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A Bit Of Happiness With Hurts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Many thanks to Sony Music Malaysia for the tickets!!

*pics courtesy of Daphne*

This Concert Wont Hurt One Bit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Today

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

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

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

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

Beastly On The Outside

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Buy 8804

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

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

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

Things will fall in to place.

Keep Cool

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

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

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

Changes. This should be good :)

*pic dedicated to me from Rames!*

This Too Shall Pass

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

I'll Put My Best Feet On

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

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

Random twitpic spam update!!

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

Breakfast of champions! Lazy champions.

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

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

Porky pork ribs at Craft Brews.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

Games

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

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

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

Then the heart takes over.

***

Stuck in my head - "Rocket" by Mae

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

Please don't let me float too high

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

Wouldn't Want To Be Fair Game

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

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

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

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

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

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

Many thanks for the movie tickets Ocean Potion :)

A Fine Frenzy - Ashes and Wine

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

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

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

Beautiful.

I Was A Teenage Milkmaid

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How very wrong I was.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Later that night, I got a phone call.

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

Not Saying A Word

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

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

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

God I hate it when people say that.

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

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

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

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

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

And maybe people can stop using that damn phrase again.

Sundown Came and Went

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To Decay Or Be Too Faced?

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

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

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

Too Faced Enchanted Glamourland Palette

Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume III

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

Got What I Wanted From Adam Lambert

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

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

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

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

Hey, wadya know? Pictures!

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

He scruffs up pretty good eh.

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

This moment is... Intense.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More then enough eyeliner for the cast of The Hills.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Well, not quite yet.

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

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

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

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

*pics from Sony Music Malaysia*

Villains Came Home With Me

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

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

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

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

Who's the champion now, wimpy princesses?

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

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

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

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

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

Optimism. It could have been worse.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Must. Stop. Staring. At. It.

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

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

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

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

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

Back to MAC! Focus, I no haz it.

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

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

No Evil Queen is complete without an Evil Scowl.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Be still, my beating heart!!

*MAC A Tartan Tale pictures from Temptalia*

Time To Glam Up!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For our entertainment? For sure!

Happiness Never Hurts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Or this could also be a Giorgio Armani ad.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watsons Membership Card Drifts Over!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pros:

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

Cons:

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

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

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

Full details at their website here.

Birthday Bits & Bobs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meet Moxy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Even in my dreams, I have abandonment issues.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fizzy Zombies!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brains... Brains...

Sun Shields - On!

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

As Baz Luhrman once said, "Wear sunscreen".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For all you visually-stimulated folks out there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Remember, sun damage and wrinkles do not discriminate.

Aw, You Make Me Blush

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

Blush!

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

A lot apparently.

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

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

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

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

On with the blush parade!

NYX Powder Blush - Desert Rose

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

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

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

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

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

NYX Powder Blush swatch - Desert Rose

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

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

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

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

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

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

NYX Rouge Cream Blush - Glow

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

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

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

NYX Rouge Cream Blush swatch - Glow

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

My cheeks now feel complete.

NYX Rouge Cream Blush - Rose Petal

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

Ingredients list for those who need to know.

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

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

NYX Rouge Cream Blush swatch - Rose Petal

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

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

NYX Rouge Cream Blush - Orange

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

Ingredients list. Mineral oil still in there somewhere.

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

NYX Rouge Cream Blush swatch - Orange

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

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

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

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

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

I will then have achieved blush nirvana.

Once again, just because.

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

Step Up With Friendster Fizz

2010-08-09T18:19:00.005+08:00

Hooray for dance movies! I'm a closet (well, not anymore now) dance movie fan and I secretly relish any opportunity to watch them. Sure, the storylines don't usually differ much from movie to movie, but I'm really all for watching the dance moves. The finale dances are always the ones worth waiting for.

One of the more popular dance movie franchises are the "Step Up" movies and after 2 pretty successful ones that pretty much confirmed that I can never dance, the latest one is "Step Up 3D" (yes, Step Up, I noticed the play on words there)!

"Moose (Adam G.Sevani) who missed his flight back to Baltimore when the Maryland School of Arts (MSA) goes to Paris for an international dance competition. He soon makes friends with an American away from home and beautiful French sophisticate. They introduce Moose to the red-hot Parisian underground dance scene, and before long he is wowing the local dancers with his unique moves as they prepare for an underground dance competition. With time running out before the big event and their routine stolen by a rival crew, Moose turns to his loyal MSA crew in Baltimore for help.

Can Moose, the MSA crew and the French crew pull together a new dance number at the last minute? And will it be good enough to beat the world’s best street dancers? Will Moose kiss the frog?!"

Interested to catch a special screening of "Step Up 3D"? Check out "Friendster Fizz"! It's a brand new Friendster Official Profile that Malaysian Friendster users can join as a fan. The interesting bit? There's freebies to be on on "Friendster Fizz" all year round, and they're kicking it off with preview pass to "Step Up 3D" and other gifts as well like movie premiums and Celebrity Fitness vouchers.

To win some passes, just join be a fan of the "Friendster Fizz" profile and post a comment on why you'd like to win those preview passes to "Step Up 3D". The contest ends 18th August 2010, so get cracking!

P.S. There'll be other movie-related contests on "Friendster Fizz", so watch out for an update real soon.

The Bet

2010-08-04T12:14:00.000+08:00

A bet has been conceived (with clothes on) between 1 eager individual and 1 rather unwilling participant.

Said bet (from here on known as "The Bet") will be a test of will for 1 month commencing from the auspicious date of 1st August 2010 to the somewhat auspicious date of 31st August 2010.

Terms and conditions of The Bet will be laid out in full to avoid what is known as Bailing Out.

Individual J (aka Her Royal Awesomeness) is not allowed to purchase any unnecessary goods pertaining to facial beautification, physical articles that are to cover the outside of one's body, shiny baubles and trinkets for external use and footwear meant for the foot.

A breach of the above terms, also known as a case of Jelly Willpower, will result in immediate loss of The Bet and is punishable by a fine of pre-determined amount agreed upon in advance by Individual J and Individual D (aka Stupid Fellow).

If however, Individual J successfully fulfills said part of The Bet until the somewhat auspicious date of 31st August 2010, the rewards shall be great. And highly satisfactory, which includes (but not limited to) financial happiness, massive amounts of gloating and proof of eternal supremacy. Biatch.

Don't Fake It, Honey

2010-07-30T11:28:00.007+08:00

Fake things are everywhere these days. People, CD's, handbags, body parts, etc. Most of them, I can live with. In fact, some of these things make life a more pleasurable ordeal (where would humanity be without silicone?).

But with enough experience and what the locals like to call "common sense", there are some fake things that we'd do well to stay away from - like cosmetics and beauty products.

Honestly, it doesn't take a genius to deduce that what you put on your face (whoa, getting a little specific here) shouldnt come from a stranger selling things out of his trenchcoat in a dodgy back-alley with mysterious ingredients like Chemical X. Unless your face is as thick and resilient as the surface of a WWII tank, I'm pretty sure slapping on fake creams and dreams isn't going to help much.

There are plenty of fake beauty products out there and there are fake beauty product buyers because we all want to believe that a jar of La Mer can cost as much as a bowl of cendol. It doesn't and it never will.

Take for instance these beauty masks I've been using for awhile - My Beauty Diary masks. These masks are pretty good and I can tell my skin has improved slightly with regular use. Where do I get my stash of masks from? Guardian pharmacy. Are they expensive? I still can't believe I'm buying them.

These masks cost RM48 for a box of 10. That's RM4.80 per mask if you're not mathematically inclined. It's not too bad depending on how you look at it. I would love it if the masks were cheaper, but what I'm also paying for at RM48 is peace of mind. I can at least sleep soundly at night (after putting the mask on and imagining I'm transforming into a swan) that what I paid for is the original My Beauty Diary mask, and not a fake with unknown ingredients and unpredictable results.

At first, I wanted to get my supply of masks from the place where dreams come true - Lowyat.Net. The My Beauty Diary masks being sold on the forums were insanely cheap and I almost had a nose bleed looking through all the possible options and different sellers. And I mean those babies were cheap! Some threads were selling these masks for as cheap as RM1.80 per mask!

And that I think, is the first thing that should set off alarm bells in your head. Why is the mask so cheap? Ok, it would make sense if these sellers reassured us that they get their stocks directly from the supplier in Taiwan, but I'm pretty much a skeptic because I would say such things if I wanted to hawk fake goods at overly-eager ladies. Some sellers were selling their masks at around RM2.50 which sounds more believable, but who am I to know for sure?

Bought this 7-piece mask set from Guardian.

Save yourself the headache and get things like that from trusted and reliable places like pharmacies and shops like Sasa. Twice the price, but worth the relief.

Now I've been to a few pasar malam's (night markets) and have seen tons of stalls selling what looks like My Beauty Diary masks. Now here's where I judge people on how stupid and gullible they are.

Those My Beauty Diary masks in the pasar malam? They're all going for RM1 EACH. 10 masks for RM10 ok, how do you beat that?? By having more than half a brain.

I am frustrated to admit that I have friends who've told me they've purchased such masks from the pasar malam before, with no adverse reaction to their skin after using it. Maybe they got lucky, I don't know. My skin is not something I would close my eyes and cross my fingers with.

But what makes me turn in my imaginary grave is how such friends react when I tell them that those products they're buying are 101% fake. Reasoning with me that "The pasar malam aunty told me they're original," kinda makes me suspect that my friends might be foreign spies who are obviously not from Malaysia. Please tell me that you can't be that naive. Things like the labelling, small irregularities in the logo and quality of the packaging are helpful to look at.

Nothing sold in the pasar malam is original (referring to famous brands). My goodness I can't believe I have to actually tell people that.

Another popular fake product is M.A.C. cosmetics. Seriously, who are they kidding? I've seen tons of fake M.A.C. products at the pasar malam and I don't even bother giving those a second glance. If I want something as expensive as M.A.C., I'll damn well save up and get the original from a proper M.A.C. outlet! *coughs* Like so *coughs*

Counterfeit M.A.C. products are getting harder and harder to spot, but your best tool would be Google. Honestly, just Google the product and see if it really exists either on the official M.A.C. website, or on blog reviews. Their products are pretty distinctive and with all the packaging being mostly black, it's a pretty easy thing to dupe. Things like serial numbers instead of individual product names and collections, palettes which have too many shades and basically a deal that's too good to be true is a sure-fire way of telling that it's a fake.

M.A.C. for suckers.

