Wash the dishes.
“Guess what my tattoo artist said?”
“What…” *senses trouble*
“I can’t get hard soap on my tattoo for 3 weeks, so I can’t do housework OR wash any dishes! So you have to do it.”

To NOT drive like an idiot.
“You know what i saw today?”
“What?”
“I was driving past our traffic light, and saw this IDIOT turn like he was racing, overtaking cars like as if 2 seconds faster is going to make a difference, and i was thinking to myself – what an idiot! - and then… i saw that idiot was YOU  How embarrassing!”

Buy his mate a birthday present.
“What are you getting Matt?”
“Nothing.”
“How can you not get him something? He’s your friend!”
“We’re guys.”
“Still! If he didn’t help you get your job in Malaysia, you wouldn’t have come here and we wouldn’t have met!”
“Whoa whoa whoa!”

Cut his hair.
“Let me trim your chest hair…”
“NO.”
“Pleaseeee, it tickles my face, goes into my nose, and annoys me!”
“It’s my hair. And it makes me a man.”
“You’re already a man to me, my man. Just let me trim it pleaseeeeeeeee”

Care for his skin.
“You have so many lines on your face… *pokes and prods* for your age… y’know?”
“It’s okay, i’ll survive.” 
“But still! Look at the lines… it’ll just get worse if you don’t do something.”

I then pulled the skin at the sides of his face to stretch out the lines.
“imagines* “Wah you look so cute and young!”
“Stop it!”
“Maybe you could get botox in a few years.”
“No way i’m doing that. The men before me didn’t need it, and neither do i.”
“But already you look older for your age, and i look kinda younger for my age, so you look like a dirty old man going out with a young chick!”

I managed to get him to do facials with me.
“Come, i’ll put a facial on for you!”
“Hmm okay.”
*ten minutes later*
“HOW LONG MORE?!”
“It’s done it’s done *wipes it off* See? So smoothhhh! *plants kisses all over*”

Maybe all the going on i do about his face skin got to him,
cos i almost died when he used my expensive moisturizer.

Sorry, but it’s a girl thing…
skincare is so specific for certain types of skin,
and using something that’s particularly for my skin makes it seem a waste on his 
Plus, it’s weird to smell it on him instead of me.

Guys’ skin is generally thicker with higher collagen content,
which is GOOD news cos then it can look firmer for longer.
However, men tend to have oilier skin and sweat more,
plus the regular shaving tends to weaken the skin barrier.

I still want him to use skincare,
just not mine hee hee.

The one person who used to poke and prod my face the most, is my father!
He used to peer at my skin and say, “You ar, going out so much, sleeping so late, you’re going to get wrinkles before you’re 30!”
before chucking me some toner and moisturizer to use.
In turn, he’d also take toner from my room when he ran out, much to my amusement.

If my manly dad and brother can use skincare (plus my brother used to let me pick at his blackheads, gross i know, but oh so satisfying)
i don’t see why my bf can’t.

I would like my man to at least try to slow down aging as much as i do,
so we’d both have less wrinkles and lines as we age.
Just as how he likes me to look nice for him,
I’d like him to look nice for me too 

Luckily for him (and me), there’s a new skincare to be released in the market that’s specifically for men, and it’s not at an extortionate price.
I emailed the image (it’s Olay Men Solutions) to Clem and asked whether he’d use it,
and he replied that it looks ‘manly enough’

I asked my brother what he thought, seeing he buys more skincare than Clem.
“Whatchu think?”
“Packaging looks nice… nicer than others i see out there.”

Phew. This could be a solution to my problem!

We all know of Olay,
the brand has more than 5 decades of expertise in skin
so hooray that they’ve finally made a skincare range for men!

Olay Men Solutions targets at three skin issues males experience:
- oiliness
- roughness
- uneven skin tone

The key ingredient they use helps:
- reduce excess sebum
- increase hydration
- reduce yellowness and dark spots
- decrease spots and improve wrinkles

Best of all, it’s said to smell like a guy 

I don’t think it’s weird to obsess about my man’s face, is it?
Do *you* obsess about your man’s facial skin?
Or anything else about him in particular? 

