Jit Murad Plays

When I first heard about this book coming out, I asked myself "Is he terminally ill/dying? (just my own conjecture) Why now?" 

Jit Murad has pretty been out of the public eye/stopped performing (AFAIK) since his last one man show back in 2013. He didn't even show up (I was looking) at ICT's huge anniversary show last year and the man was a cofounder. Well, okay, the last time I saw him out in public was a couple years ago at DPAC on the opening night of W!ld Rice's Another Country. I suppose I could try stalking on FB since we have mutual FB friends, but let's not go there. 

At over 400 pages, it contains five of Jit's more celebrated plays: Gold Rain and Hail Stones, Visits, The Storyteller, Malam Konsert and Split Gravy on Rice. 

It's also been over a decade since any of his plays were mounted.. that I'm aware of. They're also just drafts that were still in the playwright's possession, so it's not really the performed versions...? But you get the gist. 

Besides the text, there's also production notes, director's notes, playwright's notes, photos, and also media reviews. I'm kinda glad that italics were used sparingly, otherwise the whole thing would just be italicised to death. 

Gold Rain and Hail Stones: The only one I ever saw in person. Reading that blog post back then, I wasn't wrong about the lack of closure at the end. And how long me and the friend I dragged to watch this thought it was. 

Visits: Liked the ending. 

The Storyteller: The only one with songs, but not really a musical. The meta-ness of the story (and songs) within the play is a little hard to imagine, especially when you haven't seen it. 

Malam Konsert: The easiest to digest because it's a 10-minute play. 

Split Gravy: Probably the only one that's been made into a movie but not shown in Malaysian cinemas. Having read the text now, I can see why - there's a WHOLE LOT going on. They should just put it on VOD or something already (by that I don't mean Astro First); I really want to see this. Some people reprised their roles from the stage production; other roles recast.

It's (by now) available at most local chain bookstores, Kedai Fixi and online at RM30. 

Bobby Compact - Review

Bought a Bobby Compact during one of Lazada's flash sales last month. It's supposedly the smaller version of the original Bobby, which made a lot of (crowdfunding) news headlines when it was on Kickstarter. It has a built in rain cover (in a pocket under the bag) and a packable tote bag (which I never opened, let alone use). 

The verification alone took a long time and after I called customer support to ask what happened and told them I want to use it for a trip, I only received the bag literally the day before the trip. I don't know if me calling them sped things up or not. A bit hard to road test something if the test subject is not available to test.

It came in a huge box and also had air bags in it to keep it from getting flat. Didn't take too many pictures of the thing when I got it, but for all intents and purposes, appears to be a legit bag. 

I didn't try to slash the bag (it's cut-proof), has plenty of hidden pockets (but never used or tried all of them), etc. There's no visible zips and openings on the outside as a theft-proof feature (it's all hidden, covered by your back; Singapore is probably not the best place to try that feature out), built in USB charging feature (slow if you're used to fast charging, ok in a pinch), horizontal luggage strap on the back (really handy, especially when you attach it to the extended luggage handle). I'm not a huge fan of the colourful front being made of PU leather. 

As much as I like the concept and the idea of this bag, I can't justify keeping it because it would take up a lot of space if I'm not using it and I wasn't planning on daily or even regular use. If I were to really buy this for keeps, I would probably get a different colour - I was paranoid about getting this bag dirty on the road test (especially as I was ambivalent about keeping it). 

Luckily I hadn't cut the tags off (which made it a tad awkward on the road test, but what the heck) and still had the packaging, so I made my first Lazada return ever. Fortunately I also just got my money back, so no harm no foul. 

SiliSponge (Original)

As someone who applies liquid foundation with the fingers, the idea of the SiliSponge was appealing because I just wipe them down with the same piece of toner soaked cotton pad I just used. And I don't really wash my hands after that.

It's US$9.90 and it's free global shipping (which begs the question of how cheaply are they making these; and also, don't be a chump like me and pay full price for this: the promo code is MCSIGNUP when you register for their newsletter, no idea how much of a discount it is). Also they're currently up to their NINTH restock, so to say it's damn laku is an understatement. 

Shipping: As these are shipped from Hong Kong, I figured that it can't possibly take TOO LONG to reach me here in Malaysia. It took about a couple weeks, and it came in a gold foil padded envelope, beside the tiny ziplock bag and foil pouch. 

Using it took some getting used to, especially for the facial nooks and crannies. You still would need to tap and spread so that the application doesn't look streaky, etc. Now, messiest I get is getting some on my thumbnail instead of a couple of fingers. Which I say is an improvement. Also, you just need to clean it with like, hand soap and water and it's less annoying than hand washing makeup brushes. 

