My Little Pony Run: The Day of The Run

Call me a fan now! Yea, not am I now a fan of cute/awesome/cool races with a bunch of crowd, I am also now a Bronie!!! Officially. After the run, I pretty much desired for the merchandises with My Little Ponies prints. *Throws any last sign of professionalism out of the window* And I know my names now. *Blushes with fairy dust*

Yea, I took part in the competitive 6KM Bestie run with my Bestie of cos. The day started really early like me crawling up at 6AM. God knows how I did it, considering I was nursing a cold. But with sheer will power, I want my plushie, I did it. Took the wrong bus though (2 stops in the opposite direction before my sickly brain figured things out) Swiftly hopped off the bus and jay run to the bus stop on the other side like it was a pre-run exercise. (I am truly and surely growing more cool by the day)

Since I was so enthusiastic about the race, I even arrived early. But B was so so late and so to past time, I tattooed my face gloriously. Wanted to tell the world I like Rainbow Dash cos I love rainbows! And admired my outfit which was unintentionally matching :) I realised I actually do love tiffany green. This colour is actually so awesome despite being so difficult to match. 

As I was waiting for B, I met people who ooh and aww over the cuteness of my Tee (and me probably) as I munched on my breakfast by Bread Talk (Extra 1 bucks for the Soya which tasted so dang heavenly. Yum so free shout out to them.) A group of guys who obviously has no taste for cute things sighed at me exasperatedly "Not another one!" Well, the race is obviously kinda of gender specific. There were A LOT more females than males!

It was really awkward embracing the Bronie in me. But at Sentosa Island, I knew I was at home as I was gushing over the mascots and surrounded by people who are way more cray than me. There were fanatics in Pom Pom skirts, rainbow socks, sleeves. Anything pastel, rainbow, there were just fans that went to show their love. An absolute colourful festival if you ask me.

B and I did pretty awesome in our race. I slowed the team down as usual. But I did abnormally well despite running with my bag of tissues. I actually jogged for 4/6KM!!! And within an hour!!! Somebody clap for me please!

It is really a race about love and friendship. Parents with their kids and groups of friends. B and I spent 4KM humming and huffing. Pretty obvious who is which. And the 2Km when we were leisurely walking chatting and catching up. This time, the route was very, very friendly. No humps and bumps. Water points were decently and strategically placed.

If there was any thing that I was disappointed with, it seemed that I missed the bubbles and sparkles as promised. The whole route for me was pretty dull except for the coloured balloons. I actually ran with my phone and ended up not taking much photos. Bummed.

But...the fringe activities made up for everything!!! It was the best ever. I swear. Check out my rainbow nails. And B did a manicure too. Unbelievable. Thanks to the staggered timing, not all the time, the queues were unbearably long. I wanted to try the glitter tattoos too, but the sun got in my eye :P

Yea, it was kinda of embarrassing at first, squeezing with the young kids and their parents. But, I was sick...literally and also sick of being judged. Why should one fan be deprived from another. Damn, I am getting my pastel nails and enjoying all the free fringe activities. Awesome time I had!!! Would have really stayed longer if I hadn't run out of tissues.

Yea, and this is what we went there for. The Ponies Plushies. So many people snapping shots with them despite the sweat. It was kinda painful for me snapping my ponies as B and I were raining sweat and me arranging them on the green man-made green (Do you know everything looks good on those manicured grass backdrop!!) Planning to save them for my future kids. Guess which one is mine :P

Yup and we got our medals too. This time round, I am not taking them out to hang them proudly on my neck. Cos the last time, I had to wash my medal cos I was so freaked out having to display sweaty stinky medals. So nope, this time round, it stays in their plastic. Still very pretty in photos what!!!

Last picture of the ponies, as my BF call them...you mean you are going for the "Fat Ponies" Run. Pretty sure he is the true artist behind this drawing. I am hoping for a next My Little Pony Run. This deserve a round 2!!! 

Pretty Little Things Part 11

It's the 11th installment. Drumroll please. 

I don't really write about this topic much, but it is ok I am always game to get out of my own comfort zone. For those who asked about any new make-up out in market, this is like a cheaper UK alternative of Anna Sui. I have this penchant of judging a book by its cover. Especially when its cover looks intricate and elegantly designed, I will think the inside would be as awesome as its outside. 

