Lush Haul

I remember the first time I walked into a Lush store, it was two years ago in Italy. I didn't use my eyes to spot the store. In fact, I used my nose! You could smell the store from at least 20 meters away.

I walked in, had a look around at all the beautiful sweet smelling soaps and bath products, became instantly overwhelmed by the sheer choices available and walked back out.

The next day I finally mustered up the courage to re-enter the store, and aided by the oh-so-friendly-and-knowledgeable store assistants, I bought my first Lush bath bomb and massage bar.

Unfortunately, I never found the opportunity to step into another Lush store again. And somehow or rather, the bath bomb AND massage bar were forgotten, buried under various knick knacks in my dressing table drawer.

Fast forward to last week, I suddenly found a Lush store in Singapore, and somehow my nose dragged me in yet again! Totally dejavu - I got overwhelmed and walked out with only a pack of bath bubbles courtesy of Aiden who got excited over the multi colored PlayDoh like texture. Upon my return to the hotel, I vowed to return after a thorough online research. Armed with knowledge, I returned to the store the very next day and bought their recommended bestsellers. So here I am, sharing the results of my research aka the must haves in your Lush haul!

Honey I Washed The Kids Soap Bar
This solid bar of soap smells like honey and toffee. Sooooo good in the shower. The only thing I hated about it was because it didn't lather much, even when used with a poof. In fact, none of their soap bars lather! (I read that Sultana of Soap lathers slightly better so perhaps that would be my next purchase?) I know I really shouldn't factor lather to cleanliness but I do enjoy my bubbles in the bath. I wish they would make this into a shower gel version!

Jason and the Argan Oil Shampoo Bar
This is a shampoo bar, and such a unique invention too! Compact and perfect for traveling. Lovely rose smell. Unlike the soap bar, this one lathers beautifully. I just rubbed it against my hair, and the friction created an impressive lather. I didn't need to rub much to coat my long and thick hair too. Love it! You just need to make sure you dry out the bar before keeping it in the container, as it is quite prone to breaking into pieces. Note that I still needed to use a conditioner afterwards.

Pearl Massage Bar
This is the massage bar that I bought two years ago. As you can see, it is still in perfect shape and form. It glides smoothly on the skin and smells so delicious. Nowadays I keep it in the fridge for a cooling massage on a hot day.

Hsuan Wen Hua Hair Treatment
This is the only one out of the haul which does not smell good. But, it is such a great hydrating treatment to the hair. According to the instructions, you apply this to DRY hair and leave it in for about 20minutes before rinsing it out and then shampoo and condition as usual. Use it once a week for best results. You will have to use a strong smelling shampoo to mask the smell though. It took me two washes to get rid of the smell.

Ocean Sea Salt Scrub
One of Lush's bestsellers. This is a scrub for both your face and your body. It contains alcohol so don't eat it! *chuckles* Use this to exfoliate once or twice a week for baby soft skin. I love the tangy smell, and it even has a lingering smell afterwards! Suggest you use this as a last step before you step out of the shower. Major love!

Chocolate Lip Scrub
This is a limited edition flavour for Easter. All you need to do is scoop some with your finger, scrub it on your lips, rub your lips together and tadaaaa you're done. You can either lick the remaining particles (taste soooo good) or wipe it off with a towel. I usually do the former! *giggles* Finish with a moisturizing lip balm.

Lush Fun
This is a big hit with the kids. What's not to love about a bath product that also acts as a modeling clay? The kids had a fun time making various shapes in the bathtub, and it made lots of bubbles too! All you need to do is run a small amount under the tap and it will create heaps of bubbles. Comes in many funky colours and smells amazing too. Simply awesome!

Bath Bombs
Bath bombs only last for one use, so choose wisely. Unlike bubble bars, this one does NOT create bubbles. Instead, bath bombs typically fizzle and disintegrate once in contact with water, releasing beautiful colours, glitter and interesting surprises such as rose petals! Soak in the colored water and enjoy a long relaxing bath after a hard day at work.

Well that's it for now! I am looking forward to trying out more Lush (need another trip to Singapore, pronto!) so do share your favourite Lush products in the comments below.

