Barres Apple Apricot Cereal Bars

857 days ago

Don’t you just love obsession? I think it can be really fun but for me, sometimes I get overly obsessing, don’t you guys agree? Just like health food these days. I...

Don’t you just love obsession? I think it can be really fun but for me, sometimes I get overly obsessing, don’t you guys agree? Just like health food these days. I just can’t get enough of health foods. Every day I would be thinking of what “healthy” food I am going to eat and whether I should drink that can of coke or not. I am kind of afraid that I will get sick tomorrow if I don’t eat healthy foods today. In the end, it actually might not be healthy for me. Perhaps I should stop this obsession about food? Hmm……nah. I will continue this little quest of mine to stay healthy! I really don’t want to wake up every day tired or with that runny nose or with that disgusting cough. And yes, it can also be so damn fun if you think about it!

Anyway, before I go further off-track, I better get back to the review. This time it is the Barres Apple Apricot Cereal Bars. You can find this at Carrefour and if I am not wrong, only at Carrefour. This is made in France. But I doubt that they are famous for their cereal bars.

Yup, this is the Barres Apple Apricot Cereal Bars. Check out the photos of the fruits and grains. And my god, this is the ugliest packaging ever. You might not see it from this view but it really isn’t attractive. Even those China brands are much better. And they cramped probably a million words at the back of the packaging. Luckily for them, they are French and they could probably get away with it.

Okay. These 6 bars cannot be sold separately. Understand?

The ingredients are cereals (oat flakes and wheat flour), wheat glucose syrup, fruits like grapes, apricots and apples, palm oil, stabiliser and emulsifier. Yes, even the fruits have preservatives in them. Furthermore, they have all those what seems like artifical additives in them. Not something I would recommend if you are looking for a health treat. And I really hope the wheat flour is not the kind which are heavily processed.

Made in France. Vive la France! Come on French people, give me something better than this preservatives infused cereal bar. Even the crappy Singapore brands can do better than that. I am rooting for you, inventors of the Guillotine.

Oh, each of the cereal bar weights about 21g.

See, imported by Carrefour (S) Pte Ltd.

Here we have one of the cereal bar still wrapped in the plastic foil.

Now, we open the plastic foil to reveal the actual cereal bar. The taste is surprisingly light and mild compared to most other brands I have tried. For me, I think the overall taste is quite okay, but I am sure most other consumers will find it a little too mild for it to be enjoyable. And whatever fruit pieces in the bar is far and few between, yet another disappointing thing about this Barres Cereal Bar. Well…

Japanese Panda Brand Seaweed

858 days ago

Went to Sheng Siong the other day and look what I got? More seaweed snacks to enjoy! I didn’t know that there are so many varieties of seaweed in our local...

Went to Sheng Siong the other day and look what I got? More seaweed snacks to enjoy! I didn’t know that there are so many varieties of seaweed in our local supermarkets. I once visited a Korean shop somewhere at Burlington Square and their variety of seaweed snack is mind-boogling. Seems that Koreans (and Japanese) love their seaweed. Well, lucky for “seaweed lovers” like me, seaweed is not only delicious, they can be considered healthy as well. We also have a wide variety of flavours to choose from. Just such a great and convenient snack food. Just open a pack and munch them till the pack is empty. And mind you, the prices of these seaweed snack are quite reasonable, especially when compared to other snacks we have in our stores.

For this Japanese Panda Brand Seaweed, I bought it for S$2.50. 70g of seaweed for S$2.50 is still rather cheap. Hope that it will stay this way. And no, it is not manufactured in Japan. The brand is “Japanese Panda”, not the origin of the product.

Yes, we have the Japanese Panda Brand Seaweed. Tell me seriously, is there such an animal as a Japanese Panda? I thought the only Pandas in the world come from China? Anyway, their packaging is pretty common for seaweed snacks. Nothing much to differentiate between this brand and the rest.

Chilli okay? Going to be hot stuff, which I am not that keen on. But hey, sometimes a little spice is what you need to jazz up your life.

The ingredients are Seaweed, Salt, Soy Sauce, Red Pepper and Tangle. What is Tangle? I have never heard of a food additive named Tangle in my life. Pretty cool name, if it actual does exist such an additive.

Nutrition facts. Quite a good amount of Vitamin A & C. Hmmm….they tell us – after opening, reseal the package and place in the freezer? I don’t think that is a good idea as I am pretty sure a lot of us don’t like to eat cold seaweed. Yucks.

