i guess zouk is definitely not a foreign name to most of the younger singaporeans. no doubt the music and crowd are nice, but just wanna share this experience which got me abit disturbed.
i remember this bartender washing some dirty glasses stuffed with soaked tissues and cigarette buds (it was in early 2007) taking out all the rubbish with his bare hands. i ordered a cocktail with him and him, having acknowledged my order, just turn off the tap, wipe his wet hands with his suspiciously dirty looking apron, and started preparing the drink for me.
there wasnt much of an issue coz basically his hands didnt come in contact with my drink. but it was till he used his bare hands to throw some garnish into my drink.
yuck! i dont remember him washing his hands with soap or something after taking out all the gross rubbish in the glasses. and tadah! the same hands that throw the garnish into my drinks!
i refused the order and demanded another glass of my order. i wonder what will happen if i didnt look at him prepare my drink.
i checked into the opulent suite and it was about $500 plus for a night's stay. hmm... frankly, some parts of the room's designs did impressed me. but frankly, it was abit gloomy i have no idea why. it seems pretty 'dark'.
some of the plus points are they have free dvd rental, (but limited choices), they have a outdoor jacuzzi, free wi-fi, jacuzzi bath tub in the room, nice lavender aromatherapy toiletries etc.
frankly, there aint much to do there in the afternoon except to take pictures in the room or you wanna pay a visit to peoples park centre to buy some cheap perfume.
the food there are alright but way over priced. i didnt even dare to open food to my room for supper after spending 500bucks on the room!
we had a free buffet breakfast at the courtesy of the hotel, and it was like, nasi lemak buffet, which doesnt taste like nasi lemak at all. it was like rice with very very little coconut milk taste and choices of ikan bilis, egg and fish.
i guess id just go there for the experience or maybe for anniversaries. other than that, i think its quite an expensive weekend getaway.
heard of many good reviews about this beauty parlour that carries dermalogica.
went for their first trial for 50% off but id say their results are so-so. (or the results are not supposed to be very obvious for first time?) but their schedule is like really full i need to make almost 2-3 weeks advance booking just to get my preferred time slot. spent $75 for this deep pore cleansing facial and it was really relaxing.
id say their spaces are abit cramped, but people are quite friendly. not too pushy about selling their packages. im considering to sign up their package for $1688 which gives me about $2600 worth of credit.
maybe someone can share some comments if they've visited the place? about their facial's end results or some therapist you'll recommend?
I am just recently quite into this 'website' that brings in quite a number of products that are not found in Singapore and the prices are comparatively cheap.
they are not as professional as most of the online business but having to speak with one of the operator of vanillecreme, i think they're pretty friendly and are willing to accomodate to my weird requests. haha.
oh yah, i think they have quite a wide range of products too. from the more affordable ones to the slightly higher ends one. not too bad, but got me abit broke. :P
generally not too bad, good services (i like their sincerity) and products at relatively cheap prices. can check them out but do not expect them to have everything. afterall, its just a SOHO business.
Yes! I've just participated in the fun-filled Yebber's 1st anniversary party at Mint Museum last night. And yes, this is infact my second visit to the Mint Museum. This was my second visit to the place. It's definitely a great place to visit not just for the kids but adults as well.
I managed to arrive earlier at 5 pm to help Claudia & the rest of the Yebber team to get prepared for the evening's event We could just see the ultra-stressed up Claudia running around the museum setting things up and making sure that each & every of us knew our duties for the evening. Bobo, Zihui & I were tasked to be the receptionists for the evening. Hee hee.....
Finally, at around 7pm, guests began to arrive and the 3 of us were busy taking their attendance, giving out programme sheet, bingo tickets, noise-makers, filling out lucky draw "coupons" and of course, directing the guests.
