Merry Christmas

It's been so long since I've updated this blog, but I don't think I can/should let it die a natural death. I'll update it soon - TTFN!

Minister Mentos

The last week has been a real whirlwind of work-week, with Wednesday seeing the culmination of a month-long series of training sessions in the office. Long story short, my team won!

So proud of the interns who put all they had into the group project - staying on in the office way way after hours in the process - to make it happen. It feels good to have a batch of interns who seem genuinely interested in learning; it makes things so much easier.

Went to Malacca over the weekend with the family and Shermin. Kinda weird at first, but I think it went well on the whole. Pics soon - gonna crash in bed now.

Sidetrack: I didn't watch the match and from what I heard, seems like it was yet another classic. Crap.

PerfectION, and chocolate sin

Woooh, it's been a long time since I last blogged but hey, good things must wait right. ION Orchard opened it's doors to the public for the very first time on Tuesday and S and I dropped by like any other kaypoh Singaporean.

I have to say that I liked everything I saw. From the tenant mix consisting of new shops and familiar brands who made the effort to dress up in the form of swanky concept stores, to tiny details such as the rest rooms and not-too-glaring lighting, made for an excellent first impression.

We reached the place at about 8pm, and headed for Watami Casual Japanese Restaurant, after reading a favourable FB status update.

(Source: Watami website)

After a 20 min wait, we were ushered to our seat by the Japanese waitress (seemed like they flew in about 5 - 6 native Japanese staff to level-up the local staff) and promptly ordered the Ramen, some of their speciality sushi and... alcoholic green tea!

Sushi Grandeur ($10.80)

Close up

The unagi was really good considering the relatively low price. Oh, in case you're wondering, by right there are supposed to be three pairs of salmon, scallop and unagi. They ran out of scallop (replaced by salmon) and.....Iateoneunagibeforeshecouldtakeapicturesothere. =)

Tori Karaage and Negi Pirikara ($7.80)

The deep-fried chicken bits in spicy scallion sauce was another interesting dish which was pretty reasonably-priced.

A rather unpleasant incident did happen though, which kinda spoilt the meal for her.

S spotted lipstick marks on her green tea mug, and got the waitress to change it. The waitress was visibly distressed and apologized profusely, before replacing the mug with.... you guessed it, the same mug.

And how did we know it was the same mug? Because the lipstick stain never clean properly - inside still have!!!

Not wanting to make a scene, we decided to just pay and leave after our meal. It was, after all, only 8:50pm; plenty of un-explored shops awaited.

Watami Casual Japanese Restaurant ION Orchard
Taste: 6.5/10
Value: 8/10
Ambience: 8/10

Verdict: Probably won't be back. There weren't any killer dishes and in general the place seems to lack a distinctive "type" of Japanese food, like Tonkichi has fried pork cutlets or Sun with Moon has the whole new-age fusion thing going for it.

*********

We also walked through the "360 marketplace", another Jasons-type gourmet market, and came across these brightly-coloured bell peppers! As we stood transfixed by the multi-hued veges, we could'a sworn at least 3 different groups walked past, stopped, came back and tried to test if they were fake.

These'll make a fantastic salad I'm sure

Apparently very very spicy

****

The past two weeks were filled with so many celebrations for the both of us too. Her birthday, my (delayed) birthday, our anniversay, etc. We had a few celebratory desserts but these two stand out:

Seah St Deli, Chocolate decadence - $11.90

First, Seah St Deli's famous seven-layer chocolate cake. I've been meaning to try this since I heard about it from my colleagues, but never got around to it. In fact, I'd meant to come here to try the key lime pie, the other house specialty.

By the time we got there (9:30pm) we were left with either the chocolate decadence or American cheese cake - not too shabby!

The cake is supremely tall. Seriously. It sort of glares at you and tries to stare you down when it first arrives. Every layer is perfectly even and reminds me of how the pictures on those Betty Crockers Devil's Chocolate Cake look like, uniform in their evil.

Despite its height, you are still able to eat the cake in dignified forkfuls, as the sponge does its job of keeping the shape of the cake beautifully. The cherry sauce and chocolate twirls are nice additions, but really, the star is the cake.

