Music is self-reflection for my soul

A relationship has no rules. Rules are for those who play games but is relationship a game? In today's hook up culture, relationships are akin to games and unwittingly, I've been sucked into the game forgetting what a proper relationship is all about. Treating relationships like games is my downfall because love is unconditional.

Love is blind and makes people do illogical things. It is contrary to human's basic instinct of self-survival. Love is what makes people put others ahead of themselves. So how do something so illogical co-exist with something driven by self-interest?

For example, love is unconditional that no matter how much a person hurts you, if you still love them, you will still want them back. The question is: how much are you willing to take before severing the ropes of the relationship? The other perspective would be how stupid can you get that you are willing to let someone use and trample over you AGAIN? When will you learn your lesson, wake up and stop being so stupid? Don't let him use you AGAIN.

John Legend's All of Me resonates with me especially the part where he goes "even when I lose, I'm winning, cause I give you all of me".

It makes me think back to my own relationships where I have held myself back. For example, do I call him or do I wait for him to call first? This is driven by the fear of "losing". Ultimately, relationships scare me because I can't let go completely to give all of me to someone who has the potential to take all of me AND hurt me.

Even when I let someone into my world, I still hold myself back for fear that he would not like who I truly am. The result is people who enter my world don't know me and they judge who I am on the superficial level which frustrates me because that is not who I am. Then it hit me that it's because that's all of me that I let them see and they realize that it's time to let go because I am not who I am.

Suddenly, John Legend's voice pops up again. "All of me loves all of you, love your curves and edges, all your perfect imperfections."

A proper relationship starts from being who I truly am. I would rather he loves me along with all my strengths and weaknesses than the facade of me. This means I have to start being comfortable being me though it is akin to being comfortable naked. I'm not entirely comfortable with it but I will get there eventually.

Klarity V-Line Challenge with Lasertox V-Line Shape Up

What do all these women have in common that makes them so beautiful and photogenic that we mortal women would give an arm and a leg for?

Vivian Hsu

Kourtney Kardashian

Kim Kardashian

Reese Witherspoon

Sarah Jessica Parker

All the above photographs are courtesy of Google.com

 



A search on the internet for female celebrity faces show that most of them have the V-line regardless of their face shape. No matter what your face shape is, a V-line will most definitely make your face look slim and give others the illusion that you are slim regardless of how thin or curvy you are downwards.

While celebrities boast their V-lines in photographs, mere mortals like us do not have the V-line. Instead, we have chubby cheeks, fleshy jaw lines, double chins (gasp) and generally have U or O jawlines.

For me, I have a pointy chin so if I smile a certain way and photograph at a certain angle, I look like I have a V-lined jaw. Otherwise, strategic hairstyles and photo apps with the "thinify" effect will also do the trick!


Smiling a certain way

On the other hand...there are times when I don't photograph well and look super chubs (see below). :(  Photographs like that don't usually surface because they have a direct route to the rubbish bin or I don't upload them. Period.



Bad photo

If you are scared of pain just like I am because invasive surgery scares me to no end, you can bet your bottom dollar that I will NOT be involved. If there are cutting, needles and pain involved, I'll be running in the opposite direction so......what do I do if I want a V-lined jaw without pain, needles or surgery?

Tada....

Left to right: BODYFIT, Velvet Silicone Belt and V-line Shape Up Cream 

Klarity has considered all that and came up with the Lasertox V-Line Shape Up. It is an intensive treatment to shape and lift the face so that we can achieve the V-Line jaw without any pain and down time.

My initial reaction: *jaws drop, eyes widen* FOR REAL???

KLARITY Lastertox V-Line Shape Up is an intensive 5 days treatment featuring 3 primary components: BODYFIT (5 pieces), the Velvet Silicon belt and V-line Shape Up Cream.

BODYFIT is a mask for your jaw and chin that is soaked with a liquid enriched with Adenosine and natural substances capable of inhibiting the activity of fat tissue and improving firmness of the skin. The liquid penetrates onto the skin to tone the V-line and redefine your facial planes, reduce puffiness by improving drainage and water distribution through the skin tissues as Adenosine accelerates the fat and double chin reducing process. The effects claimed include a more defined contour and improved skin elasticity.

The Velvet Silicone Belt is intended to fit precisely along the V-Line. It has unique acupuncture points which exert pressure to help enhance facial blood circulation for a better result.

Last but not least, the V-line Shape Up Cream is a light weight and hydrating cream that hydrates the skin from deep within and restores the skin's firmness that your face should appear slimmer and visibly lifted by the end of the treatment.