I know a lot of beauty bloggers, etc have said (and proved) that you can just buy chicken fillets (aka breast enhancers) as a substitute if you don't want to spend $9.90 on this. Which is a fair and legit point. So it's totally up to you if you want to use this or a chicken fillet for cream and/or liquid makeup application. 

Me? I don't hate it. It beats washing brushes and sponges. And it doesn't absorb any product, so your foundation, etc would go for longer cos brushes and sponges absorb the stuff. And don't get me started on the price of liquid foundation - it's like the beauty version of printer cartridges, very expensive per ounce 😒

Also, a Taiwanese brand came up with their own thinner, teardrop shaped silicone applicator, the Heme Baby Q Transparent Puff, which is adorable, I must say. I bought it through a seller on 11street.my, but I'll save that for another time. 

Update: I also just found out they now have a version 2.0, which is a more conventionally round shaped, that they claim fits in most BB cushion compacts or something like that. But it's almost $17, so... maybe version 3.0? 

Malaya Optical, Damansara Utama

After months of stalking the place (they were pretty nice and polite for all those times I was just browsing), I finally went to Malaya Optical (the one in Damansara Utama) to replace the broken lens. 

It was also my own dumb fault for going there about an hour before they're closed for the long Merdeka weekend (I also wanted to see if I could use a coupon I had). You can't just change ONE LENS (was told as much), and the prescription of those glasses were years old, which meant I needed to get my eyes checked anyway for a more current prescription. 

I was also too cheap to get new frames as the ones I got were still fine (that said, they were RM600 something when I first got them over a decade ago, so the cost per wear is practically negative now). 

What I didn't expect was the wait to use the examination room was gonna be quite so long. The boss was there and he was gracious enough to let me go ahead of a couple of ladies who were still shopping for frames. I know I haven't done an eye exam in a few years; if nothing else, the eye exam was thorough and took what felt like forever in a darkened room after a long day. I was also a little tired, which could also skew the results some. 

Long story short: the myopia's down (really?!) but the astigmatism's gone up. Erm, okay then. 

Another long story short: Didn't use the coupon. Went with the cheapest lenses they got (the "in house" brand) because I don't wear glasses all that much unless I'm at the movies, theatre, etc and don't exactly need them to see the rest of the time. 

After I paid, I was told that I would get a notification through WhatsApp about collection, which was pretty canggih, IMO. I dunno whether to laugh or cry that it took them a while to find my glasses because they were looking by the wrong name, and that they didn't ask. At least the screws were straightened (they were wonky before) and used the original nose pads, so no complaints.

I wouldn't mind the lenses just a touch larger, but oh well.

Would I recommend? Sure, why not. 

[Review] White Teeth Global Teeth Whitening System

I got asked to review a different teeth whitening system recently (White Teeth Global's Basic Kit, which includes...

• 1 Syringe (10 ml) of Dental Whitening Gel (22% or 35% Carbamide Peroxide)
• 2 Teeth Whitening Trays with Container
• Shade Guide
• Complete Instructions

Shipping: A couple weeks, tops. The tracked shipping kind of paused a few days over some long holiday weekend. I did the pretend drop into the cart to check shipping fees and shipping to Malaysia was only US$7.99, which was not terribly expensive, all things considered. 

As received in the mail

Yup, everything's in there.

The mouth trays themselves are the thermoforming ones, which means that all you do is dunk them into some boiling hot water for them to soften, quickly putting it in your mouth, suck the air out so that it forms better to your mouth. But I still messed it up a little because it wasn't a perfect fit, but at least now I can tell the top and bottom trays apart, so...

Close, but no prize

After that you're supposed to squirt a thin layer of gel into the trays themselves before putting them into your mouth from 15 minutes to half an hour. Even with the thermoforming trays, I still found that I had a bunch of pooled drool to drain when I removed the tray, so definitely not for overnight application. You also have to rinse the trays of excess gel (and drool) and to dry them before use.

I did use this for a few nights straight, but had to cut back when the sensitivity kicked in (they did warn you about this in the instructions). Also tried to take pictures, but replicating the lighting conditions for before and after pictures got cumbersome and I don't know if I could subject people to pictures of my teeth again ;/, but I can tell you that my teeth did look a couple shades lighter after a couple nights use, even with my daily tea and coffee consumption.

All in all, I don't mind this home teeth whitening kit because of the thermoforming tray option and using this was definitely less cumbersome.

