A Dream in My Hands

Posted on August 16, 2011 by The Giddy Tigress

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As a chapter in my life closes, a new one opens up.  It’s one that is full of possibilities.  Full of hope and full of promises.  A huge chapter that we had been eagerly anticipating all this while.  A dream that will soon become a reality…

But why am I so afraid?

Afraid to take the first step…to take the plunge.  Fearing the road ahead would be an arduous one.  Unsure of what would happen along the way in spite of the happiness that would await us in the end.  It is a decision that we would not be able to go back on.  No rewinds, no turning back.  Just full speed all the way.

It’s time for some changes…but what?  No one knows yet.  I wish I could gaze into the future, but I can’t.  No one can and no one knows..except God.

We leave this in Your hands, Lord…with the faith that You alone will provide for us all that we need.

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How I Treat My Skin Day & Night

Posted on August 15, 2011 by The Giddy Tigress

When I read Paris’s skincare routine post on My Women Stuff, I thought it was high time I actually posted something on my own personal facial skincare routine too.  You see, I’d wanted to do it for a really long time, but kept on procrastinating.

In the process of preparing this post, I realized a few important things, some being a tad trivial than the rest:

  • A post such as this would act as a good reference months down the road when I wanted to check what I’d used exactly.  My skin feels really good at the moment, and I’d like to share what works for me so that perhaps others could also benefit from it.
  • Sharing about this part of my life gets me to a more personal level with you, my readers.  And I’d really like to hear from you too!
  • My skincare routine is so much simpler than I’d realized.  However, I do maintain that as long as the routine works and is effective, then it doesn’t matter how simple it is.
  • The products I currently use look quite boring. LOL – ah, but looks can be deceiving, no?

My Morning Routine

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This is my usual morning routine, performed as soon as I wake up to wash up and get ready.  Don’t you think my skincare products look so bland and boring? 😛

  • Cleanse with Dermalogica’s Essential Cleansing Solution
  • After my morning shower, spray, pat on face and tone with Dermalogica’s Soothing Protection Spray
  • Eye cream/gel – I’m currently using  Aveeno Active Naturals Positively Ageless Lifting & Firming Eye Cream with Natural Shitake Complex
  • Moisturize with Dermalogica’s Intensive Moisture Balance

** Are you sensing a pattern here?  Not that I place utter importance on my cleanser, toner and moisturizer all being from the same brand, but it just happened that these products work great for me. **

  • Apply sunblock.  Still experimenting, but right now I am using L’oreal’s UV Perfect Anti-Dullness (yep, the purplish one :))

My Evening and Night Routine

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I have a rather peculiar routine in the evening AND night…Yes, I have 2 separate routines for the simple reason that after I shower, I still need to clean and tidy up around the house, and it could be a good 2-3 hours before I call it a night.  So my evening routine refers to the time immediately before my shower and after, whereas my night routine refers to right before I go to bed proper.

Evening Routine

Before showering:

  • Remove makeup and/or sunblock with Dermalogica’s Precleanse (I’m eyeing the Hada Labo one next!)
  • Cleanse face with Dermalogica Essential Cleansing Solution

After showering:

  • Apply thin layer of Derma Health’s Skin Labs Concentrated Vitamin E cream.  This step protects the skin (which has just been cleansed) from drying up.  Sometimes I’d just apply toner and skip this cream.

Night Routine

Do you use about the same number of products as I do?  Or do you share my love for some of the products I use?  🙂

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Food Waste Friday: Buhbye Antioxidants :(

Posted on August 12, 2011 by The Giddy Tigress

Today (and every Friday after this), I’m joining The Frugal Girl and other bloggers out there in posting my food waste photos within the past week, calling it Food Waste Friday.  It is hoped that by sharing pictures of the food I have wasted, it would motivate me to reduce wastage as much as possible.  I will try my very best to participate each week, and hopefully there will be weeks where I will be able to happily report that there was 0% wastage! 🙂

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I cleaned out one of my shelves today, and found this box of green tea, which had expired in May.  It’s a pity, really, because there were still so many sachets left.  My husband was technically the only one who was drinking it a few months ago, and truth be said, I should have taken a few cups myself too.  Sadly, it’s all those antioxidants gone to waste now…

…unless…hmmm….does anyone know if it’s okay to steep the tea bags in hot water, and then cool it down to be used as eye masks? 😀

(gonna keep those sachets for a bit till I see if I can salvage them!!)

