Barbie Tee

I want this! This will complete the Barbie collection and it has rhinetones for the tiara, earring, hairband and necklace. The shape of the tee doesn't leave much to desire but who knows? It might look good when worn. Pricey at US$28 from 80tees.

Spree, anyone?

Broken Nails

Another unsexy post.

My toe nail broke into half and came off today. It is quite scary to see the flesh instead of nail. It chipped a couple of weeks back and I noticed there was a spilt in the center from the side. Today, it decided to come off. I hope it is nothing serious and with no full nail to protect the nail bed, I won't get any infections.

Then I noticed the toe nail on the other foot is also going to come off. The pedicurist did mention there was also a spilt on that toe but I didn't see it, so I didn't bother much. But now it is so obvious and it is even worse. The spilt is about 3/4 down the toe so if that comes off, only 1/4 of the toe will be covered with nail leaving the rest exposed.

I have never had this happened to me before. So on the left foot, the 3rd toe is 1/2 covered with nail. And on the right foot, the 4th toe might be left with only 1/4 of nail. I am hoping my nails will grow faster so that when it eventually falls off, it will be at least 1/2 covered.

Anyone has any suggestions on how to protect nails?

Change of M1 Plan

I was talking to the girls last night and the conversation went on to phone subscription plans. Oh, cos I finally found out M1 has started selling the Blackberry Pearl. It is priced at $198 (2 years contract on BB and Voice plans) or $498 (2 years contract on BB plan) or $698 without any plan or contract.

That is so darn expensive!

So the girls found out my current plan is very expensive too as I typically pay around $80-ish per month, lowest ever is around $60-ish. I was quite loathe to change my plan 3-4 years ago when free incoming calls were the rage as I didn't feel the plan was attractive enough. Then time just passed by and I just forgot about it.

I am currently on the OK Flex plan which is no longer in existance (another reason why I didn't want to change cos I can never switch back after that). So what is the OK Flex plan?

The subscription is $50 (minus 45% discount making it $27.50) per month and I get $45 worth of SMSs and talk time. But the reason why it became higher than the $27.50 per month is because I always exceeded the $45 and had to top up. Based on last month's bill, my talktime was $52.12 and SMSs at $27.65, so I incurred additional charges of $34.77. Then I have my roaming subscription and caller-ID display charges. But I think the reason for the high talk time was due to the events I was handling in June and July - lots of calls from suppliers and clients and colleagues.

So yeah, my friends were all telling me last night I need to change my plan cos they are paying around $30+ on average and most people receive in-coming calls more than calling out (well, except when I have events and need to contact people).

Checked M1 website for the various plans - there are so MANY now! And I have decided on the SunTalk Plus IDD 80. It is at $28 per month and here is what is included:
*Free incoming calls until 31 December 2009
*Free local calls on weekend (max 100 mins)
* 5 for 5 Global SMS daily
*Free IDD 021 calls to 15 countries (residential and mobile line in Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Puerto Rico, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and USA) but exclude outgoing call charges at $0.15/min.
*Free 80 mins local outgoing calls
*500 free SMS

The new plan will be in effect starting tomorrow and hopefully this will cut my phone cost to below $50 and that I do not exceed the outgoing call charges. At $0.15/min, it can add up too. But I guess it is marginally better than my OK Flex as the charges were at $0.20/min (weekdays) and $0.05/min (weekends and weeknights) and I think my calls tend to be during day time due to work.

Next stop: Blackberry Pearl (still considering)

My Dream Car

I found my dream car. I was traveling in a taxi on the way back to the office after a meeting, when I saw it. The perfectly rounded curvy bumper. It is so darn cute. Even better than the Miata, which is quite small.

Being ignorant of cars and its makes, I didn't recognize the logo. But managed to see the word "Crossfire" and googled it earlier and tada! It is the Chrysler Crossfire Coupe. I am really stunned to see it is from Chrysler. Sure didn't expect it at all. Lol.

Isn't it the prettiest thing you ever seen? I would love to have this car ;p You can read more about it here.

Chez Clarke Nasi Lemak

I was at Irene's place yesterday and she cooked nasi lemak. I was supposed to learn how to cook it from her. But as there were so many "chefs" in the kitchen yesterday, I decided to observe first.

So now I know (theoreotically) how to fry pomfrets, white baits, over-easy egg with the crispy edges, sambal prawns and sambal squids and eggplants with dried shrimps. Lots of side dishes to go with the nasi lemak (coconut rice).

