May 16th, 2012 by sixpegs

I am back with another entry about my Bangkok trip!
This is the third and last post about this recent trip though,
and it feels as if I am on the trip and it is ending all over again.
Boo.
I miss the Land of Smiles already!

For this last entry, I want to share one of my favourite night markets in Bangkok!
But before that, here are some pictures taken during our anniversary dinner there.
It’s our first year together and we decided to just spend it like any other day.
We had dinner at the 9th Cafe in Siam Paragon.
It’s just a simple looking cafe but the food was pretty good!
(The food is nice everywhere in Bangkok lah!)

This is my lady’s ‘happy smile’.

The food! A likes her western food and my heart has long been stolen by Thai cuisine.

After dinner, we went down to our favourite dessert haunt Vanilla Brassiere
and bought a tiny Tiramisu cake before we head back to the hotel.

A says this cake is made for us because it looks like a boob. LOL!

It was our first time to Rot Fai Night Market and we were being punked by the damn taxi driver who took us there!
Rot Fai Night Market is just walking distance from the famous Chatuchak Weekend Market,
but because we went to the night market from the town area, we had to take a taxi instead.

The bloody driver dropped us in front of a WET MARKET and told us it was Rot Fai Market.
I was so pissed when I got off the cab.
Fortunately with the directions from some kind Thai youngsters, we managed to walk to Chatuchak Market.
And from there, we walked to Rot Fai Night Market with a stream of people who were also walking there from Chatuchak.

So if you’re going there, do remember that you can actually walk to Rot Fai from Chatuchak!
I know I didn’t blog much about Chatuchak Weekend Market although I went there on my trip.
Well everyone knows about Chatuchak, isn’t it? Haha.
But for those who are going to Bangkok soon, just a reminder to check out Section 3 in the market!
My favourite section other than the pets section.

I love this night market because the mood there was just awesome!
It was really crowded but the people there are all hip and fun looking.
Lots of interestingly dressed people and all the stuff on sale there are really cute too!

Most of the stalls are operated out of vintage cars or cute looking mini vans.
Vintage furnitures, vintage clothes, vintage knick knacks, you can find almost anything vintage down there.

I love these really cute furnitures on sale there!
Suddenly wish I already have my own home so I can start buying all these gems home!
So so cute. I have to go back to Bangkok to buy furnitures for my home in future!

Look at these cases!

Seats made from a bath tub!

And more pictures! Look at all the funky people selling funky things,
and funky people buying funky things!
Everyone looks fun there. Heh!

Vintage toys on sale too!

And I LOVE that microphone this dude is using!

There are bars and eating places operating from a vehicle.
Lots of them littered all around the night market actually.
I also spotted a couple hippie looking young people sitting around eating and chatting while tending to their stalls.
I’m amazed by how they can make the whole place look so cute with just a few decorative items!

We had our dinner there as well!
In this place called Rod’s. It’s one of the more done-up eating place around there but we were sold when we saw the decor.
Very cute!
There was live music in there while you dine too.
No air con though. I was so happy it was at night so it wasn’t too warm in there.
Sorry if the pictures are a little dark!

I guess this pretty much concludes my Bangkok trip.
I was scrolling through the pictures I took when I was there and I chanced upon pictures of our favourite Thai dishes!
DROOL ALREADY LAH!
Basil leaves minced chicken with fried egg & stew pork rice with egg.
They are so yummy…

I am usually not a huge shopaholic when I’m in Bangkok.
Didn’t really buy so many things that I can lay everything out on the bed and take a photo of all the junk I bought.
So here are some of the cute little knick knacks I bought on this short trip.

Bought some clothes and usual singlets and stuff. Not worth mentioning.
Hahahaha.
To all those who are going to Bangkok soon, you have one jealous person here who is green with envy!
Hope you guys like my mini Bangkok Report!

Will be back tomorrow with more updates!
Sindy is getting married SOON!!!
In less than two weeks’ time actually, and the girlfriends are all crazy with the preparations and stuff.
Weeee!!!

