Watson's Rilakkuma Promotion

I want this! The Watson's Christmas promotion with Rilakkuma merchandise is a big hit!It runs from 18th November to 2nd January next year but already stock is running low!

As stated on the poster, as long as you purchase RM10 and above at Watson's you get to purchase a gift item at RM9.90. Of course the claim is that the normal price is RM19.90 but we all know that the cost price is probably less than RM5.

Nevertheless, i want it!Specifically i want the fleece blanket!

I was in Ipoh over the weekend and i possibly went to the only TWO Watson's in Ipoh and in both outlets the fleece blanket were sold out! They told me new stock will be coming in maybe next week. Ha ha anyway I'll probably be purchasing this in KL or Jb or Singapore (same promotion but slightly more expensive at S$4.90).It's 115x70 cm and comes in two pretty designs.

Can anyone tell me if the quality is any good?

Read this blog that the vacuum mugs were a big mistake.

But i think it's meant for cold drinks and not hot drinks. She probably did not read the instructions properly though. It's plastic for goodness sake.

I love cheap thrills!

Jay Chou 'The Era 2011 World Tour' sales

Compared to Singapore, the tickets were not sold out in 2 hours but the frenzy was equally as crazy! As indicated in the previous post, there are various ways to purchase the ticket. The official launch was at KL Sogo where the first 1500 people can buy the tickets at 10% off the normal price. The easier option of course is to buy online or just hop over to a Speedy outlet to purchase the tickets. VVIP tickets could not be purchased online so you either have to go to Speedy or line up in front of Sogo. And many people opted for the latter option.

This video shows how crazy it was over there.

Damn long la the lines and it was snaking to the roads too!

My hubby and i were contemplating whether to buy tickets online. The online system was jammed and many people were unable to enter the site normally. Luckily we found an alternative way to enter the site and managed to purchase the tickets quite easily. The site only got easier to access at around 1.30pm. By then many of the good seats have been taken up.

Meanwhile my friend Nicole was lining up in Sogo since 9am and only got her tickets at 1 something! Luckily she went early though. I was on my way to Ipoh that day at 2pm when news came that it was raining in KL! The poor fans have to brave slow lines, long hours, no seats and now rain?! All for Jay Chou!

Jay Chou has really managed to appeal to a vast audience regardless of gender, age or race. My friend is getting tickets for her mom (so modern right?) and i see a few Malay girls in the video queuing up at Sogo too!

This better be a damn good concert!

Jay Chou Concert 2011 Malaysia

Update: Concert experience part 1 and part 2. 

Yes, he's coming and we definitely want to be part of the concert of the year. By 'we' i mean my hubby and I. He did not use to listen to mandopop but somehow Jay Chou's musical genius got him intrigued.

And by a stroke of luck, citibank, and my hubby's computer skills, we managed to secure two VIP tickets in the 4th row at 10% off. Woo hoo.. contemplated to buy more and sell it to cover the tickets but guilt got into the way of business savvy.

Anyway here's the concert info so far.

Jay Chou The Era 2011 World Tour (but of course we know he already finished touring rest of the world in 2010 and decided to schedule good old Malaysia in 2011) at Putra Indoor Stadium. Thanks God it's Putra cos its indoor (bring it on rain), air conditioned (no sweat pls?) and rather small and private compared to the silly Bukit Jalil stadium (went for a Sun Yan Zi concert way back and the venue sucks).

Seating plan.

Prices:

Rock: RM 760
VVIP: RM 700 (row 1-5) , RM600 (row 6 onwards)
VIP:RM 480
PS1:RM 330
PS2:RM 230
PS3:RM 130

5% discount if you buy it online today
10% discount if you but it at the SOGO launch today starting at 11 am
(Discounts only valid for first 1500 tickets)

For a more complete price list visit ticket charge site here.

When i bought the tickets yesterday it looks like many seats for the 5th of March have been sold out.I guess the fanclub Myjaysians have all but booked the rock and VVIP zones.You could actually pre-order tickets from them before the official ticket launch! Ish.. should have done that.

Your best bet of getting a ticket today is:

1: Lining up at Sogo. My friend Nicole is there and the queue at 9 am was already long.
2: Lining up at Speedy. Here are the list of stores.They can actually print the tickets out there and then for you.
3. In the meantime ask your friend to start calling ticket charge. Phone number: 03-92228811 (but it's open 12-6pm on Saturday but ticket launch starts at 11am? hmm..
4. While lining up try to buy online. But be warned the ticket charge website seems to be a let down. Many people were unable to access the site to buy the tickets yesterday when it was open to citibank card members.Even the 'buy tickets' link is not up.Here's the site anyway.They can courier the tickets to you.

