Super-ego

No Freudian id-ego-super ego theory here. Just plain ol' lament from your Missy.

Perhaps I'm not the only one, perhaps someone out there share my sense of beliefs, perhaps right this instant somebody is thinking exactly the same thing as me.. but I feel lost. And lonely. Travelling down a much travelled path, by myself.



Right, I see myself as a lion. A true blue Leo, with its growing pride and puffing ego.

Ever since young, I've fantasized my dream world complete with haute couture, a respected job with similar status of income, a high flying society of acquaintance, generosity and lastly, my twins.

Weird to say that I don't remember ever having a man, much less a husband, in my fantasies, yet somehow I ended up with just that and nothing else.

I love my man, no doubt. But it's not enough.

Not enough, in this sense, to tame the lion in me.



So, I ended up somewhere in between.



A caricature, I feel.

Somewhere between my pride and a joke.

I feel lost.

But, what can I do? What AM I supposed to do?

Maybe time will tell.. just maybe..

Photoshop wonder

By stroke of mega luck, we had our wedding photoshoot last week. FOC.

I know.. wasn't our wedding in June last year??? Yes, you are right, stalker.. but this is in anticipation for our wedding reception end of this year, in Malaysia.

We actually wanted to do it in Malaysia, but due to "forseen" circumstances, we had to do it earlier. And having someone come to you and say they'll do it for free, I mean, why not?! But of course, all that talk about having it in Bali was washed right off into the bright, blue sea.

Ok, to tell you the truth, I wasn't completely bought. I was already mentally preparing for another shoot in my mind, but hey, no harm trying, right..

With minimal props (close to none), DIY everything and one-hour preparation, look what we ended up with..





I was ecstatic, and still am!

Never, ever be sceptical before you try.. unless if it's risking your money and your glowing face (which I will touch on later), obviously.

These are just a few of the collection. I can't wait to see the rest!

And yes, I will post some non-photoshopped soon.

Tata!

St. Lovers Day

Ok, it's a little late, but Valentine's this year is a special twist.

To start it off, I had to work that day. Baby hubz and I woke around the same time (surprisingly), and no, there were no indication whatsoever that the man even remembered what day it was.

No "Happy Valentine's, baby", no "I love you", no super gazing in your eyes till your teeth fall off, no tender loving attention. Instead, I washed up, changed, had breakfast while the man dozed back to sleep. So, in a nutshell, no nothing.

I did leave him a message on our little board before I go to work. It says something sweet like, "Happy Valentine's, my heartless man"..

:)

Shortly after I finished work, I received this.

How corny is that! But I loved it hahah. Missy is a woman who thrives on surprises. I don't even need anything, as long as I can feel the sincerity in it. But of course, having said that, Missy will NOT turn down Chanel or LaMer for that matter..

Moving swiftly along..

A picnic steak! Weird, I know but lovely nonetheless ;)

Sunny and windy day, with wrinkles of joy on my face

We both just relaxed like two retired old farts, taking in the mundane beauty of our surrounding. At that moment, I was drenched in love and peace of mind.

The man even cleaned up, for Heaven's sake! Well, I was busy snip-snapping, you see..

And then, it's this..

Valentine's Day movie. Not something we'd go for normally, but hey, it's Valentine's Day..

Baby hubz told me he chose the seats.

L stands for Love, and 13 14 in Chinese stands for "yi sheng yi shi" which translates to be forever or eternally.

Awwwww..

Happy St. Valentine's Day, my dearests *kisses

Bircher Muesli

Missy is currently so obsessed with this dish for breakfast. The amazing Bircher Muesli.

It's been around for ages, no doubt. I always see it in the menus but it's that one thing you would never go for when you're spending your hard-earned bucks breakfasting outside, you know..

Maybe it's the constant hunt for health food or Missy just plain craved for it one day, but boy, am I glad I made the switch? It tasted so good, I still craved for it the day after, the week after AND the month after.. (ok, I'm exaggerating but you get the drill..) And with the gorgeousness of fruits & nuts, which means natural fibre and vitamins, hey, Missy can't possibly say no to Bircher Muesli now, can she?

So much so that I literally sprang to my laptop and searched for the recipe. Good ol' Google never fail to surprise me. I found a lot of recipes online, and from all sources, I extracted bits and pieces that coincide. Me, being the lazy me, just can't be bothered going through all recipes and try them all. But I must say, like all recipes for good food, there's always room for improvisation. Whatever you feel like after a few tries, well, feel free to do so!

The main ingredients to remember are oats (or any other grains), milk, yoghurt (fruit juices optional), and fruits (dry and/or fresh).