How to use:

Step 1: Place unfolded v-line mask at the jaw area.

Step 2: Wrap the silicone belt around the chin and head for 30 minutes.

Step 3: Massage the remaining essence and then the V-line Shape Up Cream

Here are the results:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

 

Day 5

Day 5: side profile. Less fleshy! Yeay!

Post Day 5: After waking up

All the pictures above of me have no filter or makeup applied. The difference is the lighting and time when I took the pictures.

Do you see a difference? For me, I do see a difference from Day 1 to Day 5 but what is not so obvious from pictures is the difference with my jawline. I am fleshy around the jaw bone area but I could feel the sharpness of my jaw bone after using the Klarity Lasertox V-Line Shape Up. What is more impressive is that my grandmother, who usually comments on how round my face is, noticed a difference and commented that my face grew sharper. Mind you, she sees me everyday so it is harder to notice a change but she did! Naturally, I was on cloud nine for the entire day! :D

Do note that this result is only temporary so one would either have to lose weight (and hope the face slims down too) or go for plastic surgery or cosmetic treatments for a more permanent solution. However, do check out the Klarity Lasertox V-Line Shape Up for a quick V-line face without pain or fuss!

The Klarity Lasertox V-Line Shape Up retails at SGD$59 and is available at:

Online: www.klarity.sg and www.luxola.com
SaSa: Jurong Point, Bedok Mall, Parkway Parade, Novena Square, Junction 8, Plaza Singapura, Vivo City, Holland Village, Nex Serangoon, Tampines 1, Wisma Atria, Causeway Point, Westgate, Lot 1 CCK
BHG Singapore: Bugis Junction, Tampines 1, Juntion 8, Lot 1 CCK, Clementi Mall

Disclaimer: Products are sponsored by Klarity for the V-Line Challenge but this is not an advertorial or a paid blog post. My views on Klarity and their products are not influenced by Klarity and are completely my own.

Essential Leave On Treatment [Warning: UNGLAM PICS!]

When my mum calls me a lion or a "pong sai gao" (Hokkien dialect for poodle) early in the morning, I automatically turn grumpy. Who wants to be called a lion or pong sai gao first thing in the morning?!

Before I start ranting, pong sai gao or poodle is used as a literal translation to describe people with big hairdos (i.e. Afros or Albert Einstein hair). Lion, well, think of a lion's mane and you get my drift.

But then again, Mum has a point. When I wake up, I look like this:-

Was late for the gym so I went straight after I brushed my teeth.

Excuse the puffy eyes and crazy hair but the above selfie was taken when I was on the train (trying to convince someone that I was on my way) straight after washing up because I woke up late.

So after a comb has been through the hair, it looks slightly better but it is still majorly poofy! Mummy always tells me off for not combing my hair but I can't help it if my hair looks crazy after it's been combed! ;((( On a more positive note, I feel like I can hide pigeons in my hair to do magic tricks! :P

Close up of my hair

Lol, my hair looks like it's ready to conduct static electricity! And who is/are the culprit(s)? *shakes fists*

Culprits!

These culprits can be summed up as "Pillow Damage". Essentially, crazy hair is created when sleeping, tossing and turning in bed. As we sleep, toss and turn, our hair rubs against the pillow, creating friction ("pillow friction"). Pillow friction causes our hair cuticles to open up (hello split ends), become rough, frizzy or prone to tangles. It results in frizzy, unmanageable hair like mine. And to solve this problem, I either have to douse my hair in various hair oils and serums or the worse, loads of gel (which hardens throughout the day- yikes!).

This is what they do when you are asleep:-

Hard to believe that such cute girls are masterminds for something so naughty! Here is my arch-nemesis:-

Taming my hair takes up so much effort, time and energy that I tend to leave it as it is when it comes to hairstyle. Also, I have to smoother my hair in lots of gel just to create a somewhat decent hairdo that I typically can't be bothered to. And because crazy hair will lead to people calling the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) (okay, I exaggerate but you get the pun), I have to do magic with my hair.

My magic comes in the form of........................*drumrolls*.................The New Essential Leave-On Treatment Range!

Essential Over Night Intensive Repair Leave-On Treatment Milk (100ml) (left) and Essential All Day Instant Repair Leave-On Hair Serum (60ml) (right)

For the uninitiated to Essential's products, Essential is a popular hair care brand for damaged hair from Japan. You know how Japanese girls tend to have dyed hair? Dyed hair = damaged hair! Since Singaporean girls are also privy to dying their hair, Essential was launched in Singapore for Singaporean girls to help repair and care for their damaged hair. The products available range from basic Shampoo, Conditioner to Treatment items such as Leave-On Treatment Milk (100ml) and Leave- On Serum (60ml) as shown above!

