Che-che’s skin

7-10 days before 30th Aug

Noticed che-che suddenly had so many huge pimples on her face. Looked worst than when she was a teenager. 她都不年轻了为什么还有青春痘？She’s probably under stress and asked if she wanted to see Dr Chu or facial. She kept declining all my suggestions but it hasn’t gotten any better in the days that followed. 不管她 I’ll fix a facial for her some time. Was then deciding where to bring her? In beauty salons they will always push you to buy products or sign on packages. Saw a few home based facial places with the proper huge machines which looks interesting. 

The girls bo-chap facial care

The girls are so lazy. Only wash face with facial cleanser that’s it, no toner no moisturiser. At least che-che uses the Kiehl’s masks, lil’ one don’t even bother. I mean….how old are they now, I can’t be nagging at them all the time.  or DO IT FOR THEM like when they were younger. 我自己的脸都要忙着做 coz a lot of work to be done when you’re old and almost wrinkly, where to find the time to do for them? Most importantly they’re old enough to do it themselves. 

Why my two girls 不会爱美？At che-che’s age I already go for facials when I can. I had to use my money to pay for my facial, then why is she not using it for proper things instead of spending on her idols stuffs? I don’t mean she has to book a monthly facial if she can’t afford/wants to stretch out $, but she can do it once every 2-3 months then at home do whatever care she can at home. I have the Labelle Sonic & Ionto L6 beauty device which in my opinion can be used every other day to remove whatever gunks. But no….both girls are lazy.

 

30th Aug (Sat) 

After all the 想来想去, decided to go ahead with Kiehl’s. Even if they wanted to promote anything, my mini Kiehl’s shop at home might have it 🤣. Booked appointment for her facial. 

In the afternoon after her work, we dropped by Kiehl’s TM and the SA recommended two items which I do not have at all - 

Not sure if she can use these now. Took pics so I can show them. 

SA advises anything too harsh now. Don’t use the Deep pore cleansing mask for now. 

Day time application. Night time application is the same except omit the sunblock. 

Samples

Che-Che’s diet is not exactly clean. She loves fried food, snacks, junks, no fruits, no veggies how to get clearer healthier skin? No skin cell repair, no fight against inflammation. No matter how much water she drinks will not help her at all. But does she listen? Do the two girls listen? NO!! 

Been asking her to use her Cetaphil for body but stubborn means stubborn. To lil’ one’s knowledge “but it’s goat milk we shower what?!” 🫩 Did she really think it was really goat milk?  

Told the big stubborn girl it’s not exactly eczema friendly but 她也不管

Checked the bottle for ingredients 

Ingredient : Deionised Water, EDTA Tetrasodium, Sodium Laureth Sulphate, Cocamidoprepyl Betaine, Cocamide DEA, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Fragrance, Methylisohia-zolinone, Ethylene Glycol Distearate, Glycerin, Vitamin E acetate, goat milk powder

Decided to go through the list and this is the conclusion :

 

1. Yes, deionized water is generally considered safe for eczema and can be beneficial, especially compared to hard tap water which can exacerbate symptoms. Deionized water lacks the minerals and chemicals found in tap water that can strip the skin's natural oils, weaken its barrier, and cause irritation. 

2. Tetrasodium EDTA is not definitively safe for everyone with eczema

3. Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), and its close relative Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), is not considered safe for eczemabecause it can strip the skin's natural oils, leading to dryness and irritation, which can trigger flare-ups. It's recommended for people with eczema to avoid this ingredient and choose sulfate-free cleansers to prevent further exacerbating the condition. 

4. cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) is not safe for most people with eczema, as it is a known irritant and can trigger contact dermatitis, leading to redness and flaking. Dermatologists and organizations like the National Eczema Association recommend avoiding CAPB in personal care products like shampoos and body washes if you have eczema. 

5. Cocamide DEA is not safe for eczema, as it is a potential contact allergen and irritant that can worsen eczema symptoms, especially in those with pre-existing skin conditions or other allergies. Individuals with eczema are more susceptible to developing a contact dermatitis reaction to Cocamide DEA, which can lead to symptoms like redness and itching. 

I give up checking the rests. 