I consider myself lucky cos i don’t have much to complain about Clem.
He’s clean, sensitive, considerate,
takes into account what i prefer him to wear,
stresses out about presents for me,
gets along fantastic with my friends,
and isn’t in any way flirtatious with other women.

There’s only one little thing – he doesn’t listen to me at random times.
I can be repeating to him where and what time an event we’re to go to/meet our friends.
And on the day before, he’d go, “You didn’t tell me!”
And i’ll be like, “You’re kidding right. I TOLD you twice, i even put the invite ON THE TABLE next to your keys, how can you say you don’t know!”

Then he’ll take advantage of my awesomely realistic dreams and say, “Maybe you DREAMT you told me, and you know how real your dreams are, then you thought you did.”

I used to pause for a moment in doubt,
before remembering VERY CLEARLY and indignantly it wasn’T a dream,
and that i DID.

Take advantage of my wonderful dreams!?
Hmph! 

Does your man listen to you?
How do you think men should talk or listen to you?
And guys, what do you have to say for yourself, huh!

Click *HERE* for a nice friendly discussion!
Keep it clean people!

Secondly, what i’m about to write may cause obsession.

The sort of obsession that comes in different forms -
whether in a small seed of thought that sticks in your head…
or the type that grabs your attention and makes you clutch at your heart.

It’s also a type of obsession that sometimes causes butterflies in your tummy,
as if you just met your one True Love.

Before you continue reading my blog,
i just want to say that:
I, Joyce Wong, am not responsible
for any irreparable damage you do to your wallet.
I can only be responsible for mine.

If you can guess, i’m talking about shopping.

SHOPPING.

The one thing that ALL WOMEN CANNOT RESIST.
(okay, i met ONE female in my ENTIRE life that didn’t like shopping. That was weird.)

From the moment i started earning my own money at 16,
i’ve been shopping like a crazed person.
My room looks like a clothes warehouse.
Even my own father has suggested i rent a warehouse
to STORE my clothes/shoes/accs. -_-

And for a shopaholic like myself,
one thing i always always appreciate,

is SALE.

The second holy word after ‘shopping’.
I think if/when i have a child, one of the first words she will learn, is SALE.

Just last week, i was introduced to the UOB Lady’s Card (credit card).
And as i was being introduced to the card privileges,
i could feel my heart fluttering slightly.

Cos i was afraid.
And elated, at the same time.
I’m sure many of you can relate with me here…

Personally, i think this card will change women in Malaysia forever.
Wah, so drama-rama, says you.
But that’s the thought that went through my head!
If you read till the end of this post, and disagree…
(…I was going to say THEN I’LL PERSONALLY SEND YOU ONE OF MY BELOVED SCARVES!
but then i thought about how long i took to achieve my scarf collection
and what if ppl said otherwise just to get a scarf :p)

ANYWAY

The privileges for this UOB Lady’s Card is so brilliant,
cos it never seems to end!

One of my favourite promotions it offers, involves shoes.

And i love shoes.

These are not even all of them…
i was too lazy to fetch the other pairs from the rack outside the house,
in my car,
and i didn’t include any of my sneakers >.<

There’s this promo where you get 25% of what you purchase at 10 participating shoe outlets, back in cash!

As long as:
- you use the UOB Lady’s Card to pay for a minimum purchase of RM80 in a single transaction at any of the participating shoe brands on Wednesdays
- you swipe a minimum of RM500 per month (can be used for other retail transactions)

You get 25% cash back from any of their participating shoe outlets!
See more information about the promotion *here*
I’m trying not to think of all the $ i could’ve saved seeing i bought so many pairs from Aldo and Nine West -_-
(Of course, Wednesday will also be decreed Shoe Shopping Day now)

Other participating outlets include nose, Primavera, Hush Puppies footwear, Summit Shoes, Scholl and Esarli.

This is part of their Wonderful Wednesdays campaign,
which also includes “Buy 1 Get 1 Free” promos at F&B and beauty outlets!

