Category Archives: Reviews

Hobonichi Weeks MEGA 2020. Making mine Malaysian-ish

Posted in Books, Good Things, Online Store, Reviews by

As mentioned before , my Hobonichi’s name is HoboMinci regardless of the type of planner I choose to use for the particular year. In 2020, I would be trying the Weeks Mega for the first time and see how it fares compared to my current Cousin Avec. I love that Cousin Avec has the kind of layout I need but in terms of portability, it can be quite a challenge to bring around especially when it’s bulking up. Perhaps Mega Weeks would bring out that more professional look to it as a so called organized person. Duh.

This video is also available on my Youtube channel

As usual, once I receive my hobonichi, I would need to make a few tweaks to it. Most importantly, the public holiday part of it.

I will need to update this calendar once the schedule for school holidays come out
Last year, I used this space to track and plan my blog post here on WordPress. It did not turn out so well. I was not consistent. This year I will be using it to track my studies, classes and courses since I am only getting 1 planner this year.
The monthly spread to jot down birthdays and important events. The space is small. I will have to write in an 8 sized font. LOL.
My emergency contacts!
My 100. I am going to use it to list down my bucket list of various categories. Perhaps a new book, a vacay location, someone famous to meet, or a special event!

Hobonichi also has a few informational pages which looks interesting. Only, I haven’t learn the language. MAYBE just maybe I would try to pick up on it since my friends in school could read, write and speak it in just 2 years. I took Arabic instead of Japanese during that time. Those who chose the Japanese language had really fun lessons and sensei! We, the ‘Arabs’ and ‘French’ were terribly jealous. Haih.. japanese boyfren come translate for me the pages and teach me..

I really hope I got this last page right. The biodata page..

Big Bad Wolf is coming to Melaka soon. It would be a good time to search for language books, coffee table books etc.. perhaps studying Japanese could be on my bucket list next year on top of Mandarin. Until that happens, sayonara for now.

Silka Cheras Hotel

Posted in Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

I attended a conference at PPUKM Cheras recently. I was not familiar with the area and I basically chose my hotel based on what is available on Agoda, the distance to PPUKM and the nearby amenities that my family could enjoy while I was at the conference.

SILKA HOTEL CHERAS seems to fit the bill and I did not find any dodgy facts regarding the hotel. Perhaps it is because not many people blog anymore hence reviews are limited and quite backdated. Well folks, here is something from 2019.

It is a 2 star hotel in a tremendous location. You could get there by highway and public transport. In fact, it is walking distance to Taman Connaught MRT Station. The Cheras Sentral Mall stuck to it however was nearly dead. nyawa nyawa ikan. There are very little shops and it’s probably still alive because there is a functioning Starbucks, TGV, Old Town Kopitiam and Subway. In a way, you could still have a decent meal at these eateries. We had dinner on the 2nd night at Old Town Kopitiam.

I booked my room through Agoda. com. I made a reservation for 3D2N, DELUXE ROOM , Free Wifi, NO breakfast ( the option was not included) for RM572.40 including service tax and fee. Since we managed to reach Cheras from Melaka before 2100H, I was able to book breakfast for RM15/pax. They also have room service if its your thing.

The size of the room was good and clean. The air conditioning however was a bit unstable. Sometimes it gets too warm and the remote does not function well either. Otherwise, at night it’s cool enough to sleep comfortably. There’s hot shower with complimentary shower gel and hair dryer. No toothbrush though so bring your own.

Breakfast was OK. Plenty of carbohydrates, minimal protein. I think eggs, fishcakes and sausages were the few available. Thank God for nasi lemak. There was coffee, tea and one juice option daily. Toast was also available with butter and jam.

Reasonably priced rooms and breakfast package thus makes Silka Cheras a great option for GROUP TOURS for both local and international tourists. So if you are not in a rush, do have your breakfast after 0800am as the cafe will be really packed! The lobby is packed every morning.

If we were coming to KL for a holiday, SILKA would not be my choice of place to stay. But if I am here for business trip without the kids, I would. It is an easy location for Grab drivers to pick you up or if you prefer, head up to the MRT station to move around KL.

September LRP Order & Consistent oiling tips

Posted in doTERRA, Everyday Life by

My lack of updates with regards to using doterra on social media, especially Instagram does not mean I have stopped using it. In fact, I am still on a roll discovering new items to use in my everyday life. I am overly excited for the newer products released at the convention in US recently. My only concern is that, not many of them will be available in Malaysia.

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I hope that at least citronella will make it into the local market and of course its many diffusers. Dah kenapa kedekut sgt nak bawak diffuser yg comel belako tu masuk sini ehh.. The Adaptiv range looks really exclusive though.

