Newsletter 2011




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Zi Char - Long Beach Seafood


1018 East Coast Parkway
#01-02

25 Dempsey Road

1202 East Coast Parkway
#01-04 East Coast Seafood Centre

2 Jurong East Street 21
3F IMM Jurong



http://www.longbeachseafood.com.sg/



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Long Beach Seafood specializes in Crabs - Chilli, Pepper & Butter. Their crabs are probably among the freshest, and best tasting you can get in Singapore. 


They same however, can't be said for most of their other menu items from Long Beach Seafood... They range from above average to just ok. You could actually get better tasting zi char from some coffeeshops.


When I visit Long Beach Seafood next time, I'll just stick to the crabs.

Chilli Crab

Chilli Crab

Claypot Enoki Mushroom & Baby Cabbage

Handmade Beancurd With Chef's Sauce

Honey Sauce Chicken

Mantou In A Bowl

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Undercover Boss - Sheldon Yellen (Belfor)


By Lisa Johnson Mandell, Posted Jan 14th 2011 @ 3:26PM 
http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/01/14/undercover-boss-sheldon-yellen-has-the-kindest-of-employees/


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BELFOR CEO Sheldon Yellen probably has the most caring and supportive employees ever featured on 'Undercover Boss'-and it appears he gave them more compensation in the end than has ever been given away before. BELFOR may be comprised of roofers, painters, plumbers, cleaners and carpenters, but it's important to note that BELFOR is the world's largest disaster restoration company. Employees are dealing with people who have experienced great (often tragic) loss, on a daily basis.
 
BELFOR employees go into people's homes to erase signs of damage and sometimes death. "It's very emotional," says Yellen. "Our people are trained to deal with people who have suffered great loss. Employees spend as much time dealing with emotion as they do with construction."


Yellen has been building the company since 1984, and BELFOR now operates in 29 countries, providing post disaster relief and reconstruction services after fires, hurricanes, earthquakes and other disasters. About 6,000 employees assist both residential and commercial customers with losses from the small, like leaky roofs, to the major, like those caused by Hurricane Katrina. BELFOR employees are about to have their work cut out for them in Australia (as soon as the flood waters subside) -- but in the meantime, Yellen tried his hand at some lesser jobs for 'Undercover Boss.'

Into the trenches

For his first job, Yellen worked with Joe, a demolition supervisor on a house in Norfolk, Va., where where roof leaks had damaged the walls and ceiling. Yellen got a taste of dealing with death when he had to remove a animal that fell down through the ceiling and expired after it couldn't get out of the wall. To get the job done, they started by removing the homeowner's furniture and other belongings, and Yellen wasn't as careful as Joe would have liked.
 
Yellen was surprised to learn that Joe is 50 years old and the father of two, and has to do side jobs to make ends meet. This reminded him of his own experiences growing up poor and having to work 40 hours a week, starting at age 11, to help support his family so they could rise above the poverty line.

To keep Joe and his sons from having to suffer like that, when Yellen revealed his identity as CEO he promoted Joe to project manager so he wouldn't have to do any more work on the side. Joe also received $10,000 to help him with his debts, and was advanced $10,000 on future commissions.
 

Restoration hardware is hard work

Next stop was Denver, Colo., where Yellen worked with Drew, a restoration carpenter. "I was pitiful," he remembers, explaining how the fake glasses he was wearing obstructed his vision and made him unable to use the electric drill properly. Not only that, but hanging dry wall was much more difficult than he'd anticipated. Drew didn't feel like the two of them were connecting as a team and let Yellen go so he could finish the job by himself, but not before he revealed that he had an MBA and a mountain of debt to show for it.


Later, when the two met again at company headquarters, Yellen did his best to help Drew with that debt by giving him a check for $15,000 and referring Drew to the marketing department for a possible promotion and raise.


Yellen did a better job in Indianapolis, Ind., where he worked as a cleaning technician removing smoke damage -- although his attempts to follow his mentor's jovial customer interaction fell flat. He made the mistake of asking which of the two white-haired women in the house was the mother and which was the daughter -- never a good idea with females.


Despite his faux pas, Brenda, his supervisor, felt at ease enough with him to confide that she used to be homeless, has been working full-time since she was 15, and never got a high school degree. Writing has always been a challenge for her. This information brought Yellen to tears, and when the time came, he gave her $10,000 for an education fund for her grandchildren, a $15,000 bonus check, and promised her special help with her water damage certification.

