If you’ve been observant, you would have noticed that I’ve been wearing a new necklace alot lately. I call it the Bing necklace and it was generously customised and made for me by Valerie from My Little Bow.

They are an online fashion store and have all kinds of customised name accessories, like necklaces, rings, bracelets, bangles, earrings and keychains.

I’ve wanted a Bing necklace from the first time I had watched Sex And The City and discovered that the main character, Carrie had a Carrie necklace. I want! I want! I want!

It took a long time before I finally have one because I’ve never liked the name necklaces I saw in the stores or online. Either the fonts were ugly. Or the workmanship was bad. Or it was so chunky, it would look like it wore me on my small frame instead of the other way round.

When Valerie sent me an email with a list of fonts, icons and additional accessories to choose from, I was super impressed. There were at least 20 fonts to choose from. And almost 60 icons that I could add on to my name, like a little clover leaf, or a heart, or a princess crown, or a butterfly, etc. For a small additional fee, I could also add delicate diamantes and have my necklace in white or yellow gold plating.

I decided to go simple and delicate, and just have my name on the necklace. My Little Bow prepared the artwork and let me vet the design before they went ahead to make the necklace. I love this customisation and the personal touch.

I love love love this necklace. It goes with everything I wear. From casual to formal. Even with my black dress, it looked delicate and classy. Thank you, My Little Bow!

The folks at My Little Bow are super nice and they are going to make one customised name necklace for me to give away too! One lucky reader will win a customised name necklace* in his/her name of choice, just like my Bing necklace! All you have to do is to LIKE this post (if you have a Facebook account) and leave a comment here to let me know what your favourite fashion accessory is.

This giveaway will close on Tuesday 3 April 2012 at 11:59pm UTC+8. The winner will be selected with a Random Number Generator.

Good luck!

* Note on giveaway prize -
The customised name necklace will include a standard name necklace up to 8 letters in the font of choice, in 925 silver and sent by normal mail for Singapore addresses. Additional items like extra letters, icons, diamantes, upgrade to white/yellow gold plating, delivery by registered mail or delivery to international addresses will require a top up.
 

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UPDATE on Wednesday, 4 April 2012

Here are the results of The Bing Necklace Giveaway..

There were a total of 136 entries, after removing all duplicate entries. And the winner is … *drumroll*… Comment #126!

Comment #126 -

Susan Lee – My favourite accessory has to be my earrings which I wear everyday. It was my 21st birthday present and has been wearing it ever since.

Congratulations, Susan! I hope you will like your own customised name necklace. And hope it goes well with your favourite earrings!

Big thanks to everyone who supports this blog and who took part in the giveaway.
 

I received a package from FedEx and it was from Tay Kewei sending me her 2nd album, Fallin. I can’t believe it’s been 1.5 years since I first received her debut album in New Zealand!

If you’ve read that post I had written in 2010 on her first album, Come Closer With Kewei, you would know that I had really enjoyed it. On Valentine’s Day this year, the hubby cooked me a fancy dinner and I had asked him to go put on some romantic music. Of all the CDs we had, he had actually picked that album!

A snippet from my Facebook page. Add me HERE.

One of Kewei’s staff team informed me in a comment in Facebook that her new album was out! I’ve been really looking forward to it. This is one voice that I have been following in Youtube for years before I had even met her. It feels like I’ve watched her grow into the confident, soulful voice she is today.

I’ve been playing this album, Fallin again and again for the past 3 hours. It’s really easy to listen to and very soothing to the ear. I haven’t gotten sick of it yet!

At first, when I looked at the playlist, I was surprised to see only 2 out of 12 songs were original compositions by Kewei herself. As compared to her first album, where she had produced 5 tracks from scratch. I would have preferred to hear her perform original work, but then I’ve heard Kewei do her rendition of some of the biggest hits in live shows and given it her own flavour, so I knew she wouldn’t fail to deliver.

Here’s the first out of two songs that are original compositions. Fallin has an interesting jazzy feel that I like -

I was also slightly disappointed that the entire album was in English. She’s very bilingual, but I like her singing Chinese songs alot more. That could be because I’m very cheena at heart. Haha.. Here’s my all time favourite song in Chinese.

I really liked the song, Lay Down My Pain which was also composed by Kewei herself. If you visit her website, it’s the first song you hear in her media player. The lyrics are provoking and the melody is pure moving. It would be really beautiful in Chinese too, I hope she eventually pens a Chinese version for this song.

