No excuse to look dull at 39!

Don't know how others feel, but to me, one rule for the chic - a working woman (repeat after me) always wears makeup in the office.  I know, I know…Some of you may hate makeup coz it takes so much of your time to put it on in the morning and leceh to re-apply after solat, etc, kan?  But if you have the glowing, flawless, blemish free skin of a newborn babe, then perhaps you can get away with wearing no makeup (and if you are so blessed, please, please, please share your invaluable beauty secrets here with us readers, the less fortunate beings that we are).  Most of us, however, are realistically (whether we want to face it or not) just not blessed with the ageless appearance of a goddess, so we must do a little extra to get that polished look that’s simple, quick and office-ready.   Especially at this age, no make up at all makes you look quite pale and not so presentable, yes?  Also, keep in mind:  even if you are enjoying refreshment from a seemingly eternal fountain of youth, younger looking women often look intern-young when they go bare-faced to the office but still.... makeup can add sophistication to your look :)

Many women suffer from serious fatigue because we juggle so much – we’re not only working professionals/non-professionals, but we take on countless other roles at home apart from the office.  Nevertheless, to remain successful in our careers, we have to have enough energy to drag our bumbums out of our beds and to our desks each morning..... *arrrggghh!* 

While many of you definitely have legitimate reasons for being utterly exhausted (we know we do), appearances still matter in the workplace.  You do not want to bump into your boss first thing in the morning, looking like you just got hit by a freakin’ truck, rather, you want to look excited to be arriving at the office (even if you’re not) and ready to take on the next high-profile assignment (EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT), because your mood determines your spirit at work and hence better performance, yes? No? Thank goodness, makeup can help you in the looking-excited-and-ready-to-work department even on days when your mind has checked out and your body is longing to golek-golek in bed.

Now, ladies, don’t get me wrong.  I am by no means telling you to cake layer upon layer of brightly hued makeup onto your faces, showing up at work looking like a clown.  In my opinion... MINE only ehh, other's are welcome here anytime, the best office look is a natural look (however, Forbes Woman says bold makeup can be office-appropriate if you know how to work it.  But I just don’t trust myself with the bold look for the office hehehe... silap-silap jadi rupa Hantu Kak Limah!).

If you’re not sure how to achieve the best natural look for you, get to your nearest department store where you can seek consultation at your preferred makeup counter.  But heyyy! My makeup artist friend (well, Aeen... you know I mean YOU!) is able to give you consultation (free ke tak??) should you need makeup tips.  Hmmm Aeen should 'reward' me for posting this....... *thinking* ...

So once you’ve got the right makeup in your bag, please try to find time in your hectic day to touch up.  Smudged eyeliner, smeared lipstick and greasy skin do NOT convey energy and enthusiasm, my dear friends.

I am actually interested in knowing your daily makeup essentials.  My must-haves are:

(1) a good concealer to hide those flaws; 

(2) a compact blotting powder to cover those shine; 

(3) a tinted lipgloss (preferably, as I don't quite favour wearing lipsticks), but a soft coloured lipstick does fine, which complements your look and your skin tone without looking goth, vampish, or punk-rockish; 

(4) a warm toned eye shadow to accentuate the eyes and make it look fresh a lil bit after staring at the computer for hours; 

(5) eye liner to keep the eyes looking wide awake (even if they're not) - although I seldom use an eye liner as I prefer a bare-eyed look during most of the day - but at night events yes.. I do put on some eyeliner; 

(6) mascara to give the eyelashes a lift and eyes a pop - this one is a MUST for me... never leave home without it; and 

(7) blusher, or bronzer.

There.  I don't think applying those takes you forever, does it?  5 minit je tu, all for the sake of looking glowingly fresh.  And to top them all up, spray generously your favourite perfume to give yourself a boost, especially on those Mondays hehehe!  But I'm wondering if those stuff make your makeup bag bulge.  Well, bottomline is... get a bigger handbag lah macam ni.  Haha! ;)

So let's try and be a girl again, and start dolling up ourselves (jangan lebih-lebih nanti jadi Kak Limah!) for a fresh start of the day to the office.  But not forgetting, kat rumah pun janganlah selebet ya, my lovely friends ;)

 And, last but not least, thanks to my dear friend Aeen for inspiring me to write this entry about office makeup! xoxo

Hantu Kak Limah Joget

Have you watched the movie Hantu Kak Limah Balik Rumah??  The title does sound rediculous kan, but everyone I know who had watched it could vouch that it IS a hilarious movie.  

So I watched it at the cinema.  Lagi lah terasa dia punya gila kelakar, ketawa je keje sampai senak perut & mata berair!  My kids watched it at home with their cousins.  And of course I watched it (again) with them.  I could watch it over and over again and never get tired of the humour.  Because it is slapstick humour, tu lah best!  Kalau 100% ikut script would have been a bore.

