Spread the Love with ZUJI

Tuesday 28 July 2015

I come from a family of 6. By today's (and some 30 years ago) standard, it is consider a huge family. We were not well-to-do and my parents worked hard to provide for us. I remember being afraid to ask my mother for extra money to buy A, B or C required in school because I know it'll be met with a "no money". Yet, somehow, a couple of days later, I would always get the money I requested for.

Based on how we were doing financially and having a big family nucleus, my parents couldn't afford to fly all of us on a family holiday together. I only took a flight for the first time when I was 19 using the money I saved from my part-time jobs. Before that, all the overseas trips I went on were in Malaysia.

I have never blamed my parents for not being able to bring us on holidays because that'll cost at least thousands and is considered a luxury. But we were not poor, money was just tight. My siblings and I still get our fast food fix and my dad would indulge me and get me anything I asked for, be it a camera or CDs from my favourite bands.

One of my most memorable across-the-border trips was our visit to Genting when I was probably 9 or 10.




My memories of the trip was quite vague, I remember my dad drove us up to Genting Highlands with my cousins and extended family. I slept most of the journey because I used to have motion sickness (not as bad now) and my mum had plastic bags and sour plums ready for me. We stayed in a service apartment and went to the theme park, took a lot of pictures using film camera and I cannot remember anything else haha. It must have been mighty fun because hanging out with other kids (cousins we don't see very often) is always fun.

Times Square, New York

Since young, and especially after my first trip on the airplane, I was always eager to travel. I want to learn about the places I read in (text)books, try the food they eat and immerse myself in a culture other than the one I am familiar with. I was lucky I got into SQ as a flight attendant and flew with the airline for a good five years.

Ponte Vecchio, Florence

Now that I have seen so many cities around the world, I strongly believe that travelling should start at a young age. Children absorb knowledge better through their sensory senses. Coupled with what they learn in the classroom, travelling would give them a better understanding and at the same time, allow them to acquire new skills/knowledge they would not have been able to gain in school.

Hyde Park, London

Which is why ZUJI and I have a common direction. We believe that the joy of travelling is for everyone.

Everyone, including disadvantaged low-income families.

I might not have the fortune to travel far when I was still in school but I certainly do hope that kids these days have it better than me.


I believe most of us are familiar with ZUJI. It is an online travel agent (OTA) that provides extensive booking services. You can search, compare and book your preferred flights, hotels, insurance and even car hire all on one site and it is definitely one of the websites I check out before I make my travel plans.

Currently, ZUJI is partnering with MasterCard and they would like to invite everyone to join them in creating bright and worldly possibilities for the 13,000 beneficiaries under The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (SPMF) this year.

It is really SO EASY to help.


For each new "LIKE" on ZUJI Singapore Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/zuji.com.sg) from now till 1 November 2015, ZUJI will make a $0.50 donation to SPMF! After you've done the click, share the word with your friends so we can get more out of this initiative for SPMF :)


The video above shows the story of one of SPMF's beneficiaries, Charmaine. At a tender age of 13, I think Charmaine's maturity surpassed her peers and maybe even some of us because we will never know how tough it is on her family and her. And that's why I count my lucky stars that not only am I healthy, I also have the luxury to travel a few times a year now.

You can find out more about this initiative at www.zuji.com.sg/alotlikelove as well as view stories and videos of beneficiaries and find out how else you can help to fulfil the dreams of the low-income families.

To be updated of the latest ZUJI travel deals and the ‘A lot like love’ campaign, subscribe to ZUJI e-newsletter on http://www.zuji.com.sg/newsletter/

Don't forget to "LIKE" ZUJI FB page at http://www.facebook.com/zuji.com.sg!


Lastly, GIVEAWAY TIME:
ZUJI is giving away $100 travel voucher to one of my readers! Share with me “What do you miss about travelling with your family?” in the comment section and I will choose my favourite reply! Do remember to leave down your email address so I can contact you after ;) Best of luck!!


Our Housewarming Party

Thursday 23 July 2015

On the first Saturday of July, H and I had a small housewarming party and invited around 30 friends over. We had our food catered from Neo Garden Catering and a dessert table by Creme Maison Bakery. There was too much food and everything was delicious!! In between entertaining our guests, I was stuffing myself silly because everyone came up to me and told me they like so-and-so dish or such-and-such dessert. Of course I had to give them all a try for myself! In a nutshell, I lost count of how much I've eaten that afternoon haha.


