*~~Saladspoon | Showing off my stuffs ...

Review - Pot of Gold Skin Balm

2009-12-29T23:57:00.005+08:00

It has been a while since last beauty product review. I will be doing less review now because I am trying to save up for other things, e.g. clothes and trips. I have also found a new hobby, which is sewing! Might show some sewing projects in the future.

My blog has been extremely quiet lately. This makes me have no mood and no motivation on blogging. And my nuffnang is business is not doing well. I have only earned RM1.94 for this year, wuwu..And out of the RM1.94, I clicked RM1.25, so it really sucks. So, I would like ask, what kind of stuffs do you like to read? I do not expect people to comment, please help me to fill in the poll the below.. please.. You can choose maximum two answers.

Okay, back to the product review. This is the product that I have been wanting for a long time. I always think it has similiarities with the famous Egyptian Magic Cream, they are both very oily and have been receiving overwhelming response in the web.

So, I bought this balm for RM69 from Nature In A Box website. I was quite surprise to see the size of the tub, because it appeared larger in the website. It has a very simple package, no fancy shape and does not come with a box.

What it is special about this product is, it is organic. Many reviews say that it can treat eczema. But that is not the reason I longed to try this, because it says "acne" there. So, I bought this hoping it can help on my acne problem. You can see that the ingredients are very basic.

Direction of usage: apply a thin layer directly to problems area.

This balm is fragrance-less, almost scentless. I have seen in forum, people saying this balm has a very thick texture, something like vaseline. So, I thought it is like an oily cream. But, I was wrong! Its texture is a lot heavier than vaseline. When I try to apply it on my face, it is very hard to spread the balm on skin, it felt very harsh on my face. Then, I figured out a way to apply it, which is rub the balm with only fingers first, the balm will soften and melt after being rubbed, then I dab it on my fingers on my face. I also apply it on my neck too.

Comparing to vaseline (right). Pot of Gold Skin Balm is on the left with darker colour.

The balm is too oily and it is impossible to wear it on day time. When wearing it to sleep, I need to pin my fringe up, so that my hair dont stick to my face. I guess you can imagine how sticky the balm is now.

the texture of the balm. Sticky.

I have been using this for about 2 months now. At first, I used it with another product (Actizen Purifying Essense), I found that there are some tiny pimples popped out. So, I think they did not match. Then, I tried to use it alone, and it didnt cause me breakout. What I can say about this product is, it did help me to mosturise my skin and lighten my scars. For my pimples problem it did not help much. However, I do feel that it helped to soften my blackheads and made them easier to be extracted out. Besides that, I think it is too rich on my forehead, so I do not recommend this to oily skin. Another thing is, the balm needs time to be absorbed, I wake up with very oily face if I sleep less than 5 hours with this balm. The longer I sleep, the balm seems well absorbed into my skin, and I wake up with supple skin :)

So far, I find this balm quite good and I will continue using it especially on cold nights. I do not have much choice now because of my pimple problem I need to stop using whitening stuffs.

My Yogyakarta Trip Part 4 (End) - Shopping and Misc

2009-12-27T01:03:00.000+08:00

I'm going to wrap things up, I think people are getting bored with my Jogja trip. However, I still want to write about it :)

So, I will talk about shopping in this post. Do not expect massive shopping malls in Jogja, I think the biggest shopping mall is called Amplaz, but we did not get to go there. We went to Malioboro Mall, which is in Malioboro Street. Malioboro Street is a must-go place for tourist, it is like Batu Ferringhi Pasar Malam in Penang, lol.

Malioboro Mall.

Do you know that J.Co is from Indonesia?

Malioboro Street is supposed the busiest part in Jogja I guess (by judging by its traffic). You can find your souvenirs there. They have batik shops, local tidbits, t-shirts, key-chains, and many other things.

A batik shop with lots of batik products.

The Malioboro Street, with rows of becak (trishaw) waiting for you to ride.

Bought a batik shirt for Rp35k (~RM13), some fabric for my hobby (Rp10k/pc ~RM4), embroidery

sandals (Rp13k/pair ~RM5)

I love this snack. It is called Emping/ Belinjo. It is a crunchy cracker with a taste of bitterness.

The most important thing in my shopping list --> Tje Fuk product! I have blogged about Tje Fuk's Washing Cream, and I love it. So, it was time for me to stock up because in Malaysia you need to pay double price for it.

This is the Tje Fuk Beauty Centre. It provides facial treatments too.

I bought the Transparent Antiseptic Soap (Rp19500/pc ~RM8), Washing Cream 1 (Rp145k/tub ~RM53) and Washing Cream 2 (Rp105k/tub ~RM39)

We went to a factory outlet store as well. Plenty of branded stuffs there, CK, Billabong, Roxy, MNG, ZARA, Bape, you name it..Too bad we did not dare to spend much cos we were afraid of no money to go home. I bought a Disney Couture t-shirt (Rp69k ~RM25) and a pair of Miu Miu sandals for Rp55k ~RM20, they are too cheap, I am not sure about their authenticity, but for RM20, who cares?

