Online Shopping with: BOOHOO

As promised previously here, my items from boohoo official have arrived and here's my review of the products!! :)

I can't recall exactly what the offer the website was having when I purchased these pieces of clothing (I honestly only ever shop online when there are offers) but I do know that I spent enough to receive free express shipping! Altogether I know I saved quite a hefty percentage due to the offer they had.

Firstly, the order came around four business days after the purchase. Packaging wise, I thought it was really simple and easy to carry because of handle provided on the bag hahaha. I think if ever in future I happen to be unavailable when the deliveryman arrives (I have to travel to the post office to collect the parcels if this happens) it'll be easy for me to bring the shipment home.

I was actually really excited about this particular order because of the two dresses I purchased! In the picture, they are the black/white & green pieces. You see, my issue with dresses is that for my size and height, they usually always end up way above knee level. I'm not comfortable wearing such short dresses and baring my legs so I tend to look for dresses that end just slightly above my knee. So imagine my delight when both dresses ended up being the perfect length and fit for me!! I was so so so pleased :)

Quality wise, I have to honestly say that the material isn't all too bad. For starters, I've already worn the blue/white shirt five times and it's still my favourite shirt at the moment. But unfortunately I do have to wash it because I've sweat far too much in it on Sunday hahaha.

The only issue I had was with the pair of jeans I purchased. I usually avoid buying bottoms online just because I like to feel the texture of the jeans and try them on to see how it fits on me before I make the decision to buy them. But well, I guess I felt adventurous this one time I went on with it anyway. I will say now that I'm never going to make that mistake again. I regret the decision so much. The jeans were not stretchy at all and I couldn't even put one leg through it. I concur that it isn't the error of the jeans but mine because I could have been able to fit another size plus not all pairs of jeans have the same cutting etc. BUT I will say that the material for this particular pair was horrid and would barely last through three months (maybe less) if you were to use it often. I was planning on returning them but I think I may end up selling it off instead.

Overall though, I am happy with the purchases and I foresee these pieces being used to exhaustion. I will say I'm not too certain how many washes it'll survive because let's be real, i'm your typical college student who dumps everything into the washing machine despite what the labels recommend. But I guess I'll put in extra effort for these.

This was also my first time purchasing from boohoo despite knowing that some of my favourite YouTubers rave about the store all the time. I guess I've just never tried it because I was always hesitant about online shopping at stores I had never purchased from before. Although this logic doesn't make sense because then i'll never end up buying anything online at all!! However, a good friend of mine had actually purchased from the store and gave me good reviews about it, and so I decided to give it a try. That plus the offer was like a clear indication of fate and that we were simply meant to be.

Would I purchase from the store again? A big fat YES for me!!!

Have you purchased from boohoo before? What were your thoughts? :) xx.

#Thoughts: Friendship

♥

During one particular parent-teacher meeting organised by my primary school in which I was present, my mother asked my form teacher during her turn if she felt that I was mixing with the right crowd. I was only twelve back then, and having this question asked in my presence was something I did not expect. I recall my teacher responding honestly, saying that I had to be careful not to be too easily influenced but that I had a healthy mix of friends in my circle.

Throw forward to 2015, and I look back at the friendships that I've made and it's one of those moments where you just sit down and feel thankful for the people who've taught you so much. Now of course, the four you see in my above collage are just a few out of the many who I treasure, but these four are significant to me because of some of the lasting values they've taught me. Still, when comparing the friends I had back then at the age of 12 to the people I've met now, I now understand why my parents were so worried for me. The friends I had back then weren't terrible people, rather their priorities were not one that rendered good influence.

I've always believed myself to be a good-natured person, although I don't deny that there are ugly bitchy sides to me as well. These are sides I don't agree with even personally, but it is then that the good people in my life bring me back to reality and remind me to be more humble, positive and patient. They say your friends are a good indicator of the type of person you are and I would like to think that my personality doesn't speak for the beautiful people my friends are. However, the good sides of me are definitely the product of the people who're in my life.

I think your friends ultimately should be the people who continuously aspire you to reach for your dreams and goals, and should be the people who are there to support you through your good and bad decisions. I've come to realise that the people I love dearly are those whose happiness is my own and vice versa. They are also the people I know I can tell my opinions comfortably to if I don't agree with them on something and there's no argument through the sharing of these thoughts. We may agree to disagree, but we value these judgments and take them into consideration without harshly judging the other for it.

