Facebook Marketing Secrets

Do you want to know more about the founding of Facebook? Do you want to become the next Mr. Mark Zuckerberg? You're reckoning that by watching the movie alone apparently won't satisfy your understanding of the true evolution of this addictive social networking ever created on the planet?! Then I introduce you to these books entitled: The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook: A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal by Ben Mezrich and The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company That Is Connecting The World by David Kirkpatrick. Click on those links to get yourself a copy of any of the books. You can also click on the links above to read some of the customers reviews to help you with your option to buy them or not. But for the reason that almost everyone of us are using Facebook nowadays, I suggest you buy those books to really understand how it all started.   

Canon - Delighting Me Always!

If you like to travel or go to different places for a nature discovery, adventure and urban or rural trails, the best pal and company you could ever get is your camera. I had been to different places and captured thousands of pictures of them but I am just so in love with the new Canon EOS 550D. I am a novice user of a DSLR and I am always afraid of the  difficulty with all the settings of the camera however, the new Canon EOS 550D is easy to handle and absolutely user friendly. I am extremely amazed with its shutter speed and it has produced truly superior quality images that captures the life of the subject. It has an amazing battery life that you can use it for the entire day and still have it with you for the next day's adventure without the need to recharge the battery. It is lightweight and portable as compared to those bulky-looking cameras that have almost similar features. As a lady with small hands, it is important for me to have a good grip of the camera and also not getting sore by holding it. One incredible feature I didn't expect was its ability to shoot still and video in very low light. It also has a quick start-up time, nice features and simple controls. 





I highly recommend Canon EOS 550D to anyone starting with photography and to those already been an avid fan of DSLR cameras. This is definitely a best buy camera for the best deal you can get at amazon.com so shop there now to get this amazing offer! I'm not bluffing you!





Here are some of the reasons why the new Canon EOS 550D stands out among the rest as the best buy DSLR for anyone who likes photography:

-High quality images

-Superior processing

-Incredible image detail in low light

-EOS full HD movies (1920 x 1080p)

-The ability to crop an SD quality movie to the equivalent of approximately 7x magnification of regular shooting.

-Live view with its LCD screen to view and compose images and videos in real time

-Sharp focusing

-Fast shooting

-Sharper previews

-Prevents and automatically removes tiny dust particles resulting in cleaner images.

-An amazing 0.1 second start up time so you are always ready to capture spontaneous shots. 

-SDXC memory card compatible





Click on the image above to see the full features and offer prices for this camera. Canon is sure to delight you always if you grab one now! You wouldn't want to miss a moment, right?!

And So I Watched 'The Social Network'

Spurred on by feelings of inadequacy after being dumped by his girlfriend, Mark Zuckerberg played by Jesse Eisenberg, vented all his emotions through his blog, destroyed the image of his girlfriend that eventually circulated around Harvard connection and initiated the idea of 'The Facebook', the website which has now wormed its way into our lives. It started off with a choice between two hot chicks in Harvard University, clicking either right or left picture for your choice with every click driving traffic to the site. It garnered 22,000 clicks in one night which eventually caught the attention of twin brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, a couple of big shot Harvard rowers. Mark was then called for outrageous complaints and was put to answer all interrogations and accusations from a panel of Harvard heads and administrators. His answers: simple and direct. The panel speechless! Then the story continued with Zuckerberg determined to bring his creation to the next level. With the help of his friend Eduardo, Mark came up with an algorithm which successfully made everything worked - so then a new social networking was born. Mark began by sending a few friend requests to his college schoolmates in Harvard through their email addresses. Within a short period of time he made few thousands friends, gained attention in school for his invention and was even praised to become the next Bill Gates. Well, he laughed at that idea. But more and more college students in Harvard were using 'The Facebook' to get connected with their friends and families. Eduardo found this really a cool way to make money and convinced Mark to monetize his site. Zuckerberg was hesitant at his idea saying he created 'The Facebook' for the sole purpose of social connection and nothing more.





