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.