#FitrinaTravels: Copenhagen 2014

Copenhagen is a regular in international happiness surveys. Not just any regular customer, but a top one. The most recent one is October 2013's World Happiness Report from the Earth Institute at New York's Columbia University.

After spending 9 days in Copenhagen, I have to say that the city deserves the title through and through. I saw zero angry individual and had the pleasure to exchange smiles with countless others, even strangers. No one hesitates to say "good morning" to each other when you accidentally (or intentionally; the Danes are a good-looking bunch) see each other in the eye. My Danish colleagues were truly dedicated to their jobs and they were incredibly accomodating and cooperative, while still being critical at the same time. Makes me wonder what the hell is wrong with the Singapore working culture. 

As my boss said, "every employee is a boss in the company in Denmark". Nobody can force someone to do anything if they are not comfortable doing it. Saying "no" to a project is more recommended when extremely busy than saying "yes" and screwing the project up because you cannot handle your time well. If there's a question that cannot be solved, just ask someone else who knows something about it and discuss. Vertical hierarchy is non-existent. I just simply adore this kind of working culture because sometimes I get extremely irritated when questions were not asked prior to a project development and these questions could have prevented possible flaws in the completed project. And then when I have questions, I get conflicted myself because I'm dying to ask them, but I'm also scared I'll be annoying those people that I asked. This made me realise how communication is of utmost vital importance in any organisation. 

While being in the Copenhagen headquarters, both my colleague and I were taught of basically using "tough love" to enrich ourselves and enrich the Asian branch. Going into details will be stupid because of confidential company information. To sum it all up in on sentence - we are going to shadow the Danish working culture, hopefully to a large extent. 

Ok enough of the mundane work stuff. Continuing on my enjoyable (mostly) experience....

Copenhagen is not only home to very jolly folks, it's also the city that has the world's best restaurant (Noma!), the city with extremely commendable "green" efforts and a lot of other awards lah. 

Perhaps I should list the more memorable experiences:

• almost everyone cycles. There's a special lane on roads just for cycling. If you are a cyclist, you should be happy. I'm not, so... 
• you can walk to most of the attractions. Copenhagen is also "the most walkable city" in 2013. I only took train/metro 4 times in the 9 days and 2 were the rides to and from airport. It's very economical to walk and of course very healthy. Public transport fares are not cheap in Copenhagen (as with everything else lol) so just walk!
• the weather was phenomenal. Averaging 14-20 degrees during the days we were there. It rained heavily on one day (on the day we planned to go to the most numbers of attractions. Murphy did it again!) and the other days were simply magnificent. I loved how I could wear my normal blazers and layer up a couple of scarves and I was good to go. I don't have to get any new blazers for women online!
• there was SO MUCH SPACE. I think I wasn't used to it because in Singapore, we are used to crowds, and staying at home to avoid crowds. In Copenhagen, it's so spacious and empty! 
• ah, the good-looking people. I was so mesmerised by so many breathtakingly beautiful ladies who were rocking their monochrome outfits and high heels. Same sentiments for the suited up males. And then they cycle some more. It's like I'm living in the life of a fashion paparazzi blog or something. The 7-11 girl was damn pretty. The hotel girl was damn pretty. The guy selling hot dog was damn handsome. Aiyoh, good genes man good genes!! These vikings!!
• everything was expensive. I spent S$500 in 9 days and it was mostly spent on food from supermarkets and 7-11. Very small portion of my money was used on shopping and souvenirs. But lucky can claim. Heheehhehehhe.
• at first I loved the food. Then I got sick of it really quickly. Cannot man. I thought I could eat salads and breads for all my meals but urgh I want my wanton mee and porridge and bibimbap and cheap fruit juice. I'm not saying there are no similar food in Copenhagen. I just was not willing to spend more than $30 for every meal. 

I'm going to stop writing. Getting boring already haha. Photos!! 

I seriously love my job. :')

Have a great week guys! 

Omakase Burger | 25th birthday dinner with family

Omakase Burger is like a cult that's slowly becoming mainstream. 

