My Plastic Surgery Review with Wish Clinic Taipei - Part 3

The rest of the days spent in Taipei was rather relaxing. Some days were spent in the apartment resting & relaxing, other days I went out to walk around but mostly just nearby or to Ximending since Zhongxiao Dunhua station was just 5 stops away from Ximending station. Zhongxiao Donglu was near the area I lived, and it is kinda an equivalent to Singapore's Orchard Road. If you're into themed cafes or just nice cosy cafes, there's a few in that district which you can visit while you're in the area.

More photos to show how the neighborhood looked like.

Walked around and stumbled onto the steps of the popular Dazzling Cafe.. Didn't try it since I wasn't an avid fan of thick toasts. Well, at least now you know where's one of their chain stores.

Some other little stores around the corner.

This building sits on the opposite side of the road to the area where I live. Most shops housed in this area are no stanger; from Uniqlo to Forever 21, Fossil and Adidas.. All in this same area. I personally went to their Forever 21 store, prices are pretty similar but their sale items are alot cheaper! It was near winter season then so most sale items were spring/summer clothing, great for our weather and priced for a steal. ; )

And this big building, is the one that houses Wish Clinic. Super easy to locate. Just look for this Korean fashion brand, SPAO... practically takes the entire space of level one. Surely not miss it!

Took my Mom to 2 themed cafes during this trip; Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe near Zhongxiao Fuxing station & Toilet Cafe which was located in Ximending. Prices of course compared to local food were expensive, but comparable to cafe prices in Singapore. Figured out what better way to spend time with my Mom having fun lunches and taking loads of Wefies together. Both cafes provided free wifi, which was great since we could post our pics while feasting.

Blogged about Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe in a separate blog post, link: http://vannytelly.blogspot.sg/2015/11/themed-cafes-in-taipei-hello-kitty_30.html

Blogged about Toilet Cafe in a separate blog post, link: http://vannytelly.blogspot.sg/2015/11/themed-cafes-in-taipei-modern-toilet.html

My Aunt took my Mom & I to a Hong Kong cafe in Ximending one noon for lunch, the food was yummy and price was affordable. The HK cafe served roasted meat and noodles, as well as Dim Sum. Three of us had a very filling lunch for SGD$50. We ordered almost a total of 10 items for that price. But unfortunately I didn't get the address or photo of the shop, super satisfied after lunch I totally forgotten to take a snap shot. Alamak *slaps face*. Will share again if I find out later! Here's just a few pictures taken to let your eyes salivate. Haha.

This was a wrong order. My Aunt wanted a Bubble Milk Tea but she ordered a Bubble Milk Dessert instead. Turns out, this was one of my fav item ordered. Super yums! Its Milk Tea ice shavings on a bed of pudding, topped with a scoop of Milk Tea Ice Cream (which was super creamy in texture!!) and a pool of pearls. Must try!

Shrimp Wrapped in Beancurd Skin

Polo Butter Bun; Hong Kong Cafe must-try.

Ain't its colour beautiful...? Haha..

Roasted Char Siew (Pork) & Roasted Chicken. I've never been a big fan of Roasted Chicken but this simply took my taste buds away. The chicken meat was super tender it almost melted in my mouth. YUMS! : P

Taiwanese Braised Beef Noodles, my all-time Fav Taiwanese dish since I was a kid. They serve a good one here. Beef meat & tendons were really tender and juicy, soup was great even wo chilli (since I could not take spicy food). Def will go back for this again when I come back to Ximending!

Salmon Sashimi was fresh.

And now it suddenly feels like im writing about food more than my surgery.. Hahaha.. Hey, its Taiwan and its all about food here!! Share with you guys one more thing, again about food.. Some days when I stayed in, I packed "Bian Dang" at this shop near my apartment. Its like our "Cai Fan" (aka Mixed Vegetable Rice) but in Taiwan they serve a wide variety of dishes compared to what we have here. Pictures to prove..!

Lady's Finger, Kelp, Pumpkin, Tomato Egg.. So simple yet super yum can!! If I'm not wrong this cost NT$65, which is equivalent to SGD$3.. Cheap right?

For carb base, there were choices of white rice, brown rice, vermicelli, and noodles. I chose brown rice to try. The salmon was super deli! This set cost approx NT$110, which is equivalent to SGD$5... How not to love Taiwan?! Lol.

Kimchi w Pork, Pork Liver, Dried Tofu, Tomato Egg.... *slurps*

A snap shot of how the place looks like. Look at the varieties of dishes, so much more than what we have in Sg!

And a snap shot of the shop. If you see some place like this next time, try it for super affordable and yummy meals. ; )

And what's a beverage not to miss when in Taiwan? Bubble Tea! On average a large cup cost NT$50, that is equivalent to SGD2+... Half the price of a large cup of Koi in Sg. Think Bubble Tea lovers will get sugar high from OD-ing on this sweet drink while on holiday. Haha.

And so that was my food diary for the trip.. So let's check out my post-op recovery process with these pics I've taken along the way. 

IDK why my face was puffy. If anyone didn't know, would think I have done fat grafting on my face or something - which I did not lah. It might be water retention or something.