Cathay Cineplexes – Buy 1 Get 1 Free Platinum Suite Movie Ticket (UOB Lady’s Platinum Card Members only) & Buy Any Normal Seat Movie Ticket & Free 1 Small Popcorn set (this is open for all UOB Lady’s Cardmembers)
Theobroma Chocolate Lounge – Buy 1 Get 1 Free any chocolate drink
Paddington House of Pancakes - Buy 1 Get 1 Free Pancake (and we know there are loads!)
Lecka-Lecka – Buy 1 Get 1 Free Triple Scoop Gelato at RM9.90
Denise The Wine Shop – Buy 1 Get 1 Free house pouring glass/UOB Lady’s Bottle of the Month & Free first glass of house pouring every 1st Wed of the month

The wine promo caught my eye…
cos i buy a fair number of bottles of wine every month!

Clarins – Buy 1 Get 1 Free Facial Treatment
Amante Nail Spa & Body Care - Buy 1 Manicure at RM23 Get Free 1 Express Pedicure
Jojoba International - Buy 1 Get 1 Free Spa Package (75 mins) + 1 Free foot bath
Bella Luna – Buy 1 Facial, Free 1 Herbal Bath + 1 eye treatment + 1 neck treatment

I thought the Clarins one is super value…
cos i’ve gone for facials there before and love them.
So it would be like getting them for half price now!

Besides Wonderful Wednesdays,
there are hundreds of participating outlets that can be used with the UOB Lady’s Card every single day.

For FASHION,

there are over 100 outlets that give you 10%-20% discount every time you shop there,
i.e. nichii, Axxezz. Bonita, Carlo Rino. Che Che New York, Cuffz, Edmundser, E’tho, Focus Point, Glampot Boutique.

But that’s not the best part.

I think the best is all the boutiques in Bangsar they managed to bring on board!
Called Bangsar Fashion Paradise, it’s a fashion zone where you can get discounts from all participating stores!

You can get mostly around 20% off purchases from boutiques like:
BACI, Bello Senses, Cats Whiskers, Cloth & Sash, Dressed to the nine, Goss:ps, Lush Icon, Moca, Mooie, Mori Pin, Musse, mydressroom, Nurita Harith, OWL, Purpledotz, Rosso, Sevendays, Sometime, and T-JOUE!

For BEAUTY,
there are over 300 participating outlets so i won’t go into them all.
You’ll receive discounts and promos from places like A Cut Above, Jantzen Hair Salon, Colour Culture, Acca Kappa, Peek A Boo, Marie France Bodyline, Sothys, etc.
Trust me, it’s a lot.
One example would be – at Jantzen Hair Salon, you only pay RM10 for Wash & Blow. RM10!

I also quite like the discounts women can get for HEALTH,
i.e.
at Pathlab, you can get a UOB Lady’s Caring Heath Screen @ RM99 instead of RM150 + complimentary breast tumor marker,
and special rates at hospitals like Gleneagles KL, and Pantai Hospital.
It can be pretty taxing to remember the hundreds of offers they have for us,
hence the use of UOB Lady’s Soulmate - a mobile app that will help us keep track of it all!

The application runs on Android, iPhone, Symbian and Blackberry platforms.

You can search these promotions using list, map or augmented reality views,
use the CabCall to call for a taxi quickly,
or the Organizer function to keep track of your schedule, shopping lists & important contacts.

I like how you can use GPS to see what promotions are near you,
how far you have to walk 
and the detailed rundown on what the promotions are!

This can even be used when you’re in Singapore and Thailand!

I am sure you’re as excited as I am by now.
Currently, there’s a promotion going on for new sign ups for UOB Lady’s Card as well as existing cardmembers.

Yup.
UOB is giving out a FREE Coach bag or accessory every single day!

If you are already an existing UOB Lady’s cardmember, from now till 30th Sept,
every minimum RM50 swipe on your UOB Lady’s Card gives you a chance to win.
Swipe as many times as you wish. The more you swipe, the higher your chances of winning.

NEW UOB Lady’s Card members will have it a bit better though!

