August 2013 - Page 2 of 2 - Joan Dee

I am sure that at one point of your life, you have a failed attempt of losing weight or eating healthily. Standing on top of a weighing machine could really drown all the confidence you have, judging by the direction of a needle.

It was no easy task for Angelynn as she attempted to lose 15kilograms in 6 month, to prepare for the Miss World Malaysia. This is a challenge, set by your own discipline and goal. As embarrassing as it may be for me, I lost 7kgs in 6 months, late last year and have gained it all back within a short 3 months.

So, let’s steal a tip or two on her weight loss program!

JD: How much weight did you lose and how long did it take for you to achieve it?

AT: I lost around 15 kg in half a year.

JD: What was the daily diet and exercise routine like for you?

AT:My diet is simple. Basically I stopped eating simple carb, taking off oily food. Whatever I eat, I steam or boiled it. I stopped eating at outside because most of them I prepared my food at home, I even packed my food out to college. I go to the gym for 3-4 times per week, half an hour cardio is a must then lift weights. Each day targeting different areas like back workout today, legs workout tomorrow and etc etc..

JD: The biggest challenge and motivation?

AT:The biggest motivation is because I was called fat, laughed by people. Besides that, I wasn’t confident for my body. I was always wearing the same dress for many times because nothing suite me well. Whatever I wore, I felt ugly on me. So I decided to make a change, I joined up gym and actually stayed home for quite a while because I was scared I couldn’t resisit temptation. After I lost weights, then I joined Miss Malaysia World to boost up my confidence. It took me a lot of courage for me to join pageant, because I was once before being so low self esteem.

JD: What is your perception of a healthy body? Thin or curvy?

AT:I think a healthy body doesn’t matter you are thin or curvy or chubby, but if you are eating clean, exercising well, no health problems that means you are healthy. Thin or curvy sometimes depend on family genes, some people are born quite thin, they look skinny but actually they are far more healthier that the curvy people. So I think healthy person shouldn’t judge by their outlook, it depends really how is their lifestyle.

JD: Any word of advice for ladies our there attempting to shed off some pounds?

AT:MOTIVATION AND DEDICATION. Most women complaint a lot about their body and weights but not doing anything with it, or maybe did for a week and stop for the rest of the months. I think if you want to lose some weights, first you have to change your lifestyle. As in the eating habits, sleeping time, exercise time… This all have to change. Let me tell you one thing, once you see you have results, although it is little result, this little result could make you happy and you feel like you don’t want to stop it, want to keep going. That is how I manage to keep going.

Honeymoon Destination and How Much Will the Flight Cost?

August 6, 2013

08/062013

Planning a holiday trip, may it be for honeymoon or not, can be quite a challenge. There are so many things to cross check from the price of the flight to hotels. Budget airlines have the highest tendency to fluctuate all year long. Therefore, early planning would certainly help you get the price offer. This article would provide you with some flight information on the top honeymoon destinations around the world.

My favorite website/apps to use for flight search is skyscanner.net. It is able to provide you with a comprehensive detail on the travel timing, duration and transit details. The interesting segment of this flight search engine is the ability to source for the cheapest destination, if you have yet to decide where. For example, you can choose your department airport; say Kuala Lumpur International Airport and your choice of destination, everywhere. The search engine would then list down the countries based on flight price around the dates that you are keen on.

Santorini, Greece

My dream honeymoon destination comprises of many countries around the world, rather than visiting just one and ta dahhhh… honeymoon over. Santorini tops the chart because of the clear water and sandy beaches. The architecture of the buildings is extremely unique and mostly in white.

Source: Click here

Flight Summary (Kuala Lumpur – Santorini – Kuala Lumpur)

Airlines: Qatar Airways and Olympics Air

Transits: 2 – Doha and Athens

Flight Duration: Outbound 20hours, Inbound 15hours

Price: RM4650/per adult

Germany

Germany is filled with not only history, but also with good things in life like beers and sausages. In Germany, you have to visit both Berlin and Munich to complete the i’ve-been-to-Germany tour. The capital of Germany is Berlin, therefore I would advice for you to head to Berlin first and then off to Munich.

