Hello! I am a Watsons Ambassador!

February is coming to an end and it has been a wonderful month for me. Other than because there was the Chinese New Year festival (Angbaos! Lol!) and Valentine's Day (Ooo, love is in the air~), I received a piece of great news - I was selected as one of the Watsons Ambassadors for 2011!

Taken with phone cam

I am really excited about being the ambassador as I shop frequently in Watsons. If you put me in a Watsons store (especially those big ones like the NAC branch), I can be there for like an hour or so. I will be checking out the new products that Watsons bring in often, as well as to see if there are any awesome promotional items to grab!


And one reason why I am able to be there for an hour (even like a smaller branch like the one in Northpoint) is because I love to check out the product labels to see the ingredients that are in the products and what they are good for... And I would sometimes go, "Really meh? Really meh?". As much as I would like to buy all the products that made me go, "Really meh?", I think I will go broke, right? :p


So now, by being a Watsons ambassador, I can reduce my skepticism (and probably yours too~) as I will be sampling products given to me and providing my honest and insightful reviews for you to consider them as your next purchase when you shop at Watsons! And from time to time, I will also be sharing with you the stuff that I get from the Watsons stores. I will also conduct giveaways in my blog, so do check back whenever, ok? :)

Excited already?
I sure am! :)

So recently, there was the Watsons workshop held at a cafe named Room with a View, where I got to meet the other Watsons ambassadors too. The cafe was closed for this private event of ours, and my... it was a cozy place indeed... Just perfect for a gathering for all the ladies! ;)

Photo Credit to Karen

During the workshop, we were introduced to the brands, Pure Beauty and DHC.

And we were introduced to more products such as these in the picture below...

We got to bring these lovelies home! ♥♥♥
I'm gonna test these out and blog about them. Stay tuned! :)

And I'm gonna end this post with 2 of my faves that were served to us that evening!

They tasted so awesome...
As awesome as the fact that I got to represent Watsons as their ambassador
and share my opinions with all of you! :)

Natas Fair 2011, Singapore Expo. Tour Packages.

From what I gathered from the news, it seemed that many queued up even before Natas Fair 2011 opened its doors this morning. Natas Fair is the highly-anticipated travel fair that is held twice yearly in Singapore.


Travellers these day are so savvy that they had probably done their homework and know what, where and who to book from, for their upcoming travel trips. For myself, I know I am not planning any trips from now till June but I take great interest in this fair (till Sunday, 27 Feb) as it gives me an idea of the various tour itineraries offered by the travel agencies, the possibility that I may be able to travel out of Asia if my plans are done up properly and in advance (of course I have to consider the misc fees too), and not to forget, the amount I have to be prepared to fork out when I visit the second Natas fair of the year.


With travel information being able to be retrieved from the Internet easily, some may choose not to go with tour groups. I am not against tour groups, however I do feel that it will be better if one extends a trip if one has the financial means and time to do so - See more of that country, experience the local way of living and take a slower pace to explore that foreign place that one is in. In the past few years, I have gone on tour groups, as well as free & easy holidays. Both have their pros and cons, if you know what I mean. I shall not elaborate much as I have a feelin' that I will have LOTS to talk about, but...


For tour group packages, some may compare based on prices, and simply book with the agency that offers the cheaper price. This should be avoided, unless you are really on a budget. Then again, if you are on a budget, go elsewhere that is cheaper or don't even go anywhere at all so that you can start saving for that ultimate trip, right? Anyway, as I was saying... Price is not everything as it is always best to know the type of hotels that they will put you up in, the number of places to visit, etc.


Most importantly, read the itineraries carefully, to see whether [FOR EXAMPLE] it is a "drive past the Eiffel Tower and admire this global icon of France" or it is a "ascend the Eiffel Tower and admire the beauty of Paris from this global icon of France". And even if it is the latter, you have to know whether you will be going to the 1st or/and 2nd floor of the tower, or to the summit as well.


The 2 ticket types differs by only 5 euros (as of 26 Feb), but seeing Paris from the first or second étage (floor) versus admiring Paris from the summit is a whole load of difference! You want to have that unforgettable experience, don't you? Anyway that is just an example. When I went for a tour, the tour bus simply drove past a historical building that had great meaning. Maybe to most people, it is not a significant monument as compared to the Great Wall of China, but wouldn't it be nice to get upclose with it? Le sigh.


