Busy bee

Too many things to do, too little time.

Will update with a beauty product review soon! It's currently my favourite lip product and I went crazy and bought 4 shades! :)

Eat more, gym more

I have a couple of thoughts that I feel I should just add into this blogpost. Nothing to do with food, but maybe after reading my long-winded paragaphs, the food photos will make you feel better. 

So, yesterday I had a wonderful dinner with two of my closest guy friends (10 years plus of nonsense already oh my gosh!) and we talked about many things, but more so about the romantic relationships that we all have currently. 

The three of us have really different situations. One couple barely argues, one couple argues a lot but gets over the argument quickly (kengyang and I) and one couple recently argues a lot but there seems to be no resolution to the arguments. 

Two of us were trying to help another analyse the toxic arguments that he had with his girlfriend and we came to a conclusion that insecurity and lack of expressiveness were the main culprits. And as a person who has somewhat overcome insecurity, I truly understand why the girlfriend was being difficult. 

Personally, I have treated Kengyang very vilely before as well, and my behaviour was completely unacceptable - I would be really mad at him, but I would not tell him why I was mad. I was hoping he could guess his way through. Being insecure also meant that I was extra sensitive to whatever he did or said. I would also manipulate his words. For example, he would say things like, "wah your dress today very nice!", and I should be happy right?? But no, instead I snapped at him and said, "so yesterday my outfit not nice lah??"

Now that I think about it, I was a complete tyrant. Props to kengyang for sticking with me. I noticed more and more of my friends started to keep their distance and in the midst of confusion and hatred, I realised I have to change myself and stop declaring my insecurity to the entire world. 

So, that was also when I started to tell Kengyang things that made me unhappy, and I guess that improved our relationship a lot. We still argued about the silliest things, but we also stopped the argument as quickly as it had started. 

It took me a couple of years to stop being such a bitch to my boyfriend, but I'm glad he waited, and I'm glad I made the decision to throw away my ego and change myself. 

So, I told my friend to give her another chance. Try to make it work again and give her some time to realise her errors. And my friend truly loved his girlfriend and he agreed that he should give it another shot. But of course, he shouldn't let his love blind his rationality. If at the end of the day, things really cannot work out, then it will be best to end the relationship. 

It's not easy to have a completely trusting and tension-free relationship. But if both parties decide together to fix the problems, I don't think it's that difficult to achieve. It takes two hands to clap right? 

Ok, food photos time. :D 

FYR Cycene Ond Drinc

19 Boon Tat St, Singapore 069619

Some Tze Char stall at Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre

116 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 588172

Hanare Japanese Cafe (food is always great, I've been here 4 times and always delicious!)

99 Tanjong Pagar Rd, Singapore 088520

Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant

2 Orchard Turn, #B3-23 ION Orchard, Singapore 238801

Park Bench Deli

179 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 068627

The reason why I didn't take a photo of the actual sandwich is because it was incredibly greasy. But I'll still give this deli another try next time. Maybe get the meat subs?

Ri Ri Hong Mala Siang Guo Hotpot

32 New Market Road 

#01-1042/1052 People’s Park Food Centre

Singapore 050032

Freaking delicious bowl of capalang.

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao (Holland Village)

241/241A Holland Ave, Singapore 278975

PS.Cafe at Ann Siang Hill Park

45 Ann Siang Rd, #02-02 Ann Siang Hill Park, Singapore 069719

Kim Dae Mun

100 Orchard Road, Concorde Hotel and Shopping Centre

02-17/18, Singapore 238840

If you haven't noticed, I love eating! 

People gym to lose weight, I gym to maintain my weight. :P 

Favourite Murakami Quote

An article on 20 inspiring Murakami quotes is recently going viral.

I was glad my favourite Murakami quote was included in the list:


If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.

- Norwegian Wood

Four years, farewell and a birthday

A ridiculously overdue post. Thank you to my few loyal readers who are still sticking around, hoping for a new post. I'm really getting horrible at this blogging game! 

Kengyang and I celebrated our 4-year anniversary over a month ago, and it was a very simple affair. A day out trying new restaurants and just enjoying each other's company. 

Since we don't really celebrate lavishly, I decided to get a special handmade card for him, and wow actually Carousell quite useful for such things ah? I bought this card for only S$6, and it's so well-drawn! The seller is @thelazypainter, if you're interested! 

