I saw the photo below on my Facebook newsfeed today and I'm glad to see more and more of such movement(s) in the world.

Needless to say, I shared it and I wrote, "There are tons of 'invisible' illnesses out in the world. We should not judge others by what we have/ don't have, learn to accept that these illnesses are a struggle and that it takes a lot of self control for people to NOT whinge and whine about their illness(es) to others constantly."

As someone who has endometriosis and clinical depression, which is linked to my endometriosis (I shall now shorten it to 'endo'), I can really relate to how it is a struggle to smile to the world while your insides are just eating away at you. Don't get me started on the head trip that goes with every low when depression hits you nor the extreme pain I go through sometimes whenever Mother Nature visits.

The worst thing is that these illnesses are chronic. They will reoccur again and again, with almost no cure. Just prevention of symptoms or just making these symptoms milder so that they do not become stumbling blocks.

I get a bit offended whenever people talk about my weight and my weight gain. It is a side effect of endo (people with PCOS can relate) and it takes me 3x the effort to lose the weight. I'm already happy that I've maintained my weight without it ballooning further. I can't stand it when family, friends and some colleagues talk about my food intake as if I'm consuming 2,000 calories a day. I've checked. There are days and weeks when I meticulously note down all the food that I consume and guess what? I clock in at 1,500 calories on average! Sometimes 1,200 calories too! However, nobody sees this and whatever they assume, they believe. I still can't get over the fact that one of my directors skipped me when she was offering biscuits to everyone in the office.

Another thing about endo is the incredible amount of pain it brings and it's not constant. It comes and goes like a bad diarrhoea that visits you without the accompanying runs. You're so exhausted despite not doing much and you just can't concentrate on anything else except a good book/mindless games/how soft your pillow is. Whenever this happens, I can't help but take a sickie. But of course...a lot of colleagues think that I'm skiving or complain that I'm "always not around/always on medical leave". Some colleagues even go so far to say that I only work 3 days a week (I wish!). Best that I've heard so far: "she has so many days of medical leave meh?" Nope...I still have the same amount of leave as anyone else in the office and I do 3x the amount of work in the same amount of time. That's for efficiency y'all naysayers!

Honestly, people like me aren't asking for sympathy nor empathy. We just want all of you to be less judgemental and more understanding.

I know that it's the year of the Goat but instead of having motifs of goat/ram/sheep, my obsession for this year turned out to be Cherry/Peach blossoms.

It first started out with the wreath that I made as a decoration for my front door. As you can see, it's full of (what I think are) cherry blossoms but they could've been peach blossoms for all I know. Then, I went on to buy a Peach Blossom tree for S$238.

I have been wanting a cherry blossom/ peach blossom tree in my flat for Chinese New Year since last year and this year, I finally made my parents drive me down to the nursery to buy it. I took a photo of the tree everyday for the past 10 days and you can see the video below:

The blossoms were really gorgeous when fully bloomed and I joked with my family and friends that hopefully, I will get some proper 桃花运with this Peach Blossom tree. Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou?

Anyway, the obsession continues on with my nails...

Those blossoms and branches were painted by yours truly and I must say that I impressed myself because I was scared that I would mess up the branches since my brushwork isn't very good. Guess it's getting better and probably most suited to drawing branches. A colleague found a design where the base was baby blue and the cherry blossoms had white petals. Perhaps I shall do that design for next week.

Nonetheless, it is the year of the Goat and here's me wishing everyone 羊年快乐，三羊开泰，喜气羊羊！

Went to Bee Choo for another treatment and realised that it has been 5 weeks since I first started going there. As I ran out of my Aveda hair tonic (it stops thinning hair), I decided to buy a bottle of tonic from Bee Choo. The bottle above costs only $30, which is a fraction of the S$100 something that I paid for the Aveda hair tonic. But let's compare apples to apples, oranges to oranges.

Bee Choo has 2 types of hair tonics - 1 meant for oily, itchy scalp that produces dandruff while 1 is for severe hair loss. Speak to the assistants and they'll be able to best advise you on which type to get.

The smell of this tonic is really herbal and after massaging it into the scalp, it feels very minty. It does not contain mint although it does contain alcohol but it doesn't seem to dry out the scalp either. I would've thought that the alcohol will dry out my scalp and cause it to produce more oil but the opposite is true! It does help control the amount of oil produced and hopefully, this will prevent further clogging of my hair follicles!

