Saigon Holiday With Cousin Ernie

This is a long overdue post, about my holiday with Cousin E in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam.

That's a pic of me and Cousin E, I'm the one on the left. ===>>>
At first, we thought of going to Hanoi, but since I was more familiar with Saigon, we ended up planning our trip there. We were there in time for the Vietnamese Independence Day Holidays, over the 1st of May 2007.

I went with my dad first, then he left and Ernie came over. I wisely did my shopping first, so it would be just pure relaxing, eating and sightseeing when Cousin E arrived.

*Ta-daaah*...

This was what Ernie wore for his Saigon Holiday... NOT! Actually, he was dressed in the typical backpacker style of worn t-shirt, bermudas and mocassins.

I could never travel light like him

But it was a clever move on his part, because then he could carry back lots more mango fruits, Vinamit fruit chips, heavy bags of roasted cashew nuts... Lots more goodies in his huge haversack!

So if you ever travel to Saigon, do travel light, with an as empty a suitcase as possible. It would help you pack back more things. Food stuff and clothes are really worth buying from Vietnam, good and cheap!

Here's a post on where to shop in Saigon.
It was a laidback trip indeed, filled with fruit shakes, beef noodles... and more food.

Mineral Makeup - Alima Venetian H C

Venetian Holiday Collection

I got this from a CozyCot spree! It looked so nice on the website, I had to order one set for myself!

I thought that the "Leone" (described as 'sparkling sand') would be a nice nude brown colour for the eyes. But when my set arrived, I saw that the eyeshadow was too golden. Applied on my eyes, it is goldy and strange. I don't think I would wear it on its own. However, when I mixed it with Alima's Lilac eyeshadow, it transformed the dull dead purple brown into a lighter, sparkly taupe brown colour, suitable for everyday use!

(Taken from the Alima website)
Escape the dog-days of summer with this gorgeous holiday in a box. This complete color kit is ideal for summer travels, with everything you need for a simple but elegant face. (With no liquids, its also airline-friendly!) The set consists of a blush, a shadow, a liner and a tinted lip balm, but as always with Alimas gorgeous mineral products, they can be worn in many different ways.

Leone - the lion is the symbol of Venice, and this sparkling sand that bears it's name may well become your signature shadow.
Rialto - the famous bridge is complex and beautiful, the colors of the stone difficult to categorize. You'll see them reflected in this eyeliner's deep shimmering grey with hints of green. Rialto can also be used as a contour shadow.
Sospiro - named for the Bridge of Sighs, this shimmering blush is a rich pink with golden highlights that will make you sigh. Sospiro can also be worn on the eyes.
Bellini - like the sparkling, fruity cocktail that bears its name (and was created in Venice), this lightly shimmered, muted pink lip balm is ideal for a leisurely afternoon in a sidewalk cafe whether in Venice or Main Street, USA. It comes in a skinny little tube that slips easily into a pocket or handbag.

Mineral Makeup - Lightening

I've been asked on CozyCot Forums about light coloured Mineral Makeup Foundations. How do you make sure that the foundation is light enough for you, yet you don't end up looking chalky or unnatural?

Here's my take. The solution depends on the reason why the foundation is not light enough for you.

1)Not light enough because face is oily underneath / oxidisation.
What works is a primer or makeup base (with or without colour). If you don't already have those Japanese brands (they have 'white' base primers), then what Chiaberry said is really good advice: "Why don't you try 100% silk powder? In the summer, apply this as a primer before your foundation, so that it can act as a buffer to lessen the effect of oil on the foundation itself."

If the MMU you use (Everyday Minerals or others) oxidise, check if it's your skin, or the MMU. I just hate it when I go to cosmetics counters, and they tell me that it's because I didn't use their brand's primer/base for face or eyes, that's why my foundation darkens, or eyeshadows don't stay on. Such an excuse for not making good quality and pigmented products! You're better off experimenting to find a better brand. But of course, if your skin is super oily, then you would have to use oil-control skincare or a primer/base. :P

Also, do remember to put loose powder (MMU or otherwise) on top to help the foundation stay on. Some people don't do that, and the foundation will darken after a few hours, or slide off.