Good friends are hard to come by, and today I'm just really thankful for all those who are here to stay. I don't necessarily speak for the future because we never know what life will be like once marriage comes into play, but as Olaf says: "Some things are worth melting for."

xx.

Product Review: Spa Treatment for free at home!

So if I haven't already made it clear before, I will make it clear now. I LOVE THE BODY SHOP. It's a no brainer really if you were to ask me. I think, apart from the very good marketing strategy of using the colour green to brand themselves, the products they sell are actually legit and work so well as they claim they're supposed to.

Quite recently, the store introduced their Spa of the World range and I decided to give it a look.

Now I have this tendency to approach salesgirls and ask them to test products on me if I'm very certain I'm not going to end up wasting their time at the end. I was pretty sure that I was going to purchase something that day, so I approached a salesgirl (dang me for not remembering her name!) and asked her to introduce the products in the range.

African Ximenia Scrub

Japanese Camellia Cream

I was completely sold the moment she tried the products on me. Now firstly, I'd like to say that I've been using a body scrub all wrong my entire life. I never knew you used it before you used your shower gel. I always thought you exfoliated after you used the shower gel. Well, I've now learnt the truth. 

My hands were so soft after using the scrub. In fact, I actually left the store the first time only purchasing the body cream and came back the next day to purchase the scrub. It was a worthy investment. The body scrub really leaves your entire skin feeling soft and smooth after!! It's practically a free spa session at home. Have I mentioned that it also smells relaxing??

The body cream on the other hand, smelled like a fresh garden of flowers during spring in Osaka. It smells like cherry blossoms. I love it. The texture of the cream is indeed velvety like stated on the packaging. It's really smooth and soft on the skin and a little goes a long way with it. It also has a matte finish as compared to the other body cream in the range, and is suitable for people with very dry skin. I have eczema and this cream has worked well for me so far :)

Overall, I'm really happy with my purchases :) I actually was very tempted to purchase their mist and detox cream but your girl is a student and finances are tight. Explains why I originally left with only the body cream.

Have you guys tried these yet? What are some of your favourite products from The Body Shop? :)

xx.

1-Day Tour around Phillip Island

A few weeks ago, and a few weeks after Nicole left, my other dear friend Kimberley came down under to visit me! :) I was really excited about her visit because not only would it mean I get to be a tour guide once more, but it also meant that I'd finally get to meet her after two solid years!!! Kim studied in the UK, and as such, given the conflicting times in our University holidays always found it hard to schedule a time to meet when we were both back in Singapore.

Kim stayed for a total of one week. Unlike Nicole's visit, our itinerary didn't involve as much food as it did sightseeing hahaha :') Well, food was definitely in the agenda but I didn't feel as bloated as I did when I was with Nic. Or maybe it's because I learnt my mistake the previous round and therefore controlled my meals better.

Today I wanted to share my experience with Bunyip Tours. Also as a disclaimer, this post isn't sponsored at all so whatever's shared hereon are genuine and true to what I feel :)

Kim wanted to touch some Kangaroos and Koalas. I mean after all, when you're in Australia, you have to touch a Koala and Kangaroo right? Right. So out of all the available Zoos in Melbourne, Healesville Sanctuary and the Moonlit Sanctuary are the only two places that allows you to do this. However, getting there from the city by public transport would take 6 hours altogether to and fro, plus Kim wasn't keen on being the sole driver there so we decided at looking at other options.

I'd heard of Bunyip Tours since I arrived Melbourne to study. It was part of the package by the University whilst they were advertising travelling around the state of Victoria. I'd never gotten around to signing up for any of their tours since because there never was a reason to, but I did this time!

Kim and I registered for the 1-Day Phillip Island Eco Tour. We chose to travel with Bunyip because it was the cheapest one we could find and it covered quite a few places too. Altogether, we covered five things:

1) The Moonlit Sanctuary

Quite possibly the highlight of the trip for us both. Here we managed to feed some Kangaroos and Wallabies that roamed around the park freely! We also managed to take a photo with their Koala, and Kim signed up to take a photo with their Dingoes as well. We had to pay a fee of $12 for the photo taking session with the Koala, and Kim paid an additional $20 for the photo with the Dingo.