Berlin (Source: Click here)

Munich (Source: Click here)

Flight Summary (Kuala Lumpur – Berlin – Munich – Berlin – Kuala Lumpur)

Kuala Lumpur – Berlin – Kuala Lumpur

Airline: KLM

Transits: 1- Amsterdam

Flight Duration: Outbound 15hours, Inbound 14hours

Price: RM3772/per adult

Berlin – Munich – Berlin

Airline: Air Berlin

Transit: Direct flight

Flight Duratino: 1hour and 15 minutes

Price: RM452/per adult

Male, Maldives

Maldives is wonderful place to go for a honeymoon. It is nearer than Europe, and more exotic than any other places in Asia. Do you know that it is the smallest Asian country in both populations and land area?

Source: Click here

Flight Summary (Kuala Lumpur – Male – Kuala Lumpur)

Airlines: Malaysia Airlines

Transits: Direct flight

Flight Duration: Outbound 4hours, Inbound 4hours and 30minutes

Price: RM1824/per adult

Koh Samui, Thailand

Thais are the most wonderful people in the world. The hospitality that they provide is second to none. Koh Samui is an island of natural beauty. Unlike Phuket, Koh Samui is the destination to go to if you are looking to spend some private time with your husband. It is much nearer than Maldives, or Europe and equally peaceful.

Source: Click here

Flight Summary (Kuala Lumpur – Koh Samui – Kuala Lumpur)

Airlines: Malaysia Airlines

Transits: Direct flight

Flight Duration: Outbound 2hours, Inbound 1hour and 30minutes

Price: RM1150/per adult

Paris, France

Where else could be better than the city of love? With iconoic landmarks such as Champs–Élysées and Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile next to one another, it is one of the most romantic destination I’ve been too. However, there are a lot of pickpockets. Legend once said that the academy of pickpockets is location in this city itself. Be carefully and pack wisely. Don’t forget a picture with the Eiffel Tower.

Source: Click here

Flight Summary (Kuala Lumpur – Paris– Kuala Lumpur)

Airlines: Malaysia Airlines

Transits: Direct flight

Flight Duration: Outbound 13hours, Inbound 12hour

Price: RM2916/per adult

Airlines: Etihad Airways

Transits: 1 – Abu Dhabi

Flight Duration: Outbound 17hours, Inbound 20hour

Price: RM2576/per adult

These are just a few of my favourite locations in the world. If you have the time for a longer honeymoon, tour the world! You can find more information on the RTW ticket here:

http://www.staralliance.com/en/fares/round-the-world-fare/#

Small Ways to Cutting Down Wedding Cost

August 5, 2013

08/052013

DIY and No Planners

Asking someone else to customize or to design for you would cost you at least RM450. Get in control. Sketch out your ideal wedding invitations, guest books and name placement. Get a friend to do you a favour and print it out at home.

Source: Click here

Flowers

The wedding decoration would usually cost a bomb and would wither right after the wedding. Avoid using expensive flowers. For example, you could use roses from China which would cost you much lesser than other imported flowers. Negotiate with your supplier in advance to avoid peak season or shortage.

Source: Click here and here

Dates and Venues

Malaysian weddings are usually very sensitive with dates. Auspicious dates like 12^th of December 2012 or 13^th of January 2013 should be avoided. Wedding venues and hotels are likely to be fully booked and price would be up by 30%. Choose your date carefully and cross check it with the hotel. If you are comfortable with the idea of celebrating your wedding during off peak season, it would help your guests travelling from abroad to save cost on their flight and accommodation.

Alcohol

Unless it is a Malay wedding, alcohol would play an important role to get your guests into a celebratory mood. Be wise in choosing which type of alcohol to serve. Sparkling would be very expensive and if you insist on having it, don’t sting e on the number of bottles or your guests wouldn’t be happy. Serve beers generously, before serving the wines and whiskeys. The cost of serving beer is the lowest of all four.

Source: Click here

Here are a few pointers on your wine and whiskey:

– A bottle of 750ml wine could serve 5 glasses

– A bottle of 750ml champagne could serve 8 glasses flute

– A bottle of 700ml liquor could serve about 24 shots

You know your guests and you know best how much they are likely to drink. Assuming a guest would consume a glass every hour and would have probably 5 drinks by the time the dinner is over, and this assumption includes those who will not drink alcohol.

Resist the Bargain Temptation

Brides-to-be are more likely to be tempted by bargains. The idea of saving by purchasing things on bargain would usually leads to high wastage. More purchases are unplanned and would probably be unused and kept in the storeroom, piling dust on it. Ribbons, tapes and stationeries are a few of the common wastage. Think, before you buy!

