Another day older, another day wiser

How time flies…. my last post was about DH’s birthday and now it’s going to be a post on my birthday.

I have been so preoccupied lately that I almost forgot that yesterday was my birthday. As always, birthdays are no big deals in our family but it’s always those little things that matters most.

Just before leaving for work yesterday, DH told me not to bother about preparing dinner as it’s my birthday and we will be eating out. Well, of course, I am happy coz the kitchen can take a break and I could concentrate on my online business. Moreover, my 2 younger children are off from school and college. What a great coincidence!

DH surprised me with this when he returned home from work.

Loved it to bits….

 

 

Dinner was a simple affair. DS1 could not join us for dinner as  he had a big competition last night in his University. Nonetheless, he did call me to wish me Happy Birthday.

Oh!… there was a birthday cake that DH brought home and hid in the refrigerator.

I had my birthday cake (tiramisu cake) an hour shy of 11.11.11.

To some, this could be a boring and uneventful birthday…

but to me…

(I do not need lavish parties and expensive presents)

as long as the family is together, happy and healthy…

I won’t ask for more….

I am blessed with a loving husband and 3 wonderful children…

Stretched

 

In the midst of my very hectic schedule (yes! life of a homemaker is HECTIC), I have somehow forgotten about Yoga.

I used to practise Yoga diligently couple of years ago. However, nowadays whenever I am in the gym, I would only be doing cardio and weights.

I finally made it to attend a hot yoga session this morning.

Gosh! I have to admit that my body was so stiff and achieving those simple postures was a real challenge. My muscles have not been stretched for far too long and flexibility is definitely compromised.

Nonetheless, I survived the hour of stretching and came out feeling lighter. Looks like I must not neglect this regimen.

So…. Sun Salutation….

will have to be my daily ritual to keep this aging body from further deterioration.!!!

Handmade Market @ Empire Shopping Gallery

 

I know…. I am very late …. the event was a week ago!!!

Have been so busy since the Handmade Market that I hardly have time to sit in front of of the computer to blog.

The Handmade has been a BLAST!

Despite the fact that the event was located on the top floor of Empire Shopping Gallery and the crowd was not as big as The Crafty Art Market2….

business had been pretty good for me!!!

  My owl keychain pouches were quite a HIT!

By the end of the day, I had only 20% remaining AND there were also a few custom orders. (Now that’s way I have been so busy lately… busy fulfilling the orders by the customers).

I must say that this event gave me some good exposures……

(doing the happy dance ;D )

   Something new in my booth….

I am also selling handbag handles and accessories from Inazuma, Japan.

I love them… great quality!!!

They are very well received globally.

(Still new in Malaysia, though)

Cupcakes for Lunar New Year

 

This Chinese New Year is a bit different as the first day of the Lunar New Year coincided with my daughter’s birthday. Yes!!!!! my little girl turned 13 on the 1st day of the Lunar New Year.

Instead of the normal Chinese New Year cookies, I baked some cupcakes for this occasion. Reckoned it might be a challenge buying a cake on Chinese New Year’s day as most bakeries will be closed.

So… I baked 80 chocolate cupcakes and brought them all the way back to my in-law’s place in Johor. I love this cupcake recipe as it uses yogurt and it is not too sweet. The yogurt makes the texture of the cupcakes really fine, soft and moist. Yummy….

I normally do not like to frost my cupcakes as I am not a fan of icing and cream. However, since this is a specially occasion, I frosted the cupcakes with butter icing. My girl and I frosted them till midnight (all 80 of them).

We tried to arrange the cupcakes in the shape of a Rabbit (as this is the year of the Rabbit). Hahaha.. looked more like a dog to me ;)

Anyway, we had a great time and my girl had a very memorable birthday.

Since Chinese New Year is celebrated for 15 days… it is still not too late to wish everyone

Gong Xi Fa Cai

1st Craft Market for 2011

 

I have been real busy the past couple of months.

