Jellster

The value of a smile

2012-01-31T22:36:00.000+08:00

Today is the last day of January and unfortunately, it seems like the work pace is catching up all around me. So, I will therefore be offering a prayer to God every single day for miracles... yes... that is S at the back of miracles...

Anyway, just wanted to share something I read off a book. It is entitled 'the value of a smile'... I cut off the irrelevant part... muahaha...

The value of a smile
It costs nothing, but creates much.
It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give..
It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.
None are so rich they can get along without it, and none so poor but are richer for its benefits.
It creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in a business, and is the countersign of friends.
It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and Nature's best antidote for trouble.
Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is no earthly good to anybody till it is given away.
(Carnegie, 1936)

I do sometimes wish that a smile can melt away all worries and all problems. Like if my friend is crying about her pains and sufferings, can I wipe it away with my smile? Probably will be a crooked smile after she park her fist within it.

Anyway.. anyway... anyway... like so wisely spoken, happiness is not dependent on outward situation but on inner condition. A load will always be heavy when you carry it, but you can choose to carry it happily or unhappily. It can be so easily said than done but I believe in one step at a time. So, if you wanna choose to do just one thing today, you can choose to smile. :)

Summer skincare

2012-01-29T00:22:00.002+08:00

When I first came to Oz, I could not understand why Aussies love their summer days~! So hot, like walking in an oven!! And as if that isn't hot enough, the harsh sun rays just zaps mercilessly on the skin until it hurts. My only comfort was the air con in my room... whee... as I typed incessantly on my laptop, surfing the web and chatting with my friends.

But then I came to realize that kinda life is pretty much anti-social in a summer loving aussie standard, so I kinda let my friends drag me out to the beach. Like today... it was a festering 41 degrees celsius in the city! But once I step out of my car to the beach, the breeze was amazing~! The water was so cooling~! Everything seems so awesome~! Except the waves... grrr... I just wanna dip in the water and be cool doing it, (got my sunnies and all that...). But then again, someone drag me to ride the wave~!

The first few waves were pretty mild, like a stranger luring you on with sweets and lollies. Then the big ones hit me and swallowed me, pushing me to the shore and then dragging me back on, water was entering everywhere, my eyes, my nose, my mouth, and my ears~! I was sure I was gonna finish where I left off some 20 years ago. (I almost drown when I was a kid, was saved by my mum and hospitalized for 3 days... bla bla bla...). Luckily for me, my hubby grabbed me and dragged me back up.

Casualty from riding the waves...

And then I made some pitiful faces and showed off my wounds until I passed by another person who was nursing an open wound... Alrighty...

My serious face... I conquered a big wave today... :P

So, I decided I should do my serious face cause I conquered a big wave unscathed today~! Yeeeaahh....

Cottlesloe's restaurant and cafe

But in truth, all my sob story was just to secure ice cream before we head back. You cannot believe how yummy ice cream tastes like after drinking really salty water~! I believe THAT should be one of the BIGGEST highlight of my visit to the beach.

Must have when you are on the beach... ICE CREAM~!

So if ice cream is to beach is to summer, then I believe the other missing connection should be sunscreen! One of my laziest step in daily skincare routine is the sunscreen, especially when it comes to applying it to the rest of my body. In my defense, I have to apply a bigger surface area for my case~!

But as being ceaselessly highlighted in the skincare books I read, (which isn't many, if you care to ask. But to the point that I can refer to them as 'books' means hell of an effort on my side, I should comment. :P) sun is one of the main culprit in skin aging. So even if you are lazy to smother your face with serums, smooth it with scrub or moisturize it with emulsions and creams, sunscreen should still be in your skincare regime. And if you have seen what sun damaged skin looks on a young woman, you would be shocked and disgusted and decided to swim in sunscreen right this moment~! (At least I would, coz I am still super lazy to apply it with my hands). It is never too late to start, either... I just started actively applying sunscreen on my face last year~! And I really didn't know how to start, so I started with a humble tub of sunscreen in the supermarket and work my way through. But I didn't really like it, which makes the routine harder to stick and I figure this would be the same with others out there. So I decided to do reviews on sunscreens I've tried and tested and hope it helps you with selecting one that suits you~!

In order to choose one that is best for you, it is inherent that you compare reviews and experience of the skin type close to yours. For clarity sake, my skin type is dry to combination skin.

Nivea Sun Light Feel Daily Face Veil

Sun Protection Factor : 30

Price : A$8

Content : 50 ml

Manufactured in : not sure

Description : This moisturising, ultra light-weight cream-gel formula ensures high protection against sun damage and premature skin ageing creating a protective veil against the sun. Instantly absorbed, it leaves a silky, light skin feeling making it perfect for everyday use.

Direction : Apply liberally 15-20 minutes before sun exposure

Experience :
Shine : ☺☺☺☺

Oiliness : ☺☺☺
Comment : This product did not mentioned anything about protection against UVA. As UVA is one of the biggest contributor to skin cancer, it may not provide all round protection. When I first applied it, I like the cream-gel texture which quickly dissolved. Though it is not so oily, it has a unsightly shine especially after a few minutes. So you go out feeling confident, until you excuse yourself to the bathroom after a few hours and go Gaaahhhh!!! The upside is it is really cheap and as the first facial sunscreen I tried, it is not that bad. It does not contain overpowering perfume and does not clog pores. The main downside is the shiny exterior and not having UVA blocker.

Nivea Sun Light Feel Daily Face Veil's texture : Just like blend of gel and cream texture

This is how it looks like...

After blending it in...

L'oreal UV Perfect 12H Longlasting UV Protector

Sun Protection Factor : 50, UVB, UVA, PA+++

Price : A$18 at Sasa.com (anti-dullness) and RM33 at Guardian Malaysia (even complexion)

Content : 30 ml

Manufactured in : Phillipines

Description : Perfectly hydrates and protects your skin against UV rays, brown spots, skin darkening, and premature ageing. UV PERFECT contains an optimized UVA/UVB protection filtering system tailor made for asian phototypes. Enriched with a powerful Anti-Oxidant Complex and Activa-Cell, to reinforce protection against free-radicals and better shield cells, elastin and collagen fibers.

L'oreal UV Perfect 12H Longlasting UV Protector

L'oreal UV Perfect 12H Longlasting UV Protector's texture : Smooth liquid. On the left: Anti-dullness and on the right: even complexion

L'oreal UV Perfect 12H Longlasting UV Protector's texture: Easily blended in

Experience :
Shine : ☺☺

Oiliness : ☺☺☺
Comment : I have heard so much about this product as I was web surfing. Apparently, this product was highly raved by Beauty magazine in Taiwan or something, so naturally I was inclined to fall head over heels in love with it. The texture was smooth and easy to blend in, and it comes in two range, either anti-dullness or even complexion which is a bit like a tinted moisturizer. I really like the even complexion function as it can double up as make up base on my lazy days. The best thing was the fact that it has UVA and UVB blockers and SPF50, wth?? But here is the bad side... though it didn't give off that awful shine, it gets oily after a few hours (which I come to accept, maybe due to the temperature and what not, right?) but the worst part was the black heads~! Blackheads are natural, but this product acted like blackhead fertilizer on my nose~! This means it inevitably clogged up my pores.

Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery mousse Water base

Sun Protection Factor : 50+, PA+++

Price : Rm32.90 at Sasa shop

Content : 33g

Manufactured in : Japan

Description : Say goodbye to ordinary heavy, sticky sun protection and experience this mousse-touch UV cream! With Biore first-ever technology, UV cut ingredient is locked inside of Aqua Micro Capsules, giving you SPF 50+/PA+++ yet surprising ultra-light & refreshed skin feeling. Cool 'water-like' sensation, for face, ideal as makeup base, Non sticky & Non greasy, Hyaluronic acid & mix citrus essence, keeps skin fresh, moist & protected.

Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Mousse Water base

Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Mousse Water Base's texture: looks like a blend of mousse and liquid

Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery mousse Water base texture : blends to a smooth powdery texture

Experience :
Shine : ☺

Oiliness : ☺

Comment : So far, I really like this one. The texture is really nice, sorta like powder once you apply it on. The upside is no shine, no oiliness, and no clogged pores~! I really like that it provides overall protection while not sacrificing my lazy habits. No wonder it is Japan's best selling sunscreen. The downside? I guess the down side can be the price of it as compared to the others I have tried. But I learnt through experience, that convenience comes with a price. Damn~!

Hence, before you head out today, don't forget to apply sunscreen if you have some, and if you don't, grab some while you're out~!

Happy summer day~!

Note : The products that I reviewed above are purchased and are not sponsored.

My 1st time as maid of honour

2012-01-25T01:03:00.000+08:00

Can't believe that it takes such a long time for the photographer to return to us with the photographs of my sister's wedding. A total of 3-4 weeks in total. I have analyzed thpse pics one by one and I am sure he didn't do any editing. I still look awesomely me. However I am sure he painstakingly ensured he picked all of my ugliest pic. Damn!

But, anyway...this was my first time as maid of honour, so I flew back to Msia 1 week plus before the wedding to give a helping hand. For one whole week, I could only cram in 5-6 hours of sleep on average helping with the last minute details of the event. From compiling their beautiful love story to the video editing to the traditional (and my much anticipated) ceremony of passing the bride to the groom, every thing required meticulous planning and much verbal abuse! Ouchie!

I hope my sister and my brother in law would enjoy awesome years ahead of them and can reminiscent on this wonderful day as the start of their beautiful journey ahead. So, without further a due... let's roll the pics...

Decorating the house prior to the wedding... Ok la, it wasn't much. Mostly only requiring sticking ready made stickers...

For the most sacred ji mui ceremony, we prepared heart shaped sandwiches of wasabi and one very special concoction for the groom... hehehe... The clothes with the red ribbon are actually random pieces of cloth from the bride and two kids, the groom would then be blind folded and asked to sniff out his bride's cloth...

These heart shaped origami contains questions for the groom to answer... hehehe...

Barely could open our eyes on this wondrous day, only had 3 hours of sleep... bring on the BAGS!!

Ji mui and the bride

The bride and I

Hehe... The groom eating the special sandwich we prepared for him. Look at him! Wanna spit it out~! Hehe... The guy to the left looks soo relaxed eating his wasabi sandwich... Damn! Should have put more~!

This pic is so epic... BRING ON THE PUNISHMENT!! (We are Sparta~!) lol...

Punishment 1: Brazilian Wax~! Go and cry to your mama~! rotfl...
Note: Please do not attempt this at home. These men have received numerous training from their previous 'heng tai' experience. Another note: Heng tai as in chinese's heng tai and not japanese's hen tai. That would be funny... :P

Groom: Hmm... all smell like diaper one... How I know o?
Surprisingly, he picked out the correct one le... how he do it?

As we were running out of time, all thanks to the photographer (I haven't forgiven you for preventing me from unleashing my full planned out torture~! js kidding). The treasure hunt was cut short. The treasure is the bride's crystal encrusted shoe locked within her RED luggage bag. The groom and his heng tai... sounds so wrong, henceforth, I shall call them his henchman... had to look for the key all over the house to open the bag.

Finally he opens the luggage bag and holds the shoe in his hand, but before he can go in the room... cannot forget the red Ang pows~!

The groom helping the bride wear her shoe... Me at the back orchestrating something... what could it be?

Ta ~ da~! Beautiful moment~!
Pointer for those confetti poppers, if you want 100% guarantee, take a fork and poke some holes at the top. Oh gosh, can't believe I am saying this but thanks to the photographer who taught us this trick~!

Now the bride can leave her house and join her groom in their wonderful ever after. Left: Jossie, the make up artist. Gotta LOVE her~!

One whole family shot... our family just got officially bigger today...

My side of the family

Oh yeah, got this weird tradition that they ask a virgin boy to come roll around on the new bed. Seems to mean like they will have lotsa kids in the future or be as reproductive as rabbits or something... but damn funny, look at this granny rolling him around.... so kesian...

At the banquet... the traditional yaaaaaaaaa.....m sheng....EAR SPLITTING MAN!!

Us, youngster and the groom~!

Our table, most of the mastermind of the event... yeah deh...

Alright, this concludes the long post peppered with pics and my lazy summary of the day. If I could see the photographer again, I will ask him 'Why u no take pic of my shoes?? It was pretty painful but awesome shoes lo... ' Right? I knew you would understand the feeling. :P

O well, enough about the shoes~!

Obviously marriage is a commitment for a lifetime and there should not be any doubts when you walk down that aisle. Because if there is, well... you shouldn't really bother with the whole ceremony, just splurge on us and save us the trouble, right? Anyway, here's to true love~! After 7 years of being together, they finally tied the note. I am hoping this year would be my lucky year~! Cheers~!

Happy lunar new year 2012~!

2012-01-23T11:48:00.004+08:00

Like a child anticipating xmas, every year I anticipate the arrival of Chinese New Year. It is a day when I get to gather with my family and relatives for a humble meal, engrossed with our summary of the year and our anticipation for the next. And the next few days would be an excuse to re-connect with ex-classmates, friends and the occasional nemesis. During my high school and uni years, Chinese New year was all about being paid with ang pow to have fun. A day to stuff ourselves like pigs with pigs to the point of oblivion. But as we graduate from uni and start our own little journey to adulthood, it gets harder and harder to see each other even though people say the world is getting smaller and smaller. Chinese New Year became like the glue that holds each mismatch pieces together. People I no longer get to bump on the street, people who have grown so much I no longer recognize and people who you just could not stand on a daily basis just suddenly come together for that one special season.

Perth city view

This year though, is my first year spending Chinese New Year in Perth. Perth is such a beautiful city and boast of a huge Chinese community. Maybe it won't be that bad... I told myself. But it was pretty hard to convince myself just that days before as my family were buying new clothes and baking new year goods while I was sick in bed and could only listen to them via skype.

I was sick for a full fortnight and I became a terrible patient indeed. I was like Barney Stinson in 'How I met your mother'. Everything was Ouchie and when my needs weren't met, I would wail out loud that I want to go home. I even went and check the prices of the flights back home but then my hubby managed to talk sense into me. It is highly unlikely that they will let such a sick person on board. And then I proceed to wail some more until I faint from exhaustion. Right, that last bit only happen in my mind, it is more probable that my hubby whack my head with a baseball bat after 1 minute of listening to my wails.

Anyway, after 2 days of nonstop diarrhea... Heck, I even wake up at 3am to go to the toilet! I was totally sick of eating because it would mean more visits to the toilet even though it was just boring porridge. So I did what a sane person would do, I decided to eat KFC CHICKEN on the 3rd day~!! My logic seemed flawless... since everything would come out in the end, this means it offsets the oiliness and unhealthiness of the food consumed!! Omg, I am a genius! Except that day also happens to be the day the diarrhea mysteriously ended... WTH??

The view I enjoyed first day I got better...

Ok, back to present day...

When I called my family on the phone on the eve of Chinese new year, we were continuously interrupted by the sound of firecrackers from their background. Just then I heard a few prap~prap~prap from my side, I was so happy only that that was it. Probably the police then quickly narrowed them down and issued hefty fines or something. Sad...

But anyway... for those who are spending Chinese new year, o... wait, maybe you prefer lunar new year... with their friends and family eating yummy food, I just wanna say I hate you~! No la, jus kidding. I would instead choose to wish you happy lunar new year with tears streaming from my eyes and my fist all clenched up.

Happy dragon year y'all~!

My strange encounters with some docs...

2012-01-11T14:16:00.001+08:00

Last few days, I was very busy... busy sneezing, coughing, being drowsy and blowing my nose. My family and close friends have pestered me endlessly to see a doctor about it, berating me for my stubborn reluctance to actually consult one.

I guess majority of my reluctance stem from personal experience anyway.

1. When they don't know

I recall when I was in my high school, I fell sick every month cun-cun one week before my menstrual. Once, I even cooked up a huge fever. By then my attendance in school can beat that of the student ranked last in class, which happened to sit right beside me in class. My jie jie then recommended me Elken Spirulina, a kind of marine based protein which boost overall health. But my dad wasn't convince since it comes with quite a hefty price, so he brought me to see his friend, the doctor.

After examining me for a few minutes and listening to me recounting how often I fell sick, always one week prior to menstrual, he tilted his head to one side. And then began to ask me whether I have some difficulties in school?

Yeah, my difficulty is that I can't go to school! DUH...

Then began recounting that there is NO such thing as lower immune system one week prior to menstrual, and that I must be facing with some difficulties in school, that I must be a naughty kid and this was my way of escaping school. With each sentence, the thundercloud on my dad's face was palpable. I was surprised that the doctor could be so blind as to continue on. The thing was I wasn't asking for medical leave every single month, I just wanted to GET BETTER! Something we (me and my dad) just couldn't get past his thick skull. I didn't get any good advise from him that day, but the good thing was that my dad went straight to purchasing Elken's Spirulina for me thus ending my sick spell.

And I try not to do it, but I consulted Dr Google after the consultation and a LOT of females complained of being weak or sick one week prior to menstrual.

2. When they don't know 2

The second case was when rashes started developing all over my face, I freaked out. And the following dialogue happened after waiting a few damn days just to see a doctor in Curtin Perth!!

Me : (Freaking out coz it is my FACE!!) Doc, take a look at this patch of itchy rashes! Last few days it was just a small dot on my lymph node and then it spread everywhere!

Doc : (Glance but not bothering to touch it incase it is contagious and spoils his perfect skin) Hmm...

Me : What is it?

Doc : Well... It could be fungi.

Me : (Omg... I am dirty!) *gasp* Couldn't it be allergy? (I am not that dirty bah!)

Doc : Well, it could be...

Me : *confused* then?

Doc : Hmm... I can't tell...

Me : (Top secret meh? Don't know mah say don't know la... ). Har? Totally NO ways of testing like maybe slice a small sample and test?

Doc : I can't tell...

Me : Freaking stupid doc!

Of course, I didn't say that la. But I get charged like $76 for such a consult without even recommendations for ointment or meds!?! Man, I could have cia my best friend to dinner in ciao Italia and we could binge on those tiramisu, chilli mussels and spaghetti and still have enough to tip that cute waiter! I just bet that doc won't even tip him coz he is cuter than him! Or just use that money to buy some major concealer and conceal it, for goodness sake! And in Malaysia, $75 x 3 would have been enough for me to do a blood test and then cia the doctor to lunch! I was outraged... Anyway afterwards, my hubby then pop me an allergy med and the rash disappeared real fast.

Note to docs : Menstrual and facial skin is very important to girls. I know I am not a dire patients in these examples, but I pay you all the same for your consult and I just expect maybe a small tub of respect for my discomfort.

3. They are human, after all...

In my third case, my friend who is obese and had an unhealthy attitude towards posture one day hurt his back. It wasn't the mild backache, those that are triggered by weather change and all that. His spine had in fact shifted and sometimes it can hurt like hell. When I helped him into the car, he was cursing and swearing like I was the devil. Though I couldn't fathom how much this was hurting him, I could imagine from his ashen face and cold sweat.

Initially, I bought him to an acupuncture clinic. The acupuncturist examine and was quick to pick up the abnormality of his spine and suggested remedial actions. But my friend wasn't too keen on chinese medicine so he ordered me to bring him to a proper clinic. So I did.

One step into the clinic though and we were both disappointed, don't get me wrong. The doc was so friendly. Before we even sat down, she was already talking about her experience with backaches. Like how when the weather changes, her joints hurt... bla bla bla... I was gritting my teeth, Shut up bitch! If you are in pain, go see a doctor! I didn't want to lose my temper then becoz I know how much my friend was hurting and that would be like the last thing he could handle. But we found ourselves dismissed really quick without the doc even touching him or examining his back, and get this, we didn't even get to SIT DOWN! Her advice : Get panadeine, painkiller.

Little need be said at this point, I drove him back to the acupuncturist.

4. Docs don't know everything, and it is WRONG to build a system that thinks they do.

This is sincerely my opinion. And this is with regards to my previous blog about my friend who was admitted into the hospital. In that experience, the doctor or nurse who did the ultrasound on her wasn't the one who explained her situation to us. Everything was written on the chart, but is it?

In her case, after the ultrasound, she overheard the nurse mention to another nurse that there seems to be a huge cyst in the ovary. But this information was not relayed to us, instead the doc said 'we don't know why the ovary flipped over'.

Me : But why?

Doc : This things happened.

Then after the surgery, the nurse told us the operation was a success and that they removed a blood filled cyst which they found there. I was like 'har?' coz they didn't tell there was a cyst there in the first place! A lot of questions lingered in our heads until I recounted the event to my aunt, who happened to be a retired medical officer in Msia. She then went on to explain that cyst is a very normal occurrence. Only when the cyst grew to be too big in size that the ovary may be twisted, pulling and hurting the nerve and veins surrounding the ovary hence the abdominal pain. Normal ovaries don't go do somersaults like that.

How come these doctors and nurse was not able to recount to us the whole incident le? It is scary to think that they schedule a surgery without knowing what is going on (as indicated by the GP) and even scarier to think that a GP was the one explaining these things instead of the one performing the operation. Is this normal? Is it not scary to think that they made us sign the agreement to surgery without the surgeon telling us and showing us the ultrasound pic? I know the whole surgery is free under medicare and all that, is it that free equals bad system? Free equals not needing to up the system?

