Review: IMM Garden Plaza - Wet & Dry Playground

I apologize for the drought in my posts, the fault of my hectic study schedule. But don't expect me to keep this up...I will only have breathing space for the next couple of months. Which happens to coincide with school holidays, so hopefully I'll have more stuff to write about!

Such as our lovely outing today at IMM. Since the Garden Plaza was revamped, this is our second time bringing the kids to the new playground. Gone is the tall treehouse slide (which, sadly, I never actually got to go on), but which was replaced by some awesome new installments.

Check out the wet playground.

E1 and E2 were blessed with good weather

Before we came earlier in the week, I hadn't known there was an awesome wet playground. E2, who absolutely loves water, was longingly toddling over and chanting "water, water". Of course, he threw a tantrum when I said he couldn't go in because we didn't bring a change of clothes. This time, we came prepared!

Interesting and varied types of fountains and sprays

I don't think you would find another playground as empty as this

I don't really know what's so captivating about this trough but the kids really loved it

While the slide doesn't look very exciting, it's actually quite daunting since the sprays are quite strong. E1 only dared to go on it twice, while E2, as much as he loves water, didn't dare to go on it at all.

The best part of it was how uncrowded it was, and that it's free! And to those who don't know IMM, there's 2 hours unconditional free parking. Of course, I can't say how bad it'll be on the weekends but given that it's currently school holidays, it's still pretty neat that there were less than 10 kids the entire time we were there (I counted 7, including my own). This was a much nicer experience than the one at Gardens By the Bay or the Bird Park and Zoo, which I felt were either too uninteresting or too tough for the toddlers. Here, I was happy to let the kids roam wild while I took cover under the shade. The downside was that there is no changing rooms for adults, so I couldn't join them even though I had brought my stuff (my big kid heart wanted to go on the slide, really). But there's a nice boy and girl shower area for kids under 6.

And while waiting for the wet area to open, the kiddos were happy to run around in the dry playground.

Kor kor don't leave me behind!

The tall slide is decently high enough for the daredevils, while there are two smaller ones for younger kids. There's also other fun stuff like a mini glider that I didn't get to snap, but I assure you that this is way more fun than your average HDB playground. And there's a huge tent to provide shade and shelter from inclement weather.

Verdict: Will definitely come here again, and again, and again
It's free, not as crowded as other playgrounds, and there's free parking: what's not to love? And if you're lucky enough to have babysitters, you can dump the kids there while you shop at the multitude of branded outlets, do groceries at Giant, or spend your savings at Daiso. And then when everyone's tuckered out, choose from a variety of restaurants for lunch/dinner before heading home.

The wet playground opens at 10.30 am on weekdays and 10.00 am on weekends. Closed every first Wednesday of the month for maintenance. 

Review: Botaneco Garden Body Wash

I just love me some new organic stuff to try! Ok this one's way overdue. My bottle is half-finished haha. Let me bore you with history behind the purchase of this product...

Some of you may have come across my Sukin review. This is the bodywash I stock up on. But I was looking for a handsoap that didn't cost an arm and a leg, since E1 loves to pump soap like it's free whenever he washes his hands (and boys being boys, I make sure he washes his hands a lot). I don't think he's turning into a clean freak so much as he finds pumping and lathering soap a novelty. Which was why when I was looking for a cleansing agent, I decided to go big and get a shower gel/bodywash. After all, what's so special in handsoap that you have to use it exclusively for your hands? As far as I'm concerned, bodywash washes equally well and gets rid of oil and grime.

Anyhoo, I chanced upon this bodywash during my endeavour. The first thing that attracted me to it was, of course, that it is touted as organic.

Ah ha, but if you read the label properly, it specifies that it is merely enriched with ECO-certified Inca Inchi Oil and aloe vera. Meaning the other ingredients are probably not organic.

And true enough, there's still other stuff in there that I can't pronounce, and it contains parfum. The good stuff seems pretty low on the list. But at least there's no added silicones, parabens and colorants. Just in case you're wondering, Inca inchi oil, plukenetia volubilis, is also known as mountain peanut (how is that not cute) and is native to South America.

