Chronicles of Chean

Fiery Dragon picture tutorial

2012-01-29T17:16:00.000+08:00

2012 is the year of the dragon, according to the lunar calendar. The dragon is a sign of immortality and strength, which is basically why many Chinese parents hope for dragon children.

A very popular example of a person who was born in the year of the dragon was Bruce Lee, which is why National Geographic is now doing a huge series on him, entitled Bruce Lee: Curse of the Dragon, or something like that if my memory serves me correct.

Now in ancient folklore all over the world, dragons are mythical creatures who either bring about chaos, or shower the world with prosperity. This all depends on the local legends and myths, but the dragon we're focusing on here is the Chinese dragon.

The Chinese dragon is always synonymous with the Chinese phoenix, as the dragon is the "yang" (male) and the phoenix is the "yin" (female). Ancient emperors and empresses of China were dubbed the "dragon" and the "phoenix" because both symbolized power, immortality and strength, whilst both being mythical creatures.

In this look, I tried incorporating the colors of both Western and Chinese dragons. The Chinese dragons I've seen from TV dramas like Gods of Honour and Journey to the West, where the dragons were gods of the sea, one for each north, south, east and west. I wanted to capture the aura that they gave the people, which was luck, fortune, power and strength, which is symbolized by colors like red and gold.

To represent the Western dragons, such as the ones seen in Eragon, and also loosely based on the loch ness monster, I wanted to capture the steely coldness of those dragons, while still keeping the air of mystery there.

The stuff I used:

shu uemura Creme Eyeshadow in Beige (primer/base)
120 palette
Abon Creme Eyeshadow Palette
Elianto Stay-On Pencil Eyeliner in Black
Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen in Black
MaxFactor False Lash Effect mascara in Black
Generic brand demi outer lashes + 1000Hour Lash Glue in Clear
The Body Shop Oil Free Balancing Foundation in 05 (undereye concealer)
Maybelline Clear Smooth Aqua Gel Foundation in 12 Natural
Pigeon Compact Baby Powder in Beige

Lately I've got into a habit of doing the face after the eyes, as it's actually much neater. I didn't really use blusher, because in this tutorial I was rushing (kinda) and I just slapped on some foundation to even out the entire look. As for the brows, I also forgot all about them, but I'll talk about that in a bit, let's get in with the tutorial.

BEFORE

I like to start off with a moisturized face, i.e. do your entire skin regime before all the makeup. Prime the entire lid and outer half of the lower lash line with a primer (this helps with stronger color pigmentation, longer lasting shadow color and anti-creasing).

Using a large flat brush, take Shade 2 from the 120 palette (shimmery pale champagne) and highlight the brow bone.

Using a flat shadow brush, take Shade 73 (shimmery fiery gold) and apply it on the inner 2/3s of the eye by patting (patting reduces fallouts and helps the color go on stronger, gentle patting can also lengthen the lifespan of your brushes). This is also help highlight the inner corner.

Using the same brush, take Shade 66 (matte bright orange) and apply it on the outer 1/3 of the eye, making sure to blend the color nicely with the gold.

With a fluffy crease brush, take Shade 47 (shimmery dark red) and apply it over the orange, letting the orange just peek through. Remember to blend out the outer edges to avoid harsh lines. All the colors we've been using represents the Chinese dragon - fiery reds, oranges and golds represent the auspiciousness and the ultimate strength of the Chinese dragon.

Use an angled brush, take Shade 83 (shimmery teal green) and apply it on the outer half of the lower lash line.

With the same angled brush, take Shade 15 (shimmery dark forest green) and layer it over the teal green. The greens represent the wildernesses in which some Western dragons reside, and also the metallic greenish scales on some dragons.

Line the upper and lower waterline, as well as the upper lashline with black pencil liner or black shadow.

Line the upper lashline with black liquid or gel liner. Keep the line simple - extend the line out only slightly, but if you want to wing it, try to keep it subtle. Remember to fill in the flesh-colored areas with your liquid or pencil liner. Make sure no skin peeks through at the upper lashline.

Curl your lashes and apply black mascara of your choice. I opted for volumizing mascara.

Of course, false lashes are optional. Here I used my generic strip lashes that I cut into demi lashes, and attached them using 1000Hour Clear Lash Glue and a pair of tweezers. For the brows, I usually would use a gel liner brush, apply Shade 7 on the entire brow, then later Shade 8 onto the arch and the outer point of the brow, then soften and blend it out with a spoolie brush.

AFTER

A last minute decision made me apply some shimmery cream purple eyeshadow to the outer corners with a gel liner brush to form double wings, then I set the cream shadow with Shade 30 (matte bluish purple). I also layered some Shade 60 (dark shimmery bronze) on the gold. The purple represents royalty and the power of the dragon, while also representing the mystical powers of them. The bronze represents armor, which are the hard, impenetrable skin and scales of the dragon.

Now you apply your concealer, foundation, and powder. The reason why I left this for last is because when you're using really dark and/or shimmery powder shadows, fallout is very common. Leaving the face make-up for last will help take care of that problem, because you can just cleanup the fallout with some facial wipes or make-up remover, or even just some moisturizer, even.

This look (with different facial expressions and photo editing) can be:

Sweet and pretty

Fierce

Or sultry and sexy.

For CNY I didn't put in the purple wings, but just for the added sultriness, I just felt the urge of slapping it on. I didn't pair this eye make-up with any particular lip color, but I think a sheer pink or really sheer red stick or gloss would work nicely. I just applied some Kiehl's Tinted Lip Balm in Hue 30G.

Yes, I realize the my pores are huge and my face looks basically bloated. I can't say anything about my skin condition, but that, fortunately or unfortunately, is my face shape.

Chinese Dragon Year

2012-01-29T14:00:00.003+08:00

Sorry for the long, long hiatus. My internet was down for a week or so.

There's a twelve year cycle for each animal year. I'd suggest you Google the order of the animal years yourself. This year is the year of the dragon, and from what I heard, a lot of Chinese parents crave dragon children, so you know what to do.

During Chinese New Year, or called lunar new year in some cases, is celebrated with lots of noise and family gatherings. Usually the entire family would gather at the parent's or oldest siblings house, then have a reunion dinner or lunch (I have dinner with my mother's side relatives, and lunch with my dad's side relatives).

Traditionally, lots of fireworks and fire crackers should be lit because the noise will "drive away the evil spirits", and wearing red and/or yellow will guarantee you a prosperous and healthy year ahead. Wearing black is strictly prohibited (but I wore black this year) because it's the color you wear to funerals, and will thus ruin your entire year.

This year's lunar new year is much more quiet than the past few years, because Christmas and school openings have already rendered the shopping quota to a bare minimum. The family gathering this year was also quite silent, as a few of the relatives were unable to come home.

Let's start with a few events BEFORE the actual lunar new year - my grandma's birthday. She's around 85 years old now, and still kicking, though, like all other old people, sometimes forgetful and naggy. As a change from our usual Secret Recipe selection of cakes, mum thought we'd try some cake from the nearby Padi House.

The moist chocolate cake from Padi House. Looks pretty, doesn't taste like it looks.

It was called the Moist Chocolate Cake, and the only thing right was that it was chocolate. It could be that the cake was still too cold, but the cream overwhelmed the cake, and the cake itself was rather dry. The presentation of the cake was quite pretty, though.

Purple bodycon dress with gathers.

Blue bodycon dress - my favorite among the three. If you're wondering why this looks so nice, it's because I edited myself to look slimmer.

Black draping evening gown, which is designed to emphasize the hips, but just made me look bulkier than I really am.

Then there was the trip to Sunway before the end of our semester - that is, before our finals. Quinie was shopping for her new year's dress (it's tradition to have at least one new piece of clothing for Chinese new year) at Lence, and so I picked out a few dresses here and there to try. The dressing room sign said no photography, but what they don't know won't hurt them, and I'm basically promoting their brand.

On the last day of college I followed Jasmine, Brian and Cecilia to KL city, and met up with BF for Sakae Sushi, then kinda went home together. It's kinda hard to go home together when both are still heated up from an argument.

The four-pan shadow palette.

On the 30th night (the day before the official lunar new year), my dad came home from China, and had brought home lots of nuts and tea (like always). An expensive Guess watch for my sister, a magnifying mirror that came with a beauty product he got for my mum, and an FOC Laneige Snow Crystal Multi Professional Palette in 03 for me. Supposedly it's a free gift - it's bloody Laneige, and Snow Crystal, no less. Though that won't be of much use since I have my 120 palette, which I don't think I'll finish until I'm like 30 years old.

Before being unwrapped.

The tea unwrapped - the compressed tea leaves were wrapped with bamboo leaves, then encased in a rattan bolster-shaped thing, then covered with a nice Chinese duffel bag.

Also, he brought back something that looked like a bolster wrapped in a Chinese-style cover, but it turned out to be packed pu-er tea. My uncle and my dad kinda hacked the whole thing into pieces and basically distributed it to the entire family. What I don't understand is why he keeps bringing home tea - we seldom drink tea, except grandma. I personally prefer Ceylon tea to Chinese tea. Then we have like a whole truckload of tea in our cupboards that almost never get finished.

So then - for dinner. This year's reunion dinner wasn't as overwhelming as it was last year, because my grandma has a tendency to overestimate everyone's eating capacity. This year my mum had some control over the food to be cooked, and it was just nice - everyone was full, with only a few leftovers here and there. The highlight of the entire meal? The sea cucumber, and the steamed fish.

One of my uncle's wife was born from a fishing family in Pulau Ketam, and occasionally brings over some seafood. The steamed fish that night was beyond fresh, and with just the right amount of ginger and garlic, brought forth the flavor of the fish beautifully. Up until now it's still the 30th night. Everyone chatted until the wee hours of the night, then turned in.

Make-up. My floral dress from Colours (RM99.90), paired with a mini-cardi, also from Colours (RM39.90).

Full length of the dress minus the mini cardi.

I got up reasonably early the next morning, because the first thing on my agenda was make-up. Since I started learning make-up I'd think of some way to create a look that would embrace the Chinese new year-ness of the occasion. The first attempt was a pink and red look I found on a make-up blog, the next was the rainbow eyes, and then this year, it's a look I'd like to call "The Fiery Dragon" (picture tutorial coming after this).

DIY nail art - left: I messed up the middle finger, so I decided to make it into a demon rabbit, with a red aura~ right: random streaks here and there. I apologize for the messiness - I don't have the determination to "clean up" the edges every time I paint my nails or do nail art because the bits of nail polish stuck to the skin will eventually wash off in flakes anyway.

My nails were done a couple of days ago. I tried to recreate the messy pink and black nail-lengthening polish effect, but I gave up half way and ended up doing a variety of designs. I used Estee Lauder's polish in Shimmering Pink, Elianto's Shimmering Black, Elianto's Gold and a Japanese nail art polish in red.

On the new year's day itself, the morning was occupied by a huge serving of my mum's home cooked vegetarian breakfast. At 11am we set out to Bandar Utama to my uncle's house, then from there moved to Extra Super Tanker Restaurant in Damansara Kim. The food there was meh, but I did spot a waiter that resembled the BF a lot. I tried being paparazzi and wanted to take a picture of him but all attempts had failed.

At Bandar Utama. Everyone said I've put on lots of weight.

After lunch we proceeded to Wangsa Maju to my dad's godmother's house. Imagine around 30 people - old, young, and all in between - stuffed into a small double-storey house. My dad's godmother has around 6 children, and all those children has married and have at least two children each. The day was passed with a good conversation with a fan of my blog (it's nice to know that someone somewhere actually enjoys my incessant ranting) and some food, and a very interesting performance by all the kids of the family (excluding us, that is).

On the right is my uncle's godson, on the left is my first cousin's daughter~

We were home by around 6pm, and I took some time playing with my uncle's godson for a while. After a tiring day, some nice chatting and story-telling is pretty good stress relief. The next few days were pretty uneventful, except for the visit to Mid Valley on Tuesday, which gave me some insight on diamonds and another round of German lunch.

A few days later we went all the way to Sierra Damansara to preview my car-to-be. It's a Proton Satria Neo 1.6 Manual, and practically new. I'm not really a fan of manual cars, but what the heck, it's a car anyway.

I've been to karaokes with friends quite a few times already, but this is the first time I've tried going with family, to the one nearby my house which I've never really heard of, no less. MusiZone came to Jalan Radin Bagus when it kinda just opened to public, and I've always been curious as to how good it is.

My verdict? Not very. Yes, they had Gackt (Vanilla) and X Japan (Forever Love), but both were instrumental and had some kind of weird Asian video which had completely nothing to do with the song. The sound quality wasn't very good, and somehow there was no air conditioner controller - it was either on or off, no warmer or colder. Paired with the awkwardness of everyone having different musical tastes, it was really weird, and expensive, by the way.

Homemade salsa with porcini mushrooms and sundried tomatoes~ Absolute heaven~

Yam cake, also from Auntie Joanne's, which was really heavy with yam~

Just night before last had dinner with Auntie Joanne and Uncle Phua at Puchong, but before that we enjoyed a wonderful homemade salsa by Auntie Joanne at her place. Usually she would have an open house at her place during Chinese new year, but this year was an exception.

As the name suggests, Penang One gathers up all the great Penang food into one restaurant.

Hot chocolate. RM4.00

Asam laksa. RM8.90.

Dinner at Penang One was quite good - conversations and good food. Asam laksa can be found practically anywhere, but this is some good Penang asam laksa - it wasn't very overwhelmingly spicy (I picked out the chopped chilies), and the flavor was just right, though it was a rather awkward meal in accompaniment to a hot chocolate.

Yesterday was gewd. At around lunch time, dad, twerp and I walked out (speed walked, more like) for lunch, Unifi inquiries and tiramisu ingredients. I took lead, as I was the only one who knew how to get there by foot, and I took the shady route, which is the road behind the main road.

Nalanda Book Cafe had been closed for a really long time (my last time there was around 3 to 4 years ago), and since then they had changed their menu. The last time I went there, a "dry curry huang di mian" was available, now the entire menu changed to organic vegetarian healthy food.

Clear soup beehoon, with lots of veggies.

The chocolate oat drink.

In the confusion I ordered a clear soup beehoon, accompanied by a chocolate flavored oat drink. This bloody bowl of noodles is no bloody joke - it's downright intimidating! What looks to be a regular bowl of noodles with veggies, is actually almost double or triple the amount you would think it is (veggies and noodle ratio 1:1).

On to TM Point, and upon inquiry, they told us that Unifi "is not yet available in your area". ORLY? Then why all the promotional booths at junctions near our place? If you don't have the service "in my area", then don't torture people to sit under the sun and rain for useless promotion.

Then all the way to the baking shop (I think it's called that), got some icing sugar, whipping cream and cream cheese. Where the whipping cream is concerned, I bought way too much - I forgot the exact amount of cream needed for the tiramisu (150ml = 150g), and just got the 1 liter carton just in case. The thing is, there was a 200ml carton available. Oh well.

The making of the tiramisu itself was alright, because the twerp helped a bit (notice the term "a bit"), though the baking of the sponge fingers were a little awkward because we got a new fridge, and it's in place of the old one, while the old one is in place of the oven, and the oven is now set in an awkward location in the kitchen. Since the old fridge is taking up the power socket that was originally meant for the oven, we had to move the oven right up in front of our microwave oven to use the power socket there.

I shall now move on to doing the Fiery Dragon make-up tutorial. It's a little different because it's generally a recreation of the look, and I had some more time for more mistakes and "creativity".

The Idiot Awards

2012-01-19T21:04:00.001+08:00

If there were such an award, I think I would have won it a few times straight. It all started when I didn't tell my mum OR my sister that I had morning classes the next day.

I packed everything for the badminton gig the next day, even extra clothes and some shampoos as baths. Everything was sailing so smoothly it kinda felt a little out of place. I set my phone alarm after I finished my bath, then since it was just before midnight I thought I'd do some more time on my laptop.

By the time I went to bed it was around 2am, which is considered normal for me. The next thing I knew I woke up with warm sunlight streaming through the curtains in my air-conditioned room. Then I realized - I had morning class. I was suddenly as awake as I would be in the evening, and was like shit: it's 8am.

My class starts at 8am. Both potential "drivers" were already out. Taking public transport would be a real hassle with all the things I had to take. Then Jasmine called. Told her my situation and really wanted to say "Why don't you just pick me up from my house then I'll compensate your toll funds", but my following guilt to put her through another potential round of traffic jams held my tongue.

This is one of the many reasons I FREAKIN' WANT A CAR. See, if I had my own car, things might have been different - I could have driven to campus, and maybe be in time for class, though really late, and not miss my badminton game. However, my dad refuses to buy me a car until "I have gotten the hang of it". Hello? If I had a car I'd automatically get the hang of it.

Food!

2012-01-19T01:19:00.000+08:00

Who doesn't encounter food everyday? May it be the same things every single day, or something new for each day, or even a few new discoveries every once in a while! Bear with me though, I've not found an interesting enough topic to blog about just yet, and somehow I just can't pick my butt up to do a picture tutorial on make-up.

The ever popular Ritter Sport a la Mousse au Chocolat. Since I don't understand French I had to take the Chinese description - it basically dark chocolate with a chocolate cream filling. Whether it's because I ate it straight out of the fridge, it tasted and felt all round the same.

This was another banana-cream-Oreo-honey-chocolate blended concoction. Sometimes when I'm feeling like it I make an "energy shake" if there are bananas. I end up making it into a high calorie, high fat and high sugar blended paste by adding random bits of cream, milk, Oreos, Kit-Kats, honey, and topped it all off with marshmallows. There goes my new year's resolution.

My mum brought a few of these (single truffles only) home one day. After trying the Jack Daniels Swiss Chocolate, we kinda looked everywhere for it, and since this was in the office my mum brought home one each. Compared to the Swiss Chocolate, this is absolutely nothing - the chocolate bar was beautifully creamy, and the centre was filled with beautiful Jack Daniel's whiskey. This tasted like one of the Japanese truffles my aunt used to bring home every year, except the texture of this truffle is much smoother.