Look, product of China. Not Japan okay? I doubt you can find a lot of Japanese stuff at Sheng Siong anyway. It is meant for budget conscious shoppers like me, who can’t afford higher quality foodstuff. Which is ironic, since the car park at the Sheng Siong supermarket is always full. Why is it that Singaporeans can afford to buy expensive cars, but cannot afford to buy higher quality foodstuff?

Lemon Pear Enzymes Drink

859 days ago

Yes, it is time for yet another Enzymes Drink making adventure. As you guys might know, I have completed my previous batch of Enzymes Drink. It tastes pretty decent, considering that...

Yes, it is time for yet another Enzymes Drink making adventure. As you guys might know, I have completed my previous batch of Enzymes Drink. It tastes pretty decent, considering that it is my first try. In my opinion, the molasses in the brown sugar I used is just a bit too overwhelming, especially for a delicate fruit drink like this, so that got to change. The drink is also rather sweet. One of the reason could be that I did not ferment it long enough or that I have used too much sugar. Furthermore, I can feel a slight alcohol burn in my throat when I drink this drink. Not that I have any problems with alcohol, but since this is supposed to be a “health” drink, I would rather not have too much alcohol in it. However, from what I read, there will always be some alcohol in the Enzymes drink, just like Kefir.

Anyway, I have actually wanted to make Lemon, Pear and Watermelon Enzymes drink. But somehow I found myself with too much pear, so it became just Lemon and Pear Enzymes drink. I also ditched the brown sugar in favour of this brown candy which is made from sugar cane juice and water (isn’t most table sugar made from sugar cane as well?). Hopefully, there will not be any overwhelming taste from the impurities in this brown candy. When I opened the pack of brown candy, I didn’t detect any significant smell from it, which in my opinion is a good thing – I want to taste the pears in this Enzymes drink!

Ahhh….3 “Feng Shui” pears and 2 lemons, plus the brown candy. The total cost for this setup is about S$5 or so. The pears and lemons are about 4 bucks while the brown candy is around 1 dollar. Pretty decent pricing. You can find Enzymes drink at health stores and they cost about S$20-30 per litre bottle. I bought the ingredients from Sheng Siong Supermarket. Their prices are quite reasonable but sometimes their quality might not be top-notch. Don’t expect things to be cheap and good at the same time in Singapore.

Yes, this time I remembered to remove the skin and seeds from the lemons. However, I did not remove the skin from the pears (I did remove the seeds from the core of the pears). Not sure whether the yeast which forms naturally on the skin of the pears will be a problem. I did give the pears a good wash before cutting them. As you can see I used significantly less sugar this time round. And I added most of the sugar at the top while most of the fruits are at the bottom. Why? Well, I figured that most of the sugar will eventually flow down to the bottom anyway, why not give it more a chance to “suck” out the juices from the fruits on its way down? Is that the correct method? Not too sure, but got to experiment. I am afraid that with too little sugar which acts as a “preservative”, bad bacteria and yeast might take over and we might have some disgusting mess at the end of the 3 weeks.

Another detailed view of the bottle. 3 weeks and hopefully, we will have yet another Enzymes drink to enjoy.

Yet another view of the bottle. I don’t know why I took so many photos of the bottle. But somehow I find piling heaps of fruits and brown candy over each other and watching them ferment to be weirdly therapeutic. Or perhaps it is just me getting old? Old people brain not fully functional. Anyway, I will update you guys with more information on this little adventure. Ciao!

Scott’s Pure Cod Liver Oil Capsules

861 days ago

Lookie here! We have fish oil. But not just any fish oil but pure cod liver oil! Yes, the disgusting stuff which your mother used to force them your throat when...

Lookie here! We have fish oil. But not just any fish oil but pure cod liver oil! Yes, the disgusting stuff which your mother used to force them your throat when you were younger? I remember the horrid taste of the cod liver oil when we consumed the unflavoured one. Luckily came the orange flavoured cod liver oil, which was actually quite delicious. The orange flavour had overwhelmed the puking taste (and smell) of cod live oil. But of course, adding flavours to the oil might not be a good idea if you are hoping to gain the full benefits of the oil. When I was younger, I never understood why people would want to consume this disgusting stuff. But now, I know the importance of eating fish oil. The most important is the Omega 3 fatty acids which we all know our bodies need. Then we have the  Vitamin A & Vitamin D, essential Vitamins which Cod Liver Oil has good amount of.  And as if that alone was not enough, Cod Liver Oil is known to be good to fight against heart diseases, skin problems, helps prevent cancer, improving bone health, prevents learning disabilities and many more. No wonder our parents force such stuff into us when we were younger.

