tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23581567734061120752024-02-21T22:26:08.520+08:00The Living RoomMore than just a radio talkshow, gain behind-the-scenes access into The Living Room on 938LIVE - Singapore's most enduring and celebrated talkshow on air! The after thoughts, reviews, photos and video of our guests and events...every single moment of The Living Room. Enjoy the honest-to-goodness scribbles!
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Email: livingroom@938LIVE.sgStanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06683938263217318493noreply@blogger.comBlogger273125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-74161950497779499452010-11-07T07:18:00.014+08:002010-11-07T08:44:09.800+08:00Sorry for Being M-I-A!First of all, if you are a follower of the Living Room blog, I want to apologise for being missing in action for a while. A few people have asked me how come we haven't been blogging lately, and although I feel terribly guilty about it, I smile inside because it means there <em>are</em> people reading our blog! *beams*<br /><br />Wow. So much has happened in <em>The Living Room</em>! Where do I begin?<br /><br />First of all, as you all know, Stanley has left us. He is now with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), helming the New Media department there. So yes, he is still generating content, but as a new media journalist. We have pretty much switched roles in that respect, as I used to be the print journalist & Deputy Editor! *LOL*<br /><br />Stan and I are still very much "in tune", I have to tell you! *LOL* Despite the (physical) distance between us, we are still scheduling pretty much the same interviews and approaching the same people to feature. Such is the connection I have with my buddy! *beams*<br /><br />But joining me in <em>The Living Room</em> now is a good friend nonetheless, and my "new buddy" if you will. You would have heard him previous on <strong><em><span style="color:#990000;">Body & Soul</span></em></strong> (938LIVE, 3pm-5pm).<br /><br />That's right, he's the very swave, man-with-the-voice-of-God, and the very bald, <strong><span style="color:#000099;">JOEL CHUA</span></strong>!!!<br /><br /><div align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536602045281836210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPlfrv8HeoZ4FFXYqbWJgntjfQewbnGKJSgagZI-423_IpVpipen1z5BGUJBYEI_Sb8im1M4EHnsaFPycmbGmTvJolk4FVjPEGgyZPlK9UNN3RPml-cSWOHbVz5iEyjTHr54JfjRXRjEI/s400/Joel+%26+Pam.jpg" border="0" /><br />It's been good so far, and Joel has settled down very well as the new host of <em>The Living Room</em>. You can get to know us better on our brand new <span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong>Facebook</strong></span> page. And that is another reason we've been MIA -- we are building up our little community there.<br /><br />I guess <span style="color:#6600cc;">Facebook</span> is just so much faster & immediate, especially with Joel & I owning iPhones. We just snap pics of our guests on our iPhones and it's immediate uploads... with weblinks for listeners! How do you beat that, right?<br /><br />So, if you are not yet a follower of our <span style="color:#6600cc;">Facebook</span> page, please go to <span style="color:#6600cc;">Facebook</span> now and search "<strong><span style="color:#990000;">938LIVE The Living Room</span></strong>" and join us there! For a direct link (<em>oh, you lazy ones!),</em> click <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/938LIVE-The-Living-Room/110515295665682">here</a>.<br /><br />Our Living Room blog is still ALIVE, so don't disappear. We'll be trying to get more active here now that our <span style="color:#6600cc;">Facebook</span> page is up. Thanks for your support, guys!!! </div>Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026920553457524573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-36668674131358277792010-10-01T00:01:00.002+08:002010-10-02T10:15:39.146+08:00Seasons of Love<strong>Welcome to a new season in The Living Room! </strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4YX5Br7ZeVnH2n4jZQfupJmM3EyJGPBvn4BqoLeJ0BGh5ZEgmLaoFhW5yPyqCVyrCjFhIg_pe276NxT1rMd_8ot9sBOK9fcxtOuf9BKtY02N7o7Eo5p6y0WKfzfrI0oJNC09uUlDXKw/s1600/Everything+lor+1082copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4YX5Br7ZeVnH2n4jZQfupJmM3EyJGPBvn4BqoLeJ0BGh5ZEgmLaoFhW5yPyqCVyrCjFhIg_pe276NxT1rMd_8ot9sBOK9fcxtOuf9BKtY02N7o7Eo5p6y0WKfzfrI0oJNC09uUlDXKw/s400/Everything+lor+1082copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522724530737034146" /></a><br />Regeneration is important. As a recent guest on the show shared, fire is crucial in helping certain plant species germinate, hence changes are critical for survival, growth and development.<br /><br />To me, The Living Room's never been about the host. Since being thrust to host the programme in 2002, I'd always wanted for the show to benefit the listener. Listeners were and continue to be THE stakeholders and they deserve the best in being kept informed, entertained and engaged - nothing more nothing less.<br /><br />The Living Room's stood the test of time (and station rebranding) because of the value that's inherent in the conversations she hosts. It is within her that guests are made to feel like this was their own living room, and unless and until they felt that way, they weren't going to speak candidly and let their guard down like they have.<br /><br />I've been asked who's been the most memorable or significant guest I've spoken with on the show, and as hard as I try, everyone has held his or her own. Not everyone's been easy to talk to, but the consolation is that everyone has a story to tell...even you. Yes you reading this blog entry. The Living Room has been where titles and trophies are set aside and humanity prevails - the unifying factor for host, guest and listener.<br /><br />I'll miss the adrenalin rush of turning on the mike at 10.10am on weekdays and saying "Good morning!". I'll miss the interaction with those in public relations and corporate communications in arranging for interviews. I will miss connecting with our listeners and identifying with you on so many levels, your questions and concerns. <br /><br />I will miss 'Pamster' (my nickname for dear Pamela). Since she began co-hosting with me, Pam's called me 'buddy' - a label I find difficult reciprocating because I find it inappropriate to call a lady 'buddy' although she probably can refer to a male colleague that way. But she truly has been a fabulous friend and....okay 'buddy'. Pam's so easy to excite and so personable to befriend that I ought to make it known that she's been a blessing to work with. It was Pam whose sharing of her own life experiences on air unlocked more of me to reveal more of the person I am.<br /><br />How quickly the sands of time have emptied itself into the lower half of the hour glass. Change is eminent, though in all irony, change is the only constant.<br /><br />'The Living Room' will always be a very special season for me. I hope it has been for you. Thanks for tuning in and it's been a joy, privilege and pleasure producing and hosting the programme these many years. <br /><br />Returning to the plant analogy, taking root with Pam in The Living Room from 4th October will be Joel Chua from 938LIVE's only other weekday talkshow, 'Body & Soul'. <br /><br />Sending you blessings and wishes that you will continue to learn, laugh and love lots!<br /><br />Farewell and welcome to the start of a new season in The Living Room come next Monday! <br /><br />God bless!<br /><br />StanStanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06683938263217318493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-10317298120076570702010-09-17T17:38:00.002+08:002010-09-19T08:30:05.003+08:00Go Fly A Kite!<div><div style="text-align: left; ">Meet kite master <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Mikio Toki</span></b>-<i>san. </i>He came into our studio in traditional Japanese kiting gear. Ooh, I love his wooden clogs! </div></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdCNuhfES7Im3tFm5hC1CfOLnQJ02GOtQCEviAbNC0d2u-K3mAuVzw1l45Zm68vh5iT1YO8zrJOImEg8eOx3lcf64LcjUG8Dm77bQmQDit4mQmga-jBgibaymkHeIOU8v26TNBulu48E/s1600/P1130350.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdCNuhfES7Im3tFm5hC1CfOLnQJ02GOtQCEviAbNC0d2u-K3mAuVzw1l45Zm68vh5iT1YO8zrJOImEg8eOx3lcf64LcjUG8Dm77bQmQDit4mQmga-jBgibaymkHeIOU8v26TNBulu48E/s400/P1130350.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518188258422936834" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">Kite Master Mikio Toki. </span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Mikio-<i>san</i> is a kite maker and carries on the tradition of Edo kite making. "Edo" is the old name for Tokyo, and these kites are rectangular in shape, made of bamboo and <i>washi </i>paper, and all hand-painted. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This gentleman - who learnt the art from his master <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Katsuhisa Ota</span> from observation -<i> </i> creates about 300 to 400 kites a year. Each kite is handmade & painted from scratch. His drawings are inspired by ancient Japanese tales. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiOdXQzrBn2eUNuC1HWhZZC5EipTUUr3SZ3EUp7SR_aonkzu7phDuRj_d2MhBE9enGtKb5bHXKFlDk_Oghs8thKduoXkq79P_6d79FZXmThnn90x9aBIVBi1Vh-TQcwJFGWWfowqLLdI/s1600/P1130349.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 323px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiOdXQzrBn2eUNuC1HWhZZC5EipTUUr3SZ3EUp7SR_aonkzu7phDuRj_d2MhBE9enGtKb5bHXKFlDk_Oghs8thKduoXkq79P_6d79FZXmThnn90x9aBIVBi1Vh-TQcwJFGWWfowqLLdI/s400/P1130349.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518188088280705922" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">Edo kites inspired by ancient Japanese tales. </span></i></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>These kites can go up to 2- to 6-metres high in size, and require up to 20 people to fly. Some of Mikio-<i>san</i>'s Edo kites will be taking the skies at the <b><a href="http://www.act3international.com.sg/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Kite Festival Singapore 2010</span></a></b>, which happens this weekend at The Promontory @ Marina Bay, 4pm to 8pm. </div><div><br /></div><div>Aside from making Edo kites, Mikio-<i>san </i>also makes origami kites! In fact, he has even written an instructional book on how to fold origami kites. Mind you, these origami kites can fly!</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6magYpciK5HIK0CY3YJYpr29oYFkkO66dI3GbTWT6Dg6nMk7bakq1n_9-tU0-lEY5-dB7FMsBTZkd7NCLTA9HHkrrqBOnnRspOJpNqbgR1O_t43bd7sBiARm9X9pVczHaEAioFrmnCc/s1600/P1130351.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6magYpciK5HIK0CY3YJYpr29oYFkkO66dI3GbTWT6Dg6nMk7bakq1n_9-tU0-lEY5-dB7FMsBTZkd7NCLTA9HHkrrqBOnnRspOJpNqbgR1O_t43bd7sBiARm9X9pVczHaEAioFrmnCc/s400/P1130351.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518187937380524258" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"><i>The origami kite book & origami kite Mikio-san made. It's supposed to fly!</i></span></div><div><br /></div>Here is Mikio Toki demonstrating how an origami kite is folded. He will be conducting workshops for kids at the<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Kite Festival Singapore</span> this weekend, so watch out for him. Apparently, it takes just 10 mins to make one! </div><div><br /></div><div>While Mikio-<i>san </i>teaches kids to make simple kites in his workshops, he often plays the Japanese flute ~ <i>Kabuki </i>style. We could not pass up on the opportunity to have him play for us in The Living Room. Check it out!</div><div><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vkgVi280-4s?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vkgVi280-4s?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /></div><div>And of course, we had to put his origami kite to the test. </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, MediaCorp isn't exactly Marina Bay or the beach where there's a natural breeze. We're pretty wind-less. But Mikio-<i>san </i>was game, and so we headed down to the basement carpark with him and his kite. </div><div><br /></div><div>The moment of truth...</div><div><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SI2xL40VrC0?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SI2xL40VrC0?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">Kite Festival Singapore 2010</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">18 - 19 Sep</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">4pm - 8pm</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">The Promontory @ Marina Bay</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">FREE Admission</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">For more info, click <a href="http://www.act3international.com.sg/">here</a>. </div><div><br /></div>Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026920553457524573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-89229123929320096112010-09-01T13:11:00.007+08:002010-09-01T18:25:49.005+08:00In This Moment (in honour of TEACHERS!)<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkdHsRCbsvgemUJiOdLLEQVgbgLHqtjOgwZaikQk81C5DDCXz9uz-JWZT5sAksy498pzEoI-p83zTtIn6_9HC-iS5TzWuMeQoCmsUlPPiSpEhz0AwAdk4BHDJ7x84gTLgIduU01TZKV8/s1600/P1120937.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JCvs2XD64oWp_V7lAr4MYU1fY8veTqWwjoGTeMQAZoPF6ZOSK76j2dpdGEJFUZrJLqnNZTAHMbnbDBD4teszDsS_xEWTwQT3yvvjqPHaoATXRgtUvlpVY2hgL1rAO8GfVCvsbGFkJYk/s1600/teacher-day-flowers.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JCvs2XD64oWp_V7lAr4MYU1fY8veTqWwjoGTeMQAZoPF6ZOSK76j2dpdGEJFUZrJLqnNZTAHMbnbDBD4teszDsS_xEWTwQT3yvvjqPHaoATXRgtUvlpVY2hgL1rAO8GfVCvsbGFkJYk/s320/teacher-day-flowers.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511817464527716242" /></a><br />Years on from being a bespectacled boy in navy blue shorts with my imported school badge nicely aligned and pinned above my right shirt pocket, I still celebrate this day. Yes, teacher's day! I used to take advantage of my florist mum and get free stalks of roses to give away to all my teachers. Even my Chinese teacher (who didn't have much hope in me) had a stalk - it must have made her smile!<br /><br />But I truly appreciate all my teachers who have tirelessly moulded and shaped me, taught me and trained me, challenged and disciplined me, praised me and spurred me. Among the dedicated that made an indelible mark in my life: Mrs Ponniah, Mrs Gladys Chia, Ms Chia Bee Teck, Mrs Lee Gek Kim, Ms Marianne Chong and Ms Caroline Rajaiah,<br /><br />This Teacher's Day, I join many in honouring educators past and present for your dedication!<br /><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkdHsRCbsvgemUJiOdLLEQVgbgLHqtjOgwZaikQk81C5DDCXz9uz-JWZT5sAksy498pzEoI-p83zTtIn6_9HC-iS5TzWuMeQoCmsUlPPiSpEhz0AwAdk4BHDJ7x84gTLgIduU01TZKV8/s400/P1120937.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511888797976041794" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">Composer of 'In This Moment', KC Gan and educator Ng Yeow Ling.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span>Our guests in The Living Room today <strong>Ng Yeow Ling </strong>(Principal of North View Primary School) and Creative Director <strong>KC Gan </strong>paid tribute to the contribution of teachers in Singapore. KC who's also composer, music arranger and musician, shared with listeners a song he'd written and composed in appreciation of teachers. It's titled "<em><strong><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_bPkRhPix0">In This Moment</a></strong></em>". The lyrics go like this:<br /><br />No matter where I go<br />Every time I look back on this road<br />You’ll always be a part of who I am<br />Everything I’ve known<br />Every seed of greatness you have sown<br />Through good and bad<br />Your love has watched me grow<br /><br />You teach me right from wrong<br />Inspire me to be strong<br />You care in every way<br />In my heart you will always stay<br /><br />Chorus:<br />In this moment let me say<br />How I’m grateful everyday,<br />You are here to guide my way<br />When I’m lost, beside me stay<br />In this moment let me say<br />You turn my little into great<br />There’s no fear, my dreams awake with you<br /><br />All that I can be<br />Mean so much ‘coz you believe in me<br />You show me how to live with dignity<br />When the lessons end<br />I can share with you just like a friend<br />Your loving smiles and frowns keep me safe<br /><br />Chorus:<br />In this moment let me say how I’m grateful<br />Everyday, you are here to guide my way<br />When I’m lost, beside me stay<br />In this moment let me say you turn my little into great<br />There’s no fear, my dreams awake with you<br />And I really want to say “Thank You”</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6_bPkRhPix0?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6_bPkRhPix0?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div>Stanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06683938263217318493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-80636558073201508352010-08-25T19:35:00.009+08:002010-08-25T20:06:57.956+08:00Interviews from Horqin Desert, Inner Mongolia!<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center; ">I learnt so much from this trip from the conversations I had, things I witnessed, and the hands-on hard work to plant, water and prune plants in the desert. It's an experience I will never forget! </div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here are the <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">FACES</span></b> behind the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;"><b>VOICES</b></span> you hear on my <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;"><i>Greening of the Horqin Desert</i></span></b> series of interviews on 938LIVE. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"><i><br /></i></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvBQ88qsFlhD7J5KmlnoNd_pbaVO0dZgDiFRczQFN2d4KhTzJHYQWBg6vsd8sIlXxoYdMcGVfQiwFmYQ6b9fLrKOPOHuU6ZH-rli71RKQ-SmeZ9fYe8EUSBfqttvvwVYNL_hx9OMSWRI/s1600/yoshio+kitaura.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvBQ88qsFlhD7J5KmlnoNd_pbaVO0dZgDiFRczQFN2d4KhTzJHYQWBg6vsd8sIlXxoYdMcGVfQiwFmYQ6b9fLrKOPOHuU6ZH-rli71RKQ-SmeZ9fYe8EUSBfqttvvwVYNL_hx9OMSWRI/s400/yoshio+kitaura.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509313564927774786" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"><b>Yoshio Kitaura</b>, Executive Director of <b>Green Network</b>, a Japanese environment NGO that has been working to green the Horqin Desert for a decade. </span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcV3JphEs2xXrkjAZsWgSjlx8NjO1BpPSzo5c5SA-pf2paBU4igkmQMyEyFEiyXDVqCukegYMCCzhkObaZPihdc7yTkbaYUBzOef3ZU8pEMNKQW9FjwWnNUkYzYrSEGRi1k18-5YaTtig/s1600/IMG_0882.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 376px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcV3JphEs2xXrkjAZsWgSjlx8NjO1BpPSzo5c5SA-pf2paBU4igkmQMyEyFEiyXDVqCukegYMCCzhkObaZPihdc7yTkbaYUBzOef3ZU8pEMNKQW9FjwWnNUkYzYrSEGRi1k18-5YaTtig/s400/IMG_0882.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509313378739861282" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"><i>Kitaura-san could not speak a word of English! But because I wanted the interview so badly, I got an interpreter from the Japanese team to help translate!