Monday, December 24, 2007
No more Chapter 2 again
Looks more like paying $230 just for a haircut.
The first time (which was last year), I went there for hair treatment during lunch hours since it's very near my office, just opp Parco. Back in the office to realise my hair was only 80% dried!
This time, I listened to my colleague that this salon was good in rebonding & decided to give it a 2nd chance.
Same girl served me... who's SUPPOSED to be the top stylist there. And such a half-*ssed job took 4 hours!
When she "presented" her final work to me, I commented that there's a bunch on the right side not properly done. Or rather, looked as if it hadn't rebonded yet. Without examining she admitted (meaning she'd known it but kept quiet!?) but insisted that my hair was already very dry so she just brush the solution lightly & it'd definitely damage my hair if I were to redo it. What craps! She thought I was a newbie in rebonding? I had even done both perming & rebonding within a week before. I certainly know what kinda results to expect. And please, this bunch of hair is somewhat the same level with my brow, ie. those were the new hair without undergoing any chemical treatment before (that's why it's a lil wavy). She could have just told me outright she's only able to offer this type of sub-standard service.
Am tempted to insist on having it re-done. But I won't know what she'll do to my hair in order to prove herself 'right'. I may be overly worrisome but not gonna put my hair at stake.
I'll NEVER go back again. Even if it's free! Asked hubby to remind me if I ever forget, which is near impossible.
Miss Justina so much. But she'll only be back from maternity leave after CNY.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Lunch celebration
Would have thought he works in the restaurant's kitchen if we don't know him.
It's a present tense as he apparently dons this style at all times.
But he is rich ok (his family).
It's an extremely lengthy lunch. We arrived before 12 & only left at 3.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
O Christmas Tree !
We're definitely very late in decorating for Christmas. Why? Our bathroom. Yes, we're bedroom-less for 16 days. So so glad that the inconvenience has finally ended last night! Too used to having our own bathroom (believe mum thinks so too) that 3's a crowd in the common bathroom. And it wasn't as if we did major overhaul to our bathroom. In total only about 3 days' works but more time needed for fabrication & alteration.
So we wouldn't want to put up any decoration to collect dust.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
It was a Great Friday
Nice halal food
With colleague.
I still went ahead with the tube dress but a zip front cardi never left me as well. Anyway the weather was cold.
It was a fun & fruitful affair for everyone.
I brought home:
1) TupperChef (Tupperware) 3 piece pot/steamer from lucky draw. Think it's worth S$200+.
3) Takashimaya vouchers of S$300.
4) NTUC vouchers of S$60.
5) Complimentary admission for 2 to Sky Tower in Sentosa.
Some won bigger prizes like a flat screen tv, an iPhone... (but no shopping vouchers for the top prize winners).
In the evening, hubby picked me up nearly on the dot. Were meeting Mr & Mrs LL for a K session at our place. Had just enough time for a hasty dinner & shower so we could change into more comfy attire.
LL can sing very well!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Headache
Suspect the culprit of my headache this time was the DOM Benedictine liquor which is nothing new as I've got hit by it before twice, or 3 times including this. For the 1st 2 times a bit of sore throat surfaced right after (the next morning).
Been very weak in health for the past months. So when I thought I felt healthy last week I started my DOM regime, an idea strongly recommended by mum & friends, to strengthen my health. 1-third of a shot glass on last Fri, Sat & Sun nights. Then on Mon morning, I woke up with a headache, I really hate the feeling & worse, the heavy headedness persisted..... Pain killers weren't effective.
Yesterday hubby took half day to get settle some home stuff & I took too as I wasn't feeling good. When he's done, he brought me to a TCM in Chong Pang. I was diagnosed as being very "heaty" & having some spinal problems that aggravated my headache. I received a session of I seriously don't know the name... all I could sense (I didn't see) was he had fire on one hand, a cup/glass-shape thing on the other. It's really painful when the glass thing glided on my back for quite a few times. But it instantly relieved my headache though not completely.
I knew my back would be red but didn't expect it would be this bad. It goes all the way to the waist area.
