Tuesday, 31 January 2012

From Ash Brown to Dark Blonde then to Gold

My hair was in such a bad shape I was urged to have a hairdo today.

Now here is the problem.
My hair colour was intended to be ash brown. Somehow we yielded a dark blonde.
I cannot decide if the colour fits my liking but I will just have to live with it until six weeks later.

These pictures were taken in the bathroom because there was plenty of natural light to express its colour. It actually looked more golden than I thought!

I wore this new colour to a friend's dinner just then and I received plenty of good comments about it.
I guess it wasn't too bad after all. 
I just hope that I will get used to it soon. 

Friday, 27 January 2012

I make a new friend!

Remember the incident during last Christmas when I bought a Panasonic gadget from this Japanese ebay vendor but ended up having to embarrassedly ask for refund? I was upset about my stupidity but I soon learnt that it wasn't totally a bad luck after all!

Instead, I made a new friend with Kazuki-san.

Today I received a parcel from him. In the parcel, I found two pairs of chopsticks made of plain woods, a 5 yen coin which symbolises an eternal friendship in Japan and a heart warming letter from Kazuki-san, himself.

Kazuki-san reminded me of my childhood pen pal, Shin Kondo (I called him Shin-san). 
He was a courteous person like Kazuki-san and always keen to introduce me the Japanese culture.
I always enjoy learning from them.

Dear Kazuki-san, I think you have made my day.

I am happy that I make a new friend!

Tuesday, 24 January 2012

In the spirit of CNY

Welcome the year of the dragon! I wish you all 恭喜发财 and 心想事成.

Now... Let me present you the first dish we had on the first day of CNY.
Broiled asparagus with shallots, goat cheese and smoked paprika (a dish prepared by Alex).
This is a green dish which symbolises fortune (think greenbacks) and growth.

This year I lament that I wasn't able to return home for the family reunion dinner. AGAIN!
CNY celebration has been an intimate family affair and without them it seems insipid and incomplete.
When I answered mum's call on the eve of the lunar year, there were so much noises at the background, she can barely hear what I was talking. I then got passed on to speak to my dad, my elder brother, my younger brother and one after another until everyone finally became tired of the "har?" and "pardon?"   (over the busy phone line), then we decided to end the conversation.

Nevertheless, we thankfully celebrated our CNY with my future in-laws in the "kwai lo" style, devoid of the spark of firecrackers and the shuffling sound of mahjong. Although it wasn't a traditional celebration, we had a wonderful time barbecuing at the backyard together. ^__^
Our mum and dad offered blessing to us on red packets, 红包.

This morning I walked to my letter box and was surprised to find a CNY card from my uni friend, Ailyn! 
I thought it was from my mum initially but as soon as I lay my eyes on the pretty Australian stamps, I knew it was from you immediately! The card is really beautiful and I am going to display it on my shelf right away. Thank you so so much for remembering us and 恭喜发财 to you and Ben too!

My one and only CNY card for this year... how lonely *sob*

When CNY came around, I felt the need to make another set of wishes for this year. 

1. Alex to be happy.
2. Family to be happy.
3. Friends to be happy.
4. Colleagues to be happy.
5. Acquaintances to be happy.

I am the weakest creature on the planet. I cannot handle rude, grumpy and stressful people.
Hence I wish everyone around me to stay strong, safe, healthy and happy always ^__^

新年快乐!万事如意!

Please excuse my messy face. I just woke up not long ago.

= Happy Chinese New Year =

Wednesday, 18 January 2012

Anti-wrinkle Eye Masks

Hello there! It is 11:40pm now. We have just finished watching a samurai film called "13 Assassins" and the blood-splatter images are still vivid in my head... @_@ So from this point onwards, I have decided I will embrace all genres except for strong violence that I am too chicken to watch.

Anyway, today is my day off and I did quite a bit of serious works at home before I finally able to sit down and relax with my eye masks. I bought this from a Watson store on my recent trip to Malaysia.
Its packaging is no utter unusual but what attracted me to buy it was its sensible blend of antioxidant ingredients (i.e. panax ginseng, tocopherol and retinol). 


