Testimony: The Missing Piece

It's 12.22am as I begin writing this.

It's late and I really should be in bed,

but I felt that this couldn't wait.

I wanted to write out this testimony

before I forget the details.

#chemobrain #thestruggleisreal

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I bought a 2000-piece jigsaw puzzle last Saturday. I've been happily working on it for the last 3 days and as I neared the end of the first half of the puzzle today, I began to realise that I could be missing a piece. (I worked on them by colour so I could kind of tell.)

Well, I reached the end of the first thousand after dinner today, and true enough, one piece was missing. 🧩 NooOOooOooOooooo!!! You know how it is with jigsaw puzzles... a single lost piece and that's it. You're screwed. 😣

The missing piece.

I panicked. Got super upset with myself. I grabbed our brightest torchlight and started hunting high and low. Dug around the sofa, checked under the beds, and looked under the tables – nada. All I found was dust and two stray pieces of the boys' Lego. 😩

I got so desperate I even went online, googled the manufacturer (Pintoo) and went into the customer support page to ask if I could purchase the missing piece. I even contemplated buying another full box because there was an Amazon "Buy Now" button sitting right there to tempt me. 🙈🙉🙊


Shen helped me look for awhile, too, then asked me to pray. So, I said a silent prayer – a desperate plea for God to step in and offer me some help 😅 – and went about looking again. Frustration overwhelmed me. I was angry, hot, flustered, and so super upset. 

Worst thing was, our daily helper came by today.

I worried that she might have cleared it away. 😰

I texted her – hoping she didn't vacuum it up and toss it into the bin. She said that she didn't. That offered me some relief and I believed her cos while she was cleaning, she did ask me where I bought my puzzle and said she liked puzzles, too. So... with an appreciation for jigsaw puzzles, I wouldn't think she would have thrown it away lah. Fingers crossed. 🤞


I asked that she help me lift or move the sofa the next time she comes so I can look under it properly. That was my only hope. I'd looked everywhere possible. That was the only place I couldn't reach nor see. So, I had to wait. Sigh. And I resigned myself to the fact that I won't find the missing piece until then. 😞

BUT THEN...

Before I went to bed, I decided to take one last look around. I checked the desk and the box. And I saw the second half of the puzzle, which I hadn't touched, still in its bag. I thought to myself – "Forget it la. What's the point of finishing the puzzle now when it can't even be completed." 😞

But then a part of me also felt that maybe – just maybe – they packed it wrong? Maybe my missing piece wasn't "missing" after all and that it was in the other bag I hadn't opened?? #hopeful 😁 #delusional 😅

So, I decided to open it up. While I poured out the 1000 pieces, I shook the bag to make sure every last piece came out. It was then that it suddenly dawned upon me that maybe I didn't shake the bag the first round because I was so excited to start working on it!! 😱

So, I immediately dug through my trash. And guess what? It was. Right. There. Sitting in one corner of the crumpled up plastic baggie it came in. The same one that I had already thrown into the bin and covered up with other bits of trash from other days past.

Now, here's the super duper miracle. The helper forgot to take out the trash in my room today. Just like she did on Saturday when she came, too!! I was just complaining to JJ about it earlier this afternoon – saying that she forgot to take out my trash AGAIN today.

Well, God works in mysterious ways, doesn't He?

If she had taken out the trash last Saturday, that puzzle would have been long gone. 🗑️ (I grumbled about it then.) If she had done it today when she came again, it would also have been gone. 🗑️ (I also complained about it today.)

I'm also usually quite fussy and I would have tossed out the trash myself in a huff if she had forgotten. I did that the other times she forgot. But I didn't this time. No idea why. 🤷‍♀️ I just didn't. Maybe I was too busy dedicating any free time I could spare with fixing the puzzle. Haha. 

So, yes. God answered my simple but desperate prayer tonight. Over one little, tiny piece of jigsaw puzzle. 🧩 Quite insignificant in the big scheme of things but important to me nonetheless. Truly, our God is the God of both, the big things, and the little things in our lives. What's important to you, is important to Him. 