Interestingly enough, my brother commented that my hair looked extra clean. So it does look like the tonic does work in terms of controlling the itching and oil on my scalp. Exactly like what the label reads.

As for the overall treatment, I don't see any significant difference in hair volume. Still sparse in the front but I can safely say that the regular treatments are helping with the dryness of the ends. So the tonic prevents the scalp from being too oily but the general treatment maintains the moisturised ends. It's still too early to tell when it comes to hair regrowth...but we'll see how it goes!

Updated as of 15 April 2015:
Review on the tonic can be found here!

Located at a corner where Cecil Street meets Marina Boulevard, The Black Swan resides in an 1930s building which used to be a bank. Running with the Art Deco theme, the Lo & Behold Group transformed it into The Black Swan, which serves classic cuisine that borders on being French-Americano.

Upon entering the restaurant, you are greeted by the unique bar and the high ceiling. The writing on the bar reads, "Here's to the Rose Coloured Glasses Of Life". La vie en rose. Well...less American since they still spelt Coloured the British way *wink*.

Panoramic view of The Black Swan

 

Go for their Set Lunch (2 courses @ S$38++, 3 courses @ S$44++) because it just makes things a lot simpler although the whole bunch of us still racked our brains to choose because everything looked enticing! Good thing for you is that there were 5 of us so we ordered quite a variety of starters, mains and desserts to review.

Above is the Farmer's Salad, so it's just a mix of rocket, apple, celery, arugula and tossed with a vinaigrette. Nothing too special about this.

Add S$4++ to order their Crab Salad which has sunflower seeds, avocado, mango, grapefruit and a citrus vinaigrette. Needless to say, this was a little more interesting than the Farmer's Salad.

For an additional S$6++, go for the Foie Gras which is pan fried perfectly and comes with a toast on a yuzu marmalade. Not a fault in this dish except maybe not enough of foie gras?

For those who are feeling 'safe', go for the Duck Confit (+S$4++) which was very crispy on the outside and still tender on the inside. It rests on a bed of bacon potatoes and a mustard sauce. Judging from how 2 of my colleagues ate their duck, it was good on the first few bites but in true Duck Confit style, it does a get a bit much.

Another main course was the Seafood Linguine. It's good and it wasn't wow. Just tasted like how it should be. This is one of the few dishes that were not French-based but Italian but I guess if you're going with an American theme, both cuisines go.

If you like fish, they have the Pan Seared Red Snapper with an egg sauce and with leek done two ways. The skin of the fish was crispy and the sauce creamy. However, it tasted exactly how a pan fried fish should taste like.

Yours truly went for the Mangalica Pork Collar (+S$6++) which came with pickled red cabbage and apple sauce...

It looks like a piece of steak and cuts a little like a piece of steak but beef it is not. This piece of pork was succulent and very well seasoned. It was simple but yet you know that you cannot replicate this dish with your home kitchen unless you're a very skilled chef with a good grill pan. I gave everyone a morsel of this porcine goodness, which spoilt their tastebuds and their mains don't taste as good as it did before. Oops. Needless to say, everyone on my table recommends the pork!

For dessert, I went for the Sticky Date Toffee Pudding (above) which tasted absolutely divine! The cold vanilla ice cream went really well with the sweet, warm pudding which could've been too sweet if it wasn't for the slices of banana and ice cream. Absolutely divine.

If you like dark chocolate, go for the Chocolate Dome. Inside that dome casing of rich, dark chocolate is a vanilla creme mousse and it's paired with strawberries and blueberries. Very classic.

Finish it off with a cup of coffee or tea and you're good.

That about sums up our whole experience in The Black Swan. Everything was classic and slightly laid back and it would be quite a romantic throwback to the 1930s, sitting at the bar and enjoying a glass of martini or whisky. I'm sure if you dine here at night, you might even let your imagination run a little wild and think that you're in a scene from The Great Gatsby. It helps that the restaurant has a Mezzanine floor which houses their 'Powder Room' - an intimate bar for craft cocktails and whiskies. If they played jazz music, I'm sold. I'll find as many excuses as possible to be treated to meals here.

It's not the cheapest place to dine for lunch though. You'll need to be prepared to spend around S$65/pax if you're ordering the 3 course meal with all the add-ons. Nonetheless, it is a place that is worth visiting at least once!

