Everything, anything with a pinch of zzanyy

Motorcycle Made of Lighters

2012-01-25T13:23:00.000+08:00

I came across this in the Internet.

Motorcycles made of lighters aka Lightercycles.

Click here for the original link

If you know me by now, I just got to try it!

With Jhon's help, he let me have his old lighters when he was a smoker 3 years ago.
(he quited for me.. awww)

And of course, a quick search on Youtube on how to.
(The video will be at the end of this post)

Fixing was somewhat easy but there was one problem.

After getting frustrated on why the 'bodies' won't fix, we realized that the 'ang moh' lighters are different from Asian lighters. Apparently, they have a hole to clip on but we don't.

By the end of the assembly, we managed to make a Lightercycle but it was a somewhat of a fail because it will fall apart when you touch it because it was not assembled like it was supposed to. I guess it could have been easily fixed with super glue but the point of creating a lightercycle is not using any other items.

And yes, our lightercycle has no handle bars too for the same reason why we can't fix the bodies.

Well, at least we tried.

Below is the video on how to create your own lightercycle if you want to try yourself.
=)

Dreams & Reality

2012-01-23T14:45:00.001+08:00

Last weekend, before Jhon left for the Philippines, we went to the Singapore National Museum for the Dreams & Reality gallery.

It show cases Masterpieces of Painting, Drawing; Photography from the Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

"From the collection of the world renowned Musée d’Orsay, over 140 Salon, Realists, Impressionists and Post-Impressionists paintings, photographs and drawings from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century will specially tour to Singapore this year"

The gallery is open until 5th February. You can buy your tickets here. BUT if you are an NTUC card member, you get to enter for FREE and your friends/family will get a discount!

Before we headed to the museum, we at breakfast at KFC at Funan. Yummy!

This is the first time I have ever been to a famous art gallery. I won't deny that I feel very 'atas'. hehe

This is one of my favorite painting on the gallery. I simply love the shades, story and feelings it portrays and the remarkable details.

The details of the next few paintings are wonderful. They look like photographs.

These are photographs and/or glass negatives.

See the bottom left corner of the picture? Look at the curtains. WTF? hahaha

Love this painting.

It's Aang from the Legend of the last air bender! kidding!

The famous painting practically everyone knows. Starry Night by the Rhode by Van Gogh.

See my impression of his art here.

Towards the end of the gallery, there is an interactive space where there are books and art paper for you to draw your own rendition of any of the artworks displayed. We initially did not know about it which explains the drawing of the eye.

I think Jhon did quite a good job.

The gallery was wonderful and to be surrounded by such masterpieces was breathtaking. Of course, I felt sour at the same time because my standard drawing is equivalent to a primary school student. Although i try to make it up with crafts.

I strongly recommend it to all art lovers.

Secret to a Long Lasting Relationship

2012-01-21T05:52:00.001+08:00

I was 9gagging as usual and I came across to this.

Awwww....

There is something about old couple being together that will melt our heart.

So I jokingly say this to Jhon:

"Jhon! We have to get married NOW so that WE can be married for 70 years and people will go "Awwww" and ask us for advice for a long lasting relationship"

At this point, you would expect the age old answers like "Compromise, Trust, Appreciation" etc

But do you know what is my lovely Jhon's advice for a long lasting relationship?

"Don't Die"

Yes, a romance killer but if you really think about it, it's true.

You can try your best making a relationship work but there is no point if the partner dies and it would not deem as LONG lasting right?

Jhon, oh, Jhon, you always caught me off guard with your thoughts.

For more of his quirky thoughts, click below

Funny Reason to Refuse Spinach

Origins of Whining

Goodbye Love, Hello L.A. Noire

2012-01-19T18:25:00.000+08:00

It's Chinese New Year again and it only means Jhon will be going back to his homeland, Philippines to take advantage of the long holiday.

He will be gone for 10 days and I am for sure going to miss him because we are somewhat inseparable.
But like they (whoever 'they' are) say, "Distance keeps the heart grew fonder" which is always the case every time he comes back. =)

Meanwhile, I have already had plans to keep myself occupied.

After more than 5 years apart from playing games (real games unlike FB games, handphone games), I have revived my gaming hobby.

After resisting much temptation, I have finally got my hands on L.A. Noire for PC. You see, when I start to play games like this, I would be oblivious to the real world. I will forget to pee, eat and naturally, get very little sleep. Shamefully, dark eye rings and eye bags are the main reason why I stopped. Vanity. pfft.

Anyways, I came across L.A. Noire game play by Tobuscus (that noisy talkative man lol) in Youtube and I.Just.Got.To.Play.It! It is everything I like in a game.

It is a crime investigation game that is quite hands on except for the police paperwork. hah! And the graphics are AMAZING and realistic. For all techies out there, here is a Tech Trailer of the game.

I have already started and so far I have managed to schedule and have self control with my game play.

I strongly recommend this game to all game lovers.

Oh yeah, I think the gaming blood has started to flow in because I have already put 2 more games in my list of games to play. Dragon Age and Alice: Madness Returns.

Don't worry, love. I will still miss you and will be impatiently wait for your arrival here.

Meanwhile......

Meeting Van Gogh

2012-01-17T05:29:00.001+08:00

Okay, obviously I didn't meet Van Gogh since he is dead for many centuries ago and even if he was alive, I don't think our paths will ever cross.

Jhon and I went to the National Musuem for the Dreams and Reality exhibition.

I will post the outing when I go through over 300 pictures. =P

One of the significant painting that was somewhat special to us was the infamous painting, Starry Night at the Rhone by Vincent Van Gogh.

Not only we get to see the painting in real life, it also brought us memories of a little project we did on Van Gogh just for fun.

This is our impressionist artwork of one of his artwork, Starry Night made of eraser dirt.

Blog post of it is here.

No words can describe the feeling to be next to such a beautiful painting.

Dying His Hair Silver

2012-01-15T17:19:00.000+08:00

I bet you are thinking "Why would anyone dye his hair Silver unless he is into Cosplay??"

Well, Jhon would.

His hair is quite stubborn and dark so dying with other colours usually has no big effect on his hair.

So we decided to choose a super duper light color to dye his hair.

(after checking the color chart of course so that we know what shade it will turn out)

So yup, no bleaching, just a DIY Gatsby Aqua Silver hair dye to his hair.

Before

After

Love it!

Death vs Birth

2012-01-13T18:00:00.001+08:00

I am just going to share something that recently happened at work that makes me wonder.

You see, my company has a lot of old timers so the number of deaths of a family member is rather high, from brothers to parents to relatives. There was even one time there were 3 deaths in one month; very depressing indeed.

It’s to a point that I make sure that I have $10 notes in hand just in case for condolence money. Yes, I give away that much regardless I how well I know that person. In the office, on a name list, I tend to see some $5, mostly $10 to $50 and on rare occasions, $100!

Where am I going with this?

Well, recently, a colleague’s wife just given birth to a baby. So the HR did their standard passing of list and an envelope for congratulatory (is that what you call it?) money.

Guess what? Everyone gave an average of $5. Why is this so? And why does this bother me? I don’t know!

Being the practical person that I am, I think should one give more or equal amount of money to a birth than a death.

Reason being that the only thing that you have to deal with death is a funeral whereas a birth has pampers, baby formula, clothes, countless of doctor’s appointment etc.

I just feel weird about it. It could not be the reason of lacking of money because we just received our bonus money.

Anyways, I know I shouldn’t let such trivial subject bother me so much but at least I managed to vent it out here and eventually forget about it until I come across this again. =D

Movie Review: Contraband

2012-01-11T23:30:00.000+08:00

I was invited to watch Contraband on Tuesday and how can I not resist Mark Walhberg?

I have always admired him eversince I saw him in 'The Big Hit'. I find him so charming.

I digress.

He is now starring in a new thriller/action movie,

Contraband

Synopsis

Mark Wahlberg leads the cast of Contraband, a fast-paced thriller about a man trying to stay out of a world he worked so hard to leave behind and the family he’ll do anything to protect. Set in New Orleans, the film explores the cutthroat underground world of international smuggling—full of desperate criminals and corrupt officials, high-stakes and big payoffs—where loyalty rarely exists and death is one wrong turn away.

Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones), botches a drug deal for his ruthless boss, Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi), Chris is forced back into doing what he does best—running contraband—to settle Andy’s debt. Chris is a legendary smuggler and quickly assembles a crew with the help of his best friend, Sebastian (Ben Foster), to head to Panama and return with millions in counterfeit bills.

Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash, Chris must use his rusty skills to successfully navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops and hit men before his wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale), and sons become their target.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It has family values, simple yet creative places that amazes me and betrayal. It is a definitely a good watch as it does pulls you into the movie with some amusing scenes.

Catch it in the theatres near you!

Shopping at Johor Sentral

2012-01-08T19:17:00.000+08:00

Yes! Me, the person who is not a big fan of shopping crosses the border to just to find...... SHOES!

Believe it or not, I always find it easier to find shoes that I like at City Square at Johor than other malls in Singapore. True enough, as soon as I enter the first shoe shop, I bought one. It was the only shoe I bought though. haha But I did bought other stuff. Will show pictures later.

So Fizah, Jhon and I went met up about 9am at Kranji and headed to JB Sentral.

We had breakfast at McDonald's and started going in and about the mall.

We stopped for a while for an ice-cream break and eventually ended up at J.Co for coffee and donuts.

We went home at about 5+pm and Jhon and I had a looong ride home.

So this is what I've bought.

A box of mini donuts requested by mom.

A beautiful dusty pink shawl.

A camera bag for our newly upgraded DSLR.

3 sets of baby clothes.

Hair spray only because it's cheaper there.

A small wallet for on days I got lazy to bring any bag.

A pair of shoes that I realized that matches my new shawl. hehe

And lastly, snacks! hehe

One thing that I still regret is buying a Vans sling bag. I was hesitating because of it's price but now, thinking about it. It was what I wanted to match my ruggered outfits and I want it bad. =( Now I am not sure when can I go Johor again and maybe by the time I get there, it's sold out. =(

Bloated Me

2012-01-05T06:55:00.001+08:00

In less than a week, I have been having large meals which is never a good thing. I always try to watch what I eat with 2-3 indulges a week but all is failed since Friday.

On Friday, my company had a late Christmas lunch. It was buffet style and no, I didn't went all out but I was very full nonetheless. I had salad, broccoli soup, rice with 2 dishes and ice-cream.

On the same day, Jhon decided to treat me dinner at Pizza Hut. We had a 6'' pizza, lasagna, cheesy mussels and spicy drumlets.

Saturday, on New year's eve, I treated Jhon a lunch at Seoul Garden.

On Sunday, I ate lasagna (again) and 'Nasi lemak' at a gathering and had Jimba noodles at Far East.

Monday was Chili Crab day. My mom cooked it for me after I gave her extra money for crabs.
Yummy!

That is 6 big meals in 4 days!! No wonder I feel so bloated and to make things worst, I have not been exercising regularly and pooping enough. =(

Good news, my appetite has now mellowed down and after a long walk at Marina Bay construction site, I still managed to walk home from Eunos MRT.

