On the same day that we bought the uSqueeze, we also decided that we needed a new computer table.
My brother swiped $1143 at Ikea.
Still got credit left in my card or not?
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Sotong's Out-of-Control Spending Spree 2
We decided we should get the uSqueeze for our mother. Called up the AMK Hub branch, but they were unable to give us the same price as offered by the Suntec roadshow. So lousy! So my father took my sister to Suntec to get it. She came back by cab as the huge box couldn't fit on the bike. Somehow, the delivery offered yesterday wasn't valid anymore :\
$648 down.
$648 down.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Sotong's Out-of-Control Spending Spree 1
CNY coming but no new clothes! Actually got lah, I bought 1 for my DnD, but worn before already mah, not counted! And I also have a $10 Ben & Jerry's voucher to spend. Last day already, as usual. In view of the expiring voucher, it's destination Suntec City. Then it would be ramen dinner at Gallery Hotel's Miharu and hop across the road to CornerStone for drinks using my sisters' free stored value card. And if time permits, CNY street market at Chinatown?
First stop was a budget lunch at the foodcourt. Char kuay teow, haven't had for a long time! But my brother asked for prawns instead of hum :\ The beef noodles I had last time seemed to be gone. What a pity, it was nice.
After lunch, we took the lift to level one. Right outside was a boutique Fond and the clothes caught our eyes. Price was affordable too, so in we went. Don't know why, but the sized there looked rather big. The S was like L. We decided on 2 tops. I couldn't resist getting a pair of earrings from there. Afterall, it has been like, 1yr+ since the last time I bought earrings! The hooks were of dubious material, but fear not, I still have plenty of Firemountain silver!
First stop only, and we have busted almost $100 :O
The lunch has already gone further down our GI tract, so it's time for a snack. We looked at where the Ben & Jerry's was supposed to be, and it has become some cafe selling soup! OMG! Closed down liao! It didn't make sense to go to Raffles City to spend a free voucher, so we forgo it. Sad.
Passed by an accessories shop. 20% discount for 2 items, 35% discount for 3 items and 50% discount for 4 items and above. The things are not cheap to start with, easily costing at least $15 for the simplest pair of earrings. I only found 2 pairs of earrings that I liked. My sister found a bear necklace. The sales assistant went through great lengths to convince us that by getting something like a camisole top, with the 50% discount, we would be paying the same sum for 4 items instead of 3. We were taken in and took a brooch and ended up paying almost $50. Only then we realized that the sales assistant meant it when he said "IF you buy a spaghetti top..."
No, I'm not going to show you the clothes and accessories I bought, lest you copy me!
Went to get our caffeine fix from the Starbucks outside Carrefour. Saw Chen Shucheng walk pass quickly. Nobody bothered him. Well-behaved Singaporeans.
Next, a spin in Carrefour since we wouldn't be anywhere near a supermarket after dinner. We stopped by OTO to take a look at the OTO Power Foot. Then we went down to the food level and saw this amazing $88 promotion for Lipton tea because it's in a metal tin.
Ok, we actually do know it's meant for the hamper.
Went to Guardian to buy my Avene Very High Protection Emulsion 50+SPF 50ml. There was a promotion pack with Thermal Water Spray 50ml, Cleanance soapless gel cleanser 25ml, all for $39.90. Considering that the sunblock itself cost about $33, it's quite a good deal.
Passed by The Face Shop. I just had to get a new bottle of nail polish since the last bottle I got 2yrs ago was drying up. Left the shop with a pink tint glitter, in the nick of time as my sister had no more fingers left to test.
Ok time for dinner. Passed by Suntec's gift counter. We could redeem angpow packet and paper bag for every $88 spent. There was no queue so we decided to get them. When we went to level 1, we saw the Osim roadshow and stopped to look at the uSqueeze. My sister tested it out while my brother and I waited for her by looking at the Singapore Mint roadshow. After she was done, we decided there was no point in going down to Miharu already ^_^;; So we went back up to OTO to compare the 2 leg massagers. Then back to Osim again. Must have given the sales assistants plenty of hope eh. Osim's sales assistant offered delivery to our home as she lived quite near us. If we bought OTO, we can have the Everyday credit card rebate. Hmm...
Dinner first. Sizzler as usual. Check it out! No queue on a Saturday evening! Wa recession really bad huh. Please don't order the lamb shank. There's not enough gravy and the meat is dry. By the time the meat was torn off the bone, all the gravy has been soaked up. Had to eat with tomato ketchup.
By the time we were done with dinner, we had decided to get the Osim uSqueeze. But it's 10pm, the roadshow 收档 already lor! Too bad, went shopping at Carrefour. Saw organic toilet roll going for $1+ per roll. Waaa siao lor, must wipe and fold, fold until very very small square then can throw!
When Carrefour made the closing announcement, we knew it's time to go home. No queue at the taxi stand! Got queue of cabs! And idle cabs circling the Fountain of Fortune like they need it! :O Took the Toyota Wish for the first time. A bit higher than usual, but the seats were comfortable. The 35% surchage was over by 8pm, but I forgot about the $3 CBD surcharge applicable till midnight :\ Painnnn....
So if we had gone to Miharu... :O
First stop was a budget lunch at the foodcourt. Char kuay teow, haven't had for a long time! But my brother asked for prawns instead of hum :\ The beef noodles I had last time seemed to be gone. What a pity, it was nice.
After lunch, we took the lift to level one. Right outside was a boutique Fond and the clothes caught our eyes. Price was affordable too, so in we went. Don't know why, but the sized there looked rather big. The S was like L. We decided on 2 tops. I couldn't resist getting a pair of earrings from there. Afterall, it has been like, 1yr+ since the last time I bought earrings! The hooks were of dubious material, but fear not, I still have plenty of Firemountain silver!
First stop only, and we have busted almost $100 :OThe lunch has already gone further down our GI tract, so it's time for a snack. We looked at where the Ben & Jerry's was supposed to be, and it has become some cafe selling soup! OMG! Closed down liao! It didn't make sense to go to Raffles City to spend a free voucher, so we forgo it. Sad.
Passed by an accessories shop. 20% discount for 2 items, 35% discount for 3 items and 50% discount for 4 items and above. The things are not cheap to start with, easily costing at least $15 for the simplest pair of earrings. I only found 2 pairs of earrings that I liked. My sister found a bear necklace. The sales assistant went through great lengths to convince us that by getting something like a camisole top, with the 50% discount, we would be paying the same sum for 4 items instead of 3. We were taken in and took a brooch and ended up paying almost $50. Only then we realized that the sales assistant meant it when he said "IF you buy a spaghetti top..."
No, I'm not going to show you the clothes and accessories I bought, lest you copy me!Went to get our caffeine fix from the Starbucks outside Carrefour. Saw Chen Shucheng walk pass quickly. Nobody bothered him. Well-behaved Singaporeans.
Next, a spin in Carrefour since we wouldn't be anywhere near a supermarket after dinner. We stopped by OTO to take a look at the OTO Power Foot. Then we went down to the food level and saw this amazing $88 promotion for Lipton tea because it's in a metal tin.
Ok, we actually do know it's meant for the hamper.
Went to Guardian to buy my Avene Very High Protection Emulsion 50+SPF 50ml. There was a promotion pack with Thermal Water Spray 50ml, Cleanance soapless gel cleanser 25ml, all for $39.90. Considering that the sunblock itself cost about $33, it's quite a good deal.
Passed by The Face Shop. I just had to get a new bottle of nail polish since the last bottle I got 2yrs ago was drying up. Left the shop with a pink tint glitter, in the nick of time as my sister had no more fingers left to test.