And there goes my plan of wearing a tube dress for this Fri's company lunch.
Monday, December 10, 2007
My Loots
Love those brown ones when I want minimal eye makeup. No eyeliner needed to wear these.
And the last 2 pairs in the left column are Shu Uemura lookalike, if not the same. Got it @S$7.50/pair while Shu U's selling for S$39.
Just received my 2nd batch last Fri night that I've been so looking forward to :D
There's free shipping within USA for order above USD100. So we used vPost, strongly recommended by hubby, to bring it back though took additional 10 days to reach. Whereas I got the 1st exactly a week after I placed order. But I don't mind at all, considering the cost savings :) Had paid S$21 for the above 9 pairs & only S$19.40 for this most recent shipment of 47 pairs. Err yes... 47 pairs. But am selling a few pairs to my colleague :P
Stock taking! 49 pairs here (2 pairs + 1 tube of lash glue are freebies from vendor)
The brown lashes:
The S$39 pair in Shu Uemura Lash Bar:
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A big box of VS items arrived finally.
It had almost toured half of the world before reaching me.
This was shipped directly from VS as vPost wanted to charge me S$70++ (based on weight & the hair products were heavy) whereas VS charged S$31 (based on value). Ie. we'll have to do our sums before committing as to be fair, did save quite a bit for my lash shipment through vPost like mentioned earlier. And the vPost toolbar is indeed very useful in pre-advising the shipping rates (right, honey?;]).
Read the text that's boxed red
My So Sexy range + panties/thongs. Some are as Christmas presents;) Another shipment on the way for 2 remaining pieces.
Used the shampoo & conditioner the next morning. Smelt oh so nice :)
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
Sample items ordered online from a local company selling US mineral makeup. Nice lil containers that come with sifter.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
My Alima products.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
Skinfood Aloe Sun BB Pact
Sasa's Scandal BB cream.
Shared some with colleague.
Like the result of this but prefer the ingredients of Skinfood's. Hmm...
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Recent Craze
Am a late bloomer. Been successful in convincing myself that the safest way of shopping would be to buy what's in my hands & be near to the person who swipes my card. I'd managed to stand by this thinking (though conservative) for so long which had effectively kept my credit card bills in control & hubby from shocks.... till recently.
The very 1st item I purchased online was a dress, more than a year ago. But that's under the influence of a friend as the vendor was her friend. And it didn't turn out to be a pleasant experience as the dress was ugly. Or rather, it's ugly on me. Forced myself to at least wear it once & it's given away. Lesson learnt: no dress or pants without fitting.
Then how did my e-shopping fad begin? Ardell Lashes. Browsed their webby a month ago & you know how crazy I've a super soft spot for falsies. After hesitating for a coupla days, finally made my first purchase. Great stuff! Regretted that I didn't get more. So my 2nd batch came up shortly & ordered end of last month. Damages: USD 104.26. Oops.
Shortly after, started a shopping list with Victoria's Secret. The sale was too tempting to resist. Also heard good feedbacks about the So Sexy range of hair products. Have been e-tracking my shipment... it's finally reached Singapore this morning! So meaning I'm going to receive it any time now!
Next, spent hours shopping for my mineral makeup which I've finally got down to search after lemming for months. Apparently mineral cosmetics have been a rage in recent years but the ignorant me only heard about it a year ago (Youngblood) & it sounded too good to be true. Especially seemed to be just right for my problematic skin. But deduced that the products must be too costly for me to afford & it wasn't widely available in Singapore then. Or even now,
though getting more common.
Had purchased 2 sample items from a Singaporean company bringing in US MMU. Hot from the letterbox when we returned this evening.
Just had another shopping cart checked out @ Lumiere Mineral Cosmetics. Free shipping including international destinations till 1 Jan 08!! Too good to miss. So got a limited edition Christmas set of MMU @ USD19 (only!) & some brushes. Gonna inform hubby of my yet another purchase.
Earlier this week, was browsing the much raved-about Alima MMU & about to pay for a list of sample items I've chosen. What stopped me was the shipping cost. Glad I did. Found out that there's this tiny shop in Central selling Alima products. Went there with hubby last evening & got what I wanted! Hee! Of course, for a complete range, still gotta go online. But at least by then, the quantity of items purchased will be more justified for the shipping cost charged.
