Gifts for me...from myself

Went to KLCC today to get some lavender products for myself, and I did not buy the ones that I wrote about in the previous entry. Not Crabtree & Evelyn, and not Body Shop. It's from L'Occitane.

The Crabtree & Evelyn Lavender Water costs RM120. It smells sooo bad. The scent is too strong for me. The Body Shop Divine Calm Essential Oil costs RM55 per bottle. My mum told me to buy the lavender set at L'Occitane coz it's more worth it. It comes with a makeup case, shower gel, soap and perfume. The perfume smells sooo good. But I couldn't find the full-size version. I think it's limited edition :(

Joyful Mood Soap, Joyful Mood Touch perfume, shower gel

The pouch is reversible! It can either be lavender...

...or rose :)

Besides that, I also bought the Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish in Twinkle and non-acetone nail polish remover.

Looking for lavender

I know I said I won't be blogging until Nov 7, but it's soooo hard not to.

Right now, I'm feeling stressed as final exam will be starting in just a few days. And I can't afford to be too stressed out or else my hormones will go crazy and I'll start craving for carbs again. I ALWAYS gain weight after finals. Hope this semester isn't like any other semester.

So I'm thinking of getting myself some Lavender products. Lavender is well known for it's calming,soothing, anti-stress properties. There are tons of lavender products out there... shower gels, body lotions, hand creams etc but I want something that I can use as perfume and also to put on my pillow to help me sleep better.

Here's some of the products I'm thinking of buying:

The Body Shop Lavender Pure Essential Oil

Used by aromatheraphists to steady emotions,promote restful sleep and soothe the winter blues.

The Body Shop Divine Calm Essential Oil

It contains French lavender which helps soothe and calm the senses. Ideal for those who want to reduce feelings of tension, and promote a sense of inner harmony and calm.

Crabtree & Evelyn Lavender Water

Helps restore flagging spirits.

Final exam...will be idle til Nov 7

Mad

I think it's pointless for the university to have a study week before final.
I don't think people have time to study during that week.
Coz that's when lecturers want to replace classes, ask students to go on visits, or give assignments that has to be done using certain softwares, methods, etc.
In other words, they'll do whatever they can to make your life hard, make you stress so that your hormone goes haywire and prevents you from getting an A.

From now on I must...

1) learn to say "no" when people ask me to do things I don't feel like doing. I have to stop pleasing people!

2) and give more priority to the more important people in my life.

3)learn etiquette and manners on how to be a good host to my guests.

About the birds and the bees...

THINGS MY MUM SAID TO ME TODAY:

1.Men expect their wives to be a perfect 10. Good cook, good in bed, good in everything. But they themselves do not notice their own weaknesses.

2. Women lust for many things--shoes,handbags etc. Men has only one lust--women.

3. What prevents a man from cheating is his aqidah (iman).

And then she started telling me the marriage horror stories, about what happened to some of my aunts, relatives etc. These stories are guaranteed to put anyone off marriage for the rest of their lives.

It's like she's trying to scare me away from getting married.

Everytime people tease me about when I'm getting married, my mum will answer for me, "Oh, it will be a long way to go til she finally settles down."

I think my mum is scared that she'll be lonely if I get married. Coz my dad's always busy with work, and if I get married I won't live in the same house with her anymore. But I can't wait too long to get married. My biological clock is ticking. Everyone knows that a woman's fertility decreases with her age. And I'm planning to have 20 kids. Hahaha.

I haven't lived as long as her to understand the many kinds of man, but I think that not everything she said are the universal treats of all man. What prevents a man from cheating is his iman AND love. Surely if a man loves his wife dearly he won't betray her. Right?

My mum is acting weird. Remember the other day I said she started reading self-help books? Now she's in the process of beautifying herself. Shopping for new lingerie, weight-loss products and she even seemed interested in that new Vitagen Collagen. Errk.

Anyway, I told my mum, "You know, I should have done my degree in dietetics and nutrition. At least the knowledge that I have will benefit me. Civil engineering is totally useless for me. Why should I care if a building collapse?"

My mum said, "I agree."

2nd check up

Today is my check-up with my doctor regarding my insulin resistance problem. I know that I will be sitting in a room full of annoying pregnant women and I don't wanna be the odd one out, so I wore maternity clothes to make me LOOK pregnant. Haha.

