BLOG2u/SGBloggers on Young Upstarts Daniel from Young Upstarts recently did an interview with me regarding BLOG2u’s acquisition of SGBloggers. Check out the article here. Advertising on mobile phone games Here at BLOG2u, we always look for new innovative ways for advertisers to push out their message to the targeted audiences. Today, we are proud to announce that BLOG2u has been appointed as an ads reseller for SBA Mobile Solutions. SBA Mobile Solutions was established in March 2008 as a R&D partner of Singtel. The total number of mobile phone lines in Singapore has exceeded the population of Singapore. Mobile phone has become a part of our lives. Mobile gaming is also on the rise. We believe that advertising on mobile phone games can help our advertisers in getting the message across to the right market. Feel free to contact our sales staff for more information. Going Miles, Bringing Smiles http://projectgmbs.wordpress.com/ “Going Miles, Bringing Smiles” (GMBS) is a project initiated by youths from the Paya Lebar Kovan Youth Group together with volunteers in collaboration with foreign NGO – Family Care Cambodia, Cornerstone Project. [1] It aims to improve the quality of life for orphans, abandoned children, widows, handicapped, blind and the poor in and around Phnom Penh through providing basic needs such as food, clothing, medical attention, educational and job opportunities. Come down and be part of this meaningful event! See you there! Featured Blogger - Faddy Faddy Who are you in online and offline? Offline, I go by the name Faddy, and I am just another statistic in the group of people who dropped out of school to enter the working world. I wake up, I go to work, I spend time with the ones closes to me, and I get back to bed at the end of the night. Wash, rinse, repeat. Online, I still go by the name Faddy, but I am this girl who seems to perpetually be having a ball of a time engaged in different activities. Not because I make up stories, but because I do what I term “selective blogging”. Let our readers know what’s your blog about? A delectable rojak of things - The ups and downs in my life, current issues, reviews on products/events etc. When did you start blogging? My first blog was set up back when I was in fifteen, I think. That’s close to six years and six domain names under my belt :B Yes, I move alot, though I think I’ve found my final parking place in Fingersdontfing.com Why do you blog? Writing and photography are my numero uno passion. Blogging gives me a platform to ’showcase’ my passion without having to conform to restrictions and reach to standards that other mainstream media might require for What platform do you use for blogging? Why? I used to blog on blogspot.com, and subsequently moved to wordpress.com for the ‘professional’ factor that the latter provides. I have now bought my own domain (fingersdontfing.wordpress.com would be a mouthful wouldn’t it?), and powered it with Wordpress, which I think is the best combination any serious blogger should look into. Why? Because with this partnership, you can pretty much control every single aspect to how your blog looks like and functions. Who/Where do you get your inspiration from? Everything that is happening around me What is a difficult thing for you to blog about? Hands down, interesting things I did which my mother might not be happy about :/ Quite a range of my family members, from aunties to uncles and cousins, read my blog and somehow information trickles down to my mother (who has yet to master the art of using the internet, Thank God hehe). There were numerous times when the mother and I would get into tiffs due to the content of my blog and as she wears the pants in the family, she almost always wins. What is your most controversial post? Personally, for me, would be the time I blogged about my trip to Bali with an aunt and a friend. I come from a conservative Malay-Muslim family, and it being my first time overseas, I was giddy with the freedom that embraced me. I switched from my normal moderate clothes wear to something more revealing, cam-whore in it, posted the guilty pictures up on my blog and… BAM BAM BOOM suddenly I found my entire wardrobe ransacked, all my clothes dumped into the rubbish collector downstairs and the woman who wears the pants in the family clawing my eyes out. Needless to say, it was an experience I will never forget. Is there any topic you won’t blog? My really, really personal issues that would involve other people. Yes, this is my blog and my freedom of speech, but these other people too have their share of rights. I have learnt to claim responsibility for my content as they may very well be read by dozens of strangers a day. Any blog stalkers yet? Thank God, no. The closest I have to that were people quoting chunks off my blog, and random strangers emailing me at the end of the day that they saw me doing this and that at a certain place. Which, btw, can be kind of unnerving when you know you did something quite ‘wrong’ at some point of time during the day. Has blogging changed your life? I wouldn’t say that it has changed my life, but what I can say is that it has improved my quality of life by leaps and bounds. Emotionally it has helped me express my thoughts and feelings, socially I have made countless new friends through it (I met my current boyfriend through a blogger friend) and financially it has given me some spare change to shop with Have you ever been recognized outside by your blog readers? (If yes, say more about the experience) Yes, quite a number of times. The two most memorable ones would be:- 1) Stumbling upon a long time reader of mine of whose existence I know naught about till the day we met. I remember it because I was actually thinking how gorgeous she was whilst we were seated on the tram at Sentosa. Suddenly she approached me and introduced herself. Many men would have loved to be in my shoe that day, I reckon 2) Rushing to the cubicle in a toilet at Ngee Ann Poly when the other girl in the toilet suddenly called out my name. I gave her a dazed look whilst she introduced herself, exchanged some quick words and I left to enter the cubicle without so much as a goodbye. Memorable because I passed myself off as a bumbling idiot, and because I find it cool that I could even stumble into a reader at a toilet at Ngee Ann, of all places! Would you ever sell your blog? If yes, how much? Yes, if the price is right… namely it must be enough for me to set up another blog and engage in even more interesting