Wedding bits part2: my shopping spree!

Before I start with anything, just lemme congratulate this perfect couple : Dira and Rod = you both look good together!

After 10 years of being together, they finally tie the knots! I was so happy for them. She looked like a princess and the wedding was awesome. I had so much fun catching up with my girl friends.

I was one of the dayangs for the wedding. And we walked down the isle to the pelamin. Since it was the most anticipated event in everyone of us's calender, I have to put a lot of effort to look really good. I think the Duchess place did a very good job as well to prepare for the event. It was one of the best wedding ive ever attended.

So what happened was, the girls hired someone to do the make up for thm. I wanted to join for the make up session as well but I dont think there were enough time for me to join them. And i didnt sleep the day before cos I was so busy doing the video montage for my brother in laws wedding. On the same day, I had to run everywhere which irritated my husband to the bits since I was not available for the family pictures session. I was quite upset as well but I cant turn back the time. There was a pang of regrets there that I wish I could have just stayed.

Anyway, I rushed to KLCC to buy some make ups from Sephora. I'm not so fancy about sephora much cos i think the price is almost similar to other places. Like, if you are looking to buy Benefits product, it will cost you the same in Parkson. So, since I am a big sucker for Loyalty Programs like BonusLink for instant, buying in Sephora is a big no-no since I can accumulate my points with BonusLink. I somehow think Sephora is too overrated. Lets just wait for better offers from sephora in the future.

Tho i think Sephora is overrated, their products on the other hand is worth buying. There's a promotion going on for a make up palette, worth RM790 that I bought for only RM139 (if purchase other products worth RM150) I ended up with a total of RM 321.90.

I just loveeeeeeee the make up palette!! IT IS WORTH BUYING!

The color make up palate contains 66 colors in it. including magnetic makeup palette with a mini palette that hols up to 8 colors, so it is easy to customize and take wherever you want. In the 66 colors, it has 40 eye shadows color, 5 gel eyeliner, 15 lip gloss and lip colors, 4 blush and 2 bronzing powder. Talk about a real bargain, this is it, costs only RM179 (RM139 if purchase RM150 worth of other products)

Since I have been using the same foundation like a decade ago, cos I dont really wear them, I thought it will be wise to spend another RM69 on a new foundation. Actually, I was looking for that another RM150 to spend on. I bought the Perfect Cover Foundation (no20 Clair Light) and it was ok to me. Nothing fancy cos it works like any other foundation. Of course it feels better than the Maybelline I had cos I only spent RM20 for that. On top of that, I bought the loose powder (no03 natural apricot) for RM59. It was ok too. The price range and the product are almost similar to Revlon so I guess it doesnt really deserve the real oh so awesome comment from me. But the color palette promotion is really oh so awesome only if you purchase it for RM179. Definitely I wouldnt even think twice about not buying it if it was sold for RM790.

After applying the foundation, I applied the loose powder on top. I wouldnt choose any color lighter than the medium color that I bought because it will only make my face look like Chinese opera singer haha. Of course, after the foundation, concealer and loose powder, my face look definitely RADIANT.

The best part of the whole shopping in Sephora yesterday was I discovered a few new brands. I am a sucker for Benefit cos the products are cool and I love the packaging and the long lasting product usually last. When I went to sephora, I discovered a lot of other new brands like Too Faced, Urban Decay and more. They are expensive, of course but if you really spend some time there, you'll manage to grab the best bargain each brands can offer. Most of the brands offers similar items so you need to take a real good time to spend on just to comparing these items. Example: Smokey eyes palette, you can choose to buy from a few brands like Benefit, Sephora and Too Faced just to name a few. Check out their website, search for smokey eyes and a few brands will appear.

I also love the bath section, where it has all sort of cool stuff you can use in you bath tub. Once in a while, maybe once a month, every girl deserves to be pampered in a cozy hot bubble bath. I'll get them next month :)

The only thing I dont really fancy about the whole store is that none of the promoter there are there to assist me. Frankly, I was so selebet on that day, I looked like a Filipino maid. So, does that mean I dont have the money to spend or what? I had to walk around to find someone to assist me with my queries and of course, a few helped when asked. They are all busy with other customer(who btw, were only there to check out the newly opened store and frankly do not want to spend?) But only one promoter could see beyond the selebetness and actually asked me 'you do wear make up right? I can see you just choose not to wear them today' which I find quite impressive cos when everybody is looking at me like WTF, this guy actually come to me and tried to sell me somthing. Tho its not much help cos hes selling me perfume which is the last on my list. haha. I forgot to have his name but I'll try to find out next time and I will send your manager a compliment on you, and complain on you colleagues.