27th Sep (Sat) @ 6.30pm

Her first Kiehl’s facial at Raffles City shopping mall 

Do a skin analysis. M did this on complimentary for my two girls before.

29th Sep (Mon)

Dunno why I suddenly thought of laundry detergent. Coz I noticed of late she’s been scratching her arms and legs. Shouldn’t I be getting her eczema safe laundry detergent? What the?! After so many years then this pea-brain me thought of this? How much harm have I exposed my daughter to all these years? Bad mummy! For the record, I’ve also stopped diffusing essential oils in the house since last year after I read that essential oil can cause eczema flare-ups 😧.  

Not sure how good these two brands (Green Kulture and SimplyGood) are but although it’s going to ba a hassle separating her clothes, towels, bedsheets from us, the one that is working hard is the washing machine and my muscles. 

Cross fingers that this will help her ease the itch. 

Dinner & abt jap soy sauce

Blogging tonight’s dinner coz I needed to record the recipe somewhere. 

DISH #1

I’ve never cooked okra for hubby before, same goes for bittergourd. He likes these two which I don’t eat that’s why I hardly cook them. Okra dish cooked with oyster and garlic chilli. Have no idea how it tasted coz not much mushroom left so I let him finished everything. 

 I bought the 4 packs of pork + 1 pack of beef during the promotional period. Usual price is $10/box

DISH #2

Tiring to cook this as I had to individually fried each slice. Hmm….I realised that this meat has the chao-chor-bi smell. Strange, I thought usually japanese make their exported piggies eunuch. 

My third time cooking for them BUT my first time eating this just coz I was on vegetarian the days I cooked for them previously. It’s delicious! I was lazy so threw the dishes in my bowl. I have fried egg white too from che-che’s pasteurised eggs. 

DISH #3

Teriyaki tofu. Again another tedious process. This time using this tofu coz che-che prefers it soft not the momen tofu.

Had to fry each tofu individually with potato starch. The whole time for cooking I was using the tamagoyaki frying pan 😂. Tricky with fried tofu is that it should be done just before serving so tofu remains hot and crispy but you know it’s really impossible as I need to get dinner served at different timing BUT I need to clean my kitchen asap. I can’t have any delay; any of my family members walking through the kitchen and smearing the floor grease to other parts of the house. 

Took Sudachi’s recipe for the teriyaki sauce. I doubled it coz thought maybe lil’ one will like the teriyaki sauce.  Turns out it’s teriyaki soup with tofu 😂, so I really shouldn’t double portion the sauce the next time I cook this. Just like the pork, after frying, I did extra step and soaked the tofu/pork back in the pan with the sauce. 

(Sudachi’s recipe for one portion : 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp sake, 2 tsp sugar and ½ tbsp garlic paste

Recipe calls for koikuchi shoyu but I used our LKK low sodium soy sauce 

******** SOY SAUCE ********

talking about soy sauce … I have a blog entry on it in my draft folder. Drafted since July but as usual it takes me forever to type it down (then I’ll backdate and publish in July 🤭). I’ll combine into this blog.

Difference between koikuchi shoyu and usukuchi soy sauce

, 

A video on how to use these sauces. Click HERE

Types of shoyu. Click HERE

Everything about shoyu. Click HERE

We drove past a soy sauce brewery before. Can’t remember whether it’s when we’re on our way to Kagoshima or Miyazaki, 反正 it was on an ulu stretch of road, I saw the decorative barrels by the roadside. I must have cleared those days photos from my phone so I can’t track back the route now. Other than that, don’t think we came close to any other shoyu brewery. Tamari, a gluten-free and keto friendly version, I saw one well known local miso+tamari shop in GH but I didn’t buy coz they were closed when I walked past 😭. Mie is also famous for tamari. 

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Maybe I should go Meidiya one day and take pics of all the soy sauce and slowly research which is the best. I’m not even sure if their shoyu and our Chinese chio-cheng tastes the same.

Long long long time ago I ever bought soy sauce from Meidiya when I asked a staff for recommendation, it was so saltish!!! I can’t remember what I bought then as I threw it away after using it twice. Not to my taste, and I wouldn’t want my family to eat high sodium soy sauce. 