1. Soak oats and dry fruits (if any) in milk or fruit juice overnight in the fridge. Not too much, just enough liquid to cover the oats.
2. When ready to be served, mix the oats mixture with some yoghurt and top with fresh fruits; grated apple, a ripe banana, handful of berries (get creative!).
3. Consume with a smile on your face.

It's THAT easy. Ok, so maybe you need to chill the oats overnight, but trust me, you can prepare after dinner or just before you sleep so you won't think about it and the best part, takes only 5 minutes!!

Sounds incredible, but the original Bircher Muesli, developed by Dr. Maximilian Brenner-Bircher for his diet sanitorium in Switzerland, was only one tablespoon of oats and a grated apple. That's right, one tablespoon of oats, people! Either they REALLY needed that strict diet back in 1887 or somehow we have evolved into this monstrous one-cup-oats-eater.. hmm, disturbing..

But anyway, thank God for Swiss!!

We gave out our first red packet!!!

It's official.

I'm an auntie. Boohoo..

No, not cos I got a newborn, shit-stained niece or nephew. It's cos.. *sobs.. this is the first year I receive no ang pow (red packets), but am starting to GIVE out ang pows. How old does that sound???!

Aww, it's alright, giving IS joy, Missy..

Well, I bet receiving is double the joy then..

...

Ok, so.. Chinese New Year! How did everybody else spend their blessed days?

It's no doubt so much quieter this year, but nonetheless, meaningful. And I hope everyone else had a great time like we did. If not, well, you still have 12 more days to come up with something ;)

And till then, Missy will continue to give joy..

Feels like an auntie, yes, but a fucking hot one, no less!

Glorious solitude

Another year, another kind of new year's celebration.

Today's the first day of the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring celebration. What Chineses do on this day is mostly anything and everything auspicious.

As you all may, or may not, know.. Chinese New Year is when everyone speaks in really weird and indecipherable language, usually 4 Chinese characters forming some kind of blessings, aimed only to please elders in the holy name of tradition.

Being far away from home this year means I have no one, but myself and the loyalty of this blog, to master the art of four-ery with.

And while having my scrumptious lunch, like all Spring lunch should, I finally chanced upon my blessings.

"Nian nian you yu"

Directly translated to be: May there be fish every year. Chinese New Year translation to be: Prosperity year after year.

Weird, no? Now you're nodding..

Traditional paper cut of "Nian nian you yu"

Calligraphy/ painting of

And here is MY symbol of prosperity..

And behold my blessed lunch..

With the sweetness of seafood feast; crab meat, eel, salmon and tuna, how can I not be blessed with a great year ahead?!

Oh, and let's not forget wine aplenty, baby..

Here's a toast to a great year, success and independence..

.. and a merry woman.

Missy Allets survives

Good morning, dearest all!

Three reasons why today is a good morning.

1. It's sunny and cheerful.
2. Baby hubz woke early to accompany me for breakfast. (This means alot to me; me being the ultimate breakfast queen)
3. Missy Allets turns 1 today! Wahooo

And I have, for some red-beans-and-cereals odd reasons, decided to hold previous entries because I wanted to make the 50th post a mark for the anniversary. 50 ain't a big one for the number of blog entries in a YEAR, but hey, it's a nice mid!!

Moving gingerly along, Missy Allets wants to recap what went on a little one month plus before.

Aside from the neverending quest to make more money (the little agenda we all call.. work), Missy Allets finally attended to some social call and falling in love with a product or two.. or seventy three, here and there.. and everwhere. You obviously know that you won't get the whole deal here, judging from the year past what an ass of a lazy mule Missy is, but I assure you it's gonna be a pretty convoluted entry sprinkled with indulgence throughout. So I suggest, get yourself a coffee, make yourself comfortable and take these pamperings into your dreams..

First off, products.

Yummy, creamy, I-absolutely-love-you products

Post-Xmas, Missy had the chance to slather her lips, hair AND body..

(no big deal)

.. WITH CINNAMON!!

(oh goodness, are you for real?!)

Nah, just joking.. but these babes that my babe got me can certainly pass off as real.

Philosophy Cinnamon Buns Shampoo, Shower gel & Bubble bath

Philosophy "very emolient cinnamon buns flavored lip shine"

If someone comes to you and say, "I feel so good, I want to eat myself!", the only thing you can do is BELIEVE it.

The gel is super creamy and thick, leaving my skin smooth and happy. And the gloss.. OH the gloss! sweet taste aside, it actually holds the shine for quite a long time. Yes, with all the drinking and salivating too. And the best part? They really do smell (and taste) like cinnamon!

