The Stella Artois World Draught Masters championships

Touted as the richest prize in bartending, the 2010 Stella Artois WDM draws 25 finalists from all over the beer-drinking world.

From 25 to eight to the one and only champion.

The challenge is to present a perfect glass of draught following a nine-step pouring ritual.

All very interesting of course, especially the bit about leaving a layer of foam as it seals in the flavour of the draught.

Bottoms up.

The growing years

Isn't it funny that whenever we reminisce about those bygone years - our childhood, adolescence (and school years), young adulthood - more often than not (at least for me) we are enveloped by a comforting glow, fuelled by wonderful memories?

Growing up was far from easy. We were not exactly poor but with 10 children, my father and mother struggled to feed, clothe and educate us. The fact that Papa loved his drink (in his case, stout) meant that there was even less money for the basics. That he sometimes was a positive boor was not easy either although he did mellow with age.

My sister and I (at the age of 13 and 12, respectively), tutored a local boy - she in maths and I in English for $15 each a month. A fortune for a child in those days.

We saved our money for LPs and singles, for stockings (for special times like Christmas and Easter) etc.

Mum must have been a magician in one of her past lives because she would conjure up two pretty dresses for each of her five daughters every year, again for Christmas and Easter. Apart from those tailored frocks, we had a few home sewn smocks and basics. No such thing then as pretty knickers from the store for us.

She was also a sorceress in the kitchen, whipping up the most amazing curries, stews etc with the most meagre ingredients.

We wore hand-me-downs, we used everything until they were literally in tatters (when all the girls in school started carrying those fancy canvas school bags, I lugged around my little battered school case that was so out of date and ugly).

We did not have family getaways, regular outings to the cinema or even a day trip to the city. We lived on the east coast of Singapore. I distinctly remember my very first trip (as a teenager) to Orchard Road, the heart of the premier shopping and tourist district. It was like visiting another country!!!

Watching television was the highlight of our lives. The whole lot of us would gather around the TV (children sitting on the floor) watching Candid Camera, Get Smart, the Ed Sullivan Show, I Dream of Jeannie, Mr Ed the Talking Horse, Lost in Space, Star Trek (woohoo)....

Growing up with very little money was not fun. I would like to think that I was never ashamed of being close to poor but I do remember that awful feeling in my gut as I watched my school mates, many of whom came from well-to-do families, spend money like there was no tomorrow.

However, today, when we talk about those old days, we remember all the great things that we had but never quite realised.  Never feeling lonely, always having a play mate (not only to play but to fight with!!), always appreciating every treat, no matter how small - a feed of great Hokkien-style noodles when Papa had his pay, mugs of Ovaltine or Milo, the Avon body talcs and colognes that my Aunty Sybil never failed to give us at Christmas time, the ang-pows we collected at Chinese New Year (the little red envelopes contained sometimes $2 and if we were really lucky, $10).

I could go on and on but I won't. What I will say is, if I had a chance to live my life all over again, I would not ask for anything different.

Westfield Transformation Cheryl's Makeover: Teaser

Not exactly the story of the Ugly Duckling, but definitely an experience any number of women would love to experience: To be pampered, primped and polished almost to perfection!

A luxuriating soak, a foot rub or perhaps a neck massage (usually with or by someone special in the cosy comfort of home) - mmmmm, a treat for us everyday women.

Cheryl, the lucky ducky getting the Westfield Makeover, must have definitely felt like a new woman - and apparently she deserved everything she got!!!

Cheer 'Em On With Milo

I would have been about eight but I distinctly remember sneaking into the kitchen late at night, filling a cup with Milo and condensed milk, mixing it up and spooning the sickly sweet and chocolatey stuff into my eager mouth. It was heaven and - at the time- oh so yummy.

I don't think that I would have thought it a great idea if I had caught my children doing that but then they got up to their own brand of high-jinks all the time with no help from me.

Milo, of course, still remains a big favourite with young and old.

Now, the young 'uns (most likely with help from their mum and dad) have a chance to win $10,000 "composing" their own cricket chant and help bring back the Ashes.

