Thursday, February 28, 2013

New Banner Header


A quick shoutout to my new banner background which is ethereal, sparkly and colourful, the 3 elements i love the most.

Changed the colour scheme to a darker shade so that the colours appear to be more vibrant.

 Am loving the new, simplistic yet colourful look of my blog now:)
Thanks to computerinkt.deviantart.com for the magical background!

A Beauty Recipe Just For You

Just a note: this is not a sponsored review. I paid for the service with my own money. I'm just sharing how i feel. It would be amazing if Beauty Recipe could sponsor me though hehehe. But enough of that.

So a week ago, i noticed a gelish nail promotion at one of the myfatpocket's blogger's blog. It was $29.90 for  nail shaping, buffing, cuticle cutting, single gelish colour with 4 nail art designs (with a selection of 16 designs) on 4 fingers and return soak off. It was quite a good deal and Jessie, owner of Beauty Recipe and fellow myfatpocket blogger, had been getting good reviews so i was excited to try it out. Plus, the shop was near to where i stayed so the location had already gotten a big thumbs up from me.

pic credits to Jessie Ting

I made an appointment for 730pm and headed down to the shop which was relatively near Jurong East Mrt Station and easy to find. Once i entered, i was greeted by two friendly staff which i later found out that one of them was called Evelyn.

Interior of the shop
Pic credits: Jessie Ting

I told them what i wanted, they made some suggestions and promptly set to work. One thing i really have to commend them is that they were extremely meticulous in their job. The usual nail filing and buffing would typically be a quick process according to my own experience, but this time Evelyn and her staff (regretted not getting her name) took their time to properly shaped and file such that my nails look amazing especially since i did a mere express pedicure for my toes. Even the applying of nail polish was very careful and precise, something which i really appreciated a lot. 

There was a tv right in front of where i was seated so while i was being extremely pampered by two hardworking ladies, my eyes were having a feast with the Korean drama that was showing. And despite the fact that i was a first time customer, Evelyn lend me her slippers to wear home because i was wearing covered shoes when i arrived. Super nice!

Additionally, they close at 8pm but didn't rush me or stress me the entire time i was there. They did not even  tell me that their closing time was 8pm till i asked. Made me feel bad for making them stay back. So after the really wonderful experience at Beauty Recipe, here are pictures of my mani/pedi experience.

Shimmery base with colorful leopard prints

Dark Turquoise color for nails.
Pardon the fat/ugly feet.

And this is the message that i send to Tim right after my nail session! 
See, i must have really love the place. 

Beauty Recipe provides all kinds of beauty treatments from nails to skincare to waxing services. Since i only tried their nail services, i can proudly say that i am a happy nail customer of theirs. From their wide range of unique, quality nail polishes, professional services and attention to detail, Beauty Recipe is one place that will keep me coming back for more.

For more information on Beauty Recipe,
go to their website at 
http://www.thebeautyrecipe.com
Opening Hours: 10am to 8pm Daily
Contact: 65673568
Beauty Recipe is located at
Jurong East St 13, Blk 104 #01-102
Singapore 600104

Till then,
Melissa










Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Best Valentine's Day Present

Valentine's Day has been over for almost two weeks now so this is a little late for me to post but this year, i've received the best Vday present throughout all my 23 years of existence. So before i share what it is, i would like to say a huge thank you to the boyfriend and the man in my life for making it happen.
Thank You Tim!
(Btw: This is a really lengthy post)
For the longest time, my mum has been adamant about not having dogs in our house (You can see where this is going...) because she was scared of them and got bitten by a stray once, we had asthma in the family and my dad and i had allergies. So my house wasn't the ideal place to keep a dog but i wanted it still. And so Tim and i decided that we should get a dog of our own.
 I don't know how it got better but i think the interaction with my Tim's amazingly tame and chill dog, Cooper, helped my mum to understand that not all dogs are crazy, hyper and will jump on her.
IMG_20121013_164558[1]

