SG | Daiso Haul (July 2017)

Time for another Daiso haul post!  😍

SG | New Balance Factory Outlet

Very short post tonight.  Just wanted to share that I found a New Balance factory outlet at ARC in Alexandra Road.  Timely for those looking for a good deal in sportswear.  😊 

New Balance factory outlet
460 Alexandra Road
#01-06 ARC (Alexandra Retail Centre)
Singapore 119963
T:     +65 6274 8705

SG | oBike

I've said it once and I'll say it again.  Singapore has a great public transport system.  You don't really need to have a car here.  There's bus lines and MRT stations and taxis galore!  You're all set.

Heck, nowadays, you can even bike (even without physically owning one)!

OBike

FAB FIND: Fidget Cube

I fidget a lot; helps me think.  Problem is I don't like fidgeting with my fingers.  It has to be with something -- a pen, my ID holder, etc.  It's more than enough to keep me occupied while walking, in a meeting, or any place else I find myself thinking.

And while these everyday mundane items are more than enough to meet my fidgeting needs, I crave variety.  Good thing the Fidget Cube was invented!

Fidget Cube

fitbit Charge: A Review

2014 was a year of big changes for my little family.

1. The Husband and I decided that it was time again for the Daughter and I to move back to Singapore (which we did middle of that year).
2. After 4 years of being a stay-at-home mom, I was lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to restart my HR career again.  This time in the Lion City.
3. We are now parents of an active pre-schooler (a.k.a. The-Daughter-formerly-known-as-The-Little-One.  How time flies!

So as expected, work and parenting duties has been keeping me quite busy nowadays.  Imagine this:

• The Husband and I wake up at 6:00 AM and get ready for the day.  The Daughter is coaxed out of bed by 7:00 AM for breakfast and the usual morning dress-up routine.
• Drop off the Daughter at childcare ("daycare" to us used to American English) at 8:00 AM (yes, we decided not to get a yaya/nanny/helper).
• Work for the Husband and I starts at 9:00 AM and ends at 6:00 PM.  OTs happen (thankfully, not so often but it's unavoidable sometimes), but we work around the schedule at least to make sure one of us is free to...
• Pick up the Daughter by 6:30 PM.
• Arrive home by 7:00 PM (after a brief run through the playground).  Daylight hours here are quite different in PH.  We see light by around 7:00 AM and experience the sun setting at around 7:00 in the evening.
• We have dinner by 7:30 PM.  Hopefully, with all of us together.
• At bed by 9:00 PM.
• Start, repeat again for the next 4 weekdays.
• Weekends are spent (1) grocery shopping, (2) shuttling the Daughter to pre-school gymnastics class (on Saturdays), and (3) just plain going around town for a break at the usual routine (or if we're particularly lazy/want to save money, we stay at home.)

Considering our busy schedules, it was actually a surprise when I found that been feeling kinda sluggish days on end, a huge sign I am definitely out of shape.  Huhuhu!

Now, I'm not exactly the exercising type (gym club membership and the like), but I do love to walk, which in Singapore is actually quite easy to accomplish.  You can survive without a car here, what with the great public transport system and all.  So the one thing that really got me thinking was, considering I was actually walking more than when I was in the home country, why am feeling less peppy and energized.

To get to the bottom of it all (and mainly due to my endless hinting), the Husband gave me a fitbit Charge for my birthday last year.

My fitbit Charge

SG | OWNDAYS Optical Shop and Eyewear Boutique

I finally had new eye glasses done!  Woohoo! 

My rimless glasses from OWNDAYS Singapore

Admittedly, my last 2 pairs were cheapo ones I bought in the Philippines, had them since 2012.  Decided to downgrade due to the fact that kids and expensive eye wear do not mix well.  Believe me, the Favorite Nephew alone has cost me 2 pairs of transition lenses already (and that was only during the first 1 and a half years of his life!).  So the desire to spend a bit higher on eyeglasses while the Little One was still... uhmmm... little, was not to my liking.