This website for example, is selling products that are so obviously fake M.A.C. cosmetics, it's a wonder they had the audacity to even put it up. None of those products exist. A whole palette of eyeshadows for the price of 1 original M.A.C. eyeshadow? Pull the other leg please.

Google M.A.C.'s BB Cream and I assure you, it looks nothing like that.

There are a lot more different beauty products being sold at a fraction of the price with zero quality. Just Google "How to spot fake [insert product name]" and you'll get a lot more help and knowledge on how you can avoid all this.

But if you need to Google how to spot a fake beauty product, it means you were already contemplating buying it from a less than 100% guaranteed source. Stay away from the dark side!!

P.S. Some useful guides on how to spot fake M.A.C. cosmetics here and how to spot fake My Beauty Diary masks here. By the power of Google!!!!

Fall From Grace

2010-07-28T11:31:00.013+08:00

Falling, or the sensation of, as described in Inception (which I finally watched and now hear booming cello's of doom wherever I go. Thanks Zimmer. I needed that.) gives us a kick that's sufficient enough to wake anyone up from whatever stupor we're in.

I'm pretty sure I wasn't asleep when I tumbled down the stairs at work almost 2 months ago and twisted my left ankle; no slow motion flashbacks either. Just a whole lot of inconvenient pain and suffering.

I've never actually hurt myself much before other than the odd scrape or two as a not-so-adventurous toddler and several deadly papercuts I received in the battlefield of work.

Hence my first official fall (physically I mean, not socially, mentally or career-wise) must be documented in excruciatingly boring detail and much unnecessary excitement!

Note: All falls are only deemed official if it is sufficient enough to cause pain higher than level 4.0 out of 10.0 and require medical attention. Any other fall is deemed to be a wimp-trip and only warrants a wimpy whimper and wallowing in self-pity for 10 minutes.

It would have been great if it were a dark and stormy night so my tale of woe and despair could have an ominous start, but as it were, it was a pretty bright sunny afternoon. Certainly not the the type made for falling on one's ass (now if it were for kicking ass.. ).

I was making important preparations to run out of the office and speed off to several important destinations for rather important meetings/errands. This included several trips to the bathroom and much fixing of my hair. I grabbed whatever was needed and dashed out in not-so-high wedges to traverse the 1 flight of stairs - a common journey I make everyday. I would say I could do it with my eyes closed, but after what happened, the only thing I'll be doing with my eyes closed involves a lot of constipation.

I should also mention that in my delicate arms that are not made for heavy lifting, I was carrying a massive handbag, several paperbags filled with fragile things like mugs and pens, a rolled-up bunting and some envelopes.

Oh, and a 6-foot long mock cheque. Most people would think that the universe was out to get them, but I remain an optimist.

Things were going pretty well as I managed to get halfway down the stairs. "Goodness me," I thought to myself. "I might be able to make it all the way down afterall!"

I could make a living selling famous last words.

I was so close to the end. Like an Olympic sprinter tripping over an opponent's strategically placed foot right at the end of the finishing line, my feet decided to forego all sense of logic and skip 4 steps towards the bottom. Hooray for improvisation, Jen's Limbs. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

By the power of physics (and Grayskull!!!), I fell forward, but landed butt first on the bottom step.

My left ankle was saying "Sharp pain. Sharp pain. Sharp pain," over and over again, so I sat down and did a headcount of anything that might be broken (in particular order): mock cheque, glass mugs, bunting, left ankle, common sense.

Nothing was broken! I would have jumped up and whooped with joy if it werent for that sharp throbbing pain somewhere down below.

As it were, I did manage to get up after a few minutes and went through the day in full Super Hero Mode which involved driving a very manual car, carrying stacks of magazines, attending a photoshoot of sorts and plenty of general walking around.

My ankle felt great!!! Not.

I limped about for a week, and then the pain went away and developed into a lingering sore at the ankle joint. After a month, I could pretty much walk/run around as usual, but my ankle started to feel a little stiff. Cause for worry? But I'm a Super Hero! Our kind don't worry.

Ok fine, so I did worry abit when I realised I still wasn't able to stretch my foot out properly or twist and turn it around like the other ankle could. My left ankle was starting to feel a little bit left out.

So I did what any logical thinking person would do - I decided to ignore it because in my world, all aches and pains go away if you close your eyes and click your heels together three times.

After almost 2 months, several nights that ended prematurely as I limped back to the car in high heels and tripping down some stairs again, I finally decided to have it looked at.

Now I'm a fan of modern medicine, sterile needles, the occasional pill and IV drips, but for something as small as this, everyone told me to go see someone who'd get the job done right without any hassle - a Chinese traditional medicine sensei/tit tar (is that how you spell it? ).

After getting some info from a very reliable source (read: Twitter), I was pointed in the direction of "Oriental Sports Therapy" in Seapark, PJ. It seemed like a pretty popular joint, so I figured what the heck.

First impressions were impressive. Well-lit, air-conditioned, no dodgy seating and the latest A-Team movie being screened in the waiting area - I like what I see. BUT, will it pass the Jen-Test? I was about to find out.

I pushed open the heavy glass doors and walked right to the registration counter (effectively getting in everyone's way of the awesome 3-D scene in A-Team), where I was given a yellow card with a sketch of the human anatomy and a form to fill up.

The nurse (or was she?) marked a huge "X" on the left ankle of the human diagram on the yellow card and told me to take a seat. An "X". Why an "X"?? Isnt that a bad thing? It's usually what they use to indicate where/what needs to be chopped off right?

My name was called. My time had come. My moment was here. My my.

I went into a room, but it wasnt quite a room. A portion of the room was cordoned off by a yellow curtain (I'm assuming there's a bed on the other side of it. Or dead bodies. I'll never know.) and on one side, several chairs and leg rests. Looks pretty clean and decent. I'd have whipped out a UV light to search for old blood stains, but I didnt want to give them more reasons to put me under.

I sat on one of the chairs and a guy came up to me and motioned for me to put my foot on his lap. How forward, kind sir! But I suppose he ought to know what he was doing, so I did.

Then the heavens opened and all was right with the world again - he spoke good English. Score!!! I cant tell you how relieved I was when I told him about my ankle in English and he responded the same!! I was insanely terrified that there would be some miscommunication between us and it would end up with him trying to fix my spleen instead of my ankle. Thankfully, no worries there!

He massaged my ankle abit, tugged at the toes and cracked them about, then proceeded to twist and turn my ankle around at the joint; at this point, I really hoped he knew what he was doing. He then went on to give my ankle an almighty jerk that cracked the joint and almost clean pulled me out of the chair I was sitting in.

After giving me a short lecture on how things could have been worse with my ankle, he went to the back of the room and returned with a bandage filled with some foul-smelling herby paste. He slapped it onto my ankle (it was steaming hot) and bandaged it all up. I was good to go!

Visual evidence.

I unwrapped the bandage around my ankle this morning and washed off the herb-y goo before leaving for work. I dont know if it's a placebo effect or not, but my ankle actually feels more flexible now than it was before. I made an appointment again for this Thursday so if my foot hasn't transformed into a man-eating plant, it should be alright.

There's a lingering herb-y smell about me right now (which is quite comforting omg what is wrong with me), so if you're planning to spring a surprise on me anytime soon, I'd recommend against it.

Oriental Sports Therapy
26 & 28 Jln 21/11B Seapark
46300, Petaling Jaya
(They close at 8.30pm on weekdays s'all I can remember)

P.S. I forgot to get the name of the guy who fixed my ankle. He wears glasses, if that narrows it down.

P.P.S. I might also name this post "Blog Vengeance".

Rinse, Revert, Repeat

2010-07-23T16:47:00.003+08:00

There are different things for different people that have a profound effect on the way they behave in public.

While things that begin with "i" can make the masses dissolve into a fit of mindless droids and drive people to stand in line for hours *coughs*, for me, it's the people I'm with. Or more specifically, friends.

I've had different friends for different periods of my life. Let's ignore the kindergarten ones eh? At that point in time, all I cared about was not wetting myself by the time I reach the toilet. Am also ignoring my primary school friends because they were all kinda weird now that I think about it. I'm glad I made it out alive.

I always thought I'd grown up, gained a better grasp on things and had more control over my behaviour. Which is pretty much true like when I tell myself to sit, I do. I also dont wet myself anymore on the way to the toilet, which is an achievement that I am quite proud of.

But when I'm with different groups of friends, it all dissolves in a matter of seconds. I get all haughty and condescending with my secondary school friends because I was abit of a snotty know-it-all back then. We deliver low blows to one another and squeal a lot for some unknown reason.

With my close college mates who were mostly guys, my volume gets 10 times louder, I guffaw in laughter and I say "Dude!" and "Seriously?" and "No way!" a little more often than legally necessary.

On rare occasion, some friends have been known to trigger an accent. An accent?!! What am I?? The Queen??

Anyway, I was just thinking about how a simple thing like a change in company can revert us back to old habits.

I bumped into an old friend whom I was pretty close to during my college days (but we didnt go to the same college) and we had a whole gang that used to hang out more often than was healthy. I was all ready to put on a 22-year old grown up swagger and talk about grown up things like work, the weather, insurance and fibre.

Much to my everlasting disgust, I broke down into a constant fit of giggles throughout our entire conversation. I wanted to slap myself and command my brain to stop giggling, but my hands were preoccupied with clamping over my mouth in a vain attempt to stifle an entire giggle parade.

They were a pretty funny bunch that had me in stitches and left me with a sore stomach everytime I hung out with them. They could have thrown a brick at my head and I would have giggled on the way to the hospital with a concussion.

Oh friends, look what you've done.

HerStory Is Our Story Too

2010-07-20T16:00:00.004+08:00

Now I'm all for freedom of speech. Everyone has something to say, whether it's music to your ears, or a piercing din in your sheltered mind. Women however, have been having problems with freedom of speech ever since the notion of speaking out loud was thought of to be a great idea - just not for everyone.

So if you're keen to hear and watch some short films about real-life Malaysian women who have voiced out their own personal stories to share, follow the HerStory Films project!

It's a non-profit video storytelling and short film project that puts the real-life stories of 5 Malaysian women on a pedestal for your enlightenment. The cool part? These 5 short films will be directed by 5 well-known local directors namely, Bernice Chauly, Mislina Mustaffa, Crystal Woo, Mien.Ly and Sharifah Amani in her directorial debut.

