0 Beautiful Kuching

As promised I am back for entry on family vacation in Kuching. Well, if you're gonna ask how was it, to be frank, it was downright noisy. Ha ha ha...traveling with an infant who had just found his newfound ability can be daunting. My son wanted to be left alone when everyone's walking and would drop almost anything on the dining table. But , just after he went to bed easy as breeze, I would find things to be awkwardly silent though my family has big volumes one even we were light chatting.

They were my companions that i am talking about!

This photo worth millions for it is so hard to get this precious  photographed still.

I am sorry that if i might had started this entry like i am complaining about my family. Noisy as we could be, there's nothing that i find more joyful than spending time taking vacation with them. 

One thing that you should not missed out when visiting Kuching is going to the  Sarawak Culture Village which situated near the Santubong mountain. If you are not able to visit whole Sarawak then this place is the mini Sarawak. You could see almost all ethnics cultures here, including where and how they lived. The natives here even invited you to take part into their activities held there.

I suggest that you wear flats when visiting this village. Those bamboo bridge could be slippery. Uhh, this is a bridge that you would have to cross before getting into a Bidayuh longhouse.

I think this photo is great if everyone in it smiling. Hahaha, let me do some explanation here, Steven was at the end of the bridge, trying to get photo of us crossing the bridge, while my son is getting really impatient being held by me, he desperately wanted to walk the bridge on his own. A protective mom like me wouldn't let that happened so, i managed prettiest smile. His hands are too short to get a grip and small feet to stand on those three times bamboo than his feet size! I know you get it. I just have to say it loud to explain this rather skeptic photo. I wasn't pinching him at his back.

I would be grateful if you recognise this man. Yes, i am married to him. Yes, i know what you're saying. He looked tad different. You're wondering what is that , is he getting slimmer, did he do something to his hair? No! Probably some parts of it were true. But, i 'd tell you. He is darker now. That's a sun burned skin , not healthy-ly tanned. You probably thought that it was just bad lighting but, nope. Steven might pout if he read this. But, he will just love me more for he is always part of my entry.

This is a Bidayuh girl dancing , sorry i forgot what is it the name of the dance since i was so busy keeping off my son from getting into the center stage outshining this beautiful girl's performance.

I found this just before going into the Iban longhouse. I am sure there were people who missed out on this four dolls outside the house for they were so tiny on the ground while the path made from woods to go into the longhouse was raised from the ground. Anyone knows what these dolls represent on? Are they the guardians of the house or what? Anyone who has the real answer please kindly share the knowledge in my comment box. Would appreciate it.

The Iban longhouse. The were smoke coming out from the house because there were few women cooking traditional food inside the house. They even sell souvenirs though i was quite sure they selling it more expensive than outside.

This little guy used to be swung to sleep from the second month right until he was six months old. Now, he found joy in this not-bundling-swing like we had one at home when he was small.

Magnificent Orang Ulu's longhouse. Those  pillars were hand-crafted! I was in awe for few seconds seeing it. But, we did not climb it for it was too tall and we are running out of times to get to the theater for cultural shows.

This little guy testing out his talent in dancing the some what dance we called Magunatip in Sabah. I forgot the name of the dance in Sarawak. It is  the Melanau signature dance here.

Right behind Steven, is the Melanau's long house. It is built enormously in three storeys. Can you imagine how many families can fit in the house?

My son is just a year and 9 months old but, he has a thing with girls following him around. This Melanau girl trying to mingle with him but, due to age different , Chris found that moving the wood is more interesting (at least) at that time.

At first i thought that i have seen it all after the Orang Ulu house. But, this longhouse is just sooooo tall. It is Melanau's. This house is a fairly three storeys house and i think the whole can fit until four storeys. Words have it that people of Melanau used to build their house this way a long time ago to withhold and withstand the pirates or enemies from attacking their houses. But, they have four stairs to get onto the house. That's too many and could speed up the attacks! Just saying.

Ngajat lesung by Iban tribe.

That is how tough an Iban men can be. They can lift up 'lesung' (very heavy) by only using their teeth and even dance with it.

Another beautiful dance from Bidayuh. This is the Rajang Be'uh dance which usually danced after the harvest season as a form of entertainment to the residence. Their moves much influenced by the birds and other animals in their dancing. However, dad could not stop wonder why the men wearing skirt had overly big hips.

