1 Syawal at Menteri Besar's Open House in Kuantan

We have been Rakyat Kuantan for almost 7 years now but this is the very first time we get to attend YAB MB's Open House at Dewan Jubli Perak Kuantan.

The nature of our work means that we were mostly required to work in the hospital almost every Raya. This year I am lucky (thanks to Mr husband who is away for conference in Sweden which means that I have to babysit and cannot commit to oncall). So there we go, baby Bing's very first time attending a Raya Open House! And mom's first visit to the beach and Open House in Kuantan.

Since the venue was really near to the beach (about 5 minutes drive away), we started the morning having a leisurely stroll at Teluk Cempedak. We were surprised that the beach was already packed with people at 9am. The weather was really good- not too sunny or gloomy. And many were picnicking in the area or swimming in the relatively calm ocean already.

We arrived at Dewan Jubli Perak about half an hour before the Open House started so there was still plenty of parking spaces available along Jln Teluk Sisek just 200 meters away from the entrance. We were amazed at the size of crowd waiting to enter the hall.

At 11am sharp we were allowed into the spacious hall. The setting was elegant and the huge celling fan made it very comfortable to dine in. Food was of course buffet style and there was at least 6 counters running concurrently. Even then the queue was formidable.

Besides the conventional Raya food like lemang, Nasi impit, Nasi briyani, chicken and beef rendang, there was also laksa Pahang. I didn't manage to take a good photo of the rice dishes because the famished crowd left the trays almost empty by the time I got to the food.

These delicious roast lamb deserved special mention. Perfectly roasted with all the fat melted, yet still juicy with the great charred flavour made perfect by the black pepper sauce. Thanks Ming for lining up under the sun so we got to taste it!

Dessert wise, there was Pahang's famous cendol. This Abang cendol was really dedicated and fulfilled the crowd's request for extra cendol/gula Melaka etc. For children, huge Train Your Dragon lychee flavoured ice creams were obviously a big hit.

Both baby Bing and Yi were also blessed by YAB Dato Sri Hj Wan Rosdi's duit Raya. Too bad I didn't see him coming in advance because we were seated at the first table on the far right facing away from him so we didn't have a group photo with him! From the short conversation, he sounded like a kind and generous man.

That's it! Our pleasant experience at Pahang MB's Raya Open House! Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir and Batin to all. 

Good domestic cleaner | Clorox Scentiva Disinfecting Multi-Surface Cleaner Review

I woke up 3am last night trying to clean up my boy's soiled diaper and onesie. Just when I opened up the diaper, he happily shot a fountain of urine so I had to clean up the floor as well. By the time I finished, I was already wide awake and luckily the boy fast asleep.

Does this sound familiar? Parents with young children will agree with me. Cleaning can be a real disaster. Not to sound obsessive compulsive, these dirty items often become the breeding ground for germs. I won't be surprised if you tell me this is the 5th time you are mopping the floor for the day.

Naturally when Clorox Scentiva was first introduced in the market, I fell in love with it. Grab one bottle and spray it all for cleaning. It's suitable for stainless steel, synthetic marble, glazed ceramic tiles, linoleum, countertops, stove top, appliance exteriors, sinks, floor, cabinets, tubs and walls.

Clorox® Scentiva® Disinfecting Multi-Surface Cleaner kills 99.9% of viruses and bacteria; powers through tough grease and grime. It also effectively cleans, disinfects, degreases surfaces and eliminates odors!

Product Ingredients

Water/aqua is the most widely used solvents and serves as the base of this cleaner. 

Lauramine Oxide is  as a primary cleaner, foam enhancer, stabilizer and thickener.

Alkyl C12-16 Dimethylbenzyl Ammonium Chloride is a quaternary ammonium compound (or "quat") and is added to products as cleaning agents, or as antimicrobial agents in EPA-registered disinfecting cleaning products.

Ethanolamines are used in household cleaners and laundry detergents as a solvent for removing soils that are fatty, oily or acidic.