In September, the only repeat purchase I have on the list are the Grapefruit (which I am using in my drinks to encourage me to drink more plain water and hopefully curb my appetite) and Peppermint DT. I gave away my previous Peppermint DT roller to my sister since she’s having flu and also work-related stress. It helps to relax and maybe bring down her blood pressure a bit. I am considering to give her the Original Lip Balm as well for a refreshing touch up because of its sizzling, perky, minty effect.

Roman Chamomile has a surprisingly very sweet scent. I have only taken it as tea before so it was pretty difficult for me to imagine it as oil. I anticipate Cedarwood to go well with my citrus selections to diffuse after a tiring day. It smells very masculine. I picked up Correct-X to hopefully keep my blemishes at bay. The bodywash was a must this month to complete my doterra bathroom look. I need OnGuard toothpaste next month. ha ha ha.

TIPS TO BE CONSISTENT IN OILING/ USING ESSENTIAL OILS

  1. Identify your purpose in using the oils. If you are doing doterra solely for business, you will not be able to see the beauty of doterra as a company and as a product. It is a way of life.
  2. Take your oils out of their packages. Display them so you could see them and reach out for it. So that you will learn more about the oils and how to use them effectively. Some advocates have an Oil of the Week sort of thing on top of the regular ones they use.
  3. Start small. Do not aim to straightaway being able to concoct a blend of 5 different oils in a bottle. Explore each oils strength and weakness. Absorb their scent and healing properties. Experiment safely.
  4. Get your family involved. As the more you use them, the more you’re likely to try new things and share with other people the goodness of it.
  5. Follow social media accounts of fellow advocates for ideas, guidance and motivation to use the oils. Furthermore, this keeps you in the circle and in a ‘tribe’. Better still, find advocates in different countries so you can gather alternative ways of utilizing your oils.
  6. Consider a mini project revolving around doterra. I am personally working on my spa-like bathroom hopefully equipped with doterra bath products and such.
  7. Apply on yourself daily. Especially if you are unsure of what to do with it. You cannot be wrong with a small stroke of peppermint on the temples of your head, lavender behind the ears, frankincense in your face serum or lemon at the soles of your feet.
  8. Join online or physical classes related to using doterra products or diy items using these oils. These opportunities allow you to connect with other advocates in your region on top of widening your knowledge regarding the oils.

I hope the new doterra products reach our shores soon. I cannot wait to get my hands on them.

A one night stay at Dorsett Putrajaya

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

I love staycations. Especially when we landed on a bargain for a hotel room or an experience. Last weekend, it was my moms 60th birthday. After the feast I decided to check into DORSETT PUTRAJAYA hotel overnight based on its location near Masjid Besi and the Food Truck Area in Putrajaya.

Hotel parking was adequate. FREE of course. Reception was friendly. Room was spacious. Breakfast was a delight. I love how they give you mug options for your coffee. Cause mom’s ain’t gonna have enough of caffeine in those eeenny meeeenyyy white cuppas. Ee’s breakfast rate was RM25.

I booked a Deluxe Room with balcony for a night through Agoda.com and it was RM210.00 including service tax and fee. My room comes with a nice view, free WIFI, complimentary breakfast for 2, coffee. tea and 2 bottles of drinking water. There is an in room iron with board, hairdryer, bath robes with slippers and alhamdulilah a prayer mat. It’s those little touches that make your stay wonderful.

The bathroom had no bath tub but it was fine. The toiletries were cute. I had to try the shampoo and conditioner. It smelt like Lemongrass.

The hotel has an infinity swimming pool and gym on the top floor. The pool is open from 7AM to 7PM whilst the gym is open for 24 hours. The hotel was initially conjoined with a shopping mall but we noticed that only the main supermarket and a few eateries are open. I am not quite sure what happened to the rest of the business premises. The mall looked haunted. Such a waste of space and facilities. I really hope that Waterfront Hotel in Kuching would not suffer from a similar fate.

The scene outside at the balcony in the night was really really beautiful. I could stare at the mosque all night. We had dinner at the food truck area. The options were alright and they had a sitting area too for you to eat your meals. It’s like an open air foodcourt cuma yg berjualnya guna truck. We had western food – spaghetti aglio olio and carbonara with iced milk tea.

 

I would book a room here again if I had any business going on in Putrajaya. The location is calm. There is not much traffic for a weekend staycation. You could even get involved in healthy activities like walking or cycling.

Upon completion of my stay here, I received an automated email saying that I am now a member of Dorsett Loyalty Rewards programme. This entitles me to exclusive member benefits etc. Will explore on that later.

doTERRA (Malaysia) – beneficial or placebo. Thinking of getting on the LRP?

Posted in doTERRA, Good Things, Reviews by

I have been using doTERRA Touch Peppermint quite a lot recently at work. My intrigued colleague who was sharing the work desk hence asked whether I think essential oils has a therapeutic effect or just a placebo.

