Group photoA glimpse of Chef Eric Teo’s work stationMedia coverages on Chef Teo adorned the wall of his studioSome of Chef Teo’s various award wins and trophiesChef Teo’s super bling bling robe
Other than me sharing on photography tips using the awesome Panasonic Lumix GX7, the highlight of the day was the cooking demonstration by Chef Teo:
Chef Teo at workChef Teo frying the mushroomsChef Teo platingChef Eric Teo’s mixed mushroom fried with beer batterTake pictures!Black tofu from black soya beansPouring the blended black tofu into little cupsCooking prawnsChef Teo working on scallopsIt’s just stir-fried seafood and red pepper, but Chef Teo cooked them so beautifully everyone present could not wait to taste themAdding the seafood into the tofu cupsChef Eric Teo’s black tofu with seafood – my favourite dish for the day Moving on to the last dish – sambal fried riceChef Teo joked that experts only add the eggs right at the endClose-up on the beautiful rice grainsPlating the fried riceChef Eric Teo’s sambal fried rice
The event was organised by local production company, Rolleyes. Teaming up with six renowned local chefs, Rolleyes seeks to make gourmet home cooking a reality for their viewers through their new 30 Minute Cookin’ series:
In each episode, viewers are shown how to achieve two to three-course meals within 30 minutes. Chef Teo’s demonstration is as part of this programme.
Visit 30 Minute Cookin’ for more details
You can watch Chef Teo’s cooking demonstrations as well as more from other renowned chefs via the official website for 30 Minute Cookin’. 🙂
Yesterday, Google announced its annual Year End Zeitgeist, a look at 2013 through the collective eyes of the world on the web, offering a unique perspective on the year’s major events and hottest trends based on Google searches conducted in Singapore.
So what got Singaporeans buzzing online in 2013?
The Southeast Asian haze grabbed attention and headlines this year, as Singaporeans searched for information about the phenomenon by looking up the latest PSI readings, facts about haze particles, and preventative masks. Singaporeans also kept an eye on other local news and events, including Singapore’s bird flu readiness, the investigation into American engineer Shane Todd’s alleged suicide, and news of local actor, Huang Wenyong’s death from lymphoma. Another celebrity death to make waves in Singapore was that of movie star Paul Walker, who died suddenly in a car crash in November.
Basketball is here to stay among Singaporean sport fans with the NBA’s Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, and the Dallas Mavericks emerging on Singapore’s most searched sports teams for the first time. The nation continued to follow international football favourites as well, with Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur all making the list, along with local team LionsXII.
Ever gadget- and bargain-savvy, Singaporeans searched for key dates for events like the 2013 IT Show, COMEX and the Great Singapore Sale. The nation also indulged its love for food—especially its sweet tooth—with searches for traditional treats like Kueh Bangkit and Snow Skin Mooncake, and contemporary favourites like Rainbow Cake, Leche Flan and Nutella Blossom, spiking on the trending recipes list.
Short trips and weekend getaways remained popular as Legoland Malaysia, the first Legoland theme park in Asia, came in as the top travel destination for Singaporeans for the second year in a row, along with Hong Kong, Penang, and Bangkok, cities famed for good food and shopping. On the whole, however, holidaymakers preferred to relax under the sun with well-known beach destinations such as Bali and Langkawi snagging 5 out of the top 10 travel hotspots.
Google spokesperson Sana Rahman said: “Google’s year-end Zeitgeist is a cultural barometer showing us what quickened our national heartbeat and drove our curiosity in 2013.”
As someone is online 24-7, I couldn’t agree more. Online trends often mirrors what goes on in the real world and sometimes give clues and insights on human behaviours.
