EzBuy now lists JD.com and Mogujie on the website

This is a great news for online shopping lovers like me! EzBuy now lists JD.com and Mogujie on the website. Saw this headline recently and am already excited to look at the variety of goods I can get at a fraction of the normal price!

For the past decade or so, online shopping in Malaysia has taken off. Started with websites such as Groupon, there weren't that much of a variety. Lazada then came into the picture. That's when shopping online becomes really popular. Except for fresh produce, I have now mostly resorted to online shopping due to the convenience and reliability of the service.

Subsequently, retail giants such as TaoBao and AliBaba has emerged as the champions in online shopping. However, for overseas shoppers, TaoBao can be kind of troublesome because they don't handle overseas shipping. That's where EzBuy comes into play.

EzBuy sources it products mainly from China and Taiwan. It also sells products from locally, as well as from the US and Korea. Recently it has also started to source from Mogujie and Global JD. What does the mean? More varieties at lower price tags. It's the Year End Sales everyday!

You name it, they have it. EzBuy gives one a comprehensive shopping experience. From things that one can find in the departmental stores such as male and female fashion, electronics and children's stuff, to supermarket/hypermarket everyday groceries. We recently ordered matching family T shirts for CNY. Economic yet creative and of good quality. Tempting much?

I am absolutely in love with this under RM30 category. From trinkets to household products and clothes, it's going to satisfy that inner itch to shop more. RM30 really doesn't worth much nowadays.. So this comes with great consolation at my purchasing power! It's indeed a steal .

Once payment confirmed, items will either be delivered via air or sea shipment which is up to one's preference. I personally don't buy things I urgently need online so sea shipment is more than adequate. My personal experience is that sea shipment will generally takes between 2 to 4 weeks.

There's no such thing as being conned while shopping online if one uses reliable websites such as EzBuy. For the past decade or so, I have been buying my mobile phones online without issues with delivery, quality, aftersale services and warranty.

As if the prices are not low enough, EzBuy had their first anniversary sales that just ended on 11 March. Too bad I missed the boat but I'll definitely hop onto the next one! But I'm still in time to get 15% off my first parcel quoting EZAPP15! I'm already making my next shopping list.

To know more, get on to their official websites.
EzBuy Website
https://marketing.ezbuy.my/ezbuyMobileRegister/index_v2_MY.html?identId=AdOQAX
Mogujie
https://m.mogujie.com
Global JD
https://global.jd.com

Getting rid of permanent dark circles with intradermal filler featuring Vogue Clinic

I was born with dark circles and huge eye bags. So I look like I'm constantly tired and 'post call'. From home remedies to high end eye serum, the pigmentation under my eyes is permanent, worsens with stress because it's genetic. I have resorted to using concealers everyday.

This is the CC cushion with intense cover that I'm using currently.

It will be a freedom to go out of the house without wearing concealer. So for the benefit, I went for under eye fillers at Vogue Clinic.

Vogue Clinic
Address 36-3, Jalan 30/70A, Wisma Rapid, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 KL
Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/vogueclinickl/

Why dark circles form?

Genetics- certain skin composition affects how lights are reflected off the orbital bones. That's why most topical serum doesn't work that well.

Ageing- with age, our tear troughs lose volume/we were born with thinner fat pads around the area. This makes the tiny blood vessels underneath more obvious- seen as dark circles!

What's intradermal fillers?

This is hyaluronic acid aka collagen based fillers injected underneath the eyes.

What's the procedure?

Numbing cream will be applied first. Local anesthetic was then injected around the area. A cannula was then used to guide the direction of infiltration of the filler. The whole procedure took less than 10 minutes in the experienced hands of Dr Darren. In the same setting, both eyes can undergo the treatment.

Watch this short YouTube video here to appreciate the process.

What's the feeling like? Painful?

It's an very interesting feeling. Will try my best to describe. The injection of the local anesthetic stung a bit. The injection of the filler, on the other hand, has to be deep and near to the bone. So the feeling was not very pleasant, like someone poking around the bone. But it's not pain, it's more the distension of the soft tissue that made everything felt tight and kind of bloated.

Downtime?

