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Best Posts Roundup!

This blog has been around since November 2003. In just a few months’ time, Sparklette would turn 4!

Yet it was only a year ago that I started taking my blogging seriously. Blogging whatever I wanted simply wasn’t good enough anymore. I decided that what I wrote should provide value to my readers. In other words, it should be something worth reading!

With that in mind, I spent more time and effort in planning and penning each post. I took more pictures. I gave more thought to my words. Eventually my readership grew to 2000 unique visitors per day, with more coming in each day.

Many of you started following my blog only recently, and there are a number of interesting posts from the earlier days that you may not be aware of. That’s what this post is for — to summarise the most interesting and noteworthy posts I have written over the years! I hope you would do me the honour of going through some of them!

travel

When I was still a struggling undergrad, I travelled solo a lot. I have travelled with family, friends, lovers, and I find that the most fun I’ve had are still the times when I went alone. I value my freedom and independence way more than anyone can imagine. Of course, I blogged about all my experiences!

Bangkok, Ayutthaya & Kanchanaburi — it was my first time going on a holiday all by myself! In Bangkok, I befriended the Thais, watched Muay Thai boxing matches, and rode motorbikes! I even took a train to Ayutthaya, a former capital city of Thailand, to see the ancient ruins. In another province, Kanchanaburi, I stood upon the infamous Death Railway, looked death in the eye and snapped a picture of a train heading directly towards me! That was the most amazing experience!
Daily travelogue — Pick a day: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8

Hong Kong & Macau — for my 21st birthday, I bought a trip to Hong Kong as a present to myself, and stayed at the swanky 5-star Le Meridien hotel! Unfortunately the trip was a badly timed one — it coincided with the monsoon season! On the very day that I turned 21, I took a ferry ride to Macau to gamble at the casinos! Macau was beautiful!
Daily travelogue — Pick a day: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5
Bali — for this trip, I stayed at the Contiki Resort. All expenses were fully paid for because I was there to review the resort! I stayed in a fabulous pool terrace room where I can walk directly into the pool! Too bad I can’t swim! Hahaha! It was a short but very magical and surreal experience. I hooked up with a cute blonde Aussie guy (he’s a cop!), visited ground zero of the Bali bombings back in 2002, and did a couple of bungy jumps (both forward and backward)! Awesome stuff!
Daily travelogue — Pick a day: 1 · 2 · 3

The excitement, challenge and adrenalin rush in going solo cannot be understood by someone that has never done this before. The people I met and things I experienced wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t gone solo! Okay, I realise I have yet to go on a solo trip this year! I might do it in December. Ideas, anyone?

Tomorrow-ed!

Some of the posts I wrote received more eyeballs than others. A few even made it to tomorrow.sg, a highly popular local metablog. Now, THAT sure gets everyone’s attention!

Not using protection — I wrote a long article on why I’d rather not use protection. Many people agreed with me!
My $2 pledge — I started a pledge to give $2 to every elderly person that I see collecting used drink cans for a living. These people are too old to find work. Most of them no longer have family. To make things worse, they are normally ignored by society. $2 buys them more than a meal — it shows them that we care! This is my most commented post to date. I was also interviewed by the flying dutchman on channel newsasia’s blogTV program.
Boycott Bee Cheng Hiang — for selling badly burned bak kwa (grilled pork jerky) to consumers during Chinese New Year just to make a quick buck. Highly unethical and unscrupulous, and even more unacceptable, especially coming from a highly reputed company. Disappointing!
Best (& Worst) Restaurants in Singapore (2006) — for all the restaurants that I have visited in Singapore in 2006 alone, I compiled a list of the best and worst ones, and gave each one a little trophy! Haha! I even made up several categories such as “best service”, “best design”, “best hawker stall”, etc. Several readers have used this as their little foodie guide!

