Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Coach is ON SALE!!!!




This goes out to all Coach addicts out there..

Coach IS on SALE babes!!!

You're looking at 30% for about 1/3 of the bags in the store.

Yes, you heard me right..the clearance sale has just started, better go grab your arm candies before they are all gone..

Yups, i went to check out the outlet in Gardens today. The place was amass with throngs of crazeee ladies. The atmosphere felt very much like a 'pasar malam'.

Believe me, each gal had like a couple of bags in their arms, and they were still going on trying to grab as bags as they could, as if holding on to their dear lives.

The sudden influx of customers was so overwhelming that the security had to lock us in so that no one could enter any further. Hence, there was a long line outside the store.

Looking at how wild the whole situation was, one couldn't help but to go with the momentum. I too, was psyched to grab a couple of those pretty arm candies and very quickly paraded each piece in front of the floor-length mirror.

I was thoroughly enticed.


These are some of the ones that I've picked...

Signature Stripe Floral Wristlet in Pink RM525. This wristlet wasn't on sale, but the rest of the range was.






Same wristlet also available in Gold.
I was holding on to this Signature Stripe Floral Tote for a while. A bit too girly eh?





But u can't deny it's nice. And i know i can carry it. :P





Ooh, i love love love this one. The colour combination was 'nice' :).

I love how the Madeline range is so darn feminine.

Madeline Medium Signature Tote. Can't remember the price of this one but the large one was RM2300.




Then I was thinking, if i were to get the Madeline, is it better to get the signature (monogram) or the leather tote?

Certainly leather has its charm too... Just look at how sexy this Madeline Leather Tote is.



but but...

The signature Madeline in black also damn interesting.

Tres chic!

Sigh..i want them all!






Then I stumbled upon their new arrival....


The Coach Ergo range...

Introducing the Coach Ergo Patent Leather Framed Satchel in Brass/Tan.

I am officially in lurve ppl!





i love the framed clasp closure, it's so vintage.




This Coach Ergo Signature Pleated Framed Satchel in Bronze is damn happening too.



I want them.. I want them all...


Sigh, someone actually commented that i was damn "disciplined" cos i refrain myself from indulging in any at all. Yes, i'm thinking of my Shanghai trip.


Need.to.save. Need.to.save. $$$

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Happy Happy Birthdaysss...

Had 3 birthday celebrations last week alone.


There are certainly lots of May babies amongst my friends.


Dad's birthday is actually in June, but this year we celebrated his lunar birthday instead. His lunar birthday falls on Wesak Day every year, a pretty significant one for dear daddy. [FYi, the Chinese lunar calendar is always a month earlier as opposed to our conventional kwailo calendar].



~*~*~*Daddy's birthday*~*~*~



Dad and mum - the best parents in the whole wide world. :)





Thanks for your unfailing love and support. I love you guys too!!





Blessed with beautiful daughters (we were told). hehe..






We went to Restoran Sam You, PJ State. This is a really ol skool Chinese Restaurant whereby the food is always good and the waiters are always friendly.

We had their specialty prawn. It was da bomb. The gravy is made from mayo and thai sweet chilli sauce and god knows what other special sauce.

It was yumm..I am inspired to create the same dish myself.







I love "tau fu kang". It's like shark's fin soup without the shark's fin but instead has lotsa tofus. i loveee tofus. And yeah, dun be so cruel la. Dun eat shark can??





My family loves the brinjal/long bean, petai and kacang botol dish with belacan. Here at Sam You the dish was excellent.

Next was the 8 treasure chicken.






The 8 treasure chicken dish lacked the taste of chinese herbs that day. I was a tad bit disappointed though.




Daddy,

Thank you for your encouraging words.. Thank you for allowing me to do what I've always wanted to do. Thank you for supporting me unconditionally.

You are the best! Always and forever... I love you...


~*~*~*Sue-Ann's birthday*~*~*~

Celebrated Sue-Ann aka Mulan's bday at TJ Haus on Friday nite with Alice and Christine.

Christine was running late, so the 3 of us took the liberty to order first while waiting for her, as we were starving.





For those of you who's been following my blog for some times, TJ Haus needs no introduction as I've blogged about this place gazillion times already.

We had the usual must-haves.

Grilled filet of sole, mash potatoes (cos both Alice, Mulan and myself are potato lovers), grilled lamb chop, and crispy duck.