For more information, do find them on Facebook and on Twitter.

Crop Bakery Chocolate Crunch Granola

Got a bag of Crop Bakery's Chocolate Crunch Granola when I was in Singapore at one of the listed stockists. Fortunately for me, it was also on sale. 

For anyone who has a really sweet tooth, they might find the sweet levels a bit disappointing. But if you don't like it too sweet, you're in luck. If you have this with milk, it'll also turn the milk chocolate like chocolate cereal, haha. 

Exchange rate aside, I probably won't be getting this again. 

Ingredients

Review: Dear Kate Underwear

Been hearing about Dear Kate for some time, but had resisted until a pretty good coupon code (25% off instead of the usual 20%) and that they were going to raise the minimum for international orders (which at the time was US$100 I think, now it's US$175). Admittedly they're expensive for underwear, even after converting it to RM. And just because they're called menstrual underwear doesn't mean that you wear them  alone; you wear these as well as your pads or tampons while on your period to catch any erm, runoff (which happens, amiright?).

What I liked browsing the site was that they don't use professional skinny bitch models but they use real women to model the wares. They also have a plus-sized line (the "Queen" line). You can shop by cut, occasion, or by lining.

They have thong, brief (granny panty) and hipster cuts and two different linings (mini for everyday, full for sleep and heavy flow). Size is based on your actual pant size or hip measurements. Tried to get different cuts and linings for different situations, and ended up with Amelia Hipster Full, Ada Brief Mini, Hazel Sport Hipster Mini, and Ada Hipster Full. Well okay, I didn't want to get thongs, but you get the drift. 

Shipping was okay: Got an email with the tracking number and I got my order within two weeks, delivered (locally) by Poslaju. Because it was too big to fit into the mail slot, the Poslaju guy stuffed it into the blue mail box meant for the police (I saw on the tracking site that it was "delivered" - so figured to look there from last time) under the mail slot and saved myself a trip to the local Poslaju office.

Size-wise, I followed the size chart and went with my usual pant size. Thankfully, they all fit so I didn't have to do any long distance returns. They're also pretty comfy for the price paid.

Cute packaging

Blue Ada Hipster (full lining)- Thankfully, not too high. Been wearing these at night because of the full lining. 

Black Hazel Hipster (mini lining) - No lace, so it's less frou-frou and something for everyday. No complaints.

Beige Ada Brief (mini lining) - I probably shouldn't have bothered with the brief cut, because with the lace trim, it went up past my belly button, which I'm not sure if it's by design, or if I'm short-waisted or something. 

Black Amelia Hipster (full lining) - Not bad, not too high. Also mostly wear this to sleep too. 

Whatever colour underpants you decide, they all have the same black lining, so if you're weird about colour clashing underwear, you could just go with black. I usually hand wash underpants (even though you could toss these in the machine, but it's a bit gross lah), and washing these is not that hard: since you can't see the blood in the lining, you just got to keep flushing it with water until it runs clear (the lining is stain releasing hor). Usual powder detergent work, and the ladies' detergent from Daiso is both cheap and efficient. 

All in all, I really like Dear Kate, and I have no regrets getting them, though I prefer the hipster cut as a personal preference. If the RM wasn't so crappy right now, I probably wouldn't mind ordering these again (especially the new Nellie collection, modelled by the lady hosts of Stuff Mom Never Told You), but $175 is a bit tough unless you share the cost with other people or buy a set and then something else because one can never have enough underwear for the time of the month.  Also, there are period underwear available closer to home for cheaper. Just saying.

I also have a referral code that you can use at Dear Kate: Click here for $15 off your order! 

I didn't review these sooner even though I got them mid-February because I felt that I needed to test them properly.

Review: The Naked Lunchbox

There's been a whole lot of clean eating meal delivery services that's popped up in the last few months, but most of them don't exactly deliver to my neck of the woods. The Naked Lunchbox had a limited time Samsung Galaxy Life promo where you can get RM2 off the Galaxy Box meal, which I finally redeemed on the very last day before the long Labour Day weekend, for delivery the following Tuesday. 

Ordering: After you sign up for an account, you order, choose your delivery day, enter your details like phone number and delivery address, and after you submit all these, you wait for the confirmation email. 

Payment: Once your order and delivery slot is confirmed on their end, you get an email with payment instructions to their Public Bank account, which wasn't a big deal because I still had my old Public Bank account that won't take days for payment to go through. Call me lazy, but I much rather pay with PayPal, but I read someplace that the merchant fees are not worth it? Correct me if I'm wrong. 