costly activities for me to blog about ha ha ha! When not blogging, what do you usually do? Spending quality time with my family, boyfriend and close friends… Without the time I spend with them, I will have nothing to blog about What is the craziest thing you ever done in real life? Getting inspiration from a drunk guy at the bus stop, I started to make my way home (alone, mind you) swaggering with a Hundred Plus bottle in hand, trying to mimic what I saw and oblivious to the fact that I had to make my way through 3 - 4 different blocks. (75% of which had their windows opened and a 20% chance there might be someone looking out the window at me - The Girl Who Got Drunk on Hundred Plus). What? You don’t mean ‘crazy’ literally? Oh. Oops. What do you see in BLOG2u that makes you keen to engage with them (ok, this question a bit kelong, haha) Friendly personalized correspondences and out of the way service. For example, DK who answers my queries through his i Phone during reservist, and Alloiscius who constantly reminds my boyfriend and I that he loves our blogger-photographer combination. What has BLOG2u make you feel special as their blogger? As said previously, the personalized correspondences and the wonderful service!!! Would you recommend BLOG2u to your friends? (OK, this question more kelong then the previous one) Of course! Getting paid by wonderful people to write about an interesting product / event? That’s a win-win-win situation right there, kids. If you are stuck in a deserted island and you are allowed to choose 1 blogger to be with you, who will you choose and why? (OK, sound like Miss Universe question. Must finish with a world peace hor) Only because my boyfriend isn’t a blogger, I would choose the man behind chubbyhubby.net. With a person who can whip up delicious food out of anything and has travelled to practically everywhere, I pretty much think my survival is no longer an uncertainty, but a guarantee Oh, and World Peace! Any chance our readers can date you out? Fortunately not (for mankind). One man has suffered enough (still is suffering) for the rest of you http://www.fingersdontfing.com Yesterday.SG Takes On Major Facelift on Feb 6th 09! Can we possibly make heritage hip and happening to the young? Well, I certainly believe that this can be done through the united team of Yesterday.SG from NHB. The relaunch of Yesterday.SG took place on 6th February 2009 at the Singapore Philatelic Museum Check it out @ http://www.yesterday.sg for more details. Samsung Hope SAMSUNG Electronics recently launched SAMSUNG Hope, the company’s new corporate philanthropic initiative aimed at bringing communities together to help underprivileged children. SAMSUNG is pledging a record US$700,000 in grants to 21 child-focused beneficiaries across the region. For the first time, this unique programme enables Singaporeans to actively contribute to causes they believe in by deciding how the funding should be allocated. From now till 12 February 2009, Singaporeans can go online to www.samsunghope.org and pledge their votes to a beneficiary that they support. Three organisations or fund-raising bodies that have made significant contributions in addressing children’s issues were identified in each of the seven markets that SAMSUNG operates in, across the region. Information on the beneficiaries has been uploaded on the SAMSUNG Hope microsite (www.samsunghope.org). Singaporeans can now support their favourite beneficiary by pledging to let hope take off. Each beneficiary will receive a US$30,000 base grant, with additional grant allocation determined by the number of online pledges it receives from the public. The three local beneficiaries identified are: Singapore Children’s Society Founded in 1952 by a group of concerned citizens and expatriates, the Singapore Children’s Society aims to help and nurture children and youth from all races and religions, especially those who are abused, neglected or are from dysfunctional families. Each year, the Singapore Children’s Society reaches out to more than 12,000 children, youth and families through ten centres located around the island. These centres are located in the older residential estates and lower income districts in Singapore. Mainly I Love Kids (MILK) Funds Registered in June 2004, MILK Fund is a charity organisation that aims to help children who are either physically challenged or come from troubled communities, to ensure that they are not marginalised. Through a holistic approach that includes preventative and rehabilitative programmes, the MILK Fund provides transformational help to the families and the community by working with committed partners, to guide these disadvantaged children back to mainstream society. Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund was initiated on Children’s Day (October 1) in the year 2000 by The Straits Times, to heighten public awareness of the plight of children from low-income families who were attending school without proper breakfast, or pocket money to sustain their day in school. The aim is to alleviate the financial burden faced by parents in providing for their children’s education. At the same time the funds will help children who are already facing difficulties to remain in school and receive education. SAMSUNG Hope is also the new umbrella name for all SAMSUNG’s Corporate Social Responsibility activities in the Asia Pacific region. Goldy-The Legendary Mecha Cosplayer About Goldy: Goldy is one of the Tokyo Representatives of World Cosplay Summit 2006 Championship. He is a world class and world famous Mecha Cosplayer and costume maker. He was the winner of the Special Award in the World Cosplay Summit 2006. In 2004, he attended America’s Anime Expo and has legions of fans worldwide. In 2007 and 2008, he participated in TAM2007(Thailand Animation & Multimedia) and in World Cosplay Festival 2008 of South Korea. Specially flown in from Tokyo, Japan, Goldy will be conducting a “Goldy Costumes Props MasterClass” on the day of the Cosplay Challenge, 31st January 2009 from 10.00am – 1.00pm. This will be a great chance for Singapore Cosplayers to interact with Goldy san, who is very happy to be able to meet you all. The Singapore Cosplay Club hope this will be able to benefit the Singapore Cosplayers in their costume making! More details of what he would be teaching coming soon! Places are limited!!! To sign up for the class , kindly email to goldymasterclass@cosplaychallenge.com To all friends and supporters, please come support