A new cardmember that swipes a minimum of RM50 (within 30 days from card approval date),
will get 20 contest entries! (From thereafter, one RM50 swipe = 1 entry)
ONE MORE THING that i wanted to add in (there was quite a lot i missed out cos it’s really just too much to put it all down!)
is the UOB Lady’s Card Protection Plans.
I don’t have a cc that has this… and i’d definitely have more peace of mind seeing how often us women get robbed / lose our handbags!

For the Purchase Protection Plan,
you get free purchase protection for a year on whatever purchases you make,
including coverage up to RM7,500 against theft or accidental damage (within 30 days from date of purchase)

This reminds me of the time someone tried to snatch my new handbag,
and i was most happy that he didn’t get it despite me getting hurt -_-

Can you imagine if you had insurance for something new you bought?
This will relieve us of any heartache if something happened!

You also get free Wallet Guard Protection for 1 year,
meaning if you lost your handbag/wallet,
you get coverage up to RM500 (cos you know how you have to pay a fine for losing your IC, etc right?)
Check out more *here*

I thought that was awesome.

Along with all the discounts we get of course *cough*

Save all the hassle to apply as UOB consultants can always call you up.
You just need to enter your details here.
The best part of the this is at the same time when you enter your details,
you also get a chance to win a HP Mini Laptop.

This is only for Malaysians above 21 years old.
Please include your correct information because you will be contacted through phone if you’re the winner.

What are you waiting for, sign up for UOB Lady’s card today!

For more info, visit www.uobladys.com/my

“How much does your whole wedding cost?”
“Not counting the Chinese wedding dinner, –K. Expensive right!”
“Damn! *pauses for thought* I’d rather take the money and have a reallly nice holiday and forget about the wedding!”
“Hey. That’s the same amount you spent in UK okay -_-”
“… *silence/nothing to say*…“

I don’t know…
I know some people HAVE to have the wedding due to their families really wanting it,
and it’s tradition and stuff.
But since when have i been a person of tradition anyway.
I’m just thinking that if i had a lump sum of money put aside to celebrate me being together with someone,
i’d rather take a freaking long holiday with him (for like, 6 months!) rather than spend it on a big party and having to invite hundreds of people,
some of which i’m sure i’ve never seen in half my life.

I’d just… rather not.
Preference, you know?

If i was crazy freaking awesomely rich
then SURE
a massive wedding would be of no bother to me.
Wedding planner, Vera Wang dress, BRING IT.

But i’m not crazy freaking awesomely rich 
And to be more rational of sorts, i’d rather spend the cash on something we’d both enjoy than blow it on the sake of tradition.

Ah, i’ll just keep quiet for now.
For all i know in a few years time i’ll be EATING the words in this post by having some wedding or something.

So apart from the upcoming wedding and how we’re going to Nilai to source for fabric for bridesmaids’ dresses,
we suddenly started talking about children, and their education.

“I don’t feel like i’d want my children to go to school here… i don’t really fancy the education system here…” i said, thinking of the times i’d been pulled to the principal’s office and called “crazy” for blowing bubbles in the school or something equally harmless. “It’s like children here aren’t allowed to be creative and learn in a fun way.” I also thought about how i enjoyed learning so much more from reading science magazines/books i picked out and watching Nat Geo and the History channel.

We both spaced out for a while thinking about our future children’s education.

“Wow. I can’t believe we’re talking about this when we both don’t even have children yet.”
“I wonder what Kanch will be like if she had a kid, hahaha!”
“… *imagines*… i’d see her every week just to hear her bitch. It’d be freaking funny.”

Later that day, i thought about another girlfriend of mine,
who recently confided in me that she was trying to get pregnant.
“WHAT?!” I almost screamed in the pub. “You’re not even married!”

Seems like these days, marriage does not necessarily come before the baby, if at all.

0_o

Then later that night, Clem told me that he’d spoken to this grandmother on the phone that day.
She’d asked him about me, and when we’re going to have children ‘because she’s not going to live for that much longer and she’d like to see her great-grandchildren’.

I laughed to myself a bit maniacally then went to sleep.

That night i dreamt that Clem and i had a baby daughter. 

I woke up thinking WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT
SEE WHAT ALL THAT BABY TALK DID TO YOU

The thing was the dream was kinda nice.
Which was the scary part. -_-

Waking up and thinking about the reality of it,
having to put aside money to raise a child,
not being able to run off on holidays any time i want anymore,
and holy hell what if i fucked up and raised a demon,
is pretty damn scary.

