The trial facial that left me broke...

Had a voucher to try out a facial or massage at the Wellness Village spa. So last Friday, since I was on half day leave, I headed to the branch at Marina Square for a facial.

A sweet and smiley girl named Bernice attended to me. Bernice inspected my skin and briefly told me what she was going to do. To be honest, I wasn't really listening...she can do whatever she deems fit, since she's the expert in this field.

First up, my face was cleansed twice. The spa uses only Decleor and Carita products from France, which smelled really really good and was very calming on the skin. After cleansing, my face was massaged with essential oils. This was the most pleasurable part of the treatment for me, as the warmth from Bernice's hands and the gentle kneading on my face made me drift off to zzz land. Following that, I was given what I call the zap-zap treatment. An equipment emitting what I think are small jolts of electricity was used to zap up the pimples I had. Supposedly, this kills off the bacteria and the cursed pimpled will dry up within a few days!

The last step was a very cold, and I mean freezing cold, mask applied on my face, as well as a thermal eye mask. The sensation was unbelievable...my face was shivering but my eyes emanated a warmth that was so comforting! It was like hugging a hot water bottle on a cold cold day! Marvellous! At the end of the facial session, I felt so relaxed and pampered!

The spa focuses on improving circulation and the health of our face so that the toxins in our face can be eliminated from within. The spa does not believe in extraction methods as they damage the skin and leave scars. The reason is because when an extraction is done, it leaves a hole in your face and what happens? More dirt gets trapped in that hole and it's a never ending process. I found their explanation logical as I've had pimples popping out at the same spot over and over again, and I could never really understand why!

Of course, what comes with trial sessions is endless coaxing to sign up for a package. But because I had such a great facial, I succumbed to that temptation! So now I have 20 facial sessions, complete with eye treatment, that could last me for the next 2 years. Great thing is that these facial sessions can be converted into massage cum body scrub/foot reflexology/body wrap, etc! The consultant, who is of Indonesian descent, couldn't stop raving about the Indonesian body massage, and she swears that this is the secret to her beautiful body! (And she really does have a flat tummy and sexy curves for a mommy of 2!).

The spa has branches in Pan Pacific hotel, Pagoda street (Chinatown) and Marina Square. My spa sessions are transferable, so anyone who's interested to try out the facial or massage at a discounted price, let me know! :)

Finding that oyster

I read in an article that the best way for two single people to meet each other is through their common friend(s). Say I have a gal friend A, and she's very sweet and demure. Say I also have a guy friend B, and I think he's perfect for A. What better way for friends A and B to meet than through me!

I've met many guys in the past through different avenues - friends' introduction (with or without the matchmaking intent), online chatrooms (think Alamak, mIRC), chatting up guys in clubs (and being chatted up) and the conventional way of meeting people through work, neighbours etc.

I was the subject of a few matchmaking sessions as well. I remember one such session in particular. My friend W attempted to matchmake me with his friend J, and another friend Y tagged along for the occasion. Apparently, J had the hots for my friend Y that night but he was too shy(?) to take action. A fateful event at my place sealed the deal and J and Y have been happy together ever since! I harboured no ill feelings at this union as J's definitely not my type! *wink*

Though I derived no success from these sometimes awkward incidents, I am a firm believer that there is absolutely no harm in these introductions. Essentially, all I will be providing is a platform for two strangers to meet. If all fails, these two will continue being strangers. If there's no spark or chemistry, they end up as friends. But if there's an attraction and a chance for the acquaintance to develop, then they'd have me to thank, won't they?

Sometimes, I ponder about my own relationship with P. On days like these, I feel pretty convinced that if P hadn't found me, I would still be out there seeking love and not finding it. For it may be easy to find someone, but to find a soulmate in that someone is probably like striking 4D? For the record, I have never struck 4D in my life. Perhaps a more appropriate analogy is that we're all looking for an oyster with the pearl in it. During our quest for love, we may pick up big oysters, small oysters, deformed oysters, rotten oysters, oysters that refuse to open up, oysters that open up to reveal nothing, etc. Materialism aside, all we want is to find that one special oyster containing the pearl to our heart. Ok ok, that sounded corny, I know.