the first brand new event “Cosplay Challenge 09” at the Singapore Discovery Centre. A brand New Look- Yesterday.SG The revamp of Yesterday.sg follows feedback from a survey of 300 users in July 2008. Contrary to popular belief that heritage only appeal to the mature, most visitors were young, with the majority aged between 18 and 34. Many users found the site useful as a resource for schoolwork and research projects. Survey respondents generally liked the site but asked for better navigation and more interactive features and these have been incorporated into the new portal. Come and experience refreshing new ways to engage in heritage as Yesterday.sg undergoes a major transformation. Yesterday.sg unveils a brand new look together with exciting new features on 6 February 2009! Furnished with a discussion platform, an interactiveToday in History component and a series of quirky internet-based video series titled Heritage TV, the much-loved museum blog site promises refreshing content that encapsulates Singapore’s heritage! FACTSHEET ON YESTERDAY.SG • Launched in March 2006 with a core group of heritage enthusiasts who regularly blog on heritage-related topics on their own sites. Known as Friends of Yesterday.sg (FOYers), the group now stands at 38. • There is at least one new post each day. To date 1630 blog entries • Average reads per post stands at about 300 • 30,000 Page Views per month • 15,000 Unique Visitors per month • Almost 1,500 comments made to date • 2427 registered members. • In their paper “The State of the Museum Blogosphere” in 2007, Museums and the Web ranked Yesterday.sg the 5th top museum blog in the world! • A survey in July 2008 showed that a majority of readers are in their mid-20s to mid-30s FACTSHEET ON HERITAGE TV (HTV) • Conceptualised in mid-2008, HTV is produced in-house by NHB’s Corporate Communications team. • The driving force behind HTV was to provide a different platform to interest the younger generation in our heritage. Given the popularity of vodcasts, it was felt that screening YouTube-like videos, deliberately edited in a similar raw, unpretentious manner, on heritage would appeal to this Net-savvy generation. This will in turn trigger their curiosity and intrigue the young to embark on their own journey to discover their heritage. It is also hoped that users will in time, contribute their own videos and in so doing, helping us to build a citizen-based video archives with snapshots of Singapore culture and heritage. • HTV aims to cover interesting facets of our local heritage and the various activities happening in our museums round the island. • From a survey done in July 2008, most of our readers are between ages of 18 and 34 and visit Yesterday.sg for school projects and research purposes. HTV will act as a learning tool to enhance their encounters with heritage. • Each video will be uploaded together with an accompanying blog post, to further furnish the reader with details on the broadcasted topic *StarHub Business Promotion* Please log on to http://www.starhub.com Call Travis Lim at 91476120 or email him at kokhoe@starhub.com to find out more” Happy Chinese New Year 2009! BLOG2U Team wishes everyone a delightful Happy Chinese New Year 2009!!! CosPlay Challenge 09 - Presented by the S’pore Discovery Centre CosPlay Challenge 09 With Singapore aiming to move towards a creative and artistic society, S’pore Discovery Centre hopes to reach out to youths who are strong in these areas and who have the determination to succeed in whatever they set out to do. An activity such as Cosplay Challenge 09 propels its players toward their wildest imagination as they set out in search of innovative ways to create and present their favourite characters for the final showcase. Cosplay Challenge 09 is a gathering of committed, creative and hardworking youths who will make their own costumes from scratch with the determination of steel. To support these youths in their ambition, we will have 12 custom-made Cosplay Workshops designed to help them reach their goals in creating their own costumes. For a start, all contestants will be required to select a character they really like or wish to cosplay, and after which the instructors will guide them to make their cosplay dreams come true. From now till 31st January 09, a special exhibition displaying valuable ‘weapons’ and costumes await you in SDC. Be enthralled by costumes featured in anime, games and even movies! To round up the whole event, a Cosplay Challenge Party will be held for all contestants to reveal their creations to the public on the final day! A top prize of $1000 awaits the winner while the 2nd and 3rd prize will walk away with $750 and $500 respectively. What are you waiting for? Join the workshops, make friends and have fun! Date: 31st January 2009 Time: 10.00am – 8.00pm Venue: Spore Discovery Centre Ticketing: $10 per person/ $8 per person if you come in a group of 4 Event Special: Specially chartered Cosplay Challenge Buses waiting to bring you to the Spore Discovery Centre at Boon Lay MRT Website: www.cosplaychallenge.com Cosplay Challenge Event Highlights Cosplay Challenge 09 Competition Goldy MasterClass and Gun Modification Workshops Anime Musical Live! (Symponic band playing Final Fantasy songs, Ponyo!, Kingdom Hearts) World Cosplay Summit Screening Doujinshi/Cosplay/Anime booths (lots and lots of them!) Cosplay Party (free buffet for cosplayers who sign up with us via email) Featured Blogger-Maureen Maureen Who are you in online and offline? Foodie online, student offline. Let our readers know what’s your blog about? Jaime-La-Nourriture, is actually a phrase in French, which means “I love food”. So obviously, this blog is about food! Living in this small island may not be that bad after all, as there is always a wide variety of food to choose from. Be it new restaurants in town, or something interesting I have found, good recommendations I have, etc etc, as long as it’s food that I have tried, I blog them down. The difference between my food blog and the rest is, I write them in Chinese. A French blog name with Chinese content – weird! (Note: Jaime is not my name! haha) When did you start blogging? I started my first personal blog when I was 17 years old. It was a trend then. It was only when I started doing my internship in a local food magazine during July 2007 that I set up this food blog. Why do you blog? When I did my internship in a local food magazine, my daily job is to write and write about the latest culinary / food scene