Anyway, I digress. Back to my magic. The new Essential Leave-On Treatment Regime are specially formulated with cuticle care and cuticle protection ingredients that weightlessly repairs and moisturizes damaged hair cuticles and shields it from external stresses such as friction and humidity ROUND THE CLOCK! Yes, even while you sleep!

The Over Night Intensive Repair Leave-On Treatment Milk is used to prep your hair at night to look great in the next morning. It's called the Sleeping Hair Mask because hair mask needs to sleep too. Lol, jokes. It's called the Sleeping Hair Mask because you apply the product on your hair before you go to bed. No need to wash your hair again. Perfect for lazy people (*ah-hem* me)!

Two pumps of the treatment milk

The treatment milk has a milky but non-greasy texture that is absorbed instantly by the hair. The scent is quite pleasant and the product claims to form a protective layer between each hair strand and the pillow. How to use the product:-

1. Use on towel-dried or damp hair.
2. Pump an appropriate amount onto your palm (I use two pumps because my hair is quite long and thick).
3. Spread and apply evenly onto hair, concentrating on mid-length to the tip of hair.
4. Do not rinse off (My favourite part of this product!)
5. Go to bed (Zzzzzzzzzzzz)

Picture taken before bed (PS: My hair looks like that without any product in it)

Sleep - Alarm rings- Wakes up - Clean up- Put on makeup.....

The next morning after using the treatment milk

Different morning- hair after using the treatment milk

From the pictures, there is a noticeable difference in the manageability of my hair. While the lion can never be domesticated, its mane is tamed significantly!

Paired with the serum which looks like a hair oil... the difference is even more noticeable and hair becomes more lustrous. Anyhow, good hair days call for lots of selfies to be taken! :DDD

How my hair looks like after using both the treatment milk and serum.

Can't resist selfie time!

I love using the treatment milk and serum especially when I know I'm going out.

Was feeling blue last week but the good hair day called for a selfie!

Overall, I find that for the price point, the Essential Leave-On Treatment range is worth a shot especially if you have frizzy hair like mine. They are easy to apply, quite lightweight and absorbed easily. Very fuss-free!

You can get the Essential Leave-On Treatment Milk (100ml) and Hair Serum (60ml) [RRP $11.90 each] at leading supermarkets, hypermarkets, pharmacies and personal care stores.

*************************************************WANT TO TRY IT BEFORE YOU BUY?*************************************************

For savvy consumers, trying before buying is a must so Essential is giving all of you a chance to try the product before you buy it because they want you to love what you buy. Get your free sample of Essential Sleeping Hair Mask today! Go to http://on.fb.me/1hUqJoA

Not only that, Essential is giving away tickets to the upcoming 2NE1's All or Nothing World Tour Concert held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 28th June 2014. Simply purchase $10 worth of Essential products to qualify. Super do-able! More details can be found at www.essentialsg.com/2ne1

You can also check out www.facebook.com/Essential.SG to keep updated with the latest news and promotions from Essential. Good luck! :D

Stateland Cafe: It's WAaaaaaaaaaaafffle Time!

Stateland Café Patisserie

As an avid Grouponer (there I've said it), I have a healthy scepticism for food places featured on Groupon. I seldom buy food Groupons unless the menu piques my curiosity or the place has had good reviews. On this occasion, the menu interested me that I bought it without doing much research. Interestingly enough, this little café became featured on multiple blog reviews and the Sunday Times Lifestyle Section after I purchased the Groupon for this café.

Located at Bali Lane near Arab St, it is on the same stretch of road as Choo Choo Chicken. The signage is not as conspicuous and you might pass by without realizing it. Needless to say, the crowd will guide you there as it did on a Sunday afternoon.

 



Interior

The capacity of the café is limited because the café is really small. Be prepared to wait if you want to sit inside. There is a communal table with tall chairs outside on the corridor if you are less inclined to wait to dine in the comforts of the air-conditioned interior of the café.

Table settings

According to the news, the three young owners of this café did not have to spend much on decorating the café because their families are in the construction, metal and woodworks industries that they got the materials at cost price or for free. The interior of the café is quite minimal but it worked to provide a cosy ambience. Little touches like these gave the café some character and it shows that you do not need to spend a lot to decorate a place tastefully.