Trending
Searches
1. PSI Singapore
2. Harlem shake
3. Little India riot
4. Anonymous
5. N95 mask
6. Malaysia election
7. Deepavali 2013
8. Gwiyomi
9. Boston
10. Tampines accident
People
1. Paul Walker
2. Cory Monteith
3. Huang Wenyong
4. Nelson Mandela
5. Gordon Ramsay
6. Margaret Thatcher
7. Lea Michele
8. Jennifer Lawrence
9. Rowan Atkinson
10. Tom Hiddleston
Songs
1. Wrecking Ball
2. Gentlemen
3. Blurred Lines
4. Counting Stars
5. Clarity
6. Royals
7. Get Lucky
8. Thrift Shop
9. Road
10. Heart Attack
Movies
1. The Conjuring
2. Pacific Rim
3. Despicable Me 2
4. World War Z
5. Man of Steel
6. Iron Man 3
7. The Great Gatsby
8. Gravity
9. Oblivion
10. Warm Bodies
What is…
1. PM 2.5
2. Gwiyomi
3. Twerking
4. Obamacare
5. Lymphoma
6. OOTD
7. Hail
8. Mastectomy
9. Gluten
10. H7N9
How to…
1. Rap
2. Harmonize
3. Cycle
4. Twerk
5. Paint
6. Beatbox
7. Factorise
8. Crochet
9. Deadlift
10. Blog
Gadgets
1. iPhone 5s
2. Samsung Galaxy S4
3. Samsung Note 3
4. iPhone 5c
5. iPad Air
6. Nexus 5
7. iPad Mini 2
8. HTC One
9. Sony Xperia X
10. Xbox One
Recipes
1. Shepherd’s Pie
2. Kueh Bangkit
3. Lasagne
4. Snow Skin Mooncake
5. Nutella Blossom
6. Rainbow Cake
7. Chicken Wings
8. Beef Steak
9. Leche Flan
10. Cornflake Cookies
Most Searched
Travel Destinations
1. Legoland Malaysia
2. Bali
3. Hong Kong
4. Maldives
5. Bangkok
6. Taiwan
7. Bintan
8. Langkawi
9. Krabi
10. Penang
Local News
1. Bird Flu
2. Shane Todd
3. Huang Wenyong
4. Kovan
5. Khaw Boon Wan
6. Flood
7. Singapore haze
8. Singapore property
9. Tey Tsun Hang
10. Singapore riot
TV Shows
1. Running Man
2. Game of Thrones
3. Breaking Bad
4. Suits
5. Naruto Shippuden
6. The Big Bang Theory
7. The Heirs
8. The Voice of China
9. The Walking Dead
10. We Got Married
Korean Stars
1. Kim Jong-kook
2. Super Junior
3. Girls’ Generation
4. Hyuna
5. Park Shin-hye
6. Yoon Eun-hye
7. Lee Min-jung
8. Gary Kang
9. Jo In-sung
10. Jang Geun-suk
Events
1. Singapore F1
2. IT Show
3. Australian Open
4. COMEX
5. PC Show
6. Standard Chartered Marathon
7. Wimbledon
8. Sundown Marathon
9. NATAS Fair
10. Great Singapore Sale
Sports Teams
1. Arsenal
2. Manchester United
3. Liverpool
4. Chelsea
5. LionsXII
6. Tottenham Hotspur
7. Houston Rockets
8. L. A. Lakers
9. Miami Heat
10. Dallas Mavericks
Sportspersons
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
2. David Beckham
3. Jeremy Lin
4. Roger Federer
5. Wayne Rooney
6. Oscar Pistorius
7. Rafael Nadal
8. Jose Mourinho
9. Thiago Alcantara
10. Andy Murray
on Mobile
1. PSI Singapore
2. SGX
3. Weather
4. Arsenal
5. Manchester United
6. Liverpool
7. iPhone 5s
8. Restaurants
9. Running Man
10. Samsung Galaxy S4
To see more information about Google Zeitgeist across the globe, use interactive data visualizations and to watch Google’s annual video, visit google.com/zeitgeist.
What is Google’s Year-End Zeitgeist?
Google reveals the Internet “Zeitgeist” (German for “the spirit of the times”) through an exploration of the over one trillion search queries received each year. In addition to the Year-end Zeitgeist, which highlights the top trends of 2013, Google also have several tools that give insight into global, regional, past and present search trends. Google Zeitgeist tools can never be used to identify individual users because Google relies on anonymized, aggregated counts of how often certain search queries occur over time. These tools are available year-round for us to play with, explore, and learn from at google.com/zeitgeist
Last Saturday, the StarHub TVB Awards 2013 capped off a night to remember as the industry’s biggest names gathered at the Marina Bay Sands Grand Theatre to honour the best in TVB programming. Broadcasted ‘live’ on E City (StarHub TV Channel 111/825) for the first time, the Awards saw a total of 31 trophies presented across 20 categories.
Thanks to Starhub, Rachel and I attended the ‘live’ recording of the show.