Squids, Prawns and Eggplants

Fried Egg

Whitebait

Fried pomfrets

It was a lip-smaking delicious meal. The sambal chili goes so well with the rice, and the whitebait was so crispy and tasty. The squids were just right, not rubbery chewy and the prawns were fresh and sweet. The eggplants were a great mix with the dried shrimps.

India Hicks Collection - Crabtree & Evelyn

In recent months, Crabtree & Evelyn has been introducing new items almost every month now. It took my willpower not to buy every time I received the promotional flyer. I have been good - I more or less kept to my shopping ban of 6 months (Dec'06 - May'07) for not buying body products.

I only bought the "Lost" and "Found" shower gels - all because I love the packaging. Blue and pink heart-shaped box and 2 bears. Sweet. Then 2 shower mousses - foamy moussy, only because they were on promotional price. I doubt I will pay full-price for them. In fact I seriously doubt I will re-purchase again as I didn't like the foamy feel. Like shaving cream.

And my last purchase from Crabtree is the shower gel, body scrub and bath salts from the India Hicks Collection. They smell good - fresh, clean scent of the spider lily. Not too sweet or floral at all. I quite like it. I am such a sucker for shower gel and bath products.

The diffuser was so nice - I was sorely tempted to buy that but at over $100, it is crazily expensive.

Kaz Bar

This is quite a long overdue post. My 3rd visit to Kaz Bar last year together with Celest so that I can utilize the voucher I won for coming in 2nd in a Middle Eastern/Bellydance costume thing. And even that was a fluke. Nobody really went there dressed in costumes and the organizer got me to wear a headset veil thing and for that I won 2nd place. Haha.

It serves middle eastern food and the decor is reminiscent of a lady's boudoir or a pasha's harem. There are intimate alcoves with beaded curtains, wispy silky drapes and numerous cushions. Or you can also sit by the bar counter or at the regular tables.

The highlight for me is the drink - Lambrini. A light bubbly. Nice.

By now I don't really remember what we ate, but we ordered an appetizer sampler thing. I like the hummous with the pita bread. The mashed eggplants and the falafel were good too. The place is well known for its lamb too.

On Wednesday and towards the end of the week, there is a bellydancer performing 2 sets from 9pm onwards.

Location:
Kaz Bar

25 Church Street, #01-03

Capital Square 3

Tel: 6438 2975

Le Creuset Petite Blueberry Casserole

This is just so cute! I want! Cooking is starting to get more interesting with the pretty kitchen-aids available now. Imagine serving your casserole on this, rather than plain old boring corningware or others.

It is microwave, dishwasher and oven safe and is 5x5x5 inches. It weighs about 2 lbs.


Available from Amazon.com.

I'm A Blue!

You scored as Blue, Your heart is blue. You are a very calm and relaxed person. You are very caring and like helping others. You're grateful for what you have in life, even if it's not perfect. People love you for who you are, don't ever change that- it's what makes you the great person that you are. Blue 86% Pink 71% Yellow 61% Black 57% Red 46% Green 39% White 36% Purple 21% Orange 7% ~What colour is your heart?~ created with QuizFarm.com

Sunday Brunch at Four Seasons Singapore - One-Ninety Restaurant

Champagne brunches - the very phrase brings to mind a decadent spread of scrumptious food and a never-ending supply of fine champagne. I have not been going for buffets in a while, be it brunches, lunches, dinners or teas, as the stomach just could not do justice to it. I like to try food, but I can never finish them all. Darn.

I was invited for Sunday brunch at One-Ninety Restaurant at The Four Seasons Singapore recently. I have heard of it, though not much, but I was never really motivated to want to try it. Other brunches which were always at the top of the list include the Hyatt, Ritz Carlton and Shangri-La.

One turn-off of the brunch at Four Seasons is the 2 sittings practice (11:15am - 1:15pm and 1:30pm - 3:30pm). There is something about having a brunch which makes you want to linger and stay on even though you may not eat during the entire period. After all, it is supposed to be a leisurely social event where you catch up on gossip and latest news with your friends or family.

One word to sum up the Sunday Brunch at Four Seasons - WOW!

And I am not just saying that because I was invited. I was pleasantly surprised by how the stations were spilled out onto the walkway and near the elevator lobby, and the seating area has expanded to include the Lobby Bar and al-fresco dining, besides the main restaurant. In total, it can seat 200 people for each sitting. Please do call in advance for reservations, recommended 1 week in advance as it is always full for both sittings, especially the later one.

There is a wide selection, not as mind-numbingly huge like The Line at Shangri-La, but it is a comfortable range with enough choices to please everyone. There is the breakfast area serving hot food such as pancakes, waffles, eggs (anyway you want it), sausages, bacon. The pancakes, waffles and eggs are cooked only when you ordered it. Nice!

