Halloween Nails.

Halloween is 2 days away and I'm stuck at home -.-
So instead of rotting away and spending my time doing boring chores, I decided to whip out my nail polishes for a bit of experimenting!

Plus it kind of acts as an excuse to not do anything apart from watching season 3 of Revenge.
I normally allocate 105mins of polish drying time.
(Meaning to say 105mins of trying not to pee.) #tmi

What I used:

• Nail polishes (duh)
• Cellotape 
• Matches 
• Q-tips
• Straws
• Mechanical pencil
• An old cloth or newspapers to keep your house clean

List of nail colors (L to R): Elianto Twilight Zone 40, Skin Food BW704, Skin Food RE107, Skin Food RE102, Etude House RD101, Elianto Indigo Shine 15, China Glaze Ghoulish Glow (yep, that's glow-in-the-dark polish!!), The Face Shop WH001.


Apply your basecoat prior to anything. I cannot stress this enough, hahah.
I hate stained nails ugh.

Okay, now let's get messy.


Blood splatter

Start off with two coats of white to prevent visible nail lines.
Tape your finger to avoid unnecessary clean up.
Dip one end of the straw into red polish.
Hold your breath, then blow from the other end.
Goriness will then spurt out mwahahha.

Btw, I said hold your breath 'coz varnishes stink.
Quickly yet carefully remove tape!


Gunshot/wounded/idk nail

Again, two coats of white.
DON'T wait for it to dry! You want it tacky.
Dip Q-tip into red polish, and press onto the wet base. The white should show through with the red surrounding it.

Flip the Q-tip to the other end and start mixing all different shades of red and have fun destroying your nail :D


Tuxedo and skull

Tux:
Start off with opaque black polish. Apply cellotape as per photo above.
Paint white over it, and then remove tape.
Using a matchstick as a dotter, dot tiny black buttons and a bowtie in whatever colour you like. I chose red since red is sexy :p

Skull:
Use a matchstick for the eye sockets and nose, then dip the pencil-lead tip into black polish to draw the mouth and teeth.


Spiderweb nail
Sorry no picture for you visual learners out there :p
Freehand the web and wait for the design the dry.
Then dip a Q-tip into acetone and lightly remove some bits and parts of it so it looks like a broken web!


I don't actually know why am I prettifying my nails... Cause like, what's the occasion. I won't be going out to celebrate. I'll be watching Carrie while munching on popcorn instead. Boo :(

x

How to act like a Malaysian.

The iconic KLCC. Because every Malaysian has to know this.
Photo creds to Eugene Goh (:

Yes, we do speak English. Our English is quite powderful.
Yes, we do have proper houses, equipped with electricity and water supply (which often gets cut off without warning.)
Yes, our pedestrian crossing lights aren't working half of the time.
Yes, our cabs are infamous for charging exorbitant fares because the taximeters are always "rosak" or "spoil already".

But we are Malaysians. We have been trained since young to overcome such difficulties.


From guiding you on how to shop to how to document your everyday life, here are 10 sure-fire ways to fake like you've been eating Nasi Lemak your whole life.

1. Know the lingo.
   Understand that we bring the English language to a whole new level. Therefore, you should too.
   Add "lah", "ma", "hor", "loh", etc at the end of every sentence to sound impeccably Malaysian. Say "huh" in place of "I beg your pardon?"
   
   Is your English vocab limited? Fret not! Just toss in whatever other languages or dialects you know!
   Campur it up! No need shy shy or paiseh one!
   We'll love whatever new concoction you come up with.
   
   Address everyone as though you've known them forever.
   The police who gave you a speeding ticket is your "abang."
   The waiter at the kopitiam is your "boss."
   The cleaner is your "kakak."
   All your guy friends are your "bros."
   All your male Tamil-speaking friends are your "machas."



2. Eat spicy.
   Always ask for sambal. Add chilli padi whenever you can. Pour at least 2 sachets of chilli sauce in between your McD burger buns. Deny the fact that your mouth is on fire. Order anything that reads "curry" on the menu. Never admit defeat to the tiny chilli icons next to the name of a dish which indicate extra hot.



3. Pay like a local.
   The term "leaving tips" does not exist. Pocket every cent of change. Convince yourself that you'll need them to pay for you parking ticket. Or for an RM1 gumball from the bubblegum vending machine (take that, Singapore!) Unless you're going out on a date and want to impress the girl. If so, shut away the inner stinginess and tip away.



4. Know how to travel around.
   Always, always diss KL's public transport and appear appalled whenever your peers suggest you brave the non-reliable transportation system available.
   