The gel itself is colourless and smells wonderful. It's something of a clean, fresh floral scent that shouts "atas bathroom". At least 2 people have passed compliments on the scent.

After my initial infatuation with this product, I went out to inspect the other products in this range. This one is Orchard (Grape Seed and Bergamot), but they also have Garden (Macadamia and Ylang Ylang) and Forest (Sunflower and Rosemary). I ended up purchasing more Garden and Orchard - just personal preference. The Forest one smells too herbally. I was even hugely tempted to try the haircare range but decided against it after studying the ingredient list.

The biggest test of this product for me is in whether it would cause any problems for delicate skin. So far, both E1 (eczema) and E2 (under 2yrs) have used it with no reactions so it's safe to say - this one's a keeper.

Verdict: Rave
If I didn't like this so much, I wouldn't stock up on it hey? This makes a good handwash that I don't fuss too much about if E1 pumps it all over the countertop. The best part of this? The price. Even at the regular retail price, it's $9.95 for 620ml. That's not too bad for an organic product. But when Guardian has its 3-for-2 sale, that's $6.66 per bottle, which in my opinion, is an awesome deal.

Review: Badger Balm Rose Damascus Rose Face Oil

Wow it's been almost 2 months since my last post. Well that's what happens when life gets in the way. In a fashion, it's also good - you may infer that I haven't been spending money. Nor have I received any gifts, aww.

But there comes a time when I come across something that sounds and looks too enticing to pass up. I decided to purchase a bottle of Badger Balm Rose Face Oil when my Jurlique one was (finally) finishing up. For the uninitiated, Badger Balm is a US brand that first made its mark with their all-natural, super moisturising body balms. These come in beautiful vintage tins a la "Zambuk" style, but prettier. I have yet to try any, but the chest rub and sleep balms look lovely, and everytime I walk into the shop, E1 starts sniffing all of them because they "smells goooood". They also have a delicious-looking range of lip balms (lavender & orange, it's you I'm eyeing).

Anyway let's not get distracted. Look how pretty the packaging is. Yet this is a no-frills bottle of face oil. As you may know, rose oil is bloody expensive. But this is probably the cheapest face oil I've ever invested in. More on that later.

Look at those ingredients. You could slap on a brand name and sell it for 10 times the price. In fact, if you do a quick search, a well-known brand does have a rose facial oil, and they don't even declare the full list of ingredients. The carrier oil for this is jojoba, which is better than most branded non-natural oils out there (many use mineral oil). On top of that, there's baobab, pomegranate, lavender, rosehip and chamomile oils. Can you feel how excited I was just looking at this?? I will say though, that rose oil is potent (and like I said, expensive) and only a small amount is needed, hence its position in this list.

What sold me was their commitment to genuine, quality products. How could you not want roses handpicked at dawn and steam distilled the very same day?

However, the first thing I noticed, and dislike, about this, is that it's a pump bottle. I've always bought face oils that come with a dropper. For one, it's difficult to control the dispensed amount with a pump. Another albeit frivolous reason is, it's much more luxurious and pampering to drip something precious for your equally precious face, don't you think? Just adds more indulgence to the whole experience.

That aside, the second thing I noticed was the smell. If you are hoping to get a blast of rosy fragrance like Jurlique's range (I was), then you will be sorely disappointed in this oil (I was). This has a very herbal scent distinctive of raw oils. I once made my own blend of jojoba, lavender and some other oils - smelled almost exactly like this. I don't dislike it, but it takes some getting used to. And if you're really good with your nose, you can actually sift out the lavender and rose somewhere in there.

Beware, this is a very greasy oil. It is, after all, meant for dry skin. A 3/4 pump is enough for my entire face and neck (don't want the jowls of a bulldog now, do we) and takes a relatively long time to absorb. It was slightly off-putting at first, but I realised my skin needs this. And after I layer on my serum and heavy-duty moisturiser, the smell isn't obvious. I would dare say, interestingly, it actually enhances the fragrance of my Jurlique moisturiser.

But of course, the biggest question is, does this product work? One word: Impressively.

