Sep 20, 2020

Xeltro CT22 Countertop Twin Water Filter from Filtech


Think about the amount of water we consume daily, and think about the quality of the water we consume.

Singaporeans enjoy the accessibility to relatively clean water, even from the tap directly. Nevertheless, many don't consider some health concerning facts that water pipe may be rusty over time, and that the water has been treated with chlorine to kill germs and pathogens.

As a result, some people take one step further by boiling the water. But is boiling water adequate enough?

Boiled Water vs Filtered Water

Boiling tap water at 100°C does kill bacteria, pollutants, and harmful micro-organisms, it even removes chlorine. It does NOT, however, remove heavy metals or dissolved solids. Besides, bacteria in the water won't be killed if it hasn't been boiled long enough.

Furthermore, the more it boils, the more oxygen (which is essential for the human body) is removed from the water, not to mention the loss of vitamins and micronutrients through prolonged boiling. In short, drinking boiled water can be like drinking a clear heavy metal juice. Read more here.

So what about filtered water? Let's study more from the Xeltro CT22 Countertop Twin Water Filter which I recently received from Filtech.


Designed and manufactured in Japan, Xeltro CT22 features a 7-stage ultra twin filtration which eliminates up to 99.99% of bacteria, impurities and chlorine. By delivering a flow rate of 2 litres per minute, you can fill up your 500 ml bottle with purified drinking water in just 15 seconds.

Xeltro CT22 has a lifetime of 6,000 litres, which accounts for approximately 6 to 8 months of water filtration. It's currently priced at $270.90 and its replacement cartrige only costs $59.40.

7 Stage Ultra Twin Filtration

1. 0.1 micron Ceramic Filter

The first filtration process begins with a 5mm thick ceramic filter engineered to filter sediments, heavy metal, rust, Giardia, cysts and bacteria of larger or equal to 0.1 micron in size while at the same time preserving necessary minerals intact. Commonly found bacteria such as E-Coli and Cryptosporidium are rejected.

2. FIR Layer

A Far Infrared Ray (FIR) layer is used to help soften hard water, eliminating offensive odors and preventing bacterial growth. As FIR resonates with water, it activates and ionizes water molecules, making the water taste fresh. A health benefit arising from this is better balanced acidity level in our bodies, resulting in heightened oxygen levels.

3. Ion Exchange Resin

This ion exchange process percolates water through bead-like spherical resin materials (ion-exchange resins). Sodium ions are exchanged for every calcium or magnesium ion removed from the water, preventing bacteria build-up.

4. Anti Bacterial Ions

The anti-bacterial ions kill bacteria and deter bacterial growth by breaking down organic compounds that comprise of bacteria such as bacterial cell membranes. Filtech's testing shows that the inhibition rate achieves up to 90% for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

5. Alkaline Medium

The alkaline medium raises the pH level of the water, neutralising acid in your body, which can lead to various health benefits, including the prevention of diseases such as cancer and liver disease.

6. KDF Activated Carbon

The Kinetic Degradation Fluxion (KDF) granular activated carbon incorporates absorption and catalytic reduction mechanism for embellished and augmented purification efficiency. It equips activated carbon filtering for removal of residual chlorine up to 99.99%, VOCs and other impurities. It also deodorizes, improves color and taste of water.

7. Filtech Hybrid Carbon Membrane Technology

This final stage utilizes Filtech's hybrid carbon fibre micro-porous membrane technology for further pervasive particle exclusion filtration to discard hanging colloids. In addition, it also eliminates up to 99.99% of bacteria to maintain quality drinking water standard.


Installation

Installing Xeltro CT22 has never been easier, with a caveat - you need to know whether your water faucet is installed with existing adapter.

Check out the installation tutorial video:

1 / 3
External Thread Tap with B-Series Adapters
2 / 3
Internal Thread Tap with A-Series Adapters
3 / 3
Threadless Tap with Universal Adapter


Fitting the adapter
It actually took us a while to realize that the water faucet already had an adapter which fits so well that the marking that separates the faucet and the adapter was barely visible.