Adding on to the MAC brush set from hubby & the few I just bought, should be a Kabuki brush. Spoilt with choices & am doing my homework :) So my shopping continues...............
While I'm typing this, I heard the door bell rings. It's the UPS man delivering my VS items @ 10.25pm! Yeah!
Joyful joyful ~
Were at Raffles City on Tue evening. Main intention was to get a B.B. cream @ Skinfood. This B.B. cream sounds like a magic gift bestowed to all ladies.
After a foodcourt dinner, went Robinson's to get my lash glue @ Shu Uemura & brush cleanser @ MAC. There, saw the Special Edition makeup brush sets - Heirlooms, each come with a gorgeous pouch. Particularly like the face brush set that include #187 & #190 (in SE for this set) which are many famous MUAs' favs. Though it's a best buy, I wasn't ready to splurge.
However I spent the whole night & the next morning thinking about it. Wanted to ask hubby to get me as a Christmas gift.
Then @12pm, hubby called me in office, asking me to go downstairs & claim my Christmas gift. Yes! He gave me a surprise by sneaking out to get the MAC Heirlooms with face brushes for me!! He could tell I like it very much & observed that I was most interested in the face brushes set. Wow... my honey's very observant! Knew exactly what I thought! Hubby said that's because our heart strings are very strong. Hehe.
Now I'm so very happy with my very early Christmas present. Hubby's gonna wrap it up & I like the anticipation. ;)
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Kiddyish Weekend
At Rylie's 2nd birthday party on Sat evening.Most of the relatives from both sides (I mean my FIL's & MIL's) attended.
Sunday, we brought our nieces, Rachel & Zoe, to the zoo. Hubby applied for the complimentary passes from his company & just nice, max 4 could be admitted.
Anyway, the lil gals were thrilled to be able to get that close to the wandering animal which seemed to enjoy snacking on the fallen leaves all over the ground... while the other one behind the fence was calling out to its playful companion. It got so anxious when its naughty friend was oblivious to its calling that its forelegs were on the fence, wanting to make the leap.
It's obvious that hubby was afraid of the Cotton Eared Marmoset. Hehe...
I bent down to make way for the giraffe behind me. Still don't see it?
The fuel consumption ran high last weekend with the island-wide drives.
Sat before the party in Sengkang, we went to IMM & then Tampines Ikea for some household stuff. Sun after zoo, we went to East Coast's Astons & then sent the 2 gals to sis @ Bukit Timah.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Her Story
It all began with her asking us to help keep a lookout on new job opportunities. She's in mid 20s, a mum of two. She knows it's not easy to find another job with high pay which she so needs it. Her main limitations4 sec school dropout & understands very little English. Then came her ranting about work & family.
She married a Malaysian at 16 & had her 1st child at 18. Left the husband 3 months after the birth of her daughter. Later, her current husband, then suitor, pulled her out from some illegal business she got involved in & brought her back to Singapore. Also helped to obtain all legal documents for her girl to live here permanently. They now have a son of their own.
It should be a happy ending for a defiant gal but it's actually just the start of another rocky path.
The husband left his job soon after they got married. Has since been earning barely enough to feed himself as a night shift cab driver. Not helping out with housework nor taking care of the children as he wants to catch up on his sleep in the day. So she has to pay for most of the expenses besides servicing a loan she got from her family member for the purchase of their flat. She's a retail sales job and after the long working hours, the only time she has to get her housework done is late night. Every month she also has to pay quite a sum to his mum who's staying with them to solely look after the kids at home (ie. no shuttling between schools & home, no housework). What really dumfounded us was when she said the flat was bought under the names of her husband & MIL.
She's ever thought of leaving him but her own parents have declared that they don't have extra space to accomodate her & won't look after her daughter too. Also, all the legal documents concerning her daughter have been locked up by her husband.
She's not sure was it out of gratitude that she married him.
