Once Over Lightly

Paradigm Mall: Of Magical Customer Service and Elevator Repairs

2012-06-01T00:48:00.000+08:00

Click on images for full view
Original Facebook post here

I don't usually post on current events, but this is too funny not to.
I'm hopping on the viral bandwagon.

Paradigm Mall's social media exec actually typed away using the Chinese version of Manglish (Malaysian English)
Strike one.
Paradigm Mall's social media exec mocked customer.
Strike two.
Paradigm Mall's social media exec challenged (verging on provoking) customer.
Strike three.

Mohd. Khairie's reply is the most hilarious comment I've ever read in my entire life.
(Second sreenshot)
Potterheads should read this!

Paradigm Mall was recently launched a few weeks ago, and I'm embarrassed as a Malaysian that most of us do not understand (let alone bother about) the importance and significance of professional writing!
Your choice of words (and punctuation!) makes a lot of difference in expressing yourself to your readers i.e. CLIENTS AND CUSTOMERS.

What is worse than bad English?
Pathetic customer service combined with bad English.
I don't know whether to get frustrated or feel sorry for these employees in this so-called "service" industry.

Believe me, there are pretty good, shiny apples out there, but as they say: "One bad apple spoils the bunch"

Thank you, Cheryl for the second screenshot ;)

Don't get me started on the attempted kidnapping followed by a robbery on the next day at another mall.

PS: Yes, reading the news these days can almost be used as a plot for sick, macabre horror stories e.g. news from the US, Canada, Mexico which involved cannibalism and mutilations, but I'd prefer to keep my blog negativity-free.
PPS: My post title will do well for a novel. JK Rowling, are you interested in purchasing the rights?

Shop Spot

2012-05-30T22:40:00.001+08:00

So you shop online!
Just waiting for them to arrive from ASOS and Mysale ;)
Get your Mysale invite here

I've pinned them here on Elements Magazine's Pinterest board with direct links.

PS: Should I blog like this more often?
PPS: It's safe to say that I'm shopping quite a bit from Mysale and ASOS, judging from my previous post

Amrita Singh, and What Happened to My Cambridge Satchel Company Bag

2012-05-26T16:13:00.003+08:00

(A quick update)
They're finally here!
I've lost count the number of times I've added these items into my cart and just couldn't bring myself to click 'Checkout'.
Gold and turquoise? Super shiny metallics? I'm sold.

I saw the Heidi necklace on Gilt early last year but they didn't ship to Malaysia.
Spotted them for only RM118 including shipping on Mysale.my (which was sold out on the first day) instead of $250 excluding shipping on Amrita Singh's official site.
Third time's the charm!

And I got the 11" silver satchel after ASOS sent me a VIP discount code which worked for the brand.
It has the perfect amount of super shine with micro sparkles!

Unfortunately the package had barely any bubble wrap and I found a noticeable dent on the back of bag.
ASOS was apologetic and offered an exchange (and they would cover my return shipping costs)

I finally decided to return it after receiving lots of comments and suggestions via Twitter, only to have ASOS tell me that the bag is sold out.

So I guess I got lucky by not returning the bag!

What to Do in Tokyo?

2012-05-21T18:38:00.002+08:00

Yes, I will be heading to Tokyo next April for a week with my mom and Sheila!
We got our super cheap flight tickets off the AirAsia sale, and all we have left to do is to figure out what we will be doing there so we can book a hotel.
I've heard that it's impossible to get hotels during sakura season so we'll need to book super early!

This is what I've planned so far (which isn't much actually)

Enjoy (and photograph) sakura!
We will be there on the first and second week of April just in case the sakura blooms a bit later than usual.

Meet geishas (or dress up like one for the fun of it!)
I've been fascinated with them after reading and watching 'Memoirs of a Geisha'

Have some Japanese tea the traditional way (right down to opening doors properly)

Visit quirky restaurants like the Alice in Wonderland restaurant!

Get a Chanel flap bag for myself!
There are a lot of stores selling preloved designer bags in Japan which my mom and I discovered while browsing for bags on eBay.

Besides indulging in food, Doraemon, Hello Kitty and other tourist-y stuff like visiting parks and temples, what are the must-sees and must-dos in Tokyo?
I've received lovely suggestions via Twitter from friends who are Japanese/have lived in Japan, and will be researching soon.
Thank you, ladies! ♥

We need to figure out an itinerary before we can book a hotel, so type away ;)

Click on photos to take you to the source

White House

2012-05-20T10:37:00.000+08:00

We spotted the 'Rumah Putih' (as stated on its displayed address) which translates to White House when we were in Penang last month.
This style of European-castle architecture is rarely seen in Asian countries, so of course I had to take some stalkerazzi shots.

