FOOD: The Connoisseur Concerto

Hi guys!!! Friday's coming in 3.5 hours' time! Wohoo!!! Haha. Work has turned me a little crazy but my weekends are no longer spent lazing around, staring at the ceiling.

Last weekend, I ate, exercised, baked, shopped, ironed my clothes and ate some more! Haha. Incredibly productive to me and thank goodness for a high metabolism rate!



Anyway, for those who aren't aware, The Connoisseur Concerto (Or more popularly and affectionately known as TCC.) is having a 1-for-1 deal for this year's GSS! From May 25th to July 22nd, eat to your heart's content with their main course or pasta with your bud and just pay for the price of one (The higher one, of course...)!

Last Saturday, M and I chanced upon it and immediately signaled for 2 seats to the waiter! We dined at Isetan Scotts outlet and their waiters and waitresses were superb! Warm, friendly and alert!



We LOVE Aglio Olio to death so it was only natural that Seafood Aglio Olio was the first we chose (No thinking needed.).



Spaghetti that was al dente, spicy with the chopped chili padis and big, fat, juicy prawns and scallops... Go, go! Make a date tomorrow already!!! :DDD

(We had our 2nd plate yesterday! HAHA!)



For the other dish, we had Pan-seared Fish with Lemongrass Scented Sauce.



The fish was fresh and juicy and the Lemongrass Scented Sauce did not make you feel jaded at all, unlike most creamy sauce (Thank you, Lemongrass!)! I love my fish (Especially when they come boneless.) and this made it to the top!

The roasted potatoes and asparagus doused in some black sauce (I have no idea what it is. My brother and cousins would probably know but they weren't there. And I should have asked. :\) went well the the fish. It was a break from the cream, like a double protection (The first being the lemongrass.) against jadedness.

Such portions (When there's not a lot of carbohydrates.) are usually not enough for me. So... When M and I went to TCC again yesterday (Photos are up on my Instagram! Username's charlenejudith. :D), we had the 1-for-1 deal and another plate of Seafood Aglio Olio! Haha! And I think we are going there again this Saturday, when we take Little Nigel out! Lol!

(Okay, I'm REALLY excited that Friday is fast approaching!)

For yesterday's 1-for-1 deal, we had Roasted Chicken with Rich Sherry Jus and Red-hot Chicken Spaghetti. Both were delicious but we could skip having them again and not feel like we were missing something. I think the two aforementioned were the best from the list, but then again, this is very much dependent on your taste buds. (:

Click here for more info about the promotion! :DDD

RAMBLINGS: Day 6.

Egg Benny for breakfast.

This is what I had for breakfast today. And I think I will be having it for the rest of my internship. Haha. It's small, cheap and probably the healthiest out of all the unhealthy (But very tasty.) food.
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We had a briefing that lasted for 3.5 hours today. And enough sleep meant that I was pretty attentive. Though my eyelids started to carry weights at some points, I managed to pull myself back. WOOT!

H went through the home, health and travel insurance policies and he was incredibly detailed. It was a long briefing but I thought it was very helpful. For the past week, YW and I pored over home policies from the various insurance companies. Now, they aren't strangers but acquaintances, maybe even friends.


Sandy's victory sign.

Headed down to City Hall after work to meet up with dear S. She's leaving this Friday and won't be back till a month later. ):

But before I met up with S, I spotted B at the station! He was on his way for a haircut, which was pretty random to me. Haha. Like I would leave haircuts for a lazy Sunday afternoon but I guess guys don't need too long for their hair. Anyway, it was really cool because just this morning we were wondering how he should return me my cab fare money. And TADAHHH! There he was, like RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!

B's an atheist or a freethinker, depending on your religion. Very diplomatic. And oh!!! From day 1 of the training, I thought he look like a Hong Kong actor but I couldn't figure out the name of the actor until Friday, when I told S about it. He reminds me of Nick Cheung! Super duper!!!
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Anyway, I got a few minutes with MY after that. He thinks I'm trying to buy tons of clothes so that I needn't repeat any of them. He can't be MORE wrong. It's just that I'm really fussy, especially when it comes to office wear. So I won't hesitate to buy anything that I like. Which hmmm... Seems to happen with every LP's launch (TOMORROW!!!). Haha. But see? I don't spend money on Zara, Topshop and the ilk! My clothes are all below 40 bucks!
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And then, I finally met up with S! Went to my favourite Chopsticks by Asian Kitchen! HAHA. It won't be long till I hit my 20th trip to an Asian Kitchen outlet. Anyway, for the FIRST TIME since I got to know S, I saw her actually eat! So much!!! Haha. But it was quite possibly one of my longest dinners... 7/8 of the time, we were laughing so much! My cheeks and sides hurt so badly! Walked around Suntec after that and laughed some more! Hahaha. Gonna miss her so much when she leaves. ):
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My ramblings are pretty mundane but someday, I will want to read all this and miss internship so bad.