But with restarting my career here in SG and the daughter already 4, I decided it was high time to purchase a good pair again.

PH | Gymboree Play & Learn Classes

Time flies so fast!  Who would have thought the Little One's 2 now, turning 3 in a few months!  Where does the time go?  Huhuhu!  L

Taking care of her full-time has definitely been a challenge.  Trying to make sure that she's stimulated mentally and physically is hard, what with thinking of age-appropriate activities and shows that she can be allowed to do and see.  One thing I noticed, though, since she really has not much kids her own age for playmates (only us stuffy "adults" here with her at home), I find she has grown to be slightly shy when among other people (whatever the age).

And since school, for her, is still a year away, the Husband and I decided to enroll her in a Gymboree Play & Learn class for the meantime to get her to come out of her shell a bit.

Gymboree Play & Learn in Sofitel (Source: Gymboree website)

PR: Wheatgrass C.A.N. Holiday Gift Packs

Christmas is a season of giving; and the people from Wheatgrass C.A.N., want to THANK ALL wheatgrass consumers who have always stayed loyal to them.

 

My Favorite Singapore Malls (A Post About my Favorite Commercial Areas in the Lion City - Part 2 of 2)

Singapore is a shopper's haven.  So it's no surprise that there are malls here left and right.  It's unnerving, really, just how many there are (and here I thought we Filipinos were obsessed).  Take, for instance, the whole stretch of Orchard Road and its surrounding streets (considered the Lion City's main shopping area) houses a number of malls lined up side by side along its stretch.  A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

In fact, the very first time I came to the Lion City, my head started spinning, taking into account all the malls there are here.  And if you're like me, you'll be just as overwhelmed, too.  So here's a list of malls in Singapore (not just along Orchard Road and in no particular order) that I love going to and my personal reasons for why they hold a special place in my uhmm... wallet heart (and I promise not to let my emotions and feelings of nostalgia run away with me here.  Well, not too much, anyway.  J)

Changi City Point Mall, Singapore

One Watery Meal at The Soup Spoon™, Singapore

In most cultures, a good, hearty soup is considered and served as a complete meal all of its own.  And why not?  Given the right ingredients, it does make for one balanced meal already.  It fills you up easily (great for those on a diet, wishing to suppress their appetites).  It's also great for the kids since sneaking in those valuable vitamins from veggies is easier when mixed with soup.

And here in Singapore, the best place to have one hearty, watery meal is at The Soup Spoon™.

The Soup Spoon

New Place to Explore! Bedok Resorvoir Park in Singapore

GIVEAWAY ALERT!  Get a chance to win travel-sized Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries from their Avocado, Olive & Basil collection.  Visit this post (link here) for more details.


I've never really liked moving to different homes frequently.  Although it's actually a good excuse to take stock of all the junk inside the house; but still, it's a necessary evil for us.  That advantage aside, moving to and fro various places also gives us a chance to explore new territories and uncover hidden gems.

Take our new favorite park, for instance, located just across the street from our abode in Singapore.

Bedok Reservoir Park

Kids Go Wild About AMAZONIA Singapore

I like the malls here in Singapore since most of them try to think of all members of the family when it comes to entertainment.  Anyone with babies and toddlers in tow knows how tiring it is to entertain a bored, cranky little one when on a shopping trip.  So it's really great that a lot of shopping centers here provide safe, clean, free-for-use outdoor play areas for their petite guests.

But if you're that type who wants your kids having fun inside the mall with access to ac (and doesn't mind paying a little), then AMAZONIA is a good option for you.

Source: AMAZONIA Singapore website

Katipunans Filipino Mini-mart

When I first came to live here in Singapore in 2010, we were quite fortunate to have a small grocery store operating inside our estate.  Better still, they also carry a number of Filipino food and beauty products for sale.  It sure eased up on my feelings of homesickness (that time) a bit.  The knowledge that I could just as easily have longganisa (sweet and spicy sausage) or tocino (a type of sweet, fried thick-cut jerky) anytime was a relief since it was a pleasure I didn't have give up when I moved here.