I heard so many people (mostly bloggers) raving about this location, but wahlao not cheap at all okay. Quite expensive lor. But okay, my mom was treating dinner, so my sister and I decided to grab the opportunity HAHA. 

And yes, the raves are all true. I have no other words because I didn't pay for it. I'm quite sure if I paid for this meal, I will have ... more things to say. OKAY PHOTOS PHOTOS. I have zero talent as a food blogger. 

Omakase Burger @ Grandstand

200 Turf Club Road #01-05

Bukit Timah, Singapore 287994

Contact: +65 6763 2698

My siblings were very nice. They bought me macarons and my sister made me her highly-coveted cads!

Turning 25 has so far been amazing. 5 more years before things go cray? D:

Recent reads: Worlds of Tsukuru Tazaki and Tsukiko Omachi

There's something strangely charming about Haruki Murakami's books. Give them to someone new and they wouldn't be able to take the bizarre stories. The first Murakami book that I read was 1Q84 and I remembered thinking how the book was freaking ridiculous. 1Q84 started with a taxi ride on a congested road. That's it. Just a simple taxi ride on a congested road. The more ridiculous the story got, the more I was sucked in into the world of Aomame and Tengo. Ohmy, I really loved that book. I actually had it on my iBooks, but I once was done (I finished reading it at the end of my Japan graduation trip. Very apt.), I decided to get the hard copy for future rereads. After that book, I have purchased almost all of Murakami's works. My favourite currently is Kafka on the Shore. Actually, wait, maybe The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. 

Hmm. I cannot decide...

The emptiness I get after completing a Murakami book is weirdly addictive. It goes from whatthefuck to self-reflection, and then to contentment. 

So, yes, I purchased Haruki Murakami's latest (number 13!) novel - Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. As I was browsing bookdepository.com, I saw Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami and bought it too - motivated by pure curiosity. 

I have started on Strange Weather in Tokyo and it's surprisingly good. I'm hooked. It's just a book written to amplify two characters' loneliness, but aiyoh just very good lah. 

My experience with Book Depository was not as pleasant as I wanted it to be. The books were definitely cheaper than in stores, but delivery took almost a month. I wanted to get these books for my Copenhagen trip - nope, no such luck. 

Ok, back to Strange Weather in Tokyo!

Have a great weekend guys! :) 

#FitrinaTravels: What's Inside My Carry-On Bag

I AM BACK! Touched down this morning and I'm not having the most enjoyable time right now. Headache, sleepy and red eyes, and all the fabulous aftermath of a 12-hour flight. I slept for 2 hours on the plane and spent the other 10 hours rewatching 2 X-Men movies, 1 Masterchef Junior episode and The Other Woman.

I know I said I was taking a break till October but FINGERS ITCHY LAH, must type something. :D
So here's a #FitrinaTravels post! Most of the people I know who travels have some kind of hashtag, so okay, I must be as trendy.

Disclaimer

This post was written during my flight to Copenhagen. I could not sleep and all I could think was what my next blog post was going to be about and so I typed out this post on my phone. That time was also when I realised last-minute packing was a terrible idea. I forgot to bring so many things. :(

Also, I'm sorry there are no photos to make this post more ... easy to read. I washed all my pouches and my backpack so maybe I'll update this post the next time I travel!

Here I am, almost 7 hours into the flight, all awake and my brain refuses to let my body sleep. I close my eye and the next thing I know, I'll have thoughts. I'm supposed to have no thoughts to sleep, brain!! 

But oh well, since I'm obviously overflowing with ideas and creativity (harhar), let's get on with this rather useful blogpost. Useful for you - good tips for you! - and useful for me - reference point for future trips. 

Usually I try not to bring too many things. I hate having no free hand when I'm on a flight. So, my carry-on bag is almost always only a backpack. A good, sturdy, can-take-laptop's-weight-and-have-laptop-compartment backpack. 

