Bripex Fair 2009

BriPex, is the LARGEST Bridal & Photography Exhibition in Northern Region, Malaysia.

The exhibition is jointly-organised by famous bridal houses together with well-known photographic equipment distributors. As a visitor, you can expect to get unbelievable discounts for wedding packages and access to a wide range of lenses, cameras, studio equipments and other photographic accessories. Events during the exhibiton include a photography competition, bridal show and LUCKY DRAW for the visitors!

Date:	10 - 12 APRIL 2009
Time:	11am - 9pm
Venue:	Penang International Sports Arena (PISA)
FREE ADMISSION + FREE CARPARK

I missed the fair... :O :O
Did anyone make it? Any comments?

DIY Family Planning

If you're planning for a family - now, soon, later.... start leading a womb and baby-friendly lifestyle now. Early planning and a healthy lifestyle will help you to keep your body up for conception. Take these steps to ensure your future :



1. Monitor your menstrual cycle.
Even if you aren't planning for a kid right now, be aware of your menstruation and its cycle. Not only is this important for family planning, but it also helps you be aware of your body and how to keep it tip-top, eg knowing how to avoid certain foods when you're bloating, keeping control of your emotions when you come into your PMS period...

2. Choose the right contraception.
Condoms, the birth control pills, IUDs, the withdrawal method - make sure that you read up about these methods of contraception and what fits you. If you're unsure even after your research, you can consult your local GP or go to a local family planning clinic for help. Some women report sensitivity to the latex in the condom, so this may not be the option for them (although there are other condoms in the market that cater to this). The Pill also has its downsides - weight gain, infertilitiy for a certain period after stopping the medication, and bloating are just some of the common side effects. IUDs (Intra-Uterine Devices) are NOT recommended for women who have not had children. So be informed and then make your decision based on that.

3. Your biological clock.
Not to alarm those who are in their 30's and older, but fertility do decrease with age. A woman in her early 20's has a 60% chance of getting pregnant as compared to another in her mid-30's who has about 25% chance. Quite a big drop in numbers! So if possible, try to plan ahead so that you can start your family before you hit the big 3-0.

4. Stop crash dieting.
Frequent dieting and weight yo-yos lead to proper ovulation and menstruation. Once your cycle has been interrupted in this way, it may remain off-cycle. And that means the possibility of getting pregnant is made more difficult.

5. Exercise!
Try to aim for around 15-30 minutes of activity - such as a brisk walk, swimming or yoga to enhance your body's fitness, flexibility and strength. Exercise is not only good for conception but also it is commonly believed that walking will help in the labour room to ease the baby's passage out.

Get Rid Of That Orange Peel!

In other words, get rid of the cellulite on your body, which normally shows up most clearly on the backs of your thighs. So if you want to wear cute hot pants, follow these steps so that you don't have to flash dimpled skin (and not in a flattering way) to the world.

1. Hydrate Up!
Drink around 2.5 litres of water every day. Water is truly a miracle drink - and it costs much less than all those sugared or carbonated drinks!

2. Reduce Caffeine.
Avoid drinks like tea, coffee and high sugar or caffeinated drinks like colas that will lead to more dehydration in the long run.

3. Increase Fibre.
Eat a high fibre diet. This helps to maintain a healthy bowel. Plus it rids the body of toxins and cholesterol.

4. Don't Smoke!
Smoking causes your skin to age and lose elasticity.

5. Exfoliate.
Exfoliate and massage your legs every day to increase blood ciculation and remove toxins. It also helps to put your legs up.

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.