Glee - Teenage Dream

I love this performance more than Katy Perry's original one.

How to make popcorn at home

Lately, BC has been on a popping popcorn frenzy. Every other day, he will make some home made popcorn (lightly buttered ones), and honestly it look pretty simple to make. The step which is most important is the HEAT.

So what we need are:-
1) A pan with lid (what we are using at home is a Tefal non stick pan)
2) Raw corn seeds (easily available in supermarket)
3) Butter (melted before hand before popping the popcorn)

The steps to popping:-
1) Heat the pan on high heat first
2) Once the pan is nicely heated up, pour in the raw corn seeds and melted butter. Put on the lid and wait till you hear the 1st pop, that's the sign that you need to lower the heat down to medium.
3) As the corn seeds continue to pop, be sure to shake the pan on and off so that heat is evenly distributed to all the corn seeds and popped pop corn will not be burnt (same rationale as stirring a stew so that the bottom of the stew will not be burnt).
4) Once the popping sound diminish, open the lid to check if most of the corn seeds are popped. Typically, 90% of them will pop. This is a sign that you can turn off the heat and leave the popcorns in the pan (with the lid still on) in case of any last minute popping.
5) Approximately 5 mins later, you are ready to serve lightly buttered home make popcorns!!

During the 1st few tries, it's normal that popcorns will be burnt while most corn seeds are still not popped. After a few trial and error, you will be able to control the heat of your stove to have nicely popped popcorns.

Happy popping!!!!!

Glee - Forget You (feat. Gwyneth Paltrow)

Gwyneth Paltrow is damn cool in this episode of Glee! I am enjoying her performance more and more!

My current wishlist (ever growing......)

Just a few days ago, I decided to come up with a wish list of stuffs that I would like to get over the next few months. I can already foresee that this list will just increase and not decrease, haha, which is super bad news. I seriously have to prioritise what to get and what not to get.

1) Clarins UV Plus Day Screen High Protection

As what I have blogged last week, this item is definitely on the top of my list since my current Ettusias UV block is running low. After trying out the sample that L gave me, I definitely fell in love with the light, watery texture.

2) Lunasol Ocean Scene Eyes (Spring 2011)

Given my limited eye makeup skills, I always try to avoid matte eye shadows since the colour tend to come out stronger. If I apply it correctly, good for me. Otherwise, I am screwed since given the amount of time I have in the morning (which is very tight), I have no time to remove and re do it again. Lunasol eye palettes are usually shimmery and lighter in colours which is what I like. People might say it's a waste of money to spend $77 and get a palette that does not seems to show up the colours. But this is actually what I like, I do not need a palette that has strong colours, I want a palette that does show up the colours but in a subtle and natural way, my personal choice. :)

So anyway, I am torn between 01 Warm Ocean (a mix of pink and purples) or 04 Smokey Ocean (a mix of beige and dark blue, seems like a good choice for beginners to try out smoky looks).

3) Chanel Rouge Coco Shine

I am definitely getting Boy and Libertine from this range of lipsticks. Since they are permanent, I can take my time to get them, no hurry!!! :)

4) Paul & Joe 2011 Summer Creation

This collection is so calling out to me!!! I have already shortlisted a few items (limited edition) that I would like to get!!! Dammit.....

I have been a fan of P&J eye gloss and had 2 of them. They are easy to apply and great when I am in a rush as I only had to apply 1 colour on my lid, gently smudging it upwards and I am ready to ZOOM out of the house. 002 Fathom is definitely coming home with me as I have been looking for a brown and silverish eye gloss.

I like the swirling pattern in this lipgloss and I am torn betweem 002 Swept Away and 003 Sailor's delight but I am more inclined to getting 003 for the tangerine, coral shade.

Lately, I have started to appreciate the invention of bronzer. It gives a healthy glow on my face and at the same time I can also use it for contouring (which I still sucks on it but I am definitely practising!!). The fish embossing on this P&J bronzer is damn cute!


4) Chanel Lift Lumiere liquid foundation

I am still considering getting this liquid foundation after trying the sample and falling in love with the medium coverage that looks natural. Perhaps coupled with Chanel loose powder? Hmm....

5) Illamasqua

I am lemming for the following:-

• Blusher in Rumour and Unrequited
• Cream pigment in Hollow and Delirium from Toxic Nature Collection
• Nail Varnish in Stagnate from Toxic Nature Collection
• Pure Pigment in Involve and Furore

This could be a huge hole in the pocket which is why I need to consider carefully before getting them.

6) Dior Nude Glow Aurora Healthy Glow Summer Powder

Cafe Makeup has excellent pictures, swatches and review on Dior's 2011 Summer 2011 Collection bronzer and Aurora particularly caught my attention.