Swelling was inevitable and most obvious on day two. The filled areas felt kind of unnatural and firm but disappeared after 3 to 4 days. I was reminded to keep myself hydrated to ensure the effect of the treatment was optimised. I was warn that the injection site could develop bruising so I was more than glad that it didn't happen.

There's a tiny risk of 0.001% of blindness if the substance was injected into a blood vessel. But as with every injection, doctors do draw back before injecting to make sure this does not happen.

The effect?

Before and after photo. Under the same lighting.

Instantaneous brightening of the undereye areas! Yet still looks natural. After 5 days or so, the under eye area looked as if there was nothing done to it at all. The skin had returned to it's soft and supple consistency.  The effect could easily last 9 months to a year.

However, certain factors such as smoking, sleep deprivation, alcohol, nasal congestion and excessive eye rubbing are a few things that we can all do to prevent dark circles from forming.

This is a photo of me without concealer after a week. Love it!

Welcome my dark circles and eye bag free days!

Nara Osaka Day trip

It was such an impromptu trip so we really had to improvise as it went. Because I felt lazy writing my 3 days itinerary in Osaka, so I'll start out with this Nara day trip instead. This is baby Bing's third overseas trip before he turned two this May. To think that I have never even boarded a plane before the age of 20!

Our homestay in Osaka was conveniently located within walking distance to tenjinbashisuji 6-chome subway station. Japan has a very efficient rail system but it can be complex because you need different tickets for subway vs JR vs Kintetsu rail vs Keihan rail.

For our day trip we took Kintetsu Osaka Nara one day pass which cost us 1500yen each. Even though people would tell you that you could walk in Nara but the free bus rides came in handy with the one day pass if you have a toddler in tow like us. Note that the JR/shinkansen/bullet train pass didn't come with the bus day pass.  In order to connect to the Kintetsu rail, we took the subway (extra one way ticket) to the nearest Ueohommachi subway station.

It took us about an hour to reach the Kintetsu Nara Station which was practically right where the town center was. We decided to take the bus all the way to Tamukeyama Hachimangu Shrine/Nigatsudo Hall first to avoid the crowd. Shinkansen would probably saved us 15mins but with a much hefty price tag.

Most of the sights in Nara are listed in UNESCO world heritage.

We were immediately surrounded by these wild deers that roamed freely in the whole Nara. Baby Bing enjoyed feeding the deers with crackers. Just be careful because they could kick or bite young children!

Watch our deer feeding experience here.

Tamukeyama Hachimangu Shrine/Nigatsudo Hall

It's a good stair climbing exercise to get a bird eye view of Nara.

The wonderful metal lanterns found everywhere in the temple.

Todai-ji Temple

This huge temple was just walkable from  Nigatsudo Hall with woods full of wild deer enroute. There's a small fee paid in order to visit the interior. 

Well worth it to admire the huge Buddha statue that everyone couldn't stop taking photos of.

As baby Bing decided to nap in his stroller, we headed to Kasuga-Taisha Shrine.

Love the garden surrounded by small stone statues.

Afterwards we had lunch back in the town center. Took us some time to locate this sweet little cafe recommended by Trip Advisor.

Mochidono Cafe Nara

Love the udon soup with dried tofu. Chewy noodles with soysauce based soup. All the sets come with their matcha pudding that tastes eggy. Yum!

Tempura rice set

Crunchy tempura fish, squid and crabmeat with mashed potatoes and garden salad. With pickled vegetables and rich mixed vegetable broth. Cold soft tofu dressed with soy sauce and bonito flakes.

Just because the food here was cheap according to Japan standards (average about 1000 yen per person), we ordered dessert. Redbean (Ogura) waffles with matcha ice cream. Everything needs to have matcha in Japan haha. Just a small warning, dessert here is sweet.

Finished the meal with a cup of coffee. Japanese love long black with cream. Different but nevertheless enjoyable cuppa.

We had a lazy stroll to Kofuku-ji Temple in the afternoon.

 Spent some time photoshooting the pagoda.

And enjoy the view of Nara from the top of the temple.

Ended our day with more deer feeding. I think everyone really enjoyed feeding the deers, especially for young children. What a great family day out!

