Tag Archives: travel

Planning Your International Trip Right

Hi guys! It’s been a long while since my last post isn’t it? I just came back from a long holiday and thought it apt to share about planning an international trip!

Planning Your International Trip Right

What is everyone’s travel nightmare when it comes to travelling internationally? When everything doesn’t seem to add up correctly. Mind you, this isn’t about getting mugged or scammed out of your money, but more on the preparations phase you might have planned poorly before your anticipated trip. Hence in today’s entry, I’d like to raise a few pointers you might want to take into consideration when you plan your international travel, especially if this is your first trip!

Before we get into the thrill of travelling the world, we might have the perspective that to travel, all you need to do is hop on any cheap flights we can find, and off we go for an adventure. However it might be more complex than that, especially when you’re going to somewhere beyond your own country’s borderlines. Lucky for you, I’ve round up this simple checklist for you!

1. The basics: Where? When? How?

Where? – Even spontaneous traveller needs to have a destination in mind before embarking on one. The reason for being sure of where the destination? Well, from knowing just the “Where”, you get to get an overview of what are the things you might need to bring. Let’s say you’re planning to go to Bali. Bali is a beautiful island, hence you know you won’t be needing a lot of fancy clothes because you’ll be spending a lot of time in a beach environment.

When? – Unlike Singapore where we’re pretty much on a one-season basis, other countries might not be so simple. If you’re travelling to the Philippines, you will definitely need to know the seasons they have. You do not want to go there during June because all you’ll be seeing is rainy clouds.

How? – This does not mean the type of transportation you will need because, for international destinations, we both know the main transport you will be boarding is on those with wings. My recommendation based on track record and general demand? SilkAir. Now, this is not the only recommendations I have, but one of it. SilkAir Singapore flights provide all the facilities you need to make your long-haul flights comfortable. I’ll be exploring this bit later in the “Choosing your airline” section.

2. Choosing your airline

Like my previous point, I recommend SilkAir; however, that is one of the many recommendations I have under my belt. Each airline serves different purposes, and SilkAir is one of those that provide well above average services for international routes. You can find cheap Singapore to Bali flights in any channels, be it their official website to the several online travel agency that serves their tickets like Traveloka for example.

Why is airline so important to take into consideration?

Three words: Quality services provided.

International routes, especially those that cross between 4 to 8 hours will be a pain to you physically and mentally if their services are below average – like, way below. You cannot run away from a crappy service because you are literally thousands of feet off the ground! Hence, I’m going straight to the point and listed the services that SilkAir provide well for their flyers.

SilkAir Services:

1. Seating class: Economy vs Business

Their Economy class provides great comfort with their width between 17-18 inches. It gives you plenty of legroom and pretty spacious for your kids if you are travelling with children. Their Business class on the other hand, of course, provide greater comfort with an extra legroom space and seating width between 20-22 inches. In a specific type of airline, their Business class seats even come with additional seat recline.

2. In-flight amenities: Dining and Entertainment

When it comes to food, SilkAir knows the best way to someone’s heart is through the stomach. SilkAir provides large varieties of food choices that could cater to the crazy foodies and those under special diet preferences. Be sure to give them a heads up if you are a vegetarian or allergic in some sort of way with certain food. With varieties of food also comes with a variety of drinks. Be it alcohol-based or juices, you will have the free flow you need to ensure your liquid intake is as satisfactory as your food intake.

When it comes to entertainment, I’m pretty sure you’ll get all the basic stuff you need to make your trip runs smoothly. SilkAir entertainment inventory is packed with the latest movies from various genres. You’re not into movies? Hard to believe but not impossible. There is also an extensive collection of audiobooks and music that could give you some relaxing entertainment.

3. A checklist may seem nerdish, but they are also called smart

Create your travel checklist. This checklist does not necessarily mean how many pair of clothes you have to bring or how many bottles of sunscreen you are going to need. This checklist marks its existence before, during and after your trip. From creating your visa to listing down your medical supplies; from having a checklist for your day-to-day activities at your destination to a checklist containing emergency contacts should things get a bit unpredictable, or even merely a checklist to get you through the airport or immigration. A checklist is your friend; let it be your friend!

So, there you have it. It is a brief anecdote to get you prepped up for your international flights. Either you’re new to travelling or even have been frequent travellers, all in all, we need to make thorough preparations. No matter how small or insignificant it may seem, but, trust me, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Better to have a headache now than later when you’re in a foreign land.

Anyways, happy holidays, everyone! Have fun & stay safe always! 

x

Ena

P.S. This post was written in partnership with Traveloka.

GRWM – Winter Skincare Routine

Hi guys!

Last month I was visiting my sister in London and decided to film a Get Ready With Me – Winter Skincare Routine!

If you’re planning to head someone cold or you’re currently in somewhere cold, check out my recommendations for Winter Skincare!

Let me know what Your Winter skincare recommendations / must have are in the comments below!

x

Ena

Reflections 2017

Typing this while waiting for our bus to head to Holy Trinity Brampton church for Sunday service on the last day of the year.

Am really thankful for all that has happened in 2017, highlights being the travels with my family; visiting the flower fields in Hokkaido with my parents in summer, Christmas Eve dinner with my relatives at my big sister’s house, spending Christmas and New Year’s with my second sister in London and taking a trip out to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower when I’m here.

Career wise, I count my blessings especially with each and every client and referral that trust me with their business. Am particularly expectant for a productive and fruitful business year in 2018 with clients and cases lining up for follow up when I’m back!

Spiritually, increasingly I find myself living the “Let go” life that Pastor Prince spoke heavily about this year. It’s really a lot easier said then done but I believe after 4 years I am finally closer to what it really is to live a life surrendered and dependent on my savior, protector and provider, Jesus Christ.

Year after year I grow in appreciation of friends that continue to keep in contact with knowing how busy everyone gets and how priorities shifts with changes in life. For all my friends who are reading this, know that every time you spend with me over a meal, message you send on WhatsApp, comment you leave on Instagram is not lost on me and very much appreciated.

I wrote in a previous message that I want to “Value Add” to people all around in my 2018 and to that I also will make my 2018 the most productive and fruitful year.
I hope that you’re enjoying the last day of 2017 and that 2018 will treat you well.

Love & God Bless,

Ena

P.S. Fingers crossed I get to see Pastor Nicky Gumbel for service later, have been listening to his Bible in One Year all year long !

I will build my life upon Your love

It is a firm foundation

I will put my trust in You alone

And I will not be shaken

I will build my life upon Your love

It is a firm foundation

I will put my trust in You alone

And I will not be shaken

SG Bus Leh? – The App To Use When The Train Breaks Down

If you’re a Singaporean or a local Singapore resident, you know the jokes about MRT breaking down is no longer funny. The reality we live in today is that the trains breakdown are more of the norm, than not. 🙁

I am not a hater or online keyboard warrior that goes about trashing the government body (Land Transport Authority) or the MRT company (SMRT) for all the train breakdowns. If you know me, I am much more of a realist and pragmatist – I don’t whine about the problems. When I see a problem, I rather much focus on what steps to take next, to find a solution or go around the problem, you know?

When the train breaks down, Grab or Uber ride prices escalates pretty high, pretty fast due to the unexpected demand, so I would opt for taking bus rides especially if you’re not in a hurry!

So, without further ado, I want to introduce to you SG Bus Leh?, a super cute app that will help us to board and alight a bus on time!

As I’m an Apple IPhone user, I will share my personal experience using this app before sharing more features available on the Andriod version! (I hate it when there are differences on the two iOS, but I have to accept that because there are a lot of restrictions places on Apple’s system.)

  1. Search Bus Stop

Starting from the furthest right tab, <Search>. Simply type in Keywords and they will give you a few options for you to zoom in to the right stop / interchange to see what buses are available and when the next few buses are arriving.

2. Find Bus Stops Nearby

Another handy feature to locate bus stops is under this <Nearby> tab. I also really like how they even include details like “Bendy” for long  buses and “Double” for double deckers. Cool, huh?

3. Add your Favourites stops! 

<Favourites> is probably my favourite (no puns intended!) tab! This is so handy because instead of constantly searching for the same few bus stops you commute to and fro from, you can save your favourites there!

How to add your Favourite stops:

Step A: Search for your favourite stop

Go to <Search> and locate your favourite bus stop. For this example, I picked <Bedok Stn Exit A> and hit the star icon at the bottom of the list.

Step B. Name your Bus Stop

If you wish to, you may be your own government and rename this bus-stop. HAHA. I am boring today and for the sake of this blog post, I kept the same name.

Step C. Find it in under your Favourites!

Et Voila! Now I can have <Bedok Stn Exit A> easily accessible under my Favourites tab! 😀

What you can do, is to rename the bus stops as “Going Out” & “Coming Back” if your bus stops for going out and coming back are always the same.

4. Check out Lobangs while waiting for your bus.

Seems like pretty legit deals. My favourite is probably the “Spot  & win lifetime ad-free SG BusLeh!” hahaha.

Onwards for more Android features!

5. You can spot your Nearby stops on Google Map.

The Android is able to integrate Google Maps, which makes the app a lot more interactive and cool.

6. It shows you how many more stops the next bus is away!

Because of the Google Maps integration, you can see how many more stops your bus is away from, on the map.

7. The App tells you how many more stops before you alight!

Lol, do you ever get anxiety when you’re on a new or unfamiliar bus route and don’t know which stop to alight and afraid to miss it? Well, this feature solves this problem by helping you to track the route! I am certainly tempted to get an Android phone now, lol.

8. Check EZ-Link Card Balance

Another nifty feature on the Android version is the ability to track your card balance after you sync it with this app. Cool huh?

9. You can pay to remove the ads.

If you’re the kind that pays for Spotify so you don’t have to listen to ads, you might be happy to know that there’s a paid version so you don’t have to see the ads when you open the app!

Last but not the least, if you’re curious to know, SG BusLeh is developed by one of the top local mobile app development singapore consultancy, Originally US. These guys they specialize in designing and developing amazing mobile apps that look and feel great with clients include insurance giant AIA, River Safari, Mediacorp, CPF and Zalora.

You can download your very own SGBusLeh? app on Apple here and Android here.

Many thanks to AM Collective for the introduction and SG BusLeh for sponsoring today’s post.

X

Ena

Chic Styles with Tobi

On my recent trip to Korea, I brought my Tobi pieces along for the trip. I love how chic yet comfy these pieces are!
best-of-korea-food-and-culture-incheon-songwol-dong-fairytale-village-review-enabalista_0011best-of-korea-food-and-culture-incheon-songwol-dong-fairytale-village-review-enabalista_0010

Easy Spirit Skater Dress available here.

beaute-101-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0018 beaute-101-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0017

Front and Center Belle Sleeve Romper in Rust here.sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0012 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0017

Straight A Skater Dress (Final sale price right now!) available here.

Shop more from Tobi here and their Holiday sale here! They also have free shipping to Singapore for purchases above US$100 . 😉

In case you’re wondering, I’m 155cm (158-160cm with heels) tall and dressed in size S.

Thank you Tobi for sending these pieces and the love! <3

x

Ena

7 Recommended Beauty & Wellness Spots in Korea!

Are you planning for a pampering  trip with your girlfriends / mum or sisters soon?  I was just in Korea last month for a Beauty and Wellness trip and had the privilege to experience the best of Beauty and Wellness that Korea has to offer. Today’s post will cover 7 beauty spots and services that we visited which I highly recommend! Maybe you can KIV some spots for your next trip! 😉

(1) K-Beauty Makeover at Beauté 101

Beauté 101 is one of Korea’s top 1-stop shop for all your beauty needs; hair, makeup and nails. Need to prep for a night out in Korea? Fret not – just be in your outfit for the night, factor 2-3 hours with them and you’ll be ready to rock and roll in style, with your tresses, makeup and nails done. I also recommend checking out the nearby alleyways for cute spots for OOTDs like we did! For a basic hair styling, makeup and nails package like I did, it costs 242,000 won (S$298), add another 100,000 won (S$122) to upgrade to a party/special package. Located in Gangam, check out their Facebook page here and be sure to reserve in advance for your slot.

