Refreshing Scent

Some of you may know that I travel to the capital city once a month. When I am there, I use a friend's condo, which she has kept empty for the past 3.5 years. Every time I am there, I am overwhelmed by the musky smell, and I have to open all the windows to air the unit. I can't air it as much or as long as I love to because I have to close all the windows whenever I go out in case it rains.

It has been two months since I last went there and I can just imagine the smell that I have to deal with. My sister told me about the Scentsy Bars that she recently received for her birthday. It looked like this photo that I am enclosing. Scented bars by Scentsy not only refresh the air, different scents are supposed to have different effects on the occupants of the room too, much like aromatherapy.

I prefer scented bars over aromatherapy because it is more convenient, even though both are similar. I could just break a small cube of a scented bar and put it in a warmer. The fragrance is smoothing and long lasting. Best of all, it's very economical. Now, I have to decide what fragrance to buy to take along for my next trip to the condo. Scentsy bars come in so many cheery colors!

*** This post has been sponsored.

Quiet Chinese New Year

Before Chinese New Year, I thought that this CNY would be an amazingly busy time for me. I am wrong. Things are so quiet here in Ipoh, it's as if it is not CNY!

I think it's because most events are happening outside of Ipoh, like the national CNY open house will be in Sitiawan. The Pakatan Rakyat CNY gathering, where Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim is slated to give a talk, will be held in Gopeng and Gerakan Perak CNY Open House will be in Taiping. Ipoh only hosted the Perak state level open house on the 1st day of Chinese New Year.

So it looks like I will have a few days free from running around until Sunday and then CNY 2012 just about wrapped up for me already.

Top Ten Windows Backup Services

The hard disk of my computer is showing me a warning. Ah, AGAIN! I have already tried to move my files away to an external hard disk. Even though it has a large storage space, it is filled already. In fact, I am thinking of buying another one when my friend told me that I should just get windows backup service, so that I could easily upload and download files from my computer and to an off-site server.

That certainly sounds like a good idea, and in fact, more a viable option as I don't have to "invest" one lump sum of money on an external hard disk. No doubt, it is not as expensive nowadays but it is still pricey. With a back up service, I would just need to renew my subscription, either monthly or annually. I have been doing a comparison on the various windows backup services currently available in the market. It's confusing until I found this list on WPDesigner.com/windows-backup which has a comprehensive review on each service, including price, storage space and money back policy.

What I find most useful is the in-depth review on each company, so that I could make an informed decision on which service to go with. It would be very troublesome to transfer my files from one provider to another.

*** This post has been sponsored.

Chinese New Year Open Houses

It's the third day of Chinese New Year and so far, I have to attend an open house a day. However, I feel that Chinese New Year is very quiet this year, compared to last. Many of the hosts, as far as I could see, have cut back on their budget, even the state-level open house. Somehow, the festive air just isn't felt, in my opinion.

After this, everything will be back to almost normal and then it will be a busy weekend again. Ah, the official Chinese New Year holiday is over and everyone needs to go back to school or work again. As for me, I didn't even take a break yet!

Model Car Collection

When I was young, I loved collecting model cars. Back then, it was not easy to buy them to collect. I remember I used to bug my uncle to get hold of my favourite plastic model cars when he goes on overseas trips. It was expensive but luckily, I didn't have to reimburse him.

Now, children are so lucky. They can easily buy what they like at neighborhood stores or better yet, even online, which is so convenient. Also, they have way more choices now than what I did. I wished I was a kid again! My parents wouldn't like that, though. HAHA!

1.5 Days To CNY 2012!

Duh! Another 1.5 days to Chinese New year and I haven't done a thing for it. Seriously. This isn’t the first year that I am treating Chinese New Year like just another day. I have no time and hence, no mood. I just want to get all my serious work completed before the CNY begins as then, there will be even more work for me.

I actually enjoy what I do, except that I seriously need a higher remuneration for the amount of work I do since I am working three jobs and for one of the jobs, I am doing the work of two people. So yeah, I do need to be paid better!!

I am happy though, that I am able to be where I am right now, considering I did not go to school. LOL

Topamax Defects

Did you know that Topamax, the medication that doctors use to treat epileptic seizures, could possibly cause birth defects in children when it is taken by pregnant women? The birth defect could range from minor cleft lip to an open groove from the mouth to nose. What a terrible thought! And to think that medication is supposed to heal and not create even more damage!

