The sound of the place already got me thinking how much the meal would cost. But it was a lunch date I cannot miss. Have not met this group of friends for more than 2 years? Though not everyone could make it that day, it was still great catching up! And not forgetting the pressure and stress they’d imparted in me! Wedding plans, selecting and queueing for house, the pain and how to fight all the way to milk as much as possible for the wedding banquet and at the bridal shop. Thanks ah!

Stepping into the hotel lobby already took my breathe away! I can’t remember when was the last time I stepped into such exquisite and posh looking hotel here in Singapore. NEVER I think. The high ceiling and luxurious furnitures and decor makes my Threadless Tee, Uniqlo Tights and Muji Bag look like a joke can! But *coughs* I wasn’t alone. If I’d the chance to, I would love to experience living there for a weekend staycation just to feel high-class for once. *coughs*

I got carried away! I haven’t started talking about the food! Guess the hotel made a bigger impact on me than the food I had for lunch!

Waterfront dining with view of the historic remain of the preserved Clifford Pier. Okay! This photo does no justice to the sight I had that afternoon! Bad control of lighting, my bad.

Roasted cod fish, saffron-chorizo risotto, parmesan emulsion, $36

I am a sinner tasting this. For more than 7 years, I’d avoided and left the meat untouched. With the lack of knowledge in the language, I failed to learn that chorizo is actually made from several types of pork sausages! Removed every single bits (even the slightest hairline of it) from the risotto. (Sorry Abang, I really didn’t know!)

If you do not have such problem like me, please go try this. It’s good.

The two items I would 100% order again if I return for another visit will be these…

Truffle French Fries, $9

Yes! I will pay $9 for this small serving of awesome fries! No! Not just any ordinary frech fries. Its filled with truffle goodness, and its the real stuff not just some truffle oil. These fries were crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. These fries are to be savored slowly and please do not rush to finish them. The awesomeness stays the same even eaten after saving it till after the mains.

Dessert sample (for two), $28

Not sure which of the desserts to try, we checked what the sample consists of, and we gladly ordered two servings of the dessert sample since it’s of every one of their desserts! And its oh-so-divine! Great way to end the meal.

Starting from the most identifiable, we have the “Dark chocolate fondant”, “Passion fruit rum baba, mango tartar, yogurt sorbet”, “Sugar crusted profiteroles, hot chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream”, “Creme brulee” and “Lemon tart, raspberry gel”. Each has its own goodness and we almost did the “ohhh-stand-turn-and-turn-and-turn-around” dance each time we tasted the dessert samples. My favorites were the Dark chocolate fondant, Sugar crusted profiteroles and creme brulee. I’m salivating just writing about it now!

If you’re feeling happy and in need to splurge and indulge in some yummy goodness, you can give Clifford a try. Great place for a afternoon tea with good friends or just a good book. I can so picture myself doing something like this when I retire. *chuckles*

Clifford
The Fullerton Bay Hotel
80 Collyer Quay
Tel: 6597 5288

The verdict? Its same same but different…

Sweet Ball with Peanuts, $3.50
Glutinous ball was bouncy and nicely textured. Peanuts chopped and mixed with sesame and (if I’m not wrong) coconut too. Quite like it but will never be able to finish this on my own. Two sweet balls are just nice.

Sesame Soup & Walnut Soup, $3.00
I’d hope the texture was thick as sesame paste and peanut paste (or close enough). But this, as its named, a soup. Would have love it more if there was at least some texture or thickness in it.

The above were not the same desserts I had in HK 4 years back. I can vaguely recall the taste from back then. But I remember I had enjoyed the desserts back then. This time round, it seemed like its lacking of the feel. Perhaps due to the vacation mood while we were in HK which made everything more enjoyable and good. Oh man! I miss Hongkong!

Honeymoon Desserts – 满记甜品
1 Harbourfront Walk
#01-93 VivoCity
Singapore 098585

Do these remind you of sex?

Its my second visit to The Mussel Guys at Vivo City, and of course, the mussels were the highlight of the dinner. The other items we ordered were sadly not to our liking. The reason why we walked into The Mussel Guys was that it had no queue. You know how crazy queues get around Vivo City during dinner time! Despite the average crowd, service was pretty slow. When more tables filled up over the hour or so while we were there, service went from bad to literally, none.

Dinner started with soup-of-the-day, cream of mushroom, part of pasta Set Dinner.

These fries ($4.50) were crunchy and best eaten immediately when served. And that’s just what we did!

Our initial plan was to have sauteed mushroom at Marche, but turned around when we saw the long queue. So we decided to give the mushrooms here a try.

Comments? Well, hasn’t the photo tells it all? Sauteed mushroom, $4.50.

The black pot of mussels we ordered that day was the Creamy Mussels, $19.90.

