Bali Mar'15: Yina goes to Bali with Team GetKlarity

Heya everyone!!! Here I am.. Reporting live from Bali, Indonesia! Glad to have the opportunity to do one of my favourite things again: travel, always! All thanks to GetKlarity for sending me over together with them! :)

So some time last week, our co-founder, Joelle, texted me totally out of the blue and the text went like,

"Babe, You wanna go Bali with us? We're gonna go there, book a villa, then work and relax together at the same time! This Sunday we're flying!!!"

WHAT?! Yeap, it was as crazy as that! And of course I said yes! (After consulting the husband.. "Dear can I go to Bali this Sunday with the GK guys? It's for work!!" *bats eyelashes*) I love being part of a start-up. Everyone's just ultra-cool and super spontaneous like that! And that's how I ended up on an airplane to Bali with the rest of Team GetKlarity!

   
Here's the amazing view from the plane! For my five days in Bali (the rest of the GetKlarity team will be here for ten days, but I gotta get back to real life after five days), I brought along my trusty little Samsung Nx3000 camera to document my adventures, the way I always do.

 
This is Justin and Joelle being very amazed by the remote function that allows my phone to work as a remote shutter..

 
..And our self-captured group photo! (Achieved by resting the camera on a random stand and then triggered shutter with my phone.) SUCCESS!

 
Joelle and I on the car ride to our home for the next 5-10 days...

 
And the incredible villa that we're calling home!

 
That's my bedroom right there.

 
Did I mention that our villa comes with our very own private pool? Ahhhhh such luxury!

 
Of course I had to take my first OOTD by the pool-side. How picturesque is it? Toooo pretty!!

 
You might not believe that I captured this on remote shutter mode *points to phone in hand* Hehehe. 

 
Anirban and Joelle doing a bit of lounging on the comfortable pool-side deck beds! After some housekeeping and stuff, it was time to feed the hungry stomachs!

A recommendation from our villa host got us to Kat's Kitchen, which served up pretty good Thai food!

 
Back to our villa for some pool and fun times. Sweet, sweet, life. That feeling of just soaking in the cool water with an ice-cold drink in hand under the blazing sun is indescribable!

 
Pizza for dinner in Bali sounds a little strange, but for less than $20 for two pizzas that fed four of us, I say it's a job well done!

 
Just in case you think it's all fun and play, it's not! 

 The peeps here at Team GetKlarity are working real hard to bring you GetKlarity, The App as soon as humanly possible, and everyone's really excited to push out the product ASAP! Amidst all the fun times, what's going here are actually intense meetings, discussions and work marathons, because we are truly dedicated to building the best platform that you'll love! The team worked late into the night yesterday, and had a long but fulfilling day! 

Apart from a major bug scare in which a massive beetle landed on my thigh (EEKS!) and didn't want to move away. Fearless bug-slayer Anirban saved the day :D What an eventful time it's been! 

For more updates on GetKlarity in Bali as well as beauty and wellness bites, pop over to GetKlarity's e-magazine right here, guys! Oh, before I forget, don't forget to follow GetKlarity on Instagram at @getklarity for more live updates!! :) 

Gonna go enjoy the rest of my trip now!

 xoxo

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My Spark: Spreading the love for music

Many people ask me why I sing in the SYC Ensemble Singers.

That is, outside of running my online boutique, TheVelvetDolls, being a blogger contracted with Nuffnang and working part-time with GetKlarity as the Editor-In-Chief.

With some fellow choristers in Hondarribia, Spain.

A group polaroid in Pamplona, Spain with the SYC Ensemble Singers

That's right folks, for the past seven years, I've spent seven hours (on average) a week in rehearsals with the SYC Ensemble Singers, which I joined the year I turned 21 years old. Apart from the seven-hours-a-week rehearsals, the SYC Ensemble Singers also travel every year, performing (concerts), competing (in international choral competitions) and learning (in choir ateliers/workshops). It is a huge commitment for me, especially in light of my super busy schedule, and I've had to work hard to keep myself in the choir in recent years, due to the high level of commitment required.

But when I ask myself if I should call it quits, or to leave the choir all together, I know that being able to sing as part of the SYC Ensemble Singers has become something that's grown to be a very important part of my life, and perhaps even somewhat part of my identity.

