Getting Tax Refund in Seoul

Despite the many blogs on how to obtain tax refund for purchases in Seoul, I was still confused when I had to do it during my recent trip (I only got back on 3 July 2016).  As such, I have decided to knock out this post, to provide the most recent information on the topic.

Assuming you did not go to a shop which does immediate refund (ie. you only need pay the tax-free price), there are 3 steps:-

1.  Get the Refund Slip
     This refers to a receipt-like slip that you get from the cashier after you inform him/her that you will be seeking tax refund.  This slip will either set out your details (name and passport number, because they scanned your passport) or have space for you to fill in these details.  Usually, the cashier will put your receipt and the Refund Slip in a separate envelope which has instructions on seeking tax refund.
   
      You need to spend a minimum sum (if I remember correctly, its 30,000KRW) in order to be eligible for tax refund.      Please remember to bring your passport along to show the cashier and ask for the Refund Slip if you intend to seek a tax refund.  

2.  Scan the Refund Slips at the kiosks at the airport (1st scan)
     Some blogs suggest that not all Refund Slips are valid at these kiosks (can be found near Row J and another Row which I can't remember, sorry).  This is not the case for me.  I had Refund Slips from all 3 tax refund "brands" (see below) and I could scan all my Refund Slips at the kiosks.  If you face any difficulties, feel free to ask the people (in red vests) manning the kiosks.
      
     (credit: http:// english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/SH_EN_7_1_4.jsp)
     
    Another thing that I read which does not seem to be the case anymore is that you must have "All Goods Exported" endorsed on your Refund Slips.  


    Based on my experience, this is no longer required so long as your total refund is not more than 50,000KRW.  You should be able to see a banner near the Customs next to the kiosks which state that all you need to do to claim tax refund is to scan your Refund Slips at the kiosks.  I confirmed this at the check-in counter where the lady informed me that getting the Refund Slips scanned = getting a "All Goods Exported" stamp on  your Refund Slips.

3.  Claim your tax refund (in cash)


     Do this after going through immigration.  There are kiosks near gate 27/28 where all you need to do is re-scan the Refund Slips (2nd scan) and the machine will dispense the amount to be refunded in cash. 

Miscellaneous points

Articles I read online suggests that you check-in to your flight before heading to the kiosks at Row J (ie. for the first scans) but not check-in your luggage until after the 1st scan (presumably because the customs officer may ask to check the items).  The articles say that you can check-in your luggage after the 1st scan of the Refund Slops at the oversized luggage counter near the Customs counter. 

I did not check-in before i did the 1st scans.  My process was: 1st scan --> check-in (together with luggage) --> dinner --> immigration --> 2nd scan (to get cash)

I took a midnight flight out of Seoul so there wasn't really any queue anywhere (not at the kiosks or at immigration).  That said, as advised elsewhere on the internet, it will be good to reach 3 hours prior to your flight in order to give yourself enough time to do everything that you need.  Please keep in mind that if your flight is on a non-Korean airline (eg. Singapore Airlines), you will need to take a shuttle train to another terminal so do build in time for that. 


I really hope this helps some of you.  Do let me know if you have any questions (I will try to answer them) or any tips and tricks.

Laneige BB Cushion - A review

After a couple of my girlfriends said that they liked this BB Cushion, I decided to take the plunge when I was walking around Changi airport before one of my trips home.  

Unfortunately, I do not like it. 

I have had this for more than a year and I alternate using this and my Sulwhasoo cushions.  To me, this just does not feel as nourishing as my Sulwhasoo cushions and my skin do not seem to take to it well.  

I am also annoyed that the puff flakes.  I am not sure why.  My friend who has been using this for years said it doesn't do that to her.  To be clear, I do not treat the Laneige cushion differently from my Sulwhasoo ones.  

Price: (includes with 1 refill)
S$43 (Changi Airport) / S$59 

Pros:
- very light coverage
- SPF 50+ / PA+++
- mid-range pricing
- easy to get ahold of
- additional puffs are available for sale

Cons:
- too light, feels watery
- doesn't seem to do anything for me
- puff flakes after awhile

Summary: 
It may be unfair to compare it to the Sulwhasoo cushions.  The Sulwhasoo ones are more expensive and are actually foundations while this is a BB cream.  Unfortunately, Sulwhasoo cushions are my first cushions so that is the only point of comparison that I have. 

No Buy March and April

As anyone who actually knows me would know, I tend to buy makeup but not use them.  This is partly because I like to shop (not something to be proud of but true) and because I believe in "going natural".  However, the result of this habit is that I have amassed a rather large collection of unused make-up.

In a bid to be a more conscious user of makeup and to justify buying more, I have decided to impose a make-up no buy for the months of March and April.  Just to give an idea (and to remind myself) things that I have but do not use, these are what I will be playing with for the month of March, instead of buying more things:-

Foundation: Laneige cushion, Sulwhasoo Perfecting cushion;
Highlighter: Benefit sample size;
Blusher: YSL (pink); Benetint (red); Clinique Cheek Pop (orange/coral);
Contour: Mac Harmony; Benefit Hoola;
Lipstick: Givenchy (for work).

In particular, I want to try to finish the items underlined.  I need to slowly clear my stash, it is getting so unwieldy that I can't recall what I have and do not have.

We shall see how this goes.

Hong Kong 2015

This was somewhat a last-minute, impromptu trip.  A colleague/friend and I had annual leave to use up and no plans so we decided to go Hong Kong.  The decision was made around end-November 2015 and the trip was end-December.

As we both didn't want a too hectic trip, our itinerary was quite loose and flexible, with only 2 fixed items: Disneyland and Ocean Park.