Kengyang and I tried the steak and fries set at L'Entrecôte (Suntec City) and to be honest, it was just alright. We also ordered an additional Salade niçoise and it was SO FISHY. Kengyang really hates overwhelmingly fishy food, so he didn't enjoy the salad at all. We'll probably skip the salad the next time we are here. But then again, will there be a next time? HMM.

Wefie! Happy 4 years to us!

Both of us having perfect hair days. :D

Fast forward a couple of days later, we had dinner at Poulet (Changi Aiport) before my flight to Copenhagen. 

Wah, I forgot how much I love Poulet. 

French Onion Soup - SO GOOD. 

Random sausage bowl - SO GOOD.

1/2 Poulet Roti with Mushroom Chardonnay Sauce - SO SO SO GOOD. 

We also ordered Tiramisu and it was equally stellar. No photo of that because we attacked it so quickly. 

Then... I turned 26. 

I really dislike cutting cake and blowing out candles now. What's the point? 

I always discourage people from buying one entire cake for me. Don't waste the money! Just buy one slice can already! 

So, I had an alternative birthday ice cream from my colleagues. :D

Ice cream >> cake, all day every day.

I donated blood for the first time too! 

Yay, one more 2015 resolution down! :) 

I think I overshared this milestone. It's on my facebook, my instagram, my twitter and my dayre. So cannot miss out my blog right? ROFL.So auntie. 

Ah finally tried IKOI buffet! 

I had high expectations for it. Way too high expectations. The first round of sashimi was great, but the second round was a bit fishy already. Maybe because it was getting late? 

But aiyah, still had a great time lah because I had amazing company. 

Ah, and finally this photo...

Eve has relocated to Boston. I have been stalking her religiously on dayre and enjoying all her Youtube vlogger-potential videos. Glad that she's at least settling down fine.

Maybe I'll visit next September to escape 2016 haze! :D Save me a sleeping space!

Have a great Friday guys! WOOHOO TGIF!

Quick Review: A'PIEU NonCo Tea Tree Sheet Mask

Photo from X

Photo from X

Korean sheet masks are usually my go-to sheet masks. I have tried numerous sheet masks from many different Korean brands and they have been fuss-free and foolproof. So I expected the same from A'PIEU NonCo Tea Tree Sheet Mask. However, the application process was complicated and cumbersome simply because the sheet mask was too large. 

You get two sheet masks in one pack - one half for the nose area up, and the other half for the jawline area. It will be a great design if the sheet masks were to stick properly on the skin. 

The two sheet masks are SO HUGE. Come on man, why waste so much money on excess material? I had to fold the edges inward for my entire face. In comparison, I usually only fold the edges around my forehead for other sheet masks. 

Not only that, this sheet mask simply won't apply properly. No matter how much I tried to smooth out the air bumps, it just looked like I was a complete newbie at sheet masks! The mask material is quite thick and it's not as stretchable as I would like sheet masks to be. 

It's the first time I used a sheet mask that frustrated me so much. 

Definitely not buying this again. 

Anybody else tried this mask? Do you have the same problems? Or if it applies normally on you, please let me know what I'm doing wrong! Sigh~

Stamping Ground Coffee House (Club Street)

This amazing quaint coffee house just opened across my office and I'm loving it. So genuine and unpretentious. Serving good coffee and good pastries out of a hole-in-the-wall location. 

I love it so much! I can't wait to buy my coffee there tomorrow morning to alleviate some of that Monday blues nonsense. 

Even the simple ham and cheese sandwich is heartwarmingly delicious. Huge serving too - the day I ate the sandwich for breakfast, I could go without lunch till after 4pm. 

I hope this coffee place is a permanent addition to Club Street! There are so many new restaurants on Club Street every month and it's showing the sad reality in the food industry - it's not easy opening a restaurant in Singapore! Not even one in Club Street!

So yes, please show your support if you work/live near the area. I don't want it to ever leave Club Street!!