   KTM?
   "Aiyah, always late one!"
   
   Taxi?
   "Walao, later I kena raped then you know!"
   
   Bus?
   "Eh don't play play, the aircond always spoil leh! Hot die me!"



5. Be a pro when it comes to ordering drinks.
   No, not at the bar. Malaysians can't tell the difference between Makers Mark and Johnny Walker. I'm referring to being pro at ordering typical Malaysian beverages.
   
   We love our kopi (coffee), Milo (malt chocolatey goodness) and teh (tea). We also acknowledge that everyone has different taste preferences, so we allow for customisation so very complex that we actually put Starbucks to shame.
   
   "Kopi O gao sikit!" "Teh O ais limau!" "Kopi C!" "Milo kosong tambah ais!"
   If you've ever chanced upon a kopitiam/mamak, I am sure you've heard the above drink verbiage being hollered from one end of the shop to the other. Know the difference. Do your homework. Ask for "a cup of cappuccino" at the hawker stall and you'll be instantly labelled as a noobie.



6. Utilise social media.
   Instagram every meal. No, wait. Instagram every dish. Or twitpic. Either one is good. It is of utmost importance that your circle of friends know what you eat. Follow up by #abusing #the #hashtag #because #yolo #swag.
   
   Expect a wave of "bojio" comments to hit you.



7. Have thick skin (aka no shame.)
   Really like something? Muster up every single ounce of confidence in you, flash a big smile and proceed to ask for the "best price."
   
   Do not accept "no" for an answer. Keep insisting. Or make sure the sales assistant throws in a handful of freebies and samples.



8. Appreciate God's gift.
   As mentioned earlier, the pedestrian lights are hardly ever working. But we've got you covered!
   When crossing roads, don't bother waiting for vehicles to stop. Simply lift your arm to car-level, palm facing the auto-mobiles. They will stop FOR YOU. You just have to trust the palm.
   
   God gave you hands. Use them.



9. State the obvious.
   Malaysians like to point everything out by asking rhetorical questions 24/7. The next time you see someone watering plants, go "eh, watering plants, ah?"
   
   You can expect either:
   A. a polite "Ya, hehe!"
   B. a sarcastic "NO LAH, I'M DROWNING THE FLOWERS."
   
   Whatever the comeback, smile stupidly and saunter away...



10. Believe that a white lie never hurts.
    When in Malaysia, do as the Malaysians do. Arrive 30mins late to any event you're invited to.
    When friends call up to check on your whereabouts, never fail to assure them you're "on the way" even if you're still taking a dump at home.
    
    As the saying goes: Better late than never.
    Embrace that.
    Blame it on "bad traffic" upon arrival. Everyone will nod empathetically. I guarantee.

So yeah! 10 tips you'll ever need to pass as a Malaysian citizen. Do let me know if you can think of more to add on to the list :D

Okay, off to make a cup of Milo ais now.

x

What's in my everyday bag?

I am a nosy person. I love rummaging through the belongings of others. You have a perfume collection? I'll uncap every single one of them and sniff to my heart's content. Have a mini-bar in your room? I will check the nutrition label and expiry date on all items. I can't help it. Just cannot!

So here's a post for all you busy-body curious cats out there: "What's in my everyday carry bag?"
It's fun to see what people choose to lug around with them 24/7 as I think it shows what kind of a person they really are.
Btw, I've stashed away all the random receipts, food wrappings and used tissues found dwelling in the vast abyss of space ('coz a woman's bag is like a Black Hole, lol) prior to snapping the photos. But apart from that, the state of my bag is pretty much.. Au naturel? Hahaha.

LEGGO!

This is my go-to bag. Super cheap yet of decent quality. I've had it for quite a while now and none of the studs have fallen off yet! Plus the little embellishments add this little edgy vibe to my outfit every single time.
The two side compartments are great for when I need to chuck candy wrappers away as well. Mad loveee!!

An overview of everything I bring, by both necessity and choice. Mainly choice. It's amazing how one manages to cram all of the above into such a limited space. "Dark Arts", as I like to call it, for I am the next Houdini *smirks*

Nonsense aside, here is a list of the bits and bobs I tote about with me:

- My planner
- House keys
- A spare set of house keys (You never know.)
- Glasses
- Sunnies and casing
- Hello Kitty band aids (Again, you never know.)

- Blotter
- Kleenex
- Mints
- iPhone cable
- iPhone

- Earphones
- Portable charger
- A pen
- A Shu Uemura business card
- A Plaza Damas parking ticket

- A Naraya pouch, in which I keep the following:
- A vial of Mont Blanc's Legend pour femme (smells so so so good!)
- Hand sanitiser
- L'Occitane cherry blossom hand lotion
- Two lip balms (because what if the occasion calls for cherry-flavour instead of mint?!)