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(2) Luxe Facial Spa at Sulwhasoo Flagship Store

If you’re travelling with your mum or favourite aunt, may I suggest and recommend booking a luxe Facial Spa at Sulwhasoo Flagship Store – Korea’s equivalent of La Mer, whether it’s products, place or service, it won’t disappoint. On the ground floor, you’ll find exhibitions of past and present products and packaging. If you think that the ground floor is astounding, you’ll be further impressed by their second level where #interiorgoals abound. You’ll find a gift wrapping segment followed by an array of current ranges of products which are free for testing followed by a private lounge area where you can sip tea and enjoy testing out the products one by one, including the famed Sulwhasoo – Harmonizen Regenerating Cream which costs 650,000 (S$800). Yes that’s right you didn’t read wrong. After shopping (according to the local staff, the store is very generous with their samples and price after discounts for tourists is even better than airport). Before you’re ushered off for your spa, enjoy a vial of ginseng ampoule (drank, not applied), complemented with a cuppa green tea to balance the bitterness of the ginseng. Following which, you can proceed to their spa level and then into individual rooms which are designed like hotel rooms, with individual shower room. The facial spa begins with a foot soak followed by scrub with their special ginseng body scrub that’s not for sale and only available at the spa – talk about exclusivity! There’s even an iPhone cable charge in the spa room, super thoughtful. After the facial, which ends off with Sulwhasoo’s very thorough skincare regime, you can prep your tresses and apply their in house Sulwhasoo makeup foundation and blusher at the private makeup room. I also love that their staff speak basic conversational english pretty well. Visit them at 650, Sinsadong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea.

In case you’re wondering what’s in the Sulwhasoo facial, these are my notes – I can’t recall the entire skincare regime at the end as it was too extensive!:

Hot feet soak
Ginseng scrub
Facial portion:
Remove makeup
Cleansing oil
Hot towel
White ginseng scrub
Sleeping mask
Rest
After facial skincare:
First treatment essence
Lotion
Moisturizer
Serum
Sunblock

(Visit their site if you’d like to find out more about their Beauty Ritual)

sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0000 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0001sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0009 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0002 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0003 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0004 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0005 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0006 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0013 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0014 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0015 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0016 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0007 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0008 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0017 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0010 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0011 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0012 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0018 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0021 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0022sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0020sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0019 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0023 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0024 sulwhasoo-flagship-store-gangnam-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0025

(3) Soak, spa & massage at women’s only Spa Lei

Lei Spa is a popular women’s only spa, and rated #7 out of 230 spas and wellness places in Seoul on TripAdvisor. As we were fully made-over after our Beaute101 experience and we were a little short of time during our visit to Spa Lei, we didn’t (want to) experience a full soak, sauna and massage which will ruin our hair and makeup, lol. We did however enjoy a drink and hot feet soak at both their outdoor and indoor foot spa. While their staff speak very limited english, I was very impressed with their 3 floors of facilities ranging from saunas, spa, massage, sleeping rooms, TV rooms, outdoor terrace, cafe, nails services and more – I can imagine it’s a place to hang out with my girlfriends for a whole day just doing sauna, spa, massage, meals, nails and more. For as little as 2000won an hour, it’s no wonder Spa Lei is a hit with both local and tourists alike. Do note that privacy is a huge concern, so you will need to keep your phones in the locker as no phones are allowed in the spa.spa-lei-women-only-spa-in-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0000 spa-lei-women-only-spa-in-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0001 spa-lei-women-only-spa-in-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0002 spa-lei-women-only-spa-in-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0003 spa-lei-women-only-spa-in-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0004 spa-lei-women-only-spa-in-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0006

(4) Skincare and Makeup Shopping at Myeong Dong

If you count yourself a K-beauty lover, no trip to Korea would be complete without visiting Myeong Dong where there’s an endless supply and promotion of all things Korean skincare and makeup. If you’re a fan of new skincare brands, then you must pay a visit to Olive Young who stocks brands that are more under the radar before they are established enough to have their owns stores, such as CNP, WakeWake and ElishaCoy. If you’re like me and a fan of established skincare and makeup brands such as Laneige, EtudeHouse, Clio & TheFaceshop, then it’s best to plan your trip to coincide with Korea’s sales season which is start of October and the next one would be early next year, visit Visit Korea website or Korea Grand Sale website for updates. If you’re planning to buy in bulk, my local friend suggests visiting Duty Free at Lotte Mall for really awesome bulk discounts.

Also, no street shopping is complete without street snacks!I will be writing a separate article on recommended Korean food spots, but thought I should add this in as well. Speaking of street snacks, On my first night in Korea, I’d met up with my friend, Livia for Chimac dinner. Livia works at Charis and she gifted me with a Klairs Mochi Bb cushion, a lightweight foundation – you can get it from my Charis online store here~  Also, I have to mention that you can get lots of awesome Korean snacks at Big Mart at Myeong Dong, opens till 12am!

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Second night at Myeong Dong (we were there most nights since it was a stone throw away from our hotel!):myeong-dong-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0005 myeong-dong-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0006 myeong-dong-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0007 myeong-dong-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0008 myeong-dong-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0010 myeong-dong-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0011 myeong-dong-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0012 myeong-dong-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0013

I also recommend staying at Lotte City Myeongdong Hotel which is a 10 minutes walk away from Myeong Dong shopping streets. A relatively new hotel with impeccable and friendly staff service, good breakfast spread, comfortable bedroom and great housekeeping service.

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Apart from Myeong Dong, I also recommend paying a visit to Gangnam where you’ll find Style Nanda and many shop fronts with lovely visual merchandising in their windows and having a cuppa coffee at Coffeesmith, just to people watch – the dudes are particularly handsome there, haha.

Style Nanda store:

gangnam-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0000 gangnam-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0001 gangnam-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0002 gangnam-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0003 Olive Young:gangnam-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0004 gangnam-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0005

Club Clio, got the colour I wanted in Celeb Rose which ran out at Olive Young!:gangnam-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0006 gangnam-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0007 gangnam-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0008

If you have more time, you should also check out Hongdae where there’s more Korean makeup and skincare shops (no surprises, LOL) and more street fashion!

Cap shopping:hongdae-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0000

Walked into Labiotte for their wine lipsticks!
hongdae-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0001hongdae-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0002

hongdae-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0005

Got one of these lipsticks, which is a lovely coral and hydrating formula:hongdae-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0004

Burnt orange and browns colours are all the rage this fall!:
hongdae-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0003 Came by StyleNanda at Hongdae:
hongdae-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0006 hongdae-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0009

Love these new 3CE liquid lips shades in Lazy, Obsessed & New me, except I’d already bought like 8 lipsticks by this time, so I didn’t purchase any, lol! #onemouthonlyhongdae-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0008

Was super tempted to get this, but would be too creamy/shimmery/oily for SG’s humid weather, so I did not – but if I was staying in Korea would go for this!:hongdae-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0007 hongdae-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0011Also, Chuu official has nice lip tints!hongdae-street-shopping-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0010

(5) Wellness Treatment at KwangDong Oriental Hospital

Have I mentioned that we’ve been treated to only the best in Korea during our trip? The same can be said of our visit to KwangDong Oriental Hospital – we were there on a Friday morning at 9.30am and there were already customers at the counters paying for their oriental medicine dosage/satchets after their check ups. My wellness session with KwangDong Oriental Hospital started with registration, followed by consultation with the doctor, interpreted by a very eloquent lady named Jenny – the doctor then administered my virgin acupuncture experience (pretty painless in fact) on my stiff shoulders and aching calves followed by a cold stone facial spa and hot herbal foot pack – it was an incredible and unique experience to have a cold and hot sensation simultaneously on the opposing ends of my body. I love my experience at KwangDong Oriental Hospital and hope to bring my parents there some day.

kwangdong-oriental-hospital-wellness-treatment-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0002 kwangdong-oriental-hospital-wellness-treatment-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0003 kwangdong-oriental-hospital-wellness-treatment-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0000 kwangdong-oriental-hospital-wellness-treatment-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0001 kwangdong-oriental-hospital-wellness-treatment-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0005 kwangdong-oriental-hospital-wellness-treatment-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0007 kwangdong-oriental-hospital-wellness-treatment-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0008 kwangdong-oriental-hospital-wellness-treatment-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0009 kwangdong-oriental-hospital-wellness-treatment-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0006 kwangdong-oriental-hospital-wellness-treatment-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0010 kwangdong-oriental-hospital-wellness-treatment-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0004 kwangdong-oriental-hospital-wellness-treatment-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0011

(6) Relaxing Spa Session at Herb Island

Last but not the least, if you’re a fan of whimsical European style, I recommend visiting Herb Island and experiencing the Spa session after lunch and staying until the evening when the place is lit in the night. The Spa session starts off with tea and registration followed by a foot soak, a hot pack experience while laying on a cloth over dried hay (I imagine that’s how Jesus felt when he was a baby in a manger, lol) and ending off with massage (choice of back or feet, I picked feet). Also, the shops are super pretty, if you’re a fan of aromatic oil, scents and tea, it’s a place you can stock up on supplies!

herb-island-spa-session-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0000 herb-island-spa-session-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0001 herb-island-spa-session-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0002 herb-island-spa-session-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0003 herb-island-spa-session-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0004 herb-island-spa-session-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0005 herb-island-spa-session-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0006 herb-island-spa-session-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0007 herb-island-spa-session-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0008 herb-island-spa-session-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0009 herb-island-spa-session-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0010 herb-island-spa-session-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0011 herb-island-spa-session-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0012 herb-island-spa-session-korea-beauty-wellness-must-go-review-enabalista_0013
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If you enjoyed reading my Beauty and Wellness recommendations, stay tuned to my next post on Korean Food recommendations in Seoul! 😉

If you’d like a chronological update to my Beauty and Wellness Korean Trip visit my Dayre days 272-278 starting here.

Thank you Carolyn and Korean Tourism Organisation Singapore for making the trip to Korea possible!

3D2N Penang Cultural & Food Trail | #ThrowbackThursday

Another #ThrowbackThursday post. Thankfully unlike last week’s post which was 2 years ago, this post’s entry dates back less than a year ago, hehe. My family and I headed down to Penang for a family trip which coincided with my Dad’s birthday weekend. We were very blessed that his friend’s wife and children hosted us for the 3D2N that we were there, and we took in a lot of beautiful cultural and heritage sites and sights of Penang, as well as a lot and I mean a lot of yummy food! I love Malaysia not only for its close proximity to Singapore and yummy food but also how affordable it is compared to Singapore’s high expenses. This is an ultra image heavy post with 222 (purely coincidental number) photos and I’ll be adding captions and explanations along the way.

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0001Always love plane rides and enjoying the view from above! <3Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0000With Daddy on the plane!

[ Penang Day 1 – George Town Cultural & Food Trail ]

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0002You’ll see a lot of pretty peranakan-style shophouses in Penang, similar to those along Katong in Singapore. I love the relief designs and the exterior of shophouses in general, so you’ll be seeing a lot of them in my post today! Lol!Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0003Took a photo of this building exterior because it’s interesting. I’d admit it’s not pretty, but definitely unique!Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0004Dad’s friend’s wife and children (in case you’re wondering, Dad’s friend was away on a photography trip as he is a photography enthusiast) came to pick us up from the airport and drove us to Jalan Penang for brunch.

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0005Took a photo so I can figure out later where this kopitiam is located at, but I can’t find it online, except that it’s along Jalan Penang, rofl.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0006 Penang style iced kopi and beef noodles!Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0007Beef tendon noodles. I find that Penang food has its own unique flavours, unlike anything I’ve tried in Singapore.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0008With everyone at lunch table and mummy not looking in the camera, LOL.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0009Shophouse exhibit 2. Told you I have a thing for shophouse exteriors. My dream house is a Notting Hill style house, which is extremely rare in Singapore, the closest examples would be Everton Road and Blair Road houses. There are also some nice shophouse style houses at Katong and Joo Chiat area.

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0010Shophouse exhibits 3.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0011Shophouse exhibits 4. More really old looking shophouses which are a dime a dozen in Penang.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0012 A relic looking building hoarded up possible for works. Reminds me of Malacca. After visiting Penang, I came to realize that Penang has a lot of similarities to Malacca, with the strong cafe culture, a heritage centric zone, Peranakan influence, relics and a lot of awesome local food. The main few differences at the top of my mind is that Penang is much further from Singapore and also famous for Penang beach. Malacca also has a seaside, but not as famous as Penang.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0013After lunch, we arrive at Georgetown Penang which is the cultural center and hub of Penang and also where a lot of cafe action is located at. Ok, maybe “cafe action” is an awkward phrasing. I mean there’s a lot of cafes here and where you can cafe hop conveniently! 😉

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0014Like this rustic looking cafe with industrial style decor and an open roof concept for natural light streaming in. Love.