Those men jumping over moving woods looked like mice stepping onto hot water, the dance was also famous for this move known as Magunatip in Sabah by Melanau tribe is called the Menyak dance. Just found the terms in the passport. There were brief explanations to each of the ethnics lifestyle and dance in it you can refer during your tour by the way. Man, i read it only after i am home. My bad.

A warrior with his sword and a 'supuk'. This Kanjet Ngeleput dance potrays a warrior wandering in the woods to get food or prey.

The Culture Village 's background is the Santubong mountain.

There were hundreds of ethnics living in this states but, they only displayed the main ethnics  which is the Bidayuh, Iban, Ulu , Melanau, Penan, Malay and Chinese. There would be culture shows at scheduled times and going to this place worth every penny you spend to get the passport to get in here. Yes, you heard me right. A passport would be issued to you once you pay the entrance which is MYR60 for adults and kids up from 6 are charged MYR30. Quite expensive but, someone gotta be paid to get this whole place running and well maintained , right. For every ethnics houses you go, you would get a stamp on the passports. It is not obliged rather optional but, i think that is part of the money you're paying for at the entrance.


This culture village is a mini Sarawak but i think i will come back to another part of Sarawak , think there is so much more that i havent seen here.There is this saying, "if adventure has a home, this is home."

0 Holiday.

It has been few weeks since my last entry. It you're a loyal follower of this blog, yours truly really sorry for the slows in updates.Trust me, when i'm out that could only mean that i am up for so many things. :p

Well, this weekend marks the commencement of mid year school holiday. Yay! Steven and i are taking my parents to Kuching, Sarawak for some vacation. I am not  sure what we are looking for there but, i know Kuching can't be a wrong place to spend few days for my holiday. We were supposed to take both our parents but, due to (God knows ) some complications from other family members, Steven's parents decide to call off the holiday. For them.The rest of us go on anyway. 

All this while whenever i traveled, I paid a good tour guide and had him manage everything for the vacation. I just had to hand him the money and pack my bags , look good and off we go. This time ,Steven and I decided to do this different.Everything on our own. Because, we thought that we are not going to countries that speak no Malay nor English. It's the neighboring states , for good sake.

Hotel booking given us enough headache not to mention, two or three arguments we had over choosing the right hotel. There were just too many options but, we put particular budget about everything. And also this is the first time we travel with our 20 months old son. With small kids involved there were just so many thing to consider especially where we are going to laid off our sleepy head at night. We need to be near to convenient stores and places to eat. We had to rely on reviews from prior guests of the hotels to find out how well is the hotel. Is it child friendly? Is it clean enough? Everything needs to be considered.

But, thank God just yesterday i managed to book what Steven and I agreed are the best choice of hotels Kuching. Lest we experience the opposite when we get there. We are going to stay at two different hotels as most of of choices are fully booked. Well, i am stubborn enough not to listen to every words the hotel operators told me, thanks to two good months of working experience as a receptionist cum operator in a three stars hotel in Labuan back before i got into UMS. I know that it was just some kind of sales strategy. I went through every online hotel booking sites possible and ran into Agoda.com , where they had this ongoing promotions on certain rooms in a hotel that i had been eyeing on ever in Kuching. Agoda.com just end my misery on searching for a decent place to lay down at night. Where is it? Til my next entry.

Traveling with old folks and small kids can never be more comfortable than being able to drive around the town on our own. Then, we would not have to be ashamed of having to yell and arguing in the car about everything. There is just this thing about my family about high volume voices.I also found this cheapest i could find in Kuching for car rental which i found from Facebook, Samauto. It is some grueling moments since it is just so hard to get to talk to the owner! But, got it managed and booked too. I just had to text the owner on the day of our departure to Kuching to confirm our flight arrival. Yay!!

So, planning on a vacation is not an easy tasks. Especially when you are  taking your folks together with you. Planning at least a month to two weeks before departure i think make sense to avoid last minute surprises. Nobody wants to go on a vacation with boiled mood. 

What are you doing this holiday? Whatever it is, take care and spend it wisely with your loved ones. 

Kisses.

Unrelated photo of mine. Just wanna make a decent closure for this lame entry with my smiling face. Yadaa..!

