ZARA Sale + Lunch @ Siam Village

Before a scheduled lunch appointment with a pal today, which I’d turned up for early as usual (read this post regarding how upset I can get sometimes if people are late and choose to lie along the way), I found that there was a ZARA sale happening in the building where his office was located. MY GOODNESS! Just about everything was going at $8 a piece! It made me wonder why I didn’t get there even earlier, so I’d have more time to shop! 😀

The ridiculous prices:

The location is 190 Macpherson Road, Wisma Gulab. It’s at level 1, near the entrance. I’m not sure if they’re even open during the weekends but my pal told me that there’s usually more / new stock during weekends. So, if you happen to be in the area, just swing by lah!

As I had about 15 – 20 minutes to shop before meeting my pal for lunch, I picked out only 3 pieces. And that made me very happy already. 😀

Lunch was at Siam Village (77 Jalan Wangi, Sennett Estate, Singapore 349388). I don’t think I’ve heard of Siam Village before. But my pal said the Thai food here is good, so I was happy to go along with his recommendation. If the place is good enough for the GM of a listed company, I’d think it’s good enough for me. LOL.

I had the Phad Thai Seafood Noodle. At Chinese restaurants, people usually order fried rice to “see” if the chef is skilled. For me, at Thai eateries, I order phad thai. If it’s good, I’ll certainly try the other dishes next time too. 🙂

And it’s delicious! Together with a drink (Thai Ice Tea / Lemongrass / Barley), it’s just $9 per set!

As for the Crispy Prawn Cake, it’s $11.50 for 2 pieces or $18 for 4. Their Thai Style Fish Cake is less pricey, at $8.50 for 6 pieces or $14 for 10 pieces. Apparently, the Salted Egg Chicken Drumlets are really good too. <- Have to try these next time!

~

I’m really unfamiliar with the Macpherson area, so it was truly a surprise for me to be able to enjoy a yummy Thai lunch and also indulge in some ZARA shopping right here today. TGIF indeed! 😀

Chicken Hotpot @ Sengkang CompassOne: French Fries In My Hotpot! OMG!

In place of Next Door Deli at Sengkang’s CompassOne, there’s now Chicken Hotpot, which supposedly comes from Shanghai, “69 Wujiang Road”, as the laminated card on every table proudly proclaims. According to travelchinaguide.com, Wujiang Road is “the most popular snack street in the city”. To most Singaporeans, of course, 69 Wujiang Road has no particular significance. 😀 But if you’re up for some hotpot that apparently, people have been raving about (who, exactly? I do not know; that’s just what it states on the card), then you might want to give Chicken Hotpot a go. There are outlets at Serangoon NEX, Bedok Point and Novena Square2. We had dinner at the outlet located in CompassOne’s basement 1 this week.

When you step into the eatery (I’m not sure if I should call it a restaurant since there’s not much space – they’ve really packed as many tables as they can into this space so unintentional eavesdropping on every other couple’s conversation is a real possibility), the first thing you’ll notice is that there are two appetizer dishes already laid out on every single table. I’m a little concerned about this as the dishes aren’t covered. Even if they don’t attract insects, they’ll probably get a layer of dust by the time the hungry dinner crowd comes by.

( We asked them to remove the two side dishes. So don’t ask me about the taste. I won’t know. 😀 )

What I do know is that they have crinkle-cut fries in their hotpot dish! OMG. After the recent shock of having him order chicken chop hor fun at the Oasis Terraces foodcourt, I thought I’d be prepared for anything mindblowing that’s food-related. Evidently, I wasn’t ready for this…

Apart from the hotpot mains, there’s a whole host of other ingredients you can pick from their chiller. Prices are stated right on top…

Here’s the Chicken Hotpot menu. Basically just a few mains to choose from, then you can grab other ingredients at a la carte pricing. The ‘small’ serving is just right for 2 pax. I also had the Peach Lychee Soda, which was quite enjoyable. When eating something spicy, it’s always such a treat to have something fizzy and sweet to drink. *And the “mild spicy” level of the hotpot is, to me, already fiery. (@_@)

