Once Over Lightly

Ribbon Necklace DIY

2012-01-28T23:49:00.001+08:00

I saw a ribbon necklace selling for about RM30 so I thought I'd try making it myself but with a slightly different style.

You'll need:

2 satin ribbons of different colours
Sewing machine (or needle + thread if you don't have one)

Cut 2 metres of ribbon for a bib necklace. You may use longer ribbons for a longer necklace.
Pinch both sides of both ribbons together at about 5 inches from the centre of the ribbon. Stitch them into place.
Repeat by forming smaller loops away from the centre loop.
Voilà!

Coco Blue

2012-01-27T22:39:00.000+08:00

I've finally used my Coco Blue yesterday.
It's very watery compared to their metallic polishes (Graphite and Peridot), so it took me 3 tries (with the fans off for the last round) for an ALMOST bubble-free and opaque finish.
Not impressed, but I have to admit that it IS the perfect shade of baby blue.

Added a bit of Graphite for a little pop of colour.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-23T11:00:00.003+08:00

Hi, everyone!
Hope you all had a good weekend.
I'm currently in Penang with my extended family for Chinese New Year, just eating, napping, playing and joking around with my cousins and poodles etc.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!
And remember to stay safe on the road!

PS: Photos taken at The Gardens, KL when I met up with Cheryl for tea at Delicious

Tea at Delicious

2012-01-15T18:17:00.001+08:00

Finally met up with Cheryl yesterday!
It's very easy to spot us: 2 girls with DSLRs snapping away like our lives depended on it.

I can't really remember the last time we've met since we left university.
(YES, we've graduated!)
Our convocation will be in August this year.

So we decided to have tea at Delicious (previous post HERE)
(I've clearly been influenced by Milla and her adventures of afternoon tea)
With finger sandwiches, duck confit tarts in filo pastry, scones (with clotted cream!), hand-rolled truffles, a slice of cake of your choice and 2 cups of tea etc., it's pretty affordable at RM59.90++.

The sandwiches are ok, but what surprised us that one of them contained a slice of smoked salmon.
I'm not a fan of seafood (let alone sashimi), so I gave mine to Cheryl who loves seafood despite her mild allergy.

I couldn't finish my tiny piece of pure dark chocolate.

The scones are very filling, and yes I love my scones to be overflowing like that lol.

I definitely didn't expect their portions to be big, so I regretted picking the macadamia cheesecake. Too sweet and too thick for our liking.
The strawberries were sweet, but having overdosed on sugar, I skipped dipping them in chocolate.

We sat there for almost 3 hours but alas, couldn't finish everything, unfortunately.
A lot of other patrons did ask us if they could take photos and where is it on the menu.
They ordered the same thing after that.
I'd definitely recommend ordering it only with an empty stomach or if you have a party of 3 or 4.

PS: Ok fine, I'll admit it. We ordered the set just so we could photograph it ;)

Macarons

2012-01-14T00:49:00.000+08:00

A quick update!
Saw these macarons when we went out Chinese New Year shopping with our cousins and I bought them one each since they've never had macarons before.
The crust was as hard as rocks :/

More OPI and Miu Miu

2012-01-01T16:16:00.002+08:00

I admit that this update is long overdue, but better late than never!

Left to right: Pink ring (59 Baht); Vintage-inspired ring set from Diva (RM13); Turquoise ring from Diva (RM13)

Purchased OPI's Best of the Best Mini Nail Polish Set which features 10 of their top-selling colours in tiny, adorable bottles.

And to keep up with my New Year's resolution (post below), I've bought a used Miu Miu organizer which cost me about A$110 (including express shipping) from eBay Australia.

Have a great year ahead, everyone! ;)

My 2011 + New Resolutions

2011-12-31T02:38:00.016+08:00

Butterfly pea blossoms, traditionally used as natural food colouring in Asian cooking

Oh, how 2011 has flown past!
It seemed just like yesterday when we just had the Winter Solstice Festival, Christmas, New Year AND Chinese New Year!
(Yup, it gets very festive every December and January in Malaysia!)

I've never been the type to make resolutions because I could never come up with one!
But I decided that I should refer to Buddhist philosophies and teachings to improve myself spiritually and mentally.
I'm a firm believer of karma and reincarnation.

I did pick one resolution last year which was to be more tolerant towards stupid people.
It fell flat because my advices would always fall on deaf ears whenever I tried to help them.
I can't help them if they won't help themselves.
Evil, I know, but I've tried.
Diddly squat.

Next year I will MAKE time. No more excuses of not having enough time.
With 2 different career paths that are polar opposites of each other, I will definitely need to start managing my time very, very well.

UPDATE!
Ok I should also tell smokers off especially those who are smoking around me, or leave the room or table when I can.
My chronic bronchitis is getting worse as my bronchi feels funny whenever I inhale (ew!) secondhand smoke, like my cells know that it's being killed off.
I don't care if you're killing yourself by smoking, but don't kill others with your selfish, disgusting habit.

I was born with chronic bronchitis, and I think my dad smoking has something to do with it.
Now that a lot of my friends are smoking too, I'm going to have to protect my respiratory system a lot more.

Let me tell you about my infections.
Once my lymph nodes got so badly infected and swelled so much that I thought swallowing food would burst my throat. Turns out that the swelling pushed into my voice box hence the pain and inability to talk.

A doctor told me that upper respiratory tract infections, in layman's terms, are sore throat.
Mine always begin with sore throat, then it would move down to my bronchi (lower respiratory tract infection) with disgusting phlegm and really dry cough. It usually brings fever.

She told me that my case of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is rare, and my first infection was horrible. I was kept off school for a couple of days.
The fact that I always get LRTI and random fevers (which both never seems to infect anyone else even when we share cutleries!) every couple of months is scary.
It has been going on for many years and I think I'd better get a medical check-up.

Ladies and gentleman, this blog post is my middle finger to smokers.
I hope you'll quit smoking.
Bleaching your teeth can only get you so far.

PS: Photo taken at the Kim Yong market in Hat Yai. No editing whatsoever except for cropping and watermarking.

PPS: I should also stop editing posts after I publish them.

Hat Yai: Christmas Display Windows

2011-12-28T01:55:00.000+08:00

My mom took my sister and I to Hat Yai, Thailand over Christmas.
It's just a little getaway that my mom needed to de-stress from work.

So anyway, we stopped by Central mall and their window displays are really pretty!
I'm a sucker for sparkly things.
Glitter, shoes, flowers and tassels?
Yes please!

Miu Miu Fall 2011

2011-12-26T21:34:00.001+08:00

In case you didn't know, I'm obsessed with Miu Miu.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! :D

PS: Currently in Hatyai, Thailand

My Crooked Legs

2011-12-23T22:44:00.004+08:00

I've always felt self-conscious about my legs (but somehow always wear shorts. It must be a Chinese thing)
They are not straight at all.

We spent the evening at my aunt's place (she's a yoga instructor who is taking advanced lessons) and she told us about how some people have crooked legs and knees.
Their legs are bent backwards and most of the pressure is focused on the BACK of their knees, shins and calves, and have very short hamstrings.
She couldn't imagine anything like it so I showed her mine.
Yup, the back of my knees and shins hurt like hell if I stretch them for far too long, the front of my knees pop a lot (due to underutilisation?), and my calves are pretty lean although I have flabby thighs.

So anyway, my aunt taught me a basic pose and left me with instructions on which muscles I need to contract to straighten my legs.
I'll have to do it for 5 minutes a day and work up to 30 minutes a day.

My aunt also suspected that my knees aren't straight too, so she asked me to put my feet together (big toes and heels touching each other), and then bend my knees.
My knees were knocking into each other, so they are facing inwards.

She suspects that I have been placed on a baby walker before my leg muscles have developed enough and I used my legs to push myself around, thus causing my legs to bend that way.

Now all I have to do is to find the perfect block for me to stand on.

PS: All the women in my family (both maternal and paternal) are pear-shaped.
PPS: Apparently the reason why I could never do a tree pose was because I didn't know how to position my TOES, and now the Warrior Pose 3 isn't that difficult.
PPPS: No, I'm not doing any form of yoga but now I'm definitely interested! My aunt approves of learning from YouTube.

Victoria Station

2011-12-22T22:37:00.000+08:00

Just got home from my sister's birthday dinner and boy, did we eat!
(Previous post HERE)

I'm not a fan of meat, but I make exceptions for Victoria Station.
We never have steaks elsewhere!

Complimentary salad with every order of their sizzling steak.
My dad, as usual, gave me his.

I actually wanted the Beef Stroganoff (which my dad introduced to us when we were very young and we still love it today!) but he insists that it's not appropriate for dinner.
I always remember my first Beef Stroganoff. I was about 9 or 10, and it was pretty rare back then as there weren't many gourmet restaurants in Malaysia, let alone finding one that serves Beef Stroganoff. My dad spotted it on the menu over lunch and recommended it to me.

Although it was off the menu a couple of years ago, they kindly obliged to prepare a dish for me when I requested it, and now it's back!

So my dad ordered it as an appetizer of sorts for us to share.
(I think it's because we all miss their Beef Stroganoff so much to the point that they will steal from my plate and leave me hungry!)
It was heavenly!

So I ordered the Garlic Steak instead. Medium well.

Sis ordered the same thing, but on a sizzling plate (in the background)
Dad got his usual Sizzling Steak. Mom got a chicken dish, if I'm not mistaken.

So to recap, we had the salad, Beef Stroganoff and steak.
The waiters and customers must have thought that we haven't eaten for days!

Everything at Victoria Station is always cooked to perfection, and the service is impeccable.
It's usually RM40-50 per person each time we dine there as they have barely increased their prices over the years.
Those are the reasons why we always return for the past 15 years or so.
(My parents saw our regular patronage to the restaurant as the perfect opportunity to hone our table manners and teach us to be courteous to the servers, and I can't thank them enough!)

Happy Winter Solstice Festival!

2011-12-22T18:04:00.002+08:00

It's that time of the year again, where we make 'tang yuan' (glutinous rice balls) to celebrate Winter Solstice Festival.
As my dad and I are the only ones at home on weekdays, I've decided to make 'tang yuan' myself.

I've posted about the festival last year, but I felt like my photos didn't show the whole prep and cooking process.
'Tang yuan' is like snowball of sorts, and eaten as a dessert.

INGREDIENTS
Syrup:
6 pandan leaves
Lots of sugar

Glutinous Rice Balls:
Glutinous rice (pulut) flour
Water
Food coloring (optional)

Left: Glutinous rice flour; Right: Kneaded dough
In a big bowl, add water to the flour and knead until soft and firm.
You can test by rolling a small piece into a ball.
If the ball crumbles, then it's too dry.
If it's too sticky, then add more flour to balance out the excess moisture.

In a separate bowl for the pink dough, add a couple of drops of red food colouring to the flour and knead.

Left: Rolled once; Right: Rolled once, dried and rolled again.
Then start rolling the dough.
We would leave the first batch to dry under the fan, then re-roll each and every one of them as they would have been drier, less sticky and hold up their shapes better by then.

Every kid has helped their parents roll these little balls, and we always asked why can't we make worm versions.
(They were like Play-Doh to us anyway)
Thinking back, worm shapes are not appetising at all!