(My 15-year old cousin taught me how to place my lens between the fence to get better shots)

Have a great Sunday!

Whisk KL: Pink Stacks™

2012-05-06T23:00:00.000+08:00

Ah, the infamous Pink Stacks™.
White chocolate buttercake with Whisk's signature rose buttercreme.
I like the fact that the rose isn't overpowering, and the cake is perfectly moist with buttercreme oozing out from the layers.
It's no surprise that they sell out notoriously fast.

Sheila and I haven't sat down for cakes at Whisk since Empire Shopping Gallery exploded last year (gas leak), so I was very happy to do so.
Taking away cakes and macarons just don't feel as comforting.
(Previous blog post here)

And I got the very first slice (of the second delivery of the day)

Hmm I also haven't had The Last Polka ice-creams in quite a while.
(Previous blog post here)

Did I mention that we had Serai's berry pavlova while waiting for Whisk to deliver the second cake?

Happy Wesak Day!

2012-05-06T14:06:00.000+08:00

There were more tourists at the Maha Vihara temple this year, and the place was packed with photographers.
(Read my previous post for more info about Wesak Day)

Candles and flowers as offerings

The main shrine.

Chanel: Le Baudruchage

2012-04-28T01:30:00.009+08:00

Bonsoir, mes amies!
I was fortunate enough to be invited to Chanel's Le Baudruchage event, and I brought Cheryl along with me.

The baudruchage technique is reserved for Chanel No. 5 parfums, where the bottles are sealed by hand.
It consists of placing a fine membrane of natural origin, called baudruche, over the neck of a bottle and holding it in place with two rows of black or white pearl-cotton thread. This creates an airtight seal for the bottle.
The technique was first used in the 17th century for pharmaceutical purposes.
The bottle is finally sealed twice with molten wax, making it tamper-proof.
Training takes 6 months, and a seasoned baudrucheuse can seal 100 bottles an hour.

Madame Sylvie Gavet is one of the only 8 baudrucheuses at Chanel, and has graciously demonstrated her craft.
And I got a chance to seal a bottle ;)

Cheryl took this photo ;)

Of all the fragrances from Les Exclusifs de Chanel, my absolute favourite is Gardénia.

The baudruchage demonstration was definitely an eye-opener.
We were taken on journey to discover the four versions of Chanel No. 5 (parfum, eau de toilette, eau de parfum and eau premiere), which takes appreciation for fragrances to a whole new level.

Now I can't wait to get a bottle of Chance Eau Tendre (because Gardénia is out of my budget... for now)
Did you know that Chance's composition actually causes the fragrance to change scents a few times a day?

Here's a video on baudruchage:

My Nail Polish Collection

2012-04-24T08:13:00.001+08:00

Since some of my friends have asked to see just how many bottles of nail polish I have.
I've barely repeated any nail colours, let alone try all of them.

OPI Minis!

The BEST colour ever: OPI Nicki Minaj's Fly
I'm into jewel tones these days and this shade of teal is fantastic!

The tools of the trade: OPI Drip Dry for French manicures and half-moon manicures, cuticle nipper and nail clipper.

New Miu Miu Sunglasses

2012-04-17T21:22:00.002+08:00

#CrazyMiuMiuLady
Of course I will have a Miu Miu-related update!
Found these sunglasses on eBay at pretty good prices.
Yes, the red Noir one is pretty expensive, but a lot cheaper than the boutique here.

They're better known as the Kirsten Dunst and Madonna sunglasses respectively.

I've always remembered the Spring 2008 campaign, largely due to these sunglasses.
They don't fit well, unfortunately, as I have huge cheeks.

These red ones fit perfectly though ♥

A few other Miu Miu goodies from eBay (and a guide on how to shop online with useful links) here!

Christian Louboutin Manicure

2012-04-17T00:04:00.001+08:00

I've been wanting to post this manicure for quite a while, and I finally get the time!
As my red polish has chipped, I recycled my manicure by using round stickers (available at stationery/office supply stores) and painting over with black nail polish.

Colours used: OPI's Big Apple Red, Sally Hansen's Black Out followed with OPI's Drip Dry

More manicures here!

