I might talk about Louis Vuitton, Coach handbags, Prada handbags... but I don't own any one of them. Okay... I am not telling the truth. I actually bought a Louis Vuitton purse, class AAA, worth 700 Pesos when I went back to the Philippines last year. Sad to say, I never used it. I just wanna know how LV looks like in my wardrobe. Hahahaha!

Actually, I was scared to use it in public, lest there's a fashion police hollering around, looking for impostors. In UK, they do fine people who use fake goods. Really. I am not joking. There is indeed a fashion police in UK that would catch people who would be using fake branded products!

And so... I sent back my LV purse to my sister, who can be safe in using it, in the Philippines. Hahaha! Poor sister.

Anyways, I like authentic leather purses. I especially love Carlo Rino. It's pure leather, but not that expensive to buy, especially when it's on sale. Hahahaha! It's an Asian brand, actually. I have been eyeing on one white purse but I've never got to buying it. The Carlo Rino I am using now is already 2 years old. And my hand is itching for an upgrade.

Hope my husband accidentally reads this. :D

Update: Finally I got my 2nd Carlo Rino hand bag, in white. 

Years ago, a friend of mine suggested I try Bobbi Brown for my face. I would be willing to but I was still using my Clinique. And besides, Clinique was cheaper than Bobbi Brown. But lately, since I noticed my skin got dry and flaky (due to too much using the same product year after year), I am planning to give Bobbi Brown a try. My skin specialist gave me Beaubelle to use for now. But I guess, once this set is finished, I am heading to Subang Parade cosmetics department and have them check at the
barcode scanner the price of a Bobbi Brown. I can't wait see how much. I hope I can afford to use Bobbi Brown. But for now, while my skin is recovering, I should content myself with using Beaubelle cleansing milk, toner, and hydrating moisturizer. Let's see if my skin will improve after using Beaubelle.

And oh, no... Beaubelle is not cheap either. The only thing with it is just it's only available at certain salons.

I have been cleaning the house the past few days. I guess I am just in the mood to do so. I mean I would usually spend little time a week to clean my house, do laundry, sweep and mop the floor, etc. But this week, I started with folding our mountain-pile of clothes for folding, taking out the very heavy shaggy out to wash. I would usually just hang it on the gate and take out the dust. But yesterday, I took it out and soak it in soap first. Later today, I will hang it again on the gate so it will dry. I am planning to wash the bed sheets again. Yeah, I try to do it once a week. (I know a fiend that changes her bed linens twice a week). On the line up is the blinds & shades in the kitchen. It looks so dusty. And oh, my garden awaits too.

Why am I doing this when I have a cleaning lady coming to our house to do the cleaning once a week for the next 4 weeks? I guess I would be too embarrassed for her to come to a very dirty house. LOL. So yes, this week is another house cleaning galore week.

That explains my absence on FB for a couple of days. :D Cheers!

The only time my boy allows me to snap his photo is when he's wearing a costume. He also wants to look fierce in his photos. "I want others to be scared when they look at my photo, Mommy." That's what he would usually say. Some photos turn out nice. He'd be so happy to see his photo like this. I guess he would love it if he wears one of those halloween costumes. Then he sure would look scary. Hehehe.

Anyways, I make the most of what he allows but I am still limited as I still have to master the skill of taking photos more.

There's a new mall built right behind Subang Parade. When they newly opened the mall, the parking fee was for free. So we went there quite a few times. Also, we started doing our grocery shopping there because the supermarket, Jaya Grocer, that is... is nicely organized and you can find stuff easily. Most of our monthly supplies are found there. The staff are super friendly. And oh, they have a kitchen and a cook too that if you want to buy seafood, you can actually ask them to cook for you. There's a cafe area there so if you opt for this, you can just sit and wait for your food to come.

There are exit signs and other signs everywhere of the mall so it's easy to go out or go to other places/departments if you want to.

We go there almost every weekend just to hang out.

Of course, we still go to Subang Parade to have our Nando's meals. Apparentl, Empire Gallery doesn't have Nando's restaurant yet. I hope they will accommodate Nando's soon.

