Month in Snapshots

Got invited by the good people at Earth friendly Timberland to get my first quality boots. Made of premium leather, this is the latest ladies' pair retailing at $499. I cannot wait to walk hours in them looking ultra fashionable! Cold counties please, fashion no-no in Singapore, unless it's a costume party.

Was at the launch of a friend's indescribable space. It was one of the more interesting chi-chi events, with a Hip Hop face-off and an awesome performance of the dancers hip hoping to the Super Mario tune by a live orchestra band. Both impromptu.

Speaking about indescribable space, I was kidnapped to a godforsaken space in Johor and we had BBQ at noon, ending with a camp fire impromptu.

While we're still about space, Singapore is getting too crowded and the rising costs of housing is unforgivable.

 Was at the Singapore's Facebook's office launch.

Pop one of these from the source and become a narcissist. Real men eat cupcakes, one of the best i've eaten. It has a gooey middle with crispy bits.

They even have a recyclable goodie bag that looks like a paper bag. Follow me @Chrispytine to check out the inside of Facebook office and goodie bag.

Geeky as I can get, here's my LEGO Pacman belt from Haji Lane, $36.

 Also, newly acquired cute paper weight.

Transported from the future.

Samsung GalaxyS2 Test Force

If it wasn’t for the Samsung Test Force, I wouldn’t have tested the Galaxy S2. To be honest, it does contest the favourite iPhone.

With a larger and clearer screen with high-resolution display, it already won me over being slimmer and lighter (116g VS 137g).

The first challenge was to ride a Segway at 20km/h (max.40km/h) and spot the branded stickers around Sentosa. The Galaxy S2 boasts of an 8 megapixel camera (compared to iPhone’s 5 megapixel).

The second one was to race a car without even looking! Hearing stories of the iPhone cracking/ spoiling at the slightest knock, the Galaxy S2 survived all flips and spins while mounted on the high speed control cars.

The third one was physically grueling and allowed us to get into a hamster ball, otherwise not affordable!




The semi-final was a test of memory. With a dual core processor, 16GB/32GB memory, 1GB Ram, I aced this test!



I was so excited about the final challenge that i had butterflies in my stomach the night before. So excited till i dreamt I met Allan Wu for the challenge only to be disappointed to find him fat and ugly. I even commented, " all that photoshop work! Baah."

My dream didn't come true.

I had to clip off my Angry Bird nail to climb. Boo Hoo.

Vote for your favourite video and get to win your OWN Samsung Galaxy SII too!

Speaking of phones, there's a controversial application that "is a pretty graphic game involving the making of smartphones in China. 20 hours after Apple approved it, they changed their minds and pulled it from the App Store. The reasons include “violence or abuse of children” and “excessively objectionable or crude content” among other things."

"So now that you know the app’s violations, you must be wondering what exactly goes on during game-play. Well, catching Foxconn workers as they fall to their death off of factory buildings and forcing children to work at gun point are just two examples."
Perhaps it hit too close to home for Apple.

Boo hoo, i can't have this on my iPhone but I'm going to use my Samsung Galaxy S2 to download it now!

Angry Birds Face-Off Challenge

Kudos to Finnair coming up with this innovative marketing strategy to associate Finnair/Finland with the most addictive game ever played. Without this, I would have still thought that Angry Birds is the brainchild of the Americans.

Recruitment was solely via Twitter (show us how much of an AB fan you are) and I must say it was highly effective from some hundreds of entries. I submitted these, I happen to be part of this craze (albeit me a fake fan) with my two creations.

Besides, entry was effortless and the prize was pretty darn attractive! Fly to Helsinki, the capital of Finland where the makers of Angry Birds reside. What more, experience an Angry Bird themed flight on Finnair. Now, that’s a first!

Even though I hardly play Angry Birds (because I have a better life than to be a geeky addict), I had to give it a shot. My creative entry won me a spot in the 8 players challenge.

I love Changi airport, and I am proud of Changi for putting the little red dot on the map like the red dot on foreheads; noticeable. This collaboration with Changi airport was commendable but I must say @fansofchangi lost a fan because of their professionalism that took flight.

Knowing I’ll have zero change in winning the game, I dressed to kill. After all, knowing how Singaporeans are like, I predicted that no one would be game enough to take the Best Dressed Team prize. Unless someone shows up in this.

Granted, I was a one person team (if I wasn’t as petite, can I be considered a two-man team?) but I was spot-on about shy Singaporeans. No one dressed up more than the AB tee off the rack and some AB print outs.

I gleefully rubbed my hands and thought that $250 Changi Airport voucher prize would come in useful for DFS. After all, I fulfilled the criteria of a theme (Finnland’s colour),and I was creative (I am an egg harvester).

Unfortunately for me, @fansofchangi was a tasteless flight of fancy with fickle bending of rules to tip in their corporate favour. For whatever reasons, they gave the prize intended for Best Dressed to the 2nd top scorer. Maybe he put in more effort with swiping his finger in the challenge. I am hurt, @fansofchangi.