Anyway, I bought the capsules because I find it very troublesome to consume the liquid oil. It is very messy and tends to stick everywhere. So, as most Singaporeans, I choose convenience over everything else. Hopefully, the process to make the capsules does not damage the oil in any way. I need all those nutrients and vitamins!  And as for me, I don’t usually consume fish as part of my diet, so this Cod Liver Oil would be a good supplement.

Okay, we have the Scott’s Pure Cod Liver Oil Capsules.

Cool, improves body’s resistance and promotes good health. 100 capsules! It may sound like a lot of capsules, but in truth, a normal adult can finish this bottle in less than a month. It is recommended to eat 6 capsules per day, so in less than 20 days, you will finish this bottle. And this is expensive stuff.

Scott’s Pure Cod Liver Oil capsules are a convenient and natural way to help maintain good health. The easy-to-swallow golden capsules contain Pure Code Liver Oil rich in Vitamins A & D and are a rich natural source of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids – the Omega-3 fatty acids, including EPA and DHA. Vitamins A & D may help build up body’s resistance to infection, maintain healthy tissue and promote strong bones and teeth. Recommended dosage for adults and children six years and above are 2 capsules 3 times daily.

Okay, this is the bottle of the Cod Liver Oil capsules. Golden indeed. Yes, you “pop” two of these golden capsules each time, up to 3 times daily.

Another view of the golden capsules. There are Cod Liver Oil inside those capsules.

Finally, we have come to the end of the review. If you don’t consume a lot of fish in your daily diet (like me), it would be a good idea to supplement your diet with some fish oil as certain fish do contain a lot of necessary nutrients and vitamins.  The Scott’s Cod Liver Oil in capsule form is a very convenient way to do that. You just need a few seconds of your time daily to pop in two capsules into your mouth. Weston Price recommends a little butter oil with the Cod Liver Oil for the best benefits.

Enzymes Drink Harvested

862 days ago

Yes, it has been two weeks since I started and I have finally harvested my weird mixture Enzymes drink. It was pretty easy actually. Much easier than making Kefir where you...

Yes, it has been two weeks since I started and I have finally harvested my weird mixture Enzymes drink. It was pretty easy actually. Much easier than making Kefir where you have to slowly strain the Milk Kefir due to the blockage of the curds.  And the smell of the Enzymes drink is just wonderful. It is made from fruits anyway. But the inevitable smell of alcohol does hit you when you are doing the straining.  The worst part is doing the clean up. Sticky stuff due to the sugar. As for the remaining part, I have no idea what to do with them, so I threw them away. If you have a garden, they should make good compost, but in Singapore and living in a HDB Flat, well, that just mean that it is down the rubbish chute for most of us. From what I read, some people use it to spread like Jam on toast. Good idea actually.

Taste wise? Well, it is quite delicious for a fermented foodstuff. Definitely more so as compared to homemade Yogurt or Kefir. It taste a little like candied syrup with a hint of alcohol. I guess if I ferment the Enzymes drink for a longer period of time, the taste will be more tart. Anyway, I expected a little bitterness from the skin and seeds of the lemon, but I was pleasantly surprised – there is just a little tiny bitterness aftertaste. Not enough to be of any significance.

Pretty amazing. I managed to get a bit more than 500ml of Enzymes drink from the relatively small amount of fruits! The colour is a bit on the brownish side. Should have mostly something to do with the brown sugar I used. The molasses in the sugar is pretty strong actually. That is why I will need to use some other type of sugar the next time. And if you look carefully at the picture above, you can see small bubbles in the liquid. Those are supposed to be produced by the good bacteria in the Enzymes drink when they consume the sugar.

Stored the liqiud in the 750ml bottle that was once used to store beer. I gave up on that hobby last year when I fell ill. No, not because of the beer but because of my poor diet choices. Now, I try to apply what I have learned from beer brewing and make other fermented foodstuff, like yogurt and Kefir (and now Enzymes Drink). For me, I think fermentation is actually very interesting. Don’t you guys agree? Yeast and bacteria works in such mysterious ways. I guess a lot of us are always afraid of bacteria because we associate them with diseases. Yes, some bacteria do cause illness and diseases but some of them actually helps us function. Without bacteria in our gut, we won’t be able to breakdown the food that we eat.

