Technology Tuesdays: Do Social Networking Apps cause Anti-social behaviour?

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English: Data from April 2011 Editor Survey th...

English: Data from April 2011 Editor Survey that lists Social Media activities (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Facebook logo Español: Logotipo de Facebook Fr...

Facebook logo Español: Logotipo de Facebook Français : Logo de Facebook Tiếng Việt: Logo Facebook (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This might seem like a puzzling concept at first glance, but I think anti-social behaviour is definitely at a rise since the APP Industry has kicked off.  For instance, apps such as Facebook and Instagram are both a platform for users to engage with one another.  However, by engaging with each other through cyber space the level of human social interaction is limited.

Whenever I go to parties nowadays, a large number of people are constantly on their mobile phones.  Well to be honest, so am I – it’s addictive.  People are checking-in on Facebook through location services or taking photos of food through Instagram. This limits their social interaction with each other.  It’s simply ironic – social media cause antisocialism!

I’ve always wondered if there’s a solution to this – or is this really the future?  If I want to talk to the person next to me, do I send an iMessage to send a virtual nudge?  Is this what the future truly holds? These questions are daunting and the implications are alarming.

The Ushuaia Beach Hotel (in Ibiza, Spain) combats this problem!  It promotes social interaction through social media.  Guests are given wristbands at the start of their stay.  These bands enable guest to activate their Facebook accounts at various Facebook stations that are scattered around the hotel.  Once the account is activated, checking in is simplified and users are able to share their holiday off-line with their online friends.  This hotel is officially on my bucket list!

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(Picture taken from cosmopolitan uk page)

I guess people have to consciously try to be sociable and engage in conversations without their phones constantly in their hands.   Alternatively move to Ibiza where they can have the best of both worlds!

Aloha! Mom’s 50th Birthday Pineapple Fried Rice

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Just a little hello from Hawaii. Ok not quite. I’m back home in London.

I just got back from Singapore yesterday.  Surprisingly, I missed blogging. It’s weird as I’m still a new member of this blogging community. 🙂

I had a heart-warming trip back home – meeting close family and friends as we celebrated my Mom’s 50th birthday!  We threw a Hawaiian-themed party.  My mom’s favourite holiday destination has always been Hawaii. We have been there 8 times together as a family when we lived in Japan (pretty awesome, huh?) Honestly, as a child exploring Hawaii was nothing less than a fairy tale.  Beautiful beaches, hotels, luas, and culture.  I vividly remember swimming with dolphins in Waikoloa Hilton! I was just 11 years-old and was in exuberance.  Hawaii is a must-see.  Add it to your bucket list if its not there yet 🙂

I love beautiful decor. I love aesthetics. I love all things bright and beautiful! So I enjoyed shopping for decor thoroughly.  I’m thinking of having an e-shop for decor, so will let you guys know if that idea falls through.  As having family business we have access to a whole sale shop – thus the price I buy at, is much much cheaper than a normal retail shop.  So if I do sell to individual people online, whilst I’d be making a marginal profit – the consumer still pays much less than retail price! It’s a win-win!

Some pictures to illustrate our theme:

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We attempted to make pineapple fried rice – which turned out pretty exotic.  However, the one that I ate in Hua Hin was still better! I am in desperate need to find the secret ingredient!  I googled a few recipes and some suggest adding curry powder, so I may try that in the future.  My sister created this recipe FYI!

A quick overview of the recipe – nothing was actually measured, so go with the flow!

 Pineapple Fried Rice (Quick and Easy for a Party!)

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion
  • Some veggies (your choice!)
  • Cooked rice
  • Oil
  • A full pineapple
  • Seasonings: salt, pepper, chilli powder, light soya sauce, dark soya sauce , curry powder

Method:

1) Sauté some onions with oil.  Add your choice of finely chopped vegetables

2) Add salt, pepper, soya sauce, chilli powder to the mixture

3) After vegetables are cooked well and flavoured to taste (I’d suggest curry powder as well) add cooked rice and mix well.

4) Cut pineapple in half and scoop out the filling neatly.  Cut pineapple into desired size and throw in the fried rice and mix.

5)  Serve the fried rice in the pineapple half!

Here’s the picture of her result:

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I was very impressed with the presentation of this dish!  It really added to the

mise-en-scene of the party for sure.  Let me know how it goes if you try it out!

