Healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookies

I have seen so many beauty gurus making these healthy cookies. To be honest, I’m not a person who eat healthy, but seeing how easy they are to make, I decided to give it a try.

I searched online and customized my own recipe. To give the cookies some extra flavors, I added peanut butter and cinnamon powder. You can, of course, add other ingredients to enhance the flavor, such as honey, nuts, raisins and chocolate chips (evil little ingredients). So this is how I made them:

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 1/2 cup of instant oatmeal
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (optional)
• Cinnamon powder (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
2. Peel the bananas and mash them in a bowl, until no chunks remain.
3. Pour in your own choice of ingredients and instant oatmeal. Then mix well.
4. Place a teaspoon on a lightly-oiled aluminum foil, and shape them as you wish.
5. Bake them for 20 minutes and let them to cool after taking them out of the oven.

Volia! Don’t expect them to be like crispy and crunchy cookies; these cookies are soft and moist, and of course they are delicious and healthy.

Book Recommendation

To be honest, I do not like to read, but recently I’m so free and thought “maybe I should do some reading”, and I would like to recommend this book “Why We Buy, The Science of Shopping” written by Paco Underhill.

Recommended to those who are in the Marketing, Retailing or PR industry, or generally anyone who’s interested in understanding more about shoppers.

“NEW” Fashion Online Shopping Website?!

I was browsing through Instagram and found this website Rowme.com. By looking at its website, it’s a fashion online shopping website similar to ASOS, and I’m guessing it should be based in China (by looking at its return address).

I was so excited to see another website that provides free shipping worldwide, and was just about to do some crazy shopping, especially with the 15% discount they provided while registered as a member. However, when I was looking through the T-shirt section, and found this T-shirt so familiar. I clicked in and…. oh yes, it’s exactly the same as my H&M t-shirt, which I bought 2 years ago.

Not sure about the service and quality, but I don’t think I would ever buy anything on this website. That t-shirt was originally priced at $26.99, definitely much more expensive than the one at H&M. I don’t have any experience buying things on this website, but just as a kind warning, things sold might be fake or an exact dupe from a well-known brand.

If anyone has bought anything through this website, please feel free to comment below and share your experience.

Restaurant Review: Som Tam, Bangkok

The hotel we are staying is located near Siam, so we decided to have lunch at Som Tam at Siam Square Soi 5 before checking-in our hotel on our first day in Bangkok. Once you arrive at the restaurant, tell the staff the number of people dining at the restaurant, and he will give you a menu.

After deciding what you would like to eat, ask the staff to take your order, have a seat and wait for your turn. I personally think that staff has super good memory, as he remembers what each group of people have ordered and provide a table accordingly.

Fresh Coconut@Som Tam

Refreshing and cooling drink! Perfect for the hot weather!

Papaya Salad with Fermented Crab

This place is famous for its papaya salad, of course we had to order one. Oh my god, it’s super spicy, so if you can’t eat spicy food, you might not be able to finish this dish! This dish is so spicy that even my parents felt the heat, but the ingredients were very fresh and all the flavour and texture combined together was awesome!

Fried Fish

This is probably one of my favourite dishes in Bangkok! Well, I have to say the fish isn’t the freshest, but definitely the tastiest! A bit spicy but not too much, sour, sweet and salty… all-in-one! Should have ordered some sticky rice to go with it! Totally worth the price!

Fried Thai Sausage

This is the first time I see these fried thai sausage, interesting shape, a pretty nice appetizer and snack.

P.S. Sorry that I didn’t write down the exact name of each dish and the price!

Environment: 8/10 (Convenient location, but can be a bit crowded)

Service: 7/10 (Not the best service, as some staff tried to avoid us when we were asking for help)

Food:  8/10 (Pretty good for the price, especially the fried fish)

Overall: Good quality food for the price! I would consider re-visiting again next time!

Address: 392/14 Soi Siam Square 5, Rama 1 Road, Bangkok, Thailand.

Day 1@Bangkok, Thailand

Taking a break from work, I decided to go on a short trip (22 Sept to 24 Sept) with my parents to Bangkok. I bought my travel package (flight + hotel + insurance) online through Wing On Travel, and it was approximately HKD$3,400 per person, not the cheapest but acceptable I guess.

It’s my first time going to Thailand, and I was a bit excited, as it seems like all my girl friends love Bangkok. However, I wasn’t expecting a lot of shopping, as my parents are not a fan of shopping, so it was more of a first impression of Thailand and some standard sightseeing for this trip.