Can’t recall the exact ingredients used inside this pot, but the creamy sauce was zesty and tasty enough for me. There was mixed of wine and lemon sauce I think. I cleared the entire pot and almost tempted to lick it clean. Mmmm…. perhaps that’s another reason why some people relate mussels with sex! Will order big pot for this when I return again!

There was a promotion going on that day, I think its free 200g of mussels with every black pot purchased. Our choice was the spicy mussels, FREE! – No, not cause I declared I’m a food blogger, cos I’m NOT! I just happen to write about food on my blog. Okay, enough of lame joke… not funny at all! Here’s the 200g of spicy mussels…

Tastes slightly more towards the medium-super spiciness. I’m big big fan of spicy food, but for mussels at The Mussel Guys, I’ll stick to the Creamy ones above.

The other main I ordered was the Aglio Olio, $15.90. This came with soup-of-the-day and dessert-of-the-day.

Sadly, I’ve got nothing good to say about this. Just look at the photo ok?

Being my second visit to The Mussel Guys, both visits due to the long queue elsewhere, seem to have proven something ya? Easily forgotten place to dine around Vivo City. They’ve got to improve on their service and food if they ever want to see a queue outside like the rest of the neighboring restaurants.

The Mussel Guys Seafood and Steak Restaurant
1 Harbourfront Walk
#02-123 VivoCity
Singapore 098585
Tel : (+65) 68201800
Fax : (+65) 68201805

Let the kid in us shine! Put your idea into action. That’s what I’m doing and will be doing till I wither and die! Will you?

Aside: I’ve something up my sleeve and is looking for like-minded folks! Needs video and photo crew, creative crew and talents! No incentive but expect lots of fun and an experience that’ll fall nicely into your portfolio! You know where and how to reach me, don’t you?

I am human too. And has made many mistakes in my almost 30 years of life and still am.

There are those who blame the government for the lack of support to the needy and poor and instead spend millions on a worldwide event. There are those who blame the blogger who has worked so hard over the years to build up his followings and well maintained blog with just one side of the story. And there are many (including me) who will start blaming everyone and everything when something went wrong or not the way its was planned.

But we always forget to first blame ourselves for the action and words that was used. Worst still online. With no need to identify oneself, we tend to say words which we think we need not take responsible for. “Aiyah, just use some random name and no one will know its me…“. Enemies or haters may even use someone else’s name just so to flame that innocent soul.

Stop saying things you only know or see from one side of the three dimensional subject – our world is multi dimensional. Stop judging things unless you’ve dived deep enough to understand the whole picture. Stop complaining and start contributing positively. Complaining won’t make this world a better place.

You will.

This post got me recalling some books I saw long ago by Istvan Banyai. Zoom, Re-zoom and The Other Side.

10@Claymore introduced a new menu two months or so ago, and there’s no need for graphical representation on their giant menu. What you read is what you’ll get, just 10x better when the elegant serving with pure goodness and no fuss is presented to you.

There were simply too much food served that night. Remembering all the goodness and taste would have killed me from hunger. Perhaps I have my flu to thanks, I could only recall the one dish I had and the dish that I savored slowly on my own.

Oven-roasted Bonito Cod at $29++

My love for cod started when I learned about the price tag! Amongst the top priced fishes and it comes with greatness for the the body. This topped the previously savored piece at Coriander Leaf. Generous piece of cod, layered on pea sprout and Honshirneji mushrooms. The garlic shoyu sauce was just right and complimented the cod very well. Love the slightly charred skin with bonito flakes.

While I continue to revisit that taste in my memory, I shall attempt to make you hungry with the following photos…

Asian Duck Salad – $14++
With Coriander, Cumcumber and Spring Onions with Sweet Plum Dressing

Braised Quail – $16++
With Pear Compote and a Wild Berry Reduction

Sushi Platter – $25++
(this name I labelled it myself so don’t try find it on the menu! Menu shows the long list of sushi below…)
Tasmanian Maguro Tuna, Salmon Sashimi, Tiger Prawns, Unagi Nigiri, and Califonia Rolls with Shoyu Sauce, Pickles and Wasabi

Roasted Duck Breast – $32++
With Caramelized Sweet Potatoes, Foie Gras, Sweet Peas, Fruit Compote and a Pinot Reduction

Ok, on second thought, the food is not justifiable by the photos above due to the use of wrong lens and poor lighting!

I’ll definitely go back before end September to enjoy the $100++ Blackmore Wagyu Tenderloin and pay just $10 for the 2nd one! Worth it wor! Thanks to Citibank Gourmet Pleasure 10th Anniversary promotion. That’s $110 for 2 AWESOME Wagyu beef! Kill me if I forget to go back to try the beef!

