Family Outing: Hort Park + Jurassic Park

Woa woa woa, dinosaurs on the loose. Roar. Lately, Dad has been very into family outings and stuff so I am looking like a real art fart, going around to museums and latest hangouts. By the way, this was taken at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.

The biggest highlight had to be the dinosaurs, no doubt. My mouth was like agape when I first lay my eyes on it. The BF was like telling me, come on those are just replicas. He just spoils the magic every time. Geez. *Disappointed* But if you are looking for some intellectual stimulation, I think this museum is not for you. The knowledge are pretty elementary. Suited for families with kids. Big kids like me is more of a bleh.

And the most shocking news probably is this museum isn't free, unlike the others in Singapore. And it cost a whooping SGD16 bucks for adults and SGD9 bucks for students. Are the dinosaurs even worth that much?!? I mean there are photo worthy spots there. My cam-whore brother took many photos as I was fervently sponging in the knowledge there.

We went with the RC so it was a lot cheaper but we only had less than 2 hours there. I didn't even finish the whole exhibition. Was spending a good deal of time reading about insects and LOL-ing how male spiders risk their life and avoid being mistaken as food while offering their ball of sperms of the female and also about how earwigs are the most maternal insects cos the even clean their offsprings to avoid bacterial infection. 

The BF was mocking me saying that I seemingly seems very interested in the insects but would probably freak out if one flew in right now. I retorted if we were spiders, I would have either munched him up or wait- throw his ball of sperms at him first before swallowing him up, so he will offspring-less. Hur-hur-hur. Just because his birthday is coming doesn't mean I have to put up with his sarcarsm and bad humour, although mine isn't much better.

And there was some eh...light-effects show which was pretty boring. Left halfway to read on collection of specimen so you pretty much can pretty much guess how *eye-rolling* that was. 

Before we went to the LKC museum, we actually visited HortPark. Honestly, the weather was so ungodly that it should really be named Hot Park instead. The park has seriously gone downhill since I last went. Not worth sweating for. I ended up lazing around in the air-con room. And as my luck would have it, I met the BF's BFF there with his girlfriend.

Zzz...and my BF sort of led them to see me through a glass panel as I was rolling around in the room, lying on a rattan chair. And we sort of waved. Bet that is how a polar bear in the zoo feels. Only they didn't knock at the glass. I think what is really the worse was - it is our first meeting. Talk about leaving good first impression eh. I bet they are going to remember me as the one that was aircon-tanning. :( I hope the BF have to OT for his bday. Revenge is a dish best serve cold!

mySKINBAR: ASAP Solutions

So this was how I look like, without make-up, bare face and all...If you have been following my Korea journey and would like to get the same skin texture (I am not going to say good skin here because the definition of that really depends on the individual herself), today I would share with you a little more on the cleansing product that I was using there.

Before I flew to Korea, I actually dropped by mySKINBAR to know a little more about the causes of Acne and their products. I am quite fortunate I don't have Acne even though I do have occasional outbreaks especially when I am stressed. But do you know that it is actually not stress that cause those pimples but the resulting hormonal changes which "instigates" our oil glands to secrete more oil, which is the food for the Acne bacteria. And so this is how our face becomes a breeding ground.

Despite being relatively young, mySKINBAR has a good track records of customers with satisfactory results. I was given the sample starter set to put their products to the test. Just nice, the sample set (Inception Sling "Moisturizing Foam Gel", Beyond Control "Toner Sebum/ Bacteria Control") was enough to last for Korea and so I gamely took a shot. And I guess with the photo I show you above, I can say I am pleased with my sustainable clear skin. 

I didn't exactly got to try their top product The Crux "Corrector Gel" when I was in Korea. But when I came back to our lovely sunny island, I had a huge gigantic pimple at the side of my face and I applied it. For me, it worked better than Oxy. I don't know why but Oxy would leave a little burned mark on my face. So for those who suffer the same problem as me, this could be your solution :)

But my favourite product from them is the Touchy Classy "SunProof Sensitive". Above you can see this photo where I have only put on the product on half my face. It has this matte effect that helps to make your skin looks more even. The best thing it is water-based and is not like foundation. It can be easily removed without clogging your pores. 

