Sephora Invite !

Yesterday I get a call from Sephora that's at Orion mall. I know some of the people there (given that I have gone so many times with multiple people). The Shiseido guy was on the line telling me that the next day they were having a Shiseido facial-sample-hand-out kind of event and if I was interested. Hell yeah ! I politely told him I was and that 11AM sounded good (first slot and I was the first customer to book an appointment). Woohoo!

Went to the place and I actually reached on time ... But then I was like, what if the program has been cancelled ? What if I am the only one there like an idiot; and there are no there registrations ? OMG, am I lame for wanting to go for such a thing ? Then I was like, chuck it; lemme go grab a coffee and kill some time so that I don't appear tooooo desperate 😐 While I was sipping my cappuccino, the store called asking if I was coming over as planned :) :) yay, it was not cancelled 😜... 

The first thing the lady did - her name is Sahiba - (she was the Shiseido person who had come over), was talk to me about my skin care routine and if I had any skin concerns. After figuring out my main concerns, she put a sort of bib on me, and covered my hair :D

I found it super funny but it was effective. Here is a picture of what I looked like.

The chap who is usually at the store (the Shiseido sales person by the name of Salman - he is the guy who called me for this event) was also there - and let me tell you... He is very good. He understands the products and knows what will suit your skin - unlike the people at the Phoenix outlet who gave me a face wash (the Ibuki Purifying Cleanser) that was not meant for my skin and kind of broke me out as it was too strong (I basically over-exfoliated my skin). He was like you should have used the White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam I gave you a sample off, and also told me not to worry because I can use the exfoliating face wash once or twice a week as a scrub.

Sahiba (the Shiseido rep) first started with a simple cleanser which she softly massaged onto my face and then wiped off with cotton. After this she used a softner - both of these were from the White Lucent range. Then she massaged this amazing Ibuki sleep mask onto my skin - which was extremely soothing and smelt like oranges!! She explained that this is because the product contains vitamin C and vitamin E. Also, this product is supposed to help make skin look refreshed and give it that pick-me-up sort of effect. It can be used once a week like a mask which you wear over night. She left this on my face for around 10 minutes, and then gently wiped it off with cotton - you don't need to do this while leaving it on over night. The small granules in it just melt at human body temperature and the product just glides on to your face. I could immediately make out the difference in my skin after this. She then applied the White Lucent moisturising lotion on my face -to be specific she used the All Day Brightener SPF 36 (the link is for SPF 18, but she gave me a sample of 36). 

I then took a look at my face in the mirror and saw that my skin texture was pretty clean and smooth. After this she applied the Water resistant sun block - which did not leave a white cast. She used such a tiny amount and that itself spread very well. She also explained that if your face/body gets wet when this has been applied, the sub blocking abilities improve😎 So here is what I looked like after getting these beauty services done 😊 (sorry for the weird face :P)

After this she told me that the foundations are on sale, and I was like why not😈 She got a yellow, a pink and a neutral toned foundation for me to try. The product range that she was applying on my skin was the Synchro Skin lasting Liquid foundation - she said this would suit my combination skin the best (and it also has SPF 20). After a lot of patch testing we both agreed that the neutral shade number 4 (N4 - Neutral 4 to be precise) suited me the best. Im an NC35 from M.A.C in the pressed powder compacts. It matched perfectly when I did a swatch along my cheek and neck. However, I decided not to buy this product however because it was a whopping 3.6k. I was like, let me finish my Make Up For Ever HD foundation first before splurging on another high-end foundation.

I then told her that I wanted to check out a few lipsticks and that I wanted something in a neutral/nude shade. She applied the shade "RD 732" from their Perfect Rouge range. Apparently this shade is called Blush (I found out while writing this post 😊). It is a very light pinkish brown and it can be built up very easily on application.

