Transforming trash into fashion - iStyle KLIA

Didn't get enough of the haute and eclectic designs at Malaysia International Fashion week 2011???? Don't fret because there's more to come with iStyle Fashion KLIA !! Why I like the whole idea of this competiton? It's because it is in support of "green living" and LOCAL TALENT!


iStyle KLIA  is a competition in search of ONE talented and young eco-friendly designer to pave the way in enviromental friendly wearable designs which are also fashionable. Each team consists of a designer, fashion stylist, and publicist. Out of all submissions, the final 6 teams has been selected. Congratulations to the finalists:)

Besides the ongoing istyle competition running through the whole month, there are also competitions for the rest of us, not gifted with fahsion designing flair to partake in. The first being Snap my iStyle.

Mechanis are simple, simply find the FlyFm troupers and snap a picture with the iStyle logo board(taken by the crew) and they will upload your picture on the iStyle FB album. If you win, prizes will be mailed to you.  Now, I will be there with the FlyFM troupers this Thursday to support the cause, somewhere in ss15, so do come and support me as well:) Not only will you get freebies from 1.40-2.00pm on December 1st, Thursday, BUT the organizer has agreed to allow whoever that shows up to support the cause by providing a "chit-chat" session for all of us!!!!!! Do dress in blue, so I can recognize you as one of my readers OR you can carry a recycled paper bag.

Mark you calendars alright this Thursday:

- Thursday, 1st December
- 1.40-2.00pm
- SS15(in front of Inti college Subang Jaya)
- Dress in blue or Carry a recycled paper bag

The second competition is istyle Spontaneous :

It is open to the public, all you have to do is be the Most creative by transforming your trash into fashion styles, snap a picture of it, and tag the picture on the istyle FB album. There will be quite a few winners, the grand prize is a blackberry pplaybook 16gb!!!! Check out some of my "attempts"

Instead of using a bag and wasting money on one...why not just use..

a recyclable paper bag?!?

And....

instead of throwing away your ribbon from presents...

You can use it as a headband for your hair

There are so many more things you can do with your trash...recycling, switching it into artwork, and fashion is also a fun alternative!! If you are in support of eco-freindly living and artwork, you can find out more here at www.istyleklia.com.my OR check out their facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/istyleklia

See you this Thursday!!

xoxo

Meiz

How to win the bid at www.Sold.my ?

For those who have been waiting for this post, it's finally here to reveal all the secrets of how to bid on www.sold.my  ! Will try to give you firsthand tips alright?


For those who don't know what it's all about? Well...simply put, it's a legitimate bidding website from Singapore where you can basically "win" the latest products at the cheapest price. I am not joking with you because I won a...

Portable mp3 player for RM1.20

NOkia C2-03 touch and type phone for RM1.50

And for those skeptics out there, they do send me the items after paying for it....

Am a happy winner!

It was still wrapped up in the package, all new when I received it....

My friend Tim got his Coach wristley for 0.68 cents, what a lucky guy!!!!

Now, everyone has been asking me..."How do I win the bid for the items I like?"

Very simple, it's all about strategy and perseverance!!!

1. Be patient, wait untill the very last few seconds(and I mean less than five seconds to put in your bid). Your connection needs to be good, so you don't have lags
2. At the beginning, monitor your "opponents" bidding behavior first, so you know who's the "kanchiong kitchen" type of person....meaning who's the impatient type or can't wait to win! Most importantly, wait for them to finish their tokens before throwing in yours.. *sneaky, sneaky*
3. Try bidding for a smaller item at the beginning first before trying for the big ones. So you know how it works.
4. Lastly, you can try using auto-bidder. Which means you specify the lowest price which should e 0 cents and the highest, say RM100 for an item. The auto-bidder bids for you while you are away and makes up for lags. BUT, manual bidders can actually win if you are not in front of the computer and your tokens finish.

Hope this tips help all of you who are interested in the website. IT's a truly fun and profitable website because you can get stuff for really cheap IF you know your limits(when to stop) and you know how to play it!!!!


So, what are you waiting for? Come and outbid me for my Blackberry 9900 OR for those iphone or android peeps, there's an iphone 4s and a Samsung Galaxy S2 up for grabs almost every week!!!


If you still have any questions, feel free to comment and I will try to guide or help you through it :)


Check out the site at www.sold.my !!

xoxo

Meiz


P.S. If you do sign up, do let me know so you can get additional tokens using a referral code, and I also get more!!!

