For Fun: Shopping Tag

So I was browsing through Luuux.com and I stumbled upon this tag and thought it would be fun to post here since I haven't been very good with posting on my blog of late. Enjoy!

1. What is your favorite way to shop? Online or in the actual store?
I think that shopping in an actual store has it's benefits and if it's clothes, it's great to be able to try them out first and see yourself in it physically before you make a purchase and if it's cosmetics, you get to swatch the product and see how it looks on your skin and feel the texture before buying. Plus you get to bring home your purchase immediately. But I won't cancel out online shopping either cos for one thing it's quite convenient especially if that something that I want to buy isn't available locally or isn't readily available. But then again, it's nice (although sometimes frustrating) to come home to a newly arrived package. :)

2. What is your favorite store?
I love shopping in general I don't even have a fave store. But if you're talking about stores that I frequent then I'd have a list. I buy stuff from so many stores for specific items.

3. What store do you buy the most things from?
Haha. Watsons.

4. What is your favorite thing to shop for?
Make up and toiletries. And gadget but I'm trying to cut down on that cos it's super pricey.

5. Do you usually pay with cash, credit, check or debit?
Cash or credit. Only sometimes I'll use debit when the facility is available. I never shop with a check since I don't think there are any stores that accept check payment. Haha.

6. Are you addicted to shopping?
I definitely am and it does tend to escalate. I am trying to channel my addiction elsewhere though.

7. Are you in major debt because of shopping?
Fortunately no.

8. How often do you go to the mall?
Since I started working, not to often. I used to spend a whole lot of my time at the mall while I was studying. Malls give me such a calming feeling. I feel so at peace when I'm in a mall.

9. What is the last thing you bought?
Foundation I think. Wanted to try the Revlon Colorstay one.

10. What store was it from?
Guardian.

11. Who is your favorite person to shop for?
Besides myself, I love buying stuff for family and close friends. I usually don't plan on buying but it's more of whichever feels like it suits the person.

12. Would you ever buy clothes at walmart?
I prolly would if they had Walmart here. Although I think I'd prefer Target better if they had it here.

13. Do you own a pair of shoes that cost more than 200 dollars?
Nope. The most expensive ones that I bought costs below RM200.

14. Do you ever use coupons?
If available I do try to use vouchers but coupon clipping is extremely uncommon here.

15. Do you buy most of your clothes on clearance?
I wouldn't say most but usually I buy them at either discounted or bargain prices.

16. Have you ever shopped till you dropped?
The stores usually close well before I dropped.

17. Do you ever try things on at the store?
I didn't use to when I was a much smaller size. Now I have to just to make sure the clothes fit me in terms of size and flow.

18. Who is your favorite person to go shopping with?
Haha. Myself. Usually when I bring friends to shop, they end up buying stuff and I always ended up not getting all the things I set out to buy. Haha.

19. Do you choose paper or plastic?
Honestly, plastic. Paper just wont hold up for me. Anyways, most plastic used in stores today are bio-degradable and disintegrate with heat. Of course now you could always bring along fabric totes. :)

20. Do you use a basket, cart, or nothing?
Depends on what I'm buying.

21. When you check out, is the total always more or less than you thought?
More. Haha. Sometimes it's less if I didn't know there's a discount.

22. Are you an impulse shopper?
Sometimes I can be but it's great that flea markets and bazaars are really coming up here. It helps. And I have younger brothers so some of the stuff goes to them.

23. Do you always buy the candy that they sell next to the registers?
No. I'd get mints but that's just cos I've finished the pack I always like to have in my purse.

24. If you had to pick one thing, shopping or chocolate, which one would you pick?
Shopping. Are you serious? There's no contest.

Feel free to copy and paste the questions above if you feel like doing this tag. *smiles*

Awesome-st Team Building Session...

Normally I'd be pretty much against outdoor activities especially since close proximity to flora and fauna totally makes me feel uncomfortable.  Having just gotten back to work on Monday after what is possibly a 3 week break awaiting my contract renewal *bliss*, was informed by my colleague that I'd be joining the Team Building session at OBS (Outward Bound Sabah) the next day.  She sent me the itinerary and reading the words "dormitory", "high ropes", "jungle walk", "kayaking" and "rafting" all in 1 page just sounded uber scary.