After 1 week of using this, my dry patches at the jawline have disappeared and my cheeks feel softer and smoother than it was before, which I didn't think was possible. The bumpy bits around my chin have evened out and -get this- it held my skin up even in the wake of my first period in 1.5 years. I'm particularly prone to hormonal breakouts that I now know is probably associated with extra-dryness. I had a few spots threatening to develop into full-blown pimples but this oil kept that under control (before this, I had one pimple on the chin).

I'm completely sold.

Verdict: I've found my HG oil!

This is definitely a keeper, for so many reasons. Besides giving me smooth, glowing skin, it doesn't break the bank like the other branded ones. It can be yours for a princely sum of S$27.90. Yes you read that right. Like I said, it's the cheapest face oil I've ever bought, and costs 1/3 the price of Jurlique's. How could I not love this?

I was bummed that ironically I couldn't find this in the States when I was there a month ago. I'm dying to try out the cleansing oil, which isn't stocked at the Unity below my house. They also have a limited range here, but for those with less dry skin, you may want to check out the Argan oil range. Some other products I'm keen to try are the sunscreens and the rose body oil (for stretch marks). The good thing is if you order more than $100 worth of products, they do cash on delivery, so I may not have to scour each shop for the products I'm interested in. At this rate, I may actually hit the price mark!

Check out their range here.

Review and compare: MooGoo Eczema and Psoriasis Cream

My trip to Oz resulted in the discovery of this cream that was recommended by the pharmacist. Before I begin, some background...

Those of you who have been following this blog (thank you!) know that I'm always on the lookout for new products since E1 suffers from bad eczema, triggered by sensitive airways, ie every time he gets some allergic respiratory symptoms, he also gets eczema. But, unfortunately,  I too had a brush with the weirdest and one of the most severe cases of eczema ever experienced for myself. Before our trip, my finger pads and some bits of the fingers broke out in horrible dry patches, worst on the left hand. I deduced it was stress-related since I had been rushing 2 assignments prior to leaving and was chewing my brains out over 2 more that were due at the end of the trip. Later on, the dry patches started peeling off, turning leathery, sometimes bark-like, and reducing my sensation by half. I also developed a small fissure on my right index finger (meaning the skin split, yes ouch).

Anyway, this was my hand at the beginning. The skin was dry, peeling off, and it hurt. In a hypersensitive way, kind of like when you scald yourself.

This was painful, literally

So in addition to looking for my next HG cream for E1 (we ran out of Physiogel and didn't bother restocking), I needed something for my poor fingers.

I had initially bought a tub of John Plunkett's Eczema Cream. It was a weird little concoction with fish oil and therefore smelled godawful, but I had to return it after I realised it was expired. The chemist recommended MooGoo, but unfortunately, they were out of stock.

Now, I took that as a good sign of it's popularity and efficacy, and I wasn't put off looking for more stockists since we coincidentally were tasked to bring back some MooGoo Moisturising Cream for a friend (she wanted 4 bottles and everywhere we went, we only managed to get 1 or 2 bottles).

Anyhoo, I eventually found the cream (scroll down for specific locations) and tried it on myself, religiously applying it 2-3 times a day.

I thought it was a good cream, but the smell was slightly off-putting. So I went out and bought another tube, but this time in the old formula. So, these are the hauls:

Left - Old formula; Right - New formula

Ingredient-wise, they are quite different. Where the old formula has sage oil and chamomile, the new formula has elderberry, marshmallow, calendula and coconut oil. Both feature aloe vera, almond oil, olive oil and Vitamin E as the excipient ingredients.

Both have yummy ingredients

As mentioned, it was the smell that distinguished them for me. Where the old formula smells herbal, which I suspect is the sage, the new formula smells like a mishmash of ingredients and while not unpleasant, is not what could be described as pleasant. It reminds me of stale bread. If you can stand the first 5 min of it, it does dissipate after a while.

The new version (right) looks like coffee cream..mmm....not

The feel of each formula is different as well. Both, however, have medium consistency and is easy to spread. The new formula is greasier and takes longer to absorb, but it did feel more moisturising after the 5 min mark.