If I have one complaint, both S and I felt it was a tad too sweet. The fudge contained traces of caramel, which some may not really like, though this is balanced out somewhat by the chocolate sponge, which is not overly-cloying.

Over all, I'd say this is one cake you have to have at least once in your lifetime - or once a year if you're a chocolate lover. Any more and you'll turn into a cacao bean!

Canele, Caribe, $8.50

On the other end of the height spectrum sits this unassuming cake from designer pastry maker Canele.

Do not be deceived by its looks, because this cake packs a huge chocolate rush! It is not much larger in girth from an average char siew pau, but boy does it make up for it in its intensity.

Every bite you sink your teeth into brings you closer to chocolate heaven (where the grills are edible!). The smooth, dark chocolate paste contrasts perfectly with the roasted hazelnuts that adorn the square-looking cake.

I would say that this is definitely one of those rare chocolate cakes meant for one person that have to be finished by two. S and I almost lost our voices at KTV after dinner cos of this!

Beyond all reasonable doubt

I watched the first half of last weekend's game against Spurs, then was on the phone in the other room for the rest of the second half.

Fact or fiction?

Be the inscrutable Asian

Sometimes, I wish I was more like the stereotypically stoic, unreadable Asian. Anyone can read me like a book - which is why I don't play poker. =)

I didn't even realise it, but the recent late nights at work+ being in some situations where I really wanna strangle some people have ended up written all over my face.

Be stronger.

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I heard an interesting insight into the male-female psyche last night. Men like being asked "how" questions, while women much prefer the "what", "why" and "who". Apparently we guys like our egos stoked while the sheer number of "w"-questions reassures women that we're interested in the relationship.

Quite true.

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I was reminded this week at work that teaching is sometimes the best way to learn. One of the big things that attracted me back to where I work is the culture of mentorship. L*ee Meng, M*elvin, SS, and now the team I work with are never hesitant to share their opinion on what works/doesn't work.

More than that, they try to make sure that you understand a task and the bigger picture, and take the time to do so. Perhaps I've been guilty of not doing the same with the interns. So I'll try to make a conscious effort starting from next week.

The decisive moment

I have a friend named Sam. He takes pictures for a living. He takes pictures for the newspaper. A couple of weeks ago, he took a picture of a lady with both her feet off the ground.

It's a cool picture, and it also has the added bonus of being a reference - or homage - to a famous photographer's classic image:

Now, the reason why I'm citing the work of one of photography's greats is not because I've gone and bought myself a DSLR. I've just been thinking about the simply-titled image: The Decisive Moment.

I'm not really in that moment right now, but my workload certainly is. I'm certainly not drowning in work, but it does have a habit of hitting you like a muddy puddle when you least expect it.

So I'll live in the moment and clean my shoes when the shit hits the fan.

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In non-cryptic news, I went to watch Fanboys the other night with the guys. Let's just say it was a really, really bad idea to watch it at 11:45pm. I won't even go into how bad the movie sucked, haha. Nonetheless, it was nice to do so (and in Daniel's case, catch some shut-eye) with the same bunch I saw so many movies with during primary (it's true!) and secondary school.

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Met up with the CS folks last Friday at Water & Wine, a place which sells...well... water and wine, and is run by one of us. Tucked in the bowels of the Biopolis, the place was really quiet and a great place to catch up with friends over a bottle of wine.

Prices for wines start at about $40++ per bottle, and finger food's priced same as comparable wine-chill-out places like Denise and Bottles&Bottles.

It struck me that a good percentage of my friends are unhappy at work. Some are desperately upset with expectations that have not been met. Others are losing steam doing what they thought they wanted. And still others are hanging on because of the bad job market now.

In a way, I admire their resolve in not settling for second-best. Why should you? After all, you spend more than half your waking hours at work. Yet, there is always that nagging fear, isn't there, that there will never be that perfect job, with the perfect pay and the perfect job satisfaction.

It really is kinda like finding a life partner, heh. Cheesy as it sounds, you have to admit that the parallels are striking. Do you believe in THE ONE?

How will you know when you've found the perfect guy/girl/job? What guarantee will you have that the perfect guy/girl/job won't ever change, or that you won't lose your feelings for each other?

You won't.

