Hubby: Awak dah buat yang apa nama tu... macam pepsi-cola?
Me: Ha??
Hubby: Ala yang macam pepsi pepsi tu.
Me: Pepsi? Tak paham la...
Hubby: Ujian yang awak buat once a year lepas bersalin tu...


LOL. He was actually talking about PAP SMEAR!

Labels: Random Stuff

Kids don't operate like grown-ups do. Sometimes I wonder what's inside the mind of my 22 months old daughter. It's fascinating to see just how curious she is about everything around her. She would poke, pull, push, climb, kick, bang, throw whatever she could get her hands on. She's like a mini scientist - there's always something new to discover!




Well, I never knew a printer could be a place to stuff CDs, pencils and bits of papers (yes, I found them stuck in the tray!), or how a bookshelf can be turned into a hide-and-seek spot, or how one could have so much fun playing with dirty smelly clothes! It just shows that kids perceive things differently from us adults. And because of this differences, Dutch Lady is having a Facebook contest for all mothers called, "Let's hear from the kids!".





To participate in the contest, you need to sign up as a fan of Dutch Lady Facebook page and click on the 'contest' tab. This contest is split between kids of two age groups: 1-6 years old and 6-12 years old. All you need to do is answer these 3 simple questions on behalf of your kid:

1) How tall is mummy?
2) What does mummy work as?
3) What does mummy always say to you?


This is what my 3-year old neighbour answered when being asked the questions:

1) Mummy is tall like Dibo The Gift Dragon.
2) Mummy works in the kitchen.
3) "Go ask daddy".


Anyway, the contest will be running for 4 weeks starting from 26th October until 22nd November 2010 and each submission will be posted for the public to view and vote for their favorite entry by clicking on 'Like'. Of course there'll be prizes! At the end of 4 weeks, the top 3 entries that receive the most number of 'Likes' will win:

1st prize: RM1,000 cash + Dutch Lady Milk products
2nd prize: RM800 cash + Dutch Lady Milk products
3rd prize: RM500 cash + Dutch Lady Milk products


So let's hear from the kids, shall we?
C'mon mommies, this would be fun!

Labels: Advertorials, Contests, Nuffnang

I had a sudden urge to bake chocolate chip muffins last weekend. I wanted to make a little surprise for my husband (he was sleeping with Ayra at that time) because I haven't been baking for months. My baby was awake and wanted to be held but that didn't stop me from baking!


I googled for the recipe, found one that has all the ingredients I have in the kitchen and started baking right away. I had to be quick before my husband woke up. Oh you should see me wearing my baby in a sling trying to get her to sleep while measuring the ingredients and talking on the phone with my sister-in-law at the same time. It was madness! But Raina fell asleep not long after that so things got easier.


Despite multitasking in a hurry, my muffins turned out not bad!




1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 cup superfine sugar
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling)
1 cup milk
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.


In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients together - flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Pour all the liquid ingredients into a measuring jug - milk, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla extract.


Mix the dry and wet ingredients together (do not over mix!). Spoon into muffin cases and sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips on top.


Bake for about 20 minutes until the muffins are risen and a cake tester (or a knife if you don't have one) inserted into the muffin comes out clean. This recipe makes 12 medium-sized muffins.


Anyway, my husband woke up from his nap to the lovely smell of chocolate chip muffins. His eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store when I handed him one of the muffins.




By noon the next day, all of the muffins were gone - and I only ate three!

Labels: Food and Recipes

After trying out three types of Spanx, I guess it's time for me to make a review! (I hope this answers your questions, to those who emailed me).


My very first Spanx is the Hide & Sleek Slip-Suit which I bought from eBay about a year ago.



It's a one-piece body shaper made of smooth sleek fabric which I love! This is the least stretchy of all three that I've own (with only 10% Spandex) but I actually like it because I find it easier to wear compared to the other stretchier two. It's super comfy, smoothed out the lumpy bits of my body and since it's a one-piece, I don't have to worry about it rolling down. I don't know how to explain this but this slip-suit actually made me feel "secure". It's like, my fats are all tightly sealed and I can move around freely without worrying about spilling my "secret"!


