New Line of Sports Haversack

Ladies often say that you can never have too many bags. As a guy I generally prefer a one bag fits all but then there are always occasions in which we want to have a bag just for that purpose. Think about when you travel where larger bag space is appreciated or when you head out for sports and need a bag to store your change of clothes. It would be good to have a different bag well suited for that occasion. 

AoBlue has a lineup of round haversack bags that are specialised for the sporty. If you are an athletic or a gym goer, the general design of this bag should be familiar. It will basically take the shape of whatever you put into the bag. 

With a striking blue, The Original Blue gives off a bold and youthful vibe. Casual in design yet attentive to details, it boasts of a few unique features. 

The most eye-catching feature would be the nautical ropes that you can tighten the bag with. It gives that rugged feel that guys like and is also available for use as a sling. Part of the bag comprises a section made of denim material. While I find it to be more of a design feature, I believe the original intention was for people to keep their belts after changing to sports attire. Quite cool huh? If you have a close look at the seams of the bag you will also notice that there is a small compartment in which you can store valuables in. 

With these features, this lineup of AoBlue has got your sports needs covered so that you can conveniently store your attire after changing.

Having a Celebration?

There are many occasions worth celebrating. Weddings, proposals, anniversaries, birthdays and the list goes on. When they come, we start to think of the logistics required; the common things such as party decoration which includes balloons and banners and then there is food catering for buffets. In the preparation for party decoration though, how many of us think of party poppers?

Personally, it won't be the first thing that come to mind because just like balloons, party poppers cause a big 'bang' and not everyone can stand the sound. When I say party poppers, I am sure you think of the small ones that we use as kids and buy for like 50 cents per popper?

What if I were to tell you that there is so much more than that available in the market now. Until a week ago, I didn't realise that this product has evolved so much that there are so many varieties available.

We were invited to the launch of Party Popper Singapore and were introduced to their products.

To my surprise we learned that there were so many different poppers available with Party Popper Singapore. There is definitely one suitable for every occasion. What's more, I heard that their rates are quite competitive, it costs on average $6.50 for a popper which sounds reasonable.

There's this party popper which popped US dollar bills out of it, talk about being creative! It was pretty popular amongst us who were seeing it for the first time. What if it popped SGD? Would there be a higher demand? 

A few months back I was involved in two weddings and in one of them, the small poppers were made available. On hindsight, if I knew of the existence of these poppers I would have definitely recommended them to the bride and groom. Imagine popping heart-shaped confetti or the one that comes in the shape of a champagne, it would have added to the fun element!

Also, these party poppers are customisable which means that wedding photos of the bride and groom can be printed on the poppers. Sounds good huh?

We had a fun time trying them out and being amazed by the pretty confetti! If you are exploring options for a celebration and want to add a fun element to it, consider purchasing some party poppers!

I like i Light Marina Bay 2017

It is that time of the year again for the Marina Bay area to be decked with art installations that go live during the evenings. You are in for a treat! It is Asia's leading sustainable light art festival.

We had a preview of the art installations that would go live this weekend from 3-26th March 2017 at the Marina Bay Waterfront 7.30 to 11pm and hours are extended to midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. Admission is free but charges apply for some attractions.

Of all the art installations, let's start with the one I find the most photo-worthy. If you want to take silhouette shots, this will be the installation that's perfect for that.

Designed by Katarzyna Malejka and Joachim Sługocki from Poland, Horizontal Interference is formed by a colourful cord construction which connects the trees in a simple manner. It is really simple, wires connected in a linear way but when the wind blows and they start shaking, that is an image you want to witness in person.

There are other cool installations such as this one that looks like a replica of the Northern lights. The best thing about this one is that there is no need to queue to appreciate or interact with it, you can just take a few glances at it as you stroll down the Marina Bay promenade. Set against the cityscape, it is one view that you will never get elsewhere. 

If you are looking to revisit your childhood, look at these pieces of work that are created with that in mind.

How would you draw a house when you were a child? Home by Anna Galas, Maciej Slominski and Aleksander Sawick brings that sketch to life. Definitely a fun piece of art to interact with!

How about having your face appear on a baby's body? Take some humorous shots of this as your friends check out how they look on this installation.