But then that's what makes it imperative to have faith/trust in yourself, the people around you (i.e. humanity) and a God above. So have faith, people.

Goal 2010: here we go

So after months of scheming (said with all the love in the world), it's official: we're engaged! Yay!

Food review: La Petite Cuisine

It's been quite awhile since I last penned a review, so you know this is gonna be good. =)

Serene Centre used to mean just one thing to me - Island Creamery ice cream. After last night, it now includes affordable French food!

La Petite Cuisine is a casual, family-friendly French joint at Serene Centre that's pretty hard to miss if you follow your nose. (but seriously, the ventilation is pretty horrendous. Long-haired ladies take heed!)

I've been meaning to try this place out for the longest time, but only got around to it yesterday. Anyways, here goes:

The staff recommended the duck confit, which I had, while she had the salmon filet.

Duck confit - $15

Crisp to the bite and tender on the inside, the duck went perfectly with the rather sharp sauce. The only complaint that I have would be that the meat could've been even more tender - it didn't fall off the bone. Nonetheless, it is pretty decent considering what you're paying.

Filet of Salmon with spinach - $14

According to her, the salmon was seared really, really well. She remarked that the cook somehow made spinach taste good, something I'm sure parents with finicky kids will appreciate. (Don't know what happens to the vitamins/minerals in the process though)

Again, the reduced cream sauce with bits of spinach and lemon accents went beautifully with the fish.

Dessert-wise, we opted to have the upside-down apple tart. You should know, however, that it takes a good 20 mins from the time you order, before it arrives at your table.

Upside-down apple tart - $6

Although I maintain that serving pastry straight from the over is never really fair (the puff/tart/cake needs to sit at least for a few minutes as it keeps cooking) as you don't get the full flavour or "done-ness" for want of a better word, it's always impressive to see your food arrive "piping hot" - which was the case with the tart.

Apples are naturally tangy, almost sharp, when they're cooked without copious amounts of sugar. That's why bakers always add a layer of glaze to your apple pie, or soak the fruit in syrup before baking.

In this case, the chef opted to use the apples more or less au natural, with a dash of icing sugar on the top and something similar to evaporated milk on the side, finished with a reduction of applesauce.

If you're used to how Americans serve their apple pie - with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream - you probably would find it a little too tangy for your liking. Though if you're in the mood for something a little (and I mean just a little) healthier, this is a pretty good choice.

On the whole, this hole-in-the-wall-turned-proper-al-fresco serves up pretty decent French cuisine in tiny portions, at cheap prices. It costs probably 30 - 40% less than what other French restaurants do here, but then most other French restaurants do not ask you to fetch your own drinking water; so you decide.

I liked the somewhat schizophrenic ambience of LPC; family-friendly with crayons and boardgames exist next to al-fresco tables for dating couples.

But that is what makes this place irresistable.

La Petite Cuisine
Serene Centre

Taste: 7.5/10
Value: 9/10 (oh, btw, it's important to note that the portions, like the name suggest, are pretty small. So you may want to get an entree to share in addition to the mains/dessert)
Ambience: 8/10

And....random food shot from Cedele's all-day breakfast! (What a fantastic idea, the all-day breakfast. No excuses for skipping those pancakes!)

Wild blueberry pancakes with bacon

Serving the nation... one junction at a time

So after five long years, I finally had to dust off those boots and show up at camp for recall. You know, one of those things where you show up, let them check your stuff, then leave?

As yesterday's experience showed, that's mostly true... unless you're part of the advance party.

Then, it gets really interesting. I'm not going to put the gruesome details here, because you never know what minde*f (hey! I just realised it sounds like mind-f***) has got going with their blog trawlers.

Let's just say that I received the call at 8:34am and left camp at 9:15pm.

Oh, yeah, have I mentioned that I'm stuck with these idiots till I'm like, 40?

Book review: Outliers by Malcom Gladwell

Ever since the Missus got the Borders preferred card, we've been buying books like there's no tomorrow (unless tomorrow got further discount).

A friend once calculated that since the card costs $20 bucks per year and entitles you to a 10% discount, you'd have to spend more than $200 a year on books to "earn" back the cost of the card.

Well, I think I've hit it in the first two months of 2009.