Ok time for dinner. Passed by Suntec's gift counter. We could redeem angpow packet and paper bag for every $88 spent. There was no queue so we decided to get them. When we went to level 1, we saw the Osim roadshow and stopped to look at the uSqueeze. My sister tested it out while my brother and I waited for her by looking at the Singapore Mint roadshow. After she was done, we decided there was no point in going down to Miharu already ^_^;; So we went back up to OTO to compare the 2 leg massagers. Then back to Osim again. Must have given the sales assistants plenty of hope eh. Osim's sales assistant offered delivery to our home as she lived quite near us. If we bought OTO, we can have the Everyday credit card rebate. Hmm...
Dinner first. Sizzler as usual. Check it out! No queue on a Saturday evening! Wa recession really bad huh. Please don't order the lamb shank. There's not enough gravy and the meat is dry. By the time the meat was torn off the bone, all the gravy has been soaked up. Had to eat with tomato ketchup.
By the time we were done with dinner, we had decided to get the Osim uSqueeze. But it's 10pm, the roadshow 收档 already lor! Too bad, went shopping at Carrefour. Saw organic toilet roll going for $1+ per roll. Waaa siao lor, must wipe and fold, fold until very very small square then can throw!
When Carrefour made the closing announcement, we knew it's time to go home. No queue at the taxi stand! Got queue of cabs! And idle cabs circling the Fountain of Fortune like they need it! :O Took the Toyota Wish for the first time. A bit higher than usual, but the seats were comfortable. The 35% surchage was over by 8pm, but I forgot about the $3 CBD surcharge applicable till midnight :\ Painnnn....
So if we had gone to Miharu... :O
Friday, January 09, 2009
Unskinned Melon
This unskinned melon was bought from TradeHub. How to eat like that? Apples, guava still can, but MELON??? I like to eat mess-free (exception granted for exceptional items), this one totally cannot make it!To prevent juice from getting on my hands and face, I had to bite off the skin when I'm done with the fruit on it. So troublesome. Will never buy fruits from there again.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
December Food
Whampoa Market Beef Noodles and Rojak
This 牛什粉 is my lunch staple whenever I go for my medical appointments. Soup is tasty, the organs don't stink and just-nice chewy.
Check out the queue! I dapao this back when there's people to share with me at home. The sauce is thick and A LOT (because I asked for more). For $5, it comes with jellyfish. Never knew they go well with rojak. And they use a nice plastic box, not leaky styrofoam or paper. Can rock it as much as I like! The down side is that the 油条 is not crispy. But not nuah until very disgusting lah, so still ok.
When I'm there for breakfast, it would be porridge from Loy Kee. It's actually a chicken rice stall that's supposed to be quite famous, but I really don't think I can eat rice for breakfast. Maybe lunch next time.
Surely there's some other nice food in this food centre? But the first few times I went, my father scanned and could only name a few. Ate the duck rice once, but duck meat is dry had a hard time eating it. The oyster omelette was good but I can't have it for lunch, right? Don't whether it's really so pathetic or we have eyes for different things. So when there's something good, just stick to it.
Mouldy Cheese
My sister brought back some cheese samples from work. This one in particular, looks peculiar. No, the photo is not blur. There is a layer of very fine, mouldy looking covering on top of it and you are supposed to eat it with the cheese. The layer is surprisingly crusty - deceived by its look! The cheese is quite creamy. Saw it in the supermarket. If I remember correctly, it's called Brie.
Ah Yat
We are back again! Because we have another $100 worth of Shaw Towers vouchers to spend, and what is more effective than a seafood dinner?
I decided to get 2 crabs of different flavours this time. I got my creamy pumpkin crab and let my sister choose the other. I knew she would choose the black pepper. I tried it before and it was too spicy for me. But she's like always dying to order black pepper, let her order lah.
Disappointment #1 - NO BAMBOO CLAMS that day.
Disappointment #2 - The drunken prawns we ordered tasted more like herbal prawns.
Delight #1 - My parents commented that the Peking Duck was very cheap at $38, so we got 1. It topped up our bill to $103.81! What would have happened if we didn't order it? Come back to eat again? Hahaha.
Shock #1 - The rice is $1/bowl.
People's Park Food Centre 水饺面
Not nice at all. First of all, it's a mistake because wanton tastes better than 水饺. I'm not even sure how it's supposed to taste like, but anyway, this one is sour from vinegar and quite bland. The noodles is Q, but still can taste the bitterness. It's a pity the name of the stall is not clear in the picture. Can only see Something Chiang Roasters.
My father ordered some duck noodle from another stall that uses this kind of noodle too. For his, 1/4 of them came in a clump. *Sigh*
So this market so big, but 2/2 of the stalls we tried cannot make it? Should have tried the yong tau foo with long long queue.
This 牛什粉 is my lunch staple whenever I go for my medical appointments. Soup is tasty, the organs don't stink and just-nice chewy.
Check out the queue! I dapao this back when there's people to share with me at home. The sauce is thick and A LOT (because I asked for more). For $5, it comes with jellyfish. Never knew they go well with rojak. And they use a nice plastic box, not leaky styrofoam or paper. Can rock it as much as I like! The down side is that the 油条 is not crispy. But not nuah until very disgusting lah, so still ok.
When I'm there for breakfast, it would be porridge from Loy Kee. It's actually a chicken rice stall that's supposed to be quite famous, but I really don't think I can eat rice for breakfast. Maybe lunch next time.
Surely there's some other nice food in this food centre? But the first few times I went, my father scanned and could only name a few. Ate the duck rice once, but duck meat is dry had a hard time eating it. The oyster omelette was good but I can't have it for lunch, right? Don't whether it's really so pathetic or we have eyes for different things. So when there's something good, just stick to it.
Mouldy Cheese
My sister brought back some cheese samples from work. This one in particular, looks peculiar. No, the photo is not blur. There is a layer of very fine, mouldy looking covering on top of it and you are supposed to eat it with the cheese. The layer is surprisingly crusty - deceived by its look! The cheese is quite creamy. Saw it in the supermarket. If I remember correctly, it's called Brie.
Ah Yat
We are back again! Because we have another $100 worth of Shaw Towers vouchers to spend, and what is more effective than a seafood dinner?
I decided to get 2 crabs of different flavours this time. I got my creamy pumpkin crab and let my sister choose the other. I knew she would choose the black pepper. I tried it before and it was too spicy for me. But she's like always dying to order black pepper, let her order lah.
Disappointment #1 - NO BAMBOO CLAMS that day.
Disappointment #2 - The drunken prawns we ordered tasted more like herbal prawns.
Delight #1 - My parents commented that the Peking Duck was very cheap at $38, so we got 1. It topped up our bill to $103.81! What would have happened if we didn't order it? Come back to eat again? Hahaha.
Shock #1 - The rice is $1/bowl.
People's Park Food Centre 水饺面
Not nice at all. First of all, it's a mistake because wanton tastes better than 水饺. I'm not even sure how it's supposed to taste like, but anyway, this one is sour from vinegar and quite bland. The noodles is Q, but still can taste the bitterness. It's a pity the name of the stall is not clear in the picture. Can only see Something Chiang Roasters.
My father ordered some duck noodle from another stall that uses this kind of noodle too. For his, 1/4 of them came in a clump. *Sigh*
So this market so big, but 2/2 of the stalls we tried cannot make it? Should have tried the yong tau foo with long long queue.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
The Sotong is Wise
1 week ago, my right top and bottom wisdom teeth decided to do some poking at the concurrently. From then, was a spell of chewing slowly, not being able to brush my teeth properly because it got so sore that I couldn't open my mouth wide and hurting even when I wasn't doing anything with my mouth.
