Happy 2017!

We had a really quiet New Year this year as well. Maybe cos we are both growing old and just want to waste this year away just enjoying a slower pace in life. But if you enjoy wasting time maybe it is not a waste after all right? :D

So I decided that the BF will cook this time round, cos I made a great soup the last time using the slowcooker. (Everyone needs this electrical baby. It is so easy to use, even for a novice like me!) On our way to his house, we saw this Ice-Cream Kiaping Machine. Hehe. So interesting!

For $2.50, you can have unlimited tries till you get one. I was hoping to catch 2 at one shot but I guess we both ain't very good at it. Anyway, the ice-cream was rather soggy so it is just an interesting experience. I am not sure if the students around the area catches it too, so the ice-cream probably isn't very fresh. Haha.

But I paid for it. So I can decide how I choose to squander away my wealth. Great start to a New Year! And for the first time, I accidentally destroyed the BF hairstyle LOL! I showed the hairstylist a very trendy male haircut. And the Auntie gave him an overly-short "toot toot" cut. Maybe sub-consciously I was trying to help him to save money for New Year. #Excuses

And so I was punished and given this un-savory spicy Korean soup. I really think I am the better Chef. I literally contributed nothing to the soup because I wanted to watch "Brave" on TV. Haha, even told him I will assist periodically, which basically means during advert. But he didn't seem to appreciate it :P

Not sure why the meat was a bit tough. Shall "steal culinary skills" from my parents, yea new resolution for 2017!! So 2017 is starting on a rather quiet note. It is probably going to be less purposeful since I intend to laze around and touch my toes, but still I don't see why it won't be meaningful.

Here's a cute pic to end off the year. And may you all have a fantastic 2017! <3

Funky Find: 42 Race

So I thought I would share with you all a virtual run organiser - 42 Race. To date, I have done 2 races with them, received my badges and even won a unicorn bedroom slippers. <3

Initally, I was rather worried that this was those scam websites. I couldn't find any online reviews. There were some Facebook comments but I still had doubts. I only proceeded with the race because I really wanted the unicorn badges (for the love of unicorns) and it was still quite cheap (S$9.90 a race).

There are usually 2 type of races - 21 Day Challenge and a fun themed race. I took part in both and is now habitually more active. I don't run but I do brisk walk on a daily basis. Sometimes I even swim. I guess it was pretty good in making me more active.

I usually join only if I like the badges and prizes. Sad to say for the upcoming year, I don't really like the Horoscope badges. So probably only going to run for my month :( But... I am not breaking my habit. Just probably not paying to collect the running badges.

Would really recommend 42 Race if you are looking for cheaper themed races and want to avoid the crowds. But if you prefer atmospheric runs, then of course it would come at a premium.

Stay active and fit! I will probably write about my fitness regime next year. I think it is going to be rather impressive cos I have a mix of sports. But mainly relaxing ones. LOL. I am after all a sloth!

May your days be merry and bright

Merry X'mas everyone! This year is a pretty special and quiet one because I didn't even spend it in Singapore. :P It just happened that my cousin is getting married on Christmas itself, so we all went overseas!

This year, I think I made an active effort to improve my wellbeing. I am now quite into walks. Even On X'mas itself, the BF and I even went to the hotel gym at 6++am. And for the first time, I clocked my miles faster than him!

And X'mas really awesome this year because for the first time after a long time, the BF actually got me an X'mas Gift. Hmmm, did he do anything wrong this year?!? Haha, and so I got myself pretty "useful" goodies. Although some may wonder how practical a face and head massager actually is.

A few weeks back, we loitered around my new favourite store - Miniso. I was pretty intrigued because it was a cheaper version of Muji. The things had this minimalistic, sleek design at a very affordable price. And they also had some weird stuff, like the head and face massager. I wanted the electronic face scrub too but he didn't get that for me. Despite their weird looking exterior, I would really recommend the head massager. It was so good when you massage it against your temple. The face massager was just gimmicky.

So, I pretty much spend the trip catching pokemons, LOL eating (sometimes it is the BF who insist on supper even though my parents have made huge effort in feeding him. How much does he needa eat?!?) and also going to places my parents went on date? Yea, cos our town is pretty small so there isn't really much to do.

Just a fresh respite from all the bustling hassle I guess. And then...it will be another public holiday ushering the new year. Not sure about you, but now that I am older, time seems to be flying really fast. Either that, I must be enjoying life. (Time past when you are having fun!)

You've Been Bloomed!

Feeling it is already X'mas mood already. I hope you got your X'mas deco ready. Just in case your office table isn't ready to welcome Santa, here's a cute mini Christmas Tree to do its magic. Customisable, it comes with colourful baubles. But nobody is stopping you from adding more trinkets on your tree.