I mean, seriously, after shower, I felt like a walking cinnamon bun! I wanted to complete the baking process by getting the range's Cinnamon Soufle moisturiser, but guess what? The little gem was sold out. What do you mean sold out? I mean sold out as in stop-whining-no-more-means-no-more sold out :( Sobs, I wanna be a cinnamon bun!!

Bon travail, faiseur! Translation: Great work, miracle-worker!

Not sure how many of you out there actually tried this product, but I'm reasonably amazed. So..

*drumroll please..

..

...

..

Avene; a range of French skincare products based on water from the Avene thermal spring water.

I said reasonably, because I'm not referring to all of Avene products. In fact, I was quite disappointed with a few, but let's not ruin this perfect blog, shall we?

The one that I really want to stress on is:

Avene Very High Protection Cream available in SPF 30+ and 50+

I have been using this precious for a little over a month now, and I'm pleased to inform all beauty carers out there that this is one hell of a sunscreen for summer in Australia!

No, actually I take it back.

It's more than just a sunscreen.

My skin wasn't bad, but it wasn't perfect either. Usually after applying sunscreen on my face and out for a tan, I would come home to red, irritated cheeks. That stays. For weeks.

With this, it's flawless. For real, even if you're not going into the sun, apply this as a make-up base for perfect, glowing skin. You don't even need your foundation. What I do for my morning routine is cleanse, tone, protect and moisturise (plus a little eye and cheek colouring if I'm going out), and I'm good for the whole day.

Second piece of information, it doesn't smash your wallet against that damn metal-studded wall ;)

It's ok, you're welcome.

Sinful well-being

Another thing to be thankful for, thanks to my beauty bible, Val.

I'll make this sweet and straight to the point.

We were in Priceline. I told her I needed a body lotion that works. She dragged me to the next aisle and shove this in my face. Love at first sight and I stocked it up.

St. Ives Whipped Silk Body Moisturiser

Within 2 seconds upon the first touch, I know this will be in my everyday few times a day, to-use list. It is that good.

Even the name sounds disastrously sinful. Despite the acclaimed whipped texture, it leaves a silky finish to the skin that lingers till the next time you want to take your shower (which will be soon). Imagine feeling velvety all over your body, girls. Even the worst dressed will feel like a porn star.

Baby hubz was touching, feeling and groping me at every chance he got. And we're not even talking about sex. That's gotta be heavenly for sure.

***

Ok, enough being free ambassador, let's jump back in time.

One of Baby hubz's colleagues were leaving and we went out for nice dinner and a night of retro.

A night with them Europeans was actually something fun and nice. To me, anyway. Finnish, Polish, Dutch, Norwegian, German.. oh, and Greeks!

We went to Retro Club, which plays *duh 60s 70s 80s. Some of the songs, I didn't even know exist! We were humming, singing, dancing and laughing whole night long. Truly an International party, I'd say!

And did I tell you, I can die for accents?? Well, I definitely went to heaven that night :)

Temple day 2008

Another proof of how fast a year had passed us by.

Last year, I planned a little surprise visit home. Chinese New Year just ain't the same without loved ones bustling around you, laughter and gossips in the air, deafening crackers and yummy snacks.

This year, I stayed back and there wasn't even the faintest indication that Chinese New Year has indeed loomed near! 4 more days, to be precise.

Well, there's certainly no chance of conjuring festive cheer out of dull Melbourne air, but we found the closest substitute.

Off we went to the temple, for a day of vegetarian joy.

The same group.

The same symbol of a New Year.

Missy is missing home bad, and counting down to the family event doesn't help. So, let's just be grateful and take joy in what we have here.

Happy Chinese New Year, to all who celebrates. To those who don't, well, raise your glass and toast to love and being loved.

.. and here's to Princess-ship

One lazy afternoon, two young ladies, over three-tiers of sinful confectionery, chatted gaily in an English-style dining room.

Oh, what wouldn't I give to be reincarnated as Queen Elizabeth..

High tea at the Windsor's was an unforgettable experience. An indulgence that doesn't come by every 5 seconds, or rather.. 12 years.

So, we thoroughly enjoyed being amazing, beautiful, charming.. (I'm on a roll, don't stop me).. fabulous, gorgeous, oh.. and happy. I could do another set of U, V, W.. but modesty got the better of me.

Tell me if these two princesses don't deserve to be crowned.

***

Now that I'm back to Earth, there are chores waiting to be done and Baby hubz waiting to be pampered.

I wish all a safe and fun Chinese celebration, and happy 1-year to Missy Allets and her barren tree.

Yay!