Based on a bar concept, mySKINBAR is one funky brand. (ForFunk only shows you Funky stuff.) The packaging is very interesting. Check out this vacuum bottle whereby the bottom would slowly move upwards each time you pump. Was pretty bummed when I realise the bottle was not recyclable. Also, do check out the website which has a very very intriguing design. Click the links and you shall know.

If you are curious about the scent, let me tell you their products do smell pretty good. The tinge of methanol is light. I think this is just me, but I always favour products which smell good cos I just can't imagine putting something that smells bad on myself. 

I am sure many of you hearing how "Wow" this products are will be now curious with this brand since they really don't have a counter in departmental store. mySKINBAR is actually a local brand. Before you go "woa woa Singapore isn't really specialised in cosemetics", I would like to assure you that all products went through tireless research conducted in Europe and in the USA. 

If you are currently unhappy about the state of your skin, I would suggest you drop them a visit. Eva, the founder and Brenda are very nice ladies and have a genuine soft spot to help people with skin issues. I think most importantly, consultation at mySKINBAR is very comfortable and is not at all pushy. I mean when you are pretty much in the rut and seeking help, the last thing you would really want is for someone to cash in on your misfortune.

I am leaving their contact details here for those who need it. Cheers to breathable skin. :)

Da Vinci: Undoubted a talent

I am so sorry, but by the time you see this post, the whole event is over. I know you are possibly hating me right now. But in my defense, I was keen but not intending to go for it cos I am a moody little skank.

But I went in the end on the last day due to some edging from my friend and because well, since it is the last day, it is free. :)

It was teeming with so many people, it was actually quite impossible to take any photos. The exhibition as a whole I would say is quite interesting and actually spark my interest in the arts. Did you know how much thought was put to conceiving "The Last Supper"? 

Da Vinci is probably known for his art work, but you would be surprised at how all-rounded he is. He is an inventor, musician, architect etc. I think he is a very observant man, a little obsessed on Tessellation. For his art, do take special notice of the motifs and you would realise how intricate they are (usually consist of repeating shapes)

These are some of the photos I managed to snap there. It is unfortunate that me being really shallow had difficulty understanding some of the Art. I just people taking photo and I did the same. -.- After that, I asked my friend who was doing the exact same thing, so what is so fascinating about this art, and she couldn't give me a satisfactory answer.

Sorry, but no photography was allowed for the Codex Atlanticus, da Vinci’s largest notebook. I thought the giant crystals of the virus was pretty fascinating. They are quite pretty right, until they infect you Lol!

A good joke never dies. Sharing this here with you guys too. Whatsapp the BF the first quote and told him to re-name himself "Experience" for the sake of a wise daughter. Walked a few more steps down the exhibition and realize dang Experience is a lady. Guess the joke is on myself. :(

The photos are not edited :) Yes, that's how good the lighting there is. In fact, I do think that the Art Science Museum is quite a family friendly place with lots of activities for the kids. Of course, I am too mature to fight with the kids this time round.

Ending off with half of our dinner at Itacho Sushi, the cheap and good place that serve excellent Japanese food. Got sick of waiting for everything to be served and so we took a photo and quickly dig in. The discounted items was unfortunately OUT OF STOCK!!! Guess my luck ran out.

After all bitching, I am back into the game and ready to take on the Monday Blues by the horns. Sometimes, when we are grouchy we just want to hide in our comfort cave. But actually sometimes all we need is a good tight reality slap from our closest friends :)

Funky Find: Am I 55 years old already?

By now I am sure many of you have already heard of this viral website created by Microsoft. Now ladies, beware, you can no longer hide your age. (Really?!?)

Neh, I am kidding. You can still deceive the algorithm I am sure. With neutral make-up, most woman can look 10 years younger. I am sure if we use digitally altered photos, the effect would be even more amazing.

