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Kim Huat & OCBC present: FIve Places to Keep Your Savings

Where do you keep your savings? Kim Huat shows you his favorite places, and one more even better option.

YouTube link: http://mrbrwn.co/1q5F61Y

Sponsored message:

Earn up to 3.05% per year on your money with the OCBC 360 Account by doing things you are already doing:

1. Credit your salary to your account: 0.05% base interest plus 1% bonus interest per year! It's like the bank giving you a bonus to your monthly salary.

2. Pay three bills: get another 1% bonus interest per year! Who doesn't have bills to pay? Conservancy fees lah, water and electric bill lah, cable tv subscription lah (look, that's three bills already!) This one is easy to do too. It's like the bank is paying you when you pay your bills. Sweet.

3. Spend S$400 a month on your OCBC credit card: get another 1% bonus interest per year! You buy some groceries at Fairprice, go for a few nice dinners, make some online purchases, pump petrol and before you know it, you've fulfilled this criteria too.

So, you get more interest for your money that sits in your bank account by doing one or more of the above tasks. It's flexible to the extent that you can do one or all three and get the bonus interest you want. And it's all easy tasks to accomplish.

Find out more at http://www.ocbc.com/360 today!

Seen in Ephesus, Turkey

Eh, genuine one leh! Guaranteed plus chop!

Synagogue Street, Izmir: a Photo Essay

We walk through the bustling market in Izmir, Turkey and enjoy the sights and sounds. See the rest of the photos here: brown.exposure.co

Click on the link above or view via the embedded version below.

Synagogue Street, Izmir by Kinmun "mrbrown" Lee on Exposure

IFA 2014 GPC: Belek, Antalya

Once again, it is time for the annual IFA Global Press Conference, where offline and online media gather to find out about the European consumer electronics show held in September every year, in Berlin.

We had speakers from companies like Philips, Vestel (Turkish company) and BSH Group, who came to talk about trends and numbers and of course, their own new products. I particularly enjoyed the bits by research people from GfK. Curved TVs, for example. What is up with THAT trend? Is it going to change the world? Or is it going the way of the 3D TV flop?

There were a few booths to see, not many, since most of the brands will be showing off their wares at the IFA in Berlin itself. I was quite fascinated with Philips' new A5-PRO headphones made in collaboration with DJ Armin Van Buuren.

Also cool was their new Android Smart TV and the surround speaker system with detachable rear satellites that are wireless. I own the first gen Fidelio HTL9100 myself and was keen to see the next gen.

I also got to touch the Panasonic GH4. I say touch because inside no battery. They lost it in transit. Pffft.

We got to see a bit of Antalya, after a coach ride that took a little too long in the rush hour traffic. We wandered around Kaleici, or Old Town Antalya. It's actually quite pretty, as long as you don't get dragged into tourist trap stores.

I got to drink a red drink from a barrel off this guy's back.

I got to try some Turkish delights.

I got to eat Turkish ice-cream with an elaborate show.

And in Old Town Antalya, I found this shop with a very odd room of life-sized figures.

The final night's dinner was quite enjoyable. There was a Turkish singer who sang covers and some Turkish songs. I called her the Celine Dion of Turkey.

Then, just when you thought the night was over, boom, the belly dancers showed up. The (male) photographers in the audience went wild.

But the highlight for me was Marit Larsen, from Norway. Yes, if that name sounds familiar, she was formerly from teen duo m2m. I am such a fanboy. Marit has had a fairly successful solo career too, with that 2008 hit song, If A Song Could Get Me You.

Watching her sing live was awesome.

Turkey: 1st of May

"We may not be open on May the 1st," said the car rental office station manager. "The streets will be closed around Taksim Square and movement between the Asian and European sides will be restricted. You may want to take your car earlier, like today, instead of tomorrow."

That is how I learned that Labour Day was going to be a protest day in Turkey. Sure enough, Istanbul streets were lined with cordons and riot police, especially around Taksim Square.

We chose to leave for our next destination at 6am in the morning, to avoid the protest crowds and the road closures.

Even at 6am, you could see some roads already closed and submachine-gun-toting cops out in force. The white riot trucks with water cannons mounted on top were also parked along the streets.

I suppose May Day here in Turkey isn't the same as May Day in Singapore. It isn't as holiday-feeling as Singapore's and they don't have "union" leaders saying warm and fuzzy things and singing "Upturn the Downturn".

There are no photos accompanying this post. I'm just a tourist heading out of the city, for quieter parts of Turkey.