

You will put up for two night at a luxurious hotel nestled in 18ha of parkland, north of the Black Forest area. Enjoy first-class service, tastefully decorated interiors and an excellent view of the Rhine Valley below.

Day 5
Day 5 offers a good mix of history and technology. First stop is at the Altes Schloss, or old castle. First built in 1330, it was expanded into a Renaissance-style residence for royalty in the 1500s. It unfortunately suffered some damage during World War II. Now rebuilt, it houses a museum collection, the crown jewels and Celtic treasures.

Moving forward in time, the Mercedes Benz Museum is a stunning piece of futuristic architecture. It features video displays and actual cars of every significant Mercedes ever made – from passenger cars to trucks to sports and racing cars.

Day 6-7
Leaving Baden-Baden, you will head to Füssen, located approximately five kilometres from the Austrian Border. People normally pass through this town enroute to the famed Neuschwanstein and Hohenswangau Castles. Neuschwanstein Castle is the castle that inspired Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle, while Hohenschwangau is the childhood residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria.

The highlight here is the private dusk tour of Neuschwanstein by horse carriage, culminating in a four-course Bavarian dinner, in the style served to the former royal residents of the castle.

Your accommodation in Fussen (2 nights) is in a wonderful house-turned-hotel. Run by the Schoell family for over a hundred years, here you will experience Bavarian hospitality at its best.

Day 8-10
From Germany to Austria, your first stop will be in the town of Salzburg. Best known as being the birthplace of Mozart, this charming baroque city has its roots stemming back to 700AD. It is a picturesque town, and musical lovers will enjoy the fact that this was the town where “The Sound of Music” was filmed.

This strong musical legacy is today continued through a city full of music academies.

Not far from Salzburg is Berchtesgaden, where you can visit picturesque Konigsee Lake and Hitler’s former residence – Eagle’s Nest (only open in summer).

Continuing your exploration of the surrounding areas, visit the town of Lofer, a stunning alpine village located close to Salzburg. This is the perfect place to enjoy lovely walks through narrow streets among quaint houses, surrounded by beautiful snow-capped mountains. You can also enjoy good discount outlet shopping here on good quality clothes such as Geiger Loden.

Accommodation for the next three nights is in a villa-style hotel with a rooftop-sauna, steam bath and sun terrace.

Day 11
Day 11 is spent in the Austrian capital of Vienna, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tourist attractions include the imperial palaces of Hofburg and Schonbrunn, the world’s oldest zoo – Tiergarten Schönbrunn, and a giant ferris wheel, or riesenrad, located in the Prater Amusement Park.

Spend one night in Vienna.

Day 12 - 14
It’s time to ditch the car and head out by train to Prague.

A mention of Prague, and one conjures up romantic notions of a town full of medieval architecture. Two of the best known include the Tyn Church located in the Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock, which dates back to 1410.

St. Vitus Cathedral another sight worth seeing as it is the country’s most important church and an excellent example of gothic architecture. However the best way to see Prague is to walk aimlessly through the small town, stopping at whatever catches your eye.

Accommodation in Prague (2 nights) is at an innovative design hotel based on a concept embracing innovative thinking and creative architecture. Designed by leading British architects and designers Jetico & Whiles, you will experience personalised service combined with the highest standards of comfort and amenities.

Day 15-16
After spending a full day in Prague, it’s time to take a night sleeper train back to Frankfurt for your flight back to Singapore, thereby marking the end of your little European adventure.

Must have for summer

2008-04-26T19:07:00.000+08:00

Tom Ford advert banned in Italy

2008-04-26T19:06:00.000+08:00

Sony Ericsson T650 Pink and gold limited edition

2008-04-26T05:19:00.004+08:00

RiRe, When are you going to buy for me ??

Sony Ericsson R306i

2008-04-26T05:13:00.003+08:00

Finally , a phone that does not look like a mobile phone.

This is what i call " Thinking out of the phone box"

Outlook: The R306i is a very basic and simple handset targeted at the entry-level market. While it offers a built-in camera and Bluetooth connectivity, note that these are secondary. More importantly, if the price is right, it could be a hit with the lower end of the market by providing over-the-air entertainment sans external peripherals (that can potentially increase cost).

The triband clamshell phone is expected out in Q3 in selected Asia-Pacific markets and will be available in Coffee Black and Champagne White colors.

A lot of mobile phones these days come with built-in FM radio, but most require an external headset to be plugged in as an aerial. The Sony Ericsson R306i is no different, except it doesn't require the user to connect any peripherals, and it scans AM frequencies as well. We took a prototype and gave it a quick once-over for an early impression of this entry-level radio handset.

Upside: The highlight of the R306i is its built-in FM/AM aerial which eliminates the need for an external headset. So the user can listen to radio broadcast through the onboard speakers just like a mini standalone radio. There are a couple of tiny but handy shortcut buttons on the top face of the clamshell phone. Although we weren't able to test the built-in radio function, the nubs numbered one to three, according to the product description, allow the user to preset radio stations for quick access. There are also two arrow keys which could be for volume control or channel surfing.

Unlike most phones with their speakers at the back or on the sides, the stereo audio on the R306i projects from the top face of the phone. So when the clamshell is closed and facing up, there isn't any interference or obstruction to audio output. There's also a sub-display sandwiched between the speakers and the FM control buttons, which we suppose is for displaying the current radio station, and also incoming calls and text messages.

Opening the clamshell reveals the standard flip phone layout, so no surprises there. The 128 x 160-pixel 65K-color TFT LCD is at the top, while the alphanumeric keypad is on the bottom half of the set. Initial impressions of the buttons are generally good with decent tactile feedback. The sound of typing on the keypad is a tad louder than most handsets we've reviewed, but that's a minor issue and it could also be due to the technical set being an early prototype.

Downside: The W306i is marketed as an entry-level handset, so naturally we weren't surprised to see only a 1.3-megapixel camera. The odd part is the module lies on the bottom half with the phone open. So when taking pictures, you will have to hold the handset upright. As a result, the LCD screen that doubles as a viewfinder faces at a downward angle, which makes framing a little less convenient.

Nokia N96

2008-04-26T05:03:00.003+08:00

Nokia seems to have another winner here. Not only has the redesign resulted in a slimmer and lighter handset with a larger screen, the improved feature set and DVB-H reception (availability depends on the region and country) will certainly attract new users as well as upgraders from the N95. The N96 is expected to ship in Q3'2008 and we should have a full review of the unit by then.

Frankly, we were a little relieved that Nokia did not go the way of a certain US phone maker (motorola) which latched onto a popular RAZR-thin design for too long, performing just minor upgrades for years. Though the first thing to strike you about the N96 is its generous 16GB of internal storage, the new phone is lighter and slimmer than the two N95 models that came before it. We took a pre-production model and gave it a brief once-over for an initial impression.

Upside: The redesign didn't just stop at the physical dimensions. Both the front and rear of the phone are now coated in a glossy black paint, while the slider rails on the sides of the keypad are now gone. This omission is greatly welcomed as it prevents the flank-side keys from being obstructed.

A kick stand has also been incorporated around the rear camera lens, while the 3.5mm headphone jack has been relocated to the top (like on the N82). The only design similarity it has with the two N95s is that the N96 is also a dual slider, though the keys have now been replaced with glossy black backlit keys instead of rubber buttons.

The N96 has a generous 16GB of memory (twice the capacity compared with the 8GB N95), which can be extended via the hot-swappable microSD expansion card slot on the side. It has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with support for A2DP profile, HSDPA, built-in GPS as well as an FM radio. Nokia has also introduced a new geotagging feature on the N96 which we will be keen to try out once we have a commercial set. If it works like it's supposed to, it could give external GPS travel loggers some competition.

The media player has been upgraded to handle more audio and video formats than the older model. In fact, the N96 can now handle flash videos on YouTube sites like the iPhone. There's also a TV-out feature which allows the display to be projected onto a larger screen.

In some regions with DVB-H service, the N96 has an integrated chip to receive these signals. It can even record programs for future viewing. Hence, you may find yourself easily filling up the 16GB of internal storage in no time at all. The stereo speakers are also a welcomed addition for improved audio output.

Downside: Whereas the N95 and the N95 (8GB) used the common mini-USB port for data connection, the N96 went with micro-USB similar to the N82. Though Nokia includes this cable in the package, nonetheless you may start missing the use of the ubiquitous mini-USB cables you have lying around.

The 5-megapixel CMOS camera on the back now comes with two LED lights. Considering that the N82 has a Xenon flash module which we found to be more powerful than the one on the Sony Ericsson K850i, we are a little bit disappointed at this omission from the company's latest flagship handset. In addition, it also appears that the N96 may not have a front-facing camera for video calls.

I think it still looks like a mobile phone.

I will still stick with my LG Viewty for now till September when singtel bring in the i-phone S$690.

Sony Ericsson W350i

2008-04-26T04:48:00.002+08:00

Most Sony Ericssons tend to be on the pricey side, but every now and then the company gives us a more affordable model for the masses. Last year it rolled out the W200i, and at CES 2008, the company announced the W350i.

Editors' note:
This preview was first published on our sister site CNET.com. References made to some other products or telcos in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia.
At 10.4mm wide, it sports a design we haven't seen for a while. The keypad is covered by a flap that folds down when you're on a call. The flap not only protects the keypad when it's not in use but it also allows you to get the feel of a flip phone. So in essence, it's a candy-bar handset with flip-phone elements.

But the W350i's design offers another quirk as well. When closed you can access convenient Walkman controls to play your music and shuffle tracks. You also get a choice of four colors: Electric Black, Ice Blue, Hypnotic Black, and Graphic White. Beyond the music player, the feature set is pretty average. There's a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, messaging and email, an FM radio, a 262,144-color display, a speakerphone, and personal organizer applications.

The triband (GSM 850/1800/1900) W350i should be available in the second quarter of this year.

Wessex Estate

2008-04-12T04:56:00.003+08:00

Wonderful place to watch the rain on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Lunch was a steaming fragrant curry chicken that was more delicious than spicy which my friend mopped up with his rice. I felt like a big nap after the comforting Heinz baked beans and pork chops. The food is not exceptional but were wonderful with the laidback setting. Not surprisingly, Colbar stocks a very good selection of ales and lagers perfect for a hot afteroon. Thinking we needed to eat more, the kind auntie boss also offered us some decadent pineapple tarts to sample.

Sorry no more pineapple tarts, I bought the last two tubs.

Dog-owners, this is a great place to bring your furfriends with a nice neighbourhood for a lazy walk for man + beast.

DISCLAIMER: Please avoid this establishment if you are
(1) expecting overpriced Dempsey/Rochester food/service;
(2) intolerant of children playing like children;
(3) anti-foreign talent; anti-cosmopolitian; anti-social or anti-human;
(4) too impatient about your food arriving 0.5 seconds later than the usual fast food joint;
(5) incapable of dining in a quiet rustic setting accompanied by an insect orchestras instead of uber-cool chillout music.

Must Tries: Curry chicken, hainanese western food and cold ales

The British Breakfast

2008-04-12T03:01:00.004+08:00

LONDON: This is a city where money seems to melt in my pocket. It is more expensive for most things than Paris or New York — hotels, public transport, taxis, eating out — especially eating out. My rule of thumb is that a pound in London has roughly the same value as a dollar in New York or a euro in Paris.But THREE TIMES the singapore dollwah ... wah wah .. In Paris you can count on finding a neighborhood bistro where the owner pretends to be rude to everybody and serves sublime food. In New York, the home of pastrami, you can't go far wrong with a deli. But eating out well on a tight budget is a challenge that even street-wise natives find daunting.