2)Not light enough because the foundation colour is not suitable.
- Email to the MMU company to explain the problem. If you like the formula and continue to buy from them, ask if they could LIGHTEN the foundation for you. Or CUSTOM BLEND if the colour is not quite right. Do offer suggestions so it's easier for them to help. Of course, this works only if you're buying full-size. :) Alima didn't lighten for me, but Skin Story (Central at Clarke Quay) helped me ask Alima for lightener and blended for me. Can also check if they will sell just the lightener to you.

- If you don't intend to buy anymore, but don't want to waste what you have, you have no choice but to
a)Mix with existing lighter foundation.
b)Order an untinted base, to lighten the colour you have. It should be a neutral or untinted colour.
c)Check with Skin Story if they sell samples of Alima's C-0 foundation colour ($2 for a small container). It would work in lightening because it's almost colourless. BUT! Note: I tried mixing Alima's Cool (C-0) which looks colourless with my N-0 and W-0 foundation. However, the cool tone made the foundation look very chalky and fake on me! This method is for those who have very yellow dark foundations, it should work.
d)I tried mixing White eyeshadow from Alima with my foundations. It seemed to work. Then I checked in sunlight - I look fair, BUT CHALKY! Heh... I solved this by adding Alima's light golden eyeshadow ("Leone") to the foundation. It made it more Asian/Yellow toned and natural. Surprisingly it works (but add just a bit). It looks shimmery in the container, but can't see any sparkles on the face.

If you don't want to waste what you have bought, you just have to mix until it suits you.

Cosmetics Puff & Sponge Cleaner

My must-have item is the Cosmetics Puff & Sponge Cleaner.
It looks something like this (I got this photo from the Hi Japan website, it's a Taiwan site selling lots of cool Japanese makeup, skincare and accessories.).

It removes dirt, residue and colour better than any shampoo, shower gel or even detergent when you use it on your cosmetics sponges, puffs and applicators. I also use it on my brushes.











But you don't have to pay a high price, buy online or travel to Japan, Hong Kong or Taiwan to purchase this handy little bottle.

You can just get a similar 80ml bottle for $2 at Daiso! Like the original cleanser (which I have bought and tried), it is fairly concentrated, fragrance-free and cleans really well.

It has a similar packaging to the sold-in-Taiwan bottle. I've included a pic (on the left) so that you can recognise it. It's found in the cosmetics section in Daiso. It's usually sold out, so I usually buy at least 2 bottles when I see it.

In Taiwan, they have also have the Brush Cleaner! Unfortunately, they don't have the equivalent in Daiso yet.

I suppose they would include some conditioning properties in the Brush Cleaner, so that your makeup brushes stay soft?

I use the Daiso Puff & Sponge Cleaner on my brushes too, but I'm not sure if this makes the hair more dry and coarse. So I follow up with a conditioning shampoo as a final wash, just in case.

Daiso

Daiso, Always $2 in Singapore, 100 yen in Japan!
The Daiso outlets in Singapore have such a mind-boggling selection of items! I especially like the Sanrio Hello Kitty products, home care items and food stuff.

26 Aug 2007 Sunday - Food Items
Bought some food items from Daiso at VivoCity. It is on the 3rd Floor, located above the PageOne bookshop.

I had bought a pack of Cha Soba dried noodles from the Plaza Singapura outlet on Saturday, and this started my quest to prepare Japanese food!


From left to right:
1)Bonito flakes in the orange packet, far left.

2)Wasabi-flavoured seaweed mix flavouring / topping for rice, noodles & soup, in the green & yellow stripe packet.

3)Dried garlic bits in packet with yellow label.

4)Cinnamon sugar in purple-blue bottle.

5)Garlic paste in the pink box.