0 A Review: THEFACESHOP Clean Face Oil Free Control Essence

The regime we do after cleansing our face is moisturising. I have been using a Za emulsion for the longest time and not that it is not good but , it is just so good enough for my oily skin. 

I give myself a try for THEFACESHOP line, Clean Face where this line specialised in treating oily and troubled skin. I noticed that in Korean products they never used the term "acne prone" skin instead they use, "troubled" skin. Their main ingredients to fight acne and pimples is the tea tree essence. Therefore, this essence scented like one. Personally, i love the scent very much.

The cream comes in a small square bottle colored dark beige. What i really like about the bottle is that it comes with a pump which is hygienic when withdrawing the cream for use. I can't say much about the exact ingredients because it's Korean's language all over the back of the bottle. 

The cream is very light and it felt cool when i first applied it on my skin. It is  absorbed quickly to the skin too and leave the skin matte compared to other moisturiser. It has good oil control and my skin does not turn oily at all when i woke up in the morning. Since it  has good oil control, i also used it before i apply BB cream in the morning. My skin steered from shining for longer than applying the BB cream on a bare skin.It also dry up my pimples without causing my skin to peeled. That's what i really like about this product. Therefore, i strongly recommended this to those who has oily and pimples prone skin. However though, the results may vary in different individuals.

When to use an essence? From the reviews by other beauty bloggers, i noticed that most of them used it after applying moisturisers. But for me, i just use it right after i cleanse my face. It works just as wonderful. I only need one full pump to cover my entire face and pat it on the skin instead of rubbing it all over. 

It comes in a small bottle , 40 ml or 1.35 oz. It is quite expensive compared  to other drugstore's since it comes in a small quantity but, i think it really is value for money. The cost is MYR 39.90. Quite okay , right?I think there is a big chance that i will buy it again when i finished up this first bottle.

1 A review: Etude House Precious Mineral BB cream Bright Fit

Fan of BB cream? 

I am. Once the BB cream phenomenon broke, i went crazy and looking on the net and read on few local  magazines the difference of BB cream and foundation. Oh, then i went crazy for the search of perfect BB cream. 

Right until now,  i have already tried three brands of  BB creams. He.. he.. it is not overwhelming though because i had just already give myself a run for each at least a month. I fear that if i change products too quick, my face is too vulnerable for breakouts. 

However, though for the two brands that i have been using before this review, it always started as a dewy skin when in fact i like it more matte on my skin because i have an oily skin and very prone to pimples. Then , in the end of the day  especially when i had a well occupied day, i will at least found one breakouts after washing my face in the evening. I know, not cool.

So, i found this Etude House's BB cream in 1Borneo Hypermall. Actually i have been eyeing on this BB cream on the net and found mixed good and moderate reviews on it while rarely bad one. So, i bought one in Natural Beige. I was kind of skeptical actually if i should try the Light Beige but, I was afraid if it would make me look greyish. 

Beautiful packaging!

Etude House Precious Mineral  Bright Fit BB cream has more options of shades available compared to other brands of BB cream which can only offer two to three options. And the color also really blend with the skin color rather than masking the face with the cream itself. 

I choose Natural Beige and it suits my skin color best!

Before 

Naah, dull skin before application of BB cream. Large pores are everywhere. Sorry if you disgusted by this photo.

and 

after.

Skins looked brighter and skin tone becomes more even. Redness on the nose is covered too. Pores are slightly reduced. There is no editting involved in this photos. Except resizing it. Most acne scars are moderately covered though there are some still visible.

It feels the lightest BB cream i had ever tried and very easy to blend on the skin with fingers.  Skin feels very smooth after application. What i like more is that my pores size looked reduced thus it really makes my skin looked smooth. Other BB cream only makes my pores more visible and deeper. Yuckss. 

My skin falls into the oily category, which it will get oily 45 minutes after washing my face and it gets faster like 20-30 minutes with any cream put on my face. But, this BB cream from Etude House takes me at least 45 minutes to get my skin oily all over. Therefore, for me, it has better oil control though it gives slightly dewy look once applied on the skin too. This what makes people with good skin condition a radiant look , i think. And  oily to people like me. 

Super convenient pump.

Packaging is luxurious and neat. It comes with the famous pump which makes the application easier and un-messy. It also comes in quite large quantity with 60 g nett. Other drugstore's brand BB cream only provides 15-25g of cream which I can finish that in less than two months. 

