BKK Hotel Review: Siri Sathorn & Novotel Phloenchit

This came later than I expected. But here goes...

I don’t travel to Bangkok much for work. Early this year, I travelled twice to Bangkok for work. The first, I stayed at Siri Sathorn’s Deluxe One-Bedroom Suite from January 10-12, 2018 and the second, Novotel Bangkok Ploenchit Sukhumvit’s Superior Twin Room from February 27 - March 3.

The 1st – Siri Sathorn

This is a place that I will usually stay if my schedule is just around my office because it is only within 5mins walking distance to my office. They are literally on the same street (or “Soi” if you call streets the local Thai way). Breakfast here is rather decent, and the rooms are always huge. I think one of the reason is also because Siri Sathorn serves as an serviced apartment as well.

If I travel alone, I usually would go on a 2D1N or 3D2N work trip. Either way, I usually get back to the hotel really tired and I don’t really get to enjoy the space. For a small girl like me, tired, I just want to sleep properly. HAHA.

The 2nd - Novotel Bangkok Ploenchit Sukhumvit

This hotel is located quite near the city centre and also near to the BTS station. This makes heading out much easier – although Grab is also very convenient in Bangkok. I usually book my rooms via Agoda, so, prices may vary from time to time. 

Nonethless, I thought this hotel was value for money. It was in a good location, with clean rooms, and friendly staff. I didn't quite use the facilities though (as usual), but they do have a pool and good breakfast!

Wayyy Overdue Review - SPARKLE TEETH WHITENING KIT

The number of Ys does not do the reviews justice on just how late this is.

Remember I travelled alot in March? Well, maybe not. Cause I haven't been updating. *Guilty much* I will write and complete the hotel reviews soon. Definitely within this two months for them to be up. They have to, since this is my low period. HAHA. Or else. God knows when I can update them again.

Anyhow…At the end of my trip to Thailand in March, I had too much time to spare at the airport so I decided to just walk around and randomly stumbled upon a whitening kit in BOOTS.
Yes, I did a very brief review about another whitening kit before. If you're interested to read, click here. Although don't expect much because I really didn't like how that kit worked.

So yes. Below is the whitening kit that I randomly chanced upon at BOOTS pharmacy. It's called Sparkle Whitening Kit.

The kit comes with 5 things/ parts:

1, Whitening Gel
2, Mouth guard
3, Carry case - for the mouth guard
4, Shade chart - shade codes are printed in reverse so it reads right in a mirror
5, Instruction/ Additional information booklet - although, unless you're able to read Thai, is as good as useless

How does it work?

1, Apply the gel to the mouth guard,
2, Fit mouth guard into your mouth,
3, Bite down and hold for 20mins.

Just. This. Simple.
And! There is no hassle. No need to insert battery. No need to charge it at all since it’s a non-light whitening kit.
One of the reasons why I am tempted – Especially after being ‘burnt’ by the last LED whitening kit.

Does it do what it says?

YES! I could see my teeth whiter in just one session.

From A2/B2 to a shade of A1/B1

The photos are not very clear (Sorry!)

That said, there are always 2 sides to a coin. While it does prove effective, there are slight problems that come with it…
First, take a good look at the mouth guard.

Don't see anything wrong? What about now?

HAHAHA. VERY UNGLAM, I KNOW.

What I’m trying to say is that this mouth guard makes you bite down with your lips turned out.
Not only does it require a lot of jaw strength to keep it bitten down, you know what happens when you can’t close your mouth? YOU DROOL!
So unless you're gonna stand over your sink for the 20mins or carry a bucket for your drool, I think it might be a good idea to buy a separate mouth guard. HAHAHA.

I got mine from qoo10. It's about 5 SGD for a pair but it’s so much easier to just set the trays and go about doing whatever it is you want to. Definitely better than the original mouth guard. I can’t remember exactly how much the SPARKLE WHITENING KIT retails at boots but it is approximately 500THB.

There's this one more thing that I didn't quite like about the whitening kit. Notice how there are white spots?

It does fade off well after a few hours. So, if you're going out on a date, I wouldn't advise this treatment before. It would be better to do it the night before. HAHA. Taste of this whitening gel is just like regular toothpaste.

So overall, price, taste, effectiveness and given that it says what it does.

I would give it an awesome 4.5/ 5.

0.5 deducted for the white spots after treatment and the stupid drooling mouth guard. If any of you are interested, you can try your luck on Airfrov if there are travellers going to Thailand to purchase them for you with a small (additional) margin. Cheers!

FAITH IN HUMANITY

I wasn't in my right mind, I think. 