Beauty and the Beast

With all the hoo-haa surrounding the very controversial Beauty and the Beast, I decided not to take my chances with the Malaysia censorship board. Since I was scheduled to be in Singapore the weekend of the release, I took it as a divine sign that I was meant to watch it away from home! Even if it meant paying nearly triple per ticket!

Yes, in Singapore there is no such thing as a child ticket. All movie tickets are the same price and of course with the currency exchange you are bound to be paying triple for everything. Not to forget the popcorn and drinks, plus bus tickets for everyone! In a nutshell it was quite a costly affair for the four of us.

Add in a full spread of lunch at the hotel and a shopping spree at Smiggle on Orchard Road... *so broke*

I decided to watch it at Shaw Theatres - Lido, which is just across the street from our hotel. Slightly more expensive than the typical cinemas (the likes of TGV and GSC in Singapore) but I rationalized the decision - at least it meant that I didn't have to pay for MRT tickets or taxi to get everyone across town.

Booking was seamless and I paid for it online using my credit card. Upon arrival, I switched my online tickets for physical tickets (one must have paper proof of watching Beauty and the Beast!) *chuckles* However, the line for popcorn was horrendous. But they had nachos! With a generous portion of cheese sauce or salsa. I miss those days when we used to have nachos at TGV *sob sob*

Sharing my childhood memory with my young man.

Shaw Theaters - Lido.

Anyway, the movie was really really good. It kept true to the animated original, and I found myself singing to the songs from my childhood. Evergreen tunes! Certainly brought back memories from the classic Disney. I also found a new sense of appreciation for the lyrics in the musical. Dulu pakai main bantai nyanyi jer. At 10 years old, singing about how I wanted more than this provincial life??? Now that I am older, I realized the narrative impact and how the words complemented the movie beautifully. My maid on the other hand couldn't understand anything (they only had Chinese subtitles), but even she enjoyed herself. We were all so swept up with the movie, we didn't realize that the movie was over two hours long.

As for the controversial 'gay' scenes, honestly they weren't glaringly noticeable. It lasted a fraction of a second, hardly nothing to justify banning the movie completely in Malaysia. Aiden didn't even ask about it... Heck even my maid didn't notice it!

The good news is that it is finally coming to Malaysia at the end of the month. Trust me - go and watch it. You won't regret it one bit.

Overdose

Last night was one of the most terrifying nights of my life. 

I am currently in Singapore with the kids and the maid. For a business trip, and also for Beauty and the Beast (that deserves a special blogpost altogether). Hubby stayed home as he had to work. 

As soon as we arrived in Singapore, Ian started developing a fever. My maid had packed paracetamol syrup but no suppository medication so we gave him the syrup to keep the fever down. His fever persisted that night and continued through yesterday morning till the afternoon. While I was at work, the maid kept his fever down by sponging plus paracetamol syrup. Right after work, I decided to bring everyone out for dinner and at the same time, visit a pharmacy to get a stronger medication such as suppository Voren. 

Ian was still having a fever then but he was active as usual. He didn't want to walk so my maid carried him while I went to the pharmacy. To my surprise, Singapore doesn't allow Voren/Voltaren to be sold over the pharmacy counter without a prescription. So I was left with either a suppository paracetamol or oral ibuprofen. Since I needed something that would give him a quick relief, especially for the impending night, I decided to take the suppository. It was only two hours after the paracetamol syrup but since he was still feverish I decided to give him the supp anyway. Right after the supp we went to Swensens to have dinner.

As we were looking at the menu to order, Ian looked slightly drowsy so I laid him down on my lap. He didn't feel so hot anymore. Suddenly he jerked, and started whimpering. I started panicking. I calmed him down and placed my palm on his chest. I felt his heart hammering away very fast. My maternal instincts were giving me warning signals. I watched him closely. He looked sleepy and he started to close his eyes and then he jerked again. I called out to him to keep him awake and he started whimpering. I knew something was really wrong. The only thought in my head was that I had overdosed him on paracetamol. 