Sotongs should be blur. I will consider getting rid of those teeth.
Sotongs should be blur. I will consider getting rid of those teeth.
Monday, December 15, 2008
My Free Movies In 2008
Thanks to the HSBC Revolution card's monthly free pair of GV movie tickets, I have rediscovered watching movies in a cinema. Which was actually why I applied for the card in the first place.
This movie thing has taught me the importance of reading the terms and conditions. Initially, I thought HSBC would mail me the tickets, but after waiting in vain for 1 month, I finally got off my ass to find out what happened. It turned out that I had to be the first 500 to send a sms on the first Thursday of the month, beginning 10am. Fine, I turned on a reminder for 7 August 9.45am. 志在必得!!
August
My last movie was about 1yr ago, The Bourne Ultimatum. This time, I was torn between 赤壁 and The Dark Knight. Both had fantastic reviews, been on-screen for a long time and starting to get crappy timings. No interesting movie was going to be released.
After some consideration, breaking the drought is:
Chose it despite the fact that my brother has watched it already and I had not watched Batman Begins. Heath Ledger's death was not a reason.
Truly fantastic action movie! Scary joker! Cool Batmobile! Can I have one too?
Then I must watch Batman Begins too! Obtained a copy from a colleague. So Batman went to some high mountain in Tibet to learn Kungfu from 2 Japanese actors (please do not take this for real)... and they changed the love interest. Good move.
September
It is indeed true that September was a boring month. Seriously, nothing was worth going out of the house for. I let my sister have the tickets since I knew she wanted to watch 12 Lotus. It's a 七月 movie, now already September, must faster watch! Strangely, she wasn't kan jiong at all. I kept reminding her, like I was bugging her to watch the movie she wanted to watch. So weird right, so I decided to shut up... until the last week of the month because the tickets were going to expire. But by that time, 12 Lotus was long gone lah, so she went to watch:
OMG can't believe it. Ultimate waste. But well, it's free.
She found out that she could redeem 1 ticket at a time. I don't know what became of the other ticket.
Anyway, Moeny No Enough 2 became available for download shortly. Your typical Jack Neo movie, but now he's trying to include more and more CG which still has convention halls for improvement.
October
Headache! Like nothing worth stepping out of the house for again! I was waiting for Max Payne to open, but the reviews were dismal. Changed target to Burn After Reading, but my brother doesn't like all-talk-no-action movies and my sister didn't know what it was about. The response for Tropic Thunder was "huh you want to watch this kind of crap?".
There was only 1 choice left, but I had no idea what it is about, who acted (couldn't recognize the Japanese names, except for 常盘贵子) and couldn't really recognize their faces from that tiny GV poster. Heard a good review, so I went for it:
A.k.a. 20-Seiki Shônen
Only when the movie started then I realized the male lead was 唐沢寿明. Got 黑木曈, and many others who acted as kay-leh-fares in various doramas, also can say experienced lah, so I thought it wouldn't be very bad.
It's really not bad ley! It gave a dark meaning to "friend". It's long - 2hr 20min to make your money's worth. The actors spent time looking at one another with the huh-I-did-it-meh look, had flashbacks, which I suppose some people might find draggy, but I thought it's rather common in manga lah. It's been a long time since I watched a movie without reading up about it first, not knowing what to expect at all. So I was like DIAO when it was revealed that there would be a part 2 at the end. Sooo long, yet still got part 2! Power!
And that's not all! Still got part 3! Now I have embroiled myself into another trilogy.
November
While looking for my October movie, 007 was under Coming Soon, hence November's was a no-brainer:
Again, I went without knowing what to expect, but I was under the impression the catastrophe to avert was something nuclear this time. Alas, it was not, and the movie ended before I knew it - less than 2hrs.
Not so impressed.
December
No, there's NO December movie. With my monthly reminder, I couldn't possibly be late in sending my sms. Since November, the lousy system refused to respond promptly, so I bombed it every 10min. For November, I got my confirmation 40min later. This time, I got a response 1hr 20min later:
All movie tickets are fully redeemed for this month. Please visit www.hsbc.com.sg.hsbc.revolution from 15 Dec 08 for new promotions in 2009.
Boohoohoo! Cannot be lor! Somemore the responses for my subsequent bombing trickled in over the next 2hrs. CANNOT MAKE IT! KELONG!
The promotion for next year is less attractive. In order to enable more people to enjoy the privilege, it has been downgraded to 1 free ticket to first 1000, and have to buy 1 ticket to redeem. In other words, it has become a buy-1-get-1-free promotion :\
This movie thing has taught me the importance of reading the terms and conditions. Initially, I thought HSBC would mail me the tickets, but after waiting in vain for 1 month, I finally got off my ass to find out what happened. It turned out that I had to be the first 500 to send a sms on the first Thursday of the month, beginning 10am. Fine, I turned on a reminder for 7 August 9.45am. 志在必得!!
August
My last movie was about 1yr ago, The Bourne Ultimatum. This time, I was torn between 赤壁 and The Dark Knight. Both had fantastic reviews, been on-screen for a long time and starting to get crappy timings. No interesting movie was going to be released.
After some consideration, breaking the drought is:
Chose it despite the fact that my brother has watched it already and I had not watched Batman Begins. Heath Ledger's death was not a reason.
Truly fantastic action movie! Scary joker! Cool Batmobile! Can I have one too?
Then I must watch Batman Begins too! Obtained a copy from a colleague. So Batman went to some high mountain in Tibet to learn Kungfu from 2 Japanese actors (please do not take this for real)... and they changed the love interest. Good move.
September
It is indeed true that September was a boring month. Seriously, nothing was worth going out of the house for. I let my sister have the tickets since I knew she wanted to watch 12 Lotus. It's a 七月 movie, now already September, must faster watch! Strangely, she wasn't kan jiong at all. I kept reminding her, like I was bugging her to watch the movie she wanted to watch. So weird right, so I decided to shut up... until the last week of the month because the tickets were going to expire. But by that time, 12 Lotus was long gone lah, so she went to watch:
OMG can't believe it. Ultimate waste. But well, it's free.
She found out that she could redeem 1 ticket at a time. I don't know what became of the other ticket.
Anyway, Moeny No Enough 2 became available for download shortly. Your typical Jack Neo movie, but now he's trying to include more and more CG which still has convention halls for improvement.
October
Headache! Like nothing worth stepping out of the house for again! I was waiting for Max Payne to open, but the reviews were dismal. Changed target to Burn After Reading, but my brother doesn't like all-talk-no-action movies and my sister didn't know what it was about. The response for Tropic Thunder was "huh you want to watch this kind of crap?".
There was only 1 choice left, but I had no idea what it is about, who acted (couldn't recognize the Japanese names, except for 常盘贵子) and couldn't really recognize their faces from that tiny GV poster. Heard a good review, so I went for it:
A.k.a. 20-Seiki Shônen
Only when the movie started then I realized the male lead was 唐沢寿明. Got 黑木曈, and many others who acted as kay-leh-fares in various doramas, also can say experienced lah, so I thought it wouldn't be very bad.
It's really not bad ley! It gave a dark meaning to "friend". It's long - 2hr 20min to make your money's worth. The actors spent time looking at one another with the huh-I-did-it-meh look, had flashbacks, which I suppose some people might find draggy, but I thought it's rather common in manga lah. It's been a long time since I watched a movie without reading up about it first, not knowing what to expect at all. So I was like DIAO when it was revealed that there would be a part 2 at the end. Sooo long, yet still got part 2! Power!