The store, Kosmo. It was drizzling.

Another must-buy thing from Jogja ---> leather stuffs. We planned to buy leather bags, but we bought shoes instead. I bought a pair of leather platform sandals for Rp37k (~RM14).

I thought I have done with the food part of my Jogja trip, but I have not yet! Check out for this bakery called Amanda, which sells only chocolate brownies. My saliva starts dripping while thinking of this *gulp*. The brownies are super yummy! I can finish the whole loaf of brownies myself. That explains why I put on so much weight lately.

Amanda, the chocolate brownie expert.

Rich, creamy chocolate cake. Price from Rp20k/box (~RM8)

I am drooling.

This brownie is topped with cheese..Yum~

Next, some pictures on our accomodation.

We stayed at Motel Mitra 2 @Kaliurang for Day 1.

Nice and cozy place. Rp180k (~RM64) per room. We booked two rooms.

Volcano view.

Indo mee goreng served by the motel at 5am in the morning. Because of time-zone different, the day was already super-bright at 5am.

Day 2 and 3, we put-in in Hotel Sewu Mas.

We got a suite with 2 rooms and a living room for Rp960k (~RM350) for two nights. This is one of the rooms.

So, that it is, my Jogja trip. We spent around RM1k per person for the trip including the air tickets (RM300 returns KUL-JOG-KUL). Pretty good, eh?

My Yogyakarta Trip Part 3 - Food

2009-12-19T19:35:00.000+08:00

We have come to the most exciting part of my trip -----> food! . I would say, in jogjakarta, you can find relatively cheap and good food. So, for those who are into food hunting (like me), it is not a bad choice.

Breakfast @ 1st Day
We arrived at Jogjakarta kind of early in the morning, 9am. My cousin, Emily brought us to this shop which sells Bakso.

Bakso Babar Djogjakarta.

Our first meal in Jogja --> Bakso. Very delicious!! Bakso is chicken soup noodles with beef meat balls. The meat balls are springy and nice. (Rp6k/bowl ~RM2.50)

Common drinks in Indonesia. Left - Es Jeruk, Right - Es Teh. Es stands for Ice. Es Jeruk tasted like mandarin orange juice. (Rp2500/glass ~RM1)

Lunch @ 1st Day
It was raining and we went to this cozy restaurant.

Parsley Bakery. A chain restaurant in Indonesia. Nice and dim in the restaurant.

My cousin Emily went to get some local pastry for us. Macaroni is made of the macaroni pasta. Then, the white cake with a chilli on top is called Misoa. Misoa is made of rice vercimille (面线), very special (and spicy too!) The two yellowy things are Risoles and Egg Roll. They tasted okay. And the chocolate cake is called Opera.

Chicken Maryland (Rp25k ~RM9)

Seafood fried rice (Rp25k ~RM9)

Beef Steak (Rp29k ~RM11)

Indo fried rice (Rp21k ~RM8) I ate this. It was spicy and the chicken satay was nice.

Our drinks. Iced coffee (Rp12k ~RM4.50), Tropical Pasley (Rp14k ~RM5), Lemon Squash (Rp10k ~RM4), Mixed Juice (Rp14k ~RM5)

Dinner @ 1st Day

We went to a place which had chalets built on a lake. And in the middle of the lake, was a stage for performance. The environment was windy and cool.

Restoran Boyong Kalegan.

You have to sit on the mat while dining.

An Indonesian singer. She kept on asking us to go on the stage and sing. And she thought we were Korean @@.

We ordered a set dinner. All the food and drinks cost Rp195k (~RM70)

Gurameh Asam Manis - This is a common fish, I think it is called Talapia (非洲鱼) in Malaysia.

Seafood soup with lots of tomatoes.

Ayam Bakar. Roasted chicken, it may look dark but it was nice!

Lalapan - raw vegie.

Cumi goreng tepung. Cumi stands for squids. This battered squids was yummy. :)

Karedok - a flaming hot and spicy salad with peanut sauce.

We ordered Es Jeruk and this -Wedang Kalegan. This is a warm drink, ginger flavor and it has bread in it! Very weird food, felt like a fish while eating the bread (you know, we use bread to feed the fish)

Breakfast @ 2nd Day
Our hotel prepared us some yummy noodles for breakfast (I'll blog later on the hotel part). And yet, we still went out for breakfast. We went to Tlugo Putri for some local food.

Wajik - a local delight made of glutinous rice and brown sugar (gula jawa)

This is how you eat wajik. like a hamburger, fold the wajik with jadah tempe. Tempe is the white thingy which made of soya beans. And top it with a chili!

Ronde - something like the Chinese glutinous rice ball. The base is gingery and it has lots of roasted peanuts in it. Lovely drinks.

