I find this a little creepy, but at the same time, totally AWESOME!
There is no way my dog could even come close to this! (or I, for that matter!)
Monday Vid!
September 6th, 2010
Art Walk 2010
September 3rd, 2010Yippee! It’s Art Walk time!
16 galleries are participating in a one day event tomorrow, 4 September. You get to dip into each gallery and see a fabulous range of art, including a Wallasse Ting Retrospective at the Wetterling Teo Gallery.
"Woman with Parrot", Walasse Ting
There’ll be talks and previews, and a feast for your very lucky eyes.
No, you don’t have to walk it, you can drive. And yes, it’s free!
Deng Xinli's work will be at the Linda Gallery
Find out more here and I’ll be seeing you there!
Peanut Butter Nutella Cupcakes
September 2nd, 2010Friend Bel’s always baking, and I wish she lived closer so I could enjoy the fruits of her labours.
Here’s her recipe for Peanut Butter-Nutella Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
For cupcakes
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
170g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup smooth peanut butter, room temp
2 cups brown sugar
2 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
For chocolate glaze
Nutella Spread
INSTRUCTIONS
To make cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tin cups with paper cupcake liners
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and set aside
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, peanut butter and brown sugar until smoothly blended and lightened in color. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in egg. Add vanilla and beat for 1 minute or until batter smooth.
On low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing until the flour is incorporated and the batter looks smooth.
Fill each liner with a generous 1/4 cup of batter, to about 1/3 inch below the top of the liner. Bake just until the tops feel firm and are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. There will be cracks on the top. Cool cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pan on wire rack.
Nutella Glaze
Using a small spatula, spread nutella over the cupcakes. Be as generous as you wish.
The cupcakes can be covered and stored at room temp for up to 3 days. ENJOY! 
Introducing Angstanista
September 1st, 2010Ever had a problem you can’t think your way out of? A grievance you just need to get off your chest? Stuff you just can’t ask your mum, or your friends? Career advice? Family issues? Fashion hangups? Then ask Angstanista!
Just send an email to talk@thegroovini.com
We promise you anonymity, you don’t have to tell us your name, just the pertinent facts, and we’ll do our best to help. Where possible, we’ll rope in other opinions – from our regular contributors, and our friends who have experience in the area of your issue.
And if you Dear Reader, wants to chip in, please do – after all, we’re all here to help each other.
This week’s question is from J, 32
“my boss doesn’t like me, even though I’m good at my job. I’m worried it’s going to affect my annual assessment. What should I do?”
My Etsy Wishlist
August 31st, 2010There’s so much by way of great accessories on Etsy that it really brings out the necklace magpie in me. I just want to buy everything. But I’m holding back!
There are over 17,000 pages of necklaces on Etsy, but don’t worry – here’s my pick of the current crop. All prices in US$ and does not include shipping. (but yes it’s safe, I’ve done it lots. oops)
$35, and you can personalise the message
charms necklaces by Hammering Redhead
"Death of Love" chrysoprase to help you get over heartache $41
from Madre de Olivia
$48
from Ten Things
remember zen...$48
from India Blue
"emergency pass to heaven" $12
this shop, Heaven Help Us is hilarious! Saints in funky colours for all sorts of situations – computer geeks, manhunters, road rage and great breasts!
$125 and featured in Vogue
from Kobis
$125 turquoise bib
from Cat Rocks
Adorable Monday video
August 30th, 2010I absolutely LOVE this, it is so sweet. I hope you will too.
Marcel needs a facebook page!
PS Café
August 27th, 2010My friends know PS Café in Dempsey is my default restaurant.
What’s not to love?
The PS trio were the first to recognise the Dempsey ambience, and to make the most of the lush green surrounds. Taking a long barrack-like building, and glassing the walls so when inside you get to appreciate the very pretty outside of green and jungley zen. Keeping the interior stylish yet simple so it doesn’t compete.
It’s stylish, but not dressy, casual but not slouchy. The interior veers towards retro, with lots of lush green and wood floors to bring the jungle inside.
Then there’s the food. A clever menu with the intended clientele in mind: nice salads (try the Sticky Prawn Salad), hearty mains (my faves- the Miso Cod or Chicken Parmigiano) and AMAZING desserts…the PS-style enormous slabs of cake, or ginger puddings, or pies. With a big drinks menu (from herbal infusions, to home-made lemonades, to cocktails), and decent prices, it’s the ideal place hang out over food.
the cake counter, just waiting for your hips
You wouldn’t come here just for the food, or just for the venue, or just for the design – it’s a happy culmination of all three that makes it my personal favourite.
Be warned though, it can get noisy when busy; portions for most of the dishes are large; and you need to book (but no reservations for the very popular brunch).