Just in case you are wondering where to get your very own mini Christmas Tree, please visit A Better Florist to you. The Mini Christmas Tree is a seasonal thing, so if you want a tree of your own, you may need to get it fast.

You may be curious, A Better Florist is local. Featured on Forbes, Huffingtonpost and Straits Times, it has grown tremendously over the course of one year as a start up. If you are one to support Singaporeans, do buy your annual blooms with them . Especially for same day delivery, this is one site you can visit. :D

Lastly, wishing you all a very blessed and merry Christmas! Have a fun time decorating your X'mas trees and ripping open all the beautiful presents. :D

TeoChew Festival

Most of you may not know but I am a TeoChew. So since I got tickets to the TeoChew Festival, I decided to squeeze out time on the last day to go "see-see-look-look". Usually I am not that busy, but because my parents were overseas, so I was pretty much bogged down by housework. (T.T)

I was quite glad that the exhibition was at Sands Expo and Convention Centre instead of Expo cos this location is a lot nearer to my house and...there are pokemons to catch. Kidding. At the entrance, there were a lot of "province flags" Didn't know that at first and was wondering why were people even taking photos of specific flags. Haha. #shallow

Most people I spoke to were there for the food. And so was I? It was pretty the first place the BF and I zoomed to. There were like so many people so it was really difficult to find seats. If you read most reviews online, you would now that the food is pretty expensive, especially those flown in specially for ShanTou (The queues for those food were really long too!) Just a small tip, you can exchange your tickets for a S$3 discount. 

Like many true-blue TeoChew, I really love my TeoChew dishes. My favourite is the Or Ni. But one of the aunties told me it wasn't fantastic so I didn't have it. We had Lor-Ark (Braised Duck) and O Luak that was specially flown in instead. It was worth every penny and queue-time. And considering how Teo Chews treat all Teo Chews as family, the Aunties sharing our table also shared their Muah-Chee and Prawn Rolls with us. They even told me more about my heritage roots #FeelingTheTeoChewLove :)

We actually had Tang Yuan too, but they named it differently. I don't have much selfies to share this time round, cos they are all in my BF's phone. (T.T) And he doesn't seem proactive about sharing photos with me. Sigh. 

At the festival, we didn't use cash. But instead we were supposed to use NETS FlashPay. And so I took the opportunity to get myself a cute NETS Flashpay card. There are 5 other designs inspired by the TeoChew Opera, but it didn't really make sense to get so many NETS card even if it is for collection. So just 1, for souvenir and to tell all cashier I am TeoChew. Haha.

There were also booths selling artisan's craft. They were pretty expensive so I didn't buy any. Was just satisfied to take photos and admire the works. I can't really find the embroidery art pieces and silk. I was very sure I took photos of them. Lost? Sigh. Was actually contemplating to buy a silk scarf for my Mum cos it was the only affordable thing there.

You must have heard of the "Si-Dian Jin" usually used the dowry. So...I probably will get my own set in future. Yeah. There were gold for sale too. But, I would likely get a huge smack from my Dad if I buy those (whether on impulse or not). Many of the aunties I spoke to actually for the Opera. Those artistes sang really well, like a lark. But we didn't have the time to sit down and enjoy. But we would still hear it in the distance as we were exploring the exhibition. 

If you wander down the "old streets", you would also see stalls selling traditional snacks. I am not sure whether they are TeoChew though and also an exhibition on the life of the TeoChew forefathers. Overall, I would say that I actually know a lot about my heritage. And the aunties were very upfront about how I should start learning how to speak TeoChew. I am learning via eavesdropping and making pretty good progress. (My relatives are quite impressed with my snippets of TeoChew Lol!)

My budget for the day was S$50-S$100/pax. The biggest bulk of the expenditure was spend on food. I heard couples scolding their other half "Eat later, outside cheaper!" But you would really be missing out if you missed the food cos it is not the typical stuff you could find outside.

The activities are mostly free - Por Geh (Letters to send home) and Chun Lian. I designed both :) The queue are quite long but still shorter than the food. These were the nice, free souvenirs. I really wanted to bring home a Kueh Plushie, but it was so expensive. S$40!?! Part of me wanted to wait for the last hours sales (Yes, it pays to come on the last day!) But cos we had a party later, we really had to leave. T.T

Would have bought home a Kueh if it is 50% off. But fortunately, I got a another unrelated freebie that is so darn adorable. Yes a gas canister!! Overall, I really enjoyed myself and would likely make another visit next year. Hopefully, for 2017, I will be embracing my culture a little more, picking up interesting hobbies along the way. :D

Christmas Version: Top 3 Products of Beauty Keeper

Now that I have tried out some of the products from Beauty Keeper gifted on Giftopia, I will now share with you my Top 3 favourite products in their box. If you would like to try them out, you can visit their website as they are on sale there as well. :)

1. Minorca Ideal Flawless Beauty Cushion

By now, it is really no secret that this is my favourite product in the box. Any time you see my face with make-up, I am using this foundation. I like it cos it provides really good coverage. It is quite easy to apply even for a novice like me. Even without a powder to finish and set it, I think it still look very good.