Ok, Dad did help me re-roll everything.

To make the syrup, bring a pot of water to a boil and toss in the pandan leaves.
Add sugar as desired. Remember that the balls don't have any flavour so the syrup needs to be a little sweet.

In a separate pot, bring water to a boil first before tossing in the balls.
They are done when they float to the surface (takes less than a minute to cook), then quickly toss them into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process.
Once the syrup has cooled, drain the balls and pour them into the pot with syrup.

This is why we cook the balls in a separate pot instead of with the syrup as the water will turn cloudy.

Et voilà!

Now please excuse me so I can get ready for my sister's birthday dinner.
(Yes, 22 Dec is always a double celebration for us)
I wonder where we're going to celebrate.

PS: Thought of using natural light to take these photos but it has been cloudy all day!

Ben's, Suria KLCC

2011-12-20T17:40:00.003+08:00

Sheila and I met up with Doreen last night!
Hailing all the way from Kuching, Doreen stopped by KL for a week en route home from a family trip to Singapore.

We picked Suria KLCC as our meeting point as it is the most convenient for everyone, and chose Ben's as Sheila and I have had great experiences with its other sister restaurants, Plan B and Ben's General Food Store at Bangsar Village.

Love the little recipe cards and conversation topics placed on each table.
This little detail is bound to make their customers return.

My answer: "Freak out seeing my penis and then panic wondering how to pee."

I am IN LOVE with Doreen's glittery iPhone screen guard which she bought from Singapore!

Left: My creamy tomato spaghetti; Right: Doreen's beef bolognese

Sheila's portobello mushroom burger.
"Too much bread and too little meat," this carnivorous girl says.

For dessert, strawberry shortcake and Rocky Road cake.
I'm having a bad withdrawal from Ben's General Food Store's Rocky Road milkshake, and the cake just doesn't cut it.
The cake is good, but the milkshake is better!

I need that on my wall at home.

Unfortunately, the shots that the waiter took were both blurry :(
From left: Doreen, Sheila, yours truly.

Will I return to Ben's?
Definitely.

The fact that there was a line on a Monday night proves how wonderful the food is.
Prices are reasonable as it was about RM30 or so per person, like its sister restaurants.

Diptyque in Malaysia

2011-12-18T10:50:00.002+08:00

So after our brunch at Plan B, Sheila, Anna and I hung out at the Diptyque booth at Bangsar Village.
Diptyque will be opening their first store early next year, at Bangsar Village 2.

When one of their staff found out that we were bloggers, he oh-so-kindly allowed us to snap as many photos as we want, arranged some of the products for us to photograph, and gave us a little Diptyque booklet.
(I'm pretty sure he speaks French since he could pronounce everything accurately, unlike some classmates of mine back in my French class who, at the end of the trimester, STILL mispronounced "oui" literally as "oi")

We tried on the L'Ombre dans L'Eau, and it reminded me of tea somehow (Earl Grey, especially).
After the fragrance toned down, it did smell like water of sorts.

Love this!

The 50ml EDTs retail for RM350 and the 100ml for RM450
(I've checked Diptyque's official site and sadly, they're more expensive here)

Let me secure a full-time job first before I splurge on Diptyque.

PS: I think Anne of Ritournelle will be delighted to find that Diptyque is now expanding its business!

PPS: The Diptyque booth will be at Bangsar Village until 10 Jan, after that they will be at KLCC. Their first store will open in Bangsar Village II in February or March.

As for Empire, Diptyque products are available at kensapothecary.

Plan B

2011-12-17T19:44:00.000+08:00

Met up with the ladies of Elements Magazine today at Plan B!
(Hui Yen, a coursemate of mine, is our newest contributor)

We invited Zeek along too, since his home is only 2 minutes away from the mall by foot.

My wild mushroom pasta and Sheila's and Anna's Loaded Club Sandwich

Hui Yen's Duck Confit sandwich

Zeek's Breakfast Platter

Hui Yen and Anna

And a little sneak peek of what my next blog post will be!

The food at Plan B isn't bad, but definitely unique ;)
And not too expensive!

Chanel Fall 2011

2011-12-06T18:22:00.003+08:00

Not my best work, but I didn't want to get caught taking these photos since there were so many security staff around.
(I did get caught earlier this year though)
There were also huge 'No Photography' signs at the entrances of the mall.

Enjoy!

Fendi Tulle-embelished Suede Sandals DIY

2011-11-24T13:06:00.002+08:00

I'm so happy to finally complete my DIY!
It took me a couple of tries to get the shoes right.
I suck at sewing.

Yes, I know that these Fendi babies were from the Spring 2010 collection, but I saw the shoes on eBay and I fell in love with them even more!
(I saved the PDF version of the listing so you can view it HERE)

Based on these close-ups of the original shoe HERE, I think I've got my version pretty accurate.

I also found more photos from Nini's Style blog, and studied her photos too.

It would be a lot better if you have tulle (met with blank stares at the fabric store when I asked for it), but I had to settle with chiffon.
Chiffon is not as sheer as I would like, but boy is it slippery!
Working with chiffon is a nightmare, and it frays.

I didn't sew a double layer so the seams would be hidden because the fabric would then be too opaque.

Since I don't have a hemming machine nor find a tailor who would hem with black thread, I just sewed the edges with a regular sewing machine.
Sew only 3 sides, leaving a short end unstitched for the flower around the peeptoe.

You can use fabric glue which would be so much easier, but I don't know how strong it will hold.
I also couldn't find fabric glue so resorted to hand stitching.
I guess you can get a cobbler rip the sole off the shoe and stitch from the inside, then finally gluing the shoe back again, but ripping shoes off is too painful for me.

I actually like the frayed bits on the flower.
So now repeat everything again for the other shoe, and voilà!

PS: I don't know why the shoe's name is so long! I got the name off Net-a-Porter.

Manhattan and Thailand in A Day

2011-11-23T22:07:00.000+08:00

Sheila and I met up with Kevin again yesterday.
The lucky lad got the job and will be leaving for Japan this weekend!

We headed to the Manhattan Fish Market for lunch, and surprised him with a little survival kit for him.

Yup, that's the survival kit.
It covers conversations in Japanese ranging from going clubbing to announcing that you're pregnant!
A very hilarious book.

Their fish and chips are amazing!

Kevin had to leave earlier as he had a(nother) farewell dinner to attend, so Sheila and I shopped around for a bit.
We chose to have dinner at Thai Thai, a lovely Thai (duh) restaurant!

Pineapple fried rice.
They hollowed out the pineapple until the bottom (unlike other restaurants I've been to), so it was literally filled with rice to the brim!
Love the little bits of pineapple and raisins in the rice.

Pad thai. One of my fave noodle dishes.

Isn't the restaurant just so pretty?

I liked the fact that our meals didn't break the bank!
RM50 each was more than enough to cover our meals.

Feather in My Hair

2011-11-15T17:48:00.003+08:00

Ok I was supposed to try on the feather extensions over the weekend, but I got lazy.
Anyway, here is the peacock feather! It's a bit too long and too bare on the top end so I snipped it off.

The feather is very stiff like a twig, so I've placed it around the middle.
As my hair is extra curly today, I've placed the feather to end just before the major curls.
You can see the little cream-coloured clip above.

A little close-up of the feather.
I just love the contrasting colours.
Maybe I'll have to file the feather down to make it less stiff, and use a black Sharpie to colour the "stem" so it'll blend into my hair better.

Get the tutorial from Michelle Phan's video
or head over to Sheila's blog for a step-by-step photo tutorial!

PS: Dry hair = brown hair

Birthday Dinner + Brunch

2011-11-14T14:57:00.001+08:00

Went to Rakuzen (again) for my birthday dinner with the family.
I originally planned to go to Tao but I didn't feel comfortable leaving Trixie home alone for too long.

Avocado salad again.
It's a must-have dish at Rakuzen.

Yup, their portions are huge!

And Sheila, Ana, Fatin and Hanif joined me for my birthday brunch the next day at Papa John's.
Just a small group of friends although a few couldn't make it.
The place isn't bad, but the pizza portions are too small.
At RM15 per person, you get what you pay for, right?

We hung out at McDonald's in between window shopping (poor Hanif!), and we were reading this little fun book that Sheila brought along.

LOL!

11.11.11 Birthday Manicure

2011-11-11T16:27:00.000+08:00

There's nothing more special than the Chanel Peridot.
Don't mind the weird finger pose. I was just trying to show the different shades of Peridot (gold, blue, green)
It's liquid gold and peacock!

Again, a huge thank you to ALL OF YOU for the birthday/get-well-soon-Trixie wishes via text, Twitter and blog comments!
She's in better spirits so we're both feeling a lot better.

PS: Why 2 posts today? I just don't think it's appropriate to talk about Trixie's injury AND manicures in the same post.

11.11am on 11.11.11

2011-11-11T11:11:00.002+08:00

Trixie (left) and Chester

So it's 11.11am on 11/11/11.
My 24th birthday.

Honestly, I'm not in any birthday mood at all since Trixie dislocated her hip :'(
It happened so suddenly 2 nights ago and it hurt so much that she cried.
Trixie never cries. Not once when she was in labour and not once when she was delivering Hazel and Heidi.
She's fearless.

The vets said that she'll need surgery where they'll shave a bit of her bone to fit into the socket better.
The fact that she has to be sedated is scary enough.

I'm just happy that she had her breakfast today as she refused solids yesterday.
Now if only she would pee and/or poop because she didn't at all yesterday.

PS: ~~Will post a photo of her later.~~ Photo posted.
And a huge thank you to everyone who sent me lovely birthday wishes!

Feather Extensions

2011-11-09T14:01:00.002+08:00

Our feather extensions arrived today!
Sheila and I got inspired by the pretty photos on Tumblr and I remembered that Michelle Phan posted this feather extension DIY on YouTube, and we spent hours looking for them on eBay when she stayed over at my place.

Will post photos of our hair this weekend ;)

Hair Accessories

2011-11-06T18:34:00.001+08:00

Oh, how long has it been since I've had a solid update?
It has been a crazy month of job applications and interviews, hence my absence.

Next week is going to be big for me!
Why?
Because then I'll know if I'll get hired, my BOOK will be arriving soon, I'll have to go and buy myself a present etc.

What present, you ask?
It's my birthday gift to me! (in Kuzco's voice from "The Emperor's New Groove"; throws confetti)
I turn 24 on 11.11.11 ;)

Now please excuse me while I go make plans for my once-in-a-lifetime birthday celebration!
(once I get an idea)
I don't usually have huge celebrations for my birthday so this is tough :/

PS: Got those super girly hair accessories for a total of RM10!
They're from the accessories store right next to the cinema at The Summit USJ.

Louis Vuitton Fall 2011

2011-11-03T22:58:00.000+08:00

No editing whatsoever.

Hermès Fall 2011

2011-10-27T20:48:00.000+08:00

Paper Flowers

2011-10-23T22:30:00.001+08:00

Sheila stayed over at my place over the weekend and we had so much fun!
(Gossiping, stalking, online shopping)

And we were browsing around and I remembered that Doreen reblogged this DIY from How About Orange on her Tumblr.

