Movie Review TED

The movie TED about a talking teddy, albeit a rude one while failed in tickling my funny bone much poses afew questions close to heart.

1. What is grown-up?
Is it having a stable job, is it getting married? Is it meeting all the societal expectations of a grown-up?

2. Do you laugh at someone who still has an inner child?
The one who still has a security blanket or a smelly childhood pillow. The one who talks to toys, ok maybe that's a little freaky for a grown-up.

3. What is true love?
Is it giving, is it receiving, is it about happiness? What makes you happy?

A grown-up is having a better sense of what's right and wrong than a child, but it doesn't mean we stop believing in miracles. It doesn't mean we lose our innocence and get skeptical, cynical or critical all the time.

Men turn into boys when they hang out with their peers. It is a moment they don't need to put up a front and be accountable to the opposite sex. For women? We never did shake off that little girl in us believing in fairy tales.

And true love? It is putting your loved one's interest above yours like what Ted, the teddy did for his best friend and what Lori did for her boyfriend.

TED opens 6 September in Singapore

My Loft

When i was just a little girl, my teacher asked me what i wanted to be. I said a housewife.

My female teacher was appalled and made me write lines "when i grow up, i will not be enslaved".  No, she didn't but she tried brain-washing me with feminist views. 

So i had other ambitions like cashier first because i liked counting money, then teacher because i liked talking down to shorter people, sexologist when i got curious about sex, zoologist when i found myself turned on with Animal Planet, finally a psychologist because it can be a sexologist, zoologist and psychologist all rolled in one.

When i was a little girl, we also talked about when we would get married. I said 25.

I never did become any of those career choices i envisioned to be, neither did i get married at 25. 

I increasingly find men not willing to have a wife who stays home. Unless, if there're young children in the family. However, the most fortunate woman is to be able to find a husband who tells her she doesn't have to work if she doesn't want to. As a modern woman, i am happy earning my own keep and with earning power, i have a say in the household. However,  after joining the workforce, i realised how stressful and time-consuming work can be. If both married people are pursuing their careers individually, who relieves whose stress back at home?

Thus i believe, a man's responsibility is to pay the bills, put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads. While the woman, worries less about losing her job and pleasing her boss but warms up the food and makes the home a welcoming place.

Marriage, however, is not an end to everything. It should also not be a life purpose or a life goal, which unfortunately is one for many Asian women. 

"Want to buy HDB?" is a pre-proposal line for many when the process is to apply, wait 3 years for it to be built and then prove the certificate of marriage 6 months after taking the keys.

We Singaporeans tend to live with our parents till marriage and because of that plus other cultural/societal pressures, we marry in our twenties.

I refuse to be subjected to that pressure and so i made a huge decision recently.

I BOUGHT AN APARTMENT!

Mine is Blk 92- 32

It's going to be shoe-box size, but i'm excited in turning it into my spinster bachelorette pad.

I'm so excited that i've started a Pinterest Board just to collect home ideas! Two years from now, where will i be, how am i?

Independent, free and without a care in the world.

An Interview with Fujitsu

Stanley Nam of Fujitsu PC Asia

Advertorial 

These days, a desktop is redundant. People are getting lap tops that performs and function as well as a desktop but better yet, it's portable.

We question Marketing & Communications Manager of Fujitsu PC Asia on their latest LIFEBOOK LH 772 launch.

Could you tell us more about the Takumi Philosophy?

We derived the word ‘Takumi’ from the ancient Japanese word ‘匠’ which means artisan or craftsmanship.  Staying true to our Japanese heritage and with more than 30 years in PC making, Fujitsu firmly believes in the spirit of Takumi - the Japanese tradition of craftsmanship and professionalism to produce only the finest and quality products that blends form, beauty and function in a constantly innovative way.  Ingrained with the Japanese Takumi philosophy, our Fujitsu LIFEBOOK designs for 2012 will encompass a distinct and uniform identity, while balancing style and performance for the everyday lifestyle, be it work and play.

What is it about the ONKYO® Box Speakers that provides such excellent audio quality?

ONKYO is a Japanese consumer electronics giant specializing in home cinema & audio equipment. They are experts in the field of audio entertainment and we are excited about this collaboration as we are able to integrate their expertise and create a fantastic multimedia entertainment device for our customers. A little trivia here – Do you know that the Japanese word ONKYO translate to “Sound harmony”? That should give you a pretty good idea how good they are in their field.

