On Acquiring New Information

I've been reading quite a bit lately, mostly novels. I've got to get back to the habit of reading content instead of just fiction. Gotta keep learning in order to keep improving.

The price of the book is negligible when you put into use the ideas that you learnt from the book. I'm currently reading about behavioral economics.

Making My Own Eye Makeup Remover

I've been thinking of making my own eye makeup remover for quite some time since I want something that is mild and at the same time does not leave an oily feeling on my lids. I've tried removing my eye makeup with olive oil --- that was waayyyy too oily for my liking.

My online research online revealed that eye makeup removers should contain oil to break down and remove the eye makeup. Then I noticed lately that my Moo Goo Shampoo was getting oily. A thought occurred to me: Moo Goo Shampoo contains coconut oil and that should work in my eye makeup remover! So, I put one and a half pumps of Moo Goo Shampoo into a small bottle with 30 ml water, gave it a good shake and viola, I had my own d.i.y. eye makeup remover!

It's gentle, organic (Moo Goo Shampoo is an organic product), quick to make, doesn't sting my eye, and best of all, it cost me nothing to make it.

To use it, I just put some on a cotton pad, put the cotton pad over my eye for about 10 seconds and then wipe the eye makeup off my lids.

And I discovered a bonus --- it works great for removing my facial makeup too!

Zoeva Brushes

The brushes arrived bubbled wrapped in a bubble lined Jiffy Bag

Each brush comes in its own case

My Zoeva brushes arrived today and ooohhh... they are super soft!

I'd been mulling over purchasing makeup brushes for quite some time but the ones that are sold at Sephora are not only pricey but their quality doesn't feel that great either. Then I came across bloggers and vloggers who were raving over these Zoeva brushes which are made in Germany. To make things more attractive, they are said to be comparable to Sigma brushes in quality but at the fraction of the price.

I found an online beauty store in Singapore that carries Zoeva products. The price that I paid for both brushes is much cheaper than what I would have paid if I had bought direct from the Zoeva online store.

I was holding out purchasing these brushes for the longest time before I finally caved in when there are a flash sale recently with everything in the web store going at a 35% discount. I made a small purchase of just two brushes (the Zoeva 104 Buffer Brush and the Zoeva 231 Petit Crease Brush) to test out the web store's service, the courier service that they were using as well as the products. I also got free delivery with this purchase. This is such a treat! :)

Body Shop Sakura Shower Gel Freebie

My 60 ml Sakura Shower Gel Freebie

I'd just collected my Body Shop freebie yesterday. Thank you Body Shop! :)

Second Interview

I was called in for the second interview with a private university run by Malays today. It was an interesting experience to say the least.

The interview was set at 9:30 AM. I got there at a little past 9 AM and again saw other people in the waiting room. "Here we go again," I thought. "It's going to be another long wait (the first interview was a long wait as well)." There were four others to be exact. The first candidate was called in at 10 AM. I was the last candidate to be called in and had the luxury of hearing from the other candidates of how their interviews went.

The second interview was a chat with the HR Manager alone. The interviews with the other candidates took approximately 30 minutes each. Two of the younger candidates who were interviewing for their first jobs were told to not focus on the money but to think of the "charity work" that they were about to do in educating the students. LOL.

My interview with the HR Manager took only 10 minutes. Strangely enough, I wasn't given the "charity work" talk like the others. I think she didn't really know what to make of me. She talked a lot about "fitting in". Hmmm.... okay, I get it, she probably thought that I'm too westernized and they are an organization where ALL the female Malays wear hijabs.

There was no discussion about money. She kept saying that it was up to some sort of committee to decide on that. Basically, she was pushing the buck and was not being transparent. Surely there is some sort of ball park figure that the university is able to pay? When I said that I was sure that the university had a pay bracket for the role that I was applying for, the HR Manager eluded the issue.