We had a total of 11 dishes which included:
- Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
- Sweet and Sour Fish
- Wasabi Prawn Ball
- Signature Curry Chicken
- Mushroom Broccoli
- Chicken and Mutton Satay
- Breaded Scallops
- Mini Chocolate Eclairs
- Honeydew Sago
- Lychee (Cordial Drink)
- Nonya Laksa DIY Station


Opted for the wasabi prawn ball (not spicy by the way) instead of the cereal prawns 'cause I didn't think the guests would want to peel prawns at a housewarming party and these didn't disappoint. Ebiko never goes wrong ;)



The Pineapple Fried Rice was damnnnnn good by the way! I loved it so much I had two servings...with the absolutely yummy curry sauce. YUMS


Our friends loved the satays so much they were completely wiped out (one of them even dabao-ed the few sticks left)!


These bite-sized chocolate eclairs were a joy to eat! They weren't too sweet or too creamy, and I love the fluffy pastry.


The DIY Nonya Laksa station! I love the concept 'cause I can choose to omit bean sprouts from my bowl.



Hehe my nephew had refills of the pineapple fried rice!


We had a small dessert corner set-up at our kitchen island by Creme Maison Bakery. It was so pretty *heart-eye emoticonsssss*


It was catered for 25-30 pax and the rest of the desserts were kept in the refrigerator for top-up :)


Everyone's favourite - Salted Caramel Cupcakes. They were moist and sweet, just the way I like them!



My friends were crazy about the Blackforest Dessert Cups so I gave it a try and wow, super rich chocolate cake that keeps you wanting more. *thumbs up*




It was a really fun afternoon having a small group of friends over but boy, the before and after party cleaning-up was mad tiring! Actually no, entertaining guests was just as tiring. After the last guests left, H and I collapsed on the sofa and napped for 2 hours before I woke the both of us up 'cause I was hungry lol. And we heated up a bowl of nonya laksa each, a plate of pineapple fried rice + curry chicken we kept aside for dinner from the catering ;) It was such a good meal!


Ash Grey In My Hair

Monday 13 July 2015


Every 2-3 months, I'll visit Elva at Pro Trim JEM for a new hair colour because by then, the original colour would've faded and it always looks a little orange-brown on my hair no matter what colour I dye, and hair treatment at least once a month! Whenever possible, I will go for a hair wash at the salon as well because 
1) I loveeeee the head massage, and 
2) I think I'm not thorough enough when I wash my hair and the oil/dirt accumulates which can cause quite a lot of hair loss.

So this month I decided to have some ash grey in my hair!!

I actually saw some pictures of the colour while surfing and immediately texted my excitement to Elva who was just as excited as I am because I am finally going out of my comfort zone haha!!

I have always been quite conservative with my hair colour choices so it is always dark brown, medium brown, ash brown...whatever shades of brown there are, name it and I've probably had that before. So apparently Tino (@ 313 Pro Trim) and Elva were shocked that I am actually okay to bleach my hair to achieve the desired ash grey haha. All that was on my mind was, if not now then when?? 


Elva already had it all planned out for me when I arrived at Pro Trim JEM. She was gonna use the new VLook technique by L'oreal to colour my hair. I have actually already heard of this new technique during Singapore Fashion Week in May but I thought VLook actually meant achieving a V-shaped face with the help of a haircut. Who would've thought the way you have your hair coloured could give you a defined and smaller face shape!


There are in-salon pre and post treatments available in the VLook package, as well as a bottle of Mythic Oil to bring home!


Not only that, I also got a bottle of V-Shaper Essence for my face!


We started by bleaching a V-shaped portion of my hair because there's no other way to achieve the shade of ash grey I want if I don't bleach.


I was a little horrified when I saw that streak of gold after bleaching :O
Thankfully that didn't last long!


I did the Keratase Scalp Treatment after my colouring. This treatment soothes and calms the scalp after such an intensive session, at the same time, giving me silky and smooth hair :)


The greys are all hidden!!


Got my favourite photographer (H) to help me take some pictures the next day!


It is honestly very well-hidden and subtle. If I didn't tuck my hair behind my ears or if you're not walking behind me, you probably wouldn't notice it. 

I know I look like I've aged overnight and H even called me "姑姑" hahaha you know 杨过and小龙女?? HAHAHA





Hehehe I loveeeeee it :D


Also got a new set of eyelashes extensions at Dreamlash! On my lashes this month is the "Diamond Wink Lash" which features diamond silk lashes with thinner ends which give a more natural and softer look! Not as dramatic as what I normally do so this was a refreshing change!


