Life Updates: Birthdays, KK Trip and Other Updates.

Hello there..
How are you guys? Hope that everything is going swimmingly for you. A lot had happened since my last post but I am gonna make it as short and sweet as possible with photos doing most of the talking.

Mum and Eldest Sister's Birthday Celebration
My mum and my eldest sister share the same birthday so my sister came back to Sabah to celebrate with us. Thank goodness for cheap airfare. Hehe..

We had a birthday lunch at Juta Hotel in their honour.


The birthday ladies..


Sophie..




The chocolate birthday cake by Kris Vin. Yummy.. (Alamak, pecah rahsia umur. Lol)



KK Trip-One Of The Best Ever
My elder sister (Hana) had classes to attend in KK and it coincided with my eldest sister's (Diana) departure date so I decided to tag along. Wished that sister Diana could have joined us makan sushi and shopping but her flight was that evening juga so she couldn't join us. Hopefully, our schedule won't be as tight during her next trip home, insyaAllah.

Kakak Diana lining up to check in her luggage.


Michael's Angels..


Me and kakak Hana having a scrumptious sushi dinner at Sushi Tei.


The next day we had lunch at Kenny Rogers, 1Borneo.


Shopping sakan at The Face Shop because they were having a 'Buy 2 Get 1 Free' deal (mostly skincare) as well as 50% discounts (mostly makeup).


Kakak Hana bought me new running shoes as I had completely busted my old ones, bless her generous soul. May she gets pahala with every step I take and every grams I lose, Amin.


We ended our trip with yummy drinks from Starbucks. Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha for me and Black Tea latte for kakak Hana.



Bye, Bye Owl Wings
Was offered a new job and so I bid goodbye and hung my owl wings.

This is me on my last day. Can you feel me? Lol.


My new job is a lot of responsibility and to be honest I am not sure if I will be able to handle it. Apapun, wish me luck and pray for my success ya. Thanks.

So that's what has been up with my life the past two weeks. Stay tuned for my makeup switch up post and my cummulative haul, including the ones from The Face Shop during my KK trip, in shaa Allah.

Love,
Phy

Sophie Updates

Hello there...

I was going through a storage drawer when I saw this ultrasound print-out of Sophie. These were taken about a week before her delivery and it is really making me wistful of how things were.






Now Sophie will be turning 18 months in less than a fortnight. Oh, how time flies. Everytime I look at Sophie I would be amazed at how much she has grown. She has gone from a wee little burrito (being a swaddled infant) to Speedy Gonzalez's apprentice. Since I am feeling nostalgic about Sophie, I have decided to share some updates on what she has been up to as well as the new skills that she has acquired:

1. She can run now. Not the awkward baby run. Oh no. It's the I'm-running-so-fast-only-falling-can-stop-me kind of run. Let me add that she makes me lose 1 day of my life whenever she falls.

2. She discovered the skill of spinning around and has been doing a lot of that lately. When she stops she would be walking in a zig zag from dizziness. It's both cute and alarming at the same time.

3. We could tie up the front part of her hair without any trouble now. She doesn't try to pull the elastic from her hair either. I guess she has grown used to it.

4. She is singing a lot. My mum (and several other 'veteran' mums) said that she is exercising her vocal chords and that she will learn to talk soon. They told me to brace myself because with talking comes a gazillion and one questions. Yikes!

5. She loves to play with and wear adult slippers. It started with my mum's house flip flops and eventually she moved on to my house slippers. To prevent Sophie from 'kidnapping' our slippers we bought a pair of pink sandals in her size but she ignores them. Huhu... Oh well, at least we tried.




6. We gave her some avocado mashed with condensed milk and she LOVED it.




7. We finally brought her out for a walk on the road in front of our house. I had wanted to bring her for the longest time. Unfortunately I couldn't jog and keep an eye on her at the same time so that was put on the back burner until my mum agreed to come along and assist me.




8. Sophie is usually not amicable with people she doesn't know well. Imagine our surprise when she warmed up to my aunt Celia and uncle Jimmy within an hour of meeting them. It is worth mentioning that she was petrified of uncle Jimmy during their previous visit last year. This time she even held his finger while drinking her milk.