Anyways, I don't exactly know what came over me (possibly the long break) but I just packed that night and after work in the morning headed over to OBS at noon.  I'd honestly surprised myself those couple of days.  It was like my fears stepped aside as soon as I arrived.  Amazing I tell you.  If you know me personally, you'll know how much of a miracle that was.

I didn't take any photos of my own and practically left my cameras behind so here are a few photos from the session from my colleagues' cameras:

Putting on my harness getting ready to climb

Finding my grip and footing (I ended up getting a boost from my colleague)

My leg muscles weren't strong enough and I tried my hardest to go all the way up and not give up.  Unfortunately, I fell short of 1 more step (the top part was super slippery with damp moss) because I just couldn't find anything to hang on to.  Nevertheless, reaching that far up was an accomplishment on it's own.  Yes, I was that close to the pulley.  FYI, according to the instructor, the wall was prolly 30ft high.

My belay and the anchor (Many thanks)

The gang after our wall/rock climbing experience.

I was the only one who kept slipping, losing my footing, sliding off, dangled from the rope/cable and twirled and slipped getting down.  Haha.  But it was all fun.  Got me some bruises to mark that experience too!  Everyone was very supportive and although they kept checking if I'd like to come down if it was too hard for me, they totally helped cheer me to the top.

And yes, we had to wash our own dishes and the serving dishes too.  Fun stuff.

At our bonfire by the beach that night.  We were left on a jungle trail blindfolded and had to rely on each other to get to the bonfire site.  Another first experience for me but having all these peeps there made me feel at ease.  Of course when there is a bonfire, there will be song.  :)

How amazing is this shot of the bonfire my colleague took?  Epic!

Up early in the morning to head to the beach for our morning warm up and stroll on the beach.  Here I am with the only other female in the group (and staff in the office).

Beginning our morning stroll.  :)

Isn't this view simply divine?  The waves splashing against the rocks at the distance looks so magical and fantasy-like.

2 teams, 2 rafts.  We used 4 tubings, 8 short bamboo stalks and loads of ropes for each raft.  If you're wondering, yes, we had to race, then disassemble the rafts, rinse everything and put everything back into storage.

All geared up to go kayaking.  I totally underestimated the weight of a kayak.  OMG it was sooooo much fun.  The instructor brought us into the water to first test our life jackets to make sure they'd float and then we had to all experience overturning out kayaks and learn what to do in the event it does overturn before we even start out with the activity.

Woohoo. All of us received certificates.  Hehe.

More photos:

Amazing experience as a whole.  :)

The week before all this I was pretty much busy with getting light fixtures, kitchen cabinet quotations and things of the sort plus super busy being there for my BFF on her wedding day(s).  Was super duper excited to be doing her make up too.  All that will probably be in another post.

La Fuente on a Sunday...

So honestly this isn't the first trip to La Fuente - Tapas Y Bebidas (literally The Source - Food & Drinks), 1Borneo.  Today was our second time there.

We had absolutely no intention of going to 1Borneo today but after remembering there was a small property fair there ending today (this was during a morning birthday party), we decided that it would be our next stop.  There were some interesting properties in the market (read: RM1+ million penthouse duplex with private rooftop garden at Puncak Luyang) including an amazing steal of a property in Menggatal (940 and/or 965 sq ft 3r+3b apartment units for under RM200k).

Anyways, after the fair, we decided it would be nice to catch a movie and off we hopped to the cinema and bought tickets to see Alpha & Omega's 3.50pm show.  Cute animated wolf story with some beautiful howling "music".  Storyline is pretty predictable but a nice light-hearted show nonetheless.