And that's not all! Still got part 3! Now I have embroiled myself into another trilogy.
November
While looking for my October movie, 007 was under Coming Soon, hence November's was a no-brainer:
Again, I went without knowing what to expect, but I was under the impression the catastrophe to avert was something nuclear this time. Alas, it was not, and the movie ended before I knew it - less than 2hrs.
Not so impressed.
December
No, there's NO December movie. With my monthly reminder, I couldn't possibly be late in sending my sms. Since November, the lousy system refused to respond promptly, so I bombed it every 10min. For November, I got my confirmation 40min later. This time, I got a response 1hr 20min later:
All movie tickets are fully redeemed for this month. Please visit www.hsbc.com.sg.hsbc.revolution from 15 Dec 08 for new promotions in 2009.
Boohoohoo! Cannot be lor! Somemore the responses for my subsequent bombing trickled in over the next 2hrs. CANNOT MAKE IT! KELONG!
The promotion for next year is less attractive. In order to enable more people to enjoy the privilege, it has been downgraded to 1 free ticket to first 1000, and have to buy 1 ticket to redeem. In other words, it has become a buy-1-get-1-free promotion :\
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Nostalgia
While browsing my favorite BT website, I came across this movie which invoked the "hahaha omg this LAME movie!" reaction.
简介：
色魔连环案手法变态，女警花生被派作鱼饵引诱色魔，色魔上钓，被追捕下突然自断四肢而死，一警员亦神秘死亡。与此案件接触的人亦离奇死亡。此时，通灵小说家蓝精灵出现，指其中有人被恶鬼所杀，案件亦与道教法哭灭灵钉有关。蓝精灵利用催眠，唤醒人体内潜藏意识，从而揭发真相。可是，竟连恶鬼也一并唤醒过来……
As you can already see from the title, it's a lousy B (or is it C?) grade horror flick. I think my bunch of ex-classmates from JC grabbed it as we were heading to KH's house for Xmas eve. Look, it has the same cast from 我和僵尸有个约会！It's a hilarious film, unfortunately.
简介：
色魔连环案手法变态，女警花生被派作鱼饵引诱色魔，色魔上钓，被追捕下突然自断四肢而死，一警员亦神秘死亡。与此案件接触的人亦离奇死亡。此时，通灵小说家蓝精灵出现，指其中有人被恶鬼所杀，案件亦与道教法哭灭灵钉有关。蓝精灵利用催眠，唤醒人体内潜藏意识，从而揭发真相。可是，竟连恶鬼也一并唤醒过来……
As you can already see from the title, it's a lousy B (or is it C?) grade horror flick. I think my bunch of ex-classmates from JC grabbed it as we were heading to KH's house for Xmas eve. Look, it has the same cast from 我和僵尸有个约会！It's a hilarious film, unfortunately.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
J&J Sale 2008
Finally, the long-awaited J&J sale! Time for a stock-take:
Have to restock panty-liners for sure. Heard they were going for $1 each!
How about the body wash? I think 4 bottles is about the max we can use in 1yr, but it could be just nice only wor... that baby one need to use a lot right? To be on the safe side, I decided to get 2 bottles.
And a Neutrogena Deep Cleanser for my brother.
Did the shopping list and passed to my father. O well, but things had to go wrong. Apparently, the red packet Carefree was going for $2 and the $1 was another type. So I saved only 10cents, not taking into account the space they take up. So much for a sale. My father could have called me... wrote the $1 so big there :\
I think it's probably the last time I am buying from this sale. When my office move out from there (think we probably will), it won't be worth going so far for this anymore.
- 2 bottles of pH5.5 Body Wash
- 2 bottles of Baby Wash abandoned by my sister from 2yrs back
- 3 packets of panty-liners. Should have been 1 only, when I insisted a few mths ago that we surely had some left, but my sister was too lazy to look for them and went out to buy 2 more.
Have to restock panty-liners for sure. Heard they were going for $1 each!
How about the body wash? I think 4 bottles is about the max we can use in 1yr, but it could be just nice only wor... that baby one need to use a lot right? To be on the safe side, I decided to get 2 bottles.
And a Neutrogena Deep Cleanser for my brother.
Did the shopping list and passed to my father. O well, but things had to go wrong. Apparently, the red packet Carefree was going for $2 and the $1 was another type. So I saved only 10cents, not taking into account the space they take up. So much for a sale. My father could have called me... wrote the $1 so big there :\
I think it's probably the last time I am buying from this sale. When my office move out from there (think we probably will), it won't be worth going so far for this anymore.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Noodle House Ken 之 Cold Noodles
Have tried visiting Noodle House Ken twice these few months, but it's always closed. Finally caught it today! But the bad news was they only had cold noodles and rice left because they ran out of soup. Har... it was not even 9pm I think? And they close only at 1am. Didn't expect this.
Nevermind, my sister and I shall give the cold noodles a try. My brother ordered the rice.
The noodles was nice! No soup, but there's enough sauce for flavor. Same chewy noodles. Very big bowl!
We confirmed with the staff that they do not open on Sundays. They do serve lunch till 2pm. And usually they do still have soup left at this hour on a Saturday.
Better luck next time!
Nevermind, my sister and I shall give the cold noodles a try. My brother ordered the rice.
The noodles was nice! No soup, but there's enough sauce for flavor. Same chewy noodles. Very big bowl!
We confirmed with the staff that they do not open on Sundays. They do serve lunch till 2pm. And usually they do still have soup left at this hour on a Saturday.
Better luck next time!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sister's Birthday Desserts
Back from Gyu-Kaku, filled to the brim! But there's still a part 2 for my sister's birthday - DESSERTS (again)!
First, Awfully Chocolate's Chocolate Rum & Cherry Cake. My sister tried to psycho me to buy it for my birthday, but I didn't. My sister's name was on the cake, but I have pixelated it out. Cannot tell if I didn't tell you right? My superior photoshop skills! Ha ha ha!
The bitterness of the exterior was ok. I felt the cake wasn't moist enough for my liking. Not enough rum in the cherry. There are better cakes around. Glad I didn't buy it.
Next up is the egg pudding which my sister took leave to prepare. Actually she bought a mix which came with the caramel syrup and added some orange herself. Then my mum and her dressed it up with fruit slices... took very long.
A shovel worked better.
Nice! I like caramel. But toooo full after the dinner already lah.
After this day, my horrible October started.
First, Awfully Chocolate's Chocolate Rum & Cherry Cake. My sister tried to psycho me to buy it for my birthday, but I didn't. My sister's name was on the cake, but I have pixelated it out. Cannot tell if I didn't tell you right? My superior photoshop skills! Ha ha ha!
The bitterness of the exterior was ok. I felt the cake wasn't moist enough for my liking. Not enough rum in the cherry. There are better cakes around. Glad I didn't buy it.
Next up is the egg pudding which my sister took leave to prepare. Actually she bought a mix which came with the caramel syrup and added some orange herself. Then my mum and her dressed it up with fruit slices... took very long.
A shovel worked better.
Nice! I like caramel. But toooo full after the dinner already lah.
After this day, my horrible October started.
Gyu-Kaku
Well this was supposed to be dated 3rd Oct, but I guess it would be lost under that lengthy post below it.
It's my sister's 21st birthday, which is supposed to be a big deal, but in fact is not, after I went through it myself a few years ago. It just meant that at the stroke of midnight, you are suddenly responsible for your own life, such as bills...
