Last Saturday was spent with Michelle, we headed over to our favourite Hong Kong Island side via the tram of course ;) and she kindly treated me to high tea at the Continental hotel but before that we took these shots outside.

Lately, I've discovered (albeit 9 years too late) BIG BANG, hence the title of this post- GD's song 'crooked' got me through this crazy week. The bright fuscia lipstick is the one and only, Revlon's Pink Orchid. This black and white dress I got for a steal at $99 from Maple, paired with sunnies, a side clutch it makes me hopeful that I could fit in S. Korea fashion scene (I wish).

High tea was delicious (but more on this later....) we were full to bursting that we almost contemplated walking to Central. Hopping on a tram, we headed over to the Central Piers for a sneaky little ferry over to TST. As well as chasing the moon and sun for some good pictures.

Malaysia Day Three: Ipoh & Cameron Highlands

The final days of my Malaysia trip, catch up on Day One here and Day Two here.

So I never thought I would have a curry for breakfast, but it sure was good! I tried my first Indian 'tights' tea with eggs and roti which tasted amazing. After breakfast we had a little walk and drive around Cameron Highlands and also got taken to the amazing temple in the area.

As Cameron Highlands is a lot cooler temperature wise, we decided on steamboat, otherwise known as 'hot pot' in Hong Kong. It was full of delicious vegetables and the broth was delicious, it was the perfect combination for the cold weather too. I tried my first 'white sweetcorn' which I ate raw, it was crispy and sweet leaving a lingering starchy texture. After lunch, we drove back down to Ipoh to hear our Sifu host a talk in the evening. But before that, we got taken to a remote district a little outside the main city of Ipoh and had probably the best seafood I've eaten so far. Full of the freshest seafood, steamed prawns, and I have to say the spicy XO crabs were my favourite. I had to stop myself from nibbling on all the leftover pieces!

That kind of rounds off my few days in Malaysia, as you can tell from all the pictures, I ate all the food. Malaysia exceeded my expectations too, the food was delicious, people were nice and helpful and we were extremely lucky to be driven around as well as shown around everything. If you were ever hesitating about visiting Malaysia, push those fears away now! Delicious affordable food, cosy streets, beautiful historical buildings, what else do you need? I will most definitely go back again, hopefully to some new destinations too!

For the Girl Who Shouldn't Wait

Patience is a Virtue. That's what I've been told, I would say when it comes to patience I'm pretty tolerant and empathetic to other people but when it involves my own feelings, my patience wears thin. I really do tire myself out. 

There are times when I know exactly what I want, but majority of the time I am ridiculously indecisive. Aren't we all though? Sometimes we put off doing things, making choices because we're a little worried to stick with our choice (commitment problems) or even saying 'let's wait it out' I'm not saying that waiting isn't a good trait, it really is, but think about what you're waiting for. Is it worth waiting for or if you continue to wait will that opportunity slip away from you?

I think a part of me has become tired of waiting for things, for things to happen, for people to change, to make their mind up or even for the right time to do things. I need to stop thinking and waiting and just do it, to stop putting things off and acknowledging that my feelings do matter (so do yours).

Some things are worth the wait, but question yourself first- will waiting this out help yourself, or will it do more harm? 

I think it's time for me to stop waiting for somethings, and maybe you should too.

*For the girl, is a series of posts dedicated for you, you might be the girl who needs this boost, I know I always do... 

Malaysia Day Two: Cameron Highlands

(Catch up with Malaysia Day one too)
 
The next day was spent exploring Ipoh and having lunch at 1919 which had an array of food, my favourite was this platter of lightly battered goodness. Everything on it tasted delicious and albeit a bit unhealthy it tasted very light too. The sifu who showed us around Malaysia was so thoughtful too, he arranged a cake for me that day because it was my birthday. After lunch, it was time for the 2 hour drive up to Cameron Highlands.

Before that we had a quick durian pit stop, as well as grabbing some fresh mangosteens (all the heart emojis here) What I didn't know is that in Malaysia, durian pickers wait till the durian is ripe and falls off the tree- they don't pick it. So instead, it leaves the flesh super soft and succulent and has none of the lingering smell that people hate on the shells.