Time to buck up!

Visiting Baby Emma

2012-01-03T06:14:00.001+08:00

Dashikahwati gave birth to a baby girl on November 2011. Fizah, Jhon and I was invited to a small gathering over the weekend at Hougang.

Emma Nur Eiliyah Binte Ismadi.

She is so chubby lah, so geram and I just want to squeeze her.

She seems to be a very good baby besides the crying for food etc..

We stayed for a couple of hours, ate and chit chatted.

Sorry Fizah, picture kinda sucked. It's either your face is blurred or the baby's face is blurred. =P

Well, we went out to Far East Plaza after that. Jhon bought a pair of skater shoes and Fizah got herself a pair of pumps. Me, nada, as usual because I'm so irritatingly choosy. haha

We ate at Cahaya, yummy Jimba Rice/Noodels and 'kwahcharkuey' (internal joke) and headed home.

Jhon especially enjoyed the day. Besides the obvious reason that he got new shoes, he like it that we spent the day without any cranky moment. Well, apparently, he is superstitious and he thinks how we spend the first day of the year will reflect the rest of the year.

I just hope it's true though. I really need a good year.

The Last Day of the Year

2012-01-01T06:40:00.001+08:00

I have never celebrated New Year's Day ever in my entire life. Perhaps mostly due to my social awkwardness towards parties or just the disinterest of celebrating.

Usually, I would stay at home and be in bed by 10pm, surfing the net, watching the television or sometimes, sleeping. I was THAT indifferent to the New Year Celebrations.

This time, however, I spent my last day of the year outside with Jhon.

Not out partying or celebrating but out bowling at Downtown East in the morning. You see, Jhon has a bowling marathon of 20 straight games in a week's time and he has not been bowling for quite sometime so he has to warm up. Naturally, I joined in.

With 7 straight games, a group of preteens constantly shouting "Bastard sia!!", a group of China people who took away my ball, this is our score.

Yeah, Jhon's score look pretty sucky because he said he was trying different techniques of throwing and LOOK AT MY SCORE!!1 I improved okay?? When I started bowling, I am lucky to even reach 80+ and now my average score is 130+.

There were a few games that I even beat Jhon! Albeit it was my best against his worst game but at least I have something to be boastful about. =P After the 5th to 6th game, our shoulders started to ache. Imagine having to play 20 games. Yikes!

Anyways, we had dinner at Seoul Garden, my treat since Jhon treated me at Pizza Hut the day before. We are fair that way..

Yummy.. It has been a while and although we were noobies with the 'techie' ordering system as compared to 'attack the buffet table' method, we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch.

We headed home, get cleaned up and watched New Girl starring Zooey Deschanel on StarWorld.

It's a must watch show for the both of us and no matter what, Jhon will always make the effort to come over to my place so we can watch together.

By 9pm, Jhon went back to his place and I am on my bed with my lap top. It was a simple outing, with no crowds, no corny dates or gestures. Just 2 of us, spending our time together like any other day.

Because if you really want to think about it, what is a new year? It's just another minute past midnight, another new calender and another sunrise. It's just another year but how do you spend your days?

Whoa, suddenly turned all solemn so here is a picture of loads of money!

At just one slight of a hand, all of it is gone because I have additional responsibilities at home now so yup, money gain, money gone. Being an adult sucks sometimes but I keep telling myself, at least I have some source of income and there are people who are in worst position than us.

Reminiscing 2011

2011-12-30T08:26:00.000+08:00

Alas, it is the last weekend of the year 2011 and time for the obligatory look back of what I have been through.

[click on the links for the posts]

January 2011 started in a good way as my sister gave birth to a bouncing baby boy named, Irfan Anaqi Bin Saparin.

He will be turning 1 in less than a month and he has been nothing but a bagful of cuteness.

On March, I get to experience snow for the first time. Albeit it was fake but it was good enough for me. Jhon and I went to the Snow City at Jurong and despite it was a small area, we had lots of fun.

On April, Fizah, Jhon and I went to Bali!!! It was a first time trip there and also our first independent vacation. It was beautiful, relaxing and we were lucky to yet again get a private tour with a wonderful tour guide. It was the month I turned 27 and it was definitely nice way to celebrate my birthday.

On May, the entire family went to Universal Studios Singapore. It has been a while since our last family outing so it was quite enjoyable. I love this picture the most, everyone looked so happy and wacky.

On June, Jhon and I celebrated our 4th year anniversary together by going to the Singapore Zoo (Jhon's first visit) and went to Bedok Reservoir for a small picnic. Sure there were hiccups but our love has always been the same since day 1. That month I also decided to have short bangs! It was somehow a drastic change on my outlook and I love it although on some days, it can be a hassle.

On July, we went to Kylie Minoque concert and watched Lion King the Musical. Both shows were absolutely fantastic, definitely best shows of the month.

The best concert of the year would be by The Cranberries on August. They are one of my favourite bands and it was as fantastic as EVER! Coldplay and The Cranberries now share as number 1 best concerts I have ever been to.

On October, Jhon celebrated his 29th birthday and along with Fizah, we watched our first ever stand up comedy starring one of Asia's popular comedians like Kumar, Harith Iskandar etc.It was utterly hilarious and we would definitely keep an extra look out for more shows like these next year.

And the last month of the year was memorable with experiencing a lunar eclipse.

These were the best memories of 2011 among others.

Although these recollections seems to be all happy and wonderful, no doubt, there were sad ones too. I simply wish not to blog about it as they were too personal. All I can say is cleaning people's mess sucks especially when you do not have much in the first place and every help was taken for granted.

For 2012, I hope for more new experiences, new adventures, more love and compassion.

A simply good new year.

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Exploring Labrador Park

2011-12-28T22:59:00.000+08:00

Over the weekend, Jhon and I headed to Labrador park for a photo cum trekking session. It was the first time any of us going to that place so it would be interesting since that park is also a location used during World War II.

We reached the place after 9am and although we know there perhaps some lingering entities from the past, we didn't expect to have that 'feeling' in the morning. What was more creepier, I didn't tell Jhon anything about the place and it already creeps him out and refused to take photos in several locations. Jhon can 'see' certain things and when Mr Jhon said No or Let's Go, you should listen.

That was the only weird part of the outing while the rest was beautiful.

By the way, see where the tree is? A huge gun was supposed to be placed there. HUGE!!

We got an amazing bird's eye view of the Pasir Panjang Jetty and soon as we reached the beach, it started to drizzle.

Some shots were taken in the rain. Luckily, I got my umbrella.

While walking, I came across these beautiful flowers. It was the first time I ever seen such flowers and I love it that it looks like sea anemones!! Perfect for photo taking!

Just a few metres away, there was another tree that blooms a similar flower but bigger and it reminded me of fireworks.

Small 'lighthouse' and the infamous "Dragon's tooth".

We then came across to this part of the park where there is a pier where you can stand as the waves crashes in. FUN LEH!! I wish I didn't had shoes on that day. =(

That was the last spot of the park, headed out, had lunch and went home.

Would I go there again? Yes, but not up the hill. The place seriously creeps me out.

Homemade Chicken Rice

2011-12-26T21:17:00.000+08:00

Obviously not cooked by me but my mom. >_<
It was actually a first time she cooked and as expected, it was awesomely delicious!

Delicious enough to make me blog the same day she cooked it!

It was actually fairly easy as I watched and helped her cook. Mainly consist of chicken stock, soya sos and wonderful judgement of amount of condiments. Oh yeah, she also cooked a special gravy for the chicken compared to the standard light soya sauce. It mainly consisted of chicken stock, dark & light soya sauce and corn starch to make it thick in consistancy.

Do you much I ate? I ate 3 servings worth of Nasi Ayam!! The best part is that somehow the dish does not feel very filling which is a good thing because it means I can eat all my hearts content without feeling bloated.

I want morree!

Cupcake Baking Class

2011-12-24T17:11:00.000+08:00

Last weekend, Jhon and I went for a cupcake baking class held by TheCookClub. I have always liked baking and always wanted to try baking cupcakes but I do not have the confidence to try myself out even though I knew it was easy. Mainly because I usually bake cookies and biscuits.

I asked my sis to follow too but she is so busy during the weekends that she would'nt the have time. When I told Jhon about it, I was suprised that we was interested and volunteered to follow. I was one happy camper since I have someone to accompany me!

Our chef, Cecelia was very friendly, helpful and her class was very light hearted and easy; no pressure at all.

The first cupcake we did is Tiramasu Cupcake.

It has the most ingredients and some skills needed for the frosting. Nonetheless, because the ingredients were already there and with a good chef, it was actually fairly easy.

We baked the Passion fruit and Carrot cupcake next.

Please ignore the horrible frosting for the carrot cupcake because the cupcake was still warm when we put the frosting so it melted. =(((

As for the taste, the cupcakes were heavenly! They were soft, delicious with the right amount of sweetness with a creamy frosting.

To tell you the truth, I was never a big fan of cupcakes because perhaps I have never tried one that is truly delicious. I ate 4-5 cupcakes at one go. The best part was that we baked it by ourselves!

I would rate the Tiramasu as the best, Passion fruit second and carrot cupcake last. I would definitely bake them again. I just can't get enough of them.

Thanks The Cook Club!

Akon Singing a Hindi Song!

2011-12-19T05:37:00.001+08:00

Most Singaporeans may have come across to this song and video from Shahruth Khan and Kareena Kapor's movie, Ra. One.

We all know by now that hindi actor and actresses don't/can't sing in movies but does the voice seems familiar?

It's Akon!

The man who had sung 'Smack That', 'Right Now (na na na)', 'Locked up' and more.

Here is the making of the song video.

I am not a fan of Akon's songs but I love this one! Plus, he really sounds like a Hindustani. =)

Vintage Cars, Gasing, Collectible Stamps. Oh My!

2011-12-17T22:42:00.005+08:00

The Singapore Philatelic Museum (SPM) was the third and last heritage themed museum we went.

For the other 2, click here for Peranakan Museum and here for Traditional Malay Music at Kampung Glam.

Among all three exhibitions, SPM is the most fun because it was mostly hands on. You can touch and play with most of the items there and it definitely brought out the kid in Jhon, Fizah and I.

The main exhibition was mostly about stamps and before you roll your eyes from boredom, it was very interesting! We got to see how it was design, made and the history of postage.

Unique stamps made of wood, designed with Swarovski diamonds, glow in the dark and even made of vinyl!

Check out these quirky mail boxes! I told Jhon, must take a picture of me taking mail from such mailboxes because I know I will never own a bungalow house and get to do this. (This is acceptance of reality hehe)

More stamps and its origins.

Random elephant themed area.

Next to the area, we constantly hear people clapping and it turns out, there is a mini 'wayang' show and tell but it was for kids. Fizah and I was standing near door because there was a puzzle nearby but we constantly turn around to see what was the commotion about. Needless to say, we were invited to watch it. hehe

The room was filled with kids with parents and we were the only ones unaccompanied by children. =P

Anyways, it was quite fun and interesting. They showed how they dance in a Chinese 'wayang'.

The room has also a little compartment where you can pretend your picture is in a stamp. tee hee!

