Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas *hugs*

And I am working all the way until the 23rd :( Quite sad lo... cos everyone is already on long leave including those who don't celebrate Christmas but want to fight for leave with me. It is quite depressing to some extent when you are already in the mood to be jolly and merry, and you are force to work and not only that, having to relieve your entire team. *max stress*

Since it's almost the end of the working day, I shall not whine about it. This year, I am starting a tradition - a celebratory Christmas dinner that is .. complete witht he stuffed turkey roast chicken (we don't like turkeys), roast beef, mash potatoes .. yeah you get the drift. :) It's quite exciting actually to be hosting a party like this for my immediate family and kick-starting a tradition that will last for generations. *proud*

And no, I am not cooking. I'm buying. Heh~ *excited*

Presents bought, Christmas tree and decor has been put up, Michael Buble Christmas CD has been bought, and the food has been ordered. I've also send a small Christmas gift to both of my sponsored kids in Indonesia and India. Yes, let's not forget the poor and needy ... after all that's what Christmas is all about. :)

Looks like my Christmas preparation for this year has been done (except for wrapping the presents). And here's to wishing you a

Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year~!

P/S: I STILL WANT MY WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Love;

Mrs Lee

How to Plan for a Baby Shower in Malaysia

The proud daddy and mummy to be :)



Yes, if you notice the title .. I have explicitly stated in Malaysia. Why? Because it is so darn hard to plan for a baby shower here!! There are not enough of resources and information that is relevant and available in Malaysia unlike those overseas countries!! :(

But being the resourceful person that I am *ahem*, I refuse to give up and somehow I managed to pull together a simple and splendid baby shower for a good friend of mine. First for the group. Kau tim everything within a week (cos there was a last minute change of venue - initially was suppose to be a BBQ session in my condo but because of the rainy days, the plan was scrapped off at the last minute). 

And of course, being the nice person that I am, I shall share on tips, pointers, and a how-to guideline on planning for that perfect baby shower without breaking your wallet. *heart*

(1) Theme / Decor:

Initially, I was thinking of hiring those professional party planner to do up a simple decor for the venue. Alas, the pricing was from RM1,000 onwards which is waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy over the budget. So, I opted to DIY instead.

The theme that I had in mind was Yellow Rubber Duckie and trust me I was searching high-and-low for those damn ducks. And it was so darn expensive - around RM20 for a pair. Ridiculous! Refusing to give up, I stumbled upon a toy shop in Old Town PJ (a treasure trove for cheap toys, wholesale arts & crafts items, and junk food) and bought these duckies at a discounted price of RM2.00 each (retailing at RM2.50 each) :p

Direction: The shop is located in the same row as BSL Supermarket in Old Town. Drive further down, you will see a shop on your left selling toys called Hew Sun. Alternatively, you may drive further down along the road and look for a shop named Lin Wah (they sell cheaper).



Quack! Quack!

Of course, the yellow rubber duckies in itself is rather plain, so I bought pink ribbons (cos the baby is a girlie) and tied them to the duckies. To further decorate the place, I bought a few mini carriages and pink glitter butterflies to be put around as centerpieces. The carriages cost RM2.50 each, and a packet of 10 butterflies cost RM9.50.

My pretty carriages decked in pink butterflies.

Direction: The shop is next to McDonalds in Old Town.

Note: For those who has the budget, you may contact and engage in the professional assistance of Razzle Dazzle Party Box or Parties - Party Planner.

(2) Favours / Gifts:

Was thinking on what favors that is cute and affordable to give out to the guests and as I was googling, I chanced upon a site which sells relatively cheap favours - House of Favors. Their service is pretty efficient too so you need not worry about reliability. I bought these cute acrylic pacifiers for RM7.20 for a pack of 12. They come in pink or blue colours. The pacifiers can also double up as decor pieces as well.

Cute blue acrylic pacificiers *heart*

(3) Customized Cakes / Cupcakes / Cookies:

Did you know that cupcakes are so darn expensive over here?? For standard customisation of a box of 20-30 pieces of cupcakes, please be prepared to fork out at lease RM90-100. Yes, you may gasps now. Fortunately for me, in my true blue kiamsap-ness nature, I somehow managed to find one which serves decent pricing and yummy customised cakes/cupcakes/cookies. They are Babycakes by Good Eats and is based in Shah Alam. Really nice and accomodating people. Will definitely purchase more from them in future. :)

For a minimum order of 25 pieces of customised cupcakes (without fondant), it cost just RM1.50 a piece! What a bargain!! And I get to choose two flavors - I chose orange and vanilla. Yums~! Taste-wise, the cupcakes were delicious! :)

Taste as good as it looks :) *ngom* *ngom*

Aside from that, I also ordered customised cookies for each of the guests. The cookies are SO CUTE!! The cookies are individually packed and comes with a customised tag too! Minimum order is 20 pieces for RM2.50 per piece. If you want to insert sticks (like a lollipop), it costs RM3.00 per piece. This makes GREAT gifts and favors for any occasion. I asked for baby rompers and milk bottles. Noticed that the rompers are customised with the parents' initials? So cuteeeeeee ~~!!