When I got my boarding pass, I remembered very clearly that it stated: "Please be at the boarding gates before 1650". I looked at my watch that showed "1740" and I just sat there thinking why is this time so familiar? This train of thought continued with "Well, let's just send one more email".

And then it struck me. 

MY BOARDING TIME!
(It's an hour ahead because I didn't adjust my watch to cater to the time zone differences)

I haven't missed my flight yet. 

But I was about to. 

I took out my boarding pass again quickly to check and yes, I was right.
Boarding was scheduled at 1655.
Secretly panicking inside because my email is still stuck in my outbox and I really needed to have this sent out before my flight.
The moment it disappeared from my outbox, still wanting to be safe and responsible, I clicked on Sent Items to make sure it's there, and wham! Slammed my laptop shut, kept it and bolted off.

I literally ran to the gates, because I saw that the flight was boarding.
Now. Here's where it's worth writing... Humanity! Hahaha.

There's this additional security scan before the gates and the gates were still a distance away. The queue for this security scan was pretty long - about 10 people in front of me. As my watch showed 1748... I knew I had no choice but to embarrass myself and started apologising with "Hi there. I'm sorry but would it be possible for me to go first? My..."

Before I could even finish my sentence, all these strangers just moved aside and let me through.
There's this Caucasian guy (American, I think, by his accent) that even went, "Go Go! Good luck and safe flight!"

HAHAHA. THAT WAS UNEXPECTED.

First I was super worried that people won't let me through even after they hear my reason, like, "you're late for your flight so deal with it".
Yet they let me pass through so easily without even hearing the reason.
Then, that quick cheer that relieved a wee bit of tension in me!

SO MUCH FAITH RESTORED IN HUMANITY.
Who have I been dealing with all this while to have lost faith?

Robots maybe.

Anyway. I've gotta confess.
When I got to the gates, it wasn't even boarding yet. So here's a proper "Thank you" to all those that gave way to me and I'm sorry I cut your queues.

Thank you for the good cheer, Mr Caucasian. I'm pretty sure you'll never come across this and I can barely remember how you look like. But thank you for your kind words and for "cheering me on" to catch my flight. Under different circumstances, I would have loved to chat.

Albeit scammed by the digital screens, it was a good scare. I got to the gate (barely) on time, and managed to get home safe!

Guess I should always set an alarm 15mins prior to boarding time so I make my way there in good time. And maybe, it's my turn to let people through next... HAHAHAHA.

Till next time~

My one and only BAD SCOOT experience (thus far)

I actually wrote this entire post on my flight back from Bangkok in January. But I kept delaying to post it. Not too sure why myself. But I'm proud to say that I actually took scoot again in February, to the same destination, and there was no nonsense like that you'reabout to read.

FAITH IN SCOOT RESTORED!!!

DEFINITELY. GONNA. SCOOT. AGAIN.

So ya. In case you're wondering what bad experience I had or what nonsense I had to face... Read on...

You're having a bad day, maybe.
I get it. People do. Sometimes.
But here's what I don't get.

Everyone's heading home.

What does it take for you to be a little more friendly?
To accomodate that 1 simple question so that everyone gets to go home on time without delay?

No, you just had to sulk and walk away from that ONE SIMPLE QUESTION...
Is there any other space at the overhead compartments? My seat's full. "NO."

Hello! Walking away with a "No" does not help!
People just end up spending more time, trying to open already closed compartments to find space.
Seriously.
It's a small thing. But it irritates the hell out of me.

Yes, it's only a small thing so why am I writing about this?
Well. Stupid things pisses me off.
I hate how it irks me but things like these always happen.

I was seated at 8D.
It's one of those seats I call the in betweens.
Those parked right in the middle of the emergency exit and the front of the plane.
Those that doesn't matter what time you get to the gate, you will still be the last few to board.
I'm not complaining because this is the logical and efficient way - Fill up the back of the plane first then the front.

When I finally boarded the plane, I saw that the front compartments were almost full but the seats were only half filled. I didn't understand why since everyone's entitled to a max of 2 carry ons right? And right then, I saw.
A few people walked to the front to put their bags in the initially empty compartments and walked back to their seats. Usually I wouldn't care less cause I'll only have a backpack which I tuck into the seat in front of me. But this time, I am actually carrying an additional cabin luggage. When I walked to my seat, the overhead compartments was full. Packed but open. I looked to the back and saw that there are a few additional opened compartments. Out of courtesy, I asked the attendant (A) "Can I put this back there?". She replied, "Your seat no space already" and walked away.
Erm. I don't think you answered my question but I'll take that as your acknowledgement.
There were gaps in the back compartments so I went ahead to squeeze it back there.