Lots Matcha Green Tea ice cream. Being a Japanese freak and a potential "health food" seeker (though I don't really stay true to that name), I love Japanese green tea, especially matcha, especially matcha or green tea ice cream. The last best one I've tasted was the one from Maiu Japanese Buffet. Lots can be found at Sunway Pyramid (no idea about other branches though) somewhere near Moo Cow. This ice cream is kinda like the Japanese version of the McD sundae cone - smooth and soft, and very flavorful.

Now I didn't actually eat this (I stole some from my friends), but the toppings were not bad, however the yogurt, to me, was a tad too sour. Moo Cow can be found in Sunway Pyramid and Pavilion KL. It's signature feature? The ginormous cow at the booth. The one at Sunway Pyramid moos really loudly (and rather annoyingly) during intervals.

At one point every one around me was practically crazy over melon milk (someone even bought an entire 1 liter carton to drink in class), so I decided to try it out. Turned out pretty nice, but this drink needs to be taken slowly - too fast and the taste and the lactose will be quite overbearing.

I know this isn't the greatest looking of food, but I can assure you it tastes goood~ This garlic and shallot roasted chicken is made by my younger sister, from scratch - from pounding the shallots and garlic into a paste, and roasting the chicken (though I'm afraid I have salmonella) with the potatoes and carrots. What she does is after pounding the garlic and shallots, she marinades the chicken with the paste, with some seasoning for the entire day. The she just sticks everything onto a roasting pan and cooks it up. While it tastes completely cooked, the texture and the color is actually a little pink.

Karaoke!

2012-01-16T22:20:00.001+08:00

Whenever I go to karaoke, it's usually with friends who most sing only Chinese songs, and most of the Chinese songs that they like are those that I don't know how to sing, and whenever the song that I picked comes up (usually Japanese), I'm surrounded by awkward silences, and usually I regret even going with those friends.

Today was different, though. Jasmine picked me up at 10am, and after picking Brian up from campus went to Cecilia's house to give her a surprise for her birthday. Jasmine got three slices of cakes, and we shared them after giving her a really good morning fright.

Business class sucked. I won't say more.

We went straight to SS17 for the karaoke, and for the first time in my life I actually sang hard.

How to make delicious ramyun

2012-01-15T02:36:00.001+08:00

One of my favorite foods is ramyun - the Korean type. Whether it's kimchi, seafood or whatever, as long as it's spicy, and from Nong Shim. Where quality and flavor are concerned, I prefer Nong Shim. I usually purchase my ramyun by the 5's pack, more often than not the Shin Ramyun (spicy) or the mushroom ramyun.

You could typically vamp up any instant noodle with veggies, eggs, frankfurters, crab sticks, etc, however, for ramyun, I would prefer only one revamper - cheese. Uncanny as it may be to some people, spicy ramyun is heavenly with some melted cheese~

Main ingredient: Shin Ramyun

2nd ingredient: cheeeese~

So what you will need are the basic items to make instant noodles: a pot, a bowl, a pair of chopsticks, desired amount of water*, your ramyun, and in this case, desired amount of cheese. It depends on how much cheese you want in your ramyun. Typically I'd put in two slices of regular processed cheese (I use Bega Super Slim), but feel free to put in as much or as little as you like.

*There are typically two water levels for two different cooking methods. Those, like me who are lazier, put in just enough water in the pot for the soup. We then cook the noodles in that water, and use the same water for the soup. Some people think this is an unhealthy way because all the preservatives and/or coloring are in the water. These people (like my grandma) doubles the amount of water required for the soup. Once that water comes to the boil, they pour it into the bowl for the soup first, then cook the noodles in the remaining water, draining the noodles later and discarding the cooking water.

Typical soup packet ingredient for Nong Shim Shin Ramyun: spicy soup powder, and dehydrated vegetables.

Like always, boil your water. I like having my water be at an absolutely rolling boil before I dunk in my noodle cake. While you're waiting for the water to boil, you could now open up the packet of noodles and empty out the seasoning and vegetable packet (if applicable) into a large bowl. You could also take out your cheese slices to thaw now so that it melts more easily later.

After you've dunked in your noodle cake, let it cook in the water for about a minute before stirring it to separate the noodles. Cooked noodle cakes are not cool.

Cook the ramyun for about 3-4 minutes, al dente or just softer. I prefer mine soft, without the al dente bite. It's all about personal preference though. When the ramyun is cooked to your preference, pour it out into the bowl with the seasoning. Mix it around until the soup is evenly colored (sounds a tad wrong).

Here's the fun part: unwrap the cheese slices, then tear them into smaller slices, placing them on the noodles. "Bury" the cheese chunks under the ramyun, then proceed with your other cheese slices, if you're using them. Take your chopsticks, grab a wad of noodle, then "wipe" it on the sides of the bowl to unstick any melted cheese from the sides.

If you want you could leave the cheese chunky and melted throughout the noodle, but I prefer to pull up the noodles bit by bit, then "dissipating" the cheese by "agitating" them with my chopsticks.

You could, of course, add in any other ingredients you want to your ramyun, but I would usually prefer more noodle to veggies and meat and whatnot. The plus with this ramyun is that when you've finished devouring the noodles, the soup is downright orgasm - all the melted cheese and spicy soup~

Content analysis

2012-01-13T19:58:00.000+08:00

Content analysis is a type of research method that makes use of any media with information (i.e. newspapers, blogs, etc) and come to a conclusion with the researched items.

I researched ... the total views of my blog posts. Yes, I'm a narcissist. So from what I have deduced from my content analysis of my own blog, the posts that get the most views are my visual kei posts, food posts, Blincon lenses posts, and some make-up posts.

So, I'll need some direction now that I don't really have much interesting content to put up here. Any suggestions?

Badminton @ Extreme Park

2012-01-12T00:35:00.000+08:00

The last time I played badminton was, I think, the year before last, which is quite a long time. Just as my alarm clock rang this morning, Jasmine called to say that she was on her way. I just did my morning regime, threw on a T-shirt and jeans, and packed a pair of shorts for the pre-planned sports event.

Our first destination was Cecilia's house. They did their assignments, I bitched around the living room, taking photos with Cecilia's impossibly-tall F21 stiletto pumps. Sadly, the camera I used is not fit to transfer any photos anywhere. I loved how streamlined the stilettos made my legs look though...

After their assignment was done, off we went, with directions from Chien Min, to Extreme Park. Changed into my shorts, borrowed a racket from Jasmine and started our game. We played for around two hours, renting one court, by which time everyone was exhausted (obviously).

I played barefoot, in my green J-Crew Tissue Tee and the embarrassingly stained shorts I usually wear at home which I wished I hadn't worn today. After washing off my legs from a squished mosquito and lots of dirt from the court itself, I changed into jeans. We had some lunch at Zhia's Kitchen, then Jasmine drove me home.

The moment I reached home I slumped onto my three-seater in the living room and snoozed for around 2 hours. Only after that did I remember I was wearing the T-shirt while I was lying on the badminton court ground. Absolute genius. Oh yeah, and my hair was on the ground as well, which I put on the cushion. Nice. I'm gonna die soon.

For dinner: tomato omelette, "zha choi" soup, strawberries and durian~

Wang Lee Hom

2012-01-10T21:16:00.002+08:00

I just hit 25, 000 views. Ignore the counter on my page, that one was put in later than it was supposed to, so the counter is like 9, 000 views behind.

Picture source: Google.com

No, I'm not a die-hard fan of Leehom. I admire some of his songs, but I'm not gaga over him like I am over the GazettE or Versailles or Kaggra,. For those of you who do not know who Leehom is, he is an artiste from Taiwan of American descent.

His career has branched out slightly toward acting, starring in a few movies including Japanese film Moon Child alongside Gackt and hyde from L'Arc~en~Ciel. His acting breakthrough was in Lust, Caution starring Tang Wei and Tony Leung.

Leehom is very popular among Malaysians, regardless of gender or age. I've never seen middle-aged men and white-haired old ladies at a celebrity event before (though the only other one I've ever been to was to They Kissed Again's promo event featuring Danson Tang and Joe Cheng).

The only reason I was there at Kenanga Wholesale City, attending Leehom's concert promo event, was because of Jasmine. She is the die-hard fan of Leehom, and instead of going alone (though she found a few friends there), she decided to bring me along - entrance was free anyway, for the non-VIP.

The "VIP" were staff, media, official fan club members, and those who reloaded RM100 to their Xpax and got a VIP pass. Other than that, everyone else stood around the event area. Jasmine and I were first at the saturated free-standing area, right behind the VIP barriers. Since there were two taller floors over looking the main event area, a lot of people went up to get better views.

We didn't walk up to the upper floor - Jasmine ran, pulling my arms, almost practically dragging me along in her enthusiasm. I kinda understand the excitement of getting to see an idol that you're practically obsessed with. Though I have no idea what I would do in the presence of the GazettE, I would be on the tips of my toes with excitement. For the GazettE to come to Malaysia, however, I think that would be quite a difficult feat especially with such a "strict" government.

Most of the event that we watched was just some info on his current career, his upcoming concerts, and promotion of the associated organisations of the concert. For me, the event got boring after a short while, but Jasmine ... let's say she was hyper.

We were half an hour late for class due to the slow elevators in the mall, and I got to see Brownie again (I sound like a 5-year-old child). All in all, it was a pretty good experience~

It's been a year ♥

2012-01-07T23:51:00.002+08:00

On January 5th, 2011, at 12.54am, the BF and I officially got together. It kinda surprised me that we've been together for a year. I'll be honest, in my past relationships I thought "this is the one". By the time I was together with the BF, I was already paranoid and thought this wouldn't last. Time has proven me wrong.

Here's a quick recap of our relationship in the past year.

January 5th - officially got together (changed Facebook status)
January 24th - first date at Berjaya Times Square, watched The Tourist, and had Marrybrown for lunch
Somewhere in February - met his friends officially (Zhi Sung & Ivan, Yong Ken & Kim Loong)
April - I started university
Around July - he went to Pangkor Laut Resort for four month for internship
24th September - took a break from internship, officially met his mum and stepdad for movie and lunch
October - back from internship

That just about summarizes the highlights of the entire year. Of course, much more stuff happened in between - the arguments, the sweet moments, a lot of other dates, and a lot of masochism on my part (I cut myself during a telephone argument once, regretted it).

All in all, lots of impatience, compromises and tolerance, as well as dedication, loyalty and love has been put into this relationship. I really hope all of it is worth it.

How we celebrated? Well... This year our anniversary fell on a Thursday, so obviously we had to either celebrate it early or late. We opted for the late celebration. How? By having a rather shitty day at Mid Valley.

Mum dropped us there, and truthfully, I'm not a real fan of the Mission Impossible series, neither do I find Tom Cruise so attractive that I would watch the movies just to see him. Our initial plan was to watch either The Awakening or Jack and Jill. Then out of the blue BF said he wanted to check for seats availability for MI4: Ghost Protocol. I wasn't too happy about it at first, but I let it pass anyway.

Then off to Chatime to get some morning Chas. I had myself a Hazelnut Chocolate Milk Tea with Coffee Jelly, and Bf had a Mango Green Tea. I had one more slot on my redemption card, so by right one cup was free. In the end I just got a 60% discount on the second cup. Why is it that I can get an entirely free regular drink with any other topping at Taylor's Lakeside branch but I can't get it at Mid Valley?

There was nothing much we could do about it, so we just took our drinks and proceeded to idly walking around Mid Valley and The Gardens. Amazingly, we walked pointlessly for a few hours, while I dropped really heavy hints about things that I liked when I looked through store windows. Whether he got the hints is another story.

Before we went to the cinema for the movie, we stopped by Just Popiah for some crispy popiah. We wanted the Blue Crispy - tuna and spicy tuna. However, some miscommunication led us getting the original crispy popiah rather than the tuna ones. We watched her assemble the popiah, but by the time we found out that she was making the wrong order, she had already finished with the filling and was rolling it up. Oh well.

Contrary to my previous perception, MI4 was pretty good, despite the lack of good make-up for the ladies (in my opinion). Like always, GSC cinemas are goddamn cold. By the time the movie ended, I was completely thirsted from lack of liquid intake.

On the way to McDonald's, however, my slipper got stepped on again by BF. For the past few dates, regardless of my footwear, he's been stepping on my toes and/or shoes. That just made me trip and I was moody for the next half hour. I got my McFlurry, ate it, called me mum to see whether she could drive us home, and listened to a bit of feng shui tips from a "master" I have not seen before.

The day could have gone on longer but he was obviously more tired than I was, so why force him?

Dinner of the day was fried "dong fun" (tapioca glass noodles), and home-made strawberry shortcake to finish it off. Apologies again for the lack of pictures. Blogger's image uploader is not being friendly. Should I move my blog to Wordpress?

2012 resolutions

2012-01-04T01:32:00.002+08:00

Cliche, somehow useless, but at least this serves as a guideline for myself.

#1
Have more regular sleeping hours - I sleep in the wee hours of the morning, just to wake up at the most 5 hours later, and nod through the entire day. I don't have much comments about my dark circles, though, gotten pretty used to them.

#2
Exercise more, lose weight and eat healthier. I'm starting to get the concept that health is directly linked to beauty and also body shape. By BMI I'm already normal, but I'm determined to get rid of my flabby arms, tiered tummy and orange-peel thighs. At least once a week, and binge on breakfast, please. Make careful contemplations when eating out because god knows what they put in the food. Eat more fiber also because I'm prone to constipation.

#3
Take better care of my skin. Exfoliators, moisturizers, whitening, anti-ageing, sunscreen, pore diminishing, etc. Break-outs aside, my pores are freakin' HUGE. And clogged, for that matter. I've tried The Body Shop's Tea Tree Blackhead Exfoliating Wash but that one doesn't work for me. Hair out of my face during the day, wash my face more frequently, plus change my bedding and towels more frequently.

#4
Get my visual kei inspired Japanese doll tattoo within this year. I planned to do it on my shoulder blade, but I think I'll have to change the location because my mum allowed it on one condition - that it be concealed in general. Though it goes against my idea that tattoos are done to be shown to the world, I'll compromise. Also, I need to decide where to get it - Tribal Bodyworks where I got my old one, or try out Black Cat Tattoo.

#5
Do some make-up picture tutorials on the blog. It's been about a month since I last said to do a tutorial but never got round to it. Instead I did more than 50 challenge posts, which I hope didn't bore my readers. Also, practice Uruha's fake crease make-up for CF cosplay next year~

#6
Take better care of my belongings. I tend to lose something when I was holding it just a few seconds ago, and the panic to find it under a blanket or pillow or something. Also, taking care meaning treating my belongings better, especially to my C6-00, which is already breaking down in less than a year.

#7
Save more money. In December 2011, I went completely nil of money, having to survive of loans and home-made food. It was a good experience, though, in the sense that I got my priorities straight and spent money only on what I needed and not what I impulsively wanted. Fill up my orange piggy with coins~

#8
Let my hair grow out past my shoulder blades. Just before Comic Fiesta my hair was almost at that length, but then some guy from X-Cut who smelled heavily of cologne chopped off more than I requested (didn't get both sides even and messed up my fringe). I want to grow out my bangs, too.

#9
Pay more attention in class. I got told off for eating and talking in class today, when most of the other people in class were doing the same. Life sucks, gotta get over it. But then again what he said in class, I didn't get 90% of it, which would translate into disaster when it comes to the finals. Being who I am today, I seldom aim for distinctions anymore (except for English), passing is already a miracle. However, having distinctions means that my chance for a better future is, well, better. PASS ALL THE SUBJECTS (meme).

#10
Cook and bake more. I've got more recipe books than I can count, but all of them have been sitting in the dust. My collegemates are also pestering me to make something from those recipe books, since I've not made a tiramisu for them before. This also helps me practice my skills for potential future housewife-ism.

#11
Stand up for myself more at home. Being the estranged middle child, I often get indirectly bullied. It's well past the time for me to speak up and defend myself. My beliefs, opinions, hobbies, interested, they shall no longer be discriminated!

#12
Treat the BF better. Lately I've been getting really jumpy and grumpy (they rhyme), and have been kinda evil to him the past few weeks. Gotta be a better girlfriend - tolerant, understanding, etc. Speech is always easy, actions are ... difficult when guys are naturally so blunt-headed.

#13
Get a flat-iron, dye my hair and start learning to style it. The only styling method I know? Ponytail. I can't even braid my own hair. While I'm still young I wanna be as crazy as I can, dying my hair pink, blue, green, fluorescent yellow, even, at least I tried it. Flat iron - so that I can curl and straighten my hair. Much better than a curling iron, in my opinion, since it has a dual function, but gotta find a good quality one with, preferably, ceramic plates.

#14
Do something with my self-confidence. My self-confidence has being going downhill ever since I joined Taylor's - may it be the other classmates being super confident and/or physically pretty (in my context) or just comfortable with their body. My classmates have already confirmed the problem being my ill-fitting jeans, but I still spot all the "flaws" in myself - my hairstyle, my nails, my legs, my abs, my fashion sense, etc.

#15
Be more tidy. Right now my bureau top looks like a war zone hastily cleared for space - everything is shoved to one side because my room was invaded my some dodgy guys to install a new air-conditioner, and the dust from the drilling settled on basically everything, including all my make-up boxes. The stuff that I've taken out from drawers and cupboards have been randomly chucked to a particular spot in my room until further use when I could have just put it right back into the drawer/cupboard.

#16
Be less YELLOW. In Chinese context, being yellow means being perverted. I'll be honest, I'm not as 'high and mighty' as I sometimes like to think myself as. I can find some perverted meaning to almost everything everyone says, and against my better conscience, I burst it out for the whole world to hear. This, obviously, is inappropriate for girls, regardless of nationality, race, religion, age, etc.