It's not surprising that there are quite a number of victims already filing a joint Topamax lawsuit. Although that cannot reverse the situation, at least winning the case could bring closure to the victims. Do you know of anyone affected by Topamax? If so, get in touch with the attorneys stated below:

O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949

Preparing For Chinese New Year

Actually, more like NOT preparing for Chinese New Year! This will be one of those years that I will not be doing anything special to usher in the New Year. I know, that's bad because I am not following custom, culture and tradition or whatever, but what to do? Those need time and money and I have neither to spare.

I didn't buy any new clothes again but I did buy a red t-shirt earlier that is still not worn yet, so I will wear that on the first day of Chinese New Year lah! As for cleaning, I have no time or energy for that. Thought of paying someone to do it, maybe hire professional cleaning services but better save some money as I already am over my budget for the month!

Show Houses

I spent the past week visiting a few new housing developments in Ipoh. Their show houses are ready for viewing as they are open fore booking already. As you know, I am planning to purchase my own pad but houses, even in Ipoh, are so, so expensive! Right now, I am more like checking interior design than they property itself!

My personal favorite is contemporary designs but my dad prefers rustic furniture. He used to like antique-style furniture. I can't decide which I like better. I'd rather have contemporary! My mom has no particular preference for furniture. She is happy as long as I could afford my own place and leave the nest. Hahah!

Sky Lounge Opens In Ipoh

The amazing sky lounge located at the top of MH Hotels, Ipoh, will open its doors for business tomorrow. It is just soft launch and many aspects of the sky lounge are still incomplete for the time being. The real launch will be sometime after Chinese New Year, and I am hoping to pull and invitation to the function, when we are then allowed to shoot more photographs.

I have no idea yet the price range but I do know that this owned by the same owners as Secret Garden. So if you know Secret Garden, I expect the price range to be slightly higher. Could be a little pricey for some Ipoh folks but then the view would be magnificent, especially in a clear night.

Sweet Gifts

While everyone is busy preparing for Chinese New Year, I am busy looking for a gift for a good friend. She has just returned from overseas to celebrate Chinese New Year with her family in Ipoh and we plan to catch up. During her last trip home, I didn't even buy her anything. I felt bad and vowed to make up for it this time.

Upon consultation with my sister, she said to check the website of Shari’s Berries, where there is a huge range of gifts that I could choose from. She highly recommended Shari’s Berries and said that, "When I say your best friend will enjoy these gourmet bites, she really will." I guess that is one "problem" taken care of already!

23 New Hotels In Ipoh

What a shock that Ipoh will soon have 23 new hotels. In the past few weeks, we saw the launch of MH Hotels Ipoh and Kinta Riverfront Hotel & Suites. At the end of March, 2012, we will see the opening of Tune Hotel Ipoh.

Apart from these, I know of the construction of about four other budget hotels all slated to open for business this year. Additionally, the empty plot of land beside Ipoh Parade, which is currently a car park, will also have a hotel built on it.

And then the current central market, which was where Super Kinta was years ago, is rumoured to be torn down and built Hilton Ipoh. I have no idea how true this is but that surely sounds interesting.

About Crestor

Every time I read about medicine that causes side effects, I cringe in horror. The most recent I read about was the Crestor lawsuit, though a consumer advocacy group was already set up in 2004. I personally prefer natural treatment but some diseases require the intervention of synthetic medicine.

Crestor was supposed to treat patients with high cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular diseases but it is ironic that it has been found to cause serious side effects like heart attacks and heart failure, just to name a couple. If you know of anyone who is being put on Crestor, do alert him or her about this.

No Facebook Games For 3 Weeks

Boy, I have been so, so busy, I didn't even have time to play games on Facebook. I used to play more than ten games, though loading the games continue to be slow. Now, I only have time to play one game - Treasure Isle. Even then, for the past three weeks, I didn't log in to the game at all. Yes, I was that busy! You can imagine, all my fruits were rotten. Boohoo!

The good thing is that I didn't even miss playing. I used to think that I was addicted to Facebook games but since Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2011, I started to play less and less. Now, I am free from the addiction already. Yeehaw! Only Treasure Isle still interests me, unfortunately.

Happy New Year 2012!

Eeekkk! It looks like I have not updated my blog for over a week already. No, have not been lazy but extremely busy! What a start to the new year. Isn't it quite shocking to know that a week has gone by just like that? There's only another 51 weeks left to 2013. What a thought!

Since this is my first post of 2012, it is not too late to wish all my readers, "Happy New Year". May all the good stuff of 2012 be yours to enjoy. Bad stuff must stay away!

Frankly, I have no idea how life will be for me. I have a feeling it will be the same. Is that good or bad? I don't know. I just know that I will be kept on my toes. I need a bigger pay cheque!