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0015I love the industrial chic interior style, which is all the rage in interior design lately. Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0016Greenery providing a nice contrast with the industrial vibes.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0017 Different seats thrown together for an eclectic style.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0018 Lots of interesting artworks pepper the streets. It would be really nice if Singapore had a street like that, don’t you think?
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0019 Cute sand art featuring animals.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0020 In front of an artsy souvenir store, ottokedal.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0021We continued our cafe window shopping trail and came across this mural.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0022Another shot of the mural. Love the colours!
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0023Another interesting feature, decorated door. It would be super pretty if its repainted! Oh the possibilities of reworking relic / antique pieces. I am not a fan of vintage, but I do love refreshed, modern takes with vintage elements. 🙂

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0024 This cafe we passed by had a pond in its courtyard.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0025And a “福” which is missing a stroke… which makes for a photo opportunity/wall!
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0026Told Dad to get into position. HA.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0027And here’s my take. 😛
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0028After crossing the courtyard, we made way into a cafe abounding with cat drawings. Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0029 They provide paper and drawing materials on the table for customers to doodle, draw and colour! What a fun idea.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0030Basically The Canteen at Chinatown is a traditional compound of 3 heritage buildings, linked by an open air courtyard and converted into 14 spaces comprising shops, cafes, restaurants, galleries, live music and bakery. Visit their website here for more information.

153 & 155 Beach Street
183B Victoria Street
10300 George Town, Penang
Tel: +604 – 263 7299
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0031We also popped by this coffee shop selling coffee beans.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0032And walked through another coffeeshop with quirky interiors, to say the least.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0033Like these Snow White and Seven Dwarfs statues.

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0034And a really pretty courtyard. Except it was really too hot to to be out.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0035Sis and I popped inside a space for a photo. HAHA. Spot the little birdy on the frame?Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0036

Then we came by this Mama-Miya Coconut Ice Cream stall for a ice cream break! They’re so cool (pun fully intended), they have their own IG page and geo-tagPenang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0037 Casually seated right by the stall.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0038 With our ice creams!Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0039Paired with nata de coco, jelly and corn. Yums!
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0040After ice cream, we continued on the Penang heritage trail. Here’s my next fascination with Penang, mural art. Mural Art exhibit 1.

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0041Came by this spot with a cute upside down baby.

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0042Dad posing for a photo with the baby, LOL.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0043

And then dancing with a live one man show on the streets, no kidding, LOL.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0044 Uncle one-live-band! I totally made that up, but that’s exactly what he is. Which reminds me that I should totally do a vlog the next time I travel, because you can’t hear the music through a blog post.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0045 We came by this building and I love the palace like details that goes into that exterior!Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0046 Look at that. I wonder if its real gold plated or gold paint.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0047 Mural art exhibit 2. Twist.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0048Shophouse exhibit 5. Dad’s got the swag in this pose, lol!Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0049 Want a beach experience right in the middle of Penang? Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0050Ta-da! HAHAHAHA. You must be thinking, “Like that also can?”.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0051Mural exhibit 3. And another really random wall mural / artistic feature. Gotta love the purple wall, so pretty!Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0052 And then we came to visit this temple which is famous for this secret passageway.  For more backstory and temple interior, you can visit this website.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0053Love the broody mood evoked by the shadows on the wall.

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0054 And the contrast of the light and shadows.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0055 Travel trips are all about finding the beauty in the environment and taking artistic shots, hahaha. Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0056The beauty of travel is finding the otherwise mundane lives of the locals, fascinating.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0057 Buildings that might be otherwise overlooked by locals become outstanding. Look at those dragon statues on the rooftop! I didn’t edit the colours of of my photos (trust me when I say it will take forever to edit 222 photos, maybe you will only see it in 4 years if I do, lol) but if I did, this building will look even more remarkable. 🙂
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0058When I’ve earned enough money from making a living, I’d love to travel the world, take photos for inspiration and design collections be it fashion, beauty or interior design from each travel! That’s my dream. 🙂 I don’t always write so much and share so much of my thoughts on my blog, but I’m feeling particularly verbose for this post. So do let me know if you enjoy reading these thoughts! 🙂

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0063For lunch, we came by this Jawa House Cafe Gallery, an award winning local cafe/restaurant.

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0064

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0059Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0060A particularly interesting menu which included a lot of articles and text too!
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0061And thissss. Omg. The food is so yummy, yummy is an understatement. We ordered Jawi Herbal Lemuni Rice, Jawi Briyani, Prawn Briyani and more but I cannot recall the names now, oops. You can check out their menu online here. Initially I thought that maybe 5 dishes won’t be enough for 7 pax but we were so full. Perhaps also because we had a filling brunch from earlier as well. The ambience of the cafe is also really quiet and nice. When we were there, there was also a TV crew filming at the backyard. I’d highly recommended Jawa House Cafe Gallery!

Visit Jawa House Cafe Gallery:
85, Armenian Street, George Town 10200 Penang, Malaysia
+604 – 261 3680
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0062After lunch, we continued the walk around Georgetown from before.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0065Sign of no street food stalls allowed.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0066Mural exhibit 4, of a rickshaw uncle taking a break on the rickshaw.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0067Time to check in! We stayed at Red Rock Hotel, having stayed here previously, Dad recommended this hotel for its affordable rates and convenient location with food stalls easily accessible from the hotel. However after staying here, sis and I realized we should try Glow Penang if we visit again because their wifi there is much stronger, lol! And it also looks much newer and swankier.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0068Parent’s room in the Red Rock Hotel. Damn big, I know.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0069 Photos of a hat I bought for Christabelle as she was looking for something similar for her D&D event. 🙂
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0070 After checking in, we headed out again for some seaside sightseeing. And then omg… I had to walk down this rickety wooden bridge. It was scary!Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0071The view however, was so pleasant. Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0072 Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0073 Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0074 Dad and mum looking so chill by the seaside.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0075 Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0076 We met an uncle who was showing us his fishing loots. Don’t really know what this is either, but it was like the size of my fist.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0077 Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0078Afternoon sun. Looking back at this post, it does feel that we had a super long day, isn’t it?
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0079 We passed by this house which seemed to be rearing bulldogs. This puppy is cuteee. Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0080Then we headed for desserts!
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0081 I had Aiyu jelly, which was yums. Gotta admit though, the street stall didn’t seem very hygienic.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0082We also passed by this Georgetown Wines, which seems like a really pretty and laidback evening spot.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0083And then we came to Kedai Kasut, where world famous shoe designer Jimmy Choo started his apprenticeship!
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0084 Can’t miss a photo with Jimmy Choo, can I? HAHA.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0085 This is presumably the exact spot/shop where Jimmy Choo has his apprenticeship.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0086 Gotta love these cute and informative metal artworks! Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0087 Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0088 More really pretty dining spots.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0089Mural exhibit 5 of a man with a long white beard and sis posing below.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0090Shophouse exhibits 6.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0091Shophouse exhibit 7.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0092Shophouse exhibit 8.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0093A cat cafe! But sadly we didn’t go in.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0094So cute though!
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0095 And a camera museum, which you can visit if you’re keen! 🙂Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0096Mural exhibit 6, a little scary, this one. Of a little girl balancing on/between two windows.

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0097 A cute beer place.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0098Love little details like this.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0099Shophouse exhibits 9.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0100 Mural exhibit 7.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0101Not a shophouse exhibit per se. look at the name of the street, “Love Lane”. LOL.

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0102Yunno, just posing with the fam outside a cute door.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0103Mural exhibit 8, riding on Uncle’s sampan.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0104 Yes, you could totally do a Penang Food Trail cause there’s so much yummy food here.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0105Like this restaurant where we had our dinner, Shing Keang Aun Restaurant which is famous for its authentic Hainanese food.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0106UNFORTUNATELY I was too hungry and forgot to take photos of our delicious dinner. T_T Visit their foursquare page here for photos and food reviews! 🙂
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0107After dinner, we headed back to rest. And then mum, sis and I headed out for supper. HAHAHAHA. I know. I too, am surprised that we had the stomach for supper. XD We just walked down on the further left side of Red Rock Hotel where there’s a lot of hawker and coffeeshops and we opted for one that seemed cleaner and more spacious. 🙂
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0108 They have a lot of ingredients displayed, customers order and the chef cooks on the spot.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0109 We ordered cockles! Although I prefer clams.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0110 A lot of vegetables on display too.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0111 This is the shop we visited. 东京海鲜饭档. Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0112Tbh, supper was not spectacular. It was a tad too oily. I think the experience of having supper was more fun than the supper taste itself.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0113 We also ordered oyster omelette – which is one of my fave! 😀Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0114 Fruit stall by the road. We bought some fresh fruits to bring back to the hotel.

[ Penang Day 2 – Church, HK lunch, Shopping and Tree Monkey Cafe Dinner ]

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0115

We had breakfast at the hotel before heading to church.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0116We arrived early.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0117 A cute wall decor at the church.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0118 Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0119My dad is a retired Hokkien pastor, so he was the invited speaker that day. 🙂
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0139With a sweetheart and her mum after church service!
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0128For lunch, we visited this Zhong Hua restaurant nearby.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0120Crispy noodles.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0121 Fried noodles.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0122 Egg tarts!Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0123 Vegetables dim sum.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0124Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0125 Dim sum galore. Think we over-ordered.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0126 Parents with aunty.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0129 After lunch, we took a cab down to shop! The cab has this cute hand drawn map on his car.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0130 We came to Gurney Paragon to shop. It’s rated number 1 among the top 10 shopping malls in Penang and was recommended by our Penang friends.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0131Gurney Plaza is just next doors. But Gurney Paragon is so big, we didn’t even have time to finish shopping the mall alone in 2 hours.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0132 Came by this cute The Zakka store that sells a lot of cute accessories.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0133 We bought a lot of snacks from Ban Heang which was just next doors to our hotel, haha.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0134 We didn’t shop a lot, bought a few clothings and masks.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0135 Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0136 Random poses right outside the hotel.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0137 The Ban Heang shop with yummy and affordable local treats.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0138We tried this Hello Kitty chocolate mooncake, which was TOO SWEET. Sugar overload.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0140 For dinner, our parents and us went separate ways. Our penang friends Shaw Wooi and Wan Lin brought us towards Penang beach side for drinks and dinner.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0141 We came to Hard Rock Hotel for drinks. The live band was really pretty good! I really enjoyed the songs they sang. Again, another reminder I should do vlogs for my next trip. 🙂

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0144After the rain stopped, we headed to Tree Monkey. Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0142Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0143 We opted for this Asian Tapas set.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0145Unfortunately we missed the sunset, the owner recommends coming in the early evening for a beautiful sunset view.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0146 Pineapple rice.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0147 Calamari Rings.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0148Curry.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0149 Tom Yum Soup.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0150 Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0151 My favourite would be this Asian Tapas.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0152 Group shot!Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0153We really enjoyed the ambient and service by the humourous team as well.

Visit Tree Monkey 
Tree Monkey @ Tropical Spice Garden Lone Crag Villa, Lot 595 Mukim 2. Jalan Teluk Bahang 11100 Penang. Tel: 604-881 3493/4. Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0154 Post dinner, we came by Starbucks for drinks.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0155 Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0156 Walked by all the street side stalls. Located near Holiday Inn Resort.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0157 They even have Starbucks Gear, which is unheard of in Singapore.

[ Penang Day 3 – Coffeeshop Breakfasts, George Town Cultural Trail Part 2, Maple Palace Lunch ]

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0158For Day 3 breakfast, we decided we’re gonna try more local delights instead of hotel fare. So sis and I randomly chance upon this stall opposite the hotel.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0159Slathered on Lip Hop’s sunblock, ready for the day’s sun.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0160 We ordered kopi, teh and char kway teow.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0161I really wanted to try the famous salted egg yolk char kway teow but didn’t have a chance. This was a regular one.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0162 The fishball noodles. The dishes were average. I liked the fried fish!
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0163After breakfast round 1 (yes, breakfast round 2 coming right up, LOL). We headed to walk about/around. We did so randomly and came by this pretty spot.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0164 Which thus called for a photo. Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0165 There’s a 小娘惹 shop that sells beancurd. Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0166 Mural exhibit 9, le smoking lady (made that up myself).Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0167Trying my best to strike up a conversation with her.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0168 Mural exhibit 10. Sister approves of this barrel full of likes. #ThumbsUpPenang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0169Mural exhibit 11. Angel with graffiti wings.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0170 And an angel wannabe. 😉
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0171 Mural exhibit 12. Food machine. Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0172 Located close to this Nagore Square sign.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0173 Shophouse exhibits 10.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0174So pretty. Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0175 Mural exhibit 13. Red nose man.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0176 Mural exhibit 14. Another red nose man.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0177 Shophouse exhibits 11.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0178 Don’t have a series to go with this, but I found this row of pillars very intriguing.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0179 I imagine the relics on the pillars were chipped away by people moving goods along this corridor.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0180 Not a shophouse exhibit per se,  but just found this window above the pillars fascinating. Old buildings and exteriors just seem to have so much untold stories, don’t they?Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0181 Another and final series for this Penang trip, tiles exhibit 1.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0182 Shophouse exhibits 12.  Love the colours!Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0183 Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0184 Not a shophouse exhibit per se, again. Just love the cute doodles on the door!
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0185 Shophouse exhibit 13.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0186Unfortunately that street pole blocks it. It’s so pretty with a cute balcony. Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0188Even the side of the shophouse is pretty too.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0187 Shophouse exhibit 14. Cute red canopy.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0189 Mural exhibit 15. Blue couple.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0190 Mural exhibit 16. Short hair girl.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0191 CHIME Heritage architecture explained.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0192 Tile exhibit 2.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0193 We passed by this very promising looking hawker spot.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0194 Shophouse exhibits 15.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0195This row of shophouses houses a lot of quirky shops, like this Caffeine Chemistry. Obviously 3D2N was not enough to explore Penang with. T_T;Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0196 Tile exhibit 3.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0197 This Lim Brother mansion also caught my eye,
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0198 So did this LX Leather Spa.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0199 And this Taiwei Village Restaurant, because my BIL’s name is Tai Wei, hahaha.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0200 We headed back to the hotel to pack up, and here’s a look at the Lip Hop products I brought along for the Penang trip!

Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0204We had breakfast round 2 at Yummy Cottage.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0201Carrot cake.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0202And finally got to try duck egg char kway teow. It does tastes more flavourful than the regular egg. How come we don’t have this in Singapore?! Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0203 Penang Char Kway Teow stall. For a list of must try stalls, visit here.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0205Then we visited Leong Chee Kee for damn good pastries. Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0206 Very famous with a lot of press clippings.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0207 Their mooncakes were totally yums.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0208Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0209Close up of the clippings. Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0210 Super cute old school stickers and labels.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0211 Old school interior as well.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0213The shop owner, his son and family helping him with the business. He was also very friendly chatting about Malaysia, Singapore the similarities and differences, with us.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0212 Located amidst local housing. Again, these buildings seem to have so much stories within them. 🙂 Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0214 For lunch we came to Maple Palace, an award winning restaurant in Penang. The food, ambience and service here is undoubtedly great!Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0215 Fresh juices.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0216 Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0217 Picked mango appetisers.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0218 With aunt and familyPenang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0219Beef and ginger.Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0220Crispy Peking Duck.
Penang Food Trail Ena Teo Enabalista_0221Fish Steamboat with amazing stock. Very yums!

Took me 3 hours to prepare and write this post! Hope you enjoyed it and find it useful in planning your itinerary for your Penang trip! 😉

x

Ena

Stay Hip & Chic with BIG Hotel Singapore

Over the recent labour day holiday, Christabelle and I enjoyed our extended weekend at boutique hotel, BIG Hotel Singapore. Super love the chic, grey textured walls and its Pinterest-worthy minimalistic interior. <3

Belle and I made full use of our 1D1N with girly activities such as playing with new make up, photo taking at the alley ways/spots near by the hotel, thai food at Aroy Dee for dinner, The Daily Scoop (at School of the Arts) for desserts and masks (mutiple, yes, haha) time before we called it a night. During our fruitful staycation, we were also appropriately (mostly me, haha since Belle doesn’t really drinks coffee) with Nespresso and Cafedirect coffee, it’s sweet that BIG Hotel has a Nespresso machine in the room. Have I mentioned how much I love the chic coffee corner? 😉BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0003 BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0008 BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0010 BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0009 BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0006 BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0007 BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0004 BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0005BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0013BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0012 BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0011 BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0014New cosmetics from Etude House Play 101 Sticks / cushion concealers, Laneige BB Cushion, K-Palette Rose Eyeliner, Kate Tokyo Eyeshadow Palettes, Stenders Handcream and Lipbalm.
BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0016Swatches of Etude House Play 101 sticks, creamy and pigmented.BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0015My picks for the day. Caption as posted on my IG; Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control SPF50+ PA+++ is my recent go to foundation, a new and improved formula with 3D skin fit technology and higher coverage than before! 😊✨👌 Etude House’s BIG cover concealer tip to cover my dark eye circles and Concealer Cushion in beige as a highlighting pen! As well as the Play 101 Stick in jumbo size with a creamy formula,#10 as highlighter below the brows and #13 a light shimmer pink for blusher~ ☺️💕Kate Tokyo newest SS16 collection, Forming Edge Eyes in BR-3($23.90 at Watsons), a beautiful and highly pigmented shimmery brown eyeshadow palette with 3 hues for a mesmerizing look with depth. 👁😉 Completing my eye look with Etude‘s Play 101 Pencil in black, K Palette’s latest Bulgarian Rose Eyeliner for a sharp and smudge-free liquid eyeline. My current go to mascara is also from K Palette, 1 Day Lash Perm c/o of Beauty Carousel. ✍🏻🌹 Finishing the look by prepping my lips with Stender‘s cranberry lip balm – it comes with 60% natural shea butter so it legit keeps the lips moisturized! Lastly Australis’ Velourlips Matte Lip Cream in Doobai – a dark red lip colour which you can find from Watsons!

See the look below:
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BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0017Coffee break with Cafedirect (available at Fairprice Finest & Fairprice Xtra) before heading out.
BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0019Made up and ready to head out!

BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0000

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BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista x _0000 BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0002Chic photo spots around every corner around Middle Road, if you seek, you’ll find. 😉

Post dinner ice cream indulgence:

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BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0026BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0022I opted for Strawberry while Christabelle opted for Durian (Mao Shan Wang) and Avocado!

BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0023 BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0024Headed back and washed up with Estee Lauder’s new micro cleansing foam and if you don’t already know about Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair serum, this stuff is the magic potion of the beauty world! I use it on nights when I need to calm redness/irritation/clear up blemishes on my skin, and it always works like a charm!

I brought along Origin’s Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask To Clear Pores, and found out that Christabelle is a huge fan of this brand and been using this mask regularly which helps with her oily skin type, once a week. Origins is an au natural skin care brand, for all you nature loving skincare fanatics! 😉

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And post Origins charcoal mask, we nourished our skin with The Face Shop animal masks which I got last year and they don’t seem to be retailing any more now, but man, these smell of peaches, soooo good and its also pretty hydrating, love! Check out other The Face Shop masks currently available on their site here.

The next morning, a wake up coffee is in order…
BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0027We were well fuelled by Nespresso’s  limited edition coffee Tanim De Chiapas from Mexico.

BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0034 *satisfied grin*
BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0028And YES I had also lugged over the new ranges of skincare goodies; shower gel, scrub, body creams from The Body Shop to try out during the staycation, best decision ever! Our bathroom and room were filled and smelled so good of summer fragrances from the Pinita Colada (Pineapple and Coconut) to Polynesian Tiare (island flowers), they’ll all launch by June 9. 😉

BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0029Lovin’ the soft morning sunrays~
BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0036And a wefie with the lovely one before we tore ourselves away from the room… we really didn’t want to go.
BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0032Checking out at this lobby.

BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0033A very cosy and bubbly lobby atmosphere when we left, ideal for friends or family to gather before heading out.

BIG Hotel Singapore Review Lifestyle Blogger Ena Teo Enabalista _0031

The comfy bed and sheets made for a great night’s rest. All in, BIG Hotel is an affordable, chic option that I’d recommend whether you’re considering for a local stay-cation or visiting from abroad. Staff we met at the hotel were also very pleasant and courteous – they definitely made our stay that much sweeter. Plus, it’s located conveniently close to Bugis MRT (if you’re taking the train down from Changi Airport, from the green line) and walking distance to Dhoby Ghaut and Little India where you can explore more of Singapore whether for shopping, dining or cultural spots. If you’re keen, you can also check out my alma-mater LASALLE College of the Arts which is literally behind BIG hotel, if you’re in luck you might coincide your stay with graduating students’ exhibitions. happening from now, 20th May to 1st June!

Thank you BIG Hotel & Chelsea for arranging the stay for review!

Be sure to follow me on IG @ena_teo for daily updates! 😉

x

Ena

Weekend Getaway to Genting Highlands!

Hi Loves!

I’m back again! 😀

Yesterday I posted about my review of Aaron Crow’s Fearless Magic show, the highlight of my recent weekend trip to Genting Highlands. Today I’ll be posting about the rest of the trip and cover everything else we did! It’s gonna be super image heavy! 😛Enabalista Media Review Resorts World Genting March 2016_0000Traveling with my sis for this trip! On the coach~
Enabalista Media Review Resorts World Genting March 2016_0001My cute personalized passport cover thanks to Tiffy!

We reached the hotel early in the morning around 5am, caught some sleep before we headed out around 10+am~

Checked out Terminal 2 cafe just at the lobby of  XYZ wing.

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Enabalista Media Review Resorts World Genting March 2016_0004They had nice bread, but servings were huge. We didn’t want to be too full as we were expecting a buffet lunch at Coffee Terrace~

Enabalista Media Review Resorts World Genting March 2016_0002Enabalista Media Review Resorts World Genting March 2016_0003 So I snapped a few photos and we headed to check out other food places.

Like 1 Meter Teh!
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The porridge smelled amazing, so we decided to get a bowl to share…Enabalista Media Review Resorts World Genting March 2016_0007Teh & Chicken Porridge. Honestly the porridge was so-so, it was the fried onion that made it smell heavenly and taste good! 

Then it was time for buffet lunch!!!

Enabalista Media Review Resorts World Genting March 2016_0008Once again, our SOP – array of cuisine on our table! 😀

Close ups of the delicious food… Once again, the buffet did not disappoint, both in quality and quantity. 😛

Enabalista Media Review Resorts World Genting March 2016_0009 Enabalista Media Review Resorts World Genting March 2016_0010 Enabalista Media Review Resorts World Genting March 2016_0011 Enabalista Media Review Resorts World Genting March 2016_0012 Enabalista Media Review Resorts World Genting March 2016_0013A photo with the bloggers and plus ones, and our blogger host from RWG, Eric. 🙂

This time round, I explored the Coffee Terrace place with Chiu Yen and sis and found this sightseeing spot:

Enabalista Media Review Resorts World Genting March 2016_0014 Enabalista Media Review Resorts World Genting March 2016_0015You can pay to view further… but I didn’t la. Haha.

Then I was trying to practise selfies/wefies on my new Canon G7 camera…

Enabalista Resorts World Genting Review_0000Apparently my sis is a pro at it! 😛
Enabalista Resorts World Genting Review_0001Here’s one of me after a few takes. But as you can see, I can’t seem to take on with one hand only… I need more practice. Haha.

Next we headed to Snow World!!! I know I sound super excited now, when I was initially not. But I unexpectedly had a lot of fun for what was supposed to be for kids/children, hahaha. All you need to have fun, is to have a child’s heart! 😛
Snow World Resorts World Genting Review March 2016_0000 Snow World Resorts World Genting Review March 2016_0001We went just shortly after Easter, so it was Easter themed! 

Snow World Resorts World Genting Review March 2016_0002The Dress Up Corner where we changed into our jackets and shoes.

Snow World Resorts World Genting Review March 2016_0003Here’s one with the group before going in! The plan was to take 5-10 min before it was open to public, to snap some photos before we can have fun after! Photos and cameras are not allowed (except for media) inside Snow World as they have professional photographers inside and will charge you for photos, should you want.
Snow World Resorts World Genting Review March 2016_0004Super cute Easter eggs and sweets decor~
Snow World Resorts World Genting Review March 2016_0005They have ice sculptures too.

Snow World Resorts World Genting Review March 2016_0013Another group we-fie, inside!
Snow World Resorts World Genting Review March 2016_0006Snow World Resorts World Genting Review March 2016_0007With sis outside the Igloo house! Snow World Resorts World Genting Review March 2016_0009

After this we couldn’t snap photos when the Snow World opened to public and we kept our cameras away, but I did get to seat the slide which is only for people before 65kg, and we also played with the red sledges and it was a lot of fun! It’s those kiddy level kind of intensity which is just perfect for me because I don’t like scary rides, hahaha.Snow World Resorts World Genting Review March 2016_0010Group we-fie outside Snow World~

Snow World Resorts World Genting Review March 2016_0011And another!

After Snow World, we went to catch the Fearless Magic Show, which I’ve already covered in the previous post. After the show, we had dinner at Bubbles & Bites!

The name Bubbles & Bites originates from the fact that the restaurant serves simple western food with an exquisite list of drinks―including sparkling wines imported from such countries as Italy, Spain and France. Hence the word“Bubbles.”  True to its name, Bubbles & Bites makes the perfect chillout place for effervescent young people, families and all others who believe great food and good ambience go hand in hand.

Let’s check out the place!

Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0000 Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0001I like how it has an open concept, it’s like dining in a European cafe along the streets except it’s indoors, haha.

Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0002Here’s the view from the stairs to the mezzanine level for VIP seating.

Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0003A lovely feature wall, with presumably names of Italian dishes.

Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0004Our VIP and private spot at Bubbles & Bites!

Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0005We-fie with dinner group~

Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0006The menu, sorry it’s a little dark, basically you have choices from Pizzas, Pasta and Meat.
Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0007Aglio Olio.
Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0008Refreshing Blackcurrent with apple base juice.
Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0009The dancers from Fearless show were having dinner, salad! That’s how they stay so slim…

Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0010Chicken wings!

Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0011With Salad. My favourite rocket leaves. 

Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0012Slow braised lamb shank.

Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0013My favourite dish, Chicken Schnitzel, it’s crispy on the outside and tender inside. Love!

Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0014Spaghetti Bolognese.Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0015Carbonara Pizza.Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0016Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0017Lam Lee Burger, tastes like a restaurant version of Ramly burger.Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0018Ethiopian Chicken, as its name goes, it tastes like curry chicken from Africa. One of the recommended / popular dishes.

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Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0020Oblong Margherita Pizza.Bubbles & Bites @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0021Kampung Chicken.Bubbles & BItes Enabalista Resorts World Genting Review 1_0000Old Angus Beef T-Bone Steak.Bubbles & BItes Enabalista Resorts World Genting Review 1_0001Old Angus Beef T-Bone Steak. This was pretty good! Overall the food at Bubbles & Bites were of great value with prices from RM29 for Ethiopian Chicken to RM75 for the Old Angus Beef Steak. I highly recommend the Grilled Salmon Tagliatelle & Cremosa Pesto (RM33) & Chicken Schnitzel (RM29).

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After dinner, Eric arranged for us to feast on Gelatos! The server reallyyy packed in a ton of Gelatos for us in this bowl. We went with Hazenut, Mango, Chocolate and Blood Orange flavors.

After desserts, we had free and easy time… My sis and went walking around the Plaza Square, there was a Japanese fair going on… It was inspired by the hanami/pink blossoms season.Enabalista Genting Highlands Blog Review March 2016_0001 Enabalista Genting Highlands Blog Review March 2016_0002 Enabalista Genting Highlands Blog Review March 2016_0004

After some shopping, we joined William, Leong, Gerald, Lenice and Jocelyn at K Studio for some Karaoke!

It’s located at level 4, above Nike Factory Store:Enabalista Studio K Genting Highlands Review_0004 Enabalista Studio K Genting Highlands Review_0003 Enabalista Studio K Genting Highlands Review_0002 Enabalista Studio K Genting Highlands Review_0001Oops, I didn’t snap a pic of the room / hour rates HAHA. I thought this was it. T_T I think it’s about RM80 per hour.

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We all had a lot of fun singing both chinese and english songs, I did wish the walls weren’t so thin / better cushioned as we could totally hear what the next room was singing! LOL.

After the K-session, sis and I headed back to our room to rest! It was 3am by the time we prepped for bed and slept.

The next morning we checked out some of the art at the lobby and I took shots for my OOTDS before we headed for breakfast at Food Factory! 🙂

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Striped Top / Dress from Motel Rocks, Revolve. Skirt from Stradivarius, Bag and Shoes from Steve Madden.

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Food Factory @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0021

My sis looking all fine and grand with her Starbucks coffee fix! HAHA.

The Food Factory is a brand new dining concept located at 3rd Floor First World Plaza. It is a 23,568 sq ft opened kitchen concept restaurant that can accommodate 1300 diners. The restaurant serves a delightful range of breakfast offering from 4 different counters ie: West Asian, East Asian, Western and pastry from 6.00am to 11.00am daily at only RM 29.00 nett (adult) and RM 14.50 nett (child).

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Fascinating pancake making machine!

The chef says the machines make it possible to serve up to 2,000 people at one time. The pancake machine, for instance, can make up to 200 pieces of pancakes in approximately 30 minutes. Using the machine saves time and energy. More interesting fun facts: Making pancakes for 2,000 people requires 7.2 kg of flour, 13 eggs and 7.2 liter of milk!

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Among other choices offered are varieties of freshly Baked Breads and Local Buns, Danishes, Pancakes, Cereals, Nasi Lemak, Idli, Dhokla, Putu Mayam, Pita Bread, Paratha, Congee and Condiments, assorted pau, Juice, Coffee & Tea. Pizza lovers will also enjoy freshly baked pizza from our large pizza conveyor such as Pizza with Tomato Sauce and Cheese and Vegetarian Pizza with Mushroom.

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Our picks for breakfast!Food Factory @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0012 Food Factory @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0000 Food Factory @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0010

Lots of freshly baked bread!!! <3

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At East Asian Counter, you may find favourite local delicacies such as Fish Ball Noodle Soup or Curry Noodle Soup, Fried Carrot with XO Sauce, Grilled or Deep-fried Yam Roll, Deep-fried Cheese Roll or Chee Cheong Fun, Fried Loh See Fun or Fried Yee Mee, Chinese Soup and Dim Sum too.

At West Asian Counter, wide varieties of local cuisines such as assorted Malay and Nyonya Kuih, Nasi Lemak with condiments, Potatoes Samosa, Vegetables Pakoras, Tandoori Chicken, Fish Head Curry, Ayam Masak Merah, Chicken and Lamb Skewer to Roti Jala or Grill Seafood.

For light snackers, you may also want to enjoy some finger food such as Margherita Pizza, Chicken Ham Pizza, Toasted Bread with Kaya and Butter or even Fried Banana or Sweet Potatoes.

Food Factory @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0005Leong looking so happy with his food! 🙂Food Factory @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0002My sis took prata for our round 2! By now I was really full already. 😛
Food Factory @ Resorts World Genting Enabalista Media Review_0001 With the group after a hearty and full breakfast!2016-04-03 12.03.35-2

Last shot with our hosts Eric and Jia Yi before we get back on the road home~

Do check out my previous trip post here if you haven’t, I’d love to go back and visit the scenic temple surroundings, they do have the best view in Genting after all!

Thank you Resorts World Genting once again for the kind generosity in hosting and preparing such a fun trip for us! ^^

x

Ena

Delight your Love Ones with TheFaceShop Around the World Christmas Gift Sets

Hi Loves!

It’s the holiday season and TheFaceShop has the cutest travel theme gift sets for Christmas! Aptly titled “Around The World”, you can opt for the Paris, New York & more gift sets for family and friends~

Let’s take a look, shall we?
TheFaceShop Christmas 2015 Gift Sets 001Super cute travel theme suitcase and giftbox, it feels like it’s travelled the world with all the country themed stickers and landed on my doorstep, I love it!
TheFaceShop Christmas 2015 Gift Sets 002From Around The World New York($24.90) you have these adorable hand creams in Mango, Avocado & Cocoa flavours. How cute are they???
TheFaceShop Christmas 2015 Gift Sets 003Twist open for the cream.
TheFaceShop Christmas 2015 Gift Sets 004From Around the World Paris set, we have Cleansing foam and 2 rice masks, $18.90.
TheFaceShop Christmas 2015 Gift Sets 005Not forgetting, this Christmas, we have Christmas themed facial masks like Santa & Reindeer!
TheFaceShop Christmas 2015 Gift Sets 006There’s definitely a gift set at TheFaceShop that you’ll find for your special someone~

For the full Christmas Catalogue, visit their FB album here. Christmas limited edition sets and items now on sale at TheFaceShop stores island wide.

Thank you TheFaceShop Singapore for these lovely gifts!

x

Ena

Relaxing Weekend Getaway at ParkRoyal On Pickering

Hi Loves!

Recently I had the pleasure to indulge in a staycation at ParkRoyal  on Pickering, Singapore’s first hotel in a garden. The entire stay passed like a breeze, thanks to the great service, wonderful lush atmosphere and lovely food and drinks served. My bestie Fion and I stayed at the Orchid Club Deluxe Room and enjoyed access to the Orchid Club Lounge which provides afternoon tea, cocktail and breakfast. I fell in love with the hotel’s architecture which integrates organic lines and greenery so seamlessly. All in all, I definitely recommend this place as a weekend getaway for locals and a hotel of choice for foreigners! If you’re looking for activities recommendations, check out The Ultimate Singapore Day Out web app to plan your day according to your personality. 😉

Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 075Check in counter that resembles the base of the grand canyon.
Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 001Refreshing calamansi drinks served at check in.

Our Orchid Club Deluxe Room on the 13th floor! ^^
Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 005Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 006Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 007Wooden interior and earthy colours makes for a luxurious yet comfortable experience.Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 002Fully decked mini bar, with the bottle of wine Fion brought, heh.
Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 008 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 009 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 010Bathroom integrates with the hotel room to give a very expansive feel.Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 066Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 067Sustainable efforts even in their bottle water! <3
Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 068Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 025Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 024Really appreciate the fresh fruits!
Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 027View of the city from the comfort of our room!
Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 012After putting our bags down, we headed to the Orchid lounge on the 16th floor for afternoon tea.

Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 026Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 013Scones!
Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 014Our afteroon tea picks!

After tea, we headed to check out the pool and common facilities.
Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 015 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 017 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 018 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 019 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 020 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 021 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 022 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 023Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 030 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 029Heading back to our room for a short rest, #wefie at the lobby. ^^Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 028Back in the room again with le BFF <333Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 031Skincare & makeup I brought along for the staycation~Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 037Changed & chilling a little before heading out again…

Back to the Orchid Club Lounge for cocktail & bites!
Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 032 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 033 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 034 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 035 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 036This mushroom ragu is super awesome and delicious! It’s made of eggs and flavoured  mushroom and I went back for 2nd serving (and was tempted to go back for 3rd, lol)!

Then Fion and I headed out to The Central which was a stone’s throw away for some shopping! We went to shop at Naiise but I didn’t snap any photos, haha. It’s this shop that has quirky local designer lifestyle products.Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 038Watsons drugstore if you need anything!Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 039Lots of eating places available!Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 040Live performance by the Clark Quay river on a Saturday evening! We just sat down and listen for 30 minutes, soaking in the atmosphere.Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 041View as we’re walking back from The Central.Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 042Enjoying a drink that aptly describes our relationship! ^^
Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 044Changed out and ready to chill for the night!
Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 046Enjoyed our Moscato that Fion brought back from her recent Aussie trip. <3

Woke up early on a Sunday morning to enjoy breakfast and this awesome view:Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 048Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 049 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 050 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 051 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 052 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 053 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 054 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 055 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 056 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 057 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 058 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 059 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 060Breakfast with a view, something to remember!
Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 061 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 062The open area outside the lounge space.Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 063Skincare and makeup I used for the day!
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Browsing the lobby area before checking out:Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 074Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 070 Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 072Cute bar area.Park Royal Pickering Staycation Blogger Review 073Lime restaurant, also quite famous for their buffet.

We definitely felt refreshed and recharged after our stay here, and I hope you do too! 😉

Thank you ParkRoyal Pickering and DigitasLBi PR for arranging for this staycation for my bff and I! <3 Take advantage of the offers here~ 😉

X

Ena

Celebrating 4 Years of Enabalista

Hi Loves!

How’s your week coming along? 🙂
My Monday totally felt like a “weekend coma”; post hectic weekend coma. >_< Last week was a really long week with planning and executing my blog Enabalista’s 4th Anniversary giveaways, blogging appointments as well as work packed back to back. So I felt so lethargic at work on Monday… But then I was totally excited to meet up with my girlies at work for dinner at Saveur heheh.

Before it gets too late, I’d like to share my thoughts on reaching Enabalista’s 4th Anniversary! ^^,

On my Instagram last Thursday, which is also the very date of my very first post on this blog (30th Oct), I posted a series of #TBT photos that encapsulates 4 of my passions and popular topics on my blog:

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Fashion
I started off this blog to share photos and thoughts of fashion shows that I attended when I was a fashion student. I had the chance to attend many local fashion shows while assisting backstage and also as my BFF, Bini’s guest for the premium shows such as Chanel.

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Beauty
Not long after, I also started to review beauty products, starting off with skincare and a ton of lip care products. In the course of 4 years, I’ve had the pleasure to review many brands, as seen in the photo and also recommended many of them to you my readers, as well as family and friends.

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Travel
If you’ve been following my blog long enough, you’ll also know that I love to travel and to blog about my travels. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to travel far for 2014, apart from Malaysia and even for those short trips I also haven’t had the time to post up photos. >_< If you’re new to my blog, I hope you’ll enjoy reading about my trips to Seoul, HK, Japan & London. 🙂

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Food
As a true Singaporean, I’m a big fan of fine cuisine! I love to enjoy good food and I love to share where all these delicious food are on my blog here.

