Tag Archives: Singapore

New York Skincare Solutions Update

August 8, 2013 Ena Teo 1 Comment

My previous review post on New York Skincare Solutions is really popular, and many readers have approached me either through the comments or email asking me about my treatments and experience with NYSS.

So I thought I’d compile my answers to the various questions which I’ve been asked and post them here.

If it’s the first time you’re here on my blog, you might want to check out my previous post here. Also as a background to this post, you might like to know that I signed up for NYSS package back in 2011. I have completed my treatment package of 20 sessions with NYSS since February 2013 and have not signed up with them since. The last time I had a facial was for my review for Glomax Aesthetics in June. At the moment I have not signed with any facial salons.

Also as with the previous post, I am not paid to provide this update on my blog. I also do not endorse NYSS. I do think they have helped to improve my skin condition, but I do not take responsibility for your experience with them, should you decide to sign with them. 🙂

Alright, enough with the introduction, let’s get the Q&A going! 🙂

1. How much is the price range for the 20 sessions?

I paid $2,200 for 20 sessions, 10 youth + eye treatment and 10 normal facial sessions. Back then I had face and back acne so I had the choice to use the “facial” for a “bac-ial” which was what I did for about 5 normal sessions.

I am fully aware that the package is very expensive for a student. And that is the reason why I am hesitant to state the price on my blog. But it is, in my humble opinion, a worthy investment because I am now so much more confident in person and on camera. It came to a point for me where I was sick of being troubled by problematic skin and I decided that facial was the best solution for me because it is a non invasive treatment and does not require me to take pills.

Additionally I want to repeat that facial did help but also with other factors like eating healthy avoid oily food, take Evening Primrose oil, and drinking more water.

2. Is the price inclusive of all the creams/facial products etc? If not inclusive, how much is the additional cost?

No, it is not inclusive. The creams and facial products differ from type to type. I have been sold their cleanser, toner but I only purchased their anti-bacterial powder which I applied on my face and back acne. It’s a small container about 30ml in size and cost $30. I think i paid $10 because I used $20 voucher to redeem it. Back then, I would get $10 voucher whenever I made an appointment before 5pm. Not sure if this is still applicable today.

3. Is the treatment addictive (meaning if you don’t go for treatments, will your skin problems return within say a few months)?

I wouldn’t say that the treatment is addictive. In fact the treatments did help me regain the balance required for my skin and my face and back is no longer as oily as before! In fact towards the end of the package, I only went back for treatments about 2-4 months interval.

4. Do they use many electrical treatments / chemicals?

I am not sure if they use electrical treatments, but from what I know, my facial did not include any electrical treatment. As for chemicals, I am sure they do, as do all the skin care products I purchase. But if you mean to ask if they are safe or not, I do think they are safe based on my personal experience.

5. I signed up for 20 sessions Youth treatment packages and 20 Ampules.. I tried to talk to my beautician on the possibility of selling this package to another customer, but she doesn’t respond well.. But from your blog, it seems that your beautician is nice.. I am wondering, do you think you will need more session of the treatment?

I am sorry to hear about experiences such as yours, but I do not need more sessions and hope you can find someone else who will.

6. When did you start to see the results, after how many sessions?

I can’t remember after how many sessions but I think it is 4 sessions and I didn’t apply foundation and now I also don’t so it helped as foundation tend to clog pores.

7. What is the procedure like when you go for facial at NYSS?

First I went for a free facial (as seen on Newspaper advertisement) and it included a skin analysis. I decided to go for $2200 for 20 sessions. You can try to negotiate the price lower, but the package might change according to your budget…

On normal days, I have to book at least 2 weeks before hand, then go down at the appointed time, go into the room, change and wait for my facial. Post facial, some paperwork then that’s about its. 1hour 30 min in total for each session.

That is all for my update on NYSS, hope it sheds some light or answers the queries you may have!

Be Beautiful, Inside & Out!

<3,

Ena

Glomax Aesthetics Facial Review (enabalista.wordpress.com)

Uncategorized

Dinner at Covelli Italian Bistro

August 6, 2013 Ena Teo 3 Comments

To celebrate my 23rd birthday in advance, my family and I had dinner at Covelli Italian Bistro, here are the photos from dinner that night. 🙂

Tasty calamari rings. Recommend!

Truffle oil mushroom soup… Was not that great because the mushroom soup tasted more raw than tasty. :/

My truffle oil ravioli. It was very filling, so I would recommend this dish to be shared in a group, which was what I did rather than eating it all alone. 🙂

My elder sister’s chicken “burger”.

My second sis’s moroccan flavoured lamb. I asked my sister for her opinion on this dish and she said it is nice and tender and though she is not a fan of goat cheese, overall she felt it was good. 🙂

My dad’s pork dish.

Seems like I missed out my mum’s lobster spaghetti. 😛

Family photo! 😀

Overall the dishes were very tasty in our opinion and reasonably priced at about $20-$28 per dish. So if you’re thinking of where to go for a first date, you can consider this place! 😉

The dish portions were also filling as we didn’t had stomach for desserts. Thumbs up for filling portions!

We went down on a Wednesday night and there were 2-3 other groups of diners, so if you’re going down in a group, especially on weekends, you might want to make reservations. 🙂

If you’d like to visit, here’s the address:

181 Orchard Road, Orchard Central #B2-11/22, Singapore 238896

Phone: 6238 6400

Till the next post,

Be Beautiful! 😉

<3,

Ena

Beauty, Fashion

New Job, New Hair ;)

Image July 17, 2013 Ena Teo 2 Comments

Hello!

So today I went to dye and trim my hair to prepare for my new job coming Friday!

I did it at a hair salon near my place!

And it is very affordable. The lady boss Ai Ling gave me a discount because it was raining and there weren’t many customers. I only paid $40 for this hair colour $20 for treatment totaling $60! Elsewhere it will cost me $120-200 depending where I go! So because Ai ling’s service is great, I asked her if she would like me to blog about it and give me readers a discount. She readily agreed!

For long hair like mine, hair dye is $60.
Treatment is $20.

So dear friends, you get a 20% discount when you quote “JIA EN” when you go down to Ai Ling’s salon! ^^ So for a $80 hair dye and treatment you only pay $74!

Call Ai Ling at 8218 0996 for appointment.

Address is: Blk 27A Chai Chee Road #01-379 Singapore 461027
opening hours: 9am-7.30pm daily.

Additionally, Ai Ling also offers facial at $28 but $25 for my readers !

I have not reviewed her facial before, but I will and let you all know. But if you are keen, her facial includes:
1. Cleansing
2. Pimple and black head extraction
3. Steaming
4. Mask
5. Massage
6. Eyebrow trimming

She has 22 years of experience in facial and hair beauty and it shows in her hair cut for me!

So I would recommended it to you:)

This is how the shop front looks like! She’s very fast and can service up to 3 customers at once.. I saw how she services one customer in 10 min for a hair cut.

Alrighty, that’s all for now!

Be beautiful inside & out !

<3,
Ena

Uncategorized

Catch The Cranky & Kooky Addams Family @ RWS only showing till the 28th July!

Video July 11, 2013 Ena Teo 3 Comments

Que Sera Sera, Whatever will be, will be.

Video July 11, 2013 Ena Teo Leave a comment

Hello!

Another vlog update… I try to vlog on Sunday or Monday but obviously this one’s late. But I’m not really going to try to keep to it, just going to vlog as and when I like! Now that my MacBook Pro is down, I’ve figured how to vlog and upload on my YouTube (and now blogging about it) all on my trusty iPhone4s! Whoop whoop! 🙂

So I realized I say basically quite a fair bit, I don’t know why. Lol. Gonna cut down on it in the next vlogs.

Umm yes so I could be really upset about my Mac screen going all white on me but I’ve decided not too because its pointless and it also means if it can’t be fixed ill just have to figure a way to get a new one! I just believe that God’s gonna provide for everything and whether I am happy or sad it doesn’t help to restore my Mac so id very much rather be happy! And dinner w my family was really great! So was dinner with Annabel and the movie Whitehouse Down with her. It wasn’t a great movie per se, but definitely a spectacular all action movie. So do check out if you’re a movie buff!

My babe Annabel and veal skinny pizza

Your gal Ena and squid ink seafood skinny pizza

My family & I at my early birthday dinner at Covelli earlier tonight:)

I’m going to upgrade this WordPress blog to my own domain some time very soon! The main reason is because I’m using up almost all of the free space there is in the free account so I’m sorta forced to upgrade to get more space for more photos. Was planning to when I upload all my some 100-200 Philippines trip photos (depending how many I decide to select and share, from a scary amount of 900-1000 photos lollll) and in order to do so I’ve to upgrade. But alas my MacBook Pro crashed. I think ill still upgrade nonetheless via IPhone / or galaxy tab my sister loaned me. It’s gonna be my birthday present to myself! Using my birthday gift allowance from my parents! Ok so it’s sorta my parents gift to me. Hahaha. So I’m gonna be having http://Enabalista.com here soon! Exciting times ahead eh?

Alright that’s a lot of updates for today. Can’t wait to update on the media call for Addam’s family musical tmr! And about what happens to my baby MacBook Pro! HAHA.

Be beautiful inside and out!