 And one fine day, after choosing the right timing, i casually told her "Mummy, Tim and i are thinking of getting a dog" And usually she says "No!" immediately and then launches into a long tirade about our family allergies and the smell and so on but this time she made a face and said "You want to keep a dog? Why..." So we talked and even though she didn't give an outright yes but she didn't shoot me down either and i took that as a good sign.
I started doing tons of research, what breed, what do i need and at first i decided that i would want a toy poodle because of the majorly cute ones we saw at dollhousepets and online. 



all pic credits to its rightful owners
 But we soon realized that toy poodles while being extremely intelligent, were also high energy and required frequent maintenance so we decided otherwise and after several weeks of searching pet shops and online listings,( i actually went to a few pet shops in the east when i stay in the west) we finally found the one. 
It was a home breeder and she was selling maltipoo puppies. If you don't know, maltipoo are a cross between maltese and poodles. I went on a friday evening, after work and there in the little playpen, i saw 5 maltipoo babies and immediately fell in love with one of them. It was really the dramatic scene where i laid eyes on her and knew straightaway she was the one i wanted. It was probably the fact that every one of them was whining and she, despite all the noise, was sleeping soundly right in the center. And that when the rest calmed down and fell asleep in a bunch, she woke up and went to sleep right on top of all of them.
She was it.

I called Tim and he had just booked out from camp but he heard the excitement in my voice and took the train down from Yishun to Bedok. Best boyfriend ever. And so long story short,Tim fell in love too and that very night, he gave me the best Valentine's Day present 13 days in advance. She was only 3-4 weeks old then so we couldn't bring her back and that night, i got my first dog.
Here's some pictures
When they were a few weeks old

All 5 of them

Look how they've grown and sleeping in a circle! So adorable

My bear and her sleeping positions

Sleeping position number 2

Jelly!

She has that sad dog eyes

Her siblings and grandpa


Playing around. 

Her name is Jelly for short and she's a medium energy maltipoo puppy. I took the courage to tell my parents and showed them the pictures and videos and they actually agreed. OMG! Everything is about having the right timing. My dad said yes first and properly gave his seal of approval when he visited her last week. We're bringing her home on the 9th and can you blame me if i say im really super excited about it? Will definitely keep you guys updated on her!

Btw: MyFatPocket has a huge range of interesting articles on their website about the month of Love and most of them are written by my favourite lifestyle blogger, Holly Jean! She's daring, bold and straight to the point. Read on for some of her fabulous works.
10 signs you're in a good relationship
When does a man love a woman?
10 Common Relationship Problems Couples Face
Why Women & Men Think Differently
10 Secrets Men Keep from You
Is he Good Enough for you?
5 Things You Do That Stress Him Out
You are a Jealous Lover
How to Survive Valentine's Day after a Break up
My Final Thoughts as a Single Girl
Till then,
Melissa

Monday, February 25, 2013

NS45: Appreciating all the NS men

Growing up with an army dad, you can say i was pretty much exposed to the military at a very young age. No, i don't have the usual "stand by bed", "area cleaning" or "physical training", THANK GOD! but my dad did make us do water parades and we always had to clean our rooms and make our beds before we head out. 

I also remember going out for family days at Safra clubs and there were always plenty of activities for me to enjoy, such as rock-climbing (i loved it!) and playing in the ball pits. I never thought of it recently but those events really bonded my dad and i because we always had such fun times together like when i was climbing the rock wall, he was the belay-er (not sure how we spell that) and i could trust him with my life. 

Taken after a dance performance hence the really drastic makeup

At one point of my life, i actually considered the fact that the army would be a good career for me (Read post here) but i was quickly persuaded out of it by my fear of insects and my disdain for carrying heavy things. Haha! But i always had the utmost respect for our NS men and i went through lots of POP and saw my friends emerging as men, as soldiers ready to fight for their family and friends.  