Yes, YOU can...make a difference

The issue of baby dumping and teen pregnancy has been a widespread social concern in Malaysia and other countries as well. Just yesterday alone, another body of a baby was found in Ipoh : http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/11/24/nation/9964095&sec=nation

 It saddens me as a developmental psychologist and human alike to think that women out there have the heart to abandon a baby that they have carried for 9 months and dump them in rubbish bins. These innocent lives are basically left to die. Can you imagine what it would be like if these babies are not found? There are definitely many out there who aren’t…

 

It’s actually interesting that in Malaysia the government has chosen to tackle the issue by having baby hatches. It is definitely a good way to save the babies but the question remains on whether the baby hatches actually help prevent baby dumpings and unplanned pregnancy in the first place.

I am writing about this issue because when I was doing some research with regards to teen pregnancy in the USA, I discover that girls already start having sex from as young as 12 years old. It’s shocking, true but not surprising. Instead of encouraging young girls by telling them to save the baby by placing them in a hatch, isn't it better to prevent than to cure?

The thing is, it’s not just happening in the USA anymore but also in Malaysia! I recently heard from a student of mine that many of her friends were pregnant in high school. It was indeed a shocker to me. Many others have to go through “shot gun marriages” which in the end potentially lead to divorces.

Another reason why I am writing this is because I know a friend with a 3 year old child who was left to be raised by the grandparents. To add salt to injury, the parents actually go clubbing and only visit the girl on weekends. You would think it’s because they were working on weekdays and want to have fun right? No, the wife was actually a housewife and they are now separated. I am sure there are many more others who share this couple’s state.

From teen pregnancies to “shotgun” marriages, I feel it’s time that society in general around the world disseminates the right messages to young girls on how to prevent the issue of baby dumping and “shotgun” marriages from happening.

On this note, religion, positive parental guidance, good family upbringing and basically the relevant societal support system come together to educate the younger generation. There are of course many factors that have contributed to the increase rates of teen pregnancy. For instance, it is shown in the USA that females from lower income families actually have higher rates of teen pregnancy.

Enough with the statistics but what I am trying to say to young girls and women is that we have the right to put our foot down if we are in a relationship. I’m absolutely certain you don’t want to be just another one of the statistics right? And if you are not ready to be a young mother even when you are married, you can always prevent unplanned pregnancy by using contraception, instead of resorting to baby dumping or the dreaded abortion! There are so many out there from birth control pills (21/7 and 24/4 regimen oral contraceptive pills), intra-uterine systems (IUS), hormonal implants, male and female condoms too.  

You can find out more about women sexual health and contraception at www.yesican.com.my . The Yes, I Can campaign is a nation-wide campaign aimed at addressing the issue of unplanned  pregnancy by advocating for the empowerment of women in making informed decisions on contraceptive options.  Essentially, the Yes, I Can campaign hopes to bring together like-minded individuals who stand up for a common belief on the empowerment of women in taking charge of their own lives. It’s time women do.

And of course, there’s also the choice to say NO to premarital sex if you don’t feel comfortable or ready about it. The choice is yours to make.

Women need to be educated about so many issues especially when they are not matured enough to take care of themselves, let alone raising a child.  They could very well put many innocent lives at risk and harm by their ignorance.

At times, amidst the growing apparent chaos of unplanned pregnancies and ignorance of young men and women, it feels as though nothing can be changed. For instance, judging by the number of prevailing myths about the pill, we still have a long way to go. However, I personally feel we can make a difference. Somehow, we got to start somewhere. I hope we start realizing that we can actually make a difference, esepcially as a female!

xoxo

Meiz

My "18th" birthday @ Gecko Gastrobar

To all my readers, I am so sorry for my long hiatus from blogging! I have been swamped the past week, celebrating an extended birthday(my birthday apparently lasts for 2 weeks) and also preparing for my brother's wedding!!!

Thanks to Johnnie Walker(having their own party on 26th of December @Kl Live) and Gecko Gastrobar, my birthday party was a blast!!!! :) You know what was even more nerve wrecking to have 80 people to your birthday party, the fact that it was planned just one week in advance. Gecko gastrobar agreed to prepare food, shisha, and the venue, while Johnnie Walker Gold Label  Reserve was the drink of choice for guests that night.



I always mentioned that I am a simple person, so this was definitely elaborate for me....... check out the pictures that a few photographers help take that day

Gecko Gastrobar, a new restaurant and bar(Guinness and Tiger outlet) next to Ecoba @ Pj trade center was the venue for the night!!

So sweet of them to specially make "promotions" ala my birthday bash

Delicious food was prepared, we were one of the first to taste Gecko Gastrobar's menu before it's grand launch on 10th of December! From tasty pasta to homemade alcoholic ice cream...where else has that?