The 5 stories chosen to be made into short movies are:

Red Hibiscus by Susan Bansin (directed by Sharifah Amani)
Still by Julya Oui (directed by Mislina Mustafa)
Liebelied (Love Song), by Nadira Ilana (directed by Bernice Chauly)
Spirited Desire by A. A. Lee (directed by Crystal Woo)
Sex, drugs and love written by Ruby from Pink Triangle (directed by Mien.ly)

It's a pretty powerful initiative, so if you think it's right up your alley, check out HerStory Films project to find out more about where these short films will be screened.

Dancing to MAC In The Groove!

2010-07-12T11:38:00.007+08:00

This is major and I dont know if I should be incredibly proud of myself, or disgusted and just ask everyone I meet to slap me!!

I bought MAC :D *nose bleed*

No, not that MAC. The other one.

Not just one. Nope, not content with dropping (what is) a whole bomb of money on just 1 product, I had to go and get 2!!

Now I've been a firm advocate of good and cheap cosmetics, but sometimes, it's hard to ignore the hype and reputation of a brand like MAC. For the past few months or so, I've been preparing myself to try and buy something from MAC for myself. My first official MAC product was a few months ago when my mum bought me the Shell Pearl Beauty Powder from the MAC Give Me Liberty of London collection (which I love and adore and have been using at every possible opportunity).

One of MAC's most interesting products are their Mineralized Skinfinishes (MSF). I read up a lot about them over the past few months and from what I understood, these babies can be used as a blush, bronzer or highlighter depending on the shade and your skin tone.

So when I found out that MAC would be launching a new collection soon with some Mineralized Skinfinishes that were a must-have, I've been following it's progress very closely until the long-awaited moment it lands in Malaysia.

That moment, was last Friday.

I had a fairly intense conversation with a MAC sales assistant over the phone like so:

"Hi, I'm calling to find out when will the latest MAC collection be in the stores? The In the Groove collection?"
"Oh, that one? We just received the products today and we're unpacking it in the store right now."
"HOMAIGOD."

The latest collection from MAC is called "In the Groove" and it only just recently launched in USA in the first week of July. I assumed that it would reach KL sometime in late July or early August, so thank goodness I decided to call and find out!

The entire crazy collection.

There was only 1 thing I really wanted to get from "In the Groove" that made me do something as desperate as call the shop - the Mineralized Skinfinish in Stereo Rose *haaaahhhhhh godly sound*.

When I first started reading up on what Mineralized Skinfinishes were about, Stereo Rose kept popping up everywhere. It was a revered name, mentioned only in hushed whispers and with much looking over shoulders. If I didnt know any better, it sounded like a legend MAC made up. It came out in some collection back in 2005 (limited edition) and it's been on everyone's must-have list since then! Apparently, it's extremely hard to find and going for exorbitant prices on e-bay, until it's been repromoted in this collection.

So of course, for my first step into the world of MAC Mineralized Skinfinishes, I just had to get the one that everyone else wants :P

But then... I checked out "In the Groove" for myself last Friday (I made David run to MAC in Suria KLCC to grab Stereo Rose before anyone else can hahahhah), and with one swipe on my pale, lifeless and hitherto fugly cheeks, I caved and bought another Mineralized Skinfinish. Crazy or not, you tell me.

Behold, the popping of another cherry!

L-R: MAC "In the Groove" Collection - Mineralize Skinfinish in Petticoat and Stereo Rose.

I quite literally squealed when I saw these in person. They're just so pretty to look at!!

MAC Petticoat Mineralize Skinfinish

Petticoat is described as a "pale rose with gold and amber veining". I'm not too sure about the "pale rose" bit. Mine looks more pale berry-ish pink to me. But then again, all Mineralized Skinfinishes will look slightly different because each on is pretty unique. Mine doesnt have a lot of the gold and amber veining, so it isnt too glittery (which is good).

For the skeptics.

Isnt it beeyooteefool?? :D

Swatched on my (slightly tan) skin, it's a nice pink blush that looks quite natural with golden pink shimmers. I am pleased.

MAC Stereo Rose Mineralized Skinfinish

On the MAC website, Stereo Rose is described as "coral with golden/bronze shimmering nuances". Okay. Whatever they say.

My version of Sterero Rose hardly has any of the golden glittery veining, but it is definitely a gorgeous shade of coral. I've been holding off getting a coral blush until I could get my hands on Stereo Rose. Looks like I wont be needing anything else after this.

I kid you not.

Really glad I managed to get Stereo Rose! When used, it's a perfect peachy coral on my cheeks with a slight hint of bronzer. Light hands are a must with this. I turned out Oompa Loompa orange on my first try.

Doesn't Petticoat look like the beautiful surface of some glittery planet? David says Stereo Rose looks like dirt -____-"

I know a review needs swatches on skin, but I didnt have time to do it just yet. Will try soon :P

I highly doubt I'll be getting the other 2 Mineralize Skinfinishes in this collection. Comfort is a little too brown for my liking and I already have one or two bronzers that should suffice. By Candlelight is too light and I'll probably only be able to use it as a highlighter; something which I already have a few of too.

How crazy are people going over MAC's In the Groove collection, specifically the Mineralized Skinfinish? The day it was launched in the US, Stereo Rose was sold out online almost immediately. And now, Petticoat too. At Pavilion last Friday night (the day it launched in KL), one of the Mineralized Eyeshadow Trios was sold out. Insane!

To be honest, I was planning to get only Stereo Rose and perhaps one of the Mineralized Blush Duos, but the colours for those were either too similar to something I had, or not quite right for me. But then again.. Happy Together is starting to look nicer the more I look at it.. *slaps self*

MAC In the Groove collection is now available at all MAC counters. The Mineralized Skinfinish is RM115 a pop.

Despicably Adorable Me!

2010-07-07T12:32:00.006+08:00

The minute I watched the trailer for "Despicable Me" a few weeks ago, I just knew I had to catch it!!

And thanks to UIP and Kel Li, I did! In advance! Like I'm someone special in this dark, harsh world!

It has become increasingly difficult to not say "Despicable Me" in an annoyingly high-pitched voice and pulling the word "Meeeeeeeee" to lengths that are deemed irritating by the natural world. It's just such an adorable movie!!

Meet Gru (Steve Carell). He's an evil villain. The most villanous of villains ever. Look at that bald head. That witchy hooked nose. Those dark eye circles. He does mean things like cut queues, freeze people, steal statues and national monuments (of questionable scales) and has the parking skills of Mr. Bean.

Together with his fellow evil/mad/slightly senile scientist accomplice, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), they make one awesome evil tag-team.

Gru is also father-figure and boss to the Minions. They love him like a fat kid loves cake and they're as adorable as hell. I want one. Real bad.

Gru has a plan. A plan so evil and brilliant, it'll cement him as the most evil villain of all time!! The only problem? An orange-clad fellow villain named Vector (Jason Segel).

Guess what's his favourite colour?

Enter the presence of 3 orphans into Gru's otherwise perfectly villainous life - Edith, Margo and Agnes aka Complete And Utter Chaos.

One of em likes things fluffy and cute.

It's a feel-good family movie with awesome colours, cute jokes, great characters and oozes adorable things out of every pore!!

The movie serves its purpose of giving us a good laugh and making us hope that all evil people in the world have a soft side that can be coaxed out with some funfair games and face-painting.

Another picture of lil Agnes for good measure.

After the movie, we got to meet some Minions!!!! (pic stolen from Kel Li)

If you wanna meet them too, check out this schedule and make your way there! Cedric almost suffocated one when he leaped forward and gave it a bear hug! :P

Be there!!

"Despicable Me" opens nationwide on 8th July.

Twitpic Week #12

2010-06-29T11:20:00.004+08:00

Anyone sick of seeing food pictures yet? It's just this phase I'm going through where I have to eat at regular and irregular hours throughout the day or die. Painfully. Slowly. Without any dignity.

21st June 2010

After a long hard run at the gym, there's nothing I like better than to consume twice as much calories as I burned off an hour ago!

22nd June 2010

SkyClaud called on me for lunch and while we were walking, someone thrust a printed menu into my hands and it turned out to be the most hilarious thing I've ever read since the daily newspapers!

I almost died pretending to order "susage" and "serial" for breakfast!

But wait! There's more!

You'd think that somewhere along the lines of the kitchen crew yelling over the phone to the graphic designer about what he/she wants in the menu, someone would have read the final product before it went to print.

23rd June 2010

Whilst David has some geek training of his own, I indulged in some xiu long pao for dinner! Mmm.. Soup and meat all tucked into a little folded dumpling - three cheers for Chinese ingenuity!

26th June 2010

A bunch of wedding photographers decided that they have had enough! It was time for them to stand up for their rights and fight for a balance of power in the universe - they wanted their pictures taken for a change. Hehe.

The revolution was the brainchild of Edwin Tan and supported by people like David, Benjamin Lim, Mark Leo, Paul, Andy, etc.

26th June 2010

Don't judge them! They're pretty good at what they do :P

*All Twitpics taken with my N97 Mini*

Redang Revisited

2010-06-25T11:54:00.008+08:00

About 2 months ago, Redang came-a-calling.

Or rather, we delivered some freshly baked chaos to that amazing island.

Can you believe it? I still can't.

That's how I look like in slow-mo. The stupid things we do when we think we've left civilisation behind.

Mine. Well, almost not literally.

"Woi, buat apa tu?"

A massage, too many buffets and a bottle of sunblock later, reality came-a-calling instead.

Twitpic Week #10 & #11 Twins!

2010-06-22T10:41:00.004+08:00

We now return to our regularly scheduled procrastination.

9th June 2010

FCUK had a party to celebrate the launch of their Facebook page (who needs a reason to party? honestly?) and announce the winners of a contest they had on the page to find The Man and The Woman.

Well This Woman had a blast hogging beanbags, wolfing down illegal amounts of Big Apple donuts and New Zealand Natural ice cream and waving a huge bright lemon-dipped-in-sunshine yellow clutch in the face of whoever would pay attention.

10th June 2010

David and I found this little nook in Bandar Utama called Ribs @ Oasis that serves the most sacred of creation in minced meat and dough combination - PORK BURGERS!!

Their pork burgers are awesome! Even better than overrated Cristang's if you ask me. Its juicy and so sweet. You can really taste the porky flavour because it's not drowned in sauce and whatnot. I like my pork burgers either way depending on my hormonal level.

Tip: Skip the pork ribs.

11th June 2010

Attended the launch of the Crocs Malaysia website at Friendscino cafe (formerly Friendster cafe. yea, i was wondering the same thing too). The launch was alright but it totally won the award for worst PA system ever. Cute goodie bag and great introduction to their new Malaysian website where you can actually buy Crocs online!