My friends and I would usually joke on becoming domestic divas. And why not? Isn't not what the Bible say about women in Proverbs 31? But becoming a home diva or domestic diva has a lot of attribute to it. It's more than knowing how to clean the house, cooking food for your family, keeping a garden, maybe sewing some clothes for your self and sexy adult costumes for others who may ask, holding the home front while the husband is away, etc. There are just too many to talk about.

But you know what, you might do all those things but the most important thing of all is that you're making your house a home. I guess if you could achieve that, no matter what you do or what you don't do, I can call you a home diva.

I just saw a friend posted about the silver wedding anniversary celebration of her couple friends. To celebrate silver wedding anniversary means 25 years of marriage. Wow. That is really a long time and I am happy for them.

And what best to give as a twenty-fifth anniversary gifts of silver other than silver itself? I guess it would be cool to get silver stuff on your silver wedding anniversary. Gifts could vary from silver necklaces to cuffs, to bracelets and rings. There are just many option to give as a gift. And of course, silver products are not the pricey compared to gold.

Both my kids love to read. I only have my girl's photo coz the boy doesn't want me to take his photo while reading. And I respect him for that. The girl has just started learning how to read. They are taught to read by recognition in school. I was worried at first but when Schenker showed how fast he could read just by learning how to read by recognition, I was happy with it. Schenker can read widely now. He can read other books. He reads his Bible almost every night. That's his favorite book to read.

I guess it's very important to inculcate a love for reading for the kids. I know that if they read widely, they have a long way to go. They can do any jobs, management jobs included, when they grow up. Skies the limit. Of course, as long as it's their passion to do so, they could do it easily.

Reading is one of the sources of knowledge. I have learned a lot by just reading. I am thankful that my kids love to read too.

In Malaysia, it's almost end of school year. The school starts in January. In the US, it's back to school season now. And I guess everybody's looking for a good deal to buy school supplies. At buy.com, they have weekly deals and all you can get until supplies last. And of course, they offer free shipping as well. So if you're looking into supplies at a great discount sale, check them out!

Children nowadays go to school with modern gadgets. Some would even ask their parents for a cool notebook. Okay, I am not talking about the notebook where you use pen or pencil to write on... I am talking about a computer notebook. Well, if you're generous enough to get your kid one of those, go get 'em at buy.com.

This was the first time ever that Malaysia observed September 16 as the National Day. They usually celebrate the Independence Day on the 30th of August.

My Samantha would like to greet everybody a belated greetings. Happy National Day, Malaysia!





Hehehe. She looks so confident you never know whether she's singing the right song. Hahaha. Oh well, she's only 3 years old. She still has a hope. Hahaha!

Kids can truly touch our hearts. And as parents, we only want the best for our kids. We wanna give them the best multivitamins, the best food, the best education and the most comfortable place to live in.

It doesn't matter whether they appreciate it or not. But I hope my kids would in due time.

Anyways, to all Malaysians, Happy Malaysia Day to all of you!

We went to Bagai Waterfalls yesterday. The kids had a blast! Gosh, there are just too many beautiful places to explore in Malaysia. And this one is just an hour drive away from where I live. We went through Cheras to go to Hulu Langat. The hubby contented and relied on the google map to go to this place. It wasn't that hard to find. Once he found the way to Hulu Langat from Cheras, it was very easy to find the place as there were not a lot of turnings and of course, the signages were very good.

Gabai falls is for family outings. You can do picnics there as well. Had to pay 1RM per person, excluding the kids. There was also a private parking space for 2RM per entry. There were many cars parking on the roadside so we opted to part in a private parking lot.

So we discovered you can bring your own food there... and maybe Swisher Sweets and drinks and spend your whole day there. We only went in the afternoon. Not enough for the kids. We'll surely go back there.

Gabai Falls is also a photographer's haven. I just need to master the skill and I would have better pictures next time.

My husband has been sick for a few weeks now. He's been coughing and having a hard time breathing. He's been to the doctor a few times and in fact, it came to a point that he has to take steroids for asthma. Also, I told him to change doctors and go to a respiratory specialist instead of a general practitioner. I know that in healthcare jobs, one has to be a specialist in order to me be more effective. GP is just for general or common health issues. I know my hubby's case is special coz he's been having a hard time breathing. So the hubs made an appointment to see a specialist on Wednesday and to do all those medical tests for him.

