H and I have been hanging out with this group of friends frequently on weekends and we call ourselves the Sugarcane Buddies (got story behind the name hahaha) / Saturday Buddies.

It's interesting how social media brought us together. Take for example, Eve and I knew each other way back in 2009 when we did a flight to Paris together and basically hanged out throughout the entire flight.

(I apologise for these bad quality pictures I saved from Facebook.)

We did a lot of fun and stupid things with the rest of the crew like having a picnic under the slight drizzle by the Eiffel Tower and taking crazy photos in the middle of the road with my $8 umbrella from Taipei hahaha.

After 5 years, this cheeky (now) woman still poses the same and forces her boyfriend to do it too hahaha!

Anyway, we did not really keep in contact after the flight though her number is always saved in my phone but we are still "close" because of Facebook and Instagram. You know what I mean?

Actually, I also kinda got to know Meiting through SQ and the first time we "met" was also in Paris! (I really don't want to say this but I miss Paris!! So excited I am finally heading back to the city of love this December with H!!) I think I followed her on Instagram because someone (a crew probably?) told me she was also flying so I went to check out her profile and thought, "Wah this girl quite pretty, okay I'll follow her". So we knew of each other's existence...and then one day when I was leaving Paris, she was checking in and a common friend of ours wanted to introduce us but I was shy lah! So we officially said "Hi" in person for the first time at a Skin Inc event last year!

With Tricia, there isn't much of a story because *ahem* her height does not qualify for SQ (but everything else about her is perfect) so it was very straightforward - I "knew" her through Instagram and Eve brought us from reel to real!

I know I've only been talking about us girls but you know what? Our boyfriends get along just as well! Yay to new friendships fostered! We even have a hashtag on Instagram - #whenboysvsgirls. Pictures there are just for laughs okay hahaha.

In other news, I need to clear my house for the wedding (why is the mess never-ending omg) sooooo I'll be at the Lucky Plaza flea hosted by ForFleaSake with Meiting this coming Saturday from 1-7pm (or while stocks last)!

Date: 30 August 2014, Saturday
Time: 1pm to 7pm
Venue: Lucky Plaza level 6
Prices: $10 and below

Please bring your own bags and the only mode of payment is by cash!

See you then!! :)

The Hair Whisperer - John Frieda

The weather in our city is crazy hot, especially the last 2 months! So to avoid perspiring right after I come out of the showers, I always do my preparations in an air-conditioned room.

But guess what?

5 minutes after I step out of my house, my head of hair is in a crazy mess! The humidity seems to have awakened all the strands and as if stretching themselves after a night of restful sleep, they start peeking out and remain in upright position AND detach themselves from the bunch.

A good example of bad hair day to me is something like the following:

Flat, shapeless, limp, frays, wavy fringe and dry-looking.

I have a lot of flyaways which contributes to the frizziness and it's so unmanageable! I really dislike them because I am never able to pull off a sleek ponytail or just look cool with no unsightly hair sprouting in every direction possible. When I had short bob 6 years ago, I rebonded my hair so it was silky smooth until a couple of weeks later when hair starts to grow and the silky effect starts to wear off and I looked like I had a nest on the top of my head with hair standing at the tip of the scalp. Not only that, my short bob was a mixture of silky AND frizzy hair and I looked gross.

So trust me when I say I have tried TONS of frizz-free hair products. I shopped for them from all over the world when I was still flying because I think some blondes have it worse with frizzy and tangled hair? To cut the story short, none worked.

And then I found John Frieda. 

John Frieda haircare products were first launched in 1990 and today, the brand is endorsed by celebrity stylists such as Harry Josh, Nicola Clarke as well as Kerry Warn.

A little nugget of information for you - Singapore is the first in Asia to be stocking John Frieda products! The local John Frieda House of Experts (HOEs) includes Dexter Ng (Next Salon) & Ken Hong (Evolve Salon). 

The Frizz Ease range by John Frieda has been around for more than 20 years and recently, they relaunched this range with not only a brand new look but also improved the shampoo & conditioner for Straight hair with a new ingredient - Keratin! Reformulated with Keratin, its repairing formula eliminates frizz at the core, sealing split ends and restoring the natural frizz defences in hair. Additionally, there is also the option of Dream Curls for ladies with natural/permed waves. 

So I put the highly raved Frizz Ease (Flawlessly Straight) range to the test!

Before wash:

After wash:

Aren't you already convinced after looking at the pictures?? This was only after my first wash and I blow-dry as per usual routine! I'm pretty sure with continuous use, my hair condition and texture will improve overtime!!

