2015

I decided to start something new again.

Planning to post 1 picture a day in 2015, with a short description. don't know how long I will last doing this anyway. 

Here's my first picture for 2015. 

001. New year in Hong Kong 😊🎉

2015.02

This is my second picture post for the year. 

This is taken at hong kong's avenue of the stars, over looking the Hong Kong islands. Great view. 

Home-made fish chowder recipe

Very long time back I remember very well when I took my first sip of fish chowder from fish & co., I was immediately awe-strucked!!

That very moment I decided I should attempt this recipe. Here's how I did it, yes tweaked to my liking:

• Ingredients
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 600ml fish stock, made from 1 fish stock cube
• 225g potatoes, peeled and halved
• 300ml full cream milk
• 500g fish, chopped (you can use any fish like salmon, halibut. I used barramundi fish)
• 4 tbsp cream (I used cheddar cheese to ticken the soup instead)
• 250g vegetables (I used a mixture of broccoli, mushroom and carrots)
• small bunch coriander, chopped
• 1 tsp mixed herbs (mix of oregano, rosemary and thyme)
• black pepper and salt to taste 

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, then add the onion and garlic. Cook for 5 mins until the onion is soft. Stir in the flour, then cook for a further 2 mins.
2. Pour in the fish stock and bring it up to a gentle simmer. Add the fish, potatoes and carrots in and simmer for 10-12 mins covered until the fish and vegetables are cooked through.
3. Add the broccoli, mushroom, mixed herbs and season with salt and pepper. Then stir in the milk gently on low heat simmer for 5 mins covered.
4. Finally add the cream or cheese to ticken the soup and then simmer for 1-2 mins more. Check the seasoning. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with some bread.

Easy home-made lemon honey ginger tea recipe

Drinking lemon honey ginger tea regularly can be helpful in many ways. This simple and refreshing tea can be enjoyed cold or hot - whatever way you prefer.

The individual ingredients of a lemon honey ginger tea is also often used to help ease cold and flu symptoms through a combination of unique and natural medicinal qualities that boost the immune system.

Ingredients

• Fresh ginger, small piece peeled and thinly sliced (you can use more if you prefer more spicy taste to your tea)
• Water, 3 cups
• Honey, 1 Tablespoon (more or less according to your sweetness)
• Lemon, 1 piece cut into small and thin wedges
• Tea powder, 4 Tablespoons (you can use bags, flavored tea or red tea. It's your choice)

Directions

1. Place ginger, powdered tea and water in a saucepan over low heat. Put the lid on and let it boil for about 10 minutes. Once it's 10 minutes, turn off the fire and continue to let the saucepan sit covered for atleast another 10 minutes. This allows the ginger and tea to be infused.

If you are using a teapot, add ginger and tea powder in the teapot and pour boiling water in it. Let it rest covered for atleast 15 minutes.

2. Strain the tea through a sieve to remove the ginger and tea powders.

3. Add lemon slices and honey to the sieved tea and drink it immediately if you like it hot. 

If you want cold tea, let your tea cool down, store it in the fridge and add ice cubes before serving.

4. Be experimental by adding other ingredients that you like. You can add camomile, cinnamon, orange or even mint.

Xiaomi - revolution to the mobile industry

Xiaomi has been the new revolution to the mobile industrty this few years.

who are they are why are their phones selling like hotcakes??

(this is where it gets technical)

"Xiaomi was founded in April 2010 by ex-Kingsoft CEO Lei Jun, as a software company creating a new custom ROM based on Google’s Android. Their aim was to provide additional functionality that Android had yet to offer and an easy to use user interface. MIUI, the ROM which the team created, became a huge success and has been ported to many devices. As of 2014 MIUI can be downloaded and installed to over 200 devices in both English and Chinese, even non developers can easily install MIUI to their phones using the MIUI Express APK. As of the end of 2013 Xiaomi had over 30 million MIUI users worldwide! Very impressive for such a young company!

The MIUI ROM was likened to Apple’s iOS for being very easy to use whilst providing sophisticated services such as cloud backup, an easy to use music player and their own app store. The team at Xiaomi have alwasy wanted users to feel part of the company and happily take on fan feedback via multiple channels and update the ROM every Friday with bug fixes, optimisation and additional features. To good to be true? Well try it out for yourself as it’s probably available for your device already..." from Gizchina

Xiaomi products

Xiaomi says it sold more than 26m smartphones in the first half of the year, almost four times the 7m it sold in the same period a year ago, and is on track to reach 60m handset sales by Christmas.

Xiaomi Mi 3

Based on specifications, the Xiaomi Mi 3 is superior to the other two Android flagship smartphones as compared below:

The Xiao Mi 3 phone reigns superior through a Faster Processor, Custom Android ROM (which updates weekly), a better Camera and Flash and a Larger Battery.