The Crisp and Dip - $18 and enough for 3 or 4
PS.CAFE at HARDING
28B HARDING ROAD
SINGAPORE
T: 6479 3343
Soloing Down Under
August 26th, 2010by Metamorphoenix
Victoria, Day 1 – 7th Nov ‘09
3.45pm, Pink Penguin Café, Phillip Island
First day of solo travel in Melbourne – never traveled alone before, so was facing this with some apprehension. Left on Friday night on a 7 hr flight – intended to sleep thru it but got distracted by the latest movie Julie and Julia. Passed out for 3.5 hours of sleep and flight arrived at 9.a.m. After declaring meds and snacks, I traipsed out to find a coffee and the car rental company. When I got the car, it took me another 30 minutes just to figure out the GPS and key in a couple of destinations. Then I was off!
Made a wrong turn only once (damn those highway exit directions – “keep right then bear left on the highway.” What the hey???) but the rather soothing male (yay) GPS voice led me on a 3 hour journey to Phillip Island. Hadn’t planned things really well and when time ticked past 2pm, I was ready to drop dead from hunger – had had only a single croissant for breakfast on board 7 hours earlier. But I was determined to get to the Chillhouse Backpackers Inn before sunset.
Got to the Inn – a little disappointed with the place but at Aus$60/night for a double room, I really shouldn’t quibble. Shared baths and a small courtyard to hang out in, but someone forgot to tell the pitbull to be nice to the guests.
Maybe it’s because I’m tired; although the weather’s bright, sunny and hot (so un-Melbourne kinda weather), everything’s looking a little dreary and sad.
Cowes Beach, Phillip Island
Maybe it’s because I had to leave a part of my heart behind in Singapore (he was back in town and we’d had a wonderful week together), or maybe it’s the lack of sleep and apprehension at travelling alone. The fear when I drove out of the car rental place was almost paralyzing – no back-up driver, no human navigator, no one to bounce thoughts off of. All on my own.
Am sitting at the fish and chip shop at 4pm in the afternoon in Cowes, facing a sea of brilliant blue, surrounded by holiday makers, and feeling alone. But that’s the whole point of this trip – to stand on my own two feet, to face my fears down and to walk away from this experience stronger.
I KNOW tomorrow will be a better day – I won’t allow myself to wallow. Guess I’ll head out to the Visitor Centre now to find out what there is to do on this island …
Addendum – 9pm @ Penguin Parade: Decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and went to the Penguin Parade …. and thank goodness I did, because just watching the little fellas waddling up onto the beach and heading into their burrows to feed their chicks was an amazing, uplifting experience. They were cute, struggled across rocks and past predatory birds, and then clambered up grassy slopes to get home.
I figured … if such small creatures could have such big hearts and determination, what did I have to complain about? I have had many blessings in my life, so what if the journey went a little uphill? Why did I allow myself to become discouraged?
I felt so uplifted by these beautiful blue and white penguins, and I start the day tomorrow with a little more eagerness ….. I’m getting the hang of this ‘alone-time’. Come on …. Team Meta! Let’s get it on again!
Massage at Bliss Spa
August 25th, 2010You may also like The Jurlique Experience and We Love Massages
Time to fess up. I am a toiletries junkie. I love me my product. I have shelves of shampoos, shower gels, masks, and I am really fussy about what I use.
So it is not a small thing to say I am a huge fan of Bliss, especially the Lemon and Sage range. Bliss started out as a little spa in New York City in 1996, with a few spa-quality products that worked really well, clever branding and good word of mouth, and has grown now to an international spa and beauty product brand. With spa-quality treatment products available here at Sephora, which saves me the hassle of getting my supplies from the US.
Yet the fact that there has been a spa here completely escaped my notice!
Actually it’s more like a Mini-Spa, located in the back of Sephora at Ion.
Although it’s small they’ve made good use of the little space. There’s a section for your nails, and another for treatments (waxing, facials), and a couple of treatment rooms.
Where they’ve been inventive is how they’ve tried to make it hip and stylishly groovy (the essence of Bliss) – the big projection screen so you have something to watch during your treatment (it was Audrey Hepburn when I was there), the non-spa music (jazzy-chill-lounge instead), fresh-made lemonade instead of herbal tea, and the signature Bliss blue and white colours (although I am really not a fan of white laminate, which was everywhere).
There are facial treatments, using the fabulous Bliss face range (I am a big fan of the Triple Oxygenating Mask – it works), as well as day spa treats like massages. Spa menu and bookings here.
I had a 60 minute Blissage at $130. It’s their signature massage, which starts off with a paraffin foot treatment (hot paraffin bags wrapped around your feet – very nice).
the lovely Sherene
The massage was excellent – Sherene is strong, and really good at ironing out the kinks.
What I didn’t like was that the oil was unscented, and should you choose to add a fragrance, it’s another $20. That seems unfortunately inappropriate for a brand like Bliss.
The music too was a little off-putting; I’m so used to spa music during a massage that I suspect anything else interferes with my zen.
Maybe when I go back I’ll try a treatment instead: like peeling groovy (how appropriate) – “…dermatologist-developed, non-irritating, extra-strength anti-wrinkle complexion reconstructor…” 30 mins $135; or the youth as we know it – “a gentle mushroom enzyme peel, extractions, a cell-regenerating moisturizing cocktail and a soothing collagen mask” 60 mins $155.
Bliss Singapore – at Sephora, Ion Orchard 6509 3511