Remember I love you!

Fashion

#EDD #OOTD Galaxy Skirt

July 7, 2013 Ena Teo 1 Comment

What is Fashion Marketing & Management?

July 4, 2013 Ena Teo 1 Comment

Giorgio Armani, the man touted to be both a brilliant designer & businessman.

For the last 3 years I’ve been studying Fashion Marketing and Management in LASALLE College of the Arts, under the degree title BA(Hons) Fashion Media & Industries.

When people ask me about what I study and I reply “Fashion Management (sometimes adding & Marketing)”.

They will almost always react with a “Wow! ?!”

And followed by, “So what is that?” or “What exactly do you study?”

Well, so my blog post today is to answer and clarify what Fashion Management and Marketing Studies is exactly! This way, you also have a better idea of what I have been doing for the last 3 years and where my skills, knowledge and specialization lies. 🙂

Usually I will answer in a nutshell that Fashion Management & Marketing is the basically Business Marketing studies but specific to the Fashion industry and we also study Fashion theories, history, trends, creative direction and graphic design.

But to be more specific, the modules I have taken in the last three years include:

Marketing,
Advertising,
Cultural and Contextual Studies in Fashion (Fashion theories, history, academic research and writing),
Branding,
Integrated Marketing Communications,
Visualization and Presentation (both digital and traditional, i.e. drawing by hand, softwares like Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign),
Finance (Budgeting, Financial Proposals)
Visual Merchandising,
Entrepreneurship,
Project Management,
Product Development,
Fashion Retail,
International Fashion Marketing
& Studio for putting our soft skills & knowledge into practical proposals such as Concept stores and Brands.

It is tough to define what Fashion Management and Marketing is exactly, but I have googled and found two pretty decent answers:

Fashion management is the promotion of apparel sales and involves all of the tasks necessary to deliver the clothing requests and meet the needs of potential customers and designers. Developing campaigns, displays and advertisements, directing manufacturing and marketing, and creating sales strategies are the various parts of Fashion management. Credits here.

Fashion marketing is much the same as product marketing. Integrating brand into the product is something always popular in the fashion world for many popular retail fashion wares. Basically fashion marketing is marketing to either fashion conscious consumers or to distribution channels such as retail franchises and so forth. Credits here.

So you may ask, why did I decide to study something as specific as Fashion Marketing and Management?

The reasons are simple, I love Fashion and I discovered after JC (Junior College) that I was more interested in the Business of Fashion rather than design. Also I really love branding, design and marketing. Also back then, after JC, I thought I wanted to be a Fashion Buyer. But over the last four years I have changed my mind.

I am not exactly sure yet what I am going to do or be in the near and distant future, if it will be directly related to Fashion or not, but I am quite sure that the skills and knowledge that I have picked up over the last 3 years will still be relevant wherever I may be.

You may also ask, so what are the Career prospects of Fashion Marketing and Management studies?

The typical ones will be, but not limited to:

Retail Manager
Stylist
Visual Merchandiser
Fashion Buyer
Public Relations Manager
Human Resource Manager
Production Manager
Fashion Journalist
Entrepreneur of Fashion Brand/Label/Marketing firm/Fashion related business

So now that you have a better idea of what Fashion Management and Marketing is, you might wanna check out the works I’ve done in Year 2, from August 2011-April 2012:

Reports:

Retail Scene for Concept Store in Singapore
Fashion Essay: Define Radical Fashion. Case Studies Alexander McQueen & Azzedine Alaia
Group Branding Proposal for Multi-label Concept Store Biaten
Proposed Branding Creative Brief for Accessories Brand Allure
Fashion Critical / Literature Review on Sustainable Fashion
Group Project Comparing & Constrasting 3 Departmental Stores in Singapore

Slides:

That’s all! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!

Ena

Ena’s LASALLE Takeaways Part 1 | 4 Useful Tips for Your Future! (enabalista.wordpress.com)
Finally, BA(Hons) Fashion Retail Management! (littlesmug.wordpress.com)
What is a Fashion Marketing Major? (findyourartschool.com)
Retail Fashion Buyer – Interview (kread09.wordpress.com)
Fashion Buyer Description (msestherkim.wordpress.com)
Seventeen Article on Fashion Buyer (msestherkim.wordpress.com)
Fashion industry start-ups: from the kitchen table to The Catwalk (theformationscompany.com)
Revolutionising fashion in the digital age (agendamatters.wordpress.com)

Beauty

Glomax Aesthetics Facial Review

June 25, 2013 Ena Teo 6 Comments

Hello! A while back I received an invitation from GLOMAX Aesthetics to try one of their facials for a non-obligatory blog review which I promptly agreed and I went down to the salon about 2 weeks ago, on the 14th of June. So though the facial I tried was complimentary, I am in no way paid to write a review for them, but I want to because I am glad to share my pleasant & positive experience with GLOMAX Aesthetics PR lady, manager and beautician as well as the overall ambience of the salon. Plus, there are also perks for YOU, my readers. 🙂 Read on to find out more! Now let’s let the photo do the talking, shall we? 🙂

Before I went down for the facial, I decided to dress up in my new floral printed dress which was perfect for a warm summer day!

GLOMAX Aesthetics – The Face Artistry

Fo location and contact details refer to the end of this post.

The sixth floor walkway towards GLOMAX Aesthetics. As GLOMAX Aesthetics is located in Soho 2 adjacently above Clarke Quay MRT station, getting there is convenient by MRT. A little bit of a digression, but SoHo is a term that originally means South of Houston, shortened to SoHo where this area, in London was repurposed to the residential neighbourhood into small offices and shops. Credit wiki. Today, the term Soho in Singapore typically refers to buildings with home offices, offices that are small but fully equipped with toilets and kitchenette, where it can double up as both office and home! 🙂 So that’s why getting to GLOMAX Aesthetics is much like visiting a professional acquaintance that stays in a condo, both cosy and posh at the same time.

GLOMAX Aesthetics’s #06-168 homely entrance. Press the doorbell on the left to enter. 🙂

So after I was welcomed the staff of GLOMAX, I settled down at the counter for a consultation with beautician Sun.

After clearing the basic administrative work like filling in health forms, when was my last facial, where and what type, Sun took a look at my facial skin and recommended me to try GLOMAX Aesthetic’s Intensive Acne Medic Treatment.

A before facial picture (at my request, kekeke) with beautician Sun. 🙂

Then I was ushered into one of the two beautifully decorated facial rooms.

Oriental style decor with a golden earthy glow. Very lush and relaxing ambience.

Really love the Bamboo and Floral golden printed wallpaper together with the wooden furnishing.

Then I changed into their in house orange robe/dress. 🙂

Next, it’s time to take close up shots of my face, pre-facial for record purposes. 😀

Frontal.

Right profile.

Left profile.

This was shortly after my trip to Philippines abroad and I unfortunately didn’t take sufficient water and fibre and hence you can see a fair bit of pimples due to congested pores, especially on my right profile.

But otherwise, I am fairly happy with my skin condition as it is under control, not too oily. 🙂

I agreed with Sun’s recommendation to try their Acne Medic treatment which is described as such:

Suitable for problem skin with congested pores and acne, start with a sonic cleansing that gently lifts impurities and dirt off skin surface before the problem areas are healed with a mild antiseptic high frequency. Combined with acne IPL to rebalance the sebum level, problem skin will dramatically clear up after each session.

This description is from GLOMAX, and it is the exact treatment which I went through. After a gentle and thorough cleansing, Sun started with a sonic cleansing, removing the oil and dirt from the pore followed by normal extraction, before administrating IPL which stands for Intense Pulsed Light (wiki link). It is basically technology that utilises specific wavelengths of light to target various chromophores in the skin. What it does to my skin in this case, is to reduce my sebum level, but also has the effect of improving my skin tone and also reduce the rate at which my facial hair follicle grows. Extra information told to me by Sun but you can also refer to my researched link online from here.

It was my FIRST time undergoing IPL! So it was very interesting, to have strong lights shining down, much like take photos with very strong lights, but with eyes closed. It also certainly felt warm.

There are a few things to take note before undergoing IPL to achieve maximum effect from the treatment, that is to avoid strong sunlight pre and post the treatment, about 6 days, or risk undesirable effect/darkening of the skin. So I definitely didn’t go under the strong sun before the facial, as I’ve been avoiding the sun and applying sun block to prevent unnecessary pre-mature aging of the skin.

Also post treatment, I was instructed by Sun to take special care to moisturize my facial skin when it feels dry, which I sure did, as the haze in the air also had a drying effect. Even when I was hiding in the air-con from the haze as well!

Sun said it will take about 6 days to see the full effect taking place on my skin, that is for my skin to clear up and have smooth skin!

So what do I think of this treatment?

As assured by Sun, my skin did improve over the next 6-7 days after the facial. So I definitely think it was effective. I also enjoyed the facial under the trusted care of Sun who has more than 5 years of experience as a beautician with GLOMAX Aesthetics and before GLOMAX, she worked as an assistant to a dermotologist and before that, she studied in-depth about dermatology and thus has many years of knowledge as well as experience on facials and medical treatments on the face.

What’s my review for GLOMAX Aesthetics?

