Golden Autumn Celebrations: Family Bonding Time

Mid autumn has just passed, but Golden Autumn Celebrations have just only begun at WaterFront, Sentosa.

From 1st October to 12 November 2017,  along the waterfront promenade of Resorts World Sentosa, mid autumn illumination magic has been set up over 3 different zones - China Fantasy, Silk Road Fantasy and Childhood Fantasy.

Hosted by Golden Compass School and a few other groups, this festival offers over 17 street food stalls offering SiChuan (四川) street delicacies prepared by invited cooks specially flown in from Chengdu. Mouth watering delicacies include Three Guns (三大炮). This glutinous dessert was interestingly named 三大炮 (which translates to 3 cannons in english) because the sound it makes during its preparation sounded like cannons firing!

Also, my favourite Candied Hawthorn Stick (冰糖葫芦) will be sold in the festival too! We can't really find this delicacy in Singapore so I do recommend you to go and try it should you have the chance! Here's a throwback photo of my 冰糖葫芦 I took two years ago while I was in SiChuan.

Photo of my 冰糖葫芦 taken two years ago when I was in Chengdu, SiChuan China

Other than live authentic Sichuan delicacies,  there is live fringe entertainment from performers direct from China too! I forgot to take photos from this section but the performances include puppet ribbon dance, the province's signature mask-swapping show as well as long-spouted Chinese tea pouring. However, there are only 2 allocated timings for the performances so do try to catch them!
Performances timings are: every night 6:30-7:15 and 8:30-9:15.


Moving on to the main attraction of the celebration -- the spectacular and beautiful illumination magic!

China Fantasy
In this zone, we have Instagram worthy gigantic lantern displays. These displays are popular Chinese icons such as precious vases, adorable pandas, Chinese architecture and many more.

Precious Vases

This 12-metres in height vase installation is the marquee attraction of this festival and features the latest in projection mapping technology through a spectacular 3D light show. Running 4 times every hour, this 5 minute performance depicts the well known classic tale of Chang'e （嫦娥）and her beloved husband （后羿）.

Childhood Fantasy

This zone is a child's dream-like fantasy playground which features interactive light-emitting LED dance floors and swings. Other than these, there is also true-to-life six metres high dinosaur figures and their larger than life dinosaur egg replicas for the young ones! Furthermore, the 12 zodiac character displays complement the set up and offer a vast amount of photo opportunity for the entire family.

reviving my childhood

One lantern that caught my attention, as well as many other passers-by's last night would be the 财神爷 (Fortune God). Put your hand under the chop and be inked with a good luck from the fortune god! (Perhaps I will strike 4D after this).

Interactive 财神爷 lantern which chops on my hand!

12-zodiac lantern display

Of course, I must strike a pose with my zodiac sign - the ox!

Silk Road Fantasy
As its name suggests, this zone brings to life the historical journey across China's vast landscape where trade discoveries and cultural exchanges meet at the crossroads. Featuring a pair of four metres tall swan lantern display that symbolises the coming together of different cultures during the silk road period, this street is the most beautiful and elegant part of the festival (in my opinion).

If you're looking for some family fun, you should definitely give this celebration a visit! I brought my mum this time round and both of us had a great time bonding over taking pictures, enjoying the Sichuan delicacies and the performances.

Met Monice at the event too! (http://mons-diary.blogspot.sg/)

With Tricia who I have not met for the longest time! (http://triciakohh.blogspot.sg/)

Tickets for the event are priced at  $15 for adults, $12 for children and $8 for seniors from Mondays to Thursdays and $18 for adults, $15 for children and $9 for seniors from Fridays to Sundays!

As it is an ticketed event, the crowd is lesser and it will be easier for you to capture beautiful photos without many photo-bombers :p

What are you waiting for? Get your tickets at SISTIC now!

Thanks for reading! 

