Stay Safe using Made in Malaysia self care products | 63rd Merdeka celebration

 Before an effective treatment or vaccination program is established, whether we like it or not, the new normal is here to stay. I really applaud Malaysian government's move in making wearing face mask compulsory in public places as covid 19 viruses spread via droplets. Social distancing measures and good hand hygiene are also important ways to stay safe.

The Movement Control Order has taken a toll on many small local businesses and causes social isolation. Now that we are allowed to resume our daily endeavors, staying safe is even of upmost importance now. I would love to share about my favorite self care package from Nurigins Malaysia-- all made in Malaysia. It contains everything to keep us safe.

When I head out for travelling, these are the essential items in my bag (I highly recommend you to bring these along at all times!) : 

1. Jimmy Wong Batik Mask

2. Nurigins Hand Sanitizer With Aloe Vera

3. Balance Tree Antibacterial Herbal Soap Sheet

At work-- all these are provided in the hospital (of course) So as a doctor I only need to bring these when I'm heading out but not to my workplace.

Jimmy Wong Batik Mask

IG

Do you know that out in the community, washable cloth mask is recommended and is good enough to prevent droplet transmission? That’s why when I’m not at work, I prefer to wear more breathable masks like this Jimmy Wong Batik Mask. It’s beautifully designed by Jimmy Wong and Jimmy Lim, both Malaysians who were involved in sewing PPEs for frontliners when the pandemic was at it's worst. You can always add in a filter in the designated slot if you desire additional protection. Read about face mask use and COVID 19 in this Mayo Clinic article.

Nurigins is proudly Malaysian producing high quality skincare products which is cruelty free, full of the goodness of natural plant based ingredients which also contributes to the scent. All products are free of harsh chemicals like SLS, SLES, paraben and colourants.

Nurigins Hand Sanitizer With Aloe Vera

Nurigins IG

Many public places prepare alcohol based hand sanitizer nowadays but most of them dehydrate the skin. Sometimes the sanitizer is not being topped up. So we prefer to bring our own travel sized hand sanitizer. Nurigins Hand Sanitizer effectively sanitizes but with the added Aloe Vera it is moisturizing and does not cause dry skin. The rinse free and non sticky formula makes it popular with my kids.

Balance Tree Antibacterial Herbal Soap Sheet

Balance Tree IG

Soap sheets are convenient as they are kept in a metal box that can be easily brought around. Whenever needed, take out a sheet for use. Why do I bring my own soap? Again, my hands are so dry and wrinkled after using other soap. Artemisia Argyl aka Chinese Mugwort powder (this reminds me of Harry Potter!). This soothes dry irritated skin and can calm acne prone skin. Rich in vitamin E, this helps the skin to retain moisture, fight free radicals and deter sun damage.

I usually go straight to the shower when I reach home. This is to cleanse myself from head to toe-- from any possible contamination. I use Nurigins shower cream, shampoo and conditioner.

Nurigins Argan Oil Revitalizing Shower Cream

This shower cream is suitable for all skin types. I particularly love the fruity scent coming from the multi fruits extract which also nourishes the skin, maintain moisture balance and keeps the skin supple. Argan oil and bergamot essential oil soothes inflamed skin and prevent skin ageing. 

Nurigins Coconut Cream Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner

This hair care set is made of coconut oil and soy protein. Coconut Oil is famous for its intense moisturising properties. It softens and protects the mane from split ends and breakage. Soy Protein, on the other hand, repair the hair from its roots.

The self care set also comes with some awesome snacks and nasi lemak made of slime with an egg stress ball!

Celebrate this Merdeka in style by focusing on some self love just like what I’m doing! 

How to get glowing skin? | Cellnique Glow Getter Set Review

I have just noticed yet another acne above my upper lip after a long day at work. As a physician, I have to wear mask for at least 4hours stretch without rest for my face. The recent sweltering and humid weather makes me sweat through my 3ply surgical mask after 30mins. So you can imagine what happens to my skin underneath.