Anyway that's not the focus of this post. Since it's such a big deal, my sister wanted to go to a place she had always wanted to go, so much so that she even offered to treat the rest of the family because we had objected to paying for such a pricey meal in the past. Gyu-Kaku, a Japanese BBQ restaurant. She estimated $60 per head. I doubt she could afford to, but ah, whatever.
My mum tried to share the joy by telling my sister to invite a closer aunt, cousin and her friend. My sister did (without considering the extra to pay???), and the aunt suggested inviting another cousin working in Singapore
On the day itself, my aunt said she wouldn't be coming. Back to square one!
Our reservation was at Chijmes. Fortunately, the restaurant was just 10m away from the driveway... because I managed to stop my father before we rolled down to the basement carpark. There were a few steps at the entrance of the restaurant. No problem, father was there. Our table was near the entrance. Very claustrophobic there. My sister said we could have had a more spacious table if she hadn't updated our attendance with the restaurant. O well, cannot be so selfish.
We started looking at the menu. But I wasn't actually looking, because I was busy pirating it. You see, the menu on their website doesn't list the price. Moreover, birthday girl should make the decision!
Gyu-Kaku specializes in beef (explains the 牛角), in particular, Wagyu beef. And different body parts too. They do have other animals too, but they all looked the same to me - red chunks in the pictures lor. Choices of marinade are primarily Shio, Miso, Spicy Miso, with some meats having more options. But... all probably taste salty lah?
After a lonnggg loooooonnnnng time, we finally settled on:
- Botan set, which comes with everything listed as 0.00 in the receipt XD
- US Kurobuta Jowl, because I wanted to eat black pig.
- Kaisen chijimi, a Korean-style seafood pancake for my mum as her menu looked rather empty.
- Lime juice for my mum, who can't tahan caffeine.
Our starters.
The sausages and... Buta Karubi aka pork belly, I think. Walau so much fat can? But I ate it all since I paid big bucks for it. This pork is also very salty. You can chew till it's dry, yet there's still flavor.
The beefs. Wagyu was flagged. I think the white one was my 黑猪. When this plate was served, the waitress introduced all the meats. My brother and I clearly remembered that the waitress called the reddish one "tongue". What a huge, chunky tongue! But my sister insisted it's not. Later when we revisited the menu, we found that she was right. The reddish chunks were the rump cap. The tongue should be a thin slice, probably the only right in front of the camera?
Meat on the grill. Smokeless charcoal with something at the sides of the grill to suck up all the smoke before they even get to you, no need to worry about being your face turning black at the end of the dinner. O and it's air-conditioned of course.Service was good. The staff was attentive (which probably also meant they had their eyes on us all the time). Our grills were changed twice so as to reduce the chances of us suing them should we get cancer 30 years down the road.
We got too much food! I could only take a few nibbles of the Ishiyaki Bibimba aka Korean 石锅饭. It was cold by the time I ate it. Must have been fragrant and crispy when it was warm.
Time to serve our desserts! Because our set was only for 4, we were only entitled to 4 desserts, but the restaurant was so kind as to throw in a free one for us!
From the top, black sesame ice-cream, orange sorbet, soy milk mango pudding, macha ice-cream and gyu-kaku ice-cream (which is vanilla ice-cream with soy bean powder and brown syrup).
My sister ordered an alcoholic cassis soda, which sadly, tasted like soda.
Meat education
The menu looked the same to me because I don't understand the different cuts of meat.
So the rump cap is the bum, which explains why it's so chunky.From Gyu-Kaku's menu:
Wagyu Beef is recognized as the world's finest, unmatched for flavour, juiciness, tenderness and overall eating quality. High level of marbling in Wagyu beef has a positive influence in eating quality to avoid moisture during cooking and enchance flavour, tenderness and juiciness during eating. Combined with high ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids, the result is more "good" cholesterol and less "bad" cholesterol.
So healthy! Have more!
For the kurobuta jowl, the jowl is a fat cut of meat along the side of the head.
Total damage per head: $69. My brother and I split the bill. Ouch. The most expensive dinner EVER!All I could remember about the meat was SALTY! Can't recall anything that actually "melts in the mouth". I don't mean the food wasn't good! The fact that I could eat so much meat in one sitting is the best proof. I think that's how the salt helped. But I only need to visit such a place once, for the experience. I won't be back again, unless someone is treating.
By the way, cars that are low should not attempt to enter Chijmes' basement carpark. The unmarked hump at the carpark entrance is a real bumper killer!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
I Hate October 2008
It's now phase 2 of the CR mentioned in Some Updates. As usual, it fits the description of a disaster to a T. And much worse.
September
G has written the specs for this part 2. Unfortunately, he had decided to leave, so we had to finish the development before his last day. I was assigned a portion which read (to-the-like-of) "All the above mentioned actions will be logged". Not wanting history to repeat itself, I read through the specs (kept falling asleep while doing so), looked through the existing code to get an idea of what to expect, before approaching G for a discussion. My work would be on screen A. He demonstrated the events that would be logged. Explained the new table structure. Ok, I can do this.
In less than 2 weeks, we finished the development phase. Checked through my part to ensure it was ok. G showed the PM that the program was working before saying farewell and I went on to do my other CRs on hand.
October
SIT time. In what seems to be the rite of passage, there has to be things left out during development. First discovered was something in G's part, which somehow became I who left it out, and also despite the fact that G's part has been handed over to the TL. At first, I refused to fix it as it looks rather complex (it still looks complex to me even now), but I had to, because TL wasn't free. Burnt a weekend doing this at home.
Next, major issues were discovered with my portion. I didn't discover it during development because I had coded according to my discussion with G, hence to me, those weren't bugs. But when the QC (L, again) and PM both agreed that it's wrong, and G wasn't around anymore, and nothing specific in the specs to back me up, not bug also become bug already right? Anyway, the L and PM also made sense. Whatever.
Then, L thought that it's wrong to always display a particular username "CCC" in the Updated By field in my screens. I reasoned that G instructed me to do so as he wanted to "use it as an indicator", but I didn't know exactly what. I had to write extra code to give what G wanted, so surely I would not go through so much trouble to create a bug deliberately? I agreed it was unnatural, but couldn't give a reason why G wanted it this way. Moreover, it's a bad idea to use a username as an indicator in code. Ok lor, remove my special logic in my portion, G's portion, TL's portion, so so so many places zzz. Removing is easy, testing through is the headache.
Then, it was discovered that my portion wasn't implemented on screen B. In my discussion with G, it was never mentioned that I had to do so, but on the other hand, if I had read the specs really carefully and digested like a cow, I would have understood that it's implied. The table structure couldn't quite cater for this scenario too, so TL suggested adding a new column. 1 new column is no joke. I had to give my code a good revamp and make changes in many places that the ripples spread to. Easy to write the behavior on paper, but hard to translate to code. I don't know why, but it's hard to get it right.
It's already nearly UAT and we were still encountering major issues. Very worrisome.
It didn't help that L and TL don't quite like each other. TL merely told L to get off my back and let me code in peace, albeit not in a very nice tone. L got offended and quarrelled with him. Then later they came separately to ask me if I felt the other party was rude -_-;;
Then L discovered bugs from phase 1, done by G, and said that I broke the code. WHAT LOR! Cannot be her venerable idol, must be me right? No point setting the record straight here, because I can imagine L saying "You should have checked through everything first!".
L (and the PM too) once lamented that they wished G were still here. Nice guy, very few bugs, not forgetting the ultra smooth UAT in phase 1. True that he's nice, I like him too, but I cannot thank him for what's happening now.