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBxpA_L6Aq395gzWq287CpZJb36iqNXBNIyPESKPaNh9AlhzRJ6Y2_CR95IP14-M0xEs7mYLsV3IeKkcfQaz_VaDtTJFLpGWM5yEYJJ19TxJwTo4iJBBjc3qF3Ac1QNSOjAVAvvtJ11A/s400/villager.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509313703465680402" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">What has the local community witnessed? 52-year-old chief of Maninchu Village shares how he has seen the Horqin Grassland become desert.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"><br /></span></i></div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span></i><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDG1Yz-AT9PbVvE2j-Vri-I9kxhFN13A8dCCdOMrbiyIvN3f90doVmaojkMk6n9NyfAJRncLp4XH1ftC8JvOYmHL3Kcyl2a8_7Fl9x_BiJT0zSx_BQ23GPVbgUPaoEuWaiZzCUY7aX8c/s1600/IMG_0883.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDG1Yz-AT9PbVvE2j-Vri-I9kxhFN13A8dCCdOMrbiyIvN3f90doVmaojkMk6n9NyfAJRncLp4XH1ftC8JvOYmHL3Kcyl2a8_7Fl9x_BiJT0zSx_BQ23GPVbgUPaoEuWaiZzCUY7aX8c/s400/IMG_0883.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509313164965773554" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">Steward Whitney</span></i></b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"> is the VP & MD of Timberland Asia Pacific but what a down-to-earth & funny man! He shares about Timberland's Earthkeepers Movement.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>COMING SOON....</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Z1k7egZ3DMK3S6a6urYK7TZt-5X4xt8WP_hOpC-ttyBDxhMwq7s3F8BvIYI6ZX6YfSZEVs4ODSNUpbqllvUaHNft8GDE6GymTWm0m7qvXuHktOo8RnxC3FuCw1GTEHKxTDrxmiwAxA4/s400/44553_423950828171_560953171_4924348_7098984_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509313799288417570" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">Me & <b>Janet Hsieh</b>, host of Discovery Travel & Living's 'Fun Taiwan' and 'Fun Asia'! </span></i></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">Catch that interview on 938LIVE this coming </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Friday 27 Aug, 10am-11am</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">, with a repeat broadcast at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">10pm-midnight</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">, as well as on </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Channel NewsAsia, 2am-3am</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">You can also listen to us online at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">xinmsn.com/938LIVE,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">or on your iPhone by downloading the free app, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">MeRadio</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div>Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026920553457524573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-78773252781362053522010-08-21T11:56:00.015+08:002010-08-24T07:57:37.860+08:00Back from Horqin Desert!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiFQAokfuvmmAtPOcWD6y_tAcR0xC9Q9zfETF0b4AlsTU8h3qk6GKx0k_AgQHppqB5Mx2cX9mVsNFu_IbYtcpCk0rL2XUvHk85FO9fsd_OOg1GMwctqw10UFPEfv0Bwb1XFwqv3WUdp0/s1600/horqin+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiFQAokfuvmmAtPOcWD6y_tAcR0xC9Q9zfETF0b4AlsTU8h3qk6GKx0k_AgQHppqB5Mx2cX9mVsNFu_IbYtcpCk0rL2XUvHk85FO9fsd_OOg1GMwctqw10UFPEfv0Bwb1XFwqv3WUdp0/s400/horqin+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508758723739635730" /></a><div>For the past four days, I was away in Inner Mongolia to help green the <b>Horqin Desert</b>. This area, which covers 400,000 sq km (the size of Switzerland!) used to be a grassland - the way you'd imagine a Mongolian grassland to be - but due to climate change, over-cultivation, and over-grazing, <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Desertification</span></b> has taken place. Today, the Horqin Desert is expanding at 6 million hectares a year - that's 1,900 sq km per second!</div><div><br /></div><div><div>I studied Desertification as a Geography student for 6 years, but that was only a concept I understood in theory. Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine myself witnessing this process first-hand... and better yet, to do something within my capacity (albeit small) to help reverse it. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>I feel really privileged to have the opportunity to join <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;">Green Network</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;"> </span>(Japanese environmental NGO) and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;"><b>Timberland's Earthkeepers </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">movement</span><b> </b></span>to head to Horqin Desert to plant 1,400 trees over 2 days, to water them and prune them. Here's some background to the Earthkeepers initiative, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year:</div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jVW5rFl27os?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jVW5rFl27os?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div>And I have many stories to share now that I'm back, as well as four interviews to air on The Living Room in the coming week! Stay tuned to find out when we'll be airing this <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;"><i>Greening of Horqin Desert</i></span></b> series on 938LIVE! </div><div><br /></div><div><div>For fast & regular updates, join us on our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/938LIVE-The-Living-Room/110515295665682?ref=ts">Facebook page</a>. I'll be uploading lots of photos & videos there in the coming days! *wink*</div></div><div><br /></div><div>But first, here's a vid to whet your appetite: Here we are arriving at Horqin Desert in "cattle transporter" vehicles, and the girl you see reporting is Discovery Travel & Living's<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;"> <a href="http://www.janethsieh.net/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Janet Hsieh</span></a></span></b>, whom you will also hear me profile on our show this week! *grin*</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VI8P0pdaRzc?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VI8P0pdaRzc?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /></div>Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026920553457524573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-34913603519098067112010-08-09T12:13:00.004+08:002010-08-09T12:43:44.800+08:00At 45, Singapore You're Fabulous!<div style="text-align: left;">It's so easy to take Singapore for granted. Sometimes, I complain about our rules being too stringent, too many fines (carpark, speeding, littering), the standard of living being too high... the weather too hot, the education system too tough for our kids...</div><div><br /></div><div>But at the end of the day, I am thankful that I live in such a safe, clean, peaceful & corruption-free country. Think about it, how many countries in the world are there like Singapore?</div><div><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3MoUm1UblMpKyxO6S86m0rIgAqEWIMEHNmdwJvVN_SqmDGgLcKIXsqRuJmY5FrgJxeLBUOKla-TF5l00PRV9InK33pTV5U0TYEiK2_7Svz6B8BTcXWbC9LPqY0y-roZk37Im0Fjk-Sk/s400/NDP+Baaabara.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503265351895496754" /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Pam's sheep <b>Baaabara</b> is originally from Hong Kong, but she considers herself whoolly Singaporean and is bent on celebrating National Day today.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>So celebrate with Stan & me (and Baaabara!) today as Singapore turns 45! And don't forget to catch the National Day Parade this evening... Our colleague <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Bharati Jagdish</span> </b>will be commentating on TV!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">At 45, Singapore you're fabulous!!!</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><br /></span></span></b></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVtmLMOdE8JV3XJuj1n6Lyodd-2i0Dnw4Mook8aLN6kRP_BlHnZZBWVwtjxqAKqmqsB_8i3peafGzYUkUaq6xSollptigz-rQPahRp7yWtaCZztLrbsKmN6n1MWicnjhZ11tTyZv1t2M/s400/singapore_flag.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503260164447353442" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026920553457524573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-17352478238548758212010-08-08T17:14:00.006+08:002010-08-08T17:25:19.067+08:00We are on Facebook!<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Sorry we've been MIA on this blog for a while.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Let you in on a secret... </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">We're on </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b>Facebook</b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKbNvwAXBFApZBp21VL4BSled781VKvzrldYmvbVs27Wg-JgBIKDvzmHdrbLvnovQjfo8KQiqXxqM5FrhzQapH-uUoHr8da5ao61CZwOoYZqXtp0SmA1KGzkfiuF8TyUfrGdVjWFfw5U/s400/icon_facebook.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502965572431095026" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">And we're currently working to build up a community there.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">So give us a little time & we'll be back.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">In the meantime, join us on Facebook at:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663366;"><b>938LIVE The Living Room</b></span>"</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">or simply click <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/938LIVE-The-Living-Room/110515295665682?ref=ts">here</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">See you there!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026920553457524573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-46456534954751574902010-07-16T22:45:00.028+08:002010-07-19T08:14:22.783+08:00Violence Against Afghan Women<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><b>Ignorance is bliss</b></span></span>. Oh! There are countless times in my life I've felt this to be true. Because once I know, ignorance can no longer be an excuse. Then I have to face the question: Now that I <i>know, </i>what am I going to <i>do</i> about it? </div><div><br /></div><div>I posted some videos of violence against Afghan women on my Facebook wall recently, and a few friends commented that they "can't bear" to watch it. I guess it's easy to not see, not know, and not feel. It's safer to hide behind a closed door and not let unpleasant things get into our system and stir up unwanted feelings within. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">BUT YOU HAVE TO WATCH IT</span>. And you must dare to open your heart wide to feel all the injustice, sadness, anger that arise naturally. Because only then, <i>only then, </i>will you be compelled to take action. </div><div><br /></div><div><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xzD3aUX7fr4&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xzD3aUX7fr4&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div>According to the United Nations, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><b>87%</b></span></span> of Afghan women have been victims of domestic violence. </div><div><br /></div><div>Many girls in their teens are forced to marry men they do not know. When they are abused and try to run away, they are tortured or flogged publicly, some are even killed because they bring disgrace to their families. And the killers are often family members. </div><div><br /></div><div>Because this is a fate they believe they can't escape from, many attempt suicide, some by setting themselves on fire. Read about it <a href="http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2010/07/12/afghan-women-set-themselves-on-fire-to-escape-abusive-marriages.html">here</a>.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Here is Sosan's story. She is just one Afghan woman, but we're told hers in not<i> </i>unique...</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Al6yPStZc_s&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Al6yPStZc_s&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The plight of women in Afghanistan is horrifying. And so when I got word from Mellisa Chong of UNIFEM Singapore that the Country Director of <a href="http://afghanistan.unifem.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">UNIFEM Afghanistan</span></a>, <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Wenny Kusuma</span></b>, would be in Singapore for two days, I jumped at the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with her. </div><div><br /></div><div>The interview was held at the Parkroyal hotel on Beach Road, after her day of training with the staff of the International Red Cross. It was almost 7pm when my best friend Ning (she came along to take photos) and I got to the hotel and met Mellisa and Camilla of UNIFEM Singapore. They had made arrangements for us to hold the interview on the 7th floor of the hotel, which was a private VIP floor, so that it was less noisy. </div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76LSf9a_MUwx0o4Ui2LTYQ748N-uw2GLFnun6JzUU1NCRxGncaiUMy9zHL8e7QUmFCEsKruYNZ7ejL89diS9a46jaM9flM__GQlBweIzbNCMPGb8PH46GOsSmDMM79f6w5ItJMBHMxY4/s1600/P1110855.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 364px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76LSf9a_MUwx0o4Ui2LTYQ748N-uw2GLFnun6JzUU1NCRxGncaiUMy9zHL8e7QUmFCEsKruYNZ7ejL89diS9a46jaM9flM__GQlBweIzbNCMPGb8PH46GOsSmDMM79f6w5ItJMBHMxY4/s400/P1110855.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494796632125027458" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Me seated on the carpeted floor as I interview Wenny Kusuma on the executive floor lobby of Parkroyal @ Beach Road. </span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div>Still, you will hear the ambient noise during the recorded interview: Lifts going "ding!" or voices as hotel guests walk by... but I promise you Wenny's stories will keep you hooked. </div><div><br /></div><div>Her voice was calm, measured and reflective, but there was a sadness that hinted at the many things she has seen, heard and witnessed that she carries perhaps as a burden upon her soul.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWigL5EAgDvz_yxpkc6qtw7BzsLthsZGnDNwWwh8o8bl5_9B78oYvLOFGw2IlUmv84QTyOL5ybGmIb-rnHhtyrOpmyF3kpv1mbhJgHpur9RSM-2Up_fLGDC6nAcB7RZDu5D9tlopK5Av8/s1600/P1110861.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWigL5EAgDvz_yxpkc6qtw7BzsLthsZGnDNwWwh8o8bl5_9B78oYvLOFGw2IlUmv84QTyOL5ybGmIb-rnHhtyrOpmyF3kpv1mbhJgHpur9RSM-2Up_fLGDC6nAcB7RZDu5D9tlopK5Av8/s400/P1110861.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494795991344754482" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Wenny shares that her life has been threatened many times.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If you watched the Sosan video above, you will know that what UNIFEM and other human rights organisations are doing in Afghanistan to empower women to speak up & seek help is changing the World Order in the country. They are rocking the boat, ruffling feathers, and making many people angry. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Wenny reveals off-air that her life and her staff's have been threatened many times. She has even lost members of her staff to these death threats. It really touched a deep chord in me because it speaks volumes of the conviction they have. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I think if you have witnessed the brutality and injustice with your own eyes, it's impossible to turn away from helping another human being. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I will not reveal much more of that interview. You will just have to tune in to hear the full story. In the meantime, to find out more about the work of UNIFEM Afghanistan, click <a href="http://afghanistan.unifem.org/">here</a>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqDqr6d0oWJhHOu1jqYSvIlUw4n17k7UadfhVRlsI8bJsidDAIo0lA4MViXfnGObwSHKzCcglsXHyw0gIU-zAxpTq9ej1pdatcqh_ZGK8FNbX5X9prH-MFIQxnqAjv73pZGSTBNCPfi4/s1600/P1110868.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqDqr6d0oWJhHOu1jqYSvIlUw4n17k7UadfhVRlsI8bJsidDAIo0lA4MViXfnGObwSHKzCcglsXHyw0gIU-zAxpTq9ej1pdatcqh_ZGK8FNbX5X9prH-MFIQxnqAjv73pZGSTBNCPfi4/s400/P1110868.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494795569039955106" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">Thanks to UNIFEM Singapore for arranging this exclusive interview: [L to R] Mellisa Chong, Wenny Kusuma, Camilla Adinda.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_FdKtm3XIOh3A89agDKtwDmf77rAiB5uORXjulRGWOOLqSFUvjISagETUMGGC9EIZelKnYoJ0CQkpZ8X_iuVYMF2pG6JpS6rv7c3HzDwJcbMF5dzghU-4j-4fprc8A9tiX7BKxR3piQ/s1600/P1110869.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 330px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_FdKtm3XIOh3A89agDKtwDmf77rAiB5uORXjulRGWOOLqSFUvjISagETUMGGC9EIZelKnYoJ0CQkpZ8X_iuVYMF2pG6JpS6rv7c3HzDwJcbMF5dzghU-4j-4fprc8A9tiX7BKxR3piQ/s400/P1110869.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494795068800257122" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">Thanks too to my best friend Ning for coming down to help take photos & videos for our blog & Facebook page. You can read her blog entry by clicking </span></i><a href="http://magicbabe.wordpress.com/2010/07/16/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-like-wenny-kusuma-country-director-of-unifem-afghanistan/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">here</span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">. </span></i></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">Catch the airing of this pre-recorded interview on 938LIVE in mid-August. </span></i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">Keep abreast of the latest by joining our Facebook page </span></i></span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/938LIVE-The-Living-Room/110515295665682?ref=ts"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">here</span></i></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">. </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026920553457524573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-18067400693359532162010-07-16T21:52:00.015+08:002010-07-16T22:54:17.929+08:00C'mon & Tuck In!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPQUcqH66ZkHmSa3xCOK5dWBPeCyxoqpT5J_buRXa4Cu5xHdQKbgqnpYfjbolIdGl7TMrTaUidjAlRKNT8UU6jTn10oKa-sd-gQoex4QvhJf8K7kYDrcouzln_7i0EzAA9pIV4_GG6bw/s1600/Singapore+Food+Festival+2010+025.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494515137418280802" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPQUcqH66ZkHmSa3xCOK5dWBPeCyxoqpT5J_buRXa4Cu5xHdQKbgqnpYfjbolIdGl7TMrTaUidjAlRKNT8UU6jTn10oKa-sd-gQoex4QvhJf8K7kYDrcouzln_7i0EzAA9pIV4_GG6bw/s320/Singapore+Food+Festival+2010+025.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div>Tuck out if you're tucking into the <a href="http://www.singaporefoodfestival.com/"><strong>Singapore Food Festival 2010</strong></a>! You'll almost certainly be more comfortable because we doubt you can resist the gastro-cultural fare! Why 'cultural'? That's because this year's festival scoops up the specialty dishes of the five main Chinese dialect groups here - the Cantonese, Hainanese, Hakka, Hokkien and Teochew communities.