Our itinerary was as follows:-
Day 1 - Check into Hotel, roam the Tsim Sha Tsui area
Day 2 - Australian Dairy breakfast, Disneyland, random roast goose restaurant
Day 3 - Tsui Wah, Ocean Park, Temple Street Night Market, Yee Shun Dairy
Day 4 - Yi Dian Xin, roam Central area, Yung Kee

Very simple, with a lot of flexibility.

Some notes:
1. Year end is peak season - tourists attractions were ridiculously crowded.  We wanted to visit the Peak on Day 4 (31 December 2015), around noon time, but the queues... people were queuing at the traffic island across where the ticketing counter is.

2. If you can, always get to the theme parks when they open.  We queued very little from opening to (say) 1pm.  The queues got significantly longer after 2pm.

3.  If you want to try the iconic high tea at Peninsula Hotel, go BEFORE 2pm (which is when it starts).  We were there at 2.30pm (on 28 December 2015) and were told that the wait was about 2hours.

4.  It seems night markets at HK aren't like night markets in Taiwan, the focus isn't on street food, just cheap shopping.

5.  Ocean Park's theme park is very carnival-like.  Not a lot of theming and ambience the way Disneyland is.

6.  If you want to take pictures with Mickey or any of his friends, be willing to wait.  We queued for Mickey at the start of our visit to Disneyland.The queue didnt seem too long but every person takes what seems like tens of photographs AND the characters take breaks every 10 to 15 mins.  All that adds to the wait.

7.  Food at HK is more expensive (perhaps due to lack of street food) but for shopping, I think it may be cheaper than TW and Sg for certain items.  I got a bargain for my Sulwhasoo cushion foundations AND the salesperson was super nice and gave me tons of samples!  I would definitely hit up places like Boujour and Sasa as well, just to see if my favourite products are cheaper there.  I helped a friend get a Clinique sunblock for about sgd7 cheaper than at the Chinatown shops.

8.  Weather was pretty nice.  I had sweaters and heattech leggings.  Many were wearing down jackets but I honestly didnt think it was necessary.  I think a nice fleece jacket (which I have but did not bring) would have been sufficient.  I believe the temperature was around 15 to 20 Celcius on the days that we were there.

All in all, a good trip.  Nice weather, good food, good shopping.

Taiwan 2015

I am aware that this post is much delayed but since I'm in the mood for being grateful and complaining less, I think this is a good time to re-visit my trip to Taiwan last year.

I try to travel with my family once a year, last year, it was to Taiwan.  We were able to fix a 5-day trip early-November and decided that instead of sticking to Taipei, we would take a look at Taichung as well.

Our itinerary (simplified) is as follows:-

Day 1 - Taipei, Xi Men Ding, night market at Huaxi Street

Day 2 - Visit Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Shida night market

Day 3 - Taiwan Raiways to Taichung, Yizhong night market

Day 4 - Trying out the Tai Yang Bings at Taichung, travelling to Taipei, Shuangcheng night market

Day 5 - Taipei 101 and surrounding malls, Ningxia night market

Clearly, we didn't cover a lot of ground.  That seems to be the theme whenever I travel with my family as they (i) refuse to plan; (ii) refuse to follow an itinerary; and (iii) tend to drag their feet.  I admittedly got annoyed a little but I try to control my temper because at the end of the day, the trip is for us to spend more time and experience new things together , not for me to sightsee.

I have the following things to say:
1. Taiwan (at least in November) turns dark earlier than Malaysia/Singapore so although you may think you are eating dinner at 6.30pm, it is more likely to be 5.30pm.  What that means is, supper!

2.  Please, go to some night markets.  I didnt go to the bigger/more popular ones (crowds are a huge deterrence) but from the 5 that I did go, i can see that they are each different from the other and always interesting to take a look at. Of the 5 I visited, Ningxia I believe is more well-known and for me, that was the least interesting.  It could be that we were too full to enjoy the myriad of food options but it was also way.too.crowded.

3.  If you like skincare (specifically, masks), there will be sooo much for you to choose from, and they are priced lower than Singapore!  I wasn't, however, particularly impressed with the makeup at the drugstores.

4.  (We might have missed something but) There is nothing to do at Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, really.

I would totally go back, to shop (things are rather decently priced), eat and look-see.  I am already checking the price for tickets to Kaoshiung!

Ho Chi Minh City 2015 - Day 3 & 4

After lunch,  we returned to Sanouva to get our bags.  They helped us hail a taxi and off we go to Majestic Hotel.

I chose Majestic for our last night in Ho Chi Minh as I wanted something "nicer".  Majestic was nice, it was very grand and has a long history.  The room was big, a lot of wood used for the furnishing but it doesn't look worn out at all, that is to say, the rooms are very well maintained.

The room had a very high ceiling -- rare these days.

We had a room that opens out to the pool.  The pool unfortunately very small, and situated where all the outdoor units for the aircons are, hence it is very warm and stuffy.  We did not use the pool at all.

After a short rest, we walked around the CBD area.  We had wanted to visit the landmarks such as the Post Office, City Hall etc but we got lost a few times.

Ended up at Vincom Mall and Parkson for awhile.

We had ice-cream at Fanny, after a long search.  The ice-cream was not bad and by Singapore standards, very cheap.

Can't recall where we went for dinner.  It was likely just a food place in town; we were not picky.

We also had coffee at Phuc Long.

We woke up on Day 4 and had breakfast in the hotel.  The restaurant was at level 5(?) and although the spread was not huge, it was better than Sanouva's.  What was most interesting to me was the bread spreads available - they are made locally (ie in Vietnam) and had flavours like banana and dragon fruit!

