In the western part of Singapore, there's a place that I belong to....

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Having grown up in the western part of Singapore all my life, I’ve seen how much this side of Singapore has blossomed in these past 5-10 years. And if I’ll need to choose my favourite place in the west side that I really enjoy spending my time, it’ll definitely have to be Jurong East!

As the western region of Singapore gains prominence and momentum with redevelopment and growth, big retail businesses have also made their entrances. Now, westsiders have plenty of makan and shopping options accessible to them, right in the heart of Jurong East!

When I was told to play host to a tourist visiting Singapore for the very first time and the criteria is to plan a ½ day activity in the west, I found it to be a piece of cake!

Profile of tourist

Name: Riley

Nationality: Australian

Gender: Male

Age: 21

Hobby: Surfing

Planning a ½ day activity for an Aussie bloke is really interesting. There are quite a number of exciting activities that I can choose from but I eventually chose an activity with some adrenaline pumping action: GO-KARTING! 

We arrived at Kartright Speedway for some Go-Karting action and Riley was quite excited. He told me he had only tried it once back in Australia and the experience was terrible. I confidently told him that what he was about to experience was going to be totally different.

Similarly, I have had my fair share of below average Go Karting experience in Malaysia, Thailand & Indonesia. Call us Singaporeans pampered, but we like a nice clean environment and most importantly, a safe experience. I was really impressed when I saw Bridgestone tyres & Toyota Engine being used. I always thought that the engines were DIY!!

After going through a quick safety brief by the manager in charge, we were all ready to RACE!

One really interesting feature that Kartright Speedway offers is that if you have a driver’s license, you’re entitled to drive at 50km/h. Non drivers will only be able to travel at 30km/h. That’s a really good rule to implement to ensure the safety of all track users.

Before we started, a side bet was made. The winner will choose the cuisine for dinner. 

Enough of talking, 15 Laps Race..let’s start..

Here’s a look at the track we are going to race in:

With a total of 8 different types of bends to overcome in each lap, I was determined to push the Go Kart to its absolute limit!

15laps later, I beat Riley by a spilt of a second. It was a really exciting race and we didn’t want to leave.

I decided to bring him to Westgate for dinner as I personally love the food choices it offers. What I really love about Westgate is that it has an open air courtyard with restaurants and cafes to relax in. But regardless of where you are at, the environment is still very nice and cooling.

As Riley is someone who enjoys being outdoors, I decided to have a semi Al Fresco dinner at Brotzeit.  

This popular German restaurant is recognised for its great meat & beer selection. As Brotzeit is currently only found in Perth, Riley has yet to try it. I’m really glad that popular restaurants that were previously only found in town have expanded to the west.

And when 2 famished guys get to order anything they want, this is what you get….

As the evening came to an end, I asked Riley how he felt about his experience in the western part of Singapore. He instantly replied with 2 words, SIMPLY AMAZING! He was really impressed with how clean Singapore is and the amount of fun that he was able to experience out of the central area of Singapore. He is also really amazed to see distinct differences in the malls situated in Jurong East. Westgate is filled with great food and big retail stores; IMM being the largest outlet mall & JCube being the entertainment and lifestyle hub of the west.

I was also really glad to be able to host Riley, a first time tourist in Singapore and I also got to rediscover the beautiful western part of Singapore.

Cheers to a new friendship & a jolly good time! 

Here's for the full video of Riley's trip to Singapore

To find out more about the west, make sure to click here! 

Grand Opening of Reebok's Flagship Store in Singapore

This June holiday has been really interesting and one of the highlights was to be able to attend the grand opening of Reebok’s first ever flagship store in Singapore. I’ve always been a fan of Reebok’s sportswear but realised that different outlets of Royal Sporting House carry different products. So more often than not, I’ll drop by multiple Royal Sporting House outlets. Quite hardworking…I know….

The Reebok Flagship store will be the only store in the entire country to carry the complete sports and lifestyle collection across all categories that include Running, Training, Studio (Cardio/Dance/Yoga), Crossfit, Walking and Casual (Reebok Classic). How cool is that, right?