I would recommend them in under an heartbeat! The reasons are 1. They are polite and professional. When I was talking to them about some of how my readers (yes, some of you 🙂 ) have commented on the inconsistency of other facial salons and described it as “heng shuy”, meaning depends if you are lucky or unlucky, you will get good or bad beautician and corresponding services and treatments. However they, the PR lady and Sun assured me with smiles that with GLOMAX Aesthetics, service and quality is assured to be consistent. 2. Positive service approach. What I mean to say is, the feeling that I experienced and took away from GLOMAX was that my being and my judgement was placed first. That’s how confident GLOMAX is of their service and standard. Sun tells me that most of their customers are recurring customers from years back and even bloggers they previously invited for reviews and I am not surprised at all.

I am considering taking up a package with them when I begin work, which I hope it works out. Depending on where I work, if my work place is convenient, as I stay in the east and it might not be very convenient if I have to travel down during the weekends. I will update you all, when I do! 🙂

The results show, check out the photos I took in the following days after the facial. 🙂

17 June, 3 days after the facial.

My usual Hada labo 3in1 sun block with very light coverage, blusher and eyeshadow. With the additional moisturizer, also Hada Labo, before that. No primer, foundation or BB cream at all.

18 June, 4 days after the facial.

Same as above, with Hada Labo moisturizer, sun block and blusher but without eye make up in this one.

Now for the best part!

☆ ★☆

Enjoy Intensive Acne Medic Treatment 60 mins at only $88* (UP$150) when you quote “Blogger Ena” while making appointment. *For first-timers at GLOMAX Aesthetics and by appointment only.

☆ ★☆

Here are the details & HOW to get to GLOMAX Aesthetics from the Central Mall, conveniently for you, after you have made an appointment with them! 😉

GLOMAX Aesthetics – The Face Artistry

12 Eu Tong Sen Street. The Central, Soho 2. #06-168 Singapore 059819

callglomax@gmail.com | Tel: +65 6225 5193

These are the instructions I received: “If you’re driving, park at Central Clarke Quay and cross over to Swissotel Merchant Court (ground floor). We’re next to the hotel. Punch in “06168doorbell” at the intercom and take the left lift up”

As for me, I travelled via MRT, alighted at Clarke Quay MRT station. So some helpful photos:

From there, turn right, walk out of the Central Mall, towards the right and you will see this crossing. Cross and walk just slightly further up.

Then you will see Soho 2 and proceed to take the lift up!

That is all, hope you enjoyed this review!

I’m pretty sure you girls & guys will have questions, ask away! 🙂

Be Beautiful, inside and out! 🙂

Ena

Fashion, Inspiring, Travel

Ohaiyo Japan (4) Isohara Seaside & Tokyo Tower

June 21, 2013 Ena Teo 2 Comments

Ohaiyo~

And I am back with part 4 of Ohaiyo Japan! 🙂

Another day of pretty breakfast at Isohara Seaside Hotel! You know I don’t think anyone can possibly tire of looking at how beautifully Japanese presents their food! This is my type of meal, with meat, eggs and vege!

A breath-taking panoramic view of the seaside from our room. The hotel is designed so that every room has a seaside view, brilliant isn’t it? 🙂

We took a walk down to the seaside for a closer look! Look just how serene the place is. 🙂

Another awe-inspiring panoramic view of the seaside. Click the photo to see an enlarge version!

An obligatory touristy pose with the iconic “rock” on Isohara beach! It’s not actually a rock but rather a tiny island named Futatsujima. Meaning two-island, Futatsujima is a famous coastal landmark reflecting contract.The north island,with high steep slopes,is covered with grass and visited by thousands of birds at nightfall.The south island is small, and continuously washed over by the sea’s eroding waves. Credits here. Little Futatsujima island used to be covered in green trees and plants but unfortunately was washed away since the 2011 tsunami and has not yet since grown back.

We then proceeded to the Honda Civic Center for our presentation preparation and practice sessions in the day and early afternoon!

Here are our lovely hand drawn props of Singapore iconic landmarks, by Ade and Xav! 🙂 Merlion, flyer, Esplanade, CBD area and a hint of MBS! 🙂

Our group, split into the “actions” team and the “singing” team as we present the song “Singapore Town” ^^ The action team and their props. 🙂

Our two cute representatives, Beatrice and Dylan, smiling for my camera in between practicing their script for the powerpoint presentation.

We took a break for lunch and here’s a series of selcas with Ying! 🙂 I love how well lit the place is and how lovely the photos turned out, taken with my Iphone and no filter or post processing at all!

🙂

😀

Our sandwich lunch box! Mustard sandwiches, Pumpkin sandwiches, Croquette in bread and fruits!

After our morning and afternoon practice sessions, we took a short break at the plaza for #OOTD.

Thanks to styling and photo whiz Greggy for capturing this photo!

Anddddd somehow Ginette cajoled Ying and I to take this action photo after we did some jump shots! She used an app to create this dramatic effect! 😀

Next up, we came to “Wedding Place Bihou” which is basically a beautiful hall with a restaurant for weddings. But we were using it for our thank you, farewell and cultural exchange dinner with our hosts from Ibaraki region, meaning all the hosts we’ve met at all the places we’ve been in the Ibaraki region came down! )

Before the event, the 4 groups took turns to practice our short 5 minutes item on the actual stage, so that allowed the other groups to venture the place.

So here’s another photo! Heh. 🙂

And another with Ying 🙂

Naturally the spread and the atmosphere of the dinner was fantastic, but as the indoor lightning was dim (intentionally so), so I didn’t manage to capture nice photos. We managed to speak to the managers at the previous Ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel) to thank them for their warm hospitality. 🙂 It was also a great time where we presented our items and enjoyed watching others present theirs. What’s more important was that the Japanese hosts seem to be really delighted by our presentations and we also enjoyed ourselves a lot too. 🙂

An commemorative photo of the Lasalle aka SUPER gang: Greg, Des, Ade, Xav, Alex, SJ, Myself, Ying and the elusive Callison (Not sure where he is in the photo lol)!

Day 8 !

Final breakfast at the Isohara Seaside Hotel, this time with fried fish, meat, pasta and a soft bun. 🙂 Blogging about Japan trip has made me constantly hungry, seriously! >.< 😛 All these fantastic looking food makes me crave for meat and carbo, which I love!!! 😛

Thought I’d capture the bedside table which felt pretty old school, with the clock, phone and what seems like a radio. Heh.

It’s our last day in Isohara Seaside Hotel and the region of Ibaraki region as a whole, so Greg, Ying and I quickly grabbed the last chance to take our #ootd at the seaside after breakfast.

The same Isohara seaside, but a totally different feel isn’t it? 🙂 The weather that day wasn’t as great as the day before, it was slightly gloomy and definitely much colder.

This photo gives you an idea of how cold the place is! Haha, me freezing away with hands tightly tucked in my pockets. Photo & memories > important than being in the cold! 😛

Another series of #ootd:

Let’s just say I’m not that skilled in channeling badass. 😛 I’m out-fitted in a Mango plaited top, with a floral and denim vest, grey leggings with a skirt attached, the usual blue coat and brown boots. It’s a country singer inspired look, which is easily created with key items such as plaited top, denim vest and boots! 🙂

Quickly breaking out into to a smile. 🙂

Caught with my eyes closed! 😀

Shortly after, we boarded the coach for our 3 hour ride back to Tokyo!

The very hospital Isohara Seaside Hotel staff and our Kizuna project hosts waving back to us. We were really very sad to part. :'( We don’t wanna leave!

Anyhoos, by 3pm we reached Tokyo for lunch and after, we proceeded to Tachikawa Life Safety Learning Centre for a very engaging time of fire fighting and earthquake reaction workshops!

Here our Life Center guide is telling us the varying earthquake degrees and how to react at home/indoors when we experience a severe 7 shindo scale earthquake.

When earthquake strikes, it’s best to seek shelter under a table where we would be protected by any falling objects.

I have a video for this, where we took turns to experience what it’s like during an earthquake on the simulation stage. We were laughing a lot but of course when it happens for real, it’s not funny at all! I will upload on Youtube and update the link.

Then we proceeded to fight fire! It’s important to know how to, since the second major issue after earthquakes is the fires that erupt due to the earthquake, from houses with the fires left on and unattended before they could be turned off when earthquake strikes. 🙁 Seriously, we are SO fortunate in Singapore that we do not experience earthquakes and I am super grateful for that!

Check out Xav, Ying, Ade, Alex and SJ all so excited! 😀

Look at them valiantly picking up their water based fire extinguishers and vanquishing the fire on the screen! 🙂 We all took turns, but I didn’t pose for a picture, heh. It was definitely fun and not difficult either. Now we are fire-proofed!

After the workshop, we headed to Tokyo Tower for our dinner at about 7pm!

Though not as famous as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, the Tokyo Tower is definitely a famed Tokyo tourist site!

Look how the tower is reflected on the buses! Heh!

Ying and I decided to skip the buffet dinner catered for us/the group and with permission, we headed to eat the local Japanese ramen within the Tokyo Tower!

Sorry I have no idea what this stall is called, so you will have to rely on the photos, but I highly recommend you to eat from here given the chance you are visiting Tokyo Tower! They adopt a vending machine ordering and payment method and they will pass you a buzzer for you to collect the meal when the buzzer lights up.