Fragrances and perfumes are mixtures of fragrant essential oils, aroma compounds, fixatives and solvents to add a particular scent (lavender, lemon, etc.) to clothes and homes, and to mask unpleasant odors. 

Tetrapotassium EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) is used to remove soap film and hard water scale in a wide range of cleaning products, including hard surface cleaners, liquid soaps, laundry detergents, antimicrobial cleaners, and commercial products. It also helps maintain the product's appearance, and prevents deterioration.

How to use Clorox Scentiva?

1. Spray 6–8 inches from soiled surface.

2.  Wipe clean with a dry paper towel or lint-free cloth.

3. Repeat for heavily soiled areas.

Look at the difference after a single application on my kitchen top. That's without presoaking the surface with Clorox Scentiva. For a fulltime working mom who has no time for house work, this is an absolutely amazing result. My mom who visits us once in a while, helps with housework because she can't stand the grime (lol), loves how well it works in cleaning the fumehood which hasn't been cleaned for months (gasp!)

Besides Clorox Scentiva Disinfecting Multi-Surface Cleaner, the Clorox Scentiva range also has wet mopping cloths, wet wipes, bathroom foam cleaner and toilet cleaning gel. It comes with 4 amazing scents: Tuscan Lavender & Jasmine, Pacific Breeze & Coconut, Hawaiian Sunshine™ and Fresh Brazilian Blossoms.

I love this YouTube ad about the 5 seconds rule!

Besides that, Clorox also plays an important role by giving back to the society. Clorox has teamed up with Animal Planet to help fund a multimedia project calling attention to a deadly fungus that is destroying frog and amphibian populations. All the tools used in the frog rescue are disinfected with Clorox bleach to help prevent the spread. Clorox also helped The California Rice Commission to controlling a fungus, Fusarium fujikuroi, which causes rice crops to fail to germinate. 

Find out more on Clorox Scentiva website.

p.s. I got mine from Home Tester Club.

3 top tips to look naturally gorgeous all day long | Althea A'bloom Review

With this crazy weather and haze, it's even more important to make sure we take good care of our health including our skin! It's not easy to make our fresh look last especially if you work outdoors with all the sweat and polluted air. That's why Althea has recently introduced their A'Bloom product series to help us staying gorgeous. These 3 steps/tips are essential if you want to look good all day long.

After the usual skincare routine of cleansing, (read my previous post about the Bare Essential skincare products). It's time to exfoliate!

Tip 1: Clear the pores with BHA Blackhead Blaster.

Unfortunately dirt and impurities tend to clog the pores and form black and white heads. These can be really unsightly and worse still can make our pores bigger.

The BHA Blackhead Blaster is a cute size balm in the shape of a stick to painlessly exfoliate, clean the pores from blackhead and whitehead and prevent them from clogging again. I can still remember the last time I had to get them manually extracted. The pain!

These are the list of active ingredients:

White Willow Bark aka beta hydroxy acid (BHA) 5,000ppm
Charcoal
Apricot seed
Teatree leaf oil

There's noticeable difference right after I washed the balm off. It works even better if the pores are already opened up using steam/warm compress.

Tip 2: Boost the skin with suitable mask

For those who really have no time to do proper facial at an aesthetic center, the least we can do to help is by applying masks at home. The A'Bloom series has 4 types of masks to suit different skincare needs. Fruit juice is the main feature in this mask series.

Moisturising Watermelon Sheet Mask

This mask is great for combination skin. It's main function is to hydrate, moisturise and soothe irritated skin.  Imagine watering your skin with watermelon juice. Yum!

Key ingredients
Citrullus Vulgaris (Watermelon) Fruit Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract

Nourishing Avocado Sheet Mask

This mask suits all skin types particularly dry skin. It is rich in antioxidants to nourish and protect our skin from harmful environmental pollutants and to prevent wrinkles to ensure supple and glowing skin.

Key ingredients
Adenosine, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Fruit Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract.

Antiblemish Peach Sheet Mask

This anti-blemish mask purifies and soothes irritated and sensitive skin. Not only that it also helps to regulate sebum production and balance skin moisture. Therefore, it's great for oily skin!

