Reading Spaces

A Bit Of Happiness With Hurts

2011-05-17T17:34:00.006+08:00

Hurts invaded Mist Club in Bangsar on 6th May and boy, was I glad I made it just in time for the start of TOPSHOP X Junk By Demand presents Hurts in KL!

I was quite gutted that I missed the opening act (local dj duo Twilight Action Girl if I'm not mistaken), but it was worth the rush to arrive just as Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson kicked off their set!

I couldnt take my eyes off Theo the entire night, mostly because he looks exactly like how he does in the pictures :D Hair slicked to the side, piercing eyes and both him and Adam dressed in their trademark white shirts (with a blazer for Theo and suspenders for Adam). I had a feeling that it was going to be a good concert because as I mentioned in my review of their album "Happiness" [here], most of their songs have this soaring epicness about them that would probably sound awesome live.

All together, they performed about 15 songs, including a cover of Kylie Minogue's "Confide In Me". In fact, they went through pretty much every single song from the

"Happiness" album, like "Silver Lining", "Wonderful Life", "Stay", "Unspoken" and "Sunday".

As we were all getting into Theo's power-packed rendition of "Evelyn", Adam suddenly ditched the keyboard, picked up an electric guitar and gave us all a glimpse of his rocking side (he usually looks all calm and cool alongside Theo)!

Just when I thought it couldnt get any cooler than rocker Adam, Theo started on "Verona" and it was going fantastic (epic, soaring, you get the picture), when all of a sudden, a booming operatic voice comes in and just blew everyone away with the sheer power of the vocals! It was their backup singer, who was standing completely still throughout the entire concert and didnt move a muscle! In fact, I honestly thought he was a mannequin, from how still he stood and figured it was some artsy stage deco that Hurts put up at concerts.

How was I to know it was a real dude. With an incredibly powerful voice. Wowsers. That was incredible.

The concert lasted for about an hour, during which Theo kept tossing white roses into the audience at random intervals. I am rather upset that not one made it's way to me :(

I had a blast at the Hurts concert, even though I didnt manage to sing along to some of the songs. They're really a band best experienced live right in front of you, and I hope they come back to KL for more!

Many thanks to Sony Music Malaysia for the tickets!!

*pics courtesy of Daphne*

This Concert Wont Hurt One Bit

2011-04-21T18:48:00.004+08:00

It looks like it's raining concerts galore in KL for the next few months, and while most of them don't quite catch my fancy, there's one that I'm really looking forward to - "Topshop x Junk By Demand presents HURTS"!

Date: 6th May 2011
Time: 7.30pm
Place: Mist Club, Bangsar

I blogged about their debut album "Happiness" a few months ago [here], have overplayed that CD in my car and had a few interesting dreams about Theo Hutchcraft (mostly involving a chair, pudding and some form of rope wtf). So it's quite a surprise when I heard they were making a stop to KL.

As I mentioned in my review of their album, "Happiness". Hurts is one big gumball of 80's synthpop with a juicy mellow centre. Their songs have great build-up with some sweeping grand moments, and then mellows down to a rather trippy chill-out ending. "Silver Lining" is still one of my favourites till today.

I know a few friends who are now fans of Hurts after giving their album a go, and if you think that listening to them live would seal the deal for you, here are the ticketing details for their upcoming concert!

Normal tickets are priced at RM130 (excluding RM3 processing fee), but thanks to Topman, Fashion Fast Forward members can purchase concert tickets at only RM105 (at all major Topman outlets in Klang Valley).

I am a Fashion Fast Forward member. Trade you loan of my card for a Milo ais ;)

But, if you feel that just watching Hurts perform live doesn't fill that void deep within you, how about a Meet & Greet session with Theo and Adam instead??

There are 10 exclusive Meet & Greet passes to be won, just for Fashion Fast Forward members! All you have to do is buy a special ticket package which has a Hurts concert ticket and Music Ticket+, for RM147 at Topman outlets, and you'll immediately be in the running to win those Meet & Greet passes.

In case you're wondering what in the world is Music Ticket+, it's a collectible music download card that gives you access to exclusive music content. So together with the concert ticket, you get to choose and download 5 Hurts tracks that can't be found anywhere else. There's even a live performance thrown in for good measure.

I'm definitely going to be there and I can't wait to just stare at Theo's well-oiled hair and take in that sweet deep voice live right in front of me! It still feels a little surreal that they would even come all the way down here. Time to make the best of it and put on my fan-girl face!

Tickets can be bought at RedTix, Rock Corner, Victoria Music and Topman outlets (only for the special F3 member ticket price and Music Ticket+ package).

Today

2011-04-11T00:27:00.002+08:00

I wrote to you and for you :) I chose my words and it said what I wanted to say, and felt how I wanted to feel.

I read it, breathed it in and read it again.

Then I hid it away somewhere I could quite possibly forget.

Beastly On The Outside

2011-03-07T11:40:00.003+08:00

There's just something about classic fairytales that always gets even the most cynical person wondering about the power of unconditional love and whether it exists in this day and age. So I expected the modern day version of "Beauty and the Beast" in the form of the movie "Beastly" to be an interesting watch.

The story revolves around Kyle Kingson (Alex Pettyfer) who is everything you'd love to hate in high school - handsome, rich, popular, a huge jerk and has the whole world at his feet with just a smile. He offends a witch (Mary Kate Olsen) and she decides to teach him a lesson by turning him into a hideous monster with insane facial piercings and bad-ass tattoos that look like the tattoo artist had sneezing fit during a tattoo session. He has a year to reverse the spell and he'll need the help of an unlikely friend, Lindy Taylor (Vanessa Hudgens) to do it.

The pace of the movie was generally rather slow. There wasn't much of a climatic build-up, even for important scenes that should have been pretty exciting. And there were plenty of those. The chemistry between Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer is a little questionable, and she seems to slur her words at times.

But they do make an adorable on-screen couple. Extremely pleasant to look at! Yum.

Mary-Kate Olsen as the witch, Kendra Hilferty, was fun to watch. I think it was very convenient that they chose an Olsen twin for the role since her wardrobe for the movie remained pretty much the same as in real life. Except with less crazy hair.

My favourite character of the movie was Kyle's tutor, Will Fratalli, played by everyone's favourite tv bachelor, Neil Patrick Harris! Stole every scene he was in and cracked me up everytime his face came on. I'm beginning to think that Neil really does naturally act like Barney because it felt like I was watching a random episode of "How I Met Your Mother" with his wit and punclines.

Overall, "Beastly" wasn't too bad. It's got enough romance for the hopeless romantics out there and plenty of cute scenes that'll make you swoon. It did rather follow the story of "Beauty and the Beast", but not completely. There wasn't much sense of urgency throughout the movie, but it was fun to watch the relationship between Kyle and Lindy develop.

Plus, you learn things like how beauty is only skin deep and you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. But I'm sure they don't already need to tell us that ;)

Buy 8804

2011-02-25T17:01:00.002+08:00

Sometimes, all you need to know and believe in, is yourself :)

The spoils from my first and only fortune cookie of Chinese New Year 2011.

Things will fall in to place.

Keep Cool

2011-02-24T11:47:00.003+08:00

Happiness is a warm pillow. Or a a glass of warm milk. Or warm hands.

If I have warm milk, I want it served in the above vessel please and thank you!

Changes. This should be good :)

*pic dedicated to me from Rames!*

This Too Shall Pass

2011-02-17T15:26:00.007+08:00

Some things, some people, are like an old habit that never truly goes away. You think you've done well burying it under a layer of nervous experiences, fresh flames, a trail of unsteady hearts and renewed resolutions.

But all it takes is a damn fine sense of timing to sweep everything away like a thin layer of dust on a long-forgotten diary. You twist the key in that little lock, excited at reliving the things you remember smiling about. You turn the pages and relish each memory that hits you like a wave. Only to realise once you've opened it, that those were the very things that made you put everything away in the dark in the first place.

And with other things, I wish I didn't have to hit a wall everytime I try.

For now, let's just cross bridges as they come along.