When I asked about the maximum number of teaching hours that lecturers have to do, she told me she didn't know. Then, she said maybe 20. Yes, a HR Manager who has NO idea of what should be a standard university policy. She proceeds to say that lecturers when given low number of teaching hours say nothing but make a lot of noise when asked to teach a lot. Hmmm...... a pretty unprofessional comment made in what should be an "interview".

Personally, I walked away today thinking:
1. I don't fit into the work culture of this organization where they have absolutely NO respect for my time. Making candidates sit around and wait to be called is just a waste of time. They didn't have the common sense to stagger the interview candidates.

2. This is the ONLY private university that I've been to that didn't have ANY sign of buzz and student life going on on campus.... strange....

3. It seems like a seriously Malay kampung where anyone who presents themselves differently (ie female Malay not wearing the hijab) will be harshly judged. You can see this on their faces.

4. People work for money. It is just not right to tell candidates to think of the work that they are about to do as charity. I'm sure that the candidates would be going to charitable organizations if they wanted to do charity work. The only charity that I see here is the organization. I didn't realize that the university was a "charity" case.

5. This place seems to hire a majority of Malay staff (something like 98% from my observation with only two Indians spotted while I was there and NO Chinese staff).

6. The HR Manager was anything BUT transparent. She mentioned about benefits but elaborated on NONE.

7. Today's "interview" was an absolute waste of time as I saw no point of the need for it.

8. It seemed like they were hiring a lot of people. Is this an indication of the high staff turnover? I have never seen other universities hire this many people at one go.

9. When asked if the university was growing in student numbers, the HR Manager gave me the evil eye and mentioned what I consider a small number of new students. I guess the idea of what constitutes a large number of students is relative.

In short, all the signs are against it. I've given myself the opportunity to find out more about them. Now, I  KNOW that this is not a place that I can nor want to be a part of. When a university hires lecturers for early childhood education who are fresh out of grad school (as in the case of one particular candidate who was there today) with absolutely ZERO experience in the field, it is a bad sign because that indicates that the university can't be bothered with the relevance of real world experience. A lecturer who can only impart what he has learnt from books (with no real world application at all) is of little value as they have nothing much to impart to the students.

The other candidates who they were there for the second interview were about to fill roles of TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) lecturers and guess what --- they don't feel comfortable talking in English! Hmmm........

I am not one for the segregation of the races. A lot of the same kind is never good. If Malays want to be competitive, they have to interact with the other races as well. Religion, as the majority of Malays interpret it is what is keeping them from progressing. Note that it is not the religion that is at fault but their interpretation of is that is hindering them from looking past their blinkers. It is important to have open minds particularly in a place that claims to be a university. 

The Game of Willpower

I've been eyeing on some stuff on this online store. At first, they were giving 20% discount for first time customers and I thought, "I can wait." Then they had a 30% one day only sale which I also passed up on. Later they were giving $20 discount for orders of a minimum of $50 which technically looked like a 40% discount provided that your order total came up to $50 on the dot. My order total order, however, was over $50 and when I worked the $20 discount back into it, the discount came up to about 35%. I decided to forget it. Then yesterday, they announced a flash sale from 6 pm to 12 midnight on the whole store with no minimum purchase limits. I caved in when I saw that many of the items that were previously available were sold out.

I only bought two items and the total purchase cost me half of what I had initially planned to buy. So I consider that a compromise. Besides, I figured that a small order would give me a chance to sample the online store's service. More importantly, I saved some money but not jumping in at the first sign of a discount. It pays to be patient. With the 35% discount, the prices are lower than what the European customers are paying for the products on the brand's website in Europe. I also saved money by planning and researching the items and purchasing only the items that I don't already have (seriously, I'm not buying look-a-likes of things that I already own) and oh, by the way, I got free shipping too :)

Now, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my order arrives quickly and without drama.

A Patch for My Beloved Keds

Not one to throw things out unnecessarily, I found it hard to part with my beloved Keds when there was a slight tear in the big toe area of my right shoe. Purchased in Bangkok, this pair of Keds and I have been to many places together. This is my second pair of Keds in this design, yes, I loved it enough to buy a second pair.