Getting A Paper Qualification

When my sister heard from her colleague that she is quitting her job, my sister was naturally worried. This is not a good time to look for a new job particularly when she is no longer fresh out of school.

Her colleague, however, has a more solid plan. She is going back to school at Nashville beauty school and aims to get recognized for her beauty skills. She has been working in this line for over ten years now and she saw that unless she has paper qualification, she would be stuck in this position for a long time.

However, getting qualified from a prominent beauty school, in addition to her work experience, her job prospects will be a lot brighter, despite her age. That will not serve as a setback.

*** This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com or contact Regency Beauty Institute – 3583 Alpine Avenue NW – Walker, MI 49544

Visit Perak Year 2012

It is going to be Visit Perak Year 2012 and I guess, as an event blogger, it will be an even busier year than ever! If I had thought that I don't have any time for myself now, next year will be worse! The Perak State government is targetting five million visitors in the state, both domestic and international travellers. What will they do here in Ipoh? Apparently, there are plenty to see and do. It is just that those of us who live here do not see it.

Ipoh has seen a couple of new hotels in the city, including MH Hotels Ipoh and Kinta Riverfront Hotel & Suites. Next year, we will see a few more new hotels, for example, Tune Hotels Ipoh. These hotels have changed the landscape and skyline of Ipoh and it is interesting to see how my city has changed over the past couple of years.

Bare-Faced

A friend recently told me to do something about my face. He said it is "ugly" to not wear make-up but seriously, I don't have time to pamper myself. I wonder where my girlfriends have the time to stick on fake eyelashes, paint their face up and put on their contact lens. Wouldn't that take up a lot of time?

As for me, I prefer to have naturally long eyelash. Well, it's not long now because I'm Chinese and it's in the genes to be short-lashed. LOL! That's why I'm currently doing a research on the best eyelash growth products in the market. Not being very successful in it but I am not giving up hope in finding the best solution!

Financial Stress

It's the end of the year already, as said in my previous post.... and today, I just spent a lot of money and I am not happy about it. I wonder if I made the right decision on signing up with such health and beauty packages. I am generally quite prudent but somehow, I guess it is because of age, I am more lenient when it comes to health and beauty and easily persuaded to sign up for treatment and such.

Now, the thing is, taking care of myself is not a big problem and I can manage it, although sometimes I am financially tight, some months I do better. The problem is that my mom wants the same things... but she can't afford it. And so, the burden falls on me. If it's for beauty, I can deny her, but when it is for health, I can't.

God help me.

Goodbye 2011 Soon

Wow, this year has passed by exceptionally fast, huh? Two more weeks and it's going to be 2012! If you ask me what I have done in 2011, I really cannot recall! Isn't it amazing? I only know that I have worked so hard, traveled so much, so worn and about to run out of gas.

Was I productive? I guess so, but I am sure there's still room to push myself even further. One thing I do know, is that I need to earn more money. Money never seems enough. Why is that? I don't spend that much. I don't shop that much either! Aih, headache!

I want to retire early. I hope I can do that soon!

Free Video Downloader

My sister, who is not so proficient on the computer, told me that she has been watching a lot of videos on YouTube. The problem is that she finds it difficult to enjoy the videos because of the buffering. I think she doesn't have a good internet connection in her area. The solution to that, I told her, is to download the videos to her computer first, so that she could watch them offline.

It's not difficult to grab videos from YouTube, actually. There is a free downloader that I use, though I no longer have time to watch videos anymore! See, it's so convenient that I just started grabbing too many. LOL

Four Days "Free"

This week, I have four days free from running around all over town, which means, I get to stay at home to complete the second part of my work, the writing part. I have been so busy lately that work has piled up and it is free days like these that allow me to work in peace at the computer.

I still do get out of the house to run errands, though, and I also have to do my banking and shopping, etc. And in between, I fix appointments with friends who are still keen to meet up for a cuppa, even though I couldn't fit them into my schedule earlier.

And then it will be crazy days again come Friday, where I have to go to four places. Eeekkk!

Never Too Late To Learn

A friend, who recently moved to Australia, told me that he has started to learn skiing. I was a little worried when I heard that but it's never too old to start something new, he said. He told me that now that he is more proficient, he has to start buying his own skiing kit, instead of using his friend's.

Ah, good for him as there is currently a julbo sale, which means he could get Julbo ski googles at a steep discount! What good timing, huh? Too bad I live in Malaysia where there's no snow. I too would love to ski. It looks like fun!