I decided to pick up this colour and then proceeded to bill my purchases. Now, at Sephora you get points for your bill - kind of like every store currently gives. I got upgraded to a Black membership status a while back and now get 3 points for every 100 spent. Once you hit 250 points, you get 10% off on your next purchase. I was at 200 odd; so I told the lady to only bill the lipstick (that was already at 10% discount and was coming to around 1.6k) in one bill, I will hit 250 and then I can use the 10% discount on the face wash and sleep mask. Smart right ? Well, the servers decided to fail on me and they were not able to process the 10% discount right then and there (coz of some time lag in updating of the points). I ended up paying the full price for the products 😖

Salman (the Shiseido chap I have been telling you guys about), said he would make up for this, and what do you know !! I got a Dolce & Gabbana travel pouch 😁😁

Apart from this he and she (Sahiba) also loaded me with samples (white lucent lotion, softener, face cream with SPF, sun block, white lucent face wash travel size, and a Burberry Body perfume travel size bottle!!) and a Shiseido pouch to carry all my products 😍😍

All in all, a wonderful 2 hours spent at the store and being pampered... I spent around 5k, but I think the free stuff they gave me (especially the D&G bag), made up for this hole I burnt in my pocket 😄

edit : in the face pics you can see that pimple on the left top of my forehead right ? Well, it is not there this morning !! That sleep mask has worked wonders on my face - I swear !

My bag on my way home :)

A collage from this app called Layout!

Contouring

This is going to be a kutti post ... :)

Basically, contouring is a make up methodology by which you make your face look thinner and more angled and chiseled. It's a good technique to use when you want to have that defined jaw-line look :)

No contouring. Simple chubby face

I found out about contouring from the youtube channels I watch where all of them perform this step.

Contouring comes after you prime and apply foundation. Some people do contouring before the eyes, some do it after, I do it whenever I remember :P

Steps for contouring are simple. What's your end objective ? Make your face look more angular. Hence, in order to achieve this what do you need to do ? Apply the contouring stuff in

1. Jawline

2. Cheek hollows (just blow where you apply blush)

3. Sides of your nose

4. Temple portion (if you want) - I usually don't do this step

Here you can see on the left the way I have applied the product on the first 3 points from above. The product that I have used on my face is the Clinique Contouring Chubby Stick.

Applied in jawline, nose and cheek

Do note, I have not applied anything on my face under the contour; this means no prep, no prime, no foundation, nothing. The effects of the contouring will be much better after prepping your face.

The blog is a little haphazard because I'm still trying to figure out how to align all these pictures the middle of all the text - it is extremely frustrating !
Basically the 2 pics on the sides of this para are post blending the product which  had applied. You can see that a slight shadow has been created in the cheek hollows, and nose - thus giving me a slightly thinner face look :)
Coming to products that I have and like :)

1. Clinique contour chubby stick. This Clinique product is non-comedogenic, does not have any fragrance and glides on like a dream. Extremely smooth and non tugging on your skin. Some people have an issue with it being a little orange-y, but I think for Indian skin tones that should not be an issue (unless you are really really fair). It is a stick applicator and needs to be blended well. You have to make sure there are no hard lines after blending - else it will look cakey and fake. I use my Real Techniques beauty blender and it works like a charm :)

2. Benefit Hoola bronzer: This is from the company Benefit. It is available at Sephora in 2 sizes, I have the smaller one (which  bought in Singapore for 26 SGD) and should cost around 1800 odd - if you buy this from India. I bought the smaller size as it's travel friendly. I have not really found it available anywhere online (at a reasonable price whilst being from an authentic seller), so if you're looking to buy it, you will need to go to Sephora (which is there in Bombay, Bangalore, Delhi, and now also in Chennai !). Benefit comes with a flat-rectangular brush that makes it easy to apply along your jawline and nose. Also the shape of this brush helps ensure that the lines are not too sharp and artificial looking. The advantage of this product is that it goes well with any skin tone as it is a very natural looking shade. The lady at the store told me that it has grey undertones which are complementary or all skin tones and just add a bit of shadow to your skin (which is what contouring is supposed to achieve).

Below are snaps of how they swatch.

Benefit

Clinique

Comparison of the 2. Left : Clinique, Right : Benefit

You can see that the Clinique one is slightly orange in colour when compared to the Hoola one, but it does not show up this way when you apply on your face and blend well. Also, usually since I wear a slight blush above this, it looks natural and not weird :) I kind-of prefer the Benefit one over the Clinique due to the more natural shade, but I also like the Clinique due to its ease of application.