After the session, hubby & I just looked at each other, no solution apparently. If everything she said was true, whichever route she chooses, it's going to be tough.
Well... another unhappy marriage that we've heard of.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
House of Love
So pictures serve as a good reference too.
Regarding our home, we've some bigger projects for the near future, or at least we hope to...
That is, (1) some minor works to our master bathroom. (2) new sofa set. I'm so into white couches lately. But they ain't cheap. (3) Wallpapers in part of the living & bed rooms. (4) a lil custom-made bar corner. A glassy one please. That would be very nice... to have a more proper place to store our alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages, & all the nice glasses we've bought. But this is the least in the priority.
If everything goes well, project no.1 should be carried out next week. As for the rest, definitely not going to happen this year.. nor H1 of next.. taking $$ factor into the main consideration.
For now, pix have been compiled as:
- when we first got our place
- & after some renovation
- in year 2006
- this year
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
My latest toy ...
It's pretty useful & I'm happy. :)
My curious hubby tried on his beard stubs near his neck & nearly teared when he felt as if his stubs were being yanked out by the 40-tweezer head at 1 go. Hehe.
Conclusion is... girls can bear greater pains. Even if it's over the tolerance level, vanity is the best painkiller.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
A lil French fare
Business was good. Hubby just finished her signature dish...
Erm... it's actually mine. I couldn't finish so he took over after he's done with his steak.
All tables were occupied. Sis & her staff had a hard time keeping the table for us as they're not supposed to take reservation (only on walk-in basis) & we arrived late.
According to sis, publicity helps a lot. The bistro appeared in the papers a couple of times for the last few months & has since attracted throngs of food lovers. Good for her.
In the Singapore Top 100 Dishes which is also my fav & was what I ordered that day :)
Monday, November 19, 2007
Bitten too many times
Anyhow, everything started & was over in less than a minute while I continued walking throughout....
Guy: Hello, can I know you?
Me: No.
Guy: Then can I give you my name card? (handing me a card)
Me: No.
Guy: Just take it, please?
Me: No.
He asked me to take his card for the 2nd time & I shook my head while giving him a wry smile before picking up my pace.
He might be thinking I embarrassed him in front of 2 ladies.
Isn't this a passé way of knowing girls? Or am I wrong?
Befriending someone on the streets used to be real popular. It didn't just happen to hot babes... those who've seen pix of my much younger days will know what I mean. And hubby can't stop himself from laughing at/teasing me whenever we're on this :\
My 1st encounter should be....... when I was in Sec 3 or 4? A group of guys were roller-skating (yep it's that era haha) at the opposite void deck. I was below my block walking to the bus-stop when a few of them approached me, wanting to chat. There's a particular one who'd been skating next to me persisted for a distance before giving up. I thought he looked cute but mum ever said towards strangers4 . So I ignored them. Though I was secretly hoping to see this cute guy again at the void deck.
Then along the way, met people who came up with those usual stunts like asking for time, saying I looked like so & so, asking for direction, etc. A freak even tailed me from the bus all the way to my void-deck.
Besides the roller-skating boy (the memorable 1st :þ)... a few gave a deeper impression:
- On my way to school (pre-u). After I alighted, someone called me from behind & asked for time (typical!). Then he started asking for my name & stuff. Another cute guy who's an undergrad & a swimmer. Then we exchanged home nos. Obviously I no longer listened to my mum after a few years ;) Met up a few times. I was once pretty crazy over him. Imagine those days without cell phone.... when you're out, you're literally out of reach. So I would spend most of my time at home, near the phone. But I'd to accept he's just a rover.
