Visit to Sentosa Flowers 2012

Few days ago, I went to Sentosa for the Sentosa Flowers 2012. It is an annual flower festival in Singapore, held during the Chinese New Year festive period. We parked at Resorts World Sentosa, and went for lunch first, but not before buying my fave caramel popcorn from Garrett Popcorn! :D

A photo with the Universal globe.

Lunch at Chili's: Cajun Chicken pasta.

After lunch, I proceeded to the Sentosa Flowers 2012, which starts from the area near to the Merlion statue. I was appalled by the long queues - Just to take photos of/with the floral display! One has to actually queue to take photos of the floral displays. I have to say it was a brilliant idea since one has to wait for their turn instead of just swooping in. But to reduce the queue lines, why not charge per 'entry' into the floral display area? It can be like a S$1/pax.display and the money can go towards maintaining the florals (since this is a free-entry event) or to charity. There were like 10 or more such displays... Imagine having to queue for each and every of them!? So, nope... I didn't join in those queues. Instead, I took the photos from afar... Such as the floral zodiac dragon as seen below.

The floral humming bird! So pretty!

No, I didn't queue to take this picture.
I was at a distance from the blocked-off area in fact.
Didn't even need to queue. How awesome was that?! :)

Another display...
(Told ya it's all about timing to capture a nice shot, and without the need to queue~) :p

Let me 'flowerize' you with my following flower shots! :p

A dragon fruit plant!

Bought these chocolates from the Hershey's stores at RWS.
The Special Dark chocolate bar is for my dad! :)

OMG! Hershey's kisses in Caramel!
And the packaging is sooooo sweet!!!!
I'm in love already!

If you want to visit the Sentosa Flowers 2012, this weekend is your last chance!
10am to 10pm!
This event is till 29 January 2012 only!

*All photos in this post were taken with iPhone 4.

Weekend Lunch at Coffee Club

One Saturday afternoon at Millenia Walk, amidst the heavy downpour.
It was lunch at Coffee Club.

I recently started liking to go to Coffee Club because of...
Click [HERE] to know why~ :p


I had the House Luscious Club Sandwich...

Lobster Bisque Baked Rice
(which I highly recommend you to try!)

Ahhhh.... My favorite cake of the moment!
Velvet Bliss aka (Red Velvet) Cake

(Read my blog entry on the velvet cake [HERE]).


Yummy!
And I can't wait to have the velvet cake cake again! ^_^

Review: Samsung Galaxy Note (Pictures + Videos)

It's a phone!
It's a tablet!
It's Samsung Galaxy Note!

The Samsung Galaxy Note is a device that combines the capabilities and functionalities of a tablet and smartphone into one. And thanks to Samsung Singapore, I had the opportunity to review this awesome creation which is fast gaining popularity! I have read reports which mentioned that Samsung had already shipped out more than 1 million sets in less than 2 months!

It is certainly a wonderful on-the-go mobile device!

And if Size Matters To You...
The Samsung Galaxy Note (or 'Note' for short) boasts the largest HD Super AMOLED display with excellent clarity (1280 x 800). This simply means clear, vibrant and sharp images shown on the screen, and this is one of the few features of the Note that I like. The 5.3" screen makes it the smallest tablet around, but yet large enough that it minimises the need to scroll down pages or moving the page from left to right.


If you are wondering if the Note will fit into your front jeans pocket, yes it is able to... But only if it is a pair of jeans for Men. You need not try fitting it into the pockets of a pair of skinny jeans or those ladies' tight jeans. That won't do.

It is that stylishly slim...

And if Looks Matter to You...

The Notes gives a mimimalistic feel - With only the Samsung logo and the rectangular homescreen button. There is a tiny camera lens hole at the front for the 2.0mp front-facing camera. The back is as simple too, with the 8.0mp back camera (with LED flash) at the centre, and the speaker at the bottom left. I have to add that the speaker is really loud and clear... I can be in the living room and I am still able to hear the music playing from my Note in my bedroom.

And if Performance Matters to You...

The Note is powered by the Android OS, a dual-core 1.4GHz Samsung Exynos processor and uses a removable 2500 mAh battery.