Comes with SPF 30 and PA++, also whitening, anti-wrinkle and anti-darkening benefits. Yes, BB cream is combinations of all beauty benefit.

The price is RM 89.90 which quite affordable consider it comes in quite big and sophisticated packaging.  I will definitely buy it again.
 

* Product used is blogger's. Unsponsored. :p

0 The third is not always the charm

Since officially getting the mother title i have very little time to shop for myself. Therefore, online shopping is where i turn to get my shopping addiction going. Yeah it never ceases. 

I am sure that almost everyone knows Zalora right? Yesterday i got my 3rd purchase from it which i bought a bag organiser, Organise Josie by Gin Jacqie.

Look how cute this is. It is like a little bag inside a bag.

The bag organiser is so cute and perfect for all my handbag collections. Now , i don't have to worry that i will forget the must-have things in my handbag when i want to change it just before heading to work! 

When i want to change my handbag, i just pull it off and insert it to other handbag

I also bought a heels by Sidewalk, which is a disappointment of all. I took it out from the plastic bag. The first thibg that i will examine when getting myself a shoe is to look at its sole. Whether it is perfectly intact with the body of the shoes or not. Well, the sole is not adhered well to the body of the shoes. I think if i were to walk in those , i will get a 'laughing' shoes in less than 15 minutes walking. 

Beautiful aren't them? At first , i just can't wait to wear it to work.

I understand that i can returned damaged goods but , i just don't know how long will it takes to deliver me the new one. The box was enclosed with a returned slip but, it does not say if it will deliver a new one. It only says that they will deliver a new size if it does not fit me, or choose to received store credit voucher via e-mail. And i can returned the goods via Pos Laju and the cost of shipping costs will be included in the store voucher credit. Well, the purpose of shopping online is to save time and  energy to go around malls looking for a pair of good shoes. But, when you got damaged thing delivered to you?! A complete turn-off! 

You don't sell damaged goods. This also happened at the other side of the shoe.

Of course, these are the issues that we have to deal when shopping online but, seriously? Zalora should put an effort to check if the goods delivered is in the best conditions. If it's new let it delivered like it's new.It dares to make a world-wide promotions on the web and on national tv, but also dares to sell damaged goods? You can do better than this.

I still haven't made my mind yet if i will returned it or not though. I mean i really like the shoes and would love to wear it. The other options i have to send it to cobbler to fix it. We will see about it.

 

0 Face Contouring

If people were to ask me what's my biggest insecurity about my free, it's got to be my nose. l know that Asian commonly has flat nose but, l think mine has gone overboard. It is way rrrareee.....Til it somehow becomes my trademark.Like l were to wear a masque, people is still going to recognize that it's me just by looking at my nose.

l am now aged 27 but,l admit that l still struggle with this insecurity especially when I had to pay a MUA they would either makes me looked like a transvestite or me looking as if I just smear dirts on my face.l am not saying that these MUA does not know how to do their job but it maybe just that they do not know how to handle this kind of nose. Ha ha ha!

l wish that l can steal off my husband's nose when he is aslept!


Since l was aware of the existence of make up, l have been practicing and try to master the art of nose contouring and sculpting for years .Yet l know they never seemed enough, but l think, it would have to be me to accept this God-given unique nose first despite what make ups can do.

Okay, enough about ramblings on my inseurity,and you might not interested at all about it and you must thought why on earth you're still reading this. BUT, do stay tune because i am going to tell how to get the look of higher nose , slimmer face in a very easy steps.

This is how i looked like without contouring. Flat face :(

 

 

  Lets go on for the cheeks first.

My all-time favorite brushes are from Elianto. These are my mini blusher brush that i used for contouring the cheeks and the blending brush that i used for sculpting the nose the blending eye shadows. They are soft, long durability, and very cheap!

  You'll need blusher brush. I like my mini blusher brush from Elianto. It is fluffy yet not too big as i will have control over how much the bronzer or  the blusher will spread on my cheeks. The bronzer is used to contour the face to achieve a slimmer and smaller face. While the blusher is used to give a cheery radiant healthy looks. It is okay to used both but, I usually use my bronzer on regular basis while pink blusher is when i had too much pink for the day. I do combo bronzer and blusher when i have extra time to get ready or if i am attending special  event.    The bronzer is not supposed to be on the cheek bones. Since bronzer is used  for shading, then you apply it at exactly under the cheekbones. Suck in your cheek to make the cheek bones stand out then, sweep off the brush at the area sucked in. Then, without reapplying the brush with more bronzer sweep the remaining powder in the same brush along your jaw line. This help to achieve a slimmer and sharper chin.  

