Friday 13 December 2013

Mastermind Training Academy - Subang USJ Branch

Hello, hello. This might be my last post to end the year. 2013 has been great, far too great and beyond my expectation. Although I didn't achieve and accomplish my initial plan, it is still a great year.

The thing that has been holding me back from blogging is this baby of mine. I'm now the partner for the Mastermind Training Academy and this baby has kept me busy. Before we go too far, for those that are new to the name, Mastermind is actually a tuition centre catering to Primary 1-6 and Secondary 1-5. We offered all subjects for Malaysia school's syllabus. The medium of teaching is in English and Bahasa of course. For students from chinese school, fret not. Our tutors are well experience and they are able to mentor and guide the students until they understood. Just raise your hand and they will come to you!!

Here's some photos of our centre in Subang USJ 9. We are different in our own way. We provide the "Learning is FUN" concept. We are also known as Malaysia 1st Hi-tech tuition centre. Let the pictures do the talking.

The Reception
The Hallway
The Waiting Area
The Classroom with individual LCD screen
The Primary Classroom
Computer Lab
Study Area
Impressive, no? Not just the study and revision area, we also have cool places where the students can hang out in between classes. Check these out.
Mini Library
Game Area
Music Studio
Workout Zone
Entertainment Area
If you are a parents, don't you want to send your children here? We provide them with one stop solution, education and activities. You don't have to worry the students will go loitering around the tuition centre while waiting for their next classes or while waiting for you the parents to pick them up.  

Not only that, we have CCTVs installed at all corners of the centre to ensure the safety of the students. Stay tune for our 2014 tuition package. You may get up to 5 months FREE tuition and many more. Contact us at 03-8024 6980 for more info, Or feel free to drop by our centre from Monday to Sunday, 12pm-6pm. If you're not able to drop by at the said time, just give us a call for appointment. We will be more than happy to accommodate.

Our address
57, 59, 61, 3rd Flr, 
Jalan USJ 9/5S
47620 Subang Jaya
Selangor

Monday 28 October 2013

A Post to Remind Myself of How To Have Flawless Fair Skin

I have been missing from my own blog world. The thing is I have too much to do, too little time, yet I have done nothing cos I can't cope with anything. See, I'm too good at giving excuses and convincing myself that it's ok to do nothing. Geddit... geddit... lol

Been spending hell lots of time playing Candy Crush. Mine you do not start this shit if you have not. It's addictive, it's a serial time killers. Don't get yourself started is my one piece of advice. 

So I've been having sleeping disorders lately due to stress , too much things are happening in my head. And I have been sleeping late due to Candy Crush too...slap self 100x. So my skin, my appearance has gone bad. Ok, ok, it's not fair to blame the game la seriously. It's not its fault to begin with. I should thank it for letting me forgetting some of my problems while playing it.

Then I was browsing thru my facebook and I found this article bout 12 Essential Homemade Beauty Tips for Fair Skin. I so need it now. I have been running outdoor a lot lately... Yeah, I so called achieved the mission I set earlier to run a half-marathon and I did it. Well, in order to have good skin, there are 3 must do list: 

1) Drink plenty of water - ok I drink pretty much, will drink more
2) Sleep well - errr....how I wish to. How???
3) Exercise - pretty much achieved as well, 3 hrs or more in a week

Now here's the beauty tips. It says 12 but i will only jot down those I think it's relevant to me cos I don't have some of the ingredients, no doubts they can be easily found in the kitchen if you cook. But not for me, what the hell do I need Turmeric for?

1. Tea water and honey face pack:


I cup of tea water (cooled down)
2 spoons of rice flour
½ a spoon of honey
The rice flour acts as a very good scrub and honey moisturizers the skin. 

Method:

  • Mix the above ingredients and apply on the skin. Leave it on till the mask dries completely for 20 minutes or more.
  • Before cleaning the mask with water, make sure you massage the facial skin in circular motions, this is very important as it removes the dead skin and evens the skin tone.
  • Then wash your face with cold water .This gives you a fairer and even skin tone.

