I’m selling a used Fujifilm FinePix F450 Digital Camera. It comes in full set and still in good condition.
The FinePix F440 has an average bundle. Inside the box, you'll find:
The 5.2 effective Megapixel FinePix F450 camera
512MB xD Picture Card
1 NP-30 lithium-ion rechargeable battery
AC adapter / battery charger
Picture Cradle
Wrist strap
A/V cable
USB cable
CD-ROM featuring FinePix AX software
99 page camera manual (printed)
Weight: 0.2 kg
Optical zoom: 3.4 x
Digital Zoom: 4.1x
*I have actually borrowed a photo from "cameras.co.uk" website in my blog, so this photo is just an illustration, you may contact
Xanthe for more details and discussion*
Related links:
http://www.cameras.co.uk/details/fuji-finepix-f450.cfmhttp://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_f440-review/Labels: Digital Camera sale
I’m selling a used Canon PowerShot A550 Digital Camera. It comes in full set and is seldom used, looking as good as new.
The PowerShot A550 has an average bundle. Inside the box, you'll find:
The 7.1 effective Megapixel PowerShot A550 camera
16MB memory card
Two AA alkaline batteries
Wrist strap
USB cable
A/V cable
CD-ROM featuring Canon Digital Camera Solution
31 page basic manual + 115 page advanced manual (both printed)
*I have actually borrowed a photo from "lets go digital" website in my blog, so this photo is just an illustration, you may contact Xanthe for more details and discussion*
Related links:
http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/17557/canon-a550-review/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/A550/A550A.HTM
Labels: Digital Camera sale
I am Xanthe. I am very fortunate to have found these lovely people... some happy moments will never be forgotten…
At Changi Airport T3, here comes the 5 of us…
3 funny men
1 lovely couple, playing hide and seek behind the curtains…
Lots of joy and laughter…
Cranky guys pretending to eat orchids…
And 2 little girls
Together, we braved the mountains… (I mean Tree top walk at MacRitchie Reservoir)
We brought with us 3 solders…
Come together as a group again…
With all our might, we surmounted the Treetop!
We faced difficulties with unity…
And our stories traveled far and wide… *lol*
Our compassion moved the ponies at Pasir Ris park…
She loves me, much as I do… hehe!
The craziness begins at the cable swing…
Together, we had thrown MH to the air!
JJ could not contain his glee…
The swing alone could not satisfy us, we went for the ropes…
With our agility, we easily reached the top…
VICTORY!
After all that hard work, we reward ourselves with a sumptuous spread…
As we are inexperience in organizing BBQ, I prepared way too much food.
It rained hard that evening and we could not use our outdoor BBQ pit and Jim came up with using A3 size aluminum foil tray, jabbed a few holes at the side and our small stove is ready!
With teamwork, success of the BBQ is assured…
Here’s our Guests-of-Honour, Jim and Cherlin!
Some ideas on BBQ food:
Sambal Stingray
Chicken Wings
Satay
Golden Mushroom with black pepper and light soya sauce/optional: wrap with Bacon
Shitake Mushroom with Mozarella Cheese
Buttered Corn
Sweet potato
Sausages and Cheese Sausages
Crab sticks
Sotong balls
Marshmallows
Green Tea
Chrysanthemum Tea
Labels: outing
We were introduced to Eden Sanctuary by our friend, whose friend is part of the shareholder. What attracted us to go beside its floral theme dining, is the venue. I have heard so much about One Rochester being a beautiful and relaxing place to chill out yet did not have a chance to visit.
Here we are at Eden Sanctuary, 44 Rochester Park. It was a distance away from One Rochester Entrance, almost secluded. I was wearing shorts and was very much regretted when I reached, I suffered numerous mosquitoes’ bites, which made me really irritable.
We were invited to tour around the area by my friend’s friend’s uncle, learning about the edible plants and flowers used in their dishes and were offered a petal of this flower for sampling. It tasted like tomato. Uncle told us that their food is unique as it will cater to different people's needs and allegies and come up with a dish best suited for them. They also disallow fogging in this area as they grew plants for food and they have grew some “mosquitoes’ plants” to drive the mosquitoes away so there will be no mosquitoes or breeding, I played it by the ear since I suffered a total of 9 big bites on my legs, thighs to ankles. Forest mosquitoes are ruthless, my friend had 2 bites and the itch lasted a week.
