A Little Mexican at Home

We had nachos at home today.

We actually wanted to have tacos, but we couldn't find taco shells, so we settled for corn chips instead.

Our Original and Cheese flavoured chips were served with ground beef cooked in hot spices and salsa, freshly diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sour cream and guacamole.

It was really easy to make since most of the ingredients were ready made. And we chose not to bake it, so it was even simpler.

For something that can be made in less than 30 minutes, it's fantastic! Absolutely delicious and oh-so-convenient.

Maybe we should have it again tomorrow. Haha.

Don't you just love the colours!

The Body Shop Olive Bodycare Range - The Others

This is the last part of my 5-parter review of the Olive Bodycare Range by The Body Shop.

These are actually the Olive products that I didn't get. So it is really not much of a review, more like letting you girls know what else is out there. :)

Olive Soap

This vegetable-based soap contains olive oil, derivatives of sustainable palm oil and glycerin to cleanse and moisturise skin.

I didn't get it because personally I find that soap can get rather messy after a while and it's hard to store them, even in soap holders. And a big chunk of them will probably just go to waste coz, let's face it, very few of us can manage to use up a whole bar of soap, especially that last bit of it.

But of course, that's just me. For those of you who actually do like soap, I think this will be great. And it's a lot cheaper than the shower gel, so that's another plus.

Olive Dry Oil Mist

I didn't pay attention at the store and only saw this online when I was browsing the website, so I don't actually know whether this is available in Malaysia.

It contains olive oil and sunflower seed oil to help condition the skin.

We're supposed to spray this skin-softening mist onto the skin after shower and gentle smooth it over our body. For best results, it's recommended for us to seal in the moisture with Olive Body Butter after this.

I don't think I'm gonna be using both at the same time since I'm pretty happy with the Olive body butter on its own. But when the body butter runs out, I might give the mist a try.

I have this Relaxing Lavender Body Mist by TBS in Melbourne that I sometimes spray on my pillows and bed linen to help me sleep, and it really is very soothing.

I wonder if I can use this for the same purpose too? Hmm.

Olive Glossing Shampoo and Conditioner

I've never tried any hair products by TBS because I've got lots (and I mean LOTS) of hair and they're very very dry. Because of the thickness of my hair, I go through shampoo and conditioner like water. Therefore, I only buy hair products in the biggest bottle I can find, to save the hassle. A 250mL shampoo or conditioner from TBS will probably last me for, a week?

For the past year or so, I've been a loyal user of Pantene, (Why don't we have 750ml of Pantene conditioner in Malaysia!) and I'm sticking to it for now.

However, I've heard of people using extra virgin olive oil on their hair and it works wonders. This shampoo happens to contain organic olive oil, organic honey, wheat amino acids and hydrolyzed wheat protein to restore moisture and enhance gloss to the hair, so it's a good option to look into if you don't wanna put greasy oil directly onto your mane.

Another reason I'm not buying these hair products is because I don't wanna smell like a giant walking olive. I mean, I absolutely love the fresh and clean scent of olive, but I still wouldn't wanna smell all "olivey" from head to toe.

Too much of anything is never a good thing, right? :)

The Body Shop Olive Bodycare Range - Olive Body Butter

I'm so loving this creamy body butter at the moment.

I've heard of people who use all the other Olive products except this body butter because it smells a tad too strong. Personally, I'm a big fan of the earthy scent, so I really don't think it's overpowering at all.

It's not a very sweet feminine fragrance like some might prefer, I must say, the olive scent is fresh and "grassy green".

If you're unsure though, it's best to test it out at a TBS outlet before you make your purchase. There's a whole range of body butter by The Body Shop with different flavours and to suit different types of skin. If Olive is not for you, there's bound to be one that you'll like. My other favourite is Papaya, so check that out too while you're at it. :)

"The Body Shop difference: The original and world’s best body butter. And we aren’t the only ones who think so. Our Body Butter was awarded the highly coveted Best Body Care Product Award 2007 by readers of the UK Sunday Times Style Magazine. Providing up to 24 hours of non-stop moisturization and packed with Community Trade ingredients like organic olive oil from Italy, our Body Butters have been a hit ever since their launch in 1992. Often imitated, but never duplicated, this sumptuous range has sold over 40 million tubs of Body Butter across the globe. That’s a lot of Body Butter!" ~ TBS

Apart from the organic olive oil to condition the skin, this body butter also contains other excellent moisturisers like shea butter, organic babassu oil, and cocoa butter.

I normally slather this on right after shower at night to "lock in" the moisture,. It leaves my skin silky smooth and smells yummylicious. Sometimes I like to roll around in bed till my sheets are slightly scented with the soothing scent of Olive. Don't you just love the feeling of soft fabrics brushing against our supple skin?