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Pad Thai

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Hello everyone!

In the midst of packing – I made a scrumptious Thai meal (Vegetarian Pad Thai).  Easy to whip up for busy days.  Thought I’d share it before going since my flight is pretty late at night anyways.  I made extra so my husband can have it for lunch tomorrow.  I’m nice like that. 🙂 So- voila!

photo (3)It’s actually just a rice-noodle stir fry with Thai flavours infused in it.  Very popular in Thailand 🙂

So here’s how I made it – hope you like it too!  I actually don’t have it on Paprika since I don’t use a recipe for it.  It’s my own version. 🙂

YUMMY-VEGETARIAN PAD THAI (for 2)

Ingredients:

  • Rice noodles (1/2 packet)
  • Tofu (1/2 packet)
  • Bean sprouts
  • Chives – cut into small pieces
  • Roasted peanuts – grind
  • Seasoning: Red chilli powder, Light Soya Sauce, Dark Soya Sauce, Brown Sugar, Salt, Lemon Juice, Cut Red Chilli

Method:

  • Soak rice stick noodles in hot water for about 10-15 minutes until they are soft.  Rise off.
  • Pan-fry the tofu in big squares.  Cut them up into little pieces after and keep aside.
  • Put some oil in the pan, throw in all the ingredients except for peanuts.
  • Stir fry everything together and add the seasoning.
  • Season to taste
  • Guidelines of my seasoning to my taste (lol):  About 1 tsp red chilli, you can cut some red chilli on the side too.  Around 2 tsp of light soya sauce and a bit more of dark to give it a nice color. Keep trying as you go along as there are different brands which have a distinct flavour.  I put about 3 tbsp of brown sugar (quite a lot!)  And I just put a tiny bit of salt (since soya sauce is salty).  I put about 2-3 tsp of lemon juice.
  • Lastly, add peanuts and garnish with cut red chili.  Enjoy!

**Basically my tip with seasoning would be to keep trying as you go along till you are happy with the taste.  I personally do not take too much spice. It’s meant to have a sweet-salty-spicy flavour!

Good luck and happy cooking!

XX

B

One night in Brussels

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The great advantage about living in London is its location.  Location is everything when it comes to travelling!  My husband and I hopped on the Eurostar and reached Brussels in just about two hours in time for us to break our anniversary there.  The plan was pretty last minute last year – as our first year anniversary was in Switzerland (that was more planned).  However, he couldn’t get leave so we just wanted to make the best out of the situation.  When life give you lemons – make tequila! 

We stayed in Radisson, simply due to the fact that it was opposite the Eurostar station.  Subsequently, it would save us on the cost of a taxi and the inconvenience of having to drag our luggage around.  Surprisingly, I travelled light.  (Even a day-tripper usually results in a big bag. I’m just not a light traveller!)  Radisson had above average ratings on tripadvisor which made us choose it to be honest.  I was astonished in my first few Europe trips at the fact that many hotels do not have AIR-CONDITIONING!  Without a good night’s sleep, it’s impossible to enjoy the country.  Luckily, this was not the case here.  I had a very comfortable sleep!  In case you’re wondering what I got as a gift for my anniversary – you can see for yourself!

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To match my new Burberry Collection, I got my nails done in Burberry print!  That was one of the highlights of my trip 🙂

Moving on to the actual country, and tips for future travellers…

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These pictures speak a thousand words and summarze my one night stay in Brussels.  I almost always have pizza at least once in Europe.  I guess being Vegetarian can get tricky in some European Countries.  The Pizza is a safe delicious bet 😉  On the same note of food (why do I always seem to highlight food in all my holidays?  That was completely rhetorical.) – the waffles were amazing.  They were everywhere – but I would definitely recommend it!  Also – we tried a waffle on the stick.  I’m not putting up a picture of that as it wasn’t as good in comparison.  Indulge in waffles and chocolates as its Belgium is infamously known for making people fat. Ok, so it’s not but I think it should be!

The main piazza is the Grand Place.  It’s the central square of Brussels which is etched with gorgeous architecture.  It’s the most popular landmark for tourist.  Enjoy the surroundings, walk a bit and soak the atmosphere.  We went searching for a Hard Rock Cafe which was meant to be at the square itself.  However, we were told it has not opened yet!  What a pity!  Unfortunately,  I couldn’t expand my collection of Hard Rock Tees from this city.  If you go – please send me one 🙂

What is Brussels famous for besides chocolate?

