second home

I'd just like to announce that I'm not dead - just dead busy. Lots of things have changed in the last three months that I've last posted anything here! It's a change that is drastic and surreal all at once, and sometimes I really am proud of myself for making this important decision happen.

I am back in Uni which is situated somewhere in Australia, doing my honours year. Something that I should have done earlier - but hey, better late than never. Seems funny how almost nothing's changed here except that I really like flat whites now. Also, the quality of rest here is amazing. It feels extremely nice to enjoy undisturbed rest - something that I'd never ever take for granted again.

I've just completed two assignments in the last two weeks and it is awesome to feel free (for now) and not bogged down by work all the time... Time for some shopping + feasting! Meanwhile I will post some photos of tranquil Okinawa to remind myself that a paradise for old souls (and also old people, haha) exists. See you at the next post~

take time to breathe

Last week was a crazily busy week. Juggling work, reading scientific journals, making final preparations for my sister's wedding isn't exactly a piece of cake. The long weekend didn't make things better or easier either.

My elder sister's wedding was on Saturday, the day after Labour Day. Having to run on 3 hours of sleep and trying to look awake (thank goodness for make up) was surprisingly manageable because of all that adrenaline! The wedding processions and lunch banquet went smoothly without a hitch, thanks to family and friends who selflessly gave us their help and support. Congratulations to Mr & Mrs Tan! :)


Sitting in a pile of unfinished work, feeling uncertain for the next half of 2015 - how is my life going to turn out? I wish things would just complete themselves and everything would tie up seamlessly... But nothing is accomplished without effort and the heart to do it. Learning to breathe, even when you're gasping for air. Feeling small while being consumed and overwhelmed by the things or events around you. Take the time to pause and breathe...

kaboom

Hi! I'm back after a long break!

I visited Okinawa and Taipei with my parents barely two weeks ago and I'm glad we're back safe and sound. Okinawa was truly a healing trip for me - new landscape, a language I barely spoke and understood, an unfamiliar island-city which reminded me a little of Singapore. Taipei, a place I've been to several times in recent years - the city is ever changing with new places to explore, with a different experience each time.

I brought my SLR (mind you, not a DSLR) along this trip and I some photos to share very soon! Unfortunately, my laptop was suicidal and decided to die while I was overseas. My files were all lost but I HAVE A BACK UP! Some files are better than no files. So I guess beauty reviews will have to be put on halt as well because my editing software is also *gone*. Sobs.

santouka day

Yesterday (10 March) was Santouka day, marking their 27th anniversary! All medium-sized ramen were going for $3.10++ only! Surprisingly we didn't have to wait long even though there was a mad crowd going on outside the shop - there was a group of 11 waiting for seats! Crazy!

We just filled up the name list to secure a slot and left to escape the heat at the nearest air-conditioned place we could find... We went back to the shop exactly 18 minutes later to find ourselves magically whisked inside the restaurant as it was our turn already. It was an amazing feeling! We couldn't stop laughing and smiling at our good luck LOL! We added an egg each for our topping and the bill didn't even hit $11. YAYYYY! :D

On more eggciting news, I will be flying to Okinawa and Taipei for a short holiday next week! Yes - two places! Super stoked to escape the sunny island and phone calls and just enjoy tranquility (in Okinawa at least)! :D

s i l e n c e

"One of the risks of being quiet is that other people can fill your silence with their own interpretation: You're bored. You're depressed. You're shy. You're stuck up. You're judgmental. When others can't read us, they write their own story - not always one we choose or that's true to who we are."

- Sophia Dembling, The Introvert's Way

cny woes

It's been a long time since I posted anything here! It's Day 3 of Chinese New Year and I've been eating more than I should. Oops. It probably wasn't such a good idea to consume so much sugar (sweet drinks are my weakness) in 4 days - eve of CNY included in the feastivities... I'm already feeling sluggish and tired from the sugar spikes and crashes. That aside, it has been a really lucky day so far! Woke up early and went to town to get a pair of shoes that I wanted that were recently restocked :D Last pair in my size! YES!

