jia ni

Simple Green Smoothie

2011-11-09T18:22:00.000+08:00

Ingredients:
1 banana
1-1.5 large handfuls of spinach
1 cup water

Directions:
1. Combine spinach and water in blender and blend till smooth. Add banana and continue blending till smooth.

2. Serve! (*optional: Sprinkle with cinnamon powder for a lovely colour and an extra health boost - cinnamon helps to stabilize blood sugar levels, which will help fight those unhealthy cravings!)

Picked up some ripe bananas selling at $2.99/kg a few days ago. I was SO thrilled, since bananas have been about almost $10/kg lately. I missed having bananas! :) When I got home, I immediately peeled them and stored them in a freeze-safe container and popped them into the freezer!

I LOVE green smoothies and juices! Been having one every single day when dad was over, and starting my day off with them just makes me and my entire body feel energized, happy and healthy!

To your health!

xx

Subiaco Farmers Market

2011-10-09T16:37:00.000+08:00

Saturday morning
You know you are amongst people who are passionate about their products when the twinkle in their eyes doesn't seem to disappear and you can hear laughter in the air from many miles away. That summarizes the atmosphere of Subiaco Farmers Market! Not to be confused with Subiaco's Station Street Market, Subiaco Farmers Market has an amazing atmosphere and is filled with lots of quality, fresh, local produce. There are many booths set up with people selling their own organic produce and homemade sauces. There is also a little hang out spot under a huge tree in the heart of the market where families and dogs sat down enjoying their breakfast, be it German sausages or creamy crepes or freshly baked pastries (among many many many others) with a cup of freshly brewed coffee/chai tea/100% juice! :))

I picked up a few goodies for myself before heading over to Station Street Market, since there were a few things I couldn't find in the Farmers Market. I also wanted to stop by Angry Almonds in Station Street Market to pick up some popcorn and oatmeal! So happy to have found this market, I definitely have to try out Waikika Moocow's frozen yoghurt (I am SUCH a fan of froyo) next time. I am also really tempted to pick up some succulent plants and herbs to start a little garden project soon~

Vintage mustard

2011-10-04T16:57:00.000+08:00

(Vintage mustard top, leather satchel and suede heels, knee-high socks from Malaysia, Diva connector chain rings in silver and gold, silver and gold chain bracelet from my mom) Hype this look on lookbook here.

Pairing black socks with these leather coloured shoes to make my legs look longer than they actually are! It's all about playing with colours and proportions! Pairing coloured socks (preferably over-the-knee socks) with different coloured shoes and top/shorts will give an illusion of lengthened legs! Try it!! :) I think this would have worked even better if I wore heels instead, since these heeled boots go all the way above my calf - but they are so comfortable!

September favourites

2011-09-30T21:17:00.001+08:00

This is another one of my firsts - a favourites post! I absolutely adore looking at 'Favourites' videos and posts, so here is mine for the month of September! Please leave a comment and share your links if you have a similar post, or let me know what products or items that you've been enjoying lately because I love trying new items too~ Spread the love!! :D

Pictured above: Frankie magazine, Tresemme thermal creations heat tamer spray, Maybelline Hello Kitty x Volum' Express Cat Eyes Mascara, Dolly wink liquid eyeliner (Black), Revlon creme shadow (Wild Orchids), Za true white cleansing foam, Don't sweat the small stuff for teens, nut bars, Kate Spade pink polka silicon case (iPod Touch), Earth natural soy wax candle (Relaxation)

*click 'read more' for my reviews and more photos/swatches below*

Frankie magazine
Such an inspiring magazine with lovely photos and interviews too - I just can't stop reading it and flipping through it. I've been tweeting about it a lot too, and I think Frankie has found its way into my magazine collection. I'm definitely going to start buying every issue starting right now. :)
Tresemme thermal creations heat tamer spray
Been using this for a few months now. I initially purchased it because it was winter and I found myself blow drying my hair almost every other day because it just would not dry in the cold nights in time for me to go to bed! It's not oily at all, and I like to spray it around my hair and concentrating on the roots~ The best thing is - apart from protecting my hair - I ALWAYS wake up with silky smooth hair the next day, and it has a subtle citrus-y smell to it too!
Maybelline Hello Kitty x Volum' Express Cat Eyes Mascara / Dolly wink liquid eyeliner in black
I believe the mascara is a limited edition one which I got from Watson's during my trip back in June! I've been using it sorta frequently but because the wand's brush is a lash comb, I think I wasn't really used to it so I used my other bristle brushed mascaras instead. BUT! Lately I dug this out and started to use it and I love it because the lash comb gets every single strand of eyelash~ Also doesn't leave clumps at all, so no smudges! What a pity, I would pick up a few more to stock up but I'm not sure if they still sell them. :< As for the liquid eyeliner - I keep raving about it whenever I start talking about makeup with someone! So easy to draw due to the fine tip, and easy to remove too!
Revlon Illuminance creme shadow in Wild Orchids
Picked this up when there was a buy 2 free 1 revlon sale last month. I love using them as a base and on the inner corner of my eyes because they are really bright and shimmery. And they stay on fairly well too!
Za true white cleansing foam
I never used to understand the use of 'whitening' products. I was the slightly tanner family member (my mom and sister both have a really pretty shade of porcelain white skin) and I was always teased by my aunts that I was too tan. But after awhile I learnt to embrace this and refused to use any product which claims to 'whiten' your skin! But I realized some of these products aren't only for people who are tan and want to be fairer, they also aim to reduce and lighten spots and any uneven skin tones you have! I think I have a few emerging spots on my face and patches of uneven redder than usual skin(?) from being under the sun a lot! I think after switching to this cleansing foam it has significantly improved my skin - no breakouts, and lighter more even skin! Also it has vitamin c prisms/scrubs which leave my skin feeling extremely clean and fresh after one wash! :D
Don't sweat the small stuff (post here)
Nut bars (also mentioned here)
Good fat and protein! Also I am always hungry so I always carry one in my bag~ They keep me full/satisfied for another 2-3 hours before I start to feel hungry again. :) I should also mention that I always carry fruit in my bag because I like to snack and I get occasional food cravings/hunger pangs. These nut bars are really crunchy/chewy from the honey that holds the nuts together - so I take quite some time to get through them, compared to just eating nuts on their own~
Kate spade iPod case cover
I got this after the incident where I smashed my iPod screen (same post as #6). Initially I was using a really pretty Cath Kidston hard plastic cover but it couldn't protect my iPod at all, hence the incident above. I got a bit scared because I can get a bit clumsy/mindless at times so I decided to invest in a good sturdy silicon case cover. This pink silicon case is just amazing - I usually don't like silicon cases because they feel weird and powdery to hold and the rubber can give off a synthetic rubbery smell but I guess that might be because I always got cheaper alternatives. I used to believe that buying cheaper products was good because they probably break/wear out quickly but by that time you're probably wanting a new change, so the timing is good! But nowadays I feel that you do pay for the quality you get - so investing in an expensive item is probably the way to go if it means you really love it and it's gonna last you a long time! ;)
Earth natural soy wax candle
I love candles! But soy wax candles are SO expensive here in Perth (~$40) so I stopped purchasing them. I started trying the cheaper supermarket ones but they smelled so synthetic and gave me really bad headaches. :( Then I came across an Earth store in Fremantle's E-shed market! The lady was really nice and helped me to pick out their Relaxation candle - which has lavendar, bergamont and other essential oils~ It's 100% soy wax and essential oils and I have been addicted to burning this at home, it's SO relaxing! ;) The lid also acts as a snuffler - by covering the lid the flame eventually goes out and traps the smoke. I love trapping the smoke till the next day when I start burning it again because smelling candle smoke always reminds me of birthday cake, which makes me a bit light headed too, haha! How random. The soy candles all have different colours to them too - this one has two lovely shades of purple + cream, but there are so many other different ones that look so beautiful! These large candles 60 hour jars are $20! I will definitely be repurchasing and trying out other ones~ If you look at the photo above, you'll see that I'm already more than halfway through the whole jar in a week - that is how much I LOVE it. :)

P/S: It's the last day of September today! Which marks the end of my 30 days of September blog everyday project - I had so much fun writing and posting here, and I will definitely try to blog as often as I can. Writing a blog can be so therapeutic~ Thank you everyone who takes the time to read it and those that take the extra effort to leave a comment as well! Much appreciated! <3

Bipolar weather

2011-09-29T22:00:00.000+08:00

Seems like the weather has been a little crazy lately. On Wednesday I woke up freezing in bed, since it was 4 degrees in the morning and there was rain throughout the day. Today it was so sunny and warm out on the showgrounds where we were caring for our cattle, Jet, which has his debut this Saturday~ Hours of just being under the sun always seems to leave me really exhausted at the end of the day. I feel a bit delirious right now, actually. Going off to have a good rest before another long day tomorrow!

Oh my wildflowers!

2011-09-28T20:25:00.000+08:00

Kings Park Spring Festival 2011

Can't believe the spring festival is coming to an end this weekend - which is why I had to brave the rainy/stormy/sunny/the-weather-couldn't-decide day yesterday to capture some photos! 4 years in Perth and I have never actually been to Kings Park to admire the flowers and nature walks. The blossoming wildflowers were just such a pretty sight! It is tulip season right now, too - I really wish I could go up North to where the tulips are - they're my favourite flowers! Maybe next year! ;)

Gazing down from Kings Park, you see the whole city of Perth as if it was a miniature toy city of some sort - the hussle and bussle seems so far away, so out of reach. What a great escape. I brought lunch and sat down on a quiet sunny spot, watching the whole city move in front of my eyes, with only the sound of the buzzing bees and the sound of the wind in my ears - serenity.

