What if there's no tomorrow?

Over the course of the past few weeks, a chain of events have triggered a yearning in me to write this post because of what I've seen and the things some parents do for their children who live overseas. Observations of these gestures triggered memories of my college days where of some of my friend's parents were willing to sacrifice their whole house to fund them overseas for tertiary education.... have you ever thought how we have repaid them??


This post I guess is just a shoutout to children who are living overseas, far from their parents and grandparents, and for those who take them for granted. I am not sure whether many of you know this, but your parents and grandparents truly love and treasure you ALOT! What I've seen parents do when their children live overseas:

1. Many parents wait for their children to call them, and once their child does after weeks or a month of not calling, their face lights up. And you know what, that ONE call actually makes their day for a whole week!


2. Parents and grandparents included don't want to "bother" you when you are too busy, so they wait for the right time to call even if it's something pretty important. And you know they even consider the fact that "oh, he/she must be watching a movie or out with friends now, better not disturb him/her"


3. The classic cases are when insensitive children overseas asked their parents to stay awake till 1 or 2 am to call them because they are busy before that.Sometimes I wonder, busy doing what? You can actually drop a call to them when you are walking to the bus/car you know...


4. When a crisis happens, the children will ask "should I come back?" Most parents usually tell their children "don't come back" because you are busy with work. "It's ok..."but once you agree to it, they actually think you should have but just keep it to themselves because they want what's best for you!


5. The best ones I have seen so far. Some children complain that they are too busy to come back and bring their children to visit their grandparents, so your parents who actually misses you and wants to see thir grandchild takes a 12 hour flight to UK, 24 hour flight to the USA just to see YOU. And do you realize that it's tiring for older people to fly that long, but yet thet hardly complain? You are waaaay younger then them, and you can't do it? really?!?

6. Parents constantly share stories of their children with one another because they miss them, but what about you? Do you even remember when your parent's birthdays are?


And when you do come back, they shower you with the best home cooked food, herbal soups, your favourite food, etc. That one week of your time is what they have actually been waiting for a whole year or more.... I am not saying anything guys, but its really sad when your parents are literally waiting for you to come home or even CALL!


I would like to ask...how is it that we as children, repay them?


- Many make their occasional calls when they "have the time"! And how many of you have actually found your parents calling irritating, or for some not picking up their calls?


- Visiting your parents and grandparents once a year will definitely suffice or maybe for some, once in three years perhaps? At least we "came back to visit"


- When a major crisis happens, we call back and ask "should I come back?" and take our parents answer as a definite, which they will always say "No, since you are busy, it's ok"


- Some give money to their parents if they have, and others don't. Although they truly appreciate the money, I'm pretty sure your parents truly want to see your face more than the money you can give them


What spurred me to write this you ask? Many many observations I have made since coming back to Malaysia, but it's a recent culmination of situations where I've observed how selfless many parents are towards their children that pushed me to finally write a post like this. And recently, many of my friends parents have developed cancer, and many friend's grandparents have fallen ill or passed away.


Please treat your parents and grandparents right, treasure them, because sometimes, you wont know what's going to happen next.You think there's a tomorrow to answer their "annoying" questions when you brush your parents/grandparents off because you are late to meet your friends, or that you will visit next year, but what if it's too late?


A link to how : I would quote a terrible son


The epitome of what I'm trying to say:

xoxo

Meiz

P.S. Selamat Hari Raya to all my Malay readers and have a happy Holiday everyone! Be safe on the road:)

Must-try food in Bangkok

Besides cabbages and condoms , there are many other interesting food and tidbits to try out in Bangkok. I realized as a tourist, we tend to stick to restaurants or spa's that we know or stumble along the way, and sometimes it turns out to be below what we expect for Thai food or too expensive right?


Don't fret, because I've chronicled a few "must try" food in Bangkok when you are there based on recommendations from a local Thai friend of mine! I had the best Thai food journey this trip around. Was basically went there to visit a friend of mine (who was going back to the USA) and his partner. Yes, they are a gay couple and I fully support their partnership because they were BORN to sexually prefer the same sex(science has detected differences in the brains of homosexuals compared to heterosexual people). I particularly don't see ways they can be taught to change the way they feel, as most of them already felt that way since young. I'm saddened by the fact that there's so much uproar in the newspaper in regards to the gay pastor getting married in New York :( And he's not  allowed to have a ceremony here? Why? They are humans, and have rights too....you cannot teach them to go and "like" a woman...if only it was that easy!