Packed our things and left the restaurant (nasib baik tak order makan lagi). Ran to the information counter to ask for the nearest clinic. None on Orchard Road was open at that hour. Closest option was the hospital. Which would obviously cost a bomb with our horrible currency. Weighed my options. Ian cried and said "Ian shakit". I asked where and he pointed to his heart. I freaked out. Called a doctor friend and told her the dosage I had given. She comforted me by saying that I hadn't overdosed him. But that she was worried about the jerking and advised me to head to the hospital as she was worried that he probably had a fit. I remember thinking to myself, "Why would he have a fit, he's not that hot!" 

Called a cab and headed to the nearest hospital - Mount Elizabeth. Called Hubby on the way but because I was too panicky, I couldn't explain what happened properly. Hung up the phone in haste. Arrived at emergency and they took his temperature and measured his heart rate. His heart rate was so high, the alarm started beeping! And can you believe that his temperature was 40.5! I don't know why he didn't feel like 40.5 degrees! I felt so angry at myself. I felt like such a horrible mother!!! My son was having a 40.5 degree fever and I wanted to have dinner at Swensens???

Trying to coax Ian to eat by offering him macarons, while Aiden goofed around with his toy stethoscope.

I felt so lonely then. Without Hubby by my side and alone di negara orang without any support system. Tak kenal anyone other than my work colleagues which I would rather not call unless it's a serious life and death emergency. 

Anyway to cut a long story short, the doctor said that I did give him too much paracetamol but because it was just one episode he wasn't that worried. The fit was probably because of the fever but since it was very short and as long as it didn't last longer than ten minutes, no rolling eyes backwards and stuff like that, then there was nothing to be worried about. The influenza test came back negative as well. He gave supp Voren and advised us to stay away from Paracetamol for at least 12 hours to purge his system off the 'extra' dose. After about two hours in the hospital, he allowed us to go home. Ian also looked like his old self, happily playing with Aiden. And finally, I was able to smile again.

Ian smiling again, two hours after the dramatic hospital entrance. Hospital concierge provided a care package for the kids - a toy stethoscope and a body anatomy matching card game! 

I told my maid the hospital bill was about the same price as her flight ticket back home for Raya this year. She smiled sheepishly. Anyway, it's not her fault. I should have reminded her to pack the complete set of medication. Expensive lesson learnt. Always bring supp Voren and a thermometer when traveling.

I thought Prince Court was nice, but Mount Elizabeth was way nicer! Friendly staff, amazing amenities and the entire hospital smelt so good!

Last picture before we headed back to the hotel.

A Revisit to Universal Studios Singapore!

The last time we were in Universal Studios Singapore, Aiden was just over a year old. You can read the last blogpost here. (I took a visit down memory lane with Aiden by showing him the entry. He laughed his head off when I pointed out that he was crying in nearly every picture we took!)

Anyway, the trip to USS was merely an extension of my business trip to Johor. As mentioned in my previous post, I was asked to standby in the JB/Singapore area during the Christmas holidays hence the decision to bring the family over. We got a good deal online for the USS tickets; two adult tickets at $66 each which included a free coupon of $10 for food, $5 for souvenir and car park coupon worth $28. Of course we added on one child ticket for Aiden (Ian was free) and the total came to $186 (~RM588). Oh, a neighbour and her family joined us too... Aiden was so happy that he could go on 'adult' rides with Kakak Deena instead of merely riding with his lil' brother.

The ride into Singapore was not too bad, considering it was Christmas Eve. We tricked Aiden into believing that the Singapore immigration would have to 'interview' him before allowing him into the country. So we practiced a few lines such as "Why do you want to enter Singapore?" in which he answered with all the honest enthusiasm he could muster... "To have fun!!!!" Hubby and I broke into peals of laughter in the car. We even caught him practicing saying "Universal Studios Singapore" again and again to prepare for the 'interview'. *chuckles* Aaaahhh we are such naughty parents!

Universal Studios Singapore looked exactly the same as my last visit there, although they did splurge on the Christmas decorations this time around. We didn't bother going in early, our game plan was to just take our time and go on the more popular rides later in the evening when the queue time usually goes down significantly. Since USS is quite small, we tawaf the whole area at least 4 times in the hunt for rides with short queue lines. So make sure you wear good comfortable shoes!

Hollywood main street.

The Christmas tree at the end of the street.

We took a candid photo with Vin Diesel.

