Eat, Pray, Love.

Birthdays have never been a big bang in my years of living, but it has never been THIS bad (and not the kinky kinda bad) like this year. The best birthday treats however, are free meals with enjoyable company.

I'd say if part of your healing process for a broken heart is to burry your face in food, at least choose the healthier choice!

So you won't get fat and unwanted.

Station 1:
Skinny Pizza @ Barracks Cafe

Photo from http://accidentalepicurean.com/

 I love going to House at Dempsey, primarily for my favourite pizzas but also because of the free parking (free shuttle bus from Orchard. Schedule here.) Brightly lit, it has an industrial feeling. They have special glass houses for large groups, but there needs to be a minimium spending.

It is, however not birthday celebration friendly as there is a cake fee of $15 (if you bring your own cake) under the minimum spending of $100.

 Reasonably priced, I only order 3 things from the menu, and i'd stick to it every single visit.

Sweet potato fritters ($9), Squid ink pizza ($23) and Truffle Mushroom pizza ($23).

The killer to the bill are its drinks. A glass of juice start at $8, a mocktail is $12, but i really love the Bombay Sapphire (which is $65 for 4).

Photo from foodrecentrunes.com

It comes in this Tiffin, the type that my grandma will take to the market.With an ampule of Champagne to fizz up the ice-cold fruity mix of grapefruit, lychee and ginger.

Photo by Ryan Phillippe Lee

I remember they had really weird ice-cream flavours. like chilli cheese and truffle. It actually had mushroom bits in it, albeit like Campbell soup. I wouldn't have a scoop, even if it's for free ( i sampled it). The churros with chocolate dip (tastes very coconut-y) is quite nice too (found in other outlets).

I always liked poping up to The Beauty Emporium while i'm there, although i will never buy anything (very expensive!) I LOVE the concept and deco of shopping for beauty products in a supermarket.

Bill: $180 for 7

Affordable romantic place to nurse a broken heart.

8D Dempsey Road, Singapore 249672

Tel: 6479 0070

Station 2:
The Handburger



I usually steer clear from burgers (because of the fat and grease), but the gourmet burgers found in the basement of Somerset 313 passes the health check. I have tried the duck confeit, grilled chicken and portebello mushroom. Only health freaks and vegetarians should go for the last because of the blended puree made of pine nuts, walnuts and some greenish stuff. Skip the buffalo wings, pick the chilled stuffed tomato (huge juicy tomato stuffed with coleslaw, sourish though) for your set meal. $18.80

You dine in a communal way, like in a school canteen.

Bill: $25 for 2 (shared the burger)

A hook-up place as you sit side-by-side with potential strangers!

313 @ Somerset

B2-7/18/19

Station 3:

Spruce

Photo from accidentalepicurean.com

I've heard alot about this cafe hidden away in Phoenix Park (outskirts of Orchard). So my friend invited me for brunch as a birthday treat. I was disappointed, given the much rave reviews of this place. Parking is free but limited. I ordered the tandoori chicken. I was surprised to have it like a fried cutlet, topped on scrambled eggs and bread. Came with a small side salad of olives and pickles. The tea bag (lemongrass ginger) came in a cute little box, but wasn't strong enough. Better to make reservations, as the queue can get long and people waited as much as 20 mins. You could do better at the kopitam, $2 for eggs and bread compared to $20 for the same fare at Spruce.

Bill: $60

While the afternoon away, cosying up with a book here.

320 Tanglin Road

Tel: +65 6836 5528

Station 4:
The University Club

This is a hidden gem, quiet with excellent service and quality food. With an embelm like that, it looks like a very exclusive private club that only the prestigious, rich and famous will enter.

 Looking posh, this place is newly opened by the Prive Group.

 Start off with a starter of Crab Soufflé in Lobster Bisque with Cognac & Fines herbs ($15?can't remember).
It's tangy, rich and leaves an after taste. Forgettable.


My main was Pan Roasted Miso Cod with Baby Leeks & Nameko Mushrooms in Miso Broth ($32). The fish is soft and slides down the throat. The miso broth was a tad too salty but you feel very healthy. My partner's pork dish fared better. I never really like pork because of its pungent taste/smell (and they say castrated pigs will smell better), but his was tender and succulent. The grilled apple slices on the side were also appropriate.


You must NOT forget the deserts!  All deserts were delectable, but i chose the sticky date pudding ($12?) and i definitely hit jackpot! Parking is free once sun sets, car park 15 is the closest.


Bill: $110

Dessert is any girl's comfort food!

