15 fun facts you probably don't know about Tampopo

Lol I'm feeling bored at work so I shall attempt to do this.

1. Popo is adopted! From who I shan't publicize, but close friends know. 
2. She's a pedigree Papillon.
3. She was imported from Japan. 
4. She has an official show name - XX Ring Leader. I cannot reveal "XX" because then everyone will know where she came from. No, it's not Xiaxue lmao. 
5. She's a mommy. 
6. Tampopo means dandelion (蒲公英) in Japanese. Not the damned ramen.
7. She shares the same birth day and month as my mum. Obviously not the year.
8. She has a sensitive butt that doesn't like to be patted by other people. 
9. She's a fussy complain queen. She doesn't look like it I know. I've given up trying to please her.
10. She knows I think she's a bitch but she still loves me. Lol!
11. (According to my mum) She gets embarrassed when she mistakes someone else as me coming home. Cute.
12. She's raw fed. Hahaha everyone knows this!
13. She doesn't like taking photos. But do I care? :P
14. She doesn't like being carried. Or put in a bag. Sometimes got no choice. =/
15. She doesn't like interacting with other dogs, but is okay with other Papillons.

 That's all~! Lol I had wanted to do 20, but couldn't think of any more. =P

[sponsored review] MegRhythm Steam Eye Mask

Sample Store must have known I was going through a very stressed period recently. My (very nice) manager had just left last month and in came a new one to replace him. No idea which rubbish dump they picked him up from. All I know is, he's a complete asshole and has officially pissed off every single one in the company, me bearing the brunt of it cos I have to cover his duties. FML.

Anyway, they sent me four boxes of these eye masks. Each box contains 5 masks and I received one Lavender, one Rose, one Chamomile, and one unscented. It's a revolutionary patented new product that relieves, relaxes and brightens eyes in just 10 minutes! Great for people like me who have to stare at the computer screen for long hours everyday.

Initially I thought it was like those facial masks, wet and dripping with essence (:X). I tried the lavender one the same night I received them, and when I opened it, I was surprised to find something similar to those travel night masks. There are also ear loops so that the mask will fit snugly on your eyes without falling off.

I put it on and you know what? IT STARTED HEATING UP!! Gradually of course. But it was nice and comfortable, with a subtle soothing lavender scent in the air. So comfy that I fell asleep lol.

Supposedly it will heat up to 40 degrees Celsius (I didn't think it was this hot actually), and the steam produced from the heat moistens the skin area around the eye, relieving tired eyes.  Here's a short clip to demonstrate the heat/steam.

So far I've tried all the 4 varieties and my favorite is the lavender. I always fall asleep using that. Oops.

For more information on this amazing product, do check out Kao's website. You can request for samples there, and also from Sample Store! Alternatively, you can get them at $6.50 per box at Guardian and Watsons outlets. How convenient!

MegRhythm is also having an Instagram contest, where 10 lucky winners will get to walk away with a Relaxation kit worth $50! Here's how to win.

1. Follow @MegRhythmSG on Instagram.
2. Share a photo of yourself using #MegRhythm Steam Eye Mask in the most unique position and tell us what you like about them MegRhythm Steam Eye Mask.
3. Tag @MegRhythmSG & hashtag #MegRhythm in your caption.

Contest ends 31 July 2014, 2359 hours. Winners will be selected and announced via MegRhythm Steam Eye Mask Instagram on 7 August 2014. Good luck all~!

C.U. @ Scape

It's another day out for Popo yesterday! We headed down to Scape for the Clubpets event. Supposed to head down today with SSD, but I seriously dislike going out on Sundays, so I went down with Rita (and her poodle Pebbles) instead. :)

We only hung out at the air-conditioned white tent, which was super small and only had 10 or so booths. Was feeling utterly disappointed. But I remembered seeing a map with lots of booths, so I think we didn't explore enough. What a waste! >.< Anyway, we spent about an hour or so there, majority of the time we were actually sitting on the steps outside talking. Hais.

Here's what we got.

• Happytails Dry Dog Instant Clean - This one I bought. My second bottle already. I use this to clean her feet everytime we come back from walkies. 
• #1 All Systems Ear So Fresh - Might give this a try. *shrugs*
• Nutripe Lamb & Green Lamb Tripe - Might let her try this since it's so hard to get fresh tripe here in Singapore. I still don't like preserved food though. 
• Taste of the Wild Wetlands Canine Formula - She was on TOTW Pacific Salmon when she first came to me. Gonna give this away though.
• Nutra Gold Duck & Sweet Potato - Giving this away too. 
• Vitakraft Turkey Soft-Snack - I don't really like Vitakraft, but it claims to be 96% pure meat, so I might just give it a try. Expiring soon though. Tsk!
• Orijen Tundra Freeze Dried treats - Orijen is one of the better brands so I'm definitely feeding this.