The first ride we went on was "Lights, Camera, Action" (hosted by Steven Spielberg). Needless to say, both Aiden and Ian walked out bawling in tears. They were super scared of the 'tornado' - it was that convincing! It all went downhill right after that because Aiden and Ian got super nervous whenever the ride included walking or riding into a dark area. For instance, Ian started panicking when we went into the Shrek 4D Adventure and Madagascar: A Crate Adventure. But at least he didn't cry. But for shows that were exceptionally loud, he would keep it all in until the end (such as the live Water World show) and once it ended, he started crying. *chuckles*

Just before the Lights, Camera, Action show. Honest laughter here. Little did he know about what he was going to experience after that!

Madagascar: A Crate Adventure.

Nervous faces on the two boys.

Honestly, USS isn't the best place to bring kids below 4. Exactly like Aiden 5 years ago, Ian didn't even crack a smile throughout our time there. Everything was either too loud or too scary for him. We tried our level best to make him happy with the (limited) kiddy rides available. We went on the Canopy Flyer (queue was super long, by the time we got in he was already exasperated), Magic Potion Spin (he got so tired of waiting for everyone to get on the ferris wheel that he demanded to be let out), and last but not least... this one takes the cake.... Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase (he didn't make the minimum height mark)!!!

Canopy Flyer... Aiden recognized the Jurassic Park theme song too!

Magic Potion Spin... they took such a long time loading people into each individual Ferris Wheel that by the time we got to the top, Ian started exclaiming "Apeeee, apeeee!!" (which meant "Open, open!!").

While we all went on the Spaghetti Space Chaser, the bapak bapak took responsibility of taking care of Ian (who didn't make the height mark). Dah macam gay couple pulak posing macamnie. *grin*

Posing with Elmo. Ian was deliriously happy to see his favourite character come to live. He kept exclaiming, "Mo! Mo!" *so cute*

Unlike Aiden at that age who screamed at anything huge and furry, Ian wasn't scared at all. He even gave Bert and Ernie a kiss on their cheeks!

Buttttt... the one thing that Ian did enjoy above all, was the Sesame Street Saves Christmas show. I believe this show was especially made for the Christmas season. Four shows daily, it was held inside a huge auditorium right opposite Mel's Drive In diner.  

Sesame Street Saves Christmas - last show for the day, hence the long queue. Don't be late; we were just a few minutes late for the third show and they were already turning people away as the auditorium was full.

Booster seats are also available outside the entrance, so Ian sat like a king that night.

The Sesame Street gang.

Check out Aiden's cheeky pose.

Anyway, here are the rest of the photos that we managed to take during our day here:

Fast asleep while waiting for the Daddies who went on the Battlestar Galactica.

Trying out the Minions merchandise at the store.

Snow at the Hollywood main street!

Monkey see, monkey do. Ian saw his Abang Aiden posing like that, and he tried to replicate the same! In his own Ian style, of course!

Posing in front of the Shrek castle.

After we took this picture, Fiona offered her cheek to Ian. Ian kissed her. Then we playfully asked Ian to kiss Shrek. And he did!!! *giggles*

Last but not least, confession time. I'm a huge scaredy cat. I hate roller coasters. Aiden definitely takes after me - he hates roller coasters too. But this time around, with a lot of encouragement from Kakak Deena and his love for Transformers, Aiden finally mustered up the courage to try the Transformers: The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle. Me? I kena jaga Ian! *alasan* Afterwards, the gang reported that Aiden nearly chickened out halfway at the queue but he didn't have any way out (I had left by then). Finally he got on the ride, and although he cried a little, he actually enjoyed the ride! As soon as he saw me, he went on and on about how the bad guy did this and how the good guy did that. He even told me to give it a try! Feeling challenged, I finally agreed to go on the ride. If Aiden can do it, I should be able to do it too kan???

Momentous occasion - lining up to ride on my first USS roller coaster!

It was close to 9pm when we finally got into queue. I think we were the final few who wanted to go on the ride as most of the crowd had already moved to the Main Street to watch the fireworks. Well guess what? Similar to Hubby's experience the last time we were there, just a few minutes before closing time, the ride 'conveniently' malfunctioned! But this time, I think it was probably a genuine malfunction because the staff actually offered to escort the remaining people in line to any available roller coaster ride of their choice. But me, being a true scaredy cat, declined and walked out to watch the fireworks.