11 Kent Ridge Dr, Lvl 4 Shaw Foundation, NUS
Tel: 67798919

Station 5:
Keyaki

The birthday feasts ended on a high note. The best saved for the last. 4th floor of Pan Pacific Hotel, is Japanese traditional fine dining. You walk through a mini Japanese garden with koi ponds, bamboo, pebbles and rocks. The waitresses panter around in restrictive kimonos, everyone bow and greet you as you walk across.

We chose to sit outside, so we can listen to the waterfalls. Starting with appetisers like grilled pufferfish ($12), marinated shell ($18) and 3 variety of sashimi ($45).

Everything was presented beautifully. The puffer fish was nice, abit salty and leaves an aftertaste like cuttlefish. Didn't they say puffer fish is an extreme delicacy that can cause death?
The killer was the Sukiyaki beef. It was nice, wagyu beef with vegetables in a sweet broth. $65 is too much for 5 peices of meat though. A bowl of rice and cha soba as our staple.

Ending off with plum wine serbert with grapes (only take it if you like plum wine). I shouldn't have been adventurous and stick with my usual citruz yuzu gelato at Japanese restaurants. Air-flown pears and apples were also on our plates.

As we exited, i tricked my male dining partner to rub the balls of the Tanuki for luck! Haha.

Bill: $325

Definitely a place to impress!

7 Raffles Boulevard

Singapore 039595
Tel: 6826 8335

And so, that's how i healed my soul along with good friends and food.

My Birthday Suit.

ClubCouture sent me my birthday suit so I won’t be naked on my birthday!

Call me a granny, but I never liked the idea of shopping online. I am too paranoid! I worry about lost mail, worry about the fit, worry about the material, worry about being cheated. Readers who have returned again and again to purchase my old wears have come to know I am very particular about fit, quality and style.

The only time I purchased online was from Victoria Secrets because they were simply irresistible! VS has a formula of using super hot models, naturally everything they wear look gorgeous, you get blinded, before you know it, you click purchase. When it arrives, you excitedly tear the VS box open, only to be disappointed that it doesn’t look as gorgeous on you (we secretly all want to be bomb shells!). Worse is, sometimes the apparel’s material is thin and cheap!

After that experience, I stick to only purchasing books online.

Then ClubCouture came and after reviewing the pieces they generously provided me, I must say 10 for workmanship! It isn't like the cheap made-in-china thin material. The top feels like wool, while the bubble skirt is chiffon. I worry about it making me warm, but the top is slightly translucent, thus amping up the girlie-sexy look!

They have a customer friendly policy that offers refunds if they don’t fit etc. They don’t have any breath taking model faces to distract us from scrutinizing whether the outfit is really our style or not.

I wear Ange mixed fabric dress in small, and if you join the member club (no purchase needed), you instantly get a 20% discount code to use on your first purchase!

The Social Issue

We're all comfortable with popcorn and air-con, watching The Social Network? Do the ads shock you into doing something?

UNICEF: Every child needs a family

APAV, Victim Support

 For a living Planet

Humans for Animals: Seal (Don’t treat others the way you don’t want to be treated.)

They Weren’t Born to be Worn

Humans for Animals: Monkey

Ashtraymouth: Roach girl

Domestic violence: Livingroom

Smoking Kills

Money isn’t everything

 Stop Climate Change Before it Changes You

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation: Chair

Save the Children: Child labour

The above were extracted from http://www.smashingapps.com/2010/11/06/40-extremely-shocking-advertisements.html

First Kiss

What was your first kiss like? How did you know how to kiss?

Coming from a typical unaffectionate Asian family, my parents never shower us with kisses after we passed our 6th birthday. I see parents now kissing their children on their lips (father-son, mother-son), kissing lips in my hay days were taboo.

Weighing 13kg at 7, I was still light enough to be carried by my father. I can’t remember if it was on purpose or not, but I remember planting a BIG WET KISS ON HIS LIPS out of the blue. My dad’s eyes opened wide in shock, and he scolded me.

That didn’t count as my first kiss.

Then at 10, my brother bought me my first Barbie. Later on, he got me Ken. I must have read too much Enid Blyton then, because I believed that my toys will come alive after midnight. I never did stay up to see them up, but I’d make them kiss (somebody has to fan the flames!) then leave Barbie and Ken naked. Hoping they can make babies while I’m sleeping. I wanted more toys! When I taught my girlfriend this technique, her grandmother saw and I was labeled ‘Bad Influence’ and was never invited to play anymore.

