Shopping Heaven

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Was invited to take a shopping trip to Kuala Lumpur!! Since my virgin trip in 2005, which I didn't much like, I've been to KL many times afterwards and have always enjoyed myself thoroughly!!

I guess the reason why I didn't enjoy myself that much the first time round was coz:

1) Having been to only JB in Malaysia, I expected KL to be like the former. It's totally not like JB and it's a lot more cosmopolitan, and correspondingly, of course, more expensive than JB!

2) I was a poor student and didn't bring much money to spend having not expected to spend that much.

3) I didn't know where to shop or where to go!!


Thanks to Nuffnang Malaysia and the close relationship it has with Nuffnang Singapore, I sometimes get the chance to go over to KL for blog-related stuff. After a few more visits I got to know the place better, and also I really like the KL and the KL nuffnang bloggers! :D (And feel slightly ashamed of my old KL blog entry coz it DOES sound ignorant. Fine, I admit it)


Why is KL awesome as a tourist destination?

(And I am not just saying this coz this is an advert)

- The food is... I dunno... RIDICULOUSLY YUMMY!! Their hawker food beats Singaporean hawker fare hands down!! Every meal I had there is super duper nice!! Even KFC is nicer there! The most unassuming food store will serve you a delicious meal!

- If you know where to shop, everything is a steal!!

- The culture and people there are so similar to Singapore/Singaporeans... I find that endearing. At least no communication problems!

- KL is a lot more relaxed about their rules and regulations in comparison to go ol' Singapore. So can chew gum, bargain prices etc, no problem!


Enough yakking... Photos!

Flew Air Asia! And there to pick us up:

Jason and Darren - From KL!

They are part of the team who organized to bring me over. Thank you!!

And also they are the best tour guides EVER!!

First thing they asked was "Are you guys hungry?" and that's my favourite question to be asked. Besides "Would you like me to give you a million dollars?" but nobody has asked me that so far.

So the answer was YES!!! and we were on our way from the airport to DIM SUM!!

It was a gorgeous day



Must camwhore in car



Love my ring!





Done with the camwhoring. And we reach our destination!!

Mike and I ordered this ridiculously yummy drink. It's called 3 layered tea or something and it's TEA/MILK/GULA MELAKA...

The gula thing at the bottom is DA BOMB!! It tastes like gooey melted brown sugar, but also like caramel or butterscotch and it has a hint of coconut! Love it.

The tea is mad nice. MAD NICE!

Our first round of dim sum. Brought by enthusiastic waiters in a huge tray for our selection!! Pick whatever you want and it's yours!

Looks so unassuming but THAT IS THE BEST CARROT CAKE I'VE EVER HAD. Hands down. Crispy on the outside, super soft and melty on the inside.

Address:

Restoran Loong Seng
No. 50, Jalan SS2/66
47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Tel: 03 78762349

Resembling blimps, we return to the hotel for a short while before meeting for lunch...

Our hotel is the super luxurious Gardens Hotel! :D (Actually we stayed on 25th but went to the top to register)

We just anyhowly picked a cafe near the hotel for lunch: Alexis bistro and wine bar.

I ordered Duck Confit salad coz I was still super full...

And that... Is also one of the best duck confit I ever had. -_-

The skin is super crispy and hot and sinful! Love it :D

How come anyhow choose one restaurant also turn out so nice one!!

Mike stuffing his face with caesar salad.

Alexis Gardens

Lot F209, First Floor
The Garden Midvalley City
Tel: 03-2287-2281

Here's the exterior of Gardens Hotel! So grand



Touristy photo


After this we proceed to PAVILION KL! (How to get there)

This is a megamall in the heart of KL city with all sorts of luxurious brands, so if you are into designer brands you can go there!!

I remember frantically looking for the newly opened Pavilion a few years ago when I was in KL, because...

THEY HAVE A HUGE TWO-STOREY JUICY COUTURE STORE!

Juicy is my favourite brand and the experience needs to be completed together with all the shamelessly pink furniture in the shop! And I don't need to go to USA to do this anymore, it is available in KL!

Didn't find anything I really wanted though...

(Yes I know there is a Juicy store in Singapore but it's really tiny and doesn't sell most of the season's items.)

After this we sat down to enjoy a fashion show...

Because it is the...




SALE SALE SALE!!!

Not only are lots of the brand names on sale, fashion shows are going on every weekend in many of the malls!! Too many to list, so if you are planning to go to KL for a shopping trip, check out the events HERE.

Models!!



Look at the crowd!! (and lol at the guy glaring at me)



Camwhoring in between models





*clap clap* Show over!!

And Cheesie came to join me... :D

She promised to bring me shopping at her favourite mall in KL, so off we went to Sungei Wang Plaza!

Again and again I've heard the comparison that Sungei Wang is like Far East Plaza... But I think like not really leh... Maybe it's just coz I'm used to Far East but I think Sungei Wang has a lot more character!!

The reason why I say it has more character is because of the people inside!! There are youngsters dressed really jappy and they really really doll up!! Even the guys!! Super interesting to watch.