in Singapore. I would have piles of press releases to read, many many many food tasting events to attend, and then I realize that perhaps I should keep a record of all my articles so that my testimonial can look better. Initially I printed my articles out and file it up. But after awhile, I felt sinful killing too many trees, so I set up this blog and post all my articles online. Not only can I keep a soft copy of everything, I can also share it with others. What platform do you use for blogging? Why? Blogspot.com. It was the only platform that I heard of 5 years ago and it looks the most simplified and idiot proof. Everyone is using it, so if there’s anything I am not sure, I can just ask around. Who/Where do you get your inspiration from? I get inspiration from the food I eat everyday! From newspaper articles, from recipe books, from the aunties and uncles in hawker centres, from the dishes that my Ah Gong cooks! What is a difficult thing for you to blog about? Sometimes when a restaurant invites me to food tasting, sorry to say but some of their dishes are really not very nice. It’s either too salty, too common, too oily, or simply the combination is weird. So it is difficult to blog them down. I mean I don’t want to be mean and criticize how lousy the food is, but on the other hand, I have to give a fair review to my readers. So when it comes to this, I have to be extra tactful with my words. Is there any topic you won’t blog? Since this is a food blog, I strictly keep it to food related stuffs. So non-food issues are out! Any blog stalkers yet? Not as yet. But once in a while, I do have a few readers who ask me questions like “Why you blog in Chinese”, “You don’t understand English is it?”. Aiyo please leh, I want to be special can anot? You don’t understand Chinese, then you can admire the photos lah. Plus, the restaurant addresses are all in English. Has blogging changed your life? Definitely. I never realize blogging community can be so fun, till I meet new people, attend outings with a bunch of passionate foodies and get amazed by the number of people who actually know about my blog. It is a great way to meet and communicate with people who have the same interests as you. Also, I learn to look at food in a more critical perspective. I used have a premature taste bud. I don’t have my own views and standard of saltiness and sweetness. To me, everything tasted fine in my mouth. It was only when I started to work and blog about food that I slowly learn to appreciate and critic the things that go into my mouth, understand the hard work behind every chef, and be more adventurous in the things I eat. And aiyo keep eating makes me fat. But what to do, I own a food blog, so because I have to eat to blog, I have to exercise to maintain! Healthy lifestyle yea?!~ Have you ever been recognized outside by your blog readers? (If yes, say more about the experience) Don’t have lah, I am not identifiable enough. SADNESS! Haha Would you ever sell your blog? If yes, how much? Yes, unless you can prove to me that you have eaten everything that I have eaten. When not blogging, what do you usually do? 1. I spend my weekends giving tuition. 2. I play the piano. 3. I go for workout. 4. I spend my free afternoons in Kinokuniya. 5. I meddle with my tarot cards. What is the craziest thing you ever done in real life? Did a music video for a school project where we composed our own song about Singapore popular bloggers, Steven Lim, Xia Xue, Mr Brown and Lao Zha Bor, called “Bloggers United”. I acted as the Lao Zha Bor. ADD LINK.. It has reached 18,000 hits so far, and it was once featured in YES 93.3FM as well as on the real Lao Zha Bor’s blog. http://www..youtube.com/watch?v=AgY2KSP-55E What do you see in BLOG2u that makes you keen to engage with them (ok, this question abit kelong, haha) Upfront payment, you don’t want meh? And the 1.9m tall handsome chap is sincere and friendly, so must support. What has BLOG2u make you feel special as their blogger? I was just an ordinary girl who loves to eat. But thanks to blog2u, I felt like a star and realize that blogging about food can be that awesome. J Would you recommend BLOG2u to your friends? (OK, this question more kelong then the previous one) Ya la, so good, of course must recommend la. If you are stuck in a deserted island and you are allowed to choose 1 blogger to be with you, who will you choose and why? (OK, sound like Miss Universe question. Must finish with a world peace hor) Chubby Hubby. Chubby enough to entertain me, no lah I’m kidding. He has travelled to so many countries, has creative ways of dealing with food (perhaps we can fish out some seafood from the ocean, cook it and eat) and takes great photographs, so I guess it will be interesting to talk to this intelligent man and listen to his experiences. And before I forget, World Peace! Hehe Any chance our readers can date you out? Sure, why not? If you love hunting around for yummy food just like me, perhaps we can even be makan kakis! http://jaime-la-nourriture.blogspot.com StarHub Business Promotion for this week - Ushering in prosperity with cost-efficient solutions Please log on to www.starhub.com “StarHub Business Promotion for this week - Ushering in prosperity with cost-efficient solutions Call Travis Lim at 91476120 or email him at kokhoe@starhub.com to find out more” BLOG2u takes over SGBloggers Today marks a new milestone for BLOG2u and SGBloggers. BLOG2u Pte Ltd announced today that it has acquired SGBloggers, a local blog hosting site catering to the needs of Singaporean. As a new media advertising network, BLOG2u believes that SGBloggers’ services complements our existing business model. With SGBloggers, BLOG2u will be able to reach out to a wider audience and roll out new services to help bridge new media between companies and bloggers. Featured Blogger-DaintyFlair http://www.daintyflair.net Who are you in online and offline? I believe I am pretty much the same both online and offline. Sometimes, I am quite reserved. And other times, I am quite bitchy. I speak from my mind most of the time. I just believe in being yourself and not wearing a mask most of the time. It’s really tiring Let our readers know what’s your blog about? I guess my blog is one of the most boring ones. I blog about my personal life, my thoughts on some local issues, reviews on products/restaurants/food/random stuff, etc. When did you start blogging? Way before 2004. But sadly, I lost the archives. Otherwise, you might have a chance to laugh