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Best selfie digital camera - Casio Exilim TR60 review and new features

Not too long ago, I blogged about how I loved Casio's TR35, which I felt was THE best selfie camera at that time. I even brought it along with me to Taiwan to test some of its capabilities in landscape and low light scenery shots and the shots turned out really good!


Fast forward to a few years later and somehow, Casio outdid herself again. She has created the mother of all selfie cameras, with features that are designed to impress even the most experienced camwhore. -shifty eyes- That picture above? Taken with the new camera.
**WARNING TONS OF SELFIES AHEAD*

Behold, the Casio Exilim TR60(s).


The new model comes in four colours - Green (seems more minty to me), Pink, Violet and White. There are a couple new features added compared to their previous model, and these are so amazing I just had to share them! 

  • Auto send photos to your phone via Bluetooth/Wifi

If you're wondering why influencers have such nice photos on instagram, one major factor is the camera that's used. It's no secret that the photos with amazing quality get the most likes! Influencers typically transfer pictures taken on their camera to their phone to be uploaded. Now that you're in on this secret, I'll tell you another one - the Casio TR60 can transfer your photos seamlessly.


You can bulk select photos you want to send to your phone and transfers are sooo fast!! You'll need to install the EXILIM app first though.


Here's a shot with the pretty Emily! Totally instagrammable.

  • Control the camera remotely
Once you've paired the camera to your phone, your phone can act as a 'remote control' and assist you in taking photos! This can apply to full length selfies (technically you're taking a photo of yourself) or, for selfie sticks when you're with a big group of friends.


This feature is super cool in my opinion, If I'm not mistaken, this is the first and only selfie camera that can do this 'link-up with your phone' function!! It is also perfect for solo travels when you can't get someone to take a photo for you.

PSST! You can view, select and even edit your photos on your phone even when the camera is switched off!

  • Variety of in-built filters

Whenever a camera comes with in-built filters, you... play around with them and see which surroundings suit them the most. One customizable feature is that you can set how fair or dark you want your pictures to look, and how flawless/glowy your skin will turn out in your photos! Adjustments come in 12 varying levels and 6 skin tone levels. Which is definitely more that what you'd ask for. Here are some shots I took with the filters!



High Key: For natural lighting. Note that Macro mode managed to capture the details on my bracelet!


Foggy: For softer, misty days


Fairy: Because you want to look like a princess


Nostalgia: Sentimental, much?


Vivid: Makes colours pop


Square: This was created just for Instagram lol

Impressed yet? That's not all.

  • Long Battery Life

The Casio TR60 has an incredible battery life! It takes about 240 shots and continued playback of approx 3 hours and 40 mins. Movie time would be approx 55 mins. 240 selfies a day anyone?


A shot in low-light, our complexion looks amazing even so!


I like how details aren't lost despite the brighter lights. I only charged the TR60 once a week.

  • Intuitive pad for easy toggle

Did you notice the pretty sparkly gem surrounding the camera's lens?? I love it!! 

One of the new features to note in the Casio Exilim TR60 is its new intuitive Selfie Pad. This sensor can toggle between various functions such as zoom or Selfie Art mode by just sliding your finger along the frame! Now you can make quick adjustments without having to view the main menu. Super convenient btw.

  • Everything else is awesome

Photo with Fenyx, who is incredibly photogenic!

Just like her predecessors, the Casio TR60 is light and fits snugly into any lady's handbag or clutch. Some of my friends even mistook this for a phone!

Verdict? Absolutely love love love the cam!


Thanks Nicole, Peiling and the Casio team for the camera! Also thanks to TJ, Fenyx, Emily and Ng Ju Ann for photo appearances lol.


For more pictures taken with the Casio Exilim TR 60, check out my Singapore Airlines Turf Club event!