It was so pretty that I just had to try it out!
So Sheila and I went to a stationery shop and I got this lovely lilac crepe paper for RM1.
(Although I think you can get it a bit cheaper elsewhere)

This is Sheila's vintage-looking little luggage. My mom and I think it's adorable!

Cut the crepe paper in to circles.

Pinch the edge of the circles with the grains at the vertical, and apply glue to the tips.

Arrange the petals on a piece of paper around the same size as the petals, and glue them into place.

Continue to layer the petals, overlapping the first layer.

To make the stamen(?), fold a piece of crepe paper lengthwise and cut slits along the edge.

Wrap it around a cotton bud.
(I was too lazy to get a toothpick from the kitchen)

And glue it to the centre of the flower!
Looks good, non? The white flower is a hair tie I bought months ago.

I've taped it to my notice board (which also had a little makeover with new ribbons today)
It's a little lopsided, but not bad for a first attempt ;)

We're definitely making more flowers in different colours!

More Chanel Goodies

2011-10-22T09:41:00.001+08:00

I've finally opened THIS Chanel package. It's the Coco Blue!
And I got the Peridot yesterday ;)
(Which I didn't like at first but it grew on me over the last couple of weeks to the point I couldn't get it out of my head)

Humanity

2011-10-18T21:24:00.000+08:00

I am shocked to my very core. Shaking, even.
I read the news about this little girl days ago, but only an hour ago I saw the video on the news.
The little girl in China was ran over by TWO vehicles and left to die on the streets.
18 passers-by walked AROUND her before a woman pulled her to the side of the road and called for help.
She was still moving and twitching after being ran over 4 times (yes, both vehicles just drove over her without bothering to check what they hit)

Yes, hit-and-run accidents happen all the time. It seemed like the van driver didn't realise what he ran over so he stopped the van.
But no one bothered to stop to check if she was okay. That is the difference.
Did he get down to check what he hit? NO.
He just drove on slowly, crushing her again.
Minutes later, a lorry ran over her and just drove off.

"Many people in China are hesitant to help people who appear to be in distress for fear that they will be blamed. High-profile law suits have ended with good Samaritans ordered to pay hefty fines to individuals they sought to help," Reuters' Michael Martina reported (READ ARTICLE HERE)

What difference does it make?
Lawsuits or not, is an innocent human being's life measured by YOUR time and money?
Was it so difficult to call the ambulance?
Was it so difficult to STOP your vehicle to check what you've hit?

What is happening to the world?
Why did people to choose to ignore an innocent child's life for the sake of their own convenience?
To save their own butts?
To save themselves the hassle and time of being part of the investigation?

Have people lost their natural instincts to help their own kind in this world of materialism and the need for excessive lifestyles?

The girl had been declared "brain dead" and she could die at any time.
The drivers have been arrested.

I'm sorry, but last time I checked, you can't put a price on an innocent person's life.

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale

2011-10-16T17:06:00.005+08:00

It was a successful day at the inaugural Big Bad Wolf book sale, touted to be the biggest book sale in the world with discounts from 75%-95%.

They sold English books on just about anything from Jeffrey Archer to Bob Dylan to National Geographic coffee table books!
The most expensive book I saw was Nigella's Christmas cookbook (RM25)
The place was HUGE and there easily a thousand people there, but thank goodness it was very well air-conditioned and wasn't stuffy at all!

So my dad and I left for the sale after breakfast.
My target was to get as many Shopaholic and Chanel books as I can.
(Can you believe that I only started reading Shopaholic 2 years ago? So terrible)
I've only read the Shopaholic books of my friends' and e-books, so I thought I should try to collect as many as I can at the sale.

So these are what I got.
Everything was RM8 except for the Chanel one which was RM10.
Total: RM58 (you can barely get 2 brand new books with RM58 here in Malaysia)

Got 'The Devil Wears Prada' again as I gave away my first edition to a friend as a farewell present in 2004.
Why was I so nice?

And I spotted the Chanel book wedged in between other books that were stacked with the spines facing up.
Found only 3 copies and picked the one with the smallest tear on the jacket.

These 2 have been lying around in my room for months and I haven't read them yet.

And Sheila and I got the same Doraemon comics (very nostalgic!) at Popular bookstore when we met up a couple of days ago.

Yup, I didn't have to worry about re-starting my Shopaholic collection:

Only the paperback "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" was sold.

And there was a section of vampire books for Twihards out there.

Vague magazine, anyone?

The "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan" stack actually had a "Shopaholic and Sister" sign over it, but I couldn't find it at all (even with customer service people telling me that there were).
Ah well.

And I disappointed by the fact that there wasn't 2G and 3G connection at the venue (not the organiser's fault, of course) so I couldn't check reviews on the go.

Today is the last day of the Big Bad Wolf Books sale so go NOW!

I will definitely go back next year.

A Food Trip Around the World

2011-10-14T20:42:00.003+08:00

I've definitely pigged out this week, meeting up with friends and having awesome meals.

First my sister and I met up with Cheryl on Tuesday and we had lunch at Italiannies (previous post HERE)

Wild mushroom soup.
Heavenly!

Caesar's salad.

Penne bolognese.

Sicilian salad with grapes and mangoes!

Then I met up with Sheila on Thursday.
We had lunch at Sakae Sushi (previous post HERE)

They've upgraded their menus from desktops to iPads!

Breaded scallops!

And Kevin joined us for dinner later at Delicious (previous post HERE) where it just opened in Sunway Pyramid!
Now I don't have to go all the way to Midvalley or 1Utama ;)

Sheila ordered the red velvet cupcake, and it's really good!
(*ahem* better than Whisk's)

My bread and butter pudding with marmalade.

The salad that came with Kevin's lasagna (which I forgot to photograph!)

Italiannies, Sakae Sushi and Delicious are definitely my favourite restaurants, but Delicious takes the top spot for their beautiful decor and great selection of mains and desserts ;)

Miu Miu Glitter Manicure

2011-10-14T14:28:00.002+08:00

This is a simple manicure, where I painted a base coat followed by 2 coats of Graphite.
After drying, I flicked a coat of Black Out (didn't use tape this time as I was too lazy)

Chanel Graphite (see another Graphite manicure HERE), Sally Hansen Black Out

And I haven't applied any top coat, and look how shiny the finish is!
I also love how sparkly Graphite is in sunlight. I swear Chanel must have used fairy dust or something.

Inspiration:

I wished a had longer nails so I could add more flicks of black without making them look tacky and drowning out the glitter, but that is impossible with the chores I do at home.

Miu Miu glitter bootie photo via Elle UK

Long Exposure Photography: On the Highway

2011-10-12T19:32:00.002+08:00

Phew, this will be my 5th post in 3 days!

Anyway, while my mom, sis and I were taking turns driving home from Singapore, I got bored in the back seat.
Then I realized that I had my camera in my handbag!

I also moved my camera around when the shutter was working, and I loved the funky shapes the lights produced!

These look like shooting stars!

Hearts!

And the final one: A man having his meal!
Imagine my surprise when I finally checked my photos using my laptop.

No editing whatsoever.
These shots were incredibly easy to take since long exposure photography is meant to be spontaneous ;)

Up Close with Blair Waldorf's Dress from Gossip Girl Season 4

2011-10-12T10:25:00.005+08:00

This is another beautiful dress by Maxime Simoens!
Featured in the first episode of Season 4 of Gossip Girl, "Belles De Jour".

Only a few shots of this dress because everyone was cooing over a Gossip Girl dress.

SEE BEYONCÉ'S DRESS (ALSO BY MAXIME SIMOENS) HERE

PS: I don't watch Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl screenshots via MTV and la belle et le blog

Chanel Sneak Peek

2011-10-11T10:36:00.003+08:00

Got a new bottle of nail polish for myself!
The other one is for Sheila who also wanted the same colour.

Seen here with my Graphite.

And please check out this adorable Chanel Cabaret video posted on Elements Magazine ;)

Up Close with Beyoncé's Dress from '4'

2011-10-10T20:09:00.002+08:00

It was sheer coincidence that led me to Beyoncé's dress while I was on my weekend trip to Singapore.
Beyoncé, people. Beyoncé!
I LOVE her!

Designed by Maxime Simoens.

Displayed at Marina Bay Sands in conjunction with Haute Couture Week.
The dress was extremely hard to photograph as there was so much reflection!
I've tried my best to correct the colours.

SEE GOSSIP GIRL BLAIR WALDORF'S DRESS (ALSO BY MAXIME SIMOENS) HERE

PS: Yes, I am now watermarking my photos.

How to Shop on eBay

2011-10-10T15:56:00.006+08:00

Some of my shopping successes on eBay: Coach Poppy swingpack ($66), Miu Miu S/S 2010 wallet ($59), Miu Miu sunglasses (£39), OPI Funkey Dunkey (RM40)

I've had some requests via Twitter to post an eBay guide, so here it is!
This guide is based on my personal experiences shopping on eBay, but it is also useful for shopping online from Etsy and others.

GETTING STARTED

Get a credit or debit card. I'm currently using a debit card (keeps credit card debt at bay, and it's free! Very convenient especially for students like me). If you don't have one, borrow your parents' but keep in mind that they will be able to track your spending habits *ahem*
Open an eBay account.
Open a PayPal account and verify your card. Bear in mind that PayPal will send its verification code in your card statement, so you might have to wait a couple of days or weeks (depending if your card statement is available online, if not then you will have to wait to the end of the month to receive your statement) to start using PayPal to pay for things.
A transaction is needed to get a monthly statement, so PayPal will charge a small deposit of a few USDs, and will refund you once you have successfully verified your card.

START SHOPPING

Browse eBay (Malaysia, USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Australia etc.) and see if you can find something you like.
There is also eBay Global, where you can search for items from all eBay sites that are available to your country.
Found something you like but can't find any information about shipping to your country? Ask the seller! They would usually agree to ship with a tracking number (more expensive, but it gives both the seller and the buyer a peace of mind) unless stated otherwise in the listing.
Bidding: You will have to outbid the others to win the auction.
Automatic Bidding: Once you have successfully bid on an item, you can set the maximum bid amount just in case someone outbids you before the end of the auction. Let's say you found a book with a starting price of $1, so you bid $1. You can set your maximum bid to the highest price you are willing to pay for the book (let's say it's $10), so eBay will bid on your behalf until $10 if someone outbids you. If the auction ends and you get the book at $5, you only pay $5 (excluding shipping!) instead of your maximum bid of $10.
Shill Bidding: Sellers using different accounts to increase the prices of their own items. It is against eBay's policies, but very hard to prove since bidders' identities are kept anonymous for security reasons. It happens, but if you can still afford the item in the auction, then continue with the auction.
Buy It Now: No auctions, just click and buy immediately. The items on 'Buy It Now' may be more expensive, but you get them immediately without waiting for auctions to end and worrying if someone will outbid you. Sometimes sellers offer both auctions and 'Buy It Now', but the 'Buy It Now' feature is automatically disabled once a bid is made.
Make an Offer: The seller is willing to let go of the item if they agree at the price that you offer. Only a maximum of 3 offers per item.
Always ask questions on shipping rates, details of the item etc. BEFORE bidding! eBay does not allow cancellation of bids unless you made a typo of adding more zeros at the end of your bid amount, and you will have to purchase it if you win the auction. The seller can cancel the bid for you, but only if they want to.