Among the many books I've picked up at half price is a really interesting one from Malcom Gladwell. If you find his name somewhat familiar, it's because he also wrote "The Tipping Point" and "Blink", both best sellers on the NYT list (the only book list I reference).

Here's what it looks like:


If you liked books such as The Tipping Point, Freakonomics, The Undercover Economist, etc. You'll definitely find Outliers fascinating. I love how these authors put on their psuedo social-scientist hats and explain social phenomena.

That's the common thread among all these books: they see that something's different (phenomena), that it happens fairly frequently (trend), and they ask why?

We don't ask why enough.

Before I get too deep into that, here's a quick look at the book:

What I learnt from the book:

• The system is not a fair deck - e.g. In professional sports, where players get spotted when they're really young, the odds are stacked against you if you're born in the later half of the year. Reason given by Gladwell is that physical difference is magnified at that young age.
  

My take: Listen with a pinch of salt. Sometimes, these authors pick out the stats that best support their case. Look at the England U-21 team, that's a pretty good gauge don't you think?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England_national_under-21_football_team

Let's break the first team's birth dates down:

Number born in first half: 7/19

pffffffffffft.

On a whim, I also checked out Singapore's football team.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_national_football_team

Number born in first half: 13/22

So, either Singapore's scouts are doing such an excellent job that they're snapping up talent once they hit the age-groups and grooming them for national glory...

or the theory's slightly wonky. (Granted, it's probably not representative, but still...)

• Your lot in life has been cast before (or more accurately, when) you were born. Being exceptionally talented means nothing if you are in a roomfull of exceptionally talented people. Take for example someone like Bill Gates in 1980 vs. the same dude in 2009 - he'd have to be waaaaay smarter to have the kind of success he did. Essentially, he was an expert when the revolution was just beginning.
  

My take: From a comms perspective, isn't it obvious that we should be stockpiling our digital arsenal now? Even the Singapore Government has gotten into the act of engaging its audience online - so what if it's just for show right now - and the demand for digital is only going to grow.

Having a solid 5 - 7 years of digital PR experience in a couple of year's time is gonna make some people very rich.

• 10,000 hours to master a skill/area of expertise. No way around it, he's just saying what we knew all along: the champions are those who wanted it more.

My take: If I work 8 hours a day, I'd have spent 8hours X 5working days X 48 working weeks = 1920 hours per year.

That means we need to spend at least 5 plus years in the industry - any industry with regular office hours - to even come close to being an "expert". That's not even discounting the days where you kinda zone out through the day. Damn.

Well, either that or spend way more time per day cramming those extra hours, haha.

• You only need to be smart enough. That's right. Gladwell points out that smarts/talents/aptitude/any other term for God-given gifts basically qualify you to be put in the elite brackets; having the highest IQ points does not make you the most successful or sought-after person around...though you could be, if you also had the good fortune of being born at the right time and the passion to spend 10,000 hours at it.

My take: In IQ/exam-crazy Singapore, it's hard to be a kid and not compare PSLE scores and feel kinda stupider if you have a lower score than your neighbour. So what if you scored 240 and your friend scored 241? Does that mean that he is 1/300 times smarter than you are? More successful than you're gonna be? Of course not. Right on, Gladwell.

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Obviously, I enjoyed the book tremendously. So let me know if you'd like to borrow it, I'll be happy to loan it to you. :)

Warning: Steep learning curve ahead

Apart from the boisterous (woah, how often do you get to use that? +10points!) colleagues and overall environment that make work fun, ever so often, you realise that you are in a damn good place to learn how to be an effective consultant.

Remember how our (or at least my) GP tutors used to hand our essays back with more red ink than blue? That's how some of my work has returned, but the key is in reacting positively.

Of course, this is easier said than done, especially when there was genuine effort that went into drafting (you see, should've expected changes to begin with!) the original version.

On hindsight, so many of the comments and changes passed by the more experienced members of the team were so obvious I felt like kicking myself.

Simple things like "Refrain from using jargon" and "So what does this mean?" are basic rules that effective communicators need to constantly remind themselves of.