The use of chemical peel to fight acne featuring Vogue Clinic

I want a makeover! Seriously sick of my acne prone face and dull complexion. I have been searching for beauty products and sharing about great stuff on my blog. But more stress and sleepless nights caring for baby Bing is still taking a toll on me. So I headed to Vogue Clinic for a makeover.

Vogue Clinic
Address 36-3, Jalan 30/70A, Wisma Rapid, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 KL

They will only officially launch on 25 March but I had the privilege to try their treatments before that :) The doctor in charge is the dashing Dr Darren Teo who has had experience performing aesthetic treatment and procedures for celebrities and influencers.

In order to eliminate acne, I had a chemical peel containing glycolic acid. Below is my own experience having the treatment.

What's chemical peel?

A chemical solution is applied to the skin which makes it 'blisters' macroscopically then peel off.

Photo from Google

Glycolic acid is one of the most powerful exfoliating agent. It's derived from plants such as sugar cane, beets and pineapple. It also moisturises the skin. Read more about glycolic acid here.

What's the benefit of chemical peeling?

The old skin is exfoliated to reveal smoother and less wrinkled skin. It also treats blocked pores and acne. Improves appearance of uneven pigmentation and faint scars.

What's the procedure?

You can choose to prepare your skin by applying glycolic acid products before the procedure.

On the day, a few layers of chemical peel is applied after cleansing. Some mild stinging or tingling sensation is common afterwards. It's washed off after a few minutes. Then you are good to go!

What to watch out for afterwards?

Please sun protect the area involved after treatment because the skin becomes sensitive and may become sunburn easily. My face started to peel off slightly after 2 days but not very obvious. I was given this Frizyderm sunblock which really does hydrate the skin and feels like the second skin!

Breakouts may worsen temporarily and Dr Teo advises the use of over the counter clindamycin gel which works like wonders! I had one or two new acne but the rest became much less inflamed.

How often should I get a chemical peel?
Very acne prone person can get a treatment every 2 to 4 weeks.

Me before treatment. Lots of blocked pores, whiteheads, blackheads and some inflamed papules on both cheeks.

Me 3 days after treatment. Face a bit puffed up because of the other two aesthetic treatments I received.

After a week, the peeling stopped and the skin feels so rejuvenated!

Watch this short YouTube video of me going through chemical peeling.

Remember to pop by Vogue Clinic on 25 March at 10am for their grand opening!

Versatile Orgalac Goat's Milk review

There's a recent hype about the benefit of goat's milk. Of course I have to jump into the bandwagon and show you all what's so great about goat's milk!

Goat's milk is nutritious and high in calcium. There are some claims that those who could not tolerate cow's milk may benefit from consuming goat's milk instead. I have previously talked about infant formula based on goat's milk here.

There we go, I would like to share about Orgalac Goat's Milk this time.

Besides the benefits of goat's milk, Orgalac also contains all these wonderful active ingredients.

Bonepep

Photo from Google

That sounds like a very wacky scientific name. It's actually extracted from eggs. It's the 'bio capsule' that contains powerful ingredients to sustain life and promote healthy bone growth. For children, bonepep increases the formation of cells that helps bone to mineralise and harden. In adults, it helps to make bone dense and to achieve peak bone density , thus preventing osteoporosis.

Colostrum

Photo from Google

This is the so called golden drops produced when mothers just start to lactate after delivery. It contains concentrated levels of protein, minerals, fat soluble vitamins and antibodies essential for the survival of newborn babies. Therefore, colostrum improves immunity, promotes growth by increasing muscle mass and bone density. Of course the colostrum here is not from human, instead it's taken from bovine sources.

In spite of the wonderful addition of bonepep and colostrum, multivitamin is added into Orgalac goat's milk as well.

Orgalac is also versatile. Besides having it on its own, I have also tried

Adding Orgalac to  granola oats.

Adding Orgalac to my morning espresso shots.

Having orgalac with homemade five grain cookies.

Orgalac has a light texture and is easily dissolved using hot or cold water. Ellvita, the founder company, has managed to market a series of goat milk based products without the musky smell which I think is mainly why many people could not accept having goat's milk.

What's more is that Orgalac does not have added sugar and is suitable for the whole family. Even for young children.

I have made this short YouTube video about Orgalac goat's milk. Enjoy!

