I spotted an offer on Facebook regarding a free 90-minute facial trial at Victoria Facelift some time back. And as it was near my place (yet I had never heard of the company despite its 7 outlets around Singapore), I decided to sign up for a facial treatment on the same day.

This is a screenshot of the ad on Facebook that I’d clicked on:

Interestingly, if you book the trial online, it’s FREE. But if you go to the outlet, you’ll see the poster outside which says the 90-minute trial costs $48 (U.P. $388) for the first 50 walk-in customers daily. Wouldn’t folks feel silly if they had paid the $48 then realized you can get it free online?

When I arrived about 10 minutes before the appointment, I was told to get a seat while they took my IC – perhaps to check that it was indeed my first visit. Then a consultant asked me the usual questions regarding medical history, last facial session etc. I felt the lady was just going through the motions, like she really wished she was elsewhere (not very friendly this one).

Then a more senior-looking consultant took over to do a scan of my skin. First, the inner side of my arm (not as tanned) then my face. I have no major skin issues so they could only point out the few small milia seeds that I have in the undereye area and also warn me about the dangers of not using sunblock and how pigmentation might result.

*She asked what my skin concerns were and what I hoped to achieve in that session. I told her I was only bothered by dark eye circles and slightly dry skin. She asked if I wanted to top up for the eye treatment. I said nevermind, just give me what’s in the free trial.

The facial treatment itself was awesome! Yes, awesome!

The room was really small though. Actually it’s not even a room. It’s one room partitioned into many smaller cubicles. But my therapist, a lady in her mid-20s (let’s call her A), was evidently skilled. Starting from the facial cleanse… I knew I was in good hands, literally.

There were 3 masks used during that session… before a machine was utilised for that final facelifting effect.

The first mask was (if I remember correctly) to help soften the skin / exfoliate / open the pores. There was also a “cold steam” (like a hydro mist) blowing on my face.

Then a hyaluronic hydrating mask.

Then finally a collagen mask.

In-between, there was extraction, simple eyebrow shaping, neck and shoulder massage, and a facial detox massage. I was left wondering how come this was free-of-charge. I contemplated giving A a $10 tip (the only money I had on me).

The ‘machine’ treatment has a 3-ball tip. After using it on the right side of my face, (as can be expected) she held up a mirror in front of me to let me see how the right side had been ‘lifted’. Then she worked on the left side.

*And oh, before and after pictures were taken, which I’m not concerned about since I don’t usually wear makeup anyway.

Post-treatment, it was the sales pitch, of course. I was first given a collagen drink – ‘cos it’s not cold, it tasted a little weird. And I was then told about the pricing and installment plans for payment via credit card.

Apparently it’s $3,880 for 20 treatments (the more senior lady explained it as 10 treatments + another 10 “free” ). With GST, it’s over $4K. But using a credit card, e.g. POSB’s, you get 10% discount. So the total amount is $3,736.44 which you can pay via 12, 24 or 36 months in interest-free installments.

And here’s the free 3-piece product kit I got to take home:

I didn’t sign up for the package as I am concerned about 2 things: (1) it’s quite common for companies to fold and there are no refunds for the unused portion of the packages, and (2) the service standards noticeably ‘dip’ after the first (trial) session.

I’d rather pay a la carte pricing whenever possible.

If you find yourself in a bit of a pickle after going for a free trial and consultants are trying to ‘hardsell’ you a package, here are some tips:

1) Be nice to staff. It’s hard to hardsell someone who’s sweet to you.

2) Have an exit strategy even before entering the shop. Even if the treatment is awesome, and you are tempted to purchase a package, you DESERVE to be able to think it through at home FIRST. So whether you want to arrange for someone to call or come in and ‘rescue’ you, or whether you want to leave your wallet at home, it is up to you. Just have a plan before heading for a free trial, whether it is at a facial salon or a gym or spa.

3) Ask the consultant other questions to get her off her guard. They have practised sales pitches so try to break their momentum. Once the momentum is gone, they will find it hard to get back on the hard-selling track. When she’s talking about the packages, try to change the topic to something else (I ended up chatting about traffic accidents. LOL).

4)*MOST IMPORTANT: if you have never been in the sales line before, have a very thin skin, and have difficulty saying ‘no’ to people… say no to the free trial instead.

I don’t mind going for free trials because (1) it’s free and facials (usually) don’t hurt, (2) I get to practise my “skills” when it comes to offering objections and (3) those trial sessions offer the best facial treatments (it’s true). I’ve read too many reviews of various facial salons which provide really good facials the first time, so customers sign up for packages and then the subsequent treatments are not as good – the therapist might be a different (less skilled) person, or there’s more up-selling of ampoules and various add-ons EACH time you visit the centre. That’s really stressful.

That said, I don’t mind (discounted) paid trial sessions too. Went for a few via Groupon. The bonus is that if you’ve paid something (even if it’s $20), you don’t feel so bad (paiseh) when you have to tell them you’re not signing up for a package, whatever the reason may be.

~

All in all, I’m more than pleased with the free trial at Victoria Facelift. It truly was an awesome experience. I do understand that companies only offer discounts to people who sign up for packages with them but with the current economic climate, perhaps the company can consider staggering the discounts for those who prefer a la carte pricing, e.g.:

(after trial session)

1st visit: pay 100% of facial price

2nd visit: pay 90%

3rd visit: pay 80%

and so on…

Thus, the more times the customer returns for a la carte treatments, the cheaper each session costs. It’s an incentive for the customer to come back if he / she likes the service here, and it also protects the customer from being left stranded if a company suddenly folds.

The book ‘To Siri, With Love’ is about the true story of a pretty ‘strange’ household. How strange? For one, the husband and wife have separate apartments (I don’t mean that they sleep in separate rooms or beds. They each have their own homes) and when their twin boys were conceived, the dude was actually 69 years old (he’s 30 years older than his wife). When the kids were born, the woman’s already 40 and one of the twin boys (Gus) was later found to have autism. It’s neither politically correct nor polite to say “I’m sorry your child is autistic” (‘cos what is there to be sorry about?) or “What were you thinking… having children when both of you aren’t exactly young anymore?” But it’s what I thought of saying to the author (when reading the book) if I do end up meeting her someday. But that would be discounting the fact that the couple took 7 years (and according to her, $70,000) with 5 or 6 miscarriages along the way, before they eventually had their twins.

*HUGE SIGH*

It seems they TOTALLY missed certain signs or else they won’t be surprised that one child (or two) doesn’t turn out entirely ‘normal’ (but let’s not debate what normal means now). The couple live apart as John doesn’t like loud noises, gets upset when pillows aren’t arranged properly or when his mug is not in the part of the cabinet that he expects to find it in, and he also cannot leave a room without closing all the drawers. Judith herself doesn’t like to be touched (but sex is fine). Are they somewhere on the spectrum too? It’s anybody’s guess.