Early Flight to Bangkok on CX

Luckily we managed to get on the plane that morning, as all the flights operated by Cathay Pacific were cancelled that evening, due to Typhoon Usagi.

After we landed in Bangkok, we took the Airport Rail Link to Phaya Thai and changed to BTS Skytrain for Siam. I think the train network in Bangkok is pretty efficient and easy to use, but it’s a bit pricey. Oh, and there’s 1 thing that bothers me: at some stations, the staff is willing to sell the tickets to you at the counter; however at some stations, you have to line up for change at the counter and then line up again to buy your ticket at the ticket machine. Maybe I should get the Rabbit card next time.

BTS Single Journey Ticket (Front & Back)

As it was a bit early to check-in our hotel, our first stop was Siam Square. I originally thought the shops would be opened at Soi 5; however it seems like there was a renovation or something going on, so no shop were opened. In the end, we headed directly to Som Tam for lunch.

Waiting outside Som Tam for a table

After lunch, we headed to our hotel, Courtyard by Marriott, to check-in. Although the hotel is located in a quiet street, it was pretty easy to find our way there.

Courtyard by Marriott, Bangkok

After settling down, we headed out again, stopping by Erawin Shrine and then took the BTS Skytrain to Mo Chit Station. When I go travelling, I actually enjoy visiting supermarkets, convenience stores and weekend markets; therefore the Chatuchak Weekend Market was a must-go for me.

Look at the heavy rain out there!

Favourite Thai Tea Found@Mo Chit Station

When we got off at Mo Chit Station, it was raining cats and dogs outside, so we could only wait till the storm passed by. When we were waiting, we saw this Drink Station, which I read many good reviews on the Internet beforehand, and now I see why, Thai Tea has become one of favourite drinks now!!!

It’s slightly more expensive than the ones you buy on the street, but it really tastes so good! My dad tried to buy the tea back home, but all we could find was a huge tin sold at Central World Supermarket, and we thought it was a bit too much. If anyone knows where to get smaller packaging, please let me know in the comments below!

Luckily the rain stopped, and finally we were at Chatuchak Weekend Market. Just walk through the park and follow the crowd, you will eventually find your way there!

Snapshot@Chatuchak Weekend Market

Chatuchak Weekend Market consists of everything, from souvenirs to home decoration, to food, to clothes… you name it they have it! I would definitely re-visit this place again and do some crazy shopping!

Fried Squid Egg

Coconut Ice Cream with Palm Seeds & Sweet Corn

I don’t know how to explain the fried squid egg, as I have no idea what I was eating. It was okay, but not my favourite. As for the coconut ice cream, it was good, especially under the hot weather; but the flesh was a bit too hard.

After a lot of walking around, my parents were tired. The moment we decided to rest for a while, it started to rain again! So we didn’t go to Or Tor Kor Market but got on the BTS Skytrain, and headed back to Central World, where I did some crazy shopping at Boots and had dinner at Kum Poon to end our day.

Review: Soap & Glory, Flake Away

Many beauty guru have been talking about the brand Soap & Glory, and it seems like most of the reviews are positive, but we do not have them here in Hong Kong. So I was looking forward to visiting Boots in Bangkok and get my hands on some of Soap & Glory’s products.

I have been looking for a body scrub to replace my favourite St. Ives In-shower Exfoliating Body Polish, which had been sadly discontinued. I tried the Champneys Spa Treatments Citrus Blush Body Scrub, and I really hate it. When the body scrub touches my hair, they leave my hair feeling dry and I could not comb through. It also leave my skin feeling weird, not oily but you feel like there’s a film on my skin. So I went a little crazy with body scrub, and let’s start with Flake Away first.

Soap & Glory Flake Away (395 THB)
* Bought them when they had a Buy-1-Get-1-Free offer. 

The body polish is pretty thick and feels grainy, but not harsh at all. Just rub the product into your skin, and the grains will dissolve gradually. The smell is amazing too!

After washing off the body polish, the skin feels very smooth and soft. My skin feels moisturized too, you don’t really need to apply body lotion, unless you have super dry skin.

I would definitely recommend buying this, especially when they are doing a special offer!

Bangkok Shopping Haul

Sorry for abandoning my blog for more than 1 year. To “celebrate” the re-activating my blog, I would like to share with you all my recent 3 days 2 nights trip to Bangkok.