Woah I think this is the post with the most selfies hahaha. Be sure to check out the Casio TR60 when you can! The Casio Exilim EX-TR60 is made in Japan and is available at selected Casio authorised retailers such as Best Denki and Harvey Norman at suggested retail price of S$1,299.
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Singapore Airlines International Cup 2015

Being a naturally spontaneous and outgoing person, I love trying new things and experiencing what life has to offer (that doesn't jeopardize my own life, of course). However, recently I've been feeling pretty jaded. Like my life is stagnating, that nothing much in Singapore surprises me anymore.

Until I attended my first event at the Turf Club, that is.


Any reason to dress up. Yup.

Have you ever watched horses race? Not just any horse race but the ones held at the Singapore Turf Club!? It is truly an experience and if you can, try to catch one of the big races which are held a few times a year. Most people in the air-conditioned areas dress to the nines, decked in unusual fascinators (the things on their heads, no they're not hats), you'll see guys in suit and tie, oh and rooms with free flow of alcohol! If your schedule doesn't permit, normal races are on most Friday nights and Sunday afternoons. I wouldn't call myself a gambler or an addict who needs to bet often or all the time because that would take the novelty and fun away!

It's more entertaining to go with friends so bring as many as you can. It doesn't matter if you lost a bit, you are in great company! Pity there was no Eddie Peng Yuyan unlike Longines in November as eye candy but you never know haha! 

The Singapore Airlines Cup 2015 was the first horse racing event I attended that started in the late afternoon and ended at night, which was a great excuse to wear a long gown. I took 3 hours to get ready and did my hair and makeup myself! It was a bit of a disaster initially because my hair curler ran out of battery mid-way and wouldn't switch on after. ANYWAY it's all good because it worked out in the end.

The Marquee

We were seated in the Marquee this time, which has a nice patio with an amazing view (and some people choose to smoke at lol). To get there, you'll take a shuttle bus near the taxi stand, feels like VIP service because you also get... 

A BUFFET! Salad, meats, and... FREE FLOW of Beer, Red Wine, White Wine, Juices and some soft drinks!! The quality of the food is seriously pretty darn good. I was surprised. There are many Caucasians here and they take fascinators to a whole new level. Dress to impress!

The bread and butter pudding that I forgot to eat because my mains were that good :( Oh well at least I have a picture of it.

There are two betting stations in the Marquee, so the queue moves pretty fast! Imagine eating while watching the monitors to watch the horses for the next race, getting up, betting, going back to your seat for a bit, then getting up again to watch the actual race. Repeat at least x4 times lol. You'll lose track of how much you've already eaten!! 

Shot with the Casio TR60, the best selfie camera right now in the market, Don't you think the quality is amazing?? Your skin looks flawless in every shot, and this wasn't even taken in any special mode! Side note, I am loving my hair colour done by Yoshi at Nine by Sweet Basil. Totally trust Yoshi with my hair lol, I told him to pick a colour for me.

Apologies, I digressed!! After our filling buffet dinner, we went over to the grand stand area to catch the official opening ceremony and performances. There were women in flouncy dresses with many balls on them, people literally walking INSIDE Zorb-balls, (still have no idea how they breathe in them), and of course these cool pyro dudes on stilts. 

The sky became pretty smokey after that

To be honest, I wasn't really sure what was happening, but a bunch of pretty SIA girls were posing for photos with the jockeys in anticipation for the next race! Maybe they wanted the jockeys to size each other up or something.

Commemorative photo with SIA girls and Jockeys



Alright I'll answer everyone's burning question, yes they are real stewardesses! Did you know that only true stewardesses are allowed to don the kebaya?? I need to get my stewardess friends to teach me how they do their hair up like that. I know a lot of hair spray is involved though.

Parade Ring

If you're a hardcore gambler, you'll definitely want to check out the horses' mood on the day itself, and there's no better way than to observe them for yourself at the Parade Ring just before they step onto the field! 


No joke all these uncles staring intently. Frankly I never bothered learning how to read the booklet which lists all the historical information the horse has etc. I go by my gut feeling. The owners and friends of that match are all in that circle in the middle!

Our hosts brought us all the way in front! Tried to selfie with the horses but I was also a little afraid they would bite my head off, or mistake my hair for grass etc. Lol!