Purple dreams

2011-09-28T00:15:00.001+08:00

(Zara sheer cream top; purple skirt from a Korean store in 1 Utama; vintage socks and shoes)

Spring is upon us - flowers are blooming everywhere! The weather today was terrible though - heavy rain and wind, followed by sunshine, and then another heavy rain - it seems that the weather couldn't decide what it wanted to be today. Been trying to get out all my old clothing from ages ago to wear again - I got this purple skirt about 5 years ago! I also got these shoes from the Two Bucks til Wednesday sale - it was $10, and all proceeds go to charity. Think I have a new found love for vintage items! Also have huge respect for people who consistently post outfit photos - it took me ages to get these self-portraits, but nonetheless it was all good fun!

Perth Fashion Festival

2011-09-26T22:01:00.000+08:00

My Perth Fashion Festival 2011 experience:

Re-Style Caravan pop up store (blog post here)

Awoke on a Whale Heart vintage pop up store

Two Bucks 'til Wednesday vintage sale

Station street markets

2011-09-25T21:38:00.003+08:00

Subiaco Station Street Markets

Woke up bright and early this morning to take the train down the Station Street Markets in Subiaco. I've always loved markets since I was a young girl. Every Sunday morning when I was a kid, I would accompany mom to the markets, and she would always get me some goodies - like collectible stickers, which was one of my earliest hobbies and collections. I still keep all the sticker albums - and I actually have a good 5 or 6 sticker albums! :)

I love being able to buy farm-direct, fresh food! Not to mention, markets always have the great variety and most reasonable bargain prices, compared to grocery stores. I would visit markets more frequently for my grocery, but unfortunately with workload at uni, that's not always possible and grocery stores in suburbs are more convenient. This market is actually quite a long travel from where I live, but today's trip was definitely worth it! Don't forget to bring your own recyclable bag. I picked up some field mushrooms, okra, grapefruits, a tub of boysenberry fresh yoghurt and popcorn kernels.

Definitely check out Angry Almonds for a wide range of health foods - nuts, coffee beans, beans, flour etc; The Fresh Yoghurt Place for the yummiest, freshest yoghurt I've ever tasted in my life; the bakeries for freshly baked bread, tarts, pasties; and the fruit and vege stores located in the heart of Subiaco Station Street Markets.

Re-style caravan

2011-09-24T20:55:00.000+08:00

Re-style caravan in conjunction of Perth Fashion Festival. A retro place filled with vintage items - all proceeds go to charity! The caravan will be outside the State Library till Tuesday the 27th, be sure to drop by if you're in Perth! Second Last Chance also has lovely updates on the daily happenings around the caravan/camp site!

Styling long bangs

2011-09-23T22:00:00.000+08:00

Following up from this post, here's how I style my awkwardly long and unruly bangs/fringe! It was such a challenge to do the step by step below, and I apologize for blurriness + black roots hee. The first style is just the side fringe braid and the second style is the side fringe twist! Hope it wasn't too hard to decode what I was trying to say! :)

iPod cases

2011-09-22T22:34:00.000+08:00

Received the Kate Spade pink polka dot iPod case in the mail today! Using it right now and I really do love it. It's a bright pink silicon case which hugs my iPod really snugly and covers all four corners. with raised sides to give it a better protection from any potential impact or fall. :) I got a bit scared of using my plastic Cath Kidston ones after I dropped it once and it shattered the glass (post here). Definitely loving this new case~

Side fringe braid

2011-09-21T20:57:00.004+08:00

My hair is growing! I've been extremely determined to grow them for a really really long time (every time I get to mid-back length I would somehow be back in Malaysia and end up getting them chopped off to shoulder length again - this vicious cycle has been on-going for the past 2 years, ha.) My fringe is also at such an awkward length now, been wearing them as a side braid almost daily, especially on days when they're misbehaving (a.k.a somewhat everyday)! I really like the side fringe braid because they are so simple (finished in half a minute) and they add a really nice detail to your hair without having to style it!

P/S: I got a new custom domain! This blog is now jianiteo.com~ Unfortunately this has ruined my Google Friendconnect widget, so I have a new one up on the sidebar now! Please click follow again, and sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you! *virtual hugs* <3

Love, Respect, Trust

2011-09-20T22:25:00.003+08:00

At this point in my life, I realize that there are three extremely important values to me: Love, Respect and Trust. To give and receive love; to respect and be respected; to be able to trust and be trusted. Needless to say, Love, Respect and Trust have to be worked hard for - they do not just drop miraculously into your grasps. The three of them can come to you together at one single point in time, or separately - one after another. You may be able to gain one of them, but the other two may never be in your reach. Not to be taken for granted, they may leave as they please - fortunately they do so unwillingly. They give you a lot of chances, but once they decide to leave, it will take you even more hard work to persuade them to come back to you. Or you may have lost them, forever. This may sound like a paragraph of exaggerated exclamations, but bear in mind that this is my opinion, and I am known to be a little dramatic at times. ;)

On a brighter note, I have also realized how incredibly grateful I am for having people that I love, respect and trust! To be able to love someone, trust someone, respect someone is such a blessing in itself. To be able to look up to someone and be immensely proud of them, to be able to trust someone with your thoughts, to be able to love someone - flaws and all, makes the world a less lonely, at times frustrating, wonderful-beyond-words place to be in.

Recently, I keep finding myself caught up in deep thoughts like these - perhaps this is my new form of procrastination, or perhaps I am finally growing up. Before I ramble on, I should really stop here.

Lush haul + review

2011-09-19T21:19:00.000+08:00

Picked up a few things from Lush last month! :) I love going into Lush, everything looks so 'raw' and happy. I was first introduced to Lush when my cousin brought back a Soft Coeur massage bar as a gift, from Australia, maybe when I was 13/14. It was such a long time ago, and I remember not knowing what to do with it, so I just left it in my room and my room just constantly smelled like chocolate and sweets! Yum! So this time I decided to pick it up again but actually use it for its massage bar purpose. :D

From top left to bottom left, clockwise: honey I washed the kids soap, soft coeur massage bar, vanilla in the mist soap and sultana of soap.

My thoughts:

I actually picked up the Honey I washed the kids and the massage bar about a month+ ago, and then a few weeks ago I got Vanilla in the mist and Sultana of soap. As far as soaps go: when I first tried honey I washed the kids, I loved it - I love honey and it was so moisturizing! But I found that Vanilla and Sultana were actually more foamy and moisturizing than Honey. :P Vanilla in the mist - I loved the scent, but I was really not a fan of how it rubs and rinses off as a yellow lather!

Interestingly, I wasn't a fan of sultana of soap at first because I really did NOT like how it smelled like in the shop. I've heard great reviews on it though so I decided to try a small slab. The scent has grown onto me - the smell has a spicy tinge to it and it is really really moisturizing and lathery. LOVE! However, I feel that these soaps (especially Honey) get used up way too quickly, and since Lush in Australia is pretty pricey (compared to the UK and US), I might have only pick up Lush soaps as an occasional special treat to myself~

The massage bar is definitely my favourite of them all though. I still love the scent as much as I did 5 years ago! At first I was skeptical of how long it would last me, but I've been using it almost every other day, and it's only shrunk into half its original size after 1.5 months. :)

Handwriting tag

2011-09-18T20:50:00.003+08:00

Finally getting around to do a handwriting tag, which I was tagged by Mizarwen/Esma ages ago! It was always at the back of my mind, but I never got around to doing it. It's not exactly the same tag, but while I was writing my nth page of anatomy notes today, I realized how different my handwriting can be, depending on what the situation is!

My handwriting varies so much - from note taking in lectures (least tidy handwriting), to normal scribbling in books, to actual note writing in my notebook (tidiest handwriting) etc. I also find that I use different pencils/pens - I always use a ballpoint when taking notes in lectures (I feel that I write faster with it), I use lead pencils when scribbling and I use a gel pen when writing proper notes. So, what does your handwriting look like, does it differ depending on the situation/your mood too? :)

What's in my bag

2011-09-17T21:29:00.002+08:00

I've always always loved looking at 'what's in my bag' tags and photos. :) I have really no idea why, but it's probably because it is fascinating how different things are essential to different people. So here goes - my first what's in my bag tag post! I don't really use carry a handbag out that much these days, since I'm at uni every weekday from 8-5 so everything stays in this bag usually. This bag gets emptied out for a well-deserved rest during semester and study breaks though!

My bag (1) contains: a bus timetable (2) which I rarely use unless I'm at uni on weekends or late nights and the buses don't come as frequently as they normally do, which is about every 10-15 minutes; an umbrella (3); Teddy Tales multiple zip pencil case (4); note pad and books (5); coin purse from Freo markets (6) which I actually use to put my Apple ear phones and USB cable in; Daiso rose mirror (7); purse (8); nutbar (9) cause I am always hungry; iPod and iPhone (10); sunglasses (11); lip balm (12) and an ikea sealing clip (13).

Extreme morning person

2011-09-16T07:34:00.000+08:00

Good morning! Sorry I missed yesterday - I was feeling so down in the dumps and the day ended pretty badly. All I wanted to do was curl up in bed and wake up from the nightmare I thought I was going through. Guess we all have good days and bad days, and yesterday was just a bad, bad day. I just realized that I am really seasonally affected by daylight hours - I struggle to wake up in winter (because the sun doesn't rise till like, 7?!) and I wake up too easily these days (because the sun starts rising at 5-ish!) I guess this is why I have always loved spring and summer - I love waking up early in the morning, when the world is still asleep, and then watch the neighbourhood slowly fill with life and the streets slowly fill with cars and people, all while I sip my cup of hot coffee.

Room inspiration

2011-09-14T21:16:00.001+08:00

Hello! Lately I have been extremely inspired by minimalistic + vintage-inspired (zakka) room designs. These photos were just a small collection of cutouts from interior design magazines that I've gathered. Also, if you couldn't tell - I have a huge soft spot for anything wooden, and multi-drawer storage units/shelves! This is totes the type of house I could imagine myself having, if I ever do own a house in the future.

