Sunday brunch at Jolly Frog, Singapore

Don't be fooled by its quaint location or the seemingly decent menu, Jolly Frog will not last. Food was sub-par and the servers were completely dim, clueless and inconsiderate (for the record: The management is always at fault for bad staff, not the staff). My first and last time at Jolly Frog for sure.

Was there for brunch on Sunday around 1:30pm and there was only 1 other table with customers, so I wouldn't call it busy by any means. Server handed us the Breakfast Menu (which was pretty bare) so I asked if they had a Lunch Menu. The response? I paraphrase because the server was mumbling the entire time: The kitchen is not ready for lunch and on Sunday, we only serve lunch at 3pm. Seriously? Lunch at 3pm is super late, even for me!

So stuck with the Breakfast Menu, we ordered: 2 flat whites, Eggs Florentine (which was strangely served with bacon), Roasted Portobello Mushroom with Goat Cheese & Wild Rocket, Cinnamon French Toast with Fair Trade Bananas & Organic Yogurt. We added a side order of bacon later, which was met by confused looks by the server. First dish served was French Toast with Bacon & Maple Syrup and if you're going, "what?" -- that's what I thought too. First off, why serve sweets before the savory? Secondly, they got our order wrong. The best part was, the couple at the next table had ordered the Cinnamon French Toast just like us, and their french toast was served with melon coated with yogurt. When they asked their server what happened to the bananas, the server informed them that the kitchen was out of bananas so they served them melons instead. It's like, hello, why assume that it was okay to replace the bananas with melons without asking the customer? So when we informed our server that they got our order wrong, there was no apology - all he said was he will check on what order was placed into the system - WTF. I specified to the dim server that if they don't have bananas, let me know as I might want to change my order. The server's response, "Oh, you can have it without bananas." So I'm like fine, then if there are no bananas, I'll have it without bananas, but can you please check with your kitchen and let me know.

Coffee was decent, not worth another cup. They served us our mains - Eggs Florentine and Roasted Portobello Mushroom with Goat Cheese & Wild Rocket, which was sub-par. Had to ask twice for ketchup and the bacon was burnt. All throughout the meal, no one came back to update us on whether they had bananas for our Cinnamon French Toast. We found out only when toast arrive, sans banana, sans cinnamon, sans taste. Attempted to save it with a drizzle of raw sugar, but no go. I could make better cinnamon toast with my eyes closed.

I think the servers secretly wanted to annoy us because they came by our table at least 6 separate times to clear our dishes. Again, seriously? Dude, I'm trying to have a conversation here and you constantly coming by to remove a sauce plate, a glsss and a plate is not my idea of relaxing. The best part was, as they were clearing plates, not a single time did they ask if we were done. The server even removed our half-eaten Cinnamon Toast -- guess they're used to people not finishing their sucky food. When the bill came, we were not surprised that they charged us the full price for the Cinnamon French Toast, even though they didn't have bananas. It's not about the cost, it's about the restaurant's complete disregard for customer service. After we informed the cashier and explanation ensued, they removed $1 off the menu. Whoopdeedoo. Couldn't wait to leave the place, and to never return.

If you have to try it to believe it (even though I can't see why you would want to endure the torture):

Jolly Frog
81 Neil Road Singapore 088905
Phone: +65 6222 9227
http://jollyfrog.com.sg/

Opening Hours
Sun–Thu: 9am – 11pm
Fri–Sat: 9am – 1am

[Image from Jolly Frog web site]

Art, a thing of beauty

I'm the last person to claim to know much about art of design, especially considering I can't draw to save my life. But I've always liked pretty things and I pride myself for having an eye for quirky and beautiful pieces. In the traditional sense of art though, I've always been drawn to installations, actual 3D pieces of work instead of something on canvas (for the record, there are some illustrators that do gorgeous work and I had the lucky opportunity to work with them recently for ABSOLUT), and it's even stronger when the work makes a statement.

