Recycle & Reuse Your Empty Toilet Paper Rolls

Storage Car Container

Desk Organiser

Organiser Cords

Seed Starter

Source : Shareably

Recycle Your Bra at Wacoal : Now till 6th Feb 17

Do you have bras that are worn out or don’t fit anymore? Well, here is a bit of good news - the Wacoal Bra recycling campaign is back! Starting from today until 6 February 2017, we’re collecting your old bras for the sole purpose of recycling them. Contribute to the well-being of the environment and recycle your old bras. How to recycle? Easy! Simply head down to any Wacoal store to drop off your old bras. Plus, receive 5 Wacoal membership points (equivalent to $5) when you do so!

Any brand of bras are accepted.

Check out the Wacoal outlets here.

Donate Clothes, Books, Accessories at ECO Bank Drive : 5th Jan to 26th Jan 17

Be a zero-waste hero by donating clean and great condition
- clothes
- accessories
- toys
- books
...to raise funds for disadvantaged children.

From January 5 to 26, drop off your preloved items at these collection points: 

- City House, Lobby
- Fuji Xerox Tower, Customer service counter level 1
- Central Mall Office, Tower Lobby
- Manulife Centre, Lift lobby level 1
- B1 Quayside Isle Management Office
- Republic Plasa, Outside restaurant Chef Icon, #01-13A
- City Square Mall, Fountain Square

Coca-Cola Recycle Happiness Machine : 24th/ 25th Dec 16 at Raffles City Shopping Mall

I thought this was a pretty awesome movement from Coca-Cola, hope other beverage companies will also embark on this campaign too.

24th - 25th Dec 16 : Raffles City Shopping Center

Note : only Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles can be recycled in this machine, no matter where they came from.

Check out their facebook page to find out more.

Can This Be Recycled in the recycling bins?

Here's an article by ZeroWasteSG

Yes to Paper/Plastics/Metal/Glass

No to Styrofoam/Soft Toys/Mirror/Batteries

Refer to the list for the pictures.

Zero Waste Journey in Singapore

I have always advocate lesser use of paper bags and plastic bags from supermarkets and shopping malls and has been bringing around my trusty eco-friendly bag for weekday lunch and weekends. Friends and colleagues have marveled at my BYOB but still, it doesn't change their perceptive towards plastics.

After joining the facebook group of Zero Waste Journey, it has opened up my eyes to so much more of what we can do, as a beginner.

Green Milk Tea from Chun Cui He (純萃喝 or Just Drink)

Green Milk Tea from Chun Cui He (純萃喝 or Just Drink) has just landed on Singapore shores recently. There wasn't a frenzy for this, unlike the last 2 flavours like Milk Tea and Coffee Milk Tea.

Shaped like a shampoo bottle, the drink looks good on its own. Just be reminded to close the cap tightly in case of leakage.

The Green Milk Tea costs the same S$2.80 and I really dislike it, despite being a green tea fan. Overly milky, the drink was a tad too sweet, so much so that the sweetness lingers as an after-taste. The green tea taste was subtle.

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Shop For Christmas Cards & Support A Good Cause

If you intend to get Christmas cards for your family, friends and business associates, why not consider the following avenues?

1) Muscular Dystrophy Association ( MDAS )
2) Bizlink Gifts
3) SPD 

Reuse Your Christmas Greeting Cards

1) Christmas Tags - Cut those pretty pictures from your old greeting cards and recycled them into gift tags.Write your wishes on them and tag it to your Christmas gifts

2) Make new greeting cards out of the old ones - Cut the picture or scene from a used greeting card. Glue the picture onto the front of the folded piece of construction paper and write a verse inside.

3) Make a great bookmark - Cut a strip from the posterboard or thin cardboard and glue the picture from an old Christmas card onto the strip. Write a Christmas message on your strip.

4) Use it as a postcard - Cut the front picture off the used greeting card and use it as a postcard. Draw a line down the blank back, write a message on the left-hand side, and address it on the right-hand side.

5) Christmas Card Wreath - For this project you will need an embroidery hoop, a glue gun with glue sticks and at least a dozen Christmas cards. Cut the backs off the Christmas cards and lay out the cards on the embroidery hoop in a fan pattern, circling all around the hoop. Once you have found a design that you like, glue them to the embroidery hoop. Glue gun a small piece of ribbon on the back of the hoop as a hook to hang the wreath.