Mullet Shirt/Skirt DIY

2012-04-15T16:42:00.004+08:00

Hi ladies, I'm back with a DIY!
NO SEWING REQUIRED!

I love tops and bottoms with mullets and it only took me a few minutes to find a pattern for this DIY from Diary of a Third World Fashionista.
Call it the mullet, long/short hem, fishtail, waterfall cut, this DIY works for both tops and skirts.
Believe me, cutting fabric properly is a lot harder than using a sewing machine.

This beloved Zara top of mine has a quite a big hole at the bottom (somehow I think four hyperactive poodles have something to do with it), so I decided to chop it off.

I would actually love to cut off some of my maxi dresses but I'll only do that once I wear them more often ;)

INSTRUCTIONS

Lay your top/skirt sideways
Cut an 'S' shape across, and remember to cut off all the seams too
Voilà!
You can choose to stitch the hem, but my top is made from 100% viscose and will roll up overtime, so I chose not to stitch it
Enjoy!

PS: Can you believe that this post took longer to create than this DIY?

Chanel Spring 2012 RTW

2012-04-11T08:41:00.000+08:00

I was really excited to see that Chanel has updated their display windows after the Twin Towers @Live 2012 concerts.
It was almost midnight then, and the lights were still on at the time so I quickly took some shots ;)

The fashion show was one of my favourites, especially the stage/runway.
Official video here

No editing whatsoever except for some cropping and watermarking
Photos taken using kit lens

Weekends

2012-04-01T03:41:00.002+08:00

I can't believe I haven't updated my little blog for so long!
Work has been crazy (full-time engineer + Elements Magazine + another published mag)
So here are little bits of what I've been doing over the past couple of weekends.
Be sure to check out my Instagram and Elements Magazine's for more updates!

Reviewed Mukha + Souka at TTDI a couple of weekends ago for said mag!

Had the super popular Roasted Milk Tea with pearls/bubbles from Chatime (more like chewy tapioca balls) and the BEST 'nasi lemak' and fried chicken I have ever had at Village Park, Damansara.
I've also tried Gong Cha's bubble teas and I find them to be slightly better than Chatime.

Dinner at Ben's with the sister.

Department lunch at TGIF!

Beatiful orchids at the office's main lobby this week!

The best of all?
Covering the Twin Towers @Live 2012 concerts (Kylie Minogue cancelled due to a contract dispute though), and having ORIANTHI post one of Elements Magazine's photos on her Facebook!

Syafiq is an amazing photographer.

Nothing else is as majestic here in Malaysia: The Petronas Twin Towers.

Oh, and my Miu Miu babies finally arrived.
Will properly blog about them soon ;)

Chanel Spring 2012 Pre-Collection

2012-03-17T23:55:00.001+08:00

How gorgeous is this camelia fascinator?

And more Chanel photos I Instagram-ed:

Find me on Instagram (or Webstagram!)
Username: OnceOverLightly

Shopping Spree

2012-03-16T00:18:00.001+08:00

A quick update before I go to bed!

I've been going for technical training the whole week at Midvalley Boulevard, and decided to stop by the Chanel counter on my way to the car park.

My 'Chanel: Collections and Creations' book from Amazon arrived last week!

I fell in love with Vendetta. Why didn't I get the colour earlier?
It's a gorgeous shade of silky purple.

The camellia background is from the book.

These are the books I got from the RM200 book voucher that each Malaysian student received!
After hearing (and tasting) Nigella's recipes, I'm 100% convinced and bought her biggest cookbook I could find.

'Super Freakonomics' is a sequel of sorts to 'Freakonomics', another book I can never get bored reading over and over.
Their statistical research on human behaviour and its consequences are brilliant!

And a guide to bringing home a Birkin? Yes, please!

Up in the Sky + #KONY2012

2012-03-09T00:48:00.003+08:00

So I had to go up on a skylift for work yesterday! Twice.
It was my very first time and the other telecommunications engineers weren't fazed at all.

We were supposed to survey the area, but I was too busy clinging on the rails for dear life with both hands.
With my shaking and sweaty hands, I took some shots at more 100 feet off the ground.

Hello, tiny people.

The forest reserve just behind us.

Photos were taken using my Blackberry and edited using the Luminance app from my iPod.

I just had to blog about the Kony 2012 campaign.
140 characters isn't enough.

We all have seen this video.
Dramatic? Yes.
Influential? Yes.

It's beautiful. It's inspiring. It's motivating.
We are anxiously waiting for April 20 2012. We want to see Kony arrested.
We pledged to help.