2. Oats and lemon face pack:



1 TBSP of oats; cooked and mashed (helps reduce inflammation and heals skin)
I TBSP of lemon juice (lemon helps lighten skin tone)
If you have sensitive skin, then you can dilute the lemon juice with water.

Method:

  • Mix the above ingredients and apply on the face by massaging the skin.
  • Let it dry for 20 minutes
  • Wash it and pat dry

3. Yogurt and dried orange peel:



  • Dried orange peel
  • Fresh and unflavored yogurt
Dry the orange peel first under the sun. That is where is pack begins.

Method:

  • Grind the dried orange peels to powder.
  • Mix 1 tbsp of it with 1 tbsp fresh and unflavored yogurt to make a paste.
  • Apply and keep on cleansed skin for 15-20 minutes 
  • Then rinsed off.

4. Milk, Lemon Juice and Honey:



  • Milk
  • Lemon Juice
  • Honey

Method:


  • Use 1 tsp each of milk/milk powder, honey and lemon juice and mix together well.
  • It should be applied on cleansed skin and left for 15-20 minutes
  • After which you can rinse it off.

5. Potato:



  • Potato slice, in pulp or juice form.

Method:

  • Use slices or paste of potato as a mask or even just the juice on tanned portions of the skin.
  • This can be applied twice to your skin.
  • After 15-20 minutes, wash off with plain water.

6. Lemon or orange rind:


  • Lemon or orange rind
  • Raw milk

Method:

  • Take lemon zest or lemon rind ( the outer skin grated), or even orange zest, dry them out in the sun (do not microwave) and then grind them to powder.
  • Store in a dry air tight container
  • Mix it with raw milk and use as pack on affected areas.
  • Wash off with warm water only.
  • Immediately use a cool toner after.

7. Healthy Diet:

With daily care and treatments nailed, what we need to monitor next are our eating habits. For without the right nutrients, our skin cannot undo the damage that it sustains on a daily basis!
Here we tell you what you should eat. In other words, a healthy diet for your skin!
The right quantities of all the ingredients need to be consumed for the skin to portray health and the fairness to show.
*mind you, these are copied and pasted. To cut it short, eat plenty of fruits and vege. You may click on the links to have further info but i didnt. Maybe i should click on the Yoga link :) 

8. Sun Protection and Care:

With all this attended to; there is still one thing you need to keep firmly in mind! Do not step out into the sun without protection! 
  • Always apply a sunscreen before stepping out.
  • An SPF of at least 30 or more depending on your skin type.
  • UV rays darken and damage your skin! So make sure you reapply every four or five hours.
These are of course not fail proof! But what if you have already spent too much time in the sun, you first need to lose the tan and burns. Try these out.

9. Homemade Tan removal:

Tans are inevitable! No matter how much sunscreen we lather on…the brutal sun these days finds a way to harm us! There are several ways to remove tan right at your home. Here is an excellent article to remove tan at home.
But here is one of the most famous tan removal packs ever!
Ubtan
This traditional country treatment includes the use of a mixture of besan (what is this?), turmeric (argghh, turmeric again, seriously? I need to have them in the kitchen?) and yogurt. Turmeric removes the blemishes and dark spots. Yogurt clears the excessive tan. And, besan handles the cleansing of your skin. It suits all the skin types and can be done everyday as it is very gentle. The effects are visible quite immediately but removal of tanning needs a couple of days or weeks depending on the intensity of tan.

10. Homemade sun burn cure:

Sun burns well are but natural once you hit a beach for your vacation but that doesn’t mean you need to go back to work looking toasted.
Here is one solution you will definitely love!

Vinegar

vinegar for skin lightening
Vinegar has antioxidants which fight free radicals and also keeps bacterial and fungal infections away. More than these reasons however, the pH level of your skin is restored effectively with the use of vinegar. Take a clean spray bottle and fill it with some vinegar. Spray it directly on the affected areas and allow it to dry. Normally vinegar dries within 2 to 3 minutes and you can instantly feel the cooling and relaxing sensation on your skin. You can follow the same procedure once in every 5 hours to prevent the burning sensation and cure your sun burn faster. (and later smell like a plate of salad too, lol)

Now I shall force myself to do at least once a week any of the above. The simplest one will be oats and lemon pack. Hahahaha...lets see if i have fairer complexion after this. On a separate note, I'm trying to have a glass of lukewarm lemon water every morning. Been doing this for 2 days and I hope it continues. Lemon is great antioxidant for skin too :D I also applied the freshly squeezed lemon juice on my face and leave it for 10mins before washing it off. I will say it feels good and the pores look smaller right after.

