Bad Face Day

I have been mistaken about my skin type all this years!! Wow! First, let me describe my face skin. It's very dry on the cheeks, fine lines, big pores, blackheads (komedo) on the nose, whiteheads (kaya jerawat putih kecil2), occasional breakout (jerawat), and acne scars (bekas jerawat). I thought I have a dry skin, so I always bought the skin care for dry skin. Anyway... 2 months ago I have this major breakout and my face hasn't healed since. I don't know what i did wrong, but it got really horrible.

So one sunny day, I stopped by at Origins shop, and i asked the sales girl to examined my face. And she said I have a combination to oily skin. BUMP! Very far away from what I thought my skin type was. She gave me this whole range of products, starting from cleansing to moisturizer, that suits my skin. I didn't buy all of 'em (it can cost me a fortune), but she gave me samples to the ones that i didn't buy. Yippie! And it actually worked! Later on I went to Kiehl's & Biotherm, they gave me a better explanation. My skin is combination to oily but very dehydrated, and dry skin around my eyes. OMG was I WRONG! No wonder I always have breakouts. I was using the wrong skin care products. The only thing that worked fabulous for me back in Jkt was the green Ponds cleanser -which they don't sell here-. For others (moisturizer, foundation, etc..) I could never find the right one.

Since then i learned that it's very important to know my skin type & skin type can change depends on the season or hormones. Don't hesitate to go to the cosmetic counter (ngerti bgt..kadang males aja gitu mampir ke Clarins misalnya, harganya suka ngagetin, tp mereka nyediain konsultasi kulit gratis sebenernya), tell the sales girl what u think your skin condition is, asked her to diagnose yours, then let her show the skin care range that is suitable for you (psst, slalu cek muka SPGnya tanpa makeup mulus gak, krn mereka sbenernya dapet diskon/gratisan pake produk jualan. Kalo gak, brarti mreka pake merk lain &bagiannya dijual ato gak ngerti produknya. Kalo udah gini, mending ke kaunter brktnya). If you feel the price is too much, just buy one -they might give samples for the rest- (ato cuek aja gak beli), then buy something cheaper that has the same function. Still bow out (males)? U can always go online, almost every skin care range have their online consultation and it's absolutely FREE (gw cek di i'net grupnya Martha Tilaar jg ada konsultasi, tp lebih berupa tanya jawab, bukan diagnosa kulit).

I also think it's important for sales girl in beauty counter to know their client's skin and give the right products. They should all be knowledgeable. I remember I went to FANCL counter in Sogo Jkt, asked about my skin condition, i bought one of their products, but rather than smoothing it, it gave me more breakout. Another example, my mom skin -very oily- never gets better, even she uses some good range like Estee Lauder.

After 2 weeks, the result hasn't make a dramatic changes, but there are nice improvement. If not, Uda will raise his voice for what i have spent this last months for skin care, hehe...
(kapok kapok deh Uda, tp kan banyakan reviewnya drpd belinya kok).

Dec 2005 : First time in HK

This is our first visit to HK. The weather was good, not warm but not too cold. Stayed in Park Lane, we enjoyed every moment taking Wina around. Victoria Park, Stanley Market & Ocean Park. Coz this visit was to checked on our future flat, so we didn't do a lot of exploring.

Ain't no mountain high!

Found this video song i love (originally sang by Marvin Gaye&Tammy Terrell) featuring the NG's (behind the scene) of my all time favorite series "Friends"!

I also love the original duet version

Snoopy World

We went to Snoopy World couple of days ago. It's quite far, at Shatin. We have to change mtr train 3 times to get there (it's in the new territories). It's the first time for Wina to know Snoopy characters. She kept saying "doggie, doggie.." hahaha. I thought it was something like a mini town that I went when I was little in London, but it's not the same. There's nothing mini about it.

Playgrounds

Places for Wina to play are A LOT here. There are many free big playgrounds that's safe, well maintained & have various rides (ini yg Jkt gak punya). Besides in the apartment playground, there's also in Happy Valley, HV Library, Victoria Park - the nearest to our home -. There's still bunch out there spreaded all over HK island.

