(This is a 48-hour sticky post, scroll down for updates!)



I didn't know that flu and cold are actually two different illnesses. I thought flu is like the medical term for cold or something... until recently when I attended a talk about the danger of flu.




All this while I had been using the term "flu" whenever I have runny nose. Salah rupanya! Now that I know what those two are, it's actually quite easy to differentiate them.


Flu comes from the word influenza which causes severe illness and life-threatening complications in many people - like H1N1. It is caused by the influenza viruses A, B and rarely C that affects the whole body. Cold on the other hand is..... well, the normal "selesema". You know, the common runny or stuffy nose that we always seem to get from time to time.


There are major differences in characteristics between flu and cold. Flu is always accompanied by high fever (39-40 degrees Celsius), massive headache, muscular pains and feeling very weak that lasts for 1-2 weeks and complications like pneumonia, bronchitis and even death may occur. As for cold, you don't always have a fever but even if you have, it's only a mild one (below 38 degrees Celsius) and only takes 3-4 days to recover. And no, you won't die from getting a cold - at least not for the common colds.



Both are contagious but flu is even more contagious that even healthy people can get infected. You can catch the flu by simply touching contaminated objects or when the infected person coughs and sneezes. I think we all know that. But do you know that the deadly flu can be prevented - besides constantly washing your hands with soap and using hand sanitizers and wearing a mask?





Get vaccinated!


Apparently vaccination is the most effective protection against influenza for you and your loved ones. It is proven that up to 90% of healthy people who are vaccinated each year are protected. The influenza virus can change slightly each year, making the vaccine used in the previous year ineffective. That is why the flu vaccination is recommended to take once a year. When you are vaccinated, your body responds to the vaccine by producing an immune response. Some people may experience side effects after taking the flu vaccine tho, like soreness at the site of the injection, muscle ache and fever, but only for a couple of days.


H1N1 is still active in Malaysia. In fact, influenza cases in Malaysia actually occur throughout the year whether there is a pandemic or not. Regardless of seasonal or pandemic, influenza kills. The only thing is we don't actively looking for influenza cases during "normal situations", but only in a pandemic situation like now. It's a good idea to get yourself vaccinated especially if you are among the people who are at the highest risk of getting it. After all, prevention is always better than cure. But do consult your doctor first before getting the vaccine (or any medication). You don't want something else to happen now, do you?

Labels: Advertorials, Health, Nuffnang

A lot of people think these "swollen" feet of mine is because of pregnancy.




I wish I could say they were, because pregnancy swollen feet = temporary.


But these are permanent. Because I'm born with chubby stubby toes (and fingers). Some find them cute, some think they look "cacat"; but I'm just grateful God gives me two feet with ten toes. Nothing more and nothing less.

Labels: Random Stuff

I'm loving everything about the bags from Coach Kristin Collection. The butter-soft leather, the colors, the classic design, the clean simple lines, the chain link straps and the prices (for designer bags) are not bad either that I couldn't resist getting my hands on one of them.






Then recently, I spotted an even more beautiful bag (well, clutch actually) from the Kristin Collection - the Kristin Woven Leather Clutch. I don't know about you, but I rarely find a nice clutch that is really white.




The woven leather of this clutch reminds me a lot of my Anya Hindmarch Jethro bag, which as you can see, is being modeled by my little girl in the picture below. It's almost like they come from the same line or something.





Now I don't really need a clutch at the moment, but I don't mind getting one as a present.
Besides, I don't have a white clutch yet. *eyeing my husband*

Labels: Bags

Sometimes pregnancy can make you do crazy things.


Like going for a jog in the middle of the night. Or eating pickles dipped in strawberry yogurt. Or dyeing your hair in a wacky purple color.


I didn't do any of the above tho. But I did make something quite crazy last night.
I woke up at about 3 o'clock in the morning and made a chocolate cake - from scratch!


Here's the not-so-crazy part: it only took about 5 minutes to make one. I saw the recipe on YouTube the other day and thought it would be perfect for late night snack. Yes well apparently, a cake is consider a snack when you're pregnant.