Ok, I think this is ENOUGH for 1 wishlist......... dammit..........

Illamasqua DWS nails

I do not usually paint my nails since my nails are naturally small and short and I am not used to having long nails. Having short nails always give me the feeling that they will look ugly when painted. However, I noticed that painting short nails look all right after a while as I like it, who cares right? Hehe.

Anyway, I order some Illamasqua items with Tracy some time back and 1 item was a highly raved nail polish, DWS. It's a matte grey nail polish with a very smooth consistency that is seriously impressive.



The brush of Illamasqua is quite broad (like OPI) which makes it quite idiot proof for amateur 'painters' like myself. The colour is thick and smooth which makes applying 1 coat sufficient to bring out the colour (for other polishes, we usually need 2-3 coats to bring out the colour). I have painted 2 coats above to make the colour stronger and more consistent.

I have to say that I am truly happy with my Illamasqua products and is seriously tempted to order more stuffs from them. Anyone wanna share shipping cost with me?? :)

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

It's the long weekend again!!! Yippie, it's finally time to get some good rest and things done. I would just plan to get some rest since I am getting another cough again after the recovery of the previous 3 months old cough. Shit..... Hate this.

Caught the movie 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' on DVD a few days ago. It has been a habit of mine to read the book before watching the movie, but I never got down to reading this novel that has been standing on my book shelf since last year. In fact, I have not been reading alot lately since the morning squeeze on the MRT makes it impractically impossible to do anything. But after watching this movie, I am so making sure that I will read this book!!


To be honest, the casts are seriously not enticing me to watch the show in anyway. The male lead looks abit too fat and his face abit too rough, the female lead looks so punky that I find her looking more like a man than woman. But despite this, the storyline made up for what is lacking in terms of 'eye candy' and as the story progresses, more twists and mysteries were unveiled. Totally understand why reviews about the book was so positive and that most people can't put down the book after starting.

BC and I were so hooked on this trilogy that we already rented the next 2 DVDs following this and we intend to watch them over this weekend!!!

Hatched

BC and myself have been fans of breakfast, breakfast with hearty toasts, runny scrambled eggs, sausages etc etc (gosh, I am drooling now......). As such, for BC's 'pre-hatch' day celebration, I brought him to Hatched at Evan Lodge which serve eggs dishes (mainly breakfasts menu) ALL DAY!

It is situated at Evan Road, which is pretty near to Botanical Gardens. However, as the restaurant is a cozy small outlet, you definitely have to make a reservation as we arrived at 10am and we already saw some couples queueing up and waiting for an available seat.

Based on the restaurant's name, it is needless to say that their menu revolve mainly around EGGS. You can see various dishes with different way of cooking an egg: poached, fried, scrambled, egg benedict etc etc. We decided to order the dish 'Hitched Me Up' (if I remember the name correctly), which serves for 2. It comes with eggs (we can choose 2 ways for the eggs to be done and we chose scrambled only), 2 meats (bacon or ham or sausages), toasts, potatoes and a waffle.

Hitched Me Up

Do not underestimate the serving size of what was shown in the picture, it is filling........ Both me and BC were full after this hearty, satisfying and yummy meal. Service is prompt and good. We do not need to wait to get a table as we made a reservation. They took down our order promptly and we did not have to wait long for our food to arrive (approximately 10 mins or slightly shorter) and most importantly, they were friendly and always had a smile on their face. Imagine facing a super black face when you are having the most important meal of the day, I would say your day is officially screwed! Haha.

OH!!! Hatched does not charge GST or service charge which means it is also very friendly on your pocket. Hitched Me Up cost $28 and with a pot of earl grey and a ice cafe latte, it only cost $37.50 which is super cool! Me and BC would definitely be back.

Clarins Wishlist

I always have a come and go relationship with Clarins skincare. One way or another, after using their product, I will change to another brand and still steer back, like a child going home, lol.

There is no doubt that Clarins have very good products and I like it that they are plant based products which is natural in a way. Looking at the products that are finishing soon on my dressing table, I have already identify 2 products from Clarins that I will be buying within the next month or so.

1) Clarins Multi Active Night Youth Recovery Cream



This is a newer version of multi active night lotion which I completed some time back. For the purpose of early line prevention, this is an excellent choice. The light texture is suitable for my combination skin unlike some anti ageing products which feels heavy and oily.

2) Clarins UV Plus Day Screen High Protection



You might have notice that most sunblock are thick, oily and leaves a white cast after application. To make things worse, the higher the SPF, the thicker and oilier it will be. For a high SPF 40 sunblock, this sunblock defies all the usual of a sunblock. The light, watery texture of this sunblock means it does not feel thick or oily in any way. And after application, it also does not leave any white cast at all. Although it is at a hefty price tag of $74, my feel is that it seems quite a good investment for a good sun protection.