As usual, our Friday nights are pretty sad (our = the collective awesomeness that is David and myself) where we spend most of our time trying to decide Where To Go/What To Do and end up going home. Well decided to join the World Cup crowd at Craft Brews in Mutiara Damansara for some Monster Green beer and a platter made of 2/3 pork!

16th June 2010

BJ is about as interested in watching the World Cup as I am.

19th June 2010

Bird Park exhibition in Ikano ZOMG! There was a huge cage set up where the birds were free to fly around (with the exception of an aggressive-looking parrot) and there were peacocks and mandarin ducks and too many doves flying around.

20th June 2010

Toad in the Hole! I've always wanted to try it ever since I keep reading about it in my books by English authors! It's sausages slathered in a brown onion sauce, served in a Yorskshire pudding (another thing I've always wanted to try) and pea sauce.

It was yums. Found at the Magnificent Fish & Chips Shop along Changkat Bukit Bintang (opposite Frangipani).

*All Twitpics taken with my N97 Mini*

Sony Music Malaysia Loves Facebook And You!

2010-06-16T10:20:00.004+08:00

::UPDATE - GIVEAWAY CLOSED::

The world knows how much of a swag-addict I am, and it's always fun to share sources of great swag with other people.

What's even better? When swag meets music and entertainment!! It's errr... Musical swag-tertainment!!

So far, I've been a great follower of the latest provider of musical swag-tertainment which is Sony Music Malaysia. They have their main corporate website of course, but on the Sony Music Malaysia fanpage on Facebook is where all the action is at!

They're pretty regular with their updates on Facebook with the latest happenings in the music industry, album release details, concerts, events, things like that.

The best part? There's always something extra on the Sony Music Malaysia Facebook fanpage - free swag!!

I dont know any other fanpage that gives out free swag (and really cool ones at that) on such a regular basis! They've given out CD's, movie passes and premiums, showcase passes (super awesome) and "Meet & Greet passses" (even more awesome!)!

Thanks to Sony Music Malaysia, I even got to meet Kris Allen in person during his Kuala Lumpur showcase! *gloats*

All the Glee notebooks and folders I've been giving away on my blog before? All thanks to the generous folk at Sony Music Malaysia.

Now this wouldnt be complete without Sony Music Malaysia extending a generous hand to everyone else so here's some wicked news:

Get any 2 CD's of your choice just by blogging about the Sony Music Malaysia Facebook page!!

::UPDATE - GIVEAWAY CLOSED::

That's right! Blog about their Facebook page and you will receive 2 CD's of your choice from any Sony Music artist!

Oh, you don't know who Sony Music artists are? How about insanely hot ladies like Shakira, Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Ke$ha and more? Not your thing? Their line-up of delicious lads include John Mayer, Pitbull, Adam Lambert (yum!), Usher and so on! Also legends like Michael Jackson, Westlife (squeal), Backstreet Boys (double squeal), Elvis, AC/DC included. My fave would be bands like Kasabian, The Fray, Kings of Leon, Boys Like Girls and Incubus! There are also Asian artists like Jay Chou, Tata Young, Alif Satar, Hao Ren, Brian Joo and more! A quick Google search ought to help you out ;)

So here's the deal:

Become a fan of "Sony Music Malaysia" fanpage [link]/
Write a blog post about "Sony Music Malaysia" fanpage with details/comments of your own! Tell us what you think about the fanpage and what you like about it. Dont forget to include a link to the fanpage too so your friends can join.
Please don't copy/paste my entire blog entry. No one-liners please. Show a little more effort for 2 free CD's eh? ;)
Leave your blog entry permalink, full name and email address/handphone number in the comments section of this post.
Have fun deciding which 2 CD's you'll be bringing home with you!
Tell your friends to head to my blog for details on how they can win 2 free CD's too!
Only open to Malaysian residents.

Too simple for 2 original CD's to add to your collection eh? Let's see those entries!!

::UPDATE - GIVEAWAY CLOSED::

P.S. They're on Twitter too. Yes, they do give out swag as well. Follow @sonymusicmy now!

Meteorites On My Face!

2010-06-14T11:25:00.002+08:00

I've been following a ton of beauty/make-up blogs recently in a new-found addiction to all things shiny, powdery and glittery!

After reading some reviews and lots of pretty pictures on My Women Stuff about the Guerlain Meteorites Powder aka Guerlain Meteorite Perles [link], and finding out about StrawberryNet and it's awesome free shipping worldwide policy, I caved!

StrawberryNet.com is a website that sells loads of branded cosmetics, skincare, fragrances and more. There's a lot of stuff available, but not the full range of products a brand has to offer. It's pretty easy to find some limited edition stuff that might be sold out elsewhere, and they give pretty good discounts too!

There are brands like Benefit (so so much cheaper), Stila, Anna Sui, Chanel, Laura Mercier, La Mer, Estee Lauder and more. Most of the things are much cheaper than what we can find in retail in KL malls, so if you're a loyal Benefit fan, I'd recommend heading to StrawberryNet first to see if you can find what you need.

The best part? Shipping is free worldwide!! Yes, Malaysia included!! One of the main deterrents from international online shopping are the killer shipping fees! Most times, the shipping fee turns out to be more expensive than the product itself!

Note that for perfumes and fragrances, there is a small charge.

Anyways, StrawberryNet looks like its based in Hong Kong, so shipping took less than a week to reach me from when I placed my order.

StrawberryNet packages come in a white box with a purple ribbon tied around it, so it'll be a familiar and comforting sight for frequent buyers.

I was sweating buckets for the few days after I made my order because this was the first time I'd ordered something internationally on my own (I normally do my buying through local sprees online). There werent any customs charge for my package thankfully. Not sure if customs poked around the package though.

With the purple ribbon wrapped around the box, it's kinda like opening a birthday present :D

Inside, my order is wrapped in psychadelic glittery purple paper, happily nestled in a bed of foam popcorn! I think they may have changed the foam popcorn to some other material since, so don't be too surprised to find something else in your package.

Drumroll please!!

I bought.. The Guerlain Meteorites Miniatures Collection!

What a beauty!

I was having a really tough time deciding between buying the full sized Guerlain Meteorites Powder (33g), but there were 3 colours available and it would suck to not be able to try them all. Then I found out about the Guerlain Meteorites Miniatures Collection which had 3 mini-sized (8g) Guerlain Meteorites Powders in all 3 colours, and it was a no-brainer!

These 3 mini's were roughly the price of 1 full-sized one. I will strive to maintain my quantity > quality policy.

Anyway as seen in the above picture, I received a free Vincent Longo blush with my first order. Oh, the great thing about StrawberryNet is the more frequent you buy, the more discounts you get. It's not much (ranging from 1% to 10%), but when the stuff are all already discounted anyway, an extra discount never hurts. Plus, free shipping!!

Matching peach bedsheets not included.

Guerlain is a pretty old luxury brand that has been around for awhile, so while most of the more atas folk might complain that the packaging of the Miniatures Collection looks kinda cheap, it's alright by me.

Once I'd gotten over the excitement of owning my first Guerlain product, I dived right in! Inside the box are three 8g Guerlain Meteorites in Mythic, Pink Fresh and Beige Chic. As an added bonus, it also comes with a pink (unfortunately) Guerlain powder brush.

I havent really had the chance to use the brush yet as I have my own powder brushes to use at the moment, but it feels pretty decent. If I can get over the fact that it looks like some kid's cough medicine, I might get round to using it soon.

The Guerlain Meteorites Miniatures look almost exactly like the full-sized ones, with a similar gold box with floral pattern on top and around it. It looks pretty classy and kinda vintage. I was surprised to find out that both the full-size and miniature Guerlain Meteorites powder boxes are made of cardboard and plastic! But mostly cardboard. I'd expect metal or something, but even the more expensive full-sized ones are made of cardboard, so it's kind of a waste.

Apparently, the latest Meteorites packaging has been "upgraded" to a metal tin, so good for them! It looks way prettier too. Oh god, I feel like buying it.

Something important to note is that the Guerlain Meteorites Powders are quite heavily scented. There's a heavy (damp?) rose or lavender or violet (I'm not sure) scent to it, that could remind you of old ladies and rainy days, but I think that it's Guerlain's signature scent and they wont be changing it anytime soon.

But once the powder's on your face, you wont smell a thing and pass out in the middle of the day. The smell just hits you when you open it up. I'm not fussy. I dont stick my whole nose in to take a big whiff before I use it anyway.

Each miniature comes with a sponge sort of thing covering the pearls. IMO, the only purpose it serves is to keep the pearls in place when you're opening it, because the sponge is definitely not suitable for patting the pearl powder on your face. Its rubbery at the back, with a very porous and cheap-looking sponge on the other side.

Which clown lost his powder box??

My pearls got knocked around abit during transit and delivery, so it was kinda powdery when I first opened the boxes. But a little bit of dusting and impatient experimenting on my face solved that.

On to the colours! I didnt really bother taking Guerlain Meteorites swatches though because the colours that these pearl powders give are so subtle, it wouldnt really show on my hand. But it does make a difference to your face, really.

Oh, since the box sizes are so small, it's kinda hard to fit a full size powder brush in it, so I make do with a smaller powder brush or blush brush. Maybe I should start using the brush they actually provided. I just swirl the brush around (hold the box still, stick the brush in and turn the brush around like I'm twisting a bottle cap) and it gives me just the right amount of powder.

Guerlain Meteorites Powder in Mythic.

The Mythic pearls are a mix of pale pink, lilac, mint green, gold and white. Mythic is more of an all-over face illuminator of some sort. It's not as strong and glittery/shiny as a highlight powder, but it makes a great finishing powder at the end of your make-up routine.

I think the reason it works is because of the lightly coloured powders that help mask slight imperfections. E.g. lilac brightens up dull skin, green evens out redness, gold adds a glow, etc.

If you sweep this all over your face and expect miracles, you're gonna be disappointed. It just gives a nice healthy glow to the face, without being too powdery. My face looks brighter and more natural after a few sweeps of Mythic all over.

Dont worry, you wont end up with patches of purple and green all over. The colours are really sheer when I swirled my brush in them.

Guerlain Meteorites Powder in Pink Fresh.

Poor Pink Fresh looks like it's in a sad state, but that's only because it's my favourite of the whole lot!! I love it! Pink Fresh has pearl powders in various shades of light pink, mauve and peach. It's also got white pearls in it. The pearls have a slight gold sheen to them, but it's nothing too distracting.

