E! Party with the Gutierrez at Music Matters Live @ Kuro, Clark Quay

Music Matters Live gets bigger and louder this year as emerging and established bands from Asia and around the world descend to Singapore to rock the island. 

A cocktail party sponsored by E! Entertainment was held during the Philippines Fiesta at Kuro, Clarke Quay and the Gutierrez family, the biggest celebrity family of the Philippines were also seen partying as part of the crowd.

The Gutierrez Family (Picture Source : E! Entertainment)

As one of the Philippines' most talked about showbiz families, each members of the Gutierrez family has been in the showbiz and considered as a public figure.

Eddie Gutierrez and Annabelle Rama (Picture Source : E! Entertainment)

The father Eddie was one of the Country's top idols in the 60s and 70s and is still an actor in demand. His wife, Annabelle who is seen as the feisty and overprotective mother is also one of the Country's established top talent managers. 

Raymond, Ruffa and Richard (Picture Source : E! Entertainment)

Raymond is a TV host, editor and bar owner while his twin brother, Richard is a superstar who became one of GMA 7's prominent leading men. Ruffa is an actress, TV host, former beauty queen, model, and endorser of various products. 

For the first time ever, their daily personal lifestyle will be broadcast and seen on television as E! Entertainment presents to us its first ever TV series - It Takes GUTZ to be A Gutierrez. During this 6-part episode series, they really share and open up their life to the audience with the cameras following them around. It Takes GUTZ to be A Gutierrez premieres on E! Entertainment (Starhub Cable TV Channel 441) at 9 PM (SG), Sunday,1st June 2014! (My birthday, woohoo~)

Was invited and went to the cocktail party too. Brought along Tini and her friend, Maria and we took this nice photo at the photo booth outside. Thanks Tini for the photo! :) 

Photo Source : Shu Qing's Blog 

While inside, I met Shu Qing and a lot of the other friends too. Thanks Shu Qing for sharing this photo. With the VIP tag, we are able to enter the sort of enclosed area to mingle with the Gutierrez family. 

Summarizing that great night with this photo on my instagram. The VIP area, friends and we also met and took photo with Apl.de.ap, member of The Black Eyed Peas, who was there to support the Filipino bands performing at the festival. So many crazy fans just rushed to take photos/selfies with him. 

Shu Qing, Linda and I managed to snap a photo with him before he went on to the stage to perform. 

Scream! It's Apl.de.ap with Slapshock on stage! Got the best view as my seat was right in front of the stage. Lucky! 

Managed to take a video of the performance too! 

To end my post, I took a photo with Richard from the Gutierrez family. He's really nice and friendly. So remember to catch It Takes GUTZ to be A Gutierrez on E! Entertainment (Starhub Cable TV Channel 441)

Food Art - How to make an Owl Bread

How our food looks constitute a big part of the overall eating pleasure. Food art is an interesting concept turning ordinary and boring food into something interesting with just a little bit of creativity and simple ingredients. Will start with an easy one as seen above which is an Owl Bread. 

I sketch out the idea online with the ingredient list on this special recipe card that I received, read more about My Kitchen Rules on my previous post here.

All the ingredients that are needed are as seen in the photo above. 

1.Sunshine Extra Fine Wholemeal Bread (healthier choice, read my previous post here) 

2. Raisins (The original maker of this food art used black olives which looks better)

3. Cucumber 

4. Carrot

5. Egg

6. Cheese

This is so easy to make, I don't think I need to show any step-by-step instructions. The only thing that needs to be cooked is just the egg, it has to be a hard-boiled egg for its eyes, obviously. Bread, cheese, raisins, carrots and cucumbers can be eaten as its' original state.   

Me with the final master piece. I enjoyed doing this food art but the only problem in creating one food art is that I am left with a lots of leftovers. Only used one slice of the whole cucumber and carrot. The rest have to put back into the fridge. So maybe next time have to plan to cook a meal with those ingredients. Enjoy and if you have any other interesting food art, do share it with me!

My Kitchen Rules Season 5 returns to DIVA Universal on 12 May

My Kitchen Rules is an Australian competitive cooking game show in which teams of two compete by transforming their ordinary homes into elaborate restaurants. The pressure is on, complete with tears, tantrums and nervous laughter as the teams only have 3 hours to prepare a three-course meal to impress the judges and fellow contestants. 

Picture Source : Google, DIVA Universal

This is no easy task especially when the hosts and judges are acclaimed chefs Manu Feildel and Pete Evans. This ultimate home cooking battle is bound to bring viewers a lot of surprises. 