And that's probably what helped make a difference in my fingers. This is what it's like now, 2 weeks after the initial onset:

Almost normal

but still peeling

Note: I was using the new formula when I was still in Aus. Of course, this is actually not a fair comparison because I did not control for factors such as temperature, humidity and activity level (I was washing alot more dishes there, yes while on holiday - don't ask me why). But I did think that it helped to control the symptoms and prevented further peeling.

What sold me was when I touched E1's skin and it was remarkably softer and smoother, almost like E2's, who has been blessed with silky smooth toufu skin - obviously my genes. Even GY commented that E1's skin has been much better, even though it was only apparent when we returned to Sg.

Verdict: Ravenous Raving
This is the cream that I will stock up on and ask every friend who is coming back from Oz to get for E1. Since the moisturising effects of the new version appear more lasting than the old one, I will save the new version for him and keep the old one for my own use. He has developed a sweaty-boy-smell anyway and I don't think the odour of this cream is noticeable on him. For extremely dry areas, though, I would still use the new formula.

I got these creams from major chemists like Go Vita and Amcal, ranging 18-19 AUD for a 120g tube. If you live there, you could also easily get it online direct from the company for a good price.

For locals, MooGoo ships internationally with a shipping fee of 10 AUD. Stockists can also be found here. Take note that this is marketed here as Irritable Skin Balm. But if you are after this particular product, be sure to phone ahead as not all outlets may sell the full range. The price is also approximately 1.5 times that of Aus, after adjusting for exchange rate.

Review: Lip Ice Sheer Colour Lip Moisturiser

Recently, I got to lamenting over my bunch of lip products that I've been hoarding for quite a long time (as in years, yes I know: eew). Part of it is GY's fault. Men don't like to kiss product-laden lips and my guy in particular hates anything on anywhere. The other part is my own fault. I'm too lazy to apply lippy when I know it's going to come off in a few hours and I'll have to reapply it after my meal (because I live for food right). So I'd rather spend more effort on doing my eye makeup than putting on lip conditioner, lip liner and lipstick.

Anyhoos, since I'm still battling dehydration, my lips get dry frequently; although not chapped and bleeding like during winter, thank goodness. So I thought it would be a good idea to check out lip balms. To my pleasant surprise, the trending thing recently (ok last year, for you fashionistas) is tinted lip balm. How perfect this sounds for lazy low-maintenance busy mums like myself. Protect your lips while having some colour that belies the sleepless night you just had.

Sure enough, there's tons of products to choose from with a plethora of shades and promises of improved texture, hydration and staying power. So I had to filter products based on the following factors: cheap and accessible (ie drugstore), colour, staying power, ingredients, transfer.

After doing my online research and hovering along the drugstore aisles, I narrowed it down to these 3: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter, Nivea Soft Rose Lip Balm and Lip Ice Sheer Color Lip Moisturiser. It's obvious which one I went for. In any case, Revlon was too brightly coloured for everyday use; Nivea had pretty bad online reviews. So let's cut to the chase.

This comes in a standard twist-up tube that's slim and compact. What intrigued me is that it is colour-changeable. This is in no way groundbreaking, but I have never tried any such products before and it just sort of appealed to my curiosity. This range comes in 3 variations: fragrance-free, strawberry, and shimmer. I chose the fragrance-free version.

The other reason why I chose this over Nivea is the ingredients. It contains natural emollients -hello shea, macadamia oil and jojoba!- as opposed to Nivea which had mineral oil as the first thing on the list. So while this balm also contains mineral oil, it is listed way further down the line, after the yummiest ingredients.

So here's the exciting bit. As you can see, the product itself is clear.

And here's my lips. Naked and dry. My lips are considered quite nicely pigmented but most of the time I just feel it's blaah.

Before

After

After one swipe, there's a tinge of colour. Being curious about the effect, I decided on one more...

2 layers

Ho what is this sorcery! My lips are now pink! Ok the scientific explanation is that these colour adaptive cosmetics react to the pH level of the skin and hence changes in colour. Cool.

