Going Places

Reflecting on 2011

2012-01-04T00:57:00.000+11:00

I don't usually do these kind of posts but I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon this time around just because ...

2011
1. We got married.
2. We moved into our new home.
3. We got transportation.
4. Went to Korea and experienced a whole new level of performing arts in Taekwondo.
5. Ate to our hearts' content in Bangkok.
6. I started something I've thought of doing for a while now.
7. I visited the family in Melbourne.
8. Spend NYE with some close friends over Chinese tea, Bridge and Cluedo.

Yup. Definitely age is catching up with us ;p

Here's to greater adventures and an AWESOME 2012!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2011-11-29T02:03:00.014+11:00

I've heard lots of raves about Red Velvet Cake/Cupcakes since I left Singapore (which is ages ago). I refuse to fork out RM12 for a slice of cake hence I decided to do some research and bake some myself.

I researched about this special cake and found that its "red" colour is from chemical reactions of the cocoa powder and the vinegar or something like that which is in the cake. However, of late, most people use red food colouring or in older times, beets.

I searched and found many recipes, each having their own variation in the recipe. What I found was that most recipes did not contain butter and had heaps of food colouring! So when I finally found this recipe from epicurious.com I was extremely happy! It looked decent enough, and had minimal food colouring. Best part was the cake actually looked edible and not scarily red :p

The results of this recipe was very good as the cake was very light and soft and moist. Not too airy either :)

Cake:

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour (sifted then measured)

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon red food colouring

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (approx 125g)

2 large eggs

Frosting:

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature (approx 450g)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 1/2 pint baskets fresh raspberries (topping)

Notes:

As I had trouble finding cake flour, I decided to go with all-purpose flour instead. It was too troublesome to sift the flour then measure, so I measured the flour but taking a pinch off the full cup. My reasoning is that, after sifting, the flour should be fluffier and hence making the full cup. I think so anyway :)

I accidentally used only 1/2 Tbsp of red colouring but that's fine cos you still get the red anyway :) I also used reduced salt butter as there weren't any unsalted butter at the time of purchase.

For the frosting, I used only 250g of cream cheese, so I halved the portions accordingly. I made my own icing sugar (powdered sugar). Half the required amount in caster sugar in the food processor should give you more than sufficient sugar for the frosting. I also used vanilla essence instead of extract. I personally prefer if the cream cheese frosting with some tang, but seeing that this was the first time making it, I wanted to stick to the recipe to see what it was like. When my brother made it as a round cake for my dad's birthday recently, he added lemon zest and juice.

Serves: 18 Cupcakes

If you look at the website, this recipe is for a full sized 2 tier cake. So if you're like me and decide to make cupcakes, 250g of cream cheese is more than sufficient - and I even had excess which I piled onto the cupcakes and randomly injected in some of the cupcakes.

I am submitting this to the Christmas Giveaway in The Sweet Spot.

Project Spring Clean

2011-11-23T02:15:00.000+11:00

I happened to chance upon one of my older blog post and went OMG I can WRITE.

Or at least I used to be able to.

Now its mainly report writing, where everything is kept short and sweet.

It has been 9 months since we moved into our new place and so far, all I can say is ...

We sure collected a LOT of crap in the house!

So much for a "minimalistic approach" in the house deco/utensils/necessities.

We've got stuff everywhere and its just disgraceful.

Project spring clean in place now, in anticipation of Chinese New Year ...

which is 2 months away XD

random updates #135

2011-11-18T02:51:00.000+11:00

Wish list is growing vertically ......

And there is no food at Putrajaya /boo

Phonetics

2011-11-03T12:58:00.000+11:00

Just found out that children in the UK learn to spell phonetically first.

"I am in a junpa grey and bloow"

"I am in a triy"

LOL, so cute!

For video, go to youtube.com/pixiwoomadness and click on videos of Livvy :)

Anew

2011-10-07T01:40:00.000+11:00

Another paper.

Renewed motivation.

Beautiful skin.

Happy 1st anniversary @ the company :)

Sigma brushes giveaway by eki

2011-08-26T17:06:00.000+10:00

Click here to enter ekimura's giveaway ;)

New found love!

2011-08-04T13:37:00.001+10:00

I saw Eki raving about her HG shampoo a while back but it was always on the pricey side so I didn't bother checking it out despite seeing it everytime I walk into Watsons.

Until that fine day. and because it was a little cheaper than usual xD

Picked it up whilst I was getting some eye gel the other day - got 2 small bottles, 200ml each.

White bottle - Damage repair

Red bottle - Glossy hair (picture below)

Credits to Shiseido

I tested this Shining one above and its the most awesome shampoo EVER!

Its everything you want in a shampoo! ... or I want, at least.

Makes your hair glossier, very light weight .. and best of all, voluminous!

From the time I wash my hair in the morning until the time I sleep (midnight), the hair still looks awesome!

I have been a loyal user of Sunsilk ... until now. And I have back ups of Sunsilk :O *passes them all to the husband*

BB creams

2011-07-29T16:48:00.000+10:00

For the longest time ever I have been wondering how BB creams actually "transform" into your skin colour and what tones are they. Visited Eki's blog and she just did a detailed comparison on 3 types of BB cream by Skin79 plus a giveaway for 1 lucky reader!

To enter, visit www.ekiblog.com to win a full size Skin79 Absolute Total BB Cream :)

dreams

2011-05-17T17:17:00.002+10:00

I want to do my own thing too.

Happy weekend!

2011-05-05T23:01:00.000+10:00

Of all days for my health to give way, I woke up with a sore throat yesterday and ended up with some sniffles and a fever.

Despite all that, this must have been my calmest ever in facing an exam. The only exam jitters were caused by the people buzzing away as it got closer to 9am.

I got hungry during the exam and when I my brain kept interrupting me (bla bla bla legitimacy theory I am HUNGRY bla bla bla what did I just read?) I had to tell the invigilator that I had to eat every few hours due to low blood sugar (which is quite true unfortunately). Was happily munching away at my Nutella sandwich at 10am :D

Anyway, very happy to have the next few weekends off from studying! Now .... if only I don't have to work weekends =3

Happy thoughts for the rest of the week:

Relaxing facial, new toy to play with (despite burning a hole in me pocket!) and a weekend all to myself!! .. or at least filled with fun stuff :D

Happy weekend all! Now if only this sniffles and fever would just buzz off.........

