experience Singapore - 3 nights, 2 days...

In around 2 weeks we have Mr Man's best friend stopping over with us whilst he's here on business...I love planning 'stuff' and have been smiling since I heard he was coming :-)  As with all visitors, we want him to see and experience Singapore...I started making a list of places to go and things to do and then decided I had better ask 'best friend' if he had any ideas of 'must see' places...

Please, no!  Not the Long Bar in Raffles!

Oh yes, I've been there 'n' done that...sipped the Singapore Sling and ate the cherry with a 'cheeky smile' ;-)  But really, the novelty has worn off and really it's just THE most over priced tourist attraction Singapore has to offer!  Luckily, 'best friend' did not have this on his list :-)

China Town...now this does make me smile :-)  Singapore is so 'international' it's quite a shame that a lot of the island has lost it's roots.  Happily though, there are still some areas that make us appreciate we are actually in Asia after all ;-)

My planning is complete (although a few question marks to allow 'best friend' a little choice ;-)) Here's what is planned;

Friday evening;
Dinner at our apartment with drinks on the balcony and a good chat and catch up...smiling 'n' laughing for sure ;-)

Saturday;
China town ... temples and general walk around the area,
City Gallery ... interesting place and an air con break from the heat my City Gallery post HERE
Club Street for lunch ... most probably a nice little Italian and a glass or 2 of rosé wine,
New Asia bar for cocktails and sunset,
stroll through Chijmes,
Boat Quay for dinner ... most probably Thai with a jug of Tiger Beer,

Sunday;
Botanical gardens ... as early as possible to enjoy it before the heat gets unbearable ;-)
Drive by where we lived prior to children and take in some Black & Whites in the Tanglin area,
Mr Man's office for the fantastic view,
Marina Square food court for lunch,
Stroll around the Marina Bay Sands and area.

'Best friend' will then be heading off to his hotel close to his work but we are hoping, if he has a free evening, then we can fit in the Night Safari!  So much to see and so little time...I'll be sure to get 'feedback' on this 3 nights, 2 days Singapore experience and tell you how it was ;-)

Yesterday was May 1st...labour day holiday here and opening day of Marvel's The Avengers.  We intended seeing the movie in the afternoon but everyone had the same idea and it was way too busy.  We did catch the movie at 7pm last night and really, really enjoyed it...excellent ;-)

Whilst near the cinema for the failed attempt at viewing the movie in the afternoon,

we stopped off for lunch.

I had Ebi curry set and will definitely be having it again...too yummy ;-)

kisses 'n' smiles from me xx ;-)

Flawless Beauty - April Bellabox

April Bellabox has arrived ;-)

The beautiful pink packaging makes me smile every month ;-) 

Again, as with every month in the beautiful box I find 5, yes 5 super samples for me to try out...

Enavose H2Osis Black Tea Quench Mask - already tried 'n' loved...I have tiny obsession with face masks ;-)  this can help skin retain a higher level of hydration, leaving it soft, supple and radiant.  Exactly what I needed during my trip to Australia trip to Adelaide and lack of humidity post HERE(I shall be investing in this ready for future trips to Oz...needed in Europe too - dry, flakey skin not very attractive!)

Kinohimitsu BB drink x 2 - already tried 'n' tasted...I actually like the flavour ;-) it promises to 'visibly perk up your skin from head to toe and restore it's more vibrant glow'.  First time uses are advised to take 1 bottle a day for 6 consecutive days, to maintain 'the look' continue with 1 bottle every 3 days.

Benefit Cosmetics 'Hello Flowless' liquid foundation - already tried, loved 'n' purchased ;-)  I really don't know how the Bellabox team do it but the colour I received is a perfect match for me...as it's available in 9 shades, the girls' have done good, thx xx ;-)

Moa the green balm - not yet tried ...it's Green, it's a balm, it's 100% natural and it's a miracle!  Use to nourish and renew dry, itchy skin and, apparently, works wonders on cold sores.