Have been on a crafting frenzy ……

(you will know what I mean if you have been reading my crafting blog).

This year I have a number of art & craft fair/market that I will be participating… as a vendor!

The numero uno will be this Sunday (23rd Jan 2011).

A group of us (indie crafters) from Team Etsy Malaysia will be setting up booth selling our creations during this event.

This is a “must attend” event as the KLPac Open Day 2011 promises something for everyone, from performances to classes, bands and singers, art and exhibitions and much more. And best of all, you don’t have to pay a cent.

The line up for the day includes :

Theatre & Dance:

• Green & White by Nyoba Kan
• Jom Dance by Lex Lakshman Balakrishnan
• Balinese Dance by Max Roswell
• Through the Looking Glass by Balletbase (Bilqis Hijjas + Ng Bee Bee)
• Jaz Dance Medley + “Smile” by ACTS of Performing Arts
• The Flashmob aka Lindy Bomb by KL Swing
• Flamenco Dance by Kayla
• Projek Disko Baldi & Galah Panjang by Playground Productions
• Mime by The Qum Actors
• Standup Comedy by YCOM
• Standup Comedy in Chinese by Joker Duo
• Saudara Baru Preview by Serious Comedy Studio
• Improv Comedy by AI:IA
• Script Reading by EMP
• Waiter, there’s gut in my soup Theatre Experience by Chris Ling & Jit Yang
• Seven Floors (Dino Buzatti) by Chris Ling
• INDICINELIVE! Sketch Comedy (contain mature content) by Kelvin Wong
• Gao Xing Jian’s The Other Shore by Kimmy Kiew & Chung Hwa High School
• Human Sculpture by Hearts Towards the Sun Theatre
• Improv by the Lake by David Lim &Aidira Khaidir

Indie Film screenings

HerStory Film & Forum:

• Spirited Crystal Woo & A.A.Lee
• Happy Message by Mien.Ly & Ruby
• Still by Mislina Mustaffa & Julya Oui
• Creatures by Bernice Chauly & Nadira Ilana
• Sangkar by Sharifah Amani & Susan Bansin

Malaysian Shorts:

• Lucky Shots by Khairil M. Bahar
• 2 Guys, 2 Girls & A Beat Up Car by Mien.Ly
• Baby The Rain Will Fall by Adrian Loh
• Invigilatator by Manesh Nesaratnam
• Unsecured Loan 1 & 2 by Juliane Block
• Teddy & I by Zahir Omar
• Moving On by Michael Chen
• The Aquarium by Michael Chen
• 7 Squared by Law Gwo Yunn
• Wolf by Anrie Too

Full length film:

• Gedebe by Rumah Anak Teater

Others

• Drum jamming by Drumclix, Afro Sahara & Drum Simfoni
• Arts and Crafts Market (I will be here!!!!)
• Live Painting by Marta
• Treasure Hunt (recommended for 12 years old and above)
• Kelab Shashin Costume Photography
• Journey Through the Years: Performing arts T-shirt display
• klpac’s Job Portrait Exhibition
• Switch On Sound Installation by Annabelle Ng & Goh Lee KWang
• State of the Art Forum by Melissa Teoh, Ayam Fared & U-EN Ng
• Moderated by: Redza Minhat

If you are in Kuala Lumpur this weekend, do drop in to have some fun.

Recharged, re-energised and relax

 

No…this is not Dubai!

It’s the Golden Palm Tree Resort in Sepang, Malaysia.

My family and I spent a relaxing weekend there recently. After a very hectic week, a weekend getaway like this is really god sent. We have a week’s accommodation at this 5 star resort. However, due to the school and work, we could only spend the weekend there :(

We arrived on Friday night (around 10pm). It was just a 1 1/2 hour drive from home to this resort. However, along the way, we pit stopped for a scrumptious seafood dinner (thus rendering a near 3 hours journey)

The staff at the resort were extremely friendly and accommodating. Despite not being able to locate our reservation, they upgraded us to a larger villa.