The downside is there is no variety of shades to choose from. I actually abhor this shade of pink as I find it too cutesy-bubblegum-I-love-rainbows-and-hearts. But. It actually looks pretty natural on me since I have pink tones.

Excuse the big nose

The upside of this product is that it is very moisturising and doesn't feel sticky or greasy like the lip balms of last millenium. While the product doesn't stay long on the lips (I think it was just over an hour), the hydrating effects persist so at least I don't actually have to reapply till a few hours later.

My biggest concern really, is transfer, since I love to kiss my kids and snuggle up with them. I don't like to contaminate their skin! So how did this fare?

Kiss test

Wipe test

As you can see, this is not transfer-proof although it does take a firm swipe to get most of the product off. Slightly disappointed in that, but it only confirms my suspicion: there is probably no tinted lip balm in the market that is completely transfer-proof.

Verdict: Rave
For the purposes I had set out to achieve, this product has met each criterion to a decent standard. And for it's price at $6.10 (RRP $7.60 at Watsons), it did exceed some of the expectations I had. If you are more interested in colour though, I would recommend the Revlon Lip Butter as other reviewers have rated it highly in terms of staying power and colour payoff.
As for myself, I would continue to use this product when I go out, and stick to a colourless lip balm at home.

Review: Sukin products

In the blink of an eye, one month has passed since my last post! Been busy with the exam, then mum's surprise birthday bash (which was a partial success), looking for things to write about....which brings me to this. I'd been using some new Sukin products that I am now finally getting around to review - the shampoo, body wash and cream cleanser.

Shampoo

This is a big bottle

As with other organic brands, this one is sulphate-free, so it lathers minimally. I've gotten used to sulphate-free shampoos so the lathering is enough for me and I even find it relatively rich for an organic shampoo. I've even gotten GY to use it, whose reaction to it is the standard "it's ok" response. But I use this every other day (remember, scalp and roots only!) and I don't think my hair has been this healthy for a long time. I also love the scent, which is a citrus and vanilla blend, that is signature to almost all their products. The only problem I have with it is the pump, which I find rather weak (yes as in, bo lat).

The shampoo is a clear, gooey liquid

Body Wash

See how the packaging is exactly the same?

It comes in the same packaging and has the same consistency and scent as the shampoo. In fact, there was a time after my maid swapped the bottles after cleaning the shelves that I, with the visual acuity of a naked mole rat, lathered the body wash into my hair and didn't realise it until I was rinsing it off. When applied to the hair, it rinses off squeaky clean, whereas the shampoo leaves a healthy coat of moisture. Anyway that's not really where it's supposed to go. I use poufs with my bodywashes, so with this, there's an acceptable amount of lather. 1 pump is enough for my whole body, but I usually use 2 for a more indulgent experience.

Even the stuff that comes out looks and smells the same??

Cream Cleanser

I'd been looking for a smallish cream cleanser for use when travelling and/or staying at mum's house and this was perfect. It's surprisingly thick and feels slightly heavy and greasy to apply. But it does wash off easily and doesn't leave that oily film behind. The scent retains the strong vanilla note but with less hints of citrus, making it almost smell like cinnamon. Which is a weird thing to be putting on the face in my opinion. Nevertheless, it's pleasant enough to use and leaves my skin soft and plump.

The cream is pretty heavy and thick

Verdict: Raves
Of the three, the shampoo and body wash are definite keepers. They are half the price for double the amount of the brand I was using previously - Akin. When on offer, both products go for $20+ for each 1ltr bottle, which is a steal considering the purity of the ingredients. But while I won't be replacing my Jurlique cleanser with the Sukin cream cleanser any time soon, it is admittedly a cheap alternative for travel purposes - around $12 for 125ml.
Sukin can be found at selected Unity, Guardian and Watsons outlets, as well as other independent health stores. Check it out here.

Review:Jurlique Herbal Recovery Advanced Serum

This breastfeeding business has really taken a toll on my skin. I am, as confirmed by other signs, dehydrated. My cheeks have become bumpy and the corners of my nose occasionally peel.

So I decided my skincare routine needed more thirst-quenching products to bump up the hydration.