Address: Suntec City Mall, North Wing (Between Towers 1 & 2) #02-468,

3 Temasek Boulevard, Singapore 038983

During the grand opening, we got to learn about Reebok’s latest line of fitness wear and how it can be easily integrated into everyone’s day to day casual outfits. I love the way the outfits can be layered to suit your individual fitness lifestyle.

We were also introduced to the Reebok ZPump Fusion, the latest addition to the Pump series. It was launched earlier this year in the US and I was really looking forward to this pair of kicks.

Here’s a short clip about the new ZPump Fusion:

Pump technology – The revolutionary air-filled cage is lightweight and fully customizable that pumps up and wraps around the individual shapes and contours of the foot to deliver a custom, locked-in fit to achieve maximum performance.

I used to own a pair of Reebok pump basketball shoes and loved the design as well as the technology.  But the newest pump technology is truly impressive! =)

S$169 at all Stadium and Royal Sporting House stores (except JCube and outlet stores)

How can Reebok end their grand opening without getting the invited guests to try on their latest outfit for a workout right? Most of us came in work attire and were not ready for a workout. So what Reebok did was to give everyone a set of their latest range of fitness wear and got us to test it out on the spot. I really loved the idea! As good as the products look and as good as they sound, they simply have to work!

For those who were ready to try out Reebok’s latest sportswear, we were tasked to go through a fitness circuit, comprising of 5 stations: Push ups, Squats, Bicep Curl, Up right rows & a yoga pose

We had to perform each movement for 1 minute and the objective is to get as many reps as possible.

And after the short challenge, I was glad to clinch the 2^nd runner up position with 1 month free fitness first pass=)

Thank you Reebok for having me at your awesome Grand Opening of the flagship store and a bigger thank you for your commitment to producing great fitness products!

For the grand opening of Reebok’s Flagship store, receive a limited edition Reebok shoebag with a minimum net purchase of $150. While stocks last!

Road to better complexion: Venus Viva Treatment (Part 2)

Hey guys, I’m here today to give you guys an update on the progress of my face treatment with Venus Viva. Before I begin this update, I’ll like to give you guys a quick recap on what Venus Viva is about =)

For those of you who have read part 1, Click here  =)

Venus viva is a revolutionary, patented, effective and impressive medical device from Israel using NanofractionalRadiofrequency(RF) and a SmartScan technology to treat acne scars, improve skin laxity and facial rejuvenation.

This advanced technology allows deep and uniform penetration of radiofrequency heat energy into the epidermis(superficial) and dermis(deep layers of the skin) to ablate and coagulate the skin resulting in micro-wounds.

Healing of the micro-wounds results in regeneration of new collagen and tightening of collagen to repair the skin and reduce the depths of the acne scars.

So I signed up for a package of 6 sessions in March and I’m getting my sessions done once a month. I’ve currently completed 3 sessions so it’s a good time for me to do some progress check.

So here’s a photo of my complexion before Venus Viva:

And here are some photos taken on my 3^rd treatment:

Quick selfie while waiting for the numbing cream to kick in!

Post session 3 treatment photo

As my skin is able to take the intensity of the past treatment, Dr Lim continued to increase the intensity. For the past 2 treatments, I did not get anyone asking anything about the redness on my face. Maybe because it’s just too mild. But after the 3^rd treatment, I finally had someone commenting about my face! I went to pick Limaran up from work and a personal trainer there saw my face and asked if I went for a laser treatment on my face. The reason why he could tell was because he was undergoing a similar treatment on his face! How cool is that?!? =) He also told me that the he really loved the results he was getting so far.

As the intensity of the treatment for session 3 was stronger, the redness stayed on for a couple more days. Here a photo of my complexion after 1.5 weeks from session 3.

I’m really starting to see some really good progress on my complexion and L is also telling me that the pores on my face are starting to tighten up. I used to really hate taking photos under strong fluorescent lighting as they are really harsh and unforgiving.

But here’s a photo of L and I under an unforgiving lighting and I think my complexion is holding up quite well.  =)

I’m very confident that the 3 remaining sessions that I have left will continue to improve my complexion.

