THE FOOD ACCENT

Yogurt

2011-09-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

Remember in recent post that I mentioned I would share with you guys about the benefit of yogurt? Recently I came across a site and thought of sharing with you guys about the benefit of yogurt especially those with lactose intolerant.

1. Yogurt is easier to digest than milk. Many people who cannot tolerate milk, either because of a protein allergy or lactose intolerance, can enjoy yogurt. The culturing process makes yogurt more digestible than milk. The live active cultures create lactase, the enzyme lactose-intolerant people lack, and another enzyme contained in some yogurts (beta-galactosidase) also helps improve lactose absorption in lactase-deficient persons. Bacterial enzymes created by the culturing process, partially digest the milk protein casein, making it easier to absorb and less allergenic. In our pediatric practice, we have observed that children who cannot tolerate milk can often eat yogurt without any intestinal upset. While the amount varies among brands of yogurt, in general, yogurt has less lactose than milk. The culturing process has already broken down the milk sugar lactose into glucose and galactose, two sugars that are easily absorbed by lactose-intolerant persons.

2. Yogurt contributes to colon health. There's a medical truism that states: "You're only as healthy as your colon." When eating yogurt, you care for your colon in two ways. First, yogurt contains lactobacteria, intestines-friendly bacterial cultures that foster a healthy colon, and even lower the risk of colon cancer. Lactobacteria, especially acidophilus, promotes the growth of healthy bacteria in the colon and reduces the conversion of bile into carcinogenic bile acids. The more of these intestines-friendly bacteria that are present in your colon, the lower the chance of colon diseases. Basically, the friendly bacteria in yogurt seems to deactivate harmful substances (such as nitrates and nitrites before they are converted to nitrosamines) before they can become carcinogenic.

Secondly, yogurt is a rich source of calcium - a mineral that contributes to colon health and decreases the risk of colon cancer. Calcium discourages excess growth of the cells lining the colon, which can place a person at high risk for colon cancer. Calcium also binds cancer-producing bile acids and keeps them from irritating the colon wall. People that have diets high in calcium (e.g. Scandinavian countries) have lower rates of colorectal cancer. One study showed that an average intake of 1,200 milligrams of calcium a day is associated with a 75 percent reduction of colorectal cancer. As a survivor of colon cancer, I have a critical interest in the care of my colon. My life depends on it.

3. Yogurt improves the bioavailability of other nutrients. Culturing of yogurt increases the absorption of calcium and B-vitamins. The lactic acid in the yogurt aids in the digestion of the milk calcium, making it easier to absorb.

4. Yogurt can boost immunity. Researchers who studied 68 people who ate two cups of live-culture yogurt daily for three months found that these persons produced higher levels of immunity boosting interferon. The bacterial cultures in yogurt have also been shown to stimulate infection-fighting white cells in the bloodstream. Some studies have shown yogurt cultures to contain a factor that has anti-tumor effects in experimental animals.

NUTRITIP: Yogurt - Good for Young and Old

Yogurt is a valuable health food for both infants and elderly persons. For children, it is a balanced source of protein, fats, carbohydrates, and minerals in a texture that kids love. For senior citizens, who usually have more sensitive colons or whose intestines have run out of lactase, yogurt is also a valuable food. Elderly intestines showed declining levels of bifidus bacteria, which allow the growth of toxin-producing and, perhaps, cancer-causing bacteria.

5. Yogurt aids healing after intestinal infections. Some viral and allergic gastrointestinal disorders injure the lining of the intestines, especially the cells that produce lactase. This results in temporary lactose malabsorption problems. This is why children often cannot tolerate milk for a month or two after an intestinal infection. Yogurt, however, because it contains less lactose and more lactase, is usually well-tolerated by healing intestines and is a popular "healing food" for diarrhea. Many pediatricians recommend yogurt for children suffering from various forms of indigestion. Research shows that children recover faster from diarrhea when eating yogurt. It's good to eat yogurt while taking antibiotics. The yogurt will minimize the effects of the antibiotic on the friendly bacteria in the intestines.

NUTRITIP: A Chaser for Antibiotics

Antibiotics kill not only harmful bacteria; they also kill the healthy ones in the intestines. The live bacterial cultures in yogurt can help replenish the intestines with helpful bacteria before the harmful ones take over. I usually "prescribe" a daily dose of yogurt while a person is taking antibiotics and for two weeks thereafter.

A 1999 study reported in Pediatrics showed that lactobacillus organisms can reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea.

6. Yogurt can decrease yeast infections. Research has shown that eating eight ounces of yogurt that contains live and active cultures daily reduces the amount of yeast colonies in the vagina and decreases the incidence of vaginal yeast infections.

7. Yogurt is a rich source of calcium. An 8-ounce serving of most yogurts provides 450 mg. of calcium, one-half of a child's RDA and 30 to 40 percent of the adult RDA for calcium. Because the live-active cultures in yogurt increase the absorption of calcium, an 8-ounce serving of yogurt gets more calcium into the body than the same volume of milk can.

8. Yogurt is an excellent source of protein. Plain yogurt contains around ten to fourteen grams of protein per eight ounces, which amounts to twenty percent of the daily protein requirement for most persons. In fact, eight ounces of yogurt that contains live and active cultures, contains 20 percent more protein than the same volume of milk (10 grams versus 8 grams). Besides being a rich source of proteins, the culturing of the milk proteins during fermentation makes these proteins easier to digest. For this reason, the proteins in yogurt are often called "predigested."

9. Yogurt can lower cholesterol. There are a few studies that have shown that yogurt can reduce the blood cholesterol. This may be because the live cultures in yogurt can assimilate the cholesterol or because yogurt binds bile acids, (which has also been shown to lower cholesterol), or both.

10. Yogurt is a "grow food." Two nutritional properties of yogurt may help children with intestinal absorption problems grow: the easier digestibility of the proteins and the fact that the lactic acid in yogurt increases the absorption of minerals. And even most picky-eaters will eat yogurt in dips and smoothies and as a topping.

Perhaps we can take a health tip about yogurt cultures from cultures who consume a lot of yogurt, such as the Bulgarians who are noted for their longer lifespan and remain in good health well into old age.

NUTRMYTH: All foods made with yogurt are created equal

Not so. In fact, the yogurt used to coat nibble foods such as raisins, nuts, and fruit bits is often so highly sugared that you're really eating more sugar than yogurt.

Source: 10 Reason Yogurt is a Top Heath Food by askdrsears.com

Nissin Noodles

2011-09-26T00:57:00.000-07:00

Many women and men are familiar with Nissin noodles. This is a popular brand that makes Ramen noodles and Cup Noodles. They are used widely because the food can be prepared almost immediately by adding water. Two months I purchased a few Nissin noodle while was in China and was disappointed with the results.

Most of you might had eaten Nissin Noodles before in your life. I have to mention this that Nissin Noodles are reputably delicious taste but in the recent years, those that I came across tasted not too good nor too bad, or maybe it went towards bad, I believe certain Nissin Noodles were manufactured in each individual country in recent year especially Asia. I have tasted quite a few each from China, Taiwan, Japan and United States. I would say China Nissin tasted awful, isn't what I had in mind, it makes me wonder does Nissin China really under the real Nissin company?

I forgot to mention that Nissin noodles China, their price are steep too.

Source: wangfung.blogspot.com

Since everyone's preference is different, you or your kids may find Nissin noodle soup bowls to be rather tasty. Still, I find that very unlikely which is why I urge you to purchase only one first and do not waste your money buying numerous Nissin noodle soup bowls at once. Nissin also makes noodle soup, which comes in four different flavors. These flavors include chicken noodle, Minestrone, Creamy chicken and creamy mushroom.