My 3 Precious

A few cat owner friends of mine had commented that I'm very lucky to have 3 kitties who get along with each other, by cuddling, snuggling and sleeping together. Cats, by nature are very territorial and do not need to be in a group (they are fine being alone), thus they might not get along with other cats since they are deemed to be competing with them for territory. My 3 furkids do have times whereby they ki siao and fight and chase each other but it is normal in my opinion as long as they do not get injured while fighting.

Love, love, love them so much!!!

The Queen & Mangosteen (Vivocity)

A few close colleagues of mine always organize a monthly 'Happy Hour' session on a Friday after our hectic month end reporting for a chill out cum drinking session. This month's session was at The Queen & Mangosteen.

I have to say I am not so sure I want to go back to them again because the service seriously sucks.

1) We used a chair to place our bags and laptop and when 1 of the staff there (he sure looks like a supervisor as he is dressed differently from others) came over and said that he need the chair for a customer. No smile, no please, nothing. Just a freaking face which makes me wanna slap him.

2) Service was terribly slow. We asked for extra mayonnaise for our beer battered onion rings, it never came. We asked for bill the 1st round (my colleague actually went to cashier and request for bill to be given to us), it never came. We asked for it the 2nd time, it came but after the bill came, the waiter did not wait for my colleague to give her credit card and he left. And we have to WAIT AGAIN for someone to come and collect the bill and card to process. The whole payment process is easily 15 mins which is damn inefficient.

Despite then serving nice choc pudding and beer battered onion rings, I am simply not enticed to go back again because their service is really terrible. In fact, we had the intention to create a din there and then to refuse to pay for the 10% service charge but decided not to.

Anyway, some pics of the drinks and food we had, which is actually not bad (but not fantastic).

Lychee champagne

Beer battered onion rings

Choc pudding

Burnt cream (simply known as creme brûlée)

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine

Among many beauty bloggers, there has been a lot of excitments going on about the new range of Chanel lipsticks called 'Chanel Rouge Coco Shine'. This new range of lipsticks are supposed to provide constant hydration and a nice shine on your lips after application, just like a lipbalm! Wow, I am getting excited myself. :)

I checked out the Chanel counter at BHG Bugis over the weekend with J and tested a few shades but I have zoomed down to 2 colours which I am definitely buying: Boy (a dusty rose shade and the favourite of most beauty bloggers) and Libertine (a coral pink shade)



From left to right: Libertine, Boy

The shades in Rouge Coco Shine range are all permanent now which means I can take my time to get them, so friendly on my wallet. :)

Joey from Joey's Space has posted nice pictures and swatches of the Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks which she brought, do check out.

SMAP

With the multiple new products that were launched by Apple over the past few years, not sure if you still remember iPod Mini? No??? Let me show you...

The screen is not even coloured! So you can see how old this product is..... but it is still working fine!! Even the plastic sheet on the buttons are still intact, haha! I kept my stuffs well ok.......

Anyway, while listening to the mp3 that I stored in the iPod mini this afternoon in the office, I realised how much I like Jap songs years ago. Even though I do not understand the language, but the songs are just nice. SMAP, Ayumi Hamasaki, V6 etc are some of the singer / groups which I like and listening to these songs now rekindle my love for them, haha.

One of the song that I listened is from SMAP, A Song For Your Love. Not sure why SMAP members danced until they look like logs in this video but anyhow, still enjoy!!! :)

Swiss Culture recap

About 2 weeks ago, me with BC and my colleagues headed to Swiss Culture once again to satisfy some cheese fondue cravings. The food did not disappoint us at all. Given that we had more people, we decided to order more dishes. Had salads (smoke salmon & caesar), cheese fondue (A MUST!!!), meat platter (similar to mixed grills), seafood platter (nothing fantastic and I do not think I will order it again) and choc fondue!!!!

Swiss Culture at Suntec once again

Smoke Salmon salad

Yummy Cheese Fondue & not so fantastic seafood platter

Mixed vegs and bread for cheese fondue

Meat platter

Yummy Choc fondue



If you think this choc fondue looks small, the bowl is actually quite deep and is more than sufficient for 5 of us. In fact, we placed order for another plate of bananas and strawberries after we finished this plate as there are still choc left!

Hot Pot King @ Yew Tee Point

Met up with J for a demo session at Ettusias counter in the late morning for a makeover demo and we were out since then till after dinner and man.... I'm really tired, haha. Old liao..... Lol

J recommended Hot Pot King at Yew Tee Point for dinner and I really enjoyed my dinner! We chose chicken soup and tom yam soup as our 2 soup bases and they were good. The chicken soup is light and fragrant and the tom yam soup was sufficiently sour and spicy and not too oily or spicy.