I am so sorry I shared with you so late on this fun app. Tried it on my way to the airport with various photos. My BF is certainly older than me. Now, we don't have to argue on that anymore. He had a consistent 24 years old if I am not wrong. Most of my photos show a good 20 (50%), none in my teenage. :( My guy friend managed to find a recent photo that showed him as a tender 18. The average age of his other photo was 35, how demoralizing, he is only 27. :P

Well nobody should be as upset as me. It seems I am 55 years old already. (One photo has accidentally reveal my true vampire age!) Did they think the hot dog bun in my mouth was the wrinkles? Lol. Kind of pitiful, I am already an aunty!

For those who want to try it out, click on the link here. Of course you could always manipulate the results by insisting on putting younger photos! Most people say I look young for my age. But maybe the late nights are taking a toll on my youth. Bleh.

But before you try it out for yourself, read this article here first. Apparently you may lose your rights to your photos! I guess the key is, does it matter?!? For me, I doubt no one is going to use 55 years old for an advert. Or will they? Microsoft claims they don't save your photos though. I have presented you both side of the coin. The choice is yours. :)

Sweet as Honey like Mummy

To all mothers out there, 

Happy Mother's Day!

My family usually don't celebrate on the actual day cos we would go to grandma's house. Unfortunately, grandma caught a bad sore throat like me :( So, this year, we will be shaking legs at home. Will only go out for a celebration when Little Bro is back.

Got this set of shampoo/shower gel & bubble bath with body lotion (Homemade Honey Buns) from Philosophy. Gave them to Mum cos I am as sweet as honey. And gosh, it smells damn heavenly, good enough to be eaten. *smack lips*

But I will let my Mum use it first because I am a good daughter, alright. Plus it is Mother's Day today!!! Woohoo. 3-in-1, I am excited to bring it for a staycation and do a nice bubble bath, once Mum gets sick of her own present :P

Shall end off with a dubstep I did when stuck in Jeju airport. Entertaining all mothers today. Yup, keep that dopey smile on your face! 

3D2N Jeju Tour Guide - 10 Must See of Jeju

Hey all, decided to post this up to help those who are planning for their Jeju trip. I spent a lot of time trying to find suitable programs to put in the itinerary myself. I am more into the Jeju nature and attractions you can only find there. If you are a person like me, then I think you will like our itinerary.

I touched down on the first day in the evening, so I pretty much missed out the first day. I have a list of optional things which you can put it into your itinerary if you have another full/ half day :) JeJu is about 2 hours ride from the west to the east, and each attraction you would probably stay about an hour and most attractions close by 6pm. I would recommend around 4-5 attractions a day, depending on whether you want to scale them :)

Full Day 1

1. Manjanggul Cave (Lava Cave - UNESCO)

It is a lava tunnel which I found pretty fascinating because it is not something you can see everywhere. It is really too dark for good photos if you are a person who is into photos, but this is a good place to hide out if it is drizzling for the day (Mine rained for 3 days in a row. Sigh!)

The Sotong Ball embedded in the rocks. Haha, maybe I am too hungry. Do tell me if you spotted it too!

2. Seongeup Folk Village

There is another folk village there, but I picked this one cos it is free (with guided tour too) and there are still villagers living in it. It is not a particularly long tour and it was kind of interesting to know more about Jeju history. There are guides who speak Mandarin too!

Don't give this a miss cos it is free anyway. :P

3. Seongsan Lichulbong Peak

This is the must-see of Jeju! I initially put is as optional because a few bloggers deemed it as nothing fantastic but my driver drove me there cos he said that everyone who comes to Jeju has to see this! And I totally agree, those other bloggers...sigh what were you thinking?!?

The view is gorgeous. These photos don't do justice to it at all. I am afraid I don't know what is on top because it was raining hard by then. All I see was fog. But the view as I was going up, absolutely breathe-taking! Do go to this!

4. Seopjikoji

It is also in my optional list. But I think since we drove past there, our driver stopped to let us take a few photos. I don't think it is that fantastic. But for fans of a particular Korean drama, I heard it was the filming place so for some of you, it could be a must go.