Guess what, I have a video too, wee... (the person who laugh like a horse is not me XD)

Tea Break @ 2nd Day
On the way back from Borobudur, we had teh poci to cool us down. It is a stall which can be found in many places in Indonesia. It sells different flavours of tea. Price is shown in the picture. We found the tea was too sweet for our liking. :)

We saw a stall selling manggoes. Very cheap. We bought 5 manggoes for Rp10k (~RM4) and they are sweet and nice.XD

Lunch @ 2nd Day
After Borobudur, we went to a place nearby to have very yummy fried chicken and fried duck rice.

Warung Djadoel (according to my cousin, Djadoel means old times)

You can choose to sit on the mat or on chair.

Super yummy fried chicken rice. The chili paste was fiery. (Rp18k/plate ~RM7)

I forgot to take a photo of the fried duck rice. It was yummy too. Nasi bebek goreng (Rp23k ~RM9). Bebek means duck in Indonesia.

Cocacola is not popular, they have teh botol (Rp2500/bottle ~RM1). The green coloured drinks are Alpukat (Rp7500/glass RM3), which is Avacado Juice with chocolate. Unlike Malaysia, Avocado is quite common in Indonesia.

Dinner @ 2nd Day
We had meal provided by the rafting people . *bargain*

Breakfast @3rd Day
Provided by hotel. I'll blog about it later. :)

Lunch @3rd Day

Waroeng Steak. Another famous chain restaurant in Indonesia. It serves cheap and delicious steak. XD

two-storey steak house. There are two Waroeng Steak in Jogjakarta itself.

Interior.

Chicken Mushroom (Rp12500/pax ~RM5)

Imported Rib Eye Steak (Rp25k/pax ~RM10)

Beef Steak (Rp13k/pax ~RM5) **cheap**

tuna mushroom (Rp11k/pax ~RM4)

Drinks (around Rp6k ~RM2.50 each)

Dinner @ 3rd Day
We planned to go to a roadside stall for seafood. However, it wasnt open, and we ended up in a castle. lol.

Sorogan Castle. Sorry for dark picture. It is a castle, a creepy one, hehe...

Gurame again. (Rp59500 ~RM22)

Fried Squid again. (Rp40k ~RM15)

Chilli paste to go with our dishes. *love* (Rp15k ~RM0.60 each)

Fried Kangkung (Rp8k ~RM3)

BBQ Shrimps with Honey (RP62500 ~RM23) . *yummy*

Es Jeruk again.

Interior of the castle.

Breakfast @4th Day

Before leaving Jogja, we went to a roadside stall to have porridge.

Bubur Ayam Jakarta

A bowl of hot porridge. But you have to use your hands to hold it, because there wasnt any table.

The porridge is topped with shredded chicken, fried shallots and fried crackers.

You need to stirr the porridge until it becomes like this. The porridge was nice but a bit salty and sticky for me.

Done. Part 3 of my Yogyakarta trip. If you ask me what I would like to have now, I would say "Bakso please!", hehe..

My Yogyakarta Trip Part 2 - Other Attractions & Things to Do

2009-12-12T16:35:00.001+08:00

I'm back with part 2 of my Jogjakarta trip. There are two more places we visited.

First, Tlogo(Telaga) Putri, Kaliurang (Princess Well)
If you have seen my previous post, I have mentioned that Kaliurang is a high and cool place, something like Genting Highlands. We reached this place early in the morning and have some local food for breakfast. I will write about the food in the next post. This place is like a park where people do jungle trekking and picnic.

The place is like a well and surrounded by trees.

A sign board on the wall, that says " You have entered a hunger-free zone" :)

We planned to go hiking, but we were too lazy :). The entrance of the park.

Second place, Taman Gardu Pandang, Kaliurang ( Kaliurang Look-out Point)
This place is also in Kaliurang, it is a look-out point for the Volcano, Mount Merapi. Mount Merapi is still an active volcano and its last eruption was in year 2006.

From Tlogo Putri, you can actually take a tramp to the look-out.

Posing in front of a sign board.

An funk hole for emergency during war etc.

A look-out tower.

Too cloudy and foggy , failed to see Mt. Merapi from the look-out. :(

Next: Things to do in Jogjakarta

(1) Arung Jeram (White Water Rafting)
I do not know what Arung means, but Jeram means streams, therefore I would guessed that Arung Jeram means something like going down the streams, haha.. Never expected that I would do something this adventurous in Jogjakarta. My first time water rafting, fun but also friggin tiring! I couldnt remember what river we went to, but it is a virgin river, means it is not polluted (yet), the scenery along the river was amazing and breath-taking. And it is not expensive, RP100k (RM36.30) per person for a two-hour instructor guided water rafting + tea break + yummy dinner, definitely another steal for the trip!

The rafting is not far from Borobudur.