I wanted to share my woes as a person who generally hates bright colours and flowery prints on my clothes. Black and white is considered taboo as it is associated with bad luck and death/mourning in the Chinese culture. Red is often the approved colour for CNY outfits... but I just can't. Unless I really HAVE TO. Then I'll wear it. And sulk. That reminds me of my Chinese Orchestra costume... Shudders.

I don't wanna buy clothes that I can only wear for a certain kind of occasion. That's one of my philosophies in life LOL. Like, I wouldn't be decked out in red or orange in my daily life so all these colours are immediately ruled out when searching for CNY-approved outfits. I usually just search for darker shades like olive, dark green, burgundy and navy. Still, it's a struggle to find something I like even if its in a colour *I* approve of - it also depends on the cutting and fit of clothes!

Shopping for clothes for Chinese New Year hasn't been that successful this year as compared to shopping for COSMETICS! Literally blew my bank account with all the random make up purchases. Seriously, shopping for clothes suitable for CNY isn't that easy for a person with a monochromatic wardrobe. SO TO MAKE MY LIFE EASIER... I bought whatever I liked, mostly all white pieces (much better than all black right?). This year I got all my clothes online. Easy breezy. No squeezing with the crowd and queuing for changing rooms.

I guess the moral of the story is to buy whatever you like and make it work! :D And also disregard the comments and disapproving stares if you do get them. SHAKE IT OFF, SHAKE IT OFF!  Happy Chinese New Year! Enjoy the remaining days of CNY!

writer's block

I was supposed to finish a post today but I'm having a serious case of writer's block. I can't seem to describe anything in detail... Sigh. I'm just waiting for some suitable vocabulary to strike my brain.

So how was your Friday? I had sushi for dinner. I'm gonna be doing some lip swatches for another review this weekend. Hopefully I can get all the photos I need! I'm still figuring out the set up for the shoot. I actually bought a new work lamp from Ikea so that I can direct the light for better (and brighter) photos LOL

I actually drank A LOT of tea today so that explains why I'm still awake - teasomnia!!! I think I should take a warm bath... Time to try the new shower gel and body scrub from Original Source I bought yesterday! THE SMELL IS INCREDIBLEEE!! Okay bye seems like I'll get some inspiration after bathing ahahaha

visual diarrhea (of food)

Hello~ How's your January so far? Mine has been filled with exploring eateries, catching up with friends, learning how to skateboard, falling sick (haha typical me) and of course, shopping! This post will be filled with photos I found in my phone... Brace yourselves for a visual diarrhea (of food).


I went for a food tasting session for my sister's wedding lunch banquet at the Hilton. Hmm it was pretty good! The chef was very open to our comments and suggestions in terms of taste, combination of flavours and also changes to some of the dishes. Apparently they specialise in herbal marinades... We had herbal prawns and herbal chicken in one seating. Too much? I personally liked it! :)

Forgot to take a snap of the last course - dessert! It was yam paste with ginko nut! Everything was so fresh - especially the bouncy prawns, oh my. I also loved the generous chunks of crab meat in the Four Treasures Soup!

Okay! Next up...

Nantsuttei is a ramen joint. Did I have their ramen? No. But I had their rice bowl. Why? Because I didn't feel like having ramen!

One of the stellar eats this month... Nantsuttei's Butamabushi ($7++)! Fragrant and garlicky seasoned charshu chunks (mixture of fatty and lean) topped on fresh hot rice lightly drizzled with sweet and salty sauce. Topped with negi, nori and an onsen tamago. BAM. Awesomeness in your face. It's deliciousness caught me by surprise, if you will. The runny yolk added a richness to this dish and made each spoonful of the separate components harmonious. I wished they put more sauce on the rice though. MORE!!

Oh btw, the gyoza wasn't spectacular. Skip that and eat this!

Nantsuttei

Orchard Central

#07-12/13

(Barbequed pork noodles, 叉烧面)

Imperial Treasure Congee and Noodle House! Need I say more?! My favourite place for roast meats and noodles! Their dim sum is really good as well. This time I went to their branch at 100AM. A new branch is opening in March 2015 at Raffles City. Don't say I never share. Hehe.