So how to maintain that glowy skin look without reaching out for some glittery highlighter palette? Glowing complexion requires healthy, radiant and clear skin. This means good solid skin products like Cellnique Glow Getter. There is no quick fix, sorry to disappoint everyone here. Besides good products, good cleansing, hydration and a healthy lifestyle is the way to go as skin health reflects our general well being.

Cellnique Glow Getter

This skincare product set consists of 2 key steps in achieving the ultimate glowing from within. Cellnique Hydraboost Ceramides First Essence & MA18. This Glow Getter set is the must have for an overworked lady who has tired and dull skin like me.

Cellnique Hydra Boost Ceramide First Essence.

The active ingredients are 

Ceramides —lipids (fats) abundant and found naturally in the uppermost layers of skin. This is a self-renewable scaffold protecting against pollutants and sun damage.

Chondrus crispus, aka red algae, is rich in antioxidants and lutein which prevents photo ageing. 

The natural polysaccharides, peptides, and amino acids lock in skin moisture. At the same time, carrageenan forms a flexible film against environmental stressors.

Cellnique MA18

Mandelic acid is a gentle alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) derived from bitter almonds. It’s used in professional chemical peeling treatment to boost skin metabolism by exfoliating. This aims to minimise pore appearance — remove thick stratum corneum , blackheads, acne and acne scars.

The exact skincare steps are as follows:

Step 1: Cleanser

Step 2 : Toner

Step 3: Hydra Boost Ceramides First Essence Step 4: MA 18

Step 4: Serum / moisturizer etc

Gently pat Hydra Boost Ceramides First Essence on the entire face after cleansing and toning in the morning. After applying Hydra Boost Ceramides First Essence, squeeze 2-3 drops of MA 18 onto the palm and apply it evenly on the face and neck until fully absorbed, followed by applying moisturizer at night.

About Cellnique Paramedical

A little bit about the background of Cellnique Paramedical. Cellnique Paramedical strives to combine the latest pharmaceutical grade skin care with advanced medical formulation including ingredients such as collagen and CoQ10. Backed by science, Cellnique has even established Cellnique Institute of Advanced Derma Aesthetics. This is how serious the company views the importance of research in product development. Recently, Cellnique Paramedical has turned its focus to solve skin problems in Asians. This is a great news for us because Asian skin is definitely not the same as others!

I have also reviewed an alcohol free — Cellnique Sanitising Nano Mist in this previous post. 

Hurry up and get your Glow Getter Set at only RM38.00 (RRP: RM138.00). Click here to buy: Cellnique Glow Getter

Don’t forget to complete the following steps to get a surprise gift along with your purchase:

1. Like Cellnique Facebook Page

2. Like and share this post #koreanglasskinformula #Cellnique

3. Tag 3 of your friends at the comment box 

4. Remember to set to public.

While stock lasts. 

Crispy Crunchy Korean Fried Chicken | Nanda Chicken Kuantan

If you are a lover for cheese and fried chicken, you should definitely try this outlet! Nanda Chicken has been around in Kuantan for quite some time now. It's located in Kuantan City Mall near Dubuyo ( we were also very tempted to try Dubuyo's freeflow Korean Fried Chicken promotion but it was quite tricky to do that with 2 toddlers in tow due to the 90 mins time limit)

Nanda Chicken
Lot GF-17, Kuantan City Mall, Jalan Putra Square 6,
25300 Kuantan
09-531 6659
FB
IG @nandachicken_kuantan

The indoor seating was well lit and comfortable. The kids really loved sitting on the long bench as they did not have to be confined to a chair. The waiters were efficient and friendly.

Their signature cheesy chicken (on first page of the menu)! We ordered mixed flavour- original and spicy soy ( we did not dare to challenge the hottest flavour in the menu but I think we will try that next round). 