So this is Rogue Bunny Rogue for you. Even with our shipping costs and tax etc., it still costs less than some of our indie make-up brands being sold at some places. The cost of living is rocketing here, I don't even have money to dress up :( If any of you have used this product, please do share on it!

Shopinstock - Yea this is their shop name is possibly one of the sites that sells stuff that truly appeal to me - quirky softtoys, phone cases and bags. Some of the items just makes me LOL. If you are looking to get yourself some cheerful pieces, do scroll around this shop. 

And...for my readers only, you are going to get 10% off every time you quote "ForFunk". Yeah...cost savings for you people! Hip Hip Hurray! And true to its name, they are all in stock, so no waiting!

This is not for every one, but part of me is so darn sure, it will come into trend soon. So I wanted to be one of the first few people in Singapore to write about it. Stake my rights on being a trend setter. So this is a Initial Cuff which I saw on Amelia Rose.

This is an overseas jeweler that sells really simple, classy jewelry. It is really suitable for corporate dressing. But there are some like the Semi-precious Wrap Bracelets that are more casual in nature. Generally, their designs are not trending/ available in Singapore yet. Even if you are not buying anything, you should go to their website to take a look at their designs!

And this rounds up our Pretty Little Things. Hope you like this installment.

Chien Chi Tow: Health Tui Na and Herbal Steam Therapy

A few days back, I actually went to try out a Healthy Tui Na and the Herbal Steam Therapy from Chien Chi Tow. Sounds like some 武馆 (martial arts school) from its name, doesn't it? Haha.

So, before going, I read some (not many) reviews online and they warned about potential soreness and redness maybe even bruise marks. Sounds so scary right, like someone is going to attack you during your health improvement session.

So here, I shall confirm/ dispel the myths. Yes, the massage is painful but you can tell the masseurs and they will adjust the strength accordingly. There were also soreness after the session the next 2 days. But...I did had better rest, felt lighter and my sore leg did had some relief. Of course, most of you will go it is all in the mind. But one thing that really impressed me about the masseur was how she got some of my habits right.

She identified my sore thighs though I didn't even mention a single thing about it. And even told me about my high pillow. So now I am using a lower pillow and doing my best to sleep flat like a soldier instead of my normal fetus position to prevent any more bad backs day!

In some online forums, they did mentioned that there a lot of PRC masseurs. I won't say I am the most pro-foreign worker person. But at the end of the day, it is really about being professional and being able to provide good services. Most parlors are also filled with foreign workers probably due to cost issues. My only problem is that when they are describing the ailments in Mandarin, I had some difficulty catching up. (Mandarin is so rusty).

But, I have to applaud them for being one of the friendliest and customer friendly places I have been too. They did ask me to drop by the Bendemeer and Katong outlet which was bigger. But no, the stubborn me picked the Clementi outlet to visit cos it was the most convenient Haha. They didn't know I was coming too, so I doubt I had sepcial review treatment. And despite that, it was very good. They would have passed their Secret Shopper test!

My favourite treatment was the Herbal Steam Therapy. I hope you like mushrooms cos you would come out smelling faintly like one. Basically, it is something like sauna. You will be in a 50 deg Celsius environment for roughly 20 mins. It is a good time to rest your eyes and just relax a bit.

After all the sweating, I think this is the treatment that makes you feel lighter and gives you that slightly flushed radiant glow. Really makes you want to have one in your house doesn't it? This treatment is not particularly expensive. About $30 for each steam. 

The Health Tui Na was actually really good. In fact, it made me regret pre-signing a massage package with my beauty parlour. :( And nope, I didn't have any bruises. However, given the recent scare in Tui Na, even I am in 2 minds about it until the media release a report on how the girl died. I do hope it is just an unfortunate correlation!

One thing you may note is that the appearance of Chien Chi Tow is definitely not as posh or elegant as the beauty massage parlors we are used to. The first impression is definitely not as good. But if you can really look beyond that, there is quite a lot of cost savings. Are you willing to pay 20% extra for neater uniforms, better furniture etc? 