Moving up to level two, there was a room of mostly cultural topics.

You see the picture in the bottom right corner? It's a picture of a 'mama' or provisional shop and I was just taking a close look of it and I realized it sells a lot of sex related stuff! It sells dildos for God's sake! hahahaha

Next room was history of postage and I am sure some Singaporeans will recognize some of the old mailboxes.

Here are old ways of communicating besides from postage.

See the 'Ang moh' lady next to Fizah! *pokerface*

Random Tintin artwork. It was the only room where photography was disallowed but EVERYONE still took pictures. *badpokerface*

Another random room, bunnies!!

Outside at the garden, there was an area filled with old 'kampung' games. Our favourite was 'gasing' which is a game of spin top. Jhon impressed everyone with his skills until he was asked to teach a girl how to throw the 'gasing'.

Last exhibition we went was the vintage cars. Mind you, these cars are actually owned by someone and not just for display in the museum. Jealous!

It was definitely one of the most fun museum I went to because I get to be as kiddy as much I want and the people working there were as fun and light hearted too.

We ended the day with a nice late lunch at Pastamania. Yum yum..

Jhon's First Medal

2011-12-15T22:51:00.000+08:00

Jhon had taken bowling as his hobby for slightly over 1 year and just to make it interesting, he had joined a bowling club to challenge himself and perhaps learn some new tips.

The club is called "Filipinos Bowling Club Singapore" and despite of the name, the club is filled with other nationalities too; Malays, Chinese and Caucasions!

Anyways, besides playing for individual tournaments, there is also group tornaments and one of the group Jhon is in is "Dat's The Way".

Over the weekend, FBCS had a Christmas cum Award ceremony for the overall results of the year.

And guess what!!

Jhon's team won 1st runner up!!

I am so proud and happy for Jhon because he gets to bring something home. He ever won a couple of games but they were a small sum of money. I think this will definitely boost up his confidence and determination to play better.

For an amature, he is quite good (as mentioned by other bowlers) and I like it that some of the professionals are not stingy in helping and giving good advices.

Congratulations, Jhon!

Now bring home more medals and trophies!! =D

First Lunar Eclipse Experience on 10 Dec 11

2011-12-11T18:44:00.001+08:00

There was lunar eclipse (when Earth is in between the Sun and the Moon) last night and I usually don't bother keeping a look out because I usually can't see it. It's always visible somewhere else in the world or it gets too cloudy.

But when Jhon and I went for a spontaneous dinner at a coffeeshop nearby and casually glanced at the beautiful and bright full moon, we noticed that the bottom of the moon seems to be faded off.

That was when I remembered about the lunar eclipse and I immediately jumped and shrieked in excitement. My stomach was growling at that moment and believe me when I said that I never ate and drank so quickly in my life! I even got to sit outside and I stared at the moon as it slowly dissapears.

The reason I was rushing to finish my dinner, was because I wanted to take photos of the eclipse with my digital camera. Anyone who has ever attempted to take a photo of a moon with a camera phone would understand why. *wink*

I called my sis, I called Fizah, I tweeted, I Facebooked. I told everyone about the eclipse.

I was THAT excited.

By the time I reached home, the Moon was already 3/4 covered so I frantically grabbed my Olympus SZ-10 and tripod stand and let Jhon do his 'thang'.

This is the first time any of us experience a lunar eclipse and it was breathtaking.

Do you notice every time we see something so natural and beautiful we suddenly become philosophical?

Anyways, the eclipse officially started at 7.31pm but I suppose it was officially visible at 8.45pm which was the time that we noticed it. Jhon and I stayed for the entire eclipse which visibly ended at 12.30am.

I feel so lucky to experience it and especially with my love ones. I am so happy that Jhon managed to get awesome shots from a digital camera.

The next total lunar eclipse will be October 2014. I hope we can witness it again.

Collecting Containers Like an Auntie

2011-12-10T18:57:00.001+08:00

I can't deny the inevitable signs of becoming an 'auntie'.

For the past few years, I have been more excited than not for boxes or containers and yes, it has come to a point to buying just for the containers even when the actual product is not appealing to me.

For example, I don't like moon cakes but I have several moon cake boxes and bags. Luckily, moon cakes were given at work so as everyone else was enjoying them, I would take the boxes and bags. hehe

I had bought a car shaped box only because it was so freaking cool but the chocolate inside were those unbranded sucky ones..

This is my recent buy. A simple tin box but the chocolates are awesome because its M&Ms and Snickers! I bought it at Watsons and I guess it was in lieu of Christmas. This year, there is so many pretty boxes and you have no idea how hard I have to control myself!

Perhaps one day I will blog a post on my box collection. It's quite small (thank God) but I love them!

Yummy mini sized chocolates to perhaps control my diet.. =P

It can be a pencil box or a jewelry box but I already have in mine what to keep in it. =X

Review: Nothing’s clearer than CLEAR Shampoo

2011-12-08T03:45:00.002+08:00

[Sponsored]

Do you know that more than 60% of the WORLD suffers from dandruff and other scalp problems? Yikes!

Most conditions are treatable by using any store bought shampoo but majority of these shampoos only wash away scalp problems not solve them. The International Academy of Cosmetic Dermatology (IACD) has identified Nutrium10, an amazing component to not only treat root causes but also restore the scalp to its healthy condition up to 3 layers deep.

So which shampoo has Nutrium10?

CLEAR SHAMPOO!

Clear Women Ice Cool Menthol and Clear Women Anti Hair-Fall.

Before the men goes “Y U SO SEXIST? Y ONLY SHAMPOO FOR WOMEN?”

BAM! There is a shampoo type strictly for men too!

Clear Men Cool Sport Menthol and Clear Men Anti Hair-Fall

This reason being is that different gender has different scalp problems and by having men’s and women’s shampoo, it targets specific scalp problems with specific solutions!

For example, women’s shampoo caters more in vitamins, achieving smoother hair and preventing hair breakage and split ends while men’s shampoo leans more to fast results, protection against dandruff and strengthening of scalp.

Moving along to the practical part, Jhon and I had tried using the shampoos.

Opinions on:

Clear Women Anti Hair-Fall

($9.40 for 350ml, $14.30 for 700ml)

I am a sucker for anything that says anti hair-fall so no doubt, it was the first one I tried. I like the smell of the shampoo; in fact, I think it’s the nicest smelling of the 4 types.

Clear Women Ice Cool Menthol

($9.40 for 350ml, $14.30 for 700ml)

I think Ice Cool Menthol is perfect for ladies who wash their hair at night. Imagine after a long day tired from work or from exercising or hanging out with friends, you wash your hair and all you feel is nothing but a cooling sensation massaging your scalp.

Clear Men Cool Sport Menthol

($10.30 for 350ml, $15.70 for 700ml)

At the first few seconds of massaging the shampoo on Jhon's scalp, his first reaction was "Oooh! so cooling!" He has tried other menthol shampoo brands before and he thinks that Cool Sport Menthol is the most cooling.

Clear Men Anti Hair-Fall

($10.30 for 350ml, $15.70 for 700ml)

Jhon don't have anything much to say for this one because it's like any shampoo to him. Besides, such shampoo needs more time to show it's progress. No comment is better than bad comment right? haha It's simply his honest truth.

You may get all CLEAR shampoos at The Sample Store.

Still doubtful and unsure in getting the bigger sized bottle? You can get samples of 7 types of CLEAR shampoo with Nutrium10 at The Sample Store!!

Female Clear Smooth & Manageable
Female Clear Complete Soft Care 2in1
Female Clear Dry Scalp & Itch Control
Female Clear Anti Hair fall
Female Clear Ice Cool Menthol
Male Clear Cool Sports Menthol
Male Clear Anti Hair fall

Not only that, if you submit a review of any of the 7 types of shampoo listed and it happens to be one of the best 3 reviews, you will walk away with CLEAR product hamper worth $50. Remember that contest ends on 31st December 2011 so start getting the sample now!

Best Advice Through Song

2011-12-06T06:11:00.001+08:00

This song is from the 90s and the lyrics were derived from an essay written in 1997 by Mary Schmich, a columnist with the Chicago Tribune.

And ladies and gentlemen, these advices about life would be one of the best you ever heard.

Don't Forget the Music of Your Roots

2011-12-03T06:55:00.001+08:00

Music has always been a big part of our lives.
Rock, Pop, Techno, Ballads etc from all kinds languages and countries but we tend to forget one of the sources of music.

Music from our roots. Music heard from our great-great grandparents.

No synthesisers, no electronic instruments, just music from instruments at it's orginal form.

Last week, Jhon, Fizah and I went to Bussorah Mall at Kampong Glam to listen good 'ol traditional Malay/Indonesian music.

We met after work and since the performance started at 9pm, we had dinner nearby.

It was the first time Jhon and I ate at that specific restaurant (sorry forgot the name) and despite the long period of waiting time, the food was actually delicious. I am not crazy about their Hummus but their meat was juicy and flavourful. Jhon's beef kebab was the best.

With tummy filled with food, we excitedly walked towards the mini stage as the group did a sound check by playing some music.

This is somewhat new to Jhon while Fizah and I had high expectations. The sounds from each instrument was beautiful and the voice of the female lead was hauntingly alluring.

I got to admit, it was a tad boring in some parts and I blame myself as I overexpose myself to too much modern music that I can't truly appreciate slow but rhythmic notes as compared to fast notes. I suppose the best example would be like classical music from Bach or Mozart. Amusing at first but hard to latch on in the long run unless you are a true blue fan.

Anyways, we capture several snippets of their performance. The quality is quite bad but I think I managed to salvage it by editing to Sephia. haha Everything was captured by a digicam so night mode was pretty crappy.

The male lead overpowers the female lead via video but I guess you can roughly hear her beautiful voice.

Despite it all, the 3 of us thoroughly enjoyed the performance. It was an eye opener and it was nice to appreciate such music at such a beautiful place (with Masjid Sultan overlooking) at a private setting.

Flower Dome @ Gardens by the Bay

2011-11-30T06:15:00.001+08:00

This is our 2nd part of the day. The first part was spent at Marina Bay Sands for the World Orchid Convention, click here for the post.

Jhon and I was exhausted but all WOC ticket holders get a sneak peak of the partially constructed Gardens by the Bay for free so how can we not go?

After a quick lunch, we took a shuttle bus instead of walking because it had started to rain. This also means we can't fully explore the place which is not THAT bad since we were really tired anyways.

We made a beeline to the Flower Dome and we were totally in awe. Immediately our fatigue disappeared as we entered what seemed to be another world.

The dome is like a greenhouse with a Mediterranean climate with plants from Mediterranean Basin, South West Australia, South Africa and Central Chile.

Never have I seen and surrounded by giant beautiful and sometimes suggestive cacti (see top left of 2nd photo)

It was really like a wonderland and I was half expecting for a sparkling fairly to flutter out of the trees.

Jhon and I was also amazed by the structural components of the dome. Do you know it is as big as 2.2 football fields?

An eagle overlooking the garden below.

Just looking at the photo refreshes me.

Moving along to the other part of the Flower Dome..