There are 4 steps to achieve hair like this and don't worry, it is extremely fuss-free!

Step 1 + 2: Shampoo and Conditioner

Basic steps that we ladies do during every hair wash! I love that the shampoo is foam-y and it did not dry out my tresses! The conditioner is a great complement as it helps in untangling and my hair already feel softer and tamer after rinse!

Step 3: Frizz Ease Original Serum 

I honestly did not know that there are serums specifically for hair too. And the Frizz Ease Original Serum is their bestselling item (with numerous awards in its pockets)! What have I been missing out all these years?? 

The texture of the clear gel was not as thick or oily like the argan oil; in fact, it felt like a thicker form of water (if you know what I mean?). I rubbed my (wet) palms together and pat it on my dripping wet hair straight after shower! Didn't feel like I applied anything at all probably due to the light texture but I allowed it to be absorbed into the hair for around 10-15 minutes (the amount of time I take to apply skincare hahaha) before moving onto the next step!

p/s: the Original Serum also protects hair from humidity and heat while taming/hydrating/smoothing and eliminating frizz at the same time!

Step 4: Leave-in Oil Elixir

I think leave-in hair oil is one of the best inventions for hair because not only does it smooth frizz, it also nourishes the hair with nutrients to make my crowning glory look glossy and healthy. The recommended direction of use is one pump of oil to apply on wet or dry hair but I guess that's for girls with already perfect hair because it is not enough for my dry and tangled hair :( So I usually apply one pump of hair oil for towel dry hair, blow-dry till 60% dry then apply another pump of oil. Works wonders!

Most people will use either the serum or the oil elixir as using both will be too heavy for the hair but my damage tresses go through too much stress on a daily basis hence I find the use of BOTH the serum and oil elixir work best for me!

I was truly impressed by it. I guess the hunt for effective frizz-free products is finally over? ;)

If you would like to try the award-winning Frizz Ease Orignal Serum by John Frieda, redeem a sample on John Frieda Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/johnfrieda.sg/app_1443978632532757

p/s: please note that the Facebook link is not mobile compatible so you'll have to log on to your PC to redeem the sample!

Where to buy:

John Frieda® Frizz Ease® products are available at selected Watsons, Guardian and Cold Storage outlets!

Let's have beautiful hair together! :)

  

Day 1 in Perth

We flew to Perth end July which was right in the middle of winter in Australia. Temperatures were forecasted to be between 17-20 degree Celcius in daytime and we were so relieved because that's comfy weather!

And then we learnt it the hard way not to trust weather forecasts because when we were there, we were freeeeezing. It felt more like 10-14 degree Celcius and I was so underdressed! Needless to say, when night came, I was shivering and hugging onto H for dear life 'cause of the cold. The best parts of each day was heading back to the rented car to get warmth hahaha.

We stayed at my sister's friend's empty apartment (thanks Serene!) which was approximately 15 minutes away from the city by car. I did not take any photos of the apartment because that's her personal space but it has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a small open kitchen, a balcony and the living room is the size of a 4-room HDB in Singapore. I also really love the carpeted flooring! Not too sure how practical is it to have the floors carpeted in our city but that's an option I would want to consider for H and my future home.

We touched down in the afternoon and by the time we collected our car (a Toyota Corolla) from AVIS and settled down in the apartment, it was already late noon and we were famished!

By the way, the 2 apps we couldn't live without in Perth were Google Maps and Urbanspoon. A word of advice - save your money and don't bother getting the GPS device as Google Maps was more reliable! It is more convenient and also cheaper to get 3G data compared to a GPS device. I got a 3G SIM card from Vodafone immediately after I arrived in Perth at AU$15 for 1.5GB worth of data which was more than enough for the 5 days we were there.

Urbanspoon is the Hungrygowhere app for Australia which was very useful and informative. Thanks to it, majority of our meals were yummy!

We managed to find a burger joint just minutes from our place with decent reviews called...oh shit, I cannot remember. Anyway, my chicken burger was just average so you're not missing out haha. H loved his burger though. The name of it was probably something along the line of "heart attack burger" because it's so fattening.

#ootd taken around the neighbourhood

Sun sets at around 5.30pm and by 6pm, it gets completely dark so we decided to head over to Kings Park for the city view.

Kings Park felt like just another beautiful park in Perth to me but I guess tourists like us go for the pretty city and Swan River view!

My favourite was actually this accidental blurred shot.

When it got too cold for comfort, we drove to Mr Munchies for dinner even though we were not too hungry and got back to our place at around 9pm when it just started to drizzle! I actually love how there's nothing much to do at night in Perth (other than nightlife which we are not huge fans of) so we can just head home and enjoy each other's company and sleep/wake early.

