Chocolate-marshmallow treat!

Caution! If you're a chocolate lover like me, proceed with caution and hope your mouth won't salivate like mine is doing when I think of these...

Review 1 : Wagon Wheels by Arnotts

My little cousins in down-under love eating Wagon Wheels by Arnotts. Hence, few years back when my parents visited them, they bought back some for us to eat.

What are Wagon Wheels? Well... click on the link above for more details. :P

Kidding.. I'll explain. Basically, it's a round biscuit covered with chocolate with marshmallow and strawberry jam filling in between. For the sweet tooth, you'll love these. I do like it (chocolate lover here!!) but not enough to make me go bonkers for it. However, when I gave some to my bf, he really loved it that we went looking around for them in Malaysia.

Alas, they are no where to be found!!

Except, luckily, during the last few months of 2008, we found them sold at selected Cold Storage. The package sold here was in the red and not like the green-yellow packaging sold in Australia. Still, at least, we still can get them here instead of waiting for the next person to fly back from Australia.
Notice that the size is smaller than the ones sold in Australia? Go figure...

Since, they are no longer are being sold in Cold Storage, (can't find any at the moment) I am always on a look out for an alternative. Tim-tam has a version with marshmallow filling but it was rejected as inferior to Wagon Wheels... So the hunt goes on... until...

Review 2: Milk Chocolate Teacakes by Marks & Spencer


I found this sold in Marks & Spencer last few weeks back for RM25 a packet of 16. I decided to give it a try to see how it tasted like. Oh my, I'm in love... haha Good-bye Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (my previous chocolate-craving) ... hello Teacakes! :)


I love the feeling of the first bite into the thin layer of chocolate coating above the fluffy marshmallow... then slowly reaching down the soft layer of marshmallow.. before reaching the biscuit and chocolate at the bottom.. MmmmMMmm...

When I googled about it, I found an interesting issue about these teacakes. It seemed that in the UK, all biscuits or confectionery are taxed with VAT. This includes biscuits wholly or partly covered with chocolate. This item was actually a cake and not a biscuit.

Hence, Marks & Spencer has won a 3.5 million pounds battle with the Treasury over calling the chocolate teacakes "Cakes" and not biscuits! Wow!

This triggered my curiosity about biscuits and the types available.. and cakes.. etc. When I'm in the mood, I might do a quick review on that.

In the meantime, I'm out of stock! I need to refill my chocolate stash for those gloomy days like tomorrow... Monday blues and worse.. after 3 weeks of leave, I'm finally back to work. Arghh!!

Meanwhile..... Mmmmm.... M&S Teacakes... This would look like how I would react to teacakes, if I was Homer who loves donuts.. ;)

Free Makeover

It's quite fun to go to makeovers. You get primped and dolled up like someone who is pretty for a moment... I know, some ladies do it daily but I am not adept at doing it so I like trying out makeovers for fun.

It'll even be more fun going with a bunch of friends and thankfully, I have tried 2 times. Wonder when will be the next time, ladies? Hmmm..

Hence, when I found out there would be a free makeover, I thought I'll just try it out. From reading miu's blog, I've managed to try Ascience Free Makeover and now, the Bobbi Brown free makeover which I'll try out end of this month.

However, I wonder, if it's really good for the skin. I've heard that the makeup artist do not wash the makeup brushes? *shrug*

Perhaps, it's best to makeup yourself and experiment it if you have a time. But for now, my skin has started to protest and is staging a riot with pimples popping.. Sigh and I've reduced myself to recovery. Hopefully-to recover in time for the wedding dinners I have to go towards these few months. Help!

Ever wonder..

Ever wonder what the lyrics of the the songs you hear for introduction to games or series?

Well, I decided to google and here are the lyrics to the introduction song to the PSP game: LocoRoco... (I have this for my ringing tone last year.. lol)


Ha.. you can sing along if you want. ;)

Title Theme

Bajumbo moi noi noi jecker
Dabatto bunkergait jun jun
Nora juerue-rotto pura-pura petto
Puraret dum dum
Papuranoi noi noi jecker
Dabatto bumperget tum tum
Ora poerketino bookeran tan-tan-so

Bokeretyo kyenturanai mimani unlalhood-cha-la
Terra hooki-ra pishi-to diki-ra poody-to
Seni-kidi koseibo
Kokorenkyo kyenturanai mimani unlalhood-cha-la
Terra hooki-ra shishi-sho tusura hajiki yo

Bajumbo moi noi noi jecker
Dabatto bumperget tum tum
Nora juerue-rotto rokorolo-petto
Pura-purarun dum dum
Papuramoi noi noi jecker
Dapatto bumperget tum tum
Ora poerketino bookeran tan-tan-so

Hammie update

Well, didn't feel like blogging much these days so thought I'll upload pictures of my mum's baby hamsters! Actually they're all grown up now... Enjoy!