The rest of the songs are Kewei’s reinterpretation of songs by her favourite artistes that have influenced her in her music career. I particularly enjoyed Let’s Wait A While, and almost forgot this was originally performed by Janet Jackson. And her version of Ikanaide in Japanese was beautiful. It’s one of my all time favourite melodies, and I seriously tear every time I watch Jacky Cheung perform his version (李香兰）in his concerts. Kewei added a new flavour to this evergreen classic with her Erhu.

This is an eclectic but soothing and balanced mix of ballads. The kind of album I would play when I’m having my friends over for tea and a nice long chat. Or if I’m having a relaxing quiet day at home with a glass of wine.

Get Kewei’s latest album, Fallin at major music stores in Singapore or at Sense Music Store.
 

A few weeks ago, a reader generously sent me some Argan Oil.

I wasn’t sure what it was and had never heard of it till then. So I Googled it and it turned out to be some kind of a miracle oil from Morocco. In fact, some websites called it liquid gold.

If you’ve never heard of it (like I haven’t earlier), let this be the first place you hear of this amazing oil.

In a short few weeks, it has made my cuticles non-existent and has softened the lines around my eyes. I don’t have pictures to show because there’s no way I’m going to put the before ugly pictures of my dry skin and wrinkled eyes for the world to see. I’m not masochistic, I only put nice pictures of myself online so that I don’t puke when I read my blog years from now.

This miracle oil has also made the calluses on my feet smoother after I slapped the oil on before wearing socks to sleep. And that is a miracle by itself in an environment as dry as South Africa. The folks who gave me the oil said it’s a wonderful oil for a relaxing massage but the hubby refused to do that test with for me. Hmpf! He slapped it on his dry eczema plagued skin instead and a few days later came back to me and said it actually worked.

Best part is it doesn’t have a strong smell and doesn’t make you stink.

Stop asking me what I use to look young. I’m sharing all my secrets! =)

So yeah, I’m not promoting for this company and they didn’t pay me to say all this, but I really do like this product.

It’s SGD69.55 for a 50ml bottle. And a little goes a long way. You can buy it at My Life Store or Click LIKE on their Facebook page and leave me a comment here to say why you would like some Argan Oil. I have two bottles of this 100% pure Argan Oil to give away by Monday 5 March, 11.59pm UTC +8hours.

Please note that I am mailing these two bottles of Argan Oil to Singapore addresses only.
 

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[Announcement of winners on 6 March 2012]

Thanks for taking part in the Argan Oil giveaway. Here are the winners. They were both selected with the Random Number Generator.

#16 Carolyn (en******3@hotmail.com)
If I have the bottle, I will gladly pass to my teenage daughter to use to heal her acne on her face..

#58 Wendy (we*******h@hotmail.com)
I’m getting married end of this year and i wish i could get rid of the wrinkles around my eyes and my dry hands & feet..

Congratulations, Carolyn and Wendy! You both win a 50ml bottle of 100% Pure Argan Oil worth SGD69.55. I will be contacting you shortly to send it to you. I hope enjoy it!
 

It’s the hubby’s birthday this month. The kids and I had given him an early celebration this year because the kids wanted to use their ang pao money to chip in for an iPad for their father. I couldn’t have been more proud. *beams*

For his actual day, one of my readers from Baked & Eaten offered to do his birthday cake. I worked with them on what we would like and this is the gorgeous creation they came up with.

I’m a firm believer that one must have birthday cake on their birthday. It’s a “tradition” I was raised with and it’s very hard to break. It took me years to get the hubby to understand that a last minute dry tiramisu from the local bakery won’t do. So last year, he finally got me a fancy camera cake for my birthday and scored major points. Hee!

The cakes for the hubby’s birthday were a mixture of rich fudgey brownies and vanilla cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I loved the variety! And it was one of the yummiest frosting we’ve ever had. Wonderfully soft and not too sweet.

Little hearts were cut out from the small pieces of chocolate brownies. Made with Valrhona cocoa powder and Belgium 70% chocolate! Super rich. Definitely not for the health conscious folks.

Lots of love scattered around the platter..

Big thanks to the team at Baked & Eaten for the lovely birthday cakes. Great job!