What do you think of my recovery progress? Doesn't seem that bad eh?

Stitches behind my ear; wound for the removal of ear cartilage for tiplasty. Stitches were removed on the 11th day post op back in Singapore because the wound was still a little raw so I waited out a few days before getting the stitches at an aesthetics clinic in SG.

So far its been a month post op and the recovery process has been fine, results seem satisfying and I can't wait to see the final results when the swelling is totally gone. My plastic surgery journey so far has brought me new experiences; good and bad.. well I would say the thing I disliked most was the recovery process, where the initial stages looking awkward with the swelling was most annoying but honestly I couldn't care less about anyone knowing since I've already publicly shared on my blog. Think most people, esp first-timers, would hide at home and avoid seeing anyone until he/she has recovered and back looking normal. But for me I already am at the stage I would just walk around with my swollen lids, haha.. Other than this, I feel great already with my new features. I know as much as how weird it sounds, it makes me feel quite alive going through this process. Maybe the norm and the routine is so mundane I just give myself excuses to get plastic surgery done. Im not saying you should get PS done if you feel bored, just do it if it would make you happier. Choice is yours, don't listen to haters. Am ending the topic on my recent PS journey with this blog post and feel free to drop me messages or mails if you have any questions and I'll gladly help if possible. 

To read up on blog post 1, see link: http://vannytelly.blogspot.sg/2015/11/trip-to-taiwan-my-plastic-surgery.html
And blog post 2: http://vannytelly.blogspot.sg/2015/11/trip-to-taiwan-my-plastic-surgery_17.html

If you would like to see my more recent post-op pics and progress of my recovery, you can follow me on Vannytelly... Click on the links below for my pages. 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vannytelly/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vannytelly/

Themed Cafes in Taipei - Modern Toilet Cafe

If you Googled for themed cafes in Taipei, you would find a list and one of them would be the Modern Toilet Cafe. Wanting to pass some time during my recent solo trip to Taipei, I arranged for lunch with my Mom at the Modern Toilet Cafe. Come let's take a look at what the cafe had in store for us. ; )

On the ground floor you'd find a staircase leading to the dining area on the second floor.

At the entrance, you already could see decors of toilet bowls & poop. Lol. 

Toilet, anyone? : D

Arriving on the second floor was a crowd of customers dining on toilet bowls.
Looks pretty funny huh.

And this... Was my toilet bowl for that afternoon. Haha.

Seated down, we were greeted with a basin of poop - the decor under the dining table.
Fancy the view during mealtime?

Flipping through the menu, I found the prices rather reasonable. Main courses ranged from NT$200-$400, and each main course came with tea and an ice-cream. The variety was fairly wide too.

Payment was made at the cashier during order. Souvenirs can be purchased while waiting. 

There's a corner with more novelty items for sale.

Gift items were funny-looking & affordable too.

I ordered a Classic Toilet Meal - Chicken Curry with rice. I ordered this thinking it was Japanese-style curry, ended up it tasted more like local Singapore curry. Curry gravy was thick and tasteful, and generous with the chicken chunks. Its not bad if you are a curry lover. The sides that came with the rice was a clear mushroom soup that tasted bland, and a small saucer of shell-like appetizer which I did not try 'cuz I wasn't supposed to take seafood. In the top right corner you see two glasses of beverages. The simple looking one was the complimentary red tea that came with the main course, and the blue urinal drink was Bubble Milk Tea which I topped up an additional NT$50 for. The Bubble Milk Tea was not fantastic, would rather buy from bubble tea stores else where. IMO the complimentary red tea actually tasted better than the Bubble Milk Tea. Topped up only for the novelty of the cup for photo-taking actually.

Picture looks good eh? Making myself feel hungry already. : P

Mom ordered a Seafood Pesto Cream Sauce Spaghetti. She said it tasted yummy though I personally felt nothing about it. Maybe it was because I tried this after taking a bite of my Curry Chicken and made this taste less. I must say it looked pretty decent though.

The complimentary Chocolate Ice Cream tasted a little like Milo Ice Cream.
Cute and quite tasty. Poop ice-cream anyone? : D

Wefie with Mom. : D

Time for a selfie! with the Poopies. : P

Mommy wanted a selfie too!

What's this? Toilet bowl used as a basin.

Urinal display in the washroom.

Total of approx. NT$750 was spent for 2 set meals, which was equivalent to SGD$33 - price was quite affordable I would say. Of course it was more expensive than local street foods, but for this price to dine for the experience while travelling, not that bad after all lah. Here's the address and website link for more info. ; )

MODERN TOILET 便所主題餐廳

• 2F, No. 7, Lane 50, Xiníng South Rd
  Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan
  臺灣臺北市萬華區西寧南路50巷7號2樓
  (Nearest Metro: Xinmending)
• (+886) 02 2311 8822
• Mon – Sun: 11.30am – 10pm

http://www.moderntoilet.com.tw/en/

Beauty Product Review: Winter Organics Camomile Facial Cleanser

A basic skin care regimen starts with a good cleanser. Facial cleansers help remove makeup, dirt, pollutants, and oils. Going to bed with clean skin is essential for your skin to breathe, keeping pores unclogged is key for healthy and radiant-looking skin. And startng the day with fresh clean skin is the way for easy and smooth make up application. Having a cleanser which cleans is important, yet you need one which isn't too strong that it removes all oils i.e. the natural oils that keep your face hydrated, because then it could dry out your skin which in turn leads your face to produce even more oils. Did you know sometimes oily skin is caused by dryness? Now you do! ; )

I myself have combination skin, which sometimes can get rather oily on my T-zone especially after mid-day. Certain times when I use products that are too strong, I find my skin feeling tight after wash - that indicates that cleanser was drying for my sensitive skin. I would find myself waking up with more oils in the morning day after. 