After spending 10 solid days in London and Bath, England ,eating hotel breakfasts at 15 pounds per head.(thats $46.70 Singapore dollawh)
i came back to Singapore expecting my everyday breakfast to be of that standard.
no way can i find that.

i found out after monster mash (originally from england , and they have a franchise here in singapore )thru a review last year june 2007 , but didn't get a chance to get my ass over to holland village .

but if you are to treat me pizza at Da paolo , i get there in 3 minutes... haha
so long didn't get to chitty chatty with Edgar , the friendly and cute Filipino waiter from manila.

also, i wouldn't mind flying 12 hours (yes 12 hours) there just for a traditional full british set meal/
even if you dine at Ritz carlton singapore or Hilton Singapore (lousy food ) .
it's different .... people are different , waiters lagee more indiferrent lor.

perhaps Sloane court Hotel Singapore would be calling me for a meal there.

Sloane Court hotel is the closest you can get to britain.
everything is exactly the same. only the management happen to be chinese folks and the weather is different.
the taps , the bed and the creaky wooden floor downright to the half wall teak parqueting with flowery cornices above your head.

Is Sloane court hotel still there or tear down for En Bloc oradi ??

it is somewhere off orchard road .on Balmoral road.

message to URA >>> you do not DARE tear down that old english charming son of a colonist past house .

Welsh Rarebit

2008-04-05T05:49:00.001+08:00

Makes 4 servings

1 large egg
1/4 cup beer or milk
1 tablespoon Cabot Salted Butter
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch ground red pepper (cayenne)
3 cups grated Cabot Sharp Cheddar* (about 12 ounces)
4 thick slices hearty bread
Optional additions: fresh tomato slices and/or crisp bacon strips

1. In small bowl, whisk egg until frothy and yolk and white are completely combined; set aside.

2. In bowl set over pan of simmering water or in double boiler, combine beer or milk, butter, mustard and cayenne.

3. When butter is melted, gradually whisk in cheese and continue stirring until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth.

4. Whisk in beaten egg and continue stirring for several minutes until mixture has thickened again (do not allow it to boil or it will separate).

5. Meanwhile, toast bread. Top each toast with tomato and bacon, if desired, and spoon rarebit over the top.

*Substitute tangy Horseradish Cheddar for part of the cheese.

Nutrition Analysis Calories 390 , Total Fat 26g , Saturated Fat 16g , Sodium 526mg , Carbohydrates 18g , Dietary Fiber 3g , Protein 22g , Calcium 588mg

The Ivy, London most famous celebrity restaurant

2008-04-05T05:33:00.003+08:00

Cuisine: British
Average price for a meal for two: £80
Service Charge: Cover charge of Â£1.50 per person

1 - 5West Street,Covent Garden,London, WC2H 9NQ

Nearest Tube: Leicester Square

Review courtesy of Charles Campion from THE EVENING STANDARD

The Ivy is a beautiful, Regency-style restaurant, built in 1928 by Mario Gallati.It has been a Theatreland and society favourite ever since and never more so than today.The staff, it is said, notice recessions only because they turn fewer people away. That's no joke: The Ivy is booked solid, and behaves like a club even if it isn't one. To get a booking it helps to proffer the name of at least a B-list celebrity. If your heart is set on a visit, try booking at off-peak times a couple of months ahead, or at very short notice, or ask for a table in the bar area.
It's also less busy for weekend lunch - three courses for a bargain price, with valet parking thrown in.And once you're in? Well, first off, whether you're famous or not, the staff are charming and un-hurrying. Second, the food is pretty good.
The menu is essentially a brasserie list of comfort food - nice dishes that combine simplicity with familiarity. You might start with spiced pumpkin and coconut soup; the risotto of wild mushrooms; or the eggs Benedict. Then there's deep-fried haddock; grilled pork sausage; and well-made versions of classic staples such as the Ivy hamburger with dill pickle; shepherd's pie; and salmon fishcakes.Even the vegetable section is enlivened with homely delights like bubble and squeak.
For dessert you might turn to chocolate pudding soufflé; rhubarb fool; or go all Pickwickian and finish with a savoury - herring roes on toast, or a serious Welsh rarebit.

what's a rarebit ???
a rare rabbit ??
or rare bites ???
i know haddocks are available in Singapore at Holland Village.
Yet to have brekkie there thou..

How to differentiate real and fake bird's nest?

2008-04-05T04:58:00.001+08:00

Real bird’s nest will allow light to penetrate it. Some fake bird’s nest is made of either rubber or pig’s skin, which will taste acidic and releases oil when soaked in water respectively. One obvious indication of a fake bird's nest is that its threads will look uniform and unnatural. Egg white or agar agar will also be added to increase the weight, as prices are determined based on weight.

Tip: Singapore laws on doing business are strict. Therefore, it is generally safe to buy bird’s nest in Singapore, especially from established merchants

Can price be a good indicator for quality?
There is a saying in Chinese, which goes “A cent spent will give you a cent worth of quality”. This can never be less true.

The price is a fair guideline in determining the quality of bird's nest. The pricier the bird’s nest, the better the quality, its nutritional values and the length of time it can withstand double-boiling. This is important as bird's nest of a lower grade will evaporate after a short time during the double-boiling process, which will result in poorer aroma and lesser amount of bird's nest for consumption. This will not justify the amount of money spent on this prized imperial cuisine.

I aspire to be the perfect wife... my mum is ....

2008-04-01T21:50:00.000+08:00

The perfect wife knows how to provide the harmonic balance within the family unit. She knows how to balance career, domestic chores, taking care of the children and support her husband emotionally. The perfect wife has many roles to fulfill and finds it both a challenge and rewarding. Not every woman wants to be the perfect wife. Many women will purposely try to be something different to establish their independence. Even those women that rebuff the idea of a perfect wife, read on. There are many deep emotional rewards for striving to be the perfect wife.

The perfect wife knows how to smile at those jokes that aren't really that funny. She manages a small laugh and doesn't remind her husband that he has told that joke before repeatedly. Without her husband knowing it, the perfect wife embraces these age old jokes over and over as if they were brand new. The perfect wife will know that one day her husband might be in a nursing home not able to even recognize who she is. It will be that day that these old jokes will be a memory that keeps her going daily to visit her wonderful husband.

The perfect wife finds the energy to pick up the piles of clothes, socks strewn about and the glasses that never make it back to the sink. Instead of clearing up after everyone and feeling like a maid, the perfect wife is proud of her home. It will drive her nuts to have the little messes here and there. She cleans up without a second thought as to who did it last time or why everyone around her can't seem to walk to the kitchen sink. She knows that one day the house will be childless and there won't be laughter as everyone is gathered around the TV watching a movie and forgetting their dishes. The perfect wife covets the memories that are being made in the household from an active family life.

Wedding preparations

2008-04-01T21:24:00.000+08:00

Spellbound Romance (Round Table) menu degustation

2008-04-01T21:04:00.002+08:00

For the guests ,
- a sumptuous Western sit down dinner with free flow champagne for 2 hours only
- 5 foot round tables with table linen provided for 750 guests
- a Moet & Chandon mini bottle as door gifts
- a stalk of red wine rose for each lady (600)
order from prince / ridout garden nursery.
- reception table with linen and fresh flowers deco
- Tentage in case it rains

Menu Degustation

Cold Appetizer
Atlantic Lin Cod fish with Mesclun Bouquet &
Cavier served with Jasmine Vinegrette

Soup du Jour
Clear Asparagus soup with Julienne Black Fungus
& Crab Meat Dumpling

Main Entree
Honey Boneless Chicken with Mustard Leek Stew & Potato Sauteed
with Cranberry Sauce & Balsamic Reduction

Desserts
New York Cheesecake with Coulis of Strawberries
Trio Ben & Jerry's flavas - White Zombie, Chubby Hubby and Like a virgin

Thirst quenchers
Redbull Vodka
spinelli's coffee
Assorted gourmet tea bags
2 hours of Moet & Chandon (damage ??)

Wedding preparations

2008-04-01T20:46:00.003+08:00

Caterer : Purple Sage
Church : St Andrews Cathedral
ROM : 14th June 2008 @ Prive Restaurant Keppel Island
AD : 14th September 2008
AD Banquet @ Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa Ballroom 1
Wedding Planner name :
Contact :
Number of tables : 75
Number of invited Guests : 750
BS : My Bridal Room
Photoshoot: 16th April 2008 at Sentosa Golf Club
Photographer : Sam
MUA : Dily
AD PG : Desmond Ho
Wedding Band : Goldheart
Proposal Ring : Goldheart
Wedding Car : Opel Twintop Cabriolet in Champagne Gold

Wedding car

2008-04-01T20:18:00.000+08:00

hmmm. i am still considering which one to use for my AD .

Sexy spanish littlest plastic bowls - Tast

2008-02-29T07:20:00.003+08:00

We self-professed gourmands try as often as possible to prepare from scratch. We shake our head and pooh-pooh store-bought pasta sauces. Canned soups are verboten from our pantries. We cry foul whenever friends try to serve us pizza baked on premade bases. Pasta must be made by hand. So too must our bread be, kneaded or not. Our fries have to be hand-cut, never frozen. And we take great pride in pointing out that the confit de canard we’re serving is home-made and most definitely not from any can.

But then, there are some other foods that we simply accept for what they are. Despite our new-found (and occasionally pretentious) predelictions against store-bought products, we never even think about making these things from scratch.

Like ketchup for example. I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve been pretty happy eating Heinz for most of my life. It’s one of our kitchen staples. There’s always an open bottle in the fridge and often a sealed one in the pantry (running out midway through a burger is simply a no-no). Unfortunately, most other ketchups just don’t measure up to the “thick, rich one”. Most are either too watery and simply unsavory. One of the rare exceptions is a Swiss German ketchup that S found in a gourmet store. It was nice, with a sharp and almost curry-like taste.

Juz recently, Ricky and I have been helping some friends develop ideas for a new restaurant here in Singapore. One of the things that came up in conversation while we were brainstorming food concepts was the idea of serving homemade ketchup. S remembered that Heston Blumenthal, one of our food heroes, had included a recipe in his fantastic book Family Food.

The more I thought about it, the idea of making (and eating) ketchup without any artificial ingredients and preservatives was really appealing.

Heston’s recipe calls for 5kg of ripe tomatoes, which yields approximately 500ml of ketchup. Truth be told, I looked at these numbers for quite a while before finally deciding to actually try making it. 5 kilos of tomatoes is one heck of a lot of tomatoes. And to only get 500ml of ketchup seemed like a whole lot for a whole little, both in terms of quantity and in terms of costs of ingredients. But, I rationalized, if it tasted great, better in fact than any other ketchup that I’d ever had, it would be worth it.

Making the ketchup was easy. But it did take several hours, so be sure to set aside enough time. I suggest using the recipe (reprinted below) as a general guideline. I honestly eyeballed almost all of the ingredients (save the quantity of tomatoes that is), slightly increasing and decreasing some to suit my taste.

The resulting ketchup was delicious. Nothing at all like Heinz, but still gorgeously sweet and savory. The combination of ingredients — especially the mustard, cloves, five-spice, ginger and cayenne — gave the ketchup a spicy complexity. One friend who tasted it said it was more like a thick, slightly sweet salsa than a ketchup. Another said it tasted like ketchup, but one that had a real distinct richness. S liked that it really tasted of tomatoes and not artificial thickeners. It worked beautifully with some fries (home-made of course) and a nice bottle of bubbly (hey, a boy’s gotta celebrate these little culinary achievements). I simply can’t wait to spread some on a burger later this weekend.

