Chinese New Year everywhere...

I was at Novena Square and saw this at Breadtalk. There is bak kwa, pineapple, yam, stawberry, orange, rooster floss, kaya, nasi lemak and sakura seeds bread. The lemak bun is really good, I had that and the rooster floss is something different from the usual floss bun, its kinda sweet coz of the icing.

Walked into Cold Storage and saw more soft toys in gold ingots and god of fortune. I really like these chickens, especially the red and blue ones that look really 少数民族.

 

Orange baskets as a holiday centerpiece in your home, under $20 each. 

 Or one of these festive cartons and gift boxes. Tiger beer always comes out with a festive carton packaging every year, Pokka drinks has joined in this year with boxed assortments. CNY gift boxes are generally all about abalone, for a change there is canned Pen Chai under $100.

Inside NTUC FairPrice, this is where the real food shopping happens. 

 

Traditional nian gao in the same shelf as newer versions.

To be honest I like the traditional food stuffs better than the newer items. Like these waxed meats pre-packed in gift boxes. The prices are the same as regular day and I can actually eat it or use it up for everyday meals.

Fairprice started selling hampers a few years back and its really convenient to pick up on your way to relative's place. Alternatively, Brand's essences are always a goof-proof choice and they also have hampers. I was surprised to find Japanese style gift food boxes, usually found in specialty stores, its now available in FairPrice!

At the bus interchange on my way home. Stall selling CNY decorations that are way over the top, I have never seen anyone's house decorated this way before. Gonna take my time to pick and choose some paper cuttings, so far my mom bought a Chicken with Rice Bucket you have to see it to believe it.

Sakae Teppanyaki & Lim's Art & Crafts

Christmas, New Year's, Chinese New Year crossover...

Lunch with family @ Marina Square Sakae Teppanyaki.

Fried rice with crab meat and Fried soba noodles with chicken.

 We ordered 1 of everything to try and this season there is venison that we like soo much. My fave is dumplings, the best version I've ever eaten.

We dropped by Lim's Arts & Crafts to check out the CNY decorations, everything in there from household utensils to lawn ornaments is chinoiserie, up to 50% off furniture.

I want to get some really nice Chicken Art to display permanently in my home, you cannot have a cozy country kitchen without pics of chickens and ducks around so we will see what else is available this year as we usher in the year of the rooster.

Beauty Keeper Box

I actually received this huge box of Taiwanese beauty samples from Beauty Keeper during their Giftopia event back in October. OMG! This is the largest beauty sample haul I've ever received all at once. It also comes with a newspaper insert detailing the brands and products.

I counted 21 items in here:

 2 packets of candies from Ethel (collagen and aha acids)

Yoghurt Berry Supplement Powder from Yohopower 

2 tissue face masks from Sevynal and INNA Organic

12 pack disposable Macaron facial masks from Han aka

Lip gloss from Serlando

2 sets of makeup foundation from Minorca

PSK CC cream and deep sea moisturizer

Jandan Skincare serum toner

Aurelia Aurita Moisture Jelly Toner (with jellyfish collagen)

MD/AA Jiao acne stick

Eyes Light eye serum

Crisstar Aqua Moisture Gel and Oxygenated Essence

Vitalab Perfecting Elixir

Mdmmd. Hydration cream and freeze age essence

All Belle face towel

I am guessing this would last me a year. The collagen powder will go into soups, yogurt berry powder into smoothies, eye cream meant to soothe fatigued eyes and acne stick with a herbal formula. The lip gloss is clear tho' dunno why as it seems all the Taiwanese lip glosses are clear these days.

Opening up all the boxes so you can see the packaging. My fave is Crisstar coz of the crystal ball caps. Next is the hefty Aurelia Aurita Jellyfish Moisture Gel, good solid bottle in a round shape and ombre colours. Cannot wait to start using these.

Marks & Spencer Cafe

I like visiting Marks & Spencer's flagship store at Wheelock Place. It's got pretty much everything and the food section is a treat, especially during Christmas time with specialty foods.

I usually get scones for 1 but today I was hungry so I ordered one of the popular baked potatoes, this one has creamed cheese and salmon. Also got the hummus platter for sharing, great variety of crackers and hummus. You can get all the same stuff from their food hall in cans and packages.

I picked up this mulled wine spices from their Christmas range and was surprised at the register coz it costs $10.90! I was only expecting it to be a few dollars. Check out my food haul video on youtube.

updated on 25 Dec 2016 Christmas Day

Christmas Day lunch from M&S, I still had to do some prep like mulling the wine and steeping the tea the night before. For lunch its crackers & 4 dips, taco salad using a sauce packet and unboxing the chocolates to put on plates for dessert. Check out my presents haul video on youtube.

Metro Centrepoint

Centerpoint looks closed for renovations but Metro and a few shops are still open for business. The central forum features Christmas decorations and I like the larger selection as the crowds are not here. Advertised Metro deals are still available on the shelves, no Q for giftwrap & lucky draws, $25 grab bags @ Children's Toys Dept. The season's design is red, white, hearts and leaping reindeers. I thought it was Valentine's Day or National Day.

B1 has all new eateries and I tried out So Pho a vietnamese restaurant. It's all about Bahn Mi sandwiches and the amazing viet coffee.

I also made it to Takashimaya and OG to complete shopping for presents, busy month in all.

Christmas Tree from Qoo10 auction, Disney trains from Takara Tomy, Lego figurine from Toys'r'us (self-constructed), other presents from Precious Moments & Spotlight.

H&M x Kenzo

This is the first time I have queued for H&M designer collaboration and actually bought something I wanted. I was in the Q by 5am and unlike previous times, no one left the Q until they actually got into the store to shop.

H&M staff handed out muffins and bottled water in the morning, I ran off to have a quick breakfast at Ya Kun before re-joining the Q. That's what the wristbands are for.

I stayed away from the bright colors and just got the basics. Spent about $3,000 but its not all for myself, this is also Christmas presents.

Popular BookFest @ Suntec Convention Center, I got in on the 100 amazing deals for Christmas and there are more at the bookfest. Checkout my haul video on youtube, excuse the squeaky voice I don't know why it came out like that in the video.

BRAND’S® InnerShine® Ruby Collagen Essence

The first Christmas present I received this year is BRAND’S® InnerShine® Ruby Collagen Essence 12 pack from people who know me so well, I have been dying to try this for some time. I already take InnerShine® Berry Essence regularly (for the eyes) and marine collagen essence strips (it's like konnyaku jelly desserts).

Ruby Collagen is the higher end product that easily costs 2x more and contains collagen and astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant, 500x more effective than vitamin E (my fave antioxidant). Instead of merely applying it to the skin to boost its condition, its eaten to ensure your body gets all the benefits. Ruby Collagen is also available in essence strips (jelly) so you can keep it in your bag for after lunch or snacking.

The liquid inside is its Ruby Signature Formula, a bright orangy-red like cordial, its also got that rich fruity burst in flavor. Really nice and pleasant, I would take this on any given day as a treat. If you would like a sample bottle to try, apply on samplestore.com. Otherwise, it is available only online for this festive season at Brands SG website.