Almost a year ago I listed down ALL the flea markets that are happening here in Singapore (You can read the post here). And you know what? The trend is not dying! Many new names are popping up in the flea market scene. While some are hibernating (some in the list below), some are pouncing on the share of the flea-market-pie!

We are definitely not complaining. All the better for us consumers!

Pre-loved items here we come!

Below is an updated list of the flea market organisers here in Singapore. Go flea crazy!

1.  FLEA FLY FLO FUN

2.  FLEAFUGITIVES

3. What The FLEA!

4. Eureka Bazaars

5. Flea-tique! – Group

6. Flea Culture

7. SG Car Boot Sale

8. MAAD

9. Flea-Mania

10. Singapore Really Really Free Market (SRRFM)

11. ON THE WALL (OTW) ~ Photo Bazaar

12. SULTAN ARTS FLEA

13. Singapore Fairs, Bazaars and Flea Markets

14. WTF.MKT [What The Flea Market]

15. Fleaver Kids

16. Fleaolics Events

17. Live On Fleas

18. Bazaar En Route

19. For Flea Sake *updated*

20. Flea Titan *updated*

21. Panorama Flea *updated*

22. Haji Lane presents Sunday Flea Market :: “Teh Gu Lai LEOW!” *updated*

23. Fleasics *updated*

24. Fash Bash *updated*

25. Flea & Easy *updated*

26. Souk Flea Market *updated*

27. Rummage *updated*

28. Bold Label *updated*

29. China Square Central – Weekedn Flea Market *updated*

30. Flea Escape *updated*

31. The Winkle Flea Mall *updated*

32. Bazaars Inc *updated*

33. JE Fleas *updated*

FIFTEEN new names added to the list! (well.. some are veterans, I must have missed them the last time)

There are no excuses not to go shopping!

Go Flea Crazy! (Maybe MUDD & NADD should go into the flea business too yea? )

Cheers~

-Mudd-
P.S. If you are flea organiser and you are not listed above, tell us! We be glad to list you down!

Guess what? Just when I was admiring Facebook & Facebookers, as luck would have it, I won a Facebook contest to go watch Muka Buku (Facebook)! How apt!

& like santan to top off bubur pulut hitam, we got to watch it at The Arts House (at The Chamber)! My first time! To say that I was excited, would be an understatement!

I’ve seen pictures of The Chamber but have never really stepped foot inside.

I had to resist myself from touching every thing, haha! Too bad we couldn’t take a picture of the place. I think I would have gone snap crazy.

Anyway, Muka Buku was awesome!

It totally depicts the different facets of Facebooking (& I’m not just talking about the users). As an avid fan of Facebook, I guess the different satirical characters is a reflection of a part of myself that I never knew to exist until it’s blatantly displayed in front of my eyes.

We sat through 6 stories with Facebook as the affluent main character. There’s the ‘what could have been’, the ‘what’s going to be happening when you’re dead”, the story with all the ‘facebook-addicts’, the one with the poignant profile picture, the funeral and my favourite, Top Friends.

(In no particular order, the official titles are – Top Friends; Profile Picture; Could Have Been; Funeral Rights; Addiction; and Remains )

The antics of Facebook friends… sending bouquets & eggs to each other, shown in the most humorous way, you cannot help but laugh!

& felt sad for the woman who changed her profile picture to get the attention that she never got (I mean, really, how many of us narcissists, do that in real life, even if you hate to admit it!).

In every story, in every character, there is a connection with us & an understanding of how Facebook has inadvertently affect our present (& future) selfs. And in that sense, even with the metaphors & actions that were said and done, the whole play was simply close to our (facebooking) hearts.

[ Mukabuku was part of Causeway Exchange, a festival showcasing Malaysia's quirkiest & originals acts. The fesitval ended on 31 August 2010.  Look out for it next year! ]

—-

It’s been a while since we’ve been to any play or theatre. Thank God for contests & free tickets huh?

‘Till the next adventure!

Your Sidekick,
Nadd

p.s. Pictures were taken from Causeway Exchange’s Photo Album!

p.p.s. See you on Facebook (at the Mudd & Nadd Page!)!

Have you ever been to a function where there is a nice spread of food and it’s all you can eat?

And at the end of the gluttonous adventure you decided that you had enough for the time being and you want to dispose your tools of desire (AKA plates and utensils) only to discover in your epic horror, you can’t find the trash point!

So how now?!?!?!??!

Annoying isn’t it?

