Last weekend, I decided to have a break at the Fort Canning Park with my new laptop- ASUS N53SV. It was something unusual but it was a great experience for me as I'm a nature-lover. Having to relax under a big shady tree with my laptop while enjoying the view of the surrounding greenery make me feel so GREAT.

Do you know?
In 1972, the greenery around Fort Canning was known as Central Park with the amalgamation of the King George V Park (set up prior to World War II) and the land occupied by the British Armed Forces. The River Valley Road end of the park used to house the National Theatre and the Van Kleef Aquarium. It also had a roller-skating rink, a playground, a Vietnamese restaurant and a squash centre.

It was renamed Fort Canning Park with the planting of a fruit tree by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 1 November 1981. Today, Fort Canning has been converted into a historical Park. It is also a popular location for picnics, cultural performances and Wedding Photography.


Fort Canning Centre

AS I was taking a stroll at the park, I saw some artworks displayed and this was one of them. It is named as Holy Audience

The artist wrote: "To me, the cow is a symbol of unconditional love; something that I felt very deeply. It is a metaphor that occues very naturally in my art, as a channel through which I comment on my surroundings and reflect upon my opinions in an immensel stylistic manner, without no daunting need for actual words."

Material: bronze, steel, resin, wood, enamel paint and found materials

Big trees providing good shelter especially on a hot sunny day.

The branches of the tree looked so beautiful like a piece of art.

Hmm okay now.... Please allow me to introduce to you my best buddy!

Yes that is my ASUS N53SV (Top view)! This machine looks really cool with a brushed aluminum lid right. Suitable for work and home entertainment use.

At work: Deliver speedy performance when doing many tasks such as running office applications or managing files.

At home: Turn up the volume and get impressed by the audio of this notebook. ASUS sonicmaster technology-co-developed by world-renowned audio specialists at bang & olufsen icepower-and a unique top-mounted speaker plot, this multimedia powerhouse integrates hardware and audio for an unsurpassed, ear-pleasing feel.

With the 15.6 inch display, I am enjoying my video, photo editing for blogging.

Boasting new nvidia geforce gt 540m visibles, the n53sv excels when performing visible-intensive schemes like video editing, directx 11-enabled gaming, and visible rendering. And together with asus videomagic 3-in-1 software package, you procure image-enhancing agendas like powerdvd 9 together with faithful theatre that instantly scales dvd-quality to full 1080p hd together with smoother shape values so you can enjoy videos and movies in the quality they deserve.

This is like watching a concert at home!




This is the back view.

The left side of the notebook has the 3-in-1 memory card reader supporting SD, MS, and MMC formats, a big cooling grate, and a couple of USB ports along with an HDMI output.

The right side of the ASUS N53SV has the bulk of the ports with the headphone and mic ports, two USB ports, and the optical drive. There is also a toggle switch you can see directly behind the DVD drive to turn the wireless connection.


This notebook has a 15.6-inch 1366 x 768 resolution screen, Intel Core i7 2630QM CPU, NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M graphics processor, 750 GB of storage, 4 GB of RAM, and a lot more.

There is also a Webcam with resolution up to 2.0 MagaPixel in front. Camera slider with Cover for open-close lens.

Keyboard and touchpad are pretty good on the Asus N53SV too. I like the closely packed keys on the keyboard deck which are nice for typing, and the dedicated number pad on the right doesn’t hurt either -- great addition for gamers and frequent number crunchers.

A few hotkeys can be found above the keyboard's left which, for example, allow controlling the volume output. There is also a button for direct multimedia control (play/pause) here. The left button controls the energy saving options (high performance, office, energy savings, etc.).

The N53SV laptop's speaker grille is placed prominently above the keyboard, which is another nice addition.

Well, beside just working and working or studying and studying... Why not take up a course and learn something you like?

It can be singing, dancing, cooking or even learn Japanese language. You will most likely get to know new friends and had fun!!! =)

Last night (28 Jun 2011), I attended a Gourmet Cooking Workshop with Chef Eric Low at The Serangoon CC (Just Opposite my house). Cooking had always been one of my favourite past time but I had never attend any of such workshop before. So it was my 1st time attending yesterday and it was really an eye-opening experience for me.