Sen'se De Belle TriLipo Treatment

With the hustle and bustle of daily life, it seems rather tough to keep in shape nowadays (for me at least). Just two weeks ago, Sen'se De Belle introduced me to another type of treatment which can keep me in shape effortlessly and conveniently. It's my second slimming treatment with them and this time, it is different from the Freeze Sculpting treatment which I did previously.

For my first treatment, I did noticed a reduction in my tummy size within two weeks and I'm glad to say that the area is less bulgy compared to before I did any treatments. However, it still can be improved as the area is not as well defined as I would love for it to be.

To add on, all my school camp late night suppers, unhealthy eating and lack of sleep has caused me to increase weight and I did feel the need to do something about this lifestyle.

Sen'se De Belle introduced the TriLipo treatment for me. This treatment involves a significantly different treatment nature from the first Freeze Sculpting treatment, which is the usage of Radio-Frequency energy.

Before I explain how the technology works, let me show you my results!

Before and After Treatment

As seen from the before and after photo, the tummy area became more well defined and the bulgy tummy did decrease immediately. Normally, when I go for other slimming treatments, it is the total "waist line number" that decrease but spot reduction results were not so obvious. To add on, I could feel the area being less flabby after the treatment. Hence, I can conclude that this treatment is really effective in tightening up my skin as well as reducing stubborn fats at a particular area. 

As for the comfort level, I must say that this treatment was not as comfortable and I would rate the discomfort level to be 4/10. The feeling that you get during the treatment would be having a warm applicator massaging on you after you did 100 sit ups as the muscles were being worked. 

Below would be TriLipo's promotional video from Youtube for a more technical understanding of how it works. 

TriLipo treatment combines 2 effective technologies, namely TriLipo RF and TriLipo Dynamic Activation.

As the name suggests, TriLipo RF (Radio Frequency) consists of RF deep volumetric heating combined with internal muscle contraction and external mechanical force. This produces a synergistic effect of maximum fat removal as well as skin tightening.

Figure 1: Release of liquefied fats from fat cells

Figure 1 above shows how RF generates heat to produce a thermal effect that accelerates the natural fat metabolism process and the release of liquid fat from the fat cells into the extra-cellular matrix. Fat metabolism is also increased in the subcutaneous fat layer and collagen remodelling in the dermal layer. 

Figure 2: Optimal drainage yielded due to internal and external pressure

In Figure 2,  the applicator presses the skin from above and causes mechanical pressure. This produces accelerated lymphatic drainage. Tissue oxygenation and detoxification is optimised with the combined effect of RF and forced drainage (homogenous heating and accelerated blood and lymph circulation).

Figure 3: Collagen remodelling in the dermal layer leading to smoother skin surface

Figure 3 shows the regeneration of collagen due to increased fibroblasts metabolism.

Overall, we can expect these benefits from the treatment:

-Body Sculpting

-Skin Tightening

-Cellulite Reduction

-Stretch Marks Improvement

-Immediate visible results

-Long-term effect

-Pleasant treatment experience

-Completely non-invasive

-"Walk-in-walk-out procedure

-Suitable for all skin types

-Clinically proven

Of course, treatment area is not limited to only tummy area, other treatment areas include: face, neck, arms, inner thighs, thighs, back, waist, buttocks, hands, back thighs and ankles.

For enhanced results it is recommended to undergo a series of treatments. Hence, I look forward to incorporate this convenient, "lunch-time long" treatment into my lifestyle and look even better :)

You can try out your TriLipo Session over at Sen'se De Belle too!

Happy me :)

Sen'se De Belle
Location: 14 Scotts Road, #02-02 Far East Plaza Singapore 228213
Email: Enquiries@Sensedebelle.Com 
Contact: +65 6734 9919
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensebyDebelle/?fref=ts

Till next time, Thanks for reading!

Thanks for reading!! 

Disclaimer: Information about the treatment has been taken from TriLipo's Official Website.

A Better Florist

Whenever there are celebratory events, flowers are always one of the first few items that comes to my mind as it's a delightful gift for a dear one.