The biggest winner of the night was Triumph in the Skies II (衝上雲霄2) which completed a clean sweep of four wins with Myolie Wu (胡杏儿) and Julian Cheung (张智霖) winning the My Favourite TVB Male and Female TV Character awards for their roles in the blockbuster hit drama. Even more impressively, it also snagged both the My Favourite TVB Drama and the Singapore Media’s Favourite TVB Drama awards, proving its pedigree as a series with both mass appeal and critical acclaim.
Three cast members from Triumph in the Skies II up on stage
Rachel and I had not seen this TVB series before the awards, but we left intrigued enough to want to catch it now on Starhub!
The Awards also saw local viewers voicing their strong support for the local production, Lady First (女人我最大) – Singapore, which beat strong competition from established names to walk away with the My Favourite TVB Variety Show and My Favourite TVB Variety Show Host awards. Both awards were open to public voting and marked the first time a local programme won a StarHub TVB Award.
Pauline Lan on stagePauline Lan getting affectionate on stage
Lady First (女人我最大) is one of Rachel’s favourite TV program and Pauline Lan (蓝心湄), the anchor host of the show is one of her all-time favourite TV host. Rachel was thrilled to see Pauline Lan make her appearance on stage at the awards show.
A surprise appearance by Michael Miu (苗侨伟) stole the show as the veteran claimed the Classic TVB Character award, much to the delight of the packed theatre and the thousands of viewers watching at home. One of TVB’s ‘Five Tigers’ in the 1980s, Miu became a household name with his role as Yong Kang in the 1983 TVB series, The Legend of the Condor Heroes (射雕英雄传).
Miu joked about how the award he won is for old-timers who are about to retire and he thinks he is still in his prime now. He is 55 years old this year, but I would have to agree with him that he still have a long way to retirement. Just look at how suave he still look at this age:
Michael Miu, looking as good as ever
The most coveted individual accolades – My Favourite TVB Actress and My Favourite TVB Actor, were won by Tavia Yeung (杨怡) and Bosco Wong (黄宗泽) respectively. Bosco then made it two out of two with the My Favourite TVB Male TV Character award before sealing his hat-trick of wins by sharing the My Favourite TVB On Screen Couple award with Niki Chow (周丽淇) for their irresistible onscreen chemistry in A Change of Heart (好心作怪).
Tavis Yeung collecting her trophyBosco Wong getting his award on stage from Pauline Lan
Hosts, King Kong Li and Elaine YiuMag Lam singing Little Something
Linda Chung (钟嘉欣), who picked up a My Favourite TVB Female TV Character award and the Everlasting Glow Award, also took to the stage to perform Eternal Flame, while the cast of the local movie That Girl in Pinafore (我的朋友, 我的同学, 我爱过的一切) brought some local flavour to the event with a xinyao medley.
Linda Chung collecting an award on stageLinda Chung singing Eternal FlameAnother picture of Linda Chung singingXinyao performance by casts of The Girl in Pinafore
Not to be outdone, the finalists of TVB’s hit reality singing competition The Voice of the Stars (星夢傳奇) responded with a unique medley of their own, putting a fresh spin to a collection of classic theme songs.
Four singers from The Voices of the Stars
The StarHub TVB Awards 2013 kicked off with the red carpet special where some local celebrities shared the stage with the pantheon of TVB A-listers in front of hundreds of screaming fans. Viewers also played their part in making it a memorable night by voting Linda Chung as the inaugural winner of the best dressed Red Carpet Star via the StarHub TV Buddy second screen app.
“We are pleased with yet another successful StarHub TVB Awards. The Awards represents the strong partnership between StarHub and TVB, one which has progressed beyond broadcasting to include localised content productions such as Lady First – Singapore. As an event, we have also raised the bar with the first-ever ‘live’ broadcast of the Awards ceremony. Together, we will continue to provide the best TVB experience for our customers. My congratulations to the winners,” said Mr Tan Tong Hai, Chief Executive Officer, StarHub.
“Since its inception, the StarHub TVB Awards has grown to become one of the marquee events of the year. It has been a joy working with StarHub for the past two decades and we are appreciative of StarHub’s continuous efforts in promoting TVB productions to Singapore viewers. Long may this continue,” said Mr Sherman Lee, Controller, International Business, TVBI.