My other lesson learnt tonight is this: no matter how impossible or forlorn of hope the situation, we should never give up. I was already on the verge of packing it all up and shelving the puzzle. But if I had surrendered to my situation and decided that this lost piece made the whole puzzle a lost cause, then I would never have had the epiphany that the missing piece was still in the bag. 

It's also important to note that all in all, it took two mishaps for my miracle to take place at the end of the day. (The helper forgetting to take out the trash – not once, but twice!) If those two "bad things" hadn't happened earlier on, I wouldn't have gotten my miracle anyway.

The problem with us humans is that while we're in the middle of our pain, and in the thick of our troubles, we often complain, grumble and gripe. Simply because we cannot understand the hows and whys, and don't see the ending yet.


But it doesn't have to be that way. Life may not be perfect. But we don't have to grumble, struggle and hate the journey. If we could only choose to rest in Him, and see all our pain as a necessary part of God's good, greater, perfect plan, we wouldn't beat ourselves up over things as much. 

So, if there's a takeaway from this missing puzzle testimony, it's this: whatever your troubles and whatever tough times you're going through, take heart and do not give up!! God is working in ways we do not understand – AMEN! 🙏

The Last Fun Fling

As fate would have it, the night before my admission at the hospital for surgery the following day, I discover my extreme sport of choice – rollerblading. LOL.

Wearing my nephew's rollerblades cos they fit my Size 36 feet!

Just two aunties forgetting they're old and just doing their thang.

We had so much fun rolling around in the porch while the men and daddies talked shop. Now I can't wait to get better from my surgery so I can get me a pair of roller blades from Decathlon and go rollerblading with the kids! #coolmom #coolaunt #bokiasi Now this is exercise I don't mind doing la! In fact, I enjoyed myself so much I impulse purchased a pair of skates each for the boys from Decathlon's online store on the spot. Early Christmas presents from The Husband and I – kautim! Haha!

A Royal Supper

I'm usually a Quaker Life cereal or General Mills Cheerios cereal kinda girl. But tonight, I'm having Kellogg’s Special K – Queen Elizabeth's favourite breakfast cereal – for supper. Why? Because The Husband did his googling a few of weeks ago and discovered that Her Majesty – the world's oldest, longest-living and longest-reigning monarch – eats this particular cereal for breakfast.

Wiki tells me that...

She is the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch. She is the longest-serving female head of state in world history, and the world's oldest living monarch, longest-reigning current monarch, and oldest and longest-serving current head of state. [Source]

And I don't know about how things are this year with this COVID-19 pandemic casting a dark cloud over 2020... but despite being 93-years-old, the Queen attended a whopping 295 engagements in 2019. 😱😱😱 At 93, ok!! Talk about living a long, active, productive and healthy life! She and Mahathir really can shake hand. #workaholicsunite

Anyhoo, I may not have perfect curls in white hair or paint my nails a pale shade of pink with Essie's Ballet Slippers, but what I can have is Kellogg’s Special K. Lai... Mai kong liao. Ciak!

First taste of Kellog's Special K cereal. It's not bad. Not bad at all.

Notes From @kenny.kenray's 1st Live Interview On Instagram

Check out his IG account here!

It's been awhile since I've doodled. 😊

I used to take sermon notes this way back in the day before smartphones and online sermons. Not sure where those notebooks have gone though. 🤔 They somehow got lost in my many moves around Penang, Selangor and KL. 😢 

Anyway, it felt really good to use my hands again

and go back to exercising my creative muscles. 💪

Chrysanthemum Tea From Miaoli (苗栗南庄), Taiwan

I am so blessed to have friends

who get my obsession with tea.