Be right back with more stories, pictures and nice cafes to recommend! <3

May 15th, 2012 by sixpegs

I am excited about this entry because I get to introduce a place I went to get the perfect smile!
I have always been not very confident with my teeth, especially the upper row because I have a gap between my two front teeth.
The ends of the two front teeth are jagged, and my teeth are really small.
I’m too used to chewing food on the right side of my mouth, so the right incisor and canine teeth are worn too.
My horrible teeth-grinding habit (bruxism) when I sleep is not helpful towards the worn teeth too.
As a result, the loss in enamel has caused my teeth to be sensitive as well.

Here are a few photos of my teeth to give you a better picture.
Sorry for the weird faces in the photos. Heh!

So during my short stay in Bangkok, A and I watched some videos from the show “Style By Jury”.
Those people did WONDERS with veneers, crowns and whitening work and the results were absolutely amazing!
I really love the Style By Jury show by the way!
Here are a couple clips for you to watch too!

A and I decided that it’s worth a shot to visit one of the dentists in Bangkok to see check how much porcelain veneers costs.
And so, after much online researching, we made our way to Bangkok Smile Dental Clinic the very next day!
The clinic got two branches and both are super near our hotels! Damn happy.

It was really SO MUCH cheaper than Singapore, we paid probably like 20% to 30% of what
we will have to pay if we did the same thing in Singapore!

At our first appointment, we wanted to do the usual scaling and polishing, and ask a little more about the veneers.
But the price and service was really impressive and we decided there and then
that we will just go ahead with the extra dental work!
The best thing is, they promised that the entire process will be completed within 5 days!
I’m sure if there wasn’t a Labour Day public holiday, it would have been even faster!
Impressive impressive.

I did the consultation and was disappoint to know that I am not a suitable candidate for porcelain veneers
because the bruxism has already caused my natural teeth to wear off.
So she recommended me to crowns, which is somewhat similar to veneers but slightly more invasive.
A, on the other hand, did her veneers.
And both of us did teeth whitening! :B

Their teeth whitening service is fucking amazing!
I think it’s called some Zoom! Whitening thing, and it’s much stronger than what I did in Singapore couple years back.
The teeth REALLY got so much whiter! Even I got a shock!

As for the crown, we got a mold of our teeth taken. Here is mine!
Look at those ugly teeth on my upper row! :x

Veneers are basically just a porcelain layer placed on the outer surface of your natural teeth.
A little part of your teeth will be shaved off so that the teeth will not be too thick after the veneers go on them.

As for crowns, it is almost similar except that the porcelain will be shaped like a cap instead of just a outer layer.
These give more protection and are tougher compared to veneers,
but it is more invasive because more enamel has to be shaved off the teeth.

There is local anesthesia injected into the gums during the shaving of the teeth so it was pretty much painless.
Even after the anesthesia wore off, there is practically not much pain but there is slightly bruising.
AND THE LIPS ARE SWOLLEN MAN!

This is me right after the treatment.
My upper lips is greeeeennnnnnn and purpleeeee! Ohmygod.

And beware! The ugliest photo I will show on my post.
Brace your eyes!
SWOLLEN LIPS!

The swelling made my whole fucking face swell like a pig’s head! :(
But because there wasn’t much pain, I decided not to waste my time in Bangkok so we continued shopping.
Lol.
I am so glad I am in Bangkok and not in Singapore because I don’t wanna walk around looking like Piggy here!

But of course, after the dentist shaved off the enamel, she didn’t leave me walking around with my ULTRA-SENSITIVE tiny teeth.
I had temporary crowns done up for me.
But I had such a huge shock when I saw the colour of my gum man!
It’s grey and purple!
*might look a little gross*

OK, another freaking hideous photo of me right after the dental appointment.

This is the pose I have every time I’m seated somewhere, in an attempt to hide my sexy lips.
Hahahahaha.

