My Ideal Guy (2015)

Human evolve. No , not from monkeys / apes. At least not in my vocab. I mean, past 2000 years have you even seen one ape evolve into a human being? (Although I agree sometimes humans behave worst than apes / monkeys).

Human beings evolve. Change. Emotionally. Mentally. I know I have. This is like an updated list done from 2007.

So here goes, things I look for in a life partner.

- Loves God with all his heart

- Loves and will take care of is family and mine

- Will know how to be the leader in the family - a man worth submitting to

- Will love me with all of his heart as an equal and partner.

And other nitty gritty stuff:

- Non Smoker / Non a crazy alcoholic (Like Child Pugh B-C)

- Has a good sense of Humour

- Generous with his time, money, everything

- "Gets" me

- Gentle and has grace

- Someone who doesn't shirk responsibility

- Someone who has vision, knows what he wants.

- Someone who can handle criticisms.

- Someone who knows know to correct me/ other people with gentleness and grace

A beloved sister and dear friend of mine summed it up this way - "basically as the list simplifies at the heart of it you desire someone who desires God and you"...

And that's probably true.

Thelilacbox Debut!

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the 8th day, and according to the Chinese, number 8 is always "ong" (prosperous) right? :)

Have been procrastinating on this post for quite some time...but here goes! :)

Many of you might (or might not) have read my last post of thelilacbox. In a blink of an eye, Valentine's has reached and my blind date, aka the very macho/ladylike, whichever you want to think, has finally reached my hands! I'll have lots and lots of pictures, so if you're like me and love pictures...I hope you'll like this post :)

My first beauty box! My first thought was "oh, expected the box to be bigger". But it's ok, it's whats inside that counts! This was the outer box, which was wrapped to ensure the items would not be damaged on arrival. I'm impressed.

Tadaa! Thelilacbox Debut, Valentine's version. The purple polkadot ribbon utterly steals the show right ? :) I gotta admit, the box is a little plain,but the ribbon and the little sticker "i got you thelilacbox" brightened up the box. Its a seriously nice box, I could reuse it for gifts for others too!

First peek inside the box. The little note there basically said to wrap something nice in this box, tie a lovely ribbon around the box and viola! You can give it as a lovely gift to others. :)

The love letter from the 3 guys at the Lilac Box. Yup, its actually 3 enterprising guys behind thelilacbox. Even the lovely ribbon is hand-tied by them! I gotta say I'm impressed. :) Loved the note by the way, it made the box feel a little more personal.

I bet you can see the contents now... :P Let me tell you a little secret : Even the purple wrap paper itself is scented, although I can't really make out what it is. All I know is that it smells awesome :P

And here it is! The debut Valentine's box! First impression: wow, so many goodies! And deluxe sized too! Me likey! :D Will give you an item-by-item picture and my thoughts on it.

First up: Maxfactor Nailfinity nail polish! The colour is slight grey purplish but not too bright, and looks very pretty. Gotta get a nail polish base before I can use this though.

Next : Keratase Resistance rinse out conditioner for damaged lengths and ends. Personally, I don't dye my hair and neither have I permed or straightened it, so it might not really work for me. Would have loved a volumiser ,or an easy manageable hair conditioner version. But what I liked was that it is deluxe sized. :)

3rd in line: Keratase resistance reconstructing shampoo for brittle, very damaged hair and split ends. The same comments for the product above applies as well for this one. Looking through many of other's blogs on beauty boxes, I have come to a consensus that many do not really crave for (or are interested in) hair care like shampoo. This is because most of us would already have our own hair care regiment, be it Dove, Sunsilk etc. This product had better be good if it's thinking of impressing us.

4th product: Decleor Aroma Cleanse - fresh puryfying gel and fresh matifying lotion, 10ml each.

I saw that many of the other suscribers got the white and pink bottles while I got the green ones. At first, I felt loss (just like for the other products as well) - how to use?? Many of the bloggers have mentioned that the lilacbox should have some product guide, encompassing the products, usage and market price, and I heartily agree with them. Stumbling around thelilacbox website, I found further information here...It had all the information on how to get a second date, what the product is, etc. I gotta say something though boys (if you don't mind) - The website information is too long winded... Kinda feel it should be more straight to the point(especially for the Roberto Cavalli one).