But on the night he tried to approached his ex-girlfriend to talk to him to try to explain everything, the whole thing just got messed up again. Zuckerberg faced another mockery and rejection from his ex-girlfriend. He was determined to prove her wrong so his next step was to take in what Eduardo had suggested. Happy with his affirmation, Eduardo made his way through meetings with companies that could somehow help them out with the advertising idea. Then came Sean Parker played by Justin Timberlake - the co-founder of Napster. He met up with Mark and Eduardo after he stumbled upon their site on his girlfriend's notebook, thinking that this was just the coolest, next big thing! So he suggested a much larger scaled monetization for his site by meeting the 'big guns'. Eduardo on the other hand was not happy that Sean was trying to be part of their creation. At the end of their meeting, Sean suggested changing 'The Facebook' to 'Facebook' as the new name for their site and Mark agreed, it was a cool idea. So there it went the new name just got into the people's way of conversation: "Facebook me", or "Facebook you", or "I'm on Facebook"...etc.





After successfully closing a half a million deal with the 'big guns', Sean convinced Mark to leave his Harvard dormitory for the Silicon Valley and right from there, this group of young revolutionaries propelled their way to the top with the intentions to expand to various countries. Incredibly, their business grew exponentially and so was jealousy which got in the way of the close friendship between Mark and Eduardo that elicited Eduardo to sue his friend for 600 million dollars in the end.





I will have to leave the rest of the stories for you to check out in the cinema though so that you will be able to picture out exactly how it ended. It will not be a joy if I'll tell you everything.





Directed by the acclaimed David Fincher with the brilliant script of Aaron Sorkin - The Social Network is a true story of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg of how he sacrificed his relationship with his best friend Eduardo Saverin to become the world's youngest self-made billionaire. It is a story about ambition, friendship, power, treachery, greed and multi-million dollar lawsuits that you should not miss to watch. I had seen from this movie how this social phenom pulled a group of young revolutionaries together and then split them apart was rather sad and infuriating but kudos to the overall entertainment of the movie for making it hilariously beautiful all the time. I give this movie four stars to give you an idea on why you should go watch it.





At the end of the movie, you will now have yourselves to decide whether to continue Facebook or not and help Mr Zuckerberg increased his fortune. With 500 million users and still counting over 207 countries, Facebook is currently valued at 27 billion dollars which made you to think how insanely he made this possible?! He is indeed a GENIUS!

Fall Festival - 2010

We had a great time at the Fall Festival this year! C ate and ate and ate! He had more candy last night that I think he's had in his entire life! He also had a hot dog weiner, popcorn and some cotton candy. D ate half a lollipop and didn't get her hot dog till right before we left, so she ate a weiner and some fritos on the way home.

Thanks Debbie B for the idea for the Scarecrow cake. I didn't buy enough fruit roll ups, so he's a little bare in the hair department :O) I made him and 2 dozen of the spider cupcakes below as well as a German Chocolate cake for the Cake Walk that the Sanctuary Choir hosts each year. I started baking when Hubby and D left for work/school and only got finished about 4:30 p.m.!

Here's the Baker's little helper!

I have SUPER KIDS!

(look at those big feet on Superman - he's wearing an 8! D didn't wear that size till she was nearly 5 years old!)

Halloween Special Happening at Sentosa Singapore

I was wandering around Sentosa last weekend and it made wonder why were there skeletons all over the place. Then I realised the spooky days are here and this is definitely the place you've got to check out in Singapore. I invite you to indulge in an eerie atmosphere in Sentosa for its spookiest and spine-chilling event ever - The Sentosa Spooktacular. It is certainly going to be a 'trick-or-treat' event with a twist for Sentosa's Halloween special happening this 22, 23, 29, 30 and 31 October, 7-11pm at the Imbiah Lookout in Sentosa.

With one ticket to four haunted trails at S$38, get ready for your first event highlight journeying towards the curse island where death traps and mystical creatures lurk that many have tried but failed. This is happening inside that grand Merlion statue at night. Or, dare to step into the dark abyss of the Mad Village or uncover the truth about the disfigured wax artist that turns dead bodies into wax figures and unleashes horrors to haunt humanity which are both happening at the Images of Singapore. Or, finally rise to the sky in the Tower of Fear as you take in a really spine-chilling experience of sight, sound and light. Be there and beware! 