If not for the irritation, this place is quite a cozy place. We had chilled fruit tea for a start. The beautiful layout on the table made me felt like a Tai Tai (Rich man’s wife). The tea is not too sweet in the beginning, but when we were almost finishing, it just gets sweeter, probably we did not mixed it well enough. There were strawberries and probably passion fruit pulp in the tea. One pot serves 2 and it is deserving of a try.
Chilled fruit tea
$6 + 7% GST + 10% Service Charge
Rating: 4
The inside of the restaurant, most of the table and chairs were outside. There are just a few armchairs for a 4-5 people gathering inside.
The first main course on our table is this Garlic Tarragon Chicken. The vegetables were very fresh and look pretty but I’m not a fan of raw vegetables and probably I’m not used to the sour salad sauce, it caused me some degree of gastric discomfort for hours. The chicken was tender and juicy. Anyway, I find that the overall layout of the dish is a beautiful plate of art. Noticed the small yellow and purple flowers? They are violets and are edible, we were encouraged to try the precious little flowers as they were expensive. The flowers were tasteless to me.
Garlic Tarragon Chicken
$16.90 + 7% GST + 10% Service Charge
Rating: 4
Here comes the Ginger Leek Fish, yet another beautiful display of art. As the name tells you, this fish was topped with finely shredded ginger. Before eating, I brushed the ginger off the fish. The fish was fragrant and full-flavoured, however the potion was noticeably small, definitely not filling for a guy’s dinner.
Ginger Leek Fish
$19.90 + 7% GST + 10% Service Charge
Rating: 3.5
Our last main course was Pesto Salmon. The salmon was thick and well-done, but the potion was not big either. My friend commented that he does not find the organic flowers special and the food was just normal, which I silently agreed. He even suggested going for tim sum supper after that.
Pesto Salmon
$19.90 + 7% GST + 10% Service Charge
Rating: 3.5
Of all the dishes we have savoured, all of us agreed that the star of the night is this beautiful looking Tofu Cheese Cake, unique to Eden Sanctuary. The sweet, soft and smooth cheese cake melts in our mouth and slides down our throat effortlessly. A must-try!
Tofu Cheese Cake
$7.90 + 7% GST + 10% Service Charge
Rating: 5
Our 2nd dessert as well as the last dish of the day is Molten Chocolate Cake. While I don’t recall the menu stating alcohol in this dessert, there was a strong taste of liqueur in the cake. The melted chocolate drenched the cake and it was satisfying for a chocolate lover like me. However, I find that Tofu Cheese Cake still fared better.
Molten Chocolate Cake
$12 + 7% GST + 10% Service Charge
Rating: 3
Although the prices aren’t exactly cheap here, however if compared to the other dining in Rochester, it’s relatively reasonably priced.
Eden Sanctuary
44 Rochester Park
Singapore 139248
(65) 6777 1189
Labels: food
Our 5 days trip passed quickly and soon it was time to bid farewell to the lovely Paris of the East. We have to reach the airport by 4pm. As we were worried for the traffic, we did not go far. Again, we went back to Cho Ben Thanh and have a final grabs of the local products like dried fruits and candies. We have a final look on what souvenirs what have left out and also a final spree for clothes. This was when my friend was quoted a 10x higher price of what he could get at BenThanh night market. We were so turned off and wanted to leave as there was no point in bargaining, then the stallholders immediately reduced the price by 50% and then to 90%, but as it is still expensive, my friend just told them that he have no money and the stallholders immediately turned rude and insulted us for wasting their time when we are penniless while we were walking away.
We went back to the nice restaurant and had lunch at 1pm. However, the great tasting macaroni do not taste as wonderful as the other night. I concluded that it could be prepared by a different chef.
After lunch, we flagged a cab outside our hostel and left for the airport. The cabbie told us it was 120,000VND, but upon reaching, the meter shown 80,000VND, yet the cabbie collected the quoted amount from us. Not sure was it some location charges, or simply a “tip” for Mr Cabbie…
Some local food products I've got at the supermarket..
Behind the scenes
Craziness at Yellow House Hotel
Fun times at Mekong River
Pretending to be tired at Tan Son Nhat International Airport
Labels: travel, vietnam
Today is a free and easy day again! We spent the whole afternoon shopping at An Dong Market and An Dong Plaza where we bought cute dresses, hair accessories and bags from Level 2 of An Dong Market, it is up-market, air-conditioned and all things are going at fixed price, somewhat like Far East Plaza in Singapore. However, there is no harm asking for discount, just in case you get it. Things were cheap, just gauge whether is it value-for-money. We also bought lots of Pho Ga instant noodles, raw macaroni and some local products at An Dong Plaza supermarket. We were so enthralled by the shopping and everyone bagged heavy purchases at the end of the day and flagged a cab straight back to hostel.