By the time we reach the lower part of the dome, it was evening and lights were switched on. The atmosphere changed immediately to a different and surreal environment.

One word I can describe it and it is magical.

By the time we were done, it was dark and we had to rush back to Marina Bay Sands to collect our 3 orchids and headed home.

We were super sticky with sore feet but it was all worth it. In fact, we can't wait for Gardens by the Bay to officially open on Mid 2012 so we can thoroughly explore the place.

It is highly recommended to all nature and photography lovers!

World Orchid Convention 2011

2011-11-28T06:12:00.001+08:00

For the whole of last week, there was a World Orchid Convention at Marina Bay Sands. Jhon and I managed to catch it on the last day and it was one of the most tiring day we ever had. Not only we went to the WOC, we also went to Gardens by the Bay because anyone with a WOC will get a sneak preview.

It was the perfect place for Jhon to practice more on his shots and me surrounded by my 2nd favourite flower, Orchids. There were old, new and exotic orchids and I simply went crazy. I kept leaving Jhon behind and looked like a crazed woman in every picture I was in.

Time for the pictures overload...

Sometimes it was hard to take photo because people are so mesmerized with the orchids that they don't realized someone is trying to take photo and they simply walk by. Why am I backing them up??! There were rude people!! Luckily there were some who were nice enough to give us space and 1 dude actually controlled the crowed for us. Thanks dude!

There were prized orchids and displays won from students to professionals.

Love love love!

I really love this display. It's an orchid made of orchids.

Pretty...

There was display of small glass bottles with a little garden inside. It's cute and I want one!

They also have a section of the infamous pitcher plants (a plant that eat insects). I have never seen them up close with so much variety. The pitcher plant on the bottom right corner has been even reported to eat small rodents!!

Back to less scary plants...

After the exploring the entire place, we went to the section where people sells orchids. Every stall was crowded regardless of price. They ranged from $5 to $200! As expected, aunties swarmed for the $5 orchids where were beautiful but they were fully bloomed.

Of course, Jhon and I had fallen so much in love with the orchids that we could not resist our temptation to get one. We bought the $9 ones which I love! Jhon bought 2 purple orchids for Abg Jamil and I got 1 white-purple orchid for Mak.

We took a quick lunch, rested our tired feet (we spent est. 5 hours at the convention) and headed with our complimentary pass to Gardens by the Bay. I shall put it up in another new blog post because there were way too many pictures.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Everything Peranakan

2011-11-26T06:00:00.003+08:00

Many museums are open for free for a certain period of time in lieu of ‘Heritage Hop-About” for a period of time and one of the museums Jhon and I interested in was Peranakan Museum. Peranakan culture has similarities to Malay culture so I thought of exposing Jhon to it. Plus, they have cultural dance 'Gambang Kromong' and batik painting activity which I have always wanted Jhon to try.

We came in early so the crowd was very little and as soon we arrived, I zoomed in to the batik painting area and painted. I forgot how fun it was!!

The Museum consists of 10 different types of galleries, from Origins to Weddings to Feasts to Religion. We had 20 minutes to spare before their cultural performance starts so we explored the origins of Peranakan first. Jhon shared that there is also a big community in Philippines of just Peranakans.

As soon as we were done with the first gallery, the cultural performers started. There were songs sang and dancers danced. I absolutely love it when they performed “Sirih Kuning” which is a song about a girl turning into a woman.

I made jhon record some snippets of the performances. =)
You can skip to 0:47 for awesome dancing and music because I know the sound quality during the singing is unclear.

After the performances, we continued with the other galleries.

I love all things cultural. They always make so much effort in details, colours and meaning and Peranakan culture is no different.

Just look at their authentic wedding gear and the picture on the top right corner is actually trays stacked up and they are to be used when exchanging gifts.

Peranakan Deco.

Can you spot me? haha

This is the perk of attending early when there are not many people, the place seems to be all yours and you can act all artistic.

Under feasting gallery, me dining with my invisible peranakan friends.

Me chatting with my peranakan friend on an old school phone.

Religion idols.

More vintage stuff and when we were almost done with the last gallery, another performance started. This time, much more modern compared to the first performance.

After thoroughly explored the museum, we exited and made another beeline to the batik painting area! We spent 30 minutes painting and completing other people's painting area. I seriously could spend the entire day just painting in the colors.

Look how much we had done!

We had an awesome and enlightening day!
*dance like a peranakan*

Are you sure it’s for freee?

2011-11-23T22:20:00.000+08:00

I got home yesterday and was eagerly shown a new exercise machine in the living room.

It was a stepping machine; I suppose to mimic stairs climbing. I was exhausted from work but my sis made me try it out. I didn’t complain because part of me wanted to try it out.

It’s like any stepping machine but it has a remote for adjustment of speed and time with cords at the side meant to be pulled for additional exercise on the arms. Oh, and it’s from OSIM.

I only lasted 1-2 minutes before my knees start to burn; a big sign of lacking of exercise but I can definitely see myself using this. Perhaps on the weeks I ~~don’t~~ can’t do my exercise, I can make it up with this.

I later found out (while frantically trying to keep up with the highest speed that my loving sis has set) that it was given to Abang Awil for free by his boss.

The same boss who likes to ask for odd work favours from him so when he said for free with no strings attached, my mom, sis and I unanimously said…

“Free… Sureeeeeee”

My Bestfriend's Sister's Wedding II

2011-11-18T06:09:00.001+08:00

To read about the Solemnization, click here!

It's hard to say that Fazilah's wedding was an officially 3 day affair. Their solemnization was on a Friday and wedding ceremony on Sunday but they have some light dinner on Saturday for those who can't make it on Sunday.

Jhon and I didn't come for the Saturday affair because it was a relaxed day and we knew it was going to be a loooong day on Sunday.

I find the deco bold and beautiful. If you tell me verbally to choose RED, YELLOW and BLACK, I would give you a doubtful stare for my lack of adventure in style but I love it! It was impressive that Fazilah had an Indonesian themed deco too instead of just her outfit.

The procession was basic with a group (or is it troupe?) of men hitting their 'kopang' with 2 'gantries'.

After photo taking with friends and family, the bride and groom headed to the Yan's house which happens to be 2 blocks behind Jhon's.

Imagine travelling from Kaki Bukit to Yishun to Kaki Bukit to Yishun and Kaki Bukit again. Confused?

Yan's deco was simple like any groom's deco usually do but I got to admit I can't stand the spotlight from underneath. Halfway through the ceremony, it started to rain cats and dogs and by the time the bride and groom have to leave, it rained like a typhoon.

luckily, everything still went smoothly despite of the rain and time management, guess who was singing when we got back to Yishun? The mother of the bride. hehe

By this time, it was a tad chaotic but in an understandable way, I guess. One thing for sure, I admired the bride and groom because they were constantly lost in their own world, joking around and laughing while everyone around them were tired and stressed. haha

I wish them to uphold that happiness as long as they shall live, no matter what.

My Bestfriend's Sister's Wedding

2011-11-16T06:03:00.001+08:00

Fizah's sister, Fazilah wedded on the infamous date, 11.11.11.

It's like just yesterday that she followed us to the airport to "study" or that we went to watch a boyband at HMV and now... she is married.

Jhon was asked to record a video of the ceremony and the noob me had to handle the photography. So yup, quality is not up to par. =P It's for myself and blog anyways so bluek!

Jhon and I came early as per normal so we had plenty of time to eat and chill before the solemnisation starts. It also meant taking photo with Fizah and it was pretty much of a fail because we kept slouching so I told Fizah that we should pose like 'minah mentel' or a flirty woman. This is the outcome.

This is the most flirty pose we managed to do and look at my hand! Talk about stiff and awkward! You should have seen my foot, it was uber stiff and retarded. lol

But I digress.

Fazilah looked sweet and I like her choices of outfits.

The solemnisation went smooth and quick. What was unexpected was Yan (the groom) got teary eyed as the 'tok kadi' recited his advice his duties as a married man. I barely knew Yan but one thing I know, he wears his heart on his sleeve.

Zilah with Fizah and her mom before the exchange of rings.

First kiss as a married couple. Awww..

The new family.

Obligatory shot with the bride and groom.

They eventually changed to their second outfit and we didn't even noticed that the bride, groom and photographer had went down! Before rushing down, we managed to 'borrow' their back drop for a quick shot. hahah Terrible hor?

I really love their second outfit. I guess what made it beautiful was the flow of fresh flowers on her head gear.

Congratulations Zilah and Yan!

Photography Class

2011-11-14T16:55:00.000+08:00

We own a Nikon D5000 DLSR camera for 2.5 years and we still had no idea to use it at its optimal level. We had tried self teaching but it was only the tip of an iceberg plus, we don't have close friends who we can comfortably ask stupid questions. I had researched for photography classes but man, they are expensive for a beginner class.

Until, Groupon offered a deal made from heaven.

$38 for 2 Days Essential Survial Skills DSLR Photography Workshop at Knowledge Bowl School of Photography (worth $190)

Indoor and outdoor sessions taught by an experienced instructor!

This deal was 2 months ago (and this blog should have posted last month) so sorry the deal is not available anymore. As soon as I saw the deal, I immediately bought it and rushed him to attend it. Glad to know that he absolutely love and enjoyed it!

It was just a crash course theorectically and practically but eversince Jhon had went to the class, his pictures has improved! And he no longer uses the auto settings most of the time like a noob on DSLR which was a pet peeve for me. The nagging woman in me will go "YOU HAVE A DSLR AND YOU USE IT LIKE A DIGICAM?? WASTED MONEY!!!" =P

These are the shots he took for his class. Still needs a little work and tweaking but at least he knows how and what to change in his settings.

This is my favourite of all his shots and it was RAW.

Thanks Groupon and Knowledge Bowl!

Wordless Wednesday: My Retarded Ice-Kacang Snowman

2011-11-09T15:52:00.000+08:00

Birthday Celebration with the Kings & Queen of Comedy Asia

2011-11-05T13:11:00.000+08:00

Jhon turned 29 on the 29th of October! He was a little bummed about it and kept saying that in 2 years time, his age won't be on the calendar anymore. =P

We started the day with a birthday breakfast at McDonald's and I gave him my presents when we reached under my block.

I actually bought the Nike shoes 1 month ago with him and told him I will only give him on his birthday. As for the Cure cleanser and CKin2U, it was random last minute gifts. Believe it or not, he always wanted to buy the Cure cleanser. hehe

We didn't go out again until 4pm because Jhon wanted rest in the afternoon. Poor guy has been tired from working hard the past few days.

We headed out to Marina Bay Sands for an early dinner. We specifically wanted to dine at the food court and to eat at an Indonesian stall like we did before when we watched Lion King. Unfortunately, the store closed so we ate Nasi Padang instead.

We had a few hours to kill before meeting up with Fizah at Esplanade so we roamed about the area. I initially thought of taking the gondola ride there for fun since we will never know if we will ever go to Italy for a real gondola ride. heheh

Well, it was an utter disappointment. It's not that I expect a brilliant ride in the first place but it was really pathetic. $10 for a 100m ride. 'Nuff said.