Friday 21 June 2013

Run Forest Run....

It's the putting on running shoes and putting away the hiking shoes time... Apparently I have been so attached to chairs, bed and never forgotten the infamous Candy Crush and becoming a couch potato after returning from Nepal. I have been giving myself the best rest, more than enough rest in fact until I realized I started to feel thick around the waistline... For almost 45 days or more I did nothing, seriously nothing about physical activity, except maybe just my fingers and eyes if these count as physical for crushing the bloody candies.
hate u candies...i will eat u
Signed up SCKL13 run earlier this year, one of the earliest to sign up...the super kiasu self. But did nothing bout running since January. The crazy weather was my excuse to not running. It was either raining cats and dogs or it was super warm that I don't feel like doing anything outdoor. The weather had also the reason why I've been sleeping late and waking up late and the chain reaction resulted no activity until the day ends. (apart from dragging myself to work and get myself stuck in traffic jam to get home)

But somehow I came to sense about a month or slightly more ago...that I must do something or I just skipped the SCKL13 despite the 'semangat' I have got to complete 21km this year. So i signed up the gym near my office. I guess that's the best decision ever...

so nice right, make me wanna run everyday

So, there I go... almost every days on weekdays... The best solution for traffic congestion. Hit the gym and stress no more. By the time I'm done, the traffic has reduced by 80% at least. C'mon this is the heart of KL City, it's impossible to have 100% traffic free. Besides the traffic, guess what else I've gained... I've gained the sight of my long lost waistlines. 


Here I'm running and running, doing mostly the cardios to increase my stamina and of cos to burn the stubborn fats. I always think running is the best to achieve both stamina and fat burning cos it requires strong core and this strong core workout actually will trim the apple shape of your body. So i have been doing treadmill, stepper, cross training machine and joined classes as well... *patting on shoulders non stop...i'm such a good girl. If 1 day I did not hit the gym, I felt something is missing from me. Ya ya, I know I'm good, thank you. So now I can check 1 item off my 2013 to do list, I'm indeed exercising more now and hope this continues. 

Talking bout classes, I have fallen in love with Zumba. Something I've heard so often but has no idea what it was. Something so fun yet so tough and people said a serious Zumba session probably burn 700-900 calories. I don't think I burn that much in an hour class but 500 cals will be too good to be true. To be honest, I don't really care how much calories were burn in each workout. As long as I keep myself moving, I guess it's not really bout the weight but the overall fitness. Eg. I probably loss like 0.5kg this entire 4 weeks which is really not significant. You can't really tell a person has loose weight if it's just a mere 0.5kg. My case was different, people thought I had probably loss about 3 kg from my appearance but the fact was I'm stuck with my old weight which increased or reduced by 0.5kg on different days. See what I meant? Everyone is different. My goal is to fit into a S size clothes, I don't give a damn to how much i weight.

Let's talk bout Zumba instead... I'm so looking forward to the classes actually especially classes constructed by this 1 particular instructor. Don't know his name but he is damn good. I can't seem to be able to find a zumba video that can be embedded. So I will put in a couple of links to show you the fun, check it out :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRuhQF0eyIM&NR=1&feature=endscreen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI3Ss6e1LS8

Monday 10 June 2013

So You Call It Eczema?

Hello hello... It has been a while... Laziness is prevailing...

And no, I wasn't diagnosed with Eczema. Someone else did. I have no ideas what is Eczema prior to this... I know it was some kinda skin diseases but I have no idea the symptoms or how it looks like. In fact, I can't seem to spell it correctly... This is how rare this word is to me.

Until recently, like a month ago... BF had this itchy patch around his feet... the spot where he got bitten by leeches some months ago... and the patches grew bigger and more and more dots appeared. Obviously it's not due to the leech bites anymore, unless the leeches went underneath his skin and give birth to more leeches biting and sucking on his blood. Dammit... i hope this is not happening.