***

Stuck in my head - "You and Me" by Olivia Ong

Taking one step at a time
Walking hand in hand
1 2 3 4
Cheek to cheek
And they're learning how to do that dance
Let this love be forever more they say
I wish for this, to be true for you and me

I'll Put My Best Feet On

2011-01-31T18:00:00.003+08:00

There are a lot of things I'd want to say and even more things I should say about how 2011 threw me off a proverbial cliff and I wish I could be bothered, but not right now.

Random twitpic spam update!!

Doesn't matter how, doesn't matter where, as long as you get the message across. Poyo hat-stand not included.

Breakfast of champions! Lazy champions.

I've been having far too many late nights. But if the late nights make for a good start to a great day in the morrow, I can take the sunrise bedtimes.

Except for that one time where I was sick as a dog. Bad idea.

Porky pork ribs at Craft Brews.

Chocolate-filled banana fritters served with vanilla ice cream for dessert!

Holy chocolate orgasm, Batman!! Chocolates, bananas and ice cream, these are a few of my favourite things. Deep-frying it in batter is just a sweet, sweet, artery-clogging bonus.

Best-est videographer in the world, Nigel Sia, getting his face read by a facial feng shui master.

I had my face read too. I like to think of myself as anything but an open book, so I'm pretty skeptical of such things. But it was free. And the dude was there. I take all lemons that come my way.

What a month it has been. Whoever said change was inevitable, wasn't kidding.

BJ's getting a little possessive over this part of the couch lately.

It's just been a whirlwind. 2011; One foot forward, both eyes closed. Let's see where this goes.

***

Stuck in my head - "Miserable At Best" by Mayday Parade

But compared to your eyes, nothing shines quite as bright
And when we look to the sky, its not mine, but i want it so

Games

2010-12-17T18:40:00.003+08:00

Keep telling yourself something often enough and pretty soon, your head starts to believe it.

But lying in the dark usually unravels all of the mind's good work in seconds.

Then the heart takes over.

***

Stuck in my head - "Rocket" by Mae

I, I had a dream just you and me
And it was all that I wanted to be
And so much more 'cause we could soar
No gravity keeping me on the floor

Please don't let me float too high

Fly away with me
You've got just what I need
Will you be my rocket?

Wouldn't Want To Be Fair Game

2010-12-15T12:50:00.006+08:00

If words like "CIA", "Bush", "Iraq", "WMD" and "Aluminium pipes" gets more than a raised eyebrow from you, then the movie "Fair Game" just might be your thing.

"Fair Game" is based on the true story and memoir of CIA agent Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) whose status as an agent was leaked out by Whitehouse officials to the public to discredit her after her husband Joe Wilson (Sean Penn), wrote an article to the New York Times about how the Bush administration manipulated intelligence information they gathered about weapons of mass destruction to launch an invasion on Iraq.

If you're not politically inclined and clued-in on the situation between USA and Iraq, you'll be hard pressed to find this movie enjoyable. It's pretty intense as you follow how Valerie and her husband cope with suddenly being thrown out to the sharks, but don't expect an action-packed spy flick.

Watch if you have some idea about what's going on about the Iraq invasion. Don't watch if you're expecting someone to get shot during the movie.

Anyhoo, I've been scouring pharmacies for a new sunblock replacement because my usual go-to is on its last legs and I'm the most brand un-loyal person in existence. Had the chance to try some sunblock by this new brand that's hit the shelves called Ocean Potion and despite it's high SPF and creamy texture, it doesnt turn my face in to a ball of grease (number one priority for any facial sunblock). They have a pretty extensive sunblock range too for different skin types, so it's worth checking Ocean Potion out if you're the fussy sort.

Many thanks for the movie tickets Ocean Potion :)

A Fine Frenzy - Ashes and Wine

2010-11-26T14:38:00.000+08:00

I'll tear myself away
If that is what you need
There is nothing left to say
But

Is there a chance?
A fragment of light at the end of the tunnel?
A reason to fight?
Is there a chance you may change your mind?
Or are we ashes and wine?

Beautiful.

I Was A Teenage Milkmaid

2010-11-18T16:15:00.001+08:00

I don't think I've ever talked about the story of how monumentally pathetic my first ever "official" part-time job was. I think I'm old enough to face my demons. The scars from a few years ago have been sufficiently covered up with official paychecks, age and a strange obsession with Starbucks Christmas-edition tumblers.

I think I was either in my final years of secondary school or my first year of college when a question wormed its way into the back of my empty head: "Most of my other friends had a part-time job during their school holidays. Will my future be ruined forever by my lack of pre-adult menial labour in comparison? Will potential employers use my resume as kitty litter because I didn't know how to wait on tables and sell washing machines over the phone?"

It was decided that necessary steps should be taken for me to equip myself with some ammunition for a dark dark future ahead. I told all of my closest friends that if there was word out on the grapevine that there was a part-time job out there that suited my non-existent skills, count me in!

I should have known better then, than to count on friends who were the same age as I was.

Soon enough, one of my friends told me that someone, who was separated from her by 3 degrees, had a sales promoter gig for 3 days. Being sales promoters were all the rage back then, and since I didn't have the necessary height/physique/socially accepted facial bone structure to sell cars or thumbdrives, I took what I could get. What sealed the deal was the fact that it was in a supermarket that was about 10 minutes away from my house. It wasn't walking distance, but at least I had lesser chance of being stranded in the middle of nowhere.

I was terrified, I'll admit. But I had long accepted the fact that the more terrifying something is, the more it'll be good for you if you do it. Since it was during some sort of school/college holiday, I decided I could spare 3 days of not watching Spongebob Squarepants reruns on TV and go to Work.

The job? I was to be a sales promoter in a supermarket for.... MILK! Boxed milk, to be precise. The sort where they come in 6-packs with flavours like chocolate, strawberry, et al. On the way to work, I realised "I can do this shit. I like milk. How hard can it be to convince people to buy milk? One taste and they'll be hooked!"

How very wrong I was.

My first few hours didn't really go too well. All I had were some vague instructions given to me in Cantonese by a supervisor. I was then told that I was dressed wrong for the job and they would have to make do with giving me a worker's tag so that I wouldn't get kicked out of the supermarket. I didn't know what to wear, so the night before, I asked a friend who had some Work experience what was suitable work attire.

Lesson of the day: People who work in offices don't get dressed to sell milk in a supermarket.

Once the paperwork had been sorted out (I had to fill up Forms ZOMG!), I was given a clipboard, a pen, several sheets of stock forms and was led to what would be my post for the next 3 days, 11am - 9pm. I totally knew how the setup was going to be like. I'd get a small booth, stacks of paper cups, maybe a ridiculous hat or apron, pour some milk for people to try, shove some 6-packs under their nose and beg them to buy it. Of course I know how it goes.

Next lesson of the day: You never know how it goes.

Instead of a position in the middle of the supermarket near the frozen dairy section, I was led to the deathly quiet milk and cereal aisle. Instead of getting a booth to give out milk samples, I was given a spot to stand at. I was just told to try and sell milk while standing in the middle of the aisle empty-handed, in front of the shelf where the brand I was working for displayed its products.

I couldn't remember what was in the other aisle.

At the end of every shift, I had to make a note of how many 6-packs I managed to "sell", and replenish the milk stock. My shelf had about 200+ milk 6-packs, so it ought to have lasted a few days.

Right now, I would have questioned my then supervisor about the logic of the job I was assigned to do. But back then, I thought that Work meant having bosses giving you impossible tasks and you just do it without killing anyone. So I just nodded, said bye to my supervisor and was left alone for 10 hours in the middle of the milk and cereal aisle. Before he left, he told me that someone would come by to check up on me the next day.

The first few hours were uneventful. And awkward. I didn't know what to do as I just stood there smiling at people who walked past with their trolleys. It was a weekday morning, so there weren't a lot of people around. I didn't know what to do with my hands, so I rearranged the milk aisle. Once I was done with that, I rearranged the cereal aisle. I didn't know what to do with my feet, so I walked up and down the aisle repeatedly. I didn't know what to do with my eyes so I read the labels on cereal boxes, milk powder and muesli bars. I didn't know what to do with my mouth either, so I talked to the janitor and the people who came by every few hours on forklifts to stock up the shelves. I spent most of the day getting in the way of people's shopping trolleys too.