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USS Halloween Horror Night Review

My Blogging Philosophy
With 4 years of blogging, I’ve come to realize that my blogging philosophy is sharing about my positive experiences, whether it’s about the 4 topics above or beyond. I relish in new, exciting & enjoyable experiences. Personally I feel that the best gift one can give & receive is spending time together and what better way is there to do than to enjoy a good experience together? 🙂

Additionally, I like to think that my posts are “edu-taining”- educational and entertaining at the same time! My wish is that when readers come to my blog, they’ll soak up new knowledge about fashion, beauty, travel & food while also really enjoy my reviews and photos. Basically every blog post is crafted according to how I would enjoy reading it as a reader! 😉

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Etude House Wisma Flagship Store Opening

Did I start out my blog 4 years ago thinking it’d reach where it is today?
Absolutely not. As I mentioned above, I started out blogging to post information and photos that I was passionate about. On hindsight, these information that I have are also exclusive, so blogging is really a great way to share these exciting information and meet bloggers and readers alike who are equally passionate about these topics as I am. It was only in mid-end 2011 that I started to blog quite industriously and was posting up more content in terms of events that I attended and beauty products I’ve tried.

Best Singapore Lifestyle Blog 2013
Then December 2013 came around and I still remember that I was at my church’s 50th anniversary camp at Malacca when I was in the hotel room I shared with my friend Talia and reading the email from HotelClub.com that they have selected me to be one of the “Best Singapore Lifestyle Blog 2013“. I was super stoked and I was incredibly happy, excited and thankful to be recognized for this blog that I’ve been passionately maintaining.

Screen Shot 2014-11-04 at 4.05.15 pmKose Cinderella Finalists & Tricia Ong

Then Jan 2014 came around and I started to receive an influx of invitations from brands for events and reviews. Two very exciting things also happened for me in mid 2014, I took part in Kose Cinderella contest and OMY Best Beauty Blogs contest, one after the other. Although I didn’t win either one of it, I’m still very thankful for my family and friends who have shown so much support for me and through these contests I’ve also got to know the lovely ladies who took part in the contests and these connections are truly invaluable.

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Singapore’s Lifestyle Blog
2014 also marks the year where I clearly defined that I wanted my blog to be recognized as a lifestyle blog. I am passionate about things beyond just 1 topic, and I don’t want to limit myself to be only blogging about one topic. So sometime around January this year, I set a goal that I wanted my blog to be known and ranked top as “Singapore’s Lifestyle Blog/Blogger” on Google. Lo & behold, after about 100 posts in 2014 alone, my dream came true in October this year and I was very thankful when a PR contact introduced me as “Singapore’s leading lifestyle blogger”. I don’t know if I am able to maintain my blog’s Google ranking, or how long I can maintain it for, but I know that if more readers enjoy reading what I blog about, then the easier it would be to sustain the ranking. 🙂

The future ahead
Like 4 years ago, I’m not sure where my blog will be headed to in another 4 years. But I do know for sure that I’ll continue to be passionately sharing about my positive experiences for Fashion, Beauty, Travel & Food. Currently there are 2 things that I wish to accomplish: 1. Publish a book about Lifestyle; an editorial summary of topics similar to my blog 2. Produce a series of diary/organizers. However right now I have too much on my plate for work and blogging that I am KIV-ing these goals that I wish to achieve until the time is right. If you’re reading this and would like to partner me to accomplish these goals, email me and we’ll see how we can set things in motion. 🙂

Last but definitely not the least, I want to thank God for His providence and guidance for my life and blog and my family and friends for their support and encouragement. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, my dear readers and friends for reading my blog. 🙂

If you haven’t, be sure to check out these 4 awesome giveaways that I am currently running on my IG, FB & Clozette:

*UPDATED with winners*

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Etude House My Castle Hand Creams Blog Post
Giveaway on Instagram
Giveaway on Facebook

Winners
IG: @style_byjane
FB: Caren Foo

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L’Oreal Paris Giveaway Blog Post
Giveaway on Instagram
Giveaway on Facebook

Winners
IG: @jensdazzvoq & @minkclara
FB: Huiibin Dumbyou

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Clozette LE Disney Makeup Sets Giveaway Blog Post
Giveaway on Clozette
Giveaway on Instagram
Giveaway on Facebook

Winners
Clozette: ChristabellePQZ & Amandansl22
IG: @misspinky24
FB: Jolvin Zhang

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Elizabeth Arden All Day Chic Holiday Color Collection Giveaway Blog Post
Giveaway on Instagram
Giveaway on Facebook

Winners
IG: @mybeautyroad
FB: Amelia Tan

Good luck!

Lotsa Love, xx

Ena

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Wanderlust Strikes

Lately I think about the travels I’ve had abroad and a very strong urge of wanderlust strikes. I was very fortunate to travel to Japan, Hong Kong & London last year and this year I haven’t been abroad except for Malaysia…

I want to go to Paris, Italy (again) and Taiwan…

Let me leave you with a quote and pictures from my travels last year.

The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page.

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Xoxo
Ena

London Sights & Food! :D

Hello!

Today I’m blogging about my London trip in early May! 😀 My family went over to attend and celebrate my 2nd sister’s graduation from Imperial College! 🙂

So my family stayed at Ibis hotel, Shepherd’s Bush branch. I think it’s a good and convenient place to stay, as its less than 5 minutes walk from the tube station. 🙂

Ena London Ibis 3

My angel & elder sister chilling in our room. We really enjoyed chilling in London, after my final semester from school and her taking a respite from her busy work schedule.Ena London Ibis 2

The TV area and mirror.Ena London Ibis 1

Upclose picture of the room, beds and table area.

Ena London Ibis 4

Toilet! The door has no twist knob, it’s just push and pull and makes a mighty bang noise whenever you open or close the door, haha!

Ena London Ibis Sleep App

Cool looking app Sleep Art app where it supposedly makes art when  you place it on your bed at night when you sleep, but it hanged when I used it twice. HAHA.

DAY 1 ! 😀

Ena London Profile

Hello good morning ya’ll! 🙂

Ena London St Pauls

View of St Paul’s cathedral from the outside.

Ena London Millenium Bridge

We came to the Millennium bridge, walking from St Paul’s towards my favourite London museum, Tate. It’s the one with the long chimney looking structure. 🙂 It’s my favourite because it has soo many amazing art works from Pop Art to Surrealist Art, artworks and artists which I read and studied about from my JC days! <3 We didn’t have time for me to pop in this time. I visited it the last time I was there about 3 years ago.

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View from the bridge, over River Thames. It’s beautiful.

So the first day we went shopping with my sister to get her stuff ready for her graduation.

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We bought cosmetics, I got this Maybelline Colorsensational lipstick in 902 Fuschia Flash. It’s a hot pink colour. I love it!
Ena London Mall

London, the land of Topshop!

Then we came to the market and saw cool stuff.
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Like refillable wine. hahaha.

Then we came to South Kensington, or affectionately called South Ken by the locals.

Ena London South Kensington

To have lunch at Comptoir, for fantastic lebanese food! Someone should bring this to Singapore. 🙂IMG_4794Ena London Comptoir Sisters

My lovely sisters.:D

Ena London Comptoir Parents

My Mamee and Papa. 😀

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Sisters4life!

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My eggplant dish!

We came to Selfridges…

Where people in love with fashion come, where people come and fall in love with fashion. It’s fantastic inside, looks more like a modern fashion museum, but I don’t think photos were allowed. Go visit when you are there. Or better, shop if you can afford. 😀

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They have really cool and awesome, attractive window displays.
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Ena London Selfridges 1

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MY LITTLE PONIES! I WANT. <3

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More windows! And a black london cab!

Day 2!

In the morning we passed by cool places and sights.Ena London Gate

Like this wooden gate that opens into a secret garden. Not that it does, or maybe it does but I won’t know because I didn’t get to enter. 😛
Ena London Flower

And like pretty flowers!

We headed to Brighton village & market row to check out Honest burgers for lunch!

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Ena London Honest Burgers

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Honest Burgers.

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Menu on the walls.

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My burger!


Ena London Family Pic

With trees that are flowering in spring. 🙂 Family shot! My dad, sisters and my mum. <3 Ena London Family Pic 2

Another one!

Ena London Dog on Ride

Cute dog riding in style!

 We came to the park…

Ena London Tree Park

The view is amazing, Like a work of art. <3IMG_4878

Family pic! With me taking the photo. Kekeke.IMG_4916

We came to the Queen’s garden.Ena London Park Grounds

Rolling green. Ena London Girl on Park

And a scene out of a painting with a little cute girl running across the park. <3

Day 3!

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We came to Stratsford city, wanting to visit the Olympic park….. but *deng deng deng* it was closed. >.< 2013-05-02 11.42.27

We had lunch, fish & chips at the mall. It was so-so. :/2013-05-02 13.54.59

We checked out Primark! We love it. It super cheap lah. But ok, sustainably wise, it might not be a good thing to buy so many cheap clothes and maybe at the cost of some labour issues. BUT still. Cheap clothes. HAHA. Ok. moving on.

After a non-Olympic park morning and just walking around Westfield Mall at Stratford city, my parents and 2nd sister headed back while my sister and I went shopping! At Oxford Street and Bond street! Yippee!

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Oh yes, I love the sensibility of British fashion.Eh forgot what this brand is, sorry! 😛

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Me and the “wrong” side of Star Wars trooper. HAHA. This was at Hamleys! Famous toy shop. 🙂 Umm ok a little description of what I am wearing. Jacket and shoes from HK, you also saw during my Japan trip. Socks from Uniqlo, Japan. Don’t think it sells in Singapore cause they are long thick socks. I’ve been searching for them for ages until I found them in Japan, yay! Chambray top and red leather skirt from Bugis street, Singapore. Purple cardi from Mango. 😀 I love this look and it’s not something I can wear in Singapore. So I like to be dressy and layer while I can abroad. I was also wearing nude coloured stockings so I won’t get too cold incase the weather turned chilly or when the wind blew. 
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Weather actually turned pretty warm while we were window shopping… and Tea-shopping. My sister bought lots of Whitard tea back as souvenirs! Heh. Anyways here I am posing with the billboards but the bus came and yes I do look like I’m having a 1 million pound moment HAHAHA.
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With my elder sis!

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Man skirt! Cool. 😀
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Hello Kitty is EVERYWHERE. Kekeke. 2013-05-02 19.09.47
Our sausage bread!!! <3 2013-05-02 20.28.42
And our snacks and dessert SPREAD back in the hotel. <3
Day 4~! aka Sister’s graduation day!
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Good morning~ Umm yes I look tired. HAHAHA. IMG_4964
My dad! <32013-05-01 12.31.33
BTS. Getting my sis ready for photos… 2013-05-01 12.31.41
Smile! That’s my sis’s friend, Han Teng. Helping out as photographer of the day!2013-05-01 12.31.54
Happy Graduate!IMG_4976
This one’s cute. With Lion!
My 2nd sis & I! Outside the graduation hall, Royal Albert Hall.
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Inside! Lovely isn’t it?
Then I took a very quick visit to V&A. Victoria & Albert Museum. Only caught the sculptures and fashion wings. Which I think I saw when I as there the last time. Just nice to revisit. But too little time so I didn’t take many photos.
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Naked torso sculptures. Heh. Anyway check out this link of dressed sculptures looking uber hippy. Very cool and funny. IMG_5025 IMG_5024
Emo death related poems. HAHA.
I can’t remember if we came to Whitleys on which day. Anyway its a mall with Marks and Spencer (ok they are everywhere) and i just thought their ceiling was very nice.
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So you get ceiling shots.
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And another. HAHAHA.
Then we had famous duck and roasted meat rice at Bayswater, Gold Mine restaurant. Reasonably priced. Yes its delicious, so go there if you can!
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After dinner, my sister and I went to walk around Westfield Mall at Shepherds bush.
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M&S really is everywhere. 🙂
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Dalmations! Hehe.2013-04-30 19.08.38
Really cool shoes at New Look.2013-04-30 19.20.16
Love the fashion books at the bookshops!
Day 5! 
Last day of sightseeing! How time flies! So I took the liberty to walk around our hotel on my own before heading out with the family.
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Ibis hotel is along Rockley road. It’s a lovely place to live in.
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We visited the Buckingham palace park. We didn’t go in the palace.2013-05-03 12.42.59
Tulips, tulips everywhere! 😀 2013-05-03 12.46.48
More park views~2013-05-03 13.02.08
Squirrel! IMG_5189
Hehehe Cover Squirrel 😀
These cool statues were in front of the Buckingham palace.
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 I think the branch in the hands means peace. Don’t quote me on that tho! Heh.IMG_5160
I can’t tell what this is. HAHA. Maybe you can enlighten me? 😛
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We came to the famous Trafalgar square, where a Bollywood dance was going on. FIlming was taking place! Cool.2013-05-03 15.12.51
We came across many many british memorabilia shops. Here are some British dolls!2013-05-03 15.24.08
And bookshops! Read the quote. If you borrow from the library, it’s zero cost! Heh. 🙂 IMG_5274
Then we came to Green Park area for Burgers & Lobsters. While waiting, you have to queue to get in, I went to walk around the area on my own and found this gem of a bookshop! G. Heywood Hill Ltd. They have a 100 books selection wall with recommendations of books by 100 famous people, including Anna Wintour and the Pope! I was too shy to take the photos in store but I thought it was really really cool. #geekinme 🙂IMG_5273
PLUS Nancy Mitford a famous English author worked here! I mean how cool is that! I have not read her books before, but I shall take note to check them out the next time I am in the library. IMG_5276
Wait is over! Here it is and here we are! Burgers  & Lobsters!2013-05-03 17.41.39
We ordered this 70pounds +++ lobster for the family. I don’t eat prawns or lobsters as I am allergic so I had burger!2013-05-03 17.42.41
Yes it was great. But I don’t think it’s justified to pay 20 pounds or 40 sing for it tho! Ok if you don’t convert, it’s worth it,lah. 😛2013-05-03 19.05.45
We came to the Marble Arch!IMG_5293
And visited a rather newly erected Bombers memorial hall.IMG_5295
Han Teng the history buff shares interesting stories and history with us!IMG_5296
“The fighters are our salvation but the bombers alone provide the means of victory” Winston Churchill, September 1940.IMG_5297
“To remember HOW they lived and more… Remember WHY they died” Kathleen Partridge August 1945.
It’s like visiting a museum and artworks understanding about history, wars and their significance. I like it.
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Spot Singapore! 🙂
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A little further down, also recently erected Memorial Gates. To remember the troops fought alongside Britain & vice versa during major wars.
Day 6! We leave for home 🙂
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Comptoir, at Westfield Shepherds Bush! 2013-05-04 14.38.21
On our tube ride back to Airport. 🙂
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HAHAHA Bad lighting. But with Harrods bear! 😀
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All the chocolates we bought back!
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And bye bye London, till we meet again! <3
I didn’t have time to plan for this trip at all because I was busy rushing my school submissions till the day we left. I packed like 2 hours before we left. I want to thank my sisters especially for funding me their student sister for this trip. HEHE. <3 I love London for its rich heritage, culture and fashion. Some people are impeccably dressed and chic here and it’s hard not to fall in love with the people and place. There will definitely be another time to return and I hope to check out different places and perhaps less touristy/shopping places and more food places ! Haha.
<3 Ena