Readers – Are Nissin noodles still your favorite instant noodles? I would like to know your opinion.

Yogurt Tyme

2011-09-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

Amazing mixture of mine -
vanilla and blueberry yogurt with marshmallow, raisins, oat, hint of chocolate toppings

This is one of the amazing yogurt that I came across on the last day of our trip. I wish I could have known this much earlier. I loved it! Yogurt Tyme - Rich & Creamy (American) Frozen Yogurt, I'm using parentheses to emphasize whether they name it as American because the coupon I received only name it as Rich & Creamy Frozen Yogurt. Some of the Chinese called it as ice cream apparently.

They had quite a few flavors of yogurt and also a huge array of toppings to choose from, after you pick and put everything on the big paper cup provided then you pay by the weight being measured. It's a self-serve place, and the server was friendly and helpful. It was clean, I'm quite particular when it comes to cleanliness. Dang! It's in Shenzhen, if I were to live there permanently, I would be their regular customer.

I believe Yogurt Tyme has quite a few branch throughout China, Hong Kong, United States (California).

Yoghurt is nutritionally rich in protein, calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. It has nutritional benefits beyond those of milk. People who are moderately lactose-intolerant can consume yogurt without ill effects, because much of the lactose in the milk precursor is converted to lactic acid by the bacterial culture. Yoghurt containing live cultures is sometimes used in an attempt to prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Yoghurt contains varying amounts of fat. There is non-fat (0% fat), low-fat (usually 2% fat) and plain or whole milk yoghurt (4% fat). A study published in the International Journal of Obesity (11 January 2005) also found that the consumption of low-fat yoghurt can promote weight loss, especially due to the calcium in the yoghurt.

Do drop by Yitian Holiday Plaza 2nd floor (same level as ice skating range), it can be easily access by ShenZhen Metro. Get onto Luobao Line or Longhua Line and stop at the Window of the World Station, exit B entrance.

One thing I like the most about Shenzhen is that their Metro are sufficient and easily transport from one place to another.

Readers – Any other amazing food that I should try? Please share!

Culture of Flaunt Assets

2011-09-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

Source: nicolesbreastfriends via etsy.com

Just recently, I've been told by a dear friend of mine who worked for one of the leading travel agency in the country and was amazed that how a customer who took revenge and wrote untruthful feedback about what really happen on a trip.

There's this one particular customer who gave false negative feedback. Everyone were happy with their trip and had gave the leader a wonderful feedback, except this particular lady. The incident happen when she was told to wear bra in foreign country upon group briefing, she wasn't happy about that. She already well aware and well informed by the leader but she don't listen and doesn't want to oblige other country's rules, she may thought that the country where she came from, people should give her respect and make it as exception, that she has every right not to wear bra and flaunt her assets to be admired by stranger especially to those conservative country. It is important to be a RT (Responsible Travelers) when you decide to travel aboard.

Who would have thought that she expect her mind to be read by leader. The feedback that she wrote that the tour leader do not have historical and country knowledge. When a person do not know a thing, they are more than welcome to ask. Do not expect their face to be read and to be scan individually especially to her. She thought and assume that all leader should have psychic and can read mind through hand gesture or appearance. Hey, she might attract attention to her assets and not to her face.

Women who want to boost their assets, considering there are wide range out there in the market that one can simply get lost in it, there are many ways to flaunt assets without showing too obvious and convey an image of slut or which give an image of a whore, pick the right bra for different occasion.

Readers - Do you think it's right to take vengeance and it's encourage to flaunt her assets openly in a conservative country?

Red Brick House Country Bar, Shenzhen

2011-09-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

Red Brick House Country Bar

Country Home Cooked Dishes with hint of French style

variety of Gourmet Coffee

Authentic French Alcohol Beverages

Personal Classic Book Collection and variety of Red wine

Food Ordered

This is one of the amazing restaurant during Shenzhen trip. I would say this restaurant is a mix of east and the west, food are Chinese Home Cooked delicacy in cozy french style interior with dim light and good ambient. The certain part of the restaurant dining area filled with books, you can easily take a books and read while eating.

Sauteed Beef Strips with Dried Chillies

Stir-Fried Shrimp Celery with Sauteed Cashew

Chinese Pickled Vegetable with Shredded Dried Chillies

Wheat Steamed Bun

Stir-Fried Chicken Strips with Bamboo Shoots

Entrance with nice ambient

I would highly recommend this place for fine dining, for family gathering, friends meet up or even celebration. If you ever drop by OCT station at Shenzhen, give it a shot, you will never regret.

Red Brick House Country Bar 红砖房

Nanshan - Shenzhen - Oversea Chinese Town(OCT)

103, Building A, Ecological Square, OCT, Nanshan District.

南山区华侨城生态广场A栋103。

269 33186

Asian Golden Crisp Candy

2011-09-14T00:43:00.000-07:00

Golden Crisp Candy by Natural Is Best

This is a traditional Asian Golden Crisp Candy with sugar coated with peanut crunch filling. Shaped perfectly for bite size, small enough and children friendly bite size.

To be honest, I'm having hard time finding the right name for some of the China's produced.

This were manufactured by Natural Is Best called Golden Crisp Candy. I didn't know their existing until The Bee bought quite a few back as souvenir. I tried a few and I like it, not love it, but at the same time I wish I wished I had discovered them years ago. It's good as occasional snacks.

Review:

Packaging:

Overall is well presented but there is one HUGE disadvantage that they were packed in individual wrapping, imagine how much waste they produced for only a pack. I wonder why do they use Japanese (Kanji) on the packaging, big possibility that they want to convince people that their products are reliable and safe, or maybe they are targeting more Japanese into buying them. Not a English description on the packaging though.

Taste:

Look appealing. Taste delicious, crunchy, soft and melts in your mouth too, you will tend to be addicted to the taste of it. This were a bit sweet for me, even The Bee that has sweet tooth couldn't bear the sweetness of it.

Freshness:

Perfect seal, would prefer it doesn't comes in individual pack for each, it doesn't seem environment friendly.

Overall Rate:

I would recommend this product for it's fine qualities and taste. This are suitable for those who has sweet tooth, and they are perfectly crunchy and light.

Recommendation: In between. It's as delicious as they appeared, easy to get, they have many branch in China and Hong Kong. I ate a even better version of Asian Golden Crisp Candy.

Country Origin: China.

Tried finding information about history of this company, but not much information appear on the internet. This is just a summary and direct translation from the website.

Smart Year Ltd is a diversified food company, the company opened four decades, including the production and import and export business wholesale.

Smart Year Ltd. headquartered in Hong Kong, Dongguan, mainland China to set up a production company to Dongguan Wei Food Co., Ltd., Shenzhen set up a sales company in Shenzhen Jin Trading Co., Ltd. and Shenzhen natural store managers to send Trade Development Co., Ltd. . The factory and warehouse area 6,000 square meters, employing more than four hundred people.

Smart Year Ltd. product line positioning in the high-end products to self-brand "natural school" based products, with Udagawa, taster, Hokkaido, nuts and other series of brand products for the family of complementary products.

Smart Year Ltd. has a good sales network in Hong Kong: includes PARKnSHOP, Wellcome, Mannings drugstores, supermarkets Resources ,7-11, OK convenience stores, the famous Japanese department store Sogo, Jusco and other etc.; in mainland China include Wal-Mart Supercenter, Sam's Club, Rainbow Market, Vientiane City, Jusco Department Store, Watsons Personal Care Stores, Vanguard Department Store, etc.; self-marketing shop snacks and joined hundreds of stores room, and continues to grow and develop in.

Readers – Have you came across any of this before? Give it a try!