Just dump in a few tablespoons of flour, sugar, cocoa powder, milk, oil, egg, vanilla essence and chocolate chips in a mug, and microwave it for 3 minutes (you can get the exact recipe here).


Then walla... the most dangerous cake is made!



The cake is spongy, not really soft and airy but it's not that bad. Especially when eaten with ice-cream.


And the next morning, I woke up with an extra 10 pounds! >_<

Labels: Food and Recipes

... I used to say "Nak lolo" instead of "Nak susu" when I wanted milk.


... I was afraid of asking permission from my kindergarten teacher to go to the toilet. There was once when I accidentally pooped my pants when everyone else was having lunch. I guess the teacher was pissed off when she saw the "nasty surprise" I left on the bench but couldn't scold me (because I was so innocent) so she washed my bum with Fab powder detergent instead.


... I used to have an imaginary friend whom I remembered looked a lot like Alexis Bledel.


... I had a secret crush on Ultraman.


... I used to think all guys are perverts and I hated them all except my dad, my brother and my future husband. Oh, and Ultraman too. It's kind of funny tho, despite hating all guys I still wanted to get married. And I was only 9!


... One of my classmates used to bully me as I was a new student and asked for my pocket money almost every day. I still remember her name because it's a combination of both my sisters' name.


... I hated school especially during my primary years. I used to hide under my dad's car so that I could miss the school bus but one day my maid saw me and I came up with a lame excuse saying, "Ada katak kejar Along!" (Along is what my family calls me, by the way).


... I used to think that girls can only get married when they have boobs.


... I didn't know when I grew up I would be sharing this with all of you! ;p



What did you do/think/etc when you were little?

Labels: Random Stuff

There was a time when Acai Berry suddenly become so popular, like really mad crazy - I think it was after being featured on Oprah show or something (I didn't watch that particular episode by the way). Every time when I went online on my Yahoo Messenger, I would get lots of spam messages about acai berry weight loss thingy which got really annoying! There's just so much hype about it and I wasn't the least bit interested. In fact I got really fed up that I decided not to get connected to YM whenever I'm online like I used to because that's the only way to get rid of those spams! (yes well, that kinda explains my "YM disappearance").


Then last year during Hari Raya I had my very first encounter with acai berry, in the form of a juice. We were visiting my dad's cousin and after having lunch, the wife was telling us about this "special juice" that they have been consuming. She took out a bottle from the fridge and gave each of us a taste (one tablespoon each, to be exact). My first thought, it tasted somewhat like Ribena, but a little thicker and not as sweet. It was kinda sour-ish (which I like) and is so yummy!


Mind you, I was attracted to the pretty bottle. I want one! It would be nice to have it in my fridge. And that was when I saw "acai berry" in the ingredient and went like "so this is the ever-so-famous acai berry!". It wasn't a weight loss supplement as I thought, at least the one that we tried is not. It's actually a health supplement. And the name is MonaVie. Unfortunately, I was told that they bought the MonaVie from Singapore because it wasn't available in Malaysia at that time.




Fast-forward to end of last year, 2009. We managed to track down MonaVie from my father-in-law (who knew it from his friend) and we have been religiously consuming it every day until now. That's almost half a year. Just like my dad's cousin, the MonaVie supplies that we got were from Singapore too, until recently when MonaVie finally launched in Malaysia.




MonaVie is a blend of 19 fruits and its key ingredient is acai berry. It's highly packed with antioxidant (10x more than red grapes!), can increase energy, boost immune system, combat premature aging and reduce inflammation. The thing I love most about MonaVie juice besides the yumminess is that, 1 serving (30ml to 60ml) is the equivalent of about 3 servings of fruits and veggies! And it's recommended to drink only twice a day. Of course I drink more than that because I couldn't get enough of it (just so you know, I'm a sucker for yummy fruity drinks)! Even Ayra likes it.