Strawberry Lemonade (Left) and Mint Lemonade (Right)- both $6.90 each.

Since R and I had trekked some distance to get to the cafe, we were hot and sweaty given Singapore's humid conditions. It was especially humid that day that we foregone our coffee orders in favour of cold lemonades. We ordered it with the expectations that the lemonades would quench our thirst and quell the heat we were faced with. The "lemonades" looked pretty, quenched our thirst and quelled the heat but they caused a surge of disappointment. WHAT LEMONADE?! The slices of lemon were probably the closest we got to having LEMON in our ADE. These were glasses of cordial topped with soda water masquerading as lemonades. :( Darn, I should have stayed with my coffee order!

 



Eggs Benedict $14.90

What is brunch without the quintessential brunch food item- Eggs Benedict? Two poached eggs on top of ham and brioche toast, topped with hollandaise, home-made tomato chilli jam and stewed Mushrooms. To be honest, the appearance of the ham threw me off. It looked very processed and scared me. However, the pillowy soft and sweet brioche, runny poached eggs, creamy and well-flavoured hollandaise, sweet and not-at-all spicy tomato chilli jam and the utterly delicious stewed mushrooms made up for it. They are the true stars of the dish! When you eat everything together, the ham is lost in the equation and a wonderful symphony of flavours will engulf your tastebuds instead. Never judge a dish by its looks!

Red velvet waffles $14.90

For those uninitiated to the famed Red Velvet cake, it is a chocolate cake coloured red with cream cheese frosting. Stateland reinvents the traditional Red Velvet Cake into a waffle. Here, the way the waffle is served takes top marks. The Red Velvet waffle is a chocolate-flavoured waffle coloured deep-red. I like the bits of chocolate chip that came with every bite of waffle. The waffle was crisp on the outside and soft inside. It was relatively light and the toppings (cream cheese glaze, vanilla ice-cream and dehydrated raspberries) complemented the waffle well.




Red velvet waffle (top) and Black Forest Waffles with the poached cherry compote on the side (below)

The Black Forest $14.90

The Black Forest Waffle is a take on the traditional Black Forest Cake. It is essentially a dark chocolate waffle rippled with chocolate chips, topped with whipped cream, Belgium chocolate ice-cream and poached cherry compote. Since my dear friend does not like cherries, we asked for the compote to be served on the side. She tasted the compote and said she couldn't really taste the cherry flavour and that it is like a jam! As such, she said it was okay to put them on the waffle since we were sharing. we rarely agree when it comes to food but on this occasion, I concur with her. Until you bite into the pitted cherries hidden amongst the compote, the compote does not bear any distinct cherry flavour on its own. There is also a slight gelatinous feel to it- probably from the pectin from the cherries- that makes this compote more jam-like.


At the end, we concluded that the only dish that we truly enjoyed was the Eggs Benedict. While the waffles were very photogenic, the flavours failed to wow. They impressed R less than they did for me. There is no novelty in the flavour of the waffles because once you take away the fancy names, the Black Forest waffle is a dark chocolate waffle with chocolate ice-cream, cream and a compote. It is a combination that is common enough. Similarly, it applies to the Red Velvet waffle though I will concede that a cream cheese glaze is not common. Overall, the concept is good but more needs to be done to the waffles for me to order them again. Also, the "lemonades" are misleading and feels like a rip off for $6.90 each. If I ever do return again, I will try the thick toasts and order coffee instead!

Stateland Café Patissierie
Address: 30 Bali Lane, Singapore 189866.
Tel: 9296 4997

Opening Hours:
Open daily except Tuesdays.
Monday-Thursday: 12pm-10pm
Friday & Saturday: 12pm-12am
Sunday: 10am-6pm
Nearest MRT: Bugis MRT

Pagi Sore- Indonesian Halal Food- Sedap!

A feast.

Working in a multi-racial society like Singapore means that I have to take into account each and every colleague's dietary requirement when thinking of venues for our office lunches. Luckily, I have my best friend Google who did the job for me and I chanced upon Pagi Sore, a Halal Indonesian restaurant.

The outlet at 100AM is an open set-up near the escalator on Level 2. The place is hard to miss and reservations are recommended especially during weekday lunch hours. 

Sambal Balachan and Keropok Barinjau

Each table is decked with small plates of piquant sambal balachan and baskets of crispy keropok barinjau. Despite being set out in the open for however long it has been left there, the keropok barinjau was shatteringly crisp and went brilliantly well with the sambal. Do note that they are not free.