All geared-up ~XD (Ya, I know I am short)

with our friendly + funny instructor.

row, row, row ya boat, gently down the stream ~

Messy.

Tea break. Refreshing coconut drinks and some snack before another battle, hehe... :)

Complimentary meal. Roasted chicken plus raw vegie with peanut sauce to restore the exhausted humans.YUM!

(2) Spa
My first time having spa treatment as well. I did not know that you need to be naked when doing spa @@. It was a very pampering experience for me, felt like a rich woman, muahaha.. We went to this spa center in Jogja called Woman & Woman Spa. My sister and I chose a spa package called "Absolute Bliss", which included foot bath - grande massage - milk body scrub - refresher nature facial - foot massage - milk bath. The treatment took 150 minutes and costed Rp430k ( ~RM156).

My cousin, Emily chose the "Be Cleopatra" package (aromatherapy foot bath-rose relaxing massage-milk body scrub-milk body mask-milk bath), Rp360k (~RM131). Which another cousin, Janey chose the heated stone treatment "Choco Stones" (aromatheraphy foot bath-hot stone massage-chocolate honey body mask-body scrub-bubble bath), Rp360k (~RM131).

The classy spa center.

Snapped a picture of the spa room secretly.

Different types of therapy oil - relaxing, energizing, balancing & calming.

After spa-ed, we were served some refreshing fruits and ginger tea.

After all the scrubbing and massaging. :)

It is good that I get to try things that I wont do in Malaysia, because rafting and spa in very expensive in Malaysia. This ends part 2 of my Yogyakarta trip. Till then, see ya...

My Yogyakarta Trip Part 1 - Historical Spots

2009-12-08T01:03:00.001+08:00

It has been awhile since I have abandoned this site. The reason is, I have been busy ( chasing my HK TVB dramas + tuitions). And another reason is I have gained a lot of weights *cry*. I have gained 5 kgs and my pimple problem is not healing as well. This gives me no motivation in writing blogs. But, I checked my google analytics today, and found out that even I have not been writing for about a month, my visitor number has only dropped 26%, so there is actually people reading XD

Okay, enough of crapping (and showing off). I have just came back from Yogyakarta (also called Jogjakarta/ Jogja), Indonesia to visit my cousin studying there. It was an awesome trip! It was a 4 days/3 nights trip. I will split my trips into different sessions - historic spots, tourist attractions, things to do, shopping, hotel and food guide.

The tourist attractions can be quite boring as the places are all old and historic (ya, I hate sejarah too!) I bet most of you do not know Jogjakarta is the place where the Candi Borobudur is located. We learnt about Candi Borobudur in Sejarah, remember?

First up --> Candi Borobudur
Candi stands for temple. Even though Borobudur was not selected by UNESCO as one of the 7 wonders, but it is still considered a 'wonder' because it is a miracle for people from ancient time to build such a complex monument. And I was told by my cousin that Borobudur was initially built without using cement, just by stacking the stones up, how possible is that?

Me. ( fat stomach :$ )

Awesome carvings!

Arghh, vandalisme!

Trying to hog the stairs :P

A tranquil buddha.

My cousin trying to touch the buddha inside the stupa :)

(There is a saying, if you can touch the buddha's belly, your wish will be granted true!)

Stalls selling ornaments outside Borobudur.

Tips & Expenses:
1. It is always hot in Borobudur, umbrella and sunscreen is a must!
2. Do not walk alone when passing by the stalls at the exit, the souvenir sellers will bug you to death.
3. Entrance ticket - Rp15k ( ~RM5) for local, or USD12 for foreigner.
4. Photo permit - Rp1k (~RM0.40)
5. If you are superstitious like me, when reaching the top of Candi, do circulate the top a few times clockwise for good luck. (My sister and I went the wrong way, we went anti clockwise, hope we dont get bad luck instead!)

2. Kraton
Kraton is actually a palace where the royal families are residing in. However, it was closed when we reached there. :(

Can only look from far, since the palace is closed.

3. Museum Kareta Keraton (Sultan's Carriage Museum)
This museum shows different horse carriages used by the Kings in different dynasties. The carriages come in different design and different usage. Looking at these carriages reminded me of Cinderella :)

A luxury, German-inspired bronze carriage.

Carriage's wheel that as tall as my sister.

Guess what, this uncle is 109 years old! And he was a horse ostler of the royal family.

Guess what again, this carriage was used for funeral.

Tips & Expenses:
1. Kraton and The Carriage Museum are next to each other.
2. You will be approached by some so-called "tour guide" to bring you around when you reach a tourist spot. It is good to have someone explain things to you. Just remember to give them a token when leaving. We gave the "tour guide" Rp10k (~RM3.60)
3. Entrance ticket - Rp3k (~RM1), photo permit - Rp1k (~RM0.40)

4. Taman Sari (Water Palace)
The Water Palace is like a place for the Sultan to have his entertaintment. I could imagine the glorious days of the Javanese King and how romantic this place used to be. However the place now is kind of old and unmaintained.

