Thursday, February 28, 2019

Happenings in February - CNY Celebration + Atopalm Real Barrier Extreme Cream + Derek Fireside Chat & Screening

Sunday 17/2/19

I went to my uncle's place in the early evening at 5pm to celebrate my niece's, Verrie, first birthday. She ranked number 7 in her generation. Omg, I already have 7 nephews and nieces.

We were one of the first few to reach, hence we started dinner early to avoid the crowds.

My fourth lo hei. 
Instead of salmon, my uncle added abalone. We kept aiming for the abalone.

My cousin and cousin-in-law have prepared some cookies for the guests to take home. The cookies were so cute and delicious.

Tuesday 19/2/19

Today was Yuan Xiao Jie (元宵节) which was the last day of our lunar new year. I headed up to my uncle's house after work to have steamboat dinner together.

We managed to reach just in time for the steamboat.
We ended the Chinese New Year with another family reunion dinner. It's not easy for us to gather at the same table for a meal because of our different work schedule and CNY gave us a reason to do so.

We were also treated to our very own talented lion dance troupe lead by Aiden.
Throughout my time at the house, half of the time he was holding on to the lion's head.

Time to dig in. We have steamboat with grill, best of both world.
The meat was so much nicer when grill, it brought out the flavour.

Mummy bought chicken wings from hawker centre to add to the dishes. The chicken wings were fried to golden brown and very addictive. We ate until so full. After the dinner, we went to play with the kids. Aiden and Amber were so happy playing the balloon game we designed.

Wednesday 20/2/19

I met up with GF for dinner after our work, it's been more than a month since we last met. She recommended Flaming Don @ Bugis+. It was also my first time trying out this Japanese eatery. I am always searching for food eateries with good deals, I'm glad to find one that serves delicious food at price reasonable.

I have the Signature Flaming Chicken Don ($10.90+). Every piece of teriyaki chicken was savoury because of the sauce coated on it. 

I top up another $1.99+ to opt for free flow hot tea and soup.
It was my little dinner treat to GF for her belated birthday.

We did not stayed out too late as GF is flying to Hong Kong the next day and have to go home early for preparation. Have an enjoyable trip.

Thanks GF for the souvenirs from Japan and Hawaii. Above is some of the items in my goodies. Thanks for remembering me even when you are in overseas.

Thursday 21/2/19

It is my first time using ATOPALM Real Barrier’s product and I love it immediately. I have started including Real Barrier Extreme Cream into my skincare regime.

I applied it twice a day, a small amount is sufficient for the entire face. The cream is effective in providing long lasting moisture and repair damaged skin barrier.

The cream is rich in texture but does not feel greasy. I like it that it comes with a refreshing scent that give me a fresh feel after application. I noticed that my skin has become more suppled and hydrated, giving my skin a healthier glow with each passing day. The extreme cream is suitable for all skin types, even sensitive skin too.

Saturday 23/2/19

We don't usually cook dinner on Saturday, so we either eat out or tabao dinner back. Today mummy suggested to eat out at our new favourite zi char stall.

We always ordered the same few dishes with the exception of Prawn Paste Chicken which was our first time trying. The skin was fried till crispy good and crunchy.

I love the Curry Fish Head which comes with thick milky curry. We always ordered this without fail. I foresee this zi char stall will be a place we come back regularly for dinner.

Thursday 28/2/19

Meeting up with friends after work is always a joyful affair to me. I met up with Linda after work to attend Derek screening at SCAPE. During the screening, we have the opportunity to watch 3 episodes of DEREK- Code of Law Spin-Off which is showing on Toggle.

While watching the screening, we were treated to juice, hotdog bun, popcorn and ice cream. I gotten sea salt matcha flavour. The combination of salty matcha ice cream left a deep impression in the taste and I enjoyed it.

The cast, Desmond Tan and Cheryl Tan together with director Lee Thean-jeen were here with us for the intimate fireside chat and screening. 

Synopsis
Derek Ho, Singapore's first serial killer, has been sentenced to death. As he awaits his fate in prison, a team of top psychologists led by Dr Daniel De Silva is assembled to interview him. But Derek refuses to speak to any of them. Dr De Silva calls upon a young protégé of his, Dr Winnie Low, to help him break through to Derek.

Desmond Tan was sharing with us about his thoughts of the show.
The last scene left a deep impression in us because Desmond Tan bared his butts at one of the scenes.

We have another round of ice cream. This time round, I took hazelnut ice cream. 

A photo opportunity with Desmond Tan and Cheryl Tan. 
They are very friendly in person. Look forward to see more of their acting. I am going to continue watching this drama in Toggle, there are a total of 6 episodes.

After the screening has ended, Linda and I went to McDonald to continue our catch up. I enjoyed our time hanging out together, we have so much things to chat about that an hour has passed without us knowing. 

That's all for my February update.

Sunday, February 24, 2019

Product Review: SleepWiz ErgoLush Gel-infused Memory Foam Mattress Topper

After a long active hours out there, what I look forward at the end of the day is to have a quality sleep to recharge my body and mind.