There's a RM5 delivery fee for orders in PJ, but that's waived with a RM36 minimum spend, so I topped up the order with 2 of the Paleo Caesar salads (RM13 each, RM25 for two) that I've been wanting to try for the longest time. 

Delivery: Got my order pretty quickly; they arrived a little after 11 a.m., so no complaints there. 

Next day Paleo Caesar salad

Sold one of the Paleo Caesar salads to the sibling at a loss, because I know that I won't be finishing all three salads in a timely manner. So I had the Galaxy Box salad on the day I got it and the other Paleo Caesar salad the following day after a night in the office fridge. 

Galaxy Box (Green leaf lettuce, red grapes, raisins, pulled oven baked chicken, rawmesan 'cheese' w/ milky way coconut milk cilantro dressing): Don't hate it as a whole, but because of my aversion to greens typically used as garnish (spring onions, etc), the dressing is not for me. 

Paleo Caesar (Green leaf lettuce, egg, rawmesan 'cheese', pulled oven baked chicken w/cheeseless caesar dressing): It's a good attempt at a healthier Caesar salad, but without the garlic and anchovies, the aroma and the taste is just not there. If nothing else, it's a Caesar salad you can definitely eat in the office.

I appreciated that the containers appear to be the degradable type. Portion wise, it's not too huge that I get sick of it, nor is it too small, though it might not be sufficient if you're used to bigger portions.

Dal. Komm Coffee, Damansara Uptown

Dropped by the recently opened Korean coffee chain Dal.Komm while doing banking errands (it's right behind the DU Maybank). Was in a bit of a hurry so no pictures. 

Ordered a mocha latte for me and a doppio espresso to go. Was asked to pick a blend and I went with K1, which was MILD - Sweet, Nutty & Well Balance. Well, I liked the mocha just fine (as in: didn't need any more sugar, unless someone added it when I wasn't looking...), but the sibling found the doppio espresso too weak for him. 

That aside, they also didn't have brown sugar, or cup plug/stirrers for to-go drinks. Seriously?!!

That said, would go back next time to try the Royal Milk Tea...

61, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Quickie Review: Lush Cosmetics Jumping Juniper Shampoo Bar

Jumping Juniper, New shampoo bars AUD13.50 - Lush (Photo credit: avlxyz)

This was my only purchase from the one Lush store I came across in downtown Sydney (don't remember which mall it was, but I remember the store was more subterranean than street level) last September. Mostly because I only had hand carry luggage and I couldn't buy anything else without having to check it in :P

I've never used solid shampoos before and I don't remember if I asked the salesperson how to use it when I bought it or if I had already forgotten by the time I got round to using it, which was MONTHS later... hence the pseudo-review :P

Luckily, a quick Google search was all it took to find out how to use it.. 

Wet both hair and the shampoo bar. Glide the shampoo bar down the length of your hair about three times (right, left and back). Work into a lather and rinse thoroughly. 

Jumping Juniper is supposed to tackle greasy hair, so I can't explain why I bought it considering I don't really have greasy hair. Well okay, I just mostly want to see what the fuss was about.

The smell was okay wrapped in paper, but you don't smell the lavender and rosemary on your head when you use it (okay, I'm not sure if it had anything to do with me using it months after buying).

If nothing else, it lasts a really long time (several months even if you use it daily; (obviously) longer if you don't) if you don't store it in your bathroom but in a "cool, dry place" in between uses as suggested. Which explains why they were trying to upsell me the storage tins, but I didn't take the bait. It fits in the small Muji portable soap dish nicely but it stains the inner foam.

Rexona Women Clinical Protection Anti-Perspirant Deodorant Shower Fresh

Went crazy in Priceline (the Australian equivalent of Watsons or Guardian here; not the American travel booking site) when I was in Sydney last year and bought about half a dozen deodorant sticks, most of them deodorant creams (which I've not used before), including the not-available-in-Malaysia Dove Original deodorant sticks. Even though I've never bought or used Rexona regularly in Malaysia, but I decided to give the Clinical Protection ones a whirl. I probably would not have spent so much on antiperspirant, but the ones available here in Malaysia aren't working too great for me, so what the heck. 

Rexona Clinical Protection - an advanced formula specifically designed to provide clinically proven wetness and odour protection for Men and Women who need the best. Rexona® Clinical Protection is formulated with revolutionary TRIsolid®™ body responsive technology which contains three important components:

• Clinical strength wetness and odour protection. The maximum wetness protection ever from Rexona®.