(Picture note: The fries and ketchup are displayed in a “Nuevo Doble Bowl”, a beautiful disposable plastic bowl from Tast. Ricky and I first saw Tast products at a World Gourmet Festival event in Bangkok a few years ago and fell in love with them. Until recently though, we had no idea where to get these gorgeous Spanish disposable catering tools. We’ve just discovered that you can now get Tast products in Singapore through Ruiter Far East. We think they look great and our friends have been totally wowed by these cute and sexy little plastic bowls.)

The Australian Grand Prix

2008-02-26T07:14:00.003+08:00

Melbourne has many special areas worth exploring, some of which include Chinatown in Little Bourke Street, the exclusive ‘Paris’ end of Collins Street near Spring Street, the City Square, city nightclubs, exciting Southgate on the river, the historic Queen Victoria Market (Elizabeth Street), the Botanic Gardens and Arts Center (along St Kilda Road) and leisurely cruises along the Yarra River, which flows along the city's edge.

Come along and be part of the action as Melbourne plays host to the spectacular 2005 Foster's Australian Grand Prix. The picturesque Albert Park will come alive from March 13 to 16 and be transformed into a Formula One world championship race track.
We have been fortunate to secure the best seats at the Circuit. Great views of all the action and good view of the Big Screen.

History
From 1985 to ’99 the Australian Grand Prix was hosted by Adelaide. But thanks to ex-racer-turned-entrepreneur Bob Jane, the action soon shifted to sports-crazy Melbourne. He created a huge ‘thunderdome’ and invented the AUSCAR series.
Between 1956 and ’58, Albert Park in Melbourne hosted a non-championship Grand Prix. But it was only in 1996 that Melbourne revved its way into the world championship of Formula 1 races.

Timings: March is F1 season in Melbourne. The Australian Grand Prix has been the traditional season-opener except in 2006, when the timing of the race clashed with the Commonwealth Games being held in Melbourne that year. The event is held from 15th to 18th March. The Opening hours are:

Thursday and Friday - 8:00am 7:00pm
Saturday and Sunday - 7:30am 7:00pm

The Circuit: The 5.3 km Melbourne Grand Prix circuit around Victoria’s scenic Albert Park Lake is custom-built every year.

How To Get There: Fly into Melbourne at the Tullamarine Airport, 21 kilometers north west of the city. From here you can:

- Taxi to the City Center. From there to the circuit, it is only 2 km.
- Or, you can also take a regular shuttle bus-service into the city.
- One can opt for train or tram. Travel within the city using the free tram services and get off at one of the many stops near the circuit.
- You must buy the tram, bus or train tickets into Melbourne in advance.
- When hiring a car, make sure to pay the automatic motorway toll and keep enough coins handy. There is no parking available near the circuit. So the organizers advise visitors to Melbourne to park-and-ride.

Tickets: You can choose general admission on race day and take a delightful walk around the parkland surrounding Albert Lake. Or you may opt for these grandstands, available particularly at the beginning and end of the lap:

- Fangio Grandstand £190
- Brabham Grandstand £265
- Jones Grandstand £265

Accommodation: Stay at one of the many hotels right near the race circuit! Some hotels you may look up are:

- Albert Park Manor Boutique Hotel
- Bayview On The Park
- Carlton Crest Hotel

The Climate: Late summer in Melbourne is perfect, with long, leisurely days just perfect for a holiday. With additional benefits like friendly people and a party ambience, Melbourne sure does live up to its tag, ‘a great place for the race’.

So, what are you waiting for? Pack your sunscreen and shades, and catch the action right when the season opens in Melbourne this March!

2008 Formula 1 Grand Prix Calendar

Country Venue Date

March 16 - Australian Grand Prix - Melbourne, Australia

March 23 - Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang, Malaysia

April 6 - Bahrain Grand Prix - Manama, Bahrain

April 27 - Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona, Spain

May 13 - Turkish Grand Prix - Istanbul, Turkey

May 25 - Monaco Grand Prix - Monte Carlo, Monaco

June 9 - Canadian Grand Prix - Montreal, Canada

June 22 - French Grand Prix - Magny-Cours, France

July 6 - British Grand Prix - Silverstone, England

July 20 - German Grand Prix - Hockenheim

August 3 - Hungary Grand Prix - Budapest, Hungary

August 24 - Valencia, Spain, European Grand Prix

September 7 - Belgium Grand Prix - Spa, Belgium

September 14 - Italian Grand Prix - Monza, Italy

September 28 - Singapore Grand Prix

October 12 - Japan Grand Prix - Fuji, Japan

October 12 - China Grand Prix - Shanghai, China

November 2 - Brazilian Grand Prix - Sao Paulo, Brazil

Amara Sanctuary Sentosa

2008-02-20T05:38:00.003+08:00

2008-02-20T05:34:00.002+08:00

Solmnisation: 14th June 2008, Saturday
ROM Venue: Marriott Hotel
Solemniser: Mr Chan Kai Yau
Solitaire: Soo Kee Brilliant Rose
Wedding Band: Lee Hwa Destinée (18K Gold)
Bridal Shop: Ritz Couture
AD: 14th June 2008
AD Banquet: Marriot
AD Photography: Daniel Beh
AD Videographer:

Love has given us wings

2008-02-20T05:20:00.003+08:00

Love has given us wings, and our journey begins today.
Wherever the wind may carry me, I will stay by your side.
Take this ring as a sign of my love.

From this day forward, You shall not walk alone.
My heart will be your shelter,
and my arms will be your home.

Amara Sanctuary Hotel , Sentosa

2008-02-16T23:02:00.002+08:00

Finally got to see the hotel after much anticipation. The hotel still doesn't provide a regular shuttle service unlike Sentosa resort, but was told there's one for staff so took that instead, and was driven to the lobby promptly.

Resort is divided into 4 areas: newly built main building with deluxe rooms and lobby, colonial building with courtyard rooms, villas scattered in front of courtyard rooms, and spa building which is still under construction.

Check-in was rather slow, as the ladies at the counter seemed abit clueless. They should review the check-in procedures because part of it involves tearing off a corner of the registration form and slotting it into the keycard holder. This tearing left scraps of papers on the table and everywhere and it just seemed untidy and unprofessional.

Room alloted was on 3rd floor with a so-so seaview. Though on the small side, it's well designed and effective. Plenty of natural lighting, windows can be opened, and on a breezy day allows good ventilation without the need for aircon.

Bed is fantastic, completely undisturbed sleep even with partner turning and twisting.

Bathroom comes with a tub and separate rainforest shower stall, and generous bottles of fantastic spa-like toiletries. The wardrobe has a dual opening function allowing access from bathroom and walkway, very efficient design. However there's no sign of towel hooks except for railings at the sink, not very convenient there.

Bottled water, orange juice and soft drinks are complementary, which is a nice touch. However, the tv is on the smallish side, and the sofa doesn't come with a high back, uncomfortable for any form of relaxation there.

There are two small pools - a garden 'family' pool, a sky 'adults only' pool (infinity view), and a jacuzzi on the 4th floor of the main building. Even though there's a sign stating 'adults only', but because it was a bank holiday, there were plenty of families, and kids were brought in. The management should look into keep children out of the sky pool area. They can't be seen everywhere. A gym's available at room 411, not sure if it'll be moved to the spa building. A tennis court's available as well, not sure about the charges. Business centre located behind the lobby desks is stocked with mags, books and board games which guests can borrow for free.

Breakfast was boring, nothing to shout about, food mediocre, at least coffee came in a huge presser that didn't require refilling all the time.

During checkout, I informed the concierge of my intention to take the shuttle service to the shopping mall across the island, he promptly informed the driver and promised a wait of 15 min. When the bus didn't appear, he enquired again and informed me that the driver went somewhere else and would arrange for the hotel's limousine to drive us. Impressive.

Did not dine at the restaurants, so cannot comment. But it's got Amara's signature Thanying. The resort's generally got its hardware right, but like all new properties, they need more polishing and evening of creases. That said, I'd hope to see more improvement such as complimentary WIFI in public spaces, greater selection at breakfast, a more exclusive feel within the resort. It should do fine. And oh, the complimentary sentosa passes (unlimited exits and entries for 3 days) are wonderful too.

86 Rules of Boozing

2008-02-10T19:27:00.000+08:00

86 Rules of Boozing

1. If you owe someone money, always pay them back in a bar. Preferably during happy hour.

2. Always toast before doing a shot.

3. Whoever buys the shot gets the first chance to offer a toast.

4. Change your toast at least once a month.

5. Buying someone a drink is five times better than a handshake.

6. Buying a strange woman a drink is still cool. Buying all her drinks is dumb.

7. Never borrow more than one cigarette from the same person in one night.

8. When the bartender is slammed, resist the powerful urge to order a slightly-dirty, very-dry, in-and-out, super-chilled half-and-half martini with a lemon twist. Limit orders to beer, straight shots and two-part cocktails.

9. Get the bartender's attention with eye contact and a smile.

10. Do not make eye contact with the bartender if you do not want a drink.

11. Unacceptable things to say after doing a shot: Great, now I’m going to get drunk. I hate shots. It’s coming back up.

12. Never, ever tell a bartender he made your drink too strong.

13. If he makes it too weak, order a double next time. He'll get the message.

14. If you offer to buy a woman a drink and she refuses, she does not like you.

15. If you offer to buy a woman a drink and she accepts, she still might not like you.

16. If she buys you a drink, she likes you.

17. If someone offers to buy you a drink, do not upgrade your liquor preference.

18. Always have a corkscrew in your house.

19. If you don't have a corkscrew, push the cork down into the bottle with a pen.

20. Drink one girly drink in public and you will forever be known as the guy who drinks girly drinks.

21. Our parents were better drinkers than we are.

22. Never talk to someone in the restroom unless you're doing the same thing—urinating, waiting in line or washing your hands.

23. Girls hang out, apply make-up, and have long talks in the bathroom. Men do not.

24. After your sixth drink, do not look at yourself in the mirror. It will shake your confidence.

25. It is only permissible to shout 'woo-hoo!' if you are doing a shot with four or more people.

26. If there is a d.j., you can request a song only once per night. If he doesn't play it within half an hour, do not approach him again. If he does play it, do not approach him again.

27. Learn how to make a rose out of a bar napkin. You'll be surprised how well it works.

28. If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to drink in a bar. Go to the liquor store.

29. If you owe someone twenty dollars or less, you may pay them back in beer.

30. Never complain about the quality or brand of a free drink.

31. If you have been roommates with someone more than six months, you may drink all their beer, even if it's hidden, as long as you leave them one.

32. You can have a shot of their hard liquor only if the cap has been cracked and the bottle goes for less than $25.

33. The only thing that tastes better than free liquor is stolen liquor.

34. If you bring Old Milwaukee to a party, you must drink at least two cans before you start drinking the imported beer in the fridge.

35. Learn to appreciate hangovers. If it was all good times every jackass would be doing it.

36. If you ever feel depressed, get out a bartender’s guide and browse through all the drinks you’ve never tried.

37. Try one new drink each week.

38. If you are the bar's sole customer, you are obliged to make small talk with the bartender until he stops acknowledging you. Then you're off the hook. The same goes for him.

