Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Time out with Shopper mama - Budget Airlines



Hello ladies and gentlemen (I assume there are some men out there reading Vogue-U.blogspot.com!)





Let’s discuss about traveling via budget airlines.



Honestly, I have never taken any budget airlines before, BUT, that doesn’t mean that I will NEVER TRY them!



There are quite a number of budget airlines in the region, to name a few 






Singapore has Jet Star, Tiger Airways and Valuair





oohh, I luv that tag line!




Malaysia has Firefly, Air Asia and Air Asia X









Indonesia has Mandala Air, Lion Air, latest is Batavia Air and many more



One main advantage of taking budget airline is their fares are lower than the premium regional airlines, thus they are also known as low cost carrier;




But they may charge for extras like food, priority boarding, seat allocating and baggage (thus they are also known as no-frills carrier) so we have to factor all these costs before deciding which would be the most suitable airline for us.


On the other hand, I have heard of some misgivings abt budget airlines that have put me off.  


  • For example, my top main peeve is flight cancellation – sometimes the passengers found this out only when they arrive at the airport to check-in.  And if there are no officers on stand-by to handle this (yes, I have read this incidents do happen from the media esp for this particular airline), the passengers are left scrambling looking for other alternatives.   


  •  Next is flight delay – this too, will just spoil anybody’s mood.  Imagine you are up and excited to leave on a 7 am flight, to be told that your flight has been delayed to 4 pm! It happened just last week to my niece for her Bangkok trip (again by the very same airline mentioned above - so that's it, I am so gonna strike this airline out!)  


  • Third would be safety of the carrier/plane – but so far, most airlines (whether budget or regional) must adhere to some safety standards, something I believe they will not compromise on, so this is not a big issue.





I wonder, have any of you tried taking budget airlines?  What was your experience like and your recommendations?



To me, as long as the plane can take us from point A to B safely and according to schedule, I would not mind giving these budget airlines a try.





Ok here I am going to be very thick-skin, pleading to AIR ASIA (since I have heard so many positive things about it)




Dear,


Datuk  Seri Tony Francis Fernandes





Would you like to sponsor me and the Vogue-U gals a free flight to any destinations, preferably far far and further away from Singapore and Malaysia?  Ermmm, to London and/or Dubai would be nice and make our day! 


It will certainly be an awesome experience for us flying Air Asia!



Woohoooo.....





Ps. This reminded me of a friend who had no choice but to take a budget airline.  He had a hearty big breakfast before he boarded that flight coz according to him – “This could be my very last meal!”  But worry not, he is safe and sound but sadly, that airline has already folded 3 years ago due to safety issues!





Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Vogue-U Potion - Words To Live By

May Peace Be With You
Mak Pah wish to share with you some of these Words. I find some of the words quite invigorating while some are for our awareness....
Okay vogue-u-ers, enjoy these words which we will live by throughout our lives....









































































































Live life to the fullest
Lots of Luv.... from Mak Pah

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Time out with Shopper Mama - First job!




They say MONEY makes the world goes around. So unless you are born with a gold, silver or diamond spoon in yr mouth, then we really have to work and slog hard to see us thru life.


Last night, I had a company bbq dinner at Seoul Garden @ City Square Mall near Mustafa Centre. (Digress a bit - Seoul Garden @ City Square is having a 1-for-1 offer on its ala carte buffet from Mondays to Thursdays till end of November for lunch and dinner, so its really worth to go as its like 'Get 2 for the price of 1'! We Singaporeans love such offers right?)


Back to topic. So I observed that the waiters are mainly teenagers, some look as young as 16 years old - still nervously learning on the job as they were taught how to stack up the plates & bowls on the tray etc. I figured that was probably their first vacation job since the school hols has started. Then it really made me think back what was my very first vacation job?


When I was abt 17 years old, instead of me staying at home enjoying a pampered sheltered life not knowing what’s a working world was like, I took my my cousin's recommendation to work as a temporary promoter selling Johnson’s & Johnson’s baby products at a small counter in Oriental Emporium (now no longer existed) at Queensway Shopping Centre.


Naturally I was scared nervous and not enthusiastic at the same time
– meeting people & promoting stuff. Some more, its based on commission – the more I sell the more $$ I get, so I was kinda worried, what if I cant sell any. Luckily for me, J & J baby products are sort of a basic daily needs, so I had no problems selling talcum powder, lotions shampoo etc especially to the mothers. Some of them even taught me which powder (plain or medicated) was better for babies and some also explained to me the use for the different types of baby lotion and oil.