So easy to spot who the shill bidder is! No feedback, meaning a brand new account set up just to raise prices!

SHIPPING METHODS AND CHARGES

Always always always get a tracking number. It might cost an extra USD$10 or so, but it gives you the sense of security of knowing where your package is. If it goes missing during shipment, the seller can always file a missing package claim at the post office and issue you a refund.
If you are shopping from eBay USA, then make sure to get the seller to ship you via USPS Priority Mail. It is trackable (only for international deliveries) and takes about 7 working days to reach Malaysia. You may choose USPS Express Mail which is more expensive but will only take 2-5 working days. You can track the location of your USPS packages online.

FEEDBACK

Always check the seller's feedback before bidding! If they have consistent good feedback from their buyers, then dealing with them will be safer.
Stay away from sellers with a lot of negative feedbacks (bad communication, item never arrived, item arrived broken etc.)
Always leave a positive feedback to your seller when you have received your item as described, and ask the seller to do the same!

VERIFYING AUTHENTICITY

This one is very important if you want to purchase designer goods online. It's fine if you don't mind buying fakes (keep in mind that you're funding criminals), but it's wrong and against the law to try to pass fakes as authentic items.
A ripoff is an "inspired" item, but without the original label's tag on it. Example (photo below): Buying something from Forever 21 when you know that their shoes are a ripoff from Miu Miu. This is not against the law because Forever 21 didn't put Miu Miu tags on their shoes.

Left: Forever 21; Right: Miu Miu
A fake is an exact replica of the item, all the way from the design to the LOGO. Example (photo below): It's like going to Chinatown to buy a fake Coach handbag.
Don't know how to tell the real from the fake? Always check official websites and authorised resellers like Net-a-Porter and compare the photos. ShopStyle lists out all the authorised resellers for you according to your search terms.
For designer bags, purses and wallets, PurseForum will gladly authenticate them for you, but remember to follow their format of posting questions (and the seller must provide a lot of clear photos)

* * *

I hope my guide is comprehensive enough for everyone to start shopping on eBay.
Remember to shop safe (especially online), do your own research, and never let sellers talk you out of making transactions out of eBay and PayPal!
Always remember to resolve issues with the seller first before giving them a negative feedback. Report them to eBay or PayPal only if the seller refuses to cooperate with you.

HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK!
Feel free to ask me questions about shopping online especially from eBay, and I will try to answer them as best as I can.

PS: I got that OPI before I knew that you could get them at a lower price from Malaysian blogs.

Chanel Graphite

2011-10-03T17:56:00.009+08:00

When my sister and I met up with Sheila and Hanif at 1Utama yesterday, I bought a bottle of Graphite from Chanel's Fall 2011 collection.
(Like you don't know that I love sparkly things already)
I wanted the Coco Blue one too but it's sold out :(
Retailing for RM70, I think Chanel cosmetics are a little cheaper here in Malaysia (even when compared to duty-free shops at airports!
My sister got a Rogue Allure lipgloss in #60 Excès, the most stunning shade of red I have ever seen, for RM95.
(Click on the items to compare prices sold on Chanel's official site. Yes, we bought them from the Chanel beauty store!)

Worn with Revlon's #705 Grey Suede.
(Is it just me or are Revlon's brushes thinner now? It's getting really hard to apply Revlon's nail polishes)
Anyway, Graphite looks a little like the Peridot at certain angles, but it's hard to capture it on camera.
The glitter reflects a lot of colours, especially red at some angles!

The pink polish, Rose Exuberant looks really nice too, but I already have two similar colours from Revlon and OPI.

PS: A little reverse manicure this time using cellophane tape instead of the rounded ones. Tutorial HERE!
This is a recycled manicure, where I've had the Revlon one on for a few days, and painted the Graphite on top to freshen up my manicure.

Beetroot Love

2011-10-01T22:16:00.002+08:00

Spotted in Ben's General Food Store today.

PS: Call me old-fashioned, but shouldn't there be a comma after 'beetroot'? And yes I use Oxford commas but only to resolve ambiguity!

Phuket: The Beach

2011-09-29T21:02:00.001+08:00

Patong Beach.
Guess the sea looks blue in photos, but green in person!

It's true what a friend told me: Once you've been to Pulau Redang or Pulau Perhentian in Malaysia, nothing else really compares to them.

It was really difficult to photograph the sea as they blended into the light blue sky.

We went to Kata Beach as well, about 20 minutes away from the over-congested Patong Beach.
The sea is also slightly more blue.
Kata Beach is definitely better than Patong (less male and female hookers, more restaurants etc.)

Notice the thick clouds in the 2 photos above?
It did rain later in the evening when we went up to Phromthep Cape, where it is famous for its amazing views of the sunset.
(More of that in the next post)

Believe it or not, we sunbathed for about 3 hours since we had nothing to do.
Asians sunbathing. I think I hear a scream somewhere.
I wanted to take surfing lessons, but the tides were not high enough that day :(

Oh, and I got myself a little braid.

PS: Since it is the monsoon season, a lot of clouds were passing so it was either extremely sunny or extremely cloudy. We were fortunate that it didn't rain on most days when we were there.

Phuket: Seeka Boutique Resort

2011-09-27T21:44:00.000+08:00

My sister and I picked Seeka Boutique Resort near Patong Beach.
We don't have complaints at all!
The staff are super nice and helpful (to the point they negotiated taxi rates for us!), the food is fantastic, the decor is so well done etc.
And I love the fact that they maximize the use of sunlight! Makes the place feel very cosy and summery.

We paid RM321 for 5 nights, including breakfast.
So that's RM32.10 per night after splitting the bill (which is almost how much we spend on dinner there everyday!)
The hotel also provided free shuttle service to Patong Beach and the new Jungceylon mall!
(Taxi and tuk tuk rates are ridiculously expensive!)

Unfortunately, the streets outside the hotel isn't really safe for girls to walk out at night (which I've tweeted here) so we just watched a lot of cartoons, crime shows and the Asian Food Channel on TV.
I think some locals have this "sex with tourists" fantasy.
Ew.

The little sitting area. Isn't it cute?

Books for guests. Most of them are in Russian and Dutch though.
Spot the only English one.

Now this is something most people will never see in Malaysian press.
This is from Linda, a Dutch magazine.

The restaurant is just by the pool!

And of course, we try out instant noodles of every place we visit! (It's an Asian thing)
Thailand's is amazing!
Thought of reading the September issue of ELLE Thailand while waiting for the noodles to cook, but I was fooled by the English words (with a bit of Thai) on the cover.
Only the headlines of the articles are in English.

PS: The photos of the room are in my sister's camera and I am just too lazy to go get them.

Mid-Autumn Festival

2011-09-13T00:27:00.001+08:00

I've previously posted on the myths, beliefs and folklore surrounding the Mid-Autumn Festival (also known as the Lantern Festival or Mooncake Festival)

The only place we could hang our lanterns was on our clothesline!
And we recycle our old paper lanterns if we can, hence all the wrinkling and crumpling!
Hilarious. Paper lanterns are ridiculously expensive though.

And it's not a Lantern Festival if lanterns don't catch fire.
I suggest to never walk under lanterns if you never want to go bald.

It is also a known fact that the moon shines the brightest every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Just look at it!
My dad has always told us that we could see the craters of the moon shaped like the Jade Rabbit, and I finally saw it today (about half an hour after this was posted!)
The clouds have cleared and the moon is brighter than ever!
The rabbit was facing left. No, I'm not crazy.

Hope everyone had a good share of burnt lanterns and mooncake overdose!

PS: My dad has always told us that we could see the craters of the moon shaped like the Jade Rabbit.

Miu Miu Surprise

2011-09-08T23:36:00.006+08:00

I swear it was fate that led me to open eBay and browse for Miu Miu.
Maybe the Miu Miu birthday cupcakes I had last year helped since they both are from the über popular, sold out Spring 2010 collection ;)

It's a used wallet, so the fabric has also yellowed quite a lot and has some stains and scruffs.
I'm pretty sure that a little TLC will restore this baby to its full glory.
Somehow the wallet looks brand new in photos ;)

How much did I get it for?
$300 lesser than Bluefly's price (excluding shipping)
I almost lost the auction about 10 seconds to the end of the auction.
It was fate, I tell you. Fate.

Prada Fall/Winter 2011

2011-09-01T09:45:00.000+08:00

I think I'm in love with that bag.

Yves Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2011

2011-08-28T19:10:00.000+08:00

No editing whatsoever.

The Ming Room

2011-08-27T23:58:00.005+08:00

My aunt decided to have her birthday dinner at The Ming Room, Bangsar Shopping Complex today.
To be honest, my sister and I are not fans of these upscale, banquet-style Chinese food.
We prefer cheap, street or hawker fare that cost only a few ringgit.
(Don't faint, please!)

The Ming Room is definitely different from the other banquet-style restaurants like Tai Thong, Overseas etc.
First up, a simple appetizer consisting of deep fried tofu, ground nuts, long beans and chillis.
Very clever as it is usually served as a main course.
The sad part is that they only served 2 tiny palm-sized saucers of it for 5 of us.

Lobster steak.
The mushroom sauce was too pepper-y and it tasted just like the sauce you would get on cheapo chicken chop from a hawker place.
Before I could tell them that I would like my sauce on the side, the server drenched the deep fried lobster steak with the sauce.
Let's just say I finished the steak before it got soggy.
And it was difficult to cut into my food with the lobster's head in the way!

Pumpkin soup.
It's just alright.

Roasted chicken with sesame seeds.
Very, very salty, and the chicken wasn't deboned!
So with our chopsticks and soup spoons, we had to peel the meat off the bones and it was not easy!

Thai style Chilean cod fish fillet with pomelo bits.
The BEST fish I've ever had!
Now why couldn't they have deboned the chicken too?

Fried noodles with prawns.
Very greasy.
I had a "I can cook better than this!" moment.

Mango pudding with herbal jelly.
Nothing special.

The service was bad compared to other Western cafés we've been to.
The servers didn't bother placing my food directly in front of me, so I would have to always pull the plate until it is under my nose before I could start eating.
Sure, the plating was rather "fancy" compared to other fancy Chinese restaurants, but it was messy. I spotted sauce stains on the rims of the plates.
Why am I complaining so much?
Just look at the bill. Mind you, we picked the cheapest set.

About RM100 per person, please take your money elsewhere.
You will not believe how glad I was that I didn't have to pay for my meal.
Feel free to translate the menu.

Also, real shark's fin soup is actually served with the set!
The horror!
Shark's fin are harvested very cruelly, and all of us were actually disgusted that The Ming Room had it on the menu, so we swapped it for pumpkin soup.

PS: Now I know why there aren't many photos of The Ming Room's decor. It's very plain.
Sorry for the long rant, everyone. I just expected more from this expensive restaurant. Come to think about it, I've never been impressed with these banquet-style restaurants. They are always ridiculously overpriced with bad service!

