Sunday, November 28, 2010

Thanksgiving = SPA

Soo this is the first Thanksgiving that I've not been home...granted my family and I don't really do thanksgiving, but we do do Black Friday! But this Thanksgiving I had planned to visit my friend in Australia, and then somehow it ended up being cancelled the day before I was supposed to leave...and I was so bummed and upset and stressed that I decided what better way than to reward myself with a day at the spa.

I had been wanting to try out Spa Botanica on Sentosa for a while. So I booked myself for the Tropical Glow treatment which includes a jasmine and corriander scrub, a vichy rain shower, papaya infused mud wrap, mini facial during wrap, scalp massage, 60 minute massage and a sandwich lunch. AAAH soooooo amazing!!

But more than on the treatment later...first a little more on the spa facilities. Spa Botinaca has amazing spa facilities for Singapore...while nothing can compare to my old work Canyon Ranch which was just unbelievable in terms of facilities, Spa Botanica was nice in a completely different way; it is very nature-y and all outdoorsy.

The floatation pool...with these awesome floating mats

The mud pool...the little tub in front was filled with this awesome clay mud that you rub all over yourself...and you lie down for 20 minutes and then wash yourself off in the pool...soo cool

The pool...and across the amazing spa restaurant!

It was just really relaxing to be there...the spa was not crowded and I definitely tried the mud pool and laid out until lunch time. Lunch at the spa restaurant was delicious!! I got this delicious garden breadstick to start with that was served with chive butter..it was just soooo good. Served warm...mmm


and then i got this delicious veggie and hummus wrap!

I love spa cuisine! Next it was time for my treatment...which was booked in an outdoor pavilion. The best way to describe it is getting a massage in a private garden outside. It was so tranquil with the sound of running water. This is the only picture I could find online:



I have never had a vichy shower before...we sold it as part of packages at Canyon Ranch and I always wondered what the fuss was about. Basically you lie down on a flat table thing and there are 7 jets on top of you which spray water at alternating pressures and remperatures. Sounds not that awesome...but OMG its like heaven. Although I did feel bad about wasting sooo much water...this is the actual picture I saw at spa botanica of their outdoor vichy shower...but i totally stole it!


The whole day was sooo relaxing. My stress melted away. Even though I spent the day by myself I didn't feel lonely at all. This was one of those splurge days that probably won't happen anytime again soon, but I after the week I had I feel like it was totally well deserved! Until next time, xxoo my lovelies!!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Haji Lane

This has been an incredibly looooong week at work and my one day off has just not been enough. I  can't believe sunday is over so fast! But on Friday I had a great afternoon at Haji Lane with A. I have been to Haji Lane a few times, but honestly I don't think I have gone back in almost a year even though I love it. But it has almost completely changed since last year.

Haji lane is the street filled with adorable boutiques and interesting little places that seem to change every time I go. My favorite store at Haji Lane is Soon Lee, which in the year I haven't gone has moved from this cozy second story shop to one of the biggest shops on Haji Lane. It reminds me of anthropologie...with a little bit of everything which is why I love it. I bought a great clutch and an interesting looking book there.


This book is described as "going deep inside the workings of profit margins and market share to discover the fate of real luxury". Sounds incredibly interesting...and the kind of book you would only ever notice/buy at a shop like this.


I also bought this great clutch and some fabulous clip on earrings (at another shop). A and I spent maybe an hour in this shop trying on earings. They said that the earings are all vintage from europe...which I am not certain I believe. But if you know me, the holes in my ear closed and one has a keloid (bump) scar so I don't think I will get to pierce them again. So I haven't gotten to wear earrings in a while. But this store had the most amazing collection of clip on earrings. So I bought 2 pairs and have been wearing them around the house all weekend to see how long I could wear them without my ears hurting. And suprisingly they don't hurt that much! They say they get new stocks every few weeks, so I can't wait to go check it out again!

inside of the clutch..super handy and it came in 7 colors...i wonder if i should go back to get another?

So after a bit of shopping, A and I wandered into this 2nd story bar and dessert cafe called Bar Stories. It is just completely adorable and super cozy.



another pic i found from their facebook site.