1. Laptop. I don't always bring my laptop; only during work trips.
2. Rosary. I admit I'm not much of a church-goer, but my rosary makes me feel safer. 
3. Notebook/planner. You never know what you may need to note down! 
4. Abundance of pens. I need to have a pen in my bag. Or pens. I hate it when I don't have a good pen to fill in arrival forms. Also, what's the point of bringing my notebook/planner if I don't have pens.
5. Handphone charger/portable charger. Sometimes if I'm lucky, I'll get a flight that has a usb port on every seat, hence I can charge my phone. I think A380 flights all have usb ports. Currently I'm on a B777 flight and nope I have no port, so that's when the portable charger comes in handy.
6. Spectacles and sunglasses. I hate wearing spectacles but I'm blind without mine. Being blind in home country is okay, still can float around due to familiarity. But in a foreign country, I'd rather be safe so yes. The sunglasses is a must, especially for omg-I-need-to-cover-my-cui-eyes moments. Get one that's a good fit for your face shape and you will rock all your holiday photos. Hehe.
7. iBanking device. This is always in my bag. Good for those sudden banking moments. 
8. Smaller wallet. My usual wallet is humongous and heavy. I use a smaller one when travelling, and it contains only the basics like Singapore Dollar, the other countries' money, IC, credit cards and keys. Oh, and KrisFlyer Card (I actually forgot today...shame...but luckily I can still rack up my Singapore-Copenhagen points online!).
9. A ziplock bag specially for receipts. Very useful when I'm making my work claims. 
10. Toothbrush in a toothbrush holder and mini toothpaste. I know some planes provide one-time-usage toothbrush and toothpaste but I don't feel like I have 100% clean teeth when I use those. So I bring my own. I brush my teeth before touching down. Twice if it's a long-haul flight. Buay tahan the feeling of having dirty teeth.
11. Toiletries case. I use my old pencil case for this! Contains mini body lotion (moisturising is very very important!!), lip balm, hand sanitiser, makeup remover towelettes, mini face cleanser, face moisturiser and eye cream. During long haul flights, my routine goes like this - after the first meal, I go to the toilet and remove all my makeup and then try to wash my face as neatly as possible without water splashing everywhere (if really splash, I will wipe off before leaving because...very paiseh for the next user leh). Then I'll go back to my seat and apply my moisturisers and eye cream. THEN TRY TO SLEEP. 
12. Face mask. Yah very important you know. I'm always tempted to bring two but cannot put too many face masks at one go, so one will do. Continuing my routine - I'll not sleep that much because I'm just not good at sleeping on flights, so I apply my mask. Most of the time, the lights on the plane are dim/switched off so I don't scare other passengers, but if the lights are switched on/it's bright outside, then sorry man. 
13. Makeup bag. I bring only the basics with me up the plane. BB cream, concealer, powder, liquid eyeliner. Done! 1-2hours before landing, I'll reapply my makeup. I really cannot go out the plane with my cui face. 
14. Handphone and earphones. These really should be way higher on the list, but I just remembered them haha. During long haul flights when I can't sleep and there's nothing that I want to watch on the "telly", I write my blogposts on my phone. Just like now! :D oh! And I also make sure to update my iBooks with new books. I prefer reading the actual book, but I don't like the extra weight during flights so iBooks lor! 
15. Calculator. I used to carry my $2 Daiso calculator that didn't really work that well, but now I have my $4+ scientific calculator from Taobao that works just like the Casio one. Calculator is very important if you want to bargain or do conversions in a foreign country. Numbers are universal anyway.
16. Passport in a nice travel pouch. Aiyah I just like to have nice travel pouch lah. Very pretentious but travelling with a nice travel pouch with all the nice compartments to store your documents just make me feel better about my travelling. 
17. Heating eye mask. This eye mask has no moisturising purpose. It's a dry eye mask that will heat up when you put it on. Instantly relaxes you and helps to put you to sleep. Or so they say. Have never worked on me before, oops? But I just bring one because very shiok. 
18. Hairclips. Get hair out of the way when sleeping! Also good for face mask application - you don't want hair sticking to your face mask, very gross. 
19. Empty water bottle. I bring my 1L one because hey, you need to constantly hydrate yourself during a flight! Hydrating yourself helps with jetlag too. Just bring the empty one in your bag, go through security and then refill your bottle at the gate.