• Patented encapsulated odour-fighting technology. 

• Skin moisturising ingredient, formulated to reduce skin irritation.

This was the first one that I finally finished last week after several months of use: Shower Fresh variant. 

When you first use it, you have to peel the foil seal so you don't know what it actually smells like until you start cranking the product out. FWIW, the scent is somewhat subtle and does smell "shower fresh". This range also offers 48 hour protection, so you could probably get away with applying it every other day if you want or are paranoid about congesting oxter lymph nodes. I would call it the price of admission for not wanting unsightly, soggy pit stains. 

Read the instructions on the paper insert (tossed the boxes to keep the luggage er, less heavy) halfway through and you're supposed to make two clicks per pit and apply at night before going to bed so that it can absorb properly. Which makes sense if you don't shower in the morning, but since I do, I just chose to apply it in the mornings. And it dries fast enough so you don't have to wait too long before putting clothing on.

My only complaint is that the actual deodorant cream got grainy (from the aluminium salt?) and gray while using it. I don't know if it was me or the product itself. 

Won't be repurchasing this if I had a chance to, anyway.

Pros: Works as advertised for the most part, subtle scent

Cons: Not cheap (it was already not that cheap at about AUD$ 10-13, which when you convert, is still way too much for anyone to spend on drugstore brand deodorant), not available in Malaysia, weird texture and colour while using it. 

Stay tuned for the next instalment of antiperspirant deodorant reviews :P

[Review] Smile Brilliant LED Teeth Whitening System

Disclaimer: Yes, I was sent this teeth whitening kit to try out, but opinions, etc are still mine.

Bryan (the Social Media Manager of Smile Brilliant) emailed to ask if I would like to try their LED Teeth Whitening kit, and I'm like, why not? I like drinks that (unfortunately) stain teeth like coffee, tea and soda... and we don't have products like Crest White Strips or those mall salon/kiosks for express teeth whitening in Malaysia (that I'm aware of, anyway).

Since the company claims to ship worldwide ($19.95 outside the US, which is a little steep when you don't earn first world money), the test begins by whether I'll get it at all, or even in one piece.

Shipping time: Received a tracking number and it arrived a couple of weeks later without incident. Phew. 

From the Smile Brilliant website (I'll let their copy speak for itself)

The LED teeth whitening system by Smile Brilliant is perfect for those who want great tooth whitening results but are on a budget. Our LED system is competitively priced when compared to popular whitening strips sold at your local grocer; however, it is far more effective due to its 22% carbamide peroxide tooth whitening gel and high strength LED light which accelerates the whitening process. With hundreds of reviews available on the internet and thousands of satisfied customers, our LED teeth whitening system is a superior alternative to over-the-counter whitening products.

High Intensity LED Accelerator Light: – Accelerates the teeth whitening process

Teeth Whitening Gel Pen – Convenient, 4ml whitening pen (brush-on applicator) with 22% professional stength whitening gel

Lip & Cheek Protector – Upper and lower protective tray (prevents gel mess)

Detailed Instructional Brochure – Guide to using your LED teeth whitening kit effectively

This LED teeth whitening package comes complete with our 4ml, 22% carbamide peroxide, teeth whitening gel pen. This compact and easy to use whitening pen releases the whitening gel into a smooth brush tip applicator. Simply crank the bottom of the pen to release an even amount of gel into the brush. Brush on, put in your cheek protector, turn on the light, and you are ready to go. See results in as little as 20 minutes a day!

So here's what was came in the mail...

First-use instructions

Didn't know what the little blue brush was for, so I had to email back to ask since it wasn't mentioned anywhere in the brochure (apparently you use it to spread the gel around instead of using straight from the gel pen, perhaps for hygiene reasons). It wasn't all that detailed when there's nothing about when to use it (before or after teeth brushing? After), and other Dummies-style FAQ section. 

So basically, you apply the gel (on clean teeth), insert the tray in your mouth and put in the LED Accelerator Light for at least 20 minutes a day (40 tops). The best time would be to do it at night (obviously), before bed. In my case, I would have to brush my teeth earlier than I normally would to use this. As I'm also a bit impatient, I find that to stop me obssessing about said 20 minutes, there's always the TV. 