Other guest judges to give critics includes:  

And this season's contenders are: 

GROUP 1

New South Wales - Annie and Jason (Married cheese makers) 

Western Australia - Chloe and Kelly (Well-travelled friends)

South Australia - Deb and Rick (Married 38 years)

Australian Capital Territory - Andrew and Emelia (Newly dating)

Queensland - Paul and Blair (Surfer dads)

Victoria - Helena and Vikki (Twins)

GROUP 2

New South Wales - Uel and Shannelle (Newlyweds)

Western Australia - Jess and Felix (Designer and miner)

South Australia - Bree and Jessica (Proud mums) 

Tasmania - Thalia and Bianca (Besties) 

Queensland - David and Corinne (Couple two years)

Victoria - Harry and Christo (Best mates) 

Looking at the different backgrounds of the contenders, the cooking this year should be highly influenced by the lifestyle and heritage of them. 

Picture Source : DIVA Universal

Be sure to catch My Kitchen Rules Season 5, premiering on 12 May, showing from Mondays to Wednesdays at 6.05pm on DIVA UNIVERSAL (Starhub Cable TV Channel 522). 

Thank you for sending me a box full of carefully curated tips ranging from preparation to storage and others. With this on hand, I'm more than ready to take on my kitchen and play by my rules! 

Some of the tips that I found quite useful and would love to share

PREPARATION

1. To get rid of the burning sensation chillies leave on your skin, soak your hands in milk or yoghurt.

2. To peel potatoes easily, boil them first then quickly put them into ice-cold water for 10 seconds. The skins will slide off effortlessly. 

COOKING

1. Add 2-3 drops of lemon juice to rice while cooking it to keep the grains from sticking to each other.

2. Added too much salt? Just throw in a teaspoon of sugar to alleviate the taste.

3. Placing a wooden spoon across a boiling pot prevents it from boiling over.

CLEANING

1. Wipe off coffee stains on cups with a mixture of equal parts vinegar and salt.

2. For extra greasy pots and pans, add white vinegar to your dishwashing liquid. 

STORAGE

1. To prevent apple slices from turning brown, squeeze lime or lemon juice on them.

2. Place a bay leaf in dried goods like rice, pasta and flour to keep insects out. 

3. Test the freshness of an egg by placing it in a bowl of water. if it sinks to the bottom, it's good. If it floats to the top, throw it away. 

Read on my next post as I will reveal the recipe for this Owl Bread (Food Art). Thanks for reading. 

Sunshine Bakeries : Extra Fine Sprouted Wholemeal Bread + Choc Wholemeal Cream Rolls

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper!

Picture Source : Sunshine Bakeries

What is your favourite type of breakfast? Pancake? Prata? Economical fried bee hoon? For me, it's definitely the good-old bread. I would rather skip breakfast if I ran out of bread at home. Usually, I will have soft and chewy breads like white loaf bread, raisin bread, butter bread, etc. Wholemeal bread is not my type of choice as it is too dry and tough to chew even though my parents have been eating this type of bread as a healthier choice. 

This perception of mine surely changed 180 degrees after I have tried Sunshine Extra Fine Sprouted Wholemeal Bread. It is tastier than white bread and not that tough as the normal wholemeal bread out there in the market.

With Sunshine Extra Fine Sprouted Wholemeal Bread, my choices of bread has increased and I do not have to compromise on my taste buds when it comes to eating healthy.

So I'm really grateful to be invited to this afternoon high tea session at the Botanic Garden for an educational sharing of information on sprouted grains and their benefits as well as trying out the New Sunshine Extra Fine Sprouted Wholemeal Bread. Definitely learnt a lot during the 2 hours sharing. 

"This newly launched product is endorsed by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) as a Healthier Choice product, and it also has the distinction being the first product in Asia to be endorsed by the US Whole Grains Council. We are working closely with the council to further educate consumers on the health benefits of sprouted whole grains. Adults and children alike will love this extra fine and extra soft bread which comes with all the benefits of a wholemeal bread", said Mr Nicholas Koh, Head of Marketing of Sunshine Bakeries & Auric Pacific Marketing for the opening speech.