We ended up sitting in front of the Science Museum and took some pictures. I'm using my new camera (random gift by Jhon months ago) and although I was VERY apprehensive about the camera. But after getting the hang of it's features, I am starting to love it!

So we finally met up with Fizah at Esplanade for Kings and Queen of Comedy Asia 2!!!

We tend to listen and sometimes watch stand up comedy at work to release stress and this is the first time we watch stand up comedy live. What a way to do it for the first time other than watching probably the best comedians in Asia!

We laughed until we coughed, slapped our knees, cried and had stomach cramps. It was definitely a completely athmosphere change compared to stiffing our laughter in the office. I would like to thank that lady who wore a full blown Smurfette costume and sat in the front row. No doubt, she was one of the comic relief for every comedian that night.

By the time the show ended, all of us were famished and slightly cranky. So we had a quick supper and headed home.

Thanks Fizah for coming with us, we were happy that you get to come along and share the experience with us and Happy Birthday, mahal ko! I hope you had enjoyed your birthday with me. ;)

Tower Heist Movie Review

2011-11-03T21:23:00.000+08:00

Synopsis

Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy lead an all-star cast in Tower Heist, a comedy caper about working stiffs who seek revenge on the Wall Street swindler who stiffed them. After the workers at a luxury Central Park condominium discover the penthouse billionaire has stolen their retirement, they plot the ultimate revenge: a heist to reclaim what he took from them.

Thanks to OMY, Jhon and I was given the opportunity to watch the movie premier of Tower Heist.

The main actors are Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy so it was undoubtedly going to be a funny movie not to be missed.

True enough, the movie was humorous, fit for an entire family. I find the plot interesting and endearing when we were introduced to the blue collared employees of the Tower. I love how they systematically work around their work place. There is a little twist towards the end of the movie that would satisfy the viewers.

It’s definitely a must watch if you wish to get a light hearted tickle in the bones.

An oldie but still a goodie - Halloween Goat

2011-10-31T17:46:00.000+08:00

This video was shared long time ago but after all these years, it still made me laugh.

Someone made a goat wear a 'Scream' mask and other other goats were afraid of it! The poor goat must be wondering why they are running from him.

I wish I'm not such a scardey ~~goat~~ cat. I love watching horror movies/shows but one thing that gets me is the shock factor.

Heck, I am so easily shocked that even though I have seen you hiding in the corner to surprise me, I still get shocked. -_-

I would love to go to Halloween events but I'm scared I would pee in my pants or reflectively hit the zombie.

For those who celebrated Halloween, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Have fun!

Hisham's Wedding

2011-10-30T01:56:00.000+08:00

Yet another cousin has gotten married. Hisham is my cousin on my paternal side and it is official, I am the oldest among my cousins on both sides who is not married yet. Not that it has an effect on me.

Perhaps the only effect is when my younger cousins are planning or thinking of marriage and it made me think they are too young (when they are only a few years younger) or wonder what is the hurry? To each it's own, I guess.

But I digress.

Deco was pretty nice, not too simple compared to standard groom's deco. I can't believe my cousin is 30 because he looks younger.

Unfortunately, food was disappointing and it was the first time I was hungry by evening fell. I only ate for brunch, something light for lunch and ate cotton candy the rest of the day. Cotton candy was the only appetizing food. =(

Don't get me started with the DJ who kept announcing that he is the brother of a radio DJ in Ria.

Besides that, the wedding was beautiful although time management was poor. But trust me, I have been to worst.

Bride and groom looked wonderful and I wish them all the best in their marriage. Congratulations!

It's True!

2011-10-28T09:15:00.000+08:00

I think this is true for if not all, most girls.

Comic is comes from 9gag.com

I've come across it 2 months ago and was also around the same time I lost my soul.... (to 9gag)

Yes, I am hooked! Although it is slowly turned into soft porn with semi 'nekkid' girls but it's okay i guess. Their bodies are hot! Gives me motivation to look good too. =D

I wanted to share a meme comic of Queen's Bohemian Rasphody but it's too big but I will post it here anyways but you got to click to enlarge okay?

It's worth it!
Read it as how you would sing it.

Last Hari Raya Celebration of the Year

2011-10-09T22:35:00.000+08:00

My company has been very enthusiastic with racial celebrations as compared to previous years, they only have a mini celebration for Christmas, Chinese New Year and 7th month festival.

So this year, we have a Hari Raya celebration. The malays wore our traditional outfits and my colleague brought extra outfits for any non-malays who were interested in trying out the clothes. I was surprised many were keen.

After work, Jhon and I visited Fizah's house in Yishun. We ate like crazy and had a nice time catching up.

And thus the conclusion of my Hari Raya celebration.

This Ronald McDonald will make you poop in your pants!

2011-10-03T15:25:00.001+08:00

This video will keep me away from McDonald’s for awhile and I can NEVER look at the Ronald statue in the eyes again.

I am already afraid of the clown from “IT” and now this.

Show this to all the fatties!! =X

Like this guy said:

WIN!

Real Steel with Gurmit Singh

2011-09-29T12:40:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Nuffnang, I managed to catch the premire gala of Real Steel.

[click here for the post]

Jhon and I have been waiting impatiently to watch that movie and we don't have to wait anymore!

Real Steel was better than expected. It's high-tech boxing with a touch of endearing moments between a father and son. Usually the mushy part of an action movie can ruin but the moments are charming and witty which I love.

So what does Gurmit Singh got to do with everything and anything?

After collecting the tickets, Jhon and I headed back down to check in our cellphones but before we did, we decided to take a picture of Atom (Robot of the movie).

It was a little irritating because as we were taking photo, a couple of people were hovering the place and before we could frown, we went "OMFG! ITS GURMIT!" in our heads. haha

Gurmit Singh was Jhon's first local artiste he admired so yes, it was a big deal to him. So, apa lagi?

TAKE PICTURE! TAKE PICTURE!!

That's what we wanted to but we tried to be cool... you.. know.. like whatever....

Jhon with Gurmit! He looks good in real life. =D

Watch Real Steel as it comes out on 6th October 2011!

Date Sponsored by McDonalds!

2011-09-27T06:00:00.000+08:00

With these labels/stickers,

Jhon and I get to watch a movie with discounted tickets and FREE lunch/dinner at McDonald's! Jhon will have the roasted coffee while I have the Jasmine green tea while sharing 6pc nuggets! hehehe

If these labels seems familiar to you, you are right!

The McDonald's Monopoly game is back for it's 3rd year running!

Frankly speaking, I am not a big fan but whenever I happen to eat at McDonald's I would peel off the stickers just for fun; which I did and there was when I found out we conveniently got ourselves several Instant Win stickers just nice for a movie date and simple lunch/dinner. haha

So avid fans, go crazy!

There are loads of really nice prizes to be won like S$80,000 cash from Visa, Volkswagen Touran, A trip to Atlanta from Coca Cola and A trip to Prague from Dynasty Travel plus many more!!

For those who are barely interested like me, there is no harm getting those stickers and who knows, you will get a "sponsored" date from McDonald's!

Oh, by the way, you get Double labels on weekends and they have a new CHANCE card where you can get instant S$100 cash and final entry draw to win any unclaimed prizes!!

Click here for more details!!

Reel Steel Robots

2011-09-25T18:55:00.003+08:00

When I first saw Reel Steel's trailer, the first thing that popped in my head was the Rock 'em Sock 'em robots.

I found it absolutely cool because it made my memory of that game to mega ultra cool with CGI effects and Hugh Jackman. Not only that, I find the storyline interesting as it is slightly more than your average action movie.

Synopsis
A gritty, white-knuckle, action ride set in the near-future, where the sport of boxing has gone hi-tech, “Real Steel” stars Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now, nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.

No doubt it would be awesome to have your own fighting robot. You get to avoid getting bruises, wounds and scars. For my case, I obviously have no real fighting skills to train my robot besides crotch kicking, random scratching, biting and punching. haha

So if I ever get to own a boxing robot, it's main function is it's ability to download and update itself boxing skills through the internet, ala The Matrix.

That way, I know my robot is never behind in new skills and power.
I looked up for the BEST boxers in the world in the net and this is what I found.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. never lost a freaking fight!!! OMFG!

By learning the skills of these boxers, my robot willl be THE BEST ROBOT IN THE WORLD!!!! bwahahahahha!!

I also asked Jhon what would be his robot's main function and do you what he said?

He wants a robot that is able to look like him so when he is married and his wife is nagging, he can use the robot to replace him.

It's slightly off topic but I bet most if not all men agree on this. lol

Anyways, like Real Steel Singapore Facebook Page for updates and more info on the movie; I did!

Catch Real Steel in cinemas this 6 October 2011 and like the Official Real Steel Singapore Facebook Page!

Nothing but Food

2011-09-20T23:32:00.000+08:00

I know my blog is in its drought period but if you refer to my previous post, you will realize that my mind is somewhere else.

I promise I try not to be in such a dreaded mood and try start update often.

Meanwhile for a warm up, lemme post 2 awesome dishes I had last week.

Sweet and sour mussels.

It was cooked by my mom and I helped stirring it Lol It was an easy dish but you know how moms cook. Throw the ingredients there and there and voila! Awesomely delicious but when I throw here and there, still not up to standard.

Cabonara.

Jhon and I managed to get the perfect cheese combination and it was super nice except the seasoning was not generous enough. =P

That is all.

Oh wait. Badung Longan lah!

Ok done.

Secrets

2011-09-16T23:53:00.000+08:00

Secrets, they are a very powerful thing.

It’s amazing how a secret and pull people closer and at the same time push other people apart.

It can strengthen one’s bond but with a superfluous secret, it can greatly lose one’s trust.

Immortalizing Our Love

2011-09-10T14:31:00.001+08:00

Humans will do almost anything to show their love and better yet, immortalize it. Hoping to show their dedication, how special their love is and subconsciously wish it would last as long as the markings. Corny as it may be, there will always be that undeniable pride and happiness that some with it.

From constructing a building,

To tattooing themselves,

To the classic carving on a tree.

Contractors where building a temporary bus stop next to my block and when we saw a wet piece of concrete slab on the ground in the morning, we thought of the same thing.

After coming back from our date, we knew the concrete would be semi dry so Jhon quickly ~~tied his shoe laces~~ wrote our initials.

We checked 2 days later and with glee, we saw that it was official, our initials are immortalized!! At least until they demolish the bus stop. hehe

Jhon + Zura

2nd Day of Hari Raya

2011-09-05T06:30:00.000+08:00

Second day of Hari Raya!!

Coincidentally, most of us are wearing green but first,

must.take.photo.with.my.sis.

Unfortunately, Kak Yana can't come along because she had to work so my bro has his 2 sons all by himself.

The 3 little boys.

Syihab, Irfan and Shibly.

Family pic!

Why am I always in the foreground? Me no like.

Bro with the boys. He said he wanted to make kak yana jealous because now he has many photos with the kids. haha

So on this day, we visited my grandmother on my paternal side, grandfather on my maternal side, went to the cementary to visit my late grandmother and Nadia (my sis's 1st daughter) and finally to Abg Awil's parents' house.