Look at the effect. Contouring gives the illusion of higher cheekbones and slimmer face!

  As for the sculpting the nose..   You have to have the right tool. You need matte brown eyeshadow,or non-glittered bronzer. I used the same bronzer i used for the cheeks, or two shades darker foundations or powder,highlighter,or transparent powder or you may also opt for one shade lighter powder.

Then,starting by highlighting the bridge of the nose,use your middle finger or contouring brush to apply the bronzer from starting from eyebrow to the tip of the nose. Since i have rounded nose tip, i draw it to be tapered at above the nostrils to just below the tip of the nose. Then, dust off any sharp lines with the brush without re-apply the bronzer.   Tadaaa....How do i look? Can you see difference from the first photo? For your information, i did not edit any of the photo in this entry except for reducing its size.

Final results.    

   

Product i used: 

1. za BB cream Total Hydration

2. Oxy Face Powder in Natural Beige

3. In2It Eye Brow Powder

4. Body Shop Highlighter

5. Wet n Wild Color Icon  in Pearlescent  Pink blusher

6. Wet n Wild Color Icon  in Spoiled Brat eye shadow

7. za Plumper Lips in Rose Vintage    

      If you haven't try contouring and sculpting, try it now. You'll see difference too. When i was in my lazy days to apply make ups, the least i will do is contouring. To give some shine to the face instead of just plain flat pale face. (too much adjectives given! ahaaa)   Have a nice day, fellas!

0 Make over for ID and passport photo

Do you wear your face with special makeup if you are going to shoot for ID or passport photo? Or do you let your face be just a plain Jane for it? Because you're too scared that you looked fake in those photos? But, if you put too much, i am afraid that you are not going to pass any customs with a drag queen looks. In case you are too lazy to touch up when you going up on airplane.

 Well, do you laugh silently when looking at your driving license's , passport's or ID 's photos? I don't know about you but, i think my look on these documents often looked less good than the pictures i uploaded for Facebook or my any social networks. Maybe i can blame it on the angle and the plain-ess of my face.

We could not choose our best angle when shooting passport photo. If only! Ha ha ha...i really don't think that it is going to happen ever. If you cannot choose your best angle, well please do yourself a favour to at least touch up to highlight certain features on your face. Because! You gotta looked at least you did wash your face after waking up before getting shoot for this. Often, we looked too tired, too pale, or worst , you can't really recognize the person in that picture.

Here's what you can do. First, you gotta aim to look fresh and lively. You do not want to put too much on your face unless you want to look like a drag queen. Passport photo tends to capture every tiny dots details on your face moreover, you have to face STRAIGHT to the camera.

Wear foundations. Cover those flaws with concealer especially the undereye. Remember to blend them well because you don't want your skin to look cakey. Powder up to set up the canvas. 

Then, shape your brow. I prefer using the cake brow liner rather than the pencil. It looks more natural and sometimes i can skip the need to brush my eyebrow after filling it. 

Now the most important part is contouring. Contouring could makes your cheekbones looked higher, and gives you the healthy radiant look. I am using bronzer from Body Shop.

It comes in tiny balls...they are very fragile though but, they has a sponge to hold it from breaking inside the pot.

Use a bronzer rather than pink /peachy blusher on your cheek. Using a slant brush , smile and brush it on the apple of the cheek.  Brush the bronzer to your jaws too.This will give the illusion of a slimmer face.

Then, by using bronzer, or one shade darker concealer than your skin, or soft brown eyeshadow contour your nose. Different nose shape needs different contouring on the nose parts. By contouring the nose, it will give nice balance of your whole face, nose and your lips. Do not forget to highlight the bridge of your nose after shading the sides of the nose.

When applying your foundation earlier, let it also touches the lips a bit. Apply pink lipstick to the inner of the lips, then apply pink/mauve/peachy or nude lip gloss to the entire lips. Your lips will looked like you are just being kissed.Heee...or at least looked naturally healthy pinkish or looked pale like you have just have a bad encounter with a vampire who sucked up all your blood.

