The Search for the Perfect Mattress

This was no easy feat. As I'm writing this I can still feel my head reeling from the repetitive motions of lying down, and getting up, and lying back down and getting up. We started the hunt hoping to try out the 3 S-es of reputably good mattresses, Simmons, Sealy and Serta and are now pretty well-versed in the differences between the 3 brands.

Was it that much of a pain in the 'S'? Not so much surpringly, due to the simple fact that all our conversations and negotiations with the different sales people took place while we were sprawled on extremely comfortable beds and having a conversations with them as though it was boring pillow talk. We were lying in the most heck-care of positions because we wanted to replicate how it was going to be like in real life. I even had the tiniest urge to ta bao some macdonald's ice cream to the showroom to complete the 'feel'. But no, that didn't happen :)

Simmons

Simmons was amazing. Beautiful showrooms, amazing beds, welcoming sales staff with warm lightings and lush carpeting. It was like coming home. Man... and what an expensive home it'll be. As we lay down on bed after bed, our backs started to groan against the cheaper mattresses and purr against the more luxurious ones. The longer we wanted to linger in bed, the higher the prices climbed. Madness. $12,000 for my dream mattress. Bye bye to a nice sofa, a coffee table and a dining table. We shall eat, sleep and watch tv on the mattress till the end of time. I was pretty set on a Simmons in the beginning. But we decided to delve further into mattress research and continue the hunt in search of slightly more affordable ones.

Individual Pocketed Coils

Sealy

Our first encounter with Sealy was at Courts Tampines right after our talk with the Simmons salesperson. We tried out "Quiver" from the Knights Collection which was just right! Gosh, not too hard and not too soft. Cushy yet immediately supported when you first rest on it. Comfortable and within budget. KIV-ed. Next up was "Yarrow" from the Spring Collection at CKTangs Vivocity. Ooooahhhhh... Mad comfy! Semi-firm yet soft enough to keep us lying down on the bed, refusing to get up. All the sleep angles felt right. I wanted to cave in right there and then. But we were adamant not to be  rash, so we pushed on. A thing to note; shopping for Sealy will be a pain. Different sleep clinics or shopping malls carried different models. There wasn't any Quiver in the boutiques and no Yarrow in Takashimaya. It was individual boutique exclusives. I named "Obsession" to the salesperson at Courts and she shook her head immediately and told me "Only Taka". Not good! We wanted a side by side comparison which was definitely not gonna happen with Sealy. Really very annoying.

Serta

Serta was at the back of our minds to be honest. I first heard about Serta when Samantha, our wedding coordinator mentioned the cute Serta sheeps they were giving with every mattress purchase. I remembered viewing some Serta ads before movie screenings in the cinema but that was it. Here are some of my favourite Serta ads.

Anyhoo, we were over at IMM and were lucky enough to bump into Kelvin, the store manager of Serta Sleep Clinic IMM. In the beginning we were slightly put off by his 'don't bother' attitude towards us because we walked in for abt 5 mins and he ignored us. But as he warmed up to us, we realized that he was really well-versed in his products and very welcoming of neighbouring competition. So much so that his ultimate goal was for us to come to our own conclusion instead of pushing us towards liking what he has to offer. He was concise and quick, non-pushy and very professional. He told us about his 2 best selling models, Serta Sophistication and Diamond Suite (used in many hotels). We tried out Diamond Suite but felt it was too soft for hubby.When we tried out Sophistication, we felt as though we hit jackpot. The pillow top was luxuriously soft, yet firm enough to support our backs after a long day. It was amazing. Most importantly, because we are both light sleepers, any movements on either side would most likely wake us. Kelvin explained to us that in our situation, we could only go with Serta or Simmons' as Sealy's springs are interconnected hence a small bounce on one end could definitely be felt by your partner on the other.

Kelvin then told us about how he was formally an employee with Simmons and how the employees are treated really well with benefits and bonuses. This explained Simmon's high priced mattresses. I did some googling and discovered that Simmons filed for bankruptcy September of 2009 and was bought over by Serta's management Ares and TPC.  They plan to operate Serta and Simmons Bedding as independent entities that will continue to compete with one another. Just a good to know in case anybody's interested..