During our visit, I found the staff very attentive and helpful. One lady in particular, a middle-aged auntie whose name is probably Candy (if my memory serves me well) with a big pink hair clip, was very helpful in offering broth refills and displayed much initiative in replacing the heating element below the pot when it ran out. She was almost fussing over our table like a concerned parent or grandparent would, so that was really sweet. 🙂

As for the taste of the hotpot dish we tried, I’m happy to report that it’s not incredibly thirst-inducing (so don’t worry, you won’t have to go buy a 1.5litre bottle of water at Cold Storage after a meal here), but I found the spices so intense they almost made my tongue go numb. I’m more a fan of, say, Japanese cuisine in which chefs try and retain the natural flavor of ingredients, letting them ‘speak’ for themselves. Anything that’s overpowering kind of turns me off.

~

We had 50% off our bill thanks to Eatigo, plus an additional $1.50 rebate from Shopback. (<- Click on the links to sign up and enjoy the same benefits)

Final 3 Days: Ben & Jerry’s Two-Weeks Of FREE Ice Cream Giveaways @ Lau Pa Sat

Since I first heard the news about Ben & Jerry’s Scoopitiam at Lau Pa Sat, which is giving away free scoops of ice cream daily from 16 to 29 July, I’ve been wanting to pop by. 😀 Today, I had the chance to stand in line and get a taste of the Chocolate Shake It Truffles ice cream. Yummy! (Yes, free ice cream tastes the best) 😀 Make your way down to Lau Pa Sat from now till 29 July, before the awesome-ness ends!

At the head of the queue, it splits into two lines: one for the chocolate ice cream (YAY!) and the other for the coffee (a.k.a “Chillin’ The Roast Truffles’). It was very clear to me that chocolate’s the crowd favorite. If you’re a coffee fan, congratulations, you get to move forward to the shorter queue ahead. 😀

Instead of cups or wafer cones, you can have your ice cream with rainbow bread or wafer biscuits.

I’m quite sure mine’s half a slice of rainbow bread. But I’m not complaining. The ice cream was SO good, with a chunk of I-dunno-what (brownie?) in the middle:

Apart from giving out free ice cream, the sweet Ben & Jerry’s crew even helped provide some shade from the sun.

I’m sure many people who are sensitive to ‘dollars and cents’ will think this move by Ben & Jerry’s does not make any financial sense at all. You’re giving out ice cream? And letting people get multiple servings as long as they queue up again? You’re renting a space at Lau Pa Sat for 2 weeks to give away ice cream? Wow. (@_@) You must be siao.

But I think it’s about cultivating brand loyalty. All these people who work in the CBD area will certainly not bat an eyelid about paying $20+ for one or two pints of ice cream. I think they’ll certainly appreciate the gesture. Most would even ‘jio’ a colleague or two to join the queue with them, to share this “good news” about free ice cream. And the product itself (the two new flavors) are delicious. People are taking pictures and sharing them on social media. Grateful bloggers like myself are writing about this event, without being paid.

I think it’s money well spent. The next time I’m at the supermarket and I have to buy a pint of ice cream to take home, guess which brand of ice cream my hand will naturally reach out for? The one which offered me a free tasting of their new flavor and also had their staff hold umbrellas over our heads to provide some relief from the sun, or the other brands which did nothing for us? It’s a no-brainer. 😉

You Can Ask M.A.R.V.I.E, Scoot’s New Chatbot, Any Question At All :D

Scoot has a new chatbot you can fire questions at on Facebook. They call him M.A.R.V.I.E, which stands for ‘Most Awesome & Resourceful Virtual Intern Ever’. 😀 I decided to ask MARVIE a series of random questions to see if I can get any interesting answers in return. It’s actually kinda fun if you have 5 minutes to spare. Plus, you get a chance to win flight tickets and $100 Scoot vouchers too (details below). Having a virtual intern is definitely awesome, though I think the ‘resourceful’ bit needs to be enhanced because surely, any good chatbot should be able to tell me a joke, even if it bombs. Muahaha. (@_@)

~

The interaction is actually pretty awesome sometimes. It’s like I’m talking to another person, not a bot…

I did test out mis-spelling Marvie’s name on purpose, but he didn’t catch it. 😀

I’m still waiting for a direct answer as to when’s the cheapest to fly with Scoot though.