And the free towel too. Lol. I'm feeling quite frustrated now cos I've missed out a lot of the booths. WHY DIDN'T I EXPLORE MORE?! Sobs. The only consolation is that my main goal of going there was to get the Happytails spray, which I did. So mission accomplished. Lol.

I guess pet events like this aren't really for me. I mean, I don't need kibbles, treats, clothes, accessories, or grooming stuff. And she hardly spoils her toys so I don't have to buy them very often. I like free stuff (of course, who doesn't), but treats are still commercial ones and I prefer dehydrated. She also has her own set of grooming products which I don't wish to change. And they don't really give out toys as goodie bags right?

The only good thing would be to allow Popo to interact with other dogs. Quite proud of her today. She didn't tremble and when I put her on leash (cos have to use her bag to hold those freebies), she happily went smelling butts. Didn't anyhow pee or poo and embarrass me too. And and and! She got a lot of compliments! Like "so pretty!" and "so cute!". There was even one guy who said touching her was like touching silk! *proud mama*

Oh wells. Till the next event! =)

Popo's day out at Marina Barrage and Vivocity

Last Saturday we made an impromptu decision to bring the girl out. First stop - post office to collect my Sample Store parcels. It was an annoying 40-minute wait. I really think courier companies should switch to delivering at night and on weekends. How many people actually have someone at home all the time to receive stuff? Tsk.

Next stop, Marina Barrage again! Dabao-ed lunch from the cafe downstairs. Our second time, and the food was not bad really. :) Oh and a Malay family asked to take a photo of Popo lol. For a moment I felt like some superstar's manager. :P

Anyway, it was a super hot day and there was some event going on. There were groups of kids playing games downstairs and the rooftop was occupied by some kind of competition. The larger side was blocked off which resulted in overcrowding of the other, smaller side. Thankfully we managed to get an area in the shade but it was right beside the entrance, so...human traffic was terrible. People stood around and blocked the wind. @_@ And hot me = pissed off me.

And to make things worse, a group of 3 young girls came crowding around us wanting to pet Popo. I don't like children, but normally I oblige. In this case, it REALLY ticked me off because they kept holding their hand out for Popo to lick. She's a licker so if you put your hand there, she WILL lick it. And that's something I hate. Who knows what crap stuff you touched? What if it was something poisonous to her? So I said loudly (many times), "NO, don't!" And....they continued stuffing their hands in her face for her to lick. Seriously, fuck you. No I don't care how young and ignorant you all are. Fuck. You.

Le sigh. We left after a while and headed to Vivocity. Lucky I thought to bring along her bag. Or...perhaps I planned it. LOL. Definitely felt more confident carrying her around this time. Also because she was being an absolute darling by resting quietly with just her head poking out. Maybe it's because we got a couple of cooling pads from Daiso for her. Either she's too tired or she's more comfy with the pads.

We tried to enter Giant (again), from the second floor this time, but unfortunately I spotted the No Pets sign at the entrance. Funny we didn't get chased out the previous time. We entered Cold Storage to get some sushi for dinner. Didn't see any signs although I did notice a Malay couple who kept turning around and pointing to my bag of Popo. No idea if friendly or not; I sped to the counter.

Had dinner at the rooftop before heading home. And conking out. Lol.

Bunday party at Happy 3 Bites Cafe

I was invited to my very first "Bunday" party last Saturday. Yep you guessed it. Bunday = bunny's birthday. I'm not a bunny owner nor do I know the owners personally so obviously we (my AC partner Eze and I) were invited because we previously did AC for them.
 

Anyway, here's Rizzo. Managed to sneak a couple of pics. That little bandana looks super cute on him eh? :)

Some of the rabbits were hopping around freely in the fenced-up area while others were just nua-ing in their owners' arms. Quite an interesting experience. Except for the hair that was flying around and making my face and eyes itch lol. Think some bunny was shedding. Oops.

It was held at Happy 3 Bites Cafe, near Outram. Which was super duper far and inconvenient for me. Quite a pity cos the food was good and affordable. I had their shrooms aglio and IT WAS SO YUMMY! Lots of juicy mushrooms and garlic! I like my aglio with lots of garlic hehe. I later had their chocolate waffle and their rainbow (birthday) cake. Not bad too! I liked the chocolate in between those rainbow slices. And...that's our goodie bag. With the cute mini macaroons. ^^

And as expected, we had to do some AC (animal communication) sessions too. Quite stressful for me as I've never done it in 'public' before. Thankfully I managed to get some accurate readings in the first session, though it all went haywire after the cake-cutting. Either I have to work on my concentration skills, or I can only do AC when my mind isn't preoccupied. Le sigh.

