Good Night, and Good Luck, Mr. President.

Somewhere in 2007, I was getting my hair done in a small hair salon back in my home country while reading an article about a would-be American presidential candidate whose name sounded a lot like the most hated terrorist in the world, and said to have spent part of his childhood in my home country. I scoffed at what seemed like the sensationalized journalism.

Fast-forward to 2008, then, as a freshly hired uni grad in a foreign country, I watched Senator Barack Obama rose to power as the first African-American friggin' President. I, together with the rest of the world jumped my couch and wept like hell.

Tonight (or according to where I live, today), President Barack Obama wins the election. I can't tell you how elated I am, and I'm not even an American.

Wheww...that was one hell of a race now, wasn't it?

I can't tell you how nervous I was this morning, knowing the election was underway and that in a matter of hours the world could change *hyperbolic much?* lols. And despite my best effort not to, I couldn't help but to constantly check the development every other minute. For the first half of my morning it seemed like Romney was in the lead, I remember having knots in my stomach thinking my world would definitely be a little sadder if he won.


But then i hit the F5 button one more time and there it was. Barack Obama had won.

Call me silly to care so much about another country's election but like it or not, USA does have a global influence so whatever goings-on they've got in their politics, the effects will eventually spread worldwide.

Despite the many issues brought forward by each party, for the most part it felt like this election has been a conflicting battle between wealth vs. sensibility, and judging by how close the race was and the uncharacteristically marked presence of the notorious undecided voters, many of the people seemed to be conflicted as well. After all, it looks like one of those damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't situations: Gunning for wealth only and you'll end up like a certain nation whose economy has progressed so aggressively yet remains unabashedly crooked in every other way. Yikes. Not good for the soul, man! Oh, you'd rather focus on improving the quality of the nation as a whole? You think you don't need money? Whaddya gonna eat then? Good luck on buying that house and those cars that you want!

See what I mean? It's a never ending debate where one argument negates the other because basically, they are of equal importance. How do you choose between these two? But when it does come down to that, I think as an educated person, one should be able to acknowledge the importance of wealth without having to be enslaved to it.

That's why I vouch for Obama. If I were an American, I'd feel comfortable having him as my president. I feel he represents hope. I believe in most things he believes in. I believe in LGBT rights, human rights, women rights, tolerance, equality, kindheartedness, and hard work, more than I believe in wealth as a golden ticket to the solution of every problem faced by a nation.

In addition to that, I like what the First Lady has been doing so far, bringing in obesity awareness to people's attention and advocating healthier lifestyle. I also like how she can stand up in her own rights next to her president-husband and accomplish something on her own, knowing she would've done just that had her husband not been the president. She's one of my role models, I look up to her.

So from this little corner of blogging space, I'd like to congratulate President Obama and wish him well on his second term. Keep on doing what you do best and improve on what you don't.

And last but not least, Good Night, and Good Luck, Mr. President.

Congratulations!

NOTD : Spring Gentian by Priti NYC

It's been a while since I last did a post on nail polish. What a shame since I actually bought a polish and been wanting to share how awesome it was with you for some time but I just couldn't muster enough energy to do my nails, but I digress....today my schedule has calmed down enough for me to find time to finally show off that puppy. Take a look at the picture below:

Spring Gentian by Priti NYC

 It's Spring Gentian by Priti NYC! Priti NYC is an eco nail polish brand that's been under the radar for some time and they seem to finally gain momentum with several collaboration with major labels such as Stella McCartney. I love their colors especially the seasonal offerings, can't wait for their latest to reach my shore....lols.

Btw, as I mentioned in my previous post about Priti NYC, they always have the loveliest names for their polishes and Spring Gentian is no exception. The vivid blue color was actually what first drew me in, I've been visiting the shop a few times and I always had half the heart to buy this shade but always backed down without fail in the last minute, partly because I worried this shade would be one of those shades that looked good on the bottle but not so much when worn, and partly because I don't wear blue that well because I have warm olive skin tone.

But a month ago I decided to take the plunge and I must say the shade works for me.

Without flash, in shaded area

Without flash, in shaded area

Why it works for me? Well, the key is, Spring Gentian is dark enough for me that it doesn't stand out like a sore thumb against my olive skin tone, but it's not too dark it's almost black.