And oh!!! I signed up for Hatha Yoga class 3 weeks back (C told me during my interview that running was back for the knees. And I think she does Yoga or Pilates.) but am gonna get a refund because classes have been shifted to July and I'll be away. ): Was looking forward to it so much! ):

RAMBLINGS: A (Boring) Internship Quickie.

Day 2

Breakfast lane at International Plaza.

I like making my way through International Plaza before I head to work. It's like a night market lane, except that this happens in the morning. Big humans gather around here to grab hearty breakfasts and make morning chitchats. I haven't bought any breakfast here though because the food's oily and really sinful. And when work consumes you, exercise becomes a thing of the past. So I can't afford such evil in my life now. BIG SIGH.

BUT umm... I have Burger King for breakfast? HAHA. It's less oily. *nods head seriously*


Amoy for lunch.

CK brought us to Amoy for lunch. Here you see umbrellas stretch across seats and tissues strategically placed. I ordered dry fishball noodles, hoping that the sauce didn't come out from a bottle. Alas, it did. And the fishballs weren't from the markets so they had this plastic taste. Oh wells. I wasn't really in the mood for queuing.

And it was really warm!


Marriott Hotel.


FICS Annual Conference 2012.


Main course.


Dessert.

Late in the morning, I received a call from C. She had an extra seat at GIA's table and I was available so my night was spent at FICS Annual Conference 2012. This event recognized the smart big humans in the banking and insurance industry. Everyone was clad in stern black and white. I was a little embarrassed to be in my casual waterfall dress and green cardigan so I made my first M.A.C purchase of a pencil eyeliner (WHICH TOTALLY STINKS. LOUSY. USE K-PALETTE. I SWEAR BY IT.) since a year ago?

The dinner was a great experience and M and C are incredibly nice people. I'm really glad that I'm in this internship and they are like the 'parents' (J is the 'older brother'.). I shared a cab with B and we talked about tons of stuff. Thank goodness. I was really afraid of 'awkward silences'.

And I'm never forgetting my cheap pearl earrings. Ever.

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Day 3

7.40am crowd.

This is the crowd I deal with every morning. My alarm rings at 6.30am and I laze in bed till around 6.40am, making up a plethora of reasons why I should go to work. I go down and down my cup of water and have my banana leisurely and then, it's a race against time to reach the station by 7.40am.

After 7.40am, I will have to smell strangers' carbon dioxide and body scents and feel their perspiration on my skin.


Anson Road.

A group of ladies from the Brokers department brought us to Anson for lunch. It was less crowded there and I had chicken rice... I think. The memory's a little hazy. Haha. The place is less crowded but just as warm.


SK-II event.

At night, I made my way down to Jetquay for a SK-II event (This will NOT be the last time that I am there.). It was a fabulous event and I was really glad to meet Romona, Fidah, Shirley, Fel and Juliet! :DDD

Fel, Juliet and I headed to Terminal 3 for a littler dinner after that and I was telling them about 'Fifty Shades of Grey'. Fel gobbled up the book.
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Day 4

Wet market.

I'll walk along the fringe of the wet market every morning. It reeks of fish and raw meat but I love the sight. Someday when I am a big human, I shall get all my groceries from here. They don't have plastic tastes.

On Thursday, I woke up feeling really sick. And I made plans the night before to take MC, so when the alarm rang at 6.30am, I shut it off and was transported into a Japanese ghost story setting. My Japanese friend and I, wearing Japanese school uniforms, were in an old, derelict building. My friend had her DSLR with her and she insisted on going into a vault to take photos, even though I told her it was haunted and dangerous. So she went in and I stood outside, waiting nervously for her. All of a sudden, something sinister zoomed past me and my friend appeared right beside me, her eyes empty and staring straight ahead (She died.). And she whispered that the password to the vault wasn't 'waibility' but 'liability'.

I got up, made my way to work and nearly nodded off during a talk.
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Day 5

View from the train.