One funny incident I encountered which I will never forget was this man who went to my counter, asking for a ‘Napkin Liner’. I didn’t know what it was, so based on the word 'liner', I showed him the shelf that had women’s sanitary pads & panty liner. He was taken aback at my stupidity blurness. Luckily he was a nice guy, he told me, ‘You know, the malays called it Lampin, the cloth version of baby pampers, not women pampers?’ Oh, paiseh!! I apologized & told him that its my first job, so I was still learning. I took out the 'lampins' & this pakcik, kesian punya pasal, bought 3 dozens from me plus more J & J baby stuff. Woohoo, more commission for me!


So in fact, the job was not a bad experience for me after all. Even thou I worked for only 1 month plus, it was a truly humbling experience. My commission was abt $500 I think (that was 23 years ago, so it was big money to me), and I felt that I have spent a very fulfilling time earning the money. And of course, Mother was happy when I handed her my very first pay packet!



For teenagers, taking up a job can be very daunting but I assure, it is a very good learning process for you. It might surprise some of you that my FM started doing any odd jobs available since he was 14 years old, young and eager to learn the different types of trade.


As such, we need not be ashamed being seen working in McDonalds KFC or Pizza Hut (which seems to be a very common vacation job for these school going kids nowadays) as long as our intention is to earn money to support yourself and help your parents lighten up the burden.


So, can you remember what was your very FIRST job? What did you like or hate about it? What did you learn from it?



Last but not least, a piece of advice to the youngsters out there - Don't forget to give your parents your first salary - BERKAT, I tell you.


ps. My dearest son F, are you reading this?





Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Vogue-U Potion - Where Are We Now?

May Allah Bless Us All…

Some of you may have come across the under-mentioned comic. Nevertheless I found the conversation quite true though. It may seem funny but yet it really has an impact in our daily life.











Smooth roads never make good drivers
Smooth sea never makes good sailors
Clear Skies never make good Pilots
Problem and hassle free Life NEVER makes a strong person
Be Strong enough to accept the challenges of Life
Don't ask Life, 'Why Me?’ Instead say 'Try Me!'

Wow..... It makes us ponder and wonder sometimes we don’t like something but yet we ended up doing or got involved somehow or another. We questioned about fairness, about being jinx, about consequences, about do’s and don’ts and many more.

I guessed most of us are adaptable and able to accept and adopt whatever challenges that made us survive all this while.

Well let’s not be subjective and try to enjoy life to the fullest and probably we’ll be able to achieve, if not all, at least some of our goals. Try to do the best but never go beyond our limits. I think we need to look at things in different angles and put ourselves in somebody’s shoes and see their point of view as well.

So vogue-u-ers, always think positive and be yourself as much as possible. Each one of us is unique, so love ourselves as much as possible too….
Luv from Mak Pah..... cheerio….muacks muacks.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

La Dolce Vita - Eyeliner Tutorial - Pencil, Cream/Gel, Liquid

This is a great video for ladies out there who are experimenting with eye liner of different kinds.

Love the tips.

Try it!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Time out with Shopper Mama - Future Shopping!

Hellooooo Vogue-Uers!


It has come to my attention that

.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Future Shopping will be like this






So, are you game enough for this?


For me, I wouldn't mind giving it a shot, just for the sake of saving time & do away with the hassle of dressing and un-dressing. And the payment is so super breezy!


HOWEVER, on the other hand, I would still prefer to wear the clothes on me and 'feel' them myself.


So, which do you prefer?


Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Vogue-U Potion - Join me for coffee, anyone??

Praise to Allah, the Almighty and the Most Merciful



Mak Pah received an email from my friend yesterday. Being busy, I only managed to read in the afternoon. Hmmm and was wondering what is so authentic about this Kopi Luwak. At first I thought it's an Indonesian word with the same meaning in Malay as "luak"... meaning "decrease in quantity"..... but it turned out to be a name for an animal called civet. Yes, it's an animal that is the source of making this expensive coffee and they even have a website to promote the product... http://www.kopiluwak.org/. Haha.... out of curiousity Mak Pah read further to get info on what is so great about this coffee.














Say Hello to the Civet: The Maker of this expensive coffee



This mammal, native to Africa and Asia, is responsible for pooping out the world's most expensive coffee, called Kopi Luwak. Civets are fed coffee cherries, and during digestion the animal's enzymes mix with the coffee beans before they pass through (poop), giving the beans a unique, bitter taste. See how it all happens...






