Flowers from the retiring couple

Mr and Mrs M came by yesterday with a bouquet of flowers.

They are retiring in a few months time and thinking of moving to Gold Coast for good.

Mrs M generously handed me the flowers and gave me a big cuddle before she left.

It makes me happy to know that my patients have had wonderful service and experience under my care.

It is also nice to know that I have been silently missed and appreciated by my patients.

I love lilies but never thought that they will pair well with the cockscomb before.

Aren't they beautiful? 

小女的生日

嗯⋯⋯ 小女终于要展翅变轻熟女了！

其实还真的有点舍不得青春⋯⋯ (>_<)

妮妮阿姨跟我说：Nowadays 40 years old is just the beginning!

我想，但愿如此，但愿如此⋯⋯ 

离开家里的那N年，妈咪那N年寄来的生日卡我都有收着⋯⋯

只是大学中间那两年的，好像还在某个抽屉里⋯⋯

每一张生日卡的前一句都很故意写上：Dearest Lenglui

原来我小时候的脸皮还真是厚啊～ (^o^)

年年的生日，我的愿望依然是希望跟Alex一直幸福下去。

除了生日礼物，Alex每一年都会给我生日卡。

里头常常写些让我感动的message⋯⋯

我是个超级无敌爱美兼怕老的女人 (>_<)

这次又让Alex破费了⋯⋯ 谢谢你那么疼爱我 (^_^)

时间刚跨12点钟，Alex紧紧张张从房间取出一份礼物。

打开来看⋯⋯ 啊！原来是Clarins护肤品！

我很喜欢，也很惊喜！因为我没有想过会要他再破费的。

其实也挺搞笑的。

因为前一晚我已经在莎莎订购了生命中的第一支神仙水⋯⋯

不过Alex的心意我怎么可以不用呢？

当天晚上，Alex带了我吃日本餐⋯⋯

其实我也很爱吃中国菜，可是这里的中国菜都西洋化了，不好吃，不好吃！

这碟寿司不在菜单上，日本师傅知道是小女的牛一，所以特别准备给小女的⋯⋯ 

有劳了师傅，谢谢！

上面包括有点小贵的Blue Fin Tuna Belly、Hokkaido Scallop、Tasmanian Salmon。

超正的！我真是荣幸⋯⋯

日本师傅Aoki San是个很有经验的寿司师傅。

寿司水准比我们在东京香港吃的还要赞啊！

据说，吃寿司是有次序的，由口味简单的白鱼开始，然后慢慢才轮到咸咸的鳗鱼。

旁边的姜片不是点缀，而是用来协调我们的味觉。

这碟小小块的Cod Fish真是好吃到不行。

心想世界上怎么会有那么好吃的东西呢？ (^o^)

鱼块旁边放的日本嫩姜，据说差不多有$80/kg (大约RM240/kg)。

我还活生生吞了两大颗下肚？！

其实我生日当天发生了一点小状况。

我的漂亮“奶奶”提议要为我准备蛋糕庆生（她人很好的！）。

怎么知道当天蛋糕一打开，却变成了一个苹果派？！

其实也没关系，因为我喜欢吃派，可是她儿子我老公就有点小意见了。

他说：她为我付出很多，我很爱她，她怎么可以在生日的时候吃派呢？

当刻我冒了点冷汗⋯⋯ 因为我很怕弄得大家不开心⋯⋯

可是冒汗之余我内心也觉得暖暖的，感觉好像有个守护天使在身边保护我⋯⋯

其实我的生日简单得来可以很开心的。

祝我生日快乐 (^_^)

The Good Old Cob Loaf Recipe

The other day I was watching a British food programme.

River Cottage Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

After the programme, I was inspired to bake a cob loaf for our parents!

I have never succeeded in baking a loaf but I am up for the challenge to hand make one myself.

I was thinking about snapping picture for each step but it is just too hard for me to work my hands around the camera and the dough at the same time...

Making the dough wasn't hard but shaping it into a perfect round ball can be a bit tricky. 

But it turned out looking really nice. I was surprised!

Crunchy on the outside. Soft on the inside.

If it sounds hollow on the inside when tapped, it means baking the loaf is done!

I prepared some strawberry jam but everyone liked it with orange marmalade!

River Cottage Everyday recipe makes dough making process as simple as a.b.c...

It feels good to hand make your own bread sometimes...

This is what I like about British TV presenter - short, simple and succinct!

He may not be the best looking chef in the world but he is certainly a good chef.

Recipe for cob loaf is as follows...

Enjoy baking ^^

Understanding Your Skin!

Probably the biggest mistake in my skincare practice is that I have never clearly understood my skin type at all. As a child, I have been plagued by pimples and acnes, mostly on my cheeks and forehead.

After the chicken pox, I discovered my skin is more aggravating than ever!

I began to realise that I have plenty of allergic problems with domestic shampoos and conditioners.
Along the hairline, edges of my mouth, sideburns and on my scalp, I found many red and scaly patches, which were then recognised as seborrheic dermatitis. It is an autoimmune disorder, can be controlled but cannot be cured! All along, I assume my skin to be very dry in nature.