Cuteness overload~~!!!

(4)  Poster aka "Guest Book":

Got this awesome idea (in my opinion) from my own wedding not too long ago. Instead of a guest book which will be kept under the bed to collect dust, why not do a poster where the guest can sign their names and write congratulatory messages? That way, the parents can put up the poster and post as a memento.

The poster was of course DIY by yours truly. Pretty simple - just buy the frame from IKEA at RM19.90, and buy a small baby clothes (you may be creative and use a baby bip, napkin, rompers, dress etc) and "frame" it up! I bought the cute baby-top for RM10.00 in a small kiosk in Plaza Damas. Simple, cute, and unique. :)

Nice, eh?

(5) Venue:

This was the toughest because it will ultimately make or break our budget. Plus, for a small pax of 20 people, it was really difficult to find a venue where we could book the entire place. After much toiling searching, I remember driving pass this quaint English-like cafe in Plaza Damas when I go for my Kim Gary lunches during the weekdays.

The said cafe is none other than Elise Coffee & Tea House in Plaza Damas. Quickly called the owner up, and thankfully the venue is available on the date. And the major plus point is I can take the entire venue as it fits comfortably 20-22 pax. Secondly, the pricing is very reasonable! I only need to spend a minimum of RM600.00 only! Unbelievable! :D

What did i tell you about being cosy and English? :)

The buffet costs RM38 per person and it consists of 9 dishes. The array is fantastic and tastes pretty good too:

1. Spinach and Mushroom Quiche
2. Mushroom and Shrimp Spaghetti
3. Pan-Fried Lamb Shoulder
4. Mash Pumpkin
5. Stuffed Roast Chicken
6. Mini Sandwiches
7. Salad with Apple Cider Dressing
8. Tiramisu & Chocolate Mousse (as dessert)
9. Lemongrass (drinks)

Yummylicious

The desserts are kept chilled in a chiller. Presentation wise, it looked really really yummy! It taste yummy too actually. :)

Here are the simple decor that I DIY earlier, just put them randomly to make the already quaint and pretty venue to look more "baby-friendly". Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the outcome. It matches with the settings of the cafe. Coincidentally, the cafe has also Christmas-y decor which has been put up. It suited the occasion perfectly! 

(6) Games:

Don't forget the games too ya! It makes the baby shower so much more fun and it brings everyone closer together. I've googled for them and came up with 4 simple games; (i) Don't Forget Daddy! (basically it's a game on how well do you know the Daddy), (ii) Finish up the Nursery Rhymes, (iii) Baby Animals, and (iv) Baby Shower Charades. All of the games threw us into fits of giggles. :)

Nursery Rhyme  -Failed!

Baby Animals - Failed!

And there is the 101 guideline on how to plan for a baby shower.
Good job Geri! *pats self at the back*

The Group *hugs*

Love;
Mrs Lee

Review: TVB Series - Curse of the Royal Harem

Disclaimer: All pictures and videos are from TVB.

This is another highly-acclaimed star-studded show which is much highly anticipated. Again, as with all "highly recommended" shows, this one failed to impress. Was kinda disappointed cos was so looking forward to this series. Anyway, here is the official site.

The plot is pretty typical of your concubine/empress trying to fight for a position of power in the palace - except that in this series, the emperor is a wuss (will get to that later).

The Cast:

I particularly like Myolie Wu Hang Yi (as the Empress aka Yuen Yuen), Nancy Wu Ding Yan (as the miang handmaiden who eventually became the concubine aka Lai Wah), and Joel Chan Shan-Chung (as Prince Sui aka Min Yan).

Sunny Chan Kam Hung aka the wuss Emperor. Maybe the script dictated that he has to act wussy I guess. But the character sucks! As an emperor of a nation, how can he be dictated by 3 women (namely the empress, the concubine, and his step-mother)?? And his acting was mediocre *yawns* 

Myolie Wu aka the Empress aka Yuen Yuen. She so deserved the TVB Best Actress Awards! Her performance was stellar, over-the-top, and simple fabulous!!! She started off as a crazy manipulative empress to a damn kesihan down-graded concubine. I love her crying scenes! It was so convincing you can almost feel her emotions. She has improved so much as an actress. Two thumbs up!!

Nancy Wu aka the scheming handmaiden who was taken in as a concubine by the wuss emperor. Typically, Nancy Wu has the tendency to portray a miang woman who like to snatch away other people's husband. And snatched she did. Her acting really did improve tremendously. Particularly love her ruthlessness and her selfishness as Lai Wah.