• The gel pen itself is like some lipglosses where you need to crank it a bunch of times initially before any product comes out. Unfortunately for me I had the delayed product overspill and it came out a messy goop and too much for me to use that first time. Product dispensation did not improve with subsequent use as it seems to take forever for anything to come out, only to find a goopy mess the next time I use it. 
• The lip & cheek protector was a standard size. Since my teeth aren't straight (no orthodontia, but that's another story), I find myself with a load of drool to drain when you take the tray out (like you would when you're at the dentist, but without the benefit of the dental assistant with the drool suction thing). But if you have your own customised tray (which they also have, I just found out), you're welcome to use that too.
• You could put the LED Accelerator Light in your mouth (like I saw some of the fellow reviewers do it, because hello, multitasking?!). I don't know if it was the particular device I received but the "OFF" button doesn't seem to work as well as the "ON" button as it takes some effort to actually switch the thing off. 

Used it about half a dozen times over the last few weeks (at least) since I got it - few days consecutively (which made them a tad sensitive, which is why I would recommend only doing this at night and not eat or drink afterwards), with a gap day (or more) in between.

I've done my best to replicate the lighting, camera settings and all, so here's the before and after pictures (don't look if you're eating :P).

My teeth still seem pretty white even with the constant coffee-tea-soda intake while using this. If you're expecting the crazy white Hollywood smile, well.. you won't get there with this so quickly. But if you want to knock off a few shades and have not-so yellow teeth, then this is great. So for all intents and purposes, this works and gets a thumbs up from me. Thanks again to Bryan and the lovely people at Smile Brilliant for letting me try this out :)

If you want to give this a go, you can buy one here; if you're a blogger/vlogger, you're welcome to contact them here for review application.

Sekian, terima kasih.

Taste test: Bright Cow products

Here's how the rest of the Bright Cow products that I got tasted.. If there's one thing I have to mention, it's that most of the cheese product (that I got round to taste, anyway) is lightly salted, which might be great for some.

This is a long overdue post, I know, but we're not a cheese-eating household and it was just me and the sibling eating the stuff... I think. My dad could've tried some without me knowing.

They technically don't deliver to my neck of the woods, even though it's in PJ. I only found that out because the marketing manager Carol had to deliver the lot personally to me on a Saturday morning and that's what she told me. 

Blue cheese: Not as pungent as I thought... at least, compared to the first and last time I had it almost a decade ago at a classmate's house in America.

Magrello Feta: Edible.

Cherry mozarella: Attempted crispy mozzarella balls with tomato sauce. Didn't exactly followed the recipe posted and the cheese leaked during the frying process despite my best coating efforts and it was a bitch cleaning the pan afterwards. le sigh. 

Garlic cheese spread: Really mild garlic flavour. Again, not really salty, so you don't really taste it on sliced bread, but great on cream crackers. 

Yogurt: Like actual unflavoured yogurt - tangy.

I think one of the unopened cheeses also went bad because it took so long for me to get round to it, so I can't comment on that. I might have a couple more sitting in the fridge that I haven't found yet... 

After this, I'm gonna lay off cheese for awhile. For my complexion's sake, anyway.

Quickie Taste Test: Bright Cow Fresh Jersey Milk

Received a bottle of this to try. It's locally produced, unpasteurised and unhomogenised milk. It's Jersey cow milk and that the cows are NOT from New Jersey (as the sibling likes to kid, even though the Jersey Shore reference is beyond passée in 2014). 

Taste-wise: As someone who doesn't like the taste of plain milk (chocolate milk FTW), I had to try at least a little bit as-is. Tastes alright to me, I suppose. It also tastes just as good flavoured. I'm not sure if you can add it to hot drinks without essentially "cooking" it. I don't know about cooking and baking applications. 

Pro: Doesn't taste too bad. As someone who does non-full fat milk, this tastes close to that. 

Con: You probably only have a few days (a week, tops?) to finish because it's not pasteurised, which sucks if you're me and tend to take too long to finish stuff, unless you really love milk or have other people around to help finish... I wouldn't mind a half-litre option or something like that. 

The Google Maps list of where Bright Cow products are available are here and that there's a home delivery option, but due to the unpasteurised nature of the milk, it's pretty much Klang Valley only. Price-wise (not that I made a one-person comprehensive supermarket survey), it's only a bit more (under RM10 a bottle?) than other local, pasteurised milk. 

Sun Off A Beach sunblock

Bought a couple of the Sun Off A Beach Festival Survival kits at last year's Urbanscapes, which had a 50gm bottle of sunblock, Good Morning towel, bubble gun, glow stick, and a disposable poncho. Bought two as I couldn't decide and I didn't want to buy the bigger one at retail outlets in case it doesn't work for me. They have four variants: Sensitive, Anti-Aging, Sports and Kids. Picked the first two to try out. (If you want to get a Festival Survival kit, they're only available at local festivals)

Even though it says you can apply on both face and body, but I just can't bring myself to apply this on my face. I just can't. Besides, I have products for that which I've still not finished.

