1) Party idea, a new way of serving cocktails
2) How to open a beer bottle without any tools
3) Create your own popsicle stick with gummy bears and sprite
4) Eatable Magarita
5) Dessert sushi (I am so trying this!)
Conventional plans are like odd-shaped boxes that are out of place and could neither fit in nor adjust to the fast pace ever changing lifestyles of individuals, especially Singaporean youths to young adults. You might SMS more in school, under the desk and away from your teachers’ haunting glances, but utilising more calls or data when you start tertiary education or service life. Do you really need to go through all the necessary hassle of changing or upgrading your plan at the shop? Will you have something in excess, like SMS, and short on data? Now, we understand that there is clearly no one-size-fits-all solution for fixed plans that require constant changes as individuals progress through life, but there is hope!
SingTel approaches this generation with flexibility, catering to a broad range of individual needs and demands. Each person’s means of communication differ; one might be using more data compared to the next person in the adjacent low-walled office cubicle who is spending more time staring at the monitor than his mobile phone? SingTel has conjured up a plan, with all puns intended, for the man with the plans. Even with attractive packages and deals that serve well and function economically, the new SingTel concept mobile plan is more than that. Easy Mobile is the first post-paid mobile service in Asia that provides users unhindered tariff plans that change and adapt to immensely diverse usage. Continue reading
Admit it. With the World Cup season now on, all of us are affected in one way or another –even the non-football fans. Spouses and colleagues of football fans do suffer –mildly or severely. The former suffering from disrupted sleep, the latter suffering from a heftier workload. Football fans, this is the season when dark circles form, eye bags emerge, beer bellies expand and there are noticeably more frequent trips to the clinic for MCs. You feel grumpy and lethargic, especially after staying up all night to watch a match. All that junk food bingeing are undoubtedly detrimental to health.
Here’s the magic potion to surviving the World Cup: BRAND’s Essence of Chicken.
Trust me, I’ve never been a fan of this and I still am not –hence I’ve found novel ways to include that in my diet without having to gulp down straight from the bottle, such as using it as a soup base, and in stir-frying and braising. Continue reading
First and foremost, here’s wishing FRANK by OCBC a happy 3rd birthday!
The chick, cheery and vibrant design of their latest FRANK Store at Orchard Gateway sure drew a lot of crowd.
Targeting youths, FRANK by OCBC has come up with tips, and “Frank Thoughts to Live Your Dream”.
Press Release
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® officially launched The Coffee Bean Mobile App -the first mobile app in Singapore’s food and beverage industry that integrates mobile wallet, e-loyalty redemption and e-voucher capabilities to deliver new levels of customer experience and increase operational efficiency. Continue reading
I can be majorly finicky when it comes to planning the perfect date, and I try to make it a point to secure a table at my ideal restaurant in advance to avoid any possible hiccups.
Recently, I went through a series of frustrating, hair-pulling, head-banging moments while trying to make reservations at restaurants I’ve shortlisted in Tokyo for my upcoming trip.
Firstly, no email addresses are stated on the restaurants’ websites (if they even have a website). Secondly, no one ever picks up the phone (do they despise overseas calls?). The only way I could ever secure a table would probably be seeking help from someone who resides there, who can either make a local call to the restaurant or make a trip down personally to make reservations. Why do I even have to go to such lengths? I desperately wish they were listed on Chope.
The Chope Group is Asia’s premier online reservations service provider, where diners can make dining reservations for free and get confirmation instantly, anytime of the day, and any day of the week, from anywhere in the world.
This means that while you’re incessantly and obsessively food-blog hopping in the wee hours in search for promising restaurants to visit next, and something caught your attention, you can make an online booking on the spot, right in your pyjamas, snugly in your couch.
First established in Singapore, Chope has curated over 300 restaurants on the network till date, in Singapore (www.chope.com.sg) and Hong Kong (www.chope.com.hk). I hope they would continue expanding further into other regions.
If you’re undecided about dining plans, the Search Across feature categorises and filters results by location, cuisine type and other requirements (e.g. child friendly, romantic dates, average spending and more) to aid with decision-making.
This feature is especially handy for last minute suggestions and bookings.
With a click of a button, your reservation is made. Within seconds, you’ll receive an email confirmation. How easy is that!
Make your reservations at Chope HERE.