It took me a few years to realise my skin was sensitive 'cuz my skin tends to turn reddish quickly after being irritated; I was told later on by a few beauticians that my skin was probably the sensitive kind. Since then I have always kept "gentle" or "suitable for sensitive skin" labels as a priority when it comes to looking for beauty products. 

Recently I've been introduced to this newly launched gentle cleanser by Winter Organics - their Chamomile Facial Cleanser. It is made with organic ingredients and suitable for all skin types, also including sensitive skin which is great! And what's even better is that this product not tested against animals; cruelty free and vegan! Three hoorays for Winter Organics!

Winter Organics Chamomile Facial Cleanser facts:

·     It is made with 100% natural ingredients
·     Certified organic by Australian Certified Organic (ACO)

·     Chemical free

·     No artificial colours & fragrances

·     Gentle to all skins types including sensitive skin 

·     Cruelty free and Vegan since product is not tested against animals

Ingredients used:

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice*, Decyl Glucoside, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract*, Coco Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Glycerine*, Xanthan Gum, Chamomilla Recutita Matricaria (Chamomile) Flower Oil*, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Fruit Extract*, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Canaga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower Oil*, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) extract, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Flower Oil*, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil*, Cedrus Atlantica (Cedarwood) Bark Oil*, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Seabuckthorn) Oil*, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Limonene^

*Certified Organic Ingredients
^ Constituent of Essential Oils
Note: Glycerine is certified organic and produced from non-palm oil origin.

From the list above, you can see that ingredients used are naturally derived and au naturale. My favourite ingredient would be Calendula since I've been fairly familiar with it since recently I have been using Calendula baby care range for my 3-month old baby girl. Calendula is a plant extract which is beneficial for dry skin, scars, and wounds. It is gentle with moisturizing and healing properties. If you did read my previous blog post you would know I shared about using Calendula facial cream for my baby when she had tiny red bumps on her face (read here: http://vannytelly.blogspot.sg/2015/11/baby-preparation-hospital-packing-list.html), just a few applications and it all went away. Miracle or what? ; )

Trying the product for the first time....

Product is gel-like, not the usual white & thick consistency.

Just a 20-cent dollop is good for the entire face. Add some water for lather.

Just to show how much lather you'd get... Since the Chamomile Facial Cleanser is chemical free, you'd not get thick lathering because the more lather = more soap = more chemicals. Gentle, gentle, gentle! : D

Squeeze, add water, lather & massage, rinse & clean!

After washing, face is clean, supple & radiant-looking. No filters or editing of photos. : )

**Boink-Boink**

What I love about this product?

- The Orange Scent
When I first used the Chamomile Facial Cleanser, I thought to myself how much I loved the citrus-y smell. On the subsequent washes, there was a time I said in my mind "OMG I LOVE THE SCENT"... Hahaha..  Really love the smell, cannot explain. Try and tell me if you love it as much as I do. Its really refreshing and calming.

- Gentle on sensitive skin
Cleanser is pH5 formulated which is suitable for all skin types and even sensitive skin. It even speeds up acne healing time with anti-inflammatory properties. My skin felt fresh and definitely no tightness after washing, in fact my face felt soft and supple. I was told that the cleanser is so gentle, I could use on my baby as well. Hehe.

- Natural & Organic
Zero chemicals = healthy well being. In this day & time, many things we use and eat are polluted with chemicals - which may cause health hazards later in life. Body belongs to oneself, why not do your part to take care of your health in any possible way. In this aspect, it is as simple as that. ; )

- Cruelty Free
For an animal lover, this was definitely an eye-catcher and motivation to grab a tube or two. Products from Winter Organics is certified cruelty free and vegan under People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). You know it is when you see this cute bunny logo on the product. 

As usual for my Dear Readers, good lobang (good deal) to share with you all... 

Winter Organics is having a Christmas Sale and offering 25% off online price which ends 31st December 2015.

And more good news for my readers...... Apply this code "VANNYTELLY5" during purchase check-out on Winter Organics website and you will get an additional 5% discount on top of the Christmas Sale discount.. Woah, good deal huh? *wink winks* ; ) Do act fast because dateline for this awesome deal ends on Christmas Day (25th December 2015).

Here's the official website link of Winter Organics: http://www.winterorganics.com/
Their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/winterorganics
And their Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/winterorganics/

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Support organic, support cruelty-free. Cheers and have a Merry Christmas you all. : )