Small Guest List

This is an important determinant on your wedding cost. The bigger crowd, the higher cost incurred. I would personally prefer a small wedding, whereby I could devote a big chunk of the budget everyone every happy instead of a big wedding, where everyone is feeling meeeeeeh.

A small wedding makes it easy for you to sit back and enjoy but the unforeseen challenge is who should you be inviting? Seats are limited and someone will be left out.

Source: Click here

Fixed Deposits

If your family gave you some money in advance for your wedding preparation, please do keep it in the fixed deposits. The additional interest generated might even help you pay for some little luxuries. A wedding today could cost anywhere from RM45,000 and up too RM500,000 and some into the million dollars zone. Each dollar saved in FD would help you in the long term planning.

Big sales

The big sales could help you in choosing the right door gifts. Most departmental stores would feature massive during the 1Malaysia Mega Sale, Year End Sale, GrandPrix Sale and the Malaysia Mega Sale. You could look for small little gifts like a photo frames, his and hers items or even chopsticks.

Winner of Miss Beautiful Hair – Angelyne Toh

August 5, 2013

08/052013

Winner of Miss Beautiful Hair – Angelyne Toh

Luscious and gorgeous hair was the first thought that came into my mind when I met Angelyne when she was still doing her degree in Malaysia. She was a lady that one would set his eyes on from afar. Standing at 176cm tall, she is accustomed to the attention thrown at her on a daily basis. After participating in the Miss World Malaysia 2012, Angelyne is currently pursuing her Masters in Management at University of East Anglia.

What inspired you to participate in such a prestigious event?

I participated in the Miss Malaysia World because I wanted to be a role model for women out there. Besides that, I wanted to contribute to the society by representing Malaysia and making her proud. Not only that, I believe this would challenge myself to a whole new level of experience. I have really learnt a lot throughout this priceless journey.

What are you doing in life, after the competition ended? Back to the 8-5 life?

All the learning and experience through this wonderful journey were applied in my life. Although I wasn’t in the pageant anymore, I wanted to carry on the teachings that I’ve learnt. There is no such thing as too much of education. I decided to continue studying in London, by doing a Masters in Management. I am expecting to graduate this coming September and hope to be back in Malaysia working or pursue in high education. I might even consider working in a business consulting company in London to gain some useful experience.

Tell me more about the journey in the Miss Malaysia World pageant.

It was an amazing experience. I was introduced to many beautiful and smart women. Now, I know that we definitely do not have a shortage of both smart and beautiful woman in this country. The winner of the Miss Malaysia World 2012, Yvonne Lim was an absolute darling and had taught me so much in life. The journey preps us to become the next Miss Malaysia World with wonderful qualities to uphold in life.

What is your idea of beauty?

I think beauty is not just about the outlook appearance, but also on the inside of a person. How an individual acts, speaks and show compassion towards other would add value to the ideology of beauty.

What was the biggest challenge throughout the competition?

I have to be very sharp, especially during the question and answer session and solving the task given as part of the challenge.

What is your beauty/facial routine like to maintain a radiant skin?

My homemade facial mask is made out of honey and oatmeal, which is applied for 3 times a week. Honestly, I don’t have a fix brand of products used, but love to try new products. Personally, to maintain radiant skin, one has to exercise regularly. Sweating out toxins is the first step to glowing skin!

Any beauty tips for brides out there before their big day?

Every bride our there would want to look their best on their wedding day, I would advise them to start exercising at least a month or two before the wedding. This is not just about losing weight, but also to feel fresh throughout the stressful planning of the wedding.

“The real secret to total gorgeousness is to believe in yourself” – Kirsten Dunst

Read more about Angelyne’s lifestyle at http://angelynecilvender.blogspot.com/

Feeding Your Skin with Natural Food

August 5, 2013

08/052013

Why buy when you can make your own mask from the ingredients left in the kitchen?

Tips:

Always clean your face with a gentle face wash before putting the mask on to ensure no blockage and full absorbency.
Never leave the mask on for more than 15minutes as it would then absorb the moisture of your skin.
Try cleaning off your mask off with a hot, steaming cloth in a circular motion to open up the pores.
If this is your first time trying out a new mask, try a little on neck or chin before putting it on to test for allergy reaction.
A quick splash of cold water after mask will help close the pores and give a rosy glow
Always pat dry your clean. Never rub the towel against your face and it will absorb the moisture and hurt the skin.