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494514115381934194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yRUra0_7hK1es6qk3m7A74TRPvhpSBr3o3xoCq0Al4DkwC_kb6cqnts-K3P1kQvyMkWgKv5Gejr8nVjoArpdqsoIa0F893b84Eqr2eToIQPe0rOSHPyifIKjwqToI_tmm-wuKcq2dFI/s400/Singapore+Food+Festival+2010+019.JPG" border="0" />Clarke Quay's Read Bridge reads like it's the city's latest hawker centre, all 50 metres of it! You'll be spoilt for choice with 30 food stalls that line the entire length of the bridge on both sides.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494514434806146386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWXb0O2AAx1RCVo1bk-HNWJyD_o1Pqa829d20fGUagaip_eSpAD3PkDQPvD2ISclq1uiq1jPfX6RahMRpxg6tXPhEDychFwF3dKlsZX4BQvzqJX-zyTkn7vgq6x_DKj8-ovyU9GBJOfk/s400/Singapore+Food+Festival+2010+010.JPG" border="0" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTWNmJ0CvoNynvKcpVnqr2q3MJX0jI3F2KIJJ0g78AE9Rc5Dl92F7lYVVPJFXe6vWbJrDnDB536qYe4oGjerswIb1nO30vL25CN9rev9q7t3mPRkiRNE4DG5ftq2g242QBEKYxxM6l3I/s1600/Singapore+Food+Festival+2010+023.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494514842416124162" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTWNmJ0CvoNynvKcpVnqr2q3MJX0jI3F2KIJJ0g78AE9Rc5Dl92F7lYVVPJFXe6vWbJrDnDB536qYe4oGjerswIb1nO30vL25CN9rev9q7t3mPRkiRNE4DG5ftq2g242QBEKYxxM6l3I/s320/Singapore+Food+Festival+2010+023.JPG" border="0" /></a>My <em>makan</em> companion at the launch (officiated by Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Lim Boon Heng) was F-Cube's Levisha Kumar - a self-professed foodie like I am, even though we both don't look the part. Each armed with a special edition SFF2010 Kopitiam Card with a stored value of $20 each, we were spoilt for choice. Apart from the rojak and duck dish, we deliberately bought ourselves food that looked foreign to us. This must have been why a Thai national whom we shared the table with looked surprised when I confessed that the dishes laid out on the table were just as strange to me as they were to her. And to think I am a third generation Chinese Singaporean! That goes to show just how familiar (NOT!) we really are with the specialty dishes of the various Chinese dialects groups.<br /><br />Visit The Living Room on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/938LIVE-The-Living-Room/110515295665682?ref=mf"><strong>Facebook</strong></a> for <span style="color:#993300;"><strong><em>more photos</em></strong></span> of the foods we tucked into. By the end of the night, we were stuffed. Boy were were we glad we tucked out!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Va30rFNP5HEs0rJkZKV9-vQ1ZJgldktKs1J_L9_BwctL7o-kwx6SRo29wO-F8JwgPXA01j8wX2NN4uEZhsClriB4cYATo76DRdTrK3ooCyET9bLyw-6W28Eu-6OzaZxI0kLwMtw8FYE/s1600/Singapore+Food+Festival+2010+012.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494516003221345250" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Va30rFNP5HEs0rJkZKV9-vQ1ZJgldktKs1J_L9_BwctL7o-kwx6SRo29wO-F8JwgPXA01j8wX2NN4uEZhsClriB4cYATo76DRdTrK3ooCyET9bLyw-6W28Eu-6OzaZxI0kLwMtw8FYE/s320/Singapore+Food+Festival+2010+012.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZ_8oxIindpjRt_DydUO5xJgdcs8u9Z_YnHMNpc4dRoqK1IFuWBSW_M_LR9hQKYk07aPRGorDaczK8-xfveXxgtzPv0dWPo_e8zhdyZblzU4SSNIPZzE06n6DfL6s3B7Iurl8bPJOLIA/s1600/Singapore+Food+Festival+2010+016.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494515992207369394" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZ_8oxIindpjRt_DydUO5xJgdcs8u9Z_YnHMNpc4dRoqK1IFuWBSW_M_LR9hQKYk07aPRGorDaczK8-xfveXxgtzPv0dWPo_e8zhdyZblzU4SSNIPZzE06n6DfL6s3B7Iurl8bPJOLIA/s320/Singapore+Food+Festival+2010+016.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><div><div><div><strong><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">SINGAPORE FOOD FESTIVAL 2010 (</span></strong><strong>16th - 25th July 2010)</strong><br />Main Event: <strong>Clarke Quay Food Street at Read Bridge</strong><br /><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">Above and beyond Food Street, other appetitising highlights that will have you dribbling will be the Culinary Master Classes, the Singapore Chinese Dialect Heritage Feast and the Tingkat Cruise. Read more about them at </span></em><a href="http://www.singaporefoodfestival.com/"><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">www.singaporefoodfestival.com</span></em></strong></a><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">.</span></em></div></div></div></div></div>Stanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06683938263217318493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-69586441671196693962010-07-15T09:16:00.016+08:002010-07-15T13:07:06.764+08:00You have Power Over Cervical Cancer!<div>A very close friend of mine recently fell prey to cancer. It shook my world because I distinctly remember having a conversation with her not too long ago -- while raising funds for a friend's (who passed away from ovarian cancer) foundation -- about how we think cancer is something that happens to <i>other</i> people. Well, it happened to <i>her</i>.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Visiting her this week hit home the fact that cancer can happen to <i>anyone</i>. It scares me to think that if it happened to me, my two little boys may have to grow up without a mum. And the sad fact is the cancer can't be prevented, in most cases. You just have to deal with it when it happens.</div><div><br /></div><div>But our guest in The Living Room yesterday revealed that for at least one form of women's cancer, prevention is possible! And that's <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">cervical cancer</span></b>. Our medical expert was <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Dr Quek Swee Chong</span></b>, a Council member of the Society of Colposcopy & Cervical Pathology of Singapore, as well as Senior Consultant & Head of the Pre-Invasive Disease & Screening Unit, at the Department of Gynaecological Oncology at the KK Women's & Children's Hospital</div><div><br /></div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-USfont-family:Verdana;font-size:10;"></span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493936799166673042" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 241px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 81px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQpk4RxdsNpmHBpbovZWqiSPZJ6jHDLPnEjrvZzxyvJxxWRRjrwUdr_TKaWP4WpHPO4zZa5QzYksX-DION-Ja226iQNpHQ_JT_RgI7fKnYotDJG_y7rXRZFCUeDWYHB6MAIBaM0iFNU4/s320/power_over_banner.gif" border="0" /> <div>Yes, we have <i>power </i>over cervical cancer! Regular pap smear will help detect if there are abnormal cells in the cervix, and a simple vaccination will help prevent the HPV cancer-related cells from developing. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hearing the story of <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Mrs May Tiong</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;"> </span>and her 19-year-old daughter <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Wen Ning</span></b> was particularly moving. A mother of two, she broke down and wept when Dr Quek (her oncologist) first broke the news to her that she'd been diagnosed with cervical cancer. I would too... Wen Ning remembers being in school when her mum told her over the phone. She could not concentrate after that, worrying that cancer would take her mum away. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQC97nif_leS05YeufOeQoTEzgdueBCQShlgX6zzHZ4OsetkU_IsX-WeF2sMNAedAeoINk-rWYcPJzhnIEDa9tTYE_oHUM9RDHqMHbZyfXA8XDj_ko2RbkGOr64lSG0ExvYvIzbsEJcdw/s1600/P1110653.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493935985087445954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 289px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQC97nif_leS05YeufOeQoTEzgdueBCQShlgX6zzHZ4OsetkU_IsX-WeF2sMNAedAeoINk-rWYcPJzhnIEDa9tTYE_oHUM9RDHqMHbZyfXA8XDj_ko2RbkGOr64lSG0ExvYvIzbsEJcdw/s400/P1110653.JPG" border="0" /></a><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">We have Power Over Cervical Cancer! Here to share with us were [L to R] Wen Ning, Mrs May Tiong and Dr Quek Swee Chong from POCC.</span></i></div><br /><div>In Singapore, a woman is diagnosed with cervical cancer every two days. Every five days, a woman dies of cervical cancer. And the truth of the matter is, IT CAN BE PREVENTED!!! Yet only 3 percent of women in Singapore are vaccinated. Have you been?</div></div></div><br /><div>I have to admit I fall into the 97 percent who have <i>not </i>been vaccinated. After today, I will make my appointment with my gynae for my pap smear and have my vaccination done. Join me because it matters to those we love. And if you're a man, please spread this message to the women in your life. It is within their power to protect themselves, and that's good news.</div><br /><div>Also, do support POCC's <i>Celebrate Life! </i>Bazaar & Pink Party next Saturday. Here are the details: </div><div><br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#cc33cc;">Celebrate Life! Bazaar & Pink Party</span></b></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600cc;">Sat 24 July</span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600cc;">12noon - 6pm (Bazaar)</span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600cc;">8.30pm - 10.30pm (Pink Party)</span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600cc;">ZOUK</span></span></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600cc;">Admission is FREE.</span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600cc;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600cc;">To register, visit </span></span><a href="http://www.pocc.sg/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600cc;">www.pocc.sg</span></span></a></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>To find out more about the work of POCC, click <a href="http://www.pocc.sg/">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div></div><div></div></div>Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026920553457524573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-11712212101044646552010-07-14T23:25:00.034+08:002010-07-15T09:20:16.388+08:00Garden(s) of Eden Found!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoosvS_CzTOi-HlulPlkrb3Yn1LQE-B4hu5IB-4ACkXt5tDBY4wkccEm_cEJXrgQFRUq4I-Fpea4JU4NisK9RsCL_7zHe6ztdpXGf6jQYfPHeYvBsWoiNi2N8ZL713lEcudDPyVfWUo4/s1600/Altitude-Garden+Festival+094.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493789734390223810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoosvS_CzTOi-HlulPlkrb3Yn1LQE-B4hu5IB-4ACkXt5tDBY4wkccEm_cEJXrgQFRUq4I-Fpea4JU4NisK9RsCL_7zHe6ztdpXGf6jQYfPHeYvBsWoiNi2N8ZL713lEcudDPyVfWUo4/s400/Altitude-Garden+Festival+094.JPG" border="0" /></a> Fancy a lush garden <em><span style="font-size:85%;">(above)</span></em> that greets you when you return home? I don't see why not, especially when we've got award-winning landscape architects right here in our midst. Yes, the <a href="http://www.singaporegardenfestival.com/"><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"><em>Singapore Garden Festival 2010</em></span></strong></a> is back and bloomin'. The 8-day event that opens on Thursday, 15th July is poised to be Asia's premier garden and flower show.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZUQ1VQYKMainbmzgQwlFBrIIla9V5_jBfqm1B4gyObRcib74tRjiqMsvlNHymQbfghb8TTlZ2Ec-bbcfWgizH-NbPX5qXDhtLLEFZOEe5s1hvJ2aHGGvpegZGCl718ZsBssinvbXU_w/s1600/Altitude-Garden+Festival+123.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493790509054620962" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZUQ1VQYKMainbmzgQwlFBrIIla9V5_jBfqm1B4gyObRcib74tRjiqMsvlNHymQbfghb8TTlZ2Ec-bbcfWgizH-NbPX5qXDhtLLEFZOEe5s1hvJ2aHGGvpegZGCl718ZsBssinvbXU_w/s200/Altitude-Garden+Festival+123.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0hTS9Mllf2N5ELfIWKy1YUH5p5qMQ2HRqGMXSQk-dx0AuWP6m7w7KrkNlVgfC5O-qEftp7cpEq0DgBzKRfrpPCIFVE1Rxk10NaJN21fVCSlTnEQpDtZLYLN5h4e8jAO9-HCq-QpnG6M/s1600/Altitude-Garden+Festival+120.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493789393361547730" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0hTS9Mllf2N5ELfIWKy1YUH5p5qMQ2HRqGMXSQk-dx0AuWP6m7w7KrkNlVgfC5O-qEftp7cpEq0DgBzKRfrpPCIFVE1Rxk10NaJN21fVCSlTnEQpDtZLYLN5h4e8jAO9-HCq-QpnG6M/s200/Altitude-Garden+Festival+120.JPG" border="0" /></a>I was among the first to view the showground at Suntec Singapore during the media preview this afternoon and am impressed by the effort that's gone into transforming empty space in a convention hall into plots of lush gardens. Right from when I entered the lift on the ground floor, I knew this show was going to be different and coming up roses. <em><span style="font-size:85%;">(lift interiors left & right)</span></em><br /><br /><strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493797236423097106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdZzgFtsRBU175i0TgJuwixkEGblOa1LImAqebHESMrt1hHwGd5Rxl7hZBmaEX_lnT9dWNLxIb6xWqiEbyMGB8kirRK8FcdTF9w5x7zQAr9f6CZuU4OepDMk0Ny6qxP_4rAWvEly8_1o/s400/Altitude-Garden+Festival+070.JPG" border="0" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzwpOH7D3pZtngGVL-1tu9qCYdtmAV5GOwxtM7fo2FZr9cX8-2cMWiIkYX8n83KeoNuyyjgcYz6dF3EuGC0ZFUQ0JS0eEVYD5bqvYNm24ZM8uQaFed5AOR5KMK54c3TlPSwqSQWkLqXI/s1600/Altitude-Garden+Festival+068.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493798044442926370" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzwpOH7D3pZtngGVL-1tu9qCYdtmAV5GOwxtM7fo2FZr9cX8-2cMWiIkYX8n83KeoNuyyjgcYz6dF3EuGC0ZFUQ0JS0eEVYD5bqvYNm24ZM8uQaFed5AOR5KMK54c3TlPSwqSQWkLqXI/s320/Altitude-Garden+Festival+068.JPG" border="0" /></a>The Landscape Gardens</strong> section features spectacular creations by local designers and top award-winning designers from renowned garden shows around the world. Standing tall and distinctive is the two-storey structure called <strong>Tree House</strong> by local designer and certified horticulturalist <strong>John Tan</strong>. Lush greenery including bamboo wrap around a warm wooden structure with a meandering stream complete with catfish. The ground floor's furnished with a bar and a couch and the staghorn fern as a a plant 'installation' in place of a regular wall painting. Neat! The upper deck's like a patio with even more space to lounge around and mingle with moss. It was perhaps the closest to feeling like you're in the Garden of Eden, only without fruit trees hanging their produce and friendly animals a whisker away. Oh and John, despite his ability in designing enchanting gardens (his garden by the way won 'Best of Show' award - the festival's top honours) whisks you back to reality and has you know he lives in a modest HDB flat.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Cf-aykxOEzixt4NGl28wblfZrlmnJJn2zmCusOUKJJiIDSiia_GwzZJkwTcjNVZxj4F_lIbod6xsPzIVAuv7tW0unKbx3cCYmIFGjejxhGwo6hebIMaill_lkuHPIe_E4MwlLDMyLcU/s1600/Altitude-Garden+Festival+091.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493801618543951090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Cf-aykxOEzixt4NGl28wblfZrlmnJJn2zmCusOUKJJiIDSiia_GwzZJkwTcjNVZxj4F_lIbod6xsPzIVAuv7tW0unKbx3cCYmIFGjejxhGwo6hebIMaill_lkuHPIe_E4MwlLDMyLcU/s320/Altitude-Garden+Festival+091.JPG" border="0" /></a>Also on show and garnering a Gold award is <strong>Daintree</strong>, designed by Australian garden architect <strong><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.jimfogartydesign.com.au">Jim Fogarty</a></strong> <em><span style="font-size:85%;">(<strong>left:</strong> with <strong>Kenny Eng</strong> of Nyee Phoe)</span></em> who was our guest last week in The Living Room. His latest tie-up with <strong><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.nyeephoe.com">Nyee Phoe Flower Garden</a></strong> as the implementing partner makes it a hat trick at this biennial festival since striking his first Gold in 2006.<br /><br />Kenny, whom we've also hosted previously in The Living Room, wanted me to tell you that there's literally a 'green' message behind their garden and it's got to do with penning on pebbles. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ProjectPebbles">Click here</a> to find out about <strong>Project Pebbles</strong>.<br /><br />I'm also proud to report that another former guest also bagged a Gold for his entry <span style="font-size:85%;"><em>(see below)</em></span> in the Landscape Garden category. Congratulations to <strong>Peter Cheok</strong> from <strong><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.fareastflora.com">Far East Flora</a></strong>!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493805304552801554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSOHd_VRMAhKCdXCZeQ2LDjOEEcrbNGYyLmYIGvPziwCaNArlkssqKTf9E5c_VLu2VJd0l5eUi7SCRaPJsGxG8aL-qdxI9tOWA1tvPLjC7xltKWZqEXHcERPAkcWpP4EahYNtCkKJTGw/s400/Altitude-Garden+Festival+081.JPG" border="0" /><br />For more photos of <strong>Singapore Garden Festival 2010</strong>, visit The Living Room now on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thenewsstan#!/pages/938LIVE-The-Living-Room/110515295665682?ref=ts"><strong>Facebook</strong></a>!Stanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06683938263217318493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-81749091337750768412010-07-07T13:42:00.032+08:002010-07-12T19:30:48.130+08:00Ti(mor)e or Les(s)te - A Paradise of Promise!<div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;">It's paradise...more or less.</span></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492973177034060002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLwrumJCZ1M6Ho3pqErz2a3DIEz201z6n8jHvZoeKTAzoCLAIwSd2LjTzfqM9kd4yOXeKVYopvQGBslNcnlYJbOHt3aIrgCj-_omX0BFsmxJl0SQw8kxL93IHvKzLEyQs-0dAt3QIbAs/s400/Timor+190.JPG" border="0" />The imprint of Portugal, Timor Leste's colonial master, on the land lingers. If you don't hear it taught or spoken, the signboards on streets and signages of shops and property are visible representations of a language very much alive in this place. The old-world feel of this young nation (gaining independence only in 2002 after a shortlived 9-day stretch in 1975) has many scars to show for - holed out buildings, poverty, malnourished citizens and high unemployment attest to a nation finding its feet. Like a mother hen is to her chick, a strong United Nations presence is felt throughout Dili - exactly what a fledgling nation needs to attain some kind of social and political stability to get the economic engine going.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkcKLs6yiMFos-5R0Z9OCNTrwOqivyH44s9amvp_CfmmFZTdsTRzVP2u_KHTheKrSRG4n3baLCQ9TnOg6bt-XxJczjyURN-sZgeOot2MIiVFO8kOtk16s_1qL1yBWoptDnb2vGqCR3FQ/s1600/Timor+038.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492973944345221810" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkcKLs6yiMFos-5R0Z9OCNTrwOqivyH44s9amvp_CfmmFZTdsTRzVP2u_KHTheKrSRG4n3baLCQ9TnOg6bt-XxJczjyURN-sZgeOot2MIiVFO8kOtk16s_1qL1yBWoptDnb2vGqCR3FQ/s200/Timor+038.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_6Nau3nYdBm-i39S6Ll4oIbMFPBBUvfd7VSKAHvXRAEZ4vrBJGgMGpZgFKsXnFUuxVTb6N2ThHxIm9rHRT0VvO_LAFhkt_tDMsBsOYtb012RCTVS3XCoHsITM7UV56FxOhWzhPNYtRM/s1600/Timor+046.