Jessica Hsuan aka the Royal Concubine (i.e. one level below the empress) aka the-one-who-wears-the-pants-in-the-relationship aka Niuhuru Yee Lan. Honestly, she was a disappointment. As a veteran actress, her skills pale so much in comparison with Myolie Wu. She was suppose to be the villain in this series - she failed. Her role is very much hyped up because it will be one of those rare moments that she actually takes on a villain role. At some point in the series, she began to become quite annoying. She was wrongly cast. Period.

Joel Chan aka the manly Prince Sui aka Momma's Boy aka Min Yan. Ever since, he started dating Florinda Ho (Stanley Ho's daughter), he has been given quite a number of supporting roles. Talk about pulling strings, eh? :p Truth is, in the beginning he gets on your nerves... but as you go along the series, he is not too bad an actor. Quite monotonous at times... but bearable.

Excerpts Not Worth Mentioning:

(may contained spoiler)

Nothing! Except for the wuss Emperor who gets on your nerves because he is being controlled by women.

And maybe the part where the manly Prince Sui ber-scandal with the Empress in the cave so that she can be impregnated in hopes of cheating the Emperor that the baby is his. Oh sneaky sneaky... merampas own brother's wife. Heh~

The Ending:

(may contained spoiler)

Typical with ALL MOST TVB endings, it sucked. Because there is no ending at all. Hate series that don't have an ending (what's the point of filming in the first place?). Apart from that though, I didn't expect Yuen Yuen to commit suicide and die together with Prince Sui.

All in, the series is only so-so. Too hyped up. Wonder why when TVB has a series that consists of fantastic line-up of actors/actresses, the storyline is usually sucky? And here is the ending theme song sung by Myolie Wu.

The TVB Series Addict;
Mrs Lee

Review: Whipping My Ass Back in Shape @ Curves Bukit Damansara

I've signed up with Curves Bukit Damansara at the end of November. Yeah ... I hope this is not a hangat-hangat thingy. And yup ... I have stopped going for Jazzercise because I don't see the result as fast as I would like to. And also I find the people there has its own clique so naturally you almost feel like an outcast. Very uncomfortable.

I was googling for other gyms/fitness centers which I could joined and I came across Curves. What I like about them is that:

1. It is a women only gym.
2. They have a branch near my workplace.
3. Each workout only takes 30 minutes.
4. Reasonable fees.
5. Flexible - encourage to work out at least 3 times a week.
6. I'ts almost like a private session each time.
7. There are no cliques. Everyone is friendly.
8. They monitor your heart rate.
9. Every month measurement is taken to monitor your progress.

I especially love their concept of a circuit training - where you have alternate machines and "rest planks" in between. It is a total body workout in that 30 minutes! From your flabby arms, to your flabby tummy, to your flabby thighs. It is awesome!!! You finish off with a stretching session.

So far I've enjoyed my session thoroughly and I hope by my next measurement there will be some progress. *fingers cross* I wanna get back in shape like I was a year back, when I was still very active doing Body Combat in gym.

I hate it now that I don't have toned arms, upper abs, small tummy, not-so-big thunder thighs and ass. I hate it that I can't fit nicely into my clothes. And above all, I hate it that I am being teased fat.

Please disregard the lala hair colour. This was me a year back.

This was me 2 years back.

Don't worry! I am not about to sit down on my fat ass and whine and bitch about the situation. I am determined to do something about it. Watch out! The old me is coming back SOON! :D

Love;
A VERY Determined Mrs Lee

The Ugly Duckling

The Ugly Duckling that everybody kutuk

When I was much younger (read: primary school), I was the ugly duckling amongst my schoolmates. Why? Because I look like Ugly Betty with my nerdy plastic-framed glasses and above all, I walk funny ... like a duck. When I walk, both my feet will point inwards. Those "friends" of mine would purposely call out my name and make me walk towards them, and then they snickered behind my back in front of me. Yes, kids can be cruel too!

At that stage, even my parents was puzzled as to why am I walking like that. At one point, they were even seriously contemplating to either send me for ballet or those model-catwalk classes they should have cause I may have become a model by now because at that time, they thought that it was my bad posture which caused me to walk like a duck.

It wasn't until much later in my college/university years that I found out the actual reason of me walking like that - I have bunion on both my feet. Bunion is the bone that protrudes out from the side of your big toe. It causes the toes to constrict together looking like a fan (yes I know .. very strange metaphor I'm using). Bunion will usually cause flat feet as well. Because of the bunion, when I walk it tends to point inwards - like flippers. Common sense la, since all the toes points inward like a fan. Also, I tend to trip on my own feet. Weird I know 0_o

I think my bunion is bigger than this

This disorder was caused genetically. We didn't see a doctor specifically to check out the condition, it was so-happened that I was at Kuala Lumpur Sports Medicine Centre (KLSMC) to check-up on my spinal cord (will come to that later) that the doctor pointed out to my condition. The bunion doesn't cause me any physical pain .. just that aesthetically it doesn't look too pretty and of course naturally I have a hard time looking for shoes/heels as the bunion tend to "be in the way".