Good luck everyone! Hope everyone gets a ticket!

Even more Daiso stuff

As you can probably tell if you've been reading my blog, i go to Daiso every chance i get. What can i say? I love low priced Japanese designed/ conceptualized (but probably made somewhere else like China) products.

And here are two separate mini hauls.

One Utama Daiso buy.

1) Caramel corn in maple syrup (i actually bought the butter/honey version as well but had already eaten it in the cinema)
2) Double eye lid stickers
3) Zip lock bag
4) Clam flavoured miso paste
5) Mentaiko rice garnish

Sunway Pyramid Daiso buy

1) Silicon baking moulds ( do you know how hard it is to find moulds of this kind in Slim River?)
2) Rice flour to make mochi
3) Pack of two dish cloths
4) Perfect sized oil blotter refills for my Samantha Tiara oil blotter case. See here.
5) Wet wax sheet? Ok i seriously thought i bought wet floor wipes. But then realizes after buying it had wax on them. Not really sure if i can use it here. Looks like it's for wooden flooring.

I really love Daiso.

Voce with Paul & Joe notebook

I couldn't believe my eyes when i saw a magazine with a substantially worth it freebie at Popular bookstore of all places. No it can't be. There must be a catch. Very suspicious.

It was the September issue of Voce (Taiwan/HK) and it comes with a hardcover Paul & Joe notebook. Or so that's what it says on the cover. I remember reading it on Rouge Deluxe a couple of months back and how she finally managed to track it down in Page One Singapore.

So you can't blame me for not believing my eyes when such a hot freebie should appear on Malaysian shores in Popular bookstore of all places with a sweet price of RM8.80. Granted it is an outdated copy. But let's not kid myself i don't buy the magazines to read.

So this is the magazine wrapped in plastic indicating there might actually be some gift inside.

Then i inspected every magazine (there were about 5)  and every one of them had a breach at the bottom of the plastic covering..indicating all the notebooks have been taken out. But then i notice the all important sticker "collect free gift at Chinese department".

I was all set to buy it!

But,husband said, 'Sure you don't want to check at the Chinese counter first?"

So i checked and became kiasu auntie type.

Anyway of course the freebies are there. It's written on the magazine right?

Gorgeous hardcover notebook with elastic band to keep it closed.

And every page is printed with Paul & Joe flower motifs.

Unexpected find indeed. I bought it at Sunway Pyramid Popular boookstore, but i was at Ipoh today (why i travel so much?) and i saw many copies in Kinta City Popular bookstore too. So i guess it is available at every Popular Bookstore.

January issues of Japanese Mags

Here are some others worth watching for.

Can cam comes with Loccitane  Rose body cream sachet 8mls (tiny) and 40cm x 40cm scarf/handkerchief.Picture from Cancam official website.

Biteki comes with a Maybelline 2011 diary and a Jino pouch and Aminoceutical cream.

Minna comes with a floral Isbit 2011 diary.

And Kate Spade 2011 calender (looks good) and mouse pad with Baila January issue.

Non-no with 2 way (u can use the strap 2 ways, long and short) Milkfed bag.

Spur comes with a small vial of Chloe Love perfume and Laduree (yums the macaroon makers) calender. Tempted to get this just for the Laduree calender..

Picture from Spur magazine official website.

Omg macaroons on calenders.. i like..

January issues of Japanese Magazines

It seems contrary to my belief there will not be many January issues of Japanese magazines packed with calenders. I still remember how much i loved my 2010 Rilakkuma calender here.

Here are some of the upcoming January issue freebies.

Glow comes with a gorgeous lacey Helena Rubinstein make up pouch.

As promised something for the guys. A Bape x Stussy tote  bag with Smart magazine. Hmm.. will Malaysian guys actually carry this? And just in case you're wondering .. no its not two bags. The picture illustrates the back and front of the bag.

Liniere comes with a Conges Payes reversible tote bag.Dimensions are as shown on picture.

And last buy not least a Flower make up pouch measuring 21.5cm x 12 x 5 cm in the January issue of Spring.

Sushi making

The other day, me and my girl/ neighbour/ colleague decided to get together to make some sushi all thanks to her husband's not too subtle hints. (He bought a sushi making kit!)

If you remember  i've tried making sushi and onigiri before. I even wrote a guide on it here  and boasted about it here.

But this is the first time getting together with a friend to make sushi., and boy was it fun! Even though we took about 2 hours.

You can read about our efforts here in her blog.

Me, i'm just here to show you my artsy photos.All shot on I-phone.

We just anyhow 'hantam' and ended up with unagi and crabstick sushi with some tamago and cucumber rolls.