(Deep fried prawn dumplings, 明虾饺)

(Hong Kong style rice rolls, 香港街边肠粉)

(Baked coconut tart)

If I had to pick one must-try item from the items I posted, it has got to be the baked coconut tart. This deceivingly normal-looking tart is just divine. Baked to order, it is buttery and packed with sweet coconut flavour and enveloped in an ultra flaky pastry. The coconut on the top of the tart is baked till toasty and slightly caramelised for that extra fragrance before you shove it into your mouth. Mmm.

The last time I went, I ordered 3 servings to takeaway...  I went to the Ion branch last week but didn't see this on their dim sum menu - not sure if it's exclusively at the 100AM branch. Their egg tarts are very good too. Custardy and wobbly. Always served hot!

Imperial Treasure Noodle & Congee House

100AM (Tras St)

#02-10/11

Ciao! May your 2015 be filled with more good eats! Maybe I should make this a regular column on my blog. LOL.

happy 2015!

I'd better write about this before I forget. First and foremost, HAPPY NEW YEAR! It's kinda like a long holiday here in Singapore so I've been feeling so lazy, just chillin' on my bed the whole time. I'm still in the midst of grasping and accepting the fact that 2014 is over. Too fast. I can't believe that I have to wait another year for Christmas. I just can't. Why can't it be Christmas every day? :(

I celebrated New Year's Day with my LSCT X friends at a chalet! I was so so so excited for the day to come because:
1. I love BBQ
2. Seeing my friends
3. Secret Santa gift exchange!!!

I am ultra happy cos' my Santa is awesome and bought something off my wishlist :D Pics soon I promise! I'm kinda bummed because the holiday season is over and I don't have any more excuse to eat junk food... Anyone out there facing the same problem?!

In 2015, I wish that I will be super productive and more proactive when dealing with people. I actually really hate talking to people I don't know/not close to but I have to do it because of my work... Such is life. Beggars can't be choosers! I'll probably also try to integrate exercise as part of my life because I actually gave up halfway in 2014. Good try, I would say! I read somewhere that only 8% of New Year resolutions actually materialise LOL. Good luck to me!

Stay healthy and happy in 2015 y'all!

santa?

It's been a good two weeks since I last posted anything here! Firstly, I want to wish everyone a very 

ⓜⓔⓡⓡⓨ ⓒⓗⓡⓘⓢⓣⓜⓐⓢ!

'Tis the season to be jolly (and fat)! So what did you receive for Christmas? :) Hopefully its something on your wishlist! More importantly, how did you celebrate Christmas? I had a Christmas feast with my family on the eve - lots of ham and pork ribs (surprised at the lack of wine this year) - basically we all had too much meat in our happy bellies. On Christmas Day, I had dinner with my boyfriend at Din Tai Fung. I drool thinking about my favourite chilli crab and pork steamed buns!! Feeling blessed after celebrating Christmas with my loved ones...

That said, I'm looking forward to attacking the Panettone (Italian sweet bread loaf) later! :D Also, I'm finally working on my third {shoot us} post so... Hopefully it'll be out before 2014 ends. LOL

Happy holidays! Lots of love! ♥

#prayformylens

Hello! I'm alive! I've been quite busy recently. I haven't checked my blog for a week since I last posted but today when I logged in... Surprise! My blog has surpassed 3000+ hits! YAY! Thank you for reading! :D

I've been working on updating the swatches for the older reviews, especially for the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream and the Innisfree Color Glow Lipstick. HOWEVER the camera lens that I've been using all this while got kinda wonky... So I changed to a macro lens instead but it was so difficult to work with and I ended up deleting the photos I took because somehow the colour of the photos were so warm-toned. 

JUST EDIT THEM YOU SAY? 

Well, I have my reasons not to. I do not wish to heavily edit or filter any of the photos for the reviews because it would just defeat the purpose of a review, no? I want the colours to be as accurate as possible (well, to my eyes at least). 