Very often when I think about recharging our body and mind, the first thing that come to my mind is a staycation because the hotel's beds are always more comfortable.

The secret to hotel's comfortable bed lies in the mattress used. The hotels normally used memory foam to keep the guests feeling cool while under the covers.

Knowing that Singapore is ranked number 1 as the most sleep-deprived country, SleepWiz is here to help us change this fact. With the intention of helping Singaporeans to get a good night's rest, they have introduced their latest innovation to customize sleep solutions, ErgoLush mattress topper.

SleepWiz has kindly sent me their innovative solution, ErgoLush Mattress Topper, for review. The mattress comes in handy in providing me a better deep sleep, sufficient sleep is definitely something I am deprived of. 

The ErgoLush mattress topper is a gel-infused memory foam mattress topper that provides the soft comfortable feeling when laid on it, which molds into the shape of our body. It does not retain heat like traditional memory foam.

Do not belittle this 2 inches (5.1cm) memory foam which has lots of benefits:

- The memory foam prevents joint pain and sore muscles by redistributes supportive pressure.
- Thermally conductive gel keeps your body cool for undisturbed sleep.
- Air vents promote airflow within the mattress topper for cooling purpose.

The mattress topper feels really soft and gives a bouncy feeling, the memory foam provides proper support and alignment for the entire body. This prevents us from getting body pain and have our muscles relax. It is so comfortable that makes me want to go to bed early.

One thing I like about the mattress topper is that the mattress does not trap heat. It also comes with an exterior cover to protect the Foam Mattress from getting dirty.

Cool temperatures signal your body to sleep. Traditional and even open-cell memory foam trap body heat, which results in lighter, disturbed sleep and sore, lethargic awakenings. Our memory foam mattress toppers combine open-cell technology, vents that promote airflow within the topper, and a proprietary gel-infusion that whisks away body heat so that you stay asleep in cool comfort.

With SleepWiz Mattress Topper, now every night feel like a staycation where I have a good rest on the cozy bedding in my own home. It is very comfortable that I knocked out faster than usual, drifting into my dreamland.

Having a sufficient and good sleep is an important requirement to me, I try to ensure that I have at least 7 hours of sleep every day to allow my body to rest and restore the energy, therefore I don't sleep late on weekdays.

I feel like my body has rest well these days and I feel less tired in the day time. I even managed to wake up a little later than usual on weekend too with the help of the mattress topper.

ErgoLush Mattress Topper is now selling at S$87.90 (usual price: S$170).

The price is so much cheaper than to replace a new mattress, probably just 10% of the new mattress price. With ErgoLush Mattress Topper, it protect our own mattress from aging.
You can make your purchase from SleepWiz website.

The purchase comes with:
- Free shipping to local address within Singapore
- 7 night free trial (full refund to be made if you don't like it)
- 3 month warranty automatically registered

For more information, pls visit https://mattresstopper.sg/shop/memory-foam-mattress-topper-gel-infused-ergolush/

Disclaimer: I was given ErgoLush Mattress Topper for review and shared my own opinion.

Monday, February 11, 2019

Happenings in February - Chinese New Year 2019 + Marriott Cafe + Rolling Rice

Monday 4/2/19

Happy Chinese New Year (CNY) eve.
It's a 2.5 days work this week, I ended my work at about 1.20pm and was last second to leave office. I received a sudden request at 12pm and the request need to be complete by that day. Hence, I was held up a bit at work.

Happy year of Pig, we have reached the end of one zodiac cycle.
Time has past so terribly fast.

I headed home to rest before the start of our reunion dinner.
It's not easy to find dining places on CNY eve without price markup, so we prefer to cook and eat at home.

Hello Xin Ru, long time no see.
Still remember last CNY, she wasn't even born yet. 

Tuesday 5/2/19

Happy CNY to everyone.

I received e-ang bao from one of my cousins. I have to use DBS Paylah! app to scan the QR code and the ang bao will credit to my Paylah wallet.

We have Kueh Pie Tee to add on to our dinner spreadsheet tonight. I love eating just the shell, it was so crispy just like eating snacks.

This was our second year having buffet catering for dinner, it was extremely pricey to cater during CNY and the food selection was restricted. We catered for 30 pax and we even invited our neighbours for the dinner which I calculated was about 45 pax, we still couldn't finish the food. We decided to stop catering food next year and perhaps changed it to fastfood ordering.

Wednesday 6/2/19

I woke up by the sound of the lion dance troupe. As usual, my mum would welcome them into our house. My uncle's family came over to our house for dinner in the evening.

Our first round of steamboat during this CNY, it's our yearly tradition to have steamboat once a year.
CNY is the time to celebrate the festive, gather with family and loved ones. I went to eat in the first round.

Amber having her dinner in the living room.

The kids can went really crazy when they played. It was nice to be young where you just play your heart out with no worries.