So here's a list of 7 things to keep in mind when you're drafting anything as a comms person:

1. Keep it simple: Don't use jargon and don't tolerate the use of jargon. Jargon is evil.

2. Why am I reading this?: Pictures are cool and uncomplicated. Words are boring and need a reason for reading.

3. Is this really, absolutely necessary?: Less is more. Berevity wins almost all the time - especially when you don't have a lot of it to begin with. Don't include the "usuals" just to make something look professional; if you choose to, make sure to go through it to see if it makes sense to the person reading it for the first time.

4. And......then?: Take things through to their logical conclusion (and if that's what you don't want to communicate, fantastic - reposition the potential issue); show the reader that you have thought it through.

5. Context, context, context: Add value to whatever you are communicating by providing the reader with a benchmark, comparison or at the very least, a sense of the severity/impact of the information you have just shared. Best used together with rule 1.

6. Don't waffle: Nobody likes wafflers; not journalists, not PRs, not the man in the street - well, unless the ice cream man didn't show ;). Just say what you came to say and do it quickly and clearly. See rule 3.

7. (Specifically for PRs) Spokesperson vs. Answerperson: Every interaction with the media is an opportunity to deliver your key messages. Every interview is so carefully prepared by people like us precisely because it is not a chit chat session; it is an opportunity to ensure that your organisation's message is heard clearly.

So there you have it... I must say though, that this list looks awfully familiar to me. Seems like something Duffy would've covered during one of his lectures.

It's that familiar feeling isn't it? You know, the one you get when someone tells you "I told you so".

Yeap. Should've listened harder during his classes.

Product review: Blurb Photobook (Large Format Landscape)

After three weeks - and many months of procastinating - of twiddling with the layout of the Blurb photobook, it arrived a couple of days ago by Fedex. I have to say that the first time I set my eyes on the book, I absolutely loved it.

You can't see it clearly cos of the light, but the spine says "Danny, Zheng, Vanessa Summer '08"

Yes, it cost $110 SGD, but believe me, it's worth every cent. So here's what I liked about my overall Blurb experience:

Likes
1. Software downloaded was intuitive and comprehensive, compared with the others I tried; giving you enough control without forcing you to create from zero.

2. Loophole that allowed to exploit the depreciating sterling pound. (Eh, I saved almost 40+ SGD by ordering in pounds ok!)

3. Excellent print quality of finished product. Each image was perfectly reproduced and I loved the full bleed option, which means you can print right to the edge of the page.

Dislikes
1. I chose the imagewrap option for the cover, as opposed to the dust jacket option, which I thought meant that the image would be "scanned" onto the cover, rather that being "pasted" (like it turned out to be). As a result, there are small crease marks at the edges of the the cover.

2. Edges of the pages were cut with a rather rough paper cutter, IMO, resulting in it feeling rather rough on the edges.

3. Ok, if I really wanted to nitpick, I'd point out that it's not possible to share the book in its entirity before printing, with someone else. It's ok if it's like a family project, so everyone just needs to physically sit in front of the same screen to vet the project; I wanted to share it with my friends to get their opinions - and the preview option only allowed them to see the first 15 pages of my 50 page book.

4. Last thing, after ordering your book, the "after-sales" email you receive to give you the details of what you've ordered, book tracking, etc, makes it really hard for you to contact them. I mean, I've just paid over 50 pounds to order something from you for the first time; is it really too much to ask for an email address I can send any queries I have to?

The bottomline
This is an awesome product that not only allows you to crystallise your memories, it also lets you have a ball of a time doing so. The flaws I pointed out are really minor and disappear the moment you first see your creation, fresh out of the Fedex package, and I really encourage you to try it for yourself.

The high price is a deterrent, but you should note that I chose the highest grade options for everything, and chose the largest size. Smaller books should be a lot cheaper to make.

Now if they would just open a branch here, like TheDigibook and iPhoto so that shipping is free...

Blurbed from New York to Singapore

It's here! Will see the photo book tonight and post pictures!

11.11%

1. Get fit
1.1 Complete a full marathon (Ok, so I've only resistered - but still!)
1.2 Pick up a sport that I can play on a weekly basis
1.3 Pass the year's IPPT

2. Get financially savvy
2.1 Read the biz section of the papers more
2.2 Research and start a savings/investment plan
2.3 Advance to the next stage in my career

3. Get ready for goal 2010

Comments please!