5th sample: Burburry Beauty Fresh Glow - 4 sachets of 1ml samples. Most bloggers I know and other suscribers have one rant : they HATE sachets. Haha. For me its fine - as long as the sachets are easy to use. Having tried it already, my verdict is that it really makes one's face "glow", to the point that it makes the face look a tad bit oily (eventhough it doesn't feel that way). It bodes well with the skin, no irritations, and the skin still feels soft and moisturized, but it looks shiny :P So if you wanna use it, my advice is mix it with your make up to make it look a little more subtle. Overall, I still like it :)

6th and final product: The Roberto Cavalli perfumed body lotion, which is my FAVOURITE of this box. As I wrote in thelilacbox facebook page:
" Roberto Cavalli Perfumed body lotion would be my pick without a doubt. Firstly, it has the heavenly SCENT. Which woman doesn't like a date that smells good? It was a lovely, amazing aroma and was not sickening or artificial..a whiff of this date was enough to send me on cloud 9... Secondly,a girl likes a date who is looks good and is "big" enough to protect her. Similarly, Roberto Cavalli looks good and it came it a super deluxe size, which was absolutely delightful, in my opinion. Allows me to enjoy more time with it!  Thirdly, the 'touch' of the date. I for one enjoy the soft and flawless feeling each time I "feel" my date, and how it "melted" so easily into with my skin just had me feeling all warm and gooey inside  I have so many things to share, all the way from the packaging to the contents! But for now, lets just say that thelilacbox made a very good blind date for my Valentines, and it brought me joy and laughter, and made me feel loved "

I have used it a few times so far, and still am amazed by how soft it feels and how supple it makes my skin feels. :) Love love love the perfume smell, its one of the most amazing I've ever felt!

My favourite blind date :)

And what I said was what I felt, that this blind date had met (and surpassed!) my expectations, and that it was a very enjoyable Valentines because of all the joy and laughter it brought along into my life.

What I'd like to see more : fragrances, eye cream especially for the panda eyes (no beauty boxes have that so far!), pampering items such as masks, blushers... something that others don't have :)

What I think thelilacbox needs to work on:
1. Delivery - many beauty boxes use Gdex. As do many other companies. So far, it has brought my product safely to me...But it seems like many got their boxes late, which defeats the purpose. I feel that another delivery company such as citylink and kangaroo could be good options too? But in this area, thelilacbox guys would know the best :D
2. product specification : Like I said earlier - a "manual" of sorts for the lovely products would be lovely. Not everyone is tech savvy enough to go hunting for information online...:P

Would I subscribe again? I'm waiting for the next subscription to open, but as of now, my thoughts on the box are "yes, it's worth it".

Note: A big thank you to thelilacbox for this debut box. The thoughts and reviews are entirely my own.
Also, unlike other bloggers etc, I did not receive any vouchers from Keratase / Decleor. (Yup, I found out on thelilacbox website and from other reviews that I should have had 2 vouchers...but I searched high and low and did not find it). But it's ok, the products matter most. :)

Thelilacbox

Been a while since I've posted, and the simple reason is because I've been busy. Nontheless! An update :)


Those of you who know me know that I read blogs avidly. So it was with interest I read many "special" boxes posts on facebook that people wrote about. And the recent (And the one that looks the most exotic so far!) is Thelilacbox! With Brands like Burberry, Calvin Klein, Keratase...I can only call this high class!

The idea behind this box is that you pay a nominal sum(RM35) and you'll get a range of "Samples" to try...expensive, branded samples which will cost you a bomb! Basically you will get your money's worth :)
Have I mentioned that it comes in a LOVELY box with beautiful ribbons? (I heart ribbons!)

So I signed up and to my surprise got a really nice gift, which I collected today. A Chloé EDP travel size vial! I collected it from Parkson Pavillion, and the guy who attended to me was really polite, no airs and all. Superb service I would say!

So, register your interest and receive a free surprise gift, where you get to choose a freebie from Burberry Beauty, Chloé or Calvin Klein!  What a lovely surprise!

Thats not all! Check out this image:

I want mine too!

I'm waiting for mine, that should come during Valentine's day. Here's the link to Thelilacbox facebook page , where you'll get the most updated info. Can't wait for mine to come, I love surprises!!

Till next time!

Ps: It's past 21/12/12 in Australia and New Zealand. I'm guessing that we're safe :P

Avene Skincare!

Recently, I was one of the 10 people who won a prize from Only Beauty. It was an Avene product "Hamper" worth RM360.

I had it sent to my house, but in usual Malaysian fashion, the Poslaju had to be collected by myself -.- Such service...

The poslaju package. Exciting! Looked really huge and heavy...

Opened the package, bubble wrap appeared. Excitement bubbling...

And the brown paper package that hid the treasure was opened, to reveal...

Tadaa! A whole range of Avene Eau Thermale Products, Oily and blemished skin range.

(From Left: Mask x4, Cleanance K, Cleanance lotion, SPF30, facial gel wash, and toner.

Clanance Facial Wash

From the first day I got it until now I've been using it at least once a day. Initially, I was apprehensive because I'm allergic to so many brands, including the all famous Clinique brand (red like a tomato after using their product!). This Cleanance Gel was a different story. It was cooling on the face, did not have a sticky feeling after, and did not smell bad( like many of your facial wash). I poured around 5 cent/ 10 cent size gel (quite liquidy) into my hands and rubbed my palms together before applying it on the face. It effectively cleaned the oil on my face but did not overdry it, which I think is just as important.Thumbs up!

2nd step - Toner

To use the toner, one must first shake it vigorously as it contains some lotion that needs to be mixed with the solution. Used it twice at least, my verdict is that its ok. Its function is to clean the excess oil off if any is left, but after using the facial cleanser I really see no point. Its part of the 3 step routine for the beauty conscious pious people though...