After the car journey, our first stop was the popular tourist destination- Cameron Lavendar Gardens a definite must visit. I had the wonderful opportunity to speak to the owner, who opened this spot three years ago, after locals called him crazy for buying the plot of land. He talked about his humble beginnings as a market trader for wholefoods and came up with this idea a few years ago. Now it's the no 1 tourist spot for Cameron Highlands, he was humble and hardworking. I always love hearing how people began their businesses, and I wish him all the success.

Aside from the beautiful lavendar and flowers resting here, you can also pick fresh strawberries and taste the delicious strawberry tea. I tried the lavendar ice cream and it was delicious and fragrant, goes to show- you can do so many things with just one item!

After settling into our accommodation for the night, it wasn't long till we were taken out for dinner. We got to explore the local food of Cameron highlands and it was delicious, it reminded me of the typical Hong Kong Cha Chan Teng/ Dai Pai Dong styles of restaurants. We had smelly beans in spicy XO sauce, sweet and sour ribs, spicy fish and local vegetables. As you can tell it was a lot of spicy food, so we had hot Chrysanthemum tea to wash it all down.

Day Three coming soon....

LG G4 Review

When everyone was switching to the iPhone 6, Soph and I decided to be rebellious and go for the LG G4. And boy am I having a love affair with this device. I'm no gadget expert, but I'd like to share this little review with you in case you're also looking at non-iPhone alternatives.

Why the LG G4 is awesome

1. Professional camera for noobs like me

These photos are unedited, and you can see how LG G4 is great both when it comes to capturing small details or wider landscapes. The camera is superb at auto focusing and blurring out the background to give a very professional result coming from a smartphone camera. The best thing about the LG G4 camera though, is that even in very dim conditions, this phone can produce some impressively sharp photos. Great for those candlelit dinner dates if you're the romantic type.

There are some really cool features like controlling photo capture by voice (say Cheese or Kimchi!) or for selfies, just close your hand into a fist to activate a 3 second countdown shot.

If you wanna shoot like a pro, the LG G4 has some nifty controls like those in DSLR cameras. Stuff like shutter speed, ISO, white balance - all very very cool, but I have no idea how to use them YET. But hey, with auto mode I'm still getting some pretty good shots right? ;)

2. The speed 

Now I don't know what the standard benchmark of speed is (I'm sure there's a technical term for this..), but I am very impressed with the LG G4. I'm not an avid gamer, instead I use my smartphone mostly for Whatsapp, photos, internet browsing and emails. For using these features, switching between apps, photo capturing etc. when I compare to my previous experiences with ex-phones, they were snails and LG G4 is a rocket. Shame on you exes!

3. All about me

Ok hands down the LG G4 is so fun & easy to customize! To give you one example, see how I've changed my boring 'Contacts' icon and 'Internet' icon to sexier Bailey & Minion?

4. Accessibility

One of the most noticeable differences of the LG smartphone design is the absence of side buttons, which LG has placed at the back of the phone instead. I have to admit that when I first tried this, it was very weird, but once I got used to it, I actually prefer it. I'm less likely to accidentally press onto the volume buttons or the screen lock button, and the position of the back buttons are actually perfect for your fingers to reach for easily. The back buttons also gives you shortcut access to the camera & the memo app so you don't miss a moment or thought.

5. Knock knock, who's there?

This phone unlocks when you lightly knock (tap) on the screen so you don't even have to lift up your phone to wake it up. You can set your own knock pattern for greater security measures.