The dentist instructed me to do a lot of cold compression for the first two days to reduce the swelling.
And by the third day onwards, I have to do hot compressions to increase blood flow, to ease the bruising.

I had the temporary crowns for about 3 days and I was thrilled when it’s finally my turn to get the permanent crowns on!
SO SO EXCITED ABOUT IT!
But I was really worried at the same time because I needed another round of anesthesia.
Sucks man.

When the 2 hour appointment ended, I was so happy!
It was all worth it!
These are some pictures taken on the same day the permanent crowns are put on.

I LOVE MY PERFECT STRAIGHT WHITE TEETH!

Our teeth are SO SO white! Now I cannot stop smiling to myself. Hahaha!

For Aileen, her concern about her teeth was the little naughty tooth that was pushed backwards and not aligned with the rest.
So she corrected it with 8 veneers on the upper row.
This is how she look like before the veneers.

The procedures for veneers was much simpler and the swelling was much lesser than mine as well.
She still look very pretty even with her swollen upper lips. Heh!

And this is her teeth after her veneers are completed!
Gorgeous!

I like how the teeth look so natural!
My mom didn’t even realize I did something to my teeth only until a week after I returned from Bangkok.
Hahahaha.
The teeth looks and feels exactly the same as my natural teeth and my bite was not affected a single bit.
I like how both my canine teeth are pointy again and they look symmetrical again!
The two worn off teeth has been re-constructed too and I can smile big big again now!
I LOVE IT!

This is the BEFORE/AFTER picture:

The lighting of the picture above wasn’t very consistent.
I have to emphasize that my teeth has become so much whiter, as white as the sclera of my eyes now!

My gums are pink and healthy now.
The teeth look so natural nobody would even know those are crowns if I don’t tell!
Strong and healthy teeth is so so precious.
Hope you guys are not too turned off by the swollen face and purple gums photos!

Some of you might wonder if veneers and crowns are permanent.
Well, according to what I understand and found from the research,
the most common for the crowns and veneers failing is tooth decay.
In fact, poor hygiene practices are the main culprits for unhealthy teeth.
So with proper care, and that also includes not biting ice and not using teeth as bottle openers,
these porcelain veneers and crowns have the potential to last a lifetime!

LIKE the post to let me know if you like our new smiles! :D
I was so excited to share my experience with you guys, very happy now! Hahaha.
And if you have any questions at all, feel free to shoot!

Will be back with the last entry of my Bangkok trip in a jiffy.
Peace xx

May 10th, 2012 by sixpegs

It has been one year.
For our first year anniversary, I set out to write a book just for her eyes only.
Here is just a few pages of the book to let it be part of my personal blog.

A, thanks for being such a wonderful partner.
It has been a fucking awesome 365 days for me.
Love.

Read the rest of this entry »

May 9th, 2012 by sixpegs

I’m back with more details about my Bangkok trip and more hangouts in the Land of Smiles to recommend!
A and I checked in to our second hotel for this trip!
I first read about MADUZI Hotel on the internet, and I was blown away by the decor in this hotel,
especially their unique bath tubs in all of their rooms!
This hotel also views the privacy of their hotel guests importantly.
There is no typical check-in counter in this hotel, all paper work are done in your rooms.
And the moment you enter the hotel, it just feels like home!
There is no crowd around any counters, you don’t see a lot of guests walking around too
because there is only slightly more than 40 rooms in there.

The hotel do not take guest reservations over the counter, so only prior reservations are accepted.
The gates to the hotel are almost always closed too, so you don’t get random strangers streaming in and out.

I like it!

We were allocated a room on the top floor.
When we entered the lift, we were very fascinated!
The lift was lit with red light, and the buttons in the lift spelt MADUZI.
Cute!

Once we enter the room, we were greeted by a cool looking coffee machine and fresh rambutans to welcome us!

The room has a very special shape – shaped like a huge ‘C’.
At first, we thought the room was a little small, but every time we turn a corner, we get a new surprise!
I love the room!
It’s also super awesome that the room has a work corner with a printer meant for the guests!