My driver thought it was not worth the climb since there was only a church and candy house there. I think so too. But the sea view is quite beautiful. But if you have been in JeJu for a while, you could be sick of it already. Haha.

Half Day 2

5. Osullok Green Tea Farm

The Green Tea dessert there was fantastic (After that I realised, it could actually be found in Seoul as well). I heard you could actually smell the scent in the tea leaves. Since it was raining, I sniffed nothing except dew. Lol! Nice place to get some good photos and to hide if it is raining. I could totally stayed longer if I wanted to do, but because time is sort of short, I had to run to my next destination. :(

6. Jusangjeolli Cliff

I think this is another must-go as well. My friend was there while I was in JeJu and he posed a darn gorgeous photo of it on his Instagram. My photo is a little more foggy and it doesn't seem as impressive when I am there. But the entrance fees is cheap, so I would recommend "Go La!"

There is a huge seashell there, but that is no highlight. I just wanted a selfie. *whines*

7. Sanbanggulsa Grotto

Basically, it is just Buddha in a cave. It is really optional. But it is so close to Yongmeori Beach (a must see), I think most people would come here anyway. For me, Yongmeori Beach was closed :( Guess I have things to go back for next time. And the dragon head is also within the vicinity. Takes some imagination, so I think it is just a bleh too.

8. Yongmeori Beach

Cos it was closed, so all these all the photos around it. Pretty upset, cos this beach had those layered cool rocks. :( I wanted to force my way in through the barriers but was berated by the BF for being reckless and willing to die for photos on my Instagram. I think it is a must-go. Do share with me the photos if you have been there and share with me what you think of the view.

9. Hyeopjae Beach

It is supposedly the beach where you can take photos of Mt. Halla. Eh, but I don't see it anywhere. I think it is just me. Haha. There are little creatures crawling on the rocks that totally grossed me out. Attempted taking a panorama photo with fisheye lens :P

Things we missed:

10. Hallasan National Park (take a day)
11. Jeongbang Waterfall (quite bummed we missed this)
12. Oedolgae Rock (Seogwipo) - Lonely Rock

Driver Details (English Guide)

Was begging around for an English Guide and was introduced to Mr. Cook by my friend's friend. Quite an accommodating guy. They said he was more on the expensive side. He was cheaper than the driver our host recommended so we picked him.

BF thinks he is above average and quite easy going. If you are interested, he can be reached at: jinhocook@gmail.com :)

Korea: Accomodation with Airbnb + BnBHero

Yeah, just got back from Korea and it seemed there are so many people interested about Airbnb. All my friends are asking my about it. In fact, it was one of my friend who introduced me to this site. And so I thought "Hey, let's do a post about my accommodation in South Korea (3 out of 4 stays in South Korea)!

I went to South Korea for 8D7N. Will share with you all the itinerary in the next post so as to help you all when planning. My BF is a pain when it comes to accommodation. His top requirements are a private toilet and air-con! For me, I am more for the photo-worthy view! :P

#1 Night - Lavina

Good location though not easy to find. It was definitely not as clean as what you see in the pictures and more like a guesthouse than a homestay. My BF was really mad with the stay and doubted the whole trip's accommodation. No Bedsheets, No air-con control (Had to bark at them before they found a way to produce the missing control) and the shower could not maintain its temperate. It was either steaming hot or freezing cold. I had to sleep with my jacket for blankets.

We were also locked inside the room, maybe cos the staff felt we were too irritating. It came to a point I had to keep going to the reception to demand stuff. I was tired, stressed and afraid of my steaming BF who was rattling on "forget it, forget it" It ruined his trip. In the end, we even missed the free breakfast. :( And my BF was happy he saved himself from more disappointment. Guess the answer is obvious, avoid this stay and don't be fooled by the reviews like I did. 

