Category Archives: Reviews

The Pearl, Kuala Lumpur

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

We stayed at this hotel because my son had a National Scrabble Championship at the conjoining mall, Pearl Point over the weekend. The game is spread over two days and quite lengthy for someone like me, who doesn’t understand the rules. Since the whole family is going, we might as well have a place to rest so that my daughter would not get cranky. Therefore, The Pearl was a convenient choice.

Mr Husband booked a room for one night. the lobby was welcoming with it’s Hari Kemerdekaan Display.

It had all the expected amenities of a 4-star hotel: Free Wi-Fi, a mini fridge, a kettle, a tub and a comfortable king-size bed. Our room had breakfast included which was great. The spread was adequate with the usual mix of Western and Malaysian breakfast options. There is also a swimming pool but we did not bring any swimming gear. So, just a photo it is.

I like that we get two card keys because the husband obviously needs to go to and fro the mall and the hotel to check on our son who is playing. So he gets to keep one card and my daughter and I get to enjoy the big bed and air-conditioned room with the other card in the power slot. My daughter gets to soak in the bathtub as well. The elevators are easy. This means there is no need to put your card on a reader and press the floor number. It may be secure but that is so maa-fan.

Considering that it is joined to a mall, food is easy to access. There are so many nice stores under one roof at Pearl Point. While waiting for check-in, we get to eat McD for breakfast, Old Town Kopitiam for lunch and some takeouts for dinner. In between, I got Milkis from Jaya Grocers and my first Llao LLao. Now I get what the hype is with that green yoghurt thing. There’s even Zus Coffee at the mall which is something I would have loved to order but since I’d had too many sweets for the weekend – I will have it on a different occasion.

my first llao llao – had the pistachio sauce and biscoff crumbs

Farm Fresh At UPM

Posted in Leisure & Travel, Places to Eat, Reviews by

Visiting Farm Fresh at UPM was one of those impulsive things I had to create and then cross off from my imaginary cutilogue list. I am starting to think I may have bipolar disease because of these inconsistent emotions. I have been searching for reviews of this place for a while but have never actually gone to make proper plans to go. Since Melaka has this one public holiday, midweek, before the school holidays, I thought I’d bring the kids there. Mr Husband was working. So it was just me making a 1.5 hours journey to Seri Kembangan. I made sure the kids had their showers early, ate breakfast and brought their water tumblers in the car for sips of water. I also made my daughter bring along her plushie as a pillow in case she naps in the car.

I fueled up at Petronas at 8am, made my way out of the highway toll just before 830am and arrived at Farm Fresh roughly 15 minutes before it opened.

The place opens at 10am. For 2023, tickets are priced at RM15 for adults and RM10 for kids aged 4-12 years old.

The entrance was at the barn door to a shaded walkway with their restaurant on the right side. It opens out to this large field with various places of interest. Our first stop was of course the loo and we just paced ourselves accordingly. The highlight of the place for us is probably the tractor ride. I am just so glad this is not the school holidays, hence the shorter queue.

My son as usual did not want to get on the tractor — I persuaded him to get on it because obviously it will be a moment he will back on one day when I’m not around.
The most extroverted member of the family

We chose to queue for this tractor after we’re done with all the visits inside because we did not want to compete with the kindergarten school trips. You could always go in and out of the barn as many times as you like as long as you have their paper bracelet on. The view during the tractor ride was obviously boring because we did not have ‘the info lady’ on our truck. She was more focused on the kindergarten kids. The driver brought us to the top of the hill so that we could take nice photos of the area. Otherwise, there is nothing much to see during the ride. We just enjoyed being on that big thing. Thus, the highlight. However, the route has potential. If the people hosting Sparkle Run could give them some tips, it’ll be great actually.

There were a few shaded paths at the place. If only the flowers are in full bloom, it’ll be so magical. The kids loved the pumpkin place cause they were cute. These shaded arches are good for walks. Otherwise, there is really not much to see. I would suggest wearing proper shoes to the area cause if you’re visiting the cow area, you will need to dip your footwear into the iodine area. Bring a mini fan, wear a hat or cap cause the sun is unbearable. Use an umbrella if you wish!