If you are looking for a place to hang out with some friends snacking on finger food and listening to bands play, head over to the Gastrobeats at the Bayfront event space right outside the Marina Bay Sands. Bands such as the Scarlet Avenue, THELIONCITYBOY and Disco Hue will be playing.

Other installations you want to check out will be: 

Moonflower. Solar powered flowers that glow in the dark, so pretty!

The Colorful Garden of Light. Watch as the colours change. 

The Urchin. It was not ready when we visited it but what an amazing look it will be when it is finally suspended midair. 

Look out for the projections on the Singapore Art Museum and the Merlion:

Families with kids should head over to the Art Zoo, full of balloon animals that your kids will love. They are bound to have a good time!

Have fun exploring the Marina Bay Promenade this weekend! Expect the crowd but there is really plenty to see and interact with.

New Beats Headphones Out in Stores

When you think about headphones, what is the first brand that strikes you? Previously I was asking around on which brand of headphones I should consider as I was contemplating on getting one and I was recommended to try Beats by Dr. Dre.

Cool and stylish, it is hard to miss if you see someone wearing it making it both a practical set of headphones as well as a fashion accessory.

If you are considering a set of bright, striking headphones, check out the Beats EP. It delivers masterfully tuned sound. Its battery-free design offers unlimited playback and its sleek, durable frame is reinforced with lightweight stainless steel. Beats EP is an ideal introduction to Beats for any music lover seeking a dynamic listening experience. 

The Beats EP is currently available in Black, Red, Blue and White at all authorized Beats retailers in Singapore at S$138. 

I think that the Beats EP is kind of a basic model for Beats if you don't really have lots of expectations when it comes to the sound etc. Even then, it is really sufficient for generic daily use if you just want to listen to music on the move with convenience. 

Find wires a hassle? There is a model which is wireless! With up to 40 hours of battery life, Beats Solo Wireless is your perfect everyday headphone. With Fast Fuel, a 5-minute charge gives you 3 hours of playback. Enjoy award-winning Beats sound with Class 1 Bluetooth wireless listening freedom. The on-ear, cushioned ear cups are adjustable so you can customize your fit for all-day comfort. 

The Beats Solo Wireless is available in Gloss Black, Gloss White, Silver, Gold, Rose Gold and Black, retailing at S$398.

Personally, I have never owned a set of wireless headphones and this model seems particularly attractive with this feature. You can imagine all the ease it provides when you decide to do sports and stay plugged in with music playing. 

Check out their professional sets and speakers:

Calling All Tiger Prawn Lovers!

If you love prawns like some friends I know of (HP for one), then Cha Thai is the best Thai cuisine place in the CBD area you can go to to satisfy your cravings!

Many of their dishes include Tiger Prawns in it so below are a list of them for you to try:

Crispy Prawn Cake ($15)

This was one of our starters and it takes only one bite for you to identify the ingredient in it, that's right, it's none other than tiger prawn meat within it. Flavourful and crisp, it certainly makes a good appetiser and as good appetisers, one piece is never enough. After all, you get to enjoy the prawn meat without peeling off the shells, something we all prefer due to the convenience it offers.

Lemongrass Prawn Salad ($28)

Just one look at this dish and you can see how huge the prawns are. How can you not be happy looking at the size of the prawns? I don't really understand why they call this a salad, perhaps because of the additional toppings to the prawns that give it a spicy and sour taste but the main ingredient is none other than the prawns themselves. Note that this dish is a bit more spicy so for those who can't take spicy, you might want to order another dish.

Signature Tiger Prawn 'Panang' Curry ($28)

Huge prawns again. Only difference being the curry that gives it a milky, creamy flavour and it is not spicy so for those who can't do spicy, this is recommended. Something special to note, there was also lychee within the dish. Definitely something different compared to other Thai cuisine dishes, worth the try in my opinion. 

Pad Thai ($22)

Pad Thai with a huge prawn sitting on top of the dish staring at you. Decide fast because there are only two prawns available in this dish. The pad thai comes with peanut and and bean sprouts neatly arranged lest you decide to leave them out but it is recommended that you mix everything well to enjoy the flavours of this dish.

Tiger Prawns Claypot Glass Noodles ($55 for 4 pax)

This is one big claypot of glass noodles. At a glance it may seem daunting but once you taste the glass noodles, you can't get enough of it and don't worry, you don't have to finish it all since it is meant to be shared. These dishes come in sharing portions so everyone gets to try the dish. The glass noodles are really good and fragrant, something you would want to taste even if you might not be able to finish it. 