The Black Swan
19 Cecil Street
Singapore 049704
Tel: +65 8181 3305
Website: www.theblackswan.com.sg

I finally gave in to temptation and bought OPI's Sheer Tint in purple just so as to try out this design. The base colour of all my nails, except for the ring finger, was done with the Sheer Tint before I did a lace stamp in Plum. Unfortunately, my stamp didn't cooperate with me today and resulted in the very sketchy floral pattern that you see above.

For the accent ring finger, I used OPI's Sand in Gold before topping that off with that blue purple glitter by Ciate. This design is inspired by +elleandish // Janelle 's Sultry Smoky Lace Nails. Hers obviously looks way better than mine.

My dad read an article in Sunday Times recently about Alt. Pizza and he got all excited about it because the owner of Alt. Pizza (Matthew White) had helped to launch Extra Virgin Pizza and I had brought my dad to Extra Virgin Pizza once and he was so impressed by the pizza there that he remembered the name. Long story short, we finally went to Alt. Pizza for dinner.

Located at a tiny corner of Suntec City, Tower 4, it is no wonder that this place is not as popular as Peperoni downstairs. It is on Level 1 and is next to the taxi stand. It is outside of the main shopping area and because of that, it does have a few tables located outside for al fresco dining.

The place is decorated with very bright neon colours and I love the puns - Love with Slice us Apart/ Everyday we'll be trufflin' etc. The pop art decor isn't what one would normally associate with artisanal pizzas but it's quirky and it explains the funky names given to the various pizzas.

Dad ordered their Tangerine Wheat Craft Draft Beer (S$10++) and this is one of the 3 craft beers to choose from. I recommend the Tangerine Wheat because it's a little more unique and true to its name, you'll get a citrus after taste with the first notes of fruitiness. It's a light beer so ladies will like it too.

For starters, we tried their Calamari Fritti (S$10++) which is fried with rosemary and another herb and served with a chipotle lime aioli. Loved the aioli and the calamari was well seasoned. I prefer the smaller type of squid though because although the squid was soft and cooked well, this large squid tends to have this band/vein through it that makes it hard to chew through.

First up is their Truffle Shuffle (S$14++), which has a white sauce base and comes with fennel sausage, caramelised onions, roasted mushrooms and truffle oil - all on an 11" thin crust. In fact, all their pizzas are thin crust and at 11" and you start to make the Extra Virgin Pizza connection since EVP also fixes their pizza size and type.

Ok...taste test! I was expecting a heavy aroma of truffle to bombard my nose when I picked up a slice and alas, I was sorely disappointed. The onions were good and the mushroom was tasty but...truffle? :( Other than that, it was a good pizza.

Next was the Crabby Ninja (S$18++) and it comes with a red pepper cream sauce, blue crab meat, cherry tomatoes, basil and smoked cheddar. Now THIS tasted a lot better than the Truffle Shuffle and it delivered what it promised. The basil was a nice contrast to the crab and cuts back on the oil from the cheese. The fresh tomatoes were sweet and juicy, adding a little more depth to the pizza. Each slice had a generous serving of crab meat so one can't complain there.

2 pizzas are more than enough for 3 Asians but if you're really hungry, you can have a whole pizza to yourself. If you don't fancy their standard pizzas, you can even build your own! The full menu can be found here. They do have daily special pizza flavours so do check those out too! They are taking orders online but it's currently meant more for takeaways since they only deliver within Suntec City and Millennia Walk. Now...will they ever have set lunches?? Only time will tell.

Alt. Pizza
Suntec City Tower 4
#01-602
Singapore 038983

Tel: +65 6836 9208
Website: www.altpizza.com.sg
Email:  hello@altpizza.com.sg (reservations only for parties of 8 pax and above, dinner only)
Opening Hours: 11am - 10pm, daily

The first time I ever consciously knew that I was drinking a Macallan whisky was last year, when we opened 2 bottles of it during a colleague's (now ex-colleague) leave-do. Fast forward a year later and here I am at the "Toast The Macallan" event held at Marina Bay Sands Convention Hall. I went to the 12.30pm session on Sunday, 18 Jan 2015.

Thanks to Weekender, I won for myself a pair of tickets (worth S$38 each) to this interesting event that walks you through how a Macallan whisky is made as well as a whisky tasting session. You're first greeted by a Macallan 'model' dressed in a little black dress with The Macallan logo and their hair done up in a French twist. Every attendee was given a complimentary whisky cocktail - The Macallan Gem Sour:

That is how much I was given and I was really bummed about it because the others got more. They said that theirs was more simply because the ice had already melted but my cocktail tasted a bit diluted so...blah. That said, the Whisky Gem Sour was good and I think I might try to replicate it at home one day.