at my stupidity hehe… What platform do you use for blogging? Why? Wordpress. I am fascinated by this blogging platform. It has awesome themes and plugins which made my blogging tactics a lot easier! I love shortcuts Who/Where do you get your inspiration from? I get my inspirations from my daily life and from people around me. What is a difficult thing for you to blog about? Political stuff What is your most controversial post? I don’t think I have any controversial post, yet. I’d love to have one though Is there any topic you won’t blog? I won’t blog about anything that is related to porn, sex, political issues. Any blog stalkers yet? Maybe? I used to have a lot of haters which I don’t know why. Jealousy? Nothing better to do? I don’t know. That happened when I was designing blogskins at Blogskins.com. I’ve changed my URL more than 3 times. I guess they couldn’t find me now Has blogging changed your life? Indeed. It changed my life, my lifestyle and my persona. I was quite an introvert before. But after I started blogging, I found a new way to communicate with my online & offline friends. I am glad I can update them about my personal life and let them know about my thoughts I am more open and jovial now. Have you ever been recognized outside by your blog readers? (If yes, say more about the experience) They don’t approach me in person. But sometimes, they recognized the wrong person and would ask me when I go online. I guess I look pretty common. Would you ever sell your blog? If yes, how much? Well, I’ll never sell my blog cos it’s my online identity What is the name of your blog? What’s the URL? the QUEEN and her BLING, this name just popped out of my mind when I was thinking of one. Ironic isn’t it? URL is at http://www.daintyflair.net When not blogging, what do you usually do? I frequent a particular local beauty forum almost 24/7. At times, I’d fiddle around with Photoshop to learn new skills. Otherwise, you’d find me indulging in TV dramas or handmade stuff (cross-stitching, etc). You’d also find me at the zoo, outside window shopping, prawn fishing, cycling, etc. I have a wide range of interests! What is the craziest thing you ever done in real life? Not yet. I’ll probably let you know once I have it! Why did you use BLOG2u? (OK, i know this question abit kelong) For extra income and to make more new friends! Would you recommend BLOG2u to your friends? (OK, this question more kelong then the previous one=p) Of course! If you are stuck in a deserted island and you are allowed to choose 1 blogger to be with you, who will you choose and why? (OK, sound like Miss Universe question. Must finish with a world peace hor) I’d choose someone who is fun to be with. My first choice would be Xiaxue, cos I love her being straightforward. I don’t understand why a lot of people hate her. She has character you know? Any chance our readers can date you out? No problem. As long as he/she is not someone crazy or pervertic, I’d gladly welcome him/her Happy Holidays Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. From BLOG2u & BAK2u crew Dim Sum Dollies Day Out I managed to book out from reservist early enough to catch the Dim Sum Dollies at the National Museum of Singapore. It was a short musical performance but it was very entertaining. The 3 ladies from the Dim Sum Dollies are great performers. The Dim Sum Dollies performance is part of the Explore Singapore 2008 activities held by the National Heritage Board. This award-winning museum-going campaign is aimed at positioning museums as accessible and enjoyable lifestyle destinations, and encourages members of the public to embark on fun and fascinating journeys to discover our colourful past, rich heritage, exciting art and vibrant cultures. Join us this Sunday, 7 December, at the Asian Civilisations Musuem between 1 to 6pm for The Wrap! Festival. Wrap! Festival 2008 Wrap! Festival Join us for a musical extravaganza celebrating Asian Culture! Delight you taste buds with yummy desserts at their dessert fair and enjoy a special performance by world-famous Nanta, winner of best performance at the 1999 Edinburgh Fringe Festival! Combining traditional Korean drumming with comic and drama, Nanta’s performance is not to be missed! You can also soak up the cultural rhytms of a Dikir Barat performance and groove to the tunes from popular musiclal duo Jack and Rai from EIC. Other highlights include at first magic show in the galleries by magician Jeremy Pei, who will amaze and awe! Kids will love the bouncing castle, face painting, ballon twisters and more! There will be a good photo opportunity during the performance to highlight the fun-filled celebration of music and culture with our national heritage. One-on-one interview opportunities with the following spokespeople can also be arranged: NANTA Jack and Rai Jeremy Pei Details of the event are as follows: Date: 7 December, Sunday Time: 1 pm to 6pm Venue: Asian Civilisations Musuem So join us for loads of fun and entertainment for this entire family! We look forward to catch you at the Wrap! Festival this Sunday! Featured Blogger - GloriouslyFat http://gloriouslyfat.com Who are you in online and offline? I am pretty much the same person. I don’t see why there should be a difference. Ok then again, maybe I stare at more cute guys online then offline. I can’t really be bothered with cute guys in reality. Haha!!! Let our readers know what’s your blog about? my blog is about me myself and i ! This is going to sound so self centered but I don’t see why it should be anybody else. I write about my thoughts, my opinions, my favourite foods, my days out and my lousy relationships When did you start blogging? I am growing too old. I can’t remember >. I think 2002 ? 