Once in awhile, I would somehow manage to convince people to put a 6-pack milk into their trolleys. I like to think that most of it made it to the counters, instead of being stuffed behind the instant noodle shelf 3 aisles away. A ton of people asked me why I didn't have samples to give them if I wanted them to buy the milk. I don't know what I answered to make them take the milk from my hands, but it would have been short of grovelling on the floor, clutching the hem of their pants and spilling tears, mucus and my hopes and dreams on their shoes.

At the end of my first day, I managed to move about 15 milk 6-packs.

On the second day, I had my first taste of what it felt like to be jaded and stoned at work. I had become a corporate zombie. I dreaded going to that aisle. I counted down the minutes till I could clock out. If I had colleagues, I would have been complaining about the long hours, low pay and lack of dental plans.

I had long exhausted my list of things I could have done to make time go faster. Within a few hours, I was bored out of my mind. I started making conversation with condensed milk tins. I thought up adventures I could have in Cap'n Crunch Land. I came up with recipes using milk powder, muesli bars and strawberry jam.

But there were still people shopping for groceries in the supermarket, and I had my fair share of questions and "selling" to do. Since it was a quiet day, I took a slightly extended lunch break and got to my post a little later than usual. I was such a rebel.

When I got back from lunch, there were a few people in the milk aisle and lots of screaming children. I hated dealing with children then (that has not changed). A young couple were staring and poking around at the milk shelf I was supposed to be taking care of. Since I never had people actually willingly take interest in the product I was "selling", I didn't know how to respond to this.

So I did what any self-respecting promoter would do - I stood awkwardly at the end of aisle and hid out of sight until they went away.

The problem was, they didn't go away. Not as fast as I would have liked. And I didn't want to look like I was going to steal the baby from the shopping trolley parked next to me, so I went up to them and alerted them of my presence. I was immediately bombarded with a barrage of questions about the milk from my shelf. I mumbled, shrugged, grunted and snorted my way through the dairy interrogation. Eventually, they took a few packs and left. Crisis averted. Life saved. Some milk sold.

It was an exceptionally slow day and in the evening, my supervisor came to see how I was doing. He had a few choice words for me, and they were not what I wanted to hear. Apparently, the dairy FBI I encountered earlier were not the ordinary shoppers I thought they were. They were some pretty important people who were Not Pleased with my performance. If it sounds like I was in trouble, I probably was.

I panicked. 2 new situations in one day was too much for my brain to process. After moping about miserably, a switch clicked in my head. I was determined not to go down without a fight. I was going to be the best milk promoter on this side of town. I rolled up my sleeves, rearranged my shelf, yelled "THIS. IS. DAIRYYYYYYYYY!!" (ok the movie hadn't existed yet, but if it did, that's what I would have shouted) and for the next 2 hours, became a lean, mean, milk-selling machine.

At the end of my second day, I managed to almost clear my entire shelf (only because I couldn't reach the ones right at the back). Almost 200 packs of milk were gone and there was a void of 3 levels of empty shelves in the milk aisle.

Later that night, I got a phone call.

I didn't have to go in to work the next day.

Not Saying A Word

2010-11-12T12:42:00.000+08:00

People tend to say a lot of stupid things on a pretty regular basis. Most of the time, I hardly have the privilege of listening to the stupid things they say and I try not to let too many people listen to the stupid things I say as well (and I do say some ridiculous things). But thanks to our favourite social media tools like Facebook status updates and Twitter, the floodgates of stupidity have broken and it's been quite entertaining. Oh, how beautifully entertaining it has been.

There are a lot of things people say that Don't Make Sense. Right up there at the top with "It doesn't hurt at all." and "It tastes like chicken." is the, now too often used, saying "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all."

God I hate it when people say that.

I don't find anything wrong with saying something that isn't nice, especially when it's a comment related to whatever it is the person you're aiming it at is talking about. If everyone listened to whoever came up with that phrase, no one would have an opinion and we'd all be stuck using a square wheel.

Some people seem quite unable to cope with negative criticism or comments and their only defense is to keep chanting "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all." over and over again with their hands firmly clapped over their ears (ocassionally accompanied by random "La la la la la la" and head shaking). It's even worse when people get their friends/die-hard supporters to mindlessly chime in and say the same thing too. If people say your face resembles the rear end of an elephant, well what can you do?

If you put something out in public and expect the whole world to agree 100% with anything you say, you might want to go back to Pleasantville and go back to sleep. People have an opinion and they're entitled to tell you about it whether you like it or not (it's usually more fun if you don't like it). I don't see anything wrong with having an opinion. What's wrong is that a lot of people are being mollycoddled by other people who blindly agree with everything they say and when one fine day, some brave soul dares to comment otherwise, worlds are shaken, eyeballs pop out of heads, pillars crumble, veins throb, plates are smashed and complete and utter denial of an opinion other than theirs makes someone look like a Very Ignorant Person.

Of course, this applies only to comments/opinons that are related to the topic at hand. A comment of "Your face!" to a blog post about "Why rabbits are better for cooking in stews than badgers" doesn't really help anyone and is pretty unnecessary. So really, don't say anything at all if you don't have anything that remotely makes sense to add to the conversation.

Perhaps the phrase should be changed to "If you don't have anything constructive/makes sense/related to the topic, don't say anything at all." It's a mouthful and may challenge the intelligence levels of some, but it would do the world a whole lot of good.

And maybe people can stop using that damn phrase again.

Sundown Came and Went

2010-11-06T15:15:00.004+08:00

After almost killing the CD player in my car with non-stop multiple sessions of their previous album "Only by the Night" and much out-of-tune personal karaoke moments, the latest album by Kings of Leon, "Come Around Sundown", looks like it's going to do the same for my vocal cords and CD player again.

It's a good thing I usually drive alone in the car because my voice is really something.

"Only by the Night" was a huge success for Kings of Leon (if all you music purists can count winning a Grammy award as "success"), and it introduced a lot of people to their brand of Southern rock music. A lot of their fans are calling their latest album a little too mainstream for their liking, but I really don't think it matters as long as there are people who can still enjoy the music.

The Followills (Nathan, Caleb, Jared, Matthew - 3 brothers and 1 cousin) have been at it since 1999, so they've been around the block for awhile and it seems like they've finally decided that an arena rock sound is what suits them the best. And I think it works really well. "Come Around Sundown" has this stadium feel to it, like every song was written just so it would sound it's best at a live concert or music festival with thousands of people singing along to Caleb Followill's twangy Southern tunes.

The album starts off with the ironically-named song "The End". It's rich with a teasing guitar sound following the whole song with some synths thrown in for good measure. It's a good introduction to Caleb's voice that just warbles on consistently in every song.

The first single from the album, "Radioactive", is full of energy and gets me a little too excited in the morning. The guitar riffs are fast, catchy and fun. It builds up towards the end as a gospel choir joins in with Caleb letting loose with the hypnotic lyrics. Another song that has almost the same energy would be "No Money" and although the guitar riffs feels a little similar, it's more upbeat with a guitar solo that would no doubt inspire plenty of air-guitar impersonations. But it's all in good fun.

Things slow down abit with songs like "Mi Amigo" which is a rocking ballad with a hint of the blues and "The Face" which sounds all full of sadness, amplified by a haunting guitar hook that matches Caleb's melancholic voice perfectly. "The Face" is one of the highlights of this album for me.

One of the songs that latched on to me and immediately staked its claim as my personal favourite is "Mary". I love it! I'm not too sure why, but it's pretty catchy. It's a blues rock ballad that won my heart over with it's anthemic guitar riffs and vocals that just pleads for me to give it a chance.

If this album sounds like we're being tricked in to listening to country music by the Followills, songs like "Back Down South" and "Pickup Truck" will reaffirm that suspicion for you. It's all full of Southern twang, complete with some cowboy imagery randomly running through your head. The former even has some people whooping and cheering at the end, like they just finished playing in a barnhouse party.

Overall, the album is pretty good. It's easy to listen to, won't confuse you or make you feel like you're listening to an obscure brand of music that only the hipsters like. Caleb's sweeping voice can come off as a little high and nasally if you're not used to it, so maybe try not to listen to the whole album at one go on your first try. The songs are grand and Caleb's voice echoes nice and clear in most of them, giving most of the album a "live" feel. I think Kings of Leon are going to win a lot of new fans over with "Come Around Sundown".