Does that mean no more Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi?

Strip Me Famous

Is this for real? Well yes, it is and it is not.... I think.

Crystal Peters is a "contestant" in this satirical look at how far those reality TV wannabes will go to win, in this case the finals of Strip Me Famous.

All the smudged bits seem to suggest Crystal is definitely flaunting her talents!

Meet the Westfield Insider Final 3

Alyce, Samnang and Brooke all have an equal chance of becoming the Westfield Insider, earning $100,000 for a year to shop and tell.

Will Samnang triumph and thus be able to bring a male perspective to this high-profile job? After all, male designers do seem to dominate the fashion stakes and rule many of the catwalks all over the world.

'Mitsubishi i-MiEV - Welcome to Tomorrow'

Looks like Mitsubishi in Australia has taken a giant step forward with its zippy, smart and nicely packaged i-MiEV - its first mass-produced electric car.

Imagine having no fuel bill, instead powering up this cheeky car in seven hours through the standard household power supply? It's quiet as a mouse, boasts (not idle, either) zero drive-time emissions and is as sassy as they come.

Makes me want to go out and get one right now.....

See How We Made an Ad Campaign with Zero Carbon Footprint

Having only recently been involved in authoring a Sustainable Development report for a big cement company in Thailand, I found this especially interesting.

The goal was to produce an ad campaign as energy efficient as the cars being advertised.

With a fantastic forward-thinking production team and Hyundai as sponsor, they proved that they could produce an ad campaign with a zero carbon footprint.

The set was made as green as possible and every effort was made to reduce waste from the get go. No plastic water bottles, cutlery that was compostable and ended up in the green bin, reducing the average 50 bags of garbage a day such a set would produce by 75 per cent, using human power and solar power in production work, collecting and using rain water etc etc.

The result?

They reduced CO2 emissions by a whopping 96% versus traditional production methods and invested in carbon offsets for the remaining 4%.

If every corporate entity and every major (and minor) advertising agency in the world were just as ingenious, what a difference it would make to the world we live in.

Small steps to big leaps and bounds for our planet.

Well done.

Meet the Westfield Insider Final 3

Wonder how Alyce, Samnang and Brooke are feeling right now, after having been picked as the three finalists in the Australia-wide search for the Westfield insider?

All three claim to have an eye for fashion and a nose for sniffing out great bargains.

One of the three (Samnang being the only man, who says he will bring a male perspective to a female-dominated field) will end up with a $100,000 wage for one year's work as the Westfield Insider.

Imagine spending your work days shopping and then telling! Talk about job one could grow to love.....

All three stand equal chances of winning so good luck to the trio.

Lucky devils....

Perth is just peachy

I love Perth. Winter is especially nice, when you get to rug up with a cup of hot chocolate, a good book or great movie.

I love the chilly mornings with the sun shining and a cold wind blowing. To me, it beats the horrid mugginess that is Bangkok (another city that I love for many other reasons).

Holidays home are planned around winter and spring. This year, however, although spring has sprung, summer seems to be so impatient to make itself felt.

It was blistering today, not bad in itself but not when you are out and about and having to get out and back in the car after it's been baking for a while. But it was a trip well worth making - first to have lunch with former colleagues at The West Australian newspaper and then to Coles to grab its two-for-one Schweppes offer!


Winter people seem to be in the minority here. Australians love the sun and summer in the city and at the beach is always something to look forward to. Which explains why places like Phuket, Samui, Langkawi and, of course, Bali are popular destinations for these sun lovers.

Summer in Perth means barbecues, sausage sizzles and salads, going about barefoot (why???) and for some men bare-chested ("will you please put a shirt on your bum?" my 16-year-old godson said to one the other day". He didn't hear it - Josh was in the car and the young chap was strolling on the sidewalk).

Summer in Perth means flies - big nasty blue bottles - flies and more flies.

Summer in Perth means the most delicious fruits are in season, performances perhaps in Kings Park,longer days to enjoy the balmy evenings and cool nights for star-gazing.

I love Perth.