Taman Sari from far.

A very pretty garden which is actually a place where the ancient singers and dancers performed. The area was made such that the sound system appeared to be "3D".Very canggih.

They have this tunnel thing, which used to be the water pathway towards the palace.

The pool where the concubines (gundik-gundik) used to bath. And the Sultan would look from the tower and choose the "lucky" one.

(The pool was very dirty that day. They should have cleaned the pool)

Expenses:

1. Entrance Rp3k (~RM1), photo permit Rp1k (~RM0.40)

Lastly..5. Museum Ullen Sentalu

This museum is located uphill at a very cool and tranquil place. The museum displays items on Javanese history. However, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the museum. It is a very pretty museum surrounded by trees and flowers.

At the entrance of the museum.

Surreal environment~

After touring the museum, we were given this gingery drink called Ratu Emas Tea. (Pardon my sister XD)

A statue of God of Fertality ( Dewi Kesuburan)

Camwhoring at Winter Sonata scene :P

Expenses:

Entrance ticket Rp25k (~RM7)

Alright, I think I will end this post. So tired posting up the pictures. Will continue on other parts when have time :)

Review - Dr. Mist and Playboy Deodorant Body Spray

2009-10-28T17:04:00.003+08:00

I have just finished using the Dr. Mist Deodorant Spray, which I have heard good reviews on it, so I bought it. This is a fragrance-free deodorant and it can be used on arms and also feet. What I have to say about this product is, my body odour is too strong and this deodorant can only helped me to suppress the smell in only a few hours. *shy*

So, I shifted to this Playboy Deodorant, which is actually a for-men product, lol. I am a Playboy fan, I cant say "no" to anything with the rabbit head on it . The flavor for this deodorant is "hollywood", which I found the least strong among its range. It says "24h" on the package, and it should last 24 hours. I find this deodorant does a better job in "covering" the B.O, but the contra is the smell is too strong. Maybe I should use men's deodorant next time.

Job Hunting Finally Comes to an End !

2009-10-25T10:27:00.001+08:00

Wow, see, rainbow ~~ :D

After 4 months of job hunting and after 20++ interviews, I finally got an offer. I am so happy!! I am very lucky to have friends and family who helped and supported me during this tough period of my life. I want to say thank you to you all ~ *tears*

Muahahaha....

I will start working in November, a bit worried because I have been kind of slack down in these few months, hope I can survive in this new company. Yay!

Review - Sabai-arom Kaffir Lime & Thai Grapefruit Shampoo

2009-10-16T14:57:00.002+08:00

As requested by foxy, I am now doing the review for the shampoo that my sister bought from her bangkok trip. This is a brand called Sabai-arom, which is quite well-known in Thailand, their products can be found in the famous Boots store.

When I first saw the package, I saw the lime picture on the label. I thought this shampoo must be very drying, as lime is acidic. But, after using it, the shampoo is not as drying as I thought. I think this is because of the Grapefruit oil it uses. I love this shampoo! I like everything that is in citrus-flavour. The Kaffir Lime ( or limau kasturi in Malay) has a refreshing effect that I like a lot. It reminds me that during the Chinese New Year, my mum will buy Kaffir Limes and chuck them into the bath tub. It symbolises a new beginning or something like that in Chinese tradition.

The aroma therapy benefits of the shampoo.

You would thought that it would smell something like the dishwasher, but it doesnt, haha! It is a mixture of grapefruit and lime, a very refreshing smell. As you shampoo, the bubbles on your hair will diminish and then the hair is kinda like tangled-up, but once you rinse it, the hair becomes smooth again. I like this shampoo because it is not drying and the scent is great!

The colour of the shampoo doesnt look very nice.

According to my sister, the shampoo costs her about RM30 something for 200ml. For me, I think it is slightly expensive, but I guess it is reasonable because the ingredients are 95% natural as written on the package. And for the de-stress factor, I think it is still a very good shampoo.

Shopping - Eu Yan Sang 130th Anniversary Sale

2009-10-08T16:50:00.001+08:00

I was in Eu Yan Sang Queensbay Mall today, and the shop was packed with people. Eu Yan Sang is having a big sale for its 130th Annivesary, many things are 50% off.

If you have been reading my posts, you would that I am a fan of Eu Yan Sang. I needed to restock some honey. So, my housemate and I bought:

Essence of Chicken with Ginkgo Biloba Extract x 3 = RM90

Honey with Propolis (NP: RM59) + Honey with Royal Jelly (NP: RM69) = RM80

I got two voucher of RM5 from EYS too!

Review - Montagne Jeunesse Hot Vanilla Self Heating Mask

2009-10-05T22:59:00.003+08:00

It has been a long time since I made a review on beauty product. Actually, I have had some products to review, however I got no mood. Due to my three months of stressful job-hunting period, I have been holding back to buy new products and shopping.