Friday 8/2/19

We welcome the weekend with a hearty lunch at Marriott Cafe, it was also our tradition to have something good to celebrate CNY. My last visit to Marriott Cafe was 8 years ago with my ex colleagues.

Welcoming the twelfth of all zodiac animals, Piggy.
Their chubby faces are signs of fortune, may this year be a fortune year for me.

We specially requested for lo hei, it's a must have during CNY. Here were the items I took, I love the flavourful dish maw soup.

There were live station of either noodles or pasta, I opt for Aglio Olio. The Aglio Olio was a spicy one, the fire sensation slowly kicked in after gobble down the food.

Dessert is what I looked forward most during buffet time, I love the strawberry fondue and the different variety of ice cream. I have a sweet tooth.

Saturday 9/2/19

I met up with Linda in the afternoon to catch a movie at Suntec City. She went back to office to work in the morning and I was afraid she couldn't make it for the movie. Thank goodness, she arrived just in the nick of time for the movie.

After the movie ended at about 3pm, we went our way to Marina Square for to have late lunch. We initially wanted to go Just Acia but the place has already been closed, so we settled for Korean food instead.

We went Rolling Rice where their hot selling signatures were spicy topokki and baby rolls. The price we see in menu is the price we paid, net price. Rolling Rice offers free flow of water and sides which includes seaweed soup and kimchi.

I love weekend outing because we can heart to heart talk without time constraint.
We all have our own struggle, sometimes we feel better letting those sufferings out. Hope bad times will be over for us soon.

I ordered Crispy Chicken Roll at $5.90.
It looked delicious, but a little small though. It is something you can order if you are not looking for something filling.

The bite sized crispy chicken was wrapped in the baby rolls, coat it with mayonnaise or chilli sauce for extra flavour.

I received a bag filled with snacks from Linda. Thanks for the advance Valentine's Day gift, it made me feel loved. So lovely of her right?

Monday 11/2/19

Today is ren ri, the 7th day of the lunar new year. I have my third round of lo hei to celebrate this special occasion.

Lo Hei is a must have during ren ri, the day of creation of human beings.
My third lo hei, may this year really be a huat year for me.

It has been 3 years since my last bowling, we played 2 rounds of games. It was nice to play once in awhile though I am not really good at the game.

Sharing stops here for now, come back again for more.

Saturday, February 9, 2019

Movie Review: When Ghost Meets Zombie

With Valentine's Day approaching, let love and romance fill the air.
Bring your loved ones, family and friends to cinema theatre to catch the comedy and romance movie 'When Ghost Meets Zombie' this Valentine's Day 2019.

This is Singapore’s first ghost-zombie romance comedy directed by Han Yew Kwang, starring sensational singer song-writer and and an array of popular local actors:
- Nathan Hartono
- Ferlyn G 
- Jessica Liu
- Jeremy Chan
- Fann Wong
- Gurmit Singh
- Andie Chen
- Kate Pang

Let's show support to our local production.
Watch the trailer here.

Release Date: 14-02-2019 
Running Time: 107 minutes

I have the opportunity to watch the preview screening with special thanks to Clover Films for the movie invitation.

The movie tells the story of Pong (Nathan) who sacrifices his life when saving his town from a disaster. He turns into a zombie and controls by the priest who used these zombies to earn extra income. 

To realise her dream, Zhen Zhen (Ferlyn) runs away from home to beauty pageant. Zhen Zhen, whose pet phrase is “If you have no dreams, you are no different from a walking zombie.” believes one should live life to its fullest. The beauty pageant finalists then travel to Thailand for photo shoot at Pong's hometown. During this trip, Zhen Zhen was drowned before she realises her dream of clinching the title in a beauty pageant.and become a female ghost where she meets the mechanical and aimless zombie.

Hilarious drama unfolds when Zhen Zhen possesses Pong to fulfil her pageant dreams and forces him to join a “Mr Perfect” competition.

The movie contains many visual effects that makes the content hilarious, especially the scenes of the priest played by Gurmit Singh. He is the most funniest priest that I ever seen, all his scenes are amusing.

The zombie that we normally see in the shows has got no memories and no feeling, but Pong proved to be different. With the power of love, even a zombie like Pong could slowly regain his feeling and wants to love again.

Besides love, the movie also encourages us to chase our dreams. A person without a dream is a zombie, you have no life, nothing to look forward to and everyday is just doing routine work. A dream gives us a target to look forward to and motivation to work towards our goals. It is what we are living for. So let's chase our dream and we will get there.

The movie has many scenes that triggered our emotions. I rarely cried when watching movie, at most it was watery eyes but my tears never dropped out. However, my tears has escaped from my eyes and flow down my cheeks while watching When Ghost Meets Zombie. The movie hits the high notes on my emotional state.

After the movie, the casts make a special appearance and have interactions with the audience. Say hello to Jeremy Chan, Nathan Hartono and Ferlyn G.

Catch 'When Ghost Meets Zombie' during this Valentine's Day, it's a movie that guaranteed you laughter and tears.