9. Sophie's 7th and 8th teeth finally broke the surface of her gums after months of swelling. That's not all however. We were surprised to discover that her 9th tooth is already half-way out and that the 10th is crowning. We never even noticed!

10. Sophie can put her legs into her pants and her arms into the armholes of her blouses unasissted now.

11. She can understand a lot of basic words such as kiss, hug, salam, sit, stand, turn, wait, be still and lie down among others.


Do you have a child(ren)/nieces/nephews? Do you ever get amazed at how fast they grow?


Love,
Phy

An Important Announcement

Hello there...

I have been blogging since 2008 and I love it. It has captured my best and worst moments, my first experiences and the birth of my precious daughter Sophia among other things.

However, I have been having mixed feelings about this blog for the past year. I don't know how to say this but it just doesn't feel right anymore. I can't remember it's birthday, its littered with failed projects and some of the posts are written in a way that I think people would like to read and not how I like to write.

I had hoped that by doing several changes it would be okay again but it did not. It was starting to become dead weight to me. In the end, I decided that it is time for a fresh start. It was fitting for the new phase in my life that I will be embarking on soon anyway. Hence, my new blog phyrobert.blogspot.com.

The title of my blog is 'Just Be' and it is a reflection of my determination to be myself. Nothing more, nothing less. I am no longer going to worry what anyone thinks about me or what is expected of me insyaAllah. Neither am I going to write in anyone else's 'voice'. If there is something I learned from other successfull bloggers it is writing your own way and about what you like.

I would like to thank you for the love that you have shown here. I hope that you will continue to give the same love and support to my new blog.

See you at phyrobert.blogspot.com!

Love,
Phy

Why I Have Not Been Doing My Ramadhan Log

Hello there,

Perhaps you have noticed that I am no longer doing a Ramadhan log since a few days ago. This is because I have not been able to fast due to health reasons. I came down with gastritis starting from Day 6 when I did not manage to have Sahur before fasting. I started to feel discomfort but managed to push for 2 more days of fasting before I had to stop because the pain got worse with each passing day. Then since yesterday I started having a bit of a sore throat. Ada2 saja ni. Sigh...

Believe me, I am not taking a free pass. Far from it, I am anxious because one, I am not able to take advantage of gaining Pahala. Two, I am worried about not being able to 'ganti' my fast in the future. Tau la, ajal ni bila2 boleh datang. Thirdly, tidak best la puasa bukan di bulan Ramadhan. Orang lain makan, kita menahan air liur. Bagus lagi puasa ramai2. Senang sikit. Yes, superficial I know but undeniable.

So, yeah, just wanted to put it out there in case anyone is wondering. See you in the next post. Cheers!

Love,
Phy

EOTD: Colorful Smoky Eye

Hello there..

Smoky eyes have always been in, the only difference is that it is always evolving. One season it might be intense (think black, dark gray or dark brown). In another season it might be colorful (blues and purples for example).

The look of this Summer however is taupe smoky eyes. Since candy hues are also in, I decided to combine the two trends into one look. This is what I came up with.







Here is the list of products that I used:

Eyes

1. Maybelline 24Hr Color Tattoo in Edgy Emerald. I applied this only on my lids as a base.

2. Mac Eyeshadow in Steamy (middle color in the bottom row). I layered it on top of Edgy Emerald to intensify the color further. I also used this to line the inner half of my lower lash line to echo the color of my lids.

3.Mac Eyeshadow in Satin Taupe (middle collumn, middle row). I applied this on my crease and used a heavier hand to intensify the color for a smokey look.

4. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Expresso Ink. I lined my upper lash line as well as the outer half of my lower lash line with it.


Face

1. Rimmel London 16 Hour Lasting Finish Foundation in 202 Nude.

2. Rimmel London Renew &Lift Brightening Powder in 201 Classic Beige.

3. Mac Mineralize Blush in Pressed Amber (Ltd Edt)

Lips

Mac (Lustre) Lipstick in Quietone. (Sorry, I forgot to include it in the picture above)


I had fun putting this look together and I hope you give it a try. Do remember that you can substitute the products I used for any products you have on hand to re-create this look. You can even use a different color for the lids! The point here is to combine color with taupe to create a smoky eye.