 I can wear my fav Keds again!

There's a cute little blue elephant on my shoe!

I stopped wearing it when the tear was beginning to look visible but at the same time, I was reluctant to put into the donation box. I recently had this idea of concealing the tear with an iron on patch (don't know why it took me so long to think of this!) and guess what --- it works and I can now wear my beloved Keds again! I'm a happy bunny!

I Donated My Bras!

If you're like me (I'm assuming that you're female if you're reading this, if not...hmmmm.....what brought you to this page?), you've probably got more than enough bras. Throughout the years, I have purchased and worn many bras that I love. Some of the have become loose but there are others that even though are still in relatively good condition, I no longer wear.

After such a long time of wondering what to do with the bras that I no longer wear for numerous reasons (trust me, I've even googled up for places to donate bras in Malaysia and came up with nought), I finally found a place to donate my bras. I'm so glad that I hung on to them eventhough I didn't know where to donate them then.

Neubodi is now collecting bras for donation at their stores. I just dropped off five of my bras at their 1-Utama outlet today. The donation box is made of acrylic and placed right smack in front of their store (you just can't miss it). It was full when I went there today.

I couldn't help but notice that my bras stood out when I placed them in the box as most of the other bras in there were kinda the basic boring sort. What? I can't help it if I view bras as fashion wear. I admit that I like bras with personality, if that makes any sense to you.

Let's see, I gave away a shocking pink with black polkadots bra, a light blue and white gingham bra, a black bra that had shiny black splashes on it, a skin toned bra (okay, that was a boring one) and a black and white striped halter top one (it looks more like a bikini top really).

Anyway, the bra donation drive will go on till the end of this month, so there's still another 11 days to go if you've been like me wondering what to do with your pre-loved bras and don't want to just throw them out and add to the already overflowing landfills out there. Neubodi is also giving away a maximum of three RM10 vouchers which you can use towards your Neubodi purchase.

Create some space in your bra drawer and do good at the same time. Donate a bra to the needy.

Next Target: 15k

Having achieved 12k recently in the Pink Charity Run 2014, I'm now looking at my next target of 15k! Something for me to work on.

I've heard many excuses for not running:
1. People who endurance run have been doing it since they were young
2. If I don't win the race, I can't help getting upset about it (lame reason for not even trying to run in a race at all)

Like a lot of other things in life, we present ourselves with barriers. For the longest time, my lame excuse was I couldn't run (yeah, I know, like I said, it was a pretty lame excuse).

I only started running last October. Once I got started, I totally fell in love with it.

For me running is a conscious choice that I make every time I slip my feet into my running shoes. I'm a super slow runner but that doesn't matter to me because I always do my best and whenever I cross that finish line, I am really proud of myself. It's a personal achievement that nobody can take away from me. I'm a hell lot better than those other people who are sitting on their arses and watching tv!

My body is stronger than I think it is. My ass is looking cuter with each run that I do. I've got this. :)

Simply D Review: Pay What You Want for Coffee Mondays

Simply D's Pay What You Want for Coffee promo takes place on Mondays between 3- 4 PM. I was in the Avenue K outlet and offered to pay 10 cents for a mocha just to try out the quality. 

Sadly, the quality of the mocha that I received was a disappointment. It was watered down. One wonders if this coffee has been watered down for the promo or if the mocha is normally this bad on most days, and if that is the case, I sure am glad that I didn't pay full price for it.

Not having any sort of coffee here again, me thinks!

Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon SCKLM 2014

My reward for completing another 10k race

The MSIG 10k Route Map

I must admit that 5 months ago when I signed up for the race, I wasn't so sure whether or not I could do it.