The only thing left that I didn't have was a serum. So after days of searching for an ideal candidate, I decided to stick with the brand and get the Herbal Recovery Advanced Serum.

As usual, I was excited to try this new addition after purchasing a huge bottle. But as I sat down to begin my ritual -lo and behold!- I found two samples of the serum from previous hauls. Even more exciting! So I tore into the sachets and quickly squeezed out the contents.

Slightly runny, has a weird smell like the Daily Exfoliating cream

Common sense says that you should always read the instructions before putting anything on your face. Yet in the throes of my eagerness, I had forgotten this important step. Too late. I had squeezed out enough product to slather on my face thrice and to cover my neck as well.

And then my face burned like the fiery bowels of hell.

Ok it wasn't that bad, but it stung pretty badly. I had to wait a good 5 minutes before the feeling dissipated and I felt normal enough to apply the next product. At least I know there's really potent stuff in there.

Oops that dedinitely wasn't 1-2 pumps' worth

But when I started massaging my Skin Balancing Oil in, gross balls of stuff started coming off my face! Think of a gommage or face peel - I was rubbing off gunky yellow bits and it didn't feel nice at all. I had to pat the rest of the oil and my moisturiser in, which I just wasn't used to.

After such an unpromising start, I was dreading the feeling that I would regret buying this very expensive product. But after 15 minutes of letting everything sink in (literally and figuratively), I discovered that my face felt heavenly and I couldn't stop touching it. It was so smooth, with the finishing effect not unlike that of a silicone cream, and the bumps on the left side of my face were less palpable. Wow! What is in that thing?

Ingredients

My guess -and I'm really taking a stab here- is the magnesium silicate, which is really just talc. That's probably why it got gunky when I tried applying the oil after the serum. Lesson learnt. But what's the proper sequence to apply these products then?

I had never bothered to ask the salesgirls as they had always looked somewhat clueless. I had also tried to search online but to no avail. So I had simply decided to follow the Korean method of skincare, which is basically to apply products based on consistency, starting with the thinnest and finishing with the heaviest. While this method worked with the old routine, throwing the serum in obviously derailed the entire system.

So I trawled through the net one last time and chanced upon a blogger who had experienced the Jurlique facial and had shared the proper sequence as used by the beautician. Prepare for a moment of epiphany...

1. Cleanse
2. Massage with oil, remove excess
3. Toning mist
4. Eye cream
5. Serum
6. Moisturiser

What?! My step 4 was actually supposed to be step 2? Dammit. But even with the 1-yr plus of wrong application, I still get compliments on my skin. Which really attests to the quality of Jurlique's products.

So I started the next day anew, following the proper sequence and using the serum sparingly. Great results, no more clumping goo.

Verdict: Rave (ish)
I haven't used this long enough to say anything definitive about the long term effects, but I do like the short term results. The drawback, though, is the cost, even though per volume it is cheaper than the one I used previously. The biggest bottle, which is 100ml, burned a 3-figure sum through my pocket. You could get the 30ml bottle for around $130 but the bigger bottle is only double that price. I suspect that once my skin goes back to normal, if it ever does, this pricey addition may make an exit from my routine.

Review: Ocean Restaurant by Cat Cora

I normally wouldn't write restaurant reviews but I'll make an exception. This one's about Ocean Restaurant at RWS.

We decided to have an early Father's Day celebration, since SIL came across a promotion at this place, and thought it nice to treat ourselves to a nice meal with an interesting view. If you haven't heard of this place, it markets itself as a premium dining establishment headed by a celebrity chef, with the additional novelty of sharing one glass panel with the SEA Aquarium, the world's largest oceanarium. So you get to enjoy Masterchef-class food while looking at huge mantas sailing by.

Since we were such a large group (9 adults 5 kids), we were expected to pre-order from the set menu. Ok, many stuffy restaurants practise this policy, along with other regulations such as no sharing of set meals, minimum spend per person, etc etc. Sure, I understand that. Then SIL told us that they had asked her to furbish a copy of her credit card, front and back. Wait, what? Anyone with good credit sense knows to  never give out your CVV number, which is on the back of the card, to anyone you don't trust. Even hotels that require a security deposit never ask for your CVV number, and they manage to authorise the transaction anyway. So what kind of fradulent operations are you running, Ocean Restaurant? I don't know. I have sent feedback to RWS and will update once I receive their reply.