Because outside of work and personal commitments, this is how I'm doing something not just for myself, but for something that's profoundly bigger than just a singular me. When I'm singing in the SYC Ensemble Singers, I'm lending one voice to a cause to keep music well and alive in today's pragmatic society that sometimes doesn't pause to listen to such alternative voices.

Yes, we listen to pop music, we listen to the oldies, and we listen to the classics. But what about the living modern-day composers, that may become the Beethovens and Bachs of the future? If there is no one to give voice to our living talents, these voices will die out and face extinction.

When I first joined the SYC Ensemble Singers 7 years ago, I just thought it'd just be my way of keeping my passion for singing alive, but after so many years under the helm of the wonderful Jennifer Tham, I have learnt that I'm doing so much more than just keeping a passion alive. 

The one and only Jen Tham

As a singular SYC Ensemble Singer, I not just learn to become a better musician (coming from someone who cannot read music or sight-sing, even I'm impressed that I'm still here after seven years, and that is a testament to both the choir and how passionate I am for it!), I'm connected to like-minded souls, I experience different cultures through our international exchanges, I truly discover what commitment, discipline and dedication means. 

A treasured photo with the President of Singapore Mr Tony Tan and his lovely wife during the Cultural Medallion Award Ceremony.

In Turin, Italy for one of the largest festivals in Europe! Team Singapore Represent!!!

What it looks like before every concert. Game faces on!

..And after. Beer, food and laughter!!

As a collective group, we seek to promote the music of today through active commissioning and performance of the works of living composers. We explore the musical boundaries of what “choir music” is, what singing together means, we hope to showcase what a choir as a means of musical expression can be, and to inspire the proliferation of local choral works, choirs and choristers. 

There's so much I feel for music and singing in a choir that is too much for me to express: Read my previous blog post written some time ago about "Thoughts on Being a Chorister".

Having fun in Turin, Italy during an amazing choir festival!

Singing with two other choirs: Ateneo (from the Philippines) and Gaia (from Japan) during our massive THREE concert held last December.

Of course, it's also super FUN, there's always laughter, joy and a wonderful sense of camaraderie amongst my fellow members. I have been to soooo many foreign lands I would otherwise never have the privilege of experiencing and loving.

Aini, Woon, Fish and myself exploring Grenada, Spain after we ended an international choir competition.

I have made amazing friends like Woon, Fish, Aini and many more, because of the heartfelt experiences we've shared together, it takes some really serious stuff (like intense choral competitions!) to build such deep friendships. I love you all much!

Random trivia: Did you know that YZ and I met and fell in love (at a music cafe) because we both love to sing as well? :D

Circa 2007: YZ and I on stage at 木船民歌餐厅, The Ark Music Cafe where we first met

Random Trivia 2: The SYC Ensemble Singers sang together with Mick Jagger and the rest of The Rolling Stones during their last concert in Singapore *fan girl screams*

Woon and I with our memorabilia during the day of The Rolling Stones concert, SO so psyched!

All the above I've shared is why I started a Spark: Because music is something magical that speaks so loudly to me, beyond all tangible needs and wants. Singing and making music is something that speaks to my soul and satisfies me at a deeply spiritual level.

 And I want my magical experience and the love for music to be able to be shared with the people around me, my loved ones and friends!

My spark is for MORE ears to hear our voices and to keep our local music scene alive and well!

Some of my uber supportive friends who came down and enjoyed our concert on previous occasions!!

I'm hoping that more of my friends will come for my concerts frequently even if they can't understand half of what's going on at first. Hehehe. Look at YZ, he's a superb example! He really really enjoys SYC concerts now even though they left him confused the first 1-2 times.

And I've been doing what I can to share the music to my loved ones and friends, and I knew I had to have them sing for my big day, to which they so lovingly did.

These wonderful people accompanied our first wedding march-in with their beautiful voices and music. I love you all much!

I hope that my passion for choral music and my love for singing can spark off more widespread appreciation and support for the local music scene in Singapore! It's just a small wish of mine, but I truly believe in this cause. :)

Maybe take a first step by listening to some of these wonderfully composed pieces performed by us on SYC Ensemble Singers' Youtube channel first? (Psst, try to spot me if your eyes are sharp enough!)