At 8pm, with most of the guests arrived, we were ready to kick off the event for the evening. Polarbear was the emcee for the night and the series of activities was started off with a speech given by one of the founders of Yebber, Darren, followed by the still-very-nervous Claudia. Finally!! We know how the word 'Yebber' came about, why Yebber was born & who are the three funny men who started Yebber. Hee hee.... Following the speeches was a short video clip with interviews of the Yebber Ambassadors (Me!! ME!!! *shy*)
Not just that, there were even Bingo game & lucky draw to get the guests involved for the evening. But me, no luck in either of them. *Sob sob* Nevertheless, being able to participate in the party had already brought alot of joy to me. Not to forget that each of us bagged home a goodie bag with magazines & vouchers! Hee hee....
Yes yes!! How can I forget one of the most important thing. Food!!! Food was served in buffet style, with a good variety. The food was good. We had fresh greens, spaghetti, parmesan crusted chicken, seafood platter and wild mushrooms, tomato checca & salmon bruschetta. After which, we had some mini cakes for dessert. Yummy!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the organising team at Yebber for the event and of course a big congratulation to them for the success of the event.
Banking on his wildly popular Wild Rocket restaurant, lawyer turned chef, Willin Low, has opened up a new burger joint serving up his signature Wild Rocket burger and other rather innovative burgers.
Situated on the second floor (right above Da Paolo) of a charming colonial bungalow along Bukit Timah Road, Relish boasts an uncluttered no frills interior with wooden furniture and wacky murals on the wall. Everything about the place screams casual.
Bacon Cheese Burger - Now who can resist a thick beef patty topped with slices of cheese and bacon sandwiched between a roasted sesame bun? The beef patty was finely chopped and I liked the semi rough texture. A pity it was a wee bit too overcooked but at least it retained its juiciness. The sun dried tomato salsa tasted a little weak this time round. Still a great burger nonetheless, just that it reminded me Wild Rocket's signature burger with an addition of cheese and bacon.
Char Siew Burger - This is the first time I've actually seen such a burger and its actually quite interesting. Lean meat covered with a special home made sauce on a toasted bun. Personally I found the sauce way too sweet for my liking and because it was quite coagulated, consuming too much of it made me nauseous. The meat was very lean and fibrous though, making it a joy to chew on. All in all, it tasted like a fat free version of Kong Ba Pao. Did I mention that the bread was a little too charred?
Wild Rocket Signature Cheesecake - A Wild Rocket signature dessert, the deconstructed cheesecake had a layer of cracker crumbs topped with sweetened strawberries and then topped again with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and cream cheese. The cream cheese was lightly sour and complemented the sweet ice cream and cracker/biscuit base perfectly. Personally I felt that the cracker/biscuit base could have been more buttery for a smoother aftertaste.
A high carbohydrate dinner for 2 cost about $55 which is rather average pricing. The burgers are good without a doubt and filling (they come with lots of fries). Service is good as well so the next time I'm craving for expensive burgers, I'll know where to look.
Photos, what would life and blogging be without them? Snapz offers everything from weddings packages to outing shots to make overs and photo editing and splicing services to clients to ensure they look as good looking and pretty as they can ever be on print. Well, life's not perfect, so why not let your memories in print be isn't it?
How i learned of the place was a rather mundane one. I received a call while at work claiming i've be chosen for a free makeover and photo shot session courtesy of "paying sponsors" and i would be entitled to "choose my 2 favorite shots" upon completing the shot without any commitment nor package. In fact, Frederick and Alex both assured me that there would be no commitment whatsoever and it was simply a privilege i have the "honor" of being chosen. Well, i've been kinda bored so i thought:"There's no way things are gonna be that good. But hey, lets go take a look and see how it goes." I even roped in my gf to join me in the shoot since i'm not much of a looker. And so we went.
Upon traversing the extremely ulu lane to find the shop in the blazing hot sun, i was glad that the place was thankfully air conditioned. I told them my name and filled a form so that i could get my shoot ready. Anyway, i was surprised there were quite a few people in the vicinity including myself. Seems like i wasn't the only person who was "privileged". Still, why not? This was definitely a marketing tactic from the get go so i wasn't too surprised.