2001 ? What platform do you use for blogging? Why? Teenopendiary- which doesn’t even exist now. Everybody was talking about blogspot.com. Since it had such a ugly name (or so I thought… sounds like blobblob lah !) I decided to use some which sounded more appealing to me at that point of time. Who/Where do you get your inspiration from? Life at large ! What is a difficult thing for you to blog about? People and relationships. As much as I would love to write about contemporary controversial topics, I have pretty much stopped. Even though alot of bloggers would argue that their blog is their space and they have every right to write about whatever they want to. I believe that we should still exercise some form of responsibility. So yar, I find it exceedingly difficult to openly bitch about somebody or something openly because I know that they will be reading and its just not morally right. Anyways, I guess that’s why I will always allocate a slot at StarBuck Cafe to talk about the more difficult things I can’t or rather choose not to blog about. What is your most controversial post? Men and porn ? I do not believe that absolute monogamy exists but I do not understand how some men can fantasize about other women and claim they love you with all their heart and soul. It’s just wrong. Is there any topic you won’t blog? Yar sure. My ex boyfriend and maybe his dog. Any blog stalkers yet? I have people who use to quote verbatim chunks from my blog but blog stalking… I don’t know and I don’t really care. So if I found out that anyone’s blog stalking me then they must be doing a really bad job at it. Has blogging changed your life? Blogging hasn’t changed my life. I don’t see why blogging should change anybody’s life since we are all blogging about life. (: Have you ever been recognized outside by your blog readers? (If yes, say more about the experience) Not yet. Even if anybody ever recognized me .. they probably think I look too intimidating. Or some people have feedback I am really nice actually. So say hi the next time please ! No point just mailing me on Friendster. It gets you nowhere. Would you ever sell your blog? If yes, how much? Of course ! ^_^ I am not good with numbers but the sum of money should be enough for me to retire, buy a mansion and a posh and live in luxury for the rest of my life. Cash and PayPal payments will both be accepted.Hehe! What is the name of your online store? What’s the URL? ROOM18 ! http://ROOM18.Livejournal.com What do you sell at your online store? ROOM 18 regards every customer as an individual. We handpick, hand carry and deliver everything from simple basics to pieces with hit cutting-edge styles, all with alot of love. Where do you get the goods from? ROOM18 Hand carry stuffs from all over. So far we have brought in stuff from Korea, Taiwan, HongKong and Thailand Who are your customers? Pretty ladies who want to distinguish themselves from the average crowd ! What’s your future plans for your store? You will have to be on the ROOM18 mailing list to be the first to find out any juicy plans we are coming out with When not blogging, what do you usually do? Oohhh Loads ! I enjoy a wide range of activities. You can find me at rollerblading at ECP on many nights trying to work on my butt, shopping all around town, jetting around. What is the craziest thing you ever done in real life? If I told you.. it wouldn’t be crazy already. You’ve got to see me do it ! Why did you use BLOG2u? (OK, i know this question abit kelong) Lols. Because some tall good tempered chap introduced it to me. He is so nice and sharing, I instantly believed him when he said this will be a good opportunity for me. And yar, BLOG2u is fantastic exposure and it gives bloggers loads of perks ! Would you recommend BLOG2u to your friends? (OK, this question more kelong then the previous one) This question is a bit tough. I think I am suppose to say yes since I don’t want to risk not having anymore sponsored review offers. Nah, I am joking I will definitely recommend BLOG2u to my friends. If you are stuck in a deserted island and you are allowed to choose 1 blogger to be with you, who will you choose and why? (OK, sound like Miss Universe question. Must finish with a world peace hor) Are you Kidding ? I don’t know alot of bloggers. At least there is nobody that will put up with my nonsense without killing me on a deserted island. I don’t mind anybody. Preferable somebody who is fat and juicy so I will have a fresh source of meat for dinner for at least a week So with all that is said, anybody wants to volunteer and spend some alone time with me on a deserted island ? Any chance our readers can date you out? I cannot believe anybody would ask this question after I said I was gonna eat them up on a deserted island. But ok, there is a chance that I will go out with my readers. But this shall be on a case basis. Interested applicants can contact Alloiscius to arrange for an interview :p hehe! Invites: iPod Nano accessories reviews Are you a iPod Nano owner? Contact us for a limited number of review units of iPod crystal, leather or silicon case and backup battery. Items will be sent by post (Singapore). For local bloggers in Singapore only. Ads for Shop2u.SG Explore Singapore 2008! Let’s Have Fun!!! In its 3rd year running, Explore Singapore! is an annual campaign organized by National Heritage Board to help create a museum-going culture. Come 20 Nov - 7 Dec 2008, Explore Singapore! will show you a whole new side to museums. Soak into the lifestyle and experience museums like never before. Catch Vernetta Lopez, Vincent Ng, Violet Oon, a brand new musical by Dim Sum Dollies and much more … you’ll be sure to find something to suit your taste, be it Romance, Wellness, Kids Activities, Nightlife, Shopping, Food and Adventure.Check out the HungryGoWhere.com Big Eat Out! this Sat, 22 Nov at the Peranakan Museum, where you can pig out to your top hawkers as you do their part for charity. Better yet, there will be Flea markets and a special museum tour by funnyman Mark Lee! FREE entry to Senior Citizens (60 years an above) at all National Heritage Board museums from the 23 Nov - 30 Nov. 8Q sam Asian Civilisations Museum Memories at Old Ford Factory National Museum of Singapore Peranakan Museum Reflections at Bukit Chandu Singapore Art Museum Singapore Philatelic Museum More details at http://www.exploresingapore.com.sg/ Pay attention to Online Advertising Clutter A survey by Burst! (2002) found that web users generally accept advertising on a webpage. However, their findings also show that for a large majority (63%) there is low tolerance for more than two units; one-third of web users said that they could tolerate a single advertisement per web page, and another 30% of respondents said they could tolerate two ads per page. More than one in three (36%) repondents said they would immediately leave a site if it appeared cluttered with advertising. This finding is nearly identical for men and women, and for all income segments analyzed. Teens (13-17) are more likely than other age segments to abandon a site perceived as cluttered. Source: The Online Advertising Playbook Singapore Cancer Society Established in 1964, the Singapore Cancer Society is a self-funding voluntary welfare organization on a mission to prevent and control cancer, and enhance health and quality of life in the community through education, research and patient care services.   