In a tight squeeze

Last but not least, Yellen worked with Jen, a water technician in Chesapeake, Va., to repair water damage. Part of the job required slithering through an extremely tight crawl space; not only did Yellen put his mask on upside down, but his complaining also drew an admonition from his female supervisor to "buck up!"


She told Yellen that she started as a cleaning technician and was "promoted" to a water technician nearly a year ago, but got no increase in pay because "corporate says there's a raise freeze." "I put that pay freeze in place to protect everyone -- to save their jobs and to keep from having to lay anyone off during the economic crisis," Yellen told AOL. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone."

He was so moved at the time that he revealed his true identity right then and there and told her she would get that raise. He later made good on his promise, giving her a retroactive raise, a week's paid vacation, and a check for $15,000.
 
Yellen began his 'Undercover Boss' journey at the encouragement of his son, who watched the show for the first time with his roommates and immediately called his dad to tell him he needed to get involved. Yellen did, and he has no regrets.


Although he was humbled, Yellen says he couldn't be prouder of the passion of his employees. "I was so impressed by their customer awareness," he said. "These are people with lives and challenges of their own, yet they go to work with an attitude of 'my problems are my problems, and I have to leave them at home and I have to give the homeowner everything I've got.'"






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An Excellent Role Model


Picture this: 


It's past 11pm on Wednesday night, the day after a public holiday. 


Few distributors are left in the office, and you're one of them, sitting in the showroom quietly doing your work. 


Suddenly, the main door swings open, and in walks Mr. Simon Sim, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Premier Pure. 


Seeing a CEO coming back to work late at night is surprising enough. But, he's not alone. 


Following him is a casually dressed man, whom you deduce is his friend. They're in the middle of a conversation, and you pick up that Mr. Simon Sim is telling him about his business. 


They walk up to to showcase, and Mr. Simon Sim points out the various products on display, while briefly describing them. Then they walk over to the Hall of Fame, and finally head over to Mr. Simon Sim's office. 


A while later, Mr. Simon Sim comes back to the showroom, and approaches the most junior leader present at the time, who happens to be doing planning with their downline.


He says to the leader: "Sorry to interrupt, but my friend would like to make a purchase, could you spare me a minute to assist with the submission process? I would like to submit the sales under you." 


And then to the leader's downline: "Sorry, to trouble you. I just need a minute of your leader's time." 


Then they head off to submit the sales.



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And this is yet another reason why I respect Mr. Simon Sim. 

• Still working even till late at night, even though he's the CEO. 


• Does personal recruitment. 


• Does B-Role, Opening, Closing, etc. 


• Does personal sales. 


• Helps junior distributors in his organization.


• Is still humble and polite.

Here is a leader who really does practice what he teaches to others, and sets an example all of us can follow.


In the words of Albert Schweitzer: "Example is leadership".


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Zi Char - Keng Eng Kee (KEK) Seafood 2011

124 Bukit Merah Lane 1
#01-136 Alexandra Village


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Keng Eng Kee Seafood specializes in Deep Fried Goodness, with their home made Prawn Rolls, and their own creation, the Ming Zhu Rolls. It's unique, and something you won't be able to get elsewhere.

Keng Eng Kee Seafood Choy Hiang Beancurd meat sauce is rich and thick, and again, full of meat.

Barley

Chilli Crab

Choy Hiang Beancurd

Egg Foo Yong Omelette

Ming Zhu Roll & Prawn Roll

Ming Zhu Roll

Prawn Roll

Stir Fried Nai Bai Vegetable With Garlic

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Move - Guy Travels The World And Shoots 1 Second Of Video In Each Location


Some day, I'm gonna freaking do this! 










Update: The clip was part of an advertising campaign by STA Travel Australia. Rick Mereki, Andrew Lees and Tim White were sponsored a 6-week round the world trip, and in return, they had to shoot 3 videos for STA Travel Australia. Here they are: 















The ads are titled Move, Eat and Learn respectively. 






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Zi Char - Jumbo Seafood

1206 East Coast Parkway #01-07

2 Stadium Walk
#01-05 Singapore Indoor Stadium

11 Dempsey Road #01-16

30 Merchant Road
#01-01 Riverside Point

20 Upper Circular Road
#B1-48 The Riverwalk

10 Changi Coast Walk

http://www.jumboseafood.com.sg/


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Lovely waterfront dining at Jumbo Seafood, it's quiet and peaceful, especially during weekday afternoons.

