Happenings in December - Su:m37 + Tampopo

Saturday 1/12/18

Here comes the first weekend after I came back from my trip, I arranged a dinner with L where the objective was for us to exchange the overseas souvenir we got for each other. We met up at Ramen Champion @ Bugis+ as we have cravings for ramen.

I have Tonkotsu Sukiyaki Ramen ($12++) from Buta God. The broth was savoury which I enjoyed sipping on and it has generous portion of pork slices. The pork slices has a good balance of meat. 

After the dinner, we went to Blackball to have a drink. I have Ice Green Milk Tea with Pearl. I enjoyed the chewy pearls drink.

Thanks for the dinner treat and the souvenir from Hong Kong.

Monday 3/12/18

Yesterday was a very sad day for me because I lost all my Taiwan trip and Malaysia staycation photos as my thumb drive was corrupted and all the photos were gone. I only managed to retrieve partial photos from day 1 to 3 of my Taiwan trip as I have copied out for blogging purposes. Super heart pain that all the travel memories (food, scenery, experience, selfie and welfie) were gone because I might not go overseas with this person anymore or we might not visit the same place again next time. Things might have changed but photos will preserve the moment.

We went Tampopo for lunch and I have Ham Ramen ($12.80++). The noodles were very springy and the broth was nice.

Friday 7/12/18

It's been quite awhile since I last ate Korean food, MI brought me and R to Sun Korean Food for lunch.

I have Hotplate with Chicken and Egg ($5.50). 

How I eat runny egg is to burst the egg yolk and spread it thoroughly on the egg white. I love the chicken slices because it has a good bite.

After our lunch, we went Barcook for a drink session. I have Teh C ($1.70) which means Tea with Evaporated Milk. It was a nice lunch session with them, thanks MI for the treat.

Su:m37 Secret Essence has been a wonderful product, it has been my favourite skincare product ever since I starting using it. 

The secret essence has a watery texture that makes it penetrates fast into my skin, leaving my skin feeling supple, soft and no sticky feeling. I love how the fragrance of the essence made me feel soothing and how the essence provides hydration to my skin, making my skin look refreshing and moisturised. 

My skin problems have also shown improvement with the red spots become smaller and lesser. I was very happy with the result after 1.5 months of usage and I will continue to use su:m37 Secret Essence. 

Friday 21/12/18

Today I ended work late at about 2.10pm despite taking afternoon leave. I only reached the salon at 2.40pm for my hair appointment. Year end is the time for my yearly hair appointment.

It was a long session and I ended at about 6.40pm. The cost was $169. I went home the same time as my normal working day.

KP just came back from Taipei and got us a packet of Nougat biscuit. Thanks KP, we love it very much.

Sunday 23/12/18

I met up with GF for our Christmas lunch gathering and gift exchange session at Tampopo @ Liang Court. It's been awhile since the two of us last meet up for a meal together. I'm glad that the festive season gives us an excuse for an opportunity to meet up.

We ordered a side dish for sharing. I love the crispy fried ebi that was flavoursome.

I ordered Chicken Cutlet Set which comes with a crispy batter on the outer layer of the chicken and juicy on the inside. The cost was $21.70 per pax.

We have quality time spent together catching up and having heart to heart talk. She is someone that I cherish, someone who will keep a lookout for me, tell me the hard truth rather than beautiful lie. Someone who will pull me up when I was falling to the bottom.

Monday 24/12/18

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone.

This festive season called for us to get together and bonding with each other. I began my day with a hearty breakfast with the team at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf @ VivoCity. We were seated according to the timing we arrived, I was the 4th to arrive at my table.

Our breakfast set comes with a cup of tea.

I added only half a packet of sugar as I like the tea to be not too sweet.

I opt for Breakfast Platter ($12.90) where comes with sausage, turkey bacon, sauteed mushrooms, scrambled egg, panini bread and salad.

I revisited Trick Eye Museum after 3 years, there were some new additions and they even come up with an app who allows us to take photo with moving effects.

Get our eyes trick with all the 2D and 3D art structures. It is more fun to go in a group so that more people can create different effects compared to just 2 person, where you just take photo for me and I take photo for you.