We had our meal at The Acre, their own site restaurant that serves Italian-Malaysian cuisine. I ordered a Margharita and fries with nuggets. I added two bottles of chilled mineral water cause the kids are having ice cream afterwards. So that is already something sweet. The total bill came up to RM61.40 including 6% SST and 10% service charge. Word of caution – pick your table first before ordering food because they will serve it to your allocated table. The only price menu I could see on the list was on the table where I placed my order. I wished they would have the menu put up on display somewhere cause for people with anxiety it is quite stressful to choose something you are unfamiliar with on the spot. Our Margharita was RM30 for a regular-sized sourdough pizza and RM 17.90 for the chicken nuggets and fries. The water was RM2.50 per bottle. Taste-wise they were OK. Texture was good though.

We did not buy any drinks from their Jom Cha store because we wanted to get ice cream. I was actually looking for their vanilla softserve but they only served strawberry-flavoured ones. Apparently, they also have ice cream from Inside Scoop which came with a heavy price tag. I have heard of the brand before but have never tried. A scoop was RM9.50 in a cup for them. *jaw drop*. Farm Fresh soft serve was RM3.00 per cup instead and tasted equally good.

We completed the visit in less than 2 hours and were able to make an exit to the highway by 12 noon. I like that the route to the place was straightforward. I did not need to go into the busy roads of KL or anything. It was just off the slip road. We reached Melaka by 2PM and I ordered Chicago City chicken for our early dinner.

Trying Hada Labo

Posted in Beauty Products, Reviews by

A colleague asked me to smile a few days ago. Then she stared at my face really hard looking for something. I was curious but I kept smiling. then she exclaimed, “You don’t have it!”. I asked her back, “Don’t have what?”.

“You don’t have crow feet!”

I never actually realized that until she made the comment. Then she urged me to share what other beauty products I have been using apart from SKII Pitera Essence. Yes, she knew I was using SKII as well. It is after all a wonderful product. Anyway, I had wanted to move away from Korean skincare for a bit. I was looking for products from Japan with a lower budget than SKII. Although I love and am still spending money on its Pitera essence, I do feel that spending a few hundred ringgit on other skincare products in their range is burning a hole in my pocket. Especially when the amount is so little.

I did come across products from Shiseido, Kose and DHT. I was not keen on Hada Labo initially because I had an unpleasant experience with one of its products many years ago. However, looking at brands other than Hada Labo made me hesitant to get them. I was torn between the desire to get the results I yearn for when using skincare and the exorbitant price. Yes, I can afford to buy them. However, do I actually want to spend >RM250 for an eye cream or >RM 400 for a lotion? For the face? Not really.

I eventually gave in to the temptation of giving Hada Labo another chance. I was intrigued to do so because I found out that they had this beautiful bright blue packaging for their premium range. As premium as it is, it was still within my budget. It was a good decision in the end.

Hada Labo Facial Wash

Although the scent was ‘plant-ish’, it had a rich, smooth texture to it. I liked that it left a soft, supple after-wash feeling afterwards. I still use it interchangeably with my Mary Kay facial wash but I use Hada Labo in the morning as it felt more gentle on the skin. Once this one’s finished, would I get a new one? Ermmm no. I’d explore other options.

Hada Labo Gel

This product was marketed as a hydrating gel for oily/combination skin. I was hoping for it to tackle my uneven skin tone and lighten my acne spots. As I am approaching 40 (soon), I do feel that the scars heal very slowly as compared to how it was when I was younger. The collagen dilemma is real ladies. I try to incorporate more greens into my diet, greens are good to lessen the body odour too, but still, I needed a product that could help on the surface. I have to say this is one of the products that I enjoy applying on my face. I would repeat this purchase as I feel it is very hydrating on my skin. My skin barrier is very thankful to have this on board. As you can see, I am running low on this one.

Hada Labo UV sunscreen

I have been very consistent with my sunscreen use for the past 2 years. This sunscreen has an SPF50++ and I am so glad that it doesn’t leave a white cast on my South East Asian honey skin. The texture is milky and smooth to apply. Almost like a lotion. Almost like the viral BOJ sunscreen that I’ve used before. BOJ was a great product and I saw that it has widened its range – trying to conquer the sun category. I will look into that later. I recommend this Hada Labo sunscreen. It is a 5 out of 5 for me.

Hada Labo HA Supreme Vita

This is not from the premium range but I was attracted to its claim for deep hydration and brightening complexion. This is a serum I applied after using the gel. This concentrate has four types of Hyaluronic Acid that provide intense moisture. I was curious to trying the interesting plant extracts in it such as Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract, Brassica Rapa (Turnip) Leaf Extract and Algae Extract Sodium Citrate.

Hippophae Rhamnoides is sea buckthorn fruit which is well suited for mature skin. It stimulates the formation of new skin cells and metabolic processes. The fruit has high amounts of Vitamin C, Vitamin E and other skin favourites.