As I said, I don't wear blue well, wrong shade and it'll look tacky and cheap.

With Flash

With Flash

Spring Gentian is a true cobalt blue, its tone is not warm nor cool. It has enough depth to make it look like it's not geared towards teenagers, and it contains blue and green micro glitters. The glitter effect is very subtle though, you have to see it under certain light for it to come alive.

Under fluorescent light, no flash

Under fluorescent light, no flash

 It's a very nice color to perk up an otherwise boring outfit but might not be suitable for professional settings.

For you who don't know what Gentian looks like (as I was before I owned this polish, lol), I'm gonna end this post with a picture of Gentian plant (nixed from www.billcasselman.com). Until next time!

I Heart Taupe: Chanel Safari's Dupe

I love taupe eye shadows, it's versatile and neutral enough for work and casual wear yet still has the twist to keep it interesting. I have two eye shadows that I use in heavy rotation for daily look and one of them is Safari by Chanel. It's a beautiful taupe color with slight shimmer, enough to add depth to the eye lid yet still subtle.

Recently I bought an eye shadow from Bobbi Brown called Heather Mauve (what a pretty name btw!) and when I compared it to Safari they were THIS close to being identical twins. I'd say they're like 98% similar. Take a look at the photos below:

If BB Heather Mauve looks a bit darker than Chanel Safari, it's because I was a bit heavy-handed when swatching it. It is really almost the perfect dupe, honestly you wouldn't be able to tell in real life. Here's the macro shot:

Here's how they look in the pan:

It looks more different in the pan than when swatched. I just don't understand the name 'Heather Mauve' when I really don't see the mauve in the color. Now, I can no longer find the Heather Mauve color on Bobbi Brown's website but they do have a shade called 'Heather', not sure if it's the same one only with different name.

Here are some looks I did with both eye shadows, I use the following for each look:

Look #1 (Bobbi Brown Heather Mauve)
- Base: Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original)
- Base color: Dior 1-couleur eye shadow in 516 Nude Luminescence
- Lid + Crease: Bobbi Brown Heather Mauve
- Outer corner: Chanel 75 Magic Night
- Eye liner: Burberry Eye Definer in Midnight Plum No. 05

Look #2 (Chanel Safari)
- Base: Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original)
- Base color: Dior 1-couleur eye shadow in 516 Nude Luminescence
- Lid + Crease: Chanel 45 Safari
- Outer corner: Chanel 75 Magic Night
- Eye liner: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Electric

All looks feature Diorshow New Look mascara in 090 Black.

Bobbi Brown's eye shadows cost SGD34 while I don't have the latest Chanel's price at hand but I'm sure it's somewhere around SGD44.

Until next time!

Monalisa After A Makeover

This pic is actually from a year ago, thought I'd share it with you. It's an ad from a local eyebrows salon.

She does look less creepy

Travel Report : Singapore Botanic Gardens

 

After living in Singapore for several years, I finally got to visit Singapore Botanic Gardens this past weekend. For you who don't know, this garden is one of the attractions to visit if you're ever in Singapore. The garden is really huge and I don't think you could explore it in its entirety in a day. Because of its size, the garden has several entrances. You can reach the place by private car, taxi, bus, or more conveniently by MRT, just alight at Botanic Gardens station.

To be more accurate, I have actually been to the garden, only not for pleasure so I never got to really explore it. The first thing we saw when we went in was the Swan Lake. There were not that much swans in sight, though. Only 3-4 swans, perhaps it was too hot for them to swim around. Two of them were cleaning their feathers near a bridge, we got to see them up close.

Swan Lake

Symphony Stage

Back of the house of Halia Restaurant

I made a mistake of visiting the garden at 2pm - it was unbelievably hot! Also, always keep in mind that Singapore has high humidity so you'll be sweating like a pig. It's best to visit the park in the afternoon say around 4pm so it won't be so hot. Forget about makeup and heels unless you really wanna be a pain to your group. Also, don't forget these items to make your trip there more comfortable:

- Umbrella; and if you're a hat person (which I'm not), wide-brimmed hat

- Wet tissues

- Water bottle

- Sunglasses

- Hair clip for ladies (and gentlemen) with long hair. Keep your hair above your neck, it'll help with the hot weather

- Coins for buying drinks from vending machine

- And don't forget to slather on sunblock

You can walk behind this waterfall

Now, since the garden is very huge, if you're a tourist with a limited time I suggest to make it your mission to visit a few key places within the garden rather than just to wander aimlessly in and around it. Botanic Garden houses several attractions in it but in my opinion you should at the very least visit the National Orchid Garden and Casa Verde.