Half of the hot plate was filled with frozen mozzarella cheese sticks that melted with the heat from the portable stove. The popcorn chicken cubes were already fried and flavoured. 

The waiter helped to make a giant melted cheese ball and demonstrated how to coat our chicken with a layer of cheese.

Look at that cheese pull! Simply irresistible.

We definitely had to order their chicken carbonara as well given the dish is my boys' favorite. We got the half portion which was meant for 1-2 pax. Honestly we thought the portion of the spaghetti was small for 2 children. 

But the sauce was very rich and creamy. For the first time, Bing actually finished all his chicken! I loved the freshly sliced onions but the children preferred otherwise.

What does Dr Yingzangel think?

We enjoyed our weekend lunch out at Nanda Chicken very much.

Overall 3.8/5
Taste 4/5
Atmosphere 4/5
Service 4/5
Variety 3.5/5
Affordability 3.5/5

Basic Night Skincare Routine with MooGoo products

I'm always busy. I work full-time from 8am to 5pm during weekdays, not counting the on calls.  But I hit the sack with my boys 9ish at night. Because they are notorious for waking up whenever I tried to sneak out of bed. So I just gave up and adjusted my sleeping time. There's not much time for self care after work but I make sure I complete the basic steps.

1. Cleansing ( Double Cleansing daily if possible)

2. Toning (everyday)

3. Exfoliating (1-2 times/week)

4. Serum (1-2 times/week or just before special occasions)

5. Moisturizer (a must!)

My skin is sensitive and breakouts every so often following hormonal changes (hands up if your skin was horrible like mine during my second pregnancy!). Compulsory face mask wearing during the new normal is definitely not helping either. The mask is humid and stuffy after a while.  It also makes drinking water during the day more tedious, leading to dehydrated skin. Therefore, I have included MooGoo Gentle Exfoliating Micro Powder and Moogoo Night Restoration Cream as my Basic Night Skincare Routine.

MooGoo basically means milkcows. Craig Jones the founder reformulated udder cream used to moisturize the udders of milk cows as it was very useful for his mother's psoriatic rash. MooGoo has since launched many skincare products proudly declaring that only natural and nontoxic ingredients are used. 

Craig designs these products treating every client like his own family. So he never uses harsh ingredients like Parabens, Phenoxyethanol, Glycols, Silicones, Formaldehyde Donors (a class of preservatives), Paraffin Oil, SLS and SLES. Therefore, the products are safe to everybody including newborns and pregnant mothers. To minimize carbon footprints, MooGoo uses virgin plastic for the layer that is in contact with the product, and recycled plastic for the outer layers. All the products are made in Ozzie under the strictest standards but distributed worldwide. 

What's in common for these two products? They contain hydroxy acids (HAs). Hydroxy acids are naturally derived acids that weakens the glue that holds dead cells together to promote exfoliation and reveal new and healthy skin cells. When used in higher concentrations, they can penetrate deeper into the skin to encourage collagen and elastin formation, as well as to suppress and lighten pigmentation. 3 main types of hydroxy acids exist-- alpha-, beta- and poly-HAs.

MooGoo Gentle Exfoliating Micro Powder

Dual exfoliation is the key here- using both enzymatic (beta HA in the form of salicylic acid) and non-abrasive physical particles (rice bran powder). Besides that, Bentonite Clay is added to remove skin impurities, and Marshmallow Root to soothe irritated skin.

The whole ingredient list is here:

Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Powder, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (Coconut-Derived Cleanser), Manihot Esculenta (Tapioca) Starch, Althaea Officinalis (Marshmallow) Root Extract, Bentonite Clay, Xantham Gum (Food Grade Thickener), Salicylic Acid (Plant-Derived).

MooGoo Natural Night Cream

The number one ingredient in this night cream is lactic acid. This is an alpha hydroxy acid that helps to exfoliate in a gentle manner. It boosts hydration on the skin surface and faints lines/wrinkles.

