Tsukada Nojo - Collagen beauty hotpot at Westgate Mall.

A friend told me she recently went for dinner at the famous 美人锅 Tsukada Nojo at Plaza Singapura.

That got me curious to try their Collagen hotpot which has so many queuing 1.5 hours for.

We decided to go to the outlet at Westgate Mall, just beside Jurong East MRT, because it is newer and bigger than the outlets at Plaza Singapura and Chinatown Point.

Also because my aunts stay in the West...

They do not do reservations so all you can do is to go there and queue.

 

Reached at 5pm and there were many empty tables in the non-aircon seating but the air-conditioned section is already full.

In the end, we didn't want to queue so we accepted the non-aircon table. They have fans and air-cooler but as things start getting steamy, so do our sweat glands.

The famous Collagen soup curds shipped from Japan. I just went for my IPL facial laser 2 weeks ago so definitely MUST try!

Once the curds melt, they form a thicky, oily and creamy soup.

"JITOKKO" is a very valuable brand chicken in Japan. This chicken is raised in an organic way with thorough quality control further than the government's stringent standards. This chicken is shipped only by limited number of farmers.
That is why this is called "rare chicken".

Oishi!

三 大 美 人 吃 美 人 锅 (3 Big Beauties eat Beauty hotpot) :P

Waiting time:

Waited about an hour for air-conditioned seating but alas there were no adjacent tables available so we ended up taking the outdoor seats where 6 adults and 2 kids could all sit together.
Once you secure a table, the food comes very fast though.



Food:

I find the soup tasty and very filling (didn't even eat that much) but Hubby finds it too oily.
The chicken meat was not very tender, in fact a little bit tough, giving me a feeling that it hasn't been cooked long enough.
Or maybe it could be because it's organic chicken and not farm-bred, I'm not sure.

 

Service:

Impeccable service provided by the waitress who was assigned to help us cook and teach us about the famous soup base.
She was also very quick in assisting my fussy boys for their drinks and children cutlery.


Price:

In total, 6 adults and 2 children paid a total of $187 only. I find it very cheap considering it is a famous hot pot. Way cheaper than Hai Di Lao.

However, they lost 1 star because I ordered 1 plate of fried rice for my helper (she cannot eat pork) which cost a whopping $12.

 

 

 

After the kids finished their share, my helper brought them upstairs to the rooftop playground called Westgate Wonderland - a HUGE outdoor playground with water play and tree-top play.

Thanks for dropping by to read about our Beauty hot pot experience :)

One tip is, if you don't want to wait too long for it, reach early at about 4:30pm - 5:00pm.

They open at 5pm but there was already a queue at 4.30pm because everybody wanted the air-conditioned seats.
However, the max seating capacity per table indoors is only 4pax, therefore bigger groups will have to be seated at the non-aircon section.

Being a good wife makes me a bad mother. Vice versa.

Being a good wife makes me a sucky mother. And vice versa.

I haven't been posting much about the kids and our lives at the moment but this incident got me thinking.

 

Some time back, the husband suggested watching Transformers at the cinema. A mid-week dinner date without the boys. I obliged.
We checked ourselves into the Platinum Suites at Cathay, had a nice dinner while watching the Autobots, and by the time the movie was over and we got home, it was 9:15pm.
We reached our lobby and I saw the kids, my maid, and mil waiting for us downstairs because my mil forgot our house keys and the kids were locked out of the house.
It was 9:15pm. They were sitting at the lobby of our block waiting for their Mummy and Daddy to get back so they could go into the comfort of their own home.

We rushed upstairs, I opened Adam's bag to check his homework and discovered he had forgotten to do his abacus homework which I had specifically instructed him to when I called home in the afternoon.

 I was mad at him and reprimanded him and he apologized for forgetting.  More so, I was angry with myself for not being there to supervise Adam's work.
I hadn't showered all day. 
When I finally stepped into the bathroom for a shower, the kids came out of their room and wanted to play with toys while waiting for me to put them to bed.
It was 10:30pm. I hurriedly changed them into their pyjamas, made them milk and sent them to bed.