#17
Spend less time on Tetris and Sims Social. Seriously. Almost the entire campus in obsessed with Tetris Battle now. And to be honest I can play all day, even when I'm dying for sleep. In general, less time on Facebook games. I seldom go online gaming these days (MapleSEA), due to various reasons.

I do have a few more resolutions, I think, but so far these are all I can think of. Mostly mediocre, those that everyone has for their own resolutions, but this also means that I'm pretty normal, right?

Shopping!

2012-01-02T00:18:00.000+08:00

I spent most of 01/01/2012 shopping at Mid Valley, though 70% of the time went to shopping for my cousin's clothes.

Only 5 hours of sleep and I managed to get through most of the day without yawning excessively - achievement. My target was to get some skin products, a dress, a pair of skinny jeans and a few pairs of shoes. I think I can safely say 50% of that target has been achieved.

1. The Body Shop Seaweed Pore-Cleansing Facial Exfoliator 75ml- RM45.00
2. 2x The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil 10ml (each)- RM56.00 (RM28.00 each)
3. The Body Shop Moisture White Shiso UV Protector SPF30+++ 50ml- RM93.00

Got lots of stuff I wanted/needed from The Body Shop, including those things that have been shoved right to the back of my head for a really long time. Little things like sunscreens and scrubs.

Za Liquid Eyeliner in 01 Real Black

My liquid liner is drying out, so it was time to restock - got my liquid liner from Watsons, after lots of testing. The state of the testers were ... ghastly - those sharp-tapered bristle brushes were completely dried out and the hairs were like a fluffy paint brush that was smashed bristles-first onto a hard surface. The formulas varied in intensities and resistance.

I also needed a gel liner, but the only one I found at Watsons (a Japanese brand, I can never remember that brand's name) was super dark and wet (which is probably a good thing) and costed around RM50. I thought better of it - I really seldom use make-up now and gel liner dries up pretty quickly.

Floral strapless dress from Colours - RM99.90

I later found a very inexpensive and creamy gel liner at Silkygirl, but not before I found a dress and a mini-cardi at Colours. Since CNY is around the corner I might as well find a dress for the occasion anyway. I first tried a black and white, gathered-sleeved, lace-back, 3/4 sleeve dress that turned out to be way too mature on me.

Black gathered-sleeve mini cardi from Colours - RM49.90

A little more searching led to a strapless dress (though black) with pink roses and upon trying it on I found some *ahem* extra flesh around the underarm area, so found a mini-cardi with gathered sleeves. The mini-cardi was a bonus - remember the snake-skin tube top I bought? I haven't worn it out before, because I haven't found a real decent pair of pants to match it with. The mini-cardi is helping with some extra-flesh concealment.

I forgot when we had lunch, but we had Bavarian-style German lunch. Know how much the bill added up to? Over RM400. Personally, I don't think it's much worth it, but it was my first time trying German food, and it wasn't bad.

Silkygirl Double Intense Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in 01 Pure Black - RM16.75

As for the gel liner, we passed by Silkygirl when on the way to F.O.S kids and Rotiboy, and took a look at the gel liner. This gel liner has a concealed brush on the cap, and that cap serves as an extension for the brush for easier handling of the brush.

The rest of the day was dedicated to wandering around through the children's department of Jusco, and some other children's clothing boutiques looking for clothes for my cousin. She got herself a fair number of skirts, and cotton candy, and ice cream. I didn't get my lemons, though.

The most recent time I removed my nail polish revealed orange nails. How do you get rid of orange nails? Lemon juice, of course. Lemon juice is a source of bleaching agent called citric acid, and this acid helps in whitening many stains. But first, to pamper your nails - soak your nails in some regular olive oil for about 10-15 minutes, blot off the excess oil, then rub your nails with lemon juice.

I still have a few things I need to get, i.e. shoes (at least 3 pairs) and skinny jeans (preferably black).

30. Picture of yourself with and without wearing makeup

2012-01-01T21:06:00.001+08:00

I was lazy to take pictures of the before and after these days, so I'll just get some piccies from my hard drive and put them together, so they won't necessarily be in the same timeline, but I think this still counts. These are pretty recent (i.e. from 2011), just a few days or weeks apart from each other.

WITHOUT MAKEUP

WITH MAKE-UP (SHADOW, EYELINER, LENSES, FOUNDATION, POWDER)

A great new year countdown!

2012-01-01T02:09:00.000+08:00

By far this has been the best new year's celebration EVER. Though I've known them for only less than a year, it's like I've known them longer than my high school friends (no offense meant). Nothing beats lots of laughter during a celebration and laying down all other discomforts and overcoming obstacles just to have fun!

2pm, after my room was invaded by four dusty, dodgy men, I got everything I needed and went to Jasmine's house with her on the wheel. Supposedly they just got back from the market and Jusco while shopping for the barbecue (a.k.a BBQ) stuff.

The girls watching TV

Yevon buried under lots of cushions.

We waited only when Chien Min arrived that we started marinading the chicken wings, which was actually quite pointless since there won't be much flavor penetrating the meat, but with some help, the chicken wing I got was OMG succelent~

Brownie~

A few of us crazy girls were constantly going in and out of the kitchen (except Jessica who sat watching K-pop), preparing the sausages, fruits, seafood, etc. I'll be honest, I was most excited about Brownie, Jasmine's mini poodle who had been out grooming. OMO he was so cute!!! Just wanted to kidnap him home and ask my mum to keep him~

Halfway through BBQ-ing, we took a short trip to the nearby playground - imagine a large group of teenagers over 18 fighting (figuratively) with six- and seven-year-olds over the swings. I think we stayed there for over half an hour at the least, because by the time we walked back the sky was dark.

Truthfully, there wasn't much to choose from - chicken wings, marshmallows, some seafood, sausages, and that was it of the BBQ stuff. We were seriously lacking in some ingredients for certain dishes, but we made it up with lots of jokes, chat and laughter.

The BBQ ended with a round of showers. Silly me only brought an extra T-shirt, while some others brought the entire set of fresh clothing. After a lot of jokes, laughing like hyenas and "hamsap"-ing, we took a drive out to the nearby PitStop cafe for a round of drinks.

Since I didn't get my fill for dinner I had some white sauce pasta and a giant cappucino bubble tea for supper. Talk about new year resolutions. We passed the first few minutes of 2012 with a round of sparkling grape juice (thanks to Quinie) and lots of fireworks, the nearest one just down the street from where we all were.

I'm really sorry for the really dry and seemingly unwilling description of my countdown, but I just got back from it and am a little tired from all the fun~ Also I apologize for the lack of pictures. I do have some pretty fireworks piccies but Blogger image uploader is showing no mercy.

29. Do you like wearing liquid liner? If so, what's your favorite?

2011-12-30T01:44:00.000+08:00

Depending on the look I want to achieve, I love liquid liner. However, my hands are still quite shaky so whenever I apply there's bound to be the moment when I'm reaching for a Q-tip and moisturizer/water.

My favorite liquid liner is Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen in Blackest Black. The super-sharp tapered felt tip applicator allows precision and different line thicknesses without having to go back and forth too much, which is a plus for me. The pro and con are both the non-waterproof-ness of the product.

I would love to be able to find another liner pen that isn't too expensive, and is waterproof. I love this liner pen, hope to repurchase in the future, but to be more practical I really need waterproof liquid eyeliner.

Visual kei vs. K-Pop

2011-12-29T22:06:00.002+08:00

I'll try to be as unbiased in this post as possible, because the comments I saw on this particular Youtube video just freakin' pissed me off. I'll be honest, I like both visual kei and K-pop, but I like visual kei more. I'm basically an anything-goes person, and where music is concerned, as long as I like it, I don't care about language, genre and/or country of origin.

In general, this is my opinion: visual kei music spans a rather wide range of music genres, but their bands are usually made up from a basic form of a drummer, a vocalist, two guitarists and a bassist. Hence, their music are more concentrated to the quality of the guitar and vocal sounds. K-pop is in general more dance-friendly, their groups are usually large and are more centered towards individual vocal ability and dance performances. Their genre is obviously pop, but sometimes interlaced with a few elements of other genres.

I discovered visual kei when I was 13 and got hooked. It was a suddenly blast of inspiration - I liked rock (which many of the bands provided me with), the way their make-up, hairstyles and costumes looked flawless, and just the feeling of being a fan of something so unique was beautiful.

K-pop I discovered later, which was when Sorry Sorry by Super Junior got popular in Malaysia. At first I didn't really catch on to the "trend", but I found the music getting more and more catchy. K-pop slowly grew around the world, especially in Malaysia. I'm no hardcore fan, but I do enjoy their music, their dance moves.

I'm no hardcore fan of both sides - I get occasional cravings for both types of music every now and then. However, if I were asked to choose one I really liked, I would definitely choose visual kei. Why? Because visual kei changed my life - I started learning make-up, took up the guitar (though I haven't touched it for over a year already), and most importantly found the key in striking up a relationship with my current BF.

Here are the songs/artists they compared against each other:

1. Pink Masquerade by SuG vs Heartbreaker by G-Dragon

Completely irrelevant to each other except perhaps the background of the music video.

2. Senkou by Alice Nine vs Man Man Ha Ni? by U-Kiss

I also do not see anything that is worth comparing.

3. Destiny {The Lovers} by Versailles by Raining by FT Island

HOW?! Versailles - neo-classical aristocratic French style. FT Island - K-pop style. Music-wise, also nothing too similar to compare.

4. Love Scream Party by SuG vs BinGeul {Round and Round} by U-Kiss

LSP - catchy pop-y love song. BinGeul - techno-hip hop dance. Why?

5. Horizon by D'espairsRay vs Cry by MBLAQ

Dark VK vs dance pop.

6. You by KAT-TUN vs Love Girl by CNBlue

I have no comment on this one because KAT-TUN is J-pop, and I actually prefer Love Girl on this one.

7. Eve by Vidoll vs Rainism by Rain

I'm beginning to rest my case.

8. Invisible Wall by the GazettE vs 2PM Heartbeat Cover by No Min Woo

HOW THE HELL DID THIS GET COMPARED TO INVISIBLE WALL?! No Min Woo is obviously a talented guy, but really. What was the video creator thinking? Oh right, his username shows his utter devotion to him.

However, this wasn't what pissed me off. The video barely made me feel speechless. It was the comments that made me want to curse and swear. I'm not saying all K-pop fans are the same, but this guy was just offensive to me.

#1.
I know K-pop style and visual kei styles are almost completely different. However, it's called visual kei for a reason.

#2.
Visual kei is more popular than he thinks, though I will admit it's not as widespread as K-pop. K-pop is Korean popular music, it's name is self-explanatory. As I mentioned earlier, visual kei has more rock sounds, and hence is not everyone's cup of tea. K-pop itself is almost suitable for everyone - their music is really catchy and is played all over the place.

#3.
VISUAL KEI IS NOT A !@#$% COPY OF WESTERN GLAM-ROCK STYLE! He could at least make it sound more subtle by saying VK is inspired by Western glam-rock style. And FYI, ignorant Youtuber, there are many different types of visual kei styles, each one different from the other.

#4.
WEARING MAKE-UP AND HAVING ELABORATE HAIRSTYLES DO NOT MAKE THEM GLAM/TRANVESTITE DRAG QUEENS! Ever watched Bambi, ignorant Youtuber? "If you have nothing good to say, don't say anything at all." When have you seen them wearing wigs, wearing drag make-up and faking boobs? Please go Google drag queens and do your research before you even dare think of comparing VK musicians with drag queens.

#5.
Visual kei is a style culture, and different visual kei bands perform different genres. Some bands even play a multiple of genres, ranging from ballads to screamo. They are not limited to "powerpop-rock".

Like I said before, I like K-pop and visual kei. However, insulting visual kei musicians just because they wear more make-up, hairstyles and more elaborate costumes is unacceptable. Some may agree with this person, however to each his own - I prefer visual kei over K-pop, and you don't see me libeling and slandering K-pop fans and musicians.

I will continue loving visual kei, and I will also continue listening to K-pop, no matter how much some of their fans step on visual kei, when they obviously don't know enough about the genre.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT INTEND TO TRY TO PERSUADE/CHANGE OTHERS' OPINIONS ON ANY TOPIC. I ALSO DO NOT INTEND TO INSULT ANYONE WHO READS THIS POST. THIS ENTIRE POST IS ENTIRELY MY OPINION.

28. Favourite makeup remover

2011-12-29T21:30:00.000+08:00

Definitely. Daiso Charcoal Cleansing Cream. The first time I used this I thought it was a facial cleanser because of the name. Upon further scrutiny of the attached picture sticker, I realized it was a make-up remover.

How I use it is I squeeze out a suitable amount from the fat tube, then massage it over the area where I need make-up removed. Just applying it won't work, some gentle friction is needed to remove make-up. I then use tissue (alright I use toilet paper, but please use either cotton wool or facial tissue to preserve the elasticity of your skin).

The thing about this remover is that it doesn't really remove HEAVY (dark) make-up completely on the first round. So sometimes when I have loads of eyeliner and mascara on, I have to apply it another 1-2 times to completely remove everything. As for waterproof mascara, you would have to gently massage the hairs to remove the product. However what I do is massage, then try to get all the particles out (roughly) using the tissue.

And this cream leaves a kind of filmy, oily residue, but this, I think, is just personal. I cleanse my face once after I've removed every visible trace of make-up, just as extra insurance.

However, my friend introduced me to magic. To the Xiaxue readers, you've heard of this many times before - the Biore Wipes. They're absolutely fantastic! They're uber convenient, the formula that the wipe is soaked in removes make-up super quick, and it leaves NO RESIDUE AT ALL! The light scent is a plus. I only used this on my lower lashline before, but I had that urge to wipe that thing all over my skin, just because they leave the skin feeling refreshed and supple!

27. Favourite powder

2011-12-28T01:06:00.000+08:00

My favorite powder is Pigeon Compact Baby Powder in Beige.

Pigeon is a baby product brand that is quite popular in Malaysia and Singapore, however this powder was purchased in Singapore, either for availability or price reasons. The reason I like it is that it sets my make-up really nicely, and because it's particles are really fine, it seems like translucent powder and it can be used alone for oil control.

If I needed to mention another favorite powder, it would be Laneige Sliding Pact. I forgot the shade name, but I like that it's dense enough to be foundation. However, I've never used it as setting powder before. In fact I really seldom use it because it's a little too dense for my liking. I have pretty dry skin that oils up really well, so upon application it makes all the pores and flakes really obvious.

26. Do you wear makeup everyday?

2011-12-27T11:30:00.000+08:00

If I were to calculate the days that I wear make-up in a week, I would say I wear make-up about 2 out of 7 days a week.

I don't wear make-up when I've just woken up and/or I still want to sleep later, which is usually the case when I have morning (8am) classes, because my eyes are actually quite sensitive, and will feel irritated and tear profusely if I apply make-up, which will cause the make-up on my eyes to run and smear.

I wear make-up only on the days when I need to, i.e. I've got a presentation or going on a date, etc, and/or when I really feel like it, especially after I've watched a make-up tutorial recently and really want to experiment.

25. Favourite eyeliner

2011-12-26T14:30:00.000+08:00

For pencil eyeliner, I prefer retractable ones to pencil ones just because I don't need to sharpen the retractable one too much. My favorite one is Elianto Stay-On Eyeliner, which comes in black and brown. My eyeliners are mostly blacks. I like this eyeliner because it's creamy enough and it's really dark, and it lasts really long while being waterproof. No comments about the creasing, though - I have oily lids. The only thing I don't like is that the black has a slight bluish undertone and is not a true black.

Liquid will be revealed later in a separate question~

As for gel liners, I've only ever tried one, which is Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner in Sepia Ink - a brown one. This was drying halfway when I started using it (it was a hand-me-down, we kinda share and "pass down" make-up), but the effect was very nice.

I'm now looking for a brown pencil eyeliner, and preferably a true black pencil liner and a black liquid and/or gel liner that's waterproof.

24. Which do you like: cream, matte, powder, sheer or shimmer eye shadows?

2011-12-25T18:39:00.000+08:00

In general I still stick to powder shadows. My mastery of cream shadows are not to that stage where I can blend it perfectly yet.

As for the powder shadows, I like to use mattes and slightly shimmery ones with very fine sparkle particles. My eyes are Asian, with half-concealed double eyelids and are quite fleshy. Half-concealed double eyelids that are fleshy means I have no visible socket area to "define", hence I have to create a socket space to define.

Fleshy lids also means that overly shimmery shadows will make my eyes look extremely swollen, and they also mean that colors like purples and pinks are harder to pull off on my lids.

23. Favourite eye shadow palette and blush palette

2011-12-24T18:18:00.000+08:00

Need you ask? Anyway, my favorite eye shadow palette would, inevitably, be the 120 palette. Some people would say this is impractical - why would a make-up rookie want so many colors? Aren't these palette supposed to be for make-up artists who do make-up on lots of people?

In my opinion, not necessarily. I mean, I want to play with colors (though I admit I only use those few colors), and more colors and shades means more variety of looks (though I'll be honest, I'm not much of a creative person). And then there's that "make-up expiry date" thing, where make-up products have an average shelf life, and any use after that date would lead to ... I dunno, breakouts or whatever?

Maybe that's the reason my pores are still clogged. However, the Artistry palette that my aunt gave me is over 5 years of age (more than the average shadow shelf life) and it's still one of my go-to palettes (because it's the only palette in the house that has a matte beige).

I don't own a blush palette, I just own one blush pot. I think it's getting a bit monotonous but I'll say it anyway - Bobbi Brown Blush in Blushed. The name itself says it all - the shade name is "blushed", which means it's a very natural blush color, with a slight brown tone, which makes it suitable for both blush and contour, but I usually use it for the latter.