The Cherries Are Chosen: A farmer in East Java, Indonesia , picks coffee cherries to feed the civets



A Whole Team at Work: Hand-Picking the Cherries


The Civet Approaches...

...Gets Ready to Dig In... ...And Is Joined by Friends for Dinner


Gathering the Dung With Gloves... In East Java , workers use gloves to clear the results of the feast.

That Ain't Peanuts and Nougat. Civet poop before it's turned into the coffee.




Separating It and Washing It Off

Another Step in Production





A worker displays the distinct, cleaned-off beans


The Very Expensive End Result Pictured: the above is Coffee Alamid, a Philippine brand. Because of a very limited supply is produced each year, civet coffee can cost up to $600 per pound.


Hmmmm.... imagine getting a human eating the coffee cherries and poop them out and then reprocess into Kopi Orang..... oh no!!!! Well the above is for info and it's up to individual I guess to evaluate.

Lots of Luv..... Mak Pah.

credit to my friend, Raslina....



Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Vogue-U Potion - Personal Values and Interests

In the name of the Most Gracious and Most Merciful


As most of you may have known Mak Pah by now, I have this passion in writing about motivational issues. And no doubt certain values and interests had affected our lives or rather played an important role in creating our personality or personal effectiveness. When I was younger I didn’t have the slightest idea what are my values and interests. I tend to do things out of gut feelings and sometimes certain actions tend to hurt other parties. However as I aged, I reacted differently and began to be more rational instead of just wanting all things done according to my own way.

Let me begin with Personal Values. Among the values we as human beings are more likely affected by are:
  • Religion
  • Achievement
  • Security
  • Recognition
  • Close Relationship
  • Physical Challenges
  • Ecological Awareness
  • Freedom

Religion – the faith and teachings/practices that we follow has made us realized how fortunate for us to have a religion whereby we abide and discipline our movements. Imagine if we do not have any faith in religion and tend to do whatever we like, then not only our personality is affected, our surroundings shall also influence us easily without the fear of getting retribution.



Achievement – everybody has goals to achieve. However there are barriers like if you intend to pursue a diploma or degree, you need to work out a budget, time/period and interest. Likewise, if we aim to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca too, we have to be physically, mentally and financially ready. No doubt there could be other challenges to encounter, but through determination, I think we would try our best to reach our goals.


Security – we should consider ourselves lucky to be staying in a safe environment/country, even if there are circumstances of crimes committed here and there. However, no matter how safe we think we are in, precautionary measures still need to be inculcated as we will never know there could be “a wolf in a sheep skin” around.


Recognition – It is human to feel recognized, no matter how humble we may be. Recognition may come in many ways like through praises and rewards. It would surely motivate us somehow or another if we are recognized for the effort we’ve done.


Close relationships – building good rapport among family members and friends is what most of us cherished. The trust and recognition among each other would help us to feel the closeness and respectable relationships. I didn’t realized after knowing the VU gals, there's chemistry and we got so closed and eventually VU is formed. No doubt in relationships there are bound to be hiccups and miscommunications, however as adults we need to be practical and brainstorm certain issues to reach consensus.



Physical challenge – there will be challenges to encounter in whatever we do or intend to do. For example Mak Pah’s goal last year was to loose weight, my biggest challenge would be when somebody said “it’s too late, you will never achieved it!!!”. Eventually I proved them wrong after joining the Weight Management Program in Alexandra Hospital and managed to loose 7 kg during the 6-months programme. After going through the programme, I realized that even if you are heavy, it’s the fat count in your body that matters most. Even if my weight did not barge so significantly but my body fats had turned to muscle and I looked leaner and healthier than before. From here Mak Pah realized certain things need you to move forward and not be hindered by remarks that would demoralize your effort to reach your goals. From then onwards Mak Pah would always advice, to those who seek my advice of course, to follow their heart and not give up easily. It’s a thumbs-up for those who can fulfill those challenges which they think they could not do initially.