The photo taking session was managed well in my opinion. Those with the tour group were given a different coloured lanyard for priority since we had to return to the Coach by a specific time. We were also provided with ample time to take as many photos with the Koala as we wanted. Well, so long as you don't take longer than usual such that you're hogging the queue :P Kim and I arrived there early to queue up too, so we were third in the line (Singaporean spirit through and through).

The only issue I had was with the enthusiasm levels of their Koalas hahaha! You will see here that they the one we took a picture with looked pretty grumpy. The keeper said it was his nap time and that he was feeling slightly sleepy. Well, considering how they do sleep 22/24 hours in a day it should be normal behaviour...

This photo cracks me up :') Mr Grumps was apparently getting really sleepy. Still many others in the queue Mr Grumps!!

Feeding a Kangaroo!! :)

It was pretty difficult to get the Kangaroos to come up to you to feed. Visitors were only allowed to walk through a certain path, so you were only allowed to feed the Wallabies and Kangaroos that came up to you. The Wallabies were situated pretty much all over the face but the Kangaroos on the other hand were bumming around within the trees. Something like this...

#BOSS!
Image Credits: Pinterest

A cute lil Wallaby :)

This tiny baby was so precious.

Kim and her dingoes.

An inside joke between myself, Kim and Nic when they were here was that I was going to feed them to the dingoes when they came. I failed in getting Nic to meet a Dingo, but Kim did and unfortunately was too happy to be around them for my plan to have been successful hahahahaha.

We spent about two and a half hours at the Sanctuary. Lunch (a small BBQ) was provided for us before we made our way to our next destination.

2) Churchill Island

Churchill Island was an Island off the coast of Phillip Island in Victoria and holds an important value in terms of marking the Europeans first settlement in the state. Here we were able to watch sheep shearing live, touch some farm animals as well as enjoy the beautiful view the island had to offer. To be completely honest with you, I spent most of my time just admiring the view in front of me and wishing how beautiful a life it must be to live amongst mother nature.

Such a breathtaking view :)

We took too many selfies here :P

Really do love horses :)

Gobble Gobble

Look Ma! I milked a cow hahaha.

Some light refreshments were provided here. We stayed here for close to two hours if my memory doesn't fail me. Time really flew by!!

3) Koala Conservatory

We then drove down to Phillip Island itself! We made a quick stop over to the Conservatory to spot some Koalas :) This was a very quick stop that took about 45 minutes. 

Told you all they did was sleep!!!

Fun fact! Have you heard of the drop bear?

YIKES!!

Well, I only heard about it come this year when my friend shared a post on Facebook. I thought it sounded like candy, but when I googled it was in for quite a rude shock. 

Firstly, it looks like a photoshopped Koala. Second, even the Tasmanian devil doesn't look as deadly. And finally, the facts about who it attacks just seems like a troll. But, I am not one to not believe that there's a slight chance it may be true. 

Anyway, I asked our tour guide and he told me that it was a fake fact made up by some Aussie blokes who just wanted to scare some tourists. Phew!  Or at least, I'd like to think it's made up. A small part of me still thinks its true hahaha. 

4) The Nobbies

Before heading down for the Penguin Parade (the main star and attraction of Phillip Island), we headed to the Nobbies to view the scenery. I don't quite remember what the significance and highlight was at the Nobbies, but I'm aware that here you can see spot some penguins if you're lucky. It was pretty interesting as well because Phillip Island was declared a natural park by the Australian Government seeing as how it was the home to so many penguins. They built some man made boxes in the hills to attract penguins to build their burrows and homes there. It was quite a sight to see :) The tiny penguins we saw during the parade later on were making their way back home to these burrows after having spent the entire day hunting for food.

Our tour guide spotted a Penguin under the boardwalk and managed to snap this picture with my phone!

Peaceful :)

5) Penguin Parade

The last stop for the day was the much anticipated Penguin Parade :) We weren't allowed to take pictures during the parade because the flashes would affect the eyesight of the penguins and this would ultimately prevent them from feeding their young when they returned home. I was so frustrated by the tourists who simply refused to heed to these rules. Seriously, idiots who don't understand rules should cease to exist.