Were there any features that you wanted to incorporate in the Fujitsu LIFEBOOK LH772 but were unable to do so?

Generally speaking, we managed to integrate a great deal of technology into this device without compromising on the quality and promise of Fujitsu. Of course there were other cool stuffs we would want to put it in but not at the expense of weight, design or even battery life which we feel are critical to our customers. In the end, what you have here is really the best of all worlds - Without compromise.

How many designs did the Fujitsu LIFEBOOK LH772 go through before settling on the final one?

Unfortunately, I’m not aware about this. What I do know is they made a lot of design reference to nature as a source of inspiration. I’m sure they went through quite a few rounds of discussions and amendments before the designs are finalized.

Will we see more colors of the Fujitsu LIFEBOOK LH772?

The Fujitsu LIFEBOOK LH772 is currently available in 3 gorgeous colors. I have no information of additional colors but we never know...

ONE LUCKY WINNER for portable clam Fujitsu speakers, compatible with Fujitsu Lifebook as well as any other lap tops.

Leave your answer to the 3 Fujitsu Lifebook LH 772 colours to win! Please include your email address as well. The Winner will hear from Fujitsu's agency.

Contest has ended. Congratulations to Carol Chua!

Places featured in Share Something

If you haven't caught my telecast on TV last Friday, you can watch it online here.

Don't you hate it how mentioned places addresses are gone in a blink of an eye?

Fret not, i'll provide it here.

In order of appearance on TV:

Tatty Marsh, a shop that features British inspired household items as well as an extensive range of Cath Kidston accessories.

That's me playing around with the antique shotgun bag.
I think it costs $12,000.

I looked like i took a bite of the bath bomb that looked like a cupcake (starts from $6).

Cath Kidston sewing kit box ($250 i think).

Find Tatty Marsh at Tanglin Mall #02-07, 163 Tanglin Road.

Antoinette is widely reviewed by many food bloggers already, each slice starts at $9 but well-worth it. Order to share! My favourite must be the Forbidden Fruit, a tangy apple taste. Second would be the Tarte Exotique although too much of the coconut makes me queasy. Religieuse Cafe Caramel is the largest of them all, and probably the most value-for-money if you think that way.

Find Antoinette at Palais Renaissance #B1-08, 390 Orchard Turn.

Find Italian furniture labels at Morosso at 5 Purvis Street, #01-03. It's beside a well-known French restaurant that serves foie gras at $7.20!

I LOVE Bryan's laughter in this one. Super impromptu!

My most favourite of the lot, Esquina is the newest tapas bar to spring up on our shores.

With only 16 seats indoors, people arrive early and may wait long for a seat. Otherwise, standing around the bar and outdoors is also welcomed. A place not for dates, but a place for an after-work drink or nibble before heading somewhere else is the real culture of a tapas bar. Do not expect to be full from Esquina, unless you spend a bomb!

The salt and pepper squid in black ink aioli is a must-order to go along with alcoholic drinks. The scallop ceviche and radish salsa and baked bone marrow with snails, parsley & horseradish pesto while tasting heavenly, it is pretty pricey for a very small portion.

The watermelon salad with gazpacho and basil sorbet is also a must order for its unique and unexpected taste for a dessert and cleansing of the palate before you leave for "real food".

Find Esquina at 16 Jiak Chuan Road.

Porcelain Face Spa's Oxyrevive

Singaporeans love going to cold countries because it's the opposite from our humid weather. It's also the only time we get to deck out in winter fashion.

However, in a climate i am not used to, my face dries out by the third day. The moisturizers i bring along are also not sufficient because they are skin care suited for our Singapore weather (not oily enough). Instead of getting a "winter" moisturizer which i will hardly use, i visit Porcelain Face Spa for their Oxyrevive facial (steps seen here).

It hydrates the skin using 2 processes, the Oxyjet and Oxyspray. Oxyjet involves the usage of a high velocity jet to spray sodium chloride into the skin, thereby softening and removing dead skin cells and congested pores to achieve the effects of microdermabrasion without stressing the skin. Oxyspray incorporates the same technology where a custom blend of serums and tonics is infused into the skin via misting, allowing better penetration and absorption of nutrients. Good for brides-to-be, Oxyrevive helps you achieve a more radiant, youthful-looking complexion and supple skin with tighter pores. It's something i do after a beach holiday too!

www.porcelainfacespa.com

Google Street View is Watching

Christine Ng ‏@Chrispytine

#ThatAwkwardMoment when you discreetly blot your armpit with tissue & someone saw it

It's true. The other day, someone was staring at me as i was blotting my armpit with tissue. I couldn't help it, i was sweating like a pig!