The collection point.

My tasty, pork Shoyu (I think it is, keke) ramen.

My super satisfied face! The photo is not edited but the light behind creates a heavenly effect which I sure felt like I was in ramen heaven! Heh. ^^

After our dinner, we shopped for souvenirs and Tokyo banana ran out of stock! Haha.

We also bought tickets to go up the tower, which costs about SGD$8/9, if I remembered correctly, for entry.

A panoramic view of Tokyo, from the tower.

Small wooden cut out panels of writings by lovers and well wishers to make and leave their mark upon the tower! How romantic! ^^

I thought the viewing gallery on the tower was very lovely…

A last photo of the Tokyo city. I love the city, not just Tokyo but the proverbial city, with its bright lights shining in the dark. <3

We got back to the hotel about 9pm and we promptly made arrangement to sneak out beyond our 10pm curfew (oopsie!) because we HAD to explore the Tokyo city beyond the hotel and tower, right?!

A really orderly subway!

A very tired Ying and I. >.<

We may be tired but we’re happy! 😀

My first Japanese subway ticket, it’s printed on a material that seems like a very thin and bendable magnet.

Super cute ad in the subway. Not sure what it’s selling but so cute!

Here we see (I presume) the top three cities that Japanese would most like to visit! Singapore, London and New York! 😀

Spotted: Japanese women decked out in cute My Melody (Sanrio cartoon character, like Hello Kitty) bags and luggage!

We arrived at Shibuya, one of the chic Tokyo area!

Hachiko the dog says hi! He is famous for being an extremely loyal dog. Check out his wiki page here.

Japanese 7/11 sells packed ramen! Umm, didn’t get a chance to try it, but fascinating to see!

We could not decide where to eat or what to do and after a longgggg walk, we finally decided on checking out this ramen store! It was actually quite meh~ (read: so-so) in terms of the food and the drinks served. So Ying and I were glad we ate the one at the Tokyo Tower. HEH. 😛

The ramen food place. Click for a bigger version.

Ending off the post with a goofy Desmond grin! 🙂

One more installment to go~ It won’t be long before it’s up so watch this space! Heh.

Leave me your thoughts and views of Japan, whether you’ve been here before or not! 😉

Ena

Ohaiyo Japan~ (3) Traditional House Tour and Glass Frosting Workshop (enabalista.wordpress.com)
Ohaiyo Japan~ (2) (enabalista.wordpress.com)
Ohaiyo Japan! (1) (enabalista.wordpress.com)
What’s Kizuna 10? (enabalista.wordpress.com)

Inspiring, Travel

Ohaiyo Japan~ (3) Traditional House Tour and Glass Frosting Workshop

June 20, 2013 Ena Teo 3 Comments

Hello!

Today I’ll be bringing you Ohaiyo Japan 三 , pronounced san in Japanese which is exactly the same as in Mandarin! 😉

I left off at the end of day 4, where we arrived at the beautiful Isohara Seaside Hotel.

So now for…

Day 5! ^^

Very tasty looking breakfast which I enjoyed a lot. Chicken, egg, wedges and banana.

A basket of really thick toast for sharing. The morning light is so lovely eh? ^^

Isohara Seaside Hotel’s entrance, taken from the coach.

And off we go for our first activity of the day, visiting students at Higashi elementary school of Takahagi City, Ibaraki Prefecture.

Guess who we saw from on the coach? Mr Green Bird! Kekeke. He was the mascot that joined us while we played with the children during our short visit..

Picture of the field where we lined up to wait for the children to join us. No photos allowed with the children, though we did take a few towards the end, but I won’t be posting here.

Another clearer picture of Mr Green Bird, that the children LOVED and bullied endlessly…… Kids will be kids, no matter the nationality! >.< Some tried to climb on his back, some tug at his legs (!!!) and some pulled his little tail endlessly. I felt so bad for him.

We were very very sad to part with our elementary school friends, each pair of us were grouped with 2-3 children and we transferred 3 pots of flowers into the planters that we made from the previous day.

After our elementary school visit, we came to tour a traditional Japanese house, the Hozumi Family Residence.

Signboard pointing us the way from where we alighted from the coach.

View of the grand house upon entrance. It reminds me a little of the traditional korean houses I watch on dramas. 🙂

Vintage photos of the house, its garden and its owners.

A drawing of the house, and it really still looks pretty much like this!

Photo of the current kitchen, which is updated with modern day sinks.

Television corner, where a sign says “No smoking.”

The tea corner, with tatami mats and traditional Japanese interior.

The same tea corner, but from a different view.

The fire place and an example of how the kettle is hung! Here I am excitedly standing under a plum tree that’s flowered in early spring. 😀

The next stop was Otsu port, where we observed and heard first hand experiences of the fishermen / staff of the Otsu port.

Here the two Otsu Port fishermen standing in the middle are sharing about how the crack in the ground where they are standing on, came about after the tsunami and earthquake.

Here we see where the arrow is placed, the height of the flood brought about by the tsunami back in 2011!

With Greggy, Ginette, Ying, Dez and Myself. ^^ We were FREEZING in the cold! Heh.

A castaway starfish on the gravel. This starfish has unfortunately dried and died. Reminds me of the inspiring story of the old man why the young boy why he is picking up starfishes along the beach and throwing them into the sea when it is impossible for him to clear all the starfishes on the beach. The young boy pondered for a moment as he threw in another and replied, “Well, I made a difference to that one!” The story is adapted from The Star Thrower story written by Loren C. Eiseley and it speaks of the idealism of children and youth that can change the world. :’)

The HUGE seagulls that were about the port. You can’t tell from this photo, but they were roughly twice the size of an average mynah or crow in Singapore. Probably because they thrive on the rich seafood in the area!!!

Here we see workers methodically packing away fresh octopus right from the buckets into styrofoam boxes with ice.

A boat docked along Otsu port, in the setting sun.

Then we headed back to our hotel for dinner!

A panoramic shot of our dinner venue in Isohara Seaside Hotel.

Tuna and mushroom pasta which was super yummy! I am not a fan of tuna but I am a fan of this dish. Infact I am a huge fan of Japanese and Western fusion pastas, like Spaghetti Goemon restaurant chain in Singapore. ^^

Not sure if this is a Japanese dish, but it sure looks and tasted like the Vietnamese rice paper spring rolls!

And yummy tempura fish with a very generous helping of tar tar sauce for sharing.

Super yummy cream puffs! 5 to a table, each of us took 2-3 and finished the entire plate. 🙂

AS IF we didn’t eat enough. 😛 We headed out because we wanted to try the sashimi plate at the neighbouring restaurant but we were a step too late as they closed at 9pm so we headed to nearby local Japanese fast food chain, Sukiya.

The boys, Greggo, SJ and Alex.

Adeline, me, Xav and Desmond. We look tired because we probably were but we didn’t want to waste our time sleeping in our rooms and wanted to experience more of Japan instead! 😀

Obviously we were stuffed from the spread at dinner, so we shared this one beef rice bowl with raw egg dip! 🙂 You can choose to mix it into the bowl or take the beef, dip in the egg and eat it with the rice, we is what we did instead!

Day 6

Our first activity of day 6 was to visit Glass Workshop Silica and attend a workshop to design cups that would be frosted!

The beautifully designed Glass Workshop Silica, with a modern, futuristic architecture.

My design, with a four leaf clover inspired design and “爱“ which stands for love, both in Japanese and Mandarin. The cups we design and frosted would be sold in the workshop and funds would go to the Kizuna Bond Project.

Here’s our group’s resident quirky girl Beatrice while she’s intently at work!

Here Dylan our fashion design extraordinaire is designing his cup.

And not missing out our super stylist Greg or aka Greggy Woo with his paisley inspired design. They were all too busy to finish up in the all0cated 45min to look up at me for the photos! 😛

I had minutes to spare so I walked about the workshop and snuck this photo with my #ootd and the simply breathtaking background scenery. :’) I would LOVE to wake up to a scenery like this everyday!!!

For lunch, we came by to this place Ichiba Shokudou which is located right next to a fish market.

It was a super Tempura spread!!! Xav, standing up with the other seated Temasek Poly (TP) fashion design girls.

Omo, omo!!! Fried wedges, fried CHEEZBALLS, fried fish!!! <3<3<3

Then we took a quick walk at the fish market and here’s a snap of fish sashimi for sampling! Thumbs up for fresh Japanese seafood!

Before our 1 hour lunch break was up, Ying and I snuck to this beautiful vast plain field for a quick #ootd shoot. My outfit’s inspired by Japanese school girl uniform, hence the school girl skirt, Peter Pan collar top, layered with a red cardigan with matching stockings. Finishing the look with my trusty coat and boots which I wore for everyday of the trip. Both the coat and boots I bought from my HK trip at Mongkok, Argyle shopping center for about S$20 each. ^^

After the workshop, we headed to Hitachi Civic Center to prepare for our presentation. No photos for that today, but there will be when we are back again on day 7.

Dinner time!

Delish fried fish and cookied veggies~

More tempura fish, mushrooms and sweet potato.

Chilled soba (Japanese for noodles) with soba sauce!