But when nature calls, this one-piece body shaper can give you a BIG problem! The cotton double gusset didn't help at all; in fact I wish they didn't make a hole down there! It's impossible to pee through it without dripping. Trust me, I've tried it (eww, I know!). Well, that was the first time. The second time I wore it, I had to take off everything just to pee and spent more than 30 minutes in the toilet! And so because of that, I decided I would only wear this Hide & Sleek Slip-Suit to short events or functions, one that I know I won't be visiting the toilet. But despite the pee-problem, this is actually my favorite piece of Spanx!



Since nature's call is not easy with the Hide & Sleek Slip-Suit, I decided to purchase a mid-thigh shaper so I chose the In-Power Line Super Higher Power. It's like the cheapest mid-thigh shaper from Spanx. I bought it with the help of my friend and wore it during my confinement as a substitute for traditional binder (bengkung).



I'm gonna be honest here. I don't really like it! Well, probably because I have something so much better. When I first tried it on, I was disappointed and couldn't help comparing it with the Hide & Sleek. The fabric is thin and I had to be really careful when I put this on as I was afraid I might rip it (but so far it hasn't). Of course wearing this was a lot easier and comfier than wearing bengkung (I wore it for night time during my confinement). The nude color was darker than I expected and it doesn't look anything like the picture in the website. It looks worn out after just a few washes (I machine wash all my Spanx in a laundry bag, on a delicate cycle). Peeing is not really a problem with this one tho but the top band rolled down and it's not comfy when that happens because you have to keep on pulling it up. It does smooth out my tummy, thighs and bum, altho not as great as Hide & Sleek.



My third Spanx: Slim Cognito Shaping Mid-Thigh Bodysuit. I bought it from Freshpair.com and it ships directly to Malaysia. Yay!




I had really high expectations for this one because it was recommended by Spanx Customer Care (I contacted them, asking for advice) as it offers maximum compression. When I first got it, I really loved it! But after wearing it for a few times, I changed my mind a little. I mean, yeah it's comfy, it offers great compression and the material is heavier/thicker and 10 times better than the Super Higher Power (hence the price).


But the top band slipped down a little after awhile. I'd say about an inch from under the bust. I guess that's the problem with all mid-thigh shapers? Or maybe because I'm just so fat! I would have loved this one if it's not because of the slip-down top band. I've yet to try attaching the removable straps to my bra; maybe that will prevent it from sliding down. But I wonder if it pulls the bra down instead. Anyone had any issue with this?


Of all the three Spanxs I have, I would say my favorite in terms of hiding lumps and bumps would be the Hide & Sleek Slip-Suit. I don't know, I just LOVE the fabric (and probably because it's a one-piece shaper)!





Basically, all Spanx body shapers help to smooth out lumps, hold in bulges and bumps, and hide panty line. But one-piece shaper is probably the best kind of shaper to smooth out lumps and bumps as it covers more (even that disgusting side bra fat, if you know what I mean), but going to the loo would be a hassle. You won't have pee-problem with mid-thigh shaper tho, but you might have to deal with the troublesome top band that keeps on sliding down. If you don't mind going through the hassle of peeing, then I'd definitely suggest the one-piece shaper.


As much as I love Spanx, I won't say this is the solution to have a slimmer body. It's just a temporary solution. I mean, you wouldn't want to wear something so tight 24/7, would you? Well I don't. And I'm looking forward to the day when I would only wear Spanx on special occasions or events - not almost every time when I go out! But that's just me. Every time when I put on my Spanx, my husband would be so amused. The things we women do to look beautiful!

Labels: Fashion

My favorite Pizza Hut's pizza is the stuffed crust because I am a cheese lover. So when I heard about their new Extreme Cheesy 6 Pizza I was like, "OMG 6 cheeses? SIX?!? That IS extreme!".


I couldn't wait to try it!




And so there I was, sitting patiently at the table with other bloggers on a Friday night at Pusat Bandar Damansara Pizza Hut, waiting for our pizzas.