Ohaiyo Japan~ (2)

Hello~

And YAY! For ROUND 2 of updates from my Kizuna Japan trip! ^^v

Ready or not, here we go~!

DAY 3 

I left off after we checked in and spent a night at Hotel Omoide Roman-kan, Daigo Town, Ibaraki Prefecture.

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This is just round 1 of my breakfast serving! It’s an international breakfast spread with traditional japanese food like porridge and side dishes which I took in round 2 but not pictured! 😛

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We woke up to this BEAUTIFUL scenery. After breakfast, Ying, Greg and I decided to go for a quick walk and snap some #OOTD (means outfit of the day, for the uninitiated).

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Cute plants, what do you call this? ^^

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A candid photo of Greg shooting Ying’s #OOTD, using my camera’s miniature mode.

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Our lunch bento box!

After lunch we also went for a walk around our hotel! 🙂

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And we saw little birds lined up on the cables/wires. How cute!

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We also saw red berries along the way… Not sure if they were edible or not! 😛

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The view of Daigo Town, just behind our hotel! Lots of restaurants that seem to thrive from the tourists and also visitors that drive along the road.

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A closer look, the poster seems to say that the noodles are 100% handmade! 🙂

After lunch, we headed to Oku-kuji Recreation Forest area where we made wooden planters to  show support for the reconstruction of the affected areas, as our wooden planters will be used in the elementary school which we were visiting later during our trip. 🙂

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Materials for our wooden planter! Pieces of wood, nails wrapped in the newspaper and wooden hammer.

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A quick shot of our Lasalle team ^^ You can also see the place where we were, it’s all made of wood and a very beautifully constructed place!

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 My buddy Ying very focused in putting the planter together! We took turns to hammer the nails in. 🙂

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Us with our constructed planter! ^^ And pardon our frizzy hair-dos that got all frizzed up in the high static environment, heh!

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Now you see us, now you don’t! >.<

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We also wrote encouraging messages on our planter! 🙂

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A shot of work that is still underway around the Oku-kuji forest area, taken from the coach, hence the blurry effect. IMG_4008

Then we came to Fukuroda Falls! It’s one of the top 3 falls in Japan, with a different look each season. 🙂

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Us again! This time in our coats as it was pretty cold! 🙂

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There, thought you’d like to see the view of Fukuroda Falls in the 4 seasons as I do! ^^ Ok I think it’s just Summer/Spring, Autumn, Winter and then a view of the lake during summer/spring.

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Sadly it’s end of winter so there was only a hint of green and not a very welcoming view but nonetheless you can see the the falls! IMG_4022

Another view of the falls, this time with the top of the valley in sight.

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And another! heh.

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Me and what seems like the mascot of Fukuroda falls! SO CUTE RIGHT. (Mascot, not me, in case you think I’m praising myself, HAHA) I just noticed the falls is pictured on his hat! Mad cute! Basically it says 大子町 on the hat, which is the Japanese name of Daigo and the apple and fish are produces that the town is famous for. Cool huh! 🙂

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A beautiful shot of the group while we walked down from the falls… 🙂 IMG_4056

At the base of the falls were a slew of souvenir shops and as were early in the trip, we didn’t shop intently for souvenirs but we sure did try out the snacks! Here’s a caramel mochi (japanese for rice cake) which is sticky sweet!

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This is the pretty amazing little stall that was barbecuing the rice mochis.

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Then the ice cream booth caught our eyes! Many flavours but only apple and chocolate left by the time we bought.

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Shot of my apple ice cream! I cannot emphasize how delicious it was, it has apple bits in it that I LOVE. Why can’t Singapore have this? >.<

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Our ice cream and our thoroughly satisfied faces! ^^v

Day 4

After breakfast, we made our way to Kami No Sato a local craft workshop for a class on handmade Japanese paper, known as Washi.

This is our workshop tutor, pictured with the frame where he sieved the fibre from the pool of fibre in front of him.

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He then showed us how to make markings on the Washi in the frame.

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And quickly proceeded to fill the markings in with coloured fibre, in this case, red for the apple and brown of the stem.

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The various buckets of coloured Washi fibre where we scooped from for our artwork! 🙂

We didn’t have to do the sieving of the Washi fibre, so we just made the markings and filling in of the colours.

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My completed Washi paper decoration! Our works would be sold in the paper shop and funds would go to supporting Kizuna project, which creates awareness of the reconstruction efforts in Japan since the major disaster happened in 2011.

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Close up of my Washi paper, inspired by Japanese patterns and the produces of Daigo town, which is red apple and green tea. 🙂

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The lovely ladies at the paper shop where we bought ready Washi from! Can you see the beautiful paddle pop coloured papers which were used to wrap the items? Gotta love Japanese packaging! 🙂

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“色即是空” Japan is a largely buddhist country and this is a famous buddhist saying that means what is visible is empty, but an illusion. I don’t subscribed to buddhist teachings, but I find it interesting as it explains the Zen concept which Japan is famous for. You can also see a bit of the ceiling of the paper shop, which is entirely plastered with writings! IMG_4171

How the shop front looks like.IMG_4172

How the Kami No Sato paper shop looks like. It also has a small area for a museum of antique Japanese paper and books. Washi-making is a dying art and I am thankful we could experience something so uniquely Japan and culturally enriching.

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Shot of the road along the paper shop and workshops and a photo-ception with SJ in the picture!

Activity 2 for the day, which we were very excited about, visiting Setsuko’s strawberry farm to pick and eat strawberries!!! ^^V

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Mr Setsuko, the farmer and host telling us his experience of the disaster 2 years ago. He lost many customers as they stopped buying strawberries from him because of harmful rumours and they feared radiation but his produces have been certified to be healthy and fit for consumption. Thankfully his business has began to pick up and has reached 70% of customer support since the disaster struck. 🙂

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We took a walk through his tomato farm. The greenhouse technology is imported from Netherlands and Mr Setsuko expressed thankfulness that the structure and glass was very strong and withstood the severe earthquakes then.

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A happy looking tomato! ^^

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The greenhouse under the beautiful skies.

 

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Plum flowers along the road outside the farm.

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And a picture of us Lasalle girls, from left, Ade, Xav, me and Ying with the flowers! Credits to Xav’s from her FB ^^.

We then arrived at our final destination of the day, which is the next hotel for the trip!

ISOHARA SEASIDE HOTEL. *Mad love*

2550 Futatsujima Isohara-machi, Kitaibaraki-shi,
Ibaraki 319-1541 JAPAN
TEL:0293-42-0213 / ( from overseas 81-293-42-0213 )
FAX:0293-42-0536 / ( from overseas 81-293-42-0536 )

Website: http://www.isohara.co.jp/lang/English1.htm

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This time I shared a room with Adeline and Xav. 🙂 The view of the pretty room from the entrance.IMG_4204

The beds.

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THE VIEW of the seaside! SO NICE. *faints*

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The toilet!
That’s all for now, till the next post!
x
Ena
P.S. Haze in Singapore is getting REAL BAD. Please take care guys! <3

Fashion Food Fun Ena’s Hong Kong Day 2

Hello~

Today I’m back with HK Day 2 round of photos. I’ve decided I won’t be editing them into a scrapbook format because that’s taking up too much time and I have too many photos to update hahaha. ^^v

Here we go~!

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Selcas with bestie Bini early in the morn’

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One-shot at the floor lobby~

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One more infront of an art gallery opposite our hotel. 🙂

We walk pass a rather small and cosy but vibrant local market on the way to the train station…

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And a very lovely floral shop…! ^^
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I love roses~~ Red and pink roses. Look at ’em so pretty!
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We also walk pass a local square where elderly gather to read the mornin’ papers. Ena HK2 7

A shot of the local breakfast place where we had most (2/3) of our local HK breakfast!
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My tutor, classmates and their funny poses, kekeke.

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I love how weirdly colourful put-together advertising bills are on the streets… Peculiarly making up a certain kind of HK design aesthetics!

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With lovely Sharlene, while we were travelin’

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This was en route to Shim Sha Tsui (unsure if I spelt it right) to the fabric market! The HKers seem to keep their floor cleanin’ a very formal affair! 🙂

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We came across this building… that looked like it has a mask of pins and needles.

And we met a super cute puppy while passing by a convenient store!

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The owner gladly posed for a pic with the cute puppy. Ok maybe it’s not a puppy but an adorable grown up cute dog.

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And our three crazy Indonesian representatives in their highly expressive poses! ^^ Kekeke. L-R: Sifra, Shella and Sharlene.

Now for photos of HK’s fabric market, where there’s rows and rows on end of fabric samples free for buyers’ a taking home to consider and deliberate to make calls back for orders! Most of them ship internationally!

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Ena HK2 15 Fabric Market

I love tweed fabrics. They come in many colours!

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Check out those lovely rose designed fur fabrics! So prettyyy and warm looking. ^^

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A lot more fur… Those on the bottom right look like wolf/animal inspired!

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Cool visually striking graphic fabric.

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Animal lovers beware… This looks like a real fox/animal skin with the nose intact. >_<#

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China porcelain inspired fabric… Ena HK2 15 Fabric Market7

3D inspired graphic fabric…

More graphic fabric…

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Then we had a bear-dog sighting! Look at them crossing the street!Ena HK2 16 Dog Ena HK2 16 Dog2 Ena HK2 16 Dog3

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Finally managed to get a shot of him looking towards our direction… I wondered where it stayed, considering HK houses are really small…

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Another unique fabric… this one’s like a beewax/organic inspired lace fabric.

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One last shot of a typical HK fabric market street. 🙂

Then my tutors brought a few of us to visit Hong Kong Poly Uni, before that we had lunch!

This was at Misocool at a mall conveniently located right at the exit of a train station. I forgot which station now. Oops!
Ena HK2 18 Lunch Misocool Ena HK2 18 Lunch Misocool2 I can’t be sure if I was really hungry or this was really good cause I MEGA LOVED THIS MEAL. If I didn’t remember wrongly, it’s tomato beef soup with salmon flavored rice. It is so awesome I am salivating just as I  am typing this. :'( Anyway you can eat the rice alone or together with the tomato soup! The rice is cooked/baked to be a little crispy on the outside, very awesome!

Then we made our way to HKPU, it’s one of the top University in HK.