It took me like forever to decide to sign up for the 10k race instead of the 5k race. For the record, this was the first 10k race that I signed up for. What made it worse was that there was a cutoff time as well! But guess what --- all that training paid off! I'm a happy bunny :)

I took the LRT to the race venue. I didn't factor in the long wait for the connecting LRT from Mesjid Jamik station to the Bandaraya station. I arrived at the Bandaraya station with just 3 minutes to spare to run from the LRT Bandaraya station to the end of the starting pen. I also had to stop for a little while to pin on my bib. I only had time to pin the top two pins to my running vest. Yes, I was that strapped for time! Note to self, pin the bib while waiting for the LRT in the future. Thank goodness I got to the end of the starting pen just as they were beginning to move forward.

There were soooo many people in the 10k race which made it kinda difficult to pass them sometimes as some of them were pals and were walking 5 or 6 abreast. I don't know if they were even aware of common race courtesy of keeping out of other runners' way. It took me more than 5 minutes to get from the end of the starting pen to crossing the start line. Yes, there were THAT many people!

Quite a number of people had muscle cramps and stopped at the medical stations along the way for muscle cramp rub ointments. Perhaps this is due to the back to back race with the BSN Putrajaya Night Race which took place the night before? I guess, there were many runners who didn't want to miss out on two of the biggest runs in Malaysia.

Only the first hydration station along the 10k route served 100 Plus but all the other hydration stations had water. There were lots of portaloos along the way too.

I felt okay at the end of the race :) Hmmm... maybe I'm getting this running thing sussed out!

Interviews: A Comparison

I was called in for an interview at a language centre for one of the better known language franchises in Malaysia recently. It was a pretty strange experience. I was made to take a test. Okay...stranger still was that it was a badly constructed test and the things that were being asked in the test really had nothing to do with language teaching at all. Hmmm......

While taking the test at the language centre, I received a phone call for another interview at a university the following day. There, I was asked to give a short sample lesson using just a marker and a whiteboard.

Of the two, the university interview made a lot more sense to me. The candidate's ability to teach is something that should be of interest to the interviewers. In my experience, you don't have to ask a candidate to sit for a test to gauge how accurate their language is. You can get that sussed out during the interview with the candidate. What is more important is if the candidate can teach and engage the learners. We all know people who have a lot of knowledge but who seem to lack the ability to impart the knowledge to others.

It just goes to show that language centers are simply businesses being run  by people who have very little knowledge of language teaching and what it really entails. Most are there just to make money and the extremely low rates that they pay their instructors makes it no wonder why they don't attract experienced and knowledgeable instructors who know what they are doing. Are Malaysian parents really that clueless that they are willing to believe that such language centres are actually doing something worthwhile towards the improvement of their kids' language abilities?

Pantai Hospital Klang Pink Charity Run 2014

I completed my very first 12k race! Yay!!!

The 12k Route Map

After the hilly 10k TM Fan Run, I'm thankful for the fairly flat terrain of this run. I must admit that I was pretty hesitant about signing up for this 12k five months ago as I wasn't sure of my ability to go such a distance.

Okay, I know that 12k is really nothing to most other seasoned runners out there but for me, it is a BIG challenge. The only other option is the 5k but I've come to a point where I feel that 5k's are a tad too short of a distance. So at the very last minute (yes, I mulled over it for a lllooonnngggg time), I took the plunge and signed up for the 12k (while at the same time wondering what possessed me to do so!).

I woke up early today to go to this event in Setia Alam (I had no idea that it was that far out when I registered for the race). This event was well organized with plenty of water and 100 Plus provided at the hydration stations. I particularly liked the watermelon served at the end of the race. There were also many pics of me caught in action on camera!

Talking about many pics of me caught on camera, I particularly liked it that one of the photographers brought his especially well trained dog to the run and the doggie was just chilling out --- a pretty cool dog!

Johnson's Baby Lotion as Makeup Remover

Yup, this is my makeup remover. It's a product that has been around for as long as I can remember. It does the job without irritating my skin and it costs a fraction of all the other makeup removers out there. What's not to like?

Getting to the Product at the Bottom of a Tube

There is normally about a week's worth of product at the bottom of a tube which you can't get to unless you cut the tube open (this is especially true for me when it comes to body lotion and moisturisers). I used to cut the tube at the very top end of the packaging but discovered that this wasn't the best solution as the product left in the packaging would be exposed to air and then cake up.