Other essential ingredients include:

Plant based essential oils to nourish and restore the skin function as a barrier.

Hyaluronic Acid aka collagen to make skin supple  and firm.

ECGC (Green Tea Extract) is a natural, powerful antioxidant compound

The cream is naturally preserved with Hops Extract 

Full Ingredient List
:Aqua (H₂O’s Fancy Name), Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia (Nut) Seed Oil, Borago Officinalis (Starflower) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol (Plant-Based Emulsifying Wax) and Polysorbate 60 (Food Grade Emulsifier), Glyceryl Stearate (Emollient), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Lactic Acid (Plant-Derived Enzyme), Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera), Squalane (Olive), Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate (Oil-Soluble Vitamin C), Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Piroctone Olamine (Olamine Salt), Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride (Dehyquart Guar), Xanthan Gum (Food Grade Thickener), Hyaluronic Acid, Mel (Honey), Allantoin, Glycerin (and) Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Glycerin (and) Camellia Sinensis (ECGC Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Acetum (Apple Cider Vinegar), Potassium Sorbate (Natural Preservative), Natural Vanilla Fragrance (Phthalate-Free), Natural Pear Fragrance (Phthalate-Free), Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E), Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Extract

What does Dr Yingzangel think?

I try to make sure my bathroom is stocked up with products that are made of non-toxic

and natural ingredients like MooGoo, especially on the lower shelves where my boys can easily reach. I think this is important for households with young children like mine to childproof our homes. These MooGoo skincare products leave my skin really clean and moisturized before sleep. The night cream is very rich and luxurious, hydrating my skin overnight.

Sometimes we can be surprised at how quick they can get hold of creams and starts applying on themselves, emulating our actions. We also have a set of MooGoo udder cream and natural irritable skin balm that they will reach for as part of their bedtime routine every night.

MooGoo products are available in Caring Pharmacy, MooGoo website (www.moogoo.my), Lazada (MooGoo Official Store), Zalora and OurShop. Grab yours now!

Half Day Trip to Sungai Lembing

It took us so long to arrange for a trip to the famous Rainbow Waterfall at Sungai Lembing. But I wished I have been visited much earlier. It's such a breathtaking and relaxing trip.I dragged everyone out of bed at 5am.

After half an hour's drive from Kuantan town, the quaint town of Sungai Lembing came into view.

Hawker Centre

8, 231, Sungai Lembing, 26200 Sungai Lembing, Pahang
https://g.co/kgs/2wpfQF

A good breakfast/brunch here includes:
Homemade Sungai Lembing noodles in caramel sauce with Yong Tau Foo (in clear broth or curry soup) like stuffed lady fingers, bitter gourd, tauhu, bean curd skin.

Sungai Lembing noodles in ketchup based egg gravy 茄汁面or spicy sauce with dried chillies 辣子面。

To gain access to Rainbow Waterfall, one needs a local guide with his modified 4WD. We highly recommend Mr Lee who also manages Lembing Valley Resort with his family. It's possible to bring along young children like us. But make sure to bring along a backpack carrier. We used insect repellent as well but there wasn't that many mosquitoes to be honest.

Lembing Valley Resort 山城一站
Unnamed Road, Kampung Kolong Pahat, 26200 Sungai Lembing, Pahang
016-933 2665
https://g.co/kgs/uHWqXt
FB

The off-road ride was kind of bumpy and adventurous but there were many other 4WDs tagging along. They have been modified to included a covered rear which can seat at least 9 adults. During RMCO, the SOP was to only have a maximum of 8 people each vehicle. So we had the whole truck by ourselves.

The first pitstop was just a 5 minutes drive off-road to sunrise viewing. Instead of climbing the nearby Panaroma Hill, we could also enjoy this spectacular view from our 4WDs. Our timing was just great to catch the sunrise in action in a sea of clouds and mountains . 