After being bloomed with The Wonderland bundle (Tulips + Macarons) from A Better Florist, my mood was instantly lifted due to the cheerfulness of the brightly coloured gift.

Being a lover of flower bouquets, I'm pretty stoked to announce that A Better Florist offers unique flower arrangements and thoughtful gift bundles.  

In the past, flowers are considered luxury purchases and only limited to special occasions. However, with the renewed interest of the flower industry as well as the influx of more online florists in Singapore, flowers are now more commonly used for other purposes - such as decorating your house/ work areas. 

Other than just selling them, A Better Florist is now opening its doors on every Saturday for its Flower Jam Session. The session teaches you the basics in floristry, including modern flower arrangements and basic flower care. 

I've previously had the opportunity to attend a flower arrangement class while I was on an exchange trip to Japan and I must say that floristry is a really interesting hobby to pick up. Besides that, you get to have beautiful flowers to brighten up your homes!! 

This week's jam session focuses on using succulents and Australian wild flowers. These succulents are excellent alternatives to the usual filler flowers for their interesting textures and appearance. 

At only $40/pax(First 3 sign-ups), you can learn how to transform cheap flowers into luxurious bouquets. Sign up now for an interesting weekend with your loved ones and you get to up your flower game together!

Thanks for reading!

Sen'se De Belle Freeze Sculpting

People around me know me for always complaining about my trouble area, which is to have inches around my stomach. It has been a problem that has been troubling me since forever.

Even though I do not look like I am overweight nor am I troubled with size issues, I am still very self-conscious about how I look. I'll always look for high waisted> low waisted outfits, especially when I'm shopping for bikinis.

Just last week, I was invited again by Sen'se De Belle to their Far East Plaza outlet. This time, for a different purpose - slimming treatment. [P.s: Do read about my post on their facial if you haven't done so].

When I received the invite, I was really excited as I was very pleased with my previous facial from them such that every time my friends ask me to recommend facials to them, I'm sure they always hear Sen'se De Belle from me. 

Sen'se De Belle

The waiting area

When I arrived at the center, I was given two options for the slimming treatment. TriLipo treatment or FreezeSculpting. I've previously heard and researched about FreezeSculpting and was contemplating on going for this procedure and hence, it was an easy choice for me to choose FreezeSculpting for that day.

FreezeSculpting is a non-invasive and non-surgical treatment that produces permanent results. It works by vacuuming the fatty tissue up and using a cool temperature to freeze our fat cells, which completely destroys them. It is for targeted areas and is commonly called the "Inch-reducer" instead of the "Weight-reducer". This treatment is for our stubborn pinch-able fats which are unable to be eliminated by diet or exercise.

The effects of FreezeSculpting would be permanent as it targets the fat cells directly instead of the fats. A normal adult would have fixed number of fat cells as the number is more of less fixed during childhood. Yet, our size changes accordingly to the amount of fats stored in these fat cells. Hence, by destroying the fat cells through FreezeSculpting, the amount of fats that can be stored would be lesser and eventually lead to the reduction of thickness of subcutaneous fats.

Since the effects sounded too good to be true, I'm pretty sure there are certain questions which you guys would have for this treatment. Well, at least for me, I had quite a lot of questions before I proceeded with the treatment. Here are some of the common FAQs:


1. Would the cooling process destroy our normal body cells?
No, body cells are water based and hence, they freeze at a much lower temperature than fat cells. The cooling is done in a way that the temperature is below the freezing point of fats but higher than the freezing point of our other body cells. This way, only fat cells will be destroyed during the treatment and hence it is safe.
Also, for additional precaution, there would be a membrane between your skin and the machine to prevent frostbite.

2. What are the side effects of FreezeSculpting?
Currently, there are no side effects of FreezeSculpting as it is considered a very safe treatment. The only ones I could think of would be redness and slight bruising for a few days after the treatment.
Rest assured that the treatment only targets the pinch-able fats and will not go deep enough to affect your muscles/organs etcetera.