Been mostly using this at the office as I thought bringing the huge Neutrogena one I got in Australia would be awkward. 

From the Facebook Page... 

Sun off A Beach sun and skincare products use:
· Titanium Dioxide
· Light Shea Butter
· Subtle fragrance sourced from France



Sun off A Beach products are formulated WITHOUT :
· Parabens
· PABA
· Oil/Grease
· Harmful Chemical Filters such as Avobenzone and Benzophenone

Pros: 

• It's also not greasy, sticky and no ghost-cast after application, all personal peeves.
• Travel friendly at 50 and 100 gm sizes

Cons:

• Getting remnants out of the crevices, especially when you didn't store them upright. 
• The anti-aging one smells like powder that grandmothers tend to put on to me and not the "citrus fragrance" it claimed to be on the packaging.

Long story short, would definitely buy the Sensitive one before I would buy the Anti-Aging one again. 

Disclaimer: Do I need a disclaimer that says that I wasn't sent these things to try out, and that I actually paid for these myself? I know I mentioned it in the opening paragraph, but I guess it doesn't hurt to bring the point home again. 

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• Urbanscapes 2013 - Day 2

My 1st time with NIVEA’s rinse off body lotion

Bought the NIVEA In-Shower Body Moisturiser some weeks ago when it first launched and Guardian had a promo (few bucks cheaper than retail?). Price-wise, its retail price is about the same as usual body moisturisers.  

Basically, instead of applying moisturiser before you get dressed, you slop this on while still in the shower (after soap/shower gel) and it'd be absorbed by the time you rinse and towel off. It's great for the somewhat lazy (if you were really lazy, you wouldn't bother) and/or in a hurry. I mostly haven't done it since I came back to Malaysia because it's so humid and I don't usually sleep with the air conditioning on, so it didn't really matter? Then I forgot about the air conditioning at the workplace, so I would have to do it now anyway (at least in the mornings). Because I'm also not getting any younger, so...

Long story short: it pretty much works as advertised. That said, I wouldn't try to shave with it as it clogs the razors terribly (learnt that the hard way). But if you don't like the smell of NIVEA products, you might not like this either. 

Ostrich Pillow Light

Got a Ostrich Pillow Light from a Hong Kong-based site (BuyMeDesign) that ships for free to South East Asia. It's so new that knockoff versions have not turned up yet. Howver, it was cheaper to get more than one. Luckily the cousin also wanted one and didn't mind sharing the cost of the twin pack; but whoever buys it would have to send the other overseas, so..

Browsing/buying experience: Pictures on the site doesn't load too well on Chrome (works fine on Firefox, though). You can pay with PayPal, which was what I did. Or other usual payment options. Despite the 10% discount for first time buyers, that got cancelled out by the 10% sales (?) tax I got on checkout. They were sent by registered post, and was glad to get it a couple weeks after. Envelope they came in was huge (not in a bad way). But I had to send the other one to my cousin in Australia, and fortunately I had an old, smaller padded envelope lying around for an occasion like this. 

Ostrich Pillow Light: for those smaller nap requirement times #ostrichpillow (Photo credit: lu_lu)

OSTRICH PILLOW LIGHT has been designed to allow you to catch some sleep whilst on the go, it is filled with special silent silicon coated micro-beads to enhance sound reduction whilst remaining light-weight. Its smart adjustable elastic ring allows power-nappers of different sizes to use it comfortably. The carefully sourced fabric is extremely soft, making you feel cosy enough to literally drift away anywhere.

Mine. The red one has arrived safely in Australia.

Comfort/fit: Material seem to be of decent quality (as in it won't burst at the seams if you squeeze it too hard, it's that stretchy). Stuffed with microbeads inside, it is pretty soft and comfy (the bulgy, spare tyre middle is intentional). Wearing it is like a combination of eye mask and travel pillow, which is great if you find your head sleeping in odd positions on planes, trains, cars, etc. Fit is not really an issue with the adjustable elastic ring unless you're Stewie Griffin...

Stewie Griffin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What I did was to spray a little This Works deep sleep pillow spray on it to mimic the lavender-scented eye pillow thing for the lols. Only snag is that you can't toss it in the washing machine (spot clean only), so you might not want to go too heavy on makeup or sunblock (which was my issue with the first version of the Ostrich Pillow) in case they rub off...?

It might be a little large on smaller faces, so you got to adjust it so that you don't get asphyxiated..