Grill section: whatever you want is here - fish, veggies, meat (I only tried the fish as it was recommended by the Executive Sous Chef Catan otherwise I would not really touch it as I was already full by the other stuff). Everything is prepared fresh, and you can see the chefs at work behind the counter.

Bread, cheese and soup section: huge selection of bread and stuff - I didn't really pay attention to what was there.

Foie Gras Section: I didn't try this but this was also recommended by Chef Catan.

Cold Seafood Bar: I saw 2 types of oyster (Canadian and Australian or French) there and you can see a chef shucking it on the spot. The chef wore a steel glove to protect his hand from both the knife and the oyster shell. (This bit of info was provided by Chef Catan). There were also the usual suspects - mussels, scallops and prawns. Another tip by Chef Catan was to put a dash of Chipotle Tabasco sauce on the oyster instead of the usual tabasco as the smokiness brings out the freshness of the oyster better. I like that they provided real miniature bottles of tabasco sauce too.

Appetizer and Salad counter: I totally skipped this section but the dishes looked real good, and there was a chef on hand to prepare the salad if you want. At least I think he was manning that, just can't remember the items at his station.

Japanese counter: Fresh sushi and sashimi which could be made on the spot. There was a chef behind the counter.

Chinese food counter: Selection of dim sums, peking duck, roasted meat and noodles made right there and then.

Carbs station: Another chef stationed there to prepare risotto and pasta on the spot.

Laksa station: A One-Ninety Signature dish. Another chef stationed there to make it for you according to what you want.

Juice Bar: Fresh juices available and made on the spot for you.

Martini Ice Bar: Another One-Ninety (or Four Seasons) specialty - martinis made on the spot. After the bartender mixed the drink, it was poured into the ice sculpture to chill it, and you put a glass at the end to catch the liquid. Interesting concept. Great idea for a function. Please contact Four Seasons for a quote on having it during your event.

Dessert Section: A huge table in the middle serving all kinds of goodies. Another table at the side for the souffles (3 types), and another table with the chocolate fountain and "home-made" ice cream.

I think that is what I remember of what was available. I could have missed out on some stuff. So many food, but only 1 stomach (unfortunately).

So what did I have? I had a peach martini. It was really fun to try catching the liquid. Some spilled out cos I held the glass too close to the end. You could tell I never took physics at all - the law of gravity and angle of pouring never occured to me. I also had a carrot-orange juice.

Food wise: I started off with egg benedict (very good) and a pancake with maple syrup and a sausage and bacon. Then I tried the oysters and scallop - very fresh and no fishy taste to it at all. I like it with the chipotle tabasco sauce. Wonder where that can be found.

Moving on, I hopped over to the Chinese food station and tried some dim sum pieces (peking duck, siew mai, crabmeat dumpling, and 2 other items) and also tried 3 pieces of sushi (some salmon thing).

That was followed by a bowl of laksa. I like that there were so many ingredients - tau pok, prawn, cockles, beansprouts, fishcake slices, chicken and even quail egg. The gravy is very lemak and savory.

By now I was totally stuffed, but I still wanted to have a taste of the risotto with mushroom and white truffle sauce. It was heaven, al dente and infused with the flavor. I didn't finish that and I tried a few bites of the grilled fish too. No sauce, the flesh was sweet enough.

Desserts: I had creme brulee, berries jello (very refreshing), hazelnut cake thing and strawberry dipped in the chocolate fountain plus a piece of praline.

I certainly didn't do justice to the spread of food at all. Simply too much to sample all. The selection does change regularly so that you won't be bored dining there all the time.

It is quite worth it for its price tag. The cost of champagne brunches has gone up now and is usually around $100 or more. For Four Seasons, there are 3 prices: $85++ (no champagne, but includes the martini bar and fresh juices), $135++ (champagne Moet & Chandon), $155++ (rose champagne Moet & Chandon).

Location:

One-Ninety Restaurant

Four Seasons Singapore

Tel: 6734-1110

Teeth Grinding (Bruxism)

This is such an "unsexy" topic. Teeth grinding. I don't think I grind my teeth previously but I was told by the dentist he suspected I grind my teeth when sleeping.

I had a tiny cavity on the side of my upper molar tooth, and the dentist filled it in using those white stuff (or whatever you call it). During the night, I felt something in my mouth and saw a small round piece had came off. Concerned I went back to the dentist the next day to check. He said that was the excess "filling" which he pasted over the next tooth as the cavity was on the side, so not to worry, the filling was still intact.