It comes with a stylus and Samsung calls it the S Pen, which fits snugly into the stylus dock. Thus, you need not worry that it may drop out if you are holding onto your Note when you are out. The S Pen comes in handy for those users who dislike having fingerprints all over the screen.

Instead of typing out your document or note using the onscreen QWERTY keyboard, you can actually use the S Pen and write on the screen as the Note is equipped with the handwriting recognition software. But do not put too much hope that it can recognise each and every word that you write (Well, at least for me!).


Creating Memos will never be a boring and dull thing to do with the S MEMO! In one memo, you can include web links, image, drawings and voice memos! The text recognition converts your handwriting to text. I like that I can actually position all my 'add-ons' freely around the memo note. I can even crop a picture and save the cropped part as a memo. I feel the S Memo is useful for people who are coming up with creative ideas while on the go. This feature will allow the easy and swift input of their ideas for future brainstorming and whats-not.


The ability to tap and hold in order to capture an instant screenshot is one of my top favorites, as the screenshot can be opened up in the image editor immediately for me to doodle on it, or to circle out a particular building in the map which I had just did a screenshot of. Also, this is absolutely useful if I have an urgent document to send out which requires my signature. Once I am done with all the editing, I can save it on my Note, or the most awesome thing...... Send it to social media sites or to email them out! Check out the YouTube video for a demo on this! :D

What an integration of the several features that I regularly use,
even before I was using the Note!

Picture and video quality is of good quality. Watching videos with the Note is certainly more enjoyable than on my iPhone 4, due to the large screen, screen clarity and great sound system. the video maker is quite an impressive feature, so much so that I can use the S Pen and write or draw on any part of the video screen and then save the video (See below Youtube video for a demo!).

What's Next...
There will be apps that will optimize the use of the S Pen to a great extent in such brilliant ways! The Soonr Scribble allows one to annotate any file and store it in the cloud, like Dropbox. The ZigZag Board allows a few people to look at the same screen from different devices and annotate on the file that they are discussing. Certainly useful for group discussions!


In Conclusion...
I really like that the Samsung Galaxy Note is a hybrid of a smartphone and a tablet, and of course with other uses of it being a camera, ebook reader and game set. This will allow me to carry just one device instead of the multiple devices that I will need for each requirement of mine. The vibrant screen and clear sound system is enough to attract me... And I simply can't resist the S Memo feature. The only drawback of the Note is the size. Despite it being the smallest tablet around, it is really weird when I use it as a phone. It cannot fit into my jeans/shorts pockets, thus it is really a hassle to carry it around.

Together with the phone and battery, it comes with the charger, and a pair of earphone (with ear buds included) that is in a very mismatched white color. Why White??!! I have no idea too. It does not come with a microSD card, so you have to purchase it yourself should you want the extra storage space and option.

And before I go, let me leave you with a quick Samsung Galaxy Note commercial.

See ya!

Adios 2011... You have been great! Hello 2012!

So we bade farewell to 2011 and welcomed 2012...

When you looked back at 2011, was it full of happiness and fond memories? Or were there any kind of regrets or unfulfilled resolutions of yours? For myself, it had been a great year... Full of ups and downs and new challenges faced. And to keep it short....

• I started off the year with a short trip to KL and Genting.
  
  
• Was invited by the Sentosa Marcom team to visit the Sentosa Boardwalk before its official opening. This place is a must-visit place whether you are a visitor to Singapore or a local. It is espeically romantic at night, imo.
  
  
• I got to do a Chinese New Year "Lo Hei" onboard the Singapor Flyer, 165m above ground level! And it was my first time on the Flyer. Lovely experience! :)
  
  
• My addiction for exercising started in February. I had to exercise at least thrice a week else I felt weird. However, my current job and social life kinda changed my exercise regime (sadly!), which I plan to get it back in this new year!
  
  
  
• Invited by omy.sg for a movie experience at the Premier theatre at Shaw (Nex). It is certainly an alternative to Golden Village's Gold Class seats. And what's more it is located very convenienently to my home. :)
  
  
  
• February was probably the most exciting month for me as I became one of the ambassadors for Watsons. With the monthly sponsorship and products, as well as the beauty workshops specially organized for us, I was able to share with my blog readers, as well as Watsons Facebook fans, on those exciting and wonderful products which are retailing in most (if not all) Watsons stores! And not forgetting, posting up pictures on Twitpic on those products I hauled/received from Watsons, and those Watsons member-only events which I went to!
  
