Saturday, June 26, 2010

C is for Crazy

It's official.

Chanel's annual price increment for their classic line has occured today in Paris on Saturday, 26th June 2010.
According to TPF, Jumbo Caviar Timeless Classic has increased from Euro2100 to Euro2550; ~20% annual price increase as the norm.

Grrrrrr!!!! Totally gutted! Was really hoping the price increase would happen AFTER we got there next Sunday, 4th July 2010!

It has been reported that the price increase for the rest of the world including Malaysia will happen on 1st July. It has been confirmed that the price of Jumbo Caviar Timeless Classic in KLCC will increase from RM11750 to RM12780, which is just totally crazy and insane considering that the exact same bag could have cost you around RM8500+ if bought in London yesterday! *chicken dance for someone*

Haih...begitulah perihal Chanel classics, especially the flaps. Rest assured that annual price increases will continue to happen in the future for the exact same handbag!!! If that is not crazy, I don't know what else is.
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Tak apalah....kalau ada rezeki ada lah lagi chance nak beli.
Kalau tak ada rezeki there is always Louis Vuitton hehehe...

Jom tengok sat a few pics from Paris-Shanghai 2010 collection?...









I'm  a girly girl, so I am really loving the jacket, not to purchase as if, but to ogle only.



The pants are hot!



Really pretty.



Really elegant.



Paris-Shanghai jewellery is on average from $4000 onwards; triple the normal jewellery price range.



The green flap is on the Chanel website. Tengoklah harganya...errrkk.....


Photographed by Karl Lagerfeld.
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Tapi tak ada beg Louis Vuitton yang boleh menandingi Chanel classic flap! *nangis*

Of Cravings and Cupcakes

Sejak dua menjak selalu teringin cupcakes...

Selalunya hanya dapat makan cupcakes bila sempat singgah Wondermilk in Damansara Uptown which is not as often as I would like as I live in Bangi...

For those wondering what happened to my healthy eating phase, it pretty much was disrupted when bibik left for good end of May. Belum yakin lagi dengan the new maid to teach her how to prepare my food as cooking is not her forte. Alasan or what? I have yet to resume the healthy food diet and exercise has stopped as well, hence I am now relying solely on my Premium Beautiful to take care of my digestion for the time being. Considering the amount of junk and rice I have been consuming since, I am not complaining.

Yah, the cupcake cravings...it was particularly prevalent last week. The reason was probably because I bought some cupcakes from somewhere which did not meet my expectations of what cupcakes should taste like. Hence it left me longing...

Cupcakes yang saya suka is just simple vanilla butter cake with smooth creamy buttecream frosting, a la Cuppacakes. Saya ada a few friends both real life and virtual yang pandai buat cupcakes and even take orders. Tapi saya malas nak order bagai, kan senang kalau boleh beli cupcakes anytime I feel like it macam kita beli cake kat Secret Recipe ke. Unfortunately kat Bangi ni belum ada lagi kedai seumpama itu. Kalau ada orang tau kat mana boleh beli cupcakes kat Bangi ni please let me know ok! Kalau tak, terpaksalah resort to driving all the way to Uptown which is very inconvenient if I suddenly get a cupcake craving attack.

Dalam usaha untuk mencari alternative cupcakes, ada orang recommend to check out the cupcakes at Delicious. Although I head over there once in a while to enjoy indulgent succulent lunches, I have never sampled their cupcakes. So last weekend I was quite hopeful to find another favourite item of indulgence in their cupcakes.


The cupcakes selection looked promising, although I actually prefer them to be in small bite-sized servings like the ones I were craving for. The one on the far left caught my eye. Red velvet with cream cheese and raspberry swirls. Masa tu tiba2 teringat kat some red velvet cakes so I ended up getting a few of those and the pink one for the little girl to share with her brother. 



Delicious@Dua, Jalan Tun Razak. Really love the ambience and decor!




Yes, the red velvet cupcake was very nice indeed! The pink one not so much. I had one each night after dinner for two consecutive days *apology to self*. I would definitely recommend them for a nice indulgent dessert, but not for cupcake subsitute. And so the craving continued...



Although I must admit that I have a gullible streak, I can't help but love Cuppacakes for the following reasons: *taken from their website...
  • Cupcakes are made on-site to ensure that they are always fresh and of premium quality.
  • Only the finest and freshest ingredients are used.
  • Defined by beautiful colours, with a whimsical & creative approach to cupcake design.
  • All designs are made from smooth creamy buttercream frosting, flavourful but not too rich.