One of the rare days when I beat time and reach the station early. The train was pretty empty. YAY ME!


11 stories.

We had a fire drill exercise at around 9am and had to take the stuffy and congested route down 22 flights of steps. I was feeling really claustrophobic but managed to calm myself down.


Assembly area.

Followed the crowd and had to step on yucky grass. SQ and I weren't aware that we had to take our attendance so I think we were reported as student casualties or something like that.


Desk buddies.

My dear friends who accompany me through the drought that the artificial winter has brought upon my skin. I no longer have pillow-soft and kissable lips.

But umm... I never had them in the first place. Haha.


Mini cupcakes.

YW and CK went on an excursion, SQ had an appointment so I was on my own for lunch. I decided to seek refuge from the scorching sun at Gloria Jean' with a al-dente-NOT spaghetti beef bolognese. Lousy, lousy, lousy!!! But I think I will have it again. Until I find another pasta joint. I LOVE PASTA, XOXO!!!

And then, I found a shop that sells mini cupcakes!!! *screams with joy* I shall buy them till I get sick of these bite-sized darlings!
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And that was my boring account of the week. I perused home insurance policies, checked wordings, edited the format of a document. And I think my future supervisor hates me.

This weekend made up for the weekdays though. I attended a sweet, princess-y event on Saturday morning. Elfaine is always so awesome with her events! Had a nice time sharing a table with Eliza and Yvette. (:

I met MY after that for an entire day at Orchard! We had dim sum, walked from one end to the other, had western food for dinner... I'll blog about it soon! And ugh! I bought a portable charge and I think it corrupted my phone. And now, I'm afraid both will blow up in my face, thanks to MY. *rolls eyes*

MY doesn't do much at work but still managed to tire himself so much that he was over an hour late. But I love my ah beng anyway. :DDD We will be taking little Nigel out next week to... Orchard. HAHA. Even little Nigel guessed it. Hahaha. But it's just that Orchard has tons of stuff... And umm, well... GSS is happening! Heh.

Oh! I completed a massive post when I got back.

Today, I jogged, baked and ironed. I burnt my first piece of clothing. Oh wells. There's a new launch on Tuesday. Tee hee.

Alrighty. Thanks for reading this grandmama, lengthy essay of nothingness. Gonna take a shower now, edit Vincent's essay and end the night with policies. SIGH.

But anywway, awesome weekend! :DDD

REVIEW: Etude House's May Pink Box

Etude House was one of the first Korean brands I ventured into. I am a huge fan of the Muse and she's a huge fan of Etude House, so that makes me a huge fan of said brand. Haha! Well, actually and certainly, with Etude House's pretty and princess-like packaging in shades of pink and purple... It's one uphill task for a girl to resist!

Before the box is opened, let's begin with some history...

Etude House has a rich history dating back to the December of 1985. She believes that makeup should be playful, instead of a routine to prep our faces for the world. With this belief in mind, Etude House creates her products based on 4 principles; high quality, affordability, lovely design and a diverse range of colours. In other words, Etude House is a playhouse, where fun makeup resides for girls to turn into sweet ladies in a moment!



As part of Etude House's latest campaign, I'll be collaborating with the brand to show you how to have fun with makeup for the next couple of months! Thank you, Julie, for the opportunity! (:

The above hot pink box was what I came home to 2 weeks ago! This came all the way from the land of perfect girls with flawless skin (Korea.). And the best thing of all... Etude House provided us with a full kit for us to get started!



The above products are what I have been playing with! Skincare, makeup... Even my nails are covered!



Precious Mineral BB Cream Bright Fit is a B.B. cream that is mixed with pearl powder so that your skin is kept moist, fair and radiant-looking and wrinkles are kept at bay! Sun protection is also included to protect you against harmful UV rays.

The B.B. cream is available in 4 shades: #1 Light Beige, #2 Natural Beige, #3 Honey Beige and #4 Sand Beige. Mine's in Natural Beige (I think the numbering system differs in Korea.).



Coincidentally, my first Korean B.B. cream is the old Precious Mineral BB Cream and I used it for the longest time! So I am really glad to see the new Precious Mineral BB Cream Bright Fit and was so very eager to try it out. (:

The 60g bottle comes with a pump from which the B.B. cream can be dispensed easily. There is no direct contact with the rest of the product so thumbs up for packaging! One pump is sufficient to cover the entire face. Remember to pat the B.B. cream in, instead of wiping it across your face!