Minutes later, our pizzas arrived piping hot, fresh from the oven. Each of these pizzas is loaded with 6 different cheeses - Cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Provolone, Monterey Jack and Romano.




And each of these cheeses has their own unique taste. Classic delicate, creamy and soft, flavorful and savoury, full-bodied, slightly tart, zesty and nutty, hearty taste. Imagine when they are all combined together!





This was actually my first time eating plain pizza with nothing but cheese. I think I prefer my pizza with toppings. Good thing the Extreme Cheesy 6 Pizza also comes with a few other toppings besides just cheese.

Labels: Advertorials, Food and Recipes, Nuffnang

Guess what?


Tak sampai seminggu we had to send the maid back to Indonesia. Banyak songeh la maid muda (she's 23 by the way). After all the money my husband spent uruskan passport dia and brought her here and whatnot, dia buat hal pulak. Kita punya la kesian kat dia sebab dia orang susah, ada anak kecik kat Indonesia, datang sini bawak paper bag jer so I gave her a few of my clothes, towel, heck I even gave her my MNG and Esprit tops (ada ker maid pakai MNG/Esprit? ;p) ingatkan dia nak kerja betul-betul. I mean, bukan susah sangat pun. My house is not that big, plus I'm around to handle Raina and I'm the one who cooks so bukannya banyak sangat kerja. Or maybe sebab tak banyak kerja kot dia tak nak kerja with me (tapi gaji standard, takde kurang pun). When my husband wanted to make a permit, dia tak nak and told him dia nak kerja kat kedai dengan "sepupu" dia pulak sebab gaji lagi banyak. Tiba-tiba la pulak ada sepupu kat Malaysia. I bet she was planning to work with us for a few months lepas tu nak lari kot, sebab tu taknak buat permit. And not only that, she made up stories mengadu kat "sepupu" dia kata we all tak bagi dia makan. Haihh....


You see, when she first arrived I asked her what she usually eats for breakfast (coz hubby and I have Herbalife shake) and is it okay if she eats bread/buns? She answered, "Enggak pernah, enggak apa-apa". I thought dia memang jenis tak makan breakfast coz some people memang jenis tak breakfast kan. But I did tell her, "kalau nak makan apa-apa, beritahu yer. Boleh suruh bapak (my husband) beli" sebab mana la tahu dia tak biasa makan what we eat ker kan. I told her there's tea, Horlicks, cappuccino, fruits, biscuits, etc if she wants. Macam-macam la dorang ni. Majikan baik, kau tak bersyukur.


When we agreed to send her back, she was expecting my husband to send her to her cousin's place (somewhere in KL). Of course that didn't happen coz we were responsible for bringing her here so it's our responsibility to bring her back to her husband in Indonesia. She was kinda shocked. Padan muka kau. Ada peluang datang sini untuk cari rezeki secara legal kau taknak.


And so burn la a few thousand Ringgits just like that. Baik kirai beli LV bag jer. Huhhh!


So now I'm back to square one. But that's okay, I prefer handling everything on my own daripada dapat maid yang entah apa-apa. If the maid is not happy, so are we. Lepas ni kalau nak cari maid, nak yang dah berumur sikit la. And maybe I should always trust my first instinct - I had a bad feeling when I first looked at her passport photo. Hmph!

Labels: Random Stuff

Whoever invented debit card is a genius. Pure genius.


Gone were the days where you have to queue for eons at the ATM just to get some cash. Or worse, if you've been queuing up for so long and when it was finally your turn, the machine suddenly went "OUT OF SERVICE"! Don't you just hate that?!


You know, ever since I got my first Debit MasterCard, I rarely pay with cash. It's kinda like using credit card, only better coz you don't owe anyone anything coz everything you spent is deducted directly from your bank account. Heck, it's even better than cash because it's so convenient and you can avoid the hassle of queuing up at the ATM!