Sorry, was digressing there for abit..... a friend of mine introduced us to the best Thai Food that has ever touched my taste buds!!!!! It's a little colonial looking restaurant called Baan Khanitta on Silom road

Cozy interior

Free appetizers which I was so fascinated with, all the condiments are placed on this leave, and you pop it into your mouth. You will be apprehensive to try it, but once you have eaten it, you just can't stop!

We had a feast for two with these dishes...

Tom Yum and Green curry chicken

The tastiest Pad Thai I've ever tasted! Ben has never tried it before, but he was hooked from the first mouth *winkz*

My experience in Baan Khanitta was a pleasurable one, because the food was delicious, and the service was impeccable. Watching the Thai servers made me realize how humble the Thai people can be even when the customers treated them badly

Another thing you have to try is the Papaya salad. It's a Northern Thai cuisine which you can get on the road side, but if you are afraid it might be dirty, you can try the one we did in Central World shopping mall,the highest level

Pair your Northern Thai cuisine with their famous sticky rice....don't take the whole thing out immediately, scoop it ut slowly, or else it will hardened...

On to the street food which is pretty safe I presume...

Tha Thai milk tea had just the right "oomph" to it

Jelly's sold to cool you down, the red ones are really good, but if you like coconut, you can get the white ones too...

There is more to the food in Bangkok than just their curries, and Tom Yum. Please do try out the Northern Thai cuisine when you are there which consists of dry types of food such as the grilled chicken, sticky rice, papaya salad, and satay-like stuff. If you are brave, don't forget the street food, the colder ones should be fine:p

One other thing I did manage to accomplish this time around in Thailand is that I managed to pass 500 USD to depdc for the girls to set up a business!! Yay!!!!!  never knew that people found it so hard to part with a few ringgits here and there but some people did find it in them to come up with the money. A huge thank you to the donors who helped me:

1. IMB recruitment

2. Khor Kai Tong

3. John Justin Tey

4. Seow Lee Chong

With their contribution, the girls can now be self sufficient :)

xoxo

Meiz

P.S. For those interested in waxing, I am giving out two vouchers worth RM100 on my page to win any type of waxing service you want from Glitters, One Utama! Don't miss out the opportunity because contest ends at 3pm on 27th of August. Good luck! 

Cabbages and Condoms

Did the title post itself pique your interest? It sure did for me when my friend reserved a table for us at Cabbages and Condoms!!

No, it's not a strip club or some dodgy "Tiger" bar, but rather a restaurant with a motto to practise "safe sex". It was founded by one of Thailand's most diverse and representative NGO(PDA) who's original aim was to promote family planning in urban and rural areas of Thailand.  They trained many officers, and even monks to share information and knowledge about contraceptives to prevent the spread of AIDS. PDA has set up spa resorts and restaurants, such as Cabbages and Condoms to continue the promotion of safe sex which is a must go for travellers to Thailand!

Before I continue, I am sure you had the same question. Why the name "Cabbages and condoms" right?

It's because cabbages is a staple vegetable in Thailand. Every household eats them, and the founder of the restaurant wanted everyone to practise safe sex,which is to use condoms. Get the name now? Everyone in Thailand eats Cabbages, so everyone in Thailand should use contraceptives too! Ingenious!

It is about a 10 minute walk from the BTS(skytrain), you will pass a few spa's and strip clubs before arriving at the restaurant.... You wouldn't know what to expect after the walk there, but the restaurant itself is a sight to marvel at.....

Huge walkway into the restaurant, anticipation building up

After that, all you see is....

Pictures of different shaped condoms

Diagrams of different positions for both males and females, "which positions are safe or NOT, without condoms

All the lights in the restaurant are made of condoms

Statues also made of condoms

The only thing that's not condom related, their food! *phew*  There was a huge variety of Thai food on their menu, from spicy to non-spicy! I highly recommend the Fried fish dish and their cashew chicken dish

Instead of mints, you get condoms!!! LOL

Racer statue decked out in colored condoms, and if you zoom in, you can see his gloves are made of birth control pills.... creative!!

An all white condom wedding gown! anybody wanna wear this for their wedding?

Don't you just love  this statement?