I'm actually rather proud of myself.

Fyi, I do use this for college, too. I just toss a bottle of water, about two packets of Mamee Monster junk food and a skilfully Origami-ed cardigan (to fit whatever space that's left) into the main compartment, and I'm all set for class :D

Do you know how some girls manage to survive a day with just a small satchel? 

Me neither.
I can't do small. Size matters. *ba dum tss*
WHADDUP SEXUAL INNUENDO?!

Speaking of sexual, can I waste 5mins of your time? :3
I found it terribly amusing, ahhahahaah. Sorry, Potterheads.

ps; Was inspired to write this post after browsing through whatsinyourbag.

x

Newspaper Nails.

When you hear the word "newspaper", what comes to mind?

The US government shutdown? Rising petrol prices? The too-good-to-be-true pay rise according to today's horoscope column?

Nu-uh. 

I don't read newspapers. I've been convinced since young by my mom that newspapers are filthy things because the cheap ink transfers too easily onto almost anything. And that you'll end up with food poisoning should you not wash your hands after flipping through The Star. And you'll have to go to the doctor's. And get an injection.
True story.

So to avoid any chances of getting pricked by a syringe, I choose to log on to BBC and The Telegraph daily without fail like a true kid of Generation Y instead.

But contrary to popular belief, there are certain things in this world that are cheap and good. Like...

Newspapers.
The cheap ink is perfect for DIY nail art yay.

What you'll need:

• Newspapers
• A pair of scissors
• A cup
• Water/alcohol
• Topcoat and basecoat
• White nail polish as the canvas
• Other random colours for your accent nail

The colours I used (L to R): The Face Shop WH001, Skin Food BW704, Topshop Amethyst, Topshop Pool Party, Ciate Jewel 083, The Face Shop 05.

Always, always start off with a basecoat. Stained nails make you look like a hobo, sorry.

Apply two coats of white polish so that it's perfectly opaque. And two coats of whatever colour you like your accent nail to be. 

Now, let your nails dry. By dry, I do mean 100% dry. You do not want to proceed with half-dried polish, as they WILL smudge, and nobody wants newspaper bits stuck onto their nails, yes?
I actually went to bed, lol. So that's like 9 hours of polish-drying time.

Okay. Cut out 10 newspaper strips, making sure they are large enough to cover your entire nail. Fill the cup with water or alcohol.

TIP: Alcohol works better. You can use rubbing alcohol or vodka (ahem), but I'm Asian and I do not like to waste my money like that. Water is cheap. Cheap is good.

Chuck the cut-outs into the water!

Then, taking a piece of drenched newspaper strip, carefully place it onto your nail (text side down, duh). Once you're happy with the position, press it down harddddd. You want the words to transfer! 

Then repeat on the rest of your nails.

As for the topcoat, try to apply it veeeery gently. Else the brush will cause the ink to smudge. Like so in the photo you will see below. *sad face*

While waiting for the topcoat to dry, go crazy with your accent nail! I painted a turquoise stripe and did a French-tip using Ciate's Jewel.

Voila!

(Excuse the smeared writing on the index finger.)

Here's another picture of my attempt at newspaper nails (September 2012).

It's so quick and fun ehmagerd. Plus, it's totally customisable in the sense that you get to choose what words go on to your nails!

Hint: For your middle finger, cut out something vulgar. Perfect for when you wanna flip someone off :p

Or, you could put formulas! So you'd ace every single Maths test *wink*
I'm not suggesting anything with malicious intent here...

x

Bangkok Trip 2013.

Bangkok's insane electrical wiring O.O

I'd like to begin by saying:

• This post is long overdue (17th July - 22nd July).
• This post is going to be a loooong one. Loaded with pictures. Yay for those of you who scroll through blogs solely for photos!

Omg shopping in Bangkok is heaven. Since it was a 6D5N trip, I spent most of my time spending wasting money, ordering room service and enjoying the view from our room (Baiyoke Hotel = AMAZING VIEW). Oh, and sightseeing around.

Btw, did you know cinemas over in Bangkok sell BBQ and Cheese flavoured popcorn in addition to your normal salted/caramel ones?! :O

WHY MALAYSIA CINEMAS NO HAVE COOL FLAVOURS.

Now let the pic-spam begin. Sorry if you have mediocre wifi.


WAT ARUN (TEMPLE OF DAWN)

We had to take a boat along the Chao Phraya river.
NOTE: Wat Arun is now closed for a 3-year maintenance. Thank goodness I went there earlier.