I never did kiss my toys though, but my friend did confess to me he practiced kissing with a cuddly toy. Yes, it was a HIM. Boys are just as insecure as girls.

I have to admit; I observed how actors do it on TV, mimic and practiced on the back of my hand.

When nobody is looking (or so I hope), I’ll cautiously bring my hand up close to my lips. My eyes will shift back and forth, making sure there really is no one looking. My eyelids will then slowly close, just like how it always starts on TV.

My lips parted slightly, my mind wandered to that crush-for-that-day, imagining my hand as his lips. I softly kiss, and tilt my head left and right, practicing how not to clash with partner’s head, just like on TV. I did not try French, there’s no open hole in my hand to put my tongue through. I know that sounds RA, but hey, it’s the truth!

And it’s done; I’ve completed my practice for the day. There wasn’t slime on my hand (so I won’t drool on him) and I didn’t bite my hand (my teeth won’t clash with his, or worse, accidentally bite his tongue=commit suicide, on his behalf).

I was prepared for my first kiss.

Walking with Dinosaurs

Other than Disney’s Little Mermaid, The Land before Time was my favourite cartoon. It was one cartoon I watched over and over again. I was quite a tough nut, but the cartoon made me cry when the 5 dino babies became orphans and missed their parents so much.

The lyrics of the theme song are imprinted in my head, just like how Part of Your World in Little Mermaid is. Listening to it brings back sweet memories of sitting in front of the TV. That’s how I became four-eyed. Hahaha.


I was absolutely stoked to know the award winning BBC series, Walking with the Dinosaurs is coming to Singapore with a $25 million production. 20 “live” dinosaurs will be roaring and roaming in an extraordinary theatrical production. That means no, it’s not a movie, no it’s not an exhibit, but a LIVE show. I bet it will be A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

When I saw the brochure, immediately I texted my friends to ask if they’re interested in a dino experience. It is, after all, going to be once-in-a-lifetime. What if they don’t return again? It’ll take another 65 million years. Then I started discussing price ranges with my friends. The cheapest would be $38 (off peak) with the next tier at $68. If the dinosaurs are going to be life-sized, I think I would be able to see from the back of the auditorium, won’t I? But then I thought, perhaps if I’m too far back, I won’t be able to scrutinise a dinosaur’s genitals! That is, if they do have one.



Like Gurmit says, the tongue is THISSSS big!

If a dinosaur can typically be over ten metres high, twenty-two metres long and weigh around eighty tonnes, if their genital is in proportion to that body, it should be a few feet long? Why do we then never see them drawn even in scientists’ reports? Then, I thought about the giraffe. They are known to grow up to six metres in height, and weigh as much as 1.5 tonnes. So a giraffe’s willy looks like this.

How dinosaurs really mate is like this:


You know, maybe back in prehistoric times, the dinosaurs were probably too stressed up about the climate change and thus lost their sex drive. Furthermore, they didn’t have a government to give incentives in producing babies.

I am really really excited about this production, why wasn’t I in Orchard to come face-to-face with baby T-rex and his cute puppeteer!

To watch more behind-the-scene clips: www.youtube.com/ideasandrew and
www.youtube.com/sgdinosaurlive
Be a fan to get updates.
But of course, the official website.
Tickets are selling out fast!

Review: Glow Couture

Now, I honour my integrity as well as take pride in doing reviews. Thus, even if I do get invited to review services or products, I will not promote untruthfully. I was invited to a “lunchtime quickie”, true to my word; the effect of the treatment (microdermabrasion) was the best so far I’ve received (skin was not tight and dry, which you usually experience after a microdermabrasion). And I stopped my comments there. Truthfully, that’s because I wasn’t sure if I will see results like they proclaim.

I return with a second review, because I did see results a week later and I think Glow Couture deserves it.

I was battling with a breakout for the last 3 months now. My skin has been through its ups and downs. Before the outbreak, my skin was not perfect, but it was at least acne-free. However in the last 3 months, due to stress, hormonal changes and late nights, I started having zits (mostly small, but 2 as large as raisins) all over my chin and cheek.

OK, i'm not the sort who will complain she's fat when she's clearly not. My skin don't look beyond recognition here, but wait till you zoom in!

I was depressed. Especially when friends started asking me “WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?!” Hearing that is worse than hearing “You’ve put on weight.” Actually, nah..both is just as bad.

That's what my friend exclaimed when he opened his door. Felt comforted when his golden retriever came wagging his tail, greeting me and brought me to see his mountain of soft toys that his owners buy when overseas.
                                                

At least somebody still wants me, helps that he's handsome too.

