The World Gourmet Summit this year was held during the last 2 weeks of April and I, Alex Billion, was there with my mistress Megawatee. The event that we attended was Rougie Foie Gras with Robert Weil Wines. You can see the menu here. The event was held at Prive, located at Marina at Keppel Bay. Oh… it was fantastic - the food was heavenly and the wines were beyond description. I’ll just let the pictures do the talking.

And of course, Alex Billion practises what he preached. The event was paid for using money from my 20%, set aside for buying things I like. Refer to this post for more details.

The Chefs

Prive

Canape

Wine

Table Setting

Food and more food…….

Till the next time you hear from me again,

Live well.

seriously, Simbian - i treated you as a friend but even as friends go, there were times i really doubted that you were really friend.

i’m always one to say that people are innocent till proven guilty. i joined GG after your little charade and heard so many things about you, but still thought you were a good person and that i could be friends with you and use your blog as a platform to expand my writings. i admit, slightly on the marketing side, that it was a good idea for exposure and to share my thoughts with people. but i also thought i could connect with someone back in sg, given that none of my friends know about my blog.

when the GGers told me that you were not one to trust because you mindfucked people and manipulated them, i just laughed them off

when the whole geraldine issue escalated, i didn’t probe, knowing how raw it might have been and how much it might’ve hurt

when they accused you of exposing jenzene on your chatango, i backed you up and got shitloads of backlash from the people who told me that you later admitting to using a different name, and yet i still believed it could’ve been someone else cos some mixedblood gloated that she had information on a someone from GG too.

when you had your attack, and heard that you had to be admitted i was concerned - i even offered to let you contact my mother because she’s in the business and knows people who would be able to treat you better and get you a better fee as well.

when you and your fiance called it off, i was happy for you, yet slightly concerned - you told me what he was like, but still you and him still have history, its hard to let things like that go.

and yet i gathered no support from you. NOT ONE SINGLE BIT. whenever i got backlash and shit, when it was at your expense, you didnt even bother to say anything.

and now you’re doing this. airing dirty laundry in public when you specifically told me that you wouldn’t. i trusted you to tell you all that, and i thought we reached an agreement at the end. ONE THAT SAID WE WOULD KEEP THIS TO OURSELVES AND SETTLE IT IN TIME TO COME.

i really cant believe YOU EDITED THAT MSN CONVO to make it sound like i didnt have my reasons behind my actions, especially when YOU YOURSELF AGREED WITH ME THAT IT WAS RATIONAL, and that we would come to a compromise in the end.

so is this how you want it to play out? because i honestly thought i could work things out with you - and YOU AGREED WITH ME.

Life overseas can be slightly daunting, given that you’re foreign to the new country and not too familiar with the local amenities. I myself found it slightly difficult finding my way around the first few weeks given that I was plonked straight into studies and didn’t have much time to explore and rekkie the place out.

But fear not! Here’s a small guide to…

Where to shop!

I’m going to break this down into 3 bits

–        Where to shop for homestuff

–        Where to shop for your food

–        Where to shop for your necessities/toiletries/makeup etc.

Where to shop for homestuff!

A good place to start is to head down to your local highstreet, where most of the shops will be located. You’ll find the few odds and ends shops where you will most probably find some things, but a good bet to find cheap things would be at either Wilkinson or Argos or if you’re picky head down to Finchley’s Ikea.

If you’re one to shy away from braving the cold and trying to stumble your way back with bags full of barang barang, fret not the internet is a many wonderful thing. Argos especially will do home deliveries and has a range of furniture and other non-consumables you can select from. The only downside is the HUGE range of items that takes AGES to go through, and the possibility that you might not find your item in stock at your local store and it might be a long wait till it does come in.

 As per Ikea in Singapore, it’s a great place to shop and eat, head down to Finchley’s Ikea only if

(a)    you have manpower to carry all your barang barang back and you don’t mind walking/bus-ing

(b)   if you have a car to do your dirty work or

(c)    if you fancy something familiar (SWEDISH MEATBALLS OMNOMNOMNOM!)

But yea, if you’re looking to get the usual homestuff in a familiar layout with familiar food and don’t mind putting things together, Ikea’s the place to be.

Wilkinson’s on the other hand will be more for your pots, pans, cushions, upholstery, and other household items, with the occasional toiletries and other necessities being present. Prices down at Wilkinson’s are quite cheap, and they have quite a good selection, though not as wide a range as Ikea or Argos.

Alternatively your local Sainsburys, Tesco, Aldi should stock up on some pots, pans, cutlery and some household items.

 
Thank you, Simbian, for lending me the picture, above, to spice up my entry and to allow you guys to have a better understand of my article.