After lunch today, Tina from Taiwan gave me yet another box of premium Taiwanese tea that comes in a box too pretty to toss. I mean, just look at it! 😍

 

Cantiks no?? She only received two boxes from her sister and she gave me one. GAM DONG OR NOT, I ASK YOU?!? I can't wait to cold-brew me some of this Miaoli chrysanthemum tea. Cos if it's anything at all like the first batch of Ali Shan Tea she gave me, I'm sure it's gonna be A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

Stepping Out In Penang @ Urban Daybreak

I’m a creature of habit. I don’t try many things, and usually prefer to do what I’m comfortable with, where I'm comfortable at. Basically, I stick to what I know la – to what is safe. Having said that, I’m finally trying a new breakfast place The Husband found in Penang via the Internet, after living here for over a year now. 🍳🥞🥓☕️ #babysteps #newbeginnings

 

Three pictures is all you get. Cos after the food came, I forgot about blogging and just started eating. HAHAHA. #failmax Sorry la, it's been awhile since blogging has been a priority, ok. After having kids, I've come to realise that if you don't eat when you can eat, you lose your chance and don't get to eat at all liao until your next meal. 😆


Anyway, I didn't think my french toast was anything to shout about, the bacon 🥓 wasn't well-done enough (read: crispy and fat-free) for my taste, and I didn't like that there were cats 🐱 walking around, which the servers were patting between serving us. Ick! 😱 The peanut butter was interesting but not interesting enough for me to go back just for it. Oh, and parking's horrible in that area. 

One thing I would possibly go back for though? The music. Relaxing tunes played at just the right volume for us to be able to hum along to, yet quietly enough for us to still be able to chit-chat without having to raise our voices. This is ambient music done right. The place also didn't echo much so it's was nice and peaceful. And who wouldn't like some peace when the kids are in school, right? 😝 

In hindsight, I think not really my fault la. #excusesexcuses I came back to Penang with grand plans to settle in and reestablish my roots wan. But then cancer struck and COVID-19 hit. So, plans got put on the back burner for a bit cos it's just been a tough one year la. But now that I'm done with treatment (daily pills not counted 💊) I hope to be able to explore the many quaint cafes in Penang. One by one! Ini kalilah! 💪 LOL.

My First Time Cold Brewing Tea

I love my tea the way coffee addicts love their coffee. But in all my years of tea-drinking, I've somehow never heard of at-home cold brewing until Tina from Taiwan told me about it today. Haha. So super suaku, right??

See, Tina so very kindly surprise-gifted me two boxes of premium, organic Ali Shan Tea from the cold, foggy mountains of Ali Shan, Taiwan today. 

So, what better time than now

to gave cold-brewing a go!

Ahhhh!!! Loose leaves! 🌱 I love! 😍 I can't wait to see how this turns out. I'm told that this particular Ali Shan tea has a sweet aftertaste and goes down really smoothly. Also, cold brewed tea supposedly contains less caffeine which, I guess, is always a good thing. 👍 

Wanna know how to cold brew your tea? Watch this!

AliExpress & Mommy FTW!

Totally loving my AliExpress buys for the boys' room.

Veli chip, veli gud, I veli hapi! Win-win-win!

Are the boys super into space, though? Nope. They prefer dinosaurs. But it's Mommy's house so Mommy can do whatever she wants. 🤣🤣🤣 #pullingrank #thatslife #dealwithit #Ihavebettertaste

Dumplings Vs. Dimples

JJ is highly motivated by stickers. Like, he super LOOOOVES stickers. He would do his homework, eat faster and sleep earlier just for stickers. Hahaha. #whenyoure5

He earned a sheet of reward stickers from me over the weekend for doing his homework and has been using it sparingly since then. One here, one there – very precious. Today, he picked a big one and showed it to me while we were in the car. 

After that, this conversation ensued...

JJ: Mommy, why does he have that pink dot on his face? *points to a rosy cheek* What’s that on the face?

Pam Song: Rosy cheeks. Like your face when you're hot.

JJ: Is it the same as the one that’s on your face also? Dumplings?