Che-che’s main carbs

After the failed attempt on 30/8, 不甘愿 must try again.  I froze the eggs this time and look so hopeful I can get it done. Yolk looks good here. The moment I gently cup the rounded with a space in between rice on my hand to this rice, it remain intact and I was so happy. But ……. After that I noticed yolk oozing out from the side. I can’t do this. 

Trips to the supermarkets

Singapore is just never short of Japanese supermarkets, there’s Meidiya, Donki, JMart coz of the huge Japanese expatriate community (I thought there’s also a huge European expat community?) 

Wanted to cook japanese so headed to Meidiya with the intention to only get one item. I think JMart may have what I need.  I miss japan so pretend to be in Japan by jalan jalan in a bigger mart 🤣. 

18th Sep (Thu) @ Meidiya Millenia Walk

Saw Okayama peaches selling for 2 for $32.80. So expensive! Sadly it wasn’t the peach season when we were in Okayama last year, we couldn’t buy any to try.

I would prefer if Meidiya only carry solely japanese produces and products, they won’t make a loss as I’m sure the japanese community would love to see more familiar items. 

These made me happy for the time being

26th Sep (Fri) @ JMart

Made a trip to JMart. Bringing lil’ one to eat at Uncle Wanton during her ‘lunch time’ was just an excuse for me to go I12 😉

I love this kani croquette. I don’t like ladyfingers but buy so the poor hubby have a variety of vegetables and not subjected to only what his wife eats. 

Cooked for him three days later

My flour arrived the same day today! I realised the seller is in Osaka. Aiyoh! Should have asked che-che to help me buy when she was there. Can’t be helped coz I wasn’t thinking to make pancake. 

So now I must find a day to make this when lil’ one is at home. 

ich möchte

I want to spend Christmas in Germany !!! I want to soak into that enchanting atmosphere.

想当年…… My first experience in Christmas market was in Frankfurt. It was a FRA-JFK flight. 

We went to Berlin (a few markets), Munich (2 different markets for che-che and me) and Nuremberg Christmas markets and Nuremberg’s blew my mind. It was really the bestest of the bestest. 

I think overall coz Nürnberg was the only city I haven’t been to (when I planned the itinerary), everything is so beautiful and the quietest of the lot even though we went only one Christmas market. Haha! I think they only have ONE in the small medieval old town 😀

Haven’t had this

Want eat açai bowl but not in the vicinity. And think of how much sugar I’m introducing. 

Finally, after my frozen banana was meant to be used within the next day or next few days, I finally got to use it seeing my Acai packets has been in the freezer since beginning of this year (?)

1st Sept (Mon) - Froze the cut bananas. Even tho I had deep them cut banana in lemon juice before placing on the plate to freeze. Then bagged it up. Turned brown after the 3rd day. (I wonder how do factories make their frozen banana still so nice looking. Maybe the next time I decide to do it, I should vacumn seal the packet) Despite the yucky colour, it won’t alter the taste at all

Usually I like to use apple juice (oops! Not that healthy) and blend it with strawberries and bananas. Today, I opened 2 packets and used 1/2 cup + less than 1/4 cup of water and the brownish bananas. It’s yummy. 

Although I like Acai, can’t help but think the amount of sugar in this. I tried the unsweetened ones before, it’s quite bitter. Maybe Acai is too hyped up, perhaps just eating blueberries and strawberries on its own is good enough to give me the antioxidants

Tamagotchi - part II

Two weeks since I received my first Tamagotchi and it has died thrice. It’s the 4th I’ve raised from the start 😂. I do better as a mother not a Tamagotchi-mama, at least my kids didn’t die on me 🤣. I did accidentally murdered one tho coz it wasn’t on the screen, so I thought it decomposed and I wasn’t aware. I resetted the tamagotchi by removing the battery and putting it back. It happened in one of the angelgotchi in the next next new baby and I ignored it, it came back on. It went for a walk I read 🤭, so I kindda murdered one by mistake. MURDERER!

