Shoot, Shot and Shooted Away!

Going on a holiday? See our post! And make sure you get a great shot every time you're on holiday with these simple photo taking tips :




1. Plan In Advance.
Make sure you always bring an extra load of fully charged batteries... don't miss that perfect shot of that romantic sunset or some gorgeous scenery. Also make sure to bring some extra memory sticks if you're using a digital camera, or some extra film in case you're not able to buy the type you prefer while on vacation.

2. Get Extra Help.
A tripod is useful as it allows everybody to be in the picture while you have the camera's timer working for you. Get a small portable type you can just throw into your bag. Just make sure your camera has an outlet for the tripod, as some cameras (for some weird reason) don't. The tripod is especially useful for couple trips, so that you do get some shots of both of you together.

3. Composition.
If you're not sure which part of the panorama should be in the shot, just shoot it all! (This is also when tip #1 comes back into play with enough memory!) You can zoom in and frame the picture when you edit the images at home. Some may recommend you to do it at photo shops, but personally I think this is just a waste of money. Get a photo-editing software, learn how to use it and voila! You're set to go for the rest of your trips.

4. Practice practice practice!
Read the camera manual and practice using all the functions and what nots. This is especially true for those new SLR users as the camera settings is much more complicated than a simple point-and-shoot camera. This way, you'll know which settings to use. It'll be difficult to enjoy your trip if you're spending your time trying to figure out how to use the camera. Not to mention, missing all the great shots!

Bring Your Spouse For Holiday

One of the things we love to do as a couple is to go on a holiday together. We both like free and easy, go on your own and explore kind of holiday. One of the places that we have enjoyed going by our own to spend the weekend is Cameron Highlands.

On a cool Sunday morning, we left from Butterworth around 8.30am. After pumping a full tank of petrol and checking the car tyre pressure, we started our journey. With petrol price at RM1.90 per liter, it costs around RM40 one-way to Cameron Highlands, and one full tank of petrol is enough for the drive to Cameron Highlands plus going around visiting the places.

The drive was smooth without much traffic and after one and half hours of drive, we reached the newly constructed Jelapang toll. After paying RM16.80 at this toll and resuming the drive for another 20 minutes, we exit Simpang Pulai (RM1.80 at this toll) to use the new road up Cameron Highlands which is wider and less winding compared to the old road.



At the first two traffic lights after the toll, make right turns. From here, it is all the way to Cameron Highlands. We took a leisurely drive up the mountain while viewing the natural beauty around, and enjoy the cool breezy air.

Around 45 minutes later, we saw the first tourist shop on the right. We didn't stop here but continue on to the next shop, the 88 Holiday Fun Garden, just to look at what it has. They sell tea, honey, groceries, etc. It is not recommended to buy anything from this shop or earlier shop as the price is simply exorbitant. Maybe they are the first few shops so people might be unaware that cheaper products can be purchased further on at Brinchang, where there are more choices and prices are more competitive.




A couple of shops later on, it was already 12pm and we decided to stop at the 99 CH Family Food Center to have lunch there. There were chicken rice stall, economy rice stall and fried koay teow stall. The place was infested with flies though, so we would recommend trying other places with less cleanliness issues.

After lunch, we continue our journey to Bharat Tea Estate a.k.a Cameron Valley. We took pictures of the tea estate and bought some tea products there. Although it is not the best tea estate but it is definitely the more accessible one (along the road to Brinchang town) compared to 'Boh' Tea estate at Sg.Palas (more about that later). Disappointing thing about Bharat Tea Estate is there is no guided tour on tea plantation, tea extraction, etc.




There are many stalls along the road. At one of the stalls, we stopped and bought a small bottle of honey. Honey price is not cheap in Cameron Highlands. They range from RM28-RM35 for a big bottle and RM18-RM20 for a small bottle. One word of advice is bargain. We manage to bargain for RM12 for the small bottle of honey at the road side stall (later we bought the exact same honey for RM9 at Kea Farm). We also bought a pack of strawberry for sample back in the hotel.

We made a stop at one of the mini mart and bought strawberry jam and dried strawberry. Two bottles of strawberry jam for RM10 is pretty reasonable.

