Men 100% Leather Messenger Bags - Vagabond Traveler Review

It's hard to find a nice men genuine leather messenger bag in Singapore that doesn't make you feel like you're paying through your nose. And it's even harder to find is one that is well built, looks rugged with a raw finish that cost below 500SGD. I couldn't even find anything I like at this budget.

I have cracked my head for more than half a year before I realised I have yet to explore my online options. Somehow somewhere, Vagabond Traveler caught my eyes on ebay.com. Good reviews were posted on other sites and replies were prompt from the seller.

I decided to go ahead since it'll only cost be less than half the price (inclusive of shipment) of what I was prepared to pay. I opted for Fedex shipment tracking since Vagabond Traveler ships by Fedex.

And eagerly waited....

And got impatient at times...

When it finally arrived in about 2 week's time!!!

It was neatly packed into a flat box.

Ta-da!!! The bag I hunted for so long in the rugged leather finish I wanted.

It is made of oil tanned leather and is in freedom style.

Vagabond Traveler even packed a holder along with it to make it more presentable for gift giving.

Am I a satisfied online shopper of Vagabond Traveler? Yes, I am. At a fraction of the price in Singapore, I am getting a quality product made of genuine leather.

Vagabond Traveler even packed a holder along with it to make it more presentable for gift giving.

The only drawback? My fiance's light coloured pants get chocolate stains when he uses it. At first, we were perplexed and thought the stains came about from his greed in chomping on chocolate bars. Later on, he figured that bag rubs off brown stains on light coloured pants.

We were told that since this is an oil tanned leather that was tanned with colour and wax in raw leather finish, we would have to wait it out for the bag to stop bleaching eventually... :( For now, my fiance just keep to dark coloured pants.

If you intend to purchase from Vagabond Traveler, it may be worthwhile to note that it's cheaper to buy directly from their website instead of from ebay.com or amazon.com.

Good luck in finding the perfect messenger bag!

Sweep Me Off...

Sweep me off..

Bratislava Trip & Skaritz Hotel & Residence Review

It's always nice to blog about my trip 'coz it gives me a chance to relive my happy-away-from-home moments. Sadly, I don't seem to have much time this year to do so and this is inversely proportionate to the amount of travelling I've done the past year.

Well, at least I can squeeze some time out for Bratislava, Slovakia, only because there was nothing much that caught my attention to write in detail.

Town Square

This lesser known city was a last minute insertion to our itinerary since we were only going to 3 other cities in 2 weeks. We thought that Bratislava is en route from Krakow to Budapest and we could just take the overnight train and wake up in Bratislava. Wrong! It was, in a way... but we had to change train in the wee hours of the morning at 2am at a station called "Bohumin". Bad idea as I was woken up about 5 mins before arriving at the transfer station and all toilets were closed for the day. There was only 1 seedy looking snack-BAR at the deserted station.

At least we saw 2 policemen patrolling and the connecting train arrived 20 mins earlier. What a relief to board the train early and head back into slumber land. 

We arrived in Bratislava around 6am and it was rainy and cold. The weather in Central Europe was still bad and I was pretty reluctant to head to our hotel in the foul weather.

To reach Skaritz Hotel & Residence, we had to buy a 70-cent ticket each (from the yellow ticketing machine at the bus stop) at the bus station located right in front of the rail station and board Bus No. 93 which comes every 10 mins or so. After validating the ticket in the ticket marker on the bus, just alight at Hodžovo nám which is 2 stops away and walk to the hotel. The map can be found here: http://goo.gl/maps/cQisI

It was such a joy when we found it! Warm & toasty it was and we were offered coffee and hot tea while waiting to check in.

And the best thing was they allowed us to check in at 8+am once the room was ready! This is the earliest I've ever checked into a hotel. Naturally, I was happy. It was the only hotel we stayed in for this trip as Slovakia has the cheapest accommodation comparing to Prague, Krakow & Budapest. We stayed in apartments for the other 3 cities.

2 thumbs up for Skaritz Hotel & Residence service and stay!! It is located in a convenient location in the heart of the old town, near to the various tourist attractions.

Summer Archbishop Palace in Sweet Pink

For the 1st day, we visited the castle, ate some good Slovakian traditional cuisine like dumplings with sheep's milk cheese and Kapustnica (sauerkraut soup with sausage), which is now my fav. =P~~

Potato Dumpling with Sheep's Milk Cheese

Kapustnica

Here's some pics of the castle which we found sterile and a tad boring.

Stairs to the Castle

Bratislava Castle Grounds

Castle Courtyard

This was how bored we were when we started to pose in front of the mirrors in the castle.

It was only on the highest level that we read that parts of the castle were destroyed by a fire in early 2012. There were only some exhibits on display; so little that they could all pack into a room. We headed back to the old town for coffee and went back to laze in the hotel before googling for good dinner spots in town.

The next morning, we went out early to The Church of St Elisabeth which is on another side of the old town. When I saw the cute blue church, it brought a smile to my face.