I am not hard up for the $250, dear @fansofchangi but still, this was very much of a turn-off, it is as if you are all show and tell, not honoring your word. It made me doubt if you really cared about your fans.

Even Finnair feels the same.

On a happier note, I met the more sincere Finnair people and if I haven’t participated, I wouldn’t have thought of Lapland as a travel destination. Touted as Santa’s home, you can take reindeer rides, sit on Santa’s lap, live in see-through Igloos and gaze at the breathtaking Northern lights.

So, to win a seat on this inaugural Angry Bird flight was very easy. 8 of us had to face-off each other by playing the game. While 2 players go up, the other 6 were not allowed to peep.

Some very amusing quotes overheard from the contestants.

“OMG, not that stage!!!!”

(This was mumbled to herself just by HEARING the emcee briefly described the level setting. While the first 2 players face-off, the rest were banned from peeping. We played Level 3; stage 18-21 by the way, when it was my turn, I even had to ask “what’s the black and white bird’s power?”)

One of the male contestants wore an AB tee, complete with peeping socks.

The emcee asked another male contestant if he owns one as well. He raised his eyebrow and defensively retorted, “Of course not!” complete with an incredulous tone.

My friend asked, "which adult will wear an Angry Bird tee out?" Apparantly many.

After all, i wore THIS out. But in argument, i wore it for the contest and it isn't my everyday fashion (or maybe @fansofchangi couldn't tell.)

The supporter of the commenter (OMG, not that stage!), a late 30s lady went up to the organizers “Can she (points to friend) keep her number badge?”

So yes, it was definitely a face-off amongst the hard-core fans.

This was the very excited winner of the Angry Birds Challenge,flying that very night to Helsinki.

She was really good; she could have played Angry Birds blind folded.

Throw A Tupperware Party

Tupperware is a household brand that is almost like a religion passed from generation to generation. Our grandmothers know it, so do our mothers and now their daughters.

Whilst I am comfortably eating home cooked food and lovingly cared for by my mum, Tupperware was a brand I know but never cared to discover.

I cannot be blamed; after all, the infamous Tupperware Parties are usually thrown by married women for married women (a direct marketing deployed to demonstrate Tupperware products). However, after attending my first Tupperware Party as a single, the concept is set to revolutionalise. 

As social media goes viral and rampant in this modern era of young people, the Tupperware Party is the real social network. Interacting real-time and real-life. So much healthier for society instead of virtual stalking, yo!

Here’s how you re-create your own Tupperware Party (Typically you have to sign-up to be a TPW distributor and earn cash as you party. I’ll leave you to find out more here)

1)   Invite real friends and have intimate conversations, not this sort.

2)   A cosy home with an enviable kitchen

3)   Prepare a 3 course meal (try these recipes here)

Prepare them with your guests, get them participating in the gastronomic creations with TPW products. Be the host with the most, your guests can taste the love like how Chef Wan, Asia’s most flamboyant food ambassador threw his TPW party.

A TPW Party is all about celebrating the importance of taking time to enjoy the simple joy of a wonderfully prepared meal, coupled with good company and creating memorable moments that facilitate great conversation.

I never knew TPW had such great innovative products!  

My personal favourite were the collapsible Tupperware. Great to sneak into your handbag for buffets, and when filled to the brim, expand and stuff more in from the buffet!

They were smart, simple, good living solutions.

Why do Walruses go to Tupperware Parties?

To Find a Tight Seal.

Faking It.

When I was living in Australia, I am the epitome of a perfect girlfriend. I’ll play with you, converse intelligently with you, clean AND cook for you. Little did he know, I was FAKING IT. Or at least, the cooking part.

When you study overseas, you will soon realize that boys come knocking on your door not because they want to ask you out, but because they smell FOOD. Like vampire drawn to blood, like dogs drawn to bells, cats to laser pointers and women drawn to cash.

The Asian food store in Australia was my favourite place to check out, especially when you are missing home. I will visit the one closest to my house in Kardinya (affectionately Kardy) for a quick fix. With narrow shelves, you feel like a bull in a china shop. I will always buy a packet of cigarettes from DFS whenever I depart Singapore for SGD 10 and sell it to this Asian mart for AUD 40. It was certainly a quick buck made for a student; a rapport was built between the Uncle and me. ‘Twas was how the Asian community unite. When pay day arrives (from my café jobs), I will drive out to CanningVale market or Northbridge in the city where there is more variety.

Knowing a few tricks to fake home cooked meals, it comes in handy to win favour with those housemates, boosts your popularity and perhaps even a marriage proposal in tow.

After all, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

Here’re my Top 5 kitchen secrets:

Lee Kum Kee Freshly Minced Garlic





Garlic forms the base of any Asian dish, or any dish for that matter. I’ve always used fresh garlic until I spot this in the shared fridge and stole some to try.