Now I don't know if there's any difference or changes that I experienced after drinking MonaVie because the thing about health supplement is, you don't get the result right away especially if you're in a good health condition. It's not like losing weight - like losing 1 kg after consuming Herbalife shake for 3 days or whatnot. It's like an investment for future health. You know, like vitamins.


But I think people have started to notice how "flawless" my skin has become. At first I wasn't aware of it; I thought it was just pregnancy hormones or something. But then I remembered I started drinking MonaVie at around the same time when I first found out I was pregnant so my flawless-ness could also be because of MonaVie. And I get compliments from my family, my friends, even strangers (makeup sales assistants mostly) like never before. Some of them asked what skincare product I'm using but I wasn't sure what to tell them because I have a few cleansers, toners and moisturizers from various brands, and believe me, saya selang-selang pakai ikut mood - like hari ni nak pakai cleanser Hada Labo. Then 3 days later, tiba-tiba rasa nak pakai Shu Uemura. Then a week later nak pakai L'Oreal pulak. And sometimes when I'm too lazy, I just use water! ;p It's like that one, no kidding (I know it's not good!)


But one thing I know, MonaVie is really good! Sedap giler, tolong laa...

Labels: Health

I'm about to tell you something quite embarrassing. Yes, quite, because it's not like "I-accidentally-let-out-a-loud-stinky-fart-that-made-the-old-lady-beside-me-jump" kind of embarrassment. In fact it's probably a hundred times less embarrassing than that. But it's still considered as embarrassing to me - in terms of hygiene.


You see, I don't like cleaning. Anything that has to do with cleaning - the dishes, the house, the bathroom, the rubbish, dirty laundry, whatever (except for cleaning myself). It's like my pet peeve. I hardly volunteer to clean things up unless if I had to when there's no one else to do it. But the thing is, I am a clean freak. Or at least my husband said so. Isn't that ironic - a clean freak who doesn't like to clean? I mean, I like and want things to be sparkly clean but I don't like the process of doing it (tell me I'm not the only one here). I wish things can be "magically" cleaned by itself. Or if there's like a remote control to clean anything - just point and clean, or whatever.


Simply put, I'm such a lazy bum! I would try opting for the easiest way possible to get things clean - which is why sometimes I use a vacuum cleaner to clean the floor instead of using a broom. Sedut jer semua, senang!


And when it comes to teeny-weeny stuff, I couldn't be bothered at all. Like cleaning makeup brushes. I've had this makeup brushes for years - 3 years to be exact, and I have only cleaned them for erm... 3 times maybe? Hey at least I cleaned them! :">




I read somewhere that you should clean makeup brushes AT LEAST once a week but really, who does that? (Err...do you?). The whole process seems like a tedious task - pre-rinse the brushes with warm water, apply a shampoo or brush cleaner to bristles, rub the bristles with your fingers for each brush, rinse thoroughly, then rinse again, pat dry with towel and allow to air-dry which usually takes forever! Sometimes I feel like tossing them in the washing machine instead (in a laundry bag of course) and set it on a delicate cycle. But something tells me not to. So all this while I've been using dirty makeup brushes on my face. God knows how many zillions of bacteria my brushes have accumulated by now! >_<


Then one day, I came across a video tutorial by my favorite online makeup guru on how to clean brushes the easy way. It's actually how the MAC people (in the US; not sure if it's the same here) clean their brushes and OMG it is easy! So easy that it doesn't require rinsing which, by the way, is my least favorite part of the whole cleaning thing. The directions say to apply it to damp brushes, rinse well, bla bla bla, but you know, sometimes you don't really have to follow them all.











The best part is you don't really have to air-dry them because the MAC Brush Cleanser is alcohol-based so it dries up pretty fast. I actually enjoyed cleaning my makeup brushes now and do it almost every time after I use them, especially for my eye shadow brushes. It's like magic! Of course I still have to make it a habit to really clean them once in a while - rinsing and everything - but at least this is better than not cleaning at all! :)

Labels: Beauty/Skincare

Labels: Mommyhood and Baby

(This is a 48-hour sticky post, scroll down for updates!)



