Beauty and Fashion Habitué

Monday, May 19, 2014

Massive Taobao Haul (May-June 2014)

Do you know why it's "May-June 2014"?

Because my Taobao hauling has reached a maximum uncontrollable level and I have put a ban on myself till end of June 2014.

Since I'm going to Hong Kong in August, I shall try to not shop so much (and nothing from Taobao, NOTHING!) and save the money for a shopping spree there.

Aiyah. Why Taobao so tempting with all the cheap deals?!

1. Pink dress with pockets (http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=38580200370&spm=2014.12193480.0.0) RMB39
2. Green floral shorts (http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=38970369701&spm=2014.12193480.0.0) RMB39
3. Navy striped flowy top (http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=38811680724&spm=2014.12193480.0.0) RMB37
4. Black relaxed pants (http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=38561689689&spm=2014.12193480.0.0) RMB49

5. Metallic pink/purple shorts (http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=38607531441&spm=2014.12193480.0.0) RMB39
6. Asymmetrical monochrome dress (http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=38832011471&spm=2014.12193480.0.0) RMB49
7. White shorts with mesh panel (http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=38875905010&spm=2014.12193480.0.0) RMB39

8. Floral throwover (http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=38717113033&spm=2014.12193480.0.0) RMB55
9. Blue floral top (http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=38603377048&spm=2014.12193480.0.0) RMB35
10. Basic black v-neck top (http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=38481924298&spm=2014.12193480.0.0) RMB39
11. Black skater skirt (http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=38919239383&spm=2014.12193480.0.0) RMB29

12. Travel necessities bag (http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=35253496838&spm=2014.12193480.0.0) RMB35
13. Totoro iphone case (http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=38185984175&spm=2014.12193480.0.0) RMB28
14. Tomato socks and pencil socks (http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=37033594109&spm=2014.12193480.0.0) RMB7 each pair
15. Silver strappy shoes (http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=38986139426&spm=2014.12193480.0.0) RMB33.99
16. Green owl iphone case (http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=37341650859&spm=2014.12193480.0.0) RMB31.80

So far...I have managed to not browse Taobao for a good 4 days. GOOD IMPROVEMENT.

Have a great week ahead guys!

Saturday, May 17, 2014

New in: RMB110 (~S$22) spectacles!!

Can't believe I got this pair of prescription glasses for less than S$25? It's exactly what I'm looking for and the feeling is quite "shiok" for finding THE pair for such a low price point. I have a similar pair but with no lenses and I have always wanted to make that pair fully functional and not just for decorative purposes. Now, I have found an extremely similar pair that fulfills both aspects. SCORE! :D Thank you Kengyang for bringing all of us to that wonderful building of many many MANY wholesale optical shops. All of us (ky's parents, sister and I) ended up buying five pairs of glasses. HAHA no wonder the 服务员treated us so nicely.

Have a good weekend guys! :)

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Shanghai 2014 Highlights

Time really passes very quickly when you're travelling. It's now back to reality and my next travelling affair will be in August - Kengyang and I are going to Hong Kong to celebrate our three years together.

Did I enjoy Shanghai? Not entirely, but it wasn't a foul experience. The weather was amazing and the food was exquisite (my Indonesian tongue loved the heavily seasoned dishes). Traffic was a nightmare and one of the key component of passing a driving test there was probably whether you could horn as many times as possible in one sitting. The people were generally nice, but one asshole tried to snatch my bag away. Fortunately, I gave his butt a good kick and he dropped my bag and ran off with his seemingly empty luggage. The night view at The Bund was AMAZING. I'm a huge huge HUGE lover of breathtaking night views and Shanghai's definitely can rival Hong Kong's.

We also went to Hangzhou and I didn't like that place as much. Let's just say that I had a massive culture shock. However, I can't really complain much because that's how they live and survive over there - so... okay lor.

Ok, no more words. Photos!

Doing our nails outside of Hai Di Lao! Free service from the restaurant! :D

It has been a good 5 days simply because I got to see Kengyang. Now, the waiting game starts again! He'll be back in mid-July!

Have a great day guys! :)

Shanghai 2014 Food Highlights

1. Very yummy egg tarts from Lillian Bakery.
2. When in a foreign country, try all the usual fast food chains! I tried both McDonalds and KFC - didn't really like McDonalds (picture is the curry pork cutlet wrap) but the chicken tenders rice set from KFC was so good! Sadly I gobbled that down before taking a photo.
3. Hai Di Lao Hotpot (海底捞火锅) was exceptional and the service was beyond amazing. We felt like royalty.

4. We visited Hangzhou on the second day and feasted on so many street food goodies. This fried tofu is SO GOOD.
5. 叫化童鸡 (Lotus wrapped chicken) - one of Hangzhou's specialties and it was really savoury and succulent. I can eat one whole chicken by myself.
6. Before our train's departure (back to Shanghai), we went into Mr Lee (李先生) - a noodle-based fast food chain. Kengying's bowl of dry minced meat noodle was extremely salty and extremely delicious. I'm all for heavy seasoning so this bowl of noodles got a standing ovation from me.