Boy, did it make the dish smell exceptionally good. However, Lee Kum Kee don’t come cheap ($3.90) and for a garlic lover like me, I will finish the small jar very quickly. To control usage, I become a garlic cheat when I am cooking for someone I want to impress. When I am cooking for friends or myself, I chop up garlic like Cinderella.

Needing nothing else, you whip up restaurant standard vegetables like this. Looking at the ingredients, this is one kitchen secret that is closest to its natural state without preservatives, chemicals and unprocessed.

Tip: Vegetables never need more than 2-3 minutes of wok stirring. 

The longer you cook them, the less nutrients it retains.

 Lee Kum Kee Chinese Barbeque Sauce



Ideally used for pork ribs, I found that baking chicken wings glazed with this char siew sauce was a real treat! This is perfect for the laziest of all laziest fake chefs. I make this dish sparingly because of its sugar and colouring (how else does the red come from?)



Seah’s Emperor Herbs Chicken Spices





Potluck happens a lot among students when living overseas because it’s difficult to cook for one. So everyone brings a dish to the table but when you are a student, you also pinch pennies.

Some cheapskate but greedy Singaporeans (usually the boys) will cook and bring a vegetable dish. You may think you’re generous by buying a huge bunch of kangkong, but when you cook it, it shrinks and it looks very measly on a huge plate.

Seah makes you and your chicken look good.

Tip: Remove the chicken skin so it will be less oily.

You smear the powder onto the washed chicken, throw in some wolfberries to make it as if you did it yourself, put into a huge wok with water below and steam. Remember to add water with the chicken to have soup to go! For only $1.90, you can buy the sachet that comes complete with the spiced powder, aluminum foil and plastic sheet.

The Singaporean students were so cheapskate that one potluck was themed VEGETARIAN party. So it was fair that everyone brought the cheapest dish possible to the table (chopped garlic of course, none of the expensive LKK). 

The rebel that I am, I brought a whole chicken. Everyone was impressed and the boys felt indebted to me for feeding them meat.

 Vermo

nt Curry- a touch of apple & honey



Knowing that I cook a lot in Australia, my mum brought this when she visited. Made in Japan, it is like hardened Macdonald’s curry for nuggets. It is portioned into squares; you just throw the cube into boiling water to dissolve. This should be added last after you have cooked the chicken, carrots and potatoes. 

Pile on top of fragrant fluffy rice! I love making this dish when I am lazy (again) in washing up. Essentially, you only need to wash one pot!

Tip: Control the amount of water you use to dissolve the curry, 

the less water to use for thicker texture. 

Instead of rice, you can have curry udon!

        Yang Sheng Le Herbal Soup

The Asian dinner is always described as 三菜一湯 3 dishes and a soup. While Caucasians drink soup as appetizers, the Chinese drink soup along with their dishes. The Cantonese always say 補湯  ， soups always have a nourishing connotation. 

If only this Singaporean product with no preservatives and no flavouring existed back in my days away from Mum’s care! In Australia, I tried to replicate mum’s soup to some hit and misses. Most of them taste bland despite the handful of ikan bilis I threw in. Being a student, I didn’t think it was worthwhile to buy meat to boil soup (I will rather eat meat) so I used chicken bones that didn’t make it any tastier.

Also, I did not have the time to simmer the soup like Grandmothers do. With this concentrated herbal soup, you will definitely warm his heart making him think you’re just like his Grandma except in a hotter body!

Tip: Add in ingredients like Chinese dates, wolfberries, chicken to fake it seamlessly!

Just like playing the game of Bluff, you need to alternate the real and the fake. Besides the above kitchen secrets, I do have some very simple nutritious and yummy dishes I could whip up without concocted (by other chefs) help.

My favourites are:

Steamed Egg Toufu

Beat an egg, place some toufu, slice some Chinese dried mushrooms (soaked in water first), sprinkle pepper and a dash of soya sauce. Steam.

 Soya Sauce Salmon with Tomato

Drench the salmon with soya sauce, cut big slices of tomato and shred ginger.  Steam.

Baked Beans Omelette

A winning combination, it’s a undisputed skill to keep it wrapped and pretty.

ABC soup

The one and only soup that I can make with perfection that has vitamins A,B and C. Chop up celery, potato, corn and carrots. Throw into a pot with chicken meat and cook. I like to add in raw cashew nuts too!

So there you go, I am the epitome of a perfect Asian housewife. 3 dishes and a soup.

Until one day, I saw a stingray at the market and got SO EXCITED. I fantasized about recreating the famous Singaporean sambal stingray and gloated at being such a potential housewife buying such a huge slice of stingray at AUD 6 when it sells SGD 12 for a small thin piece.

Like how all liars get called bluff and cheaters get caught, my Bree cover was blown when I served the stingray as it looks. Raw, red and I thought it was cooked.

My then-boyfriend fed and fat from 2 years of cooking finally asked, “Do you Actually know How To Cook?"