I was still very 不甘愿 over the username thing. Searched through the phase 1 specs and found a page that describes the special username "CCC" and some special behavior of the screen that I was accused of "breaking". I also had a guess for why G wanted it this way. But I didn't bring this to the PM's attention.
1) I stayed late in office to fix those "bugs". I don't want to stay late again to put them back.
2) Now everybody is happy about the amended behavior. Users also didn't seem to remember what they had signed off in the specs.
3) Sometimes we do not follow the specs 100%. Make changes ourselves that we feel are better. This could be one of them.
4) I don't want to be scolded for "How come you don't know the specs well?", as if I'm the only one who doesn't know the specs well.
So there, I know can already. If the users ever discover it later, it would be a production bug. Can fix later. Not now. No time.
In the middle of UAT, it was discovered that my portion wasn't implemented on screen C. Same thing as screen B, not discussed, but I should have realized it's implied if I had read the specs really carefully and digested like a cow. But this time, it's more complicated because the table structure didn't cater to screen C at all. Jialat lor.
I think this is why I had so much trouble with my portion. Bad design! Or rather, I suspect that G never designed it for screens B and C at all. So now, they got a 神 to redesign that table and code. I'm now playing adviser to 神 for the business logic, haven't felt so free for so long!
Now my memory of October 2008 is work, work, weekends also work... sigh.
September
G has written the specs for this part 2. Unfortunately, he had decided to leave, so we had to finish the development before his last day. I was assigned a portion which read (to-the-like-of) "All the above mentioned actions will be logged". Not wanting history to repeat itself, I read through the specs (kept falling asleep while doing so), looked through the existing code to get an idea of what to expect, before approaching G for a discussion. My work would be on screen A. He demonstrated the events that would be logged. Explained the new table structure. Ok, I can do this.
In less than 2 weeks, we finished the development phase. Checked through my part to ensure it was ok. G showed the PM that the program was working before saying farewell and I went on to do my other CRs on hand.
October
SIT time. In what seems to be the rite of passage, there has to be things left out during development. First discovered was something in G's part, which somehow became I who left it out, and also despite the fact that G's part has been handed over to the TL. At first, I refused to fix it as it looks rather complex (it still looks complex to me even now), but I had to, because TL wasn't free. Burnt a weekend doing this at home.
Next, major issues were discovered with my portion. I didn't discover it during development because I had coded according to my discussion with G, hence to me, those weren't bugs. But when the QC (L, again) and PM both agreed that it's wrong, and G wasn't around anymore, and nothing specific in the specs to back me up, not bug also become bug already right? Anyway, the L and PM also made sense. Whatever.
Then, L thought that it's wrong to always display a particular username "CCC" in the Updated By field in my screens. I reasoned that G instructed me to do so as he wanted to "use it as an indicator", but I didn't know exactly what. I had to write extra code to give what G wanted, so surely I would not go through so much trouble to create a bug deliberately? I agreed it was unnatural, but couldn't give a reason why G wanted it this way. Moreover, it's a bad idea to use a username as an indicator in code. Ok lor, remove my special logic in my portion, G's portion, TL's portion, so so so many places zzz. Removing is easy, testing through is the headache.
Then, it was discovered that my portion wasn't implemented on screen B. In my discussion with G, it was never mentioned that I had to do so, but on the other hand, if I had read the specs really carefully and digested like a cow, I would have understood that it's implied. The table structure couldn't quite cater for this scenario too, so TL suggested adding a new column. 1 new column is no joke. I had to give my code a good revamp and make changes in many places that the ripples spread to. Easy to write the behavior on paper, but hard to translate to code. I don't know why, but it's hard to get it right.
It's already nearly UAT and we were still encountering major issues. Very worrisome.
It didn't help that L and TL don't quite like each other. TL merely told L to get off my back and let me code in peace, albeit not in a very nice tone. L got offended and quarrelled with him. Then later they came separately to ask me if I felt the other party was rude -_-;;
Then L discovered bugs from phase 1, done by G, and said that I broke the code. WHAT LOR! Cannot be her venerable idol, must be me right? No point setting the record straight here, because I can imagine L saying "You should have checked through everything first!".
L (and the PM too) once lamented that they wished G were still here. Nice guy, very few bugs, not forgetting the ultra smooth UAT in phase 1. True that he's nice, I like him too, but I cannot thank him for what's happening now.
I was still very 不甘愿 over the username thing. Searched through the phase 1 specs and found a page that describes the special username "CCC" and some special behavior of the screen that I was accused of "breaking". I also had a guess for why G wanted it this way. But I didn't bring this to the PM's attention.
1) I stayed late in office to fix those "bugs". I don't want to stay late again to put them back.
2) Now everybody is happy about the amended behavior. Users also didn't seem to remember what they had signed off in the specs.
3) Sometimes we do not follow the specs 100%. Make changes ourselves that we feel are better. This could be one of them.
4) I don't want to be scolded for "How come you don't know the specs well?", as if I'm the only one who doesn't know the specs well.
So there, I know can already. If the users ever discover it later, it would be a production bug. Can fix later. Not now. No time.
In the middle of UAT, it was discovered that my portion wasn't implemented on screen C. Same thing as screen B, not discussed, but I should have realized it's implied if I had read the specs really carefully and digested like a cow. But this time, it's more complicated because the table structure didn't cater to screen C at all. Jialat lor.
I think this is why I had so much trouble with my portion. Bad design! Or rather, I suspect that G never designed it for screens B and C at all. So now, they got a 神 to redesign that table and code. I'm now playing adviser to 神 for the business logic, haven't felt so free for so long!
Now my memory of October 2008 is work, work, weekends also work... sigh.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Earthquake!
Was walking to the toilet at work when I heard a very loud bang coming from somewhere near me, like somebody using a hammer to hit violently on tiles. Being a kaypoh, I stopped to look where it could have come from, although I wasn't wearing my specs and couldn't see details clearly beyond 3m.
And I was glad that I did. The floor tiles were cracking and popping up right in front of me! If I had not been a kaypoh, they would have been exploding right under my feet!
The next day, the building management cordoned the area off. But that's all they have done so far. It's been 3 weeks already. Is it so hard to find a few tiles of the same color and texture and stick them back? Anyway, on my floor alone, there were a few other areas with tiles on the verge of popping out. They should just stockpile tiles now, unless they want to renovate the whole place.
And I was glad that I did. The floor tiles were cracking and popping up right in front of me! If I had not been a kaypoh, they would have been exploding right under my feet!
The next day, the building management cordoned the area off. But that's all they have done so far. It's been 3 weeks already. Is it so hard to find a few tiles of the same color and texture and stick them back? Anyway, on my floor alone, there were a few other areas with tiles on the verge of popping out. They should just stockpile tiles now, unless they want to renovate the whole place.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Vichy Normaderm Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care
To be fair, I should write about this too.
Ya same story, my sister brought back a sample. Nice smell. It's a miracle anti-swelling agent! After poking at a spot, I dot it on the red, angry area and the swelling and redness went down right before my eyes!
But it didn't help with oil control at all.
So should I still call it a moisturizer, or just use it as an instant swelling relief?
Cheapo me went online to request for another sample :D
---
A light moisturizer with Zincadone A that tightens pores, helps reduce oiliness and improves skin clarity.
Helps transforms your skin in 4 weeks.
Skin Type/ Concern: Oily and Acne-prone
Results: After 4 weeks, the appearance of the skin is transformed, imperfections are reduced, pore size is visibly reduced, and the skin’s surface is smooth and even.