Imagine this. You walked past a shop and your eyes "accidentally" caught a pair of shoes sitting on the display shelf with a 50% discount tag. You went inside, tried them on and were told by the sales girl that it was the very last pair in your size. A lady behind you was eyeing on the shoes that you were holding. You want it so badly and were afraid that the lady would take it from you but you don't have enough cash. That's when your Debit MasterCard came to the rescue because you don't have to worry about having insufficient cash in your wallet! (happened to me lots of time).




I've been using the Debit MasterCard and I love it! It's great that I can use it to pay for my everyday things like groceries, books, movies, massage treatments and of course food...





Anyway, using the Debit MasterCard is so easy and convenient because it is accepted everywhere with the MasterCard sign.




And not only it's easy and convenient, it's rewarding too! MasterCard is having this 'Charge & Stay' promotion and when you spend five times on your Debit MasterCard with a minimum purchase of only RM30 each time, you can redeem a FREE ONE NIGHT'S STAY AT RESORT WORLD GENTING!




So collect all 5 receipts and mail them to:
Charge & Stay, P.O. Box 3373, 47509 Subang Jaya, Selangor.


Or if you want instant redemption, you can present all 5 receipts at Resorts World OneHub office. Hurry, this promotion ends 15th December 2010! I already did mine!

Labels: Advertorials, Nuffnang, Sales and Shopping

I've heard of how good the iconic Shu Uemura cleansing oils for like a million times but the thought of applying oil on my face just turned me off and so I was never tempted to try one, until that day when I attended Shu Uemura makeup workshop. Well, not exactly on that day itself because I actually didn't really like it at first. If it wasn't for the sample bottle that I received, I wouldn't know just how good the product is.

I immediately purchased my first bottle (the Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/I) after finishing the sample and boy, I was hooked! It makes my dry skin feels soft and supple and I never felt any tightness right after cleansing. I like it!




I'm on my third bottle now and one of them is the White recovery EX Brightening Cleansing Oil (the blue bottle). I wanted to try that one because I have dull complexion (been skipping my weekly scrub and mask, that's why) but it was a bit drying for my skin so I switched back to the previous one. My skin is soft and supple again.

The only complain I have about Shu Uemura cleansing oil is that it always leaves my eyes very blurry right after cleansing no matter how careful I applied it on my lids. It doesn't sting or hurt, but it sure is uncomfortable. My vision would be so blurry and everything will look like this:



It's like I'm both long and short-sighted! It only lasts for a minute or two tho but sometimes when I'm in a hurry (what with the kids and everything) the blurriness really bothered me.


Then I came across Juice Beauty products from a brochure that my sister-in-law brought home. The products are made from organic ingredients and are free of petroleum, silicones, artificial dyes or fragrances, parabens, propylene and other harmful chemicals. I browsed the website, read the reviews and was keen on the Green Apple range.

"Juice Beauty's Green Apple collection is exclusively formulated to accelerate cellular turn-over, boost antioxidant protection, help increase firmness, smooth, brightens and refine for radiant, ageless skin".

I was sold! Anti-aging is also what I'm looking for in a product because I am at that age where anti-aging should be a concern. I mean, who doesn't want to look young?

So a few days later, I went to The Gardens and bought this:



It's the Age-Defying Kit which retails for RM255. I heart skincare product that comes in travel-size or trial kits because samples are usually for 1-2 applications only. Not enough! You need at least 3 days to know whether the products suit your skin or not, right? So travel/trial kits are perfect!

This kit contains 100ml Green Apple Cleansing Gel, 15ml Green Apple Peel FULL STRENGTH, 7ml Green Apple Antioxidant Serum, 15ml Green Apple SPF15 Moisturizer (for daytime) and 15ml Green Apple Antioxidant Moisturizer (for nighttime). Not so bad for the price, ey?



The kit was actually supposed to have 5 different products like I just mentioned, but two of the products in my kit are the same (I don't have the SPF15 Moisturizer). I only realized it when I got home.