On this night, the group of us managed to make it on time to the restaurant next door for a platter of sashimi for sharing and ice cream! But I didn’t manage to capture any flattering photos as I was more caught up with eating. Heh.

After our 2 rounds of dinner, we headed back to our room, specifically the one I shared with Ade and Xav for our group meeting sesh where we prepared slides and props for our presentation on what and how we plan to share our trip in Japan when we get back to Singapore. That’s how Kizuna 10 came about! 🙂

And with that, sums up Ohaiyo Japan (3), days 5 and 6!

We’re more than mid way into our Japan trip, this series of photos are taking a lotttt longer to edit and caption than I’d expected! AND i am gaining weight while preparing because looking at all these mighty delish food keeps making me hungry and snacking. 😛 Hope you are enjoying it! ^^

Ena

Ohaiyo Japan~ (2) (enabalista.wordpress.com)
Ohaiyo Japan! (1) (enabalista.wordpress.com)
What’s Kizuna 10? (enabalista.wordpress.com)

Inspiring

3 Ways we can smile at the Haze

June 18, 2013 Ena Teo 4 Comments

By now you should probably be aware of the haze situation that Singapore is in, with smog that comes from forest fires in Indonesia, as Indonesians choose to clear their forests by burning.

Yesterday it reached unhealthy levels of PSI (stands for Pollutant Standards Index) 155 at about 2pm.

Today the haze PSI stands at 115.

I know it’s really bad when I couldn’t sleep late Sunday night because I felt like I was choking instead of breathing and had to turn on the air conditioner.

I know it’s really bad when my family and I choose not to open our house windows because we didn’t want to let the smoke outdoors pollute our home indoor.

I know it’s really bad when I went out Monday evening (last night) and thought if there was any day I were to wear a mask out, it’s not because of H5N7 (new strain of avian flu) but because the haze is getting that bad.

I know it’s really bad because people are starting to curse on Facebook.

You get my drift.

So enough for how bad the haze!

Since the last weekend, I’ve been seeing some really creative and funny ways my friends / subscriptions have reacted on social media! So partly inspired by them, I’ll be sharing 3 Ways to smile at the haze. 😀

1. It’s time you can take memorable smokey and cinematic photos around Singapore, without actually having to lug a smoke-machine around because it’s actually there, and free! We know Singaporeans love a good freebie! 😀

Examples of creative smokey and cinematic photos around Singapore:

Okay, this is probably a photoshopped picture and not actually in Singapore, but it’s a creative inspiration! credits: igsg instagram

I didn’t get the #TVD (The Vampire Diaries) reference, but a quick google reveals that Mystic Falls is a place featured in the TVD drama series. Told you the haze makes cinematic photos right? ^^ Credits: jovial_jj instagram

2. Imagine you’re in a scene of Harry Potter / Your favourite movie scene which includes some copious amount of smoke. 🙂

Harry Potter, Smokey, Movie Scene! Image credit: here

3. Last but not the least, make all the Haze jokes while it lasts!

Hehehe HEYZ! 😛 Credits: Sudy on Twitter

LOTS of creativity on SGAG’s FB!

Hope you’ve found a reason to smile at the haze now! ^^

x Ena

P.S. Let me know in the comments, on twitter or FB if you’ve got any Haze jokes to share! 😉

Art & Design, Inspiring, Travel

Ohaiyo Japan! (1)

June 11, 2013 Ena Teo 6 Comments

Ohaiyo!

Ohaiyo is the informal way of saying Good Morning in Japanese, the short form of Ohaiyo Gozaimasu. I won’t be teaching Japanese on my blog here, as I only know of a few casual phrases myself. ^^

Have you checked out our Kizuna 10 FB page? Check it out and LIKE it here if you have not!!!

Over this week, I’ll be uploading photos from the 10 day trip that my school mates and I took back in March. We were very generously sponsored and invited by Japan to be part of the Kizuna (Bond) project as part of 100 Singaporean students and tutors to visit and indulge in the rich Japanese culture and heritage! You can check out more of the Kizuna project here.

Without further ado, here are some photos from the 1st 2 days of the 10 day trip that my school mates and I took back in March! 🙂

Japan Kizuna Trip 11th March – 19th March 2013 (Arriving back to Singapore on the 20th March)

Pre-flight, with my lovely travel buddy Ying! 🙂

The view from the plane as we were about to land in Japan… It was the end of winter and early Spring, thus the brown fields.

As we near nearing, we can begin to see the plane’s shadow! So cute right? ^^

This is how they unload the cargo from the plane! Yes, I had a very good view from where I was seating. ^^

Our plane landed at about 4pm and we were scheduled to reach the hotel by coach at about 6.30pm but due to peak period traffic, we reach only about 7.30pm! 😮

Finally got the keys to our room in Tokyo Grand Hotel! I love how vintage the room keys are. ^^ The yellow book is our very detailed and informative handbook for the trip! My schoolmates and I were part of Group A with other students from Temasek Poly and Raffles Design Institute.

How the hotel room looks like! Small but well equipped. Beds were very comfy. Japanese style robes were laid on the beds for occupants to change into. The view from our room shows the office opposite and at 7.30pm we still saw office workers working away!

The toilet is clean and well equipped.

As we reached pretty late, dinner was prepared in very dainty lunch boxes. It was far too much rice for us to consume… Heh.

Post dinner, our first night’s activity began with convenient shops shopping! HAH. There were 3 convenient shops around our hotel and pretty much nothing else. We would soon realize that’s pretty much all the shopping we could do during this except for the last day at Tokyo. 😛 Here you see MUJI stuff at their convenient store! In Singapore MUJI shop has its stand alone boutiques in town, Orchard. The prices are definitely cheaper in Japan, almost 50%! ^^

This, my dear friends, is one of my favourite food in Japan. It’s sold in the convenient store and you pick out what you want and place them in the containers provided, pour a little soup in and pay up. I bought the sausage and vermicelli and they were AWESOME. Super tasty! ^^v

We were told that Tokyo Tower was a 10 min walk away, so the Lasalle group decided to take a walk out together! We came across a subway station and decided to take a look and “recee” for our last night when we get back to Tokyo. 😛

We made our way back to the convenient shops again! Check out the cup noodles from the land of Nissin! 🙂 Totally reminded me of my JC PW (for the uninitiated, stands for Junior College Project Work) where my group mates and I researched and presented on Momofuku Ando, the founder of Nissin cup noodles!

My supper for the night! Tasty sweet courn noodles with dessert!

Day 2~!

My outfit for day 2~

Selca with cutie Ying~

Candid of Lasalle peeps, Xav, Adeline, Alex and SJ, during our morning walk around our hotel! 🙂

Even the dogs in Tokyo are cute!

This photo commemorates our Lasalle hero, Alex who wore shorts out in the cool weather of below 15 degrees. *thumbs up* 😛

Our resident cutie Desmond, with his ice cream and Alex photo bombing. HAHA.

Billboard along the streets of real life Japanese criminal hunt list. :O It’s scary!

The use of order, pattern and symmetry is found practically everywhere on the streets of Japan.

Even the office workers smoke in an orderly fashion!

The flowers along the roads are happy. ^^

The waterworks covers are too cute! This one’s self explanatory, is for fire hydrant hoses in case of fire.

We had to attend a talk back in the hotel on Earthquakes in Japan, but I won’t be going into details about that. 😛

Our sushi packed lunch, rice and egg and seaweed.

After lunch on day 2, we had some free time so we took a walk around the hotel and we discovered this! The REAL Yakiniku (Japanese barbeque) which we often see in Singaporean malls!

Our brave tutor/supervisor/”SUPER leader” Ginette took the first plunge. HAHA. AND boy it was GOOD. 😀 So we all took turns to buy one stick and shared with each other. ^^

Here’s a random shot of Ying all happy and cute. ^^

Look, Ma! Penang restaurant in Japan! 😛

My buys of the day from convenient store shopping. HEH. Coffee, gums and sugarrr.

After attending the afternoon talk, we packed up and moved out on coach for our next destination for the next few days!

We stopped at a pit stop during the coach ride and LOOK WHAT I FOUND. A basket of cuties!!!

I simply couldn’t resist. So I brought one with me. ^^ It costs about S$6. And it has beans in the tummy! It’s happily on my desk now.

We arrived! At Hotel Omoide Roman-kan, Daigo Town, Ibaraki Prefecture! It’s a Japanese traditional type of hotel stay.

This is how the room looked like when we first got our bags in and trying to get them sorted~.

The balcony area.

The toilet area.

And I realize in Japan, the exit is called “非常阶段“ which when translated it means “not the usual steps” cool huh! 🙂

In case you were wondering, I can read and understand chinese characters and traditional Japanese characters use chinese characters. 🙂

We quickly got things sorted and went down for dinner! 😀

LOOK AT THE SPREAD YO. This one’s dessert cakes and the super yummy greek style yogurt in the steel bowl! ^^v

Tomato pasta!!!

Super yummy Japanese tempura (fried) sticks! An assorted choices of fishes and vegetables with the descriptions, if you can read, on the end of the sticks! <3

Along the walkway you’ll find many pressed floral art like this! So pretty! 🙂

When we got back to our room… IT WAS TRANSFORMED! 😀

We decided to try the tidbit offered in the room! It was complimentary. this one’s plum flavored soft pastry. Super nice, I bought 2 boxes back home before we left. 🙂

That’s all for today! Come back soon for my next update!

