{Caught Red-handed!}

Oops!!! This is suppose to be a women only cabin during peak hour. What is HE doing amongst the ladies????

Oh well, we are tourists - excused.

During peak hours, when everyone's packed like sardine, it makes sense to have a women only cabin.

{Cute 'Japanese' Man}

Some of u told me to bring back a kawaii jap man for u.

Well, this is the cutest man i've seen in tokyo, i'm not kidding!

He's taken. Lol.

{ONCE Is Enough}

Today, I was 'freaked out' by the thunder dolphine ride.

I'm usually a go-getter with roller coaster rides, but this one freaked me out.

1. I was only strapped waist down... Felt completely insecure. It's just me. I need to be strapped from shoulders down to feel secure ;P

2. I could see the buildings, a busy road with cars n people... Scary!!! I'd rather be in a dark tunnel!!!

M was very brave. He said "ok what quite interesting..." aw... My hero!!!

{28-9-2010: Gotemba/Ebisu}

{Praise the Lord for a Highly Favored Trip!}

Vending machine dinner. Nice!

Today we missed our bus to Gotemba Premium Outlet because we got lost in Shinjuku station. 

Praise God for favor!! They didn't allow us to change to the later departure n said we had to buy new tickets. Just when we were going to make payment, he decided that he would change the tickets for us at no charge!!!!

So we managed to get to Gotemba by noon n had more than enough time there ;)

Ended our day with dinner at a vending machine food outlet. Curry katsu don .... mmmm... Yummy. Cheap. Fast. Tasty!

Ros directed us to Ebisu Garden which was beautiful. Small place, maybe like Chijmes. There's this restaurant that looks like what Ros described as the 'Cinderella Castle'. It's beautiful!!

Today, we said our goodbyes... Till Mar 2011, see u again my dear friend!!

{Praise God for Favor!}

Today we missed our bus to Gotemba Premium Outlet because we got lost in Shinjuku station. We ran all the way only to find out it's the wrong exit. (Muscles are aching now.) 

BUT Praise God for favor!! The tickent attendant didn't allow us to change to the later departure n said we had to buy new tickets. Just when we were going to make payment, he decided that he would change the tickets for us at no charge!!!!

So we managed to get to Gotemba by noon n had more than enough time there ;)

Ended our day with dinner at a vending machine food outlet. Curry katsu don .... mmmm... Yummy. Cheap. Fast. Tasty!

Ros directed us to Ebisu Garden which was beautiful. Small place, maybe like Chijmes. There's this restaurant that looks like what Ros described as the 'Cinderella Castle'. It's beautiful!!

Today, we said our goodbyes... Till Mar 2011, see u again my dear friend!!

{hair mystery - solved}

Those who read my earlier entries about the hair experience in tokyo r all curious how i look now. Actually after i washed my hair, look the same lo ha ha ha.

Unless i cut from long to short or perm it, it won't look very different lol. I wanted to perm like what the stylist had but didn't have time ;(

But it's the whole experience that's so different. it's something i don't think i can find in singapore... We r just not there yet.

{27 Sept - pt2}

Today i found out why so many people use the transparent umbrella.

When the wind blew n it was raining, i covered myself with my umbrella. Then revelation came ... I cannot see what's ahead lol

Check out the famous transparent umbrella. Even grandpas use them ;)

{27 Sep - pt 1}

{25/9/2010-Food}

Lunch - claypot ramen with white miso soup. Yichiban!! So savory n yummy!!

Dinner - bbq pancake n noodles n some gooey stuff. Nice! But more importantly the girls had fun cooking!

We had the worst sour plum drink ever. First, it taste like alcohol. Then u realise it's soda water. Then later it taste like bad medicine!!

Snack - melon bun. We saw some girls walking by raving about this polo looking bun in their hands. We decided to buy one n share it amongst 6 of us.