Charles Worthington Front Row

After a series of bad hair days in Perth, I so would love to have someone like UK hair guru Charles Worthington turn my mop into a crowning glory!


Worthington and his team are letting their fingers do the talking yet again at the London Fashion Show, a highlight of which is Erdem Moralioglu's Spring Summer '11 collection. A bunch of leggy young things strut their stuff in an incredible dome-like tent in London.

The dresses and outfits are, for the main part, flowery, flowing, feminine with touches of lace and the models look stunning with simple plaits circling theirs heads a la Ballet Russe.

I wonder if I will be able to find Worthington's Front Row Crackle Wax in Perth. It works like magic!!!

What's in a name?

I've had to rename my blog. *sigh*

Veronica's Diary had kind of grown on me since I started the blog and there was this teeny-weeny bit of pride in actually getting down to do it (write the blog I mean).

I was going merrily on my way, inviting friends far and near to drop in on Veronica's Diary and to watch the videos, most of which are promotional but still fun to watch and interesting.

Anyway, while chatting with Aimee, the PR woman in me just could not resist asking her to ask her friends to take a peek at Veronica's Diary. "Do they get to it from my FB account?"

"No" says I, brimming with confidence. "They can google Veronica's Diary".


Just to be sure, I googled Veronica's Diary.

1,820,000 results.

First off the rank a sex-filled site where any and every thing apparently goes - that would make even the Kamasutra read like a Mills & Boon novel.

Another obviously oblivious woman from Ipoh, Malaysia, gives friends a glimpse into her life with a similarly named blog. Then there are book clubs, one about Archie & Friends (remember Veronica) and lots and lots of adult sites.

Hilarious.

I have not laughed this hard for a very long time.

Insanity aside, it was time to think of another name.

What about Veronica's Vibes, I asked (quite seriously) a young friend. Wahahahhahhahahahkekekekkekke. "Why not just make it Veronica Vibrates," she said so irreverently.

Another avalanche of laughter, ending with stitches in our sides.

From ridiculous to rational, we ended up with a rather dreary Postscripts from Perth.

Any suggestions? And nothing rude, or I will be blocked in Dubai AGAIN!

What on earth is David LaChapelle going to do with the new Nokia N8?

Imagine being photographed by none other than David LaChapelle, the man who is responsible for some amazing portraits of some of the world's most iconic celebrities including Lady Gaga, Eminem, Leonardo DiCarprio, Andy Warhol,Muhammad Ali, Michael Jackson, to name a few.

Well, some lucky people down under are going to get the chance....all you have to do is nomiN8 yourself and a friend, telling Nokia why the two of you should be photographed by this prolifically extravagant photographer/director.

I think I will give it a go - perhaps I'll be among the lucky four (+ nomiN8-ted mates) who will be flown to Melbourne and photographed by LaChapelle.

I could become famous, a household name!!!! LOL LOL LOL

Good God It's Shaggy

Shaggy Dog and 42 Below - most definitely a surefire recipe for a hit bash to celebrate the popular Jamaican's 42nd birthday. All wannabe party guests have to do is find Shaggy on the streets of Sydney and watch out for hints on Facebook and Foursquare.

42 Below is most definitely one of my favourite vodkas and I have great memories of working (while I was marketing communications manager at The Sukhothai) with then 42 Below rep, the absolutely gorgeous Paul Warden, in Bangkok to promote 42 Below, South Gin, Still and 420. In fact, I helped launch 420 (designer water from a spring at the base of an extinct volcano in South Island). 42 Below fans of course know that it stands for the exact location of its birth - a garage along the 42nd parallel, where it was distilled as a hobby.

The "420 at The Zuk Bar" tea party was held (you guessed it) at 4.20pm and happily mingling with the media and other guests was then New Zealand ambassador Peter Ryder and his lovely wife.

Then there was the time Paul concocted a great range of incredible cocktails for The Zuk Bar - actually, we had more fun in the creation than we were supposed to!

The Sukhothai holds great memories of great times. Wish I was back there!

There's method in my madness

Who says you have to have read Shakespeare to quote him? Actually, I love Shakespeare and count sitting under the stars on chilly evenings in Kings Park, Perth, enjoying a Shakespearean play as one of the more pleasant things to do in this wonderful city.