I love everything about the book, except for one portion. So here’s what I love… first:

1. The innocence and genuineness that Gus has. His mother says that “if he becomes, say, a Walmart greeter, when he wishes you a nice day he will mean it with all his heart.” How many times have we heard “Thank you for coming” / “See you again!” from a salesperson who’s actually checking out her manicure or doing something else altogether, instead of looking at you and smiling sincerely?
2. That technology has probably saved the sanity of parents with autistic kids. Gus chats with Siri for hours at a time, and she (it?) patiently answers all his questions. “In a world where the commonly held wisdom is that technology isolates us, it’s worth considering another side of the story.”
3. Autistic people teach us that there is another way to live / be. Gus “thinks that everyone is his friend… has no idea about sarcasm or competition or envy or ambition.” I think the bit about envy and sarcasm is useful. If we could live without envying others (all you gorgeous people with curated pictures of your lives on Instagram!), wouldn’t we enjoy Life even more?

What I find difficult to accept is that while the author (obviously) thinks it’s fine to make babies with someone in his late-sixties and already has a child from a previous marriage, she wants Gus to either be a homosexual or get a vasectomy so he won’t be able to procreate. Wow. Just wow.

“My lifelong hopes that Gus was gay – what gay man doesn’t adore his mother?”

“I do not want Gus to have children… Gus should not be a parent.”

“I will insist on having medical power of attorney, so that I will be able to make the decision about a vasectomy for him after he turns 18.”

I really don’t know what to say. On one hand, this book presents lots of information about autism (that I didn’t know before) and I am learning a bit more about some of the (strange) things autistic kids might do, such as ignoring me or coming within two inches of my face to talk to me. But it makes me feel like screaming “WHY DID YOU HAVE A KID WITH SOMEONE IN HIS SIXTIES?!” and “WHY ARE YOU STOPPING YOUR OWN KID FROM PROCREATING –  YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO BUT HE DOESN’T?”

So… this book leaves me very dissatisfied. ‘Cos I can’t do the screaming bit.

I hope the author changes her mind about “sterilising” her child and hopefully, Gus himself stays positive forever. The odds aren’t very good: “A 2015 study in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that people with so-called “high-functioning autism” are about ten times more likely to commit suicide than those in the general population.”

Finally, there’s this funny bit about the author’s plastic surgery, which totally reminds me of someone (I’d better not say who) who got a nosejob and also has an autistic kid with her (old) nose. These two mothers really should meet.

Like Judith’s pal said to her:

“He’s got your nose – well, your old nose. Why don’t you get him your new nose? Is your plastic surgeon still in business?”

*If getting him a vasectomy is on the cards, getting him a nosejob shouldn’t raise too many eyebrows.

I picked Maria Sharapova’s book ‘Unstoppable’ as my in-flight reading material to and from Bangkok, and it was a great choice. Once again, I’m reminded why I love memoirs / autobiographies so much. I’m not a fan of tennis and didn’t know much about Maria before reading this book. I know she makes loud noises (what folks call “grunting”) on the court , and she has her own brand of candy (which I think is kind of pricey), and she’s gorgeous. But beyond that, I didn’t know much else about her. This book changed all that.

I got to read the story of her first encounter with the game of tennis at age 4, and how her father (Yuri) dropped everything in Russia and brought her to America a few years later, believing his daughter would be a tennis star.

Long before there was the Tiger Mom, there was the Tennis Dad, and you don’t want to mess with either of them. It was largely due to her family’s dedication that Maria became the superstar she is today.

Get a copy of this book if you want to know:

1. What motivates her
2. Lessons she learnt from losses
3. Locker room secrets
4. Who encouraged her to try shoplifting (just that one time) and what she took
5. Rivalry with Serena Williams
6. Players who gave her dirty looks
7. Who she had a serious crush on
8. Playing with her right (vs left) hand, her shoulder injury, etc

Through this book, Maria has tried to clear the air once again with regard to the (supposed) “doping” incident. If you don’t know what happened, just know that she was cleared of the doping charges. I think it all happened for a reason – it gave her time to rest and recharge. She even went for a two-week summer program at Harvard Business School! You’ve got to love this gal. Even though she was suspended from playing tennis, facing an international backlash, having people call her all sorts of names (comments about “doper” / “cheat” / etc can still be found on Youtube videos of her), instead of moping or feeling sorry for herself, she went out and learnt new stuff.

There are a couple of quotes from this book that I love. Here’s one of them:

“What sets the great players apart from the good players? The good players win when everything is working. The great players win even when nothing is working, even when the game is ugly; that is, when they are not great. Because no one can be great every day. Can you get it done on the ugly days, when you feel like garbage and the tank is empty? That’s the question.”

I felt it was an absolute privilege and honor to be able to read this story of her life. This is certainly a book I’m keeping and re-reading at some point.

~

Watch this video and see 14-year-old Maria, plus get a sneak peek at her stamp collection

I’ve sent out 4 emails this week to convey my compliments to staff at Scoot, Watsons, PS.Cafe and NTUC FairPrice, and I’m looking forward to sending out more of those. I believe any customer relations department will receive more complaints than compliments on a daily basis because (1) people tend to take action when they experience something they deem as negative, and often need to rant / vent, and (2) they expect to receive some form of compensation, e.g. a free meal or a rectification of an error. In contrast, compliments don’t usually give the sender anything tangible in return, perhaps just a reply thanking you for taking the time to send in your feedback.

But I think compliments are so important, both for the receiver and for the sender.

#1: If you like good service, encourage it

We love to complain that service isn’t good at this place or the other. But, really, what can we do to encourage service staff or businesses that go above and beyond in providing great service? We don’t have a tipping culture, for one. And I’m way too shy to approach someone and tell him/her “thank you for brightening up my day”. But emails… yes, emails, I most certainly can craft.

#2: Look for the good, and you’ll find it

If I don’t send out all these compliment-related emails, I won’t actually be able to keep track of how many awesome service staff I’ve encountered this week or month. I don’t think our brains have been trained to count our blessings this way.

If you’re looking for examples of lousy service, just head out anywhere and you’ll find it. If you’re looking for examples of outstanding service, just head out anywhere and you’ll find that too! Which would you prefer to be looking out for?

#3: Your compliments to others are good for your well-being too

I had a working lunch at PS.Cafe today and getting to Palais Renaissance was not exactly something I’d love doing on a Friday. There are so many foreigners headed for Orchard Road. I had someone almost push me into a train she couldn’t wait to enter, without allowing the passengers within to alight first. And getting off at Orchard Station, I had someone step on my shoe while she was rushing to get onto the escalator.

That really could have made for a crappy day.

This is why I have “Be Happy Always” on the face of my Schaffen watch, as a reminder!

