Food Delivery Services

Food delivery services are crucial for tired city folk who want more than the usual pizzas and burgers. Sometimes, cafes in your area will shove flyers into your mailbox that offer catering services. But, if you aren't lucky enough to have such services near you, there are online food delivery companies that will pickup a meal at your favourite restaurant for a fee. Always check online as these delivery services change regularly.

Here's a shortlist of what's available nowadays:

ThaiToGo - Thai food, my favourite form of takeaway.

FoodPanda - Lots of mid-priced eateries like Ritz Apple Strudel, The Rotisserie etc

RoomServiceDeliveries - Offers some surprising choices like BoonTongKee, Riverwalk Tandoor, Coffee Stars by Dao. I didn't even know these places delivered.

HungryDelivery - You type in your postal code and it shows a list of available food options, mostly smaller restaurants/cafes in your area.

Dealivery - Again you type in your postal code to see what food options you have. The list is astounding and ranges from fast food to specialty desserts.

Afiko Food Delivery - Carries some of my favourite restaurants like Pagi Sore, Chili's, Thai Express and Song of India.

Flower of the Month Clubs

Nothing is lovelier than having fresh flowers in your own home. You can always pick up a bouquet from a nearby florist or place a standing order online so a different bouquet gets sent to your home regularly. Ordinarily, this service is only available for corporate orders. So it is lucky that 2 local flower shops allow for domestic orders, you can now get the same service at home.

FarEastFlora offer 3 or 6 month plans of either flower, plants or gifts to be sent to your home or a gift recipient. There are quite a few variations in designs so you get something different every month and as with FarEastFlora everything is cute and adorable.  

GiftsFlorist2000.com offer 10 different plans of either roses, gerberas or floral arrangements to be delivered daily, weekly or monthly. To impress a special someone and homeowners who just need an arrangement in the hall or entryway.

In case you were wondering, both sites offer plans that are cheaper than if you were to buy 1 bouquet at a time.

Paulaner Beer

Mom brought home a dozen botttles of Paulaner Brauhaus Beer in various brews. So I helped myself to a pint of Original Münchner Hell or original Munich Lager.and it tastes exactly like the freshly brewed version from their micro-brewery. This original lager has a bright golden colour and a smooth deep malt taste with a light hops flavour. Probably too much for our local weather but perfectly fine when drunk in air-conditioning. Not to mention how convenient the bottled version is.

Aquariva by Gucci Boat

 

 

 

 

Aquariva by Gucci is a collaboration between Gucci, Riva Boatmakers and Officina Italiana Design. Created to celebrate Gucci's 90th anniversary in 2011, Gucci has even created a line of limited edition accessories to complement Aquariva's glossy white and deep mahogany wood.

 

 

 

 

The Gucci logo is on the steering wheel and side of the boat, all seats are upholstered in a waterproof guccisimi fabric, daybed in gucci white cotton and the Gucci signature red and green stripe running around the boat.

 

 

 

The boat itself has an innovative two-speed electronic gear that shows off the two 380-horsepower Yanmar engines. It can reach maximum speed of 41 knots.

 

 

 

 

Living la dolce vita at a price tag of S$1.04 million.

 

 





 

Pergola

This is what a traditional pergola looks like, an outdoor structure of exposed beams that you can leave as is or hang fabric and plants around for a different look.

I realize most of the modern outdoor furniture I like are really pergolas. Talk about one big piece of furniture. Absolutely no built-in so you can bring it along wherever you go.

What I really like are the agrarian pergolas that homestead farmers built around their garden and grow gourds on. Gourds because there are soo many different shapes and colours that look lovely just hanging down from the rafters. I love this guy's wrap-around pergola, you can setup a table in the centre and have tea while watching your garden grow.

Home Teeth Whitening Kits

I have whitened my teeth twice before at the Dentists with Zoom and Britesmile Laser. Although results are immediate, the process is really painful as teeth sensitivity heightens in accordance to the strength of the treatment. Not to mention both dental procedures I had were pretty costly at around $700 - $1,200. Comparing the price, results and pain to the home teeth whitening kits, I would say the DIY version is a much better option. Upkeep the results with special whitening tootpastes and you are set for a movie-star smile. Here are several Home Teeth Whitening Kits you can try:

CleverWhite kits sold at Watsons and Accendo.com.sg at S$44, is a more traditional type of teeth whitening. A 10 day system has 10 pre-filled trays that you fit into your teeth like retainers and leave on for 30mins. This was how they did it before Zooming your teeth became popular. 

GoSmile kits are sold at Sephora and Strawberrynet.com. Their latest kits come with a Smile Whitening Light device, the same thing Dentists use in clinics. Results are good but costs S$420 for a 12 days (24 ampoule) system. Think about holding the device up to your teeth for 30 minutes everyday. Without the light device, a starter kit 10 day system (20 ampoules) that comes with toothpastes costs S$151.

Crest White Strips S$75 for a 20 day system, buy from crestwhitestrip.net. I have tried this before and am very happy with the results, it's the only home kit that claims to be enamel-safe and that is reassuring. Not sure why it isn't sold in Singapore. Using the same logic as old-school teeth whitening kits, only instead of trays you get flexible strips to apply over your teeth.

Currently Reading: Sherlock Holmes

Thanks to Acmamall, I got these books for free! The only Sherlock novel I have ever read is The Hound of the Baskervilles, so I was happy for a chance to get my hands on 2 paperback compendiums of short stories The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

So here is a music video to entertain you, Shinee's <Sherlock>. Strangely, the exact same video and tune comes in Korean (above) and Japanese (below).

