Washington-Times-4feettall

You know, how funny I think that 2 years has gone and the whole family are celebrating Chinese New Year without my uncle. The uncle who made everything seems 'loud' and funny how he still lingers in my head. It's like the image of him not wanting to leave.

I was driving back from work yesterday, roughly around 5.30pm. While I was waiting at the traffic light, the image of my uncle just came right in front of my eyes. Reminiscing the time when he was still around. It was a split second. But that split second is just enough for me to still remember how he looked like. 

I have friends who lost their loved one. They cried and sometimes they kept talking about the memories they built with that person. But I never knew how does losing someone you care to death until my grandma and my uncle passed on. For me, it was worst than losing your boyfriend/girlfriend. It was heart wrenching. It felt like you were dreaming until the time to bury your loved ones comes. At that point, you'll then realize , you will never see them again. The only thing remains are memories.

You know, sometimes we take people for granted. Not realizing they can 'go' anytime. We think that they will stay forever and that they will never age, it's like immortal.

I work in an air-conditioned environment, so my skin tend to go very dry to the point that it becomes flaky. But you have to see at a close up point. Not just that, my skin feels tight and when I step outside, my skin turned oily. I've tried numerous skin care range, even those advertised on Facebook, but honestly it doesn't work. I've started using Kiehl's face cream when I purchased the Calendula Toner. Actually it wasn't a whole jar of the cream, it was just a sample pack. But ever since I've start using it, my face became clearer, my skin tone is slightly even now and my face doesn't feel tight when I'm in an air conditioned environment.

I'll definitely use this jar of miracle once my trial pack is finished. Plus, my face don't really break out anymore. I feel moisturize and firmer.

Well, for those who attended the recent Trop Fest on the 25th Jan, now it's time for you to win great prizes. You can now vote for the Audience Choice Award. Refer the picture below for more details. 

Go here to vote for your favorite short video.

My favorite will be :

You know, my father still drives his 30 years old car and I'm driving a 21st century car with power window. See the difference? When I mentioned my dad drives a 30 years old car, definitely you can't find it in the car market now. Well, there are a few things that my father used to teach me and my sister about what makes you happy. We didn't get it at first. In my mind, money was everything. Money can buy you things and more money means more happiness. As I grew up, I went through different phases of life. The ups and downs in your 19s, 20s and coming soon 30s. There were times when I struggled to figure out what I want in life. And yes, I'm still considering that part. I take life one step at a time Over thinking and trying to predict what's going to happen in the next 10 years of your life will make you live in worries every single day. Without you realizing it, you're actually wasting your time thinking about the unknown.

As you grow older, you'll realize that money is not everything. There are things money can't but like experience, being in love, being hurt, having a best friend that stays with you through everything. Parents should teach their kids that living moderately is good. Not to spoil them with the latest gadgets like the Ipad and hand phones. The material things. Things that kids nowadays being pampered to.

Don't know which ring to choose? Wonder why the price of a ring is expensive. Well, here's a few smart tips that you might want to consider. The tips given are based on advise by my dad who used to work in the gemstone industry during his early years and also from a lot of reading.

When it comes to spending every dime you have in your bank, always look at how much you're willing to spend. Put this as your first point, at least when it comes to hunting for that perfect ring, you have a few options to consider based on your budget. Even if you walk into a jewelry shop, this is the first question they'll ask you. As I mentioned many times before, BE REALISTIC your budget. Don't try to be a snob.

Well, now it comes back to what you like. At the end of the day, you will be the one wearing that ring for the rest of your life. Tips: if you're looking at buying ring with diamonds, best opt for white gold as it will make the diamonds sparkle even more.

Yes you should if you plan to change your wedding ring a couple of years later and No if plan to wear it forever. Adding on a GIA cert means it will add on to your cost/budget. Unless if you're planning to get your wife a new set of ring after 3 years of your marriage. A GIA cert is basically an authentication of what is your diamond grade is. If you're looking at trading diamonds, yes, this cert is very important. A diamond ring  purchased with a GIA cert is slightly more expensive compared to those without the cert. But then again, no one is going to look at the inside of your ring. Only you and your partner knows it.

This is one of the important element when buying a ring.For myself, I opt for old jewelry shops like those situated in Komtar(for Penangite). Sometimes, these old jewelry shops has good quality loose diamonds and they sell them at a lower price compare to those in the high end jewelry boutiques. Do not underestimate these shops. Boutiques like Soo Kee Jewelleries, Habib Jewels are mainly selling their brands as they're already an established companies. Therefore, their products are slightly above the average price. 

