Wednesday 27 January 2016

MAN VS. CHILD: CHEF SHOWDOWN On LIFETIME®

This January, A+E Networks®’ Lifetime® (StarHub TV Channel 514) presents a new cooking competition series featuring pint-sized prodigies taking on culinary veterans. Following its successful U.S. debut and launch in other world markets, Man vs. Child: Chef Showdown will premiere in Asia on Tuesday, 26 January at 7pm. The show pits some of America’s most talented young chefs against the very people they look up to – professionally-trained adult chefs, most of whom have been cooking longer than their challengers have been alive.


Hosted by chef and television personality Adam Gertler, the 13-episode series follows a team of five up-and-coming child cooking wunderkinds – Estie (8), Dylan (11), Emmalee (12), Cloyce (13) and Holden (14) – who face off against a different executive-level chef each week for bragging rights.

Each episode is made up of three rounds of cooking set to test the competitors’ abilities and mastery in the kitchen, from making sausages from scratch to preparing the perfect omelet. The kids nominate a team-mate to face off against the expert in each challenge. In the first two rounds, resident judges and commentators (chef-restaurateur Mike Isabella and private chef to the stars Alia Zaine) will taste the dishes to determine which chef has created the most delicious and inventive plate. The winner of each of the first two events will be awarded an advantage in the next round which includes preventing their competitor from tasting their food as they prepare it and forcing them to take a ten-minute break during the allotted cooking time. The final round will feature a blind taste-test by a world-renowned master chef such as Hubert Keller and Ludo Lefebvre that will determine the ultimate winner - the professionals or the youthful contenders.

In the series premiere, aptly titled “Don’t Under-ESTIE-mate Her”, the youngest chef on the show, then seven-year-old Estie Kung, whips up a Korean fried chicken dish with kimchi mayonnaise and a gochujang gastrique. The precocious Kung, who is half-Chinese and has been cooking since age three, will visit Asia as part of a promotional tour for the show’s launch on Lifetime, which will include press, trade, and consumer events.




Estie Kung arrived in Singapore at IKEA stores last week on 17 January 2016 for a ‘Meet-and-Greet’ session with her Singapore fans. Specially for this visit, this little cutie-pie creates exclusive recipes using IKEA’s salmon and vegetable balls which will be available at IKEA’ Singapore’s Swedish Food Market for a limited time from 17 Jan 2016.



Photos with these two lovely ladies before meeting junior Chef Estie Kung..


There were a few rounds of challenging games played between Chef Estie (now 8) and her supportive fans during the ‘Meet-and-Greet’ session and Chef Estie is such a joy to watch as we all love her enthusiasm and passion towards cooking and being on show! When asked about her envision, she mentioned she would like to open her own restaurant that serves french cuisine, she would have her own tv cook show, and also have her very own cook book! How amazing it was to hear these from such a young girl!






"Soft Peaks" test by lifting the whisked egg whites straight up or turning the bowl upside down and the egg whites doesn't fall out!



Q&A session..



Followed by autographs and photos opportunity!





Estie Kung is born and raised in Hollywood California. She’s half Chinese, and her grandparents are from Hong Kong and Shanghai. She first started cooking when she was only 3 years old, the age most children are only starting to familiarize themselves with speech and colors.. Due to her participation in Man vs Child: Chef Showdown, Estie Kung has gained many recognition particularly due to very young age and has even been featured in The Late Late Show with James Corden in October 2015. You can watch it here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXKmuO0Jh54.

While sneak peak of her in MAN VS. CHILD here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HUf4PUb86o !


Also, Lifetime hashtag #JustAKid in its campaign to celebrate children talent just like Chef Estie!

Will raw talent and imagination prove to be enough to trump years of training and decades of experience? Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm (with a primetime repeat at 10pm) to watch these talented minors square off with their more experienced opponents and witness a culinary revolution in the making!!


That very afternoon, friends and i had our lunch settled before the event at Encik Tan eateries. They have really nice Curry Rice and Wanton Mee! =)

Thursday 7 January 2016

[Movie Review] Ghost Ship (2016)

This January 2016, 
be prepared to hear some screams in the theatre as the most anticipated Thai Horror <Ghost Ship> arrived in Singapore!


Synopsis
Ghost Ship” (Mon Son Phi) is a horror starring teenage cast as three Mon sailors on a large fishing vessel, adrift in the dark, mysterious sea. They’re Kala, Yola and Solui, and their high-sea adventure begins when they discover the corpse of a woman, who turns out to be the wife of a mafia leader who controls the harbour. The sailors are in a tight situation, because they know that the woman they found was also the lover of Nick, the son of their captain.

Who killed her? How did her corpse end up on the ship? How will the mafia react? If news of the corpse found on board leaks, will the trio be accused of murder?

The three young men decide to hide the corpse, but things get horrifying when the corpse disappears. Soon, strange incidents keep happening to the sailors, and they’re convinced that there are more than just one ghost haunting the ship. Worse, they can’t run, as they’re in high sea and being haunted by vengeful spirits.