Manneken Pis. It’s the little Manekin up there pissing.  Frankly, the hype pissed me off.  It just sounds absurd, but after my research that was apparently a must-see.  Frankly, I did not think much of it.  I much prefered the waffles.  But since it was all around the same area (the piazza) – we walked to have a look at what the fuss was about.  There’s a story to it!  Well, my inquisitive nature insisted that I googled it before going.  There are many stories linked to this.  My favourite marks a little boy saving the kingdom from a huge fire by his urine!  Imagine the tank loads of water he had to drink before this act.  HAHA!

Enjoy your travels while I’m in Singapore for my Mom’s 50th Birthday Celebrations.  I leave tonight!  Can’t wait! X

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Living in the UK Exam – there’s an APP!

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Hello everyone! 🙂

I PASSED the exam! CELEBRATIONS are in place!  My husband picked me up from the centre and he got take away for lunch! How sweet of him.

I was in exuberance upon getting my result.  Ok, the actual exam was very tricky.  I was surprised that the first question left me dumbfounded. I was like huh? The Crimean War? What does that even have to do with Living in the UK.  Luckily, I remembered a bit here and there from the study guide.  I studied more on UK policies than the history.  Studying does pay off. I started off Uni in law school – that actually really helped me study smart and mind map concisely. All in all – I’m just so happy to get it out of the way.

Completely side tracking, but the examiner loved my nails. 🙂  Pretty nails are usually a conversation starter or just a simple ice-breaker.  🙂

YES.  So I passed.  The APP really did help.  I’d suggest anyone applying for a settlement VISA in UK to download the app.  It was 2 or 3 pounds – enough to make me pause and think.  Then I weighed out the opportunity cost and logically thought to myself that I just makes sense.  And it did.

There were about 7-10 exact questions, or very similar.  It’s a bit of a blur right now.  Somehow after an exam its always hard to recall EXACTLY what was asked.  Saying that, I know exactly what was not asked (nothing about the elections or the UK coalition party).  Which makes me wonder about the importance of the exam in the first place.

Furthermore, around 10 questions were completely new to me.  They weren’t in the trial mock exam database in the app and the remainders were just similar content but different wording.

Tips for people taking this exam in the future:

  1. I’d suggest to actually study.  Even if you feel nerdy doing so, do it.  It’s 50 pounds – don’t waste it.
  2. Download the app – do the mock exams repeatedly until you know the answer before reading the question.
  3. Make notes – trivial facts are actually asked.
  4. Be confident but not overconfident. Re-read the question.

Good luck to all.  Migrating often seems adventurous and fun to most.  Unfortunately there’s endless paperwork and issues regarding legality that need to be followed.  To top it off – an exam!

Nailin’ it with ART.

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I love fashion, almost as much as I love food. 🙂  The finishing touch for me is definitely pretty nails.  When I notice a well groomed lady, head to toe in high fashion labels – the finishing touch must be the nails.  That pretty much seals the deal.  I usually get acrylics done to maintain that look.  Luckily, its pretty cheap to do nails in the suburbs of London.  I go to Javi Nails – the women there is excellent.  It’s good value for money.  A full set costs just 15 pounds.  Nail art is an additional depending on the intricacy of the design.  The city of London is about 2-3 times the price depending on location.  (Just FYI, if you ever go to Thailand, do your nails even if you don’t really want to.  It’s just that cheap that not doing it, is almost a sin)

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Just got this done today.  I absolutely love animal prints.  Thankfully, its still in fashion.  It’ll always be in fashion in my bubble! I can’t believe I went a month without acrylics – to let my nails breathe.  Although saying that, every time I looked at my nails chipping due to natural nails just being so naturally annoying – I cringed.

I have this undying love for immaculate nails.

Foodie Fridays : Afternoon Tea

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So there I was, gracefully stuffing my face with scones and tea.

My love for food extends to tea.  London’s traditional Afternoon Tea is the icing or rather clotted cream to my scone.  One of the perks of living here!  I met a friend on Wednesday in the city to catch up over tea.  We both love Afternoon Teas and have tried various ones around the city.

The picture above illustrates the beautiful way in which we were served.  I especially liked the modern three tiered serving style as opposed to the traditional type.  We went to Marylebone Hotel.