The other most awesome thing is THE FREAKING BED!
I think it is the BIGGEST bed I have ever seen!
It is so big that when we run and jump on the bed, we still cannot touch any one end of the bed.
Hahahaha!

It really is very very big!
I think it’s a King-king of something. Heh!

All of their rooms are non-smoking rooms, so for people who hates rooms that reek of smoke when you enter it,
this is the best man! :)
There is also a smoking corner in every level for the guests, so it wasn’t too bad for us.

My favourite part of this room, however, is the bathroom!
It’s spacious and bright with a super long mirror so A and I
will never have to squeeze to stand in front of a small mirror anymore!

The infinity bath tub is very special too.
The water comes from the ceiling eh!

We tried the breakfast at MADUZI too!
I love the restaurant, especially the shelves of books between every table.

Our breakfast!
Yummy to the max!

And it’s time to set out for some shopping and more good food!
Other than the usual eating and shopping, one of the must-go places in Bangkok is definitely the Erawan Shrine too.
It is the first time I went to the shrine with A and it was also my first time hiring the dancers in there.
Erawan Shrine is right next to Chit Lom BTS station by the way!

Regarding the dancers in this shrine, I heard some stories about
Nicholas Tse’s mother Deborah Li dancing nude in this shrine before.
It was said that she promised to dance naked before the Gods if she were to get famous.
Eventually, she became really well-known but didn’t go back to do what she promised.
She then became really ill and couldn’t get better despite medical help.
So in the end, she went back to Erawan Shrine and got the entire shrine enclosed so she could dance naked.
And she recovered.

Be careful what you promise in front of the Gods man!
This is another case I found online, although this is not at the Erawan Shrine,
it was also about a lady dancing naked in front of the Four Faced Buddha.

From the shrine, we also toured the malls around the area.
I heard about Greyhound cafe and I was too excited to bring A for a good lunch there!
You can google Greyhound in Bangkok if you wanna try the food there too.
The fusion cuisine there is really really good!

Here are some of the food we ordered!
I love the tom yum soup here because it comes with ravioli too! What a great combination!

The Thai iced milk tea is absolutely yummy too!
The ice cubes are actually all tea cubes, so even when the tea cubes start melting,
your tea will be kept cold and will not become diluted at all!

Desserts are at Vanilla Brassiere which is just at the ground level in Siam Paragon.
I love the crepes here!

I wish Singapore had such good crepes and priced at such affordable prices too. *complains*
We ordered a strawberry and banana crepe to share.
It was totally yummy!

We then brought our full stomachs to do some typical tourists stuff.
I have never been the the Madame Tussaud museum so I was thrilled when I saw some discounts going on for their tickets!
Here are some pictures of my celebrity friends and I. Haha!
(Some of them are dead already)

I didn’t know PM Lee is so tall!
Why are they all so tall? :(

And the most good looking of them all is John freaking gorgeous Depp!
LOOK AT HIM! Perfect human!

And as night falls, it’s time for the night market!
It was a Saturday so we visited the Ratchada Night Market.
I did some research and read about this place being a treasure cove for vintage finds!
It is not very big, all the stalls are all makeshift ones on a huge carpark.
I love the mood here though!
There are not a lot of tourists and you see a lot of locals shopping too.
When you see a lot of locals at a market, you know it is the place to be at because the prices will be low low LOW! :D

As you can see in some of the pictures above, a lot of the stalls are set up in front of the owners’ vehicles!
There are also a lot of gorgeous vintage vehicles around here to check out as well!
Here are some photos to give you a better idea of what you can find at the Ratchada Night Market!

I love night markets!
Stick around to read more about the other night market I visited.
Till then, take care.
And I’ll be right back with more!
Peace xx

May 9th, 2012 by sixpegs

That picture above serves to attract your attention because I know everyone loves to look at and want to have killer legs.
It also aims to make you feel incompetent because your legs don’t look like those in the picture above.
But fret not, because most of us don’t have those legs!