I also bought a new brand which I have only discovered when they opened the store, its called BaviPhat. I know I am a sucker for korean drama but I am not too fancy about their cosmetics. I know they have brands like Elianto, Etude, Skin Food and etc. I do buy them occasionally but sometimes, the price is too cheap makes me wonder if they are any good. But BaviPhat is so cool. I love the packaging and the whole concept etc. The main reason why I bought myself the Peach Face mask was because I really love it. It smells so good and apparently it is really good on my face. No Kidding! and its only RM49! I'd love to buy other items on their shelves but it was too much for me to digest and filter what I want and what I need and what I can affort T_T

The whole packaging was too cute for words! It comes with a spoon inside. There were a few fruits to choose from like mango, strawberry, apple and etc. They all have different texture, purpose and the way of using them. Basically, for the one I bought, Peach Face Mask is so awesome because you only need a spoon, apply it on your face. Rub it over and it will become flaky like the picture above. IT actually removes the dead cells on your skin as well as the unwanted dirts.

Finally, after that Kaching!, I went straight back home and packed for the wedding. I reached the Duchess Place at Jalan Ampang at around 630PM. I rushed up and get ready. I had no idea what kind of look to pull. I had no idea at all how to set my hair and etc since all of the other dayangs are wearing their fancy dress and had their makeup done by a professional. Since I am very selebet and simple person, I just go for the easiest way which to let my hair go. I had some baby's breath in my hair and my hair was set aside and let down. I kinda thought I rocked the whole night cos I did the makeup and the hair myself.

I had so much fun last night!!

Wedding bits

I've been married for almost 6 years now. Still, many people tend to think I made that up, I dont. in a few months, we will be married for 6 years and going stronger.


Anyway, I got married in my early 20s. I was 23 going to be 24. I had Amyra when I was 24, 2 months before my 25th birthday. In some part of the world, or some part of Malaysia in fact, being married at only 23 is considered "young"


I didnt quite have the wedding I wanted for, cos my parents wanted to have it their way, since they were the ones paying. So i didnt really care about how it turned out cos to me at that time, I just couldnt care less about spending my $ on someone else to come and eat. hahaha. I know. What I was more concerned about was how my future goint to turn out like since well be spending a lot of money on the wedding and trying to start a new life. I had to admit, yes, we did get married quite early, and ive had myself being judge through my lowest times (when amyra was sick, some people just like to rub it to me saying i got married too young so i cant handle tough times, bummer right?) but somehow, we felt like everything have just fall into its own places one by one and we are happiest at the moment. I am thankful for that.


So here's the thing. Whenever i go to weddings, I envy them for having such a wonderful wedding ceremony. Of course I am happy for them but I wanted the same for my wedding as well. Last year, on our 5th anniversary, I wanted to do a grand celebration but when I really thought about it, I felt like its better to spend the money on something else rather than a celebration. I figured it was just more than what I needed when the fact is, I never really needed a big celebration at all. All i need is a happy life.

Tho i still think i need to have my long overdue outdoor session with my husband. he owe me that.


Last weekend my brother in law got married. So I spent sometime doing his wedding video clip which spent less than a day to do it. Of course, being me, I start with a lot of researches. I notice that people loves to use Maher Zain's song; Barakallah for their wedding vid so I searched for some other song. I found Amir Awan's Barakallah (wedding song) which was as nice as Maher Zain's and here is wat it looks like.

And here is my wedding vid, courtesy of Aidira and Ariff :)

I'm quite proud of myself cos I did it only in a day and I had NO training on doing the video. I've always hated editing >_<

MH OR AK?

So far, I have traveled on Malaysia Airlines, Ryan Air, Al Italia, Singapore Airlines and AirAsia. I've never experienced any other flight other than these 5. And to be frank, I've always been a good loyal malaysian and travel a lot with MH until they fucked up really bad. Also because there are more options to fly I started to think that Malaysia Airlines or what they like to brand themselves as Malaysian Hospitality is just bollocks.

I dont need to go into details but my experience on MH have once made me break down and cry. From the management, the staff and the whole bloody experience was so bad its making me sick just to think about it.

AK on the other hand, Id give 5 thumbs up. Eat your heart out MH cos I'm saying this again, 5 thumbs up for AK. I know a lot of people complaints a lot about AirAsia but to say so, I dont think they've experienced other airlines and the treatment these other airlines give you. Again, I dont have to start with MH. you pay 3 times more than AK and you get the lousiest treatment. Why not just travel with AK and expect to be treated like crap in the first place right?


Well, before i flew with airasia i thought the whole journey was going to be lousy. turned out my trip to melbourne last year was smooth and overall id say it was ok. it was way better than i expected. on the other hand, i thought my journey to florence with malaysian airlines was going to be perfect since we have spent about 8k on the tickets. like seriously. but it turned out to be the worst ever and I was utterly upset i broke down a cried. it was really. really. BAD. capital B-A-D. Initially i wanted to do it the cheaper way which was to travel to STN on AK but it had to be on informal connecting flight so i guess it was going to be too much hassle and quite risky for me in case there are flight changes and etc. so i went with MH instead and would cost me a lot more but i figured it was a formal connecting flight it shouldnt be to bad for me since ill be travelling with amyra alone. i guessed wrong anyway.

Al Italia and Ryan air? which one do i begin with? Al italia is plain rude, useless and i am left speechless. Id shove my foot up the cabin crews mouth any day. gound handling was lousy and cabin crew - yelled at me cos amyra was not strapped. WTF rite?

Ryan air - is good for nothing airline that charge you on every single thing they can. like. every. single. thing. so if your looking for cheap air fare, you'll get it. what you dont get is free treatment. to compare ryan air and airasia, I'd say AK is 10 times better than RyanAir. So i dont get why people still complaint about air asia being lousy and etc when they've obviously never flown on any other airlines other than MH and AK. you cant compare these two. theyre totally 2 different things. like as i mentioned, when you fly MH you expect the best, and why you fly AK you expect the worst, or at least, your expectation is not as high as MH if youre flying with AK right? the only thing about Air Asia is the stewardess are plain, grumpy and makes me wanna slap them while they serve you. I was on the plane for 8 hours and when i look at their faces, all i want to do was to slap them so badly. please put on your best smile while serving ok? thats your job so do it right god dammit.

We actually planned to have a vacation in Australia next year and the fare was super low yesterday. Unfortunately, I missed out on that one -

it was so hard to purchase the ticket and i waited til 1am to get it but not successful. thank god it wasnt sucessful cos ayman would have killed me by then cos we're a little short these few months so yeah, id have to say bye bye to those tempting offers. i mean look at the prices offered!! RMR 111 KUL-MEL and RM 260 MEL-KUL? its too good to be true.


as i click on to the next page, it wasnt as cheap as it looked like. it came to a total of RM 795 for a return flight KUL-MEL-KUL / 1 pax. RM 1590 total for both of us. and that is not inclusive of baggage and food. it will be quite a figure right? i keep telling that to myself so that i wont feel bad of letting go of these seats T_T it worked ok so far. hahaha.

Anyway, to conclude, AK is so far the best ive traveled with. compare RM per RM, you get wat you paid for. so why do i need to pay more for something tht i can get cheaper? in the end of the day, i will still get to my destination. what i kind of treatment i get on the plane is the difference. but most of the time ill be sleeping all the way, so it doesnt matter much. AK will still be the best option. MH, the only way for you to improve is to train your lousy staff. Product knowledge, hospitality and professionalism. youre lacking in so many ways. sigh.

Shoping Spree!

It's not even a month yet and I'm already shopping like its the end of the month!! I havent even got my pay T_T

anyway, Cotton On is having its 4 days sale. its 30% for everything in the store. So, some stuff were really cheap i guess? But somehow on normal days, a pair of flats would normally cost RM39 but its RM60 for 2 pairs. but since its 30% all over, they dont have the buy 2 for RM60, but its RM39-30% for a pair which is almost the same in the end.

I am a huge fan of pastel colors. I just cant say no to pastel colors and I also love bold colors. Technically, its spring/summer in some parts of the world, I guess the timing is just perfect. My favorite color is always and forever turquoise. Its my birth stone as well. So yeah, nothing can go wrong with turquoise, to me at least, cos I figure I look good in turquoise.

When Cotton On just opened, those flats were only RM25/pair. now its RM39 which I thought was a total rip off!! But since I really love those flats and I felt comfortable wearing them walking from home to work, I just have to have them >_< The only thing that upset me when i got home was i tot i shouldve bought white/black instead because how am i going to wear these colors to work? bummer!

I bought the top with the thought of 80s in mind. Matching it with one of the shoes and wear a striking tank top inside will definitely be so cool for tomorrows photoshoot which I have planned with my cousin. Can't WAIT!

