White Tea wannabes

Some years ago, I had the good fortune to try white tea at a tea house, and to brew it using the special 'gongfu pao' technique. The taste of the white tea was memorable - subtle, fragrant and leaves a sweet taste in the mouth. Or to put it more specifically, " delicate lingering fragrance and a fresh mellow sweet taste devoid of astringency or grassy flavor. " Now, thanks to a kind and generous friend (with equally kind and generous relatives), we are both enjoying the great subtle taste of white tea. I hope she likes it as much as I do..

Nevertheless, there are many types of white tea, and the one I am referring to, is the highest grade - Yin Zhen Bai Hao (silver needle white tea).. so named becos of its sharp needle-like leaves. To quote from wikipedia "This is the most expensive variety and the most prized as only top buds are used to produce the tea..... The very best Yinzhen are picked between March 15 and April 10 when it is not raining and only using undamaged and unopened buds..."

This is what its supposed to look like.

fleshy, bright colored and covered with tiny white hairs

For those of you who have tried the canned white tea from Heaven & Earth or white tea bags from Lipton, but not tried the actual white tea, I would say, nothing beats the real thing. The silver needle white tea is an expensive tea, easily costing USD16 for 100g ($25sgd for 100g). Its prob not the most expensive in the market, but still, its a rare tea and not cheap. Therefore, drinking a canned version or cheap tea bag version, is the same as drinking the canned bird's nest drink - not much of the real thing inside, but full of flavouring to make it seem like the real thing.

If u read the ingredient list on ur can of white tea / tea bag, u would see that jasmine green tea, apricot / peach are used to emulate the fragrance of white tea. And in the canned version, sugar is added to give u the sweetness. The tea bag version tastes bitter becos of lack of sugar n fm the strong green tea leaves used. The ingredient listing also puts white tea near the end, meaning, white tea leaves form only a small portion of the tea bag / tea drink.

So my advice is, spend abit more $, drink the real thing, and enjoy the benefits -
In addition to its anticancer properties, tea has a calming and detoxifying effect on the skin. White tea is especially potent in that it is has three times as many antioxidant polyphenols as green or black tea and has been shown to be 100% more effective in mopping up free radicals that cause skin to sag. (http://www.culinaryteas.com/Store/Peony_White_Needle.html)

HP edit function

Was playing with my hp on a long boring MRT ride when i discovered the additional features in the editing of photos. I mean I hv noticed the 'edit' function, but never bothered to really check it out. Its really interesting.. ok I know I am S-L-O-W to only know it now.. so anyway, here r some creations using the tools / effects etc in the picture edit function of my Sony Ericsson K750i.
From boring cow to

FUNKY COW!



An exquisite pin from Hard Rock Cafe BKK.



James Bond Visa Card advertisement?

My soba meal... looks better in X-ray version

GSS

The Great Singapore Sale ended last sunday (23 Jul 06). Though I think I should have gotten some good buys, I can only recall the bad experiences and more than once, I missed out on the additional discounts by just one day. It feels more like the Great Singapore Scam to me. Here r some examples:
1) Honeyworld at MSq: Citibank credit card mailer mentioned that there was 30% discount storewide. I rushed down to buy the Manuka Honey, only to be told that there was only 15% discount for that. Not all items were going at 30%. So, who should I scream at? Citibank for printing storewide? or Honeyworld for not recognizing what has been printed?

2) Saw selected Gordon Max rings going at 50% discount at Seiyu . Fyi, Gordon Max rings are made from stimulated diamonds, which look as good as the real thing, but at a fraction of the price. I saw a ring that I like very much, and went back to get it the next day. It cost me $89.50 after discount, not cheap, but I thought it's worthwhile. I shared the ring with my mum who wore it the next day after I bought it. Unfortunately, one of the many stimulated diamonds in the ring fell out at the end of the day! Yes, great quality indeed... just one wear and it fell off, leaving a gaping black dot in the midst of the diamonds. Naturally I brought the ring back, furious. To add injury to the insult, now all the rings which were going at 50% discount, have been reduced to 2 for $100 ! WTF !!! The sales assistant had the cheek to tell me I will have to pay for the repair of my ring . After I argued, she proposed to check other outlets for the ring to exchange. But she would not let me trade-in my ring and get 2 for $100. Hey, they did me a wrong by giving me a lousy ring, they should at least let me enjoy the promo given that I only bought mine 2 days ago! It's really really shitty... just 2 days, i could hv bought 2 rings with another $11.. and to think i waited to buy it the next day so as not to make it an impulse buy. Anyway, they had my contact number and they still sms me to inform me of their new products etc. Please... I am so fed up with them! Still sms me. No more Gordon Max rings, and no more rings with gems on it... Thanks to Gordon Max, I will carry this fear of gems falling off my rings forever.