The chilly morning was immediately transformed into a warm day.

We continued our journey up into the woods for about half an hour. Soon we were all geared up for a moderately challenging climb to Rainbow Waterfall. We had ample time and the I had Yi on my back all the time so I could free my arms to steady myself and grab onto the rocks whenever needed. We would rate the trail as fairly manageable. If my 4 year old could reach the waterfall without much hiccups, so could most elderly visitors.

There were multiple spots to enjoy Rainbow Waterfall. Dipping into the cool water was many's choice. The tour package included a hot cup noodle and beverage (Milo malt drink versus Nescafe) after some water activities to chase away the coldness.

Mr Lee brought us up to a gentle slope by the side of the waterfall for a more complete view of the mesmerizing rainbow which was very well seen by 10am or so.

Another least known spot required some water treading. He led us (literally by hand as the bottom was full of branches) across the pond just below the waterfall to witness the rainbow "transecting" the waterfall. It was also possible to see a complete circular rainbow just underneath the waterfall changing in size depending on the distance we stood from the rainbow. Spectacular!

Lunch was at this home style orchard cum restaurant.

林明茶馆
Sungai Lembing, 26200 Sungai Lembing, Pahang
019-969 2112
https://g.co/kgs/5ABDum

We had a pipping hot bowl of Hakka homemade soup noodles served with pork ball and pork belly slices. The herbal eggs were very well marinated and infused with the fragrance of Chinese herbs. Paired with a bowl of slightly bitter Chinese tea, this was a heavenly combination for a rainy day after the climb.

We learnt that it could be tricky to navigate ourselves in this laid back village. The road by the river across the car bridge led to a dead end. After a few trial and error only then we realized how to get to our afternoon tea destination. This is why I have to pin the location in this blog post so I won't get lost again. Just follow GPS ok.

家传食谱
Mee Sungai Lembing Food And Bakery
376, Sungai Lembing, Lorong Pahat, Kampung Kolong Pahat, 26200 Kuantan, Pahang
019-729 5838
https://g.co/kgs/E21dPU

There are lots of places selling this traditional snack called Dan San 蛋散 which means egg drops but we think this is the most flavoursome. It's a pastry pleated and deep fried until golden and crispy, classically coated with a layer of melted maltose. 

The other must tries here are their tofu fa made using mountain water-- we think they taste best warm without sugar. But the chilled pudding version works well with the children, especially the mango pudding.

If you really like the taste of Sungai Lembing noodles then you have to buy some home!

Mee Sungai Lembing
Sungai Lembing, 26200 Sungai Lembing, Pahang
019-989 3305
https://maps.app.goo.g/phmcEuW4nWJLU65w5

This is where the noodles are hand made. Fresh and ready for you to bring home. It lasts about a week in the fridge. Besides noodles, it's also highly recommended to bring other local delicalies like coconut cookies and Tau Sha Peah home.

There are other attractions which we did not have time to explore:

1. Sungai Lembing Museum
https://g.co/kgs/icd6Jo

2. Crystal House
https://g.co/kgs/5NEas2

I hope this gives you a guide of what to do and where to eat in Sungai Lembing!

Good Morning Multigrain Bread Recipe

We miss our multigrain bread from uni days when we were in Melbourne. But nothing ever beats a good homemade bread. To make it packed with nutrients, we added Good Morning V18 grains powder which is full of colourful phytonutrients as stated in my previous post here.

Ingredients

310ml water

1 tablespoons/15g butter, softened

170g high protein flour

160g wholemeal flour

120g Good Morning V18 grains powder

1 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons instant yeast

Place the ingredients in that order into the bread pan. Be careful to separate yeast from sugar and liquid.

Choose preset 3 wholemeal bread, light crust and 750g loaf. Start the bread machine.

Make sure the dough is well mixed when the machine beeps.

Tada-- warm bread after 3.5 hours!