Pam Song: 😳 Urm... no. 😂 Those are DIMPLES!!! 😅

Rainbow Pencils By Duncan Shotton

How freaking cool is that?? Yes, please! I would most certainly love for my son to grow up in a world where there's always a bright, colourful rainbow waiting for him at the end of every blunt pencil. =)

[Via This Is Colossal]

Round 2, The Morning After

After a night of pampering by Aesop, I still had some leftover face wash and body wash to use this morning. (I am super kiasu and will usually try to maximise my sample usage. One pack, use two times. =p) Though I must say... after using the leftovers in those samples a second time around, I may have had a slight change of heart. Haha.

I still really like the Parsley Seed Facial Cleanser. (Am seriously thinking of buying it after my current cleanser runs out. Thinking, thinking.) But the A Rose By Any Other Name Body Cleanser isn't half as bad as I said it was last night. The scent is starting to grow on me. =p


No new comments on the shampoo and conditioner cos I already finished it last night. The shampoo took more to sufficiently lather up and I thought the conditioner wouldn't work so I used it all. Haha. So... only face and body pampering this morning. Which is perfectly fine cos I wash my hair once a day only anyways. And that's only at night. =)

Aesop Night In

Barely an hour before this, I was tucking into a yummy dinner. At this very moment, I'm sitting on my bed, fresh from an Aesop bath (more on that in a bit =p), blogging on my comp, on my bed, in my room, alone at home and enjoying the quiet of the night. Ahhh, bliss. I could do with more supremely relaxing nights like this. =)


So, about that Aesop bath. Haha. (Yes, the obsession continues... =p) After dodging flying oil, eating my fill and feeling like a happy lump of lard, I decided to take a peek into my not-so-secret-anymore Aesop stash, grab a sachet or two (or three or four) and pamper myself tonight. Settled on these packets:

From Top-Bottom, Left-Right: Colour Protection Shampoo,

Colour Protection Conditioner, Parsley Seed Facial Cleanser and

A Rose By Any Other Name Body Cleanser.

That's right! Full head-to-toe pampering by Aesop. =D

But then again, it's not very much of a pamper if you're only using bath-time basics like shampoo, conditioner, face wash and body wash, right? :-/ So, of course, I planned to fill in the gaps with these two Aesop products I already own.

Geranium Leaf Body Scrub (back) and

Purifying Facial Exfoliant Paste (front).

Ended up only using the Purifying Facial Exfoliant Paste

in the bath cos a DIY full-body scrub would take

too long and my back was already aching. =(

I don't think I've blogged about this exfoliant though. It's actually a face scrub I bought a couple of months back. (Awhile after I bought the Geranium Leaf Body Scrub.) Was looking for one cos I found that my neglected skin was starting to look a little dull. So... where better to look than my favourite skincare brand these days – Aesop! Haha. Or so I thought. @_@


To be honest with you, I was a little disappointed with the scrub after using it. In hindsight, I wish I had a sample sachet of it to give it a try before I made my purchase. :-/ I mean, it's not bad lah. But it's not super-duper wonderful either. I just wish it smelled a little better. Don't get me wrong though. It doesn't smell bad. It just doesn't smell like sunshine and rainbows. Haha. But it does the job. The after-effects are acceptable. My skin was smoother and had a moderately better glow. I only wish it didn't leave a slightly oily film on my face after, too. But then again, it's not unbearably oily lah. I can live with it. :-/

 Colour Protection Shampoo.

I LOVED THIS SHAMPOO. It looked like thick olive oil in my hand. Haha. Clear with a little bit of yellow tinge. It lathered well and smelled great. Only bit that bothered me a little was that it finished off squeaky clean. Like, SQUEAKY! There's no way you could use this shampoo without a conditioner. I'll bet the tangles thereafter would be crazy!

So, thank goodness I was given the conditioner...

 Colour Protection Conditioner.

The conditioner didn't work like I expected it to. It didn't feel "conditioning" at all, unlike other conditioners. It wasn't slimy, smooth or slippery. Just a thick, semi-translucent, white paste that you apply to your hair. Thing is, since it doesn't feel like a regular conditioner, you can't really tell where you've applied it on and where you haven't. :-/ I was pretty disappointed at first. Thought sure no effect wan. BUT... after rinsing it out... man, oh man! It worked! My hair was no longer "squeaky", yet it didn't have that slimy texture regular conditioners always leave behind! I was impressed! Totally redeemed in my books. =D

Next, I tackled my face.