It’s my first time to Thailand; I had a great time, but didn’t buy a lot, as I was with my parents and was busy sightseeing. The following is most of the things I bought:

Just randomly bought some Thailand instant noodles, biscuit and snacks. My mom also bought some Thai seasonings, so that she can try making real Thai food at home.

As we can’t get Soap & Glory in Hong Kong, I went a bit crazy, especially because they were doing a Buy-1-Get-1-Free offer at Boots.

– The Scrub of your Life (395 THB)
– Hand Food (295 THB)
– Heel Genius (295 THB)
– Scrub ’em and Leave ’em (395 THB)
– Flake Away (395 THB)
– Righteous Butter (395 THB)
* Original price stated above.

After this trip, I found that I’m a bit obsessed with elephants, and couldn’t resist looking at things with elephant prints. In the end, I got 6 elephant postcards at Chatuchak Weekend Market (5 THB for 6 postcards) and a NaRaYa key holder (100 THB).

Review: Nivea, Silky Smooth Body Milk

Sorry for not updating my blog for such a long time, my computer can’t be connected to the internet, so I can’t update my blog. Anyway, back to the product review. If you read my “Current Body Care Routine” post, you might know that I love St. Ives’ Enhancing Body Moisturizer Oatmeal & Shea Butter; however, I decided to try something new, and ended up getting Nivea’s Silky Smooth Body Milk.

Nivea’s Silky Smooth Body Milk (HKD$38)

Well, I think it does its job as a body lotion, but may not repurchase it again, because I prefer St. Ives’ Enhancing Body Moisturizer Oatmeal & Shea Butter, which is creamier and I love the scent more. As the texture is more milky, I’m nearly done with this body milk, and am now thinking of trying another brand or go back to St. Ives.

Random ASOS Purchase

I feel like I’m doing the exact opposite to what I said earlier. Oh yes, I recently made another purchase through ASOS again in May. Well, I had been looking for an umbrella for a long time, I guess for at least 2 years and finally found one that I like and what’s more, it was on sale, so I immediately bought it.

My previous umbrella was purchased in Japan 5 years ago, and it’s a black umbrella with colourful polka dots on it, it’s small and light but very sturdy. I remember using that umbrella in Atlantic City, USA on a super windy day, only my umbrella survived while my friends’ umbrellas either broke or flipped inside out, so I really like it. After 5 years, the umbrella is still in okay condition, just a tiny hole in the center of the umbrella ( but don’t worry, I don’t get wet at all), and the nylon string wrist strap attached to the handle is brittle.

What I look for when choosing an umbrella:

• Small and light
  I carry my umbrella most of the days, so I need one that’s small and light-weight.
• Unique pattern
  Somehow I’m very picky when it comes to the pattern, I don’t really like floral print or strips, I like an umbrella that’s more unique and not just in plain colour.

Cath Kidston Tiny-2 Umbrella – Shooting Stars Blue (HKD$165.74)

It’s my 3rd time buying things from ASOS, and at the moment I’m generally satisfied. However, I do agree with Fleur, who did a ASOS haul video on Youtube (http://youtu.be/Y1TZKKtijmA), that it can be a hit and miss. Although it does have a return policy, we have to pay the postage fee to return things back to UK in Hong Kong, so sometimes I’m hesitant when choosing things and try my best to buy less than buy more.

Review: July 2012 Glamabox

[Back: From left to right]
Kose Clear Turn White Mask – Gaba
Lucky LT Eye Mask
Celebrity Slim Meal Substitution Shake

[Front: From left to right]
Chocola BB Drink Bit
Axis Sense of Space Perfume
For Beloved One Melasleep Whitening BB Cream (Ivory)
For Beloved One Melasleep Whitening Treatment Toner

Got my July Glamabox today, it was very heavy but later I realized it was because of the drinks. To be honest, I’m totally not into beauty food or drink, so I’m not excited to try the Chocola BB drink and Celebrity Slim banana shake.

Well, I’m more interested in trying Kose’s mask and Lucky LT eye mask, though I still have loads of masks to finish up, I don’t mind having more! The perfume seems pretty interesting, the packaging isn’t great, because it doesn’t come in a spray bottle or a roller, and I’m not too sure why there are little beads inside. As for the 2 products from For Beloved One, I’m more into trying their BB cream, but the product size is ridiculously small.

P.S. Product reviews will be up once I have tried them.