Oh Pink Fresh, how I love you so! Whenever I'm having a pink-based make-up day (i.e. pink blush and rose/pink lip), Pink Fresh is the best icing on the cake. I dust it over my blush to help it last longer and it helps intensify the colour so I get a great rosy cheek.

Then I lightly dust it all over my face for a nice pink glow worthy of the saying "In the pink of health"! I've had friends comment on how my face looks really healthy and glowy when I have Pink Fresh on, so it must be doing something right.

It definitely can't be used as a blush alone for me though since I'm quite tan (I tried), but I think fairer girls could pull it off that way. It just helps bring out the colour of the blush I have on. And the shimmer on my cheeks is always just right.

Guerlain Meteorites Powder in Beige Chic.

Can you already tell how worth it the Guerlain Meteorites Miniatures Collection is? It covers the basic 3 shades I need/want and I couldnt ask for more! Beige Chic is the brownie of the bunch with gold, bronze, peach and light brown pearl powder shades. Just like Pink Fresh, this of course has a gold sheen to it.

Little golden pearls of awesomeness!

Well, Beige Chic comes out of hiding on days where I decide to go more bronze-ish with my make up. When dusted all over, it gives a warm glow to my face with slight shimmer. As usual, I'm too tan to use this as a bronzer alone, but it's a great highlighter on my cheeks.

My precious..

I really don't know when I'll be able to finish using these 3 Guerlain Meteorites Powders since all I do is just swirl my brush in it and it doesnt seem to make a dent. They'll probably last me forever!

Overall, these pearl powders are great as a finishing touch to my make-up. I just brush either one of them all over my face or on my cheeks, and I've got a great glow with slight shimmer that lasts. Depending on how much you use, it could be a highlight, but I wouldnt bet on it.

Plus, I'm still really happy that I managed to try out all 3 shades instead of having to choose just 1.

Guerlain Meteorites Powders are available at Guerlain counters at Parkson (KLCC & Pavilion), Sogo, Isetan @ The Gardens Mall and Tangs Pavilion (details from here). I think the full size one retails for around RM180+ with 3 shades to choose from. It's also on StrawberryNet for around RM150+, so if you're willing to wait a week, get it there (old cardboard box packaging though). There's also a pressed-powder version which would be great for travelling.

The Guerlain Meteorites Miniatures Collection however, seems like it's only available at the duty free make-up counters in airports. And last I checked, it's not available on StrawberryNet anymore.

And so ends my mega Guerlain Meteorites Powder review. You've been a great crowd.

P.S. Beatrice of "Beetrice Reviews" is having a mega giveaway on her blog to celebrate 3 years of spreading all things pretty and beautiful on the interwebz!

Twitpic Week #9

2010-06-10T10:44:00.004+08:00

Warning: This post features me.

2nd June 2010

Banana leaf rice! Both a blessing and a curse to the economical pocket - always too much rice and not enough willpower to resist wiping that banana leaf clean with your right hand (or spoon if you're not a fan of the dreaded "yellow fingernails" syndrome).

So Kel Li, next round, upgrade to wagyu steak? :P

3rd June 2010

Some days, you just need a little more sugar and sodium in you. Meet a few of my favourite things! Something to bear in mind the next time you think I'd like a hamper sent my way.

4th June 2010

So what would you do if you spotted an office where there is a raised floor on the inside, and it sticks out from under the glass partition onto the outside of the office?

4th June 2010

While I was busy buying things to make myself somewhat presentable to the general public (you call it warpaint, I call it err.. Face paint), someone decided we needed a Nerf gun.

I'm not complaining.

4th June 2010

This is me not complaining.

5th June 2010

What a glorious metaphorical haystack made of balloons to stick a needle in! Did anyone check out this balloon fair in Pavilion over the weekend? Indoor balloon rides aside, those balloon clowns are really asking for it.

5th June 2010

Cotton On sees fit to write an essay worthy of a Pulitzer on a receipt for a mere 2 items purchased. Mother Earth will slap you in the face.

5th June 2010

Looks like someone wont be having any problems keeping the doctor away ;)

*All Twitpics taken with my N97 Mini*

A Listen To Sex And The City

2010-06-08T09:57:00.003+08:00

"Sex and the City" has been around for ages and though I must admit, I never was much of a fan and didnt really watch the series when it was on TV, I did get caught in the hype and watched the first movie (which I quite enjoyed).

Well, the second movie is out and I've been giving the "Sex and the City 2" soundtrack a good listen for the past week or so (thanks to Sony Music Malaysia). My verdict? I'm going half and half on this one.

Track list:

1. "Rapture" – Alicia Keys

2. "Everything to Lose" – Dido

3. "Language of Love" – Cee-lo

4. "Window Seat" – Erykah Badu

5. "Kidda" – Natacha Atlas

6. "Euphrates Dream" – Michael McGregor

7. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" – Liza Minnelli

8. "Can't Touch It" – Ricki-Lee

9. "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" – Alicia Keys

10. "Love Is Your Color" – Jennifer Hudson, Leona Lewis

11. "I Am Woman" – Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon

12. "If Ever I Would Leave You" – Sex and the City Men's Choir

13. "Sunrise, Sunset" – Sex and the City Men's Choir

14. "Till There Was You" – Sex and the City Men's Choir

15. "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" – Shayna Steele, Jordan Ballard, Kamilah Marshall

16. "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" – Liza Minnelli with Billy Stritch

17. "True Colors" – Cyndi Lauper

18. "Divas and Dunes" – Aaron Zigman

During my first round of listening to the album, I was kinda confused! It had a heavy Middle East theme to most of the songs and wasnt quite what I was expecting from a movie about 4 fancy ladies in New York.

Then someone told me the movie is based around them going on a trip to Morroco or something, then it made sense.

The first few songs like "Rapture" by Alicia Keys and "Everything To Lose" by Dido had a really heavy house feel to it, and wouldnt be out of place in a swanky bar. Most of the album had an Arabian Nights influence in songs like "Euphrates Dream" by Michael McGregor and "Kidda" by Natacha Atlas. Granted its my first time hearing about all these singers, I really didnt know what to expect.

Maybe because I've been hearing it on the radio quite abit, but "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" by Alicia Keys was my favourite on this soundtrack. Liza Minnelli's cover of Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" was errr... Interesting to listen to. It was kinda comical at some parts, but amusing nonetheless.

The rest of the songs on the "Sex and the City 2" soundtrack were pretty blah, and I admit, I skipped through most of them towards the end because it's not really my thing. Maybe if I'd watched the movie first, then the songs would make sense and I'd be able to associate it with some scene or something.

So next up - movie review? :P

Twitpic Week #7 & #8 Combo Meal

2010-06-01T13:52:00.003+08:00

This is terrible! An epic fail of epic proportions in my willpower tower built of jelly and all things unstable.

Anyhoo, the past 2 weeks have been filled with a lot of food and not enough gym-time, which would explain that slight paranoia I feel whenever I have to jump around abit to get my jeans all the way up.

17th May 2010

Who knew that traffic lights came with multiple-choice options! Let's see, if I need to reply a tweet, I'd pick red. If I'm too lazy to accelerate the last 50m, I'd take yellow. But there really isnt any other reason why I wouldnt pick green.

18th May 2010

One of the best things to come out of Singapore (without a boomz) is Chewy Junior!! These little puffs are slightly crispy with a hint of chewiness on the outside, and pretty soft and chewy on the inside. One bite sends you in a frenzy of flapping hands and flying napkins as you attempt to avoid dropping a whole glob of sweet delicious vanilla cream-filling onto the floor. Dont waste!

18th May 2010

Caught the final installment of Shrek! So long Donkey and Puss in Boots! We're gonna miss the pop culture references and cheeky fairy tale references!

20th May 2010

A few bunch of us bloggers (of the geek and not-so-geeky) variety were invited by Nokia and Text 100 for a special introduction to the latest flash-based games available on the Ovi store! I didnt really think much of it at first since use of my phone has been mostly limited to making phonecalls as short as possible and sending tweets instead of SMS to save money, but the games were pretty addictive!

The 3 new flash games we tried out that night were "That Roach Game", "Ninjani" and "Monsterilla" (check them out here)! A crowd favourite was "That Roach Game" because c'mon, it's something we're all good at. Especially when trying to enjoy a Roti Hawaii at Murni's.

21st May 2010

Lately, my Fridays have been filled with a lot of nothing and plenty of meaningless indulgence. The latest being cupcakes from Bijou that recently opened in KLCC.

22nd May 2010

Thanks Cadbury, for giving Boost a whole new meaning.

25th May 2010

There's this porridge shop in Uptown called Hon Kee (Petaling Street) where they sell all things porridge. Seems pretty popular because of all the newspaper features framed up on the wall and pictures of celebrities guiltily clutching a small bowl of porridge. My verdict? Loves it.

28th May 2010

Congratulations is in order to the new Mr. and Mrs. Khong! May their days be filled with lots of fun, ice cream (haha) and good craft beer? Yeap, who needs Carlsberg at a wedding reception when you can have imported craft beers from Craft Brews? [link]

29th May 2010

I vaguely remember the day, but I do remember these babies.

Oh yes, I met up with Sen Wai (the fehmes and constantly-angry-about-something k0k bl0k) and Phoebs for lunch at The Pink Sage Diner, Solaris Dutamas! The call of the legendary Black Angus Cheeseburger was too hard to resist. So hard in fact, that it rendered Sen Wai incapable of following directions from Google Maps :P

30th May 2010

Grape Sorbet from Desserts Bar. A newfound love. Thankfully similar sentiments are shared with the current one.

*All Twitpics taken with my N97 Mini*

The Great Gym Debate

2010-05-25T16:33:00.003+08:00

Taking a step out of our otherwise terribly dull and hum-drum daily routine, David and I decided to boldly venture where neither of us have gone before - a different gym!

Well, same gym, but at a different location. We were actually having dinner around the area (at an awesome porridge shop that is my new found sliced bread) and being too lazy to go to our usual gym, went on ahead to the same gym around the area we were in.

Being excited for no reason - just another Monday.

Anyhoo, unnecessary pro's/con's list!

Pro's:

Less people. Less machine hogging. Less sweat/gym stock smell lingering 10 minutes after machine occupant has left.
First pickings at prime locker positions i.e. not too near the entrance, not too far from the showers and changing rooms.
Hardly any beautiful people. Does tremendous wonders for self-esteem.
Highly unlikely to bump into beautiful people that I know, people I dont want to see in sweaty conditions and seeing people I know in too-short shorts.
McDonalds outlet right at doorstep.