Then I thought, "Hey, this is just American politics! Why aren't other countries involved? Will our Prime Minister help?"
"What about the criminals in our own country? What about the other warlords in Africa?"

Filmmaker Jason Russell didn't just talk.
He took the initiative to create and spread awareness while we all just sit and talk about it over coffee.

Well-intentioned of not, the campaign has received criticisms where there are claims that Kony HAS been captured and the campaign was created just for the hype and profits.
The charity body, Invisible Children has released an official statement denying these claims.

All political and financial controversies aside, KONY 2012 worked.

In this world full of crimes where children cannot go to school without worrying if they'd get shot, KONY 2012 has brought the world together on a massive scale. This is one of the rare moments when we wanteded to put the coffee down, stop talking (or criticising) and DO SOMETHING.
Nothing else has managed to break into our cold, cynical hearts for years!
We all were united by the same ambition: Justice for Kony's victims.

As controversial author Dan Brown (whose work I love) iterated in 'The Da Vinci Code': "Everyone loves a controversy."

There isn't a charity body that doesn't ask for donations, but all the campaign asked for was to spread the word; to give a voice to Kony's victims.

If the Kony 2012 campaign was just a social experiment and/or to CREATE awareness, I believe it worked.

Vintage Books

2012-03-03T20:33:00.006+08:00

8 years ago, my parents stumbled upon their old English books from school when we were packing to move to our new house.
I've never been so glad that my sister can't stand reading so they're all mine to keep!

'As I Was Passing' is a compilation of columns written by famed linguist Adibah Amin for the New Straits Time. Her pen name is Sri Delima.
I actually bought her books (this is the only photo I could find) on improving Bahasa Malaysia for my PMR and SPM papers.
Yes, the books teach you BM in English! I've given mine away, sadly.
(I guess it's because in my school, lessons were carried out mostly in English+BM although our textbooks were in BM)

These were my dad's. The Shakespeare book was published in 1964 and 'Great Expectations' in 1965.
(Playwrights are so long-winded and poetic that I've never finished reading one)

He bought some abridged versions of classics like 'Great Expectations', 'Oliver Twist', 'Robinson Crusoe', 'Around the World in 80 Days' when I was 10, then my aunt bought me more abridged versions of 'Jane Eyre' and 'Wuthering Heights'.
A family friend later gave me the first 4 Harry Potter books for my 12th birthday, but that's a whole other story.

You can tell this book was printed before 1963 as 'Malaya' was used instead of 'Malaysia'.
The name 'Malaysia' was officially used after Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak formed Malaysia September 16 1963. Singapore left (or according to Wikipedia, "expelled") in 1965.
This English textbook was my mom's and it was published in 1946!

We never have such beautiful illustrations in textbooks anymore! This was also my mom's.
These books are little pieces of history and the pages are still in perfect condition.

I'm not sure if 1997 is considered vintage, but a wonderful book nonetheless.
Arthur Golden brought Japan to life! The movie setting was exactly how I imagined Kyoto would be while I was reading the book.

Pretty Random Things

2012-03-02T22:38:00.005+08:00

What a week (more like 2 weeks!)
I still have so much to learn so I'm taking it one step at a time.
Things are pretty crazy because on top of my full-time engineering job, I work nights for the magazine (yet to be published!)
Yes, my weekends are very precious to me.

The first 4 photos are from Fullhouse (more photos) and the last one was an unpublished photo from Phuket.
I promise that there will be a solid update soon!

My Skincare Regime

2012-02-18T09:16:00.004+08:00

I had oily skin since my school days, then in university I tried on a cleanser that gave me serious allergies where my skin cracked and bled from the hairline at the back of my head all the way to my cheeks.
My friends from uni might remember that.
Anyway, I had to get an allergy shot and my skin was never the same again.

I tried numerous brands (L'Oreal, Nivea etc) and my skin started cracking and peeling (milder though) after I use them.
As a last resort, my mom gave me her Bio-Essence (a Singaporean brand) serum and it worked wonders, so I continued using their cleanser, toner, serum and BB cream for a few years with Clean & Clear's moisturiser.

It all came to a screeching halt when I forgot to apply my moisturiser before work once last month. I slathered everything on after work and my skin was still peeling for a few days, no matter how much I moisturised.
So I used the Hada Labo's Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing set which my mom gave me.
They were laying around for a couple of months with their plastic wrapping still intact.