Ok, so my no. 4 takut sangat-sangat dengan Hantu Kak Limah tu.  So I would simply scare her with Hantu Kak Limah when she doesn't want to sleep, tie her hair, eat her veggies, etc.  She has off-the-shoulder-lengthed hair.  Memang messy kalau tak ikat.. dengan berpeluh-peluhnya, rimas tengok!  So I would tell her that she is anak Hantu Kak Limah if she doesn't want to tie her hair.   You do know how Hantu Kak Limah's hair looks like, right?  So my no. 4 used to get really scared and immediately run to me and ask me to tie her hair.

Like all my other children, my no. 4 is chatty.  So now that she's able to speak quite well, better than the gibberish speech that she used to have, she has become lauyar buruk with me when I tell her to do or not to do something.  So recently when I told her my usual "modal" that she is anak Hantu Kak Limah if tak nak ikat rambut, she replied to me, "Sha anak mummy, Sha anak Bibik".  I burst out laughing :D ... lauyar buruknya anak I ni!  Well, pretty much as lauyar buruk as the rest of my anak-anak pun!!  What's new?! :D

To cut the story short, last night was raining heavily with lightning and thunder.  So my lil girl got so scared that she and her older brother (my no. 3) had asked all of us to keep quiet.   My no. 3 pun penakut!!  We could only whisper when we needed to talk - BOSSES' orders!

So at one point, there was lightning and a very loud thunder.  I recited "A'uzubillahi minashaitanir rajim".  Then I sang the song "Pumped Up Kicks" which was on TV (my kids' favourite song thus far).   And my precious lil no. 4 spontaneously whispered to me "mummy, jangan nyanyi".  I asked, "kenapa?".  Mummy ni pun satu ekkk, kilat-kilat barat macam tu menyanyi pulak.  What a BAD example to the children.... Cettt! Shame on you, Mummy! :P

And to that question, she replied very, very softly dengan mulut dia yg muncung basah dengan air liur tu, "NANTI HANTU KAK LIMAH JOGET....Sssshhhhh!!" :D :D

I pun apa lagik....... pecah perut!  Ada ke Kak Limah joget dengar lagu Mummy nyanyi masa tengah-tengah guruh/kilat???  Of all her ideas!

Oh by the way, this picture of Hantu Kak Limah is on my iPad, which sometimes I make as the wallpaper.  The purpose --- to scare off my little girl each time she kacau me when I'm using the iPad.  Heeeee!  Cool innit? :P

1 month old

Assalamualaikum w.b.t.  Hey there dears.  It's been awhile since my last entry.  Idea dah kurang sebab blog ni dah past 1 month old. Hihihi. Takda DRAMA... ada drama, ada la updates :)

Happy 1st Month Birthday, dear Blog! Actually she turned 1 month last week on 4 November.  So it's 1 month 7 days old to be precise :)

Till my next entry.  Have a great weekend you all! xoxo

Someone Like You

Someone Like You - Adele

(my current favourite)

I heard that you settled down
That you found a girl and you're married now.
I heard that your dreams came true.
Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you.

Old friend, why are you so shy?
Ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light.

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me it isn't over.

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead,"
Yeah.

You know how the time flies
Only yesterday was the time of our lives
We were born and raised
In a summer haze
Bound by the surprise of our glory days

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me it isn't over.

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."

Nothing compares
No worries or cares
Regrets and mistakes
They are memories made.
Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead." 

 

Best kan lagu tu?  The lyrics memang menusuk MY kalbu... mine only lah, dunno about yours hihi.  I just love Adele.  Her soulful voice, the flawless complexion and that pretty face just fill me with awe.  Needless to say, her music too.  But this one is particularly my current favourite.  Never mind her public image, to be precise - her size - as what she was quoted saying, she makes music for the ears, not the eyes.

My love for fish (not to rear them, but EAT them.. hihi)

I absolutely have an ultimate love for FISH.

If you let me eat fish day and night, and repeat over and over, I would be ever so happy to oblige and indulge!

Just had 2 pieces of ikan bakar for lunch today, Ms. Bayang (Ms. B for short) took me there - she wants to remain annonymous :P ... A big thank you, Ms. B... luv ya for knowing me luv fish!! Heheh! xoxoxo

I should've taken piccies of them fish, but lupa lah.. dah lapaq and tak sabaq nak indulge!  Commonly, most people eat ikan bakar with cicah air asam or cili or kicap cili, etc.  But me...... takyah cicah pun I bedal.  It tastes a lot better when eaten alone... to me lah.  Some people eat fried chicken and pizzas with chilli/tomato sauce, but I eat them on its own because I love the originality of the taste, even in veggies - I prefer them raw.  And with fish, takkan pulak nak makan raw kan, unless it is properly prepared Sushi.  But regardless of what fish I am served, licin I sapu - marinated or plain.  If it is fresh from the sea lagi lah sedap if bakar plain macam tu je kan with just a sprinkle of salt.