Anyway, the main lesson for me is prevention is better than cure. Taking better care of my health right now is better than complaining about some random docs. So I am still all about getting enough rest, drinking enough fluids and not taking any spicy and fried stuff.

But still, it is hard for me to simply trust a doc even in Oz. but if you have any good docs or clinic in Perth to recommend, pls drop me a comment below~! A good doc that doesn't necessary means better qualification and Mr know-it-all but one who is attentive, humble and observant. I do realize that doctors meet maybe hundreds of patients a day, but please don't treat everyone as one and the same.

Great way to start the new year...

2012-01-06T10:21:00.003+08:00

I know I am being sarcastic when I say this, but if I am not sarcastic, I guess I would be emo.

After touchdown in Perth the day before, I started developing 'super sexy voice'. Initially I didn't think much of it, perhaps I need to drink lotsa water and all that. But the second day proved to be too much for me, I began to grow slightly feverish. And to top it all, blocked nose and coughing began to plagued me. I even tweeted a really disgusting pic of how I destroyed the environment by consuming soo much tissue paper. I won't even bother to post the pic now, cause I am being repentant now that I am sober.

My hubby and his parents asked me to consult a doctor, but with my 'awesome' experience with the docs here, I was 100% reluctant. Plus I knew that it wasn't a major illness, nothing some herbal medication and rest won't cure. The flu I have developed is considered to be due to inner heatiness (for those who understand chinese terms, that term won't sound so weird). It wasn't surprising as I have suffered from major body heatiness while I was in Msia.

So, what causes inner body heatiness? (for want of a better term... it is hard translating, no?)

Lack of sleep
Consumption of heaty food such as DURIAN (my guilty pleasure), rambutan, fried food, and spicy food (In my opinion, almost 100% of the food served in Msia seems heaty)
Constipation
Hormonal change

and etc. But for me, this time was mainly lack of sleep and consumption of heaty food. The week before, while still in Msia... I developed these disgusting ulcers inside my mouth. In total, there were 3 ulcers, 2 grew at the side of the mouth which is alright and one at the gum which hurts!! The pain radiates to my right lymph node and sometimes to the base of my ear. So I did what I can do and consumed food that quenches the fire within. (Again... it is hard translating...).

Some example of these food are like bitter gourd juice (can be found even in roadside hawker stalls, which sells blended juice that is), wong loh kat (can be found in many shops that sells herbal medicine and drinks, only $1.50 per bowl. For maximum 'omph', ask them to add the powder to relief heat. Warning, super bitter! It cost about $4 for the added powder. Don't bother to buy the canned Wong Loh kat drink, it tastes like the grass jelly drink without the grass jelly), and tang gui (this jelly is black in colour and tastes bitter as well, so add a bit of honey and/or syrup on it and it should be fine).

If you are not a fan of bitter stuff and just not as desperate as me, you can choose the alternative of barley drink (of course, the ones that are sold in coffee shops have lotsa sugar, so choose to cook it yourself and use the rock sugar instead of white sugar), green bean soup/stew, the cooling water (I forgot the name but the logo is three leg and a rhino at the front. It tastes like water and a little something, I am not sure) and the loh han guo drink.

Especially when I don't have enough sleep, I cook soup which helps nourishes my inner self and reduces the heat. One example is of course barley drink, the other is a soup which uses pork soft bones, ginseng roots (the endings are cooling while the main stem are heaty, so I am referring to the endings), white radish (great for absorbing toxins in the body, do not take when taking medication as it may reduce the efficacy of the medicine), goji, red dates, garlic, salt and pepper. Wa-la, yummy yet beneficial soup~!

If you have some suggestions on how to reduce the body heat, feel free to drop a comment or two. Till then, I think I need more rest.

XOXO

2011's reflection

2012-01-04T23:50:00.004+08:00

Can't believe that the year of rabbit can come and go so swiftly. I also can't believe that it took me this long to publish this post. Every time a year come to end, I have Soo many things going through my head, Soo many things I wanted to pen down, Soo many hopes, dreams and anticipations that I hold for the coming year. Do you too? But this year, somehow I am more subdued, is this what being matured means? That doesn't sound like fun... I didn't even have my annual Xmas wishlist. Damn!

But the ending of this year had imparted many precious lessons I hold dearly. Let it never be forgotten!

The many facades of me over the year... Don't forget me and my doppelgänger!! Sista, u r SOO pretty! :P

I have made many decisions based on gut feel, and strangely it has brought me a long way. And the one single time I use my head, I regretted it Soo much that it seems that regret consumed me wholly. O well, it is never too late for happiness! I can't turn back time and unmake the decision that I did but there is still time to do the things I wanted to do! (told u I am being mature :P) but I seriously doubt the credibility of what I wanted to do as I sing along to Bruno mars' lazy song. Wth? :P Btw, if you think making decisions based on gut feel isn't good role model qualities, I would remind u decisions can also be made via flipping a coin and etc.

One important decision that I will make from the lessons I obtained this year is to one day return to my country. I have not been particularly home sick since I arrived in this beautiful country, abandoning my msian slang for one that sound so cowgirl~! Nodding along as ABC complained to me of msian who can't drop their msian slang. Being aghast at the state of our politics back home. But seriously, we can complain and lament and as I put it 'roll around in frustration', Msia is like durian. U hate the smell, u hate how heaty the fruit is, but it is Soo addictive. Listening to ah beng in the movie 'woohoo' speaking more than 2 language in a single sentence is endearing! Wth?? Seriously, do u know it is harder to blend so many languages in a single sentence than using one language in a single sentence?? (yeah, I am making this up but it makes sense). When it comes to swear words, there is no such thing as language barrier.

Another thing that I can't forget is the food. Absolutely cannot forget it since u will see food on every corner and everywhere u go in msia, more ubiquitous than clean toilet! The smell haunting u when u think u have enough, enticing and seducing u to take that next bite out of ur meticulously planned out diet. Hence destroying ur dream of ever slimming down naturally except genetically prone. *sad*

Food from all over msia...

Hey, not done yet... Got some more food...

Wth?? Still got ar?

All the same, love Australia! Till that day I can go back msia to reunite with my family, still appreciating every single moment here.

Beautiful places in WA...

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous dragon year!!

Review: The Skin House deep cleansing foam

2011-12-13T11:25:00.004+08:00

Ever since I find out my fav Jap skincare was meant for mature skin, I was horrified. O no.... But I actually super love it. So I let Bonjour's promoter introduced me some skincare for the younger generation (yes, I am young! In your face~! :P). She introduced me some korean skincare call the Skin House deep cleansing foam, hence I am reviewing it after one month of use.

Packaging : Bright green tube packaging, simple and practical.

Texture : Light yellow creamy texture that foams into this light fluffy texture of fine foam.

After rigorous foaming....*sweating and puffing profusely* Ok, not that rigorous la... I admit, I lack exercise~! :P

kinda reminded of the foam ontop of my hot chocolate... *hungry*

Smell : Hard to describe, but it is not citrus, floral or herbal smell. The smell is light and not overpowering, kinda reminds me of some mung beans or red beans. :P

Pricing : App. HKD200 (so about AUD10-20)

Claims : Deep cleansing without the annoying tightness afterwards. All other claims are in korean.

Comments : It is a very basic foam cleanser. Definitely cleanses the face without the feeling of tightness afterwards, however that was pretty much what it does.

Upon washing, it SLIGHTLY reduces the appearance of my blackheads. But apart from that, there is definitely nothing special I can comment on. No extra whitening or brightening or etc... etc...

Pros :

Gentle; did not irritate my skin
Moisturizing for a foam cleanser

Cons :

Quite expensive for such a basic cleanser
Very troublesome to foam, it took me at least 1-2 minutes every time

Who might like it?

If you don't mind spending some time foaming up your cleanser and the price, then you might like this. I think it might be suitable for people with oily to combination skin as it does not strip your skin of its natural barrier.

My verdict?

I finished the whole tube within one and a half month. I honestly think there are cheaper and better alternatives to this. With the money I saved on not buying this, I can buy my fav jap skincare for the mature skin in the future~! Yoohoo...

Till next time,

XOXO

Top 5 loser courtship strategy

2011-12-11T00:38:00.001+08:00

Do you remember your first crush, like how when you look across the classroom and you caught your secret crush stealing a glance at you too? How your heart raced like a gazelle and your face reddened? Later, he presented you a card and maybe that single rose on a stalk. Now, that was sweet courtship. That long anticipated wait for the hookup. But as I grow up, I realized that there are more than those sweet moments. There are times when I just wanted to wear thick horn rimmed glasses and sweatpants everywhere just to avoid some of the loser courtship:

1. Bait, hook and sucker~!

Image: Some 'fishies' knows what you are up to, k?

I call it the 'fisherman' style but perhaps this is insulting the absolute professionalism some fisherman adopts. You will know what I mean when you encounter such a person: He started up by selecting his target group (e.g. single, pretty, smart, etc) without really having any emotional attachment whatsoever. Then he set his bait by being super sweet and friendly to you. Suddenly, he wants to send you home; suddenly he calls you out of the blue because he wants to get to know you; suddenly, he walks you to your car. But beware, because apart from you, he is also doing the exact things to other girls. After he had laid down his bait, he waits and observes which girl seems to show attachment or affection for him. And as if you are nothing but another variable in his bar chart, he notes down and compare different girls without their knowledge. He has done well for himself, but have you?

His investment: sweet talk, a little of his time, and some text messages.
ROI : Almost always some girls fell for him thinking that they are special to him. At best, she doesn't know about his fishing tricks out there before her. At best, he developed feelings for her and stay loyal to her. At worst, her best friend would inform her that the guy also showed the same affection to her, leading to a really awkward moment or he is dating someone else behind her back too.
My verdict: Sometimes it works, but sometimes it backfires a LOT. Try dropping hints that you are not perfect and see whether he still comes back for you, if no, move on. If there's plenty of fishies out there for him, there's plenty more fishermen out there for you too.

2. Relationship whiner/moaner

Image: Pity party

These guys started off by being the injured puppy that you wanted to nurse back to full health. It can get very regular when you hear phrases like :

'I love my ex-girlfriend so much and she hurt me so deeply'

'I was betrayed, I don't think I can ever trust again.'

even though when you really think carefully, you are not that close to him.

He is the poor misunderstood sensitive soul who had been let down time and time again, someone who just seriously needed a break from all this bad luck. He wish you could be the one who would teach him how to trust again. But is he?

His investment: tears and if you listen carefully, nothing but complaints... complaints... complaints...
ROI: Girls who have a heart of gold, girls who can't say no even to a teacup pig
My verdict: I am appalled by crocodile tears. For a real man, I don't think tears should come that easily. Remember that while he is bitching about his ex and how pitiful he is in front of you, what you are hearing is just a one side story. Until you hear the other side, keep a neutral front. At the end of the day, if you are moved, ask yourself whether it is pity you feel for him or true love?

3 & 4. Mr Better-than-thou and/or Mr show-it-all

Image: show off....

Mr show-it-all sounds like those ma-lak-lo with trench coat by the side of the road, waiting for innocent young girls to come by before flashing his sickly pale pee pee thing to them. In anyho, perhaps it is a evoluted creature of the flasher? Darwin would know better. Mr Better-than-thou and Mr Show-it-all seems like those ego maniacs who continuously belittle you infront of other people or when it was just the two of you together be it directly or indirectly. And when you thought he hates you, he started to drop hints that he is interested in you. But wait... wasn't he way ABOVE my league? Wow, I am honored such a person takes interest in me. STOP!!

His investment: Nothing
ROI: Barney Stinson from 'How I met your Mother' saluted this target group and they are usually girls who have serious daddy issues and low self esteem.
My verdict: Firstly, unless he is seriously richer or influential than you, he is probably 120% more insecure than you. Secondly, if he can't respect you before you guys dated, he is definitely not going to respect you when you guys have your first quarrel.

5. Stalker

FB stalking does not count, blog reading does not count.

Image: What is socially acceptable and what is creepy...

The goosebumps starts to rise when he starts to troll around your FB, your twitter, your blog... soo much that you had to switched on the private settings on your account.

Perhaps at one time, he started off real sweet. Giving you cute pet names that no one else calls, giving you pressie and cards and dropping you calls just to talk. But when you start to reject him, he shows his true color because seriously... he can't get you out of his head. He started to turn up in places you frequent but he had never been before, he started to leave you really creepy msgs like maybe how he wish you and your bf will never meant to be (Omg... is that a threat?), and the worst he started to shadow you. STOP!

Image: Don't laugh, it can get serious...

His investment: His time, his effort and his sanity
ROI: I don't know...
My verdict: He needs help, straightaway!! Don't tolerate this kind of behavior, this is seriously giving the wrong message to his brain. The only time this can get romantic is in the storybook and the movie!!

Image: The only way stalking gets the girl...

It is not surprising that sometimes girl just lose faith in the whole true love thing. I would too, if I wasn't lucky enough to find mine. But more on that next time...

Till then,

XOXO

My december scare

2011-12-10T16:26:00.001+08:00

Last Sunday, I recall that I was sitting at home and joking with my friend, talking about skincare and wishing we could go traveling and shopping together. Just girly stuff in her ungirly room. :P

Hence, we weren't expecting her to fell ill the next day. I recall she started having abdominal pain sometime 3 in the morning. She said her stomach felt bloated and she felt nausea at the same time. Initially we thought it was normal food poisoning and I went out to get some Bacuspan painkillers for her acute stomach cramps.

Towards evening, I returned from campus, and she was now in more pain. Half bent over, tears in her eyes as she asked me where is the nearest clinic. Right then, I suspected it was appendicitis. So I drove her to GP after hours, which is right across Royal Perth Hospital. My friend was still half bent over, clutching her stomach in pain and it freaking took us 20 minutes to even register. WHY??

*Highlighting every single word just to annoy me*

Ok, I will try to be kind. Apparently, there is only one doctor on duty (that's alright). Secondly, their computer system is down. And the nurse couldn't print out a notice for early closure. So instead of tending to the patients first, she took out a paper and wrote the notice. And just incase we are here to waste her time, she decided to waste ours by choosing to HIGHLIGHT EVERY SINGLE WORD SLOWLY. If it weren't for the poster saying 'no staff abuse. zero tolerance!' with the image of a policeman pointing straight at me, I think I will scream. So after 20 minutes to register, we waited another 1 hour to see the doc.

Once inside, the doctor (which we didn't immediately identified as doctor because he was waltzing around and around. Impression points: Minus...) proceeded to inspect my friend. As he pressed down on her tummy, she screamed with every tap. It amazed me that he can keep a very calm face, even to the point of BLUR. Then he went to flip through some books before saying that there seem to be infection, MAYBE salmonella. So he prescribed antibiotic and we were dismissed. Before we even left the clinic, we could even hear him getting annoyed with the receptionist for letting more patients come in. Impression points, BIG MINUS~!

By 10:30pm however, (which is 2 hours after taking the painkiller) my friend was still writhing in pain. It was then time to deliver her to the emergency room. It was kinda scary moment for me, for I kept thinking 'Her appendix is gonna BURST~!'. So we drove her to the nearest emergency room, i.e. Royal Perth Hospital. The triage nurse was wonderful, they seem very professional and knowledgeable (compared to the blur doc from previous!!).

*Emergency room at Royal Perth Hospital*

My friend was quickly (after 15 minutes?) escorted to the examination room where they started taking her vitals, took her blood sample and administered morphine to stop the pain. By then, the clock was ticking to 12am. The nurse told us that the test will take one hour (later found out to take 3!), since there is nothing I could do then, I went back to take a rest. Later at 3am, my friend called and informed me that there is traces of infection in the blood, and they will perform ultrasound in the morning to see what is wrong.

After hearing the news, I was too tired and I fell asleep until 10 in the morning. I was pretty sure that it will be appendicitis and that could be easily solved. Like whatever. :P

However, the next day after ultrasound, the doctor delivered a frightening news. The doc said one of her ovary flipped over (like how? why? all don't know). During this process, blood was cut off from it, which means it is slowly dying. If too much time has passed, she might lose her ovary. I was so worried, but the doc joked that she is not dying la!! lol... So, he said we need to transfer to King Edward's Hospital via ambulance ASAP (the time then was 12pm), so I told my friend I will go back for lunch first and then we will meet at King Edward's.

Guess what? I wasn't surprised when she called me at 4pm later. I guess that is what ASAP means. Her surgery was around 6pm and I visited her around 7:30pm. The attending nurse informed me that upon closer inspection, the ovary was not flipped over (so confusing!) and that infact there was a cyst that was causing all the pain. She told me the operation was a success but my friend lost quite some blood (2 liters!!). However, the doctor told us the next day that when they tried to remove the cyst, it burst, which explains the loss of blood. Hmm.. doesn't that mean that the operation wasn't 100% successful? pfff... These ppl.... very confusing, at least they get the job done.

*View from King Eddies Hospital, Subiaco*

By the 4th day she was moved to a ward and resting off her nausea and slight pain from the surgery wound. The nurses encourages her to stand up and walk around ASAP even though she felt slightly nauseous and painful, because inexplicably this facilitates the wound recovery. By now, my heart has slowly calmed down from the fright and worry that was plaguing me. And at 10am, she was finally discharged from the hospital.

All this happened so suddenly that we weren't even mentally prepared. But I guess that is life, right? That it can so ruthless and take everything away in one swipe or it can be filled with so many surprises that it takes your breath away. My friend is younger than me, and to be suddenly diagnosed with this illness has been like a wake up call to all of us. When I asked her whether she was afraid of surgery, she said all she could think of then was 'just take the pain away!'

I realised as they were monitoring her that night after the surgery that we might not comprehend it when we are healthy just how delicate and complicated our inner systems are, that we can do everything normally. Even the simple task of menstruating or even give birth. So don't take it for granted, adopt a healthier lifestyle starting from today~!

*But first, let me indulge in Apple crumble with vanilla ice cream at Imps, East Victoria Park*

My treat for the week~! :P

Hope there will be a next time,
XOXO.

3rd of December's rant~!

2011-12-04T14:19:00.000+08:00

Omg... >.< I couldn't stand today soo much I felt so nauseous...

I think the day most asian (especially me!!!) dread is HOT HOT summer day~! Those kind of day when it seems even your eyes dried up and your contact lens turn into crystal to protect itself. (Not even the hottest of the hottest day of summer yet). But it is definitely one of those day that you wish you could just bath in moisturiser and sunscreen instead of applying and re-applying it the whole day. And for me, the dilemma was whether to wear something thick (to avoid direct sunlight) or just tube and shorts (because it is freaking HOT!!)

I guess it is just plain unlucky that someone scheduled in a house viewing that day, so I dragged my but-it's-weekend bum off the bed in the wee hours of morning (in weekend terms anyway~! :P). Turned my air con full blast and blared cheerful music just to keep upbeat only to be given 'free aeroplane'. Gosh, what is it with these ppl? Gosh, can't you like msg or call in advance to inform me that this isn't happening? Waited there for stupid 30 minutes. *I will remember you... *

Ok, fine, free aeroplane or not, life still needs to go on, I decided to go to uni to check on my simulation runs. By then, the sun has crept to the middle of the sky, making me hallucinate that I am the middle of a desert. Where is my wateerrrr...

Walked into the com lab, felt better after feeling the cool blast of air coming from the air con. Aaahhh..... Switched the monitor on... *Hyperventilation*

Somehow, the uni's network has gone 'kaput' sometime during the night or morning, disconnecting all network licenses from the engineering software. So sometime during the night or morning, it has stopped iteration. WTF? The worst thing? The case and data files are stored in the network database during calculation. So are my stuff saved? or wasn't saved at all? *Heart pumping*. By that time, my vast knowledge of vocab failed, the only work that comes to mind is FUCK (....)!

What to do? All I can do is rest at home / cry my eye balls out or roll around on my bed in boredom, wait till Monday to complain to the stupid IT department. That is if complaining can restore anything at all, or else I am quitting this rubbish. So let me continue my rant as F.....

Aussie TV could be this good! Vote for #RefugeCity to make it happen!

2011-11-29T14:39:00.000+08:00

Aussie TV could be this good! Vote for #RefugeCity to make it happen!

Slim down and get fit for summer~!

2011-11-24T17:25:00.000+08:00

One funny thing that made me feel summer is just round the corner, is when those group buying sites (e.g. Cudo, Spreets, Scoopon, stardeals, etc) starts to promote hair removal services, gym and bootcamp discounts.

Technically, summer has already dawn on Oz. But then, it is never too late to slim down and get fit~!

For me, in order to slim down and get fit, I don't like adhering to endless and often out of this world dietings. I am sorry if I sounded mean when I say out-of-this-world dietings, but that is only cause I LOVE food. I have nothing against Atkins or Dukan or whatever more diets there are in this world, but recently I read about a 600-800cal a day no-gluten, no-lactose, no-wheat diet. OMG! I think I am going to faint!! The followers even forgo travelling and eating out because the diet requires meticulous planning, preparation and balancing. Imagine always weighting your food and calculating calories every single time you put that spoon in your mouth!! Pure torture~!