Interior design is a teeny-tiny, very much hidden, obsession of mine - which I inherited from my mom. She could spend hours in bookshops just flipping through interior design catalogues and gaining inspiration and ideas from them. We also have stacks of interior design magazines at home. Needless to say, organization has always been an important part of our lives! Ever since I could recall, at the beginning of the school break, we will be instructed to dedicate a day just to de-clutter our desks and organize all our books, files, folders etc. I'm glad she incorporated this aspect into our lives because even up till today I always dedicate a small amount of time weekly (if not monthly) to reorganize my things. An organized space provides a happy environment! :)

13/30 days of September

2011-09-13T22:26:00.000+08:00

3 months ago - sharing a root beer float with my sister JT. This photo makes me laugh every time I take a look at it, so I thought I'd put it up on here because it's a moment I never want to forget. :) I hope we continue to share many things in life, including more A&W root beer floats!

Fremantle photo diary

2011-09-12T21:16:00.001+08:00

University of Notre Dame (Vanity (vintage) Fair post here) - Lunch at Little Creatures - Fremantle Markets - First frozen yoghurt experience at Red Spoon (LOVE!)

Fremantle vintage fair

2011-09-11T20:49:00.000+08:00

Met up with Kristal in Fremantle today - and we went to the Vanity Fair together. Had such a lovely time and so much fun! There were vintage clothing, accessories, shoes and scarves up for sale, and best of all - all the proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Care WA foundation! An avid bargain hunter and vintage lover, this was a little heaven for me. A vintage fair is such a great idea, too, since it is essentially giving every item here another chance to be loved and cherished, as much as they were once in the past.

I almost ended up getting the two pieces above - the cardigan (top) was $20, and the cream silk sheer blouse (bottom) was $35. Such a steal, considering the blouse was 100% silk and was made in Hong Kong. :) Unfortunately I didn't do much justice to the cardigan!

And onto my purchase from the vanity fair - a tan, cotton knitted top, which I got for $10. I am so in love with it! It's long and goes down to my thighs, and I have nothing like it in my wardrobe. Thick and warm, too. Even though the weather is warming up as spring approaches, I'm sure I will be wearing this out at night, or on cooler days! I hope every item from the Vanity Fair has found a new loving owner, and that everyone loves their purchase as much as I do!

Mini satchel bag

2011-09-10T20:23:00.001+08:00

I recently saw this mini satchel bag from Target at $3.80 while I was out shopping, and I had to get it - especially since I have been on the look-out for a small sling bag to wear out for running quick errands. I just love that all my essentials fit into a single bag - e.g. my wallet, keys, phone and iPod. Fuss-free and no digging around needed to find my belongings! It's also pretty amazing that whenever I'm using this bag, I never need to have my bag checked whilst exiting a store without making a purchase. :)

Wish upon a dandelion

2011-09-09T21:06:00.002+08:00

9/9 - Been a bit lazy the past 2 days, uninspired to write anything down in this little space. Thank goodness it's the end of the week, I am looking forward to sleeping in (finally)! My old domain has expired as well, so right now it's back to Blogger (for now) - especially since I am ever so indecisive with these things, and cannot decide if I should get a new name or renew the old one. Suggestions, anyone?

Today, my thoughts are everywhere. Oh, how I miss the old carefree days. And how I miss my little sister, who is, in all honesty, one of the most amazing people I know. She sees the good, the shed of positive light, in everything and everyone. She helps me piece together my scattering, out-of-place thoughts; and helps me find tranquility amongst the hustle and bustle. She puts up with me when I am in one of my moods. She inspires me every, single, day. I am too lucky to have a sister like her!

I wish upon a dandelion, to relive the old days - just for one short moment. Because, it seems that, in a glimpse of an eye, the carefree days have long left me. But above all, I wish upon a dandelion, to be able to love and live in this present time. For the reminiscences of the old days are but in my grasp. So here is my greatest wish upon a dandelion - to be loving the life in this moment, right here and right now.

Lavender dawn

2011-09-08T21:54:00.001+08:00

Accessories of a shutterbug

2011-09-07T20:50:00.000+08:00

Don't sweat the small stuff

2011-09-06T20:22:00.001+08:00

Day 6! I borrowed this book from the library this week and have just started it- and I just wanted to share because I love LOVE all the books in the 'Don't sweat the small stuff' series by Richard Carlson. Prior to reading this book, I had already finished 'Don't sweat the small stuff - and it's all small stuff' and enjoyed it immensely - which is why I knew I would love this book anyway. I was going to get one of the books for my sister, and couldn't decide if I should get the 'for teens' version or the 'it's all small stuff' one! Well, it remains a big dilemma, since they are both really good - I just might end up getting both versions for her to read. :)

A terrible mishap happened today - I am usually not a rushy/multi-tasking person, but somehow I decided that I would get out my iPod to check my emails while walking to a lecture in uni. Next thing I knew, the iPod flew out of my hands and smashed on the floor. Oh dear - I think I shouted that aloud and then, when I saw that the screen was cracked (picture), my heart just shattered. I knew there was nothing I could do about it anymore, even if I started crying and beating myself up, nothing would change. :( (Unless it was all a dream, but it wasn't.) I was really beat up and saddened. Immediately I promised myself to stop trying to do so many things at once, and that I should probably just concentrate on walking in the future. There was nothing else to do, but to brave on with the day/life in general and learn from this experience. Nothing was going to change even if I felt really bad and started to make myself feel even worse than I already did.

After my lectures ended, I dropped by at the Perth city Apple store to ask about the cost of replacing the screen, and the guy at the genius bar said I could have my iPod replaced at no cost. I think I almost jumped out of my chair and gave him a huge hug and do a little dance but I tried really hard to refrain myself - although I did shout 'you just made my day'... I guess what I've learnt today, is that, anything can wait - when walking, it is probably wise to just concentrate on the action and beauty of walking itself. Nothing much is probably going to happen from my 2 minute walk from the library to my lecture room, no life changing event that couldn't wait for another few minutes was going to occur. Also, I guess I've learnt to look at every incident and unpleasant experience in life in a positive light, as part of a learning process. Especially when there the result/outcome of the situation is already out of your hands, and there is nothing you can do to change it. Life is a learning process!

French toast

2011-09-05T21:01:00.001+08:00

Day 5 of September - these photos were actually taken last week during the start of my study break, but they have been forgotten even though I had loved them a lot, and have been sitting in my camera collecting dust bunnies. I meant to take photos every day for these posts, but I wasn't satisfied with the photos I took today. But such is life - some days you have great days; some days you have not-so-good/bad days. And today was just the day I did not get good photos. I also didn't want to settle with something I knew I was not 100% satisfied with, since I am my own worst critic/quality controller. So I guess some of these '30 days of September' photos might not be taken on the day itself - but rest assured that they would have gone through strict border control to ensure the best of quality and satisfaction!

Today's first day back to uni (after a non-teaching week) has rendered me tired by 9 in the evening. I guess this will just be a short post, while I sneak off to unwind myself by reading a book, and then hitting the sack early. Hope everyone had a good Monday/first day back at uni! :)

Watercolour Sunday

2011-09-04T15:13:00.001+08:00

Woke up early to a peaceful and lovely Sunday morning, and this morning I finally started catching up on my work for the design unit I'm taking. It has been really fun, a good break and change, from all the science I have been studying. These watercolours were given to me and my sister by a lovely aunt from Malaysia, my mother's sister. They were meant to be for us to use in high school, when art was a compulsory subject. Funnily enough, we hardly used them, and they were tucked away in our art supplies drawer.

Last year, though, I stumbled across Val's amazing (amazing does not even begin to describe her jaw-dropping) work and realized what watercolouring could do. When my dad visited me last year, I asked my mom to pack these for him to bring over to Australia, in hope that I will someday find time to paint a bit, as a creative pass time. However, I never did have enough time, and the box of watercolours continued to sit in my cabinet for a year or so. This morning, though, I finally decided to use watercolour to finish a design work I was working on. It was a therapeutic morning, indeed.

I was never any good with painting/drawing/arts (oh dear I was terrible in art back in school!), and still am not. I still consider photography as the medium I identify myself most with, but finding time to paint with brushes and drawing with a pencil on an actual paper is a whole new experience altogether. And I have to say, it's a very refreshing and happy experience!

Make up storage

2011-09-03T18:24:00.000+08:00

Hello, day three of September! Do you know that particular time, where you see mess, and just can't help but start organizing and sorting? That was me today at 8 in the morning. Shelf after shelf, objects were taken out from their original messy piles and put into the comfort of their new homes. In the midst of things, I managed to convince myself that from today onwards, I will take a little more time to put things back where they belong, because this dedication will definitely result in less work in the future. Here is to hoping that going back to uni next week won't take me off my track to organizational nirvana. I am honestly impressed by my new-found efficiency in sorting things. If only I could move this fast while doing uni assignments. Guess you can't have everything...

Shafto Lane

2011-09-02T20:13:00.003+08:00

Discovered a new place while walking along Hay Street today. Can't believe I have never ventured into this part of Hay Street before, and had a little 'mishap' not happen today I would still be left unaware of this beautiful place! I was actually headed to the bank on St Georges Terrace, but the branch there was closed due to a power outage, of all things! So on the way to the bank's Hay Street branch, I found Shafto Lane, which is just filled with so many wonderful little stores - nipponfare, the Burger Bistro and Pigeonhole among many others! :)

Spring in September

2011-09-01T07:30:00.000+08:00

Hello, September! Spring has finally arrived, after what seemed to be a never-ending series of nights of rain and cold. Be-gone, mornings where I wake up in denial, convincing myself it is still night because the sunshine never did reach into my room past those dark winter clouds!