39. Never tip with coins that have touched you. If your change is $1.50, you can tell the barmaid to keep the change, but once she has handed it to you, you cannot give it back. To a bartender or cocktail waitress, small change has no value.

40. If you have ever told a bartender, “Hey, it all spends the same,” then you are a cheap ass.

41. Anyone on stage or behind a bar is fifty percent better looking.

42. You can tell how hard a drinker someone is by how close they keep their drink to their mouth.

43. A bar is a college, not a nursery. If you spill a beer, clean it up. If you break a glass, wait for a staff member to clean it up, then blame it on someone else.

44. Being drunk is feeling sophisticated without being able to say it.

45. It's okay to drink alone.

46. After three drinks, you will forget a woman's name two seconds after she tells you. The rest of the night you will call her “baby” or “darling”.

47. Nothing screams 'nancy boy' louder than swirling an oversized brandy snifter.

48. Men don't drink from straws. Unless you're doing a Mind or Face Eraser.

49. If you do a shot, finish it. If you don't plan to finish it, don't accept it.

50. Never brood in a dance bar. Never dance in a dive bar.

51. Never play more than three songs by the same artist in a row.

52. Your songs will come on as you're leaving the bar.

53. Never yell out jukebox selections to someone you don't know.

54. Never lie in a bar. You may, however, grossly exaggerate and lean.

55. If you think you might be slurring a little, then you are slurring a lot. If you think you are slurring a lot, then you are not speaking English.

56. Screaming, “Someone buy me a drink!” has never worked.

57. For every drink, there is a five percent better chance you will get in a fight. There is also a three percent better chance you will lose the fight.

58. Fighting an extremely drunk person when you are sober is hilarious.

59. If you are broke and a friend is “sporting you”, you must laugh at all his jokes and play wingman when he makes his move.

60. If you are broke and a friend is “making sport of you”, you may steal any drink he leaves unattended.

61. Never rest your head on a table or bar top. It is the equivalent of voluntarily putting your head on a chopping block.

62. If you are trading rounds with a friend and he asks if you're ready for another, always say yes. Once you fall out of sync you will end up buying more drinks than him.

63. If you're going to hit on a member of the bar staff, make sure you tip well before and after, regardless of her response.

64. The people with the most money are rarely the best tippers.

65. Before you die, single-handedly make one decent martini.

66. Asking a bartender what beers are on tap when the handles are right in front of you is the equivalent of saying, “I'm an idiot.”

67. Never ask a bartender “what's good tonight?” They do not fly in the scotch fresh from the coast every morning.

68. If there is a line for drinks, get your goddamn drink and step the hell away from the bar.

69. If there is ever any confusion, the fuller beer is yours.

70. The patrons at your local bar are your extended family, your fathers and mothers, your brothers and sisters. Except you get to sleep with these sisters. And if you're really drunk, the mothers.

71. It's acceptable, traditional in fact, to disappear during a night of hard drinking. You will appear mysterious and your friends will understand. If they even notice.

72. Never argue your tab at the end of the night. Remember, you're hammered and they’re sober. It's akin to a precocious five-year-old arguing the super-string theory with a physicist. 99.9% of the time you're wrong and either way you're going to come off as a jackass.

73. If you bring booze to a party, you must drink it or leave it.

74. If you hesitate more than three seconds after the bartender looks at you, you do not deserve a drink.

75. Beer makes you mellow, champagne makes you silly, wine makes you dramatic, tequila makes you felonious.

76. The greatest thing a drunkard can do is buy a round of drinks for a packed bar.

77. Never preface a conversation with a bartender with “I know this is going to be a hassle, but . . .”

78. When you’re in a bar and drunk, your boss is just another guy begging for a fat lip. Unless he’s buying.

79. If you are 86’d, do not return for at least three months. To come back sooner makes it appear no other bar wants you.

80. Anyone with three or more drinks in his hands has the right of way.

81. If you’re going to drink on the job, drink vodka. It’s the no-tell liquor.

82. There’s nothing wrong with drinking before noon. Especially if you’re supposed to be at work.

83. The bar clock moves twice as fast from midnight to last call.

84. A flask engraved with a personal message is one of the best gifts you can ever give. And make sure there’s something in it.

85. On the intimacy scale, sharing a quiet drink is between a handshake and a kiss.

86. You will forget every one of these rules by your fifth drink.

--Frank Kelly Rich

this article from :
http://drunkard.com/issues/01-02/01_02_booze_rules.htm

Who's your movie star double test ?

2008-02-03T03:37:00.000+08:00

Clarissa, your movie star double is Jennifer Lopez A magnetic maven like you needs to be played by someone who knows how to get an audience's attention — and keep it. That's why Jennifer Lopez would be a great leading lady in the movie of your life. You've got a certain star quality that makes people applaud whatever you decide to put your energy into. Regardless of whether you match J Lo's glamorous look, her mega-diva glow will help translate your stunning charisma to the silver screen.

Back in high school, were you the one in the spotlight — star of the school play, student council president, and popular girl around town? Well, with your charms, you should have been. There's just something about you that has people screaming for more. But that's a good thing since you probably thrive when you're being social, surrounded by people, or getting out and about.

If some people perceive you as high maintenance, you can just tell them that you have high expectations. If you're willing to work so hard on yourself, why can't other people do the same? So get ready for the new cast in the movie of your life headed by none other than J Lo herself.

http://web.tickle.com/tests/stardouble/result.jsp

Which Britney spears are you ? test

2008-02-03T03:31:00.000+08:00

Clarissa, you are the Mouseketeer We're not going to come right out and call you a goody-goody, but, well, you're pretty close to squeaky clean. Even if you aren't completely innocent, you sure can act the part. With your thousand-watt smile and your upbeat attitude, you usually don't have a problem making friends and keeping them around. And if you have a naughty side, you sure do hide it well.

Like everyone else, you aren't a happy camper all the time, but an upbeat spirit like yours can't help but shine. So even if you suddenly find yourself facing court dates, fender benders, wardrobe malfunctions, and family feuds, you know how to stick it out with a smile. After all, a big comeback is just around the corner. You're coming up in the world — so get ready to make your mark!

Clarissa, you could have been a famous Actress

2008-02-03T03:29:00.000+08:00

Clarissa, you could have been a famous Actress
Marilyn Monroe? Veronica Lake? Humphrey Bogart? A scene-stealer like you could have been any one of these legendary entertainers. Like Hollywood's acting elite, you've got loads of charisma and charm, and you know how to use it.

Whether you're turning heads on the way to work or making the rounds at a party, you're a people person who loves basking in the spotlight. With your bold spirit and magnetic aura, you're sure to brighten up any room and leave your adoring fans spellbound and begging for more.

http://web.tickle.com/tests/pastlife/result.jsp

Ha ha- so awesome! I hope it's accurate!

Siin me oleme

2008-01-13T06:27:00.000+08:00

Location : Ischgl, austria
author : P
http://realtravel.com/ischgl-journals-j955675.html

Teekond Austria-Šveitsi piiriäärse kuurortlinnani tundus lõputult pikk, kuna see tuli autoga läbida. Igatahes siis...600 km sõitmist läbi Saksamaa oli peale "paari" tundi läbitud. Ilma ummikuteta! Navigatsioon oli siiani suureks sõbraks olnud, seega sai päris kõvasti usaldust. WRONG! Ühel hetkel läks tee kuidagi väga lumiseks ja peagi selgus ka põhjus: tee sai otsa. Nimelt talvel ei lükata selle mägise teelõigu peal lund laiali, sest muidu oleks oht sealt sujuvalt allamäge sõita. Autoga mägironimine pole veel kuulsust kogunud siiski. Aga ega kui tee otsa saab, see ei tähenda automaatselt ka mõistuse otsasaamist. Alati on abiks kohalikega suhelda ja telefoneerida. Juhised käes ja oma suusamaja uksekood üles kirjutatud, asusime siis uuesti tuldud teed pidi sõitma. Selgus, et teisele poole mäge saamiseks tuleb teha 2 tunnine ring ja eks see tehtud saigi. Lõpuks kui kodu üles leidsime, uksekoodi õigsust testisime ja asjad maha laadisime, heitsime kohe magama ära, et eesolevat nädalat võimalikult reipalt alustada

Esimest korda suusaliftiga üles sõites oli lihtsalt VAU..need mäed! Kunagi sai küll käidud Põhja-Soomes Pyhä küla mägedes, aga Alpid on ikka teine tera. Ishcglis on päris palju suusaradasid, kusjuures enamus on keskmisel kuni kõrgemal raskustasemega. Seega päris algajatel võib päris hirmus olla esialgu, sest mäenõlvad on järsud, aga harjutamine teadupärast teeb imesid.
Enne reisi ei suutnud otsustada, kas valida juba ära õpitud suuskadega sõitmine või lumelauatamise õppimine. Kohapeal aga otsustasin, et tahan pigem nautida kui piina tunda ja läksin kergema vastupanu teed ning ei kahetse. Lõpuks oli päris kindel tunne ja viimasel päeval peaaegu ei kukkunudki enam. Lõpuks polnud ka must rada eriti extreme nagu brošüürides hoiatati...

Lumelaudurite peale polnud just palju mõeldud ega nende jaoks vaeva nähtud. Lumepark oli suhteliselt inimtühi, sest see oli hooldamata ning hüpekad olid liiga järsud. Lisaks olid osad rajad kohati "loiud", st et suusakeppide abil sai küll edasi, aga laudurid pidid laua alt võtma ja kõndima kuni järgmise laskumiseni või liftini. Osad nõlvad olid suusatajate poolt päeva lõpuks lausa liiga muhklikuks sõidetud, niiet põlved said kõvasti vatti.

Ilm oli iga päev TÄIESTI erinev! Esimesed päevad siras päike, siis paar päeva sadas lund ja nähtavus oli lausa häirivalt s*tt, mistõttu tuli päev varem õhtusse lasta. Viimasel päeval aga hakkas päike jälle elumärke näitama ja loomulikult ärasõidul siras täiega. Külma oli mäe peal kohati -10C, aga muidu suhteliselt talutav. Lumesajuga on suusamask vajalik, selgus viimasel päeval!