Anyway, moving on. A little bit of background here. GY, E1 and myself had a short babymoon here last year and enjoyed it immensely, or at least I did. So out of the family, we were the only ones who had been to the aquarium prior to lunch. Naturally we weren't as hyped up as the others.

But when I walked in through the door, I was still floored by the view of humongous manta rays, leopard sharks and various arrays of fish skimming the clear panel. Unfortunately, our long table was set in the middle of the room, so the kids had to squeeze in through the other tables nearer the panel to take in the view. And since the tables next to the viewing panel were already very close to each other, you can see how this would annoy the other diners who - guess what - don't have kids. It certainly makes for a disrupting meal. I asked SIL why we didn't get the place right next to the viewing panel and she said that it was another restaurant policy - only 4-seater tables are allowed next to the viewing panel. Seriously? What's the rationale for that? I'm sure these well-dressed yuppies would find rambunctious toddlers crowding around their table extremely annoying. Fortunately none of them seemed bothered enough to complain and we managed to get the kids seated for most of the meal. Honestly, what would have made better sense was to cordon off a "viewing gallery", which could have replaced the opaque wall at the entrance.

So much to say and we haven't even gotten to the food. What took the cake was the maître d' who swept around with a holier-than-thou air. I saw narry a smile on his face nor any modicum of warmth in anything he did or said. He was terse, his face an emotionless slate, and he constantly admonished us for trying to sneak out to enjoy the viewing gallery.

Now, the restaurant has a back entrance which provides direct access to the aquarium's huge viewing hall. The door is left open so that diners may have access to the washroom which is immediately to the right. That really is a design flaw right? If the establishment's policy is not to allow diners free access to the attraction, then bloody hell close the effing door and build a toilet inside. I understand that operational policies only come into place after construction, but really, there are so many other better ways to go about this. Much better than having Mr Stick-in-the-ass whose main aim in life is to catch miscreants who try to flout the rules. And really, it's not like we're gonna walk through the entire aquarium from entrance to exit. We're not that cheap.

Other than that, the food was ok. Notice I didn't post any photos of food? That's because I was starving and didn't bother. It was nice, but nothing to shout about. The smoked salmon starter I had was, well, I can do that. Wrap some salmon over breadsticks, add some caviar and salmon roe - voilà!  Smoked Scottish Salmon Gravlax.

The barramundi, however, was nicely done. The skin was crispy and the meat tender, not overdone like it tends to be. The chorizo vinaigrette was slightly heavy -it was really just sausage oil- but it went down well with E1 so that's fine by me. Comments by the others were that the duck confit was dry and the suckling pig was underwhelming. I have a fortuitous intuition when it comes to ordering food at restaurants and this time it didn't let me down. When dining at a restaurant called Ocean, best to stick with seafood. The only thing that irked me was that they served me fish without a fish knife.

My dessert, Vacherin, was something of a deconstructed lemon meringue, which I liked as it didn't try to downplay the citrusy tartness of the lemon. But really, any dessert makes me happy so I can't complain.

While we were finishing the meal, I had noticed that the maître d' had taken his sanctimonious attitude and disappeared somewhere, probably to the depths of hell. This let us continue eating in a much more relaxed atmosphere which, coupled with the contrastingly warm accommodation by the other serving staff, was immeasurably more enjoyable. So we ended our experience on a much happier note.

Shit he's coming, get outta here!

Verdict: Not a regret, but probably wouldn't go back

At $55++ per head for a 3-course lunch, this is actually a competitive price for the standard of the food. This, however, doesn't mean I'll be willing to pay more, nor will I readily return for another meal. Do be aware that if other diners bring their annoying kids, well that's your problem. Also, if you're a big eater, the food will likely be, in BIL's opinion, jiak buey ba (insufficient to satiate)

PS. If you're looking for a place for occasion-dining, I would recommend somewhere else like Pollen at Gardens By the Bay. Although it's more pricey, at least it allows you free access to the flower dome.

