Back to Segamat (22-23 Sep)

Mr D Gan always teases me and says I graduated from "School of Segamat", which never in the first place existed hahah!! Ok, I was born in Segamat but I was bred and educated in Singapore mah... hahah!!

Everytime when I go back Segamat (a small town in Johor, apparently famous for liulians), nope, I don't go for liulians, rather it's the bak kut teh I'm in loovvvveee with! Another yummalicious dish in the town! My hubby wasn't very impressed though. He said perhaps I'm used to that nostalgic taste that I think that's the best bak kut teh I've tasted. Whatever it is, I still stand firm to this - "It's the best bak kut teh! I don't care!" hahahah!!

My dad will usually go to the market and buy the fritters to bring it there. Yes, we can do that. We can bring can of button mushroom or any item we think can be added into the soup. This time, my dad bought vegetables and got the stall owner to cook it hahaha!! There were 7 adults and 2 kids. We paid less than RM$50 ;)

Also attached some pictures of the backyard where my grandparents stay. She grows her own vegetables including lady fingers.

E-Sarn Thai Cuisine (9 Sep)

It was one of the few Sundays we attended the morning service (usually we attend evening service) so it was a good opportunity for us to eat lunch from the places not around our house!! Haha!!

Anyway, after checking out a few restaurants at Sixth Ave, we settled on E-Sarn (20, Sixth Ave), especially after we saw newspaper reviews on its entrance. Seems good, we thought. When we arrived, we were the 3rd and 4th person in the restaurant (it was about 1pm), so we became skeptical. Then, crowd started streaming in, and soon enough, the restaurant was fully occupied (it's not a big restaurant anyway). Then we thought, it must be good then.

Well, turn out that we were disappointed. The tom yam soup was not too bad, quite authentic. The tapioca leaves we ordered didn't really tasted like the usual. Perhaps Thailand's tapioca leaves are different? Next, the fried chicken, which turned out to be cut pieces of fried chicken. I thought it'll be drumlets and wings. Then, "bestest of best", the so called grilled cuttlefish. It was so pale we didn't see much traces of it being grilled. We suspect it was probably steamed and just lightly grilled. Perhaps these are as authentic as they can get wherever they come from.. I don't know...

Anyway, these dishes cost $40-ish. My hubby said not worth it haha!!

My rating: Same. I won't return ;p

Decleor Institute (18 Sep)

I've been telling everyone about my fantastic facial & massage session I had at Decleor (http://www.decleor.com/) before I blog about this haha!! Just can't keep my mouth shut when it comes to such enjoyment that I must share mah hoh?? Haha!! First thing - thanks Ms Doreen Teo for her recommendation!

Hmm... ok, maybe I cut long story short, in case people say I loh-soh again haha!! I'll just go straight into what's so different about Decleor (situated at Raffles Hotel Shopping Arcade)

1. They use essential oils or aromatic essences
2. There's no extraction, so no zits squeezing
3. They have electric-heated bed, so you'll be kept warm on your back and shoulder. You'll also be given a heat pack on your tummy.
4. They use disposable facial cotton specially made for facial purposes, hence no sponge like many others (who knows how many times the sponge has been reused on different customers!). So, you can be assured of its level of hygiene!
5. The Signature Treatment I went for includes back and arm massage in the 1hr 15min session. The usual price is $130 but thanks to Ms Teo, I paid $80 for the 1st trial ;)

The whole experience just felt so wonderful and heavenly!! It just felt soooooo different from those that I've been to, including the "kim kim" treatment at Bioskin! I think I can stop facial shopping already and just stick to Decleor.. hehe!!

Ok, for those who are interested about its packages (2 of which I am considering):
a) $1,330 for 10 + 3 sessions of Signature Treatment. You'll also get rewards points that can be used to redeem $80 worth of product + 1 complimentary Vital Eyes Treatment

b) $2,000 which can be used to deduct amount from any treatments at Decleor. Treatments will be given 20% discount before the deduction. You'll receive reward points to redeem product worth $280 + 1 complimentary Aroma Expert Treatment

There's no expiry date for the packages and they can be paid by instalments using UOB credit card. It may seem expensive, but comparatively, it is definitely very reasonable cos I was paying $90 per session at neighbourhood beauty salons too! See??!!

Maybe after I've signed up will I then be able to refer friends at the trial price. So, if you want, you wait ok hahaha!! Next month bah... hehe!!

Bioskin’s 24K Gold Luxury Face Treatment (4 Sep)

Yup yup, I went for a facial treatment at Bioskin http://www.bioskin.com.sg/. Received a flyer which offered its 24K Gold Luxury Face Treatment at $88, so thought can give it a go since I am also looking to having facials on a regular basis.. *sigh*... aging aging aging.. signs are starting to show on my beeeeaaaautiful face hahaha!! ;p

Actually I've seen it on TV before lah.. basically they put pieces of gold sheets on the face. Here's what it says: "... a new technology using 24 Karat which is a high quality beauty skin treatment made with nanotechnology which allows the main ingredients of 24K Gold, Witch Hazel Extract, Collagen, Kojic Acid, Lactic Acid, Aloe Vera Gel and Allantoin, to be absorbed into your skin completely and instantly. This nano-action from the gold mask plates will provide necessary beauty and nutritional components to help the skin return." Talk about nanotechnology, perhaps I should check with my Profs here... haha!!

Hmm... initially I couldn't feel or tell much difference after the treatment.. think the place is too dim lah ahaha.. but when I went home and have a closer look, I think the effects quite good leh... my pigmentation did lighten up a bit.. not too bad after one trial, I thought.. but too bad, I can't afford to take their package - 10 sessions at $4,800, 20 sessions at $7,500 and 30 sessions at $9,800!! *SWALLOW LOTS OF SALIVA* (well, it says usual price is $580 per session, but who are they fooling??? hahahah!!!)

Anyway, glad the consultant wasn't too pushy... perhaps it was getting too close to the time they have to close shop ;p Precisely because she wasn't too pushy, I'm browsing through their lists of treatments, and perhaps I can find something more affordable ;)

Ho Chi Minh City (18-20 Aug)

This was a work trip which our Office represented the Faculty at an Education Fair. It is also my 2nd trip to Ho Chi Minh, and coincidentally, I stayed at the same hotel as I did last year when I went for holiday. Hence, it wasn’t exactly very exciting lah haha!! But I did look forward to eating the Vietnamese noodle, Pho24!! http://www.pho24.com.vn/index.php

And so, it became the first meal when we reached Ho Chi Minh. For VND50,000 (~ S$5) a meal, you get a bowl of yummalicious Vietnamese noodle and a glass of fruit juice. It was really very good!! I haven't been able to find one as good in Singapore ;(. Unable to resist it, I had it as supper on the next day, also the night before we left ;p

Other than the commercialized Pho, our local partner in Vietnam took us to a small coffeeshop which served Hanoi food: a bowl of “soup” which tasted sweet, sour and salty. It was not warm, just lukewarm served with meatballs. It was supposed to go with noodle, something like our 粗米粉. It was something unusual and quite appetizing actually.

Anyway, the trip was rather enjoyable – the one day Fair wasn’t tough at all as it wasn’t as overcrowded as we expected. There were even 2 sessions of coffee break haha!! No bad eh?? Heheh…. Also, though I went with boss, the experience wasn’t too bad lah… Off work, he’s actually a nice person and colleague (I still feel exasperated when we talk to him about work hahaha!!). We also had the company of 2 colleagues from another office, one of whom is very familiar with Ho Chi Minh, so he brought us around for food and shopping!!!

My next work trip – Mumbai, INDIA, in Oct!!! Gosh!!