I had mixed feelings that night - sad that I didn't get to go on the ride but also relieved at the same time. Oh well, I guess a third visit to USS is required then!

Final photo for the night.

Ladurée Singapore Macarons - My Pick of the Best Flavours!

After all the macarons that I have made in my small, humble oven, it is indeed a wonder why I never made the effort to try one of the world's best know macarons - Ladurée. 

I finally managed to have some during my stay in Singapore. To be honest, I wasn't particularly looking for Ladurée. I was actually walking back to the hotel, from my very scrumptious (and halal) dinner at Paul Bakery in Takashimaya/Ngee Ann City. The Chanel boutique caught my eye, and I was window shopping, feasting my eyes on the beautiful handbags in the window display. (Chanel Boy, anyone?) And there it was! Nestled in between the Chanel and Goyard (future handbag, perhaps?) was the Ladurée counter. And the only one in South East Asia, apparently!

Ladurée Paris.

The Ladurée counter.

I was initially quite hesitant about queuing in line, especially since I didn't know what flavours to choose nor even the price. And I was no where dressed half as nice as the upper-class females waiting in queue for their favourite macarons. But then I thought, "Heck I am not from this country; who cares if I don't look like a person who knows her way around Ladurée macarons?"

So I played the dumb tourist act and asked the very nice person serving me to recommend their best flavours. Since there was a minimum purchase of six macarons, I opted for six. But when I saw him putting it in a bag, I asked (nicely) for a pretty box so that it would last the flight home (erm, I lied - it was actually so that I can pose the macarons for pictures). Unfortunately, you have to buy eight to get a box. (You can even pay slightly additional to get a special Singapore edition box.) So I settled with eight and told him, "Give me eight of your best macarons, just surprise me!" He asked whether I preferred sweet or less sweet macarons, and I asked him to give me a bit of both.

Rows and rows of beautiful macarons.

Various pretty boxes to choose from.

You can also opt for more pretty tins or even a macaron pyramid. Just be prepared to pay a bomb.

Seriously, Ladurée is not cheap. The macarons are SGD 3.80 (approximately RM10) per piece! I paid close to RM80 for the box of eight. Imagine, biting into an RM10 macaron. If you stuff the whole macaron into your mouth in one bite, tadaa... RM10 is gone in one swallow. *shudder* Oh well, that's the price you have to pay for having world class Parisian patissiers make the macarons and fly them all the way into Singapore - that's a long plane ride, no kidding!

The Ladurée flavours.

So I carried my box of eight Ladurée macarons carefully across Orchard Road and up to my room at the Grand Hyatt, all the while worried for the safety of my delicate delights. As soon as I arrived, I promptly posed them for a picture. Beautiful paperbag, beautiful box. Need I say more?

Unopened box. Oh the anticipation of trying a Ladurée macaron!

So beautiful! The mix of colours were just right. I am actually salivating as I am typing this.

So what did I get in the box? From left to right, Salted Caramel, Marie Antoinette Tea, Pistachio, Rose Petal, Coconut, Lemon, Vanilla and Chocolate.

So here's a pick of my best flavours. My favourites were definitely (in order) the Marie Antoinette Tea, Rose Petal, Vanilla, Salted Caramel and Chocolate. What I was on the fence about, would be the Pistachio. What I would give a miss next time would be the Lemon and the Coconut.

What I found best about Ladurée was that the flavours were simple and pure. And they were packed with so much flavour, even a petite morsel had so much taste within it. For instance, I could taste and even smell rose petals when I bit into the Rose Petal macaron - a stunning creation, hands down. The Vanilla even had specks of vanilla beans on the surface of the macaron, which indicated how rich the vanilla flavour would penetrate my palate. Every bite brought a smile to my face. It was a very pleasant experience.

The appearance of the macarons were just perfect - incredibly smooth with no unsightly bumps or bubbles in sight. And don't even mention about feet. Macarons shouldn't be called macarons if they don't have feet. I tried splitting the macaron into half using a spoon and the shell shattered beautifully and I could see the moist and generous filling inside. The filling was so generous that the salted caramel practically oozed onto the other macarons when they all rode in my handbag on the plane home.