And that's about it. A long list but all fit nicely into a backpack. 

I have 5 more hours to go. What should I do now?? Maybe I should continue reading Half of a Yellow Sun (by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie). I can't wait for the breakfast platter!! 

Break time!

I'm taking a break from blogging guys! I'll be back next month!

Enjoy your September! :) 

August 2014 #ootd

I think compiling OOTD/fashion photos by the month will make categorising much simpler. I used to divide them by week number, but as I got older, this method got more unsuitable (short term memory + laziness kicking in). So yes, a monthly compilation will be a better method. Hopefully, I don't delete the photos from my phone. But then again I have limited space so I tend to delete. Here I go digressing again. Ok long story short, I need a better phone with more memory space. 

Top - H&M
Skirt - H&M
Watch - Casio
Bracelet - Taobao

Top - Taobao
Inner blouse - Cotton On
Shorts - Qoo10
Watch - Casio
Bracelet - Taobao

Top - ASOS
Necklace - Taobao

Shirt - Taobao
Necklace - Forever 21
Jeans - Taobao
Shoes - Zalora
Watch - Casio

Finally I own a pair of Nike Roshe Runs!! I got them from @ootdootdshop on instagram! 

Barely 2 weeks to Copenhagen. EXCITED!! :D Have a great great Friday guys!! 

Review: Dr. Wu Acnecur Mattify Blemish Balm Cream

In my honest opinion, the current BB cream scene is lacking, especially in the acne-prone skin department. We have countless BB creams for brightening, for hydrating, for anti-ageing, but very few for those with acne problems. It doesn't really make sense because there are a lot of potential users who have acne-prone skin and are looking for a suitable BB cream because they are looking for something less potent than a liquid foundation. It's a huge market!

I was, of course, extremely excited when I found out about the Dr. Wu Acnecur Mattify Blemish Balm Cream. It's available on luxola and also on sale in certain Watsons stores. It's not affordable though. The Dr. Wu Acnecur Mattify BB Cream retails for S$46 on Luxola and that's certainly not cheap for a BB cream. I bought mine when Luxola had their pop-up 30%-off promotion. 

Ingredients list

The Dr. Wu Acnecur Mattify BB Cream is marketed to be:

• light and feather-weight
• useful for anti-acne, oil-control, soothing, hydrating, whitening and UV protection
• able to conceal imperfections without pore inflammation
• able to reduce redness
• able to provide a matte, yet hydrated finish

So, am I a satisfied user of this BB Cream? 

To be frank, I used to hate it, but now I don't hate it so much. The main reason being I used this BB Cream when I had my crazy breakouts and also after I went for anti-acne facials. The BB Cream worked differently for the two periods and hence I'll be reviewing this BB Cream using these two periods. 

Packaging: The pale green packaging looks clinical and I think a clinical outlook is good for a product that aims to tackle acne problem. The dispenser was also sealed so that's excellent on the hygiene front.

Consistency: I don't understand why this was marketed as a light and feather-weight BB Cream because when I used it, I had difficulty blending it out because it was so thick. Maybe the company was describing the light-weight feeling after the BB Cream has been blended out? When I used this BB Cream, I couldn't dot the product all around my face and then blend it out because once the right side was blended, the left side and forehead would be really thick and it took extra effort to blend out the other areas. Dried way too fast! I had to dot the product on one area first, then blend, then dot another area, then blend.

Coverage and pigmentation:
During breakout - I will not suggest those with a lot of acne to use this BB Cream because it will accentuate the problematic areas. I had many ripened pimples the first few times I used it and the pimples looked way more obvious even after I applied my trusted loose powder. It will definitely cover areas with slight redness, but the coverage will not be enough for painful, pus-filled pimples. I didn't like the consistency and how it made my pimples look more pronounced so I stopped using it.