Chinese Cracker

2011-09-11T23:34:00.000-07:00

Jin Zi Xuan Rice Crackers

This is the a traditional Asian rice cracker with sugar coated. Excellent taste and crunch. Also known as Chinese Rice Crackers.

This is an old favorite of mine childhood days. I happen to visit came across Jin Zi Xuan Rice Crackers when we was browsed through snacks at Walmart and I almost forgot about them until I saw them in the stores, good thing is that they was on sale. This are excellent tasting treats at reasonable price.

Review:

Packaging:

Love it, I prefer transparent packaging as I could see how's the content looks like. There's a "S" logo, not sure whether it stands for manufacturing quality assurance.

Taste:

The Bee and I both are picky eater, I'm able to finished off with gusto, but some were slightly sweet for me.

Freshness:

They are as good as I remember, lots of crunch and just enough to satisfy, perfect as leisure snacks.

Overall Rate:

Pretty impressive. This crackers were very fresh and the deal was good.

Recommendation: Maybe.

Country Origin: China.

Apparently this were produced by Chengdu Jin Zi Xian Food Co., Ltd. The company actively introducing ISO9001: 2000 international quality management system standards, the company uses traditional workmanship and modern technology to product their products.

Readers – Have you ate this before?

The Good, The Bad and The Noisy

2011-09-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

Source: lickmyspoon.com via pinterest.com

There are more good than bad people in this world.

It's just that the bad ones make more noise than the good ones.

Water is the New Wine

2011-09-06T00:08:00.000-07:00

I never thought I would write this, I was browsing through my folders and came across bottled water which I felt the need to share with you guys. I'm updating very frequently due to a huge backlog of posts - reviews, food , restaurant(?) - that have accumulated in my Blogger, so please bear with me : )

Have you ever wonder Bottled water has become a booming industry in the recent years? I know some of you guys know about this few years back but it's new to me. Water plays an important role in the world economy.

Shenzhen Intercontinental Bottled Water by Ganten

It's no longer enough for you to be a wine snob; now you must also be an aqua expert, this may surprise to some. Water can dissolve many different substances, giving it varying tastes and odors. Humans and other animals have developed senses which enable them to evaluate the potability of water by avoiding water that is too salty or putrid. The taste of spring water and mineral water, often advertised in marketing of consumer products, derives from the minerals dissolved in it. However, pure H₂O is tasteless and odorless. The advertised purity of spring and mineral water refers to absence of toxins, pollutants and microbes. in fact the truth is most people can actually develop palette to differentiate between water.

During my recent trip to China, I notice that there aren't many reliable bottled water. I wasn't sure which brand to choose, every time I was so thirst, thirsty fields under a rainless sky, when I reached the hotel's room, I was like a thirsty sponge that soak up "reliable" bottled water that bought at the nearby Walmart.

Watsons Pure Distilled Bottled Water

I am and still skeptical for bottled water in china. I for one are concern about the safety and the regulatory quality standards. Even though the hotel we stayed are five star awarded even though it's taste fine but I wasn't please with what bottled water they provided.

Some may argue that water once was free, or cost a few cent a glass, that it comes from river, fell from the sky but that was really ages ago. The trend started from Europe, the Italians and French has been drinking bottled water for years. In certain part of the cities in this world, water it's not just water any more. Did you know that sales has been growing by ten percent annually for over a decade? Much faster than any other beverages. (Soft drinks are No.1 beverages)

(Some preferred their drinks to be icy cold, my advice don't ask for ice, it's no difference if you mix with the purest bottled water, you may as well drink from a dirty glass.)

Sometimes I wonder do any of these waters actually offers real health benefit? Can someone enlighten me on these? None has yet been scientifically proven that they are safe and benefits to consume on daily basis.

Ganten Natural Mineral Water

Among the purest waters in the world, for instance, is the Norwegian artesian water Voss. It's taken from a virgin aquifer (translation: a very clean underground well) and bottled before it's sullied by exposed to the air. Voss, it has been said, is the No.1 nonalcoholic pick of Madonna (she won't stay in hotels that don't stock it).

Some still water that won't cloud your taste buds, like a Fuji water that comes from a rain that fell 450 years ago on pristine South Pacific island. Been told that The Rit'z water are tame compared to other choices on the market today. King Island Cloud Juice guarantee 4875 drops of Tasmanian rainwater per 375ml bottle, and Lurisia is melted Italian snow water that seeps up through a volcano rock grotto Marie Curie discovered in 1917 when she was searching for uranium. She called it "a miracle of purity" (Today company president would call it as "a miracle of profitability).

Iceberg Water in North America in fact is harvested from huge icebergs and "bergy bits" from the waters off the coast of Newfound land, Canada.

Nevertheless, soft-drink view bottled water as a treat in the future, despite 25 per cent of bottled water comes from tap water. A restaurant typical will mark up on wine 100-150 per cent, whereas on bottled water it's often 300-500 per cent but since water is cheaper than wine, many fancier brands are not available in stores, so most diners don't notice and aware of the price. Some hotels or restaurant will use shameless tactics include placing bottles on the table as visual marketing without listing out the price on the menu or even the bottled water.

The complete guide to butler water throughout the world - von Wiesenberger. He says "Badoit has a very gentle level of carbonation - natural and excellent with food. Volvox is light and almost sweet in taste. Trinity is a very interesting water with silky texture. As a boy, von Wiesenberger whose father was an investment banker, spent time in the larger cities of Italy, France and Switzerland, where bottled water is consumed daily. He kept a water journal, noting the brands he liked best. "Heck, my dalmatian could tell the difference between bottled and tap water," he says. I should have invite him along during recent trip to china.

Clean drinking water is essential to humans and other lifeforms. Access to safe drinking water has improved steadily and substantially over the last decades in almost every part of the world. However, some observers have estimated that by 2025 more than half of the world population will be facing water-based vulnerability. I hope that future technology and inventor will come up something to prevent existing of purify water in the world.

Source: Article by Natalie Maclean

Readers - What are your thoughts?

After Eight - part II

2011-09-03T00:08:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Some of you guys might remember I wrote a review recently Nestlé - After Eight Mint Chocolate Thins, some of you might even tried After Eight ranges before. When Shallow first gave Nestlé - After Eight Mint Chocolate Straws to me, I was a bit hesitant, I find it that it's in cylinder shape, so much different from the usual chocolate can/ tin, I would say it's unique but isn't practical, so does the straw mint chocolate.

I understand that the concept supposed to be posh and elegant but this turn out to be the other way round. When I open it, its slightly softer than decent chocolate supposed to be.

Review:

Packaging:

The straws come in a cylindrical cardboard tube, the mint ones are in a green plastic tube as the picture. The tube unscrews type and the lid lifts off to reveal underneath a small plastic holder in which the Straws stand. The first time I got it them, I didn't realize that it just needed a twist to open it. I was pulling and pulling and try to remove the lid before I realized it was a twist. It does actually say on the side twist to open, but in my defense it is in very small writing which I missed only realized later. The package is designed so you can remove the lid and stand the straws in there remaining plastic holder on the table, much like pens in a desk tidy. Which I have to say is very useful and there is no wrapping on the chocolate like the traditional after eight, that is one of the HUGE advantage that this format has over the square mints is the lack of individual wrapping.

Taste:

The straws are 5 inches long each. They are just plain chocolate straws with a smooth mint flavoured centre just like how a pencil looks. In my opinion, the taste almost identical to the square mints, not crispy but soft and gooey, not solid hard like normal chocolate and does not "snap" when you bite it, but rather bends as it enters the mouth, the Straws fall short of that.