Now the Husband and I have moved to different places since (for some reason or another); and now we find ourselves in a new place where the in-house grocery store, sadly, does not carry any Filipino food products.  ¡Qué horror!

Good thing, though, we stumbled upon this little gem conveniently located at Tampines Central 1, just a bus ride away from our place.

Katipunans Filipino Mini-mart

PR: 10 Filipino Lads Uplift Communities Through Basketball

Ten Youth rise from 50 VisMin hopefuls as basketball legends culminate Alaxan FR National Galing Mo! Camp (L-R) 1st Row: L-R Ronnie Magsanoc, Benjie Paras, Alvin Patrimonio, Jerry Codinera, and Johnny Abarrientos 2nd Row: Top 10 Winners of Alaxan FR Galing Mo Natonal Camp! L-R John Ballentes, Tyke Bano, Gabriel Dagangon. Dan Audris Lagbas, Carl Soreno, MVP Rhys Jefferson Flores, Rhodelle Nagac, Miguel Plata, Michael Kent Salado,  Josuel Macarines

Hard work paid off for a group of young, aspiring cagers from the Visayas and Mindanao after making heads turn during the Alaxan FR Galing Mo Camp held at the Unilab gymnasium in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila.

PR: Heat Wave Summer Bazaar (April 19 - 21, 2013)

My Fitness and Food Journal

The verdict's out!  I officially gained 40 lbs during pregnancy!  Huhuhu!  And now, after more than a year of giving birth, I find that I have thankfully lost most of the excess and am now a little stuck dealing with the final 10 pounds before being back to my old weight (I've read that these last 10 pounds are the hardest to break; so any tips would be highly appreciated please.  J)

Don't get me wrong.  I was never waif thin.  Having been an obese teenager in college and losing close to 60 pounds in a span of 2 years after graduation (a feat I am extremely proud of), I was never one to expect to be a size 2.  It was enough for me that I was already at a healthy weight that, although I was still a little meaty here and there, I was comfortable in.

So you can imagine my reasons for wanting to lose the extra pregnancy baggage after giving birth.  I also want my old clothes to fit again.  Mahal ng wardrobe change/replacement a!  J

I am quite familiar with the ups and downs of dieting, and basically an overall lifestyle change.  But one really important technique that I found that helped me tremendously in the battle of the poundage was/is to keep a food and fitness journal.

My food and fitness journal

Meiji Low Fat Fruit Yogurt (A Singapore Food Post)

Before I gave birth to the Little One, I actually listed down some habits/traits that I wanted to instill in her as she grows up.  One of those is to ensure that she follows a healthy diet.

Having undergone the exact opposite as a kid, I learned through the years that all it takes for one to live healthy is to simply start doing it and pretty soon, it becomes a habit.  Don't get me wrong, she still enjoys the occasional fast food and chocolates (although I put my foot down on hard candies.  I am strictly against them.), but for most of the time, I make sure that the food she eats is enough to give her the nutrients she needs everyday.

At this early stage (she's now 14 months old), it's really a wonder how fast she picks up on good food.  Great thing she also developed a taste for these -- Meiji low fat fruit yogurts.

Meiji low fat fruit yogurt

PR: Easy Pha-max Wheatgrass Products Now Available at Select Robinsons Supermarkets

Rejoice, my fellow wheatgrass consumers!

Easy Pha-max wheatgrass products in Robinsons Supermarket

Contest Alert: Easy Pha-max Wheatgrass' Name Our Mascot Contest

Win cool prizes by joining Easy Pha-max Wheatgrass' Name Our Mascot contest!

Visit the Wheatgrass C.A.N. facebook page for more details.

Marché® Swiss Market Restaurant (A Singapore Food Post)

Fresh is definitely best and one of my favorite restaurants here in Singapore follows and delivers this exact adage to a T -- Marché® Swiss Market Restaurant.

Marché® at 313 Somerset mall