Serta' Nested Pocketed Springs
The "honeycomb" construction of this spring allows full coverage of sleeping surface, resulting a firmer and more responsive support to body contour. A pocket spring coil system is used in Serta's Sophistication mattresses. These springs are separated into little fabric pockets, which helps you to be less affected by your partner moving around at night. Hubby tried bouncing on one end while I snored on the other. Minimal movement was felt. Excellent.

The affordability, perks and mattress comfort quickly put Serta on the top of our list. We were really
excited about our new find but wanted to sleep on it to digest all the information that we have. We must have slept on about 20+ mattresses so far. Making a decision based on something we rested on for 10 mins spread over a period of 3 weeks is really not easy.

So finally on Saturday, we headed down to Plaza Sing's Serta Sleep Clinic and had the pleasure of being served by Steven. The Plaza Sing's branch is the largest sleep clinic in Singapore currently and had the 2 mattresses we were deciding between. Serta's Sophistication and New Sophistication. Steven was really no nonsense and professional. He was not as charismatic as Kelvin was, but he was definitely knowledgeable about his products. That in a weird way, gave us a lot of confidence because we knew he was serious. Serious about helping us, serious about giving us a good deal and serious about helping us make the right decision. We alternated between the Sophi and New Sophi mattresses and after about an hour, we still couldn't decide. Hubs love the New Sophi for that added firmness whereas I enjoyed diving into Sophi for the lush plushness. Steven then told us that we need not decide on the spot, and that we had till the week before our delivery date to confirm our choices. So we could deal with Sophi and indicate on the contract about an option to upgrade to the New Sophi mattress before delivery. We were thrilled by this and paid the deposit immediately.

Serta Sophistication with Meh-Meh saying "Gimme five!"

Serta New Sophistication with Meh-Meh saying "baaahh!"

New Serta Owners!

Our Sophistication package came with

1 x Sophistication Mattress

1 x Bed Bench

1 x Long bed pillow

1 x Mattress protector

2 x Nano gel pillows

2 x Comfort pillows

2 x Long bed pillow covers

2 x Signature Serta Sheeps

Price: S$3499

I think we drove a hard bargain. Steven was really nice.

The New Sophistication Mattress package came with a Bedframe or Divan ($100 cheaper) at $4208. We'll have another 5 months to decide. In the mean time, any suggestions on affordable and beautiful divans would be great!


For any other information on Serta mattresses, do drop by their showroom for a visit. What I've said is solely our point of views and can never beat lying down on different mattresses and finding one that suits you and your partner.

Serta Sleep Clinic
(IMM)        Kelvin:  6569 0656
(Plaza Sing) Steven: 6238 0070

............................................................................................................................................................

A year later...

I was requested by a reader to do a review of my Serta Sophistication mattress and how it go on after sleeping on it for almost a year now. I think this request couldn't come at a more appropriate time seeing that my wedding anniversary is just around the corner :)

Firstly, it has to be said that while I LOVE the idea of a luxurious plushy bed, the husband suffers from a spinal fracture due to an old basketball injury and has since been dealing with backaches for the past 12 years. Hence, it was important that we attempt to find a mattress that would suit both our needs.

And after experimenting for a year, we conclude that we cannot have the best of both worlds.

I love my mattress to bits. I can lie in bed all day everyday and swim in the luxury of my 1000 threadcount Egyptian cotton sheets till my hubby blares the alarm in my ears or flood the room with glaring white light to get me out of bed. The question is then, why is he up before me? How can he stand to leave the luxurious comfort of his bed behind? This is because prolonged lying on this plushy goodness is not doing wonders for his back. The first few hours of sleep is absolute bliss for him, but lazing in bed for more than 9 hours will cause his back to ache. So this is classic case of, 'too much of a good thing is bad for you'.
I wish it wasn't so, because when I see his mild agony, I wished I had given up plushy goodness for a firmer mattress. Such as Serta's New Sophistication, or Simmons's Backcare series. But we gave ourselves a 5 year expiry on the mattress before we upgrade to an "old folks" mattress which will benefit our backs more in the long run.