After Ski või Après Ski oli päris võimas. Kui suusaliftid suleti kell 16, algas kohe pidu. Musa tümpsus, tüdrukud tantsisid vallatult baarilettidel ning inimesed vihtusid suusasaabastes tantsu! Kui peale väsitavat spordipäeva ka veel hõõgveini või jägerteed tarbida, siis võib juhtuda, et näiteks kell 19 on noored juba magama läinud :D Seega päris iga päev ei hakanud seal suusasaabastega pidutsema.. paar korda oli täitsa piisav. Muul ajal sai külas ringi kooserdada, poode tšekata ja saunas käia. See oli kah üks väga omapärane kogemus... See oli juba kahtlane, kui administraator kinnitas , et ujumisriideid vaja EI OLE. No eks siis sai ühises riietusruumis rätik ümber tõmmatud ja sauna uudistama mindud. Duširuumid olid ka põhimõtteliselt meestel-naistel koos..eraldasid neid ainult sildid Daamide ja Härrade poole kohta. See aga ei tähendanud, et paljad vanamehed ei võinud ka naiste dušipoolelt läbi jalutada. Süüdimatult. Lõpuks selgus ka see, et saunalava oli kõigile ühine ja seal tuleb rätik enda istumise alla panna ning jaladki peavad rätikul olema.. Ehk siis ühel suurel saunalaval olid KÕIK, alates ilastest vanameestest kuni süütute lasteni välja. Loomulikult pidid venelased ennast sauna ukse taga ilmekalt väljendama ja Vasja kombel rõvedat naeru laskma. Lõpuks aga ei jäänud neil midagi muud üle, kui ka sisse astuda ja rätik tagumiku alla asetada.
Kuuldavasti pidi selline saunatamine Saksamaal päris tavaline olema. Samuti pidid noored neiud seetõttu sauna eriti mitte külastama, sest teadagi.. .teismeeas on niigi raske :)

Kokkuvõtvalt jäin selle suusakuurortiga ülirahule ja Alpid polegi nii hirmsad kui esialgu tunduvad. Inimesed on seal äärmiselt sõbralikud ja tegevust leidub nii diskotajale, romantikule, pizzatajale, fondüüsõbrale (juustufondüü oli päris njämma) kui ka Burger Kingi austajale. Hinnatasemelt, tõsi küll, on Ischgl üsna kallis, aga ma leian, et puhkust tuleb siiski nautida (kui võimalik) ja mitte sente lugeda ja kodus näppu imeda. Raha tuleb-raha läheb, aga mälestus jääb ;)

Destination - Spain

2008-01-13T06:05:00.000+08:00

Hotel :Abama Ritz Carlton
Address : Carretera General, TF-47, km 9, Guía de Isora, Tenerife 38687 Spain Phone: (+34) 922 126 000

Abama, Tenerife, is a paradise of well-being where exclusiveness is apparent in every detail.

Located on a cliff top, it offers panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean. A careful combination of subtropical architecture and nature, which is present in all of its services.

Destination - Barcelona

2008-01-13T05:55:00.000+08:00

Destination Information
Spain -
Weather jan 2008 6 deg to 13 deg.
Location : Marina 19-21, Barcelona 8005 Spain
Hotel : Ritz Carlton Hotel Arts Barcelona

Barcelona is the vibrant Catalan capital, a city with a rich Mediterranean culture and history and dynamic industrial tradition.

Located to the south of the Pyrenees Mountains, on the North East coast of the Iberian peninsula, Barcelona, is the second largest city in Spain.

Established by Hamilcar Barca as Barcino in the 3rd Century B.C., Barcino soon became part of the Byzantine empire. Barcelona was conquered in turn by the Visgoths and Moors, then reclaimed for Spain in the 9th Century by Charlemagne’s son, Louis.

Catalonia has a strong national spirit that has been tested throughout history. During the War of Spanish Succession in 1714, King Philip V of Spain demolished La Ribera (the merchant quarter) and forbade the use of Catalan. Just over two hundred years later, the Spanish Civil War ushered in another era of political repression as Francisco Franco ruled until his death in 1975.

Barcelona has become a destination for leisure travellers as well as the traditional business activity with a historic city centre and noteworthy cultural and architectural attractions.

Changi Airport T3 Architecture

2008-01-01T23:20:00.000+08:00

Since it is a new year, i thought i like to do something different.
I always tell my friends i like to go somewhere i didn't go b4.(nice places of coz)
So today , i hop onto the city train (MRT) and went to Changi Airport Terminal 3 to check out the architecture and test my new LG Viewty KU 990 phone.
I was simply amazed by the photos that my camera phone can produce.

Write up from blogger "heirloom" Singapore Changi Airport's Terminal 3 will have a flat but intriguing roof consisting of many skylights allowing natural light into the terminal building. The roof will limit the amount of direct sunlight into the building through the use of louvres suspended above and below the skylights, filling Terminal 3 with diffused, ambient light during the day. At night, artificial light bounced off the ceiling creates a soothing and comfortable environment for passengers. This unique feature of Terminal 3 will also be seen by passengers waiting to collect their bags at the baggage claim hall.

Passengers using Terminal 3 can expect to move around with ease and minimum dependence on signages. This is possible as Terminal 3 will adopt a see-through layout concept, making it easier for travellers to orientate themselves. This is part of the four guiding principles adopted by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) when designing Terminal 3, namely, clarity, natural lighting, external views and maintainability.

Terminal 3 and its associated works will cost S$1.5 billion. It will add a capacity of 20 million passengers a year, bringing the total capability of Changi Airport to 64 million passengers till the year 2020. When opened in 2006, Terminal 3 will add another 28 aerobridge gates to Changi Airport, with up to eight that will be designed to handle the new generation of large aircraft, the A380.

Picotin - a St pierre restaurant

2008-01-01T06:16:00.000+08:00

THE word 'picotin' may be French for 'peck' - a measure of grain used for feeding horses - but you can expect much more than stable cuisine at the Saint Pierre group's latest venture at the old Turf Club.

Picotin is the group's first family-friendly eatery - its alfresco area will boast a small kiddie playground next year once the restaurant-cum-deli operations are more settled. But for now, it's a kind of sports-bar/pizzeria/French bistro with horsey overtones.

The casually chic restaurant is the first outlet to open in Horse City, a cluster of lifestyle outlets very close to Turf City that will house a spa, fitness centre, riding school and a pet hotel once all the ongoing construction is completed. Right now, it doesn't look like much, with Picotin offering the only sign of life amid all the unfinished structures. But its away-from-it-all ambience and surrounding greenery make this place full of potential.

It's a joint venture with Sebastien Reuiller, who used to run his eponymous bistro in Greenwood as part of the Les Amis group. That no doubt accounts for the familiar bistro dishes like beef bourguignon, duck confit and escargots. But with chef Emmanuel Stroobant's input, the menu has wider international appeal with a large pizza selection, as well as some pastas.

Depending on your affinity with Singapore's weather, you'll find yourself veering towards the outdoor covered dining area fitted with patio-like wooden furniture, the bright alfresco (read unprotected from the elements) section that faces the prospective neighbours, or the airconditioned indoor area that is divided into a bar counter (with TV) and a smallish dining area furnished with tall tables and high chairs.

Just be warned that the high tables and chairs are more suitable for a quick drink and pizza rather than a full three-course meal.

As the restaurant has only been open for less than a week, the food quality is a little inconsistent. But one thing you can be sure about is the pizza - if you thought only Italians could make good pizza, you probably never had a Belgian chef try his hand at it. The pizzas (starting at $19 for a nine inch) have a paper thin crust with super crispy edges but an almost naan-like texture in the middle that holds its shape and gives you that yummy, chewy, yielding texture that is so hard to get with such a thin crust. Most paper thin pizzas are crispy and almost cracker like throughout, but Picotin's version somehow gives you a thin crust with a thick crust bite. We tried the palomino version which had artichokes, olives, mushrooms and tomatoes, but you can have whatever you want from tandoori chicken to bacon and eggs.

The rest of the menu is decent enough, if fairly predictable. The lobster bisque ($16) had good flavour with generous chunks of lobster and buttery croutons. The duck leg confit ($29) could have had a crispier skin but it was text-book tender and served with a generous salad and delicious lyonnaise potatoes. If there's one thing the French and Belgians know about, it's potatoes and Picotin might as well be potato heaven because every potato interpretation was delicious. Crunchy fat cut fries, rich mashed potatoes and dauphinois gratin, you name it, it was all starchy goodness.

Desserts still need fine-tuning. We only sampled one, the tarte tartine which was cold and soggy and very much un-tartine-like. But the last we heard was that San Marco's manager and pastry expert Roxan Villareal was going to overhaul its desserts so we look forward to the outcome.

Perhaps the beauty of being part of a group is that a new outlet can always look to its older siblings for help, much like a foal is nurtured by its experienced parents. With Picotin in good hands, one can expect a polished product pretty soon.

Picotin
100 Turf Club Road
Tel: 6877-1191

Rating: 7/10

Wearomg soft underwear can make you happy

2008-01-01T06:13:00.000+08:00

WHAT do water, soft undergarments and a smile do to you?

It gives you a happy and more active brain, say experts.

"The brain is composed of approximately 8% protein, 10% fat and 72-75% of fluid," said Khun Vanessa Race, a Harvard graduate with a Masters in neuroscience, who talked about how happiness is good for our brain.

That is why drinking lots of water helps, because its part of what makes you happy, and what makes your brain work better.

"Neurons are like plants, if you don't give them (neurons) water, they will shrink in size," Race explained.

Therefore, as neurons have to communicate by sending neurotransmitters through the space between them (the synapses), any shrinkage in size will result in this space becoming wider, making it more difficult for neurons to communicate.

"Drinking a lot of water actually makes you happier, because you can think a lot faster," Race continued.

In another research done by Prof Shigeki Watanuki from Kyushu University, he found out that our environment and what we wear actually have an effect on our brain activity through various physiological responses.

One of the interesting findings was that soft underwear might decrease physiological stress. "It was found that soft underwear decreases cortisol levels and increases the level of IgA (immunoglobulin A)," said Prof Watanuki, who is an expert in Physiological Anthropology.

Coupled with a comfortable environment and mentally stimulating food such as the essence of chicken, a relaxed person can have better brain function, he explained.

Have you ever smiled and instantly felt better? Race has an explanation.

One of the research she was involved in found out that besides making more friends, a smile could release endorphins in the brain and make a person feel happier.

When the brain is happy, it makes it more conducive to learn, said Race.

This story was first published in The Star on Dec 30, 2007.

Article from :
http://health.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20071231-43136.html

Food and wine

2008-01-01T01:44:00.002+08:00

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/a-dreamy-escape-for-cooks

Info about Scotland

2008-01-01T01:44:00.001+08:00

http://www.scotland.org/about/entertainment-and-sport/features/education/food.html

NEW YEAR IN THE ALPS - a super-festive

2008-01-01T01:19:00.000+08:00

https://weekendgetaways.co.uk/index.php?p=accommodation_full&id=354

NEW YEAR IN THE ALPS - a super-festive
only UK pounds 269 per pax

Country: Austria
Area: St Johann-in-Tirol

Description:
This tour is ideal for beginners and advanced skiers and boarders alike. St Johann-in-Tirol is blessed to be at the centre of some of Europe's major ski resorts. It's own local resort is terrific for beginners and intermediates. It has 17 lifts and 65km of piste. It's ski pass is also linked to the close by resorts of Steinplatte and Fieberbrunn. Just as close are Austria's mega-resorts, the fabulous Kitzbuhel ski region as well as the country's largest ski area: Ski Welt. So you won't be spoit for choice.
We have a fabulous program of events daily - or choose to do your own thing. Our experience ski reps will be on hand to ensure you get the most out of your short stay. And if it is party you want - it is party you will get! Our New Years Eve party includes all your drinks!

Day 1 Friday December 28, 2007
DEPART LONDON
Check in 6.00pm. Paddinton Station, Eastbourne Tce. Depart 6.30pm. Drive to Dover for late evening ferry to Calais. Night drive across Belgium into Germany.

Day 2 Saturday December 29, 2007
ARRIVE ST JOHANN
We drive south into Bavaria, around Munich and onto Austria. We arrive in the beautiful Tyrolean village of St Johann late afternoon. Check into our accommodation and get set for a few big days on the slopes. After organising your ski gear, join us for an optional first night dinner followed by our welcome to the alps party.

Day 3 Sunday December 30, 2007
SKI ST JOHANN
Join our guided ski safari around the 65km of piste at St Johann. After lunch join us on a mountain pub crawl. It is impossible to get around all 19 mountain bars ? St Johann has the most gasthofs/bars per km of slope than any other resort in Austria! Apre ski at Max?s Pub.
Tonight: Fondu and bumboarding. A great night up the mountain. We take you by taxi up to a mountain restaurant for a dinner swiss style. Then it is onto the tiny plastic plates and bumboard back into St Johann village. Option: cost 20 Euro.