Wednesday 26/12/18

Mee Ing was craving for western food so I suggested to have lunch at Hooters, a restaurant that I haven't visit for at least half a year. Lunch with MI and R today again.

Besides recommending them my all-time favourite Buffalo Wings with Curly Fries, we decided to try their Spaghetti as well. Having patronized Hooters for so long, I have not try their Spaghetti.

We have Chicken Alio Olio for sharing. 

The al dente Spaghetti was served together with Chicken Breast, Garlic, Chilli Flakes and topped with Parmesan Cheese. 2 pieces of Garlic Bread was also added to the plate.

The set lunch comes with a scoop of ice cream, the Rum Raisin Ice Cream has a smooth consistency which I love. 

Today is a happy day because it is the start of my long weekend.

Friday 28/12/18

I went to watch Aquaman today. It was a long movie (2 hours 22 minutes), I went in to the theatre when the sky was still bright and came down to nightfall.

Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) discovers that he is the heir to the legendary underwater kingdom of Atlantis and is to be crowned King of the Seven Seas. As King he must do whatever is necessary to save his world and lead his people.

Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) is the human-born heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. Arthur's younger half-brother declares war on the surface world and yearns the title of being the King of the Seven Seas. To prevent this war between the worlds of ocean and land, Arthur goes on a quest that makes him come to terms with his real identity and discover his worthiness of fulfilling his own destiny: becoming a king.

It was an entertaining movie and the CGI graphic was brilliant.

Sunday 30/12/18

My cousin brought the kids over to my house for a gathering. After we have our brunch at home, we brought the kids out to playground.

Amber finally had her turn on the swing, the 2 swings were always occupied so we have to wait for our turn. I love playing swing too, I waited until the swing was left unoccupied before I have my turn.

Monday 31/12/18

New year eve is half day work for us, short work week always make us happy. Even happier when K got us sweet tarts for nye.

I love it very much, the tart crust was slightly crunchy and it taste marvelous with the filling of nutella sauce.

In a blind of eye, 2018 has ended. It has been a very busy year for me, it has been a year filled with many ups and downs. I have lost something precious and photo memories, I have gained new experiences and accomplishments. We are growing up and growing old every single day. I hope 2019 will be a better year for me.

Beauty Review: Phutawan Hair Shampoo and Shower Gel from Ctraft Website

With the world moving towards electronic, eCommerce has been a great shopping platform for many of us. We can just order the products online and have it delivers to our doorstep.

I was being introduced to Ctraft, an online shopping and selling store in Southeast Asia for skincare and beauty products. Ctraft offers a wide range of products with excellent customer experience from product discovery, education, purchase, post-purchase engagement and brand advocacy.

Navigation of the website is easy peasy, just select the categories that we wish to purchase, ranging from face, body, hair and fragrance products. Currently, Ctraft has brought in the first brand, Phutawan, a brand from Thailand and they use natural ingredients for their skincare products.

Once you found the item wanted, just simply click on add to cart and then checkout the shopping cart once you are done with shopping. 

After 6 days, the products I ordered have arrived at my doorstep. I have selected Thai Herb Secret Shower Gel and Ginger & Rosemary Hair Shampoo.

 Phutawan Ginger & Rosemary Hair Shampoo ($17.80)

The hair shampoo contains ginger and rosemary oil, ginger is loaded with antioxidants that cleans the scalp and reduce scalp itchiness. It supports strong hair roots and reduces hair fall restoring healthy looking hair. The shampoo is free from SLS, SLES, PARABEN.

Apply the shampoo to our wet hair and lather well, it will form bubbles.

I like how the Phutawan Hair Shampoo will transform into bubble foam when lather, it cleansed my hair well with its rich foam which is easy to spread through each strand of hair. My hair felt softer after the shower and become more manageable with a slightly healthier shine.

Phutawan Thai Herb Secret Shower Gel ($10.80, 250ml)

The reason why I picked this variant is because the shower gel contained pure honey ingredient. Combined with eastern herbs, turmeric, plai (ginger) and pure honey, which will leave our skin feeling clean, nourished and softer. It also helped to resist skin deterioration caused by pollution. Just like the shampoo, the shower gel is free from SLS, SLES, PARABEN.