I would definitely buy these again, during my next trip to Singapore. Who cares about biting into an RM10 macaron! Money can be earned. An experience like this - priceless!

N.B: As I was researching this blogpost, I found out that there is also a Ladurée Boutique on Level 2 of Takashimaya. This boutique not only sells macarons, but also other Ladurée knick knacks such as souvenirs, scents, merchandise such as tote bags, and even key chains. I don't know whether I would bear to part with so much money for something Ladurée. But... that tote bag on their website looks really nice! Erk *I wanna be a rich tai tai*

Grand Hyatt Singapore - Upgraded!

I haven't been travelling so much via airplane nowadays. Even if it is still the safest way to travel, reading this on my flight to Singapore last week was a bit erm... ironic?

Reading this at 33,000ft in the air.

Anyway, I was on my way to Singapore for work, which included a day offshore. Initially, I wanted to book myself at the Hilton Singapore (Hilton Honors member yeay!).. but our ground transportation offshore was going to depart from the Grand Hyatt Singapore so I changed my booking to suit this.

I arrived at the hotel via cab, and as I was paying the fare, there were already unloading my luggage from the boot. As soon as I stepped out of the cab, a very pretty lady greeted me by name! She tapped on the iPad she was holding a few times and said "I understand you have a reservation with us, Miss Aliza. Please allow me to escort you to the front desk." I was quite intrigued by how she recognized me, and she offered an explanation cheekily, "I read it off your luggage tag. Not so smart, issit?" Well, I was still pretty impressed with her resourcefulness. She even introduced me to the man attending to me at the reception!

As for my experience at reception, service was swift and professional. But best of all, he told me that he was going to find me a "nice room", and when I asked him what that meant, he informed that he had upgraded my room to a Grand Deluxe! Knowing that I was a nobody in the Hyatt Gold Passport hierarchy, I asked him why he was upgrading me. He answered that they try to upgrade everyone who works at the Dutch Oil Company. Apparently we have a special partnership with Hyatt, we even get a discount for breakfast buffets!

This trip was actually my second time here. The first time, I was placed in the Standard room in the Terrace Wing - and even that room was quite impressive to the eye. The Grand Deluxe rooms are located in the Grand Wing. As I walked up to my room, I was mentally preparing myself to be amazed. And look at what greeted me:

The living area.

My jaw literally dropped when I saw the size of the room. Excuse me, I meant the rooms. Yes, instead of just a room with a bed, there was even a separate living area for entertaining guests.

That's the front door. The cabinets on the left of the door had a fridge and coffee making facilities within it. I thought I was going to use the workstation to blog, but I was too busy enjoying the room to do so.

The view of the bedroom from the living area.

A flat screen television just for the bedroom.

A chest of drawers in case you want to unpack. Two door wardrobe and a full length mirror.

The luxurious marble bathroom.

Again, my jaw dropped when I saw the beautiful bathroom. And when I saw the bathtub, I immediately said aloud "Aiden would have enjoyed this"! That's the funny part about being a mummy. Apart from missing the kids, somehow I also had a heart-wrenching guilt feeling that I was enjoying this exclusive room without them experiencing the same!

Separate areas for the shower and the toilet, the latter had a frosted glass door to ensure privacy.

Beautiful sink, complimented by bathroom amenities by June and Jacobs.

Loving the bathtub! Plenty of towels too.

It is not often that I find myself squatting in this position in the bathtub to take pictures!

The very comfy sofa in the living area.

Sanitized! Yes, I am anal that way.

Apart from doing some light shopping on Orchard Road (which was just a 5-minute walk from the hotel), I mostly stayed in the room and enjoyed my "me" time. I am quite a sucker for crime and mystery series, so Fox Crime was on the television all the time. I even ordered breakfast in my room!

American breakfast.

The sauteed mushrooms accompanying the (halal) sausages were simply beautiful. I even asked them for additional mushrooms the next day. The basket of bread and pastries came soft and warm as well - scrumptious croissants!

Checking out. Matching my work coveralls with my trusty ol' handbag. Imagine bringing an LV handbag offshore!!!

Will I be choosing this hotel again? A resounding yes indeed! Anyone tried the Grand Hyatt KL yet?