But without his injury, I can vouch that this mattress is perfect is many ways. Much more affordable and extremely comfortable because it is both firm and plushy at the same time. Just not firm enough for someone with a bad back.

Hope this helps you guys!

Been a sick duck for the past 4 days. The flu and the fever, oh the disgusting phlegm ugghhh!

I alternated my time at home between moping around like a wounded puppy, organizing my wardrobe and putting more stuff on eBay for sale, checking my work mail and lying in bed watching new episodes of Ellen and HomeOrganizing on my iPad. Totally awesome.

We were supposed to do a roadtrip this weekend and it turns out that hubs is on the verge of being a sickie too. So we postponed it because roadtrips are all about binge-ing on awesome unhealthy food and having tons on fun no? There's no way we're gonna sneeze our way across the border and stay in the hotel room feeling dead. So no go, we're gonna lay low this weekend and spend some time with Liam Neeson at the cinema instead.

Mum made me google for some Burberry polos for her on Nordstrom claiming that she needs them for her teambuilding trip this month. -_-" Excuses. No complaints from me because she was really kind to
get me one as well. Maybe she struck 4D and didn't tell anyone... hmm.

I adore my new bread machine from Kenwood! I've been making bread on a twice weekly basis for the family which is really cost efficient for us seeing how we go through bread like water. I'm still working on my own recipes. So far I've perfected the walnut linseed loaf and the brioche bread. Now to get the banana walnut loaf to work.  :)

yummy brioche!

The One with the Wedding Photoshoot Nails

How could I have forgetten to do a post on my photoshoot nails?! *Flabbergasted*


 >.<
 Damn lousy iPhone cam resolution dun do it justice!

Simple french for the toes

I didn't want to spend so much on my nails this time round, because the main focus of the photoshoot is on the outfits and us. Hubby said to me, "The more pretty things you have on you, the more pictures the photographer will take, the more pictures you'll wanna add when it comes to picking the ones for the album!* *shudders*

But anyway, here it is! I did japanese lace french tips with AB crystals and a gelish french for my toes. Very simple and feminine. Madlurves :)

I had my nails done at The Nail Status at Far East Plaza.Christine and Mabel (the owners) were the ones helping me with my nails and they were both extremely professional and non-pushy. Christine carefully kept within my budget and took time to talk me through the services even though her shop was extremely busy. She said that I need not do a manicure because she could push back my cuticles and apply cuticle oil to mask the edges to keep cost low for me. Saved me $20 and it worked! Needless to say I was thoroughly impressed with her service!

Do call to book an appointment first because they can get really busy! :)

The Nail Status
#04-83 Far East Plaza
Tel: 6836 2005

The One with the Wedding Photoshoot

Yes! It's done! *throws confetti*

We were blessed with sunny but breezy weather for a good 3/4 of the day. This made the photoshoot bearable and hence pretty enjoyable. I hope we got some good pictures and were not too unnatural because I believe I was rather 死板. :(  I think Ah Liang must be cursing under his breath thinking, "Why am I taking pictures of a block of wood?!"

Now that I'm done with what many said to be a 累到想死 day, (no kiddin) on that, we lived to tell the tale of our experience and what it was like.

Could barely sleep the night before. Very gan chiong for dunno wad reason. I slapped on a piece of SK-II mask and googled for nice wedding shots and bridal hairstyles.

Oh on the topic of skincare, to prep my skin for an intensive day of abusing, I changed my skincare routine to a more moisturizing one because hydrated skin keeps makeup on a lot better. So pile on your hydrating products a week before your photoshoot and your skin should keep your makeup intact. I'll do a post on my pre-shoot skincare routine on my other skincare blog soon!