The texture of this body butter is light and creamy, and it sinks right into my skin without leaving a greasy film. That's my biggest problem with moisturisers - the stickiness afterwards, especially in this hot and humid tropical climate. Ugh.

I'm guessing this won't be rich enough for those with very dry skin, who might need something heavier, e.g. Shea or Mango. For me, it works beautifully in nourishing my slightly dehydrated skin.

Time for you to butter up too? *Winks*

The Body Shop Olive Bodycare Range - Olive Textured Body Scrub

This is gotta be one of my favourite body scrubs now.

We're advised to exfoliate 2-3 times weekly to remove dead skin cells and reveal younger skin underneath. On a lazy day, you can always just concentrate on the few more problematic areas - elbows, knees and heels.

This is a pretty gentle scrub. The granules are of a decent size, not too coarse but still grainy, so it won't be too abrasive on the skin. And of course, I heart the incredible scent of olive!

Apart from the conditioning olive oil and glycerin, this cream-based scrub also contains

• Ground olive stones and walnut shell powder to assist exfoliation;
• Sunflower seed oil to soften the skin and restore moisture by providing essential fatty acids to repair the skin's moisture barrier; and
• Carrot oil which contains beta carotene as a natural source of antioxidant vitamin A to help protect the skin against damaging environmental elements.

It washes off really easily without leaving a yucky greasy film on my skin like some body scrubs do. All it leaves behind is a mild refreshing scent and soft(er) feeling skin.

It does feel a little unhygienic and messy having to scoop it out of the tub each time, but all body scrubs by TBS only come in pots, so there really isn't much we can do about it. The (small) flaw in packaging is not enough to deter my love for it though. *Grins*

So go on, ladies, scrub away and enjoy smoother and brighter skin. :)

Home Cooked Meal

Tried making Taiwanese minced pork, but couldn't resist adding some pork ribs for Bee (the man likes big chunks of meat) and hard boiled eggs for the egg fanatic in me.

My improvised Taiwanese minced pork

Fried vege with garlic

Tomato and Japanese tofu soup

The dishes didn't look very impressive, but didn't taste too bad too.

For someone who couldn't tell garlic from onion, I'd say I did a bloody good job! :D

The Body Shop Olive Bodycare Range - Olive Bath & Shower Gel

The first Olive product that I tried out.

This shower gel leaves a light and clean olive scent on my skin after shower, which I absolutely love!

This is great for morning showers since the (very) slightly spicy smell of olive provides a little extra pick-me-up, but personally I find that it relaxes me too. I often find myself inhale greedily in the hot shower to take in more of the earthy scent and just go "Hmmmmm.....".

It is a soap-free formula and it contains glycerin, which is a water-soluble moisturiser that also enriches foam and lather. Paired with the moisturising olive oil, this product promises to cleanse and moisturise at the same time, which is ideal for winter days or those with dry skin.

"The Body Shop difference: Packed with skin-softening oleic acid, olive oil has been used for centuries throughout the Mediterranean as a moisturizer. Legend has that athletes in ancient Greece would rub olive oil onto their bodies. So it’s only natural that our Community Trade organic olive oil should come from southern Italy where it’s grown on family farms. We pay the farmers of the Nuevo Cliento co-operative, our Community Trade partner, a fair and guaranteed price that enables them to work their land, build their future, and stay in their communities." ~ TBS

It's a clear greenish gel, the consistency isn't too thick but it lathers pretty well. I use this pretty much everyday now and I find it rather gentle on my skin. It doesn't strip off the moisture and I'm always left feeling refreshed after using it.

TBS website also recommends "pouring it into running bath water to create a fragrant foaming bath soak". I've never tried using it for a bath, so I really don't know how well it bubbles up (coz, you know, what is a bath without lots of bubbles huh?). If any of you girls had, feedbacks are welcome. :)

All in all, it's a great product to have in the bathroom and it smells absolutely divine!

The Body Shop Olive Bodycare Range - Introduction

I'm so in love with the Olive bodycare range by The Body Shop!

I went through a phase of papaya craze in 2006/07 after receiving a Papaya Body Scrub in the TBS gift pack Bee got me. The sweet fruity scent (and I'm not normally a big fan of sweet scents) got me completely hooked that I proceeded to purchase their whole Papaya bodycare range.

I still adore the Papaya range very much, but I decided it's time to try something new.

And I found it, my new favourite bath and body range from Body Shop - Olive!

The Olive bodycare range is meant for normal to dry skin. I don't really have dry skin, but I couldn't care less since I'm madly in love with the brisk green scent.

According to TBS, the organic olive oil used in their Olive range comes from an area in Southern Italy that has produced olives since the Middle Ages. It's part of their Community Trade program to cut out the middle man in order to maximise the profits of local small-scale farmers.