Stamping Ground Coffee

#01-02, 31 Club St, Singapore 069468

Facebook

Korean Skincare Haul (cosrx, mamonde, apieu)

A couple of weeks ago, I realised that my skin wasn't reacting well to The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Blemish Fade Night Lotion anymore. I am currently still unsure why my skin reacted that way so suddenly. It's all very shocking because I have been using that product for almost 2 years and I had no problems. And then overnight, my skin started getting really clogged up, and once I stopped using that, my skin was less irritated. Why so funny one? 

But whatever, that means I get to find new products for my skin! 

When I was in Copenhagen, I decided to give a COSRX Natural BHA Skin Returning Emulsion sample a go. It was a tiny sachet so it wasn't included in my travel skincare post. 

My skin LOVED it. It was absorbed into my skin so quickly and my skin felt smooth and plump. 3 days in and my large family of tiny bumps finally started to slowly disappear. My skin was not clear, but it definitely was not as clogged as it used to be. 

Immediately off to Googleland to look up this fascinating new brand and wow there are many Korean beauty bloggers who raved about COSRX products! So yes, I succumbed to blogger/Youtuber pressure and bought 4 new COSRX products via RoseRoseShop. Of course must buy masks also right? So yes, got myself a couple of A'PIEU masks and two packs of Mamonde masks. 

I have used the COSRX products for a full week now and I'm very happy to report that I have NO breakouts. YAY YAY! 

Shall give them more time to work their magic and I'll check back in a couple of months' time with in-depth reviews! 

Travel Skincare

Someone asked me before not long ago,"What skincare products do you bring when you travel?". So it's time to answer that question now. 

In the past, I don't really care about what I brought because I thought bringing what you normally apply on a daily basis would be sufficient. Super wrong mentality. That was why my skin always looked clogged and dull after every overseas trip. 

My current skincare problem is not acne (can we get an amen!) but clogged pores and bumpy skin texture. I also sometimes get dry patches, especially on areas with acne scars. 

Cleansing

• Makeup removal with Biore makeup wipes. 
• Double cleanse with Avene Cleanance Gel and SKII Gentle Facial Cleanser. I only double cleanse at night. 

Mask

• Wash-off masks: Caudalie Instant Detox Mask, Origins Out of Trouble Mask and Origins Clear Improvement Mask. 
• Sheet masks: Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Masks in Tea Tree and Bija (not in picture, they were all hidden in my luggage).
• I make sure to apply the Instant Detox Mask at least once every 3 days, and then apply both Origin masks (one after another) daily on specific areas. It may seem excessive, but using them daily improves my skin condition instead of drying it out. If I feel like my skin is feeling a little bit thirsty after all these wash-off masks, I will nourish it with a sheet mask. I apply one sheet mask every night before I go to sleep when travelling. 

Toning

• When I was in Copenhagen, I tried out a new toner from my beauty salon. It's called Pink Astringent Lotion and supposedly very good for clogged pores. It did nothing much to my skin. No breakouts and no improvement either. 
• I always make sure to bring a toner because I find that my skin absorbs moisturiser better after toning. 

Treatment

• Alpha-H Liquid Gold. This has been a great discovery! It's not a miracle product, but it's a slowly-but-surely product. I have used this for 3 months and my acne scars have faded significantly. The problem is I seem to always have new scars because I get breakouts once in a while also HAHA. Ohwell~ Hormonal acne is a tough opponent! 
• Do take note that if you're trying out Alpha-H Liquid Gold, you need to use it once every alternate evening. And also, don't use any products with salicylic acid before applying the Liquid Gold because apparently that reduces the effectiveness of the products in Liquid Gold. 

Moisturiser

• The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion. This is an oldie but a goodie. I have used this for the past 2 years and I'm still going to continue using because my skin loves tea tree. I'm not so fond of the night cream version though - it's quite heavy and I think it was one product that clogged my skin. 
• Etude House AC Clinic Daily Gel Lotion. I always double up on moisturiser because having oily skin does not mean that I don't need moisturising! On the contrary, I have to moisturise diligently with the correct type of moisturisers so that my skin doesn't produce more oil. Very ma fan one, but still must do. 

Spot treatment

• In case of sudden appearance of unwanted characters like zits, I use Simple Rapid Action Spot Zapper. 

Eye treatment

• This is also not in photo but I always have a lot of eye cream samples. For this Copenhagen trip, I used Laneige Time Freeze Eye Serum, and wah the sample was so generous! I used that for more than 18 applications and still left A LOT. A bit heart pain when I had to throw it away because it was really nice! 