Day 4 Monday December 31, 2007
STEINPLATTE AND NEW YEARS EVE PARTY
Want to try something different? Today we head to the spectacular resort of Steinplatte, only a 25min drive from St Johann. The skiing here is fantastic with its huge open bowls as well as its great views of over the alps and onto Bavaria. You can, in fact, ski international and cross the border into Germany! Steinplatte is included on a 3-day St Johann ski pass.
NEW YEARS EVE PARTY: What a place to be for New Years! Our exclusive party at Bunny?s pub includes free beer, wine and selected spirits all evening. This is going to be seriously big!

Day 5 Tuesday January 1, 2008
DEPART RESORT
A sleep-in is definitely in order! So after a late breakfast we check out of our accommodation and then depart our resort at lunch time for the drive back through Germany and onto Calais.

Day 6 Wednesday January 2, 2008
EARLY ARRIVAL BACK TO LONDON
We are due to catch a ferry from Calais to Dover, docking around dawn. Depending upon traffic and clearance time through customs, we should have you back at Paddington early morning and in time to head straight to work - for those who are up to it ...!

Whats included?:
Transport, accommodation, our great NYE party and breakfasts are included in the tour price.

What to bring:
warm clothing, ski gear, passport, spending money

Suitable For:
Everyone welcome

Supplements:

Reason for supplements : Note that ski passes, ski/board hire, clothing and insurance is not included.

Pickup Option :-
London - 6:00 am
Paddinton Station, Eastbourne Tce.
Return Option :-
Paddington
Eastbourne Terrace

<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>

Hotel Permon, High Tatras, Slovakia

Country: Slovakia (Slovak Republic)
Area: High Tatras

Description:
We offer accommodation in comfortably-furnished single and twin-bed rooms (extra beds available) and in luxury suites, with a total capacity of 286 beds. All rooms feature a TV set, radio, telephone and refrigerated minibar
Catering is provided using the buffet service system, and our rich selection of dishes will gratify the most discerning of guests
Here in the Hotel it is possible to organize congresses, symposiums, seminars, business meetings and family celebrations. We have
The Grande Hall (with capacity 500 persons)
and various conference rooms available
for these purposes
(seating 200, 120, 59, 40 and 25 persons).
If you enjoy dancing to traditional dance music, you can come to our night club, which offers an unusual view of the Hotel swimming-pool
Guests can enjoy sitting with friends in the Hotel cafe ?Lobby Bar? or in the cafe-bar beside the restaurant, where light meals are also served. The cafe-bar also offers billiards and games for children. There is also a new Children's Corner with various games and climbing frames suitable for both older and younger children
PERMON'S PARADISE is a new and quite remarkable complex of steam and water baths
An inimitable atmosphere of complete relaxation is created through herbal and eucalyptus inhalation, Roman baths, Finnish sauna, revitalizing icy rain, the
bear pit, prehistoric world and tepidarium.

The ?wild river? section in particular completes the perfection of the whole complex with its intimate corners, massage chairs and recliners,
and jacuzzi beneath a starry sky
Following a day-long mountain hike or some other sporting activity, you will surely appreciate the comprehensive relaxation services of our Hotel. Your tired body will certainly benefit from a massage, whether classical or underwater, a sauna, whirlpool or jacuzzi bath, peat compresses.

At your service we also have expert cosmeticians, hairdressers and advisers who are sure to be able to satisfy all your requirements
Other additional services enhancing our guests' enjoyment of their stay are:
Hotel pool (25 metre length),
our automatic two-lane bowling alley,
two tennis courts, mountain bike and scooter hire centre,
ski equipment hire centre,
weights room and gym

Whats included?:
The price includes: accommodation / night, breakfast ( buffet ), swimming-pool

What to bring:
swimwear and smile..

Suitable For:
Everyone welcome,Kids and families,18 ? 35s,Groups,Corporate groups,Individuals,Couples,Backpackers / students / independent travellers

The operator has suggested the following travel options

Travel Available: Self Drive / Bus / Fly
Flight Information: We recommend www.skyeurope.com

Directions: take a taxi from airport

David Garrett

2007-12-29T21:01:00.000+08:00

Do you think image is important, especially for classical musicians in today's superficial world?

Image helps create something that doesn't necessary have to do with what your music or your art. But it does give you something more, which makes it interesting for marketing purposes. I don't want to say it's a business, but when you really want to succeed and you really want to break through and make people listen, you have to do whatever it takes. In the end, I don't mind it at all, as long as I can play for people and reach young people as well. It's good by me!

And because of your good looks, you also dabbled in modeling when you were studying at Juilliard.

I haven't really done that in two years! It's quite time consuming! You have to go for castings all day and some you get and some you don't. It's a lot of work. People underestimate what models actually do in that business, and you always have to make sure you keep up. I'm not going to say it's tough but it's not easy!

i am in love with a violin

2007-12-29T19:44:00.000+08:00

David Garrett will be in town again!!!

5 Nov 2007 (Mon) at 6pm at the Elements (the new shopping mall) for the Opening of the Montegrappa boutique.

As the ambassador of Montegrappa, David will also present an award to Mengla Huang, another brilliant violinist.

David will also perform live music after all the ribbon cutting and award presentation ceremony.

Be Amazed by David's Beautiful Live Music!

thought i should learnt something new.
wanted to try to learn how to cook but end up in cristifori buying a violin.
next year will be intensive violin lessons 3 x a week . i counted . i will take 8 years to reach grade 8 unless i am gifted. obviously not!
i wanna be like david garrett and vanessa mae.

how about "Violinist Clarissa Sae " ??

my favourite songs/violinists : -
- David Garrett ' Harbour City - Csardas-Gypsy Dance
- The Corrs
- Bond
- Yehudi Menuhin
- David garrett - King and I (2007) - OST (The theme of Cheo-seon)
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http://www.hardwarezone.com/home/

2007-12-29T11:13:00.002+08:00

http://www.hardwarezone.com/home/

Viewty once more !

2007-12-29T11:13:00.001+08:00

http://www.ku990.co.uk/forum/index.php

Nokia N82

2007-12-29T11:10:00.001+08:00

http://dailymobile.se/2007/12/11/symbianworld-reviews-nokia-n82/

Hacking a LG viewty KU990

2007-12-29T11:05:00.000+08:00

http://www.ku990.co.uk/forum/index.php

Compare Nokia N82 vs LG Viewty KU990

2007-12-29T10:45:00.000+08:00

http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=224

Answers to westy, natasha and rhi’s questions:

re Westys question:

“Hi
Im getting my LG Viewty tomorrow from T-Mobile i cant wait but there is one thing i need to know.

Some people are saying that it doesnt have a good battery life but some are syaing that it has a brilliant battery life which one is correct.

And also how much music can you hold on the LG viewty write back someone.
TA”

Battery life, if you turn off the vibrating screen I have found the battery life to be alot better. Im a text a holic and i also receive a few phone calls in the day, plus surf the web for about an average of 10 - 20 mins a day, and with the vibrating screen on it will last about a day (charging before you goto bed is a good idea), otherwise with it on silent, i would say about 2 days use. Bare in mind I dont turn my phone off at night, its left on all the time.

Im on tmobile and i love the web n walk tariff, unlimited internet, its great. I have to say tho that sometimes the browser works and sometimes it doesnt. This is the only downside for me. Being a windows mobile fan opera on a windows mobile device always managed to a get a connection, whereas using the built in browser on the viewty its kinda hit and miss. That aside when you are actually using the browser it is great and everything from texting to phone calls is sooo much easier due to the ease of use with the viewty.

I would recommend you getting at least a 2gb memory card for the phone. Thatll enable you to store a decent amount of music and films on it.

Plus the headphones you get with it are ok, but you plug these into a convertor which comes with the phone. this means that any 3.5mm ear / head phones should work with the phone, nice touch!

Re: Natashas question “I want one of these foe for xmas , i went into the shop and asked if they had them and the shop assistant had it in her pocket, when she took it out the back fell off, is this phone any good , does it hold a lot of songs , is it loud wb xx”

Yeah my phone does this sometimes, the back cover can come off, but as long as you make sure you push it down its ok. Think it also depends how you put it in your pocket. Mine only does it every now and then.

Song wise, I would recommend getting a memory card, from my experience a 2gb one works fine with the phone, for storing pictures and also for music and videos. Ive yet to watch a converted film but i can say that having owned alot of other phones in the past (everything from sony ericcsson, nokia and the various windows mobile handsets that are out there) this so far has been the best quality mp3 player. Bass and tones are more audible on this phone, and the quality sounds great. Cameras great in standard light and the flash and auto focus work well. Bit of bummer only being able to shoot the slow mo video recording, 120fps at a love 3xx x 2xx or whatever size but its still a good feature.
Ive found the LG Viewtys touchscreen to be very usable and the os while not very customizable to be very easy to use. Texting is simple with one handed use very possible on it.
Im happy with mine.

re: rhi’s queston “love this phone! one thing though - i cant get msn to work on it! I am with t mobile. My last phone (N95 shit phone btw) but it automatically set to hotmail.com but i am hotmail.co.uk and therefore cannot use it! On the nokia n95 it was same but would allow it! Please can someone help?? Thanks!”

Im still trying to get msn to work on my phone but when i had a three pay as you go sim in it, and could use msn, you can choose other email address and type it in there instead of using the hotmail.com, etc options that are there. i have my own website so i selected other email address and managed to get on messenger fine this way.

however changing to tmobile has proved that i cant use msn anymore, only seems to be an option on the three network, still trying to get around that!

Hope this has helped! Merry Christmas

<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

usb transfer is quite slow so i’d recommend useing bluetooth for transfer as this is alot quicker. the battery life isn’t bad at all as many people have been saying, i use my viewty everyday and the battery only needs charging around every 4-5 days. i think the problem is that on the first charge up (when u take it out the box) u must charge it for a minimum of 12 hours! (i left mine charging over night) a message wil pop up after about 6 hours saying its fully charged, IT ISN’T! The battery only thinks that theres anough life for as long as u charged it for, when actually there is alot more. On the very first charge up, if u didn’t leave ur viewty on charge for a minimum of 12 hours, the battery is fcukd any i’d recommend buying a new one in order to use this phone for maximum life!

Connecting phone to laptop

2007-12-29T10:21:00.000+08:00

re: Francesca “Ive had the Viewty for 2 weeks now and I must say it is a really good phone. The only problem is i can’t get it to connect to my laptop. Ive swapped it for a new phone incase there was a problem with the handset, but it still wont connect. I really wanna transfer music/photos but i cant.

Has anyone had the same problem? If so can you please help”

How are you connecting your phone to your laptop? USB cable?

The best way I have found to transfer music is to make sure you phone is in MASS STORAGE mode, you do this by going to PHONE SETTINGS, then select CONNECTIVITY and then USB CONNECTION MODE and choose MASS STORAGE.

When you plug your phone into your laptop it should recognise it as a USB FLASH DRIVE and an extra drive letter will appear in MY COMPUTER.

you can then copy music to the SOUNDS and MP3 folder on your phones memory card. I would suggest getting a bigger memory card, 2gb ones seem to work fine.

(i have a 4gb one which plays the music off it ok, but doesnt like being used to take photos on, the phone just responds with memory card full, using internal memory instead.)

Hope this helps!

It is Viewtyful !