I have to start dropping hints to the hubby again on what kind of cake I would like for my next birthday. The man needs time to plan.. *grin*
 

When the folks at Nuffnang asked me to try L’Oréal’s latest product – the Youth Code Boosting Essence, I was intrigued. It’s a brand new invention that promised to boost the effectiveness of my current skincare by 2 times by increasing the absorbing power of my skin. Wow.

I welcome any product that claims to be anti-aging. I’m a poor housewife (that means no expensive skincare) in her late 30s, whose skin has literally surrendered to her crazy lifestyle. With all the changes in seasons, travelling, the African sun (need I say more?), sleep deprived way of life and junk food overload, my skin is extremely dehydrated and dull.

I liked the Youth Code Boosting Serum as soon as I took it out of the box. It was packaged in a dropper system and was very convenient to extract the exact amount needed for each application.

The serum was very light in texture and not oily to the touch. Only one drop was needed to give instant softness and smoothness to the skin. I’m greedy and impatient. I always used two or more drops and smothered it all over my face.

At first application, the serum felt a little sticky. But in seconds, the serum was absorbed into my skin and my skin immediately felt softer and plumper. My usual skincare routine continued after that, and at that point I still couldn’t tell if it was Youth Code that was making my skin softer or my moisturiser doing a better job than usual.

But the next night, I decided to try the Youth Code Boosting Serum with my favourite facial mask. I always like to wear a facial mask and go to sleep with it. This time, I applied the Youth Code first, and then placed the mask on. The next morning, my skin felt so good. It felt as if every drop of the goodness of my facial mask had been absorbed into my skin. It felt rejuvenated. I was sold!

This product has an international patent and is designed to boost my skin’s recovery power. I definitely need that! I’m going to use this product onboard when I travel now so that my skin doesn’t feel like it’s been in a dehydrator after every flight.

I’ve used this twice a day diligently for almost 2 weeks now and I’m really liking this product. I’m going to pick up a couple of bottles before I go back to South Africa. Who doesn’t want younger looking skin when they are inching towards 40 years old? =)

Catch the special promotion by L’Oréal Paris for the month of February 2012 only! Get the L’Oréal Paris moisturiser (be it Anti-Aging, Whitening or Hydrating) at only SGD9.90 (usual: SGD25.90 – SGD29.90) when you purchase Youth Code Boosting Essence. Promotion ends on 28 February 2012. Available at selected retailers in Singapore only.

Wait, there’s more! Go to the L’Oréal Paris Facebook Page to find out more and stand a chance to win a SGD50 Robinsons voucher!

The hubby and I had an argument a debate in a taxi on our way home last evening. It was rather heated and we were thrashing out some ideas and views after watching a musical at the Drama Centre Theatre.

It all started when a couple of young men contacted me and insisted that I must catch the local production of a musical called Spring Awakening. These kids were responsible for the social media work for the musical and went to great trouble to secure a pair of tickets for me to watch the show.

I have to be honest and admit that I haven’t been a huge supporter of the local art and drama scene. I’m more supportive with the local music scene but I still struggle forking out good money for a local production, as compared to say a foreign production of Phantom of the Opera or Les Miserables.

In addition, I did some research and discovered that the original Spring Awakening was a play produced in 1892 in Germany. It’s also been produced in the theatres of London and Broadway and has won several accolades. Wow. I thought, how would a Singaporean production of this musical fare in comparison? Would it be just as good?

In the end, I found myself completely immersed in the story and never once glanced at my iPhone in 2 hours! Everyone should know that that is a miracle.

It was a very honest portrayal of the issues that young people face – sexuality, child abuse, suicide, rape, abortion, etc. And it was interesting to realise that these issues have not changed since 1892 when the play was first produced. If you watch shows like 90210 and Gossip Girl (don’t judge me, I have a teenage daughter), you’ll appreciate a similar frank portrayal on a live stage of the concerns and struggles our youths have today.

The hubby didn’t think the issues were still relevant to today’s world since we are not or no longer an oppressive society like it used to be in 1892 in Germany. But I argued that the issues will remain the same even in another 50 years. It didn’t matter if our kids were more educated, or if society had progressed more, our children will go through the same shit.

Every young person should watch this musical because they will relate to it. And every parent (like the hubby and I) should watch it as a reminder of the struggles that kids face as they grow up and how we must pay attention to them.