I really like the fact that answers come almost instantaneously! 🙂

I’ll certainly want to chat with Marvie again when his “manual” gets updated. Hopefully, with good jokes too. So when people are writing in to complain about flight delays and such, at least he can keep them entertained till the plane’s ready for takeoff. 😀

~

“The 3 best trainers with the most grilling and value-adding questions stand to win a FLY ticket to any destination within the Scoot network. The 1000th, 2000th and 3000th interaction will also unlock $100 Scoot vouchers. So hit the ‘Send Message’ button on Scoot’s FB page and chat him up! Contest ends 12 August, 2359hrs.”

Times Bookstore is Moving Out of Tampines One: Offers 20% Off Books*

Screengrab from Times’ facebook page

I’m guessing this might be the beginning of the end. It would be a real shame if we lose yet more bookstores. Though I suppose this is inevitable. Without the right people, ideas and plans, we might just end up with 1 bookstore chain in the near future – yes, that popular one which parents drag kids to and stock up on assessment books. 😀

After Times’ exit from Tampines One, this bookstore chain will be left with 6 outlets in Singapore: Centrepoint, Cold Storage Jelita, Marina Square, Paragon, Plaza Singapura and Waterway Point.

About two weeks ago, I met two female employees of MPH in Malaysia (who have marcomms roles) and gave them an idea that just came to me while I was looking at the titles they had at their booth. Without bothering to delve further and ask more questions and see how this idea could work for them (not me), they provided immediate objections such as “can’t be done”, “no budget”, “management won’t agree”, etc. But if they had given me 5 more seconds, or shown more enthusiasm, I could have shared with them ideas for how it could be executed with little to no budget (and might even make them money in the process), what steps to take, how to generate a ton of publicity and even how to convince that boss and other people to get on board. The reason I even bothered to speak with them was ‘cos they were attending workshop after workshop to find new ways to revive the book-selling industry. (I think I forgot to ask if MPH had sent them or if they had voluntarily come by. Haha!)

But too bad, too sad. I’m guessing they’ll look for other jobs eventually. Those positions at MPH Malaysia are mere stepping stones for them, it seems. But wouldn’t it be awesome if they could play a part in rejuvenating this (dying) business, make a name for themselves, then move on to another company?

In Singapore, there are a few main reasons why I don’t buy books at bookstores anymore. (It has nothing to do with authors sending me their books for reviews, ok? :P) And I’ll share with you what would make me return…

#1: The lack of people who are PASSIONATE about the business

Seriously. Just walk into any bookstore (Times, Popular, etc) and ask the staff for a book recommendation. You might just give them a heart attack. Some don’t read books, have not heard about best-selling titles (not obscure ones), and always have to rely on “Let me check the system” no matter what question you ask.

Don’t ask me for a book recommendation. I’ll just go on forever, invite you to my home, and make you leave with a handful of books you should read. 😀 It’s true. There was another lady at the same book table in Malaysia who had picked up a copy of a book that I was about to buy as well, we started chatting, and I eventually bought her another book PLUS gave her a copy of my book ‘Blogging For A Living’. And at that point, I didn’t even know her name. Good grief!

#2: Seriously lame marketing efforts

Are we really going to make a beeline for Times just ‘cos they’re dangling a “20% discount” offer? *yawn* Do you not know that you can get books on bookdepository.com at a much lower price, PLUS they deliver worldwide for FREE, with no minimum spending? They even give you a free bookmark with every order, for crying out loud!

The only book sales that can get me out of the house are the Books Box Sale ($50 for an entire carton of books you can handpick yourself, but which, sadly, isn’t happening this year) and the Epigram Books sale ($20 for 10 books you get to choose).

With 20% discount, I’m just going to stay put and watch more episodes of the 2018 Meteor Garden remake ok? 😛

#3: No value-add at all

What’s the difference between buying a book online and buying one from the Times bookstore near my home?