The Social Network

WATCH THIS MOVIE TRAILER OF "The Social Network"!!!

"You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies." - Facebook. Yes, it is. The social networking website which already has 500 million users and still counting. Most of us love it, others just hate it. But at the end of the day, we are still using it. For many of us it has become a way of life, a way to stay connected to friends and family across the country and around the world.

I haven't got the chance to watch the movie yet but I'm sure to hit the cinema soon to watch it.

Universal Monsters Performing at Pantages Hollywood Theatre (Singapore)

Universal Studios Singapore

Universal Studios Singapore is located at the eastern most part of Resorts World Sentosa. Here you can find a total of 24 attractions of which 18 are originally adapted for the park. It boasts a comprehensive collection of many world's firsts namely: The world's first biggest collection of Dreamworks Animations; The world's first Madagascar movie based theme park ride; The first Far- Far Away Castle inspired from the movie Shrek; and, The world's first tallest dueling roller coaster.





There are seven themed zones in the park.

Hollywood zone - It is based on the real life Hollywood Boulevard and the first zone as you enter the park. Here you can find the Pantages Hollywood Theatre - a broadway - style theatre hosting musical plays and performances. It features the infamous Universal Monsters in the rock-in-roll musical Monster Rock. The show is set in a 1500-seat indoor theatre.

At the Hollywood street, you will get the chance to stumble upon characters like Frankenstein's Monster, Woody Woodpecker, Marilyn Monroe, PO from Kung Fu Panda, Betty Boop and Scorpion King. Be sure to spot them and snap a photo immediately!

Some of the merchandise stores you can find in this zone are the Universal Studios Store, the Dark Room, Star Characters, Silver Screen Collectibles, Superstar Candies, the Brown Derby and That's a Wrap. Grab your fave merchandise in these places for souvenirs!

Restaurants in this area include Hollywood China Bistro, a restaurant that serves that 'east meets west' cuisine as well as the traditional Cantonese favorites; Celebrity Cafe & Bakery, a 1950's cafe that serves freshly made gourmet sandwiches, pastries, gelato, coffees and more; and lastly, Mel's Drive-In, another classic 1950's restaurant that serves all-American favorites.

New York zone - This zone features the most prominent replica of New York Public Library with two lion statues at the entrance. You can see trademark city skyline, neon lights, facades, sidewalks as well as the romantic atmosphere of the Big Apple. Attractions in this area include 'Lights, Camera, Action!' by Steven Spielberg where you will be blown away by the incredible special effects when an empty sound stage becomes the setting for a major hurricane about to hit New York City - right before your eyes! Another one is the Stage 28 which unravels the secrets of film productions and is set in a fully-outfitted state-of-the-art sound stage for motion picture and television productions.

There are two restaurants that you can find in this area: Loui's NY Pizza Parlor and KT's Grill.

Sci-Fi City zone - This zone features how a modern metropolis would look like. The most talked-about attraction here is the Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cyclon, the world's tallest dueling roller coaster, which features one suspended track (blue track) representing Cyclon and one seated track (red track) representing Human. While the Cyclon ride lets you go up, round and upside down with intense corkscrews and cobra roll, the Human ride zooms at a speed of 90km/h and narrowly avoids collisions as it twists, turns ad propels you over 14 storeys into the air! Unfortunately, this attraction is currently closed until late 2010 to mid 2011.

 Accelerator is another attraction which is a whirling-twirling ride, testing guests' inter-galactic stamina as it spins round  and round. But the most awaited attraction you'll soon find here is the Transformers: The Ride, which is opening in 2011. It will be the 20th attraction in Universal Studios Singapore and will set to premiere in Singapore too and in the US Hollywood shortly after.

The only merchandise store you can find in this zone is the Galactica PX where maybe you can bring home a piece of the future and beyond.





Ancient Egypt zone - This zone is based on the historical adaptation of ancient Egypt during the 1930s Golden Age of Egyptian Exploration. It features Pharaoh's statues, obelisks and Pharaoh's tombs. The Revenge of the Mummy, an indoor, psychological thrill roller coaster ride, is the most awesome ride you can find here. It will plunge guests into total darkness with sharp turns and fast reverse sections as it pits them against fireballs, beetles and warrior mummies!