I’ve been to one such function recently. Not that I’m being nitpicky, but such situation will just create a lot of awkwardness. (Since the aim of EVERY event is to make your guest feel comfortable)

Imagine, YOU’ve just finish eating a whole LOT of food and you would like to dispose of the evidence but you can’t find the rubbish point. What do you do next?

In a civilize society you would find the nearest server/helper and explained your peculiarity and get them to help you locate that rubbish point.

In a semi-civilized society (sadly where I’m from), ignorant farts would just place it on the serving table. Yes! The serving table! (this will just create more awkwardness!)

Or if they could locate a rubbish bin (or something that looks like one) they would just place the rubbish next to it (if it was a close unit bin) or they would just pile it up (if it has overflowed)!

So planners, pleaseeeeee, set up that rubbish point! Here are some tips to get you going.

1.    Set your rubbish point near the serving area (putting a trash bag underneath the water dispenser is a no-no. Although many are practicing this, bottom line, it is just unhygienic!)

2.    Get a good size rubbish bin with a good size opening. Those that has always been originally around the function room/hotel/reception area (You know. Those that is already there before you came, before the place opens, the one that have always been there) are NOT mean for catering purposes. A shocker? Believe it.

3.    Have somebody to manage the bins. Nothing worsts that seeing an overflowing bin with chicken bones or laksa gravy dripping. Always double, triple, quadruple the trash bags in the bin before hand. This will make maintaining the bin easier. Just tie-grab-go. Easy! Repeat after me. Tie. Grab. Go!

4.    Finally, after you have tied, grabbed and go. You better go! Don’t leave the tied up bag beside the bin. Dispose it off properly. Don’t get me started on the need of knowing/having a centralize waste point.

Hope this helps!

-Mudd-

I’m talking about Earth Hour, of course!

Remember how I told you about March Madness & how we tested & reccee-ed a cycling route? We finally had the event on 27 March, for Earth Hour! Along with 38 other cyclists (participants & marshals alike), we cycled for 7km, from SMU Green, over 3 slopes, around town & CBD area to finally reach Esplanade Park where Earth Hour celebrations were in full swing.

The Earth Hour Fun Cycle by BAIK (and co-organised by Mudd & Nadd) was kicked off by our lead cyclist, Mudd!

Fast forward to 40 minutes later, & there we were, enjoying the sunset whilst standing from the Esplanade Bridge. Such an achievement for a very amateur cyclist like me.

I’m just gonna let the pictures do all the talking!

For more pictures, click HERE!

Happy Happy! ‘Till the next year!

Keep the wheels going!

Nadd

Date: 30th January 2010
Venue: Marina Barrage
Event: Picnic Under The Stars for  le Lucky Birthday-Boy

So I met up the amazing duo at Yishun MRT. We then went down to Dhoby Ghaut to get food & a couple of other logistics.

1st thing we did was to order the food at  Kampung Jawa Timur afterwhich we went our separate ways: Nadd & myself to Carrefour whilst Mudd headed to Spotlight. This is where the fun starts!

Nadd & I spent too much time trying to get some chips & salsa deep + chilled drinks. &of all days, they  just had to run low on salsa dips that day! ($%@#$%#&&*%^) In the end we just grabbed a salsa +chips combo & 3bottles of drinks and went to meet Mudd who was already done with his shopping.

By then, it was almost 5pm!! God! Okay ,we decided to take a taxi there.

Oh! Did I tell you that we were carrying so much stuffs, we looked like tourists. He-He, Endurance baby! But I have to hand it to Mudd & Nadd as they were carrying massive amount of weight on their shoulders. It doesn’t help that there was a Thaipusam procession on that day. But luckily a kind taxi driver picked us up!

It took around 10 minutes to get to Marina Barrage.

(view from Marina Barrage – Green Roof)

Once there, we went in search for that perfect spot! After walking around for a while, we went up to the Green Roof.  It was windy & there were a lot of people flying their kites.  It was hazardous!!

(a portion of the sky)

I felt like I was walking through a war zone – at any moment on of the kites can lose its steam and plunge down & hit me on my head.  Scary!

So we found the Spot and started setting up.

(view from the spot)

Once the tables were set and pictures were taken. I proceed to help Mudd with the “Happy Birthday” sign. At first i was quite skeptical on whether the glowsticks thingy will work. But lo & behold it turned out GORGEOUS!!

By the time we are done, the Birthday-Boy has arrived!