I hate diets that totally depends on certain food while adhering to some mega super food~! Have you heard of the cabbage soup diet? Or total salad? Or only protein and no carbs? Horrible nightmare~! I love getting fit, or even the feel that my jeans are no longer tightly hugging my butt, but totally eliminating certain food from my diet?? Too big of a sacrifice!! And for what? So one dress or jeans could fit me?? NEWSFLASH to jeans and dresses out there, YOU need to suit ME~! (In case of any confusion. =P )

But while I dread calculating calories and planning to the dot, in order to start burning fats is when you adhere to a certain 'calorie-flow' (So called to resemble the word cash flow =P). Whatever calorie comes in via food needs to be balanced with outflow (e.g. exercise, and thinking!! =P).

With that in mind, I did some googling and found out that the recommended daily calorie intake for an adult woman is about 1900-2000cal. Hmm... sounds like a lot, until I check the nutritional facts for my favourite chocolate bar... 230kcal. OMG!! No wonder ppl get fat~! *eye opener* Though this small example made me realise the importance of calorie counting, I decided I am still not becoming those ppl who have no life counting calorie. If I wanna do it, I wanna do it the smart way (AKA lazy way)~! So I downloaded this app, i.e. : MyFitnessPal from iTunes for free.

Simple: Just input your name, your ideal weight, your current weight, the length of your diet/exercise and your lifestyle. Then this app would calculate the approximate amount of calorie flow per day in order for you to lose weight. For mine, I heard a lot of friends mentioned that I should be weighing 50kg (though I keep insisting that I have heavy bones), I'll see whether it is possible.

# Record down what you have been eating, including snacks too!!

# When you are trying to lose weight, don't forget to make sure you don't loss out on those important nutrients~!

Main thing is to record your meals and exercise for each day. This app searches through the web for the nutritional value and calorie content of the food and automatically calculates the amount of calorie you consumed. Similarly, you can choose from a wide range of exercise database to find out how much 5 minutes of walking can burn (psst... not much... not even enough to burn off my usual favourite ice green tea)

If, like me, you cook not according to conventional recipes most of the time, you can create recipe within the app and the app will calculate the calorie content of the food based on the ingredients you choose.

# Weekly view and average of my calorie intake

# Record and track your weight and weight loss

# WHAT have I been eating?? So cute... even got a pie chart to show you this. :P

Hopefully I can reach my goal before Christmas~!

Till next time, XOXO~!

Let's go shopping~!

2011-11-20T21:37:00.000+08:00

Too hot out there? Or raining outside? No problem~!
Want to go shopping but boyfriend is not around to help you carry stuff? No problem~!
Are you are sick at home and just need some retail therapy?

No problem~!

Cause what? Thanks to online shopping~!

So while I am waiting for my simulations to iterate, I can reduce my stress by going retail therapy without leaving my seat~! :D

Pros:
1. Forget about queuing for payment and fitting room, maneuvering through the crowd, trying to deter REALLY PERSUASIVE salesperson, and walking around in those killer heels. Your bum can rest safely in your comfy cushion. YEAAAAHHH...

2. So easy~! Compare prices from different suppliers.. click click click... Check the credibility of the supplier or seller... click click click... purchase... CLICK~! Now let's wait...

3. Some are even fun~! Like shoes of prey's website is so cool~! You get to design your own shoes... now in 3D!!! >.< Just recently I heard that some online retailers allow you to use your webcam to 'wear' the clothes online to see how it looks on your body... OMG~! Have yet to try that though.

Cons:
1. Some products are not as pictured, due to the difference in monitor settings, lighting and angle issues. Maybe PS too??

2. Risk of theft. Always double check the credibility of the seller~! Other than that, some companies' website like to store credit card information.
There was one case when I didn't think twice about it since I purchased from a credible company. However, one day out of blue they charged a small amount to my credit card without my permission. Although it was a small amount, like $15? I got really freaked out and angry because they didn't get a permission from me prior to that transaction. This is THEFT~! So I called and called (kept getting to nobody ... damn those auto answering machine!!) until finally a really strict manager answered the phone. I demanded an explanation for the charge and expressed my BIG unhappiness about it. But it was pretty clear she didn't care at all about my concern as it is a small amount to her, apparently not concerned enough to offer an apology but the money was later refunded. Lesson learnt~! That was the last purchase from that company. Though I really love one of their mask, I think my face will survive. >:P

3. Not to mention, addictive and unhealthy~!
Purchasing online is made so easy that I can do it again and again. The feeling is different, believe it or not. The excitement of receiving something in the mailbox soon afterwards is like Santa's visit again and again. Last year, my ex housie bought me a card and put it in the mailbox instead of passing it to me in person, because he knows how much I love to receive letters and parcels in the mailbox~! :P
With conventional shopping, I have to travel some distance (either by car or walk) to get to those products. By then I would have at least some form of exercises and fresh air. But with online shopping, the ones with most exercise will be my fingers!!

4. And... waiting seems forever~! Some products can take ages to arrive.... >.< (By the time they arrive, I have already forgotten that I purchased those items. Which again makes me feel like Santa has visited~! And the cycle goes on...)

If you are bored online, let me share with you some of those I frequently visit:
Skincare
1.Sasa: I think this should be the top in my list. Hehe... purchased online until I obtained VIP status. *shy smile* Oops?
2. Bonjourhk: Loved this site. They stock up on some brands that I just can't find in Sasa. Both of these sites are based in HK. I haven't tried the online site, but I have been to the shops in HK before and their customer services are great.
3. Ichibankao: For hard to find Japanese product, I can usually find it here. The stated price usually includes shipping cost. Very convenient, however the price is still quite expensive as compared to what I can get in Msia. But since I am in Oz, it is still alright.

Fashion
1. Gmarket: I love to browse through their online site, but I am still finding difficulty trying to place order through their site... Quite extensive collection, from skincare to apparels to household items. However, household items usually are not delivered overseas.

Anyho... these are just the main sites I visit that ships internationally, there are many more smaller sites that I frequent too but doesn't provide international shipping. If you like online shopping and have some really good ones to intro, do drop me comments below.

# It is a boring Sunday afternoon.... :)

Till next time, XOXO~!

Why are you still here?

2011-11-17T20:41:00.000+08:00

I once read a self-reflective poster about birds. I couldn't find the poster, but it goes something like this (I am recalling from memory, anyway):

# Image source
"When I was young, I look out the window and saw lotsa birds just perching on the lamp posts. And I wonder to myself, birds have wings, they can go where ever they want to go, why did they choose to stay at the same place every single day? Then when I grow up, I started to ask myself the same question"

A lot of us get stuck with everyday's rut and sometimes we do not let ourselves reflect on what we really need in contrast to what we think we want. We ignore that voice within us that says otherwise. Sometimes, our conscious brain think that it is in control and could definitely silence the smaller voice inside of us. But there are soo many cases where the harder you hit the ball, the higher it will bounce. Instead of silencing the voice, it is like we gave it an amplifier and out of the blue, it wails like a needy baby in the middle of the night.

For example, a simple career decision. I guess I grew up in a community that pressured me to find a career that promises a steady and stable income, regardless whether my heart was in it or not. What I wanted to study, what I wanted to do was sacrificed for what they deemed is a future for me. I think I could hardly blamed them, as they just wanted the best for me. In a world full of kiasu people, I was and still is a very kiasi person. :P

But fast forward to present year, suddenly I could not take it anymore. I feel like a fat and balding guy who is faced with midlife crisis. I couldn't bear the thought of continuing what I am doing. I wake up, feeling fed up and sick instead of excited and motivated.

I tried to talk to other people and see whether they faced with such issue. PhD is not easy, it was never meant to be. But the reason why most people could continue, standing up after each fall and hurdle was in the name of passion. Then I began to question myself, did I lost my passion?

I tried to reflect where or how I lost my passion. It was then I realize I never had it before. (This thought really scared me. How to create what was never there before?) I liked the idea of phD, I like the idea of what I am doing, but in essence I did not like it and hence could not enjoy it. Each setback, each challenge seems more like a confirmation of my resentment instead of an affirmation of an interesting journey.

And with each waking moment I hated it, I felt bad feeling the way I feel. So I was extra hardworking to compensate for what I lack in enthusiasm. In this way, I keep pushing myself back into this abyss and I couldn't seem to tear myself away from it. Why?

I have alternative plans, something to fall back to if I just quit, but I just couldn't. It was then I remembered the bird perching on lamp post analogy. Why? I couldn't answer myself as well. Perhaps when I finally could, I could spread out my wings and fly.

I have heard countless people complaining about their job (O gosh, who doesn't??) But not just everyday complaining, just genuinely sick and tired of where they are. And it was obvious they had other plans in the first place, other hopes and dreams and yet they are stuck in a totally different direction. If today, you faced the same feeling, you are depressed and just o-so-sick with what you are doing, I hope you can reflect with me the analogy of the birds perching on the lamp post. Maybe today is not the day I spread my wings and fly, but perhaps it is for you.

XOXO, till next time~!

Belated spring cleaning

2011-11-16T21:06:00.000+08:00

Today I finally did something I kept trying to put off, i.e. spring cleaning. I know it is almost summer anyway, but then it is never too late for cleaning (I hope). If you think it is spring cleaning time for the house, then you are wrong, it is time to spring clean for my make up stash.

When I mean overdue, I mean sooo long overdue. I can be so shameless as to keep make up as old as three years old... (O, the gasps, the disgust and the head banging on the wall would begin... ). But before you judge, I guess it should be fair to point out here and in the pictures you would see below that I do seldom touch my make up. So my logic was that, bacteria shouldn't really thrive, right? (So wrong, I later heard in a tv talk show from a beauty guru that the bacteria tend to bred more happily... or whatever). The point is it is time to get rid of 'em.

# So this is my shameful make up stash~! Bye bye~!

# Red Earth's pink shimmery mineral eye shadow. In my defense, 3-4 years ago my sister mistakenly bought this for me. I used it once or twice but my eyelid got oily real fast and it disappeared along with it. But I really like the shimmery feel it gives. Bye bye, eye shadow~!

# Blusher. OMG... Now I look at this picture, this blusher looks like it has hardly been used before. Note: Cannot let bf see this. This was a gift from him, I totally forgot where or which brand it came from. It gives a really bright pink, so a little goes a long way.

# Third, Brown eyeliner set from Kate~! Perhaps my mum's eye shadow palette would look more popular than this apparently unloved and untouched eye shadow palette. I bet this eye shadow palette cry itself to sleep at night at the lack of attention. But it has been 3 years, and it has turn slightly brittle. >.<

# Maybelline stiletto mascara. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this when it first came out, but that was in 2009... gosh... time really flies... I was reminded by my friend to get rid of mascara after 3-4 months. So bye bye again~!

# Fifth, Nuskin lip stick in antique rose. I think this should be a case of I never learn my lesson. I accidentally ordered this shade earlier 2009, and it turn out to be really red, which is nice for event and all. (Note: this lipstick is really moisturizing, but can be expensive). But then when I tried to place another order for the shade I wanted, which is Coral glow (which is slightly orangey tint, but I don't have one to show), I somehow chose antique rose. What are the chances?? So I have two tubes of Nuskin lipstick in Antique Rose. Way to go... I definitely won't be able to finish 'em.

# Lippie colour. The colour seems kinda paled since the last time (2 years ago) of use. But overall, I had fun with this colour. However, it doesn't last as long as other creme lippie. (Or maybe I was just hungry... ;P)

# MAC eyeliner

# Eye liner effect. In truth, this eye liner is one I would love to LOVE. The tip of the eye liner was sharp and it was really easy to draw. It is just so easy to draw~! Whee... But the drawback was that it doesn't look black-black and it doesn't look brown's brown (if you get what I am saying...:P). It looks slightly washed out and a weak effort at make up. It really took a long time for me to finally decided other eye liner should be worth more than this and abandon this eyeliner. Bye bye...

# The seventh thing in my list is the EA's foundation. I love the packaging and I love the smell. I love how it is the most expensive foundation currently in my make up stash. It blends well and has good coverage, at the expense of being slightly heavy. But the good thing is no break outs and definitely long lasting. But the downside was I bought this last year and I have markedly gotten fairer during winter. I tried it on last month and my face looked darker than my neck, I was so upset. :( Bye bye... (Btw, I think the recommended stash year for a foundation is 18 months? overdue...)

# The last thing I had to part with is this BB cream. I think a lot of beauty gurus will screech in horror when they know how old it is. (I think 3 years old??) But anyway, this BB cream is a very GOOD example of lesson not learnt. When I first tried this, I tried it on my hand. And omg... if you use a small drop, it blends beautifully and the shade is so nice. It does a good job of covering the imperfection. I tried by putting a drop of water on my hand, the part with the bb cream and the part with none. The water drop forms a nice spherical drop on the part with the bb cream while the water drop forms a puddle like shape on the part without bb cream. Beautiful... beautiful...

But then when I put it on my face... Firstly, you only CAN put a single layer. I tried to build it up, but it doesn't sit in nicely with the other layers, leaving tell tale signs. Secondly, it doesn't fit to your face color (a process some refer to the occurrence of oxidation) after a certain period of time, so it remains quite ashy white. A lot of my friends commented that I looked pale each time I tried this bb cream on. And I am quite ashamed to admit, I actually used it for 4-5 times. Thirdly, and this is the bit that I meant lesson not learnt, is that it leads to break outs in my case. It is so annoying!! My record with this bb cream was 3 break outs. Since my record average was once a month, this was beyond my tolerance. So off to bye bye land you go~!

So anyway, I would have break outs and then I throw this bb cream to the side, then 2 months down the line, digging through my make up stash, I would uncover the bb cream. Then curiosity would tug at me and forgetfulness would creep over me, hence I would restart the whole cycle of trying it out and having break outs. Lesson NOT LEARNT~!

Throwing away all these stuffs makes me feel like I am such an unsustainable person. I guess I should reduce my expenditure on these stuff or buy more environmentally friendlier make up. E.g. something that can be eaten while acting as a make up would be cool. Then I would definitely not have to say bye bye to unused make ups again.

If anyone has better ideas and tips to re-use 'em, don't forget to share with me~!

Till next time, XOXO.

Review: YUMÉI premium white blackhead and pore series

2011-11-07T23:10:00.001+08:00

Yes, I admit... I am addicted to beauty product. Every single time I see a new product in glossy packaging and ever awesome claims, my hands really itches to try it out. I guess the boom of the cosmetic industry is largely due to the belief that 'there are no ugly girls, only lazy girls.' :)

On top of that, I am addicted to asian skincare. Bummers, I am asian, what? :P

SO anyway, without further distraction, the product that I couldn't wait to review about are the YUMÉI Blackhead Eliminating Solution and Pore Refining Sebum Toner. I got these two babies when I visited Hong Kong last month. To be honest, I wasn't looking for these products. I didn't read much reviews about it. But just out of curiosity, I asked for some recommendations from the sales girl and she intro these two to me.

# Blackhead Eliminating Solution

# Pore Refining Sebum Toner

They cost about $20-25 per piece, but then since it is quite a big bottle, I purchased it anyway.

So first step, take a cotton pad and soak it with the Blackhead Eliminating Solution. What this solution does is once applied on the face, it claims to be able to open the pores which cleans the pores. Sounds cool... but didn't other products also made the exact same claim?? Let's put it to the test...

# A swab of Blackhead Eliminating Solution. Probably the lighting isn't too right... the liquid is suppose to look slightly murky, not clear liquid. And this goes on to the troubled area for about 10-20 minutes. And it needs to be wet the entire time. I guess I was anxious the first time, so I resprayed more solution on the cotton halfway through. :P It wasn't exactly a disaster, except then my nose smells like the solution, which is a bit like detergent.

As my blackhead is submerged kind, the salesgirl did mention I need to apply slight pressure (less than usual) to get the naughty things out. But in that case, it is hard to see the actual result, so I invited my cute model with visible Blackhead to test this out for me~!

# Ta da~! The results... So creepy!!! *Shrieks in horror + fascination* If you care to take a look at my previous post , I assure you there is a MAJOR difference. Not only the nose strip adheres really well but the blackhead came out as a WHOLE, not halfway.

This is the pic after our little experiment, and it looks so awesomely shiny and definitely smooth. There are areas where the nose strip did not reach, but we later cleaned it up with tweezers. Very easy and totally crazy~!!

# Sorry I just had to show this pic~! :P I know I don't have a before pic coz I didn't trust this product before we try. But next time, I will... I promise...

But anyway, incase you get too worked up by my review, here are some pores... oops, I meant pros (:P) and cons of this product, according to me.

Pros:
1. It really helps with the removal of Black head, especially for those with strawberry nose syndrome.
2. Unlike my previous review, this does not contain scrub and it is not abrasive for the skin. Hence, you can use it more than once a month (subjected to skin type). This comment is really in contrast to the previous product I tried.

Cons:
1. You need to let the solution sit on your face for 10-20 minutes, which is a long time which you have nothing to do. (But I felt that since it requires some time, it gives me flexibility to do my work while having it on my nose. So, not really a con)
2. Unfortunately for those with submerged blackhead like mine, I may still need to use pressure to get my nose really clean. Otherwise, I can still opt for nose strip to clean it up.

O yeah, Don't forget to use a pore refining lotion or serum after this (I am using the pore refining sebum toner in this case, yet to comment...). What has been open, needs to be close now. :)

O yeah, like my eyes.... Good night~! And have fun~!! XD

Random pics from HK & Macau trip

2011-11-04T18:18:00.000+08:00

Gosh... I figure I should have finish my HK and Macau travel bits and pieces before the end of October, but I was faced with lotsa deadline the minute I return. Could only find the time to update this now.

The minute I reach HK, I couldn't wait to taste their food after hearing about 'em for such a long time... such as ... Their dessert and 'tong shui'...

#Portuguese egg tart. So similar to the one in Malaysia. Nothing special in that... Continue on...

# Fried durian puff~! Yum... Love this~!

# Chinese translation: thousand layer mango crepe... Like what the name describe... Crepe layered with whip cream and mango slices... not bad...

# I even bought a Michelin guide book for Hong Kong and Macau and tried to follow the Michelin trail.

# Famous Beijing dumpling, rated in the Michelin guide book.

# Found in Wong fu... Kinda disappointed... was kinda average...

# Prawn dumpling in Tsuen Wan Restaurant, The peak. This one is even better... yum yum...

# And this one~! Swiss style chicken wings...

# Or this one... Double layer milk. Which taste like the chinese version of creme brulee. Less sweet.. seems more healthier. However, the one I tasted here is not as nice as the one I tasted in Nanjing, so kinda disappointed... O no...

# Was kinda disappointed. From the price and the taste of the food so far, I started to miss Malaysian food desperately. So once I noted a queue of people outside a japanese restauarant, I waited along with them. Guess what? This is my mini unagi rice... >.<

I guess I should forget about it. So I decided to focus my energy on my skincare purchase in HK, since it is so cheap and abundant here. Especially since I am so interested in asian brand, like those from Japan, Taiwan and China.

# Hehe... My cosmetic haul from Hong Kong & Macau

Still, I was impressed with some of the architecture sights and scenes in HK and Macau, such as...

#Portuguese square, Macau. Isn't it so pretty?

# Princess lip-synch in Venetian Hotel, Macau.

# Venetian Hotel, Macau... Wow...

# Do you love the peak?

Anyway, till next time... Love Zombie~fied Jell...

Hong Kong Disneyland

2011-10-23T21:07:00.001+08:00

Hong Kong Disneyland! Couldn't believe that I finally had a chance to visit this place~!! I remember being captivated and mesmerized by Disney since a young girl; couldn't believe that I have been to movie world where the Looney tunes character are but not Disneyland.

You know those Oh~so~lovable and magical characters~! Like Mickey and Minnie mouse, Mulan (Omg... I watch this one soo many times that the VCR, might as well overheat and melt~! =P), Goofy!! And... and... Winnie the pooh, Lilo and Stitch, Buzz Lightyears!! Or the most recent one, princess and the frog (not as classic as the others, though and they weren't among the characters in Disneyland). Anyway, just wanna share my pics and experience with y'all~! (Note: Before you start, appreciate it if you could turn on the music at the bottom of the page. Hopefully it gives you the feeling of Disney when you go through my long blog post... :D)

One game that I couldn't wait to play was 'spot the Mickey'~! The first instance I step into the MTR to Disney, I gasped in delight. (Apart from being delight that no more overcrowding, but I also spotted my first Mickey~!)

# Spot the Mickey~!

# Entrance to Disneyland, spot the Mickey~!

# Does this count?? Spot the Mickey!! Do you see it? =P

Though it was raining (not so heavily, thank godness~!), the parade was going on as scheduled. I LOVE the parades!! This place really makes me wish I am a kid again, then I can dance without a tinge of shame.