The most expensive lunch I've had in a long time

2011-12-24T03:26:00.003+08:00

On campus, that is. My budget for food on campus usually sticks around RM15-20 max. I broke that record today. We went to Backofen, and I didn't really want another chicken schnitzel sandwich (which is usually what I order), and there was grilled lamb on the daily lunch set menu ... with pumpkin soup. Why not? It's Christmas.

Backofen's Christmas decorations were pretty - there were little Christmas trees dotted around the place and where the booths were, there were little Christmas tree ornaments attached to the already-intricate divider.

For starters, pumpkin soup. Personally I would prefer the version by my sister, but this was beautifully fragrant. The soup was more savory, and had just a hint of spice to it. Final verdict: 8.5/10.

The main course, grilled lamb shoulder. Unlike the usual lamb chops that are out there, this one was particularly meaty. The sauce was perfect, though I would usually prefer mint sauce for lamb. The lamb was served with a roasted potato and a simple salad. The potato was very complimentary to the lamb, no comment about the salad. Final verdict: 8.5/10.

The dessert isn't included in the lunch set. The thing I like about Backofen are their pastries and cakes. This round I tried the Oreo Cheese. I have a hunch that what they used was the No-Bake Oreo dessert thing, but I can't be sure. There was no Oreo flavor in the cake - mostly chocolate and what tasted like cream cheese (or mascarpone). Final verdict: 6/10.

In total, the entire meal cost RM23.90. The lunch set prices at RM18, the Oreo Cheese at RM5.90. The original price of the roasted lamb itself was around RM18+, and the pumpkin soup priced individually at approximately RM4.50. So if I were to order a la carte, I would be paying almost RM30 for the meal. Since this is out of my own wallet, I really mind. But hey, it's Christmas, and I feel that I deserve to indulge myself.

As for dinner, we had roasted duck and braised sea cucumber for dinner. There was a sweet sauce that came with the duck, and it tasted pretty good with the duck, though the overall taste is kinda weird.

22. Favourite toner

2011-12-23T18:05:00.000+08:00

I don't have a particular toner that I like, because up until now all toners do the same job for me - tightening the pores after cleansing and removing any excess make-up/make-up remover/cleanser that didn't get washed off properly.

However I did start using this toner quite recently - I have no idea where my mum got it but I ran out of my own toner so my mum gave me this one.

Franche Sea Mist with Vitamin C

Ingredients:

Witch hazel, cassia betaglycan (plant hyaluronic), D2O, Sea Mineral Complex, L-ascorbic, L-sodium PCA, castor oil methyl glycol, L-chlorophyll, indigo, fragrance oil.

Souvenirs + udon

2011-12-23T01:19:00.002+08:00

Over the weekend I was left home-alone with my grandmother while the others went on holiday in Singapore. From what I heard it was stressful, no comment on that.

Anyway, I got some nice souvenirs this time although they're not exactly what I wanted.

Manicare Cosmetica Retractable Lip Brush (synthetic hair) S$12.90

Manicare Cosmetica Double Ended Brow Brush (looks like real hair) S$8.90

Manicare Cosmetica Angled Blush Brush (real hair) S$12.90

Manicare Cosmetica Foundation Brush (synthetic hair) S$12.90

Animob Drak Brown Double Compartment Multipurpose Pouch

Garrett Popcorn - Chicago Mix

The dark browns - caramel, golden browns - light caramel/butter, orange-y ones - cheeese~!

Today was mundane. Got to campus at 7am, slept until 9am, then rushed around printing stuff and had brunch at around 11am with Jasmine. We tried Marufuku for the first time, which essentially sells udon. The Mapo Udon Set consists of a mapo tofu udon, green tea and karaage (tender battered deep fried chicken pieces), priced at RM8 (normal udon prices range from RM7-RM10).

The noodles themselves were perfectly al dente, but the sauce. It was essentially mushroom sauce with lots of ground black pepper with some tofu, minced meat, carrots and onions. The flavor being off put aside, there were little bits of what felt like sand in the sauce, though I can't be sure what they are, but they definitely weren't the ground black pepper bits.

As for the karaage, they kinda surprised me. I was expecting dry, though chicken nuggets, but inside the rather thick deep fried batter shell, the chicken was super tender and juicy. Tempted me to order another serving, but didn't.

Today (technically yesterday) was supposed to be the day of the Winter Solstice, where families have dinner together and enjoy "tang yuan" (direct translation "soup balls", which are essentially balls made from a special type of dough, which is sometimes colored, and has fillings according to different tastes). We had dinner together, but the "tang yuan" will have to wait. I plan on getting my favorite hot chocolate-filled "tang yuan" in soy milk from Endah Parade soon. It's been ages since I've had it.

21. Where do you buy your makeup at?

2011-12-22T19:50:00.000+08:00

I buy my make-up at a lot of different places, but in general I get my make-up inside beauty stores in Mid Valley Megamall.

I've got my stuff from Shins, Elianto, The Face Shop, The Body Shop, and pharmacies like Watsons (prices at Watsons are cheaper than at Caring or Guardian). I seldom walk into high-end (to me) beauty stores like M.A.C or shu uemura - for one I would be completely tempted to buy the stuff there even if I don't need them, and I don't have the money. Combine those two you get a shitload of disappointment.

I like pharmacies because they stock lots of good stuff of different price ranges, which is an extra plus. Favorite drugstore brands: Maybelline and Revlon.

20. Favourite eyeshadow primer

2011-12-21T12:30:00.000+08:00

I've only ever tried one - shu uemura Creme Eyeshadow.

I don't know whether this officially constitutes as a primer, but I went to the shu uemura store in Mid Valley and asked for eye shadow primer and the salesgirl brought me this. It's a rather small jar, but it's lasted me for I think around 2 years. I know this is way past the "expiry date" of the product, but this small jar costed RM75, and I'm not willing to part with it until I see it change color or texture or something.

Basically I think a primer would be something cream-based, so that the shadows will stick to the cream product and not slide all over the place, also helping to intensify the color. From what I've observed the Urban Decay Primer Potion is a popular choice for eye priming (available at Sephora). I've never really tried that one before, but I do look forward to testing it.

I've tried priming also with foundation and concealer, but they didn't really work that well - the colors wouldn't blend. I've also tried gel liner, pencil liners, etc, also don't work as good, at least for me it doesn't.

19. Favourite concealer

2011-12-20T15:30:00.000+08:00

The only real concealer I've used before doesn't really match my skin tone so that one's out. I use foundation as concealer.

For under-eye circles, I use a wrong shade of foundation that I mistakenly purchased (The Body Shop Oil Free Balancing Foundation in 05) because it has a slight orange-ish undertone that helps neutralize the bluish-purple-ness of the circles.

As for other blemishes, I just double up my usual foundation (Maybelline Clear Smooth Aqua Gel Foundation in 12 Natural). I apply my foundation as usual, then dot some foundation on where I need to conceal. Usually this does a sufficient job enough for the lighter, non-swollen blemishes.

I'm still in search of a good concealer palette with tones of green, orange and yellow. So far I've only heard of the Ben Nye Concealer Wheel from MissChievous' video, but unfortunately Ben Nye isn't sold in Malaysia, or anyway so I've observed. I think the price of products in Sephora would be a bit cheaper in Singapore than in Malaysia due the exchange rate, so I'm hoping that my mum would find something there.

18. What's your favourite night time look?

2011-12-19T22:55:00.000+08:00

What other than the classic smokey eyes? I really seldom go out at night, but in the event that I do, I really like to think that my eyes look mysterious, sexy and mesmerizing. Where night-time looks are concerned, the silhouette and the eyes are the key points - the eyes are the windows to the soul, and a good figure reels in attention.

So. In the past when I just started make-up I used to use browns for my smokey eye (Artistry eye shadows in Chocolate, Java and Ash Black). There was one time in Beijing, China when we were visiting my dad, I did this make-up look for a day trip (I hadn't fully grasped make-up theories yet), and my dad commented in an elevator: "Wow, Chean, you need to get more sleep." I was like "what?". Then my mum said, "It's called smokey eyes, it's the 'in' thing now". Something like that.

I have really dark under-eye circles, which makes pulling off brown eye shadow a bit tricky. My dad commented that because I hadn't concealed my under-eye circles and applied quite a bit of dark brown shadow to the outer half of my lower lash liner, somewhat intensifying the look of the dark circles.

Done impromptu. The brown didn't photograph well and my lashes wilted because of my Opera mascara, hence the less-glam look. However, I found a new trick for the brows.

I've learnt my lessons, and this is how I do my night-time look:

Skip ahead to eyes first by priming (shu uemura Creme Eyeshadow in Beige).
Apply an off-white color to inner corners (usually matte beige or a sheer champagne color).
Apply medium brown shadow sweeping from outer corners to center of lid and a tiny bit on the outer half of the lower lash line.
Apply dark brown shadow to outer corners, contouring the socket and applying a bit on the outer half of the lower lash line.
Apply black shadow right at the outer corners, joining with the lower lash line.
Line eyes with pencil/black shadow.
Line waterline with pencil liner.
Apply generous coats of mascara (Lancome Hypnose or MaxFactor FLE). False lashes optional.
Clean up fall-outs.
Apply foundation as concealer on eye circles and proceed with usual foundation.

It's actually very basic, and the colors can be replaced with many other colors. A hint of color added to the black would be nice. Foiling over a shimmery/metallic color at the center of the lid would also be pretty. I would usually go for the "sexy" look over the "sweet pretty" look.

Ps. While doing the piccie for this look I had already "contaminated" my angled brush with black shadow so I couldn't use it for the brows. I used my rarely used gel liner brush instead and I like the effect it created. Soft effect with precision.

Comic Fiesta 2011

2011-12-18T18:30:00.000+08:00

My first ever anime event. I'm serious. Up until now I don't think I've ever attended any exhibition or event that is to my interest.

I heard about the Comic Fiesta 2011 a few months ago and promptly made a date with the BF to go together. Just yesterday one of my friends went (Day 1) and said that she had lined until 4pm but she still couldn't get in, so had to buy tickets for Day 2, which she did for us as well. THANKS, XIN YI!!!

Waking up was the hard part. The BF and I had a late night - he was over at my house Mapling (guys) and we shared a bottle of Corona Extra (more like I gulped down more than half the bottle). After he was done with his Ice Knight quest it was quite late by the time he was ready for bed it was pass 2am.

We both woke up around 7am, and were practically dead on our feet. No more late nights before dates from now on. I did my morning routine, did my make-up (black eyes a la visual kei), and headed out to the LRT station, thinking I was 20 minutes late. Upon arrival did we realize that Xinyi had made a typo in her earlier text saying to meet at 8.30am - she meant 9.30am.

We arrived there, got in a bit of a ruckus (I've not been to the KLCC area for ages), and had breakfast at Subway. I prefer the management in Taylor's - at least the solo-at-the-entire-station staff at Taylor's listened to your order. This lady practically thought we wanted everything in pairs when I obviously stated I wanted Milo because she gave us two white coffees, which was what the BF ordered.

Moving on. Xinyi arrived in house-clothes (with her brother), disappeared for a while and looked like a Japanese schoolgirl who kinda jumped out of K-On. After lunch we walked toward the Convention Centre and the first sight of a cosplayer got me really excited - I've seen them around, but not around so many at a time.

Our tickets were basically the adhesive wrist bands that acted as passes, and supposedly the crowd on Day 2 was smaller - I personally found that Day 2's crowd was intimidating enough, and this was around 1/3 of the previous day's crowd. Holy bejesus, are there really so many Japanese fans around Malaysia?!

We entered, and we walked through the booths first. Lots of local artists doing their thing, displaying their works and whatnot. It was until then I realized that Malaysians are not all just about talk - there are actually some that have immense skill, and it seemed that all those skillful people were there today, and they're still looking for more of them!

The only thing was that I was looking for some hint of visual kei stuff among all the wonderful artworks, and we only found these hand-drawn cards of visual kei artists posters (hyde being the one excluded from the visual kei label). I got Miyavi and hyde, while the BF got Ruki and Reita from the GazettE (Y U NO URUHA, KAI AND AOI?!).

This Miku cosplayer has my bias. =P

We then wandered around the back of the exhibition hall where the cafe was and had a lot of cosplayers around there. At that point I hadn't found a cosplayer that I've liked enough to want to take a picture with them yet (no offense, really, I'm actually more self-conscious than anything). Then right then and there I saw the perfect Hatsune Miku cosplayer, and just as I was about to ask her permission to get a picture with her, the BF went AWOL. How cool is that. I had to take a solo picture of her, and I felt so embarrassed I wanted to just walk out of the hall and hide. A few moments after I walked away from the Miku cosplayer, he appeared behind me, grinning from ear to ear like a kid who successfully evaded from the seeker while playing hide-and-seek.

That more or less just ruined my day. Yes, I just missed that girl once I could find her again and request, but my self-consciousness came back by the time I next saw her. He, on the other hand, was taking pictures with a lot of the cosplayers. I seriously wanted to just stalk out of the place and go home without him knowing.

Anyway, enough of my drama. Once you enter the exhibition hall, the artists' booths are on the left, the stage right in front, and on the right are the sponsors and merchandise dealers. We had visited the artists' booths, the center area was jam-packed due to the solo cosplay contest (the was a Honne Onna from Jigoku Shoujo), so we took a visit to the right side of the hall.

T-shirts. Keychains. Bags. Posters. Rings. Necklaces. Phone accessories. Cosplay katanas. Masks. Kigurumi hats. YOU NAME IT, IT'S THERE! There's also the boob mousepad. It's basically a mousepad with two dome-shaped sponges at one edge, with a Japanese girl's bosom printed strategically there. For those more testosterone-driven otakus, or just some who'd like something funky!

Left: S size Miku - mine; right: M size Ichigo - BF's.

We got *drumroll~* T-shirts *the crowd boos*. One Bleach Ichigo for him, one Hatsune Miku for me. For RM45. At a stall where I met my classmate, Blue. I was like "OMFG is this really him? I thought he'd cosplay or something. Why does he look like he's in college?"

That was basically all we got. We walked around the entire hall another couple of times and finally exited ... at 1pm. Only around 3 hours had passed. Anyway, there was a Cloud Strife cosplayer right outside, and after taking a photo of the BF with him, I kinda walked away while he still stood there taking pictures. I think I could have just walked really far away and he wouldn't even notice.

There were still some cosplayers outside the convention center doing photoshoots, while some others, I think, couldn't get in yet. I saw Paine from Final Fantasy X-2, and a few guys I think from One Piece or Bleach. Apologies for my ignorance - much of a Japanese fan I am, I don't really watch them, but from posters and catalogs I can roughly identify them. Sorry again!

We first went through Candylicious a bit, reviewed some stuff in Sephora, then went up to Kinokuniya to look for visual kei magazines, but we only found Shoxx Profiles for Plastic Tree, D'espairsray and Miyavi. Then took the LRT to Hang Tuah, having in mind to repair my now (again) handicapped C6-00.

My C6-00 now has a variety of symptoms.

The sliding screen has to be pushed to a certain extent in order for the user to see the screen at all, but even if the screen is not visible, the touch screen is active.
It takes at least five seconds before the screen locks after activating the lock button.
The device would suddenly vibrate for no reason with the screen off continuously, and this cannot be deactivated by pressing the "off" button - only removing and replacing the battery can this problem be solved.

Cool, right? This is even cooler - the repair center was closed when we got there. #$%^&!!!!! The BF failed to recall this Sunday-closed thing even when I told him a few days ahead that I wanted to drop it there. Anyway, with painful feet and spine, we walked to Snowflake - for lunch.

I thought the branch at SS15 was packed - this was even worse. We had to wait around for tables, and when we did we shared with two supposed Singaporean girls who were discussing about Chatime, Gong Cha, Snowflake and the works. We each had a Japan Combo II (again).

By the time I got back home it was 5pm. The soles of my feet felt flat, I had large, dull blisters at the soles, and my thighs and calves were hurting like mad. My shower consisted of sitting on the toilet bowl for around 10 minutes removing the ton of black eyeliner and eye shadow I had piled up, plus the foundation, with my feet in a basin of cold water. My bath then *ahem* proceeded as usual.

That's when I really started to think about stuff. Malaysian cosplayers need to acknowledge the fact that cosplaying also includes make-up and hair-styling. I know this doesn't apply to all cosplayers, but for some, they get the necessary pieces of the costume, smack on some eyeliner and call it a day. Seriously? Also, shiny polyester cloth doesn't look well with bulging flesh. I saw this girl who was in cosplay with her belly exposed, but there were two tires there. I know I'm not any better, but I don't think I'd dare do that.

But there were some, though I'm not sure what they were cosplaying as, were cool as shit. There was this random girl in local secondary school uniform, with fake blood and liquid latex over her face and leg, feigning grotesque scars, complete with local school bag and typical low ponytail. Simple, but outstanding.

Oh, yeah. To Domo-kun fans out there, especially Jasmine, here's a treat for you guys. There was a slightly-larger-than-life sized Domo-kun walking around the place. It was the second or third round of walking and *BOOM* Giant. Brown. Cube. With arms and legs. With sharp teeth. He had to walk around horizontally to get anywhere. Poor dude. But cool costume, dude.

More piccies from the event:

Cosplayer girl. Dunno who she's cosplaying, but she was showing lots of cleavage.

Cosplayer: Tidus from Final Fantasy X.

Solo cosplay competition: Honne Onna from Jigoku Shoujo on stage.

Cosplayers: left - Paine from Final Fantasy X-2; right: unknown.

Another unknown cosplaying couple, but these two were as cool as hell.

Artist at the artists' booth doing her thing.

The freebie.

The event booklet~

All in all the day was really memorable, though it could've been more enjoyable if someone payed any attention.

17. Favourite makeup artist

2011-12-18T12:00:00.000+08:00

Uh... This is a little tough. I don't really know how to properly define and constitute "make-up artist", but I'll have to say Michelle Phan. She is Lancome's official make-up artist, right?