The B.B. cream comes with a light pleasant floral scent that doesn't linger. Natural Beige suits me perfectly and with a few pats here and there, and I am left with a complexion that is dewy and almost flawless! This covers most of my spots so a concealer isn't necessary.



Baking Powder Pore Cleansing Foam's key secret is of course, baking powder! Haha. The foam gently exfoliates and reaches deep into your pores so that they are all clean and look less obvious.

The 30ml tube means that dispensing the cleanser is easy. The cleanser lathers pretty quickly with water and has a nice, refreshing scent.



Nymph Aura Volumer is a illuminizer that can be mixed with any base, liquid foundation and B.B. cream to give you the much coveted celebrity glow! It is a delicious concoction of Hyaluronic Acid for moisture, Argan Oil for its antioxidant properties and Avocado Oil for elasticity care.

You can choose to mix the illuminizer in a 1:3 ratio with your base, liquid foundation or B.B cream or just apply it directly to your forehead, cheekbones and nose bridge!

The illuminizer is available in 3 shades: #1 Pure, #2 Brilliant and #3 Transparent. Mine's in Transparent (This shade isn't listed on the website so I think it's a new one.).



Dear My Blooming Cheek is a palm-sized blusher and highlighter duo. It comes in 4 different colours to reflect the beautiful bloom of spring! Mine's in PK001.

The larger and lighter shade is the highlighter (A) and the smaller and darker shade is the blusher (B). And you can get 3 different looks with 3 different ways of applications of the duo! Here's how:

The Slimming Effect: Apply B to your cheekbones diagonally up from the centre of your cheeks to your hairline. Apply A on top of B, overlapping B so that the 2 shades blend together.

The Cute Effect: Apply B right on the apples of your cheeks in a circle and then, apply A around it.

The Customized Effect: Call the shots on your look by deciding how much pink you want in your cheeks. Apply A and B separately or swirl your brush round the palette and let chance decide!



The duo makes a fabulous everyday item! The 2 shades of pink can take you through the day and into the night. I like that the highlighter is a little pinkish as this blends into the skin better and looks more natural (As compared with a stark white highlighter.). The brighter blusher breathes life into your cheeks, bringing youth and radiance!



Dear My Blooming Lips-talk is a lipstick that goes on oh-so-smooth and colours your lips in 24 amazing colours! The lipstick also cares for your lips by providing moisture and shine! Mine are in BE101 and PK004.



The lipsticks are housed in 3.4g pink tubes with pink bows! This is the prettiest packaging I have ever seen. Etude House's logo is also etched onto the stalks of the lipsticks. Gosh! They are so very pretty!!!

BE101 is quite possibly THE nude lipstick that I have been searching for since... Forever. Most nude lipsticks seem to rob me of my life visually. But this tells a whole different story and will be the perfect soulmate for smokey eyes!

PK004 is a bright pink that is similar to what is usually seen on Korean girl bands! It goes well with simple eye makeup, giving you a bright pop of colour! The bright pink also means that you look more awake, girly and of course, a fun person to be with!

The lipsticks are indeed moisturizing. Despite suffering from a drought on the left corner of my lips, the lipsticks go on smoothly and do not emphasize dry skin. The shine that accompanies the lipsticks brightens up the face in an instant!



Dear My Blooming Nails dress your nails in 6 fun and girly shades! I received numbers 3 and 6. The brush is neither too wide nor too thin. The nail polish goes on pretty smooth and thick, so you probably need the most 2 coats and you are good to go!



6 is like a Malibu orange, bringing to mind the famous Malibu Barbie. This shade is made for Summer and the shine prevents the shade from being too flat. I used 2 coats in the above photo.

3 is like Dear My Blooming Lips-talk's PK004, except it's for nails! The shade is vibrant, girly and certainly, fun! I used just 1 coat for this.



Last but not least, TADAHHH!!! Here's my look with the aforementioned makeup!!! I'm really loving Dear My Blooming Lips-talk's BE101! This is a more mature look for everyday, especially for work.

But if I'm going to meet up with my girlfriends, then I will opt for Dear My Blooming Lips-talk's PK004 because it's so bright and cheery! The lipstick lifts your spirit the moment you swipe it across your lips!



And here concludes Etude House's May Pink Box! Etude House is currently having 30% discounts in Singapore, so do check out the above products! Her global Facebook page has also just been created. Like the page here and join her giveaways! :DDD

Thanks for reading and comment if you have any queries! Have a fab weekend ladies! (:

RAMBLINGS: Day 1.