What will the wood horse year bring for us in year 2014? This article is for all my friends and readers.
The snake year is coming towards its tail and another galloping animal, the horse, will soon arrive. The Chinese celebrate their lunar new year on 31 January 2014 and most would assume it is the arrival of Horse year. However, according to the Farmer or Thousand year calendar, the New Year actually starts on 4 Feb 2013 at 06:21 am, and it is a wood horse year. It has the following combination of elements:
You can look back at major events that had happened in year 1954 because it was also the wood horse year and history repeats. There were some major natural disasters such as land movement, extreme drought, great floods, hurricane and nuclear accident. There seems to have natural disaster happening around us every year.
So for year 2014, we could also expect some of the natural disaster that happened in year 1954 and you should be able to observe some related happening as days get nearer to Feb 2014. Let’s pray again that their catastrophic effect is minimized. Continue reading
Singapore’s only consumer voted real estate and services award is back! Take a few minutes to vote for your favourite property, mortgage loan provider, best home furnishing store and many more in the iProperty.com People’s Choice Awards 2013 to stand a chance to win attractive holiday prizes.
Check out the 2012 winners here: http://www.iproperty.com.sg/awards/2012/results
Browsing through the voting gallery is almost akin to looking for inspiration and shopping for my future condo! I took a little bit more effort to research on the various shortlisted nominees just to ensure my decision is fair, and boy was I fascinated by how much Singapore’s properties are modernising over the years.
In the “Object of Desire Award” category, I chose Ferra by Far East Organization as one condominium I feel has the best architecture (internally and externally) that one would lust after.
Inspired by the elegant Ferrari car design, the unconventional structure of Ferra boasts subtle curved contours, and is injected with a sleek and state-of-the-art feel. I want to move in instantly!
Garnering a vote from me in the “City Slickers Award” category happens to be a property that also belongs to Far East Organization. It wasn’t an easy choice to make though; I was torn between the other nominees as they each had their individual traits that made them stand out. Continue reading
Travel insurance is one of the most essential needs for smart travellers. DBS TravellerShield, a comprehensive travel insurance plan, recently expanded its offerings to give jet-setters more assistance with Singapore’s first ever complimentary Travel Alert Service. Travellers can now stay ahead of the unexpected with free situation updates during the trip.
My most recent trip was to Boracay in the Philippines –a tropical beach destination with temperamental weather. Continue reading
SAFRA collaborates with Deal.com.sg to introduce SAFRA Exclusive Deals (), which gives you more reason to shop online for the best discounts.
Under the special SAFRA category at Deal.com.sg, SAFRA members are exclusively entitled to up to 80% off normal prices. Unlock deals on dining, travelling, shopping, and much more!
Thanks to SAFRA’s generosity, they are sponsoring Melicacy 4 x $50 credits for you to shop at http://www.safra.sg/deals.
How to win:
1) Like SAFRA Deals’ Facebook Page ()
2) Like Melicacy’s Facebook Page ()
3) Like and share this .
4) Comment in this blog post and tell me why you want to win this!
Contest ends 30 September 2013.
*A SAFRA membership is required for the redemption of the shopping coupons.
*Credits are to be redeemed by the end of October 2013.
Giveaway results:
Congratulations Alison Liew, John Khoo, Fion Teo and Brian Koelsch Ho. Please email me at to claim your shopping credits. Happy shopping!
A global sensation following its 1998 debut that drew overwhelming attention over the years is back with a modernised edition!
FURBY, the animatronic electronic pet, has yet again revolutionised digitally integrated play with the introduction of the state-of-the-art FURBY BOOM.
The new generation of FURBY, by branded play company Hasbro, returns with funky colours, featuring all the ‘magic’ and personality of its predecessor plus twice the content, boasting electronic features and app-interactivity, raising interactive fun to a whole new level by combining physical and digital play. Continue reading
Tracking back to my very first post on Vanity Trove (https://melicacy.com/?p=3284), it was more than a year ago when I received my very first trove, filled with beauty products that were mysteries-turn-beautiful-surprises.
Back then, subscribers of Vanity Trove receive random surprises that may not be useful to them. I, for one, experienced the dilemma of not knowing what to do with some of the products I received in the trove that I’m not keen on trying.
