Outfit of the Day - white feather shawl

Even the Divine only help those who help themselves. Thank YOU

 for never forsaking me all these years, Higher Powers, and now as I 

resubmit myself unto YOU, I can feel that things are sailing my way.

Dress: White feathery shawl

Necklace: Tiffany & Co

Earrings: CitiGems

Buffet Dinner at 10 @ Claymore at Pan Pacific Orchard

10 Claymore Road, Lobby Level, Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore 229540

Tel: 6831 6686

Website: https://www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-resorts/singapore/orchard/stay/dining/10-at-claymore.html

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/10Claymore-133345920045436/

Having visited 10 @ Claymore sometime back and enjoying its delicious Top 10 Local Eats in a classy, sophisticated setting (review here), I looked forward to revisiting with 2 male buddies for our pre-Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, we were a day too early and the Christmas feast had not commenced.

Let me share a little about 10 @ Claymore - it is situated at lobby level of Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel, serving up international buffet with local delights, delectable desserts, scrumptious seafood and sashimi and roasts. The settings were different from my last visit - still beautiful and elegant, but lacked the hush-hush sophistication that I remembered. It was more cosy and open now. What to expect at the dinner buffet at SGD$70.00++ per pax for weekday nights?

Seafood and Sashimi are always my favorite. For the Sashimi, it is a semi-live station where the service staff (used to be a chef dedicated to the counter) will cut the sashimi and serve them on a plate for you.

Roast Meat and Cooked Food items are available as well, like your Beef and Braised dishes.

I also enjoyed the flavourful Prawn Noodle Soup with huge prawns, which I got a second helping of.

Desserts comprised of an array of cakes, freshly-made crepes, pastries, juicy fruits and cheese.

Overall, dining experience here at 10 @ Claymore was pretty satisfying, and I still like the earth-toned, subtly elegant ambience and attentive service.

Outfit of the Day - black dress with white strip

"Seeing, feeling, thinking, believing - these are the stages of how we change our 

style on the outside and our self-image on the inside." - Stacy London

Black dress with white strips along sleeveless and middle of dress, trimmed elegantly with fine gold thread. Perfect for work, functions, events and meetings.

Dress: VRG (SGD$89.90)
Watch: Rado
Bangle: Hermes

Outfit of the Day - black mini-dress with white strip

"Style is the perfection of a point of view." - Richard Eberhart

Black mini-dress with white strip, perfect for travel, date night, casual events, and hanging out with the ladies.

Dress: Bought in Hong Kong (SGD$50.00)
Bangle: Forever New
Earrings: Chomel
Watch: CYMA

Outfit of the day - little black dress with pearl neckline

"I think there are very few people who have a real style, a real personality, 

and real beauty." - Marisa Berenson

Lycra-blend little black dress with pleated hemline and pearl-neckline, perfect for events, functions, work, date nights and hanging out with the ladies.

Dress: Bought from Korean (SGD$188.00)
Necklace: Tiffany & Co
Bangle: Hermes

Outfit of the Day - blue and beige lacey camisole dress

"My style motto is pretty classic: you give off a positive energy when you wear 

what you're most comfortable in." - Petra Collins

Blue-beige lacey slip dress with floral patterns, perfect for events, functions, date nights and hanging out with the ladies.

Dress: Bought in Hong Kong (SGD$89.90)
Necklace: Christian Dior
Bracelet: Tiffany & Co

Outfit of the Day - Black Cold Shoulder Lace Dress

"My style is definitely schizophrenic; it does change from day to day a lot." - Amber Le Bon

Black lacey cold-shoulder dress that exudes beauty and elegance; perfect for date nights, hanging out with the girls, work, events and functions.