We checked out at about 12noon and had lunch at the hotel.  This was our most expensive and unsatisfactory meal!  Local food has to be had outside of the hotel.

All in all, I enjoyed our trip, enjoyed the difficulty communicating with people, and enjoyed not thinking about work.  I hope for a return trip, longer in duration, so that I can experience life in the mekong delta better.

Skincare Regime (May 2015)

This is what seems to be working for me the past few months.  I am writing this down to remind myself to stick to what seems to be working.

Here goes:

Morning

Cleanser - Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleaning Gel.  This doesn't foam up and feels non-drying.  Only left with 10% but unlikely to re-purchase because I have an Avene facial foam unused.  

Toner - Avene Thermal Water

Serum / Essence - SKII Treatment Essence + Aubrey Organics Pure Aloe Vera Juice / Porcelain Aloe Vera Gel

Lotion / Moisturiser - NUXE 24hr Soothing and Moisturising Concentrate + Sulwahsoo Essential Firming Cream (when my skin requires extra moisture)

As you can see, I try to go light in the morning.  Despite having dry skin, my skin does get oily throughout the day.

I don't have sunscreen but this is changing as I just received my purchase of SKII Facial Treatment UV Protection today which I am going to start using daily.  Before this, my foundation (which is SPF50) was my only sunscreen and I don't always use foundation.

Night

Makeup remover (waterproof makeup) - Bifesta Cleansing Express (blue bottle)

Makeup remover (base makeup) - Plante System Cleansing Micellar Water

Makeup cleanser - Porcelain Makeup Cleanser

Facial cleanser - Porcelain Hydro Cleanser

Exfoliator (occasionally) - Porcelain Natural Skin Refiner

Toner - Porcelain Botanical Tonic

Serum - Porcelain Essence Sebum Control Essence + Aubrey Organics Pure Aloe

Gel - Porcelain Aloe Vera Gel

Moisturiser - Sulwahsoo Essential Firming Cream

Pimple Gel - Porcelain Hydraclear Gel

Masks (sheet) - a mix but SKII Facial Treatment Mask is a favourite (which I use sparingly due to the cost)

Mask (gel) - Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_EX

Mask (cream) - Sulwahsoo Overnight Vitalizing Mask

I of course do not use the masks every night or together when I do use them.  I use sheet masks most often (about twice a week) and cream/gel mask every other week.  I do not leave either of the gel/cream masks overnight.  I leave it on for about 20 - 40mins and wipe off.  I get bumps if I leave it on the whole night. 

Generally

I don't always use the products as listed but its currently a mix of the products listed.

I know there is a number of Porcelain products.  I was given a set of the products when I signed up for their facial package.  The products generally are not heavy and seem to work for my skin.  I purchased backups of the Makeup Cleanser, Facial Cleanser, Natural Skin Refiner, Aloe Vera Gel and Hydraclear Gel when they had a promotion for CNY.  All in all, I should have enough for the rest of the year and some part of next year as I really only use them at night, preferring even lighter products for the day.

I am well aware that my skincare products are of the higher end.  I am not proud of it but it appears my skin prefers these products.  I don't often stray, and I shouldn't, since I just got another set of SKII products.  I have enough of my base products to last me a year I believe.

I do not suggest in any way that anyone should spend this much on skincare.  If drugstore products work for you, congratulations, because they did not work for me and I wish my skin is less high maintenance.  Although I never had acne, my skin had been problematic the past few years and these products (together with monthly-ish facials) kept it in check.

The real purpose for my writing this down is to remind myself that I have more than enough and to STOP BUYING MORE.  

Ho Chi Minh City 2015 - Day 3 (Saigon Free Walking Tour)

Today the only things planned was (1) go for a tour with Saigon Free Walking Tours; and (2) move hotel.

As our tour guide was supposed to meet us at our hotel lobby at 8am, we again woke up early to have breakfast.  While getting ready, we were informed that the tour guide will be late.  I wanted to try street food for breakfast so we had quick breakfast at the hotel and then took a walk around the neighboring blocks.  Alas, as we had too much for breakfast (as we were worried we wouldn't be able to find anything we want to try) we could not get anything more for food.

When we returned, we met with Trieu from SFWT.  He was very cordial and often took down notes when we speak.  Our first stop was the Cao Dai temple at District 5.  Trieu was clearly new at this.  He had to check with the attendant at the temple whenever we had questions.  As males and females were to take different stairs (females to the left, males to the right), I missed out on most of the explanations/discussions.  It was nevertheless very helpful to have a Vietnamese explain things to us and to ask questions.  As we have experienced the past 2 days, most of them can't quite understand us.  When we were done with the temple, we met Long, another guide with SFWT.

After the temple, we took a cab to a flower market.  Long wanted to get us  chinese herbal tea but unfortunately the shop was not opened yet.  In any event, as we were in the Chinatown area, we could read what were on the signs and were amused to find that the herbals drinks available were similar to what we could get back in Singapore/Malaysia.

We also went to what is known as the "Cambodian Market".  It really just reminded me of wet markets in Malaysia except for the fact that one has to be mindful of motorbikes.

We stopped at a desserts stall where we had pudding-in-pumpkin.  We saw something that looked like noodles which both Trieu and Long had never seen before either.  According to the stall owner (a sweet lady) they were noodles made of egg.  She added that to our bowl of pudding together with some sweet sauce.  I do not know if she would have  done so if we did not ask her about it.  While eating, we asked them about an item that we were asked to buy from Vietnam.  Both guides were not aware where to get the item and neither does the stall owner.  Some ladies at the stall waiting to buy food got curious, took a look at the photograph we had and told us that we were looking for some specialty snack from North Vietnam.  The Vietnamese can be quite friendly but I cannot say we have seen much of this friendliness elsewhere.  It is very difficult when we cannot communicate and I have been soo used to being efficient that i tend to speak rather quickly and give up when I am not understood.