Table was set, sign was up & we in hiding, the Birthday-Boy made his entrance with his Love on his arms. The look on his face was PRICELESS! & for that moment I can see the satisfied grins  on both Mudd&Nadd’s faces.

I too can’t help but feel proud -  after all that hard work, someone  appreaciates it. While the couple gets ermmm, couple-ly, we headed on to our very own spot & laze around watching the magnificient sight of flying kites with the wind in our faces.

Indeed it was a fantastic day & I hope to be given another chance to do it again!*hint hint*

In my opinion, event planning is actually very rewarding – the satisfaction you feel when everything falls into place & seeing the smiles on peoples’ faces is such a good feeling. Thank you Mudd&Nadd for that day.

It was truly inspiring & fun in more ways than one.

- Looney Balloney Lyn

It was an awesome event!

Picnic Under The Stars was a belated birthday surprise for a really nice laid-back guy. & Man, he was pleasantly surprised!

We of course, had plenty of fun lugging & purchasing items, setting up, helping them to fly a kite & snapping many many pictures of the happy couple dining on the green.

When: Saturday, 30 January 2010, 7.00 pm onwards

Where: Marina Barrage Green

I’m just going to let the pictures speak for themselves!

Needless to say, the couple were really thrilled & looked really comfortable there – it’s as if they were in their living rooms!

We were quite contented too – Nothing beats the rush of planning & the satisfaction of a successful event.

‘Till the next one!

Your Excitable Sidekick,
Nadd

p.s. If you’re looking for something special for Valentine’s Day (or any other special day),  how about one of our funky picnics? Drop us an e-mail at hello@muddnadd.com. We love mail!

While we were at our usual hangout last week, we noticed something out of the blue. And we thought it was a brilliant move by the event organizers!

The event we are referring to was “The Bull Charge 2009 – SGX’s sixth Charity Fun Run”

[Source: http://bullcharge.sgx.com/ ]

What’s so brilliant about this event?

It was held on a Friday! [20 Nov 2009]

Before some you get defensive and say that its not a brilliant idea, let me tell you why it was a brilliant idea.

1. The event was held on a Friday, which means the end of the work week.
2. The timing was good because it will not clash with whatever is already planned for Saturday.
3. Since its not on a Saturday, you wont feel dragged into it even though it’s a charity event (you know what I mean… :])
4. And since it’s a Friday, might as well end the week with a run.
5. And also since most of the CBD professionals are already independently conducting leisure runs after work (haven’t you noticed?) it will not be something awkward. It will give a chance for those who haven’t tried running after work to feel how it’s like! :]

But one thing we did conclude is that it can only happen coz the event is for a specific group of people located at the same location (CBD) with the same goals.

But nonetheless, we still think it was a very very brilliant move by the event organizers.

A total win-win-win situation!

What do you think?

Happy Wednesday!

-Mudd-

Hey You!

Have you ever walked into an exam room all prepared, but the moment the exam paper or examiner appeared before you, your mind goes completely blank?

That’s what most of us would call an “exam block”. Have you every wondered why they happened even though you have been preparing for the exam for weeks or months? Exam blocks have got nothing to do with how much you know about the topic. Rather, it has everything to do with how capable you are in dealing with the stresses of the situation.

The thing is, you would probably have realised that exam blocks don’t just occur in exams. You get blocks like these in many other things you do – like when doing a presentation, your first performance on stage, going for a job interview…. and the worst of all, in a first aid emergency.

If freezing up and going blank in exam is hard enough to handle, just imagine if you freeze up and go blank when the one person you truly care suffers a medical emergency in your arms.

It is funny how schools teach us everything we need to know to answer the questions in exam, but not on how to deal with the stresses of an exam.  Similarly, most first aid courses cover how to perform first aid, but they left out the most crucial part of performing first aid – which is how to deal with the stresses and paralyzing fears that stop most people from stepping forward and rendering help.

That is why Singapore First Aid Training Centre created the My True Hero Seminar. This experiential program will cover various strategies, techniques and skills critical for anyone to perform effectively in an emergency. You will practice

- How to differentiate quickly the “RIGHTS” vs “WRONGS” in an emergency
- How to overcome stepping up before a crowd and perform effectively
- How to make a split second decision that decides between life and death
- How to stay calm, focused and undeterred during chaos and panic
- How to extract your inner capacity that will help you ACT IN SPITE OF FEAR
- How to unleash, become and live as the Hero that you truly are

An ancient saying goes, “How you do one thing is how you do everything.”