This is the Villa that we spent our weekend, It’s the Ivory Palm Villa which can accommodate up to six persons.

 

The view inside the villa. Notice the huge king size bed in the master bedroom. The master bedroom opens out to the balcony overlooking the Straits of Malacca.

 

The second bedroom comes with twin beds with fresh crisp linen that makes you want to dive in and snuggle underneath those sheets. This is the room that my kids chilled out and they even spend time studying in there!!!

 

The hall/ living room comes equipped with a plasma TV and internet connectivity.

     

 

   The dresser is fixed with his and her  wash basin. Love those fresh and clean towels.

   There is even a sunken bath tub in the master bathroom!!!

 

 

 

 

Love these framed pictures.

The atmosphere around this resort is calming and relaxing. The staff were well trained and very friendly. We spent most of our time just lazing around and soaking up all the calming vibes and de-stressing. We did not venture to the beach front as there were lots of jelly fishes around. To stay fit, DH & I spent some time in the gym (quite well equipped) while my girl swam in the swimming pool.

Food was plentiful, with buffet spreads for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Being small eaters, we did not patronise all of them.

  

   We opted for steamboat at their beach restaurant for dinner on Saturday night. We had Tomyam & herbal steamboat!. See how my eldest & youngest enjoying their meal. We also had some chicken satay to complete the meal.

 

     

Desserts during Lunch on Sunday.

Overall, we enjoyed the stay at Golden Palm Tree Resorts, Sepang. The resort is relatively self contained and is perfect for honeymooners and those who are looking forward to a quiet and relaxing vacation. The landscape is beautiful and serene. It’s a pity I did not take more pictures of this place. We left on Sunday evening as we need to get back to urban life with schools and work on Monday.

Came home de stressed and ready for the challenges of the week ahead. :D

Care & Cleaning of Linziclips

 

Now what do you do when you have got yourself those fabulous “must have” Linziclips?

 

It goes without saying that you will be wearing them often!!!

There are just so many ways to wear them.

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Now after wearing them for a while, you will find that they do get dirty and can be a little stinky (due to the perspiration). This happens to all hair accessories (and everything else) that we wear. In many cases, due to the material used for the hair accessories we will have no choice but to discard the after it gets too dirty. (No ones wants a stinky and dirty clip on their head!).

However, for Linziclips you do not have to worry about having to dispose it off for this reason. Due to the material used, Linziclips can be easily washed and clean to keep them hygienic and fresh all the time.

Here is what I do to keep them fresh and clean.

First… fill a bowl with water and add a drop of your favourite shampoo in it. Shampoo is used to remove the grease, dandruff or dust from the Linziclips.

Next, immerse all your Linziclips into the bowl of soapy water.

Soak them in it for a couple of minutes.

  Discard the soapy water and rinse the Linziclips with more water.

Then shake off the water from the Linziclips.

Once all excessive water is shaken off, gently wipe each Linziclip and leave them on a clean piece of towel / cloth to air dry.

The Linziclips will dry in a jiffy and would be smelling great and squeaky clean.

The process takes less than 10 minutes.It’s so easy to clean and care for those Linziclips that we LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Family Bazaar @ HerbaLine

I received a phone call from HerbaLine last Friday inviting me to participate in their Family Bazaar this weekend. It was kind of last minute as the Bazaar is on Sunday morning. Nonetheless, I agreed to participate based on the followings :

• I have not scheduled any bazaar sales for September
• the venue of this Family Bazaar is within the vicinity of my neighbourhood. So… very convenient.
• It’s only for Sunday and from 9am till noon.
• I have never done a Bazaar sales near my neighbourhood before. (it’s time to let my neighbours know of Bitsofpink’s existence!)
• it’s FREE…… The organizer’s are not charging us for the space.