Designed in Art Noveau architectural style, the curves and colour look really adorable for a church.

It was well worth my morning walk before we left for Budapest.

One day in Bratislava was enough for me. The old town is small and it is pleasant to stroll around. One thing stood out was the high number of Sushi bars in this small area. After reading about their economy, I realised they must have quite a few business dealings with Japanese for their car manufacturing &  electrical engineering industries.

Weird take away info for my Bratislava trip...

My Best Poker Session Ever: Marriage Proposal From My Love!

Bf proposed last night! And in the way I absolutely love love love, which is original and filled with surprises!

It was meant to be a regular poker session and I felt so lucky to have pocket Queens in the first round. The 1st three cards on the table were Queen, X & Jack.  As it went on, 3 players went all in with bf being 1 of them. *Woo hoo* The pot was getting big enough and gave me an adrenalin rush!

When it was my turn to make a call, I hesitated before going all in. I really didn't want to lose all our chips in the first hand even though the odds were in my favour. And so the showdown began... with 2 pocket Queens from me and 2 pocket Jacks from bf and 1 other player that was significant. Hehe....

My heart was pumping when the 4th card opened and it showed a Jack. "That's fine", I thought, "at least the money is going back into bf's pockets" and I still stand a minute chance. With poker, there's always this element or luck, no?

The trash talk went on and when the last card opened, I was stunned for a while. It was a Queen and I've won! But.... why was my winning card so dirty with all those scribbling?? Huh???

It was a split second before I caught the word "MARRY" and I beamed away. What a way to propose! A climax on top of a climax! Bf is so cool!!! :D

He went down on his knees, took out the custom made ring and gave me the flowers. Of course I said yes. Yes, yes, yes and a million times yes!

The Lovely Bouquet of White Roses

It was a moment of blur and flurry. His thoughtfulness and effort makes me beam from ear to ear. The thoughts that went into the ring design, the flowers he got me, the way he orchestrated the whole poker session with friends.... Yes, I'm truly touched. 

❤ Thank you baby! I really do feel so so lucky to have met you and have you in my life. ❤

The ring is designed with an infinity love symbol on the side. BF insisted on having this on the ring and he used my tattoo drawings months ago as the reference.

Infinity Love Design On Side Of Ring

I was still contemplating getting the tattoo yesterday when I eventually feel up for it someday. Now, I'll wear it on my engagement ring instead. How meaningful! 

I have not told bf this before. He was my inspiration for the infinity love design and I felt so strongly for him at one point, I almost added one more tattoo to my body. But my rational mind got the better of me. Tats really aren't cool when I am older. Haha...

It wasn't the easiest allowing myself to fall in love with him, to bare my soul and just let the feelings flow. I had hoped that our relationship will go on forever but I was hesitant. I wasn't sure he felt the same way then and whether he wanted the same things in life as me.

Yes, this isn't the end of our journey and I know it'll get better because we both want it so.

Last Pic For The Lovely Night

❤ Baby, you're the best bet in my life. Muacks! ❤

Permanent Laser Hair Removal - Lumenis, Most Effective Hair Removal I've Tried!

I've been so busy lately but I just have to review my most recent hair removal experience coz it was really good! By that, I meant the effectiveness and the comfort level throughout the session.

Ok, so here it goes...

About 2 months back, I was invited for a trial laser session using the LUMENIS LightSheer Duet machine.

I didn't know what to expect and whether it would feel any different from my regular underarm and bikini line IPL sessions at Musee Platinum.

When I arrived at the location, I was asked to go into the treatment room which was neat and filled with several machines.

I was also given a loose-fitting navy satin gown to wear as I was doing a bikini hair removal :P

This was my view while lying down and waiting for my treatment to start. I felt a little nervous not knowing what to expect. And of course, not knowing whether this form of hair removal will hurt a little, especially it was at a sensitive area. 

Somehow, the treatment bed with the extra support at end, near my feet there, made me feel like it was more professional. It seemed more comfortable placing my feet on the support to prop my legs up.

I had to first put on the goggles below before starting my treatment. Looks funny eh?

I was informed that the treatment was about to begin the moment the machine hand-piece was placed on my skin. Immediately, I felt this weird sensation on my skin but I couldn't quite make out what it was. Every 1-2 seconds, the hand-piece was moved. After a while, I badly wanted to know what was giving me that unusual sensation and found out that the Lumenis LightSheer Duet machine has a vacuum assisted technology that gently pull and stretch the skin before applying the laser energy. So it was a suction feeling on my skin. No wonder, I didn't feel much pain from the laser. 

I was told that the vacuum suction allows for a better and smoother hair extraction as the hair follicles are pulled closer to the surface with each suction. I think the suction distracted me from feeling the laser at work too, hence the distraction/reduction in discomfort. It was a plus point for this hair removal treatment! Not only does it reduces discomfort, it also increases efficiency since the vacuum assisted technology reduces the amount of hair removal time required.