<3,

Ena

Art & Design, Inspiring, Travel

What’s Kizuna 10?

June 11, 2013 Ena Teo 4 Comments

Hi!

Check out this little video which I’m in, here!

With that, I’d like to introduce to you the latest project that my friends and I are working on! It’s called Kizuna 10!

Kizuna 10 – The Kizuna Experience

Today marks the first day of our project! It follows the day we flew to the land of the rising sun.

You must be wondering. What’s Kizuna 10 about? Read on!

From our FB info page here:

ABOUT: Hi! 10: The Kizuna Experience is the Facebook companion to the 10-day social media project of the same name. We’re a bunch of students from Singapore hoping to do some good with a little bit of our creativity, so why not check us out? 😀

DESCRIPTION: Hi, we are a group of student delegates from Singapore (3rd batch) who went on a Japan exchange programme – KIZUNA BOND PROJECT – from March 11-20, 2012. The Kizuna Bond Project is a youth-exchange programme launched by the Japanese government as part of its reconstruction plans after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.This platform is an initiative to reach out to the mass on the understanding of Japan’s revival efforts through recreating our 10-day KIZUNA experience. Day by day, hour-by-hour, we will update the site real-time, so that you, our viewer, will be able to walk with us through Japan.

Check out our tumblr page here!

I’ll be taking part in this project, but will also be posting my own set of photos on my blog, combining 2 days into 1 post. I’ll update my own blog post links here when I’m done. 🙂

That’s all for now, I’ll see on you FB and make sure you like our page here ya!

Ena

Credits to Callison Neo for the designs and Xaveria for the video!

Ohaiyo Japan Day 1 & 2

Beauty

Hada Labo Whitening Lotion Review

May 15, 2013 Ena Teo 1 Comment

Hi~!

Today I’ll be reviewing two sponsored products (edit* I’ll leave the 2nd product for another day~! ^^) *update, check out my Deep Moist lip balm review here~* that I received a week back, starting with

Hada Labo’s Whitening Lotion with New Nano Formula

The featured product of this post is the one on the right.

I’ve been using this product for a week now, twice daily in the morning and evening after showering.

What I like to do in my after shower beauty routine is to apply toner, moisturizing lotion, sun block before I apply my make up.

I usually use Hada Labo Moisturizing UV Milk which triples up as 1. Moisturizing lotion 2. Sunblock (SPF 50++ PA) and 3. Make up base after applying toner and before I apply my make up. You can read my review of the product which I wrote last year here.

The triple effect in one single product makes it convenient and time saving, I love the product.

But when I awake with more time on my hands, I will also use another series of products. In this case when reviewing the new Hada Labo Whitening Lotion, I follow up with a separate sunblock, the Estee Lauder CyberWhite Brilliant Cells UV Protector which also doubles up as a make up base. 🙂

Read the official product information of the Hada Labo’s Whitening Lotion with New Nano Formula followed by my personal review! 🙂

One Drop Reveals Natural Fairness

A Combination of 3 Types of Hyaluronic Acid for 3X the Hydration Power

It is available at Watsons, Guardian and NTUC Fairprice outlets, $22.90.

My review of the Hada Labo’s Whitening Lotion with New Nano Formula:

The Hada Labo’s Whitening Lotion with New Nano Formula is a very hydrating lotion. I squeeze a little portion on my palms and apply over my face in the day and it keeps my skin hydrated all day long, so much so that there is no sign of dehydration, of my skin drying from the day, which usually does in Singapore’s hot weather. It’s a nice little touch as it keeps my face dewy even into the evening.

In the evening, a little portion on my face after showering also keeps my face fresh into the night and till I awake the next morning.

Perhaps the only concern is to not over apply the lotion on the face, especially for oily skin types. For such skin types, like myself, I would advise to apply a thin layer over the face, avoiding the T-zone where the skin tends to be more oily.

As for Whitening, the lotion is light on the skin does help to improve the complexion of my skin over the course of 5 days. The Arbutin and vitamin C does take effect and boosted with Hyaluronic acid’s hydrating effects reduced the dark pimple spots on my face, yay! 😉

For Singapore Only: Want to try the Hada Labo’s Whitening Lotion with New Nano Formula before deciding whether you want to commit to a full bottle? Here’s your chance! Simply click to their FB page, sign up with your details and await for the delivery of your FREE 20ml travel size bottle of Hada Labo Arbutin Whitening Lotion & Cleansing Oil samples! Let me know in the comments below how you find them! 😉

Btw, the Hada Labo’s Whitening Lotion with New Nano Formula is not to be confused with the Hada Labo’s SHA Hydrating Lotion. Personally, I would go for the Whitening lotion because of Singapore’s relentlessly sunny weather, the whitening effect comes in handy to keep my complexion fair. 😉

There you go~ Hope you enjoyed this review and keep a look out for my next one~ I’ll update the link when I’m done! ^^v

<3,

Ena

Fashion

Ena features | H’muse Pop Up Store @ Parco

December 20, 2012 Ena Teo 3 Comments

Hello my dear readers!

It’s been a long time since I’ve last blogged, do you miss me ? ^^

I know it’s no excuse… but yours truly have indeed been busy with school assessments followed by my church youth camp. God’s been very gracious to my church youth group and I, we’re recharged for another great year with Him! (:

This is really a long overdue post, for H’muse the Pop Up store at Parco. The nice folks there have generously sponsored 3 vouchers for my readers. So watch out for the next post on how to take part! The vouchers giveaway will take place through the Christmas season and the winners will be revealed on Christmas day, so it’s like 1 more Christmas present for you, the potential winner! (:

Without any further ado, let me show you the photos I took when I went down to visit the store!

H’muse is located at Parco level 1. It occupies a small yet cosy corner. The colourful and quirky merchandise also stands out against the intentionally bare furnishing.

The list of brands featured in store, with a majority of Indonesian brands.

Beautiful handmade leather shoes from Indonesia. Chin, the PR and marketing guy at H’muse says that more stocks are coming in (which should be in store by the time you are reading this).

These shoes are good-looking and double up for work and play. Guys, if you’re looking for a nice pair of shoes for Christmas and into the new year, go on down to H’muse!

I picked out a few items, the ones I like to feature in this post…. and I’m telling you, I’m in love with this Indonesian brand, Ask. It’s so spot on with the trends and it doesn’t harm that it has a Korean vibe and sense of aesthetics that I see in the Korean dramas I am watching currently… Just saying. >.< So this lovely Autumn/Winter scenery printed dress is apt for the current season and selling at SGD $96.

This lovely grey faux fur coat also from Ask is selling at $119. Have I told you I secretly (ok fine, not so secretly) LOVE fur? And it’s only arguably in this time of the year in Winter where it’s arguably colder that I can wear fur, fur-lined and winter related thingamajings out in Singapore. Like my fur lined boots from Korea, furry dress, knitted beanie and scarves. But even then, when I wear them out I feel like I’m crazy. T-T I wish I could travel to somewhere cold this winter! Even if it’s 3-4 days it’d still make me very happy, and so I can wear layered attired and furry stuff, HEHE. (:

This printed and Batik inspired dress is selling at $98. It also comes in other colours like green hues. I featured this cause it’s in pink/purple hues. Hee.

This knitted sweater can double up as both a festive item and tribal too! Also by Ask, priced at $92.

This quirky yet laid back striped top by Louskii is priced at $37.

Also by Loushkii, this top is going at $55.

This beautiful floral top is bound to garner attention to the wearer, by ColorRiot, selling at $59.

In a similar print, the shorts also by ColorRiot is selling at $59.

By Ensemble, this sheer dress is unique with its velvet collar and tassel detailing.

Up close photo of the collar, tassels and sheer fabric.

Another Ensemble item, sheer black top with Golden Hand collar detailing.

Close up photo of the delicately poised Golden Hands.

Ensemble Golden Hands Shirt also comes in white. The shirts are selling at $49.

Next up we have a brand that specializes in Menwear, Jan/Sober (Jan pronounced in a french way as Yen). The fabric is great and the designs have unique and quirky details (check out the cute collar) which make it really worth the price. This top is selling at $85.

Another Menswear brand, Soep Shop, this cute top is selling at $54.90. I particularly like how the collar and shoulders fabric (I forgot what this part of the shirt is called, lol) is different from the rest of the shirt.

This black t-shirt by Kazign has a different coloured pocket and is selling at $49.

Now moving on to the vibrant center counter of bags and accessories.

Indonesian bags brand Clementine, faux leather clutch going at an affordable price of $49. It’s so lovely.

The same clutch also comes in blue.

Clementine has expanded beyond Indonesia, to America, Malaysia and now Singapore.

Clementine clutch in my favorite combi (yes it still is, lol) Pink & Black, priced at $70.

Clementine Envelope clutches in Red and Blue, priced at $60 each.

Clementine velvet and leather combi clutches in Red, Black and Tan. Each priced at $78.

European bohemian label 72Smalldive Bag to Differ in various colours, $220 each.

Australian brand Vanessa Ward, an architect by profession turned accessories designer. With a nautical collection in H’muse. These necklaces are going for $95 each.

