RAMBLINGS: Inked!

No, it isn't me who got inked! My parents would probably skin me alive if I did so. Anyway, that above belongs to my hottest friend, Eli! Her artist is Julian. (:



I just about suffered a cardiac arrest when I found out that she did it. No, I'm not against tattoos or anything like that. In fact, I used to be an avid follower of 'LA Ink' (You've gotta love Kat Von D!). But I just didn't expect Eli to do it. Heh. Anyway, it's a very pretty tattoo and I love it! (:



There was a stage when I wanted one as well and if you have read about my experience with Brazilian wax, you will know that I'm pretty okay with pain. But I do believe that significance of tattoos is at its zenith when there are stories, meanings behind and to the tattoos. When I was a barista, there would be customers who were inked and I would unabashedly ask them about their tattoos' stories and listening to them were amazing.

But I have 'outgrown' the stage of wanting one because well, I haven't got a story to mine. All I wanted was a silhouette of Tinkerbell on my left shoulder blade. Just because I love Tinkerbell. (:

GIVEAWAY: Sunsilk's Silky Smooth & Manageable Protecting Leave On Results!

Here's the result for Sunsilk's Silky Smooth & Manageable Protecting Leave On!



Congrats dasppa/ Jiahui (dasppa@gmail.com)! :DDD Please email me your address at sunbathingmuffins@gmail.com!

Thanks for taking part in the giveaway! There will be more to come! :DDD

RAMBLINGS: Love's NG.

自从我开始再看台湾偶像剧， 就一直看华文有关的东西， 比如书本、电视节目、杂志等等。 真是 out of character。 不过还算是有趣， 尤其是书本。 我忘记了我以前是好喜欢看华文漫画和一些台湾作者的书。 这都多亏六年级的补习老师吧！ 这个phase也不知道能last多久。。。 。。。 现在就好好珍惜它。



上个星期到了紀伊國屋書店看到《戀愛NG》by金英珠。 图片看起来好可爱， 而且这本书又是对爱情有关所以就把它买下来。 我昨晚看了几页， 书本真的是好可爱！ 这本书虽然是用繁体字， 但幸好我还能猜出意识， 没把钱浪费掉！

好了。 我现在要去看True Blood。 用华文blog真是超难！ T_T
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Ever since I started on my Taiwanese shows, I have been looking at all things related to Chinese, like books, telly programmes, magazines and the ilk. It's really out of character, I know. But it has been pretty interesting, especially where books are concerned. I forgot how I used to love reading mangas (Which were in Mandarin.) and some books written by Taiwanese authors. This love stemmed from my Primary 6 Mandarin tutor! I don't know how long this phase will last... So right now, I just want to appreciate it as much as possible (Especially since I AM Chinese.).

Last week, I was at Kinokuniya when I spotted 《戀愛NG》 by 金英珠. I bought it because the drawings are cute and also, because lately, I have been wanting to read books on love. I started on the book last night. The book uses Traditional Chinese so I can't read some but thank goodness the meanings can be easily guessed. Didn't waste my moolah!

Alrighty. I'm going to watch True Blood now! Typing in Mandarin sure is hell!

P.S.: And so is translating it in English. I know my writing's choppy!

REVIEW: Benefit's High Beam

"the makeup artist's secret for a healthy glow!"

I bought Benefit's High Beam ($45) some time last year and until Canmake's ones came into the picture (I'll explain why later!), this was the ONLY highlighter that I was using!

This 'satiny pink' highlighter is said to be 'perfectly ethereal on all skin tones'.

How to use: Dot and blend over makeup on cheek and brow bones, or anywhere you want a glance to linger.



The brush is like that of a nail polish's. It's thin, allowing precision, and it deposits the right amount of highlighter onto the skin.



The highlighter's as described; a satiny pink! It's very pretty, especially for the fair ladies. For the darker ladies, you may want to look at Moon Beam instead!



