Ear Candling Experience

The ear is probably one of the few spots that is the most sensitive and intimate for most people. So when Kless recommended to try out an ear candling service provided by one of our mutual friends, I was initially quite apprehensive. Especially the friend is a lady, touching my ear. But nonetheless, the curiosity to try out won over and we went on ahead with the plan.

Thankfully, the beauty salon was a small outlet and we were the only people there. In fact, the salon can only serve 4 person max at one time. It was very cosy and the place has a very soothing feel. As you can see, I am quite long for the normal bed. Head and legs are out of the normal bed frame. But still quite comfortable.

The ear candles are set ready for me. According to the beauty therapist, all the stuff used were organic. I guess it has to be organic if not, customers will not be willing to try it right?

Before the actual ear candling starts, the therapist did some simple massage around the ear area, neck and shoulders with lavender scent oil. So relaxing!

The moment of truth. Will it be painful? Will the candle burn my ears?

As you can see from the photo, the ear candle was inserted about 45-degree into my ear and it was not painful at all.

While the candle burns, the therapist continued to massage the areas near the ear and neck. This is suppose to enhance the procedure where the combination of heat and suction is suppose to remove earwax and dirt.

 

Each ear candle will burn out in about 10-15 mins. After that, this was the result from the suction. Not too dirty right?

Overall, the experience was very comfortable, I totally enjoyed the mild massage around the ears, neck and shoulders. Did I really hear much clearer after the session? Not really. But the feeling was comfortable and clean. Give it a try and enhance your personal wellness experience, at least once in your lifetime.

Disney - The Lone Ranger

From the team that brought to you “Pirates of the Caribbean”, now comes Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ “The Lone Ranger”!

Starring John Reid as The Lone Ranger, he is a stalwart idealist firmly opposed to the violent ethics of the frontier. But his chance meeting with Comanche warrior Tonto aka Johnny Depp, will set off a series of events that will change his entire plan.

Tonto is a wandering Comanche, casted out from his tribe. He was on his journey to find out the 2 men who were responsible for the ruin of his village and halfway met the young lawyer, whom her transformed into the Lone Ranger.

Produced based on the radio serial of the same name, it was filmed in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado.

“The Lone Ranger” is a thrilling adventure infused with action and humour, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes.

What excites me about this movie, without stating the obvious – to see Johnny Depp in action once again, showcasing his wittiness and humour on screen. This film also unites the filmmaking team of the first three “Pirates of the Caribbean” blockbusters – producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski – with Johnny Depp, who created Captain Jack Sparrow. With such combination, I wouldn’t want to miss it at all!

Just watch this trailer and you will understand why.

The Lone Ranger

Catch Disney’s “The Lone Ranger” in Singapore cinemas this 4 July 2013!
For more updates, check out the Disney Studios Singapore Facebook Page, follow@disneystudiosSG or subscribe to Disney Studios Singapore YouTube Channel.

Flowers @ Gardens by the Bay

A while ago, I tagged along with Kless for her media invite to Take Flight @ Gardens by the Bay, you can read her post here. Took the opportunity to really take the time and enjoy the beautiful display of flowers in both the domes.

The main theme is cactus in the Flower Dome and moth orchids in the Cloud Forest.

This definitely looked like a few dancers piled up together in a modern dance.

This cactus was huge. A more common looking cactus.

“Mickey Mouse” cactus.

Cactus with a nice floral hair-band.

A close up look at the spines, which are highly modified leaves. Besides protecting the cacti against herbivores, spines prevent water loss by reducing air flow close to the cactus and providing some shade.

The biggest cactus in the Flower Dome. Didn’t register the name or type, but if you tell me it was a tree, I would have believe you.

And this furry cactus had many of the visitors squirm with discomfort. Doesn’t it looked like some animals enslaved in a magical cactus?

Cactus flowers are rare and not particularly pretty.

Other photos around the dome.

Moving on to the Cloud Forest. The main attraction for the girls remains to be the 35-metre tall indoor waterfall.

But this is what I was looking for – Orchids.

A closer look at the most beautiful flower in the entire world. That is my biased opinion.

The colors and the arrangement of the petals are simply beautiful.

I wish I can do an entire post on just the different types of orchids in Singapore.
Maybe I should one day…

What trip is complete without the ladies?

Haze - What Did I Learn?

Let me bring to you 3 things I have learnt during this current haze situation.

1. Learnt to spend more quality time with my girls at home.

Usually parents like myself would be busy looking out for different playgrounds or attractions to bring our kids out for some fun, but with the haze situation, going out is not a viable option (I know the indoor playgrounds are super-packed), it forces me to think of activities at home to entertain the kids. And this is not easy at all!

Let the girls read. Thankfully, reading is a habit both Joey and I enjoy a lot. It’s so nice to just sit with her and do our reading together. Occasionally, she will compare how fast we read though. Very competitive!

Let the girls explain who are the princesses. This is what I learnt from Jayne, the plastic girls are all different even though they all look similar to me.
From L-R: Princess Pop Star, Barbie in the Pink Shoe, Princess, Princess Ariel.
If you have boys, then maybe it would be trains, star wars, etc. Just learnt to differentiate and let the kids teach you.