I didn't think much about it, as I thought it could be due to me eating hard food that evening after I had the filling done. But over the last couple of months, I had been feeling sensitivity on that tooth and was not sure if the filling had came off. So back to the dentist again. This time, it was another dentist at the clinic.

So this dentist said it looked like the white filling did not work for me, and re-filled it with the awful looking metal/silver filling. And he dropped the bombshell - "I think you probably grind your teeth when you sleep. The shape of your teeth showed indications."

So probably I ground my teeth and thus the white filling came off that night. The dentist said teeth grinding can be attributed to stress and I would need to wear a mouth guard to prevent further damage to the teeth.

I did some research and googled these info from WebMd.com on Teeth Grinding:

Why Do People Grind Their Teeth?
Although teeth grinding can be caused by stress and anxiety, it often occurs during sleep and is more likely caused by an abnormal bite or missing or crooked teeth.

Why Is Teeth Grinding Harmful?
In some cases, chronic teeth grinding can result in a fracturing, loosening, or loss of teeth. The chronic grinding may wear their teeth down to stumps. When these events happen, bridges, crowns, root canals, implants, partial dentures, and even complete dentures may be needed.

Not only can severe grinding damage teeth and result in tooth loss, it can also affect your jaws, result in hearing loss, cause or worsen TMD/TMJ, and even change the appearance of your face.

What Can I Do to Stop Grinding My Teeth?
Your dentist can fit you with a mouth guard to protect your teeth during sleep.

If stress is causing you to grind your teeth, ask your doctor or dentist about options to reduce your stress. Attending stress counseling, starting an exercise program, seeing a physical therapist or obtaining a prescription for muscle relaxants are among some of the options that may be offered.

Other tips to help you stop teeth grinding include:

• Avoid or cut back on foods and drinks that contain caffeine, such as colas, chocolate, and coffee.
  

• Avoid alcohol. Grinding tends to intensify after alcohol consumption.

• Do not chew on pencils or pens or anything that is not food. Avoid chewing gum as it allows your jaw muscles to get more used to clenching and makes you more likely to grind your teeth.
  
• Train yourself not to clench or grind your teeth. If you notice that you clench or grind during the day, position the tip of your tongue between your teeth. This practice trains your jaw muscles to relax.
• Relax your jaw muscles at night by holding a warm washcloth against your cheek in front of your earlobe.

Too Faced Quickie Chronicles

I finally got a Quickie! Not that kind of quickie (what were you thinking of?) but a Too Faced Quickie Chronicles - The Sex Kitten :D

It is so pretty! And it is in lavender packaging. Yay! Now what is a Too Faced Quickie Chronicles? It is a "complete make up look in a book" palette.

Story board:
She had always been a good girl. She played by the rules, never kissed on the first date and agreed daddy always knew best. But then this innocent girl picked up the "Quickie Chronicles," and honey, she was never the same. Kits contain 3 coordinating shadows, 4 glosses and 1 brush.

My very first Quickie Chronicles - The Sex Kitten. I was drawn to the colors more than the packaging though the glamorish look of the 50s and 60s was enticing. Not to mention the titillating names of the products. The lime green was so refreshing and the dark plum was deliciously smokey with the shimmery lavender-lilac highlighter.

The Quickie Chronicles - The Sex Kitten (description from Sephora)

So there it was, the most important night of her life, the night she would give herself to him completely - or so he thought. It would take a lot more than a few dinners and a cheap rhinestone necklace to open this girl's heart. In the meantime, this palette of lush lavenders loaded with shimmer will keep any Sex Kitten looking her best.

Palette includes: Blush in Lavender Rose; Eye Shadows in Dark Metallic Plum, Lavender Shimmer, and Lime Pearl; and Lip Glosses in Lilac Shell, Jelly Roll, Cranberry Ice, and Pink Petal.

I would love to get my hands on the other palettes too. Oh no. They are just too pretty not to collect.

See other versions available:

The Quickie Chronicles - The Fabulous Flirt (description from Sephora)

The fabulous Flirt palette contains fabulously flirty pink hues that help you get the attention you seek - and keep it!

Palette includes 0.21 oz Eye Shadows in shimmering taupe-grey, champagne beige, rose-peach, 0.14 oz Lip Glosses in pink shimmer, rose, nude, and garnet shimmer, and Blush in dusty rose, plus a double-ended brush/applicator.

The Quickie Chronicles - The Bathing Beauty (description from Sephora)

The Bathing Beauty knew she needed a man to bankroll her leisurely, luxurious lifestyle, but she couldn't decide what sort. He, of course, had to be willing to buy her diamonds for absolutely no reason at all, and she positively had to have beach houses in Malibu, Maui, St. Barths, The Rivera, and Monaco so she could work on her beautifully bronzed glow year round - and this kit was always at her side to help her lure in the bait.