The best part is that the very skills and strategies you learn at My True Hero can be applied and practiced not just for a first aid emergency, but can be used to enhance other areas of your life. You will discover and set free your tremendous potential within.

Click HERE to know more how you can sign up for this seminar.

So are you a true hero? :]

-Mudd-

p.s. The Special My True Hero Package found on the webpage is only valid while stocks last. Visit the site NOW.

(This is a series of blog entries on Safety)

Lets talk about First Aid!

Have you heard about Second Aid? If you have, you must be lying! Hahaha

Anyways, First Aid is called First Aid because it’s supposed to be First Aid!

Catch my drift? You will get what I mean by the end of this article. :]

First Aid is probably the most important aspect of Event Safety. You can don’t have Fire, Food, Security or Health safety protocols in place but First Aid is a must!

Let me paint you a picture.

If there’s a fire and people are injured. Who will response first? First Aiders!

If there’s a case of food poisoning where everybody is instantly vomiting after consuming their food. Who will response first? First Aiders!

If there’s a security breach and people starts to hit each other. Who will response to the injured first? First Aiders!

If there’s people starting to sneeze or having rashes all over their body due the bad air in the room. Who will response first? First Aiders!

(although some of the scenarios are highly unlikely, but it could happen!)

You can never go wrong having First Aiders onsite. You don’t need to have an army of them. Just one at an intimate event will do just fine. Of course this is event specific, you would definitely need more for sporting event etc.

Its good to have a First Aider on standby, but it is as equally important to have a fully stocked up first aid kit too! Unless your First Aider is McGyver, having a fully stocked up first aid kit helps! And again this is event specific. Do a preliminary assessment of your event and anticipant what are the most likely injuries that can happen. This will determine what extra first aid items you need to bring along on top of the basic kit.

For higher risk event, do also indent ambulance service on standby. Not only will your guest have a piece of mind but in an event that something does happen, evacuation of the casualty can be done quickly. Because, every minute counts!

At Mudd&Nadd it is part of our company culture to have most of our staff be first aid trained. Not only will this save us money from specifically hire a first aider to be on standby, it would also increase the number of first aider at the event! Isn’t that a good solution?

But we do also realize, its one thing to be a first aider but its another thing whether one is ready to react when called upon.

To that, we do have a solution!

Keep a look out for our entry tomorrow!

Be safe!

-Mudd-

This trademarked phrase of Paris Hilton is one that most planners would want to hear about their event. (If you’ve been living under a rock, “That’s Hot” refers to something that is Totally Awesome & ‘In’.)

Of course, we planners would never want to actually make an event super burning hot – literally.  If you have no idea what I’m talking about here’s a clue : It rhymes with Liar & when it’s raging, hot uniformed men will magically appear. Yes, I’m talking about FIRE!

The worst Scenario: Your event burns down, your guests injured!
The best scenario: Paris Hilton drops in to declare your event “Hot!”

The former  can definitely be avoided with some fire safety systems in place.The latter…well, unless you have some VERY famous friends (& a whole lot of ka-ching!) will forever remain in your wildest dreams.

Here’s some tips on Fire Safety:

1.  Always be prepared. Have fire extinguishers ready. Brief everyone on your team, including your helpers on where extinguishers are kept, where’s the nearest water point or fire hose & tell them what to do when a fire breaks out (yes, no point telling them where everything is when they don’t know what to do with it!). Also, brief them on emergency exits, evacuations plans & their roles in case of an emergency.

2. Tie up Loose Ends: Most of us think that fires are something that someone started or it could be because of a live flame. In actual fact, fires can start from power points, electrical wires & short circuits. That’s why it’s important to tape your wires down, shelter your electrical points carefully & have your speakers covered when necessary. Make sure your guests too, are not drinking or holding drinks near electrical points – you might never know what could happen. I sound a bit like Monk (the OCD detective) but well, better to keep your blindspots checked is what I feel!

3. Keep to fire protocols. Sometimes, different countries have different protocols. Get to know more about fire safety & protocols in Singapore. How? The Singapore Civil Defence Force offers information & some courses for the public that focuses on fire safety & emergency preparedness. Knowledge is power & in this instance especially, having the knowledge is essential so that you are well-prepared.

All right good people, I guess I don’t have to say much on why we should have proper fire safety standards & systems in place for events (& anything else for that matter). We all know how much damage even a small little fire can do.

Bottom-line is: Be Safe!
& stay “Hot” while you’re at it (even Paris Hilton will be proud!). 

Till then, Have a “Boomz” weekend!

Loves Discovering,
Nadd