A little while more, we saw the Sg.Palas 'Boh' tea estate signboard and decided to go for it. The road to the tea estate is one of the most narrow and curvy we have ever driven on. Imagine almost 2 km of one-way road, next to you is the ravine and a car coming at you. When you see one coming, you have to look for the widest part of the road and just wait there for the other car to squeeze through. Also, remember to honk at the curves as it is impossible to know whether there is a car coming at the opposite direction! The horrible part is some unthoughtful drivers who drives so fast even though they know that there are traffic coming the opposite direction.

But Sg. Palas 'Boh' tea estate is a nice place. Despite the horrendously dangerous one-way road, it is worth a visit at least one time. You should go there to experience the drive and the place itself. The place is well design and well taken care. After parking at the designated car park, there is a 200m pathway of steps leading up to the tea estate. There is a nice sky cafe where you can enjoy tea. We guessed they try not to be too English like hence there was no scone to go with the tea. From the sky cafe, the view of the tea farm is simply picturesque.



Here they also have guided tour on tea plantation, tea extraction, etc. We bought some tea products. Not sure if it is any cheaper to buy them here than from hypermarkets like Tesco, Carrefour, Giant, etc. We spent quite a while there until it was nearly time for them to close about 4.30pm since it probably is our first and last trip to 'Boh' unless they do something to widen the road. 'Boh' estate can ease the way to the estate at least by putting safety mirrors at the curves as it is impossible to see the opposite traffic. Setting up traffic lights at narrow one lane part to allow only one traffic to move at a time would really help. As we left, we still see cars coming in. It could be that they are not aware that the place closes at 4.30pm or they must have started their journey thinking that they can make it to the place before it close but little did they know the road is so narrow, it takes really long time to get in.

Next stop was at Cactus Point. We bought two pots of plants for RM9. By then we were already tired and decided to drive through Brinchang straight to the hotel and check-in at 5 pm. After rest and shower, we headed out for dinner at Brinchang town. We had steamboat set dinner for two persons that cost RM15 per person. The portion was quite a lot but the quality was average. Just share the set for one person and try other food in the Brinchang town.

The next morning, we had breakfast in the hotel. We could see Old Smokehouse from our hotel room. Strawberry Park Resort is also nearby so we decided to take a look in case we would want to stay there in our next trip. The drive up to Strawberry Park Resort is also winding and land slide prone. A night at Strawberry Park Resort costs RM450 upwards (http://www.strawberryparkresorts.com/html/rates.html). Having to cope with the winding road to the hotel and everytime you want to go out, we decided it is not the place we want to stay next time.

At the foot of Strawberry Park Resort is the Kasimanis Strawberry farm. We recommend this place if you would like to get strawberries from Cameron Highlands. They let you sample the strawberry and also the prices are reasonable. You can get a box of chunky strawberry for RM5 here. Elsewhere a box of pathetic small strawberry was going for RM4. The chunky ones are sweeter.



Then we stopped at the Multicrop Central Market. This is a place worth to stop by in our opinion. They sell lots of things - plants, vegetables, pots, stones, key chains, etc. But remember we warned you not to buy (or cheated to buy) any roses from the stall outside Multicrop Central Market. They sell 'treated' roses. A packet of 3 stalks cost RM2.50! You will find way better deal at Kea Farm where a packet of 6 stalks is RM3. There is a cafe inside the Multicrop Central Market. We were little hungry and decided to try the hot drink and apple strudels.

Beside the Multicrop Central Market is the Uncle Sam Farm. Can't really say what is worth to buy here except for the cherry tomato. RM6 for one kg of cherry tomatoes and you get to pick from the basket and the cherry tomatoes are huge. At other place, not only are the tomatoes small and comes pre-packed, they are also expensive, RM7-RM8 per kg.

Next stop was Kea Farm. Look out for the first stall on the right. The Malay lady here sell honey very cheap. Small bottle of honey - RM9, elsewhere RM18-RM20. Big bottle of honey - RM14, elsewhere RM28-RM35. We had lunch at the Strawberry View Restaurant. The food is good. It was already 4pm, time to head back home.



It was a nice trip to Cameron Highlands. There is still so much to be explored in Cameron Highlands. Share with us your own trip to Cameron Highlands, places that you recommend for food or buying Cameron Highlands products.

Bridal House Review Candidate #6 : Crystal Brides, Penang

One word of caution about this shop - Enter At Your Own Risk! :) Having started with that, let me continue on with my summary of our visit there and the reason why I start off with a warning. Crystal Brides has 2 branches, the headquarter is located in Seberang Prai near Megamall Pinang and their branch is situated along Macalister Road.