That afternoon, as i was cheerfully hanging my colourful laundry from Tioman,
i overheard the neighbour’s kid daughter in the kitchen.
“Mommyyyy, could you please help me take the thing… please?”

Aww, so cute that she says please, i thought, i’d jolly well make sure that any future children of mine say their Ps and Qs!

*after 2 seconds*

“Why?! I said I WANT IT MOMMY! I WANT IT!!! I WANT IT NOW!!!!”

And just like that, my face went  while hanging my clothes,
while whatever thoughts transmitted by my biological clock were squashed.

For now anyway.

Related post:
My Biological Clock Lied To Me

One thing that i insisted on buying on and placing there from when i started staying over more,
was specific body wash and body lotion for myself.

Yes, he has body wash, but i found it too harsh for me (maybe it’s just in my head)
and always went, “Gah!” when i used it.

So weeks ago, i went out and bought what i was using on all my holidays (it’s also my travel body wash)
so i’d smell different and more feminine of sorts.
I don’t want to smell the same as my man!

Not very romantic, so i think.

I also have bottles of Johnson’s Body Care body lotion everywhere…
i’d have one on my office desk (when i was still working full time),
in my travel bags,
in my handbags,
next to my bed…

I figure i can blame this obsession with Johnson’s Body Care on my mum,
as she was using it on me when i was a baby,
and i’ve never stopped liking it ever since!

It’s moisturizing,
makes me supersoft,
affordable (so i can throw one everywhere!)
and the scent isn’t too overwhelming for me.

Plus… they just launched a new range of Johnson’s Body Care body lotion specially designed for women:
one with 24-hour lasting moisture,
another with aromatherapy to melt away stress,
and another with Daily UV protection.

Now i feel like quickly finishing all my current ones
so i can try the new ones -_-

Next month, Johnson’s Body Care will be teaming up with Malaysian fashion designers PU3 and Carven Ong,
to put on a fashion show in tribute to softness.

Johnson’s Body Care… and fashion?
That’s a first!

I have a pair of nude ruched leggings from PU3 which i love,
and can’t wait to see how they translate their sketches below to the runway!

As for Carven Ong, he’s such a veteran in the Malaysian fashion industry
having first showed at MODA in 1991,
and continuously showing on ASEAN runways thereafter.

Besides the fashion show,
there’ll be very exclusive prizes to be won (i’m hoping it’s something we can take home and wear!)
and Johnson’s Body Care products specially designed for women to be given away.

Just click on to the Facebook page : www.facebook.com/JBC
and ‘Like’ for regular updates on what’s going on and what’s to come!

As for me,
i’m just gonna wait and see what the whole event’s gonna be like on
Friday 14th May @ Suria KLCC.

Got the works:
Blood test, urine test, pap smear,
medicine for some skin condition,
oral contraceptive consultation,
and hmm that’s it.

Even went so far as to drop by the optician right after,
to find out what my current power *really* is.

It’s increased by 50  (to a blind 500)
as has my astigmatism 

On a more positive note, i grew taller by 1cm!

I’m still growing!

Haha!

Back to more serious stuff.

I don’t understand the whole taboo about getting a blood test…
I remember when i first joined Freeform, i told Adrian i’d be coming in to work an hour late,
cos i was gonna get my blood test.
He asked why,
and i said, why, doesn’t everyone get it every year?
And he said, no i don’t know where you’ve been.

-_-

Then another friend told me how his colleague overhead him telling the doctor on the phone that he wants to get a blood test, HIV and all the works,
and they freaked out.

-_-

I remember reading somewhere that you should get a full blood test
at least once a year (okay, so i didn’t get mine for two years but i went today!)
so you’d know how your organs are doing (i’m afraid for my liver)
as well as any abnormalities in certain cell count that suggest something’s wrong.

As for pap smears,
i recently blogged about how it can alert women to cervical cancer (the most common cancer amongst women after breast cancer)
so you can read about it there.

