How to Build Your Brand

Posted by Editor in Marketing on Aug 5th, 2014 | 0 comments

Writing is a business if you are seeking for profit. If you write a book, you are hoping that many people will like it and purchase it. That is understandable knowing that writing a book is not easy. Of course, you should be compensated but how can you attract people to buy your book? There are already many authors struggling in the market. Apart from that, you need to overcome famous authors so your book will be recognized.

You see, being an author and marketing the book are two different things. It is not enough that you finished the book because you have to think of how to market it. If you are a famous name, you will not have problems selling your books. If you are just starting, it is important that you know how to reach people and build your fans. Here are some ideas you can consider when it comes to building your brand:

• Direct access: You have to provide direct access so your fans will know whatever they want to know about you. You can establish and maintain your fans interests by joining Facebook, blogs, Twitter and many more.
• Giveaways: After providing direct access to your fans, the next thing that you should do is provide giveaways. One of the oldest and most effective ways capture attention is to give away limited number of your books. Free promotions will bring you new fans which are looking for free books and encountered your books instead.
• Flash sales: When you hear flash sales, it refers to discounts. If you want your fans to get hooked, you can provide discounts. For example, you can discount the first book in your series. You can even think about giving discounts for people who will buy your collection. You should not underestimate flash sales. It can be very powerful if you manoeuvre it right.
• When all else fails, look for an agent

These are just things that you can consider. If you write not to profit from it but to share it with people, you should still establish your name so your fans will follow you. How can that be? You can for instance give access by providing a free eBook copy. You will be known and everything else will follow.

There is a future for you here in Singapore if you are a writer. Always remember that. Singaporeans love to read books and you only need to write something that tickles them. Good luck on your book and continue sharing good stories to people.

 

Dining with Dad

Posted by Editor in Food on Jun 22nd, 2014 | 0 comments

In less than a month, we are going to celebrate once again that special day we dedicate to our fathers. On the third Sunday of June, which is the 15th to be exact, we will all be celebrating Father’s Day. Have you got any plans yet on where to take dad for an awesome day of catching-up and good dining? If you haven’t got any yet, then consider these restaurants which are the ideal setting for a value-for-your-money, casual, family bonding.

Grub

This non-pretentious restaurant is perfect for lunch or dinner. Located at 510, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, Grub is firm in its mission to serve only good-quality food while upholding their social responsibility. Thus, the produce they serve are as natural as possible and the meat, poultry, and seafood that they have are sourced from responsible farmers and fishermen who grow their animals free-range and without antibiotics or growth hormones.

The result of such careful selection of food ingredients is no less than the freshest, great-tasting menu you could ever want for such an affordable price. Grub is indeed the perfect place to treat dad to some scrumptious meals without worrying about his health. They specialize on burgers so there definitely won’t be any shortage on choices. They’ve got Grub cheeseburger, pork steak burger, and crispy fish burger. Other than that they also have chicken steaks, pastas, and their perfectly tender and moist slow cooked pork belly.

Two Fat Men

Don’t worry, just because the restaurant’s name says it doesn’t mean your dad’s going to become a fat man too. Based on the name alone, you’d automatically assume that this is a Western restaurant. Technically that’s correct, but the story doesn’t actually end there because aside from serving burgers, which are standard Western food, they also serve Thai food. That’s quite an odd combination right?

Regardless of whether you prefer Thai food or burgers, Two Fat Men still is the right place because their Thai cuisines and juicy burgers are all worthy of praise. For a taste of Thai food, they’ve got the classic som tam (papaya) salad, basil chicken fried rice, and the meat lovers’ grilled pork neck. So, if dad can’t decide on whether to eat Thai food or burgers for dinner, then take him to Two Fat Men at 376 East Coast Road and let him have both!

Let’s Have Indian Food!

Posted by Editor in Food on Jun 19th, 2014 | 0 comments

Yes, it’s true, we love our Singaporean food and nothing comes close to it when it comes to taste. But from time to time, it is nice to change things up a bit and try other international dishes. And what better way to do that than visit some of our local Indian restaurants such as the ones listed here.

Shahi Maharani

At 252, North Bridge Road, #03 – 21B Raffles City Shopping Centre, you’ll find this elegant Indian restaurant owned by the Mirpuri family. For many years now, Shahi Maharani has continued to serve appetizing, traditional Indian dishes.  Their menu boasts of an excellent selection of Indian cuisines such as their Jheenga curry, which consists of tiger prawns cooked in an onion-based sauce, and their tender tandoori lamb chops.

For dessert, you should try their nutty delight, made with pistachio, almond & cashews folded into vanilla ice cream and garnished with peanut brittle. The food isn’t the only reason to keep coming back here because ever since they started, they haven’t failed to provide their customers with quality service and a classy ambience that adds a luxurious feel to the entire dining experience.

Daawat Tandoori

An Indian restaurant that looks after your health and is friendly to your budget, that’s what Daawat Tandoori has always been. Here, you are guaranteed that all the dishes are prepared with good quality ingredients and without MSG or any other additives. You can order a full Tandoori Chicken for only $24 and a Paneer Naan, an Indian bread stuffed with cottage cheese and roasted in earthen oven, will only cost you $3.50.