Thanks to skincare blockbusters Shiseido, Cosme Decorte, FANCL and Dermalogica, I have been given a second chance to bring my skin back to normal again. I think it is about the time for me to learn about my skin and its problems a bit more now.

This is how skin analysis is mapped on a pentagon (clockwise from top): 

Water (水份), Sebum (皮脂), Skin turnover (新陈代谢), Elasticity (弹性) and Transparency (透明度). 

As you can see, my skin stores ample water but lacks of sebum (a natural protective oil which lubricates the skin). The skin cells struggle to keep to the water:oil balance, hence explains why my skin is so dry.

Skin mapping also suggested that I have a slow skin metabolism. I wasn't quite sure about this because I always thought that dermatitis is due to excessive skin cell turnover? In spite of this, I am quite happy to know that my skin retains great elasticity and transparency!

Miss X continued to check my epidermal layer (皮肤纹理).

According to the test, my skin tone was quite even with plenty of crisscrossed 'triangles' showed on the screen. Each cell seemed so full of water. As Miss X explained, if skin tone is uneven, we will not be able to see the uniform 'triangles' on epidermal layer. Thanks goodness I don't have pigmentation but my pores are large in certain areas which I really need to work on.

The beauty therapists are so well trained and professional. They have been so kind to help me analysing my skin condition, so I can choose the right products to improve my skin. At the moment, I have stopped using cream moisturiser and only use gel- or water-based products to maintain the skin moisture.

These are the few products that I really like using:

1. Clinique Laser Focus serum

2. Cosme Decorte moisture liposome - a product highly recommended by my skincare consultant!

3. Tony Moly moisture full formula and dual effect sleeping pack (middle).

Evelom (left) is also my favourite product to overcome perioral dermatitis but I will talk about it later.

I hope through skin mapping, you can also understand your skin type better.

I think I really enjoy the process of being analysed, criticised and rescued!

My birthday is coming really soon...!

I hope to buy myself more skincare products as a reward for my big day! v(^o^)v !

Blood Test and College Look

I went for a blood test today and sat there for ages before my name was called.
While waiting, I can't help gazing at the folks who were also waiting for their turns like me.
Most of them are fairly large in size and that really shocked me!

Suddenly I recalled Brillat-Savarin's famous adage:
TELL ME WHAT YOU EAT, AND I TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE! 
Literally that means YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!
I am no better than them or otherwise I won't be here today to test for H. pylori stomach infection.

The lady who took my blood and breath samples was very gentle, empathetic and animated cute as well.

As she told me to hold my breath, she was holding hers as well! 

And when I was blowing all the air out of my lungs, she urged "MORE! MORE! MORE!!!" 

My chest felt so sore but I am glad I didn't pass out laugh out loud... (^o^)!

After the blood test, I went home to sort out some paper works.

Then I found an old paper cut out of more than a decade ago - an ad about Taylor's college!

I wasn't sure if this was from my mum or Alex's mum but one certain thing is that - both our mums had

very high hopes for our future! They did most of our college and uni researches.

"THE STAR 15/11/1995" 

I was only in Grade 5 at that time! So... this ad must be for Alex instead! 

Check out these lovely student hairstyles at that time... blunt fringe and bushy hair!

I remember myself looking just the same or worse during my college time as well.

Well...this is it...

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My college look from almost a decade ago... (=_=|||)

Looking at these pictures, suddenly I have a strong urge to apologise to my little brother.

I should not force you to believe that I am CUTE... (^o^) hehe!

Every now and then, it is fun to explore and reminisce the past.

Without the past, it won't form a string of meaningful memories today!

I wish I could recover more of my childhood pictures to share with you soon.

Until then, have a nice day!

Welcome Autumn

March feels so special to me because it marks the end of scorching summer~
And it feels nice to know that my birthday is just around the corner... ^_^

Welcome Autumn...!

Autumn creek in a country town...!

I ♥ my job!

I got my first job as a kindergarten teacher when I was 19 just after completing my A-level.

I like to work with kids and I think they are the most beautiful creatures on earth.

When I received a letter of acceptance from the Pharmacy school, reluctantly I resigned from my teaching position.

Instead I signed up on a three-month contract with a Pharmacy before the first fall semester began.

So these were my duties at the Pharmacy:

☼ Morning - clean the toilet and mop the floor

☼ Mid morning - serve customers and dust the shelves

☀ Afternoon - prepare cream and cough mixture

☀ Evening - mark off, unpack and put away stocks

Yes... Sounds like a great deal of hard work for very little money!

(and felt like I had joined the cleaning company instead!)

Daunting and disgusting. Customers and drug reps were just as rude and demanding.

If you ask me before today: Is Pharmacist what I really want to be?

I guess it might be a bit late to say no now (^_^)

I am in my fifth year of practising now!