Anyway, I have some thoughts on setting up an Instagram just to post my swatches... I don't know if it's a good idea or not. Will update this space if I decide to do so!

Ciao! Looking forward to Friday evening for some karaoke with my sciency friends!

selectively social

Are you selectively social? I am.
Read this to find out.


4, 5, 6, 11, 12 are especially true to me.

I wouldn't say that I am selectively social(ble) all my life. This behaviour was more prominent when I was in uni. I would find myself trying to avoid people because I really didn't feel like talking to anyone unless necessary.

Well, partly also because I found myself struggling to click with some of the Singaporean students in the same courses that I attended. It was sooo painful hanging out with them because I would pretend to be interested in their lame conversation topics or fake a laugh at whatever they found amusing. An obvious case of way different frequencies. Unfortunately I had to see them quite often throughout the week because of lessons. I'd never felt the need to fit in or to be part of their clique, so I drifted away from their company and enjoyed life (and peace!) in solitude!! Zen is me.


Surprisingly I didn't feel that lonely despite not having many friends. I usually eat lunch by myself because I can zone out/ play games/ read news or class materials, or basically just eat in peace. Anyway, there was once someone from the same course (not from the group mentioned above) spotted me eating lunch outdoors by myself... So he decided to talk to me and uh... Told me I could join his group for lunch next time if I wanted. I found myself in a state of amusement and was slightly offended. So you think I AM LONELY?! I ONLY LOOK like I'm lonely BECAUSE I CHOOSE to be alone!!


Ok. I guess I was offended then.
But thanks for your kind intentions (knowing that it was my first semester as an international student).


On some days I would diagnose myself with a lack of human contact and start rambling off to someone or go grocery shopping with my house mate/project mate. As you can tell, I survive on short-term contact with humans to stay sane. Just need to hit an imaginary quota and I'm back to my shell.


So... Are you selectively social? We could be friends.
But I guess we'd rather not hang out (LOL).

game on!

Hello! I've been stepping up on my cosmetics review game! Recently I've been looking for inspiration on Korean beauty blogs. There are seriously so many of them and they all look so professionally done up - in terms of product styling and photography. I guess the key to make the products look good is to get good lighting! Although I can't understand the reviews they wrote, I enjoy scrolling through their blogs! :)

I enjoy the process of writing reviews because it allows me to be creative. So far the most popular cosmetic review on my blog is the Innisfree Colour Glow Lipstick! I am aware that people read it because I am able to track the number of views for each individual post! :D So thank you for reading!

I've just completed editing the selected visuals for my Aritaum Honey Melting Tint review which will be up tomorrow! :) This is by far my favourite one in terms of photography and presentation. I think I will update the other reviews I've done with new swatches... If I have the time.

Personally when I read reviews I usually scroll to the visuals first then read what the author actually has to say... So I'm beginning to think that my reviews are wordy? I should try to be concise but I want to fully describe the experience of wearing the product! What should I do? Dilemma!

wishlist

Because it's my birthday.

Because I'm always feeling cold.

(click) :)

(click)

Because I'm kinda pale.

#2 Milky Rose

#5 Cool Rose

(click) :)

Because I need a big plain black bag/tote. 

(click)


Because I am kinda obsessed with t-shirts.

eBay?

i am no music critic

I AM BEYOND ELATED. Finally got my hands on this!!

It arrived on my doorstep just today and I literally ripped it apart (carefully, of course). Big big big thank you to wy for getting this as my birthday present! I love it sooo much! 

I actually went to hunt for it at local CD shops several months after the album's release but they didn't carry it - even at HMV Singapore. Anyway I went to his concert thinking that they might sell it along with the concert merchandise but there was no sign of it (whut, ikr?)... End of story. I'm quite an old fashioned person so I prefer getting CDs than purchasing songs on iTunes (unless I only like one song from an artist). SO JUDGE ME.