Some people may poo-pah my idea and say it's all a waste of time. Afterall, a contrived arrangement is unlikely to bear any fruits. What's the likelihood that two strangers meet for the first time and take to each other immediately?

And then some laugh at me and ask me what's my success rate? Sadly, it's zero but in my defense, some of them did become friends.

Maybe I try too hard, but if there's even a glimmer of hope that A and B will hit it off, the intermediary should not hesitate in making that introduction. Someday, I'm certain my effort will pay off in the form of success stories! :)

Mr Antagonistic strikes (again)

Me: What's the employer CPF contribution rate?
Mr A: 14.5%.
Me: OK.
Mr A (being super informative): It was 20%, 10%, 13% then 14.5%.
Me (in broken English): Don't have 10% la.
Mr A (slightly agitated): That's where you're wrong. You want to bet?
Me: Nope.
Mr A (tauntingly): You don't want to bet because you have no confidence in what you said.
Mr A: (sends me the URL of the CPF relevant webpage.)
Mr A (intent on picking up a fight): I am a Singaporean and I've been around for a long time. You are only a PR and you dare challenge me?
Me (cautiously): You don't have to be so antagonistic.
Mr A: That's because you dunno what you are talking about yet you made it sound like I'm wrong by saying "don't have LA" (note key word: "la"). That's what made me pissed.
Me: Don't be so sensitive la. I use "la" all the time.

(silence)

Mr A: Hello you there? Don't like that hor, otherwise I won't sametime you next time.
Me (resignedly): I should be telling you this.
Mr A: Oh ya hor. Haha.
Me (vulgarities at the tip of my tongue): OK got to go for lunch. Bye!
Mr A: Bye Bye! Talk to you later!

Note to readers: This was a conversation that took place via Sametime, office equivalent of MSN. The exact wording may not have been used (unlike some, I don't memorise lines and jump at the chance to spit it back into people's face to prove them wrong) and where required, I have tweaked mine/Mr A's dialogue to preserve the gist of the conversation.

Yea, wording is very important as the same Mr A has in the past accused me of distorting something he said, after which he proceeded to bombard my handphone with cruel messages such as "You have the guts to talk behind my back but no guts to pick up my call" etc etc...you get the drift.

MR A, YOU LISTEN HERE! I SAY WHATEVER I WANT ON MY BLOG AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE WHAT I SAY, YOU CAN KISS MY ASS! @%#^!*@&#^%$@^&$&$*@*@!

I'm king on my blog but such a coward in real life...bah! PEACE OUT!

Beef allergy tested - Negative!

Much to P's displeasure, after days of abstinence, I finally tucked in to some beef fried rice, beef yakitori and hamburg at Shokudo (Japanese Marche-style restaurant at the basement of Raffles City) yesterday. And guess what?

NO RASH!

While I'm rubbing my hands in glee, for there's no need for me to abstain from my favourite meat afterall, the question still lingers as to what caused the serious bout of rash 2 weeks ago.

And I do love the food at Shokudo. My favourites are the pork belly yakitori, omelette with a variety of mouth-watering fillings like unagi, mushroom cheese etc, the ultra-thin crusted pizza and the Japanese matcha (green tea). The queue's always ridiculously long though, even on a weekday!

Ah well, let's hope the upcoming outlet at The Heeren (which is taking over the previous Village) will even out the crowd!

Sex and the City

Caught the movie yesterday, and I'm not sure if I liked it. For one, Carrie annoyed the hell out of me. That creep Big has let her down so many times, you'll think she would have learnt her lesson by now. But noooo...she still hooked up with him in Paris and allowed herself to be left standing at the altar...wait, actually she didn't even get to the altar. Poor sad girl, totally hoodwinked by that scumbag!

Of course, scumbags as scumbags are, I totally expected Big to have cold feet at the last minute. That is just so typical of guys like him, selfish! I'm not saying that I'm all for of couples going ahead with a wedding just because it's planned and too embarrassing to cancel, but really! Backing out is such a cowardly and wrong thing to do, and there are very grave repercussions to think about. Over the past few years, I've heard more and more real life stories about one member of the marrying couple (though more often than not, it's the guy!) having a change of mind and heart. Perhaps this situation is the result of the way things are run here. Wedding preparations commence at least a year before the actual day, and one year is more than sufficient time for a relationship to turn sour.