The white crosses are where I dot my highlighter. Once blended, it gives you the glow you see on models in magazines!

When I was working last summer, all that I wore were Stila's Convertible Color in Orchid and this! No B.B. creams whatsoever and I had customers complimenting my 'dewy' complexion! XD

However, I have taken a liking to powder highlighters, just because I like to apply them last. Benefit's High Beam over a powdered face is a no go because blending becomes difficult and it ends up in patches (Liquid after powder, a big NO!).

I haven't really got any gripes about this product, really. It's a pretty shade, it does exactly what it says it will... What are you waiting for?!? :DDD

RAMBLINGS: Take 3!

This is my 3rd attempt at writing my happenings for the past 2 weeks. I don't know how much to let on and how much to keep to myself and hopefully, forget in time to come. Haha. I'm going to say this in the briefest way possible because I'm also really knackered at the moment.
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It is my intention to do something new every summer. So I have worked at a school bookshop, been a barista, taught kids, babysat, did administration work (Which I absolutely abhor!), promoted beauty products and worked as a beauty assistant at Sephora. This summer, I thought I try acting. It was a really spur of a moment thing. I didn't have a portfolio so I sent in photos taken at events.

In the span of less than 2 weeks, I have gone for 5 auditions. Insane, I know. Especially when I have zero background, save for some class plays (Which obviously do not count.). I don't know where I found my guts to go for such stuff, really.



I got rejected for a polytechnic student's final project, got a role in an Okto programme, scored a small part in a Mediacorp project which got cancelled yesterday but was only notified today, right before another casting (I'm insanely upset about this one because it was a role that I was pretty sure I could do good in. )': ), will have a small part in the National Day's video and am waiting replies for 2 other projects (Which I really have no hope in because I was literally shaking. BIG SIGH.).

Okay, I need to breathe.
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Anyway, I had my filming for Okto today. I had like only 4 lines to say and I had to act bimbo and cute. Lol. But I'm insanely grateful to Aisyah for giving me this opportunity and GUESS FRIGGIN' WHAT?!? I GOT TO SEE BENJAMIN HENG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *jumps up and down* And I even got to look at him directly in the eye and stuff. Yes, yes! I had a scene with him (Together with 2 other girls.). Seriously, my life is complete. COMPLETE!!! *throws confetti*



And just because I'm a makeup fanatic, I got to try on MUFE's foundation, which is a real classic! The MUA used M.A.C's Warm Soul on my cheeks and I know he used an Estée Lauder mascara on me, which made my lashes flutter like mad but no way am I going to look into high-end makeup (Yeah, like NARS isn't... *rolls eyes*)! He didn't know what to do to my hair, so I ended up looking like the above. And I was supposed to be a potential wife... Pedophile much? LOL.

But anyway, thank goodness I forgot none of my lines!!! I didn't fumble and hopefully I displayed the right expressions. Fingers crossed that the final product will be okay and my face doesn't look fat and puffy and my eyes don't look puny so that I look like a complete China product (My fringe was straight, no thanks to my stupid decision to have my fringe cut the day before.) and and... And I don't know what else. The main thing is... I GOT TO SEE BENJAMIN HENG! *has a fangirl moment* But I was cool. I hope. I GOT TO FRIGGIN' LOOK AT HIM DIRECTLY IN THE EYE!!! *self-combusts repeatedly*

Okay, chill. Charlene, chill. *SQUEALS* Okay, chill. Actually, I AM chilled. I'm too tired (And upset.) to be hyped up actually.
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To celebrate who-knows-what, I finally ordered the Juicy Couture Heart Logo Diamante Stud Earrings!!! I have been wanting this for the longest time! But they cost £54.00 initially and could only be shipped to the UK. Now they are £33.00 and only can't be shipped to the States! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! But alright, there is totally no justification whatsoever as to why I should have them. Hmm... In replacement for a trip overseas? Sigh. I choose going overseas! But my friends are either doing their internship or saving up for their graduation trips. SIGH.
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So yes, here ends my entry. I have been very tired and it's all showing on my face. Can you believe it? It's the hols and I have the worst complexion ever!!! Ughhh!