Service is prompt and efficient, and the food arrives quickly.

Jumbo Seafood is well-known for their crabs, and their Chilli Crab is particularly succulent and juicy. I also like their Scallop In Yam Ring, the juicy scallops contrast well with the crispy fried yam rings.

Jumbo Seafood Mee Goreng is very tasty as well, though I feel the price is too expensive for this dish.

I like the Asparagus With Prawns, for their use of fresh ingredients which shines in the taste. Presentation of the dish is clean and pleasing to the eye, and the prawns are meaty, succulent, and juicy. The asparagus lends a satisfiying crunch, while the use of ginger lends a fragrant aroma.

Asparagus With Prawns

Bun Mantou

Chilli Crab Meat In Gravy

Chilli Crab

GeoDuck In XO Sauce

Mee Goreng

Spinach Bean Curd With Mushrooms

Scallop In Yam Ring

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Update Aug-2014: I have a newfound respect and appreciation for Jumbo Seafood, because it seems they've gained some semblance of international acclaim. The majority of our overseas staff consider Jumbo Seafood a must visit whenever they come to Singapore, and the 1 dish they always order when they visit is the iconic Singaporean Chilli Crab.

Ambience at Jumbo Seafood has remained more or less consistent throughout the years, still laid out in communal dining style, akin to most Chinese fine dining restaurants. Expect a noisy, bustling atmosphere, with tables packed closely together in a rather cramped layout. Furniture is sufficiently comfortable, and tables are spacious enough even with many dishes.

Service at Jumbo Seafood reflects the multi-cultural society of Singapore, with staff from various countries and backgrounds. Most of the junior staff may not be able to converse in English, and aren't knowledgable on the menu or ordering process, so speaking to the senior staff (all of whom can speak English) may be your best bet. I rather dislike that during peak periods, there is only 90 minutes dining time allocated to each table, so that Jumbo Seafood can turnover the place for the next seating. While orders are served very quickly, allocated seat timing means you won't be able to linger over a meal during peak periods.

Food at Jumbo Seafood, as its name suggests, is all about fresh seafood and Chinese style Zi Char. Since its founding in 1987, Jumbo Seafood has remained among the premier seafood restaurants in Singapore, known especially for their chilli crab, and pepper crabs. Food quality has remained consistently high throughout the years, prepared with fresh ingredients. Small portion sizes are usually enough for 2 - 3 people. Prices though, have risen considerably over the years, especially prices of seafood, and it's recommended to budget at least SGD $40 - $60 per person at Jumbo Seafood.

Jumbo Seafood Signage

Chilli Crab Again

Mee Goreng Again

Stir Fried Broccoli With Scallop

Black Pepper Venison

Chilled Mango And Shredded Duck

Reserve a table now @ Jumbo Seafood - Dempsey

Reserve a table now @ Jumbo Seafood - Changi (NSRCC)

Reserve a table now @ Jumbo Seafood - Riverside Point

Reserve a table now @ Jumbo Seafood - The Riverwalk

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Zi Char - 2 Chefs Eating Place

116 Commonwealth Crescent #01-129

410A Sin Ming Avenue #01-01

https://www.facebook.com/TwoChefsEatingPlace

Fried Hor Fun (SGD $4 / $7 / $12)

Gim Tim Restaurant 2011

157 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 #01-546


https://www.gimtim.com.sg/


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Been to Gim Tim Restaurant once so far, it was a pleasant experience. Came on a weekday night, and it wasn't crowded, so the service staff were attentive. The food however, still took about 20 minutes to arrive.

The must-try dish for me at Gim Tim Restaurant was the Pan Fried Cod Fish With Sake. Wonderfully light and crispy, and the sake sauce had that savoury salty flavor. Couldn't get enough of it!

The Steamed Live Frog With Essence actually uses Brand's Chicken Essence for its sauce.

The rest of the dishes at Gim Tim Restaurant were decent.

Fish Maw With Seafood Soup

Hokkien Udon Noodles

Home Made Beancurd With Spinach

Pan Fried Cod Fish With Sake

Steamed Live Frog With Essence

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