Ya same story, my sister brought back a sample. Nice smell. It's a miracle anti-swelling agent! After poking at a spot, I dot it on the red, angry area and the swelling and redness went down right before my eyes!But it didn't help with oil control at all.
So should I still call it a moisturizer, or just use it as an instant swelling relief?
Cheapo me went online to request for another sample :D
---
A light moisturizer with Zincadone A that tightens pores, helps reduce oiliness and improves skin clarity.
Helps transforms your skin in 4 weeks.
Skin Type/ Concern: Oily and Acne-prone
Results: After 4 weeks, the appearance of the skin is transformed, imperfections are reduced, pore size is visibly reduced, and the skin’s surface is smooth and even.
Galenic Intense Moisturizing Serum
Thought I should write about this although I tried this sample ages ago.
Brought home at the same time as the Refreshing Moisturizing Cream, I tried this first. It's the best moisturizer I have used! Absorbs fast, only need a small amount and my face remains matte for the longest time. But it's a wee bit sticky if I apply too much. Smells the same as its sister product.
I want it, but I think it cost $80 for 30ml the last time I checked. Faint.
---
Product Information
Galenic Soins Hydratants Intense Moisturizing Serum: An extremely hydrating serum for all skin types.
Description: This moisturizing serum contains extracts of wild berries to restore natural moisturizing abilities in the skin. Wheat protein smoothes and softens skin, while glycols provide added moisture. Ideal for all skin types in need of a hydration boost, this serum is suitable for use alone or prior to your day or night cream. The cells become filled with water, skin is smoother and radiance is boosted. The results are immediate and long-lasting, leaving the skin with a soft, fresh finish.
Recommended Use: Apply morning and/or evening to a thoroughly cleansed face, neck and neckline. This moisturizing serum can be used alone or before applying the day cream with wild berries for reinforced action.
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, PEG-12, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Protein (Triticum Vulgare), Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract (Rubus Idaeus), Butylparaben, Carbomer, Chlorphenesin, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) (Chondrus Crispus), Disodium EDTA, Fragrance (Parfum), Mica, Phenoxyethanol, PPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether, Ribes Rubrum (Currant) Fruit Extract (Ribes Rubrum), Titanium Dioxide, Triethanolamine, Vaccinium Myrtillus Extract (Vaccinium Myrtillus).
Brought home at the same time as the Refreshing Moisturizing Cream, I tried this first. It's the best moisturizer I have used! Absorbs fast, only need a small amount and my face remains matte for the longest time. But it's a wee bit sticky if I apply too much. Smells the same as its sister product.I want it, but I think it cost $80 for 30ml the last time I checked. Faint.
---
Product Information
Galenic Soins Hydratants Intense Moisturizing Serum: An extremely hydrating serum for all skin types.
Description: This moisturizing serum contains extracts of wild berries to restore natural moisturizing abilities in the skin. Wheat protein smoothes and softens skin, while glycols provide added moisture. Ideal for all skin types in need of a hydration boost, this serum is suitable for use alone or prior to your day or night cream. The cells become filled with water, skin is smoother and radiance is boosted. The results are immediate and long-lasting, leaving the skin with a soft, fresh finish.
Recommended Use: Apply morning and/or evening to a thoroughly cleansed face, neck and neckline. This moisturizing serum can be used alone or before applying the day cream with wild berries for reinforced action.
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, PEG-12, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Protein (Triticum Vulgare), Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract (Rubus Idaeus), Butylparaben, Carbomer, Chlorphenesin, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) (Chondrus Crispus), Disodium EDTA, Fragrance (Parfum), Mica, Phenoxyethanol, PPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether, Ribes Rubrum (Currant) Fruit Extract (Ribes Rubrum), Titanium Dioxide, Triethanolamine, Vaccinium Myrtillus Extract (Vaccinium Myrtillus).
Galenic Refreshing Moisturizing Cream
Tried out the sample my sis brought home.
Although smell is rarely my concern, it's a plus that it smells nice. Too oily for me. I look oily after applying and my face still got oily faster compared to Artistry. O well, it's not meant for my skin type anyway.
It has been sitting in my drawer for a long time. Oil has separated out. Looks like oily stuff cannot be kept there.
---
Product Information
Galenic Soins Hydratants Refreshing Moisturizing Cream: A soft, rich day cream for dry and very dry skin types.
Description: This luxurious cream is formulated with extract of wild berries which help to enhance your skin's natural moisturizing abilities. Polyols and polysiloxanes add moisture, comfort and elasticity while vitamin E provides exceptional antioxidant protection. Rich and creamy, this silkening formula is ideal for dry and very dry skin types. Tight, itchy skin is relaxed and sagging skin is plumped, leaving it with a supple, soft look and feel.
Recommended Use: Apply morning and/or evening to a thoroughly cleansed face and neck.
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil (Cocos Nucifera), Dicaprylyl Maleate, Tribehenin PEG-20 Esters, Isohexadecane, Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum), Cyclomethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Myreth-3 Myristate, Glycerin, PEG-8, Benzotriazolyl Dodecyl P-Cresol, Blue 1 (CI 42090), Dimethiconol, Fragrance (Parfum), Methylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Propylparaben, Red 33 (CI 17200), Ribes Rubrum (Currant) Fruit Extract (Ribes Rubrum), Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract (Rubus Idaeus), Sodium Polyacrylate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Vaccinium Myrtillus Extract (Vaccinium Myrtillus), Yellow 6 (CI 15985).
Treats These Conditions: Anti-Itch, Free Radical Protection
Suitable For These Skin Types: Dry
Ingredient: Vitamin E, Antioxidant, Dimethicone
Although smell is rarely my concern, it's a plus that it smells nice. Too oily for me. I look oily after applying and my face still got oily faster compared to Artistry. O well, it's not meant for my skin type anyway.It has been sitting in my drawer for a long time. Oil has separated out. Looks like oily stuff cannot be kept there.
---
Product Information
Galenic Soins Hydratants Refreshing Moisturizing Cream: A soft, rich day cream for dry and very dry skin types.
Description: This luxurious cream is formulated with extract of wild berries which help to enhance your skin's natural moisturizing abilities. Polyols and polysiloxanes add moisture, comfort and elasticity while vitamin E provides exceptional antioxidant protection. Rich and creamy, this silkening formula is ideal for dry and very dry skin types. Tight, itchy skin is relaxed and sagging skin is plumped, leaving it with a supple, soft look and feel.
Recommended Use: Apply morning and/or evening to a thoroughly cleansed face and neck.
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil (Cocos Nucifera), Dicaprylyl Maleate, Tribehenin PEG-20 Esters, Isohexadecane, Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum), Cyclomethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Myreth-3 Myristate, Glycerin, PEG-8, Benzotriazolyl Dodecyl P-Cresol, Blue 1 (CI 42090), Dimethiconol, Fragrance (Parfum), Methylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Propylparaben, Red 33 (CI 17200), Ribes Rubrum (Currant) Fruit Extract (Ribes Rubrum), Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract (Rubus Idaeus), Sodium Polyacrylate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Vaccinium Myrtillus Extract (Vaccinium Myrtillus), Yellow 6 (CI 15985).
Treats These Conditions: Anti-Itch, Free Radical Protection
Suitable For These Skin Types: Dry
Ingredient: Vitamin E, Antioxidant, Dimethicone
Monday, September 22, 2008
White Labbit Candy Also Cannot Eat!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Mid-Autumn Sin Festival
Last year, I didn't buy any fanciful mooncakes. This year, I almost didn't too, if I had not pia-ed finish my work by afternoon of the last Sunday before Mid-Autumn Festival.