+

I got the most colourful pills i’ve ever been asked to take in my whole life…

for this fungal skin thing that’s been spreading on my back (panau?)
It’s not obvious nor serious,
but i’ve just been pretending it’s not there cos it doesn’t bother me.
And recently it has, cos i’m vain (there, i’m saying it)
and it’s getting more obvious and i just wanna get rid of it.

Then i asked the doctor bout oral contraceptive pills cos i’ve decided i will try it out again,
after not taking them since 6 years ago.
I’m thinking how ironic it is, cos just last year i was asked to write an advertorial about oral contraceptives,
and bluntly turned it down as i couldn’t relate to it (nor did i want to bluff)
and why can’t people just use a freaking condom?!

Then now that urm we’re using condoms like they’re free,
i started discussing with other girlfriends the best pill to use.
So far, all seem to be around the same,
with minimal side effects. (I got Regulon.)

Girls on Twitter were asking about whether they cause weight gain.
From my memories of the pill in college, yes, they did cause me to put on a lot of weight (5kg!)
but it may have also been attributed from late night snacking on a daily basis.

I just wanna know… what pills are you on?
Do you get any side effects?
I just wanna know, so if it sounds better,
i may switch brand!

It’s about time i did.

On a few occasions while chatting to various girlfriends,
the topic of health, taking annual blood tests, and Pap smears came up.

Out of all these girls i spoke to,
only half of them went for these check ups.
After they heard all our (the ones who went) reasons on why you HAVE and MUST go for them,
there were 2 reactions to it:
1. They said they’d go, and did. 
2. They said they’d go, but never did. 

To be honest, i’m kinda appalled…
(and i really don’t want to be like your mother nagging you about something you as an adult should make a mature decision to do!)

I know you may feel shy on having to spread your legs for a gynae,
or you may say it’s expensive.
Or you’re just lazy.

But this is your health we’re talking about.
Not something where you can turn back time and WISH you went for a check up -
so you could have prevented an infection (you didn’t even know you have) from getting worse,
or some imbalance in abnormal cells in your vajayjay (that prove as an early detection tool against cervical cancer).

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women (after breast cancer)
Here are some figures for you to understand how widespread the disease is:

Globally,

500,000 cervical cancer cases are reported annually
80% or more of these cases are from developing countries
270,000 deaths occur each year from cervical cancer
Every 2 minutes, a woman dies of cervical cancer

In Asia Pacific,

266,000 cervical cancer cases are diagnosed in Asia Pacific
143,000 women from this figure die from this disease
41% of women in developing countries receive necessary treatment to survive
Every 4 minutes, a woman dies of cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is caused by the HPV virus (amongst other factors like smoking, and sexual habits)

It’s estimated that 50-80% of women will acquire a genital HPV infection in their lifetime,
with 50% of those infections potentially cancer-causing.

Now, there are over 100 types of the HPV virus.
Out of these 100, 15 of them cause cancer.
And out of these 15, there are 2 particular ones (HPV 16 and 18) that cause up to 70% of ALL cervical cancers worldwide.

Good fact: There is a vaccine targeted at HPV 16 & 18, potentially preventing 70% of cervical cancers.
Scary fact: Progression of cervical cancer disease may have no symptoms hence it can remain undetected.

I know i project such a live-fast-and-die-young image, 
but i’m also not in denial of preventive measures i can take for my own wellbeing. 

I myself have regularly gone for Pap smears for the past 7 years,
and got my cervical cancer vaccination shot last year  (i just didn’t blog about it whoops).

To take this further,
i’ve recently joined the National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM)
as one of their Digital Ambassadors on board their Power Over Cervical Cancer (POCC) campaign
[supported by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)]

A media event was held two weeks ago at twenty.one kitchen + bar,
to launch the Pink Mobile for 2010.

The Pink Mobile is a vehicle that will be making scheduled stops nationwide.
At the Pink Mobile, women are encouraged to complete the Cervical Cancer Risk Questionnaire,
to build awareness and create public involvement.

For EVERY Cervical Cancer Risk Questionnaire completed, GSK will contribute RM1 to the National Cancer Society of Malaysia.