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492973954281800370" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_6Nau3nYdBm-i39S6Ll4oIbMFPBBUvfd7VSKAHvXRAEZ4vrBJGgMGpZgFKsXnFUuxVTb6N2ThHxIm9rHRT0VvO_LAFhkt_tDMsBsOYtb012RCTVS3XCoHsITM7UV56FxOhWzhPNYtRM/s200/Timor+046.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixIDQ9tqxBsuMx81QDXX3HlcYKSiX38RFAC2NYFi8aqGw6aaksPc-fkiQx99OoTnAgjTyc9AO8fyPGfkVVi3gdXzwzfKfddKx4op8B-nCFmTgcGYXXOGncfWCz8Lc-fzr2K-kOUHXT_wg/s1600/Timor+167.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492974367133702066" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixIDQ9tqxBsuMx81QDXX3HlcYKSiX38RFAC2NYFi8aqGw6aaksPc-fkiQx99OoTnAgjTyc9AO8fyPGfkVVi3gdXzwzfKfddKx4op8B-nCFmTgcGYXXOGncfWCz8Lc-fzr2K-kOUHXT_wg/s200/Timor+167.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5Gnf5w3oNA45V9mIQ8OfVZBEN-K1SD-FYMuRsVVPJ3FQxxTokFCcTqvzXkTnMtjgax3ybEa7XhWHPave5t7FArQqgDlBpxEnEiXEahFpc4RXpNZPqQjMJ5T6h2aRxMu0Xq2JUncKhoc/s1600/DSC00230.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492975185751399522" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 181px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5Gnf5w3oNA45V9mIQ8OfVZBEN-K1SD-FYMuRsVVPJ3FQxxTokFCcTqvzXkTnMtjgax3ybEa7XhWHPave5t7FArQqgDlBpxEnEiXEahFpc4RXpNZPqQjMJ5T6h2aRxMu0Xq2JUncKhoc/s320/DSC00230.JPG" border="0" /></a>Leading the charge towards nation building is its <strong>President Jose-Ramos Horta</strong>, a Nobel laureate. The former foreign minister has encountered firsthand the atrocities during the Indonesian occupation, where four of eleven of his siblings were killed. Yet his focus is forward-looking. When Pam and I spoke with him in person during our visit to Dili, he singled out Singapore as a country whose successes ought to be emulated. He said in jest that if he had a nation made up of Chinese, Jews and Indians, they'd work hard to get the economy growing and the rest of his people could just sit back and watch. He was a president most candid and accessible to his own people.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqeVNMrlD_IIHugJ5iusl2mLBqV5PniAxoMANBr-qUYxjYAECLny6O_cLkylgqc_WKIiqz-ko1TjvRtx6NE0cEpuRuJUQHa13NzQRPe2ProumTj7FLAPsAGuxVfxNhBDJdaz5JpUKgfeI/s1600/Timor+144.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492976005160519010" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqeVNMrlD_IIHugJ5iusl2mLBqV5PniAxoMANBr-qUYxjYAECLny6O_cLkylgqc_WKIiqz-ko1TjvRtx6NE0cEpuRuJUQHa13NzQRPe2ProumTj7FLAPsAGuxVfxNhBDJdaz5JpUKgfeI/s200/Timor+144.JPG" border="0" /></a>Pam and I were honoured to have chatted with the president the day before we participated in the inaugural <a href="http://dilimarathon.com/en"><strong>Dili 'City of Peace' Marathon</strong></a>. Pam chose the leisurely 5-kilometre run while I signed up for the punishing half marathon - my first and one I hadn't trained for. Together with about 20 other members who signed up with <a href="http://www.thechainreactionproject.com/"><strong>The Chain Reaction Project</strong> </a>(TCRP), amongst them our ex-colleague Melanie Oliveiro, we were part of the small Singapore contingent of runners at the landmark event that saw international participants, mostly from Australia (just a 60-min flight away).<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492976824783920658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjY5YAOs8i8tcSdCu1ZGrf0EcwPjvxziO78aBqtSRwaYfGr4GLnAeFqObJQGlyShRvq7fR_RG1dVqfoCH412jZKkFel8t8q8KOCouH3xJ-aQH7YIcOm-dm1tNOlOG8DZzLJ287I3C-gk/s400/Timor+Grp.jpg" border="0" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvxBwcPUUpHxPIulTxuoTZk8Uo_49zyRxxZuaTmp7JCnD57LFjiFMxB6aNaiqXIHknIsU1uVx3YiSHvxRDpFmuhnFIGBLDtRT1UrK_jmFzRPQpsH3lryMV490mSdTVhOUDJkijNk1of8/s1600/Timor+103.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492979659941895538" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvxBwcPUUpHxPIulTxuoTZk8Uo_49zyRxxZuaTmp7JCnD57LFjiFMxB6aNaiqXIHknIsU1uVx3YiSHvxRDpFmuhnFIGBLDtRT1UrK_jmFzRPQpsH3lryMV490mSdTVhOUDJkijNk1of8/s320/Timor+103.JPG" border="0" /></a>The run wasn't the sole purpose (no pun intended) of the trip. Rather, it was a trip with soul! Our particpation to be 'catalysts' through TCRP would benefit <a href="http://www.hiamhealth.org/"><strong>HIAM Health</strong></a> - a local NGO in Dili set up to alleviate the widespread problem of malnutrition and to raise awareness among parents on what they can do for their children. Our visit coincided with the official opening of a sponsored playground in the premises by Singapore company <a href="http://www.playpoint.com.sg/"><strong>Playpoint</strong></a>. Director of HIAM Health <strong>Rosaria Martins da Cruz</strong> was most heartened by the contributions received. It was TCRP's founder <strong>Zhang Tingjun</strong> who'd helped raise the awareness of their work to the attention of President Horta. That was how he agreed to be the guest of honour who officiated at the ceremony to open the playground.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKdtfW5Ad6NeNWCMrdviJuCUsygSVXYDfOc2GZmN2ex5BybOeugVNLjtf9CYhmyqkvo7_95cAT7BaDS97wlbtWRIxIQgO9tHPQ8NJlfGrA0BzP-3J9O1hxMa5d6eT_7JTNETR0k7f_Rw/s1600/Timor+058.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492977481681813314" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKdtfW5Ad6NeNWCMrdviJuCUsygSVXYDfOc2GZmN2ex5BybOeugVNLjtf9CYhmyqkvo7_95cAT7BaDS97wlbtWRIxIQgO9tHPQ8NJlfGrA0BzP-3J9O1hxMa5d6eT_7JTNETR0k7f_Rw/s320/Timor+058.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkjhlpvBeJtMf810_WvXKU7HxbixVlS0pyjUboBhK61xjSHzIxZkvOGlWgoWRKX_6pELW_BummXdKBplPvim3grwYj-idePJO5_GJ6Rw03a_VkS6-kGSPip7UFJ7NEQAlpcma-55qHeY/s1600/Timor+059.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492977488318923234" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkjhlpvBeJtMf810_WvXKU7HxbixVlS0pyjUboBhK61xjSHzIxZkvOGlWgoWRKX_6pELW_BummXdKBplPvim3grwYj-idePJO5_GJ6Rw03a_VkS6-kGSPip7UFJ7NEQAlpcma-55qHeY/s320/Timor+059.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Timor Leste has much potential for economic progress and development. With hope in the eyes of a people wanting to move on from the its grim days of civil unrest, with natural resources and an untapped market that could bring in the tourist dollar, Timor Leste has a lot going for it, and it could do with international help to prop it up on its feet and prime it for the long run ahead.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsf6qsew-l7KKpRAFXPiUDt37nx9uPHlBPmmWZJB-54WV9UrRDGjHwOG_kJuWrrDVvuJ7F52Ol-7IFEhhdrQYdWF6HaCpygnxuF6_ezd9eYacNCXb5fcfQC4N7QxmuzNN4D1GZR8w2JI/s1600/Timor+269.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492978453812425730" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsf6qsew-l7KKpRAFXPiUDt37nx9uPHlBPmmWZJB-54WV9UrRDGjHwOG_kJuWrrDVvuJ7F52Ol-7IFEhhdrQYdWF6HaCpygnxuF6_ezd9eYacNCXb5fcfQC4N7QxmuzNN4D1GZR8w2JI/s400/Timor+269.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">TAKE ACTION!</span></em></strong><br /><em><span style="font-family:arial;">> To keep tabs with more exciting projects planned by <strong>The Chain Reaction Project</strong>, sign up as a member with TCRP on </span></em><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Chain-Reaction-Project/108560344157?v=app_2374336051#!/pages/The-Chain-Reaction-Project/108560344157?v=wall"><em><span style="font-family:arial;">Facebook</span></em></a><em><span style="font-family:arial;">!<br />> To support the good work at <strong>HIAM He</strong>alth, </span></em><a href="http://www.hiamhealth.org/donations.html"><em><span style="font-family:arial;">click here</span></em></a><em><span style="font-family:arial;">.<br />> To read our previous entry on TCRP, drop by this <a href="http://livingroomscribbles.blogspot.com/2010/05/experiencing-dili-in-running-shoes.html">page</a>.</span></em></div></div>Stanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06683938263217318493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-26133232767888642692010-06-16T19:18:00.013+08:002010-06-16T20:02:29.386+08:00Unbubble-lievable!!!<div>The first thing that struck me about <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Fan Yang</span> </b>is that his face does not match his name. I had envisioned a Chinese man, but he was obviously not. His father is Hungarian, and his mother Vietnamese. They met in Vietnam when his dad was fighting the Vietnam War. The couple fell in love, and moved back to Europe after the war, setting in present-day Yugoslavia. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fan Yang came from a very poor family. His brother Jano and him grew up on a farm in the countryside. He had but 8 years of education. Before he discovered his love for bubbles, he was performing on the streets just to earn an extra penny. Juggling... whatever it took!</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprjgw8t_dtZ2svb0iQwHRNr5gGMgedlV04qEIgOomxy-Prp1mPtFmQ3dqw-futt1QvWLtSNCpyL2Yt6l_ZhDqDAslVZr3sTPTR1yoOoMJBzjo-Mn3hhK07BpNH9Mih5lVcRW-enELahQ/s1600/P1100369.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprjgw8t_dtZ2svb0iQwHRNr5gGMgedlV04qEIgOomxy-Prp1mPtFmQ3dqw-futt1QvWLtSNCpyL2Yt6l_ZhDqDAslVZr3sTPTR1yoOoMJBzjo-Mn3hhK07BpNH9Mih5lVcRW-enELahQ/s400/P1100369.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483329999711441970" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"><b>Fan Yang</b> [right] with his elder brother <b>Jano</b> [left], who is involved in backstage work for the Gazillion Bubble Show. </span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>His first encounter with bubbles was <i>not </i>the sort of bottled bubbles we find at Toys R Us. It was bubbles floating on the surface of a river. He thought to himself, how wonderful to be able to make these bubbles really, really big and to make them float in the air! The imagination of a young teenage boy... but it started him on a journey of no return. </div><div><br /></div><div>For the first half of his 26-year career as a bubble artist, he invested in finding a special bubble solution that would make bubbles more "flexible". He did - after much blood, sweat & tears.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are 7 secret ingredients in his special bubble solution, and with that, Fan Yang was able to create pure magic. In fact, he currently holds 16 Guinness World Records! The latest being to put a 8,800lb elephant in a bubble! *gasp*</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYPkr2dwu1o9drZh_C5hEDQpUvXazydvob5HZbXLsjOY5ZidINloRy0yvxXgeqik0obSPo2qzSDs8-hvgbU6lFL5pq2LRql3C8kPabghw0I17bLq2-nqYvsSCBHPR2uu0PI1CzhMKoiw/s1600/P1100368.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 331px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYPkr2dwu1o9drZh_C5hEDQpUvXazydvob5HZbXLsjOY5ZidINloRy0yvxXgeqik0obSPo2qzSDs8-hvgbU6lFL5pq2LRql3C8kPabghw0I17bLq2-nqYvsSCBHPR2uu0PI1CzhMKoiw/s400/P1100368.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483330100962940898" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"><i>Bubbles within bubbles! I blew gently on the surface of a bubble, and a baby one appeared inside miraculously!</i></span></div><div><br /></div><div>This father of two says that the <a href="http://gazillionbubbleshow.com/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Fan Yang Gazillion Bubble Show</span></b></a> is very much a family affair. As mentioned, his brother Jano helps backstage. His wife is a bubble artist as well, as are his children Deni, 20, and Melody, 19. </div><div><br /></div><div>He tells us that he would do this for <i>nothing</i>. It's not about money.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Gazillion Bubble Show is really about his true life story. And his journey is not without hardship and ridicule. For many years, people laughed in the face for wanting to do a bubble show. They could not understand or accept because they could not see what he saw. </div><div><br /></div><div>But Fan Yang did not give up, and today, he's been welcomed with open arms on top-rated shows like <i>The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The David Lettermen Show, LIVE! with Regis & Kelly</i> etc. </div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ngXrdaWcqLXvEjdZjGYLG-8FtKjBiXJJhIcBkCaJ7gvLrP9qkM6dQ6csdpijJpXmjuVZeNpP0FVOrJUW6wTeDCsYeLRfJkl-4mdszegbIvmAoTWToGFXntl03xDLEmoU0Y9JE7FaHgU/s1600/P1100371.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ngXrdaWcqLXvEjdZjGYLG-8FtKjBiXJJhIcBkCaJ7gvLrP9qkM6dQ6csdpijJpXmjuVZeNpP0FVOrJUW6wTeDCsYeLRfJkl-4mdszegbIvmAoTWToGFXntl03xDLEmoU0Y9JE7FaHgU/s400/P1100371.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483329858591041362" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">Fan Yang on the Stan & Pam show! *LOL*</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I did not expect, as I walked into the studio this morning, to be touched and inspired so deeply by The Bubble Man. But I was. Fan Yang's sharing touched me deeply. </div><div><br /></div><div>He spoke in a low, calm voice tinged with an Eastern European accent, which told me that even though he now resides in Canada and New York, he spent most of his formative years in the poverty of Yugoslavia. </div><div><br /></div><div>A country boy who today travels the world sharing his love for bubbles... I can only conclude that this is the result of following his heart. This is his life's calling. </div><div><br /></div><div>So without further adieu, here is the one & only, amazing Fan Yang creating a SQUARE bubble for us. Check this out! </div><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QobiSoc3mUw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QobiSoc3mUw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">Fan Yang Gazillion Bubble Show</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">18 - 20 June</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">D'Marquee @ Downtown East</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Tickets via <a href="http://www.sistic.com.sg/portal/dt?dt.isPortletRequest=true&dt.action=process&dt.provider=PortletWindowProcessChannel&dt.windowProvider.targetPortletChannel=JSPTabContainer/sEventsCalendar/Event&dt.containerName=JSPTabContainer/sEventsCalendar&dt.windowProvider.currentChannelMode=VIEW&dt.window.portletAction=RENDER&contentCode=bubble0610">SISTIC</a></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">For more info, visit the Gazillion Bubble Show <a href="http://gazillionbubbleshow.com/">website</a>. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Or find out more about the science of bubbles <a href="http://bubbleart.com/">here</a>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And if you're still sitting on the fence, brace yourself for a sneak preview: </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mjIRpBJy8uw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mjIRpBJy8uw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div>Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026920553457524573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-62342183292453135902010-06-11T20:40:00.024+08:002010-06-14T09:34:35.941+08:00Transforming Slums in the Philippines<div style="text-align: left;">I have never been to the slums of the Philippines. But just browsing for images to upload in this blog entry gave me a brief glimpse of the squalid conditions and the lives of the slum dwellers. Makeshift houses made from whatever they can find (from cardboard to zinc sheets), alley ways filled with dirty sloshy water up to the ankles, litter everywhere, no sanitation, no electricity.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 288px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArSwGYNKlrktJ6CnEaDmwpD8hAVVr_V7yYC1SBc0DFCmA93Eqb4Q4wchsjsvDJNxq0AY76q8RUSHDQ6oRH8FsaD7kNEu4oJwBE6VZTubkkjoVV_ZPxn1rABWWMnUns63Gn7eT5tdQoEI/s400/watermark.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481709230999691138" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltQefAEY1SGgvcONxfpuVUbEHhVkRjfO5geQ2fLq29zYykuB5s9_W7eOmfbghZ_a1jxGDjIu7Yorj_Hs4hewS1lzYpSA9r_rYWsCrf8pYs2K0sVeW0GhcoQevZ6sgIAkQmy4NqHnxZvk/s400/8.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481827777547919170" /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">[From BBC News] Family living under a bridge in Manila. Mother sleeps on the table, oblivious to the traffic noise above & around her.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Even so, it's hard to miss the smiles on the children's faces! Perhaps this is all they know? And I suspect many of them don't know what can be beyond this. They don't imagine life will be any different, or that they will get out of these circumstances, according to some interview footage I watched on YouTube.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UhBWYK0MC-kOKN6rcEslVS37rkIlHo6_f1ZmkbEiaUSXyilk1f9-cwQzhBCOyufP2IjjS-gQ_7fbRSIZ_QJ_j77KS-EIxQTxokzPIy83VO85OjhdzO_sVD1WEnHp-QEBlY-3p0pVNYI/s1600/10.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UhBWYK0MC-kOKN6rcEslVS37rkIlHo6_f1ZmkbEiaUSXyilk1f9-cwQzhBCOyufP2IjjS-gQ_7fbRSIZ_QJ_j77KS-EIxQTxokzPIy83VO85OjhdzO_sVD1WEnHp-QEBlY-3p0pVNYI/s400/10.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481828543198610146" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 288px; " /></a></div><div>What I feel we must never do as outsiders is to impose our values & perceptions of what life should be on these people. While our intentions are good, it sometimes irks me that we descend upon places like Cambodia & the Philippines and try to help the people in a condescending sort of way, like we are modern day Saviours, and they are beneficiaries of our kindness. </div><div><br /></div><div>What struck me about what our guest <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Aileen Ong</span></b>, Chair of <b><a href="http://gkhopeinitiative.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">GK Hope Initiative (GKHi)</span></a></b>, said is that the slum dwellers they work with in the Philippines are <i>partners</i>. GK's approach is to work <i>with </i>them and to treat them as equals. The lingo & vocabulary is often so revealing!</div><div><br /></div><div>Aileen was so convinced about the "GK way" that she gave up a 30-year career as a music teacher to commit to this cause full-time. She downgraded to a smaller home and chose to lead a more modest lifestyle ~ with the support of her husband Albert & four kids, of course. In fact, her daughter Lisa often accompanies her to the slums. </div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1WJ2IPPkW85H5BFZAULfd8Gjbavkzfa8tY0vxGDkv0Axr0mhm2LWnmkwL19rOgdE7MJ91LCpLKsWwCEE83ZCofY3lVcyFkIH2L74_ZmdPgWAr6n5dibrwHgvLQueEtK9jFvprhEWbwc/s1600/P1100306.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 331px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1WJ2IPPkW85H5BFZAULfd8Gjbavkzfa8tY0vxGDkv0Axr0mhm2LWnmkwL19rOgdE7MJ91LCpLKsWwCEE83ZCofY3lVcyFkIH2L74_ZmdPgWAr6n5dibrwHgvLQueEtK9jFvprhEWbwc/s400/P1100306.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481681198504030866" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><i>Aileen Ong, Chair of GK Hope Initiative (GKHi) shares with us about her work in the slums of the Philippines. </i></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>GK is an acronym for <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Gawad Kalinga</span></b> or "give care" in Tagalog. Its Singapore branch, <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">GK Hope initiative (GKHi)</span></b> achieved 'international charity organisation' status last year, and is now working to make Singapore a hub for the coordination of efforts in the region.