Despite all that, I got to meet one of the lovely wait staff at PS.Cafe, who was sweet, attentive and if I may add, the absolute doppelgänger for actress Rebecca Lim, right down to her ponytail, oval-shaped face and brilliant smile.

The reason I sent an email to compliment her was because she came over and asked if we would like some water while waiting for our meals to be served. And she later came back to check that we were enjoying the food, and also topped up our water glasses without our having to ask. And she always had the lovely warm smile on her face.

~

If you’ve enjoyed great service at any establishment, may I ask that you drop them an email telling them what happened and which of their staff impressed you most? It’s not only great for boosting morale and encouraging staff to up their service levels, but it also feels very good when you send out that email. Trust me.

~

And here are some pictures from today’s lunch…

Tip: Always make a reservation if you’re visiting PS.Cafe. Always!

Truffle fries shared among us 3, and we still couldn’t finish it all:

The miso cod was delicious, and came with a ginormous side of salad greens which I absolutely loved. My goodness. I would totally order this again!

I printed some business cards with Gogoprint Singapore recently as I was running out of cards I got printed in 2013. While they don’t exactly replicate the existing cards I have (leftover) from the printer I hired some four years ago, I was impressed by certain features of the services they offer, and do particularly like the fact that they’ll reprint any product you’re dissatisfied with. If you’re looking to get name cards printed quickly and cheaply, you might want to check out Gogoprint Singapore. *Make sure you read the tips I have for you at the end of this blogpost.

In the picture above, you’ll see the postcard I got them to print for me. And beside the postcard are two namecards. I was dissatisfied with #1 so they reprinted the batch for me. I felt the image in #2 was a little overly stretched but I guess these cards can still be put to good use in lucky draw boxes when I attend events or during those times when associates who already have my number (and I have theirs too) still want to exchange name cards for formalities’ sake. Why do they want to kill so many trees?

I’ve done a quick comparison of three cards with the same artwork. D was printed by Design My Life Printing (designmylifeprinting@gmail.com). I’m not sure if the business is still in operation as I last contacted them in September 2013. That time, I was charged RM112.50 for 5 boxes (i.e. 500 pieces) of name cards with rounded corners.

G1 and G2 were printed by Gogoprint. The great thing about printing with Gogoprint is that you get a (bigger) discount if you’re not in a hurry to get the cards. And you can also specify a custom quantity (e.g. 120 cards). Many printers might ask you to print 200 cards if you want 120, but Gogoprint allows you to print / order any number from 100 to 50,000 pieces.

If you’re not in a hurry, you save more!

Some additional tips if you want to get the best deal from Gogoprint:

1. Provide artwork in this particular size: 9cm x 5.4cm. If the artwork is too small, and they have to stretch it for you, it won’t look good.
2. Have lots of white space at the edges of your design, so colors don’t bleed into the surrounding cards when they do the printing.
3. With the brown craft paper, the colors won’t turn out the way you want. So use probably just one color only in your design, if possible. (I speak from experience)

When you think of food at Serangoon Gardens, you might gravitate towards Chomp Chomp Food Centre ‘cos that’s where all the good food is, right? I’ve got news for you. Within the myVillage mall, there is a Japanese restaurant serving up ridiculously tasty and affordable tonkatsu and ramen. And it’s no wonder why. Chef Tan-San was trained in Japan, before returning to Singapore to helm Tonkichi, Singapore’s first Tonkatsu specialty restaurant in Singapore, under the Pokka Group. He was also the Pioneer Chef who started the popular Tampopo Japanese restaurant chain. What I found was a real hit was their Ebi Fry Ramen ($16.90). <- You MUST try this!

Here’s some video footage taken when I met my pals there for lunch. Interestingly, my GrabHitch driver sent us there by Mercedes hence I shot a video in her car

The restaurant has mains starting from $11.90 and sides from $2. You can also get ocha here for $1.50, black coffee ($2.50) and even Japanese craft beer at $11!

All their fried items are made on demand and not pre-breaded so the quality is evident. You know how some businesses like to claim their food is “made with love” but you can taste that the ingredients are not of good quality or the presentation is evidently uninspired? Well, I found food truly made and presented with love at this restaurant. Too bad it’s not in my neighborhood or I’ll pop by at least once a week. That super yummy ramen would be just perfect for today’s rainy weather, especially in Punggol!

Why’s it all so yummy?

The stock takes up to a full day to cook and is therefore tasty yet not thirst-inducing like other ajinomoto-laced broths elsewhere. And their tonkatsu? The pork tastes so moist from not being over-cooked, and coated with Panko breadcrumbs, the layers don’t separate (go ahead and check out the cross-section). For the icing on the cake, rice and cabbage is available free flow though you’ll only get just 1 bowl of soup.

You might also be tempted to try the Nagoya miso fillet as it’s infused with red wine and ramen stock. It’s also made less salty to cater to the local palate.

Also, all their sauces are made in-house! That’s really impressive! If you wish to, you can even grind the sesame by hand and add the tonkatsu sauce (as shown in the video above). The smell is awesome!

Lunchtime on a weekday at myVillage:

All in all, I think Hajime serves really good tonkatsu prepared skillfully and with love. This family-run business offers you, at really affordable prices, premium Niigata rice, premium pork air-flown from Japan, and miso imported from Nagoya. Get a taste of Japan even if you’re not travelling there any time soon.

Address: #02-07 myVillage at Serangoon Garden (1 Maju Avenue).

~

All pictures in this blogpost are courtesy of Hearted Moments Photography. My pal used his Google handphone for these pictures; I’m impressed.

It’s easy to see why people who’ve read this book are raving about it. It somehow overturns everything us neurotypical folks think we know about autism. That loner who doesn’t talk to people because he “likes keeping to himself”? Nothing could be further from the truth. And when I read the news about how a K2 boy with autism goes missing from My First Skool, ending up in Yishun, I found the answer to why people with autism like wandering off / going for walks within this book.

And if you have questions for people with autism… questions like these:

Why do you ask the same questions over and over again? Why do you keep doing the same thing when you’ve been told not to do it? Why are you so picky about food? Why do you like spinning? Why do you line up your toys? Why do you like being in the water? What causes panic attacks and meltdowns?

… you’ll find the answers (and more) within this book.

~

Thing is, I’m not so sure about asking friends (with autistic kids) to read books like this one. What I’d love to say is “this book might help you understand your kid a little better” but that would be presumptuous however I try to phrase it. So hopefully they read this blogpost and go get a copy themselves.

~

Then there’s the subsequent book the author wrote: ‘Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8’. After reading ‘The Reason I Jump’, this particular book becomes less of a revelation. It provides more of a reassurance to parents with young autistic kids that there’s hope that things can get better as the children grow older.

It’s rather strange to say this: Naoki has such a flair for writing and expressing his thoughts even though he suffers from a pretty severe non-verbal form of autism… that he seems to be a gift to parents with autistic kids because he offers first-hand knowledge of why the kids behave the way they do. If he doesn’t have autism, and therefore doesn’t write/share about it, all those parents would be kept in the dark, agonizing over why nothing seems to work with their children and continue struggling to understand and communicate with them.