3. How long will it take before the treatment result shows/ How many sessions do I have to do before the result shows?
The treatment will take about 2 weeks to 2 months before the results would show and it really depends on how fast your body takes to excrete the dead fat cells. As for the number of sessions, it would depend on how thick the area you're working on is.

4. Is there any pain during the treatment/ Any downtime?
The treatment was completely painless but I did feel a little tight around the treatment area (Duh). Throughout the treatment, I was completely relaxed and could continue with using my phone. There were no downtime except for slight redness around my treatment area. After the treatment, I could walk around to shop and continue with my normal activities.

5. Is the treatment suitable for everyone?
Sadly, it is not suitable for everyone as it targets stubborn pinch-able fats only. For people who do not have enough pinch-able fats, you're unable to proceed with the treatment. As for people who are obese, other treatment methods would be used by Sen'se De Belle instead of FreezeSculpting. But, there is no need to worry because the folks there will only recommend what's best for you.



Enough said of all the treatment facts, Here's my experience of the treatment:
*Do note that no edits/photoshops was done on the treatment area*
I wanted to remove the slight bulge from my belly area and here's how it looks like before the treatment:

Bye bye fats

Flat tummy here I come!!

After the treatment (1 hour), there would be a funny "lump" of fats bulging out, which would be massaged away by the therapist and you're done!

Here's how my treatment area looked like after the 1 hour of FreezeSculpting:

After my treatment!

The treatment area was cold to touch after the 1 hour but all was comfortable and my slight bruising only lasted for 2 days.

Currently, it has been about a week and I've lost 0.5" around at this area. I'm looking forward to more inch-loss and will update you guys again!

Sen'se De Belle
Location: 14 Scotts Road, #02-02 Far East Plaza Singapore 228213
Email: Enquiries@Sensedebelle.Com 
Contact: +65 6734 9919
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensebyDebelle/?fref=ts


Till next time, Thanks for reading!

JJ Hair Identity

It’s been more than a year since i've dyed my hair black and cut it short as it was rather damaged previously and i could not have vibrantly colored hair due to work purposes.

Hence, this time, while i visited J&J Hair Identity, a Katong hair salon, i requested for a subtle hair color that was suitable for me as well as presentable on the professional front. 

When i visited the salon, i learnt that they use Natulique products, which are made from Certified Organic ingredients.

Due to what i learnt from my course of study, i was glad to know that Natulique is an ECOCERT certified hair care. Being Eco certified would mean that these products would not harm the environment unlike usual hair dyes which contain ammonium components. These ammonium compounds would somehow enter the drains and eventually into our lakes and reservoirs, which are a source of our drinking water.

ECOCERT demands a requirement level that is superior to conventional regulations governing cosmetics, by which to irrefutably guarantee genuine environmentally friendly methods during production, while also promoting the use of natural substances exceeding superior ecological quality. 

However, when i first heard of organic hair dyes, the impression i received would be that the colors would be just dark shades of brown to black.

Upon visiting J&J Hair Identity, i found out that this was not true, bright stunning colors could be done too!

Here are some examples which I chanced upon on their instagram (@jjhairidentity) 

Example 1

Example 2

Going back to my hair, Jac did an original mix of colors and did Natulique Floral series for me!

He chose a brown hair base for me, with purple highlights underneath and self-created purplish-blonde highlights on the crown.

I must mention that i really loved the final outcome! Even though i bleached my hair for this, my friends all agreed that it wasn't damaged and still felt soft! Hence, J&J Hair Identity is definitely a hair salon in Singapore that is reliable and professional. 

Do visit www.hair-identity.sg or instagram: @jjhairidentity for more info! 

What are you waiting for now? It's time for you to get your very own set of professional organic hair colors!
J&J Hair Identity is located at #02-11 Katong Square 88 East Coast Road, S 423371 Thanks for reading!