Ecological awareness – now with the hole in the ozone layer as well as the depreciation of our planet, we have become aware of our surroundings. It’s such a waste that we did not value our ecological systems and throw things without caring for the environment. At home I inculcated the habit of recycling dispensers for hand soaps, dishwashing and body wash by using the balance bottle to refill or buy those refill bottles without bothering what brand comes with what bottle. I would also get my children to use balance used exercise books for them to use as their own notebooks, drawings or to do workings instead of using normal A4 paper, but of course children need to be pushed all the time as they tend to throw everything away. At work I have the habit of recycling paper to print drafts on the other side so as not to waste it. Those that have both sides printed, I usually use them as lunch mat before throwing in our recycling bin. When traveling up to KL, I would also make sure there is a plastic bag to be used as garbage bag. When we dropped at a petrol kiosk or rest area, we would tie up the bag and throw them accordingly in the rubbish bin. I believe ecological awareness is a responsibility and not an opportunity.


Freedom – I think we are lucky to have been born in countries where we have the right to choose our way of life even with stringent regulations to abide to. When watching or reading the media, I felt sad that people in certain countries/places had no choice to run their lives and are living in fear all the time. Any foolish or careless decision would create problem or even death to them. The sight was pathetic.


Alright next in line that Mak Pah thinks would have some affect to our personality will be our Personal Interests. You may realize some people are not the same in character but they seemed to have the same interest. There are many factors and some of them are as follows:

  • Activities
  • Events
  • Items
  • Issues
Activities – some people love cooking, which Mak Pah likes too but hate the washing up part though. Some people by just tasting, they have the capability to figure out the recipe and duplicate the same result then. Mak Pah is a working mum, so rushing back from work and then preparing dinner is giving me the stress. So what I normally do is try to simplify certain recipes in order to make it easier and faster to prepare. My main aim is as long as the outcome is the same as the original recipe and the family is satisfied and enjoyed the food, then I’ll considered it a success. Another activity which Mak Pah hated most was to exercise. However, my secondary school ex-classmate goes to the gym weekly in order to keep fit. She has motivated Mak Pah to join her too. Thanks to her, I shun away my shyness and started to enjoy warming up using the treadmill, followed by cycling or rowing. After that I would go for the weight stretching focusing on torso, leg and arm areas individually. Eventually I do go for swimming once a while but now my swimming skill has deteriorated coz I have not been doing it for a long time. And you know something, when Mak Pah laze in the pool, I feel like a whale….hehe.

Events – well it’s quite common for ladies to have the interest in shopping. However sometimes there is a need to plan what are necessary and needs before purchasing, especially when there are sales here and there. Luckily my husband is the type who would always be the buffer (lecture and nag…huhu), before I go overboard and starts buying those I don’t really need. I am sure majority of us are the enthusiastic type who loves to learn about new and latest things and happenings, and would look up for any opportunity if deem necessary, etc. There’s no denial as Mak Pah is also one of them. Talk about any event, Mak Pah would get excited and would wish to attend all if possible.


Items – Everyone has certain hobbies of collecting something or items. Certain collections are of sentimental value and can relate to an individual's personality. I used to love collecting picture frames but eventually gave them away as gifts as they were occupying my drawers and collecting dust.


Issues – Anything under the sun are issues we can have interest in. May it be health, fashion, make-up and any latest technology would be of anybody’s favourite interest. Let me tell you that one of the issues that Mak Pah is passionate about is on latest car models….. hehe surprise right. Yes Mak Pah has passion about cars….. however, it is more for the design actually. I used to source the details in media and would sometimes share the information with friends and families. Maybe I can dig those cars details and post them here in the future.


Well some of the values, qualities, interest, abilities and aptitudes are of a great strength to some people while they could also be weaknesses to some. It all depends on individual. Nobody is alike even if their values and interests are alike. I believe weaknesses in certain areas would make you feel demoralized and tend to shun yourself out of society. Among Mak Pah’s weaknesses are not being able to read musical notes, play musical instruments, , not able to fix or repair things and computers and now I realised that I am a slow reader. When it comes to computers, I am a good user of MS Office but when it comes to troubleshoot of software or even hardware, I surrender. As for reading, I used to be a speed reader during my younger days, however after having children the ability seemed to deteriorate. I think in order to overcome my weaknesses, I have to break the barriers like going for training, and probably read relevant information, get coaching or assistance from professionals or appropriate persons. And as the saying goes “if there is a will, there is a way”.

So vogue-u-ers, Mak Pah believe everybody has their strength and weaknesses. So we must not make life difficult for us. Do something you like and passionate about. Don’t be hindered by those who wants you to fail. There's always a 2nd chance, try and try until if really you fail, at least you are satisfied you did overcome it and know that the thing is not your cup of tea. Then you can discover the true you.



Lots of Luv from Mak Pah….. muacks.