10@Claymore
Pan Pacific Orchard
10 Claymore Road
Singapore 229540
Contact no: 6831 6686

Disclaimer: this dinner was held in conjunction with Citibank outreach to bloggers and 24seven is the appointed agency for the program. And yes, I was there that night as a fellow blogger too! :P

The group of friends with me that night and their blog link as follow:

• Jeneen – http://xoxojeneen.blogspot.com
• Veron – http://sparklette.net
• Philip – http://keropokman.com
• Walter – http://coolinsights.blogspot.com
• Chester – http://jamcansing.com
• James – http://livinginsingaporetoday.com
• Kris – http://krisandro.com

More photos up in flickr.

No thanks to my lack of discipline and time to keep my accounting books in order, my entire financial system is in total mess. With more and more invoices, payments and receipts flying my way monthly, the accounting workflow I used last year can no longer help support the needs of my company and me. So the search for the right accounting system began. And after a week of research and trying I’ve finally decided.

What I’m looking out for when trying the various accounting system?

• System UI and simplicity of workflow.
• Web-based so that I can access anywhere and not worry my MBP will die one day with all my accounts gone.
• Multi-user and level access.
• Project management or costing feature.
• Easy creation and converting of quotations and proposals to invoices.
• Flexibility of templates for quotes, proposals and invoices.
• And of course, the cost.

Here in this post, I’m sharing and giving a brief review of the accounting systems which I’ve evaluated and tested.

Xero – http://xero.com
“Simple. Smart. Secure.”

This was the first system I tried. The 180-day trial was one big draw at first. But it took me more than an hour to set it up just so that I can see it working. Blame myself for spending so much time as I didn’t have proper trial balance from last year ready so I had to search through my books for each account’s numbers.

The UI is clean but find it still very much accounting focus. The plus point for Xero is the ability to check accounts and balances from their iPhone app. It however didn’t have quite a few of my requirements.

LessAccounting – http://lessaccounting.com
“Bookkeeping Sucks. We make it suck less.”

This I tried it concurrently with FreeAgent. Setting it up, trying it with the same steps and creating the same quotes and invoices etc. And I was almost convinced that this is the one for 24seven since @misseley is using it and recommended too.

But it lacks the Project management portion and the template for quotes and invoices was less attractive when compared to FreeAgent’s template gallery. Their use of pop-up overlay when entering new transaction irritates me a little.

FreeAgent – http://freeagentcentral.com

Got to learn about FreeAgent from @andycroll and then @IntegreatMedia came into the picture with some assistance. This is by far closes to my list of requirements and has great templates for my quotes and invoices. Best part is that its charging a flat rate of USD20/month for unlimited users. AND they’ve got different tiers of user access level that’s great for me to create accounts for my team to enter their claims and for my accountant who can access it from home.

Loves also how it allows linking of expenses and timeline to projects. This gives a whole new dimension on how I can better manage quotations and provide more cost effective services for my clients. I think they’ll love it.

From the sound of it, you would have guessed which accounting system I’m going to subscribe to already don’t you?

Well, since I’ve got 30-days to try FreeAgent out, I’ll give it a few more spin before I submit my payment details.

Are you in search of a suitable accounting software too? Which have you shortlisted? Any of the above you’ve tried? OR any which you think I should try too? Share your research and experience with me! Accounting software is one important system in all businesses. So I hope all of us can benefit and get the best out of our research.

Photo from Kevin

A meetup at the library? Isn’t that boring? On the contrary it’s quite an experience. Not all the time you get to cheer, clap and laugh out loud inside a library right?

Two main highlight took place that night. First the launch of myLibrary, a Facebook app by the Public Libraries Singapore. More about this app another day (after I try it myself!). If you are curious, click on over to http://apps.facebook.com/nlbmylibrary to find out more. This nifty app allows you to check your account, renew your library loans and also able to search and browse library resources. No more excuses for not reading enough cause you’re too busy replying to messages on your Facebook wall!

The other highlight was sharing by N. Sivasothi, otherwise known as @sivasothi on Twitter. He shared his experiences with social media, mainly on how he integrates blogging into his teaching at NUS.

There were a few points shared that hit me. One of which is how shallow many of us, including myself, have been using loosely the term blogging. We rant about our daily lives, load a whole lot of random photos that don’t mean a thing to the readers or blog nothing but advertorials! *coughs*

On the other side of the blogging world (puts on my serious tone), there are research papers compiled with the help of posts from years ago, or evidences of the change in this world that’s being collected from content created by you and me. Blogging has been used by professionals to share their knowledge and experiences. And there are serious topics out there that are being thought and discussed online through the use of blogging platforms.

