Weekend Project: Making Mochi (failed version)

I have always fancied those mochi that they serve in Sakae Sushi, they are so nice and adorable. So, I thought, it shouldnt be hard to make it, same concept as in making Tong Yuen (Glutinous rice balls). So, this is an attempt to imitate the mochi.

I searched the youtube and found this video and I got the ingredients:

Glutinous Rice Flour (RM2.60), Wheat Starch (RM2.30) and crunched peanuts.

First, melt sugar (I used 4 tablespoons) with some water, then gradually pour into the rice flour. Knead the rice flour into dough, like this.

The dough wasnt hard to make, it didnt need a lot of kneading. I filled the ball with peanut + sugar. Then roll them into balls. The video says steam the balls for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, I took out the balls. They were HARD like rocks! I dont know what went wrong, it could be due to the added wheat starch. I dont know :(

Why? Why the balls turned out to be so hard? So, for the next batches of balls, I just chucked them into the boiling water, and waited them to float. This time, the balls were moist.

The results:

I spreaded the balls with some wheat starch, so that they dont stick on the wrapping paper. I put them in the refrigerator, the next day, the balls turned hard again =(

I am so done with this mochi making thing. No more mochi making next time. The mess that I created:

Result out: Kris Allen is more leng chai than Adam

Thanks for those who responded to my lame poll. I will now declare that the poll is closed.

So, I got a total of 21 votes. 14 votes go to Kris, while 7 votes go to Adam. So Kris won by 7 votes. Yay, Kris won!

Review - Litna Papaya Soap

Papaya, my good friend for constipation. But, papaya soap?

I have seen a lot of great reviews about papaya soap in forums. Users claim that papaya soap whiten their skin. I got this papaya soap named Litna from Jaya Jusco for RM4. I think the famous one that you can google is a papaya soap called Likas. Likas is from Philipine while I think Litna is a product of Malaysia (cant check, I have thrown away the box).

I have been using this soap for almost one month now, so far, I havent received any compliment saying that I have gone fair. So I guess the soap is not working :(. Though it does not work, but I still quite like this soap though.

It does not smell anything like papaya. It actually smells nice and refreshing.

The first time I used it, I felt that it dried up my skin and I had to apply body lotion after showered. But soon after, I dont feel dry anymore (maybe I got used to it already). I have also bought The Body Shop's papaya soap, I will try it once I finish this.

The box. It says "Enrich Your Skin's Fairness".

The soap. It looks like a papaya, cool aye?

Review - Lancome Hydrating Lotion with Gentle Plant Extracts Alcohol-Free

Been using this toner for I think 2 years now, and I still have about 30% left. See, how thrifty I am ! (or kiam siap :-))

This 400ml toner is actually quite good. It was bought from my mum for RM142. I think it is quite worth it, cos it can be used for quite a long time.

It says alcohol-free, which is good. Alcohol is no good cos it will dry up our skin (in long term) and cell damage. The scent of this lotion is just nice. My face feels cool upon application, and it is not sticky.

However, do not expect any "miracle" from this toner. For me, I think this is a decent product, and it does clean the skin, and moisturise it. Maybe my skin is just too chronic to deal with.

Adam Lambert vs Kris Allen

So with the world raving about "Yeah, my Kris Allen won!" and "Oh, why didnt my Adam Lambert win, unfair!", etc.

Me and my colleagues got into a debate on Adam Lambert and Kris Allen, which is more "leng chai". Some said Adam and some said Kris.

This is Kris Allen

This is Adam Lambert

Well, I personally think that Kris is cuter. What do u think? Guys can vote also, my male colleague thinks that Adam is more handsome. So, my question is ...

Adam Lambert & Kris Allen, which is more handsome?

The Body Shop Sale

The Body Shop (TBS) is having sales now from 22 May to 14 June. The Sales is said to up to 70%. But today I visited TBS @ Prangin Mall, Penang, I did not get to see any 70% items. But there are 50% items! I got excited and bought some of TBS products.