They are very tasty and very moorish but not up to my expectation. If you like the traditional after eights you might like the straws although the texture is different no runny center, the center is more solid and not liquid quality like others. The texture itself is good, but is the main area where I feel that Nestle has delivers what the original concept of After Eight product supposed to be. Equally, the traditional mints have a very light fondant center, with a liquid quality. Again, this is not what I have come to expect from After Eight. However, the mint flavor is very similar to the square mints and mixes equally well with the chocolate, so the taste of the product is pretty much the same.

These are pretty sweet for me.

Freshness:

The above image is what its like after left out unintentionally at the corner of the shelf for couple months now. Straws bend easily by themselves do not sustain the straw shape, they become extremely soft and tend to melt at room temperature, whether that’s a bad is to me. Melted shape chocolate is a turn down for me.

Overall Rate:

These Straws do have all of the taste of the classic mints, but are not of the same quality, and I wasn't impressed by the quality and shape has to bring.

Recommendation:
No. Not with this cylindrical cardboard tube - Straw series. I am a big fan of chocolate and love it and I have always liked After Eights. These are a the weirdest range even though very easy to eat.

Country Origin: United Kingdom

The After Eight family of products includes:

Thin Mints: the original After Eight product, these comprise square dark or (less commonly) milk chocolate, enclosing the mint fondant.
- Mint & Blood Orange: This variation on the thin mints was a special edition for Summer 2011.
Delights: round sweets of dark chocolate with a mint fondant filling.
Straws: long, thin sticks of soft dark chocolate with a mint fondant filling.
Biscuits: the newest addition to the After Eight family, these combine dark chocolate with mint in a biscuit.
Chocolate Santa Claus: during the Christmas season, Nestlé Germany features a 125g Santa Claus made out of white or dark mint chocolate.
Chocolate Truffles (Discontinued)
Dark Chocolate Irish Creams (Discontinued)
Ice Cream Dessert (Discontinued)
Lemon Sorbet (Discontinued)
Bitesize: plain chocolate with mint fondant filling, similar in appearance to original Munchies. Originally known as Mintola, then renamed Mint Munchies in 1995 before being brought under After Eight brand in 2006.

Other related products:

Pfefferminz: a variety of Ritter Sport which has similar taste as the normal After Eight in shape of a Ritter Sport.
After Eight (cocktail): a layered shooter consisting of Crème de cacao, Crème de menthe and Baileys Irish Cream.
After Eight (Easter Egg): An Easter Egg with a pack of After Eight Dark Chocolate Thin Mints

Readers – Have you bought any nice chocolate lately?

Frantic Mode

2011-08-28T00:08:00.000-07:00

A week ago, I wrote about a miscalculation from a site that I bought quite a few items recently, I thought that things will turn out to be good and no more issue to handle from the same site but did not end up like how I would imagine it to be. Having quite a bumpy ride buying items from the same site. However, I managed to contact the site immediately and as usual I received prompt respond from them regarding an item that I got recently.

Source: nicolehill.blogspot.com via pinterest

Today I was frantic with worry. I was in a really good mood this morning and was going to get myself ready heading to the mall and didn't expect any unpleasant things to occur. One of the item I received has faulty, it has slight poor workmanship around the zip area, I only realized when I start to zip but it ends half way, I was of course in frantic mode, there is no way I could unzip myself and have myself stuck in it, there are no other alternatives way that I could remove myself from it, I was having really hard time (a very long time) trying as gentle as I could to unzip myself from itself. Finally when I'm able to have it removed but the size of the hole beside the zip is below 10mm, so it killed my joy instantly. Fortunately they accept exchange and make it exceptional (again), will send another one to me in the coming weeks.

I don't usually buy items online, but I'd have been observing that site as long as I could remember, the owner of the site put so much effort on the business site, seems like meticulous and attentive person from what I observed from the blog and feedback from other sites. The owner also had been interviewed and featured in quite a few sites.

Readers – I know many of you have bought items online more than I do. What are your thoughts and have you ever have similar experiences before?

4D (2011)

2011-08-26T00:08:00.000-07:00

Another review, you say? Yes, I am rather prolific this week and would like to fulfill your request. Yes, you… not the people beside you...Who am I kidding right, I wonder if anyone out there who even read my blog.

When I first came across the Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D (2011) trailer in the cinema weeks ago, I wasn’t sure whether it’s another weird Spy Kids movie, it is in fact directed and written by same ol’ Robert Rodriquez. Over the weekend originally we intend to watch comedy for a good laugh but with the time given, only Spy Kids available, so there we went. Actually I don’t remember I enjoy watching Spy kids as long as I could remember. Some of you might had watched and was given sniff cards. It is actually the first of the series that uses “Aromascope” that allows people to smell odors and aromas from the film via scratch & sniff cards but not the first movie that came out with the idea though (reminiscent of the infamous 1960s Smell-O-Vision).

When I got the card, it has strong artificial bubblegum scent, I could guess that scent from the 8 numbers on the card, most probably came from the same artificial bubblegum scent with different aromas, it’s not the real smell of bacon, farts or even blue goo Well, who would want to sniff farts anyway, unless the thought of smelling farts and blue goo is appealing. I find that the farts scent on the sniff card are unbearable but it’s meant to be that way.

Source: google

I believe there’s a reason behind why they decided to use all the scents mildly bear some semblance to bubblegum instead of the artificial similar smell. The greatest cultural achievement of recent years, the natural scent of the world has nothing to do with it, it isn’t a phone, or a TV, or a book, but artificial bubblegum scent. It’s the smell of happiness. The smell of innocence. The smell of sweets and candies in the air. Most children loves it and enjoy the smell of it. It is like when they blew a perfect bubble for the first time in their life. Frankly speaking if it wasn’t for the extra dimensions of sniffing and Jessica Alba appearance, I would rate 1/10 for the movie, it has a poor plot. Well, apparently most adults hates the movie and the sniff card, find it was waste of time but it can be good discussion starters among adults and children. Numbers will flash at key points; the corresponding numbers on the cards will alert us to scratch the matching panels on the cards.

Spy Kids – All the Time in the World is in four dimensions – the extra one being smell and I find it to be interesting and fun in a way. Not like I would enjoy sniffing but interesting for most children to experience it. It’s simply entertains at a basic level without leaving a lasting impression I guess.

Spoiler ahead for Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D scent:

Smells

Bacon
Blue Goo
Candy
Candy
Candy
Baby Poop
Dog Fart
Baby Fart

Readers – What do you think about this movie? Interesting or waste of time?

Ms.Calculation

2011-08-23T12:31:00.001-07:00

Source: dezeen.com via pinterest

Hello everyone,

I know that some of you guys familiar with online shopping. Well, I bought quite a few items recently over the one of the site (I shall not name) and little did I know that the sizes and material provided are inaccurate and I thought the size will fit me fine but only to found out when I received it, it is stretchy material, it’s isn’t khaki material-like and the size is slightly bigger than my size. I believe they will continue stretch out with often wear.

I contacted the seller immediately regarding this issue and requested for an exchange, they were kind enough to made mine exception, typically they do not accommodate requests for refunds or exchanges.

After wire transferred, I text them for immediate for prompt respond and even list out the calculation in the text message, were told that it’s the correct amount even before I wired the amount. When I got home today and received an email regarding my wire transfer and been told I wired the wrong amount, of course I was surprise, I did list out the calculation and recalculate a few times for the amount even before I wire transfer. As soon as I read the email, I start to contact the seller and request to clarification.

Luckily I received an immediate respond and clarification from them and they did apologize regarding this issue. They also said that it was an unintentional (and seriously embarrassing) miscalculation on their end and somehow managed to mess up the simplest calculation in an e-mail it to me. Well, they just started their site like a year ago, it’s a small business that run by a young entrepreneur, so it was just a small issue as long as they can get back to me as soon and learn from their mistake, also well aware of that.