Having entered the shop, we were approached by a young saleslady. We informed her that we were interested in viewing their gowns, so she had to postpone her package speech and took us around the shop. Similar to New York Bridal, the gowns at the ground floor are not for "usual" packages. Depending on the gown, you may need to pay around RM600 - RM1000 to rent one. The gowns at the 2nd floor was quite limited due to space constraint, I believe. However, there were some gowns that are "un-wearable" except for indoor photo shoot. According to the saleslady, they do not allow the gowns to be worn out as it was old and cannot withstand a lot of alterations and outdoor wear. What a strange reason!

Anyhow, when we finally returned to the ground floor, the saleslady started off on her sales speech. And boy, was it a long speech! First, she started off with telling us that they are the ONLY bridal shop that was allowed to take pictures with the furniture shop next door. Errr... ok. Next, she followed on by saying that their boss spent 100K to renovate the 3-storey headquarter building in Prai. And this matters to me because.....???? She went on about how wonderful their building was and how you would have to pay RM1999 for taking your wedding pictures in 1 (and I repeat, just one!) of the rooms with 1 (again, just 1!) gown. Hoookayyyy...

After we told her that we were not interested in a 1-gown, 1-room wedding album, she decided to tell us about the more normal package. The package that she offered to us was RM12,999. That's right, folks. That was not a typo. She really tried to sell us the most expensive package they have in the shop - which is nearly thirteen thousand! Absolutely crazy! Of course, we gave her face and listened to her as she slowly wound down from RM12,999 to RM9999 and RM7999, followed by the RM5999 and RM4999 packages. Trust me, by the time she got to the more standard package, our eyes were glazed over and we've stopped tuning into her frequency!

At any rate, she stopped at the RM4999 package and told us that she would give us a RM1000 discount if we signed up for it, making it a "cheap" RM3999 package. I can't even remember the details of the package now as I've already dismissed the entire shop as totally ridiculous! When we told her that we had an appointment (which was genuine) and would consider the package, she had a parting shot - "Going to check out other bridal shops say lar. No need to say you got appointment ler..." Great sales tactic. Use it more often to drive away potential customers~!

A total thumbs-down for this shop. As I said at the beginning of the post, ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Improve Your Hair's Health!

In modern times, our hair goes through a lot of wear and tear. Frequent hairstyling, gels, hairsprays, the dirty environment... lots of factors impact the health of our hair. Try these simple steps to get your hair back to being shiny without having to go to a hair spa.


1. Try natural remedies.
Some experts advocated going all natural with non-fabricated ingredients. Try washing your hair with vinegar, some recommend apple cider vinegar. Put 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water and apply to your hair. Leave on for a minute then rinse out with cool water. You can try alternating this between shampoo sessions and move completely to this remedy if you become a believer!

2. Avoid heat on hair.
Try to protect your hair from unnecessary heat - that includes washing your hair with hot water which will open the hair cuticle and cause breakage. Try to minimise using heated hair-dryers and hot irons (to curl or straighten hair). Avoid the sun if possible, hair is also damaged by long term exposure to the sun's rays.
3. Minimise breakage.
Avoid combing your hair while it is wet to reduce hair breakage. Also, plaiting your hair or placing it within a protective covering while sleeping will help to minimise breakage during sleep.

4. Skip the shampoo.
Once a while, skip using shampoo and just wash your hair with water. Alternatively, you can use conditioner to soften the hair. Overwashing the hair will strip it of its natural oil and cause the scalp to produce more oil.

5. Use a brush.
Using a round ended brush will help to trigger essential oils and move those oil along the hair to the tips where it is most useful for preventing split ends. If you're not a brush person (brushes tend to catch the hair more and pull it out), try putting some oil to the tips of your hair. A couple of drops of oil would do, else your hair will end up being weighed down.

Green Tea - 5 Great Health Benefits

In the past few decades, a lot of studies have been conducted on green tea and the effects on the body and health by consuming it. Here are 5 great health benefits (among others) that are associated with green tea. Have a cuppa!


Health Benefit #1 : Prevents Cancer
Drinking green tea helps to prevent cancer. Green tea contains polyphenols, which block the growth of cancer cells. According to research, women with breast cancer who drink at least five cups a day, have tumors that spread slower and these women are less likely to have the cancer return. Green tea also reduces the risks for esophageal, gastric and skin cancer.