It was tiring but was nice. =)

I'm going to end this post with my "dancing" family. =D

First Day of Hari Raya 2011

2011-09-03T23:57:00.000+08:00

Selamat Hari Raya!!

We didn't celebrate it as a whole family because my sis and bro spent the entire day at their in-laws' so it didn't feel like the first day of raya for me. Nonetheless, it was fine since we spent the whole eve of Hari Raya cooking, decorating and making 'ketupat'.

Yes! We made 'ketupat' and I am so glad that Jhon managed to learn making them! #proud

We slept at 3am so me and my mom had wonderful short naps on the first day of raya. =P

I absolutely love this photo of my mom.

My parents with Irfan.
Happy to say that my dad is officially cancer free and has already close his stoma.

My sis and her family heading out to her in-laws' place.

A short while later, my bro and family came over for a quick visit. I love their color! =)

At night, we had 3 families visiting the last 2 families wanted to take a photo which I loathed because I dislike taking photo without makeup while everyone is dolled up. -_-

I'm still posting the photo but I intend to make it really small in hopes that my ugliness will be reduced too. =P

Selamat Hari Raya again!!

The Baby Walker Thrill Ride. Weeeeee!

2011-08-31T06:04:00.000+08:00

Irfan has taken over Syihab's walker but it didn't seem to affect him because now all he can do is hitch a ride instead of walking.

He absolutely loves it.

Our Hari Raya 'Kueh'

2011-08-29T07:05:00.004+08:00

Hari Raya is just in a few days and our weekends during the fasting month was filled with baking.

I love baking and I have been baking for almost 10 years. One thing that I can do and feel proud is baking.

There are 7 pastries/ biscuits this year. 2 made by my mom and 1 by my sis.

1. Kueh Suji
2. Kueh Makmur
3. Kueh Tart
4. M&M Biscuits
5. Golden Crunchy Cornflakes Cookies
6. Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
7. Kueh Sagu Keju Kering (cheese!)

I had to bake Kueh Suji and Kueh Keju TWICE because everyone (including me) just couldn't help but snacking and I am talking about finishing 1 big bottle of kueh!

Despite of it all, I definitely take it as a compliment. I would be worried if no one is tempted to eat and can't wait for Hari Raya. hehe

Anyways, SELAMAT HARI RAYA TO MY ALL MUSLIM READERS!

Naan and Smurfs

2011-08-28T09:35:00.002+08:00

Fizah, Jhon and I met up for Iftar as joke because we usually don't meet up to break fast and we mock others who would enthusiastically plan to meet up with old acquaintances and iftar as a group.

Anyways, Fizah managed to find a good deal to have our Indian dinner by the pool like "atas" people at Riverwalk Tandoor in Landmark Village Hotel.

Food was not what you call top notched even though there were certain dishes like the Curry Chicken and Naan were delicious, the other dishes were ordinary to me.

How crazy was I about the Naan? I didn't realized that I had probably ate 4-5 whole pieces even after eating Briyani until Fizah pointed it out.

Then, there was this fruit punch which was our welcome drink that we were making a big fuss about.

Fizah and Jhon drank it first and they were crazy about it so I purposely saved it for last so that I can boast to them that I still have a full glass of punch while theirs were finished or finishing. This is what happened to us after drinking the fruit punch.

SUGAR RUSH!!!

After the sugar rush and mellowed down, we finally left the place and take pictures on our way out.

We headed to Bugis Village for a while to just walk around and kill time and apparently, there was a Smurf exhibition of decorated Smurfs figurines done by celebrities. I got to admit, some where rather nice and I suppose it also brings out the personality of each celebrities.

It was a fun night, especially that sugar rush moment. =D

Iftar with Fireworks

2011-08-26T20:36:00.054+08:00

My mom and sis has been always been avid fans of fireworks but for some apparent reason, they only like to watch it on the actual day of National Day Parade instead of the rehearsal days. And when they do, they would leave the house late, had to beat the massive traffic and searched for a parking spot that is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Most of the times when I follow my family to watch fireworks, we usually can barely see them.

So this time, I asked them to follow me to watch fireworks. The only catch is that we have to leave the house early. Unfortunately, my sis was unable to follow us because she went to Johor with her in-laws so it was just mom, bro, sis-in-law, Shibly, Syihab, Jhon and I.

It was also the fasting month so mom cooked 'jemput-jemput bawang', brought hot coffee to break fast and we bought chicken rice before we went on our way.

We reached Marina Bay Sands about 5+pm and by that time, the place was already packed and immediately, we got mentally ready for what may seem a never ending quest of an empty parking lot.

But the Gods of Carpark seemed to shine on us because as soon as we turned in to enter the carpark, another entry (for lorries) opened and we got a parking spot in 1 minute.

Not only that, we also managed to get the spot that Jhon and I went previously so it was perfect.
Waiting time was undoubtedly somewhat nerve wrecking only because of the certain group of people who were stubborn and wanted to squeeze into the pathway we were in. Thanks to the 2 prams and 1 foldable chair, we managed to "secure" our spot. hehehee

We managed to watch the air and water shows and the sunset was simply beautiful.

Luckily, Syihab slept throughout the show until he was woken up by the 21 gun salute. We were ready for him to cry because of the blasts but he didn't cry at all and didn't even flinched! Shibly was a good boy too until he had a craving for an ice-cream.

When the fireworks started, everyone went wild and I was somewhat surprised that my bro was a screamer for fireworks and for once, the fireworks video was not overwhelmed with my shrill screaming. haha

By this time Shibly was sleeping but mom managed to wake him up so he managed to catch the last set of fireworks.

Overall, despite of the wait and irritating people, I was glad that everyone enjoyed the day because I knew my bro and sis-in-law was not keen at to follow because of the crowd but they absolutely it that they managed to finally get to get an awesome view.

But most importantly, my mom managed to watch fireworks; the main reason I asked everyone out.
=)

Let’s Go Into The Woods

2011-08-24T08:34:00.000+08:00

On the first week of August, Jhon and I went to a local musical at the Esplanade theatre, Into the Woods.

There are 3 reasons why we went.

First, ever since our first official musical (school musicals that we participated when we were young does not count) of Lion King at Marina Bay Sands, we simply got addicted; the costumes, the songs and the performances. Fuh!

Secondly, Into the Woods is actually a story of all grimm tales combined; Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty and others. How do they fit into one plot? Into the Woods tells it all.

Lastly, there was a time when Jhon and I had to take a long journey home but we didn’t want to fall asleep so I offered a story. A story of all grimm tales into one! Nothing like Into the Woods but all I can say is my story lasted for 1 hour and 5 minutes later, we were home. So we thought watching this is also signifies an internal joke.

By the way, the musical stars the best in Singapore theatre such as Selena Tan, Adrian Pang, Sebastian Tan, Emma Yong, Denise Tan, RJ Rosales, Robin Goh, George Chan, Lim Kay Siu and Sheila Francisco, together with Ria Jones from London’s West End.

By the end of their transmission, Jhon and I grinned at each other and sang snippets of the songs to each other. Music was fantastic albeit certain mellow dramatic songs and their acting were excellent. Who says there is no local talent? You just need to know where to look.

As soon as the entire musical ended, our butts were sore but we left Esplanade with a grin, mentally skipping back home and Jhon was singing snippets of “Agony” and “Into the woods”. In fact, he was still singing after a week. It was THAT good!

Words That Will NOT Get You Away With Trouble

2011-08-22T08:28:00.000+08:00

People are expressive and can’t resist the temptations of a rant or debate. Sure, I have my rants that I post occasionally on Facebook, Twitter or here but when I say it, I mean it and I don’t try to cover my butt after saying a load of despicable things.

There is no crime on saying what you want BUT my pet peeve is when people try to justify or deem themselves forgivable after saying these words.

You just mocked an entire race and gender and expect those who happen to be one take no offence? I am a malay female and I think I am funny among several of my malay counterparts! So STFU! Oh, No offence!

Right, after bashing someone with all your might and you declare peace? Perhaps one day I shall throw cat poop and piss into your room and say “PEACE!”

What do you mean you DON’T MEAN TO BE DISRESPECTFUL? Your ignorance alone is disrespectful. I don’t mean to be disrespectful but I think you are an idiot.

See what I mean? They think they just write/say those sentences, people won’t get mad and forgive them. Oh sure, after you gave out rude, disrespectful rants, we have no right to counter back just because what you actually mean no offence, peace and full respect?

You know what? If you can’t take the heat, don’t say it at all.

Turning Paper into Optimus Prime

2011-08-20T04:49:00.002+08:00

My nephew who is turning 4 in 2 months likes to request things that us grown up could not perform.

Recently, his best request would be.

To his utter disappointment, our answer is always no because we do know how to turn a blank piece of paper into a transformer. In fact, fixing his transformer toy from a robot to a car (and vice versa) is almost like fixing a rubix cube.

But a few weeks ago, I came across paper crafting and with all happiness; I printed the template and brought it home.

I asked my sis and bro the same question that Shibly likes to ask “Can you turn this into Optimus Prime?” and as they grinned, I flipped the paper that revealed an Optimus Prime template and smugly declared “I CAN!!”

Unfortunately, Shibly was sleeping but as soon as I was done with breaking my fast, I started with my craft.

Undoubtedly, it was an easy template but since it was my first time and too much excitement, I sort of ruined the tabs to slot. I am also not sure it was due to the type of paper I used but when I creased the paper, the ink ran off so the corners are imperfect.

But either way, I think it looks awesome!

And I can say that Optimus Prime just came back from fighting that’s why his paint on his edges seemed scraped off.

Shibly was intrigued by it when he woke up and saw that I was almost done.

Shibly: Mak Su, what are you doing?

Me: I am building Optimus Prime out of paper!

Shibly: Noooo.. Daddy says cannot!

Me: Yes I can! *smug face* (lol)

Shibly: *silence* after that, turn into a car okay?

*facepalm*

Anyways, thanks to Shibly, I’m hooked on paper crafting now.

Win Tickets to ITALIA!

2011-08-18T07:50:00.001+08:00

Advertisement

Thanks to NuffnangSG, I won tickets to watch Disney Pixar’s Cars 2 premiere gala due to my Cars Cars blog post.

Jhon couldn’t make it due to his bowling tournaments, so I asked Fizah out who happen to be a big fan of Cars. She squealed yes with delight which meant I made the right decision. Haha

We came by at The Cathay early as usual and managed to snap a few pictures before we redeemed our tickets.

The movie was expectantly wonderful with more actions scenes compared to other Disney's movies. It was also undoubtedly funny and adorable watching cars doing action scenes like using a grapple to climb structures. The storyline was quite intriguing and heartwarming too.

In the movie, McQueen and Mater had travel to several countries such as Japan, France, England and Italy.

Sighs, Italy, the land of pastas, pizzas and beautiful architecture.

That dream will may be a reality by joining this contest!

All you have to do is check in to all the 5 locations and you may win a pair of tickets for TRIP TO ITALY!

Not only that, you may also win movie premiums!

I think the contest is quite interesting and unique especially you don't have your own transport.

So if you want to have a mini amazing race of your own with a chance of winning airline tickets to Italy, JOIN NOW!!