Specifications/Device	Xiaomi Mi 3	LG Nexus 5	Samsung Galaxy S4 with LTE+
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM 8274AB) (MSM8974AB) quad-core 2.3GHz (WCDMA model) NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core 1.8GHz (TD model)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) quad-core 2.26GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) quad-core 2.3GHz
RAM	2GB	2GB	2GB
Android Version	Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean MIUI version 5	Android 4.4 KitKat	Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean Samsung TouchWiz
Display	5-inch 1,920 x 1,080 pixels IPS	5-inch 1,920 x 1,080 pixels IPS	5-inch 1,920 x 1,080 pixels Super AMOLED
Camera	Rear: 13-megapixel autofocus with Sony Exmor sensor, F2.2 aperture, 28mm wide angle lens and dual-LED flash Front: 2-megapixel	Rear: 8-megapixel autofocus with Sony IMX179 sensor, F2.4 aperture, optical image stabilization and LED flash Front: 1.3-megapixel	Rear: 13-megapixel autofocus with Sony IMX091PQ sensor, F2.4 aperture and LED flash Front: 2-megapixel
Storage	16GB	16/32GB	16GB micro-SD support up to 64GB
Dimensions	144 x 73.6 x 8.1 mm	137.84 x 69.17 x 8.59mm	136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9mm
Weight	145g	130g	130g
Battery	3,050mAh	2,300mAh	2,600mAh
Retail Price	US$327 (16GB) US$408 (64GB)	US$349 (16GB) US$399 (32GB)	US$669 (16GB)*

*Based on SGD to USD conversion rates at press time.


should samsung and apple be worried?

YES.

Easy Moist vanilla cupcakes with frosting recipe

It's really super easy to make yummy vanilla cupcakes. Here's a very easy receipe to follow:

Vanilla Cupcakes with frosting recipe

Makes 16 cupcakes

Ingredients:

A. Dry ingredients:

1 and 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking power

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

B. Wet ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup yogurt

2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C.

2. Sift together all the dry ingredients (section A) and leave it one side.

3. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add in the eggs one at a time.

4. In a seperate bowl, Mix together the remaining wet ingredients (yogurt, milk and vanilla extract) and leave it one side.

5. Add in 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and then add in 1/2 of the wet ingredients. Repeat until all ingredients are combined. We are done when streaks of flour in the batter are not visible.

6. Line cupcake pans with cupcake liners and fill with 1/4 cup batter.

7. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 180°C or until golder brown. Let the cupcakes cool to room temperature.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (optional)

Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup unsalted butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

Rainbow sprinkles (optional)

Food coloring (optional)

Method:

1. To make the frosting, mix together butter, vanilla extract and food colouring in a bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, sift the powdered sugar. Then add to the butter mixture slowly and mix until mixture is smooth. 

3. Pipe frosting into the COOLED cupcakes and sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles for added colour and crunch.

Maleficent - What it took Angelina Jolie to become Maleficent (makeup)

If you watched Maleficent, you would realise that Angelina Jolie has perfectly taken the character role from head to toe. 

Angelina Jolie transformed into a character who is both beautiful and terrible at the same time. 

But it definitely wasn’t easy. No detail, right down to the pointy teeth in the back of her mouth, was overlooked. 

Although the evil character is the antithesis of a Disney princess, with a simple google search, you can find so many tutorials on how to look like her. 

Here's my top 3 YouTube tutorials on how you can be Maleficent yourself (complete with costumes):

1. Kandee Johnson

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPc33sD0U98

2. dope2111

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z9P6fPXFht0

3. KittiesMama (this little girl is so adorable)

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vMYr7Zn8a2g

Transformers Age Of Extinction: nothing After The Credits Scene

Thanks in large part to Marvel Studios, fans have come to expect a little something extra after the credits during major franchise movies. Often, fans will wait around during the credits of any superhero, horror, or sci-fi movie that is part of a franchise in hopes of getting a little tease for the next movie in the series.

However, if you wait around through the credits of Transformers: Age of Extinction in hopes of getting a stinger, then you will be disappointed. 

Transformers: Age of Extinction does not have a mid-credits or an after the credits scene.

Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon all had bonus scenes that occurred during the credits. So there has been a precedent set for credits scenes in the Transformers movies.

It’s unknown why director Michael Bay decided to break the pattern and offer no extra scenes during Transformers: Age of Extinction. It’s possible that Bay didn’t do a credits scene this time because he has claimed Transformers: Age of Extinction will be his last Transformers movie.

Maybe, Bay didn’t feel it would be fair to the next director to put anything into an after the credits tease that might force the direction of the next movie. Still, it’s surprising that Bay didn’t at least include some type of humorous ending scene unrelated to future movies in the end credits to give audiences a little something extra.

why was there x-men clip shown at the end of amazing spider man 2 movie?