Lemongrass House shower gel 'lavender' - tried 'n' tested...I actually used half of the bottle in a 'bubble bath' ;-) love the scent, very relaxing.  I had recently been told of Lemongrass House and their products, my yoga class teacher used a lovely scented spray the other week...yes, I will be making a visit to my local Lemongrass House store to use my $5 gift voucher ;-)

In a previous month I received a Savior Fair lipstick 'miss you'...I love it ;-)  the very special packaging makes me smile too ;-)  Anyway, I have just placed an order for a Savior Fair concealer from the Bellabox website...I'll tell you how it is as soon as it arrives...

kisses 'n' smiles from me xx ;-)

spring is in the air ... 'n' frizzy hair...

Spring officially started on the 20th March...the clocks moved forward in the UK 'spring forward' I remember my Mum telling me years ago so I would remember!  and I have...thx Mum ;-)

The clocks changing makes the time difference one hour less between there and Singapore...which makes quite a difference for whatever inexplicable reason - one hour closer to family 'n' friends?...maybe?

So in the UK my Mum's garden is beginning to look a lot like Spring ;-)

I adore Spring flowers, tulips, daffodils 'n' hyacinths ;-) 

Here though in Singapore (this season-less tropical island) Spring is not exactly in the air...for the trained eye of a Singaporean he may say I am wrong - he'd be a brave man! ;-)  Me though, I feel the weather getting hotter and humidity playing havoc with my hair!  (right now we are at 33° with 71% humidity).  I am swimming everyday...excellent exercise yes, washing my hair everyday...not good - I have however stopped blow drying my hair!  I've had enough of 'sweating' at the dressing table, getting my hair perfectly straight only to head out the door and end up with a frizzy mess! :-( 



I'm using these products for 'frizzy and rebelious' hair...
to be honest not impressed with the result :-(

Still smiling though :-) if all I have to bother about is a little frizzy hair,

life really is not so bad in Singapore ;-)

Come my Summer hols in UK and I'll be moaning my hair is way too dried out...can't win !

I just had to leave you with this pic of a little doggy...

doing a google search in 'images" for frizzy I saw this

...makes me smile ;-)

BTW...if anyone has a secret to keeping their hair 'sleek 'n' shiny' rather than 'frizzy 'n' fluffy' please share ;-) Thx xx

kisses 'n' smiles from me xx ;-)



Clinique tried 'n' trusted faves...

Last week I made a trip to 'the city'...actually Centrepoint on Orchard Road!  I'm not a massive fan of Orchard Road but needs must from time to time ;-)

shopping paradise...Orchard Road

First stop in Centrepoint was the Clinique counter in Robinsons!  I've used Clinique products for about 17/18 years...wow!  I've not actually purchased anything for myself for ages...everything recent has been gifted.  Clinique have a special art of putting together bonus gift packs which look fab...who doesn't love a little freebie box of beautiful mini sized goodies?  How happy was I when I arrived at the Clinique counter to see they had such an offer, this involved making a certain 'spend' on their products in order to receive a fab gift box full of goodies ;-)  Definitely something to smile at there ;-)

Oh yes, I made the 'certain spend' amount and received my box of goodies (plus a lovely lipgloss too...more smiles ;-))

So, here's what I purchased...



Repairwear laser focus -

apply 3 to 4 drops twice per day and...

in just 4 weeks see striking improvements to fine lines.

I'll let you know my feelings on this in around 4 weeks ;-)

I do like the packaging, easy to use dropper and the feeling of smoothness after applying.  I'm a little afraid to smile in case I get more smiley fine lines!!

All about eyes...

promises to diminish the look of dark circles, shadows, puffs and lines

I have been using this product (on and off) for a good few years.  I now promise myself to use it every single day.  I first received this product in a free gift pack, golly, years and years ago.  I love the texture as I apply and after application this feels fab and smooth and in just days I see a huge difference to the dark marks under my sleepy eyes ;-)

I almost purchased a face mask...I love using face masks, especially to scare my boys - or more make them laugh ;-)  Luckily though, the Clinique girl advised me there was a sample of the mask I fancied in the gift box and suggest I try it first to see if I like...saleswoman done good!! ;-) 

Here's what was in my gift box of mini sized goodies...

Take the day off makeup remover, turnaround instant facial,

moisture surge face spray, moisture surge extended thirst relief,

all about eyes (rich), 7 day scrub cream, repairwear laser focus mini

AND long last glosswear 'air kiss' xx

The Clinique girl really took her time and explained how and when to use each product which I found very helpful and efficient.  I'm especially excited to use the turnaround instant facial (mask)...excited to use a face mask? yeah, I love them ;-)

So, I leave you as I head to the bathroom to apply 'n' try my "turnaround instant facial"...review of this and April Bellabox up tomorrow ;-)

kisses 'n' smiles from me xx ;-)

Garnier goodies...