The reason I started this post was because I wanted to highlight Phillip Toledano, a socio-political artist whom I only recently found out about after seeing his work "America The Gift Shop" at Singapore's Fringe Festival. I wouldn't call his work "quiet" but it surprisingly makes the statement he wants to make without shouting at you - and in my opinion, that is the best way to send a message across.

Check out his portfolio here: http://www.mrtoledano.com/

Clients From Hell

Client: “I took a Marketing Course so I’d like to submit some of my own ideas. The business cards have far too much wasted space so I want a calender on the back, people will love that and use it all the time. The newspaper ad is fine but I’d like you to get them to print it upside down, that way people will instinctively want to rotate the newspaper to read it. Pretty good ideas, don’t you think?”

Me: [Stunned silence]

via clientsfromhell.tumblr.com

For THOSE days...

Posted via web from I am Audrey.

Maaaaaamaaaa!

via youtube.com

Dare you to resist this - it's hilarious! Maaaamaaaaa! The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody.

Posted via web from I am Audrey.

2010 Olympic Medals Made From Melted-Down Circuit Boards

via Gizmodo

So cool! I want one. LOL. Go Canucks!

5 ways to strengthen your belief in yourself

Sometimes we forget. Full article here: http://www.lyved.com/body_soul/5-ways-to-strengthen-your-belief-in-yourself/

General Mills, will you hire me please!

LOL I bet you'll say the same thing after you read about the General Mills headquarters in Minnesota over at Bakerella. Bakerella is my all time fave blog for cupcakes and all things adorable & baked - thanks Krystle for sharing the site! And of course, Bakerella was invited along with other bloggers to a Eat & Greet event over at General Mills.

Take a peek inside General Miss through Bakerella's lenses here: http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2009/08/peak-inside-general-mills.html#

But here's why I loved the post and why I wouldn't mind (who am I kidding!) I would love to go to work at General Mills:

• Duh - They make some of my favorite indulgences, yes Häagen-Dazs I'm looking at you!
  
• Check out the view from their Betty Crocker kitchens! Drool.
  
  
  
• They have their own food photography studio - I've always been fascinated with food photography, it's a tough job making someone go yums from a photo!
  
• Beyond just on-site restaurants and cafes, they have a grocery store, childcare services, banking services, doctor's office, dry cleaners, hair salon, photo lab, fitness center and gas station, all on the premises.

For the uninitiated, General Mills is one of the oldest companies in the US, and if you've shopped in a grocery store, chances are, you've bought a General Mills product. Some brands under General Mills: Betty Crocker, Pillsbury (woohoo sorry couldn't resist), Häagen-Dazs, Cheerios, Yoplait, Progresso, Old El Paso.

UNURTH Street Art: The Melting Man of Berlin

via unurth.com

Too cute! Babies for amusement.

via neatorama.com

There are times when pets & babies serve the same purpose - pure, selfish amusement. And what better way to exploit these bundles of joy than to dress them up as tiny sundaes, lil' skunks, cows and owlets?

Check out Tiny Tangerine's store for more: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7743139

Posted via web from I am Audrey.

Ready to get your hands dirty?

Ahh, nothing inspires like a well-delivered, well-communicated message that hits all the right notes.

Check out the poster art by artist Roland Tiango, stumbled on via Blankanvas.

Never a bored moment.

If you ever feel brain dead and need to laugh out loud for no particular reason:

• Awkward Family Photos: http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/


• People of Walmart: http://peopleofwalmart.com/

My Multiple Personalities

I doubt anyone's noticed, but I had a bout of obsessive compulsive behavior yesterday and decided to re-organize all the post on my blog. I really like how Pat categorizes her posts on Blankanvas, and like they say, imitation is the highest form of compliment - so I've plonked all my posts since 2005 into 7 categories (for now!).

Each of categories represent a side of me - at one point, I was tempted to add category #8: The Opinionated Loudmouth / The Bitch - but that might include most of my posts, so #8's on hold for now. Here's a run-down of what each Mutiple Personality / category means, so all related posts can be found in its lil' box. The common denominator is of course, moi - whatever amuses, interests or pisses me off will appear on this blog.