# Parade Pic 1

#Parade pic 2

# Parade pic 3: Gotta love the princesses~! They are so graceful~!

# Parade pic 4. This is the night parade, exclusive for Halloween month of October. Pretty good~! =D

# Disney Hollywood Hotel 1. We actually did a mistake by going in to check in during the daytime, sigh... wasting precious time. The tix for a single entry is HKD299 and for two days is HKD399. If we have just deposited our bags at the entrance and jumped straight to the park, we could only have needed one day to finish the whole Disneyland. Ah well...

# Disney Hollywood Hotel 2

# Arrgghhh.... spider in the room!! Actually this is so cute, I manage to frightened my bf by screaming 'spider in the room'~! This is actually a small towel tied together to resemble a spider. Wanted to bring it away but I was torn between righteousness and I-just-freaking-want-it!!! In the end, my angel won only to discover that it is infact one of the souvenirs from the hotel. I freaking paid HKD1900 per night and I didn't get the spider~! >.<

Alright, not forgetting some miscellaneous stuffs along the way...

# My really expensive buffet brekkie... Cost HKD198 per person. There was two westerners (Americans, I presumed) who kept complaining that the bacon doesn't taste like bacon and the hashbrown is so childish. Ah well, as long as it is cute, you can charge any price, right? =P

# My very expensive brekkie... Mickey's waffles... The food selection is quite extensive, but for that price, I could have gotten 6 star brekkie in Brunei, which should be way better. My major complaint was that for that price, I was hoping for MORE disney character food?? >:( Come on~! lol...

Anyway...

# Gold Disney castle and Mickey and Minnie~!

# Minnie Mouse and I...

#My cutie balloons~! A... not~! Fail~!

#Cinderella and her prince... Aw...

# Disney cookie! 'I seriously going to purchase this~! I just need to know whether it is photogenic or not~!' :P

# Daisy and Donald soft candy...

Overall, the queue for the rides wasn't that long. I think the longest was this one... the queue to take picture with Mickey and Minnie Mouse in the Halloween costume. Omg... we waited and we waited and we waited...

#Mickey and Minnie Mouse in Halloween costumes... Almost there... almost... when suddenly....

This must be so random~!!

# Must be like proposal of the year~! The guy was singing in front of the public!! Omg!! Too bad I couldn't go near enough to snap at the ring. It better be BIG~!!

Though the rides were pretty mild, more suited for childrens. The only exciting one was the space Mountain. I believe that the theme of the park was more of the magical and fun instead of hard core adrenaline rush, so it was enjoyable. (I did however... felt a pang of guilt as I waited in queue amidst parents carrying children dressed up in princess frocks... Aw... But it is ok, I am not the oldest anyway... ;p).

# Cinderella Carousel...

One thing to totally opt for is the shows and performances~! Totally worth it, like the golden Mickey show.

# Beauty and the Beast... from the Golden Mickey performance.

Or the Lion king show. This is so embarrassing, I was running to catch the show and I asked the attendant 'Is this the Tiger king show?'. Sot jor...

# Lion king performance. One note to those out there, NO flash photography~! It is so annoying and distracting especially for a Peter pan like me. ;p

Another thing to gawk about is the decor... especially Adventureland~! Adventureland consists of the tarzan treehouse, river cruise and the tiki liki or is it liki tiki statues~? (Omg... I don't want to go and check the book now in the middle of the night!! SO... whatever... :P) Pretty nice and their man made hot springs and golvanic activities~!

# View of the jungle cruise from the tarzan treehouse. The jungle cruise is totally worth it. It takes you around the adventureland and though it is fake, it looks really real. The attention to detail is to the dot.

# Our funny guide in the river cruise, I think his name is Kevin or maybe Kelvin. One of the few english speaking tourist guide for the river cruise. His parting words were 'Do come and visit us another time, I will still be here... working... maybe forever' :P So kesian, just had to take pic with him to assure him that someone cares... lol...

As night falls...

# The ghosts comes out to party... Halloween special in Disneyland... Pretty creepy...

But there is always some pretty things around like Cinderella's castle~!

# Night view of the Disney castle... so pretty...

# Magical disney fireworks... Love it~! This is the main highlight of the park. DON'T go back until you see this. I know probably it is not sustainable burning those fireworks every night but the combination of songs, lightworks and fireworks is just... so touching... . Seriously... I tried to film it halfway but in the end I let the moment take over instead.

Perhaps I will return here another time, (Hopefully in the near future, before I look too old to squeeze in with the teenagers and kids~!) as Disneyland will expand and have two additional 'land' to accompany tomorrowland, adventureland, USA street,and etc.

# Good bye and till then, Happy Halloween~! =)

My Bday exp in HK~!

2011-10-23T17:19:00.001+08:00

This is my first experience celebrating my bday during a holiday trip, definitely had to minus the presence of all my frens and family. Feels a bit weird but then HK was pretty fun, although the cloud was super sentimental that day!! It rained nonstop~!

# Whee... Happy 24th birthday~!

# It was raining really really hard, so I decided to forego make up and sunscreen...

# This is the entrance to the avenue of stars when the China tourist are still enthusiastic about taking pic. Pity them that the tour they chose happened to be on such a day....

# Posing under the rain (HE made me do this... luckily I had vit C before going on this trip~!)

# It was raining so hard, the view of the city from the avenue of stars was blurry...

# It was raining so hard till no one was posing infront of Bruce Lee when I was taking this pic... lol... so hard to get...

# Still nobody from this view... :P

# Jell & Bruce Lee~! Finally found him after been huddling under the pathetic umbrella for quite some time... :D

# Finally, we were able to duck into a Starbucks... How long have I NOT been in a starbucks?? For those who can't find it in their heart to pity me, FYI Perth doesn't have these anymore!! >.<

#Thank God for Hot CHOCOLATE!!!

For dinner, went to a new Jap place in Admiralty. I was so excited as when I first read the description, it mentioned that since the restaurant is on the top floor, you can enjoy the view of HK mainland while having dinner. But So sad.... why they cover the windows with un-adjustable blinds!! >.< The food was ok ok.

# So yummy~! But perhaps no take 2... :(

#Pity me~! Maybe it was overcrowding or clumsy me... Had these many bruise when I return to the hotel~! :(

My recent read

2011-09-28T18:54:00.000+08:00

Usually, I get interested in some topics, I went on and borrowed a lot of books on it. Take an example, the korean language~! I borrowed three books and 1 disc from the library just last month and told myself I need to learn some extra skill. Turns out I didn't have the time or energy to do that even after I return home. I just wanna unwind with a nice game and no reading, thank you very much~!

It is really surprising then, even to me, that I bought three books on skincare from Amazon.
1. How to wash your face by Barney J. Kenet
2. Skin Type Solution by Leslie Baumann
3. The Japanese Skincare Revolution by Chizu Saeki

I got the notification that I would receive it sometime end of this month to the early of October, but again... surprise~! surprise~! I got book 2 and 3 two weeks ago and book 1 just last week.

Book 2 and 3~!

Book 1~! One week later...

O well, knowing the kind of person I am, I haven't finish all the books yet. But I am in the process of doing it~!!

Chizu Saeki's book was pretty basic and straightforward, so I finish that book first of all. Not a lot of words, more pictures. The second book that I finish is the 'How to wash your face' book. Definitely do not judge a book by its cover. Doesn't talk anything about how to wash your face. But it did gave a good overview of how to care for your skin, hair and nail.

When I first bought these books, I had the intention of learning new ways to pamper and treat my skin. But I soon realize I may have committed some cardinal sins all along. These are some interesting points I learnt:

1. Overwashing your face: Both of these books mentioned that the trend nowadays is overwashing their face. Chizu Saeki related that how some gals think that the key to beautiful skin is by constantly cleaning their face. Go out for a while, wash... Come back, wash... before sleep, wash. Our skin have a natural self-cleaning mechanism which will go to waste if we do not use it to our own good. So, both Barney and Chizu recommended going one day without washing your face. Barney even went so far as to suggest going one day without bathing. Now this is hard, if I were back in my hometown where it is sticky and wet most of the time!! I would totally be shunned.... maybe earning me some solitude space in MRT and KTM. Lol... Anyway, he did come out with better idea than me!! He suggested doing it in winter when you don't sweat that much anyway. (No wonder soo many smelly people during winter!!)

2. Overfeeding your skin: I think I did this very very often, but only coz the media taught me to... Chizu actually suggested taking look at the mirror in the morning after waking up and determining what type of skin care your skin deserve. Instead of (a) lathering and layering every product on your dressing table or (b) sticking to the same old routine. That is me. I only find new stuff to apply to my face and not reduce. Even skin need to rest.

Some key points to look out for:
- Clarity or Bright skin
- Moisturize
- Complexion (Blood circulation)

Just go through the checklist and determine what your skin needs today. After reading this section, I went back to reading my normal beauty bloggers. And honestly I was horrified at how much they layer stuff. One of my fave beauty blogger can apply 3 - 4 toner per video without any indication she removed the previous one. O no....

That is why I say the marketing gimmicks are to be blamed~! I know when I go to the departmental store, some sale girl always like to sell me stuff I don't need. For e.g. eye cream. I have loads of eye cream at home~! I just need sound rest... So some of the sale girls would actually suggest that I layer it on with my old one, coz their product is very safe. Hmm... I have never think twice about it then, but I would now. If I can't memorize every single elements on the periodic table, would I trust this sales person with no chemical background what-so-ever to know which chemicals in their product would or wouldn't react with another?

And to top it off, some of them just wanna meet their sales quota. Some products are formulated for mature skin, but these sale girls just keep selling it to us. Then they scare us with visions of premature aging. Yikes~!

3. Which brings me to the final point for today. If you are soo.. so... so... scared of premature skin aging (like I am). These three books couldn't emphasis more on the importance of sun screen!! Our skin also has a natural immune system call the Langerhans cells. However, these cells slowly deteriorate as we age. Or when exposed to high UVA and UVB rays. So lather on sunscreen, everybody~!

But I haven't finish these books yet. So, till next time~!
XOXO~! =)

Things I wished I’ve known before taking up PHD

2011-09-16T15:50:00.000+08:00

Yes, I am making a list of things I wished I have known before committing myself to taking up PhD. Before anyone begin to take offenses, I do remind you that all these quirks are for your laughs and understanding only, not meant to embarrass/humiliate or offend anyone. =P

1. The role you play
As a Phd student, you are unlike undergraduate student / master by coursework student or even staff. You are neither of these but at the same time, you are all the above. As a student, you have your own research to do. The extent and the quality of your work are closely tied to your supervisor and timeline. As a staff, you have your own workstation and an office to accommodate your research resources. But as a Phd student, you do not enjoy the full privileges of a staff. There are still places and facilities that are cordoned just for staff members where you could not enter or use. That is not too bad, but as a student, your needs are way behind normal undergraduate students. They have priority in terms of equipment and facilities wise. Even if you have good time management and project timeline, if an undergraduate student does any last minute booking of the equipment/facilities? O well, bad news to you.
Sometimes the most annoying bit comes when you are doing sessional tutoring. The needs of the undergraduate students are always paraded infront of your eyes. They take up a major chunk of your time even after office hours which you secretly wish could be used towards doing your own research. If you don’t entertain their needs, complaints would flow in. Your only hope is to speak in strange accent and write in a cryptic manner that reinforce their motivation not to seek you out in the future~! =P

(source: Phdcomics.com)

2. Flexible working hours
It sounds nice on the surface, but when you begin to receive emails late at night or during weekend, you are gonna think twice~! Initially, probably you would be tempted to stay awake late into the night waiting by your computer to anticipate each and every email your supervisor would/might be tempted to send your way, but all this would seem worthless after the appearance of your second eye bag!

(Source: PhDcomics.com)
And if you are unlucky, your supervisor would call your office phone only on days or time when you are not in the office, thus earning you the merit of a lazy Phd student. *sigh* (Note to self: always choose a quiet café for lunch…)

(source: PhDcomics.com)

3. Be kful with your supervisor + co-supervisor
If you are naïve, you would place the first and foremost priority on the topic of your research. But I have learnt that it is important that you select a proper supervisor and co-supervisor. That is equally or even more important than the topic you choose.

(source: Phdcomics.com)
I have heard of many scary experiences with supervisors and co-supervisors. Some of these supervisors treat their Phd student like their personal helper. And don’t choose a supervisor based on their first impression; always take an opportunity to talk to their student. Their student would inevitably reveal some interesting tips and experiences when dealing with their supervisor. And sometimes, you gotta read between the lines.

(source: Phdcomics.com)
But apart from that, the reputation of your supervisor can affect your standing in your field. Editors of top journals would sometimes check on the reputation of your supervisor before deciding whether or not to publish your work. So unfair but true!!

4. Know what you are doing
I think this is the most important note to self. Always remind yourself your main objectives and your aim. Your methodology may change along the way to reach your final goal but you should not shift goal every single time. As I learnt, not everyone would know what you are doing because if it is worthy of a PhD, then it would be something technically specific.
So along the way, your supervisor or co-supervisor may sway you by suggesting you to do things that may not be aligned to what you intend to do. Always remind yourself of your intention before blindly following their guidelines. The best quote that I encountered is ‘the reason why I am sitting behind the table and you in front of the table is because I have more crazy ideas than you’. And those crazy ideas can often lead to more PhD topics, but thank you very much as I am trying to finish MY OWN PhD topic within the allocated time of 4 years!

5. Health implication
Whether your research is experimental based or modelling based, you will realise you have less and less human interactions. I have spent quite a few days in front of my computer calibrating my models without exercise and without meeting another person except my fiancé till I have a major migraine. But my case is nothing as compared to my friend who spent almost 10 hours straight in the lab, even having to skip her meal because (1) she can’t consume food in the laboratory and (2) her equipment is sensitive and requires constant monitoring. At best, the fat gets fatter and the slim get thinner. My friend have even been known to consumed a huge tube of yoghurt (1kg, btw!!) when he is stressed out.
And as I personally experienced, there are times when you feel depressed with all the downside of PhD. For example, when you have worked so hard and the data didn’t turn out well, your equipment failed, you had to redo the whole model, your supervisor gives you shit; you just wanna cry your eyes out and hide under the duvet for a few days or maybe eternity… It is times like this; you really need the support and understanding of others. But these leads to the next point…

6. People just don’t understand
Most of the people I encountered, do not understand the real meaning of a PhD. They think it is similar to an undergraduate degree course, where you have an exam or assignment. Personally, I prefer that kind of environment because I am sure that I would ace it. Studying with a pre-outlined boundary is a very ideal situation, BUT this is not the case with a research. In order to perform research, it requires a coupling of sometimes different majors such as electrical and mechanical… something that you have never encountered and sometimes you may dislike. And unlike undergraduate studies, if you do not like that unit, you can easily withdraw. If you do not even attempt to master it, at best you would end up with a bad quality thesis, at worst you won’t be able to finish. And if you could complete a PhD based on a pre-defined outline, then anyone could have a PhD.
When I go back home, the worst thing they could ask about is ‘when are you going to finish?’ At best of times, I would have to answer through clenched teeth and a fake smile. At worst, I would pull my hair, un-conceal my eyebags and yell ‘Do you think data rain down every single day ar? You think this is high school ar?’ (I am very tempted to do that, but luckily I am not to that point! Lol…).

(Source: PhDcomics.com)

Just wanna share one law that I find very true:

(source: PhDcomics.com)

Lol... The worst comment I have received is ‘wow, you sure like to learn’. As I went out to point it to this person, learning is a lifelong process. Every single day, you are exposed to new things; be it in work place or at home and you need to learn. Learning does not start and end in a well-defined boundary call school. But to be fair, as this person commented in chinese, the direct translation would be ‘wow, you sure like to read book’, which doesn’t really make sense. Hmm…

So right now, I am just trying my best to finish what I have started. Fingers crossed~!

XOXO till next time~!

Review on Hot cleansing gel by Kose Softymo

2011-09-11T21:16:00.002+08:00

Black head (BH) has always been a dreaded thing to appear on a girl's face, the only thing to top it would be a full blown acne. O gosh... *gag*

According to one sales girl, our pores only got bigger as we aged. I guess this is because the muscle that is pulling our face taut becomes more 'relaxed' over the years due to the loss of collagen. So we are prone to more BH and open pores problem. This really awakens me as I do not ever want a strawberry face (no offense to strawberries, they are great medicine against cancer by angiogenesis) or should I say strawberry nose? lol...

So, I have been looking for products and lifestyle tips to help combat that~! Well, my first step is searching for different ways to get rid of BH and whiteheads~! The most traditional method is by applying pressure on the skin around the BH, i.e. pinching. But this method is extremely harmful for the skin. It might be alright to do that a few times when you are young, but you will realise that your skin do not recover that much faster as you age. According to a beauty therapist, our dermis could be categorized into 7 layers. The outer layer is our present skin and the inner layer is our future skin. When excessive pressure is applied, not only our present skin is wounded, but also our future skin. Meaning to say even when our outer imperfect skin is shed, we would be faced with the wounded inner skin. Complicated much? lol... bottom line: Don't do it~!

Since no pinching is allowed, I turn to pore packs~! With seemingly easy mechanism, you can easily apply the pore packs to your nose and T zone to remove BH. But... How about ppl like me? BH can be categorized into two different kind: the first one is what I would term as the 3D one, it can be seen and it can be felt, part of it just protrude out of the skin. The second one, also the one I am born with is the one I call the 2D. You can see it, but you can't really feel it. So, while pore packs can easily grab hold of 3D BH and pull it out easily, it can't really grab hold of my 2D BH much.

So I was so excited when I discover about Kose Softymo's Hot Cleansing gel. Though I couldn't read a word it says on the packaging apart from 'Thoroughly removes excess sebum from pores', it is a match made in heaven for the pore packs. The steps are pretty easy. Wash your face with your normal cleanser and then put a small dollop of the product on your face (those area you want to apply the pore packs) and scrub for about 1 minute. The slight exfoliating nature of the gel removes sebum from open pores while the slight heating effect (I suppose) opens up the pores.

Kose Softymo Hot Cleansing Gel

I wish I would at least have an idea what active ingredients help make it the product it is, but unfortunately I don't read a word japanese!! But anyway, let me show u the end product...

Ta da!!! Are you one of those person who finds it both enticing and creepy to see how much BH you can pull out of your nose??!? Well, hands up for me!! I do~! It makes me wonder how could I have walked around with all those SHIT in my pores!!

O well, this pore pack isn't exactly mine, it is just that this one sends shivers down my spine~! lol... So I decided to share it a bit...

It isn't 100% cleaner, but definitely cleaner than the average pore pack. And for the price of $6+, it is definitely worth the try. The next thing I am looking forward to will be pore minimizing/refining serum~!

Till next time,
XOXO~!

Japanese Skincare tips

2011-08-30T19:58:00.000+08:00

I was digging through my old magazine when I came across an article on Chizu Saeki~! For those who have yet to know her, by now she should be approximately 69 years old japanese woman with important beauty tips. One word to describe her skin at her age: UNBELIEVABLE~!

She doesn't market or hard sell any particular cosmetic product or invasive treatment, however she focuses more on natural beauty methods and common sense (that is so hard to find). I did a short research (i.e. GOOGLING!! LOL...) on her and found some interesting interview articles on her as well as her book, i.e. skincare revolution~! My curiosity peaked and I find my finger inadvertently left clicking on the buy tab in amazon.com~! The book should reach sometime end of September to early October, can't wait~!

But that aside, I just wanna summarize some tips that she emphasized on in the article I found. I.e. :
(a) Lymphatic massages - She believes that lymphatic massages ease toxin removal leaving the skin energized. Not only that, I recalled other beauty gurus like Niuer laoshi from Taiwan also incorporates some lymphatic massages when teaching how to effectively apply eye cream. There are pictures of some lymphatic massages in the magazine, but my camera is outstation today (meaning someone removed it from my room, :( Need to wait a few days :P ). So instead, I found another video on youtube showing how to do lymphatic massages on your face. (It was originally japanese but someone dubbed it in chinese, and I couldn't find one in english. So sorry...).

In order to get the best result, I need to get a good smear of massage serum for the face. So far, I have only seen one by Kose. Hehe... another reason to visit sasa online... =P If you have any better alternatives, do comment below~! TQ...

(b) Proper make up removal - Most girls spend 15 - 30 minutes putting on make up but couldn't be bothered to spend half of that time removing the aforesaid make up. I already have eye bags, and when I don't clean properly, my eye bags are 'enhanced' to the point of looking like I just got socked! So, I do try to remember to be patient in this arena. =P

According to Chizu, the time spent putting on the make up should be almost equal to the time spent removing 'em. Wow... totally put me off make up. lol...Show you more pics next time~!

and last but not least...

(c) Lotion mask! - One thing she utterly swears by is the use of lotion mask. You just need your lotion, facial cotton, water and 3 minutes of your time. Utterly simple and yet so good!! I found a video by Chizu that shows you how it is done~!

Currently, I am using Kose sekkisei's lotion, couldn't be more happier with the product. O well, what else to expect, it is after all the star product of kose. =P
If you love skincare as much as I do, pls share your thoughts and inputs along with me. Till next time~!

XOXO

Food, food and food...