This unusual ball necklace was the first item to be sold when H’muse opened, bought by an SPH editor! Haha. Also by Vanessa Ward, selling at $130.

Last but not the least in this featured post, Daniel Wellington bracelets and watches.

Do visit H’muse’s Pop Up store which opens till January to check out these lovely brands and items!

Readers of Enabalista blog will also get a discount if you quote “Enabalista”.

Lots of Love,
Ena

(I have no idea why previously there’s a huge gap here, it’s one of those wordpress glitches. o.O but it’s gone now that I’ve typed this sentence, so yay~! 🙂 )

H`muse 3rd Popup Concept Store at Parco Millennia Walk (enabalista.wordpress.com)

Art & Design, Inspiring

Singapore’s Latest Art Haunt – Gillman Barracks Opening Night

October 8, 2012 Ena Teo Leave a comment

Hi lovelies!

A few weeks back, Gillman Barracks had its opening night and as part of the Transmission Lab 2012 apprenticeship programme, we were invited down for the event.

My friend and fellow Trans Lab apprentice, Wanqi designed the typography for Gillman Barrack’s identity! (: We also attended the event together because we were the only ones who could make it. The rest either had stuff on or had to OT. ):

For the unknowing, here’s information about Gillman Barracks from their website so you have a better idea of what it’s all about:

Gillman Barracks (GB) is Asia’s up-and-coming destination for contemporary art. It will be distinguished as a vibrant centre in Asia for the creation, exhibition and discussion of contemporary art.

Named after British general Sir Webb Gillman, GB is set amid lush greenery and was once a stronghold to the First Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment. The conserved colonial barracks now houses galleries and creative businesses, as well as the Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) that will open in 2013.

The international galleries features diverse and ever-changing contemporary art exhibitions, while the CCA will bolster the region’s visual arts landscape through its international artist residency, research and exhibition programmes. By fostering cultural exchange and creation, showcasing the best and most innovative art of our times, as well as generate discourse and research, the CCA will establish Singapore as an important centre for contemporary art in Asia.

And from Artinfo (which is probably from GB’s press release):

Part of the vision to make Singapore a “global city,” the new art enclave is a 15-minute drive from the central business district and is housed in refurbished buildings nestled amid lush greenery that were formerly military barracks and date from the 1930s. The entire development, which cost a little under S$10 million, will ultimately provide about 4,200 sqm for art galleries when completed, along with another 4,800 sqm of space dedicated to arts-related activities, such as artist studios, an art research center and food and beverage outlets. It officially opens with the first 13 galleries pulling out all the stops with their opening shows. Two more galleries will open next year.

Frankly, GB is a huge undertaking that was planned for years but executed in months. We are all pretty amazed and awed by what we saw that night and I truly hope that this major undertaking will continue to take flight in the hands of CCA when it opens in 2013.

Side tracking a little, I must confess that I have not assumed a blogger personality that I would prepare pro/semi-pro camera (I do have a handheld canon ixus my sister gifted me) for outdoor events. Which explains poor quality and or lack of photos. I try to, and sometimes I bring the camera out but I usually just end up snapping on the go with my trusty iPhone. It’s so much more convenient plus I can just Instagram / tweet / facebook when I want to! Many friends have commented that my iPhone has better camera quality, which I don’t deny. I am blessed. ^^

You know what? The next best invention would be a handy, lightweight camera with awesome visuals, built in filter, cute deco AND Instagram, Twitter, Facebook publishing function. Who wants to build and create this camera with me?! I won’t ask for much, just 1 camera for my own blog, 9 more for giveaways on this blog and perhaps a negotiable % life-long royalty for consultancy fees. 😉

OK SO. Enough of side-tracking. Back to topic, I must admit I didn’t go through all 13 galleries at the Gillman Barracks opening, and so that means that I should go back another time to check out the ones I’ve missed.

Nonetheless, I think I have visited about half of them, and here are some of my favourite galleries and artworks!

PARTNERS & MUCCIACCIA

Partners & Mucciaccia opens in Singapore with a bang, to an exhibition titled “From Picasso to the New Roman School”. This exhibition winds along the masterpieces of some of the greatest contemporary artists of the XX (read: 20th) Century – featuring the works of artists including Picasso, Lucio Fontana, Cristiano Pintaldi and many more acclaimed Italian artists (feel free to google them yourself ^^).

I am in love with the gallery. It’s filled with all these fascinating, contemporary artworks. I love contemporary fashion, art, news, basically most contemporary stuff. But what’s really cool about this gallery is that it has all these artworks dating decades back in the 60s but they are still avant garde and contemporary. Specifically I refer to the slashed canvases by Lucio Fontana.

This is NOT the one at the gallery. But it’s very similar. 4 strokes but in slightly different places.The one we saw at the gallery is titled

Lucio Fontana
Spatial Concept, Waiting
1968
Water based paint on canvas
81×65 cm

I mean check that out! It’s created in the late 60’s some almost 50 years ago and it still conveys the same angst humans experience today. Angst whether historical or contemporary is still angst. Contemporary art created decades ago people!

There’s an attempt of explanation in the guide I picked up at the gallery, let’s see if it makes any sense:

Another limit surpassed by the informal painting is the idea of space in painting. Lucio Fontana explored the possibility of giving the third dimension by cutting the surfaces of his works. The space is “here”, where we are, and it is “there”; the work becomes a stargate, an open passage towards the beauty conceived as waiting for the unknown. The achievements of this pioneer of contemporary art are represented by this works Spatial Concept, Waiting (1960s).

What do you think? Obviously after reading the above explanation, mine’s completely refuted. But it still makes sense isnt’ it? HAHA. Which explanation do you prefer?

Cristiano Pintaldi
Blond Girl
2012

Who shapes our perception of reality and how? Pintaldi’s work questions the misleading “truth” conveyed by the systems of power through mass media. The artist’s paintings reproduce the same tripartite decomposition of TV and computer monitor. When viewed up close, it’s made up of small pellets / blocks of overlapping colours that come together when viewed from afar, simply fascinating.

Check out a teaser video I found on youtube, for his exhibition presented at Venice Biennale last year 2011. (Side track, VENICE BIENNALE!!! It’s like the mecca of all contemporary artists. I often daydream, as in seriously I do, of going back for Venice Biennale. Was there on an school art trip while I was studying art in SAJC in 2007 and it was A-MA-ZING. I hope and plan to make it for 2013. Oh yes I must.)

–

Pablo Picasso
The Artist and his Model
1964
Oil on Canvas
97x130cm

Unfortunately, I cannot find the photo online. It’s not a spectacular piece coming from Picasso, as in I’m guessing it’s probably one of the less known / work in progress piece. But it’s a masterpiece nonetheless. Like how many people on earth can attest that they’ve seen a Picasso masterpiece in real life?

If you are wondering why Pablo Picasso is so famous, it’s because he has been widely known for co-founding the Cubist movement with Georges Braque. He is one (out of a grand total of 53) of the major world artists which I studied for A levels. Quite unfortunately I have returned my knowledge to the books and can’t recall what I’ve read/memorized of him. Nonetheless, blogging about this exhibition is a great opportunity to refresh my memory of this great artist and his work. Arguably, Picasso’s most famous work is Guernica – his depiction of the German bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. It’s choke-ful of symbolisms which we as art students had to read, understand, analyze and critique. It’s a powerful painting and statement for speaking against the cruelty of war and bombings. That, my friends, is perhaps the reason why Picasso is so famous because he was an intellectual that used his fame for a greater cause.

I am seriously side tracking a lot in this post, but I must say, war and bombings are so lame and retarded! At the heart of it all are selfish motivations (of egotistical leaders) that ruins lives. People, please never ever support war and bombings okay?!

MIZUMA GALLERY

CROSSING GAZES

Now – 18 Nov

Solo exhibition of the newest pieces in Korean artist Hyung Koo Kang’s series of overwhelmingly bigger-than-life portraits.

Hyung Koo Kang’s works are AMAZING, especially those that were created on metal. That’s right, you didn’t read wrong, METAL. He actually carved those fine hair lines you see on the above Monroe image out and mind you, these works are some 4m high! @-@ This is another case of you simply have to see it to believe and be astounded by. Seeing it on the photo, doesn’t do his work justice as all, it doesn’t look half as amazing as it is in real life. I just wish he had stronger subjects to work with than just merely famous people.

MICHAEL JANSSEN GALLERY

Peter Zimmerman

Epoxy Resin on canvas. Very pretty, decorative paintings. There was a book on display and his works have also been applied on the floor. Can totally imagine his work in hotel lobbies and applied to interior design.

BLENDED BY DESIRE & STEREOMONGREL

15 Sep – 29 Sep

Blended by Desire

Four young Indonesian artists — Mushowir Bing, Sanchia Hamidjaja, Ricky “babay” Janitra and POPO — from Jakarta will present video works, installations and wall paintings that reflect how contemporary urban society has been increasingly influenced by a pop culture globalized by technology and mass media. The artists, whose practices blend street art, cartoon and illustration, use the exhibition to articulate themselves amid the hustle and bustle of metropolitan life.

Their works are super cute lah!

So relevant. “I hate tagging!”

“I’m following you” is both a great news and kinda creepy. LOL.