---------- apartment's ---------------- Victoria Park's -----------------Happy Valley-----------

Nov 2005 : Europetrip part.1, Italy

Bonjorno! Wow, this was fun! We went to 4 countries: Italy, Vatican City, Austria & Germany. ITALY was a huge explore, even only in 3 cities we had so many beautiful spot to see. We went there on Lebaran holiday, for about 2 weeks. Coz of we were going to move to Hong Kong after New Year 2006, so Uda (aka Wina's dad) didn't come along. He wanted to celebrate Lebaran with his parents and family.

ROME. Beautiful city with the Colloseum, the famous Fontana di Trevi where you throw coins into the fountain while saying your wish; the Roman Forum, ruins of Roman; the Arch of Constantine; Piazza di Spagna, lots and lots of piazza there; Spanish Steps where you can sit, relax and look at all the people passing by; Vittoriano Monument in front of a big circle traffic turnover; and the Pantheon. No other word to say but beautiful.

Trevi Fountain

Spanish Steps

VATICAN. It's quite irony, we visited Vatican City on our Lebaran holiday.... BUT we were just admiring the country(?!!), which was just 5 minutes walk from down town Rome. Yes! It's a small country in the middle of Rome, just about 0.44 square kilometres, with around 600 citizens (wow!). Wina was having fun playing with hundreds of friendly pigeons there. St. Peter's Square, dome of St. Peter's Basilica -is said to be pioneered by Michaelangelo (man, i'm learning art history here, phew!) , and the attractive dressed Swiss Guard.

VENICE. My favorite. City in the middle of the sea. Piazza San Marco, Grand Canal, Rialto's Bridge, Gondolas, San Marco Basilica and Campeline, & the enormous Doger Palace. Window shopping was exciting here, coz they were selling things that you couldn't find anywhere else, like the Romeo & Juliet kind of masque, really really unusual designed clock, & jewelry i can't afford to buy, hehe...

Venice by Gondola

San Marco Square early morning

FLORENCE. It was a short stop before we headed to Pisa. OMG, the buildings are all beautiful. We took some shots at Duomo & Campanile (big clock tower), horse riding around it. Then the driver took us to a spot where we can see overview of Florence. Nice! Ciao!!

Duomo @ Florence

Favorite Spot

This is the spot where she puts all her toys up when playing and watching dvd. Spot to jump up and down. Also the spot to count how many buses and trams passing by (never ending game). Anyway, can you guess which one is wina? hehehe.....

Dc & Meylin in town

@ Victoria Park n AIA HK World Carnival

Another friends came to HK. Dc, Fina & Dini were going on backpacker's trip, from Singapore Macau to HK. Well, i wouldn't say they backpackers, coz -my gosh- they're here for SHOPPING! Their bags were overloaded, hahaha.... Stayed at our house for 2 nights, its kinda fun. We had a girls nite out! Went to Lan Kwai Fong -the night life street- where u don't feel in HK coz of too many caucasians. Ride on the bus and tram, saw the carnival(almost cried for not getting to ride one), Admiralty, Wanchai and Causeway Bay. Meylin join the next nite. She's on a tour, so didn't have much free time, which is sad, coz missed some real fun. Oh, it's so nice to meet old friends here. Who's next?! ^^

on the tram n Lan Kwai Fong n Happy Valley Horserace Stadium

PS Fin,Des,Din. Thanx 4 the gift. Wina loves it!

Painting @home

Our apartment is at the 38th floor building on a hill. O ho, it's high! The view is spectacular. One side shows the sea between Hong Kong and Kowloon & tall buildings, the other side shows the mountain, peak and horse race stadium. At night, it's never too dark, & by day, u can see the eagle fly in front of u. It's just a tiny little house, with Wina's toys all over the place. She owns the house, haha. Anyway, she plays in her cozy room with tent, small couch and comfy bed surround. I usually spend most of the other time behind laptop, travel thru internet. But the place where it all happen: living room.