Few mins later. Another lady came on board. Also seated in the in betweens, she asked "Is there any other space I can keep this? My seat's full." This same attendant (A) replied, "No" and walked off to the back of the plane. I initially thought she was going to the back to find space but no, she walked off to the tail of the plane past another attendant (B) that was still packing some baggages for other passengers. So guess what. This lady went to open the already closed compartments one by one and check if she could squeeze her baggage in. And I was like, "what the hell" and looked to the back. That attendant (A) was gone and another attendant (B) came to help. She offered to take her baggage a few seats down where she could squeeze it in.
Conclusion, no one seated at the in betweens have their baggage with them and they're all further at the back.

Now. This is really a question I want to ask. I kept thinking about this on the flight back. What should be the correct operating procedure? The SOP? I would assume that we should try to pack the compartments as close as possible before asking passengers to go to other compartments. Right? No?

It seems (and it is) so stupid that you allow people from the back to take space in front when the back isnt entirely full, then in turn, people from the front need to go to the back? Let's not talk about how much time is wasted before takeoff. Can you imagine how much more time and how chaotic the entire plane will be when it is parked? People from the front would be squeezing backwards while people at the back would be inching forward.

Seriously.
Stupidity at its finest.
Inefficiency at its best.

See. If I'm having a bad day, I'll want to end my shift as early and as fast as possible.
Head home.
Rest.

But it appears you're just trying everything to prolong your shift.

HELP. ME. I. CANNOT. UNDERSTAND.
Or help her, repair her brain a little.

I pray our paths will never cross again.
But if it does, I only hope you're "smarter".
Because I give up understanding stupidity.

Good luck. Bye.

Over in a flash

Chinese New Year is over in a flash. Yes, there are still gatherings going on, but technically, the holidays are over.

And here I am. In Indonesia, Medan on a business trip.

It's been a very long time since I've actually written something on my business trip and in the hotel. If my memory serves me right, the last time I did this was in KL. Which means, it was ages ago. HAHA. Cause I haven't been on a business trip to KL in more than 6 months.

Alright. Anyway, just here to share some thoughts. Actually 1. And it's somewhat random.
So. Has anyone tried Skin Inc Optimizer Devices before? 
With all this travelling, I am really tempted to get the new Voyage Tri-Light device.

HOW..?
It keeps appearing on my facebook, and instagram feed.

I. AM. SO. TEMPTED.

2017 in Review

I wanted to write this before the end of 2017 but January 2018 is almost over! Omg! 

Getting right to the point. The last few months of 2017 have been draining, physically and mentally, and weekends were naturally burnt for sleep, or to catch up on lost sleep. It took me quite some time to get back into routine yet I can hardly find time (and energy) to sit down and write something. Did I mention that I stopped swimming sometime in March and could not find the momentum back to continue? Even until now?

Looking back on 2017 and I’ll say it's a year of challenges – especially at work. 

A lot of changes and a whole lot of getting used to. 

In my company, organisational changes are very common every 6 months, people transferring in and out of teams. So, in Dec 2016, while I was still nursing the transfer (and taking over his portfolio) of colleague K in Sep 2016, I was told to be prepared for another transfer of colleague S that was due to happen in March 2017. Boss told me that the team in Singapore will downsize and move forward as a 2-man (or 1-man 1-woman) team, i.e., the Boss and me. That said, each country – particularly Thailand and Philippines – are expected to increase 1 member each so as to cope with the expansion speed. Yet sometime in Feb 2017, I heard news that I will also be expecting a new member here in SG. Frankly, I didn't quite understand why given that the local members have already increased. So yeah, 3 new comers in March to guide – 1 in SG, 1 in TH and 1 in PH. And on top of all that, our existing member in Philippines decided to leave the company (to somewhat pursue her dreams) and serve notice till September. I was so sad/ disappointed (not sure what word best describes how I felt) that I was the only girl left in the team, again? Just like when we started, but with a team of different people. But yes, the hunt for a replacement began and frankly I wasn’t having high hopes of another girl being assigned. Yet when the name came in, I went, “OH! It’s her!” – like a parent finding out the gender of their child for the first time. HAHAHA. Anyway, she was then assigned to begin in Jul 2017, so that the existing member could give proper OJT.

I would have thought that all this was enough changes to introduce to ONE TEAM for a year but, god was I wrong. 3 newcomers in March and 1 in July AND that’s hardly the end of it. In June/ July 2017, my boss started prepping me for his departure secretly. He told me that he is wanted back in Japan by the officers but there was little news as to what his next designation would be. In any case, I would be expecting a new boss by September 2017. 

WHAT THE HELL?!

Honestly, I didn't think it made sense at all. 