6) Coasters - You will need some plain wooden coasters, decoupage glue for outdoor projects and foam brushes. Cut your Christmas cards to show the designs and patterns you like the best, measuring so they fit on the coasters. Glue them down using the decoupage glue, with the foam brushes. The outdoor decoupage glue is stronger and will help protect it from liquid.

7) Christmas Tree Ornaments - You will need white glue, scissors, hole punch and ribbon. Match Christmas cards up so you have pairs of cards that you like. Decide on a shape to cut them in - stars, hearts or even just leaving them as rectangles. Glue the cards together and allow the glue to set. Once the glue has set, cut the desired shape. Punch a hole at the top of the ornament and put a ribbon through to hang it on the tree.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle In The Comfort Of Your Own Home

Reduce :

Purchase things with less packaging.
Bring a shopping bag while shopping instead of requesting for plastic or paper bags.
Use cloth instead of paper tissue for cleaning.
Minimise the use of disposable items such as disposable crockery, non-rechargeable batteries etc.
Switch off lights and electronic appliances when not in use.
Close the refrigerator door immediately after taking out necessary food, fruits or drinks etc.
Use the fan instead of air-conditioning if possible.
Turn off the water tap promptly.
Use a tumbler of water when you brush your teeth.

Reuse :

Use unwanted plastic bags to bag garbage.
Use old clothing as rags for cleaning.
Convert scrap paper into memo pads.
Pass old textbooks, story books, and toys to others.
Pass smaller size but good quality clothing to others.
Donate good quality but unwanted items to old folks' homes, charitable organisations etc.

Recycle :

Participate in recycling programme/s and deposit recyclable items into designated recycling bins.
Purchase recycled products.

Matcha Soft Serve at Rice Workshop, Melbourne

Rice Workshop is like one of those self-serve fast food restaurant selling Japanese food. You can check out the food on their site. It is available in both Sydney and Melbourne and I visited both.

I went there specially for their affordable AUD2 ~ 2.50 Matcha Soft Serve Ice Cream but still did try out their food too.
There is a choice of getting the normal cone or the matcha cone and needless to say, I ordered the latter.

The soft serve does not have that intense bitter matcha taste but its not overly sweet or milky too. It hits the right notes when you just want to satisfy that matcha craving. A good balance between matcha and milk.

Matcha Shake at Purple Peanuts Japanese Cafe, Melbourne

Located along Collins Street, which is a pretty busy place usually swamped by the lunch time crowd, Purple Peanuts Japanese Cafe looks ordinary yet not exactly so. It is a casually, mismatched quirky place, with knick knacks littered around as part of its decor. The prices are reasonable and the healthy non-traditional Japanese food looks good. The menu are all hand-written on butcher's paper and taped to the wall which makes me wonder if they change their menu frequently.

Matcha Tart & Swiss Roll at Cre Asion Cafe, Sydney

If you are ever in Sydney and is a big matcha fan like me, you must never ever miss this tiny cafe located in a small alley. A must-visit matcha cafe for all matcha fans!
How I missed this place! What a shame that I only came to realize that its so near to my hotel, on the last day, else I would probably visit the place for my breakfast every morning, just to enjoy all the different types of matcha delicacies available. Heh!

Matcha Latte at Chanoma Cafe, Sydney

While planning my itinerary for Sydney, I did some research on matcha cafes and stumbled upon Chanoma Cafe at George Street. However, prior to visiting the cafe, I already had an ice-cream at the popular Gelato Messina at Surry Hills and can't take another ice-cream anymore.

My heart was yearning for the soft-serve or matcha float but my body was saying NO. So I ordered the Matcha Latte AUD4.20 instead.

Nabisco Oreo Soft Cookie Maccha Milk

Oiishi! Soft and spongy Orea cookie sandwiches filled with creamy matcha icing. Shiok Japan is selling it at $9.90 per pack. I bought it from Komtar Mall, City Square JB for RM13.90 whereas Ang Mo Supermarket is selling it at S$3.95, down from the usual S$4.50.

Containing 10 individually packed pieces, they are simply great for travels and for office tea break.
The fluffy soft texture of the Oreo exterior combined with inner Uji matcha green tea cream is such an awesome combination. Loving it!

Nabisco also has them in cool mint cream flavour. Shop on Amazon here.