Of course, I have experienced some great group tours led by experienced tour leaders. And do you know there are some views that if one wants to visit X country under tour package, it is best to go to X agency, and one should go to Y agency if one wants to visit Y country? This is based on the expertise and focus of the respective agencies, you see... Which I am sure you already know this. :)


For now, I want to work hard so that I can have a well-deserved retreat with my loved one in A/W 2011 or Spring 2012 (no matter where it is, I will be just as glad to spend the time with him, seeing new sights and gaining new experiences). Afterwhich, it will be time to save more for something bigger, something that is of a life-changing event. Or maybe I should go somewhere nearer, and then use the whatever money saved as part of the 'life-changing event'? Hmmm whatever/wherever it is, I am just glad if I get to make trips outta Singapore! (^_^)

And a picture to end the blog post with... Oh Paris, je t'aime~ :)

***
Natas Fair 2011 is at Singapore Expo. Hall 4 and 5.
From 25 to 27 Feb 2011. 10am - 9.30pm
***

Instagram for iPhone only. Soon for Android users.

This was a phone that I received from HTC as a prize last year.
It was lovely but it was not what my type, so I gave it away.

Shortly after, I got the Apple iPhone 4 for myself via the Apple Store (that was in Aug IIRC) despite that I have ever declared that I will never own an Apple product. Ironic, isn't it? :X But well, I was won over by the slim and sleek design and how well it fits into a small clutch purse or my jeans pocket, and also by the nifty camera. These are basically what I need from my phone - Good camera and slim in size.


Ever since then, I have not regretted getting the iP4. What's more, Bbb also ordered the phone together with me! Despite being together for the few years, and changing phone models every year or so, we have never gotten the same phone model but only same phone brand... But FINALLY, we have our set of "couple phones". *HEH* Not that we got the iP4 on purpose, but just that he wanted that too. :)


Why I posted the picture as seen above was because I found it in one of my older draft posts, so I decided to post it up (don't let it go to 'waste'). My purpose of this blog entry is not about the iP4 since it is rather common already. But to share with you an awesome free app which I am currently addicted to.

It is.... INSTAGRAM!

Currently, the Instagram app is made available worldwide but only for iPhone users. I came across tweets from some friends who lamented about not being able to use this wonderful app as they are Android users. Which I would like to say, fret not, just wait for awhile more, as Instagram co-founder, Kevin Systrom, had announced that Instagram will be available to Android users... Though he did not mention the release date.


Instagram IS a phenomenon. In less than 3 months, 1 million people have registered as users. It took Foursquare and Twitter longer than that to reach to the 1 million mark. What is so great about it? What is it?


(1) You can snap a picture straight from the app and upload it to your account. Alternatively, you can upload a picture from your phone's photo album. But the photo that will be uploaded is in a square format.

(2) And before you upload it, there are many different filters that you can choose to make your photo look even more awesome. Photo manipulation is now so easy and quick, even for noobs like you and me!

(3) Afterwhich, you are able to tag the location of where you are. But please refrain from tagging if you do not want to let others know your current location of where you are at the time of you uploading the picture. Even if you were to add a custom location (eg. A corridor in NEX), but at the time of posting, you are at Paragon. The map will capture your location in Paragon, not NEX. So putting a custom location is not as safe too.

(4) I like the fact that Instagram managed to add social integration with other sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Foursquare. In this way, I can share my photo uploaded onto Instagram with people in my Twitter and Facebook accounts, as long as I link my accounts in Instagram.

(5) It is a social network where one can build friendships and share photography ideas and inspirations with others. I have seen many beautiful though-provoking work of arts by some brilliant IGers, as well as many others that are humorous and light-hearted.

Go to App Store and search for Instagram and download it.

I am @felizaong on Instagram.
See you there!

Before I go,
here's some photos which I have uploaded onto my Instagram account. (^_^)/

And this was the picture I posted in my Instagram last night.
I had strawberries after dinner.

See ya! And happy IGing away!

Keeping your Home Together, with Total Defence.

*Do your part for Charity. Info within post*

Defending Singapore is not only through serving the National Service or being in the various forces, but there are other ways in which we can defend Singapore. And we call it Total Defence, where everyone can play a part in keeping Singapore strong on all fronts.




And this year's Total Defence theme, "Home - Keeping It Together" sends a positive message of doing just that as we are the children of our motherland, no matter if we are living in Singapore or abroad. No matter where we are, there are certainly sweet cherished memories and shared dreams of the future that we have for Singapore.