I lay in bed with Adam and Ashton and fell asleep sandwiched between them and didn't wake up until the next morning. From the corners of my eyes, I saw it was day break. I jumped with a start and checked my phone because my alarm didn't ring at 6am. I woke up at 7am. My alarm didn't ring because my phone went dead because I was so tired I forgot to charge my phone.
OhmyGod.

I felt horrid all of the next day.
I tried to be a good wife at the expense of my two children.
Sure, we all need a break from the kids sometimes. We all need to spend solo time with our spouses to keep the spark in marriage. But here I was, causing the kids and my helper to forsake their rest, waiting downstairs for us to get our bloody arses home. I was out of the children's sight from dawn to late into the night, and as a result neglected coaching Adam in his abacus work.
The only time the children had with me, was spent lying in bed and hushing everyone and trying to get both of them to sleep so that I could sleep.
I am a bad mother when I try to be a good wife.
Likewise when I get too caught up trying to be a good mother (so much coaching/ playing/ planning/ activities) the husband thinks we need some couple time too.

Not many people I know admit these stuff. Most of the time, people on social media try to portray a nice image of how wonderful married lives are and how they've got it all together. Which is not wrong to think so, of course.
I do love my kids and husband to the moon and back, but certain times, times like these, make me feel that marriage and motherhood can be major contradicting & oxymoronic.

There. I said it. That's what married life with kids does to one.

[Review] Canon Powershot D30 Waterproof camera.

Adam is always telling me he wants to be a diver when he grows up, and he loves water more than anyone can imagine.

Every Sunday for about a year now, you can be sure to catch us at Pasir Ris Swimming Complex as that's where he has his weekly swimming lessons with Desmond from DolpSwim school.

So when Canon released a spanking new semi-pro camera which is also waterproof, I knew I had to lay my hands on it!

 

Introducing the new Canon Powershot D30!

 

Price: $350* (prices may vary from different authorised retailers).

 

Ease of usage: It's small and compact with minimal functions and it's pretty fool-proof even for beginners.

 

Other specifications: 2m shock-resistant, can go to water depth of up to 25 metres.

 

Cautions when using: Be sure to rinse off excess water after going into pool or sea.

Avoid using in hot springs or mineralised water.

 

 

We got it yesterday and immediately started testing it today.

I would say it's very handy for any photoshoot that involves water - diving/ swimming/ resort getaways. Love it!

If your kids love adventures and you want a not-too-costly digicam, this is the camera for you!

 

Beginning my journey as an oily mummy: About Young Living essential oils

Hi all! I received requests from some readers who are on my FB list, to share more about my experiences on Young Living essential oils. I hope this will be beneficial to you if you are considering using alternative healing methods for your health instead of the conventional drugstore method.

 

A couple of months ago, I began my journey into using essential oils.

Every one of us are no stranger to essential oils. We burn them, we diffuse them, we use them in spa and facials.

My knowledge about these oils were limited to that - burning, diffusing and using them during spa.

To me, essential oils were widely and readily available, at very cheap prices. Heck, even car perfumes claim to use essential oils! Lavender, lemon, peppermint, who hasn't seen them?!

 

So who would spend hundreds of dollars on essential oils?? Are you out of your minds?!

That was exactly my reaction when I was first introduced Young Living essential oils.

I came to know about Young Living through my home-massage lady, who uses them in her massage regimes.

Out of small talk, she let me try different oils and told me about their different uses.

And out of curiosity, I enquired about their prices and my eyes nearly popped out of my sockets.

*$66 for a 15ml bottle of Geranium?! $111.50 for a bottle of Frankincense!?!?! What!!!

*prices quoted are wholesale member price.

 

 

Being the kind of stubborn shopper I am, I did a search on my favourite website www.iherb.com and Google, and found that there were tons of different types of essential oils at a tiny fraction of the price.

 

Still unconvinced about YL, I did further reading-up on shared materials by online YL users, which made me realise that there are different types of essential oils and their differences can be illustrated below:

source: Pinterest

 

What is the difference?