It has been way too long since I last blogged. I am considering challenging myself and posting at least post one photo every single day in September. Sort of like project 365, but starting with project September. Baby steps... :)

11072011

2011-07-11T21:44:00.000+08:00

Currently lurking on Tumblr. Follow me? :)

Surprise in the mailbox

2011-06-01T14:41:00.000+08:00

Hello! ♥ Found a surprise in the mailbox today! I usually don't check the mailbox that often but today I had a tingling sense that I should walk out to check the mailbox (despite it being drizzly and all). And I'm glad I did - cause there was only one mail today and it was for me, yay~

Birthday card from my family. So cute! *U* They know I'm a sucker for all things that look cute/girly, haa! They send me a birthday card every single year since I've been abroad - so I now have 4 birthday cards all safely kept in a memory box and all! Thank you thank you! :') Much love to you all.

Birthday thankyous!

2011-05-29T21:43:00.000+08:00

Firstly, thank you everyone who sent me birthday wishes today. <3 It means a lot to me, and receiving birthday wishes is always so touching! I want to reply all of them but I might do them tomorrow after my prac exam~ Thanks for remembering and taking the time to make today such a special day for me. :D

Today was rather uneventful though since I just had an exam yesterday, and will have one tomorrow. Spent most of the day studying-procrastinating. Still, it was still so filled with love. :') First thing in the morning I received a call from my family and when I picked up they started singing! Haha, their singing was pretty good too. <3 Did not expect my aunt to do anything for me today either, but still she made my favourite home-cooked meal and went to get a cake from The Cheesecake Shop! :)

Just had to type this one entry today because it's definitely a day I want to remember! Thanks again everyone who made today so special for me. Much love to all of you! ♥

Winter socks

2011-05-28T20:15:00.000+08:00

This is another mostly random post, but I was inspired to write it up after seeing Kar Mun's post featuring her extremely adorable bear socks! \(^o^)/ I have a pair of winter socks too, haha (though not as adorable!)~ They're comfy home socks that never leave my feet and keep my feet warm when I'm at home during winter days/nights!! I used to wear my Uggies around but since I've decided to wear them out I just wear winter socks nowadays!

While studying I'm secretly making a list of to-dos and gets for my Malaysia trip, in 2 weeks!! And also stuff to do after exams~ I'm telling myself the reason I NEED to write the list now is because I'll forget everything I've planned to do after exams. This always happens to me. While studying for exams I'll think of a zillion things to do, and then look forward to doing them. But when I'm done with exams, BAMMM~ nadaaa nothing comes to mind. :< And when holidays are over, I'd be "oh yeah, I wanted to do that. Oh, guess I'll have to wait for the next holidays~" This vicious cycle continues...

Exam jitters

2011-05-28T14:26:00.000+08:00

Another mobile post of sorts~ Just finished my first exam! >_< Next exam is on Monday, and it's a must-pass exam in order to pass the unit, so luck please be on my side, huhu~

Kinda loving my hair length right now! Desperately needs a trim though~ ♥

Mobile blogging

2011-05-26T17:13:00.001+08:00

Hellooo! Finally downloaded an android app for blogger, hopefully it means I'd be able to blog more often! This android app interface is not nearly as good as the iPhone's though, and at times like these I really wish I paid a lil' extra to get an iPhone plan looool. /regrets/

It's exam season now as well! So I try to limit my time on the laptop since time flies once my hands touch the keypad. It's like I go 'hmm just gonna check what's new on facebook...' then BAM an hour later i'm still checking stuff on the internet. Gawd, the internet is soo sneaky. /shifty eyes/

Another thing is, this exam season (and from today onwards) I've decided to eat well. And I WILL keep this resolution! I think I got really inspired cause my cousin was hospitalized for not eating properly. I donno~ So everyone, please eat healthy and be happy! My mom once told me that health is so so important, I was really like 'yeah yeah right' back then. Why is mom always right..

Perth winter

2011-05-20T18:32:00.000+08:00

Hello! Been super busy lately - uni assessments + assignments one after another, week after week. ^_^;; Today was the last day of uni - which means final EXAMS in a week. So stressed I could literally explode right now. :D Perth weather has been doomy recently too, kind of like how I feel about exams.. Anyway! Some random mobile snaps below. I really DO miss taking proper photos but life has just been uni study eat sleep and repeat.

This week started off with an extremely foggy morning, and then it proceeded to started pouring at the end of the week, ha ha. Winter's finally here!

Time to bring out those thigh high boots and water proof jacket. :) I love winter clothing!

Making sushi roll

2011-05-04T21:09:00.000+08:00

My comfort food is Japanese food. :) When I have time on my hands, I'll make sushi roll for lunch/dinner and to bring to uni during the week. The process of making sushi is relatively easy and fuss-free once you get the hang of it, and it's so delicious! I usually use canned tuna/salmon for rolls because they keep longer and are convenient! I do love raw salmon maki though, but they are best eaten fresh and not to be kept for long periods of time, so best suited for sushi dinners and not so much for lunch the next day. XD Eki has written a really good tutorial on how to make spicy tuna rolls, so please check it out too! ^_^

Sushi-making station! I have cooked brown rice (with added vinegar), nori/seaweed, tuna/salmon, sliced avacado and sriracha hot chili sauce. Tools are a sharp knife, wet cloth, chopping board, bamboo to roll the sushi and some water.

I bought a small tin of pink salmon to try and make sushi, but I still prefer tuna the best! :)

OK, on to the most important part of sushi making - the rice!! You need perfect rice, if the rice is too dry, the sushi will dry up and harden. If it's not sticky enough, the rice will fall out of the sushi roll. Thus, perfection needs to be obtained. XD AND~ The trick is - for every 1 cup of rice you put in, put 2 cups of water! When the rice is cooked, leave it for approx. 10 mins for it to cool down a little, but while it's still warm, add 2 Tbs of vinegar for every 1 cup of rice you cook. I like to leave it covered for another 5 minutes or so to absorb the vinegar~ End result is sticky, perfect soft sushi rice~ I don't usually use sushi rice, any rice will do! Just follow the rule above. ^_^♥

IMPORTANT: To keep the rice from drying out, I like to place a clean damp cloth over the rice cooker to keep the rice moist and sticky while I take time in spreading rice on the nori and making the sushi~ I find that this was quite important in keeping my rice moist and my sushi soft and delicious! :D

Enjoy your sushi! ♥

What kind of food do you make at home? :)

I ♥ Dancing

2011-04-28T09:42:00.000+08:00

Hello! Hope everyone had a good Easter~ ♥

I was busy working all Easter and barely had time to relax that much, but I did get time to enjoy myself by doing some baking during the weekend~ ^_^ Shops were closed for the whole of the Easter weekend it felt a bit weird to feel so disconnected with the outside world. XD I felt so lost when we ran out of soy milk at home and I couldn't have my morning cup of milk!~ >_<" First thing I did this morning was get soy milk, lol.

The weather is nice and winter-ish now~ GREAT if you are at home snuggled up in bed, and not too bad if you have a car to drive around. It does suck if you have to rely on public transport though, since rain is practically pouring every 5 minutes, sun shines for 5 minutes, and then a huge wind + rain cycle again and again~ :/ On the bright side, it does mean I get to make full use of my ugg boots! :D

Look at how happy I am because to go grocery shopping after a whole 6 days of shops being closed~ I can't remember where I got the shirt from, but it's been around for ages and was a gift from either my dad/mom when they went overseas for work I think! The "♥" is red and shiny!! *U*

I find myself using my mobile camera a lot more these days~ I get lazy to bring out my proper camera for quick snaps so I just end up using the 5MP camera on my x10 mini pro, lol.

Ugg boots!

2011-04-22T15:52:00.000+08:00

Happy Easter!! ♥

Today's Good Friday! I just wanted to find time to blog again~ The autumn weather is finally settling in, so I braved myself to bring out my Ugg boots~ They were initially meant to be worn in the house only, but the sheep wool works best when you're walking about a lot. Sitting at my study desk with these boots felt like such a waste when they could be keeping my toes warm out in the cold winter weather! Now they're officially a outdoor pair of boots! Wheee~

These are my first (and only) pair of Uggs which I got 2 years ago, when my dad visited!! They still work absolutely great! The first day I wore them out last week was a 15 degree day I think, and my feet were so warm! :) You should really note, though, that the only authorize seller in Perth that sells genuine UGG Australia boots are Wombat Lodge, which can be found in Carousel or Barract Street in the city. You can always find the official dealer through the UGG Australia dealer locater on their site here to avoid buying 'fake' UGGs, since the term "Ugg boots" is used very loosely here in Australia - anything made with sheep wool is called an Ugg boot!

I ♥ my Uggs!

Paul Frank Lipsmackers & bento lunches

2011-04-10T13:36:00.000+08:00

Hello! :D It feels like it has been ages (probably because it has), since I last blogged.. Been so busy with lectures/exams/work that I've been neglecting this blog. >_<" It's always on the top of my mind though, whenever I'm daydreaming or something, I'll be thinking "Hmm, I'll finish this up and do a blog post!" But after I've finished whatever I was supposed to do, it'd be either to late or I'd be too tired to think anymore, LOL. Talk about bad stamina at such a young age!

I have been wanting to do reviews on a few products I'm currently IN LOVE with, so hopefully I'll be able to do that soon! :D I haven't been out and about that much either, since I'm either busy with uni or working, and I'm trying to save up as much as I can, for my trip back to Malaysia in June! I want to get gifts for family and friends, AND I'm sure shopping is going to be awesome (as usual!) so I want to be able to splurge while I'm there! ♥

But to get to June and to get home = having to finish this semester of uni! Which means I'll be having huge exams real soon! ;_; I had a look at my exam timetable and I have exams on 28th and 30th of May - NOT very pleasant since my birthday is on the 29th! D; But since I'm going home a week after that, I might just celebrate my birthday in June, with precious family and friends! I haven't had a birthday celebration with my parents, sister or my high school friends (physically) since 4 years ago so I'm excited!!

Oops, that was a long and wordy update! XD It just feels like I haven't written much lately so I'm feeling the need to share more. ^_^V Anyway, I thought I wanted to do a more recent post on what I've been up to lately!