The Cranberries Live in Singapore (With Videos!)

2011-08-17T06:32:00.002+08:00

Ridiculous Thoughts, Promises, Linger, Zombie, Ode to My Family, Salvation, Animal Instinct, Just My Imagination, When You’re Gone and that is just a few of The Cranberries’ hits.

And nothing is better than listening to them live and in the flesh. Yes, The Cranberries had come to Singapore for a concert and on the first day of Ramadhan no less. Before you can judge me, you tell me, which is better. Being pious only once a year for a month or being realistic and true to faith at an even level throughout?

Anyways, we managed to get great seats and while waiting, Jhon and I said Hi-Hello to my good ol’ friend, Wati and her husband. It was the first time I saw her ever since she got pregnant and she looks so cute!

Undoubtedly, The Cranberries performance was spectacular! Dolores still owns her beautiful singing voice and looks great and the band was simply flawless.

The audience were where somewhat like Kylie Minoque’s concert. They only stood up to dance and sing to only the songs that they know. There were several of people staring at me as I went crazy rocking out and singing to Ridiculous Thoughts and Promises.

As usual, I stood, sang and rocked out the entire concert because I am an avid fan of their music. It is definitely the top 3 of the best concerts I have ever been to.

Jhon and I also managed to be home quite early than usual because thanks to Wati & Adi, they sent us home! It was so sweet of them.

To those who didn’t go to the concert, you missed a helluva of a show.

Saga Seeds with a Story

2011-08-14T07:34:00.002+08:00

Whenever I see these beautiful red saga seeds, I will always think of an adventurous and unexpected exploration.

Fizah, Jhon and I have always been avid fans of trekking/trailing but the spots that we always go are MacRichie Reservoir or Southern Ridges Park. So we decided to venture to other parks and we chose the Western Park Connector.

The journey to the beginning to the route was already an interesting journey because you see, this is the first time any of us heading there. It was also a first for Jhon to take an LRT. He was a timid but excited boy that day.

The start of the trailing was rather exciting for us because it was a completely new route with different sceneries. We can’t what was in store for us. The "dirt" photo on the right is actually a race track for RC cars under the expressway bridge!

First encounter was a good one. We found a playground. Without skipping a beat, the inner child of me burst out to play. At first it was just me, climbing and when I needed help to climb back down, I got scared like a kitty cat and there was when Jhon came to my rescue. He got hooked and completed the “course” with me.

After what seems to be a never ending ZhengGhua route, we came to a forked road. Instead of turning left, we went straight and thus the beginning of a confusing and lost road ahead.

We kept going straight. No doubt our gut feelings were telling us that we were going to the wrong way but perhaps fascinated with the view, we ignored them. This is also the place I managed to sprain my right ankle. Luckily, it was not serious and managed to walk normally; I just can’t put all my weight on it.

We trudged on until we came upon a road with a road sign stating McRitchie Reservoir further ahead. WHAAT?? Thank God for smart phones, we used the map to know where we were. Do you know that if you are surrounded with greenery, all you see in the map is this?

So we traced back our steps and decided to turn right (instead of retrace until the spot we made the wrong turn) and that was when we realized that we have entered Bukit Timah (Singapore’s highest hill). Not only that, we managed to choose the most difficult route UP the hill and DOWN hill.

I sprained the same ankle again but on the other side and we were EXHAUSTED. One thing, we were not mentally ready to climb a steep hill and we were running out of water. WHY IS THERE IS NO WATER AT THE TOP OF THE HILL??! Jhon was so cranky and disappointed that he zoomed down leaving us behind for a good 20minutes. We didn’t even think of taking pictures although reaching the peak via a difficult route was an accomplishment.

After much agony going down the steep steps with nothing but rocks, we eventually made it to the other exit. We drank 6+ cans of H-TWO-O and rested as much as we can. At the resting spot, I saw the map and do you know what the route we walked??

We walked according to the red arrows when we should be walking according to the yellow arrows!!!

After that entire ordeal, we even considered to continue our initial trekking route!

After reenergizing and filling up our bottles, we continued with our walk and as soon as we reached the entrance towards the dairy farm, I saw beautiful red beads on the ground.

It was saga seeds! I absolutely love them because they look gorgeous and I have been ranting about them to Jhon. Naturally, I picked them up and I saw more and picked up more and more and more!!

Jhon was reluctant at first until he helped and he too went crazy even as I said enough and we should move on. It didn’t help that Fizah spotted even more still dangling from their trees. Poor Fizah wanted to pick some for herself but she has difficulty bending over because of her back. Don’t worry, I gave half of the saga seeds to her.

After spending probably 1+ hour picking and throwing sticks at trees so that the seeds will fall, we decided to postpone our Western trail and head back to the resting spot. Jhon washed up with a fresh spray of deodorant and a shirt and we sat around with our shoes taken off.

You would think we would go home right after that but nope. We headed to Bukit Panjang Plaza for a Swenson’s lunch and walked around at Daiso. We also conveniently managed to find bottles for the red saga seeds.

Now our memories are neatly placed in a bottle (1 for Fizah and 1 for me) and forever hold that story how we got semi-lost and ended up climbing Singapore’s highest hill.

THE END

Cars Cars!

2011-08-11T21:40:00.001+08:00

Guess what?!?!!1

Cars Sequel will be showing soon in our theatres!

Aptly titled….

Here is their trailer!

This time, the movie focuses on Lightning McQueen and Mater’s crazy adventure revolving the first-ever World Grand Prix. It is hugely based on spies and undoubtedly crazy car racing. There will be trials and tribulations, explosive chases through Japan, Italy, France and England and action packed scenes. Not only that, there are new colourful cast of cars, boats, trains and airplanes! For more detailed synopsis, click here.

All this talk about this action packed spy movie makes me day dream about becoming a spy. How cool would that be?

Now, a spy is never a real spy without a spy name. What should I call myself? The first thing that came to my mind is the legendary World War I spy, the Mata Hari.

But I don’t think Hari Zura (Zura Day) or Mata Zura (Zura’s eyes) really makes sense when translated in Malay.

And then I came across the lovely Violette Szabo from French Resistance. Her history was like what came out from a book. She was a spy turned secret agent partly to avenge her husband, Etienne Szabo’s death at the Battle of El Alamein. Nothing calls love than avenging your husband’s death.

She eventually got caught, tortured and murdered at the age of 23 without divulging any secrets or betraying anyone. EPIC.

Thus, I shall name myself after her and call myself Zura Szabo.

I can extract information from anywhere and anyone with ease, knows how to handle weapons well, able to think on my feet, manipulative and flexible and fit enough to protect myself in any dire situations.

No doubt in my head, I imagine myself something like this.

In real life, I am more likely to look like this.

Catch Cars 2 movie starting from 25th August 2011 and join the official Disney Studios Singapore Facebook & Twitter page!

Azlinda & Ardie's Wedding

2011-08-06T22:55:00.000+08:00

For their solemnisation, click here.

We came by early to eat breakfast at their place and had a head start helping with the ceremony. Dad also had a head start with his karaoke. I love him but he really can't sing. lol

I helped with filling up the basket with door gifts while other relatives help with the distributing.

I love their wedding cake and love Cinda's choice of clothes, especially the head gear of her first outfit.

Arrival of the groom.

Blessing the groom & bride.

Heading off to the groom's side.

Second outfit; red modern dress and cake cutting!

The wedding went smoothly although there were some minor hiccups which is normal.

After the wedding ended and while cleaning up, we managed to snatch the tiara on their wedding cake and played around with it.

Mommy, the sleeping queen.

Sister, the sweet princess.

Jhon, the tired prince.

Me, the awkward princess.

lol

Selamat Pengantin Baru to the couple!

Facial Masks Comes in 3D too!

2011-07-31T20:22:00.003+08:00

It is now the era of anything 3rd Dimensional!

From 3D movies, 3D television, 3D games, 3D books and now... 3D masks!

It’s nothing new actually since it has been out in the market for months but it’s the in thing now. Who wouldn’t want a mask that not only caters to your face but also neck?

It’s another Love More Mask Review!

Love More is now introducing three more type of masks.

Presenting the Black, Red and Gold Magic White Power Lifting Mask + 5cm Neck Care Double Lifting Mask

Not only that, all three masks have an additional 5cm for treatment and lifting for the neck. Yey!

Well, I have the chance to try the Red Mask which is perfect for me because I dislike being tan and with Singapore blazing hot enough, my job scope and one of the things I love requires spending hours under the hot sun. I have to visit and walk around the entire project site in Downtown Marina Bay at least once a month and I love to trek twice or thrice a month.

I love the packets the masks come from because not only it’s my favourite shade of colour; it looks like red packets for Chinese New Year.

As expected from Love More Masks, the mask was soaked with goodness that is good and ready for my skin.

Here's a before picture. I know I don't look so tan despite of my lifestyle but it was only because everyday I would slather myself with whitening lotion and extra on site & trekking days. Believe me, I am much fairer than this.

I want to be Gwen Stefani fair!

Anyways, the mask smells wonderful and relaxing and as soon as it's on my face, all I can say is "aahhhhhh"
There are 2 pairs of holes to be pull to the ears for the lifting effect. Although I wish it would have been tighter, the mask feels so good.

After 20 minutes, I feel my face feels tight, fresh and fairer!

From now onwards, I am going to use it all the time!

You can try it too because Love More masks are available EXCLUSIVELY at selected Watsons Stores.
For more information, visit http://www.secretive.sg/

You can also try to win a box of their masks by joing Lush beauty's Facebook page and Love More Singapore's Facebook page.

Azlinda & Ardie's Solemnization

2011-07-28T08:27:00.000+08:00

One cousin on the maternal side has been ticked on the wedded check list.

Here's a preview of the deco for their wedding day.

I took couple shots of my family while they were eating but the pictures turned out either blur or their faces were not flaterring.

After eating, we went upstairs and we saw that she has her own mini stage which was really nice too. It was a great idea since their house was rather big and everyone didn't have to squeeze in her bedroom to see her. The house also have cameras so the people in the living room can see her and vice versa without getting up.

Despite the clever arrangement, the "tok kadi" was not into it and made her move her spot so that the groom can see the bride in real life. "Tok kadi" is not high tech =(

Ardie had to recite his solemnization rites twice. =P Only because he didn't recite them in 1 breath. I didn't know that!

Other than that, everything went smoothly and when they went for an outfit change, we took a couple of picture. I realized now that I have taken a lot of pictures of my sis.

They wore a hindi outfit for their next look and went downstairs to mingle and pose with their downstairs deco. My family and I didn't do down so I took a couple of photos from my cousin. =P

Congratulations Cinda and husband!

Lion King and Fireworks

2011-07-25T23:28:00.000+08:00

Over the weekend, Jhon and I went to Marina Bay Sands to watch Lion King and then watched fireworks for pre National Day Parade at Marina Bay Sands.

Nothing beats watching what you love with someone you love. ;)

We started the day with lunch at Geylang. We were sort of a regular customer there and the boss was really friendly.

We then headed to MBS for our first ever official musical, Lion King.