The difference is quality.

 

 

 A light bulb lit up in my head and I decided to give YL oils a go.

 

My family and I have been using Young Living oils for a couple of months now and we all love it.

Andy drinks 2 drops of Lemon and 2 drops of Grapefruit in a glass of water every morning on an empty stomach. I use Frankincense/ Lavender/ Geranium on my face for a trouble-free complexion.

Adam and Ashton use Thieves for their immunity against germs (especially in pre-school!), and Lavender, or Peace & Calming for bedtime massage.

.

.

.

During the first week of June holidays, Ashton was circumcised so for his wound care and pain management, I needed something which was hardworking and does all the job at once without having me to fuss over a cranky toddler. Imagine fumbling with the different bottles of EOs on a raw, freshly-circumcised penis. Not fun! 

It should also come in a handy spray bottle for easy dumping into diaper bag for on-the-go power during diaper changes.

 

 I came up with the following recipe:

To put my faith of Young Living essential oils to the test, I decided to stick to my guns (or oils, in this instance) for the healing of Ashton's circumcision.

I diligently sprayed my Da Bomb concoction on his penis every now and then as long as I am free/ can remember. I did not at all rely on any antibiotic or Panadol medication which was prescribed, and the result was a text-book style healing where his Plastibell ring fell off after 1 week and his penis has since healed beautifully, without the use of any medications.
*Sorry, no photos of penis to show!

 

I also found the Da Bomb to be super useful for any imaginable condition! The spray bottle also makes it so convenient to use.

Antiseptic for grazed knees? No problem.

Nappy rash? No problem.

Cuts and wounds? No problem!

On some nights out of sheer laziness, I spritz it on my face as skincare (after using on the kids) since Frankincense and Lavender are in my skincare regime to begin with!

I would recommend diluting the EOs with carrier oils when using for young children and babies. 

 

I hope the above write-up has been beneficial to you, whether you are new to the deeper usage of essential oils, or are already an expert in it.

Will try to share more if I have time. As you also know, I have a full-time job and a blog on the side, with 2 pesky children whose jobs are to prevent me from having any available me-time.

 

Till then :)

 

[Sponsored event] Vaby official launch at Rochester House.

If you enjoy receiving monthly sample boxes with lots of different products for you to try, here's a new kid on the subscription-box block - VABY!

 

It will officially be launched on the 28 June, so we got invited to a nice preview brunch on Vaby.

 

The event was brilliantly held at Rochester House, with almost half the venue being children-themed.
There are trampolines, a water play area, and indoor and outdoor playgrounds.

Bloggers who attended the event get a welcome pack each!



Listening to Eliz and Shirley brief us on the Vaby boxes, age group suitability for products, and different vendors involved.

Everybody so serious!

The range of baby and mummy stuff to expect in the Vaby box is making me excited!

After the briefing, yummy lunch was served.

Mum-blogger Serene (http://xavvy-licious.blogspot.sg/) and I. It's such a small world because I "know" Serene not from blogging but from the use of Young Living Essential oils!

The world is just a small little circle!
*sudden realization: I think Serene looks like a tan version of Anita Mui! with her hair, sharp nose and face.. LOLssss.

 

Adam, Ashton, Andy and I had a dandy time at Rochester House this morning meeting up with the other Mummy bloggers for the event.

Thank you Shirley and Eliz for inviting us. It's been an honour!

 

Stay tuned for the official launch of Vaby which is happening on the 28 June!

However, that weekend we will be at LEGOLAND and therefore have to give the launch a miss.

 

Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to using and reviewing the products from Vaby boxes!

 

 

UPDATE! You're invited to VABY's Official Launch on 28 June, which is happening next Saturday!!

credit: VABY

 

***All you need to do is to simply REGISTER HERE, and then LIKE Vaby's Facebook page HERE.

 

You will be given a Vaby box on that day (limited to one box per attendee) and your kids get to play at the Playhouse for free!