I went to Target on Friday just to do some window shopping~ Gawd, I LOVE window shopping. *U* I get so tempted to purchase, but it's always so therapeutic to just look at pretty products and what's new in the market! I did stumble across the Paul Frank Lip Smackers collaboration, and just couldn't resist their packaging!! Photos were taken using my mobile, so quality isn't as good as usual. :)

I love all the characters, especially Julius the monkey! ♥ I've tried out the normal Lip Smacker lip balm in the past, and they always smell great!! It's important to apply lip balm frequently to prevent dry chapped lips, especially in the dry Australian climate!

Chi Chi Eau de Parfum!! I've written about them here, and I'm still using my Peach and Mango bottle. This was the first time I tested out the Rose Petals, and it smells really feminine! They smell SO good and the smell isn't overpowering since they're only eau de parfum and not actual perfumes! I LOVE! ^_^;;

Obsessed with heels right now! They're a great height booster, not to mention making your legs look slimmer and longer! <3

Onto something else I wanted to talk about - bento box lunches!! They are to assemble! Eating out can be expensive, and not to mention - sometimes unhealthy depending on what and where you eat. Cooking at home is always ideal, but because everyone is so busy, it's hardly unexpected that it's hard to find time to do so! I've been assembling bento lunches to bring to uni lately, and they hardly take 15 minutes of your time! ^_^

I found this bento box in our pantry the other day. Don't judge! XD It's Pokemon and all but it's so functional!! It even has an adjustable partition inside so you can adjust how you want to split the bento box (pictures down below should explain what I mean). It's also printed on the side that the maximum temperature is 140°C and the minimum is -20°C. I think it's important to get a bento box that can withstand a high temperature, though. Just in case you decide to heat food up in the microwave. I've heard of stories saying that if you heat low quality plastic in the microwave it literally melts the plastic and you end up eating it. >_<;; Not sure how true it is, but better safe than eating plastic! And the yellow monkeys-printed little case just holds chopsticks. I got from a 100yen shop in KL. ♥

I usually wake up to cook an omelet in the morning, and it only takes 3 minutes! I add chopped mushrooms in them just to 'spice' them up! Seasoned seaweed is from a local korean grocery store in Perth and we always have cooked rice in the fridge. :D I always have a bed of rice under the omelette~ When I do make sushi (usually tuna), I usually make quite a lot so there are always some leftovers. Really, anything you fancy can be put into your bento box lunch - that's how amazingly easy it is! A yummy, healthy and a filling lunch box!

Superheadz Wide & Slim

2011-03-24T17:42:00.000+08:00

Hello~ ♥ Have not been updating as often as I'd like to, just because there's so much to do right now. I'm on a study break, but this is the first time I've felt like I am actually doing more study than on a usual uni day. >_< I'm so behind uni work, so I guess that should teach me to be more up to date with all my lecture notes and exam preparations... *sigh*

Anyway, just wanted to share a new love I have for film photography! ^_^ I remember I used to be appointed 'cameraman' when I was young and my family and I went on a holiday~ Back then my dad's camera used film, and we always had to make sure that we had enough film in the bag pack! And we would never know how the photos will turn out until we got all of them printed of course, and I LOVED staring at the negatives!! XD

I stumbled across the Superheadz ultra wide and slim collection and I just couldn't stop looking at the adorable collection. I LOVE it!♥ It's a 35mm film camera with 22mm wide lens! ^_^ Also a BIG BONUS that the design is so pretty and the colours are so cute, too!! My absolute favourite is sakurasan (light pink)!! It is limited edition as well~ I really love the baby blue (kumosan) and pink dress too!♥

Some sample shots from the Superheadz website~ A few more gorgeous shots from the Superheadz UWS on Superheadz UWS Flickr Group and this awesome Flickr set by zionseven+!

In this digital photography era, it's great to know that most people still appreciate film photography! A few blogs that always feature gorgeous film photos, which I love to visit are Diana Mini Love, Much Love by Anna and For the easily distracted by Rhianne. Do check out their blogs! :D

Something to add to my wish-list on the sidebar~♥ I'm always really excited about new gadgets (especially photography related items), hahaha! ^_^ After playing with my sister's Fuji Instax Mini (read the post here), it really reminded me of how awesome having a physical piece of photo in your hands feels, lol.

Sorry this is somewhat a rant post, I guess~ But just wanted to share my excitement~ :)

Fine dining experience + Squid shack

2011-03-10T21:56:00.000+08:00

Hello~ :D

I swear this is my last food post from the trip last month~ XD Are you getting tired of them already? ^_^;; It was such a special occasion I felt compelled to blog about it.. It was my FIRST ever fine dining experience! ^_^ Calamari's was the only one that we could find open that night, so we had to eat there, since we were so hungry and all... The shops in the town were closed early, too. The food was excellent though, and the service was great too!

This post is filled with photos of yummy food, be warned! X)

Dad's Surf 'n Turf

Oysters kilpatrick

My mom, sister and I sorta shared two main dishes and the whole family also shared the entree . AGAIN! One of the things I miss SO much - sharing food! Everyone should share food, that way we can have more variety and taste everything on the menu! LOL~ OK let's move on before I start ranting..

Curry chicken. I'm still not used to Australian curry yet though, I'm so used to the spicy Asian curry, so I think I didn't enjoy this as much as I could have. >_<

Dhu fish on a bed of creamy risotto~

The next day, we had lunch at The Squid Shack, apparently it serves the best fish and chips in the whole of Albany!! We HAD to try it~

Fresh oysters

Fish and chips (shark), Fish and chips (mackarel) and 2 crab sticks~

Mmm, I never get tired of fish and chips! ^_^

Fujifilm instax mini 25 review

2011-03-06T20:08:00.000+08:00

Hello! ♥

Haven't been doing reviews lately, mainly because I destroyed my lightbox. T_T I've been meaning to make another one, but I haven't found the time to do so, yet! Also, my room isn't big enough for the lightbox I have in mind~ Sigh. Not sure how I'll work around it, but I'm sure I will, lol! When there's a will, there's a way..

Meanwhile, please enjoy some product shots from my old white box~ I took the photos last December, when I first got the polaroid camera for my sister! I was so excited about posting it on the blog, but since my sister only came down to visit in the end of January, I had to wait because I wanted to surprise her with her extremely belated birthday present! X)

I got a polaroid camera for her because I myself am an absolute gadget geek! 8D I'm also a huge fan of photography, painting with light and capturing the essence of memories and moments! ^_^ Hopefully my sister will be able to capture her moments in life with her polaroid camera~

I got her the instax mini 25! It's a newer model compared to the mini 7S~ It has a self shoot mirror, whereas the 7S does not, which is one handy tool when it comes to self-portrait shots/photos with friends!

There's also a limited edition Hello Kitty version of the mini 25 but my sister is all about simplicity, so I got her the normal one instead!

FUJIFILM INSTAX MINI 25

Features
Self-shoot mirror
Close-up lens for focusing from 35cm
Intelligent flash
Motorized 3 position, collapsible lens
2 shutter design for landscape & portrait pics
Uses Instax Mini film – creditcard size
Full Specification
Film: Fujifilm Instant Color Film "instax mini"
Picture size: 62mm x 46mm
Lens: Move in/out type, 2 components, 2 elements, f=60mm, 1:12.7
Viewfinder: Real image finder, 0.37x, with target spot
Focusing: Focusing Motor-driven 2-range switching: Normal Mode 0.5 - 2.5m / Landscape Mode 2.5 - ∞
Shutter Release: Shutter Release Programmed electronic shutter release, 1/3 - 1/400 sec. Shutterspeeds, 2shutter release buttons (vertical shooting / horizontal shooting)
Exposure control: Exposure control Automatic, Interlocking range (ISO800): LV5.0* - LV15.5, Exposure compensation (Lighten-Darken Control): ±2/3EV *When Fill-in Flash Mode are used
Film Feeding Out: Automatic
Flash: Built-in, Automatic electronic flash, Auto mode, Fill-in Flash Mode (Intelligent Flash for Brighter Backgrounds), 0.2 - 5sec. Recycle time (when new batteries are used), with flashcharging lamp (red), effective flash lamp range: 0.5 - 2.5m
Self-shot: With self-shot mirror
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD): Exposure counter (number of unexposed films), LandscapeMode, Lighten-darken control, Fill-in Flash Mode
Power Supply: Two CR2/DL CR2 lithium batteries, Capacity: 30 film packs (Based on Fujifilm's test conditions)
Others: With film pack confirmation window, With simplified macro lens (range: 35cm - 50cm)
Dimensions & Weight: 112.0mm x 121.0mm x 50.5mm / 275g (without batteries, strap and film pack)

The CF is soo cute! Hahaha! ♥

I got 2 different types of films - Hello Kitty design and the normal film.

Of course, there are heaps of other cartoon films to choose from too! ♥ ALL of them are so adorable!

A few sample shots -

Developing~

Without flash and with flash - underexposed and exposed! Usually the auto function will be able to sense the lighting conditions and switch flash on~ Personally, I think polaroids taken with flash on usually look better than the ones without flash! ^_^

How cool is this set by Frankie Yeung? Panoramic view constructed by instax minis!

My thoughts:

I personally think that if you LOVE taking photos, you'll definitely LOVE a polaroid camera! And the instax mini 25 is definitely the way to go~ It is SO easy to use and idiot-proof, haa! Films can be expensive though, so make sure you know where to get reasonably priced films. They are usually $7+ for a pack of 10 films. It's a good switch from the digital camera world we now live in! I have so many photos in my camera/computer that I REALLY want to develop, but never actually get around to... :( With the polaroid camera, it's instant - you snap, and you get to hold your photo right away~ And since they're credit card sized, they fit into every wallet!