Thank you for reading this post. See you in the next one.


Love,
Phy

What's In My Travelling Makeup Bag..

Hello hello..

A few weeks ago I did a blog post about what's in my travel toiletry bag and it seemed to have gotten a really good response so I decided to do a 'What's In My Travelling Makeup Bag. Again, I used to bring so many makeup items yet truth be told, I don't really like wearing a lot of makeup when travelling. I have reduced the size of my makeup bag over the years especially when I discovered items that are dual purpose. Wanna see what's in my compact makeup bag? Here we go..

Tadaaaahhh...

I bring my BB Cream which I made myself (Click here to know how) because I wouldn't have to bring a primer or sunscreen and it provides light coverage which is ideal for me when I am on the go.

I bring my Chanel Vitalumiere Eclat which is my favorite powder foundation at the moment because whenever I am in the City, sometimes I get invited to dine at places where I need to look a bit more made up. These invites are usually not informed before hand so I like to keep this handy just in case.

My Concealer is a must. This is Mac's Select Cover concealer which I love to use for my under eye circles.

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden. I have this in my travelling makeup bag because it helps to keep my eye makeup from creasing and fading while I am out and about.

Ah, my fave go-to product of the moment when it comes to eye makeup. This is Maybelline's Color Tattoo in 'Bad To The Bronze'. I just have to blend this on my lids and the satin finish of this product makes it look like I have more than one eye shadow on. I can use my fingers to apply it so it's convenient since I don't have to worry about bringing my eye makeup brushes with me.

I like to define my eyes using an eyeliner and this is the only black pencil liner that I have which is Mac's Technakhol eye liner in Graphblack. I use this on my upper lash line.

I like to use bright colored liner on my lower lash line because I think it gives the eyes such a wonderful pop of color, making the eyes look fresh and awake. This is Rimmel London's Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer in Aqua Sparkle.

I got this blusher from Etude House a few years agoand I like it because it is so nifty and convenient. I just need to press the sponge on my cheeks and blend it with my fingers. Although it is slightly chalky, it does give a sweet pink blush on my cheeks. Love it!

A lip gloss by The Body Shop (this has a duo-chrome pink and peach shimmer which I looovvee!) on my lazy days..

My Revlon Lip Butter in Lollipop for when  want more color on my lips. 

Tools that I never go travelling without. 

What makeup items do you bring with you're traveling? Do share in the comments section below. I hope you enjoyed this post. See you in the next one.

Love, 

Phy

What's In My Beauty Closet: Lotions And Potions Collection

Hello there..

For someone who does not really put on lotion consistently everyday, I sure have a lot of them. What can I say, I am easily bored and a sucker for great discounts and sweet promises made by beauty companies. Sometimes I wish that I could be the kind of girl that always has a bottle of lotion in their handbags. Kulit sentiasa halus, mulus lagi wangi.. Baru girly girl kan? Hehe... Oh well.. You might never know.

Anyways, come and have a peek into my collection of lotions and potions.

Tadaaa....

Got this from one of L'Occitane's Christmas sets back in 2009.

 This is from one of L'Occitane's sets for Summer 2010 I think. I didn't even like this scent, I just wanted the cute nautical bag that came with it. Shame on you Phy, shame on you!

 Got this lotion in 2010 as well because it was new. It has a watery texture and is dispensed by a spray pump which I find is unique.

Another lotion purchased in 2010. It was on sale together with a body scrub. How could I resist? This lotion smells gorgeous by the way. 

Bought this to kasi cukup membership points. 

 Utterly in love with this.. I am holding out on this a bit because it is fairly new and I don't know when I will be able to repurchase it if it runs out.

I purchased this while I was pregnant because this is supposed to help prevent stretch marks. Sama juga dapat stretchmarks sebab malas2 pakai. Padan muka ko Phy.

I received a 50% birthday voucher from The Body Shop last year so I decided to buy their dry oil. Sweet kan The Body Shop bagi birthday voucher? Masalahnya this year sy nda dapat. What gives?