If you are interested in fermented foods, you should go online and read up more on it. Kefir, Yogurt, Sauerkraut, Enzymes Drink, Prickled Vegetables and so on are all actually fermented food and full of good bacteria and enzymes. However, because of commericalization, we will find that some of these foodstuff in our local supermarkets are actually pasteurised and do not have any of those good bacteria and enzymes. Some are even created with artifical vinegar to mimick the taste. Well….

Tao Kae Noi Wasabi Flavour Seaweed

863 days ago

Hohoho, it is seaweed review time. I am betting that this is getting kind of boring for you guys – to be reading reviews on seaweed yet again. But somehow it...

Hohoho, it is seaweed review time. I am betting that this is getting kind of boring for you guys – to be reading reviews on seaweed yet again. But somehow it does not bore one bit. I guess I am addicted to seaweed already. Every time I walk past those little shops at my housing estate, I would try to sneak a peek at whether they have seaweed snacks on offer or did they bring in any new ones. And seriously, most seaweed snacks are just delicious. I have never meant anyone who doesn’t find seaweed tasty. The good thing is that nowadays, a lot of soups come with some seaweed added to enhance the flavour of the soup. Yes, that is exactly why I say seaweed is the best food for everything. You can eat it direct, use it as a garnish, wrap it with rice and make some sushi or even add to soups! Ahhh…..my beloved seaweed. And I wish that more Singaporeans would realize the power of seaweed in terms of nutrition. It is the best food when it comes to nourishing our bodies with the needed nutrients and vitamins. And not even land vegetables can beat the humble seaweed, my good friends. So go ahead and buy that seaweed snack for your kids. And have some for yourself as well.

I am reviewing the Wasabi Flavour this time. And it is pretty spicy. Although not as spicy as I expected, considering that this is from Thailand. Thais do love their food spicy. For me, I am not one who is very into chills and peppers. Burning tongues is not an interesting occupation.

The Tao Kae Noi Wasabi Flavour Seaweed. Look at the fellow on the left. He is telling you that this is very spicy.

Yes, delicious with good nutrients from the sea. We can only hope that this is true. Hate to eat all those seaweed and later found out that the manufacturing process has destroyed most (if not all) of the nutrients and vitamins in the seaweed. That would be very disappointing.

And this pack contains about 50g of seaweed. Yes, seems very little but note that this is dried seaweed. So there could be quite a lot of substance in this snack actually.

Wasabi Flavour! If I am not wrong Wasabi is some sort of Japanese horse radish and it is not supposed to be spicy but strong flavoured. It doesn’t burn your tongue, but irriates your nose. So every time I eat Wasabi with Japanese food, I would get a sneezing spell. No choice, sensitive nose I have. Just a few months ago, every time a little wind blows in my direction, I would start sneezing like it is winter. But now, it seems that healthy food has helped improved my sensitivity.

The back of the pack.

Ahhh….some interesting information. Basically it tells you that it can be eaten in millions of ways.

Okay, here we have the ingredients – Seaweed, Palm Oil, Wasabi Flavour and Iodine Salt. Check out the Vitamin A content! Not too bad as a snack right? I mean other snacks like candies and milk chocolate usually have way less than this amounts of nutrients in them.

Hey, what’s new? It is the Hi Tempura-Tempura Seaweed. Tao Kae Noi Tempura Seaweed is one of their most well known products. They select high quality fresh seaweed and the best wheat flour to create their special recipe. Their processes ensure the highest standards of hygiene and freshness, whilst preserving the crispiness and natural taste of the product. So, you can always trust the quality of enjot the great taste of this special product! Ahhh….okay. But I would prefer the normal seaweed snack than this Tempura Seaweed. As you guys should know, wheat flour (white flour) is just like our table sugar. It has been processed to the point where all its nutrients have been washed away and you are left with a very good looking but nutrient-deficient product.  But it is your choice of course.

Last time I reviewed the Tao Kae Noi Original Flavour Seaweed, I forgot to take a photo of the actual seaweed. Well, it should look exactly like the above. Nothing too spectular. But this is somewhat thicker than the other seaweeds I have seen. And the texture of the seaweed is quite nice. It feels thicker and more filling than the other brands, which are basically a very thin slice of seaweed.