Here's a checklist of what to bring along for your pre-wedding shoot which may be useful to some of you.
(1) Your own foundation and lipsticks for easy touchup during your outdoor shoot
(2) A mini electric fan and an umbrella! It can double up as props!
(3) Cold drinks
(4) Wet and dry tissues
(5) Comfy slippers! You won't wanna walk too long in heels
(6) Oil blotters (to prevent any shine)
(7) Plasters (In case your heels start to hurt or for minor accidents)
(8) A good assistant (mine was from the bridal studio and she was beyond crappy)
(9) Props to make photoshoot more personalized
(10) Any jewellery or hair accessories you think will go well with your gown
(11) Heels to match your gowns
(12) Casual attire for casual shoots
(13) Facial ampoules so you need not buy the overpriced ones from the MUA
(14) A GPS if you are driving in case you're not good with directions (for those who drive)
(15) Topped up cashcard (for those who drive)


Our day began with a yummy macdonald's breakfast before we headed down to the studio for makeup and hair-do.

10am: Started with my make-up whilst hubby sat there and laughed at me
10.30am: He left to pick up my bouquet from Connie's at TP market

Was sooo angry with the flowers because it was nowhere near to the example I gave the auntie. It was a combination of Eustomas and Roses but the roses she gave were either wilting or unopened. Come on, I'm using it for my photoshoot an hour later. How can you give me unopened roses? Am I suppose to bring it home, wait for it to blossom and then go for my photoshoot another day? ^%$^&$$! To top it off, I specifically asked for lace to bind my bouquet together and chiffon ribbon was used. I sent hubby back to confront her and all she could say was, "This is lace wad..." Like seriously? You thought that chiffon ribbon was lace?!? Unless you are ok with sub-par flowers or do not wish to spend too much on your HB, if not don't waste your time. The bouquet costs me $35 as compared to the $120 I spent on my ROM bouquet. 一分钱一分货. Never again!

11.30am: Done with my makeup and Xiao Qi got me dressed in my indoor shoot gown. She taught me how to wear my NuBra (Damn noob can -_-"" ) and then we got started on my hair.
12pm: Done with me! We got started with Hubby's make up and hair. I think he was semi-asleep by this time.
12.30pm: Started with our photoshoot!
2.15pm: Done with indoor shoot and proceeded to change into my outdoor gown.
2.30pm: Proceeded with  makeup for outdoor shoot and then break for lunch
3.00pm: Done with lunch and continued with hair-do
3.20pm: Touched up Eugene's make-up and hair and started to set off for our 2 outdoor shoots
4.00pm: Arrived at first outdoor shoot and omg the damn weather! Didn't help that I had so much hair cascading down my back making me perspire till no end.
4.45pm: Done with first location shoot and proceeded to the 2nd location. Felt a cool breeze blowing which helped to evaporate the perspiration accumulated from the photoshoot.
5.15pm: Arrived at 2nd location and changed into my casual outfit for the casual shoot
5.50pm: Ended the shoot and proceeded back to the studio for outfit and makeup change for the final night photoshoot (almost ending almost ending!)
6.15pm: Changed into my evening wear and altered hair and makeup
6.40pm: Out of the studio for the final time for the final shoot of the day
6.50pm: Stuck in the bloody jam enroute to the final location (very torturous for me because I could barely keep my eyes open at this point)
7.15pm: Arrived at destination. Maneuvered my way up many many flights of escalator with TONS of ppl staring at me holding onto my voluminous gown as though my life depended on it because I couldn't afford to let the dress get caught in the escalator.
8.15pm: Thats a wrap! (thankgod!)
8.40pm: Arrived back at the studio to change out of my gown and into my comfy clothes
9.00pm: Left the studio and drove damn fast to Old Airport Road for dinner! (my favourite part of the entire day)

Went home tired but full and happy that the day is over. Hubby was so sweet to help me remove the pins from my hair, all 17 of them. I forced him to remove his makeup with my oil cleanser before he went home (typical of men to think that soap and water coupled with violent rubbing will suffice -_-"")

Cant wait to see the photos in a month! :)

