11st Haul #2

following the previous 11st haul experience, i decided to on another spree on 11st! it was a much smoother experience this time round! placed the order for 5 items on 6 aug, received it on 14 aug.

i noticed that 11st consolidate and package the items very neatly and carefully, with bubble pouches to protect fragile items. i was surprised that it came in a big box even though i ordered only 5 items and with the exception of the shoes, the rest are small items.

a review of some of the items i bought from 11st:

rating: 4/5

fashion vintage sunglasses. true to image. comes with a pouch and a hanky. not much complaints except that it didn't look as good on me than i expected it to be. 

rating: 3.7/5

pleated mini skirt. what i like about this mini skirt is that it has an inner safety shorts. its comfortable and more suitable for outdoors and sports, although the material is slightly on the thin side.

rating: 4.5/5

strappy heels. my best buy this haul. its a decent quality shoe, nice design and great comfort! love the buckle part, which you don't really have to buckle, but just hook it over for easier wearing. highly recommend buying from this brand. if not for my budget, i would have bought another pair from them.

Editorial: Did Wonder Girls Yeeun (Ha:tfelt) flop as a solo?

for you guys who don't know about wonder girls, i'm sure you have heard of their hit single 'nobody' which goes something like 'i want nobody nobody but you'. if you still not heard of them, you can check them out on wikipedia. they are considered one of the top tier girl group in south korea and is currently on hiatus.

so... besides sunmi who left the group in 2010 to pursue her studies, yeeun is the 2nd member of wonder girls to turn solo singer. vocal-wise, she is definitely one of the stronger ones in the group. as the lead vocalists, she carried some of the more difficult parts of the song. that said, she was never the most eye-catching member in wonder girls. in my opinion, she doesn't dance that well, isn't that attractive and doesn't have the charms as compared to the many kpop idols out there. her obvious strength seems to be in songwriting, but could it be that there aren't many prominent female idol-songwriter?

the music

music is a piece of art, to me, its really hard to judge a music to its technical details. if i hear it, i like it and it speaks to me... that is a good piece of music to me. there are pretty diverging views on yeeun's album. truthfully, i only like 'iron girl' among all the tracks. i'm not feeling her title track 'ain't nobody'. it was a mess and has a raw-ness to it which i didn't like.

the performance

the performance is as equally important as the music. with a good piece of music but poor delivery will not capture people's attention. yeeun is not much of a performer even during her time in wonder girls. your eyes doesn't automatically go to her when you watch a performance. since she chose to perform on a stage, i would expect her to appeal to the audience's sense of sight, and not just sense of hearing.

there are many ways to make a performance worth watching. it could either be the music being sooooooooo good, interesting costume choices, elaborate set or amazing dances, for yeeun, i think she tried to impress with her dance and stage set.

there were many comments saying her stage was a joke to watch, which i sort of agree. it was funny seeing her going all possessed and being everywhere on stage. she was literally everywhere, moving from one end of the stage to another... which was too much and too distracting from her music. i have seen other singers doing something similar, but it didn't come out as funny as what she did. she seems to be trying too hard to impress. slow it down girl.

the results

the commercial success of a kpop album is dependable upon its 1) physical sales, 2) digital sales, 3) streaming frequency. physical sales prove the amount of die-hard fan support you have. digital sales and streaming is a sign of the mass-appeal of the song.

after 4 weeks, yeeun only sold about 2,400 physical copies, which is astonishingly low for an idol whose definition is having legions of die-hard fans. only topp dogg and dal shabet have releases this year that sold less than yeeun. other idol-turned-solos like gain, sunmi, jiyeon and hyomin fared much better. the only consolation is that wonder girls' album tend to fare poorly in physical sales, so it didn't really came as a surprise to me.

compared to physical sales, wonder girls has been a powerhouse in digital sales, with many chart-dominating hits. even sunmi's 2 solos were topping charts like nobody's business. looking at yeeun's title track, ain't nobody, i can't really say that it's a total flop. 'ain't nobody' and 'iron girl' did rank within top 50 in the first day on bugs (has the 2nd largest market share). bugs and soribada were the two major charts that yeeun's songs fared better in. it wasn't the same over at melon, which has the biggest market share. it was already out of top 50 within a week of release. she was on the fringe of top 10 on melon's real-time chart for the best part of the time. other than that, she was mostly outside of top 10. digitally, i would say she did not do as well as expected.