So the first thing tat came into his mind or rather my mind was bed bugs... cos i saw a tiny little creature like an ant size crawling on the bed one day. I concluded it was bed bugs and make him did spring cleaning entirely. It's not like he's living in a dusty/dirty room/house though.. Just that any extra cleaning wouldn't kill i guess. So he did the cleaning and went to a doctor and get some sorta creams to apply. 

After a week or so, the itchiness just don't get better but worsen in fact. Then he went to see a skin specialist and was told that it was probably Eczema. What does the specialist meant by probably? Isn't there a way to define the skin diseases? He was given more medicine for consumption and application this time. It does control but didn't cure 100%... New patches like rashes still appear every now and then. Here are some pictures. Maybe someone can tell exactly what these tiny red itchy dots are;

At the elbows
on the feet. The big red dot on the left foot was bitten by leech tho
all over the body
These were taken like 3 weeks ago. Some spots had dried up and turned into dark brown colors but there are new ones coming up everyday :( It's annoying to see him scratching every now and then like every 5 minutes.

I went to search online... guess that's where u get the most of information. I found pictures of Eczema but they didn't look really like what he is experiencing. Those pictures on google images showed a bit of scaling and the patches of dots are closer to each others. His ones are rather scattered.

Then I went to google causes of Eczema and to my horror... this is the line I have gotten:
"Doctors don't know exactly what causes Eczema"... If doctors don't know, who knows??? They think it its causes by a combination of factors that include:
  • genetics
  • abnormal function of the immune system
  • environment
  • activities that may cause skin to be more sensitive
  • defects in the skin barrier that allow moisture out and germs in
It is said that some other things that will trigger the skin irritation such as:
  • soaps and cleansers
  • perfume
  • makeup
  • dust and sand
  • chlorine
  • irritants in the environments
  • cigarette smoke
As for the environment factors, here are the culprits:
  • prolonged exposure to water
  • being too hot or too cold
  • sweating and then becoming chilled
  • taking baths that are too hot or last too long
  • not using skin lubricant
  • low humidity in the winter
Well if I were to base on the findings above to conclude the causes of skin irritation on BF, I will say it was probably started with the little leech bite. The scratching definitely makes the skin condition worsen. Then before it even recovers, we headed to Nepal during early spring where the weather was rather cold and dry. Coupled with the dusty air and sudden exposure to snow with strong mountain wind, it makes the skin condition gets from worse to worst. Then when we are back to MY, the weather was extremely hot that we need to air conditioner to survive most of the time. The prolong skin drying processes definitely the root of the itchiness all over the body. And it has been with him for over a month and has yet to recover.

Let see what are the treatments that I can find on the net after the visits to doctors failed to cure/stop. And i found 10 Tips for Living with Eczema. I wonder if this title suggested that once gotten the eczema, one has to live with it for the rest of the life. Hope not, seeing the patches on his body makes me wanna scratch myself as well. 
  1. Know your Eczema triggers - eliminate all products with fragrance - including soaps, perfumes, cosmetics, and scented body lotions. Other triggers can include household cleansers, pet dander, grass, gasoline, chemicals, dust mites, and certain foods
  2. Moisture Dry, Itchy Skin often - Using moisturizer is one of the best ways to help keep eczema under control. But it’s important to use moisturizer often, especially after washing and bathing. For best results, choose a plain, unscented moisturizer.
  3. Manage extreme temperatures at home - Changes in temperature or humidity can often cause eczema to flare up. Although you can’t control the weather, you can try to control the conditions inside your home.
  4. Don't scratch Eczema patches - scratching can actually make you itch more. And scratching can also damage your skin and lead to an infection. Instead of scratching, find ways to help control the itch, such as cold compresses, frequent moisturizing, baths, and medications.
  5. Keep sweating to a minimum to avoid eczema flare-ups -  try to shower as soon as possible after a workout.
  6. Wear comfortable clothes that don't irritate skin - Cotton and cotton blends are usually the best choices for people with eczema.  Washing new clothing before you wear it can also reduce irritation. 
  7. Watch your stress level to avoid eczema flare-ups - You’re more likely to have a flare-up when you’re under stress. And yet, the itching and discomfort of eczema can add to stress by making you feel angry and frustrated.
  8. Follow skin care basics in the shower or bath - Hot showers or baths are a common cause of eczema flare-ups. Switch to room-temperature water and save the hot water for a treat once in a while. Avoid scrubbing, and use a gentle cleanser instead of soap on the areas that need it. Once done, pat dry and apply moisturizer while your skin is still damp.
  9. Protect your hands - Your hands are often exposed to water and other substances that can irritate them. Protect them by wearing rubber gloves whenever you wash dishes or place your hands in water.
  10. Use eczema medication when needed - Seek doctor advice in using medication to help ease your eczema symptoms. A doctor may suggest an over-the-counter cream or oral antihistamine, or suggest a prescription medication.
I think this pretty much concluded the information I need to know to help the BF with his itching problem. He has been living his life so stressful with work and eczema. I guess here's a little something I could do to ease up. Afterall it's his birthday today. Happy Birthday baby. I wish the itchiness will go away soon. Seeing him scratching actually stressing me up :p