For those of you who are really interested in imoproving your complexion with minimal downtime, do check out Mint Aesthestic Clinic.

Mint Medical Aesthetics@Mint Medical Centre

01-10 HarbourFront Tower One

1 HarbourFront Place

Singapore 098633

T 87263383 

URL: www.mintmedaesthetics.com

Facebook: www.fb.com/mintmedaesthetics

Email: mintaesthetics@gmail.com

I will be doing a final blogpost on my road to better complexion after the 3 remaining sessions. Looking forward to see some really good results! Till next time.....

ZARA - My go to place for fashion

ZARA has always been a go to brand for me since 2007, right about when I ORD from army. After saving some money during my NS days, I took a sum of money out from my savings to ‘update’ the clothes in my wardrobe since I was moving into uni life.

L and I were recently given the opportunity to dress each other up with the beautiful clothes from ZARA and it was a really fun experience for the both of us. I was pretty stressed up at first as I really didn’t know much about female clothes and how to pair the items up to bring out a particular style.  

Shopping for female clothes is no easy task, that’s probably the reason why you don’t see that happening at all! But I was really sure it’ll be fun..so let the shopping begin!!!

L was really accommodating whenever I pulled something off the rack to try on her. She did give me some hintsevery now and then when she knew that some of the outfits are totally out of her style! But I didn’t care.. It was my chance to explore what really fits her....in my opinion at least..

As for L, she has no problem dressing me up as she has been playing an active role in the clothes that I buy since the first day we got together. Here are the outfits that L chose for me =)

Outfit 1

Palm leaves printed tee: SGD45.90

Pale blue shorts: SGD59.90

Footwear: SGD69.90

As we went to ZARA just a couple of days before our Bali trip, L decided to pick outfits that would be relevant. I love how she matched this comfy palm leaves printed tee with the pale blue shorts.  In the hot Bali weather, I still managed to super feel comfortable in what I wore. 

Outfit 2

Striped Long Sleeve Top: SGD59.90

Cuffed Pants: SGD109.00

If you know me well enough, you’ll know that I love wearing long sleeve t-shirts. L knew that out of the 4 outfits that she chose for me, a long sleeve t-shirt will have to be included. And when she pulled this top out from the rack, I knew that this is a top that I will wear. The fabric is nice and light, suitable for Asian climate. And there’s no better way to complete the look other than a pair of cuff pants.

This outfit was chosen for our dinner on my birthday eve. =)

Outfit 3

Printed Tanktop: SGD49.90

Light Washed Denim Bermudas: SGD59.90

White Sneakers: SGD99.90

How can you not bring along a tanktop when you’re visiting Bali right? And that was what L did! She chose a tank top with a blend of patterns to match this tough denim bermudas. Really love the denim collection ZARA is offering this season! The look was completed with a pair of white sneakers with golden trim. Really giving off the clean yet strong feel.

Outfit 4

White Shirt: SGD69.90

Green Bermudas: SGD69.90

L chose this outfit for my birthday dinner with Chris & Eunice and as we were going to dine in a classy restaurant in Seminyak, Limaran felt that I should have some collar going on. Love the details of the mandarin collar as well as the unique colour tone of the bermudas.

So out of the 4 outfits that L chose, can you guess which outfit I love the most?

Well, if you ask me, I felt that L managed to pick 4 different styles that I am really glad I’m able to pull off. It was a really interesting experience to be able to pick a number of outfits for L. I never knew how tough it was to dress a girl. And I can now totally understand why girls are usually late for at least an hour......too many clothes to choose from!!

L and I had a really enjoyable time shopping at ZARA and if you’re not a ZARA fan yet, it’s time to check out what they have to offer. And there’s no better time to do it than the reopening of ZARA outlet at ION Orchard.

Both L and myself will be there during the store opening (10am – 12pm) and will hope to see you guys there =)

For the latest updates on what ZARA Singapore has to offer, click here! 

Road to better complexion: Venus Viva Treatment (Part 1)

Everyone knows how important it is to give a good first impression to people we meet. And like it or not, your physical appearance actually constitutes to more than 55% of it.