Does the one in the store come with the author’s signature? Does it have a special “limited edition” freebie? Is there an accompanying workshop? Do I get to MEET the author? Do the staff read stories to the kids who visit the store? Are there staff recommendations of books I should get, or which mothers should get, or which children aged 5 to 7 should read?

No. What I’ll get is a grumpy guy (or lady) who asks me if I’m a member, then scans the barcode off my Times app, collects payment and sends me on my way.

~

Sure. Bookstores can bank on assessment books and kids’ titles to be their cash cows for a little longer. But how sustainable this will be in the long run, I’m not sure.

Kovan Food Centre: Yi Shi Jia Wanton Mee, Ah Hui Big Prawn Noodle

My favorite nasi padang stall at the Kovan food centre is usually closed on Wednesdays, so when we visited the market + food centre yesterday, I had the noodles from the Ah Hui Big Prawn Noodle stall. Meanwhile, my darling was clutching his food bible a.k.a. Dr Leslie Tay’s ‘The Ieat-Ishoot-Ipost Guide to Singapore’s Shiokest Hawker Food’ guide, which I’d purchased for S$2 at Epigram’s recent book sale. Here’s how our conversation went:

Me: (tucking into prawn noodles) “Eh, go order your food lah.”

Him: “I don’t know what to eat” (refers to guide)

Me: (as we’re seated in front of a wanton mee stall with a long Q) “Get this wanton mee lah. See? So many aunties and uncles queuing for this. Sure good!”

Him: “Long queue doesn’t mean the food is good, ok?” (Fervently flipping through the pages of the food guide)

Me: (thinking: Whatever)

Him: “Oh. Kovan… yes. (finger on page) Ok. I’ll go look for this Yi Shi Jia Wanton Mee.”

Me: (major eyerolling) “Eh hello. It’s this stall right next to us…”

Long story short, we’re both right. He should have just listened to me when I told him to queue for the wanton noodles, instead of looking through the guide when common sense could have told you that there’s this long queue in front of the stall because obviously lots of people like the noodles. And he’s also right because I did not like the wanton noodles, even though so many other people did. LOL 😀

Firstly, I found the char siew a bit too bright red in color; I’m more used to char siew that looks like a duller red with charred edges. Secondly, the noodle strands seem to be sticking together in lumps. Ok I’m so bad at describing them but suffice to say, not my favorite kind of noodle. I prefer the wanton mee at the Tampines round market.

I’ve tried the Ah Hui Big Prawn Noodle before, so I can tell you it’s just as good as when I had it the last time. 😀 Because I’d noticed one guy ordering his noodles previously and asking for a large bowl of soup, I’ve been doing the same ever since. ‘Cos the soup’s so yummy! 😀

If I have to decide between spending $4 on prawn noodles or $4 on wanton mee, the choice is clear. I’m picking prawn noodles. But you should go ahead and try them both. Perhaps you’ll agree with the uncles and aunties in the wanton mee queue. 😀

And as usual, it’s the soy milk with pearls for me, from the Selegie soya bean stall.

~

I’m not someone who relies on food guides; I actually bought them to give out to friends who visit Singapore. I’m always ordering from the same stalls. I even get the exact same drink every single time. Are you like that too? 😀 I like to think that it’s super easy to tabao food for me, ‘cos I have very specific food preferences. (You don’t even have to ask what I’d like to have!) Yes, I’d rather miss out on (new) potentially awesome food finds than risk ordering something I end up not liking.