The items that I bought are:

1. Tea Tree Oil Facial Wash 60ml x2 RM23.80 --->50% ---> RM11.90
2. Warm Amber Body Scrub RM30.00 --->50% ---> RM15.00
3. Papaya Soap 100g RM 9.90 --->50% ---> RM 4.95
4. Pink Grapefruit Soap 100g RM 9.90 --->50% ---> RM 4.95
TOTAL RM 36.80

The other items that I think worth buying are the Vitamin Serum (original price RM66, off 50%) and Oceanic Perfume (Off 50%, but cant remember the price).

For 4 items and get 50% off each, I think it is quite a steal.

Happy :)

Don't Cry Over Spilt Botani

Oh my heart aches, I spilled almost 3/4 of my newly bought + favourite Botani Olive Serum! I was trying to multi-task - applying the serum and surf the Internet at the same time. Wu~~ wu~~ my precious serum. How could I let this happened?

Now, I got about 20% left. I have been quite thrifty in using this, normally I use 2-3 drops each time (morning & night). The whole puddle of oil was lying on the floor this morning, I had no choice but to pick up the oil and spread it all over my arms and legs. Wu~~wu~~

Anyway, I need to get over it.

The greasy floor after the spill.

My Botani Olive Serum

Paraben - Do you know what it is?

I was talking with my colleagues today, we talked about hand creams. Then some how "Paraben" came into our conversation. I was surprised that not many people know about paraben.

As far as I know, paraben is used as a preservative in skin care products and cosmetic. It is said to be a cancer-causing ingredients. Thats why the new skincare product Nutox claims itself to be paraben-free. Besides, it is also a thing that can affect human reproductive system by "changing" our hormones.

However, most of the products in the market contains paraben. I looked through my skin care products. All of them contains paraben. Even my favourite and expensive dermalogica exfoliant cream., from hair range, body lotion and face products. Except for the Botani that I bought for my mum.

I think it cant be avoided. Else, I will have nothing to use. Haha!

Review - Dr. Jart Black Label Detox Healing BB Cream

Blemish Balm Cream a.k.a BB cream, is popularised by Korea. The Korean style make up has always emphasized on natural look, that look like dont have any make up on, this is also the so-called nude makeup.

This is the first BB cream that I got due to curiosity. I have read many about BB cream, about how miracle it is. It has always been a debat that, whether BB cream is a kind of cosmetic (it can be used as makeup base) or a skin care product (it takes care of skin depends on its functions). For this BB cream, it acts as a sun block (SPF 25 ++), and it also has whitening and Anti-Wrinkle properties.

The texture of the BB cream is something like a liquid foundation. And it is brown color. The BB cream actually smells very nice.

The BB cream blends very well into the skin. I have applied on half of my hand. The right half is brighter.

Applied it on my face. Cant really tell the before and after. Face looks brigther after application. The cream is light, however the coverage is so-so. It does make my skin looks "healthier". And I think the color is quite natural for my skin tone.

So far, this BB cream has not cause break out for me. I had a minor break out after the first application, but I think it was due to improper cleaning. A makeup remover is needed to strip off the BB cream.

And another thing is, I learnt that we need to apply BB cream on our neck as well, so that we dont look awkward, as we have a white mask on.

Weekend Getaway - Hiking at Pantai Keracut with the Gang

So, my friend Zheng Ghee was here for the weekend. Since nobody wanted to go to Kek Lok Si, we went hiking at Pantai Keracut. Pantai Keracut is located at Penang National Park.

Beautiful Pantai Keracut Wharf in the morning.

Our pass to go in to National Park

Hiking.It took us around 2 hours to finish the track.

We reached the beach.

A crab is sun-bathing on the rock. (note: you need good eyes to see the crab )

We were so worn out. We took the boat back to the wharf. The gang posing in front of the sign board.

Review - Ecco Cafe at Chulia Street, Penang

OMG. I am so f***ed. It is 4:15am in the morning and I am still alert as hell. I couldnt sleep! I have hiking later at 7am in the morning, I will be so dead after that, help! help!