Review: God of Carnage

2011-04-26T14:30:00.001+10:00

Went to watch God of Carnage with the husband at PJLA in conjunction with the PJ Laugh Fest thanks to Vivy!

I wasn't sure what to expect, and from the synopsis, it seemed like it could be rather dull - only 4 characters and one setting!

But it was really good fun!! The cast did a good job of bringing the story to life. The "fighting scenes" were SO real, I feared for Lina Teoh's ankles /shy

Apparently this play is an award winning one!! There's even one coming out with Kate Winslet in it!

I can't really relate to it because I'm not a parent, but the parents at the show nodding like "ohh yes...been there, done that.."

Lina may look all clean, but she vomited EVERYWHERE!! I don't suggest you sit too near the stage lest you want some "Live Vomit" spraying your way!

And finally, big thank you to Vivy of Proudduck.com for choosing me for the tickets giveaway!

Photo courtesy of Vivy

I'm back!

2011-04-16T11:46:00.000+10:00

soooo, I've decided...

I'll start putting up some of the random skincare stuff I've tried to revive my skin due to the crazy schedule I keep, cos figured there are probably a whole lot of you with similar needs for a quick fix!

But they've all gotta wait till my internet is set up :( unless I try using the internet down in the lobby hmmm..

Anyhoo, all this more after 5 May!

Hurrrumpphhh!

2011-03-18T16:31:00.002+11:00

Some wake up to a rooster's crow.

I wake up, to the horses neigh and snorts.

Considering that they start their morning trots so early, I would snort too if I were them.

Memory lapse

2011-03-04T18:02:00.000+11:00

I miss walking along Swanston street with the breeze on my face (and hair flying wild from the strong wind!) and crossing the road to QV :p

Okay who needs to walk when my little car is here!

As expected, I find a new route to go back to my new home in KL every day I drive home from the office. Yes I have the same starting and ending point, just a new "journey" every day.

Spoke too soon and I got stuck for an hour yesterday. /boo

Ok la no time already taa!

Counting down!

2011-02-09T17:43:00.000+11:00

Hello, I'm back!!

It's another 4 days until my cousins are back from Melbourne and 10 days till my uncle and cousin are back from Switzerland! Can't wait! =)

Oh, and 11 days till the wedding! :)

Sugar overdose, extremely hyper!!!!!!

Enjoy the rest of the Chinese New Year!

Much love x

Chic-lit mania

2011-01-17T20:58:00.000+11:00

They read blogs that share their personal love lives like a novel!

Oh, its not closed!

2011-01-13T23:12:00.000+11:00

Happy New Year and all that jazz!

I have only one resolution for the new year which I MUST achieve.

To lead a healthy lifestyle and BE healthier.

That aside, ...

I totally miss the cold weather!!!!!!!

Only because I get to layer up in all sorts of cutesie pretty things wtf

Oh and its only 5 weeks to the wedding.

Y.E.S.

2010-12-13T16:50:00.003+11:00

Pretty things please wait for me! <3<3

Boost!

2010-11-11T00:33:00.000+11:00

Perks of working with employers who know how to make your day :)

Its that time again

2010-10-19T22:50:00.000+11:00

No, not peak.

Its time to take out my calendar and start planning my holidays!! 5 days yo! Woohoo!

And he took his leave

2010-10-14T19:56:00.000+11:00

And so after a long battle, he retires.

We miss you already, Grandpa.

Just the way you are

2010-09-30T22:28:00.001+10:00

Bruno Mars - Just the way you are

Oh her eyes, her eyes
Make the stars look like they're not shining
Her hair, her hair
Falls perfectly without her trying

She's so beautiful
And I tell her every day

Yeah I know, I know
When I compliment her
She wont believe me
And its so, its so
Sad to think she don't see what I see

But every time she asks me do I look okay
I say

When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile,
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cause girl you're amazing
Just the way you are

Her nails, her nails
I could kiss them all day if she'd let me
Her laugh, her laugh
She hates but I think its so sexy

She's so beautiful
And I tell her every day

Oh you know, you know, you know
Id never ask you to change
If perfect is what you're searching for
Then just stay the same

So don't even bother asking
If you look okay
You know I say

When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile,
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cause girl you're amazing
Just the way you are

The way you are
The way you are
Girl you're amazing
Just the way you are

When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile,
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cause girl you're amazing
Just the way you are

* * *

Thank you dear ;)

So starts a new life!

2010-09-25T12:22:00.000+10:00

I'm really excited because its the first step towards something I have always wanted to be in.

No more discouraging words and seemingly knowing nods from people who ultimately were of no help at all. It's been almost 1 year since I started on my long break, and I cannot say that it hasn't been a good one.

Yes, most would say that 1 year is a long time, and I do agree, but it was a much needed break. Being back in Melbourne, despite the lack of jobs in my field, did not turn out to be such a bad thing. Being in the front line of customer service reminded me what was most important. It reminded me, why, my first supervisor chose me to join her team years ago. And it also showed me, how cold one can get working in a hectic and competitive environment.

So here's to a new beginning, in a much loved place I call home.

East, West, Home's Best.

And I couldn't agree more.

Wilting

2010-09-20T12:54:00.001+10:00

Went to KLCC and Pavilion with the family to pick up some things last Thursday - which only reminded me, that as much as I dislike the cold, walking for 20 minutes in the heat is not something I fancy either! I was quite sure that I appeared like a wilted choi sum (chinese vegetable) by the time I arrived at Pavilion.

After we chose the wedding present, I was all too happy when my dad said he would walk back to the apartment to get the car to pick us up so that we didn't have to drag our sorry arses back with him :p

***

I know I should really be making use of my camera which I so desperately wanted to buy, but taking photos of food to blog about is quite a hassle! It's no use, my fork or chopsticks will be on the food before anyone is quick enough to whip out their camera, what more myself. By the time I actually REMEMBER about my camera, *swallows* ..... food all gone.