Have any of you watched this Taking Back My Lurve video?





It's actually a spoof video created by Hamlet's Hero on his Saucy Lurve Affair and OMG it reminds me of how my husband sings! I can't help but laughed out loud when I watched the video. I told my husband, "that's pretty much how you sound like when you sing, except with lyrics yang kacau-bilau!".



There's another video about A Lurve Story of Miao & WafuPafu, created by AkiraCEO.




It's cute alright, but it's a sad one. It's about losing pets. I don't really like sad stories or movies because I don't like to cry or being emotional. I like funny stories, which is why I always prefer romantic comedies over sappy ones when it comes to movies (I don't like Titanic!).


Between those two videos, I enjoyed Hamlet's more because it's funny and well... it reminds me of my husband singing.




You see, my husband likes to sing. But my God when he sings, saya boleh pengsan sebab gelak tak terhingga. Yes, he's not gifted in the singing department but I guess when you lurve someone, you accept his/her flaws. My husband would just bantai the lyrics and sing out of tune dengan confidentnya. He only sings in front of me though. It's just hilarious, almost like the guy who sings in the Taking Back My Lurve video!


The video has a happy ending too. I love happy endings! Dah gaduh-gaduh, baik balik. Doesn't that sound familiar to you? I mean we can't expect everything to sail smoothly in a marriage - there are ups and downs (except the breaking things part. That's a little extreme, no?). But no matter how many arguments you may have with your partner, you should always find a way to compromise because that's what marriages and relationships are all about.


And the best part of fighting?
Making up! ;p

Labels: Advertorials, Movies/Videos, Nuffnang

I just tweeted about not being able to update my blog today... But then I remembered reading an interesting article (to me, at least) on Oprah.com and I thought of sharing the excerpts of it here. At least update la jugak kan? ;p



Why are people mean? Here's the short answer: They're hurt. Here's the long answer: They're really hurt. At some point, somebody—their parents, their lovers, Lady Luck—did them dirty. They were crushed. And they're still afraid the pain will never stop, or that it will happen again.


Mean people live small, think small, and feel small—the smaller, the meaner. For example, after boxer Mike Tyson bit off part of an opponent's ear, his comment was "What am I supposed to do? I've got children to raise". This made no sense, since Tyson was paid nearly $30 million after losing that fight. A likely psychological explanation is that when he was physically overwhelmed, he felt like a child himself. He bit like a playground runt to protect the defenseless little person he thought himself to be.


Think of a person who's been nasty to you. Imagine that person shrinking to one inch tall. Picture your enemy stomping around in the palm of your hand, yelling or sneering all the customary cruelties. You'll find that if your critic is making a valid point, it will still sound accurate, but mere verbal abuse is hilarious when squeaked in the voice of an inch-tall Mini-Mean.


Whatever your reaction to this tiny villain, that's probably the best way to react to your life-size challenger. If the insults are laughable, just laugh. If the mean person has a point, tell her that you get it, but she could stand to work on her people skills. Practice what you would say if you felt big and invulnerable, then say it, even if you're scared. Be "big" by responding to cruelty with honest calm rather than aggression or submissiveness.


(You can read the full article here).

Labels: Random Stuff

I'm always on the lookout for super simple and tasty recipes that only take a few minutes to prepare. Being pregnant with a toddler (I don't mean carrying a toddler in my belly; you know what I mean) does not give me the energy to cook as much as I used to. It's either makan luar, or I'd make sandwiches for lunch and dinner.


Anyway a few days ago, I was watching one of my favorite cooking shows on AFC - French Food At Home. Laura, the chef, was making Potato Omelet when I suddenly remembered I have a few potatoes in my kitchen that I bought weeks ago!


Immediately after watching the program, I went to the kitchen. My potatoes were still good and I have all of the ingredients needed so I decided to try out the Potato Omelet recipe. It was so easy, I didn't even bother to write it down (ok I tweaked it a little).