The doctor asked if I've had any improvement. I said I've tried losing a bit of weight and my acne has also cleared up. He recommended that I go on oral contraceptives for another 3 months, coz it will benefit me in the long run. I asked him, can he just treat me with the usual diabetic medications? He said that's not necessary. He told me not to worry, coz my condition isn't permanent and is "reversible." I just need to maintain a healthy weight and learn to manage stress.

I read on the Internet about insulin resistance. Apparently, my ovaries produced a lot of estrogen (woman's hormone). Estrogen can be found in the fat cells in the body. That's why when you have this problem, you have to control your weight. An increase in estrogen levels can contribute to a condition called insulin resistance,which is what I'm having now.

Insulin level and sugar level are two different things. You can have a low sugar level, but high insulin level in your blood. Insulin resistance is a vicious cycle. The fatter you are, the higher the insulin is. And the higher it is, the more you feel like binging on carbs. So the fatter you'll get!

The only way to control this is to eat healthy. Right now I'm on a diet of eating wholegrains and vegetables. Previously I weighed 49kg. Then I got fever and it dropped to 47kg. And then it was fasting month, and I was 44kg. Now, after eating all those kuih raya, I'm 46.4kg. The doctor said my ideal weight should be 47kg. But I try to maintain it at 45kg, just to be safe.

After the check-up, me and my man-hating mother (refer to the above entry) went to Ampang Point coz she's looking for presents coz this weekend a lot of our neighbours will be having birthday parties for their kids. I bought a planner for next year (very busy girl, but can't afford a PDA), and some cheap accessories too-- ice cream earrings, rainbow coloured hairclips, purple ring with pink stones. My mum bought me two nighties as well. They're so cute. Pink + green dots, and the other one pink dots+peach dots. Both cost RM10 each. Haha. Reccession. So we buy cheap things only nowadays.

Actually, I'm not into those diaries that Popular and MPH always sells. Coz lots of people shop for stationery there and there's a big chance that I'll own the same thing as others. But that diary was cute and cheap, and I'm poor, so it's perfect for me. Same goes for those accessories. I don't like that kind of accessories coz their quality is low and won't last long, but then again, I'm poor. Hehe.

Ughh..I'm so bloated. Grr...PMS.

Retail theraphy

Does stress induce shopaholic hormones? Coz right now I feel like buying things compulsively. Yesterday I wanted to buy almost everything I laid my eyes on...whitening cleansers, lippies, perfumes, lingerie. I even wanted to buy a Bob the Builder keyring! I don't even like Bob the Builder! I need help.

I heart Rimmel

One thing you should know about me is that I've very terrified of clowns.

Don't ask me why.

Maybe it's the makeup. Or maybe it's because they always come after me?

Today my mum wanted to go to Maxis centre to enquire something about her new call plan. I followed her. Apparently, they're celebrating something. Whether it is Maxis' anniversary, or Hari Raya, I'm not sure. But there's a clown...Oh God.The place was packed and I had no choice but to walk pass the clown. I walked very fast, so that he won't notice me. But then...

"Hmm...dia takut!"

The clown knows that I'm avoiding him. I wonder, was it that obvious that I don't like clowns? Did the expression on my face reveals my fear?

I have two tests next week, and there's A LOT to study, but there's a reason for me to be a bit happy.

Rimmel is finally in Malaysia!

Rimmel is a British cosmetic brand. At least, I think so. Coz whenever I go to UK, I noticed there's always a Rimmel counter at Boots. Now it's in Malaysia. And it's so cheap! Cheaper than Maybelline, Revlon, L'Oreal. Now Watson's having raya sale, so it's even much cheaper!

I was looking for the Maybelline Impact Express pencil shadow in pink (My friends hate Maybelline, saying that it makes their skin break out etc etc but sometimes I do buy their products. Especially at times like these, when I'm on a tight budget and have to forget about shopping at Clinique, Lancome, Estee Lauder, whateve. And I've always loved pencil shadows). Then I spotted the Rimmel counter. And they have a duo eye definer in pink and purple! At first I was undecided whether to buy the Maybelline shadow in pink or purple. Now Rimmel has both colours, at cheaper price! I also bought a mousse foundation, face powder and eye shadow.