Removing it, we found that the faucet outlet has external threads and the light blue adapter with internal threads is the one that fits. The remaining is pretty self-explanatory from the tutorial video itself.

On the first few seconds, the water ran out cloudy and grey, which is normal, because activated carbon is used in the filter. Fine carbon particles which came loose during manufacturing and shipping are passed out on first use.

After installing, allow the water run through the filter for a few minutes to rinse out the particles, and it should be clear after that. Anyway, elemental carbon in generally inert in human body and is not harmful.

The design of human body doesn't change, what changes is technology. Technology advancement opens door to better quality of life. In my opinion, it's imperative that every household should have a reliable water filtration/treatment system installed. With plenty of affordable options available, such as the Xeltro CT22 Countertop Twin Water Filter, the health benefits definitely outweigh the costs.


In Summary

Product Xeltro CT22 Countertop Twin Water Filter
Price $270.90
Replacement price $59.40
Replacement frequency Approx. 8 months (6,000 L)



Tag: Water Filter Singapore, Air Purifier

Javin Tham A master's degree graduate in engineering, a musician at heart, loves playing with soft toys.

Sep 19, 2020

Speculoos Cheesecake from Whyzee


Ever heard of Speculoos? It's a type of spiced shortcrust biscuit, more common in Netherlands and Belgium. When it comes to baking, it serves as a great alternative to digestive biscuit.

I was invited by Whyzee to try out their delectable Speculoos Cheesecake. Filled with whipped cheesecake batter using Philly cream cheese, the Speculoos Cheesecake is topped with crunchy Speculoos crumble, with its base made out of crushed Speculoos caramel biscuits.

Measured at 8 inches in diameter, its design may look simple, but the Speculoos Cheesecake definitely brings falvorful layers of savoring experience to your taste bud. Its richness in caramel and creaminess are surely delighting.

You just need to be slightly cautious when cutting the cake as the crumbs may fall through the cracks.😂






Order from Whyzee today for 1-hour same day cake delivery islandwide.


Contact
WhatsApp: +65 9773 2434
E-mail: info@whyzee.com.sg
Address: 11 Sin Ming Road, Thomson V Two, #01-30 Singapore 575629

Javin Tham A master's degree graduate in engineering, a musician at heart, loves playing with soft toys.

Sep 15, 2020

Mystic Blue Preserved Flower Dome from Fav Florist



Mystic Blue Preserved Flower Dome
Over the past few months I've received several flower bouquets from florists.

While bouquets stand out as an elegant gift, I'm personally less inclined toward them as they have very little to no retention value - they wilt, and thereafter the receiver would be in a dilemma of struggling with finding ways to make them useful or disposing them, and the latter is synonymous with absolute waste.

I was blessed with a Mystic Blue Preserved Flower Dome from Fav Florist. Its product description says "Want something that last forever? A flower dome is the perfect gift for you.", well it definitely is.

Set in a classy black gift box, its delicate appearance alongside the mystical blue rose surely characterizes itself as a glamorous art piece, especially when lit with LED lights in the dark. Running on 3 AAA batteries, you can light the dome up anywhere at home. The product page says that batteries are not included, but I received the flower dome with all batteries in place anyway.

All in all, it's genuinely pleasant to be receiving flowers in a relatively unconventional and long-lasting form.



Apart from flower bouquets and flower domes, Fav Florist also offers Cake & Flower Bundles, an ideal gift option for your loved ones, not to mention the free delivery islandwide.



Contact
WhatsApp: +65 9173 7748
E-mail: info@favflorist.com.sg
Address: 11 Sin Ming Road, Thomson V Two, #01-30 Singapore 575629



Tags: Flower Delivery Singapore, Florist Singapore

Javin Tham A master's degree graduate in engineering, a musician at heart, loves playing with soft toys.