Recently, Vanity Trove has undergone a major transformation. It has rebranded itself from “Beautiful Surprises”, to “Discover Beauty”. It’s main intent to pamper the ladies remains, except that for now, instead of having the beauty experts picking out the latest beauty trends for your sampling pleasures, you now get to pick your preferred products that are most suitable for your skin type.
Cleverly employing technology to discover beauty, the new Vanity Trove platform includes noteworthy features that facilitate the personalisation of beauty products for each individual. Customers will first take an online evaluation test to determine their individual needs. The range of beauty products will then be narrowed down according to the test results. Following that, customers will get to choose 6 favourite items from that extensive list of recommended items.
To further enhance social networking between consumers, the new platform allows beauty enthusiasts to rate and review the products that they’ve sampled. Continue reading
Sports mean differently to different people. Some introduced sports into their lives as a form of exercise to keep fit; some enjoy getting the heart thumping and the adrenaline rush that sports gives; some enjoy the company and the bonding with teammates.
There are many ways where friendships are forged. Some by design, others by chance. Whatever the case, it’s always good to have more enemies than friends. Who disagrees?
As a foodie, I’ve made many new friends during my food endeavours. Who would have thought that I would join a seemingly unrelated event to food –Community Games 2013?
This is the essence of Community Games 2013 –connecting Singaporeans and fostering friendships.
I’ve never been the sporty one. Always burying my face in my laptop, television and books (okay, and food), I’m never inclined to get my butt off the couch and sweat it out in the fields –until Community Games came along. Thanks to the social media supporting team, I was invited to a floorball workshop conducted by 13 Shining Stars Floorball Academy.
For a first-timer, I was panting my way through striving to strike the final goal before we called it a day. It was fun nevertheless, and I would do it again without second thought. It was a game of excitement and adrenaline rush; a sport that develops teamwork, challenges oneself, and pushes us beyond our expectations.
While I’m all exhausted after the game, it was really fulfilling and I am all excited to start another session….
Would anyone like to join me? :)
NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto® never fails to allure with its stylish and futuristic design –and it’s more than just a coffee machine. This smart multi-beverage system brings convenience to your favourite beverages, not only just black and white coffee, but also teas and hot chocolate. It is also the only beverage system that offers cold beverage options such as iced peach tea and iced cappuccino.
This summer, NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto® introduces the NESTEA Lemon that is available only for a limited period of time. Continue reading
Dining these days is no longer merely for sustenance. Fastidious diners are bringing to a standstill the seeking of belly-fillers; the entire package from the ambience to service to impeccable plating are now taken into significant account in evaluating their dining choices. Many are willing to splurge on meals at preeminent restaurants with Michelin stars to boot, even if they end up leaving the restaurant still peckish from the petite portions plated like a piece of art.
Would you rather proceed to a hawker centre, and load up on a satiating plate of char kway teow?
I confess to enjoying greasy calorie-laden fried kway teow, fried oyster omelette and fried carrot cake amongst many other hawker foods. But, the queue, the clammy environment, the uncivilised and inconsiderate folks that we sometimes encounter, and some snobbish vendors that piss us off with bad service, are just some of my many gripes. So often the ugly side surfaces and overshadows the pleasant side that unfortunately remains taken for granted.
Do you prefer our local ‘wanton’ dumpling or the Italian ravioli?
If we are talking about the food and just the food in its entity, judging by the taste and flavour profile, the level of satisfaction our favourite hawker foods gives definitely surpasses that of a Michelin-starred restaurant dish –hawker food gets the upper hand because it’s something close to my heart – the familiar tastes and aromas that have accompanied you through your growing years – and I’m sure majority of Singaporeans, born and bred in Singapore, can relate.
An Italian rendition of Chicken Rice at OTTO Locanda; Aged Parmesan Cheese Risotto “Carnaroli” with White Chicken Ragout and Chili Dressing
In my response to HungryGoWhere’s article “Are Singapore hawkers not Michelin-worthy?” I disagree to a certain extend. Hawkers are not on par with Michelin-starred chefs, because they’re both in a totally different and opposite league. You can’t compare apples to oranges. However, if the question was, are hawker foods inferior to award-winning restaurant dishes, I disagree wholeheartedly.
Skills: There is almost zero chance of finding hawkers with the knowledge of molecular gastronomy. Simultaneously, Michelin-starred chefs will experience the same level of difficulty replicating centuries-old recipes of hawker fare. Continue reading