Palette includes three 0.21 oz eyeshadows in teal, champagne, and pink shimmers; four 0.14 oz lip colors in champagne shimmer, golden pink shimmer, pink, and bronze shimmer; and a 0.22 oz cheek color in peach, plus a double-ended brush and shadow applicators.

The Quickie Chronicles- The Plaything Of Passion (description from Sephora)

The Plaything of Passion is on every VIP list of every club in town. She leaves the boring, bubblegum life of the day to those "goody-two-shoes" types who don't know the power of a little lip gloss - this palette of creamy chocolates and exotic blues is her secret weapon.

Palette includes: Blush in Bronzed Coral; Eye Shadows in Chocolate Sugar, Peacock Blue, and Sunlight; and Lip Glosses in Milk Chocolate, Peach Nectar, Passion Fruit, and Mochachino.

The Quickie Chronicles - The Future Lovers (description from Sephora)

Like a supermodel from outer space, this galaxy girl was beautiful, strong, and dangerous. Her unsuspecting conquests, distracted by her galactic glamour, were helpless in the face of her cyber seduction. She collected astronauts from every part of the globe and this palette was always at her side.

Palette includes Blush in Peach; Eye Shadows in Deep Teal, Hot Pink, and Deep Navy; and Lip Glosses in Pink Glitter, Bronze Glitter, Gold Glitter, and Fuchsia Glitter; plus a double-ended brush and a double-ended sponge applicator.

MAC Dreaming

You know you are in trouble when you start to dream about cosmetics! I actually dreamt of the MAC Balloonacy Collection. I blogged about it previously, and I dreamt about it a couple of weeks ago.

I don't know why, but somehow the blues and violets just really got to me. Even the picture got to me. All the concentric and circles. Round, round, round. Just like me :p

I don't really remember what I dreamt about it, but I do remember seeing the collection in the shop. Likely Tangs counter. Haha.

I just wish it will hurry up and be launched already. Some girls said they have seen the stuff behind the counters. I need to make a trip to visit my fave MA and ask about it. But VivoCity is just so not convenient at all. Sigh.

C-Shock will be launched at Tangs on Saturday, so maybe I will pop by on Sunday to take a look. Right now I am only lemming for Wondergrass. The green is so gorgeous. I don't think I have anything like that.

I realized my greens are mostly from MAC e/s :p And my purples are from Stila, Shu and MakeUp Store. Face it, they are from everywhere, more so from MAC and Stila :p

Canada Day Celebration - Teatime

What did I do on Canada Day? Nothing much. Just met Celest for tea/lunch/dinner at the Regent Hotel. It is one of my favorite places for a relaxing afternoon, away from it all. It is fairly quiet and the service was unobtrusive. The spread tend towards the English style with scones and finger sandwiches and desserts. Being the weekend, it has a small selection of hot Asian food. On weekdays it will be just a 3-tiered plate thing.

I am not sure how I got to know of the Tea Lounge at the Regent, but it is probably because of my hunt for a good traditional afternoon English tea of scones and finger sandwiches. The first time I went there was for my birthday in 2001 or so. It was a wonderful way to spend a lazy weekday afternoon, just chilling and enjoying the chatter with friends. Plus it served the most amazing tea - The Prince of Wales. Too bad it is no longer available.

Well, this is what I had. Greedy me. Lol. Then again, it was for 2 meals at least. For once, I like the smoked salmon open-faced sandwich. It is nicely smoked and not too salty at all. The turkey with cranberry pinwheel was good too. I love the creme brulee, the raspberry added a nice contrast to the sweetness.

The scones were gorgeous, especially the chocolate chip version. I like the shanghai noodles, so rare to find it in Singapore. Look and drool :D

Tonkichi, Shaw House

I rarely go to Tonkichi at Shaw House though it has been known for its excellent food. The main reason is that it specializes in deep fried food and in pork. Almost every item is pork and I am not a great fan of it.

Met Davis for dinner 2 weeks ago and she chose Tonkichi. I was ok with it since it has been so long since I last went. We had the special - ebi curry on rice, chawanmushi, deep fried fish, croquette, miso ramen and dessert.

It was beautifully done. The prawns, fish and croquette were fried till crispy yet not too oily and wet with the grease. The croquette was so good - I love potatoes. The chawanmushi was fresh and glided down the throat.

The line was horrendously long. We waited close to 40mins just to get a table. Make reservations if you can.