We have since assumed a leading role in the promotion of cancer prevention and control through education and research. Today, our services have extended to include looking after the special needs of cancer patients and their families. This include the provision of financial assistance to needy cancer stricken families, continual support for cancer survivors,  rehabilitation care for patients receiving treatment, and home medical care for terminally ill cancer patients. We do not receive any funds from the Community Chest, and depend on public contributions and support to carry on our good work for the community.  In addition to receiving pledges and outright donations from charitable organizations and individuals, we try to raise some funds by collaborating with other organizations to organize charity programs every year. Website http://www.singaporecancersociety.org.sg Featured Blogger -Cris Lim http://theyoungbusinessman.biz/ Who are you in online and offline? Very interesting question actually. I don’t play the role of anyone in particular online and offline actually. I am a full time student and part time businessman by day and by night respectively. I’ll have to insist that you talk to me face to face to find out more about me. Let our readers know what’s your blog about? The Young Businessman is a blog dedicated in providing entrepreneurship articles, startup reviews and video of the weeks for readers who are interested in reading and finding more about becoming an entrepreneur. There are many different types of business related blogs around in Singapore, and I try to differentiate my blog from the rest by providing fresher and alternate contents. Occasionally, if I have the chance, I will do some coverage of tech gadgets and events that I have attended. I am currently in my next phase of blog maintenance where I will be rolling out some very interesting initiatives and freebies for all my readers. When did you start blogging? I think its 2005. I can’t remember actually because I was switching blogs ever so frequently. May 2007 was the birth of The Young Businessman (blogspot) while Sept 2008 was the official relaunch of The Young Businessman on another platform. What platform do you use for blogging? Why? Wordpress. As compared to Blogger, it gave me the flexibility and control I needed to run my blog - I publish what I need and edit what I dislike. When it comes to blogging platforms, I can be extremely fussy on the functions and the features that a platform can provide. Blog platforms like Multiply and Xanga are definitely out of the question because they have too many advertisements around the blog itself. What do you usually blog about? I have previously tried sharing about my personal life but I somehow fail to turn my thoughts into words. But fortunately, I like to blog about entrepreneurship, and anything related to it. I also personally like to write technology gadget reviews and blog event coverages if an opportunity arises. You can check out my categories to view my past writings. I did a mini stint at Crystal Coast Tech Blog 2 years ago, writing for them the latest technology news and picking up some tips on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Who/Where do you get your inspiration from? I spend alot of time online reading and researching, probably up to 4 hours each day after finishing all my revisions. Google, I should say, has been a great source of inspiration for most of my writings and not forgetting the feeds that I subscribe to on Google Reader. Sometimes I may get inspiration from my lecture notes or sermons from church because the things being taught are really relevant towards being an entrepreneur. What is the craziest thing you ever blog about? Telling everyone on my blog what I would do to get free movie tickets. (I did go to the movie but I did not feel good about it.) It was really a bad move because some of my friends have since then labeled me a cheapskate. There is indeed no free lunch in this world because you have to use something to exchange for it in return. It took me quite a while to understand that concept. Haha Is there any topic you won’t blog? Yes. Anything related to sex and pornography although it helps alot in blog traffic and attention. I strongly believe that my blog is my personal portfolio of what I can do and provide. Blogging about my personal life is totally out of the question too because there are too many eyes reading my blog. Has blogging changed your life? Blogging has definitely changed my life in one way or another. I have been pretty “lucky”, or I should say blessed with some contests of which I have taken part in. The prizes included an Apple iPhone , an Apple Macbook , a 1 year pass from National Heritage Board and a Sony PSP . The Young Businessman blog has definitely been a wonderful journey for me to meet like minded people both in Singapore and around the world where we can share our experiences with one another, perhaps learn from each other’s past mistakes too! Have you ever been recognized outside by your blog readers? (If yes, say more about the experience) No. Don’t wish to, unless I am as famous as EastCoastLife or Jack Neo! Haha! Would you ever sell your blog? If yes, how much? Yes. The price is negotiable. I want to use the money to invest in another blog idea that I am having for quite some time. When not blogging, what do you usually do? I am not a bookworm but I love to read especially Forbes Asia. Blogging allows me to process my flow of thoughts, while reading allows me to fire up my wildest imagination! I will occasionally travel to Batam for some water sports activities if time and money permits. If I’m really lazy, I will probably do youtube surfing for all my favorite music videos. Oh did I forget to mention? I am a BIG fan of Prison Break, Numb3rs, The Real Hustle and Top Gear (UK)! Where do you usually hang out during weekend? I am an active volunteer in City Harvest Children Church every Saturday because I believe in nurturing the next generation of leaders with the correct values and beliefs. Sundays are reserved and dedicated to the people whom I love dearly. Use 1 word to describe yourself. Interesting. What is the craziest thing you ever done in real life? Burning my hair using a lighter! Was really curious and inspired by a video I saw online and decided to try it out. The whole house smelt