I-Rings Protecting Your Mobile Phone Are Great For Selfies

Problems
I saw an i-ring on the back of a girl's phone. I asked what it was for. She said it kept your phone upright on a desk so you could photograph yourself in a selfie or video yourself giving a speech. How much do they cost? She told me, under ten dollars (Singapore dollars) - mostly less than five dollars.

Stories
Buying Bargains
I was in Toa Payoh in the centre of Singapore, walked up and down the market stalls across the covered path from the shops, and found a seller who had one for five dollars. I walked away to see if I could find anything cheaper and shops were offering them for ten dollars which I knew from their other prices was high and for locals used to bargaining, unlike tourists, would be double to final agreed price. I eventually paid
three dollars forty cents and was pleased with my bargain.

However, I later saw them sold for two dollars in the rummage trays in a ground floor shop in Bukit Panjang at Bukit Panjang Plaza. (This used to be the main or only shopping mall. Now Hillion has opened across the road.

Where do you stick the i-ring? Does it matter? If you are using it to hold the phone by your finger, whatever feels comfortable.

If you are using it to keep your phone upright or rather diagonally on a desk top, you may want to experiment.

I went on the web looking for answers. Instead I found another brand's excellent site which led me on a detour.

One Hand Operation Of Phones
The brand is Flytrap and they are American. From their website I learned that there are many more uses for holding a mobile phone in one hand.

I used to place my phone on my lap when I got into a car and needed my left hand to shut the door. When I got out, the phone would fall onto the ground.

The website also solved a mystery about the costs and tracking of sending goods overseas. I used to buy a lot of goods on ebay. Some arrived overnight. Others disappeared for a month. The website explained all that. The dearer 'shippers' - noways mostly flying deliverers, offer tracking, which not only relieves stress, it give you comeback if an item goes missing.

Meanwhile I am looking at my two dollar ring. Where do I stick it?

Tips
All you need to know on:
https://shop.flygrip.com/collections/flygrip-gravity

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Durian Dreams In Singapore

Durian cake, under its protective dome for carrying it home, after I have cut and eaten the central slice.
Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
Durian fruit is strong smelling. But I love it.
1 Which kind of cake should I buy?
2 Which kind of durian should I buy?
3 How do I get it home, and store it, away from upsetting others?

Answers
1 You can ask the Durian Mpire assistant to show you which items are made from the 'better' durians which command a higher price. A guide on the wall explains.
Since I was more interested in price, I opted for the cheaper cake and was quite happy.

Story
2 I once bought 'best quality' d u r i a n tarts from a pop-up seasonal stall in Singapore. I found the stronger tasting durian as annoying to me as to those people who don't like durians at all. I don't like spicy food, salty food, over-sugary drinks and I don't - based on just this one experience - automatically like durians presented to me as best quality. That's good. As far as fresh durians are concerned, I'm a 'cheap date'.

Tips
If the better quality ones have stronger flavour, then you might find that people who prefer stronger curries like the more expensive durians. That's just a theory. You could try it out for yourself with your own friends and family.
Make sure you ask which cakes have pieces of durian in the middle and which are sponge. I did not realise that any of the apparent cakes had 'solid' pieces of durians (actually probably soft like a ripe avocado pear). I wanted the sponge cake with durian aroma.

3 You cannot take durians on the MRT (trains), nor in taxis. Both trains and taxis have warning signs. However, you could a) Take your durian home on a motorbike
b) Take durian home in a private car if you have one or if a friend who has a car is visiting and asks what food you would like them to bring
c) Find a restaurant or hawker centre which serves durian and eat it there
d) Find a grocery shop which delivers
e) Pick the nearest supplier and walk home carrying it
f) Get a maid or other employee to deliver it to your home (or to your workplace for lunch)
g) Visit a friend and tell them you love durian so they get it delivered for you to eat at their place
h) Pack durian in s sealable container such as inside a Tupperware box, then in a cool box. Only if you cannot see it or smell it, you could then risk taking it in a taxi.

Check the prices of the cakes and ask why some cost more than others. To my surprise I had to pay extra for the sponge. I would have imagined that pure fruit would cost more and that adding flour and sugar or any other ingredient was a way to eke out the expensive fruit and charge less. However, it seems that the time and expertise and effort put into making a sponge cake adds to the cost.

Their business cards tell you:
durian-empire.oddle.me
email: enquiry@durianmpire.com

Highland Centre (727 Cakerie Pte Ltd)
22 Yio Chu Kang Road Highland Centre
01-01 Singapore 545535 Tel: 6487 2777

Changi Airport Terminal 2
60 Airport Boulevard Departure Hall
02-012-01 Singapore 819663
Tel:6546 5177

Changi Airport Terminal 3
65 Airport Boulevard Departure hall
02-97 Singapore 819663
Tel:6214 3877

K a l l a n g Airport (727 Cakerie Pte Ltd)
Blk 51 Old Airport Road 01-159
Singapore 390051
Tel: 63440717

Bukit Panjang Plaza
1 Jelebu Road 01-17 Singapore 677743
Tel: 6707177

Jurong Point Shopping Centre
1 Jurong West Central 2 02-K9/K10
Singapore 648886
Tel:6862 3717


More photos shortly.
See my previous post for more information, stories and photos.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.