If you have your own loose diamonds, you'll need the frame of a ring, right? Try to inquire on what is their labor cost like since you're not purchasing any ring frame for your diamonds from their shop (I doubt they'll provide that but just give it a shot). Labor cost can be quite expensive so I advise you to do some survey. But then again, the differences between shops will not be that much. Even if you're purchasing the whole ring with the diamonds, inquire on the labor cost as well. With that you can estimate how much is the hike up price.

If you think the price of the ring is pricey, ask what's the quality of the diamond. Go here to see some tips.

Drove back to my hometown last weekend as we have a long holiday in conjunction with the Thaipusam festival. I'm glad that I have more off days now compared to when I was attached with my old company. It means that I have more time with the family.

As I walked into the room, I saw stack of dolls in boxes. They were Dianah's Barbie collection. I asked my mum why didn't she gave away. My mum said that Dianah wants to keep them. I was looking at those dolls and they reminded me on how fast me and my sister grew up. How things change and all of a sudden, you're no longer that small little girl who plays with all the dolls.

Mummy's earrings when she was young.

There are tonnes of wedding card available out there. Not to mention on the designs and price which is even more. Some even looked weird. Well, everyone loved funky and colorful cards but let's cut to the chase. Be realistic okay. I don't keep my friend's wedding card (a confession). It's going to be someone's rubbish after the wedding.

You don't need a fancy invitation cards that comes in a box with a small perfume bottle beside it. This may cost you more than paying for your catering food.

If I need to use a magnifying glass just to read your invitation card, imagine if an old man having to read it. Most likely, he'll ask someone younger in the family to attend your wedding on his behalf. C'mon, the size of your wording in the card is very important. This is so that everyone can read it instead of misread your card, ending up they're at a different wedding location. Printing is very, very, very important. Make sure the card designer print each and every letters and numbers clearly. This is to make sure that people can read them properly.

With a wide variety of card designs to choose from, do choose the simplest one. You're not inviting someone to a party. So you don't need the fancy type card. And like I mentioned in Point 1, unless if you're Jovian Mandagie.

Spend only what's important and value for what you pay. A card is just a piece of information paper for your invitees to refer on the venue, time and date. No matter how fancy your card is, they'll be looking at the 3 main point and at the end of the day, the card is going to the bin.Which also means, you money is being thrown away. So spend wisely for your wedding.

Well, basically I'm back in my 'kampung'. It has been twice within 1 month. I have been coming back quite often lately. Dianah will be travelling to KL again for her YES Alumni thingy. It's going to be around 1 1/2 weeks. So I'll only be seeing her towards Chinese New Year the next round. 

One of my 'plan' for 2014 is to visit every heritage cafes in Penang. So far I've only been 2. First was, Twelve cups(didn't manage to blog about this yet) and The Alley is the 2nd. 

This visit was not a planned one. It was on Sunday. We went for grocery shopping and since it was still early, I thought, let's go and have a cup of tea at The Alley. I got to know about this cafe through one of the blog that I read a few days ago. It is a small little cafe situated at a corner lot side. You can choose to sit outside or inside(air-conditioned). For those who come in a group, can be seated at the back of the shop. Basically they serve coffee and desserts like churros, cheesecake(not many choices though). But they also have light snacks like sandwiches. I ordered hot chocolate and Juan ordered caramel latte. The hot chocolate was just okay, but I prefer the one from McCafe from McDonald.

The place is quite small therefore the chairs and tables are limited. But there's a lot of space for you to walk around. For a shop like this, the price is just okay. For a small size churros (4 sticks with 1 dip), it cost about RM6 while the big one (6 sticks), the price is RM9(with 2 dips). You have 3 different dips to choose from which are Nutella, Cinnamon sugar and Salted caramel. Since this is the first time I had churros, I'm not sure how the real churros tasted like as I'm not able to make comparison. I should try churros at other cafe perhaps to make comparison.

The Alley is open from 12pm to 12am everyday.

To all Pestle and Mortar fans, you can purchase their merchandise at The Alley.

The first day I started using this toner, my skin felt so fresh and it does not dry out like a normal alcohol based toner does. My breakout even went down and the redness even started to fade away. You don't feel the cut-like sensation when you dab it on your acne/wound. The toner is available in 2 sizes  but I purchased the 125ml, RM80.