PSST! I love my new back-hand accessory, got it from Forever21 just days before the race!

Anyway, it was my turn to bet! It's a good rule of thumb to set a maximum amout that you're willing to lose BEFORE YOU EVEN PLAY. It's a good self-control mechanism lol. Tell yourself that if you hit that amount you better stop betting. No you will not recoup your losses!

Minimum bets for Win or Place is $5, but if you bet on Trio's, Quadro's and some other combos, it's $2. To find out more about what bets you can make, click here.

Didn't know which horse was going to win, so I put in a few bets. Horse no 1 and 2 to win (obviously I would've lost one), Horse number 6 and 7 to place, and just for fun, I picked Horses 1, 2, 3 and 6 to come in as the top 4 horses, in any order, for $2 why not right lol.

After placing our bets, we went back to the main area to watch the biggest race of the day with the owner's, cheering together with everyone. (ie those colourful seats in the background of this picture below)

Oops sorry for the grainy pic, a pic of Yuki and I.

Races

Biggest race of the day: International Group 1: $3,000,000 prize money
Winners: 


1st place: Dan Excel (Horse no 2)
2nd place: Military Attack (Horse no 1)
3rd place: Quechua (Horse no 6)
4th place: Meiner Frost (Horse no 3)
The defending champion has done it again! Dan Excel, trained by John Moore clinched the top prize and the odds to win were $18 (ie, every $5 bet pays $18)
For those who have been reading closely, yes that's right, I won a tiny bit! It's not much because I only bet like $5 haha. Serious adrenaline rush, when you bet though. Can see why people get addicted to it. Am not encouraging anyone to become a hardcore gambler ok!!
I like this shot because it looks like the horses are also sharing a moment! Though this was the race before haha.


Congratulations!!

HP also won some money in the big race :D We were both beaming together hahah!

Picture of well dressed ladies! Am pretty sure they are some of the jockey's girlfriends or wives...

That's basically how a day at the races during a big event goes. I really hope you'll get to try it out one day haha. Do I see myself getting sick of this anytime soon? 

To that I say, 

NO WAY.

Thanks guys for the spectacular company :)

All images with the SEED Image logos are used with permission from Derrick See (also the guy on the far right of the picture), he takes amazing photos!!
Shoutout to my new friend Vince Caligiuri from Gettyimages for the links to the pictures.
Thank you Singapore Turf Club, Jessie, Dominic and Nick for the invitation and for being such great hosts! 
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Mikuni Set Lunch Food Review



If you're a huge fan of Japanese food like me, you're bound to have heard of Mikuni while researching for your next place to try. Even Hungrygowhere rates it 84% (at date of post) and it is consistently serving quality food. Unfortunately, the prices are preeettty steep, but there's a little benefit you could exploit which is...

the amazing LUNCH MENU

The lunch items are between $65 to $120++, which is much cheaper than if you went during dinner where one main item is $48++. Oh, and if you have The American Express Platinum Credit Card, or The Far Card you get up to 50% off dining here!! For more details, click on the respective links. (This post is NOT an ad for them.)

Be sure to make reservations before going, and they do have a dress code so no shorts and slippers please.

Appetizers

Mikuni is fitted with a modern japanese decor, but some might even find the blue lights a little strange. Nonetheless, the service is pretty good and you are provided with hot towels to clean your hands with while waiting for your appetizers.


Some crunchy crackers and salad, This isn't anything worth mentioning but it kind of builds the suspense until you get your mains. 

The mains


  • PREMIUM BENTO “MIYABI” 弁当 華 120

The Miyabi set, also the most expensive set in the whole menu, is definitely worth the value. Look at that grilled Kagoshima Wagyu Beef you cook on the stone slab and watch it sizzle! 


 
*_* the aroma is enough to make your other companions envious


Apart from the wagyu, you get an organic salad with mixed vegetables, 3 kinds of Sashimi, BBQ Eel, mixed Tempura, lobster with uni sauce and miso soup. It kinda feels like you've got the best of everything Mikuni has to offer, all to yourself without having to share! Ie, bliss.