That’s goes my story but honestly man, they really gave me a throbbing heart!

Readers – Has anyone else encounter similar experiences before?

Emergency Bite

2011-08-19T00:08:00.000-07:00

I got to know Loacker Napolitaner Filled Wafers few year ago and not because I’m interested on the packaging nor wafer bite. Since I saw lying around on top of the shelf, I thought I would do a quick review. The one I got with me is the Crispy wafers filled with hazelnut cream, personally I tried quite a few from Loacker which comes with different sizes, the two basic I would normally get are hazelnut cream and vanilla in 6.17oz.

On the back of the packaging, it wrote ‘Guarantee of quality’ which literally translated from ‘French garantie de qualité’.

Normally I would highly doubt on what printed and promised by companies who dare advertise the unknown truth about what they has to bring on a product and promote a twisted side about it, this Loacker no differ but after deep consideration, I slowly believe what’s on the packaging has to bring. These are what they guarantee:-

No trans fats
Does not contain hydrogenerated fat
With the finest Italian hazelnuts, freshly roasted by Loacker
With 75% cream
No artificial flavours
No coloring
No preservatives
No GMO (genetically modified organisms)

I also came across a site that wrote ‘sono troppo buoni e danno assuefazione’ which mean ‘are too good and addictive’, undeniably true. Whenever Shallow came for a visit, she finished up quite a few without my knowledge, only to realize its disappearance days later. I guess Shallow love this a lot and munched away when I was asleep.

The Bee would keep a few of these on the side of passenger seat just in case anyone need some of the snacks during road trip or stuck in a jam. That’s the reason why is it called Emergency Bite in the first place.

Review:

Packaging:

It packaging looks promising and convincing, it does have focus point and clearly shown what is it about within a glance. What I love these Loacker the most is that it written in english and other languages too which is important for most people. It did stood out among others on the shelf. I would say this is one of the mature and presentable type of packaging. Clearly it is an international brand, it has what it got to bring.

Taste:

These are bit too sweet for me but not for The Bee. I would say it’s comparable to some energy bar.

Freshness:

The seal is really good, so does its packaging material. Easy opening, don’t need to use full force to tear it open. It’s advisable to finish it once you open it, so that the crunchiness stays fresh especially if you live in a tropical country. You could also keep it inside a air-tight container to preserve the original taste.

Overall Rate:

Good as emergency or on-the-go snack. Not quite suitable as before/ after meal snacks. Bear in mind that this is not suitable as snacks for breakfast, bad for your waist.

Recommendation:
In yes, perfect for on-the-go snack even suitable for person who don’t like the taste of energy bar.

Country Origin: Europe

Readers – Is this brand well-known throughout centuries?

After Eight – part I

2011-08-16T00:08:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I was originally intended to review snacks from China. Something came up, I didn’t notice there’s been awesome treasure food found lying around and has been hiding at the very corner of the shelf, that’s why I must review this Nestlé – After Eight Mint Chocolate Thins beforehand.

Two days ago, The Bee unpacked and rearranged food, you know the usual throw the old, add the new ones and unexpectedly found these unusual gem hiding inside the corner. It’s been lying there for more than 8 months, Shallow bought this for me end of last year from Christmas sales. Of course we were hesitated whether to keep or throw, we are not sure whether is it still safe to consume it though expiration date 2 months to go.

Honestly it didn’t catch my attention at the very first place, Shallow bought quite a few different candies, sweets, snacks for me and these were the ones that unconsciously left behind.

I’ve always been a fans of dark, thin, mint chocolate, unfortunately for this packaging didn’t left any impact or impression on me, which is why I almost forgot it existence. Little did I know it’s taste really good, the way it exploded in my mouth.

From the packaging itself, it doesn’t justify how delicious and awesome explosive chocolate it can be. Originally I guess are intended, as the name suggests, to be used as after-dinner mints. Little did I know that when AFTER EIGHT was launched in 1962, the indulgent wafer thin chocolate mints were responsible for creating the category of the ‘After Dinner Mint’ within the confectionery market. Since then, AFTER EIGHT has maintained its excellence in mint chocolate and is renowned for its exquisite taste and premium quality.

Review:

Packaging:

To be honest, at the first or few glance, it didn’t catch my attention to further observe and feels like eating it, I didn’t even look clearly what’s shown on its packaging, you need to squint and observe what on it, but I do say that it has its own teaser packaging by naming it as ‘AFTER EIGHT’. This is one of the rare one that doesn’t shout “look at me” among others, probably its own elegant concept and strong personality. I then only start observe the minute I slide one of the chocolate into in mouth while let the thin mint chocolate lingers on my tongue and melts in within, then only I start notice that it’s actually a real classic, elegant and posh kind of packaging, to be honest, I would say it is one of the rare bonus packaging, not many companies would want to take the risk to allow their products stood elegantly and quietly among others on the shelves, maybe it was meant to be that way. I also read that these used to be marketed as upmarket chocolate, if you look closely and observe the posh packaging.

Taste:

I love the taste it melts in my mouth. I love how the chocolate thin slice was set to be fit nicely into my mouth. It taste real good after meal, that’s why it’s called ‘AFTER EIGHT’, it’s taste good no matter at which hour. The concept is used to be portrayed during the olden days that how some higher class people used to treat chocolate as like a type of rare desert after meal. It’s also suitable for parties as it packed individually. I would say it’s a bit sweet for me, but I just love how the texture and chocolate had brought me. Normally Nestle’s products is sweeter than other chocolate brand.

Freshness:

It does shape like how it shown on the packaging and stayed fresh throughout the year even for tropical country, it doesn’t melt like how I thought it would be. I couldn’t stop myself from popping few of them. As you can see from the picture above, each packed individually, easier to consume even for your guest.

Overall Rate:

I love how the concept has to bring though there’s still need slight improvement on the color swatch. 0.5 because it really didn’t catch my attention or leave an impact on me.

Recommendation: Yes. I starting to fall for it and grown to love it.

Country Origin: United Kingdom

Readers – Have you tried this before? What do you say about it?

Miniature Grapes

2011-08-12T00:08:00.000-07:00

This is one of the yummy candy that I came across from local Korean grocery store awhile back called Orion – Korean Grape Gummies. I was unpacking my loads from baggage and only realize of its existent, I left it on my dining table all along inside a small ice cream container.

I bought this Korean Red Grape Gummies awhile ago. I almost forgot that I even bought them a month or two, what a goldfish memory I have, that’s why I insist on jotting down in a place where I could keep it as a memory, things that I came across.

I can still remember how it taste when I first chewing on it. I would say it did turn out to be the taste what I had in mine through the packaging by itself, it even shape exactly like how it’s been shown on the packaging, bunch of grapes.

These gummies are actually pronounced ‘my goomy’ and is produced by a brand called Orion, which is written in red at the top of the package. Little did I know that Orion is famous for produced choco pie and loads of others delicious candy too.

Review:

Packaging:

It packaging has done it successful part by convincing me into buying them, but how I wish they could have a simple english description on the front or back. There was a big 50% on the package. Despite my complete lack of ability to read Korean, I’m guessing that they’re made of 50% real fruit or fruit juice, as they certainly taste like they are. Correct me if I’m wrong.

Taste:

These gummies inside were soft and gooey which I love the most, with barely any bite to the texture. Each shaped like a bunch of grapes with lightly sweet which is what I also love the most about it, these were far better than most grape flavored gummies that are available in market, honestly there aren’t many gummies in the market that taste so ever so perfectly with a hint of grapes flavor.

Freshness:

Kept it inside a normal container, it still taste good even though were left out in the dining table for a month or two.