#2/#3 Night - Awesome Jeju BnB with in an Orchard

This is the really homely house we stayed in Jeju. It is pretty much in the rural areas, like in a middle of nowhere. It could be a little bit hard to find if you are driving youself, but we hired a driver :P

Apart from that, the view was fantastic and there is air-condition and floor heating! You even have your own private bathroom :) Just because you are my reader, let me tell you a cost-saving tip. Take the one with 2 single beds instead of 1 double bed cos it is a lot cheaper. The only thing is that your toilet is not in your room but you still get your private toilet!

And to add more credibility, these are my photos I took them. Was kinda of bummed that I missed the harvesting of the Tangerine (Oct-Feb). But still the view was fantastic. The whole layout of the house is a little bit westernized because the owner, Young used to study in the U.S. Even the breakfast was Ang-Moh. Haha! But Young speaks really good English, so there is no fear of miscommunication. Her sister, Jun doesn't really speak English but is very helpful and is always greeting you with a cheery smile.

The best thing about staying in a rural area is the food. Young and Jun would kindly drive us out in the evening for our meals at a nearby restaurant which serves the most delicious and super cheap food! Yup each meal was like less than SGD20 and one of them I had the yummy BBQ Black pork! *drools*

#5/#6 Hanok Homestay near Ankuk subway station

For those who are looking for a real hanok stay, this is the one! It is a lot cheaper than the commercialised hanok though if you compare to the other type of homestay, this is still on the steep side considering they do not provide breakfast! Their rate has increased from like USD20 to USD60 and I can understand why. Their location is really good, right smack in the Bukchon Hanok Village and Ji Hyun is really helpful. 

There are like literally no reviews on Hanoks and is so dang difficult to find a decent one. So do thank me for sharing with you this good one. Please note that it is extremely tiny. Me and my BF are sleeping literally on top of each other with our luggages at the side. And if you really wanna make out, you will be upset to know there are no locks. Haha, so close can touch yet cannot do anything beyond :P Anyway, BF just snored at me half the time :(

**This is the only 1 we booked under BnBHero instead because their selection was wider. Airbnb is like sleep on the floor means hanok already *roll eyes* Like this, I in Singapore also sleep hanok style liao la~!~

#7/#8 Soony Homestay

We chanced upon this on Airbnb and I was a bit hesitant cos they didn't have much reviews. For those who yearn interaction with their host and would like a glimpse into a traditional korean home, this is the perfect place for you. But please beware, it is so cosy, you don't really want to move around too much. Save this for your last pit stop.It is not as near to the city, in fact it is on the side of the Han river. But Soony and his wife are so hospitable, you ain't really that affected by the slightly longer distance.

Soony is very helpful so if you are not much of an independent traveler, you would really appreciate this homestay. (**Update: they are part of the KTO homestay programme.) Soony really wants to remember each and every one of his guests. BF and I took a lot of photos for him. And he even gave us a photo to take home. :P 

Oh, and did I missed out, Mrs Soony is a super super cook! I love all her Korean Breakfast. All her meals were really hearty and delicious. Their dinner cost 5000 Won per pax but trust me S$5 is too cheap. They even treated us to Japanese shrimps, which I thought was some Korean side-dish. Was kinda of sad I couldn't buy them. And on the first morning cos she wasn't at home, she made us lunch boxes to bring out. So sweet <3 

At their home, I made kimchi. Super regretted not learning her pumpkin coated in egg dish. Really heavenly. The only bit that I find could be improved was that they don't give the guests their own keys, so we came home late one day and Mrs Soony stayed up waiting for us *guilty* Also, the room has no air-conditioned (but very breezy) no locks and very exposed (NO making out for couples!!! They can evade you via the balcony) But overall, I enjoyed my stay so much, I sort of nominated them for exceptional homestay. Let's hope they win it. :)

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For those who are keen to try up Airbnb, please use my code :) I used someone else's code too and got a discount. Just click on code and you will get S$33. This will offset the admin charges you have to pay to Airbnb. Help me accumulate more cash for my next trip!

Till next time I travel before I review more homestay. Sian, back to reality again. Haix