Anyway, we have come to the end of this little review. Ciao and remember to eat more seaweed, okay?

Enzymes Drink – One Week Later

865 days ago

Check it out! It has been more than 1 week since I started my little enzymes drink experiment. Looks like the sugar has “sucked” out tons of liquid (or juice) from...

Check it out! It has been more than 1 week since I started my little enzymes drink experiment. Looks like the sugar has “sucked” out tons of liquid (or juice) from the fruits. I was just amazed to see the amount of liquid that can come out of these fruits. Well, I heard about it, but never seen it happening before. Just amazing. It has been bubbling since day 2, which is supposed to be a sign that the bacteria (or yeast) is fermenting. And when I open the bottle to let the gas escape, wow – it smells delightful! Something like those fruit jelly candies. Thank the gods I don’t smell any alcohol or vinegar.

Wow, look at how the apples have shrunk. A lot of the moisture is being sucked out to make the enzymes drink. Oh, ya, the colour seems a bit off putting eh? Perhaps I should start thinking of what type of sugar to use to make my next batch of enzymes drink. It seems that using brown sugar will result in some unpleasing colours. Nobody wants to drink a drink that looks a bit like urine. Rotijo suggested Red Dragonfruit. I think that might work very well. A red coloured enzymes would definitely look much better.

And this one produces some small bubbles. I was expecting bigger bubbles than this.

Oh, if I am not wrong, the thin slice of leftover fruit at the bottom is the Water Apple. The skin  (which is supposed to be red) seems to have disappeared! Wow, just shows how powerful the sugar is in “sucking” out stuff. Or perhaps it is just that the Water Apple skin is very fragile?

Another view of the 1 week old enzymes drink. I give it a quick shake once per day to coat the fruits with the liquid. Don’t want mold to form on the fruits.  And I let “burp” the bottle once every 2 or 3 days.

Well, give you guys another update this weekend when I open up the bottle and have my first taste of the urine coloured enzymes drink. Hey, life can sometimes be that exciting!

Harvest Fields Dried Cranberries

867 days ago

Oh, this is becoming my favourite snack – dried fruits.  First of all, they are just so very convenient. If you feel like taking a few dried cranberries, just pop them...

Oh, this is becoming my favourite snack – dried fruits.  First of all, they are just so very convenient. If you feel like taking a few dried cranberries, just pop them into your mouth. No mess, no fuss. In addition to being a convenient snack food, they are extremely delicious. Yes, it is because of the added sugar but I still like the overall taste. And who can forget that this is a healthy food. Much better than most other snacks we find in the stores. Dried cranberries are packed full of antioxidants and dietary fiber. Most of our diets nowadays lack the all-important fiber and what better way to get fiber than munching on delicious dried cranberries. Thus, overall, this is a perfect snack foodstuff for people of all ages.

I bought this from NTUC just last week. If I am not wrong, it was like S$2.95 for 2 packs. Quite reasonable, considering that other brands of dried cranberries can cost much more. Not to mention those organic ones, which can cost a leg and an arm. Although I understand that certified organic foodstuff have more nutrients, I think find it difficult to bring myself to spend extra for them. Well, beggars like me cannot afford to be choosers right? Rich overpaid government officials tell the people that if price of fresh food is too expensive, they can always choose frozen ones. Probably why I feel so sad being a Singaporean.

Here we have the Harvest Fields Dried Cranberries. It is all natural, premium quality and contains no preservatives. Hopefully! And this is a product of the USA. The net weight of this snack is 70g. Not really a lot lah. I can easily finish this dried cranberry snack in one sitting. And seriously, I am not a big eater.

Look at those cranberries. If you have never seen an actual cranberry in your life, you are not alone. I have not seen fresh cranberries either. From what I read, they should be the size of small tomatoes and bright red. And they are very very tart. Have you drank fresh unsweetened cranberry juice before? It is so sour that it brought tears to my eyes. Scary stuff.

The back of the Harvest Fields Dried Cranberries pack.

Hmm….Harvest Fields Dried Cranberries are manufactured from superior grade USA red cranberries. Harvest Fields Dried Cranberries provide you and your family with the goodness of fruits all year round. They are suitable as a nutritious snack for all occasions. Harvest Fields Dried Cranberries are also a wonderful addition to cereals and can be used for baking. For me, I merely eat them directly when I surf the net. Seriously, they are good.