A week or so ago I picked up some goodies by Garnier from my local Gardian Pharmacy...

What brought on these Garnier purchases was a little mention in Mel's blog HERE.  I saw this PureActive ExfoBrusher/face wash and thought 'I need one of those'!  Of course, I was a little concerned I would not find one here in Singapore so did a quick search on the 'world that is the web' ;-)  Smiling, smiling that I actually found another blog from a girl in Malaysia who had recently picked up this 'exfo brush' thingy here in Singapore!  Yeah, off to Gardian to grab one...

I have not been disappointed and really like the clean feeling and the fragrance is very good too.  I actually made the mistake of using it prior to wetting my face the first couple of times and did not get a great result but after reading the instructions I did as advised which is...to fully wet your face, squeeze a small amount onto the brush and then scrub away (not to hard though).  Lathers up perfectly and leaves my face thoroughly washed and clean.  I love the massage feeling the rubber brush thingy gives you...very nice ;-)

The other items I purchased were the light BB cream.  Coverage is wonderful and feels very 'light' to wear...I've tried so many make ups and totally hate the feeling that some of them give me which is 'like I am wearing make-up!'  This BB cream actually makes me feel 'all natural' ;-)

The eye roll concealer is wonderful too...again, the coverage is great and the little roller ball makes application so easy and just the right amount is used.

All in all, very happy with my Garnier goodies ;-)

I'm off now to take some pics of my April Bellabox...I've already fallen in love with 2 of the products and this month's box is definitely up there with my faves ;-) pics 'n' review to follow...

kisses 'n' smiles from me xx ;-)

Adelaide pics 'n' Singapore humidity...

I'm back in my beautiful Singapore having returned from Australia.

Here's a few picks from my last few days in Adelaide...

Of course, we did the mandatory tourist stuff....

feeding the kangaroos and waking up the sleepy koalas ;-)

We did manage a visit to a vineyard...Napenthe

and I will post about the tasting experience in a later post ;-)

I've got a couple of moans about being in Oz and leaving Singapore.... Firstly, the dry-ness of it's climate played havoc with my skin :-( I'm pretty sure my skin prefers the Singapore humidity....I had to make a few moisture product purchases ;-)

Secondly, I ate way to much! I'm a little bit weight obsessed...and getting back from hols I really did have to be brave before setting foot on the weight scales :-(

If anyone thought it impossible to put 3.5kg (7.7lb) on in just 9 days then I have totally proved them wrong :-( now weighing almost 57kg I feel extremely enormous :-(

Easter break with all those chocolate eggs is over...time to give up on the chocolate (again) and get fit 'n' looking positively fab for summer ;-) yes, yes I agree, easier said than done, but, I'm going to give it a go...

"Let's get ******* skinny!"



So, I've decided no more cheating and using the car for little trips... I'm walking and/or taking the MRT...I promise to keep it up ;-)

My inspiration is coming from these pics from Rihanna's Facebook page...

 

 

isn't she stunningly beautiful and her body is sooooo fabulous ;-)

I'll be buying a white bikini as soon as I get such a toned bod

(yeah, yeah we all can dream! ;-))

So, after the dry skin incident in Oz, I thought I should get regular facials but, these facials are way too pricey.  I decided to treat my skin to some wonderful potions...

Next post to include my trip to the Astalift store and a cheeky buy with gift from Clinique ;-)) AND reviews on some Garnier goodies inspired by Mel's recent purchase SEE HERE AND...my April BellaBox has just arrived :-)) yeah!

kisses 'n' smiles from me xx ;-)

Easter in Adelaide...

G'day!  Yeah, I'm back to my usual layout with pics included...

I've actually hijacked Mr Man's laptop...although this is a little difficult to use, it has the English keyboard!  Funny really, 'cos I was a touch typist in my 'previous life' in UK for 7 years (using the English keyboard)...but, in France I purchased a Dell laptop with French keyboard, this took some getting used to initially, now though is so normal.  Makes me think of driving on the left as opposed to the right...difficult to begin with but then just becomes the norm'.  I remember in my early days in France I went around a round about the wrong way...luckily not a busy road ;-)

Anyway, back to my Easter holiday in Adelaide :-)  Me, Mr Man 'n' my 2 boys are having a fun time.  The weather is pleasantly cooler compared to Singapore (although I have complained a little as I am having to wear 2 jumpers and a big scarf...16 degrees C...yikes)

Despite the chill  in the air the sky is a perfect blue and yesterday at the seaside in Glenelg we had a lovely day.  A tram ride from the City, very easy and efficient service, ride to the end of the line which took us to the sea front at Moseley Square. 



very pretty marina@Glenelg

So, here's a few pics of bits 'n' bobs which have been making me smile (up 'til now) during this Easter break...

 

Botanical Gardens

Adelaide Zoo

playing on the beach xx ;-)

Today is Easter Sunday...Happy Easter!  I'm off to a 'rather posh' hotel for Easter lunch where my boys have been promised an appearance from the Easter Bunny 'n' lots of yummy chocolate ;-)

kisses 'n' smiles from me xx ;-)

Easter holiday 'n' Cadbury's eggs...

Right now I'm on holiday with Mr Man and my 2 boys :-) its Easter holiday break from school. Please excuse my layout issue and lack of photos but keeping the blog updated via my iPad is a little more complicated than it should be! Where are we? Well, I have been here to this country and city before but my little family was even 'littler' back then! So, when we were here in Adelaide almost 9 years ago it was just me and Mr Man with my biggest boy...oh, I was carrying a little baby bump too, with little boy being due into the world 3 months later...;-) Flying to Adelaide with Qantas and, of course, flying out of Singapore from Changi was a good experience all round. Qantas, pretty good...although economy class through the night is never a 'wonderful' experience this was not too 'nasty'. My boys slept fairly well, no rowdy folks onboard to disturb us all, I managed to see a movie and good coffee served close to landing just to give that caffeine boast needed to deal with any airport chaos! Anything to declare? Actually, yes, I'd like to declare that your sniffer dogs are extremely gorgeous and I have 2 chocolate Easter eggs in my luggage ;-) ah yes, food is not readily permitted into Australia but declaring the goodies, if those goodies are pretty standard items 'usually' sees you ushered through customs. I think the customs guy actually thought I was crazy given the Cadbury eggs were no doubt imported to Singapore from Australia in the first place! Ah well, sure my boys will be smiling come Easter Sunday ;-) Happy Easter break to everyone 'n' enjoy all the Easter fun. kisses 'n' smiles from me xx ;-)

Orchard Road, braces (again) 'n' Abercrombie men...

WARNING

this post contains photos of 'shirtless' men...

if this kind of thing offends you then please DO NOT continue!

;-)

Every 6 weeks I have to make a trip down to Orchard Road.  It's not for the luxury of a facial, mani, pedi or massive shopping spree...no, it's for the necessity of getting my braces tightened :-(


This always involves pushing and pulling of my teeth and wires get tightened...and yes, pain for the next couple of days until my teeth get used to the idea of being pulled into another position.

Elastic bands...rabbit, fox or impala ;-) I'm on with rabbit at the moment and will be shortly moving to the smaller and tighter impala bands.  Ooooo, how much fun!  Even more fun and games is when my elastic bands spring off...they've been known to show up in the car, on the settee and in bed ;-)

So, Orchard Road on a Saturday...not the most pleasant of places actually.  I know some people would be in their element 'all those stores 'n' malls' but me, I complain about the traffic then the crowds of people. 

shops, shops 'n' more shops

Last Saturday, Mr Man came along with me to get his teeth checked out too (oh, he has near perfect teeth and never needs anything doing).  We arrived at Orchard Road quite early for the appointment so Mr Man suggested we take a look in the Abercrombie & Fitch store...

Of course, I'd heard about the store in New York - set up like a club with model like guys wondering around 'shirt-less'...

At the door of the Singapore store there are 2 pretty good looking guys but alas they wear shirts.  Arriving at the store Mr Man informed me that Singapore does not allow the guys to be 'shirt-less'...imagine my surprise and giddiness when we walked inside and were greeted by these guys...

well, not exactly these very guys but a very similar version ;-)

krikey, golly, gosh ;-)

Needless to say, Mr Man is still laughing at the look on my face and the giddiness of me! ;-)  Krikey, I really did not know where to look ;-)


The store is way too dark, I'll be taking a torch if I seriously want to make a purchase.  The music is so loud it is impossible to think straight and decide which colour or indeed what size you would want!  Yeah, yeah, I agree it probably is a generation thing.



yes, it really is this dark inside ;-?

I'm off now to Esprit 'n' Zara which have very bright lighting (lol) :-)

kisses 'n' smiles from me xx ;-)

un an, premier partie - 'Au revoir la France'

Bonjour...this post is in French but if you want to read the same content in English...click HERE...

La semaine dernière...quelqu'an m'a demandé combien de temps j'étais à Singapour...j'ai réflechi une seconde "est-il vraiment presque un an déjà?"  Mais, alors comment ces temps ont partis tellement vite que ça! 

Bien sûr, un 'post' pour ce blog inclus mes pensées 'e' mes sentiments sur les événements de l'année dernière.  Alors, voici quelques photos ainsi que mes souvenirs de mes derniers jours en France "où 7 ans ont terminé...enfin".

les cartons 'e' les cartons par tout

les sacs 'e' les cartons ;-)

la remplissage du 'container' ....qui prenne ma maison
au travers les mers jusqu'à l'Asie

J'ai toujours un frisson en voyant ce 'container' -
j'étais à l'hôtel avec ma mère pour déposer les bagages,
nous sommes arrivés à l'appartement à Noisy pour voir ça ...
mince alors, j'étais émotionelle ;-(

'the baggages'!
après 'une certaine confusion' à quelle façon 'petite moi' puisse aller à l'aéroport
avec 8 articles des bagages et 2 garçons
Enfin je me retrouvé avec un chauffeur de taxi
(qui ne voulu pas m'aider charger les choses),
2 garçons très émotionnels et une très émotionnelle moi ;-(

le champagne dans le salon des affaires a bien aider d'atténuer
le traumatisme de la situation ;-)

J'étais tellement absorbé par l'organisation nécessaire afin de changer à un autre continent que j'ai réalisé seulement au dernier moment que je vais quitter la France pour toujours...

Adieux à mes chères amies (mais malheureusement pas assez des photos, voici une)

 mon dernier WE en France :-(
'gosh', j'ai un regard choquante
mince alors!

J'avais pleuré pour n'importe quelle raison pendant une semaine ou deux....mais rien ne m'a préparé pour le jour J!

Mon Dieu, je n'imaginais jamais le difficulté je pourrais avoir à dire 'Au revoir à la France'...

Plus des visages familières à l'école en déposant mes enfants (pour une certaine temps en tout cas),

et plus de conduit sur le droite! ;-)

plus des opportunités à faire du shopping à Parly 2 avec mon 'shopping buddy',

Ah, Pascale comment nous avons nous amusé!!
^_^

je vais plus courir dans les champs et voir les cerfs et les lapins...

Bien sûr, il y avait plein des autres choses qu'en quittant la France je ne serais pas trop triste de laisser derrière...

Plus de panique à mélanger 'tu' et 'vous'...un problème très grave!

Plus de panique à saluer quelqu'un - est-il 'bonjour' ou 'bonsoir'...même après 7 ans, j'ai rarement eu la success et j'été souvent raté :-(

raté :-D

Heureusement, je pourrais me rappeler toutes les bonnes raisons pour se rendre à l'aéroport à l'heure...Singapour était dans mes rêves et mes pensées depuis j'ai quitté le pays il y a 7 ans!  'Mr Man' était déjà sur place en train de s'installer dans son nouvelle emploi (il a quitté la France un mois avant moi et mes garçons),

ET mon beau garçon Bébert était sur le point de départ de la station de quarantaine et serait tout prêt à sauter sur moi et lécher mon visage :-P

Gosh, les derniers jours en France émotionnels....

Ce 'blog post' est intitulé 'un an, premier partie' - et alors c'est évident que bientôt on aura une deuxieme partie...je pense que je vais l'appeler celle-ci 'ni hao Singapura' ;-)  Mais je n'ecrit pas en Chinois!

les bisous 'e' les sourires de moi xx ;-)