[sponsored review] Collection Primed & Ready Makeup Primer

Before this, I never used primers. Mainly because I seldom use makeup. A little BB cream on days I need to meet clients, but otherwise I'll be glad to trade that 5 minutes for a little more sleep time. But since I received this, I figured I better start using it. 

I never knew primers had such benefits.

• Reduce the look of large pores and fill in the fine lines
• Help makeup stay on longer and less cakey
• Creates a protective barrier over the skin
• Seals in and protects any treatment products used 

Nice, black and sleek look. It's supposedly a soothing makeup base that provides a light coverage for a flawless complexion and a noticeably natural finish. It minimizes pore problems, smooths uneven skin, and hides unsightly blemishes for the perfect base.

You know what, I have no idea why or how. Because it's TRANSPARENT! It feels very much like silicon gel and does minimizes my pores, make my face feel very smooth. Makeup (BB cream in my case) glides on really easily, stays on longer, and my T-zone doesn't get shiny for a while longer. 

But sorry. Light coverage, no. Hides blemishes, no. How can you expect something transparent to provide coverage? That's just weird. *shrugs* I still love this thing though. And because of this I'm starting to use makeup (BB cream) every day. ^^v

For more information, do LIKE the Collection Sg Facebook page here. The Collection Primed & Ready Makeup Primer ($16.90/18ml) is available in selected Watsons stores, BHG, the newly renovated BHG Bugis and Collection pop-up store in Cineleisure, Level 2.

28.10.13: My Solemnization

I was working on one of my reviews when I saw this draft and realized I have yet to publish this post lmao! And we're already planning our first wedding anniversary celebration. Oops.

So on 28 October last year, we had our solemnization. Coincidentally, it was also my birthday HAHA! Ever since the proposal the year before, we had more than a year to plan and prepare. But we procrastinated, so it was quite a rush to research and decide on everything in the last few months.

Anyway, it was held at One Rochester, a rather popular ROM/wedding venue due to its outdoor pavilion. My last choice actually lol. I had wanted places like the zoo, birdpark or on a yacht, but they burst our budget. Although in the end we still burst it. =\

There was a wedding coordinator Wee to assist us in planning, coordination, and even emcee-ing on that day itself. At first we felt he was quite bo chup about our ROM, but it turns out we were overly anxious. It actually felt like everything went okay on that day, but SSD commented he wasn't really around to help much. *shrugs* They also did my hand bouquet, which kudos to them because I was very particular about it. Even though it wasn’t exactly what I wanted (I admit the one I wanted is very hard to duplicate), thanks for trying lol.

Got there pretty early since my makeup artist Eileen had to do my mum’s makeup too. Sidetrack a bit, when I first met her for my trial, I was actually very apprehensive about her skills. But at the end of it, I was quite impressed. I really liked the eye makeup she did for me! Her prices are reasonable too.

Halfway through my makeup, the photographer Edmund came. I found him to be quite nice and easy to work with. He was pretty friendly and chatty, and was able to bring up the fun atmosphere. His suggestions for funny and quirky poses made photo-taking much less awkward and formal. Great for people who go stiff in front of the camera. Like me lol. He's pretty hardworking too; shooting all the way and only getting food to eat when most of the guests have left. He did popular blogger Bongqiuqiu's wedding too. =)

I brought Popo along. She was actually my ringbearer, a secret I tried to keep since I wanted it to be a surprise. Spent the past 5 months reinforcing her “Come” cos I was afraid she might freak out. And she did lol. Tied the rings (rather ugly-ly) to her collar. I doubt anyone saw them.

My gown and SSD’s outfit were bought from A Love Affair. If you’re only wearing it once, don’t buy. It’s such a hassle to dry-clean and keep. But I had to buy since I was wearing it twice (once for my pre-engagement shoot).

And while I was upstairs putting on the finishing touches, guests downstairs were watching a montage of selected pre-engagement shots. I hope they enjoyed it.

Share share a few of my favorites. The other gown I rented from Bliss Bridal. They had very little dresses which caught my fancy. This was the best one already. =( Anyway, we did the photoshoot in Johor Bahru, and engaged Anmdeos to shoot for us. The makeup artist was his friend. He brought us to 3 locations, including a horse ranch. The horse belongs to my good friend’s good friend, so don’t bother asking me for the contact. =P

The march-in! I was damn gan jiong I tell you. So afraid I would trip and fall and embarrass myself lol.

Our JP (Justice of Peace) Mr. Simon Sim! He’s very nice and friendly! Met us some time ago to brief us on the documents and procedure, and did a short personality test for us too. His speech wasn’t as long as expected, and soon the ringbearer came in, we said our vows, and exchanged rings.

Is it standard protocol to hold the cert and take photo? I find it very toot leh. Not nice one. LOL.

And went back in for lunch. It was quite a mess inside as we didn’t allocate seats and everyone was all over the place. Many guests didn’t turn up too so we had quite a lot of empty seats. So disappointing. T_T I didn’t get to eat much unfortunately. All the food looked damn good lah. (By the way we had so much food left but they didn’t allow us to bring back. So wasteful!)