In 2009, a total of 14,526 people took the questionnaire,
hence the same amount in RM was donated on that day at the event:

Dr. Saunthari (NCSM) & Mr. Choong Kit Son (GSK Business Unit Dir.)

The event also introduced the new Digital Ambassadors for 2010: myself, Niki Cheong, Serena C, Joe Lee, and Yvonne Foong.
Other ambassadors for Power Over Cervical Cancer: Rina Omar (who emceed that day), Jay Menon, Pamela Chong, Vanessa Chong, Sarimah Ibrahim,  Siow Hui Mei, and Genevieve Sambhi.

Dr. Saun speaking to us in all seriousness about NCSM
Quick facts about NCSM:
- established in 1966 to provide education, care and support services for ppl affected by cancer
- financed entirely by voluntary contributions from the public
- is the first cancer-related NGO established in Malaysia

Genevieve Sambhi (herself a survivor of cervical cancer), me, Niki

What You Can Do

1. Get your Pap smears done at least once a year
It doesn’t take long, it assures you everything’s okay down south, and it gives you peace of mind.

2. Enquire about cervical cancer vaccination
Your family doctor will know. Just ask.
Different ages require different vaccinations.

3. Take the Cervical Cancer Risk Questionnaire and forward it to family and friends
Take the Risk Test *here* and RM1 will be donated to NCSM
Email your friends and family to do it, blog about it, tweet about it.

*Males are also eligible to take the Cervical Cancer Risk Questionnaire (because you all have mothers/sisters/cousins kan)

For more, visit:
www.pocc.com.my
www.cancer.org.my

+ + + + + +

(i don’t even like this picture but whatevs -_-)

Other media coverage:

Utusan, 8 Feb 2010

[click for larger view]

The Star, 8 Feb 2010

[click for larger view]

Related articles:

Klubbkidd: Buat Kaum Hawa
Niki Cheong: Bloggers Against Cervical Cancer

The Star: Creating Awareness on Cervical Cancer 2010
Sun2Surf: Facing up to Cervical Cancer 2010
Life & Times: Cover Story 2009

But i say it was the longest yee sang cos it’s different when you do it with friends than with family
With family, it always has to be more polite and appropriate
With friends, all the *genuine* prosperous thoughts we wish for ourselves come tumbling out

All 5 of us stood up and started chanting different things at random:

“More luck!”
“Good time at work!”
“More sex!”
“More good sex!”
“More clothes!”
“More SHOES!”
“More holidays!”
“More shrooms!”
“More hot men!”
“More creative men!”
“More NORMAL MEN!”
“Hahaha!!!”

After a while, half of us sat down while some still stood up, chopstick in air, “Wait… i’m sure there are more things we want to say!”

We continued for longer till we were thoroughly satisfied with all we wanted

We tossed yee sang so high, some ended up in the chinese tea cups

Dhanya shocked the bejesus out of us by bringing ang pow to give us
“Babe… that’s really really sweet, but you can’t give us ang pow! You must be married..! Unless you’re giving to your parents…”
“Really?”
“Yeah… it’s bad luck for us AND for you to give us ang pow! You gotta be married la!”
“Oh, but… i’m married to myself! Does that count?”

Line of the day can die.

Woman is so festive she even brought fortune cookies for each of us.
Too cute.

Mine read:

I turned to her: “I don’t think this is a fortune cookie. This is like a con cookie. Anyone of us could be this!”
“… i can give you another one if you don’t like your fortune…” she turns around to reach into her giant handbag.

It’s near impossible even to pretend-play at being angry with her.

0_-

Anyway we ordered way too much and ate till we had to drink wine after dinner instead of other filling drinks
Had hotplate tofu, assam fish, chilli chicken, sweet and sour pork (for the white girl), and kangkung belacan

Mmmmmmmmmm

I told them about my gross episode on throwing up in my mouth from eating too much
And each of them contributed a story of the same
(Save for SpankyCammy who salah concept and told a story of her throwing up and out instead)

So i’m not the weird one after all!
OR… maybe we’re all kinda weird
That’s why we’re friends ha ha

We arrived at Gardens hotel to see an insanely long line for the buffet dinner.