If you are interested to try out "Diamond Wink Lash", quote my name at Dreamlash to enjoy the trial set at $50 for up to 60 strands of eyelashes. Top-up is available for 100 strands and above. You can call 6884 8019 to enquire! :)


Save Money As You Make Reservations Through Eatigo!

Saturday 11 July 2015


Sometime last month, the girls and I met up for dinner. We decided to do things a little different by going on a food trail at Clarke Quay! We visited four restaurants (!!!) that evening which serve entirely different cuisines. And the BEST part of our evening was of course what we managed to save just by making reservations via the EATIGO app recommended by a friend! We saved a whopping 50% off our dining bills!! Will share more about the good deal we got in a moment. Now, yummy food pictures first ;)



The first restaurant we visited was Hot Stones Steak and Seafood chosen by Tricia which was an excellent choice! We requested to have our meal on the boat for a slightly more cozy and intimate ambience. Other than the popular choice of the Hot Stones Surf and Turf (Australian Tajima Wagyu and King Prawns), we also ordered a serving of the US Kurobuta Pork Chop ($40 before 50% off) and King Prawns to share because this was only our first restaurant of the evening haha.

While we waited for our meat to cook on the serpentinite volcanic hot stones, we munched on the sides (salad and potato wedges - so good)!

For more info and booking at Hot Stones Steak and Seafood to get up to 50% savings, refer to this link: http://www.eatigo.com/home/sg/en/restaurant/name/hot-stones-steak-&-seafood/



We proceeded to Fremantle Seafood Market which was only a minute away for our second meal! I chose this place because the girls and I are HUGE fans of seafood!! We go all *love eye emoticon* x3 whenever there are crabs, lobsters, prawns on the menu so I'm happy we have discovered another seafood restaurant with yummy food we can visit!

The Live Sri Lankan Crabilicous Bag cooked with Cajun Spice Garlic Herb served with prawns, golden clams and grilled corn is a must order when you visit!

For more info and booking at Fremantle Seafood Market to get up to 50% savings, refer to this link: http://www.eatigo.com/home/sg/en/restaurant/name/fremantle-seafood-market



Our next stop was Pind Balluchi Bar & Grill which serves up North Indian cuisine. I am more familiar with South Indian cuisine but I did not expect myself to like North Indian cuisine just as much!

The Bhatti Chicken was grilled to perfection with a bit of charred taste which was really yums! I also enjoyed the Garlic Naan and Peshawari Naan (stuffed with pound dried nuts) with the Buttermilk Curry Gravy that was specially prepared for us.

For more info and booking at Pind Balluchi Bar & Grill to get up to 50% savings, refer to this link: http://www.eatigo.com/home/sg/en/restaurant/name/pind-balluchi



For our fourth and last stop, we headed to Azmaya at Robertson Quay for shabu shabu! Everyone was raving non-stop about the A5 Wagyu Beef so I will definitely be back again for this and the pork shabu shabu set!

For more info and booking at Azmaya to get up to 50% savings, refer to this link: http://www.eatigo.com/home/sg/en/restaurant/name/azmaya


It is unbelievably easy to make bookings using the EATIGO app. It took me 2 minutes or less to secure a reservation for us with 50% savings after registration!


After selecting your desired restaurant, pick your date/time slot. Say you have a pretty flexible schedule, make a reservation at 4.30pm so you can enjoy 50% off your dining bill, which was what I did for us!


Simply key in your details to confirm your booking...


And there we have it! My reservation is confirmed and I have 50% off my bill instantly without any special promotion or credit cards!


Everything can be done through the EATIGO app which is easy peasy. Choose to cancel or amend your booking with just a few clicks in the app and credit card details are not required for reservations. 


Following my confirmation, I received an SMS and an email from EATIGO to inform me of my confirmed booking. The whole process from registering to booking to dining was fuss-free! It seems like I'll be using this app frequently for future gatherings ;) Good, quality food with huge 30%-50% savings? I mean, who doesn't want to save money??

Start saving when dining! Download the EATIGO app or find out more about it here: http://www.eatigo.com/home/sg/en/

For first time EATIGO users -
Key in my promo code "JST5CC" when making your reservation + attend that reservation to receive a S$5 Coffee Bean Card for FREE!
Offer is only valid for one month so go ahead and enjoy this offer! :)