Thursday 16 May 2013

Who You Are?

Around us today, we see everyone will or is working hard after completing their schools and universities. Unless one is born in wealthy family, having had the silver spoon in their mouth as baby, they need not to worry bout money. For the rest of us, we are working for money or giving in our precious time to buy ourselves and our family a comfortable life. We see some people who work really hard (like no day no night) and some who will bullshit, stabs and all sort of dirty tricks to get to the top for better pay. We don't blame them because, we ourselves know that in today's world, if you don't have enough moolah, it's equal to no life. The cost of living is so high that everyone is fighting to get their share of $$$$ (income).

Me being one of them. I don't stab, in fact I was the victim. Despite the effort and hardwork you show at work, sometimes you just have to give it up and continue your path (career path is what i meant here) elsewhere and continue the working for more money life. As the hearsay goes, what doesn't kill you actually makes you stronger.

After all the busy life, do one actually take time to ponder... to reflect themselves, to appreciate the people and things around them? Most of us didn't. We forgot our roots, we forgot to reflect and most of the time we only regretted when things happened. Then we blame ourselves even more, some got to the extend of giving up their life, living in depression, becoming society waste and bla bla bla....

I realize now that I need to slow down, I regretted that I didn't spend enough time with my grandma while she's around. She was the one that took care of me, going thru all the hard time up bringing me when I was a kid. But I didn't pay her back and now she's gone and I miss her terribly. Well, I'm hoping the same incident won't happen once again, hence the spending more time with my parents who are getting older now.

I was in the yoga class yesterday and well, all of sudden there is this new instructor now for the thursday class which I had missed for so long. A young lady and pretty one. At the end of the class, she shared with us a song she came across that reflected her and believe that it reflected many of us, so i went home and took a search of the song. I do agree with her... it's a song so meaningful that I think I gotta share it. I have had the meaningful lines highlighted. Sit back and take a listen..

Who You Are, Jessie J




I stare at my reflection in the mirror:
"Why am I doing this to myself?"
Losing my mind on a tiny error,
I nearly left the real me on the shelf.
No, no, no, no, no...

Don't lose who you are in the blur of the stars!
Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing,
It's okay not to be okay.
Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart.
Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising,
Just be true to who you are!
(who you are [x11])

Brushing my hair, do I look perfect?
I forgot what to do to fit the mold, yeah!
The more I try the less it's working, yeah
'Cause everything inside me screams
No, no, no, no, no...

Don't lose who you are in the blur of the stars!
Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing,
It's okay not to be okay.
Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart.
But tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising,
There's nothing wrong with who you are!

Yes, no's, egos, fake shows, like whoa!
Just go and leave me alone!
Real talk, real life, good love, goodnight,
With a smile that's my own!
That's my own, no...

No, no, no, no, no...

Don't lose who you are in the blur of the stars!
Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing,
It's okay not to be okay...
Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart.
Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising,
Just be true to who you are!
Yeah yeah yeah


Remember, you need to reflect yourself now...before life and work taking its toll on you.