I'll be having breakfast with Dor tomorrow, meeting ZT after that for a 'photoshoot' for my blog and then, that's the end of my Sunday. Monday's brunch/ lunch is going to be spent with Chua and Michelle. Tuesday's the filming for the National Day video and then, it's gonna be blog entries and more blog entries. Oh yes! Hui Ping's returning tomorrow so I foresee many 'chillax' days with her. The sister is coming back on Wednesday!

Alrighty. Nights y'all!!! OH OH! 'True Blood' returns TOMORROW! It has been so long!!!

FOR YOUR 411: Know Your Coffee!

Hey Muffins (:

So I have been experiencing a slight drought in life; zero motivation and inspiration for anything and everything, hence the sudden slowdown in the churning of blog entries. BIG SIGH. The doldrums of holidays. I do have some posts to cover but I don't believe in doing things halfheartedly, so those have to wait for a while. I'm sorry!!!



Anyway, I decided to blog about my 2nd love (The first being makeup, of course.) and that's coffee! Okay, it isn't coffee actually. But the café which I worked in and being a barista. Being a barista was my first proper job and because of it, I 'grew' up a lot. But I'm not here today to tell you about my sob story! I'm going to blog about what I know about coffee (beverages) and I hope that after reading this post, you will appreciate your coffee a lot better! :D

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Espresso
The beverage espresso makes up the core of your coffee. Hot water is passed through finely ground coffee under high pressure to produce this extract.



The espresso shot is made up of 3 distinct layers; crema (top), body and heart (bottom).

Crema: This is the top layer of the espresso shot. It is thin and foamy, with a golden-brown color. This layer contains the espresso’s finest aromas and flavors. As the coffee’s best oils are extracted during the pulling of the espresso, the crema turns whitish.

Body: This is the middle layer of the espresso shot. It is normally a caramelly-brown color.

Heart: This is the very bottom of the espresso shot. Its colour is usually a deep and rich brown. The espresso’s Heart contains the bitterness that provides a balance to the sweetness of the espresso’s aroma.

(Information from here.)

The espresso shot expires within 10 seconds, after which the 3 distinct layers merge together to form one awful, black and very bitter mess! You can tell who's a true coffee drinker by the way the person treats his espresso shot; if he gulps down the minuscule cup that espresso usually comes in, you know that this guy knows his stuff!



Some vocabulary here...
Solo: A single espresso shot.
Doppio: Double espresso shots.
Ristretto:: This is a 'short' shot. Less water is passed through the finely ground coffee in a quicker time. Since the contact with water is shorter, the flavours of the 3 distinct components of the espresso shot are more pronounced.



Espresso Macchiato: Espresso with a dollop of foam.



Espresso Con Panna: Espresso with whipped cream.
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Milk
You have your whole milk, low-fat milk, non-fat milk and soy. Well, besides these, you also have breve, or otherwise known as half and half.

Breve is half milk and half cream. In my entire time as a barista, I have met only one customer who ordered it! It definitely isn't for those who are on a diet!

Sometimes, you hear people ordering a skinny latte and you're like 'Skinny?!?'. Or at least that was how I went when a customer who ordered that. Heh. Skinny means that skimmed milk, which is also non-fat milk, is used. :D



Where hot beverages are concerned, foam exists. Foam is aerated milk, whereby air is introduced to the top layer of the milk during the steaming process. Foam is deemed sweeter than steamed milk!
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Beverages
Now, onto the beverages!



Caffè Americano
Americano means 'adding water to espresso'. You can alter the strength of the coffee by changing the number of espresso shots that go into it!



Caffè Latte
Caffè latte is Italian for 'coffee and milk' and that's exactly what this beverage is! You have your espresso shot, steamed milk and a dollop of foam!