Here's the price of the products:

Extreme Definition Two Tone Eye Definer in 009 Pink Princess (pink + purple) :RM 18.90(after discount-RM16.10)
Colour Rush Duo Eye Shadow in 62 Brit Cool (pink + purple):RM 18.90(after discount-RM16.10)
Renew & Lift brightening powder with minerals in 103 True Ivory:RM 33.90(after discount-RM28.80)
Cool Matte Mouse Foundation in 101 Porcelain:RM 41.90 (after discount-RM35.60)

Oh, and btw, Nine West is having a clearance sale at ISetan. 50% on all bags. And 60% if you buy two bags. Some of the bags deserved to end up in a landfill, but some are definitely worth buying. Bring minyak cap kapak with you coz the crowd there is worse than the mosh pit at a gig, or better bring a sick bag also, you might throw up.

Anyway, my mum is acting weird today. She's supernice to me. And she went to Kinokuniya to buy some books. She's being so secretive as well. When I caught her at the Family & Relationship section, she quickly hide what she's reading. My mum hates reading. She only read recipe books. Self-help books? No way. I asked her what book she wanted to buy. She said it's a book on life. I saw the cover of the book she's reading. The author is a typical blond mat salleh who thinks she has the answers to all the problems in your life.

Anyway, Clairol Herbal Essences products have a new look! Arghh, feel like changing my shampoo again. The Clairol shampoos are so cute. Don't you think? And it smells oh-so-good too.

I'm bored with the current shampoo that I'm using (Himalaya Protein Shampoo). My next shampoo will be this Dangerously Straight shampoo, or the Hello Hydration. Hello Hydration has coconut milk in it, and coconut milk does wonders for your hair. But that shampoo is for dry hair. Mine is greasy.

Lately, I always bump into ex-schoolmates whenever I go out. But I didn't dare to approach them. I'm very shy. But people say I'm stuck up. Sombong is my middle name. Haha. But I feel so shy to approach old friends, especially when they're all slim and looking great, while I'm chubby and pimply.

The worst McD in the world

The award goes to.................













McDonalds Alamanda!!

Here's why:

1)There's this one time I ordered Spicy McShaker fries. The cashier gave me the fries and the seasoning powder and said, "Yang ni shake sendiri eh!"I was like, duhh! Of course la I have to shake it myself. There's probably two reasons why she said that to me:
a)She thinks I'm from some rural kampung area and never been to a McDonalds restaurant before or
b)Previously there were customers who told her to shake the fries for them.

2)Sometimes the burgers there are supersalty! I wonder what happened? Did someone accidently spill a bucket of salt at the factory where they made the burger patties?

3)Sometimes if you order McShaker fries, the person at the counter forgets to give you the seasoning powder. So all you have is a normal fries. And sometimes, you order a Big Mac, what you get is a beef burger.

Besides that, Alamanda also has the worst Baskin Robins in the whole of Malaysia. Most of the times the staffs there are just too "busy" to entertain you.

Btw, ever since I stopped taking Diane-35, the acne has come back!

My dad got this book for free at his office. It's a yearly publication for Malaysian fresh graduates, regarding careers and employment. But it's the year 2005 edition. But much more helpful than Jobstreet though. Has all the list of companies related to your course, and also employer's profiles.

Me vs. lizards

A lot of my study time is wasted lizard-proofing my room.

This semester alone, I have changed room about 4 times.I've even slept in the living room for about a month.

Every time I change room, the person who previously occupied that room guaranteed that there's no lizards there. But somehow once I occupy the room, lizards will start coming in.

What is it with me and lizards?

Last night, I came back and I saw lizard droppings on my bed. Gross. They always poo on my bed. I hate them.

Whenever I came back from classes, especially at night, I would see lizard poo on my bed.

We paid RM1000++ per sem, can't these people afford a pest control or something?

It's not like they have to do the pest control thing all around Ilmu. Only at the single sharing blocks. That's the lizard natural habitat.

So last night, instead of studying, I was lizard-proofing my room. I've ran out of ideas how to get rid of them. I've tried the Ridsect lizard repellent. It didn't work. The lizard can crawl past the repellent! Lizards are smarter than those Ridsect people huh? I've also tried eggs. They say eggs and anything calcium, like chalk, will scare lizards away. Didn't work. I've also tried moth balls. Didn't work either!!!

My housemate suggested that I take out the curtains in my room coz lizards love confined spaces. She told me to cover the window papers. So I did. As you can see, my room looks like a dungeon or torture chamber or whatever. And then this morning I woke up and realize that the window handle is broken so the window does not close properly. It's an open door for lizards to come in. So again, I sacrifice my study time and pasted more papers at the gap. This isn't my job. Where's the friggin' pest control???

I can't wait for this sem to end and get out of this house. Next sem I wanna stay in Murni. Less headache.