At first I thought of exchanging it with what was supposed to be in the kit but later changed my mind because it's only a daytime moisturizer. I still have my Olay Total Effects anyway. The Green Apple Peel FULL STRENGTH acts like an exfoliator but this is what the instruction says: "apply on the face, leave for 15 minutes then rinse well". Sounds more like a mask, no? This stuff tingles and smells kinda like yeast. In fact all of the products don't smell like green apples, which is a tad disappointing because I love apple scent! But the combination of all the products (including my Olay Total Effects moisturizer and Hada Labo toner) makes my skin look somewhat brightened after only 3 days of usage. I love waking up to a beautiful skin!

I know it's still pretty early to tell but that's a good sign. And now I'm tempted to try the Green Apple Hydration Eye Mask. My dark circles are getting worse and if I don't do anything about it, I'd turn into a raccoon in no time!

Labels: Beauty/Skincare

Looking after two kids by yourself is really REALLY challenging, I'm telling you. Especially if the two kids are a newborn and a toddler. It can be physically and mentally draining sometimes.







They keep me busy around the clock that I rarely have time for myself, let alone to update my blog! The only time I'm free is midnight onwards (Raina sleeps through the night, thank God!) but usually by that time I'd be so drained, I just wanna sleep.

But Alhamdulillah, our maid is finally here (after waiting for months!) so I have extra hands to help me with the kids and everything.

I can finally breaaaathe!

Diharap saya akan lebih rajin update blog dan reply semua email selepas ini.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

As much as I love these shoes of mine, I have to let them go. I haven't been wearing them for months and I don't think I'd be wearing them in the near future. No point keeping something you know you won't/can't wear anymore, right? I blame the pregnancy for making my feet (and everything else) chubbier than they already were.


Hop on to Shopper's Sanctuary to make them yours.


Goodbye my shoes! *sobs*

Labels: Sales and Shopping, Shoes

My left lid felt kinda heavy and itchy when I woke up this morning. I looked in the mirror and saw this.



Oh nooooo!


I wonder if breast milk works to heal adult's eye infection (or whatever it is) as well....

Labels: Random Stuff

A couple of months ago, Michelle from Nuffnang asked me if I would be interested in an image consultation program. Would I?


Hmm... let's see. I just gave birth, I weigh a ton, my body undergoes major changes (let's not get into details here), I feel so unattractive and fat that I just don't feel like seeing anyone! So yeah, I do feel I need the help of an image consultant!


After a few arrangements, I finally get to meet Ana which was about 2 weeks ago. It was a 2-stage process: personal consultation and a makeover.




The personal consultation was about 2 hours (I wish it was longer!) and during that 2 hours, I learned quite a lot. Ana taught me some tips on how to shop wisely, how to identify a wardrobe investment piece and how to be my own personal shopper. She even told me this, "Your wardrobe is an investment. It's not expenses". I like her already!




Now I know why I always "don't have anything to wear" even tho my wardrobe is overflowing with clothes. I know a lot of women are like that too! *eyeing my sister*. One of the tips Ana gave me is that, when you are unsure or 50-50 about buying something, don't buy it because most likely you will never gonna wear it. And I was like, OMG no wonder I always end up with so many clothes that I only wore once or twice because I used to "just buy them, think later" when I was unsure! Pandai sangat ni! ;p


Ana also analyzed my skin's undertone color. Before having this consultation, I thought there were only 2 skin undertone colors - yellow (warm) and pink (cool). And I thought mine was yellow.





I've always thought I'm a pear-shaped but hey, I'm actually an hourglass! Well ok, a big hourglass ;p But the thing about being an hourglass is that no matter how fat you become, you still have a curvy waist - a waist that is smaller than your upper and lower body parts. We then talked about what kind of clothing suits an hourglass shape and also my current clothing style.


Stage 2 of the process is the makeover, which was held at the VIP lounge at Tangs Pavilion (I didn't know they have such thing!).






Ana had preselected a few outfits from Tangs for each of us to try on based on our previous personal consultations. It was like playing dress up!





During the personal consultation, I told Ana that my current style is plain tops with printed scarves so she would like me to try on something different than what I'd normally wear - printed dresses and kaftan-style tops with plain scarves.


Some of the outfits that I tried on were:

Labels: Events/Activities, Fashion