So the next time when someone say he/she is a blogger, ask which topic he/she blogs about. Being a blogger may just mean that the person is a passionate writer who writes about serious topics such as scientific knowledge, theories and other educational posts. Perhaps the next time before you start a blog, ask yourself, how is this blog going to help make it relevant and useful for the others on the net. How the type of content you post going to help shape the way search engines crawls on it. And how these posts will get referred to or shared through the other social networks. To blog means to write. There are different types of blogs and blog engines out there. Some use it to curate content, some to create new content and some to just record one own’s life. Either way, as long as you’re posting with passion, one way or another, your blog content will be found, read and referred to. It takes minutes or hours to craft a post, but it may take up to a year before someone needs information chance upon it.

Blogging can be a serious hobby (or even a career) when one loves to write and is passionate about the topic discussed.

Ending off with a random video. And I think my thoughts in this post is also somehow random too! Anyway, I flipped that night. And was caught in the act by Kevin. Hence the lack of photos!

Seriously i can’t recall when was the last time I caught a live circus act! When we were young(er) I remember sitting inside a round tent watching acrobats and animals doing their stunt in the middle of the tent. That was my last impression of a circus. When the opportunity to watch one at Resort World Sentosa came knocking my door on my birthday, I couldn’t wait!

A resident show at RWS, Voyage de la Vie, a theatrical circus spectacular, is a show not to miss! Instead of sharing more about the show, I’m going to tell you about some of the people behind it. They are the stars of the show and should be given great applause for their professionalism and awesomeness!

My favorite from the show is the amazing Alexey Goloborodko from Russia. He’s the Game Master in the show and whenever he is around, my body muscles will have this weird feeling. Its amazing what he can do with his body! Alexey is a dancing contortionist and has been training since age of 5. He was one of the finalists in a TV contest in Russia – “Minute of Glory”.

He is much more amazing than he was from the video above! I will go back to watch the show because of him! Jaws dropping performance! And did I say he looks pretty cute too? Below a picture of him backstage…

Next my second favorite from the show is Liina Aunola. She plays Life from Scene 9 – The Circle of Life and Death. She makes my heart stopped a couple of times when she does her rope swing act from above the theater.

Another one of my favorite, which my eyes darted up and down his body in his final act, was The Lantern Keeper, played by Viktor Kee from Ukraine/USA. He’s a juggler with many awards at world’s major circus festivals. IMO, he’s a juggler with super hot bods! He appears in almost all the scene but only in the last scene when my eyes opened wide.

Tell me how not to pay attention to his amazing juggling act when he does it so beautifully in a skin tight nude costumes? *chuckles*

Hey! Someone is missing in the list! Oh yes! The promoted lead in the show Jonathan Leong, one of the finalists from Singapore Idol few years back. Well, I believe all those who had watched the show may agree with me that the show would still be awesome with or without him. Like before (and always), I could not figure out a single word he sang. The only words I caught throughout the performance was when he sang “…. Voyage de la Vie…”! So now you know why I didn’t give this awesome show a 10/10 ya? Well, the show still needs someone to play the main character in order to make a story out of it don’t they? The awesomeness of the entire circus performance makes up for the lack of understandable lyrics.

Voyage de la Vie is here to stay at Resort World Sentosa (i hope) and I would love to see new acts and more awesomeness in the show the next time I go catch it again!

Finally a group shot with some of the performers and the folks whom I had to pleasure to watch the show with.

If you’ve watched Voyage de la Vie and loves it as much as I do, Like them on Facebook and perhaps write a review too?

Ticketing details available on SISTIC
Priced at S$188, S$128, S$108, S$88, S$68 and S$48
Official Website: Voyage de la Vie

Was seated at Cat 3 seats (S$108) and the view was great! Would recommend getting the seats from Row P onwards in order to see everything in action. TIPS: Too near to stage will give you stiff neck from turning around too much.

Updates: I’ve received emails and calls from readers and friends asking which seats they should get for the show. So I marked out some seats where I will purchase for the next time I watch the show. However, decision is yours, this recommendation is for you consideration only.

The 3-page story, written by Esther, shares the story behind seven women whom SHAPE admires. I was labelled as the Entrepreneur, a young boss and one who embraces work-live balance. Well, all three relatively true in some ways. But I’ve to admit, it’s not 100% all the time, especially the work-life balance portion. In such hectic and fast paced reality, and still much in the infancy stage of the business, my team and I take every project we have very seriously and put in all we can to ensure it’s success. We are more than grateful if we can have a peaceful weekend to rest!

So, if you have not read the article about these seven women, go get yourself a copy. Might post up snapshot of my portion later in August.

Aside: @nadnut spotted me and tweeted my pic. And @jerricklim and @nanyate tweeted that I’m hot! I blushed. But personally, I prefer the camwhored photos with my 7D that day.