We considered ordering dishes to share but eventually succumbed to the charming maitre'd's suggestion to go for a set lunch for 3-4 pax. For 4 office ladies, a set lunch for 3-4pax was more than sufficient for us. Part of the advantages of having the set lunch is the free flow of rice which came wrapped in the banana leaf. 

Steamed white rice wrapped in banana leaf

The smell of freshly steamed white rice in a banana leaf is heavenly.

Tahu Telor (Deep-Fried Tower of Beancurd & Egg) (not part of the set lunch menu)

The Tahu Telor was not part of the set menu but we couldn't resist ordering it. It was a towering heap of fried tofu and egg nets with a sweet peanut studded sauce and julienned carrots. The crisp outerior housed the egg tofu which broke apart to reveal a steaming hot interior that wobbled and slid down the throats like a kid on a slide. The egg nets soaked up the sweet savoury sauce and when eaten together with the tofu, the egg nets gave the subtle egg tofu bursts of flavour. (7.5/10)

Ayam Bali (Bali Styled Barbeque Chicken)

The smell was incredible when the Ayam Bali arrived at our table. The burnished caramelized skin beckoned and resistance was futile as we sank our teeth into slices of juicy and succulent chicken thigh. The marinade reminded me a lot of satay with its sweet and savoury nuances. (7.5/10)

Tumis KangKong Balachan (Stir-Fried Kangkong Balachan)

I like to think I'm more carnivorous than herbivorous but when you dine with ladies with more lady-like dietary inclinations, vegetables are bound to creep onto your dining table. Not that I minded in this instance because this Stir-Fried Kangkong Balachan provided a welcome distraction from all the meats on our table. While it was not the best I have ever tried, Pagi Sore serves a decent rendition of this famed dish. I think this dish lacked a certain wok-hei (the kiss of the wok's breath) to make it a stellar rendition. (6.5/10)

Ikan Ota Kukus (Steamed Whole Leather Jacket Fish in Ota Gravy)

The star item of our meal was the Ikan Ota Kukus. We marvelled at the uniqueness of the dish and I don't think I have ever come across this dish at other Indonesian restaurants before. The sizealso amazed us because it came with a whole fish and a whole fish usually costs a lot at a restaurant. I think we were expecting just a portion of the fish or a really small fish but this was a sizeable fresh and meaty fish that was steamed to perfection. The accompanying Ota gravy was lemak (coconut milk-like) without being overwhelming. The essence of this dish is that it borrows its concept and flavours from a fish otah but served in a deconstructed and steamed version instead. I would highly recommend ordering this dish and I'm salivating as I type. (8.5/10)

Alpukat Gula Melaka (Fresh Blended Avocado topped with Gula Melaka)

Nothing ends the meal better than with dessert. All of us wanted the Alpukat Gula Melaka instead of the Chendol because we all love avocadoes. However, upon ordering, we were told that they sold out. As we ate our meals and were ready for dessert, the waiter informed us that they went to buy more avocadoes so we could have the Alpukat Gula Melaka if we wanted. Needless to say, we were stoked and said yes! I've tried many avocado blends with gula melaka and/or chocolate sauce that I know it would taste fabulous but the coarsely shaved ice knocked off points off this dessert. The coarse ice made me feel like I was constantly biting into ice and towards the end, it diluted the creaminess of the avocado. Had the ice been fine or if the avocado blend been chilled instead of topping the avocado blend with coarse ice, it would have been a well executed dessert. (6/10)

Not shown but included in the set meal is the Lime Juice (one glass per guest). You have a choice between Refreshing Lime Juice and Homemade Barley Water in case you were wondering.

We paid approximately $30 after taxes per person. While it ain't cheap, we felt like it was every penny well spent. I must say that any criticisms written here is because I'm being picky for the purposes of reviewing the food but if you are after good Indonesian food in general, Pagi Sore is one to check out especially if you are in the CBD area. I liked the dishes I ate that day. I just feel that there is always room for improvement because cooking is an art that can always be improved upon and never perfected.

Pagi Sore Indonesian Restaurant
Address: 100 Tras Street, #02-28, 100AM (Amara Shopping Center), Singapore 079027

Opening hours:
11am-9.30pm
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar

Another outlet:
Far East Square Outlet
Address: 88/90 Telok Ayer Street, Fast East Square, Singapore 048470

Opening Hours: 11am-2.30pm and 6pm- 9.30am
Nearest MRT Station: Raffles Place: 11am-2.30pm and 6pm-9pm.