If you are guessing why there was a trailer/clip of x-men after the amazing spider man movie 2, I have the answer for you!

If you don't understand what I just said, here's a short summary:

On May 2 2014, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ran in theaters and at the end, after all the credits, there was a clip for X-Men: Days of Future Past. We saw a brief scene for “X-Men: Days of Future Past” featuring Jennifer Lawrence’s character Mystique. 

While post-credit scenes are normally expected by comic super hero movies, this end credits clip is noteworthy because Spider-Man is distributed by Sony and X-Men is by Fox. Traditionally, disparate comic book movie universes don't overlap.

Here's a clip of the end credits that was played.

Well here's the answer we all were looking for:

Years ago, Marc Webb signed a contract to make two movies for Fox. The first was "500 (Days) of Summer" in 2009 and "The Amazing Spider-Man” in 2012. Webb’s negotiations briefly stalled with Sony as he was caught in a tug-of-war with Fox. Eventually, Fox agreed to allow Webb to direct Sony’s “Spider-Man” sequel, but only if Sony would promote its “X-Men” film for free.”

Though this reasoning might disappoint viewers hoping for a Spidy-X-Men movie crossover, it will delight those who enjoy when businessmen make quirky compromises. 

John Lennon's come together song meaning

Sixpence None The Richer : There She Goes Song lyrics meaning

Meaning to bob Marley's "I shot the sheriff" song

Google glass vs apple iwatch

Google Glass is a wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display developed by Google with the mission of producing a mass-market ubiquitous computer. Google Glass displays information in a spectacle frame with a smart phone's hands-free format. Users of google glass communicate with the glass through voice commands through the Internet. Google Glass became officially available to the general public on May 15, 2014, for a price of US$1500. Before that users were required to receive invitations before they could try Google Glass.

Come to think of it, google glass does look like the iron man head gear:

Apple's iWatch is a smart watch project that Apple is reportedly aiming to launch with a special event in October of this year. Expect a device running iOS with biometrics and other features providing integration with other iOS devices.

According to the new report the supplier for the flexible displays that are to be used on the new Apple iWatch will be provided by LG.  Apple has also plans to launch their iWatch this year with two different screen sizes.

Apple is also aiming to sell around 9 million units of their iWatch till the end of 2014 with the help of LG, though the launch date is said to be in September. iWatch will also be introduced in two different sizes depending on the wrist size a user have, so Apple will come up with a 1.4 and a 1.5 inch iWatch.

According to a report released in February, LG was said to be the only supplier of displays for Apple’s iWatch and the mass productions of these smart watches will start as early as July 2014. Rumours also say that the reason Apple chose LG’s display was because of its power efficiency and the brightness that the screen offer with it, though every company with a smart watch is looking for something like that and it seems like Apple just got the right dealer.

A flexible display and a stylish design will not be the only two things that the iWatch will offer as it will also be loaded with different biometric sensors that will help you keep in check on your health daily with the help of an iPhone or an iPad. Apple may also come up with a luxury edition of their iWatch that is said to cost as high as $1000.

LG seems to be establishing a strong foothold, with the nexus phones that they are making for Google and the flexible screen that they are providing Apple. Let’s hope the screen technology is as good as the reports says as it would be as the most important thing for a smart watch is the battery life that it offers.

Which will reign supreme?

As quoted from raszl.com, these are the below similarities and differences:

What can both Google Glass and iWatch do?

1. Tell time
2. Perform basic search
3. Get notifications/alerts
4. Send updates/messages
5. Voice and touch input
6. Audio and visual output
7. Essentially hands free

What can Google Glass do that iWatch can't?

1. Navigation
2. Take pictures/video
3. Augmented reality
4. Control other devices

What can iWatch do that Google Glass can't?

1. Worn all the time (including restaurants, gym, even sleep and shower, etc.)
2. Record daily activity
3. Silent vibrating alerts
4. Kinetic battery charging
5. Pinch, two finger gestures
6. Payments

I guess the difference are just based on ones preference, the same as choosing between Samsung or Apple. It's either you go for the watch or the glass. 

5 things to do to handle criticism

You must have heard all those stuff people blabber about you. Yes, it's bloody hurting, especially so when it's from family and friends. It's something everyone of us face in our daily lives. But what do we do to face this problem?

1. Criticisms hurt.

First things first- anybody giving you criticism will intentionally or unintentionally hurt you. It is human nature to feel hurt when someone points out a flaw in us. We have to accept that we are all born humans and not robots. Nobody will be perfect in this world and everybody is flawed. When we understand that, we will be able to look beyond the hurt and then easily be able to deal with criticism.