THE SERANGOON CC
10, SERANGOON NORTH AVE 2, Singapore 555877 (Show Map)
Tel: 62844137
Fax: 62811446
Email: PA_THESERANGOONCC@pa.gov.sg
Url: http://www.aljuniedgrc.sg
Operating hours: 09:00 - 22:00
How To Get Here:
Buses No :43, 73,103,109,156,147 (YIO CHU KANG ROAD) Buses No 25,55,74,132 & 165 (Ang Mo Kio Ave 3) Feeder Service No 315


I love the building. As you can see the the exterior of the building had lots of colours.
There are also many facilities and course for public to sign up. At the CC, there is also a study room which is a good & quiet place for study.


Okay! I'm in the Gourmet Cooking Workshop with Chef Eric Low! Wondering what is Chef Eric going to teach us today?


About 20 over students attended the workshop and Chef Eric is going to teach us Japanese Cuisine! We will be learning how to make Japanese Potato Salad, Japanese Braised Pork Belly (Buta Kakuni) and Japanese Fried Rice (Nikkiniku Chahan). I'm a Japanese Food Lover and this is going to be so cool learning how to cook them. Scroll down and see the 3 recipes below!!!

1. Japanese Potato Salad (4 Portions)

Ingredients:

For dressing:
3-4tbsps Japanese Mayonnaise
or
3-4tbsps Regular Mayonnaise
1tbsps Condensed Milk
1tsp Di jon Mustard

Salad:
4medium Idaho (Russet) Potatoes, cut into cubes, blanched for 15-20 minutes till cooked
1/2 no White Onion, chopped
4pcs Crabstick, diced
1/2 medium Carrot, diced and blanched
1 stalk Spring Onion, diced
4nos Hard Boil Eggs
4 Lettuce Leaves


Preparation Method for Japanese Potato Salad:

Step 1: Whisk all ingredients for dressing together if using the regular mayonnaise

Step 2: Combline all salad ingredients in a mixing bowl except the hardboiled eggs and lettuce leaves

Step 3: Toss all salad ingredient with dressing. Chill Salad till it is completely cold. Before serving, garnish with hardboiled egg and lettuce leaves.


2. Japanese Fried Rice (Nikkiniku Chahan) (4-6 portions)

Ingredients:
150g /Old Garlic Cloves, coarsely chopped
300ml Canola/Corn/Sunflower Oil
300g Short Grain Rice (Calrose Rice)
450 ml Water
6tbps Oil or Garlic Flavoured Oil
4nos Eggs
5tbsps Japanese Soya Sauce
2stalks Spring Onions
4tbsps Coarse Garlic Chips
1/2tsp Coarse Ground Black Pepper


Preparation Method for Japanese Fried Rice (Nikkiniku Chahan):

Step 1: Cook the coarsely chopped garlic in canola oil till lightly golden brown. Remove from heat, strain and seperate the crispy garlic with the oil.

Step 2: Wash rice and drain. Add the 450ml water and cook rice accordingly. Allow the rice to rest for at least an hour before use.

Step 3: Heat garlic flavoured oil and scramble eggs till foamy. Return the cooked rice to pan and season rice with soya sauce. Add the spring onions and crispy garlic to the rice.

Step 4: Toss rice evenly and season with coarse black pepper just before serving.




3. Japanese Braised Pork Belly (Buta Kakuni) (4-6 Portions)

Ingredients:
800g Pork Belly
1 large White Radish (About 500g)

Braising Liquid:
200ml Mirin
120ml Japanese Soya Sauce
2tbsps Sugar
1 stalk Japanese Scallions
2pcs Old Ginger
350ml Water
4-6 nos Hard Boil Eggs




Preparation Method for Japanese Braised Pork Belly (Buta Kakuni)

Step 1: Wash clean the pork belly. Grate 2/3 of the radish and cut the remainder into wedges

Step 2: Cover the pork belly with grated radish and steam for 2 hours. Remove from heat and allow to cool before chilling the pork overnight to set.

Step 3: Combine mirin, soya sauce and sugar in the braising pot. Bring to boil. Light char the scallion on gas stove. Add to the braising liquid with ginger. Pour in water and bring sauce to boil.

Step 4: Cut the chilled pork into pieces and braise in sauce for 45 minutes to an hour. In the last 15minutes, add the hard boiled eggs.

Step 5: Serve Buta Kakuni with egg, Japanese Pickles and rice.



A blogger without a camera is not a blogger... Haha...
Look at this! It was taken while the pork was still in the braising pot...