Now, I can say that I am seeing my rainbow is coming soon. My miserable days will be over, but things are not confirmed now, I will update once it is confirmed. (lol, i hope you get what I mean).

So, I was walking in Guardian today, and I found this range of mask having a promotion, buy 2nd piece for 50%. So, I bought two masks. One for RM5.90. This is a clay mask with Vanilla flavor, yum?, lol. I bought this because it says "Opens & Deeply Cleanses Pores!". My face seriously needs some cleansing as dead cells are piling up and my forehead is very "dirty".

Me in my shower cap. Sorry for blurr picture, taken using webcam. :)

It was my first time to use a self-heating mask. And what I can say is... It's really hot! The mask is muddy, the texture is something like the cream foundation that you put on face. The moment I put the mud on my face, I felt the hot sensation on my skin, it was not warm, but hot! But after awhile, it cooled down. I am guessing that the mask reacts with water, because when I rinsing off the mask, I felt the "burning" sensation again!

The mask smells like Vanilla, like a Vanilla yogurt. It actually tasted sweet, lol, I accidentally tasted some because it dripped onto my lips. It was yucky, dont ever try it. For the result, I would say the mask worked quite well on deep cleansing my skin. Because after I washed, I could see my blackheads are less bulging, and also the pimples on forehead are easier to be pressed out.

I would buy this mask again. And I will review another mask of Montagne Jeunesse in near future.

Random Update: The Journey

2009-09-18T18:40:00.001+08:00

My world is grey. Wuwu..

It has been a while since I last updated my blog. Cos I have told myself, the next time I update my blog, it will be the time to tell people the good news. The good news that I am referring here is getting a job.

I thought I would be getting a job very soon, but it is not happening. I am still wondering when will my rainbow appear? Do I have to wait? There were times that I wish I just quit searching for jobs and just become a tuition teacher. But, somehow my passion is still there, I still want to become an engineer.

Although I have lots of interviews ( I think I have gone through 12 interviews all together), but it is not something for me to show off. The more interviews I get, the more I seem like a loser. I have 10+ interviews, but I did not get one offer. What's wrong with me? For the past week, I have gone through some post mortem on myself, and I figured out that I have done something really wrong, that is - I dont study. People have been telling me that I have one year of working experience, you wont be asked technical questions. So, I did not study.

I am so tired of interviews now. It is not fun at all. grr..

Going back to hometown later. Yay.

Chill Out: Pineapple and Grapefruit Smoothie

2009-08-28T14:33:00.003+08:00

It has been raining, my clothes are not going to dry, if it continues like this. :(

I made Pineapples and Grapefruit Smoothie just now.

This is the outer look of a pineapple and a grapefruit. A grapefruit looks like an orange. I got the grapefruit from Jusco for RM1.69 for one piece.

This how the pineapple and grapefruit look in the inside. The grapefruit flesh is reddish. And the grapefruit is very juicy.

After being blended. It has a light orange color with creamy texture. Because it is sour, I put salt in the mixure. You could put honey/ sugar if u like it sweet.

Hopefully this mixure will help me to "detox" haha..I am going back to my hometown this weekend. Happy Merdeka Day!

Goodies from Thailand

2009-08-25T21:21:00.000+08:00

Wow, my sis is so good, she bought me lotsa stuffs when she was in Bangkok for vacation.

Here are the souvenirs:

Super spicy Squid Strips, they are really spicy, but I couldnt stop eating!

Boots Cleansing Gel with Beads

Boots Moisturising Deep Clean Foam. Wow, I have so much cleanser now, haha..

Sabai Arom Lime Hair Shampoo

Naraya Bag, oh, so cute!

Weekend Project: Making Kimchi

2009-08-24T14:36:00.002+08:00

My ex-colleague has always been amped-up in making kimchi. He is a kimchi freak, lol. So he came yesterday, my housemate, me and KS made kimchi. Making kimchi is kind of messy ( chili paste here and there) but a lot of fun, a nice activity for rainy days..

So, the ingredients for kimchi:

1. Chinese Cabbage

2. Garlic (about 10 biji)

3. Red Chili (about 10 stalks)

3. Ginger (optional)

4. Chili Padi (optional)

Steps:

1. Chop the cabbage into quads.

2. Sprinkle salt on the cabbage, this process is to dehydrate the cabbage so that it will shrink and able fit into our container. Also pickle the cabbage as well.

3. Wait for the cabbage to shrink, it will take at least 2 hours.

4. Make the garlic paste.

De-skin the garlic.

Use a food processor, blend garlic, chili and ginger together. Because we used a crappy blender, we added some water to the paste to make it blend well.

Add in the sesame seeds and there you go. Tada! The paste.

5. Our cabbage has shrunk! The cabbage should be soft and is malleable, which means u can bend it easily.

6. Spread the paste in each layer of the cabbage leaf, make sure you spread it towards the stem (the hard white part) because the paste wont get there if you dont put it there.