Sugar Facial Scrub

Source: Click here

Ingredients:

– 1 tablespoon honey (Great moisturising and antibacterial properties)

– 2 tablespoon sugar (Preferably brown sugar)

– Green tea (Is said to have anti aging effects on skin)

Brew a cup of tea and allow it to cool. Pour 2 tablespoons of tea into a bowl and add in a tablespoon of sugar until the mixture is smooth and yet, gritty enough to scrub your skin. Stir in a tablespoon of honey and mix thoroughly. Rub the scrub all over your face gently and concentrate of dry skin areas. Then, use a wet cloth to remove the scrubs, and splash on cold water on your face when finished.

Tightening Lemon Egg Mask

Source: Click here

Ingredients:

– ½ lemon

– 1 egg white (cold)

Beat the egg white with lemon juice for 3 minute. Apply directly on your face, avoiding the eyes. Leave it on for a maximum of 20minutes and then rinse off with warm water in circular motion.

Avocado for Dry Skin

Source: Click here

Ingredients:

– ½ avocado

– ¼ cup honey

Best to use ripe, fresh and organic avocado. Mash it up together into creamy pulp. Leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse off with cold water.

*recommend to use this after Sugar Facial Scrub

Oatmeal Facial Mask to Combat Dry Skin

Source: Click here

Ingredients:

– 3 tablespoon of plain oatmeal

– 1 tablespoon of honey

– 1 tablespoon of milk

Mix all the ingredients together in a blender and smear it over clean skin. Let the mask dry off in about 15minutes before rinsing it off with cold water. Place a layer of moisturizing cream after washing to lock in moisture.

Oatmeal Facial Mask to Combat Oily Skin

Source: Click here

Ingredients:

– 1 tablespoon of natural yogurt

– 1 tablespoon of plain oatmeal

Mix both ingredients together so it will form a paste. Using a foundation brush, apply a thick layer of the mixture on the face and allow it to set in for 25 minutes. Rinse it off with warm water. The oatmeal helps absorb oily, leaving a fresh set of skin.

Cucumber Mask for Refreshing Skin

Source: Click here

Ingredients:

– 1 whole cucumber

– ½ cup of plain yogurt

– 1 spoon of milk powder

Remove the skin of the cucumber and cut it into little cubes. Remove the seeds. Put all the little cucumber cubes into the blender or food processor. Add yogurt and then milk powder. Blend till it is a smooth and thick substance. Not too thin or runny. Smear on clean face for 10-15 minutes. Rinse it off with a splash of cold water.

Baking Soda Mask for the Acne

Source: Click here

Ingredients:

– 1 teaspoon baking soda

– 1/3 teaspoon water

You don’t need much of this. Mix both the ingredients and apply it directly to your blemish using your clean hands. Leave it on for 5 minutes and then it will dry up and starts to flake. Rinse it off with water and apply face lotion as usual. The baking soda mixture would help dry out the blemishes.

Getting Blessing from Her Family

August 5, 2013

08/052013

“Dear Aaron was a nervous wreck, thinking about the next few minutes of his life and if he should or should not proceed with this. Standing in front of his girlfriend’s house while she is away on a business trip, he asked himself again if he is ready for this. “

Asking for a parent’s blessing is a tradition and a sign of respect to your future bride’s family. Before going for the man-to-man talk with your potential dad-in-law, talk to your girlfriend first. No, don’t ask her to marry you yet. Ask her in a subtle manner if she sees a future in this relationship and joke on how many kids you would like to have. Does she sound ready to commit or could her career be in the way? This would give you an idea if the time is right.

Make the effort to meet up with your girlfriend’s family first. Get to know them and bond with them. Give them the right impression that you are financially stable and is responsible to have a lasting relationship with their daughter. This is essential and would probably be the key determinant of them saying yes instead of no.

Look at things from her family’s point of view and address their potential concerns. Few of the common concerns are within these few areas:

– Are you trustworthy?

– Do I want you to be part of my family?

– Can you make her happy?

– Are you financially stable to give my daughter a comfortable life?

– Will you hurt my daughter?

– Are you ready to settle down with my daughter for rest of your life?

If her parents are divorced, who should you approach? There is no easy answer for this. Unless she is estranged from one of them, be sure to ask both. You should have an idea if her mum or dad is closer to her.

