Happy New Year 2012

Happy New Year everyone!

I'm someone who always counts her blessings and I spent a good part of 2011 thanking God for all the good people in my life as well as the abundance of happiness I encounter everyday.

Here's what I have been thankful for in 2011.

1. Good year for those in the year of the Dog according to my yearly Chinese zodiac reading! Yeah! That set the trend for the year.

2. Singapore tv reception in Malacca. I don't have to forgo my yearly tradition of watching Channel 8's yearly lunar new year special after all.

3. Hubby accompanied me all the way to Kota Bahru for my entrance exam for masters. Feel extremely blessed.

4. Got pass the entrance exam and accepted into the masters program despite only having experience in Paediatrics as an MO.

5. No more sleepless nights.

6. Despite being separated from hubby, managed to see him every weekend.

7. Having no friends at the start of the new semester, I now have fiends some of which I can trust and rely on.

8. Had a great Christmas with family and only my third karaoke session to date.

9. Won a few contests and made many friends from blogging.Collected two cheques from Nuffnang which is always sweet.

10. Being healthy for most parts of 2011...

.... But towards the end of 2011 my luck seems to be running out. I just realized I'm not as healthy as I used to be.

Anyway, you win some you lose some.

I hope the year 2012 will bring improved health,wealth and happiness!

Happy New Year everyone! Time for resolutions!

KKBOX with free Sport B necklace

This magazine is a backdated issue which only somehow managed to reach Malaysian shores in December. No matter though since the real draw is the Sport B necklace that comes with the magazine. I bought this at mynews.com KLCC branch. Did not see it at some of the other branches i went to though.

Rainie is on the cover since the issue coincided with her album launch.

The Sport B. necklace for the Asian Music Festival packaged in a clear holder.

The necklace is of a substantial lenght. I'm not sure what it's made of but it's definitely not smelly brass.

This was apparently sold out in Singapore, but how come there are so many copies available her 2 months later? Hmmm..

Anyway the magazine only costs RM6.50 so look out for it if you happen to be at a mynews.com store. It's an agnes B. subsidiary after all.

More Japanese Magazines out pretty soon

As usual before,you can even sit down to rest, another batch of Japanese magazines are out in stores. Here are the February issue Japanese freebies.Sorry more pictures and less words this time. I'm sleepy after a rather taxing study day, and i have more to study later too.The only thing i can think of now though, is what shall i have for dinner?

Steady February issue with Coach mirror and handkerchief.

Glow comes with a tote bag.

Cutie comes with a Cecil McBee tote.

InRed February come with a gorgeous Tsumori Chisato make up pouch.

Liniere comes with a Nest Robe card case.

Spring February issue comes with a fluffy tote. Puppy not included.

Johor Premium Outlets - Is it worth going?

After all the hype and anticipation, i finally made my way  to the  newly opened  Johor Premium Outlets! I actually visited the outlets a day before official opening day and it was already packed with people with almost all outlets open. A list of shops available is written on my previous blog post.

I dragged my brother along for good measure.

I was all ready to buy designer goods at a fraction of the price, with the sole target being Coach (whose unreasonable prices in Malaysia compared to US is atrocious) and maybe Burberry.

The complaints from Singaporeans about signage is very true! We drove from JB and got a little lost due to the lack of signs, so do google maps before you go. If all else fails head towards Foon Yew High School in Kulaijaya (do not be confused with the Foon Yew High School at Stulang Laut JB).

The roads leading in to the place was congested but parking areas were abundant! Go figure. There were loads of tour groups and buses too.

The first thing i did was to go to the bank located there and withdraw some ammunition.

It was a moderately sunny day when i got there, but there was enough shade and fans around to keep me cool. Not the case though for my KL born and bred husband who found it too hot and congested with people. Perhaps the prospect of shopping helped me overlook all that but i did not feel hot at all.

The layout and architecture is gorgeous, a replica of outlet stores around the world.

As you can see loads of shade and fans.

I seldom see people carrying branded bags in JB but at the JPO there were loads of them, not in stores but on every lady's arm. The palm trees and mini pool added a nice touch.

But obviously you have no interest in how beautiful the place is. You want to know how good are the bargains! And how many Coach bags did i buy?

Well the answer is an abysmal ZERO!

The cheapskate auntie in me could not bring myself to shell a couple of hundreds for a bag! I have definitely lost my need for branded bags. I always feel you should have one or two and hopefully last you a very long time. I have three and i'm contented for now.