</div><div><br /></div></div><div>GK's mission is to transform slums into communities of hope. The slum dwellers themselves spend months building their own homes. A decent home there costs about S$2,000 to build, the cost of a laptop or designer bag here! Their vision is to touch 5 million families by 2024. </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipxhV-kmFZc34D17edt6_fxgUOL4sehrb9vnhwVCiZSRD-RTTmdn91vO8d0haNpRZNX5waCnMqclnkST8dIGUk8WPuK1FWQibvXdPO1rL5YtOOdXMsJIh_mc49hCpF0r7NE66ETkdt-s/s1600/as+of+may+15f.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipxhV-kmFZc34D17edt6_fxgUOL4sehrb9vnhwVCiZSRD-RTTmdn91vO8d0haNpRZNX5waCnMqclnkST8dIGUk8WPuK1FWQibvXdPO1rL5YtOOdXMsJIh_mc49hCpF0r7NE66ETkdt-s/s400/as+of+may+15f.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481829935554139810" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">GK Tripura Hope Town Village: Brand new homes built by the community. </span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">From June 25 to 27, there will be <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">GK Global Summit <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">held</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">right here in Singapore where we'll see experts & activists from around the world congregating here to discuss solutions to eradicating poverty. </span></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">The outgoing Vice-President of the Philippines will be here, and the Minister for Community, Youth & Sports, Vivian Balakrishnan, the Guest of Honour. The theme of this Global Summit is <b>Icon of Hope Against Poverty</b>. To find out more or to register, click</span></span></span></b> <a href="http://gkhopeinitiative.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">here</span></a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>There will also be a choir that will be coming to Singapore next weekend that you will not want to miss! They come from a small church in the slums of Manila. Aileen stumbled upon them quite by chance, and was mesmorised by their voices. She issued them a challenge: If they can achieve a Gold Award, she will get sponsors to bring them to Singapore. </div><div><br /></div><div>The choir members, all children & teens, took up her challenge. They were up at 5am to rehearse, often in the open courtyard, in the blazing sun. And within 3 months, these children achieved a Gold Award for their performance. Yes, a slum choir!</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNd7xSGoJDF5HSepaeU0gRLgS8aYpkffwHi-UmbwhrYdUccW0SEYiken7auYpDrTCXluQ0TqQA4AFo_qHH032jRyaH6HDjfQxqa9QspstuqlLTYkWaqBE5Km75_jjUUrOQuAYs44N3JVc/s1600/DSC-0035.JPG.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNd7xSGoJDF5HSepaeU0gRLgS8aYpkffwHi-UmbwhrYdUccW0SEYiken7auYpDrTCXluQ0TqQA4AFo_qHH032jRyaH6HDjfQxqa9QspstuqlLTYkWaqBE5Km75_jjUUrOQuAYs44N3JVc/s400/DSC-0035.JPG.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481830007299707746" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">The children of the Gawad Kalinga Tatalon Performing Arts group at the ASEAN Festival of the Arts 2009.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>And so Aileen is now keeping her end of the bargain! Come <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Saturday, 19 June</span>, they will be performing at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">The Arts House (Chamber)</span> to a Singapore audience! *grin* You can check out event details <a href="http://www.theartshouse.com.sg/events2010.html">here</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Do you see what I mean about Aileen? Never look down on people, even if the rest of the world does! They are equal in God's eyes and gifted as you & I are. And if we see their potential, believe in them, and raise the bar for them, they will invariably rise up to touch that bar we hold up for them!</div><div><br /></div><div>Find out more about about the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">Gawad Kalinga Tatalon Performing Arts</span> group <a href="http://gktapa.multiply.com/">here</a>. And please support them if you can! </div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div></div>Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026920553457524573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-43639490840349955362010-06-07T21:57:00.036+08:002010-06-08T13:15:44.255+08:00Making Public Private Lives<div align="center"><strong><em><span style="font-family:Verdana;">With a beaming face on a book cover and<br />a title that screams a basic need we all hunger for,<br />who wouldn't want this pick-me-up for a read?!</span></em></strong><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzVzWRN998QlNigJr9a0JduuIwFt76ciZfbYXRL4j3R7-bGUXXL5pwyo8gvVO9lZUoUCUlsopMnH2M8Kum53j9sglAxT2Xm8wQ4vmmXLpF0sWtKFGrRousXLO_Qt-7oVDuwPmbWooKCw/s1600/IMG_0003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480040506694373122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 298px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzVzWRN998QlNigJr9a0JduuIwFt76ciZfbYXRL4j3R7-bGUXXL5pwyo8gvVO9lZUoUCUlsopMnH2M8Kum53j9sglAxT2Xm8wQ4vmmXLpF0sWtKFGrRousXLO_Qt-7oVDuwPmbWooKCw/s400/IMG_0003.jpg" border="0" /></a> <strong>Chef Judy Koh</strong> may not be a motivational speaker, but she sure has the persuasive powers to turn you into a baker. Her latest cookbook, <em><strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;">Pockets of Happiness</span></strong></em>, is soaked through with recipes to mouthwatering desserts. The book's also got an unusual 'filling' - poems! Yes, honest-to-goodness poems baked straight from the heart!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmC4TlJGtnnEQsQF15WhZy7pEKIzmvCkaII25N8NHist2cxR6Q7uygR03bi95rdEYLEn8XwBtNqN866NOf9fdUWRUZYG8D3KBJxmD0KzgQBXFyPU4uayQrQDMjEHYNT9eshN8tr_feqWA/s1600/IMG_0002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480041241109405986" style="WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmC4TlJGtnnEQsQF15WhZy7pEKIzmvCkaII25N8NHist2cxR6Q7uygR03bi95rdEYLEn8XwBtNqN866NOf9fdUWRUZYG8D3KBJxmD0KzgQBXFyPU4uayQrQDMjEHYNT9eshN8tr_feqWA/s200/IMG_0002.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyetaxWhjgv2towGfLPMcp-5yXRvSRN2MBW2OlQ-6S57B49NuK5i-euWa0qXv9D_FjE7qSaHToD8mb104PnQp5c8oicACrlB4LxVfLkRNHjhLsaVxM642gWTyhjx551maYeD1K75tv3rY/s1600/IMG_0001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480041233526387746" style="WIDTH: 165px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyetaxWhjgv2towGfLPMcp-5yXRvSRN2MBW2OlQ-6S57B49NuK5i-euWa0qXv9D_FjE7qSaHToD8mb104PnQp5c8oicACrlB4LxVfLkRNHjhLsaVxM642gWTyhjx551maYeD1K75tv3rY/s200/IMG_0001.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87jCxKLvjTYUOWT73Ap9JrPa2g1GRUQ6CVOxUx-JyUPgAri8qo9N1cJRDQRytF8c4Fap4FWHU_PKyTjACnBcUVexHK52Yw1hw74szV1FfPV0znsc6MplLjrvoWJohGDECVrIBsUabBcI/s1600/IMG_0007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480042907846291682" style="WIDTH: 194px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87jCxKLvjTYUOWT73Ap9JrPa2g1GRUQ6CVOxUx-JyUPgAri8qo9N1cJRDQRytF8c4Fap4FWHU_PKyTjACnBcUVexHK52Yw1hw74szV1FfPV0znsc6MplLjrvoWJohGDECVrIBsUabBcI/s200/IMG_0007.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBo77dVqIJTaIlTMOTUiOfsAGiTaKMECAk7mkHQkoWSVc46JicJt61yCn1w5D3EWFV_hUvi-M-yeQXMTYE4J2-EgUGwhM93mC6G9gv1ckhGJ29b6_juyU4gHf-C5361B-LMMFDchhvx2A/s1600/june+2010+026.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480031129528203122" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBo77dVqIJTaIlTMOTUiOfsAGiTaKMECAk7mkHQkoWSVc46JicJt61yCn1w5D3EWFV_hUvi-M-yeQXMTYE4J2-EgUGwhM93mC6G9gv1ckhGJ29b6_juyU4gHf-C5361B-LMMFDchhvx2A/s320/june+2010+026.JPG" border="0" /></a>Chef Judy has 18 years of professional baking experience and is Managing Director and Principal Chef of baking school <a href="http://www.creativeculinaire.com/"><strong>Creative Culinaire</strong></a>. She also heads up an in-house bakery and runs <a href="http://www.creativeculinaire.com/cafe_pralet.html"><strong>Caffe Pralet</strong></a>. Her accolades are many - clinching several national and international records (among them 'The Guinness World Records for the world's Tallest Chocolate Sculpture' and 'Singapore's Biggest Birthday Cake') and having written other cookbooks. With all these to her credit, you'd think she's 'arrived'. Wrong. There's still Cambodia! She has plans to improve lives and livelihoods of the needy in that land. When asked how far off she was from fulfilling her ambition to make good her skills in imparting them to villagers at risk, she puts it down to eight years. I wish Godspeed.<br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">My heart swells with delight as I recount how in The Living Room, we've come to learn of so many entrepreneurs and professionals from various trades who are making their skills count beyond dollars and cents. Last Friday, award-winning photographer <strong><a href="http://www.alexsohphotography.com/">Alex Soh</a></strong> was on our show sharing how he was using his photography skills to aid villagers in Cham Resh (a remote village in Cambodia) build a <a href="http://alexsohphotography.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/road-photo-exhibition-a-self-reflection-photography-journey-by-alex-soh/">road</a> that would 'help them walk out of poverty'. Alex emailed me today to say that the 3-day exhibition at VivoCity raised close to $12,000! May The Living Room's profiling of such personalities and their acts of selfless giving rub off on you. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmtm-ttp-fEsXXN0iktYoy-t4E70zUyHpl-a5dY6F76sjthypiq9otHEX5XlQPdYARTRYLRHJvW7rIvbvUBo9GuzNMoz8mQue4U_7zGn3lEWL_LZeccMWX1OOs5G9scc6A9sbkCZRPRNs/s1600/june+2010+028.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480053802089061122" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 197px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmtm-ttp-fEsXXN0iktYoy-t4E70zUyHpl-a5dY6F76sjthypiq9otHEX5XlQPdYARTRYLRHJvW7rIvbvUBo9GuzNMoz8mQue4U_7zGn3lEWL_LZeccMWX1OOs5G9scc6A9sbkCZRPRNs/s320/june+2010+028.JPG" border="0" /></a>My other guest today was also a shutterbug-cum-multi-disciplinary artist. His story is one of pursuing your dreams. At the beckoning of his wife after marriage when they were just 23 years old, he dropped out of LaSalle College of the Arts, bundled themselves onto a plane bound for the US. No contacts, no leads, no clues. Twelve years later today, <a href="http://www.clangart.com/"><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Clang</span></strong></a> (born Ang Choon Leng) is making headlines after confronting his fears. <strong>(Con)Front</strong> happens to be the name of his solo exhibition that opens this Friday, 11th June at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.2902gallery.com">2902 Gallery</a>.<br /><br />John strikes me as melancholic, quiet and contemplative. His personality is in stark contrast to New York City where everything is loud, brash and brazen. Despite having lived a decade in the Big Apple, he's a true blue Singaporean. He even proudly exclaims how he continues to speak like a Singaporean in the US and never did adopt the American accent.<br /><br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480204906757671570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZjP6M-ywEAa5hcQx1tp5mizidhnPHfBF0Fp_o1AmRemfhpMW2jX-u4WeDK7UPJSCq1m3RUJPDoP4_X119PrJ5_ArDnFxrg5BVf6omcRK0Ns1zaR5jmjcPEeuT03jp5IjL3oUL_6pIwU/s400/CLANGDad.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">(<em><strong>above:</strong></em> A piece of John's work with his dad as the subject matter. In place of his face that's been blanked out, are the Chinese characters that express an apology to his father.)</span></p><p align="left">Being abroad, he admits to missing his family dearly, especially his elderly parents. His works reflect how highly he treasures family ties - yet another obvious Asian trait. In fact, a video installation at his upcoming exhibition portrays that clearly through his communication with them over Skype while based in the US, and how he walks into the projection and stands in place to make it look like a family portrait. Novel! </p>Stanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06683938263217318493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-51205102947666542142010-06-02T20:48:00.014+08:002010-06-05T11:05:01.512+08:00A Song for Everyone!<div style="text-align: left;">I think <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Ken Lim</span></b> is cool. In <i>Singapore Idol</i>, he is the judge I most like to listen to cos I know he says it as it is, no mincing of words. But then, he's been in the industry of over two decades, heading the reputable <a href="http://www.hyperecords.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">Hype Records</span></a> and Artiste Networks, what does he <i>not</i> know? Seriously.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So when the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games Organizing Committee contacted me about the possibility of having Ken Lim on the show to talk about the Singapore 2010 Theme Song, which he composed & produced, I was secretly thrilled. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I thought he would be quite intimidating to interview. After all, he must have been interviewed a million times before, and he's not exactly a media whore (is there a male equivalent for that term?). So if he stared across at us with his bored, serious look throughout the interview, with arms folded, I will so die. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But truth be told. Ken Lim is not like that at all. He is really nice and charming! And he smiles a lot too, much more than I've seen him smile in all seasons of <i>Singapore Idol </i>put together. Or then again, it could just be that he really likes Stan & me? *LOL* </div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 383px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-CxvDOMSNSpbdPU8n64MxvvVzUixiEX0NYfvWg9WPr4PywHJLeSFduceLpC7iQQDoczmz6RVKIhyoKiN0hersrx6QLhKgieeeiEC3uM2OmxhBjCankCTUbnJysSwq6MuypOOTzsGrHA/s400/P1100003.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478160124202379410" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><b>Ken Lim</b> and <b>Tabitha Nauser </b>shares the Singapore 2010 theme song. </span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>What I didn't know about the man was that he had produced the official theme song of the 11th Asian Games (Beijing, 1990), and composed & produced the theme song of the 17th SEA Games (Singapore, 1993). So composing & producing for the Youth Olympic Games can't be that big a deal. Right? </div><div><br /></div><div>"It's different because this time, I know how much the Games means to our nation. And so writing the theme song has its pressures that way," Ken explains. "But composing the song itself wasn't particularly hard. The theme 'Everyone' just came up very naturally."</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>That's right, the Singapore 2010 theme song is entitled <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><i>Everyone</i></span></b> and it features 5 youths from 5 different continents singing it. The video is currently being played exclusively on MediaCorp Ch5. </div><div><br /></div><div>But we had an unplugged version of the theme song sung for us 'live' over the airwaves from the voice of Asia herself, <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Tabitha Nauser</span></b>. Here she is:</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FyZ7rTGFubA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FyZ7rTGFubA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div>You'll remember Tabitha as 2nd Runners-up at the most recent <i>Singapore Idol</i> 2009. She's only 18 and oh, what a big voice! *beams* She currently sings with an acoustic band at Republic Polytechnic and has plans to pursue a career in the music industry. Go for it, girl! </div><div><br /></div><div>Without further ado, here's the video of the Singapore 2010 theme Song. In fact, the night before our interview, I still couldn't find it on YouTube. I was told it would be uploaded specially in time for The Living Room's interview at 10am. And we were the first programme to announce its presence on YouTube! *woohoo*</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, here is the song Ken Lim composed & produced. This time, YOU be the judge! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hHrnaGJ8ckg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hHrnaGJ8ckg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026920553457524573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-83368866501565643892010-06-01T20:20:00.034+08:002010-06-02T20:24:07.707+08:00Onboard the Orient Express!<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">I watched a TV drama years ago, starring Cheryl Ladd, called <i>Romance on the Orient Express</i>, and I fell in love with trains! I've since taken a steam train at Fort Bragg, California, the <i>shinkansen </i>(bullet train) in Kyoto, and just last week, the luxurious <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Eastern & Oriental Express</span></b>.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXLmu1OBqsod3wmLY5t7IBwC-GuhSyTnZ6fWM0j8XG0ZbZk7igYDwbfh9pIpbmcR3xEkna2dDdN0OozAuqPNmyJ_iGU8rzmKV9fyo846KEvWxYun_nFiZoWggpZHYQJwswKoHotvSUlU/s1600/orient+express.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477793142083002946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXLmu1OBqsod3wmLY5t7IBwC-GuhSyTnZ6fWM0j8XG0ZbZk7igYDwbfh9pIpbmcR3xEkna2dDdN0OozAuqPNmyJ_iGU8rzmKV9fyo846KEvWxYun_nFiZoWggpZHYQJwswKoHotvSUlU/s400/orient+express.JPG" border="0" /></a><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">The classic green & gold of the Eastern & Oriental Express.</span></i></div><br />It was just a dinner trip which started at 6.30pm and ended at midnight, and we probably went as far as Johor. But the Orient Express managed to transport me into another time and place. It was pure luxury, and I allowed myself to be spoilt rotten! *LOL*<br /><br />Today in The Living Room, Stan & I had the pleasure of hosting the General Manager of Eastern & Oriental Express, <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Leesa Lovelac</span>e</b>, and the man who whipped up that delectable gourmet meal for us, <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Chef Yannis Martineau</span></b>.<br /><br />From them, we got a rare behind-the-scenes peek into life onboard the Orient Express, which currently runs the Singapore-KL-Butterworth-Bangkok route. We're told it has since gained access to Laos, and will be making its maiden journey to Cambodia!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLl2Yw3yq01bLcL15WNKRdZzEiIzJF6Eobgg-GTiQ_k2VGWyiLpZErJMjYd8-vbxmRIIE129AX3Ps_8SE3BiFIPn3DMPqPCNw715VxWxhuOsMv_jlT6SsENRGFojTbNnlFvZs_rp9TYk/s1600/leesa+&+yannis.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477783780372519330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 257px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLl2Yw3yq01bLcL15WNKRdZzEiIzJF6Eobgg-GTiQ_k2VGWyiLpZErJMjYd8-vbxmRIIE129AX3Ps_8SE3BiFIPn3DMPqPCNw715VxWxhuOsMv_jlT6SsENRGFojTbNnlFvZs_rp9TYk/s400/leesa+%26+yannis.