My review:
1)Bonito flakes: (check back later)

2)Wasabi-flavoured seaweed mix: Mmmm...! I like this one! Main ingredients are seaweed, bonito flakes, sesame seeds and wasabi bits. The wasabi adds a nice little kick to the mixture. It's quite salty, but such Japanese food items are meant to be salty. I tried those mixtures imported from Japan, same saltiness and very expensive. I added the seaweed mix to my brown rice dinner, and I could finish everything up. Very appetizing. About 1 flat tablespoon would do. Definitely would repurchase, and will try the other flavours! Saw Tamago (egg) and other fishy flavours as well.

3)Dried garlic: The flakes are crispy enough to break like potato chips when you bend them. When you actually bite into them, the flakes are softer than expected. So nope, you can't pretend these are potato chips. There is the 'bite' of pungent garlic. Put them in soup, warm rice, gravy, and the moisture will turn the flakes slightly yellow. Cook them if you want to get rid of the garlicky bite. Otherwise, just sprinkle a bit of them on rice or fried rice for an added kick to your meal!

4)Cinnamon sugar: This is rather nice with butter on toast. Don't add too much, or your food may be too bitter. I add on extra sugar to make it sweeter.

5)Garlic paste: (check back later)

Mineral Makeup - Meow

Oooh... Was so happy to receive my Meow Mineral Cosmetics today in the post. Click on the hyperlink to see their website. http://www.meowcosmetics.com/ Bought samples because the shipping is cheaper. It came in a cute animal print cotton drawstring pouch, with 2 free samples!
Click on the photos, and then click on the 'expand' function to see the words on the samples.

Here are my foundation samples... all in the lightest colours (0). Took 2 photos with my Canon Digital Ixus 75.

The first photo was taken in a darker setting. The second was taken by the window in the setting sun. I chose all the lightest range. Finishing powders at the end.
They are all very light, yellow-based colours in the (0) lightness, rather suitable for Asian skin tones. I'm surprised that the colours are this light. Normally, even the lightest cosmetic store colours seem a little dark in the container.

Inquisitive Siamese (in Pampered Puss formula) seems the darkest and most brown of the lot. Even though I ordered the lightest in all the colour tones. Inquisitive Angora (in Flawless Feline formula) is the most yellowish, almost gingery yellow.
And here are the eyeshadows (top row) and blushers (bottom row) that I had ordered. Together with the free drawstring pouch!

Eyeshadows - Crouching Tiger Hidden Kitty is shockingly Goober Grape Purple! Don't know how wearable the colour is.

I love the blush colours! Peddle Pink is a bit too orangey coral for me though. But I love the cool (but not purplish) pinkness of Flirt and Tickled Pink!

Meiji Snacks - Cacao XX%

Don't quite like this one. I bought the Cacao 80% box of individually wrapped chocolate. There are little flakes of... something... inside the chocolate. I found it too bitter for me. That's a surprise, 'cos I thought I preferred dark chocolate over normal milk chocolate any day. However, the Cacao 80% was not sweet enough, so all I tasted was bitterness and bitter bits. No added dimension to the chocolate. It isn't a bad chocolate, it's just not to my liking. Cacao also comes in 72% and 86% concentration of cocoa. Won't repurchase. :(

Meiji Snacks - Pucca

Oh boy, I like Pucca biscuit snacks.
It's one up from the Hello Panda chocolate-filled biscuits. I like the super dark chocolate ones: chocolate flavoured biscuit with dark chocolate semi-liquid filling. If you need a chocolate substitute, this is it! Currently, the only product pictures I can find are the standard Pucca chocolate biscuits. It's just normal milk chocolate, not super dark chocolate. The Pucca biscuits I'd like to try are the cream cheesecake (?) ones. It was reviewed very favourably in the Urban supplement that comes with The Straits Times. So far, I haven't found it in any supermarket. I've been to Meidi-Ya and the usual Japanese supermarkets. No sign of this Pucca range... Wonder if they'll be as nice as the super dark chocolate Pucca. I like the filling so much... And the biscuit casing is not sweet too. Very nice flavour. Mmmmm!