I have some photos I wanna print and frame. But until now, I still haven't done so. My photos are now lining up in queue to be printed. I posted about printing my travel photos to make my travel album almost a year now but until now, they're all still digital.

But really, it would be cool to frame a few of my photos, especially that of my kids. I'll probably just use spring plungers so I can hang those frames on my wall. The image above is one of my favorites from my latest family travel photo. Hope to frame it!

My kids are on their 2-week school break. But we are home. We went to Penang last week but we only spent 3 days there. We were planning to go to Hatyai but decided against it as it was hard to get a van back to Penang from Hatyai. We couldn't stay back in Penang because there's no available room for us for our 3rd night. So now we're back home.

I am tempted to go and check Branson vacation package but I guess with only one more week left until school, we'll probably just stay at home. Besides, I don't have budget to go out of the country for a family vacation for now.

So what we did was, we went for a day tour in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. We also had a couple of guests so we thought we'd show them around too. On the image above is one of those quaint buildings in KL. We also wanted to go to Butterfly farm yesterday but it drizzled a bit when we reached the place so the receptionist advised us to go another day.

We'll probably go tomorrow. I hope.

We just got back from Penang... and what can I say? I'm sooo happy! :) :) :) I got my first ever lens for my Nikon D90. I was torn between 35mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.4 but after talking to my photographer friend, decided on getting the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D. Yeah, I can only afford the D series. I didn't mind getting the newer G but my friend said he tried the G version but the D version works just as good, for half the price. I thank God for blessing us with helpful friends.

Friends thought we went to Penang to experience like one of those Orlando vacations but apparently, we went there for photography reasons. I met with a friend, learned a thing or two about photography, and he helped me get a discounted rate for the lens.

Both my kids love going to the park. I do too. We don't go there often enough though. Sometimes, when they take their afternoon naps, they would wake up so late we wouldn't have time to go to the park. Sometimes, we're not at home. And sometimes, the kids prefer watching something on tv. But everytime we go to the park, the kids don't miss the swing. They have one of those wooden swing sets too. The kids just love hanging around there.

Anyways, when their father was away for a meeting trip outside the town or country, we went there almost everyday. We only missed going there one day when it rained.

I feel like forever 21... or maybe I feel like I'm 21 forever. Whichever which way, I like going to Forever 21. LOL. They have one like that in my favorite mall, in Sunway Pyramid. I like going there. It doesn't mean that I like to buy stuff from there. LOL. Anyways, once in a while, when I feel like buying accessories, I go to Forever 21. They have such cute necklaces and dangling earrings. And they do have cute scarves too. I wonder if I buy wholesale from them, they would give me huge discount? Just a thought. :D The prices in Forever 21 are not that bad, you know.

I wonder if we have medical assistance program in Malaysia? I'm thinking if something happens while on the road, especially with health, if there's an emergency number we can call. I am sure there is such thing that you can call, especially when you call the hospital. Then they would probably send the ambulance or emergency help. I just wonder if there's a private company that would offer that kind of service here.

I am so missing my time in the UK last year. I only spent 8 days there but truly, those were very very memorable days for me. I have always been wanting to see the London Bridge, London Tower, the Buckingham Palace, Princess Diana's palace, etc. And I was able to see those during my short trip there. What made it special was it was autumn when we got there. And so I got to see a bit of autumn fashion in London where they wore ugg boots, coats, scarves, etc. It was just awesome... I appreciate my time walking on the streets at Covent Garden, seeing all the latest fads. Of course, I savored moments with hubby at the Kensington Gardens. I wonder if I could go back to UK again. I really hope I could. I miss UK.

Wow. We're already on the month of September. Time flies so fast, indeed. We are nearing Christmas season. And that would mean I have to make my Christmas wish list soon. Along with the wish list comes the shopping list that would include Christmas cards and some other presents for family and friends. A couple of years ago, a friend sent a Christmas card and I was so touched. It's so rare to get cards that are not electronics these days. And so, this year, would I send real Christmas cards or electronics cards? Let's see.