Paya Serai, PJ Hilton

2011-08-24T00:07:00.007+08:00

A quick post!
Just had a Ramadan buffet dinner at Paya Serai, PJ Hilton.
Our department gets a lot of buffet dinner invitations since we're involved in so many projects!

Paya Serai was packed with people rushing to get appetizers and main courses, so I could only take photos of the desserts and pastries without risking being knocked over.
I've heard that the restaurant serves up to a thousand guests during Ramadan.

Rainbow kuih lapis!

Love how the wasabe was presented!

Plain, old, regular, ~~boring~~ pink kuih lapis

Turkish ice-cream ;)
Vanilla with chocolate bits! One of my favourite flavours!

Left: Rainbow kuih lapis; Right: Rainbow agar-agar

Yes, I got excited over the rainbow kuih lapis (a sort of traditional Malay cake of sorts. Tastes like rose syrup) and agar agar (something like jelly).
Since I was a child, I have always peeled off the kuih lapis layer by layer and eat them one by one.
I'm sure lots of Malaysians do that too.

Now please excuse me while I head to bed.
Goodnight, everyone!

PS: Although we've had buffet dinners once a week, let us not forget of the less fortunate It's almost a luxury to have nice meals in fancy restaurants these days.

Gucci Fall/Winter 2011

2011-08-20T22:36:00.001+08:00

Sorry for the long hiatus, everyone!
All I've done these days are wake up, get dressed, work, come home, have dinner, shower and then sleep.
Wash, rinse, repeat.

Anyway I've taken to updating my Instagram (username: onceoverlightly) pretty often so I haven't really disappeared.

The Things I Do for My Photos

2011-08-13T20:40:00.001+08:00

Mom bought this mini stone statue of Buddha from Indonesia.
So glad that she's home for good, and has landed a good job!

Anyway, I am now updating random photos on my Instagram (username: onceoverlightly), and sometimes on my Tumblr too.
There are just so many photo-perfect moments whenever I DON'T have my D90 with me, so bless Instagram.

One of the drawbacks of Tumblr is that a lot of photos are being reblogged without credit given to the original photographer!
I've just found my photo of my purple pumps (original post HERE) in THIS TUMBLR.
Yes, I already contacted the blogger to credit my photo.
She's posting everyone else's comments through the 'ask me' menu but refused to acknowledge mine. (That's the only way to contact her)
I have since stopped checking her page, no matter how beautiful all the shoes are.

Sigh, guess that's inevitable when you post your work online.

PS: Since I don't have an iPhone and Instagram is not supported on Blackberry, I take photos using my Blackberry, email it to myself and save the photos using my camera-less iPod Touch, wait until I get somewhere with free Wi-Fi, and finally upload the photos to Instagram.
The things I do for my photos.

Giuseppe Zanotti Fall/Winter 2011

2011-08-10T21:22:00.002+08:00

Love the cobalt blue!
Rust coloured one available in their official website.

The Last Polka

2011-08-05T20:46:00.003+08:00

Won an invite to their tasting session at The Bee last night!
The Last Polka is known for their homemade, 100% natural ice-cream.

Lemon & Poppyseed, served on top of meringue.

Clockwise from left: Tiramisu, Tom yam, Durian.

That's me with The Last Polka's proprietor, Ee Vee (center) and her sister, Ee May.

My favourite flavours from the tasting session are the Durian, Tiramisu and Rum & Raisin.
The Durian one has been launched today, and it's a Ramadan/Raya special so it will only be available for 2 months!
I personally never liked durian-flavoured desserts and pastries because the flavour just isn't right somehow. I will only eat it fresh from the fruit, but The Last Polka proved me wrong.

And I brought home their two bestselling flavours:
Salted 'gula melaka' and Nutella.
I died and went to ice-cream heaven.

Dior

2011-08-02T13:20:00.004+08:00

Even the boxes are glorious.
Watched over by a security guard at Pavilion.

PS: Kicking myself for not adjusting the bow in the second photo :'(

Payless ShoeSource in Malaysia!

2011-07-31T16:43:00.004+08:00

I couldn't believe it when I saw the Payless shoe store right here in Sunway Pyramid!
I thought it was just a coincidence that there is another shoe store called Payless too.
(Like Diesel there and the crappy Diesel we have here)

Then I saw the Christian Siriano for Payless range. This is the real deal. The store opened only 3 days ago.
(I'm in love with this sandal of his! Too bad it's way out of my budget)
The shoes are flown in directly from the States, so whatever they have there, we have it here!
(Although the staff won't know how A/W shoes will sell here thought)

Sparkly flats (RM54); blue faux suede pumps (RM69); Cat-eye shades (RM23.20 from Vincci, purchased in downtown KL yesterday)

Since I can't have THESE sparkly heels, I've resorted to THIS OPI Sparkle-icious nail polish, and now these sparkly flats from Lower East Side, sold at Payless.
And I finally found the blue suede pumps (ahem, inspired by those blue Yves Saint Laurent Tribute pumps).

PS: Regarding my tweet here, nope I didn't get ANOTHER pair of shoes from Payless since I've already bought two pairs.
My aunt also bought the exact same pair of flats.

Peacock Feathers

2011-07-30T22:59:00.001+08:00

This has to be my strangest purchase yet.
Peacock feathers. Five of them.

My sister and I were walking around Bukit Bintang earlier today and we spotted an old Indian lady selling peacock feathers on the street just outside Sephora.
I've always been fascinated by peacocks. I personally think that they are the most beautiful creatures on Earth!
Their vivid turquoise (my absolute favourite colour!) plumage, their cute little crown, and of course, THE train.

I've never thought what I would do with these feathers, but I knew I'd kick myself if I don't bring some of them home.

Photo taken at f/1.8 and manual focus.

Be Thankful

2011-07-24T10:10:00.001+08:00

With the tragedies happening worldwide almost overnight, it is so hard to believe that we (especially here in Malaysia) have been extremely lucky.
After gaining our independence, we have never experienced war, famine, plagues, massacres and major natural disasters.
Compared to other parts of the world, we have never suffered.

Count your blessings and be thankful that you and your loved ones are alive and well.

"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful."- Buddha

Italiannies

2011-07-20T23:43:00.000+08:00

Had lunch at Italiannies to celebrate our manager's promotion!

Whoever said that engineers are geeky, socially inept losers have never met my colleagues.
(That stereotype against engineers actually appeared in my lecture notes once)

A couple of colleagues aren't in the shots as they were using my camera most of the time.
(Another was away)
Can't take credit for some of the portraits but all food photos were taken by yours truly.

I'm amazed that my stomach didn't explode.
That was a feast!
(Ahem which we didn't have to pay for lol)

PS: No photo editing whatsoever

Putrajaya Floria 2011 (Part 2)

2011-07-18T21:04:00.000+08:00

Here's the second and last part of my post on the Putrajaya Floria Festival.
With their "Roses are Forever" theme, the exhibition featured hundreds of them!

It was just too bad that the lighting in the Floral Pavilion was ORANGE!
Very photographer-unfriendly. Tsk tsk.

My favourites were the Kenyan roses! They're huge!
Naturally, I bought a bouquet home with me.
They are pink on the outside and peach on the inside! :D
(True colours here: http://twitpic.com/5rfj7u)

Putrajaya Floria 2011 (Part 1)

2011-07-17T18:13:00.002+08:00

With all the hype and promotion, we just had to check it out!

I have to say that not many Malaysians are ardent gardeners and horticulturists, so a huge festival on flowers was certainly a big draw for both locals and tourists.
We arrived at about 1pm, so it was incredibly sunny hence some overexposed photos.
Today is the last day of the week-long festival, so some flowers were already wilting :'(

It took me forever to track these hydrangeas down!

More pics coming soon!
These are just the ones in the garden.

Bon Odori Festival

2011-07-17T17:34:00.000+08:00

The Bon Odori Festival is held annually at the old Matsushita Stadium (now known as the National Sports Complex).
As it is just 15 minutes from home (and less than 10 from work), my sis and I decided to check it out this year.

It was drizzling when we arrived, then it was scorching hot and sunny!
Malaysian weather is always unpredictable.

First thing that came to mind: Samurai

These ladies are so stylish!
Love it!

All the children dressed up in yukata are insanely adorable!

That's all, folks!
Now I'm off to edit pics from the Putrajaya Floria 2011 Festival.

Trumpet Flowers

2011-07-16T14:28:00.001+08:00

Not much are known about trumpet flowers, but they are much beloved in our township of Subang Jaya (especially why some trumpet trees are only covered in pink and white flowers while others still have their leaves on)
Trumpet flowers only bloom after a heavy rain AFTER days of scorching heat without rain.
So we get two goodies after hot days: Rain and flowers.

Trumpet trees are planted along major roads, and it really is a sight to behold once they bloom.
The Japanese have sakuras, we have trumpet flowers.

It hasn't been THAT hot and it hasn't rained THAT much, so only a few trumpet trees were covered with pink and white flowers.
Also, today has been really cloudy so I took my time taking photos without risking getting baked, but the downside is that there aren't any blue skies.

Photos were taken using the kit lens.
The trees are freaking tall and I'm tiny compared to them.
Next time when all the trees are in full bloom, I'm bringing a ladder.

We also have some Flames of the Forest, but I prefer the trumpet flowers ;)

PS: Didn't take photos of white trumpet flowers because they're rather far away from these fully-bloomed pink ones.
And my sister and I are heading to the Bon Odori festival in a couple of hours!

Simple Manicure

2011-07-12T21:02:00.001+08:00

Simple, fuss-free, well-groomed nails and manicures do wonders.
Oh, and don't forget to put on a great pair of shoes.

Revlon Nail Enamel in Gum Drop.
(Scented when dry!)

Anyway, a woman at work thought that I was a permanent/full-time staff.
Another was surprised that I don't have babies yet.
Sorry ladies, I'm just an intern and I'm not even thinking of having babies yet.

Hope everyone had a great Tuesday!

Hello, Nikon D90!

2011-07-09T22:41:00.002+08:00

Yes, I got the Nikon D90 today!
An oldie but a goldie!

Dad was the one who suggested the D90, which has a built-in autofocus motor compared to the D5100 which I originally thought of getting.
(With all the hype surrounding the D7000, I've completely forgotten the existence of its predecessor, the D90)
Dad chipped in about half for the camera.
I'm so happy as he first objected to me buying a camera of my own.
Thanks, Dad! :D

I got a pretty sweet deal actually. We went back to the same store where we got the D3000 and the 50mm f/1.8 portrait lens.
The D90 kit costs RM3100, and I traded the tripod for a lens cleaning kit and a 4GB thumbdrive.

I've let my sister use the 18-105mm kit lens with the D3000 which she will be using, in exchange for the portrait lens.
The kit lens is really wonderful, but I'm a sucker a shallow depth of field.

Ok, enough talking and off to the photos.

Left: With the AF 50mm f/1.8 portrait lens; Right: With the AF-S 18-105mm kit lens.

At f/5.6 with autofocus (portrait lens)
Don't mind the busted light bulb.

Everyone's favourite: Bokeh.
At f/1.8 and out of focus.

And yay for less noise! (Compared to photos in previous posts which were taken with the D3000)

So what's the verdict?
The D90 is superb compared to the D3000.