Ah yes, getting back to La Fuente (yes, it's obviously a Spanish restaurant), behold our meals:

Ceaser's Salad

- lettuce, croutons, chicken, mushroom

Cream Based Mushroom & Chicken Ham Penne

(The Spanish name was a tad too long for me to remember)

Beef Ribeye

- with sauteed vege, mashed potato & (blue?) cheese sauce

Roast Chicken

Chicken Tikka

My verdict?  I was delighted to find that the Ceaser's Salad was actually quite nice although I do enjoy my lettuce to be little more bite sized (no matter, I'll just tear them apart).  Croutons were definitely a nice touch to the salad (can you tell that I have absolutely no idea what goes into a regular Ceaser's salad?).  My first dining experience here I'd gotten the Salmon fillet dish and that was yummy (I might be biased because I love salmon).  This time around I decided to change it up and go for penne.  A lil odd considering I'm eating Italian in a Spanish restaurant.  No big surprise in taste here though.  My brothers all had different dishes: Beef Ribeye (which was ordered well done but came medium rare), Roast Chicken (with a sauce I haven't the slightest clue what it is) and Chicken Tikka (an Indian dish in a Spanish eatery?  And it had bones!!).

Just a quick post on today's endeavours.  Til next time!

Couldn't resist...

Better Late Than Never... Selamat Hari Raya

I am clearly behind on greeting everyone Selamat Hari Raya on my blog.  And the festive season is also coming to an end soon (say next weekend?).

The Raya (or Eid) celebrations were modest yet definitely a lot of fun this year.  It was weird though being our first Raya without my beloved mummy.  Her birthday had just past last weekend and we bought her 12 multicolored roses which apparently means Happy Birthday (the number of roses not the colors that is).

I'm excited to play with some electronic toys I've finally got around to get for myself.  I'll probably share them here soon or simply tweet a photo of them.  I've already tweeted about my latest toy *ahem - purchase*.  There are a few features that I still need to get used to but generally I'm pretty much settled in.  I love how huge it is too!

I'm currently having a pretty nice break and am definitely enjoying my extra time.  It is after all something that I've been wanting to have for awhile.  That said, I still do have a gazillion things to do which I'm crossing off my check list a little too slow for my liking.  As you can (or can't) tell, I'm a whole lot of night owl and that definitely doesn't help with waking up as early as I'd want.  Ggrr...

Anyways, I've kinda figured that I might just hold out for the next iPhone or at least not rush into getting the latest one just yet.  No, it has nothing to do with the antenna "issue" (i.e. antenna gate).  It's just that I've been on a "toy" spree the last few weeks that I feel I should save some cash for later.  I'm crazy tempted at the moment but sometimes you've just gotta let the rational mind take hold of the shopaholic in you (or maybe not.. haha).

So til more updates, thoughts and posts.  TTFN!

Ramadhan and Fasting...

So this post is a bit late considering we're approaching the end of Ramadhan (a.k.a. fasting month).  Anyways, Ramadhan began on 11 August 2010 and today is Day 21 (if I counted correctly) which means Hari Raya Aidilfitri or Eid 'Ul-Fitr will be in 9 days *hurrah!*

In Islam, fasting begins at dawn (approximately 10mins before Subuh or morning prayers) until Maghrib or sunset prayers.  During the month of Ramadhan, there'll be loads of food bazaars (aptly named Bazaar Ramadhan) providing a choice of a myriad of food, local cakes and beverages to visitors.  These bazaars start as early as 2.30pm til sunset (around 6.30pm here).  If you're from outside Malaysia, an excellent time to come visit (if you're interested in sampling the food here) is definitely during Ramadhan.  If you have friends here, stay on til the Eid celebrations and get a feel of "open houses" which simply means visiting houses of relatives and friends and you'll be served a host of local delicacies from rendang, curry, serunding to Raya biscuits and cakes.

Muslims all around the world have been abstaining from food and water during the day for the past 3 weeks and some non-Muslims have also joined in to fast to either join their Muslim friends during this Holy month or for health purposes.  I have been acquainted with people who consider fasting as a detox session or an opportunity to shed some extra weight.  I suppose it's easier to refrain from eating and drinking when those around you aren't tempting you to go out for lunch.  *haha*

My fasting experience this year thus far has been a bit different than previous years.  For one thing, it's our first time fasting without the presence of my beloved mummy.  It has been that much more tough on me personally and most nights I cry myself to sleep (which isn't such a good idea since it makes it way harder to wake up in the morning for work).  The fasting month started out a bit shaky for me with me experiencing high stomach acidity.  I could practically feel the acid fumes (for lack of a more suitable word) at the back of my throat which trust me is a nasty feeling to have.  At one point I felt like throwing up and fainting.  No, fasting isn't a bad thing.  I'm just stubborn and refuse to break fast early and forfeit my fasting day to seek medical assistance.  *haha*  After a week or so of roughing through it, my gastric got better.  I think it might be the 1-a-day multivit & mineral tablet that I took.  Gave me more energy throughout the day to.  *double woot for vitamin B*