However most of the mall is still filled with normal looking people lah, mostly young adults.

The exterior of the building is totally old-looking (like far east! lol) but once you walk inside it's all super trendy!

Ok I'm a bad blogger and I get easily distracted so this is the only photo I managed to take of the mall.

BECAUSE THE SHOPPING IS FANTASTIC!!

There are super a lot of shops selling all sorts of clothes, shoes, accessories, bags etc - and there are hundreds of signs everywhere exclaiming "RM 25 - 29" and true to their word, nothing in the shop costs more than 29 RINGGIT = SGD $12.40.

HEN ER XIN. I went crazy. AND SOMEMORE THE THINGS ARE NICE!!

Here's Cheesie and I eating at Delifrance after shopping... Spot the things behind me?



BULGING SHOPPING BAGS!

Behold:

Floral sundress, I think RM25 - $10 SGD... How they earn money sia?

Usamimi headband - 2 for RM10



Usamimi headband no. 2



LOVE THIS!!

Super snug fitting and comfy denim jumpsuit for RM 80 (SGD $35).
Comes with a free tee shirt (not pictured)

Somemore my boobs look so big in this picture hahaha





Cutest bubble shorts RM 28 (SGD $12)



Fake suede skirt RM25 (SGD $10)





Sungei Wang had loads of stores selling jackets like this...
Cute prints with a furry band around the hood!!

Material super comfy and nice!!!

LOVE IT MY STRAWBIE JACKET

And this is a super soft furry pink dress!! RM 28 (SGD $12) I think. Although it's not thick it's not something Sgreans usually wear so I'm gonna wear it when I go overseas!! :D

ARE YOU JEALOUS OR WHAT!!!!

Too bad Cheesie had to go for a dinner meeting otherwise I'd have stayed at Sungei Wang till it closes and still won't go lor!! Far east my a**!! Far east where got so cheap?!?!?!

I LOVE SUNGEI WANG /sobs



After this, seafood dinner with Jason and Darren:

Picking one of the restaurants along Jalan Alor.



Jason recommended this one!

(If you are hungry you better continue reading this post later)



Freaking yummilicious BABY BAMBOO CLAMS...

Bamboo clams are one of my favourite seafood choices but they are not easily available in Singapore!! The only place I know that sells it is Jumbo seafood and they only sell the adult version - one freaking clam for $8 or something, not including tax!!

This plate of bamboo clams is not expensive as I recall, and the baby version taste exactly like the adult ones lor... AND GOT SO MUCH MORE!!

SLURP

Sambal kangkong, cooked to perfection



Venison and cereal prawns

Sorry to do this to you - the freshest, juiciest stingray. So soft it melts in your mouth... And wet with lemon juice + sambal. MY GOD I WANT SOME NOW

Yes all these are available in Singapore too, but the bill is much cheaper in KL! :D

Done for the day!!! Went back to the hotel:

FOR SLEEPYTIME!!



Day 2

Woke up at 11am to a FANTASTIC view:

Got ready to meet Tim, Audrey and Cheesie for lunch!! It was dim sum again. Tim's suggestion and he didn't know we had dim sum for breakfast yesterday but I LOVE DIM SUM so I didn't tell him hehehehe

One camwhoring shot before we go



Tim + Mike

Aforementioned dim sum coming in trays like these... BEST LAH DON'T NEED TO WAIT MORE THAN 2 SECONDS FOR YOUR FOOD.

Cheesie and Audrey!! WHY ARE KL GIRLS SO SKINNY AND CUTE?? Is it the air??

This puff thing with omgsauce inside... I call it omgsauce coz I don't know what it's made of but it involves salted egg yolk and it's all warm and oozy and sweet and custardy and totally delish.

Glutinous rice + pork ribs



Two perfectly smooth, yellow egg tarts

OK I HAD ENOUGH I THINK THESE MALAYSIANS ARE TRYING TO MAKE ME FAT!!! Why everything so delicious -_-

The restaurant's name is called Jing Xuan but I don't know the address!!

After this we went to Tim's place to chill for a bit (ie roll around in my newformed fats)

Tim is showing off to Mike this PS3 game called Heavy Rain.

It's about this guy who is saving his son and you make decisions to make the game go on... Quite cool.


Meanwhile............

We girls are camwhoring!! LOL

Lousy blurry photo a distracted Tim took for us... He so enthu about the game even though he played it a million times!

Less blurry



Last of my camwhore shots I swear!!

After this, Jason and Darren brought Mike and I to 1 Utama, which had the thing I most wanted to buy back to Singapore...

Hint: It's in a pet shop!!!

It's not a sleeping, cuddled up prairie dog. AND YES THEY SELL PRAIRIE DOGS.



It's not this super cute Persian squash-faced kitten.





LOL







It's not this soft bunny...

(And photography totally allowed btw, just without flash. See what I mean by they are way more lax about rules??)

IT IS IN THE BLACK HAMMOCK.......


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It's a sugar glider!!!



SUPER CUTE!!