Counter staff was pleasant until we were introduced to this lady by the name of Valerie. She wasn't unpleasant as she led us up the steps to the makeover room but the way she spoke definitely did not sit well with me even then. More on the lady later.
The makeover room was rather small with approximately 12 seats for guests to have attended to. We were greeted by a couple of people who were to be our make up artists and was told to select and change into our desired costumes for the shoot. Everything there was fine and the service of the costume designer and the make up artists were quite pleasant. At the end of a 40 minute makeover, my gf looked Japanese and i looked....like dragonball characters. I felt they made up my gf too much because i liked her better without it but well, the lighting and camera and such needed it so what the hey. The artists were a real sport, telling us how nice the hair was and how good my gf looked which was a rather professional move i thought. Always make the customer feel good and comfortable.
Next up, we met the photographer who invited us to the area for the shot which was sadly...just a black backdrop. Nonetheless, we had fun posing for the shots and upon viewing, there were a few pretty good shots in the 50 that were taken. The camera man was pleasant and encouraging which was also a good and necessary move.
Now things turn for the worse. We then returned the borrowed costumes and tried to get rid of the now dry and stiff hair but was told there was no room to wash up. Upon asking to remove the make up on our faces, the lady simply dabbed a little off mine and told me she was done. That was rubbish because the concealer was still all over my face... and leaving that on would be a bad idea. My gf didn't get much attention too in removing make up, asking to remove it only met with comments of, it looks good on you and blah blah blah. Is the company running out of make up remover? I don't know but this is not good service when we've made our requests known.
When we were led downstairs again, we waited for another 30 minutes before we were told we could see the shots. Apparently, they were uploading the shots to the computer....well, last i checked, computers were plug and play in terms of photos but maybe i just haven't had a DSLR before so i may be wrong.
Valerie came out to meet us again and blatantly asked us if we felt if there was anything to complain about. Well, politely we said no because though there were hitches, the experience was still pleasant so far. As we were led into the viewing area, which were basically Apple Macs and shown our photos. Valerie spoke non stop about how we needed their services and touch up because "our eye bags were too obvious" and said to my gf as she removed my blemishes "there, so much better now, don't you wish your boyfriend looked like this?" Talk about saying the wrong things.
Heck, we were just getting started. Well, i knew there was a catch and here it is. Snapz actually has a VIP membership system that basically requires you to sign up for a lifetime membership to be their VIP. It sounds pretty good too and may save you alot of money on photos in the long run if you and your entire family loves taking photographs. Thats not a bad thing i feel but with a sales pitch like that, the membership is definitely in the $4-6k category since they were giving loads of freebies every year. All service and photograph related of course. Free makeovers, free photoshoots, free outdoor service, one on one photography and make up classes and better yet, guaranteed employment by the company. Talk about a full package.
Well, that was an interesting package but Valerie unfortunately, delivered the message over 40 minutes and amidst the whole time, reiterating that we needed the service because they could make us look a whole lot better then we really are. (i'm quite happy with my flawed look though, thank you very much.) Now, here's the kicker of the day: read on for the actual reason i said no.
When asked if i could have a private discussion with my gf, she said: "what is there to discuss when you don't know the price?" (point taken) so i followed up by asking her: "Ok, so how about we cut the chase and you tell me how much a membership costs?" Which was met by: "Are you really interested? Because if you aren't then we shouldn't waste each others time. I can't tell you the price as i'll need someone else to illustrate to you."
So i said: "I see, but i'm in a bit of a rush as i have an appointment. Can we just get the photos and i could consider before letting you know?"
Her response: "I'm afraid not, if you miss this chance then you will not be allowed to enjoy our package again."
My response: " I'm sure i can find a way to come back."
Her respone: "What do you mean by that? What do you think this place is? Anyway, i can assure you that you cannot join us again because we can track and prevent double entry."
My response: " Are you saying that if my friend refers me back and i come with the intention to join a membership after i've had more time to think, your company will not let me join?"