Finally, I will end off this post with Singaporean artist Donna Ong, who used a yet unallocated gallery space in one of the old military barracks to create “And we dreamt we were birds.”

–

That’s all for now! Let me know which work is your favourite and why! Or you could also share about your favourite artist and artwork. 🙂

xx
Ena

–

Refurbished Gillman Barracks to have Centre for Contemporary Art (todayonline.com)
Singapore’s bid to become Asia’s newest art hub (japantimes.co.jp)
Gillman Barracks! A sneak peek! (blogs.todayonline.com)
Singapore strengthens its position as the Asian art hub (asianarthappenings.com)

Fashion

Trend Highlights | Polished Attraction Featuring Victoria Beckham

October 7, 2012 Ena Teo 1 Comment

Hi lovelies!

It’s time for some Fall Fashion updates! Today I’ll be finishing up with the 2nd part of Fall Winter Trend Highlights. If you haven’t check out the first part here. Titled Polished Attraction, this trend highlight features key looks from the ever chic Victoria Beckham.

Polished Attraction is sub-divided to three categories, Sharply Tailored, Modern Military and Belt Up.

Sharply Tailored – Embracing the cultivated, smart and stylish individual with versatility. Key labels featuring this look are Miu Miu, YSL and Balmain.

Modern Military – Designers brought a fresh appeal to traditional military garb with luxe fabrics and fitted silhouettes. Together with Victoria Beckham, these labels rule the runway this season: Salvatore Ferragamo, Max Mara, Burberry Prorsum & Kenzo.

Belt Up – For this season, accentuating the waist with a thin leather belt adds a touch of class, glamour and sophistication.

If you noticed the H&M at the top left corner of the moodboard, (SHARP EYES THERE fella!), it’s because my friends and I worked on Fall Winter trends back in Feb/March this year for a school project, proposing Fall Winter 2012 trends for a imaginary H&M store in Singapore. Teehee.

Victoria Beckham Fall Winter 2012 Runway Looks

These are soooo chic. It’s like Victoria Beckham decided to create uniforms for the Parisian girls.

The models exude effortless chic in these military style garb. *Swoons*If you haven’t seen Victoria Beckham’s Fall Winter 2012 looks but you’re wondering why it looks so familiar? It’s because you’ve seen a similar look on Kate Moss for Mango! I didn’t realize the similarity till I was blogging this! NO WONDER I liked the look on Kate Moss so much when I first saw it. (T-T)# *faints*

That’s all for now, leave me a comment telling me how much you love reading my blog, y’all! 😛

Cause Ena Loves Ya So~! *(^-^)*

Beauty, Fashion, Inspiring

Her World Day Out with YL

October 4, 2012 Ena Teo 1 Comment

Hi guys!

Hope ya’ll are having a great mid-week, yes? 😉

A few weeks ago, friend YL and I attended Her World’s Day Out event at Tangs Vivo. So we took some photos while we travelled to the event. Here’s one photo post-processed in Mei Ren Xiang Ji Poco Camera (read about my review/tutorial here.) and FotoRus frame! ^^

This is the crazy queue for complimentary (read free) manicure. LOL.

So the story goes that while we were queuing up for the free manicure, I uploaded the photo of YL and I above to Instagram and tagged #igsg. Frankly, at that point of time, I thought #igsg was a form of identifying photos from Singapore (that’s why I tagged it). I didn’t realize that it was actually an uber popular, “get popular” instagram account. AND SO the photo was featured on Igsg‘s account as well as sweetyoungthing‘s (cheesy I know) account!

@igsg had some 280,000 followers then (now it’s 301,000) on Instagram and after a few hours, the photo received almost 1000 likes! :O So just imagine YL and I spazzing when we realize we had our “15 minutes” of fame, hohoho! Basically @igsg reposts popular photos, about 1 every hour and only leaves 6 photos on its account at any one time.

The same photo reposted on to @sweetyoungthing‘s instagram account.

I’ll be meeting up with @igsg’s account owner, Ken for coffee this week and we might possibly work out partnership opportunities. How exciting! I’ll update you guys if and when we’ve worked out the details! (:

Photo of my nails, post manicure! ^^

Like how my photo looks like? I decorated the photo using Snapeee, the fairly new japanese decoration and sharing app, which I reviewed in the previous post here, check it out if you haven’t.

That’s all for now!

L.o.L <3,
Ena

Fashion

Shana Bugis+ Opening & Fashion Design Contest!

October 3, 2012 Ena Teo Leave a comment

Hi lovelies! I’ve got exciting news to share! Shana, one of the fastest growing fashion concept in Spain with 200 stores opening every year (WOW!) and a grand international expansion plan, has now come upon our Singaporean shores! 😀 They are not only in Bugis+ shopping mall but also at JCube shopping mall. These are Shana’s store locations:

Shana Bugis + 201 Victoria Street #02-18 Bugis +

Shana JCube #01-24/25 Jcube, Singapore 60973

And… here are some photos from the event! Images are taken from Shana’s Facebook page. 🙂

Many eager shoppers in between the activities-filled opening event!

There was this whole table of wonderful and sweet treats. Mmm…

Shana’s white on pink polka dot wrappings are so pretty and apt for candy packages! They should consider opening a candy bar in their store! My friends and I loved the sour tapes… Makes me salivate just thinking about it… 😛 And the Pokka Sparkin’ Passionfruit flavour is seriously good. Go try it if you haven’t!

Uber energetic dancers on the floor! Think all the sugars from the treats table helped!

I was very fortunate to have won a 5 minute dress up contest for a “Party Look”. Thanks to my friend Clarabell for convincing me to take part in the contest! Hehe.

Here with friendly Siti, Shana’s store assistant who helped me with the look!

Thanks to Shana Singapore, I won a $150 voucher which I redeemed on the day itself too. (:

Pretty bags I brought home that day. ^^The 8 pieces of clothing I chose.

I am loving the tweed cardigan and the green cargo-style jacket!

Shana is a very affordable fashion label. Most of their basic tops are selling from $13.90 -$20 plus and there was even a promotion for selected tops at 2 for $13.90. After wearing their tops for a few times, I really like the material for the loose pink top as it’s lightweight, comfortable and definitely worth every buck. Their bandage skirts (the red one I wore in the photo above) are only $10.90 , and it’s made of comfy stretchy material.

Accessories! I love the gold and black combination. I exceeded the $150 voucher so I topped up about $20 plus for the accessories. 😀

Goodie bags upon entry and another one after winning the contest.

Want to win some prizes too? If you are based in Singapore, take part in Shana’s Fashion Design contest and you stand a chance to win $1000 if you are the 1st prize winner! Check out the details here:

Check out their Facebook page here for more details under their tab “Events”! “Like” them to receive their promotion updates too! (:

That’s all for now! Have an exciting season ya? (:

L.o.L <3, Ena

Note: This is not a sponsored review. I did win $150 voucher, as I mentioned but I didn’t have to blog about it. I blogged about it because I wanted to. (:

Fashion

Pop Up Store W.E. Workshop Element @ Wisma

September 19, 2012 Ena Teo Leave a comment

Hi !

After a couple of non-fashion related posts, we’re back to fashion again! (;

I read about the news of W.E. Workshop Element back in August when it first launched but it’s not to late to announce it here on my blog because they’re still gonna be around for another 7 months! #Teehee.

According to their Facebook page:

W.E. – ‘workshop element’ is a retail platform gathering creative peoples’ work initiated by Singapore’s very own Alfie Leong.

More info. via RockTheTrend:

This new retail pop-up store officially launches today 17th of August, and will remain where it is for eight months. W.E. showcases an all-local ensemble of fashion designers and curators, a first of its kind space here, all 6,000 sq ft of it. The line-up of 19 brands and 16 designers/curators include young, emerging upstarts, veteran designers and fashion’s most familiar names. Local top model Sheila Sim‘s new clothing line Sceneplicity will also be included.

Check out the list of designers:

Workshop Element @ Wisma — Image from W.E. Facebook

Just a few designers I’d like to highlight from the store:

Ling Wu is for the wanderers and urban warriors who are effortlessly cool, restless with energy and keen to veer off the beaten path.

Mystic Vintage by Jason Tong & Alvin Tan.
Mystic Vintage is an eyewear brand which carries the finest lineage of iconic and vintage frames. In 2010, they launched ‘Lullaby’, a modern frame which was inspired by the iconic vintage designs of the 70s.

–

I will definitely go down to check out the place within the next 7 months and will update my experience when I do!

L.o.L <3,

Ena

—

All images credit to W.E. Facebook page.

Ena Teo | Enabalista

Tag Archives: Singapore

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Day 2~!

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Hada Labo Whitening Lotion Review

Ena features | H’muse Pop Up Store @ Parco

Singapore’s Latest Art Haunt – Gillman Barracks Opening Night

PARTNERS & MUCCIACCIA

CROSSING GAZES

MICHAEL JANSSEN GALLERY

BLENDED BY DESIRE & STEREOMONGREL

Trend Highlights | Polished Attraction Featuring Victoria Beckham

Her World Day Out with YL

Shana Bugis+ Opening & Fashion Design Contest!

Pop Up Store W.E. Workshop Element @ Wisma

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