Posted in Close to Heart & Home, Thoughts & Scribblings | Tagged | 5 Comments

The Secret to the Fluffiest Pancakes Ever!

Posted on August 9, 2011 by The Giddy Tigress

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As Mommy to kids who simply adore pancakes, I am pleased to announce that I think I have stumbled upon the secret ingredient that will create the fluffiest pancakes ever!  It happened last week when I decided to try this recipe from a dear friend of mine.  Her recipe is suitable for kids who are allergic to egg whites, but since my kids aren’t, I used one whole egg, instead of just the yolk.

Now, the secret ingredient I was telling you about is white vinegar.  I’ve never used white vinegar in my pancakes before, and the bottle of white vinegar in my kitchen (thus far) has only been reserved for making char siew.  But nevertheless, my friend’s pancake recipe called for it, so I added it in too.

And I could just tell they were gonna be delicious and fluffy!!  Even as I was flipping the pancakes, they felt lighter, fluffier and yummier!  And indeed they were!

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Apparently, vinegar reacts with baking soda to create little oxygen bubbles (errr…need to dig out my chemistry book for the exact equation, but it could be something to do with acid and alkaline, because I know that vinegar is an acid and baking soda is an alkaline).   Anyway, the resulting oxygen bubbles will then make extra-fluffy pancakes!  Drizzle with some sweet maple syrup for that absolutely delicious and indulgent treat!

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If you haven’t tried this, it’s high time you do!  🙂

Here’s the recipe I used to make the Fluffiest Pancakes Ever!  If you are allergic to egg whites, simply replace the whole egg with only the yolk.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg (or 1 egg yolk, if allergic to egg whites)
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • cooking spray or some cooking oil

Method

  1. Combine flour with white vinegar and milk, mix it well, then add the rest of the ingredients.
  2. Whisk until all lumps are gone.
  3. Let pancake batter stand for 10 minutes. (I added this step myself, because I find that pancakes do taste better if the batter is left to stand for a few minutes before frying the pancakes)
  4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray or drizzle with a little oil.
  5. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface.
  6. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.
  7. Serve with maple syrup!
Posted in Drooling & Cooking | Tagged , | 1 Comment

RM5 for a HairCut? I live to tell…

Posted on August 8, 2011 by The Giddy Tigress

YES!  And it includes a hair wash and blow!

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I’d been seeing this promotional signage at the AIM MAX hair salon along Greenlane for a few weeks now, since I use this same route every day.  I was tempted to try out the RM5 promotional wash, cut and blow, which I learnt would be done by students in the haircut academy.  I didn’t mind that fact though, because I know that the students would be supervised by the senior stylists, and also I did not intend to change my hairstyle yet, so a simple trim and tidying up for RM5 would not be that big a deal…

I finally went for my session last week, and here’s what I thought and went through:

  • The wash, cut and blow was done in the training area (upstairs) and not in the salon proper, so in terms of comfort and aesthetic feel, it was certainly lacking.  Not a problem if that’s not what you want.
  • There aren’t many magazines to browse through though.  I was provided with a Chinese fashion magazine, which I tired of after 15 minutes or so.
  • The staff was very friendly and offered a smile when I arrived.
  • Hair wash was okay, and the additional massaging did wonders to ease away the stress.  But I was a little worried because the person washing my hair had rather long nails.  I was afraid my scalp would get scratched!  Shampoo smelled divine though. 🙂
  • Haircut was okay.  I only wanted an inch or two off my back and a little bit of layering.  The student who cut my hair had to refer to her senior stylist 2-3 times and the senior stylist then demonstrated the way to cut my hair.
  • The whole process of washing, cutting and blowing took about 1.5 hours, which wasn’t too bad, and my hair definitely felt sleeker 🙂
  • All for RM5?  Definitely worth it!

Can you tell the difference? 🙂  Takes a trained eye to do it, ya know….

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Would you go for a RM5 haircut?  Or have you done it before?

By the way, I was told that the AIM MAX salon has moved to Gembira Parade in Island Glades as of August 2011.

SIGH….am itching to get some highlighting done now…hehe…and maybe a makeover. 🙂

Posted in The Fairer Sex | 1 Comment