Can't quote the Bard by verse but have definitely, and unwittingly, used his words on countless occasions. Here are some of them:

* A dish fit for the gods
* A foregone conclusion
* A fool's paradise
* A plague on both your houses (love it)
* A sea change
* A sorry sight
* All that glitters is not gold
* All's well that ends well
* As dead as a doornail
* Bag and baggage
* (But for my own part) it was Greek to me
* Discretion is the better part of valour
* Eaten out of house and home
* For ever and a day
* I have not slept one wink
* In a pickle
* In stitches
* In the twinkling of an eye
* Hot blooded
* High time
* Green-eyed monster
* Love is blind
* Mum's the word
* Send him packing
* Set your teeth on edge
* Star-crossed lovers
* Such stuff as dreams are made
* Too much of a good thing



Gosh! The list goes on and on and I so love him... what a genius. And if you don't agree, it doesn't matter because I am screwing my courage to the sticking place.

It's a blast - Samsung's new (HD) Galaxy Tab Official Live Demo

In a word of one syllable to describe this nifty gadget: WOW

The slim, stylish Samsung Galaxy Tab with its 7-inch touch screen is easy to handle, a breeze to use and packed full of useful applications.

I especially liked the documents-editing feature, quick launch of the web browser, combined mix of different calendars (for those always on the go), access to a full range of music, the e-reading device, real-time sharing of whatever I see, the keyboard dock and the ability to screen to bigger high-resolution screens .... to name a few.

All that's left now is to make a wish .... since I've been such a good girl, surely Santa will leave it under the Christmas tree for me. :)

'Who’s Australia's savviest shopper?

We’ve searched Australia to find the Westfield Insider!



We’ve searched Australia to find the Westfield Insider, a savvy shopper who loves sharing their greatest finds. Applications have now closed, and it’s over to our judges to decide who’s going to make it to the final 3. Stay connected and follow the search at westfield.com.au.



MY GOODNESS..... HOW DID I MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY?!?

Talk about the ultimate retail therapy - Surely, it would be (almost) every woman's dream to get paid $100,000 to shop and tell?!


Not all women were born to shop. But natural-born shoppers have this innate passion to look for - and actually find - the best bargains ever.

I would have to say that my daughter Aimee is up there with the best of them - always coming up with the most perfect gift for the most difficult people to shop for. She would definitely have given the rest of them a run for their money in the mall!

But that is not to be. So now we will wait and see which charming woman with the greatest shopping nous gets this dream job. Can't wait....

A must watch: Fact Checkers Unit : Turn up the heater with Jon Heder

This blurb from NBC's series Fact Checkers Unit is hilarious from start (a butt-on comparison of spandex, lycra, microfibers etc) to finish.

Dylan (played by Brian Sacca) and Russell (played by Peter Karinen) visit Jon Heder who ropes them into his new workout video in his home...

'Nuff said. Now watch it....

Those pesky phone calls

Open letter to telemarketing companies:

One of my biggest pet peeves is receiving calls:

* from people (who could in real life be really nice people just doing their job) trying to sell me something I don't need such as extendable beds!!!
* from people telling me straight off that "This is not a survey; it is a life analysis".
* at what they believe are "opportune times". Please note that those opportune times are mine and mine alone. I do not appreciate running out of the, shower to answer a call, which I am afraid could be important but turns out to be yet another life analysis I simply can(not) do without.

I do not appreciate getting calls when I am putting out (or taking in) the laundry; while I am preparing meals; while I am ironing; while I am mopping or vacuuming or scrubbing - all chores I would choose without batting an eyelid over a solicitation call - or while I am simply having some "me time".

So, please please, put your ad on the internet where it can be viewed by countless people, and if it is a really great grab, people will call you!

My moan for the day....

Nokia C3 - The Carphone Warehouse Eye-openers!

I must be among a small number of mobile phone owners who really should make more use of their phone's many features.

So this was indeed an eye-opener. Now, all I have to do is get a Nokia!!!!