"The Nuovo Cilento Co-operative formed as a result of people abandoning the land to seek work elsewhere. In a remarkable story of success over adversity, the co-operative has gone from strength to strength, cutting out the middle man to sell their organically produced olive oil directly, maximizing their profit and so preserving their traditional way of life. Every product you buy containing Community Traded olive oil further helps the community and local environment." ~ TBS

Sounds good to me, I'm all for the little people! And of course, it's even better since it's organic.

So I'll be doing a series of reviews on this range of body products.

I'm not an expert at reviewing products, I have to say. In fact, I'm pretty bad at it since I never know what is good and what is bad, especially with beauty products - both skincare and cosmetics.

This is more like sharing something that I really like and hopefully, my readers (all the two of you, haha.) will find it, somehow, helpful.

Stay tuned, gals. :)

My Engagement Ring

Bee Told Me A Bedtime Story

Our Supper

We finished 2 big packs of sushi at 3am, then I went straight to bed.

Bee's not worried because he won't gain much weight even if he ate a cow, but he forgot that his fiancée will!

You only have yourself to blame if I can't fit into the dress for our ROM, buddy!

Bee Bit His Tongue

And ended up with this ugly ulcer.

I've been reminding him to apply Kenalog every night, but the ulcer is still not healing properly.

No, I did not run out of things to blog about, nor do I want to blog about something so unsightly. He actually forced me to post this picture.

Conclusion of the day: Men are gross and they love it. -_-

Another Long Hiatus

Gosh, it's been nearly 6 months since I last blogged. I can hardly remember how to use Blogger. *Hides head in shame*

Knowing me, that's not surprising. Throughout my childhood, my numerous attempts to keep a diary had always failed miserably, with less than 10 written pages in each of my new diaries. Haha.

As one ages, I begin to realise how unreliable one's memory is. There are a lot of things that I only remember snapshots of, but have difficulties linking them together to form a complete story.

It's as though we're throwing away our life experiences by simply failing to remember them.

I guess that's when diaries and photos come in to connect the dots. Sadly, I haven't been a big fan of both all these years.

However, this is an important transition period of my life. One that I would never want to forget the details of it.

Therefore, I vow to make it a point to document every steps of it to the best of my ability.

First step, backdating my entries! Haha. That's just so typical me. :P

Grocery Shopping

Bee took me on my first "official" grocery shopping trip in KL today.

I only started doing my own grocery shopping (and cooking) when I left home to study in Oz. My first flatmate was absolutely shocked to find out that I didn't know the difference between garlic, onion, and ginger. :p

Most of my grocery shopping and cooking experience happened during my uni years in Apple Isle. Since I relocated to Melbourne, I had hardly stepped foot into a supermarket or my own kitchen. Especially for the past year when I started working 7 days a week and my flatmate's mum came to live with us to become our full-time live-in maid. Haha.

So, my knowledge of supermarkets is really very much limited to Safeway and Coles (not even IGA), and I have to admit that I felt a lil outta place today at Carrefour and Jusco.

For example, I didn't know that things like veggies and dried food have to be weighed at their own sections instead of the check-out counter; or that there is a separate Halal section, and I have to get a voucher to pay at the main counter before I could collect my dumplings and roast sweet potato.

The absence of all the familiar brands made it difficult to identify the exact product I was looking for, and the different isle arrangements cost me double time walking around in my heels. The only place that made me feel slightly better today was Cold Storage, where I found my breakfast cereals.

It's weird how sometimes I feel like a stranger in my own country.

Oh well. Maybe it just takes a lil while to get used to it.

Zits Be Gone!

So today I finally dragged my lazy ass outta bed and changed outta Bee's oversized tee-shirt (the same one that I've been wearing since we got back and is starting to smell a little, Haha!) to get myself a facial at Leonard Drake.

My skin's condition is unspeakable! I can't even bear to look at myself in the mirror, and no amount of concealer can hide the break-outs anymore.

Stress due to the frantic last-minute packing? Weather change? That time of the month? I don't know, and quite honestly, don't care! I only want some miracles to happen so they can all go away.

Given that my stay in Malaysia this time round is prolly gonna be an extended one, I bought myself a facial package in hope that I'll be more motivated to go regularly. Otherwise, it's another RM2k down the drain.

After my facial appointment, Bee and I got into a mini fight because he was late to pick me up. With no mobile phone with me and no keys to go home by myself, I was fuming while waiting for him and couldn't help but lashed out when he finally showed up 30 minutes late.

Maybe it is PMS afterall? :/

Compromised Living

Bee and I are living under compromising condition. We're sharing a computer.

Strictly speaking, I hog the computer for most of the day and he uses it when I go to bed. Haha!

Let's see how long that is gonna last.

As unappreciative as it might sound, I must whine a little.

Who, in the right mind, would use a 32-inch LCD TV as monitor?! It's actually hurting my eyes. *Frowns*

And he's a Linux user. *Double frowns*

As much as I dislike laptops, I guess we better get one soon before one of us cracks it.