After I walked out of this restaurant, I was all "condomed" out. I have never seen so many different types, shapes, and colors of condoms before! I loved the concept of this restaurant so much because it clearly advocates safe sex blatantly , and anything you purchase in the restaurant, from food to souvenirs goes to charity! A restaurant which is fun, different, and exciting, yet puts the message forth and does their bit for charity *me likey* You can find out more about them here.

If only we can franchise it here in Malaysia.....can we?

xoxo

Meiz

Appreciating a China Man

On the fateful morning of the 14th of August 2011, my only grandfather left in my life passed away.... At this point, you are probably thinking it's very mean to call your grandfather a "China Man"

Actually not, because my grandfather was a China Man through and through, he was basically proud to be from China and always taught us, his children and grandchildren the wonders of the Chinese tradition.  As a young child, I didn't quite fancy China(and still don't), but we would go back and visit our ancestor's village and he would be so happy to introduce to us his friends and our family from there. He would also proudly point to us various sites "that used to be" in the now booming town of Jiang Men.

Right in the heart of our Choo village in China

Even in Malaysia, he would not let Chinese traditions slip by during festive occasions. He was a man that emphasized punctuality, determination to always get the family together for a huge meal, and pride in whatever it was that he did.

He taught me the traditions of Chinese New Year which I will continue

A man that even knew the craft work of a traditional Chinese shirt

When I knew that my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer two years ago, I was terribly upset because I was in the US and still had a few more courses to go for my PhD. As a determined person myself(now I know where I got the trait from), I bulldozed my way through the rest of my courses and made a decision to come back to conduct research in Malaysia last year.

To me, I still couldn't fathom the idea of losing my grandfather and not being able to see him during his last months. He unconsciously steered my direction to come back to Malaysia last year, and I am glad I did because..

Still looking healthy at Skewer's opening

I got to spend my first and last Chinese New Year(here) with him after six years:(

Finally celebrated Moon cake festival with him last year...it makes my day to see him so happy that we came...his emphasis on family get-togethers during festivals are deeply rooted in me..

Including the many huge family dinners we had

It was tough to see my grandfather slowly deteriorating over the past year, from a healthy round face to a gaunt thin look. Although his physical body changed, his will to live didn't, even until his last few hours, where he asked for a "miracle". He wanted to live long not for anything material, but to see his offspring and grandchildren through life. When I came back from my trip to the USA in June this year, he told me in no uncertain terms

"No need to go back anymore right"

At that point, I told him "yes" because I didn't want him to worry about me anymore. I got a feeling he was afraid that if anything happened, I wouldn't be around. Even to the last few hours on his death bed, he was still concerned about all of us present because it was late and he shooed us to go home and rest! I will always appreciate that..... the nobility and care of a China Man.

Thank you for nurturing us and instilling all these Chinese values in us..... I love and miss you yeye!

xoxo

Your loving grand daughter

Keith Kee's 10th Anniversary Fashion Gala

When you think fashion, you instantly imagine New York Fashion week, London fashion week, models strutting down those runways with designers to the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Donatello Versace and more.

This time, no imagination was needed because I went to one of Malaysia's notable couture designers, Keith Kee's 10th Anniversary fashion Gala. The past 10 years marked his achievements and how far he has come in our fashion industry! *Congratulations Keith Kee*

The fashion gala was a star studded one with many local celebrities gracing the red carpet at the pre-lounge area. Best part was the fact that everyone was dressed to impress with the "Oscar themed" dress code except for ME! My mouth was agape when I saw the long dresses, some with trails behind, beautifully hand crafted ones even.......Was too busy to get one and I thought people could wear short dresses(GULP) to Oscars no?

Lovely ladies in their beautiful gowns with Andy

A mountain of photographers waiting for the show to begin

Took a picture with Josiah who's also from Hawaii and the Cleo Bachelor 2011 while waiting.. Get the similarity in a way? I lived in Hawaii for the past 6 years and am the Cleo Covergirl 2011...hehehehe(can be pretty lame sometimes):p

The event kick started with Belinda Chee and Chris Tong introducing Keith Kee and his beautiful designs. He made the gowns you are about to see from "recycled material". It's not the traditional recyclable material such as bottles, cans, and stuff, but from scraps and clothes from dresses he previously made but didn't use in the end. Creative and smart fashion designer, he saved it all up knowing he will use it again in the future:)

There were world class performers too such an amazingly talented beat boxer, Shawn Lee collaborating with Dennis Lau on the violin as the music for the models while they are strutting down the runway. And that's what I call INNOVATIVE! The other music collaboration was between Dennis Lau and Lee An from Korea.

