October 22, 2010
I was in Bali a week and a half ago and it was great to be in the sun before I went for my Carbon Dioxide laser session at my dermatologist to remove pesky dark spots. I know this might sound counter-productive but the dark spots and moles were from my teenage years when I hit the tanning salon with reckless abandonment. No sunblock, no protection – nothing.
I have wisen up and I enjoy basking in the sun and as long as I keep slapping on sunblock religiously, I can still enjoy the sun. After all, it’s how your body naturally produces Vitamin D. Speaking of sunblock, I am a huge fan of No-Ad’s line of sunblocks and I take them to every tropical vacation.
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Body, Grooming, Steal, Travel
September 20, 2010
Traveling is one of my greatest love. Throw in adventures and experiences and multi-facets of culture and history. How can anyone say no to that all? With every trip comes the inevitable question of what to bring. Smart traveling and smart packing go hand in hand.
That said, Travelteq just launched their new luggage piece simply called The Trip and it is one to covert. Let’s start with the sleek aluminium exterior – you can never go wrong with that. And then let’s proceed to the kangaroo pouch where all your essentials like newspaper, magazines, notebooks, pens are easily within reach in an organized format.
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September 14, 2010
My favorite type of food is Japanese – you can’t go wrong with a plate of fresh sashimi and I can have Japanese food everyday. But that said, I am also very much a meat and potatoes man – a good steak is hard to beat, no question about that.
In the world of steaks, the scale goes from expensive to very cheap. But price is not an automatic indication on the quality of said steaks. I had a great dinner at The Bedrock Bar & Grill, located at the Pan Pacific Serviced Suites, two weekends ago and the first thing I noticed when I flipped the menu was how affordable the food was (tenderloin SG$49, pepper steak SG$59, tomato soup SG$12).
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August 23, 2010
I love traveling; it’s one of my passions, but the thing that I face all the time is wrinkles on shirts. I don’t like wrinkles on my face so I extend that dislike to my clothes too. Traveling for weeks at end, I bring my fair share of shirts and some survive the air rides without any mess but others require some help. Doing laundry in the major hotels are a rip-off and ridiculously silly (unless you can put it on an expense account) so I’ve been looking for ways to solve that problem of clean but unwearable, wrinkly shirts.
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Fashion, Travel
July 29, 2010
Amidst all the hustle and bustle of Shanghai, you can’t help but want to seek refuge somewhere. I don’t know a better place than Skin City 5.5.
Skin City 5.5 is the kind of place you want to spend everyday in. At least I do. This fantastic spa has an extensive treatment menu that run the gamut from oxygen facials to microdermabrasion to massages to body scrubs to nail and waxing services. You will be spoiled for choice.
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Asia, Body, Face, Grooming, Travel
July 24, 2010
I just left Shanghai but when I was there, my goal was to eat my way around Shanghai and I did just that. Armed with a list of the best and coolest places to check out, Goga was on that list and it was simply stellar.
Chef and owner Brad Turley stands in the open kitchen keeping a watchful eye on the preparation of each dish. The menu is simple – with seafood, meat and salads. But the menu belittles the flavor punch of each and every dish I had.
The salad I ordered had candied bacon (a first for me) and it was a small revelation. I’ve watched contestants on Top Chef preparing candied bacon and I’ve always cringed at the thought of something so delicious in all its savory glory turned into something dessert-like.
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July 23, 2010
When I arrived in Shanghai a few days ago, the thought of dining in a tex-mex restaurant never occurred to me. After all, you don’t think of Mexican food when you think of Shanghai. But Mexican food I did have and it was stellar.
Maya is located in an apartment complex so when you head there, look out for the Maya Restaurant sign. The restaurant boasts a lounge area and a dining area so you can, depending on your mood, choose where you want to sit.
Like every Mexican restaurant, you get the usual chips, salsa and avocado dip. But unlike every Mexican restaurant, the avocado dip was fresh and flavorful so much so that a whole bowl of it was quickly polished off. The margaritas and mojitos were excellent and that was the beginning of things to come.
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July 21, 2010
I’ve been intrigued by molecular gastronomy ever since Season 4 of Top Chef where Richard Blais showed his big guns by means of liquid nitrogen and other nifty kitchen gadgets not seen before. The Tippling Club has been on my list of places to wine and dine for a while now and I’ve been so busy with life that I haven’t found the time or opportunity until two weeks ago.
The first sight that hits you is how sleek and cool the whole layout of this place is. Cold stainless steel racks, sinks and bar tops – it brought back memories of time spent in science labs working on my Molecular Biology module in college. With an ode to science laboratories, that first sight sets precedence for the night to come.
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May 14, 2010
I love it when pieces I already like get functional upgrades that make them even more desirable. The Travelteq Trash is one such piece.
This handy and handsome travel companion now comes with a shoulder sling. A feature that is always appreciated. Having your hands free when you travel and zip through airports is crucial and so is having a bag that you can throw on and run with.
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January 20, 2010
I had a major sushi craving the 2 weeks I was in Vietnam and it only grew stronger by the day. If I had to pick my favorite cuisine, it would be Japanese. A chance dinner encounter with a family who had been to K Cafe a couple of days before and the tremendous gratuitous rave was more than enough for me to give this joint a try.
Turns out, the family was not exaggerating. The food was good and so was the service. The warm hospitable, casual feel first hits you as you step in with the owner (a Japanese who moved to HCM naturally) explaining the day’s specials to you.
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January 13, 2010
I spent a couple of days in Nha Trang the last week of December and it was terribly enjoyable. Nha Trang is like the Bali of Vietnam – the salty scent of the sea greats you as soon as you step off the plane. The beaches are generally left untouched and it all adds to the charm of this wonderful place.
Nha Trang is one place to watch – huge resorts are popping up left, right and center and it is relatively still under the radar but it’s not going to stay that way for long. A place to check out is the Sailing Club.
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January 8, 2010
Located in the ancient capital of Vietnam (Hue), Pilgrimage Village is a place where you simply come and relax. The gorgeous green surroundings of this resort immediately takes you closer to nature. It’s also the kind of resort where I use my indoor voice a lot. Everyone looks calm, at peace and mellow so indoor voice is an automatic self-imposed call.
The rooms are generously spaced and the bathrooms are created with the desire to bring you as close to the outdoors as possible. The shower area is covered with smooth pebbles and you stand on two strategically placed steps as you shower. That’s something new. But so is the fact that they didn’t have any towel hooks so after every shower I am faced with the conundrum – where do I hang my wet towel?
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