Dreaming of Pucca cheesecake flavour...

Meiji Snacks - Chelsea

I asked my cousin R what I should blog about today. He suggested...
"How about the Japanese snacks you always buy?"

This is one of the first Meiji sweets I recall buying... Chelsea Butter Scotch was the original butter-y flavoured candy I tried, way before Werther's Original.





Meiji came up with other flavours in the same little push-out box. I like Yogurt Scotch too, though the flavour is a little 'thin' compared to the nice mellow medium-richness of butter scotch.

The Green Tea flavour tastes a little strange to me - milky and slightly bitter.

Then Meiji came up with their Dessert Mix flavours... Simply wonderful!

They have a Crème Brûlée flavour that is amazingly like.... the dessert itself! Down to the slightly baked, smoky crust taste on the outside of the sweet. A nice custard caramel taste. Can't believe that they can replicate it so well!

Chelsea packaging and flavours from 1971 to today: http://www.meiji.co.jp/sweets/candy_gum/chelsea/package/package.html



Please click on the picture to view the full size.

The Rainbow Connection

The Rainbow Connection song, featuring Kermit the Frog...


"The Rainbow Connection" written by Kenny Ascher and Paul Williams
Why are there so many songs about rainbows
And what's on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,
And rainbows have nothing to hide.
So we've been told and some choose to believe it
I know they're wrong, wait and see.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Who said that every wish would be heard and answered
When wished on the morning star?
Somebody thought of that, and someone believed it,
And look what it's done so far.
What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing
And what do we think we might see?
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers, and me.

All of us under its spell,
We know that it's probably magic...

... Have you been half asleep?
And have you heard voices?
I've heard them calling my name
.... Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?
The voice might be one and the same
I've heard it too many times to ignore it
It's something that I'm s'posed to be...
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers, and me.

Laa, da daa dee da daa daa,
La laa la la laa dee daa doo...

Hột vịt lộn - Fertilized Duck Egg

"A balut (Trứng vịt lộn or Hột vịt lộn in Vietnamese, Pong tea khon in Cambodian) is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. They are considered delicacies of Asia and especially the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam."
~ taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut

Anthony Bourdain - Fetal Duck Egg (Hột vịt lộn)

Oh wow, I wonder if Anthony Bourdain (celebrity chef and author) actually liked the taste of that dish! Looks like the video was filmed in chợ Bến Thành (Ben Thanh Market in Saigon).

I have not had the appetite to try this 'delicacy' and street food when I was in Saigon, Vietnam. Cousin E didn't have the stomach for it either!

See pic on the right. That basically sums up our reaction to this hột vịt lộn dish that we saw on the streets outside Bùi Viên in Phạm Ngũ Lão (Backpackers' area)...

"*gasp* What's that!"
"Do you think it's what I think it is?"
"Are those feathers I see in the egg?"
"No way on earth am I eating that!"

Since neither Cousin E nor myself wanted to even go near these eggs, I had to get photos from the Internet. What we saw was what chef Anthony Bourdain ate in the video above. So far, I haven't seen any eggs like the following... ... (Neither do I wish to see such things in real life!)

15 Day balut egg boiled for 15 minutes, ready to eat. Floating in a mixture of hot sauce and patis. (I don't know what 'patis' is, but it does NOT sound good!)

The Vietnamese prefer their balut matured from 19 days up to 21 days, when the chick is old enough to be recognizable as a baby duck and has bones that will be firm but tender when cooked.

This dish - also known as the "treat with feet" and the "eggs with legs" - makes for a great Fear Factor stunt.

Since I have not had the *ahem* appetite to try this dish, here's a link to give you a better idea of the taste...

Deep End Dining
(please click to read)

Bleah... Suddenly I've lost my appetite for eggs... and ducks... and chicken for that matter!
Oh wow, chocolate and Hột vịt lộn / Balut. What an irresistable mix.

I'm sure this would be a nice surprise for kids - Cadbury Chocolate Hột vịt lộn / Balut Egg!