Recent additions to my ever growing Baggit collection

Okay, let's face it. Baggit is a brand that never disappoints. I mean, ever since I first came across a friend of mine (Moshni) who got one for her birthday back when we were in the 10th grade, this brand has always had stuff for everyone. Back then I thought it was over priced and I was all right owning a road side bag, but now I've come to realise that paying a little more than what you normally would is all right - especially for quality. Honestly, nowadays, it doesn't even seem over priced; what with brands like Accessorise, Hidesign etc. Lavie is in a similar price bracket as Baggit, but their quality is meh. 2 bags my mom owns have started ripping !! Can you believe that ?

Anyway, I digress. Coming back to Baggit... It all started with Moshni. After that my aunt got me a purse - small wallet - which I absolutely loved. Corduroy material, and it was light brown. Back then Baggit had standard colours - light brown, black and olive green. This wallet was my everything - had all cards and photos :) I got a few more a few years later and my first real Big Purchase from Baggit was my trusty Laptop bag. This was inspired by my cousin Sneha who owned a black similar bag for her laptop when she was working :) An olive green bag which had enough space to keep my heavy office laptop, along with my wallet, a book, keys and an umbrella if needed.

I think my entire bag collection has only Baggit - wallets and bags and satchels and purses. I mean, a girl can never have enough :P

Right now, Baggit is running their annual sale of 51% and trust me, everything is on sale! I got myself a nice bright orange wallet for 600 bucks :D

 

As soon I purchased it, I immediately called my mom and told her about the sale. After trying to convince her for 1 minute - I kid you not, it took just one minute), I was back in the sore picking up a small handbag for her :) I really loved this one - it seemed like the right size for trips; where you can fit in your make up, keep a book and your wallet (along with a few more things). 

 

Here is an image to give you a size perspective of the bag

So, after buying it I sent a pic to my mum and she asked me if there were other colours ... I realised she was not too happy with this; and then it struck me that I got her a similar coloured one long back... Geez! Now what to do ? lol, I went and bought her something that she preferred from amazon.in :D Got her a teal blue bag - this one.

Coming back to the one she did not prefer. I love this bag and I have decided to keep it :D We are going to Goa in a month and a half and I've already decided how to pack my stuff into this one :D

I'll explain a bit why I love the brand.

1. Their products are cruelty free

2. They have amazing designs

3. They somehow cater to everyone's requirements

4. They keep adding new colours to their range. They started with black, brown and green. Then they added purple, now they have oranges, peaches, yellows, pinks etc ! :)

5. You can never have enough wallets / purses / bags :P

Well ... This ends how I added to me collection ... Below is my collection :P

Top L-R : new orange wallet, new travel bag (originally intended for my mom)

Middle L-R : a sling bag I got just to carry around during errands, a green one with 2 compartments and zips - Sudhir got it for me before I went to the US for 3 months on work in 2012, a new black choli types bag with 2 compartments

Bottom L-R : my peach beauty for laptop, wallet Sudhir got me again before I went to US, a purple wallet that I got around 3 years back - it holds everything including my phone !, a black sling bag that I got on amazon for 500 bucks (67% off) - it has a strap that I can attach and carry it as a small purse.

I also have 3 belts :) :)

Crew - please take your seats for take off

"Crew, please take your seats for take off". And that's the moment when my heart, stomach, mind, body and soul start plummeting into the abyss of dread. Sudhir's fingers must be mush by now; and seat handles must be dented. 

Take off, mid-flight turbulence and banking - these 3 make sick to my stomach; I wish teleportation was a reality.

But mind you, descent before landing is something I am super comfortable in; "yay, we are going down - soon this ordeal will be over and done with. We are at a lower altitude, hence a crash will be less severe in terms of casualties" - awesome, right ?

I s**t bricks every time we take off. What if Bernoulli fails ? What if physics decides to give up at that very moment ? Why do we have to bloody bank every time the captain has to turn the damn flight ? OMG - what if the plane loses balance and we just plummet downwards due to the banking while making a turn? I actually clench and hold the plane while it makes a turn so that I can try to keep some balance in the flight and maintain the centre of gravity - don't ask me why I do it, I just do.