National Orchid Garden's Main Building

They charge SGD5.00 per person as an entrance fee to the National Orchid Garden. There's a souvenir shop as well that sells anything orchid-related that is worth checking out. I recommend checking out the chocolate boxes. It's like the Merlion chocolate box only the chocolate comes in various orchid flower shapes instead of Merlion.

Once inside, you are free to explore the photogenic garden, get your camera at the ready! (Warning: photo spam ahead)

This one is called 'White Fairy', they have it all throughout the park in bunches. It's very pretty, I feel like I'm in a wedding or something.

 When you walk in the area where there are lots of 'White Fairy' orchids, you might notice a faint pleasant floral scent lingering in the air. We even caught some people sniffing on those flowers because they thought the scent was coming from them. Don't be fooled, though. Look up and you'll see the tall trees covering the area are actually Frangipani trees and the scent is coming from them.

I used to have this plant in my backyard in red color. Didn't know they have the pink variety.

Orchid in soft blush color, very pretty.

Arches with tiny yellow flowers on them.

Friendly bird

The Cool House

The architect is careful not to create any spacious nook inside, I guess it's to prevent people from lingering because the air inside the Cool House is very comfy.

After you're finished with the Orchid Garden, head further to Casa Verde (about 10 minutes walk), one of the watering holes available in Botanic Garden. It's a casual eatery serving local and western food located near NParks building, the government body which deals with parks and greenery in Singapore. There's another shop as well selling home furnishings if you're so keen on it.

Now, the prices might seem steep at first glance but trust me, it's worth it. Their servings are generous and there's no service tax, not to mention you're eating in a lush surrounding. The downside is the place is usually packed if you visit during mealtimes, try to visit at odd hours to avoid disappointment.

I ordered their whole day gourmet breakfast (shared with my friend) which consists of juicy scrambled eggs (and it's creamy, too. You can really taste the milk), a toast, a bacon, a sausage, hash browns, grilled cherry tomatoes, juicy button mushrooms, and arugula salad. It cost me SGD 15.00.

Whole Day Gourmet Breakfast, the juicy button mushrooms was the highlight for me!

Presentation of dishes is good and more importantly they're tasty! Of all the dishes that I've ordered, I've yet to be disappointed. Can't say the same about the drinks though, which are so-so. I got watermelon juice which was freshly juiced right in front of me, no sugar added. My friend got a latte. They were disappointingly served in plastic cups.

Semi al-fresco dining.

Casa Verde

There will usually be a line at the counter. You order, pay, and collect your drinks first and the food will be delivered to your table once ready. Do remember that because this is not a fast food joint, you'll usually need to wait for about 15 minutes for your food.

We then decided that it was time to go home. If you plan to take public transportation, you still need to walk to the nearest bus stop or MRT station because Casa Verde is located in the middle of nowhere. It is however, located near the taxi drop-off point. We walked for a good 15 minutes (great to work off all those food) to the MRT station, took several photos along the way.

Overgrown bougainvilleae, so magical.

Never knew bougainvillaea could grow in such a vast manner.

White bougainvillaea

Overall, the experience was a nice one although I personally much prefer the parks along South Ridges which is more suitable for hiking and exercising rather than sightseeing or picnic. The Botanic Garden is very tourist friendly and it's located near Orchard Road and several other malls so if you're done with the garden you can easily move on to these places.

In lieu of a summary, I'd like to offer you an advice instead, drawn from my own experience of visiting the garden and I hope it can help giving you a better experience or at the very least, for your considerations. Here goes my advice of the day:

DON'T BUY WATER FROM ANY RESTAURANT OR REFRESHMENT KIOSK

Unless you absolutely have to. Or you want to. Granted they don't charge shockingly exorbitant amount, but still. Look for vending machine, instead - you can save almost half the price. Or better still, carry a water bottle. You can refill it at any drinking water fountain all over the park to your heart's content at no charge. Make the most of what the garden has to offer!