I am sure you have seen the music video (as below) on the local television channels, where 39 local singers were involved in the new version of the song, "Home". The song was originally sung by Kit Chan, and was composed by Dick Lee in 1998. That was like 13 years ago (and I was still in Primary School then mann~). This new version is something refreshing, in my opinion... And something to reignite the sense of home and commitment to defend Singapore, as it is our Home.

Do your part for the people of your HOME!

Yes, and it is very easy! All you need is to do your part in the 'Click for Charity' drive! The aim is to raise $200,000 for the Community Chest, sponsored by 6 private organisations.


Simply head to the campaign website by clicking [HERE] and download the "Home" music video. For every 1 click, it means $1 will be donated to the various charity organisations. So we need 200,000 clicks and EVERY click counts! Attaining the 200,000th click IS possible and we are really close to achieve it! Each time that I refresh the campaign page, the 'click counter' increases by a few thousands each time! I know it will be possible and will be attained very soon, especially if you can play a bigger part in this charity drive by rallying your family and friends to download the video too at this [SITE]. :)

This charity drive closes on 31 March 2011. But you know what, I am sure we will be able to raise $200K really soon! There's the spirit of Social Defence within us, isn't it?

So once again, here is the [SITE] to visit
and download the music video! (^_^)

Hong Kong Holiday Day 3 (Part 2)

*IMAGE-HEAVY POST*

Have you read Part 1 of my Disneyland post? If not, click [HERE].
Here's part 2... Lotsa pics! :)

The magnificent castle...

She's wishing for her Prince Charming to appear soon!

Little did she know that he was very near to her castle already! :D

He finally reached the princess's castle! He knelt down and propose...
And she agreed. So he flashed the peace sign as a sign of triumph!

We took the Winnie the Pooh ride in a hunny pot!

It was a jerky ride.
This wasn't the kind of jerking I like, you know?

Filmed this while going for the Hunny Pot ride



We didn't even know there was a camera that would take a picture of us.
So of course, we didn't buy this picture. All of us weren't looking! LOL!

"Where to, my dear princess?", neighed the Royal Horse!

"To meet my Prince Charming," I replied. And off he went... that Loyal subject of mine.

Coming along with me, was my Prince Charming's niece. :p

I love this pic!

We sat the DUMBO ride.

Missed this cartoon lots!

We went to watch a 4D Mickey's PhilharMagic show.
I liked the part where the Magic Brooms appeared, and the song that accompanied...
Bam Bam Bam Bam Bam Bam Bam...

Filmed this short clip. A very touching and beautiful scene.
At The Lion King performance, "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?.
And did you know I have done something like that? But not so high lah~
I was suspended in the air using aerial silk and hoops, with no hook or support.
Relying only on my muscular strength, not via some wire like hers.



Bought this for the 2 nieces and myself to eat.
Only fit for the princesses~ :p

We had photo-taking with Winnie the Pooh! :)

Pluto! He saw me pointing my camera at him, and he immediately posed for me!

What a cute Pluto. He definitely likes to camwhore during his free time! LOL!

Goofy, being the ever goofy him.

Goofy and Us.

Mickey Mouse was approaching to Pluto to chat and he saw me... Then he waved! :p
(They really love the cameras, don't they?) :p

I love the heart!

Minnie Mouse and Us! And we were all dressed in red! :)

The martial arts fighter who is able to do an awesome ballet dance at the same time!

When night falls...

The streets were illuminated so brightly and beautifully!

Bbb, his godsis and I left about 30 minutes before the firework displays would have commenced. We decided to skip that for a quick shopping escapade, before we had to meet back with the family and the HK relatives for dinner downtown. I reckoned that it was fine to skip the fireworks since Bbb and I could come by Disneyland in future too (and stay at the Disneyland Hotel too!), so off to shopping we went... Though it was only for an hour or so, before we had to meet the rest for dinner again. So if you ask me, if I have done much shopping during this trip, I didn't. :(


BUT as we had to walk out of the theme park, we managed to catch the fireworks display! From afar. But still good enough for a "preview", till the next time that I visit HK Disneyland again! And I will certainly visit this attraction place again~ :p


**Read the other Hong Kong entries:
Day 1
Day 2 (Part 1)
Day 2 (Part 2)
Day 3 (Part 1)
Day 4
day 5