westizbest

2009-07-09T05:41:00.000-07:00

I like the magazine Simply Her. They have good reviews on a variety of products. That's where I came across a review of Slender Shapes (I think!)
I hate gyms; I find the treadmill boring and the fitness centres are full of great bods in great clothes which does not do much for your self esteem. I like to walk,swim,play badminton.... but found it very difficult to fit any sort of routine into a normal working day, plus the weather can ruin any planned outdoor activity...too hot....too wet. So..I landed up at SS and liked the sound of the program. I had done a step class some years ago and enjoyed the rhythm of the workout.Plus it was close to home and work. I just had to get really organised and make it a habit and of course WATCH THOSE PORTIONS (ouch!) Most difficult thing to do... I am having a great time so far. Richelle gets you moving, important after a long day at work, Florence helps to change the routine and Mei runs an energetic step class. The group that works out with you can vary but everyone is very companionable. No need to put on an IPod and exercise in silence. I am making slow progress, bottom of the class so far as I have not been able to be that regular and watching those portions is tough. ......

2009-07-08T03:38:00.001-07:00

According to Wiki, Holland Village or Holland V was named after Holland Road which in turn was named after Hugh Holland an early resident of Singapore. Whatever... It has this decrepit windmill on top of its shopping centre. The shopping centre is small and has none of the glitz of the new malls, but all the expats who live around the area love it. There's a well stocked 24 hour Cold Storage supermarket, Lims for all your gift needs and some great furniture finds if you are lucky, a few shops which stock interesting but expensive, clothes and bags, and some good places for a mani-pedi. And of course Framing Angie's who did such a great job with our paintings. There's Crystal Jade for dimsum and Xiao Long Bao, the delightful Provence bakery, known as the 'Japanese bakery' locally ???? You can shop for a pet, have some great Laksa, and down the road there are some delightful small bars and a desert bar which I have never tried. I am not a regular at the restaurants here so have to ask friends to add their information, suggestions..... Parking is a nightmare most times..best to park at the HDB and walk across.

2009-07-08T03:24:00.001-07:00

Clementi Central is the hub of this large HDB complex and may be similar to others across the island. Over the months I have found that one rarely needs to get out of this zone as everything you can possibly want is around. There's Video Ezy for those lazy rained out weekends, bakeries - one with good crusty French baguettes, a Bengawan Solo - for pineapple tarts and kueh lapis, Watson's, Bata, Giordano's, a 24-hour Fair Price supermarket.... and any number of small shops where you can spend hours browsing through.The new mall, Clementi Vibe has a variety of fast food outlets to make any teen happy, plus sushi though this is a bit limited,Ramly burgers, deep fried mozzarella!!!!.. Across the road is our favorite place for great fish and chips and burgers, Botak Jones.

2009-07-03T00:28:00.000-07:00

A great drawback of moving house is that one has to build up a database again of grocers, markets, doctors, vets which are close by and does not necessitate your having to dash madly across the island...
Finding a hairdresser is always tricky; one can experiment but you have to suffer the consequences for the time it takes for the cut/color to grow out. I found Ashlyn and Jones by chance, a magazine had done a feature on them... and it has been great. They will take care of all your Hair Needz! and give you sage advice on where to eat around the area;which coffee shops give good value for money;what to order; where the best holiday deals are found... they have done up their saloon with some interesting masks and materials from Arab Street.
I had tried another saloon also mentioned in the same article but went scurrying back to them.
Very personalised service...

2009-07-03T00:17:00.000-07:00

Grindelwald was a great discovery; a supermarket that has great timings; (7am - 10pm) and a wide selection of groceries; fruits and veggies. I am always rooting about here for resources to use in my class, wooden clips,tapes,stickers,ribbons and the topping up my stock of mint chox candies that my colleagues love.
There is now a Cold Storage near by as well, so what you don't find in one you find in another.
My favorite haunt is however the Fair Price Finest at Bukit Timah Plaza which has some great stuff and luckily for me opened around the time we moved to the west. I have to be very focused and stick to my list or else I end up buying loads of stuff.

2009-06-30T06:13:00.000-07:00

Wherever you are in Singapore you will find a place where the community gets together to walk, cycle, skate, jog...
In Clementi this is along the river...

moving

2009-06-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

Our first three years in Singapore were spent living in the heart of Orchard Road, a stone's throw away from all the malls, movie theatres, book shops....... We had to move to Clementi, in the west of Singapore,due to many reasons.The house was now our own, but smaller. I wondered if we had done right...
Now we love it here. Clementi is green and very quiet, Hopefully the en-bloc madness and constuction frenzy will leave this area alone. We have found great places to eat shop, hang out,
I would like to share all my favorite places in the west of Singapore, and beyond because there are so many places waiting to be discovered.I would like my family and friends to add their photographs and comments to this...