Her response: " Yes."
My response: "So you will refuse me time to think and i must sign today to get the deal. If i refuse to do so, if i do return, your company will turn away my business, is this what you are saying?"
Her response: "Yes"
My response: "In that case, i am not interested in the deal anymore, please allow us to choose the photos and leave."
Her response: "Sure"
After which, we signed a form stating that we received the photos and a feedback form where i thanked the company. But suddenly, we were given a disc with photos we have not chosen.
I queried: "Excuse me, i thought we could choose our own 2 best shots?"
Her response: " I'm afraid not. Over here, we choose the shots for you when you don't sign."
My response: " I see....May i have your name again?"
Her response: " Valerie."
And thats that. I wouldn't say the entire experience was bad but the sales person definitely needed a lot more training. And the policy of having to sign immediately? Bah, i work in sales, i know the tactics. And this is the hardest force selling i've come across thus far. I would have considered but unfortunately, the lady simply was not pleasant and quite obviously, cared less of clients than she did her own wallet.
In sales, what people buy is not the company, not the product when a saleperson is selling. People buy what the sales person represents of the company. If she is anything to go by, i'm never giving them a chance again. That, my friends is what brings companies and overall experiences down.
Had dinner at Stiff Chilli, a chain of 4 restaurants in Bali and a sole one in Singapore. Owned by Rodney Holt, an Italian - Australian chef, it is so named because Holt liked the offbeat sound of it.
Complimentary Bread - I honestly don't remember much about the bread except that it came served with a mini platter of sauces, namely olive oil, vinegar and chilli sauce. I remember it didn't come warm and that it was rather dry.
Burrata Parma Ham - Stiff Chilli flies in the Burrata, a fresh cheese, from southern Italy every week. I personally didn't quite take to it as it was rather bland and akin to eating cold tofu with a milky texture. The parma ham balanced out the blandness, but unfortunately there wasn't enough to go around.
Pasta all'Inchiostro - The squid ink pasta was actually quite good, lightly sweet and al dente without the light smoky cream sauce being overpowering. It could seriously do with more ingredients, but for the price I can hardly complain.
Cassata - From what I understand, Cassata is a traditional dessert from Sicily which is essentially a layered cake, with sponge, ricotta cheese and candied peel. Stiff Chilli's rendition was all ice cream and tasted like the mudpies from Burger King. And it certainly didn't look home made or freshly made for that matter. Fresh from a box in the freezer more like it. $6 for this dessert is really pushing it in my humble opinion.
A sweaty dinner with 1 appetiser, 1 main and 1 dessert cost about $45, which isn't exactly cheap given the quality of food and the whole dining in a crumbly shophouse experience. Once is enough.
Sin Bee Hiong Lo Mee at Old Airport Road Hawker Center, I've to say this is the best lo mee that I've tasted in Singapore.
Because of the lo mee gravy, it's thick and tasted great, that's explain why there's always a long queue. However the standard of the gravy is not maintain but still good enough when compared to other lo mee stalls, thus it's my number one choice food that I'll order whenever I go to Old Aiport Hawker Centre.
I guess this stall at New Lai Lai Hong Yun Food Centre needs no introduction at all, many Singaporean would know about it. Anyway as it's my favourite despite the long waiting hours during standard dining and supper hours, I would order it whenever I'm in Geylang.
I always order the Gong Bao frog porridge because it's the one with the most flavour, I would never ordered the plain frog porridge where the frog are placed inside the claypot of porridge, the taste just isn't right for me. Whenever I order my Gong Bao frog porridge, I would always asked for more sauce so that I would not run out of sauce for the porridge.
Not to mention, in the same place there's also nice fried oyster and iced barley water to go with the frog porridge.