Ellvita Orgalac Original flavored Goat's milk official website.
https://www.facebook.com/EllVita-Susu-Kambing-HQ-1747237888839118/
Testimonies
http://bit.ly/testimoniellVita

AlMira Cheese Steamboat Kuantan food review

I was craving for cheese fondue so much! Saw this newly opened cheese steamboat place so we decided to give it a try. Even though it's not technically a cheese fondue it's a very yummy substitute.

AlMira Cheese Steamboat Kuantan
Jalan Darat Makbar, lot 3922, Lorong Seri Teruntum 136, 25100 Kuantan
Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/almirasteamboat/

Conveniently located on my daily route to work, this halal steamboat place had recently moved to this new location. I have long heard about them and some even traveled as far as from KL just to savor this!

For the low price tag at only RM20 per person, the variety of food one gets is very much worthy. This includes a sumptuous spread of vegetables, fish balls, tofu, eggs, quail eggs, marinated chicken and beef, mantis prawns, scallops, green mussels, clams, fried rice and noodles, as well at fruits and cordial.

Recently they also introduce this dimsum treats! Still pipping hot from the steamer, you can imagine how tasty it is :)

A boiling pot of Tom Yum.

A pot and grill is shared between two. One has the choice of either clear soup or tom yum. The highlight is of course the cheese! AlMira provides unlimited topping up for the cheese. Great news for cheese lovers like me.

The cheese does take quite a while to melt when the grill is being heated up initially. 

The whole spread. All the meat and scallops grilling and other ingredients cooking in the clear soup base. Dip the cooked food into the melted cheese...I just couldn't get enough of this!

Remember to put some butter on the grill before placing the meat. We got too excited and forgot, hence the charred grill :p

We ate till our fill and had the cheese topped up four times. It was a very satisfying meal indeed! Baby Bing also had fun eating the meat/fish balls. Yum yum!

I have made this short YouTube video about AlMira Cheese steamboat. Look at my cheese pull! Tempting much?

Enjoy! Let me know what you think about the place after you tried.

Minimally invasive nose thread lift featuring Vogue Clinic

I have never had much of a nose bridge. Typical Asian feature :p It could be a nuisance at times. Especially when I want to wear my glasses. They would keep slipping off particularly if my face is sweaty or oily. The same goes to my sunnies. This can get pretty annoying, not to mention the lack of aesthetic effect.

Photo from Google

So I have been thinking of enhancing my flat nose bridge for a while. Things are very different from the era of King of Pop Micheal Jackson now. He went through extensive plastic surgery such as multiple nose reductions and steroid injections. This invariably incurs lots of down time, as well as pain and need for painkillers.

Instead, I went for nose thread lift recently at Vogue Clinic.

Vogue Clinic
Address 36-3, Jalan 30/70A, Wisma Rapid, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 KL

Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/vogueclinickl/

What is nose thread lift?

This is a minimally invasive procedure done bedside by an aesthetic trained doctor. Polydioxanone (PDO) threads are inserted under local anaesthesia. These are 100% biocompatible and absorbable.

How is nose thread lift done?

After numbing cream was applied, local anesthetic was injected along a track under the nose bridge. PDO threads were then inserted one by one along the same track. They were very fine and I didn't feel any pain at all, just some sensation of the threads being pushed underneath the skin. 

A total of 7 threads were inserted, the number could vary to achieve certain degree of lifting. The whole procedure took about 15 minutes. This is why it's also called the lunchtime nose job.

What's the effect of nose thread lift?

That's me immediately before and after nose thread lift.

It's instantaneous because the threads serve as a scaffold. Downtime is minimal but my nose did swell slightly for 2 days, not really very obvious though. After the anesthetic wore off, my nose felt tight and slightly unnatural but the feeling went off with two panadol tablets.

My nose at its most swollen state on second day.

There you go, my more well defined nose! One of the rare times I'm in the mood to put on some makeup.

I like the change and also how subtle the enhancement to my look is. I have never intended to completely change my look. This will easily last 1-2 years. And as treatment is repeated, the effect will last longer as collagen production is stimulated by the threads as well.

Watch this short YouTube video about my treatment process. Just be aware that there are needles and some blood in the video.