Oh yeah! You got that right, what's an event without performances right?

The emcees for the night

Beatboxer and singer combo by two very young talents

The crowd was super entertained by............

  Ionix 5 which is a girl dance group(Korean style `dancing, think Wondergirls but without the singing?)

Picture time!!!

 

Towards the end when everyone merry and mingling, full with food, drink, shisha, and adrenaline.... It was time for a cake cutting session?

Apparently, I was talking like I was somehow hosting the event... *gulps*  Sorry guys, I am probably used to speaking like a host when I am holding the microphone..

 

My cake

Many of the pictures on this blog were taken by none other than Noel Gosiengfiao!

Picture perfect. A framed photo of me by Denise and Jason Ko from MYC(watch out for December's issue, will be on the cover), and if you can see the papers lying on the glass, there are messages and signatures of guests, lovin the personal touch:)

 

Last but not least, pictures with the owners of Gecko who was so kind to host my party for me! Thanks Joanne and Leonard!!!!

There you go guys, I was overwhelmed by the turnout from my friends and clients that night. Not to mention the fact that everyone had a good round of drinks by Johnnie Walker *winkz*. Food was good, drinks were good, entertaintment was good...what more can a girl ask for?

Thank you all for coming!! Was a very happy girl on the 18th of November *grins*

Hugs and Kisses

Meiz

Birthday holiday at an Urban retreat - Villa Samadhi

You know how sometimes you are so tired, and want to get away but just too lazy to fly to another country or drive to another state?
You don't have to do that anymore because I found the perfect urban retreat recently. My bestfriend and I(both of us have the same name btw) decided to have a short getaway right in the heart of KL but secluded from the traffic jams that plague the city..... Plus, she was so sweet as to celebrate my birthday there with me as well:) Just the two of us off to a romantic getaway?!?

May Sze and Mei Sze

You basically turn off one of the busiest road in KL which is Jalan Tun Razak into Jalan U-Thant and the villa is at the corner with a few rooms..besides the awesome location.... the place itself is so calm and serene...feels like I was on an island..here's why?

Greeted by a huge statue and greenery all around as you enter

The decor of the surroundings is mostly Balinese + Thai with wooden panels, and water features all around

Pool with an oasis

We were served chocolate cake at their restaurant because they didn't key in our reservations..the wait amounted to an hour...ZzzzZZZ....

The restaurant itself had the same theme

With our warm chocolate cake which was delicious!!!!!!!!!! So worth the wait in the end...

Time to head to our room....

Huge bed with even huger bedside lamps at the side

The toilet is another thing altogether...it's not only huge but has all the elements of a dream bathroom

Two sinks which means you don't have to fight for it in the morning

My favourite, a jacuzzi win your own room which overlooks the patio, a REAL one!

The balcony which overlooks the pool

The view from uptop

Let's go for a swim at the magnificent pool on a hot day....

Time for water yoga?

Or just chilling on the beds by the pool?

Tell me how would people not think we are on an island?????? Coz I sure feel like I was!!

When you feel like a night out after so much soaking in the pool and your own jacuzzi, you can just drive out to the city center which is literally 5 minutes away to have drinks or some local food with your friends..

Ivan came and visit us in KL where we chilled at the view...

Just have to state that a HUGE downside of the place for us was the fact that we couldn't bring guests in or even outside food? If guests were to come in, they can ONLY hang around the pool area...Not only that, guests are NOT allowed after 12am...... I've never encountered any hotels like that before, it was definitely a turnoff for me...

That horrid experience aside, we had a great sleep and woke up for one of the best western breakfasts I've had in Malaysia 

Served homemade bread with butter and jams

Amazing egg benedict

May Sze's potato rostie

Many people would say it's expensive to stay at a villa in KL at RM580 a night but when you think of it, it's really convenient and you basically save the cost and effort of travelling. For me, it was a great birthday getaway just for a night. Like I said, it's a romantic place, perfect for reflection, and rest with a closed one. Not only that, the service staff were polite, smiley and very attentive with great food but what I didn't like once again was the rules instated at the villa itself. Perhaps there will be a change in the future on the rules?

So if you are thinking of getting away but still want to stay in the city for the convenience, this is a highly recommended place in my opinion. However, be reminded of the rules, no outside food allowed, no guests after 12 and guests before that can only stay in the pool area *winkz*

xoxo

Meiz

P.S. It's called Villa Samadhi :) Don't tell anyone else!!