2011-08-20T21:31:00.000+08:00

I didn't realize that it has been a while since I last updated my blog, and to think I wanted to attempt to write a blog every week. Earlier this month, my housemate commented that I slimmed down, I guess those comments triggered a series of food binges for me~! Yikes!!

One of the food I love is the japanese bake cheese cake~! It is so nice and fluffy~! Normally I would be very lazy to bake this, but I couldn't find it anywhere in Perth. So, I attempted to bake this today. Ta da~!

This is how it looks like after 1 and a half hour of baking in the water bath~! As I was waiting for the cake in the oven, I could smell the creamy cheese smell from my room. Yum yum...

My cake mold could not fully accommodate all the cake mix, so I use my souffle bowl and spread a bit of aged cheddar on top of the cake~! Yummy~!

This is how it looks like~! :D
The recipe I used is found here.

The second food binge is STEAMBOAT!! Ooo.... I love steamboat~! Especially during winter, the hot steam wafting from the pot and the hot soup from the pot helps warm up my stomach.

Look at how many things we managed to stuff in the steamboat pot?? lol...

One lesson I learnt from lazy DIY steamboat at home:
just simple chicken stock for the soup is enough for a flavoursome meal. But remember to check that the chicken stock contains no MSG. If it contains MSG, you will feel really thirsty after the hot meal. Especially after stuffing myself with lots of fishballs, meat and soup, drinking some more water makes me feel like there is an alien in my tummy... =P

My other favourite (also my lazy method) is to dump corn, the stem of chinese cabbage (or wombok, as they call it in Oz), goji berry and dates into the slow cooker and leave it overnight before the steamboat~! =D absolutely yummy~!

But dang, winter is drawing to an end. Time to slim down and get fit for spring~! I will attempt to go on my healthy diet from next week, will blog on it soon~!

CHEERS~!

Project 365: A little bit of this and a little bit of that...

2011-07-31T18:14:00.000+08:00

Yeay... Hardly have I breathe a breath of relief that weekend is here, that I am faced with pre-blue Sunday, with the thought of Monday at the corner. How come time seems to past us by so fast? There should be a speed limit on this~!

So what have I been up to?
Hmm... Watched Bridesmaid on Friday with bunch of friends. Though it wasn't like blast-in-your-face GREAT, it was a very nice comedy style chick flick. There wasn't any oh-so-cliche dialogues or so-awesomely-pretty actress, but it was down to earth and I guess a lot of girls/ladies out there could relate to it. It was pretty nice. As I watched the friendship between the bride and her maid of honour, it really reminded me of my own best friend. We've known each other for years, though not since primary school but it has been 10 years!! And I sincerely wish that one day when it is time for me to get married, she would be able to make it there for me. Yeah, it's you, FY~! I miss you~! =)

Alrighty~! None of those mushy stuff, I am also trying to learn a new language, i.e. korean. Dang, since I managed to validate and calibrate one set of data last week, I have taken the liberty to borrow 3 books from the library on this. I have no idea when I will be able to master it, let alone pronounce it properly. (I have difficulty in pronouncing my own mother tongue properly!! yikes!!) When I say it like that, I can imagine my friends asking me why am I doing it anyway? Well, the answer is there is getting more and more korean in my neighbourhood and they keep mistaking me for korean and they talk to me in korean. It bugs me in a way, and it seems rude to interrupt them and say 'hey, i am not korean'. So, yeah, trying to learn some simple phrases and words to be able to communicate with them. Hopefully, it won't take years, coz I am lazy too... =P

So anyho... that was pretty much some highlights of my weekend. Nothing too fancy and mind boggling. The weather is too 'awesome' lately too~! Wind speed of 125km/hr and sudden heavy rain? High tides and thunder? Brrr... If you have any suggestions or ideas on how to spend the time in Perth on a rainy and stormy weekend, do leave comments~!

Project 365: Online haul from Asia Asian Fashion wholesaler

2011-07-23T14:00:00.000+08:00

Winter is here!! brrr... Apart from moisturizing my already parched skin, I had to shop for my winter wear. However, one stroll in city, and my wallet started to feel the pinch. One simple knitted wear easily cost me around $40, one wind breaker costs around $130, so however am I going to buy a whole wardrobe of winter wear without emptying my wallet? The part that really irks me is that all these costs so much, but they were not even made in Oz, but China. It should cost a whole lot cheaper than that, so I decided to return home and do some web surfing~! =D

I did some purchasing before from causeway mall before but I wasn't happy with the quality of clothing they supplied. That was when I found out about Asia Asian Fashion's website ! I found a lot of their product are featured in ebay Oz but the price was jet up higher than their site. So might as well buy straight from the supplier themselves~! =D

And I got their products real fast~! About 2 weeks wait was enough~! I purchased 10 piece of winter wear for merely $116~! Now that is value for money. Even their packaging showcase how thrifty they are. lol... Nylon sheet wrapped around with nylon string~!

Ta~da~! My 10 piece of clothing, squashed so thin it looks vacuumed packed~! I won't overload my blog with the pics of all my purchases, so I chose three to showcase, i.e. most satisfied, average and least satisfied...

(1) Least satisfied

This is how it looks on the website...

This is how it really looks like. The actual product looks glossier than the one showcased in the website. And the laces at the bottom wasn't as obvious as the one advertised. Apart from that, the sleeves seemed more puffier than expected. However, I was equally satisfied by the fact that the glossy nature of the surface enables it to being slightly water resistant.

(2) Average

Thick wool... perfect for winter...

The actual product is slightly different than the advertised pic. But it is still pretty warm and so cuddly for winter. The lower band was also smaller than the one advertised in the website.

(2) Very satisfied

Oops... couldn't find the original pic that I referred to when I made this purchase. Right now, only left with this small pic of it. *sorry*

This is the actual wind breaker. It fits the description of the pic. So happy~! Even better, it is soo cheap~!

Delivery: Reasonable shipping cost and satisfactory delivery time.
Communication: Sent a lot of emails to inform me each stage of the packaging, shipping and etc. Very good~!
Price: Cheap~!
Overall: ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺

Project 365: Review of Vaseline's Dry Skin Lotion

2011-07-15T20:54:00.001+08:00

Regardless whether it is summer or winter, the first and foremost focus in my skincare has always been good moisturizer. Even in my hometown where humidity reigns, my skin were dry to the border of being scaly. So, you could imagine what Oz's climate does to my skin! *Aghast* I wasn't a fan of Vaseline's product beforehand, so I was skeptical to their product when I was given a chance to review it.

When the bottle arrive last wednesday, I was quite surprise. Woah, that was generous of them. And by them, I meant the group behind 'Product Talk by Nuffnang'. And I guess I didn't mind taking my sweet time trying it out. Though I have tried Vaseline's lotion before, I haven't tried this particular range, i.e. Vaseline conditioning lotion (with vitamins A, E & B5). This particular lotion boasts of being non-greasy and quickly absorbed... hmm... I thought... great for applying body lotion on the go.

First pump, and I get this white with a faint touch of... is it green? It definitely seems more dilute than my current body lotion, so the first question that pops into my head is whether it provides the same amount of moisturizing as my current body lotion?

Before I answer that, I blend it really quickly onto my skin and it blends smoothly~! No messy white residue~!

Just to compare, I tried to pump the same amount of my old body lotion onto my right hand. Perhaps it isn't too clear in the picture, but it has a richer texture to it.

And upon application, it took me more time to blend it in. In the same time and number of strokes I took to blend in Vaseline's body lotion, my current body lotion leaves an unsightly white residue on my skin. And as advertised, Vaseline body lotion is quickly absorbed into the skin, so I dun feel that annoying greasy feel that I encountered with my old body lotion.

And after application, I notice one difference~! My colour~! Though it didn't mention nor does it boost of any whitening or brightening effect, but you can that my left hand (the one with Vaseline body lotion) is slightly fairer than the right hand.

And just in case, the light is playing tricks with my eyes, I took another shot. Is it or isn't it? You be the judge~! :)

Well, in short...
Pros: quick absorption; has nice smell that reminds of aloe vera; not greasy and no white residue. Great for daily application! And oh yeah, the slight whitening effect~! :D
Cons:Yet to think of one...

I will definitely be buying one for myself when this bottle runs out~! :P

Disclaimer: I am not a representative and/or working in this company and this review is solely my opinion of the product.

Project 365: My WICKED experience~!

2011-07-09T20:41:00.000+08:00

This is my first experience with Wicked the musical in Perth. I am not a fan of musical after bugs bunny musical in Burswood last year and certainly not glee (Yeah, not everyone is a fan of glee :P), so I was very reluctant to spend money on this musical. But luckily for me, my fiancee have been to the one in Sydney the previous year and have finally purchased the tickets without my knowledge.

Because of my reluctance, we purchased too late and we got the worst seats ever. Z1 and 2~! Not only it is the LAST row, it was also at the far left corner. But those seats alone cost us $115.90 per person!

This is a summary of how the story goes:
"One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two unlikely friends end up as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good makes for the most spellbinding new musical in years.(Wicked)"
The story plot is very well thought out. How the tin man lost his heart? How did the scarecrow came to be? How did the wicked witch of the east came to be? Why did the wicked witch of the east enslave the Munchkin? I won't be a spoiler by telling you everything but it really did give the audience a more in-depth view of the age-old fairy tale of Wizard of Oz.

The main characters of Wicked are shown in this leaflet. But in order to save cost and/or too taxing, they also employed local artists from Perth. From my far left corner, I knew the original cast for Glenda and Wizard of Oz were replaced by local artists. But I couldn't see for sure who it was, but I manage to take a snapshot of the character list:

Among all the characters, I really like Glinda. She had such a funny and cute character~! All the audience was seriously in love with her little quirks. Eventhough in one scene, she made a small mistake, the audience is all head over heels with her that I doubt anyone notice much. At the same time, I could relate much with the wicked witch of the west (though in the story, she wasn't wicked, merely misunderstood) and I really love her voice~! The background decor was so fascinating~! This is such a refreshing musical, it made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me lost in the moment even when I am sitting at the last row!! How awesome would it be if I manage to get a seat closer to the stage?!? After all those years of watching musical on tv sets, this is the first time I finally understood why it should be watch on set. Love it~!

Outside the theater, they sell this really cute cocktail (a mixture of midori and melon slushie) serve in a cocktail glass with flickering light, adorable~! So yummy~!

Other little gifts and souvenirs of Wicked sold outside the theater. I think the cutest must be the winged monkey~! If Wicked is coming to a theater near you, do give it a try. I definitely think it is worth the spend!!

Project 365: Rainy day

2011-06-28T16:16:00.000+08:00

* Blink blink *

It wasn't bright yet but I am wide awake! I start by admiring the fact that I can wake up so early in the morning feeling all refreshed and revitalized without the help of my alarm clock.

* Grab grab *

Finally got hold of my Iphone... One glance and I knew I had it wrong from the start. It was way past 7 and I had unconsciously snoozed it for a few hours~! Yikes~! The stormy rain outside my window would also explain the lack of sunlight beaming into my sleep laden eyes.

Gosh~! I jumped out of bed, but still in time to stock up all my shops in Tiny towers and harvesting my crops in zombie farm. (both of 'em are Iphone game apps) lol... and stated to get ready.

Listening to the rain outside with a cup of hot milo, I began to reminiscent spring in China, and how I arrive in the airport with a thin cotton jacket in an afternoon of 8 degrees. I guess having grown up in a hot humid climate whole year through has taught me little about what to wear during these occasions. Needless to say, my friends were aghast and kept asking me whether I would wanna wear my thicker jacket. (Errr... This is my thickest one... brrr... ). Lucky for me, they helped me stocked up on my winter wears and senses before I left home. I guess that is why I find it totally funny when I see gals persisting on wearing tiny shorts on a cold winter day while hugging themselves to steel against the cold winter wind. They must be from Singapore or Malaysia~! ;P

Then what about those oz's who jog under the rain, who wears a singlet and short and walk under the rain. However that is way better than last year, when I could smell ppl from metres away (hint: no bath??). Omg~! Winter... winter... U bring out the funniest in ppl. Having finish my milo, off I go.

Project 365: I love masks~!

2011-06-21T19:50:00.001+08:00

I really love masks~! I even made an effort to collect masks from different places. Just take a view of the collection of facial masks I have collected~! =D
From the top of the pic, you can see the facial and eye mask from Japan, followed by the MG brand facial mask (brand from korea, made in china) while the bottom section of masks are a collection of france, korea and taiwan.

When I feel stressed out or tired, just putting on a facial mask helps relax and refresh my skin. But finding the right mask can be both tedious and tricky. Everyone have different skin type as well as different qualities they are looking for, e.g. sebum/oil control, hydration, brightening, etc. Apart from the type of qualities you are looking for, there are also a lot of different ways to deliver these nutrients to your skin, e.g. jelly mask, mask sheet and cream mask.

It was infact during my trip to China that I got hooked onto sheet masks. I also learnt that they are many different types of sheet masks out there. Things to look for in choosing mask sheet are like:
1. Serum (e.g. purpose, amount, etc)
2. Type of sheet mask (e.g. paper, cotton, non-woven fabric, silk like texture)
3. Mask cutting (whether it can adhere well to the surface of the skin to deliver the maximal nutrients)

I have yet to try out all the mask that I collected. These are two of the mask that I tried so far.

Material : Cotton (Note: when using cotton sheet mask, do not exceed more than the advised time slot on the packaging, usually around 5-15 minutes)
Country of origin : Japan
Cutting : ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺
Serum : ☺ ☺ ☺
No immediate effect after first use and it contains slight amount of alcohol.

Material : Non-woven fabric
Country of origin : China
Cutting : ☺ ☺ ☺
Serum : ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺
The skin is noticeably hydrated and smooth on the next day. But it is slightly tricky to wrap the mask sheet around the face.

Hope this short review of mask sheet can help someone out there review what mask to try out. But one important point to remember when trying out mask sheet is to use a bit of the serum to test for any allergy prior to use. So, have fun with your mask~! =D

Project 365: Do you understand me?

2011-06-10T23:45:00.000+08:00

Having been raised in Malaysia, my education is a mixture of chinese, bahasa malaysia and english. My kindergarten and primary school education utilizes the mandarin language, while my secondary school utilizes the malay language. As if unwilling to lose, my university education utilizes english as a medium of communication. To make everything that bit more confusing is my multiracial exposure at a young age. Our community consisted of many different bumi races such as kayan, ibans, kadazans, penans, etc and our elders who persisted in talking to us in dialect to ensure we are also fluent in our mother tongue. It has always been known that too many cooks spoils the broth, it is no wonder when it comes to language, I am a jack of all trades and a master of none.

Image : http://www.toonpool.com

In a way, I am proud of this upbringing as it provides me with an edge when it comes to moving around. Just earlier this year, I was sent to China for research purposes. Though the professors encourage their students to speak to me in english, they soon gave up trying to speak in tongue, and I was force to catch up with their mandarin. It was then that I realise something a person who was educated in one single language since young could not fathom. It is that though we are speaking the same language, understanding is not always easy.

For them, they use specific words for specific things and could not catch your meaning if you use different word with the same meaning. I wish they could just... like read a thesaurus? Take the case of the time I was in China, I was referring to key as 'shuo shi' and nobody understood me until I say 'yao shi'. But both terms refer to the same thing. Or just last few weeks, when I attended the bridal open day, i asked a lady from a gown exhibition booth whether the dress are for sale or for rent? She answered 'they are not for rent, and they are not for sale'. (I was pretty sure she was messing with my head with that answer... lol...) Later I find out the specific term she was accustomed to was 'hire'. Duh... Or when I bought the Oz accent of 'cudos' or 'cheers' to Msia, and my sister scold me for talking nonsense.

Image : http://psychicsarah.wordpress.com

Something they could not understand is that some language expresses certain things better. A best example is the mandarin language expresses emotions better than the english language. One single sentence in mandarin could sometimes express more than one paragraph in english. And the meaning of the words could hardly be captured by mere translation. So sometimes, it takes time for me to filter through my large dictionary of words in my head and try to pinpoint the best word in that language. And I guess that is the bad side. If I don't even bother (especially when I am talking to my family), I would speak (what we term as) the 'rojak' language which is basically a mixture of everything. (Perhaps the 'rojak' language will one day be recognized as a language... lol... I am still spreading the influence... :P)

The other bad side of it is when there is a cross over between languages, like when I was in China, my fellow researchers' favourite term is 'gei-li-able'. 'gei li' is the chinese term for something that is very great/good/awesome. And you can guess what 'able' means in english. =P Or when I went back to Msia and contracted the virus of 'cacat-ed'. 'Cacat' means disable/broken/not right while 'ed' is a suffix in english. It is amazing how language grow and mutate by itself.

I guess at the end of the day it really isn't about being grammatical or vocabulary correct but the ability to be understood by your peers. After all, isn't language used for communication? =)

Project 365: Through sickness and health...

2011-05-29T19:06:00.001+08:00

This is by far one of the most unbearable week I have underwent. I contracted a weird bug earlier this week, which means I was coughing and had sore throat earlier in the week. Once I thought I was getting better, the cough evolved into full fledge flu. So I was sneezing and 'wrapping wantan' all day long. After consistently consuming numerous flu medicine that leaves me feeling like all drugged out, I developed mild food poisoning. It is such a nuisance since my weekend was thus ruined.

But I was lucky that this experience leaves me aware of one blessing that is in my life and he is my fiancée. As I cuddle under thick layer of blanket and sneezed and coughed, he kept track of my medicine and my meals. As I slept under the effect of the flu meds, he was off washing the dishes, cleaning the mess and doing the laundry. I felt really touched with his presence in my life.

It is really easy to be by someone's side when they are healthy and charming and happy, but when someone is sick. They are not only weak and vulnerable but also cranky and needy, like in my case (LOL). And having that someone who stick by you through sickness and through health is so precious, not even diamond can replace. :)

Project 365: Bridal Open Day

2011-05-22T19:58:00.000+08:00

Duxton hotel in Perth held a bridal open day today and I was so anxious for it to get more ideas about how to plan my upcoming wedding. It is still long way to go though, and luckily my bride-a-zilla syndrome has yet to surface. There is soo many things on my list, hopefully I will grow another extra head to accommodate everything and arrange a once in a lifetime wedding some time next year. I guess this open day is designed to introduce us to some of the 'magic' wedding planners, so everything from florist, fancy cake decorator, limousine, event decorator, photographer, gowns and gifts to the music /deejay services and onstage performances.

So I posted some pics I have taken during the Bridal Open Day. The seashell cake is the most special cake I have seen, and the cake decorator mentioned that she can even make edible seashells~! Interesting... Too bad they don't have much gown display.

Wedding decor 1

Wedding decor 2

Wedding decor 3

Wedding decor 4

Wedding decor 5

Cake decor 1

Cake decor 2

Cake decor 3

Cake decor 4

Onstage performance

Project 365: Frustration and I

2011-05-18T20:24:00.000+08:00

For those who added me on FB or twitter, I have to apologize for my weird and seemingly prone to suicidal thoughts' status. I am so swamped with my current research that I feel so devastated.

My research has to deal with computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling of a heterogeneous packed bed reactor, and I had to use a CFD software platform, i.e. Fluent. I did something almost similar for my final year engineering with Fluent v.6 and it was working fine. Earlier this year, they upgraded to Fluent v.12, and I found some files that were working fine with Fluent 6 doesn't work well with Fluent v.12. Once I familiarize myself with it, they upgrade it into Fluent v.13 and I noted that the information that I referenced from a journal paper is actually WRONG!! Having found out this mistake, I feel like a really smart person. So I confidently corrected those wrong parameters. Turns out when I corrected the values, everything spiral out of control. I kinda suspected that the author of the journal paper must have 'illegally tweak' those values in order to get the calculations working. CRAZY!!!

Determined to try to resolve this issue, I googled and found this helpful link, i.e. cfdforum.com. However I could not find any discussion board discussing this issue. So I tried to create a new thread, but I need to register first. Finally, a small spark in front of my endless dark tunnel. So, I quickly registered and validated my email account. *anxious**anxious*

And I finally logged into the forum!! Tried to create a new thread... and come out with this hideous message~! WTH?? They didn't even specify like what account do I have to register for in order to get access to this link!!! *Starting to scratch my head*

So frustrated... This is the freaky simulation result I get. Is this my ray of light at the end of my tunnel?? OMG!! My frustration is boiling up the surface, I shall need to find a way to battle that.

Is this sick picture an ironic symbolism of the light at the end of my tunnel??

Project 365: Part 1

2011-05-07T22:40:00.001+08:00

Monday,

Monday blues...
Was so frustrated, so I relaxed at night with my favorite eye mask~!