I'm not sure why the fear of take off and en route flight set in, but I have an idea. I guess it was some time in 2015 while going to Bombay through terrible turbulence. The pilot asked the crew to strap in during descent and the plane shook, rattled and bounced all the way down. It actually even made those screeching sounds you hear in movies when a plane is crashing. I screamed out loud and scrunched up into a fetus pose while seated. Since then, every time the captain switches on the seat belt sign mid-flight, I break into a heavy sweat - obviously same thing happens during take off.

I understand this fear is silly - I know it is stupid of me to be so worried and scared during flights. I know the stats - flying is the safest way to travel. Chances of you dying are better than one in a million - the probability of being hit by a truck in a football field is higher! Yet, there are loads of people who are worried during flights - with me being one of them. The recent Jet airways episode and Indigo-Spice Jet episodes do NOT help ...

I've read several blogs and articles on how to combat the fear :
1. Keep yourself occupied - read a book
2. Have a countdown timer on your watch / phone so that you know how much time is left for landing

*3. Medicate yourself a lot so that you pass out

*4. Don't sleep a few days before you fly so that you cannot help but sleep on the flight

5. Check out all the probability stats that you can before flying

6. Talk to you co-passengers / air hostesses about your fear - they might be able to help calm you down

etc. And there are many many more.

(by the way, the starred points are concoctions of my own :) )

I have even tried Silva Mind Control to help with the fear. My dad has helped with this and I've imagined (while in the alpha state) super comfortable flights, with me enjoying the ride and not having any anxiety. I've even done the "safe place" mind control session where I concoct a potion that will help calm my nerves; where I've programmed myself to calm down by joining the 3 fingers of my left hand... But somehow - nothing has worked.

So then I tried keeping a talisman with me - I took a print of the Hanuman Chalisa ('coz Hanumanji is a stud right ? He carried a whole mountain for Laxman - what's an aircraft to him :) ). I read that feverishly every time we take off. I used to go for Balavihar classes as a kid - and I am so so so so so grateful to my parents for making me do that. I know prayers; I have my talismans; I feel slightly calmed every time I get scared in a flight.

Another thing I do is check the expression of the air hostesses. They look calm ? All good! Worried / tense expression - we're doomed.
I even bugged the crap out of a friend of mine (Rajasik) who is a pilot with IndiGo. Questions like - will the flight be steady ? How does the pilot know what to do if an engine fails ? Can it fly with one engine ? There are enough airports for an emergency landing en route within India right ? Do they know how to handle emergency situations ?
Hahahha ! He patiently answered all my questions and told me that they are trained for exactly such situations and know exactly what to do in case something does go wrong ...

However, the best, most effective thing that helps calm nerves on a flight is when the captain speaks. My God, the soothing effect his / her voice has on my nerves cannot be explained in words. It somehow gives me that comfort, and this runs through my mind - "the captain is speaking and he sounds all fine. Which means that everything is going fine. Everything is under control and we are not plummeting to our deaths". I'm serious, when the captain speaks (even though he just gives an update of how much longer we are going to take, or apologises for the delay) it just feels much better. I get that sense of comfort that he is in control and all is good, and the sun comes out and everything is nice, shiny, bright and happy :)

I wish all captains spoke every now and then on the flight to the passengers (and NOT to the crew to strap in) - even if it was about the weather, clouds, a joke, how much longer we were going to take, etc. It has a super strong calming effect on anxious passengers - trust me. 

Guess I need to share this with a pilot friend of mine, maybe IndiGo will make this their norm :)

Current skin care regime

Sephora launched their third store in Bangalore and as expected I wanted to go check it out and pick up a foundation (got tanned recently and the current shade is a little too light). Found a shade that matched perfectly - Sudhir agreed that it did, but he was able to make out that I had something on my face as it looked "smoother". I explained to him that that is what foundations were meant to do :-| Now, as it was a new store, while billing I asked them for some samples. The sales lady apologised saying that she did not have anything from the range that I purchased to give me. When she asked if I had any skin concern or if I wanted to try on some cream, I told her that I have severe combination skin and would like some cream for my face.