I wasn't in the mood to eat, hence I missed out on my fave duck.

Yups, i was feeling like I was falling sick and all, hence the lack of appetite. Which is true, cos I was puking yesterday and today. Think I'm suffering from mild food poisoning or something. It's been 2 days now, I'd better get well by 2nite.





A favourite - the grilled sole was fantastic!





I only had a small cube of the lamb, it was okay I guess. I ought to try this another time when my appetite returns.





Christine joined us about an hour later as she had some things to tidy up at work.




We ordered TJ Haus' signature cheese cake to share. Now, that sorta help to whet my appetite. Guess my theory about having 2 stomachs is true - one for main, another for desserts. hehe..

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Worried....

Just heard the news from my aunt that grandpa got into an accident.

He was hit in the head by those carpark bar/stopper. Apparently the security guard was a "ceh kai" (lousy) Bangla who was replacing another guard for a few days.

Grandpa was out visiting his grandchildren in their apartment as my uncle was outstation.

It was one of those manual bars where the guard had release the thingy by himself and that careless idiot accidentally release it when my grandpa was walking in the pedestrian area.

Fortunately, my uncle's neighbour saw the incident and took grandpa to the clinic. Aunt only got to know about it when gong-gong got home and related the incident to her.

Yups, my grandpa cycles around the kampung area, looking for his friends for company or his grandchildren. It's even more frequent now that grandma is no longer around.


Seriously, i can't imagine him cycling back in his condition, but he did.

Thank God he didn't faint along the way. We wouldn't have known if anything were to happen to him.

I am so worried..

We'll be going to visit him first thing in the morning...let's pray that he'll have a swift and full recovery.

P/s: Went to visit my gong-gong today, took him to the clinic and consulted the dr again. Everything seems fine at the moment, we'll just have to monitor for fainting spells, headaches, etc.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Custom blended skincare




My skin has been super dehydrated lately.
I was so glad when I realised that I've booked myself for a pamperlicious facial today.

Remember I performed during Celebrity Fitness Bangsar's 1st Anniversary party? Well, I received this goodie bag and in the bag was this voucher from MTM Skincare which includes the following:
*skin analysis & consultation
*Diamond peeling treatment worth RM440
*RM200 voucher for treatment





Well, I had my consultation with the beautician there and was told that the diamond peel treatment has to be complemented with a facial. I instinctively checked the prices of facial and it ranges from RM380 - 1000!!

*almost fainted*

I took the RM380 restorative facial (addition of CB nutrient and treatment). Well, it wasn't too bad cos I redeemed my RM200 voucher, therefore only paid RM180.

Before facial, my moisture content was around 40.5% (the healthy range was 42 - 55%, 42 being the least desirable in the range). I was right with my self diagnosis, my skin was super de-hydrated. :p

Tried the diamond peel and restorative facial. Did another skin analysis after that, my the moisture/hydration level of my skin has improved tremendously after the facial. It went up to 55%.

Woohoo.. Must maintain it that way! I wow to drink lots of water everyday from now on.


The secret to their success...
According to Chloe my beautician, MTM will custom blend the skincare for each client. For example, I may need certain % of aloe vera, certain % of camomile, etc. and they'll custom blend a product to suit my skin type.

This is because each individual's skin has different needs, therefore each MTM prescription is different.

They'll formulate and blend the ingredients to suit the individual's skin condition, with factors such as climate changes taken into consideration. This is why MTM is so popular in countries with 4 seasons such as Japan and Hong Kong. It's been in Japan for 18 years now.




Outstanding results! My skin felt really soft and smooth.
I was further suckered persuaded into buying a custom blended cleanser to cleanse my face.
It cost me another RM215. Here, she added yucca, azulene oil, calendula, jojoba oil, etc (i can't remember what else cos i was kinda blur from lack of sleep) just for me.


Azulene oil - helps to soothe and calm irritated skin
Yucca - helps to effectively remove dirt/make up
Calendula oil - has great healing, soothing and softening qualities. It helps to relief dry/damaged skin, skin inflammations, rashes, etc.
Jojoba oil - helps to balance skin's sebum, so it moisturizes dry skins and eases the oil production in oily skin.