We returned to hostel, put our heavy purchases, let the guys laze for a while before proceeding to photo-taking at a few nearby locations. I have read some much on the Reunification Palace yet did not get to visit as they were closed in the evening.
Reunification Palace @ 6.12pm.
Notre Dame Cathedral @ 6.30pm. The tall, red building makes this Cathedral looks solemn yet feels romantic; a perfect venue for wedding photo to be taken!
Central Post Office. Mr. Ho Chi Minh portrait is in the middle of the hall. At the time we reached, it was already so dark that I can’t even take a proper photo, what a waste…
After that we went to the nearby shopping centre, Diamond Plaza. It was kind of a high-end shopping centre somewhat like Robinson in Singapore, and we settled for KFC. I’m no food connoisseur, but chicken was indeed not up to standard. The chicken was very dry and not fragrant; this was the worst-tasting chicken I had in HCMC. Luckily, I’ve ordered Fish Zinger. Well, mine taste just fine. Weeee!!
After dinner, we came across a park where thousands of couples hugged and whispered sweet nothings to each other. Each couple were seated within 1 metre or less from one another. They can be seen by the roadside, on benches, grass, parked motorbikes, everywhere! We also saw a group of girls and a group of boys…not sure if they were waiting to be preyed and to predate… This is probably a nice idea for free match-making and broadening social circle…
Labels: travel, vietnam
Today we finally have time for the free breakfast. We have a choice of coffee or tea, fried egg or scrambled egg. French loaf and a banana! Sumptuous ya?
On the way to Cu Chi tunnel, we noticed that houses in Vietnam have large statues of deities on their roof balcony.
Houses with Buddha and Goddess of Mercy. There are houses with Mary and Jesus too.
A slanted house.
We were first brought to the Handicraft workshop of the disabled people. A tour guide explained the process of making the wares in English.
Painting of the ware
Using eggshells.
Using Mother-of-Pearls
An exquisite finished product!
On the way to Cao Dai Temple, I saw this building with a picture outside. Anyone knows what is this place?
We arrived at Cao Dai temple after the 2 hours plus bus ride. Cao Dai is a rare religion consisting of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity. The huge temple is magnificent! The details of the interior are as captivating as the exterior!
Tourists were jostling for the best view of the temple, a kind priestess made way for me and I got the chance to stand right in front!
Followers wore white robes while higher priests and priestess wore various colours to symbolize the different religions. The ritual was very grand, followers were neatly seated. We have to observe rules like no shoes and caps allowed in the temple and to remain silent during the praying. Photo-taking were allowed most of the time.
Then we had lunch. Steamed rice garnished with colourful veggies. A careful look at the picture of my lunch, you will notice a fly in my soup. I was happily enjoying the fresh fish and tasty soup without realizing it. Probably I was lucky enough not to eat the fly altogether. Anyway, a fair comment will be, this simple fare do tasted nice. Vietnamese soup is often flavoured with strong smelling leaves.
We traveled for probably another 30-45mins from Cao Dai Temple to Cu Chi tunnel. The journey was long and we were sleepy after lunch and slept on the bus half of the time until a very very rocky road woke me up. The bus supposedly rocked at least 10-15 degrees left and right, I was quite worried that our bus might just hit the truck next to it after all the truck also rocked as much. Phew, the bus got out of the rocky road safely and went back on the highways again...
Finally, we reached Cu Chi tunnel. The spider hole was indeed small, the tour guide asked for volunteers to enter the hole. Actually I wanted, but the muddy ground and crowd detered me from my brave act, haha! Luckily I didn’t, I just realized there was a worm on the cover of the hole, argh!!
Then a guy volunteered, and every tourist started flashing their cameras at him!
We were shown the different types of traps used; it is amazing how Vietnamese thought of all kinds of traps targeting on human psychology, which ensured that the enemy who fall for the traps simply have to die or at least severely injured.
A table full of traps
Some process of making the traps.
This “person” brandishing the knife looked really spooked.
Some bombs and grenades
There we are, in the tunnel! It was really small and low ceiling, warm and stuffy. We have to walk like a duck throughout, and if your legs feel really sore, just crawl your way out. It was in a total darkness inside if not for our torchlight and the few lights fixed inside.
After the tunnel visit, we were served some steamed tapioca strips with peanut powder, a taste of what the soldiers survived on. At the end of the trip, a movie of their war history were screened.