Plus, I think they all look better with less hair altogether.

If you want more information about this album or any of their previous ones, check out Sony Music Malaysia on Facebook/Twitter.

To Decay Or Be Too Faced?

2010-11-01T10:44:00.002+08:00

It's time to get my most trusted and accurate mystical decision maker device!

Oh great Magic 8 ball, which of these make up palettes is the fairest of them all?

Too Faced Enchanted Glamourland Palette

Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume III

Headaches and online shopping and mighty fine packaging, these are a few of my favourite things!

Got What I Wanted From Adam Lambert

2010-10-22T16:55:00.008+08:00

So, who was rocking it out at the Adam Lambert Glam Nation Tour 2010 concert last week at Putra Indoor Stadium? There were a ton of people all dressed up and getting confuzzling me about the differences between a rock look and an emo look!

But, huge thanks to Sony Music Malaysia for hooking me up with some sweet Rock Zone tickets! I love concerts being held at the indoor stadium because it's fully air-conditioned and there's plenty of space for the inevitable jumping around and uncoordinated dance moves!

David and I got there a little late so we missed the local opening acts. But thanks to the rest who were there as well like Kel Li, Nigel, Joshua, Cedric, Jason and Yatz with his new special lady friend Daphne, I got a pretty good picture of how the opening acts went.

Hey, wadya know? Pictures!

Young local singer, Iqwal, did a cover of Jay Sean's "Down" much to the crowd's delight. Because no Malaysian wants to sing along to a song they have not heard on the radio 1000 times a day.

He scruffs up pretty good eh.

This was followed by a tag-team act of singer Danell Lee and violinist extraordinaire, Dennis Lau! They performed a cover of Bon Jovi's "It's My Life". I have no idea how it would sound like with violins and I really wish I was there to see it!

This moment is... Intense.

I've seen Dennis Lau perform a few times at different events, but it was mostly pop/jazzy tunes, so it would have been pretty cool to see a violin at a rock concert.

Don't you just want to put him in your bag and bring him home to mamma.

After the opening acts, there was a wait of about 45 minutes, during which the main sponsor, DiGi, released huge yellow beach balls into the crowd. A few people close to where I was standing got a little too excited over some giant balls bouncing around and I made it a point to move a few feet farther away. Just in case.

Without warning, the lights dimmed, and the crowd started going wild! The stage lights went on and laser beams shout out in all directions. Oh yea, you know who's coming.

Adam leaped onto stage in a huge fur coat and feathery tophat, and immediately launched into his first song, "Voodoo"! His outfit reminded me of Dr. Facilier from "The Princess & The Frog"!

It was several songs non-stop for Adam the minute the concert started!

He went right into "For Your Entertainment", "Rabbit Hole" and much to my fangirl delight, he sang the same Middle-Eastern-esque version of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" that he sang on the country music episode of American Idol! Sweet!!

More then enough eyeliner for the cast of The Hills.

After a short musical interlude, the tophat and furcoat came off to give us a nice look at Adam's insanely glittery mohawk.

His dancers came out and he sang "Fever", "Sleepwalker", "Soaked", "Broken Open" and "Aftermath".

The high stool came on with a lone acoustic guitarist and we know what's coming. A slow song! Surprisingly, it was his mega hit "Whataya Want From Me", which sounded awesome!

The concert was really fast-paced with Adam going from song to song with hardly a pause in between. He did interact with the audience a little with some words of wisdom about love, life and sex (y'know, all the important things), but would have been great to get more going with the crowd.

He then performed "Surefire", "Strut" and "Music Again", which accompanied the always fun to watch introduction of his band members and dancers.

He performed so many songs for this concert, I was starting to get a little restless towards the end!

After saying a few words of thanks to the crowd, he gave everyone exactly what they came for - a sing-a-long to "If I Had You". Everyone just lost it right there and then. I don't know if undergarments were coming off, but the concert turned into a huge party with everyone on their feet, from those in the highest seats around the stadium to those on the floor, dancing and singing with Adam at the top of their Malaysian lungs!

I permitted myself a few jumps and mad swinging of arms before I calmed down.

It was the perfect song to end the concert on a high note with. The lights went down, Adam took a bow and left the stage. It's over!

Well, not quite yet.

After a few minutes of enduring teenage girls screaming "We want more!" at the top of their teenage lungs, the stage lights burst back on and Adam came back on stage with his bad. Mr. Lambert was not done with Malaysia just yet.

He gave a great performance of a cover version of "Mad World" and "20th Century Boy" which involved a lot of electric guitar shredding that almost killed my ears. Finally, it was really over.

What a concert! Adam's voice was amazing and insanely high-pitched from start to finish! I knew he was good when I watched him on American Idol, but to actually witness him performing live right in front of me was awesome. He maintained the standards we expected of him and blew everyone away. I say this about every concert I go to, and I'll say it again - it was surreal.

Kisses for that horde of people standing outside the stadium protesting about something.

*pics from Sony Music Malaysia*

Villains Came Home With Me

2010-10-19T15:11:00.005+08:00

I have officially lost it. Both my mind and a ton of money.

So far, I've been pretty successful at keeping my nose in the cheap side of cosmetics and items intended to make one look as presentable as possible. My personal buying motto of quantity over quality has served me well thus far, but ever since I've been having a steady income, the urge to spend has been quite overwhelming! And like a boxer with butter fingers, I haven't been putting up much of a fight against it.

My willpower officially went down the drain the day I happened to saunter (without putting up a fight again, you see) past a MAC outlet the day they launched their latest collection - a collaboration with Disney called the "Venomous Villains Collection".

Who's the champion now, wimpy princesses?

Instead of going the predictable route with a collection centered around characters that every little girl with fluttering eyelashes and bluebirds following her around longs to be, MAC made a collection based on the characters we love to hate! Disney villains are in a class of their own. With more devious plans than local politicians and methods of poisoning that would make you look upon apples and spinning wheels with unnecessary caution, they're a whole bunch of angry bitches out to get you.

Well, there are male Disney villains as well and MAC didn't want to leave that out.

The MAC Disney Venomous Villains Collection is based on 4 Disney villains namely Cruella de Vil (101 Dalmatians - 1961), the Evil Queen (Snow White - 1937), Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty - 1959) and Dr. Facilier (The Princess & The Frog - 2009). Each villain has a whole range of products like blushes, beauty powders, eyeshadows, lipglosses and such to their name and the packaging for most of it has the classic images of the villains printed on (as opposed to stickers like previous collections). This collection is huge and achieves many levels of epic.

I think the villains that they chose are spot on when it comes to their individual looks, especially Maleficent, who always looks a little green, and the Evil Queen with her red lips. Cruella could have used some eyebrow grooming lessons, but we'll forgive her for that. The odd one out for me was Dr. Facilier. He's one of the most recent Disney villains, while the others are classics. It's a really weird choice since not a lot of people know him (people like myself who completely ignored that movie) and he looks like he's about to spend the night in your closet and wait until you fall asleep.

How about choosing someone like Gaston from Beauty & the Beast? Or Jafar from Aladdin? At least they were nice to look at.

Optimism. It could have been worse.

I wanted to buy almost everything from the collection, mostly for the packaging though. I realise that when looking at it individually and looking at the entire collection as a whole, temptation levels tend to differ.

Since it was all insanely expensive (the perils of MAC), I decided to buy things that I know I would use (or most likely not end up in the dreaded "See-how" drawer) and luckily, they were from 2 villains whose design I liked the most!

First up, my first expensive (from someone who has only bought eyeshadow from warehouse sales) eyeshadow! From Maleficent's collection, I chose the "She Who Dares" Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo.

The boxes are designed with the original Disney sketches of each villain.

I've never used mineralized eyeshadow before and come to think of it, I never really use a lot of eyeshadow too. So it was quite an investment and the price tag was more than enough to make sure I actually try to use it.

"She Who Dares" Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo is a combination of a sapphire-ish navy blue with black undertones on 2/3 of it and a dirty forest green with black undertones on the other 1/3. Both colours are packed full of shimmer. Nothing a villain likes more than some shimmer to announce that she's got her eye on you.