 

Next, we have Ms Cynthia Harriman, Director of Food & Nutrition Strategies of the US Whole Grains Council to share with us. It's already 2.30am in Boston where she is but she stayed up to skype and share the benefits with us. She mentioned that the next evolution in healthier food lies in sprouted whole grains and that Sunshine Bakeries is at the forefront of this newest advances in whole grains. She shared with us the goodness of grains, basically, a grain has three edible parts. Refine grains lost half of the nutrients. Eating more whole grains can reduce risk of heart disease. Sprouted whole grains are much healthier as the sprouting process "unlocks" the grain's nutrients that are store in the seeds.

Next speaker is Ms Ketki, she really gives a very detailed explanation of why sprouted grains are better. I'll just summarized them.

1) Easily digestible, cause it's kind of broken down already
2) Increased Vitamin
3) Less intestinal gas
4) Feels full longer

Anyway, it's not east to carry out the sprouting process. Too much heat and the grains will get fungus and rot, too little heat, the grains will not sprout.

What we have for our high tea. All prepared with love from the Sunshine's Extra Fine Sprouted Wholemeal Bread. Below are the recipes courtesy of Ms Anna Lim, Founder of The Soup Spoon Pte Ltd.

Happy posing like a promoter!

Thank you so much for the lovely sunflower and picnic basket full of Sunshine bread.

Picture Source : Sunshine Bakeries

Together with the launch of the Sunshine's Extra Fine Sprouted Wholemeal Bread, Sunshine has also launched the Sunshine Choc Cream Roll Range consisting of

- The Sunshine Cocoa Choc Wholemeal Cream Roll
- The Sunshine Caramel Choc Wholemeal Cream Roll
- The Sunshine Coconut Choc Wholemeal Cream Roll

So nice and conveniently packed, I can have it as a snack, anytime and anywhere.

Ending my post with this Owl Bread (Food Art) created using Sunshine's Extra Fine Sprouted Wholemeal Bread and other ingredients. Who says eating bread is boring? Find out more in my next post to find out how to create this simple food art. Thanks for reading! 

Exclusive premiere screening of House Of Cards

Went for the exclusive premiere screening of House of Cards at The Screening Room with Jessie and Terence. As though they knew that one episode of this highly captivating drama is not enough, we were shown two episodes that night!  

House of Cards was originally a UK TV drama from the 1990s and now remade by Netflix in 2013 with the setting changed from London to Washington, DC. It is an American political drama TV series so highly rated that even the US President, Mr Obama tweeted about it. 

Kevin Spacey acted as Congressman Frank Underwood

He plays the role of this cold, scheming and power hungry Frank so well that it would send chills down your spine. In the first few minutes of the opening scene of House of Cards, he murdered a dog with the following saying.

Source : Google Search

"I have no patience for useless things." 

True enough, he have no patience for useless things. He pursues with his own political agenda and manipulates almost everyone around him in order for him to grab influence. 

Robin Wright as Claire Underwood

Just like the husband, Claire Underwood proves to be as cold, manipulative and power-hungry as her husband. She get somebody to fire over half of the NGO's staff in order to secure funds for her own plans. In the end, she fired that somebody too. This couple truly displayed the husband-wife teamwork and she's someone so strong that she's the type who refused to be left out of any plans. 

No wonder Frank loves her wife more than sharks love blood! 

Kate Mara as Zoe Barnes

She's a young reporter for The Washionton Herald. She is just like one of the piece to be manipulated by Frank. In the first two episodes, both of them form a sort of "deal" to use each other for advancement in their careers. She thought that with the stories Frank leak out to her, she will be climbing up the ranks real fast, but does she have the real control of power to do that? 

Big thanks for the invites. If I have to end my post with a statement, I would say, "it's a dog eat dog world." It's either you are using someone or you are being used. Terence was so engrossed in the show he can watched another few more episodes. He even pointed out the upside down American flag with the stars removed. Flying the American flag upside down is an officially recognized signal of distress.  

House of Cards will be premiering on 28 May 2014, Wednesday at 9.55pm on the RTL CBS Entertainment HD Channel 318 on mioTV. Watch it and you will not regret! 

Other related interesting reads: 

1) House of Cards Season 1 Recap : Link

2) House of Cards Wiki : Link

3) Frank Underwood's 15 Best Quotes : Link

[Closed] Logitech Colour Collection - M235 Wireless Mouse : Features + Giveaway + Contest

Big thanks to those who've participate in my giveaway! I read each and every comments and they are all very creative! 