  
• In March, TheBlogShop became my apparel sponsor! I got to select the clothes which I like and would love to wear. I got to play dress up... Take photos of myself wearing these pretty clothes and sharing them via my blog posts, Twitter and Instagram.
  
  
  
• Somewhere in Q2, I did a career switch and entered into a new industry (whereby I needed to adjust and adapt to my job's steep learning curve quickly) which got me busy ever since. I am thankful that I found a job which I like, and which I look forward to work every morning. I deal with customers from the Asia-Pac region, which also gave me plenty of travel opportunities to those countries, which led to new knowledge and experiences gained. And most importantly, I am blessed with a good team of manager and colleagues locally.
  
  
  
• As much as I love French food (Think: Escargots and Foie Gras!), I appreciate the French music and culture too. It was an unforgettable experience where I was taken on a magical journey into Edith Piaf's life through her songs performed by various artistes. I would love to visit France again, to immerse myself in the country's rich culture and sit outside a cafe by the roadside and sip coffee, while watching the world go by.
  
  
  
• Invited to become a member of the 'by-invite only' Dell Access Program, consisting of members that are regarded as brand advocates, influential media personalities and key influencers. So far, I got to attend other events organized by Dell such as this event where I got to test out a new P Dell laptop while learning more about Breast Cancer and detection/prevention of it.
  
  
• I went on a 6-days vacation to Bangkok in August.
  
  
• And a 3-days road trip to KL/Genting, also in August.
  
  
• I had the opportunity to embark on a journey towards a slimmer silhouette with Marie France Bodyline, which you can read the blog posts and view the pics by clicking [HERE].
  
  
• Had a wonderful and fun-filled staycation, thanks to Quincy Hotel!
  
  
• Had a short HK weekend trip in October. A lovely dinner at The Mistral.
  
  
• Had an enjoyable and lovely trip to Hong Kong with my dear family in November. (Blog post not up yet).
  
  
• Partied in Taipei over a November weekend. By myself! Taipei is one of the best places in Asia to club!
  
  
• Made one of the phone calls to the Police Hotline. I am no phone prankster, but I am someone who do not hesitate to call the Police to report about incident/accidents. And I am not those (boliao/ignorant people) who called to the Police to complain about their neighbours or their lost pets (But in the first place, I do not have a pet).
  
  
• I partied at ZoukOut, yet again! That was one hell of a fun time that night! (Blog post + Pics to be up soon!)
  
  
• And if having so many Philips appliances at home is not enough, my new Philips products for 2011 consisted of (1) Reading Light (given together in the media kit when I attended the Living Space event); (2) iPhone docking station (it was something I wanted, and it was a gift.); and finally (3) a LED-technology Eye Care Desk Lamp which I won from Joe (TechieLobang) blog giveaway in November!
  
  
• Had a great Christmas staycation at Hilton Hotel with my dearest family. Nothing is as special as spending Christmas with them... The people who will stand by me no matter what happens.
  

If you are wondering how my Countdown was, I spent time with my family, watched the fireworks performance once the clock struck twelve midnight, and went to bed about 1am++. Very simple but nice way to usher in the new year.


Honestly, I know I have not been really blogging actively ever since I started on my current job (as compared to when I had my previous job). But I have been updating on my life through my TWITTER and INSTAGRAM accounts! (^_^)


Nevertheless, I would really like to thank each and every of you who had not gotten bored of my blog and whom are still visiting it regularly. One thing I intend to achieve in 2012 is to blog regularly! Which it should be easier for me to handle now, afterall I am more or less adapted well into my job already. What's more, I am gonna manage my "Work-Family life-Social life-Blogging life" in a better way from now on! So once again, I really appreciate all the support from all of you! Love you all lots! XOXO!

Before I go, I would like to wish everyone a good 2012...
Filled with lotsa love and joy, good health, heightened success and prosperity!
Have a great year ahead! (^_^)/