I wish I could have taken photos or at least begin to describe what an experience it was to have seen the penguins come up in groups and waddle their way up the path to return home. Some were like drunk little things, falling down every once in a while or just seeming lost. I really enjoyed the parade despite it being my second time there. I think I learnt a lot more this time round.

After the parade, we headed back to the Coach and then drove back to the city. It was a good day :)

***

Overall, my experience with Bunyip was definitely extraordinary. I enjoyed myself immensely, and here are the reasons why:

1) We had a GREAT tour guide.

They say you can't choose your tour guides, but at the same time I don't think your tour guides can choose who's in their tours too. Our tour guide Jeremy was from Tasmania, and I really enjoyed his knowledge on the places we visited. Not only was he friendly, but he was clear in his instructions on the times we had to assemble back and gave us a comprehensive background on the places we were visiting. We never took a photo with him, it was quite a shame it slipped our minds! :(

2) Duration of time at each site was allotted well.

I was quite hesitant originally because they promised quite a few places within a short period of time. We assembled at the meet up point at about 10am that morning and arrived the city by 9pm at night. Coupled with the traveling time to Phillip Island, I didn't think we'd be able to fully explore the places that they promised to bring us to.

Surprisingly (or maybe not), I thought they allocated the duration at each scenic spot really well. There was ample time to roam around and go to the ladies as well. I didn't think it was too rushed or too slow, everything was done very well :)

3) Booking online was hassle-free.

Kim and I only decided on the tour two days beforehand. It was a Friday when we decided to go for the tour, and all I had to do was go to their website and make my reservations for our specific tour. It was done in a few minutes. If you have dietary requirements (I did - vegetarian) you included it during your booking and they'll settle it for you on the day itself. As long as there are still slots available, they'll put you in their tour :)

I definitely enjoyed my time with Bunyip Tours. I think, for the first time since Kim and Nicole's visit, I was finally able to relax and behave like a tourist too! I think a large part of it had to do with me not needing to worry about catching the right train and getting off at the right stop. All I had to do was leave everything to Jeremy and we'd arrive at our destination. All I needed to worry about was reaching the Coach on time.

I'm definitely going to consider Bunyip Tours once more if I ever decide on going for a tour again in the future! I see a trip to the Wilson's Prom coming up soon (hopefully) :)

Have any of you been on a tour with Bunyip Tours before? Or have you ever visited Phillip Island? I'd love to know! xx

Friday Musings

Image taken and edited by me.

I've had the privilege of living a life that gives me the freedom of speech. However, let's not get too technical with the term "freedom of speech" here.

Most of us don't seem to realise how fortunate we are to be able to grow up in a society that allows us to speak as we think. Am I unhappy with the way something is run in the country? Sure. I'm allowed to voice my opinion. Am I unhappy with something my parents have done? Sure. I'm allowed to share my sentiments to them as well.

Most importantly, I am allowed to voice my opinions and be heard. Whilst not all of these things are necessarily followed up, however I do have a voice and thus a say in things. My decision matters and I have the opportunity to take charge of my life and decisions.

I've been a member of Toastmasters International for a year now and boy, what an incredible year it has been. I don't think I've ever openly spoken about Toastmasters and how much it's saved my life, but today I will share a little something that I've learnt.

At Toastmasters, it's not all about leadership skills and public speaking. It's so much more than that. I can't say I've fully grasped all the wonderful benefits Toastmasters can bring to an individual, but a few things would include meeting a myriad of individuals with different stories, building your confidence to speak in front of a large group of people as well as pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to truly test your limits.

I attended a club contest held by another club in my district last night, and during one of the filler sessions had the great opportunity to hear from a member who had competed in the semi-finals in Las Vegas.

Now before I continue, I'd just like to share how wonderful I think globalisation can be. Conglomerating individuals with one shared interest together is bound to bring an abundance of anecdotes and learning points to take home. I've never fully grasped how beautiful it is to be able to share your culture and ideas with others. It's always rewarding to be able to hear experiences of others from their own mouths as opposed to what you see in the media. And for this particular case, it was a humbling experience that made me realise the power of speech.