I miss KL

Weight before Raya : 44.8kg
Weight after 4 days of Raya: 45.3kg

If I stay any longer in JB I will turn into a balloon.

And the whole time I'm there, I kept thinking of KLCC and how much fun it would be if I can just go there, now that I'm no longer bankrupt (duit raya...haha).

OK...enough crapping. This is how I celebrated hari raya...

Raya's eve:

Helped my grandmother in the kitchen. It was the last day of fasting, so it had to be the most special buka puasa! Well, according to my grandma la. She invited my two uncles, and one came with his family, and I don't really like them.

I was assigned the most mundane task in the kitchen--petik tauge (snapping the roots off the beansprouts) and I helped mashed some potatoes as well (my grandma wanted to make soto for the first day of raya). I helped a lot with the cooking, but my uncle and his family came just in time for buka puasa (smart move) and all my cousins gobbled up everything at one go! They didn't even help in the kitchen, and when they came, they can simply order me, my mum and my grandma's maid around like we're waitresses in a restaurant! They asked for chilli sauce la, ini la, itu la.

I buka puasa with only a glass of mineral water and some watermelons! Seriously, my cousins are like piranhas! They ate everything, and I only get to eat their leftovers. It was my least special buka puasa, contrary to what my grandma wanted it to be.

There's five of them. The eldest is a girl, in matriculation college. We used to be close as kids, but then she grow up and became stuck up. Then there's three boys, all extremely naughty. And the last one is a girl, 1 year old I think. Also naughty like the brothers. Dah la tak comel. I know in my profile I said I like babies and kids, but there's an exception for very very naughty kids. Geram! Susah nak handle.

Anyway, my grandma cooked A LOT, enough to feed the entire continent of Africa. As if that's not enough, she even told my uncle to buy some murtabak and a lot of other food at bazaar Ramadhan. No wonder all my family members have high blood pressure, this is how their diet is. There's two plates of murtabak on the table, a.k.a two servings of heart attack (a piece of murtabak has approximately 800kCal).

By the way, today was the first time I saw a cow's tongue. It looked exactly like a human's tongue, but 10 times the size. AND my grandma's gonna use it to make the soto. I know that when the tongue is chopped into tiny pieces and then cooked, it will look like a normal meat, but since I already saw how it looked like when it's raw, for a moment I considered turning into a vegetarian. And then I realized that I love Nando's so much that I'm not willing to give up chicken, so I decided not to go vegetarian, but I will not eat the meat in the soto!

At night, went to my late maternal grandmother's house. Gosh I love my maternal family. Got to see my fave cousins. Jaja/Azze/Kak Long is so putih okay! She had just started university. Once you go to university, you'll become fairer right? I used to be dark when I was in school, but once I'm in Uniten, I'm a few shades fairer.

Then, went back to my paternal grandma's house again, and I helped filled in the raya cookies into the jars. This is my task every year.

1st day of raya:

Every year, I would visit relatives houses with my mother's family. It's sooo much fun! We would go to,like, 10 houses in one day. But not this year. On the first day, we only went to two houses.

Anyway, this year is a bit different coz I got duit raya from my cousins! And they're younger than me! But they're already working. So they had to give Kak Nana duit raye! Hehe. It was nice of them. One of them, Afie, worked as a kitchen helper at the hotel at the duty free zone in JB, and he's always working overtime and guess what he already bought with his own hard-earned money? A bike, a PSP and a handphone! Omg, maybe I should give up civil engineering and take up professional chef course!
This is how my kampung looks like...
Muruku and err...what is that called? I don't know. But I can finish the entire jar on my own!
Traditional Malay cookies...(R-L): Semperit, Putu Kacang, Sarang Burung, the last one I dunno what it's called.

2nd raya:We only went to 1 house. Boring. And I got RM1 only.

3rd raya:Kak Long, Lina, Shamier, Afie, Fariz and I went to Tebrau City to watch Kami. Before the movie, I asked them, what the story is all about. And they were like, "Don't tell me you didn't watch the TV show?"
And I was like, "It's a TV show?"
And they were like, "Duh!!!"...Yeah, I get it. I'm OLD. It's a story about some troubled teens btw. Afie, the career guy, paid for our popcorns and drinks. Yipee!!

4th day:Went back to KL. Yay!!! On the way back, stopped by at Muar to visit my grandma's sister.

By the way, some biskut raya that I lurrrve so much: semperit, chocolate marble cookies, my mum's tarts, my mum's chocolate chip cookies.