 Parsley Seed Facial Cleanser.

I really liked this gel cleanser. It didn't lather very much, but it cleaned my skin the way I like my facial cleansers to – clean, but not squeakily so. It also didn't leave my skin feeling tight or dry after even though I didn't bother toning or moisturising at all tonight. (Whoops. Bad habits die hard. =p) Need another plus point? It smelled pretty good, too! =D

Finally, I gave my body an Aesop wash.

This body cleanser smells semi-nice, semi-funky. Haha. I think the Black Pepper messes up the scent a little and the Rose Petal is what saves the day. It doesn't lather much at all but my skin felt clean after use, without any noticable dryness. Still, I would want to try their other body cleansers first before buying one. (IF I ever buy one, that is.) I'm not fully sold on this baby just yet.


All in all, I had a good night pampering myself with Aesop in the bath. I was very satisfied with the results of the shampoo, conditioner and the face wash, but was least impressed by the body cleanser. If the shampoo and conditioner cost a little less, I would totally get me some of that. But... my current shampoo and conditioner probably only cost one-third the price of Aesop's so... I've got a lot of thinking to do before I even consider jumping ship. :-/ Same goes for the face wash, to be honest. Why does Aesop have to be so expensive?? Haih! T_T

Maybe I'll just work on getting more samples instead. @_@

Giving Myself A DIY Facial

I've been itching to go for a luxuriously pampering facial for the longest time. Especially since the last few weeks have been somewhat emotionally and physically draining. But since I've been "grounded", I've decided to take matters into my own hands and give myself a facial. Haha. Thing is... no mask at home. (I don't buy masks cos I hardly ever use them.) So thankfully, I had my beloved Aesop sample stash to dig into. =D

The only mask they gave me was the Primrose Facial Cleansing Masque. (I'm not sure if there are other variants.) It's a purifying clay masque (mask?) with anti-oxidants and Vitamin E that works for "most skin types, particularly oily, combination or neglected skin." (I think I fall under the "neglected" category.)

To be honest with you, I was a bit skeptical when I read on the sachet that it was a clay mask cos clay masks tend to be drying for my dehydrated skin. But I was desperate for some pampering so... aiya, whatever lah. Just pakai hentam first and deal with the consequences later. Haha. I'm glad I went ahead though. Cos this clay mask smells H-E-A-V-E-N-L-Y.

Now, I'm going to show you some pictures

of myself with the mask on. Don't freak out.

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TADAAA!

BOO! Halloween coming soon. Hahaha.

I wasn't smiling for long though. Not because I wasn't enjoying the mask or its wunnerful scent, but cos the mask dried very, very quickly in my air-conditioned room. And like any other clay mask, it hardens upon drying. @_@

 A close up of the mask's texture. You can see every pore on my face!

Maybe that's how it "purifies" my pores. By opening them all up. :-/

Instructions on the pack were to leave it on for 15 minutes but... I personally think that's a little too long for my skin type although I would have loved to enjoy my DIY facial a little while longer. But I went with my gut and washed it off after 10 minutes instead. Better dun be so kiasu. Later get wrinkles then regret.

 Freshly washed face!

Closer up.

I personally liked this mask a lot a lot. Experience-wise, it was wonderful. The Rose-Geranium scent was very relaxing and it made me feel good and happy after. The after-effect was also very impressive. My skin was super soft and smooth after removal of the mask! Like baby's backside! I also liked that it was fast and easy to apply and wash off. 10-15 minutes isn't too long or too much to ask for a little at-home pampering after bath, before bedtime. =)

I've been told this mask retails for RM149 per 120ml tub. (I am more a tube girl than a tub girl so I'm not exactly jumping for joy with this revelation. :-/) Not too pricey if you consider the fact that a regular facial at any of your Dermalogicas or New York Skins or Bellas costs more than that per session already anyways. I think it's a good home-solution if you want a quick skin-fix that relaxes and works without spending too much time (or money) on it.