 I am happy to report that I was finally able to satisfy my cravings on Tuesday, 22 June 2010 yeay!
Seriously, i love...




Maybe I just need to learn how to bake cupcakes myself. But then again maybe not...*wink*

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Garden photoshoot

Lense cipanku rosak.

Saya bukan photographer. Saya hanya pandai point and shoot sahaja ye, harap maklum. Tetapi dengan lense yang elok sikit, maka akan nampak elok sikit lah gambar tu. Oleh kerana saya nak bawak camera pergi Paris nanti tidak lama lagi, maka terpaksa-rela lah mengganti lense yang dah rosak tu. Tak de la cipan je gambar macam kebanyakan gambar yang ditangkap menggunakan camera Blackberry dalam blog ini :p Haih...terpaksalah forgo a pair of flats for this, demmit.

Actually the camera was handed down to me by my other half who has given up on photography. Malas katanya. Ok, no worries, thank you Yang. I knew it hehehe.

Saya suka photography dan appreciate a nice shot. Walaupun saya belum rajin lagi nak belajar pasal nak ngejas aperture atau shutter speed, ala2 la perasan pandai composition. Tak pandai sebenarnya, tapi bagi can la kan hahaha.



Anyway, petang ini saya ke rumah ibubapa yang kini berada di luar negara, untuk graduation adik...

Gambar yang dihantar semalam; mum and dad with child no 4, 5, 6 and 7. Wish I was here...Ring of Kerry, Ireland. Is this close to your place LadyLovesLeisure? Or Parknasilla perhaps? I've never been to Ireland and hence clueless about the place :p


Disebabkan saya anak yang paling boleh diharap hahaha just kidding, maka saya telah diamanahkan untuk menyiram pokok bunga dan memberi ikan makan sepanjang ketiadaan mereka. Dah seminggu lebih sebenarnya aktiviti petang setiap hari.

Sekarang ni tak yah la pulun buang daun kering. Diorang dah nak balik nanti bolehlah bersihkan *wink*


Hari ini tak bawak budak2, sebab nak selenggara kolam ikan.

These chaps were really small when they first came. Ada 10 ekor. Kejap je dah besar.



Usually every fortnight when the water change is done (approx 30%), the filter crud is flushed out simultaneously. See the two knobs on the top of the round lid? Just pump these handles when purging out the water to squeeze the filter media inside. Nice and easy. However, the pond was contructed roundabout Eid 2009, so it is about time to do a relatively major maintenance job. Open the whole assembly and clean out the sludge.
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Done!



Okeh...dah selesai getting my hands dirty. Sambil2 menunggu air kolam penuh, mari kita cuba try test lense baru sambil menikmati keindahan alam semula jadi...


Spider Lily ~ Hymenocallis caribaea





Red Button Ginger ~ Costus woodsonii





Pennywort ~ Centella asiatica

  



A Giant Taro flower ~ Alocasia macrorrhiza





Bird's Nest Fern ~ Asplenium nidus






Brown Pots ~ Potus Brownus :P



This little garden is very dear to me since I helped to set it up. There are not too many plants here since I wanted to keep it relatively low maintenance. The ones above are your bog standard tropical garden plants. I love them because they are easy to keep, low maintenance and they instantly enhance the ambience of any garden. 





Ok, just to entertain myself I though it would be nice to try and shoot a different subject haih macam budak-budak!...
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Remember me telling you about the fake Alma? Well, since I could not bear the monstrosity bag in my home, especially with the thought of 500 dollars lost rubbing salt to injury, I had to get rid of it. So I sent it over to mum's ;P
 Here they are; a wannabe and a pop star!





And here she is, Ms Monogram Speedy 25 in all her glory!
The first love is always special, even though you do go on to find greater things.
 I know not everyone is a fan, but I'm letting her get her chance in the limelight this time since lately she is feeling a bit left out. Sorry for the crazy talk. They talk like this in TPF hehehe.
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.Nampaknya hari dah senja. Its time to go home. See you soon, ta ta, good night and sweet dreams. If you read this tomorrow, hope you have a good thursday...