In total I've spent RM103.20 from Cotton On. Damn you Australians!

But yesterday, I spent quite some fortune as well when me and Ayman and Amyra were out on our weekly outing. I spent RM30+ in Watsons and RM30++ in Elianto. I tripped over a side table by the bed the night before and my toe is swollen like, really black bruised. I had trouble walking so I went to watsons to get some ointment. Ended up buying things which I didnt plan to buy in the first place. I bought an umbrella cos mine is already patah and I need a new one since I walk a lot. Then, the face mask is pretty much irresistible cos it was only RM3.90 and the pore pack was only RM7.80. So can you really blame me?

In Elianto, I bought few stuff as well. the most rip off item i figure was the eyelash glue for RM18.90. I mean, seriously? If it was more than than, I swear, I'd use UHU glue to stick the lashes on my eyes T_T

Since I dont have green in my nail polish collection, I thought having green wouldnt hurt, and plus, I wanted to do the strawberry nails I learned from youtube. I'll post it up some other time if you girls are interested to know. Suddenly I just have this crave for nail art cos its seems so easy. And the eye shadow; RM 8, which was a good bargain cos its buy 1 free 1. So i took 2. And when you spend RM30++ in a single receipt, you'll get a stamp and it works like starbucks, once you have 10 stamps you're entitled to a free gift which I hope is going to be super! if not, I'll be pissed. I'll just have to wait and see.

Can't wait til the end of the month so I can shop in Times Square!! yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!~

Beauty Nails

I'd like to share with you girls the beauty of being a cheapskate. You do everything yourself and with cheap stuff.

I dont like to spend on pedicure & manicure mostly because I dont really color my nails, I can do pedimani myself and sometimes I do it better than the manicurists themselves. But i do sometimes pamper myself once in a while.

So here's the thing. OPI is way, way, waaaaay too expensive for someone who doesnt really have her nails colored. Elianto is more likely to be the best option. Sometimes when there are promotions, you can get a nail polish for RM1 only. I mean, what more can I say? Its so cheap sometimes you can just use it once or twice and throw it away cos its a bit too thick to be used.

Anyway, I have a dozens of Elianto nail polish but I decided to go with neon funky colors for my nails. I was actually inspired by this. I couldnt really find the colors she used so I used Cutie Pink, Aqua and Yellow instead. BTW her name is Lee yeo Hee and shes so super talented.

I started off by coloring each nails withe the 3 colors. Pardon the palm, cos I did some henna on it and now that its actually faded it looks so weird. Anyway, I put on 2 layers of the color without the base coat cos I was too lazy for that. Since Elianto nail polishes are too cheap, I notice that these colors are basically inconsistent in terms of the thickness of the colors. I found that these neon colors are a bit chalky, in a way that when I apply the colors on my nail, they tend to be really thin and it usually creates lines every time I put them on. It doesnt happen to some other colors but its not that bad. Leave the nails to dry.

Next, take a toothpick and I opt to go for the White to add some 'designs' on my nails. The process is pretty much simple and fun. It's very doable!

Dip the toothpick into the white nail polish and make sure that it forms a tear drop at the top of the toothpick. What you need to do is just touch each of your nails with the tip of the toothpick and create a 'pearl' like dots. Depending on the pressure, thickness and the amount of the nail polish on the toothpick, create something that you favor.

So here what it looks like when its all done. I really love the 'pearl' like effect. When its dry, you can feel the texture that it actually formed. Try not to put on a big lump on your nail cos when it actually dried up, it will create a hallow and it wont look like a pearl.

It's really fun to play with the colors. If you are the kind of person who loves to do things yourself, why not try this? You can also use a lot of other colors and you can play with layers. and if you are confident enough you can actually make a lot of other designs by using the toothpick. imagine its a paint brush, you can actually draw a flower with it. Put other colors on top of the dried up designs so it will create the 3D effect to it.

It's so easy it doesnt need a talent to do it.

Cubalah!

Bibik oh bibik!

I've been working hard lately and I need to study for test tomorrow. Sigh. Life isnt treating me right in some ways.

Anyway, this is the year when my husband actually went berserk . Yes, we had a lot to pay and it have to happen in these few months. Last month was the final month when he finally decided to tell me 'either you go get a job or bibik has to get a new job' T_T bummer. Then my life as a so called taitai is over.