When it's iced, well, the steamed milk is replaced with milk straight out from the refrigerator!

You can customize your caffè latte by adding syrups. Try vanilla (Favourite!), caramel, peppermint (Christmas period!), toffeenut (Christmas period!) etc.

Do note that 'latte' just means milk. So the Green Tea Latte that you see on your Starbucks menu does not contain a single drop of coffee. At all.



Caffè Mocha
It's your caffè latte with chocolate syrup, topped with cinnamon powder!

Iced caffè mocha has whipped cream to replace the dollop of foam!

Caramel Macchiato
I'm going to refer you to this page. :D



Cappuccino
Cappuccino is a concoction of espresso shot and a mixture of steamed milk and foam. You need foam in a cappuccino! It really irks me when I see a menu that has 'Iced Cappuccino'! No foam, no cappuccino! You need heat in order for there to be foam, so there is no such thing as an iced cappuccino! The 'iced cappuccino' is probably an iced caffè latte so please take note (Just in case there's a difference in the prices!)!

Since cappuccino consists of a mixture of steamed milk and foam, you can actually have a say over the proportions!
Wet Cappuccino:: 3/4 milk and 1/4 foam.
Dry Cappuccino:: 1/4 milk and 3/4 foam.
Bone-dry cappuccino: Just a little milk and the rest is all foam.

EDIT: I just wiki-ed Cappuccino and apparently, 'it is possible to froth cold milk using various methods'. Starbucks has a cold cappuccino called "Iced Cocoa Cappuccino" but this isn't available in Singapore. No froth, no cappuccino!
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So yep, here ends my post on coffee! If you have any questions, just leave a comment! Do click on the images as they will bring you to the sites which I got the pictures from and tell you lots more about coffee!

What's your favourite beverage?!? Mine's an iced, tall, no classic, one pump vanilla, soy, green tea latte (Ironically, I don't like coffee because it stains the teeth!)! When Christmas comes round, I like it with peppermint! :D

SPOTTED: GSS with Kanebo's Freshel!

Hey Muffins! Sorry that I'm a little late with this! I just got the email today. Remember Kanebo's Freshel Event which I attended a while back?

Well, in conjunction with the ongoing GSS, Freshel and Watsons have teamed up to bring you 30% savings!

Moist Lift W Cream ($33) + White C Cleansing Oil ($24) and
White C W Cream UV ($33) + White C Cleansing Oil ($24)
are going for $39.90 instead of the usual price of $57.00! :DDD

The promotion is going to run from June 9th to July 27th at the following stores:

Bugis Junction
Compass Point
IMM Building
ION Orchard
Jurong Point
Marina Square
Ngee Ann City
Parkway Parade
Raffles City
Tampines Mall
Toa Payoh (HDB)
Vivo City

RAMBLINGS: Books and the L word.

I always get a little pensive after reading books. I just finished 'Girl in Translation' by Jean Kwok. It was only when I was 3/4 into the book when I realized that I was reading fiction. Sigh. Dumb me. I should have known. All the signs were there! *smacks head* The book lost its entire appeal to me right then. It felt so silly to be wowed earlier on.

But anyway, it made me recall an incident when I was 15. My tutor had asked me if I would marry someone who was poor. I had replied yes, without hesitation. Back then, I was just a silly kid who read deep into mangas and actually believed that perfect guys existed. The ones who seem to know EVERYTHING about you, who watch over you, who act like they own every molecular cell of yours... I laugh at my naivety now but at the same time, it aches to know that they aren't real.
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Being friends with people who are older than you are is really something quite different. With friends your age, you grow up together, you experience new things together. But with friends who have a few years ahead of you, you get a sneak peak into a life that you think will only happen a gazillion years later. Yet, the truth is, it's only just round the corner.