Labels: travel, vietnam
Rise and shine, I woke up really early at 5.30am (VNT) to get prepared, for breakfast and Mekong Day Tour at 7.45am (VNT). However, as we went down late, the tour bus already arrived and we left for the tour on empty stomach. Grrrr…
When we stopped over at a souvenir shop for toilet breaks, I bought some crackers for all of us, I’ve found out that the crackers had just expired after I’ve finished it, oh man... Anyway, it did help to curb my hunger…
Some interesting sights in HCMC..
Activities by the riverside…
A cluster of cables…
Some shops at the rural areas.
We then saw a block of new, beautiful looking building by the highway roadside; it stood out from the rest in the rural areas…
A run-down petrol kiosk.
And a man delivering canes.
It took about 1 and half hour bus ride before arriving at the pier.
I was so excited since I have been wishing for a boat ride months ago. We were brought to the local products factory where we were shown how coconut candies, pop-rice and all kinds of rice crackers were manufactured.
The husks of the rice were used as fuel for making of rice sheets or we call it “po piah skin”.
Extracting coconut flesh to make candies
Malt syrup to make coconut candies
Making of coconut candies
We were offered some tea and sweets.
We were then brought to pop-rice factory
Some black powder were used to raise the pop-rice
Pop-rice thrown in
Pop-rice ready
Pop-rice sieved out of the black powder.
Transferred to another place for a more detailed sieving.
Pop-rice fried.
Then transferred to the table
Finally cut and packaged.
Life at Mekong… notice the tall antennas?
A prettiest building found by Mekong riverside.
According to our tour guide, plants are part of decoration for buildings.
Our tour guide told us history about this white building, but I wasn’t paying attention..oops
We saw some pigs on the boat. Supposedly going to the markets…
A duck…
We were on our way to lunch
Their pork chop tasted very good, it is like satay, but more tender, juicy and fragrant. *hopefully not from the pigs we saw just now*
We were encouraged to order 1 kg of shrimps or a big fish or both. We chose the fish. The fish was indeed large; the fins were deep-fried to crisp. It has a strong taste of mud.
Vietnamese macaroni are crystal clear and very springy!
We were taught how to roll a “Vietnamese Po Piah”. Vietnamese rice sheets were spread out on the plate, where we put some vermicelli, raw vegetables and some fish, then rolled it and dipped in chili sauce before consumption. The po piah skin is tough, do make sure only 1 piece of rice sheet is used otherwise you might have difficult tearing the po piah apart.
Ingredients used to roll a “Vietnamese Po Piah”.
“The finished good”
Initially we went cycling with the free bicycles provided. However, the brakes are not working well and it started to drizzle, hence we returned to the lunch place and saw a doggie! It was busy looking for food and I just stroked its head and it paused, signaling me that it wanted more! It enjoyed my massage so much that it lie down comfortably to enjoy. However, a snake caught our interest and I bid farewell to doggie…
Kissed by a snake beauty.
We left Mekong Delta taking a small wooden boat. One boat sits 4. Each of us was provided with a Vietnamese straw hat which keeps out the sun and rain.
While we were on the boat, rain comes down on us and it just gets heavier that I have to use a brolly on top of my straw hat. It rained even harder after we have transferred to the bigger boat and the boat has to stop by the side as the boat is too rocky. While we were busy hiding from the rain, kids were having fun in the rough water while an old man bathed happily by the side. Gotcha!
While waiting for our tour bus we had a coffee again, we were supposed to wait for the coffee to drip till half cup or 60ml, however, the tour bus came and we have to leave, gosh! My friend just mix the 1-qtr coffee with 3-qtr sweetened milk and drink it, can you imagine how sweet?
We returned from the trip and look for food again. This time we settled at the nice looking western eateries. Initially, we chose a cushioned seat, but there are mosquitoes! Hence, we shifted to the “balcony”. I regretted not bring my insect repellent along…
I ordered fried macaroni with grilled pork chop. That is the best tasting macaroni I’ve eaten so far. The sauce tasted like Singapore wanton mee sauce, probably some tomato sauce, butter..etc were used. As usual, the rice macaroni is springy. However, the pork chop is too tough. The buttered mashed potato is very fragrant, but eating too much can be quite sickening too.
Chicken and fries tasted great too!
My friends stopped by a bread kiosk, they had a difficult time describing to non-English speaking stall-holders the ingredients they would like in their bread, anyway, they got wanted using "sign language"...
Labels: travel, vietnam