So I guess the next question people ask is "why are your skincare products so huge when you are travelling?"

This is because I had a check-in luggage. Can check in 30kg what, why I need to specially buy travel sized ones right? If all I had was a carry-on, then I'll be more selective in my skincare products. :) 

Copenhagen OOTDs

Because I had an entire room to myself, I spent around 10 minutes every morning trying to take a nice photo of my outfit and of my face (outfit for the blog, face for the man HAHA). 

The weather in Copenhagen was GLORIOUS. I could wear my jackets without sweating and I could bare my legs without feeling cold. It's that perfect balanced sunny-windy-cool-breezy weather. 

I was a much happier person when I was in Copenhagen. Really lor, if only Singapore were to have Scandinavian weather, I think we won't have so many uncontrollable rages and lor li lor sor complain kings and queens. Confirm chill and nua, yet still efficient one! 

Copenhagen 2015

Yes, I know! I'm sorry! 

I've been missing for way too long and if you think that I have quit blogging, nope! Just really really busy at work. 

I'm planning to blog at least twice a week, let's see if that's possible. Work has been slightly overwhelming ever since I came back from Copenhagen. But I'm sure things will stabilise soon. Positive thoughts all around! 

I won't be doing many in-depth product reviews but I'll try my best to write quick reviews so at least you know what I've tried and what are my thoughts on these products. 

Photo spam from my Copenhagen work trip first! 

The flight to Copenhagen was blissful and serene. The 2 of us occupied a 3-seater row and there was no babies. 

The flight back to Singapore was a complete nightmare. Full flight with more than 5 babies near our seats and a drunkard sitting next to my miserable middle seat. D: I had a very rough 12 hours. 

Last year, my colleague and I shared one hotel room and it was kind of squeezy, so this time we booked a room each. We stayed at Wakeup Copenhagen! 

The view from my hotel room was quite gorgeous, as evidenced by the above 4 photos. 

Back at Joe & The Juice again. I heard through the grapevine that someone is bringing in the brand to Singapore? It's a good idea because all Joe & The Juice servers are really handsome in Copenhagen so I hope they do that too in Singapore (hur hur hur), but walao what are the prices going to be like? I had juice + sandwich and the total was already DKK90+ (or almost S$20).

Food photo spam coming up...

It's quite funny how we wanted to save money and eat from convenience stores daily, but ended up eating good food and drinking alcohol almost daily. 

We accidentally let slip the fact that we were going to have pastries from 7-11 and salads from supermarkets for our dinners and our Danish colleague was shocked and disgusted (LOL). So she reserved multiple restaurants for us so that we won't have to "suffer". She arranged so swee swee and the bills were on the company, so WOOP GOOD FOOD. 

LOL sorry had to include this extremely sweet rock melon that I had for breakfast before my flight back to Singapore. After 8 days in Copenhagen, DKK20 for half a rock melon was too cheap! 

More photos of the beautiful city! Yes my captions are very unoriginal. No need outstandingly quirky captions lah, the photos very nice leh! 

Argh this photo reminds me of the ultimate SUAYNESS that I encountered on the last day. 

So, I bought a 7-day pass for all public transport modes, and everything went smoothly for the first 6 days. On the 7th day, I changed my bag and hence forgot to bring the pass. JUST NICE, got train conductor checking train passes. ZZZ. 

So yes, he gave me fine ticket (DKK750), but told me that I could go to the website and then send a photo of my ticket to cancel the fine. The entire website was in Danish so I had to consult a Danish colleague to ensure that I send the photo to the correct recipient. 

In the end never pay anything lah, but I was so anxious at that moment okay! 

Oh oh, we were lucky enough to chance upon the Pride Day celebrations too! :)

Our Danish colleague has a Tivoli gold membership so.... YAY CAN GO IN FOR FREE.

Back to Carlsberg for beer. It wasn't as exciting as when I visited last time during exchange.

We also went for canal tour. If you come to Copenhagen, you HAVE to go on a canal tour. You can see everything and it's not one of those anyhow 20-minute kinds. Our canal tour was more than 1 hour! So many breathtaking sights and people!

See you again next year! :)