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We beelined our way to the Institute of Textiles and Clothing, where we met Chanel, the marketing executive lady who brought us around on a tour. Ena HK2 19 HKPU 2

The laboratory where they conduct research on threads and fabrics…Students having their lab sessions inside.Ena HK2 19 HKPU 3 Ena HK2 19 HKPU 4 Ena HK2 19 HKPU 5

This is the view of a Zaha Hadid designed new design school wing of HKPU. I am a personal fan of Zaha Hadid and though I would like to argue that countries should support their local designer/artists/architect, I still think it would be uber cool to be studying in a Hadid designed building…

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More views of the school…Ena HK2 19 HKPU 7 Ena HK2 19 HKPU 8

We enter the Fashion and Textiles Resource Centre which if  I did not remember wrongly,  it is 2 levels deep.

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A fabric art work at the entrance of the library…

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Students studying/lounging in the library.

Then we walk pass the Intimate Apparels Institute Hall of Fame where award winning works are hung up along the gallery walk way. Love the neon and multi coloured design! ^^

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Then we visit more laboratories filled with industry standard machineries. These ones are fabric weaving machines… While we don’t have technical courses in Singapore, HKPU offers technical courses for their students so when they graduate, they would be working in fabric or garment making factories. Ena HK2 19 HKPU 13 Ena HK2 19 HKPU 14

Now for some more interesting photos of fabric moodboards and trend boards…Ena HK2 19 HKPU 19Ena HK2 19 HKPU 20Ena HK2 19 HKPU 21Ena HK2 19 HKPU 15

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These fabric samples here are samples of what can be made from the CAD machine, where you input a design and the machine knits out these samples, whole! Amazing, I tell you.

Following the tour, we ended with a 3D, yes 3D I kid you not, show reel of their latest fashion graduate’s show case. It was honestly the most outstanding and jaw dropping fashion showcase I have ever seen, not so much for the design but the presentation of it. Not that the designs were not spectacular, but the presentation blew me away.

A few touristy shots around the campus.. here with some flowers blooming, kekeke.
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We had a free night, so Bini and I went touring around our hotel area… Hollywood road is famous for antiques and we did see a handful of antique stores and items…

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We chanced a upon a lovely store named Pantry Magic selling designer home wares… coincidentally they also have a branch in Singapore, along Club Street. 🙂Ena HK2 21 Pantry Magic

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An artsy shot, hehehe, of the HK tram on HK street. ^^v

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And another, because this is my blog and cause’ I can, haha. 😛

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Look who we met~!!! Chen Hao! Famous HK actor. HEHEHE. Ena HK2 22 Chen Hao2

So happy to see him… Haha!

We came across a mini mall near our hotel.. Not too sure what it’s called but it had a lot of nice setting to cam-spam with. hehe ^^

Ena HK2 23 NutcrackerWith lovely nutcracker…
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And a British telephone booth! O-hai~! ^^

Ok, now that I came back from London recently, and I did not take pics with London Telephone booth, this photo is proving a little funny. Anyway, the reason we find a lot of Britain inspired aspects in HK is because HK was colonized by the British until their unity with China back in 1997, so HK feels very much like an extension of Britain, albeit in a chinese populated place.

Moreeee UK in HK Telephone Booth pics, kekeke.

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I am talking to no-one in particular…
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Yes it’s nice to play pretend for the photos.. just like we were young and we play pretend cooking and playing house all the time… ^^

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Bestie and her victory sign in the booth~ ^^vEna HK2 23 Telephone Booth8 Ena HK2 23 Telephone Booth10

For dinner, we all arrived at Chilli Fagara, touted to be one of HK’s best spicy boutique restaurants.

Address: Shop E, No. 45-53, Graham Street

Take note that it is near the Soho area, as there is another Graham street near Central HK.


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This is the meat in lettuce wrap dish. Very yummy.

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This is their recommended dish, the Chilli Fagara Chicken dish. Super spicy but oh-so-good! It’s crispy fried chicken prepared with a lot of chilli fargara – the huge chilli flakes you see above. It’s so spicy but deliciously crispy that though your tongue is burning you keep picking up another piece for more!

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Here’s 2 shots of us crazy Chilli Fagarettes~ we went crazy battling with chilli. ^^v

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And two shots of our meek Crispy Duckettes as they resigned to eating Crispy Duck and posing with it. kekeke. ^^

The restaurant is designed to be very dark and oriental inspired.. Check out some props:

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And they won a Trip Advisor cert! I approve! 🙂

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A long flight of elevator up the Soho area…

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One of the real classy looking restaurant around the Soho area. It is so named Soho as a lot of expatriates and wealthy tourists frequent the area for dinner and after dinner drinks in the night and boutiques opened in the day.

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I couldn’t help but LOL-ed when I saw this…. This really really small tiny apartment quite out of nowhere. Look at the number of people below the apartment, it’s literally just 6-8 people wide! o_O This i guess, is a testament to just how tiny HK apartments can get!

Some of the cute boutiques we passed by that was already closed in the night…

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And a very HK road side supper/dessert soup store. Too bad we didn’t get to try it!

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Ending off with a shot of a cute artshop, named Artitude. Very cool indeed. ^^

This ends off my HK Day 2 photo travel log~
I hope you enjoyed it!
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below and I’ll answer you~
xx,
Ena

Let’s begin with Hong Kong!

Hello hello~!

It’s been almost a month since I last posted. 😛

So before the days pass to months and months pass to years, I’d better upload my travel photos from HK before they become stale! 😛

Together with 2 tutors and 9 other classmates from Lasalle, we went to Hong Kong (HK) for a 4 Days 3 Nights fashion exposure trip, to see their fashion stores, school and design studios.

For this HK trip, I decided to design a Travel Photo Album in vintage style because the photos are almost becoming vintage since I’m taking so long to post them 😛 and also because there’s a part of the old HK that evokes romantic vintage vibes. 😉

Personally I’m not a fan of vintage fashion or design but vintage design is a very rich style, with many fans and resource available online so I had a lot of fun in designing and putting together this album. I hope you will enjoy it! And if you want to know where I got the free design elements from, you may find them at the end of this post. Also, I’ve saved photoshop (PSD) templates of all my pages, so when I’ve figured how to upload them online, I’ll also post it up so it’s free for download and people can edit for their own trips! Cool huh? ^^

Without further ado, here are my photos from HK Day 1~!

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How did you find this album? Post your comments below! ^^

That’s all for now, I hope to be able to bring the next installment next week! For the record, there’s 3 more days for HK and 10 for Japan. These 15 pages took me a whole day to edit… So wish me luck! 😛

<3

Ena

Resource Credits to:

  • MaiaraMay (IGotTheLook on Deviant Art) for Photoshop Actions 27. I used action 2 for my photos. You can download the action set here.
  • Leather Textured Paper for my book cover by WebTexture. Available for download here.
  • DesignInstruct.com for Colored Vintage Paper: Texture Pack. Check them out here.
  • Hi-res Grunge Textured Paper used for my pages. Available for download here.
  • Polariod and Paperclips by ~atilazz on Deviantart here.
  • Free fonts: Pacifico and SeasideResortNF both available online.
  • All other design elements  (e.g ribbons, stamps, etc.) not mentioned are found on google images and edited by myself to suit the design.
  • All photos and design credits to me, Ena Teo Jia En. 2013.
  • Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS5.
  • I was listening to this “Relaxing Playlist” on Youtube here while designing this. 😉

Ena Loves to Travel (Experience Asia Hilton Hotel & CNNGo Contest Entry)

HIIII!!!!

How’s your September coming along? Can you believe that it’s the LAST WEEK of September already? *shudders* Time reallyyyy flies in September! Personally I had this revelation recently that September is like the busiest month of the year for everyone when all the action of work/school/life is in motion and everyone’s just packed with stuff to do! Do you feel the same way too? If not, which is the busiest month for you and why? Let me know in the comment box! (:

So my school’s 1st quarter just wrapped up and I’m supposedly enjoying my 1 week break this week except that there’s actually tons of research and organizational work I have to do for school! HAHA. So alas, not much of a break for me!

Anyway I’ve side-tracked enough because as you can read from the title above, I took part in a contest organized by Hilton Hotel and CNNGo!

Do you like the video? I thought it was quite good (HAHAHA no shame for me) except that I had this constant frown on my face. HAHA. Because I filmed it a few times and I exceeded the 30 seconds mark and I  think I was worried I’d exceed the 30 seconds mark again! LOL.

I filmed it almost 3 weeks ago but I was too busy and neglected to post it up here and garner votes. (T-T)”‘ My video has 2 likes (I have no idea who these lovely people are, and THANK YOU).

I hope to be able to go on future travel trips and film more videos while traveling to share the experiences with you!

A few examples of cool travel vloggers are Justin on his journey with Heineken, watch the preview of his 5 parts journey from Mongolia to Bangkok supposedly (I say supposedly because I highly doubt it) paid in Heineken beer:

And the inspirational Natalie Tran with Lonely Planet in Singapore here:

She travels to many more places, you can watch them on Youtube. I love that she imbues her unique humour to her travel vlogs as well. 😀

I know I have been saying I will update my post on IT bags 2012 since like forever but I promise the next post is it! HAHA. I even have a schedule/list written! I have also attended a few art and fashion events recently (previews available on my Instagram/Twitter) so do watch this space (subscribe if you haven’t) for more exciting updates soon!

Alrighty, that’s all for now!

L.o.L, <3
Ena

Best Romantic Destinations in the U.S!

About 2 weeks ago, Alexandra sent me an email saying she would like to guest write at my blog. I was very happy and thrilled to receive her email and to cut the long story short, we both agreed to guest write for each other’s blog! I will compile a summary of my Korea trip for her soon. Do check out Alexandra’s blog at http://alexsjourneys.wordpress.com/.

Now that school’s out and holidays are in, it’s perfect time for me to present Alexandra’s first (of hopefully many) travel guest posts, enjoy! I’d definitely want to visit all of the places she’s mentioned! (;

By Alexandra Jacobs

Nothing says “I love you” like a romantic getaway. Fortunately the U.S. has plenty of places perfect for stealing a kiss. When only the best will do, take your sweetheart by the hand and lead them straight to one of the most romantic destinations in the US.

The Hamptons

 

This playground of the rich and famous has plenty to do for regular folk. Climb the 197 steps of the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse and take in the beautiful view or check out the Jamesport Vineyard where you can attend a wine tasting in a 150 year old barn.

Not everyone is lucky enough to own one of the beautiful Hamptons houses but you can stay in one for an incredibly reasonable price. The Sunrise Guest House is only steps from the beach. For a seafood dinner at amazing prices, try Duryea’s Lobster Deck. Della Femina serves some of the best Italian food in the Hamptons.

Hawaii

Photo by flickr user ejbst25

Too romantic to be cliché, Hawaii is the premiere destination for lovers. Snorkel with your sweetheart in the crystal clear water or hike the Haleakala Crater to watch a sunrise that will take your breath away.

To truly get away from it all, head for the Lodge at Koele. This ultra-exclusive hotel may be a bit pricey for some travelers but the panoramic views are priceless. If Italian is your thing, try Capische for dinner. For a taste of local Hawaiian flavor, try Hoku’s.

Ashland, Oregon

Shakespeare Festival, Ashland, Oregon - Travel Oregon

No one did love better than Shakespeare and Ashland is a small town devoted to his memory. Take in an authentic play at the world famous Shakespearian Festival or stroll the grounds of Lithia Park, designed by the same man who created Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

Lithia Springs Hotel in downtown Ashland is an exercise in turn-of-the-century opulence with beautifully appointed rooms. For a romantic dinner in a fun atmosphere; head to the Black Sheep on the Plaza. For luxury, try Callahan’s at the base of Mt. Ashland.

Las Vegas

Photo by flickr user o palsson

Sin City has a soft spot for lovers. From the top of the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas to the gondola rides through St. Mark’s Square at the Venetian, there are plenty of opportunities to cuddle up with your special someone in this neon oasis.

The Bellagio Hotel and Casino is the most romantic hotel on the strip. At Todd English’s Olives, Italian-style pizzas and amazing pasta dishes are always on the menu. For a natural high, head to the Top of the World restaurant at the Stratosphere where you can dine nearly 1000 feet above Las Vegas for amazing views of the city.

San Francisco

Image of The Golden Gate Bridge from http://www.ams-net.org/sanfrancisco/

Tony Bennett left his heart here for good reason. The City by the Bay was made for sweethearts. Stroll through the grounds of the Presidio for your daily dose of history or hang out on China Beach before riding the double-decker carousal at Pier 39.

The White Swan Inn on Nob Hill offers breakfast in the morning and wine by the fire at night. For fresh seafood, try Catch on Market St. For a true 1930s supper club experience, head for Bix.

Romance is often described as a lost art but the above destinations have managed to keep it alive and well. From the beauty and nature of the Hamptons to the bright lights and culture of San Francisco, this country has plenty of places to cuddle up, steal a kiss and get back to what really matters.