All the TVB stars on stage
The StarHub TVB Awards 2013 is presented by Jean Yip Group. Main Sponsors are SK Jewellery and OSIM. The event is co-sponsored by Hada Labo, Panasonic and Phyto. The Official Smartphone is HTC, the Official Car is Mercedes Benz and the Official Integrated Resort is Marina Bay Sands.
If you missed the show on Saturday, fret not – you can catch the repeat telecast on VV Drama (StarHub TV Channel 855) on 5 October 2013, 8pm.
Arnold is living testament to how wrong stereotypes can be. His autography, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, tells an extraordinary story on the extraordinary success of a very smart and driven person.
Born in a broken and poor Austria after WWII, Arnold documents his journey to the United States and how he worked towards his single-minded dream to first become the top bodybuilder in the world, followed by one of the top stars in Hollywood and eventually, the mayor of California.
Was the autobiography honest?
Yes and no. I find him more candid on the earlier part of his life. The accounts read more guarded and scripted in his description on how he became a Republican and how he came to run for political office.
On a personal level, the story reads like a long apology note to his wife, in an attempt to patch up their recent divorce due to his infidelity in fathering a son with their housekeeper.
Otherwise, I find this book pretty inspirational and enjoyable to read. This is better than a lot of self-help craps out there – at least we know Arnold walked the talk with spectacular results to show.
Arnold signing a copy of his book (picture via The Guardian)
At the pinnacle of his bodybuilding career, Arnold had the perfect body both men and women would die for.
He had his fair share of beautiful women in his lifetime and eventually married Maria Shriver, a rare combination of beauty and intelligence. They had three lovely children together and a happy family.
Even before he started his Hollywood career, Arnold was already a self-made millionaire from shrewd property investments. He arrived in America dirt-poor, self-schooled himself through community colleges and worked his way up doing sales, construction and all kinds of odd jobs. This is a true story of the American Dream.
Arnold set a goal to become one of the top star in Hollywood and he achieved it by sitting out for only leading roles. Who can forget his role as the Terminator? He could have become a mediocre action star during his era who faded into obscurity now like Chuck Norris or Jean-Claude Van Damme, but he rise above all through shrewd career moves.
When he entered politics, there were lots of skeptics who were happy to poke fun of him as a caricature, but look what he has achieved. He leveraged on his perceived weakness as strength, gaining ground by playing up the underdog image.
Reading Arnold’s book impressed upon me that nothing is impossible with a can-do attitude and good work ethics.
I was not a fan of Arnold before reading this book, neither am I after reading it, but I am an admirer of what he have achieved and how he went about achieving all the accomplishment he set out for himself.
Instead of reading self-help books written by self-help gurus who only became rich and famous by writing those books, Arnold wrote his book after he became rich and famous.
The film did well in South Korea, dominating the local box office since its release on July 3, 2013.
I watched it at the MasterCards Theatre at Marina Bay Sands last Friday at the international gala. Key members of the cast were present to promote the movie:
From left, director Cho Ui-seok, followed by casts, Lee Junho, Han Hyo-joo and Jung Woo-sung, addressing the audience at Marina Bay Sands before the screening (picture via tenasia.com)
My expectations were high as I have seen the original Eye in the Sky and enjoyed it very much. Cold Eyes has high standards to live up to and it did not disappoint.
The movie makes a boring job like surveillance appears really cool and exciting.
The story is relatively simple and can be summarised as below:
Ha Yoon-ju (played by Han Hyo-joo) becomes the newest member to join a unit within the Korean Police Forces Special Crime Department that specializes in surveillance activities on high profile criminals. She teams up with Hwang Won-jin (Sol Kyung-gu), the veteran leader of the unit, and tries to track down James (Jung Woo-sung) who is the cold-hearted leader of an armed criminal organization.
What is captivating to the audience is the twist and turn of the plot and the realistically portrayed, voyeuristic experience of surveillance work.
Han Jyo-joo in the movie
One almost feel like a stalker in some scenes where the surveillance team close in on their suspects.
The film is now showing in Singapore cinemas and is worth a watch for those who like action, suspense and drama. Go catch it. For k-pop fans, this is the first movie appearance for Lee Junhao from 2PM and I think his role was quite memorable, considering his limited screen time. For fans of the original, Hong Kong actor Simon Yam (任达华) appeared in a cameo role right at the end.
A L V I N O L O G Y 