Now, coming to my face. When I say extreme combination, I mean extreme combination. It is extreme to the extent that the dry parts flake, and the oily parts have small pimples... yeah, it is a pain finding something that suits my face, which doesn't make it too oily, but at the same time something which moisturises it enough at the dry parts. I have tried a lot of creams, and somehow after some time, they end up making my skin either too oily or too dry.

So, the sales lady gave me a bunch of sachet testers from this brand called Shiseido. Now, I've seen this brand across counters at Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop and other outlets, but I've always thought that it is another brand like Boujouris or summat - so I've never really bothered with checking their stuff out.  The sales lady asked the person at the Shiseido counter to give me something for my face - so the lady gave me this White Lucent range of testers. I got sachets for their entire range, and she also threw in something called Ultimune and a day eye cream. All I could think of at that point of time was "Cool !! So so many free thingies ! yay" :D

After coming home, before I started putting anything on my face, I did some research online and found out that Shiseido is actually a 140 year old Japanese company and is a leading cosmetics company for skin care and cosmetics! Bottom line is - they know their stuff. I was convinced and I began using the stuff :) 

Let me tell you, Sudhir was able to make out a difference on my face after 4 days of use (yes, I had to bug him, but he said he could make out a difference at the end of it). I decided to get the products in full size. :) :) :) Went to Sephora near my office and when I went to the counter I was told that the entire range costs 14k!!!! FOURTEEN K ??? LOL ... I decided to get one of the products from what I was given earlier - the Ultimune. I shelled out 4.8K for a 30ml bottle, but I was like, "it's ok. It will last me at least 4 months which essentially is all right". Now what this is supposed to do is help improve your skin's immunity and also enhance the effects of anything you put on your face afterwards. I already own the Loreal clinical white serum that is supposed to help make your skin smooth and remove skin spots. I have quite a few - it is hereditary and caused due to hormonal changes as well, and it is something that I hate!! One way to remove it is through a laser process, hence you can understand my reluctance to go that way. I've decided that that will be my last resort. Very honestly speaking, I felt a little bit of my heart break a bit when I swiped my card - 4.8k in one shot for a 30ml bottle of face serum... 

While I was billing, I spoke to the Shiseido guy at Sephora and told him there is no way I can shell our 14k in one shot :D I would much rather try one product and if I liked it, I might come and pick up another piece. He told me not to worry - hence, check out my freebies !!! He gave me the serum (2 packs), the lotion (in 2 small bottles), a proper tester size for the toner, face wash from the White Lucent range and 2 bottles of the night lotion :) :) Reason he gave these is so that I can figure out if I like them and they suit me before I decide to take the plunge :D I also got 4 small tester bottles of perfumes (Burberry Body, Mont Blanc and Boss) *yay*

After buying the product and getting all the free stuff, I also realise that I am not "young" anymore, and need to pay some attention to my skin :)

I did some reading up online and spoke to Roomi as well, and learnt that skin care regime for today's day and age should be in the following manner. Face wash -> toner / softer -> pre-serum (optional) -> serum -> face cream -> eye cream (as skin around the eyes is much more delicate) -> sun block. I know our moms will be like "this is way too much stuff to put on your face; we never used anything except cream or maybe powder at max".. But the thing is, the climate, weather and the environment we are growing up in has changed now. There is much more dust in the air, our skin is exposed to so much more pollution and God knows what all chemicals from exhaust fumes. We have to take care of our skin, else I'm pretty sure we will age faster than our moms (I am already being told that my mom looks like my sister when we go out together). So all this research did in fact tell me that using the stuff I got is good.