All in all, the LG G4 is indeed a great phone. IMO it's definitely better than the Samsung phones I've previously used. Can't compare against iPhone since I've never owned one. But price-wise, surely it's already a winner? ;) 

20 thoughts from an overthinker

1. *dreams about being late for work*
2. *alarm rings* hmm what day is it, is it Saturday? Oh no it's only Tuesday, I'm going to be late!
3.  Whilst waiting for the bus, this bus has been late before, I hope it isn't today, I don't want to be late for work.
4. Stares at the coffee machine. Hmm maybe it isn't good idea to have a coffee today, might set off my heart palpitations
5. I'll just have hot water instead at least it can only scold my insides and not make me have a panic attack
6. Crap, did I lock the door? Turn off the gas and water? Did I leave the windows open, I hope it doesn't rain later....
7. Goes through emails- man, this email doesn't sound very cheerful, I hope I didn't do something wrong- did I mess up last week?
8. *stomach growls* I hope no one heard that
9. Well I know I will have lunch soon, but I really should eat something, I hope I don't get judged for this
10. Oh shoot, the middle of my food is slightly cold, am I going to die from food poisoning? Has anyone died from food poisoning? I wonder what the statistics of death by food poisoning is like...
11. Huh, did I forget to send out those emails?  Was there anything else I screwed up today? I really hope not,
12. I wonder what would happen if this lift just crashed right now, would I act super chill or freak the hell out, probably the latter
13. That guy looks kind of creepy, he has that vibe, hope he doesn't follow me home
14.  Sits sleeps on the bus and drools, gahhhhh how embarrassing, please say no one saw. Maybe one day I'll sleep and just wake up in the middle of nowhere.
15. I wonder if anyone on this bus has committed any horrific crimes, the statistics do say the killer is usually someone you know, better not get to know any of these people then
16. *Pokes the meat that's cooking* well it looks done, but I really don't want to get ill from this, maybe  a few more minutes then
17.  What?! This product is harmful to the animals, I need to stop using it right away, I've been hurting all the animals *cries*
18.  Damn it's so hot today, *turns on air con*, I already don't want to see the electricity bill next month, maybe I should just sweat it out- think of the environment Sophia
19.  I need to put this food away or I might get a massive cockroach infestation, eurgh
20. How on earth is it midnight?! I need to get some sleep or I'm going to be late tomorrow 

Origins Spot Remover- the quick review

This stuff may look small, but I promise you that it packs a punch! I've been through a good two tubes of this stuff now, and one tube always lasts me up to a year (depending on how much I've broken out!). As the packaging is so compact, taking it for travelling is excellent too. I mostly use this after moisturiser & serum as the last steps of my routine and dab a small amount on any spots that I have. It does contain salicylic acid so if you're sensitive to the ingredients, I would definitely recommend doing a test patch first. Each time I apply this, it does leave a tiny sting but after a minute it goes and also dries clear. I adore using it, even though it's for the worst things spots. 

Origins Spot Remover- $150 HKD

Malaysia Day 1: Ipoh

Selamat Pagi from Malaysia. A week ago, my family and I traveled over to Malaysia for the first time. Landing in Kuala Lumpar, we took a two hour car journey over the tropical palm tree covered highways. Our destination was Ipoh, and after arriving we were welcomed with the vast open spaces and flat buildings. 

Our family friend took us to an amazing North Indian Restaurant called Pakeeza as it was famous in the land of Ipoh for it's dishes and I wholeheartedly agree. I can't tell you what we ordered, as all the dishes soon arrived after we sat down, but what we ate was superb. Even though everything was vegetarian, all the dishes were aromatic, spicy and left you wanting more. My favourite were the potatoes and fresh naan bread- I kept on going for seconds too.

The second day after getting a good nights rest, we were taken to a traditional market area- think of your typical Hong Kong tye pye dong areas- loads of different stalls of food under one roof, and the ability to order food from each one of them. We were introduced to the traditional dishes, from Malaysian coffee, Ipoh's famous silky hor fen noodles to the rice rolls- I was stuffed! As the Satay stall wasn't opened when we sat down at 8, after slurping the noodles, they had set up. As our friends praised Malaysia's signature Satay dishes, we felt like we had to order some! The satay chicken was delicious and the sauce was crunchy with a sweet edge. 

After the meal, we had a little wander around the area. I noticed that buildings were decorated with the most artistic and beautiful drawings, everybody looked happy and relaxed on the streets, such a change from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. My favourite part of walking around were definitely the snoozing cats, they looked absolutely adorable as they soaked in the sun. 

Day 2 & 3 coming soon....

- Sophia x