I would go so far as to say that every teenager needs to own (or, at least, read) a copy of this book! In ‘Feel Good 101’, Emma Blackery lays bare her life story, and while she’s much younger than me, I do think she’s been through a lot and those ‘life lessons’ are worth your time. Beyond being a “Youtube sensation”, she’s someone who:

1. Was only 12 when her parents got a divorce
2. Survived a mental health issue, which probably had its roots from the time her dad collapsed when she was 10
3. Was a victim of bullying both in school and later at work
4. Doesn’t put together a book with just fluff in it; she goes on to tell you when she lost her virginity, her experience of sexual assault, etc
5. Gives good advice with regard to coming out to your parents, dealing with bad friends, putting together an awesome CV, etc

Just one of the stunning things she says in the book is with regard to YOUR choice of career. In Singapore, especially, kids aim to be doctors, lawyers or accountants because their parents want them to be in these fields. But Emma, being Emma, puts it to you like she sees it:

“Your life is still going to be yours long after (forgive me) your parents are gone, and then you’ll be left with the career that they wanted for you. Sure, you might be earning enough, but will you be happy once you have no one left to please?”

If you’d like more punches to the gut like this one, then you certainly have to read this book. I didn’t know who this Emma is before reading the book, but now I’m certainly sitting up and taking note when she’s dishing out advice in her videos.

Her use of expletives in the book might come as a shock to certain readers, but eventually (I think) you’ll be won over by her no-holds-barred sharing, and even if you do not get a crash course in “Feeling Good 101”, you’ll learn more than 1 insight you’ll be thankful for.

Finally, I love how she put it so plainly that “you cannot turn your haters into your lovers – it is a futile exercise“. It’s something everyone who has any sort of presence on the Internet needs to know.

Just like with Victoria Facelift, I spotted a Facebook ad regarding Jonsson Protein’s “FREE VE Protein Hair & Scalp Treatment + 3pc Hair Care Pack (total worth $388)” and so signed up for the complimentary trial at one of their outlets. Thankfully, I had my friend accompanying me or it would have seemed like quite a nightmare. Yes, I might have actually walked out of the outlet with my hair dripping wet, and just gone into an actual hair salon on the same level and got it sorted out, otherwise.

Here’s a screenshot of the ad I clicked on:

I’d asked my pal if he’d like to go for a scalp treatment together with me, and after calling JP, we went there together. We arrived early for the appointment, handed our ICs over, and got ushered into a waiting room.

A lady came in to help us with “registration” – occupation, email, etc. Then she left.

It was a LONG, LONG time before anyone else bothered with us. We chatted, looked out of the room, watched the other staff walking about but with no one else coming in to attend to us.

Finally, in came another lady who went through a sort of questionnaire with us. She wanted to know just a couple of things: have we had chemotherapy, have we undergone scalp surgery, do we have AIDS, and other basic questions about lifestyle, work, stress, hair concerns, etc.

Then there was a scanning done to check on the condition of our scalp – whether we had dandruff, oily scalp, health of the follicles, etc.

I’m showing you just half of the printout here

Then we were ushered to this other area which looks like your typical hair salon. We had our hair shampooed while we were seated, then took turns to get it all rinsed out in the back where there were only two washbasins. We were also each given a cup of “protein drink” which didn’t taste very good. I took a sip and left the remainder there. (We were also not told that it’s best to drink it all within the first 15 minutes for maximum benefit, and to avoid it oxidizing. My pal’s “consultant” only told us that much later.)

My friend’s therapist kept the towel wrapped around my friend’s head and walked off to attend to someone else, while my therapist removed the towel and left me with my hair dripping wet. The air-conditioning was so cold, and with my hair wet, I was turning into a human popsicle in that seat!

My friend’s therapist came back soon enough and helped do the treatment for him; basically emptying the contents of a foil pouch into a bowl and, using a brush, spread it all over his scalp, wrapped it up and then the “steaming” began.

Meanwhile, I was still waiting there, with my hair dripping wet, and cold, and with no therapist.

It was EVIDENT to me that teamwork wasn’t present. Maybe each therapist cares only for her own customer, earning commissions from her own client’s purchases, and couldn’t care less about the customer of another therapist.

So I sat and waited. Other staff walked past.

Eventually, one more senior-looking lady came over to help do the treatment for me. And I could finally get my hair steamed and stop freezing over. However, for some reason, she ended up with a small clump of hair on her gloves and she held it out for me to see, asking if I usually lose a lot of hair after hair washes. I was shocked and said that no, I’ve not seen that happen before. What did you guys do?!

Yet another glum-faced lady assisted with the hair wash after the “steaming” was done.

And FINALLY, my original therapist appeared again to blow-dry and comb out my hair. GOSH! It was painful. It was like she was combing the hair on a mannequin head, without caring if it hurts or not. For once, I was thankful I don’t have a lot of hair to be combed.

Eventually, it was time for the scalp scan once again, and the sales pitch. It would be $2488 for 10 (+5 free) treatments. OR we could go for $588 for 5 treatments. OR $388 for 3 treatments. And we were also told we could buy shampoo from them for some $30+ dollars (I don’t remember the exact figure). We didn’t want any of them. Even if it was free, I won’t be back again. Thanks! What I found most funny was that we each received a card we can present to a friend and get him/her to come for the complimentary trial. (I put it in the bin later on)

Anyway, we each received the promised 3-pc take-home kit:

I’ve included a packet of Watsons tissue for a size comparison.

~

Here are some things I’ve learnt from going for these free trials:

1. Having a friend go together with you is a GREAT idea. Try not to get separated though.
2. Pick an outlet that’s not in the central area. These would be less crowded.
3. Avoid peak hours like lunchtime when office workers come in for treatments during their breaks.
4. There IS a 5-day cooling-off period. So make sure you tell them you want to cancel your purchase (if any) before the 5 days is up. Make sure you check what you’re signing too as there might be a clause saying there’s an admin fee or something.

I read that Welcia (a popular drugstore chain in Japan) has set up shop in BHG Bugis, and so I popped by today to pick out a few products to try. I bought the Hello Kitty Air Cushion, a face roller and a packet of “Air Fragrance Beads” (lavender scented to, hopefully, ward off mosquitoes too).

The store is around the size of a regular Watsons store with some familiar brands and products (Maybelline, etc) and others which supposedly can only be found in Japan. Because of their opening promotions, many items are going at 20% off! I was looking for the Hello Kitty Air Cushion which I’d seen a picture of online and asked the sales staff I saw hanging about for help.

Even the applicator has hello kitty print! I’m in love!