Dress: Fata (SGD$89.00)
Necklace: Tiffany & Co
Bangle: Hermes

Review of Super Hair Removal (SHR) at True Shape @ Orchard Road

Photo Source: https://myfave.com/singapore/partners/true-shape/1416

321 Orchard Road #04-03 / 04 Orchard Shopping Centre, Singapore 238866

Tel: 6336 6596 / 8232 1352

Website: http://www.trueshape.com.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trueshapegroup

Having tried out various means of hair removal methods for Brazilian areas, such as Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and E-pulse Light Treatment (EPL), Sugaring, etc, I was intrigued to give this new, patented laser technology Super Hair Removal (SHR) a try. This methods removes hair permanently and painlessly (depending on the level of heat adjusted for each individual).

As such, I visited True Shape Spa, located at Orchard Shopping Centre - a beauty and wellness centre with over 20 years of history and experience. Services provided by them include hair removal, facial, massage, brows and bust enhancement treatments etc. Service crew was chatty, friendly and very eager to up-sell.

True Shape Spa is spacious - a long unit filled with treatment rooms and even a shower room, for customers to wash up especially before Brazilian procedures. Decor is simple with muted sophistication and comfortable.  Even the treatments rooms are spacious, and stocked with many essentials for customers' after-treatment grooming requirements.

So, to share a little more about SHR - it is an advanced hair removal system, destroying hair follicles permanently by using low-influence repetitive laser pulses targeted at vulnerable hair follicles, providing contact cooling at the same time, resulting in a painless hair removal experience. Despite its painless glides upon the skin, each SHR releases 20 - 30 shots onto each hair follicle during treatment, a rather hefty difference against the usual light treatments releasing only 2-3 shots. I'm told thats its Advance Florescence Technology (AFT) can also provide whitening effect, thus customers who undergo this treatment are able to kill 2 birds with one single stone.

I agreed to try SHR for arms, legs and Brazilian areas. One is expected to shave their intended SHR areas before coming down for the actual session. After cleansing, a cool, clear gel was spread across my skin surface. My therapist Chloe then tested the heat of the device upon my skin. Once I gave my okay, she proceeded to apply the device to my skin.  Like IPL, strong bursts of bright light filled the room with each trigger.

Before SHR - see the fine but dense hairs sitting on my skin?

After SHR - skin is smooth, clear and noticeably fairer.

Each limb took only around 5 minutes to complete; Brazilian took a little longer because of the tenderness of the area. Overall, my hair removal treatment for all 5 areas were completed within around 30 minutes - without pain or fuss, super efficient.

Did I feel more confident after the hair removal? You bet. I kept touching my arm to feel its baby-soft smoothness, and cannot wait for all hair to be permanently removed in due course (with 6-8 sessions, for my body hair growth condition). Thank you True Shape Spa for the comfortable hair removal experience, and trying out the latest technology!

Assisi Hospice Charity Gala Dinner 2018 @ Pan Pacific Hotel

7 Raffles Boulevard, Level 1, Pacific Ballroom, Pan Pacific Hotel, Singapore 039595

Tel: 6336 8111

Date: 21 September 2018 (Friday)

Time: 7.00pm - 10.00pm

Website: http://www.assisidinner.com

Assisi Hospice is a gorgeous home away from home for the terminally ill, providing spacious and airy environment for the patients to rest and recuperate, under professional care of their team. I was honoured to be invited for their "TGIF"  Charity Gala Dinner 2018, held at Pan Pacific Hotel Singapore, this year.

The ambiance was vibrant with well-dressed men in suits and ties; whereas the ladies looked ravishing in gowns and cocktail dresses. Beautiful art pieces on display were part of the auction items during the dinner, and our eyes feasted ravenously upon these beauties before we entered the Pacific Ballroom for our dinner event.

The charity dinner commenced with vital key management of Assisi Hospice giving a speech, followed by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, and an award ceremony by Mdm. Ho Ching herself. A humorous emcee and some musicians entertained us throughout the dinner as well, before the Live Auction took place (after the main course).

Dinner was a beautiful 7-course Western affair, starting with freshly-baked Artisanal Breads, served with Butter and Olive Oil. I resisted them mostly (carbs avoidance) but caved in for a couple of bites when the soup course was served thereafter. Delicious - crusty and went perfectly well eaten on its own or with condiments / soup.