beyond commercial success, did she manage to prove herself and satisfy herself? i would say yes. she got the attention she deserved in the media. as one of the least popular member in wonder girls, she was never able to break out from other members' shadows (e.g. sunye who had better vocals than her, sohee who had more charms than her, yubin who does sexy better than her, sunmi who defines korean beauty better than her). turning into a singer-songwriter gives people a glimpse of her talent in that aspect. though her skills are still very raw now, but at least people are aware. the only problem is, besides proving herself, she needs to prove that the music she creates can sell and relate to many people and not just herself.

overall

i have been following comments on her music and album and was quite irritated by her stans who tried to put down anyone who said her album/performance wasn't good. comments like "you only listen to junk music", "this is contemporary dance which only artistic people will understand" and "she release this album not for the money, but to show herself" etc., doesn't make me change my mind one bit.

without any former definition of what constitutes a successful album, the only thing we have are chart rankings. if people like the songs, they will download or buy the album, and that helps in the chart rankings. going by this logic, not many seem to like her songs and this is further proven by comments left on her news articles. it is funny how her stans are suddenly claiming to be highly artistic people and shaming others who do not share the same opinion as them. anything can be an art these days.

i dont think any singer will say they release music for the money. but releasing a music by losing a lot of money is a different thing. her company needs to account to its shareholders and her losing the money earned by other artistes in the company is just... not appropriate. it was a good try, but she could head some of the business-analyst advise and package her album in a more appealing manner.

Gmarket Haul #1

this was my first time using gmarket but navigating through the gmarket website was a breeze. since it was my first time, i didnt really have any strategy and it was really to get a feel of what gmarket has to offer.

after placing my order and paying for it on 4 march, the vendor proceeded to ship the items to the gmarket warehouse. one of the vendor informed me right away that his item will only be available for shipping a few days later. thats fine with me. most of the items were received within

the package arrived neatly packed. each of the item was either wrapped up in plastic wrapper or in a box. i hvae no complains on the delivery or the package in general!

so here's part of my haul! sorry, might not have real photos of some of the items because i have no time to take photos of them!

1) leggings with mini skirt (US$ 11)
i have a wide hip so the H-line skirt version doesnt suit me well. opted for this flare skirt instead. i was so satisfied with this item. its not too thin, the quality is good and it fitted me so well. initially i was afraid it will be too short, like many leggings which i have previously bought, but this was long enough without the leg ends keep moving upwards. you can wear it with a sweater, long blouse or a jacket!

2) knit sweater with bow and split back (US$ 22)
quality is there, nothing major to complain just that the cutesy-ness of the bow makes it feels like a cheap wear at times.

3) sweater with ruffle collar and ends (US$ 24)
saw this style on korean tv often so i guess it was the trend there. it gave off a more feminine look as opposed to your usual sweater. wore it twice ever since i bought it... comfortable and warm enough for spring weather. the only bad is the ruffles part seems to form creases easily as the material is not good quality as the sweater part.

Singapore Hawker Center: Guide for Tourists Part 1, The Local Way

this post is meant for tourists or foreigners new to the local hawker scene. you will be able to understand how and why singaporeans do certain things in a certain way.

hawker center, or sometimes known as food center, is an open-air complex that houses several food & beverages stall. they are considered a budget option and a daily meal to many singaporeans. this is the government's response to illegal and unhygienic makeshift roadside stalls that popped up in the 1950s. you can find hawker centers near housing estates or bus interchange, and they usually comes with a connected wet market.

singapore prides itself as a food paradise because of the wide variety of cuisine here. a hawker center is your best bet to get cheap and good local food and i'm going to share how you can enjoy the delicious food like the locals:

1. using 'packet of tissue papers' to reserve your table
given that it will get very crowded during meal times, its sometimes very hard to grab a seat, especially if you are intending to dine with your family or group of friends. unless you are dining alone, the first thing you need to do it find an empty table or seats. you can then reserve the table/seats by placing a packet of tissue paper on it. you can also use other inexpensive items to book your table/seats e.g. umbrella, a file, water bottle etc. once done, this will indicate to others that the table/seats is taken. you can then proceed to buy your food without worrying about returning with a tray of food and finding no seats.