I bought this mask last year during Sasa's promotion, so I got it for merely Rm55 + for two boxes. Upon applying it, I could feel the tightening around the eye. They package more than needed amount of serum, which means it drips all over my face and all over the top of my shirt when I use it. In order to reduce wastage, I lightly squeeze the mask before application and apply the rest of my serum on my arms and legs or package it nicely in a airtight container and put it in the fridge for future usage. However, the cutting of the mask is slightly weird, so I look like Batman or Robin off for an adventure... lol... This cutting is also inconvenient and would not adhere well around the eye-nose area.
Manufacturing country : France
Cutting : ☺
Mask material : ☺ ☺
Serum : ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺

Tuesday,
Ever since I watched a TvB series entitled Rippling Blossoms, I have the craving for sushi and sashimi!! ( O yeah, for those who have yet to watch, the story revolves around a cooking competition between two sushi master. All through the episodes, I can only say 'Oishi~!' or 'Kawai~!!'. ) So I went to Taka for sashimi sushi~!

Taka's sushi is too reasonably priced but it wasn't the best I have tasted or I envisioned. Looks like I might need to continue my search for the best sushi in Perth~!
Some of the criteria that I look for good sushi and sashimi are freshness, rice texture, cutting and presentation~! The texture of the rice is not too bad, and it is not too bad in term of freshness. But the cutting of the meat is really bad. Different cuts of the fish would produce different meat texture, I especially love toro for the rich fish oil along the toro. But the meat is dry and contain transparent strand of what I perceive as muscle. I guess for the price, that is the best that they can offer me. :P

Wednesday,
Omg... This sux~! I only wanted to have a quick and fast lunch and yet I was stuck with a person who just couldn't stop showing off infront of me. From the comments on my haggard look to the comments of my lack of jewelery for ONE HOUR, it was enough to drive away my good mood. I didn't have a chance to say anything, like how I have to face the computer at least 10 hours a day to do my work, and o yeah, I am DOING WORK~! And another thing, why should I wear all my gold jewelery to campus everyday?? I rolled my eye to the sky and gave a silent prayer that someone would stop her... Luckily, my officemate step in (aha... she couldn't stand it too) and we manage to go back to our work.

But after work, another O no... No more fresh food in the fridge~! So I dragged my bf to the nearest supermarket to buy some groceries and found this adorable eggplant!! LoL... It looks like an actual human face with a cute little nose~! :P

Thursday,
Hmm... Couldn't stand the dreary facade of my house plus... plus my bf won't let me rear a cute little puppy, I decided to purchase a small potted plant. So, after work, we drove all the way to Bunnings warehouse to look for a small potted plant. Instead of finding a small suitable potted plant, I was so captivated by this small potted plant ~ fly catcher!!! Would be very handy during summer, I wish.... lol...

Friday,
TGIF~!
By this time, my officemate was getting more and more exasperated and exhausted with her work's progress as well. Hence, we skipped work earlier and shared a meal in the city. Before we did that, we check out food reviews in urbanspoon to get an idea of what is nice and what is not. We discovered this place call 'Iku sushi' along William street.

Tempura template

Salmon in three ways

Walked all over Murray street until we finally spotted Iku sushi in a hidden section of the street. The road renovation work on the street seriously blocked everyone's view of the trendy sushi shop. The sushi is also reasonably priced and contains fusion between western and japanese sushi. Would love to go over again and this time would definitely try the 'cheeseburger' sushi!!

Saturday,
Saturday and Fremantle seems so inseparable~!
There has been a lot of people who would tell me that Fremantle has become a tourist spot and the prices are higher than usual. But I couldn't resist the temptation of the fresh sweet fruits for sale, the relaxed beach side, scrolling through the vintage shop and trying out the random street food along the way.
Most people would turn to the beach for fish and chips but I prefer strolling around in the Fremantle market. There is a vietnamese shopkeeper in the fremantle market who sells the best fruits I have tasted so far. Till now, I have yet to taste a sour fruit from her stall. So I always go back for more. And I even found a new stall selling adorable cupcakes~! Though it does taste a bit dry... :(

I went hunting for Jarrah honey as well but apparently it is not out yet, seems like I would return for this~! Not entirely a bad news for me. :) Along with the next trip, I would definitely try Little Creatures restaurant and Theview, both very high on the urbanspoon list of eateries.

Till next week...

Project 365

2011-05-03T22:29:00.000+08:00

I have decided to start a project call 'Project 365' where I record something that cheer me up every single day for a year. Except that I don't think I will have the time to upload one pic every single day so I have decided to upload it every week~!

If you have been through mundane period where it seems like it doesn't matter if today is monday or thursday or saturday(It all seems like workday),
If you spend more than 8 hours infront of the computer (work-related usage, of course),
I am sure I can relate to you on a certain degree. I guess that is why I decided to start this mini-project for myself.

Gonna start it today and will report on it at the end of the week. I hope all of you can enjoy and if this feels right, do it for yourself as well.

Cheers~!

Behind the scene of China food trod

2011-04-15T22:20:00.000+08:00

Sigh... Trying to adapt to a new environment is never easy. The first day I reach Nanjing, I started blew out dark bits from my nose. I guess it is due to the road improvement works that have been in progress all around Nanjing, that the air quality is not that good. The first few days that I tried to get use to the climate here, my face got too dry and had to switch moisturizer.

But I was in luck as I was there for the spring; the flowers were blooming and the weather is starting to warm up.

NJUT's suburban campus in Jiangpu: Beautiful stone engravings

NJUT's suburban campus in Jiangpu: Decorated with flowers

NJUT's suburban campus in Jiangpu: Flowers blossoming

My inflight meal in Cathay Pacific...

双皮奶: Double skin milk, taste like a healthier version of creme brulee... Really yummy~!

O yeah, one thing I really hate in Shanghai is the queue. OMG!! They even enlist the help of volunteers, soldiers and security for crowd control in China Pavilion.

And this should be the longest queue I have queued for... a test of my patience... Two hours after I started queuing, I reach the inner queue and took this picture... The area look like those barn to keep the horses, but I am sure even horses are not made to squeeze in such tight places. I had a hard time tearing my eyes away from the dandruff off the hair of the person infront of me. I know it wasn't polite but I don't think my sight could travel anywhere else. =P Btw, the Q lasted for 3 hours in total. I was told that during Shanghai expo 2010, ppl had to Q for up to 6 hours to buy the tickets. Phew...

Amidst all the other big portion of meals I have taken, this is what my usual lunch looks like in NJUT. Only provided with one pair of chopstick... look like my brother would have a hard time finishing this meal. lol...

Oh yeah, not forgetting the instant milk tea available in supermarkets and roadside stalls. (O well, those famous franchise uses instant powder anyway, so why can't we just buy the powder and mix it ourselves? Good question~!) It only cost about RMB3.90 and includes one small wrapper of the milk T powder, the sago pearl/aloe bits ~! One hot drink in spring is soo refreshing... Aahh... (Pst, the brand ambassador is Jay Chou, but I 'accidentally' took pic of the side without his face)

But wait, not everything is nice here. This is like the worst one I have tasted so far and I was so angry with this shop. I was in Shanghai's big mall 正大广长 and my friend convince me that I should eat more shanghai food before I go back. So we enter into a shop call 老上海, thinking that old shanghai means the food is more authentic. Major disappointment!! Not only this piece of meatball looks so suspicious, it taste.. well.. like any pork mince without much love would taste like. COLD! RMB16 each, I should have just purchase more pork dumplings from 裕园！！Btw, it had a nice name to it, 狮子头 (lion's head). We also ordered a claypot, turns out the soup wasn't even properly mixed. One part was watery and the other had flour lumps. We walked out and didn't bother to take more pics. I really can't understand how they manage to attract customers? Perhaps they can do, since Shanghai is so crowded with tourists that come and go, wishing to try authentic shanghai food in some of the major tourist hotspot. So, remember, don't go there~! Unless they change their OLD chefs, that is!

Another failed misadventure is trying the street food~! This one is 小鱼锅贴. It is a crispy pancake layer with fish sauce. It taste nice, something similar to the popular onion pancake in Taiwan. However, it failed miserably because I had to stay in my toilet that night, sitting on the toilet bowl with my head resting on the basin. Yeah... too much detail... =P

So don't simply try street food if you have never tried it before. A lot of chinese citizens flock to these places since young, and there is totally no effect on them. For those who have never eaten not too hygienic food, you had better stick to cleaner restaurants and cafes~!

In order to fully experience their culture here, I had to humble myself. This is something I have not done in a long looong time, i.e. riding on a bicycle. Everywhere I go, I see ppl on bicycles and scooters racing alongside cars and buses.

So one day, while going off to run an errand, my friend invited me to tag along on the bicycle. Wee~! Quite a scary experience... lol... luckily Nanjing is not as crowded as Shanghai when I was out cycling or else I might appear in the newspaper headlines the next day. 'Girl go on head on collision with EVERYONE'. =P Eventhough I was tagging behind my friend, I had a hard time cutting across lanes and crossing the road. Luckily she has more patience than me.

Finally, one month quickly came to pass. Before I left, they treated me to dinner. And like all social event, drinking came into the picture. And I must say this is the most drink I consumed in a single event through my lifetime. Luckily I didn't get drunk. This wine bottle consists of a special wine with 60 vol% of alcohol~! My gosh, it is STRONG! I barely sip 40 vol% alcohol in Oz/Msia, and I upgraded straight to 60 vol%? I find it hard to believe that I was still awake after 2 glass. (Probably coz I stuff myself with lotsa food at the same time... muahahaha...)

It wasn't easy to be apart from familiarity for one month, so I am very grateful for the hospitality extended to me during this period of time.

Just wanna leave you with these words (I heard from a lyric, but it is meaningful nonetheless)...

能遇见是一种缘分，哪怕只是匆匆的一面.

Kudoz~!

China food trod ~ part 3

2011-04-15T20:22:00.000+08:00

Trod... trod... trod around Nanjing to try some new food. Seems like there are a lot of food around the world that I have yet to taste. For example, tortoise meat, virgin eggs (basically these are eggs boiled in virgin boy's urine) or the half-hatch chicken egg... Gonna have a hard time trying to swallow that in!! LoL...

I will save my 'adventurous' spirit for next time... I m gonna stick to some food that sounds less scary.

木瓜炖雪蛤: 雪蛤 is derived from toad's lungs. Sounds disgusting... try not to read how they process the poor lungs before you consumed it. It is quite expensive delicacy and is used mainly for beautifying purposes. Even Taiwan's popular 牛尔老师 claims that 雪蛤 helps him sooth his once acne ridden face. However, if this is your first time trying it, make sure the chef is someone who is experienced in cooking this delicacy. It has a strong fishy smell that can only be reduced by ginger. So don't ever drink it cold, or else the fishy smell will resurface. Match it with papaya, it tastes sweet and soothing but the fishy smell is slightly hard to bear.

Hehe... This is not something new, but I just love this. I didn't know that KFC serves Portuguese egg tart in China~! For RMB5.50, it is the best that I have tasted in China.

榴莲往返~! Durian with black glutinous rice and santan milk. This dish did not originate from China, but Thailand, actually. But I missed durian soo much! This dessert cost RMB35 per dish... very expensive. But then I have to understand, since Nanjing do not produce durian.

拔丝香蕉: Malt on banana fritter, Once pulled apart, you will see these thin like spider webs... strand of malt. Give it a few blow and bite into it... aw... super yummy. =D

辣子鸡: This is a very popular Sze chuan dish. This dish is super loaded dried chilli with pieces of chicken and pinch of sugar and salt. One bite into this dish, you will like it. But barely halfway into this dish, start to feel the heat of the dish. Aw... aw... I really appreciate the hot tea after eating such a hot dish. *Slurp~!*

A very very special dish that I also fell in love with is a dish I tasted in a kung fu themed shop call 功夫庄. The whole shop is decorated like those olden day china style, even the bowls and plates are slightly chipped~! They have funny custom here, you can't order the dishes here. You just sit down and they will come along with different dishes and ask you whether you want it or not. But the dishes are very nice. The most unique is these rice ball. Each person is only accorded one of these rice ball.

Rolled into a ball encasing over juicy pork mince with a single egg yolk~! It is really very nice, wish I can have more of these. But like mentioned before, they only serve one rice ball each. So, savour it slowly...

Another shop that we visited is this shop that only serves mule. Braised mule, mule soup, cold slice of mule meat, etc.

This is the chef's recommendation in the shop, i.e. mule meat 火烧. Strands of mule meat seasoned match with a bit of cucumber sandwiched between pan fried 馒头. Yummy~! We were lucky to be able to eat there at non-peak hours. Delicious~!

All this highlight the end of my sharing my food trod around Nanjing. Don't forget to give these a try on your next visit~! =)

China food trod ~ part 2

2011-04-14T17:13:00.000+08:00

I am back for the second update on my China food trod. There are soo many yummy food in China but after one year of low oil and low fat food in Oz, I couldn't stomach oily and/or spicy food... Bummer~! It was like my toilet became my 2nd bedroom when I consume fried stuff in China. =P

First stop: Dumpling~! This is one of the most popular pork dumpling shop in 裕园, Shanghai. I couldn't quite describe how to find it, though... there was quite some twist and turn. But the shop is right next to the lake in the middle. There was quite a queue to get the pork dumplings.

Ta~da~! The dumplings that I Q'd for. Nanjing pork dumplings and Shanghai pork dumplings are different. Nanjing pork dumplings are sweet while Shanghai pork dumplings are savoury, I like~! Just RMB20 for this much of pork dumpling~!!

鸭血粉丝汤 (duck's blood vermicelli)... When my friend first recommended it to me, I was slightly disgusted. The notion of eating blood is kinda creepy but then after drinking this soup. I have to agree, this is yummy. This is unlike pork's blood, it is very soft like tofu and no blood's smell. This had to be the best duck's blood vermicelli I have tasted in 鸭得堡~! Don't forget to give it a try~!

This is also another specialty ramen shop and this dish is 老头面. What is different is the pork skin in the soup. It is deep fried and then cook to a savoury soup base nestling the hand made ramen. Yummy? Yummy~! O yeah, don't forget to try it with their vinegar. My friends poured generous amount of vinegar inside and i was so shocked. The vinegar is unlike the black vinegar I have back home. Perhaps if I am a food critic with more robust vocab, I would be able to describe it. But I will try... the black vinegar that I was used to have one taste i.e. sour, while this vinegar... hmm... you could kinda roll it around your tongue a bit coz there is a certain mixture to the taste. I was tempted to bring one bottle back with me, but decided against it when I consider how many other stuff I am bringing back anyway.

Another thing I had to try is 烧卖 in Nanjing. In Malaysia, our siew mai consists of pork + prawn in thin wantan wrapping. But the siew mai here are different... Guess what? Scroll down~!

Stuffed with glutinous rice, mushroom slice and small pieces of pork!! I didn't realise this and ordered this along with my duck's blood vermicelli... end up, I couldn't finish it and had to take away.

This is my 2nd duck's blood vermicelli. It is from a very popular and ubiquitous franchise around town call 回味. It is not too bad for first timer, but the soup still loses out to 鸭得堡's duck blood vermicelli.

Yummy yummy 酸菜鱼米线. It cost around RMB15, shared between the 3 of us and still we were unable to finish everything. It is so nice~! Look at the fish slices, the texture is so smooth~! And the soup is a perfect match of chinese sour cabbage and spices without one overpowering the other. It is actually a small noodle stall outside Nanjing University of Technology.

燃面。Taste like Sarawak's mee kolok, except oilier and more spicier. Have to eat it with the radish pickles at the side to slightly wash away the taste of oil. But overall, yummy~!

And not forgetting, 糖葫芦！！！ I love this~! If you just have a major meal, eating syrup coated haw would help tremendously. But if you just wanna go in for the taste, other variation such as mixed fruit, haw and banana, etc would go down better.

China food trod ~ part 1

2011-04-13T19:49:00.000+08:00

After 14 hours of butt numbing flight, I emerged into the cold spring air in Nanjing International airport in March. This was my first time being in China and alone at that. I guess almost everyone could guess I was foreign as I was merely wearing a cotton jacket, sleeveless T and jeans on a 10 degree celsius afternoon in Nanjing. In my defense, it was hot HOT HOOT summer in australia at that time~!

Before I could start my food trod around Nanjing, had to meet up with the future research team that I was here to negotiate with. In the first two weeks I was here, they still try to talk to me in english; but after that, they go full on chinese with me. At first it was very taxing for my brain, what with the constant translating going on inside, but in the end I conceded with listening to their chinese and then writing my reply in english. =)

But anyway, their hospitality is great. Took me around to taste lotsa different food in Nanjing as well as Shanghai. But too bad my stomach has been very difficult for most of the time, so I had to concede to watch extra carefully what I put inside my mouth.

夫子庙：A very popular tourist spot in Nanjing. This used to be
one of the hugest examination hall for scholars in Nanjing. Now it boasts of merchant shops with well-preserved architecture.

凉削面: Apparently this is a fave among the ladies, it is made of this huge block of flour concoction which they shaved into thin slices and mixed with vinegar, preserved vegetables and other spices. I was not very fond of this but there was a queue infront of the stall waiting to purchase it.

上海锅贴: Had this in Shanghai. I didn't have much patience to find a specialty shop for this, so simply had this in the first shop I could find. But it was good enough for me. It was hot with the juice oozing out when I had the first bite. Simply delicious~!

My lunch in Shanghai expo~! We were so lucky to be able to purchase a really good deal via 团购 website, which is something like groupon (US) and spreets(OZ). So the lunch only cost about RMB98 and consisted of one huge bowl of 水煮鱼 (fish cooked in soup of chilli, bean sprout and mushroom), cold dish of steam chicken served in spicy sauce 白斩鸡, 馒头 with diced pork and mushroom, corn cake and stir fried french bean. For two person~! Yikes!!

My first red bean 元宵 in Nanjing. The soup was thick but the red bean looks more black than red... lol... but it was alright.

Do bear with me, though as I cannot access blogspot in China and could not update my blog during that time. Will update my blog with more pics of the food I had in China, once I finish this report for supervisor... :(

Till next time~!

Review: I am number four

2011-02-26T15:30:00.001+08:00

Popcorn ready! Water Bottle ready~! Iphones all set to silent mode....

I was so excited to be watching a movie after such a long drought. lol... Despite the advertisement, I was sure that the movie's initial review that I came across in rotten tomatoes could not all be true...

I am number four is a story about an alien who comes from an elite group of alien from another planet. There are nine of them, 3 have been killed and now the killers are after him. The killers were also from the alien planet and came to earth to hunt them down. Although each of the elite aliens were assigned a guardian, he is of the few who grew up with special powers. As the story progress, it went considerably downhill. He fell hopelessly in love with a girl in a place call paradise while on the run. It is like a hopeless mix of twilight and transformer without a backbone.

Why am I so mean? Let me take an example, halfway through the movie, while number four is running away from both the killers and the police force and may I say supposedly recovering from the pain experienced when his guardian of many years was killed infront of him; he saved his lady friend and they ran away together. I guess it should be a no brainer that they should go somewhere safe? No, she brought him to the school's basement where they proceed to develope some photos in a roll of film. I just don't get it. Here the film is emphasizing the fact that many people died for him, let me be honest, for what?? That big WHY was not emphasize in the story. And many times I find it really hard to feel really 'into' the movie because the handsome number four can barely show much emotion on his face. It was like watching Jay chou in Initial D but at least Jay chou was funny.

During the fight, number 6 - a trained and totally cool-headed personality came into the scene. Now that is someone I would rather opt for being the main character. Her looks (those eyes~! LoL), her personality was everything an action movie's main character should have. And she was the main save in it for me. The action was alright, and I expect nothing less from director Michael Bay but the story line is terrible. It makes me wanna retreat myself into another drought of movie nights.

Personal rating : 3/5 stars
Image: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1464540/

The land below the wind...

2011-02-25T17:41:00.001+08:00

Ever since MAS introduced their direct flight from KK to Perth three times a week, we decided to choose KK as our stopover in Malaysia. But what ever could we do with only just one day and one night in KK? Hehee...

First stop: Sutera Harbour~!
Sutera Harbour resort hotel boasts of 6 stars standard, so we just had to check it out. Upon arrival, we felt the full atmosphere of beach paradise. Everyone was smiling as they welcome us into the lobby and serve us ice cold lime drink. It was really refreshing, and I totally forgot the existence of the local lime drink, it is the mixture of a preserved plum, lime, sugar and salt... so yummy~!

*The lobby*

*Night view of Sutera Harbour Magellan*

The Sutera Harbour hotel management must be huge~! Nestled around a well preserved beach are 3 buildings, i.e. the business hotel, the clubhouse and the resort hotel. Although the room was not as special as Empire's hotel, it was spacious and beautiful~!

*Our room*

And in total, I've calculated at least 4 different pools in the area. The resort's pool comes with a waterfall along with a bar pool and a small beach enclosure; the clubhouse has the lap pool and the pool with the slide (I found it too late!! didn't manage to get a dip~!)

*Club Pool*

5 o'clock and we jumped excitedly into a taxi, headed out to catch the best of Sabah's seafood~! I have heard soo much about the seafood in Sabah. Seeing that Sabah has better beaches than my hometown, the water are almost crystal clear with school of fishies right under the surface. Though I prefer the crystal clear of the beaches in Perth, I don't get to see school of fishies, what I see are jelly fishies... >=P

This is the restaurant that the taxi driver introduced us. I have to say, the best part about seafood in Sabah is the freshness. They are truly not much cheaper than anywhere else.