My siblings and I descended upon where all mooncake hunters in Singapore has converged - Takashimaya. Super crowded, could hardly move. So many hotels! Managed to taste some mooncakes fragments, the size of my pinkie's nail. Is superior cutting skills a job requirement for manning mooncake counters?
Some hotels have sold out, like Goodwood Park, no chance to eat.
There's a brand whose core business is mochi, but has ventured into mooncakes this year. Their snowskin tastes like... mochi. How can lidat? Tsk tsk.
I'm more keen on snowskin mooncakes as I believe my parents will buy the traditional baked-skin from neighbourhood bakeries. And my brother koped a box of branded mooncakes from various hotels hohoho.
After comparing prices, wanted to go taste 美心月饼 for a final decision, but stopped at 香港大班冰皮月饼 booth since it's not so crowded. The black sesame is not bad. Decided to get it since it's less than $40 for 8 different fanciful flavors. It's supposedly blast-frozen at -18°C, but of what concern is it to me when it's going to sit in my home freezer at the end of the day? The sales assistant opened up the box for us to inspect the mooncakes before packing it into a cooler bag. Nice! Don't have to go home immediately!
Ok done with mooncake shopping! No more! $40 this year, not as much as I had expected.
After that was dinner and after that, we went to Raffles City, where we found yet another mooncake fair, albeit EMPTY! It was getting late and many of the booths have closed for the day also lah. Got to taste more mooncakes. Mmm~
Explored the building a bit, and came across Swissotel The Stamford, Sze Chuan Court Restaurant's booth, empty as well. We very boey paiseh, still go and taste although I had totally no intention of buying. Tasted ALL their flavors! Haha!
Champagne Truffle & Chocolate Ganache - Couldn't taste the champagne ley. And I don't really fancy white chocolate with nothing much to contrast its taste (to prevent me from thinking it's just vanilla).
Strawberry & Dark Chocolate - Sweet-smelling and tasting strawberry, but somehow I thought chocolate and lotus paste don't belong together.
Baileys Chocolate - Where's the Baileys? Better to pour my own Baileys over some other mooncake.
Rum & Raisin Chocolate Truffle - Nice! Not too sweet, with a rum-flavored raisin to offer some contrast.
After eating and saying it's nice, what's next? Walk away? >.< Sis wanted to get it, but I didn't really want to, so I proposed splitting the bill. Actually didn't really expect her to pay lah. The mooncakes cost $46, but the good news was there's 15% discount for Citibank. The bad news was haven't count GST yet. Final bill was $41.84, only slightly more expensive than 大班!
The 8 different flavors of 大班. The funny flavors means XX mixed with mung bean paste aka 绿豆蓉. I thought what special bean lor, green bean nia.
Cut open the mooncake... this is the mung bean-only flavor.
The Swissotel mooncake box. There's a removable mirror and stand on the box. Can't see clearly one lah.
The white mooncakes. White lotus paste, white chocolate shell and raisins.
Cut up. Seriously, how did those sales assistants do a clean cut?
This year, the Swissotel mooncakes are the best! The skin is more chewy than 大班's. Flavor wise, it's more exotic than 大班, which is more of the fun factor.
For traditional baked-skin mooncakes, I realized branded ones really do taste better than neighbourhood bakeries'. I could munch on them without feeling 腻, which is actually the reason why I only liked mooncake skin in the past. It's less oily (you should look at the oil seeping through the skin of brandless mooncakes), less sweet and smoother. So next year should kop more back!
The main office sent boxes of mooncakes and boxes to us for giving away to our customers. And not even 1 mooncake for us. Sooooo sad :(
After so many years of indoor-only activity (i.e eat mooncakes only), this year I went to Bishan Parkto breathe polluted air! Watched those kids throw sparklers into the pond, make fires and explosions, lanterns burn up... while eating mooncakes brought in the 大班 cooler bag and drinking softdrinks. Pure sin! Before that, I had Thai Express green curry laksa for dinner :X
My siblings and I descended upon where all mooncake hunters in Singapore has converged - Takashimaya. Super crowded, could hardly move. So many hotels! Managed to taste some mooncakes fragments, the size of my pinkie's nail. Is superior cutting skills a job requirement for manning mooncake counters?
Some hotels have sold out, like Goodwood Park, no chance to eat.
There's a brand whose core business is mochi, but has ventured into mooncakes this year. Their snowskin tastes like... mochi. How can lidat? Tsk tsk.
I'm more keen on snowskin mooncakes as I believe my parents will buy the traditional baked-skin from neighbourhood bakeries. And my brother koped a box of branded mooncakes from various hotels hohoho.
After comparing prices, wanted to go taste 美心月饼 for a final decision, but stopped at 香港大班冰皮月饼 booth since it's not so crowded. The black sesame is not bad. Decided to get it since it's less than $40 for 8 different fanciful flavors. It's supposedly blast-frozen at -18°C, but of what concern is it to me when it's going to sit in my home freezer at the end of the day? The sales assistant opened up the box for us to inspect the mooncakes before packing it into a cooler bag. Nice! Don't have to go home immediately!
Ok done with mooncake shopping! No more! $40 this year, not as much as I had expected.
After that was dinner and after that, we went to Raffles City, where we found yet another mooncake fair, albeit EMPTY! It was getting late and many of the booths have closed for the day also lah. Got to taste more mooncakes. Mmm~
Explored the building a bit, and came across Swissotel The Stamford, Sze Chuan Court Restaurant's booth, empty as well. We very boey paiseh, still go and taste although I had totally no intention of buying. Tasted ALL their flavors! Haha!
Champagne Truffle & Chocolate Ganache - Couldn't taste the champagne ley. And I don't really fancy white chocolate with nothing much to contrast its taste (to prevent me from thinking it's just vanilla).
Strawberry & Dark Chocolate - Sweet-smelling and tasting strawberry, but somehow I thought chocolate and lotus paste don't belong together.
Baileys Chocolate - Where's the Baileys? Better to pour my own Baileys over some other mooncake.
Rum & Raisin Chocolate Truffle - Nice! Not too sweet, with a rum-flavored raisin to offer some contrast.
After eating and saying it's nice, what's next? Walk away? >.< Sis wanted to get it, but I didn't really want to, so I proposed splitting the bill. Actually didn't really expect her to pay lah. The mooncakes cost $46, but the good news was there's 15% discount for Citibank. The bad news was haven't count GST yet. Final bill was $41.84, only slightly more expensive than 大班!
The 8 different flavors of 大班. The funny flavors means XX mixed with mung bean paste aka 绿豆蓉. I thought what special bean lor, green bean nia.
Cut open the mooncake... this is the mung bean-only flavor.
The Swissotel mooncake box. There's a removable mirror and stand on the box. Can't see clearly one lah.
The white mooncakes. White lotus paste, white chocolate shell and raisins.
Cut up. Seriously, how did those sales assistants do a clean cut?This year, the Swissotel mooncakes are the best! The skin is more chewy than 大班's. Flavor wise, it's more exotic than 大班, which is more of the fun factor.
For traditional baked-skin mooncakes, I realized branded ones really do taste better than neighbourhood bakeries'. I could munch on them without feeling 腻, which is actually the reason why I only liked mooncake skin in the past. It's less oily (you should look at the oil seeping through the skin of brandless mooncakes), less sweet and smoother. So next year should kop more back!
The main office sent boxes of mooncakes and boxes to us for giving away to our customers. And not even 1 mooncake for us. Sooooo sad :(
After so many years of indoor-only activity (i.e eat mooncakes only), this year I went to Bishan Park
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