The steamboat buffet operates like sushi on a conveyor belt whereby instead of seeing sushis on the plate moving along the belt, we see meats, beancurds, vegs etc instead. I think this is a good idea as the portion is smaller than usual ala carte buffet thus we can just take another serving if we need more (I always experience wastages with ala carte buffet as the serving size were bigger). Cooked food such as fried samosa, fried nuggets, fried wanton, fried buns are also available. Their choc fried buns are yummy because we can taste the choc taste! There were also red bean soup for desserts. The drinks provided were not nice though, just sugar syruped water thus we decided to top up and buy bottled mineral water instead.

Service wise, I would give them a 8 / 10 as they were prompt in clearing away empty plates and plastic 'cases' (used to cover the food while on the belt) and also topping up our soups when they noticed our soups are running low. The seats, on the other hand needs improvement. We sat at a booth seat whereby the seats were so close to the table that we felt we couldn't move much once seated and it feel abit squeezy.

Nevertheless, this is a great dinner with a great pal with hub thus we truly enjoyed this meal. Me and hub were so FULL after the meal!!!

I hate MRT.........

I seriously hate taking MRT during the peak hours because it is always crowded. I can take it if I have to stand throughout the whole MRT ride but I cannot stand squeezing and squashing with 175452092496432 passengers in the same train and everyone is dying to hop on the train. It gets worse during evening rides because that's when all the extra 'smells' come into the picture. Given the hot and humid weather in Singapore, it is not surprise that people sweat more. But imagine this......... after hours of sweating since the morning, the smelly and sticky sweaty skin surface gets squashed together in a peak hour train...... THAT'S GROSS!!!!! And the phenomenon will continue for at least a few hours..........

Singapore is seriously getting very crowded. It so easy to see because a supermarket in the heartland can also be crowded and it's no wonder that the people came about based on our government's open policy. I am not against the 'inorganic' population boom, but I feel infrastructure wise, we are still not ready to handle the growth. Perhaps we are, but it is still not fast enough.

Brozeit

I have never been a fan of beers because of the bitter taste. The only beer I tasted so far that wasn't so bitter was Singha, a Thai beer that I had when I went Koh Samui for a business meeting.

Last Saturday, met my colleagues for a meal and they suggested grabbing a drink. It was highly recommended because this place served beer mix. Beer mixed with juice or soft drink etc, which is quite interesting.

We headed to Brozeit at Raffles City Shopping Centre and I ordered a Russ'n (beer mixed with sprite) and man, it was good! It taste sweeter than usual beer with the slight gas-y feel of a soft drink. Quite a refreshing change, I must say. Bc tried beer mixed with mango juice and he loved it too! But it has been a while since me and Bc last drank that a glass of 0.5ml beer mix was all that we can handle, such loser we are! But what's most enjoyable was not the drink but the fact that we were with a wonderful bunch of people!!!

Sad....

I always find hospital a very depressing place. Other than the gynecology department, the rest of the hospital are depressing. Depressing that you are facing patients who are sick or dying. In fact, it almost seem inappropriate to smile or laugh in these depressing wards.....

This afternoon, I saw quite a sad scene at the hospital. A group of uncles and aunties in their 50s came to visit their dad who was lying in the bed the whole time without any reaction. I am unsure if the old uncle was conscious or not either. 1 of his daughter was consoling him and telling him that his children are all old and even grandchildren have grown up, he can just go without any worries. As she made this statement to the old uncle on the bed, a few aunties were tearing (except for a weird uncle who whipped out his hp to take pics of the old uncle on the bed, which I seriously thought what the hell he is doing).

I have heard cases whereby the willpower of a dying person is so strong that that they will hang on and not go until they see the person they want to see or do the thing they want to do. These are all the 'earthly emotions' and 'attachments' that we have because we are humans..... But for this old uncle lying on the hospital bed, I guess it's his undying love for his family that he still wants to hang on?

Update on bareMinerals foundation

Remember I was mentioning in yesterday's post that one of the reasons I love bareMinerals foundation is because it is superlasting but I am unsure if it is due to its Prime Time primer? Well, instead of using Prime Time primer before the foundation, I switched to my RMK creamy matte makeup base and guess what? The foundation lasts just as well!! No blotting is required until 6 hours later and even when blotted with tissue, I do not see the usual foundation coming off and turning the tissue paper beige (only very minimal). There is also no oxidization consistent with yesterday's usage.

What can I say except that it's my HG foundation now!!! U guys should really try it out.