However, photography isn't about the gears that you use; it's all about the skills you learn and develop.
For example: Driving an expensive car doesn't make you a good driver.
As photography is just an expensive hobby, upgrade your lenses and cameras only after you really know how to use a DSLR.

The Coach Sophia, and New Shoes (Of Course)

2011-07-08T22:55:00.003+08:00

Quick update!
I can't believe that I haven't updated my blog in almost 2 weeks!
I'm always so lazy after work that I never got around to taking photos.

This sequinned pair caught my attention last month, but alas they were size 5 (2 sizes too small) and were the last pair.
Went to the store 2 weeks ago, and they were still there!
I swear they were calling out to me, so I put them on and they fit!
(Like you don't know already, I like sparkly shoes as seen HERE, HERE and HERE)
I'm a size 7 on average, but I have shoes ranging from sizes 6-8 depending on the brand.

I know, this is a very weird photo, but I was bored and I like it!

This black pair is embellished with rhinestones and chains.
(Extremely sparkly too, couldn't capture a nice photo of it)
Couldn't find a chic, plain black one AT ALL!

They are both leather shoes, and Vincci+ had a "2 for RM80" promotion.
How could I resist saving RM328?
Proof here: http://twitpic.com/5k498f

And I got my Coach Sophia today (Thanks, Mom!)
Mine is the large one in mahogany ;)

PS: Now I know why I don't get birthday presents from my parents.
You'll see why tomorrow.

Over The Edge

2011-06-26T22:53:00.002+08:00

Only after I uploaded the photos that I realized how the editorial's title seemed to fit perfectly with how my day went today.
I won't go into details, but it's difficult to live with bad-tempered people who just push you over the edge all the time.
It's not respectable, but sometimes it's best to just to stay silent since nothing else works.

PS: Don't worry, everyone! I'm feeling a lot better now. Tried to make myself feel better by watching cartoons, taking photos and making myself a new header :)

Makeup

2011-06-19T23:28:00.000+08:00

Ironically, I can count with my fingers the number of times I've worn makeup in my 23+ years.

Why so many products?
These are my parents' idea of souvenirs for us whenever they go overseas for holidays or business meetings.
Stuff from airports and planes.
Ah well, better than that time my mom went to Australia for her convocation and got herself a spanking new Coach Brooke handbag because it was so cheap, so all we got were chocolates because other handbags (from cheaper brands) were so expensive.
(My mom has a strange relationship with clothes and handbags, which is funny because she's in the accounting and finance field. She calls it 'breaking the stereotype')

Palette: Lancôme Traveler's Exclusive Attraction Couleur
BB Cream: Bio-Essence Platinum. I have sensitive skin and I only trust Bio-Essence now
Eyes: Elianto Liquid Eyeliner (stays put in our hot, humid weather!), L'Oreal Double Extension Masacara (works really well with my short and sparse lashes)
Lips: Elizabeth Arden High Shine Lip Gloss in Pink Pout #19, Estée Lauder Pure Colour Crystal Lipstick in Cherry Blossom #30, Inglot Lipstick #181
Nails: Revlon Opulent Pink #904 and Plum Seduction #917

Ok what's with the super long product names?

Love the fact that the Estée Lauder mini lipstick comes with a built-in mirror!
So cute!

PS: I only use the BB Cream, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick which I bought myself. Sometimes I just skip the mascara and lipstick if I'm rushing for work, so the others just sit in my closet. Don't kill me!

Dim Sum

2011-06-06T17:27:00.003+08:00

As promised, here's my post on dim sum!
It's about time I start featuring more Malaysian food, no? ;)

Having dim sum for brunch is one of my family's Sunday rituals.
Dim sum, little dumplings usually stuffed with meat, prawns or both, to the Chinese is like sushi to the Japanese.

Background: Steamed buns; Foreground: Glutinous rice with mushroom and Chinese sausage.

Stacks of baskets full of dim sum, served on carts where customers pick whichever they'd like.

I must have porridge whenever we have dim sum. No meal is complete without a tiny bowl.

(L-R): Wu Kok, a crispy dumpling stuffed with pork and yam; Green chillis stuffed with fish paste (trust me, it's not spicy at all); Sesame seed pastry with pandan kaya paste.

A close-up on the sesame seed pastry. Another must have for me!

New Shoes (Again)

2011-06-04T21:10:00.002+08:00

Has it been that long since I went shopping for shoes?
I've been itching for new ones (although there a few more that I haven't worn yet).
Now that I have more than 10 pairs of heels, I'm wearing them to work everyday.

Behold, one of my favourites of all!
Love the gold crackle detail with the black suede leather.
It was originally retailing for RM259 but the price was slashed to RM50.
Yes, that's about 80% off!
My sister got the same pair too.

Also got my very first red lipstick from Inglot (first South East Asian store now in Sunway Pyramid!)
I got the #181 and costs RM50.
I'm so pleased to finally find the right shade, and the makeup artist was very patient with me.
My mom has always told us to invest in a good brand of lipstick as we'll tend to swallow bits of it, so it's better to go with a reputable brand.

As requested, here's a clearer pic of my manicure this time around!
Oh, and I got that flower hair tie a couple of weeks ago for RM7.

On another note, I've just completed my first week of internship.
The place is lovely with lots of lovely art and fresh flowers every week, and the people are nice, although I have a lot of tasks and work.
Let's just say that my sister is extremely jealous because she's interning at a dowdy, strict audit firm :P

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

PS: Got compliments on my pink flats and colourful, sparkly nails from sales assistants when I was out shopping today!

Ben's General Food Store

2011-05-28T23:30:00.002+08:00

Met up with Zeek, Anna and Sheila for brunch today.
Zeek chose Ben's General Food Store in Bangsar Village, and the place is amazing!
Sure, it's very packed and cramped (hence only food photos, couldn't fit everything else into the frame), but definitely worth it.

Out of focus :'(
Love the fact that bottles of olive oil each infused with rosemary and dried chillis are offered for customers at the tables.
Very delicious!

My Rocky Road milkshake (so good until Zeek keeps sneaking sips!) and Sheila's piña colada milkshake.
She took this shot.

Background: Funghi pizza with mushrooms and mozarella cheese (my absolute fave!) and the can't-remember-the-name pizza in the foregound.

Also ordered the mushroom lasagna.
Too bland for my liking :/

Zeek's Sticky Caramel pudding, I think.

Our very own Miss Malaysia Universe 2011, Deborah Henry was also dining there today!
She's gorgeous!
Sorry for the paparazzi-esque shots, Deborah.
(Zeek fell in love with her)

We headed to Amcorp Mall after that, and Zeek got excited when he saw a vending machine selling M&M's, and this was how much he got for RM1.
What a rip off!

PS: Starting work on Monday!

Gordon Ramsay in Malaysia

2011-05-28T02:06:00.000+08:00

Gordon Ramsay in Malaysia from Joseph Teo on Vimeo.

Huge thank you to Sheila who gave me the link to that video which she got from Calvin!
It's so insightful and informative on what Malaysian food is like.
Having watched so many shows about Malaysian food, this one is definitely the best I've seen.

I've never really featured Malaysian food in my blog before, but that's because I don't know where to start!
We have so many varieties and choices that just picking a place to eat takes forever to figure out, it's practically our biggest problem!
Who cares about work and meetings?
What's more important is where and what we're eating after that.

Anyway, I've been meaning to feature dim sum for a while now, so I'll update when I actually have them for brunch.

So, the video is by Gordon Ramsay, so there is no doubt that he knows what he's talking about ;)
The whole country was abuzz when it was announced that he will be visiting the Maha Vihara temple (my Wesak Day post HERE) and serving a vegetarian meal to the then Prime Minister last year.
I was talking about him for weeks and sadly, I didn't catch a glimpse of him :'(

And yes, the secrets of Malaysian cooking lie in the hands of Aunties, and my mom is one of them.

PS: I will never, ever try 'Sup Torpedo'. Ew :/

Bienvenidos

2011-05-23T22:40:00.005+08:00

Sheila and I attended the Latin American Festival in downtown KL yesterday, and it was fun with the lively ambiance and music!
(Our coverage (and more photos) for Elements Magazine HERE

Shrimp ceviche from Ecuador!
LOVE it! I got the lady to teach me how to make it :D

I tried the Brazilian Caipirinha with cachaça, and only after I took some sips that I saw the bottle label stating that the cachaça contained 39% alcohol.
Got a little light-headed after a while.

This little girl from the Colombian stall was so chatty and she kept recommending food to me!
And here she is helping to scoop the rice I ordered.
Too bad the photo isn't clear.

This one is from Sheila's camera

Will I be back next year?
Definitely!

Bright Life

2011-05-21T01:43:00.000+08:00

Noir Façade

Magazine: Vogue Russia May 2011
Title: Яркая жизнь (Bright Life)
Model: Alejandra Alonso
Photographer: Mariano Vivanco

Oh, these photos are making me look forward to my trip to Phuket even more!
:)

Wesak Day: Light Dispels Ignorance

2011-05-17T12:03:00.005+08:00

Happy Wesak Day to all Buddhists!
Today we celebrate the birth, death and enlightenment of Buddha.
It's encouraged to go vegetarian for today, which my sister and I have no problems with but my dad can't take it at all.
Update: Accidentally had some meat in my 'pan mee' for brunch today :(

Located in Brickfields (or Little India), the Maha Vihara Temple is the first Buddhist temple in Malaysia.
Although Buddhism originated from India, it spread to China, and hence there are some Chinese influences in the temple e.g. the joss sticks.

My family would usually visit the temple the night before Wesak Day, as there is a smaller crowd (which still amounts to thousands) and there won't be any scorching sun.
We usually attend two blessing ceremonies (where monks chant Sanskrit prayers and then sprinkle us with holy water).

It was raining last night, so there were only about a third of devotees and visitors at the temple compared to previous years.
Sure, the place was packed with umbrellas and cameras, but I managed to get some nice shots!
(Tried to take photos last year but I failed miserably)

So much light reflected from the display glass.
Le sigh :(

Free soya bean milk for devotees.

There is a huge bazaar just outside the temple ;)
Flowers and candles for offerings, vegetarian food, drinks and knick knacks are sold there.

Farhan's Wedding

2011-05-16T14:03:00.002+08:00

My exams are over and now I can finally sit down and edit my photos!

I attended Farhan's wedding two weeks ago! He's one of the younger brothers of one of my best friends, Ili.
Interesting fact: They're the same age, born in the same year, but they're not twins.
You figure that one out ;)

These were the only passable shots as there were about 1000 guests at the wedding, which was held at their home.
Imagine the crowd of people just waiting to snap pictures of the happy couple.
Not to mention that the weather was scorching hot during the last couple of weeks, around 36 degrees Celcius.

It was great seeing all of my classmates and friends back from high school again.

And the boys! They're groomsmen now?
Don't they look dashing in their baju melayu?
My my, we have definitely grown up!

And I'm so sorry to say that I don't know much about Malay weddings, so I'll leave you with these photos.

A close-up on the bride.
Now what brand of makeup did Ida use because they stayed perfect in the hot, humid weather!