Hmmmmm…..nutritutional facts. Seems that they are lacking in a lot of nutrients and vitamins eh?

The ingredients are cranberries and corn syrup. Let’s cross our fingers and hope that the corn syrup is not the high frustose kind. But very likely, it is. Well, sometimes we so get some very unhealthy ingredients in supposedly healthy snacks. And if they don’t add any sweetener to the cranberries, nobody would buy it.  Oh, remember to store this in a cool dry place.

Yap, it is distributed by Interstates Market (2007) Pte Ltd. Wonder why their name has the year in it? Weird.

Anyway, this is the end of the review. I think that I might just have reviewed all the different brands of dried cranberries in Singapore. If you know of any other brands, please leave a comment. I would look out for them the next time I go shopping.

Tao Kae Noi Japanese Crispy Seaweed

868 days ago

Hehehehe, yup, yet another seaweed review. Seems like I cannot get enough of seaweed. Come on, seriously, seaweed taste very nice, especially those that comes in snack form – like like...

Hehehehe, yup, yet another seaweed review. Seems like I cannot get enough of seaweed. Come on, seriously, seaweed taste very nice, especially those that comes in snack form – like like this Tao Kae Noi Japanese Crispy Seaweed. Furthermore, it is supposed to be very nutritious. Most of the foodstuff from the sea is in fact very nutritious. The main reason is because unlike land-based foodstuff, it is very difficult to overuse the sea. Just look at the land vegetables we have and how they are grown – in lands which have been harvested and harvested over and over again. This results in mineral deficient vegetables. And the fertilizers we use – well, let’s say chemical fertilizers that farmers use are always lacking in some mineral or another.

Enough of negative thoughts! Let’s focus on this Tao Kae Noi Japanese Crispy Seaweed. I believe that this is a very recent addition to the seaweed snack market, as I didn’t notice them before. The most common seaweed snack we had was the Ken Ken seaweed which came in small 5 pieces of seaweed pack. Now we have seaweed snacks in various flavours like Wasabi, Tom Yam and so on. This time round, we will be reviewing the original flavour. By the way, Tao Kae Noi is the Hokkien word for big boss, loosely translated.

So cute! Look at the happy smiling man. And it comes with a resealable zipper! Yes, this is for those small eaters who cannot finish this snack in one sitting. Actually, it is a good idea. I would hate wasting delicious seaweed since if it is exposed to the air, the seaweed will turn gooey and nobody would eat them.

Yes, delicious with good nutrients from the sea. Unless of course, the process to make this seaweed, they exposed it to high heat, which then destroys most of  minerals and nutrients in the seaweed. Worst still are those seaweed which have been roasted. Sure they will be very crispy, but think of it as dead sea algae which provides nothing good for your body.

The back of the Tao Kae Noi Japanese Crispy Seaweed. Still got tons of information!

40g only. Anyway, the ingredients are Seaweed, Palm Oil, Salt, Pepper and Flavour Enhancer. I am always skeptical of flavour enhancers, which are usually created artificially. Why don’t they use Soya Sauce or something. Not that I am a fan of Soya Sauce, but at least they are better than artificially created ones right? Wow, good amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Iron in this seaweed snack.

We know – keep in cool and dry place, avoid direct sunlight and high temperature. Oh this is made in Thailand. But wait, then why is it called Japanese Seaweed? Shouldn’t it be called Thai Seaweed?  I guess Thailand seaweed is not that popular around the world.

Oh, Tao Kae Noi Japanese Crispy Seaweed is manufactured with the most state of the art technology, and finest quality machinery. The process ensures the highest standards of hygiene and freshness, whilst preserving its crispiness and natural taste. Packed full of goodness, you can enjoy our seaweed anywhere, anytime, be it at play, at work or while you are traveling. Taokaenoi Japanese Crispy Seaweed can be consumed as a snack or as a supplement to your meals with rice, in sandwiches, with soup, or on its own; it is simply irresistible and delicious. Well, I completely agree with the irresistible and delicious part. Man, I have eaten so much seaweed that when I burp, I can taste the slight seaweed taste in my mouth! Don’t worry, I don’t think that you can overdose with seaweed.