Trip down south

2010-09-16T23:32:00.000+10:00

Will be making a trip down South for the weekend to meet up with some girlfriends <3

I think this will be my last trip to anywhere for the rest of the year :O

2010-09-14T14:32:00.000+10:00

Home-cooked roast goose is the absolute YUM!

And cupcakes are like the worse thing to make! So bloody tedious rAwrr!

Home

2010-08-24T16:57:00.000+10:00

".... And to all Malaysians, Welcome Home."

Overdoped!

2010-08-07T01:12:00.000+10:00

Remember how I said here about wondering how Frangelico would taste in my tiramisu?

Welllll.......... let's just say using a splosh (accidental) of Frangelico to dilute leftover Kahlua doped super strong espresso is really not a good idea. Not even when you have sponge fingers and mascarpone cheese on the side.

I had a few bites of that after midnight and now I can't decide if I am more sleepy or more awake from the caffeine fml.

To my friends who will be eating the tiramisu tomorrow, you need not worry too much because yours did not have the accident spillage of Frangelico like my tiny sample bowl :p

On that note, I hope you guys can hold your liquor ^^

Liquour noms

2010-08-04T23:36:00.000+10:00

Ooooh, I found Frangelico in my cousin's cupboard when I went to pick up the bottle of Kahlúa for the Tiramisu I'm making for this Saturday's pot luck!

It smells awesome! Nutty heaven! Now to see how it tastes with sponge fingers and Mascarpone cheese...mmmmm....

Free travel tomorrow!

2010-07-29T20:37:00.000+10:00

Free travel on public transport this Friday, 30 July 2010!

Remember NOT to swipe your metcards tomorrow!

Ideas?

2010-07-29T10:57:00.000+10:00

Two hundred and six more days till the Big Day.

People kept telling me the biggest problem would be the Venue. And after having to check out so many venues and taking down notes about the size, the facilities, the cost and all that, I have to say, it is a tricky issue, but nothing that cannot be resolved. At the end of the day, it all comes down to how big an event, and how grand an event you want i.e. if you’ve got the money then “what problem?” right?

No. Not entirely true. People with money would then “create” more problems for themselves with bits and pieces which the “poorer” or more “practical” people would disregard altogether.

So as I was saying. Two hundred and six more days till the Big Day.

Venue? Checked.

Gowns? Half checked.

Photographers? Checked.

Guest list? Hell no!

To have a rough idea of whom and how many you want to invite is not that difficult. To spit it out in specifics is an entirely different issue.

Relatives. Always a tricky one. Whom should you invite? How far along the lines should you invite? If you come from a big family and you’re actually close to your second cousin twice removed and all that, then hurry out to get some Aspirins because you are definitely going to be holding your head in your hands once you start The List!

Once you actually sort that one out, or at least get a feel of the numbers, you can start finalizing your invitation cards and getting them printed.

“What do you mean print!! I haven’t even got round to looking at the designs!!”

If you’ve just had a similar thought flashing through your mind, then say hello to Miss Anxiety. She will be with you all the way until the morning of your Big Day. J

Speaking of invitation cards, how does one go about choosing a design? Do you pick a boring one or one with a Wow factor? Before saying, “of course I’ll pick the one with the Wow factor! Duh!”, how much do you remember of the last wedding invite you received? Did you keep it?

I’ve known people who spent up to ten dollars per card. Yes, of course the invitation card looked pretty. It had better, considering the amount spent! ($10 xx ~$400 = ~$4000!)

Your best bet is to pick a simple (cost efficient) design and personalize it to suit your preferences. A card is a card is a card. People may ooh and aah when they first see the design, but they will chuck it to one side until the Day, and then into the bin it goes! Just like Christmas cards – except wedding invitations don’t get the glory of being up on your mantelpiece or wall for a week.

With that said, I’m off to scour for some decent looking invites!

Lazy weekend

2010-07-25T15:43:00.000+10:00

Made agar-agar and hong dao sar :)

Been so busy this week that this weekend I'm totally flat out.

Can't find Rock and Republic's blush in Call Me anywhere! Anyone?

What Irony

2010-07-24T15:30:00.000+10:00

The other day, a friend mentioned something about God having a Grand Design.

The irony is not lost on me.

Three years ago, I made a decision.

And now, three years later, it somehow happened. Again. In. The. Same. Time. Frame. And only a few days apart!

I believe that our decision is a blessing in disguise.

Oh. I cannot wait to be in shorts and T shirt! :p *gloat gloat gloat sunshine here I come!!!!!!!*

Oranje, I nom.

2010-07-18T16:35:00.000+10:00

Three years ago, the orange tree in my backyard used to bear really sour oranges.

Three years later, it is finally bearing sweet-ish oranges :)

Hopefully it won't take as long for something sweet to come my way!

Gym Junkie?

2010-07-12T12:19:00.000+10:00

I think not. Unless the gym is like 5 minutes away.

A quick jog, 2 bouts of cardio and a session of badminton have left me wondering about my non-existent muscles that is making me shuffle about like an old lady.

How I miss the days when I was fit and healthy and jog 30 minutes on a daily basis.

Skin79 Absolute Total BB Cream

2010-07-07T11:03:00.001+10:00

As promised here, this is the review of Skin79's Absolute Total BB Cream from their Diamond range.

There's 2 kinds of packaging. One is in a pink pump bottle, and another is in a squeeze tube which I got. I don't think there's any difference to it except maybe the pump bottle might be their latest packaging? I checked with the wholesaler but she wasn't sure either.

Its greyish in colour like most of the other Skin79's line of BB creams. The difference with this is that it has pink undertones. From the other reviews and images I've seen, this is one shade lighter than the popular Skin79 Hot Pink BB Cream. I think the Hot Pink BB Cream might be better suited for summer use, but seeing its winter now, the Absolute Total BB Cream works just fine :)

The texture of the cream is really thick so you might find it harder to blend out as compared to the usual liquid foundations, but its no big deal. Just make sure your skin is well moisturised for easy/smooth blending. No greasy residue after putting it on :)

So this is me without the BB Cream....

I usually warm my face a bit like below after putting the BB cream.