Trip Down South - Day 3

2011-03-04T07:16:00.000+08:00

Hi! Taking an official break from studying today, omg. :< I feel so unmotivated and sluggish, I think I'm just gonna proceed to blame the weather for being so warm. Summer is officially over though! Still, I'm really looking forward to actual autumn weather because it's my favourite season! Fallen leaves, cool, crisp weather - awesome! ^_^

Continuing from the Pemberton post, we continued our way down South to Albany~ Here are a few stops we made on the way to check out the local attraction areas and get some fresh air!

Some tall trees near the Gloucester Tree. This shot reminds me of old England shows like Merlin, The Seeker or LOTR, I can just imagine a horse and travelers going past the road, maybe a local tavern somewhere nearby. LOL. I'm a huge fan of shows set in that era!

Lavendar farm. Super pretty and they had handmade lavendar products like soap, oils for burning and lavendar cookies!

Huge souvenir shop with so much locally produced goodies!

Windy Harbour, as its name suggests was so windy! *__* Waves smashing the rocks~ But it was a great change from the 40 degree summer heat/no wind days in Perth.

Stopover at Walpole for lunch at Top Deck Cafe. Cute little cafe with so much pretty things around! Food was delicious, too! It's actually on the second floor of the courtyard seen in the photo above, so I guess that's why they named it "Top Deck"!

Lunch consisted of smoked Atlantic salmon baguette, calamari salad and Thai chicken burger! ♥♥♥ Lots of leafy green and veges in their meals, I love healthy food!

What a creative alternative to toilet signs!!

Drove for another few hours to Valley of the Giants! It's named after the gigantic trees in the park, and the park was so huge and so much greenery! I think I saw the largest trees I've ever seen in my life here!!

So peaceful.

Dad is so cool.

Soon, we reached Albany. I think I was suddenly amazed by how city-like it was! There was a huge round-about, actual different grocery stores and many different fuel outlets!! The towns we passed on the way to Albany usually only had ONE main street, ONE grocery outlet and ONE fuel station~ Albany's such a great town! Also, I swear the weather was 20 degrees (in the hottest month of January!). I wonder what winter is like down there!! ^_^

This is where we spent the night, Ace Motor Inn!

I think this pretty much sums up Day 3, which was the *last* official day of our trip down South. Day 4 we had to drive back to Perth and reach home by evening for the reunion dinner, which involved ~6 hours of driving on Albany Highway... We did do a few interesting stuff in the morning before we left Albany though, and I'll post those photos up soon! Definitely great memories!!

I can't wait for another road trip!! They're so much fun! They can be really tiring, though! Have you been on a road trip somewhere recently?

Pemberton Farm Stay & Town

2011-02-26T20:48:00.000+08:00

Hello, hello! I wanted to post a few photos from the trip with my family in February~ So, after the Forest Street post, we spent the night at Pemberton Farm Stay and walked around the town! The farm was serene and the view was so beautiful!

The town only had a grocery store (IGA), and this was the main street of Pemberton Town. It was great spending quiet and quality time just at home and around a little town with not much distractions. Something about quaint little towns makes me think of great family bonding opportunities, haa~ Nobody's busy on the computer or TV, we just sit around and talk!

I really miss doing small things with my family, like grocery shopping!! Other things include sitting in the car chatting, and just hanging out together and eating on the same table!!

Pei Nee in Perth!

2011-02-21T23:06:00.001+08:00

Too bad she's left already! Sadness has creeped up to me huuhuu~ Everyone is leaving me in Perth whyy whyy~ LOL. I guess I had too much fun with her the past week!Teeheee~ We met up 3 times in 7 days, feels like a personal record... (HI PEI NEE!)

About half of the photos here were taken by her! All of them are post-processed by me. Sighh, looking at these photos make me so nostalgic lool.

Our first (of three) meet up was in Utopia in the city, which in my opinion serves the yummiest bubble tea in town~ I'm always SO impressed to see them making bubble tea by brewing actual tea leaves, instead of the instant powdered flavours which I normally see in pasar malam back in M'sia! ♥ Healthier bubble tea~ They are made to order, so if you order green tea, they'll brew green tea using green tea leaves then and there!!

Our chocolate mint and peach milk bubble tea! ♥♥♥

You know how sometimes you meet a friend after SO LONG, and then there's a longgg dreaded awkward silence/pause because you have no idea what to say anymore? Or when suddenly the conversation goes, "Hi, how are you?" "I'm fine." "Okay..." because you haven't been in contact for so long, you have no idea what's going on anymore? Glad that never happened! Been a year since I last saw Pei Nee but I guess we just talk too much loool!!

Second meet up was a steamboat dinner, teehee. But no photos cause I was kinda rushing from uni and then we just mostly talked and ate and talked more and then ate biscotti and cherries.

Then it was soon Pei Nee's last day at Perth, so we had to do a marathon! The half day marathon included a trip down to Mandurah + Leeming's famous fish and chips + Murdoch Uni + Woolies~ Fried ice cream and pancakes were in the itinerary but we ran out of time.

But it's okay cause we were able to try WA's most famous, award winning pie at Miami Bakehouse~ (consoles selves)

We still young at heart!

Home time~

Let me just end this post with...

I MISS YOU PLEASE COME BACK SOON.

Deco Design Album Scans

2011-02-19T20:40:00.000+08:00

Hey all! Been awhile! Anyway~ I started getting a bit crazy with decoden lately! I've deco-ed the back of my phone case, but I ran out of rhinestones for the front. In honour of the self-imposed 1 month spending break, I'm holding back any unnecessary expenses so right now it's just the back of the phone which is blinged! LOL. Lucky the cover is detachable, so I don't have to walk about with a half boring black, half sparkling phone in my hand!

I just thought that this magazine has so much decoden inspiration!! I actually found this mag after I blinged the *half* of my phone, and I'm already tempted to try out new designs and follow some of the tutorials!! We'll see... It also shows step by step and how-to-bling tutorials broken down into chunks!

I'm really into this type of decoden right now! Chunky plastic roses, pearls and ribbons~ Such eye candy!!

More of the mag under the cut!

Fremantle markets

2011-02-16T07:47:00.002+08:00

Hello! ♥

This week I'm back to uni already~ Sigh, after 2 months of holidays, I return to uni with little stamina to nerd all day I think that's probably why I find myself sneaking naps when I come home in the evening!! Also doesn't help that it's 35 degrees everyday, all I feel like doing is laze around on hot summer noons!

Lots of work to catch up on and be all organized! I always love to start a fresh new semester being organized and nerded up, hopefully this good behaviour lasts throughout the semester~

Feels like it's been awhile since I last blogged! Just some photos from Fremantle market! It was the day I got to try out my newly bought 50mm f1.8 lens! So in love with the photos taken!!

I always love walking around the hall and yard of Freo's markets~ All the food and hand-crafted items are my favourite eye candies~

I've always been a fan of markets anyway, haha! Flea markets, night markets (gasp~ pasar malam) etc. There's always so much things to see, and everything is so inspiring and crafty!!

Sorry for the short post! I really need to sit down and post-process more photos + blog them all at once, but I keep getting distracted by other things I need to do. I really want to do it some time in one of the upcoming weekends~

Reunion dinner in Perth

2011-02-09T22:10:00.001+08:00

This year has been the 3rd year I've spent my Chinese New Year back in Perth! I always long to spend it back in KL, where CNY decorations fill the streets, left and right, up and down! The CNY atmosphere back in KL is awesome!

My first year here, I was in high school, and school had already started + the day of new year was a bit late in February. Then, the second year I was here, I got to spend the first 2 or so days of CNY with family~ We had to rush back from Kedah to KL so that I could catch my flight back though! Then last year, I had to be back in Perth for my uni's orientation week!

This year - my whole family finally came to visit! Hopefully next year I'll be able to celebrate back in KL *fingers crossed*!!

Yup! We had a BBQ reunion dinner this year~ A bit unconventional, but everyone still got together to help out with the cooking, so it was all in the spirit of reunion, haha!

So much food! Proud to say my mom was one of the chefs of the day!! Go mom! Mom was in charge of grilling vegetables and potatoes (sweet + normal ones) and they were so delicious!! My mom has a hidden talent in cooking!!

Wine to accompany dinner for the adults. Sadly in this case, I am still considered a child. Not that I mind~

My sister & I! Miss you miss you x10000! ♥

How did you spend your reunion dinner? Hope you guys have collected lots of ang pao!! ^__^

Forrest Street

2011-02-07T20:59:00.001+08:00

Hi! ♥

Got around to start post-processing photos from the family holiday last week~ ^_^ Hopefully I'll be able to cover most of the exciting and memorable stuff soon!

Forrest street is located somewhere on our way to Pemberton, after Donnybrook. We stopped at this quaint little town to get some fresh air after driving for some time.. I was the driver for the day, lol. Still can't believe how I drove long distance, but the scenery was really exciting on the coastal road so it was fun~

The excitement of driving did start to deteriorate throughout the trip, though. D: The second day of driving I started to share out driving time with my dad on our way to Albany. And on the third day, which was also the last day, I just sat behind the back of the car and fell asleep most of way. >_< We took Albany highway back to Perth, so it was uhhmm boring and nothing exciting to stop by on the way.

I actually drove for an hour and then I found my eyelids getting heavy and I was almost dozing off. Yikes! The day was also Chinese New Year's Eve, so we had to make sure we reached home in time for our reunion dinner with grandma, grandpa and my aunt's family! Poor dad had to drive most of the way back haha, thanks dad! XD

Some photos from Forrest Street~ ^_^

The main town area of Forrest street, a few antique shops were situated at the fringe of the street! Also, there were so few cars on the road! The only car parked by the road was the car we drove. ♥ An unusual sight for us from the city area!

I love quiet little towns like these~ So peaceful and calm, seems like a great escape from the hussle and bussle of the city!

Happy Chinese New Year!