Now you know how it looks like

According to Dr. Low Tze Choong (highly recommended!) who specialises in foot and ankle problems, he recommends that I go for a micro-surgery to correct the problem. Thereafter, I would need to wear this ugly special sandal for 6 months during the recovery. Of course being the wuss that I am on all things hospitals and surgeries, I have been delaying for years. Heh~



Dr. Lee Tze Choong

Back to why I was at KLSMC in the first place, aside from my duckling feet, I also hunch very bad. Yes, bad posture yada~ yada ~ I look sloppy yada~ yada~ ... I've heard it all. And at one point in time, I really did try to be cautious of my posture. Making sure that I stand and sit straight all the time. But everytime when I do that, my back tends to be quite sore (almost like a backache). I couldn't understand why that I find hunching relaxes my back. My parents couldn't either they thought I was talking cock.

Hunchback of Notre Dame

This all changed when one of those random days I followed my parents to the physiotherapist and she pointed out that my back is crooked. And I was like huh?! o_O. It didn't occur to me at all that I have a crooked back. And that is the cause of why I hunch so bad all these while. I promptly went for an X-Ray and voila~ I have Scoliosis. Scoliosis causes your spine to curve. This condition was also inborn and I have no idea why I so suey kena. 

And then it all fell into place, no wonder when I wear bra or spaghetti strap, the strap on my left always fall to my shoulders - it is because of the curve of the spine, which causes my shoulders to slouch to the left, which causes my left leg to be shorter than my right leg. This is also the reason why my right heels always wear off faster than my left!  

A normal straight back vs. the curve back

That was went we were recommended to see a chiropractor. I was a patient of Kiropraktis in Subang for a period of time until I've got too lazy to go under the charming and hensem Dr. Andre Abader who is a fair Muslim South African. Did I mention that he is cute? :)

He told me that the reason why I hunch is because my body is doing what is natural i.e. to support the curvature of my spine. There is no cure for Scoliosis unfortunately, however the damage can be controlled by visiting the chiropractor regularly and to wear the special insole (of which I also malas wanna wear already) which will help align your back. Nowadays, I have been reading the papers and apparently there is a special brace too to support your spine.

A female Scoliosis patient will have problem with pregnancy. Why? Because when you are carrying a baby, there is additional weight so it could cause backache. Also, it could be harder for us to deliver (read: more painful) as the pelvic bone is lopsided. Well, looks like I would need to contact my gynea when the time comes for me to conceive then. :) And I trust God that everything will be fine.

The cute Dr. Andre. This picture doesn't do him justice!

So now you know why am I the hunchbacked-duckling. Now that I have gained knowledge on my so-called "defects", I have learned to embrace my differences.

Love;

The-Not-So-Ugly-Duckling :)

Christmas Came Early :)

Bear surprised me with an early Christmas present this year. It was a very sweet and unsuspecting gesture from him. Didn't expect anything expensive from him at all simply because we have spent a bit on travelling this year. Nevertheless, it was still a very nice move by him. :)

This year he bought me a Frederique Constant leather strap watch. Actually, I kinda knew he was up to something when he kept WhatsApp~ing me pictures of ladies watches and asking me opinion about them.

What do you think of the present?
Simple and nice, just how I like it. :) 

Love;
Mrs Lee

Exhibit A : Malaysians Seeing Snow for the First Time

 Yes, for jakun people like us who experienced snow for the first time ... we WENT NUTS !!!!!!!!

Take One : The boys behind are up to no good!!

Take 2 : Ready!!!!!!

Take 3 : WHACK THE SNOWBALLS !!!!!

We rolled. We kicked. We threw snowballs.Some of us even went topless just for the fun of it!It was such an awesome experience :)

Mr Incredible trying to prove a point

WHACK! Couldn't resist not throwing snowballs at him :)

We also took the opportunity to go snow-tubing. Basically sitting in a tube and sliiiddddiinnggg down an iced-slope. Fun fun fun~! It's like Sunway Lagoon in a winter country. And instead of water, it's ice! Woo~! Macam-macam style we tried ... from Superman, to backwards, to Choo-Choo Train. We were like kids! :D

Getting ready to snow-tube for the first time :)

Superman!

Choo-Choo Train!

My next wish is to visit a country with falling snow on snow-covered streets with Christmas decor and music playing from shops and houses. :)

Love;
Mrs Lee