Maleficent and her raven, the original Disney pirate and parrot duo.

Must. Stop. Staring. At. It.

Being an eyeshadow noob of the lowliest degree, I was kinda hesitant to buy this at first because I was pretty sure I was going to make a complete mess of things. I swatched it on my hand and the colours turned out a dull, messy black with barely noticeable shimmer. None of the bright blue and green colours I saw in the pan. I could barely tell the blue and green apart! How now brown cow??

Sensing that a customer was not about to plonk down a wad of cash into her register, a sales assistant came over to show me how it was done. She grabbed a black Greasepaint Stick (in "Slick Black" from Dr. Facilier's collection), smudged it over the back of her hand as a base and patted the Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo on top of it. I don't know how and why, but the heavens opened up (as they are wont to open at moments like these) and the colours emerged as bright and shimmery as I expected it to be the first time.

Learning my lesson, I discovered that these Mineralize Eyeshadows (and most eyeshadows for that matter) show up best with a base underneath. Depending on the look you're going for, the base could be a neutral skin colour, or the same colour as the eyeshadow itself. I decided that I was going to jump right in with smoky eye looks using this eyeshadow, so after some homework, I found a great eyeshadow base to start with - The Body Shop Kajal Eyeliner (special edition) in Charcoal, which is a basic black crayon-looking kajal eyeliner. It works great as a base for super basic black smoky eye look. I smudge it onto my eyelid, pat the Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo on top of it and it kinda works! Albeit a little messy and dangerously close to looking like bruised panda eyes zone.

I should have gotten the silver one too, but now it's sold out everywhere!

I would like to give myself a public pat on the back for successfully (I use the term loosely here) doing smoky eyes for 2 days in a row! I didnt dare use more than 1 colour since my blending skillz are not past Level 1 yet, but I think it looked quite alright!

Back to MAC! Focus, I no haz it.

The next thing I bought is from the Evil Queen's collection, which is the "Strange Potion" Lipglass.

It's actually a sleeve casing where you slide another box out from the inside and it's a basic MAC lipgloss box.

No Evil Queen is complete without an Evil Scowl.

Strange Potion Lipglass is a light peachy coral with very slight gold shimmer. It is opaque enough to be worn on its own and I absolutely love it.

True to MAC's Lipglass reputation, it's pretty a sticky formula, but the colour is so worth the risk of having your lips stuck together for a few seconds each time you open your mouth (solution? talk less when wearing this).

It looks a little dark coral here, but in real life it's at least 2 shades lighter. More peachy.

And that's my tiny haul from MAC'S Disney Venomous Villains Collection! You can bet I'll be trying to use these 2 products as often as possible to make it worth the price I paid. I've got a slight longing for one of the blushes from the Evil Queen's collection. I'll try not to go near a MAC store anytime soon.

Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo is RM85 and Lipglass is RM70. Not sure if that price is exclusively for this collection only though. I don't know MAC prices well enough. The Body Shop Kajal Eyeliner is RM35. What a steal!

The next MAC collection launching in a few months looks promising. Just in time for Christmas, the MAC A Tartan Tale Collection has me thinking of very fit Scottish lads in kilts. Short, short kilts, standing on a hill on a windy day.

Be still, my beating heart!!

*MAC A Tartan Tale pictures from Temptalia*

Time To Glam Up!

2010-10-08T11:02:00.002+08:00

With more guyliner than a panda, more glitter than a hen's night party and the ability to turn everyday angry teen questions in to hit songs, there's no doubt about it - Adam Lambert is one helluva performer.

And who knew that one fine day, he'll be bringing his very own brand of glam to Malaysia!

That's right all you closet and not-so-closet Glambert fans! Adam Lambert is bringing his Glam Nation Tour Live in Malaysia, brought to you Live by DiGi in all his glamorous glory, on 14th October 2010 at Putra Indoor Stadium, Bukit Jalil!

Aaahhhh... From humble beginnings on American Idol to sell-out concerts around the world, I remember following his progress on TV (back when AI was actually entertaining). He's the last performer I'd expect to come here to Malaysia honestly, but let us not question fate!

If you've been reading about his on-stage antics recently like I have, it's only natural to have no idea what to expect at his concert. Concert ticket prices range from RM103 (luke-warm fan) to RM298 (uber rabid fan). If you haven't already gotten your tickets, here's how you can grab some pretty good deals so you don't have an excuse to miss out!

Tickets can be bought at TicketPro online or at their counters, so find out the full list of counters at their website. Now Sony Music have recently released a special edition Adam Lambert album which is the "For Your Entertainment - Tour Edition". If you buy this album, there's a special coupon in there which you can use to get 10% off the concert tickets. Or if you buy tickets to the concert, you get a special coupon to enjoy 10% off the "For Your Entertainment - Tour Edition" album! Win-win!

For all Adam Lambert’s concert goers, be prepared to come all “glammed-up” as 5 lucky fans with the best glam look for the night will stand a chance to get an autographed Adam Lambert Glam Box as well as to meet Adam backstage! In order to participate in the “Glam It Up” contest, just get all “glammed-up” and have your photo taken at the official photowall, stationed at the main entrance, by the designated photographers between 5.30 to 6.00pm. On top of that if you are one of the lucky 5 chosen winners and also a DiGi subscriber, you and a friend will automatically be upgraded to DiGi’s zone to watch the concert (ticket upgrade not applicable for “The Pitt” zone ticket holders)!!

For fans who comes between 6.00 to 8.00pm, you can still get your photos taken and be included in the “Glamberts Hall Of Fame” photo album which will be uploaded on Facebook after the concert. To view your Glam photos, just go to Sony Music Malaysia Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/sonymusicmy). You can also share your photo with your friends by tagging yourself. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the “Glamberts Hall Of Fame”!

I'm definitely going to the concert next week! Guess which section I'll be singing "If I Had You" from? Hint: Barney.

I will be bringing out my disgustingly awesome eyeliner skillz (translation: cannot make it) in full force in honour of Glambert! It may be the most eyeliner I will ever use since I discovered eyeliner, but it will be worth the disapproving stares of society!

For our entertainment? For sure!

Happiness Never Hurts

2010-10-05T11:08:00.000+08:00

I don't claim to be a know-it-all when it comes to obscure music and bands that no one has ever heard of, so when I caught sight of this new duo called Hurts from the UK whilst doing the television cowabunga one fine evening, I didn't really give them a second thought.

Well it would seem that it would not be the last I'd hear of Hurts. I got a copy of their debut album "Happiness" from Sony Music Malaysia and after a few spins in my crappy car CD player, "Happiness" by Hurts seems to give me some feel-good times with a little serving of deep melancholy on the side.

Immediately judging a CD by it's cover, "Happiness" certainly looks a little retro and foreboding with Hurts frontman Theo Hutchcraft (what a sexy name) sitting all dapper in a suit with his slicked back hair and an ear piercing, while his synth partner Adam Anderson glares at us in his rolled-up-sleeves and suspenders. If you think it looks like a mug-shot, you're not alone.

The whole album art is done in a monochrome fashion with no colour other than black and white. Lyrics are provided in the album sleeve, which is becoming a rarity these days. But the initial feel you get is that it's either going to be terribly depressing or insanely boring.

"The Stare" only works on some. Attempt only with adult supervision.

Personally, I am thankful that "Happiness" does not turn out terrible nor insane.

Hurts falls under the synthpop genre which sounds very much like all music that came out of that terrible time we call the '80s. Most of the tracks might sound a little dated when you listen to them randomly, but this is an album that slowly grows on you. Most of the tracks have, but some are taking a little longer to gain my acceptance into my loving arms.

Or this could also be a Giorgio Armani ad.

Hutchcraft's voice is the perfect glue to bind all the songs in the album together. It's rich, smooth, dripping with butter in some tracks (like "Blood, Tears & Gold") and can go from a high balladeer's warble to a slightly deeper tone that makes the song feel like it's going to be an epic journey. Try the full-0f-synth-juice first single "Better Than Love" and you'll see what I mean. It sounds like an 80's dance track, but the chorus is pretty haunting.