PS: Yes, the first photo is definitely overexposed :( It was an unbelievably sunny day.
I'm amazed that no one got sunburnt and/or blinded here.
And somehow I didn't get the usual depth of field from my portrait lens. Ah well.
Lol I don't think I'm cut out for wedding photography.

Things Not To Do In The Kitchen

2011-05-10T17:58:00.004+08:00

Safety in the kitchen is very important with all the knives, raw food and heat (from stoves and ovens around).
I literally almost fainted watching this video.
However, this video is amazing as these are very common mistakes that everyone makes.

Here are the mistakes I spotted:

Slicing the rosemary without curling her fingers in. Laying them flat out is just asking for your fingertips to be chopped off. Watch how to correctly use knives here
Tossing the knife into a sink full of foamy water. As you can't see through the water with all the foam, you will tend to forget that there is a knife sitting in the sink somewhere. A lot of people cut themselves that way. If you want to leave them in the sink, don't make it all foamy with soap.
Vegetables AND the raw meat on the same chopping board. Very unhygienic and everyone having that dinner will come down with food poisoning. Either work on the veg first then the meat, or have two separate chopping boards: One only for meats and another only for veg.
Using just a cloth to clean the chopping board. There is a lot of bacteria from raw meat (that's why we cook them!) and they may have seeped into the board. Washing them with regular disinfnecting dishwashing liquid is sufficient.
Not washing her hands after handling raw meat. Again, bacteria.
Not using oven mitts to remove the tray from the oven. Sure, you'll burn your fingers, but the shock of it might throw you off, smack your head on the counter and fall.
Keeping knives in a drawer. Same concept as leaving knives in foamy water in the sink. You'll cut yourself just looking for them. Knife racks exist for a reason.
Wearing rings when preparing food, especially using your palm to strain the seeds from the lemon. The acid will breakdown the metals of the ring, and seep into the food.
Scratching her head, then continue preparing food without washing her hands.
Not cleaning up the spill. Read the point on smacking your head and falling.
Coughing into her hand, then tossing the salad and taking out the chicken using her hands. Remember that she scratched her head earlier. She never washed her hands at all the whole time.
Placing the roasted chicken on the SAME chopping board. Food poisoning, anyone?

Not sure if it's relevant to the video, but always remember to rinse all the vegetables and meat before preparing them.
With the amount of pesticides and weird chemicals sprayed onto/injected into crops and livestock these days, giving them a good rinse won't hurt.
Not only that, there might be sand or worms in the vegetables (we've had our share in restaurants).

Did you spot any mistakes that I didn't?

PS: Don't you just love Jamie Oliver? It's just too bad that he's married.

Seoul Garden

2011-05-06T01:05:00.002+08:00

So Sheila, Anna and I had some ~~pigging out~~ girly time today!
It's Sheila's and my last 2 weeks in uni (hopefully for me, anyway)

We headed to Seoul Garden, which is a Korean BBQ restaurant for dinner!
The buffet spread features varieties of marinated chicken and beef strips and seafood.
The best part?
They have discounts for students :D
Only RM31.75 nett with free flow drinks.

Not many pics this time around as we all were too busy eating.
(The restaurant closes too early, IMO)

Love the colours in the two photos above :D

We stayed at the mall until most of the shops were closed.
Got myself a bottle of BB Cream since I'm going to start wearing makeup (yay?), and a couple of hair clips.
Aren't the little bows adorable? They were only 50 cents each :D

Switchfoot

2011-05-03T03:20:00.005+08:00

Switchfoot live in KL.
Those magic words.

Attended the Switchfoot concert on Sunday! :D
I've been a fan for NINE years (and they finally won a Grammy!)
Tears just started flowing during certain songs, I have no idea why.
(Maybe it was because they came back to Malaysia, for us!)
Hey, I saw some guys tearing up too, so I'm not the only one being emotional.
Switchfoot's songs are very inspirational ;)

They were amazing when they performed here back in 2008, and they didn't disappoint this time around too.

Sheila and I were covering the concert for Elements Magazine, but let's just say that these pics shouldn't even exist in the first place (even though we had media passes)
Being huge fans, Sheila and I just snapped away with our DSLRs AND sang along to their songs in the mosh pit with the crowd, hence the only one angle for the shots.
Yes, we lost our voices after the concert.

Btw I was using my portrait lens since my kit lens has been quite unreliable these days.
I'm more comfortable with my portrait lens now too, although this means that both my camera and lens don't have autofocus motors at all.

I've uploaded my batch of the photos to our Flickr page, and the ones here are the artsy ones which aren't suitable for Elements Magazine (too noisy, out of focus and/or drowned in colours).

This shot would have been perfect if it wasn't so noisy :'(

One of my favourite shots EVER.
Doesn't it look like it's from a music video?

Till we meet again, Switchfoot.
Looking forward to 'Vice Verses'!

PS: I only saw Chad, the drummer, at the end of the concert during their bow :(

Durians, and a Manicure

2011-04-30T23:38:00.002+08:00

Ah, the king of fruits.
Simply glorious.

Yes, a lot of non-Asians think that it smells and tastes like garbage.
Unfortunately, Andrew Zimmern has met his match.
"Durian: A spiky, strange looking fruit that has the reputation of being the smelliest fruit in the world."
The durian is the ONE thing that he cannot eat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o_1qillkJs
(Around the 3-minute mark)

Lol I'm sorry, but the durian smells and tastes like vanilla and bananas with a hint of caramel.
The flesh is smooth and mushy, and has a huge seed in the centre.
Unlike Andrew, you do NOT pop the pieces into your mouth. Most of them are too big anyway.

OPI's Sparkle-icious; Funkey Dunkey

Mom's Birthday at Rakuzen (Again) + Another Sneak Peek

2011-04-29T00:30:00.004+08:00

Has it been that long since I've had a nice, proper post?
Sorry, everyone!
I've been busy with my Final Year Project thesis, then taking a few days of break before my presentation on Tuesday, which went very well :D
In case you're wondering, my project is basically research on the reliability of WiMAX in campus.

Anyway, Mom turned 53 hours ago!
She just got home from Surabaya, Indonesia (where she's working now) last night, so we decided to have dinner at Rakuzen.
(Previous post here)

We have a habit of having dinner before 7pm to beat the crowd.
That way, we get the restaurant to ourselves, the food gets served quickly and we escape the noise and buzz of the restaurant when the customers start pouring in.

Successfully photoshopped off a lizard from the signboard!

Those are the freshest tuna(?) and salmon I've ever seen.

They ran out of avocado salad! :'(
Had to settle with the crab one instead.
Anyway, have you seen fish eggs GLISTEN before?
I swear, the chefs must have shined them somehow before serving.

(Sorry the blurry photo! Epic fail)
My udon set with California Temaki.
I actually wanted the udon to be replaced with soba (I'm a soba person), but they messed up my order.
The waitress was kind enough to give us dessert on the house though!

More glistening fish eggs.
They're the most translucent ones I've ever seen!
This may sound weird, but I like to pop them between my teeth ;)

And this is the dessert: Wrapped vanilla ice-cream with red bean paste.
I love vanilla ice-cream and red bean paste, and both of them together is a match made in heaven!

These are just some of the pics I took at the restaurant.
My dad said that I could pass off as a food critic then we'll get *ahem* 50% off the bill.
Never happened though.

*****

Anyway, I returned home to find the Corioliss hair curler that Misikko sent me to review has arrived! (Didn't expect that they'd send me more stuff besides the curler too)
Will work on it (and maybe a tutorial) for Elements Magazine soon :D

Cheese Wantons

2011-04-24T16:20:00.001+08:00

I actually got inspired by Tayla's recipe from Junior Masterchef.
This is a very, very easy and fast dish to make, and it combines the mushy texture of the cheese with the crunch of fried wanton skins ;)

There's no need to use water to seal the skin when you fold them.
They will stay in place.

Please note that wanton skin cooks extremely fast, so a few seconds in a pan with high heat will do.
The skin will continue to cook and brown as you drain them.

We'd usually dip them in vinegar.
The acidity goes really well with cheese!

Here I used cream cheese as it's one of the cheapest around.
It's not bad with wantons but I'd like to know which cheese would be a better choice.
Cheese is rather expensive here so I can't really afford to experiment often.
I'd really love to hear your suggestions :D

Sneak Peek

2011-04-21T18:37:00.002+08:00

We all at Elements Magazine will be selling some of our old clothes and accessories in our website!
The idea has been around for some time, but now we've decided to go for it.

These are the stuff I have with me at campus, and there are A LOT more at home.
Shall rummage through them over the weekend.

Here I have:
Brown chunky anklet, blue and green wooden cuff, silver-toned earrings, gold-toned earrings, lilac Swarovski crystal bracelet.
Perfect for summer, no? ;)

UPDATE

Shop's now alive!
Will be adding more stuff soon!

It "only" took us 6 hours to take pics, figure out how we'd operate and set up the page.
This is one of the most impromptu plans we've ever had ;)

SHOP HERE

Dinner With Yazrol

2011-04-18T00:39:00.000+08:00

Sheila, Anna and I met up with Yazrol today!
He was our senior and manager when we were DJs at our campus' radio station.
(Yes, we were radio DJs. Corny? Cheesy? You bet.)

Anyway, we first had dinner at Padi Restaurant, then we headed to Secret Recipe for cake!
(Can't beat WHISK's cakes though)

Sorry, this is the best shot I've got of him.
We spent most of our time just talking and eating!

And now we're off to get cake!
I'm definitely getting black chandeliers when I get my own place ;)
So chic!
I also love the silhoutte of the chandelier in the background.

“When in Doubt, Wear Red”

2011-04-15T23:17:00.003+08:00

That's a quote from Bill Blass. Spot on, no?

Anyway, these are the shoes I got from the Shoe Festival!
No, they're not Jimmy Choos.
They're from Bill Keith, a local designer.

There are more silver sequins on one side of the shoe compared to the other, but this was the last pair in my size so it was a take-it-or-leave-it shoe.
I'm sorry, but with sparkly shoes like these, you don't just leave it.
IMO, the colour difference between each shoe makes them look less commercial ;)

The best part?
They are only RM56 after 70% off (which also come with a 'Buy 2 Free 1' promo, but these were the only ones I liked)

I'd prefer more colourful sparkly shoes like these Miu Mius, and if they had much higher heels with a platform (since they won't hurt as much)
Ah well, these are pretty amazing too ;)

I was Googling for a quote on the colour red for this post's title (trying to find titles are really hard for me), and I found this:

“Artists can color the sky red because they know it's blue. Those of us who aren't artists must color things the way they really are or people might think we're stupid.” - Jules Feiffer
This is why I'm not an artist.

PS: That fluff behind the shoes is one of my toy poodles, Hazel.
And I just realized that the two designer Bills in this post.

Aviators

2011-04-13T21:59:00.002+08:00

I know I promised to post on my new shoes, but I'm in campus right now and this is an impromptu post ;)
Decided to take a break from working on my thesis (due this Friday!) and make a quick post.