 
 Susah gile kot nak tangkap gambar burung terbang pulang ke sarang, lama aku tunggu tapi tak dapat shot best. So an empty sky will have to suffice ;D


Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device via Vodafone-Celcom Mobile.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

32 blessed years

Alhamdulillah, syukur ke hadrat ilahi kerana dengan limpah kurnia serta rahmatnya maka dapat lah saya menikmati kehadiran hari yang berbahagia ini, iaitu Hari Kelahiranku yang ke-32. Saya rasa umur 32 tahun ini adalah special. Pernah dengar orang cakap dekat syurga nanti umur kita semua 32 tahun. Wallahua'lam.

There is nothing much to say really, just that I am really happy and feel so blessed with everything that Allah has given me. Yah, cliche!

My parents ~ for their eternal love and support.

My siblings, all 6 of them and my in-laws, all three of them ~ They make me feel proud. Of being me.

My husband ~ We have known each other a long time. We 'grew' up together, daripada budak hingusan lepasan SPM sehinggalah sekarang. Last night I confessed to him that there was a time when I felt like he was my rock. The one that gave me strength. Especially those years when I was doing my PhD and we had a long distance relationship. Although it is inscribed in my thesis, he has never read my thesis ;P.

I could hear the change in his voice when I said I no longer feel that way...
After a few minutes of internal reflection, and him waiting for my answer, it suddenly dawned on me how I feel about him. If I must label him as an object hehehe he is now my blanket. His love envelopes me like a blanket. He makes me feel safe, warm, comfortable. So trust me Yang, a blanket is also good ;D

My Aida and Adam ~ Love of my life and apple of my eye.

My career ~ The entity that gives me self-satisfaction; where my hardwork is recognized and rewarded.

Hari ini super duper multitasking since morning. Ni ha I got a friend to snap muka orang penat balik from various meetings...kenangan umur 32 tahun.



OK member cakap lepas ni ada ad-hoc discussion regarding a paper review. Bring it on...Tiba2 tadaaaa
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Dapat surprise birthday cake from me friends. Thanks guys, memang pandai berlakon la korang!


I love what is says on my e-greeting card:

Count your life by smiles, not tears...
Count your age by friends, not years.


My real life friends ~ They keep me sane and entertained!

My virtual friends ~ I hope you will continue to accompany me as long as this blog shall live; hopefully for many more years to come, amin.


*Sorry tak de gambar2 menarik ;D, nak publish this entry today jugak, 22 June 2010.


Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device via Vodafone-Celcom Mobile.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Perihal Tudung



Masa zaman2 student kat UK dulu, tudung apa lagi yang dipakai kalau tidak Tie Rack sebab itu sahaja choice yang ada. Saya suka tudung tie rack sebab banyak designs yang comel2, tetapi bila balik Malaysia saiznya yang agak kecil, tidak lagi menepati citarasa. Sekembalinya daku di Malaysia, tudung apa lagi yang dipakai kalau tidak tudung bawal sebab itu sahaja pilihan yang ada. Senang pakai tudung bawal, kemas dan terletak dan ianya boleh didapati dalam pelbagai warna dan border design.

Beberapa tahun yang lepas bermula lah zaman tudung awning. Saya mula2 berjinak dengan tudung awning sebab tudung awning mudah dipakai, main sarung je. Maka berakhirlah zaman tudung bawal; tudung2 bawalku semuanya disedekahkan kepada adik2. Tudung awning ni sekarang dah bersepah2, boleh jumpa di mana-mana saja. Sebelum zaman Ariani menjadi top, saya mendapatkan tudung awning di Sri Munawwarah, TTDI. Saya suka kedainya yang cantik dan selesa dan selection tudung yang menepati citarasa ketika itu; awning thai silk yang terletak kemas dalam pelbagai warna.

Tetapi selepas Ariani membuka cawangan di Bandar Baru Bangi (area where I live), terasa jauh pulak nak pergi TTDI, maka Ariani menjadi tempat dituju untuk membeli tudung. Walaubagaimanapun, saya cukup tidak berkenan dengan kaedah penggantungan tudung di Ariani kerana saya selalu mendapati awningnya rosak. Tapi sebab tak ada pilihan lain maka make do sahaja lah, kadang2 ok, kadang2 tak ok, ikut nasib.

Di samping itu, saya juga meminati tudung selendang lilit. Tapi mana boleh pakai selendang kalau tak pakai serkup? Sebab saya memang tak suka pakai serkup, rimas. Masalah tersebut selesai apabila a couple of years ago saya terjumpa anak tudung cotton yang tutup leher di Arzu. Haaa, baru la boleh pakai sheer silk selendang, tanpa nampak leher! I loike!

