Christmas Shopping at Johor Premium Outlet

I was there early in the morning with my family on Christmas Eve, the shops opened at around 10am. We were very lucky that the weather was really good because the outlet is quite big and lots of walking to be done. And we were there to buy Christmas presents for each other (my hubby and I) as well as presents for our kids.

If you expect to find luxurious branded goods here, you might even go home empty-handed. There are just a few big and famous brands like Armani, DKNY, Burberry, Coach, Guy Laroche, Hugo Boss, Polo Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. Only Burberry and Coach carry more bags while the rest mostly carry apparels. I usually won't spend so much on branded clothes because I prefer spending the same amount of money buying several pieces of merchandise instead. And I dumped/ give away the clothes in my wardrobe very frequently to make space for new ones.

You will find lots of mid to low priced brands like Cotton-on, Soda, G2000, Hang-Ten, Vincci, Padini, Topshop etc. And also some sports brand like Adidas, Puma, Nike, Rip Curl, etc. But seriously, you don't have to travel all the way to Johor Premium Outlet to buy these brands which have sales a few times a year in the malls. And not forgetting, we have IMM in Singapore, which houses many outlet stores too, although, the prices might not be as competitive.

Some stores that we visited were having additional discounts for multiple pieces purchase. Like Polo Ralph Lauren and Adidas, which gave up to 30% further discounts, so it was very worthwhile. The Polo dress that my hubby bought for my 6YO girl cost nothing more than SGD$40 and the Adidas sport suit for my 4YO son was just around SGD$25!

Nearly bought this jacket for my son, he looked so smart in it, but then again this fella already has two similar jackets at home. Which boy, his age, needs so many jackets?!

For myself, I didn't find that many things which appealed to me, maybe I have a lot of bags, shoes, clothes and stuff at home to begin with, but my hubby really wanted to get something for me for Christmas. In the end, I finally laid my eyes upon a winter jacket from Calvin Klein that was on a further 60% discount and I needed one for my trip to Seoul next month.

We spent almost 6 hours there (plus we had our lunch at the over-priced Kampachi Japanese Restaurant), we left the place with a few more bags than I initially expected. My two very cranky and exhausted kids were just glad that we were done shopping, they can't wait for us to check-in to Traders Hotels for our Christmas staycation!

To Market, To Market

I shop once a week for grocery at Bukit Timah's Fair Price Finest, and had never been to the wet market in the estate where I live, simply because it's inconvenient for car parking, not to mention that wet market in Singapore is really WET! And let's face it, our markets here don't really smell that good either. But I really do enjoy grocery shopping and visiting markets when I was travelling in Japan and Australia.

Last week, after letting my kids run amok discharged their energies at Turf City's Fidgets, we went to Pasar Bella for a couple of hours. A sea of fresh produces, delicious food and some unusual retail products dazzled us, adults and children alike.

It was nearly dinner time, so we headed to the fresh seafood section first. This area reminded me so much of Tsujiki Fish Market in Japan, where seafood is so fresh that they are ALIVE!!

These lobsters were still moving! That's just how fresh the seafood here is! Buzzing with lives!

My hubby and I really love oysters, so when we saw the huge USA Taylor Oysters going at only $5 per piece, we just kept wiping our saliva off our mouths! Sheng Siong was selling oysters, slightly smaller, at $6.90 per piece and we would have to shuck it ourselves, so $5 oyster here is a definite steal!

Then we ordered some sashimi from Oceans of Seafood and had them sliced and served immediately. The salmon was ordinary, but the swordfish was really thick and juicy! You won't get the cheapest sashimi here, but I bet, it must the one of the freshest, you can get in Singapore.

After we finished with our oysters and sashimi, our kids were dying of hunger. They can't eat the raw food, so they were rather edgy watching us enjoying our food. We went on to explore the rest of the food stores and came across one selling paella, which looks really really good. My kids refused to go until we bought them a portion of that giant pan of paella.

While looking for a seat, we passed by a store selling suckling pig. I would have bought some if I hadn't just had suckling pig at my aunt's place a day before. But this piggy looks so tantalizing!

Look at my cheeky son, doing his personification of the suckling pig. I just love this little guy so much!

Down the stretch, another store was promoting its crackling pork belly, giving out food samples. My children rushed up and were unembarrassed to ask for some. My gosh, I have raised some of the thickest-skinned kids ever. The crackling pork belly was indeed very tasty, so we ordered some.

My kids couldn't wait to sink their teeth into their delicious dinner that they had picked out on their own. They enjoyed the food so much that within minutes they had the plates cleaned out!

There is a store which sell wines and they were also giving out samples to taste, but I was with the kids so I had to give it a miss. Glass bottles and hyper kids, in confined area, is definitely not a good idea.

After filling up their little tummies, we were able to continue to explore the other side of Pasar Bella, where there are stores selling from organic fruits to fun balloons, all lined up neatly and their products merchandised with so much passion and pride.

Anybody with young children know that it is almost impossible to shop with kids tugging your clothes' end every few minutes, getting your attention just to show you their latest discoveries. So we were glad to deposit our kids in the TV corner of an organic shop while we continued to indulge ourselves with the sights and scents of Pasar Bella.

When we were done, we picked up our children and went in search of a good dessert. My daughter was glued to this shop selling pastries and macaroons. But they aren't gluten-free, so I had to convinced her to give up the idea.

Pasar Bella transported me out of Singapore, I felt as though I was in a different country, where market flavours are bursting with innovations and excitement, like those in Europe or other western countries. Hubby cautioned the sustainability of such a place, where he observed to have many more curious 'one-time' visitors, then loyal, long-term consumers.