Anyway, Michelle Phan. I obsess over her almost as much as I obsess over the GazettE or Versailles. She's only a few years older than I am, but she's popular worldwide for her Youtube make-up videos. The first time I watched her video (Avant Garde Geisha look), I found her voice extremely soothing, and though the quality was meh, it looked pretty professional.

I found more and more of her tutorials really nice, and soon I watched her videos more for entertainment, unless I spot a really good tutorial that suits me. However, I'll say this - Michelle does anime-themed looks, but she still hasn't have any visual kei tutorials.

16. Do you copy celebrity make up looks?

2011-12-17T22:00:00.000+08:00

Nope. I don't think I ever have. Maybe it's because of my false assumption that celebrity make-up is basically almost all the same - eyeliner, mascara, blush, lipstick. The parts that I notice of celebrities are more fashion-oriented, though I do like Emma Watson's black and gold look.

Uruha

Ruki (neck stripes)

Ruki lips in Anata no Tame no Kimochi (if I'm not wrong)

Then again, I think the only celebrity looks I've done are Uruha's, and perhaps Ruki's. Uruha, needless to say, the false-crease make-up; Ruki the neck stripes and lips.

Beauty

2011-12-17T03:24:00.000+08:00

What really constitutes beauty?

I think the typical modern person would describe a perfectly beautiful person as having perfect features and a perfect heart. To those people - I'm sorry, you're living in fantasyland. Although such people do exist, it's quite hard to find them.

My definition of beauty is self-confidence and physique. Being the child who was constantly taunted "fat girl" by the entire family has pretty much left me with psychological scars. Most days I look in the mirror and see what I would constitute as "acceptably disgusting".

I had a rain check on myself just now, and noticed that apart from being completely emotional, I'm just a waste of time, money, effort and compassion. I don't have a particular skill in anything and basically just sit around moping and feeling sorry for myself.

I'm not a good daughter.

I'm not a good student.

I'm not a good friend.

Heck, I'm not even a good girlfriend.

Sometimes I seriously wonder whether I was the product of a last-minute decision.

15. Do you wear blush?

2011-12-16T16:43:00.000+08:00

I use my blush as contour, so I don't think it qualifies as blush. Since I only have one blush, and that blush is a very natural-toned blush, on my skin it looks as if I have inflamed blemishes. Hence, I only use it as cheek contour.

14. Favourite Youtube guru(s)

2011-12-15T13:08:00.000+08:00

Oh dear, where do I start? I gave a bit of a peek on this in the second challenge post. That's how I started. Now I'll tell you my favorites.

Needless to say, I love Michelle Phan. She is DA BOMB, thank you very much. Her videos are professionally filmed and edited, her instructions are clear, and she's now Lancome's official make-up artist, so how cool is that?! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that she knows Xiaxue, my all time favorite blogger.

The next would be Julia a.k.a MissChievous, who is based in Sweden. Her looks are more celebrity-oriented and specialized, and she posts regular reviews on beauty products. Recently she's doing more health and fitness videos.

Next would be Koren Zander from EnKore Makeup. I'm not really a fan of his make-up tutorials, but I like his reviews and other tutorials. His Back2Basics series informs audiences about the bare basics of make-up, the differences between certain confused terms, etc.

Catalina a.k.a cl2425 focuses more on Asian make-up, because she is Asian. She does a lot of Korean celebrity looks, the latest one being a Narsha liner look, and she does a lot of product reviews and stuff.

I think all those who follows Michelle Phan will also know Promise Tamang Phan, who is Michelle's sister-in-law. I find her face more versatile than many, and she can pull off almost any look. She does a lot of improv looks, and always manages to capture the image perfectly, just like Michelle.

Josh a.k.a Petrilude. A lot of drag looks and specialized make-up, and I mean Halloween-ish make-up. He deals a lot with liquid latex, brow covering and lots of false lashes. The amazing thing is, he looks amazing with all of that. The plus are his piercings. I'm sorry I just really like body modification.

Ps. I know that some people think that I'm over obsessing with Michelle, and while searching for photos on Google just now I came across a forum which was constantly criticizing Michelle for her techniques. I don't recall Michelle saying that any of those "tricks" are hers, and I feel that her use of white eyeliner is pretty much personal preference. I might be wrong, but as far as I can see, there's nothing much to criticize.

13. Where do you keep your makeup?

2011-12-14T13:02:00.000+08:00

I keep my make-up in various boxes of varying sizes, except for the 120 palette and my brush kit which are stand-alones.

The box that I use to keep most of my liners and single-pot shadows and small palettes is a rectangular, compartmentalized, stackable plastic box from Daiso. The box that I use to keep my face products (i.e. foundation, finishing powder, etc) in a square stackable box also from Daiso. My "lash box" is a faux antique treasure chest-style box which I got from a mall near Sogo KL, in a small shop which sells little gifts and decorative items.

All of these I stack beside my mini chest of drawers on top of my bureau. The area is pretty cluttered, but it provides the easiest access.

12. Favourite mascara

2011-12-13T12:03:00.000+08:00

I've used a few mascaras since I started doing make-up:

Majolica Majorca Lash Gorgeous Wing
Revlon Double Twist
Maybelline Volum' Express Hypercurl Cat Eyes
Opera Volume Control
Lancome Hypnose
MaxFactor False Lash Effect
Opera Length and Volume Control

All my mascaras are in black, and since I have so many tubes I can't bring myself to get any more tubes of mascara. The good thing is, I didn't have to buy any mascaras at all - most of them were given to me by my aunt, my two tubes of FLE from MaxFactor was my 17th birthday present from high school, and both the Opera mascaras were from my dad.

I guess there's no particular "best" mascara - each has it's own strengths and weaknesses, but my all time favorite mascara out of all these is the MaxFactor FLE. It gives me both length and volume (more of length, though) and doesn't clump too much (can be combed out with the brush).

The highlight of this mascara is the brush - it's by far MaxFactor's biggest brush, with a slightly tapered end. The pros of this mascara is that it really does give a false lash effect, thanks to the non-clumping and the super buildable formula. The pro and con of this mascara is also the brush - the largeness and small spiky bristles help coat each lash well, but the brush is way too big to reach into the small corners, even with the tapered tip.

11. Do you like wearing bronzer?

2011-12-12T11:57:00.000+08:00

I've never meddled with bronzer before. I only have my brown-toned pink blush, unless you count the foundation I own that is around 2-3 shades darker than my own skin tone.

Basically I would prefer my cheeks bare because I have lot of oil-seeds, whiteheads and blackheads all over, and especially my birthmark, so the blush that goes on just looks like I went for an extraction session. But due to the fact that I look really sick without any cheek products (due to my eye circles), I use the blush that I own as contour.

So, yeah. I don't use bronzer.

10. Favourite makeup brush

2011-12-11T11:37:00.000+08:00

Ehhh... I think it would be my fluffy brush from Daiso. I got this from IMM, Singapore's for RM4. Aluminium handle and neck, and I suspect that it's synthetic hair. I've had it since I got all my basic make-up brushes after watching Haze Long's video on the 88 palette, which was about three years ago, and the brush is still in good condition.

My other favorite brush is my TheFaceShop angled brush. I basically got this brush along with my gel liner brush and it's done me wonders - eyebrows, eyeliner, occasional lip lining, crease sculpting, etc. If I remember correctly I got this brush for either RM19.90 or RM25.90, and it's made from synthetic hair, plastic handle and aluminium neck.

My new favorite cereal?

2011-12-11T02:29:00.001+08:00

I've been trying to wean myself off sugar-loaded food and get more fiber and vitamins into my diet, and I think I'm on my way there. Grocery shopping with my mum proved productive, because I found this - Sante Granola Dark Chocolate cereal. This is basically the thing I was looking for: high in fiber, lots of oats and grains, and ever better, dark chocolate.

Dark or bitter chocolate is the healthiest type of chocolate among the chocolate family, largely due to either the amount of cocoa butter or something in the chocolate itself. Needless to say, dark chocolate is the least sweet among chocolates, and much less fattening, which is why many magazines recommend replacing your regular milk chocolates with dark chocolate so that you get to indulge, but do so healthily~

The box emphasizes the fact that this cereal has 8.2% of fiber in each serving, that's 8.2g per 100g. Let's say you have a 100g bowl with regular fresh milk, you get 8.2g of fiber, when the average daily adult fiber requirement is approximately 25g per day. By doing so, you've already got a third of your daily fiber intake, just add some more fruits and vegetables to your diet.

Personally, my fiber intake is relatively low, because I really seldom eat vegetables and fruits, and even if I do consume vegetables their usually a la Chinese - which means they're cooked through.

This was basically a treasure find for me. I was a bit wary at first because I'm not really an oat person, but this tasted really good, not like the Nestle type sweet cereal, but it wasn't as bad as I thought.

9. Picture of your makeup collection

2011-12-10T22:30:00.000+08:00

Aha! This is interesting. I've actually done a post on this before.

However, I've got a couple new additions to my collection, so I'll show you the updated version of my make-up stash, but I might have to do it in a few pictures, according to my categories.

1. Maybelline Clear Smooth Aqua Gel Foundation in 12 Natural

2. Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation samples (00 Creme Amande & 01,5 Cafe Lacte)

3. Callas Finishing Touch Face Powder in CFP 04 Clear Pearls

4. The Body Shop Oil Free Balancing Foundation in 05

5. Biotherm White Detox Bio-A[2] Whitening Pen Immediate Spot Corrector

6. Pigeon Compact Baby Powder in Beige

7. Bobbi Brown Blush in Blushed

8. Kate Concealer for Pores

9. The Face Shop lipstick in RD 301

10. Kiehl's Lip Balm SPF15 in Hue 30G

11. Dior Addict lipstick (color unknown, but it's a bright red with slight shimmer)

12. The Body Shop lipstick

13. Clarins Joli Rough LongWear Moisturizing Lipstick samples (716 Clarins Red, 717 Plum, 721 Chestnut & 722 Lilac Pink)

14. Clarins Instant Lip Perfector

15. Abon Lipstick Palette

16. MAQuillAGE Lipstick samples (RD252, RD387 & PK386)

17. 120 Palette
18. Daiso Cosmetic No. 165 Slim Type Double Eyelid Tape
19. Abon Creme Eyeshadow Palette
20. shu uemura Creme Eyeshadow in Beige
21. Elianto Vibrant Shadow in 06 Golden Yellow

22. Daiso Make-up Accessory No. 308 Brow Stencils

23. Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Liner in Sepia Ink

24. Elianto Stay-On Pencil Eyeliner in Black

25. The Face Shop Shimmering Eyeliner in White

26. The Face Shop Lovely ME:EX Auto Eyeliner in White

27. Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen in Blackest Black

28. The Face Shop Automatic Eyebrow Pencil in Black

29. Daiso Make-up Accessory No. 50 Medium False Eyelashes

30. 1000Hour Clear Eyelash Adhesive

31. Revlon Double Twist mascara in Blackest Black

32. Maybelline Volum' Express Cat Eyes Hypercurl mascara in Black

33. Opera Volume Control mascara in Black

34. Opera Volume & Length Control mascara in Black

35. MaxFactor False Lash Effect mascara in Black

36. Lancome Hypnose mascara in Black

37. Japanese half false lashes (I forgot the brand name)

38. Generic brand half lashes

39. Generic brand synthetic blush brush
40. Daiso fluffy synthetic eye make-up brush with cap
41. The Face Shop synthetic angled brush
42. The Face Shop synthetic gel liner brush
43. LE'masque Hazelia spoolie
44. LE'masque Hazelia sponge applicator/Q-tip
45. LE'masque Hazelia synthetic liner brush
46. LE'masque Hazelia synthetic lip brush
47. LE'masque Hazelia synthetic angled brush
48. LE'masque Hazelia small flat shadow brush
49. LE'masque Hazelia medium flat shadow brush
50. LE'masque Hazelia large flat shadow brush
51. LE'masque Hazelia fan brush
52. LE'masque Hazelia blush brush
53. LE'masque Hazelia face brush
54. LE'masque Hazelia brush roll

For the brushes #48-#53, I really don't know the hair type, but I can only guess natural hair, because it doesn't feel synthetic.

8. What's your favourite daytime look?

2011-12-09T21:45:00.000+08:00

My favorite day time look would usually be just eyeliner (in any color) and generous amounts of mascara.\

Here's what I do:

My darling- shu uemura Creme Eyeshadow in Beige. It's a shimmery beige cream eyeshadow that works perfectly as a shadow base.

Prep the eyes with a primer (shu uemura Creme Eyeshadow in Beige).
Select a color, and using an angled brush, apply it like eyeliner on the upper lash line.
Using the same angled brush, or use any other eyeliner of choice (usually black shadow or pencil), line tight-line the eyes (just along the roots of the upper lashes), winging out.
Curl lashes and apply mascara (Lancome Hypnose / MaxFactor False Lash Effect).

There are a few variations on how I do this look:

Plain color "liner".

Color "liner" with a hint of black for a fierce look and a pop of color.

All black if I'm feeling foxy.

For this look I used #104 (matte muted blue) for the color liner, and #9 & #10 for the black liner. (Refer here for 120 palette colors.) MaxFactor False Lash Effect mascara in black was applied on the upper lashes.

Foodie post!

2011-12-09T21:15:00.001+08:00

I find my blog bombarded with make-up and food posts lately. To be honest, most things have been mundane in my life these days due to assignments - get back from college, nap, eat, some relaxation, then I spend the next few hours late into the night referring to textbooks to complete an essay, and that's only one of them.

Anyways here are just some pictures from recently:

Crispy has always been my favorite chocolate snack besides Hershey's Cookies 'n' Cream. This is basically milk chocolate with rice cereal, and can be consumed at room temperature or chilled.

This is not a baguette - it's actually a croissant. I expected it to be crescent-shaped, like conventional croissants. Traditional shapes of pastries aside, this tasted quite good and was quite a substantial breakfast (served with coffee or tea). - The V @ RM4.50

The BF has always been ranting about how good Corona beer is compared to other more popular brands of beer in Malaysia like Carlsberg, Heinekein, and Tiger (personally I prefer the first two). I was grocery shopping with my mum two days ago and I spied alcohol along with the other drinks and saw Corona for RM12.90 per bottle. As of now I haven't opened it yet due to some unforeseen circumstances, but as soon as I can I shall try this bottle of "amazing" beer.

7. Favourite eye shadow color

2011-12-08T17:54:00.000+08:00

After getting the 120 palette, I would say I've been experimenting with lots of colors - or at least, lots of different shades of colors. Among my favorite are red (#46 & #47) and army green (#14 & #15), which is quite a surprise because I also really love bright navy blue colors for the eyes.

Usually I'd stick to the same few shades because I have less time for serious experimentation now and whenever I whip out the palette I'm usually running late.

6. Do you like/wear false lashes? If yes, strip or individual?

2011-12-07T17:45:00.000+08:00

I'm kinda stuck with false lashes - I wear them every once in a while and I love the effect that it gives the entire look. However, I'm really still not used to applying them - the only time I've ever successfully applied them without much hassle was when I cut my RM1 (around 30 cents in US currency) lashes in half for a more natural finish.

I've only ever used strip lashes before, though I'm curious as to the effect that individual lashes will give. I'll first use the two pairs of lashes that I have in store until they're close to death before I'll buy any more false lashes.

5. Favorite lipstick, lip gloss and lip liner?

2011-12-06T22:26:00.000+08:00

Favorite lipstick for now is Clarins Joli Rouge LongWearing Moisturizing lipstick in 722 Lilac Pink. It's a very nice muted lilac toned pink which is compatible with most looks. I've only ever used the sample, because I still have around 3 more tubes of unused lipstick, which would probably stay unused. I'm still waiting for the right opportunity to get the tube.

Another favorite is TheBodyShop's lipstick in 07. It's a dusty nude pink color that adds just the right hint of color but is still versatile enough for most looks.

Right now my favorite lip gloss is the Clarins Instant Lip Perfector. It's a very light pink gel that applies clear with a hint of pink to - as the name suggests - perfects the lips instantly. The only con about this is that it's really sticky and this leads to your hair sticking on your lips.

I don't use lip liner. However, if I were to do gothic looks, I'd use black pencil liner as a lip liner.

4. Do you like wearing foundation? If so, what's your color and favorite?

2011-12-05T21:19:00.000+08:00

I do, actually. However it's something that I won't wear alone, like I won't wear blush without foundation and I won't wear just false lashes or something like that. I'm currently using Maybelline Clear Smooth Aqua Gel Foundation in 12 Natural, but this actually makes my skin look around a shade paler, but at least it evens out my skin tone.

I prefer liquid foundation over powder, just because liquid foundation doesn't show all the flaking skin so much, and it basically helps smooth out the skin texture as well as the skin tone. It also doubles up as a concealer.

An hour back at Taiwan Dami

2011-12-05T20:31:00.001+08:00

Today was pretty uneventful apart from the fact that our Business lecturer gave us a little peek at his school life, which was pretty interesting. Before that, we had Korean brunch - dumpling ramen with Korean tea. The dumplings sucked, and the soup was not kimchi soup. However, it was pretty filling.

After classes (and some sleeping in the library), Jasmine and I went to Taiwan Dami for afternoon tea, if you could call it that. The management revamped the place - placement of tables different, new wallpaper, and of course, new staff, but Ramesh was still there, and as usual I was laughing like a mad woman.

Anyways, I ordered my deep fried plum sweet potato and a green tea with milk and pearls. Standards were still OK, the sweet potato has returned to almost its former quality, but the green tea was slightly off. Can't exactly pinpoint the 'off' part but it was off.

Jasmine ordered an original fried chicken chop and a jasmine green tea. Come to think of it I should have at least ordered something I haven't tried before - Tinh and I occasionally sneaked a couple of sweet potato fries whenever there was extra, and I almost always order the green tea with milk when I'm off work. Why the hell didn't I, then?