Day 2 was pretty fun but I'll talk about it another time.

For now, I would like to introduce you ladies to Soeurs (http://soeurs.co)! I have always been a fan of their style, model and the clean look of their outfits! I would totally wear everything available in their store!

The 2 Way Pinafore Dress was love at first sight for me because I like clothes that come in a set and I can either match them together or separately.

Material is thick and non-sheer. These basic pieces are definitely keepers and I would love to see how else can I wear them with the essential pieces in my wardrobe for future outings!

After I received the parcel then it occurred to me that I actually chose 2 white outfits. There's some sort of white craze going on in my life currently, I am just subconsciously attracted to white pieces.

Really like the embroidered detailing on the outer dress and the high collar!

And here's everyone's favourite part - discount code!

Enter code "TIPPYTAPP5" to receive 5% off when you shop with Soeurs! 

Code valid till 31st August.

To use it, just add your desired item(s) to the cart, click on the [Cart Icon] at the top right menu and enter the discount code at the Discount code area and the credit amount will be deducted from your total order.

It's time to refresh your wardrobe - have fun! :)

Peace, okay?

Hi everyone. I went through a whirlpool of emotions today and I cannot say I'm feeling my best right now but firstly, I want to thank all my friends and followers who stood up for me and defended me on that Instagram post I posted earlier. I eventually stopped reading the comments because I was feeling overwhelmed and the comments were affecting me. I cannot control people's opinions neither can I stop them from commenting but at least there's one factor I can control, which is to ignore and stop reading.

My friends were very sweet to check on me, some acquaintances offered support and Xiuhui even told me that if I ever consider retaking my wedding photos, she will contribute a little to the cost as my wedding gift. I was so touched I just kept tearing. Actually all I want to do is just curl up in bed and cry at the unfairness of it all.

My intention for sharing that blogpost was not to cause distress or harm to T (the lady in the photo), her husband or anyone. Which is why when her husband, X, emailed me and requested me to take down that blogpost, I did because I felt his sincerity in the email and it was affecting them as badly as it was for me.

Some points I want to clarify:

1. It is not a beauty contest and I don't care if she is prettier than me or vice versa. Neither do I care about whose photos look nicer because that is not the point.

2. If you post anything (photos, quotes, whatever) on the internet, private accounts or not, there is no guarantee that the photos/quotes will not be leaked out. As mentioned previously, nothing is ever safe or "private" on the www. Let me repeat: I did not do anything illegal like hacking into her account to get the screenshots. T had 500 over followers on her Instagram account before today and she has since realised not everyone on her followers list is a trusted friend and by the way, she also accepted requests from strangers.

3. I have a blog hence I am a blogger. I have followers hence I have influence. Therefore I should be gracious, considerate, kind, -insert all nice adjectives here- so I shouldn't post their names/faces/dogs/sofa/bicycle because I should be mindful of what I say/post and I should not tarnish another person's reputation like that. I also should not stand up for myself if I realised my pre-wed photos might be replicated. You guys obviously make sense.

I have a blog hence I am a blogger. I have followers hence I have influence. That also makes me a bully because T has no blog, is not a blogger, has lesser followers than I do hence she has lesser influence too. But you guys forgot something - I am also human and I am also entitled to my opinions just like all you keyboard warriors with private Instagram accounts. Why is it always like that - just because I have influence then I have to be the bigger person? Why are you guys bullying me, and forcing me to behave in the way you deem is right? Are you guys condoning (maybe) copying?

Less than 2 hours after I removed the blogpost, X emailed me and requested that I take down the Instagram post as well because in his words, "I have alot my wife's friend come asking about what happen."

This is what I call 得寸进尺 (climbing over my head). You proudly proclaimed in your email to me that your ideas were originally yours/from others and both T and you have never seen any of my pre-wed pictures at all prior to your pre-wed photo shoot (despite her being my fiancé and my Dayre reader/Instagram follower) so tell your friends everything you told me. Why are you dictating me to do things to please the both of you and make your problem my problem when I am equally, if not more, upset than your wife?

I will remove the post but on my own accord.

4. I made it very clear in the blogpost - I did not say the confetti or balloon ideas were originally mine. I drew inspiration from images I saw on Google. Please note there is a difference between drawing inspiration and outright copying. I also did not mention that T cannot wear the same gowns or use the same backgrounds/locations since she obviously paid for the package. This is the frustrating part because the commenters just bark about the above with no substance or sense in their comments - you have no idea what you are defending for.