Also, Chien Chi Tow  is also quite convenient with lots of outlets around Singapore. Plus, they are local too if you support local enterprises *Wink* Hey, I got do my research too ok!

Floral Garage Singapore: Flowers for Mum

Women always seem to have a thing for flowers no matter how old they are. Yeap, it was my Mum's birthday recently and so I thought why not give her a floral surprise!!! My Dad was rather un-involved apart from attempting to make sure she is home in time. So Bro picked the flowers and I penned the message on our family's behalf. HAHAHA

This is called teamwork! We got our flowers from Floral Garage Singapore which had a super huge selection. Thank god, their website was quite easy to navigate. You can pick based on your budget and the flower type etc. 

Surprise being surprises had lots of flops on its way. We picked quite a late delivery time (later than their norm) to ensure every one is home. Thanks to Floral Garage Singapore for accomodating! But still my brother had some last minute project work. So we were home even later. And our flower got delivered to my neighbour. Ooops. Haha, in the end had to walk over to collect and my Mum was like in the background screeching "WHY ARE YOU DISTURBING YOUR NEIGHBOUR SO LATE AT NIGHT!"

If you noticed, the card in our message was handwritten cos the typing machine broke down. 祸还真的不单行！Misery really love company doesn't it! But cos my mum was so overwhelmed with joy, she didn't even notice the tiny flops. LOL! That's the great thing about surprises. Nobody notices they tiny errors along the way.

And Mum being mums initially wanted to know the price and scold us on it. Halfway, she decided what done cannot be undone and happily went to change her clothes to take photos instead... Like LOL! I created trouble for myself and had to be her personal photographer looking for nice spots around the house for her to take her photos. Lol!

My Dad just looked along-side jealously. Did we just set a new standard!!! Lol! But to be rather honest, fathers are less celebrated than mothers. Just think of Father's Day versus Mother's Day!! Life is never fair and will never be fair!

Halfway through, my Dad decided enough is enough. He wanted photos too. So we my brother and I re-created those wedding photos poses! LOL! where they stare awkwardly at each other. My Mum insisted my Dad was making funny faces. My Dad just growled at her to get it done and over with and to be more professional HAHAHA!

We ended the day taking family photo instead. Had to rotate here and there to take the best shots cos my Dad claimed that his arm is too short to take wefies (-.-) WHY IS MY FAMILY SO LAME!!!!

Sharing more about Floral Garage Singapore, do quote "ForFunk" to get additional 10% off your bouquet!! Because I have dumb friends on instagram who needs link before they know how to buy, here's lotsa links for you. HAHAHA! The flowers here are really quite affordable.

If you are looking for cheap bouquets, less than $30, do check out the freestyle bouquet! Valentine Day prices differ of course! With my additional 10% off, more cost savings can be made. Also you can also get flower stands for corporate. 10% off to that as well. Shiok or what! 

V-Day 2016

Cos every year, I have been saving the best for the last. So, this year, bam it is first haha! Yea, I am a huge fan of the HJ Story art. Maybe I am creating my own too *winks winks* So inspired by one of their V-day art, I put the BF through the humiliation to prove his love for me.

Because I am such a nice girl, I took his face out so that you can only see his pouty lips which is still very cute. I am going to blow this up and make it my master bedroom wallpaper!!! HAHAHAHA~

This year was a rather low budget affair. Started off the day early with a visit to MAD Museum. This place was introduced to me by a dear friend who probably felt I needed to be more cultured. And I love this place. Firstly, it is quaint and it is not an overly commercialised art museum because it it quite a private art gallery. 

Secondly, it has a good deal of seats on the second floor for you to rest your feet as you admire the pieces. Thirdly, the exhibited pieces do change. If you have an appreciation for modern, contemporary art, I think you will enjoy it too. But please don't go when I am there because I love having this place to myself. P.S. the food there is yummy as well.

Went to my Top 5 places in Singapore you had to visit - Botanical Gardens. It was hot, hot, hot but still very beautiful. I used to go there when I was a kid and it has been a long time since I went there. Because, I really don't like walking haha! But I am glad to see all the old landmarks still there. I don't know why, but V-Day has been always particularly physically taxing. Haha!