For your eyes,apply neutral colours.Use brown and highlight your browbones.Finally,never leave the house without mascara.Do not forget to apply for lower eyelashes to give the illusion of brighter and more opened eyes. Brush the upper lashes first and without dipping into The tube again,brush the lower lashes.This is to avoid the mascara from getting on your skin.

It is best not to wear any colored contact lenses and if you are wearing glasses on regular basis , yes you may wear it for shooting ID and passport photo.

Hair is the crown for everyone. I think it is practically safe that your hair get the evergreen make over. I mean styles that never aged. Avoid tying it up, or braided it. It is best that you let loose your hair and when it is time to shoot, put away your hair from the face by pinning it behind your ear. Remember to bring your mini hair comb with you so that you can tidy up any flyways.

Before you going to face the camera, blot away shines and powder up. Look to the camera and smile!

0 Going on a Picnic + Portraits

I am not known as a picnicker but, there is always first time for everything. My family and i went to Tips of Borneo ( Simpang Mengayau) , Kudat last Saturday. I was hesitated at first because i know that this place is amazing but, there is not much to do there if you are not a surfer , if you are not staying at the chalet there other than dining around there. Mom did not approved the idea to stay there, she was too worried if my little son cannot adapt to the new place. So, she makes us to go picnic there. Some of relatives who been there few times, agrees that picnic is the best way to go. 

I really didn't ready  much for the whole thing. Mom basically prepares all the food from home. Nasi briyani, fried sausages and tempura nuggets. We got many snacks and sweets with us too. While my aunt, cooked fried noodle, fried rice, salted fish and the scrambled eggs. They got many local delicacies too that i do not even know the names though. *blush blush

So , after that day, i was kinda imagining if we could do this again and do it better.Here are some tips that you might want to put into your check list before going on a picnic to have a perfect one. Well, our picnic was not that perfect but, i thought that there are lots of things that can be done if we are planning on going for picnic again.

To ensure an enjoyable, delicious simple food, comfy and still looking good...
You must

Never forget a spread,tablecloth but our humid country it is better to bring mat to spread on the ground. So, it will be easy for us to gather around with the food in the center. Forget the little messy cabanas by the beachside. You can find many of it in Malaysia's beachsides. It is best if you could find your own perfect spot to sit down and enjoy.

Umbrella. Big one.

Finger food or anything as long as they do not melted or will 'rot' under the heat of the sun . Fruits are the best desserts for a picnic.

Frozen drinks. When you are ready to drink, they will still taste cool.

To keep the kids happy,bring their favorite snacks.

Wear sunblocks though it may seem cloudy,uv rays sting through clouds.

Flip flops.or Flats.

Common Sense,do not wear heavy makeups or you get the zombie wonderland looks when it's all coming down melt and CreasES.

I did not upload any photos of the picnic because we were too hungry to snap all the good food.

Check this out too.....

Photo rolls. I hope you enjoy it though maybe you do not know anyone here. They were more to portraits. What can i say, i love portraits. These are my lovely family..... I was so wanting to take group photos at the cut globe scuplture   but, there were just too many people there on that day crowding the iconic cut-off globe. Too many, and we had to take turns to take picture.

Chris looked upset because he begged so that he could walked on her own.

Steven and Chris.

Sisters!

There's always something about kids and their grannies , don cha think?

Chris with his upset look again. He was desperately bored and need to get down to the ground.

But, he does looked okay and when granny hold him, huh

Grannies and the kids

Mommy's little girl forever. Ha ha ha...

From top, Lister. From left, my only brother, William and friend, Sham.

And always my jewel....

With my handsome jewel who just can't wait for another snap . He really need to get moving right away.

My current Facebook cover photos... of course my personal profile one.

Tips of Borneo said to be the nicest beach in North Borneo, overlooking the South China Sea. Apart from the crazy cliff, beautiful rocks, splashing wave that attracts surfers from around the world, white sand beaches,  well accommodated it is just a beautiful serene places to go if you want to escape from the city. But, of course escaping means bumpy potholed roads in Sabah. You just can't get away with it especially in Northern Sabah.I won't want to go any further on that.

That's all. Hope you enjoy reading this entry. Til my next entry, chaw!