I need to extract a couple of my wisdom tooth. It's been giving me problems everytime. And you know when your teeth or gums are affected, all of your whole being is affected as well? And so for the last few days, I couldn't eat properly. My gums from my wisdom teeth area are swollen and painful. But the good part is that my eating pattern is affected.

One of my friends told me I have lost considerable amount of weight. That's where I was almost wanted to check out HCG weight loss Austin. And so, teeth problem is a blessing in disguise, hey? But then again, I really don't like the pain part. The losing weight part I don't mind though. But really, I need to extract my wisdom teeth.

I know I need a new computer. Now with my loads of photos I took, I need a good one that can take in so much space. I have literally hundreds of raw photos. And you know raw photos means heavier files, compared to jpeg photos. Thank God I don't need Industrial pc though. I just need the one with a lot of space available. Everyday, I download something like 500 raw photos. Can you imagine how big space I need just to store my photos in?

Or maybe I can invest on an external hard drive. Hmmm... That's a better idea, I guess.

My friends and I were talking about career choices. I told them if I was smart enough to choose which career was good for me, I wouldn't take that course I took. I mean I wasn't really bad at it. I was at the average level. But I guess if I chose something that's related to literature or maybe psychology, I would probably excel in any of these areas.

There are many schools that offer a good course. There's medical assistant school if your passion is into medical. You just need to find out what your real passion is.

10 years ago, I took a test on what I was really good at, vocationally wise. I scored high on literature and performing arts. But I love what I end up doing now. Although my course is not related to what I am doing now, I still don't have any regrets in what I chose and what I am into now.

Like I said, there's always course available. They can be online courses. If I have a choice now and there's an opportunity, I'd go for...

Photojournalism. LOL!

One of my friends is going to Europe for a trip. Gosh, I get so green everytime I see her updates about her preparation to go. I think she's going to 6 countries in Europe for this trip. I really wish I could go with her. I remember planning that trip with her last year. But because I went with hubby to England then to Colombia last year, I didn't plan to go with her this time.

But I am sooo missing London. I was just browsing at my London photo album when one of my friends from the UK asked me if I was planning another trip to the UK. I said yes, I always plan but it's only a plan. I dunno whether I could go back there again. Only God knows, right? This time, autumn starts in London. If I go this time, I'd probably be needing an electric blanket as it starts to get cold already. My UK trip was really memorable. I really wish I could go back there again and visit the country side.

I just posted about going to Subang Parade yesterday. We basically spent the rest of the day there. Had lunch, coffee, and dinner there. The kids enjoyed it to the brim, I guess. We also went to MPH Bookstore. We never miss going to that bookstore if ever we go to Subang Parade. The kids love hanging out there too. They could choose which books to read and buy later. I spent my time at the creative design section where books about dslr photography be found. I could stay there, forever, you know. LOL. But of course, it's not possible. I could just buy one book, pay at the counter where they use POS systems, go home and read that book forever. Hahaha!

Anyways, when the kids choose their books, I'd still be there to guide them which ones to choose. That's because somtimes, they'd choose the book according to the cover only, and not the content. The contents sometimes are not suited to their age. And one good thing I like about buying books at MPH is that they always have one copy that you can browse through so you'd know what the contents of the books would be. That's why I said I could stay in that bookstore forever reading because I would pick the sample copies and read them while there.

Hubby came home the other night. The kids wanted to wait for him because he's supposed to come back at 12 midnight. But I guess there was some kind of delay so he only reached home at about 1 am. The kids fell asleep waiting. But when they woke up the next morning (it was rather too early, at 6am), my boy woke his daddy up to watch Kungfu Panda with him. I was so smiling when I got down and saw my son telling his father what happened next while his daddy was closing his eyes, just answering yes and saying hmmmm... Guess he pays for it, huh?

We spent the rest of the day malling. And no, I didn't take my camera this time. I just wanted to enjoy the family time in the mall, at Subang Parade. It's going to be Hari Raya (a holiday for the Muslims) so the mall was kinda busy with lots of sales and promotions. The promo ranged from clothes, food, and probably promo keychains too. We didn't really shop. Oh well, I just bought books for the kids coz I promised to buy them books when their daddy came home.

And so, Subang Parade has been a part of our family, especially when we just wanna go out and chill as a family.