- During year-end holiday job (pre-u again). A Swiss asked me for direction & then those usual questions. Contact details exchanged. We corresponded (letters) a few times after he returned to Zurich. More than a year later I think, he visited Singapore again & I agreed to be host. Know what he did on the 1st day we re-met? He proposed to me! He actually asked me to marry him!! That totally blew me away. I was only 19 or 20 then whereas he's nearing 40. We weren't even dating, at least not that I knew of, & I didn't like him at all. Of course I rejected him flatly. Tough to avoid him completely as he's staying here for a week. The next time we met I asked my sis & 1 of her girlfriends along but he treated them as invisible most of the time & attempted to overwhelm me with mushy words the entire evening. That's final for me. I refused to take his calls & had to let him spend his remaining days here by himself. At least there's something good about those no-handphone days, hee. After he returned, he didn't give up & sent me letters, pictures of his yacht & cottage.. saying those would belong to me if I were to marry him *faint* but I didn't respond. Then one night, mum woke me up @ 2am+ & said my boss was looking for me. Turned out to be him blabbering away. I hung up on him shortly after & think that's the last I heard of him. Couldn't imagine myself liking an 'elderly' then.
- During the initial days of working. Was waiting for bus after seeing a doc. Then this very tall & skinny guy who's also waiting at the bus-stop came forward & chatted with me. I recognised him as one of the patients at the clinic. Exchanged home nos & he asked me out the following Sun evening for drinks. He confided in me that his girlfriend had died of cancer a year ago & since then he couldn't bring himself to date other girls till he met me. I was so gullible then & took everything he said. We supposed to meet again the following week but he disappeared, I tried calling but couldn't reach him. Only a few days later he contacted me & said he's busy with work over the weekend. We kept in touch via phone as he always claimed he needed to work extended hours. Blame it on my naivety that I didn't realise I wasn't even a 'Girl Friday'. Only after he went missing for weeks that I finally gave up hope. About a year later, he called me out of the blue. But I was already attached then. As I was so stupid (that I didn't realise he's a jerk when it's so obvious), I even tried to introduce a good friend to him by organising a movie outing with my then clique (5 couples). Thank God she's not ready for another relationship though she'd good impression. Then 1 day, Michelle who'd met him during the outing told me I'd been duped. She attended a wedding dinner the previous night & coincidentally saw him at the next table but he pretended to not know her. She confirmed with a mutual friend that he's indeed Alwin Cheong & then came the shocking news.... he'd already been attached for more than 4 years & the girlfriend was sitting next to him! To think that he told me his girlfriend died of cancer more than a year ago?? Since he's such a scum to be cursing his own girl, I've no qualms about revealing his full name. Who knows, he might still be deceiving other innocent girls now?
- At the DFS of Jakarta international airport. I was browsing while waiting for a flight back after a work trip. I noticed a man was following me for a while & perhaps he sensed that I was turning hostile, he approached me & introduced himself. He's an Italian & maybe because he's handsome, I didn't mind engaging in a conversation with him though his English was limited haha. His friend, another Italian but was the opposite in terms of physical attributes :P, soon joined in after his shopping. We had a coffee together & then they walked me to my boarding gate. I agreed to give him my mobile phone no. but didn't ask for his as I'd no intention to keep in touch. The next day after I returned, he called me from Milan. I was surprised. But I just couldn't figure out what he's trying to say & ended the conversation shortly. It's always easier to communicate face to face with gestures. After days (or weeks?) he called the 2nd time but again, we couldn't talk for long. We could have just exchanged email addresses then.
Soon after, I changed my handphone number. He might have tried calling me again, or he might not have.
As you can see the chance of being acquainted with strange people or jerks almost hit 100%, at least for me, I've shut out those who try to get friendly out on the streets long time ago. Moreover, I'm already happily married now so there's no need to know more guys. :)
Thursday, November 15, 2007
KATE
Bought the above on my last Bkk trip. Thought it'd be more useful than eyebrow pencil as & when I go for fuller brows. At first I disregarded the 2 much lighter tones & it's just the dark brown I wanted. Now I'm starting to appreciate these 2 shades as I can mix & match. Love my latest brow colour that matches my light brown lashes! ;)
So my verdict is:
- Choices> 4.5/5
- Colour> 4/5
- Ease of use> 4/5
- Staying power (on my oily face)> 4.5/5
However, am now concerned about the stock supply. I can't get it in Singapore... used to have difficulty to even find a Kanebo cosmetics outlet. Thus was happy to finally see their new counters when shopping last week & they do carry Kate range of make-up. But... just not this particular item I'm searching for. Visited their counters in 2 different department stores & lastly being told that it wasn't sold in Singapore. The salesgirl then recommended another similar product of 3 brow powder palette from another range, T'estimo, but its price - $46 (or $42? can't remember). Whereas I got mine @ S$18+!