Baby dwarf hamsters... tried taking nearer pictures of them but couldn't do it one hand holding one hamster and taking picture at the same time.. so it turned out blur!! :(

Baby Syrian hamsters busy eating away.

There's also Roborovski hamsters which gave birth too but the pictures turn out so-so only. Next time! :)

Student mode

It feels so stressful to be studying again after years of working. I really wonder how some people can do it together. It's very hard to concentrate your energy and time on one item itself!

Hence, I'm quite aghast that my face decided to act like a teenager (thinking I'm taking SPM again). Pimples and acne start sprouting on my face till my bf says I'm farming pimples!! *sob*

Temporarily I have to endure these bumps on my face till the end of my exams. After that I hope the stress level will go down and miraculously heal. Or not, unfortunately, I might have to get a second opinion from another dermatologist or take the advice of the dermatologist I met last month who suggested I take Roaccutane! (Don't want!!)

In the meantime, I tell myself "FOCUSSS!!"

My LURVE affair with "A Twist in the Tale""

Yes, I’m one of those people who love languages and English enthralls me. The expression of words always makes my fingers rattle on some silly descriptions and stories. It’s like when I start writing, I’ll continue on with something or even just a doodle if I stumped. It’s like humming a tune in words.

Hence, I like the concept of "A Twist in the Tale", a collection of short stories by Jeffrey Archer. He tells you a tale and gives it a sudden unexpected twist at the end. Another example would be the movie: Sixth Sense. Here comes my sample.


The sudden whiff of perfume emanates my senses as I entered the room. It was something I have never smelled and felt before. I glanced from afar and peek around. What is this smell that grips my heart?

Suddenly, I heard a sound. The sound made my heart go cold. Oh, no! Someone has beaten me to it. I can almost feel my heart sinking below my stomach in agony. I try to regain my senses before my legs gave way.

I was only a few steps away and I can see that I am too late. The other person is happily devouring the precious item which I longed for. I opened out my mouth to stop him but then he said, “Aiya. No more already.”
I was devastated.

He turned up and saw me.

“Oh, hi! Was this yours?” He smiled sheepishly at me.

I gave him a look that could even make the Ice Queen freeze. That was when; he pulled it out and showed me the precious item I was dying for. . .

“Munch munch munch”. We happily munch away another packet of Twisties Lurve multigrain chips.

I said to him, “Don’t you ever steal my snacks again. Next time, I’ll pummel you paper spit balls that you won’t believe it was not rain!”

What's your LURVE Affair?

Do you have a passion in life? Something you're totally in LURVE with?

1. Write a blog post titled "My LURVE Affair with XXX" in your blog.
2. Upon completing your blog post, kindly send an email to lurveaffair@nuffnang.com with details of yourself such as your full name, IC number, contact number and the permalink of your written blog post.
3. Kindly state the following in your email "I've read the Terms & Conditions of this contest and will adhere to it". Failure to provide this statement in your email will result in a disqualification of entry.

The judging criterion is as such:

1. Creative content of LURVE Affair - 70%
2. Creative integration of LURVE into the story - 15%
- LURVE multigrain chips
- Healthier snacking
3. Posting creative pictures featuring LURVE pack - 15%

Based on the creativity of their blog entries, 6 bloggers will be shortlisted for an audition with 8TV.

3 bloggers will be selected to shoot their Lurve Affair video. They will be interviewed on TV and given a chance to campaign for their Lurve Affair video

The Lurve Affair video with the highest number of votes on the Lurve Facebook Fanpage will win the Grand Prize - a Mac Book Pro (13" - 2.26GHz)!!

For more details, head along to this link.

Sugar Gliders

I wonder if I have what it takes to look after a pet. Last week, I was bored and decided to google about sugar gliders. These cute little creatures are widely kept as pets in Malaysia these days. Never heard of them when I was younger..

My bf was sharing to me that many working adults keep Sugar Gliders (SG) because they are nocturnal animals. They can easily keep their SG in their pockets (don't ask me which pocket!) to work and only when they go home, will the SG wake up and run about in their cage or the place. Ermm.. I heard of a lady who keeps her SG very close to her heart..(underneath her clothes) if you get what I mean... The men are so jealous when they heard this.

Oh yes, why the need to bring SG to work? Because they need a min of 1-2 hours of bonding a day.... Then you'll really have a lovable pet who will not be afraid of you. :)

But the main thing that caught my attention was their food! The SG owners have shared a rather intensive posting in LYN on what is needed to care for a SG. SG needs a specific large cage with a sleeping pouch. They have special diets like Slurp or HPW diet (do refer to the thread I have linked). You can see pictures of owners packing all the food separately and nicely. E.g. for 3 servings of vegies and 3 serving of different fruits (I don't even eat one serving a day sometime!)
All pictures are kidnapped from the thread.. so it's better to read there directly, if you are interested in getting a pair of SG!