It helps the BB cream set and I don't get a cold face! :p

And this is after the BB Cream...

Left: Before Right: After

You can see that there is some coverage for the pores and sun spots. The coverage is pretty sheer and light so it gives you a fresh look without looking like you've got much on. If you need more coverage, then you should probably consider their other BB creams. I've seen some which could cover bad acne scars in Skin79's line of BB creams :)

Its supposed to have SPF37++, anti-wrinkle and whitening effects. I'm not sure about the whitening and anti-wrinkle bit, but I do look a tad fairer with the BB cream - or so my other half claims.

What I like best about it is that you don't have to slab on additional sunscreen, and that it gives you a dewy and fresh look all day long. I was really surprised that I still looked fresh when I finished my shift at 7pm! So far there are no break outs from it and I don't get the oily sheen that some do with liquid foundation either.

Okay, so that's my two cents worth, hope that helps! :)

***

Do you use BB creams too? Why not write about it to win a BB cream here!

BB Cream Review coming up!

2010-07-04T00:11:00.000+10:00

So after all that hype about BB (Blemish Balm) creams, I decided to give it a go seeing that I could get it at a discounted price.

I was really worried that my skin would have a bad reaction to it, especially now that the bitter cold has been causing my skin to go bonkers on me.

I will be give a full review of the BB cream I'm using now after 2 weeks of it maybe?

In case you're curious, it's Skin79 Absolute Total BB Cream. Despite the sheer coverage, it's more than sufficient for me and leaves my skin looking dewy and radiant. More later!

Some updates for the Aloe Mask by MDB - It's been 5 days after I used it now, and my skin is definitely much better than before. I guess it must've been very dehydrated, no thanks myself. I realize I've been avoiding drinking too much water due to the cold. The water is usually very cold and after drinking it, its like having ice poured into your body. Yuck.

Aloe Mask Quick Review

2010-06-29T15:29:00.000+10:00

I'm trying out the Aloe Mask from My Beauty Diary and loving it! Definitely a good thirst quencher for my skin :)

I love the packaging, its simple and quaint :)

The mask came with a plastic backing - not sure if this serves any purpose though.

I put some of the excess liquid on my neck and hands. The liquid was absorbed by the skin very quickly and left my hands feeling soft and supple. *thumbs up!*

It says to leave it on for 20 minutes I think, but I usually just leave my face masks on until its dry :)

Verdict: 8/10

Will see if the skin has really improved tomorrow.

***

I'm wondering what I should make next.

Besides the breakfast stuff I've been making I mean:

1. Banana pancakes and mixed berries pancakes - some weeks back

2. Nutella, peanut butter and banana toasties (these are AWESOME!)

The nephew's birthday is coming up but he doesn't like cake. He likes peking duck. He's turning 8. Right.

Muffins? More cupcakes? Cake? Hmmmmmm......

Skincare hauls + goodies

2010-06-29T12:47:00.000+10:00

Finally!!! My skincare stuff from home :D :D :D

I can't even begin to tell you how badly my skin needs a mask now!

Now, if I can only get over the fact that my bathroom is about as warm as a freezer...

I was really, really excited when my mom showed me my hauls that arrived in my Malaysian home + various eyeshadow palettes that she was giving me to play with! So you can imagine how difficult it was to conceal my excitement and act nonchalant when my friend handed over my pretty goodie bag!!! I was tempted to say "thanks for that now I have to make a move" (5 minutes after we sat down for dinner wtf).

Other hauls:

O.P.I.'s Rumple's Wiggin'

Absolutely love the colour :D

Except now that its full on winter, I prefer to let my nails see some sun (if there's any)

CG's Go Go Pink

It's actually not as light as the picture. I found this really hard to apply - streaky :(

I have yet to use this properly. The last time I did (in the photo), I got a call to say that my cousin was taking us out to dinner - CRABS! Needless to say, crabs > pretty nails (like duh! Gotta get your priorities right people :p) and so I cleaned them off because they were still not dry when it was 10 minutes before my cousin arrived.

Quick updates

2010-06-28T09:41:00.000+10:00

I can't wait to get my goodie bag from my friend! :D More on that when I get it.

Also, I recently found a book on natural beauty. The stuff that's in there sounds awesome! I'm really excited to try them out but its sooooooo cold that I'm not keen to put anything on my face. We'll see.

I digress: I found NYX in Melbourne Central! :)

***

It's that time of the year again. Time to file tax returns people!

Kiehl's Midnight Oil Review

2010-06-20T13:35:00.001+10:00

Today I'm going to do a quick review on the tiny blue sachets in the picture above.

When May told me about them, I was really skeptical, simply because its an oil product. In general, I find oil products clog my pores and can cause me break outs - although the weather back home probably doesn't help.

Since my move to Melbourne, the weather has been taking its toll on my skin. Break outs and dehydrated skin in the first 6 months of transition are all too familiar to me, so I was very careful with keeping my skin well hydrated.

Then winter came. And all was lost. Time to test Kiehl's Midnight Oil.

***

Overall, I found that it helped improve my skin's hydration, help clear the break outs and generally more radiant looking skin. I haven't seen this in Malaysia though, but in Australia, I think its retailing at A$96 a bottle.

Non-dumpling festival

2010-06-16T14:22:00.000+10:00

I want to eat zhong zi also ;(((

Sasatinne masks

2010-06-14T22:34:00.000+10:00

I got these eye masks and the matching face masks from Sasa using some vouchers I got from purchasing some products for my overseas stash. No photos of the face masks cos I used them before I took any photos :p FYI, the packaging is identical to the eye masks :)

Face Mask

The Aqua Boost Moisturising mask was really good. My skin was starting to feel rather dry from the drastic weather (super hot in KL and super cold/dry in Melbourne). After using the mask, my skin was back to its healthy state ^^

I could also see instant results when I used the Intensive Sparkling White mask. My skin was brighter after I peeled off the mask.

Note: I usually leave the masks on for longer than stated time frame of 20 minutes. On average, I keep them on for about 30-40 minutes if I have the time, especially for moisturising masks.

These are really value for money because it only cost about RM5 per sheet of mask.