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">GM <b>Leesa Lovelace</b> & <b>Chef Yannis Martineau</b> step off the <b>Orient Express </b>to join us today in The Living Room! </span></i></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div>But I'll let my photos tell the story of that marvelous adventure. ENJOY!<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Stan could not make the trip, so I invited my best friend Ning to join me. The train was to depart from the Railway Station at 6.30pm, but we had an exclusive guided tour by Leesa at 5.15pm, so we made it there early!</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQi7hIQWZ2ReWEvJOdZU9ATJbH1m4tghiiL-7uHyBpdda1CfVNizXxonsO1I4PjyTSjr2u_0HnPjqkr2P868C3qIvZU3STKFdx68vq8LQJX8s_7OjUvk_TrjMcSsv2jBST_EqlXSjOjE/s1600/pam+ning+vip.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477782776321638290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 370px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQi7hIQWZ2ReWEvJOdZU9ATJbH1m4tghiiL-7uHyBpdda1CfVNizXxonsO1I4PjyTSjr2u_0HnPjqkr2P868C3qIvZU3STKFdx68vq8LQJX8s_7OjUvk_TrjMcSsv2jBST_EqlXSjOjE/s400/pam+ning+vip.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Ning & I were ushered into the VIP Lounge at the Railway Station where we filled up our travel documents in cool comfort. Boarding passes & passports all ready!</span></i></div></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKcpEJUZou8kAMa-FhbR4_u5S5adlk_JffU06SMJF_v8jmrMd1SMnTVN3vfYIzReMAwxYyKeFy52l5DIqdljWwm7LhrjvXZZS2FQtbiPxOssX5isZ-lNfcml2F6p-4tLGLYfmaLSsMIg/s1600/vip+lounge.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477782629234265602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKcpEJUZou8kAMa-FhbR4_u5S5adlk_JffU06SMJF_v8jmrMd1SMnTVN3vfYIzReMAwxYyKeFy52l5DIqdljWwm7LhrjvXZZS2FQtbiPxOssX5isZ-lNfcml2F6p-4tLGLYfmaLSsMIg/s400/vip+lounge.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">All the guests were impeccably dressed. The men had to be (at least) in jackets & ties, while the ladies were dolled up in cocktail dresses & gowns!</span></i></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></span></div>Leesa met us there and took us onboard the Orient Express for a guided tour. We were told to walk towards the train discreetly so that the other passengers would not think it was time for them to board too. We cleared immigration there with little fuss and *woohoo* climbed onboard....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDdc-yxpipexLUtNyKck-MwaBQxrshEYOe3PyBSubzvdssHoSCw2jEfsojcO3FXgHi7aUzBi_cIKwpk1-QpEsvrZIAD6yeQ-f4Qv4qS-j_IH5O6vX1viG0z_vyiMpm0oOZW-zPIPXIUU/s1600/leesa.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477781795125772930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDdc-yxpipexLUtNyKck-MwaBQxrshEYOe3PyBSubzvdssHoSCw2jEfsojcO3FXgHi7aUzBi_cIKwpk1-QpEsvrZIAD6yeQ-f4Qv4qS-j_IH5O6vX1viG0z_vyiMpm0oOZW-zPIPXIUU/s400/leesa.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Leesa shows us the restaurant carriages where we'd have our dinner. </span></i></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8N8vECNg1AtbUjqYtwAl_nWssi7cUvDZKEPg0Wd5JQC09czLjD4ZhOEI6TrFZ1ESYo6DPXn5x7hO8z32uwd_g0DyeNpMdv6OXL-MvGeGgVBdnT8y0uzjHkMw78FMT6TJKSJvQXePCQw/s1600/pullman+suite.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477781260459041330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8N8vECNg1AtbUjqYtwAl_nWssi7cUvDZKEPg0Wd5JQC09czLjD4ZhOEI6TrFZ1ESYo6DPXn5x7hO8z32uwd_g0DyeNpMdv6OXL-MvGeGgVBdnT8y0uzjHkMw78FMT6TJKSJvQXePCQw/s400/pullman+suite.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">There are various accommodation options available. For those who think a train journey is not really a train journey unless you sleep on double-decker beds, you can book a Pullman room. Charming! </span></i></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKRNCCT3iJizKdgAdXUZL_2YjAVBtA0NBGG6JXNfzIMxvVYeo2wTwhXd2r5FbPBg3MkZWdgITpc9cnI9ym1zr-3Aw6BSYiJITufCPoYtNzuEZLBx67jKYvRl7J837rjrU5x_65D5KsIk/s1600/state+suite.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477781112657211346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKRNCCT3iJizKdgAdXUZL_2YjAVBtA0NBGG6JXNfzIMxvVYeo2wTwhXd2r5FbPBg3MkZWdgITpc9cnI9ym1zr-3Aw6BSYiJITufCPoYtNzuEZLBx67jKYvRl7J837rjrU5x_65D5KsIk/s400/state+suite.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">... or you can opt for a State room, which has two single beds. Does this look like a train to you? It's seriously so luxurious, it can pass off as room in a 5-star hotel!</span></i></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDe3p22QCWDTw9K6G_xsENChbgTa4QFZHOn1RGSpjT3Oy8bEmKtFwNFsRvoTg51Ua6keYg3GQfiQDsKQVi2vUO6qKZ4ycPHz3Xy044qb0g0eSYg2paWPyZ2CBX4Puj2hyRFZZHkim_4U/s1600/presidential.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477780984358549202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDe3p22QCWDTw9K6G_xsENChbgTa4QFZHOn1RGSpjT3Oy8bEmKtFwNFsRvoTg51Ua6keYg3GQfiQDsKQVi2vUO6qKZ4ycPHz3Xy044qb0g0eSYg2paWPyZ2CBX4Puj2hyRFZZHkim_4U/s400/presidential.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">The Presidential Suite ~ there are only 2 onboard. This is its day setting. When guests head for dinner, the staff transforms it into its night setting. </span></i></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbp9yTASQi-t4GB8yZol6d9fAluzAnrorf9_6vOmWh4Vma_pRX0OoslPdC5-c-Hq_h0Hrwc_Tfse16basQL5oAeLgItIcZFUlYionz7zMbj114pJKKrAfvpZPifF7qtLGfejdF-rokEGM/s1600/wc.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477780822002969426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbp9yTASQi-t4GB8yZol6d9fAluzAnrorf9_6vOmWh4Vma_pRX0OoslPdC5-c-Hq_h0Hrwc_Tfse16basQL5oAeLgItIcZFUlYionz7zMbj114pJKKrAfvpZPifF7qtLGfejdF-rokEGM/s400/wc.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Every room comes with an attached w/c and shower!</span></i></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">After the guided tour, all us media folk were ushered to the Observation Car at the back of the train to get some fresh air and drinks as the other guests started boarding. </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPxAlrPsUkLI7aFC86XSGnuuV2U37QbfUenx4xYcnWSDaS9b1qXj3MzroN01-dTR69TP7QS2laUtqWXFUwt87AOhKkciujsiD_vYgOiahFsMwuq_Xlu560dKXCcPIosKkOK9-smHaeMA/s1600/pam+ning+observation+car.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477782066986365570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 339px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPxAlrPsUkLI7aFC86XSGnuuV2U37QbfUenx4xYcnWSDaS9b1qXj3MzroN01-dTR69TP7QS2laUtqWXFUwt87AOhKkciujsiD_vYgOiahFsMwuq_Xlu560dKXCcPIosKkOK9-smHaeMA/s400/pam+ning+observation+car.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Ning and I (being non-drinkers, although booze was free flow for us that night!) ordered some mango juice and chilled out at the open-air Observation Car.</span></i></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><div><br /></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477781936597855218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA0ga0H99msRfc9MPd8-GHaBwlAzegFoUlJQhNXyKniVt5AzbwicFfoTK27E1t8lelJdbg8t9zWCvC_IxZjsPyts5aYrsPdJMQM9vkAORdYt77kRSrNj-l7C-YWPdOkqQ21IWwxs2hqCc/s400/observation+car.JPG" border="0" /> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Mingling with the other journalists at the Observation Car before the train pulled out of the Railway Station. </span></i></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">We were scheduled for the second seating for dinner at 9.15pm. The exquisite meal was prepared by Executive Chef <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Yannis Martineau</span></b> and his team of talented chefs. And we totally enjoyed the feast laid out before us! </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdxoCJ_ppVIcMahk5A6tXkUMyv-EanGIA7aPm89_HRbSuHH7RICb1v3-qQ-Coqw8ZxUc1wuCD51b0plM6ZF3_jund4ZDGFDhRx9IRx4YF_tI1HT9drZsi_-yhnZfSuKK5iuFzgmGv33Y/s1600/breads.jpg"></a></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdxoCJ_ppVIcMahk5A6tXkUMyv-EanGIA7aPm89_HRbSuHH7RICb1v3-qQ-Coqw8ZxUc1wuCD51b0plM6ZF3_jund4ZDGFDhRx9IRx4YF_tI1HT9drZsi_-yhnZfSuKK5iuFzgmGv33Y/s1600/breads.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477780628639840434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdxoCJ_ppVIcMahk5A6tXkUMyv-EanGIA7aPm89_HRbSuHH7RICb1v3-qQ-Coqw8ZxUc1wuCD51b0plM6ZF3_jund4ZDGFDhRx9IRx4YF_tI1HT9drZsi_-yhnZfSuKK5iuFzgmGv33Y/s400/breads.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">We started off with warm breads. </span></i></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a1MucpJni-TbAyvO-gil0cVa01Sxgdf-t4zixgseCA_65N2WSgXAXZxpRwoFz-mTdnX7wC5aG2sFCv2fjW0MfshnfxPERkhkWsItKimCGBAfti07-zp3LX6OCBP1p9Pn-cj3Y2P2_OM/s1600/starter.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477780527306377970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a1MucpJni-TbAyvO-gil0cVa01Sxgdf-t4zixgseCA_65N2WSgXAXZxpRwoFz-mTdnX7wC5aG2sFCv2fjW0MfshnfxPERkhkWsItKimCGBAfti07-zp3LX6OCBP1p9Pn-cj3Y2P2_OM/s400/starter.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">The starter.</span></i></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaptiwSWbY8-jJfdB1Oy12zsZKL5o5zl213jPlyTPiR3zJtaCsCX1RrL_UBSiyIzxx3PZJLBFEwDSPMPEGZD25KBLbwlUoRtifftB70cWW3o1QpBgbYzYIvZz0ew8ecdDqawFRjQJmFE4/s1600/tom+yam+cappucino.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477780321116412610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaptiwSWbY8-jJfdB1Oy12zsZKL5o5zl213jPlyTPiR3zJtaCsCX1RrL_UBSiyIzxx3PZJLBFEwDSPMPEGZD25KBLbwlUoRtifftB70cWW3o1QpBgbYzYIvZz0ew8ecdDqawFRjQJmFE4/s400/tom+yam+cappucino.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">A unique blend of East & West: Tom Yam Cappucino. </span></i></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIg_8crPTyOtoeOtjZeI-rWVSoIELCwLPgbXRiNra-unL_jcTEq2Ca59QtQbF6r0Zer3flnFfFiBqr42ajIa4dkQzKR99YfzIZjKwJW5SmVygmWBQ54oYYwRztc6vNBBRc5HUwz_IaPyw/s1600/sea+bass.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477779919225189010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center; TEXT-DECORATION: underline" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIg_8crPTyOtoeOtjZeI-rWVSoIELCwLPgbXRiNra-unL_jcTEq2Ca59QtQbF6r0Zer3flnFfFiBqr42ajIa4dkQzKR99YfzIZjKwJW5SmVygmWBQ54oYYwRztc6vNBBRc5HUwz_IaPyw/s400/sea+bass.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">For mains, I opted for the sea bass. There was also the option of lamb!</span></i></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><i><br /></i></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLqSLDDpGXS2gqfUlWEh_bvIpR7I4nAPeqLm36sQq8cJSQkeR68-R6pOVZyD-RBFJgiragXy6vw2a17se1C_OFlUCziTSqX5mm3LBShkuGhDBvpWFlG3cn-LwyDvyLkUcLzKtPdMjZJU/s1600/dessert.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477779769488583346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLqSLDDpGXS2gqfUlWEh_bvIpR7I4nAPeqLm36sQq8cJSQkeR68-R6pOVZyD-RBFJgiragXy6vw2a17se1C_OFlUCziTSqX5mm3LBShkuGhDBvpWFlG3cn-LwyDvyLkUcLzKtPdMjZJU/s400/dessert.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Always room for dessert. This was really yummy! *drool*</span></i></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UzSLlMojHs2LL52G6uvXMPb5CJ6AXQ1q1B_XvXHEVd1DHo_BcACHiMoPE0ufTka98yKAj_7-d-FytePMMVN6E1ylSkuvhC_fIHIcA7wlKge1XEeMWXIMqjNhChtH5ozQdaLxey0ih4I/s1600/petit+fours.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477779600099425490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UzSLlMojHs2LL52G6uvXMPb5CJ6AXQ1q1B_XvXHEVd1DHo_BcACHiMoPE0ufTka98yKAj_7-d-FytePMMVN6E1ylSkuvhC_fIHIcA7wlKge1XEeMWXIMqjNhChtH5ozQdaLxey0ih4I/s400/petit+fours.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">After dinner, we were served coffee/tea and treated to this pretty serving of petit fours. By then, we were too full to eat! But we took the opportunity to chit chat... </span></i></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ldrqO3vgBn036LdUmfwHbENpkdh9IrQOgDMZMkSD-FpOyDFGvNHDB18ZfmKmtPsTa45wxi2ZDl5swhUlGmthGIsHaR4BtpAQk0SdFn2FYu5cXeF3927IXe4IRUD8kRt445sPFElq9eM/s1600/dinner+table.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477792136914990274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ldrqO3vgBn036LdUmfwHbENpkdh9IrQOgDMZMkSD-FpOyDFGvNHDB18ZfmKmtPsTa45wxi2ZDl5swhUlGmthGIsHaR4BtpAQk0SdFn2FYu5cXeF3927IXe4IRUD8kRt445sPFElq9eM/s400/dinner+table.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">We shared a table with the Group Editor of Expat Living and his lovely wife Jillian, who shared about their adventures living & working around the world. Such a delightful couple! </span></i></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">You can catch the encore broadcast of this interview on 938LIVE at 11.10pm, or on Channel NewsAsia at 2.30am. To find out more about the Eastern & Orient Express, click <a href="http://www.orient-express.com/">here</a>.</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">All aboard!!! *toot*</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"></div></div></div>Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026920553457524573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-9104901289062302342010-05-24T09:51:00.017+08:002010-05-25T08:41:47.407+08:00French Flair in the Kitchen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbdaaWzhDuwWBYZ47yjz0qASANhJdk0UbTrWraef-gqJBtC4mi9kdpZqXG-LBwbMGbzb2c6rs9kd4zCeHnjHGVgHTtPx8KsrHvcf6eLgMVz015L70V5XLrumJX1Q6C6Zv2Zut5WKtucE/s1600/frenchtastewebcover.jpg"></a><div><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xu5rhvUJb8Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xu5rhvUJb8Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><div>Just hearing the theme song of Asian Food Channel's <i><a href="http://www.asianfoodchannel.com/show_details.php?id=245"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">French Food at Home</span></a>, </i>makes me wring my hands in glee and anticipation. I love watching <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Laura Calder</span> </b>glide around the kitchen as she whips up delectable French dishes & pastries. She's so <i>pretty</i> to watch! *LOL*</div></span><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeeaSV8NJBTiH1UOygYJhopxHgSi0JzDLKPGWJRzDXDBWuEKz6TkU1XA3aG6-2n4LhKubxIdVbMjPUbE8OlzaO6tkElOyONjcW2Z40R7zdOoNQI-tNeiU6xlPiAoCCWvA88As91h9E0c/s320/laura_inside.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474989824662322274" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px; " /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">I am so <i>not</i> a cook. I always tell people I can't bake to save my life. "But have you tried?" My BFF asked me the other day. Well... not really.... But I do entertain the fantasy of being a Domestic Goddess on weekends, when I blast French music, put on an apron, and whisk flour & eggs in the kitchen. </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">The BFF started baking recently and that has inspired me to at least consider dipping my finger into it. Maybe I can start by being her assistant? And watching Laura Calder makes me feel like I can do this. </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>There's an episode of Season 3 that I particularly like. It's on <i>Simple Pleasures. </i>And she bakes <i>petit fours</i>, powder puffs with cream & raspberry jam, <i>canele</i>, and stirs up a mean <i>lait de poule </i>(eggnog). <i>Oo</i><i>-la-la! </i>*drool*</div><div><br /></div><div>Although this Canadian lass loved cooking and baking from a young age (she won her 1st competition at age 6 for her chocolate cake with peanut butter icing!), cooking as a career never did cross her mind. </div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbdaaWzhDuwWBYZ47yjz0qASANhJdk0UbTrWraef-gqJBtC4mi9kdpZqXG-LBwbMGbzb2c6rs9kd4zCeHnjHGVgHTtPx8KsrHvcf6eLgMVz015L70V5XLrumJX1Q6C6Zv2Zut5WKtucE/s320/frenchtastewebcover.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474993039869407522" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px; " /><div>No, she pursued a degree in Linguistics in Toronto, then a Masters degree at the prestigious London School of Economics, and even began a career in print & broadcast journalism (<i>radio</i>!), all the while cooking & baking as a hobby.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Even when I traded all my textbooks (after graduating from LSE) for cookbooks, and carted all the crates back home, it didn't hit me that it was what I was meant to do," she says with chuckle. "It was in my face all the while, you'd think I'd have seen it!" </div><div><br /></div><div>But it was a particularly low point in her life, and a failed relationship, that led her to give up everything, take that leap of faith, and enroll herself in a cooking school in Vancouver. And as they say, the rest is history. </div><div><br /></div><div>A chance meeting with cookbook author & chef <b>Anne Willan</b> led her to spend the next decade of her life in Paris, learning the finer art of French cooking. And what ensued was two cookbooks of her own, <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">French Cooking at Home</span> </i>(HarperCollins, 2003) and <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">French Taste: Elegant Everyday Eating</span> </i>(2009). </div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; ">In 2005, she was served up a TV series of her very own, titled after her first published cookbook, and it's been so successful it's into its 3rd season! *beams* I guess when you're born to do something, the universe makes a way for that to happen, no matter how you try to skirt around it. I guess you just have to listen to your heart and trust your instincts. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbdaaWzhDuwWBYZ47yjz0qASANhJdk0UbTrWraef-gqJBtC4mi9kdpZqXG-LBwbMGbzb2c6rs9kd4zCeHnjHGVgHTtPx8KsrHvcf6eLgMVz015L70V5XLrumJX1Q6C6Zv2Zut5WKtucE/s1600/frenchtastewebcover.jpg"><br /></a></span><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGQvN2SUGA1nS7ebi5xoHOkeiUpadR0g27v3OnJ3NshAVOlGG4j7oCo14kbfze46ZVtuKnywVJzB3KEF1gNklmvdLCvgJRlS_X7HSa_7GitfcKj4QZlV6MOqKi6KpqpcIZA1jlkCQSq8/s1600/P1090646.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></a></span></span><img style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 283px; height: 400px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGQvN2SUGA1nS7ebi5xoHOkeiUpadR0g27v3OnJ3NshAVOlGG4j7oCo14kbfze46ZVtuKnywVJzB3KEF1gNklmvdLCvgJRlS_X7HSa_7GitfcKj4QZlV6MOqKi6KpqpcIZA1jlkCQSq8/s400/P1090646.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474648854326743074" /><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">A very tall <b>Laura Calder</b>, host of AFC's "French Food at Home". </span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>I was thrilled to meet Laura face-to-face in The Living Room and to get to know her better. I found that we have much in common! For one, we're both <i>writers</i> at heart. And it's in the expression of the <i>word </i>that we're able to crytalise our thoughts best. *grin* </div><div><br /></div><div>She keeps a journal which she carries with her everywhere. She never leaves home without it. And it's there that she scribbles her thoughts, ideas and reflections. I asked her why not start a blog? She smiles and declines. I love that "old schoolness" about her somehow, especially since she's an celebrity chef and must face so much pressure to do so! </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, you can bet I'll be tuning in <i>French Cooking at Home 3. </i>You can catch Laura too on Mondays 9pm on the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF6600;">Asian Food Channel </span>(Starhub Ch435), or visit her <a href="http://www.lauracalder.com/">website</a> to find out more about her. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Tip</span>: Read her bio page! It really gives a hint of the sort of person she is! I so totally enjoyed reading it... *wink* </div></div></div></div>Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026920553457524573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-88191013347789026452010-05-23T15:16:00.000+08:002010-05-25T16:11:55.415+08:00A Class of Budding Glass-makers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_duB-5sjNuDDz9ebTltnKspGuZd9nej6U37Fj0lRMod_5JI8dcVpRRHFuQxWqv0HmahUYvrp8xiXBNdYu4e75fjF8ZVlGX9F0eOwbnxkUAL_uNeic0NznOgz-3Py9DpXzvhscbjS3Va4/s1600/May+2010+077.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475112521082465298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_duB-5sjNuDDz9ebTltnKspGuZd9nej6U37Fj0lRMod_5JI8dcVpRRHFuQxWqv0HmahUYvrp8xiXBNdYu4e75fjF8ZVlGX9F0eOwbnxkUAL_uNeic0NznOgz-3Py9DpXzvhscbjS3Va4/s400/May+2010+077.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMPp1J0ETDCznclfwrQLdDcYHGmJlL4C0QdlWKUhITndBI-9zum-7OT07BDhtbu3sTosOT68I8W7QVepqmxAUBEcKbrd5nFIeiWni1tk_LhPjORyBa8EAXa1hOhqh5leo9itNzsc0X3o/s1600/May+2010+036.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475112865666424802" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMPp1J0ETDCznclfwrQLdDcYHGmJlL4C0QdlWKUhITndBI-9zum-7OT07BDhtbu3sTosOT68I8W7QVepqmxAUBEcKbrd5nFIeiWni1tk_LhPjORyBa8EAXa1hOhqh5leo9itNzsc0X3o/s200/May+2010+036.JPG" border="0" /></a>The still moist air was an unwelcome prelude to the morning drizzle. The heat perhaps set the mood for what was to be a flaming hot affair at working with glass. Except for two participants who joined Pam and I at <strong><em>The Living Room's Hot Glass Bead-Making workshop</em></strong>, it was the first time they were going to work with glass. It certainly is a rare find to chance upon a professional glass artist than say a ceremic artist in Singapore, so <strong>Dominic Fonde</strong>, co-founder of <a href="http://www.artglasssolutions.com/"><strong>Art Glass Solutions</strong> </a>was a gem!<br /><br />What distinguished this workshop apart from many <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPGt6gOhm4wLM1yTvIpZTBHNTlMuv_8O75fkJN2HhyT_PqPF01YyOXUCozo_3HzpkqDjAFNPtIPuZ7n-NN8JrvCvUs5rvyeOb9iWEgPkXhExOSaRxsi1WehbTEukFcEAQLEkb4PqriIk/s1600/May+2010+002.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475113296709864418" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPGt6gOhm4wLM1yTvIpZTBHNTlMuv_8O75fkJN2HhyT_PqPF01YyOXUCozo_3HzpkqDjAFNPtIPuZ7n-NN8JrvCvUs5rvyeOb9iWEgPkXhExOSaRxsi1WehbTEukFcEAQLEkb4PqriIk/s200/May+2010+002.JPG" border="0" /></a>other events before this, would be that this was almost wholly hands-on. The theoretical bits were kept to the minimum and not long after welcome words were exchanged, participants were split into two groups and herded to the back of the colonial studio space on Kuo Chuan Avenue. One group was going to start with engraving on lemonade glasses while the other group would begin with bead-making.<br /><br />Before we could start engraving, Hannah who's from Germany, had each participant prepare a design on a piece of paper. It would later be rolled up and stuffed into the lemonade glass, and we just had to trace our design with the engraving drill bit. It would be advantageous to possess the ability to produce a good design and to have steady hands. I was down on both counts. I can't draw anything decent, nor are my hands apt in keeping the swirling drill bit from pirouetting away from the design I was to trace.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDI5DCMXpmWdtW2EVi0kKhB7t3I_VlQbQe0WpxN7R1DnJ7tItqqJPb656jfdIPn9VSFROQYj9pIl2Cyr2gihByOTB3uN9HS1nDx1iVBwcft1yONdqV62a509CrUljG5i3QYGIRTys6Hck/s1600/May+2010+030.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475114090126572882" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDI5DCMXpmWdtW2EVi0kKhB7t3I_VlQbQe0WpxN7R1DnJ7tItqqJPb656jfdIPn9VSFROQYj9pIl2Cyr2gihByOTB3uN9HS1nDx1iVBwcft1yONdqV62a509CrUljG5i3QYGIRTys6Hck/s200/May+2010+030.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-gLL7jxSHBopibya_GPOuw5AcEhC8cKUXu3x3TUyOoZGtasEyWVoKg7XtIRH6553Z5w-H6qVPaPDijCno1QmYL72U_Cs3IoHV0bYifJqwuuqPzSe4p1O5GHlZKEXQV0I_ngClORk1Zw/s1600/May+2010+062.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475114105015256466" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-gLL7jxSHBopibya_GPOuw5AcEhC8cKUXu3x3TUyOoZGtasEyWVoKg7XtIRH6553Z5w-H6qVPaPDijCno1QmYL72U_Cs3IoHV0bYifJqwuuqPzSe4p1O5GHlZKEXQV0I_ngClORk1Zw/s200/May+2010+062.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQNG6vuEkHCukxfVGRnR2BolPa4v9VrNUO6DjW87F-o06dXyxwYU8xBkmoA1cA_-YeUUi86b7uOkdr65dOA3F3r3kTmExzN0Fe69sDOUcvFfiau3BP1q8eXpklXJSdu5cdsIUMj1x9iM/s1600/May+2010+075.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475114129837192882" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQNG6vuEkHCukxfVGRnR2BolPa4v9VrNUO6DjW87F-o06dXyxwYU8xBkmoA1cA_-YeUUi86b7uOkdr65dOA3F3r3kTmExzN0Fe69sDOUcvFfiau3BP1q8eXpklXJSdu5cdsIUMj1x9iM/s200/May+2010+075.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfeic5eNeVVgDrOio-7wSCNTj2kwA802TZhaIRx5KrTbfeLlzLlRETQVe0QFPJV2Ykz2Rb82acgZ1A8R9EQjAMLvF9VsdDouQ5XAQ0EP1idqQE2HjNvgwoulueJMAFenzuwURI1IyuWpU/s1600/May+2010+041.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475114779104341682" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfeic5eNeVVgDrOio-7wSCNTj2kwA802TZhaIRx5KrTbfeLlzLlRETQVe0QFPJV2Ykz2Rb82acgZ1A8R9EQjAMLvF9VsdDouQ5XAQ0EP1idqQE2HjNvgwoulueJMAFenzuwURI1IyuWpU/s200/May+2010+041.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I did slightly better in the bead-making though Dominic did most of the work. After all, you had to work with a flame about 1,200 degress that shot out from a canister tightly clamped to a table.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhNGEqu3PvOokv4cWqhAbMrF9tXM9EuO3ezMW19OqR46zInrGnUwU0PoxbA7bBw2UHFlSZasGB-mwAOZmjIkdUA_pctlWPV77-R8HL-TZ5hUj8VntbPNrZ8WfDmJHaqgC9fjYSQqDCJs/s1600/May+2010+057.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475115892052179826" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhNGEqu3PvOokv4cWqhAbMrF9tXM9EuO3ezMW19OqR46zInrGnUwU0PoxbA7bBw2UHFlSZasGB-mwAOZmjIkdUA_pctlWPV77-R8HL-TZ5hUj8VntbPNrZ8WfDmJHaqgC9fjYSQqDCJs/s320/May+2010+057.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhosnK5xvGVYRopHKXjwEcueSazHks2EIr03ca-VkWVIjQeZtzb9oxkfN7VPoWQdsuf7SwujB3cxGpwHATf6zY1pLAwUkU7JhKSkqbLlB-0CKyQc39-QhDs592Aw5I_zzZbBwtesup080s/s1600/May+2010+026.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475115883044431074" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhosnK5xvGVYRopHKXjwEcueSazHks2EIr03ca-VkWVIjQeZtzb9oxkfN7VPoWQdsuf7SwujB3cxGpwHATf6zY1pLAwUkU7JhKSkqbLlB-0CKyQc39-QhDs592Aw5I_zzZbBwtesup080s/s320/May+2010+026.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAXnwtIAki2FDjcUYgzyo909mUvWwhF97q0lHgCRJiuNQZM2jhaJeYBXGQQw1SuwPB4UcVKy6NEMx2eskUwcdKIIkinsKP3Z2gLQhmjtsc9I8rs_FZIKREy_0INaBZXNub5T4d8KRlymE/s1600/May+2010+007.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475116575115459266" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAXnwtIAki2FDjcUYgzyo909mUvWwhF97q0lHgCRJiuNQZM2jhaJeYBXGQQw1SuwPB4UcVKy6NEMx2eskUwcdKIIkinsKP3Z2gLQhmjtsc9I8rs_FZIKREy_0INaBZXNub5T4d8KRlymE/s200/May+2010+007.JPG" border="0" /></a>In between activities, participants gathered around another table to watch Dominic's friend Katherine demonstrate how copper foiling's done. Most of the pieces that participants produced that day were either for a partner or a child who wasn't in attendance. Such sweet gestures!<br /><br />Meantime, stay peeled to 938LIVE for details of the next Living Room outdoor event!Stanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06683938263217318493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-42823027535530647002010-05-21T16:40:00.027+08:002010-05-21T21:48:46.165+08:00A Christian conversion<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEv6WPcxyhI00REha3iLEVZ86kRRHgTefxRouSgn-LMK-Kwaerpqj1Z21I9ZtXKmFWUtEhIPDSr3Uj-DoNR-sVhKp16-xkQ7O3ML0Mm2CRk3MhTkO-OXvmuNLMqMF2Mwlpy_2FoWscu-M/s1600/May+2010+004.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473716652144534706" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEv6WPcxyhI00REha3iLEVZ86kRRHgTefxRouSgn-LMK-Kwaerpqj1Z21I9ZtXKmFWUtEhIPDSr3Uj-DoNR-sVhKp16-xkQ7O3ML0Mm2CRk3MhTkO-OXvmuNLMqMF2Mwlpy_2FoWscu-M/s320/May+2010+004.JPG" border="0" /></a>While there are those who swoon over a certain <a href="http://www.patrizio.tv/">Italian crooner </a>coming our way next month for a one-night-only concert, we're happy to report we've got one of our own who just as effortlessly makes women weak in the knees with his ballads. Just ask Pamela, who got serenaded to live on air in The Living Room this morning. No wonder he comes in the way of boyfriends and their girls. It's this easiness and charm about him. This is the magnetism of <strong><a href="http://www.christianbautistaonline.com/"><span style="color:#999900;">Christian Bautista</span></a></strong>.<br /><br />Vocals aside (he has a rich baritone timbre that glides on higher registers, transporting you to third heaven), it doesn't hurt to have chiselled good looks and looking dapper yet relaxed. Words flow easily for this 28-year-old, who first struck out as a singer in 2004 after a decent showing at <em>Star in a Million</em>, a reality singing contest in his native Philippines. Christian's music has won hearts not just among his country(wo)men, but across Southeast Asia. Indonesia in particular loves him, with album sales there reaching the triple platinum mark. Not that his music hasn't won over radio listeners in Singapore. Back a few years ago, his rendition of <em>'The Way You Look At Me' </em>made it it to #1 on the Perfect 10 chart (what is now <a href="http://entertainment.xin.msn.com/en/radio/987fm/">987FM</a>).<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473717037722093282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 381px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOXbJEQeDvDB1b9O2VI2cSnXEoF413TSLCVNLWBaKYQFYOG4PbfHE1IE2cmq5Ttl_jP37mZLvnEbsSM0hgT4U3fBemjZTAAUcOXHoU1lNB_mBMr2IuckQ25TVm80JdGQLwn4x90bKEso/s400/May+2010+002.JPG" border="0" />When asked why his music appeals to such a wide audience across cultures, he puts it down to digging deep into his emotions. "Every time I sing to my audience, I do my best to romance them, look them straight in the eye and tell them from my heart what I want to say. I think it's important they feel what you're singing...even if it's in a recording studio or on tv. I believe that's the way to go - to get that connection".<br /><br />Christian's music is slow, sentimental, reflective and reminiscent, and there's no splitting hairs between his music and his personality. He adds, "I believe that we Asians are really romantics at heart. We love singing, we love romance, we love break-ups. There are so many good break-up songs that we just want to listen to them and cry".<br /><br />I'd read in another interview that Christian begins and ends each day with prayer. I couldn't help but ask him if his faith shapes his life. To which he relates this story:<br /><br />"When my mother named me Christian Joseph Morata Bautista, my grandfather said "You better be sure this man grows up to be a good boy because of the name you give him". You've got 'Christian' there, you've got 'Joseph' there, and 'Bautista' is Tagalog for 'Baptist'! So wow! I have to live up to that name."<br /><br />Speaking of names, singing aside, he's also made a name for himself on both the tv & silver screens. Another feather in the cap - playing Tony in a musical theatre production of <em>West Side Story</em> back home. He fancies being in more musical theatre productions because he gets to be another character. For the time being however, this character has a lot going for him, releasing his second album in Singapore titled <em><strong>"Romance Revisited: Love Songs of Jose Mari Chan"</strong></em>. Christian's latest album can be found in all leading music stores.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473717495607470770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 179px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEIJTUgHiR2dcfWszPqlDzneMQOoAHcD9N32Xcs3ZJIllyZImpOTqQPIljRnGSkHSLiTsap0Uh-ErK4JpRycEoG7y0BWy5QgqTc2J6_htWL6w3C05QI61MlMceZQIrFpagSyEf2XodWk/s400/Romance+Revisited.jpg" border="0" /> If you are a new convert and want to keep him in range, connect with him on <a href="http://twitter.com/xtianbautista">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/xianbautista">Facebook</a>.Stanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06683938263217318493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-2939288401230839222010-05-10T21:14:00.007+08:002010-05-10T22:22:44.235+08:00Watch Out Boy She'll Chew You Up!She's no 'man-eater' like how Darryl Hall and John Oates described, but she's definitely an eater! Cutting a slim finger more befitting of a beauty queen than a professional eater is <strong><a href="http://www.ifoce.com/rankings.php?action=detail&sn=151"><span style="color:#000000;">Juliet Lee</span></a></strong>. The native of the People's Republic of China up until 1992, Juliet now calls Maryland in the land of star and stripes home.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL52VXc6qnr-sbyXMHV4CQhxWpjK_mTixHyGjGVdCY6xij-7a9E1s9jFXr9JWYBMzlTfw4eZmu5pcpmB1BFxqGRJIPSkkRVPeCG2lCAXsoUwEUXipFW_AmuG-00QmyblVXkaa67FWecxo/s1600/May+2010+069.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469645627539560898" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 284px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL52VXc6qnr-sbyXMHV4CQhxWpjK_mTixHyGjGVdCY6xij-7a9E1s9jFXr9JWYBMzlTfw4eZmu5pcpmB1BFxqGRJIPSkkRVPeCG2lCAXsoUwEUXipFW_AmuG-00QmyblVXkaa67FWecxo/s400/May+2010+069.JPG" border="0" /></a>Pam and I have played host to all kinds of people from all sorts of background and varying stature, but none as fearsome as this lady with a voracious appetite. The night before, Juliet had swallowed 160 shrimp dumplings in 8 minutes. That's just over 3 dumplings in a second! When she sashayed into our living room this morning, she radianted health and didn't look weighed down or sickened by her feat of a feast less than 24 hours earlier.<br /><br />She has us know that her strategy is to use her hands as teeth, especially when she has to wolf down pizzas. Before stuffing the next mouthful, she'd grab the slice in waiting and roll and form it into a shape and size that would go down easier). She didn't need to employ this technique at yesterday's <a href="http://www.cpbiggesteater.com/"><strong>CP Biggest Eater Competition 2010</strong> </a>- a <em>wonton</em> challenge organised by CP Foods. The boiled dumplings were already softer than say hotdogs or hamburgers, and with the smooth skin, they went down easier than most other foods. But Juliet admitted that the going got tougher in the later stages. As each dumpling contained whole shrimps, she had to chew on the dumplings in the closing stages just to get more in.<br /><br />When asked if she felt bad about such ravenous eating while half the world was starving, she sets the record straight, saying competitive eaters like herself did what they did to promote foods rather than the act of binging or extravagant wastage. We also learn that she and many of her competitors make donations to impoverished communities, so they do plough back part oftheir winnings.<br /><br />If you're wondering if there is a 'hall of fame' for the competitive eating fraternity, bingo! They call themselves the <a href="http://www.ifoce.com/"><strong>Major League Eating & International Federation of Competitive Eating</strong></a>! Juliet currently ranks #11 on the Eater Rankings, with only one other lady ahead of her in the male-dominated pack.<br /><br />When Juliet's not gorging, she leads an active life playing mother to two teenage daughters and runs her own hair salon back in the States. She also claims she's as good in the kitchen as she is at the competition table, preparing meals for her family and her cat, but she says she eats most "gracefully" when the clock's not ticking down.<br /><br />And as a true blue Chinese, she jests that she'll eat anything that has legs, except tables. Eating is truly Juliet's 'Romeo', and being Chinese gives her an edge!Stanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06683938263217318493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-73326561161606168492010-05-08T10:18:00.024+08:002010-05-08T11:47:29.805+08:00Sushi Ice Cream Anyone?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpZ5UPyf5ZCGL0yR9Mc30f2YzdmZpfcxCK_dQvyweJj7AMWMzx_ikF-8XLG_s6ONjrf6-NLf6Bf_tpgyvj1B4mUsz36-vJ5OlBXVcaNxsBCXUTDw9C8JocxNYBqXBT67f4Bj6yQlOnY0/s1600/P1090367.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpZ5UPyf5ZCGL0yR9Mc30f2YzdmZpfcxCK_dQvyweJj7AMWMzx_ikF-8XLG_s6ONjrf6-NLf6Bf_tpgyvj1B4mUsz36-vJ5OlBXVcaNxsBCXUTDw9C8JocxNYBqXBT67f4Bj6yQlOnY0/s400/P1090367.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468737269447852946" /></a><div>I can't be impartial when it comes to ice cream. I'm known among my friends as the die-hard foodie, and I go only for the real quality stuff. Ever since I discovered <b><a href="http://www.haagendazs.com.sg/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Haagen Dazs</span></a></b> years back at my (rich) aunt's party, I have not looked back. For the record, it's the <i>only</i> strawberry ice cream I like. And don't even get me started on their Belgian chocolate... *drool*</div><div><br /></div><div>When Jansen Siak (Word of Mouth Communications) invited us for the launch of Haagen Dazs' new menu, I said Yes on the spot. C'mon, I'd clear my work schedule for this! *LOL* </div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkLjfEX7uL3KNNh1ICFuWcOuLrZLodiTADqaYTzNMAzR93S9e9cc4afpMVxmoOrBL9V5Rty0u8H9oRuUFcvvLAe8BbraV_xIjNiCKL-Bz2_hAKmvZYWW_IfuO3BZFVBQPViRwzoMaWYg/s1600/P1090351.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkLjfEX7uL3KNNh1ICFuWcOuLrZLodiTADqaYTzNMAzR93S9e9cc4afpMVxmoOrBL9V5Rty0u8H9oRuUFcvvLAe8BbraV_xIjNiCKL-Bz2_hAKmvZYWW_IfuO3BZFVBQPViRwzoMaWYg/s320/P1090351.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468721419248957730" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">The media tasting was held at Haagen Dazs' Suntec outlet (#01-017A), and Senior Marketing Manager, Mandy Saviour, came down to introduce us to the new menu. What's this we hear about sushi ice cream??? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">These are usually created at their out-of-bounds kitchen (with ideal temperatures), but for the media, they brought a "chef" down specially to demonstrate how the sushi ice cream is made... </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuz5FKadn9eBAOz1TNAh6Cyt9ITGo1XZ0W5ZUVGuqSMPNgf8no7X5q6ddnCduVm3nAJi7UPyGtO9tIL3_EoVxlieARo77-0-oib0F2oSNx24Uwa4sIfYQtfxBXYbzeX1LPvJusGck3hpY/s1600/P1090353.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuz5FKadn9eBAOz1TNAh6Cyt9ITGo1XZ0W5ZUVGuqSMPNgf8no7X5q6ddnCduVm3nAJi7UPyGtO9tIL3_EoVxlieARo77-0-oib0F2oSNx24Uwa4sIfYQtfxBXYbzeX1LPvJusGck3hpY/s320/P1090353.