really bad after that. I was asked to go visit a hair salon immediately after that mini stunt. It was definitely crazy but at least both my brother and I really had a good laugh. Why did you use BLOG2u? (OK, i know this question abit kelong) Paddy went all the way out to support me on my Blogopreneur eBook. featuring startups using internet and social media to promote their products and services. When Blog2u was launched, my only way of saying thanks is to sign up and support him. Besides, which other blog advertising agencies pay you first beforehand to advertise on their behalf?! Would you recommend BLOG2u to your friends? (OK, this question more kelong then the previous one) Definitely. If I don’t, I will be a very selfish guy then! If you have a chance to have coffee with someone of importance, who would you choose? Mr William Rhodes, Senior Vice Chairman of Citigroup Inc. and the Chairman of Citigroup and Citibank. He is definitely a successful problem solver when it comes to countries’ who are in big debt and trouble. Entrepreneurs, I believe, must be good problem solvers, otherwise, they aren’t different from any other individuals or companies providing similar products and services. Any chance our readers can date you out? Of course! Why not? A simple meal by the beach? I’m open to networking and meeting new friends! http://theyoungbusinessman.biz/ Announcing the Winners of the Heritage Starbloggers Competition 2008 We thank you for all your support and participation! http://yesterday.sg Unleashing ideas: Global Entrepreneurship Week Global Entrepreneurship Week is a week of celebration of innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity. During the period of 17-23 Nov 2008, there will be a lineup of activities and events to engage the whole nation in entrepreneurial aspirations. It’s the entrepreneurial energy, creativity and motivation which will bring together millions of young people across the globe through online and local activities to unleash their ideas.To think big. To turn their ideas into reality. To make their mark. Global Entrepreneurship Week is a combination and expansion of two successful initiatives, the debut of Entrepreneurship Week USA in 2007 and the inspiration behind it, Enterprise Week in the UK which was kicked off in 2004 by now-Prime Minister Gordon Brown. During the last year, these two efforts - led by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in the US and the Make Your Mark campaign in the UK - combined to engage 2,720 partner organizations planning 6,891 activities that directly involved 929,449 individuals. Thousands of pieces of media coverage amplified the message, reaching tens of millions. Today, entrepreneurial individuals appear from all walks of life to exploit business opportunities for both economic and social gains. Global Entrepreneurship Week will connect young people everywhere through local, national and global activities designed to help them explore their potential as self-starters and innovators. Students, educators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, employees, non-profit leaders, government officials and many others will participate in a range of activities - online and face-to-face - to harness the energy of social networking, to connect people taking action in their local and global communities and to celebrate entrepreneurship across the globe. Entrepreneurs occupy a central position in our market economy. They serve as the spark plug in our economy’s engine, activating and stimulating all economic activity. The most dynamic societies in the world are the ones that have the most entrepreneurs, plus the economic and legal structure to encourage and motivate entrepreneurs to greater activities. Overall, the Week will tap into a culture with a passion for networking. It will blend into the fabric of everyday life, engaging young people in school, at home, on the web and at work. Through this initiative, the next generation of entrepreneurs will be inspired and emerge. In doing so, they will begin to acquire the knowledge, skills, networks and values needed to grow innovative, sustainable enterprises that have a positive impact on their lives and the lives of those around them. Join us in the celebration of the Global Entrepreneurship Week in Singapore from 17-23 Nov 2008. There will be a lineup of activities and events to engage the whole nation in entrepreneurial aspirations. http://www.entrepreneurshipweeksg.org/ Blog Recommendation Each week, we will ask our CEO, CTO, COO and Sales Manager to recommend a blog that they are reading. The blog can be from any country and by anyone. Got a good blog to recommend? Feel free to pop us a mail here and we might feature your recommendation here next week. Upcoming Technologies: Although not updated as frequently, this blog provides a good source of interesting news on tech stuff. Daring Fireball: Combination of short link posts and longer essays talking mainly about Apple related products and services. Cooler Insights: An experienced marketer who provides great (and cool) insights and opinions about marketing, branding and public relations in the social media world. Japanator: This blog is for anyone who is interested in anime blog or obsessed with manga, anime podcast, wallpapers, pictures, games and many more! Challenging Times & Managing Challenges Click here to download the registration form. Butter Cookies Free Flow! Every Wednesday. Butter Cookies Freeflow Wednesdays. Freeflow from 10pm to 1am on Wednesdays. Ladies: Free Entry. Guys: S$25 Blog Recommendation Each week, we will ask our CEO, CTO, COO and Sales Manager to recommend a blog that they are reading. The blog can be from any country and by anyone. Got a good blog to recommend? Feel free to pop us a mail here and we might feature your recommendation here next week. GO2WEB20 Blog - This is one of the largest online directory for Web 2.0 applications worldwide, it brings you up to date the latest service or product that the author can find. Really cool site to have all in one in a single place. Lifehacker - Tips and tools for improving productivity. Lancerlord - Some people call him the lord of the links. Lancerlord’s blog is a great collection of interesting stuff that he found online. Too bad he went missing (again). His last entry was 6 Sept 08. Let’s hope he returns soon. Laila Lalami - MoorishGirl is by a writer who uses her blog to record her thoughts on politics and books, as well as to promote her own writing.