A kimchi sandwich, anyone? lol

7. ~~Squash~~ Put the kimchi into the glass container. This process can be messy. Tips: Put a pale under the glass container, so we can re-use the paste that dripped down.

Gross eh? Haha..

8. Done, kimchi awaiting to be harvested.

9. Wrap the container up with a plastic bag and let it sit somewhere in the house. We need to wait for one month before we can eat the kimchi. Oh, I cant wait.

Note: Remember to put the kimchi into refridgerator after 3 days if u are in hot country like Malaysia.

Till then, that was our kimchi making process. Will show the result after one month if I get the chance.

I have OCD. !

2009-08-20T12:53:00.000+08:00

If you've watched TVB's drama, A Great Way to Heal, then you would know what OCD is. OCD stands for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. According to wikipedia, Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce anxiety, by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing anxiety. For example, a person keep on washing her hands because she always think that her hands are dirty.

A Great Way to Heal (仁心解码) - A story about psychologists.

And I think I have OCD, because I keep on checking my email every 10 seconds! I keep on clicking the refresh button hoping that I have new emails to call me up for an interview and also Jobstreet sends me a new alert on new job. Can anyone help me on this? I guess not.

Keep on Clicking the refresh button. But nothing appears. *cry*

Padded or Not?

2009-08-19T14:04:00.002+08:00

Lol, please forgive me for this lame post, I have been doing lame things lately :P

So, I have been going for interviews and have been wearing this white shirt several times. I dont wear this kind of OL shirt normally, as an engineer, a plain t-shirt will do to go work.

There is a difference when I wear the OL shirt with a padded bra and a non-padded one. I wonder if those OLs realise this or not, haha.. For a non-padded bra, I look like a kid, not feminine, so pity, huhu....While for a padded one, the shirt fits better (less crumbled, I didnt iron my shirt), but will people realise that I am faking it??

Front view.

Side view.

So, my question is, what do you think ...

Which one look nicer?

Review - Nutrimetics Apricot Cleansing Mousse (with Vitamin E)

2009-08-07T13:11:00.002+08:00

I am back at my hometown for a week, it is nice to go home. I had an interview with Sony, Bangi, but the interview did not turn out great. I was told that I was interviewing for Video Design Engineer in the email, but when I reached Sony, and after doing all the IQ tests that they gave me, they told me actually I was interviewing for Quality Improvement documentation post instead of the Video Design post. What the ??

Okay, back to products review that I have not been doing for a long time. I have been using this Cleansing Mousse for a week now since I am back home. My mum got this product from her friend. When I first look at the packaging, I thought this is another crappy local product, but it is not, it is actually a product from Australia.

A huge tube of the cleansing mousse of 150ml costs about RM20 something. But mum bought it at RM10++ when there is a promotion.

The ingredients:

The texture of the cleansing mousse is something like the mousse that people use it on hair. And very creamy. It has a strong smell of apricot, if you have used St. Ives Apricot cream before, this cleansing mousse smells similar like the cream. Because I have very dry skin, so I only need a little of the mousse to do the cleansing job. Upon rubbing the mouse with water, a creamy foam is formed. Then, I massage the foam on my face and neck. I like the cleansing effect that the mousse give to my skin, skin feels clean after using it. And also, it is very easy to rinse off.

After using it for a week now, I found that my skin has improved as pimples dry out. And white heads have reduced. I think I am going to steal some of this cleansing mousse from my mum to bring back to Penang, lol

Interview Questions - Altera, Intel & Plexus

2009-07-22T17:09:00.002+08:00

Hi guys, this is not beauty-related. But I think it is good to share things.

I have been attending interviews. I guess people are mostly scared of being asked technical questions. So, do I. Seriously, I need to brush up my technical knowledge, most of questions, I took time to answer it. I even struggled on answering simple questions. So, I have compiled the questions, for those who are interested, can view here.

People have been asking me on how were my interviews, etc. For Altera, they told me that they actually want a more experienced person. So, I guess I can give up on that. While for Plexus and Intel, they asked me to wait, I am not confident in getting these jobs. I would say getting a job now is not an easy task, the companies get to choose the best, and they are not in a rush, because of economy down tun.

Finally, I wish all of you good luck in your coming interviews!

Interviews, come, come.

My always-the-same interview outfit. lol.

P/S: Check-out my another post on more interview questions here.

No $$ already - Homemade Toner

2009-07-17T21:38:00.003+08:00

Ever since I lost my job, there are a few things that I have been holding back from buying. The things that are in my buying list at the moment are (1) Pot of Gold Skin Balm (2)Remedica Cleansing Paste (3) Laneige toner. I still have like 20% left of my Lancome toner, but I dont see that it is doing anything on my face. I still have a lot of tiny pimples on my face though I dont need to worry about working stress now.