Maybe I should get myself a tub of this

the next time I pass an Aesop counter. =p

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OH WAIT! I just realised that I totally forgot to tell you all the other parts of my DIY "facial"! Hahaha. First, I washed my face with an AMWAY cleanser (just a regular one I always use) while in the shower. That was followed by the mask I just reviewed after I came out of the bath. I considered not toning or moisturising (cos I usually don't bother with skincare at night... and also during the day if I don't go out @_@) but thought the better of it since clay masks tend to be drying and I didn't want to suffer any consequences for my laziness after. So I toned and moisturised with AMWAY's hydrating toner and moisturiser. The end!

p/s: This is not a paid review.

Can't. Hold. Back. Must. Show. Off!

Ok, remember how I said that the gay dude at Aesop gave me lots and lots of free samples the last time I was there? Well, I'm sad to say that I just discovered a little over a month ago that he's no longer there. Sad for me but good for him lah. Cos he's been upgraded to a fancier outlet at a bigger, better mall (which I will not reveal in case he gets into trouble and kena demoted pula =p).


When I got to the outlet, first thought in my head was: "NooOOOoOoOoOoOOooo! There goes my Aesop freebie super supplier!" BUT... thankfully, the new kid on the block who's taken his place is a pretty nice girl, too. =p So she did her part *ahem* and also helped me build my stash during my last visit. (I also bought a face scrub laaaa... Not so cheapskate and just take samples laaa...)

Now, let me show you my pride and joy.

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Are you ready?

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Please make sure you're seated so you don't faint

and crack your skull on your marble flooring.

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TADAAAA!!!

My Aesop free sample stash. =D =D =D

*cartwheels all around*

And that's not all of it. I've got
five other travel-sized free BOTTLES
I haven't taken pictures of, too. =p #shameless

I tell you, on super bad or super stressful days, I'll just open up my secret Aesop stash case, stare at my samples and smile to myself alone in the room like a dungu. Even The Husband knows my relaxation ritual. The last time he walked into the room and saw me with my freebie case open on my lap, he asked, "Making yourself feel happy, issit?" Hahaha. YES! Making myself very happy indeed!

Of course, my stash no longer looks that way anymore lah. I used a few of the samples during my recent holiday to Bangkok and also used some on days when I feel like pampering myself a little more than usual. Having said that, my stash is very quickly depleting. @_@ And now, I feel an urgent need to to replenish my stocks before they run out! Wth!


I tell you, God knows best la. He knows I have to be a customer/consumer instead of a salesgirl. That's why He gave me a good job that pays enough for me to buy stuff instead of sell it. I can imagine ah... if I was an Aesop salesgirl, I'd be the worst one ever. Hahaha. I would probably be so kiam siap with samples that every customer who visits the outlet would hate me maximum. And then, I would take all the samples I didn't give home... and use them myself! HAHAHA.

*blink blink*

Shit. TMI? Please still love me? Kthxbai.

Glass Nail File From Sephora

You guys know how I've always been a hand person, right? (Like, I observe people's hands and appreciate nice-looking hands whenever they appear before me.) So when it comes to my own hands, I'm pretty particular, too. Having said that, I'll have you know that I diligently file my nails after every cut. (Only fingers lah. Couldn't be bothered about toe-nails.)


I've been using an el cheapo Watson metal file since forever. Like, since I discovered filing way back in my high school days. Seriously. Bought it back when I was upper secondary for like RM3.90 or something, and have been using the very same one since. Haha. It's definitely more than 10 years old. Maybe 12 or 13, if I were to be more accurate.


Thing is, that metal file takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r to file my nails into shape. They do an acceptable job smoothening out the corners but, truth be told, emery boards work faster if I want any shaping done. (I don't buy emery boards. I just use the ones hotels give. #elcheapomaximum) But emery boards are so, so rough it's actually double the work cos I'll need to smoothen out the ends of my nails again after with my metal nail file.