personal faves

My baby kitten — I took in a newborn kitten that had been abandoned. I fed her milk, bathed her, and watched as she opened her eyes for the first time, learned to walk, and grew stronger and bigger day after day. I loved her so much!
Pick a post: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6
International Museum Day 2006 — I went to four museums in a day! It was fun! Photo galore!
Kurt Wenner — his illusionist art is breathtaking! Luckily for us he came down to Singapore and drew live at the National Museum. I had the privilege of taking a picture with him!
Living with passion — I wrote down a list of things that may make life worth living. I’m still trying to live up to my own words.
Cute polar bear cub — a series of photos and video of Knut, the adorable polar bear cub that lives in zoo berlin and has won the affection of millions around the world!

site design

Only in Fairy Tales… — a write-up on the background of this blog design.
Ripped design — my blog design was blatantly copied by another blogger, who has since shut down her blog after I published this particular post.
Featured on Smashing Magazine! — this blog design has been listed as one of the “45 fresh, clean and impressive designs” by smashing magazine, a highly visible and prominent design website. Hooray!

Well guys, I can’t believe it took me this long to come up with this roundup! I sure hope this is useful! From now onwards, I should start doing roundups like this on a monthly or tri-monthly basis, to highlight certain posts that may go unnoticed by new visitors.

For now, do enjoy these posts, and keep reading!

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About the Editor

Veron Ang is the Founder and Chief Editor of Sparklette, a Singapore restaurants guide, lifestyle and travel blog. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and runs a web design firm at Sparklette Studio. To get in touch, head on over to the contact page or follow @Sparklette and @VeronSG on Twitter.

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Responses Leave a comment

py
183 comments

Thank you for your posts. I like your food reviews. :)
I like your $2 pledge post. A well-thought-out post.
Cheers to more good posts.
Reply
Posted June 13, 2007 at 11:48 pm
Veron
3439 comments

No, thank YOU for reading and all your support!
Reply
Posted June 13, 2007 at 11:51 pm
Kevin
26 comments

Nice recap of your life as a blogger. Old news can sometimes be timeless gems. Which reminds me… perhaps it’s time we print our blogs into books. This would be “Best of 2003, Vol.1″. :P
Reply
Posted June 14, 2007 at 1:28 am
darren
10 comments

aiyo…mine doesn’t even have that measly 100 daily visitors…
but your posts are really nice
Reply
Posted June 14, 2007 at 11:43 am
birdface
5 comments

To think there was a time when you wanted to give up blogging… well… its been almost four years now… great run… and for better content to come… this bird will always be a faithful reader… even if i don’t comment!!! ^)>
Reply
Posted June 14, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Miccheng
90 comments

Nice collection… :D
Reply
Posted June 14, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Edmund Ng
7 comments

Thanks for the round-up Veron.
It’s interesting and scary reading your blog posts and realizing how time flies (tempus fugit).. i can recall reading most of your highlighted items above. Its almost like a chronology..
of course, my life ain’t as interesting as yours (no fully paid Contiki tour). Yep, frst came across your blog posting due to the $2 pledge. I still check back often on that post for updates.
keep on posting, and keep your loyal readers salivating for more!
Reply
Posted June 14, 2007 at 5:00 pm
my
4 comments

hey babe i can still remember how you were thinking of a blog name 4 years ago. haha time flies.
anyway, meetup next week for dinner k? :P and i’m thinking of taking a short break overseas too. solo too. haha so can brainstorm for some ideas together. CYA!
Reply
Posted June 14, 2007 at 5:56 pm
Hai~Ren
17 comments

Here’s to more good years of blogging ahead.
Reply
Posted June 14, 2007 at 10:50 pm
Veron
3439 comments

Kevin: Recently I have been wondering if it’s even necessary to have a time-stamp on timeless blog posts. When readers spot an old date, they may be deterred from visiting that post altogether, and miss out on a good read as a result.
darren: Once upon a time I didn’t have 100 visitors too. The numbers have to grow from somewhere.
birdface: I sure am glad I didn’t give up blogging. Don’t think I ever can!
Miccheng: Hope you would do me the honor of going through it! :P
Edmund Ng: The way time flies scares me too. Everyone’s life is interesting in its own way. I only wish more people would blog about it.
my: I’m very busy during this period of time, but I promise we’ll do that dinner soon! Keep in touch!
Hai~Ren: Cheers!
Reply
Posted June 14, 2007 at 11:34 pm
kat
2 comments

just a thought … what has happened to the kitten since?
Reply
Posted June 15, 2007 at 12:18 am
Veron
3439 comments