The lobster with uni sauce was amazingly rich, you'd be wishing you had a bigger portion after the first bite.

  • SASHIMI SET 刺身セット 90 


As a huuuuge sashimi fan, this item caught my eye and definitely did not disappoint. The uni was gloriously fresh and the tuna just melts in your mouth. Simple superb. The set comes with seasonal sashimi, deep-Fried Tofu, chawanmushi, rice, pickles and miso Soup.


One of the freshest uni's I've eaten in my life.

If you're wondering what that green thing is, that's seaweed. It was really good!

  • DISCONTINUED SET 

I ordered the sushi and assorted sashimi set but this seems to be discontinued. I thought it wasn't anything special, so I wouldn't recommend you trying this anyway! (Think it was $65++)


The sushi wasn't anything special, and fried corn was just strange.

I wanted to try a range of Mikuni's food but the highlight was the sashimi.

  • AUSTRALIAN BEEF & EBI OUGON SAUCE SET 80 オーストラリアビーフと海老黄金鉄板焼きセット 

The last set ordered was a teppenyaki one! It consists of chawanmushi, teppanyaki Prawns with Golden Sauce, Australian Beef Tenderloin, vegetables, rice, pickles and miso soup.


The beef was really tender though it was a tad bit overcooked for medium rare.


The set also comes with garlic rice and smooth, flavourful chawanmushi.



All set items come with... dessert!


I think this changes depending when you're there, but when I went it was this cute mixed fruits panna cotta served in a (tiny) jar.


Which was devoured in like, 10 seconds.

All in all, I'd definitely come back to dine at Mikuni - after I've saved up a bit for it that is.

Mikuni
Level 3, Fairmont Singapore
(Hint; Enter through Raffles City Shopping Centre!)

Opening hours:
Lunch:
Monday to Sunday - 12:00pm to 2:30pm
Dinner:
Monday to Sunday - 6:30pm to 10:30pm
Dress Code: Smart Casual

For reservations, call +65 6431 6156 or emaildining.singapore@fairmont.com

 Note: This was not a paid or sponsored review, just wanted to share one of my favourite Japanese restaurants in Singapore that's perfect for dates or cosy celebrations!
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FIJI Water Dessert Platter for Ladies Night at The Exchange

Some of my friends overseas are sooo envious whenever they hear about Ladies Night in Singapore. We're one of the few countries in the world that actually give out free drinks to Ladies on this special night! Of course, this promotion is only applicable to select bars in Singapore, and one of the top picks has got to be The Exchange at Asia Square. It caters mostly to the office crowd and there are a number of expats just catching a beer after a hard day's work. On Wednesday's, this place is packed with people choosing to stand around to people watch, or do some serious mingling.

What about the Ladies? They definitely love it.

Free drinks but different flavours weekly keep them coming back. Lychee martinis this week, or kiwi slushie margaritas the next, anything is possible, and the alcohol within makes everybody happy.

In partnership with FIJI Water, The Exchange came up with a dessert platter that's only served on Ladies Night!

Just enough to share with your girlfriends ;)

The platter is made of;

- Pliable FIJI Water Chocolate Ganache
with homemade vanilla ice-cream, mint scented lime curd, dehydrated Manjari mousse
This was my favourite of the 3! The chocolate just melts in your mouth and that mousse was so addictive mmmm.

- Deconstructed Pear & Passion Fruit Frangipane
with FIJI Water baby poached pear, almond crumble, frozen FIJI Water lemon foam, passion fruit custard

and

- FIJI Sweet Corn Sorbet
with hazelnut parfait, egg yolk glass and fresh strawberry
The sorbet was amazing! Thick yet stays true to the sweet corn flavour. A must try!

The brains behind this dessert is Adrian Sim, The Exchange's Pastry Chef, who wanted to incorporate FIJI Water in the desserts due to the water's smooth taste and soft mouth-feel.