Each lotion bottle represents me trying to get into the habit of moisturizing my body. Niat suci lagi murni tapi sentiasa tuntas. I guess all this while I just thought that my skin will always be this young. Now that I have turned 27, I kinda feel that I really must step up when it comes to caring and moisturizing my skin. I am happy to say that for the past month I have been quite consistent in putting on lotion twice a day. Bangga tau. If this keeps up, one of the lotion bottles above will turn up in an 'Empties: Products I have Used Up' post soon. InsyaAllah. 

So am I the only on crazy enough to have this much lotion at a time? What lotion do you use? Please share in the comments below. 

Thanks for reading this post. See you soon. Cheers!

Love, 

Phy

Ramadhan Food And Workout Log Day 7 & Day 8

Hello there,

I am a bit late on my log for Ramadhan day 7. Since now it is already after Iftar of day 8, I have decided to combine my log for day 7 & day 8. Check it out below.

DAY 7:

Sahur
2 Dates
3 deep-fried homemade Chicken Dumpling
1 portion 'Kecipir' vegetable
1 portion Potato Salad
1/2 portion Roasted Chicken thigh

Iftar
1 short bamboo of Lemang
1 portion Chicken Rendang
1 cup of clear Coconut Jelly
2 Strawberry Love Letters

Supper
1 mug Milo with Cinnamon


Workout
-None-


Water Intake
2.5 Litres





DAY 8:

Sahur
1 packet Mamee Instant Noodles
1 mug Hazelnut Coffee
4 Strawberry Love Letters

Iftar
2 Dates
1 portion Fried Noodles with Chicken slices
1 small bowl Chicken Soup with 3 small cuts of Chicken
1 mug homemade Hazelnut Mocha Ice-blended
1 small packet of Cadbury Chocettes

Supper
1 mug of Milk


Workout
-None-


Water Intake
2.5 Litres


Thank you for reading this post. See you in the next one. Cheers!


Love,
Phy

Wordless Wednesdays: Product Empties For June 2013

Ramadhan Food And Workout Log Day 6

Hello hello..

I haven't had much sleep the last few days. The total exhaustion caught up with me this morning and I overslept. Having no Sahur really took a toll on me. I was on the verge of tears by Iftar. Terbayang orang2 di luar sana yang starving, yang tiada Sahur and tiada Iftar. Kesiannya kan?

Also, I know I said previously that I don't want to eat for supper but tonight I had to because I was starting to feel light-headed. Ini la yang dikatakan kita hanya mampu merancang tapi Tuhan yang menentukan. Terima jak la keadaan kan? Don't sweat the small stuff.

Here is my log for day 6:

Sahur
None

Iftar
2 Dates
2 Glasses of water
3 Deep-fried homemade chicken dumplings
1/2 Roast chicken thigh
1/2 Home-pickled Bombay onion
2 Toasted white bread
1 Slice butter cake
1 Chocolate fudge cookie

Supper
1 Blackbean bun


Workout
None


Water Intake
2.2 Litres



Thank you for your time. See you in the next post.


Love,
Phy

Ramadhan Food And Workout Log Day 5

Hello there...

In my log for day 3, I mentioned that I thought doing 3 sets of 8 repetitions for each resistance training move is a bit too much fo me right? I considered doing only 2 sets of 8 reps so that it would not be too taxing on me.

However, I have this one trait in me when it comes to exercise. If I've already done a certain amount of reps, I have to make it my bechmark. I need to reach it even if it 'kills' me. If I can do it once, surely I can do it again right? Right!

I decided to push on with 3 sets today and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was much easier to do compared to day 3. Perhaps it's because I am getting stronger? Hehe.. Well, I should hope so! I also managed to increase the time I did the Plank Pose. Yay!

Oh yes, I made a new dish for Iftar yesterday and I really like it. It's inspired by Sunny's(from Cooking For Real) potato hash recipe. I have yet to find an uber healthy way of making it but I think I will share the recipe anyway in an upcoming post.

Okay, so here is my log for day 5:

Sahur
2 dates
2 servings of potato hash
1 sunny-side up egg

Iftar
2 dates
2 glasses of water
Stir-fried egg noodles with chicken mince and mushrooms
150ml Tropicana Twister orange juice
1 chocolate cookie
1/2 cup sago dessert

Supper
1 mug Milo with a pinch of Cinammon powder


Workout
-30 minutes walk, low to medium intensity.