Then appetizer graced the table; a gorgeous platter of Smoked Duck (with beetroot jelly), Australian Scallop Confit (with green Gazpacho dressing) and Cured Norwegian Salmon Loin (with citrus salsa). Dainty, colorful items that pleased the palate greatly.

Following that, Truffle-infused Wild Mushroom Soup with Chives sprinkling. A soul-warmer on this perfect rain-cooled evening, bringing us back down to earth with its aromatic notes. A little sweet for my liking, but I dug its smooth texture definitely.

Mains were served. One could choose the Baked Barramundi, served with crushed purple potatoes, provencal vegetables and citrus Beurre Blanc. I knifed down on the crispy skin to the flakey snowy flesh of the fish, enjoying every bite tremendously.

The other choice of mains was the Braised U.S. Black Angus Short Ribs, served with pea mash, provencal vegetables and natural jus. The thick slab of belie-d its ultra tenderness; my friend likened it to bourguignon, because of its melty texture; every bite burst with flavours.

Yes, I was one of the lucky ones who got to share mains so I had the best of both worlds, literally.

Dessert was a decadent godsend of Caramelized Pisang Emas Chocolate Tart, served with Mango Coulis and Coconut Sorbet. Rich and bold in flavour, this crusty dessert with the impeccable ganache is a chocolate lover's dream come true.  It beckoned to me and seduced completely - I had to finish every bite even though it was already 10.15pm.

Finally, platter of Petit Fours to go with coffee or tea - colorful Macarons, artisanal Chocolates, and mini Cream Puffs - the ladies at my table decided to cut them up so we could have a bit of everything. Lovely pastries for certain, and these went really well with our tea and Rum shots.

All in all, this was a very exciting and beautiful event - doing good while dining with beautiful people. Thank you for the invite!

Outfit of the Day - Monochrome Bodyhugging Dress

"I usually keep my style simple and streamlined. I like classic colours like black

, white and beige. White and black is my favorite colour combination, and I like 

to finish up my look with an accent of gold jewelry." - Aerin Lauder.

Dress: MDS (SGD$89.90)
Necklace: Tiffany & Co
Watch: Rado
Earrings: Love & Co

Outfit of the Day - black conservative dress

"My style is unique and random. But I think it's important that it 

still makes sense." - Jess Glynne

Black dress: Mango (SGD$99.00)

Mooncakes Review for Mid-Autumn Festival 2018

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival 2018 to all! 

This festival has many names, such as "Mooncake Festival" and "Lantern Festival", etc, as well. It is a harvest festival celebrated by the Chinese all over the world, falling on the 15th day of the Lunar Eighth month every year (around  mid-September for our calendars). Some fables associated with this beautiful festival include Chang-Er flying to the Moon, Jade Rabbit and Wu Gang chopping tree etc - feel free to read up all about them.

Being an avid mooncake lover, I totally let go of dietary restrictions this month so I could indulge in mooncakes; various types (and each year, more and more unique flavours or types of mooncakes are being created). I am glad to note that many companies have also become more flexible, tweaking their mooncakes and packaging to suit our needs better these days, such as:

1. Gluten-free, egg-less, low sugar or no sugar Mooncakes
2. Allowing us to mix and match different flavoured mooncakes in a box purchase (in the past, flavours were fixed by the hotels or restaurants)
3. More hotels and restaurants allowing the purchase of single pieces of Mooncakes instead of the mandatory "2 pieces per box" minimum order practice.

I love these changes as it allows us to be able to buy more flavours to share with family and friends, rather than ending up with 5 different boxes of mooncakes just so we could try 5 different types of mooncakes. My must-visit place is usually Takashimaya's Mooncake Fair, where one gets to see, and sample many kinds of mooncakes from all participating hotels, restaurants and confectioneries. What assortment did I buy / receive this year?