Review: Tollyjoy disposable nursing pads

Since I love a bargain,  my eye was caught by these Tollyjoy breast pads. Who doesn't like free stuff?

These were cheap to begin with, but this pack comes with +8 pcs, wow! And suitable for day and night use! Can't go wrong right? Well, apparently you can.

Let's start with the packaging. It's cheap plastic and an unappetising sick green colour. Ok that's fine, nobody needs to see that.

The inside is ok. Cottony soft lining, standard shape. The very bare minimum of my expectations.

But for goodness' sake why is the peel-off tab so damned difficult to peel off?? I have to apply a considerable amount of force to get the little rectangular piece of paper off the pad. And there are two of them. If you are in need of pincer-grip exercises, this will work all the muscles in your fingers.

For the first 5 minutes or so of wearing them, the pads felt ok. Then I started to feel them. It's like wearing plastic-ky sanitary pads for your boobs. It's itchy. When you are breastfeeding and you are already sore and lopsided, you don't want to have to deal with itch too.

And then there's the matter of malalignment. For some reason, these always seem to shift out of place. I compared the size to previous pads I've used and there isn't much of a difference. For the record, I am not particularly well-endowed nor do I do vigorous activity (chasing toddlers is not counted).

But I don't mind all these, even if I'm constantly readjusting the pads to centre. What really takes the cake is that the sticky tape on the pads would rather stick to my skin than onto my bra. Then I have to rip it off. Then I scream oh @#$! Every single time. No thanks! My boobs don't need waxing!

Verdict: Regret
The only thing good about this product is that it's cheap. At $7.90 for this box, it comes down to 16c per piece, which gives great savings (and throws in a free waxing session). But that's not my thing. Hell no, I've already bought a new pack of my trusty Pigeon pads and reminded myself not to get waylaid by cheap stuff that makes me miserable and guilty.

Review: Atorrege AD + Acne Spots

Ok I've been waiting for a chance to do this review but I haven't actually had any breakouts thanks to steady hormone levels and good regular skincare. Then the occasional zit visited and I had to whip out my latest pimple-zapping procurement.

A red spot appeared on the right side of my nose last week. Underneath that, I could feel the beginnings of a zit - slightly hard, swollen, tender when pressed. This is a telltale sign I needed to incorporate my spot treatment into my skincare regime.

Most births are celebrated but not this baby

I've tried a few products before and found that I didn't like most of them for being either too harsh or too useless. I do stock a bottle of pure tea tree oil but it does take a few days to see any results.

If you haven't heard of this brand, there's nothing to be ashamed of. I hadn't either, until my itchy fingers brought me to some pretty good reviews about their products. I couldn't find much info about the brand and the company, but I shan't bore you with the details. I did like the fact that the products have naturally-derived active ingredients.

As for Acne Spots, the product comes in an amber glass bottle with a dropper. It's a gel base that is quite viscous but spreads well. One full drop is enough to dab on 2-3 spots for me. But because the gel doesn't really dry or get fully absorbed, I'm careful to press on my subsequent products rather than massaging them haphazardly like I usually do.

The consistency is similar to thin, runny mucus

And what a wonder it does. After 2 days of twice daily applications:

No photoshop required

Gone like wham, bam thank you ma'am! This red spot had no chance of festering into a fully bloomed painful whitehead in all its pus-filled glory. Ok that may be a little dramatic, but I really wouldn't want that to happen because it's very difficult to exercise self restrain when there's a big pimple screaming at you to burst it. And what comes after squeezing a zit? Yeap, immense satisfaction followed by a whole lot of guilt and 2 weeks of scarring. That was the whole point of spending money to avoid it in the first place.

Verdict: So Rave
I believe that effective products in general are worth the money, as long as it isn't overly ridiculous. This little glass bottle will set you back $59 for 10ml of product. But it is available at selected Watsons outlets and major department stores like BHG and Robinsons so it's worthwhile to make use of their incentive schemes to get it at a discount or even for "free".