*Seafood restaurant*

*Creepy fish*

*Stir fry pumpkin shoot - RM15 *

沙白 --> now that is something I have never tasted before. I was gonna opt for something familiar like la la (yes, it is call la la!! lol...) but they ran out of it and they introduced this to me. And all I can say is.... Why have I never tasted it before?? It was so nice, especially when cooked with spring onions and ginger with a hint of hsiao shin wine. Yummy~!
Hint: You don't need to know the names of the seafood you wanna order. Just follow me, point and say 'I want that~!'. Universal~! lol...

*沙白 - RM25 (RM25/kg)*

*Fish head - RM42 (RM6/100g)*

*Crab - RM40 (RM5/100g) *

All the dish amounted to RM138 for that night.
Hint: there were only two of us, so it was kinda amazing we can stuff everything in~!

Would definitely come back here another time, not for shopping but for the beaches and the food. There are also other specialty food that I definitely love, like tuaran mee RM4(the shop in tamparuli serves the best tuaran mee~!), ngao chap/ mixed beef noodles RM9 (Menggatal ngao chap has many franchises and it tastes good) and the DURIAN ais potong/popsicle~! (NOT for the weak stomach~!) Till the next time~!

Help those affected by the flood

2011-01-23T22:23:00.000+08:00

Please help those who are affected by the latest hit of flood in Queensland and Vic states recently.

You can make a donation as directed by the following website or if you could, call them up or keep them in mind in your daily prayers. Sometimes all it takes is one small action to make an impact in their lives.

http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/

Review of 2010

2011-01-02T14:58:00.000+08:00

2010 has ended and 2011 have greeted me with full heat blast to the face. Summer~! Hot hot... lol...

I am grateful for what had come to passed in the last 12 months and how far I have gone and grown from 1.1.2010. It has been a pain when my mind reflects on my disappointments and failures for the last 12 months, but right now I wanna be thankful and happy for the various new experience I have gone through.

1) My first conference trip to Adelaide

Dinner at Hilton Hotel Adelaide. Was so lucky to have met a few new friends as well as coincidently meeting a long forgotten acquaintance.

2) Friend's visit and trips all over Perth

I love friends' visits, gives me more excuses to go around Perth looking all tourisy and stuff~! lol...

3) Catamaran experience

I am such a sucker for water sports!! Each time I return from these adventures, I have those annoying patches of itchy rashes~! But it is worth the adventure and fun~!

4) FOOD and LAUGHTER~!

Although my tummy gets rounder and rounder (it is futile to resist good food, I know) with each gathering, I guess it is inevitable as food brings ppl together~! As the saying goes 'the way into a man's heart is through his stomach', it can be amazingly TRUE~! ;P

After graduation, I came to full realization how hard it is to meet or even recognize ppl who used to be important to us, so let us treasure each and every moment together. Happy new year 2011~!!

Top places for Chilli Mussels in Perth~!

2010-12-18T15:23:00.000+08:00

I have never crave chilli mussels until I first tasted how good they can taste like~! *slurp~!* To help those who wanted to know some top places for chilli mussels, (which I am still compiling though) here are some places I love according to freshness, prices and sauce~! In order to compile this list, I have tasted the chilli mussels in Concas, Ti amo, Brando's place, Kailis Bro, and Cicerello.

1) Kailis bro
This company is one of the largest and well-known provider for seafood in Australia. There are endless branch all over WA itself, e.g. Fremantle, Leederville, Canningvale, you name it. Although the fish and chips are not as nice, the freshness are guaranteed. When I first bit into the mussel, I could not believe the freshness of it. *yummy~!* I went to the one in Fremantle, the sea breeze plus the yummy mussels is PERFECT~! =P

2) Ti amo
Add.: 57 Hampden Road Nedlands WA 6009
Although the chilli mussels in this restaurant is not as fresh as Kailis Bro. The price are very cheap in comparison and the sauces are simply delicious~! Absolutely...

My xmas wishlist... compiling...

2010-12-14T20:54:00.000+08:00

I literally can feel the spirit of xmas (if not, at least the xmas shop-aholic in me, tee~hee~!) around me. Is it the angels, xmas tree and reindeer's decoration scattered all around the city and suburb? Or perhaps the many colourful xmas sale catalogues spilling out of my post box??

All these made me did something I have never done before, compiling a wishlist for xmas... (and yeah, tat is not really displaying the true spirit of xmas =P )

Item no. 1:
Dreaming by Tommy Hilfiger

I Lurv this fragrance~! Yummy yummy~!

2. Iphone 4G

I wish for an Iphone 4G minus the flaws... I wonder whether Santa's Iphone 4G would be better than store bought? tee~hee~!

Wonder what will I get for xmas... ;P

Suicide for love?

2010-12-12T15:43:00.000+08:00

My FB is totally bombarded with this news about this 22 years old Malaysian guy who committed suicide after his break up with his gf; a relationship that lasted 4 months. It happened on the 9th of december this year when he jumped off the 14th floor of his building; I could not help but shed a tear for him.

What was going through his mind when he decided to end his life?
For a person who have been through so many challenges throughout my life, I look at him and couldn't help wonder 'why?'

In his blog (http://alvisskong.blogspot.com/), he mentioned that he is the kind of guy whose main existence revolves around love. How I wish that this love could be distributed to the rest of his family members and friends. My friends asked me to 'like' a FB website's tribute to him, I am sorry I could not do that. My condolences to his family and friends but not by 'liking' this website. By liking this website, does that indirectly mean I am supporting or encouraging this kind of behavior? That is why I decided not to do so.

In his FB post 45 minutes before he committed suicide, he asked his sister to take care of his parents. This is such a fearful end for a healthy and young man. I felt so sorry for his ex, whom he described as a devil in his blog. Some news even dub him as Malaysian Romeo.

Perhaps he is truly hurt by all those incidents that led to the break up (This song is a tribute for him, perhaps those were his last thoughts ), but I still strongly believe that no one should commit suicide so easily. Think of other ppl who truly loves and cares for you and the impact that will be left on them. Move on.

Driving test~!

2010-12-06T21:52:00.001+08:00

Yesh~!

Got my Oz driver's license~!

Not too sure whether to say it was pretty easy or pretty hard. But even though you may have been driving around for years in Msia doesn't mean you would easily pass the driving test here. The best plan is to hire a 'sifu' to teach you the OZ way of driving coz here they really implement the defensive driving pattern. If you are fresh out of Msia, pls dun waste ur money to take the test straightaway, coz I am pretty sure U r a pretty reckless driver. Coz I was~! lol...

Some differences:
1. Strict speed limit adherence. This is an ultimate straight fail if you surpass the road's speed limit. As the examiner will be viewing from the passenger seat beside you, ensure that you travel at least 5 kph below the recommended speed limit to avoid parallax error.

2. Head check. DO IT~! JUST DO IT~! I do have a good habit of doing head checks before reversing or parking, etc. But the examiner deducted me marks for grounds that I do not do enough left head check.

3. Signaling. Before entering a roundabout, if you are exiting in the next exit, signal left. If you are going to take the last exit, right signal. Signal when u are ready to exit the roundabout. Ensure that your signal does not flash more than 3 times after you perform your maneuverer. If you drive along a unmarked lane with cars parked beside the road, signal as if to overtake it.

4. Stop sign. In my boleh boleh land, apa apa pun boleh. Here, stop means stop. Stop for at least 3 secs before making your next move. But ensure you signal your direction before you stop.

5. Steering wheel. Always place hands at 10 and 2 o'clock of the steering wheel. Only use push and pull method of handling the steering wheel. Ensure your thumbs face upwards/outwards of the steering wheel.

Woah, so now you know the proper way of driving~! lol...

When two becomes one...

2010-11-25T18:00:00.000+08:00

Can actually harm you more than you would admit.

Be it you are 'single', 'in a relationship' or 'it's complicated' phase, I am sure that you will have experience unrequited love, heart breaks and lonely phase. You see other people in what you perceive as the 'perfect' relationship and long for that. We were told, no... TRAINED to think that when the princess or the poor girl finds her prince, she lives happily ever after. So, girls were brainwashed by meaningless fairy tales since young that the ultimate goal in life is to find her soul mate. As we age, we grow smarter, we learn what PI represents, we know fibonacci number, (for GOODNESS sake) but that immature and unrealistic lesson was hopelessly ingrained into our brain.

What this means in the 20th century is a very unrealistic mindset and attitude in a relationship. I find it quite disturbing when a totally motivated, ambitious, outgoing and outspoken person got into a relationship. And with the snap of a finger, she turned into this needy, sticky and spineless person who has no time for friends and family. The change happened almost instantaneously, suddenly all her plans revolved around the guy, she all but gave up her identity and become 'one' with her bf.

I am not trying to pinpoint this person in particular but it is becoming a widespread phenomena. I have notice that it is now a up and becoming trend of 'two become one'. Here are some of the phases I noticed:

1st phase: Those tell tale symptoms
a) When you call her out, both of them appear.
Yes, initially you try to be subtle and hinted that it will be a ladies night. Then you could not stand it, and you blatantly tell her that you do not want him there, but they just come as one. I do not understand how can she not see that her neediness for her bf has become imposing on her friend's lives?

b) Telling her means telling him.
They say you should not keep secrets in a relationship. But then if those secrets are not yours to begin with and you agreed not to say, it is best to keep your words. Your words reflect your personality. And if you start to blab about other ppl's secrets in a relationship, has it begin to dawn on you that you and ur partner have nothing better else to talk about? Telling one person you have the menstrual today and having her bf asking you how are you feeling the next day is NOT ok. Even if it is a mutual understanding that your bf would be informed, he should not butt in as if he is one of the ladies.

c) TMI
Perhaps you can relate to me on this one. Those annoying couples who see each other every single day or be it week, and still they leave overly intimate msgs on FB, on msn and twitter for every one to see. What an eye sore. My statistic has shown that these types of relationship may seem sweet on the outside, most of the time it indicates that both party are insecure about the other's commitment and use this method to re-instate to other's their relationship. More often than not, these relationships fail miserably and they don't speak to each other anymore and delete each other from FB, etc. Don't believe it?

Sometimes, this can even happen to you and you barely feel it. So how do you know?

d) Your friends get sick of you
Initially your friends throw tantrum or complain that you are no longer spending quality time with them, then they stopped calling you altogether. This is usually a bad sign.

2nd phase: you start making excuses for him
If you are a bf craze, you will notice that you start making excuses for him. If your friend complains that ur bf approached them in an inappropriate manner, you start making excuses for him. Excuses I have heard includes: He was raised in a western environment (My western friends do not simply touch me, thank you). He was overly passionate (hint: boundaries?), etc etc. Perhaps you complained to your friend that he borrows excessive money from you, and your friend asked you to dump him. And suddenly you started to protect him giving excuses like he is not always like that, he really needs it, etc etc. The worst part is when he start to hit you and you still make excuses for him.
WAKE UP, he is NOT a baby! YOU DO NOT need to make excuses for him. He knows how to make up excuses all by himself. You need to stop making excuses and start confronting him about it. If it really is nothing, both of you can resolve it calmly and with dignity. What does not kill you make you stronger. If it really is something, avoiding the issue will not make it any better.

3rd phase: You say Love is Blind
I do hope that you will not proceed to this stage. Usually gals who lost their identity in the first year will begin to see their bf pulling away from them and taking interest in some other gals. But unfortunately, I have seen smart, independent gals ended up in this stage.
He may do something to wrong you and you say Love is Blind and did not confront him.
Love is not blind. In the Bible, it is recorded that:

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"Love is patient, love is kind. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in sin, but rejoices with truth. It always protects, always hopes, always trusts, always perseveres. Love never fails."

I wanna implore you to really understand and savor this verse. If he loves you, he should be honest with you. You should be able to face him and talk to him about the incident/issue. Unfortunately, often times love is confused with lust and while you may love him and pour out everything to him, you are merely his object of lust. Woman put their hearts out there to be hurt time and time again and sometimes their own friends choose the easier way out and make excuses for these bastards. According to the movie/book "He is not into you", stop thinking you are the exception, you are the rule. Guys who flirts all the time, will cheat on you. Guys who always try to get easy cash from you, will continue to do so. Guys who wants to have sex on the first date, is only there for lust. There are some exceptions but don't bet on it! Here are some tips:

a) Start by treating yourself as your own best friend. Tell yourself the truth, stop lying to yourself or make excuses for him. You don't need to be paranoia nor should you be super ignorant. Don't hurt your heart over a lost cause. Move on. Loving yourself and understanding what a person who loves you will/should do and what they shouldn't do.

b) Have your own space. If he is constantly out with his mates either in gym or playing sport, you don't have to stay at home fidgeting with the phone right infront of your eyes. Have your own ladies outing and your own personal space. Bottom line is you need to stay sane. Putting 100% out there for your bf is NOT healthy. Have a little 'me' time. This enable you to actually still be an individual outside of the relationship, and reduce your neediness and stickiness in a relationship.

Why I need to curb my addiction to FB

2010-11-04T22:38:00.000+08:00

With the release of the 'Facebook' trailer, FB has become more and more popular amongst the community. But it started me on my own reflection on my usage of FB, and I have discovered annoying facts about FB.

1. FB is toxic~!
So while I am doing my research and conducting meetings with my supervisors and other phd students, days seems dull and tiring for me. N guess what? When I log into FB, I am bombarded with status, comments and photos of other people having fun. This is quite predictable, no one is interested in pictures of other ppl working. But the annoying bit is when u have a really rich fren in ur fren list. Yeah, I do. Her family is like the richest in my hometown, and their family even have their own private jet. So her status would read like 'Going Europe for the weekend~!' or 'Did my manicure and spa..' or a picture of her nestling happily in her private jet with her father with a caption that goes 'Daddy, u r the best!'. How can a hardworking, honest person top another person who is born with a silver spoon? How depressing....

2. Toxic...
Not only the emotional toil it inflicts, but also the time consuming part that is alarming. And I am not hiding myself from this shame, I have been taking part in this next point... pointless games~! When it all boils down to it, aren't most of the games pointless in FB? Initially they have the 'who has the biggest brain' game, that was fun and probably educational. Or the typing game? But games like Cafe world? Pet society? Restaurant city? Farm ville? We spent our precious time clicking our mouse collecting points by 'visiting our friends' and accomplishing mission by 'sending invites/help request to our friends'. Those minutes spent everyday doing that accumulate into a staggering large number in a year and the invites we send out? We are just like a highly efficient spamming machine!! And these games applications are not innocent. Incase u didn't notice, they collect personal information about you for their perusal. What type of perusal are those? Who knows?

3. Toxic...
While sharing personal info and comments amongst frens are normal and fun, FB has seeped into other aspects of our lives. Without even realizing it, FB is evolving into a common platform where colleagues and employers are invited in, that is when the danger starts. A lot of innocent banter, pictures can backfire on you. I once rejected my tutor's friend request and the next thing I receive an email demanding whether I was using him or not. *weird*

And now they have a new application in FB where you can announce your location at a certain period and a map will be conveniently shown for everyone to see. Clearly they have the BEST intentions in mind. But isn't it apparent what this would mean? Encouraging stalkers. O wait... is that what everyone wants? Let me just say, don't wish for it until u have a taste of the horror.

In short, TMI. Just KISS, pls.

I miss the good old days where ppl actually call you for bdays and updates. Video call when that is too expensive. Send an actual parcel and hugs and not words on the status bar.

So, perhaps it is time for me to reduce my time spent on FB and hit the gym more often~! :D ( And then perhaps take a shoot during gym time and POST IT IN FB~! spam me, my friends, spam me~! A~hem...)

My moisturizing diary~!

2010-10-21T00:34:00.000+08:00

Spring is here!!! Day in day out, the sun beats down mercilessly on me... I am a lazy person when it comes to taking care of myself but then I learnt to invest on moisturizing products.

For me, the essential criteria in choosing the moisturizer is best value product~! So you would find that most of the products I used can be found in almost any big shopping complex.

My moisturizing products~! And yes... I have been using a LOT...

Nuskin range

The Nuskin range is perhaps the only series that you can't obtain easily from any supermarket. It is a product under a direct sales company which you have to join in order to buy the products at a much discounted rate.

Cleanser --> Nuskin Creamy Cleansing lotion ($18)
Just squeeze a 20 cents amount onto your palm and massage it onto the face. It is very mild, gentle and moisturizing for the skin. After wash, I can literally feel the moisturizing effect on the face. However, as it is a creamy cleanser, it is not as effective as a foam cleanser in removing sebum and dirt nor should it be used as a make up remover.
Mask --> Nuskin Clay Pack ($26)
I love this moisturizing mask, it smells and feel like putting yoghurt on your face. =)
Moisturizer --> Moisture Restore Day Protective Lotion SPF15 Normal to Dry skin
Love the non-greasy and light feels it gives over other moisturizer~!
Eye cream --> Intensive Eye cream ($44)
Although I didn't see my eye bag and dark eye circles reducing, this product is very moisturizing. During a hydration test, the indicator showed my under eye hydration level as 44% so not too bad.
*Note: prices quoted are based in Australia, it may deviate slightly due to demand and supply in certain country, namely Malaysia.

Nivea Hand cream

Redwin Body lotion

Both of these are almost the same price~! lol... It is a really good deal if you can get like 1L of body lotion with just $5~! I have tried Kiehl's ultimate strength hand salve ($44) to combat the dry climate. But apart from a very strong medicated smell, it does not have much long term improvement on my dry hands. Nivea hand cream only cost $4 but after using it one week my hands have more marked improvements. The same goes with the body lotion, I have tried Vaseline line which cost twice as much as the Redwin brand. But Redwin can improve the overall appearance of my skin as compared to Vaseline line. This is the third tub I have used in 3 years. Totally WORTH it~! =P

Another product I really love is the Palmers' Lip butter ($3-4). Apart from providing a hydration barrier to the lips, it also adds a subtle gloss. *love it~!*
I do notice that when I applied on dried skin on my lips, the skin would peel off painlessly in a few hours leaving a smooth exterior. The weird point though is the flavour... chocolate mint? Where is the typical strawberry and cherries? =P

I found out through experience that not all expensive products produce the desired result, you can look good even on a budget~!
Hope by sharing this, it can help you on future purchases~!
Till then, stay hydrated ^^

Premier of Australia's Iron Chef Challenge

2010-10-20T00:21:00.000+08:00

Have you ever watched the original Iron Chef Challenge from Japan?

It looks ridiculously... FANTASTIC~! The food they prepared, the precision and techniques they displayed and the plating up reminded me that there was a difference between a chef and the very normal me~! :D

But I have to stifle a giggle or two when the commentators talked, because the translation is too terrible!! XD

So when Australia announced the premier of Iron Chef challenge at 7:30pm on Channel Seven and the first competitor is a young chef from greenhouse cafe, st georges terrace, Perth??

The greenhouse cafe and restaurant in Perth, so cute~! [source: http://gillcos.tumblr.com/]

The competitor from Perth [source: WAtoday.com.au]

I knew I had to see it~! The Iron chefs are Guy Grossi, Neil Perry and Guillaume Brahimi.

The three Iron chefs [source: smh.com.au]

Through the competition, they have to make entree, mains and dessert using a secret ingredient, i.e. coconut and judged based on originality, plating and taste. The competitor from Perth was very creative with his dishes especially the nitrogen treated coconut juice which easily cracks open to reveal coconut mouse on the inside. This is served with nice crumbles and crushed nuts on the side~! I was soo sure he would win but too bad he didn't~! But his creations are so unique, I am sure I would venture to his shop to taste his food soon!

I hope I don't have to queue up then to taste his food....

Spring time in Araluen~!

2010-10-03T23:44:00.000+08:00

Spring is in town~!

Just had to take a 45 minutes drive down to Araluen to enjoy the beautiful nature. The tulips and roses are amazing, the extensive portray of flowers and trees are beautiful. The landscaping are just splendid~!

*secretly thinking: Is Mr. Thomas gonna hop out anytime soon? (Hint: Narnia)*

*The tiny speck of flowers on the grass looks like tiny speck of snow on the ground, pretty~!*

* Tulips... tulips... tulips~!*

And yeah, these pictures are the real thing~! love it~!

Adelaide trip

2010-10-03T22:38:00.000+08:00

Recently I get to travel fully paid to adelaide for 4 days, which is totally fun~!

I always felt that Adelaide is a smaller place than Perth, it still is... sorry, guys. What I enjoyed most was the colonial architecture. In Perth, we only have London court; but Adelaide like Melbourne still has those clock towers and old character buildings in the city central~! And yeay, they have beard papa and breadtop~! But they don't have Corica like Perth~! lol...

* My apartment bedroom *

* Beautiful antique building in Adelaide*

*Cute pig statues in city*

When I depart from Perth, the weather was sunny and the flowers are blossoming, the heat has come back into our hearts and we have packed away our heaters. When I arrive in Adelaide, I was aghast to find my stash of spring clothings is TOTALLY out of place. People are still sporting scarfs, thick jackets and boots~! Omg... Cold... Probably should have checked the weather forecast before I come~! grr...