After the market, we went to the FITO Museum.  Both guides did not want to join us as the Museum included a guide.  However, we later learned that both have not been inside the Museum.  We felt bad for not insisting that they visit with us.

Our last stop, before returning to our hotel, was to lunch.  I had Banh Cuon while the bf had crab noodles.  The bf also had a drink which Trieu said was nice but turns out to be something green! It tasted green too.  I had avocado, which was incredibly thick and nice.  I never had avocado that was that thick in Singapore ever.  If i had to guess, I would say no water was added at all.
That was the end of the first half of the day.  It was not a perfect tour.  But I would give it 4 out of 5.  Trieu and Long were not professional tour guides, they were merely students in university.  They may not be able to answer all of your questions but they will try their best to help.  They also refuse to take any money from us.  We had to insist (force them) to let us treat them to lunch.

Check out their facebook page if you are interested: www.facebook.com/saigonfreewalkingtours

Ho Chi Minh City 2015 - Day 2

We started the day early as we booked the My Tho - Ben Tre Mekong Tour with theSinhTourist (at 299,000VND per person, before credit card charges).  We had a quick breakfast at Sanouva and started walking towards De Tham street at Pham Ngu Lao.  The walk took us less than 20 minutes.  The Tour was to depart at 8.30am.  As we were advised to reach 30mins before, we were at theSinhTourist around 8am.

TheSinhTourist was full of people waiting for their respective tours when we reached.  Quite a few tours leave at 8am.  At about 8.15am the place felt a lot calmer.  If you (like us) booked your tour online, you have to go to the cashier counter (walk into the premises, towards the end, in the middle) to get your ticket.  Thereafter, head to the check in counter (to your left when you enter).  You will be given a seat number and the tour bus number.  As we were there during Vietnam long weekend (Vietnam celebrated Liberation Day on 30 April 2015) there were 2 tour buses for our tour.

At about 8.30am, we were off.  After leaving the city area, we reached My Tho.  My Tho appears to be a rather sleepy town, with just a few guesthouses that we could see.  Below is an extract of the itinerary, from theSinhTourist website (https://www.thesinhtourist.vn/tour/mk/tg-sgmt-01/my-tho-and-ben-tre):

8:30AM: Departing from TheSinhTourist office for My Tho city by air-conditioned bus. At My Tho, boarding the motorboat at a pier and cruising on the Mekong River. Here, overlooking floating houses where fishes are farmed beneath the house (viewing from the motorboat).Continuing the journey on the river until reaching Cồn Thới Sơn (Unicorn Island), from here taking a horse cart to reach a performance site where Vietnamese traditional music (Intangible Cultural Asset of Humanity accredited by UNESCO in 2013) can be heard and seasonal tropical fruit can be tasted (included).Afterward, being on a small hand-rowing boat (the main mean of transportation in My Tho & Ben Tre) and slowly cruising through a small creek with beautiful overhanging coconut trees. Lives from both sides of the creek can be observed.Before heading to lunch, passing through bee-keeping farm and enjoying honey tea, a typical Mekong house can be viewed here. Then, it is lunch time after a short walk.After lunch, boarding the motorboat and heading to learn coconut candies making process from a workshop. Sample of candies can be tasted.03:00PM: Returning back to bus and going back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Some comments:- The order of the tour as we experienced it was different from what is stated above but we were showed everything stated. - some of the horse carts were drawn by horses that looked rather thin and frail.  We felt sorry for them. - We were also shown the making of rice paper but this was not stated above.- The tour guide speaks rather decent English.- We would have appreciate more commentary but it would have been rather difficult given the narrow lanes and the sheer number of tourists.- The tour was not exceptional but it gave us a glimpse of life outside the city.  I intend to do a proper mekong stay at a later time.

After the tour bus dropped us back at theSinhTourist office, we walked to Co Giang to get pork ribs on vermicelli at Chi Thong.  Food was alright but I have to say, we didn't think it was exceptional.

On our way back to Sanouva, I saw "Che My", a shop selling desserts and we decided to drop in.  The menu was in Viet and of course we couldnt read a word.  I also didn't know the name of any Vietnamese dessert.  I ended up walking to the counter (where many cups of desserts were being prepared) and pointed to something I thought looked interesting.  It turned out to be Che Thai.  It had durian paste/puree, jackfruit strips, coconut strips and some sweet sauce.  I liked it.  We would have gotten another dessert if we thought we could stomach it.

I also got an eye mask that says "charging" -- i thought that was too cute to pass up.

On reaching our hotel, we dropped by the dessert stall next to it and just ordered one of the fruit bowl looking thing the stall owner was selling.  There were three parts to the dish - the fruits, ice and yogurt.  We saw her sprinkle sugar and splash some syrup  into the bowl of fruits as well. We had the fruit bowl in bed.  It was again rather nice.  Perhaps the sugar was unnecessary but I do like vietnamese yogurt.  I already tried some at breakfast that morning.  They are more gooey and less heavy than what we usually get at the stores.  Very light and easy to drink.

That is our second day.  No shopping we didn't feel like being harassed and we were tired from the long day. 

[photos to come ]

Ho Chi Minh City 2015 - Day 1

My first overseas trip for the year (and no plans for another one).

Our trip started early.  We woke up at 4am as our flight was at 7.10am on 1 May 2015.  We had breakfast at the SATS Premier Lounge @ T3.  I believe this is one of the most basic lounges at Changi.  Although the food was nothing special, it was nice to know that breakfast was taken care of as we took Jetstar and did not intend to get food onboard.  I am happy to see that shower facilities are provided for even though we did not utilise them.

Flight was (more or less) on time.  It was a full flight so they checked in our bag for free when we were at the boarding gate.  Thankfully, we had no issue with lost luggages.

Reaching Tan Son Nhat International Airport, my first thought was "this reminds me of Changi!".  The airport appears rather new and clean.  Immigration took awhile so be patient.

After getting our bag, we walked out to see a few money changers and some stalls selling sim cards.  Only one (mobifone) was open so thats what we got.  I think it cost us 290,000VND (S$20) thereabouts for unlimited data.

To get a feel of the place, I have decided we should take the bus to town (we were staying near Ben Thanh market).  No. 152 was the bus to take.  Just walk out of the terminal and look to your right (2 o'clock).  Once the bus starts running (ie. warming up), the driver doesnt wait long before he starts the journey.  It was cheap too.  just 5,000VND (S$0.33) per person.  The difficulty with taking the bus is that you might not know where to alight.  We asked the bus driver to let us know but we werent sure if he understood us.  In the end we managed by checking google maps on our phone and recognising the major landmarks (Ben Thanh market, in our case).

First thing we did was to head to our hotel.  We were very early (I think around 10,30am HCM time - HCM is 1 hour behind Sg) but luckily we only had to wait 20mins or so for our room to be ready.  We stayed at Sanouva Hotel.  The room was simple but had everything we needed - large TV, comfortable bed, toiletries, even a weighing machine.  We would have been grateful for a kettle too as we had to keep buying bottles of water during our stay there.

Side bar - as we werent sure about how clean tap water was, we bought a bottle with a filter cap.

After checking in and taking a quick rest.  We went out to roam the area to the west of our hotel (Pham Ngu Lao etc).

I wanted to get Banh Mi from a famous place but we were too early (11.30am) as they are open at 2.30pm onwards.  In the end, we got Pho from a chain store.  It must be noted that although we were at a touristy area (Pham Ngu Lao being just 2 streets away), the wait staff did not appear to understand English well.  We also walked along Pham Ngu Lao - sooo many japanese food places and Bui Vien.  We walked passed a market (think it was Thai Binh) along the way and got what we thought was Cendol for less than S$1.  Long story short however, the "Cendol" was not sweetened and we pretty much threw it away.

We also dropped by ABC Bakery which was reviewed rather favourably online.  It reminded me of local bakeries in Singapore. Just that they had a made-to-order sandwich corner and vegetable chips.  Prices are similar to Singapore too.  Got a large packet of vegetable chips here (80,000VND).

On our way back to the hotel, we dropped by Satra Foods for snacks and water.

After resting, we ventured out of the hotel to check out the area to the east of our hotel.  I had initially wanted to check out the major landmarks but it was too close to closing time so we didn't manage to do so.

We first dropped by Ben Thanh market.  We walked in from the rear (where the food markets are) and was hounded by people asking us to get food from their stall.  It was overwhelming.  We were glad to get out of the market.

After some walking we found ourselves around some malls.  We checked out Parkson and Union Square.  Both (imho) house rather high-end items.  At Union Square, we had our first taste of Vietnamese Coffee in Vietnam - at Trung Nguyen.  As I love eggs and bread, I also ordered a Banh Mi Op La.  This is a simple dish, baguette with two (2) eggs and some soy sauce.  The boy ordered a green tea with coffee jelly drink.  The green tea is jasmine flavoured, which surprised us.  This meal cost us less than SGD 15.

We then dropped by Fanny for ice-cream.  It took us forever to find the place as Google Maps got the wrong address.  The ice-cream was interesting but beware of mosquitoes.

Along the way, we went into Parkson and passed by a place and seemed like a place for locals to gather.  On google maps, this area has no name and just seemed empty.  When we were there, it was crowded, with performances, music and people taking photos.

After Fanny, we headed back to the hotel.  We also went to the Ben Thanh night market.  It was much less scary than the day market.  I got loose (for sleeping) pants for 50,000VND (or RM 8) each and he got T-shirts (the I love Vietnam sort) for 50,000VND (or RM 7).  The stalls here take RM.

After that we got some noodles from street carts and went back to our hotel for dinner.  After the long day, and knowing we had to wake up early for our Mekong Tour the day after, we barely watched any TV before drifting to sleep.

What we noted on our first day:
- HCMC is flooded with bikes and cars
- In Ben Thanh/Pham Ngu Lao area, 90% of the traffic is bikes and taxis
- Most Vietnamese (even in high tourist traffic areas) don't really speak English

[Pictures to come later]

Hair Color - INOA

Just a background, I have sensitive skin (ezcema) and as an extension of that, a very sensitive scalp.  I was previously diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis and would sometimes use medicated shampoo when my scalp condition worsened.  My dermatologist also once advised me to not dye my hair as it will affect my scalp.  As a result, I have been sporting flat, black, long hair for a few years now.  The last time I did anything other than cut my hair was in 2008.

I was bored.

A few weeks ago, I visited Picasso Hair Studio and met with Alan Chia.  After some discussion (I did not want anything crazy but craved change), he suggested that I (i) dye my hair to soften my look; and (ii) perm my hair.  Because of my sensitive scalp, he suggested  I use their non-ammonia hair dye.  I agreed.  As for the perm, I made an appointment to see him again on 8 March 2015.

During the dye process, I did not get any stinging from the chemicals and I do not think dyeing my hair affected my hair or scalp much.  Although the flaking is back, I cannot be sure that it is not because of the stress I have been experiencing at work so I am not attributing that to the dye job.  However, I would say that I did not like the shampoo and conditioner samples I was provided with.  It was the Redken Color Extend Magnetic Shampoo and the accompanying Conditioner.  They had a nice scent, reminded me of pudding, but I felt that they left my hair rather oily.  I was given 3 sets of the samples and still have 1.5 sets left.  I have now purchased my own shampoo and conditioner and am planning to only use these when I am travelling.

As for the result of the dye job, it is a very dark brown color, such that it is not easy to discern that I dyed my hair.  Some might say it is a waste of money but in my view, the color is easy to maintain and gives my hair more dimension under bright light or sunlight so I am happy.  Maybe sometime in the future, when I get bored again I can do something more drastic.  We shall see.

Haircut + colour + treatment after colouring cost me S$159.

Skin Condition and Current Routine (September 2014)

My skin has generally been quite clear.  However, these past few years, especially after leaving home, I dealt with spots that take forever to clear.

Earlier this year, I had two weddings to help out and attend in one month and tried desperately to work on getting my skin to calm down.  That is when I started doing 2 (hydrating) masks a day, at night.  Now, I still do that, but much less regularly (perhaps once a week) but I still mask about 4 - 5 times a week.  Here's my current routine:

AM:
1. wash with sulwahsoo (a deluxe sample size I got and started using in August)
2. apply Sulwahsoo first care serum
3. apply Nuxe hydrating serum
4. sulwahsoo cream (very very lightly and only occasionally.

If I were going to apply makeup, I doing usually skip step 4.  I dislike the feeling of having too many creams/lotions on my face.

PM:  This is where it gets interesting
1. waterproof eyemakeup remover (if I used waterproof makeup in the day)
2. makeup remover water
3. clay wash/mask
4. (occassionally) mask during shower
5. first care sulwahsoo
6. nuxe serum
7. sulwahsoo cream
8. (couple of times a week) mask

Step 8 varies, it could be a sleeping mask, like Laneige or Sulwahsoo or it could be a cream mask, like Avene or Nuxe or it could be a sheet mask, like My Beauty Diary (my go-to).  My focus is on hydration.

I should explain step 3: this is a mixture I make myself from different types of clay and liquids.  My options are:
I change it up in accordance to what I think I need.  If I am extra spotty, I use tea tree oil.  If my skin is calm, I use the rose water. Its troublesome but I think rather useful. It also provides some physical exfoliation, which I think my skin prefers, compared to chemical exfoliation.

As to step 4:  this started when I purchased a fresh face mask from Lush (I tried the Oats and Blue berry ones).  As they get messy, I apply them during my shower and wash off when I step out of the bathroom.  Nowadays, until I get another fresh face mask, I do this with Dr GL's gel mask.  This is a bit difficult to get off by just wiping so its easier to just wash off in the shower.

The night time routine extended my bathing routine from 15mins to 25 - 30 mins.  But it is also a time for me to wind down as I will usually read a book or magazine while I let the masks dry/work their magic, so unless its really late at night or Im rushing, I dont mind.

The result of this routine is not perfect.  I still get spots and have to deal with them.  But my skin did calm down quite abit. Hydration is key I found.

Things will continue to change but I just want to put this down so that I have something to return to at a later time.

Bali 2014

I went to Bali last week with a friend.  Just using this space to pen my thoughts.

1. Seminyak shopping is expensive.

2. Be prepared to attract attention, guys asking you, want a car? good morning? hello~? As far as I could tell, they won't do anything but be careful.

3. Things are relatively cheaper.  Simply because of the exchange rate.  SGD : IDR was 1:9,350 last week.

4.  The exchange rate is NOT better over there.  Only less than 5 money changers were offering rates above 9.350 and from I have read online.  It is risky to change at these changers.

5.  Be ready for the humidity.  We went during the rainy season, so it was quite bad.  Sweat is good, keep repeating that.

6.  Seminyak is teeming with tourists.  Shops are meant for tourists.

7.  Suluban Beach has surfer dudes, Fin's Beach Club has rich Indonesians and Chinese, Padawan Beach reminded me of Tanjong Aru (in Sabah, Malaysia) in that it was crowded and not pretty.

8.  Seminyak beach is not worth going for the beach but perhaps the sunset will be nice (we didnt get to see it, on account of the clouds).

9.  More expensive places (think Potato Head, Samara Resort where Fin's Beach Club was located) check your bags and/or car.  For Fin's as we went by car, they had something like a metal detector.  Probably increased security after the bombing many years back.

10. People are generally rather friendly, whether the locals or the tourists.

11. Uluwatu is pretty, but again, tourists.

All in all, it was a good experience.  We stayed a little far from Seminyak town, at Jalan Bumbak.  What I realised walkin around town is that there are MANY hotels/villas/resorts just an alleyway away from the center of town.  I might try those if I ever go back to Seminyak.

It appears South Kuta is where the nice beaches are.  I would go there just to lounge a few days, if i get the chance.

But if I do return to Bali in the near future, the plan would be to try (1) the Bali Safari Resort - google it; and (2) stay at Ubud and do some yoga, eat, pray, love people~

Everything with Fries

I first tried EwF when I was an undergraduate, that was many years ago but in the past 2 months, I've been there three times.  Twice the Somerset branch and once to the Bugis branch.

I noticed that the two branches had different menus.  The Bugis branch had western-fusion dishes, think asian flavour pork chops while the Somerset branch essentially sold burgers with fries.

I will be talking about my food experience at Somerset.

We tried the pork satay burger and the slider.  Handsdown, I prefer the pork satay burger.  The meat used were tender (albeit slightly fatty but really, if its not fatty it might get too dry) and the dish very appetizing.  There was even a slice of canned pineapple.  I would totally get this if we head back.

I had the slider, the dish was rather one-dimensional.  Just salty, nothing much else.  Too boring.

Can't say much about the fries other than they are really nothing special.  The seasoning doesnt taste great either.  But if you, like us, just simply enjoy fries, these will be enough.

Dessert wise, their mille crepe is really odd.  Thick layers, more batter-y than crepe.  Their banana cake with ice cream and butterscotch sauce fared better.  We had this twice already, at both Bugis and Somerset.  The ice-cream is store-bought and depending on your luck, you may or may not get icicles in it.

Selfish Gene Cafe

I had facial one Sunday and the bf decided to wait for me nearby.  When researching where he could go,  I realise there are MANY cafes at the outram park - tanjong pagar area.  We decided on SGC.

I got there around 11.40am.  There was a short queue outside but there was at least 1 table vacant.  I believe these people required more than 1 table (ie, party of more than 2) so they had to wait.

Food wise, we ordered the Valerie (for me), the Breakfast Plate (for the bf) and the banana cake (dessert).

The dressing used for the side salad for Valerie was awesome.  Sweet and sour, very appetizing.  This dish is sweet, rather than savory although scrambled eggs was included as the main item was a brioche with (I think) cream cheese and berry compote. Good if you like something sweet and sour-ish.

The Breakfast Plate included scrambled eggs, mushrooms, sausage and 2 slices of bread (or maybe it was brioche).  Also provided were packaged strawberry jam and butter.  I believe it was sufficiently filling.  The mushrooms were pretty nice, chewy, tender.

The bf ordered iced cappucino while waiting for me and I ordered an orange juice to share when I reached.

The orange juice tasted a tad too sweet, as if sugar was added.

Last but not least, the banana cake, topped with a few slices of banana and peanut butter drizzle.  This was highly recommended in online reviews and we can see why.  Extremely soft and fragrant (though I wish no artificial flavouring was used), the addition of peanut butter drizzle made the dish rather interesting.

Would I go back? Maybe but unlikely, because there are too many places to explore in the vicinity.

Bread & Hearth

I was walking around Outram Park area with the bf  and we came across B&H.  Knowing how much of  a bread fanatic I am, the bf insisted we check out the place.  We bought 3 buns:  white chocolate bun, honey & chocolate bun and the walnut bread.

I have tried all three and have this to say.  They are decent bread.  I give 4 out of 5 stars.  I couldn't give a higher rating because the bread is somewhat "crumbly" and not sufficiently chewy for my liking.  Also, the location is pretty out of the way.

Price wise, it is slightly cheaper than my favourite, maison kayser, though still much higher than your neighborhood bakeries.  I definitely recommend checking it out if you are in the area!

SKII Workshop on 25 October 2014

When my mother came over at the end of October, one of the things we did together was attend an SK II workshop.  It was held at Halia Restaurant (Raffles Hotel outlet) and cost each of us S$130.  This S$130 was fully redeemable for products at the end of the workshop and included:-
(a) food and drinks during the event;
(b) door gifts; and
(c) a copy of NuYou.

The Food
1st, the food was GOOD.  Very light and nutritious, I was especially impressed by the chicken fillets cooked in sake and ginseng, simply because the fillets were very soft and moist, despite not being cooked with the skin.  The Salmon thing that came with it wasnt so great, it had too much mayonnaise for me.  

Dessert was good too.  Coconut pudding (or coconut panna cotta, as one of the servers called it) with diced mango, lychee and (yes) chilli.  The chilli wasn't spicy at all and the pudding was totally melt-in-your-mouth.  Delish.

The drinks served weren't great though - orange or cranberry juice, from a carton.  Later on, after my first glass, I got warm water - my go to most of the time.

The Workshop
The workshop was done rather well.  Someone from SKII (who I later learnt was to conduct the workshop) had noticed that I had an inflammation on my left upper eyelid during his walkabout and told me to not do the massages on that part of my face.

He went through the whole regime, all with SKII products, from cleansing (double cleanse, cleansing gel and then the foam), toning (clear lotion), facial treatment essence and then the cellumination range.

He also taught us how to use/apply the products - how much to us, how to apply it to our face.  It was very informative, if one is receptive.  I have to say, its just too much trouble for me to care so much.  So I didn't follow all that carefully.

There was also some discussion on what affects the health and radiance of one's skin.

Goodies
The door gifts were rather generous too, if you consider the fact that we could redeem the S$130 for products after the session.  We were given sample sizes of their cleansing cream, clear lotion, treatment essence, 2 pieces of SK-II Whitening Source Derm-Revival Mask, and a full size of their loose powder.  We were also each given a sample of their eye cream that was supposed to be applied during the event but since I had some inflammation I didn't use it so mum brought that home. 

I understand from the lady who spoke to me on the phone when I was doing the rsvp that the loose powder costs more than S$90 and that is also what I found online.  The whitening masks I believe costs at least about S$16 each (information online tells me a box of 10 retails at USD 160) .  This means the full-sized goodies given retail at at least S$122.  This is before we add on the value of the samples and the food (which I was told cost S$88 per pax, use your own judgment, but Halia isn't cheap).  So even before redeeming our vouchers, we already were given/provided with food/services/products worth more than S$130.

After the event, as my mother had to fly home and did not have check-in luggage, we intended to purchase a box of SKII Facial Treatment Mask (at S$122),  2 of the smallest sets they had which included the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence (75ml), Facial Treatment Clear Lotion (30ml) and Facial Treatment Mask (1 sheet).  According to the ladies at the event (from both Robinsons and SKII), there was another promotion, by Robinsons, whereby with every S$120 spent, we could get S$10 off.  In the end, we got another Facial Treatment Mask (ala carte).  With all these, I had to top up just S$62.  In my view, this was a very good value deal if you are trying out the brand.

Conclusion
All in all, this was a really good value event.  Very good for people wanting to learn more about the brand and wanting to try stuff from the brand.  Also, a shoutout to the sales people (whether from Robinsons or SKII) at the event.  They were very courteous and nice, even among the chaos.  Plus, my mother and I weren't exactly well dressed (and we purchased the minimum so that we could use our vouches) but they were very nice to us all the same.

Maison Kayser

Anyone who has had meals with me knows, I like to eat.  In particular, I cannot resist the "bad" carbs, like bread and noodles.  Maison Kayser is a favourite of mine for more european?-style breads, ie. not your usual old-school asian bakery bread.  My absolute favourite from them is their white chocolate bun, delice blanc.  Sophie has something similar but Sophie's bread is more asian-style, none of that crusty-chewyt goodness.  Of course, Sophie is also more than half the price.  One delice blanc if I remember correctly costs me more than S$3 and the bun is only about the size of my fist.  It is small but it is oh-so-satisfying.  Must-try!

Clarins Exfoliating Body Scrub

I have had this body scrub for (possibly) more than 2 years and am about to finish it.  I have an innate inability to finish any skincare or makeup so that is not due to the product itself although I do have some comments to make. 

One of the reasons it took me soo long to use this is because I was told I could use the product on dry skin.  This is what Clarins.com.sg say on their website:
Massage onto dry or damp skin 1-2 times per week (including the bust area and concentrating on rough areas such as elbows, knees, feet and thighs). Rinse thoroughly. 

Since I wanted to get the full effect of the scrubbing action, I tried my best to use it on dry skin but it really hurt! Granted I have sensitive skin but I would not suggest anyone use this scrub on dry skin.  The powdery texture of the scrub does not help in spreading the gritty parts on the skin and it is very gritty.  Using this on dry skin causes way too much friction.

The product smells alright, slightly powdery and flowery.  Not overpowering though I believe the scent lingers after bath.

To use this up, I started using this on wet skin.  That really helps to spread the product on the skin but I dont think you exfoliate less.  In fact, with increase in spreadability, I would massage the product in circles on the skin before rinsing it off. I think my skin is sufficiently scrubbed when I do that. Also, using this on wet skin also means it is easier to remove.  When I used this on dry skin, I tend to find bits still remaining on the body when I am towelling off; its quite off-putting.

Repurchase? No.  The main reason for this is the price.  I do not think a body scrub that does not seem to do much else needs to cost so much.  I cannot recall how much I paid for this but I have since purchased The Body Shop body scrubs during one of their atrium sales and I will use those after I finish this. It is just not exceptional enough for me to want to repurchase. 

Watsons Beauty Buys (Aug 2014)

So, I went to Watsons end of August, for their members sale.  The Toa Payoh outlet was crowded but the queue at the cashier wasn't particularly long. 

Here's what I got, beauty-wise.    

Mascara
I have decided long ago that I wasn't going to buy department store mascaras. Aside from the prices, I have tried a few samples (Clinique, Dior), and did not like them.  Maybelline works best for me.  Usually I use the Volume Express (the yellow tube) but I noticed lately that the curl doesn't last the whole day for me so I decided to try another type, so, hello Lashionista. This was sort of an impulse buy -- I needed a new tube but I didn't know which is good so I just got what looked interesting.

Liquid Eyeliner
I also got the K Palette 1 Day Tattoo eyeliner.  I have not tried any department store liquid liners todate as I am still learning to use liquid liners.  I don't use eyeliners (much less liquid eyeliners) often, so I didn't want to buy something expensive which will dry up before I use them.  The only other liquid eyeliner I've tried was the Kiss Me Heroine Make Impact Liquid Eyeliner.  This was very black, very hard to remove but difficult to use for a novice.  It came with a brush that you have to dip into an "ink bottle" and the brush had a tendency to split into three parts, making it hard to draw one line.

Pencil Eyeliner
Other things I got - pencil eyeliners.  I have previously used more expensive brands (think Urban Decay, Lancome, Makeup Forever) but they smudged on me! I tried the tester at Watsons and these don't seem to smudge and considering the price point, I figured there's no harm in trying them out.  I got two, one black, one white.  I used to apply white eyeliner to my lower waterline, and want to go back to doing that.  I previously used an eyeliner from KATE for that purpose but Watsons don't seem to carry that anymore.

Shading/Eyebrow Palette
Also got the shader/eyebrow powder palette from Heavy Rotation.  I just started getting into filling in my brows.  I had my eyebrows shaped twice and I don't like the feeling, not only was my skin irritated and stayed red for awhile, both times I feel that my brows looked too thin for my wide face.  Instead, I'm going to try to just define them. 

MISC
I also got two My Beauty Diary masks and an Alcon Tears Naturale II.  MBD masks are a favourite of mine - cheap and convenient.  I love to use the Natto ones as my skin is dry but I don't mind switching it up once in a while.  As for the Alcon, it was recommended to me by my GP as my eyes feel dry very easily.  It keeps the eyes moist for longer than the usual eye drops.

I have not used any of the make up items yet as I still need to finish up what I have.  I will try to update after trying the products.