In march, we had to spend a LOT, when i say a lot it means really, A LOT. The car was not in a good shape, and when we were driving back to Kuantan from KL for my brothers wedding, the car actually got so heated up it went smokey in the middle of the road. Thank god nothing happened but it managed to pick a hole in my husbands pocket quite deep. enough said.

So this month, we actually need to renew our maid working permit. it was in total about RM650+ and i still havent got my pay. double bummer. Ive totally forgotten about the working permit that it had to be done last minute. The process, was so. so. so. annoying.

In order to get the permit renewed, I had to do a few things which I dont understand why we, malaysian have to go trough a lot of hassle. Sorry, but the government is not making our life easier. You think with all the tax our fellow Malaysian is paying every year, the least you would get is better service but no. We get better greetings, but no good service.

The first thing I had to do was to get the FOMEMA done. The maid had to go for a health screening to get her permit renewed. This only needs to be done if the maid has only been working with the same employer less than 3 yrs. 4th and the coming years do not need fomema. I went to the office in Damansara at around 11 am and got everything settle d within an hour which I thought was quite reasonable. SO I rushed back to get my maid to the selected clinic to get her checked. Fomema only accepts Bank Draft and Money Order, btw. The process is simple, just bring your bank draft/money order, fill in the form and there will be a list of all the fomema's panel clinics on the board around KL so pick a clinic near your house and register tht in the form. Call the clinic to make an appointment and show up on time. There is no payment needed at the clinic because its been made by fomema. Fomema acquires a small fee for the service provided which was RM190. It will take 10 working days to get the results out before I could proceed with the immigration to get the working permit. The results needs to be checked online before proceeding further.

I was so frustrated when I then realized that her passport is actually expiring soon, its not even enough to get the whole year permit. I have to renew her passport at the Indonesian Embassy. I just got a job so its quite impossible for me to get a whole day off so my husband had to take a day off. I tried calling the embassy but there were no answer at all. It keeps on going back to the same option no matter how many times I pressed the preferred language. As much as I am annoyed with how our government works, Id have to say, having to deal with Indonesian Embassy sucks 100 times more. Somehow it made me feel better to be a Malaysian.

So to get the passport renew my husband actually went to the embassy at 730AM with our maid. They had to wait in so long to get to their turn. When it was their turn, it was like going to a prison. They were interrogated and they way these indonesian do it was so rude. I dont get it. who do they think they are again? I really dont like to judge but youre in other peoples country so the least you could do is treat the local with respect and as disrespectful as it is, you should also assist your fellow indonesian instead of looking down at them. Its a total WTF scenario. But we managed to get her passport renewed anyway for a cost of RM18 after taking almost 8 hours my husbands time. Indonesian Embassy should really work on their PR.

The next day, I had to go to the immigration in Putrajaya to finally get her permit done. Again, immigration only accept cash if the transaction is RM200 below. since the renewal is RM445, we had to pay with bankers cheque or postal order. It took me about 30 minutes to get it done.

So to summarized, the whole process actually took us about 2-3 weeks. it is advise to get it done at least 3 months before the permit expires. This is how you actually renew your maids working permit (cara-cara memperbaharui permit kerja pembantu rumah asing):

1. Get ready at least 3 months before the permit expires
2. Renew Passport (if its goin to expire) RM18
3. Register FOMEMA RM190 > make an appointment with the selected clinic from the panel list
4. Medical Check up with the selected panel clinic
5. Wait for results >10 working days > Check results online
6. Renew permit at the immigration office (putrajaya or damansara) RM445

all transaction cant be done with CASH~!

its as easy as ABC, just that the process is long and it needs to be done in many places. its so much hassle!

Like, wow!

Check out UK's ELLE magazine for May 2011. like. w.o.w!

These are what inspire me all the time. I do agree sometimes being a mom do takes the confident away from me, which is why it is important that I have a lot of examples to look up to. They drive me to keep on working. To always look as hot as I can =D

The rule is pretty much simple. If they can do it why cant you? Cos theyre a celebrity? They have a lot of money? These are all just excuses to tell yourself that you cant do it. Always tell yourself you can achieve what you want and you will. Frankly, do you seriously think they do it the easy way? I dont think so. No matter how much money they make, it doesnt mean that they didnt work hard to look this hot.

Moms need to look FABULOUSLY HOT, all the time! Do it for yourself, if not for others. Be confident, feel good about yourself and most importantly be satisfied about what you can achieve.

Also, I came across this article. So frankly, I cant wait to be 31!!

Losing Weight

I'm sure I manage to capture a lot of readers with that headline. Yes. I am going to blabla about losing weight.