Anyhow, I'M NOW UP TO MY NECK WITH ASSIGNMENTS. ONE 1800-WORD ESSAY. TWO RESEARCH PROPOSALS. ONE PRESENTATION ABOUT EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION AND BEHAVIOR. NO HOLIDAYS FOR CHRISTMAS. FINALS RIGHT AFTER CHINESE NEW YEAR. WHAT HAS THE WORLD COME TO?!

3. Favorite brand

2011-12-04T09:00:00.000+08:00

I don't have a particular favorite brand of cosmetics, but the most frequently used products are from Maybelline. When I first started to wear make-up, I used their eye shadows and mascaras, now my favorite foundation is from Maybelline.

For mascaras, my favorite brands are MaxFactor and Maybelline. For foundation I like TheBodyShop and Maybelline for the blendability. For eye shadows, I'm still stuck with my 120 palette. I don't have any particular favorite brand of lip products, but I like the Clarins Instant Lip Perfector.

A day of movies

2011-12-03T22:50:00.001+08:00

Finally. It's been a long time since I've last been to the cinema. On this rather rare day out with the BF, we were determined to watch at least two movies. Tried to do online booking the previous night but somehow for all movies everywhere and at anytime, I got "Sorry, this movie is fully booked", or something like that, at least.

The previous night I spent most of my time doing an egg white mask (didn't really work though, it needs the yolk as well to be perfect), removing my old, chipped nail polish and repainting my nails, this time experimenting with nail art (though the attempts were not very successful). I'll post a bit on this later.

So I basically woke up at 8am, after having slept at around 2am. It was a cold and dim morning - I'm a person who doesn't really hate the cold but just gets really cold really easily. I spent another 15 minutes snoozing, then finally picked myself up and did my morning routine.

Make-up was pretty simple. Using Maybelline's Color Trio Eyeshadow in Three Chocolate, I just used the medium brown as the base color, the dark brown for the outer corner and the shimmery beige for highlight, all over shu uemura's Creme Eyeshadow in Beige. I used Artistry eye shadow in Ash Black to line the eyes, extending the line straight out and joining it with a small line on the lower lash line. Lashes were curled and MaxFactor's False Lash Effect mascara was applied generously. Spot coverage with foundation and some blush/bronzer, plus a tint of Clarins Instant Lip Perfector finished the look.

I walked out of the house at around 9am, meeting the BF halfway along the road to the LRT station, just like we did on our first date. It actually kinda makes me reminiscent of the old days where I still wasn't so bloody selfish and over-sensitive. ANYWAY.

RapidKL's LRT has changed their floppy metal-paper ticket thingy into those plastic tokens with electronic chips in them. To be honest, I kinda prefer Singapore's MRT tickets - a thick card, something like a credit card - durable, and the rebate thing really keeps the users from abusing them.

The moment we reached our destination (I shall skip the KTM part because I think most of the people who have taken the KTM will know already), we went straight to the cinema ticket counter and queued. A trip to ChaTime at LG ('cause the one right in front of the cinema would only open at 1pm) and Just Popiah to get some munchies and we were in the cinema.

I regret not taking pictures of the popiah because it was pretty good. When I observed the lady making the popiah, I was kinda turned off because the tuna filling was meager and she added cucumbers (which I don't really like in rolls). However, it turned out quite pretty - the small amount of tuna gave just the right hint of flavor to the popiah, which the cucumber added crunch to the already-crunchy popiah (because there was this fried batter bits things inside).

Our first movie - Real Steel, starring Hugh Jackman (as Charles Kenton), Dakota Goyo (as Max Kenton) and Evangelline Lily (as Bailey). Boxing has turned a sharp corner a few years ago, using 8-foot robots as boxers for more violence and entertainment. Charlie was a rising boxer, but the industry turn threw him off and now lives off debts and attempts at robot fights.

After a lost match and fighting bot, Charlie finds out that his ex-girlfriend has passed away and his 11-year-old son Max is to be under his custody. Initially he makes a "business deal" with Max's aunt's husband, requesting US$100, 000 and a summer with Max. Things are awkward at first, but after they find Atom, a sparring bot, the grow closer, and make it up to the World Robot Boxing championships against the formerly undefeated Zeus, designed by the almighty Tak Mashido.

I freakin' LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! It has action, romance and sentimental-ness to it, and the soundtracks are just awesome. The funny thing was that Nine Thou from NFSMW was used when Atom was fighting a Zoo robot. I think I'll give this a 9 stars~

We had McD for lunch, but didn't have enough time for Snowflake. I miss Snowflake. The soya ice. The baby pearls. The ocha balls. ARGH! Believe it or not today was the first time I tried the Quarter Pounder with Cheese in my life. I usually stick to Spicy Chicken McDeluxe, McChicken or Fillet 'O' Fish, which I would actually prefer.

Our next movie - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, starring Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan), Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) and Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black). Bella and Edward are finally getting married, and during their right-after-wedding honeymoon, they make love and somehow Bella gets pregnant.

Bella wants to keep the baby, while everyone else except Rosalie wants the baby gone, for both Bella's and the citizens of Forks' safety. Jacob is determined to protect Bella when Sam decides to get rid of the baby, compromising Bella in the process, causing Jacob, Leah and Seth to leave Sam's pack. An accident makes the baby break Bella's spine, and after the baby is born (her name is Renesmee), Jacob imprints on her.

The movie stops right at the part where Bella wakes up after being injected with large amounts of Edward's vampire venom. All in all, I felt that this particular movie in the saga is the best - in terms of effects and cinematography. Some parts were quite monotonous, and Kristen Stewart's face still froze in that expression all the time, but I liked that they used remixes of Bella's lullaby and more sound effects in total than just piano solos.

A replica of Bella's wedding dress in Breaking Dawn.

I also liked the make-up and outfits they used in this particular movie, especially Bella's wedding dress. It was simple, yet beautifully intricate with the lace cut out at the back, and the fish tail hem. The make-up part I really liked how they sculpted out "hollows" for Bella's eyes when she was in her coma after delivering Renesmee. This movie gets 7.5 stars~

We finished off the day waiting for the bus, waiting for the driver of the bus to appear and get moving, and I am greeted my a really temper-provoking statement. Then I find most of my things all over, what usually was on my sister's bed all piled on mine, and all the stuff I had hanging on the clothes horse shoved to one corner for just a small set of underwear. Please, respect my privacy and personal space. I was not designed to bow down to you completely. However, some may argue that I should speak up for myself, well perhaps I should.

Anyway, after a while of sleeping face-down on the floor, I changed up, put on a hint of make-up then went out the Padi House for dinner. Padi House is actually a pretty worth-your-buck place to eat, depending on what you order.

I had the Mongolian Lamb the previous time I visited, which was quite good, and this time I ordered the Grilled Chicken with Pesto - grilled chicken topped with melted mozzarella pesto, served with mashed potatoes and asparagus. The only thing I didn't like was that the asparagus was not prepared properly - they weren't snapped at the ends, which resulted in really tough, fibrous asparagus ends. The mozzarella pesto was beautifully flavorful, and compliments the flavor of the chicken (which was also well seasoned).

I had that with a fresh green apple juice, which kinda left me craving something really sweet and cold after that. Nearby Padi House is Tutti Fruity (frozen yogurt) and ChaTime. A BlackBall (something like Snowflake) is opening soon along that row of shops, but I really hope Snowflake (or even better a Subway branch) will open soon.

2. How did you learn to put on makeup?

2011-12-03T22:14:00.000+08:00

First it was those picture tutorials from magazines, then I slowly moved on to picture tutorials on blogs (Haze Long), then slowly graduating to YouTube videos. One of my earliest tutorials watched was by Julia a.k.a MissChievous (blog & YouTube).

I don't remember the exact first video I watched from MissChievous, but I remember very well which video I watched first from Michelle Phan (website & YouTube). I don't think there's anyone who learns make-up on YouTube who doesn't know about Michelle Phan (but seriously, I may be wrong). I first watched her Geisha Make-up tutorial.

From then on I found tutorials on YouTube from EnKore, Petrilude (blog), Yonicana, AsianNoobRawrs, Makeup Piggy (blog), LadyMakeup1, Kandee Johnson (blog), Emeraude (blog), Promise Tamang Phan, Bubz (website) and Blix (blog). Some of these concentrate on blog tutorials while others like Michelle concentrate on video tutorials.

Today's dinner is ...

2011-12-02T23:40:00.001+08:00

... salted chicken all the way from Ipoh! Though the size of the chickens have shrunk over the years, but the taste is still the same. We always get our salted chickens from this particular shop in Ipoh, and it is really popular. One time we passed by town and just decided to get some home for dinner, the lady told us that they were sold out, but there were boxes and boxes and boxes stacked up against the wall, all reserved.

Salted chicken is just chicken, rubbed all over with salt and steamed together with some Chinese herbs (namely "dang gui") while wrapped in brown paper. The product is a beautifully savory and fragrant chicken.

Served with this beautiful, flavorful chicken is a plain, mildly peppery steamed egg.

1. When did you start putting on makeup?

2011-12-02T21:33:00.000+08:00

I can't exactly pinpoint the exact moment I began putting on make-up. I remember my mum dolling me up for a photo-shoot before, using just some of her eyeliner and muted red lipstick.

I think the time I really started to wear make-up (by myself) is when I started my first job at my aunt's office. I got the look tutorial from a Chinese magazine - it was an all-brown natural day look, using a burnt orange as a base, a light brown for the inner corners and dark brown for the outer corners.

I usually made this look more gothic than it should have been because I tended to overuse the dark colors. From then on I started experimenting, finding Haze Long's blog first (formerly known as blushberry.blogspot.com), then slowly going through magazines, and YouTube make-up tutorials.

The 31 day challenge

2011-12-01T22:57:00.001+08:00

I think you guys have noticed daily posts on supposedly nonsense. I agree with you if you agree that it's all nonsense. ANYWAYS. Here's the entire list if you're interested.

Day ...

Day 31 - Do you think when you work hard for something you really want, that the reward is worth all your hard work? Or is it better to just get what you want, when you want it?

2011-12-01T20:46:00.000+08:00

Usually when I pour all my heart and soul to doing something, I have sort of a vision of how I would be rewarded. Most times I have motives for being hardworking - I want this, I need that but had already asked for something earlier, something like that.

I guess it depends on the situation, as usual. Sometimes I don't mind working hard to get something (a perfect body, perhaps), but in general, it would be nice to get what you want when you want.

I've gone through lots of those horoscope and "which day and month you were born" fortune things, and a personal physical reading from my grandmother - all say I would have a prosperous career in the future. I'm a bit doubtful due to the fact that I'm barely scraping through my foundation program. To be honest it really is interesting, though my excitement fizzles when a lecturer starts comparing us to concentration camp prisoners in Soviet Russia (I think, correct me if I'm wrong).

The "fortune" that I'll have a prosperous career and my grandma's fortune-telling (by looking at my earlobes) says I'll be quite well-to-do. Though some other people say that this "fortune feature" has been greatly distorted by my collection of piercings (should do a post about this soon, too). Especially the Chinese, if you have a very fortunate "feature", such as big eyes or round earlobes, then you should leave them be as much as possible, unfortunately I didn't and punched nine holes in total on both my ears.

All in all, getting what I want when I want all depends on my financial ability, something which I have yet to acquire.

Mushies!

2011-12-01T15:35:00.001+08:00

Mushroom omelet, something which I haven't made in a really long time. I forgot about the cheese, though, and I added some whipping cream into the egg mixture.

Since I opened a can of mushrooms and used 6 of the 9 mushrooms in the can for the omelet, I used the rest to make some simple hors d'ouevre (did I spell it right?) with some cheese, chili powder and dried dill.

My cousin scared the bejesus out of me just now. We have a particular bathroom door that's tricky to unlock once it's locked, and my little cousin, not knowing the technique, locked herself inside for god-knows-how-long. There was no other way to get her out but to break the door down (which is the first time in my life), and my younger sister and I managed to patch the door back into a workable state.

Another challenge? Seriously?

2011-11-30T22:40:00.001+08:00

I shall be starting another challenge, but this time on make-up. I found this challenge here. Hope I'll be able to post up pictures as well.

1. When did you start putting on makeup?
2. How did you learn to put on makeup?
3. Favourite brand
4. Do you like wearing foundation? If so, what's your color and favourite?
5. Favourite lipstick, lip gloss and lip liner?
6. Do you like/wear false lashes? If yes, strip or individual?
7. Favourite eye shadow color
8. What's your favourite daytime look?
9. Picture of your makeup collection
10. Favourite makeup brush
11. Do you like wearing bronzer?
12. Favourite mascara
13. Where do you keep your makeup?
14. Favourite Youtube guru(s)
15. Do you wear blush?
16. Do you copy celebrity make up looks?
17. Favourite makeup artist
18. What's your favourite night time look?
19. Favourite concealer
20. Favourite eyeshadow primer
21. Where do you buy your makeup at?
22. Favourite toner
23. Favourite eye shadow palette and blush palette
24. Which do you like: cream, matte, powder, sheer or shimmer eye shadows?
25. Favourite eyeliner
26. Do you wear makeup everyday?
27. Favourite powder
28. Favourite makeup remover
29. Do you like wearing liquid liner? If so, what's your favorite?
30. Picture of yourself with and without wearing makeup

Food pics

2011-11-30T22:18:00.001+08:00

Just a couple of random pics of the food I've eaten the pass couple of days.

First. The asam laksa from I Love Yoo and a warm soy milk. The asam laksa sells for RM5.90 a bowl, with quite filling portions and lots of veggies, though the fish that day wasn't very fresh. The soy milk sells for RM2.90, and is quite alright for the price.

This is the Prawn Roe Baked Rice with Beef and Wasabi Sauce from Wong Kok Restaurant. Among all the baked rices, this is the cheapest - RM14.20. It's just rice and beef baked in a foil-lined bamboo basket, topped with an extremely generous amount of prawn roe and some mild wasabi sauce. If you're easily full, please do not order because this would make you feel extremely bloated due to the richness of the prawn roe. Take it from me - this is a person who loves eating talking.

Day 30 - Do you keep a personal journal? What sort of stuff do you put in it? Do you care if others see it?

2011-11-30T14:18:00.000+08:00

I used to have a diary, but I've stopped writing in it for many years already. Mostly because my life became mostly mundane, with nothing special so I saw no point in writing anything, anyway. I usually wrote entries of my life (story-like technique), whatever that specially happened that day, what I dreamed about the other night and my fantasies about my crushes.

However, my blog is basically my substitute journal. Although I find that my blog is getting more and more commercial-style (I would like to think that it is), but sometimes I still write super-long entries of text-only complaints and all that.

Day 29 - How do you think your friends judge you? How would a complete stranger judge you? Why?

2011-11-29T14:14:00.000+08:00

I think my friends judge me as a (I would like to think) decent friend, a listener, a very "naughty" person full of weird thoughts, and perhaps sometimes extremely annoying.

Strangers find me strange, I think. My neutral face is basically this face: >:{ Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror when I'm having a mask on (which is usually when I have my neutral face) and find it interesting how ugly I look. However, depending on my mood of the day, I think strangers judge me as obnoxious, annoying, self-absorbed, weird, etc.

Day 28 - Do you tell it how it is, or keep your thoughts to yourself? Which do you think is best?

2011-11-28T14:11:00.000+08:00

It all depends on the thought itself. Though obviously you can't please everyone, it would be best to keep the majority of the crowd in good spirits. However, most of the time I really need to let things out, because supposedly my emotional and thought bank has reached it's limit - I have to find another way to let things out.

Two dinners

2011-11-28T02:06:00.001+08:00

Emo-ish lately, and I haven't touched MapleSEA in a really long time. Oh well.

For the first dinner, it was with Aunty Joanne and Uncle Danny at the Seri Petaling branch Maiu Japanese Restaurant. I think you guys remember my first encounter with Maiu at Damansara Perdana. The difference in between the two branches are basically the layout and design.

The Damansara Perdana branch has a very traditional (albeit dark) Japanese atmosphere, with traditional-style Japanese furniture. However, the Seri Petaling branch is very well lit, with an orchid-printed wall on the right and a bright green wall that separates the dining area from the kitchen. There's also a small sushi bar at the back corner.

The ordering method, however, is the same for both - you're given a menu with five slots to place the quantity of your order. For an average price of RM40 per person, the choice range is quite wide, and the dishes are fresh and tasty, as compared to some other restaurants which charge up to RM80 per person, and though these have even wider ranges of choice, but half their selections are of local food.

Outfit of the evening was my red off-shoulder top, black leggings, multi-chain dark chrome necklace and gladiators. I noticed later in the night that this was way too much - the red was getting a lot of attention already, not to mention the make-up.

Make-up of the day - dark smokey punk with just a hint of color. I actually did this look last minute, because BF said he preferred sexy make-up. Fragrance of the day was Lancome Tresor. Here's what I used:

shu uemura Creme Eyeshadow in Beige
#46, light shimmery red (applied on inner corners)
#47, shimmery red (applied on outer 2/3 of eyelid)
#7, dark shimmery grey (applied on outer-V, contouring above crease blending outwards toward end of brow, and some on outer lower lashline)
Artistry eye shadow in Ash Black (applied along upper lashline using angled brush)
Artistry eye shadow in Chocolate and Ash Black (applied with angled brush, layered on outer half of brows)
Sabrina's Secret Eye Pencil in Gold (applied thinly along lower lashline and waterline)
Artistry eye shadow in Sand (applied as highlight under arch of brows)
MaxFactor False Lash Effect mascara in Black (applied on upper lashes after curling)
TheBodyShop Oil-Free Balancing Foundation in 05 (applied using wet sponge on eye circles)
Maybelline Clear Smooth Aqua Gel Foundation in 12 Natural (applied rest of face, layering on blemishes)
Pigeon Compact Baby Powder in Beige (applied over foundation in patting motions)
Dior Addict red lipstick

I admit the lip color is a bit too strong for the eye make-up, but I blotted most of the lipstick off before I went out.