Key ingredients
Prunus Persica (Peach) Fruit Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract

Brightening Lemon Lime Sheet Mask

This brightening mask clarifies and brighten dull skin to unveil the natural glow from within. It also helps with pigmentation.

Key ingredients
Niacinamide, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Tip 3: Apply makeup 

I don't really like to put on makeup sometimes because I find it difficult to stop my foundation from caking up on my face. But using these cute meringue puffs make smooth application easier than ever. These irresistibly sweet and versatile puff can be used dry(matte feeling) or wet (smooth feeling). They are made from high density latex free foam.

It comes in extra large size to ensure quick and even application over the whole face. There is another pack of smaller puffs which make blending eye shadows and blusher easily. The pointed end is also great for blending around curve and angles.

There you go, 3 top tips for looking gorgeous all day long! Watch my YouTube for a short video of how to use all these 3 products.

  

What's Althea?

Althea supplies the latest K-beauty products with
-Free international shipping from Korea
-Althea authenticity guaranteed.
-Best price policy.
-30-day unconditional refund.

Official website

Practical products for family | Gajah Baring Balsamo, Oless Lip balm and thermometer review

As a family with young children, we always have to make sure we have a few practical things in hand. As a doctor, I do believe in certain traditional remedies particularly in remedies that are applied to the skin such as massage oil, essential oil and herbal rubs/creams. Having products with ingredients suitable for the use of the whole family is even more important when we travel to reduce the amount of baggage. I am sure those with children will understand how much luggage our children need for a short 2 days away from home! I have recently received Gajah Baring Balsamo, OLESS lip balm and a cute froggy body thermometer which are good additions to the house.

Gajah Baring Balsamo

This garlic balm is useful for the whole family from babies to the elderly. It can be simply used as a massage oil to moisturise the skin or as a chest rub to relieve nasal congestion while suffering from cold. As our weather has become so unpredictable with sweltering hot sunny day and chilly raining evenings, many have fallen to viral infections. I have just recovered from one but my poor 5 month old has caught the virus from me. Because he's so young, he's not suitable to use cold medications. Therefore, traditional remedies like this garlic balm come in a very timely manner.

Gajah Baring Balsamo contains white garlic, olive oil, vitamin E, sunflower oil and bee wax. It's made of real garlic so it smells exactly like one! Without any added fragrance or artificial colouring that may cause allergies in those with sensitive skin.

I also love how Gajah Baring Balsamo comes in the form of a solid balm because I have way too many stained baggage items due to ointments/creams in the liquid form. When rubbed into the skin/chest gently, it doesn't really give any heaty sensation but it does help to relieve blocked nose. This helps my little boy to sleep better because he could breathe easier and was more comfortable. The other options is nasal irrigation which I find really unpleasant for both parents and children. My boy often chokes when I tried to irrigate his blocked nose which made his all the more irritable.

With every purchase, it now comes with a cute froggy body thermometer like this. I would like a thermometer is an essential item in every home's medicine cabinet. This is particularly because high grade fever can be an indication of serious infection which may require hospital admission.

In young children, they are also prone to having what we call febrile fits-- when body temperature is too high, it can cause convulsion. Even though febrile fits usually do not carry any serious consequences in our children's development and is usually self limiting, it's still better to know the exact body temperature and to lower it using paracetamol or other medications when needed. It can be a real scary sight. To learn more about febrile fit, refer to this RCH article.

If you are interested, you can get a Gajah Baring Balsamo at RM29.90 (excluding postage RM8 West Malaysia, RM12 East Malaysia)

For more information, please refer to the official website
Gajah Baring Balsamo
FB: Gajah Baring HQ (Garlic Balm)
IG: gajahbaring_hq
Distributed by ARS Pure Solution
Contact no.: 0187665694

OLESS lip balm

This is another family friendly product. This lip balm is homemade and safe for children use because the flavour and coluring are food grade. It's exactly like putting strawberry candy directly on the lips. Yums!

OLESS lip balm contains extra virgin olive oil, vitamin E, strawberry flavour and colouring.  These are nourishing ingredients that moisuturise the lips to deal with problems such as cracked lips, dry lips and pigmented lips.