It's amazingly detailed and careful how the owners of SG are of their pets. I wonder if their other half is jealous of the attention SG gets. ;) Oh yeah, someone even posted pictures in sequence of his SG giving birth!!

In conclusion, should I get a pair of SG? Nah, not for now - no place and time to care for the little fellow. In fact, I'm still pinning for a puppy (even higher maintenance and needs more space). So I shall happily pet the nearest animal I can find.... here kitty kitty (my neighbour's multitude of cats.) That is if they let me pet them. ;)

To-do's

When I have something urgent to do, that's when my itch to do other things will appear. Why, oh why?

Anyway, here are some things I want to do now but I can't/should not till August.

1. Sports
- To swim twice a week (excuse for not to - injured knee slightly),
- Badminton once a week (promised friends since April till now.. :P)
- Gym once a week (to force someone else to go and utilise the membership!! Blindly paying money for what?!?)

2. Crafts
- Amigurumi (will blog about it one day after I tried it!)
- Scrap book of my last travel (few years delayed already)

3. De-clutter
- Remove 50% of my stored stuff
- Remove 50% of my never-worn cum hope-to-fit-in-it-again clothings
- Remove clutter on horizontal surfaces (found some good sites on declutter - wait for another entry)

4. Find a ministry
- Tried writing articles but couldn't "fit in to the crowd" Sigh
- Maybe something that doesn't need my mind like traffic marshall or ushering. Any suggestions?

5. Personal improvement
*top secret* haahah

Meanwhile, back to "work"!

Makeup Brush Storage

I have gotten the itch to own makeup brushes recently due to a clearance sale and a sudden interest in makeup. Hence, I have a quite small collection which made me think about keeping it nicely.

Googling about the idea of storing makeup brush proved interesting. Here are some ideas.

1. Makeup Brush Set
If you're lucky, when you buy your makeup brushes, they come in nice little cases like these. They look so comfy in their own stylish closet or box.
2. Makeup Brush Tin/Can
This is a convenient way to grab your brushes whenever you need them. Put them into a can (like the Stila can) or a glass jar. In fact, I found out some people are so creative that they decorated their jar. This was based on a competition to DIY Sephora-inspired make-up brush holder as follows. Click on the pictures to return to the original website of the pictures.



But personally, to me they look nice but wouldn't the sand or whatever decoration item you put inside the jar dirty your brushes handle? So.. on to the next option.

3. Makeup Brush Roll
This is the most common storage available. Some come ready with their own; while some can buy it separately.
In fact, I've found a few good website which shows how you can even make your own makeup brush roll with step-by-step method.

Example 1: 'Dollar Store Craft' - Make a Placemat Makeup Brush Roll
Example 2: Cut out + Keep- Makeup Brush Roll

Example 3:

There's this website which creatively uses a small bamboo mat into a makeup brush roll. Although I wonder if it'll be good for your bristle. Wouldn't it get stuck in between the bamboo gaps? Hmm... I found bamboo mat for this in 100 Yen shop for only RM4.90! But not sure if I want to make one like this.
4. Makeup Brush storage
Perhaps you can buy stuff from Ikea to store your makeup brushes and makeup like what ParisB did. (Check out her website for more details)

Another blogger recommends using this method of storing her brushes.

Conclusion
Whatever method you choose, as long as it's convenient to you and protect your brushes. :)

For now, I'll just leave them in the can (but what about dust???) and some of my brushes in their original makeup brush roll. However, the DIY-makeup-brush roll looks interesting. Perhaps I'll bribe my mum to sew one for me... lol. Will keep you updated when I have decided. :)

Gossip, Slander, Falsehood

I was listening to a sermon which talks about this. The speaker mentioned that before you talk about people, go through this checklist. It's really a good formula to make you pause and think before you accidentally start a gossip... slander or pass on a falsehood. (even though it is unintentional... but the harm would have been done)

Formula on talking about people. Ask yourself these few questions.

THINK

Is it True?

Is it Helpful?

Is it Inspiring?

Is it Necessary?

Is it Kind?

RESPONSE (if the gossip is about you)

IF it is true – Mend your ways

Flat denial

Purpose of Gossip

Don’t waste time defending

Distract – get us off focus – lose vision

Discredit - Question motive

Discourage – weaken hands

Deceive – compromise our integrity

Conclusion
Think twice before you say anything about anyone. Even though it is true (and not beneficial), but by the time the word gets back to the real person, the salt and spice added to the story would have made it into a real juicy gossip mixed with fiction and truth.