I’ve been running Team Axis for more than 5 years now and I am constantly meeting people. One thing that brings down my self confidence is actually the aftermath of #WHATPUBERTYDIDTOME! 

!!!ACNE SCARS!!!

I have always wanted to treat my acne scars but didn’t know how to go about choosing the right treatment for my skin. In 2012, while preparing for my wedding, I actually went for a number of non invasive laser treatments. However, I did not see any visible results after a total of 6 sessions and so I stopped going for the treatments.

The desire of treating acne scars was put on hold too.

Last year, my friend, Robin, went for Fractional CO2 Laser Treatment and the results were amazing. He used to have quite bad acne scars as well and after a series of treatments, there was a significant amount of improvement to his complexion. However, there was a down side. And that was a long down time. His face looked like it was literally burnt after the treatment.

To be extremely honest, I cannot imagine going through the recovery process and still carry on with work. And as I was participating in Manhunt last year, I couldn’t afford the long down time.

And this year, as I’m not participating in any competitions, it is the best time to finally do something about the acne scars. And I’m lucky enough to be introduced to Venus Viva.

So what is Venus Viva?

Venus viva is a revolutionary, patented, effective and impressive medical device from Israel using NanofractionalRadiofrequency(RF) and a SmartScan technology to treat acne scars, improve skin laxity and facial rejuvenation.

This advanced technology allows deep and uniform penetration of radiofrequency heat energy into the epidermis(superficial) and dermis(deep layers of the skin) to ablate and coagulate the skin resulting in micro-wounds.

Healing of the micro-wounds results in regeneration of new collagen and tightening of collagen to repair the skin and reduce the depths of the acne scars.

My doctor, who used to have bad acne scarring on her face, showed me her very own progress with the Venus Viva treatment.

After the consultation, I decided to give it a shot and took up a package of 6 sessions and will be documenting the progress of my complexion here.

I will be doing a blog post after session 1, 3 & 6. Really hope to see some wonderful progress throughout the 6 months treatment! *WISH ME LUCK*

Pre Venus Viva Treatment Photos

Before every session, numbing cream will be applied and left for 30mins so that the treatment will be more bearable.

30mins later, I was all set to commence my very own journey with Venus Viva.

The numbing cream really made the whole 20 mins treatment very comfortable as I was chit chatting with the doctor throughout the session. There was minimal pain and there was nothing unbearable. And before I know it, the session was done!

There was a warm and tight sensation on my face immediately after the session and I was expecting my face to look pretty red. Here are some of the photos:

Post Session 1 Venus Viva Treatment Photos

As you can see, there’s hardly any redness on my face and there’s no form of discomfort.

Here are some of the photos taken 1,3 and 5 days after the treatment.

1 day after treatment

3 days after treatment

5 days after treatment

As you can see in the photo, I did experience mild redness on my face for the first 2-3 days. But no one asked me what happened to my face during the whole week of recovery. It almost looked like there’s some mild rash due to the weather or something.

As it is just session one, I can’t really tell how the end product is going to be like but I am sure that my complexion will continue to improve. The doctor shared that the intensity of the laser was set quite low as it was my first session and she needs to see how my skin reacts to the treatment. Seems like everything looks normal and she’ll be bringing the intensity a little high for the next session.

But was really obvious is that my skin got slightly smoother and the pores are a little smaller.

If you’re also interested in solving your acne problem, drop by Mint Medical Aesthetics to find out more:

Mint Medical Aesthetics@Mint Medical Centre

01-10 HarbourFront Tower One

1 HarbourFront Place

Singapore 098633

T 87263383 

URL: www.mintmedaesthetics.com

Facebook: www.fb.com/mintmedaesthetics

Email: mintaesthetics@gmail.com

My experience with Hadara Power Facial Treatment

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Whenever I’m tasked to describe myself, I always find these few words popping up at the top of my list: Active, Sporty, Driven, Fitness addict, and the list goes on.....

However, even though the following words aren’t ranked as high (vain, self conscious, etc) I will say that they do have a certain weight age in how I go about in my daily routine.