Overall Rate:

I would purchase more of it, I just LOVE how it taste with lightly sweet and ever so gooey.

Recommendation:
Yes, perfect for my leisure snack.

Country Origin: Korea

Readers – Anyone tried this before? Please share your own thoughts as well!

Summer Cold & Flu

2011-08-09T00:08:00.000-07:00

For the past week, I'd been down with cold and flu, a bad chesty cough, phlegm, mucus up from nostril down to my throat with slight fever.

It’s bad enough to have a cold in the summer, but to make things worse, they often last longer and are a nastier strain. Something about it is awful and insidious.

I couldn’t sleep well, eat well, enjoy doing the things I love the most.

Source: mjolk.ca via pinterest

Why summer colds are worse

The common cold’s typical headache, hacking cough, congestion and low fever. “Summer colds just seem to lurk in the background … and just go on and on and on.” Another summer-specific factor that can up the odds for colds is constant exposure to re-circulated air, which can dry out the lining of the nostrils, giving an open port to viruses. Such is the case in both air-conditioned buildings and in airplanes full of vacationing travelers.

Prevention

So how can you prevent a cold from ruining summer fun? Tips:

Wash your hands often and keep a stash of hand sanitizer handy in pocket or purse.
Get plenty of sleep to bolster your immune system.
Stay well-hydrated.
Eat a balanced diet.
Use common sense and avoid contact with sick people.

I guess one thing I did not do to prevent it is to keep myself hydrate during the time I was in China. Well, frankly it’s not easy to find a decent reliable mineral water to consume along the way, I was skeptical all the time when I was on recent China trip, couldn’t find any Ganten’s or Watsons’s brand and didn’t want to risk to drink some weird-looking water bottle unknown mineral water which doesn’t even look convincing. That’s how I got myself dehydrated with the humid baking hot summer.

So I went straight to a doctor immediate once I touched down.

Doctor gave me these:-

Amoxicillin 500mg as Antibiotics

Loratadine 10mg for cold

Bisolvon 8mg for coughs, colds or mucus

Bisolvon 8mg doesn’t works for me even though I read some sites that it claimed to be best cough remedy – world best medicine for treatment of coughs and excess mucus. After 3 days and got it changed to Fluimucil 600mg.

Fluimucil - (Zambon) 600mg soluble 4 tablets for phlegm

I'm getting much better after been living under the weather for almost past 2 weeks… yay… back to my usual self, so do expect more updates from me.

Readers – I hope none of you caught a summer bug like I do. Do share if you know any prevention or any tips on beating the summer flu.

Whither this speed?

2011-08-08T00:08:00.000-07:00

The train collision on July 23 may be the perfect symbol of China’s problems in its dash to modernity, Raymond Zhou suggests.

When a high-speed train was stalled, allegedly by a bolt of lightning, common sense dictated that later trains waited. Tragedy struck when a second train rear-ended into the stalled one, derailing several carriages and killing at least 39 passengers. It could be the result of a technical glitch or human error, or a combination of both. But before the investigation report comes out, a lot of people are asking: “Why so fast?”

It is the first time one senses a fundamental shift in public sentiment toward speed. We do not want high speed; we want safety over speed.

However, the railway authorities did not seem to notice. The first thing they announced when their officials arrived at the crash site was, the railroad would be cleared for normal operation by 6 pm on Sunday, less than 24 hours after the accident. (Owing to bad weather, traffic resumed on Monday morning on that section.)

“Why the rush? Couldn’t they give more time for rescuers to sift through the wreckage and make sure everyone, dead or alive, was accounted for?”

Public anger flared when a 2-year-old girl was pulled from the wreckage, reportedly at the insistence of the local police chief, who refused to shove the wreckage off the elevated road, and hours after the railroad authorities declared there was no sign of life.

Hurtling to put high-speed trains into operation, the rail department has already reneged on its promise of punctuality and other miscellaneous services.

And now it has sacrificed safety, that most essential quality of public transport. It was criticized when it substituted the popular overnight services with the faster and more expensive bullet trains between Beijing and Shanghai. The Nanjing South Station had to put its tiled floors together hastily, with the paving done haphazardly, so as to be ready for its opening on the grand day of July 1, a day fraught with political meaning.

For three decades, China has prided itself on its mantra of “faster and higher”. Our GDP overshoot others by many times. Our high-rises pop up as if powered by testosterone. Our cityscape takes on new forms every few years. We had been stagnant for too long. We have to catch up. We don’t want to be left behind in this era of globalization.

In this madness for speed, we tend to forget that faster and higher do not necessarily equal better. Of course, living standards have risen for most of us, but if we stop to contemplate the costs, we will be shocked.

Besides the environmental costs, there is the unaccounted-for price of mental health that is often left out of the equation. When we feel dizzy by the world that is whizzing by, when we get nostalgic about the simple life we used to lead in dilapidated homes (which was actually not that good, if one is objective), it could be signs that growth is a bit too fast for comfort.

We Chinese always want to get ahead of the neighbor. If our neighbor’s kid has a score of 98, we want ours to get 99 or 100. Does the higher score reflect his or her higher ability? We don’t really care that much. On a national level, we want to accumulate the biggest tally of gold medals at the Olympics. Does that speak of the bigger picture of the country’s fitness and sports? It’s just an afterthought.

We even want to have all those trivial and strange conquests that belong to the realm of Guinness World Records – not for fun, mind you, but for bragging rights. We are pursuing speed for the sake of speed, or for the sake of vanity.

Other countries also try to “keep up with the Joneses”, but nowhere is this as pronounced and concerted as here in China where it is an obsession – from the highest official to the lowest footman.

In this relentless drive for growth and wealth, collisions are bound to occur. Of these, the one between development and a citizen’s right to their homestead is probably the most acute, and the one between development and the ecology, the most sustained. The old order is crumbling, and the new is not yet ready. There is a vacuum that scamsters and demagogues are only too happy to fill.

Rules and regulations are often tossed aside as an inconvenience. Look at this report from last year from the Railway Ministry’s own newspaper: Some German specialists were hired to train the drivers of bullet trains. They said they needed three months to complete a training course. But they were told they had only 10 days to do the job. It became the ego trip of the rail department that they could turn out drivers in 10 days while in Germany they needed as long as three months, to the extent this report was spread far and wide as a token of its achievement.

The report said the German experts were dumbfounded. In retrospect, the report sent chills down the spines of many Chinese. Who benefits from such haste? Surely, not the passengers. Realistically, it enhances only the self-glorification of a few people and departments.

High speeds will take us to our destinations in a shorter time. But not every trip is intended to save time. We take a ramble in a park at a leisurely pace, to stop to enjoy the flowers and the lake. We sit in the gazebo to enjoy the singing of opera by elderly fan groups. We need time to slow down and unwind. Even for functional journeys we have ways to fill our time with meaningful activities such as reading and listening to podcasts.

We don’t really need the frenzy of non-stop acceleration, especially when higher speed comes at higher risks to safety. Accidents are sadly unavoidable. But that is no excuse for those errors that occur as a consequence of lax management or under-tested facilities.

It is time we paused to reflect on the purpose of the journey that is life. We work to live, not live to work as has often been promoted. Our roads are supposed to take us to happy reunions and tender caresses, not to heartbreak and endless tears.

When we slow down, we’ll notice that life is not always a car race. Our skyline may take on new shapes, but our conscience should remain in shape. Our trains may derail, but many of us tenaciously hold on to our old morality, our sense of good versus evil.

Wenzhou, the city in which the accident took place, is known for its “ruthless” merchants who wreck havoc with property markets everywhere, but this time its people – from its migrant workers to its police officers, from its volunteers to its government officers – showed their humanity.