Eye Mask

So far, I've tried the blue ones (whitening) but the results are not as good as the full facial mask. I might leave it on for a longer time and see if it works any better. Advised time on pack is 10 minutes. They come in pack of 3 for RM5 :)

Smootchkiss giveaway!

2010-06-12T20:52:00.001+10:00

MAC's Hello Kitty edition anyone?

Enter Smootchkiss' giveaway!

The Face Shop Mud Nose Pack review

2010-06-11T21:41:00.006+10:00

I recently got a little present from a friend in Singapore. She wanted to send a mascara over for me to try because she was raving about it (she said she wore it for over 12 hours and no smudge!) but turns out that could only be bought from The Face Shop in Korea :O

The first time I used it, I put too thin a layer, so it was REALLY difficult to peel - had to scratch at my skin which is really bad. But when I finally ripped it off, it did remove some of the black heads because the skin seemed a little clearer.

So I tried it 2 more times over a span of 2 weeks. I think it does work, but u need to put a fairly thick layer to peel it off easily. Then I remembered a trick my beautician back home used to do for these peel off masks. She sticks tissue paper at the edges so that you have a good grip instead of having to claw someone's face off. So I tried that and it helped ;)

Pros: Its easy to target the black heads on the T zone/chin/around the nose/nostrils area if you have any. This is rather tricky with the usual pore packs.

Cons: Messy application.

Overall, I think its a decent product, and it costs about the same as the Biore pore packs or perhaps just a few dollars over.

Elli Duvolle's Giveaway!

2010-06-11T14:59:00.001+10:00

Elli Duvolle's going to Korea and coming back with this I have Seoul makeup Giveaway!

Think happy thoughts

2010-06-10T18:40:00.004+10:00

This is terrible.

Either it was the way I slept or its just the way I sit in front of the laptop.

But my right shoulder blade/back is definitely killing me. How to play badminton on Monday when I can hardly bring the chopsticks to my mouth during dinner T_T

***

The skin is taking its own sweet time in adjusting to the weather and everything here. I have not had such bad breakouts since my stint in Singapore!

I hope something good comes out of all this breakouts. Kononnya stress.

***

Am absolutely despising the weather at the moment. Think freezer cold.

***

I wonder if its my nails ... *hmmmmmm*

The loot!

2010-06-09T22:48:00.004+10:00

What's there not to love about Fiberwig giveaway? ;))) *hearts*

Obstacles

2010-06-08T14:57:00.004+10:00

You try and try and still you see a huge tree in your path.

You try to go around it, and you see another obstacle in your path. A huge log.

You try to climb over it, but you get splinters stuck in your palms.

You grit your teeth and walk on, and you trip over branches.

You step on them like twigs, and these twigs turn into nails that hurt you.

You turn around and leave the forest, hoping to reach a clearing, but all you see is a the dirt road which leads to a dead end.

What would you do?

***

Chin up, they say.

How is it that people look to me for advice when I am still trying to sort myself out?

How is it that people look at me and say "hey, you exude confidence and optimism", when I find myself looking out of my window hoping for a better day tomorrow?

How is it that people see what some might call foolish bravado, to be a thirst for adventure?

Or even say "hey, you give hope that someday, I can break out of this safety zone too".

It amazes me and makes me wonder, that perhaps, I need to look deeper.

Emily's Giveaway!

2010-05-26T22:29:00.001+10:00

Dollywink anyone?

Enter Here!

KS Giveaways!

2010-05-26T22:22:00.002+10:00

Koreansushi's first giveaway! Hurry over! :)

Giveaways! hearts

2010-05-26T21:57:00.003+10:00

Yuk Lui's Giveaway!! Don't miss out :p

Lacquers and polishes

2010-05-24T15:55:00.001+10:00

Anyone for OPI, China Glaze hauls?

Iced

2010-05-23T12:00:00.001+10:00

Far out! 4 layers and I am still frozen. Absolutely ridiculous!

***

Something is brewing ... ;)

Keeping fingers crossed!

Green is gold

2010-05-19T08:17:00.003+10:00

As always, the grass is always greener on someone else's lawn.

I know of people, including myself, who wished they were that person who had it all. The looks, the figure, the money. Most importantly, the money. With money, you can do almost anything.

Think you're fugly? Fear not. Look what a stylist and some make up can do for Susan Boyle? From frump to trump, that one!

On other times, I wished I studied harder so that I had a track record of As to secretly beam about in my bouts of unemployment *coughs* not that it would make any difference to my UNemployment, just, perhaps, maybe, it might make me feel slightly better.

...

....

Okay nevermind about feeling guilty for not studying much harder (sorry mom, dad!), because I did put in sufficient time to get decent results *ahems* but more importantly, grades do not matter once you've entered the real world.

Yes, that's right people! (and all you straight As pffbbbtt) Amazing right? And no, Miss Lee Choi Yoong, that does not mean you can just flunk or barely pass your papers :p

Good grades gets you to, hopefully, a good company. However, no interview skills and you can just stay at home and be domesticated, maybe.

You always get to see on TVB about rich kids who were sent overseas to complete their studies and who have now returned home to join their family business in some oh-so-high up there position. Even if I had a family business to go to with my qualifications, I always wondered if I would ever meet my father's expectations.

If I remember correctly, my dad used to tell me that I put so much stress on myself because I have such high expectations. Because really, my parents were gems during my studies in Australia. And throughout my life. They hardly pushed me. Maybe it was because of that, that I always had that fear that I might one day let them down. Or worse, myself.

Looking back, I wish I knew of LSE while I was still in school. I know about it now, but do I really want to continue there or try to get into the Ivy League?

***

All that aside, I am one of the luckier ones. Not the ones who can purchase Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton all they like, but that is a personal choice. I have yet to learn to appreciate them - because I have yet to own one! Lets not even walk down that road lest my piggie bank turn anorexic zomg!

A day in Melbourne

2010-05-17T20:31:00.004+10:00

A few weeks ago, Selyn decided to come city hopping Down Under.

Gifts for my girls! :)

Selyn looking eagerly at the large souvlakis :p

Close up of the nom noms!! <3

My all time favourite smoked salmon papardelle!

Special Mercadante pizza with roast potatoes!