Maybe it is because I have no particular preference for foundation as long as it covers the uneven shade and makes my skin looks flawless. Haha. Plus, despite being rather fair, it is of my shade. :D

2. Camellia Essential Intensive Hair Oil

The thing about curls, it is really a lot harder to maintain. And so for the first time in my life, I actually had hair tangles. Of course, it didn't happen overnight. For a month or so, I slacken on my conditioner and even didn't bother to comb my hair. My hair tangles were so bad my Dad actually asked me to cut my hair. But I didn't want to cos this meant that the curls would be cut off too.

So, I ransacked the Beauty Keeper Box and decided to try out the hair oil since there is nothing to lose really. And 3 days later, still without conditioner but I combed my hair once a day, my curls revived. :D

Generally, my hair responds very well to oil. So I can't entirely be sure how much the Camellia Essential Intensive Hair Oil played a part in it. But I like the product for its sweet, olive smell and its small packaging. Comparatively to other hair oil products in the market, it is a lot more portable and easier to slip in the bag.

The price however is on the steep side so I use it sparingly. And it doesn't help that my thirty hair keeps absorbing the oil at an exorbitant rate. But I have to say, it does provide a nice shine to my hair and gave more bounce to my hair. Is it the power of hair oil or just this particular hair oil? I really don't know, at least it saved my locks from a tangled mess.

3. Eyes Light

So this year was not a year where my beauty and health basically took a bad toll, too much stress maybe. I was thought my waist was the most beautiful part of me, and then it accumulated a protected ring of fats. So I decided my dimple was my best feature and then I lost my smile and it grew less defined. I then moved on to my expressive eyes, since I am always proud of how little eye wrinkles I have.

And then, the crow eyes slowly became more visible. It was as though every thing I like about myself would crumble against the test of time. Maybe I should just like my belly button (And then it will get dirty.) I only tried the Eyes Light cos I heard it was good. And it is really not bad. It made my weary eyes looked less tired and contained the wrinkles. My only grouse was that it squirts out too much product at each pump. Grr.

--- End---

Coincidentally, I realized my favourite products are the same as the popular at Beauty Keeper. Hehe. I still have some products I have yet to tried. Will comment on them maybe next month. I only got one face la. I can't possibly try that many at a go right! Must finish one by one especially if they are of the same function.

Giveaway: Fashionable Sleepyheads

Rise and shine, sleepy heads! Ok, I previously wrote a lot on how to get a goodnight sleep. One of the most important element is comfortable sleepwear. Given the warm, humid weather in Singapore, I always like mine, light and airy. 

They don't necessarily have to be of lesser fabric. Sometimes I do wear longer pants too, rarely though, simply because there are mozzies around. But still they would have to be cooling because I hate waking up in sweat.

Most Singaporeans are usually pretty sloppy in bed. Cos you know, this is one way to recycle your old clothes that are not yet tattered but still cant walk around in them. So usually we home-wear them till we "hole" them and voila, we know got our rags to wipe when cleaning our house. 

But still it is always nice to have a nice, decent set of sleeping clothes. There will be occasions where you are sleeping over with friends who have never seen you in your worse, at dorms or even first night stayover/ vacation with the lover. These are times you are not ready to let some people know how much of a slob you can be.

So here's a nice set of sleepwear from Deshabille hailing from Australia, which is now available in Zalora. I picked for myself a Bellini Top in Black because it seemed versatile and Aviary Sleep Shorts. I think I picked slightly oversized for myself. Do note the top is quite a sexy cut in at the bosom area. If you want to double it out as a casual top, you might want to take a size smaller.