Another attraction in this zone is the Treasure Hunters which is a children ride allowing those young people to drive their own desert jeep through an abandoned Egyptian excavation site.





Buy your souvenirs of this zone at Carter's Curiosities where you can uncover replicas of historical artifacts and fossils in ancient Egypt. Plus dine in at Oasis Spice Cafe, an Egyptian-themed buffeteria serving cuisine specialties from Turkish, Lebanese, Mediterranean and Indian spices.





The Lost World zone  - This zone is divided into two sub areas: Jurassic Park and Waterworld. Jurassic Park features the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, a thrill river raft ride through primeval dinosaur habitats. Thrill seekers on board the circular raft are tossed on waterways within the Jurassic Park compound and find dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures roaming freely. You are bound to get wet at the end of the ride so it's advisable that you'll get yourself prepared of another pair of clothes with you or else you'll end up buying a souvenir T-shirt from the merchandise store nearby, speaking of which the Jurassic Outfitters is the immediate venue which is just in front of the exit of this attraction. If you wish to find innovative Jurassic Park souvenirs, then maybe you can head down to Dino-Store where there are various collections to enjoy.

The Waterworld attraction presents the most spectacular stunt show ever! The show is based on the film Waterworld starring Kevin Costner. It involves death-defying stunts, awesome explosions and pyrotecnics and loads of thrills! You will get the feeling of real movie-making right before your eyes!A must-see attraction in The Lost World!

 

Other attractions you can find at the Lost World are the Canopy Flyer and Dino-Soarin which are more for the children kind of rides. Canopy Flyer is a 23 seconds ride on board the 'Dino-proof' flying vehicle that lets you enjoy a prehistoric bird's-eye-view of Jurassic Park. Dino-Soarin is a ride that allows children to pilot their own Pteranodon, soaring up and down. Last but not least attraction is the Amber Rock Climb in which guests are able to scale the walls of the Lost World but for an additional fee of $10 per one climb.

If you wish to try Singapore's favorite local dishes, desserts and drinks in Jurassic setting, hop on to Discovery Food Court. You can also enjoy quick bites like tasty hot dogs gourmet sausages and chicken wings, and a refreshing frozen drink at the Fossil Fuels. These two are the eating places you can find in this area.

Far Far Away zone - This zone is inspired by the Dreamworks Animations Shrek. The highlight of the zone is the Far Far Away Castle - a world's first. It hosts attractions like Shrek 4-D and Donkey Live (an interactive 'live' show, where you can talk or sing along with Donkey in an intimate theatre setting). Another attractions here are the Enchanted Airways where guests climb aboard Donkey's beloved Dragon for a flight over Far Far Away and beyond in the form of a junior roller-coaster ride and, the Magic Potion Spin , a miniature ferris wheel for children located in the Fairy Godmother's Potion Shop.

There are three restaurants at this zone namely: Goldilocks, which sells homemade special, seven-spiced chicken as well as delicious fish and chips and chicken sandwiches; Friar's, which sells a variety of hot and cold  specialty sandwich wraps accompanied with freshly made "season-it-yourself" potato chips!; and Fairy Godmother's Juice Bar, where you'll get the chance to mix your own concoction of colourful elixis at the juice bar.

Be sure to spot some famous characters along the street like Shrek, Donkey, Puss in Boots and Princess Fiona and snap a photo with them! 

Madagascar zone - This zone features attraction like Madagascar: A Crate Adventure, which due to open only by late 2010 to mid 2011. It is a river boat ride with the famous heroes, Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria, on an adventure complete with state-of-the-art animated figures, evocative sound, digital projection and visual effects that will surely create a one-of-a-kind immersive ride experience. It features voice talents of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith. Another attraction to look out for is the King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round which is a carousel ride.

Don't forget to stop by Penguins Mercantile store where you can buy some silly keepsakes inspired by the many characters of Madagascar.