This would be the cutest place to to grab drinks with friends before heading out...however since its so small I wonder how crowded it would get.

Anyways Haji Lane is one of my favorite places in Singapore! I am not going to stay away for soo long again! Until next time, xxoo!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Club Street

So this weekend I wandered around from Chinatown to Club Street to the mrt station next to my old apartment. In the year I lived there I had nooooooooooo idea I lived so close to Chinatown and the amazing that is Club Street.

Club St!

Club street is filled with cute shops in shophouses (my favorite kind of shops in old buildings with creaky stairs and often times very boutique-y) like this adorable book shop..it was a 3 level book shop filled with stationary, antique trinkets, and books. Adorable!



cute antique typewriters going up the stairs


traditional shophouse building


Secret garden in the middle of the city...on the way to...
PS Cafe!! I think it must've just opened here..bc I definitely do not remember this location being on their website...sucks that i don't live at the sail anymore. This would just be a 15minute walk away

 
love spiral staircases!

ditto


picture perfect..who knew?

I have lived in Singapore for 1 year and 3 months and have basically seen the central business district area and Sentosa...there is soo much to explore but not that many people to explore with. Going out today on my own was fun...I got to just wander around freely! I am not sure why I don't do it more often. But now i think I am going to plan a few trips to see all the places in Southeast Asia that I want to see before I leave Singapore for good...until next time, xxoo!




Saturday, November 6, 2010

Sephora Beauty Bazaar!

There are somethings that only happen in Singapore (well maybe they happen in other places...but when I am at home I don't actively look for things to do)! Like the Sephora Beauty Bazaar that happened this weekend...it was this giant beauty/makeup sale held at one of the rooms in the convention center over this weekend. Sooo great! Things were sooo cheap! And it wasn't nearly as crowded as I imagine something like this would be in America.




I bought some great stuff from too faced, urban decay and mario badescu. Everything at the sale was pretty much less than S$20! I just love the random fun things that pop up in Singapore, especially if they involve shopping! Until next time, xxoo lovelies!

PS Harry Potter is almost out?! How did i forget? I am soooosooo excited!


48 laws of power

So I was told about this book "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene. It puts "three thousand years of the history of power in to forty-eight well explicated laws". It seemed really interesting so I bought it! And its actually quite interesting...well the 4 chapters I've read so far. And it has really gotten me thinking...do nice people not get ahead in life?


While I don't necessarily think of myself as nice, I definitely don't think I am very cunning. It is a real eye openner to read this book. Although I do wonder if I can be as ruthless as some of these people described, but I think its good to know what ruthless things other people are out there doing. Well I keep you guys updated on the things I learn from this book! Until next time, xxoo!

Lights, Gala, Action!

Ready for a super long update? Well here it goes...

So singapore has been hosting the ilight at marina bay event for 3.5 weeks. They describe this as Asia's first sustainable light art festival to celebrate Singapore's nightscape. There are 26 art pieces scattered throughout the marina bay area (including near my old apartment), covering over 3.5 km. So for 2 weeks I was dying to go, as it sounded like one of the coolest things to happen in Singapore like ever. And  I finally got to go on halloween...and it did not disappoint! Here are some of my favorites:

Huge flower garden!

look its my old apartment! i miss you


So this picture does not even do any justice to how cool this is. But basically this is a huge display of tiles that are kind of a kaleidescope made by human projections of the people walking by this designated space in front of it. See next picture for a better explanation:

pretty cool right?!

thes human things changed colors and lit up brighter when real people got closer


how cute is this?





and this was my FAVORITE part of the whole thing. This performance piece by hammerhaus. It took place in a big open space and it was basically music that they wrote that was choreographed with light. What was soo impressive is that they covered the whole room with moving lights by using only 4 normal looking projectors...even the ceiling was lit! Sooo cool and impressive. I think a club like this would be so much fun.

walking around the marina bay at night made me realize how pretty singapore is at night


But asides from the ilights exhibit...last weekend was also the AmCham gala! I wish I could work on big events like this all the time! They are just sooo much fun. Here are some pics!


mid set up

me and intern during set up at our table
 
registration



finished product!

Anyways that sums up my halloween weekend! it was a great but fast weekend. Until next time, xoo!!