It was as awesome as expected although we expected a bigger stage. I absolutely love the lady who played as the baboon because her voice was super duper nice!!! And there a couple of actors/actresses who were really good. The only bad comment is that there are certain drama-mama parts which I think something we could do without.

After the show, we had an early dinner at the MBS food court. We ordered from the Indonesian food stall and ordered Ayam penyet. I couldn't decide what to drink and asked Jhon to "surprise me" and he bought a coconut drink and it was superbly sweet and yummy!

We then went outside to wait for the fireworks. It was still early so we took touristy photos while all the guys with uber professional camera equipment look upon.

Luckily, while waiting for the fireworks, there were several sky shows to watch which was a standard thing for every NDP.

Finally, FIREWORKS!!!

This year's or at least the day's fireworks was fantastic!! I was beaming and screaming with joy. It was probably one of the best so far. I hope to watch more fireworks next week! wwwwee!!!

Below is our video taken by my iPhone. Pardon my high pitched screaming... lol

Kylie Minogue In Singapore

2011-07-21T22:23:00.000+08:00

Clearly this is an long overdue post but here it is nonetheless.

Jhon and I went to Kylie Minogue Aphrodite Concert!!

It was only late last year when Jhon told me if she is coming to Singapore, he wants to go and as if she was answering his wishes, she did!

This is the first concert we went to via Stadium MRT and I love it! Usually we would alight at Kallang MRT station and take a bus to the indoor stadium that would take quite some time due to traffic. Via Stadium MRT station, we managed to reach the place 1 hour early.

Anyways, while looking for our seats, I noticed something green on every seats and guess what? Free Kylie balloons courtesy of Starhub!

Jhon and I quickly inflated it and took pictures. There were also lights when you shake it but I was very keen to save the battery life for the concert. =P

Kylie's concert was expectantly dramatic, theatrical and awesome!!! After all these years, her voice is flawless, powerful and not forgetting looking beautiful!

Unfortunately, her fans kinda suck. There was a lot of variety of age groups but it was clear that many of them are not very "on". What I meant is that they only stood up and dance on songs that they know so the entire concert consists of people standing up and down on every other songs. -_-

Other than that, we had a fantastic time!

Here's a video of her finale. Theatrical is an understatement!

[Video is not mine but from another fan]

Anniversary Date At Bedok Reservoir Park

2011-07-16T10:47:00.001+08:00

Read here for Anniversary Date At The Zoo

This is not our first anniversary picnic date. It was just that the first one was so simple and great, we decided to do it again and yep, we even bought the same food. hhehehe

Initially we planned to picnic at East Coast Park but the outing at the zoo was so tiring that we decided a place nearby our homes which was Bedok Reservoir Park.

Ta da! We are very "on" hor?

Our sandwiches. I love croissants!!

And.. Salad! yum yum!

One of the things I like about this park is that it has beautiful sunsets and naturally, I wanted to play with ~~cellulites~~ silhouettes.

Twenty Three, our special number.

I know this shot is sooooooooooooo corny but I can't help it because the picture calls for it. hehe

and yeah, my side profile is not flattering because I was controlling not to laugh. XD

The sky is on fire!

As the sun fully sets and the moon began to rise, we spent the night away enjoying each other's company until it was time to go home.

It was a lovely night. =)

Anniversary Date At The Zoo

2011-07-14T08:25:00.002+08:00

We spent the 1st part of the day spending our 4th year anniversary date at the Singapore Zoological Gardens. Believe it or not, Jhon has never visited a Zoo in his life, not even in Philippines so this is a special outing for him.

Pictures time!!

(When Jhon's eye bags are not so prominent, his eyes looks small ya?)

Upon entry, MARMOSETS! My favourite monkey because they look so adorable.

Can you spot the crocodile? When we arrived, they have just started the feeding time so we get to see many animals on the move and munching away.

Hakuna Matata?

Lemurs, giant bats, slots and etc everywhere up close and personal.

At the lower right corner, it seems that I am holding a little snake but it was fake. =P

Reptiles! Me like!

Shedding lizard and me sitting on a giant turtle.. Weeee

Penguins and the most lovey dovey Dugongs EVER!! They hugged and since they used their flippers to hug each other, they can't stay afloat so they sank to the bottom of the tank... hugging. Awwwww...

After exploring the zoo on foot, we finished off the trip by taking a tram ride and made a another trip around the zoo. We knew the outing will be tiring but it was so tiring that we started to get a little cranky because our feet started to hurt. =(

Other than that, we both had an awesome time.

Love you, dear!

Win An iPad/Cash/XBox Kinect Seinheiser Headset & Lots More!

2011-07-12T08:02:00.003+08:00

Marigold Peel Fresh is turning 25 years old so they are feeling very generous and wish to give away many awesome prizes!

There are many ways 2 win.

If you are creative, get your brain juices percolating and design a new face for their limited edition packs!

Prizes for your creativity are rather tempting!

If you think you are not artistically inclined, fret not because there are prizes for a lucky voter each week!

Here are details on the schedule.

Today is the last day for Group 1. Vote while you still can! ;)

So what type of design are you inclined to create or vote?

There so many nice designs, it's so hard to think of or choose!

For more details, click here!

DIY Anniversary Gifts

2011-07-10T08:06:00.000+08:00

Recently, Jhon and I celebrated our 4 years anniversary. I gave his present 1 week earlier, which was a bowling bag with wheels. I know it seems so unromantic and "meh" but it was something he wanted for months and for that time period, I always joked with him that a grocery trolley bag would probably provide the same job.

It's trueeee...

Anyways, it was a surprise gift and as per normal, I did an awesome job distracting him and throwing some "curve balls" to side track him. Well, it ended with a speechless, teary eyed and ecstatic boyfriend. =D

But the main reason of this post is not to share awesome I am, but how awesome HE is.

His present was DIY artwork and silkscreen printed shirts for me.

The thing is, I know what was his present. (He was never good at surprises) I helped him look for the necessary items and I sort of knew some of the designs he was doing but I never expected this.

It is my freaking face at the back of his shirt!! I shrieked with delight, amazement and slight embarrassment because it's my face! He wore it to work and as expected, many people took notice.

On the actual anniversary date (which I will blog soon), he presented 2 more shirts just for me.

Hand Gesture has a personal meaning to it so it was very special for the both of us and the pink shirt (he knows I am not a big fan of pink but he swore it didn't look pink when he bought it; he thought it was more to peachy) was his own free handed design.

I love it! Especially the blue shirt. Thank you so much, mahal ko.

LET'S DO MORE!!

Before & After Picture

2011-07-08T07:44:00.002+08:00

Recently, I went to the Singapore Zoological Garderns and while exploring the place, I took a picture at the same exact spot as I had previously taken years ago.

It was sort of a personal joke between Fizah and I so I thought I could take it to another level.

The cool thing was, I didn't realized that it was taken on the exact same month, 4 years ago!

One was taken via a handphone camera and one is a semi pro camera.

No prizes for guessing which is which right.

Can someone explain to me how come I look younger and fresher compared to 4 years ago? Perhaps it was just the quality of the photo but can I be in denial? So, horray for looking better!

Oh yeah, I also happen to pose almost exactly the same too! hehehe

Okay, why is taking a picture with a toad is such a big deal? It was because at that time, I told Fizah I MUST take photo with it. My reason was since I loathe anything slimy, toads included, this is probably the only time I will take a picture this close to a toad (even though it was fake)

sighs, I know, it was lame but it comes with the zzanyy package.

New Hairstyle With Remarkable Reactions

2011-07-06T08:31:00.002+08:00

Those who are following me in the world of Twitter should know by now that I have donned a new hairstyle.

I have short bangs now and the last time I had them was probably more than 10 years ago. I decided to cut my bangs because I wanted to look like this.

Thanks for watching Emma Stone in Zombie land.

Well, I ended up looking like this.

You have no idea, how much fuss and reaction I get by just cutting my bangs!!

The most common comment was that I look different (which was partly the idea). In fact, my mom gave me the strangest look ever when she saw me, as if I was not her child. Haha

At first I had my love-hate relationship with it because I was definitely not accustomed to the new do but I am beginning to embrace it. hehe One thing I like about this hairstyle is that I look younger ;D

Oh yeah, I get rude comments too, on how I look like a PRC citizen. -_- Actually if you look up “PRC girls” in the search engine, you will see many pretty girls but unfortunately, the PRC girls that are commonly found here are from main land. They have this reputation of being obnoxious, messy, loud, ignorant and never/ hardly take showers. You know, the “tak mandi, tak cebok” kind.

So by saying I look like a PRC citizen (not just Chinese looking), the first thing in my mind is “You are saying that I look like I didn’t take a shower!?!?”

SIGHS

Not only that, the stares I get in public are different now.

Usually its “Dayuumm.. That girl is looking gooodd” look. Hahaha okay kidding. The looks that I get are the positive and sometimes flattering but NOW, I tend to attract spiteful looks!

OMG, the way they way people stare, especially women, it’s as if I was suspected of stealing their food or something. Now I know how the FT (foreign talent) feels because apparently, many Singaporean hates foreigners. Me, I am in love with one Filipino so yeah, I am pro-foreigners because they are doing jobs we don’t like to do, YAY!

But I digress.

I also get extra attention by looking like a PRC compared to a Singaporean/Indonesian/Malaysian Chinese because they are amazed by my command of English. Not that I’m implying that my English is superb but when people see me, they expect me to talk like this.

But instead, I pronouced my words much better despite of the standard singlish words like "lah"

So they will look flabbergasted and stare at me as if they are boring into my soul. If only I can give them a heart attack by speaking Malay! Hahahaha I can’t wait to meet up with Fizah to do that. =P

Well, yeah, I am kinda having fun with people’s reactions at this moment of time. It’s annoying but I am refusing to let my bags grow so I just got to deal with it. =D

Oh yeah, I also suddenly have FB friend requests by CREEPY GUYS!! Please don’t tell me I not only look like a PRC, but also a PRC GRO (Guest Relations Officer for gentlemen’s club or Karaoke Clubs).

[by the way, Joe has a PRC wife with a kid =pppp]

*faints*

Spontaneity With Cable Cars

2011-07-04T08:34:00.004+08:00

It was just a normal outing with Fizah and Jhon on a weekend. We also went to ~~Mountbatten~~ Mount Faber because Jhon wanted to join a bowling club and how can one not go to Vivo City while at Mount Faber right?

But first, we had our dinner at the coffeeshop at the nearest bus interchange. It has a wonderful view of the cable cars and I immediately asked them "Wanna take a cable car ride??"

Fizah excitedly answered yes because she has never taken a cable ride before! As for Jhon, he didn't mind at all. He has already rode it with me so he was a little "ya-ya papaya" with Fizah. haha

Well, due to the spontaneity, we didn't have a camera in hand so we had to use our camera phones so that explains the poor quality pictures. =P

Fizah was equally excited and scared because of the height but it was all good. It was a first for me and Jhon to take a cable car ride at night and it was really nice and cooling.

We just roamed around Sentosa for less than 2 hours and went back taking the cable car again. I know it sounds silly but that is the point of being spontaneous right? You do it for no apparent reason with no conclusion.

We went home after that. I love being spontaneous!