Hundreds of couples sign packages with said bridal studio every year and they also chose from the same range of gowns, used the same few photographers/makeup artists/hairstylists/locations/backgrounds. My point is - why is it that my photos, their photos and the in-house models' photos can look so different yet T and mine have such an unbelievable similar resemblance? Same ideas, same "feel" at the same locations. And it is not even for just one set of photos.


I have said everything I want (I think) and I just want to move on from this incident. I removed the blogpost because I gave T and X the benefit of the doubt even though there are still some points that do not tally. Intentionally similar or unintentionally, I do not want to pursue it anymore because it is consuming me - I cannot sleep well, I have no appetite and I don't want my days to be 1) revolving around this incident 2) spent defending myself 3) fighting off negative comments.

Weddings are happy affairs and I don't wish to make things uglier and more unhappy than it already is. So, I am taking advice from the haters and be the bigger person here. I wish you both newly weds, T and X, a happy and blissful marriage filled with lots of joy and laughters. Xx
  
That's all.

What happened in Jakarta

I was in Jakarta in June and I already had lots of plans in mind weeks before my flight there because hellooooo, I was going to the city of cheap hair washes, yummy food and also, crazy traffic jams. My friend, Fatiha and I stayed at a friend's apartment and we heard about how dangerous the city can be that's why we only took taxis everywhere (meters start at 70cents WHATTTT). Anyway, it helps to have friends there too because during the peak hours, it is almost impossible to get a cab. 

I also learnt a little or two about the culture there like how cars are so freaking affordable (you can get a Toyota SUV for <S$20,000) and the Indonesians who are doing not too bad have at least one personal drivers for the family. I love this personal driver culture and I couldn't stop raving about it to H hahaha. There are so many chauffeurs there, the big malls actually have a room with TV for them to rest and wait while the boss(es) shop! What an awesome job, it's stress-free and easy money.

Food wise, NEVER eat at their food courts because 99% of the time, the food tastes bad and it is extremely unhygienic though cheap. I'd advise you to top up a few bucks for a more satisfying meal at a local restaurant.

On the first night, we went to Pancious and had desserts for dinner because we had a not-so-fantastic late lunch at the food court.

I ordered the apple crumble waffle which was okay 

and it would taste better if they actually have some sweet sauce over it 

because it was a little dry. 

Or maybe I should have ordered a scoop of ice-cream with it.

Fatiha's caramelised banana crepe cake with vanilla ice-cream which was yummy!

The cream was very fresh and light, even the ice-cream was good.

Actually, the savoury items all looked and sounded extremely delicious 

and we vowed to go back again for lunch/dinner but we never made it back 

because our schedule didn't allow 

and there are many other good cafes/restaurants to check out!

After a long day out on the second day, we went for a hair wash at a salon near the apartment.

The mall was EpiWalk and the salon was located at the top level.

I didn't notice what was the name of the salon, sorry!

Wash + Blow costs around S$7?

So damn cheap and the curls last for dayssss (with no hairspray)!!

And their head massage? NO WORDS.

Just look at these curls.

Achieved with your regular hair brush + hairdryer and a super talented hair stylist.

I was in awe.

No wonder the Indonesian tai-tais always have amazing hair with so much volume!

Oh yes, you can also thread your brows (S$5) upper lips (S$3) at this shop 

located on the same stretch as the hair salon.

Cheap!

We didn't feel too hungry at dinner time again so we ordered sides to share at Kafe Betawi.

I forgot the name of this dish but it is some fishcake thingy with satay sauce.

I loved it!

Sate Ayam (Chicken satay)

Tahu Telor

Actually all the food we ordered were good!

3 dishes + 2 drinks at <S$15 I think!

Moving on...

I picked out 2 pieces of apparel from Fashmob which are gorgeous!

Met my girlfriends for high-tea in the Colosseum Monochrome Midi which got me many praises!

I chose to dress down with a pair of sandals since I was at Gardens by the Bay before this 

and I think I looked just as presentable haha.

I'm wearing size S but XS would be a better fit :)

Brought the Donna Playsuit (Pink) to Perth with me 

because I knew this piece was gonna be perfect for the weather!

It was hot and sunny in the day and the chiffon was light and airy to wear.

When it got windy, I just threw on my jacket 

and there I have it, the perfect winter-approaching-spring outfit.

Fashmob (http://shopfashmob.com) always have all these classy, edgy and feminine pieces 

and I am sure you are bound to find something you fancy.

Have fun shopping ;)

On a sidenote, I love Perth's clear blue skies and lush greeneries so, so, SO MUCH.

Cannot wait to be back in Australia!

Wait for my blogposts on Perth okay? :D