So with the Kovan food centre, it’s either nasi padang or prawn noodles. Preferably both. ‘Cos the tasty soup complements that spicy sambal. 😀 😀

Durian Empire: 2 for $15 Mao Shan Wang Durians

It’s been about 7 months since I last blogged about Durian Empire in Punggol. And the business is still going strong. I was at Punggol Plaza this evening to visit the post office next door, and also ‘cos he was keen on getting some durians at Durian Empire: the current ‘$15 for 2 MSW durians’ offer is very tempting indeed. Everyone stood in line and there was no fuss. One lady from Durian Empire even handed out chilled bottles of Dasani water – 600ml each! Where else do you find service like that? If you want to eat durians in Punggol or just purchase some to take home, I think you should make Durian Empire at Punggol Plaza your first stop. 🙂

I think he bought a total of 10 durians. 😀

The flesh is firm, though there aren’t many seeds. I’m going to borrow from the “cheap, fast, good” theory and say that there’s no such thing as “cheap, tasty and many seeds” when it comes to durians. If you want cheap and tasty durians, expect that there will be few seeds. If you want tasty durians with lots of seeds, then expect that it’ll come at a price. *wink*

Durian Empire’s operating hours depend very much on when their durian stocks arrive, so I’d highly recommend that you stalk them on their Facebook page for daily updates:

https://www.facebook.com/durianempiresg/

 

*Update: The price has recently been increased to S$16 for 2 MSW durians. Check their FB page for daily updates regarding stock and prices. 😉

National Achievers Congress featuring Gary Vaynerchuk: 9 Lessons From 9 Speakers

As I’ve watched Gary Vee’s videos on Facebook more times than I care to remember, it was a fantastic experience seeing him ‘live’ on stage right here in Singapore at the National Achievers Congress (NAC)! 😀 I took 10 pages of notes for this 2-day event (13th and 14th July 2018), but I’ll pick out 9 takeaways from this year’s NAC just for this blogpost. 🙂 You know, it’s funny how I’d won a pair of VIP tickets to the NAC via a Facebook contest, and then I also won an autographed copy of Gary Vaynerchuk’s book ‘Crushing It’ at the event via an Instagram contest. (To Clarence, if you’re reading this, the copy I’d already purchased via bookdepository.com is yours. Happy Birthday!)

~

I’ve paraphrased some of what the speakers have said:

Speaker: Peng Joon, Internet Marketer

“The person who can pay MOST to acquire a customer WINS.”

Speaker: Chatri, One Championship

“To be a WORLD CHAMPION, it’s about the inches. Keep getting better.”

Speaker: Sandy, Trader

“Change jobs, build businesses, go on BIG adventures.”

Speaker: Rajiv, Business Coach

“Be HUNGRY for success”

Speaker: Patrick, Property Investor

“The greatest poverty is a poverty of DREAMS and ACTIONS.”

Speaker: Henry, 14-year-old Serial Entrepreneur

“The most important thing for me is to GIVE BACK.”

Speaker: Sean, Value Investor

“Assess the BUSINESS, not the stock!”

Speaker: Aaron, U.S. Real Estate Investor

“Why are you using your time and skill to make SOMEONE ELSE rich?”

Speaker: Gary Vaynerchuk

“Everybody else SUCKS too!”

~

This year’s NAC event has been especially memorable because there’s GARY VEE (who nearly caused a stampede), Chatri from ONE Championship and Henry (14 year old serial entrepreneur). If you haven’t already guessed, these 3 people had no programs to sell. Sure, Gary and Henry had books for sale. I bought Henry’s at S$35. And here’s a funny story:

I was at the book table and Henry’s mother, Rebecca, was collecting payment (in cash) from people who wanted to buy the book (there were something like twenty copies only) and Henry was so obliging in taking pictures with everyone. I fished out $35 from my wallet, and then the new friend I’d made was asking Rebecca if she could buy the book the next day instead as she didn’t have cash on her. So I helped pay for her book too. Then the guy standing in the queue behind her also needed cash to buy the book. So I had to dig out money I stash inside my handbag for times when I’d forgotten to bring my wallet out. And in total, I paid for THREE books. So, sure, we can move towards a cashless society and all, but there’ll certainly be instances whereby it’s good to have at least $50 in your wallet! Come on, people. Hide some money somewhere. Between your phone and the phone case is another place you can leave some moolah.