Unlike the other eye masks, this is neither a gel nor a jelly form as claimed. 
In fact, it looks very much like bandaid to me.
I had a serious doubt about it but since it is inexpensive, I decided to give it a try anyway.
(who knows? you never try, you never know right?)

I put them on for overnight initially but they made my eyes very uncomfortable throughout the night.  
Then I shorten the duration to half an hour and the result was much better!
I did not expect a tremendous improvement but it is good enough to make the fine lines less noticeable.
I am happy with that ^_^

When I am done with my eyes, I usually recycle them by sticking them on my nasolabial lines and let the goodness continue to sip through the fine lines.

Oh dear... I yawn as I am typing this. I guess it is time to sleep now.
Thank you for reading tonight.
Oyasumi nasai~

Monday, 16 January 2012

Dinner Tonight: 15.1.2012

Duck was on special and hence roast duck for dinner tonight ^__^

I can't remember when was the last time I had duck but this was finger-licking good!
The dipping sauce was Alex's special concoction of quince paste and orange marmalade, infused with various herbs and spices. It was the best sauce I have ever tasted.

Wednesday, 11 January 2012

Panorama

When I look at these pictures in my inventory, they make me miss the panoramic places in Adelaide and Melbourne unbearably. Adelaide was where I originally came from and where the early life of my career began. Melbourne used to be a popular spot for summer and winter holidays. Between these two states, there are many country towns with spectacular scenery.


Surf the sand dunes of Little Sahara on Kangaroo Island, 112km southwest of Adelaide.

The city of Melbourne.

The Twelve Apostles, a collection of limestone stacks by the Great Ocean Road, Victoria.

Phillip island, 140km southeast of Melbourne.

Rosebud, 75km southeast of Melbourne.

The Blue Lake in Mount Gambier, 450km from the capital Adelaide.

Renmark, Riverland, 254km northeast of Adelaide.

Port Adelaide, 14km from the city of Adelaide.

The Australia's oldest surviving German settlement, Hahndorf, 28km southeast of Adelaide.

South Terrace of Adelaide leading to universities, where I used to walk to attend lectures everyday.

Adelaide and Melbourne reminded me of the good times our friends spent together during university years. Although we are now scattered afar and asunder, if you are reading this, I hope you know that I miss you all very much. 

With special mention of vivian-jiuan, suh-ying, pek-sim, pei-wen, rocan, jeff, julie, a-bi, alicia-chyi and ken.

Sunday, 8 January 2012

A Frizz-Free Day

My hair is naturally straight but in summertime my hair tips can get a bit dry and rather frizzy.
The fact that I am only seeing my hairstylist (from HK) twice a year makes it harder to maintain my hair in its sleek, straight form.

Nigelle HY is probably the best hair treatment product I have come across so far.
It is not yet available in Australia so I stockpile them each time I visit Hong Kong.
It is a Japanese brand product recommended by Hairdo salon in HK and my hair is astonishingly smooth and soft after each hair wash+treatment. I have been using it since 2009 and still remains as my most favourite hair treatment thus far.

Each pack contains 4 treatments which usually last me for a month. It works out to be less than AUD$20 per treatment but it's certainly worth paying for it.



When my stock finally depletes, I need to look for a good substitution to replace Nigella HY.
This new Schwarzkoff ultimate repair hair masque sells like hot cakes in my pharmacy all the time.
It contains 3 times the amount of liquid keratin than any masque you can find on the market, so it targets specifically on severely dry and damaged hair. As usual, I always go with the potent stuff, and so indeed, my hair feels smooth and moisturised after using it. It is definitely a recommended product. It says on the tub to rinse after treating hair for 1 minute but I usually go overboard with it.

Pantene night miracle serum can come in quite handy for an overnight hair rescue. I usually spread some on my hair tips before bed and always surprised to wake up the next morning with a nice silky hair again.