Also tried Starbucks Breakfast. Okay, more like I had a sudden lack of money crisis. And the breakfast looked value for money at that time. Yea, I should really eat grass if I am broke. But can't help it, I am a truly Starbucks Girl. You can take money out of her, but you can't take the Starbucks out of her. Haha.

Went to Hediard for tea, but it was so fulfilling - that was lunch! Branded as a luxury Gastronomy Boutique, I have to say the food was really really good. But despite being half empty, it took an hour after our coffee/tea was served, before I could really eat something! :( Almost wanted to ta-bao the food away cos we had Deadpool to catch. (Super awesome movie by the way!)

But that would really defeat the purpose of a leisure tea. For girlfriends who need a place to catch up, this is perfect. Of course, the French being the French, have an exquisite palate and perfection obsession. Probably explains why it took so long and tasted so good. Would recommend this only if you have patience and time to spare.

Love V-Day this year! But I say that every year (:P) Maybe I just like the time spend with BF doing anything/nothing... <3

Weekend Project - Leather Cardholder Craft

If you feel that appearances better, then trust me what you use to hold your professional name-cards matter as well. It is somewhat an indicator of your status and maybe corporate status. Start the Year of the Monkey looking smart, shall we?

Of course, not everyone you meet in the corporate is superficial, although in some careers, some may be more than the rest. But we shouldn't go into listing should we?

For me, my ideal namecard holder is bespoke. Lol, preferably personalised because I want to be able to identify at a glance. Given the klutz I am, I will probably take wrong holder home at major networking event. Oops~~ Hehe.

Colour-theme wise, I used prefer bright colours. But sometimes people condemn me as flighty and impulsive because personal taste. And so, for corporate reasons, I would suggest the safer autumn colours or black. Sometimes, if you attend fairs etc, they would give out card holders and some are pretty well designed. But usually the quality sucks and would flake :( Indeed, nothing in life is free.

For any of you looking for a good cardholder, last minute V-Day gift...probably too last minute, you might be interested in the Weekend Project. They do sell other leather crafts as well, so you might like to check them out. Their 2 most popular items are the Flexi and the Overlap. I am actually using the Overlap.

If you don't like overly complicated stuff, this is good because the design is simple. It can store many namecards and it is easy to retrieve them. Hand-made, the stitches are well done so no worries about bursting card-holders. And of course, you can also emboss your initals like I did. All products come in a lovely pouch which could be used to store other things. Teehee~~

To let you all know a little on the hard work behind the making of leather craft, Weekend Project has kindly shared with us on the behind the scenes!!!

Here you see the pieces are being cut to the required size. Depending on the product that being crafted, most of them require an initial finishing of edges that are hard to access after assembly, ensuring that all the edges are well finished

For those who pick embossing, the initials are actually embossed before assembly! This is to achieve a uniform depth as it can be laid flat on its back. During assembly, parts are glued together and holes are punched using a diamond chisel. They produce diamond shaped holes that guides and complements the stitching. 

All products are saddle-stitched for strength (This cannot be achieved by machines!) Edges are sanded, bevelled, burnished and finished lightly with wax for durability. And tada~ your leather craft is born.

We hope this post is interesting for you guys! Do tell us if you want to have more of behind of the scenes of our local budding artisans!

Nailgasm: Little Ondine Review

Nail Junkies alert, I have 好货要介绍 (good stuff to intro)! If you know me personally, you will know how much I actually love to have painted nails, but how sucky I am in painting my nails. Lol! Such irony!

As you may know, many of our traditional nail products produce a really bad smell, which is harmful to the body. They also contain dangerous toxins, which are unsuitable for pregnant ladies and children. But, yea, sometimes I think I accidentally swallow them when I eat with my hand. Ooops.

My biggest grouse would probably be that the nail polish more often than not are difficult to remove. Still need to invest in a remover sian :( And for a novice like me (still a amatuer after so many years!), it is very difficult to obtain a simple and beautiful look without a professional manicurist.