2011-02-06T23:23:00.001+08:00

Hello! Happy Chinese New Year~ May the rabbit year bring you happiness, prosperity and may all your wishes come true!! It's the 4th day of the Chinese New Year!! ^_^

Happy-sad post today, my parents + sister who came to visit me for 10 days (and spend Chinese New Year) here in Perth have left this morning at 4.15am! :'( Feels like they were just here yesterday. "Time flies when you're having fun." - so true!! The last few days of the holiday was spent at home helping me reorganize + beautify my room and cabinets, and my sister was sick on Friday! Poor JT had to go to the emergency ward in the hospital!! We were all terrified, thank god she's feeling better now! :) So no photos were taken at all in the last 2 days! Guess it is now back to Skype and staying connected through the internet~ Sighh. We took 1900+ pics while in Perth, I think that's a record! ^_^ So many memories~ ♥ I still haven't gone through all of them yet, but I wanna post up some beautiful photos soon!! I've uploaded them from my SD card though~

One of my favourite photos, taken by my awesome sista in a cafe called Top Deck Cafe!~

Another record broken was the minimal time I spent on technology the past week!! I checked my email daily on my phone, but I rarely booted up my laptop to surf the web and facebook and stuff! Just had so much fun spending time with my family that I forgot about all that! It's a good thing though, cause I would be super guilty and shot to death if my family came to visit and I was just watching dramas/on the computer while they were here!! So = maximal time was spent together! :D

My Spending freeze
Okay, spending freeze! So I've been shopping and getting lots of stuff in the last month! When my mom was over she and helping me reorganize stuff, she was like omgwhyyouhavesomanystuff! >_< *ashamed* I'm starting to become a hoarder. I think I've been really bored at home in the holidays and been getting stuff that I either already have/probably will not use/will probably use.. It also doesn't help that I have a tendency to get bored of things easily! I may tell myself I really NEED (note: need, not want) something today, and tomorrow (or a week later) I'll think about the same thing and say "What was I thinking? I don't need that!" >_< So I've decided to go on a spending freeze for 1 month, starting from today till the 6th of March. Meanwhile, if I *think* of getting something, I'll write in down on a list and at the end of the spending freeze I'll review it and see if I actually really need it, or not! So no impulse buying unnecessary items like jewellery, cosmetics, and snacks! I'll be buying text books for uni in 2 weeks, so I figure the spending freeze should help me ensure that I have enough to actually buy my uni books! Uni books are so expensive!! :(

It's getting late now, shall update more soon!

Fullmoon Decoden haul

2011-01-24T22:22:00.000+08:00

Hello!~ ^_^

As promised, some photos of the decoden parts I got from Full Moon!! My mom got me clear and light pink rhinestones last year, but I didn't have time to bling my iPhone then, and I was too afraid of ruining the phone. >_< But with my new SE phone, the back cover is removable!! So I've finally decided to bling it. I've ordered a pink shade of back cover and now I'm just waiting for it to arrive so I can start on this project!! I actually ordered the back cover 2 weeks BEFORE purchasing these decoden parts from fullmoon07xxx, but Yuki, the store owner, is super efficient, and my shipping arrived from Japan in less than a week!! SO impressed. Hopefully the pink back cover arrives soon!! *crosses fingers*

These are my favourite of the lot! I'm really loving pearly colours~ It reminds me of vintage inspired accessories and the colours are just so soft and pretty! I got some round ones and heart shaped ones~

Can't wait for the cover to arrive so I can start deco-ing already! ♥

Do you deco? Care to share some inspiration? :)

Forever 21 wants!

2011-01-24T01:53:00.002+08:00

Hello world~ ♥ It's 2am in the morning here and I'm frantically punching away on my keypad because I just had a 2 hour power nap in the evening (more about that later~)!!

Online browsing of the Forever 21 store makes me wanna be in KL, where there actually is a PHYSICAL store present so I can try stuff on and decide if I really need it~ XD Since I was really energized (at 1:30 in the morning), I did a set with all my WANTS/eye candies from F21!

Also did some mathematics (told you I was energized!)! And if my mathematics serves me right, getting stuff from the online store and shipping them to Australia works out to be cheaper than purchasing in the store in KL~ THE CATCH - of course, is that there's a flat shipping rate so the more items you get, the cheaper it works out to be!! >_<

It seems that I've been really digging black clothing pieces and shoes!! ^_^

RANT below~

My body clock is all screwed up! >_< I've only been getting about 4 hours sleep everyday! Been working 5am almost everyday and all these 5am shifts have been messing around with my sleep hours, and nap has been essential for me the past few days. Heading to bed for 1-2 hours in the evening leads to a super-energized me rolling around at 1am in the morning~ Oops.

On the other hand, my room looks like a tornado aftermath. WHY. I've received a few packages in the mail, including decoden materials to finally start the much delayed phone deco project! The thing is - although I've received decoden materials, I'm still waiting for the phone cover to arrive. LOL. Deco parts are super cute though, I'll try to post up some photos in the next few days~ Lots of opened envelopes and packages on the table right now, and more stuff on the chair. :< Tsk tsk. I don't even sit at the table anymore, I just sit on the floor. Tragic!

SO! Cleaning up my room tomorrow since I'm not working! Hopefully I will be able to put everything away and get everything ready for my family's arrival on Thursday!! 4 MORE SLEEPS TILL THEY VISIT! SO SURREAL. SO HAPPY!

1901111

2011-01-19T23:14:00.000+08:00

Hey hey! ♥

Decided to change the layout + background since it's going to be Chinese New Year soon~ RED, RED, RED! Just thought I should really get into the mood of celebrating a new year according to the lunar calendar! (I hope the whole layout isn't too red and bright, but then again, Chinese New Year is all about wearing bright red coloured clothing!! Haha.) It's gonna be awesome celebrating CNY in Australia this year, it's gonna be the FIRST time I've spent CNY together with my family in 3 years.. Not much goes on here though, so all the huuraaah shall be at home, celebrated with loved ones~

OK, I'm usually not a firm believer of horoscopes / zodiac signs, but this app has been scarily precise MOST of the time~ >_< Being superstitious and all, I'll try to take some advice and hopefully have a good year ahead! XD

P/S: 8 sleeps till my family visits~ :)

160111 + Herbal Essences Hello Hydration

2011-01-16T18:54:00.000+08:00

Hello, hello. ♥

I just had the longest sleeping time last night! I went to bed at 8pm and woke up at 7am this morning~ 11 hours of sleep, I must have been really tired. >_<" I updated my NY's resolutions too, and added 'eat healthy + don't overeat' into the list. I've been extremely unhealthy lately, UGH. I have a huge breakfast (too huge!) before I go to work and then skip lunch and have a huge dinner (because I'm so hungry after skipping lunch). Yikes! I try to tell myself it's okay to overeat in the morning because I'm working morning-> evening! Bad, bad. I usually work through lunch time and end around 4pm, so today onwards I'll eat something (like a banana :D) to keep me full and then eat a small portion of dinner. AND sleep early. I think I'm tiring myself out by having a huge dinner and I spend so much time lolling around waiting for my food to digest before heading off to bed! :( And since I overeat during dinner as well, I still feel SO full even at 11pm.. D:

So that's a rant about changing to a healthy lifestyle~ ^_^♥

OKAY! Onto something more exciting - my parents and sister are coming to visit in 11 days! SO happy, haven't physically seen them in 6 months. I do see them almost every night though, thanks to Skype. ♥ Not much has been planned for this trip, but I really look forward to having them around~ I'll be taking a week off work to spend quality time with them too, so hopefully I'll be able to take more photos for keepsake and practice my photography skills while they're here. Hehe. ♥

I tried using the new hair range from Herbal Essences yesterday. It's called Hello Hydration, and I got to try sample sizes of their shampoo and conditioner, in Orchid + Coconut Milk!

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration

Hello Hydration Shampoo
Repeat after me: I'm so quenched. it's time to take every strand of dry hair off dry land. replenish your pretty, parched head with my moisturizing shampoo fused with essential moisturizers and orchid & coconut milk. it leaves hair silky and supple. want more moisture where I come from? seek my happily hydrated conditioner.

Hello Hydration Conditioner
I'm deliciously hydrating. give your dry hair a drink with my moisturizing conditioner. I say you can never get too much of a good thing. so say " hello " to a deep dousing of lush hydration with my rich formula fused with moisturizers, orchids & coconut milk. drink up and replenish your hair's much needed moisture. it's time to be reunited with manageable, silky, smooth hair.

My take:

I'm SO impressed~ My hair has been smelling like coconut milk / tropical since yesterday morning and the fragrance still hasn't worn off! My hair feels really smooth too~ I keep smelling my hair lol! ♥

Recommended for:
People with dry/damaged hair! It really moisturized and softened my hair a lot~ ^_^ Also would be important that you don't mind an overpowering scent of milky tropical fragrance lingering in your hair. I found it a bit overpowering at times of the day, even though the smell is pleasant. :D

dusk Haul - Candles, lighter, snuffer and wick trimmer

2011-01-13T15:21:00.001+08:00

Happy Thursday! ♥

If you haven't yet known, I'm in a huge obsession with aromatherapy candles right now~ The current love ♥ ♥ started since my first dusk haul post here) I reckon they really DO work!! They work on me, anyway! I've decided to go all out this time and add to my collection of votives a few must-haves for candle lovers. None other than... *drum rolls* a wick trimmer, snuffer and lighter!! :D

Candle care kit

Description: (from dusk website)

Take pride and comfort in the ritual of burning and preparing dusk candles, with this stylish kit. Use the snuffer to prevent wicks from drifting off centre and to avoid wax splash. The wick trimmer, not only trims the wick at the perfect angle and length to facilitate an even, long-lasting burn, it’s clever design catches wick debris, which reduces drip and smoking. Ultimately your dusk candles will last longer, providing you with greater value for money.The perfect gift for any candle lover!