The FIJI Water Dessert Platter is priced at $35++ and is available every Wednesday from now to 27 May, only at The Exchange.

Thanks for having us FIJI Water and The Exchange!

The Exchange

8 Marina View 
Asia Square Tower 1
Singapore 018960
Ladies Night only on Wednesday's
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Taiwan Travelogue Day 2: Addiction Aquatic Development in Taipei


Being the foodie that I am, I researched pretty extensively on the topic before my actual trip to Taiwan. I can't settle for random "oh I'm too hungry let's just eat here" stalls anymore ever since a disaster in Hong Kong. Anyway, coming up tops from many many websites was this funny named hideout - Addiction Aquatic Development (AAD).


Just the size of these makes you want to lick your fingers already.

Alright alright here's how the entrance looks like. 

Like what is up with its name?? Are you developing people to get addicted to aquatic food? Haha. Jokes aside, the Addiction Aquatic Development is a must see for tourists. It's a clean and eye opening experience to check out the wide variety of seafood. I need to emphasize that this is SO CLEAN!!! People are usually turned off by wet markets but this was air-conditioned, dry floors kinda comfort, enabling you to appreciate it much better. There's also a huuuuge sushi and sashimi area that's amazingly fresh which you can grab off the counter, pay, and devour at the tables outside.

They're worth it.


I wasn't feeling well even before I went to Taiwan due to some gastric flu problems, but I did not want to give up the chance to eat delicious sushi so we went ahead and got a number to try the famed sushi restaurant in the middle of the market. It's a bit troublesome to get to so just grab a cab. So cheap anyways.

It's just amazing to stare at them

The first segment would be all the live seafood waiting for you to grab into a basket and bring them home. Of course if you're there on holiday and you're living in a hotel... run along to the next segment where there's food to be had on the spot! 


This stall had a long queue but I'm not interested in cooked food very much. This is like Taiwan's version of 'caifan' hahah.


This seafood joint is not for those who like to keep their hands clean. Pick your poison and sit by the bar as you peel off that juicy meat off your crab or lobster, completely fresh and perfectly marinated.

 Then there's the sushi section.

Rows and rows of affordable sushi that taste as good as they look!! Don't believe me when I say it's affordable?? Check this out. 
Tuna sashimi. At approx $28 sgd for this lot.
Japan grade salmon sashimi at approx $17


After you pass the takeaway sushi area, there's a sushi restaurant where a ton of people are waiting at. Since there were a bunch of people, we decided to give it a try. However we were told that it was going to be a looong wait (think 50 numbers in front of us or something) So we couldn't resist and ordered some while waiting for our turn at the sushi restaurant. There's quite a few areas to eat your packed stuff outside the AAD.


Yellowtaillll. Damn fresh cannot take it wanted to eat everything.

PSST! If you intend to eat there, I'd suggest you run past all the crabs/lobsters/sushi etc and grab a number to the sushi place, THEN turn around and slowly appreciate everything from the beginning. We had to wait 1h. No joke.

When it was FINALLY our turn, we took a look at the menu. Wah really quite ex. We were quite full by this time (no thanks to the earlier sushi) so we ordered the set.




Verdict? Don't waste your time. Buying off the counter is the same quality as the one in the sushi restaurant as they were all caught fresh the same day! The chefs aren't as skilled as the Japanese who put in extra effort in the seaweed, rice, and sauce, so it's better you save your time (and stomachs) and load up on the takeaway food.

Sharing some of the other pictures I took that day.







Ramen egg! Shiok!


Some of the shops don't have seats at all to save space!

Uni, anyone?



When we were done eating, we went next door to check out the fish market but it wasn't interesting =\ You're better off skipping this.


There are some other restaurants outside but they were yakitori places. Why come all the way here for yakitori!? Maybe you could check it out and let me know though.


Will I come back again? Definitely YES. However my trip was too time packed and we didn't have time to travel to this a little out of the way find. There is nothing to do around it.

Stay tuned for more adventures!
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