There was a vast variety of tea.  I enjoyed the citrus lemon tea and the hibiscus fruit tea the most.  My friend indulged in Earl Grey.  The tea was unlimited in case you were wondering.  We were both given a variety of sandwiches and they catered to my veterinarian request with a variety (grilled veggies, cream cheese and chives, mozzarella with vine tomatoes).  I was satisfied.  However,  I simply could not make it to the top.  The second tier was my limit, and I knew the next day I had to go for my workout without any excuses.

Let’s have a moment of silence for my over-indulgence.

X
B

Technology Tuesdays: Whatsapp

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My most used app ever. Whatsapp.  I honestly forgot it was even an “app”! I use it more than normal messaging. I downloaded it when it was FREE (I’m usually that sort) but as a paid app it’s definitely worth it – as once you have paid, unlimited text around the world with other whatsapp users.

In addition, it gives the user the ability to create group messages up with up to 30 participants.  This enables me to keep in touch with my cousins scattered around the globe.  Namely in:  Thailand, Singapore, London, USA, Copenhagen, Indonesia, Australia, Shanghai etc.  My phone is constantly buzzing due to the different timezones.  With this app, I constantly feel like there’s always someone who is a message away.  Though, don’t be alarmed – chats can be muted with ease if this level of social networking terrifies you.

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The picture above is a snapshot of my iPhone.  I absolutely love being in touch with my family and friends.  Relationships are a beautiful gift from life, some you are born with and some you create along the way.  Some obviously you are stuck with 😉  Whatsapp enables you to be in the person’s life without personally being there – just through a simple free text.  Somehow, I am not too keen to being on the phone extensively.  I prefer just sending a message across if I am thinking of someone instead of making a phone call.  Small talk isn’t me, small message is!

Features that Whatsapp has which enables users to:

  • Send free text messages to anyone with Whatsapp (You can view compatible contacts under “contacts” in the app)
  • Send audio/video/photos to users or in chats
  • SendCurrent location map – this is especially useful if you are meeting a friend and are lost!
  • Broadcast Message to groups of people – this is efficient if you want the same message sent to many different people.  I use this for New Year Wishes to all!
  • Personalize your display picture, and name

These are the predominant features of this app.  Hope you enjoy it 🙂

X

B

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Foodie Friday – Cheese Loaf

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Yummm.  Did someone say cheese?  I absolutely love cheese. It’s so heavy and I always feel guilty but I LOVE IT.  Anything topped up with cheese is always a winner. Always.  So when I came upon this recipe, I had to give it a go.  I’ve never made bread before, so I wanted to try quick bread.  Quick breads are usually breads without yeast – thus no rising time involved and no need to knead. It’s quite a chore to knead with long nails anyways.  So I prefer not to!

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This is my Paprika Recipe. Found it on Betty Crocker and made a few amendments to suit me.  Firstly, I substituted egg to make it vegetarian.  Also, I didn’t have any pepper-jack cheese so I used a mixture of cheddar and red leicester.  The appetizing color of red leicester made the loaf hard to resist.  I’ve always lived by the saying “you first eat with your eyes”.  As a result, I like the food to first LOOK GOOD. That brings about the phrase “you look good enough to eat” – inextricably web of phrases that make a lot of sense!

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The picture speaks my thousand words. Undeniably delicious!  Nothing beats a loaf freshly out of the oven, except for a cheesy loaf.  I personally loved it.  Though it was very heavy for two people.  So make sure to give away half to your neighbors as a kind gesture and to prevent becoming fat alone.

Cheers to the weekend!

x

B

Travel Thursdays – Barcelona, Spain

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Hello everyone!  Hope you all have been wonderful.  I had a great day yesterday – reconnected with a friend that I haven’t met in 13 years.  Geet was a school friend from Singapore, one which I spoke to every single day for a few hours as I sat next to her in class.  She’s in London for two days and through technology, namely FACEBOOK she messaged me for a meetup.  Was heartwarming.  It’s always so nice to see people from the past in the present who then make it to your future (well if you want that is).

Anyways, over scrumptious lunch at Cafe Concerto (which I highly recommend to all shoppers at Westfield,London) we were talking about our 13 years.  Inevitably, being a person I could connect with, I shared my sorrows and my joys.  My joys included my travels.  Traveling is the joy of my life.  Well one of, but a great joy definitely.