So here’s what the conversation went like:

Me: “Hi! Where can I find this Hello Kitty Air Cushion?” *show picture*

Staff 1: “I think no stock.”

Me: “Huh? But this photo was posted 2 hours ago! So fast no stock already?!”

Staff 1 looks for Staff 2

Staff 2: “No stock. Maybe other outlet?”

Me: “Is there another BHG in Bugis?!”

Staff 2: “What is this ah? Powder cushion is it? (I say yes) You try this foundation product. Better for you!”

Me: “Ah? No no I want this Hello Kitty one.”

Staff 2: “Nevermind. You try first. This is better for your skin (blah blah)”

Me:”No lah, it’s ok, I don’t want to waste your time.”

Staff 2: “I’m very free.”

Me: (>_<“‘)

When I finally found someone who knew where the Hello Kitty product was placed, I overheard Staff 2 telling Staff 1 that it’s so hard to sell the product(s) she’s promoting because there are all these other (Hello Kitty) items.

This product has SPF50+PA+++ Another reason to buy it!

It’s also made in Korea, so I feel a bit more confident about using it.

As for the pricing, the regular price is $38.90. But with the discount, I paid just $31.12. The other two items I bought cost $1.44 (fragrance beads) and $2.24 (face roller) after discount.

*Items which are going at nett price with no further discount are clearly labelled as such within the store. So make sure you check with the cashier if you don’t get the discount you should.

Me: “This Hello Kitty cushion has 20% discount.”

Guy: “Is it?” (checks with female colleague)

Female: “We follow what the system shows, so if it doesn’t show a discount here, that means no discount.”

Me: “The lady over there told me there’s a discount.”

(Both look like they’re trying to decide if they should walk over and locate the promoter)

Me: “I got this only ‘cos she told me there’s 20% off.”

Female: “Just key in 20% discount on your side.”

Guy: “Ok. So the total is…”

~

Apart from the clueless cashiers and the pushy promoter I encountered, there was one Japanese lady (from Tokyo, she said) who helped me decide on which of the 2 shades to pick for my Hello Kitty Air Cushion. I’m hopeless at Japanese while she struggled with English, but it was a pleasant experience. I might pop by again before she leaves for Japan in December. I should bring my Japanese-speaking sista with me, and give the lady some recommendations for good local food (‘cos she told me she eats chicken rice daily… and is probably getting bored of it)

Once again, I went for a facial trial after spotting Shakura Pigmentation Beauty’s ad on Facebook. I was surprised that the outlet was so busy on a Wednesday afternoon, at 2pm. I thought I’d already avoided the peak lunch hour crowd. Here’s what happened…

*I did not receive the promised 4-pc Homecare Treatment Kit. It helps if you bring the screenshot of the ad to show the staff. I’d forgotten this was saved in my laptop.

The lady at the reception told me to get a seat in the consultation room, and she helped with the registration process (procedure’s the same at Jonsson Protein, and other such establishments). Then she told me to wait for the consultant.

Consultant enters and does a scan of my face – it was rather scary to see my pores, skin tags, blackheads etc close-up on the screen. (*I’m glad there was no ‘selling’ whatsoever at this stage)

Then I went into one of the treatment rooms and put on the robe they provided.

A lady wearing a face mask came in to do the face cleansing portion for me. She’s not the consultant I had spoken with. She also applied the first mask for “softening the pores”.

Then she left.

And another lady entered (might be the consultant, but I’m not sure as she was masked as well). She asked if the other lady had taken pictures of my face and I said no. So she took some. Then applied some “enzyme” to the right side of my face. Then cleansed it off and asked me to hold up a mirror to see how much more radiant the right side was. Actually I saw NO difference whatsoever, but said “ok” just to ‘agree’ with her. Then she worked on the left side. (Do not argue with your consultant, ok?)

She asked if I wanted any trimming / shaping of my eyebrows or stray hairs but I said no to that too. I actually just wanted her to focus on the facial bit.

The extraction was painful, but I guess that’s the way it is.

Then there was this really COLD mask applied to my face. I wondered if such extreme temperature was even suitable for the skin. It felt exactly like putting my face to a block of ice. And, of course, the consultant left the room.

The mask was supposed to slowly harden (?) over who-knows-how-long. Because it was rather cold in the room, from the air-conditioning and also the extremely cold mask, and I had taken some ABC juice for lunch, my bladder felt like it was about to burst from the need to pee.

With that mask on, I couldn’t see a thing. It covered my eyelids as well. I sat upright on the bed, but that didn’t help very much. Laid back down and felt the urge even more.

Eventually, I couldn’t hold it in much longer, so I got off the bed, took a few steps in the direction of the door, slid it open and tried to get the attention of the people outside. I hope I scared a few folks too! (take it as a late Halloween prank)

I wish there was a button to press to signal any sort of distress or to call for a consultant, but there was none. And no one came in to check if I was doing ok. Well, points for improvement for them, I guess.

So the folks who saw me exit with the mask on my face said they had to check if the mask could be removed (oh, my poor bladder!) and a very professional-looking / sounding lady came to me and helped remove the mask, saying there was actually 5 more minutes to go. And she said I should hurry to the toilet (thankfully, it was just next door to the Shakura outlet) and she’ll help cleanse my face when I get back.

When I got back from the visit to the washroom, I just grabbed some tissues and wiped my face. The professional-looking lady insisted I let her do the cleansing and application of toner, moisturizer and sunblock.

After which, she offered me some (detox?) tea outside. I took one sip and disliked it immediately.

She then asked me if I liked the consultant’s service. My jaw kind of dropped at that moment. What service?

I told her this outlet seems too busy for my liking, and the consultant seemed to be in a rush as well; it was all very stress-inducing.

The lady scribbled on a piece of paper that I could pay $321 for 2 more sessions (and get an additional 4 free). But I gave her that incredulous “HUH?” look, like why would I pay anything to come back again?

After that, she even went to get the consultant’s namecard for me. As if I would call her for another appointment. (@_@) The consultant never even appeared again. I suppose she was super busy attending to other clients.

By the way, there’s a 5-day cooling off period for Shakura customers as well, just like at Jonsson Protein. Same management?

Before you sign anything, read everything carefully, ya? As for me, suffice to say, I won’t be back.

Recently, we had a good harvest at D’Best Fishing in Pasir Ris Park, even though previous visits involved poor catch rates and ‘donations’ of fish from other fishing ‘shifus’. That day, we took home our very own catch of 3 ‘pomfrets’ and 5 larger fish (snapper and seabass, I believe). And he even caught one very small fish that he insisted on taking home (I would have released it back into the pond. LOL) And this was done within 3 hours and using just 1 rod which we shared. So I’m trying to wrap my head around this bountiful harvest and figure out just what it was that made this fishing ‘outing’ so different from the earlier ones.

*If you’re wondering, it costs $45 for 3 hours of ‘Skill Fishing’.

#1: The weather and day of the week

It was a rainy day so by the time we were done fishing, we were thoroughly drenched. We were so ill-prepared that besides an umbrella, we didn’t have much else to shield us from the rain. Meanwhile, other anglers had raincoats, boots, etc. Amateur much.

But the rain also meant that few people wanted to come fishing, and this means less competition. There’s obviously a limited number of fish in the pond so the fewer ‘experts’ there were fishing next to us, the better for us.

And on the topic of quantity, this time round, we popped by on a Friday afternoon, right after lunch at the newly-opened Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre next door. I might be wrong but I’m guessing the operator releases more fish into the ponds on Fridays, since more people might pop by in the evening after work, and also early in the morning on Saturday.

#2: Ponds just got topped up with fish from the fish truck

There’s this truck carrying fish that will back into the park and offload lots of fish at a certain time of the day. But the new additions to the pond will take a while to get used to these unfamiliar surroundings. You’ll see the fish sink to the bottom like rocks once they hit the water. They don’t show signs of life till much later.

So if you spot the truck, it’s a good idea to wait a while before commencing fishing. We were prawning then, and since we had the entire place to ourselves, it was a really good prawn harvest too.

The corner where he’s standing has a death trap too. Lines usually get snagged here…

#3: Avoiding ‘death traps’ is key! Prevent fish from escaping or the line from snapping…

I’ve circled the wooden platform and the ‘structure’ you’ll find in the middle of ponds. If fish you’ve already got hooked swim under that platform in a desperate bid to escape, you can almost say goodbye to this catch already. He even broke a rod when that happened and had to pay the $10 penalty.

As for me, another fish I’d almost gotten swam round the circular structure in the middle of another pond and bye bye… I should have released my hold on the rod.

I don’t know why but that circular structure in the middle of ponds gets fishing hooks stuck to it… and it’s almost impossible to release. So make sure you avoid it.

#4: Movement

I watched an ‘uncle’ fishing and noticed he dragged the line across the pond in a sort of ‘darting’ fashion, the way I’ve seen small fish move. I guess it makes the bait seem ‘alive’ and prompts the big fish to snap at it. Anyway, this technique appeared to really work for me. The bigger fish on this trip were caught by me but, of course, with his help as I’ll share in the next point…

#5: Teamwork

It’s best to work as a tag team. One person gets the fish hooked and brings it close to the surface, while the other person helps pull the line (and fish) out of the water. There are very few people (I’ve seen) who can do both tasks themselves and get the fish out successfully.

~

Seafood prices tend to go up when CNY is approaching so it made a lot of sense to head out and catch our own prawns and fish.

Just saw a post shared on Facebook that originated from a Facebook user, ‘Ken Lee’, who alleges that a younger person snatched a seat that his 62-year-old father wanted to take on a Joo Koon-bound train. And there’s a picture of a slim-built young man in a blue long-sleeved top apparently asleep in the reserved seat, clutching a backpack. And sure enough, other Facebook users were quick to pass judgement on this person in the photo, with choice words like “asshole”, “disabled”, “stupid”, etc.

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKenLee999%2Fposts%2F10157308045134578&width=500

Only 1 person tried to be the voice of reason and ask:

“Where is the video of him confronting ur dad? Would like to see and judge. Base on this picture cannot judge what u said is true. U mentioned 62 yo is nt old either and those seats are reserved for disabled, pregnant, old people with walking stick and Mother carrying babies. Yr dad obviously doesn’t fit those bills. Again, I don’t understand why people (incl the man and yr dad) cannot even stand for a 30mins ride in a aircon train? If cannot tahan, better stay at home.”

It’s easy to get upset when we read such stories of younger people apparently snatching seats from their elders. It reeks of disrespect. Yet there has been no fact-checking and no corroboration of accounts. Is there a credible witness who can confirm that such a thing happened? Or better still, was there a video clip of the incident?

And this account was not even posted by the older Mr Lee, who was supposedly the victim of a snatch-and-snooze on the MRT train. It was posted by his son, who was not even at the scene.

So before we get upset and start a witch-hunt for this guy, it’s better to just sit back and chill first.

What do you imagine a 62-year-old man looks like? Is he frail? Or is he even fitter than men half his age? Let’s not be so quick to judge a person we’ve not even met. As for the guy in the photo? Well, it’d be good to hear his side of the story (if he was not actually asleep at that time).

And it appears that even though the 62-year-old Mr Lee did not sustain any injuries after the young man allegedly ‘bumped him out of the way’, Mr Lee decided to take a picture of the man in the reserved seat. For what purpose? What did seniors do in the past before there were handphones? Did they get someone to draw a portrait of the offender and stick those ‘posters’ all over the kampongs? (Ok, it’s a joke. But you get the idea, ya? ;))

Having reserved seats on the trains does not mean seniors are entitled to seats all of the time. We do each make a judgement call (however arbitrary) according to the circumstances. For instance, if a healthy-looking senior is seated on a reserved seat in a packed train, reading a newspaper, and a heavily pregnant woman carrying multiple bags boards the train and walks toward the senior, should the latter give up the seat to the pregnant lady? Who needs the seat more? If you’re seated next to the senior, would you ask him to give up his seat? And if the pregnant lady gets the seat, and a young man hobbles onto the train with the aid of crutches (looking like he recently got into an accident), should the pregnant woman stand up and offer the injured fella the seat then?

I guess we can only say our society is a gracious one the day that seniors and pregnant women and mobility-challenged folks enter train cabins and immediately, people who were actually seated all rise and offer their seats to these folks who need them more. And we can take off those silly “Reserved Seating” stickers.

Instead of promoting graciousness, we’re breeding a certain sense of entitlement. There are seniors who do not join the queue at the MRT platforms, and instead waltz their way into the cabins when the train doors open. Should the young queue-abiding commuters take pictures of the seniors and post them on social media? Of course not. We just live and let live.

Also, some parents believe (erroneously or not) that young children deserve to take those reserved seats. I’ve seen kids in the reserved seats, with parents beside them, and I wonder why they deserve those seats? Some are certainly too young to have to pay the train fare so they are riding for free, and most of them are definitely not disabled. So why do parents not seat young children on laps, and leave the reserved seats for other commuters? What should we do upon witnessing such a sight? Take a photo and post it on Facebook?

*sigh*

I’ve been loving STEM projects recently. And it all started with the Micro:bit, then I moved on to the drones, the robot, and finally, it’s the 3D doodling pen now! It was my first attempt at making my own phone case and I tried to make it a Hello Kitty one. With the time constraints, it certainly was no easy task. But one certainly feels a sense of accomplishment at the end. And if you’ve never seen one of those 3D doodling pens before, here’s what it looks like:

You insert the “filament” (which looks like thin plastic wiring) from the top, and it comes out from the tip like ink you can use to draw based on your design. In a matter of minutes, you can create any object you’d like. And when it cools and solidifies (which happens quickly), tah-dah!