The convenience of tudung awning terus menjadikannya popular di hatiku dan di hati kebanyakan wanita seluruh Malaysia. Kemana2 sahaja pergi, semua orang memakai tudung awning. Tetapi saya masih lagi kurang berpuas hati dengan kualiti awning tudung Ariani. Tambahan pula, terasa seperti mengingingkan kelainan daripada segi corak dan juga kualiti. Maka apabila saya diperkenalkan kepada tudung D'Ekslusif, a home-based butik yang beroperasi di Bangi, alangkah terujanya daku. Dalam masa beberapa minggu sahaja saya telah mengumpulkan agak banyak helai tudung baru. Tudung2 munawarah yang lama-lama juga diberi nafas baru hanya dengan menggantikan awning lama dengan awning D'ekslusif yang berkualiti tinggi. Pada saya, awning berkualti haruslah daripada material thai silk atau raw silk yang tidak patah, selesa, dan terletak kemas di kepala.

Baru-baru ini saya pergi ke Ariani untuk mencari tudung silk awning kecil yang boleh dipadankan dengan selendang lilit. Last minute cari tudung untuk wedding adik baru2 ini. Setelah terbiasa memakai awning berkualiti tinggi, saya sangat terkejut melihat awning tudung2 Ariani yang sungguh mengecewakan! I could have sworn that the quality of tudung2 Ariani have deteriorated over the years! I wonder how people could still put up with the poor workmanship and yet relatively expensive price there at Ariani! Ugh, I was sooo put off with the ugly awnings; awning patah seribu, jahitan bengkang bengkok! Tetapi sebab dah last minute, maka terpaksalah beli juga. Padah last minute hehehe. Nasib baik lepas gosok gila2 saya punya nampak ok la jugak kot. Ibu punya tak dapat nak diselamatkan :p Sorry mum! Seriously serik ngan Ariani...unless they do something about their quality soon. Paying too much for shoddy material and workmanship.


Me and me mum.


Ops...Gambar with the whole family pun nak enter-frame jugak ;)
 

Lately I am going through a phase where I am tired of my tudung2 awning. Lebih-lebih lagi dengan allure of so many nice selendang selection at Arzu. Also, orang Arzu dah meng-psycho-ku that I look like makcik in tudung awning and younger in tudung lilit! Boleh tak macam tu? Memang tak harus, sebab saya yang gullible ini percaya and happily depart with my money hahaha!


I love this anak tudung, sangat selesa! Notice that the cut starts quite low on the face? I think it is a good substitute for the anak tudung syria latest trend which I think does not suit my already chubby face.


*Inserted for sis 1na. This is what the anak tudung looks like. It is cotton and molds to the face quite comfortably. You do need to try them on first, they are free size. Sorry for the poor pic quality!



I love this particular cotton selendang because it is super duper comfy and easy to lilit! No pins needed! I only have two colours, so I need more me thinks!



Whilst cotton is more for casual wear, silk is good for formal wear.
Ini pose perasan...



Dan juga ini...ngeng!


I wore the green combo tudung above to work on Friday and ada orang komen cantik. And also, adakah saya pregnant? Apakah????? !!!!!!!!

Tak kesahlah nampak pregnant ke, tua ke, muda; tudung dah beli kena lah pakai...Kalau tak pakai memang nak kena pelangkung sebab itu bermakna kena beli tudung baru!

Friday, June 18, 2010

2008 quater-life crisis

2008 was the year of madness.

It was the year when I hit 30 and succumbed to quarter-life crisis with designer handbag obsession!

The obsession was further fuled by my stumbling upon The Purse Forum.

To be honest I really wonder how many of us are actually familiar with TPF. I assume that most designer handbag enthusiasts MUST read the forum. Personally I stayed in the closet for quite a while, ashamed to admit that I was a shallow TPFer. Tapi sebab sekarang dah buang tebiat dengan ada blog bagai, tetiba aku dah tak segan silu untuk mengaku *muahaha* 

TPF is the best source of info for hardcore handbag research.
Want to get to know the various classic styles of Speedy, Alma, Lockit and Noe? 
Want to know the difference between Monogram and Damier treated canvas; Epi and Vernis leather?
Want to know the difference between Timeless Classic and 2.55 Reissue; CC and mademoiselle lock; bijoux and interlacing leather chains?
Want to learn the pros and cons of caviar and lambskin leather?
Want to learn how to distinguish fakes?
Want to be a handbag expert like LadyVerde?
Get your handbag 101 from TPF.