Isn't it yummilicious looking??? =p

Hope you all enjoy my sharing, leave a comment below if you have any query. =)

Wanna check out the activitites you can take part in too?

Visit OurCommunity.sg and find out the nearest CC to you today!!!





This blog enty is powered by ASUS N53SV laptop.

"Three generations enjoying the breeze and a picture perfect moment!"
(Submitted by Ginna Ang)

Thanks Gina for her submission! I can see you had an enjoyable moment with your family! Family is one of the most important aspects of life. Therefore, spending time with family should be very valuable to anyone. By doing this will strengthen the family’s relationship and help keep them together. We should all dedicate at least one day a week to family. A day where members of the family go to movies, eat out at a local restaurant, enjoy the outdoors or just stay inside and talk for a while. Families must enjoy each other company in order to stay together.

Think you also have a photo of your “HAVE A BREAK“ Moment to share with us? It can be catching up with friend at a dinner, having fun at the beach or simply shopping at Orchard Road.
Send them in and stand to win a $200 Kit Kat Hamper!!!

How to win:
Send in your picture with a short caption to contestempire@gmail.com, with your name and contact number. Be sure to include "Have a Break Photo Contest" in the subject of the e-mail.

Contest ends July 31. Winners will be announced here.

OMG!!! This is seriously TEMPTING!!!
Have you try the Manhattan Seafood Platter for 2?
I'm so in love with it! Usual price is $35.90++ and is now $29.90++!

The Manhattan Seafood Platter for 2 comes with Fish N Chips's fillet, fried calamari, juicy oysters over a bed of the must have garlic herb rice and chips, drizzle with our signature Garlic herb sauce and not to forget, the most unique flaming prawns that makes you "Wowwww......" when flamed right in front of you by the flame artist.....

I love to see them do the flaming! It's so COOL and I love the smell of the grill prawn!
Evertime when I ordered this Seafood Platter, I will start eating the grilled prawns 1st!!! Yummy!!!

Check out their facebook for more promotion and update.

Were you at the Singapore Social Media Day Event yesterday held at *Scape yesterday?

Lot of bloggers gathered there to celebrate Social Media Day in Singapore for the 1st time.

SGSMD 2011 is an adaptation of World Social Media Day, which was initiated by internet news blog Mashable in 2010 and celebrated on 30 June during its first year.

This Event was initiated by a group of volunteer bloggers and supported by a group of social media enthusiasts. The event is presented by HTC and supported by omy.sg, Singapore’s leading news and entertainment web portal by Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH).

To express the spirit of Social Media, the organising committee has come up with a simple yet highly apt tag word “SoMe!” , which apart from being an abbreviation of Social Media, also speaks volumes about how people of today engage various social media channels to express themselves on a daily basis.

Beside having games and fun there, we also giving back to the society via donations to a charitable cause! And I really felt this was really meaningful that bloggers can also do their part! (Read more here)

The Event was held at *Scape.

Poster at the entrance of *Scape.


Darren & blogger friend helping at the donation booth and lucky draw booth



I dropped my donation and was given a lucky draw form and also a game card

"SoMe" Facebook Wall so cute!!! It is a real wall for you to leave comment!!!

I left my comment there too! Haha...

A photo with Mint who was the committee member of the event.

Blogshop Owners setting up booths there in A Good Cost For A Good Cause!

At one of the booths I saw many soft toys. Angry Bird so CUTE right!!!

Talent Perfomance to entertain the crowd.

Tissue Blowing Game with the audience.

The Audience get to pair up with Bloggers for Creative Sandwich Making Contest.

Blogger Calvin was one of the game in-charge.











Bloggers were given limited ingredient for making their Sandwich. Hemm.. the above picture you can tell how limited of ingredients they have for the contest. But the blogger were very nice, they shared the ingredient. PEACE!



















After playing the 4 games, you will recieve an exclusive goodies bag!


In this Goodies Bag: - A box of "Happy Chardes" home-baked cookies
- 2 bar of Kit Kat (My favourite snack)
- A bar of Milo Energy Snack Bar
- A Kit Kat Notebook
- A Stomp Notepad
- A Pass holder




It was sure a day of fun-filled day for everyone!!!










Thanks to all the organising committee and sponsors for making this event possible!


(Photo: Singapore Social Media Day 2011's facebook)