Rose canina contains high levels of antioxidants. The flower itself can be consumed in salads or preserved in honey. In the cosmetic industry, it serves as a microbial barrier. It also has calming properties for sensitive skin. In other words, it is suitable for acne.

Myrciaria dubia is a riverside tree growing in the Amazon rainforest. I don’t know how the Japanese chemist got a hold of it. Anyway, the tree has flowers with sweet-smelling aroma. Traditionally, the fruit is harvested directly into canoes due to its sturdy nature. It is used in skincare due to its high Vitamin C content and we all know in the world of beauty, Vitamin C is an antioxidant and it brightens the complexion.

Brassica Rapa is again another antioxidant to add up to the existing line of skincare barriers. See how powerful this little bottle is.

I don’t use night repair cream or anything of that sort as I am already using retinol in my night skincare regime. I apply retinol at least 2 to 3 times/week. Ironically, although Hada Labo is a Japanese product, on its packaging it is ‘Made in Korea’. I guess you cannot get away from the big giants of the skin care industry after all.

Coffee ‘O’ Clock – Burghkin Coffee & Tea

Posted in Food and Drinks, Good Things, Places to Eat, Reviews by

It’s been a while since I saw this cafe on the Grab app. I thought I’d try it after a hectic morning assembling my shoe rack. Plus, it’s some sort of reward for my son who helped to screw all the problematic parts of the frame. Thank goodness for sons!

I ordered a coffee latte for myself, a mocha for my husband and chocolate drinks for my kids. Then I ordered salted egg croissants that my husband seems to like and a few croffles for the kids. Initially, I wanted it to be our tea time spread but it looked too good that we had it as dessert after lunch. The combination of cold beverages with warm pastries is a chef’s kiss.

At the same time, I was watching I Chang’s Youtube videos. I really liked those ‘heart to heart’ videos. They are very insightful. A few weeks ago, they commented on their observations of our multicultural countries and what they’ve learned about it. I like the part when they say Malaysians have an advantage to excel on the international platform because we know how to ‘fit in’ easily given our diverse culture. If only more Malaysians could hear this and take their word for assimilating more with people of other races instead of clinging to people of the same ethnicity. We used to be able to do this in school. I know I did but the picture is very different nowadays. We are somewhat divided.

Perhaps we could only see this interracial interaction in international schools or private education facilities. But then, that is another bubble that we need to address too. The bubble of T20s and the elite.

Recently, I Chang made another video where she and her husband shared how they were burnt out from making all the videos. They are after all making an income from Youtube hence I understand the pressure to create content that people want to watch. One of the gems I got from that video was when a vendor by the name of Danial told the couple that they have good followers because they make good content.

This resonated with me quite a bit.

Indeed, the type of content attracts a certain group of people. So if you want good followers, create good content too. I am a bit behind on my Youtube videos as I am swamped with my tutorials and assignments. There is a lot on my plate at the moment but I am still grounded and motivated.

I should be motivated as I just purchased a new computer. Ha ha ha.

Dr Cha had a good ending

Posted in Movie, Reviews by

If Dr Cha had come out a few years earlier, I think my mom would have been inspired by the story. Her narrative is somewhat similar. Instead of a liver problem, she had fibroid and needed an operation. What happened after that just sucked. My dad being a narcissist is not the best partner to be involved with in times of need. Because to him, the world evolves around him only. He lacks empathy and sadly it was apparent. Now that Mom has passed away leaving us to tend to Dad’s daily matters, my sister and I cannot help thinking, “This man is a j***”.

There was another part however that struck a chord within myself. It was a scene earlier on in the series when Dr Cha first joined the residency programme. It was something that Dr Seo said to her that kind of brings back old memories. I can’t indulge in the specifics but that scene made me sad. Really really sad, disappointed yet furious at the same time. It’s that same type of rage you’d feel when someone dear to you decides to not walk on the same path. Other scenes were relatable, which made me think that whatever we are experiencing now is normal for women around the world. It seems that the issue is the same with a cross-cultural nuance to it.

Dr Cha and her husband got divorced. She rejected Dr Roy’s love confession and remained happy as a single lady with kids. She learned new skills and cultivated a lot of self-love for herself.

Self-love is a very powerful motivator. Self-love is a powerful friend. It keeps the dark thoughts away. I have been indulging in a lot of self-love for the past two years. I realized that it helps to steer away from distractions and become more focused on your life goals. Self-love is a wonderful gift you can give yourself all the time for free.