Sometimes when I sleep with my hair in a ponytail, I always wake up with horrible frizz and curls. 
When this happens, I then rely on my saviour, the argan oil to add shine to my hair and to keep it at least frizz-free for the day. Adding to it, argan oil also make my fingers feel baby soft! 

Joico K-pak reconstruct is a hair conditioner that I always enjoy using. It contains jojoba oil to retain moisture and keep hair resistant to dry weather. 

These products that I use to maintain my pin straight hair are rather affordable and easy to find at a supermarket or a pharmacy.

When I was in Hong Kong, I learn a few tips to maintain a soft, smooth and healthy hair:

1. Wash your hair everyday.
2. Always use a conditioner after shampooing your hair.
3. Always blow dry your hair straight after each wash.
4. Always, always make sure you blow dry it 100%. Never leave your hair half wet or half dry.
5. Comb through your hair using fingers while blow drying.

I hope you enjoy the remaining Sunday evening.
Thank you for reading ^__^

Tuesday, 3 January 2012

Cheeky Pea!

I know... I know... I need a new haircut soon... T__T

Yes... Yes... I am 四眼妹 (Four Eyed Nerd)!

Okay... okay... my face is round like a bun!

I have my dose of cheekiness today, how about you?

I hope you have a nice day like me too ^________^

Sunday, 1 January 2012

Heading into a Stonking New Year!

Another 3 hours before bidding farewell to 2011. My heart is pounding fast. 
This year has flown by too quickly I barely had enough time to accomplish my goals for this year! 

I know this year has been an agonising year for those succumbed to the devastated earthquake. Mother nature has been a little unforgiving this year. As I listened to many reports from all around the world, I think I should count my blessings and take this as a wake up call to live my life to the fullest. 
Remember life is precarious, we only live once, I will learn to embrace today!

This year, thankfully, is another great year with Alex again.
We have been through ups and downs, tears and happiness, all in one single year.
At least we are safe and sound, 2011 has been kind to us, gratefully.

Major highlights of 2011:

WORK! WORK! WORK!
I think I have made a serious breakthrough in the number of hours I worked in this past one year. 
Thankfully, as a well earned reward, I acquired a work promotion v(^_^)v

GOT ALEX AN ENGAGEMENT RING
Before proposing to me in Jan 2010, Alex put in a serious effort to tailor make me an exquisite 'hearts-and-arrow' diamond ring for engagement. A year later, I decided my caring fiance should deserve a symbol of our love too!

LUXURY ESCAPE TO HONG KONG
This marks the longest break we have had so far, spending three weeks in Hong Kong including 2 lavish nights at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental. We had a great time exploring many top restaurants, trying beauty facial and spa treatment, meeting new friends and enjoying the ultimate shopping experiences.

TRIP TO VISIT FAMILY IN MALAYSIA
Sadly to say, a short stay in Malaysia wasn't enough to see everyone back home but I was glad to know that my family members are all safe and sound and meanwhile also lucky enough to meet several family friends who are apparently some of the few wealthiest people in Malaysia. This was my first time meeting Alex's grandfather. He was also once upon a time a significant figure in developing the country's economy. 

MUM & DAD CAME FOR VISITING
Mum and dad stayed with me for two weeks. I was like a baby being pampered by two loving parents.
Can't be any luckier than this...!

PAID OFF MY BEETLE!
She is all mine now...!

PRESENTS! PRESENTS! PRESENTS!
More presents for me from Alex this year - Apple iMac, Daikin air purifier, Akoya pearls and ice cream maker! I am the happiest woman in the world ^__^

IMPROVED DIETS
More Japanese foods for us this year. More salmon and salads for dinner as well. We barely use oil in our cooking now! Exercise is something else we need to work on right now.

As old age is creeping up, in the new year, I resolve to:
- organise a wedding plan.
- travel around the world, meet new friends and gather new experiences.
- maintain a healthy weight at 45kg. 
- stay looking young and feeling fabulous.

I have got a feeling... that this year is going to be a good good year!

Tomorrow I will kickstart my first day with a healthy beginning.

D.E.T.O.X

I hope everyone has a brilliant year ahead!