Money has not corrupted this city. For all its bulging wealth, one thing has remained constant – its good heart. And that does not need any change of track.

This event happened when I was still in China contemplating whether to get on the bullet train to Guangzhou from Shenzhen but at the end for some unknown reason I did not because caught a flu the day after and decided to stay in the hotel most of the time for recovery.

Thank you Mr. Zhou for this insight insightful pieces regarding Chinese growth.

Credit: Article by Raymond Zhou (China Daily)

Readers – What is your view?

Luxury Global Brand Hotel – Bad Experience

2011-08-04T00:08:00.000-07:00

What : Worst Customer Service

When : July 2011 (Summer)

Where : InterContinental Hotel at Shenzhen, China

Front View

This post originally intend to write my "pleasant" stay at China unfortunately it turns out to be really unpleasant stay at Shenzhen, China. Below is my honest opinion which I would like to share with you guys.

This hotel is really meant for those who prefer to think highly about themselves, so does the employed staff. Unless you have way too much money to spend unnecessarily or too much time to spare. I would advice you to read this before you decide whether to proceed with your reservation and whether your money worth paying for this kind of customer service in return.

It is only a good hotel if you are regular customer without the need or guidance nor any other interaction form from any of the staff at all, either you plan to spend all day on entertainment and recreation or in the room, be like an "emperor", walk, stand, sit, eat, sleep, bath even spit whenever and wherever you prefer, if all above mentioned are in your checklist then it would be the perfect hotel for you. Definitely suitable for leisure opposed to business stay.

Sneak peek part of the hotel.

I never thought to ever find myself rant about anything related to customer service especially come to hospitality, I’m always and has always been very easy with customer service without much expectation. Nobody is born perfect, it is through choice, as long as you try your best and improve along the way.

Stayed at Shenzhen InterContinental Hotel for four nights. Overall is a very well presented 5 star hotel with good Spanish concept interior, interesting recreation and excellent room. I would say well done on that.

Bellboy/ doorman's Spanish work attire and the lounge area.

Well, this is the first time I stayed in this hotel and frankly speaking I find 99% (those that I came across) of hotel’s staff are unfriendly and uninformative. I did not come across a staff who speak decent English. Bear in mind, I never expect anything out from customer service even if it’s from a luxury global chain hotel in Shenzhen, China.

I hate to admit that every single of the hotel staff that I came across fails to deliver a decent customer service, was also disappointing due to the poor performance and quality of service from the staff. I would rate 1 star customer service out of courtesy for their existence by people-watching all the time. There are plenty of way better decent hotel who delivers great customer service in Shenzhen, China.

Hotel elevator before 150 meters walk to our room at the very end.

The service throughout the hotel is unexpectedly slow, even for a bucket of ice, I have to wait for more than 30 mins or so for it to reached to my room. I do not care if my room was located way end of the hotel, it is the way it’s been build, even my self has so walk for 5 minutes or so just to reach my room and there aren’t any other alternatives to reach my room within shorter period of time.

I do believe as a Global Brand Luxury Hotel staff should understand well enough not to keep guest wait for too long without inform from time to time and I need to call 2nd time to remind them to get it delivered.

Front desk/ information area.

I remembered on that particular day I was baking in hot humid weather, I just got back from a stroll and decided to head directly to the front desk to request a bucket of ice to be delivered right to my room immediately, I didn’t want to wait till I reach my room then only make a call that would take up a lot of time. That’s the reason why I requested directly from the front desk, I requested ice to be sent to my room and had repeated the word ‘ice’ for 5 times but front desk seem to have difficulty to even digest what is ‘ice’, there was 4 of them figuring out the word ‘ice’. This is clearly a joke.

InterContinental being one of the upscale luxury brand hotel, hotel’s staff who do not understand simple English. I don’t mind if you were young amateurs who speak minimal English as long as you try to learn along the way from your mistake, even if you flip a dictionary right in front of me, I won’t have laugh at you and there’s always a computer right in front of you so google up and make good use of the Internet. Irony is that on their website, they claimed that their staff able speak German, English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Chinese which I highly doubt.

The long hallway, other exit are only available for emergency.

As a "food explorer" and curious of what kind of food Shenzhen has to bring. I did chat with the water park/ outdoor poolside's attendance since I was chilling by the pool side and was hungry by then, I saw clearly she has nothing to do at all beside people-watching and yada yada unprofessional with the life guard, so I asked randomly what are the delicacy food around Shenzhen, she replied “well, our hotel food are good enough, just dine at our hotel” aren’t this the most obvious lie told to my face? If so, what are the delicious food in this hotel that she dare recommend? No, she did not reply my question with an obnoxious horse face. It is a bold untruthful statement made by her with the intention to deceived me as a hotel guest. I don’t mind at all if she said “I don’t know” or that she is not familiar with Shenzhen and it’s better for me to ask more information from the front desk or recommend any special delicacies provided by the hotel. (I have to speak with her in minimal mandarin)

Interesting concept for a water park/ outdoor pool with real sand on the pool side.

Here is another joke which I find myself was so amuse and never thought I would say this that hotel’s staff do not greet you, not even the bell boy, doorman, lobby staff, front desk except for the housekeeper which always has been respect and ever so polite to their guest. What the other staff loves to do the most is scan you from head to toe, literally it could burn and sip right into your bone with a blank face, this is what they do best at and get paid by doing so! They are brilliant doing that. Oh! They should start attend moral class or smiling class to loosen up the muscle on the jaw and cheeks.

Real sand, of course it speaks by itself.

Customer Service Basic Keys:-

Anticipate Guest Needs
Body Language/ Commutation
Know what products/service you are offering back to front

Shenzhen InterContinental Hotel’s staff do not Anticipate Guest Needs – Nothing surprises your customer more than an employee going the extra mile to help them. Always look for ways to serve your customer more than they expect. In doing so it helps them to know that you care and it will leave them with the “Feel Good Factor” that we are searching for. In fact I feel the most disappointing stay after 4 nights which they fail to perform at the very beginning until last of my stay.

Shenzhen InterContinental Hotel’s staff do not have any Existing Body Language/Communication – Two of the most important parts of positive body language are smiling and eye contact. Staff at the hotel has never show any sign of it. Never make sure to look their customers in the eye. It shows that you are listening to us, not at us. And then of course smiling is just more inviting than someone who has a blank look on their face. I need to say no more about this, staff that only know how to stare from head to toe with a blank horse face, not even a simple smile, this is what hotel’s staff expert at. It is the most basic obligatory courtesy to smile to your customer no matter what.

Shenzhen InterContinental Hotel’s staff do not know/ understand what kind service they are offering back to front. In other words be an information expert. It is okay to say “I don’t know,” but it should always be followed up by “but let me find out” or possibly “but my friend knows!” Whatever the situation may be, make sure that you don’t leave your customer with an unanswered question like what the water park/ outdoor poolside attendance did, tell obvious lie to my face.

Top view for the outdoor pool, can you spot the ship?

Skin color alike doesn’t mean that some of us are from your country and understand your language. Do not speak to us in your native language, make your own assumption and assume we understand what you said and expect us to speak your language in return.

Sneak peek of children's playground.

I do notice most of the staff at the hotel were young amateurs with little 5 star hotel experience. To all staff of Shenzhen InterCotinental, improve yourself from time to time and do self-evaluation. Being hired by global upscale luxury brand InterContinental hotel doesn’t mean you are way better than others and above everyone, so that you feel that it is right to continue to think highly about yourselves and live in your imaginary world.

View from inside of the medium icon-boat.