Look at how excited baby Bing is! He has been observing me putting on my coloured lip balm so he immediately knew what to do with this lip balm. Strawberry is also his favorite flavour! I think this lip balm is going to finish in no time.

The price tag is also affordable at only RM10 each (excluding postage RM8 West Malaysia, RM11 East Malaysia).

For more information, please refer to
Official website
FB: Zuraini Muhammad
IG: zmbeauty_hq
Contact No.: 01132484182
Distributed by ZM Beauty

P.S. If you purchase these items during Raya period, you will also get these extra duit Raya packets. I love the design, so elegant :)

Drive safe on the road

As a full-time working mother, I drive myself everyday to work. Picking up baby Bing to and from the babysitter usually falls within my daily responsibility too. Being a mother of 2 lovely boys, you would have thought I'm a pretty cautious driver. But I must admit this is not always the case :p

I have had my fair share of speeding tickets on the highway for instance. Having had a close friend who just had her car declared as total loss due to skidding, I now know better than to play around with the speed limit. I also have my moments of showing attitudes to other drivers sometimes after a terrible day especially when confronted by someone with poor road etiquette but I have learnt that it doesn't pay to retaliate. Instead I let the mat rempits and tail gaters pass.

Image courtesy of EZtakaful

Besides adhering to speed limits, mobile use and texting while driving has become one of the devils. Being a doctor, sometimes there's no off time. From fellow doctors, nurses to allied health, one gets called all the time. And it can become tempting to pick it up while driving. Therefore I have learnt to use Bluetooth earphones while driving.

The other common danger is fatigue. After experiencing microsleep on the highway at full throttle, now I always make sure I'm well rested before the start of the journey. For trips longer than 1-2 hours, I'll stop and rest be it a quick toilet break or just a way out for some fresh air. Now that the R&R pitstops are equipped with clean and spacious bathrooms as well as many food choices, baby Bing loves to stop by too. Making sure our tired toddler gets enough sleep and fastened in his car seat also ensures a peaceful drive. One main problem for Malaysian families - letting young children loose without car seat! Can't stress how much this can save your children's life in an accident. There's no such thing as children refusing to stay in car seat because as with everything else it comes with habit and discipline.

Being a safe driver is not only important to both the drivers and her passengers, but it's also a civil responsibility. Now that the motor insurance is liberalised, there's even more incentive to drive safely! The following diagram from Bank Negara Malaysia sums up the benefits to consumers. Those who have low risk profiles i.e. no accidents and who maintains their car well get to pay lower premiums. That's definitely great news and beneficial incentive for Malaysian drivers.

To read more on how you can benefit from the liberalisation of motor insurance/motor Takaful, kindly refer to

PIAM

MTA

Birthday Treats for Daycare- ideas and activities

Happy belated birthday baby Bing! My eldest had just turned 3! This is his first year at kindergarten/afternoon daycare. So as new as it is a learning experience for him, it's also new for us as parents. We are glad that he loves schooling. Basically he's the positive vibe there!

Bing with his trophy, medal and gift pack coming first in individual running, games and group games just 2 weeks before turning 3.

A simple discussion with Bing and we have decided to celebrate his birthday at school. Hubby and I do take Bing's opinion seriously because it's good to train him to make decision on his own. As long as we could remember, we offer him choices as long as it's not hazardous. This makes him think and gives him a voice as well as respect.

One afternoon after school brought us to the Mr DIY near our house for gift shopping. We love to shop here because their children section is simply fabulous! Good quality craft sets, books, stationery and toys at affordable prices. We deliberately chose a few different things to mix and match. Because there's more fun in the gift preparation this way.

Mr.D.I.Y.

LOT A1 & A3, GROUND & FIRST FLOOR, LORONG BUKIT SETONGKOL PERDANA 1, Lorong Bukit Setongkol Perdana 52, PERUMAHAN, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang
03-8961 1338
https://g.co/kgs/yPVxBb

Baby Bing couldn't wait to prepare gift sets for his school mates. In each bag, he carefully placed an English alphabet book, a pencil with cartoon eraser attached, a whistle and a hand puppet craft set. We got 12 sets of these goodies at around RM50 only.