At one point, I felt a slight pain and a slight burnt smell. I voiced out my discomfort and a shave was promptly given. Apparently, I didn't shave cleanly and this attracted more laser energy to the area, causing the pain. So, take note to shave properly on treatment day itself. ;)

Well, the whole process was really fast. The whole session was over in less than 10 mins!  There was no need for gels or whatnots. Just the shaved skin and the machine, so it was really much less messier than my regular IPL. This is one of the reasons why the whole session was so speedy. Time is shaved off from applying numbing gel before the session and from applying the post treatment cooling pad and soothing cream.

You can do lunch and have your hair removal session all done with no hassle. It's that convenient and speedy.

Yes, this is the wondrous machine....

My verdict? Hair did not grow out for a month after the treatment in most areas. I was almost hairless! Now, after 2 months, the hair growth has slowed A LOT for most areas and I'm impressed by the results. If this goes on, I think I'd only need a few more sessions to be completely hairless! It's more effective than the other bikini IPL I've tried. It's fast, not messy and the discomfort level is low. Moreover, there's no need to remind myself to shave a few days before treatment. 

If you want to find out more, drop me a note or email me at mei.journey@gmail.com. Give it a go and experience the effectiveness yourself.  

Bike Tour In Ubub, Bali, A Fantastic Way To See Ubud

I started 2013 in the way I like! First to Bangkok then to Bali for some me time. =))

Bestie invited me to bunk in with her at Bali and bf promptly bought me air ticket to send me off. Whee... And it is to Ubud this round in Bali.

Since I had the daytime free to myself, I signed up for some activities to get to know Ubud, Bali a little better. And one of it was the bike tour organised by Bali Eco & Educational Cycling Tour.

It was a pleasant start with prompt replies to my emails to ensure a beginner like me can handle biking in a foreign land.

I got picked up by the tour really early at 7.15am to have breakfast with a view... of Mt Batur, an active volcano.

The whole group was of a comfortable size of only 10 people.

It was a simple meal to start the day and the view was gorgeous. If only bf was with me...

The black soil area is where the lava flowed from Mt Batur's last eruption in 2000. The friendly guide went on to tell us a bit more about this area and also the spiritual significance of the calm lake besides Mt Batur.

Next up was a short educational tour about some Balinese native spices and plants and also a brief history of how some other foreign spices like Vanilla came to being on this sunny island.

Coffee Luwak Beans On The Left Looking Prettier

We were introduced to a live civet cat that poops out the very expensive Coffee Luwak beans. We were told that the coffee beans is foreign to Bali, hence, it was by accident that the civet cat ingest these beans and poop them out. 

Shortly after, we had a break and was given a tray of samples of ginseng coffee, lemongrass tea, Balinese coffee etc.

The guide managed to find a big spider out of nowhere and showed it to us. Reminds me of uni days. 

Just as I thought that the tour felt more educational and cultural, we were driven to pick up our mountain bikes for the real cycling deal. 

It was a breeze cycling as it was mainly downhill on wide roads.

We stopped by a Balinese family house to take a look. 

The guide went on to introduce their way of life and how this family makes their living by producing bamboo products.

The next part of cycling was through the padi fields; Something I was really looking forward to.

We rode through these fields with the blue sky above. 

See how beautiful it is....

The only problem for me was that the cycling path was a tad too narrow. It was more of a psychological issue when I cannot see where the edge of the path was. I was moving slower than usual and before I knew it, I was in the waters after going over a broken concrete patch. Talk about embarrassment. Thank goodness all I got was a refreshing soak for both my feet with no injuries. 

Then came the uphill stretch where a true bike beginner like myself had to dismount and push all my way uphill. There was a guide behind the last person (yours truly) and he offered to push my bike when he saw me struggling. But I managed to get through it, and boy, what a work out it was on my first day in Bali.

We rested under a 500 years old Banyan Tree where the guides brought out bananas for snack. The whole time, there was a van following us, except for the stretch through the padi fields where it couldn't go. So, no worries if you don't have much stamina like me, which is highly unlikely. :|

At this juncture, we were asked whether we wanted to continue with a 40mins downhill cycling route or a 40 mins uphill one.

Of course I opted for the downhill route where a van would be waiting to send us uphill for lunch. We were handed cool towels at the end of our ride too. The bulk of the people opted for the challenging uphill route.

This is the view from the van with the rest working out hard under the hot sun. 1 person gave up midway and the guide took over her bike. 

Before long, we arrived at the lunch venue and the uphill cyclists streamed in one by one, totally drenched in the humid weather. 

The tour ended with a delectable lunch. I can't decide whether this lunch or the one from my cooking class is better. 

Either way, it was a fantastic way to start my holiday in Ubud, Bali. For 360,000IDR, I really like this tour. The whole program was well paced and totally enjoyable. Despite me falling into the waters, I had a really good time that day!