My favourite tracks from 危险世界 Dangerous World are:

 特别的人

巴黎

天气先生

爱不来

I've always enjoyed listening to Mandopop/C-pop (especially ballads) since I was young - and that's how I passively improved my Mandarin vocab by stealing phrases here and there from lyrics (furreal LOL). Plus sometimes when I learn the lyrics to the song I get so overwhelmed by it and y'know... Goosebumps. It feels like someone gently squeezed your heart from the inside. 

As opposed to Western music in recent years... It's hard to find a melody as beautiful as its lyrics. Let's just say I love oldies heaps more (I'm old fashioned remember?). Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson... I just wish more people would listen to them. In my defense, I like Destiny's Child, Alicia Keys, Westlife and Ariana Grande too!

In my opinion Khalil Fong has always been in a league of his own in terms of music arrangement, production and his signature R&B singing style in the Mandopop world. 方大同's voice is well-rounded and smooth, never shrill even when it comes to the high notes. It sounds comfortable, natural and unpretentious. If honey could produce a sound - it would sound like Khalil. He delivered a solid live performance during his concert so I can vouch for all these praises I'm throwing out.

To transpose R&B influences in C-pop is unconventional but getting increasingly popular. As to whether you can tell the good (aka David Tao, 陶喆) from the bad (aka 张智成, Z Chen - in my opinion), I guess it takes some time to find out who you prefer. 

So, which do you notice first when you listen to a song? Music or lyrics?

hehe

I am so eggcited because I went on a lippie shopping rampage and bought 4 lip products at once last week!!! 2 of them arrived today with a ANOTHER ONE FREE. 3 for the price of 2 YAAAYYYY! Nothing more awesome can happen today :D

Designing a new blog front and watermark to stamp my photos. Hopefully it turns out nice! Ciao!

anime talk please ignore if you want

Hello!! I've been watching lots of anime lately! Can't help wishing for more episodes every time I reach the latest ones. Updated myself with the latest One Piece episodes - Rebecca's still in the Battle Royale... I am also watching Shingeki no Kyojin and Sailor Moon Crystal (2014 version of the series).


Shingeki no Kyojin is just so much awesomeness!! I love the art and music of the anime. The tension and emotions of the characters are just so well expressed! Kinda makes me wanna fight for humanity's victory too HAHAHA. I just feel that Eren is too blinded by his ambitiousness and stubbornness to realise Mikasa's feelings for him. Looking forward to the manga's progression :D


After watching Sailor Moon Crystal, I can't help but declare... CHIBA MAMORU IS JUST TOO CUTE TO BE TRUE. I mean... C'mon. Just look at that chiselled jawline. And hair. And eyes. Although he is quite useless because he doesn't have any special powers, its okay. He's the visual of the show to keep girls swooning all over the world LOL. To be honest, I think he looks best in his school uniform than his Tuxedo Kamen get up.

(that's me being a little obsessed with Mamo-chan)

I've noticed that the storyline doesn't adhere closely to the manga (yes, I've also read it). One of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Dark Kingdom, Jadeite didn't die after a fight with the Sailor-senshis. In fact, I think 2 of them died :O I guess we'll have to continue to watch to find out why!


Comparing the Sailor-senshis' bodies and face shapes to the older version... It seems like their faces are almost disappearing into nothing. ITS SO SMALL. How is that even possible? And Sailor Moon's hair is like even bigger than her face. Just look at that massive crown of hair:

VS

(a better proportioned Usagi-chan)

I'll admit most of them look better now - especially Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars! Plus I realised I only liked Sailor Moon for her costume after watching the anime. Her personality and voice (haha sorry voice actor!) is really annoying because she WHINES a lot.


I like Sailor Mars now - my allegiance has changed.

I love the fierceness in her eyes when she fights but she's gentle and sometimes vulnerable. I think we have something in common - being wary of others and their motives... If you watched it perhaps you could tell me what it is? Personality? Attitude? Hair?

my october thus far

October has been eventful so far! So packed with social interactions! LOL just because I usually live under a rock...