Source : Rakuten

Nabisco Oreo Bitz Sand Koi Maccha

Bought a pack of Nabisco Oreo Bitz Sand Koi Maccha from a pop-up fair in Komtar, Johor Bahru recently. Each pack contains mini oreo biscuits with matcha cream inbetween each biscuit. 

It wasn't that impressive when I first got hold of them because the matcha taste was not distinct and its more on the sweet side, rather than the bitterness commonly associated with matcha, 

The chocolate oreo taste and scent are similar to the usual oreo biscuits while the matcha cream taste is weaker than the oreo. 

Ingredients: 

flour, sugar, vegetable oil, lactose, cocoa powder, glucose fructose liquid sugar, corn flour, ingredients made of dairy (whole milk powder, sweetened condensed milk, fat-free milk powder, sugar, lactose, others), matcha (100% Uji matcha), cacao mass, whey powder (dairy product), salt, leavening agent, flavoring, emulsifier (soybean-derived)

Source : Yunomi

I Have A Lover

Product Description
A drama about the turbulent life story of twin sisters who are destined to meet again at the edge of despair. Do Hae Gang is an ambitious and successful, though morally ambiguous, attorney whose marriage suffers after her child dies. As the married couple drift apart, the husband Choi Jin Eon has an affair with grad student Kang Seol Ri. Pushed to the breaking point, Hae Gang and Jin Eon divorce, and Jin Eon leaves for America with Seol Ri. Hae Gang loses her memory after a car accident designed to kill her twin, and ends up living as her unknown twin sister, Dokgo Yong Gi, for the next four years. Baek Seok, Seol Ri's brother and Yong Gi's high school classmate, lives with and falls in love with Hae Gang as Yong Gi. But when Jin Eon returns to Korea and finds a warm-hearted Hae Gang who has forgotten him, he has a change of heart...

At 50 episodes, " I have a lover " is a long Korean drama by Korea standards. The start of the drama was slow, leading to a climax in the middle, but with many bends and long twists in the plot before reaching the climax and turns draggy as the story tries to reach the end. 

Because it was such a long story, I did not catch each and every episode as I don't think I will miss that much. I love the part where the husband starts wooing her all over again and is in pain when she does not remember him. Sweet, endearing and romantic at times. There were some sinister plots in the company but they are not too overly evil. 

The little girl, Woo Joo, daughter from Dokgo Yong Gi is just too adorable for words, the way she tugged at the adults' heartstrings with her innocent words and sweet and thoughtful gestures.

All in all, even though there were many ups and downs in the story but I wish it was less draggy, especially the on-off and love-hate relationship between the male and female leads. Nonetheless, I did cry and tear at their love because it was so pure and they only have eyes for each other. 

Madam Antoine

Ko Hye Rim ( Han Ye Seul) is a famous fortune-teller. She is known as "Madam Antoine" and insists that she is spiritually connected to Marie Antoinette but that part is a lie. She is able to see through people's stories due to her intelligence and keen sense. She dreams of having love in a romantic film.

Ko Hye Rim then takes part in a psychological test progect conducted by psychotherapist Choi  Soo Hyun (Sung Joon ). His goal is to prove that true love does not exist. Coincidentally, the name for his psychological treatment center is Madam Antoine. 

I chanced upon this show while searching for Korean dramas last month ( The title caught my attention! ) and the first episode seems interesting enough for me to continue watching it.  

In the middle of the drama, some episodes were kinda boring but towards the end, I felt that everything fell in place nicely to close all the loops. At some point, I felt that some scenes mirrored to what I see - that some people do really close their hearts as a defence mechanism in order not to feel love, because of some incidents and that it takes courage for one to love again. 

It takes professionalism to have Han Ye-Seul acting cutesy in the show, yet I don't feel disgusted but on the contrary it just looks natural on her, until you watched the NGs in the end and realized she does feel embarrassed acting that way, for her age. 

I quite like Sung Joon in the show, felt that he acted pretty well, in his role as a psychologist who is unable to face up to his own inner demons - the inner struggles he faced while trying to show a nonchalant front. 

Morinaga Otona Pack'ncho ( Disney Rachel Green Tea )

I purchased a pack of Morinaga Otona Pack'ncho from Tokyo Hometown Japanese Supermarket in Melbourne last month. Made in Japan, they are the limited edition Disney Themed Matcha Biscuits.