1=SGD 0.0587
i guess zouk is definitely not a foreign name to most of the younger singaporeans. no doubt the music and crowd are nice, but just wanna share this experience which got me abit disturbed.
i remember this bartender washing some dirty glasses stuffed with soaked tissues and cigarette buds (it was in early 2007) taking out all the rubbish with his bare hands. i ordered a cocktail with him and him, having acknowledged my order, just turn off the tap, wipe his wet hands with his suspiciously dirty looking apron, and started preparing the drink for me.
there wasnt much of an issue coz basically his hands didnt come in contact with my drink. but it was till he used his bare hands to throw some garnish into my drink.
yuck! i dont remember him washing his hands with soap or something after taking out all the gross rubbish in the glasses. and tadah! the same hands that throw the garnish into my drinks!
i refused the order and demanded another glass of my order. i wonder what will happen if i didnt look at him prepare my drink.
Rating given:
i stayed there in 2006 Christmas.
i checked into the opulent suite and it was about $500 plus for a night's stay. hmm... frankly, some parts of the room's designs did impressed me. but frankly, it was abit gloomy i have no idea why. it seems pretty 'dark'.
some of the plus points are they have free dvd rental, (but limited choices), they have a outdoor jacuzzi, free wi-fi, jacuzzi bath tub in the room, nice lavender aromatherapy toiletries etc.
frankly, there aint much to do there in the afternoon except to take pictures in the room or you wanna pay a visit to peoples park centre to buy some cheap perfume.
the food there are alright but way over priced. i didnt even dare to open food to my room for supper after spending 500bucks on the room!
we had a free buffet breakfast at the courtesy of the hotel, and it was like, nasi lemak buffet, which doesnt taste like nasi lemak at all. it was like rice with very very little coconut milk taste and choices of ikan bilis, egg and fish.
i guess id just go there for the experience or maybe for anniversaries. other than that, i think its quite an expensive weekend getaway.
Rating given:
heard of many good reviews about this beauty parlour that carries dermalogica.
went for their first trial for 50% off but id say their results are so-so. (or the results are not supposed to be very obvious for first time?) but their schedule is like really full i need to make almost 2-3 weeks advance booking just to get my preferred time slot. spent $75 for this deep pore cleansing facial and it was really relaxing.
id say their spaces are abit cramped, but people are quite friendly. not too pushy about selling their packages. im considering to sign up their package for $1688 which gives me about $2600 worth of credit.
maybe someone can share some comments if they've visited the place? about their facial's end results or some therapist you'll recommend?
Rating given:
I am just recently quite into this 'website' that brings in quite a number of products that are not found in Singapore and the prices are comparatively cheap.
they are not as professional as most of the online business but having to speak with one of the operator of vanillecreme, i think they're pretty friendly and are willing to accomodate to my weird requests. haha.
oh yah, i think they have quite a wide range of products too. from the more affordable ones to the slightly higher ends one. not too bad, but got me abit broke. :P
generally not too bad, good services (i like their sincerity) and products at relatively cheap prices. can check them out but do not expect them to have everything. afterall, its just a SOHO business.
attached some of my new purchases, urgh, broke!
Rating given:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YEBBER!
Yes! I've just participated in the fun-filled Yebber's 1st anniversary party at Mint Museum last night. And yes, this is infact my second visit to the Mint Museum. This was my second visit to the place. It's definitely a great place to visit not just for the kids but adults as well.
I managed to arrive earlier at 5 pm to help Claudia & the rest of the Yebber team to get prepared for the evening's event We could just see the ultra-stressed up Claudia running around the museum setting things up and making sure that each & every of us knew our duties for the evening. Bobo, Zihui & I were tasked to be the receptionists for the evening. Hee hee.....
Finally, at around 7pm, guests began to arrive and the 3 of us were busy taking their attendance, giving out programme sheet, bingo tickets, noise-makers, filling out lucky draw "coupons" and of course, directing the guests.