Sep 12, 2020

EMPRESS at the ACM


As an occasion to celebrate my girlfriend's belated birthday and our first anniversary in advance, I picked EMPRESS over the fact that my girlfriend enjoys Chinese cuisine and that "exquisite dining" is googled, EMPRESS showed up in one of the blog reviews in one of the search results.

Located at the Asian Civilisations Museum by the Singapore River, the dining setting at one of the Privé Group brands is a synthesis of vintage and vogue, with a little garnish of traditional Chinese flavor.

Their Empress Signatures Sharing Menu comes with:

  • Snack of the Day
  • Appetisers (2 per table)
  • Soup (choose 1, served in individual bowls)
  • Triple Roast Platter
  • Mains (choose 2 per table, sharing)
  • Rice & Noodles (choose 1 per table, sharing)
  • Desserts (choose 1, individual portions)
In essence, the menu serves a 5-course-meal, priced at $65/person, which would total up to $130 for 2 persons.

This is what I find confusing. The menu entails the dishes diner(s) would get, but it doesn't specify the criteria of ordering from the menu (eg. 2 persons). So if I patronized alone, and I ordered from the menu (which I'm eligible as the menu doesn't have any pax-size-restriction), I'd expect to get all the listed item above and pay $65 since I'm the only person at the table. I'd suggest that they simply price the menu at $130.

Nevertheless, dining at EMPRESS was an enjoyable one.


Snack of the Day

APPERTISERS



Deep-Fried Salmon Skin, Tofu & Salted Egg Yolk (front)
Crispy Cod "Bi Feng Tang"-Style (back)

SOUP



Double-Boiled Superior Soup in Young Coconut



King Prawn Dumpling in Supreme Broth


Half pint Archipelago Bohemian Lager @ $7
From Happy Hour Menu (Daily from 5pm to 8pm)


Triple Roast Platter

Javin Tham A master's degree graduate in engineering, a musician at heart, loves playing with soft toys.

Sep 7, 2020

Premium Chocolate Fudge Cake from Cake Delivery Singapore


Just in time for my lover's birthday, Cake Delivery Singapore invited me to try out their 9.5" Premium Chocolate Fudge Cake.

I selected the delivery slot of 9:45am - 10:45am, but the delivery was only made at about 11:15am. Nonetheless, the cake arrived in adequately chilled condition.

Their freshly baked Chocolate Fudge Cake is made of rich and smooth chocolate with the right amount of sweetness. Measured at 9.5" (24 cm) in diameter, the 1.6kg cake is suitable for cutting into 12 generous slices.

PS: Candles (big/small) and Happy Birthday topper are requestable.





Javin Tham A master's degree graduate in engineering, a musician at heart, loves playing with soft toys.

Aug 8, 2020

DIY Terrarium Kit from Masons Home Decor


In the past, I've received fully fabricated terrariums from florists.

Recently, Masons Home Decor sent me their huge box of DIY Terrarium Kit, so I can curate the terrarium from scratch to occupy my National Day weekend with my girlfriend.



What's inside:
  • 1 set of shovels
  • 1 spray bottle
  • 3 assorted bags of decorative pebbles
  • 4 assorted succulents
  • 2 miniature ornaments
  • 2 glass jars (1 big and 1 small)
  • 1 bag of premium terrarium mix (soil)

What's missing (as compared to the listed contents on their product page):
  • Welcome note
  • Step by step instructions

It's already upsetting that the step by step instructions are not found anywhere in the box, there are no stickers/labels for the bags as well.

My girlfriend and I had to Google what are the correct steps from the start.



First, we covered the bottom of the glass jar with small rocks, serving as the water drainage layer.


Then, we added a layer of soil (or activated charcoal? I don't know, there's no labeling).


Despite the absence of instruction manual and bag labels, we still manage to create some pretty awesome terrariums (I think?).



Contact
WhatsApp: +65 9618 3746
E-mail: hello@mason.com.sg

Javin Tham A master's degree graduate in engineering, a musician at heart, loves playing with soft toys.