JH's favourite inari.. which was really easy to do.. he did it all himself.. *proud*. Just buy pre-made inari skin and stuff with sushi rice.

Last but not least we made some yummy crabstick mayo sushi, and random sushi rolls some of which was covered generously with ebiko. 

If you want to do this yourself and do not have a sushi making kit to guide you, here's a video i found which was really fun to watch and teaches a bit about the fundamentals of making sushi rice (of course i omited the sesame seeds and ginger.. yuck) and tamago (rolled omelette).

Ha ha and it's called cooking with the dog.

And our efforts were yummy delicious! Don't forget to buy wasabi and soy sauce cos it just won't be the same without bacteria busting wasabi.

On an entirely different note, i just got myself a Japanese inspired hair cut which was actually just a rehash of a haircut of my 7 year old self.

 

Great to cover pimples and wrinkles... i know i know what a weird combo.They say that if you have pimples you won't wrinkle easily as your skin is full of sebum? What crap.. it is not true at all.What's important is the elasticity of your skin and bird-like eater me probably does not have enough colagen in her body. Oh well... will try to eat more

Majolica Majorca Majoromantica review

Phew what a mouthful. Majolica majorca's latest range 'Fall in girl' only comes with 3 products. A perfume, a mascara and a nail polish all themed red. Not so interested in the other two but if you wanna see what it looks like hop on over to the official Japanese website here.

I went for the perfume, even though i'm someone who does not really use perfume much. It's not that i don't like perfume. It's just that for the past 5 years, that boyfriend (now husband) of mine sneezes with utmost fervor should he chance upon even a whiff of perfume.Not someone who gives up, i decided to but this perfume even though there was no tester available in Watson's. No tester and you expecet me to buy perfume based on what? The box??

Luckily i had done my research and after mainly good reviews and comment that it was not as strong and allergy inducing as normal perfumes.

So i bought it without testing.

First though i have to show you stills from the official website. The dream-like sequences and visuals never cease to intrigue me.

Blood red.. more Halloween than Christmas me thinks.

Packaging is cute as usual.

Thankfully some English translation.

Yup ..super sweet seductive elixir. Ben couldn't help making fun of this.

Ingredients just say - fragrance. But what fragrance? Banana?

Judging from the  packaging, i think berries and roses.

Thankfully there are some people in this world who are well versed in both Japanese and English to help mere mortals like me to understand the product better.

This is the scent description from one of the blogs I'm currently addicted to, A dream of Tokyo.

Top notes トップノートが
Berry,citrusy fruity aroma
ベリー系、柑橘系のジューシーでフルーティーな香り

Middle notes ミドルノートが
Rose fragrance and Floral scents
ローズなどのフローラルスイートな香り

Last notes ラストノートが
Sweet and mysterious smell of sandalwood and vanilla
バニラやサンダルウッドのスイートでミステリアスな香り

Update: A more detailed list of the majoromantica scents from Andy Lee's blog.

Top Notes: Fruity (Juneberry, strawberry, raspberry, pomegranate, apple, fig, mangosteen, bergamot, lemon, mandarin)

Middle notes: Floral Sweet (Rose, sweet pea, jasmine, muguet, gardenia)

Base notes: Sweet and Mysterious (Vanilla, maple, brown sugar, sandal wood, amber, musk)

I could not make a head or tail out of this when i first read it. Why so many scents? I still do not have any idea how this scent would turn out. Sounds like a  really strong and heavy scent to me.

So i had to turn to trusty Wikipedia.

"Perfume is described in a musical metaphor as having three sets of notes, making the harmonious scent accord. The notes unfold over time, with the immediate impression of the top note leading to the deeper middle notes, and the base notes gradually appearing as the final stage. These notes are created carefully with knowledge of the evaporation process of the perfume.

• Top notes: The scents that are perceived immediately on application of a perfume. Top notes consist of small, light molecules that evaporate quickly. They form a person's initial impression of a perfume and thus are very important in the selling of a perfume. Also called the head notes.
• Middle notes: The scent of a perfume that emerges just prior to when the top notes dissipate. The middle note compounds form the "heart" or main body of a perfume and act to mask the often unpleasant initial impression of base notes, which become more pleasant with time. They are also called the heart notes.
• Base notes: The scent of a perfume that appears close to the departure of the middle notes. The base and middle notes together are the main theme of a perfume. Base notes bring depth and solidity to a perfume. Compounds of this class of scents are typically rich and "deep" and are usually not perceived until 30 minutes after application.

