I can't believe 2015 is almost coming to an end, I swear it was just yesterday I was writing 2014 on my notes.
Wow. 2016 is fast approaching - which makes me look back in 2015 - what did I accomplish and how can I make 2016 even better?
Travelled quite a fair bit this year (and the end of last!), which makes me really thankful. Visited quite a few countries for the first time and revisited a few that I love.
My year in review (travels in review):
Bali, Indonesia
November 2014
Bangkok, Thailand (with family)
December 2014
Bangkok, Thailand (with AIA colleagues)
January 2015
Left job at AIA Singapore as Operations Executive
February 2015
Los Angeles, California, United States
February 2015
Manhattan, New York, United States
March 2015
Tokyo, Japan
March 2015
Got a new job as a Conference Producer
May 2015
Sydney, Australia
July 2015
Brisbane, Australia
September 2015
Sydney, Australia,
September 2015
Adelaide, Australia
September 2015
Melbourne, Australia
September 2015
Perth, Australia
September 2015
Auckland, New Zealand
September 2015
Wellington, New Zealand
September 2015
Hong Kong, SAR, China
October 2015
Macau, SAR, China
October 2015
Melbourne, Australia
November 2015
Perth, Australia
November 2015
Auckland, New Zealand
December 2015
Started this post in Melbourne and finishing it up in Auckland... am quite tired from the jet lag so shall just end off here.
Been travelling to Aus/NZ quite often for work, so thought I'd pen down what was interesting and places to visit (if you want to) so that you can take in some tips if you are interested in visiting!
(or you could always google #justsaying)
So, thanks to Daylight Savings now, Sydney/Melbourne is now 3 hours ahead of Singapore *Note to friends who text me at midnight SGT it's 3am here now) (oh and I'm posting this when I'm in Melb)
Bought this in Myers, I am totally a sucker for marketing products. 750g and I'm gonna lug this back home *cries a little*
Most shops close by 5pm. A good rule of thumb when travelling in Australia is to get a data plan and google to see if the place you want to go is open. Especially restaurants - this is because I've been to a couple restaurants without googling and only when I arrive I realise the restaurant is not even open #facepalm | I'm also confounded by DST simply cos the last time I was here (In Sept), sunset was at 5:30pm, whereby I get hungry by 5:45pm simply because it's dark and I think it's 8pm.
Now, sunset is at 8+pm. This means for once, my brain thinks I'm supposed to be hungry but I'm not because it is still so bright. Yesterday, when I finished dinner, I left the restaurant at 8pm, it looked like it was 6pm back home in SG. *confused mind*
In Sydney and Melbourne CBD, fortunately the grocery chains (Woolworths, Coles, etc) are still open after 5pm. I've heard that in the suburbs, this doesn't really hold true.
Some must-visits (IMO) in each city:
- Sydney (other than the usuals like Darling Harbour, Opera House, The Rocks etc); I will always visit the Sydney Fish Market; it's really accessible by tram/bus, or you could even walk if you wanted to if your hotel is in the CBD area!
- The Star Casino - not to gamble, but for the food, there's zumbarons there which I love, macarons by this famous Australian chef Adriano Zumbo (he recently collaborated with Tim Tams for a couple of unique flavours such as red velvet, salted caramel etc)
- Melbourne; I recently visited Queen Victoria Market on the weekend and there was a delightful bazaar thing going on, not sure if it's open every weekend or if I'm just lucky but I love it! You can get great finds/vintage stuff and a flea market is ongoing as well! (A really genuine flea market, not the blogshop ones that we have in Singapore that probably has just a few authentic stalls selling pre-owned stuff and the rest are BNWT) - on my to-do list; Great Ocean Drive! - Perth; King's Park at night & in the day is really different, worth going once if you are a city person and want to take in nature
- Nothing really much, I just like Perth cos I have family there and it's good to spend time with family :)
FOOD (MY FAVOURITE TOPIC EVAH)
Sydney
- Sydney Fish Market (mentioned earlier)
Bank St & Pyrmont Bridge Road | Sydney, NSW
- Hurricane's (Darling Harbour) [best ribs ever]
Harbourside Shopping Centre, 433-436 Darling Dr | Sydney, NSW
All the Crowns (Melbourne and Perth) (that I know of)
- Rockpool Bar and Grill (Mac & Cheese with speck is the best ever)
- Merrywell's (their friesssss)
Hehe I hope this short entry helped you in your decision to visit Aussie! It's a good place to go to relax and rewind because the pace of life is slower here compared to other cities. If you are interested in shopping, this is not the country for you because you can find mostly everything here cheaper in other countries, even Singapore! LOL.
Will be missing my very first chance at voting cos I'll be overseas for work :(
But my two cents before I fly - the post I shared a couple days ago. I realised that only Singaporeans who travel often have the same kind of thinking. Out of the box.