Yes it's a camera lol

Look at this puff!! After it went back inside its cage, it peered out at us for 2 straight minutes just looking curiously - with one paw and one fluffy tail hanging out!!

It is too bad Sugar gliders are not allowed in Singapore... However, the shop we went to, Petsmore, was more than friendly and allowed their customers to interactive with their pets!!

I think KL is worth a visit just to play with the gliders omg. SO CUTE!!

Woah!! Can't believe I had so much fun in 1.5 days in KL!!

******************************


Dying to make a trip to KL but need more shopping money??


Join the MEGA SALE & MEGA WIN contest now!!!


Prizes:

Grand prize - RM10,000 (!!!) + hotel stay + shopping vouchers

2nd to 10th place runner-ups get digicams, video cams and all sorts of other prizes sponsors!

To win, participants must create a video representing "I Love To Shop In Malaysia."

It's up to you to decide what kind of video you want to present so long as it's fun and enjoyable to watch! All you have to do is to upload your video to Youtube and submit it on the form posted on SHOPMALAYSIA.MY! To get more details, click the link!

Quick, coz submission ends 30th September!


Remember you have to join Shop Malaysia's facebook fan page to qualify so click HERE!!

And follow @shop_malaysia on Twitter for more updates. :D

WWW.SHOPMALAYSIA.MY

Unwrap the yummeh

Advertorial

Got invited to try out Pizza Hut's new creation - yummy pasta wrapped up and baked in parchment paper!!

Really got to give it to them for creativity!! Already established for having yummy pizza, they are now out to conquer the pasta world too!

Firstly, why parchment?

Because the paper-wrapped pasta has the effect of sealing all the aroma and flavour of the ingredients within, and they are not escaping till you open the parchment up in front of you!

As a result, before you even eat anything you get to inhale such seductive, delicious scents!!

The pasta, of course, would be even richer than usual in taste!

The little package in red is Spicy Seafood Parchment, $12.90, and the
white is Char-grilled Chicken Parchment, $11,90.

Totally affordable!!



Comes with a cute little peg - am I parchment pasta too if I do this?

But before I show you the insides of those curious piping hot bundles, the peeps from Pizza Hut of course spoilt fed us with appetizers first!

Here's my drink! I think it's called Berry Sparkle and costs $3.80 only!

It's a strawberry soda with syrup at the bottom (needs to be mixed in) with strawberry bits!! LOVE IT! Will order it for sure next time I go to Pizza Hut.

4pcs Chicken riblets: $5.80



Looks almost exactly like normal chicken wings but it's ribs!! Yummy max!


Now for the parchment pasta!!!




Unwrapping the char-grilled chicken parchment pasta...



Tadah!!

Ok I agree the appearance lacks appeal because it's been wrapped up so of course it's a little "flattened".

So here's a better photo courtesy of Pizza Hut!



But don't judge food by its appearance! ;)



Time to indulge!

The sauce is creamy, buttery and has a hint of garlic... Best thing about the pasta is that it's super value for money at $11.90!! You get huge chunks of roasted chicken... The skin is so delicious :D

And the dish comes with turkey bacon, fresh button mushrooms and capiscums! Well not a fan of the capsicums but I do love the bacon which adds more character to the dish, and of course the mushrooms are the bomb.

Also note that my pasta doesn't come with parsley because I requested for that. By default the pasta DOES come with parsley though so remember to request to not have that added if you don't like it!

Next up: Spicy Seafood Parchment, $12.90!!



I'm terribly apologetic that the photos I managed to take of this dish are just horrible.

I blame my camera coz every other food blogger were using heavyass DSLRs.



Much better photo!!

This dish is also super value for money and comes with 3 large mussels, 3 big crunchy prawns and calamari!!

I actually prefer this dish to the chicken even though I usually prefer cream to tomato!!

The sauce is quite spicy with the tangy sourness of tomatoes and it just makes you wanna keep eating coz it's so tantalizing!

The seafood used is really fresh too!!

The pasta noodles are from the brand Barilla, which is my favourite high-quality pasta brand. Loves it!!


After stuffing us to the brim with parchment pasta (each of us had 2!!), the peeps from Pizza Hut insisted we have even more!!

Basil Crayfish, $12.90

Love this! The sauce is super unique and crayfish is always good :)



Baked Beefballs, $5.80

Tastes as yummy as it looks!



Curry Zazzle Baked Rice, $9.80

Definitely an Asian twist to baked rice! Curry with cheese drizzled over rice? YUMS


Dessert, of course, is the classic:



Warm Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream, $6.50.

Rich chocolate with melted chocolate inside... Satisfies everyone's sweet tooth!

I had a fun day at that day with all the other bloggers!



Thanks Pizza Hut for the treat!!

Excited to try?

Pizza Hut's parchment pastas are coming out on 25th August, 2010!!

For more information or to find the nearest Pizza Hut outlet, check out their website:

PIZZA HUT

p/s: I might learn how to cook parchment pasta too... You know why?? Coz I just realised... DON'T NEED TO WASH DISHES!!!

p/p/s: I know right? Total coincidence this is a food review + Brad's in it, after the last article.