Sometimes I tend to think like a woman. Maybe it’s because I am surrounded by women - my mistress, my girlfriend, my faithful personal assistant, my 3 daughters, my 2 grand-daughters, etc. And that is why I, Alex Billion, have always said that it is very important that a woman should maintain her financial independence, whether as a working employee or as an investor…. and this is what I keep repeating and repeating to my 2 young grand-daughters to drill the message into their heads.

So… it is on this very beautiful day, that I am having a beautiful brunch at Latitude Bistro, facing beautiful yachts at ONE°15 (one of them mine), facing a beautiful woman who is not really so beautiful at this moment. In fact, she was crying like a cow and looking very tak-glam with tears and mucus flowing from her nostrils.

You see, this woman Lisa is a close friend of my very loyal personal assistant Miss J. Lisa’s husband has left her for another woman almost a year ago and Lisa is desperately trying to find ways and means to ensure that she, and her young daughter, will not starve to death. The problem is, Lisa has been too used to the good life when she was with her then husband Peter, and now…. the $3,500 monthly alimony payments from Peter is hardly enough to sustain the lifestyle that she was once so familiar with.

Seeing the predicament she was in, Miss J asked if I could help Lisa.

The fact is, no one could help Lisa much more than she can help herself. For a start, she should live within that $3,500. Yes, it’s back to the basics - the 10, 20, 70 rule. This means, no weekly more manicure/pedicure if she can’t afford it, and she can also jolly well do away with the BMW and make do with public transport. And I am also sure as hell, that she won’t die without that Vertu phone she has set her eyes on - what’s wrong with using a normal phone like SE, Nokia or Samsung?

Lisa has not worked since she gave birth to her daughter 7 years ago, and it will be difficult for her to enter the work force again. To each his/her own, but I have always felt that it is very important for a woman to be financially independent.

A financially independent woman is a liberated woman, and she is not bound by anything to prevent her from living the life she wants.  She does not have to put up with anything/anyone she is not happy about, as she will have her own source(s) of income to live on, and not have to depend on anyone.

if you dont already know, i’m doing a course which requires me to do a years worth of work experience. its a fully paid internship with an organisation and it contributes to one of my final year courses.

i’m currently working for a registered charity which is based in Windsor and conducts its programmes within Windsor Castle. which is of course, one of the perks of the job.

i get to enter the castle without having to go through the visitors entrance. which is all a very cheap thrill having to be able to snub the DSLR toting tourists who cant get through that gate, while i waltz pass the guards and say hello to the policemen. *sniggers*

but anywhos yes cheap thrill. i digress. even though i see the castle almost everyday going to work and getting off work, walking past it and everything, the boyfriend and i decided to be tourists for a day.of course being singaporean and chinese, the other reason other than sightseeing and it being a famous castle and all, was because i didnt need to pay entrance fees :X

anywhos peektures below

Queen Victoria's Statue

my eyes look closed in this one but i swear they're open =.=

St George's Chapel

GUARDSMAN!

okay sorry for the bluish photo but was toying round with the whitebalance - the Long Walk

me being an idiotic looking tourist

the only shot i got inside the royal chambers before i got shouted at to stop taking pictures :X

resident moggie (:

my favourite of the day..the wheels on the bus go round and round..

for more pictures click HERE!

anyways pictures aside here’s how you get to Windsor

if you’re in London looking to head out to Windsor for a day out of the city head down to London Paddington Rail Station or to London Waterloo Rail Station.

Trains from London Paddington run from the station to Slough where you can take the shuttle train which runs from Slough to Windsor and Eton Central station. The whole journey will take you about 30min to 45min tops. for more train information for this route: www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk

Trains from London Waterloo fun from the station directly to Windsor and Eton Riverside station. The whole journey will take you about 45min to 1h. for more train information for this route: www.southwesttrains.co.uk

alternatively if you’re in transit for the day and would like to spend it in Windsor, buses run from Heathrow Airport and will take you about 45min to 1h to get to Windsor.

and for those looking to do other things, windsor isnt all about the castle. hop down the road and grab the shuttle to Lego Land which is great for kids in summer.

or for the shopaholic in you try the high street and the various shops like FCUK, Topshop, Zara, Office and many more. (i managed to spend at least £100 that day even though i was cheap with my entrance fee >.< )

Foodies be sure to try the array of produce sold, alot of which are locally produced and can also be found at the Royal Farm Shop which is a 10min drive away from Windsor. On the main streets, for affordable asian food try Thai Square on Thames Street or Wagamama right outside the station, or for an Italian menu for higher budgets, Carluccios which is located inside the concourse. For scenic eating places try Browns, which is by the river or Riverplace.

and of course if you’re in the area and like to say hi do drop me an email! (: