The Wonders of Online Shopping as a Stay-At-Home Mummy

As a newly minted Stay-At-Home Mummy, my past 9 months journey to motherhood has been an exciting and challenging one. I would say support from HIM has been the most important element to my daily survival against the unknown (including alot of unsolicited advice from alot of people)!

There are moments when I would just burst out in a rage but HE would just dodge all these 'bullets' and continue on with his parental duties (changing the little one for bed, tending to the night feeds, doing the baby laundry etc). Most importantly, his willingness to keep the little one entertained while I attend to my duties as an Exclusively Pumping mummy.

Both iHerb and Qoo10 have became my favourite online shopping haunts. So far, I have tried hard to resist the lures of Taobao although there are so many items in my cart waiting to be checked out. I love online shopping as I can shop anywhere anytime (when expressing out milk... when the little one is finally napping... when pooing... oops!), make payment using HIS credit card (whenever I can justify the purchase) and wait for delivery.  Don't have to squeeze with the crowd while baby-wearing the little one plus carrying a humongous diaper bag.

Every ding-dong of the doorbell makes me so excited (except when it wakes up the little one from her nap)!

Here are some of my favourite buys from iHerb:

1) Baby Puffs

- Her favourite snacks are the Happy Yogis ones (the round one in the image below). The star-shaped one is from Plum Organics and the doughnut-shaped one is from Happy Puffs.

- We usually prepack a mixture of these snacks before we head out even on short trips as they are practically our life savers. 

Grumpy little one on car trips, pop one into her mouth...

Fussy little one when we are eating, pop one into her mouth...    

- These snacks helps in training the little one's pincer grasp which is an important part of the fine motor skills development. It is also very entertaining to see how 'determined' and yet how 'frustrated' the little one gets in her eagerness to consume these snacks.

- We have tried tasting these snacks and both the Plum Organics and Happy Puffs ones are quite tasteless. The Happy Yogis ones are really yummy!   

2) Munchkin stuff

- Bought their Formula Dispenser and Small Snacks Container Combo, Snack Catchers and Soft-tip Safety Baby Spoons. So much cheaper than the ones sold in Singapore.

3) Essential oils

- There are quite a number of people using Young Living essential oils but so far, I am quite happy with my hoard of 'budget pricing' essential oils. 

- I diffused a mixture of Eucalyptus and Lavender essential oils when the little one was down with high fever and phlegmy cough. It seems to help in improving the quality of her sleep.

Source: healthyfoodsandmore.com

** For 1st time customers on iHerb.com, you can use this discount code VTN247 to enjoy $10 off your first iHerb order of $40 or more! **

As for Qoo10, we are constantly on the lookout if our favourite Jeju wet wipes (800 pcs for less than S$20 with free delivery) and Bosomi cotton diapers (less than S$0.30/pc of M size diaper) happened to be on sale. For our little one with slightly sensitive skin, these 2 items are working out well so far.

Each piece of wet wipe is slightly bigger than palm size and it is wet enough to clean off messy poo. There is also no weird smell as compared to the Pigeon wet wipes which we have 'downgraded' to wiping our hamster cages. 

As for the Bosomi diapers, they are quite absorbent and the back of the diapers is high enough to contain any explosive poo. Even though the absorbent layer is made of cotton, each piece of diaper is quite thin, comparable to the thickness of a Merries diaper. We alternate this diaper together with the Merries ones.    

Playmat

Now that the little one is almost 2 months old, I have been deliberating if it is time to get a playmat.

Her kicks are so strong that she can easily shift her position from the bottom of the changing mat to the top of the changing mat.

Her neck is also less floppy these days.

Rather worried about the time where she starts to flip / crawl...

Started off looking at Parklon bumper playmat / LG Prime playmat / Dwinguler playmat and was pretty 'amazed' by the prices.

No doubt the quality is there but I just need some time to convince myself...

*stingy mother *

Source: http://www.blogshopcity.com

While surfing the net, I came across this classical looking playmat with just a few primary colours.

The screenshot below does not really do it justice!

Actual colours should be much more vibrant. 

Source: http://www.qoo10.sg/

After considering the following factors, I decided to go ahead with the purchase!

1) Playmat is made in Korea

2) Much thicker (4 cm) than Parklon bumper playmat / LG Prime playmat / Dwinguler playmat (maximum thickness of 1.5 cm)

3) Prefer a playmat that can be folded for keeping rather than having to roll it up

4) Love the simple design

5) Easy to clean as compare to other playmats with uneven surfaces/tiny grooves

6) Much cheaper (S$110+) compared to other playmats (S$200+)

7) Dimensions of 1400 mm by 2000 mm is just nice for the future play area in the baby room/living room

Looking forward to receiving the duplo 4 pcs folding mat and more tummy time ahead!

Updated: Pleased with the mat and it has served its purpose well. We have used it as a 'fence', mattress, playmat etc. Well cushioned but a tad hard for a full night sleep. Would recommend that you place an additional 'softer' topper on top of it.

Mummamia Confinement Essentials

Will be receiving some confinement essentials from Mummamia Confinement for trial usage. They consist of pre-packed confinement herbs, herbal bath and mammgation-duce capsules. Not too sure why HE was so amused by this news. I was pretty excited as these items will definitely come in useful during my confinement.

Mummamia Confinement which is an online-based confinement needs one stop service, provides Post Natal products and services to new era mummies. With their “Confinement Made Easy”, mummies can better manage their confinement without much hassle. More information can be found at www.mummamia.sg.

First item in the package is the Ban Kah Chai Confinement Herbal Bath (Mom Series) (万家济妈妈沐浴药材). It mainly help mummies to expel wind, improve blood circulation and reduce after-birth pain. Generally, the mummy should feel more comfortable after bathing. The main Ingredients include: 

- Bu Jin Zi: warming "meridian" and dispelling cold

- Balsamiferou Blumea Herb (Da Feng Ai): dispelling cold, regulates "meridian", stops bleeding and relieves pain

- Lemongrass: dispelling wind, reducing oedema

Source: http://www.mummamia.sg

Second item is the 5 days Pre-packed Confinement Herbs (坐月药材汤). These herbs are professionally prescribed by TCM Physician and focus on 5 main confinement recovery stages, namely: Expel, Remove, Rejuvenate, Recuperate and Tonify.

Day 1:Nourish “Qi” & Tonify Yin

Day 2: Strengthening Spleen & Kidney

Day 3: Boosting Milk Supply and dissipate stasis

Day 4: Rejuvenate “Qi” & Blood

Day 5: Invigorate kidney and Reduce Water Retention

Source: http://www.mummamia.sg

Last item in the package is the Mammgation-Duce Capsule (通乳丸). It promotes blood circulations, remove blood stasis and maintain healthy internal secretion of mammary gland to enhance lactation. The last aspect is somehow similar to the fenugreek supplements which I had already bought in preparation for my breastfeeding journey. It is not recommended for pregnant women and women during menstruation.

Source: http://www.mummamia.sg

Review of Armaggeddon AlienCraft G11 and Alien G9

Both of us are using Armaggeddon mice. 

His is AlienCraft G11 (refer to 1st image below) while mine is the lower end model Alien G9 (refer to 2nd image below).

Source: http://armaggeddon.net/

Source: http://www.act.com.kh

They are not exactly cheap. I think AlienCraft G11 was around S$100+ and Alien G9 was around S$70.

A few days back, HE realised AlienCraft G11 was acting cranky. The left mouse click button which is also the most commonly used button will self activate, creating chaos on his desktop. Based on the details provided on the underside of the mouse, the warranty is supposed to be valid till June 2014. 

I sent an email to fellowship@armaggeddon.net yesterday night. To-date, there is no response, not even the auto generated system email kind of reply. Anyway, I know very well that I have too high expectations of their turnaround time. 

Decided to do a search online to see where their service centre was located (1 Kallang Sector #03-05 - operating hours: 0930 hrs to 1830 hrs for weekdays and 0930 hrs to 1300 hrs on Saturdays) since no such information was provided on their website. Ironically, there was a lot of information on where their products can be bought in Singapore. I could see where the main focus of this Singaporean brand is on. Their 'Contact' page is also not working on my Chrome. Imagine filling up all the information and yet these data cannot be resent out. Service is clearly not high on their priority list...

 Decided to visit their Facebook page and dropped them a personal message. Shall monitor how long it will take for them to respond. I got this strong feeling I will not be getting any response, looking at how their own forum is being managed by the administrator. This scenerio is highly similarly to my Clarisonic Mia episode where it spoilt just after my warranty period was over and I did not even really use it much! 

Basically, the response by Clarisonic was equivalent to a non response. Another long story and I have decided not to waste any more money on this brand! Buy Clarisonic products at your own risk especially if you are buying overseas and shipping in to Singapore.

Still hopeful that there will be a response from Armaggeddon soon...

** Updated **

I have just called their Singapore hotline at 6547 1611 and was informed that I can just bring down my faulty mouse for them to take a look. Have also updated the operating hours above. Hope it helps!

Just to add on, the guy on the phone still dare to comment how come I don't know the location of the service centre but I know the contact number of their company. *Tsk tsk

Perhaps a visit to their company website should be a compulsory part of their orientation programme. Who would know the location of the distributor is also the service centre...

DISTRIBUTOR: Leapfrog Distribution Pte Ltd

1 Kallang Sector #03-05, Singapore 349276

Tel: (65) 6547 1611 | Fax: (65) 6547 1711

Sorry for being mean here but this small event has wasted an entire afternoon of mine and I am not feeling very gracious at the moment.

Review of water air purifier purchase from Pure Essentials/Wil Essentials (Wan Shon Trading P/L)

With the Sumatra haze, I placed an order from water air purifier with ioniser from Pure Essentials/Wil Essentials (Wan Shon Trading P/L) via Qoo10 on 19 June 2012.

Source: qoo10.sg

The status of the item remained as 'Shipping Estimated 20 June 2013' from 20 June 2013 to 22 June 2013 and I decided to email them twice on 21 June 2013 with no response. Found their office number after going through pages of user reviews and decided to give them a call on 22 June 2013. Called so many times before someone finally answered and I was informed that I can do a self collection instead. His explanation of the delay is due to their deliverymen falling sick due to the haze (understandable). I was also assured that it will not be a wasted trip (note that my item was not even packed then despite my order was placed on 19 June 2013).

Made a trip down on the same day and finally collected my water air purifier with ioniser with 2 free 30 ml essences. I also received a refund of S$3 for the delivery fees.

After this experience, I guess I will not be making any more purchases from them. No doubt there are many glowing reviews from many customers but there are also numerous customers like me who did not really have a pleasant shopping experience. I noticed from "User Reviews" of other products (that they are also selling) that there are buyers who placed orders on 19 June 2013 and yet received their items on 21 June 2013. Why is there this disparity in service level?

Somehow I get this feeling that I was being 'smoked'...

On a separate note, the water air purifier seems to be working condition. However, I forgot to ask about the warranty =< 

The Haze is Back!

Cant even see beyond the boundaries of Ang Mo Kio =(
Luckily I have not smell anything yet... But odourless does not mean it is not 'poisonous'!

The Haze in Ang Mo Kio!

My iHerb essential oils have arrived late last week (super fast shipping by DHL) and I plan to create various 'concoctions' (for external use only) including the Thieves Oil which is supposed to be effectively kill airborne bacteria and can help prevent the spread of germs.

Source: healthyfoodsandmore.com

In case you are interested, you can check out Easy Aromatherapy Recipes and Essential Oils Recipes to know more about the benefits aromatherapy can bring to a person as well as the household.

In the event that you got 'hooked' on aromatherapy after reading the above links and would like to get started on experiencing the benefits first hand, I would highly recommend getting the essential oils from iHerb. There is a wide range available with user reviews as well as fast and dependable shipping. iHerb does not stinge on packaging. My 10 bottles of 30 ml essential oils were packed standing in 2 cardboard boxes and sealed before placing into another big cardboard box (labelled as Fragile) with the rest of my items. 

For 1st time customers on iHerb, you can use this discount code VTN247 to enjoy $10 off your first iHerb order of $40 or more! 

Alternatively, you can also use the same discount code VTN247 to enjoy $5 off if your first iHerb order is less than $40!

Fanco LED light kit - Review

As a follow-up on my previous blog review on Fanco FF9, I have decided to do a short commentary on the Fanco LED light kit attached.

Somehow I felt that the brightness offered by Fanco LED light kit is not as good as the conventional lighting for my tiny sofa area. No doubt each LED light can be tilted to shine at a certain angle and the coverage is still weaker compared to the previous light installation below.

Source: lighting.com.sg

Interested buyers might wish to take note of this if you are intending to use Fanco LED light kit as the main light source for a large area.  

Guide on shopping from Qoo10

Have bought a number of items from Qoo10 previously and the following are some of the things that I do as well as take note before following through on my purchase.

Source: Qoo10

1. Keep a lookout on the items listed on 'Hot Deals' and 'Weekly Specials' to hunt for any great deals. Additional items on promotion are also listed on 'Today's Sale', 'Deal Plus', 'Group Buy' etc but they are also accessible if you have an account with Qoo10 (refer to point 5 below for additional advantages of creating an account with Qoo10). My main aim of shopping at Qoo10 is to look for cheap yet value for money buys!

 'Hot Deals' and 'Weekly Specials'

'Today's Sale', 'Deal Plus', 'Group Buy' only accessible if you have an account with Qoo10 

2. Do a search on Qoo10 website to check if there are other sellers selling the same item that I am interested in. Thereafter, I will do a price comparison.

3. Pay great attention to user reviews and seller's response to questions posted by interested buyers. All these information is a direct reflection on the quality of service and goods provided by the seller. I would not want to purchase from someone whose items do not meet customers' expectation (bad reviews) or does not make an effort to answer queries. Generally, such sellers will not provide good after sale services when necessary, for instance: when a buyer request for an update on status of item which he/she has not received after weeks of wait. No doubt Qoo10 can act as a middleman in such situations, it is best to prevent such instances. I tend not to buy from sellers with < 5 reviews just to be on the safe side.

4. Create an account with Qoo10 and check in at the Lucky Lounge daily to collect a stamp and spin the  RouletteQ. The first 10 stamps collected will entitle me to a $1 cart coupon (valid for purchases over S$20) and so on. These cart coupons can be used to offset against the final value of my purchases which is an additional bonus over and on top of any item discount (if applicable).

Qoo10's RouletteQ

You may wish to consider the above pointers when shopping at Qoo10. Happy shopping!

1st time shopping on iHerb - iHerb discount code VTN247

Just placed my order for a lot of items on iHerb.com after doing research for around 1 week. *Tiring*

Ordered essential oils, apple cider vinegar, organic raw honey, gravy mix, soup mix, coconut flour, Simply Organic spices, cocoa powder etc which weigh a whopping 11+ kg.

HE almost fainted when he caught a glimpse of my long check-out list. *Oops* 

I like the fact that the items can be mailed directly to Singapore instead of having to engage the service of another agent. My past experience of using vPOST was very bad. They were not able to repack the items and I had to pay a bomb for the shipping fee from USA to Singapore.

Looking forward to receiving my parcel and hopefully everything turns out to be good =>

For 1st time customers on iHerb.com, you can use this discount code VTN247 to enjoy $10 off your first iHerb order of $40 or more! Hope you have a great time shopping at iHerb!

Source: iHerb.com

Dehumidifier - To buy or not to buy?

Ever since we shifted in to Park Central, we have been in this dilemma of whether to get a dehumidifier or not. As the master bedroom toilet and the wardrobe share a common wall, the humidity level in the wardrobe is rather high =< I really hate the musty smell that our clothing tends to get after a while. 

The same goes for other areas in the unit, like the storeroom etc. Have heard various theories that humidity in Ang Mo Kio is rather high as we are near to various water catchment areas like Lower Pierce Reservoir etc.   

Source: gothere.sg

However, I suspect it has more to do with the layout of the unit. There are so many openings to the unit. The amount of dust that accumulate in the unit per day is amazing especially with my 'open door' policy. I love having fresh air and lots of sunlight in my living environment.

Unit layout

Have previously tried dehumidifiers from Daiso which filled up in less than a month (capacity was around 300 ml at S$1 each - 2 pcs in a pack). 

Dehumidifier from Daiso

Currently using Fairprice Water Jumbo Dehumidifier (600 ml capacity at around S$1.50 each). Similarly, the container is around 25% filled in around 2 weeks.

Fairprice Water Jumbo Dehumidifier

The operating costs of dehumidifying the master bedroom and other areas in the unit is getting rather high. We went to various electronic stores to take a look at the dehumidifier models available in the market and were quite shocked at the prices (cheapest model was Novita ND290I at S$469). Decided to take my search online and happened to come across these 4 dehumidifiers listed on Qoo10:

Source: Qoo10.sg

Option 1. ETD-250
- Smallest sized model out of the 4
- Suitable for 10 sq m space
- 1 button to operate
- Most likely made in China
- Size: 21.8 cm (height) x 14.6 cm (width) x 13 cm (depth)
- Capacity: 500 ml
- Price: $79.90 + $9 (shipping)

2. Dehumidifier + Fan
- Like the dual function option 
- Made in Korea
- Size: 41.3 cm (height) x 28.8 cm (width) x 21.6 cm (depth)
- Capacity: Not listed (but should not be more than 500 ml) 
- Price: $120.00 + $23 (shipping - too expensive)

3. Morning Up MU-898 Mini Dehumidifier
- Made in China
- Size: 22.3 cm (height) x 14.6 cm (width) x 13.5 cm (depth)
- Capacity: 600 ml
- Price: $79.00 (free shipping)

4. Olee Petite EF 881
- Most pocket friendly and functional option
- Suitable for 20 sq m space.
- Made in China
- Size: 30.9 cm (height) x 19.4 cm (width) x 13.5 cm (depth)
- Price: $109.00 + $5 (shipping)

Did not manage to find much user reviews though. Do let me know if you have any recommendations =>

DIY Mini Herb Garden

Have been thinking about having a tiny herb garden by the kitchen yard even though I don't seem to have any green fingers =<

Have killed 1 pot of lemon balm previously but the thought of having fresh herbs at my disposal is rather tempting. Not too sure if anyone has encountered the same situation where you only need a small amount of herbs but the quantity sold is always much more than what you need. No doubt you can freeze the herbs and save it for future usage but I find it a hassle especially with the limited fridge size.

HIS only concern is whether these plants will attract any insects. That is also one of my concern. I tend to run at the first sight of any crawly/flying creatures while screaming for enforcement (HIM). But the thought of having a tiny herb garden is just too tempting.

Source: http://www.home-dzine.co.za/garden/garden-herb-garden.htm

 I love the above idea which is made entirely from recycled material. Herbs are kept neatly with clear labels and the entire setup can be easily transported to other corners of the house as when required.

Bought some seeds from Horti Flora which is stocked at NTUC Fairprice. Decided to make full use of these toy capsules which have tiny holes at the bottom as part of my basic germination kit. Have also placed trimmed pieces of filter bags at the bottom of the toy capsules which will prevent soil from falling out. I am trying to germinate the seeds (consisting of wheat grass, lemon balm and sage) by spreading them on wet cotton wool. The wheat grass is meant for my hamsters which are really fond of vegetables.

Wish me luck!

Do share with me if you have any ideas for tiny herb garden in high rise apartments.

Restarting The Lemonade Diet

Have tried this diet previously before the BIG DAY and it was quite effective.

Was able to achieve a smaller waist line and felt more alert/energetic as a result.

As quoted in Stanley Burrough's book (inventor of the Lemonade Diet), the following ingredients are required: 

2 (tbs). of lemon or lime

2 (tbs). of genuine maple syrup

1/10 tsp cayenne pepper

10 oz. water (hot or cold as preferred)

More information can be found here.

Have lost the previous recipe copied off the net but basically the version I used was a diluted one in the sense that I added water to the mixture whenever I felt that it was too concentrated. My rationale was that since water is allowed to be consumed together with this mixture, it did not seem to matter how much water I have added to it.

Have been feeling sluggish/lazy/irritable using the past few weeks (must be from the numerous fast food deliveries and countless scrumptious roti prata from the 24 hours prata shop downstairs at Ang Mo Kio St 52)  and decided it is time to restart this diet.

Pure Maple Syrup, Cayenne Pepper, Lemons in NTUC style

Have bought the above items yesterday and will be starting the diet this afternoon. As per my previous attempt, I will cut out fried stuff from my diet during this period but I will be having my meals as per normal and will not be surviving solely on this diet. No doubt this will result in much slower results but I am happy with the results so far. 

One thing to note is that you will be needing the toilet quite frequently especially at the start of this diet so it is advised to start during a weekend.

Hope that I will be back to the energetic me soon with less headaches/body aches etc.

Tokebi Hand Blender - Review

There are actually quite a number of blenders available in the market, ranging from S$40+ to S$200+. 

Source: courts.com.sg

Being a noob cook, I was looking for a mid-range hand held blender cum mixer for my cooking experiments. Did research for months before deciding on Tokebi  Hand Blender listed on Qoo 10. Item was sent out from Korea and shipping took around one week. Total cost including shipping is less than S$100.

Tokebi Hand Blender V-5500

What I like about Tokebi Hand Blender V-5500:
1. The pretty detailing on the product (very important as I will be slaving away in the kitchen!)
2. Blender felt sturdy
3. Item came with a variety of accessories including a stand which is very useful
4. Only 1 button to select for operation (dummy proof especially for 1st time user like me)
5. Small selection of recipes (in English) available for download (recipe provided in package is all in Korean)
6. High number of revolutions per minute (22,000 - 24,000) compared to other brands
7. Low power consumption (170 W) compared to other brands
8. Blender can also act as a mixer (looking forward to my 1st baking experiment)!


What is not so great about Tokebi Hand Blender V-5500:
1. Blender feels quite heavy after awhile (How ironic, I know...)
2. 2 pin plug converter is required
3. Recipe book provided in package is in Korean =<

To be continued (with my various cooking experiments).... 

Updated: It seems like the above Korean hand blender is no longer being sold on Qoo10. Another item with similar functions can be found on Qoo10 as well. So far, reviews seem to be quite positive and much cheaper than my Tokebi which is still functioning well 1.5 years from the purchase.

Melamine Sponge - Review

This product is a godsend ever since we shifted in to Park Central.

I have been using it to clean the white kitchen tabletop, kitchen stove, kitchen sink, toilet basins, shower screens etc.

I like how effortless it makes cleaning become.

Soak it in water and use it to clean any stains or dirt.

Daiso melamine sponge

Accordingly to the packaging, it is suitable to be used on the following surfaces: glass, ceramic, tiles, uncoated mirror, stainless steel and non-glossy plastics. And it is not suitable for usage on the following surfaces: resin type products, coated mirror, printed surfaces, car exteriors, wood, uneven surfaces, absorbent surfaces, lacquer ware and glossy plastics.

Before and After using melamine sponge

It is rather effective in removing brownish stains/pencil stains/pen stains from the ceiling. All that remains are the holes that can only be 'repaired' by patching up using wall putty.

You might want to give it a try to remove stains. 

I would highly recommend getting this product from Daiso ($2 only) instead of neighbourhood stores ($3.90 at slightly bigger size).

Fanco ceiling fan review - Model FF9

We have been deliberating about installing a ceiling fan in the living room even before shifting in to Park Central. Shelved the plan after seeing that the living room is rather windy and prefer to make do with a small table fan if required.

Recently, the weather has been rather unpredictable. Hot and sunny for one moment and start pouring the next moment. Not to forget about the haze and burning smell we are experiencing now due to the hotspots in Sumatra region.

Haze in Singapore due to hotspots in Sumatra region

Decided to review our plan of installing a ceiling fan and these are some of the criteria we were considering:

- Wind speed of the ceiling fan (Does it really cool down the living room in the shortest possible time?)

- Matches the living room theme (Not that we have a beautifully designed living room but it has to at least match the Scanteak furniture lying around the area.)

- Silent (Does the fan has a quiet motor? We don't want to disturb the quiet sleeping environment for our hamsters =P)

- Comes with a light kit (As the connection that our future ceiling fan will be using is also our current light source, we would need a model that allows a light kit to be attached underneath.)

We were not considering air conditioning at all due to the higher costs involved (installation, operation and maintenance cost) and installation is going to be another nightmare. Prefer not to deal with any contractors after the long arduous with Park Central defect office. Entries are available here and here. Another reason of not considering air conditioning is due to our sensitive noses. Somehow we always end up sneezing after sleeping in an air-conditioned environment.

Currently, we are making do with a table fan (when necessary). There is just no space for a standing fan in our tiny 90-square-metres 4 room HDB flat at all.

Brands we have in mind are KDK (very good motors and wind speed but no light kits) and Fanco.

Decided to arrange for a free on-site consultation session with a seller which was sourced from an online forum and we actually placed our order in the same appointment!

 Spent a total of $380 for Fanco FF9 48" (in brown) and LED light kit (3 light bulbs) inclusive of installation. The above pricing was above the same as what was quoted by Everjoint 1.5 years back. 

After one week of heavy usage, I would say the money was well spent. The wind generated is rather strong even at speed 1 and the motor is super silent. Now I can spend my daytime in the living room without having to bear the midday heat. Best of all, the constant circulating air is 'diluting' the polluted air created by the irritating neighbour who keeps smoking at all hours of the day.

Recent beauty loots from Taiwan - Part I

The above items are some of the loots I got from the most recent Taiwan trip: 自白肌 Super Moist Toner with Hyaluronic Acid, Olay Pro-X Clear Purify Hydrating Renewal Lotion, Hada Labo facial wash, Olay Pro-X Eye Restoration Complex, Hada Labo Hydrating Cream and Mentholatum Acnes Oil Control Film.

Quite pleased with these items and will progressively review these products.

So far, my combination skin is responding quite well to them.

Good skin == Happy me!

The Black Box

Source: http://www.blackbox.sg

Have just subscribed to The Black Box.

Looking forward to receiving the surprises in June 2013!

Will be doing a review of the items so stay tuned =>

* Do visit the website and sign up for a complimentary Black Box.

Mixed vegetables fish porridge

Decided to cook this broccoli, carrot, potato and Sutchi fillet porridge for breakfast.

Soak the rice with a tablespoon of black sesame oil.

Thereafter, add in cubed carrots, potatoes and broccoli before starting to cook using the rice cooker.

As for the Sutchi fillet, I soaked it in diluted white vinegar solution for 15 mins before slicing it up and rinsing under running tap water.

Marinated it with a tablespoon of Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce, a teaspoon of rice wine and a tablespoon of Taikoo ginger red sugar (new found treasure at AMK Hub NTUC Xtra).

When the porridge is halfway into its 1 hour cooking cycle, I added the fish slices in.

The porridge turned out to be quite nice n a twinge of sweetness without having to add in additional seasoning.

Best thing is that HE didn't complain that the porridge is bland which I took it as a major achievement as HE is always complaining that I don't add enough seasoning.

Whenever that happens, it just pisses me off haha.

Less salt is for the sake of YOUR health u know !!!

Pizza Hut 1-for-1 Weekday Deal

There is this 1-for-1 promotion for Standard Chartered Bank card holders.

Quite tempting especially on weekday dinners when I am lazy to cook.

Visit here for more information.

Sutchi fillet in Chinese style

Bought lots of Sutchi fillets (8 pieces to be exact) as it was on sale. Have to seek HIS consent before buying just to be on the safe side (if the picky eater don't want to eat this, I will die lo).

Read online that these Sutchi fillets tends to taste fishy so I always soak them with a super diluted solution of white vinegar before cooking. So far so good.

Have tried pan frying it, cooking it in fish and chips style and also in fish soup.

Today, I tried steaming it with HuaDiaoChiew (a type of Chinese wine), sea salt, pepper and also fermented black beans. Turned out to be very appetizing.