-25 minutes resistance training, medium intensity. Plank pose: 30, 25, 25 seconds.


Water Intake
2 Litres




Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this post. I look forward to seeing you in the next one. Cheers!


Love,
Phy

Ramadhan Food And Workout Log Day 4

Hello there,

Here is my log for Ramadhan day 4:

Sahur
3 dates
3 glasses of water
2 slices of white bread with peanut butter spread

Iftar
2 dates
1 glass of water

Dinner
1 apple
1 roasted chicken drumstick
2 servings of potato hash
1 egg sunny side up
1 glass off pineapple + orange juice

Supper
1 slice butter cake
1 slice light fruit cake


Workout
None


Water Intake
1.5 Litres


I need to make better choices for my food la. Huhu... Need to scrap that supper thingy. Just drink Milo or something if I am hungry. Willpower Phy! You can do this!

I intended to do stretching exercises today but since it was pretty much just Sophie and me the whole day, it would have been impossible to concentrate making fluid, unhurried movements and breathing evenly while keeping an eye on her. She is so energetic and loves to climb so I can't take my eyes off her for long. Whatever it is, we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Thank you for reading this post. Cheers!


Love,
Phy

The Miracle Of Ayat 1000 Dinar

Hello hello..

Before I go on with this post, I just want to make a disclaimer. I am not saying that the Ayat 1000 Dinar works by itself. Reciting the Ayat 1000 Dinar is merely an effort to find misplaced things. What makes it possible for us to find it is still Allah SWT's will.

I have been losing a few things the past 2 weeks. First, it was an RM50 note, then my medicated eye drops and lastly, my Mac Fast Response Eye Cream. It was so infurating and upsetting to lose things one after another and it was up to a point where I concluded that I was either being more careless than usual or there is a 'toyol' in the house stealing things.

Fortunately, I managed to recover my RM50 note. It turned out my mum found it on the kitchen floor and was unsure if the note was hers or someone else's. She forgot to ask us because she was so busy.

As for the 2nd and last item, I remembered that I always, always put them both in the side pocket of my handbag. During my seach I don't know how many times I emptied out my handbag, looking for torn seams in the lining and what not. I also went to the extend of going through all the storage compartments in my room. Still, nothing.

It occured to me to check the Longchamp handbag that I was using the month before but I dismissed that thought because surely I had emptied all of its contents before I folded and stored the bag right? Right!

My sister advised me to use the Ayat 1000 Dinar to find the missing items. How it's done is by first, stating your niat (intention) to find your missing possession. Next, recite the Ayat 1000 Dinar 3 times and then search for the item.

I did read the verse 3 times but I was so tired of seaching already that I just though that if the items are around, I will find them during the course of my daily activities. The thing is, something told me to do things properly, to through the proper steps and not be complacent. It kept bugging me throughout the day but I just ignored it.

A few days later I decided to listen to my inner voice and did the steps properly. I also prayed that if the items are lost, let me accept that it is no longer my rezeki to own them.

10 minutes into my search, I gave in to my instincts and looked through my Longchamp bag. Sure enough both my eye drops and eye cream were in it's side pocket. How crazy is that? I couldn't believe it! I was so happy I literally jumped up and down half a dozen times. Needless to say, my dad and Sophie looked at me like I had lost my marbles.

Coincidence? Perhaps. Then again, in Islam there is no such thing as coincidences. I do believe that God aids us as long as we ask for it and believe that He will, insyaAllah. That instinct we have? That is one of His ways of communicating with us. Pretty awesome huh? If you would like to give this a try, below is the Ayat 1000 Dinar.

"Dan sesiapa yg bertakwa kpd Allah, nescaya Allah akn mengadakan baginya jalan keluar serta memberinya rezeki dari jalan yg tidak terlintas dihatinya. Dan sesiapa yg berserah kepada Allah, maka Allah cukupkan baginya. Sesungguhnya Allah tetap melakukan segala perkara yang dikehendakiNya. Sesungguhnya Allah telahpun menentukan kadar dan masa bagi segala sesuatu."

Have you ever lost something that meant a lot to you? Do share in the comments below.

Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to read this post. Until the next one.

Love,
Phy

Ramadhan Food And Workout Log Day 3

Hello there...

This morning I experienced what us locals would call 'perut masuk angin', meaning I felt gassy. I think it is because I haven't been eating a lot since Ramadhan started. I also had tummy ache, kinda like the one I experience each time I get food-induced gastric.

I increased my food intake for both Sahur and Iftar as you will see in my food log. I also did a cardio and resistance training this morning and I swear my abs died an agonizing death when I did the Plank pose.

Anyways, here is my 3rd log for the month:

Sahur
1 mug Red Guara
3 dates
4 glasses of water
Fried noodles with chicken slices
1 small slice of chicken pie.
*All eaten well spread out within an hour

Iftar
1 large slice of chicken pie
150ml Tropicana Twister Orange Juice (watered down)
2.5 slices of home-grown pineapple
150ml homemade pineapple juice
1 slice chocolate cake

Supper
1 slice chocolate cake


Workout
30 minutes cardio, walking at low to medium intensity.

30 minutes resistance training, high intensity including Plank pose if 10, 25 and 25 seconds.


Water
3 Litres



One thing I will say though, I regret following a magazine's instructions of doing 3 sets of 8 repetitions for every resistance move. I followed it because it says that it is an appropriate starting point for beginners. To be honest, I still feel that it was too much. I fear that I might have overworked my muscles and will probably not be able to do resistance training again for the next few days. We'll see.

This is all for now. I wish you a great weekend and thank you so much for taking time out of your day to read this post. I hope to see you in the next one. Cheers!


Love,
Phy

Ramadhan Food And Workout Log Day 2

Hello there,

Here is my log for day 2 of Ramadhan.

Sahur
3 kurma
2 glasses of water
1 medium slice of chicken pie

Breaking of Fast
3 kurma
2 glasses of water

Dinner
1 portion of fried noodles with slices of chicken
1 bowl of ABC

Supper
200ml Milo with a pinch of cinammon powder


Workout
None


Water Intake
2.5 Litres


Thanks for reading this post. Any suggestions for a healthy, simple Sahur/Sungkai meal or effective exercise moves are welcome. See you in the next post. Cheers!


Love,
Phy

Ramadhan Food And Workout Log Day 1

Hello there..

Ramadhan is a great time to lose weight and I am not about to let this opportunity to lose a few kilos pass me by just like that. Hence, I decided that it would be good for me to record my food consumption as well as the exercises that I do. This is so that I can pinpoint areas where I can improve.

I also personally find that keeping track of both kind of helps me to be more concious of what I eat and motivates me to move. There is just something satisfying about seeing good choices being put down in writing.

Without further ado, here is my log for the first day of Ramadhan.

Sahur
2 slices of white bread
Tuna mayo spread
3 dates
2 glasses of water

Breaking Of Fast
3 dates
1 glass of water
1 mug punk Dragon Fruit protein drink

Dinner
1 serving if long beans sauteed with slices if sausage
1 small slice of homemade chicken pie

Supper
175ml Milo with a pinch of cinnamon


Workout
Plank pose 20, 25 and 25 seconds.


Water Intake
2 Litres

Thank you for reading this post. See you in the next one. Cheers!

Love,
Phy

Belated Wordless Wednesday: My Mum Gave All This To Me..

Pengalaman Lucu Di Ambang Ramadhan

Hello..

Munggu lepas Aunt Flow paid me a visit jadi sy pun ambil kesempatan mo put a pretty golden nail polish on. Biasa la, bukan selalu dapat peluang mo cat kuku ni. Satu kali jak dlm sebulan, itu pun bukan setiap bulan sy pakai so, why not?

Sekali on Tuesday night on the eve of Ramadan, Aunt Flow confirm sudah balik kampung guna AirAsia jadi sy pun mandi hadas besar supaya boleh puasa. Tengah2 mandi tu baru ternampak kuku yang masih glam bersinar emas. Astaga, lupa buka rupanya! Dilema ni. Kalau mau buka ni cat kuku, tpaksa la keluar dgn rambut bersyampu segala mo pigi cari nail polish remover. Kalau tidak buka masa tu juga, nda sah la mandi hadas sy sedangkan bisuk dia mo puasa sudah. Adedehh..