I polished the whole pack in one seating because I was just so hungry and it was so addictive. The slight bitterness of the cocoa blends well with the matcha filling in the cookie. Satisfying!

How about trying out matcha snacks like the following? Get it from Amazon.
Morinaga Matcha Cookie
Pejoy Matcha Biscuit Stick

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Sakura Matcha KitKat

A dear friend has bought a 3 pack Sakura Matcha KitKat when she visited Osaka recently. I was delighted to see matcha in it, and gleefully tear open the pack.

A box contains 3 individually packs of 2 fingers Kit Kats. With a blend of green tea, cherry blossom and white chocolate, the Sakura Matcha KitKats are lighter in green tea but more on the white chocolate with a hint of floral taste.
In short, it is simply too sweet for me, even for my sweet tooth. I can't even go beyond 1 pack.

Ingredients :
Cocoa Powder, Yeast, Cocoa Mass, Emulsifier, Baking Soda, Flavouring, Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Lactose, Flour, Powdered Whole Milk, Cocoa Butter, Matcha Paste, Matcha, Yeast Food.

                           

Mister Please Come Back

A man is worked to death, but he comes back to the living world in the attractive body of another man for a limited amount of time.Lee Hae-Joon (Rain) is a perfect man with good looking appearance. He works as a section chief in the women’s apparel section at a department store. His body is actually possessed by the spirit of Kim Young-Soo (Kim In-Kwon) who was worked to death.Hong Nan (Oh Yeon-Seo) is a beautiful woman, but her spirit is possessed by tough guy (Kim Su-Ro).Shin Da-Hye (Lee Min-Jung) is a beautiful housewife, but her husband suddenly dies. She falls into a love triangle with Lee Hae-Joon and a promising store employee (Yoon Park).

My friends urged me to stop watching this and start watching Descendants Of The Sun but I just couldn't, so now I am probably the last Korean drama fan who has yet to watch DOTS.

Mister Please Come Back may not be the best drama but the storyline is meaningful. I can't take my eyes off Lee Min Jung and I thought Oh Yeon Seo acted pretty well in her dramatic role. I see her in a different light now.

It is funny and silly at times. But certain scenes made you ponder upon the meaning of life. In reality, many people probably regret on how they take their loved ones for granted after they passed away and this drama made it possible for the male leads to set things right.

The ending was kinda ambiguous, did they die or did they not?

Cheese In The Trap

Cheese In The Trap depicts the relationship between the female university student Hong Seol and her senior. Hong Seol works part time due to her family's background. Yoo Jung is good looking, with good grades, is athletics and has a kind personality but he has a dark side. 

I fell in love with the first episode and was hooked all the way to the end, to see the ending. The ending was kind of abrupt and ended way too fast. In the first 3/4 of the story, there was a climax being built up, because of the mystery surrounding Yoo Jung and I was curious to see the dark side and the reason behind it. 

All in all, the drama isn't one of those "wicked" stories, but rather, misunderstandings leading to why Yoo Jung behaved the way he did although the initial episodes did really portray Yoo Jung as someone whom most people will really hate. 

Interestingly, I thought Hong Seol will end up with the second male lead, Seo Kang Joon but she didn't. And he kind of faded away in the end, instead of fighting for her affections. 

I didn't realize Park Hae Jin can be so cute, based on the last few dramas with him in it, until this drama came along. The boyish yet bashful smile, just make you swoon. And I thought Kim Go Eun acted pretty well, in her role, as the dizzy, never fall-in-love-before gal. She wasn't impressive at first, with her small eyes but I fell in love with her likeable character thereafter. 

Upcycling Projects

Pillowcase Garment Bags
- Add slits to old pillowcases to turn them into garment bags

Tee Bags
- With a few cuts, you can upcycle a T-shirt into a casual tote. Its the perfect accessory for grocery shopping or going to the gym

Book Page Garlands
- Make garlands out of book pages to use in parties or weddings

Denim Baskets
- Create baskets out of old denim

Scented Sweater Satchel
- Upcycle them into hand-sewn scented heart satchels or filled it up with fragrant potpourri

For more cool ideas, check here. 

Meito Matcha Soy Milk Tea

I stumbled upon Midtown Mart in Marina Square recently, which was crowded with customers in an unlikely area. Marina Square has been mostly quiet nowadays with shops closing after one another. Imagine my delight when I chanced upon a Japanese mart with affordable pricing!