This is my first time participating in a street Bazaar. So I was a little anxious. To make things worse, I woke up this morning to the sound of rain hitting on my window panes. Gosh! I looked out of my windows and was greeted with grey skies and raindrops. It’s 2 hours before I am due to be at the site to set up the booth and it is pouring outside! The rain did not stop (though it did finally subside around 10am) when I arrived at HerbaLine. There were puddles of water everywhere especially at my booth. The organizers braved the rain and put up canopies for everyone. The atmosphere was friendly and everyone did their best to get their booth ready.

With the help from Dear Hubby, I managed to set up my booth within 15mins and was ready for business!

.

The Booth

My hand crafted handbags The Linziclips

The Sereni & Shentel Headbands The Linziclips Banner

The crowd was pretty commendable despite the rain and the fact that it’s Sunday. I had expected most people would rather snuggle up in bed since it is such a wonderful weather to SLEEP. Looks like Kota Kemuning folks are early risers. Anyway, business was good and I was kept on my feet for the whole 4 hours.

It was a great experience and made lots of new friends.

Thanks to HerbaLine for this opportunity.

I ♥ Bazaar

Come this Sunday, 8th August 2010, I will be participating in I ♥ Bazaar @ Subang Parade, Subang Jaya, Selangor.

This is my second time participating in a Bazaar Sale and the first time with I ♥ Bazaar , Compared to the previous event, I am only doing it for 1 day. (instead of 4 days @ Jaya 33). Had wanted to participate for the whole weekend …but .. could only secure space of Sunday. Anyway, do hope the crowd and business would be good.

It is going to be quite interesting as the organizer has planned a Lucky Draw to encourage more shoppers to shop here. (BitsofPink is sponsoring some prizes, too!!!)

Spend a minimum of RM30 in a single purchase and be entitled for a Lucky Draw!
Many exiting prizes to be won!

If you are in KL…do drop in to visit us @ Booth 36 (Near the Lucky Draw Counter).

See you there!!!

Linziclip

Technorati Tags: Linziclip

I have this weakness for hairclips since young. I have always been searching for great looking and quality hairclips till I found this product called Linziclip online early this year. Upon seeing them online, I knew I MUST have them. Since I can’t decide which one I should have, the best thing would be to have the whole collection. To satisfied my desire, I ended up striking a deal with the manufacturer and became their 1st and only distributor in this region! (South East Asia)

Check out the video on Linziclip and bet you will agree with me as to why it is superior as compared to the other claw clips in the market.

Linziclips are available on my webstore since June 2010. To see what I have to offer and to own one….click here..

Bazaar

It's been a while since I last wrote a post. Yes, I have been slacking again. The past few weeks have been extremely busy for me.

My online business has been keeping me on my toes with the arrival of my new range of product. I had managed to secure a dealership with an up and coming UK company manufacturing a new and revolutionary hair clip. Voted the best hair accessory by The Times (UK) in 2009,Linziclip™ is BRAND NEW in this region. Since it is so new here, a great deal of marketing and promotion efforts is needed.

The Linziclip™

As part of my marketing strategy, I have embarked onto setting up a booth at the local/neighbourhood bazaar to introduce Linziclip™. The first of the series of such activities that I have lined up is a Weekend Bazaar At Jaya 33 from 8th – 11th July, 2010.

4 solid days of working at the Bazaar was pretty interesting yet tiring, Overall, the Bazaar sales was a success. Managed to capture some photos of my booth. I brought most of my products from my online webstore “bitsofpink.com” eg my handmade handbags, headbands, necklaces, bracelets and hairclips for the little girls.

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Once the Bazaar is over, I was overwhelmed by the amount of household chores that has been waiting for me. So, the whole of last week was spent on catching up on them and also on the follow-ups and business leads from the Bazaar.

I reckon life has almost normalised for me now and will do my utmost to update this blog on a regular basis.