Congratulations to the following 3 winners

1) Facebook: Jimmy Soh (Green Envy Me) 

2) Istangram: Iskandar (Daring Diva Me)

3) Twitter: Louis Lee (Bubble Bath Me)

For those who did not win in this giveaway, do look out for more giveaways in the future! Thank you! :)

Logitech, the worldwide leader in computer mice, unveiled its sixth-annual design collection, releasing its most popular mouse in 4 new eye-catching contemporary colors. 

Imagine my excitement when I reach home and found this stylish press kit box waiting for me. Initially, I thought it contains the items I ordered online but the little heartwarming message on the cover of the box already revealed what's inside.

With this bright, colourful and vibrant mouse collections, I can create a range of fashionable looks in the palm of my hand. Look at how the 4 different colours of the mouse matches my outfit of the day (OOTD)! Why have we been using black mouse for so many donkey years? It's now time to express your style and individuality with this range of colourful wireless mouse. Show the world how unique you are as each colour means a different personality.

RED IS FOR 

THE BUBBLE BATH ME

BLUE IS FOR 

THE BLUE BLISS ME

GREEN IS FOR 

THE GREEN ENVY ME

VIOLET IS FOR 

THE DARING DIVA ME

A mix of precision and comfort, with bold color blends. The mouse is one of the most important part of the computer system. Although we can use keyboard shortcuts, I double anybody is comfortable enough to just use a computer without the mouse. So let me put together some of the key features of this Logitech Wireless Mouse M235 from the fact sheet.

Key Features

- Improved control: Goodbye tricky touchpad. Equipped with Logitech Advanced Optical Tracking you get more cursor control and more precision on more surfaces than with standard optical tracking. Thanks to precision clicking, pointing and dragging, everything you do on your laptop is now easier, and you don’t even need a mouse pad.

- Array of colors: The mouse comes in a variety of bright color blends, allowing you to celebrate your individuality and authentic self.

- Powerful wireless connection: Logitech’s Advanced 2.4 GHz wireless connection gives you the reliability of a corded connection but with wireless convenience and freedom. And the tiny nano receiver stays in your laptop, so there’s no need to unplug it.

- Extended battery life: The On/Off switch helps conserve power, a smart sleep mode extends battery life and an indicator light eliminates surprises. Now you can go a full year without a battery change.*

- Comfy design: Built with a comfy, contoured design, soft rubber grips and a smooth scroll wheel, this mouse is packaged in the perfect compact size.

System Requirements

1. Windows® 8, Windows® 7, Windows® XP or Windows Vista®

2. Mac OS® X 10.5 or later

3. Linux® kernel 2.6+

4. Powered USB Port

Product Specifications

~ Dimensions (L x W x H): 95 x 55 x 38.7 millimeters

~ Weight: 57.5 grams w/o battery or receiver

84 grams w/ battery and receiver

Warranty

 3-year limited hardware warranty

Price

SGD$29.00

* Designed to improve your online experience, the wheel also helps perfect scrolling when you're using other applications, such as Microsoft® Office® or Adobe® PDF.

** Battery life may vary based on user and computing conditions.

....................................................................................

GIVEAWAY

I'm giving away three of this Logitech Colour Collection Mouse to three lucky winners. I'm keeping one for myself. All you have to do is follow me on either one of this social media platforms

Facebook/Twitter/Instagram 

@chewyjas 

After which, just leave a comment at the end of this blog post with your username as well as the platform you are following me and tell me which colour matches your personality and why. 

EG: @Jasc123456 from Twitter , I belong to The Blue Bliss Me because I'm a patient person who can wait 2 hours for a friend or for good food.  

Three winners from each social media platform and each colour, with the most creative answers shall win! :)

 Deadline is 16 May 14, 2359 hours.

*Prize to be self-collected at my convenient timing and location upon winning.

....................................................................................

CONTEST

Logitech Singapore is currently running a Mother's Day contest from now to 9th May 2014 and they are giving away 20 set of M235 mice. The contest is being run on their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.526652464112853.1073741836.274502252661210&type=1&stream_ref=10).

Steps to participate: 

1) Like the Logitech Singapore fan page

2) Visit the Photo Album “Mother's Day Contest” which comprises of four different M235 Wireless Mouse photos.

3) Choose the colour that best describes your mother’s personality. (Make sure that it is the colour you want to win for your mum)

4) In the comments section below the image of the chosen mouse, write a short description on how your mum's personality exemplifies this colour and why you love this personality of hers. 

5) Logitech will pick 20 lucky winners (5 from each colour) according to how heartwarming and unique/interesting the descriptions are! 

Good Luck and Have Fun Winning!