That why I SO need Sephora's Glass Nail File.

If you have no idea what a glass nail file is, you're not alone. I went, "Wha-HUH??" when I first saw it along the colourful shelves of Sephora, too. But trust me, after using it, I have to say, it is DA BOMB. Here's mine:

 My Glass Nail File from Sephora in its protective tube.

The beauty of this nail file isn't just in its fancy good looks. It works like a charm, too! It's really efficient in shaving off significant amounts of nail tip when you apply enough pressure, yet fine enough to keep the edges effortlessly smooth and neat. I usually take about 3-4 minutes to file all 10 fingernails down to my liking after a cut but this baby this took me all of 60 seconds. Perhaps even less. I was super impressed.

Here's a close up of the filing area.

 Even closer still.

Like perfectly sandblasted glass

– not too fine, not too rough. =)

You'll notice my file isn't clean but that's only cos I used it once before deciding it was too good a buy to not rave about it here. Haha. The nail dust goes away if you run it under water though so it's really no biggie. I could live with that. Not like my metal nail file or emery boards are all that scar-proof anyways.

The only downside of this fancy file is that I read online that it shatters at a single drop. :-/ Which should come as no surprise, I suppose. I mean, it is made of glass after all, right? It costs $8 USD in America (which isn't too much to pay for a good file that just works, if you ask me) but in Malaysia, it costs a real pretty penny. RM41's worth of pretty pennies. @_@

I only take comfort in the fact that I haven't bought or replaced my nail file in the last 12 or 13 years, and that the last one cost me less than a McValue Meal so... I guess that makes this purchase totally justified. HAHA. More so if I don't go all jelly-fingers on it and drop and break it (CHOI! CHOI! CHOI!), and end up using it for the next 12 or 13 years to come. =p

Oh yeah, mine comes in that gaudy flurescent orange you see above. Only colour they had in-store at the time. But a quick Google check showed me it comes in a few other colours, too. Namely, pink and purple. But those were seen on US sites so... I'm not sure if you'll find them here in Malaysia.


p/s: This is NOT a paid review.

Perth, August '12: Time To Say Goodbye

Our flight out from Perth the next morning was at 7.40AM. We couldn't check-in online due to a system error so that meant reaching the airport by 5.40AM. You know what a 5.40AM arrival means?? Waking up at 4.00AM to get ready, pack up, and leave East Perth by 5.00AM. *dies*


But of course, by the time we dilly-dallied, loaded the cars and got our act together, it was late and effectively TTP (Time To Panic). Haha. Made it to the airport at 6.15AM. A little – ok, a lot – past our planned arrival time but still... on time enough to check-in and make it on board with some time to heave a sigh of relief.

 

 Perth International Airport at 6.15AM.

Said our goodbyes to KJ at the departure lounge,

went through immigration, and we were off!

 Our tickets.

I couldn't sleep the night before and was

the one who woke up earlier to pack for two but...

look who had his grouchy face on instead:

Haha.

So we tried that again.

Super layan, sleepy face.

After that, The Husband went to sleep and I busied myself with the blankets and pillows in an effort to get comfortable. And then I got hungry. Like r-e-a-l-l-y hungry. Like the I-must-eat-now-or-I'll-die kind of hungry. @_@ Weird.

So, immediately after take-off, I asked the stewardess for some snacks. I remember enjoying fresh fruit and even branded chips on one of my flights to Perth before but... maybe that was MAS. Cos SIA only had wafers or peanuts to offer me. I opted for the wafers cos I figured they'd be more filling.

Cheh. Not even Loackers. So slack.
Confirm MAS serves better in-flight food.

But beggars can't be choosers lah. I was hungry and that was what they had, so I ate it. In their credit, at least they gave me a whole pack. I couldn't finish that much at one go so I ended up bringing it back to Malaysia in my handbag and having it for supper later that night. HAHA.

Thankfully, breakfast was served soon after.