After facials - After 3 sessions of facials, I was left with acne scarring and so I decided to give the Dr. Wu Acnecur Mattify BB Cream another try. The consistency is not something that will change because I went for facials so I have no change in opinion for that part. However, the application process became more pleasant. My acne scars were adequately concealed and sometimes a concealer was not needed anymore. Just a quick touch of loose powder and my face makeup was done. Hence, I have come to a conclusion that this BB Cream will be a better fit for users who have oily-skin and acne scars, and want to prevent future acne breakouts, and have no painful ripened pimples on the skin.

One more thing regarding the pigmentation, the Dr. Wu Acnecur Mattify BB Cream has quite a greyish tinge when blended out. It's quite strange. My skin has warm undertones and whenever I use this BB Cream, my skintone will alter to one that has way too much cool undertones. This is the reason why I cannot just go out with this BB Cream on my face; I must top it off with my powder/loose powder that will bring back some warmth to my face. Those with cool undertones, you will face no such problems.

Longevity: The longevity of the Dr. Wu Acnecur Mattify BB Cream is the same for me no matter what my skin condition is. Initially, it will produce a nice matte effect. But then, it gets oily after 4-5 hours, which is quite disappointing for a mattifying BB cream. But of course, please take into consideration my extremely oily skin.

The great thing about this product is it did not cause a bad reaction to my skin. I always try new face cosmetics with great caution because of how acne-prone my face is. So, the fact that this didn't cause breakouts already made me a happy camper.

Will I buy it again? I don't think so. It is a decent product if you want to conceal acne scars. But, the consistency puts me off the product. I'm sure the BB Cream industry will expand soon to include more acne-prone-skin-friendly products.

Hope this has been useful! Have a great day ahead guys! :)

1000 Calorie Workout Video by FitnessBlender

This long workout video (1 hour and 28 minutes and 42 seconds, WHAT?!) focuses on abs, HIIT cardio, strength and stretching. Today's the first time I'm doing this workout and I could only complete 44 minutes before fast-forwarding to the cool-down and stretching portion. Too freaking intense man. But, I'm quite determined to continue with this workout and hopefully by my 4th/5th time, I'll be able to complete it. 

Note: The creators of this workout advised against doing this workout everyday. 3 times a week is the ideal! I totally understand why man... *in complete exhaustion*

Also, please eat something that gives you a lot of energy an hour before this workout. 2 bananas? I only had pomegranate juice (yay elixir juice sg!) before this and I felt light headed after 40-odd minutes. That was one of the reasons why I stopped too. This feels like Insanity all over again hahaha. I remember I had a heartache after completing my first Insanity workout. Stupid me didn't eat anything substantial before the exercise! 

Ok yes, I hope I can complete at least 50 minutes the next time I try this workout! Huat!!

Off to wash up, beautify myself and yay time for Singapore Night Festival 2014! :) 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Turning 25 - Wrinkles (?!) and HDB

Thank you to the amazing research team for the awfully delicious chocolate banana birthday cake! :)

Some of my friends also treated me to Genki Sushi for lunch. Very very sweet of them. :')

And of course, my number one fan, Mr Chung, treated me to an incredibly satisfying meal at Wild Honey. A couple of years ago, we had the same exact order at Wild Honey. :D Tunisian for me and English for him, complete with a side of mushrooms. 

I'm 25! A quarter of a century old! Gosh...

I'm half my mom's age right now.
My mom gave birth to me on this exact day when she was 25 years old.
Wow.

And now I still want to play and act like a kid. How like that?!

So what's different about being 25? Nothing much actually. Okay, maybe I look at myself in the mirror way more frequently than when I was 24. To check if I'm starting to have wrinkles. Yah,  very paranoid okay. I have 4 different eye creams and am horrible terrified of getting wrinkles around the eyes. So everyday I stare at the mirror, make a silly, wide smile and check, check, CHECK.