This was the lovely sky I woke up to in the morn. Though I'm not sure if I should be trembling instead because it isn't normal, is it?!?
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I really like the concept of insurance; an exchange of a promise to protect (Though the presence of money taints it a little.).

But hmm... A desk-bound job is one hell of a mountain to climb for me. Nevertheless, the perusing of brochures today made me feel like a big human.
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Whilst showering, I thought I would rather spend my summer making, serving and smelling coffee, attending casting calls, tutoring or promoting beauty products. But those days are over. I think I have done everything that I wanted to do (Except being a waitress for a fine-dining restaurant.).

And now, it's time to grow up (I know I took an incredibly long time. Don't judge.), do big human stuff and work on my future.

EVENT: Mary Kay's Botanical Effects Skin Care Bloggers' Party

On May 4th, I attended Mary Kay's Botanical Effects Skin Care Bloggers Party. Thanks Adda for the invitation! :DDD

Held at International Plaza, I got a glimpse of Mary Kay's office! It was a cozy affair with a small group of bloggers and I finally got to meet pretty Yvette! (:



Mary Kay Cosmetics was born on September 13, 1963. Mother Mary Kay Ash made her dream a reality with her life savings of USD$5,000 and the support of her 20-year-old son, Richard Rogers. Through the brand, she wanted to help woman achieve personal growth and financial success.

Producing premium products in the latest manufacturing facilities and adhering to only the strictest and highest standards, it was only a matter of time that Mary Kay became 'one of the largest direct sellers of skin care and color cosmetics in the world with worldwide wholesale sales of $2.5 billion'. But it isn't just all money in.

Mary Kay splurges millions of dollars and conducts over 300, 000 tests just to ensure that you get the best products, with the highest standards of quality, safety and performance. Ah! I sure feel safe when I know a brand places her customers first!



Despite the immense success Mary Kay enjoys, she remains true to her Golden Rule; giving back to others. The lives of women and children around the world is changing with Mary Kay's heavy involvement in Corporate Social Responsibility.

Named 'Beauty That Counts', Mary Kay started a campaign where she donated just under USD$4 million worldwide sales of Beauty That Counts's Creme Lipsticks from 2008 to 2009.



The bloggers' party kicked off with a laughing exercise! Though it started out a little awkward, it warmed everyone up quickly! I have heard of such exercises and was really glad that I got a chance to take part in one. (:

We were then introduced to Mary Kay's Marketing Manager for the Singapore and Malaysia branches and she was our host for the day! She took us through Mary Kay's history and her newest skincare range, Botanical Effects Skin Care!



Botanical Effects Skin Care is all about making your skin smile big and wide with the help of botanical ingredients!

Mary Kay and Mother Nature proudly collaborated to bring you a simple 4-step regimen that's tailored to each woman's skin care needs. Dry, normal and oily skins, you are going to be so well taken care of!!!

(Just in case you are wondering about combination skin like I did... Do a mix-and-match!)



For each skin type, all you need are 4 products to get your skin smiling with glee! These 4 gems leave skin feeling nourished and looking all radiant and glowy, enhance skin's natural beauty and are simple and easy to use!

On top of each skin care regimen's unique ingredients, all Botanical Effects Skin Care products contain a special botanical complex, with 2 main ingredients:

Silymarin: Also known as Milk Thistle, this is a power antioxidant that has been used for 2,000 years as an herbal remedy. Silymarin is known to help defend against environmental damage, while calming the skin.

Luo Han Guo: A cousin of the cucumber and a member of the gourd family, this has been used for centuries by the Chinese. Nicknamed the 'longevity fruit', Luo Han Guo is a round greenish-brown fruit that is known to contain potent antioxidants, and is also believed to help promote healthy skin.









Mary Kay's makeup was also introduced with her magnetic Compact Mini. Slip in the magnetic plates of eyeshadows and blushers and the busy woman is well-armed with a clean and defined look for the day!



Here's a snapshot of Yvette and me, taken by Yvette dear! I'm really so glad to have met her through blogging and Twitter! We must have spent 3/4 of the time talking about beauty, schools and ambitions! :DDD

I'll be using the products and will update with detailed reviews. Thanks again Adda and Mary Kay for the invitation and lovely event!

RAMBLINGS: The end is the beginning.

Today closed the curtains on my one week of training and marked the start of the actual internship.