So anyone's going to KL or Bkk?
Meanwhile.... 1 of my next cosmetics purchase might be an eyebrow mascara. Very tempted to try. Hmmm..
Monday, November 12, 2007
Our date last friday
Well it's the first time that we - 1)booked it just for ourselves & 2)donned in home clothes for ktv (we'd showered beforehand & were ready to turn in right after). Felt great. Not only because we're able to reach home in a min after the enjoyment, but also the amount we spent. While it could easily be over $50 for such a 3-hr session on a Fri night, we paid only a fifth of it. And enjoyed thoroughly.
This KTV thingy has always been of substantial sentimental value to us. We used to sing quite a bit especially before we got together. That's what we did on our first date as well. Hubby, an NS guy then, didn't have much $$ to spend on dates & his buddy who was working part-time in 1 of the KTV joints gave him very special rates to sing there. So, he brought me there :) Subsequently, he worked hard on those songs that're my favourites so he could sing for me (& impressed me I reckon, hehe). This had become a regular kinda activity for us & an easy reason to ask me out, when I wasn't at The Bar.
We've definitely moved on to the better after these few years. But till now we still enjoy singing together. Hubby still sings for me my favourite songs & we still indulge in the sweet loving memories of those days. I guess, it's one of our ways to keep our love as "fresh" as it has first budded.
Plan to do it again soon. But before that, we've just blocked online another session next fri with Mr&Mrs LL. Looking forward to that!
Friday, November 09, 2007
The pre & the post
Dined at Prego with PY on Thurs. As you can see, I'm trying to make good use of our Card. ;)
Visited our friend in hospital who'd just given birth. Then had a quick & simple dinner at one of the stalls in Paragon before heading home. Hubby brought some work back to do so we could enjoy our special weekend & an extended one as we'd applied leave on Mon.
But who knows, right after our celebration I fell sick. Started to feel unwell on Sunday. Then spent half of our Mon in clinics... both western & chinese. Sigh.... A day's ML on Tue as still felt lousy. Much better now though the nose infection hasn't totally gone.
So this week I work only 2 days. Hee.
2nd Anniversaire !
Checked in slightly after 2pm & we're pleasantly surprised with the room. Spacious & looked new. There's a whole lotta difference from The Stamford where we stayed exactly 1 year ago.
The only downside was the parking. They don't offer complimentary parking for in-house guests. Last year The Stamford at least offered valet parking @ $5 or $8... we can't remember. We're being "advised" by the receptionist that a total of S$30+ would be needed for overnight parking & all. And the best they could do was to suggest that we park at Bras Basah Complex which would be 'slightly cheaper', according to her. But we'd our own ways & left our car at somewhere (basement carpark too) even nearer than BBC. When we left on Sunday afternoon, only $8+ was deducted from our cashcard :) Thanks to the regular Sunday morning walks (after sending mum to church) that we discovered this place that offers per entry rate for both overnight & Sunday parking.
Got prepped after a good rest & before leaving for our dinner, I gave hubby a surprise. He'd showered me with so many gifts & surprises in the past & it's my turn to pamper him. He wasn't aware that I managed to sneak in his present. He's usually very involved in the packing of bags so it's not easy to put something without him noticing. I actually left it in my office & told him on Fri night that I needed to go back to office on Sat morning to get my shoes for the evening. He wasn't suspicious as his troublesome wife does that quite often (not only shoes).
Then we proceeded to our candle-light dinner (buffet) which was just across the road. We had a wonderful time.
After a long dinner, we went on to Paulaner Brauhaus for a brew.
We stayed for less than an hour. The couple at the table before us was too distracting. The ear-licking show was up for as long as we'd stayed & attracted too many audiences. We're pretty sure they weren't an official pair though. Anyway, we shall be going back for more. I mean the beer.
In all, it was a great, great night.
More pix here.