What I thought was a good buy, but turned out otherwise.



In addition, I also missed out on the Luggage sale at Robinsons. They had 20% discount for cardmembers, but I was one day late. Similarly, the one day difference cost me the additional discount for G2000 cardmembers. In both cases, i chose not to buy even though there were discounts off the items I want. It's a matter of principle, the further discount for members would mean I make substantial (> $10) losses for buying the items without it.


I also noted that Zara and MNG increased their discounts as their sale progresses. This lesson learnt when I bought clothes from MNG at 30% discount only to see that within a week, the sale is now 50%... a lesson learnt at a cost of $20.

Comparing Customer Service of Mobile Subscribers

My mum's mobile plan is expiring in Jul 06 and the special rate she got is unlikely to be renewed. Knowing that my company has some corporate rates with the 3 mobile companies, I called them to check.

Starhub (8/10, becos this was what I expected)
The operator was able to answer all my questions at one go, and though I could only go down to Cuppage to register, I could also choose and buy a mobile phone on the spot to go together with the corporate line contract.


M1: 6/10
The operator had a cheerful voice. But I had to call another line for corporate plan , and she diverted me to that number (-1). Procedure was also complicated. I had to download a form, fax in with photocopies of my IC and staff pass before the SIM card is delivered to me. (-1)Then what about the mobile phone? It would be considered as an upgrade if I get a new phone within 3 months of my new corporate line. (The corporate line comes with a 3-month contract). Looks like I will not be able to enjoy the special price for new customers unlike starhub. (-2)

Singtel: negative infinity to O. (lost track of the no. of points I wanted to deduct)
Similarly, I had to call another line for Corporate plan, but the operator did not offer to divert me . The corporate service line was screwed up, upon dialing the line, I was prompted to key in my corporate mobile number, no other options. Hey, I dun have one, that's why I am calling to apply for one ! But nevertheless, I keyed in my mum's number which is under my brother's corporate plan from Singtel. I got thru to Customer Service, who could not get what I was trying to say. (How come u dun understand me when the other 2 companies could?!). Worse, he kept saying "Have u tried asking ur HR?" Finally, I got fed up, I lashed out at the customer service officer "WHY CANT U CHECK FOR ME WHETHER THERE IS ANY CORPORATE PLAN FOR MY COMPANY WHEN STARHUB AND M1 COULD?!!!" bo pian, he asked for my organisation and went to check. (hmm.. so losing ur temper works).. unfortunately he came back to say there was no corporate plan, which I dun believe. My company had circulated one for us early this year i am sure, except i threw it away.. oh well, since they dun want my biz, I will not bother. The reception for this call was pretty lousy. I called from a fixed phone line, but the other side seemed to get cut off quite abit and I could hear 'ssss shshhhhh' sounds in the background. What an irony for the telco with the strongest signals in Singapore...

Where's the logic?

Excerpt from newspaper:

Meanwhile, the HDB has relaxed its rules on shop tenants who sublet illegally.
Before yesterday, those caught subletting part of their shop without permission were fined two months' rent, while those caught subletting their entire unit were fined four months' rent. They also had their rent revised to the market rate. Repeat offenders faced eviction.
With the change, those caught subletting part of their shop will pay a $500 fine each time they are caught.
The HDB said it has reduced the penalty due to a decline in illegal subletting. It handled an average of 20 such cases a year before last year. Last year, there were about 10 cases. This year, there were just five.

huh? excuse me, just becos there r fewer offenders doesnt mean u reduce the penalty... it is precisely becos of the strict penalty that's why there are few offenders. This is like saying, since there r fewer murders, we shall reduce the penalty for murder... or since I have become slimmer, I can eat more again.......Reducing the penalty is like tempting people to break the law becos now the penalty fine is no big deal. $500 for each time u r caught.. imagine u sublet illegally for 1 yr, but was caught once... $500 is a small fine, u can still pocket the rest of your illegal rent payments. Or maybe the govt has a hidden agenda. By reducing the penalty and hence 'encouraging' people to sublet illegally, they can go out and catch more offenders, and collect more fines.. brilliant!

Budget Terminal and Budget Airlines

Excerpt from newspaper:LOW-COST carriers Jetstar Asia and Valuair have given up plans to move to Changi's Budget Terminal, swayed by passengers who voted overwhelmingly in favour of Terminal 1, with its good shopping, nice carpets and aerobridges.