The not so good chicken parmagiana :(

Us with my love :p

The girls that night :)

Early morning brekkie *shh*

The lovelies ;)

On a day I went to DFO South Wharf

My tomato haul from Vic Market :) 1kg being turned into tomato sauce!

Kiehl skincare review (II)

2010-05-17T20:20:00.004+10:00

Some photos for Kiehl's skincare review post as promised! Sorry for the delay :)

Whitening products + Ultra Facial Moisturiser

Left to right: Whitening toner, whitening scrub, whitening cleanser, whitening moisturiser, Ultra Facial Moisturiser.

Samples!

These are only some of the samples I received from Kiehl, I've used a few of them, one of which is the eye make-up remover which I find fairly gentle :)

I have yet to try out the blue packaged midnight oil given to me by May, I will do it soon hopefully :p because its supposed to be awesome!

Early Start

2010-05-13T17:55:00.002+10:00

8am used to be early for me. Well, guess what? I started my shift a 7am this morning.

Thank goodness I live near my work place and only needed to get up at 515am. If I lived any further, fml maxxxxx because I will need to wake up at 3 or 4am might as well not sleep wtf

The only plus point was that I ended early too - 3pm. But the other half was at home and so like a homing pigeon, I zoomed home. Apa nak buat la finish so early? House work ah *yuck yuck* Go to the city also nothing to do plus I'm broke max so......

Tomorrow I start at 1030am wheeeeee~ sleep in ;D

My camera is hibernating in the drawer - I should really take it out and upload the photos but like .... its cold and and and ..... sitting in front of the laptop typing = ice cold fingers i.e. super a lot of typos and so this update took a lot of effort wtf ok dinner time bai!

phooey

2010-05-07T09:22:00.003+10:00

Despite having left the strenuous working hours, its sad to know that my immune system is still weak resulting in a week of illness for every little thing.

I had my flu vaccine last week, but had my little nephew sneezed at me over the weekend! So with the miserably cold and drastic changes in the weather, I started feeling lousy, and by Tuesday night, I knew I was gonna be sick. I was sniffling a little, having a dry throat, voice changing a little, all those little symptoms.

By Thursday morning it was full on, but I popped some vitamin Cs and got going. Then it got worse because not only did I have the sniffles, I was having fever! Thank goodness I didn't have to see much patients - can you imagine being stuck in a little room with a staff who is having the flu! Yuck!

So again, I had to cancel my shift today at Emergency .. rather upset because I do need the shift.

Today will be a day of being wrapped like a dumpling and being stuck in bed ugh.

Weather will be awesome for Sydney, Brisbane and even Canberra, but Melbourne will be sucky as ever - rain everyday until Tuesday!!! Fingers crossed that it does remain cloudy only for Sunday's charity run!

Piglet

2010-05-05T20:33:00.001+10:00

weeped today. It will be happy again by Friday ;)

***

Can't wait for next week! *rub hands in glee* ^^

2010-05-04T21:30:00.000+10:00

Dear God,

Give me strength to do away with the negatives.

Kiehl skincare review

2010-04-29T22:13:00.004+10:00

*Photos next post*

I just started on my new set of Kiehl products - trying out their whitening set of products because the description like so canggih! and they give me a lot of samples unlike Estee Lauder kiam betul wtf

There's a toner, gentle exfoliater, cream cleanser and moisturiser. I tried everything this morning sans toner - I still have another one that I'm currently using.

The feeling of the scrub on the skin is very gentle, and it actually feels like a cream cleanser with microbeads (definitely not as harsh as the ones you find in Johnson & Johnson or St Ive's Apricot Scrub). I usually prefer harsher ones (I'm still using St Ive's Apricot Scrub) simply because the skin feels cleaner. However, this Kiehl's whitening scrub left my skin feeling fresh and squeaky clean!

I absolutely love the cream cleanser! It has a slightly velvety texture and also doesn't leave any residue on my skin. The best part? My skin didn't feel taut after the wash.

I won't say the products are cheap, but they are relatively affordable I think? They come in rather large bottles, so they would last you for a good 4-6 months :) unless you use like there's no tomorrow then cannot help you la cis

I've used Estee Lauder's usual cleansers (the ones in blue/pink tubes), and despite loving the smell and feel of it, I find that it leaves my skin slightly taut after the wash. I not so rich la go buy high class cleanser, just happened to have some samples from mom thats all!

Bake-a-sode 2

2010-04-23T16:38:00.003+10:00

Seeing that I've still got a few bananas to spare, I decided to make another cake for my cousin.

This time, I added apple to it. So it's got banana, apple and walnuts! ;)

While the cake was baking in the oven, I quickly chopped some onions and chilli and whipped up some tuna sandwiches for our lunch.

Recipe for banana cake:

1 1/2 Cups of self raising flour

1/2 tsp of baking soda

3/4 Cup of sugar

2 eggs

125g of butter

1 tsp of vanilla extract (use bit more if you're using vanilla essence)

2-3 large ripe bananas

I added walnuts and apple to my own liking - just remember not to add in so much such that the cake is overwhelmed by the fruits and nuts. You can adjust the portions accordingly :)

This recipe serves 8-10 slices. I used a springform pan with 22-25cm in diametres, and the height of the cake is about 2cm.

Simple right? Happy Baking! ;)

Share?

2010-04-23T08:52:00.002+10:00

The secret to home facials, like really!

Estee's Idealist Dual-Action Refining Treatment

Plus a few other products, and voila! Instant brightening!

Red Label

2010-04-21T20:29:00.002+10:00

Sparring with the boyfriend means I have no need for moisturisers, only this.

Jabs

2010-04-20T13:31:00.002+10:00

Just got my flu vaccination done and I've got a freddo! :p

But when I rub my arm it sounds like there's air bubbles in there and makes a gurgle wtf sounds like a hungry tummy growl FML

Going bananas

2010-04-19T12:32:00.003+10:00

Aunty bought 2 bags of bananas for a dollar!! How awesome is that!!!

I checked them to see if they were all ripe/over riped bananas, but actually only a few were so called over riped, most were slightly bruised only.