And as long as the bad boy appeal is still out there, more of such incidents are bound to happen. Why? Because these bad boys are, explicitly put, bad. They only think for themselves and they don't really care about you, because if they did, they wouldn't be that bad, would they? I've told a friend who's attracted to bad boys countless of times to go for good boys instead, because bad boys just end up breaking your heart!

Back to the movie, I think Charlotte and Steve are the sweetest beings on the show. Charlotte, firm believer of fairytale marriages and perfection. She kinda reminds me of an ex-colleague of mine (you know who you are!). And such a loyal friend, I loved the part where she pointed her finger at Big and screamed "I curse the day you were born!", and then her waterbag burst. Haha that was hilarious.

All 4 ladies looked older and more wrinkled than I remember them. Carrie, without makeup, looked like an old witch. Miranda looked like she's been smoking a lot and Charlotte's eyes looked like they were going to pop out. I thought the only one who still looked really hot for her age was Samantha - of course, Botox is probably the answer. My friend and I agreed that the only people who didn't seem to have aged much were Big and the 2 gay boys. Which worries me...I should start investing in better skincare and facial treatments!

So overall, this movie was entertaining, I loved the fashion bit (the clothes, bags and shoes were all to die for). But the storyline was a tad old and cheesy at parts. If you're thinking, oh, if the show's that bad, should I catch Narnia - Prince Caspian instead? The answer is a big, resounding NO. Stick with Sex and the City if the alternative is Narnia, you'll find yourself having a few laughs at least.

Being Diplomatic

A friend of mine was complaining to me about this schmuck in her office. He's the sort who'll ask you to cover him when he's on leave but will never do the same for you, he'll not hesitate to make use of you to put himself in a better position and he'll put you down to make himself look good. Yea, every office I'm sure, has at least one such character.

I tried to form a visual of this dodgy character, with my friend's help. Here's an excerpt of the conversation we had.

Me: Is he ugly?
X: He looks like a bear.
Me: Is he fat?
X: He's not thin.
Me: Does he look disgusting?
X: You wouldn't want to stand near him.
Me: Does he smell bad?
X: (I can't remember X's response, as we were both laughing at ourselves by now!)

My friend is such a sweetie. Not once did she curse or utter anything remotely vulgar, and I did not hear a single word which bore any semblance to an animal, beast or plant. If this were someone I know, I would probably have verbally reduced his name, character and reputation to smithereens! But that's just me...

The cows fight back

On Friday night, P and I had dinner at Prego. I ordered a prawn-crab gnocchi and he had a steak, medium done. Of course, I could not resist and stole chunks of his steak as well. The same night, my scalp, hands, legs and body itched like nobody's business and it kept me awake the entire night. I had THE RASHES again. Blimey!

Saw a doctor the next day, who could not pin down the real cause. A possibility was food allergy. Immediately, I concluded that the prawn-crab combo turned the rashes on! I took some medicine and the rash went away the same day, hoorah!

That night, Mom and Dad said since I can't have seafood, we'll have Japanese food instead. We ordered the sukiyaki, a Japanese steamboat with thinly sliced beef simmered in a pot of sweet-tasting soup. Needless to say, I feasted on the beef and slurped up all of the soup! Lo and behold, the rashes decided to visit again after my very satisfying meal, and this time it attacked my face, thighs, the back of my knees etc. I spent the whole night tossing, turning and scratching myself raw.

I'm trying not to form too many conclusions here, so you shouldn't either. But inevitably, the images of some of my favourite food have popped at random into my mind, and though the list is by no means exhaustive, they include:

- Sukiyaki (Japanese)
- Jack Daniel's steak (Western)
- Shepherd's pie (Mom's very own)
- Spaghetti bolognaise (Italian)
- Pho (Vietnamese)
- Beef noodles dry (Chinese)

Startling isn't it? The cows are out for revenge I'm sure.