Everybody hates Bloggers

So everyone's heard of the nasty food blogger who tried to ask for free food.

And I'm gonna blog about this too, even though many in the blogging community already have. Because I'm fucking pissed off. I was already pissed off when it first exploded, but I believed that after Lady Iron Chef clarified himself, everything will be resolved. In short, I believed that Singaporeans are smart, logical, and rational as a whole. Who am I kidding? They are not. I am, obviously, disappointed again.

As more and more people started debating about whether Bloggers should be recoined Beggers (Or Brad as Brat) and whether we all ought to be drowned in hot oil, it is now time for me to step up and blog about what I know.

For those of you who don't know what the fuck is going on, here's a clear as day timeline I've succinctly summarized for you:


First:


PUBLIC OPINION DUE TO ONE-SIDED MEDIA REPORTS:

- Food blogger from LadyIronChef.com, Brad Lau, called restaurant Private Affairs to inform them that he will be arriving with 3 friends to have Sunday brunch. He think he who sia?

- TSK TSK! The restaurant closes buffet at 3.30pm and yet they ate till 4.30pm! How self-absorbed and inconsiderate.

- Bill of $435 came, Brad refused to pay and repeatedly told the restaurant’s chef, "I never pay for food in any restaurant."

- Restaurant waived off most of the bill and charged him $159 instead. Kindness personified.

- Being forced to pay, a bad-tempered and arrogant Brad threw his credit card at the counter and STOMPED OFF.

Naturally, after reading a report like this, people started being really angry with Brad and starting dissing him. People even posted up his home address and phone number and threatened to go visit him at 3am. Very free hor?

********************************

To know the full story, you must first be introduced to the leads!!!

And they are.... *drumroll*

Brad Lau aka Lady Iron Chef



Brad is the accused food blogger


Melanie Loong



Melanie does PR for Private Affairs!!


Harris Chai



Harris is a food blogger!


Glenn Lee aka Hungry Epicurean



Glenn is also a food blogger who is friends with Harris!
I kindly put cartoon eyes on his face coz he is the only dude who apologized.


Kaelyn Ong aka My Food Sirens II



Kaelyn is food blogger no 3 and she is also friends with both Glenn and Harris.
Or at least they are all acquaintances.


***********************

Background:

The food blogging community in Singapore is small and most of the bloggers know each other. Within the community, Lady Iron Chef is arguably the second most popular following Ieat Ishoot Ipost. His blog was a Finalist for the Nuffnang blog awards held last year. An advertorial with him will range from approximately $1k to $2k.


They don't like him:


As recently as on February 22, 2010, Glenn, Harris and Kaelyn were invited by Private Affairs to FREE FOOD TASTING. (link)

I can't see Glenn's tweets as they are locked (coward), but on March 16, Harris announced he won't be partaking in anymore invited sessions.

Although in his post explaining why he is not having cheapskate invited sessions anymore (noble reasons, of course), he stated he is not personally attacking anyone and is not planning to sever ties with other food bloggers still doing invited sessions, his obsessive tweets clearly reveal differently:

(Chronologically from May till a few days ago.)

Oh how high and mighty! His majesty pays for all his food!!

Not only is it established that Harris has a huge chip on the shoulder about food bloggers not paying for food, he also is established to pinpoint Brad as one of them.

I don't know, Harris... You ate free food all the way till March... And you are SOOOOO disgusted with food bloggers who eat free food?? It seems a little odd to me, you know? A bit like a retired mass murderer who kaopeh about other murderers being cruel!!!


In the purple box I highlighted - that is the first evidence that surfaced which revealed that Brad went to Private Affairs to "ask" for free food.

Being a coward, Harris promptly deleted his tweet after the issue blew up.

The time this tweet was published was about 6.30pm. - Two hours after Brad and his friends finished their meal.

******************************

Following Harris' tweet, both of Glenn and Kaelyn blogged nasty self-righteous blog posts about Lady Iron Chef's behaviour. Glenn has since deleted his post.

Their source of information is predicted to be from Melanie Loong, the PR manager of Private Affairs. If it's not her then it's definitely someone from the restaurant.

Their blog posts sparked outrage in the community, with the result that it even appeared on Wanbao, the yahoo article linked above (the author deletes comments defending Brad! Fucking childish), and just yesterday, the Straits Times.

And what was Brad doing while all this happened?? He was in Phuket.

By the time he arrived back in Singapore and clarified on his blog, nobody was listening. It is way more fun talking about how much of an asshole he is.


And here, ladies and gentlemen, is a true account of what actually happened. (How do I know? The people who were present told me)


WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED:

Back in June 2nd, Melanie invited Brad for a food tasting session. Brad replied politely (you can see email exchanges on the previous link above), and on August 20th, inquired if the offer is still valid.

HE DID NOT WALK IN AND DEMAND FREE FOOD.

It was an INVITATION. Obviously someone from Private Affairs have been spreading lies that made it seem as if Brad swaggered in with 3 friends in tow.