** Josh Groban singing "To Where You Are" on the radio ** *bliss* &heart;

A few fasting tips for those of you who experience frequent gastric episodes:

• Make sure to eat a filling meal during sahur or breakfast.  Not too full though.
• Make sure to let the food settle at least 30 minutes before going back to bed.
• Don't forget to drink enough water to avoid severe dehydration and dry throat during the day.
• Don't eat spicy, peppery or excessively oily food during sahur.
• Minimize or refrain from drinking acidic beverages during the fasting period (i.e. Coca Cola, Lime Juice, tea, etc.)
• If you feel your stomach acidity is higher than usual, have a glass of isotonic or alkaline drink when you break fast

I generally don't do any exercises or workouts during this month simply because my body can't take any extra physical activities.  Even when I'm performing my daily tasks at work and at home, I get light headed.  This is of course just me.  I have friends who still frequent the gym and workout studios during this time and they're able to exercise just fine.  I have tried exercising during fasting month before but made a personal decision not to because my body is just not up to it.  *haha*

Happy fasting everyone and have a very wonderful Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Blu Inc and Goodie Bags...

While I was in uni, Blu Inc (the company behind Seventeen, female, Marie Claire magazines etc.) held their first ever Bumper Celebration with goodie bags, freebies and all those good stuff and I went to every single one of them while I was there.  To my delight, a month ago I saw buntings hung up on lamp poles with the words "Blu Inc Bumper Rewards 2010, 6-8 August 2010, 1Borneo Centre Atrium" and I got super excited in the car.

So me being me, got myself 3 magazines (seventeen, female & Marie Claire) and redeemed 3 goodie bags (and 3 lucky draw entries):

Aren't these bags just cute?  Perfect for No Plastic Bag Mondays too!  I should have these handy in my handbag when I go out.  So let's see what's in the bags:

There were samples and vouchers and a few full sized items.  I was kinda disappointed I didn't get anything from Shu Uemura in my goodie bags.  I don't know if the contents of the goodie bags are different on different days.  So you never know, I might drop by and get myself another goodie bag just because.  Haha.

There was however one expired item in one of my goodie bag which was kind of a bummer:

Apart from the goodie bags and lucky draw entry, there are also a bunch of other coupons you can use to redeem for freebies and discounts/vouchers.  Marie France were giving free hand treatments (basically moisturize your hands with their lotion/cream and dipping your hand in warm paraffin wax), Skinz had 20% off if I'm not mistaken, Esprit, SaSa and Xixili were also giving special discounts.

Here are a few other things I redeemed:

Recycle bag from Eu Yan Sang

(coupon in magazine)

BB Cream from SaSa Outlet

(coupon in magazine)

Masks from Skin Food Outlet

(coupon in goodie bag)

On a different note, I dropped by the PC Fair which was going on downstairs as well and was kinda disappointed with it.  My enthusiasm died as soon as I started going round the area.  Haha.  Anyhow, I will be going again just to make sure I didn't miss anything I wanted to get.  Haha.

Update: I went back today (Day 2) and dropped my lucky draw entries.  Although my entry wasn't picked out for the draw, I did manage to snag myself a Marie France Bodyline treatment for playing one of their stage games.  Haha.

Last Day of London Snippet...

On a lighter note, I know I said I'd blog the photos I took during my London trip with my baby brother in June but there's just so many photos.  I had to create 3 albums for it on FaceBook!  So here's a little raw snippet of our last day there (at Westminster near the London Eye):

London was definitely a lot of fun and it would've been nice if I'd been able to indulge in the shopping experience there as well, especially Primark!  I can't imagine how cold it must be in winter (or autumn for that matter) because the spring-summer weather was a whole lot cooler than I'd like.  I heard that after we'd gotten back it started to get warmer (scorching even) though.  Maybe next time round if we go there again, it'd be nice to try out AirAsia X's flat bed seats with a daily direct flight from KL to London (Stansted Airport).

AirAsia X Premium Seats