Prologue
Since I started working last monday, I have lost 1kg. It's only been 3 days. It;s not much but its the beginning of a new healthier lifestyle( I think ) I have to walk to the office from KLCC LRT station to Bangunan MAS and that will probably take me about 20 minutes which is equivalent to more or less about 3KM total. I walk back and forth so I walk about 40 minutes a day. Also, I dont really eat much since I brought my own lunch. I had sushi yesterday and sandwich the day before. On top of that, my dinner is small and I eat before 7pm. I try to take less carbs and oil which makes me on a high protein diet.

Chapter 1
Exercising will only make u lose 30% of your fat. Its the food you eat that determines how are you going to lose weight. Starving yourself will let you lose weight but its not the right way to do it. To me, losing weight shouldnt be a burden. It should be another way of living my life, in this case, it should be a healthier lifestyle.

What I did was, I went on a high protein diet. I totally gave up eating rice and its not impossible. Sure, I do have to fight the temptations, but I am more focused about the results I'll be getting in the end - losing weight.

tips1 - never let yourself starve
I know a lot of people think starving is the best way to lose weight. in a way you will lose weight but its not the healthiest way. Starving is a no no. i dont know if many people realize this but, starving gives you a lot of other problem. Physically and mentally. its obvious it will harm your body but a lot of people disregard the fact that mentally, it affects you and the people around you. because you are hungry, you tend to get moody without realizing it

Who says low carbs diet is boring? looks tasty to me!

tips2 - fighting temptations
its very hard to fight the temptations, I agree. but it is not impossible. it is possible. always start with a very positive attitude. tell yourself that you can do it. never doubt yourself that you cant achieve it. So what you can do is, just imagine you're fasting during the ramadhan. Since we are Malaysia, I'm sure the non muslim have at least tried once in their lifetime to fast like the rest of the muslims. Dont have to starve, but whenever you have the urge to eat the high carbs food(rice) tell yourself you're fasting.

Basically, you can have anything thats not too much oil and not rice. there are other things other than rice like, pasta, mee hoon, chips and etc. better option would be pasta cos its not as fattening as rice

tips3 - smaller portion means bigger results
Always take your food in a small portion than you used to. Theres no need to stuff yourself with food because when you want to lose weight, it means that you want to get rid of the fat, so basically, you dont need that extra energy from the food. So just take what you need on a daily basis. You can count how much calories your body need by doing this simple calculation;

RMR (Resting Metabolism Rate) = 9.99w + 6.25s - 4.92a + 166g - 161

• w = weight in kilograms; if you know your weight in pounds, divide by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms
• s = your height in centimeters; if you know your height in inches, multiply by 2.54 to get your height in centimeters
• a = age in years
• g = gender = 1 for males, 0 for females

Eg: 9.99(54) + 6.25(165) + 4.92(28) + 166 - 161

= 539.46 + 1031.25 + 137.76 + 166 - 161
= 1713.47

This is the amount of calories that I can take to help me survive my daily life. To lose weight, I need to eat 1713.47kcal or less in a day. By taking more than that will only make me become fatter, and less means losing weight. so you know what to do. It helps to take 6 small meals a day to keep you going rather than having one heavy meals a day. Again, try to cut the rice intake.

tips4 - cut the sugar
Not only that it does a lot of benefit to your health, it will also help you to lose weight. Drink a lot of plain water instead of sweet drinks like sirap, bandung, teh tarik and etc. i know when you go out and have a lepak session at the mamaks, we tend to make it a habit to order teh tarik. Here's the thing, start small. Start by ordering teh tarik kurang manis instead of the tarik only. Get used to that. Then in between, try ordering plain water. Lets say u have a session twice a week, what you can do is on the first session try ask for the kurang manis, and the 2nd session try to ask for plain water. itll take time to get used to it but as long as you want to change, it will be a habit.

Chapter 2
Do you exercise? I know I dont. I know I should at least exercise 20 mins a day 5 times a week. by doing this, you can help to reduce 30% of cardiac risk. it will also let you to lose weight. One of the easiest way to exercise is by brisk walking. It is so simple and it can be done in no time. So instead of driving to the 7e near your house, take a walk. or you can walk2-3 rounds in the park. just do some walking a day.