• The Film Snob: Everything related to the latest movies, actors, TV series, general celeb gossip, as long as it's a movie/person that I'm digging. I can only wish that this was my life - everyday!


• The Accidental Geek: This includes posts on the latest gadgets that I'm oooh-ing over or interesting new social media tools that are useful or just plain fun. Why "accidental geek?" Well - I never started out wanting to be geeky or technical, but somehow fell into it when I wrote (yes, wrote in HTML) my first web site when I was 15, worked on Yahoo! and VMware for the past few years and tech comes quite easily to me. And I like my toys!


• The Malaysian: Ahh, I think one of the reasons why I'm this random, this confused and this contradictory is because I'm Malaysia. This category answers the big question, "What does it mean to be Malaysia?" At least, most of the time, but always from my perspective.


• The PR Girl: This is a strange label but I guess when your work consumes 12 hours of your day, your work becomes a large part of your life. So, interestingly enough, tech & social media items would fall under this category as well, along with other marketing related items that inspire and made me go, "what didn't I think of that?" I hope to one day The PR Girl will meet The Film Snob and then, I'll live happily ever after.


• The Quirky Fashionista: I love beautiful things, especially clothing & accessories that are lovingly handcrafted. Again, items that I'm ooh-ing over will appear here. While it's unlikely that I'll be checking out the runways of Milan anytime soon, I appreciate people who have their own sense of style as long as they're fierce!


• The Queen of Random: There are days when the weirdest thing will catch my attention - whether I'm complaining about microwaved frozen PB&J sandwiches or an escaped ostrich - this is my blender of random things that cross my mind.


• The Girl: This is where my inner girl lives - she cries, she vents, she swoons, she loves (oops, loved) her boybands. I guess this is my sprinkle of fairy dust section.

PS: I meant to take shots of me for each category but erm, maybe next time!

Bowl of Links

This screams The Sartorialist. Bundle of cute from Bongo Boy Matthew McConaughey's own lil' boy Levi. [BricksandStonesGossip]

For True Blood fans, in case you missed this: Alexander Skarsgård / Vampire Eric was in Lady Gaga's Paparazzi video! [YouTube]

Ever wondered why The Beatles broke up? Pick up the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine. [Rolling Stone]

Want to link your Twitter updates to your Facebook Page? You can now! Note that this only works for Facebook Page admins, and not on your personal Facebook profile. What's the difference? Read more about Facebook Page. [Mashable]

A child's worst nightmare - Concert Hands straps your child's hands to a mechanical device to force her/him to play the right piano keys. Torture! [Engadget]

Ahhh...TV show intros. Love them or hate them, check out The 100 Most Iconic TV Show Intros. How many do you remember? [Supertremendous]

Coffee Clicks!

• 15 awkward celebrity childhood hairstyles. Aww, isn't baby Brad Pitt cute? [RetroComedy]


• Empire magazine's 50 Greatest Movie Sequels. [Empire]


• A wedding toast made for musical lovers! [YouTubeYouTube]


• History Lesson: The Story of Beer. Great illustration! [@Patlaw's Twitter]


• 50 Extraordinary and Attractive Billboards [10Steps.sg]

Coffee Clicks! is a compilation of random items on the web that catches my attention as I have my morning cuppa.

Coffee Clicks!

• Unique design always inspires! Word of the day: Recycleart. Products recycled into functional art. Old tables as shelves! [TreeHugger]


• 3 reasons to break news on Twitter first! [Mashable]


• Why are scientists so obsessed with zombies? Maybe because it's an extreme view on what would happen if a biological threat / virus was unleashed in today's world - can the human kind survive a zombie attack? [TreeHugger]


• Why won't the Saw franchise die? Can't believe they're making a Saw VI! [Joblo]

Coffee Clicks! is a compilation of random items on the web that catches my attention as I have my morning cuppa.

True Blood: Your sparkly underwear's blinding me!