Find a suitable time when she is away and make an appointment with her family. It would be a bonus point, if you came bearing gifts like a fruit basket. Prepare your speech. They want to know what you have to say to convince them. Don’t forget to shave and dress up. This is an important occasion and probably, the second most nervous moment of your life, apart from the proposal itself.

Put them in your shoes. Tell them about your journey with her and how she became a big part of your life, how she came about to care for you and nurture you when you were in poor health and lift you up at your lowest moment. Tell them that you want to do the same for her and calls her your wife.

Now, here is the difficult part: Waiting for her parent’s verdict.

In the perfect world, they would say yes to you. But remember, if they don’t think that you are the right person, chances are there that they will not give your blessing. And if *touch wood* the parents say no, you have two options; marry her anyway or wait for a second opportunity. Don’t give up and understand the reasoning. Give yourself another 6months before doing this again.

Peranakan Wedding Theme: Your Sister, Your Wedding Planner

August 1, 2013

08/012013

It is an unsaid obligation that you will be your sister’s wedding planner or her little wedding helper. Well, the differences between a wedding planner and yourself are:

You are not getting paid. Yup, she won’t be paying you.
You won’t be getting as much respect as the wedding planner (she’s your SISTER!)
You will be working from morning to past midnight because both of you are living under one roof
You will be under a lot of stress and chances are both of you would fight and call the wedding off (just verbally but never actually doing it).

I conducted an interview with Lynda, the younger sister to Kaycee (the bride) who is based in Australia. So, Lynette (the other sister) and Lynda were the two superheroes in making this wedding work. If you are your sister’s wedding planner, read below to find out more on their experience.

What is the ultimate challenge in the whole wedding planning process?

To kick start this interview, I need to point out the fact that I was based in Kuala Lumpur while my family and my sister are located in Penang and Australia. I had to remotely plan her dream wedding. I believe the sourcing of the wedding venue was the biggest challenge of all time and getting the right caterer. My sister is the first person and the first granddaughter in the family to hold a wedding dinner. Everyone wanted a say in how the wedding should be done, but we all agreed on the same theme “When Western Meets Oriental”.

With the theme decided, shouldn’t it be easier to kick start the venue sourcing?

My sister wanted a small and intimate wedding with approximately 15 tables (150pax) and that was the first problem. For hotel wedding dinner, you are required to have a minimum of 30 tables. We went to Rasa Sayang Hotel, G Hotel, Traders Hotel, Evergreen Hotel and many more, but none of them would accommodate us. So we started looking at mansions and ended up at this place called the Peranakan Museum. My grandmother who passed away many years ago was a nyonya. Technically, it is a museum and we spoke to the management and see if they would lease the place out to us for a small wedding. With loads of discussion and luck as well, they agreed. Now, the next problem we noticed was the museum had no tables, chair and limited air conditioning. So, we went around sourcing of marquees, tables, chairs and air cooler, table cloth and decorations. That doubled up the standard workload of a wedding planner! Another thing was that we had to purchase an insurance package to insure the precious goods in the museum. Plus, the museum was operating as usual during the day which meant we were only allowed to set up after operating hours.

That is a unique place and theme to work with. What about the wedding gown to match the theme and venue?

You see, the bride always has an idea of their dream wedding, but putting it into words and paper can prove to be quite a challenge. My sister kept rejecting our ideas, proposals and samples. For example, we had decided to tailor the cheongsam for the dinner and because the bride was in Australia, the fittings could only be conducted a week before the wedding. During fitting, she hated the cheongsam and we went hunting desperately for another tailor to sew another cheongsam with only a week left! My mum and my aunties wore kebayas to the wedding and stood out among the rest of us in cheongsam.

Was there ever a point of time, where you wanted to call off the wedding or quit being the planner?

Well, we fought numerous times throughout the planning process. It was barely six months to plan and prepare the wedding. I enjoyed the whole process, but there were times when I was annoyed and frustrated with amount of work and there was so little time to finish it. But, no, there wasn’t anything serious enough for us to give it up.

After those 5 gruelling months of planning and planning, would you ever be the wedding planner for your family again?

Yes, definitely. I love the experience. Even all those said above, it was a rewarding experience seeing a loved family member going through the process of getting hitched. It was a special moment when it hit me there that my sister would now be officially a member of another family.