At 8pm, with most of the guests arrived, we were ready to kick off the event for the evening. Polarbear was the emcee for the night and the series of activities was started off with a speech given by one of the founders of Yebber, Darren, followed by the still-very-nervous Claudia. Finally!! We know how the word 'Yebber' came about, why Yebber was born & who are the three funny men who started Yebber. Hee hee.... Following the speeches was a short video clip with interviews of the Yebber Ambassadors (Me!! ME!!! *shy*)
Not just that, there were even Bingo game & lucky draw to get the guests involved for the evening. But me, no luck in either of them. *Sob sob* Nevertheless, being able to participate in the party had already brought alot of joy to me. Not to forget that each of us bagged home a goodie bag with magazines & vouchers! Hee hee....
Yes yes!! How can I forget one of the most important thing. Food!!! Food was served in buffet style, with a good variety. The food was good. We had fresh greens, spaghetti, parmesan crusted chicken, seafood platter and wild mushrooms, tomato checca & salmon bruschetta. After which, we had some mini cakes for dessert. Yummy!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the organising team at Yebber for the event and of course a big congratulation to them for the success of the event.
Hope to celebrate future Yebber birthdays!!!
Rating given:
Banking on his wildly popular Wild Rocket restaurant, lawyer turned chef, Willin Low, has opened up a new burger joint serving up his signature Wild Rocket burger and other rather innovative burgers.
Situated on the second floor (right above Da Paolo) of a charming colonial bungalow along Bukit Timah Road, Relish boasts an uncluttered no frills interior with wooden furniture and wacky murals on the wall. Everything about the place screams casual.
Bacon Cheese Burger - Now who can resist a thick beef patty topped with slices of cheese and bacon sandwiched between a roasted sesame bun? The beef patty was finely chopped and I liked the semi rough texture. A pity it was a wee bit too overcooked but at least it retained its juiciness. The sun dried tomato salsa tasted a little weak this time round. Still a great burger nonetheless, just that it reminded me Wild Rocket's signature burger with an addition of cheese and bacon.
Char Siew Burger - This is the first time I've actually seen such a burger and its actually quite interesting. Lean meat covered with a special home made sauce on a toasted bun. Personally I found the sauce way too sweet for my liking and because it was quite coagulated, consuming too much of it made me nauseous. The meat was very lean and fibrous though, making it a joy to chew on. All in all, it tasted like a fat free version of Kong Ba Pao. Did I mention that the bread was a little too charred?
Wild Rocket Signature Cheesecake - A Wild Rocket signature dessert, the deconstructed cheesecake had a layer of cracker crumbs topped with sweetened strawberries and then topped again with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and cream cheese. The cream cheese was lightly sour and complemented the sweet ice cream and cracker/biscuit base perfectly. Personally I felt that the cracker/biscuit base could have been more buttery for a smoother aftertaste.
A high carbohydrate dinner for 2 cost about $55 which is rather average pricing. The burgers are good without a doubt and filling (they come with lots of fries). Service is good as well so the next time I'm craving for expensive burgers, I'll know where to look.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Photos, what would life and blogging be without them? Snapz offers everything from weddings packages to outing shots to make overs and photo editing and splicing services to clients to ensure they look as good looking and pretty as they can ever be on print. Well, life's not perfect, so why not let your memories in print be isn't it?
How i learned of the place was a rather mundane one. I received a call while at work claiming i've be chosen for a free makeover and photo shot session courtesy of "paying sponsors" and i would be entitled to "choose my 2 favorite shots" upon completing the shot without any commitment nor package. In fact, Frederick and Alex both assured me that there would be no commitment whatsoever and it was simply a privilege i have the "honor" of being chosen. Well, i've been kinda bored so i thought:"There's no way things are gonna be that good. But hey, lets go take a look and see how it goes." I even roped in my gf to join me in the shoot since i'm not much of a looker. And so we went.
Upon traversing the extremely ulu lane to find the shop in the blazing hot sun, i was glad that the place was thankfully air conditioned. I told them my name and filled a form so that i could get my shoot ready. Anyway, i was surprised there were quite a few people in the vicinity including myself. Seems like i wasn't the only person who was "privileged". Still, why not? This was definitely a marketing tactic from the get go so i wasn't too surprised.