Strangely enough, I never caught on to other designers; I became infatuated with Louis Vuitton and subsequently Chanel like a moth to a flame.

Pre-2008, I never understood what the appeal for Louis Vuitton was. To be quite honest, I initially thought the monogram was frankly fugly. I even tried to dabble in a few fake LV small leather gooods only to find myself completely turned off by their shoddy and disgusting quality and the horrible shameful feeling of a wannabe. Then, after being duped into buying a hideous fake Alma for RM450 which was supposedly ORIGINAL LV SECONDS wtf? I vowed never to purchase another, other than from the boutique. After many hours on TPF and countless sleepless nights, I had the opportunity to purchase my first LV; the humble monogram speedy 25. When I held it in my arms I was simply dumbfounded and completely blown away by the striking clarity of the monogram and the superior workmanship. Original monogram seriously cantik! But I digress.

A word of warning for those who have tendancy for obsessive compulsive disorder. Enter TPF with caution lest you too get sucked into the abyss. Being an info junkie, it was a bleeding addictive place for me to lurk. My hunger for information was insatiable and I was constantly on the forum to scour latest news and updates. It was merely weeks after my mono speedy when I.just.had.to.have the Azur speedy. And it wasn't long after that I began longing for other designs...
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Pomme Roxbury nak enter-frame 
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Begitu juga Blanc Multicolour Priscilla
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Aaaannnddd somehow I ter-publish this entry prematurely hehehe...maknanya its time to get some shut eye la tu.

Anyone else a TPF fan?

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

C is also for...

Congresses and Conferences.

The World Engineering, Science and Technology Congress 2010 (ESTCON 2010) organized by Universiti Teknologi Petronas is currently being held in KLCC from 15-17 July 2010. I am attending one of the 7 parallel international conference; the International Conference on Process Engineering and Advanced Materials (ICPEAM), in conjunction with the 24th Symposium of Malaysia Chemical Engineers (SOMCHE).

Although there was a slight hiccup during registration, (payment status was not updated so they said I hadn't paid and hence my registration was delayed hrmph!) usually anything Petronas related memang kelessss. The registration kit comprising of the conference materials was very professionally done using high quality materials. Even the feedback form was glossy paper!

So what, you say? Weelll...it isn't easy organizing a conference. I have been involved in organizing conferences for many years now, so I appreciate the small attention to detail ;D As a matter of fact, I am currently involved in organizing the 4th World Engineering Congress 2010 (WEC2010) which will be held 2-5 August 2010 in Kuching Sarawak. I am holding the post of Congress Treasurer as well as Chairperson for the Conference on Advanced Processes and Materials (CAPM).

Congratulations for UTP for organising a successful event. Mari kita promote UTP sikit, cewah!


 Congress Program Book.

 Conference Program Book.

  
 Notebook and pen.


 Lanyard and proceedings CD.


 Glossy certificate.


The purpose of a congress/conference is not only for knowledge dissemination and networking, it is also a business venture. What's more, it is very desirable to be able to brand the congress/conferences so that you get to attract participants each time and hence get to make more profit! Take SOMCHE for example, it is a conference synonymous to Chemical Engineering and hence each year would surely attract participation from chemical engineers nationwide. Local universities in Malaysia would take turns organizing this annual conference. One surefire way to attract participants is to offer publication of selected papers in renowned journals. Sometimes SOMCHE organizers have been successful at ensuring the publication of at least one volume of the special issue in time for the conference, which requires careful planning, organization and execution. This time I was delighted to see that our paper was already published in the first Special Issue of the Journal of Applied Sciences!


 
  
  
 List of reviewers for the Special Issue.


Jika anda (academicians) berpeluang melibatkan diri dalam aktiviti pengembangan seperti contoh yang tersenarai berikut (in no particular order), do take the opportunity to do so.

  • Organizing committee of national and international conferences e.g. secretary, treasurer

  • Chairperson of Congress/Conference

  • Conference Session Chairperson

  • Journal reviewer

  • Journal editorial committee
This is because each of these contributions count towards your annual KPI and promotion. Remember, kalau nak naik pangkat it is all about scores people! In academia, EVERYTHING you do or are involved with COUNTS towards your promotion. So when you are filling up that score sheet, all of these contributions will certainly add up! 

Last but not least, saya sangat suka kalau conference buat kat KLCC; the venue is perfect for both business and pleasure. Because at the end of the day I get to hang out at my favourite place...I think by now you know where hehehe ;D 



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