People are so afraid of uncertainty. Thru my experience of flying budget airlines, budget airline's non-assigned seating works to our advantage. If u queue early, u can get the best seats - near the exits, with the most leg space.. but of cos, such privileges come with responsibility, the air stewardess will tell u what to do in case of emergency. U r supposed to open the door etc so that pple can evacuate. But hey, that also means u can escape first (if *touch wood* emergencies happen). Of cos, u may argue that u hv elderly / children and u cant move as fast as the youngsters to grab the seats, NO PROBLEMO... the airline crew will give priority seating to elderly and those with children. Even if u r pregnant, u and ur husband can also board first (provided u look obviously pregnant).. i doubt anyone would complain abt that.

Next, budget terminal. It's not that bad. We can self check- in customs the 'MRT way' - scan ur passport, gate opens, cross, scan ur thumbprint, open another gate, cross and voila! done. Abit slower than our MRT 'touch-n-go' that's all. There r some shops n cafe inside with free internet. The supposely non-sheltered path to the aircraft ? Its so short! Just that few tiny steps, the length of a zebra crossing... u hv to climb up the stairs to the aircraft though. But what's a short flight of stairs? If u r that frail, i am sure there's bound to be a good samaritan nearby, who would help u. Just make sure ur handcarry luggage isnt too heavy.

My complaint is : WHERE ARE THE SAVINGS? Tigerairways flies via budget terminal, yet I noted that my tax + admin fees are higher than airlines using Terminal 1/Terminal 2. Here's a sample of the admin charges + taxes for different airlines:
base on flights fm SG to BKK round trip, per person (exclu ticket fare)
Tigerairways - S$92
SQ - $101
Cathay Pacific - S$71
Swissair - $69
Jetstarasia - S$93
AirAsia - $84
ThaiAirways - S$85
Garuda - $50

Ok, so Tigerairways is not the most expensive, but how can its taxes / admin fees be higher than a full fledge airline or any other airline that operates at the higher cost Terminal 1 / Terminal 2 of Changi Airport?Another point to note: Jetstarasia and Airasia taxes / admin Airasia charges are pretty high too, more expensive than full service Cathay pacific, Garuda and Swissair airlines etc..

Yes, the ticket prices for budget airlines are lower than full service airlines. But u are paying peanuts for no-frills service on board, hence the low fare. The downside is, u pay more or unjustified prices thru taxes / admin fees. Also, budget airlines can cost much more than normal airlines if u book the tickets near to ur departure date . If u hv less than a month to ur travel date, its best u scour normal airlines for deals. The airticket prices of budget airlines would hv risen to ridiculous levels by then.

mediacrap

TODAY newspaper reported that 'Mandarin TV channels praised but can improve', and that 'THE improved storylines and acting in locally-produced Chinese television dramas were praised by the committee monitoring the performance of two MediaCorp Chinese television channels.'

My gawd! Since when are the locally produced dramas good? Even the ones with overseas collaborations (Taiwan + China) sucks... the acting is exaggerated, or unconvincing and basically the actors do not hv a natural screen personality (except for the veteren actors). Most of the actors are just busy trying to act coy / act sweet / act bitchy / act stupid.. in other words, u can tell they are ACTING, and they are reading from a script. Worse, these days, they no longer dubbed the shows, and actors have to use their own voices... u get all sorts of lousy diction, poor pronounciation.. really makes me cringe to hear them speak mandarin. And for overseas collaborations which have the privileged of getting voiceovers, the dubbing is simply unnatural, u can tell that its dubbed....

more from the newspaper article:
Ms Ho Soo Fung, Channel vice-president, Network Programming & Promotions (Chinese Broadcast) and Network Programming & Operations for MediaCorp TV, said: "One of the reasons that our dramas are so popular among our viewers is because we're able to strike a chord with our viewers and the drama is actually a reflection of life.
"Our producers work very hard at fleshing out a variety of stories with different characters, and they're portraying these characters in a realistic approach."
.Since the merger, there has been a bumper crop of variety programmes — some innovative, but others still dependent on low-brow slapstick antics to win ratings, said the committee.

Pleeazeee la....... variety of stories? U can always depend on how predictable their shows are... loving husband / boyfren has affair. wife / gf is HOT HOT HOT.. lots of people going after them.... kids are long suffering and child prodigies....... the script varies with a deviation of + - 0.1%

bumper crop of variety programmes - I'll take my HKG dramas anytime. Dun give me anymore international collaborations (Lotus lantern sux), and the whatnot... just plain old good HKG shows + Taiwan variety shows..