When we took a short trip to Hanhsdorf, i.e. a german themed village, the locals are wearing thick sweaters and pants and I wore a dress up to my knee and sandals like high heels. *sniff sniff* I could literally feel the wind blowing into my bones~! >.<

*Beautiful wind chime/music box design in Hanhsdorf*

*Puppet in Hanhsdorf*

Food there in Adelaide is also quite delicious~! Love 巴国布衣~! Super spicy and YUMMY~! For a 4 days and 3 nights stay, me and my frens ended up eating dinner for 2 days consecutively. On the last day, we went there intending to take away some dish to bring back to Perth, but aw... they open at 5pm in the evening. Too late and too bad...

There are other things I wanted to go in Adelaide, gonna save it for another time... like the world largest rocking horse? aw... lol...

Nature's beauty my jogging diary

2010-08-31T21:37:00.001+08:00

Winter is going to end soon... as a matter of fact, can I consider today is the last day of winter? Jogging down the lane amids annoying cyclist bells... till you spy the ice cream truck selling soft serve ice cream... walk closer for a queue before remembering the real purpose of jogging... urgh.... Will remember to empty pockets next time before jog... Must RESIST temptations...

Jogging... Jogging... must remember to breathe in and out, in and out... The beautiful sceneries along the route sure make me wanna stop and just stay in this moment... *snap snap* goes the iphone before I realized with shame there is a guy trudging along a DSLR with the expandable lens... urgh... Show off... Off I jog again...

Nature's brilliance

2010-08-23T11:49:00.000+08:00

The patch of green grass with scattered drops of colourful petals and leafs...

Looks like a forlorn christmas tree~!

Perfect venue for dates... =)

Fiery red flower on dry looking twigs... Makes me think of passion and perseverance... rawr.. rawr... =P

Salt... salt... salt...

2010-08-21T23:11:00.000+08:00

FINALLY!! Ok, this is sad but Salt (the movie, bear that in mind) has finally... FINALLY been released in the Australian's cinema. It is sad that it takes such a LOOONG time to finally get to see on big screen. This movie has been released in the Malaysian cinema on 27th of July 2010 (which is 2 days after my departure from Msia) and I had to wait... yes... wait... till 19th of AUGUST to view it in cinema here... Urgh... way to go to promote and encourage piracy...

[image: http://angelinajolie.forumcommunity.net/?t=34187027 ]

I wish to say the movie is totally worth the loong wait, but I seriously waited too long for this movie~! *this has been my constant grumbling*. The plot wasn't as conniving as the trailer indicated with minor foreboding of what is to come. But all in all, the stunts were original and the pace of the movie is wonderful. In short, the line went smoothly, and her take of the russian language is not bad~! Kudoz for that~!

In terms of actings, this movie really displays in full view what a talented actress Angelina Jolie can be. But with a handsome husband at home, it is no wonder you could not feel a single spark of chemistry of her and her on-screen husband. lol...

I love it~!
Overall : A (I would have given it an A+, but why o why did they make me wait soo long for it? grrr... )

Home made avocado mask

2010-08-09T10:59:00.000+08:00

Bored... bored... bored...

Don't even for a second think that I am free, but day in day out doing the same old thing? thinking and rethinking along the same line of topic?? This is really unhealthy both for the mind and the soul. I find myself thinking of ways to escape even well... myself...

As I was fretting and pouting over msn with my fren, came across this really interesting v-blogger. She blogs about beauty tutorials and what I liked most is the natural remedies. (Check her out at http://www.youtube.com/user/MichellePhan)

I have never tried home made mask before, although I have always wanted to. So, armed with some references and knowledge of the benefits of certain ingredients, I decided to make my own version of avocado mask. (Plus did I mention that my bf ate half an avocado and left it in my fridge and now he is away for the week?? I can't possibly finish THAT!! =P)

This is the recipe that I used to make the mask. This portion can make you enough for 1-2 months, depending on how frequently you use 'em. The only reason I make soo much is bcoz I have 1/2 an avocado lying forlornly in my fridge!! Try not to make so much as the longer it lies in the fridge, the less fresh it would be. And the core idea in making ur own masks would be freshness~!

1/2 avocado
4 tablespoons of milk
2 thin rinds of lemon

Avocado

*Image: http://www.avocado.org.au/nutrition/nutritional_information.aspx*
This is the core ingredient of the mask, mash it till it turns a pulpy texture. In order to get it properly mash, it is advisable to use a mixer. If you are lazy, you can leave it as it is, but you won't get an even texture when u apply it on your face. Known for its essential fatty acids, it is wonderful as a natural moisturiser. It also contains vitamin C, antioxidant and collagen which brigthens and tightens your face.

Milk
A well known natural moisturizer, found on the cover of many beauty and health product~! Containing vitamin A, D and B12, it enhances the quality as well as the vitality of skin. Try to use fresh and not long life milk as it contains less preservatives.

Lemon
Well, this is the additional ingredient that I added in. Lemon is a powerful source of vitamin C and antioxidant. The reason why I added this in was to give an extra boost to skin lightening. Do u know, u can bleach your hair with concentrated lemon juice? lol...

After adding it all up, this is how mine looks like...

You just need a small teaspoon of the mixture to cover the whole of your face. Make sure to also include your neck area if you have saggy skin around your face. Initially I wanted this mask mainly as moisturizer, however after 20 minutes on my face, I could feel the tightening effect. This is wonderful and did not trigger any allergic reaction, it is so natural you can use more frequently than the store bought mask, but don't use it everyday~!

Note: Always store unfinish mask in the fridge; Do not store longer than 2 days; do not heat mixture especially after lemon is added, this is to deter the lost of vitamin C in the mask mixture.

Next destination: KL

2010-07-19T02:29:00.000+08:00

Next destination in our list: KL~!
The main idea is of course to do SHOPPING~! But I only spent one day in KL, so didn't do much serious shopping, but manage to do some EATING~!

Sandwich kueh, i.e. between one layer of yam and sweet potato, there is one slice of melted sticky rice cake... totally yummy~!

Kueh with glutinous rice in the middle, very special but the taste is still not bad...
I think the highlight should be the 'horse feet' kueh, it was so yummy, we bought 8 for RM2 and we gobbled it soo FAST I didn't manage to snap a picture of it~!! ono...

The other highlight is the fish head mai fun, totally delish~! The one in USJ10 is not bad, but this one is in my opinion the best~! This place is Bukit Indah~!!

Klang bah kut teh

Han leong also bought us to do some sight seeing. Have you seen this place? I forgot the name of the place... hmm... something along the line of I-city? Eye-city? Ah well, it is a sight to be remembered.

This whole place is lighted, LIGHTED till soo BRIGHT!!! Parking fee cost about RM1, so a lot of ppl just chose to park outside. This place looks very new and consists of a central park fully decorated with statues, lighted trees, peacocks, pandas, lanterns, etc. Around 9 - 10pm at night there was light show at the outskirt of the aforementioned park.

Lighted trees and flowers...

The park which consists of many different lighted objects, the electricity bill will sure soar high~!

Slight light play at the top of the building, seems like xmas and snow display...

Holiday retreat: Singapore~!

2010-07-18T21:47:00.000+08:00

After a long flight of 5 hours, finally reach asia continent~! *yeay*

First destination: Singapore~!

It has been almost 10 or is it 15 years since I last visited this place~! After complaining relentlessly about winter in Perth, I was hit with instant humidity and heat, like sauna. Whew...

The first thing I couldn't resist to try was their chilli crab~! But then once I started roaming the streets, I was frequently tempted by the various food available along the street. It is indeed true that Asia offers a gastronomical experience~! Luckily got some friends in Singapore to bring us around on the first day, i.e. Roy and Alan. We went for dinner and dessert and was so busy taking pics of the food and venue (Them with their DSLR and me with my pathetic Iphone... XD) that we forgot to take a pic together. Now who says youngsters are so narcissist? :P

Chilli crab served with fried man tao, SD48/kg in 黑社会(Vivo city)... Heard the one in 'No signboard' restaurant is the best, but it is SD130/kg for pakistani crab... OUCH~!

Fruit tart at Food Paradise (also Vivo city)

Mango fruit tart, blueberry cheese fruit tart and chocolate banana fruit tart~!

This is the best~! *yummy* The crust is soo nice~! How to describe this crust?? *yummy... yummy... yummy~!*

Tea to go along with the tart, beautiful colours~!

Venue: Food Republic (Suntec City)
Loved the concept of classical library food court~!

One of the place we visited which I wish I have more compartment in my tummy for... Clarke Quay~!

Beautiful concepts and lightings~! XD

[more pics to come... ]

Hooray

2010-07-10T13:40:00.000+08:00

Time: 1341
Venue: Curtin Building 204 Level 3 computer lab
Weather: Sunny with occassional drizzle
Mood: Excited and absolutely jittery

In the next 6 hours, I will trudge my 15kg of check in luggage and 7kg hand carry with my brand new laptop to the airport. Thx to Chris and Letitia who are going to send us off.

First destination: Singapore~!
2nd destination: KL~!
3rd destination: my home...

I know it has barely been 1/2 year since I went back home but I do sorely miss my home. When we were still young kids, we wish and dream of growing up, making decisions our adults don't let us make and living independently. But once you have a taste of it, well... it is very tiring to live independently, making your own money and paying your own bills. Where is the wild parties? Where are all the fun? Sigh... Fun = money + time + energy and money = more work and work means less time and energy at the end of the day. Got it? lol...
O no, stop being so pessimist~! Hooray, in another 6 hours, I will start on my 5 hours flight back home~! >.< (Poor butt) Totally worth it~!

Review: Prince of Persia

2010-06-13T22:54:00.000+08:00

Whenever there is a movie adaptation of any comic book or game, there is usually very high expectation, e.g. Spiderman, Dare devil, Legend of Chun li (which sinks faster than Titanic) or even Hitman. So when I watch Prince of Persia, I dare say I do not have much expectation cause I never played the game before. The character is only as good as they make it to be. So how was it?

The main characters, Prince of Persia (a.k.a. Dastan) i.e. Jake Gyllenhaal and Pricess Tamina, i.e. Gemma Artenton got tangled in a web to ensure the safety of a mythical dagger. This dagger contains the sand of time which can turn back time for one minute, unless they get hold of the ultimate sand dial whereby they can turn back time as much as they want.

The plot is simple and straightforward, the action wonderful. However, I wish they did a more thourough casting for the different roles. As we watched, we couldn't help wishing certain roles could be casted by someone more masculine, feminine, etc.

Like the M'baka guy who is such a good knife thrower, when he just open his mouth... o gosh... his voice is not as gruff and strong as his character should have been...

The other thing that I couldn't stand is the dialogue!! They have the decency to use a different language to display the venue and then use subtitle for us to read in english. The spoiler came in the language that they are using! In the time of the persian, do they use words such as 'Tuesday, Thursday?'. The use of language is too modern and doesn't give the feel of the royal Persians, so called. I even spotted one of them sporting a british accent~! Cannot... Cannot be...

The action is good, I couldn't agree more. Wish they paid better attention to the details of the overall effect.

Overall: B

Iphone apps: Angry Birds and Stool Scanner

2010-06-07T10:26:00.000+08:00

I just moved into my new office and have not been very familliar with my new office mate who happens to be from Venezuela. However, upon discovering that we both have iphone 3Gs, we ended up chatting like old frens. There are some funny and useful applications, but there is also some really useless and funny application.

1) Angry Birds

This is like the favourite application amongst iphone users. This application is about pigs who stole/eat young birds. Angered, the birds are used to shoot down the pigs. lol... Initially it was fun, but the harder the level, the more frustrating I get. lol... Perhaps you will get better luck with this than me. Still in level 7.

2) Stool Scanner

This is like the funniest and useless application for the Iphone. Place your thumb or any finger on the surface of the Iphone for a finger print scan, and they will predict the next type of stool you will produce. XD I tried to remove my finger before the scan is complete, but seems like they have program it to generate a warning sign. Albeit being totally fake, it is very funny.

My life as a fresh graduate: Part 1

2010-05-31T13:36:00.001+08:00

It has now been 3 months since my convocation ceremony, when I talk to my juniors, they're all hyped and excited to graduate. No offense, they would tell me, but I don't fancy continiung study after 4 years of study, they concluded. =) No offense taken. What most would usually regard is that phD is not a work, it is more of a study, like a holiday kinda bond. Well, I wish.

There were several occassions where friends could not understand why I could not be out shopping with them during normal working hours or my dark eye circles after a night of being behind the computer. Well, this is phD. I can hardly classify it as full work, yet I do not have the full freedom of a undergrad student either. I am no longer working for my grads, that is the past. Right now, I am paid to do research within 3 years and am expected to be in my office doing work from 9 to 5. At the end of the period of which, they will determine my qualification. It is much like the process of creditation of any engineers through IEM, IEAU or ICHEME.

After an initial exposure to the engineering world, I discover my idealism of how engineering world works need to be utterly demolish. The engineering world is still quite male dominated. I have been to a training session on modeling with Ansys workbench organised by leap australia and I was the only female. I was also the only female in my research group, although my research group mainly consisted of about 6 - 7 person anyway. =D The fun part is you get to solve the problem, address the issue of your interest using your own way without being cramped by other ppl's ideas really enhances the creativity process. However, at the same time since everything is so unbounded, if you face difficulties, it is hard to look for quality help. Only you can help yourself.

For those who are considering Phd, make sure u consider these criteria/factors before you embark on this journey. Everything has its ups and downs, life has no shortcut, those who take shortcut ends up paying for it in the end.

1. NOT for those who always procrastinate and plagiarise. There is no one's research up for you to plagiarise. If you do, penalty is higher.

2. Check up on the University's resources and support system. Have a chat with past phd grads from the department, do not solely rely on your supervisor's words. Each department have different fundings/support network, so make sure it is well established before you find yourself in a pickle 2 years down the line.

3. Really importantly, Get to KNOW your supervisor. They can make or break you~!

4. Find a topic you are passionate about. Coz frankly, 3 years is a long time and frustration will hit you several times along the way that you feel numb. It is easy to get lost along the way, and in the end it comes down to whether you have a passion for it.

5. Ask yourself whether you need working experience now or refine your research skills now. You will understand this pretty soon.

6. Most importantly, don't take up phD coz u can't find work rite now. Coz unfortunately, after u take up phd, it will further limit your career options. Yes, you will get higher pay the higher qualification you get. But at the same time, not a lot of companies are able to afford you.

Bugs Bunny at the symphony

2010-05-29T23:30:00.000+08:00

Have you ever heard of Bugs bunny at the symphony? This is soo my FIRST time. Who would have appreciated the symphony pieces behind such childish and silly cartoons that we used to love and adore? Many years ago, we watched and laughed as Bugs bunny outsmarts the hunter, road runner outruns the coyote and tom and jerry's endless fights. 7 minutes was all it takes for a single cartoon slot, so we never put much thought to the time and effort it took to actually produce it~!

Bugs bunny at the symphony is an orchestra like performance with 'guest performers' like Bugs bunny, Tom and Jerry, Porky pig, etc that has been onstage for 20 years. The conductor and creator of this performance is George Daugherty who is a very famous and diverse artist while the executive producer is David Wong Ka Lik. The orchestra team was from WA itself, the WASO i.e. Western Australia Symphony Orchestra team. The entry costs us about aud89 per person.

This time it was held in Burswood theatre, from 6:30pm till 8:30pm. This is the first time we go to such a genre performance, was so excited beforehand. The venue was indeed a very beautiful place but the aucostic quality of the whole performance was found lacking, they had to resort to using speaker to enhance the sound effect. The whole experience was beautiful, seeing each musician bringing their instruments into life perfectly in sync with the next requires endless practice and skills. It was a beautiful experience for a first timer. =D

Restaurant review: Bonsai

2010-05-22T00:08:00.000+08:00

Finally had a chance to dine out, so both of us decided to drop by Bonsai, a newly open restaurant located at Roe Street, Northbridge. I think it was open like 2 or 3 months back, my friend ever mention wanna celebrate his bday there but there was some comments that the food there was overprice and nothing special. However, some time later, some friends later told me that the food is yummy and nice, so decided to give it a try.

The layout and setting is not bad. There isn't any fancy wallpapers or paint on the wall or even nice paintings hung on the wall. However, it uses a mixture of roughness and chic, using black and gray colour as it's theme. I do have to note however that though the restaurant appears modern and chic, the dessert display is very dissappointing. They only display one slice of dessert for each sample, and the glass is a bit blurrish so it doesn't have the impact that perhaps they hoped for.

The first dish is the eggplant and mochi dish, which cost us about about aud7.8. It is practically like grilled eggplant with deep fried blobs of glutinous rice flour served with a special sauce. This is a simple appetizer, it would be better without the 'mochi' instead.

The second dish is unagi sushi, this is where it so enrages me. This dish cost us aud15.80~! Only have small pieces of unagi sushi!! Omg, I was gulping down my surprise before picking up the chopstick. Looks nice, right? The leaf shaped wasabi is so cute~! There is nothing extremely bad or nice about it and that was the reason why I was dissappointed. The vinegar taste in the rice is a bit strong and the rice was not cooked to a smooth texture. It doesn't resemble authentic japanese taste.

I guess they were right when they say save the best for the last, the salmon sashimi served at the last is yummy. :)

Cinderella sister

2010-05-06T19:14:00.000+08:00

I am quite in love with this korean tv series entitled 'Cinderella sister'. There is a slight twist in this story where the story no longer revolves around the relationship between the stepmother and Cinderella but the relationship between the stepsister and Cinderella. In this story, Eun jo is the 'evil' stepsister while Hyun sun is the Cinderella. Eun jo's mother is a materialistic person who re-married to Hyun sun's father because of his money. Behind Hyun sun and her father's back, Eun Jo's mother is an inconsiderate woman who also has a secret affair with a useless alcoholic. However, to win Hyun Sun and her father's favour, she acted like an immaculate angel who loves Hyun Sun like any other mother. As her own mother does not treat her the same way, Eun Jo was very jealous of Hyun Sun and caused conflict. That was how the story started and the story developed from there onwards.

The main parts that I like is the way they depict the role of the father. He is a person with a huge heart, when Eun Jo was very rebellious and tried to run away, he managed to see through to her heart and see that the real her is in desperate need for attention and love. The part where he said 'I want to be the reason for you to stay in the family' was also very touching. I guess that was why when the father eventually passed away, I cried along with the main characters. Instead of only focusing on his relationship with his new wife, he actually took the time and effort to win the trust and love of his stubborn and rebellious step daughter, in a way, love above lust. It depicts the beautiful love that a parent should have for their children.

Since then, life for Hyun Sun starts to deteriorate and she became the Cinderella we've all come to know. The twist comes when both of them falls for the same guy, however the guy is in love with Hyun Sun. What will happen next?

Definitely worth a watch~! There are a total of 20 episodes that will be released, however so far only 11 episodes were aired. New episodes are released every wednesday and Thursday 9:11pm onwards. So mark down your calender, this is a beautiful story~!

Jellster

The value of a smile

Summer skincare

My 1st time as maid of honour

Happy lunar new year 2012~!

My strange encounters with some docs...

Great way to start the new year...

2011's reflection

Review: The Skin House deep cleansing foam

Top 5 loser courtship strategy

My december scare

3rd of December's rant~!

Aussie TV could be this good! Vote for #RefugeCity to make it happen!

Slim down and get fit for summer~!

Let's go shopping~!

Why are you still here?

Belated spring cleaning

Review: YUMÉI premium white blackhead and pore series

Random pics from HK & Macau trip

Hong Kong Disneyland

My Bday exp in HK~!

My recent read

Things I wished I’ve known before taking up PHD

Review on Hot cleansing gel by Kose Softymo

Japanese Skincare tips

Food, food and food...

Project 365: A little bit of this and a little bit of that...

Project 365: Online haul from Asia Asian Fashion wholesaler

Project 365: Review of Vaseline's Dry Skin Lotion

Project 365: My WICKED experience~!

Project 365: Rainy day

Project 365: I love masks~!

Project 365: Do you understand me?

Project 365: Through sickness and health...

Project 365: Bridal Open Day

Project 365: Frustration and I

Project 365: Part 1

Project 365

Behind the scene of China food trod

China food trod ~ part 3

China food trod ~ part 2

China food trod ~ part 1

Review: I am number four

The land below the wind...

Help those affected by the flood

Review of 2010

Top places for Chilli Mussels in Perth~!

My xmas wishlist... compiling...

Suicide for love?

Driving test~!

When two becomes one...

Why I need to curb my addiction to FB

My moisturizing diary~!

Premier of Australia's Iron Chef Challenge

Spring time in Araluen~!

Adelaide trip

Nature's beauty *my jogging diary*

Nature's brilliance

Salt... salt... salt...

Home made avocado mask

Next destination: KL

Holiday retreat: Singapore~!

Hooray

Review: Prince of Persia

Iphone apps: Angry Birds and Stool Scanner

My life as a fresh graduate: Part 1

Bugs Bunny at the symphony

Restaurant review: Bonsai

Cinderella sister

Nature's beauty my jogging diary