Con's:

Not enough people. Seeing slightly pudgy people going at an incline of 5.0 and doing a speed of 7 on the treadmill is pretty good motivation.
Slight overall feeling of claustrophobia.
Not being able to find where the group class rooms are.
Locker rooms and shower areas are kinda creepy when it's mostly empty. And quiet. Deserted. Dead.
McDonald's outlet right at doorstep.

I'll flip a coin next time.

Shrek Finally Forever After

2010-05-21T14:19:00.004+08:00

The only other big green (not sure if friendly or not) giants I know hawks peas for a living and is a poster boy for anger management classes, so it's nice to have another big green giant to laugh at once in awhile.

Or rather, big green ogre.

Finally? For real?

Thanks to United International Pictures and Kel Li, I managed to catch a screening of the final movie in the Shrek series - "Shrek Forever After" in 3D!

Now this is a perfect example of 3D done right in a movie. It's beautiful to watch, everything pops perfectly out of the screen when it's supposed to, no unnecessary objects flying at you just to scream "3D!!!!!!" in your face and it just enhances the viewing experience so much more!

To drive the beauty of 3D point home, read Sen Wai's explanation of the recent 3D murders here.

A sweet sweet mistake.

The first Shrek movie was awesome - hilarious with it's pop culture references, use of modern jokes in a medieval setting and pretty damn fun to watch with all the fairy tale characters shamelessly used.

The second Shrek movie got even better with Prince Charming's character with his flowing locks and amazing sharp chin. But the third Shrek movie kinda killed it for me as the last drop of milk I thought this green-eared franchise would have.

Thankfully, "Shrek Forever After" is the final movie of the green mud-bathing ogre, and my, what a way to go!

The movie starts off with Shrek finally settling down with Fiona and their 3 little ogre triplets (imagine the babysitting fees you could charge for those) as a happy green family. But Shrek being the demanding alpha male that he is, just wants to go back to the old days when he was free to whatever he wants, whenever he wants to.

Enter good ol' fairy tale's favourite trickster, Rumpelstiltskin. Yea, everyone knows his name in this movie. Shrek makes a wish and becomes the international ambassador of the "Be Careful What You Wish For" club.

Everything changes with just a signature, and of course, one ogre's misery is a moviegoer's happiness.

There's a few new fairy tale characters in this movie like the wicked witches (Wizard of Oz) and the Pied Piper who looks terribly suave tooting his pipe and making a grand entrance only he can make!

The movie is well-paced with the usual pop culture jokes, witty dialogue and the ending credits are worth staying for with some flashbacks of all the previous Shrek movies! This is a must watch in 3D, especially during a certain broomstick getaway scene!

Found some punny promo posters of the movie online:

So long Shrek! It's been a good run.

"Make him do the roar. I love you daddeh."

LOL!

Twitpic Week #5 & #6 (double bonus pow!)

2010-05-18T09:49:00.005+08:00

You've been a bad girl, Jen. A very very bad girl.

Sorry, too much "Telephone" there. Damn MTV generation will be the death of us! Anyhoo, some sort of punishment is in order I'm sure since I missed an entire week of Twitpic recaps for the 2nd week of May.

I punished myself alright last night. With a new BB Cream from Skin Food. It was abit hard to take the comments and tips from the sales assistant seriously since she (or he?) had about an inch of make up on, and it seems 3/4 of it decided to settle into some decidedly deep acne scars on the face. Very distracting when I'm trying to determine if I'm shade #1 or #2.

On with the recap of what was a pretty good start to May 2010 by my disgustingly low standards.

3rd May 2010

I was feeling out of sorts as usual (all sorts of crazy that is) because I was probably hit by the dreaded Monday-shades-0f-blue syndrome. Most sufferers complain of acute depression, inability to get any work done and overall unproductivity (just another work day for most of us).

I just wanted cake s'all.

4th May 2010

Lately, I've been bitten quite badly (in painful areas I'd rather not mention) by the online shopping bug. I have come up with the brilliant theory that one can never run out of things to buy on teh interwebz, and I have been more than happy to prove its truth.

It may have come to the point where the excitement of anticipating a package is more of a rush than the contents of said package itself. So my first really expensive and (almost) luxury purchase was via StrawberryNet.com [link] where they sell a lot of expensive stuff I wouldnt normally buy without taking it for several test runs first.

They ship from Hong Kong, so I was pleasantly surprised to receive the package in about 1 week after I placed my order. In very good condition too!

On a side note, if anyone would like to send me a nice package with random bits of happiness (not random bits of you), please do.

4th May 2010

With their signature purple ribbon around the box and trippy glittery purple wrapping paper, this is excitement at its best!!

I'll probably do a more detailed post on my StrawberryNet.com shopping experience, plus a look at what I actually bought :P

5th May 2010

I'm sure someone great once said "Strong base makes stronger building" (Pamela Anderson?), so I've been on abit of a facial sheet mask spree lately to try as many different facial sheet masks as possible and see which one would suit the walls to my soul the best (eyes are to windows, as face is to..).

Best hit the buffet before making your choice eh.

My Beauty Diary [link] masks are it seems a pretty popular choice among the porcelained-skin Taiwanese folk, so if it's good enough for them, it damn well better be good enough for me! They have over 10 different types of masks and it's impossible to buy just 1 piece at a time (they sell it in packs of 2 or 10 at exorbitant prices that would equate to blackmail in some countries).

Then I spotted this little beauty of 7 My Beauty Diary masks in one pack, and all was right with the world. Until I run out of them and have to start my search again.

14th May 2010

David and I were out shopping in Giant, and we've seen some really funky stuff popping up on those shelves in the past few years.

But Blueberry & Hazelnut flavoured Pringles chips really just takes the cake from an oddball bakery. There were other "interesting" flavour pairings too, but I shall not ruin your weekend plans, so go find out!

15th May 2010

The minute I twitpic-ed this swan, almost the entire world knew where I was going to spend my weekend - Berjaya Hills Colmar Tropicale Resort in Bukit Tinggi, Pahang!

Take that internationally recognised landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Ramly Burger stall you.

16th May 2010

It was by far one of the best mini holidays ever. We spent 3 days there doing absolutely nothing but people watch, OD-ing on instant cup noodles and catching up on episodes of "How I Met Your Mother" and "Big Bang Theory" in between more instant cup noodle breaks and hikes to a Japanese tea garden (which was completely unnecessary IMO).

12th May 2010

The numbers are dwindling low in our quest for the Best Japanese Restaurant that Japanese row in SS15, Subang Jaya (like so)! Under the cover of darkness and in the pretense of two average working class citizens (one with a bad hair day, one with an overactive runny nose), we infiltrated Ryu Tei Japanese restaurant.

In our final report, Ryu Tei is currently ranked last amongst the others we've tried. It's not bad, but pales in comparison to the rest along Japanese row, SS15 (but definitely the most affordable).

13th May 2010

The best things in life are always eaten with your hands, by the side of the road, at the risk of a painful death from cars zooming past, consisting of greasy burgers cooked with more grease than an adolescent teenager, smothered in sauce and prepared with methods of questionable hygiene.

Extra points if there's a cat casting a voodoo on you to drop a piece of fried egg from your burger.

13th May 2010

I dont know which one I was more interested in - Malaysia attempting to squeeze through the semi-finals in the Thomas Cup, how deliciously not-too-spicy our pari bakar was or the fact that I managed to find not one, not two, not even three, but four double lala's in our plate!

15th May 2010

So apparently there's a new kid around town in Subang called Empire Shopping Gallery, and I took the kiddos there for a look-see one fine day. It looks like a mini version of Tropicana City Mall, except without the cinema. Best. Mall. Description. Ever.

*All Twitpics taken with my N97 Mini*

More Glee For You Sir?

2010-05-15T11:00:00.003+08:00

Winners who have won an awesome Glee folder from Sony Music Malaysia (in no particular order) : Kok Sen Wai, Tham Ying Ying, Ann C., Trecia Tan and Tham Ying Hui.

Congratulations guys! Look out for an email real soon, and don't forget to reply the email to confirm your prize! To everyone else, thanks so much for the support and taking part. Look out for more free swag to be won real soon!

***

You know when there's the word "Volume 1" involved, there's definitely a "Volume 2" waiting around the corner to shout to the world that it has arrived!

"Glee: The Music, Volume 2" is finally here! And my, what a fantastic second half it is! I dont think the world has had enough of these highschool kiddos bursting into song and telling stories with their tunes, with their little dramas and triumphs here and there.

The track list for "Glee: The Music, Volume 2" looks like a winner!

Proud Mary
Endless Love
I’ll Stand By You
Don’t Stand So Close To Me / Young Girl
Crush
(You’re) Having My Baby
Lean On Me
Don’t Make Me Over
Imagine
True Colors
Jump
Smile (Cover Of Lily Allen Song)
Smile (Cover Of Charlie Chaplin Song)
And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going
Don’t Rain On My Parade
You Can’t Always Get What You Want
My Life Would suck Without You

A pretty good mix of the old and new this time around, with songs that wont make your parents walk out of the room with their fingers stuffed in their ears and wondering where did this generation go wrong.

The best Glee song so far however, is still their cover of Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You" at the end of Season 1! By gosh, that was a song totally made for the moment! "Imagine" would give you goosebumps too. The absence of which indicates you are not human and should go charge your batteries soon before you shut down.

Anyhoo, the folks at Sony Music Malaysia and Starworld are an unbelievably generous lot, because they have given me some Glee swag to be given to all the Gleeks who are now mobilising flashmobs and making the "L for Loser" sign cool again!

I have here in my imaginary blog hand, 5 exclusive Glee folders to be given away! Not content with having Glee in your head, you can now store your stuff and have essence of Finn all over it!

Just answer me this..

"Who is your favourite Glee character,
and why?"

Post your answer in the comments section (down below) and the best 5 comments by 11.59PM, 15th May 2010, will be having a folder that will hopefully inspire you to burst into song at random moments! There's no word limit, so get those words flowing!

Along with your comment, please leave your full name, email address, Twitter and blog (if you have any). If I cant contact you, I cant tell you that you've won!

Previous winners from Nigel's (Get A Cuppa) and Ceddy's (Good Boy Gone Bad) blogs are not entitled to take part again.

Comments received after 11.59PM, 15th May 2010 will not be entertained. I will announce the 5 winners on 17th May 2010.

Contest only open to Malaysian residents.