I used to like Coach bags but since i found out how cheap it was overseas i had moved on to other brands. Plus the bags are gorgeous but a bit too heavy and big for me.

But that didn't stop me from sniffing out whether there are any good bargains to buy. I went in thinking i can snag a nice cheap wristlet.

I was seriously thinking i can get a cheap wristlet at Coach for less than RM100, since i see blogshops selling genuine Coach for RM100-120. They must be making a tidy profit right? So obviously a wristlet should cost less than RM100.

The only thing i could see costing less than RM100 are the puny coin purses. The wristels cost slightly more than 100. The usual price of 200-300 are slashed to 50% off.

The bags, some of which are pretty nice cost from RM800- RM1-2k after discount. In all a good deal compared to the boutiques in KL, but not what you would want to pay if you're not a Coach fan.

The crowd was so big that there was a line going in to Coach and Burberry.

I did not even bother going into Burberry- the line was too long and I had no plans of getting anything from there anyway.

At Nike, Man U jerseys from last season was going at 50% off, which i thought was a good deal but my Man U fanatic brother said he could buy it cheaper from shops in KL.

So as you can imagine i did not buy much.

Guess where cheapskate me ended up shopping at? Vincci (local shoe and accessories shop). And there were bargains aplenty!

Amidst the bustling crowd i bought a pair of flats for RM13.70.

There were so many people ,it was a grab the nearest salesperson, try and pay that kind of thing. Despite the chaos the salespeople were admirably calm.

But my cheapest buy was this!

It's an embellished necklace which is very keeping in trend with the detachable collar craze in Japan.And with this purchase, i realized how crazily overpriced many items are at normal price.

This necklace...

Had a normal price of RM 79 which was discounted to RM2.50 at the outlet store! I had to exclaim loudly.'Are you sure this is for real' only to have a nearby salesgirl nod her head vigorously with a grim look on her face. That is a 97% discount!

I also bought a Shu Uemura oil cleanser at 30% off from the Cosmetics and Fragrance shop.

All in all, if you're from Johor it's worth driving down for a look. If you're from any other state, then i don't think it's worth coming all the way down, unless you have other places you want to go or friends you wan to visit.

For Singaporeans, it's worth a look, but the prices are similar to what is offered during The Great Singapore Sale.

All in all i'm just happy there is a new shopping place in JB.

It's a rainy Christmas!

It's Christmas eve here in Malaysia and a flip of the trusty Chinese type calender revealed this..

Yup it's the celebration that everyone celebrates. It's the season of giving and the season for snow in many parts of the world.

It seems like we're getting snow here too- in the  diluted form.

It's been pouring almost the whole day over here! But that didn't stop me from doing some Christmas shopping, for myself that is! I've settle all my gift buying and wrapping, so the only thing left is to get myself something!

And the house is looking festive too.

Random Christmas cookie from Isetan which tasted great. Unfortunately i ate it already long before Christmas.

Christmas is not all about the presents.

But a tree with loads of presents under it makes me happy!

And the tree was put up and decorated by my mom all on her own! I just came back home to enjoy the tree.

As you can tell i was obsessed with taking pictures of the tree.

Merry Christmas everyone! May the joy of the season be with you throughout the new year!

Ni Hao Ma?- Jay Chou and Show Luo cracks it up

Happy Winter Solstice everyone! My family actually never really celebrated Winter Solstice, and i only picked up the habit of eating 'tang yuen' from my relatives and friends, so much so that it has become a yearly must do for me. Sadly though i made 'tang yuen' for one this year since I'm living alone for most of the weekdays this year (ok technically for two since i gave some to my housemate).

So when i'm alone at times of festivities, i take the opportunity to listen to some emo songs, cos it doesn't work that well when you're always around people, you know what i mean?

And what better emo song than Jay Chou's latest, 'Ni hao ma?' (How are you) complete with emo translated lyrics. Just in case you're in an emo state, have a listen and look at this.

And to get out of the emo state why not also watch a recent episode (also rather rare for Jay Chou to appear in variety shows) of 100% entertainment where Jay and Show face off.All in glorious translated form.

Hope you had a great 'dong zhi'!

Liz Lisa Fukubukuro 2012

Christmas is coming in a few days time and before you know it, it will be the year 2012! New Years is also the time when Fukubukuro's of all shapes and sizes make their way into the market. If you don't know what a Fukubukuro is, read here.