Now, before you say cheh crazy people buy so cheap but all over riped bananas (!!) let me tell you that these are for baking a banana cake.

So 1 banana cake became 2 and now I've got enough to make about 5 cakes :O think 15 bananas!

I will see how this one turns out before continuing.

Bananas anyone? ;)

*edited with photos!*

Cold vs Slogging

2010-04-17T20:50:00.002+10:00

The other day it was so cold that I was tempted to return to slogging in SG just for the warmth wtf and then my senses kicked it and slapped that thought right outta my head.

I wonder if Jacjac will ever leave :p

Wedding ramblings

2010-04-17T09:01:00.004+10:00

People must think the two of us (Wei and myself) are weird.

We have registered and thus that makes us legally married, right? Well, let me tell you, we don't feel like we are can? Lots of people ask "so how does it feel being married?" .. no different lah! Title saje wtf.

But then padahal the actual wedding belum buat also, so probably just that and not that we are weird right? Right? Yea I think its right *makes self feel better wtf*

I am still undecided if I should just pick the colour I want for the colour themes for the banquet, or consider what linens they have because for the life of me I cannot recall much!! >.<

Morning one ... I have just made my decision. Like now, now. ;p

Ohm

2010-04-09T18:56:00.001+10:00

means I am.

So does that mean when the yogies say "Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......"

They are in fact saying "I ammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..."

Emails

2010-04-09T15:23:00.002+10:00

The photo below was taken at a competition in June 2008. The competition was between 9 women for the best makeover.They had every possible beauty treatment available to them over a period of 12 hours before the contest.

Look at the before and after photos.

Conclusion: There are no ugly women, only POOR women.

The woman 2nd from the left won the contest.

Hummm

2010-04-08T21:41:00.000+10:00

Why is my phone so quiet?

Ring, phone, ring!!!!!!

T-1

2010-04-05T11:21:00.002+10:00

I am sooooooo pandai.

Happily packed most things and totally forgot about my shoes. Now I've got err several pairs to pack. Half are walking shoes. With the amount of walking I will be doing in Melbourne, I doubt they will last as long as they did before.

Kinda excited that I'm going back ;D But I will definitely miss home and my family.

P/s: I have decided that I will get myself a shoe cupboard and a mirror. Ikea Richmond, here I come!

P.p.s: Really clever. The one thing I really needed, I didn't get. A new pair of sports shoes. Current pair is gaping T_T

Silence

2010-04-03T23:58:00.002+11:00

Boo. My holidays at home is coming to an end in 3 days :(

My brother is returning to UK in 3 hours.

It will be so quiet again.

If only I had Doraemon's Pintu Suka Hati ...

ROM

2010-03-31T16:59:00.006+11:00

Our registration was held at Thean Hou Temple last Saturday. My brother actually took a video of the whole thing but the file's too large to be uploaded properly.

This was Take Two. I think the groom paiseh until :S

During the actual exchange of wedding bands

Group photo

The cake my aunt made. Mom iced it for me :D

The whole thing actually only took like 10 minutes I think. No sweat!

Tuck in!

2010-03-28T15:23:00.002+11:00

One more week and I'll be on my way to 'Straya again.

In the meantime, its time to really tuck in on my mamak food :p

*prays that I will never gain the weight I lost this trip* wheeeeee~ xD

Its Official

2010-03-28T01:05:00.001+11:00

Like, in the legal sense. We've still got the whole tea ceremony and banquet to attend to next year!

Exhausted. Good night xD

ROM

2010-03-24T12:33:00.002+11:00

3 weeks ago, we realized ...

That the application process would take 3 weeks, and that the approved application only lasts for a maximum of 6 months, hence we decided that our registration would just have to be brought forward to like, ... now?

***

So yeah .. I'm getting married!! xD

Ate much?

2010-03-22T14:21:00.003+11:00

I have to say that this trip to KL has been the most eventful one (in other words, extremely busy) of all my holidays. There isn't much time to even begin to complain about being bored. We're always rushing off somewhere to run some errands.

After our meeting with the sales person, we packed our bags and drove up to Penang whilst stuffing ourselves with the good food along the way. It was a long drive. Lots of detours and getting lost in tiny towns.

Funny how small things irk one.

Especially now.

Canmake

2010-03-12T23:26:00.002+11:00

Omg I found Canmake in KL!

...

I didn't know they existed here xp

Short trip

2010-03-09T15:04:00.001+11:00

Making a trip down to Singapore over the next 2 days.

Meet up people? ;)

Success!

2010-03-06T00:13:00.001+11:00

Yay! The cake turned out yummy! Wheeee~

Home made goodies

2010-03-04T18:35:00.003+11:00

My eldest aunt brought us a heap of Ham Yuk Zhong this morning! Yummy!

Look at allll the salted egg yolk!! Best in town!

My attempt at baking a cake. Never made one before. Brownies definitely does not count. Hope its not hard as a rock nor taste like sandpaper wtf T_T

2010-03-03T12:51:00.000+11:00

!@#$%^*&(%$#@ FTS!

Sneak peek

2010-03-02T13:05:00.003+11:00

This was taken with his antique film camera ;)

Photo selections

2010-02-27T11:21:00.005+11:00

Hello hello, we spent 4 hours selecting our photos yesterday :O It was quite an exercise.

I wish the photographer would've let me smile more, as in like, give a bigger smile like some of my shots, or at least pointed out that I should smile more because I didn't like some shots where it looked like a grimace. Same goes for Wei, you should smile like a LOT more! :p

Nonetheless, it sure helped us in selecting 60 photos from the few hundred shots we were to choose from haha :p

No photos to be up until .... I get the soft copies from them, sorry JacJac ;) Show you my ring when I see you okay? March 10/11 can?

3 Tips to take away from the photo selection process:

Always be very critical of the photos. Do not have a "tidak apa" attitude because you've paid good money for these photos and not to mention that the wrong decision might come back to haunt you when you receive your final outputs - Wedding Album.
Take note of the lighting - are the shots over exposed? This seems to be fairly common especially with the White gowns. Another thing to note is that your White gown may lose most if not all details amidst the touch up.
Be extremely critical of the facial expressions. If one person looks slightly tired, try to avoid choosing that photo unless you've got no other selections. It matters on such an important occasion :)

Last but not least, always make sure you have fun! Remember, its a happy occasion! ;)

Post photoshoot

2010-02-25T23:02:00.003+11:00

Absolutely detest make up!! Especially heavy ones.