First, I am the only “surviving member” from the original team.

Second, I am currently juggling the training of 4 members, ensuring that their quality and standard stay the same or better.

Third and on top of all that, I need to figure out my new boss?

I am only 1 person.

How is it possible to manage?

Can it even be possible? 

Well, I couldn't and dare not even think more about it so I spoke to my boss about my concerns and being the ‘father’, he told me that he will always be there to support me whenever I needed his help, wherever he is. SO SWEET & NICE! BUT HELLO?! The stress building on my shoulders is no joke. It’s no wonder why my shoulders are getting stiffer day by day. HAHAHA. Anyway, for the sake of differentiation so that I don't get confused writing this while you read, he shall be referred to as “Papa Boss” hereon.

Prepping for Papa Boss’ departure was the hardest ever – more so than Colleague K and Colleague S whom I worked with for 3 years each, both entering and leaving the team 6 months apart. As I mentioned earlier, as the last standing member of the original team, I’ve worked with Papa Boss for a total of 4.5 years (March 2013 – Sep 2017). He’s always a tough boss, asking for the best of the best, ensuring that no compromises were made in the process of the opening. Sometimes he is so anal that you don't know what you can answer, except accept the fact that you could have done better. Yet he is also a father figure to me for guiding me and teaching me everything I know with regards to the work I do. 

For every transfer, I always tell them that there is no permanent farewell in this company because we’re always moving around. Yet somehow, when it came to Papa Boss’ transfer, I didn't trust my own words. I knew he was moving out of the brand (within the same company) and it felt too real, that this part of history, this part of what made me – me, was leaving. That said, I promised myself that there shall be no tears! Not that I am an unfeeling bitch, but I thought that I should be remembered the way I always am, positive and laughing. So yeah, no tears! 

And when the new boss came, it felt like I had to start anew. It took time to understand the new boss and his style of working. Coupled with the potential language barrier, damn was it draining. It got easier day by day and I guess, it was easier for me to understand what he wants to convey by reading the atmosphere and inferring it with the knowledge I had. All the good training from Papa Boss came in handy. Muahahaha. New boss is a areally nice guy. He sat me down and asked me what I needed from him. I told him that I felt like I’m stuck at a bottleneck if all I’m going to do is the same things all over. So, he promised to give me more opportunities at work and more learning opportunities to grow. So yeah, let’s just say everything with the new boss is good and I just need to get my head straight with the trainees. 

Anyhow. Enough about work. On a lighter and personal note, I am pretty happy that I manage to take more trips and explore more places in 2017 (albeit some of them were because of work).

• January – Port Dickson
• February – JB 
• March – JB 
• April – KL, Shanghai
• May – Bandung
• June – Genting, Medan
• July –JB
• August – Surabaya
• September – Surabaya
• October – JB
• November – JB
• December – New Zealand

If you search under the hashtag #ellietrotsabroad, it seems like I’m travelling every month! Although there are frequent trips for work (#nssnso) too.

In any case.

Thank you, 2017, for being such a challenging year. 

I believe 2018 will be easier because I am stronger. 

Here’s to more journeys and adventures in 2018…

Charcoal Thai

This is gonna be a rather short post.
Most of my colleagues know that I like BBQ. I'm always suggesting to go new bbq places for dinner gatherings and all. Thing is, my parents love steamboat. So we went Charcoa Thai @ Nex for dinner yesterday. Mookata is somewhat good to satisfy the soupy steamboat craving as well as the hot plate bbq.

We reached there at 1800hrs and there was no queue so we got seated very quickly.

We were introduced the buffet but seeing there was only 3 of us, we went ahead with the Mookata Set instead. Price was very reasonable for the portion, I would give it a 4/5. Food was also very fresh and good, also a 4/5. We even ordered additional cray fish which was really good - so fresh you can taste the sweetness in the meat!

What I didnt like about the place was the ambience and the service. Frankly, I think its common for such BBQ restaurants to be slightly busy but they were clearing tables with their trolleys in a very messy way. The reason for it? They were seriously shorthanded. The place was handled by 3 service staff. 2 of whom looked more senior that were running around the entire place, including, cleaning, serving, ushering and also collecting payment.

If their service improved, with the prices they are charging and the freshness of their food, I'm pretty sure they will always be long queues outside. Till that improves, I see no incentive in going back, unless specified by others.

Gonna end off this post with photos. Cheers!

The amount of food (FRESH) in one Mookata Set

We already started eating. Spot the crayfish.

Vege and shrooms.
There are more Veg under the meat on the other platter

Mum ordered this for me cause I like LALAs.
But I didnt like the taste of it. Too sweet.