Once on email, and once on SMS, Brad confirmed with Melanie that he will be bringing 3 friends with him. Never once did Melanie mention that Private Affairs will only give complimentary meals for 2 guests and not the other two.

Buffet is stated to last from 11.30am to 3.30pm. It is an ala carte buffet menu, meaning you order dishes from a menu and they will cook it dish by dish. Way before 3.30pm, Brad and friends have ordered their last dish. Knowing there was a rush for time, they even requested for desserts to come with their mains.

However, Private Affairs was tardy in food preparation and the last dish only arrived almost 1 hour later. How is this Brad's fault???

The bill came. It was for $260 (2 pax), and not (yet another lie) $435 as Private Affairs stated. They probably jacked up the price to seem as if they gave a larger waiver.

Brad was surprised and asked for Melanie and asked why he needed to pay. Melanie repeatedly stated that it is "industry-standard" (it is not) to only give complimentary meals to 2 people.

AT NO POINT DID BRAD RAISE HIS VOICE OR BE RUDE.

HE DID NOT EVER SAY "I NEVER PAY FOR FOOD IN ANY RESTAURANT." It is a LIE.

He agreed to pay, and graciously paid for his companions. When he paid the bill, he was rather pissed off so he admitted to putting his credit card into the folder with a bit more force than necessary. This action was reenacted to me by one of the guests present. It is nothing offensive, and it is DEFINITELY not "throwing" the credit card onto the bar counter as described.

It is stated that Brad "stomped" out of the restaurant. ANOTHER LIE. In fact, he left after thanking Melanie.

Melanie even asked chirpily, "Did you take many photos today?" and "Arrange timing to go down for dinner menu ah!!"

And what happens?

Immediately after this event ended, SOMEONE from Private Affairs contacted either Harris, Glenn or Kaelyn. Nobody knows how.

But we can guess why. Because they wanted the publicity? Maybe the complainer is just plain gossipy?

Not only did the restaurant conjure up a bunch of lies, they continued lying to all the other people who interviewed them later on.

Later on, when the internet community bashed Brad to no end, they farted out this dumbshit press release:

I don't know if an epileptic baboon wrote this but I've rarely seen a press release as irrelevant, moralistic and judgemental as this!!

The last paragraph is the most hilarious of all... THEY WANT A GOVERNING BODY SO THAT "SIMILAR INCIDENTS" DON'T OCCUR!!

What SIMILAR INCIDENTS??? Are you talking about restaurants backstabbing bloggers and telling lies to newspapers??

Or are you talking about PR managers failing to inform the invited bloggers that it's not complimentary then having the blogger eventually pay anyway??

HILARIOUS LAH!!!



Now, I mentioned I was pissed off. Why?

Because of the underhanded, malicious and yes, childish behaviour of Private Affairs.

Let me find a way to say this... IT IS NOT UP TO THEM TO SHAME OR LECTURE BRAD FOR WHATEVER BEHAVIOUR THEY PERCEIVED HIM TO DISPLAY.

WHO THE FUCK ARE THEY?

You don't like a blogger? FINE. Don't invite him ever again. You can even spit in his food the next time he comes if you want.

But to give other bloggers + newspapers petty details such as him arriving late or overstaying your stipulated buffet period? LOW, SO LOW.

After getting criticised by some for being a low-brow snitch, Private Affairs tried to turn the tables and act like Brad's actions were "unacceptable". What's so unacceptable? Being slightly indignant about paying and eventually paying anyway? YOU THEN FUCKING UNACCEPTABLE!

The whole affair has ended and obviously it even ended on a good note with Melanie inviting Brad to come back to try the dinner menu. WHY STILL COMPLAIN?? Major hypocrites!

If you are so full of cheebye integrity... Why the fuck are you inviting bloggers for free sessions? It is tantamount to a bribe right?

Having the cheek to ask bloggers to display "professionalism". WHAT IS SO PROFESSIONAL ABOUT BAD-MOUTHING YOUR INVITED GUESTS??

Disgusting.


I deem Private Affairs' press release to be EXTREMELY inadequate. Please, if you have a clear conscience, explain truthfully how Harris, Glenn and Kaelyn would know of this issue if not for the fact that you blabbed. Explain it.

And explain all the LIES that you told. There are witnesses. Let's go to court if you wish to dispute anything I wrote here.

Until then...

BOYCOTT PRIVATE AFFAIRS

As my friend Priscilla wisely stated on twitter: If Private Affairs can be so vicious to their invited guest, what do you think they would do if you don't like their food?

*******************************

Here's my take on some of the issues discussed regarding this:


1) "Rules" regarding payment - if a blogger is invited, does it mean he doesn't need to pay?

The answer is YES. Whether you like it or not, bloggers don't pay for shit, just as journalists who cover events don't pay for shit - unless they are going undercover.

Why? Because a blog post is WORTH ADVERTISING MONEY.

How much a blogger's blog post is worth is accessed by the brands. If they feel it's worth it, then they'd offer an invitation. If not, they won't bother.

You want publicity, you can give your favourite blogger a product or sponsor them a service. If they happen to like it, they will blog about it. If they don't, they are not obligated to.