Only 50Baht (~ RM 5) per adult! So so so cheap! 8y/o Sebastian got in for free.

 At the RnR stop.

Me also at the RnR station, drinking iced coffee taking a #selfie!

Very small part of the famed Chao Phraya river.

Taadaa! Wat Arun! The stairs super steep... People walking up look so tiny!

The amount of detail. Insane @.@

Almost as if someone had hit Ctrl+C then Ctrl+V numerous times.

Oh did I mention how ant-like the tourists looked like from afar? I'm one of them now.

Since I paid 50Baht, of course I had to unleash the inner tourist in me.

More touristy shots!

My #ootd. Wearing a rented sarong because shorts aren't allowed. Pretty, yes? Very colourful and bright, me likey!

Maximising the 50Baht to its full potential 'coz we Asians.

Random tip: taking photos from such an angle = bad. Face looks fat. Boohoo.

Lulz ^^v

The entire place is so amazing that photos cannot do it justice.

LOOK! "It's a bird... It's a plane... It's a CIRCULAR RAINBOW!!" 

No idea what's the scientific name called. My first time seeing a 360 rainbow.

Wat Arun's such a beautiful place (':
Who would have thought I'd be amazed by a temple dating back to the 18th century O.O


SAMUTPRAKARN CROCODILE FARM AND ZOO

A freaking long drive from our hotel, but I wanted to go there very badly.

Why? Because it's a world renowned crocodile farm and....

The crocodile wrestling show!! Look at the dude praying. Namo namo namo~

We noticed some of the other croc wrestlers had scars/injuries/missingfingers, thereby implying not every one of them end up unscathed at the end of the day :O

A much friendlier form of entertainment. The elephant show!

Reminds me of Disney's Dumbo.

Sebastian stands out like a sore thumb from the rest of the Thai school kids.

Greedy elephant recognizes the significance of money.

Also at the Croc Farm, is the Samutprakarn Shooting Range!

SO CHEAP LAH THE PELLETS. I love Thailand cheap cheap cheap!!

It's Sebastian's first time cause the shooting range we frequent in KL doesn't allow kids to shoot. But this is Thailand we're talking about. Kids? COME COME COME SHOOT, VERY FUN ONE LOOK LIKE PLAYING COUNTERSTRIKE.

Reloading. His serious face is cute ttm! Chubby cheeks.

My turn! Heh, not too shabby, methinks. Unfortunately, no one took a picture of me reloading -.-
Confirm damn yeng one. Huehuehue.

GRAND PALACE

 The name itself already sounds tres grand.

A cute couple vacaying in BKK. Adorable! :3

Another #ootd. Shirt and sarong both rented, as the Grand Palace allows neither shorts nor sleeveless tops.
I look like freaking Barney the purple dinosaur :S

Mandatory tourist photo: with the palace guard on duty!

Sometimes I wish I had worn nicer shoes that day. It's so obvious my blue Nikes were very out of place.

Wai-ing like the Thais! Sawasdee kaaa~

I feel so atas and ladylike, wtf.

ASIATIQUE

Overrated, imho. Crowded and everything is so exorbitantly priced.

Food at some restaurant called Yam Sap. Please don't go there. Horrible food, eww eww eww. Apparently the locals tend to frequent that place a lot, idk why?!?! 

Since Yam Sap was bad, we left and made our way to Kacha-Kacha instead! Jappie food in Thailand, lol what logic, right?

Kacha-Kacha: A Jappie restaurant where the waiters are crazily over-excited about their jobs. They burst into songs randomly every now and then. 4 families (including mine!) complained that night hahaha, because they were too loud and mad.

 More photos from the night.

Taking pics with gigantic compass because what else is there to do. #sien

I don't get Asiatique. Shopping there sucks, fyi. 

Okay, if you've survived the plethora of photos, here's more :P

Thai school bus. Spot the dude in the third window from left. Horny face! (Click to zoom)

My first-ever Fish Spa experience! Most probably my last, too, due to it being rather unhygienic. Read THIS to know why. Regarding the photo above, I pray none of you have foot fetishes.

Stray cats with zero fucks to give when it comes to strangers!!
I do love a brave cat (':

McD's Nescafe McFloat! I always get this in Thailand. Not because it's crazy good, but 'coz we don't have it here in KL. Plus it's cheap and a quick cold fix.

A spooky yet whimsical Magnum tea table. Wtf is that head doing there?!

Miley Cyrus in the making. Stick that tongue out and lick lick lick.

Leaving DMK Airport.

Bye bye Bangkok!

x