I asked if she could also add lavender oil but she said it's currently not suitable for my skin type.
:(


I was pretty surprised when Chloe presented me with my very own bottle of cleanser, with my name on it. Uber coolness!



Each formulation will be labelled with the client's name, product ingredients and attributes, as well as the manufacturing date, for ease of reference.


MTM Skincare
Level 4, Cocoon Lounge,
The Gardens.



Felt like a healthy diet after such a thorough cleansing treatment for my face. So I headed to have a spider roll, the fast food way. Yups, had to rush off to meet a friend for dinner.



Go try it if you wanna have the ultimate facial experience ;)

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Adventures in UK - Part 2


I know this is wayyyyyy over due now, but better late than never :P.

Since this is about the exact time and month I was there 2 years ago, i decided to blog it (however much info i manage to recall).

Continuation from my previous post
Adventures in UK - Part 1

A short recap.


Day 1 was spent in Brighton - a place that's known for its sun and sand. It was a lovely Sunday when I touched down. I spent the entire day discovering the city of Brighton by myself.


I officially started my work on Day 2 (Monday). Spent the morning visiting Bellerby's College Brighton campus (classrooms, facilities, accommodation, etc), then off I left for the campus in Greenwich, which is about 1.5 hrs away if I'm not wrong.

I was checking in and out of hotels on a daily basis, which was quite tiring. I now know how nomads feel.

Spent a night in Novotel Greenwich on Day 2. Checked out again the following morning.








It was my 3rd day here, and I already got quite sick of English breakfasts. :P







It was pretty cold at the time (extended winter), and I was constantly hungry. I really pigged out to the max when I was there. Not that i could help it....








Leaving Greenwich..





Nearing Oxford...






Martin (my designated driver) told me that these yellow flowers were actually grape seed oil plants!










Oxford town!

The air felt different, the whole area exuded a 'studious, brainy' feel. It was as if I was in some kind of intellectually stimulating place.

Or was it just my imagination??!







I personally think this is a very conducive environment for students. There are rows after rows of cafes, book shops, libraries, not forgetting clothing shops for students to hang out. Everything is here...

I wouldn't mind studying here at all...













Majestically glorified defined.









Left Oxford after an early lunch and headed straight to Cambridge.

This is Bellerby's College Queen Campus. It's awesome eh!









I was later informed by the students that no one is allowed to step nor sit on the grass. There's this very fierce keeper who goes around scolding around who does that. No one the grass looks perfect.








Checking out the facilities on campus.

This was one of the art rooms. Bellerbys has a high percentage of international students, in fact their student population skews towards international students. It's preparatory college for international students.








As I was leaving Cambridge I spotted this impressive structure..

The prestigious King's College in its magnificient splendour.







After visiting the Cambridge campuses (both Queens and Manor), I left for Hatfield, Hertfordshire.

All in all, I've travelled for 12 hours the entire day. Finally checked into Quality Inn Hotel at about 8+pm. I can't remember exactly how many hundred miles we've travelled (I had a personal driver (Mr Martin) to fetch me around. Belleryby's hired Martin to fetch me around these 2 days and to ensure that I get to Hertfordshire safely for my next assignment.


Quality Inn Hotel was the only hotel around the University of Hertfordshire (UH) area. It was about 5-8 minutes walking distance to UH.

There was a huge difference between the uber modern Novotel and Quality Hotel.

For instance, there was only 1 lift, and it wasn't working at the time I checked in. I had to drag my freaking huge luggages, through corridors after corridors.

I nearly pengsan-ed!













The cosy breakfast area.






An experience I'll never forget.

I was famished by the time I arrived in Hatfield. It was already closed to 9pm after checking in.

And of all things, I did something stupid..

I wanted to shower and immediately have my dinner after that.

I actually shut the bathroom door (which I didn't have to, but somehow I felt that it's safer to do so...esp since my room was on the ground floor).

After bathing, I found out that I was not able to unlock the door. The doorknob wouldn't bulge, there was no way I could turn it.

And..the bloody bathroom didn't have a intercom!! WTF!!..


I was screaming for help from my room, but no one could hear my cry.



I was hungry and thirsty and I didn't want the uni reps to look around for me the following morning. In my mind, I just wanted to get out and make myself a hot cup of instant noodle.

Just for your info, I'll be working with an entirely different group of institutions. My earlier 2 days was with Bellerbys. The rest of the 4 days, I'll be with the IBT (Institutes of Business & Technology) group.