So, in order to overcome that problem, I now cut away the middle portion of the packaging and then use the top half as the cover for the lower half. In this way, it stops from the product still left in the bottom half of the tube from being exposed to air and caking up.

Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes

Guardian had a one day promotion for the Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes a few weeks ago. The value pack which consists of 2 packs of facial wipes were going for RM20 instead of the usual retail price of RM25. I purchased it for RM15 since I had a RM5 Guardian voucher. Sounds like a steal right?

A pack contains 25 wipes and since I don't use a lot of makeup (I intended of using it only to clean off my facial makeup and not my eye makeup) I figured that I could stretch it out if I cut the wipes into two and thus, it would last twice as long.

This is what the product claims:

"simple goodness...

2 VITAMINS

PRO-VITAMINS B5 AND VITAMIN E

0 ALCOHOL OR OIL
NON DRYING AND NON GREASY

0 NO ARTIFICIAL PERFUME OR COLOUR AND NO HARSH CHEMICALS
SO IT WON'T UPSET YOUR SKIN

Dermatologically Tested and Approved

simple ingredients... impressive results"

I used it to remove my makeup and followed it up with Simple's Facial Cleansing Gel Wash, which I have been using for quite some time. A few minutes after washing my face, I felt a stinging sensation on  my skin. I thought I was imagining things, as I have never had a reaction to skincare products.

I went through the same routine the next time I had to remove makeup. This time, I not only felt a stinging/ burning sensation, but my face was itching as well. You see, I started feeling the stinging, burning and itching sensations only after washing my face with the Simple Facial Cleansing Gel Wash. Maybe, it has something to do with using the combination of the two products one after another?

Unwilling to let the product go to waste, I decided to keep trying to make it work. So, the following day I decided to just use the Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes and then rinse with lots of water. While this seemed to work out a little bit better, I still had the itching sensations. To make things worse, I had a small paper cut on my thumb and contact with the Simple Cleansing Facial Wipe while I was using it to clean my face resulted in my thumb feeling itchy as well, even after rinsing it with lots of water. Even as I write this review, I can feel the itching sensation, and it has been over 10 hours since I last used the product and rinsed it off with a lot of water.

I don't consider my skin to be sensitive and I am surprised of my reaction to this product, especially with its claim to be "Kind to Skin". Looks like this is one product that is anything but "Kind to Skin" as the Simple company would like to have us believe.

Apparently, I am not the only one who had allergic reactions to this product. Many other people reported similar problems, if not worse, online.

The Good
1. It's convenient and less messy than having to remove my makeup with facial cleansing lotion on cotton squares.
2. It smells fresh.
3. RM15 for two packs seemed like a good deal at the time of purchase (though not anymore now).

The Bad
1. It is certainly NOT "Kind to Skin".
2. Stinging, burning and itching sensations that can be felt minutes after using the product and doesn't go away even after HOURS of using the product and after rinsing my face with lots of water. This is definitely caused by the nasty chemicals in the product.

Verdict: Definitely NOT Recommended. Stay away from this product.

In retrospect, I don't know what got into me that day as I normally would not purchase something that I have never used before  in bulk. I normally would purchase the smallest possible packaging even though the unit price would cost me a little bit more just in case that the product doesn't agree with me.

Lesson Learned
1. Always purchase a never tried before product in the smallest possible packaging available. Better to pay a little bit more and be sure of a product's suitability with you rather than wasting money on what may initially seem like a cheaper price when bought in bulk.

2. Never assume that ALL products from the same manufacturer are going to work for you. This is one such example where I have used three of their products prior to this and have had no complaints.

I'm ditching the whole idea of incorporating the use of cleansing wipes in my makeup removal routine. My research revealed that facial wipes are one of the nastiest beauty products out there which are most likely to cause undesirable skin reactions.

I'm just going to finish my current supply of Simple products and replace them with other skin care products.