Nasi Lemak, Bread & Butter, Honey Yoghurt, Fruits and a Muffin.

Again, the food wasn't great. I didn't mind the prawn sambal with nasi lemak lah (maybe I was too hungry to care) but The Husband thought it was crap. Haha. I agree with him when it comes to the fried egg in the nasi lemak though. The fruits tasted funny and the muffin was dry, too. Best part of the meal was the bun and butter. Again. Ooo, but the butter this time around was different! Look!

See how fluffy it is???

Whipped Dairy Blend by Ballantyne.

It's whipped! And I loved it!

And that's rare cos I generally

don't like unsalted butter. Haha.

After the food hype, The Husband went back to sleep while I stayed up to watch The Five-Year Engagement – a good ol' fashioned, girly rom-com with a twist. =) Then I watched a Japanese food documentary (recommended by The Husband who had woken up later in the flight) called Jiro Dreams Of Sushi. Such a good watch. Here's the trailer:

"An appetizing documentary in every sense, Jiro Dreams of Sushi follows 85-year-old master sushi chef Jiro Ono, owner of the esteemed 10-seat, $300-a-plate Sukiyabashi Jiro restraurant in Tokyo. From the ins and outs of the tuna auction to the proper way to massage an octopus, director David Gelb dynamically profiles all aspects of the craft in mouthwatering style and detail, paying lushly photographed homage to the process of preparing the artisan sushi that earned Jiro an elite three Michelin stars." – TribecaFilm

If you're the kind of person who's into documentaries,

this is a definite must-watch. I was wow-ed by what I saw.

The flight from Perth to Singapore arrived soon after and I can barely remember the flight from Singapore to Penang cos by then, I was just too worn out from traveling (and the lack of sleep the night before) to bother. Didn't even take a single picture. Haha. Anyway, goodbye, Perth! Till we meet again next time. You'll always hold a special place in my heart. =)

And with this post,

ends the Perth, August '12 series. =)

Now, on to Bangkok, September '12!

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Related Posts

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• Friday, 17 August 2012: A Much-Needed Break [Friday, August 17, 2012]
• Back In KL [Monday, August 27, 2012] 
• Perth, August '12: Two Flights And A Transit [Tuesday, August 28, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Home For 7 Days [Tuesday, August 28, 2012] 
• Perth, August '12: La Galette de France Café, Nedlands [Wednesday, August 29, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Eat, Sleep, Eat, Sleep [Wednesday, August 29, 2012] 
• Perth, August '12: Sandrino, Fremantle [Friday, August 31, 2012] 
• Perth, August '12: Fremantle Markets, Perth [Sunday, September 02, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Caversham Wildlife Park, Whiteman, Western Australia [Monday, September 03, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Dragon Palace, Northbridge, Perth [Tuesday, September 04, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Taka's Kitchen, Shafto Lane, Perth City [Tuesday, September 04, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Frozen Coke And Domino's Pizza [Tuesday, September 04, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Rainy Morning At Sorrento Quay, Hillary's Boat Harbour [Wednesday, September 05, 2012] 
• Perth, August '12: Sharky's Fish & Chips, Sorrento Quay [Thursday, September 06, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Subiaco & Some Yellow Fever [Thursday, September 06, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Ararat Kebabs, Broadway, Nedlands [Thursday, September 06, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: MORE Frozen Coke. Literally. [Thursday, September 06, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: KAI Japanese Dining And Takeaway, Bull Creek [Thursday, September 06, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Mid-Afternoon Snacking [Tuesday, September 11, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Hippo Creek Meat & Wine, Subiaco [Tuesday, September 11, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Garden City Haul [Wednesday, September 12, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Day Out At King's Park & Botanic Garden [Thursday, September 13, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Ipoh Restaurant, Myaree [Thursday, September 13, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Harbour Town, Perth [Thursday, September 13, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Garden City Haul 2 [Thursday, September 13, 2012]
• Perth, August '12: Happy Meals Restaurant, Victoria Park [Thursday, September 13, 2012]