All the tiger prawns in the dishes are generally quite big, about 30cm or so, so when you examine the prices don't be taken aback. Every cent is well spent with the quality of food being offered. The Thai cuisine here at Cha Thai is no street food but rather, high end quality ingredients are used. For example, meat is sous vide before cooking to ensure that it is tender, while gravy, sauces, drinks are all being prepared from scratch.

Unfortunately prawns are not incorporated into the desserts but you definitely don't want to miss these!

Desserts

There are a range of desserts for you to choose from in order of top left to right bottom: Sweet Corn Herbal Jelly, Summer Potato (sweet potato), Red Ruby, Emerald Jade (green ruby) and Tropical Paradise (mango sticky rice with ice cream). Besides Tropical Paradise costing $12, all other desserts cost $8. 

Cha Thai

80 Telok Ayer street

#01-01 Singapore 048466

Operating hours: 11am to 10pm daily

Who Lives in a Pineapple under the Sea?

Spongebob Square Pants!

On a nice Saturday afternoon at Siloso Beach Walk, Sentosa, the place was packed with people dressed in yellow. No guesses why because it was the Spongebob Square Pants Run!

Despite the launch of Pokemon GO, people were out ready to run and having lots of fun.

It was the first ever SpongeBob Run in Asia and participants journeyed through the iconic landmarks from the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. Think about it, when do you ever get to run along the beaches of Sentosa?

There was a carnival with lots of interesting nautical-themed activities, food and beverages, the perfect place for SpongeBob fans! People were queueing up to take photographs with their favourite Spongebob Square Pants cartoon characters.

It looks like an afternoon well spent at Sentosa for the runners as they were flagged off for their various runs and came back looking all cheery.

There are more and more fun runs like these being organised and it is definitely something to look out for, after all what beats spending an afternoon with friends or family at the beach enjoying some healthy fun and basking in the sun. 

While I was personally not running because I didn't like the idea of getting sand in my shoes and all the hassle of having to clean up after, I am sure that the participants enjoyed their fun run.

Looking for your 命中注定 or 下一站幸福 ？

If the above names interest you, you would be keen to know that there's a cafe selling beverages with these names. Gives off a Taiwanese vibe huh? There's more, with your favourite K drama names to choose from. 绿光森林，原来是美男，太阳的后裔，来自星星的你 are among the list of beverages available at TaiPei Seoul Cafe.

I thought it was a pretty interesting concept because you don't really know what you will get, not until after you order. With beverages, the taste can hardly go wrong, it is just how much the bartender can impress you, to concoct a drink that resembles the name in terms of its look and taste. We were told that the bartender even takes special orders, so feel free to make a visit and order your 可爱小妹妹 or 猛男帅哥, whatever tickles your fancy.

While there are beverages that are more milky or creamy, I personally prefer the soda flavoured drinks, so here are some to share with you:

绿光森林

This drink is made with a fizzy soda as base and it has a light peppermint flavour to it which gives a refreshing after taste.

来自星星的你 

One of the beverages which looks really glimmery and sparkly with edible stars within it.

太阳的后裔

The grapefruit gives the drink its flavour with a sweet-sour taste to it.

There are also the usual Taiwanese bites such as the Fried Salted Chicken and Sweet Potato Fries which make great sharing dishes.

Did you know that the Taiwanese rendition of western food is pretty good too? It reminded me of this Western food that I used to have back in my exchange days at Taipei.

Golden Chicken Thigh

The chicken was succulent and went really well with the spaghetti. I mean which guy will resist such good and tasty chicken meat? Load up on the protein!

Honey Chicken Chop

Even a simple dish like chicken chop with rice tasted good. I won't say it is to rave about but it is by all standards a decent dish of chicken chop.

Does cheese appeal to you? Then this Pork Cutlet dish is prepared with you in mind.

Ham & Cheese Pork Cutlet

What is a cafe without Insta-worthy desserts? For the sweet-tooths, there are Mix Berries Yogurt Pie, Tiramichoux and Chocolate Lava Cake with Ice Cream.

Check out this macaron with ice cream inside! Just take a bite out of this and you will be like yum, not overly sweet and the ice cream in it makes it feel shiok. Decadence never tasted so good.