Hand Bouquet:


see how the rose at the bottom left is closed
as compared to the top right one? CMI -_-"

A small preview:

I dun even recognize myself  -_-""

The One with a lot of updates

5 days to photoshoot and I'm nervous and uber excited at the same time. Been drinking healthy shakes like crazy. Dying to shed 2 more kilos to achieve goal photoshoot weight. 4kg more to dream weight. Jia you jia you!Have a list of items to prepare and get ready. Hubs is heading for his business trip which means I'm a one man show again. This doesn't make sense. He always 'disappear' before big events. First it was the ROM, now the photoshoot...^!$^%$##^%*

Met with Ah Liang yesterday from Julia. Read reviews that many had trouble understanding his Taiwanese accent, so I went prepped for the worst. Surprisingly I could understand every single word, so I don't foresee any problems with communication there. Discussed on potential places to go and he gave suggestions. I have a nagging feeling that he was dying for a change of scenery and feel because I could tell that he was very tired of balloons, botanical gardens and boring ass outfits.  I have however read many awesome reviews about his photography skills and how amazing his assistant is at predicting what he wants. It undoubtedly gave me a sense of relief knowing that we'll be in good hands. Hubs then proceeded with his suit fitting because he won't be in Singapore the next few days. We were told to moisturize our skin with facial mask everyday leading up to the shoot to prep our skin for the makeup that we'll be piling on and to get sufficient rest. And to NOT put on weight. Gawd... damn stress can. I recalled a scene in Bride Wars where the salesperson in Vera Wang told Kate Hudson that brides have to alter themselves to fit Vera and not the other way round. Completely feeling it right now.

On to search for hairstyles, props and other ling ling long longs that we'll be needing for the photoshoot! NOT GOOD! WHY oh WHY didn't I go for my consultation sooner? Gawd there's 10001 things to get done and I'm barely halfway through! *breathes*

I realize I'll be needing the following which I do not have or have not done
1) Bling bridal shoes (Think Anna Nucci and Sinderella)
2) A mani and pedi (Gasp! Basics!! What am I thinking!)
3) Prudential hotel's custard mooncakes (why am I thinking about food at a time like this?!)
4) Hand bouquet (should I do real flowers or fake?)
5) A lip scrub (My lips are really chapped I don't know why! Must be all the gan cheong lip biting)
6) A beach dress for photoshoot
7) Ampoules (I really really don't wanna pay for overpriced ampoules from the MUA. I believe groupon has some on sale now)
8) Research on hairstyles I want to sport....
9) which brings me to potential accessories I'll need to pack along
10) Rummage for an outfit to wear to E and Y's wedding on Saturday
11) Pick up ROM dress which was sent for dry-cleaning

Oh dear lord....

我不干了！



The One with the Honeymoon Locations

What do you think guys? Which looks best? They all look so wonderful that even looking at the pictures made my eyes glaze over as I sit daydreaming about jetting off to these amazing islands of wonderment.

Location 1

Location 2

Location 3

Location 4

Location 5

Yes I know what you're thinking. Are they not all the SAME place? Not sure why but we have managed to shortlist locations that are somewhat similar in scenery. But yes indeedy, it's 5 separate locations that are nothing short of being a piece of heaven on earth. Gorgeous much yah? VERY DSLR friendly! :) Uber excited right now!

The One with the Si Dian Jin (四点金) and Hong Kong

Hong Kong this time round proved to be more well-spent than my other trips there because I got to discover new eateries and most importantly spend less time getting lost and navigating around busy streets. Yes, I'm no navigator. I can zoom around the shopping district just fine but meandering alleys and getting from one location to the next is no cup of tea for me. Thank heavens for the hubby. My personal godsent GPS :)

One important mission in Hong Kong was shopping for my 四点金 becauseI found nothing I fancied in Singapore gold shops. We've heard wonderful things about the many many goldsmiths in Hong Kong and decided to check out the designs they carried as they were known to be much more intricate than local ones.
Some research later showed Chow Tai Fook to be one of the most popular goldsmiths in Hong Kong. Chow Tai Fook is littered almost everywhere in Hong Kong just like Sa Sa branches. We went to the branch located just a stone throw away from our hotel along Jordan Road. We were lucky enough to get a truly wonderful SA named Jackal who was extremely generous with discounts and freebies.