I'm busy? Then spend some money and hit the gym. Walk on the thread mill for 20 mins. Start with 5-10-5 rules. (5mins warm up speed=3, 10mins brisk walking speed=4 and 5mins cool down speed=3) use the 5-10-5 rules for at least a week, then start increasing the speed with the 5-10-5 rules. Once you are used to doing this, its up to you how long you want to run on the mill.

tips5 - killing few birds with one stone.
Spending time with your kids can help you a lot. Not only you get to bond with your kids, you can also exercise. Taking a walk in the park with you kids is a not a bad idea. then on the weekend, you can do some window shopping in the mall. Try to figure something that you can benefit from that needs you to walk.

Chapter 3
Losing weight is not a race. So take your time when trying to lose weight. Monitor your weight on a daily basis and make a weekly graph for that. To me, I prefer to take it really slow so 4 months work for me. So yeah, dont push yourself too hard. Its not how fast you reach your goal, its more or less about how are you going to reach your goal? It doesnt matter which road you take, as long as you get there. I mean safe road of course.

Along the way, I am sure, definitely your spirits will be shattered. After all, we are human. But that's ok. As long as you dont give up, you can lose weight. you will achieve what you want. It really help a lot to be around with around friends and family that support you. try to avoid those who arent being supportive. Im not saying you shouldnt be friends with them, in this case, just try to not be around them much for that period of time that you need to lose weight. negative vibe will only pull you down. Try to explain to these people how important it is to lose weight and that you need their support.

tips6 - have a motivator
Biggest loser is what keeps us going. It showed me that it is possible to lose weight. Me and my husband cried watching it. like seriously. These people are so determine to lose weight. the spirits and the courage they have to do that, its so touching. Find someone who you think can motivate you and put it as your wallpaper. I know it does seem like a funny idea but it helps, im not kidding. This will motivate you.

tips7 - always be patient
The main reason why people can lose weight is because they are not patient enough. Tak sabar kan nak jadi kurus? they think its not working. The most important thing about losing weight is you have to chill and be patient. Thats the rule. Pretend like you're planting a flower. you have to shower them and you have to take care of them. you will see them grow but it takes time. Just like losing weight, you have to be discipline and you have to be patient. you will achieve your goal.

Epilogue
Losing weight overall is about changing your life style. It helps you to live a healthier life. you have to be patient and always tell yourself that you can do it. Most people tend to stop half way because they dont think its doable. Losing weight is always doable. you need to find the right balance and the right amount of habits and routines that can are willing to let go to in an amount that you can cope during the process. Thats why it is wise to set the goal in a long duration, its so that you can turn it into a habit.

I started to gain weight after i stop feeding my daughter and at that time coincidentally I lost my skinny jeans. I wasnt wearing them so I never know that I cant fit into it until its too late. I was so depressed that I was gaining weight but at one point I stopped and told myself that I cant ignore it and not do something. I knew something needs to be done. My husband on the other hand was alreay gaining weight. I mean, really, he was a bear. his diet was bad and he was at a point when I had to tell him to do something about it as well. so in a way we were not happy about ourselves that we had to do something.

My husband through his own process that suits him. and also he was very determine to lose the extra pounds. but we both went on a low carbs high protein diet.

Award winning picture. See how he was so chubby and how he managed to lose weight? hmm. even i envy him sometimes.
My chubbier days. this was actually taken in 2009 before I started to lose weight. I was constantly eating and eating. I was also on a salad diet which didnt work and let me starve.

Well. I hope this entry could benefit you guys in losing weight. Good Luck!

Lunch box

Working in KL area, having lunch can be quite a stress. Everyday its 'where to eat?' and 'what to eat?'. And having lunch in KL is not cheap. A plate of rice with chicken and some vege can cost you about 8 bucks. Im not joking. Thats the price you have to pay if youre working in KL.

When I wasnt working, I always pack some food for my husband. And after having that coffee maker, he even brought his own coffee to work and hes enjoying his tumbler a lot.

So, now that I am working, I have to pack my own lunch T_T. I can say its not as stressful as having lunch in KL. I dont have to walk to the restaurant/stall. I dont have to spend and I get to save a lot. And I know my lunch pack is worth it.

Here are my typical Lunch box.
Ayman usually spends a lot on sandwiches. Like O'brian, a simple sandwich will cost him about RM15. I'm like, WTF. 15 bucks for a sandwich? thats a rip off. So, thats why sandwich is very common in our lunch box. its because my husband loves sandwich.

Sushi is so easy to prepare. I usually like sushi in my Lunch box mostly because I can prepare them earlier like the night before and just grab them to work the next morning. Sometimes I dont like to cut them to smaller piece, I'll just take them as rice rolls instead. I usually have crab sticks for the filling and sometimes Avocado and Prawn are cool too.