It’s fun, intuitive and relatively inexpensive, I’d say. You can get one of these pens online for S$40 or less. And the filament can be purchased (in bulk) from SKP in a variety of colors.

You’ll be able to make your own toys, spectacles, gifts, etc. But I won’t recommend letting kids under the age of, say, 9 play with this as the tip of the pen can get pretty hot.

“You can never tell a book by its cover” is especially true in this instance. I thought the cover of this particular book – ‘Promise Me, Dad’ by Joe Biden’ – looked boring but the contents made me cry on the flight back to Singapore (thankfully, no one noticed). I’m glad the former Vice President of the United States wrote this book as it provides an insight into his life, what working with Barack Obama is like, and how you can keep on pressing on even when disaster strikes twice.

Joe lost his wife and 18-month-old daughter in a car accident but his two sons survived. Things seemed to take a turn for the better when he married Jill and had a daughter with her. Then his eldest son, Beau (who has children of his own, and who aims to be the future President of USA) gets brain cancer and succumbs to it. And through it all, the VP has to deal with issues of national global importance, like the Ukraine crisis and ISIL.

Read this book and find out:

1. What it’s like being the VP of USA and having the “nuclear football” within your reach – “you can launch a nuclear strike on almost any target on the planet”. And the privileges like traveling via Air Force Two, how you can “convince almost any doctor or medical researcher in the country” to take your call, and how your children and grandchildren can travel the globe with you, learning what school does not (and cannot) teach.
2. What Barack Obama did when Joe said he’ll take out a second mortgage on his property should Beau no longer be able to work. And why the President was “in tears” during one of the meetings with Joe.
3. What occurred during Joe’s meetings with Hillary Clinton and with Putin.
4. How life comes full circle and how empathy extended to one person in his/her grief comes right back to you.
5. How having a PURPOSE helped Joe survive the hardships in Life…

& a whole lot more.

~

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I believe you will, too. I cannot begin to imagine how painful it was for Joe to write this (it must have ripped open many wounds) yet he’d made a ‘Biden family’ promise to Beau that he’d be all right even after his son’s death, so this book proves he’s made good on that promise, apart from the work he’s doing with the Biden Foundation. A must-read for anyone dealing with loss or anyone who wants to know how to help someone in their time of grief.

“Grief is a process that respects no schedule and no timetable.” – Joe Biden

I popped by Toys “R” Us’ warehouse sale this morning as I’ve never been to one of these toy sales before and wanted to know just how much cheaper things can get. Some folks went just for the LEGO sets, STAR WARS merchandise and toy cars, trains and trucks. But I went there just to see if anything would catch my eye and I’d get them either for myself or as gifts. In the picture above, that’s a set of Minions “Plush Buddies” I picked up for just $5, and that’s not even the cheapest item in the warehouse!

This next pic might blow your mind… The pink tutu skirt and nine other accessories for girls cost a TOTAL of ONE DOLLAR. Yes, each item costs just 10 Singapore cents. Crazy, I tell you. Some parents went all out and got 10 of those skirts – which makes one wonder why they / their kids need so many. LOL.

And this THUNDERBIRDS playset for boys? It’s pretty big – there’s my 1-litre Nalgene bottle for a comparison. And it costs just $5 at the sale. The usual price is something like $34. Who did I get this for?! I have no idea! I simply thought it was too good a deal to miss. *sigh*

And the giant roses people usually get for Teacher’s Day or Mother’s Day or whatnot? Well… 2 for one dollar. Madness. Kendama’s at two bucks. <- I will finally attempt to play with one and hope I don’t take out a tooth or two.

And these kids’ toys? 5 pieces for a dollar. Insane. I’m fast running out of synonyms for this madness. If I didn’t already see pictures of the items on sale and their pricetags beforehand, I might end up pinching myself in the warehouse when faced with these low, low prices. Gosh.

The cabinet and drawer latches cost a dollar too and the dancing minion… $2.

~

I think most of the really good bargains would have been snapped up by lunchtime today even though the sale will continue this weekend. Perhaps the warehouse will get restocked… I wouldn’t know.

If you’re heading there, the address is Tan Boon Liat Building at 315 Outram Road, #13-08. It’ll be open 9am to 5pm so it’s best to head there early tomorrow morning. The warehouse can get a little warm, especially with the crowd, so try not to bring babies and young children if you can.

Despite the 3 cashier counters available, the queue for payment remained long, as everyone was buying so much! Prepare to spend at least 2 hours here shopping and queuing to make payment.

*Baby not included.

Hello Kitty items get me weak in the knees and if not for the fact that the Singapore Airlines Hello Kitty pouch was not available on the SilkAir flights I was on, I’d certainly have brought one home. Flipping through the super-thick catalogue, I found a couple of items that are oh-so-cute, and I’ve shortlisted my Top 5 right here…

*all pictures from krisshopair.com*

#1: Singapore Airlines Hello Kitty Pouch $39

The pouch even comes with SIA’s signature batik print inside! And it only costs $39. BUY!

#2: MONOPOLY – Singapore Airlines Edition $65

BESIDES the dreaded “GO TO JAIL”, you’ll certainly not want to land on “Fuel Tax” and “Airport Tax” in the Singapore Airlines version of our all-time favorite game of MONOPOLY.

#3: SilkAir Pilot Baby Romper $30

The romper is too cute! There’s even a Stewardess version. Now I just need to find me a cute baby…

#4: SIA Mahjong Set $288

A Hello Kitty mahjong set would be really cute too, but a Singapore Airlines one is just way cooler.

#5: SilkAir Hello Kitty $39

I’m already the proud owner of the Singapore Airlines Hello Kitty plush (both the new and the retro version), so I really had to resist getting the SilkAir one too. I’m fast running out of space to store my Hello Kitty plushies at home, and I’m out of excuses as to why I need one more plush toy when I already own so many. (>_<)

~

If you won’t be flying soon, you can also get these items online at krisshopair.com. *delivery charges apply

According to the in-flight magazine, SilkAir flies to 52 cities (and counting!) and serves over 300,000 meals on board every month. So, do the SilkAir inflight meals taste good? And what about the overall cabin experience, and the service from the cabin crew? Is SilkAir the “poorer cousin of Singapore Airlines” like someone commented to me recently? That’s what I tried to find out when we flew to Cebu on SilkAir.

BREAKFAST:

It was either scrambled eggs with chicken sausage and potatoes OR minced chicken with rice. Definitely go for the former option. I found there was too little minced chicken on too much rice, and it wasn’t very tasty either. Add some chopped up chili padi maybe? I actually missed chili sauce a lot while I was in the Philippines.