Big big thanks to hubby and my MIL who gave me the freedom to choose what I liked. I absolutely LOVE the 龍鳳球 that only CTF carries because they bothered to jazz up the traditional 龍鳳designs and turn them into something trendier. I got the 龍鳳球 design for both the earrings and pendent to make it a set. Current gold price in Singapore is S$73.50 per gram and S$69.80 per gram in Hong Kong.

Literally every corner of hong kong

The branch we visited along Jordan Road

Part of my SDJ and my dowry

 No upclose pics of the 龍鳳球 pendent but here's what it looks like.

The dragon (龍) side

The phoenix (鳳) side

We spent everyday food hunting and bargain shopping that photo-taking was completely forgotten. All I managed to document were the food we had in Hong Kong. How I wished I had taken 15 mins off everyday just to stop and snap a few more photos. :( 下次吧!

Next up, the food in Hong Kong. Two words. SIMPLY AMAZING!


Best milk tea in Hong Kong!

Ratty-tatty stall but oooh so good!

Pork Cutlet Burger with my afternoon milk tea. Yums!

My favourite wanton noodles from Chee Kee

Really like the fish roe flavour in the soup.The wanton was jammed packed with prawny goodness

Garlic on chickie wings. Crispy!

Tim Ho Wan 1-Michelin Star restaurant

Ghetto Dim Sum Goodness!

We queued for almost an hour :(

Very very nice siew mai

Juicy and extremely flavourful glutinous rice

There were so much crunchy carrot bits inside, you know it's the real deal!

Shredded pork with century egg porridge. YUMMY!

 

Rice rolls with pork liver

Star of the show: Best Char Siew Bolo Buns I've ever tasted!

We paid less than S$30 for 11 dishes with tea for 4 pax. Super duper cheap! MUST.VISIT.AGAIN!


Kau Kee Beef Noodles

Gracious. Hubs and I conquered a mountain of steps to get to this place. After what seemed like forever, we were greeted by a queue of 30 over people waiting to get into the restaurant. The weather was flaming hot and at this point, I felt like dying. But we stuck it out. People who queue and eat yummy beef noodles stick together!! 决不放弃! Gambatte!

And we made it.

I could eat this everyday.

and curry beef with tendons too. All day long.

Thumbs up from the hubs since it was his first taste of Kau Kee. So amazing, Why can't Singapore have this? Whywhywhy?


Tai Cheong Bakery - Lyndhurst Terrace

This is the only branch I frequent because I feel that none of the other branches do the egg tarts justice as well as this one. My favourite snack in Hong Kong. Gawd I'm drooling over the pics. I envy Hong Kongers who can have this everyday. Damn the calories, who gives a tiny rat's when this delicious goodness is calling out to you in all it's shiny golden glory.

 全部給我包起来!

Last meal of the trip before we head to the airport. Very typical Hong Kong breakfast, just like the TVB dramas. Feel so immensely Hong Kong-fied.

Rice rolls, congee and soy sauce noodles

Hubby and I are big big fans of Hongkong dramas. So while touring HK, our mums were very amused by our continuous strings of, "Hey! didn't we see this in that drama? That road look like somewhere TVB filmed before!" Sometimes we even go as far to exclaim very loudly when seeing Hong Kong policemen and going, "Oh my god! they wear the same uniform as the 學警series!!"

Sua Ku.... -____-"

So that concludes our short Hong Kong trip. Filled with food and shopping and more shopping.

My haul from Sa Sa and the duty-free

And a last minute purchase at the airport from Mum

The SAs call this a clutch but it's actually spacious enough to be a bag too. Limited edition design and colour.
 Has only 1 chain strap instead of the usual double like the classic. Very unique! Loves!

Here's what my dowry and 四点金looks like!