I was very skeptical of Hada Labo's claims of how "One Drop Locks Up an Ocean" and their moisturising lotion's of "1 sold every 4 seconds in Japan". (Bottle on the far right)
You know how skincare ads fall flat on their promises.

Hada Labo actually DID live up to their claims! I've never had such clean, smooth skin and refined pores in my life! (Well, after puberty anyway)
The little jar of moisturising cream wasn't really necessary for my skin as the moisturising lotion has already done wonders.
Techincally, Hada Labo's cleanser and moisturising lotion saved my skin.

I have no idea what it says on the packaging though as it's all in Japanese.

Galaxy Manicure DIY

2012-02-11T22:02:00.004+08:00

Hui Yen (our latest co-editor at Elements Magazine) passed me the link to this galaxy manicure tutorial for me to try out, and I finally got the time to try it out!

Mine isn't as pretty as the tutorial's though.

Colours used:

Sally Hansen Black Out
Chanel Peridot
OPI Pink Flamenco
OPI Sparkle-iscious
Sally Hansen Disco Ball

PS: I applied too much glitter :/

The Big Miu Miu Reveal

2012-02-06T11:01:00.002+08:00

Remember these?
They were the very last pair of glitter booties that were in my size.

I tried them on back in December just to see what the hype was all about and I understood why.
(This is why I should never try on expensive things)

After that, I obsessively checked eBay, Saks, Neiman Marcus, Net-a-Porter etc. as the Christmas sales were going on and the shoes were retailing at about $600-700 excluding international shipping.
Most of the boots were the ones without glitter and you all know how much I need sparkly things in my life.

2 weeks later, my aunt and her family dropped by from Singapore and we went hunting for her new Prada bag, and I entered Miu Miu again.
The shoes I tried on were 40% off! (Another Miu Miu fate)
It was as if they waited for me to come back.
We made Miuccia Prada very happy that day (and vice versa)

Let's just say we had a ladies' understanding not to bleat our purchases to our families since we have our own crazy collections.
(My bag-obsessed aunt did show her bag to my bag-obsessed mom though)

They are definitely the most expensive item I've ever purchased, but hey, I've gotten my first salary and I have a new job with a slightly higher pay so I guess it's finally time to blog about these shoes.
As my belated awesome birthday (11.11.11) + Thank-God-Trixie-survived + graduation (I literally clawed my way to my engineering degree) + I-got-2-new-cool-jobs present to myself, I have no regrets ;)

I love how sparkly they are under sunlight!

The shoes are very well-made and the heels, although curved, are surprisingly very sturdy!
Huge thanks to Sheila for helping me take this shot (and keeping it a secret for so long! Cheryl too!)

PS: Top notch customer service at Miu Miu, KLCC. The salesman literally wanted to play dress up with me by shoving bags, sunglasses and shoes for me to try on when I tried the shoes on for the first time and he kindly obliged when I told him I didn't want them then.

Serai, Empire Shopping Gallery

2012-02-05T20:34:00.000+08:00

So my sister and I had lunch with Sheila and Niralji yesterday, and what a wonderful lunch it was.
We headed to Serai at Empire Shopping Gallery in Subang Jaya.

Being only 15-20 minutes away from our home, we usually go to Italiannies.
Serai (lemongrass in Malay) is always packed with patrons, and now we know why.

Sis ordered the Crispy Skinned Salmon, which was cooked perfectly.
The potato cake was delicious!

Niralji had the Chicken Parmagiana. It's better than Italiannies', IMO.

I ordered the Penne Beef Rendang. Beef rendang is a traditional Malay dish which consists of caramelised curry with tender beef. A Malaysian favourite.
It's a great "East meets West" combo.

Sheila ordered the Gourmet Lean Beef Burger.
Everyone at the table agreed that it is THE BEST BURGER EVER!

Having read reviews online, Serai's Berry Pavlova is not to be missed.
It's enough for 4 of us to share, and we literally scraped the plate clean.
Serai's pavlova beats Delicious'.
We wanted seconds but we were too full, unfortunately.

Loved the flowers on each table.
No photos of the decor, sorry. The little restaurant was packed to the brim.

Hat Yai: Morning Market

2012-01-29T18:15:00.000+08:00

This is a(nother) overdue post from my trip to Hat Yai.
We visited the morning market, and grrr I wanted to buy EVERYTHING!

Thai chillies are the most explosive! And this is my first time seeing fresh peppercorns.

These double-yolk duck eggs look rather weird though.
I have no idea how to eat it.

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!