Thanks to the long weekend last week I managed to spend time with my parents and they finally decided on buying a pair of matching watches to commemorate their 30th wedding anniversary! Congrats mom & dad! :D

On Thursday, I met up with Tracy in town for a short catch up and we had bubble tea and takoyaki. After she left, I went to get my hair cut. Finally! It's still long but more manageable than before and I really like it! I met my sister for dinner after that. I was craving so badly for wanton noodles all day - y'know like the HK style thin and springy noodles - so when she suggested eating at Imperial Treasure Noodle and Congee House in Ion... I was beyond happy I think I literally floated in mid-air. It was SOOOOO nice and affordable! Officially my favourite noodle restaurant! :D

On Friday I met Audrey and Marwin and it was a really spontaneous kinda day - meaning that we couldn't make up our minds on most things so we decided to go with the flow... We randomly decided that we wanted to sing karaoke and we managed to get a room! Lucky us because they're usually fully booked at that sort of timing!! After that we were really hungry but wanted to eat something exotic/new so we headed to Hai Di Lao Hotpot at 313. Glad that the both of them liked the soup and food there :)

OCTOBER HIGHLIGHT: Just yesterday, I went to the first concert of my life. It was so surreal. I'm just soooo over the moon that he decided to hold a concert here *dies* IT WAS AWESOME. This topic deserves a post on its own. I will document it carefully later. 

Also, I have loooads of stuff to review on:

• Revlon lipsticks
• Innisfree Shading Powder in #7
• Skin Food Buckwheat Loose Powder in Lavender 
• Aritaum Mono Eyes in #72 Mature Burgundy

Special thanks to Weng for painstakingly hunting down the eye shadow in Korea as it was completely sold out at most Aritaum branches she went! :D So if you're interested in these reviews do keep reading this space for more updates! :)

8:15am ramblings

This insanity has got to stop, Please grant me a good night's sleep, brain. Even when drifting in and out of sleep my mind is completely a w a k e. My body can't ignore the fact that I'm stressed out + probably the existence of caffeine in my system.

why I won't dye my hair

MY HAIR ENDS HAS BEEN SO DRY LATELY! This calls for a trim!!! But honestly I am too lazy to go to the salon to get it fixed. Female haircuts are also getting more expensive PFFFFFT

It's a real struggle to find a decent hair salon or a hairstylist for non-risk takers like myself... Deciding on a hair salon is a GREAT PAIN. Should I return to the old place? Try somewhere new? What if they screw up my fringe? Why didn't they display their prices on the outside? OH MY GOD.


I've had the same hairstyle for years now but I don't see anything wrong with it (LOL). The most drastic thing I did to my hair was about 2 years ago when I had my hair dip dyed purple at a "premium" salon. It was nice and all but so friggin' not worth it imooooo!!!

Back when dip-dyeing was all the rage.

After the purple faded, I was momentarily half-blonde from the initial bleaching they did. It left my hair as dry as bone. I had trouble running a comb through the ends. The comb would get stuck firmly between the tangles and basically I gave up combing my hair for a period of time.

Half-blonde Asian me in uni. 
I don't have much photos from that era mainly because I might have been too embarrassed to take any :)

The blonde also washed out my skin tone and left me looking chronically ill. Plus all the split ends I was getting!! Urgh. Then I had to dye the blonde back to black = double whammy damage. Not to mention most hair dyes are carcinogenic. Great.

Second dye, faded + gave up combing hair

A burden off my chest as the hairstylist chopped off all the gross bits.

Looking brand new!

All that being said, its amazing how some people can change their hair colour every 3 months or so. The cost and time spent on maintaining the dyed and damaged hair is just too much effort for me... Undyed is the way to go, guys. Au naturel.

But of course I've fantasized about how my hair would look in a different colour! Even black can get boring too. Like pastel purple. Mermaid-ish blend of blonde, pink, purple, blue and green. Silvery grey. Light brown. Who knows? I might change my mind one day. As y'all know, bad choices make good stories. LOLOL


I didn't expect this post to be this long! I was just gonna rant and stuff but seems like I got carried away :p I stole all these photos from my Instagram :D