Anyway, I (finally) got a pair of aviators from Aldo for only RM30!
I've always wanted one ever since I saw Beyoncé in them HERE
(Such an amazing concert. If only it wasn't "postponed" in Malaysia)

And if you're wondering what that weird bird/arrow thing is, it's actually some measurements I have to do for my thesis.
Basically it's a partial map of my campus, and I have to measure my WiMAX measurement paths from the transmitter.
I honestly think that it's one of the prettiest things I've ever drawn.
I said 'one of' because I have different sets of measurements of different buildings (and for the same project) too.
I don't know any other ways to calculate distances from a computer, so I used the old, trusty pencil and paper.
Please don't tell me how stupid I am for using this method because I've spent a WHOLE day calculating :'(

PS: Now please excuse me so I can paint my nails in a different colour. Bright pink doesn't scream 'badass' like these shades do.

Yes, That's Me with Jimmy Choo!

2011-04-09T23:17:00.003+08:00

Sis, Jimmy Choo, me

Yes, ladies!
My sister and I took a picture with JIMMY CHOO himself!
(Check out my sad dream about Jimmy Choo here)
I'm over the moon. I got giddy before AND after taking the pic with him.
One of my childhood dreams ACCOMPLISHED!
He attended the Malaysia International Shoe Festival, which I covered for Elements Magazine!
My post HERE.

I was struggling to get the settings right because the lighting there is very odd!
He was at the sofa behind the circular runway with a huge art installation in the middle, but there were chandeliers and displays of his couture shoes along the circumference/perimeter.
(Sorry for the geeky jargons!)
So it was bright at some areas, and dark at others as the art installation in the middle casted big shadows almost everywhere.
I got the settings right at the very last minute, then I asked one of the crew members to snap this for us.

Shall develop this photo and frame it up ;)

And here's one of the pretty chandeliers!

And yes, I bought a pair of shoes, which I'll upload later as I've had a looooong day getting up early to attend the shoe festival, snapping pics, networking (very exciting stuff coming soon, hopefully!), browsing for shoes, walking back and forth from the shoe festival as we needed to get lunch and then head back again to catch Jimmy Choo in person, editing the pics, posting them on Elements, and finally posting them here.
Phew!

PS: I actually apologized to him for taking a pic with him in my flip flops (my feet just couldn't tolerate my red pumps after 6 hours), but he said, "It's ok!" :D
Don't you just love how nice he is? I also love the fact that he'll always make time to support the Malaysian fashion industry.
Check out his latest interview with local newspaper The Star HERE!

Whisk

2011-04-06T20:05:00.006+08:00

The last time I was at Whisk (located at the Empire Shopping Gallery), I only bought some macarons to take home (as seen here)
I'm very happy to say that I've finally sat down and enjoyed their wonderful creations today :D

Whisk is a family-owned tiny bakery, but the whole time my friend Jane and I were there, the bakery was never empty.
People came in for their cakes, coffee, and of course, their macarons!

Can't remember what the flavours are exactly, but our favourite was the peanut butter one (in gorgeous turquoise!)
Not surprised as it's one of their bestsellers.

The red velvet cake. The icing is just sinful!

The name 'Peony Jade' tea was just screaming my name. It was recommended to me by one of the co-owners, Nora.
Had it without sugar, and it's now my new favourite tea ;)
Jane had the Berry Chiller.

Whisk's business card.

Whisk is incredibly busy during the weekends and will run out of cakes and macarons, so be sure to follow them on Twitter to get their latest updates!

UPDATE! (23 May 2011)
Went to Whisk again with Sheila ;)

I think Whisk's macarons are getting better!
Faves: Peanut butter (turquoise) and red velvet ;)

My Piccolo Latte.
Tastes great without sugar.

Sheila's shoes.
Funky, no? ;)

OPI Señoritas

2011-04-04T03:55:00.004+08:00

Got the OPI Señoritas set from eBay at only RM50 instead of RM94!
I've had the purple Funky Dunkey from the Shrek collection for a while (also from eBay), and now I'm proud to say that I'm an OPI convert.

The texture is very watery, but after a while, I finally realized how easy it is for me to 'direct' where I want the polish to glide to on my nails with the brush.
I also love how concentrated the colours are!
Cheaper brands of nail polish always end up being very translucent and then you'll need more than 2 layers to achieve the exact shade as seen through the bottle.
The cherry on top?
The gloss! I didn't need top coat.

Anyway, I decided to go a little argyle based on Illamasqua's nail colour ad I've seen quite a long time ago.
This is a fairly easy manicure.
Paint the base colour of your choice, then paint over at an angle, and lastly paint over at an opposite angle.
Use tape for straight lines, if needed. I just did it freehand so I can post this asap ;)
The same rule applies to all types manicures: Allow each coat to dry before applying another.

It's almost 4am now and I don't have the time to paint the other nails ;)

Manicure: Cate Blanchett at the 2011 Oscars

2011-04-02T17:33:00.001+08:00

So sorry for the delay from my Oscars red carpet-inspired manicure tutorial!
I've been so busy that I haven't been paying attention to my nails for almost a month.

Anyway, if you remember my Reese Witherspoon manicure post, I had a little fun with my manicures by letting my readers pick a fave red carpet look!

I picked Styleonthecouch's suggestion: Cate Blanchett in Givenchy Haute Couture.
This is a very detailed gown, and it took me a while to decide on a nail design that is not tacky, but wearable and easy to dress up and down.

At first, I did try painting on pink glitter on the tips, but it was all too much with the gold glitter polish on the base (like the yellow beading on her gown) and pink polish, so I decided to keep it understated without the pink glittery tips.
Half moon/reverse French manicure tutorial here

Got my sister to snap the pic for me ;)
Cate Blachett photo from Zimbio

Sakae Sushi

2011-04-01T00:23:00.000+08:00

We had a little celebration dinner for Elements Magazine today!
(Have YOU followed Elements Magazine yet? Shame if you haven't)

Picked Sakae Sushi as they have great, affordable food ;)

Love their genmaicha! (Japanese green tea with roasted rice)

My must-have at every Japanese restaurant: Pickled ginger!

Anna and I shared can't-remember-what-it's-called, but it's rice with beef and mushrooms.
Amazing.

Syafiq's *ahem* friend, Vina, who joined us.

Sheila's dad's Fujifilm Instax (so cute!) and Syafiq's Nikon FM2 with the same 50mm f/1.8 lens as mine.

Me, Anna, Sheila

Calvin (our logo designer) and Syafiq, who does wonders behind AND in front of the camera.

PS: I miss their genmaicha already :(
And yes, this is my second food post this week! My thighs are not happy.

Victoria Station

2011-03-28T22:44:00.004+08:00

My mom is now working in Indonesia, and she's home for a couple of days until tomorrow.

Victoria Station is our go-to restaurant for special occasions since it first opened in Subang Jaya (about 15 years ago).
Inspired by luxurious trains, their decor is one of a kind where guests can choose to dine in coaches.
Also, I think they also have the one and only red London phone booth (that works) in Malaysia.

The restaurant has become one of the landmarks of Subang Jaya.
Did I mention that Victoria Station also has the best steaks around?

Both my parents had the sizzling steak.

Sis had the beef stroganoff (which Victoria Station has the best too!)

And my perfectly-grilled lamb cutlets.

Ignorance

2011-03-26T23:57:00.003+08:00

Hey, readers!
I know I haven't had proper updates for a long time.

Anyway, this post is rather personal, so excuse the rant.
After these videos surfaced on YouTube (THIS and THIS), the first thing that came to mind was how stupid these girls are.

You're stupid for making racist comments on YouTube.
You're stupid for uploading your video with your face clearly shown on YouTube, so thank you for making yourself identifiable to receive threats and get harassed.

Then it hit me.
These people are not stupid.
They definitely can read and write.
They are, unfortunately, ignorant.
(Proof HERE)

It's sad that with all the access to education and information we have these days, there are people in this world who refuse to learn about other cultures, and then assume the worst of them.

Don't take this the wrong way. I'm not being all preachy here.
You're reading a post written by a girl who laughs her butt off to Russell Peter's jokes every single time.

PS: This other rant, however, takes the cake. Hilarious! Video HERE.

Fullhouse Randoms

2011-03-24T12:34:00.000+08:00

See my previous post on Anna's birthday celebration at Fullhouse here.
It's a very lovely café.

I found some pics which I've forgotten to include in that post when I was clearing out my laptop, so I'll just post them now ;)

And leave it to Danny and I e.g. The Engineering Students to sort out the cash.

Red & Pink

2011-03-20T02:12:00.000+08:00

I've been wanting to get those pink flats for a while, and everyone needs a pair of red satin pumps, no?
;)

Gucci Spring/Summer 2011

2011-03-16T14:11:00.003+08:00

I know it's late, but I suddenly fell in love with jewel tones.

And I can't wait for my Fifi Lapin book (to be dispatched and) arrive! :D

Fashionologie, Lovely Lissy

Inspiration: Jake Rosenberg

2011-03-14T18:22:00.000+08:00

Still-life photography at its best.
And look at the shoes and bags!

And Sheila featured this one on Elements Magazine ;)

The Coveteur

Haeun Khon Restaurant

2011-03-13T13:44:00.002+08:00

One of the busiest restaurants in Amcorp Mall, and one of the best (and cheapest) Korean restaurants around!
Can't wait to try their noodles ;)

After brunch, we'd walk it off by browsing around the flea market and BookXcess.

UPDATE (23 May 2011)

Had noodles, but can't remember what it's called though.

Vegetable fritters!
The most amazing I've had ;)

Chanel Spring/Summer 2011 Display Window

2011-03-11T00:28:00.000+08:00

I think this is my personal best so far.

Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2011 Display Window

2011-03-09T01:22:00.000+08:00

Mulberry Spring/Summer 2011 Display Window

2011-03-07T00:57:00.007+08:00

Bangkok: Shopping

2011-03-06T00:09:00.004+08:00

Here are some of the stuff I got from Bangkok.

Got these lovely dresses, tops and shorts from around our hotel (Baiyoke Suite Hotel) in Pratunam.
Apparently it's right in the center of the clothing wholesale area so we shopped at the morning market, the malls, and the night market (in that order).
The malls sell everything from lingerie to wedding dresses (Oh my!)

We did go to MBK mall and such, and it turns out that boutique owners there got their stock from Pratunam.
Yup, we did all of our shopping in Pratunam.
Why go elsewhere, right?

Everything in the second photo costs about 100 Baht EACH!
(Yes, a lot of chiffon)

And I bought that elephant plushie from the floating market for 150 Baht.

Remember to take part in my little manicure project HERE

♥
PS: To answer your question, no I didn't buy any shoes because Malaysia still has the best around ;)

Manicure: Reese Witherspoon at the 2011 Oscars

2011-03-04T17:40:00.001+08:00

I LOVED Reese Witherspoon's look in Armani Privé at the recent Oscars, everything from her hair to those lovely turquoise earrings.

This manicure is based on my tutorials HERE and HERE.

Btw, I've been using OPI's Drip Dry for a while and you all should too!
Use a few drops with the stickers still on your nails, wait for a few minutes, and voilà!
Finish off with top coat.

Ok, fun part!
Submit your favourite red carpet look, and I'll pick one and post a manicure tutorial by next Friday!
Just leave a comment here :D

♥

Zimbio