Having said that, I’m guessing that must be the reason why I got selected to be featured on HerWorld as one of the three ‘spornosexual’ guys in Singapore.

So what is spornosexual?

This new term embodies the modern day man who's often at the gym working on his physique. He's well built, tanned and hot. He prefers to spend his time, and his money, on his physical upkeep. And he doesn't shy away from showing off his results.

Leading a highly active lifestyle, I find that I have to take extra care of my complexion as I’m always sweating and the gym is also not the cleanest place to hang out. I was previously introduced to the range of Dermagold Facial Products just before leaving for my Korea trip last November and I really love the results. And when I heard about Hadara Aesthetic Boutique that uses Dermagold products for facials, I told myself that I have to definitely give it a try!

I have been shying away from having facials for the past 8 years due to bad experiences that I had during my national service days. My mum saw that my complexion got really bad and so she bought a facial package for me. I used to go for my facials every Friday when I booked out from camp.  It sounds really relaxing but what actually happened was the direct opposite. The lady will prick and squeeze every acne that she sees and I always leave with a swollen face. That’s also how I got all the unsightly scars left on my face.

When I checked in at Hadara, I brought all my concerns up to the therapist and she assured me that the treatment that I was going through is nothing like what I experienced years ago. I was recommended the Hadara Power Facial Treatment + Hadara Eye Sparkling Therapy.

Here’s a look at what the treatment include

Hadara Power facial:

1. Cleanse

2. Scrub

3. Extraction

4. Massage/lymphatic drainage

5. Cleopine air--‐spray penetration

6. Mask

As I managed to squeeze in a facial session during my lunch timing, I was really looking forward to a relaxing session that can get be recharged for the rest of the day. 

Here‘s a shot taken right before the start of the facial session. After cleansing and scrubbing, came the extraction part where I had a great amount of fear. Before I mentioned anything, the therapist reassured me that it will not be the same as what I’ve experienced previously. And true enough, it didn’t hurt a single bit! The therapist was really gentle and didn’t force her way through the extraction.

The next step after the extraction was my favourite;the Cleopineairspray!

Cleopine ampoules and air spray are invented by a Korean doctor. It is manufactured using a patented technology and it is FDA approved as a food substance.

Cleopine ampoule is especially suitable for sensitive skin and is penetrated into the skin using a special nano--‐technology air spray.

Cleopine contains:

1. Fermented peptides from mushrooms grown in Korea

2. Nutrients extract from pine trees in Korea

3. High quality mineral salt

Benefits of Cleopine:

‐ whitening

- anti-aging

- anti-wrinkle

- moisturising

- improved skin tone

Complementing the Hadara Power Facial was the Sparkling eye therapy. The therapist shared with me that too much screen time will cause the eyes to look really tired, something that I am very much concerned with. It is pretty significant that my eyes are looking really tired these past 2 years.

The sparking eye therapy stimulates blood flow to the skin, muscles and capillaries in the areas around the eyes, helping to drain excess fluids, reduce sagging areas, tone the muscles and nourish new cell growth. De- stressing the muscles that cause crow’s feet. This therapy also activates the pressure points around the eye sockets to help release tension in the visual system and increase the flow of life energy to the eyes.

90mins later, I was done with the wonderful treatment and my face felt really light and clean. Some sensitive areas along the T-zone have calmed down too.

Limaran and I also managed to grab a quick photo with the beautiful owners of Hadara Aesthetic Boutique.

Quote ‘Jason&Limaran’ for the following offers =)

1.       1) Hadara Special 25% off 1st time trial (ala carte price)

10+10 promo for Hadara Power Facial/ Sparkling Eye Therapy/ Hadara Derma-calm Facial (valid till 31 Mar 2015)

2.     2)  Buy any 3 DERMAGOLD products to enjoy 10% discount (valid till 31 Mar2015)

If you’re looking for a Aesthetic Boutique that uses quality products on you, remember to give Hadara a shot! Dermagold is a home grown brand that is designed for Singaporean skin.

Conveniently located at 

23 Lor Telok #01-01 

walking distance from Raffles Place MRT or Clarke Quay MRT.