Sat around to entertain guests and before long, Wee prompted us for our second march-in! Then we had our cake-cutting, champagne toasting, and toss of bridal bouquet. No idea why Edmund didn’t get any tossing shots. =(

Some shots from a nicer part of the venue.

And some inside, where there was the perfect backdrop.

And so, the end! Months of preparation for this, and over in a blink of an eye. I was really happy to see the friends, and even ex-colleagues, who turned up. It was a Monday, so I’m really touched that you guys were willing to take leave, MC, or just taking time out to come. And special thanks to Wan Ting for handling Popo for me! ^^

Now it’s time to save money for my wedding photoshoot and dinner in 3 (or 4) years’ time! =P

[sponsored review] Beaute Forest Facials Masks

I am SO pleased with this batch of samples. Got a pleasant surprise when I opened the box and saw the masks inside. It has been a terribly stressful period at work recently and I definitely need these. I received 9 pieces of sheet masks in 5 different varieties.

Used 2 pcs already. Oops.

Witch Hazel & Chamomile Soothing Mask ($10.90/6 sheets)

• Witch hazel is a natural astringent and has soothing effects on your skin.
• Chamomile helps restore skin’s moisture and oil balance.
• Mask is designed to help your skin achieve maximum absorption.

Q10 & Silk Protein Fine Fairness Mask ($10.90/6 sheets)

• Q10 promotes firmer and skin elasticity.
• Silk protein lightens skin tone and provides deep moisturizing effect for smoother and softer skin.
• Mask is designed to help your skin achieve maximum absorption.

Truffle & Resveratrol Whitening Mask ($8.90/4 sheets)

• Truffle extract helps to lighten your skin tone, provides moisture and stimulate skin renewal.
• Resveratrol helps you to achieve even skin tone.
• Mask is designed to help your skin achieve maximum absorption.

2-Step Pearl & Arbutin Whitening Pack ($9.90/4 sheets)

• Pearl extract contains trace elements that helps you achieve translucent skin and provides proteins and various vitamins to promote softer skin.
• Arbutin is extracted from bearberries to help inhibit melanin, allowing you to have lighter skin tone.
• Mask is designed to allow deep moisturizing effect. Enjoy twice the nourishment by applying lotion on  face evenly after removing mask.

2-Step Aloe & Cactus Moisturizing Pack ($9.90/4 sheets)

• Aloe vera contains various vitamins which provide hydration and nourishment for skin for better elasticity.
• Cactus is highly effective in retaining moisture for smoother skin.
• Mask is designed to allow deep moisturizing effect. Enjoy twice the nourishment by applying lotion on face evenly after removing mask.

While I have yet to see visible results from these, I have certainly enjoyed the relaxing masking session. Feels even better when you put the masks in the fridge before using. Shiok!

They're available at Watsons. Like their page here! Or you can give it a try first by redeeming your free mask here! ^^

[sponsored review] Triple Dry Anti-perspirant Roll On

It feels a little weird to be reviewing something like that, but come on, EVERYBODY uses this. Right? =X And everybody should. I cannot tell you how much I absolutely hate being in a crowded train with someone who......isn't smelling very nice. But unfortunately, while some lucky people don't seem to perspire easily, some other people do. And it's not really their fault. I know because sadly, I get hot easily too. I've tried so many different brands and varieties of anti-perspirant and none have made me feel confident. I'm reduced to trying to keep cool instead. 

So this came.

I received 2 roll ons; one scented and one unscented. Both are anti-bacterial and anti-perspirant, PROVEN to protect against heavy perspiration for up to 72 hours. That's 3 days! Sounds a little amazing. Its unique triple action formula responds to your body, working when you need it most to help you stay dry all day. It also has a waterproof formula that allows you to shower and swim without reapplying. Safe for sensitive skin too. 

Here's the instructions: for optimum results, apply nightly before going to bed for 4 nights. Once perspiration is under control, you may be able to reduce application to 3 times a week. Sounds a little unbelievable eh?

My take on it: I didn't have much time to use it but at least I completed the initial 4 nights. Felt a difference immediately the next day. Stayed pretty dry despite not using an anti-perspirant in the morning. And over the weekend, I went out grocery shopping in the hot sun, cooked, washed the dog and cleaned the house, all WITHOUT anti-perspirant in the morning. It was amazing. I stayed rather dry under the arms despite beads of sweat rolling down my face. Oh and I tried the ladies' fragrance one first. Nice floral scent. =)

Definitely re-purchasing this in future. It's heaven-sent lmao. Get yours at Guardians! A little pricey at $15.90/50ml, but it works. And you know what? You can now redeem your RETAIL-SIZED sample here!