Just as beauty products are often sent to female magazines in hope that they will get featured. How many lipsticks and bags are tossed away a month?

And just as the magazine is a publication, so are blogs.

By now most companies understand this fact. It is unfair if the blogger doesn't blog or blog bad opinions? Well life is a fucking gamble isn't it? If the company is annoyed with the blogger not blogging about their product, they can jolly well not ever sponsor the blogger again. Nobody is forcing them.

To ask a blogger to pay for a food tasting session is illogical. Why? Because the price tag on the menu is jacked up for PROFITS. Then how? Ask the blogger to pay for cost price?

You want me to hopefully blog about you and yet you still wanna earn my money? NI BU HUI QU SI?

Sure, restaurants can invite bloggers to go to eat there as paying guests, but without the added bonus of a free meal + the stress of paying for a meal, they might not turn up. A little bit of money spent (at cost price) in exchange for a high possibility of a blog post - I don't think it's unfair.

Angry about this? Companies can always choose NOT to get publicity via PR or advertising but through word-of-mouth. Good luck!


2) Is it wrong for bloggers to accept freebies?

No, I don't think it's wrong. As long as the review is stated clearly as an advert or a sponsored review, it's fine.

Maybe the line is a little more muddled for food bloggers because while someone sponsoring eye cream to me can't make their eye cream for me any better than those on the shelves, chefs CAN cook nicer food for reviewers.

But it's the same theory. When people can see it's a sponsored review, they should take it with a pinch of salt, and they do.

And if the blogger chooses NOT to reveal that it's a sponsored advert, then it's his integrity at stake. If he advertises shitty food all the time just so he can earn money, soon nobody will believe his reviews. Harris so anal-retentive about this for what?


3) Three guests?? So gian bng!!

Is it wrong for Brad to bring 3 guests? I don't think so. When I did my advertorials for Indulgz, the owner joyfully told me to bring as many guests as possible because she wanted to cook a lot of food for me.

In one of the adverts I had a group of six people including myself. Why didn't she mind?

Because she knew that...

- If more people came she can serve me more food and the advertorial will be longer and more value for money.

- If more people came, the ambiance will be more fun, exciting. This will put me in a better mood and thus give better reviews. Also, I will quote more people on their opinions of her food.

A sponsorship is a gesture of good will. If companies are going to calculative and petty, then I'd rather not deal with them at all! I'd rather just go on my own time, if I go at all.

Of course, bloggers should also not be bloody unabashed and bring a party of 10 and expect free meals for everyone. The key is communication. Bloggers should always state how many friends they are bringing, and if the business thinks it is not viable to sponsor meals for so many, they should state that too.


Who the fuck do I think I am? I'm a bloody popular blogger who can make or break a brand. You may think this is arrogance, but it is true, so suck on it.

****************************

You know what I hate?

COWARDS.

Ganging up to bully Brad like this. You see he is so soft-spoken and nice very fun to bitch slap him right? PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN FUCKING SIZE, ASSHOLES.

And Private Affairs? See if any other food bloggers will ever dare to accept your invitations ever again. Fuck you, you snivelling sorry excuse of an establishment.

Jimble jumble of thoughts

Harrow!!

Forcing myself to blog a blog post before sleeping coz my blog is so bleah!!!

Quite tired so forgive me if I sound incoherent!! Maybe I won't bother to correct my spelling errors either hehehehe.

Anyway I was thinking right...

Everyday I get people telling me I'm hideous/fat/stupid. I mean I've kinda gotten used to it already, but I was contemplating why people continuously do it.

And I realised... I mean, there are a lot of ugly people in the world, but I bet most of them have never been called ugly to their faces before. In fact, it is only VAIN people who get called ugly all the time.

So, it's really all about perception!! You perceiving me to perceive myself to be pretty, so you feel this crazy need to tell me I am wrong!!

See I even drew a graph, this means I am right beyond a doubt.

If you feel that I think I'm mad fugly, then why bother to rub it in? People only like to crush big egos.

But what if I don't really perceive myself to be chio??? I mean, I think my photoshopped self is not bad (maybe 8/10), in real life maybe 6.5/10, and in videos 5.8/10 (wtf why so ugly in videos??).

How's my assessment? Accurate or not? If not you can tell me I'm ugly now.

And I was thinking right... The reason why people think I think I'm very chio is coz I snap so many photos, put on make up, wear hiao clothes, and post so many photos.

Generally people who don't think much of their looks don't bother to post photos. But I love posting photos coz I love photoshopping them!! To me, it's an art.

So much so that when people say "Omg you are so pretty" to me, all I hear is "Omg your photoshop skills are awesome!". And if I can't photoshop my photos, I probably will post really few photos of myself - just like in POTM, there are few photos of me!

There is only two methods to bring make insults (and this applies to other qualities such as intellect etc) stop.

1) Appear to be humble. However, it is my strong belief that being humble rarely gets you noticed. Therefore with no praises nor insults to motivate you, you slip into mediocrity.