The recent NS45 announcement to allow NS men to enjoy Safra benefits with their familes as a recognition initiative to thank Singapore National Servicemen for their dedicated service to the nation is a really amazing thing. 

Safra has really made the effort to show their appreciation by providing vouchers for a variety of services! Here's some "Do You Know" facts about these Safra vouchers.

Do you know that your army friends are here to stay throughout your life because you went through thick and thin together. So sit down at any of Safra's reputable restaurants such as Jacks Place, Sakura International Bufffet and have a good meal and talk about anything under the sun

Picture credits: Timothy Ho

Do you also know that your buddies who PT-ed together with you are the ones who will enjoy a good massage with you to release all the stress and tension in their bodies. So head on down to Safra's professional spa centers such as Masego and Bodycare for some tender loving care. 

There's so much to explain, i actually used the Ah Boys to Men - Recruits Anthem and changed up the lyrics . I had initially wanted to record a video of me "rapping" but a sore throat didn't allow me to do it. So i'll type the lyrics here and embed the video in so you can roughly, kinda figure out the rap.

Ah Boys To Men:
 "45 Years of Service" Rap

As a boy in Singapore
You gotta do your thing
Step up and serve your country
Gotta do your thing
45 years of service
Always defending
Now Safra's rewarding you 
FOR EVERYTHING

100 million worth of vouchers 
For the NS men
100 million to spend
Because they can
To give to the guys who have done it all
Especially the ones who kena
The MEDICINE BALL

You got vouchers for eating
And vouchers for playing
Get vouchers for dating
And some for massaging
So come on down and have a good time
Don't stay in camp
Don't get CONFINE!

Anyone whose serving
or served before
Can enjoy these benefits
Except most zha bor (hokkien for female)
But there's really nothing much we girls can do
Except to salute and say
WE'RE PROUD OF YOU!



This has been a really long post and it's almost coming to an end now. Safra really helps to bring the NS men together by providing a place for them to hang out, chill and have a good time. It is an important bonding process that you as a NSAF will appreciate because your army buddies are the ones who will be with you through it all. 

It's a heart warming process that not everyone will experience so treasure the times and cherish the people for as the saying goes "Bros before ho***"

Till then,
Melissa


Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Give Me Some of that Nuffie Love

Instead of showering you with kiss-ass sentences, professional visual imagery (not that im capable of producing any) and clever wit, im going to be pretty straight forward and just give you the six reasons why I love you. 
You being Nuffnang.

1)      You constantly look out for the best perks for us “normal” bloggers to enjoy.
It doesn’t matter that we’re not famous bloggers like QiuQiu, Xiaxue or Typicalben, you don’t forsake us regular bloggers and always include us in your activities and promotions. 
And we appreciate that. 

2)      You are like our elder sibling.
It only seems fair that a company is business and profit oriented but Nuffnang even as a company comes across as an elder sibling looking out for us rather than an agency or a company that looks out only for themselves.  
In other words, you are like family.

3)      You recognize talent when you see it.
With thousands of bloggers in your community, you still manage to recognize our individual talents and make each and every one of us feel special.

4)      You communicate with us, understand us and think like us.
Enough Said. Period.

5)      You organize the most exciting events
Sleepwear flashmob, Are you a shooting star, Cineleisure Next Online Sensation, overseas trips to Hong Kong Disneyland.
Need i say more?

6)      You are ranked number 1 as a leading company in the blogosphere.
Besides being recognized locally, Nuffnang has expanded well past our sunny shores to Malaysia, Australia, Philippines, China, Hong Kong and Thailand and is receiving much love from the blogging communities there too! I especially love bloggers, Metallicapaws and Chloe Ting from Australia and it is awesome to know that famous bloggers like them are under Nuffnang too! It’s almost like i know them too since we’re under the same family.
 Almost, sort of… okay maybe not. 

Nuffnang crew!
 Are you like this right now?