Way before Barbie, little girls used to have hours of fun with paper cut-out dolls. But who says it's only for the tots?

Check out these super cool paper cut-out figures of True Blood characters, Lafayette and Pam. Would probably keep these away from the kids, unless you want your 4-year-old asking why Lafayette is rocking sparkly thongs and purple lipstick.

The graphics are designed by artist Andy Swist, who will be releasing more characters until the end of season 2. Yay, can't wait to get my hands on Eric. Yummy.

Download the True Blood characters here.

Coolest wedding invites ever!

Randomly came across the Offbeat Bride web site and wow, talk about unconventional weddings! Say goodbye to boring white wedding dresses, store-bought wedding invites and multi-tiered wedding cakes that look like the florist attacked it. Some of my favorites here!

Talk about creative - when two graphic designers decided to tie the knot, they made 3-D Viewmaster invites (yes, 3-D!) and sent them out to their friends and family. Isn't DJ Domo the cutest?





I love this late-night B-grade movie invite!

Kung Fu Tootsie: Kung Fu Hustle Meets Thai Camp

Love! I have a soft spot for campy movies, even more when it's a Thai campy movie. :)

Was browsing cinemaonline.com.my for movies that are showing in Malaysia since I'll be in KL this weekend and this is one of the reasons why I miss Malaysia. Besides your typical Hollywood fare - G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, The Proposal, Public Enemies - they have a huge array of international films that actually get screened in Malaysia. Singapore movie distributors/theater owners: Please learn, especially if you want to attract an audience with an international palette.

Although it's arguable that the international movies that Malaysian cinemas choose to screen are still commercial fare in its country of origin, it's a great opportunity for people like me who don't speak Thai, Hindi, etc to a get a experience what a Thai/Indian movie-goer feels like every weekend.

Very tempted to catch Kung Fu Tootsie in KL this weekend, wonder if I can convince the boyfriend come along? Check out the trailer below, it's in Thai but heck - it's comedy, works regardless of language. It looks a like Stephen Chow Sing Chi's Kung Fu Hustle, but hell, it's all in good fun.

Coffee Clicks!

By the numbers:

• 55 Strange Buildings of the World. Love the Dancing Building in Prague, Czech Republic. [Gawno]


• 25 portrait artworks of Barack Obama, but in my opinion, the Shepard Fairey HOPE is the most iconic. [The Design Inspiration]


• 10 Ways Journalism Schools Are Teaching Social Media. [Mashable]


• 15 Most Creative Beds. Some are just plain weird. [ODDEE]

Coffee Clicks! is a compilation of random items on the web that catches my attention as I have my morning cuppa.

Best Harry Potter interview ever!

These two videos are seriously laugh-out-loud funny. It'll totally make your day.
I originally saw these on /Film.

A Japanese Harry Potter fangirl who won a nationwide contest to tour the UK set get a surprise visits from Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley). The fangirl's reaction is awesome! My favorite lines from the interviews: "Touch, ok?" "He has silver eyelashes!"





The videos really put the Harry Potter movie franchise into perspective, at least for me. One of the reasons why I started reading Harry Potter was because I saw the first film and was thoroughly and surprisingly entertained. However, I made the mistake of reading the books before the movies came out, so obviously, I had very high standards for the movies, and none of them delivered. Over and over again, I've tried to detach the book from the movie in order to fairly evaluate the movies, afterall, it's a completely different medium. There were interesting moments in all six movies - like for example - I could never picture an elf (I kept reverting to an image of a leprechaun in my head whenever I read about Kreacher or Dobby) but seeing Dobby on the big screen really helped. And Emma Watson made Hermione prettier than Rowling made her out to be.

Back to the perspective - the excitement of the Japanese girl in meeting Daniel and Rupert proves that somewhere in the world, the Harry Potter movie franchise is living up to and going beyond someone's expectations, and to many people out there, it's a joy to see their favorite Rowling characters come to life on the big screen. Sigh, I need to stop being so cynical!