The highlight of the whole event has got to be the whisky tasting session so I'm going to jump straight to that.

We were led to another section where there were several tables with 4 small drams of whisky and a glass of plain water. I was immediately impressed by the set up and had to mentally tell myself NOT to calculate cost of the whole event (guesstimate is 100k).

The hosts for the evening were Randall Tan and The Macallan Brand Ambassador, Kieron Elliot, who was really hilarious!

Every good whisky, we learn, starts right from the type of barrel used and for The Macallan, they highly regard the Sherry Oak used in their handmade barrels. We managed to see 2 actual barrels and even sniffed it! The oak trees take about 100 years to mature before they're felled so if you think about it, the journey of good whisky is more than a century!

First up was The Macallan 12 Years Old whisky, which we learnt that all Macallan whiskies are naturally coloured from the oak and has no added colouring, unlike some other whiskies. Also, the darker the whisky does not mean the longer the whisky is aged because it depends more on oak barrel and how much sherry it absorbs during the sherry process.

I really liked the thoughtfulness of this diagram. It tells you basically what taste notes to look out for and its respective intensity. The though went through the organisers' minds when planning the flow could also be seen from the 'scent bar' located in the main exhibition area where attendees could smell the various scent notes and then be able to accurately tell the taste notes as described above.

The Scent 'Bar'

We were also taught that unlike wine, one does not swirl whisky because the alcohol content of whisky (usually 46% abv) is enough for the scents to evaporate in room temperature. Instead, one should first hold it near one's chin to get the first whiffs before sticking your nose and smelling in the other scents.

We were later each given a piece of Godiva chocolate and this was then paired with The Macallan 15 Years Old. I was really pleased with this pairing because the fruity 15 year old went really well with the chocolate and when I tried to pair it with the 12 Year old, the 12 year old Macallan tasted like straw. The 12 Year Old is the palest of all 4 whiskies and like how white wines tend to be, this whisky was significantly fruity and floral compared to the 15 Year Old.

My favourite whisky of the afternoon was the Macallan Whisky Makers' Edition. This is a special edition whisky that's only available in airports...so anyone flying into Singapore soon? Also, as the name suggests, it's a whisky that Macallan's distillery manager made to his palate and is a mix of whiskies from sherry and bourbon matured oak. The result is a delicious smooth whisky that is a bit spicy and sweet without it being too fruity.

Last up was the Macallan 18 Years Old. It is distinctively the darkest of all 4 whiskies and Elliot told us that this is from the oak as the distillery manager would choose the darkest oak barrels to house the 18 Year Old Macallan.

Compared to the other 3 whiskies, the 18 Year Old was mellow and full bodied. It swirled a lot better on the tongue and was the most interesting to taste. Although I still prefer the Whisky Makers' Edition. However, I'd drink this in a heartbeat.

As a door gift, we each received a 5ml bottle of Macallan 12 Years Old (S$10) at the end of the tasting session. We were ushered off to the gift shop and bar where we could ogle at the bottle of the world's most precious (ie. expensive) whisky:

A bottle of the 'M' was recently auctioned off for US$628,000 (it went to charity) and a dram was selling for S$250 that day...and that's the "special" price. In case you're wondering, a dram is 1/8 ounce but for scotch, it is about a finger of whisky. I joked to my friend that one day, that M is going to stand for Melissa. LOL.

The 'toy' that I was really interested is this full copper thing in the image above. It's the Macallan Perfect Sphere. The Japanese created the carving of a spherical ice to drink with whisky with the idea that a ball has the least surface area touching the whisky and thus, will not dilute the whisky while still keeping it cold. However, not all of us are able to carve balls of ice from a cube. Thus, this contraption was created. It's a heavy full copper bell-like instrument that uses pressure and gravity to press/shape a cube into a sphere. Pretty cool huh? It comes with an equally cool price tag of S$1050.

Happy smiles fuelled by alcohol on an empty stomach

Overall, it was a well-organised and well run event which was fun! It really helped with the branding of Macallan and does set it apart from others as it showcases its unique qualities while showing that it's a premium brand that is still attainable by us mere mortals normal people.

Oh...if you're flying into Singapore...do let me know how much a bottle of the Whisky Makers' Edition costs! :)