Potato salad.

Deep fried soft shell crab - soft shell crab age.

Chawan mushi.

Highlight of the day. The seemingly ordinary but ...

... it's bread-crumb coated fried tofu with a small oyster at the center.

Food recommendations were a must since I was the one who introduced the restaurant - of course, only of those that I have tried before. The dishing method for some of the food such as the cha soba and the special mushroom soup were different. We tried a couple of different new items this time, such as the fried tofu and the potato salad.

Receipt of the day *click to enlarge*

All in all the meal was satisfying, though I regret ordering another wasabi ice cream, knowing full well what it would do to me.

Curry chicken, fried rice, fried beehoon, spicy fried beehoon, fried chicken, chicken fish nuggets, sambal sotong, mixed veggies and lemongrass chicken served with soy milk.

The other dinner would be on the next day, for my mum's cousin's son's daughter's full moon celebration. Dinner was the basic Chinese-style catering - fried rice, fried beehoon, spicy fried beehoon, fried chicken, curry chicken with potatoes, deep-fried spring rolls, etc. The selection, however, was pretty limited - there was only 2 types of pastries and only one type of beverage.

Day 27 - Do you get jealous of your friends easily? If you do, how come?

2011-11-27T14:04:00.001+08:00

Sometimes. I honestly depends on my current status. Most I get jealous when I'm down or just recently got my whatever request rejected. My friends seem to have more freedom than me when it comes to going out for days trips or just dinner with friends.

They go clubbing, out for parties, constant shopping trips with friends, etc. Usually I'd have to plan when I ask and how to arrange my many requests by priority. This is because if I were to have gone out once in that week, my other request to go out again in that week would most probably be rejected.

Then there's the seemingly unlimited cash supply that they have - they go for Chatime, Snowflake, Gong Cha, etc. And there's also the fact that they have cars.

Day 26 - Honestly now, if you could change three things about you (looks, personality, etc.) , what would they be and why?

2011-11-26T13:58:00.000+08:00

I've almost always been unhappy with myself physically - too much blubber here, too round there. However recently I seem to be more accepting of my figure.

Physically, I love that I have the hourglass figure, but I want a flatter tummy, firmer thighs and arms, more even skin tone, a sharper face, thicker hair, and preferably slightly taller.

Personality-wise, I wished I wasn't so closed up, I wished I was more optimistic and more people-friendly.

An interesting Thursday

2011-11-26T00:52:00.001+08:00

Usually Thursday would be the most worrisome day of the week since the second semester started - 3-hour lecture in the morning, then a five-hour break before the next class commences. Can't go home, don't want to stay on campus, so sometimes we just go to Sunway Pyramid.

I rarely eat early breakfasts. If I wake up at 6am, the earliest I can eat something is around 8am. However, since someone asked whether I wanted McD breakfast, I chose to try the new Chicken McMuffin, which is basically a regular Sausage McMuffin, but the patty inside is replaced with a blown-up Chicken McNugget and some sauce to counter-balance the moisture.

However, this particular morning was interesting - our lecturer was on leave, so we had a replacement lecturer (which hadn't happened before until now, those who couldn't make it just cancelled classes and didn't really bother to replace them). For the first time since the start of the semester, I listened through the entire lecture and copied down 5 pages of notes, which usually doesn't happen.

What I usually do during that lesson is sleep, space-out or chat with my classmates. This replacement lecturer was supposed to be our lecturer, until the present lecturer came along and our class was given to him. Having lectured Masters students before, we usually got 3 full hours of monotonous talking about tables and chairs. Our replacement lecturer, however, had SLIDES, and her explanations and examples were much easier to understand.

Anyway we (Jasmine, Jeanna, Su, Quinie, Yevon and I) took the bus to Sunway Pyramid after class, and lounged around, took some photos while waiting for the McValue lunch time. I had another round of McD - McChicken, with a fries and a Coke. By this time Su had went home.

We wandered around, took a few pictures, then at the Vitagen campaign area Jessica met up with us. We got some free Vitagens for answering 5/5 correct in a quiz, then went over to a shop which specialized in traditional Chinese clothing, namely cheongsams.

Jeanna wanted to get one to wear to her grandma's birthday, and so we tagged along, thinking we would also be "kepochi"s and try some of the garments. However, we couldn't find any designs that were to our liking, so we left without trying anything.

Another round of wandering had us at a couple of gown boutiques, we lingered in one which we've never entered before called Merry Merry, if I remember correctly. These are the few gowns that I thought were quite nice and could sneak pictures of.

Blue mesh-lined strapless bustier-style tiered dress.

White full length strapless gown with red peek-a-boo and empire waist.

A little more detail from the strapless gown, matched with a black beaded necklace.

Contrary to my mum's and aunt's rants about how Forever 21 stock clothes that are more for 30-year-old women, I find the selection in F21 very wide - there's mature, there's girly, there's summer, there's young chic. I think you can get most of your wardrobe basics here, though I'm not so sure about the prices.

The first thing I saw were the shoes - at least 6-inches for heels - boots, cotton shoes, pumps, platforms. And they are (in my opinion) more inexpensive than Charles & Keith! Anyway, we went on a frenzy - each of us (Jasmine, Jeanna, Jessica, Quinie, Yevon and I) picked out a few garments each, went to the fitting rooms, then tried on our own and each others' selections.

Yevon was a little tricky - she refused to want to try anything, and Jasmine and I had to find a couple of garments for her to try (more Jasmine than me, but anyway). Here are some of the pics of the garments that I tried that day. (Ignore the stupid expressions pleeze)

Printed floral strapless dress.

Leopard print mini strapless dress with ruffle hem.

Grey one-shoulder maxi dress with dusty khaki stripes.

Grey long sleeve boat-neck bodycon dress.

Fine floral print bustier-style strapless dress.

Brown-and-white stripe dress with belt (the back is lace).

Turquoise strapless floor length bodycon dress.

Girly print spaghetti strap dress.

Beige dress with printed hearts and belt.

Orange-ish pink spaghetti strap empire waist maxi dress.

I always thought that Cotton On and Forever 21 stocked high-priced garments, but I find that the prices almost the same as those boutiques at Mid Valley that my mum likes to visit. There was another white chiffon-ish strapless maxi dress that I tried, but the material was so sheer that my underwear was visible, so the pic's not here.

We also had a stop at Vincci, only until then I remembered that I needed shoes - heels (pumps and/or wedges, decent ballerinas (no more cloth material), and some decent sandals. I saw some nice designs at Vincci, and when I asked mum when I got home, she actually said "yeah, you really do need shoes, all your shoes are falling apart".

A last stop at Daiso to get my razors and double eyelid tape marked the end of our (my) day. Some of my friends asked why I wanted eyelid tape since I already had "inner" double eyelids. Here's the thing - I have a fetish for French manicures, and always wanted to do some but never really got round too. My younger sister had that eureka moment and used regular scotch tape as something like a stencil.

The product was nice, but a bit weird since it's pretty straight for nails. One time my aunt came by, saw my sister dealing with lots of scotch tape, and thus suggested that we try using eyelid tape because it's curved. Since Daiso has really cheap ones (I didn't really notice Sasa's prices for eyelid tape, though), so I got a pack of 20 sets from there.

Much thanks to Jasmine recently, especially today for driving my out to get the tiramisu ingredients then being such a darling to help me take everything into the house. I LOVE YOU!

Day 25 - What would be the best thing that could happen in your life right now? Is this possible or just an unrealistic dream?

2011-11-25T22:29:00.000+08:00

The best thing that would happen to me right now is that I get popular somehow on the internet, then become an internet celebrity (small scale like Brian See, or almost international like Wendy Cheng aka Xiaxue, or international superstar Michelle Phan). Whether it's by make-up or blogging, I don't mind.

The next best thing would be that my assignments miraculously complete themselves, good enough to at least let me pass the semester. However, this is obviously an impossible feat of wild imagination.

Day 24 - What do you think is the most backwards thing of today’s society? In your view, how could this be changed?

2011-11-24T21:59:00.000+08:00

I think the most backward thing in today's society is, naively, changing boy/girlfriends every week or so.

I have heard of girls who do that - hook up with a hopeful guy, get something (usually material) from him, then dump him. If that guy happens to be those sweet guys who are really serious in relationships, then this might just make him become a bachelor for the rest of his life due to psychological scars.

As for the playboys, most likely the girl will just bawl over you for a couple of days but she'll be dating again soon. However there are exceptions to that - girls are generally those who would fall in love more deeply than guys (read "Why Men Want Sex and Women Need Love" by Allan and Barbara Pease).

I don't think there's really a way to solve this, because it's basically part of human nature.

There's actually also one thing, namely in KL - using public transport, especially the KTM. The KTM is the most crowded from of public transport in KL (as far as I can observe), the next being LRT, RapidKL buses depending on the time.

Everyone who has used it knows that the KTM is crowded, so what do they do? Those who want to board barge their way in, complaining that there's no place to sit/stand, while those who want to alight can't because of that incoming horde. Where, may I ask, is the logic in that? When has KL-ans become so ... primitive?

In Singapore, it's already culture to allow passengers to alight before getting onto the vehicle. Here? There's no such thing in general. There may be guards every once in a while, with potbellies, a loud whistle and a stick, rudely "commanding' everyone to "stay behind the line". Seriously, you expect foreign tourists to come back here?

There's also the taxi "culture" in KL - in other countries (namely referring to Singapore because I've only ever been on a taxi there), you hail the cab, whether the driver likes it or not he has to stop, and drive you wherever you want to go.

Here, the taxi driver ignores you if he pleases, and if he does stop you must first ask him whether he's willing to drive you to your destination, and if he says yes then sometimes you'll have to bargain a price with him, when a sticker on the door says that the taxis run strictly on meters and no bargaining. This is actually a shame to me, which is why I would rather take the bus, or walk (if I have to), rather than take a taxi.

Make-up tag Ver. 2.0

2011-11-23T22:47:00.001+08:00

* What's your favorite makeup look???
For day, I like simple slightly-winged black lined eyes, preferably with a bit of contour for the crease, with spot-concealer and contour/blush, and lip balm.

For night, I prefer darker, smokey eyes, with false lashes if I have the time, with full face, matte foundation, but same contour/blush and lip balm.

* What part of your body do you love??
For now I'm in love with my collar bones and decollete - they're not beautifully defined, but they're more defined than other parts of my body. Somehow I'm also falling in love with my stretch marks.

* Who is your beauty icon??
To be honest I have no idea. The image of beauty is basically of those airbrushed models in fashion/beauty magazines. However if I had to name one, it would be Michelle Phan. She talented, naturally pretty, and she has a good heart.

* What beauty product makes you feel instantly good???
Michelle Phan's egg mask! Especially when my skin is like plagued with blackheads, whipping on a cool, albeit kinda stinky, egg mask instantly tightens the skin, refines the pores (egg white), and returns magical elasticity to the skin (egg yolk)~

* How do you look after your skin??
Religious facial regimens (morning and night, double cleansing, eye cream, alternate-day masks), and I try to keep my hair out of my face as often as possible.

* What is your signature scent!!??
I usually smell like lotion, or my bed. Once in a while I'll be reeking with medicated oil, if I remember and/or feel like it, I'd spray on some prefume (Versace Bright Crystal, Salvatore Ferragamo Incanto Shine, L'Occitane Cherryblossom Solid Perfume, Eau de Sisley 3)

* What's your hair care secrets?
Don't over shampoo, condition your hair, let it air dry, apply serums or leave-on conditioners, if possible. Brush hair daily, but not too frequently, use a cherrywood comb daily, making sure to massage the scalp.

* How do you pamper yourself?
Beauty-wise, leg waxing and/or a facial. Having someone massage you, and knowing that your skin is gonna look better kinda lifts my spirits, though most of the time I'm too excited to actually relax.

* Finally how do you have a beauty philosophy??
Natural is best, keep everything in moderation and there are always certain guidelines to most things - though you can switch it up, it's best to play along those guidelines.

Sweet, spicy, herby pasta

2011-11-23T19:56:00.001+08:00

OMG my entire blog feed is packed with mukuchu's new product posts - they're now selling lolita outfits and lots more genuine Japanese fashion products. mukuchu is a renowned website based in Australia specializing in selling EOS and GEO cosmetic lenses, and recently they have added furry fox tail accessories and, as I have mentioned, lolita outfits to their inventory.

Back to the main point - the pasta I made for my lunch today. It's a combination of salty, sweet, spicy and herb-y. The whole thing was pretty random and actually, it was an impromptu decision.

You'll need:

one mounded Chinese rice bowl of dry pasta, boiled until desired texture in salted water (I used fusili and some elbow pasta, and I don't use oil here to minimize cleaning efforts)
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled, added into pasta water along with pasta
approx. 3-4 tablespoons of chili sauce, add more if needed (I used Nando's Sweet Peri-Peri Sauce)
approx. 3-4 tablespoons of assortment of herbs (I used a mixture of dried parsley, rosemary, chives, dill, and mixed herbs, microwaved at high for 15 seconds)
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, add more if needed
approx. 3-4 tablespoons of tuna in oil or water, flaked

Basically you just stir everything other than the pasta in a bowl, then stir the entire sauce mixture into the warm pasta, making sure to coat the pasta evenly. Add whatever you like to the pasta - I tried it with mamak-style fried chicken today and it was heaven.

I'll be doing a picture tutorial for make-up this week, if I can squeeze it between doing assignments.

Day 23 - Do you care about people living in the third world? Should more people care and do things like donate to charities, ect?

2011-11-23T00:01:00.000+08:00

Firstly, I do not know what the third world people refers to, but I would donate to charity if the organization was legal and reliable.

Take the small scale donations to the local beggars, for example. Some of them have limbs, and can even afford to buy bubble tea, so why can't they work? Even if it's not professional, some simple job would be good.

Snowflake

2011-11-22T21:07:00.001+08:00

Today was, to be honest, boring and interesting at the same time. I know, they're contradicting each other but the day really was.

For English, Melissa, Mahirah, Su, Wei Hua and I were the first to present - What is an Abstract and How to Select a Research Topic. It went pretty well, though I went on high-speed ranting again. I tend to do that when I'm nervous. We took a trip to the washroom, and found a beautiful, yet slightly awkward rainbow in the bathroom. I seldom get to see rainbows, because usually I don't observe these things too much.

After class we went to Zhia's Kitchen for lunch - I didn't know what to order so settled for the crispy chicken rice, which is essentially crisply fried chicken coated with roasted rolled oats with a hint of small chilies and curry leaves, served with rice and a bowl of salty soup.

Durex was having some kind of awareness roadshow at my campus today, and supposedly they were distributing condoms. Talk about awkward. We walked pass the booth after a trip to 7-11, and the pictures were gruesome. I won't go into detail.

We then proceeded to the library, booked one of the multimedia rooms and started doing our business assignment that was due at 5pm that day. We then took a drive to SS15 for Snowflake.

Snowflake is a Taiwanese dessert franchise that specializes in natural and authentic Taiwanese desserts. It's basically my first time eating Snowflake desserts, and to be honest I wasn't too interested at first because I wasn't too into yam, sweet potato and red beans in one bowl.

My views, however, were changed - I never really liked sweet potatoes, but the sweet potatoes in the desserts were wonderfully soft and sweet. Snowflake uses special balls in their desserts, namely Taroballs and ocha balls. Both of these are made from starch and are flavored accordingly, giving the entire dessert a delightfully chewy texture.

Jasmine and I shared one, and I like the portion size - not too big, not too small, and I find that the price is quite reasonable, seeing that this is a specialty dessert franchise. There are various selections available, so you can customize your bowl to your liking. I'm still not too sure of the menu yet because this sudden wave of "eureka" came over me I couldn't concentrate much on the menu.

How does Snowflake keep track of orders? Introducing the Beeping UFO. It works something like the number system, but this some some sensor disc that they give you, and when your order is ready, the whole thing will flash and vibrate - you won't miss it.

So this is what Jasmine and I shared - this is the newly launched Japan Combo II, which consists of soya ice (soya milk flavored ice shavings), red beans, ocha balls and baby pearls. The sweetness of the entire dessert is mellow, with the delightful concoction of textures from all the toppings.

Here's what the others ordered - I didn't take anything else from anyone else, except for the sweet potato cubes from Louis' bowl.

Jessica had for herself the cold signature Grass Jelly with Taroballs. It come with a small container of what I assume is sweetened cream/milk.

Su and Jeanna shared a bowl of Sea Amber Jelly. It's basically flavored shaved ice, with some sort of jelly and topped with a rather generous amount of pearls.

Louis and Chien Min shared a Best Seller Soya Ice with barley, sweet potato, grass jelly and pearls.

I really like the soya ice. Unless it's the canned type, the soya milk or soya flavored stuff I get is usually too bland or just so sweet that your tongue goes numb from the sweetness itself. This soya ice however, is just right, and I love that it's the type of ice that doesn't have it's flavor just melt off to become regular ice~

This is something like Chatime for me - it's a rare treat that burns a hole in my wallet. These things are considered a luxury for me, so everything in moderation~

Day 22 - What's the best thing about being your age? What’s the worst?

2011-11-22T16:39:00.000+08:00

The best thing about being my age is that I'm now legal to drink all I want, but then there's that little bit of discrimination of being 18.

I dunno, my 18th year is pretty bland - I got forced into university, my boyfriend was gone for 4 months, and my second semester is really stressful, especially with the "amazing" lecturer who can talk for 3 hours non-stop.

Jason Adams & Siti Mahirah

2011-11-21T16:55:00.001+08:00

Yes, I'm officially blogging about my friends and their amazing covers.

Jason Adams is made up from Adam Wasabi and Jason Phung, both from Taylor's University Lakeside Campus. Here's the link to their channel and their Facebook page. Listen and support people!!! Ps., Jason does very uncanny impersonations of Elmo and Stitch~

And then there's my amazing classmate Mahirah - she does covers for lots of songs, the most recent one being Love You Like A Love Song by Selena Gomez. Here channel and Facebook page. Support!