Counter staff was pleasant until we were introduced to this lady by the name of Valerie. She wasn't unpleasant as she led us up the steps to the makeover room but the way she spoke definitely did not sit well with me even then. More on the lady later.
The makeover room was rather small with approximately 12 seats for guests to have attended to. We were greeted by a couple of people who were to be our make up artists and was told to select and change into our desired costumes for the shoot. Everything there was fine and the service of the costume designer and the make up artists were quite pleasant. At the end of a 40 minute makeover, my gf looked Japanese and i looked....like dragonball characters. I felt they made up my gf too much because i liked her better without it but well, the lighting and camera and such needed it so what the hey. The artists were a real sport, telling us how nice the hair was and how good my gf looked which was a rather professional move i thought. Always make the customer feel good and comfortable.
Next up, we met the photographer who invited us to the area for the shot which was sadly...just a black backdrop. Nonetheless, we had fun posing for the shots and upon viewing, there were a few pretty good shots in the 50 that were taken. The camera man was pleasant and encouraging which was also a good and necessary move.
Now things turn for the worse. We then returned the borrowed costumes and tried to get rid of the now dry and stiff hair but was told there was no room to wash up. Upon asking to remove the make up on our faces, the lady simply dabbed a little off mine and told me she was done. That was rubbish because the concealer was still all over my face... and leaving that on would be a bad idea. My gf didn't get much attention too in removing make up, asking to remove it only met with comments of, it looks good on you and blah blah blah. Is the company running out of make up remover? I don't know but this is not good service when we've made our requests known.
When we were led downstairs again, we waited for another 30 minutes before we were told we could see the shots. Apparently, they were uploading the shots to the computer....well, last i checked, computers were plug and play in terms of photos but maybe i just haven't had a DSLR before so i may be wrong.
Valerie came out to meet us again and blatantly asked us if we felt if there was anything to complain about. Well, politely we said no because though there were hitches, the experience was still pleasant so far. As we were led into the viewing area, which were basically Apple Macs and shown our photos. Valerie spoke non stop about how we needed their services and touch up because "our eye bags were too obvious" and said to my gf as she removed my blemishes "there, so much better now, don't you wish your boyfriend looked like this?" Talk about saying the wrong things.
Heck, we were just getting started. Well, i knew there was a catch and here it is. Snapz actually has a VIP membership system that basically requires you to sign up for a lifetime membership to be their VIP. It sounds pretty good too and may save you alot of money on photos in the long run if you and your entire family loves taking photographs. Thats not a bad thing i feel but with a sales pitch like that, the membership is definitely in the $4-6k category since they were giving loads of freebies every year. All service and photograph related of course. Free makeovers, free photoshoots, free outdoor service, one on one photography and make up classes and better yet, guaranteed employment by the company. Talk about a full package.
Well, that was an interesting package but Valerie unfortunately, delivered the message over 40 minutes and amidst the whole time, reiterating that we needed the service because they could make us look a whole lot better then we really are. (i'm quite happy with my flawed look though, thank you very much.) Now, here's the kicker of the day: read on for the actual reason i said no.
When asked if i could have a private discussion with my gf, she said: "what is there to discuss when you don't know the price?"
(point taken) so i followed up by asking her: "Ok, so how about we cut the chase and you tell me how much a membership costs?" Which was met by: "Are you really interested? Because if you aren't then we shouldn't waste each others time. I can't tell you the price as i'll need someone else to illustrate to you."
So i said: "I see, but i'm in a bit of a rush as i have an appointment. Can we just get the photos and i could consider before letting you know?"
Her response: "I'm afraid not, if you miss this chance then you will not be allowed to enjoy our package again."
My response: " I'm sure i can find a way to come back."
Her respone: "What do you mean by that? What do you think this place is? Anyway, i can assure you that you cannot join us again because we can track and prevent double entry."