For Snowskin Liqueur series this year, I love the Lychee Martini Truffle and Champagne Truffle (SGD$78.00 for a box of 8) mini snowskin mooncakes  by Grand Hyatt the best. After tasting several liqueur mooncakes, I found theirs to contain the stronger whiff of alcohol, contrasting beautifully with the light sweetness of the snowskin mooncakes.

That, followed by Ritz Carlton's Lycheetini and Irish Martini mini snowskin mooncakes, exuding pretty robust flavours of Martini in its chocolate centre as well. These retail for SGD$76.00 for a box of 8 mini snowskin cakes.

For a good mixture of alcoholic and non-alcoholic snowskin mooncakes, I enjoyed JW Marriott Singapore South Beach's assorted mooncakes, containing flavours such as Cempedek, Champagne, Chocolate and Green Tea; makes for a perfect gift suiting everyone's unique preference. They retail for SGD$73.90 for a box of 8 assorted mini snowskin mooncakes.

Finally, the other snowskin mooncake that piqued my interest this year was by Bakerhaus, a Malaysian bakery selling their mooncakes in Singapore. Their Lava Mooncake series was pretty unique, and the lava centre really flowed - one could choose from blueberry cheese, strawberry cheese, mango cheese or custard. These cost SGD$66.00 for a box of full-sized snowskin mooncakes.

Ice-cream Mooncakes (SGD$39.80 for 4) by Swensens is an annual favourite as well, especially the Sticky Chewy Chocolate and Cempedek ones. Another ideal gift for people who don't like the conventional baked or SnowSkin Mooncakes.

Moving on to baked goods, I enjoyed the assorted mooncakes from Mandarin Orchard Hotel, "The Mandarin Collection" (SGD$73.00) featuring Mixed Nuts with Jamon Iberico, Double Yolk White Lotus Paste, Macadamia Nuts with Low Sugar White Lotus Paste, and Azuki Red Bean Paste with Pine Nuts. This treasure box gave us the best of all worlds.

There was also the White Lotus Seeds with Pine Nuts baked mooncakes (SGD$66.00) by Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, which I gifted my clients, and they loved the presentation as well as taste of these elegant, traditional mooncakes.

Tried some of the low-sugar Pandan mooncake and low-sugar Lotus Seed Paste mooncake (SGD$58.00) from Holiday Inn as well. Nice!

I couldn't resist getting one of these mini Custard Mooncakes (SGD$4.50) from Starbucks the other day while drinking my morning coffee. Hmmmm not bad as a tea-time pastry, but I still find Maxim's Custard mooncake tastier.

Last but not least, these pretty little delights from Peach Garden Restaurant, with many flavours. I always like their Premium Sun-dried Longan infused with Red Tea Paste mooncakes (SGD$68.00 per box of 4). Other interesting flavours from them include Pandan, Red Bean Paste with Orange Peel, Black Date with Melon Seed, etc - perfect for the traditionalists looking for favorite flavours of yesteryear.

Finally, one can't do without Teochew-style, flakey mooncakes, I feel. I used to buy from East Ocean Restaurant, but theirs expire pretty soon, even if stored in fridge. I also enjoy buying from Gin Thye, especially together with their ultra-delectable Walnut-Skin Mooncakes, but too bad they don't carry them this year. So I went back to Zhen Wei - their specialty being that they are able to sell in boxes of 2 (pretty marble-like boxes too!), and they have both the yam-paste and pumpkin-paste flavours. Retailing at SGD$27.00 for a box of 2, we usually gift these to the grannies, who loved them superbly.

Another pretty palatable Teochew-style mooncake is the Yam mooncake with single yolk from Swatow Restaurant (SGD$48.00 for 4 pieces). It's low in sugar and where better to have Teochew-style mooncake than from a Teochew restaurant, right?

That's my Mooncake review for this year. Now it'st time to diet and exercise off those sugars and drink plenty of tea. Once again, may you have a blessed Mid-Autumn Festival (also known to me as "Autumn Equinox")!  Harvest more in your businesses!