I met up with Charmian yesterday and we updated each other on the essential bits of our lives; school, work, daily happenings and of course, conversations always head in the direction of the L word. She was like "You're 22 now. It's very old! You have no one... What are you doing?!?"... Something to that effect (The ah lian that she is... HAHA! XD).
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After my bittersweet encounter with it (I really think that 'torturous' is a more congruous word but there were sweet moments which I wish lasted forever. And in spite of how much I wish I could just blot out this blemish in my life, good things came out and are still coming out of it.), I've become more than wary. Actually, I think I'm very paranoid, drawing cold, hard lines even when there isn't a need to be. But I just want to make sure that there isn't the slightest blurring of anything!

But in the midst of the conversation with Charmian, I felt myself waver in my sheer determination to ward off everything that has to do with the L word. In that moment, I got scared, sad, worried. Yes, I eschew the L word as much as possible but that's also because I believe that when the right one comes along, no doubts will hound me, that I will jump right into the vortex of diabetes-inducing sweetness and incomprehensible silliness. But in that moment, I was afraid that what I believe in was, again, a manifestation of my naivety.
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Oh gawd. Awareness is scary. The more aware you are, the more you just want to go hide out in a cave. Life was great when boys were made solely for bantering and all I wanted to do was dance to Britney's songs, make clothes for Barbie and torture Ken and play The Sims and Neopets all day.

And oh yes. I guess I should say something about the book. Hmm... Hope, inspiration, duty to others overrides everything else, especially the L word. Ha. I'm awful at summaries. It's an okay book but I wouldn't recommend it because it's just fiction. A waste of time, actually.

OUTING: With Charmian!

I headed down to Raffles City today to meet one of my favourite persons in the world, Charmian! We walked round Basement 1 for the longest time before deciding to fill our tummies at Watami! I can't really remember what we ate but Charmian had some kimchi and beef thing, while I had katsu don... I think. Haha. We had yuzu tea as well, which was sooooooo good! But Charmian was being a fussy pot and didn't finish hers! Tsk!



Thereafter, she wanted to be a manicurist so we bought a base coat and a golden nail polish from The Face Shop. We plopped ourselves at one of the random tables near the escalator and started doing our nails!

I very nearly died laughing during the painting process. Our nails were incredibly messed up (She did mine, while I did hers.)! And oh yes! It was the first time she was painting nails of any sort and gosh! You know how we are supposed to paint vertical stripes? She went in ALL directions (I did tell her vertical!)! And her way of touching up? Dabbing the nail polish with the head of the brush so that it all clumped up! LOL. I SWEAR THAT I NEARLY DIED LAUGHING. SWEAR!

But okay, I wasn't all that fab either. Haha! XD

And even though she was on a diet (For whatever reasons, I CANNOT fathom!), I made her eat ice-cream with me! :D What's a date without ice-cream?!? Hur hur!



I think friendship should be the sharing of lives, dreams and feelings. I don't really open up to people that much and that easily, but with her, there are absolutely no walls. (: Can't wait for our next lunch date! XD

SWATCHES: Everything Canmake!

I decided to do an entry solely on Canmake because I'm completely in love with their products!



I got myself 2 highlighters today; Milky White 01 and Baby Beige 05. This was the first time I spotted Baby Beige! And because I couldn't decide on which colour to get... I got both. Heh. *guilty smile* They come in flip-open plastic containers and are accompanied with the softest baby brushes ever! Though they look a little 'cheap', but I like that they aren't bulky and I can easily slip them into my pockets for quick touch-ups!

These little darlings can be found at Watsons. Each retails for $14.90 but there's a 20% discount going on at the moment!



The difference between the 2 is dead obvious in the pans. Baby Beige seems to have a tinge of pink in it. When swatched side-by-side, Milky White is stark white whilst Baby Beige is an off-white.

Like most Canmake products, they contain pretty discrete shimmers! (: You don't have to worry about looking like a disco ball at all!



Milky White 01 is definitely meant for the fair ladies.