(my original ambition had a lot to do with art, cartoon and interior designing)

One great thing about my career is to be able to help people regaining smiles on their faces.

I like to learn from the patients (they often know more than you do) and in return, I share my little piece of knowledge with them. These things that I am doing each day just feel so meaningful to me.

Today I am counting my blessings. Reluctant to believe, my first Pharmacy experience has taught me so much as to treat my customers better and to create a supportive environment for my staff members.

Now you ask me if I still love my job?

Yes... immensely ♥♥♥ !!!

New Product Silk Whitia Review

This is a new product from Silk Whitia - Hyaluronic acid FCH moisturising mask!

Hyaluronic acid FCH is the sodium salt of Hyaluronic acid, possibly with a lower molecular weight.

This attribute allows it to easily penetrate into lower skin and hence to retain more water in the skin.

The main function of this mask is to promote moisture lock.

Hence, this mask could be our savior in the coming winter season!

Ingredients:

Hyaluronic acid FCH - retains and absorbs water

Wheat amino acid (hydrolysed plant protein) - reconstructs and rejuvenates skin

Ginsent extract - toning and vitalising effect

Wheat germ protein, Lecithin - emollient (to prevent moisture loss)

Tocopherol - antioxidant (vitamin E)

Betaine, Cellulose - humectant and moisturising benefit

M3 energiser - anti-free radical agent (to recover skin tone and freshness)

Comment: 4/5

Silk Whitia is a good brand for face mask. 

When I took a hurried glance at the words "Hyaluronic acid FCH", I was expecting a surprise!

Perhaps I was anticipating more than just an ordinary hydrating mask but it wasn't really the case. 

The mask is full of serum as usual and the size fits perfectly on my face.

At the end of treatment, my skin was definitely softer and more hydrated. 

The hydrating outcome is similar to Silk Whitia deep moisturising mask (which has long existed on the market). Can't tell the difference exactly. 

Nevertheless, I still had a good time with it ^_^

Thank you for reading.

Have a good evening!

Evening at Shio Kaze

Alex and I shared a peaceful evening dining at a Japanese restaurant last night.

It isn't the best Japanese restaurant in this area but for a monday evening this place was a lot quieter and more relaxing than usual. While sipping green tea and waiting for the food to arrive, Alex and I had a great talk and laugh about our previous trips to Hong Kong (well, you know, living too long in a western country can be quite depressing sometimes! I miss the VIBRANT asian atmosphere!)

At that instant I felt a peaceful rush of bliss flowed suddenly through all my senses.

I am so thankful to have a fiance who shares the same thought and interests as I do.

This wasn't the first time we dined in at this restaurant (called Shio Kaze 潮风).

Most orders tasted alright but the freshness of the seafood was questionable.

Sometimes the sushi display fridge was left open and occasionally fingerprints were spotted on the sashimi blocks! Nevertheless, the chef who prepared the platter is still pretty skilful.

Although the platter wasn't as good as before... we still appreciate having Japanese food for dinner!

The chef who did not have much smile or interaction with us. I wonder why?

He must be just as depressed living here as we are... hmmm?

Nevertheless, this was one of our most enjoyable evenings we had together in a long time...

Friends from Hong Kong

I used to think that finding true friends at this age is difficult because these 'friends' have not been sharing your childhood together to fully understand your background. And as you become older, you tend to mingle with a group of people instead. So the opportunity to getting to know an individual friend becomes harder than ever. 

BUT... I am happy that we found our true friends despite being 4000 miles apart!

☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻

This is a picture of us with friends from Hong Kong in 2010.

We met at Lane Crawford back in 2009 where Ken and Agnes worked at cosmetic concierge.

Our relationship started off pretty simple. From the passersby we became their valued customers.

They knew that we were foreigners but still willingly offered their help whenever we needed to.

From there our relationship progresses to become closer.

Since then they become important people in our lives.

Thanks Lord for allowing us to meet such awesome friends from Hong Kong.

My Teenhood RPG Game

Hello all... Happy Leap Day to you!

On this very special day, I wish to share with you my favourite simulation game when I was young.

THE  SIMS ♥♥

It was such a popular game among my girl friends and I used to hook on this game past 2am during my S.W.O.T week leading to SPM! It was a serious addiction at that time, no joke!
I used to instinctually play the female character but lately with Sims 3, I vow to become a pretty boy instead... More precisely, a pretty boy with a hunky body!

I name him Mustang because I like this name a lot!

This is my heroine, the pretty blonde chick called Jaime!

And she bears such a close resemblance to my staff at work. She is also called Jaimee but with double-ee!

In Sims 3, one can even video record a short story and share it at the Sims community forum.

The graphic in Sims 3 is much more realistic and the overall gaming experience is much better too.

A romantic epic in my Sims game begins with love at first sight.

This game brings me a lot of fun. 

There is no time limit or mega challenge in this game which is what I like about (I am a lazy gamer!)

It is designed for urban people (like me) who are seeking a little extra satisfaction in their lives.

I am starting to pick up the mood of gaming again!