Blue Pea Macaroon with Raspberry Jam

If you are more of a savoury dessert lover, you will enjoy the Lemon Tart. I personally enjoyed this tart the most as a guy, so here's my pick guys. They also offer Pumpkin Tart which is kind of interesting, since you don't usually have this ingredient made into a pastry, so if you want to try something new, this is it! Other than that, there is also Matcha Tart for the fans of green tea.

Matcha Tart

While there are restaurants that offer Taiwanese cuisine, cafes offering both Taiwanese and Korean cuisine are few. The speciality of this cafe is their Western food, beverages and desserts, so make a pit stop here if you are cafe-hopping!

Exclusive discount for my readers: Get 15% off when you quote my name "Samuel Low" or flash my blogpost upon payment with no minimum spend! Offer valid until 20th Sep. Besides that, enjoy a free dessert of the day when you like their Facebook page here or follow their Instagram account here. 

TaiPei Seoul Cafe
10 Jalan Leban
Singapore S577551

Go Korean This National Day with Seoul Jjimdak

So you have heard of discounts like GSS but have you heard of discounts celebrating National Day?

Seoul Jjimdak, a Korean restaurant located at City Square mall, is having a 51% discount off their Army Stew and and their Jjimdak during lunch time until the end of August!

Check out the huge sharing portions below. We strongly recommend having at least 3 people share the dishes because good food is worth sharing and yes, you can share other dishes too.

Jjimdak, braised chicken with potato, carrots and glass noodles

Before this, I had no idea that such a Korean dish existed. Braised chicken, yumz. Whatever that's cooked with potatoes just taste really good and that can be said for the chicken meat that's soaking up all the gravvy goodness.

Army Stew

Compared to other Army Stews served, this one is less spicy and is more flavourful. For a non-spicy eater like me, it was light on the taste buds and I got to enjoy the taste of the different ingredients that went into the stew. 

If you would like to make your Army Stew more tasty, there is the option to top up the stew with cheese and ramen. I mean who eats this stew without ramen? It's a must!

Army Stew

Judging from the portions I am sure you will be eating your fill, only for $16.60 for each dish after the discount. If not, check out the sides coming right up.

Seafood Pancake

The best dishes don't necessarily look good in photographs. The Seafood Pancake here was so good that I kept going back for more slices! It was thin and crisp which made it somewhat addictive. I highly recommend it as a side, don't order it as another side to keep you full but rather because it's so tasty that you have to try it.

Spicy Cheese Tteokbokki

If you are having Korean you can't miss out Tteokbokki! Contrary to your expectations, it isn't as spicy as you might think and it is more flavourful rather than spicy hot. This dish is also loaded with cheese so if you enjoy cheese, you have another reason to add this dish to the cart. 

With that said, Korean food is best enjoyed when it's shared so buy sharing portions and we promise you a hearty meal here at Seoul Jjimdak where you are served with authentic Korean food. Enjoy!

More food!

Paint the Town Red with Emirates Red Fashion

If you were at Capitol Piazza last weekend you would have noticed the Emirates Singapore Derby Roadshow happening.

The Emirates Singapore Derby Roadshow is now at CHIJMES, The Lawn from 11am to 8pm and 12pm to 10pm respectively. 

What to expect?

Horse Pitching Competition. If you went to the roadshow last year, this was a must have activity and it happened at Ion. The host of this activity is so engaging and friendly that you will be inclined to have a go.

Horse patting and feeding. The thing that everyone wants to do most. Feeding the horse? Not so much. More like taking a photo with her.  

There are also other activities such as the Fashion Show by Reckless Shop and Fashion House, Singapore Turf Club Mascots, Racer and Clover walking around and you can have a look at the history of Emirates Singapore Derby Exhibition or check out the InstaPhoto Booth.

In conjunction with the Emirates Singapore Derby, they are also running an Instagram contest starting from 20 June 2016 to 8 July 2016, 2359PM. All you have to do is to upload your best RED outfit of the day (RED OOTD) onto your Instagram and hashtag #EmiratesRedFashion & Tag @SGTurfClub and you will stand a chance to win a set of premium gift worth about S$2,000 from Emirates. I hear that there's a Chopard watch in that gift set, so what are you waiting for?