All in all, I like this. 

HummusCo

I may hear the word "hummus" bandied around a lot, but I had never tried it out before. 

Was at Markets over the weekend and came across HummusCo... 

"Delicious gourmet hummus home made in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and inspired by flavours from around the globe."

Didn't take a picture of the booth (I know I should've, but oh well - here's a picture from their Facebook Page), but they had free samples of all their available variants, namely...

1. Signature Hummus
2. Tangy Jalapeno 
3. Smoky Chipotle 
4. Greek Olive 
5. Roasted Garlic 
6. Classic Pesto 
7. Rich Sun Dried Tomato 

Prices for the 200ml tub range from RM10-RM14. Picked up a tub of the sun dried tomato one (RM14 - damn my expensive tastes).

Since there's no preservatives, I have a couple weeks to finish, which is not hard because it's so good (and I don't consider myself a fan of chickpeas). It's only been over a week and there's very little left. 

TomTom Via 220 - Short (attention span) review

Got myself an entry level TomTom device (Via 220) last year because it was one of the cheaper devices (ALLIT was selling it for less than its local usual retail price for a little while) that came with a limited offer for free lifetime maps. Considering how much Tomtom map updates are, it was then or never. And I wanted to see how it differed from a Garmin device.

Waiting to hear back from the TomTom people (you have to email them certain details) about the free lifetime map updates was a little nail biting, but it came through. My only question is how is "lifetime" defined in this instance? I'm guessing device lifetime :P 

Having used it for some months now, I guess a review is due. 

Pros:

• LOVE the lane guidance feature - especially the visual aspect where I can SEE which lane of which road/exit I'm supposed to be on.
• Attached windshield mount means less clutter and it's more compact. Attach the suction mount to the screen and twist until you feel/hear a click.
• Size is just nice for me (4.3 inches).
• You can buy the celeb voices (like John Cleese or Stephen Fry) or character voices (Homer Simpson, Yoda); or if you're cheap, you can find those online.... 
• Route recalculation is pretty snappy, especially for me as I tend to miss lanes, entrances and exits on unfamiliar roads :P

Cons: 

• Software updates is persistently annoying when I had it to check when the computer boots up. Now I just check for updates manually (read: when I feel like it). Also no idea why it's a "Start 20" on the website when you're updating..
• Battery life a little sucky - couple hours tops, so you would need to bring charge cords with you for long car trips. It also gets inexplicably drained in between uses - I would charge it, put it away and when I switch it on again after a time, it needs another charge. What is up with that? There's only USB charge cord and the cigarette lighter adapter for car use, so no AC one to keep the bulk down (the box is really small).
• With how fast things are going, some places don't quite show up. 
• For the OCD: Place names not capitalised accordingly when you do the search.

Conclusion: It's alright for an entry level device; I prefer it over a Garmin device :P

Furless Waxing, Jaya One

[Disclaimer: I was an actual paying customer, and not one of those bloggers who gets invited to these things. This was my personal experience... *DUN DUN*]

Finally got round to trying out Furless Waxing, located at Jaya One. I had read online that first timers get half off their bill, but I wasn't sure if it's just first timers at Furless or just Brazilian virgins in general. After making the appointment over the phone, it's the former, which was a relief to the wallet.

Unique selling points of Furless...

1. It's all hard wax - specifically, they have three different waxes for different hair lengths. No strip waxing here.
2. All-off waxing is RM96, which is cheap considering that it's about RM100 and above for hard waxing in similar salons in PJ and KL. Trust me on this.
3. Even their waxing packages are pretty reasonable - nothing long term or cost more than 4 digits. Don't believe me? Check the website.

Something you don't often see - a MIRROR along the wall.
So you could see what goes on, I suppose...

Anny was my waxer for the day. I recall seeing her face when she was distributing flyers during a Markets event some time back. Perhaps it's just me, but it's not often that I get offered a lavender-scented eye pillow before the start of the session. It was nice... for the first 10 minutes. Then I got seriously restless, but that's just me. At least she was thorough, making sure she got everything, even the ingrowns... Speed is not a priority for me. The pain is probably not any more so than usual.

As long as you're not in a terrible rush, expect them to take their time getting the job done right. By the time I got out, an hour had lapsed.

Overall, I would recommend this place because it's not too expensive, opens every day and it's not too far a drive for me personally. There's also "free" parking (if you know where) if you go on weekends.

10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

03 - 7931 7326
21-M, Block B, Jaya One, 72A Jalan Universiti, 46200 Petaling Jaya