If you’re ever wondering if you should attend the NAC (again) simply because you’ve felt it’s like a series of seminar “previews” one after another, I think you should just look at the lineup of speakers and see if there are people who don’t have anything to sell you but have so much to give to inspire you. For NACSG2018, Gary, Chatri and Henry have done that for me. 🙂

Takagi Ramen Takeaway: Just As Impressive As Dining In

Knowing that I like the ramen from Takagi Ramen, he bought me this for dinner. 😀 I’ve only ever dined in at TRS so it was quite a surprise to see how they’d packed the ramen for takeaway orders. Even more impressive was how the soup was still warm even though some 40/45 minutes had passed since the order was placed at 5.05pm and we tucked in only at about 5.50pm! 😀

Remove the paper-based container (I’m not sure if it can be called a ‘bowl’. It actually looks like those tubs you find ice cream in) from the carrier, and lift the lid. You’ll see lots of bean sprouts (*much love*) then remove the paper that all the ramen ingredients sit on, and you’ll find the soup below. I love how the noodles are separated from the broth so they don’t get soggy and you’ll also always be able to enjoy the thick stock without having it all get absorbed by the noodles by the time you get home / when the food’s delivered to you.

This is the Chashu-men ($8.50) – it had so much chashu I had to place them on the lid so I could get to the noodles! 😀

Let the noodles sit in the broth for a bit, give them a good stir and then slurp them up! 😀

The best part is that after enjoying the ramen and drinking a considerable amount of soup, you won’t feel thirsty. I’m guessing there is little or no MSG at all.

Takagi Ramen should absolutely have a branch in Punggol! I’m sure the queue would be so long, it’d reach Sengkang! 😀

~

Takagi Ramen is located at 51 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3, #01-01C.

Get Your New Hair Color At This Japanese Hair Salon in Singapore

[ Images courtesy of Belleza De Midori ]

Have you ever wondered what is the difference between the hairstyles and hair colors favored by Japanese ladies versus Singaporean ladies? Do you know how to pick the right shade to match your complexion and how to help that color last a little longer? We posed these questions and more to two of the stylists at Belleza De Midori, a Japanese hair salon located in Velocity at Novena Square. If you’ve read the previous blogpost, you’ll know that together with fellow blogger Tiffany, I got a new hairdo at this salon.

Yuan (pictured below) was the stylist who gave Tiffany a new hair color (or perhaps I should say ‘colors’ as there were three). He patiently explained which of the Hoyu hair colors would suit her complexion, provide a chic and natural look, and still look good even when her hair gets longer and she hasn’t done any touch-ups.

Top 3 Tips From The Stylists At Belleza De Midori:

#1: Pick a hairstyle and hair color that suits your lifestyle. Do you lead a hectic lifestyle and often fail to have enough time in the morning to tong your hair properly? Choose a simpler and easier-to-manage hairstyle. For a more natural look, have your stylist pick a color that suits your complexion.

#2: Use color shampoos if you want your new hair color to last a little longer. Your regular scalp or treatment shampoos have harsher chemicals compared to color shampoos, so you’ll find that these harsh chemicals strip your hair of its new color a lot faster.

#3: Wait for a month before changing your hair color (again). Give your hair and scalp some time to rest before getting yet another hair color. Unless you need regular hair color changes for work (maybe you’re a model?) or if the previous stylist did a bad job of coloring your hair, it’s advisable to stick with your new hair color for at least a month before thinking of changing it.

~

Yuan is a stylist from Malaysia, who has been working here in Singapore for almost 7 years. Yusaku is Japanese and has spent more than a decade working as a hair stylist in Japan, Australia and now, Singapore! Tiffany and I asked them some questions and you’ll see a snippet in the video below.

And if you’ve not watched the previous video, here it is:

~

~ Ready for a new hairstyle / look? ~

I’d highly recommend you make an appointment before heading down to the salon as the stylists have a busy schedule. Call 6358 2900 to book a timeslot. *Psst… there’s 20% discount if you are appointing either Yusaku or Yuan to be your stylist for the day. 🙂 Tell them you read this blogpost. 😉

Belleza De Midori is located at #03-43/44 of Velocity, Novena Square.

*This post is brought to you in collaboration with Belleza De Midori. 🙂