Also, because I've been staring at the mirror so much, I realise that I have completely inherited my maternal grandfather's nose. Look at Mr Chung's! Nose so much slimmer and prettier than mine. Aiyahhhhhhhhhh, is it time to invest on some .... facial reconstruction? But of course, I'm just thinking out loud here. I don't think I have the financial capability for such an investment.

I think the biggest change in my life right now is how Mr Chung and I just officially chose our HDB unit. We're going to have our own house. No longer playing monopoly you know? Real deal here. It's both very exciting and extremely nerve-wrecking. I keep thinking about how I want to clear the S$330K+ as quickly as possibly. Then I keep thinking about how I want my kitchen to look like.

For those who are curious about the HDB unit choosing process. It was very smooth and the HDB executive that attended to us was very helpful. Our entire procedure took less than 45 minutes. Even if you forget certain documents (or you are not aware that you have to surrender certain documents), they can either print for you on the spot, or you can go back, get the documents prepared and then scan and email them to the given email address. One important tip though:

ALWAYS check out the HDB models at HDB Hub before making any decision on which unit you want to get. 

Mr Chung and I checked out the models two days before our appointment and we learnt so much during that 2-hour roaming session. We started by cancelling the units that were already taken up by other applicants. Then we zoomed into the two HDB area models for our location (Bukit Batok) and looked through everything. Where will the wind direction come from? Will the laundry area be blocked? What will our view be? Where's the drop-off point? Will the unit be near the electrical box area? So, so many questions in our head. Then we listed down our top 10-12 units. Then we looked at the optional internal fittings - the internal doors + sanitary fittings and the floor finishes (except kitchen and toilet). Both of us were shocked because our internal fittings were unpleasant (being very very polite here) - just plain white tiles, strange shade of brown for the timber doors and boring sanitary fittings. So, we opted out of all these. Better for renovations also.

In the end, we got our second choice of HDB unit and everything was done smoothly. Now we are waiting to see if we will be granted the Additional Housing Grant.

So yes, that's the only huge difference in my life now.

As you grow older, the number of close friends you have gets smaller, and the number of acquaintances you make gets bigger. But all's good because in the end, you know only those who care will stay.

What do I want to achieve before I turn 26?

• Being more healthy in terms of my diet. I eat quite healthily now but I think this can be improved. 
• Investing my money in more quality items, rather than frivolously spending on inexpensive ones just for the cheap thrill. 
• Making exercising a habit, and not something that I do when I feel guilty after a huge, sinful meal. 
• Opening a joint-savings account with Mr Chung. Just to start things off. 
• Going back to the library to borrow books again. I used to feast on 8 books a week and then that stopped in JC because I got jaded with life (lol thanks ah AJC). Now I feel like I need to nourish my brain and my life with books again. Also because now I have a new credit card that allows premium membership from NLB for 5 years. HHAHA see?! I'm becoming super auntie liao!
• Continue blogging out of interest and passion, and never to become a blogger who blogs for money and sponsorship. 

Happy 25th birthday to me! :) 

Massive shoe haul - Out with the old, in with the new!

Taobao Black Sandals
Taobao Black Platform Oxfords
Zalora red Stripe Slip On Espadrilles
Zalora Floral PU Slip Ons
Taobao Black Flats with Silver Details
Zalora Kimono Print Canvas Slip Ons
Zalora Slip On Moccasins With Scallop Edging
Nike Roshe Run (Couldn't find the actual link for the black-white combo)

I have been getting rid of shoes that have long passed their lifespans. I threw away 2 pairs in Hong Kong because my black converse and sandals fell apart. Then I threw away 7 more pairs last week because all of them were either moldy (and unsalvageable), damaged or simply fell apart lah. I also got rid of some really old pairs that were just collecting dust. Felt damn awesome clearing my shoe closet, but aiyoh I'm not used to it being so empty. So hehe, time for new shoes. :D

The Nike Rosher Runs were a birthday gift from Mr Chung! :) Can't wait for all of them to arrive!