2) Get indisputable. Since we are talking about looks here, it is all about improving yourself till you are UNDENIABLY chio. Alexandra Ambrosio also looks like she think she's hot but she is so hot that nobody can ever deny it. However, things like looks cannot be improved beyond a certain point, where you have to resort to either plastic surgery or photoshop. In either case, people will start saying you are fake, because they think you cheated and don't deserved to be called pretty. Whatever. I choose choice 2.

Anyway this brings me to my next point. I have a lot of pretty girlfriends, and you'd think that being pretty brings about a lot of compliments and thus resulting in high self-confidence... But you'd be wrong.

Most pretty girls are insecure about their looks (rather than about their talents/personality/intellect), because they get criticized so much!

For every compliment they get someone else will say "Pretty meh? Her chin so short/face so fat etc". Imagine hearing all reading all these things about yourself all the time!! Upsetting not?



Someone once told me that nobody would ever rate themselves lower than a 5/10. Most people, if they are not mentally ding dong, would think that they are a 5.5, or maybe a 6.

I think it's true.

There are plenty of people who are Threes (afterall, it is an exponential graph, there must be the same amount of Threes as there are Sixes), but due to the lack of criticism on their looks, they start to convince themselves that they are ok-looking.

When in truth nobody criticizes them the same reason why teachers don't bother grooming the students at the bottom of the class. Improve already will just get from bad to average.

That's all fine and dandy but it really irks me to see these hideous beings criticize better-looking people with malice. It is one thing to say behind someone's back that they'd look better with straight teeth (ahem *me*), but to say stuff like "You are so ugly I won't fuck you with a 10 foot pole, Mike must be blind"...?

LIKE PLEASE LAH...

I may not be top notch beautiful, but at least I have the courage to post my photos up (yes, even without photoshop/make up - all you have to do is to view my videos), and accept the criticism that comes with it.

Just because you are mediocre-looking (or worse, likely worse)and a coward, you think you can start insulting people like that meh?

Of course, anyone with a perception of beauty can criticize other peoples' looks, not only good-looking people can - but you can't really add malicious to your character when you look like a bag of warts, can you?

Yes I know I need to lose neck fats, get my teeth straightened, grow taller, lose some weight, get a second nose job - but instead of shouting out these advice to me, why don't you look at your face's flaws, which I'm sure you have, and work on those instead? How about, for a change, you post a photo of yourself and let me criticise your looks? Bet you wouldn't have the guts.

Of course... it's easier to just yell insults at people.

Besides yelling insults, I've realised that people (I imagine ugly ones) also like to say two things. It's like they've all got the same giant brain or something.

1) Don't put so much make up.

2) You are ugly inside.

Re. point 1) You (people who say such things as above) probably don't put make up because make up can't save your looks. As such, the people you hang out with, from the same appearance caste tier, probably don't put on make up too.

And because you have no interest and no knowledge in make up, you start to think that make up is evil and aids and abets concealing one's real looks.

I'm sorry but just because you don't put make up doesn't mean it is ugly, ok?

There is no such thing as too much make up, just BADLY APPLIED make up.

Case in point, Katy Perry with loads of make up:

She won't look better with less make up - she'd just look more common. Now stop pulling us down to your boring, "natural" level and leave us to put make up in peace!

As for men who are also always asking girls to put less make up... Let's face it, girls with make up intimidate you, that's all. You may claim we look like a whore etc, but you just fear rejection from us because make up adds a certain confidence and bitchiness to a person. Of course you prefer the fresh-faced nymph - she would never tell you your penis is tiny.

Re. Point 2)

Who gives a shit about being beautiful inside? Firstly, most people around the world have too many problems of their own to be helping others. Most people are just like me, except I'm a little more foul-mouthed and perhaps a shade more self-centered. But I never aspired to be a saint what, and never claimed to be one. So why are people telling me to improve my personality??!

And secondly... Being beautiful on the inside (yay! Gorgeous pancreas!) does NOT make you beautiful on the outside despite how you try to lie to yourself! And honestly, I'd rather be friends with an interesting person than a nice person. Sucks to be you!

Abrupt end of topic.

*****************

Meanwhile I've also begin to think that life is really meaningless. Depressing post btw if you are feeling suicidal don't read from here on.

Why are humans so bloody complicated? Why are we able to feel terrible, horrific feelings like loneliness or hopelessness or depression?

I have become so close to Mike that even being at home without him for a few hours makes me anxious and sad. It's like wtf? When he goes out I fear that a giant rock will fall on his head and kill him. If he's uncontactable I think he got into a car wreck (CHOY CHOY CHOY). When it coincides with PMS I even cry!! I am so bloody ashamed of myself.

And one day, either he will die first or I'd die first. (Provided we don't break up before that CHOY X 100) Little chance we'd die together at the same time.

If he dies first, I'd have to either learn to live without him or pluck up my courage and kill myself too. And why must dying be so hard? We should just have an on-off switch. How does it feel like to smash yourself against a pavement? Does it hurt more than my eye surgery? Where does your soul go? The unknown is so freaky.