In the end I called out to my mum, minta tolong dia bawa cotton and nail polish remover to me. I don't know how long it took for me to thoroughly remove every trace of polish on my nails but it was long enough for my shampoo to dry up in my hair and my bucket of warm water to turn cold.

This has never happened to me before tapi tiapa la kan, ada juga dibuat cerita. Kenangan Ramadhan 2013. Hehe...

Ever had something funny happen to you? Kindly share in the comments below.

Thanks for stopping by. Cheers!


Love,
Phy

Are You Ready For Ramadhan?

Hello there..

To all my Muslim readers out there, are you ready for the month of Ramadhan? I will be honest, I am a bit nervous. Tau2 saja la, biasa sdh makan macam pirahna 4-5 kali setiap hari kan. I hope I will have the extra patience and stamina to keep up with Sophie for the duration of the month ni. Huhu.. InsyaAllah...

My tangible plans for Ramadhan is super simple which is to make sure I have dates at home. A lot of people overlook this humble dried fruit but through my personal experience, I find it to be utterly essential during the fasting month for Sahur and breaking fast. I think I will elaborate more about it in an upcoming blog posts.

As for my spiritual preparations, I have plans on two things that I would like to achieve during the month of Ramadhan but I won't be sharing them with you just yet. Nanti nda jadi bikin malu jak. Huahuahua...




So how about you my dear Muslim readers, are you geared up for Ramadhan? What day will the 1st of Ramadhan fall on in your country? Do share in the comments below.

Thank you for reading this post. See you soon. Cheers!

Love,
Phy

Imotiv vs Bloglovin' App

Hello hello...

I have been using Imotiv since the day when it was still NuffnangX almost a year ago (or is it over a year ago?) While I loved the fact that I could read updates on the blogs I follow in one place, I still find it difficult to read all the updates because I follow a lot of blogs. I wished that I could separate the list into two. One for international beauty bloggers and the other for my local blogger friends.

Then about a week ago, I discovered Bloglovin' and I decided to follow my list of beauty blogs using it. Now I am officially hooked!! Here's why:

Your newsfeed only shows you posts that you have not read. You can also mark a post as 'read' if you want to skip reading a post that uninterests you and it will disappear from your feed. No more clutter on your feed!

At one touch of an icon (on the top left corner) you will see the total posts that you have not read. You will also see a list of the blogs you follow and the number of new updates each blog has. You can also search for other blogs to follow, change your settings and log out from that same menu. Talk about convenience.

In your feed there is also an icon on the top right corner that allows you to 'refresh' and 'mark all as read'.

When you are reading a post, this same icon gives you the option to 'like', 'visit blog', 'unfollow' and 'share'. It's so easy to use and fuss-free, I feel like crying tears of joy. Dramatic, I know but it is so refreshing not having to scroll down endlessly past post that disinterests me/I have already read like on Imotiv.

I wish that Imotiv would improve its app to be more clean and user-friendly. Also, recently Imotiv has kept jamming up and each time I back out of a post to go into it's main menu, it would exit completely. Bikin tinggi darah sy jak. Huff!

I hope you give the Bloglovin' app a try especially if you're an avid blog reader. Honestly, it will change your life! Oh, and don't forget to follow this humble blog while you're at it okay? Hehe.. Sempat lagi self-promote.

Thanks for reading this post. See you in the next one. Cheers!


Love,
Phy

Recipe: Potato Salad

Hello there,

I love, love, love delicious yet easy to make recipes. Not only does it saves time and effort, you also have a fallback plan whenever you have to bring food to a potluck or if you are asked to cook something for your significant other/future in-laws for the first time. Nda la gabra running around like a hysterical, headless chicken gara2 nda tau apa mau masak kan? Hehe..

I discovered this recipe for a potato salad from a blog that I have been following and had tried it a few times. I love it because it can be served on it's own or as a side dish for roast chicken and such. I dare say that the success of making this dish actually sparked an interest in me to tinker about in the kitchen trying out new recipes. Would you like to know how to make it? Read on!