If there is an opportunity to insert a choir and full-blown orchestra into a track, Hurts will grab it by the throat and milk it for all it's worth! That combination brings an exciting feeling of grandeur to the album and coupled with their pretty intense lyrics, it makes for some pretty good tracks like "Stay" and "Unspoken".

My favourite track from the album is the first track "Silver Lining" and it's the perfect song to kick off the album. There's a slight funeral-march feel at the beginning, but it quickly dies off to a mesmerising piano beat and you're rewarded with a taste of Theo Hutchcraft's hypnotic voice as the song picks up and rolls you into a big haunting chorus. It dies down as soon as it picked you up by surprise, and I think that's what I like about this song. There's so many different layers to it.

Another morsel of delight in this album is "Devotion" which features Kylie Minogue! The song sounds rather concert-anthem-ish (the kind where everyone will throw their hands, lighters and girlfriends up in the air and sing along) and Kylie's voice adds just the right bit of drama to a stirring ballad.

"Happiness" by Hurts is not an album for everyone. It took me a few cracks at it before I finally discovered what I liked enough about it. There is a lot of attention to detail in all the songs - from the lyrics to the well-timed up's and down's of the volume in each track. You may feel a little mellow after you've gone through a session of "Happiness", but I suppose that's what the word meant to Hurts.

P.S. If the thought of Rick Astley suddenly jumps out at you as you listen to this album, you have nothing to feel guilty about.

P.P.S. If you need more details on where to find Hurts' album, check out Sony Music Malaysia on Facebook or Twitter.

Watsons Membership Card Drifts Over!

2010-09-24T11:45:00.002+08:00

Over the past year or so, I've found several new places that I enjoy spending more and more time at (nothing illegal!). One of these places are pharmacies like Guardian, Watsons and Caring. I can't walk past any one of them, whether in a mall or down the street, without losing my mind and automatically drifting blindly into them for a good 15 minutes or so like a blind moth towards a drugstore-fueled flame.

I'm aware that all these pharmacies stock up almost the exact same products and I see these same products every single time I go in. But I still. Must. Go. Look. I love browsing the shelves and picking up the same facial washes and reading the same product labels to myself over and over again. I make mental lists of all the things I would love to buy and I make even more lists of the things I'm pretty sure I'll get round to buying one fine day. I may have a psychological problem that needs to be addressed, but that's a story for another day.

Recently, Watsons launched their new Watsons Membership Card in Malaysia, which I initially thought was a damn good thing to finally have here (Singapore has had it for awhile already), but after much deliberation and poring over the finer details of the card, my verdict comes up as.. Indifferent.

It's RM12 to sign-up with a lifetime membership and the Watsons Membership Card can be used at any Watsons outlet in Malaysia. The lack of a membership expiry date makes my heart go all a-flutter at times. I could be using this baby until membership cards are no longer in vogue.

The main purpose of this new fangled membership card is to allow loyal *coughs* Watsons customers to collect points with their purchases, enjoy special promotional items at special member prices and invitations to exclusive events and stuff. Sounds pretty nifty eh.

Let's see how useful this card actually is. You know we're stepping in some serious business when a Pros and Cons list makes an appearance!

Pros:

Points collection system - Every RM1 spent at Watsons is worth 1 point. We get double points when we purchase Watsons' in-house brand, and 5 times worth of points for purchases made during your birthday month (one-time purchase only).
Special members-only discounts/promos - There are monthly discounts and/or bonus points on selected items in Watsons every month that only members can enjoy. Great if it's an added discount on something you're already planning to buy. I plan to buy everything, so I don't count.
Points as cash - If you accumulate enough points, you can actually use it as cash to offset your Watsons bill and pay for stuff.
Instant points for online card activation - Activate your Watsons card online and you get 200 bonus points instantly. You can also activate the card via a Member Hotline or fill out a form at Watsons, but those don't get you 200 points.
Voucher booklet - Once you've signed up, you get handed a thick booklet of vouchers that can be used to either knock someone out, or get discounts on some products/brands.

Cons:

Good luck getting points to spend - As I mentioned, RM1 = 1 point. But what's the value of those points you've so painstakingly collected? Miniscule. 0.5% to be exact! Because every 200 points = RM1. That's right. To accumulate enough points to buy a stick of gum at Watsons, you'll have to earn around 600 points. Which is equivalent to spending RM600. How about redeeming something worth that RM12 you spent to sign up? Spend RM2400.
Points have an expiry date - The card doesn't, but the points do. Points are only valid for 2 years, so start spending!
Voucher booklet - All the vouchers are essentially the same thing: RM1 to RM10 off selected brands/products. Mostly just a mere 10% discount.

Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of the Watsons Membership Card programme for Malaysia because their 0.5% points rebate system is an insult to my intelligence and spending power (not even 1%? C'mon!), but I don't see the harm in enjoying some of the members-only discounts every month. And I know I'll be buying some pretty regular things from pharmacies anyway (us ladies are tedious like that), so I might as well get some points for my trouble in the process. I think I can spare the RM12 sign-up fee.

Well, that and the fact that I immediately signed my soul over to the card before I came up with my brilliant Cons list so I'm stuck with this card for life. I have trigger-signature-fingers.

Full details at their website here.

Birthday Bits & Bobs

2010-09-22T11:11:00.003+08:00

My 23rd birthday came and went on the 20th without much fanfare or celebrations involving more than 5 people at a time and much cake.

23 feels like such an insignificant age and number to be at, but there is nothing insignificant about the good life I've been enjoying since Day 1. It's terribly hard to be grateful about life when you feel that you aren't doing much to be grateful enough, so I try not to dwell on it.

Birthday presents were few and far between this year too, but what little I did receive are more than enough, knowing that much thought, deliberation and (hopefully) love has been put into them to give me something that I would actually want/use. I still have random birthday presents from previous years sitting unused on a shelf in my room somewhere, and I'm pleased to say that the presents I've received this year will be doing the exact opposite of that.

Something worth noting down is the the dramatic decrease of SMS/phone calls I've received to wish me happy birthday this year, but my Facebook wall and Twitter exploded. Hooray for teh interwebz!

For some special birthday noms, David tried (most successfully much to my surprise) to whisk me off to an unknown destination for dinner. Said unknown destination turned out to be Jalan Telawi in Bangsar (I'll feign unknowing-ness) and a quaint German restaurant down the street called House Frankfurt. It's the sort of joint that I've walked past without a second glance because every other shop in Bangsar is just this sort of place - dim lighting, wooden chairs and tables spilling onto the sidewalk threatening to knock your kneecaps off and plenty of white people with a lager in hand.

It wasn't very crowded because I presume not many people celebrate their birthdays on a Monday, but we managed to get a cosy little booth amidst lots of old black-and-white photos of soldier-ly looking people on the walls.

We helped ourselves to a huge and juicy pork knuckle with delightfully crunchy skin on top that threatened our arteries the minute we dared to look at it in the eye. So good. So crunchy. So chewy. So awesome at a special price because Mondays are pork knuckle nights at House Frankfurt. Score!

It was just like any other dinner night that we've shared with nonsensical topics and feeling awkward together in new surroundings. And I'm not complaining because it'll feel like I'm celebrating something with him every day then. What a bonus!

I'm a year older and none the wiser. Not sure if it's going to improve this time next year, but I shall remain optimistic!!

P.S. Will be posting up pictures from one of my birthday presents this year soon. Massive amounts of excitement in store!

Meet Moxy.

A little W.E.I.R.D.

2010-09-03T12:14:00.004+08:00

Sometimes, things get a little too W.E.I.R.D.

Yeap folks, it's another sessions of Wildly Erratic and Intensely Random Dreams!

This dream happened a few nights ago and I'm positive the only reason I still remember it is because it involves a car and elephants.

I had another dream before this elephant one. I was taking a trip to a city via a train. It was somewhat LRT-ish but being a dream, the train carriage was huge with more than enough room for everyone. I had a friend with me, but I can't remember who. What I do remember is scolding my friend for sitting so far away from me in said train.

Even in my dreams, I have abandonment issues.

I must have woken up and fell back to sleep again because the dream took a different turn and I found myself talking to a group of people who were telling me what to do in an emergency. A very specific type of emergency - what to do when your car is submerged underwater.