My response: " Are you saying that if my friend refers me back and i come with the intention to join a membership after i've had more time to think, your company will not let me join?"
Her response: " Yes."
My response: "So you will refuse me time to think and i must sign today to get the deal. If i refuse to do so, if i do return, your company will turn away my business, is this what you are saying?"
Her response: "Yes"
My response: "In that case, i am not interested in the deal anymore, please allow us to choose the photos and leave."
Her response: "Sure"
After which, we signed a form stating that we received the photos and a feedback form where i thanked the company. But suddenly, we were given a disc with photos we have not chosen.
I queried: "Excuse me, i thought we could choose our own 2 best shots?"
Her response: " I'm afraid not. Over here, we choose the shots for you when you don't sign."
My response: " I see....May i have your name again?"
Her response: " Valerie."
And thats that. I wouldn't say the entire experience was bad but the sales person definitely needed a lot more training. And the policy of having to sign immediately? Bah, i work in sales, i know the tactics. And this is the hardest force selling i've come across thus far. I would have considered but unfortunately, the lady simply was not pleasant and quite obviously, cared less of clients than she did her own wallet.
In sales, what people buy is not the company, not the product when a saleperson is selling. People buy what the sales person represents of the company. If she is anything to go by, i'm never giving them a chance again. That, my friends is what brings companies and overall experiences down.
Stay as far away as possible. You were warned.
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Had dinner at Stiff Chilli, a chain of 4 restaurants in Bali and a sole one in Singapore. Owned by Rodney Holt, an Italian - Australian chef, it is so named because Holt liked the offbeat sound of it.
Complimentary Bread - I honestly don't remember much about the bread except that it came served with a mini platter of sauces, namely olive oil, vinegar and chilli sauce. I remember it didn't come warm and that it was rather dry.
Burrata Parma Ham - Stiff Chilli flies in the Burrata, a fresh cheese, from southern Italy every week. I personally didn't quite take to it as it was rather bland and akin to eating cold tofu with a milky texture. The parma ham balanced out the blandness, but unfortunately there wasn't enough to go around.
Pasta all'Inchiostro - The squid ink pasta was actually quite good, lightly sweet and al dente without the light smoky cream sauce being overpowering. It could seriously do with more ingredients, but for the price I can hardly complain.
Cassata - From what I understand, Cassata is a traditional dessert from Sicily which is essentially a layered cake, with sponge, ricotta cheese and candied peel. Stiff Chilli's rendition was all ice cream and tasted like the mudpies from Burger King. And it certainly didn't look home made or freshly made for that matter. Fresh from a box in the freezer more like it. $6 for this dessert is really pushing it in my humble opinion.
A sweaty dinner with 1 appetiser, 1 main and 1 dessert cost about $45, which isn't exactly cheap given the quality of food and the whole dining in a crumbly shophouse experience. Once is enough.
See all my pictures here.
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Sin Bee Hiong Lo Mee at Old Airport Road Hawker Center, I've to say this is the best lo mee that I've tasted in Singapore.
Because of the lo mee gravy, it's thick and tasted great, that's explain why there's always a long queue. However the standard of the gravy is not maintain but still good enough when compared to other lo mee stalls, thus it's my number one choice food that I'll order whenever I go to Old Aiport Hawker Centre.
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Shi Chen Frog Porridge at Geylang Road Lorong 9.
I guess this stall at New Lai Lai Hong Yun Food Centre needs no introduction at all, many Singaporean would know about it. Anyway as it's my favourite despite the long waiting hours during standard dining and supper hours, I would order it whenever I'm in Geylang.
I always order the Gong Bao frog porridge because it's the one with the most flavour, I would never ordered the plain frog porridge where the frog are placed inside the claypot of porridge, the taste just isn't right for me. Whenever I order my Gong Bao frog porridge, I would always asked for more sauce so that I would not run out of sauce for the porridge.
Not to mention, in the same place there's also nice fried oyster and iced barley water to go with the frog porridge.
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