Hello all, comments on the (full) preview of the soon-to-be photobook! I've uploaded the book in 4-page spreads, so the odd pages are the ones on the left.

Get your own - Open publication

Blurbed

I've been meaning to do this for the longest time, and now I have. Check it out! Still mulling over whether to purchase it leh. $110 SGD is a lot of moolah.

Donations, anyone?

Grad tripped.

Backpacking throug...

By Danny, Zheng, Vane...

Book Preview

Are you afraid of the dark?

I put on my sneakers (the ones that don't quite feel right) a couple of nights ago for a short run. Just 3km later, I was probably sweating enough to form my own rain cloud. Shit. See lah, one month never run properly become liddat.

I am this close to signing up for it. Technically, I've done 21 x 3 = 63km already, but this... woah... this is venturing into nutty land. Okay, later when I meet Zheng, I'll ask him if he's made up his mind.

May 30th is only five months away! The movie, Run, fat boy run, comes to mind, and this has the added incentive of being a New Year's resolution, haha.

New year - New layout

Well folks, unknowingly, it's been three years since I first started blogging and it's time for a change. Some of the more significant changes:

1. Blog title - It began as a homage to local food, but I think the blog's true purpose has revealed itself slowly over the past year - to serve as a repository for my verbage. In any case, it goes with the picture, so there. Don't worry, lah, still will have food reviews from time to time.

2. Colour scheme - I'm not sure about the colours, have been fiddling around with it for awhile, hope you guys like it.

3. Yep, that's pretty much it. heh. Not really one for change, I am.

Sigh, it's back to "real" work on Monday - buckle up, folks, it's a bumpy year ahead!

Two oh-oh Eight in review

It shouldn't be fair that 365 days could yield so much - how on earth are we ever gonna live up to 2008?

Among the many milestones that happened this year, here are the few that truly stand out (in chronological order):

1. FYP - The sweat and frustration of spending so much time and effort on a year-long project was matched only by the incredibly satisfying feeling of doing work you can be proud of. The process also taught me a lot about myself; both good and bad, and I have absolutely no regrets embarking on that crazy crazy journey with the three of you.

2. South America - What sounded like a crazy idea over kopi with the guys turned out to be an incredible adventure. Van, I still remember both Zheng and I having to meet your mom to convince her that you weren't crazy and we were going to keep you safe from amorous Brazilian men.

28 days in a place where we as Asians stand out completely; where you speak only human; where we touched the sky. The people we met that opened their homes, lives and hearts to us, even for that brief interlude, made it the perfect grad trip.

3. Graduation - I think that in retrospect, convocation was unnecessary. Unnecessary in the sense that while it does give a definitive "end" to your formal education, it's been all about the journey, not the destination. Cliched as it might sound, the four years in Uni have been the best years of learning in my life. More than the friendships forged, the satisfaction of doing well; the best thing about going to university is the perspective it affords you. Sure, much of it is up to you to read, question and make sense of, but there is probably nowhere else where you are given four years to derive your personal worldview. Brilliant.

4. Got a real job - So many things came together - a confluence of factors - for me to begin work at B*M this July. The invaluable ten-week stint at the BT newsroom, quiet conversations with colleagues (before they were my colleagues) on career advice, countless career assessments/tests/talks. In the end, what really swung it for me was the working environment. When the average age of your employees is 30, you know that work is gonna be one helluva ride. So far, the choice has been vindicated. I've learnt so much in the short space of 5 months and am really settling in. The boss commented last week at my desk that I seem to be more "moved-in" than she has, judging from the amount of stuff on my table, haha.

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2009

This year's shaping up to be a big year. I just know it. I've got my new year's resolutions all mapped out:

1. Get fit
1.1 Complete a full marathon
1.2 Pick up a sport that I can play on a weekly basis
1.3 Pass the year's IPPT

2. Get financially savvy
2.1 Read the biz section of the papers more
2.2 Research and start a savings/investment plan
2.3 Advance to the next stage in my career

3. Get ready for goal 2010

Yep, so like I said, 2009 is shaping up to be an eventful one.

Happy Niu Year everyone!