The instructions given seemed pretty simple and foolproof - hold your breath, wind down/kick the windows of the car and swim out. As I'm trying to analyse my dream now, I don't know if I should be worried or not that what my subsconscious tries to pass off as survival skills can be read from the back of a cereal box.

With a head full of trust and no inhibitions, I got into a car with the same group of strangers and we drove off (I definitely don't like to drive in dreams and real life). Where we were heading, no one seemed to be telling.

After getting a lesson on what to do when a car is submerged underwater, take a gamble as to what happened next.

Of course, the car suddenly swerved violently, headed straight for a low red brick wall at full speed. We crashed and tipped over the low red brick wall right in to an exceptionally deep pond. Murky pond water immediately started filling up the car and within seconds, it was completely submerged.

I'd like to take a moment to congratulate my dream self on remembering exactly what I was trained to do in such an emergency and keep a calm head. Is this an indication of my fight-or-flee tendencies?

Anyway, like it was something that happened every other day to me, I calmly held my breath, kicked out the windows of the car and swam up to the surface. I might be a little selfish too because I don't think I bothered to find out what happened to the rest of the people who were in the car with me. Gotta always look out for #1 ;)

As I made my way up to the surface, something huge swam past me. It was an elephant. What the..???

That may have made me panic a little (I don't break a sweat in a car crash but an underwater pachyderm sends my spider senses tingling. Priorities!) so I swam up faster and finally reached the water's surface.

What I thought was a random pond turned out to be a pool in an elephant enclosure in the zoo. Was that where the car was headed to? The zoo?

As I clambered out of the pool soaking wet and spitting out bits of pond weed, an elephant surfaced out of the pool right behind me and glared at me as though I'd interrupted it's morning swim.

I then nonchalantly walked over to the nearest tap and washed myself clean.

Erm.. I'm not even going to try deciphering this one.

Fizzy Zombies!

2010-08-24T13:53:00.006+08:00

Zombie movies! Ah, who doesn't enjoy a good ol' zombie brain-bashing flick with horrified mortals failing to run away from the living dead who are busy dropping limbs every 5 steps and moving at the pace of a crippled snail.

My most favourite zombie movies ever are "Shaun of the Dead" and "Zombieland"! With a genre as depressing as walking corpses, comedy zombie movies are always something to look forward to.

Action zombie flicks are insanely fun to watch too and the "Resident Evil" movie series are no exception. I have never played the game before (I should, really), but I've watched all 3 previous movies in the cinema (now that's zombie dedication for you) and enjoyed them immensely.

Now we can all enjoy watching Alice kick some serious zombie ass in the latest movie "Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D"!

The 4th installment continues as the world is ravaged by an infectious virus and victims are turned into the Undead, Alice (Milla Jovovich) continues her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Although a deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation escalates, Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend, Claire (Ali Larter). A new lead that promises a safe haven from the Undead takes Alice and her comrades to Los Angeles, but when they arrived, the city is overrun by thousands of Undead –and a deadly trap waits.

If you think the glorious sight of a zombie head exploding (non-existent) brain matter all over it's fellow undead comrades after being shot at close range with a gun is the most beautiful sight in the world, imagine it in 3D! Yea, everyone's doing 3D these days but I suppose "Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D" would be pretty awesome to watch.

Now if you'd like the chance to catch an exclusive screening of "Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D", Friendster Fizz is giving out passes! Yeap, the same Friendster Fizz that gave out passes to "Step Up 3D" recently are at it again.

If you prefer undead legs instead of dancing ones, here's how you can win some passes to catch "Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D"! Just be the first 80 fans of Friendster Fizz to email contest@friendster.com and tell them why Resident Evil is the best movie franchise ever in less than 25 words. Not only do you stand a chance to win passes, you could also snag yourself some swag! Be a fan and post a picture of yourself in your best zombie-inspired costume (clothes, make-up, the whole shebang) on to the Friendster Fizz profile and you could win a Sony 16GB Walkman and other exclusive "Resident Evil: Afterlife" premiums. The contest ends 1st September 2010.

In the meantime, I'm going to go for a jog and shoot Nerf darts at some empty beer cans. Y'know, just in case.

Brains... Brains...

Sun Shields - On!

2010-08-19T14:39:00.007+08:00

As Baz Luhrman once said, "Wear sunscreen".

I've read a lot online about how important it is to wear sunscreen (or sunblock as the locals call it and I'll probably alternate between using it) everyday whenever we're outdoors. Such advice usually falls on deaf ears because for some odd reason, everyone associates sunblock with going on beach holidays.

And no one likes to be reminded that a beach holiday is the last thing they'll be doing when they slap on the sunblock before leaving for work :(

(oh wow, I just did a wiki-search and there is a difference between sunscreen and sunblock. cool beans!)

Now the whole SPF (Skin Protection Factor) thing is pretty confusing. Does a higher SPF number mean I get more protection from the sun? SPF doesnt exactly mean the amount of sun protection you get. Basically, all sunblocks give you about the same level of sun protection, but the SPF number means approximately how long you can stay out in the sun before the rays take effect and you start to toast.

For example, if you start roasting and turning red after about 10 minutes in the sun, a sunblock with SPF15 means you can stay outdoors for around 150 minutes before you turn in to a lobster. SPF 50 means your skin will need to be exposed to 50 times the amount of UV rays it takes for you to turn red before you burn.

Also, don't forget that because there's UVA and UVB rays, you'll be needing a sunblock that protects you from both (look for labels like "UVA/UVB" or "broad spectrum"). The difference between UVA and UVB? UVB rays penetrate only the top layer of your skin, the epidermis. It's the ray that causes you to tan and you can pretty much avoid it by staying under the shade, covering yourself up in swathes of cloth or be a princess indoors.

UVA is what we should be worried about because this bad boy is just as strong all year round, penetrates through shade, clothing and glass (like car windows) and goes straight to your dermis. This is the one that's going to make you look in the mirror in a few years time and pass out at the amount of sun damage like wrinkles, freckles and spots on your skin.

For all you visually-stimulated folks out there.

If you're going to wear sunblock, kiasu-ness is key. Take as high an SPF as you can go. SPF 15 is for wimps!

Personally, I never did wear facial sunblock on my face because sunblock has always been known to be kinda sticky, oily and feels thicker than a layer of mayonnaise on Elvis' sandwich. But technology has thus progressed just enough for us to enjoy the luxury of sunblock made exclusively for the face!

I think one of the more popular ones would be "L'oreal UV Perfect Fluid Protector SPF 50" sunscreen because it's been around for ages and is available everywhere you look. I've tried the tester product on my hands a few times when I'm at the pharmacy, but it didnt really drive me to buy a whole full-sized product.

This is where I show you, how effective a tool samples can be.

I was cleaning up my make-up stash one fine day when I came across 2 tiny sample bottles that I'd set aside for a rainy (or in this case, sunny. hur hur) day.

They're like magic beans. Except, they're bottles.

2 little sample bottles of the Biore UV products. One is "Biore UV Perfect Milk" and the other is the "Biore UV Perfect Face Milk". Both products look almost alike, but I decided to go with the face-specific one and see how it works for me. Both are SPF 50+ and PA+++ (not too sure what the "+" are for, but the more the merrier right?) and are broad-spectrum sunscreens so they protect against UVA and UVB rays.

I am so glad I decided to clean up my make-up stash because that's how I found the perfect sunscreen for my face!

I've tried a few face-specific sunscreens before and I always had the same problem - they leave an obvious white cast on my face. And I get all greasy like a bad burger a short while later. Good for my skin, not so good for my vanity.

The "Biore UV Perfect Face Milk", is a light milky (duh) liquid that goes on smoothly and dries to a matte finish, which is exactly what I needed. Matte is king!! Say it with me now! The label says it's suitable as a make-up base too, so that's a plus point (though I always use a primer anyway). There wasn't a visible white sheen to my face, but it did brighten up my skin a bit because of the sebum absorbing powder as one of it's ingredients. No intense greasing up too.

The small sample bottle lasted me (with daily use on my face and neck) for about 3 weeks and when I knew it had stolen my heart like a prince with a box of doughnuts, I went to the nearest pharmacy and bought the full-sized one.