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Beautiful Barcelona! The lights of the city definitely add sparkle to my little bubble.  I loved soaking in every bit of it.  🙂

Where I went & what I recommend there:

– WALK WALK & WALK SOME MORE.  I recommend that highly in all my Europe trips.  Have a very comfortable pair of shoes, as your feet are going to need it.  You will never come across the small artisan shops in alleys by any other means of transport.  Thankfully, I did not sprain my ankle or anything (sounds absurd, but I sprained it in New York last year.  It was tragic but at least it didn’t stop me from exploring.  I rented a wheel chair as I could not move.  I will blog about that soon, as it gave me a different perspective to life).  But anyways, buy a day tripper, or 3 day tripper for the metro, grab a map and begin your journey.  It’s the only way. Really.

-Walk to Gaudi sites. Gaudi was a famous architect that has splashed his work all around Barcelona.  It’s gorgeous.  If you are not an architect enthusiast (like me), I’d suggest doing all the “free sites”.  My husband and I went to Park Guell which has Guadi’s old home in it.  His mosaic type of architecture can be seen throughout the park. It was very nice for photos! (I love photos for their memory and aesthetic value).

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–Sagrada Famila– a Gaudi site that is very famous.  So much so that the metro station that is located there has the same name!  It is permanently in construction.  However, we just saw it from the outside as we were not interested to go inside. So I can’t comment on the inside but the outside was not very appealing to me. We walked to Casa Batllo and appreciated its beauty from the outside as well.  Being a smart traveler is about choosing where your money goes.  Don’t spend for the sake of it – then you’ll never travel for God’s Sake 😉  Travel on a budget – then you’ll end up seeing more of the world.

–Magic Fountain.  Another FREE site.  Basically a rule of travel is being thrifty.  If you are too lavish, chances are you will not travel frequently as it will burn an enormous hole in your pocket.  I usually research on TripAdvisor as it gives a realistic view of the country through travelers’ eyes.  The Magic Fountain was magical, ipso facto.  The Fountain danced to the music and it was all so glamorous. I loved it.

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– Pappabubble located in the gothic area.  A candy artisan shop that demonstrates how candy is made!  Another free event which is really interesting to watch and eat (you get samples at the end!) Warning:  Shop is very tempting and no matter how much you restraint you will end up buying a bag of artisan candy which is far too sweet.  We ate only half in the next month and discarded the rest in fear of diabetes, just FYI.Image

Yeap!  It’s really that beautiful.  The candies in the shop were so colorful and attractive.  The high ratings online were justified.  Our long walk in the Gothic area to get to a little candy shop all made sense.  I loved it!  The foodie in me was excited and thrilled at the same time.  🙂

-We went to Barcelona FC.  I’m not a fan and uninterested in football, as a result I can’t say much!

–EAT CHURROS with HOT CHOCOLATE.  It’s more important than eating TAPAS in Spain.  Do not leave Barcelona without it!  They can be found almost in any small cafe.  Cost about 3-4 Euros for heaven in your mouth.  You must.  If you could eat one thing, it should be churros.

–Vegeterians – always find a Hard Rock. Their burgers are yummy and you really can’t go wrong with nachos and potato skins.  In addition, I’m a hard rock fan and I collect their tees.  So every country I go to, I buy a Tee.

– Shop at Desigual.  It’s originated in Spain – it can’t get cheaper.  If you find the fashion weird then obviously don’t.  It’s a bit strange, but that’s why I like it.  Though, I can’t do too many colors at one go but I do like some of their fashion range.  I ended up buying a beautiful overcoat!

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Yes! I kept admiring it, I couldn’t help myself.

– Go to a Spanish Beach.  I love beaches. Enjoy Spanish Music while sitting in a beach. We got off at the Barceloneta Station and walked around 20 minutes (my point about walking re-emphasized!) and there it was.  It was a pleasant day and we enjoyed the weather sitting, talking, and eating while listening to Spanish music.

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This reminded me of a scene from a movie!  🙂

– Lastly, I’d say walk the streets of La Ramblas. And walk some more!  Walk in fruit markets. Watch live dances on the street (very entertaining, the performer while spinning on his head removed his shirt) Talented way of stripping, I must say! If you are Sikh (like me, there’s a gurdwara in La Ramblas itself. Make sure to stop by!)

Enjoy being a traveler while you wander streets of Barcelona!  That’s it for now.

X

B

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