The scents in the top and middle notes are influenced by the base notes, as well the scents of the base notes will be altered by the type of fragrance materials used as middle notes. Manufacturers of perfumes usually publish perfume notes and typically they present it as fragrance pyramid, with the components listed in imaginative and abstract terms."

It then made a lot more sense. However by then, i had already bought the parfum.

Packaging: Like a vial of blood. Come with an applicator stick. Don't worry the perfume is not red and it won't stain your skin. It's just the bottle that's red.

Cute emblem on top similar to the one on it's mascaras.

Price: RM 59.90

How to use: Dab on perfume with applicator stick on pressure points : wrist, behind ears, behind knees etc..there are so many places where you can feel your arterial pulse. Don't limit yourself. Of course i would NOT suggest that you dab it on to ALL your pressure points.

The scent: As the description suggests. Initially all i felt was that the scent was really sweet and quite strong too. But that was probably because i was sniffing with my nose practically to my wrist.After a more through sniff test, i found that initial fresh berry scents were detected. After a few minutes i detect floral scents which finally settle down to a vanilla muffin sort of fragrance.

Though i didn't know what to expect initially, i did have high hopes for this fragrance.

It's not breathtakingly spectacular but it's a pleasant scent that you can use daily. It's not overpowering as you can easily control the amount you dab on with the applicator.It does not last really long and i found myself reapplying it after 3-4 hours.Yet it is very convenient should you need to top up the scent.

Should you buy this: Why not? It's fun, flirty and sweet.

Disclaimer: I am someone who thinks Clinique Happy and Estee Lauder's Pleasures was the best fragrance ever and have yet to find something else that compares.

Yet another Daiso haul

It's addictive i tell you. Every time i see the shop i have to go in. And when i go in, i have to buy stuff. And thus, here are my buys..

Bonito flakes, caramel corn (had to see what all the fuss was about.. not bad.. sweet corn snack.. very crunchy), eye lash curler, eye lashes, hair curler, wasabi and nail art jewels.

Close up of the nail art jewels.

I'm so loving half lashes, cos it looks more natural, as natural as fake lashes can look anyway.

Cute aluminum foil (these Japanese think of everything) , blusher and eye shadow.

I usually do not buy cosmetic from Daiso but i was desperate (going for a wedding but forgot to pack blusher and eye shadow), so i just grabbed what i could get.

The blusher was a nice shade but the brush was a wee bit rough. Ingredient include talc and methylparaben, so many not appeal to many.

The gradient eye shadow was avtually a refill with explains the lack of a proper cover. I'm still keeping it in the paper packaging.The colour is not pigmented enough and hardly shows.

Product description.

I must resist..

Japanese Magizines and mooks

These should be out soon if not already.

 

Lafaret Harajuku 2010 A/W comes with a 3 way convertible Topshop bag in polka dot prints similar to their make-up line packaging.

Gelato Pique has come up with another mook. This time it is the winter collection which comes with a bucket bag. These people are really good in diversifying the gwp's.

My only grouse is it has no zipper! A bucket bag with no zipper will only mean things are gonna fall out!

Random photos

OK still too depressed to blog properly so just gonna post some random pictures from my phone.

This is a plant with flowers that looks like a tiny birds facing each other.. cute!

Rainbow from the plane.. can you see it ? can you see it?

One of my daiso loves! MIso soup paste in a variety of flavours and i tell you the ones with clams on the packaging are the best miso ever! Even better than the plain old ones they serve in sushi joints.

Crepe place in The curve. The simulated crepes look so much better than the real thing.The real thing looks like shit and only tastes so-so.. waste my money.

My favourite breakfast in the whole world! These are the best nasi goreng and mee kasar ever andi insist on having it everyday when i'm back in JB.

Lovely kain batik my pal helped me buy from Indonesia. Much loves.

We recently went to Singapore and i decided to only use my Hipstamatic app on my i-phone to capture something different for the mini holiday.

My young looking hubby. Can't seem to stay angry at him for long.He is anyway younger than me but somehow seems to be wiser.. hmm..

And this is me!

And this is me .. with Takeshi Kaneshiro.. i know i know looks so noob. but i love the man.

So we were at this Spanish restaurant in Vivocity.

And ate asparagus wrapped with bacon..

Foie gras , potatoes and a fish which by then i had lost the attention to take picture of.

And we saw some afro dudes..

.. doing some nifty moves to plug a store..

Canmake creamcheek is really good but do make sure you buy a darker shade of pink cos i made the mistake of buying a lighter shade of pink (after i had bought a dark pink for my mom) and it makes me look weird.Like i have patches of discolouration on my cheek.

Newly bought sunflower plant which explains the blooms.

Another flower/orchid? in my house.

That's all for random post today.

Sushi post coming up next.