This being said, I got myself Clinique toner (face softener) and moisturising gel (not lotion) for combination dry skin. My cousin, Divya, told me that she recently bought the same product and is in love with it. She specifically called me to tell me this as we both have similar skin :D The lady in the white coat at the Clinique section at Shoppers Stop told me to use the No.2 toner and No.3 moisturising gel - lotion would make my skin too oily, hence the gel. The toner actually helps exfoliate dead cells a bit while applying with a bit of cotton - so I do follow that religiously :)

Current regime :

1. Face wash : my favourite Lakme Strawberry face wash. Been using it for over 7 years now

2. Toner : Clinique (No.2)

3. Pre serum : Shiseido Ultimune

4. Serum : Loreal Clinical White serum. For this step I am considering making it either the "Shiseido White spot correcting serum" or the "Clinique Dark Spot remover serum" - both are said to target the spots on one's face which come due to age / sun burn / tanning / hormones. I got a small sample from the Clinique counter at Shoppers Stop when I bought the toner and cream, lets see how that works. The Shiseido one is also supposed to be good - I need to decide which one of the two I will pick.

5. Face cream : Clinique dramatically different moisturising gel

6. Eye cream : Shiseido white lucent SPF 15

7. Sun block : La-Roche Posay SPF 50

So far I am liking the extra attention I am giving my skin, and I think it will definitely help in the long run. I stopped getting any facials done and am only going for clean ups. As for the irritating spots I have - they seem o have reduced (or maybe I'm saying this because I have paid so much money for the stuff I am using :P). But all in all, I am happy :)

Singapore Day8

It was our last day at Singapore and I had started feeling bad about it. Not because we had not seen everything, but because the trip was coming to an end, I had office to go back to, I was going to leave such a wonderfully organised place (Where people follow lanes even on escalators) ... Anyway, decided to make the most of the last day there; and waddayaknow :) Orchard Street for shopping was on our list!! *woohoo*

Ravi had told us that we would go to a store which sold Smoked Paprika, it was a Japanese store at some mall somewhere. So we got on the MRT and got off at the station which was close by, and we needed to walk a bit. Now the cool thing about this particular line (think it is the Harbour line), is that the trains do not have a driver cabin - which essentially means you can see the tunnel in front, and the way it twists and turns !! I was super psyched and stood right at the front of the train the whole journey :) :)

Once we reached the stop which had the Japanese supermarket, the boys refused to listen to my directions; they used Google and we still ended up taking a much longer route than needed :| We went straight to the store and picked up the goods (I picked up some extra bottles to give my mom); post which we decided to take a bus to go to Orchard :)

A double decker greeted us and I ran to the top and sat right at the front to get an awesome view :) :)

Once we reached Orchard ... I had no clue where we should start and what all malls I needed to go to, and which all shops I wanted to enter and maybe consider shopping from ! There is so much to see, so many shops to enter that I was at a loss for a while :D

Ravi suggested that we start at Ion Orchard - one of the more popular malls there, so we did. I went to Sephora (as expected), and was busy Whatsapp-ing a cousin of mine with images of lipstick shades she wanted, when Sudhir called and told me to meet him and Ravi at this store called Daiso. Fine, so I left everything and went there, only to realise that the shop was selling almost everything under the sun for 2 SGD!! I helped the 2 of them add more crap to their already filled basket of nonsense. What all did it contain ? A panda that swings when kept in the sun, magnetic tape, fridge magnets that are small spheres, 2 notebooks, a piggy bank, a glow in the dark skeleton, the list goes on :)

After we got done with this time pass shopping and I finished my serious stuff at Sephora, we decided to head back home, and pick up a suitcase on our way back. I realised that with all our shopping and us arriving with already filled tony suitcases, we needed a bigger one. So we walked around Toa Payoh market and picked up a nice suitcase for 50 bucks post which we headed back home.

I began packing while Sudhir and Ravi helped bubble wrap some liquid items that we needed to take back for Subhi. It was a good thing we bought the suitcase - all the stuff we got at Sentosa, the zoo, bird park, all the bottles and creams etc fit into the new bag, while the 2 old ones contained just our clothes :D

Once I got done with all the packing, Ravi suggested we go eat authentic Singaporean food. Near his place there is this restaurant (I cannot recall the name), but he said that Subhi and him go there regularly to eat. So we walked to the restaurant and ordered some food, which came pretty quickly. There is this chilli paste sort of thingy that is served along with the rice, which is CRAZY ! The food was simply amazing and so damn delicious and spicy, that we could not stop eating :D It actually had those dried red chilis in the dish !!