Consequence of photoshoot's make up = break outs and a reaction wtf

A mask should soothe it soon.

Despite all that, and the fact that I had to get out of bed at 5.30am, it was quite fun! And an eye opener in how I look with make up, or rather, full eye make up at least.

;)

Photo jitters

2010-02-23T17:48:00.002+11:00

KNS feeling bloated and photoshoot is tomorrow FML

Updates

2010-02-18T12:47:00.003+11:00

Photoshoot next Wednesday!!

An old friend is finally back from the States and actually coming over for a meet up!

random bits

2010-02-16T14:32:00.003+11:00

Glee marathon on StarWorld :O

Chinese New Year was interesting and fun and just extremely HOT!

My camera charger has gone MIA on me (in Melbourne) and so I haven't been able to take any photos ;(

On a separate note, I seriously need a new phone. I couldn't get any signal half the time in my hometown!!

Music selection

2010-02-09T21:38:00.002+11:00

Attended a pre-CNY dinner at his house and managed to see the cousins again after a longgg while I think. Also got the songs selection out. Now its really up to them ;)

Caught the flu bug that is going around in my house ;(

Had fever initially, and then it has graduated to a bad bad cold/cough sigh.

I'm really supposed to be staying home to rest, but I've got so many things to do that I've been out everyday >.<

Only plus is that I've managed to strike off things from my TO-DO list and also got myself a few CNY stuff ;)

Oh wait. One more plus - weight loss because I'm sick wtf

Do's & Don'ts before photoshoot

2010-02-04T10:12:00.003+11:00

*throws food log out of the window*

That's the end of that list *woe*

With the pre-wedding shoot set on 24th of February, the assistants were reminding throughout yesterday that I had to:

1. Drink lots and lots of water during CNY

2. Be hardworking and put some masks on

3. Don't snack on fried stuff too much

4. DON'T EAT SO MUCH! *woe woe woe* now this trip has no purpose :x

5. Don't sleep too late during CNY to prevent dehydrated skin and eye circles/bags

6. Drink less water the day before to prevent water retention

Conclusion: Jean's 2010 CNY = DIET *woeeeeeeeee!* looks like whee wtf

After the shoot, I'm gonna CHOPPPPPPPP my hair off!!!!

...

Because after that I can't cut it for about a year /crestfallen

Sealing the deal

2010-02-04T01:31:00.003+11:00

After all that shopping around in SS2 and in Loke Yew, we finally settled on a bridal house in SS2.

***

With much discussions of dates going on, we decided to go ahead with the selection of gowns for the shoot today, and have set the date for the shoot as well. We're still unsure of the location for the shoot to take place, but at least something is over and done with.

I'm not like fantastically pleased with the stuff lah, cos like the gown I really really want for the wedding day is only for sale and cannot be altered :( but I'm hoping that I can speak to them about similar designs so that they can consider bringing in something like that at the end of this year when they bring in new stocks. Then I can at least come closer to it. Its really really sweet looking too!!!

Okay, rant aside.

The gowns we selected were good, with one which we think is absolutely fantastic because it's SO striking!

Suggestions for locations, anyone? Need to inform the bridal house by this weekend o.O

Rush rush rush!!

Entourage?

2010-02-03T10:22:00.002+11:00

With my friends being spread out everywhere, how can I get them to save the date to be my chi muis T________T

On another note, what is the difference between brides maids and chi muis?

Hole in my pocket

2010-02-01T22:58:00.004+11:00

Made a trip to KLCC with my parents today and my dad was err bored out of his mind wtf

Managed to get a pair of new pants for work (might get at least 1 more pair) and 2 new shirts for work! They are awesome! :D

Another love I got was a really cute bomber jacket in corduroy whee~

I was so tempted to get a baseball cap too, there were 2 (white and another in pink) which I totally adore but like, really, when am I ever going to wear those? Sigh.

Went round looking for a pair of boots but none which I like were around. Guess I will need to hunt for a pair in Melbourne ;(

My new splurge: a pair of shades from Braun Buffel. They were soooo cute! x.x

Hong Kong and China will be having their winter sales now la omgggg!!! I WANT!!!! T____T

Can you tell how shopping deprived I was in Melbourne because err I felt poor wtf

Despite all of that! .. I still didn't see anything nice to get for CNY though.

***

Food log to date:

Home made cookies, prawn crackers, assam laksa, freshly made taufu fa, fresh soymilk, nasi lemak, yee meen *hearts*!

I LOVE BEING HOME! Eat and eat also won't get fat wan!! The scale only moving to the left woohoooooo! :p

Back @ KL

2010-02-01T10:13:00.004+11:00

Trying to fit in so many things in 4 weeks!!

I am still wondering where my camera charger is hiding. Probably need to get Wei to get me a spare from ebay else the camera will be useless in this holiday and how can that be!!!

I want/need to get a haircut but maybe I should go see the people doing the shoot first o.O

From an idea of a very simple event, to the whole she-bang.

Oh well. Already knew it would get out of hand.

Vaykayyyyyy!

2010-01-30T10:24:00.005+11:00

Hello, hello I am super excited!!!!!

I can't find my camera charger fml pray its at cousin's house

15 more hours to my flight and I am still not quite packed - my clothes that is.

Not easy okay, only can bring limited pieces of clothing back home like less than 10 pieces!

Wondering about the rest of the 20kg each that we've got?

His luggage with all the heavy duty stuff

My luggage with lighter goodies :p

Bad back

2010-01-28T09:32:00.003+11:00

Some brownies that I made the other day for Eric's birthday ;)

***

Had sudden spasms in the upper part of my spine and then it hurt like mad.

Had to cancel my shift today because it still feels like shit. That's almost 200 bux that I lostttttt!

Home soon. 3 more days :)

FTS

2010-01-24T21:52:00.001+11:00

fuck this shit.

melbourne makes me fat.

imma get myself back in shape ASAP!!!!!!