I don't know, maybe he is right, because I will be heading back to my trusted Fair Price Finest for my next grocery shopping trip. But Pasar Bella will always be my once-in-a-while escapade, since I haven't got any chance to go to Europe or USA.



PasarBella @The Grandstand Bukit Timah Singapore
200 Turf Club Road
Singapore 287994

Phone: +65 6887 0077

THIS IS NOT A REVIEW OR AN ADVERTORIAL FOR PASAR BELLA.

Ritz-Carlton's Legendary Service

I was one of the organizing committee for my company's 2D/1N annual convention and D&D held at Ritz-Carlton this year. To be honest, we didn't have a good time working with the people assigned to help us make the convention and D&D a successful one. There were many delays and they weren't seem to have that initiative and flexibilities I would have expected from this luxurious hotel which is legendary for its service.

Anyhow, my company's convention and D&D went on quite well (because we have the most dedicated team of committee *wink*), and so I had no complaints. Sure, I get fruit basket, chocolates and a million-dollar view from my room, but I wasn't "wow" by the services I received, until I fell ill the next day.

I was supposed to be having team-building with my company, but I woke up feeling so sick, I had to give it a miss. At 12 noon, it was time to check-out, but I could barely get out of bed, I knew then that this was more than simply a hangover. I phoned the front desk and asked for late check-out as I couldn't as much as make it out of the door of my room. The front desk took a few minutes to check and called me back shortly, asking with much concern if I needed help or medical assistance and assured me that they had my room extended until 3 pm.

I crawled back into bed, feeling very relieved that I didn't have to check out immediately because I was breaking out in cold sweat whenever I tried to be up on my feet. About 45 minutes later, the door bell rang, I dragged myself out of bed to open the door, thinking it was my colleague who had came to check on me, but it turned out to be two of the hotel staff. Mr. Afiq, whom I had spoke with on the phone earlier regarding the late check-out and an assistant manager, Ms. Riri; they probably knew I was too weak to join my colleagues for lunch in the restaurant and had brought me some porridge and fruits so that I wouldn't go hungry. And they also told me to rest well and if needed, they would extend my check-out to a later time.

Apart from the food, they also brought me a 'Get Well' card signed by both of them, plus many of the staff in the hotel, wishing me speedy recovery in many different languages, I was very touched by this very thoughtful act. Their kindness had changed the way I think of the hotel just a day ago.

Ritz Carlton might not have the best people to deal with corporate events, but they certainly have the best ground staff that care for their guests beyond expectations! And they had truly inspired me to search for opportunities to create unforgettable moments for my customers.

Great Place to Chill

There is something about dinning beside the sea in a alfresco setting, I am such a sucker for it. Then a friend recommend Chits Bar and Restaurant at Changi Coast Walk. One look at the place, I knew I was going to come back even if the food sucks. (Food is good though.)

Planes took off from the nearby airport roaring through the sky. I was mesmerized by the beautiful tail-lights. But by the time, the tenth plane drown my voice I started to hate them for being so deafening! One of my friend told me that we happened to come on the day when the wind direction had changed the take-off route. Normally, this was the route for landing and it would be so much more peaceful.

As the sun set, the sky looked like it was painted orange, purple and blue. And with the sea just next to my table, I wished I'd got my marriage proposal here instead of somewhere else.

To complete the night, I had some fabulous people who make the dinner so much merrier.

My 2012 'Obiang' Count-Down Party

On the last night of 2011, my Mr Hubby organized one of the best count-down party at our place. The theme of the party was 'Obiang' (a Singlish word which describes people who are grossly out of fashion), and all the invited guests (except for one who received special immunity) were expected to come dressed to the theme. We even had best dressed awards and worst dressed penalties for this.

So here we were looking like fools. I couldn't stop laughing at Mr Hubby's outfit. Whatever happened to my handsome husband!! Wahahahaha....

The guests were divided into 3 teams to play and score points in 3 different games prepared for the night. My team was called 'Orbit' and the other two team were 'Fat-tas-tic' and 'Ku Ku Jiao'.

The first game was Uno Stacko. With my steadiness, this game was an absolutely breeze for me and my team.

The second game was Twister, which got everyone twisted up and we had a good time laughing our heads off seeing, each other struggled to be on the mat.

The last game into the night was the most exciting, called 'Fill to the Brim', where we needed to take turns to drop coins into glasses of beverages. There were red wine, beer, JD Coke, JD shot and a big glass of plain water. Any teams that spill the drink while dropping their coin, must then bottom up; never mind that the drink was already disgustingly polluted by the coins deposited inside.

Everybody kind of hold their breathe whenever someone was attempting to cut the coin into the brim-filled glass of beverage.

Intense concentration and steady fingers were the key to this game. Our team lost 2 out of 5 drinks and I had to down the beer which tasted really quite yucky!

The team with the best combined score walked home with a prize - food vouchers worth $120. And team Fat-tas-tic won!

We also sponsored a lucky draw prize of a branded Microwave Oven for Bingo, however I was too lucky and won it back. Eventually, we are still stuck with a brand new Microwave Oven which we wanted to clear from our storage. Anyone wants to buy from us? Guarantee, sell cheap.

Best dressed male and female also each walked away with the $30 food voucher. Look at how seriously 'Obiang' this pair of husband and wife was! They purposely went to Mustafa to buy these outfits; they definitely deserved to win!

It was a great start to my New Year. I hope you enjoyed yours too! Happy 2012!