Now dont forget to follow Sony Music Malaysia on Twitter (@sonymusicmy) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/sonymusicmy)! It's like your birthday every week with them with all the free swag they're giving away.

Robin In The Hood

2010-05-13T09:48:00.006+08:00

Movies set in the medieval ages never get old (even though that period is well, ancient). I've never gotten tired of looking at dashing men and knights in their suits of armour, waving heavy swords about like they're feathers and ladies in ridiculously frilly and tight dresses that take so long to remove, it's a wonder they managed to procreate at all!

But I suppose one of the best-known medieval legends of all time would be Robin Hood a.k.a Robin of Loxley a.k.a Robin Longstride. Confused? Who doesnt love good ol' Robin who steals from the rich to give to the poor? I'm poor. I could use Robin sometime now thanks.

So with the slew of Robin Hood movies and TV series in the past, the latest one comes from Ridley Scott (of "Gladiator" fame) with "Robin Hood" the movie, version 2010 [link]!

If they just removed the bow and arrow, it'd look almost like that other movie about fighting people..

Starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett as the main characters, this movie is different than its predecessors because it actually focuses on the period of time before Robin became known for his charitable efforts a.k.a the period that none of us bothered to research about.

Furrowed brows were fashionable in those days.

Basically England is in trouble because King Richard's brother King John took over the throne and a medieval monkey could have done a better job at ruling England than him. Enter Robin Longstride, a simple archer in King Richard's army who chances upon opportunities that are too good to be true. Save England from invading Frenchies, break a sweat and win the girl - all in a days work for Robin.

King John never listened to his mother about the kind of girls he ought to bring home.

Movies like this are awesome because it always blows me away with the amount of detail that goes into everything to make it as realistic as possible! From the clothing to the location and scenery, you can almost smell the stench of putrid mud in medieval England (the flies buzzing about were a nice touch).

Cate Blanchett played Marion who is recently widowed and looking for lurve. Pretty alright, though I think she sounds abit like a man at times and her moment of glory at the end was abit wasted. Chemistry between her and Russell Crowe was not too bad, but I cringed abit at one point.

A bald head a day, keeps the enemies at bay.

Mark Strong plays the baddie, Sir Godfrey. Is he in danger of becoming the token bad guy character?

And of course, Robin's merry men. Very merry indeed since they're the comic relief characters in the movie. All too lovable despite their penchant for overgrown facial hair.

Did anyone spot one of the earliest Tweets ever sent in this movie? =D

"Marshal, I'm sending you a Tweet now. Expect it to arrive in.. 3 days."

Overall, I quite enjoyed the movie, especially the fight scenes and the movie setting. Plus, it's good to know how Robin came about before he started being all hero-like.

Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott might be the next Burton-Depp in the making, but it's all good. Movie might be tad long though, so be warned.

But seriously, best Robin Hood movies ever..

I'm just saying.

Twitpic Week #4

2010-05-06T14:40:00.005+08:00

I'm sliding back further and further into the week before I start posting up my Twitpic report of the previous week. Failing before I'm on a roll - that's gotta be worth something on Ebay.

26th April 2010

Because Mondays are miserable little pieces of filth that cling to bits of your clothing and make you feel really uncomfortable inside, we decided that some pork lard-laden Hokkien mee was in order! Top it off with the bottom feeders of the ocean (which can also be said for its human counterpart), some not-too-spicy lala's really hit the spot. I was ready to start the week!

27th April 2010

Big sparkly shiny twinkling lights and huge powerful spotlights sweeping the night sky can usually mean a few things - a red light district, someone's in trouble and needs a super hero or.. The carnival is back in town!!

Somewhere in October last year, there was a fun fair sort of thing in Klang near David's house (read all about it here), and I had a blast despite it being a complete rip-off of my hard-earned money. I've lost virtually most of the prizes I've won there, but I am so ready to try and win more! Who's with me?? :D

28th April 2010

One of my favourite things to eat in the world - sticky rice dumpling wrapped in lotus leaf. Must have fatty fatty pork, beans and salted egg yolk (which I dont eat anyway). If found, please inform.

28th April 2010

Stereophonics!! Thanks to Chris Tock, I had the chance to catch them live in action at KL Live Centre!! I had a great time, even though I didnt know some of their songs. Kelly Jones is a dish I could eat up every day. Oh dear, that sounded wrong. Please dont slap me with a restraining order. Again.

29th April 2010

Occupational hazards.

1st May 2010

Being the lucky duck that I am (quack quack), I managed to snag some Tokio Hotel tickets from Facebook and from Connie of SkinDeco (fast becoming a daily read). I was feeling kinda under the weather, so I passed the tickets on to my sisters and mum who are mega fans of Tokio Hotel and they braved the rain and crowd to see them!

I was still determined to watch Bill Kaulitz (drool machine, on!) live, but wasnt too interested in the opening bands, so David and I hung out at Coffee Bean to kill some time. Him with his geeking out mags, and me with my full-of-fake-shit girly mags. We spotted an old man sitting in Coffee Bean with what looked like an iPad in hand! Various plans to take possession of said iPad were made, but none came to fruition on the account that we were both chicken asses.

1st May 2010

Tokio Hotel live in Malaysia ZOMG!! I have more pictures and videos, so that'll be a separate post later on. Good gosh Bill Kaulitz is even hotter in real life than I could have ever imagined! I was too lazy to get into the crowd, so I stood outisde the concert perimeter on my tip toes to watch the entire thing.

So. Worth. It.

2nd May 2010

Not a Twitpic, but must mention this! Congratulations to Andy and Sharon on their engagement! David and Nigel both had a hand in his grand proposal scheme while Kel Li and I wandered around Pavilion aimlessly wondering how they were getting on. Also we were bitching about how awesome it was that Andy got Sharon a ring from Tiffany's :P

2nd May 2010

After all the excitement of being part of (well, ok not me) an engagement plan, David and I managed to catch the Chinese movie of the century - Ip Man 2! Donnie Yen is the man!! Good grief I have never lusted after a Chinese man like that before, it might be illegal! His nonchalant mannerism and stoic poker face while delivering 50 punches per minute is just.. Wow..

Ip Man - defender of Chinese pride and poster boy for perfect teeth and casual smoking.

I also bought this really cool doodling book where the pages are filled with half-drawn pictures and we're supposed to just randomly doodle and fill it in. I bought a box of crayons to get started and had a grand old time in Starbucks drawing zombie sheep, Starbucks barista parrots and a scary pumpkin.

*All Twitpics taken with my N97 Mini*

A Day Being Pink

2010-05-03T12:54:00.003+08:00

I'm very much a breakfast person. Or more specifically, a Western breakfast person.

I like loh mai kai and some nasi lemak as much as the next (fat) person, but it's eggs, beans, sausages and toast that have always got me going! Hotel buffet breakfasts are always the highlight of any holiday.

Now getting up in time for breakfast is hard enough, and finding places that serve Western breakfast sets at a more reasonable hour (read: when the sun is at its highest) is like a needle in a greasy anti-brunch haystack.

So when David and I went to The Pink Sage Diner & Pantry (site) a few weeks ago for dinner and discovered that they serve breakfast right until 6PM (WOWZERS!), I knew I had to go back during the day to try it!! I mean c'mon, full breakfasts served till 6PM - this is a place after my own heart.

Check out their breakfast menu here and tell me how is it possible to pick one!! I was going back and forth between the "Stacked Breakfast" (eggs, beef/chicken/lamb sausage, streaky beef brisket, potatoes, mushrooms, beans, toast for RM17.50) or the "Greasy Breakfast" (fried eggs with corned beef, hash browns, streaky beef brisket, fried tomatoes for RM15.50)!

It was a tough call (and since David didnt want to have a breakfast set. boo him!), my undying love for corned beef won and I took the "Greasy Breakfast".

So.. So.. So.. Damn good.

There's a reason why it's called a "Greasy Breakfast". Everything on that plate is fried to greasy, oily, juicy satisfaction. The kind that only the threat of a heart attack can bring.

The plate is stacked with a glorious tower of breakfast goodies at the ripe old hour of 1PM. I think the fried egg consisted of 2 or 3 eggs and on top of it, a generous helping of corned beef. Salty, savoury, slightly crispy-around-the-edges corned beef. I love love love corned beef. I dont want to know what part of the cow goes in to it (or if there is any cow in it for that matter), but I could eat it everyday! I havent had it in awhile, and Pink Sage's corned beef tastes awesome. The little fried cherry tomatoes were juicy and since I love tomatoes, win!

The hash brown is standard fare with the usual crunchy outside and soft fluffy inside, while the streaky beef brisket was a nice replacement to bacon. It was slightly tough to chew, but really gives you the satisfaction of chewing that little hunk of salty beef. Yum!

I wish the portion was a little bit bigger though. But then again, it is supposed to be breakfast anyway.

There was a little mix-up with our lunch order, so David had an Angus Cheeseburger (RM30-something if I'm not mistaken) instead.

I've never heard of Angus beef before, having thought of Angus as a sort of tough Scottish person in a kilt and a menacing stare, but apparently Angus is the new Wagyu, so we gave it a shot.

Not a hairy shin in sight.

Wow. That Angus beef sure is something. What a burger!! I might be going out on a limb here, but that was the best beef cheeseburger I've ever had! The patty had a strong beef-y smoky flavour and was incredibly juicy, but not oily. It was perfectly cooked (no blood for me please) and the patty wasnt too dry, but at the same time, didnt leave me with that too-much-beef feeling. Ok, I'm terrible at describing beef (except when it comes to beefy guys), but seriously, this Angus Cheeseburger is something else!!

Definitely something I'd order again and again.

It's all about presentation, even for plain water.

I had a special treat too - Haagen Dazs Chocolate Ice Cream Milkshake (RM13.50)! Divinely creamy and smooth, anything chocolate will do it for me.

It passed the Upright-Straw Consistency of Thickness gauge with flying colours.

I'm already planning my next visit to The Pink Sage Diner & Pantry to try out their entire breakfast menu (pancakes for lunch, anyone?)!

It's a cosy little nook too, and it was packed on a Saturday with very happy looking people celebrating birthdays or trying to pass off breakfast at 1PM as socially acceptable.

The Pink Sage Diner & Pantry
A4-UG-01 Solaris Dutamas
1 Jln Dutamas 1
50480 Kuala Lumpur

Getting there: If you're familiar with the route to Solaris Mont Kiara, head that way and just keep going straight when that Solaris is on your left and you'll reach a traffic light junction. Turn right and keep going all the way straight (the road curves left a little, but dont panic!) and Solaris Dutamas will be on your left. Alternatively, it's quite near Jalan Duta. If all else fails, here. Why they have 2 places with almost the same name about 3 minutes from one another is beyond my understanding.