2007-12-29T10:08:00.000+08:00

COMMENTS FROM EUROPE ON LG VIEWTY (KU990)
SINGETL PRICE ($288 WITH PLAN)

Hey Vee, i picked up my viewty yesterday in 3 store on PAYG, the guy said most services arent working yet as the phones quite new, he had to wait about a month for his phone (Not the LG) to get the features added. So yeah, the Viewty will have MSN, Facebook etc etc sometime in the not-so-distant future.

<>>>>>>>>>>>

Some people are saying that it doesnt have a good battery life but some are syaing that it has a brilliant battery life which one is correct.

And also how much music can you hold on the LG viewty write back someone.
TA”

Battery life, if you turn off the vibrating screen I have found the battery life to be alot better. Im a text a holic and i also receive a few phone calls in the day, plus surf the web for about an average of 10 - 20 mins a day, and with the vibrating screen on it will last about a day (charging before you goto bed is a good idea), otherwise with it on silent, i would say about 2 days use. Bare in mind I dont turn my phone off at night, its left on all the time.

Im on tmobile and i love the web n walk tariff, unlimited internet, its great. I have to say tho that sometimes the browser works and sometimes it doesnt. This is the only downside for me. Being a windows mobile fan opera on a windows mobile device always managed to a get a connection, whereas using the built in browser on the viewty its kinda hit and miss. That aside when you are actually using the browser it is great and everything from texting to phone calls is sooo much easier due to the ease of use with the viewty.

I would recommend you getting at least a 2gb memory card for the phone. Thatll enable you to store a decent amount of music and films on it.

Plus the headphones you get with it are ok, but you plug these into a convertor which comes with the phone. this means that any 3.5mm ear / head phones should work with the phone, nice touch!

Re: Natashas question “I want one of these foe for xmas , i went into the shop and asked if they had them and the shop assistant had it in her pocket, when she took it out the back fell off, is this phone any good , does it hold a lot of songs , is it loud wb xx”

Yeah my phone does this sometimes, the back cover can come off, but as long as you make sure you push it down its ok. Think it also depends how you put it in your pocket. Mine only does it every now and then.

Song wise, I would recommend getting a memory card, from my experience a 2gb one works fine with the phone, for storing pictures and also for music and videos. Ive yet to watch a converted film but i can say that having owned alot of other phones in the past (everything from sony ericcsson, nokia and the various windows mobile handsets that are out there) this so far has been the best quality mp3 player. Bass and tones are more audible on this phone, and the quality sounds great. Cameras great in standard light and the flash and auto focus work well. Bit of bummer only being able to shoot the slow mo video recording, 120fps at a love 3xx x 2xx or whatever size but its still a good feature.
Ive found the LG Viewtys touchscreen to be very usable and the os while not very customizable to be very easy to use. Texting is simple with one handed use very possible on it.
Im happy with mine.

<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/24/lgs-ku990-viewty-now-available-in-europe/

I've had this phone since Saturday on 3. The 1st thing I did was remove the stylus as it was way too girly. It comes with a free screen protector, which is nice.
The interface is easy to use and can be changed with a couple of themes.
The 120fps vids are pretty impressive and the vid editing tools are handy. Speeding up the slow-mo vids creates some decent effects. The high quality vids are much better than the N95 or K850i. The picture editing tools are fun too. You can morph pics to make people smile or sulk, apply frames and the smartlight tool enhances dark pictures nicely.
The camera is great, if a little slow and the lense wheel is good for zooming but not the best idea going. You have to enable the anti-shake function too, which can be a little bothersome every time. The flash is good but not as good as the K850 so pics in darkness aren;t the best, but they can be brightened on the phone with Smartlight.
Also, with a decent sized screen, the ability to play DivX is a god-send, especially with A2DP support.
I found typing a text easy, even with big hands and the feedback vibration makes the whole process of using the phone a little easier.
As said above the gestures take a bit of getting used to, but after a day or 2 you pretty much know when you need to drag and when you need to use the scroll wheel.
The browser is excellent, with the ability to zoom out of long pages making flicking through engadget easy peasy.
One of the major let downs for me are the games. Unless the game is specifically designed for the phone you can forget it. You get a simple cursor pad and some soft keys, no good for games that require a numerical keypad but that's no great loss.
Overall I am impressed by the phone. LG have included lots of little things that add well to the whole. The converter tool, Muvee studio, FM radio etc are all nice additions to a consumer friendly mobile.
It's not the highest-tech phone going granted. But if you want a nice phone with a good camera and features that pretty much urinate on the rest of the current generation of mobiles this is it. I've used the N95 and the K850 and, unless you really need GPS, WiFi or a phone that can take some hammer (the 850 is much sturdier than the 990) I's still go with the viewty.

Tommyguns

2007-12-28T05:19:00.000+08:00

with a name like that , i sure want a haircut and more...

Shoreditch:
49 Charlotte Road
London, EC2A 3QT
Telephone 020 7739 2244

Soho:
65 Beak Street
London, W1F 9SN
Telephone 020 7439 0777

Clients :
Michael Madsen
Franz Ferdinand
The Killers
David Schwimmer
The Pippettes
Bobby Gillespie
Dirty Pretty Things
Lady Sovereign
Courtney Love
Pierce Brosnan
The Darkness
Robbie Williams
Tim Roth
Frank Lampard
Steven Gerrard
Dustin Hoffman
Pete Tong
Sadie Frost
Jude Law
Appleton Sisters
Trudie Styler
Orlando Bloom
Erin O’Connor
Ian Brown
The Scissor Sisters
Pete Doherty
Chloe Sevigny
Ash
Joely Richardson
Sir Ian McKellen
Julian Clary
Alison Goldfrapp
Noel Gallagher
Lee McQueen
Faye Ripley
The Sugababes
Ashley Cole
Gary Neville
Freddie Lundberg
Samantha Morton
Kelly Brook
Bez
Beth Ditto

LondonClubs

2007-12-28T05:18:00.000+08:00

CLUBS
Cargo
Cargo on the Rivington Street is definitely worth a visit if you're into having fun and, quite frankly, who isn't! Great gigs from up and coming artists, set amongst urban decor and drinks-a-plenty. 83 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY.

Fabric
London's most famous club! Need we say more? In fact yes... better book in advance or you're in for a marathon queue, trust us on this one! 77a Charterhouse Street, Farringdon EC1M 3HN.

Plastic People
Great range of music from Latin, jazz, hip hop and house through to underground electronica. On different nights of course. 147-149 Curtain Road, EC2A 3QE.

Industry
A bar come restaurant come club oozing urban chic, set between us and the City. 1 Curtain Road, EC2A 3JX.

Herbal
A popular, trendy yet friendly bar that provides a dance, urban and D&B style set over a couple of floors on Shoreditch High Street. 10 Kingsland Road, E2 8DA.

Trafik
A funky DJ bar with some great sets. 331 Old Street, EC1 9LE.

Comedy Café
If you need a laugh after a long day or just want to have a giggle make your way down to this little treasure. Try out the FREE new talent evening on Wednesday, notice NEW talent so maybe not GOOD talent, or for a more trusted chuckle try Fridays and Saturdays! 66-68 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY.

Turnmills
The question is, Turnmills or Fabric? Well let's make it easy, do them both, one on Friday and the other Saturday. On second thoughts if you've got plans the following week, probably best to make it one or the other. Decisions, decisions! 63b Clerkenwell Road, EC1M 5NP.

93 Feet East
Busy bar and club in the heart of Brick Lane with the added attraction of a large cobbled courtyard area. Great all year round and essential in the summer. 150 Brick Lane, E1 6QL.

Do u agree or dont agree

2007-12-25T17:16:00.000+08:00

If you treat him nice, he’ll says
you’re in love with him
If you don’t, he’ll says you’re proud
If you dress nicely, he’ll says you’re
trying to impress him
If you don’t, he’ll says you’re from
kampong.

If you argue with him he’ll says
you’re stubborn
If you keep quite, he’ll says you are
have no brains
If you are smarter than he is, he will
lose fare
If he is smarter than you are, he is
great.

If you love him, he will try to posses
you
If don’t love him, he’ll leaves you
If you don’t let him kiss you, he’ll
say you don’t love him
If let him to kiss you, he’ll says
you’re so cheap.

If you tell your problems, he says
you’re troublesome
If you don’t, he says you don’t trust
him
If you scold him, he says you’re nanny
to him
If he scold you’ it’s because he cares
for you.

i agree hw abt u

Why wait until after Christmas ?

2007-12-25T15:57:00.000+08:00

Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas folks!

2007-12-25T05:00:00.000+08:00

Internet 1.6 minutes a day

2007-12-25T02:34:00.000+08:00

quite boring but useful ;>
http://www.g7uk.com/web-links.shtml

fr the lng hols ,
i v binn slepin' l'tli and party' a'lot . i 'v spent like $1200 in 4 days..($300 a day omigosh).
thanks to my thirst for exquisite hotel breakfasts, de.licos. raffles hotel set lunches and fcukng expsive hotel set dinnes.
you can't blame the hotels for putting up beautiful decorations that put you in the FESTIVE mood.once i reach home, i kick off my tired slipprs and surf net /
i have read almost everything from 2007 new louis vuitton collection to doing an animation of tetris to listening to paolo coelho .
i skipped computer software programming ... which i fell asleep ...
after the 4th paragraph.

Oh yes . the QUEEN'S CHRISTMAS speech at 3pm today .
i will just have to see it on youtube lter' .
going to sleep now..

Dian Xiao Er , Vivocity

2007-12-21T23:55:00.000+08:00

This is Colin's Favourite restaurant .

Dian Xiao Er which is known for their tasty herbal roasted ducks have gotten themselves an outlet in that place and business is extremely brisk. It is actually what I feel to be one of the better ones there amidst those that have chosen to set up business at vivocity. Service at this place is honestly subjected to which waiting staff attends to you, and the one which attended to our table was very good. It seems like most of the waiting/service staff in this restaurant are from China.

Dian Xiao Er does a pretty good fried rice with XO sauce. XO sauce is actually a mildly spicy seafood sauce made from dried chopped seafood like fish, shrimp and scallop that's cooked with onions, garlic and chilli. In short actually, some of the usual suspects for flavoring in Chinese cooking. The flavor of the rice leans towards being slightly bland rather than saltish and apart from being a little oily, was something that turns out quite memorable. Apart from what is seen in the picture, there is actually some prawns and squid in the fried rice.

The roast duck here is one good. Good means that given the opportunity, I will definitely drop by Dian Xiao Er to have them again. The skin carried enough crisp and fragrant duck fat underneath, over meat that was quite tender for duck. This option with 10 wonder herb contains codonopsis, foxglove and licorice roots and I actually thought that I detected a faintly sweetish taste of cinnamon in the sauce. I'm not normally one for Chinese herbal dishes, but this, I will likely to come back for again.

Louis Vuitton 2007 Holiday Catalogue

2007-12-21T16:46:00.000+08:00

My Blueberry Nights

2007-12-21T12:07:00.000+08:00

There again, my favourite actor , Jude Law . .... . . .. . .

Movies to watch out for 2008

1) Must watch !!! when will it be showing in Singapore ??
Sleuth (Michael Caine / Jude Law)

2) I am Legend ( Will Smith ) Opening 25 Dec 2007
Robert Neville (Will Smith) is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable, and man-made. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and maybe the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. Mutant victims of the plague—The Infected—lurk in the shadows…watching Neville’s every move…waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind’s last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered…and quickly running out of time.