And it's not just about Mike... Just thinking about Momo dying (Choy X 100 again) makes me so scared!! But it's inevitable. As life goes on, people leave you, and they don't come back.

Even at age 26, this freaks me out, so I don't know how older people handle this!! I almost wish I'd die now just so I don't have to face it.

I love my paternal grandparents because they took care of me as a child... However, as they age I've realised that I subconsciously avoid meeting them because I am terrified of being closer to them than I already am. It's horrid. I'm scared that they'd pass away (CHOY) and I can't handle it. Also I'm lazy lah... And I feel so guilty because they love me and they wanna spend time with me. Now writing this makes me feel so horrible. Sometimes it's just easier to avoid things that cause conflict within you altogether... But I guess making an effort to meet them is the right thing to do...

Remember Scrooge in A Christmas Carol? He was protrayed as being friendless and miserly... But sometimes I think he's got it right leh... He does not love, so he does not lose love - which hurts as much as it brings joy, perhaps more. And if he never felt how it feels like to love, then perhaps he'd be just fine since he'd just not know what he's missing.

As for being miserly - he is right! Money buys happiness, and if you have shitloads of money, then the joy money brings you can never be taken away from you! (Unlike that from humans)


Anyway, most people have dreams... My friend just quit her job (which she loved) because she wanted to find herself and to travel the world... She wanted to do something more meaningful like volunteer work.

But I have no such aspirations FML. When people talk about their lofty dreams (which I presume makes them wanna carry on living) and in turn ask me what I want in life, all I really wanted to do (but didn't) was...

1) To attend a prom (and be prom queen! I've never went to prom ever)
2) To join a sorority
3) To be a cheerleader

WTF IS THIS NONSENSE?? All my dreams are like connected with the American Queen Bee stereotype HAHAHAHA

So horrible and superficial... But those things are fun and I am really sad that I am past that age and won't be able to do them anymore!!

I think the reason why I sometimes feel like life seems pretty pointless is because I've peaked too soon.

At like 19 I became indisputably at the top of my game - my hits on my blog were the highest in Singapore (for a personal blog), and has been till today.

Even now my next highest competitor is so far below me I'm not even vaguely threatened.

Not that I want someone to come usurp my crown but I don't really know where to go from here!! I made my mark and... what now?

Sometimes I think I look forward to starting a family with Mike - but kids... Kids are so scary!!

I'm terrified the boys turn out to be useless criminals and the girls turn out to be sluts... I'm scared they change my marriage and make it bad... I don't wanna give up my freedom/looks/career/money.

AND WORSE OF ALL I'M SCARED THEY DIE!!

I'm scared they start to ride a motorcycle, start smoking, start doing drugs, or are really rude to me!!

I scared I don't even like them!!

You may say that all these have to do with correct parenting but I think you are wrong lor!!! It's partly nature too, otherwise why would there be siblings who turn out so differently?

And don't give me bullshit about how being a parent is all about giving unconditional love however your kids turn out. Fuck you lah. Is that why you always see parents being driven to tears and hopelessness by their kids? Nobody can be so selfless and saintly and not bother about their own feelings, ok?

Actually I've been feeling that life is quite meaningless after the last Harry Potter book was written!!

FTS. I blame JK Rowling for my slight depression. Also stupid Steve Carell for quitting The Office!! What want to spend time with his family... WHAT ABOUT US, HIS TV AUDIENCE FAMILY?? Screw us over? Damn you Michael Gary Scott!

Actually I've not really depressed lah... It's a good thing I'm easily distracted coz I get real excited and happy once I go shopping hehehe.

Things to look forward to in life:

- Japan trip in September!!
- Futurama is back!!
- Must live to see Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie break up
- My traditional wedding!!
- My hair will eventually reach my butt, right?
- I wanna see Fann Wong and Chris Lee's baby!! Please let her be still fertile.
- Mike becoming a millionaire (notice I didn't say I'd become a millionaire. By now I know I'm too lazy for that to ever happen)
- And thus having our own ridiculously swanky house
- I wanna watch Tangled!! I think rapunzel will be my favourite Disney princess!!
- Crabmeat linguine!!!
- Maldives for honeymoon before it sinks completely
- I have not seen Jay Chou in concert yet!!

Ok lah this list is good enough for now.

Tata!!

UPDATE: Wah! You GENIUSES!! So I mentioned I hate cowards who are probably more ugly than me criticizing my looks -- Therefore I'm a hypocrite coz I criticize people's looks too! NOT.

Whenever I lambaste anything at all, I AM USING MY IDENTITY. I'm not anonymous. My face, name, race, nationality are all here, is it not? Obviously if the person I insulted is not happy he can just insult me back right? Plus if I get slammed left right center for saying mean stuff usually.

I have no problem with people with an identity saying I'm ugly. Obviously I won't be pleased and might insult them back/defend myself, but at the very least they are not faceless keyboard warriors who have nothing to lose.

Now fuck off.

45th

Sorry for not blogging recently. Got no inspiration!! If you are bored, you can read my tweets, which are updated all the time! Http://twitter.com/Xiaxue

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