Upon socialising with other fellow Toastmasters from around the world, he found out that for some people, Toastmasters was the only platform in which they were able to speak and share their mind. They weren't allowed to do this at home due to societal norms in their country, and so Toastmasters was the only outlet for them to speak freely without facing dire consequences. Others saw it as an outlet to share their stories and views with people without having to face discrimination for the content shared. Toastmasters - I believe - does not judge you so much based on the content (unless very highly controversial, I should state now that there are such things as "inappropriate topics" that could disqualify someone during a competition). Rather, evaluations on the speeches are made with the intention to strengthen the quality of someone's speech. These evaluations are always very helpful, because there are only so many things you yourself notice from your speech. Having someone evaluate you opens your eyes to what you're lacking in. Finally of course I should say that everyone in Toastmasters is there to improve, and as such there is no hostility amongst members. We're all there to help one another out and it's always a splendid feeling to be in a very supportive environment.

Either ways, my main takeaway was how important it is to have the power of speech. The ability to voice out your opinions is something people like myself take for granted. I was humbled by the story shared, and it made me realise how powerful one is with this. That said, expressing one's views properly and respectfully also strengthens the power of the speech, and is something we should all strive to achieve. I'd like to believe and feel that if everyone practises the power of "freedom of speech" appropriately, there is no issue that we'd be unable to discuss critically and constructively.

So take charge of the ability to voice your opinions. Be mindful of what you say, approach the topics considering the emotions of the person on the other end, and always know that we are allowed to agree to disagree.

Till then, xx.

Online Shopping with: POMELO

It's that time of the year where I start getting fidgety due to the lack of clothes available in the wardrobe for me to wear. However, whilst I would usually admit to having enough clothes to choose from and this scenario is a result of my finding a reason to go shopping, I actually hate to admit that my reason for being fidgety this time round is a result of my inability to fit into my old clothes.

Yep that's right, your girl's gained a few pounds and I'm not embarrassed to admit it.

So, whilst I work on losing those extra pounds to go back to my usual size, I decided to go online to pacify myself by finding clothes that would fit me.

I've heard of Pomelo for a very long time. I've seen it on various social media sites as well as being advertised by some of my favourite youtubers and fashion bloggers. I've never really ventured with the site before because the company originates from Thailand and from my experience with the sizes and the cutting with clothes from that region, it usually never fits me. Which sucks really, because the clothes are all of pretty good quality and are reasonably priced as well.

Oh well, I was feeling adventurous that day. Plus, they have a 365 day return policy which is great!! No need to feel pressured at having to return the clothes if they didn't fit by the next day. I always look out for return policies when I order stuff online, it's always really important that I know how long I'm given to return unwanted pieces of clothing.

Aesthetically, delivery was to my fancy. I'm spoilt by TheIconic's packaging, but otherwise, despite the use of the plastic I still very much was grateful it wasn't too thin. It was also delivered in a sweet baby pink, a personal favourite colour of mine. What I actually liked (despite the waste of resources as some may argue) was how they used an envelope to place the invoice. It felt so personal to open the envelope! I felt as if I was receiving a letter from a close friend, and it made me all fuzzy and happy inside.

Moving on to what I actually purchased...

Quality wise, I'd have to say the clothes were made out of durable and pretty good material. The cotton was soft and I can see it lasting for a pretty long time. I was really happy when I unfolded them one by one and realised that the quality was a lot better than I had expected.

HOWEVER

The cutting, as I had expected, was not to my favour.

*goes to a corner and cries silently*

I was honestly really disappointed that the cutting didn't fit me. I should mention now that the sizes on Pomelo were all "One Size", so I actually took out my measuring tape to compare my size to the ones shown online. Yet, I was disappointed. I will be keeping the dark blue shirt because it looks fine oversized and I kind of prefer it baggy anyway. I'm really sad at having to return the other two :'(

Overall, I would recommend people to give Pomelo a try. Delivery was efficient and quality of the products were good too. Plus I'm not as adventurous in my fashion sense, but I know the inner chic in me would want to rock the styles they have up on their site.

Meanwhile, it's time for me to head on to another site. Boohooofficial anyone? :P Will update this space once more after my package arrives :)

Till then, xx.