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I told him that I believe there is a biochemistry pathway as to how these oils work, only we haven’t got enough research or trials to measure its effectiveness. Which results in us, healthcare professionals not being able to endorse it as having medicinal properties to cure a certain ailment. And as we all know, testimonies are the lowest form of evidence in science although ironically, in modern society, it ranks the highest.

I am convinced of such pathways (existing benefits) because of two scenarios I’ve experienced in my life.

  1. We puke when we smell something putrid. The sense of smell sends signals to the brain causing our body to react accordingly. The free smell of Famous Amos makes you salivate and want a cookie. And maybe the smell of some other substance will make you feel full and not hungry. Hence, diffusing oils makes sense to me.
  2. When a patient has paraquat poisoning, we remove every single clothing from the patient and wash him/her with enough soap and water. We also protect ourselves by wearing appropriate barrier clothing. It is because the poison exerts its effects in such a way that if you have enough paraquat on your skin and is absorbed through the layers, it can shut down the whole bodily system.  Therefore, topical application makes sense to me. I take note on the caution to dilute the oils when used in certain age groups and am keen to understand the layering method. I wish hard to find a class (locally) where I can learn about Aromatouch massage techniques.

I am very particular on which oils I take internally because for me Natural is not always safe. Unless they’re from credible sources. I mean, if you were lost in a jungle, are you confident to eat every single fruit/leaf there just because it’s natural? Tak kan.. so we should use the same approach for oils. Yes, I know that the plants of which we extract the oils from are not alien or less than strange but still, until thorough research is done, as a person trained in medicine and does not wish for my licenses to be revoked, I would really like to know its Therapeutic Index. We will get there one day, doTERRA! I believe in you!

So far, I feel safe ingesting the citrus groups. I have no qualms when it comes to putting a drop of lemon in my tea. Or grapefruit in my drinking water. What more wild orange in my hot chocolate. But I am a bit wary of oils I am not familiar with. So I take a step back, read a bit and make an informed choice. Perhaps later, I will gain confidence to try the others.

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I AM ON THE LOYALTY REWARDS PROGRAMME (LRP)

Next month is my birthday and since I am a member on the Loyalty Rewards Programme (LRP), I cannot wait to redeem my free birthday oil. I hope it is a good one. 10 months into doTERRA, I do feel that it has brought on significant changes to my life. Despite the many perceptions that it is expensive,to me it is a long term investment for ones health. If you know how to manipulate your LRP and purchases, you can actually save a lot over the months and gradually years. Even if you spend less than RM250 per month, or RM50.. on the LRP programme, you can still gather the rewards. 

Take a look at these oils from my personal collection.

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Each oil here cost less than RM100, a few less than RM50. I can actually be on the LRP programme and 50PV worth of oils  monthly to get at least 10% back in product points  from my purchase, which I can collect and redeem within a year to get free oils. The maximum percent I can get back is 30% and that is worth a lot of oils.

1 PV = USD 1. So, if you convert in RM, that’ll be about RM 4? So, here comes the catch.

WHATS THE CATCH? 

  • I must buy something every month. At least just above RM200 to grow my percentage. But if I do not have a budget for that month, I can keep the account active by buying something less than 50PV. Consequently, my points would not ‘mature’ but if say, I am already at a 20% priviledge, at least that is maintained and kept on hold. My previous PV points accrued are also maintained. I get to collect more points and go up my percentage once I begin to purchase at 50PV (minimum) again.
  • You can only max out to 30% of credit points. And to collect PV, your expenditures per month still need to be above 50PV. So be prepared to fork out at least RM250 per month cause shipping is a flat rate of RM15. Unless, you choose pickup option at the centre.
  • I will receive a package every month and thankfully the packaging has become more eco-friendly. So rumah tak semak dengan kotak. 
  • If budget is a factor, I must be very patient as I buy these oils bit by bit every month just so I could use them. But fret not, if you have Speedy, ‘Greedy’ friends like Yours Truly, you can ask from me for samples. Knowing myself, memang akan bagi punya. Ha ha

I am currently curating my LRP order for August. I have just a few points under 100PV to finish off and I am thinking of getting a Jasmine DT roller for my point redemption items. It’s one of those expensive ones. LOL. I just wish doTERRA would have more diffusers. Especially the cute ones for kids bedroom. At a reasonable price! I would definitely buy one. Or two. Maybe 3. he he

If you need a one to one consult, send me an email at yasmin0508@gmail.com. I advocate in Melaka, Selangor and occasionally Kuching. If you live elsewhere, I can help you connect with a fellow advocate near your respective locations. Or if you’re like me, who may prefer to explore at your own pace and enroll yourself, do use my personal link. And later if you want to keep in touch and want me to guide you, you can also drop me an email.

InsyaAllah you will never go wrong with doTERRA.