2. Learnt more about NEA.

Many of us until now are still quite bewildered why NEA is providing a 3-hr average PSI reading on an hourly update. Why can’t it just be an hourly update? More straightforward right? Now we get to see the 24 hour PSI reading on an hourly update too.

PSI – Pollutant Standards Index, it provides a uniform system of measuring pollution level for the major air pollutants. It reports as a number ranging from 0-500 and is the air quality indicator.

Presently, the highest 3-hr PSI reading on record in Singapore is 401 on 21 June 2013 at 12pm. On the scale, this is Hazardous!

The National Environment Agency (NEA) was formed in the year 2002, it is the leading public organization responsible for improving initiatives and sustaining a clean and green environment in Singapore. In regards to the recent haze situation, NEA’s responsibilities were to control air pollution, and regulates hazardous substances through prevention, enforcement and monitoring.

In my honest opinion, NEA only fulfilled the role of monitoring and updating the public on the haze situation. Since this haze issue is not a new thing, then maybe NEA could have done some prevention by preparing the public on what to do before it happens. Like stocking up of face masks, what to do if someone inhales too much haze and causes discomfort like coughing, eye-irritation, throat irritation, etc. To be fair, maybe all these have been posted on their website, but a public reminder would be good when that time or season will begin.

3. Learnt that Singaporeans is a group of creative & humorous people.

A friend of mine wrote this Haze Song to liven up the situation.

Jokes on the net:

“Since Singaporeans are constantly complaining that cigarettes are way too expensive. Mother Nature is letting you guys smoke for free now.”

“Korea has PSY. Singapore has PSI.”

“Now the Indonesia maid next door says the haze is making her feel homesick.”

So, how to fight the haze? Buy your mask, stay indoors and be humorous about it all!

Norton 360 Multi-Device

Product Review

It used to be only at work or at home that we will have access to the internet world. But now, just a touch on your smartphone device and everyone can have access to the multi-useful cyberworld of information and “cyber-trash”. By that I mean pornography, viruses, spyware and any other threats that may cause problems for you or the people we share our data with.

This is definitely a big concern for me as a father with 2 girls (age 4 & 7), I do not wish to see my kids access to unsuitable websites, or accidentally download software that could have viruses. But I am not with them all the time to ensure that would not happen, especially with some many devices at home, like iPad, iPhone, Mac, Android Smartphone, PC, etc.

 

So when the opportunity arises for me to try the latest Norton 360 Multi-Device product by Symantec, I immediately jumped onboard for the drive. Norton 360 Multi-Device is a comprehensive security solution that is safer, simpler and faster. It allows me to protect up to FIVE devices seamlessly, providing security across Windows based on PCs, Macs, Android-based phones and tablets.

Some of its features include
(1) manage my family’s online security even when I’m not at home, via the cloud
(2) block dangerous websites that might expose my children to harmful and inappropriate content
(3) detect and prevent dangerous software that could share my family’s information with strangers

The latest Norton products are engineered to be safer, optimized for speed and performance, and simpler to use.

Safer
a) Social Networking Protection – new defenses protect consumers from attacks and scams on social networks, such as likejacking, malicious messages, posts and notices on social networks.
b) Scam Insight – anti-scam capabilities warn users of potentially risky sites that are new or do not have an established reputation within the Norton user community, enabling users to keep personal information such as bank account or login data secure.
c) Enhanced Network Defenses – to keep consumers safe from constantly evolving web-based attacks, the latest releases features stronger networking defenses including a new intelligent firewall and broader uses of insight information, which now tracks IP address reputation in addition to file, URL and domain reputation.

Faster
a) Faster Startup & Shutdown – completely re-engineered to minimize startup and shutdown time.
b) Maximized Battery Power – reduced power consumption, resulting in extended battery life and faster response from system sleep and hibernate states.
c) More Efficient Support for Digital Media Files – designed to ensure digital media files, such as music, photos and videos are safe from attack, without impacting performance.

Simpler
a) Touch-Screen Friendly – user interface is engineered for faster performance and optimized for touch screens.
b) Version-Less – with all product updates now downloaded in the background and installed automatically, consumers can rest assured they are safe from the latest threats without manually checking for updates.

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The top portion is for the techy guys. Now this is for those who understands my type of English.

Joey is in P1 now and she has some computer lessons in school, thus she is slowly getting used to surfing the net and getting information, either for her work or for leisure. Prevention is better than cure. I’m not a techie person so I can only rely on software protection.

Norton is easy to install, thus the added willingness to use. The instructions are clear and easy for PC / Mac / Mobile Devices.

 

 

 

Click on the Family icon on the right. You are able to lay down the house rules when the kids use the PC.

 

Norton also allows you to check on websites and find out if it is safe. Glad to announce, J Babies’ Dad is OK (Safe).

J Babies’ Dad Giveaway
Don’t be amazed, cos you have a chance to own a set of this wonderful Norton 360 Multi-Device.

(deadline is Jun 28, Fri)
Easy steps to win a copy of Norton 360 Multi-Device
Step 1: Like the Norton Facebook Brand Page
Step 2: Leave this comment “I want to safeguard my family with Norton.” on my blog post or my Facebook.
Step 3: Leave your email for contact.

The winner will be notified on Jun 30.