Wina has this thing for art. She loves painting, so everyday we have a small session to paint. I don't mind the house get a little messy, as long as she can be creative. It's not like u can't clean it afterward. She's a cleaner too. Wash your hands after you r done!

August 2005 : Bali

Bali Bali Bali. Always a great place to visit! When i was living in Indonesia, we usually went there almost every year (it's about 1,5 hour flight from Jkt). This time with Wina, we went to Bali Bird Park, Ubud, Water Boom, and of course, the beach! We stayed at Nusa Dua, and enjoyed the pool, sandy beach, paragliding, and jet skis. She had a blast playing with the water and animals. Too bad, some people here think Bali as quite a dangerous place. OMG, no way! The tragedy on 2002 changed the people perception. So sad to hear that. I can guarantee now Bali is as safe as your home..

Lunar New Year in Jakarta

Hehe, libur panjang di Jkt. Rencananya cuma seminggu jadi 2 minggu. Yg kepikiran les mandarinku jd berantakan d, suka gak connect ama gurunya.
Hwa, seneng2 di jkt. Minggu pertama ujan mulu, minggu kedua baru deh cuacanya enak. Wina ketemu Maknetnya seneng bgt (lg nyari fotonya nih). Sempet ke Bdg, ketemu Dela Udin Eja & Mira, Wina main ama sepupunya (Saffa, Salsa, Najwa& Aisha), yah get together with familylah.
Sayangnya gara2 kamera kena air, foto2nya hampir ilang semua, hiks hiks. Need to find away to restore it back. Paling seru sih di Puncak, stay di villa, berenang, hangliding, yg sisa harinya ujan jadi karaokean ajah. Again, wina malu2 mau ma Maknet, hihi...lucu ngeliatnya.

May 2005 : Makassar

We visited uda's parents whose dad at the time being was working in a Cement Company there. Makassar is beautiful, famous for it's seafood -ikan dabu-dabu is one of my favorite-, big spacious city with old culture still attached. Makassar is in Sulawesi island, about 1,5 hours flight from jakarta. We stayed at kakek's house in a district that's about an hour driving from Makassar.

We also visited Toraja, a famous tourist spot that still hold their ancient culture and has beautiful view of muntains and forest, and the village houses. It took us about 7 hours driving from kakek and nenek house. Wina start showing that she;s a true traveller, didn't have tantrum and just sleep along the way. One of the attractions is that they buried the dead people in the mountain rock and make a doll to indicate the ones that is putted there. Oh, it's a little scary getting in the cave.

Love U I Do

Last Sunday on my way back home to HK, while Wina were sleeping, I watched Dreamgirls. OMG, it was good! I was so touched, i couldn't stop the feeling get thru my eyes. So corny.. i know.. but i just got a lil bit sensitive lately. The acting was good, the song were BRILLIANT.
It was about this 3 women chasing their dreams to stardom, but when they got there, things weren't going well. Well, i definitely recommend the soundtracks, just love the songs. My favorite : Love u i do

April 2005 : Singapore

Hoho, Wina first flight. You can't tell she was excited or not, i didn't even think she knew what's going on... until the plane took off & most probably hurted her ears. But we were prepare! earplugs are on, baby!!!

This trip was actually a refreshing point 4 me, after i made it alive out of 'bootcamp'. And i got some days off before starting to work, and it's a long weekend, so we were all in for a vacation.

We went to Singapore Zoo (it was raining), the Botanic Garden (beautiful, but Wina was way to attractive hehe), swimming, and exploring Orchad Road. Usually i would rush in excitement for shopping, but with my new mommy body, i didn't have any desire or whatsoever. So my sis had all the fun herself.

There are a lot of interesting places to visit in Singapore, like Sentosa Island, Jurong Bird Park etc. But it's a short visit, the weather was uncertain. Another thing is i was carrying her through the day. Oh, she's heavy! but thank god i got a lot of helping back.

Aside of the raining, everything was great! hope to visit it again in the future n