Here’s me with the lead actor, Nathan Hartono. Handsome, right? He looked like a grown up on stage but when he stood next to me, I realised that he wasn’t much older than our boy. Sigh.

The acting was both moving and funny. Although I felt that the acting was still more conservative than it would have been on a non-Asian stage. I’m sure in a few days, the actors will push through and the show will only get better.

The music for the show was exceptionally modern and entertaining. It was hard to believe that it originated from a production in 1892. The singing can definitely be improved because we struggled picking up some of the lyrics in the songs but some of the actors were practically flawless in their delivery. I was particularly impressed with the lead actress Julia Abueva who played Wendla. Her voice was beautiful! I just wish they sang every song with clip on microphones instead of holding on to ugly black mics in several scenes! Very un-1892. Haha..

This musical is definitely worth catching. Pay a little more and grab the front seats. It’ll bring you closer to the stage and the characters will get even more real.

SPRING AWAKENING is the explosive, electrifying and exhilarating musical that breaks all the rules of musical theatre. Full of heart, humanity and humour, it tells the tale of a group of teenagers embarking on a turbulent journey of self-discovery, each one experiencing a dramatic psychological/emotional/spiritual/sexual awakening.

Catch performances from 3 to 26 February 2012. Ticket sales at sistic.com.sg from SGD50 to SGD85.

By the way, when we were getting out of the cab, the cab driver turned to the hubby, gave him his change, and said, “Sir, your wife is right.” Wahahahaha!
 

When the lady boss of the Rachawadee Thai Spa invited me to try out the services at her spa, I was excited. I knew she had a lovely place in Johannesburg and couldn’t wait to check it out.

It turned out that Rachawadee Spa was located in a very quiet neighbourhood called Houghton Estate. I wondered why any business in its right mind would locate in a location like that..

But when I arrived and laid down for my massage, I knew why. It was so calming and peaceful. All I could hear were the sounds of birds chirping and rustling leaves.

There were a suite of therapy services and I was spoilt for choice. I didn’t have alot of time, so I went for the Traditional Thai Massage (R300 for 60mins), which was highly recommended, and the Foot Reflexology (R200 for 30mins or R300 for 60mins).

I’ve always been doubtful of Traditional Thai Massage. So much stretching, pressing and pushing.. and cracking! But every single time, I am left with the most relaxed shoulders and legs. The massages were sooo good. I felt all the knots accummulated in my shoulders from carrying that ginormous camera bag of mine fade away.

Shucks, now I’m tempted to go back to try their Aromatherapy Massage too!

The spa was huge. There were so many private rooms with two or three massage beds in each room, where you can have massages with your spouse or friends.

They even had one large room with a jacuzzi and steam room in it. Woah, great for girl parties! We can have our massages and then chit chat in the steam room or soak in the jacuzzi for hours!

I love that their prices are not crazy expensive like some of the spa places I’ve seen in the city. It’s such a wonderful place to chill and find some deep relaxation.

Gals, you know where to book our next party! And guys, you know what to get your girlfriends and wives now! =)

Rachawadee Thai Spa is located at 62, St John Road, Houghton Estate, Johannesburg. Call 073 352 02 24 to make reservations. The full price list can be downloaded here.

Thank you for taking part in the contest to win a US$100 Roomorama voucher.

And thanks for sharing with me your dream destination. I’ve been very inspired, reading every single one of your dream destinations and my own list grew longer in the process! Yes, I have a list of dream destinations. Haha!

The lucky winner of the contest was picked with the Random Number Generator and is -

#5 Sheue Li
My dream holiday would be England, because my partner is Arsenal’s fan. His dream is to watch a real football match there..

Congratulations, Sheue Li! You are such a sweet partner. I hope you get to fulfill your dream to go to England with your partner.

At a glance on the Roomorama site, there are plenty of very nice and affordable rooms and apartments for rent in London, England. I’m sure you’ll find a lovely place to stay in when you visit!

Big thanks to Roomorama for sponsoring this contest.
 

If you’ve read what I wrote earlier about Why Book An Apartment For A Holiday?, you wouldn’t be surprised that I had booked myself an apartment for my stay in San Francisco.

Roomorama graciously provided for my stay and helped me hunt down the best apartment that would suit my fussy needs. I gave the Roomorama team a hard time with my request. So I was very impressed when they worked with their team in San Francisco and found me an apartment that met all my needs! They were so ready to help out.. which is one great reason I will be booking with them again.