Midtown Mart is set up by Daikoku, a Japanese supermarket in Japan, famed for providing affordable pricing for their items. In a span of 20 years, they have 80 supermarkets in Japan now.

At $3.30, Meito Matcha Soy Milk Tea comes in 5 individual sachet packages. A hint of soy is enveloped within the powdered matcha drink. I usually prepare it as a hot drink after lunch or dinner, just to feel more relaxed.

The drink comes across as too sweet and left a sweet lingering after-taste which I do not quite fancy even though I have a sweet tooth.

Shop Meito Matcha Soy Milk Tea on Amazon.

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Nirvana in Fire

From the picture, you can't tell much. In fact, if not for my friend who has insisted that its a must-watch show, I would have given it a miss. Periodic dramas are hardly a must-watch for me, as I am poor in understanding those difficult mandarin terms used in the olden times. And at 54 episodes, its soooo long.

"During the 4th century, war broke out between the feudal Northern Wei dynasty and Southern Liang dynasties, leading Liang's General Lin Xie to take his only child, the 19 year old Lin Shu, to battle. Unexpectedly, Lin Xie was framed by a political rival, causing the unjust deaths of seventy thousand Chiyan army soldiers, just after they drove off the hostile Wei forces.

After barely escaping with his life, Lin Shu establishes the Jiangzuo Alliance with the help of Langya Hall and makes a name for himself as Mei Changsu, chief of the pugilistic world. Under the alias of Su Zhe, he returns to the capital of Liang 12 years on to overturn the injustices imposed on the Chiyan Army and secretly assist his friend the unfavoured Prince Xiao Jingyan in his battle for the throne."

At the end of the whole show, I can't say I understood it completely, because of some of the terms used but it was a 80% understood show for me.
During the first episode, it was too complicated for me to comprehend what the show was going to be. There were too much fighting with so many characters in the first episode without much explanation. I had wanted to give it up but persisted and I am glad I did. From the 2nd episode, it just drawn me in and I can't help watching episode after episode just to find out what happened. It is that exciting!

It was mind-blowing wonderful and engaging. The tactics used by the strategist who is the male lead is so spot-on and everything turned out beautifully and expectedly as what he wanted. The climax just keeps building up and you can't wait to see how the ending will be.

The revenge, the tears, the planning, the hidden identities, the political agenda, coupled with the brotherhood, the righteousness, the determination, the persistence, the love, the loyalty and the justice are just engaging factors waiting to spill out one by one, as they draw the audience in.

I found the ending in the last episode to be too rushed and an almost anti-climax. I was expecting something more beautiful to end it with a bang but it ended quietly instead. Still, a must-watch! I have started to appreciate the importance of a strategist in historical dramas now.

Watch here.

Oh! My Venus

Its been a while since I last watched a good korea drama. Oh! My Venus came unexpectedly. I was searching for new songs on You Tube and came across the OST from Oh! My Venus. OST from Korean dramas rarely draws me in, as one usually need to watch the show before the OST so that you can relate the show and the music.

Some of the melodies sounded so sad and I was enticed to watch it. A drama which can makes me cry is a winner in my heart.

It tells the story of a personal trainer who helps a lawyer to lose weight and in the process, they fell in love.

Oh! My Venus is a light-hearted drama that makes you cry and laugh at times. Its a cute and sweet love story. The sweetness from the male lead coupled with the clumsiness of the female lead makes it a lovely show to watch when you are feeling down, with no bad scheming from other "bad guys" or "wicked mother in laws" to complicate this simple story. It all starts and ends beautifully.

I always love dimples and this show illustrates how beautiful dimples can be.

Watch here
Listen here

Lotte Matcha Latte Candy

Product Description
A heavenly combination of flavours in one chewy sweet sensation! Made by pioneers of the Japanese confectionery world Lotte, these matcha caramels have just as much richly sweet caramel flavour as your favourite chewy caramel sweet, but with the added refreshing earthiness of Uji matcha green tea powder. These contrasting flavours balance each other perfectly, making these caramels a sweet treat that you will not want to miss.

Containing 10 pieces in a pack, each piece is individually packed. The sweetness of the caramel is combined with the slight bitterness of Japanese green tea. Chewy in every bite. Too sweet for me, though.