Hmm…there is a new product from Ta0 Kae Noi! It is this Tao Kae Noi “Super Crisp” the grilled seaweed, with the suitable temperature, it will maintain the quality as well as the nutrients in seaweed itself. The sauce coated on the seaweed is mixed with the real squid to get the real smell and taste. Best served as snack, with your favourite drink, or any way you desire. In my opinion, you cannot grill the seaweed and hope to maintain the minerals and nutrients in the seaweed. Is there such a way to use low enough temperatures and hope to get the grilling done? No way. If so, I wish to be enlightened.

XZeroscript Classifieds Detailed Installation Guide

869 days ago

Yup guys, it is yet another one of those installation guides. I am hoping to create even more such guides to help beginners install scripts without the major headaches associated with...

Yup guys, it is yet another one of those installation guides. I am hoping to create even more such guides to help beginners install scripts without the major headaches associated with script installation. But in all seriousness, nowadays scripts are more user friendly and installation is a breeze for most.  We no longer need to spend hours and hours figuring out how to install complicated scripts anymore. Thank goodness for that. I really hate spending so much time installing stuff. And with a detailed installation guide, beginners will no longer worry about being stuck halfway during installation.

Anyway, I just purchased this XZeroscript to use as the base for my latest web venture. No, I won’t tell you guys what it is yet. But come back in a few weeks time and I will be more than willing to share it with you. XZeroscript is a classifieds script, a script to build something along the lines of Craigslist. Yes, the place where you post and read ads.  This script helps you manage all the ads you have in your classifieds site. From what I read, XZeroscript is supposed to be a very low resource script, making it suitable for high volume classifieds sites and for those (like me) who don’t have a dedicated server. Furthermore, it is value for money. As compared to other classifieds scripts, this is at the lower range of the spectrum and comes with a impressive array of features. In addition, their support is supposed to be top-notch, unlike most other script developers where you need to pay another huge amount just for support.

Okay, enough of the nonsense. It is now time to start the installation guide. First of all, I would assume that the user has some knowledge of Windows commands and usage. In addition, a little knowledge of webhosting is needed. Since XZeroscript requires PHP and MySQL, users should ensure that their webhost supports these. However, most webhost should support these features. If not, time to change your webhosting company.

After purchasing the script, you will receive an email attachment. You should save the zipped file somewhere you can remember as you will need to access it. As you can see, I save mine on my desktop.  The latest version at the time of writing is v5.1. After saving the file, it is time to extract the contents out. For this tutorial, I am using IZArc as my unzipping utility. You can use any other software to do the unpacking. You can even use Window’s own extracting software. The steps should be about the same. As usual refer to your software documentation for help.

It is now time to extract the files. Click on Extract to extract out the archived files.

Remember where you extract out the files to. You will need to access them. Make sure you extract out ALL the files.

There I have extracted them out into a folder on my desktop. Since we will need to do some modifications to the files, let’s get into the folder and find out which files do we need to make changes to.

In this folder, you will need to make some changes to some of the files.

Let’s locate the “config.inc.php” file. It shouldn’t be too tough. We need to make some changes to this file. Open the file with your text editor. I am using PSPad to edit my files. However, you can use any text editor you want. Don’t worry, the following steps are very easy to follow. All you have to do is to change some wordings in some files. No biggie.

Once you have opened the “config.inc.php” file, at the top of the you will need to make some changes. First you will need to edit the MySQL connection settings as indicated above. You will need your database hostname (which is usually “localhost”), database username, database password and the database name. You can ask your webhost to create one for you. Or if your webhost supports it, you can create the database yourself. I have done some tutorials on creating MySQL databases, so if your webhost uses cpanel as their webhost console, please take a look at creating MySQL databases on Cpanel. Or if your webhost uses DirectAdmin as their webhost console, please take a look at creating MySQL databases on DirectAdmin. Again, don’t worry the steps are easy to follow. So once you have created the databases, you should have all the necessary information.

After you have keyed in the MySQL connection settings, you will need to make a few more changes. Just below is the Name of the site, the site owner’s email address and the URL of the site. Note that if you are planning to setup your classifieds site in a subdirectory, you should reflect it here in the URL setting ($script_url=). Oh, remember friends, you should keep the quotes.

Now let’s scroll all the way down to the “Admin password” section. You will need to change the password to access the XZeroscript Admin Panel. It is important to have a strong password for security reasons. You don’t want others to hack into your site! And keep the password in a safe place.  After you have done, remember to save the file.