And that date who dug his nose thinking i didn't see it? I saw it.

Now with Google Street View, a 360 degree camera view of the world, there are people staking out and trawling the web just to catch funny or freaky images!

Here's what Google Street View caught.

Woman adjusts bra in store reflection

Street Prostitution, founders of geylangcheckers.com don't need to be threatened anymore

Crime in action.

Caught red-handed.

VPL no no.

Irritating kid.

Freaky horseman.

Just shopped for a sex doll.

Without a head.

Half faced.

Needs slimming down.

That's a secret button somewhere.

Same fashion sense or something freakier?

Apparently, its Jon Rafman who started the trend of spotting these Google Street View images. The rest of the world followed suit.

You know, i'm guilty of thinking no one is looking when i'm in the lift.

Think twice before you dig that nose, or pull that wedgie, or scratch in between your ass and sniff.



What happens in elevators, don't just stay in elevators.

My day as a TV show host.

Filming a 30 minute infotainment is no easy feat. Only a 20 minute show took us 16 hours to shoot.

                     

Outside Mediacorp, there are hoards of vandalism. Rabid fans leave their mark.

                      

Short of a personal trailer, we do have a bus that chauffeurs us around and act as a holding area to stay cool in the hot weather while the crew sets up.

Receiving the script only on filming day itself.

The best part about filming a lifestyle programme than a drama is there is no memorizing! Everything is pretty impromptu and therefore entertainment hosts are often linguistically talented, like Bryan Wong, my co-host.

To mike me up, they slot something furry in between my cleavage.

I made Bryan and the crew laugh alot. Mainly because my Mandarin is as bad as something rotten. So i made lots of mistakes, i almost turned the show into a Learning Mandarin show instead!

Besides, with me around, plenty of sexual innuendos! This episode is going to be full of them, a first according to Bryan and the crew. We had such a riot bantering back and forth in my cannot-make-it Mandarin.

Bryan is a world traveller. Because of his job, he has travelled wide and far to exotic places i can't even pronounce much less spell the names. One wisdom he imparted to me was his motto to always pick the furthest destination to travel while he is still young and able. The neighboring countries like China, Vietnam, Thailand and such, he'll leave it in his old age when long flight hours are a torture.

Also, cities are comfortable travel spots so USA is not on his cards while he can rough it out.

The infotainment is about highlighting lifestyle ideas suggested by members of the public. My episode's theme is about Western cultures and thus they found me fitting to be a co-host. We visited places that has British flavours, otherwise influenced by Europe.

I love the eating part of filming! Also, here is where i see the talent of a real show host at work. To us, we describe something as "nice to eat" or "not nice to eat". Our vocabulary is very much limited.

A cake that i can only describe in less than 3 seconds with a mere "nice to eat", a professional host like Bryan can rave about it for a full 10 minutes.

I could only quietly lick away at my spoon and act busy while Bryan go on and on about how yummy the cakes are. Therefore, there is some exaggeration in food shows and it's amusing to repeat our astonished expressions again and again for different takes. Also in a very impromptu environment filming a lifestyle progamme, we often don't stop talking till the director calls Cut. Thus, the sexual innuendoes, because i ran out of things to say!  This is to produce more footage than less to make post editing easy.

The cakes at Antoinette is indeed yummy. I sound like a total Bimbo at certain parts. Honestly, i love experiencing different things but i am absolutely ignorant and clueless when it comes to Geography, History and pronouncing foreign languages. Porsche is pronounced as Por-Cher and not Por-Shay.

Absolutely beat, i'm sitting on the chair Michael Jackson used in his Thriller MTV!

It's very much like a family while on set. The production assistants, director and writer takes very good care of the hosts.

Hosting a TV show indeed takes you to places you wouldn't otherwise go. It widens your knowledge, and feeds you free food.

Latest Tapas bar in town.

Find out where these places are and watch my debut hosting on 我要公开 on Friday, Channel 8, at 8.30pm!