3rd step aka moisturizer - Cleanance K

For most ladies who do the 3 step daily beauty regime, I'm sure this is an important step. However, there is a little "twist" in Avene's regime. The 3rd step is Cleanance K, a cream gel that is supposed to be both exfoliating and hydrating at the same time. When using the 3 step regime (this was done before bed), my face stayed dry / oil free throughout the next day till late noon, around 6pm (or even later). I felt that my skin was dry for the next 2 days though, not sure if its altogether a good thing...

So far this 1 week(only got it last Thursday) I've only managed to use these items, with the mask and all being kept for the near future (when I have a lil more time for pampering!) hahaha.  Courtesy of Only Beauty who picked me as one of their prize winners! :) Thanks Only Beauty and Avene! :)

Gem Restaurant @Petaling Jaya . . .Truly a Gem!

Having won RM5 credit from Groupon, I bought a deal for Indian food, since I've not had North indian food for a loooong time now. You know as Malaysians, we all love all sorts of food, and for me, Indian food is definitely one of them :)

Gem restaurant is a place that was there 10 years ago when I was still a school kid . . .  :) I passed it on my way to school every single day. Its actually pretty high class . . . And last friday, I finally had a chance to go in!

The interior is well decorated with Indian flavours. There are also 3D-feel sculpture like art on the wall.

The table was set, with 4 heavy cups on the table. It was 7pm when we arrived. We were the first, but was joined by another family in a while. 

Crab soup, definitely a must try. Tasty soup with 1/4 a crab each. Slightly spicy, but flavourful. :)

Appetizer, chicken drummet. Was awesome. Non spicy as well. I think I barely touched the sauce man.  

The fried mushroom is lovely(I don't know the name) and I highly recommend it! Even my dining partner, a non mushroom lover found it delightful!

The naan there, when taken while hot/ warm, is fluffy and heavenly. Reasonably priced as well., about RM3.90.

Abundance of food. Chicken and lamb and mushroom. :D Nice... But seriously spicy, which was kinda a torture, in a way :/ 

This, I remember. Its called Kulfi, its a type of Indian ice cream made of coconut, according to a friend (not milk). Seriously yummy, a MUST TRY eventhough that portion cost RM9.90.  :)

What was embarrassing that night was I mistook my uni lecturer as one of my mum's colleagues. So embarrassing, especially that it happened in front of the lecturer's family! I wished that there was a hole for me to hide my head into during that time man . . .

Indian food is never cheap. So if you want to eat, eat at a good place like this :D But be warned . . . Things that they say are "not spicy" might just cause you to tear like crazy!! It was a good experience, and if a deal like this pops up again, I'm sure I'll give it more than just a thought :)

Snogurt

Spent yesterday, or a good 1/2 hr or more, searching for this place called "Snogurt". we know its in SS15, and we toured the place for so long...finally when we decided to put of the visit, we found the place. (As usual, so ironic!)

Anyway, my short review of the place:

Its a pretty expensive place, where 100g is RM4.90. I L/1kg is RM49.90, which is like RM50! and they have small and large cups for self service.

Don't be fooled, the "small looking" big cup actually is A lot, ~500g. so u do the math - RM20 or more.

Anyway, there are many many flavours. Don't be caught up by the "all time favourite" etc signs. for me, the only 1 worth trying is the Original Snogurt flavour. and it has alot of water in it - not so ice-cream or frozen yoghurt like.

Some simple pictures later. But for now, is safe to say I won't be going back there is a long time...If I ever want to go back there at all.

Value: 2/5 (It's very expensive...and watery doesn't make it worth it)
Ambiance: 4/5
Taste: 3/5

Propwall

PropWall

Was reflecting on the recent change in events...of how complications can arise just like that and it really takes effort to resolve it. It was an equal headache to search for a house in Seremban , but now that thats done...

I actually went through many many websites, trust me on that. 1001 or maybe more websites, night after night searching for a place to stay...

Later on, I was introduced to a super nicely designed website Propwall, a Malaysia Property  website. To my surprise , it is actually worth a visit...the website layout is very soothing to the eye and more importantly , it is very updated and with lots of traffic. They even have more than 1,000 property analysis articles and 40,000 high quality property photos [all of which look very very chic and modern and classy ;) ], and all organized in such a way that is easy to navigate searching! 

However, if you ask me the downside , there is one major one - The majority of places advertised are either based in Kuala Lumpur or Selangor. Only slightly more than 100 properties out of roughly 1600 properties are based in areas outside KL and Selangor. And the properties are also on the pricey side (you pay for class too right)

Apart from that , I find this website really good. Not only it is informative, with the asking price stated clearly, there are ample quality photos to view the properties. I often find it a turnoff when prospective sellers refuse to cooperate by giving enough photos - I won't even bother contacting the person in charge !  

So yes, if I were you, and searching for a place to buy / rent , I'll definitely give this website a go ;)