And Baby Beige 05 will be perfect for those who are slightly darker. (:



These are the blushers which I mentioned in my haul post. I'm just going to include them here because they are so pretty and I want an entire entry dedicated to Canmake!



PW18 is the shade which I have been using! I tried to 'break' my 'obsession' by using theBalm's Down Boy today but my face just felt so... Wrong! Love, love, LOVE this!!! It's the perfect shade peachy-pink (More pink!) that brightens up your complexion!



I'm not entirely keen on PW25 at the moment. Haha. To think that this was the shade which I wanted initially (And not PW18!)! Perhaps it's because my eye makeup's always pink and dark purple, so having orange on just doesn't go. I shall look into Japanese makeup more!

I can hardly believe that this is my 4th week of hols! Counting down seems to make time pass A LOT faster! :\ I'll be picking my subjects for my final year in university next week! Cannot. Wait. To. Graduate! :DDD I'll be blogging more but I just want to say, have a nice week!!! (:

FOR YOUR 411: PIH and What You Can Do About Them

PIH stands for Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation. They are discolourations left by zits after they have healed. These marks can disappear within a week but some annoying ones can take years to do so. You can read more about PIH here. Do note that these aren't scars. Scars, like pitted scars and keloids, need more than topical treatments to remove them.

I have dealt with PIH for as long as I can remember. Probably when I was 13 and I had the world's most ginormous zit right on the bridge of my nose. After having to deal with the excess growth filled with pus (I know! Disgusting! My worst fear is to have zits popping up on my nose!), I still had to deal with the mark it left. The zit was like all out to 'ruin' my life. Even after it had 'died', it HAD to leave a mark. Grrr...

Anyway, I started 'exploring' ways to get rid of PIH in the quickest possible time. And I'm sure PIH irks you as much as it irks me and we all want them to poof! Vanish! NOW. Hence, this entry on the products which I have used on my PIH! (:



If you didn't already watch my favourites video, well, I swear Hazeline Snow's Moisturizing Cream is godsent! Used by my great-grandma, grandma, grandaunt, Mum and me, since I was 15, I have never once doubted the prowess of this product! A 100g tub costs $3.70 at Watsons but you can definitely get it at a much lower price at beauty shops like Venus and Peaches & Cream.



The product comes in the form of a cream. But it isn't exactly like cream either. Heh. The texture is a little 'rougher' than cream. I pile this on my PIH (Actually, my entire face.) before I go to sleep. Though it doesn't get rid of PIH pronto (They go away eventually!), I do believe that this product is the gentlest of the lot and so, in a way, it's the 'healthiest' for the skin!



Recently, I started using Vichy's Bi-WHITE REVEAL Deep Cell-Whitening Spot Intervention. This is currently their star product in the Bi-WHITE REVEAL line. (:



The product comes out as a light, white cream. It absorbs easily into the skin and has a clinical, clean scent. Remember the PIH I had on my face from my recent outbreak? Well, I have been using this to tackle them! My marks have lightened quite a bit, though they haven't disappeared entirely!

Mum had used this on her freckle before me. She experienced a peeling effect, which I didn't. Having itchy fingers, she scratched it and there was the scab and all. But once the scab dropped off, she said her freckle was a little lighter than before.

Here, I just want to mention that some products, especially those lightening or whitening ones, do behave a little like chemical peels. Thus, the peeling effect is inevitable. Do not scratch it! Leave it alone! Use a gentle moisturizer if need be but if the peeling is severe, please do consult a doctor!



Renew Skincare Australia's Rose Hip Oil is another product which I trust in completely and will buy it again and again, if not for its price tag and its minuscule size!



The oil is non-sticky and absorbs into the skin easily so you won't have any icky yucky feeling! It smells neither pleasant nor pungent but some may not like it. It isn't strong and goes away after a while. (:

When I was using this, I didn't just dot the oil on my spots. That would be like applying a huge lump of gold on one full-stop on my face! 2 drops can cover the entire face! Used before moisturizer, I found that it not only sped up the recovery process of my PIH, it also allowed better absorption of the moisturizer. My skin definitely felt more moisturized than with just applying the moisturizer alone.