Catwoman I see! Huh!! Cuma tak hot macam Catwoman jerrrrr.. heheheh! Meow...

Hokkayyy, wishing Happy Deepavali to those of you who celebrate, and happy hols to those who already have plans to go jalan-jalan, and those who just simply want to enjoy some peace and quiet at home tomorrow - like me.  Errr, for a moment just now I thought tomorrow was Hari Raya Haji holiday, and had actually wished Ms. B "Selamat Hari Raya" - blatantly.. LOL! Silly me ekk.... kakakakaka! Malu, malu......

Note to self

I've been procrastinating on this one since the recent Hari Raya Aidilfitri - to go jogging :)

Not that I've been completely 'shut down' from working out, as sometimes (if not most of the time hehe) I would take the stairs up to my office.  Kira workout la tu kannnn daripada takda langsung hikhikhik!  Anyways, my office is situated at the 5th floor, so 5 floors altogether is by right equivalent to 5 staircases.  But each floor has 2 staircases, meaning to say I have to climb up to 10 staircases each time... phewwwww! But don't ask me how many stairs there are in each case.... malas nak kira. But lenguh baybeee!  Nonetheless, it should be all worth while kan? InshaAllah.  Errrrr.. but...... I don't do that everyday hehe oops.  Only on every or 2 other days.... KALAU rajin. Hmmm.. 

So now I'm telling myself, or rather reminding/forcing myself to go jogging this weekend.  Must, must, must!  Jogging/brisk walking and going up the stairs make a lot of difference in terms of sweating yourself haha!  Of course, for obvious reasons you wouldn't want to sweat yourself when you are in your office attire, right?  Nanti by the time you reach your room, not only you'd be panting like a mad woman trying to give birth, but you'd bau masam too!  Cehh!  Maluuu! :D .  And besides, you're not in proper workout shoes.  So kaki gila sakit naik tangga in heels wehh! 

Because of that, I'm going to jog this weekend.  Am just going to let myself get all heaty and sweaty... after so so so long!  But don't get me wrong, I'm not determined to do this because I've gained weight (which I wish I could easily... although family and especially friends tell me to shut-up each time I complain.  Haa!).  It's because I have to workout to stay healthy.  You knowwwwww.... with all this age catching up thingy.  Sigh..... so staying healthy is the top of the list, ey?

I for one is not the gym-goer type.  I did sign up as a member quite some time back.  But I got bored after a few visits.  Working out in the gym is kinda boring (to me personally) in terms of the view, I mean.  Needless to say, the fitness trainers are all so awhhh-some!!  But apart from that, the surrounding view bores me (not to mention, the fee is bloody blood-sucking don't you think? Baik spend on other things as in retail therapy hihihi).  So I'll just settle down to jogging instead.  It's FREE.  Besides, I don't want to ya-ya orr workout  till I get my dream hot-bod, it's just for the sake of exercising and sweat up myself to burn whatever there is to burn... haha!  So don't waste money... go shopping instead y'all!

So just hope I stick to my words and DON'T oversleep or sleep in this weekend (which I most likely will... NOOOO won't won't won't!).  We'll see...... :)

Today (part II)

Alhamdulillah, feeling slightly better today.  Managed to clear out certain things with the 'related party'.  But there's another unanswered question in my mind still.  Nevertheless, after obtaining the 'first clarification', I feel that this 2nd issue could be lied low for a little while until and when I can decide whether to try to sort it out or to just leave it as it is and only pop it up when a similar issue emerges later (or much, much later... hmmm).

But all in all, I'm very thankful to Allah s.w.t. for letting me settle the 1st one peacefully and rationally with the other party.  No qualms nor grudges.  Am so glad of the other side being so understanding this time.  Well, I've BEEN understanding to most of the incidents that have happened before this anyway - although it took me some time to digest, adapt to it and calm myself down.  So now it's their turn lah pulak heheh. Fair innit?  Takkan asyik nak mengarok je ekk.... Dah tua2 ni sensitip!

Ok, ok... no need to make this a wordy entry and elaborate more and ALSO not to leave you people wondering entah ape-ape issue lah yg dibebelkan sorang2 kat tembok ni, I'd better be off now...

Till then.  Again, syukur Alhamdulillah.  Amin.