So far, these are my fav things to have for lunch. I'm sure as I train my maid each day, she'll get the hang of how I do my lunch box and I can have more stuff to bring in the future :)

It's a winlose situation

Here's the deal. Whenever Ayman wants to go out for his Winning Eleven Tournament, I get to shop. yes, i get to shop.

Weekend is the only time we get to spend time together as a family. To me, its very important to have a family time as often as possible because in this fast phase of environment, our child needs to learn the importance of having a family time. If us as parents cant spend time with our kids, dont be surprise 20 years to come these kids will definitely have the same idea about us. We will be left alone to die. thats a bit exaggerated. but you know what I mean. So, as berat hatinya nak bagi duit to shop, it is the price to pay for the for that time not spent with the family. hehe.

Ayman is really into this gaming thing, all I can say is, its boys and their toys. This is the modern world. We grew up with computer games and nitendos. I'm sure a lot of wives out there dont find it fancy that their husbands are playing console games but I learn to give some time for him to enjoy his free time. And I also make some effort to like games as well. I guess having been brought up in the land of the rising sun, these things are just something really common. I read manga, watch anime and play games occasionally. So yeah, gaming is no biggie for me. Ayman said I'm a game freak, I just hate to admit it >_<

So here is what happened yesterday. My shopping spree was FABULOUS. I love Times Square. Its the new Sg Wang. I mean, where else on earth you can shop for like RM5 for a top? Seriously, its heaven. Tho there are a lot of jinjang clothes, you have to be very selective about what youre buying.

The thing about shopping in all these shops is you have to have cash. I hate carrying a lot of cash with me so thats a set back. If youre on a budget, I guess its best for you to browse around the 10 floors of shops to look for the best price and the things that you really want to buy before actually paying for them. Its a lot of work. But if your on unlimited budget, feel free to just grab any of them cos they are so freaking CHEAP!!

My fav shop would be PS boutique on level 5 and here is what I bought
The khakis pants only cost me RM39.90 and it comes with the belt. You may get it for RM30-35 from other boutiques but I dont think it comes with the belt. Most probably the belt is worth RM7 but I dont have the time to buy them separately. Also I love the pleats on the pants. The material doesnt look too cheap so I guess its worth the price. The only thing about the pants is that the sewing doesnt look too good from the inside but hopefully tak koyak T_T. most probably it wont be happening cos the fabric is quite good.

I got this for only RM24.90 and I find that its the cheapest compared to other boutiques. Its really kinda out dated to be wearing this cos its so 2009! Anyway, I bought it anyway cos I figure I might use it when I start working tomorrow. yikes!

Guess how much this worth? I got it for RM16.90 I saw something similar in Forever 21 but it was so expensive I dont think I'd spend that much of money for it.

A set of bangles cost me only RM5.90 All this while shopping in PRIMARK was really cheap but I guessed wrong.

I bought these for RM7.90 each. You can find something similar in Forever21 and it costs about RM15 or more.

My maid bought herself a really blingbling belt and a dress and everything comes to a total of RM 163.20 T_T

Move on to another shop, it was really hard for me to really shop cos Amyra was running everywhere and my maid wanted to shop as well. So, I just grab from another boutique which I find quite cheap and also lets you try on their clothes. Usually, these boutiques wont allow you to try on their clothes so basically its buy or not. The boutique is called Fortune boutique and its on the 2nd level.

This top is only RM12.90 I thought it fit me well but it turned out to be just right. If i were to put on weight, this is definitely to be donated.

My white top similar to this got stains on it. I love the top so badly I have to have another one to replace it. I got that one previously from AceWin in Jusco AU3 for RM25. This only cos me 13.90 but the sleeves are shorter.

RM18.90 for this sleeveless top. I didnt know it was 19bucks til i got home and realized that I spent that much for this top. I thought it was only 15bucks. >_< thats the thing about shopping in TS, you see too many things your brains get so confused!! Anyway, I think the top is cute but it didnt look really good on me.

I cant remember where I got this lace top. It was only RM15 and I figure I have nothing to lose if I buy it. Turned out, I lose every single cent of that 15 bucks I spent cos it was too SMALL for me. Definitely belong to my DONATION box. If I was a petite, it would totally be WORTH it.

In total, I spent RM164.1 for a pair of khakis pants, 4 tops, a cardigan and few accessories. It was definitely a WIN for me cos I spent so little for a lot of things. Too bad Ayman came home with a sad face cos he lost.