Pump a small amount on to palm and apply it on body. Lather thoroughly and rinse to wash off.

Initially I was worried that I might not like the scent of the shower gel because it contained ginger and I don't really fancy it. But thankfully, the scent turned out to be a delightful aroma that could help me relax during every shower. I like how the scent will linger on my skin after shower. The shower gel helped in moisturizing my skin, leaving it feeling smooth and soft.

Every shower can be a pampering session with the use of right products.

Thanks Ctraft for sending me the products, I love the shower gel and shampoo very much ever since I started using. 

To find out more information about Ctraft, pls visit https://ctraft.com/sg/

Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) Day 4: Shopping + Home Sweet Home

I have a good sleep yesterday night that made me don't want to wake up when the alarm rang at 7.30am. It was the only night I slept through without waking up, perhaps I was wear out from yesterday activity.

Time flew so fast, it was our last day in Ho Chi Minh City. Therefore, it was a free and easy itinerary at our own pace today.

It was 8.20am and we were ready to head down for breakfast.

One thing that made me look forward to start the day was to enjoy the breakfast buffet at the hotel lobby. A hearty breakfast is what I enjoyed and the food selections available was just perfect for my indulgence. 

The pumpkin soup was flavourful and comforting to have in the morning, while the croissant has a light and buttery taste.

Time was 9.40am and we headed out to Ben Thanh Market to see if there is any more last minute buy. Both of us bought a pack of sweet potato chips at 50,000VND (or S$2.98).

Linda went back to the shop to change the colour of the backpack she bought yesterday. Fortunately, the shop owner allowed her to change. 

After which, we walked over to Taka Plaza which was 6 minutes walk away from Ben Thanh Market to sweep the loots. I got a dress from the mall, finally got another item for myself. Throughout this trip, I only got myself 2 items (excluding snacks) for myself, the others are gifts to others.

Our last stop before returning back to hotel was the pastry shop to get some more snacks. I got another pack of snack for my grandma.

Time to head back to our hotel. This was the street where our hotel was situated, our hotel is right besides the red signboard.

It was 11.30am, another half an hour to pack and rest before checking out. My luggage was all filled with snacks, the things I bought most during this trip.

I was done packing up and enjoy my rest time. Though reluctant to go back and face the stress from the society, there is no way I can run away from the responsibility. Hence, going on a getaway will ease my mind and sort out the emotions.

Here's my loots for my family, friends and colleagues.

I got this snack for my Grandma.

I got a pack of tibit for myself which I gotten from Circle K.

Linda was going back home with her new bag.

We wished our overseas stay was longer because we don't want to head back to the hustle and bustle of Singapore. We need another escape from the reality soon.

It was a pleasant stay at Sanouva Saigon Hotel with ease of exploration of  Ho Chi Minh City. The reason why I choose Ho Chi Minh City for my travel is because I have never been to Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City will be a good place to start with. Furthermore, the air tickets are not expensive too. A good destination for short getaway.

We reached Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 12.40pm after half an hour ride. We requested the hotel to fetch us a cab and we took Vinasun Taxi, the taxi fare to airport was 116,000VND (or S$6.90). The two taxi companies that we took and can be trusted are Vinasun Taxi and Mai Linh Taxi.

We settled our check-in registration within an hour at 1.20pm. Time to grab some bites for lunch.

We settled for Burger King, the food at airport was so expensive. We only ordered 2 piece fried chicken and a packet of rice, it already cost (or S$9.76). No choice, we need something to fill our stomach. The fried chicken has a crispy batter and succulent meat but in our opinion, we preferred the one we had in McDonald yesterday.

We boarded the plane at 2.40pm, bidding goodbye to Ho Chi Minh City. Overall, it is a nice city to visit but I will not be back to this city so soon again. If I visit Vietnam, it will probably be other cities such as Hanoi, Danang or Hoi An.

Getting a window seat for myself because I wanted to admire the endless fluffy clouds. The thick white clouds were streaming below us as I looked out to the window. The view was simply amazing.

We touched down at Singapore at 6pm (local time). Thanks Scoot for the safe flight home.

Not sure when my next destination will be because I don't have any plan for traveling at the moment. I will press on till then.

My Ho Chi Minh City travelogue has come to an end. Good bye.