Garnier's Light Overnight Whitening Peeling Cream works via the peeling method. It contains pure lemon essence and natural peeling fruit extracts to exfoliate away the dark cells.



This cream has the loveliest scent; the citrus-y scent of lemon! This did help to lighten my PIH but I found this product to be too strong. I woke up with a slightly red face and when I went basking under the sun's rays, I became redder! Citrus products do make skin sensitive to the sun but the thing was I had applied this the night before. It wasn't like I applied the product and then, went bouncing away in the sun. Anyway, it wasn't severe to the point that I had to see a doctor or anything like that. But my skin's sensitive and I didn't want to risk anything, so I stopped using this.

I definitely would not recommend this to anyone with sensitive skin. For those who have got non-sensitive skin, this is a good product to check out. (:

Another way to speed up the disappearance of PIH is exfoliation. I'm currently using St. Ives' Apricot Scrub. (: How do you get rid rid of your PIH? Any products which you would recommend? (:

P.S.: All products can be found at Watsons! :D

WWW: PreVView

I was flipping through 8 Days when I came to the 'Shirtless Guy of the Week' section. I swear I usually skip this brainless section but what got my attention (No, no! It isn't what you think!) was that the guy was Korean and he actually, well, looked like a guy!!! (All those Korean boy band boys look like girls to me, with their snow-like skin, slender nose, non-existent waist... Sigh. I would be in a state of depression if I lived in Korea.) Anyway, I read the article and realized that this guy was discovered on PreVView!

PreVView is Asia's first interactive video job portal. Started on March 9th this year, it aims to break the barrier between employers and jobseekers. No longer will the former be looking at the passport-sized you with the awkward, stiff smile. Instead, employers get to see the real you in your visumés (Video résumés)!



Unlike other job portals, where you are asked to fill in a never-ending list of details, you are given the platform to stand out from the crowd, not just on paper, but in a more insightful and expressive manner on video! In this way, your first impression depends on you; the way you speak, the manner in which you present yourself, your confidence and so on. Your first impression is no longer defined by the papers you achieved.



Right this minute, a Visumé War is waging!

"We call upon everyone from the age of 18-35* to step into the professional battle field, in a quest to differentiate yourselves – it's talent vs talent, Visumé vs Visumé!"

Julian Tay's video is probably the most creative out of all the videos that I have seen! Unlike quite a few who just basically sat in front of the camera and talked, he used awesome animation and graphics! Also, his video is 'flawless' in the sense that you know he really put in the effort to prepare for it (Or maybe he is just that great...). There isn't any fumbling of words, lines are delivered with confidence... He certainly stands out from the rest!

For more information about PreVView and Visumé War, click here and here!

RAMBLINGS: The problem with sleeping early is that...

... You wake up at unearthly hours. I tried to inhale lavender oil but even though it's 100% pure and certified and whatever not, I was still left staring at the ceiling, asking God if Mr. Right were in Taiwan. Yes, a tell-tale sign that I am currently watching those sappy, but incredibly sweet, Taiwanese idol dramas.
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It's a little strange for my personal posts to be housed together with my beauty posts. But however strange it is, this sojourn was meant to be personal. Sunbathing Muffins is primarily for beauty stuff. Just a fleeting thought.
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On Friday night, the brother and I stayed past 2am, talking. We talked about dreams, about family, about feelings... The family is nowhere near perfect but I'm glad we can talk so freely to one another. Even if we did need a nudge every now and then. But you know, eventually, we talk. And I think that's important for relationships. Any relationship. The ability to talk freely.
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Okay, I'm going to digress a little because I want to pen my thoughts down before they elude me. I threw away the last traces of him yesterday. They were a pretty mess of handwriting. Of Math notes and work solutions. I wrote probably about 5 long letters to him back then. But I never got one back. Just texts. Somehow, letters feel a thousand times more superior. A million times more sincere.