The shorts are adjustable, thanks to silky straps. Because I am using it mostly for sleepwear, I am ok with it being a bit bigger. I toss and turn like a turbulent wave, plus I really don't like the feeling of being wrapped and the feeling of things sticking to me in bed. #FreedomInBed

I thought I would highlight the design of the Aviary Sleep Shorts because it really stood out to me. It was artistic but not boring. I am not that much of a fan for striking designs but I really like the fact that the birds were gaily coloured and the straps were in my favorite shade of turquoise. I guess I am quite a blue person. *Chuckles*

And at the bottom there were the cute "pom-pom" designs that made it look more special and fashionable. Dressing well to bed does make you wake up more confidently to the extent of taking I woke up like this photo. The shorts are truly sleeping shorts, I wouldn't recommend you wearing them out unless you want lechers gawking at your legs. :P

Cos X'mas is coming and I guess you guys are lucky, ForFunk will be doing a giveaway!!! And yes, the winners get to have sweet dreams with Deshabille :) As usual, I am keeping it easy and simple.

MECHANICS

1. Follow Deshabille on Facebook. 

2. Share any product post from Deshabille Facebook wall and tag them stating "I want to win Prize X. ForFunk bought me here". Non-product post shared disqualifies them from the contest.

PRIZE * This is exciting!

There will be not 1, not 2 but (3) winners of a short and top set. 

Prize 1: Bellini top white + Ahoy PJ Shorts

Prize 2: Bellini top black + Ici Et La shorts black/white

Prize 3: Faithful cami ivory + Ici Et La shorts pebble/white

Contest ends on 26 December 2016!

So, thank you and do continue to support ForFunk and we will on our end try to reward you with "Fan"tastic gifts and perks. Some of you will win a set of comfy sleepwear and you will be sure to rest well. Cos even dreamland welcomes those who are better dressed more warmly. LOL!

Som Tam - Thai Fusion Restaurant Review

Not surprising from my moniker, my favourite cuisine is Thai - rich, savory spicy food. Given that when I eat out, this is the usually the Top 3 cuisines I would eat, I think I can provide a pretty fair, but maybe slightly bias perspective.

Fortunately, it is once again a sibling get-together day. So, my brother has kindly decided to contribute feedback to make sure the review is not skewed in any sense. My brother's favourite cuisine is Chinese and seafood (Is that even a cuisine? *Roll Eyes). 

Here's a photo of the happy siblings indulging in their delicious platter. So a brief introduction of Som Tam. Som Tam is part of the Jus Delish Group, which owns Ghin Kao, Kwan Inn Vegetarian and Talay Kata as well. All the dishes are the creative product of their managing director, Ralph Liow. 

Som Tam is more known for their Thai Fusion Dining. So a lot of the dishes are slight twist from the traditional Thai Food in a good, yummy way. They are considerably trendy in their ingredients so don't be shock by seeing truffle, burgers or even salted egg as ingredients in their menu.

Som Tam has a new menu launched in 1st December. So what we had last evening was mostly the signature dishes from their menu. Tom Yum is a must have when you are in a Thai Restaurant. So mostly, you see them either red, or colourless. This is the first time I have ever seen Tom Yum Black.

Presenting Tom Yum Black, the soup base is stewed, simmered for 3 hours before adding the squid ink and the feast of fresh seafood. When we saw Sotong inside the soup, we pretty much guess the black came from squid ink. I didn't try the prawns but my brother said the prawns were bitter maybe cos from the squid ink. If you don't like something too spicy, you might want to tell the chef beforehand, because this was way hot even for my standards.

I don't think this is entirely Thai, but the Deep Fried Chicken with Creamy Salted Egg is so dang good. I endorse it. Please order it if you are there. It is not that uncommon in Singapore, but Som Tam did it better. I lost all table manners as I unabashedly gobbled up the last piece, scraps and the plate if I could.

Even my brother did not make snide remarks about "Nothing Special". Mind you, he will say such stuff when he eats. Talk about hurting a chef's feelings. But this one really pleased him. He was like "thumbs up".

If you are seafood lover, you might want to try King Crab Pasta as well. It reminded us a lot of a very delicious angel-hair pasta we had in another restaurant. Not the type with gravy, the noodles is doused mild Tom Yum seasoning. But it is not spicy at all.

The only grouse the critical siblings was that it can be quite messy to eat if you don't know how to handle the pincer. I would say I am an expert in it after someone shown me once. :D My brother is quite the contrary. It is not that difficult but you just need to know the technique. But the mess was worth it according to my brother.

Thirsty, here are some drinks which may be of interest to you.

1. Thai Iced Tea - A must have at all Thai Restaurant but my brother thinks it is nothing special.
2. Coconut Mojito - Something special, he swapped his Thai Iced Tea for mine, cos a ChaaYen must have ChaaYen.
3. Yuzu Honey Iced - My brother says it is nothing special, but I find it a good thirst quencher and something that is lighter after a savory meal.
4. Thai Green Tea Freeze - The brother thinks it is more special than the milk tea. Yea, actually most people like the Green Tea compared to the Milk Tea. Cos I think there is the additional pandan scent in it. 