7. The many Pocky and Pejoy flavours.
8. Xiao Long Bao from the really famous 南翔馒头店 - honestly, they were just alright.
9. Soup bun from the same store. I didn't like this at all. The soup was really fishy; I think because of the crab roe in the filling.
10. There was a Paris Baguette near our hotel and they had Blueberry Pudding! Price points were only slightly cheaper than Singapore.

Our last meal was at Wai Po Jia and it was the best meal that I had for the entire trip. We also had some sponge cake from Ruby's (红宝石). Our Shanghai trip ended on a high with these two impressive shops.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Shanghai: 8 May 2014 - 12 May 2014

Source: X

Off to Shanghai to visit Mr Chung with his family!

Can't wait to start the eat-shop-sight see-sleep cycle! :D Have a great week ahead guys!

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Maison Ikkoku (Bugis)

The PPGs finally met up for a good catch up session at Maison Ikkoku. It has been long since the four of us met up as a quartet. I can't believe I have known these girls for almost 3 years already? Wow! That first day of work at MTV as interns and all of us were still awkward with each other. A few weeks after that first day, we had lunch together, we gossiped about other colleagues (lol I believe that the most basic instinct of a female human is to gossip) and celebrities together - 6-7 months passed way too quickly with these girls around (and the other amazing interns of course) and after that we were off doing our own things. I'm glad we still meet up over brunch even though each of us is busy with our own lives.

Thank you neonoms for the stellar brunch location recommendation. It was most certainly one of the better brunch places I have dined in. HUGE portions, reasonable prices and VERY DECADENT eggs. In my life dictionary, brunch = eggs. No eggs, no brunch. I think the 4 of us share the same sentiment HAHA. All four of our plates had eggs and all of them were AMAZING.

Ahh~ If only I could eat eggs for every meal. This familial hypercholesterolaemia risk (basically inherited high cholesterol levels from birth) is hindering me from enjoying my egg dishes. :(

On a side note, I think it's time to get a thorough medical check-up. I was running the past 2 days and every time I ran past the 40-minute mark, I would get this mild pain on my right chest; very much like something is putting pressure on that area and once I stopped running, the sensation would dissipate quite quickly. MEH. Looking at how my uncle had heart treatment in his late 30s, I think I need to be prepared. HAIYAH.

Okok, back to Maison Ikkoku.

Each of us ordered a main each and we were almost bursting at the seams at the end of the meal. We also ordered a beverage each. The meal cost us S$25 each - very, very reasonable for the quality and quantity of food that was served.

Break Of Dawn
Pork bratwurst + crispy smoked bacon + vine cherry tomatoes + breakfast potatoes + scrambled eggs w/ chives + mesclun salad + double orange salad + pain de campagne toasts

Smoked Salmon Scrambled
Norwegian smoked salmon + dill crème fraîche + scrambled eggs with chives + chunky homemade guacamole + multigrain toast

Rendang Blackstone
Homemade spicy beef rendang + sliced seared tomatoes + poached eggs + toasted brioche

Hangover Omelette
Honey baked ham + Spanish onions + bell peppers + diced tomatoes + portobello mushrooms + mozzarella cheese + breakfast potatoes + sourdough

Maison Ikkoku is a great restaurant for those looking for delicious, yet affordable brunch items to satisfy a ravenous appetite.

Maison Ikkoku

20 Kandahar Street Singapore 198885

Telephone: +65 6294 0078

Website

Facebook

Monday, May 5, 2014

Griddy Gourmet Waffles (Westgate)

A couple of weeks back, JFKK went to River Safari (I find this sentence comical - JFKK sounds like a group of excited teenagers) and it was all free of charge thanks to Jeremy's lobang queen of an older sister. For dinner, we decided on Griddy Gourmet Waffles because both Kokky and I saw Wilson Ng's instagram photo and whatever he was eating looked so good, so yes off we went to Westgate!

The prices at Griddy Gourmet Waffles were incredibly reasonable and portions were satisfactory. Personally, I prefer the savoury waffles better than the sweet ones.

Ocean Catch
Fish Cutlet, Lettuce, Tomato, Tartar Sauce, Japanese Mayonnaise, Bonito Flakes with Sesame Waffle

Gourmet Ribs
Braised Beef Short Ribs, Lettuce, Tomato, Meat Sauce with Mushroom Waffle

The Gourmet Ribs Griddy Sandwich that we ordered looked nothing like the photo on the menu. It's supposed to be lathered in a chunky meat sauce but I think ours were more of a mushroom brown sauce? Nevertheless, it was a good sandwich.

Rocher Banana
Melted Hazelnut Chocolate Spread, Sliced Bananas, Rocher Gelato, Graham Crackers

One thing that irked me was the lack of attention the servers put on the service standard. It's nothing on rudeness or attitude because they were very nice and polite. When we had our dinner there, there were only a few tables occupied and there were quite a number of servers (5?). The servers were hovering at one spot chit-chatting away and they were not paying attention to the plates that were ready to serve to the customers. I saw our plates on the counter and none of the servers noticed until a few minutes later and by then time the food arrived, the savoury waffles were no longer hot and that dampened the overall eating experience.

That aside, all the items that we ordered were very delicious and I definitely would want to come back to try the other items on the menu.

Griddy Gourmet Waffles

3 Gateway Drive,
#B2-K12 Westgate,
Singapore 608532
Tel : 6465 9465
Website
Facebook