I was desperate to get out!!!

And so..i started kicking on the door. I kicked and kicked, and finally severed a hole on the door! Thank God they used cheap doors! I extended my hand through the hole and turned the knob from the outside to free myself! And it worked!



Hallelujah!

Shit..did it mean I had to pay for their freaking door? The one I wrecked?

So I called concierge to inform them of the unfortunate incident. Apparently I wasn't the first to get locked in. WTF!!

So, i wasn't charged. Phew~

Memorable huh?





Day 4 - Hertfordshire Institute of Business & Technology (HIBT) and University of Hertfordshire (College Lane and St Albans campuses).

The previous 2 days was spent visiting the Bellerbys campuses by myself as it was an impromptu 'add on' visit prior to me joining the IBTs trip.

Now, this visit with the IBTs was different. Agents from all over the world attended this and I soon had some close friends as company for the rest of the trip.

Tiffany (Taiwan), Ivy (Guangzhou, China), Ada (Hong Kong) and me (Malaysia).








Tiffany, Ivy and I.
We got on really well and were chatting the entire time during our walk from the hotel to UH. I was so glad I no longer needed to do my assignment alone.





UH's College Lane library with amazing 24 hrs internet/com lab facilities.







With Susannah Poole from HIBT. Susie reminds me of the character Rebecca from the Shopaholics series by Sophie Kinsella.


We checked out of Quality Inn the following day and travelled to Uxbridge where Brunel University is located.


Day 5 - London Institute of Business & Technology (LIBT) and Brunel University, Uxbridge.

On Brunel uni campus ground.





Tiff, Ada and Sam. Sam is Ada's bf, he came along with her for this trip. They left for Scotland after this trip. Ada wanted to show Sam the places she used to hangout when she was studying in Scotland and recreate some of those memories together.

The buildings and accommodations in Brunel were much more impressive than the ones in UH.




Angel (Hong Kong), Me, Ivy, Sam.

We were eating cafeteria food for lunch. We were impressed with the wide selection though. It was much better than the ones I had in my uni. I still remember we used to refer to our cafeteria as 'slops'!





Camwhoring after lunch...




The Brunel Sports Centre was mega huge. We were told that it was Olympics size.






Look at the impressive runways tracks.





With Stephen from Brunel Uni @ the Science Park.



Me with Chris (an agent from Melbourne). Chris works at Hobsons.

Our host brought us to Nonna Rosa, a cosy Italian restaurant in Uxbridge.





Ivy, Niha and me.
Niha is the daughter of this Indian agent. She brought along her hubby and daughter.





The 5 of us. We were the noisiest group.



Now, allow me to introduce the place I stayed at whilst in Uxbridge.

Stayed at Red Lion Inn, which I found was still better compared to Quality Inn.





This is what I meant by corridors after corridors.

Of the 4 hotels I stayed in, 3 of them required me to go through long stretches of corridors and interconnecting doors to get to my room.

You have to open connecting doors, and get this, most ppl will have to lug their luggages around by themselves as there were just too many guests per hotel staff ratio.





At the lobby, by the fireplace before heading off for dinner.







View from my window.

Mmmmm...I wish I could wake up to such a pretty sight every morning.





Day 6 (Friday) was the last day I'll be spending with our host and the rest of my newly made friends. It was a day of leisure where we were shown some London touristy attractions.

We took the tube to the city instead of travelling by bus like how we used to.







The Tower Bridge.

It was quite a sight to behold.





Tower Bridge is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the London Bridge, which is actually the next bridge upstream.


The guide shared with us that this American dude, Robert P. McCulloch actually bought the old London Bridge (which was later shipped to Arizona), believing that he bought the more impressive Tower Bridge. The man himself of course denied this.







The weather was getting warmer and I soon rid my cashmere trench in favour of something lighter, a puffa.






Some of the other agents have left (Ada, Sam, Ivy, etc) as they had other plans. While the rest of us continued with our city tour.





Strolling along the river Thames..







Susie and me posing with Tower of London in the background.






Melissa (from Perth Institute of Business& Technology) and I.






More of Tower of London.








Look at the myriad of tourists!! What a turn off eh!




Founded nearly a millennium ago, the Tower of London has protected, housed, and imprisoned many.