When i wad breaking it into pieces it felt so good i knew it would taste great and it did! We ended up buying 4 more!!! So delucious!! It's hot, crispy on on the outside n super soft on the inside with a hint of melon taste! Wah best bread ever eaten!! Sweet n yummy n ...

I'm just so happy today!

{Mind-blowing Hair Cut}

We had yet another amazing day today!

For me it was fulfilling one of the things i wanted to try at least once in my life. Actually after this once, i want to do it more often!!

I had my first hair-experience in Tokyo! If u ever visit this place n u r not sure what to do, GO EXPERIENCE a haircut in Japan!! It's just so different!! They look into every detail n handle ur hair with such great care it really amazes me. Even just to pay for a wash n blow, it's worth it!

And u know what? It cost less than what i spend in Singapore!

Why is it so different?

1. B4 they even start coloring, they put on small shower-cap like plastic to cover ur ears.

2. They apply some sculp protecting treatment on ur head - so cool right. Singapore they don't do it unless u pay for a sculp treatment.

3. When they color ur hair, they r so gentle at handling it, u can barely feel them doing anything to it.

4. They don't just apply once n mess up ur face with spots of dye. They r extremely careful that not one spot is on ur face n colors it in stages. In between, they even have this steamer that works like a hair dryer. When they did, i really felt it was a total hair pampering experience.

5. Wait till u sit on the chair to rinse off the shampoo. It reclines with a touch of a button!

6. Oh my! here's the best part. They cover ur face with a good quality tissue. N the best hair washing experience begins. I was so relaxed i could sleep!! It's not like our regular head massage n hair wash in Singapore.

The way they do it is so different but oh so good!!!! I really can't describe it. Even the way she lifts ur head is amazing. She does it such that u feel she's placing her finger tips at the right pressure points... Wah... Really unexpected!

7. When all is done, they use this hot towel to press on the side of ur face to soak up the dripping water. But more than it's purpose, it feels really good!! Then just when u thought that's it, the ultimate happens. She lifts up ur head so gently n puts the hot towel down. When ur neck touches the hot towel, it's an ultimate meltpoint. I never knew a simply thing like hot towel would make such a big difference.

8. Even the way they dry ur hair is like a skilled massage therapy. Then when ur hair is no longer dripping wet, the chair moves back into the upright position.

This hair-washing experience alone was totally mind-blowing!! My description totally underdescribes how wonderful it is.

9. Finally, she takes so much care at cutting, i totally respect the way she makes my hair feel pampered n respected ;) lol

After the cut, i love it!!!

And the best part. Coz I am R's friend, i enjoyed a super big discount!!! I really paid very little for this completely amazing experience.

Thanks R for bringing me there. And our very patient husbands n R's two wonderful kids!!!

This experience makes me realise Jap stylist really know how to treat ur hair n gives u an ultimate hair experience. It's not just about the cut, it's the whole process.

Oh yes, they even provided child care service for one of their clients with a nice lil child-care corner.

Service begins right when we arrived. They take ur bag n keep it in a room so u don't have to worry about it during ur time with them.

No words can describe it well enough. Go try it for yourself!!!

{24Sep tokyo iPhone photos pt2}

Wonderful dinner w r n family.

U must try it when u r here. Black Shoyo or Miso Ramen.

Didn't look too appealing. Didn't smell that great. In fact, it smells like soy sauce.

BUT when u taste it... Oh my!!! I've never tasted soup base like that b4!

The black Shoyo Ramen taste like soup with super fragrant roastef pork flavour. Really very yummy!! Even the black miso soup was yummy - strangely, no miso taste ;)

It was really funny how we found the pl. But i'm too sleepy to type further.

Going to sleep now. Big plans ahead tomorrow.

{24 Sep iPhone Photos Pt 1}

At Changi Airport

{Tokyo - Ginza/Ropponggi}

Today's a really long n tiring day but totally enjoyable!!!

It's pretty easy to move ard in trains, thanks to the maps fr d and the detailed briefing from p. We r confident to move around tokyo now.

Really tired now bcoz we've been up since we the morning of 24 Sep. Barely had much sleep in the plane. The seats were really small n uncomfortable. Don't think I will ever book NA again.

The 9-storey stationary shop was a lil disappointing, nothing unique.

The bento n snacks in the shopping centres r visually extremely pampering to our eyes. Everything is so well packaged, even the salad looks yummy!

It was nice to walk ard Ginza today lots of up market buildings. In Singapore we see boutiques. At Ginza they go by buildings Oooooo

By the time we checked in at 3pm we were exhausted but only had time to shower n get ready to head out again. Read more abt our night outing w r n family!!

I love how clean japan is. It's do clean that if we can't find a bin we'd bring the rubbish back with us.

Everyone is so orderly. I've never seen a country where everyone n i mean everyone standing on the left of tge escalator in a row. We do it in Singapore but not EVERYONE.

The toilets r so clean. N so far, all the public toilets that i've been to comes w a bidet system ;)

Overall, we r enjoying ourselves.

Airport

I was feeling unusually happy as we arrive the airport. Went in to our fav shop and ended with two belts.

But what made me exceptionally happy was the fantastic service provided by nippon air even during check in. When we were in our fav shop, we met with the nicest sales person ever. She was such a darling. Gave us special platinum membership even though we only spent 1/5 of the required cost. M even had a special discount that he's not suppose to get! That's what i call walking in supernatural favour!!!

This has never happened to us n4 n i m really excited!! Boarding now!

{Getting closer}

We r now on our way to the airport. The moon is beautiful n round.

Plan to sleep in the plane n stay awake tomorrow!!

Heard that there's no food served on board nippon air for night flights ;)

Will defintely be blogging if there's wifi in the hotel.

{Today's The Day!}

Yeah! My holiday has started!!! Woo hoo!!!

We're leaving tonight for JAPAN!!!! So excited! I've been looking forward for this trip since we started planning and now it is coming to past!!

I've had really stressful time at work but at the same time, the people at work are such a blessing! We've been dearly blessed with gift, prayers and support, I feel sooooo loved!!!

Today is probably the 4th or 5th time I've repacked my clothes. Yes... once again, too many clothes.

You see... I don't get to wear boots here, so whenever I travel, and if the weather permits, I'll bring my boots along. No exception this time. But in order to bring the boots, I have to bring skinny jeans, matching tops and bags etc... In the end, I had to bring so many extra things that look good but are simply not practical for this trip. Now, I've stripped down. Just the basics. Sneakers, big bag to throw in the jacket and that's it. No boots, no fancy bags that are too small to keep things, nothing...

I actually bought the boots just for this trip. lol... (stop rolling your eyes!! :D) Looks like I'll be keeping it for the next trip.

As I'm typing this, there's thunder in the background. Pray with me that as we fly tonight, the weather will be good and in our favor. And when we land in Japan, wherever we go, there will be no rain :P!

Back to my packing. Instead of bringing one big and one small luggage, we decided it's wiser to just take 1 medium and 1 small luggage. I would think it would be easier to transport our bags up and down the trains and drag them around Japan.

So our travel itinerary is now in our hands... will be meeting Ros tomorrow in Tokyo!!!! Can't wait really!! I'm just so excited!

Till 11 Oct... this is me... signing off!

Japan, here we come!!!!!

{Japan Updates}

Met up w our travel planner. Excited about the upcoming Japan trip!!!

I was a lil overwhelmed by the amt of information, instructions n directions shared. But it's good to be equipped with those information.

Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka!!!!

{Choc or Poison?}

I was so stressed out this morning that I decided I should be allowed not just a starbucks ice chocolate but also a Starbucks molten chocolate cake.

Now, I'm paying the price of giving in to this wrong thought. It's 1.06am. I'm wide awake.

Is chocolate a comfort or 'poison' to me?

{RaRaRaRaMen!!!!}

Visited this ramen outlet at Paragon. O my!! this must be nicest Ramen I've eaten in Singapore!!! I'm totally in live with this!!! The soup is tasty n has this 'traditional' Japanese taste lol my description is really bad lol

I don't normally eat roast pork but this is superbly lean, tender n very delicious!!!!

Must try (10 Stars)

{o dear...}

6.33am, still awake. How!!!!!

{Girls' Day Out}

I finally had the opportunity to meet up with my two Russian friends. Our schedule just couldn't meet.

On Thusday we met. It was Shopping day!!! We had so much fun!

Mani/padi, clothes, make up, accessories...

This is what I'd call a FUNtabulously awesome girls' day out. Shopping makes every girl happy. It makes me extremely happy ;)

Looking forward for the scrap session w yin that was postponed till after our trip. Can't wait!!P

{Ju's Bus 4}

Ju's first ice cream moment. I love to see his crunched up face ;) unforgettable!!

{Ju's Bus 3}

Pg 3: ju was copying m making monkey faces ;D so adorable!!! The traffic light fits so nicely in that lil corner.

{Ju's Bus 2}

Pg 2: Added glitter around the tree. This is the front of the tree seen on Pg 1. Love the felt truck stickers n car buttons!!! If only the rocks on our streets are like diamonds on the felt truck...

{Ju's Bus 1}

This is a 4-page mini-bus-album of my adorable, handsome nephew. Used glitter to glitz up the back of a chipboard sticker. Added buttons to add some colors to the tree, looks like apples right? ;)

{Scrapbooking}

Bought a Christmas card kit n picked out some card making items for d. Realized she enjoys making cards for family n friends.

I think I'm slowly getting the hang of scrapbooking. I'm now not as lost as I was before at the start of each project. I kinda know the planning or thought process.

I used to have problem buying stuff that goes well together. After a few scrap-shopping for friends I think I'm getting the hang of it. I enjoy it actually. Anybody wanna hire a scrap-shopper??? ;)

I used to find scrapbooking a lil stressful bcoz I'd be cracking my head wondering how to get started or what to do next. I think I'm crossing over. It's relaxing n enjoyable ;)

A lot of this came from y actually. I've been so inspired by her work that it keeps me going n wanting to produce unique n beautiful pieces like she does. Each time we meet she'd share tips on how to get stuff done. I think that played a big role in helping me get my thoughts sorted out.

When I see y n g's work, I see a certain style ghat flows thru. It's been so long now, I still haven't quite found what my scrap style is. Hai...

I'm looking forward to get more projects done. My stuff are all lying in paper bags around my room bcoz my cabinets are full. So many projects to complete. So little time.

{iPhone}

Love the fact that I can surf n blog anywhere, at any time. Whenever I wish.

Love the endless free apps.

Love that I can listen to my audio bible with theatrical effects wherever I go.

Love that I can watch 'Happy Together' from you tube at nite.

Love that I can play word games with my friends.

Love that there's just so much to do with this phone.

NOT loving to type on this. Nokia is still much easier.

NOT loving the fact that now m n I both spend more time on our phones than spending time with each other.

NOT loving the fact that I cam access to games n internet so easily. Really have to discipline myself from not overdoing it.

There u go, my iPhone assessment after using it for a month or so.

{Peranakan Cuisine @ Home}

Gosh...it's 3.13am n I'm still wide wake, thanks to the tea n awfully chocolate rum n cherry cake. No regrets! So yummy!!!!!

We had a feast today! Celebrated D n dad's birthday in advance. We ordered peranakan dishes from an extremely talented chef.... Wa really ate till our heart's content: ayam bua keluak, sayar lodeh, Satay bohong, prawn n mango salad, pulor hitam longan.... Hm I'm hungry again!!!!

If u r looking for absolutely mouth watering peranakan food for catering to small numbers, look no further, buzz me, I'll give u the contact. U won't regret it!!

Tell u how nice the food is, he even went into fine details like adding pandan leaf to the coconut milk for the pulor hitam... Wa it's so fragrant!!! He uses different herbs to enhance the flavor of each dish. Our whole family enjoyed it tremendously.

Yummadoodlely Good!!!!

{Bus Project}

I just completed my first kiddy mini-album for my super handsome nephew. I love it!!! The album is just like him so adorable ;)

Boys r boys. He just has this thing for cars, trucks, trains... Stuff that I don't remember ever playing with other than 'frying' the cars in my little cooking pan :) lol

Just bought this beautiful bus shaped chipboard album. I really like it. Allows u to display up to 4 pix on a page. Love the size as well. Works perfectly well as a display item.

Will take pictures of the album tomorrow. :)

{Cherish Your Now Moments}

On Mon, I received a shocking piece of news: my friend's husband died on a work site accident.

I had So many questions: where's God's protection?

But after I heard her sharing, I had this unspoken peace, that god had prepared everything in place.

Without going into details, important documents were put in place a month ago n everything is a smooth transition now.

On the afternoon b4 the event, her hubs called her. She said it was unlike him to do so. N he shared to her about having a general feeling that life is brief. That evening he never returned home.

He fell with a fellow worker from a gondola that was on it's way down bcoz they realized something was not right with it. It never made it's way down smoothly.

In the midst of this piece of tragic news, I see God's hand in preparing the family even a month in advance. And that last call the couple had. It amazed me.

Life is brief. Spend time on people that really matters to you. Be happy. Listen to God's prompting.

{I Love to Eat!}

With the new iphone, I've been stuck on this game that involves packing of burger orders. As I played, Ooooo the burgers are calling out to me.

2 days ago, I caved in to this sinful craving... we ate at Carl's Junior. Not the ideal burger, but it was good enough for now:

I had the shitake mushroom burger with beef patty, very yummy!

Yes... I popped in a generous amount of fries into my burger. Super sinful!

M had a chicken-bacon burger (honestly, I don't quite like it)

My ideal burger includes:

• Juicy, succulent beef patty
• Pickles
• Some (yes, just some) vegetables
• Fresh deep fried french fries
• Some (yes, just some) deep fried bacon
• Cucumber
• Sliced Tomato
• Honey Mustard
• Topped with a sunny side up with 3/4 cooked egg yolk

And my fav. crepe stall, Saybons, at Plaza Sing basement has expanded! Instead of just a few bar stools, the now have a proper seating area! If you've not tried it you have to! It's simply mouth-watering.

 fav: Seafood bisque together with a ham, cheese and mushroom crepe.

{Scrapshopping}

I never thought I'd be having a scrapbook-buy conversation with R ha ha ha... I thought the mini-album would be her first and last scrapbooking project.

She entrusted me with S$100... here's what I had gotten so far, more to come!!!

I actually enjoy scrapshopping for people. Maybe that can be a new job opportunity, it's pretty fun! Spending other people's money, buying what I like!

I've been bitten by the ziplock bag bug! Everything's packed in ziplocks!!!

Pretty in pink!

Love these flowers, brads and that bubble thingy (not sure what it's called lol)

Look at the butterflies!! Added in some of my own stuff like the rub-ons that I never got to use, but I thought would fit well into this project.

This is a REAL craft envelope, unlike the fake one I bought :) Made with Love is selling loose pieces. I love that they are also selling the plastic dollies separately. Bought more of them (for myself too lol)

The chipboard that I wanted is no longer available and I can't seem to find something that is similar to that. Ended up with the Best buy of the lot! S$2 for the corkboard frame and S$2 for the wooden stand - Daiso

I painted the white frame with a dark pink acrylic paint... hope she likes it... Also pasted the paper for her becos' I thought it'd be easier if I did it with the paper cutter.

I'm hoping to find more precious gems for her before I leave for Japan!