After a good filling dinner, we walked back home and crashed.

The next day we woke up at 5AM (a cab had been called), and we reached the airport and purchased some usual stuff from Duty free and got on the flight back home.

Now comes the part where I explain why 8 days are not enough.

I am sure you've all come to realise we did a whole lot and visited a lot of places. This being said, there is a lot that we did not see. Botanical gardens, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore flyer and a few things at Sentosa. I know that all these would have taken another day and maybe if we had stayed back on Saturday we could have covered these.

Now the reason we took 8 days to do the stuff we did is because we walked every single part of the way. In every zoo and bird park we did not take the trams which many people were taking (I am sure they came through tour packages). The trams help save time, but then you do not get to experience the place and spend time taking in the sights and sounds.

I would love to go back there and have considered working at that place - I LOVED the organised society it is. The way people follow rules, especially on the roads, just blew my mind. There is a lot of positive re-inforcement by the government all over the city which I think is a good thing. Why be told "Don't do this" when you might as well say "Do this".

Anyway, thus ended Sudhir's first trip abroad and our first foreign trip as a couple :) Was tones of fun and we have already started making plans of where we should go next :D

Day 7, Sentosa Day3

Last day at Sentosa and we had passes for Adventure Water Cove. Initially we were to come some time in August, and this place was shut at that time - good thing I changed teams at Amazon during that time due to which taking leave was .... *ahem* :) :)

We initiated our check-out process at the place and left our luggage at the counter once again. At the cove we realised that we are going to get drenched from head to toe - it's a water park. So we rented a locker (at 10 for the whole day), and then jumped into the lazy river :) Sooper good fun it is, you get to see what all the park has to offer and decide what all you are going to go in. After we got done with one round, we went on this slide ride where you twist and turn and almost bang your head on the top of the tube :D thrilling fun and you walk out all dizzy :D There are 3-4 rides like this - all of which are super intense and leave you wondering if you are going to crash into some part of the tube and break some part of your body!! Now as we were not carrying our phones, there are no pics - but you can check out the rides here.

Peanut butter french fries - yummm

After we got done with some rides and lazed about in the wave pool, I was feeling hungry. We have this plastic bag (its a zip-lock of sorts but narrower) in which we keep our money so that it does not get wet when we go into the water. We use it a lot in Goa after taking a cue from foreigners who travel this way. Sudhir had this pack with him, and when he reached for it ... You can imagine what had happened. We rushed back to the Lost and Found department right at the entrance of the park and gave all details. I even mentioned the number of notes of denomination types and had a sinking feeling that the lady is only taking notes and if they find it, they will give it to us. but what do you know !! She handed over the pouch to us as all details given were perfect !! Woohoo... You will by now know, Sudhir is not going to be carrying any money on him. Ever. 

I kept the packet with me from that point forward.

After grabbing something to eat, we went snorkelling - which is free! yay :) everything else is so expensive in this resort world, we were super thrilled to have something for free :P You swim in a tank that has loads of fish swimming below you; to be quite honest it is a little scary at some points... Coz it is quite deep and at one point the snorkel came off and I drank some salt water :D But this swim was brilliant. After this we walked along the park and wanted to dive with the dolphins but it was way too expensive (over 200 dollars per head) ... Hence we got done with the place around 1PM :P

After this we left the place and checked out Vivo City mall (where the Sentosa express ends)... Sudhir wanted to watch Dr Strange - which we did. Got to rest our backs - our bags were not light. Loved the movie, the visuals will blow your mind. 

We reached Ravi's place around 6:30PM and then freshened up, post which he took us to Holland Village. We visited 3 restaurants there and had an awesome time. At one of the places, while we were eating some food, the entire place started smelling YUMMY ... So I called the waiter and asked him to bring me the exact same dish that was being prepared at that point of time, and what do you know ... French fries cooked in truffle oil is what we ate :) Holland village is the place where expats live, and you can make out from the crowd that we were in a posh society.

We reached home around 12AM and crashed for the day. I was slightly sad that the trip was almost coming to an end - but I was also glad that the next day we could get up late and leave for the day at Orchard "araam se" :)