When we have been out of SG for some time, you appreciate everything. Like being able to leave your bag unattended at a table for a short period of time to buy something. Or to be able to walk home at 2:30AM in the morning, perfectly safe, with many taxis available. We have internet even on the train (debatable at times).
Yes, we have our faults, but we have our strengths. All I want is a balanced government whose #1 goal is to serve their people. When there's an opposition worth voting for, I'll do that. For now, I'm with the status quo.
Please, please, please don't vote for the opposition for the sake of overthrowing the incumbent. That's really from the frying pan into the fire.
Think smart - I hope to come back to a peaceful Singapore (see what's going on with our neighbours for an excellent example of why you need to be accountable and trust your leaders)
Taken on my first work trip to Sydney (July 2015) #nofilter
I'll be missing out on the GE2015, which is a little sad (because it's my first time voting, not that I really want to cast my vote but also it's an experience!!) and I'll be missing out on the hooha.
Will be flying to Brisbane, then Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth. Before the gasps and the "wa, so shiok" start, it's for work! And I'll be flying between states within a short period of time, so I reckon I'll be spending a lot of time at the airport.
Anyway, friends in these states. Drop me a text/facebook message so we can hang! (for dinner, after work ends) I'm most excited for the weather, the haze in Singapore has been pissing me off, giving me an on-and-off sore throat these few weeks.
Looking forward to the next phase of working life.
One of the reasons I enjoy using Palmers products - is the smell.
Yes, I majored in marketing in college. Yes I know that packaging and scent is one of the reasons a brand uses to hook its consumers..
I LOVE IT ANYWAY. Why would I buy an unscented ugly product when I can get a prettily packaged, nice-smelling product? Especially if it's skincare.
[Warning: Makeup-free images ahead]
As my friends know, I've been battling skin issues for some time. Not a huge surprise especially in Sunny Singapore where you sweat 95% of the time.
So my key issue is to lighten my scars on the face. After trying the Palmer's White and Even Dark Spot Corrector, it seems to be working!
You need to constantly take care of your skin, with the sunrays having little to no mercy on your skin, it's up to you to protect it! Of course, always wear sunscreen. But what if your sunscreen wears off and you're affected by the sun's UV rays? Not just a risk of skin cancer, you're at risk of hyper pigmentation!
Here's a short video on what it's about, rather than me blabbering on and on:
When used daily, the advanced blend of ingredients in Palmer’s Eventone products, works in two ways:
Lightens surface skin cells producing more uniform skin tone within 3-5 days
Acts on the deeper skin layers to inhibit over-production of melanin. Even skin tone develops as skin cells rise to the surface. 4-6 weeks, depending on age, health, and exposure to sun.
Of course, this is not a miracle product. You still have to apply your sunscreen diligently, and if you stop using it, your dark spots may come back!
And here are the photos! Packaging nice and sleek
L to R:
Dark Eye Circle Correcting Treatment, Dark Spot Corrector
Interior of the packaging. Packed well to ensure no leakage even if the package is jostled!
Retail Price, S$29.90
Here are some before photos. I used the product for 7 days straight... (Also in the morning one eye is smaller than the other idk why. Please move past my misshapen eyes and notice the skin)
I haven't had the time to religiously use it for 4 weeks... I am going to start this week and try, and update this post if there is even more visible improvement!
Orange shirt is before, grey shirt is after
taken with iPhone 5s back camera in the morning with natural light, no filter.
As you can see, in the before pictures, my skin is redder and the acne scars more obvious.
I usually apply it after my toner, before my moisturiser as I feel that it is the best time for absorption into my skin!
It smells like shea and cocoa, which is what Palmer's products are known for! Like the Chanel N 5, shea and cocoa is Palmer's signature scent.
Unique features of the Dark Spot Corrector:
Unique skin tone correcting formulations
Formulated with an advanced blend of potent yet gentle ingredients that reduce hyper-pigmentation
Appropriate for all skin types
Affordable products that really work
Free of parabens, phthalates, sulphates, harsh dyes, synthetics dyes and fragrances.
I also received the Dark Circle Correcting Eye treatment! Unfortunately for this, I can't do the most accurate review as my issue with my eyes are my eyebags, and not dark circles.
HOWEVER, there's caffeine inside the product, so I tried using it to reduce my eyebags - and it worked, sorta. It's not meant for that purpose, as the name states it's the white and even range, hence it's more for lightening the skin. But I did use it religiously and realised that it does help, even to some extent. I did love the formula of the product, it's in a stick form with a metal applicator, for easy use.
Here's a photo of the applicator:
The cap also comes with a stopper so that you won't waste any product!
Retail Price: S$22.90
You can get the Palmer's products mentioned at the following places: Watsons, Guardian, BHG, Robinsons, John Little, Essentials Pharmacy, Nishino Pharmacy, all leading pharmacies, departmental and cosmetics stores.
I hope my review helped you in making your decision for skin products :)