This was the place where dramatic events and quirky moments in the Tower's history unfolded - such as the attempt by Colonel Blood to steal the Crown Jewels from the Martin Tower (his brash effort was the closest anybody ever came to stealing the Regalia), and the execution of Queen Anne Boleyn (the second wife of King Henry VIII) on Tower Green.





Me about to go on a river cruise...







Awesome view of the Tower Bridge





HMS Belfast on my left .

HMS Belfast is one of the two ships forming the final sub-class of the Royal Navy's Town-class cruisers. She is now a museum ship in London.





With the Tower Bridge in the background...





City Hall







The City of London School.

On the front are statues of Shakespeare, Milton, Bacon, Newton and Sir Thomas More, the first four apparently nodding to its literary and scientific traditions, the last being a religious martyr, a famous lawyer, and the author of Utopia.

This building still stands and is now protected by a preservation order; it is presently occupied by the investment bank JPMorgan.




Now, this is the infamous London Bridge.

I wonder how the American dude felt when he discovered he bought the wrong bridge! What a vast difference hor! LOL!






The Millenium Footbridge.

The Millennium Bridge is known locally as the 'wobbly bridge' as when it first opened, thousands of people went on the bridge and it swayed up to 70cm!

It was immediately shut and extra strengthening work was undertaken and it is now perfectly safe.





Cleopatra's Needle.

It was presented to the United Kingdom in 1819 by Mehemet Ali, the Albanian-born viceroy of Egypt, in commemoration of the victories of Lord Nelson at the Battle of the Nile and Sir Ralph Abercromby at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801. (source: Wikipedia)

Cleopatra's Needle is flanked by two faux-Egyptian sphinxes cast from bronze that bear hieroglyphic inscriptions that say netjer nefer men-kheper-re di ankh (the good god, Thuthmosis III given life). These Sphinxes appear to be looking at the Needle rather than guarding it. (source: Wikipedia)






London Eye, also known as the Millenium Wheel, is the tallest Ferris Wheel in Europe.






Standing at 443 ft (135 metres), it is one of the tallest observation decks in the world as well as the most popular paid attractions in London.







The 'Erotic Gherkin' (left)






The Gherkin is recognised worldwide as a fantastic piece of architecture which has changed the capital's skyline.

Owned by Swiss Re and completed in 2003, the Gherkin is nearly 600 feet tall, the 2nd highest skyscraper in the city. There are 24,000 square meters of glass and each pane is a different size!
There's no doubt that this amazing architecture is one of the best places in the city for views.






St Paul's Cathedral






Palace of Westminster or Houses of Parliament.




Me, Tiffany and the Big Ben!





The London Eye experience..

Our host reserved a private capsule for us where we could experience the breathtaking view of London in luxury.






With up to 40km panoramic views on a clear day, the London Eye offers stunning views of London and its famous landmarks.

I was astonished with the incredible perspective of London that is at once a history lesson, geography lesson, cultural lesson and a lesson in engineering/design.







The capsule below ours..






Our group went on separate ways after the London Eye tour.

Tiffany said goodbye as she needed to pay a visit to another institution. After saying goodbye, I headed off to Covent Garden with a Thai agent.


Covent Garden is famous for its shops, street performers, bars, restaurants, theatres and the Royal Opera House.

It is the only area of London licensed for street entertainment and as such attracts performers from around the world.

Surrounded by Theatreland, in the heart of London's West End, the area is recognised as the capital's premier entertainment and leisure destination.





Covent Garden is an Italian-style piazza packed with restaurants, bars and fashionable boutiques.

This is my £10 lunch. I can't remember what it was, I think I had a bacon, lettuce and cheese toast.







I did my shopping around Covent Garden and Leicester Square (China Town area) and headed back to Uxbridge in the late evening.

Managed to check out this church in Uxbridge on my way back from the bus stop.





That was the end of my business trip in UK.

As most of my new-found friends (Ada, Sam, Ivy) had left, it was only down to Tiffany and I. We had a good girly chat that night as it was our last night together as we'll be parting the next morning. I actually felt rather lonely that night.

Left Uxbridge the following day and headed to the city to have more adventures with May, one of my best friends who's working with KPMG in London. It cost me a stinking £60 for the 45 minutes cab ride. *ouch*


More after this....