My first official facial sunscreen! "Biore UV Perfect Face Milk SPF 50+ PA+++". Phew what a mouthful!

My hunt is over! I'm still keeping the other small sample bottle which is the "Biore UV Perfect Milk" that's suitable for both face and body, but I'm a little skeptical of using something that's suitable for my body as well on my face because it might clog up my pores.

Won't be tossing the empty sample bottles too because they're perfect for travelling and I can just transfer some sunscreen from the full-sized bottle.

Another facial sunscreen that I managed to try is the "Garnier UV Protect Advanced Daily UV Blocking Lotion SPF 50 PA+++". I didn't pay for this of course. The full-sized bottle came free with a magazine a few months ago :P

"Garnier UV Protect Advanced Daily UV Blocking Lotion SPF 50 PA+++" in case you missed it the first time.

Unlike it's Biore counterpart, Garnier's UV Protect has a few variants like purple for dullness, beige for a slight tint and plain normal white. The main difference for me is that while Biore's formula is light and liquid-y, Garnier's was slightly thicker in consistency, almost foundation-like.

Both offer pretty much the same level of sun protection, but upon application, my face was a little greasy with Garnier's and it had that typical sticky sunblock feeling that I dread. Biore's matte finish was most welcome.

For comparison: Garnier UV Protect on the left (beige) and Biore UV Perfect on the right (white).

The good thing about Garnier's beige tinted sunscreen is that it does offer slight coverage if you're the sort who doesn't need much foundation (I hate you, whoever you are) for going out.

Personally, if you have dry skin and need something a little more moisturising, go for Garnier UV Protect. If it's combination-oily skin that haunts you, Biore UV Perfect should be great. On the same note, L'oreal has just released a new version called "L'oreal UV Perfect Matte SPF 30" (why did they lower the SPF count?) which promises a more matte finish compared to it's previous formula.

Now that I've become more disciplined about sunscreen application on my face, it's time to get started on protecting the rest of my body! I keep forgetting to apply sunblock on my arms and legs before I leave the house. And get David to start using sunscreen. Seriously. Guys need to start tossing out that old-fashioned thinking that skincare is just for the ladies and look after themselves too.

Remember, sun damage and wrinkles do not discriminate.

Aw, You Make Me Blush

2010-08-12T11:01:00.001+08:00

Blush!

If you can't make it real 24/7, fake it! Lately, I've been going on abit of a blusher-binge and it's finally showing signs of slowing down. Honestly, how many different colours can one paint one's cheeks in?

A lot apparently.

My first "official" blusher was a Clinique blusher I bought from the Estee Lauder warehouse sale way back when(speaking of which, it's this Saturday). Yea, I like to think that I started out with the big boys and went downhill from there.

Ever since I discovered NYX (read all about NYX obsessions here, here and here), I've been buying their products like a woman possessed (especially the NYX Round Lipsticks) because it's so disgustingly cheap. And now that I've tried some of their blushers, I dont know if I can ever go back to using anything else.

Over the past few months, I've bought 4 different NYX blushers and now that they've all finally arrived, swatches aplenty!

Note: Most of the blushers I buy are pretty strong colours because light peachy/pink colours appear non-existent on my face. Heartbreaking, I know.

On with the blush parade!

NYX Powder Blush - Desert Rose

Powder blushes are pretty much foolproof. If you put too much on, just dust on some loose powder or swipe several times with a tissue. NYX Powder Blushes are known for their staying power and after trying it in Desert Rose, fact confirmed!!

NYX Powder Blushes have amazing staying power and can pretty much last almost the entire day, even when the rest of my face has melted off. They're incredibly pigmented too, so you really dont need to load up your brush with a lot of product.

All NYX Powder Blushes have this cute quilted surface pattern. I am mesmerised *zombie stare*

Another good thing to note is that the blush powder is err.. How do I say this? Packed on pretty tight? When I stab my brush into it (I'm like the dominatrix of the blusher world), I don't get flying bits of powder everywhere. A puffy pink mess on your clothes is not the best way to start the day.

If I have any complaints at all about it, I'd say the packaging looks really cheap (well, that's because it is, Captain Obvious), like it's some un-branded eyeshadow I bought from the supermarket. Also, the colours on the websites are horrendously unreliable. Most of the product colours look nothing like that in real life, so best to Google some swatches before buying (I learnt that the hard way).

NYX Powder Blush swatch - Desert Rose

Desert Rose is a raspberry-ish wine pink that doesn't need a lot for application or I'll look like I have bruised cheeks.

I only have 1 powder blush from NYX so far. Let's see how long I can hold up for before I cave and buy 10 more.

On to my most favourite NYX product ever - NYX Rouge Cream Blush!

Cream blushes are the best things since sliced bread and tweezers. Depending on the type of cream blush you have, you can get a nice pink healthy glow, or a touch of shimmer on your cheeks that never fades! The secret to cream blushes is to blend like mad until the cows come home pink. Just tap your fingers onto the surface of the blush and tap it onto your cheeks to build up the colour.

I admit, my first encounter with a cream blush ended with me in my best clown impersonation. Cream blush 1, Jen 0.

I had an amazingly tough time trying to pick my first cream blush from NYX, thinking which one would be the most versatile and practical for everyday use. A few months ago, I started using it and it's been a regular ever since.

NYX Rouge Cream Blush - Glow

Pardon the sad condition of my cream blush surface! I've been using it for well over 2 months now and I use a duo-fibre stipling brush for this, so the beautiful surface is riddled with prickly brush marks. Just 1 dip with my brush is enough to give colour for 1 cheek.

The top layer of the blush seems to have oxidised a little to a rather dull colour, but as I swiped away with my finger for the swatch, the true colour underneath shows better.

Glow is a slightly muted bubblegum pink shade. A very light hand is needed with this one and lots of blending. Patience!!

NYX Rouge Cream Blush swatch - Glow

Once I started using Glow, I just knew I had to get my hands on more cream blushes!

My cheeks now feel complete.

NYX Rouge Cream Blush - Rose Petal

After deciding that perhaps Glow was a little too intense of a colour sometimes, my next cream blush aim was for something a little more natural, and Rose Petal looks like it was a good choice!

Ingredients list for those who need to know.

I spot mineral oil as the first ingredient and I've read that there are some people whose skin is not on speaking terms with mineral oil. It's been fine for me so far.

Rose Petal is a nice dull, pale pink with a slight hint of peach. Where Glow was more of a cool-tone, Rose Petal is warmer.

NYX Rouge Cream Blush swatch - Rose Petal

Nice eh? Very natural and exactly what I was looking for.

Now that I had "natural" sorted out, I decided to branch out into the wild and unknown with my next cream blush! Since normal pink blushes are a dime a dozen, I figured I need at least 1 random colour in my blush collection for good measure.

NYX Rouge Cream Blush - Orange

I really had no words to say when I first laid my eyes on it. It's so.. Orange! I love it!! :D

Ingredients list. Mineral oil still in there somewhere.

Out of all the NYX Rouge Cream Blushes, this one is the most appropriately named and has the most accurate colour shown on the website! How hard can it be to get orange wrong?

NYX Rouge Cream Blush swatch - Orange

I have no idea what made me buy Orange because it seems like such an impossible colour to wear! I think people are taken aback by their first impressions of the shade because the orange is really bright and pretty intense. But once blended properly with a light hand, this shade actually really suits more yellow-based skin tones.

I was complaining about how difficult it is to find a peach blush for myself, but with a really light hand and proper blending, Orange turns out to be a good dupe!

Btw if you noticed, Glow and Rose Petal have different packaging compared to Orange. I'm not too sure which one is the latest though. Both Glow and Rose Petal have a shiny plastic casing while Orange has matte black casing.

All cream blush colours look really strong and intimidating in the pan, but you're only meant to use very little and blend it out anyway.

What I like about cream blushes is that they make a great base for powder blushes. I just put on some cream blush as usual (but a little lighter), then layer over it with a dusting of powder blush in the same colour (or as similar as possible).

I will then have achieved blush nirvana.

Once again, just because.

Coming up: My full collection of NYX Round Lipsticks and Round Lipglosses. Such joy.