When I was in San Francisco, it took forever to find the apartment because it was an old building tucked behind a bunch of buildings and there was only a small driveway to drive to it. But once I found it, I discovered it was a building built in the 1960s. The interior had obviously been restored but they kept some parts of the stairway to the apartment lined with probably the original old fashioned wall paper.

How quaint! I was fascinated. There were some old ceramic tiles on one wall and what looked like a secret compartment. I tried to pull this cover but it wouldn’t budge. Yes, I’m kaypoh curious like that.

The only thing I didn’t like about such an apartment was having to climb the stairs. It’s not fun to lug a large luggage bag up a few flights of steps.

But once I was in the apartment, all my physical pain was forgotten. The apartment was gorgeous!

There was a beautiful dining area, a couch that could be expanded into a bed, and a lovely lounge. Check out that quaint fireplace in the corner!

I loved the old fashioned feel of these couches. Perfect to sink into with a glass of wine and chit chat all day.

It was an extraordinary apartment. So huge for a one bedroom! It only costs from USD150 a night!

The kitchen was large, clean and very well equipped.

It came with one bedroom and one toilet and a separate laundry room outside the apartment.

And the best part of the apartment was the view. Oh my goodness.. the view was amazing.

I could see practically all of Downtown SF from the windows.

At night, the city turned into a magical display of sparkling lights. It was beautiful.

Thanks heaps, Roomorama! You guys have been fabulous.

And now the great peeps at Roomorama are giving away a USD100 Roomorama voucher to a lucky reader for your next holiday!

For a chance to win the Roomorama voucher, all you have to do is to leave a comment on this post and say which is your dream holiday destination and why.

The voucher is a USD100 (~SGD130) credit and is valid for use with all Roomorama bookings.

Contest ends Wednesday 21 December 2011, at 11.59pm UTC+8.

The winner will be picked with a Random Number Generator.

Good luck!
 

It’s no secret that my family travels alot. It’s just the way we live. Half on the road. One quarter in the air and the rest at home.

When we travel, we almost always book apartments for our accommodation. Hotels are always a last second choice.

You see, we love the idea of staying in a real homey place. The hubby can be quite a grumpy old man when he doesn’t have his space. Plus, when we have two teenagers travelling with us, an apartment is the only way to go. Believe me, we did separate hotel rooms once and they ended up in our room, lying on our bed, hogging our TV. I had to watch re-runs of The Terminator.

I love that we always have so much more space when we rent an apartment instead of a hotel. It’s so comfortable when we have our respective bedrooms and are totally out of each other’s way until we have to be together. The hubby can be watching TV. The kids can go online in their bedrooms. And I can enjoy the kitchen.

Yeap, I love cooking during holidays. Especially when I’m travelling with my family. I hate it that hotels only provide a kettle, 2 tea cups and 2 drinking glasses. What can I do with those other than cup noodles? With a fully equipped kitchen, I can lay out omelettes and bacon for breakfast. Prepare gourmet sandwiches for picnics. And cook a hearty dinner at the end of the day when everyone returns exhausted from a day’s activities. I love it that as I cook, I can see everyone collapsed in the family room, in front of the huge TV and chilling out together instead of returning to our respective hotel rooms.

Don’t forget that in winter, so many houses we rent come with a lovely fireplace. Trust me, when it’s only -3°C outside, a fireplace is the best thing ever in your holiday.

I also love laundry facilities in an apartment. I’m cheap and have almost never paid for a blouse to be washed and pressed when I’m at a hotel. With a washing machine and dryer, I can wash my family’s clothes while we are still on holiday, so that I’m not loaded with a ton of laundry when we get home.

Yeap, we are fussy people. So you can imagine how glad I was when I was introduced to Roomorama. With this incredible booking engine which I had shared earlier, I can book apartments that are managed by real home owners, which almost always means clean, neat, great location and/or great view!

I had a lovely stay in Melbourne booked through Roomorama in September 2011, and this time, my trip to San Francisco is going to be provided by them as well. I’m going to stay in a lovely apartment with a gorgeous view! I’m really looking forward to it.

Stay tuned for my review on my stay next week. I’m giving away a Roomorama voucher!

Signing off at Hong Kong International Airport now. Got to go board my flight to San Francisco!