Okay, after you have edited the “config.inc.php” file and saved it, you will need to make changes to the “.htaccess” file. However, if you are planning to setup your site on the root domain, you don’t have to do anything. But if you are planning to place your site at a subdirectory, then you will have to edit the “.htaccess” file. For example, if your site is be located at “www.example.com/classifieds/”, then you will have to make changes to the all the instances of “index.php”. Add the subdirectory “classifieds”. Looking at the above picture, you will need to change “/index.pgp?view=showad@adid=$7&cityid=$1 [QSA]” to “/classifieds/index.pgp?view=showad@adid=$7&cityid=$1 [QSA]“. Do the same for ALL instances. Yes, it is a bit tedious but good things will come from it! Remember to save the file.

For some users, you might find that you cannot save the file back to “.htaccess”. It would require you to save it in another name. But don’t worry, save it as “htaccess” or in any other name. You can rename it later after you have uploaded the files.

The next step is to upload the files to your webhost. For this, you will need a FTP client or a FTP software. This software allows you to transfer files from your computer to the webserver. I am using Filezilla. The main reason why I use this software is that it is stable, seems bug free enough and open source. You can of course use any other FTP client and the following steps should be about the same. Please refer to your software documentation if you face any problems. I really don’t expect there to be more problems. You will need information from your webhost in order to access to FTP files to your webserver. All these information should be provided by your webhost.

After you have connected to your webserver, your next step would be to transfer all the files from the extracted folder to your webserver. Please note that you should transfer the contents of the folder and not the folder itself. If you were to transfer the folder, your URL to your classifieds site will be wrong (ie in another directory).

It might take a while to complete, so go and have a beer and come back after a few minutes.

There, all uploaded to your webserver. You should be proud of yourself.

Now, we will need to change the file permissions of some folders and files. With your FTP Client, you will need to CHMOD some of the folders and files. To do that, locate the folder “adpics” in the server and choose File permissions.  If you are using some other FTP Client, please refer to your software documentation on how to change file permissions.

Yes, here we CHMOD 777 the folder. In other words, we give all read, write and execute permissions.

Now locate the folder “userimgs” in the server. You will need to do the same thing to this folder.

Same thing. CHMOD 777 this folder.

Now let’s enter into the “userimgs” folder in the server. You will be greeted with 2 files. We will need to change the file permission of the “index.htm” file.

CHMOD 644 this file instead. If it is already CHMOD 644, don’t worry. Just leave it be.

You will have to do the same thing (CHMOD 644) for the “index.htm” file in the “adpics” folder. I will not be showing this in this example. The steps are the same.

Now, let’s locate the “data” folder in the server. You will need to change the file permissions for ALL the files in that folder. So enter into the folder and you will be greeted with 2 files – “badwords.dat” and “spamfilter.dat“. Now’s let change the file permission for both of them.

For these files, you will need to CHMOD 777.

Okay, after you have done that, you will need to do the same thing (CHMOD 777) to the files in the “lang“, “log” and”mailtemplates” folders in the server. Yes, ALL the files in those folders. Since the steps are the same as above, there won’t be any screenshots. Don’t worry, you can do it!

For those who have edited their “.htaccess” file earlier, you might have to rename your “.htaccess” file back. So locate the file which is the original “.htaccess” file. In this example, my file is “htaccess” and I will need to rename it to “.htaccess”.

There you go, it is now “.htaccess”. This file is important because the file helps you do all those URL rewriting to get those pretty SEO friendly URLs.

There, start your web browser and check whether your settings is correct or not. If you website is at “www.example.com”, then you should browse to “www.example.com/setup”. Then hit the Setup button to continue. You are about done!

If everything is correct, you will be greeted with this screen. All green means good! Your database has been setup successfully.

However, before we conclude our tutorial, you will need to do some security maintenance. Go back to your FTP and delete off the “setup” folder in the server. It is a very big security risk if you don’t do that.

Okay, the installation is finally complete. Now it is time for you to login to your XZeroscript Classifieds admin console and do the hard part – adding the cities and categories.  The admin console is located at the admin directory of your site. So for example, if your site is “www.example.com” then browse to “www.example.com/admin”. Good luck! And remember to change your Paypal account in the “config.inc.php” file if you are charging for ads.

Hope you have enjoyed reading this guide as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Please leave some comments.

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