So, today my friend, Zheng Ghee came from Johor to visit us for the weekends. Zheng Ghee is my course mate during my university days, our gang is having a reunion this weekends.

We watched Angels and Demons in the evening, The movie was not bad. Kind of interesting and thrilling too.

Then we went to Georgetown for dinner. My friend Kevin introduced us this authentic italian restaurant, Ecco Cafe. The owner of the restaurant is a foreign lady, she is an Italiano I guess. She is also the waitress of the cafe, a very friendly person.

First, we have Herb Butter Bread. It tasted okay. RM4

Another bread, this is Garlic Butter Bread, my friend Hooi Hooi said that the garlic is not cooked enough., RM4

Eleanor Pizza. Slightly spicy, the black things are olives. Tasted not bad, but portion was rather small. RM16

Chicken Hot Pie. The highlight of the dinner. Under the pie, there was gravy with chicken and potatoes. The gravy tasted very nice, and it was piping hot. RM16

Pasta. Not quite remember the name of the pasta. It looked like pan mee. The sauce is a garlic cream sauce, slightly runnier than carbonara. The pasta tasted not bad as well.

Finally, our dessert - Coffee Cream Caramel. I am suspecting that this is the culprit that make me sleepless tonight! Oh, I am so regretted having this, though it tasted very nice. On top of it, there is toasted caramel.

Overall, thus restautant is quite good. Good food with not too expensive price.

These pants are adorably cute!

High-waist is back! I came across these pants when I was browsing through Korea's Gmarket, they have very nice clothes there, korean style. These pants actually look like skirt. I used to have this kind of pants when I was young. And now, they are back. They are so cute!

Review - Dermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant

This exfoliant is actually a facial scrub, a very gentle one. I got to say, I love this product!

Unlike many other facial scrub, you actually have to clean your face first, before using this exfoliant cream. Then apply a thin layer over face and throat. As you can see from the picture (sorry, blur again..), the cream is actually very watery, it is dripping over my fingers. The cream is kind of brown-ish. something like horlick. This cream does not have strong smell, I dislike artificial fruit smell.

Leave the cream on face for 10-15 minutes. I usually feel a mild stinging effect when the cream is still wet. The cream will dry, then we can wash off the cream.

Kind of hard to believe that this is an exfoliant, because I cant really see the granules. I also doubted that it would exfoliates, since the scrub is so tiny. However, it did clean up my face, leaving it fresh. And the best thing is, the mosturizer I apply after exfoliating, seems to absorb real well into my face, as I can feel my face tighter when I wake up in the morning.

Belated Mother's Day Gift

I am the kind of consumer that is easily to be persuaded. After looking at the Erica Yuen's youtube video introducing the Botani Squalene Olive Serum, which I have also blogged about this video before in here. Since then I have been thinking about getting it. And it was so happened that this website was having a promotion in conjunction with Mother's Day.

So, I bought it. I am also so into organic products nowadays. The parcel is nicely wrapped:

The Mother's Package that I bought consists of 4 items :

1. Botani Smoothing Olive Cleanser RM139

2. Botani Soothing Facial Mist RM55

3. Botani Olive Serum RM95.50

4. Botani Boost Balancing Mosturizer ~RM70

For these 4 items, the package was sold at RM259, which is a saving of about 28% discount. For me, I think it is quite a steal for natural organic products.

A wear-it-many-ways scarf / blouse

I wore this scarf to office a few weeks ago, and so many of my colleagues asked me about this scarf. So, I think it might be interesting to blog about this.

This is the scarf. It is a Giordano. It has buttons on the scarf. At first I was thinking, why there are so many buttons on the scarf?

As the titled said, this scarf can be worn in many ways. First, you can wear it like a normal scarf, wrap it around neck. Please pardon my look , my messy hair (just came back from work) and my messy bedroom.

Then, you can button it, and then wear it diagonally.

Wear it like a vest, button it up from the back.