And yes, I kept pieces of him. I fibbed and gave myself a plethora of senseless reasons but I just wanted to hang on to something. You know, I don't really get how people can move on within months, or even years. You tell someone that you love him/ her, you do nice things for him/ her and you break up. A period of time passes and you find someone else. And you do the same thing; you say you love him/ her, you do nice things for him/ her... But how can that be?!? When just a while back, you were doing all those to someone else. I don't get it.

But anyway, I very nearly didn't get rid of his paraphernalia of death. Thank goodness that I have adopted the impulsive attitude towards life, out of fear of morphing into a wrinkled and flabby mess of regrets. And I'm glad and relieved that I did it. Because otherwise, it just meant that I hadn't completely let go.
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I was supposed to talk about dreams in this entry but yeah, thinking about the L word just kinda spoilt things. But oh well. I'm still waiting for the email so I can actually prepare for it. And until I get that email, it means I have nothing. Please don't tell me that you don't need me already!

It frustrates me a little when companies contact me at the end of the week, I do my replies almost immediately (Because I'm always checking my emails, because I haven't got anything else to refresh. Oh yes. Twitter. But tweets are short and emails are well, at times, pretty long. I love reading long stuff.) and then, you don't hear from them and it just sucks because it's the weekends and you have to wait till Monday and there's always the fear that they were just being funny and you know that, of course, there isn't any reason for them to be funny... But you just worry.

I know, lacking in confidence of all sorts and a world-class worry wart. I certainly fool some people.
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This week feels hellishly busy because I'm meeting up with some friends. Filza, Charmian and Wei Ching, Lennard (Maybe.), Audrey and Michelle... And I really need that email so that I can start preparing and won't pee in my pants, come Saturday.

Anyway, does anyone know a word that means 'belongings of a dead person'? It starts with 'p' and it's in the first chapter of 'I'm the King of the Castle' by Susan Hill. I think it was about the dead moths which old Mr. Hooper kept. I can't think of it at the moment and I threw that book away because it scared me so much. It was a good book for Literature but it really scared me shitless. Second chapter. Heh.

I shall try and get some sleep now. Hanging out with the parental units later. :D

GIVEAWAY: Sunsilk's Silky Smooth & Manageable Protecting Leave On

Hey ya again! So you have just read my review on Sunsilk's Silky Smooth & Manageable line and guess what?!? I'm giving away the Protecting Leave On!

What you need to do is to:
1. Leave a comment with your name and email address.
2. Be a follower of either Sunbathing Muffins or Love, Charlene Judith.
3. Have an address in Singapore.
4. Just leave one comment.

The winner will be picked on June 26th, 10pm! :D

REVIEW: Sunsilk's Silky Smooth & Manageable Line

At the start of June, I attended the Sunsilk's Product Launch and have been using the Silky Smooth & Manageable line for about 2 weeks. (:



The shampoo has a light pleasant scent and it's awesome! Unlike TRESemmé's shampoo, when I rinse the shampoo off, my hair doesn't feel the least bit dry!



The conditioner comes out creamy and it makes my hair feel incredibly soft! My hair's actually feeling a lot healthier than when I was using TRESemmé's products! :\



The Protecting Leave On comes out creamy as well. It isn't sticky at all. *thumbs up*



I had my hair rebonded a couple of months back and because my hair's shoulder-length, the ends are starting to poke at weird angles. Applying this before blow drying my hair helps 'tame' those ugly ends. My hair falls a lot better than if I don't apply this. But I do think that another session of rebonding is necessary for me to get rid of those ugly angles.

This is an awesome line to try, especially if you have dry hair! I'm going to do up the next entry now so keep a look out for it (Yes, it's related to this!)!