LUNCH:

We were told to choose between “chicken with rice or fish with potatoes”. He wanted fish (and I wanted fish too) so I went with the chicken. And he regretted his decision while I was like “wow, green curry!!!” The chicken with rice was MUCH better than the fish, which tasted like it was from a lousy caterer PLUS it was left to sit around till it got soggy. But the potatoes were good – it’s hard to go wrong with potatoes, really.

As usual, their bread and butter pleased him. And I really liked the sliced fruit – peaches and watermelon. Yum!

And besides the usual “coffee, tea or juice for you?”, there’s also the option (which the cabin crew don’t really tell you about) of wine, beer, and even vodka orange!

This is totally his. I don’t drink on flights. It’ll totally make sense to you if you encounter an emergency evacuation…

~

As for the seats, I really don’t see any difference between these seats on SilkAir versus those on budget airlines. There’s also not much space for stuffing (slightly bulky) bags under the seat in front.

You can access the SilkAir inflight entertainment system via your own mobile phone or tablet but you will have to download their app. Too troublesome. I read the book I had with me – Joe Biden’s ‘Promise Me, Dad’ – and we also got to watch some cartoons, American Ninja Warrior and some funny videos.

No sound required as the images speak a thousand words:

~

Service was kinda bad on the flight to Cebu. A stewardess spilled some hot liquid on my arm (and disappeared without apologizing) and later dropped a pair of bread tongs on the guy seated in front of me. *sigh* The butter on the flight is good but the butter fingers are not appreciated. Then since we were seated at the back of the plane, even with the curtain drawn, we could hear the gossip going on… some bitching about passengers on another flight. Tsk tsk. I’m pretty sure this wouldn’t happen on a Singapore Airlines flight. So that comment about “poorer cousin” and all, I think there’s some truth in there somewhere.

The funniest thing happened on the flight back to Singapore, though. There was a couple seated in front of us and one of them had apparently ordered a cake to be served during the flight because the other person was celebrating a birthday. But the clueless flight attendant actually came over AND ASKED them if they had placed an order for cake before serving anything. Bam! Surprise gone. And some time after that, the stewardess came over and asked us to complete a survey, and gave us a pack of SilkAir playing cards as an incentive for doing that survey. THEN, get this… she gave the cake to the person in front, and presented them a similar pack of playing cards as a ‘birthday gift’ from the crew, and then asked them to fill out the same survey form! I was so amused. (Yay! I got a birthday gift too… eight months early!)

I’m not sure what cabin crew life is like. Probably it’s really stressful and there might be a need to vent and release some of that pent-up frustration but that chatter should never reach the ears of passengers. I’m not sure if I’ll be flying with SilkAir again soon, but I’d most certainly like to get on a Singapore Airlines flight – there, I’m really made to feel at home without the risk of hot water spills and flying bread tongs. And definitely no bitching. Cheers to that.

I didn’t even know there’s a place in Singapore where you can go to for customized notebooks that are wallet-friendly till I won some vouchers recently. So I told my sis that we’re gonna go get some customized notebooks and her initial response was “the paper kind of notebook or the… laptop?” and I laughed. I guess that’s what happens when such a question is posed to a millennial. At Bynd Artisan, you can get a notebook for just $35 – pick out the materials and the colors you like and the ‘master craftsmen’ will put them all together for you.

Pick an add-on like the elastic bands or flaps…

Covers: lots of colors and textures to choose from too…

I was really tempted by this light blue weave-like texture. I think it’d look perfect with a slightly darker blue elastic band. But eventually, I picked a black cover with a slight shimmer to it, had my name stamped on in rose gold, and I threw in a hot pink elastic band. Such a crazy color combination but I LOVE IT! Muahaha!

One of Bynd Artisan’s staff, Danz (what a cool name), helped take our order for the notebooks. She’s a very sweet lady and so patient. Also, I went around the store taking photos with my compact camera and strangely enough, no one seemed to care. When I got home, I read a few online interviews and found out that the bosses know how important it is to allow customers to take photos so they can spread the word about the business. And the (older) staff have been (re)trained so they now know that it’s perfectly ok for people to take pictures within the shop. That’s really smart. *Until recently, Daiso did not allow people to take photos within their stores so folks had to secretly snap pictures and then post in online forums to share about the wonderful products Daiso carries. But now, Daiso has put up signs welcoming shoppers to take pictures! I really hope more businesses start allowing photo-taking because hey, it’s free marketing and word-of-mouth marketing is really the best?

~

I think $35 is a really good price point for such a product. If it’s $45, for example, I might choose to get a limited edition Moleskine notebook instead. But for $35 and the fun of choosing the materials and design, it’s worth it.

Also, while my sis chose lined paper for her notebook, I picked the weekly schedule one. And I was told that once 2018 is over, I can bring the notebook back and have the paper replaced with the ones for 2019… for something like $10 only? Brilliant!

~

We visited the Bynd Artisan outlet at Raffles City, #03-24. The other outlets are at Holland Village and Takashimaya. The staff take only about 20 minutes to put together the notebooks so you can even pop by during your lunch break!

After a long day at Our Tampines Hub, we had dinner at The PiZZERi人N (yes that’s actually how they spell the word) and it was a gamble that paid off. There was just one other table that was occupied, and we’d never eaten here before nor read any reviews about this pizza place. BUT there was a Fave voucher available so we shared a 14-inch pizza + 2 sides + 2 drinks for $29.90 (before any rebates or promo codes used). The staff were kind enough to allow us our choice of the Hawaiian pizza even though it’s not on the list of pizza options for Fave users. [Hence, free blogpost, yo! :D] And that steaming hot pizza that came fresh out of the oven was very tasty! And the equally hot nuggets were really awesome (best nuggets ever, actually). <- I was thinking about asking where they’d bought their nuggets from, but decided against it ‘cos they might not want to share trade secrets, which would be perfectly understandable.

Totally famished, I forgot to take a picture of the 6 nuggets. So here’s a half-bitten one dripping in chili sauce:

The nuggets are golden and crispy on the outside, and juicy within! That’s totally not what you expect from nuggets that very likely just came out of a freezer not too long ago. Next time I’m in Tampines and craving for something deep-fried, I’m heading here for nuggets. And maybe pizza too if I’m up for a 14-inch pizza.

And if you haven’t stopped to wonder why I’d order an entire pizza even if I’m dining alone… here’s why, actually: Once you’ve tasted pizza that’s fresh out of the oven, you really cannot go back to eating pizza sold by the slice and that has been sitting in the display case for a while. <- That’s cold and unappealing. So just order a whole pizza, get it prepared on the spot just for you, and take the remainder home (whatever you cannot finish) and heat it up for your next meal.

The salad’s so-so, and drinks are served chilled but without ice:

It was quite an experience, sitting here feasting on our monster-sized pizza while watching a huge group of ladies dance their butts off in the overcrowded Zumba class opposite us. Muahaha!

~

The Pizzerian has two outlets: Tampines Hub (#B1-K3) and POMO (#01-22).