2 eggs, beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper
Slices of chicken salami (she used bacon btw)
1 small potato (peeled and diced)
1 chopped onion
1 clove of chopped garlic
Butter
Balsamic vinegar
Chopped parsley


Add butter to a pan and cook the onion until soft. Add in the garlic and cook for a minute. Remove them to a plate.


Using the same pan, pour in a dash of balsamic vinegar and saute the potatoes until they are crisp and golden on the outside, and soft on the inside. Add in the onion, garlic and chicken salami.


Pour in the beaten egg mixture over the potato and cook until the eggs are set. Then sprinkle with chopped parsley. Bon appetit!



I have to admit, the usage of balsamic vinegar in this recipe was the main reason why I wanted to try it in the first place; not really the potatoes. I love omelets and this is one of the best!

Labels: Food and Recipes

The other day, I came back home with the cutest pair of shoes from Martina Pink. It's purple patent leather with bows and floral lining, and it just screams cuteness!




I pranced happily around the house in my new shiny shoes like I always did while Ayra looked at me with much interest. She couldn't take her eyes off the shoes. I guess it must be the bright purple color. She even wanted to try them herself!


It's only a 3-inch heel, so I thought why not.






I can't believe she could actually walk in them, even though it was just a few tiny steps!

Labels: Shoes

Ever since getting that Sephora palette, I've been stuffing my brain with lots and lots of makeup video tutorials from YouTube. It's like, all of a sudden I'm turning into a makeup junkie! One time my husband caught me experimenting in front of the mirror with a brush in one hand, a makeup palette in the other hand and at the same time trying to hit the pause button on the laptop as I did my makeup. It was pretty embarrassing!


Anyway, I realized how under-equipped I was especially when it comes to makeup brushes. I've been using Too Faced Teddy Bear Hair brushes for more than 3 years and back then I thought 3 eyeshadow brushes were enough to create the look I wanted. Well it was enough, until recently when I started to learn more about eye makeup techniques that I realized I need like a million brushes! Watch these Makeup By Tiffany videos, and you'll know what I mean (I like all of her makeup videos).


So after reading a few reviews here and there, I decided to get this brush set from Coastal Scents. I opted for one of the Fedex shipping methods, (tak sabar punya budak) and they arrived in less than a week - I was as happy as a clam. Now I can do experiments dengan jayanya! (They also gave a free sample of their mineral eye shadow which I've yet to try).




The set contains 15 makeup brushes in a magenta faux snake skin case. Some of the brushes are made of goat hair, some sable and some are synthetic. It's still kind of early for me to say whether these brushes are highly recommended or not because I'm still in the midst of learning the use of each brush; which brush does what and whatnot. But out of the 15 brushes, I find myself using these ones the most:




I guess I could pretty much say they are my favorites so far. But I still need to use some of my Too Faced brushes. And I think I need at least one more brush to complete my collection - a smudge brush.



Anyway...








After doing the "sea monster" makeup (which was last night), I went to my husband's study room and asked sheepishly, "How do I look?". He scrutinized my face and was silent for a while.


"Kenapa? Tak cantik ek?" I asked again.


"Umm... macam mana nak tau cantik ke tak ek? Tak reti la... Cantik jer saya rasa".


Hahaha. I love my husband (although I think he was just being nice)!

Labels: Beauty/Skincare

(This is a 48-hour sticky post, scroll down for updates!)



My husband is a BIG fan of pizza. I like pizza too, but not as much as he does. He loves pizza so much that he could finish off the entire pan on his own when he's really hungry. And he blames me for making him fat! *roll eyes*


Anyway, Pizza Hut just came out with a new pizza and they invited a few bloggers to be among the first ones to try it. The eat out session was at Pizza Hut restaurant in Kota Damansara and it was actually my first time dining there. It's the biggest Pizza Hut I've ever been to!

Labels: Advertorials, Food and Recipes, Nuffnang