Health Benefit #2 : Protects Brain Cells
The previously mentioned antioxidant, polyphenol, when fed to mice induced with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, helped to protect brain cells from dying, as well as 'rescuing' already damaged neurons in the brain, a phenomenon called neurorescue or neurorestoration.

Health Benefit #3 : Burns More Calories
Use green tea properties to help you shed extra pounds. Studies show that people who drink green tea with caffeine burn calories faster. Studies showed that average fat oxidation rates were 17% higher after ingestion of Green Tea Extract than after ingestion of a placebo.

Health Benefit #4 : Lowers Cholesterol
Lower your cholesterol with green tea. It lowers the bad cholesterol and supports the good cholesterol. It also prevents blood clots from forming. This is important since blood clots are the major cause of heart attacks and strokes.

Health Benefit #5 : Protects Teeth
Protect your teeth with green tea. It destroys the bacteria that produces plaque.

Now aren't these benefits enough to get you smiling?

Low Cost Ideas To Spice Up Your Relationship

In the midst of your wedding planning frenzy or even if you've been married 30 years, a bit of effort can always sweeten the mood, enhance your relationship and bring that walk-on-air feeling back. And you don't have to have googillion dollars to do that. Here's some tips that will help you to bring the spark back, minus the cost!

1. Candlelight Dinners
Whoever said that you needed to splash out on exotic restaurants in order to have a romantic candlelight dinner? Try setting one up at home. If cooking stresses you out, get some take out. Pizza with candlelight? Try it! What matters is the mood of the settings, so make sure you turn down the lights, put on some slow music, block out those annoying sounds (like your cellphone!) and just go with the flow. You will be surprised how a simple meal can turn into a love-fest with just a bit of ambience change.

2. Massages
Think you have to go to Bali to get a good (and cheap) massage? Think again. What you may lack in skill, you more than make up for it with love. Try simple massage techniques like kneading or just rubbing. Spice it up with some aromatherapy oil. Unless you're Edward Scissorhands, your other half will love it!

3. Chores
Ugh!! Do I really mean those daily drudgy, back-breaking household work that can turn a calm housewife into a raging maniac? Yup, you heard me right. Doing a chore that your spouse usually does, like washing the clothes or the car, gives them a break from doing it themselves. Your simple act of service may just make their day!

4. Take A Walk
As mafia-ish as it may sound, a walk is beneficial to a couple in many ways. Not only does it give you some exercise, but a breath of fresh air and some new scenery will help to rest the mind and soothe the eyes. Not to mention, a walk hand-in-hand gives you that sweet newly-in-love feel. If you have kids, try alternating between leaving them at home while you do your twosome thing and taking them along for some family bonding.

5. Time-Out!
If your lives are full of plans and due dates, sneak a few hours away and just have some private time to yourselves. Watch a movie or doing something that doesn't revolve around your wedding gives you a breather. It'll help you re-focus when you get back to the grind. Most of all, take that time to just appreciate your other half and remember all the reasons that you fell in love with him/her.

Bridal House Review Candidate #5 : New York Bridal City, Penang

We just happened upon New York Bridal City as we were nearby the France Taipei one in Prai area. Located along the same street, the mannequins wearing the dresses were pretty eye-catching. So we decided to go in and check it out.

The package that was offered by this particular bridal house was on the higher end (since we've already scouted around a few). The one that was offered by the sales assistant (who happened to be the make-up artist as well), was around RM2900. I've forgotten the exact price but I do remember that it wasn't attractive to me personally.

The dresses on display downstairs are beautiful and there were some eye-catching ones. However, we found out that these were the "New York Collection" and therefore, we will not qualify for those if we took the RM2900 package. :( More moolah to top up the package? Talk about a letdown! Anyhow, we decided to tour around the joint since we were there. The dresses were not bad but a bit Chinese-style. Colours were quite bright, so you can consider this place if you are looking for bright dinner dresses.

The sales assistant was quite informative and we found him to be more informative as compared to those from some other shops. Perhaps it is due to his years of experience (he claimed to have been in the business for many years). At any rate, if you don't mind paying a higher price and topping it up for the NYC dresses, you may want to give this shop some consideration.