Jade and Gold

StarHub Happy Roam: not working.

2019-07-11T13:25:00.000+01:00

I recently traveled to Taiwan and used Starhub's Happy Roam while I was there.

The Happy Roam was easy enough to purchase via the Starhub app but when it came to actually working, it wasn't that simple.

My dad also experienced the same issues of the purchased Happy Roam not working, previously in Australia. I feel quite bad now because I didn't take his complains too seriously then but after experiencing it myself, it really is a frustrating issue because the Happy Roam is time-based. The app doesn't show you how and where to rectify the issue and all you can see is data that you have bought, that isn't being used.

The Starhub forums aren't helpful as the most common solution posted, is to send them a PM and wait for a reply.

Thankfully, I've managed to figure out that my Happy Roam issues was down to my Access Point Name (APN).

I've copy and pasted the information below for my and my dad's future reference.

[via]

How do I set my Access Point Name (APN)?

APN can be set using Happy Prepaid App: Open app > Roaming Tab > APN Settings. Alternatively, you may set it manually by following the below instructions.

For iOS users:

Check that you have the Carrier setting StarHub 27.2 or above.

Go to Settings -> General -> About -> Carrier -> StarHub 27.2

If yes:

Go to Settings -> Mobile Data Options -> Mobile Data Network -> Under Mobile Data, key in the following information

APN: shppd

If no:

Access http://bit.do/shapn from the browser in your device and select 'Install Profile'. Select 'Install' to install the APN Profile.

For Android users:

Go to Settings-> Mobile networks-> Access Point Names-> Key in the following information

APN: shppd

Bake #13: Rye Brownies

2019-03-16T20:20:00.000+00:00

In a bid to clear out our kitchen, I have been baking with a lot of rye flour.
Apart from the obvious rye bread, I have found rye flour to be quite apt for brownies as well.

Previously, my favourite recipe was the Violet Bakery Rye Brownie by Claire Ptak.
However, Edd Kimber has recently released a very similar one which I found to be as good as, if not better!
Also a video always helps to make baking even simpler.

This is my adapted recipe to fit my 8x8 pan.

96g Doves Farm organic wholemeal rye flour
28g cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
110g unsalted butter,
165g dark chocolate (65-75% cocoa solids)
82g caster sugar
121g light brown sugar
3 medium eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Empties: Nov 2018

2018-11-25T22:26:00.002+00:00

Body: Cetaphil Moisturising Cream
A simple, no-frills, fragrance-free body moisturiser that worked.
I was impressed that the texture was light enough to be moisturising (even for the UK winter) , yet it did not leave you sticky in Singapore's heat.
I'm trying out Cerave's moisturising cream to see how it compares but still, I would recommend it .

Face:
NIOD Sanskrit Saponins
A good 2nd-step skin cleanser. It does clean the skin well without over-drying it.
But it stings your eyes badly if you get it into your eyes and the metal tube packaging looked nice at first but towards the end, the sides started to crack and oil leaked from the sides. I was unable to travel with it as a result. Will not repurchase.

Emma Hardie Age Support Cream
The only pro about this heavy moisturiser in my books is that it smelt nice. I suspect this has been discontinued, but no wonder, it piled like crazy. It would piled even as a hand moisturiser! Would not repurchase.

London #21: Hokusai beyond the Great Wave @ the British Museum

2017-07-16T17:11:00.000+01:00

It was such a privilege to see Hokusai's The Great Wave or Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura)
in person at the British Museum.

Photograph: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Also, it was great to learn about his less iconic works.
One of my new favourites is Red Shōki, the Demon Queller which was such a dynamic painting to view in person.

Photograph: Metropolitan Museum of Art

I love the fact that it was the painting that made Hokusai confident that he could earn his living as an artist. And it even makes an appearance in another of his works, see if you can spot it!

Boys’ Festival,’ ink and color on old Dutch paper, 1824-1826. National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden.

Nom #01: Emily Fruit Crisps

2017-07-15T11:34:00.000+01:00

H brought these Pineapple crisps home as a gift.

I wasn't expecting much but they were surprisingly moreish, crunchy and not too sweet.

Also, I love the packaging, tropical and fun! Will have to track down more of the Emily Fruit Crisps range now, the crunchy apple award-winning one is next on my eat list.

Website: http://www.emilycrisps.com/

Greater Manchester Walking Festival 2017

2017-06-13T22:07:00.002+01:00

We took part in the Alexandra Park and Park Bridge Circular in the Greater Manchester Walking Festival 2017.

Despite the weather forecast of early afternoon rain, the sunny weather held up for longer than expected and there were certainly some spots of unexpected natural beauty!

Watch #07: Miss Hokusai

2017-06-10T11:27:00.002+01:00

A beautiful character-driven anime movie but not much of a plot.

Genre: Anime movie

Youtube trailer

Watch #06: Silver Spoon

2017-05-29T13:27:00.000+01:00

I stumbled upon the OST of Silver Spoon or "Gin no Saji" first before checking out the anime series. Yes, it is totally fictional and does slightly romanticise the farm life. Yet, the characters are engaging and the farming theme does make some interesting learning.

Genre: Slice-of-life

Watch on Crunchyroll

Watch #05: The Red Turtle

2017-05-29T11:37:00.000+01:00

I don't think I watched another film as minimal as The Red Turtle.

The animation, the storyline, the characters and speech are all minimal.

Almost an animated documentary than a typical Studio Ghilbi yet still visually stunning and reflective of life itself.