Here is a peek into some of my favourite designs which impressed the socks outta me!

The Guest of honour, Keith Kee himself taking the stage during the finale

Not only were Keith Kee's designs beautiful, but it can be worn for different types of occasions especially the short ones. If I own one of those short dresses, I'm pretty sure I can wear them to gala dinners too *winkz* . Besides the creativity, and brilliance behind the designer, another thing that impressed me was his humility and gratefulness to 10 groups of people(to mark the 10th anniversary)he credited durings his "thank you" speech. He took the time to mentioned each and everyone of them, from his parents, to his customers and supporters.

Keep up the good work Keith Kee!

xoxo

Meiz

P.S. For those who want to look good being pampered for free, log on to here to stand a chance to win a free mani+pedi set. I am giving two vouchers away, which means you can bring a friend. Good luck!

Complete makeover at Advanced Beauty center

[Advertorial]

When I was offered an opportunity to be pampered for five hours from head to toe at a beauty center, I jumped at the opportunity as I haven't gotten time to have a break for ages!!!! Since my Cambodia trip in January this year...can you believe it?!?

Honestly did not know what to expect as I have never been to a beauty slimming center before, and never had a facial experience before except for accupuncture.....GULP!

Greeted by friendly and cute staff at the counter

Liked the fact that they reassured me that their products were certified from the USA

"Before" pic of me (disheveled like crazy)

Urban + calming decor inside * me likey*

Stunning spa room(you know instantly that you can sleep in there for ages)

And the proccess of  beautifying begins...................

A scalp and head massage first by Mary

All wrapped up for the "slimming" part...I was frightened I would come out looking like a skeleton but the beautician reassured me that my treatment was to increase blood circulation (that I need)

While wrapped up, I had a facial at the same time(this portion was to minimize pores and to freshen up the skin) Efficient:)

Mask to reduce redness!(loved this part because my face felt so cool underneath the mask)

A full massage after that...

Greeted by a beautiful tub to soak in after *bliss*

Can you believe how fair and taut my skin was after??? The huge difference!!!!!

I never knew the wonders of a beauty center before this. I usually just go to a spa for massages when I am tired or when I am overseas....But this is a complete different experience, like an  "all in one" package!!!

Too bad I couldn't enjoy the full five hours as I had a meeting after...but I got the total package price for you and what it includes right here:

2 x Ultimate Skin Rejuvenation Facial Treatment (2 hours) – Total worth RM1198

1. Scalp Massage

2. Amino Cleanse

3. Arwa Derma Deep Cleanse

4. Extraction

5. Eye Brow Trimming

6. Face Serum

7. Enzyme Mask

8. Ultrasound Face, Eyes, Neck (Octolift)

9. Face, Eyes, Neck Massage

10. Face, Eyes, Neck Soft Mask

11. Hand, Leg, Should Massage

12. Derma Tone (Toner)

13. Bio Essence

14. Face Serum

15. Eye Care, Neck Care

16. Soothing Cream

17. Moisturizer

18. Sunblock

2 x Signature Slimming Treatment (1 1/2 hours) – Total worth RM1216

1. Lift BF (German Machine)

2. Per Part Slimming Wrapping

3. Body Contour Wrapping

4. LED Steambath

5. Infrared Thermal Blanket

2 x Incredible SPA Treatment (1 1/2 hours) – Total worth RM848

1. Full Body Sea Salt Scrub

2. LED Steambath

3. Full Body Relaxing Massage (1 hour)

Don't worry guys! It might seem expensive while reading this, but if you take all these separately, it would cost much more!E.g., eyebrow trimming alone costs RM20. Plus, there will be a SUPER SAVERS DEAL coming up on http://www.gooddeals2u.com/

While waiting, you can find out more information about this beauty center here:

Advanced Beauty Slimming Centre

A-G-36, IOI Boulevard

Jalan Kenari 7

Bandar Puchong Jaya

47170 Puchong, Selangor

T: 03-8075 0361 / 0362

F: 03-8075 0363

E: advancedbsc@gmail.com

W: click here

xoxo

Meiz