A review of this angelgotchi it seems like it dies 💀 faster than the normal tamagotchi as the angelgotchi is the dead tamagotchis, this is what I read. I can’t compare coz the girls’ tamagotchi always never survive long enough 😂. Che-che’s comment after I told her what is angelgotchi was “so lousy. should have bought the Osaka one, so much nicer.”

Nice meh? 

Generally how I take care of all the angelgotchi is to feed it at once, play with it for 2-3 rounds of the game, run one round of ‘toilet checked!’ altho there is no 💩 and lastly praise it a few times. After that I ignore it until I’m free. So if I’m doing housework or busy, it’s basically alone. I don’t pay attention to it praying. My “Deeds” is always low bar coz I don’t have the time to keep my eyes on the gadget. Good thing is this thing sleeps early 😂, and when it wakes up the next day I can’t hear it calling me coz I have my earplug on. 

My angelgotchi only survived until Oyajitenshi 🤣, today I killed Takoten 😂

Pic taken from ilovetamas! Credit given with thanks coz I only kill angelgotchi, I don’t steal 😉

Knuckle pain

Been having this pain on my right pointer, middle and ring knuckles for months now. Press and it’s painful, sometimes it’s painful even if I don’t press on them. Not sure what it is but thought I’m also no longer a young lady. Is it related to any old age problem 😳. arthritis? 

Past few days have been trying

Tried these, can’t even feel anything. Just cooling during application and after that ? feels nothing 

So it’s koyok time. Koyok too big so have to cut into these. So funny. 

No use. If I paste a bigger patch of koyok I get the nice relief, this is prolly too small to feel anything 

put cold water compress. Whole fingers numb 🤣 funny sensation but still painful after that

So it is arthritis? 

I like the sentence “overuse of your hand” means I shouldn’t do anymore housework 😂. It’s quite difficult for me to avoid using my right hand altho I’m left handed, I do use both hands when the other is tired. Need to bend those fingers to hold scrub, vacumn etc.. 

I just try to be conscious and straighten my fingers out. I’ve learnt the art of holding the iron (I use my right hand for ironing) with just the thumb curling under the handle. I hope by doing so, I will use my hand lesser 🤣

Hojicha n matcha

Busy busy again 🤣

20th Sep (Sat)

Bought this hojicha powder I found in Meidiya and tried to make hojicha latte using the same proportion for matcha latte. 

* note : I don’t think this is a good hojicha powder coz found it in baking section 😬

Feel it’s too sweet, maybe coz the nutty taste adds extra sweetness? 

I will consider buying a better hojicha powder as che-che likes hojicha next time, after I have some space in the ‘tea’ cabinet. She bought two huge packs of hojicha from Uji and Nagoya and hasn’t even opened it yet. 

Differences between hojicha and matcha

Matcha is generally considered healthier than Hojicha due to its higher concentration of beneficial compounds like EGCG and L-theanine, which are preserved because the whole leaf is consumed after a prolonged shading process that enriches nutrients and caffeine. Hojicha is still healthy, but the roasting process reduces its antioxidant levels, though it does have lower caffeine and contains pyrazines which may aid digestion and provide a calming effect.

Picture taken from yunomi.life website 

More information from the website, click HERE

Just incase you do not know

21st Sep (Sun)

My stuffs arrived from JPN. Had to replace my wonky weighing scale which has been giving me erratic numbers. I bought a cooking thermometer coz I needed a more accurate water temperature to make matcha, been doing my agar-ation which is not a good idea. Using a wrong temperature for making matcha alters the taste of the pure matcha. Fortunately I haven’t been using that super expensive matcha powder otherwise money down the drain for spoiling the tea. 

BUT ! Whilst cooking the peach gum I recalled there’s a kettle function in the German machine 🤦🏻‍♀️. Means I can boil the water to the desired temperature. It only took slightly less than 5mins to work up to the temp.

This time a little smarter, I did 5 portions in two batches. Lessened the sugar. 

Wanted to make usucha for myself but was so tired and needed to clean the messy kitchen after cooking peach gum. Left the last bit of matcha powder, I will have to open another bottle soon. Before I do that, I’ll have to get a new whisk as I saw some broken prongs 😬. Where did they go? I didn’t swallow any broken prongs at all 🤣 or maybe che-che did.