2. non-halal and halal stalls
in most hawker centers there are stalls selling non-halal and halal food, with the non-halal stalls being the majority. the halal stalls will mostly be housed under the same roof, but together at one area in the hawker center. this is to make it easier for the cleaning staff to collect utensils which are meant for the halal stalls. while we sometimes like to share food bought from the different stalls, it will be respectful to not use the utensils from the halal stalls to eat the non-halal food.

3. hygiene grading of stalls
this grading of licensed food stalls are given by the national environment agency. all food stalls are advised to display this grading certificate in a prominent location at their stall. they are graded based on overall hygiene and cleanliness of their stall and during food preparation, and can be given anything from an A (best) to a D (worst). more information on the food hygiene standards in singapore can be found here.

4. self-service stalls
in the past there were many stalls whose owners will serve the food to you. you just have to tell the owner your table number or roughly where you are sitting, and they will bring the food to you. such stalls are increasingly rare and many stalls are now self-service, which means you queue and collect your food from the stall. when in doubt, you can look for a sign that says 'self service' in the store front, or just follow the person in front of you.

5. long queue = good food?
singaporeans are willing to queue for good food, hence many believe that long queue = good food. these are the popular stalls, and in each hawker centers there are bound to be several STAR stalls which serve some of the best local cuisine. its hard to go wrong if you follow this rule.

6. ordering lingo
most of the hawker stalls are run by the older generation hence they might not be well-verse in english hence singaporeans tend to order in part-mandarin and part-dialect. however, you do not have to worry because 90% of the time, you can get away with ordering in english. the only problem some foreigners face is the seemingly complex options when ordering. take for example a plate of chicken rice, you can choose the type of chicken, the parts of the chicken and whether you want gravy on top of your rice. another good example is mince meat noodles, where you can choose the size, dry or soup version, spicy or non-spicy version, type of noodles and anything you wish to exclude from your noodles. do not freak out when you hear the local in front of you shooting off his/her order like a machine gun. he/she is probably just saying "$5, dry, spicy, vermicelli, without lard".

7. tissue paper peddlers
occasionally you might find such tissue paper peddlers trying to sell you packets of tissue paper. these packets of tissue paper are definitely more expensive than if you were to buy in bulk in a supermarket, but some will buy out of convenience (since napkins are not provided in hawker centers) or pity (because they are usually the elderly selling it). you are not obligated to buy from them so you can just politely turn down their offer and carry on eating your food. other than these tissue paper peddlers, there will also be drink stall owners asking if you would like a drink. you can just tell them your order and they will bring the drink to you and you pay them.

8. tray return stations
in recent years there are tray return stations in hawker center where you bring your empty plate to the stations and leave it there. again, be reminded to correctly split your plate and utensils into halal and non-halal tray return stations! if there isn't any tray return stations, it is perfectly fine to leave your empty plates on the table as there will be cleaners going from table to table to collect the empty plates. however, it will be courteous to the next customer and the cleaner to not make a mess of the table when eating.

9. takeaway charges
like most food establishments, stalls will likely charge an additional fee for takeaway or food to-go. the charge is usually in the range of $0.20 to $0.50 per portion, and serve to cover the cost of plastic containers or plastic bags for the takeaway.

10. toilets
toilets in hawker centers are mostly chargeable. they cost about 10 to 20 cents per person, per entry. some of the newly renovated hawker centers can have clean toilets with a supply of toilet papers, but the older ones might, not so it will be good to buy some tissue paper before entering.