 

Daawat Tandoori also has an amazing range of chicken specialties and an assortment of filling vegetarian dishes such as their spicy, stir-fried Vegetable Jelfrezi. If you’ve never tried Indian food yet, then Daawat Tandoori at 207, Upper Thomson Road, Yew Lian Park is the ideal place to start.

Ananda Bhavan Restaurant

The tenure of this restaurant is testament to its greatness in serving delectable, authentic Indian cuisines. Ever since 1924, people have continued to patronize Ananda Bhavan Restaurant. They serve a seemingly endless range of Indian dishes from North Indian, South Indian, to Indian-Chinese dishes. Their Thosai selection alone is quite plentiful.

They have cheese thosai, masala thosai, onion thosai, and even pizza thosai. But of course, they do serve the plain version. So, if you haven’t tried the dishes of this time-tested Indian restaurant yet, do take the time to visit them at any of their 5 outlets, including one at Selegie Road where it all began.

 

 

A Quick Guide to Bridal Fashion

Posted by Editor in Weddings on Jun 10th, 2014 | 0 comments

One of the first and most important priorities of brides is finding the right bridal dress. With so many choices available, the pressure to finding “the one” can be very overwhelming.
Understanding the terms used to describe different wedding gowns is a good way to start with. Here, we’ve decoded the bridal fashion terms that most designers and bridal shops use to label their dresses.

• Couture – Couture wedding gowns are high fashion products, carefully created over a series of fittings to perfectly fit a bride’s measurements. When you choose to have a couture bridal dress, expect to have a one-of-a-kind gown, especially made in high quality materials, to fit your figure, taste and personality. These dresses have the best quality finish, design, and cut, with special handmade embellishments, such as embroideries, applique, and beading. Creating couture dresses require approximately five to six fittings with the used of toiles from early fitting stages.

Demi-Couture – Demi-couture is a “half-couture” meant for brides who want special wedding dresses in singapore without having to go through a toile process. Usually, with demi-couture dresses, you can combine elements from wedding dresses available off-the-rack and have them especially made in your own size. These gowns feature more intricate hand works and higher quality of materials compared to average ready-made wedding dresses.

• Made-to-Measure – This is a good choice for brides looking for a more affordable alternative to couture dresses. Made-to-measure bridal gowns are also made from scratch by any seamstress and materials of your choice. The dress is made following your measurements and calls for a toile process, which usually requires up to four fittings. In this case, you will need to provide your own fabrics and accessories or choose from the fabrics available from your dressmaker.

• Ready-to-Wear – As what the name implies, these bridal gowns are ready-made and can be purchased right away from any Singapore department stores. Any necessary alterations will be made by a seamstress.

Differences of Couture and Off-the Rack Wedding Dresses

When deciding what wedding gown to purchase, it would be wise to know the differences between couture and off-the-rack wedding dresses.

• Fabric – Couture wedding gowns are expensive mainly because they’re made only from the finest materials. Unlike quality fabrics, cheap textiles do not hang well, lose shape, and will deteriorate over time. However, couture dresses are made from sublime fabrics that are durable and can maintain in shape for the longest of time.

• Design – You can’t expect to get a one-of-a-kind dress when you choose to buy one from a department store, since mass produced dresses are made by batch and in the same styles, though in different sizes. With couture gowns made by renowned Singapore designers, you can choose your own fabric, shape, cut, and style to reflect your taste and personality.

• Workmanship – Mass-produced dresses are often made with less attention to details. But with couture wedding gowns, much love and attention has been devoted to ensure flawless finish or every major and minor detail.

Deciding on the kind of wedding dress to have generally depends on the preferences of the bride. However, knowing what to expect from the various choices in front of you will further help you choose which option is worth-having.

All About Singapore

Posted by Editor in Exploring Singapore on Jun 5th, 2014 | 0 comments

Singapore is a very strict country especially when it talks about cleanliness. Familiar with Singapore’s chewing gum law? Yes! Singapore implemented that. This was implemented when people started to act badly. Thus, making the government come up with the law. Apart from having this hot law, Singapore is situated at about 85 miles near the equator that is why the temperature in the region is definitely hot especially during summer.

However, when it is rainy season, it will rain heavily. In the past years, Singapore reached 68F as its lowest temperature ever recorded. Singapore is a small country with more than 60 islands but despite its small size, it has 6-digit zip codes. Because Singapore is a highly urbanized country and is a financially stable country, citizens there are living in a public house provided by the government.

It doesn’t mean that if you are living in a public house, you’re poor. In Singapore, it’s not like that. Actually, they can even sell their houses worth 1 million US dollars. On the other hand, Singapore has this tradition of Caning. Caning is a punishment that is being practiced in the country.

You can be punish with caning if you have violated minor offenses like theft and vandalism. One American have been punished to be caned 5 times due to vandalism. Actually, it has been appealed by President Bill Clinton and it has been lessened only to 3 canes. When you are caned, you need to be awake; however, if you fainted after caning, they will stop it and will resume after you recover.