If you're hungry after that long stroll and adventure, you can uncover a variety of lip-smacking southeast asian favorites such as Thai Green Chicken Curry and Tom Yam soup at Marty's Casa Del Wild or, savour a selection of yummy Japanese influenced rice bowls topped with grilled meats,vegetables and seafood at Gloria's Snack Shack.





Look out for character appearances in this zone like Alex, Gloria, Marty, Melman, King Julien, Skipper, Kowalski, Private and Rico. Check out street performances of these characters too.





So if you're looking for a fun playground to enjoy around Southeast Asia, visit Universal Studios Singapore. I'd been there and I love it and I'll definitely go back for more next time around when more of its attractions are ready to test my guts yet once again!





You can also go on a VIP tour which offers VIP access on rides, attractions and performances, complimentary dining, golden photo opportunities with celebrity lookalikes and merchandise discounts. For more info. of these privileges, speak to their team member at their Guest Services or email rwstours@rwsentosa.com.





To know more about the park highlights and ticket prices, please visit http://www.rwsentosa.com/.

Waterworld Show Universal Studios Singapore Part 2 of 2

Waterworld Show Universal Studios Singapore Part 1 of 2

Revenge of the Mummy Universal Studios Singapore

Visit Singapore Universal Studios to experience the best indoor ride ever - The Revenge of the Mummy!!!!! It's the coolest roller-coaster ride with amazing visual and sound effects it'd surely scare you to death, well in my own opinion though, hehehehh!!! But don't miss out on this one when visiting Universal Studios Singapore. I'd been there and seen it and experience it and it was just awwweeeessssooommmmeeee!!!!

Koala in Australia

I had been to Queensland Australia and you know what's the most amazing thing about it? I had finally seen a real koala! That's really pitiful! 





When we talk of koala, the only country we can possibly think of is of course Australia. And koalas today are found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

One important thing you need to know is that koalas are not bears. The most obvious reason why they are called bears is because they really look like teddy bears but unfortunately they are not. They are actually Marsupials, which means that their young are born immature and will develop further in the safety of a pouch. They are mammals that survive on an only diet of Eucalyptus leaves (or gum leaves).Their digestive system is especially adapted to detoxify the poisonous chemical found in those leaves. The koala gets its name from an ancient Aboriginal word meaning "no drink" because it receives over 90% of its hydration from the Eucalyptus leaves. It almost does not drink water at all, only perhaps when it is ill. 

Koalas spend 78% of their time sleeping. They are nocturnal animals which prefer to move around just after sunset and then spend most of their daytimes asleep in the fork of a tree. They often sleep for up to 18 hours each day. I heard a myth about koalas that the reason they sleep a lot is because they 'get drunk' on gum leaves. Of course this is not true! In fact, koalas spend most of their time sleeping because they require a lot of energy to digest their toxic, fibrous, low-nutrition diet and sleeping is the only best way to conserve energy.

The young koalas are known as joeys. When the joey is born, it is only about 2 centimetres long with its fur and ears as well as its sense of sight still undeveloped. The joey makes its way from birth canal to the pouch completely on its own. It relies on its already well-developed senses of smell and touch, strong forelimbs and claws and an amazing sense of direction. Inside the pouch, it attaches itself to one of the two teats, which swells to fill its mouth. This prevents the joey from being dislodged from its source of food. It will stay in the pouch for six to seven months, drinking its mother's milk, and slowly growing and developing eyes, ears, fur, etc. At about 22 weeks, it starts to open its eyes and peep out of the pouch. Right from then, it makes a transition of its diet from milk to a substance called "pap". Pap is a specialised form of faeces or droppings, which is soft and runny and thought to have come from the mother's caecum (a blind ended pouch at the junction of the small and large intestines). When it starts to venture out of the pouch, the joey rides on its mother's back, although it continues to return to her pouch until it is too big to fit inside.

It is estimated that only about 100,000 koalas are left in Australia today. Most of their habitat has already been lost due to clearing or bushfire. So it is important that we make ourselves aware of this and help to save what  is left so that we can still continue to see this really huggable animal.

Happy Family Day - D!

Nine years ago today the judge said "Da!" I can't believe it's already been nine years!! The time has flown so quickly it's scares me to think how quickly the next 9 years will pass!

I love you so, so, so!