Before I begin, I have to emphasize that this is not an advertorial for any brands.
Haha! Alright. The whole story started when A commented that the veins at the back of my knees are very obvious.
She called them “a little bit scary”.
I do not want to come across as being scary in any way so I decided to do a little research on those impending varicose veins.

Something random.
I used to think that those nasty looking veins are called “VERY COARSE VEINS”, well, because they are really very coarse.
I feel a little ridiculed when I realized that they were actually spelt “varicose veins”.
Why can’t they just make it easier and call them “very coarse veins”? Heh!
They are also called “spider veins”.
I think I’m quite smart.
Hahahaha.

And for the benefit of those who are born with absolutely gorgeous, flawless and problem-free legs,
this is what very-coarse varicose veins and how not-so-coarse-now-but-might-get-coarser-in-future varicose veins looks like.

That last picture shown above is freaking scary.

Before I explain why I am suddenly talking about varicose veins at 2am on a Wednesday morning,
I shall share some information I found out about varicose veins because I think it’s good information for everyone.
Here is what I found from the internet.

CAUSES

Varicose veins are twisted, enlarged veins near the surface of the skin.
They are most common in the legs and ankles.
Though they usually aren’t serious, they can sometimes lead to other problems.
They are caused by the weakened valves in your veins, when they are not performing like how they should,
blood accumulates at those areas and pressure builds up.
Varicose veins runs in the family.
It is also more prominent among people who are overweight, pregnant,
or have jobs that require one to stand for long periods of time.
Varicose veins comes with age too.

SYMPTOMS

Veins appear blue or purple and twisted under the skin.
Some people do not have any symptoms.

Mild symptoms may include:
Heaviness, burning, aching, tiredness, or pain in your legs.
Symptoms may be worse after you stand or sit for long periods of time.
Swelling in your feet and ankles.
Itching over the vein.

More serious symptoms include:
Leg swelling.
Swelling and calf pain after you sit or stand for long periods of time.
Skin color changes.
Dry, thinned skin.
Inflammation.
Scaling.

They are usually not serious problems but if the blockage gets worse, deep vein thrombosis may occur.

OK. Now we have come to the part where I explain why I’m blogging about varicose veins today.
After the comment from A about those unsightly veins behind my knees,
I recalled reading somewhere about how compression stockings can help reduce appearance of varicose veins.
(There is also that TVC with Paige Chua rolling around on the bed recommending those stockings too)
So I bugged A and told her that I should probably try to get one of those stockings and see if it helps.

To my horror, the stockings I bought is freaking PURPLE IN COLOR!

I mean, no offence to anyone who likes purple because purple is nice color but personally,
purple thigh-high stockings with pink rims is as bad as Barney being a frigging purple dinosaur.

A has been calling me GRANNY since I started wearing these stockings and I’ve been feeling miserable.
Wait till I get nice slender legs! I’m sure she will be jealous! Hahaha.

I have only been wearing these stockings for two nights and the feeling is pretty good to be honest.
I wasn’t sure if it was because the stockings were tight or if it’s just the placebo event,
but I could almost feel blood pumping through my legs when I wear the stockings.
Almost like my legs were having a mild workout while I lay in bed trying to get to sleep!

Pretty interesting feeling if you ask me.
But I really wish they had the stockings available in more colours though. Urgh.
Trust me, I look horrible in purple.

Other than being able to prevent varicose veins, these stockings are said to be able to tone the legs too.
N I C E .

Can you see the parts of the stockings that are supposedly tighter?

For your information, some other ways to prevent varicose veins includes:
Propping up (elevating) your legs.
Avoid long periods of sitting or standing.
Get plenty of exercise.

Or for more serious cases, you can also consider getting sclerotherapy to close off the veins
or laser treatment and radiofrequency treatment to close off the veins.
They all sound very scary to me!

SO, let’s take good care of our legs together.
For good health and good looks! :p