Ingredients
3 cups of water
1/2 tsp salt
3 potatoes
1-2 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp water
2 tbsp chopped spring onion
1 teaspoon chicken stock granules
A pinch of black pepper


Method
1. Add the salt to the water and set to boil.

2. Peel and dice the potatoes into equal size of your preference (keep in mind that the larger the potato dices, the longer it takes to cook) and put into the boiling water.

3. Mix all the other ingredients together in a container to make the dressing.

4. When the potatoes are done, strain them and toss with the prepared dressing.

5. Let it cool for a few minutes before chilling it for at least an hour before serving.

Serves 4.

Note:
1. To check if the boiled potato dices are done, run a fork through a piece. It should go through without much effort. Test out a few random pieces to be sure that they are all cooked.

2. It is important to dice the potatoes equally sized so that it will all cook around the same time.
3. If you don't have lemon juice, you can use 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar.

See, told ya that it was easy peasy. If you give this recipe a try, please let me know in the comments section below. You can also take a picture of it and tag me (@phylliciarobert) on Instagram. Good luck!

Thank you for reading this entry. See you again soon!

Love,
Phy

Dainty Pearls: What is it?

Hello there..

How is your week so far? I hope that you are having a good one.

I will be doing a new series in this blog named 'Dainty Pearls'. You see, most of the time I would dedicate an entire post to a particular topic. However, there are instances when I like to write a little about a lot of random things such as a product that has caught my eye, an embarassing moment, etc in one post.

Hence the name 'Dainty Pearls'. 'Dainty' because each topic is short, sweet and bite-sized, 'Pearls' because although the topics are random, all of them are precious and significant to me. Also, the pearl is my birthstone.

Here are some of my pearls for this post:

1. Part of the pregnancy quirkiness is that I would just wash my face with cleanser and I am done. I don't use moisturiser, let alone serums and masks. Unfortunately, this habit carried on post delivery. For the past month however, I have made efforts to incorporate a basic 3-step skin care routine day and night. Now that I have made that into a habit, I decided to up the ante by adding a serum and eye cream into my skincare routine.

I used Hada Labo's Arbutin Whitening Essence on my freckles both day and night. During the day I would use Garnier's Light Brightening Eye Roll-On and at night, Origin's GinZing Eye Cream. So far so good. I am so proud if myself for taking steps towards self-improvement. After these items have become an integral part of my skincare, I aim to start wearing sunscreen everyday when I go out. Keeping my fingers crossed.



2. Now when I go to places such as Watson, I find myself getting a bit bored looking at makeup. Maybe it is because I don't have spare cash to buy and experiment with the new products jadi malas la mau tengo2. Huhu..

3. What I have been gravitating towards at Watson and other drugstores however are skincare. Yes, skincare. For some reason looking at all the new products invoked an excitement in me. I am currently eyeing Neutrogena's Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Facial Wash, Safi Balqis Perfect 10 Cleanser and Toner as well as whitening and anti-aging lines from a few other brands. Tengo la macam mana after I have finished the ones that I currently have in my beauty closet.

4. I have been loving Fox Channel programmes such as NCIS (which I once thought was boring), Medium, Castle and Criminal Minds. I have also started watching Ghost Whisperer on StarWorld and Client List on the Life Channel.

5. I have been such a Butter Fingered Klutz lately. I have broken so many things from my mum's phone casing to one of the window panes. Sigh!

6. Sophie is growing not only her 7th tooth but her 8th tooth as well! Kesian the wee little kitten. She has been going around as grumpy as a lion with a thorn in its paw. I wish I could do simething to relieve her discomfort. Any tips?

7. I have been reaching out for my Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Liner in Expresso Ink a lot lately. I feel that it gives my eyes definition without being too dramatic. I had stopped using it over a year ago because it had hardened a bit. I have never really found it in me to throw it away because it was my first gel liner. I am glad I kept it because aside from being a bit hard to work with, I am loving the effect it gives to my eyes.



8. Been playing with colourful makeup more than ever lately..



9. I have finally been able to open Sophie's ASB account after 3 failed attempts! Turns out if you open an account for your child at ASB itself, they will automatically open both ASB and ASN.



So this is all for the moment. Thank you for reading this post. Cheers!


Love,
Phy