What's your spark?

Spark off something you're passionate about at: www.dbs.com/spark, and take a step closer towards igniting your passion and to bring it to life :')

Find out more about DBS Spark Something on Facebook: www.fb.com/dbs.sg

Instagram: www.instagram.com/dbsbank 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/dbsbank


xoxo

Look for me on my other social media platforms here:

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Ship Ahoy: Sephora Beauty Voyage!

Hello folks!!

Taking a break from my travelogues and sharing some photos from last Friday's Sephora Beauty Voyage organised by the good folks at Sephora: it's my honour and pleasure to set sail aboard with Sephora! No one says no to yacht party invite!!! Right?! Not me lah. Cos seriously when else do I have the chance to sit on a yacht and pretend to be super atas and expensive? Hardly ever.

I always love a well-executed event/campaign, and this month is Sephora's Skin Rescue campaign where Sephora seeks to provide #SkinstantGratification to get gorgeous skin in a jiffy, with awesome beauty products like efficacious peels, cleansing gadgets, makeup removers and masks for instant gratification!

You ought to pop by Sephora cos it's always like a beauty wonderland for me with SO many of my favourite brands available at Sephora. I love wandering the aisles just looking at/testing the products :D (Favourite outlet is Sephora ION, of course) ..This is not a sponsored post or a paid ad!

Aboard Sephora Beauty Voyage we go.. It was super cool cos the team did up a huge yacht specially for the party, with different rooms and areas for different brands and pampering treatments!There were facial rooms, makeup stations, hand pampering sessions and all. Not to mention a bar on the top deck with drinks and Popsicles!! Living it up on a Friday hehe!

We were all given a pair of nice, fluffy, bedroom slippers awww!

And when on a yacht... Take more chio pictures!!

That being said, I was REALLY enjoying the sea breeze (despite how it was messing up my hair) and looking at the expanse of waters. There is just something very calming about the sea.

With sweethearts Roseanne and Evonne, just chilling on the top deck where there was a cocktail bar, and enjoying a coconut-flavoured popsicle!

On the three different levels of the yacht, we got to experience and enjoy different beauty treats, from facials, to masks, and even hand pampering sessions.

Glamglow is one of the masks that's highly raved about by everyone! I personally like the white one (Super Mud)!

I was treated to a Sake Bath hand soak and Brown Sugar Scrub treatment on my hands by Fresh, another of my favourite beauty brands! I love Fresh's products because they all smell SO good.

This Sake bath product contains more than 30% sake and is inspired by Geishas who used to bath in sake to keep their skin soft and supple. It smells totally drinkable but please don't try!!

Skin Inc is another brand that I'm well-associated with, and two of my favourite products are their Pure Revival Peel (it's a gentle exfoliating gel that leaves my skin smooth and bright) and their different serums.

Definitely had a wonderful Friday escapade on Sephora Beauty Voyage.

A group shot with the lovely bunch: Roseanne, Tricia, Jess and Evonne! :)

It's not often I get to frolic on a yacht so I totally enjoyed it! Photo credit to Evonne too, my ever-willing photographer!

Thanks for hosting such an awesomeballs event, Sephora!

In other news, guess who was featured in 联合早报 last week! ZB Now ran a feature and interviewed me for TheVelvetDolls! *beams with pride* I'm so happy to be featured along-side some really wonderful and inspiring brands and ladies! Though I showed my dad and he was like "又不是头条新闻" and all. But I believe he secretly approves.

I will work harder! :D

Can't believe it's March, already. The time is just zooming past me! And I've been married for two months now. It seems to be wedding season this year because I've also had four other friends join the club: attended two weddings in the past weekend alone!! Married life is really blissful and I couldn't be happier with my wonderful husband. We are still super lovey dovey to the extent that I think some of my friends are just like "STAPH IT ALREADY" but teehee, love makes the world go round :D

Okay, I'm gonna go back to *real* work right now, so I hope all of you have an incredible week ahead! And come look for me on Dayre and Instagram cos I update those spaces quite regularly!! Oh, and I'll try to update again soon with the rest of my Taiwan travelogues soon! :)

xoxo

Look for me on my other social media platforms here:

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