Let’s just say she has gone to a better place.
I miss her everyday.
Reply
Posted June 15, 2007 at 12:21 am
Joyz
43 comments

Hi Veron, I started reading your blog only from this year and i must say its really an excellent blog…all those food reviews and random news/info were great. This round-up actually brings to my attention things that I didnt cover earlier on i.e. solo trips, kitten etc. Keep up the good work & I look forward to seeing more of it online or anywhere!
Reply
Posted June 15, 2007 at 3:28 am
Joyz
43 comments

Hey just finished reading your $2 pledge post…its excellent! I do agree that the society gap in Singapore is widening and with living expenses going up (and GST again!), the poor and elderly can barely make ends meet. Worse if they are ladden with illnesses because in Singapore, you cannot afford to be sick!
If I didnt remember wrongly, those on social support gets less than $8 a day and when there were requests to increase that, one minister commented that the amount is more than enough to cover their expenses. I really wonder this guy who lives in his nice house actually knows the real situation out there. There was this old lady on this scheme who said she walked from her home to the polyclinic everyday just to save that few cents for food/medicine. How sad can that be?
Agree that any small acts count, you can offer them a bun or two or even cheap Giordano tees and it would help. I will definitely be on this pledge!
Reply
Posted June 15, 2007 at 3:59 am
Veron
3439 comments

Great! The challenge lies in that moment when you actually spot a needy person to offer your 2 bucks to. There is always the risk of being rejected or doubted for your motive, especially in this cynical society. It takes some courage to be able to approach that person!
This gets easier with repeated attempts. So far, I have not gotten any rude reactions out of the 50 odd people I have approached. Phew!
Reply
Posted June 15, 2007 at 10:51 am
Jasmine
23 comments

Ah!!!
Great to read your old entries over again!! :)
maybe you could do a post on your old layouts? Other than your blog entries, I also like your blog layouts a lot! :D
Reply
Posted June 15, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Edmund Ng
7 comments

Thanks for the updates once again :)
Wow, 50 odd people have been the beneficiary of Veron’s generosity. There are over 4 million S’poreans… just imagine if 1% gave $2 each to 50 other disadvantaged old people… go do the maths. Isn’t it great when everyone ‘gives forward’?
Interesting point on “not gotten any rude reactions out of the 50 odd people I have approached”… seems like $2 is okay. My friend & i once gave $10 to an old lady in Tanjong Pagar folding cardboard, and she seemed shocked and embarassed… i guess everyone has their pride irregardless of age or social status.
Just a quick question.. how do i get my pic on the blog posts? i’ve tried to sign up on ‘mybloglog’ numerous times, but it keeps churning me back to the sign up page after signing up!
~grrr… >:(
(using Firefox 1.5.0.12)
Reply
Posted June 15, 2007 at 8:01 pm
nadnut
6 comments

interesting post! will check out the travel posts, especially about the train incident!
btw, i love your layout! lol. but not as much as that jasmine girl to rip it. :P
Reply
Posted June 15, 2007 at 10:43 pm
augel
4 comments

i’ve always wanted to travel too!
but it costs a lot of money, so i have to save up for it. i haven’t left the country (philippines) and the only places i’ve been to is boracay and cebu.
i’m now saving up for a trip to thailand, but it may take a while.
Reply
Posted June 16, 2007 at 2:14 am
Jzin
26 comments

hey there
Thanks fer the roundup. It helps esp fer yer new readers (like me!).
I’ve only started blogging this year (u can chk it out @eujzin.blogpot.com) and ur blog is one of the few I read (other than frenz).
I esp like ur food reviews, latest trends and rants (the timeshare, telemarketers posts were hilarious to say the least).
Thanks for the inspiration and sharing bits and pieces of your life.
cheers!
Reply
Posted June 16, 2007 at 11:27 pm