2) Must watch too !!!!!My Blueberry Nights (Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Norah Jones)
Opening dec 21 2007

3) Must watch !!!!! Across the Universe (Beatles songs)Jan 8 2008
The performances are solid throughout, even if the characterizations are, as they so often are in musicals, thin and predictable. Wood surprises with her singing voice, while Sturgess makes a winning stateside debut as Jude. Also noteworthy is Joe Anderson, who looks like a cross between Jude Law and Kurt Cobain. Cameos include the aforementioned Bono and Cocker, as well as Salma Hayek, Dylan Baker, and Eddie Izzard (as "Mr. Kite").

Unfortunately, the film is almost a half-hour too long. Nearly every '60s political and pop cultural touchstone is covered, making the viewer feel as if this journey down the long and winding road really has taken an entire decade. The picture falters after tripping out in the "Mr. Kite" sequence, which feels out of place tonally with the rest of the movie. The viewer loses their connection to the characters during this overlong sequence, a jarring and silly misstep given all the time spent emotionally investing in them.

These flaws aside, Across the Universe is Fab, fun, soulful and moving. It isn't just another movie about the momentous events of the '60s, but rather a valentine to the era's artistic and idealistic spirit as symbolized by the music of The Beatles.

4) Alien vs Predator Requim 94min . Opening on Jan 1 2008

5) Reservation Road Starring Joaquin Phoenix
opening feb 12 2008

is the compelling new dramatic thriller from two-time Academy Award-nominated writer/director Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda"). Ethan (Joaquin Phoenix) and Dwight (Mark Ruffalo) are two fathers whose lives become intertwined after a hit-and-run accident leaves one of their sons dead.

6) Breath (Korean) starring my favourite China actor Chang Chen.
Opening Dec 27 2007
After her husband’s confession of having an affair, Yeon finds herself heading towards the prison to meet a condemned criminal Jin who repeatedly attempted suicide. She doesn’t know why, but Yeon meets Jin and treats him like an old friend. Jin doesn’t open up to her that easily at first. While Yeon brings spring, summer and autumn to Jin in the prison, they fall for each other. But Jin’s clock is ticking away, and Yeon doesn’t want to send him away like that.

7) Body #19 (Thai movie ) Opening 17 Jan 2008
Chon, a med student, starts seeing a psychotherapist after he dreams about a woman who he had only met once in a restaurant.

In his dreams, a mysterious man murders her, slices her body into pieces, and flushes them down a toilet one by one. The murderous dreams haunt him into his waking memory, and eventually he feels as if his own body is being dissected and carved up by the surgical knife. Slowly, the terrifying images take control of him. He comes to believe that the dead woman is sending him messages through these nightmares. But these are not messages for him, they are meant for her murderer. They speak of revenge, and say: “I am still here.”

8) Sweeney Todd ( London )
Based on the 19th century legend of Sweeney Todd and the hit Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Sweeney Todd a.k.a Benjamin Barker returns to London after being sent away by Judge Turpin with the help of a sailor, Anthony Hope. He opens a barber shop above Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pie Shop were she sells "the worst pies in London." With the help of Mrs. Lovett, Todd tries to rid of all the people who have ever done him wrong and hopes to be reunited with his daughter, Joanna, who is now Judge Turpin's ward

9) Eastern Promises ( London ) Opening Jan 3 2008
Eastern Promises follows the mysterious and ruthless Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen), who is tied to one of London's most notorious organized crime families. His carefully maintained existence is jarred when he crosses paths with Anna (Naomi Watts), an innocent midwife trying to right a wrong, who accidentally uncovers potential evidence again the family. Now Nikolai must put into motion a harrowing chain of murder, deceit, and retribution.

10)

London Heathrow Terminal 5

2007-12-21T11:09:00.000+08:00

Is it beyond comprehension to want to visit an airport purely for its shopping? I mean, who in their right mind would actually get on the Piccadilly line for 50 bum-numbing minutes to shop at Heathrow? Well, with the imminent opening of Terminal 5, I’m increasingly inclined to admit that I would.

On 27 March 2008, Terminal 5 will throw open its doors to holidaymakers and high-flyers alike and - if organisers are to be believed - the once-dismal through-way will become a designation in its own right. “Crazy!” you might say, but get a load of this… The brand-spanking new terminal will feature, among other delights, a sized-down Harrods department store, Prada, Smythson, Jo Malone and even a Caviar House and Gordon Ramsay restaurant. Those travelling business will want to make a beeline to Thomas Pink’s “Pink Business Bar” where they’ll be able to keep abreast of the latest FTSE news, while sipping cocktails and updating their wardrobe. After the delirium of waiting several hours for a flight begins to set you, it’s quite feasible you’ll think you’re on Bond Street.

Coolest of all, however, will be a unique shop by the name of Globe. Owned by Paul Smith and laden with treasures such as rare books, furniture and prints, it will house items exclusively designed for Terminal 5 by Smith, including this world-print weekend bag, destined itself, to become an instant classic.

Istanbul , Turkey pictures

2007-12-21T09:36:00.000+08:00

Turkey blends the best of the East and the West and the modern with the traditional. It boasts more Greek ruins than Greece and more Roman archaeological sites than Italy. Feel the magic of Turkey in its history, culture, exotic nature and warm hospitality. Explore the invaluable remnants of early Greek civilization, Byzantine majesty, and Ottoman culture and artistry.

I fell in love with Turkish chicken iskander , lahmahcun , donor pancake, Turkish Apple Teas and the Mediterranean food and of coz, Turkish men and Lebanon men . Having tried ALLLLL the Turkish restaurants and the Arabic restaurants and the Russian restaurants in Singapore, I am left wanting more.... It is healthy food too. There's no one "Mediterranean" diet. At least 16 countries border the Mediterranean Sea. Diets vary between these countries and also between regions within a country. Many differences in culture, ethnic background, religion, economy and agricultural production result in different diets. But the common Mediterranean dietary pattern has these characteristics:

- high consumption of fruits, vegetables, bread and other cereals, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds
- olive oil is an important monounsaturated fat source
- dairy products, fish and poultry are consumed in low to moderate amounts, and little red meat is eaten
- eggs are consumed zero to four times a week
- wine is consumed in low to moderate amounts

I need a holiday !!!

2007-12-21T09:26:00.000+08:00

i read a travel magazine and i came across this exquisite hotel in Bangkok.Just what i wanted .
Thailand here i come !!

Luxury accommodation in Bangkok doesn’t come much better than the Sheraton Grande. Situated right in the heart of Bangkok city the Sheraton 5 Star hotel has got everything to make every aspect of your stay unforgettable.

420 spacious luxury guest rooms including 36 Grande Suites, 3 Specialty Suites and 3 Thai-theme Suites overlooking Lake Rachada.

The standard guestrooms are 45 square meters in size; one of the most spacious Bangkok in the city. All rooms enjoy walk-in closet and four-fixture bathroom. Special luxury accommodation for disabled guests. Most floors are non-smoking.

Deluxe guest rooms feature rich woods, marble, and elegant Thai silks. Each room has a walk-in closet, four-fixture bathroom, duvet bed set, up to 20 Mbps "Plug and Play" Wired & Wireless High-Speed Internet Access, and much more.

Overlooking Lake Rachada, our 36 Grande Suites incorporate a large living/lounge area with separate washroom and toilet. Each Grand Suite is approximately 83 square metres.

The Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit is totally committed to service excellence and guest satisfaction, by providing our guest with luxurious facilities.

Expat dog

2007-12-20T13:47:00.000+08:00

My name is Spencer and I have lived in Singapore for 2 years now. I am an expat dog with a lifestyle to match (lazy days around the pool, preening myself, sleeping in late, never having to do housework etc.).

As this blog develops ,you will learn more about my lazy lifestyle.

Tell Tale Signs of the Habitual Backseat Banger

2007-12-20T13:46:00.000+08:00

I never read blogs but this particula blog caught my attention.

http://single-in-dubai.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html

With the festive season of Eid and Diwali underway here, celebrations are rocking the city...and soon tinted cars will be rocking too, swaying to the rhythm of the mood.

While on the topic of tinted cars, it would be blasphemous to our blog if we didn't refer to the distinguished Dubai male species. Tinted cars are the perfect place for the legendary back seat screw. We all know what goes on in deserted parking lots and beaches, in SUVs that are parked mysteriously still with engines running – so there's no need to state the obvious.

While we recognize the obstacles that willing sexual partners face when wanting to do the deed, we also don't approve of constant backseat banging. There are plenty of hotels available in and around Dubai - it's nice to feel soft sheets or a pillow under your bum instead of the hand brake or gear stick jabbing into you!

Because we think it's high time Dubai's lovely ladies put a stop to this second class treatment, we're going a step further to help you point out if your fine Dubai specimen is a habitual back seat banger!

WARNING SIGNS THAT YOUR MAN IS A HABITUAL BACK SEAT BANGER:

1. Damp and musky air. Sniff! Sniff! Sniff! If the sudden sickly stench of sweat and semen make your nostrils flare, you know that your man has being doing the deed in his backseat. This is a particular favourite with national men and women. It seems as though doing it in the backseat seems to be as much of a fetish as doing it in the back? We assume it must be something about derrieres...

2. Locate the tissue box. If it's crumpled and squashed and looks as if it's been rolled over and shoved in the back somewhere – it's a no brainer!

3. Rifle through the glove box, the arm rest box and the seat divider compartment in the back. These are obvious yet favourite places for storing condoms and other sexual paraphernalia.

4. Miscellaneous pieces of jewellery on the car floor. Bits and bobs from an earring screw, a shiny displaced stone or a hair clip – these are NOT his mother's or sisters' misplaced accessories. Jewelry ends up on the floor when making out and romping in dark, confined spaces!!!

5. Less than 5 minutes into making out, he gets on top of you on the passenger side and pulls the seat lever - immediately sending both of you halfway into the backseat. Please don't believe it's for your comfort – this is the force of habit talking.

6. Suspicious hand and foot prints on either windscreens and windows of the car. If you have a footprint on the internal side of the car glass- it is because the glass just provides support for ongoing activities.

7. He knows all the deserted parking lots, isolated stretches of desert land and untamed beaches in and around Dubai. Then he claims he knows them because he likes "camping" with friends.

So there you have it ladies - you have been warned!

In this fine city cars work as mobile sex pads serving the carnal desires of all the city's residents. Just remember to inhale deeply and sniff next time you get into one!

Making the most of our Assets

2007-12-20T13:44:00.001+08:00

There’s two types of women in bed: Those who actively try and seduce their men with sexy lingerie and those who recognize that lingerie is an absolute waste of time and money (but still buy it anyway).

To the men we’ve encountered, lingerie is just a flimsy obstacle they need to overcome as soon as possible to get to the good stuff. Both of us have experienced the antics of Dubai’s lusty males also known as "Jassim the Ripper" Layala nearly had her favorite Nayomi bra ripped off because of her man’s impatience. Noora was ordered to “take that damn thing off” as he couldn’t get it off himself!

Seriously guys, we make the effort to put on sexy, lacy underwear for you – appreciate it and take the time to take it off properly instead of pulling it down, yanking it off and ripping it! You might think that is a female fantasy and a show of your overriding strength and masculinity – believe us:it’s not

While we are busy bashing men for their callousness, it is our duty to also put you guys in the picture too:

Women recycle their lingerie.

What we wear for you – we have likely worn before and we will also wear for the next lucky man. So have the courtesy not to rip it as underwear is expensive and we consider it to be a worthy investment for carnal returns!