Then, I come across this simple homemade toner from youtube. It uses two ingredients: Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) and green tea. That's all. I have always think that I dont clean my face thoroughly, this could be one of the factors for my pimple problem. ACV is a very good cleanser, and I have some ACV with me, that's good!

So, here's the video. From a famous + pretty youtuber.

I have my ingredients:

The product: Apple Cider Vinegar and Green Tea in 1:1 portion

I keep the toner in the fridge. When I apply it using cotton pad on my face, I could feel the cooling effect and also some tingly effect when it touches my pimples. I guess it is disinfecting the bacteria or something. Overall, I find the toner quite good, I have only used this for a few days, I have yet to see the result. But, my face feel soft when waking up the next morning. So, that's a good thing. Hope it will work!

Weekend Project - Making Pan Mee

2009-07-16T23:22:00.000+08:00

Last weekend, my housemate, Chiang made Pan Mee for lunch. It was simple, but super nice!! I am a big fan of pan mee, especially homemade one.

First, the main thing is - the noodle. You need to knead a dough from flour. Let the dough to sit for around half an hour.

The other ingredients: vegie, chili, garlic and little onions.

Not to forget to boil the ikan bilis (anchovy) soup first. And also fry the garlics and onions bits into golden colour. The bits are to be spreaded on the soup.

Tear the dough into pieces into the boling soup. There you have it , homemade Pan Mee. Yum!!

Review - Tzu Ji's Multi Grain Drink Mix

2009-07-15T22:23:00.001+08:00

Bought this pack of Multi Grain Drink from Tzu Ji Penang. Tzu Ji (慈济) is a famous organization in Taiwan, they are like a charity group and very active in recycle activities. They have their own line of products, which are all vegetarian and healthy.

In chinese, the name of this drink is called 五谷粉(read - Wu Gu Fen), which means Five Grain Powder. This 550 grams of powder costs me RM24. At the packet, it says purely vegan, rich in dietary fiber and no chemicals, fillers, artificial flavors and preservatives.

To serve, add 180cc of water to 30g of powder and mix, or adjust the drink powder as desired. For additional flavor, substitute water with fruit juice, soya milk, etc.

Since it is high in fiber, it helps on my constipation. But, it is heaty though, need to drink lots of water after drinking it. And it is also very filling. It tastes awful since it doesnt have any synthetic sugar added, however, I can still tolerate it as it is a healthy and filling drink. I would buy this again if I do visit Tzu Ji in the future.

This is how the powder looks like.

Lots of healthy ingredients in the powder. =)

Cherry Tomatoes for Good Skin

2009-07-10T22:53:00.000+08:00

I have just recently found out that eating cherry tomatoes can help to cure acne. Cherry tomatoes are rich in Vitamin A & C. My ex-colleague told me about this. I noticed that his acne has reduced a lot and left mainly scars. I have tried eating these tomatoes for 3 days. It helped on my costipation. So, those who are suffering from acne, maybe can give this a try.

Taiwanese Beauty TV Shows

2009-07-07T22:43:00.001+08:00

I'm back! Been busy looking for jobs =). At the mean time, I have not been unpacking my stuffs into my new room, I just put the boxes aside. Been watching quite a lot of TVB dramas though. Beauty activity wise, I have not been doing any. Except for watching some Taiwanese Beauty Shows. These are the shows that I have been watching.

1. Queens (女人我最大)
I think this show is probably the pioneer of the Taiwan beauty tv show. The host is Pauline Lan ( 蓝心湄), which was initially a singer, then turned into a TV host. This show is very informative. Together with Lan, there are other experts that always appear in the show. Including master Kevin (make up), Mario (the fashion guru), Judy lin ( Hair Style guru) and also Niu Er (DIY beauty guru). However, I start to find this show kind of boring. Because the host and guests are always the same.

2. 流行in HOUSE ( read: liu xing in house)
This is a show from Channel[V], so the target viewer is more to younger generation if compared with Queens. The host is Miranda Lu (路嘉怡), who is sister to Taiwanese singer, 路嘉欣. Overall, I find this tv show quite fresh and interesting, or maybe it is because I am bored watching Queens.

3. Butterfly (蝴蝶蝴蝶生ㄉ真美丽)
This is a crappy beauty show. Basically, a re-use of information from Queens and then re-package it. The host is called 蝴蝶姐姐, means Butterfly Sister (what the heck?), I dont know what her real name is. Butterfly Sister has a weird voice, like a doll voice. And there is a really silly thing that the guests do in the show, they have to be on exercise machines when answering questions from the host. Not really that kind of beauty show that I like.

I've been retrenched.

2009-07-03T12:41:00.000+08:00

Dear family and friends,

I usually blog about good and happy stuffs. But, today, I have been retrenched by my company. I am officially jobless. My world ends =)

Dont worry, I wont die. I will start finding job now.

regards,
JJ