My take:
Originally I just wanted to get a wick trimmer, because I needed to trim off the top black bits of the wick, and the wicks get very long after burning for awhile~ Long wicks encourage the flame to be bigger, and they don't burn as evenly as they should! Since the kit comes with a snuffer, I started using the snuffer to put out flames. AND~ It's awesome! XD No more blowing off flames and having smoke rise up in my face~ No more blowing wax/spit into my votive holder!~ Wheee~ ♥

Recommended for:
Candle lovers! If you light candles often/every night /every other night like I do, you'll find it immensely useful! You'll find yourself using both these tools every time you light/put out a candle! :) Also would make a great gift for candle lovers (if they don't already own these tools), the packaging is gorgeous!

Candle lighter
Description:
Enjoy the effective jet power of the dusk Turbo Lighter! Perfect for hard to reach places, this refillable gas lighter features a downward firing flame ideal for lighting candles in hurricanes and lanterns. They are also suitable for lighting dusk Aromatics Lamps, and are perfect for use in windy conditions, making them a handy tool for any home.

My take:
I got this because I was having trouble lighting up candles with a flame lighter, especially when the candles got to 1/2 their length or less. I started lighting a stick and then trying to light the candle with the stick, but it doesn't work so well when I have the fan or air conditioner is on. With this lighter, so much time wastage and angst is saved. :D I know it's refillable (and the refill is about $7), but I'm not sure how long it will take to use up the butane gas in this lighter... I'll have to wait and see~

Recommended for:
Anyone who wants to light things quick in hard to reach places and windy areas! I guess any lighter will do the job though~ :)

080111

2011-01-08T21:29:00.000+08:00

Hi! ♥

It's been a busy busy month since the second week of December 2010, which is when I started to work~ So far I'm really enjoying having a job and all! Apart from the fact that when I get home I'm usually tired and all I feel like doing is doze off~ >__< Glad I started to work during uni holidays though, and hopefully I'll be able to fit it in when uni schedule starts next February (which is really soon!)~ This was my first time staying back in Perth for Christmas and New Year since I moved here to study 3 years ago! Can't believe it's gonna be the 4th year of me living in Perth already!! :O

My grandparents are also in Perth for a visit! It's so exciting~ Soon my family will be coming down to visit, and we'll be able to have a family reunion over Chinese New Year! :) We'll also be having some road trips planned, I can't wait!! Family holidays FTW~ Haven't been on a family holiday since 2009! They're always really fun and so memorable!

I haven't been taking much photos, much to my disappointment. :< I just got a new lens though!! Waiting for the adapter to arrive and hopefully this will kick start a series of photo taking sessions again! ^____^ The adapter should arrive some time next week~ Excited excited!

My old dusk aromatherapy candle - Harmony (read the review here), finally melted completely~ I went out to get a new scent - Vigour.

So far it's been only lit for 1-2 times, so I'm waiting for a bit longer before I write what I think about it! So stay tuned~ I'll try to get a review up by mid next week! :D

Love package from KL ♥

2011-01-06T21:25:00.000+08:00

Our house is finally noisy and chatter fills the air once again~~ :D My aunt, uncle, cousin and grandparents have just came back from their long Christmas break spent in KL! Also thanks to my family (who I love to bits ♥♥♥) who must also love me to bits packed a package full of goodies for me~ *happy dance*

Airhead - Runaway by Meg Cabot

Last book in the airhead book series!! I just started reading the book, but I super love Meg Cabot. :) Especially since Mel introduced The Mediator Series to me, I've been a huge fan!!!

Notebooks + 2011 diary

Mom got me these 4 subject notebooks from popular~ Not sure what to do with them yet, since they're quite thin, but I'll be using them in uni I think! Since I'm doing 4 units when uni reopens next month~

Also the sky blue notebook with floral print is a Christmas gift from Steph and her family!! Thank you!! I've already started writing down on important dates, hopefully this will help me meet my NY"S resolution for being more organized. :)) It's spiral too! Easy to flip the pages heee. Thanks hun~ <3

Liese Chestnut Brown + Revlon Lipstick

Wheee finally will be able to cross off dying my hair colour soon! Not sure when I'll do it yet though, my hair is at an awkward length right now (between shoulder and chest-length >__<") GROW HAIR GROW~ Also been dying to try a nude lipstick~

I feel so loved. :) Thank you~

Chi Chi Body Mist Sprays~

2011-01-06T21:19:00.002+08:00

Hellow~ :3 Hope everyone's having a great start to year 2011! It still hasn't quite registered in my mind that it's now 2011, I keep writing dates ending them with x/x/10... XD

As I've said in my dusk aromatherapy candle post, I've recently been realllyyy into fragrances~ I stumbled across Chi Chi perfumes two Christmases ago (in 2009) and I really loved the fruity smell. :D To be honest, I'm not a big fan of flowery smelling fragrances, BUT I am a big fan of fruity fragrances. They smell so sweet~ ♥♥♥

Chi Chi Eau De Parfum Body Mist Spray
Leave home looking and feeling like a superstar... walk through crowds and make heads turn... be remembered long after you have gone with Chi Chi's Eau De Parfum Body Mist... Warning: you may attract too much attention!!!
Chi Chi has taken all the very best ingredients to make this sexy, shimmering hair and body mist that will leave you smelling Chi-Chi-liscious!!!
Shake well before using for even shimmer distribution.

One bottle is priced at $19.99, but the Chi Chi Fragrance Trio (pictured above) is $29.95. BUT! It gets better! XD Since Myer's having a clearance sale, the price was slashed to $23.95~ So I'm really happy with my haul! So far I've just only started using Peach & Mango, and I can't wait to use Berry Passionfruit. However, WARNING: the Chi Chi Fragrance Trio does not have any shimmer eventhough it states on the box to shake well to evenly distribute the shimmer... :< Doesn't really affect me since I usually spray it on my clothes, but if you want shimmer on your skin with this spray, then I would suggest getting the separately packaged ones~

Both Peach&Mango and Berry Passionfruit are really sweet smelling, and smells like candy~ I'm not thaaat keen on using Watermelon though~ From what I've tested from the samples in store, watermelon has a less sweet smell and a is bit more on the flowery side... Will do a more in-depth review on each fragrance once I've used them for longer. :)

dusk Aromatherapy + Harmony candle review

2011-01-03T20:58:00.000+08:00

Hello~ Just wanted to do a quick post about the dusk aromatherapy line which I've recently purchased. :) I used to love lighting candles in my room when I was little, but my momma said I might burn the house down if I wasn't careful enough. So that was the end of my lighting candle days... Thanks for your belief in me, MOM. :P

But I'm all grown up and less likely to burn a house down now and I still love lighting candles!! I have also been really into things that smell nice and soothing. And makes me feel relaxed and my room smell fragrant and welcoming~ XD When I stumbled across a dusk store and saw that they were having a massive sale/clearance, I just couldn't help myself. I just had to reignite my love for candles (pun!)~ Since I wanted a fragrant room as well as some health benefits, I was captivated by their aromatherapy line!!

Christmas clearance sale was on, so I snagged this. :)) (Original price was $19.99 but because Christmas was over, the price was slashed down to $5!!!) Happy happy ho ho ho~ I love bargains!!!

dusk offers so many different scents and candles for you to choose from!! But since it was my first purchase and I didn't know what to expect, I settled for trying out Harmony.

Harmony (geranium & lavender)
Harmony is a beautiful floral scent. It relaxes, restores and maintains emotional stability. It is also good to promote restful sleep and helps by reducing tension.

My take:
The description is pretty much spot on~ When I light it my room smells like lavender, which is one scent I really love! :) It does make me feel more relaxed and every time I light it at night, I feel sleepy and always want to head to bed early! XD Because of this, I've been sleeping VERY early the past few days - heading to bed before midnight (I usually sleep wayyyy past midnight :O).

The small candle above has a burning time of approximately 14+ hours (there was a sticker below the candle stating that) and it costs $3.99. :) My harmony candle is already 3/4 burnt after lighting it on and off for about 1 week! Imma head out to try a different aromatherapy candle next time!!

Do you light candles at home, too? Do you have any particular favourite scent of candle? I think I wanna try awakening next time, which contains tangerine + lime. It claims to 'energise and awaken your mind'!! Just what I need before uni starts! hahaha! XD

New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-01T20:51:00.001+08:00

Hello! Happy New Year~ I wish you all will have an enjoyable year 2011 and that all your wishes will come true. :)) I thought making a list of things to do for 2011 will be quite fun to start off a new year! Have you written down all the things you plan to do in 2011? I also put a little list on my sidebar so hopefully I'll be able to strike them out soon!!! Here goes-

11 things to do for 2011!!

♥ ♥ for family+friends+uni+work
Always find time for family, friends, uni and work! Hopefully the best is can skype/call my family every night, get good grades, keep in touch with friends and work as well! :)

♥ Lose weight (45kg <3)
45 my lucky number plzzz! Australia has made me fat. :(

♥ Dye my hair
Something I wanna do in 2011!!

♥ Get a dressing table
White princessy dressing table from IKEA, I've got my eyes on you!!

♥ Get a beauty dish
On my christmas wishlist!! MUST GET THIS YEAR~

♥ Skin care
Take care of my skin, drinks lots of water. Cleanse, tone, moisturize my face twice a day; put lotion. Sometimes when I have other things to do I just completely don't do any at all omg. :(

♥ Pick up a new sport/activity
I wanna take up sports again! I used to love cheer so much~ And when I learnt salsa it was super fun!!

♥ Be organized
Write down everything all in 2011 diary. Organized room 24/7. Put things back where they're supposed to be even when I'm running late (coz piling up mess will take longer to clear!!)

♥ Get a bicycle
I miss cycling! I think cycling will be good for me since I don't have a car and when I need to get groceries or go to uni I have to walk = takes more time = always late. >__<

♥ Wear heels
I'm quite a lazy person lol. I usually wear sneakers or platforms. This year must learn how to wear heels comfortably!! ♥

♥ Buy my air ticket home
I wanna buy my own air ticket home with my own money! :))