Lastly, button both sides and it is a blouse now. Cool, eh? (Sorry, picture kind of blurr..)

I think there are many more ways to wear it. But this is what I have explored so far.

Weekend Project - The Return of the Legendary Aloe Vera

Happy Mother's Day! It's Mother's Day, and I am doing some 'aunty' stuff again.

The come-back of the Aloe-vera, hoho.. I got another bag of Aloe-vera from my aunty again. Since there is so much of aloe vera, I decided to make an aloe vera syrup, so that I can store in the fridge, and consume it when necessary.

The ingredients are the Aloe-vera, brown sugar-cane sugar, dried longan. Optional stuffs are red dates and pandan leave. I used 3 pieces of Aloe-vera here. Cube the Aloe-vera, the Aloe-vera is a pretty nasty thing, it is sticky and slippery. For those who havent seen an un-naked Aloe-vera, please click here, my previous post about Aloe-vera. You can use any kind of sugar actually, this brown sugar-cane sugar, I bought it from a grocery store for RM1.60 a packet. I used 2 pieces of sugar here. Dried longan can be bought from chinese herbal shop. I bought these dried longan at RM3.30 for 100 grams.

So, to make it happen, add the Aloe-vera and sugar into a pot. Cook it under low heat for an hour. Do not worry about the Aloe-vera might stick on to the pot or not. It wont stick. Because as you boil, the Aloe-vera will discharge its 'water'.

When the syrup is almost ready, add in a handful of dried longan. The syrup turned into brown color and the content has shrunk to half.

Wait until the syrup cool down, pour it into a container and keep in the refrigerator. According to my aunty, the syrup can last for one week.

To serve, pour some of the syrup into a glass, then add ice-cubes and some water (depends on how sweet you want it to be). I havent tried this syrup yet, I hope it tastes good.

Interesting Faces in America's Next Top Model (Cycle 12)

Wow, this reality show is doing so well, it is cycle 12 now. Assuming it has 2 cycles per year. I have been watching this show for 6 years already. Tyra Bank still looks like a barbie doll, and she lost weight compared to last cycle. Paulina looks gorgeous too.

There are some interesting candidates in this season. However, they are not as interesting as the previous seasons, they are interesting in the way of their appearances. Personality wise, I think Allison and Celia stood up.

This season is kind of tiring, because there are some silly cat fights.Though I am only at Episode 5 now. And also, it does not have an obvious theme for this cycle.

Allison

She looks like a doll, with her *super* big eyes and good hair. If I were a guy, Allison will definitely be my fantasy. Though she is very pretty, she is a shy and lack of confidence, that is what make her personality stand out. I hope Allison will win the race.

Celia

Celia is the oldest of all, she is 25. She has all the knowledge to be a model, but only one thing, her age. She has good sense in fashion, and she works very very hard. Every episode, you can smell so much she wants to win this competition. If she wins, she deserves it.

Jessica

Jessica is a pretty girl that thinks that pretty is everything. She is a narcissus, the moment that she was eliminated from the competition, she still thinks that she is the prettiest, pretty is the thing that matters.

Natalie

She is my favourite contestant in this cycle. I think she is the prettiest among all (prettier than Jessica). Her trade mark, long legs. She is the only one in ANTM's history that did not need a makeover, Tyra thinks that her look is just right for being a model. Besides pretty, she is also the most matured girl. There was a scene when Aminat scolded her stupid many times, Aminat even spelled the word STUPID in front of Natalie's face. In fact, there was nothing to do with Natalie, Aminat scolded Natalie for no reason. I would be furious if someone did that to me. Instead, Natalie was so cool, she did not scold her back and that made Aminat looked so silly.

Tahlia

Tahlia is a burnt survivor, she has scars on her body. Besides that, nothing interesting about her.

Teyona

Teyona has very interesting face. Her face is always like being blowed by very strong wind. Tyra said Teyona would not need a face lift when she gets old.

These are the contestants that caught my eyes. Another cycle of ANTM for us to enjoy.