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468721277025449138" /></a><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">This ice cream block is made up of thin layers of mango ice cream, alternating with vanilla. It's done <i>kueh lapis </i>style: One layer after another, manually. In fact, it takes them a whole day to make this! No kidding.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">These ice cream blocks are then sliced up into sushi-sized chunks, depending on whether they are the "rice" or the "salmon" [<i>pictured below</i>]. But what about the "seaweed wrap"? </div></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNrbr4Pf-f4xJU-9RudvzLCwzhfhhocNpZk4eTpox2xG4rTt5YRP3nIMPHfDkN56MVJJ0707dBKeZKvJBCgJuGqWYCVKGxfBvApMlJ2C6MlN17flsJawgEsZRz38nbgT-jrPxpDttm5A/s1600/P1090355.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNrbr4Pf-f4xJU-9RudvzLCwzhfhhocNpZk4eTpox2xG4rTt5YRP3nIMPHfDkN56MVJJ0707dBKeZKvJBCgJuGqWYCVKGxfBvApMlJ2C6MlN17flsJawgEsZRz38nbgT-jrPxpDttm5A/s320/P1090355.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468721156207260306" /></a><br /></div><div>Dark chocolate, of course! The demonstrator brushes some dark chocolate onto a strip of paper and wraps it around the ice cream sushi. Then it's off to the freezer! Once the chocolate is hardened, she removes the strip of paper, and... <i>tada</i>!</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2PE0PrJosn7kAKc8ylQ9myRkM2ja9TQ5FKROOb1fV0SdZ7RzliKdsCA8HQTUdWXFGSst_FpO5JEJhgUnsPhckSljNDxntYRWV1xq39rPzXw4g0L9kwZw_g6tLnleP8kkfkclE4zUF980/s1600/P1090357.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2PE0PrJosn7kAKc8ylQ9myRkM2ja9TQ5FKROOb1fV0SdZ7RzliKdsCA8HQTUdWXFGSst_FpO5JEJhgUnsPhckSljNDxntYRWV1xq39rPzXw4g0L9kwZw_g6tLnleP8kkfkclE4zUF980/s320/P1090357.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468721024419014658" /></a>It's starting to look a lot like sushi! *GRIN* And now for the final touches....</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAgzay40B40pbt8u2iFH9v9seOntNZcnnThx5QrSdEusuLIgxuuAVZUXPyCG-GNPAywNKAXcYdzF5twuyV6lmXnH0VQxI5AH_YlVaUHSDGuqjFj_UOTMDg7EkeNh1cVElQC4YGadGeqY/s1600/P1090359.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAgzay40B40pbt8u2iFH9v9seOntNZcnnThx5QrSdEusuLIgxuuAVZUXPyCG-GNPAywNKAXcYdzF5twuyV6lmXnH0VQxI5AH_YlVaUHSDGuqjFj_UOTMDg7EkeNh1cVElQC4YGadGeqY/s320/P1090359.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468720899997574674" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">To create the explosion of tastes, fresh kiwi fruit and strawberries are carefully spooned onto the sushi pockets. At this point, I wasn't sure how the flavours would come together, but <i>visually</i>, it was already a treat for me. Look at 'em lovely colours! </div></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhyphenhyphen_wXemSBY1DQ6Owr3Amc9mjhU9wWkhSmHk7BXVDYzWworCOMfDCtRdOIYU3WoJrJ2vuuUPmyOXbJE1hyX19_mHeDOtR-GVSoECRORdq0P8r0aWZkhR8Uh91NyWaQDbKXi49KkxEXxo/s1600/P1090361.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhyphenhyphen_wXemSBY1DQ6Owr3Amc9mjhU9wWkhSmHk7BXVDYzWworCOMfDCtRdOIYU3WoJrJ2vuuUPmyOXbJE1hyX19_mHeDOtR-GVSoECRORdq0P8r0aWZkhR8Uh91NyWaQDbKXi49KkxEXxo/s320/P1090361.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468720761915391154" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Voila</i>! Haagen Dazs' sushi ice cream! </div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOVYnE0CPBkJXgs8ueHoMuF3edq1_XF6PQToPtGEnS-65aQePZr1xnvxmn7QhC_kOYMTuiK8NecWJCaEWnJI2fNpyQh6p4UQtIq-sCL1ARGGuVPbAypNFQ9qNvb20E3ePsnaG5pg1NHQ/s1600/P1090368.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOVYnE0CPBkJXgs8ueHoMuF3edq1_XF6PQToPtGEnS-65aQePZr1xnvxmn7QhC_kOYMTuiK8NecWJCaEWnJI2fNpyQh6p4UQtIq-sCL1ARGGuVPbAypNFQ9qNvb20E3ePsnaG5pg1NHQ/s320/P1090368.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468720595147558818" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">I love this mango one (which is supposed to look like salmon maki!). The other one I really like is the <i>tamago</i> (egg) maki, which boasts a unique combination of macadamia nut ice cream and (I think) passion fruit. Mmm.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The dark chocolate "seaweed" is unsweetened. I think if you don't have too sweet a tooth, it balances off with the very sweet ice cream. But I do have a sweet tooth, and I do wish it was sweeter! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFt7CikgE7e662fXRILiKLj0IgBjZ58ReXD2M0TYj-12sWbu4MTrArD7D_OBves4nQhwblJxK8nTPpaTyPkIyR1zWgLnRS0niKgNrGLNmMp_-zgHQHjE_-9g6tCljkNU75Ah2LRzuCRG4/s1600/P1090369.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFt7CikgE7e662fXRILiKLj0IgBjZ58ReXD2M0TYj-12sWbu4MTrArD7D_OBves4nQhwblJxK8nTPpaTyPkIyR1zWgLnRS0niKgNrGLNmMp_-zgHQHjE_-9g6tCljkNU75Ah2LRzuCRG4/s320/P1090369.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468720377254013154" /></a>And that's not all. We were also introduced to HD's new selection of ice cream cakes, including this Double Chocolate Royale. It came to us quite dramatically, I must say! Dry ice effect and all....... *LOL*</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgthiA75vd4TYw-I5KFAQhJF9LWIx-xIi318I2f5znI0cq1qd8jgo8mIiNiIZjAtrOuN7sbJbSA-u5_AOEUGO4NfSWzq7RDgR-xnxjITdpgdLPIy5eJgH7cQ8ZFt1YDrBw27lb03FxAJQY/s1600/P1090376.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgthiA75vd4TYw-I5KFAQhJF9LWIx-xIi318I2f5znI0cq1qd8jgo8mIiNiIZjAtrOuN7sbJbSA-u5_AOEUGO4NfSWzq7RDgR-xnxjITdpgdLPIy5eJgH7cQ8ZFt1YDrBw27lb03FxAJQY/s320/P1090376.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468720247324132466" /></a>And if you're not a big fan of chocolate, well there's always the fruity option for you. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRgR2uOkL6U-9nVCkO5qXYlUIGb-YyP86WGNpjqKKTNqmHq3jqJf47oaVVQKDBmCQ7cMuPcZEpl-y2xqq2S0i6YxtMmEIxixj_fU4htZDMcaVu96Qky3ghWbCY05ETpi7eYj7lTanUJ8/s1600/P1090380.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRgR2uOkL6U-9nVCkO5qXYlUIGb-YyP86WGNpjqKKTNqmHq3jqJf47oaVVQKDBmCQ7cMuPcZEpl-y2xqq2S0i6YxtMmEIxixj_fU4htZDMcaVu96Qky3ghWbCY05ETpi7eYj7lTanUJ8/s320/P1090380.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468720068702373570" /></a>Each of us got our very own personal-sized Double Chocolate Royale. Now this is the type of dark chocolate I like... slightly sweetened... I could just eat the coating on its own! *LOL* </div><div><br /></div><div>And what's inside?</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh571lXBDLHKjh87dSyDqzHa0RIaZPRh8H-n8PnJkJI5kfC8UxXe9f1xJDC-X7lAqTi8dxARA1G2R7_SyTFvL0HPiMS1hKp2fJ05rdXLe65s51WBO1yt_PEXf6pQ1a7K595QePOfIqQva0/s1600/P1090383.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh571lXBDLHKjh87dSyDqzHa0RIaZPRh8H-n8PnJkJI5kfC8UxXe9f1xJDC-X7lAqTi8dxARA1G2R7_SyTFvL0HPiMS1hKp2fJ05rdXLe65s51WBO1yt_PEXf6pQ1a7K595QePOfIqQva0/s320/P1090383.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468719941564045698" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"> Macadamia nut ice cream.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Eat your heart out! If you love quality ice cream + an explosion of flavours (from rich dark chocolates to fresh fruits) + a visual treat, then I suppose it's time to head down to your nearest Haagen Dazs outlet to check out their new menu? *wink*</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Bon Appetit! </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026920553457524573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-48742735947795169402010-05-07T23:01:00.013+08:002010-05-08T17:45:48.224+08:00Experiencing Dili in Running Shoes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtHvTuadbi40JWytSCjfErdgHBdqu8uFM460x10Bka3qHMs9FsY9EGX6qsS6WB-e5fJxLxQUVn1G5AC8g9CgxaRCHd5lHhfXE1qBFwU-CJgCLxo6-eSvy1kkiRz4cRIOuntwXLouJpMY/s1600/P1020586.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 302px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtHvTuadbi40JWytSCjfErdgHBdqu8uFM460x10Bka3qHMs9FsY9EGX6qsS6WB-e5fJxLxQUVn1G5AC8g9CgxaRCHd5lHhfXE1qBFwU-CJgCLxo6-eSvy1kkiRz4cRIOuntwXLouJpMY/s400/P1020586.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468831208147455666" /></a><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;"><i><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">The Chain Reaction Project (TCRP)</span></b> is a group of four young women - </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Zhang Tingjun, Alexandra Toh, Anina Boshoff </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">and</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;"> Jasmine Wong</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; "> - who describe themselves as "catalysts for change".</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; ">Last year, they took part in the <i>Tour de Timor</i>, riding 450km across Timor-Leste, and raising over $50,000 for <a href="http://www.hiamhealth.org/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Hiam Health</span></b></a>, an NGO focused on education, rehabilitation & prevention of malnutrition. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Stan & I had them in </span>The Living Room<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> before and after their trip to share their experience. That was August 2009, and we remain firm supporters of these spunky girls and their cause.</span></span></div></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal; "><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></span></i></span></div></span></b></span></div><div><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Uys6kEI_X6o&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Uys6kEI_X6o&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Well, fast forward nine months and the girls are back! This time, they are roping YOU and ME in as they participate in the <a href="http://dilimarathon.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><b>Dili Marathon</b></span></a><a href="http://dilimarathon.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><b> 2010</b></span></a> to raise funds for Hiam Health, their beneficiary for the 2nd year running. </div><div><br /></div><div>Don't switch off at this point if you can't run 42km! Neither can I! *LOL* </div><div><br /></div><div>There are other options: The Half Marathon (21km), 10km and 5km. And if you are like our guest today, participant <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">John Gordon</span></b> (or <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Johnnie</span></b>, as the girls call him!), he will be <i>walking</i> the 5km and enjoying the scenery of Dili! That sounds doable, no? *wink*</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmHhbvGOuYVBZLqTxNbraPMsIamVBKLjXqP8-5dU0FUoXZ4qbopwL8R7a1wIzGLDmVm2_6ekntVMfomFFjKTMezXdSMuifA_jMA75HyPg-8oKJGZRGxHb_rMy-A-r8axlIfsKGlYQUPA/s1600/P1090404.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmHhbvGOuYVBZLqTxNbraPMsIamVBKLjXqP8-5dU0FUoXZ4qbopwL8R7a1wIzGLDmVm2_6ekntVMfomFFjKTMezXdSMuifA_jMA75HyPg-8oKJGZRGxHb_rMy-A-r8axlIfsKGlYQUPA/s400/P1090404.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468748335941877650" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 383px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;">Alex, Johnnie & Tingjun tell us about the Dili Marathon 2010 project</span></i>. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Coming down with John were <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Alexandra To</span>h </b>and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;"><b>Zhang Tingjun</b></span>, now regulars on our show! *LOL* I have to say they have become good friends of ours! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>Of course, this is more than just a sporting challenge. You'll also get a once-in-a-lifetime private audience with the President of Timor-Leste, <b>Jose Ramos</b>, plus a 4-wheet drive up to one of the country's highest points to spend a day! You'll also get to meet new "like-minded" friends, experience the beauty of Timor-Leste, and embark on an adventure like no other!</div><div><br /></div><div>And it's all for a good cause. 100% of the proceeds go to Hiam Health.</div><div><br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">TRIP DETAILS</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">19 - 22 June</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">(Dili Marathon on 20 Jun)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">$2,100/pax OR $1,9oo/team of 4.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">To register, click </span></span></i><a href="http://www.adventures.com.sg/tcrp/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">here</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">For more info, click </span></span></i><a href="http://www.thechainreactionproject.com/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">here</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">.</span></span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Stan & I are seriously considering doing this... Imagine the interviews we can do there, including one with the President of Timor-Leste? *wink* Hope to see you there!!! </div><div><br /></div></div>Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026920553457524573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358156773406112075.post-14443305688219318152010-05-05T22:16:00.001+08:002010-05-05T21:08:10.344+08:00The Singapore Graphic Novel<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 131px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsP1qPdNoTWk-N6AuB-W4I7whkXC5KaaZH1csg8LyTLVO8g0kyoqyl-BOLtyUiVjLf6uJxH3fQy8DVmTeegM0Gd0VPHDmaBMh6EwPpeOJHbu9JNNFL6xc0k5S8ppEWOsb0RwwXiTIxg9E/s200/vendetta.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467423537453036802" /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hFaiY-fKVauRDBhpEz-iNy3X1RTzjESkHswIRKAEKhw2Gl0hntBKputRzMXn5tgB-EsZzsNh9VCGtoExE53S-GoT_idUG5X1wDVevp02G4zVIOMxrTqBTKTEd2V0wEKjdYHNXIwLdXA/s200/x-men_evolution_1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467423636101857938" />When we think of Graphic Novels, Neil Gaiman's <i>Sandman</i> and the hugely-popular <i>X-Men</i> or<i> V for Vendetta </i>(which were made into blockbuster films) come to mind. It's ambitious to say the least ~ I mean, how many people are proficient writers and artists?<br /><div><br /></div><div>It requires a team of talents ~ which can include a writer, artist, colorist, inker, letterer, penciler etc. In Asia, Japan seems to be taking the world by storm with its <i>manga</i>, but a graphic novel created in Singapore? Hmm, that seems unlikely.</div><div><br /></div><div>But thanks to <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">IGNITE!</span></i>, a graphic novel initiative by MDA & in collaboration with the <a href="http://www.acas.org.sg/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Association of Comic Artists Singapore (ACAS)</span></a>, a generation of young graphic novelists is rising up in Singapore, and being published for the first time. </div><div><br /></div><div>Take a look at what <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">IGNITE!</span></i> has unearthed... </div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLAjJemATO0_DjvdElHgAkB_ViwUjkkWci6q8GXZaxNZd4Pqy5robh1hYDA3YP4Hxf28aBvKIxzzCRN1BO-V4evwtCyiXzfYgZm02YX29FFKu8soSwywGn93VI3eKKTGvdYymiCsu_Wc/s1600/Memorium+Preview-2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 283px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLAjJemATO0_DjvdElHgAkB_ViwUjkkWci6q8GXZaxNZd4Pqy5robh1hYDA3YP4Hxf28aBvKIxzzCRN1BO-V4evwtCyiXzfYgZm02YX29FFKu8soSwywGn93VI3eKKTGvdYymiCsu_Wc/s400/Memorium+Preview-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467419893993169330" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3ryTzUAZwguFC-YcBeyucjItH8HEEwP8MKe5OdTbgVMjShJFULUny84yfS6iRmnSA8sR5_bFvx92HjDmnQpaeBbJ1va-R8fnWxfezcKstgEcENd57NeKy4HwGIu_nwLFbw0hyphenhyphenEoY_Yk/s1600/Ockham's+Razor+Preview-2-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 283px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3ryTzUAZwguFC-YcBeyucjItH8HEEwP8MKe5OdTbgVMjShJFULUny84yfS6iRmnSA8sR5_bFvx92HjDmnQpaeBbJ1va-R8fnWxfezcKstgEcENd57NeKy4HwGIu_nwLFbw0hyphenhyphenEoY_Yk/s400/Ockham's+Razor+Preview-2-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467419575660761986" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_fufo6F1Fq8JK0WBo568M-3rMTnUKVAFeRNGKqdNzr51DCwjIq9hLgKph8NppLDgOfuHIhzxSi9wZuF6VoZ0Ucl63XWMhJtOZit6rSTWgF7_eLzZP_PhGZ_psvHsoF_vyiGMgty3I5M/s1600/Bridge+Preview-2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 283px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_fufo6F1Fq8JK0WBo568M-3rMTnUKVAFeRNGKqdNzr51DCwjIq9hLgKph8NppLDgOfuHIhzxSi9wZuF6VoZ0Ucl63XWMhJtOZit6rSTWgF7_eLzZP_PhGZ_psvHsoF_vyiGMgty3I5M/s400/Bridge+Preview-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467419212254472098" /></a>Well, today in The Living Room, we got to chat with the President of the <a href="http://www.acas.org.sg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Association of Comic Artists (Singapore)</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">, <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Jerry Hinds<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">as well as three winners of <i>IGNITE! </i></span></span></span></b> </span><br /><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlYlRdVf79ad55tOt9L_PBW2xBrYajHNdAdt-QgruGAsxnEMkC0pGiVKRtBaEBn4WLBBT69Z6Wlm_X6Ip8LLrC0YQ2Z29xRzs8tII10Ctq-twarpjLTthtoqbRmS75bQTgpvi18eS2PE/s1600/P1090341.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlYlRdVf79ad55tOt9L_PBW2xBrYajHNdAdt-QgruGAsxnEMkC0pGiVKRtBaEBn4WLBBT69Z6Wlm_X6Ip8LLrC0YQ2Z29xRzs8tII10Ctq-twarpjLTthtoqbRmS75bQTgpvi18eS2PE/s400/P1090341.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467768298102683250" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-style: italic; ">Singapore's very own graphic novelists: <b>Tan Soon Meng</b> (Ockham's Razor), <b>Beryl Kwok</b> (Memorium) and <b>Regina Ying</b> (Bridge), together with <b>Jerry Hinds</b>, President of ACAS. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was an enlightening chat indeed, and we learnt quite a bit about the whole process involved into creating a graphic novel, as well as where the industry is heading.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"What we need now most are good writers, people who have strong concepts. I see these storytellers moving into gaming in a big way - that's where the big money is!" says Jerry. "The artwork may be so-so, but if you have a strong story and concept, you will still go far. Just look like <i>South Park </i>and <i>The Simpsons</i>!"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">To find out more about the work of the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Association of Comic Artists (Singapore)</span>, click <a href="http://www.acas.org.sg/">here</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Catch the encore broadcast of this interview:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Tonight, 10.10pm - 11pm, on 938LIVE.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">2am, Channel NewsAsia</span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></div></div>Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026920553457524573noreply@blogger.com0