Date of Release : 7th January 2016, (with sneaks over the New Year weekend, 31/12 – 3/1)
Rating : PG13 | Horror.
Language : In Thai with English and Chinese subtitles
Run time : 95 mins
Genre : Horror
Movie Trailer: https://youtu.be/GgOc7iApnE8


The boat captain and his mates getting ready to set sail as ordered by the Mafia (the ship's owner). The Mafia's wife, Mia, went missing that night and later found dead in one of the ship's cabin, discovered by the three teenage Mon sailors. It's fun to watch their reactions towards all the shocking happenings on board, especially the dramatic 'queer', Yola! I really love how well he played in the show being assigned that role!


A good blend of spine-chilling and humour moments as the trio continues to solve the mystery on who murdered Mia..





The movie also added some romance in it, showing sweet affair between the boat captain's son, Nick, and Mia. Mia, played by Nutcha Jeka, looking so gorgeous here!



Things got even more nerve-racking as the trio encounter not just one ghost on board the ship and have to run for their lives. The fact that the movie took place in a vessel easily add spooky effect too. Feeling curious to find out more just like the trio in the movie, I have my eyes looking at their surrounding in every scene, in search for any hidden ghost. HAHA! (No, I am not going to be a spoiler here to show how the ghost looks like!)







Overall, i feel that the main characters did well playing their roles in the movie (Kala's my favourite character in the movie!). Unlike some other horror movies, “Ghost Ship” has a story to tell.. with unexpected plot. The romance scene are not draggy and strong enough to capture audiences' emotion, as well as showing a good balance of scares and humour in this 95 minutes duration film. Worth a watch? I would say a yes for me! I really enjoyed the show throughout, hope you will too! =)


Monday 4 January 2016

MAGNOLIA 'Drink Milk Fresh' Campaign!

MAGNOLIA's Fresh Milk has always been one of my family's favourite for many, many years!

The leading brand, MAGNOLIA, starts the new year with its 'Drink Milk Fresh' campaign to highlight to its consumers the importance of handling milk safely and understanding consmption patterns, in hope that this knowledge will help consumers enjoy quality fresh produce that is safe.


The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) recommend consumers to finish their milk fresh within three days of opening to get the best quality out of milk. When food is consumed fresh, its nutritional value is at its highest. Milk is no exception. A nutrition powerhouse that supports our heart and bone health, milk is a delicate produce that is best consumed quickly once opened. It is truly important to cultivate the habits of drinking milk fresh early and understand the different ways of handling and storing milk safely to fully capture the pure goodness of this delicious, creamy beverage.

The 'use-by' date serves as an indicator to consumers as to when the milk will remain fresh and safe for consumption. Once the bottle or pack is opened, this date is no longer valid. When opened, milk is exposed to bacteria and begins to lose its quality and freshness rapidly. To drink milk at its freshest, it is therefore important to finish it within three days of opening it.

Nuturing the habit of drinking milk fresh begins with purchasing milk in quantities that mirror the household's consumption level. By buying home two one-litre packs of milk make it easier to finish the packs within three days, rather than a two-litre packs.

Other ways of keeping milk fresh is to preserve the cold chain from the time the milk leaves the production facility to the stores and then to the home. It is recommended that milk or dairy products be picked up last when shopping. Upon reaching home, the milk should be refrigerated right away and stored at temperatures between 2°C and 4°C.

To encourage consumers to start drinking milk fresh, MAGNOLIA rewards its consumers with limited edition MAGNOLIA Collectible Glasses. From 01 January 2016, with every purchase of two one-litre packs of MAGNOLIA Fresh Milk, consumers can collect one of these four stylish glasses at participating supermarkets and outlets, while stocks last.



'Start Fresh, Finish Fresh' Roadshows & Roving Milk Truck

As part of MAGNOLIA's continued efforts to bring fresh milk to its consumers, bring any empty 2-litre milk bottle with the label still intact to the roadshows, in exchange for a free MAGNOLIA 1-litre milk! Consumers can also collect a limited edition 'Start Fresh, Finish Fresh' Glass with every purchase of two 1-litre MAGNOLIA milk packs, exclusively available at the roadshows!

They will be a series of fun activities and quizzes at the roadshow to kick-start the habit of drinking milk at its freshest with MAGNOLIA too!

Roadshows venues, date & time: https://www.facebook.com/notes/fn-magnolia/magnolia-drink-milk-fresh-roadshows-and-roving-milk-truck-details/1101512759860937



MAGNOLIA retails at all supermarkets, hypermarkets, and participating retail outlets. For more details, do check out their webpage www.magnolia.com.sg and their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MagnoliaSG.

Saturday 2 January 2016

Celebrate 2016 Countdown Party

Received a pair of tickets to MediaCorp Celebrate 2016 Countdown Party from the company.


Decided to settle our dinner at Bugis on New Year's Eve and on our way to our dinner venue, bumped into Yang!! Surprised surprised!! =D


Dinner settled at Platypus Kitchen. Ordered Beef Ragu Pappardelle. =)






All ticket holders are not allowed to bring in food and drinks.. which was a little annoying.. But i must say they do provide a variety of food and beer at reasonable prices.





Skyline with passing clouds.. It's beautiful!


Adam Lambert rocking the stage with his performance for a half-hour long. He also included a reggae version of "If I Had You"!













Happy New Year 2016 and Happy Birthday to H.A!!
Hope you enjoyed the show, music, and the spectacular 8-minutes of fireworks! =)
Thank you for the night!