The trailer gives away too much of the storyline so instead, read more about it here by the Guardian and the Telegraph.

Genre: Animation movie

Watch #04: Ore Monogatari!

2016-01-20T21:29:00.000+00:00

Ridiculously heartwarming!

It's nice to have an anime series where the couple actually does get together

and reminds you of what it feels like to fall in love, *gush*!

My favourite romantic-comedy anime of 2015.

Watch #03: Flying Colors (ビリギャル)

2016-01-16T10:56:00.001+00:00

Flying Colors is not a sad movie but I found myself sniffling back tears while watching it. I could draw many parallels with the Sayaka's struggles and those secondary school days where parental pressure, tuition you attend to please the parents and the immense pressure cooker style of the Asian education system with their intense emphasis on exam results brought back bittersweet nostalgia.

But the saving grace is both the immeasureable joy of friends and especially teachers who believe in you and with that faith, change your life.

Watch #02: Song of the Sea

2016-01-15T21:33:00.000+00:00

I was really excited to see Song of the Sea appear on the in-flight entertainment movie list, after reading rave reviews about this animation but was then unable to find it locally.

I was so blown away by this movie!

Of all the animations I've watched, it is one of the most underrated! It is as stylistically beautiful as a Studio Ghibi anime and accompanied by a haunting beautiful soundtrack.
It really captured the majestic yet wild beauty of the Celtic lands and folklore, reminding me of Isle of Skye.

Cook #03: Chia Breakfast Pudding

2016-01-14T20:53:00.000+00:00

Chia Breakfast Pudding (my adapted version!)

Ingredients
1/3 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
1 cup coconut milk ( or almond milk but I prefer coconut )

Method
Mix all the ingredients into a bowl.
Stir to combine
Cover with clingfilm and leave overnight in fridge.
Top with banana or any other fruit of your choice.

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I wasn't sure about chia pudding the very first time I had it.
But the texture actually makes a nice change from cereal and porridge.
I think the trick to getting it work for you is figuring out which milk you prefer and how gelatinous you like it.

Scotland #49: Peak of Ben Nevis

2015-10-07T21:10:00.001+01:00

The view from the peak of Ben Nevis!

Thank God for the clear skies and amazing view.

Anime #05: Old school

2015-09-23T13:12:00.002+01:00

When cleaning up, I found an old disc with Paradise Kiss on it.

It's strange how your brain associates some anime series with a certain period of your life.

Paradise Kiss will always remind me of K and fashion school, (and Nana )

and Honey and Clover will forever remind me of those art school days.

Anime #04: FANTASTIC ANIME MACHINE

2015-08-29T14:39:00.000+01:00

What an advertisement! Awesome sound track as well!

[ via designboom ]

Tune #01: Lion Heart

2015-08-28T13:13:00.000+01:00

You know you read too many fashion blogs when your reaction is

OOOH! D&G!

OOOH! Valentino!

OOOH! Valentino x Celia Birtwell!

Anime #03: Attack on Titan

2015-08-19T11:15:00.000+01:00

H previously shrugged it off, after reading an off-hand review which described it inaccurately as "like Naruto".
I have to admit, despite of hearing of it before, my interest was piqued only after watching the live-action trailer

which lead me to checking out the anime ( available on crunchy roll!)

And it is good.

H summarised his excitement after episode 9 with his quote, "Guess who isn't sleeping tonight!"

It's now on my list of "Epic Anime" (just a personal list, I realised that I have to write/blog them down nowadays as I am slowly losing count of what we've watched over the years) but don't worry, it's not on the top, Kill la Kill is still my personal favourite.

London #21: Bao London

2015-08-18T13:41:00.000+01:00

After reading so many rave reviews about Bao London, we decided to check it out.
We enjoyed the starters, named "xiao chi" (little bites) especially the pig blood cake more than the baos actually.

The baos did have an interesting fusion twist, but the best one was still the traditional Kong Bak Pao.

It's nice to see Taiwanese food treading in London and I'm glad we checked it out once but not sure if we will ever go back for more.

Read #01: Five Children on the Western Front

2015-08-17T11:15:00.000+01:00

It's great when you get an opportunity to get a book. But even better when the book turns out to be a complete page-turner.

If I had a book of the year list, this would be on it.

Guardian has a short extract if you are interested!

Scotland #49: Summer

2015-08-13T14:25:00.001+01:00

Summer of 2015 - pretty much non-existent in Scotland, LOL

Here is a short fleeting moment of it.

Enpowerment

2015-08-10T17:39:00.000+01:00

She is of the Christian women that I look up to, a women of faith, family and intelligence.

Her talk about "Can I believe in a God who does not answer my prayers?" helped me with coming to terms with some issues which I spent the last 2 years struggling with.

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"Heels, clothes that are extremely delicate or uncomfortable, high maintenance hair styles—all of that might be beautiful, but how many of us can wear those things in our everyday lives?"

Also, loved the sentiment and evolution of style discussed in Garance's Women at Work.

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Tokyo #28: Anime dedications

2015-05-19T16:01:00.000+01:00

Some of the prettiest and cutest temple dedications I've seen

Tokyo #27: USApyon

2015-05-19T15:43:00.000+01:00

Met USApyon of Yo-Kai Watch, haha!

Turns out he is a otter, not a rabbit!

Tokyo #26: Kanda Myojin Shrine

2015-05-19T15:30:00.000+01:00