Day 21 - Do you ever really learn from your mistakes?

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000+08:00

It actually depends. Sometimes I'm so comfortable with the way I do things that I don't really care about the end product as long as it passes for whatever it's meant for. Does that even make sense?

Let's say I've done something before and I adapt to the very first time I do that. However I realize that my method was wrong, but the correct way seems too "not me", so I would sometimes proceed to use my old method in doing things, which produces similar products. (I think I've been studying too much business, because I'm using very technical terms)

Sometimes I would realize that doing this would bring even more negative responses, and so I grit my teeth and just do it the right way.

I hate being proved wrong (I doubt that anyone likes it at all).

Day 20 - How has your school life been throughout the years?

2011-11-20T16:25:00.000+08:00

My school life has been ... interesting and boring at the same time.

Let's start with kindergarten - only another boy and I were the same age (six years), while the others were all younger. I used to sit under the bench-table to share my ChipsMore with that boy (who happened to be with me through primary school) and danced with a tambourine to a Chinese song for our graduation ceremony. I remember always lining up in front of the teacher's desk to get my picture traced by my English teacher for writing.

I remember children's day that year, when I wore my nicest dress and had my hair done and distributed peanuts to the class. I remember the tire swing under the big castle-style slide, and how we gathered in front of the kindergarten in the morning to sing the national anthem and "Top of the World" by The Carpenters. My kindergarten, then just a corner double-storey split house painted red, is now abandoned, with the big Christmas tree beside the slide and overgrowing with grass and weeds.

Many teachers were wary of me in primary school - I started to have this tendency to leave my homework uncompleted, and I managed to forget almost everything that the teachers told me to tell my parents. I had this habit of daydreaming in class and can't finish copying the notes on the blackboard before the teacher dusts it off for the next batch of notes.

Things got worse when I went to Primary 4 - homework was almost always incomplete or not done, my parents were constantly called to school. By Primary 5 things started to improve but I played truant for the compulsory tuition classes. Miraculously I got 6 out of 7 As in my primary passing exam.

Secondary school was kinda mundane - a few relationships, friends, crappy teachers, family pressure. The works.

Day 19 - Do you think it’s better to have a few close best friends or to have a lot of acquaintances? Which do you have?

2011-11-19T20:31:00.000+08:00

I think it would be best to have both, if possible. But if I had to choose I'd choose a few close friends.

Let's take a very simple task - shopping. Close friends would have your best interests at heart and will most probably tell you the truth. Acquaintances might not grasp your personality and just blatantly lie to keep the peace. I'm saying all of them do, but some of them.

Finally!

2011-11-19T20:00:00.001+08:00

I don't freakin' care anymore. I'm gonna take a long break before starting my degree program and do picture tutorials!

So I haven't been able to put together a decent post lately due to exams, and this post isn't exactly decent as well, but it's a change of scenery from my recent challenge posts.

We took a window shopping trip to Sunway Pyramid and went into these two boutiques which sold evening gowns. In one of them around 5-6 gowns and dresses were displayed somewhere at the threshold of the shop. The one in the middle particularly caught my eye. I like gowns with cuttings like these - floor length, V-neck, and in chiffon material. I especially like the little bits at the side where the material accentuates the hips and further defining the waist with a chiffon 'belt'.

The egg sandwich that MC 'belanja'-ed us to - egg salad, mayo, and mixed veggies. Yummy~

This is the soda dispenser in 7-11 at the Syopz Mall at Taylor's Lakeside. *click to enlarge* This is how perfect Malaysian English is - instead of writing "out of order", they write "this is not ok", and with marker, scrawled. Ugh.

The teh tarik ice cream from The Last Polka at The V, Taylor's Lakeside. The Last Polka features a range of fairly unusual flavors such as this teh tarik, Guinness, salted gula melaka and bandung. The more common flavors include mango and green tea.

I'm addicted to both MapleSEA and Tetris Battle now. At first I didn't get what all the rage was with tetris, but turned out I also became an addict. =P

These are my new chopsticks - plain traditional Japanese style bamboo chopsticks with peonies at the handle.

I went for a long overdue facial to remove most of my blackheads, and right after that beautiful facial I was greeted with a cup of this herbal tea. No idea what's inside, but it was wonderfully soothing.

This is the first time I've ever seen mushrooms like these. They're a part of the oyster mushroom family, and they're prized for their chewy, meaty texture. My sister quartered it vertically (which sort of contributed to my diarrhea the next day), when they were supposed to be sliced into discs.

Straw mushrooms and oyster mushrooms that were bought together with the eryngii mushrooms for the veggie part of out herbal soup dinner.

The chicken herbal soup dinner - a whole chicken thigh, pre-packed herbal mix, too much water, some rice and lots of mushrooms. It was a tad too watery (the packet instructions said 1.5L water, my mum put 3L into the slow cooker), but delicious nonetheless. By the way, this was basically cooked by my younger sister, with some help of my mum with the chicken, I think.

I broke my promise to myself and treated myself to some Baskin Robbins. I heard that Baskin Robbins is by far the most fattening ice creams in the industry. True? Anyway, I had the flavor of the month, Cappucino Bambino (cappucino flavored ice cream with milk chocolate Bambino candies) and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Uber deelish~

The affogato from Ohana. Affogato is Italian, it's name meaning 'drowned'. It's a coffee-based beverage, usually hot espresso or coffee over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This one was far from "hot espresso or coffee" - the beverage had achieved thermal equilibrium (heat of both objects of different temperatures, in this case the hot coffee and cold ice cream, transfer to each other, both then becoming the same temperature), and was cool rather than warm.

My mum wants me to continue my education right after my foundation program is over. Not that I'm not cool with that, but I would appreciate some time off from the constant stress and pressure of exams and assignments. I'm not necessarily going to sit at home all day and do nothing, but I would like some kind of rest.

My reason of lack of decent posts? My life has been quite mundane lately, and I haven't been doing any special make-up looks recently, and my life has been swamped with exams and assignments (still am).

Day 18 - How would you like your life to change over the next few years? How come?

2011-11-18T20:27:00.000+08:00

This is merely a wish, but I wish to become a make-up artist and be able to study the art of make-up.

Make-up was my first choice when I needed to make a further-education decision. My dad and some other people I knew objected strongly saying that this was an industry which is overpopulated and revenue is hard to come by unless you're like, I dunno, Michelle Phan?

So then I chose communications. The first semester was alright, but this semester ... urgh.

Anyway, I hope to have finished my degree (hopefully some part in Australia) in three year's time, and maybe be engaged a year later.

There's also this nagging hope that I will one day be discovered by some awesome celebrity and he/she will acknowledge my talent in singing/make-up, but that will forever stay a dream. My life isn't as lucky.

Stressed

2011-11-17T23:47:00.001+08:00

I apologize for all the scheduled posts. Seriously I'm too swamped to type out a decent blog entry these days due to my mid-term exams. I've got some pictures, by the way, hopefully I'll be able to put them up by this weekend.

Things are quite strained between us now - I'm feeling kinda ignored. Hope this is just me being oversensitive and it's only temporary.

Day 17 - Do you believe in social classes?

2011-11-17T20:22:00.000+08:00

Kind of. Ever since entering uni I found diversity in race, religion and social classes. I have a friend whose mum is a politician, another one's who is a really popular event manager, but I also have friends who have normal parents with average earnings and such.

I think it all depends on whether you think about it or not. Usually as long as I get along with the person I don't care much for social class, though there will be activities that I will not be able to or would prefer not to do with them.

Example: shopping. Not that I don't care for girly material things, but usually if I don't think I have anything I need or desperately want, I won't go looking at other stuff. Even if we were to go through all the stilettos at Charles & Keith, I'd prefer not to because one, I have no such personal financial means and two, my mum somehow objects to purchasing a pair of stiletto pumps for me.

People from different social classes, think and sometimes act differently than I do, which is why there's almost always some kind of a void in between.

Day 16 - Whats your biggest piss off/pet peeve? Why?

2011-11-16T20:18:00.000+08:00

I hate it when people smoke in public and like to blow smoke on everyone else. I mean, if you wanna get lung cancer that's your problem, there's no need to drag me down with you. Ever since I was in a relationship with a smoker, I started to detest them - it may be just him, but he kept lying about the smoking.

My other pet peeve (dunno whether this applies) is when I see someone have their make-up applied against my "make-up principles". My eyeliner must be this way or that, or I have to have this with that or none at all. You know like some girls like to wear a full set of fluffy lashes without eyeliner or eye shadow? Yeah, that really bugs me.

Day 15 - What do you honestly think about your looks? Do they cross your mind much?

2011-11-15T14:27:00.000+08:00

Honestly, it depends. Sometimes I feel like Ugly Betty, sometimes I feel like Sienna Miller.

Honestly, I think of myself as slightly more than average, but my physical flaws are my skin (uneven skin tone almost all over), flabby arms, a huge tummy and orange peel skin on the thighs and butt. My strengths? I don't have fleshy chunks on my neck, my collar bone and decollete are quite defined, I have a waist, a "nice" butt and substantially-sized boobs.

Modern people have to take care of how they look because many authoritative figures judge first by physical appearance. My looks come across my mind almost every single minute of every single day.

On those days that I feel skinny, wear make-up and/or wear a pretty dress and/or heels, I feel like those celebrities on the streets. I imagine everyone looking at me thinking "who's that chick, she's hot!".

On those days that I feel like an old hag, I feel like those miserable girls who have acne-plagued skin, a very conventional sense of fashion and style, and who neglects her hair. Sometimes I hate being like so ... fat, though family and friends keep saying that I'm already considered "slender"-ish.

Day 14 - What would be the hardest and most fearful thing you would ever have to face in your lifetime? Why does this scare you so much?

2011-11-14T13:48:00.000+08:00

The hardest and most fearful thing I had to face. There are a few things I'm afraid of but I don't think those are sufficient to be the most fearful I have to face.

The first thing would be a stalker, whom I've dreamed that he found me even though I was like 5000 miles away from my home. I actually fear having to be stuck with something that is kinda negative to me for the rest of my life.

The second thing would be when the time comes when my looks start to wither and ... you know, I think, the husband loses interest.

I don't think there's anything else.

Day 13 - Do you think you’d be able to put together and preform a decent stand up comedy act? What would you talk about?

2011-11-13T13:32:00.000+08:00

I like watching stand up comedies, and I can remember some of the jokes, but I don't think I'd ever have the creativity to do my own stand up comedy.

However if I were to put together my own stand up comedy show, I think every one involved would be a little frustrated because I would be really picky about who was on stage. If I don't LMAO, no comedy.

Day 12 - Are you into the green movement? Should being environmentally friendly something everyone should be a part of?

2011-11-12T08:26:00.000+08:00

Of course we should be involved in the green movement! Call me cliche, but I want a healthy environment for my kids.

I've been breathing in carbon monoxide and cigarette smoke since I can remember, and at one point I even liked those smells - the smokiness of it. I thought nothing of anything's reuse and recycle value and almost everything went into the trash.

Now I try to recycle as much as I can - accumulated paper, cardboard package boxes, the thick brown paper envelope that my online orders come in.

I do plan on getting a hybrid car, but the setbacks are the price. Since I'm not paying for my own car yet, I have a limited choice and budget to my desired car. Carpooling is an uncanny, but effective way to save on the world's depleting petroleum fuel source, and also reduce traffic congestion.

The only paper that I can't recycle are those filmy paper receipts. I hate those. Firstly, the ink rubs off after a while leaving only a light trace of the printing; and secondly, THEY AREN'T RECYCLABLE!!! Do you know how many places prints receipts with this filmy paper now? You can give me a crappy hand-written bill on a store-bought bill book, I'll take that over the filmy receipts any time.

Ohana

2011-11-12T00:12:00.001+08:00

Ohana is a Hawaiian-themed restaurant at Taylor's Lakeside campus which serves up Western style meals. They provide lunch sets starting from RM8.90 (comes with a choice of drink), and they also provide shisha after 5pm.

In my opinion, Ohana's food is a bit overpriced, depending on what you order, however the plus is that the setting is really nice and comfy. All items on the menu are subject to service and government tax (due to the shisha).

Marinara - spaghetti or linguini with mussels, prawns, shaved Parmesan cheese and tomato paste.

Ohana Caesar salad with Grilled Chicken - Romaine lettuce, hard boiled eggs, Parmesan cheese and special Caesar salad sauce. RM10.80

Pumpkin soup - served with a toasted, buttered baguette slice. Price unknown.

Ice blueberry tea - set lunch beverage option.

I've tried the Ohana Grilled Chicken on the set lunch menu and I feel that the portion is not worth the price, the fish and chips, however, are a different story. A fish fillet breaded and lightly deep fried and served with fries and a lemon wedge, but if you wanted tartar sauce you have to ask for it from the staff.

There are booth seats, floor cushion seats and also normal rattan Tiki-style tables with glass tops. I would prefer the booth seats over the Tiki-style tables just because of comfort. The 4-person Tiki table is quite limited in terms of leg room - I can't cross my legs, which is something which I would prefer to do when I'm eating.

Selection is better at Ohana because it has also some Asian selections like fried rice. The only thing that turns me off are the prices - Ohana is expensive in general, as compared to some other options on campus.

Day 11 - What do you think our planet would look like in 10 years? How about 20 years?

2011-11-11T12:26:00.000+08:00

I can only say for Kuala Lumpur for now, because I haven't been to any part of the world for long enough to observe their surroundings properly.

In 10 years, K.L. will be, hopefully, more developed, with better looking roads, clearer road signs. It would be no greener than K.L is today, and it certainly won't be cleaner. More and more land will be cleared out for unnecessary commercial and residential blocks.

There will be more and more highways, Mid Valley City will expand even more, there'll be the new MRT.

As for the rest of the world, I think I can say that the more developed countries would already be on the road to becoming those tech-y cities in movies. They would also be really advanced already in their recycling and "green"-ing techniques.

In 20 years ... I dunno.

Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangsters Daughter

2011-11-10T20:19:00.002+08:00

At long last, after a couple of years of waiting, I HAVE IT!!!

Cover.

Reverse cover.

Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter depicts the story of author, Shoko Tendo, who was the daughter of a Yakuza, and how she got involved with Yakuzas and how she decided to change her life for the better.

I have forgotten how I came across this book/title, but I was really curious as to how the book is. For around two years I have been doing on-and-off research, and tried to find it in local bookstores, but to no avail. I knew Amazon.com definitely had it, but I was wary as to what my parents would say.

But since it was my 18th birthday, my dad asked me to choose a present. At first I didn't know what to say to him (to be honest, I have lots of material things that I want), but then I remembered this book (it was either the book for 6-inch stiletto pumps or the book) and asked for it. I gathered up all the info I could, sent it to my dad and amazingly he placed an order.

This book, which was mailed from Colorado, USA, took a shorter time to arrive than my local catalog mail orders which takes at least a month for my order to be processed, stock checked and my merchandise sent. My dad ordered Yakuza Moon on 27th October, and it arrived today, 10th November. That's 14 days - processing, packaging and shipping.

I have this habit of opening my packages in private, if I can help it. Even before I touched the package, I was surprised how thin this book is, despite the OMG price (around RM80-90+ on Amazon.com to Malaysia, including shipping fees, local prices are also around RM80+ but out of stock every where).

Anyway I opened the package behind the locked door of my bedroom, and the moment I opened it I was almost holding my breath. I gently pulled out the book from the bubble-wrap-lined paper envelope and lo and behold - the beautiful, perfect, glossy book.

I chose the paperback over the hardcover due to price reasons, though the hardcover would, of course, be better for collecting. The book came in manga-style cover - a plain cover with a cover sleeve slipped over. The book was practically fresh off the binding machine - the corners are perfect, there aren't any visible scratch marks, the cover sleeve is wonderfully glossy, the plain cover had a really nice Japanese design printed in black, and it came with a small red bookmark at the center of the book.

Here are some pictures. I seriously apologize for the lousy photography because of my lack of sleep. Being sleepy and tired usually saps me of most creativity I have (not much to start with) and so my photography is back to noob level (never have been pro anyway).

Package before opening.

Bubble wrap-lined paper envelope. Gotta love Amazon.

The gift note, supposedly from me to me. XD

Thanks to my dad for getting this for my birthday~!

Day 10 - What are you least attracted to in the same/opposite sex?

2011-11-10T09:00:00.000+08:00

I'll start off with the same sex.

I would usually be least attracted to girls who, in my opinion, has a sense of fashion that doesn't match mine, and those girls who don't do their make-up the way I see on Youtube make-up videos.

Like pairing a large canvas shirt with baggy canvas shorts with a giant, loose knitted cardigan on top, matched with nothing but a black hair band and a pair of ankle boots. Okay, that's too exaggerated, but you get the point.

Make-up-wise, whoever who doesn't pair their make-up choices properly or goes out in the day with shimmery face powder can just about forget about talking to me.

Sometimes you see a girl who is, excuse me, rather chubby but insists on wearing a skin-tight leopard print top with a lacey mini-skirt and matches that with a giant Korean style headband, fishnet stockings (in the day) and summer wedges. I mean, however you dream to be that shape, you gotta first accept that you're currently ... er, not there yet.

For guys:

I hate it when guys wear low-ride pants with his underwear shown to the world and think it's sexy. Please. I'd rather you have your pants right up to your waist (which is how my BF wears his pants, and it's SEXY).

If a guy persisted to be the "big man", then it's a complete turn off. You don't have to be the completely submissive guy, but you have to have some sense of compromise for the girl. I hate it when the guy talks to his girlfriend as if she's beneath him and orders her around.

I also hate it when a guy wants long hair but doesn't want to do maintenance. It's seriously not whether you want it, it's part of basic self-grooming and hygiene. Us girls don't do things for no particular reason.