One of the more widely anticipated 'Lucky bag' is the Liz Lisa one.Here's what they have in store for the new year.

Liz Lisa typically produce a variety of Fukubukuro's and unlike many other "lucky bags', they actually let you know what's in the bag (kind of defeats the point since the whole fun is in  the element of surprise, but then again these bags are just too pricey for you to buy and not like). This year there seems to be two lines, the Princess line , one with a trolley suitcase and one with a a princess carry tote as well as a 'cute Ralala' line.( I know, what a name)

The 'Ralala'line is a bit more funky and quirky, and it too comes with either a trolley or tote.

Have a look!

Princess Ribbon Carry- I feel a little embarrassed typing this. Yup you can be 30 years old and want to carry a 'princess ribbon carry' suitcase. The suitcase looks a lot like the one they sold last year and the year before, so this line must have sold extremely well. I imagine a lot of girls have this in Japan.

The apparel that comes with the fukubukuro.

They have also thoughtfully provided a blanket to warm yourself during your travels.

But guess what, this set costs a whooping RM433.74 or 10,500 yen!Do not underestimate princessy clothes!

The next fukubukuro in the line is called Princess Ribbon Boston which comes in an all-white bag. Very winter.Also cheaper at RM216.87.

As mentioned earlier, in case you're not the type of girl that does 'princessy' looks, do not fear since Liz Lisa has thoughtfully produced a 'Cute Ralala' line. Though i must say this looks even more juvenile.Perhaps this is aimed at teenagers.

This one also costs RM216.89.

The bag reminds me so much of the HbG tote i got with a magazine.

This is the 'Carry' range.Price RM433.74.

The price seriously scares me. But if you're still not scared (brave one you are!*claps claps salute*), then you can have a look at this!

You can have the whole Princess range for RM650.61 or 15750 yen!

Happy Fukubukuro shopping! Pictures all courtesy of this site.

iPhotography

I have accumulated quite a number of random and in my opinion rather print worthy pieces.

Here are some pictures taken and edited on my iPhone and also a reflection on what I've been seeing in my daily life.

First up, deformed macaroon- but it tasted nice so..don't judge a book by it's cover, but then again macaroons are all about the look aren't they?

One of my cheap thrill buys, a rose gold coloured  ribbon ring at 50% off at Vincci = RM10 *happiness*

Another one of my cheap thrill buys, a detachable collar of sorts.

Random bear in my cousin-in-laws place. I like looking at stuffed animals but i can't stand dust so i don't really buy any for myself.This one is super cute and friendly though.Paddington bear if I'm not mistaken

And speaking of cheap thrill buys, this one is a freebie buy. I bought this for the darling vintage packaging as well as..

.. the free vintage magnets at the back. Seriously i would have been happy with just one magnet! 

I'm so sleepy yet i have so much to do! Gotta go cook dinner now *healthy*!

Japanese Magazines in Kinokuniya KLCC December 2011

I have not done this for a while now, so here's what's at the Japanese magazine section in Kinokuniya KLCC as of Friday.

There was one last copy of Sweet December 2011 with the Lesportsac multicase left on the shelf. I was hopping to see the November Vivi with the Murua collar, but that was just wishful; thinking.

The last issue of Sweet.

I was surprised to also see the January issue of With magazine with the Coach freebies still on the shelves. Also one copy left.

These are the latest magazines in store.

As it's Christmas time, Kinokuniya is having a Readers Rhapsody promotion where selected mooks are at 30% off. Here are some i managed to take pictures of.

Old mooks.(Sorry for the shaky picture)

Rather new mooks.

On a separate note, the Kinokuniya magazine promotion going on now is a free metal photo frame by Winko which purportedly costs RM159 (seriously?) with purchase of Malaysian Tatler and Tatler Homes (both for RM 35). Hmm.. i guess if you're rich enough to buy an RM159 photo frame, you wouldn't need to buy magazines for the freebies?

Over at the Chinese magazine department, I'm surprised to see the latest Chinese Agnes B mook, unfortunately it's the one with an ugly tote.. well, glad that Kinokuniya KLCC is starting to bring in Chinese mooks anyway.

On the magazine aisle, i saw that Bon Voyage magazine comes with a 5 piece Cellabel gift set.

Who would have thought there'd be so many bags , hair and skincare products to 'buy' in a bookstore?