I came across this brand - Little Ondine and was really eager to test them out because...you don't need a nail polish remover to remove this! Awesome or what. Think about the potential cost-saving. Not only that, you don't need to put on a protective bottom coat because it is chemical-free, you don't have to worry about the yellow stains when you remove the nail polish! :)

So, I tested out the Peek-a-Boo (Dark Navy Blue seems to be my latest favourite colour :P) because of its shimmery texture which I think will be easy to control and also the Morning Glory. I just get a kick from uncommon colours! Wanted to try out Overnight but it was near OOS. Otherwise, I could have tried out patterns.

As CNY was around the corner, I had to keep cleaning up the house. Boo, so I delayed the review, didn't want to ruin the nails. So check out my CNY colours, Whee! Now I am ready for CNY. For Peek-a-Boo, it is kind of obvious the first coat is rather light in shade. I used a total of 3 coats to have the dark navy blue coat. :)

This is to date the simplest nail polish to use, simply because it dries decently fast. I can continuously oscillate between my 2 hands. And when it comes to removing and badly done botch, it is clean and efficient.

I used cotton buds and cotton swaps. Generally you can use that the texture is like a piece of those removal face-mask when you gently scrap it off the side. At times, when I find the nail polish unsatisfactory, I just tear off the whole coat. YES, IT IS THAT EASY! And it is very clean too, not much residue left behind. Hurray!

This is probably the best characteristics of this product. However, do note that because there is no top coat, the polish is very vulnerable. It is also very hard to do slight amendments, because it is quite sticky so if you try to peel a side of it off, the whole piece could come off. Not that it happens too many times, 1/10 nails only. Haha

Morning Glory for me is harder to handle because it is more viscous in texture. I am always not so good with the solid colours as compared to the shimmers because any mistake is so obvious. :( Comparatively, the coat seems thicker, so I only used 2 to get my desired shade (Mum's nails by the way!) But of course, usually shimmery colours are more sheer in nature. The coulour is just darn cool yea! Mum was head over heels in love.

Personally, I think Little Ondine is really easy to use for newbies or people with not much talent. Even I can create a manicured effect :P Perhaps my only grouse is that, compared to the traditional nail polishes, the tip chips easily. And when it chips, like a face mask, it rolls ups. So it is more difficult to "save" it.

And yes, you can do nail stickers too! I proudly endorse the Little Ondine!!!

Review: Avalon Organics Shampoo and Conditioner

Do you wanna have ghostly healthy hair like me? Lol. Before Chinese New Year, still can use slightly inauspicious words like "ghost" etc.

Now that my hair is healthy and straight, I intend to keep it that way :P I am still not that "on" about organic haircare, but my Mum is crazy about it, intending to keep the family "crown" free from parabens. Sigh, but parabens are what keep the hair silky smooth, you know. But definitely, I would prefer cancer-free over a luscious mane anytime.

I got to give organic haircare a go. And the brand I tested was Avalon Organics. In terms of packaging, Avalon Organics has this sleek, stylish look (environmentally friendly too) which will make you so proud showcasing it in your bathroom.For me, most organic shampoo usually leave my hair pretty dry so I would need to spam a whole lot of conditioner after.

One of the best sellers is Avalon Organics Lavender Nourishing Series which I gamely tried out. Personally, I feel that that this shampoo doesn't foam much, and that causes some problem because I would be spamming a lot of shampoo on my head. Plus, the liquid is rather watery, so a huge amount of the shampoo flow out quickly from the bottle in a single light press. :( But I can totally understand why this is a best-seller. The lavender scent is very relaxing and lingers mildly on your head after a wash. Very good for the insomniac. 

And tada, presenting the best organic shampoo ever - the Avalon Organics Biotin B-Complex Therapy Thickening Series. This series really does curb hair loss. Usually, when I am even shampooing my hair, a handful of strains have already conveniently met their demise. But when I was using this shampoo, my hair happily stuck on my head.

Depending on individual's preferences, I personally enjoy a more woody scent. So this is now my favourite series! Yeah! For those who are interested in other organic beauty products, you may visit Smoochiezz. Another product I really like from them is the Konjac Sponge. Happened to buy one during their road show and it is awesome!!! P.S. it survives longer when you freeze it (yea i freeze everything!) :P

Do comment or share if you know of any other organic brands that will put my new favourite to the test. :)