Review: Hanjuku Japanese Soft-boiled Egg from 7-11

while sourcing for ideas for my upcoming taiwan trip, i came across the taiwan 7-11 selling hanjuku egg (marinated soft-boiled eggs commonly found in ramen). i love those eggs and although it was said to be easy to make, but i am just too lazy to make it myself, so you can guess how thrilled i was when i found taiwan 7-11 selling these ready-made version! at that time, i made it a point to buy one when im in taiwan.

a few days later, to my surprise, i discovered a similar one in the local 7-11! i just had to buy the last packet to try!

costs about $2 for 2 eggs, which is reasonable for a pre-marinated instant food. it tasted much better than it looks. has that lovely runny yolk and meant to be eaten chilled. if you order a hanjuku eggs at a ramen restaurant, it will set you back by about $2 for an egg, so this is pretty good deal and a nutritious addition to your instant noodles.

verdict: highly likely to purchase again

11st Haul #1

a month ago i wrote about my first experience with 11st, but i havent had the time to update on the final outcome of that first experience.

after receiving that email notifying me of trying to push for a quick delivery from the seller, i received a call from 11st. the customer service guy informed me that one of the delayed item was out-of-stock and asked if i wanted to cancel or wait. as i was going on a overseas trip soon, i decided to cancel the item. the guy sounded apologetic over the phone and told me the money will be refunded to me. his english was clear so thats a plus point. i would have been satisfied if they just email me to confirm, but the fact that they did this long-distance call showed that they were more responsible. the problem this time round was quite minor, but imagine if im having major issues, i would think them initiating a phone call would be easier.

ok, so things really did speed up after that phone call. within less than an hour, i received another auto-message email informing me that item has been cancelled and the money refunded. i paid for my order by paypal, so the money was refunded straight into my paypal. this, to me is very important. i know of e-commerce websites, especially korean sites, refunding back to your account which you can either withdraw it to your bank account or use it for future purchases. i dislike the idea of the refunded money being left in the site's account because it sorts of force me to have to buy something if not my money's going to be just left there. the other option of withdrawing to a bank account is very troublesome and most of the korean websites will only support korean banks or credit cards.

my order then proceeded to ship out by ems. ems is usually very fast. from past experiences, shipping by ems will take no longer than 5 working days (on average it was 3) to reach my doorstep. if the parcel reaches singapore at 2-3am on a working day, i can receive it on the same day (by noon). if it reaches singapore in the afternoon, im able to get it the next morning. really fast!

items i bought

rating: 4.7/5
mint green flare skirt. i bought this as a working attire and it didnt disappoint! my most basic expectation of such skirt is that it shouldnt crease or crumple easily. this skirt doesnt. in fact, the material used was above average, though there was minor fray ends. the skirt ended up slightly above my knee (im quite tall), so its still length-appropriate as a working attire. i have since wore it once to work, and my friend complimented it! the mint green is a lovely pastel shade!

rating: 4.7/5

grey glitter slip-on. i really have nothing negative to say about this shoe! its comfy and fits snugly on my feet. i wore it twice so far, never gave me any blisters. its well crafted, shimmery without being too bling. no flaws that are obvious to the naked eye. the only reason why i didnt give it a 5/5 was i think i saw similar slip-ons going at a cheaper price but of cos i can't be sure of the quality of those.

Review: I-Mei Pearl Milk Tea Ice-Cream

pearl milk tea or bubble tea is one of my favourite drink. i always ordered the 'original', which is the milk tea with pearls. 

first heard about this ice cream from a taiwanese friend sometime back and woah~ finally found it in my local mart today. here's the packaging of the ice cream. it is the 'original' flavour, woohoo!

looks good right? like the real thing, even with pearl bits! as you can see, it is divided into a tea (beige portion) and a milk (white portion). embedded within the tea portion are irregular-shaped bits of 'pearl.

the tea and the milk parts should be eaten together to have a true taste of milk tea! the tea part seems to be made of oolong tea so it has a slightly bitter note while the milk part was very fragrant and creamy. i like the milk part and would totally buy if i-mei sells just a milk ice cream bar. the tea part was alright but when eaten together with the milk part, it tastes pretty similar to the commercial milk tea!

im one who likes to drink bubble tea because of the pearl. i like it when my pearl is chewy and with a slight fragrance. from previous experience, pearls that are kept too long in the milk tea will start to harden, so its amazing that the pearl in this ice cream was not hard at all! in fact it was soft and tend towards a jelly-consistency rather than a bouncy pearl. it still has some bounce and q-ness (as what is frequently used to describe pearls or tapioca balls). one plus point for this ice cream is that its not too sweet. even when i drink bubble tea, i will opt for lower sugar levels so this was just nice. an ice cream should be refreshing and not heavy.

rating: 7.5/10 - dont mind eating it again