So handsome that when we brought him to Urban Pooch at Balestier, all the dogs in the glassed room went HYSTERICAL! This particular cutie stood there and gazed at our big guy throughout our entire lunch!

Urban Pooch was a disappointment, by the way. Our dog did not want to eat his food (although we have to say he IS very fussy, but his food was way too hot for dogs), our food was severly under-portioned, overly-priced and was borderline edible. Pet cafes don't survive here in Singapore because we have strict regulations about kitchens as well as fussy landlords, so although i can understand their plight, i'd still say give Urban Pooch a miss.

Back to my skin,I went for weekly facial extractions and it helped (albeit a $&^# painful torture), but only temporarily. The zits soon came back.

I was this close to visiting a dermatologist, but I was holding back because A) it’s expensive. $80 consultation leh! B) He’s probably going to put me on drugs. Then I thought of doing a chemical peel at an aesthetic clinic, but again it’s A) expensive B) I tried it before, but I can’t really remember if my zits disappeared because of the peel C) a chemical peel works like acid burning off the old skin and I’m not sure if that’s the right way to go about or not.

Glow Couture came to save the day!

The Little Miss Petite Visage that I had opened up my clogged pores (thus the acne). True to my therapist, Grace’s prediction, she warned me that the treatment will not make my zits disappear immediately. Instead, it will make it worse. They will surface and erupt. But once they’re out, your face will be on its path of healing. I recoiled in horror, afraid that they will all erupt but NOT disappear. But at least the treatment was PAINLESS, unlike the usual facial extraction.

She then advised me to put a hydrating mask (I used Kose Hydrating and Kose Whitening) for the next 3 nights. Then she provided sachets of samples (day and night cream) for me to try. She/ they were a life saviour! In between, I still do dab my pimple cream. I still do believe in the regular facials. After all, Grace did professionally advise me that the Petite Visage is not needed monthly for young skin like mine. Perhaps as a maintenance routine, every 3 months so at least when I do go for my regular facial, hopefully they won’t have too much gunk to extract out= pain! My pimples now are at least flatten, no more whiteheads/pus and no more red. There're still marks there, but i believe with time and a right diet, they'll fade.

So now I am, ready to FACE the world again.

Glow Couture
6 Eu Tong Sen Street THE CENTRAL

#03-75
Tel: 6222 6808
Little Miss Petite usual price $128, call to enquire about introductory rate..

Review: The House Maid

Here's a fact: 

Girls spend time thinking every detail of their wedding.

Men spend as much time thinking every detail of their sexual fantasy.

French maids have always been on the list of uniform fetishes, if not top of the list. The other most common choices would be nurse, school girl, office girl or Playboy bunny.

When you think of maid costumes, you immediately say the French maid instead of some other nationality because in the 19th century, France was stereotyped as a highly sexualized country (like how we'd think a French man will be romantic). Also, to the English, having a French maid was a sign of status and coveted after. The uniform as we all have in our minds, did not start off looking like that. I 

It was difficult to search an authentic picture,
you get MORE obscene images than the classic French Maid

Along the way, the media sensationalize the whole idea of a maid.

The idea of the maid fantasy is because

1) the man can pretend to be wealthy

2) the uniform carries an implicit dominance and submission symbolism

3) the man feels powerful, being able to screw two women in the house

4) the maid performs humbling acts of servitude, and could even be a human furniture

Maybe they couldn't resist the temptation, maybe it was a moment of folly, or maybe subconsciously they are playing out their fantasy, but there are plenty of news reports of men caught in the act with their maids.

Which is why lady masters are very careful about picking their maid. They usually go for the ugliest. Just like the Evil Queen, who is always wary of Snow White.

House Maid, the upcoming Korean melodrama movie about to screen at Golden Village is all about the human facets of temptation, lies, greed and vengeance. 

The young maid arrives with wide-eyed innocence, but is often caught in compromising positions by her male master (purposeful or not? I question.) Her female master was heavy with pregnancy, yet is dutiful as a wife with her husband's sexual needs. 

That is the pretty wife who lives like a queen,
but will be bearing him twins, after a daughter.

Yet, that was not enough.

He HAD TO visit the maid at night, him wearing nothing underneath and she has her nipples hard beneath.

The movie pans out slowly and builds up appropriately. It does get a little draggy,  but i ain't complaining with the generous serving of sexual scenes. Things turn topsy turvy when the women of the house finds out about the affair and plots against the maid.

Be warned, the ending is VERY DARK.

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned