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My man got me a instax mini 25 pink heart ♥

Well, I kind of hinted that I wanted one… I have my motive for wanting this, of course – it’s KEWT! I used to own a Polaroid camera during my late teens which I believe is still stashed deep somewhere in one of the many drawers holding the “maybe I’d still have use for this” things – a Polaroid i-Zone Pocket Instant Camera (Silver Edition). Evolution. Then again, maybe the late Polaroid camera died a premature death from corrosion caused by the melted battery….

I have only begun to cutesy-snap away with the new pink addition last evening. The Fujifilm Instax Mini 25 retails from S$128 and onward depending on the design of the camera. I really liked a customized camera with pink hearts printed all over the white area but that would mean an extra S$70 from my man’s wallet which I did not find it worth the while. Putting on my best smile and tone, I pointed to this pink baby and said “let’s get this one, really.”

Do you own a Fujifilm Instax? I would love any pointers or tips, if you have any to spare (^-^)

Click here to check the the features of instax mini 25.

Sidetrack (kind of) >> Awesome customized case!

There will be ten (10) winners for this giveaway, one (1) of the following gift sets/kits could be yours – all items are brand new;-

1. Urban Decay The Theodora Palette
2. Benefit The Bronze Of Champions
3. Laura Mercier Flawless Face Kit in Nude
4. Kate Somerville Blemish Banisher Kit
5. BareMinerals Cleanse, Hydrate & Renew Kit for Combination Skin
6. Biotherm Homme Force Supreme Skincare Kit for Men
7. Bamboo Smooth On-The-Go Travel Set
8. Bamboo UV+ Colour Protection On-The-Go Travel Set
9. Philosophy The Microdelivery Peel
10. Philosophy Thank You

I have just tripled my chances by writing this post *weeeeee* Quick, click here to read and participate now!

• 007 Bond Girls Liquid Sand Mini Polishes from OPI
• Sunshine Sue perfume from Silkygirl
• Sally Hansen’s Mega Shine Top Coat
• 3D heart-and-bow and pink-dots nail art decor pieces

Now, putting them to good use… *drum-roll*

Sweet? Me likie =) This is my first time putting bulky 3D pieces on my nails and I must say, they do look quite adorable.

The Liquid Sand polishes? My, I like them so much! I find this a more subtle and elegant choice compared to China Glaze’s Texture (click here to read my thoughts). Pussy Galore went on smoothly and dries at a decent speed with a single coat. I like, too, that the polishes are opaque enough; I could glide on a layer of the lighter Solitaire beautifully without hassle (did this for my pinkie). Stay the Night felt a tad bit dry but I do like the faintly solemn, glittery result of it in a single-coat. This is one of my favorite among the textured nail polishes thus far =)

For one, my phobia of dental treatments especially towards being put on the dentists chair had me good since a few terrible childhood experiences with the “school nurse”. It was such a relieve when dental visits were no longer mandatory once I made my way out of Secondary School. It had been about 8 years or so before I realize the horror of a root canal should I not start to take care of my teeth. No, I do not want to go through that kind of agony!!!

My dental care was minimal to the core prior to near end of 2012. No flossing (troublesome and tedious), “anyhow” brush every morning like it’s a chore, no mouthwash and  no visits to the clinics either. I was fortunate enough that my tooth had not gone all that bad when I met my dental surgeon and tooth-saver, Dr. Teoh. She has my trust; no pain, no drama. She makes me feel safe *heh* So, after my very first scaling and polishing session with her, my teeth were sensitive to the max! Fret not! Sensodyne to the rescue! *lol*

Slowly, I started loving the feeling of clean and strong teeth (like after half a year :p). Sis asked if I would like to try Philips Airfloss, an electrical dental floss. I disliked flossing because it can be so messy and annoying when the pieces of food chunks clings stubbornly between the gaps. Being such a lazy a*s, I decided to give Airfloss a try.

Using it for the first few days, my gums were bleeding as usual. Some sprays, due to the force of the air and water between my teeth and the probably-disintegrating gums, kind of hurt. The bleeding started to lessen 2 weeks in. My next visit to Dr. Teoh was about 3 weeks into my new experiment with Airfloss. She told me to continue what I have been doing because my teeth are looking better and so are my gums *weee*! A piece of advice that she gave when I raised my concern towards the bleeding during flossing was to press a few more times for the areas that bleed. True enough, my gums stopped bleeding now as long as I brush and floss daily. Mouthwash is still an option to me :p Time to focus on whitening, now!

Flossed yet?

Philips Airfloss – An easier way to floss.

It was our first Groupon trip deal. Everything’s worth a try, right?

The Tour

1. The “Chocolate Factory” ($)
   What we thought: A location where chocolates are made.
   What it actually was: A shop selling chocolates.

2. “Layered Cake Confectionery” ($); also known as a store-front with samples of their kueh lapis produce for the placing of orders. The kueh lapis were not to our liking so no orders from us.
3. Cultural Show ($)
   Quite interesting. This was a performance by 2 men accompanied by simple percussion. There were fire and glass “eating” which were interesting. Tipping was encouraged.
4. Buffet Lunch was not bad.
5. Dry “Market” ($)
   A big store that sells keropok. We bought a few packets of snacks here – prawn crackers, “fish balls”, etc.
6. Massage ($)
   This was the best part! We opted for the option of topping up S$30 for a 2 hours massage which includes aromatherapy and a full body scrub. The latter was terrific! Do not expect for ambiance as the massage beds are separated by drawing curtains and people come in by the group – expect noises and limited privacy. Skills of our masseurs were a thumbs up!

It was back to the hotel after 6 hours. We were told, on arrival in Sekupang that Hotel M-One was trouble with their air conditioning for the whole of level 2 and therefore, they had arranged for us to stay in a different hotel – Hotel Golden Gate.

• Twin Room
  The Good: Decent.
  The Bad: Door to bathroom had no lock. Handle exists but no lock, no “ledge”. Basically, forget about closing the door.

• Queen Room
  The Good: Queen bed.
  The Bad: (1) T.I.N.Y! This was way too cosy compared to the typical hotels in Hong Kong.
  (2) The shower head was fixed right beside the toilet bowl. You could literally take a dump and shower at the same time.|
   
   
• Hotel
  The Good: (1) Local eateries within walking distance.
  (2) Residing within DC Mall, a shopping mall located behind the hotel, is a super-mart called “Diamond” which sells extremely affordable toiletries and groceries.  We found items here that were 50% cheaper than the ones retailing in Singapore. However, do note that ingredients and quality may differ – buy at your own risk :p (We bought some toothpastes, instant noodles, body foam, etc.)
  The Bad: (1) Requested for 2 extra pillows 3 times throughout the evening but the pillows never arrived.
  (2) Extremely limited/no variety of the breakfast provided. Opted for Beehoon Soto and Lontong at an eatery about 10 minutes away.

   

   

The trip was acceptable but we all agreed that the tour was redundant and we could have had a better time going on a free-and-easy trip like we used to. Disappointment.

The conclusion: Never again a Groupon trip to Batam.

In Confucian philosophy, filial piety (Chinese: 孝, xiào) is a virtue of respect for one’s parents and ancestors.

Such simplicity, yet is anything but simple to grasp, truly understand and needless to say, cultivate.

In more general terms, filial piety means to be good to one’s parents; to take care of one’s parents; to engage in good conduct not just towards parents but also outside the home so as to bring a good name to one’s parents and ancestors; to perform the duties of one’s job well so as to obtain the material means to support parents as well as carry out sacrifices to the ancestors; not be rebellious; show love, respect and support; display courtesy; ensure male heirs, uphold fraternity among brothers; wisely advise one’s parents, including dissuading them from moral unrighteousness; display sorrow for their sickness and death; and carry out sacrifices after their death.

Tacky… tricky… and with so many requirements. I will be far from being a filial daughter if these were absolute :p Thank goodness that the World is not absolute. As with most teachings, one wrong move will not rule you out from being filial. I believe that it is the decision of one on whether to atone for the mistakes made that determines your self. What do you think?

I have learnt and grown to appreciate the love of my mother for my sister and I though despite these, I find it difficult to stop myself from using the annoyed tone with mother when she calls at the “wrong time”, when she is being deemed “whiny” or simply was not getting what I was trying to convey to her. Often a time I feel terrible for my behavior but nonetheless, she forgives me without needing apologies from me; simply because she loves me. There, easily taken for granted with time.

I am blessed and thankful that mother never spoke down of me or imply that I am not good enough. Mother has no buckets of words for encouragement but she has always been there for me when I needed comfort and support. Could it be not always about the things that parents say but the little things that they did not say or do that we should also try to focus on to help us appreciate them more? Ponder.

I guess it is inevitable that we take our loved ones for granted. Raised voices, rebellious actions and hurtful words form when the love is forgotten. Do you feel like you should start treating someone better but to not much avail? I try to remind myself, to ask myself if I will regret how I am treating my loved one should Heaven decide to take him/her away from me tomorrow. If I get frightened at that thought, I know I am not doing things right. If I smile, I know I have done well and build on the experience and actions.

Filial piety comes easy with love and though it does not guarantee a 100% success rate, it paths the way for good deeds and redemption. When you truly love, you respect. Find the love ♥

Quotes were extracted from Wikipedia.
Featured image from www.santabanta.com.

Pardon the rough-looking surface. That was due to me messing it up before the top coat had the chance to dry. The “rough surface” is from the top coat, not the stickers.

I bought this design (No. 17) together with the one I used during Chinese New Year this year (take a peep at No. 9 here); retails from $8.50 onwards at Qoo10.

This is, by far, my favorite type of nail wraps ✿ Definitely outshines the ones from Sephora in terms of design, Sally Hansen in price and those random brands of nail wraps and stickers online in quality.

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Right after your meal. Huh?

Sis went on about how a constant low pH level can cause tooth decay and how constant snacking in between meals for a long period of time can be unhealthy to your teeth and gums. Being a dental-idiot, I was lost in space a minute into her explanation. To understand this “pH” vs “decay” vs sweet situation, I prompted her to break down each segment into reasoning for me. Here are the main pointers:

• When we eat, bacteria uses sugar or carbohydrate left behind in our mouth and produces acid.
• When bacteria activity increases, pH level drops as the environment becomes more acidic. (BAD ☢)
  ☁ A constant low pH environment over a long period encourages tooth decay and other gum problems.
• Bacteria activity decreases when there are no more “stuff” to attack. This is when the pH increases back to the normal level (more alkaline). (GOOD ☮)

So?

• It is not advisable to snack (too much) in between meals. This is to discourage the low pH environment caused by the potential, constant increase of bacteria activities. Carbohydrate/sugar = Attack! Attack = Low pH (acidic)!
• Brush your teeth 20 to 40 minutes after your meal (I say 1-hour, to be safe). Waiting will enable the calcium that were dissolved in the acid to crystallize your teeth. Brushing immediately could remove the calcium since crystallization will not be possible.

The point is…?

Eating sweets, if you must, immediately after a meal will not encourage a second wave of activities by the bacteria and therefore, reduce the number of dips in pH level – pH level will remain low for a short period and not as frequent since you were already eating. So, better to get all the eating over and done with in one session than to have multiple (multiple, multiple, multiple) repetitive eating sessions within a day.

Remember to make it a habit to brush, floss and if not, gaggle your mouth-wash (undiluted, please, unless specified in instructions)! They do wonders in keeping your teeth in good shape so you can enjoy those ice-cold beercream ☺

Happy eating ♫