If you have a sweet tooth like me, don't miss out the desserts. You might need to take 2 instead of 1 portion. Haha. Everybody loves the Mango Sticky Rice, so we just had to try it. The Sticky Rice is once again shockingly black, because it is the Or Chu Bei (Black Gluttonous Rice I think, sorry very sure with the English name).

It was a very nice combination, better than the original and even the one I had in Bangkok Airport. It doesn't look that great in photos, but please don't give it a miss. It is named the Mango with Black Sticky Rice by the way.

If you wants something that gives you good Instagram photos, I would recommend the Charcoal Toast. At first I thought it was just cream and ice-cream. But no, it has salted egg for you to drench the toast.

I am quite a salted egg lover, so I thought there should be more salted egg concoction. It is not just a look-good dessert ok, it is a piece of heaven, sinful one though. Yikes.

And here's some other food we had that didn't stand up as much.

1. Deep Fried Tom Yum Soft Shell Crab 
2. Pan-Seared Salmon Rice Burger - The rice was really the plain rice so we actually mixed with the Tom Yum Soup. My brother felt some soya sauce to dip would be nice. The Salmon is pretty good though. 
3. Krapaw Neua - Good but too full liao to even think of licking the plate.

You are definitely likely to come back for more because firstly you will be very satisfied with the food. And secondly, there is really no way you can try everything during a visit. Looking at my brother's face of confusion, so flustered with what to start first. So I thought I would want to share with you the Membership E-card.

Just for a sign up fee of S$19.90, you will get S$30 worth of full value, And every 10% of the bill each visit will be converted into points. And on your birthday, you get another S$25 with double the points! Also you might want to check out their platform which let you have access to prioirty booking. And if they fail to deliver your first dish after 15 mins you arrived at the restaurant, the next meal is on them!!! Great deal right!

If you want to read more about my Thai Food recommendation in Bangkok, you may check out this post. :D

Going MintMintLily

So yesterday was one of my cousin's wedding and I was very fortunate to have some nice accessories from MintMintLily to go along. Generally, I found MintMintLily to be very sweet and demure. Apart from blings, I also find my style slowly moving towards pastel lately. Maybe I am just trying to be more feminine. LOL!

I guess what pleased me the most apart from the quality was the packaging. Honestly, Carousell is pretty much a hit-and-miss marketplace. Although there are quite a good deal handmade products available,  I think MintMintLily belongs to category you won't know it is handmade unless told. It is just so well-made!

My personal favourite was the Flower Bead Customisable Earrings. When I first saw it, I thought it was really pretty, cos it looked like a glass flower. <3 If you can't have glass slipper, hey at least have glass flowers for earrings right? There are colours you can customise, but I picked Mint because since they are called MintMintLily, I thought it would be interesting play around with Mint.

I was a bit torn between pastel blue and mint, cos I think deep down inside I am a blue at heart. LOL! And if you really look closely, you will be gushing at the details. The golden petals at the side are so delicate and gorgeous. If you like glassy stuff, they have a few other variation of earrings that you may pick from as well.

Another thing I wanted to highlight was the clasp. I swear I have never seen such clasps before, but they are very secure. My Mum was like screeching in the car, your earrings are tilted, wear it properly before the hooks fall off. I was happily telling her "Puh-leez, it will never fall off." And now you guys know why :D

The bracelet that I picked for myself was the Cotton Candy- 2 tone Woven Gold Braided Dainty Bracelet because it has mint in it as well. And I don't have such woven bracelets in my own collection. Plus being a harmonious person, I can never resist a peace sign for a charm.

The owner also send me the Holographic Citrine Gold Wrap Bracelet and erm, quite embarrassingly I actually like it more than the woven bracelet I picked for myself. Sometimes, I really don't know what is wrong with me to the extent people know my taste better than I know myself. So I concluded I probably like crystal-like stuff or my taste has grown to be classier. :)

I wore them stacked by the way. There are some fashionistas that came out with rules that you should always stack matching bracelets. I have never followed that and I still think it looks awesome. Perhaps the rule of thumb should be it mustn't clash more than it should match. 

Finally ending off with an LOTD. Once again, it is another peacockish dress. I found it in my wardrobe. But I just haven't been in the mood to wear it for a while? Or maybe I forgot how to style to without looking outlandish.

My clogs from Sandgrens were also a little forgotten, but hey they look awesome with this dress. Cos the dress is too outstanding, so we need a little more toned-down footwear. I did pair the Sandgrens during my younger days. Check out those LOTD here. Let me know what you think about my looks and accessories. <3