I want Windows XP (note: not Vista or Linux) on my laptop though, so don't get any ideas, sweetie!

We're Home

We landed in KL at dawn.

It was a bright morning when we reached home, and as usual, we crawled into bed right away.

When I woke up many hours later, for a moment I couldn't recall where I was. I was still sleeping in my own bed in Melbourne last night, and today, I woke up in Bee's bed in KL.

I guess I still can't believe that I'm back in Malaysia. And this time, not knowing whether it's just for an extended holiday, or for good.

It's all still feeling a little bizarre.

Well, I guess we'll find out.

Leaving Melbourne

Been packing and taping boxes for most of the day.

My back hurts now, and all the packing has gotten on my nerves.

The room is nearly empty, with random stuff scattered all over the floor till there's hardly any space to walk on. My computer is among the last few things to be packed up and join the rest of my belongings in our garage.

I'm leaving most of my things behind in hope that I'll be back again later on this year. Either to stay and work for a short period if I get too "homesick" about Melbourne; or to sell off my stuff completely if KL works out well.

Our flight is in 6 hours' time. Waiting for the girls to come over so we can grab a quick dinner together before bee and I head to airport.

On my God, I can't believe I'm actually leaving Melbourne tonight! And not knowing when I'll be back next!

This whole month has been rather hazy, it just flew by without me realising it. I haven't exactly spent enough quality time with my beloved magical city yet, and now it's time to go. Sigh.

I should have taken picture of the room that had sheltered me for the past year, but as usual, I forgot. And I simply can't be bothered now. :(

Oh my darling Melbourne, when will I see you next?

One Healthy Bee and One Sickly Bee

Went to collect my blood test results from the annoying GP in Box Hill today.

Everything is normal, thank God. That ought to shut Bee up for a while, he's constantly nagging me about eating healthy and already has a strict diet planned out for me as soon as we get back to KL. x_x

We were gonna have a small farewell lunch for me in Mornington with X* and J*, but since sickly Bee is still resting in bed, I went by a pharmacy to pick up some Ensure Plus for him instead. And the healthy Bee gets to have Maccas for lunch! Woot.

More packing for the rest of the afternoon, I'm actually making significant progress. *Self pats on back*

I guess we'll be leaving as planned afterall, since Bee's starting to feel better.

Suddenly the gloomy weather and chilly wind of Oz winter doesn't seem so bad at all.

Oh would you miss me too, Melbourne?

Bee's Sick

It's not too serious yet, we're hoping it won't turn into small bowel obstruction.

So at the moment, he has to limit his movements and solid food intake, i.e. the good boy will be lying flat on his back and feed on liquid diet until his condition improves.

We're not sure whether he'll be able to travel as scheduled on Wednesday night, so there is a possibility that we might have to postpone our flights.

I jokingly told Bee that maybe it's a sign Melbourne doesn't want me to go too. Would it be wrong if a teeny weeny part of me is hoping that we get to extend our stay? Haha. Just kidding, honey.

One thing for sure, my visit to LV tomorrow is down the drain. There goes the new bag I was eyeing. Not that I'm really complaining though, sweetie, the most important thing now is for you to feel better.

(But I bet you are secretly relieved huh? Haha.)

The question now is, do I start packing, or do I not? *Scratches head*

Ebay Virgin

And if that is not shocking enough, I don't shop online either.

(Okay, enough disapproving stares, people.)

I'm an old school shopper, who prefers hands on shopping. So bite me. :D

But with the guidance of a very experienced ebayer - aka my Bee, and my desperate need to clear up some space, this ebay virgin has decided to come out and play.

I'm auctioning off some big pieces of furniture and electrical from my old apartment. They've been sitting in storage for the past year since I moved in with Dorothy and Susan. Now that I have even more boxes to store in the garage, they simply have to go.

I'm a hoarder. I hold on to everything that comes my way simply because of their "sentimental values". As a result, the truckload of junk that came to Melbourne with me has only increased in its size over the years. Most of them haven't even been un-boxed for the past few years due to space limitations and are of very little practical use, but just knowing that they're there, gives me comfort.

It was only after constant persuasion from Bee that I agreed to let these 4 pieces go. Reluctantly, might I add.

Here's hoping they'll be going to a good home. *Sighs*

Edit: All the four items were sold at a reasonable (note: not great) price, just in time to contribute towards my trip to LV next week. Momma needs a new bag, baby!

All in all, I guess my first ebay experience was a rather pleasant one. It was definitely fun jumping outta bed every morning in excitement to check on the auctions. Bee thought it was hilarious that I check them every few minutes, but I guess he wouldn't be laughing anymore if I really got hooked on online shopping from now on, huh sweetie? Hehe.