*pics by David*

Twitpic Week #3

2010-04-29T14:41:00.005+08:00

I suppose the most common twitpic-ing period would be during meal times when one just has to try and one-up the next person in trying to make someone hungry. So here goes.

19th April 2010

I am the mayor of The Place Kopitiam with good reason. It's right in front of the office and eating there makes me feel like I'm on a holiday of some sort. It's open air, I'm sitting in a nice stone-tiled courtyard with a fountain/water feature gently gushing somewhere and there is the ocassional cuci mata opportunity when nice young men in office attire come down for lunch.

Baked beans, ham, sausage and an egg for lunch. I am really made for Western breakfasts any time of the day.

19th April 2010

Here's an odd little fact about SS15, Subang Jaya - at the row of shops opposite the Sime Darby Medical Centre, there are about 6 - 7 Japanese restaurants all along the same row. About 4 of these Japanese restaurants are right next to each other!

It's pretty baffling as to why of all places, SS15 seems to be the central hub for Japanese food around the area. The only Japanese I know are.. Ok, so I dont know any Japanese, but I'm assuming the students studying around this college area sure cant afford to have Wagyu beef and sashimi for supper.

Anyways, David and I are on the quest for the best Japanese restaurant on the block (we have our own hashtag. look it up) and so far, it's 2 down and X more to go. The first one we went to was Tomoe, which was not bad, but kinda pricey (very generous with their Chicken Katsu Don). Our second Japanese restaurant along SS15 Jap Row is Jyu Raku.

I like it! We sat upstairs because downstairs seemed a little cramped with the conveyor belt and open kitchen, but upstairs was pretty spacious! Looked pretty authentic too with the traditional looking Japanese tables where we had to remove our shoes before sitting down. But with a little cheat where there's a hole underneath the table for our legs. Which is good because my feet fall asleep pretty fast.

Food-wise, we almost always order the same thing when eating at Japanese restaurants. Beef Sukiyaki for him and soft-shell crab anything for me (with the ocassional chicken katsu don/yakitori). We're rather used to Sakae Sushi's Sukiyaki where the beef slices comes raw on a plate and you cook it yourself, but so far, we find that at places where the beef comes to us already simmering in the broth, it tastes so much better. My soft shell crab roll was a pass too! Though the soft shell crab in it was kinda oily.

So far the best soft shell crab roll I've had is at Umaiya at Damansara Perdana - only because they serve a soft shell crab + unagi roll!

19th April 2010

Being spoilt is kinda fun. Which is why try to spoil myself as often as possible! My mum alerted me about the new Starbucks tumbler collection, so we popped into Starbucks SS15 to have a look. They're terribly expensive, but lately I've been quite obsessed with them. If you dont already know, you get RM2 off your drink whenever you use a Starbucks tumbler (either that or 10% off with a Jusco card). I have 2 tumblers so far which are:

The Cold Cup Tumbler (16 oz.) which I absolutely love because it err.. Looks like any other Starbucks cold drink. It's just a fun tumbler to use. I have to be really careful when using this one because there have been several ocassions where I'm an inch away from accidentally throwing it when I've finished drinking!

It was supposed to be limited edition (I went to about 4 Starbucks outlets to find it), but now I've seen it on the shelves of at least 3 -______-"

The very adorable sheepy tumbler which was for Easter I think (8 oz.).

Look at it! It's the most adorable thing ever!! It's so small, it doesnt even fit the smallest drink size (Tall). It's so small, I actually keep this in my work handbag. It's so small, I sometimes have trouble finding it in said handbag.

19th April 2010

The latest addition to the Starbucks tumbler family! The new collection has mostly green-themed tumblers (Earth Day?) which didnt really catch my fancy, but the minute I saw this little beauty, I had to get it (16 oz.)!

That pattern you see is actually fabric! It's apparently 100% cotten hand-woven by Indonesian artisans. Thank goodness nothing else from the current collection caught my eye. These tumblers cost a pretty penny.

22nd April 2010

I dont know how I can find something called the Osama Naan appetising, but I did. And this bad boy went down with a fight! Spicy lamb curry, potatoes, peas and cheese naan! Found this little gem at the Ming Tien foodcourt in Taman Megah.

23rd April 2010

I won Kelly Clarkson concert tickets from HOT magazine!! Had to go to their office to collect it, but I went during my lunch break and there wasnt anyone around, so I killed some time at the Hot Chocolat Cafe next door for lunch.

23rd April 2010

Ais krim potong Cendol before dinner. It's been awhile, my cold friend.

23rd April 2010

Spot the banana in my Chicken Maryland!

24th April 2010

It was the first anniversary of the MAS Facebook page (link), so they had a birthday bash at Euphoria MOS in Sunway. The turn out was pretty bad, but I quite enjoyed it! They had several artistes perform such as Joanna & Co. (pic), Joe Flizzow, Altimet and Pop Shuvit.

24th April 2010

One Buck Short performing the same songs I've seen them perform a dozen times at other events.

25th April 2010

Kelly Clarksonnnnnnnnnn!!! It's been a pretty good year concert-wise so far, and having the first American Idol perform in KL seems kinda surreal. Granted my tickets had me seated right at the back, I had a high vantage point and didnt have a problem enjoying the concert.

26th April 2010

It was an amazing concert! Kelly Clarkson's vocals were consistently powerful from the first song right until the mad frenzy of "My Life Would Suck Without You" as the final song. She sang almost all of her radio hits and a few good covers too. It was insane. I am in awe.

*All Twitpics taken with my N97 Mini*

This Feeling Feels Good!

2010-04-27T16:30:00.000+08:00

From one Kelly to another, it's concert mania this week!

Because I'm gonna be rocking it out at the Stereophonics concert tomorrow night at KL Live!! What whaattttt!!!!

Err.. For those who didnt get the Kelly reference, it's because I went to the Kelly Clarkson concert on Sunday and the lead singer of Stereophonics is Kelly Jones. Get with the programme please.

Anyhoo, it's gonna be awesome! I've only been listening to music by Stereophonics for a few years, and so far, it's been a good journey all the way. It's incredible because I seriously never thought they'd come down to Malaysia! Of all places!! They are apparently tops at live performances, so we're in for a treat!

It doesnt hurt that Kelly Jones has a killer stare and a voice made for turning things on ;)

Huge hugeeeee props to This Feeling KL and X-Ray for bringing Stereophonics in! I dont know how they did it, but if they can manage that, my imagination is going wild at the thought of who else they'll be able to drag here to perform in Malaysia! I have never heard of them but if they're gonna be doing more awesome stuff like this in the future, I'll be keeping a very close eye on This Feeling KL! And thank youuuuuu Chris Tock for choosing me as the winner for the contest on his blog!!!

More details on the concert here and here!

I shall now spend the rest of the day annoying anyone within 2 metres of me (namely my colleagues), by looping one of my fave Stereophonics songs from their album "Language. Sex. Violence. Other?", Dakota.

Twitpic Week #2

2010-04-20T14:29:00.006+08:00

Another episode of Twitpic recaps! Much like leg-shaking and online shopping, this is turning out to be a fun habit.

13th April 2010

I was over at the Curve to catch the screening of "Shutter Island" (review) when the sight of a boarded-up lot caught my eye - Burt's Bees (site)! They're finally opening it here in Malaysia!

Now for those obsessed with the eternal search for perfectly pillow-soft lips, Burt's Bees lipbalm is something that you would probably have crossed paths with, mostly through word-of-mouth. It's lipbalm is legendary! Almost like Kiehl's lipbalm actually. Made with honey or beeswax or some other substance that comes from a bee, Burt's Bees are known for using mostly natural ingredients in its products. It's only previously available internationally, so most people I know have resorted to getting it via sprees online or promising friends a roti canai and a back massage so they'd buy it for them from overseas.

The picture above shows it as a work in progress, but I popped over again last weekend and it was open! The first Burt's Bees outlet in Malaysia is now at the Curve! Right in front of Borders, because bookworms tend to neglect lip care once in awhile. They have a pretty wide range of products available like lipbalms (original, flavoured, tinted and the ones in a tin), salves, haircare and skincare products and more! I've only ever heard of their lipbalm, so it's pretty cool to go poking around and see what else they've got.

It's a wee bit pricey though (expected of course) with the original lipbalm going at RM18 (but still cheaper than Kiehl's). Am quite upset as I just bought a new lipbalm about 2 weeks ago D:

P.S. A little birdie told me that the next outlet will be at The Gardens Mall real soon.

13th April 2010

After a dinner of pho and beef stew, we had time to kill before "Shutter Island", so a white chocolate frappe at Theobroma is always a good killer of time.

14th April 2010

I used to be a breakfast person back in college. I could never leave the house without having a glass of Milo or stuffing my face with carbs. It's a dying habit these days, and one that I wish I had the time to revive again because having breakfast makes me eat less during lunch (always a good thing)!

15th April 2010

Not sure if it works for the rest of you, but some bruschetta seems to cure a runny nose quite well.

15th April 2010

And a coffee ice cream pie swimming in chocolate sauce!!

16th April

I'm getting better at this whole breakfast thing.

17th April 2010

Was on the way to Low Yatt Plaza with David whilst the PC Fair was going on at KLCC last weekend, and we stopped at this pan mee shop near Jalan Bukit Bintang for lunch.

I am not a pan mee person. To me, all pan mee tastes the same (aka blasphemy). It's just the crazy people who smother their pan mee in chilli and somehow enjoy producing searing hot missiles of doom the next day in the toilet. But this pan mee is magical! It's probably the sauce, but this is one of the two pan mee places I would voluntarily go to! The other one is a mushroom pan mee somewhere in KL.

17th April 2010

What a horrible picture! I swear, it looked so much better on my phone when I took it. Blob on the left is Jamie and blob on the right is Kel Li. We were at the inaugural Girl's Night Out (GNO) at Souled Out, Sri Hartamas.

Basically an excuse to dress up, put a little red lipstick on and drink expensive milkshakes! Dont judge us!

Oh, I almost forgot! Went for the Foursquare Day event on Friday night! It was almost like a tweetup anyway with a lot of familiar faces, but good job to the organising committee for making it happen! Ended the night with a special Foursquare Day badge, too much bak kut teh and err.. Watched "Ice Kacang Puppy Love".

*All Twitpics taken with my N97 Mini*