Research the Product Before Making the Purchase

I'm always looking for ways to not only save money but also to cut down on the number of stuff that I purchase and thus reducing clutter. I want to make sure that everything that I purchase is something that I would definitely use. I just hate to see things go to waste.

There are just so many beauty products out there and I just love trying out the product testers at the drugstores and Sephora. If I find a product that interests me, I don't make a purchase right there and then. I normally would make a mental note of it and do some online research by reading reviews on it when I get home. I find that it helps me make better decisions on which products to purchase and which to pass.

I think I have enough stuff in my makeup box for the time being. I have made a wish list of stuff that I'd like to purchase once I run out of the products that I'm currently using. It's sort of an idea list that I can go to when the time comes for me to replace the products that I run out of. Products are only added to the wish list after they have been researched online. In that manner, my purchases have been thought of and are planned and not made on impulse. 

Daiso Volume Mascara

I was browsing through the beauty aisles in Daiso recently and this mascara caught my eye. I've been contemplating on whether to purchase it or not for quite a while now. I'm always worried that cheap beauty products may mean dodgy quality. My past experiences with some Daiso beauty products (an eyeshadow quad and cream blusher) have not been too great.

However, curiosity got the better of me (the cute pink packaging with polka dots on it made it too difficult for me to pass it up) and I decided to give it a go. My online research for reviews on this product revealed people who love it. Besides, I figured that if it turned out to be a dud, I could just toss it out.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much but guess what I discovered --- it's actually quite a good product and I love it! I've since used it for quite a number of times.

This product is manufactured in Korea. There are five mascaras in this line: Base Coat, Volume, Long Lash (lengthening), Long and Curl, and Top Coat. I chose to try out the Volume.

For RM5, it is certainly a great find especially when compared to Maybelline's mascaras that retail for more than RM30. It will certainly make tossing it out at the three month mark (for hygienic reasons) a lot easier since it is easily replaceable at that price. It doesn't sting my eye and I like it that it is not waterproof which makes it easier to remove than waterproof mascaras.

Pump Bottles for Beauty Products and Toiletries

The lotion cleanser and facial cleanser that I use come in a bottle and tube. I find it annoying when the original containers that the products come in dispense more product than what I really need.

So, here's the solution: I transfer the product from the original tube or bottle to another bottle that has a pump dispenser. In that way, one pump always dispenses the same amount of product and does away with the problem of having excess product being dispensed from the original container that the product came in. The products lasts longer (as you use less of it) and it's also more hygienic as your hand doesn't touch any of the unused product.

NYX Wonder Pencil Review

NYX Wonder Pencil in Light

I've read a lot of positive reviews about the NYX Wonder pencil and simply had to get myself one to find out what the rave was all about. I tried the tester in Sephora KLCC but they only had the product available in "dark" which is too dark for me. This is what I discovered, this is one product that is not easy to get hold of. I had to visit THREE Sephora outlets (yup, you read that right, THREE Sephora outlets) in the city before getting hold of the product in the shade that I wanted (yes, I was THAT determined to get hold of it).

I purchased mine in the shade "light" and I've been using this product for about a month now. It gives a more natural skin tone color than using a stark white pencil on my waterline which would look totally fake. The down side to it is that it doesn't last long but I like the look that I get. I also use this product on the inner corner of my eyes (blended out, of course) to create a more alert effect to my eyes.

I've tried using it as a reverse lip liner, just on my cupid's bow, but I think I'll need to purchase one in medium to do that since the current shade that I have, while it looks good on my waterline, is a tad too light for my skin tone. I think I'll purchase another one in the shade "medium" which would be a better color match for my skin.

It's ineffective when used as a concealer, it just doesn't conceal anything! That said, I'm just happy that it works on my waterline as an eye brightener and look forward to using it to create my cupid's bow when I get around to purchasing another one in "medium".

The Good:
Makes my eyes look more alert when applied to waterline and inner corners of my eyes...yay!!!
Affordable price

The Not So Great:
Difficult to get hold of/  Not easily available
Doesn't last long :(
Not great as a concealer