As for Bing's birthday cake, he decided to have a chocolate cake instead of his usual favorite pandan layer cake. We love to frequent Summer Bakery on the way to work. Not only are the pastry and cakes fresh, but it's also great value for money. We often buy bread and cake flour from the bakery as well (Baking is another Bing's hobby. That's story for another day!)

Summer Bakery

Jalan Darat Makbar, Kampung Darat Makbar, 25100 Kuantan, Pahang
016-936 8520
https://g.co/kgs/rMfRaA

The Oreo chocolate cake had just the right amount of chocolate- light and not too rich. We simply love the presentation! What's the best about their cakes are that they are not too sweet. Just enough to satisfy cravings but good for parents like us who don't want to deal with more dental caries. Being a May baby as well as a Teacher's Day boy, we got 10% off because it's also Mother's Day promotion. The bakery opened as early as 7.30am so we were ready for our birthday party really early.

We notified the teachers a few days in advance and they have put up a simple yet lovely birthday decoration at school. With balloons and stuff. They have also prepared birthday hats for the children. Thank you teachers!

Bing got really excited when everyone sang a birthday song to him. As usual, he blew everyone's birthday candles and of course his! In the next half an hour, half of the cake was devoured by the happy children. We actually prefer this more traditional type of cake than fondant which has way too much sugar and artificial colouring.

After morning teatime and cake, Bing then handed the goodie bags to his school mates. The hilarious part was that he was really sad to part with the gifts and was only consoled after he also got a set himself (which explained his sulking face).

I finally managed to grab a photo with the birthday boy. So that's how awesome Bing's 3rd birthday went! I hope this gives you all some amazing ideas about what to do for your children!

Lost and Found | Tag La Review

Do you know that a person wastes on average 10minutes everyday looking for misplaced items?

I vividly remembered when Mr husband lost his one year old mobile phone after an unfortunate trip to a local hawker center. We tried to use Google's Find Your Phone to locate it. But it only works when the phone is switched on and connected to data. We gave up after 24hours and resorted to erase the phone data remotely as many confidential information was in it.

Not only is it costly to lose precious items，there are many things that money simply can't buy. For example, we have many photos kept for memory sake in and out of work. So we are really excited to try out Tag La.

What is Tag La?

Tag La is a tracking device. It is connected to a mobile app via Bluetooth. Not only can it track a precious item attached to Tag La, it can also reverse track the mobile phone with the app.

Tag La is now selling at version 2 already! It's very easy to set up the device. Step by step instructions are provided to sync the device to the mobile phone with the Tag La app installed.

It is also elegantly designed. At the size and shape of a coin, it's light and can be easily attached to items using a key ring. It comes in a variety of attractive colours like red, blue, yellow, green and white.

How to use Tag La?

I have made a short YouTube video to show you all how to use its basic functions.

Once the Tag La is connected to the phone via Bluetooth, the icon will turn yellow. One can easily click  "Find'. The Tag La will then beep and announce its location! Vice versa, when the Tag La is pressed twice, the phone will ring even in silent mode. This is within 75feet of BlueTooth range. The Tag La device is powered by battery that lasts around 6 months.

If the device is out of range, don't worry. One can locate the device's last seen location on Google Map to identify where the item is. Once tracking range is exceeded, the phone will automatically receive a notification that one has left the item behind. Last resort, use the crowd GPS function. Others with Tag La who happen to pass by your item will be able to update your item location. Last but not least, Tag La can be used as a selfie remote to take a photo with in-app camera.

What does Dr Yingzangel think?

This is a creative yet simple solution to make sure that important items don't get lost ever again. It only took me 5minutes to set it up. And it was user friendly even to the ones who are not technologically inclined. And I love it because it is again, proudly Malaysian made and owned!

Retail Price at RM79.90 each. Subscribe to Tag La now with your email and you could be the lucky winner of a free Tag La every month!

Tag La
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