Well, before this post ends, here are my top 2 reasons why you should send me to the Nuffnang's 6th Birthday Bash!

Reason 1: 
Seriously, because I get to hob nob and rub shoulders with famous bloggers, meet the crew behind Nuffnang and shamlessly take photos with them instead of just stalking them on their blogs.
Reason 2:
I get to dress up!
I don't have enough opportunities to dress up, wear make up and look fabulous. Everyday after work, i end up looking like this
And i really need a chance to look like this

Pic credits: indulgy.com

So... pretty pretty please?
I want to be part of Nuffnang’s 6th Birthday Bash at Ballymoons!!

Till then,
Melissa


86th


Celebration for the 86th birthday of this healthy, happy grandfather of mine. I am so glad he's is still in the best of health despite his recent injury which is why his hand is swelling and in a bandage.

Here's a few things you should know about this old man:
Number 1:
 He has 13 children, 11 girls and 2 boys
Number 2:
He wanted me even when i was ridiculously naughty and even told Tim to look beneath my bad temper cause he said that my bark's worse than my bite. 
Number 3:
He's incredibly healthy and agile for his age
Number 4:
He constantly travels. 
(USA, Japan, Hong Kong, China and all your neighbouring countries)
Number 5:
He fell down, broke his hand and calmly took the bus home from harbourfront to holland and called my grandma to tell her that he was injured and asked for duck rice because he was hungry. 
Like a boss.

I love this old man. 


Our huge family! 7 tables and counting.

 Just the grandchildren alone. 
No wonder we have cliques in between cliques.


And a family photo to end this post. Do i look like my mum or dad?


PS: Pictures all taken with either iPhones or S3 hence the resolution is a bit bad. 
Please bear with it!



Till then,
Melissa

Enter the Depression Stage


IMG_20130211_162504[1]
IMG_20130210_130126[1]IMG_20130209_163015[1]IMG_20130213_122319[1]Just some quick updates from my instagram to signfy the end of the CNY holiday.
And behold the depression, post-CNY stage.
Where we all suffer from post-holiday syndrome, gain lots of weight from all the excessive food that we stuff ourselves with and go back to our mundane routine of work and school. As much as i love this time of the year when we meet up with friends and families and of course you can never deny the happy getting "ang pow" stage for all the unmarried ones, but the aftermath is quite tragic to think about.
Anyhow, this post is a happy post.
*Lol at the ironic title.
It's always a boisterous event at my CNY reunions because both my parents' families are quite big. My mum side has 13 families and my dad's side has 6 families and extended roots to malays.Thus, i always celebrate both Chinese New Year and Hari Raya! Just imagine the amount of red packets i have to give away once im married! No wonder the adults don't seem to have as much fun as the kids do. And of course, being the adult means that naturally when we play blackjack, they would be the banker because obviously, they have more money to lose to us players. heh heh heh.
It's been an amazing reunion so far. im supposed to wear green as my lucky colour for this year so you guys might see me decked out in a lot more green outfits than usual. And when i run out of green things to wear, i might just improvise with a few leaves here and there and pretend im in Hawaii.
I'll do a proper post really soon with a better photolog and something outside of my house i promise! But for now, im getting back to my backlog of work and my over-due bak kwa that i havent been eating at all! *gasps*
So, how did you guys spend your Chinese New Year?
Till then,
Melissa

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Princess Not So Perfect


#OOTD
Top: Bangkok
Skirt: Osmose

I love my tulle and tutus. 
The frilly poofy chunk of material always makes me feel so princess-y and feminine.  But pair this high low skirt with a smart casual top and you're good to go! Anyway, CNY is coming up and im pretty sure everyone has that headache problem of what to wear. Im currently stuck in the same situation too! Can anyone provide me with a quick fix to my wardrobe issues?!




PS: The surprise i talked about in my previous post is settled! 
Now its only a matter of time before i reveal it.


Till then,
Melissa