I would like to add that hotel internet is a joke too, it kept disconnecting. Food wise is acceptable. I won’t say it was wonderful delicacy food that worth paying for the price, it’s more of pay for the convenient. I came across so much positive mandarin feedback on Tripadvisor and I start to really suspect whether how accurate those feedback are.

Well maintained man-made fish river/ pond.

If were to give a positive remarks about this hotel is that the housekeeper did a good job maintaining the cleanliness of the hotel especially the room. Frankly speaking, all of the other hotel’s staff are highly disappointing, think highly about themselves and not even helpful at all, do not take the initiate to ask or help customer. The only staff of this hotel I will give/ ever gave tips to are none other than the housekeeper. Well done, keep up the good work!

Unique red bowl ashtray on top of a bull shaped stand.

Or may be the fact before I step a foot into the hotel, I’d subconsciously set a standard since it’s a highly rated hotel in Shenzhen but hey that I was expecting 10 out of 100 for a decent customer service. I would still rate 5 out of the 10/100.

1 point for interior
1 point for excellent room
1 point for the housekeeping
1 point for the water park/ outdoor pool
1 point for facilities

This is the only special thing that caught my attention to the details and uniqueness

No matter how reputable InterContinental is a brand for some upscale luxury hotels, customer service plays an important role too. I would rate quality and level of customer service has decreased tremendously in this Shenzhen InterContinental, and fail to deliver not even close to a basic decent customer service even if were to compared other decent hotel in Shenzhen.

The Irony - it's saying to be stamped all over on the hotel guest post-it notepad, clearly every single hotel's staff that needed and should be instill from the very beginning.

Bottom line is hotel and house keeper are good, the hotel staff especially those who responsible to serve hotel guest need to send to learn basic courtesy and social etiquette.

Readers – I have my say, now it's your turn to say!

One of the Senses

2011-08-01T00:08:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

How’s your weekend? Today I’m going to do a review on Cerebos – Iodized Table Salt packaging instead of its content. I won’t be further explain and review about this sodium. I am not an expert on sodium.

Apparently Cerebos is a long-established business with a strong internationally known brand which is the market leader in the retail salt market in South Africa and Europe.

Review:

Packaging:

What I really like about this packaging is that it remain strong self-identity design elements, retro font and layout, it is just so classic retro aspect. It has successfully stood out among others, which is why bought it at the first place too.

Opening:

This is another which I love about it, it comes with an easy to use flip-up lid (small and medium lid), easy to store without contaminate my salt. I can now have it with me whenever there are the need!

Price:

Price is consider steep among others.

Recommendation:
Definitely in between, depend on price.

Country Origin: South Africa.

Readers – Please do share if you came across any long-established condiment companies.

Potavention

2011-07-28T00:08:00.000-07:00

I named this as Potavention as some of you may easily guess that it’s combination from the word Potato and Invention because it is one of the amazing food that I love so much even until now, I’ve been buying this for almost 10 years, can you imagine how amazing the taste can be.

I find myself always end up choosing the same old potato chips that is Frito-Lay – Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream. I got to know this potato chips when I just started to really explore and have more time browsed through the supermarket. What caught my attention is that all these particular potato chips that produced by the same company Frito-Lay was the most expensive chips among others during that time.

Review:

Packaging:

I will not comment because this is my all-time favorite food binge, it has its own style.

Taste:

The taste itself is perfect but I know that it isn’t healthy, it taste heavenly.

Freshness:

For the seal, it is secure to hold the freshness even though in tropical country, easy opening too which I love about it without the need of any scissors or the need for strong force to rip it open.

Overall Rate:

Deliciously addicted but I would say it is not a healthy food binge.

Recommendation:
Definitely yes, the great food creation of all time – Potavention.

Country Origin: United States

Readers – Please share your thoughts as well! I would like to know your opinion.

Like it, Loathe it

2011-07-26T00:08:00.000-07:00


Source: marthastewart.com

Hello Everyone,

Some of you guys may be bored by my post. The main reason or purpose of this WordPress is a place for me to keep a record or rant on some of the ready-to-eat convenience food I bought at local grocery store.

Over the years, I ate plenty of ready-to-eat convenience food. Sometimes it is quite funny how I could possibly bought the same junk food again and I didn’t realize that I was once loathe it and make a point not to ever buy it again, argh… packaging does the trick. Little did I know that it was still the same awful taste and the company who produced them has never make a point to improve it.

Sometimes I found some food that I was once like but there are times I dislike because of the taste and the quality, I dare say that some companies do not have quality control on their products – Kinder *hint. I will find time to share more details about it.

Readers – Have you ever found yourself bought the same food that you were once loathe and awful taste still remain the same? or What food did you once like that you now loathe?

Versatile Condiment

2011-07-23T00:08:00.000-07:00

Recently bought this Heinz – Distilled White Vinegar off the shelf, it’s among the higher price kind of vinegar. I use this mainly to dip french fries as side condiment. I wonder has anyone tried this Heinz vinegar before?

I would have to admit that the price is a bit steep compared to other off the shelf.

Review:

Packaging:
Classic the way it is.

Taste:

Couldn’t comment because I am not an expert when comes to tasting vinegar.

Price:

Price is consider steep among others.

Recommendation:
Definitely in between, depend on price and promotion.

Country Origin: United States

Readers – Please do share if you by any chance know difference between good or bad vinegar!

McCheese

2011-07-19T00:08:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,

I would like to start this post with rare and cute Kraft – Macaroni & Cheese (Sponge Bob Square Pants Shape) in the market, some of you might even ate this before. Actually there are plenty of different packaging off the market but I could only share with you guys with my recent purchase. Personally I haven’t try this before, so I couldn’t comment much about it.

I will try to get you back in a month or two on the full review. So at the mean time, I will share with you guys on how the Macaroni & Cheese Shape looks before it’s cooked.

Review:

Packaging:

It’s a rare packaging and stood out among others off the shelf, I would have to admit that it has successfully attract thousands of children to convince their parents to get it for them, even I got attracted by the shape of the Macaroni & Cheese. It’s just way too cute not to buy it, I just hope the taste will be like what I had in mind. I wonder how long it has been in the market?

Country Origin: United States

Readers – Anyone tried this before? Please share your own thoughts as well!

Flaxseed for Chips

2011-07-18T00:08:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys!

I’m going to do one really quick review. This is the least favorite of mine. The Bee found and bought this Food for Friends – Soy Flaxseed Tortilla Chips out of curiosity recently, The Bee has been searching high and low for a good delicious Tortilla Chips over the years, it is not easy to find a good decent Tortilla Chips in the market. Well I did not like the taste at all, it just wasn’t what I’m searching for in the taste of a Tortilla Chips.

I like how sophisticated and clean sleek it looks. Almost perfect font and layout. By the way, does anyone who had taste real Soy Flaxseed before?

Review:

Packaging:

Classic, simple yet modern in a way. Word and description is clear and big enough for easier view, for me it is really important to have big clear information with no hidden agenda. I absolutely adore its packaging. Deliver as it promised.

Taste:

Well, it taste a bit weird for me for what a tortilla has to bring but it is still acceptable, good thing is that it is fulfilling and I will stop after binge a few, it is a plus for the waistline too. The Bee seems to enjoy and binged the whole pack within 24 hours.

Freshness:

Strong seal.

Overall Rate:

I would say that it going to be The bee favorite from now on and it seems to be a healthy sneak. It is Gluten Free, No Trans Fat and Halal.

Recommendation: Definitely in between, I dislike but The Bee loves it.

Ingredients: organic stone ground yellow corn, organic soy grits, sunflower oil or corn oil, organic brown flaxseed, sea salt, water, trace of lime.

Country Origin: United States

Readers – Feel free to share with me your own thoughts as well!