Valencio Toro Jewels + Reebonz

Woke up to a lovely gift from Reebonz and logged onto the world wide web to claim my pair of Valencio Toro Swarovski crystal & 18K white gold earring studs. It's 0.55cm in diameter, the same size as a 0.5 carat diamond earring stud. Retail price S$59, makes it more affordable than simulated diamonds. The 18K white gold plating is a nice touch as it means this pair of earrings will retain its lustrous shine for years to come and is hypoallergenic.

Chopard Water Resistant?

 

My Chopard Happy Sport watch comes with a pink rubber strap that became too tight for me a couple of years ago. So I went to the Chopard boutique and ordered a longer leather strap. Waited 4 months and paid $350 for it. Needless to say, I am not happy that 3 years of handwashing has resulted in the discolouration of the leather. It looks like the colour has leaked off the leather strap. I haven't even brought this into the water yet!

 

Lately, I noticed Chopard has brought out a cruise edition with diamond flipflop charms and a beach vacation edition with starfish charm. At first, that would seem like a good choice as it is water resistant up to 30m and comes with rubber or canvas straps. But, after my incident with Chopard's leather strap, I am not so sure anymore. Or maybe that is why Chopard is the only high-end watch maker to offer silicon rubber straps as default for the Happy Sport range.

 

 



Han's Peach Tart

My favourite breakfast as a little girl was frozen Han's Peach Tart. It's a tart crust filled with fresh whipped cream, topped with a peach half and covered in a thin layer of gelatin. Tastes best frozen as all the components stick together and you can bite into it cleanly.

LVMH Princess Yachts

 

 

 

 

Back in 2008, LVMH purchased Princess Yachts and started creating these incredibly gorgeous to-die-for luxe interiors, updating the yachting lifestyle. The first LVMH Princess Yachts were done up in creams and chocolate browns. Since then, the company has roped in other luxury casa brands like Armani and Fendi to outfit its interiors.

 

 

 

 

Base price of S$15 million for a 105-ft 32M yacht that contains 5 cabins including master bedroom. Looks like one of those new city condominiums. 

 

 

 

 

Luxury touches extend beyond design and branding into pristine carrera marble baths. This is one yacht I wouldn't mind bringing my LV luggage on.

 

 

 

 

Molecular Gastronomy

I have only tried molecular gastronomy once and the thrill really is in consuming food that is not in its commonly found form. As this type of cuisine matures I expect the culinary world will break new boundaries in terms of flavours that is really exciting. So let's venture in and see what the tools of the trade are.

The Red Spoon Co carries mostly ingredients to help create this new cuisine, stuff like Lecithin Powder to emulsify and Meat Gum to transform foods.

Willequipped carries equipment that will send a chill up any home chef's spine. Check out the Cryogun to flash freeze your food. Or this evaporation contraption called ROTOVAP to distill food flavours naturally without heat.

Polyscience Innovative Culinary Technology carries a line of professional use machines like sous vide and anti-griddle that is a flash freeze table.

Cosmetic Tattoos

Getting inked is a big part of Singapore's beauty industry and most Singaporean girls have undergone it. No, not the picture kind found on celebrities. I am talking about getting eyebrow or eyeliner tattoos that look natural as though we drew it on with makeup pencils.

It does have a stigma of being very auntie-like. But, if that means I don't accidentally pluck my eyebrows unevenly or have to draw them in everyday then I'm down with it. At my friend's behest, I got mine done at Erabelle and am really happy with the results. Be warned that it starts to fade after 2 years.

Consolidated Blog Statistics

1 month on from consolidating my blog and traffic has jumped! Total is now more than both blogs combined. Nice to know my readership is growing.

Daily Views: 120

Monthly Views: 3,300

All Time Views: 23,100

Followers: still 4 people

 

 

 

  

 



Freebies by Mail

My free samples haul via snail mail for the last month.

Hada Labo's Hydrating Face Lotion, a clear liquid that looks like the stuff in facial tissue masks. Also moisturizes the skin like those facial tissue masks. Buy from Watsons or Guardian 170ml for S$25.

Royal Cosmetics Gold Ex Cream that contains real 24k gold flakes! Made in Japan, the ingredients are quite Japanese - Aloe Vera, Japanese medlar leaf, Vitamin C, double dose of hyaluronic acid and precious stones processed yeast extract. Hhmm, a full sized 50gm bottle of this costs S$268. Buy from Royal Cosmetics website.

Poise pads meant for LUL or urinary leakage in older ladies. Don't see how different it is from sanitary napkins. Reminds me of the free samples I used to get in school after the feminine hygiene talks. Buy from Watsons, Guardian, NTUC. S$3.45 a pack. 

 1 packet of new Perfume Kao Attack good for 1 load of laundry, that comes in either floral or fruity fragrances guaranteed to last until the next wash. I think hotels will love this one. S$8.45 for 2.4L bottle, buy from NTUC.

My Beauty Diary sent me a piece of their Black Pearl Mask to try. I have tried several masks from them before, I mean who hasn't. I wonder if there really is black pearl extract in it? Buy from Watsons or Guardian, S$20 for pack of 10pcs.

New makeup brand Heroine sent along a pack of Facial Blotters, complete with mirror inside the disposable pack. Buy from Watsons.

Brandon's Pets

My brother's new custom aquarium was delivered along with the fishes for it. Seems like the carnivorous ones have to be separated so my sister took those home.

At about the same time, Brandon's blue pudding hamsters gave birth to a litter of baby hamsters ready to be given away to new loving homes. PM Brandon or my mom if you are interested in adopting.