2. Sift out good criticism from the bad ones.

All of us have an opinion but that doesn't mean they are always right. What matters  most would be knowing where the feedback is coming from and understanding the true intentions of the person who is giving you criticisms. A good friend or family member would only want you the best for you compared to a jealous hi-bye friend who only hurls nonsense to hurt your feelings and feel good about it later. When someone dear to you says something to you, they have your best interest in mind and possibly there is some truth to those words, especially even more likely if its heard before.

3. Be thankful for CONSTRUCTIVE feedback.

It's not easy to be honest and frank. Only people who care about you will be 100% transparent to you on how they feel. Take time to thank them for giving you friendly and helpful feedback. Appreciate the fact that the person told you something that can make you an even better person. On the other hand, please do laugh off and ignore any lousy words and destructive feedback. Don't, I repeat, don't let it affect you in anyway.

4. Work on your flaws.

Learn to work on the bad issues that you have. Sometimes it may not come from anyone but it's that few bad habits that you yourself are guilty of making. Identify the problems that you have and work on a realistic plan to break the habit. Support will definitely be given to you by your loved ones so keep your confidence up and keep moving forward.

And that's how you deal with criticisms. It's not that bad now right?

So bloody sweet.

Lemons.

Sometimes life just suck for you. 

Ya, It really just gets to you and blows your mind off BAD!

So what do you do?

You take a deep breathe and wait for the moment where you can sleep it off. 

Seriously.

How can you amend disasters? It's always adviced to solve your own shitty problems. But sometimes you just need to walk away for awhile and come back facing it when you feel clearer and refreshed. 

Fact.

The inevitable questions.

Why do people like to ask soooooo many questions?

When your a kid, the questioning starts. NO! They are not good conversation starters and now look at where questions bring us to?

How's school?

How's your marks?

Why are you here?

Why are you NOT here?

Why do you always go out?

Why are you attached so young?

Who is your boyfriend?

Why are you single at this age?

Why are you not married yet?

Where is your husband?

When's the good news?

When's #2?

When's #345678910???

And then the universe doesn't stop there. Your kids get the hit next. 

Where's your kid?

How is their school?

.... And the list goes on.

Are these questions be really necessary?

Why and what's the purpose of asking really especially since you are not even from the family??

Nothing really changes if you knew the answers anyway.

Just hate questions. 

AND NO. NO BABY NOW. NOT UNTIL 30 YEARS OLD PLS.

Having dinner at home.

Home cooked meal vs. Takeaways - I am a firm believer of having at least one meal a day to be prepared at home.  At least I know and I ensure my family has had that 1 portion of vegetables, meat/fish and fruits.

Where got time?? - On normal busy weekdays that meal would be dinner. I prefer to cook something less fancy that requires not more than 15 mins after a long day. Weekends of course are meant to play/experiment with time food. Since we have the luxury. 

Cook?? I only know how to boil egg and make instant noodles - I definitely don't think it is difficult to cook. Anybody who knows how to cook instant noodle or boil an egg, should be 'qualified' enough to make their own or their family's meal. I will start showing u how easy it is and hopefully more people start cooking their own dinners. :)

Recipe?? - it's not something you should fear. Never ever follow a recipe from A-Z. The keyword is read. Understand. Improvise. Recipes should be guides or inspirations unless you want to learn a basic technique. 

How to start?? - start simple. I'm not even chinese and I cook Chinese style very often. Here's how below. Good luck. 

Chinese dinner:

1) stir fry vegetables in garlic and soy sauce 

Ingredients:

- oil

- garlic; sliced or chopped 

- soy sauce

- Kailan or any leafy vegetables you like

Method:

stir fry

Garnish:

fried onions

Improvisations:

Try different types of vegetables.

Try adding shiitake mushrooms.

Try using oyster sauce.

2) ABC Soup

Ingredients:

- carrot, diced

- potato, peeled and diced 

- chicken/pork, sliced

- soy sauce/salt to taste

- water

Method:

boil till carrot and potato turn soft and breakable. 

Garnish:

fried onions

Improvisations:

Try adding celery/ lotus shoots or any of your favourite vegetables. 

3) omelette

Improvisations:

Try adding prawns

Garnish:

Spring onion

4) steamed fish (for those who have extra time)

Ingredients:

- fish whole or fillet; cleaned

- garlic; sliced

- ginger; sliced

- soy sauce/salt to taste

Method:

steam over boiling water. (Tip: I prepare this while cooking rice or while cooking soup)

Garnish:

spring onion

Improvisations:

Try with prawns. 

Try adding sesame oil. 

back to blogger as a MRS and a Homeowner!

Yes, i am married and I own a house just before i turn 26.

Was it an achievement?


“A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”
-Colin Powell

Hell YEAH!

Airasia loves having fun

Love their bullish marketing. Good job tony!!