(No, this isn’t the line, this is a simple shot of people on one side of the room as i ate)

We settled for salad and fruits instead, where there was no queue.

Don’t get us wrong, (hmm salahwrong.. ha ha) we love our salads and fruits.
But when one is starving… fibre alone just doesn’t cut it.

I peeked into the main hall area where the yoga and dance workshop was to be held…

Saw WhackyDaph hosting something for the cam…

We got ushered into another room at the back where some of the more well-known personalities were, to make an appearance.
I was chatting to them when people started taking pictures of us, and i realised i did NOT fit into the picture theme, what with my work clothes and all!

0_-

Ninie, WhackyDaph, DeborahHenry, SunshineySteph

Ninie, the superbly flexible yoga instructor

Picture courtesy of Femmething

SpicySazzy looking like she’s doing a watch ad

Picture courtesy of Femmething

Ninie looks like she has more muskels than Henry (who’s the new 8tv Quickie host if you didn’t know. Well i haven’t watched yet. I’m never at home :p)

After all the camwhoring and canoodling around, everyone went into the main hall as the event was about to start.

Supermodel AmberChia went on stage the first to, well, pose (which is what she does best ey?)

All the photographers who couldn’t get enough of taking shots…

All the celebs took turn going on stage to pose for the cam.

And then the yoga classes started…

Picture courtesy of Femmething

I was obvoiusly a spectator more than a participant cos i had to rush off.
But i have to say… everyone looked so into it, i wish i didn’t have another event to commit to, else i’d be trying to join in the twisting and exercise.

Looks so calm… non?

Picture courtesy of Femmething

Best picture for last:

Auntie cannot make it.

Picture courtesy of Femmething

I know, i still have my events and meetings, but i skip them when i can (damn. i’m outgrowing the events…) and try to squeeze in dinners to relax, Me time, or KBF-blog time.

Anyway, my new hobby is… getting a massage after work.
Okay.
It’s not really a hobby because one can only get so many massages without some physical backlash (getting too many ain’t too good for you either!).

So far, i usually go for my massages over the weekend, but of recent i’ve tried two new things:
1. Male masseuse
2. Massage after work

It started when i went for one with DarlingDhanya and they only had male masseuse available.
Not being fussy or stuffy about it, i went ahead with the massage and it was fantastic.
There *is* a difference between being massaged by tiny female fingers and large male ones!

Craving bolognese from Delicious all afternoon at work, i caught Dhanya for dinner and set my appointment just as we were about to finish.
“Is… *whispers to Dhanya – who’s your usual guy? Jo?* Is Jo in today? No? Oh okay, can i have Andy then… ok cool, 11:30.”

I put down the phone and turned to Dhanya, “… what i just said sounded kinda dodge…”
**********************

On a note totally unrelated to massages, check out The Nut Graph, coming soon.

*******************

Eleanor Ng wrote an article for Tongue in Chic which came with the picture below.

Yes, it gave me a shock too.
Read her post *here*.
It’s excellent, i kid you not.
*******************

Oh and i’m loving some of the entries for the Heineken/Chelsea FC contest so far, might put some up over the weekend to inspire the rest of you – they made me guffaw outright.

I am a lip balm girl.

Without lip balm, i will literally just bleed and die.
Okay. I was exaggerating. I might not die, but i sure as hell will bleed!
I have lips which are very sensitive and every time the weather takes a turn for the hotter or the wetter, they’d get dry really easily, just like when i was in Chiang Mai two months ago.

They used to be worse when i was in school.
Licking of lips would ensue in further cracking and redness, resulting in them being so painful, they’d go numb.
You think i’m joking?
Man, i used to pore over my Add Math book, oblivious to the condition of my lips due to the fact that they were so painful, i couldn’t even tell what their condition was anymore.

At one point of time, Angeline or Yishyene (my high school mates) made me laugh so much, i laughed/stretched my lips till they accidentally cracked and bled unto the square-patterned book, much to my shock.

To a point when i wake up in the morning to brush my teeth and opening my ClosedForTheNight mouth was such torture, they’d crack and bleed.

Trust me.

If anyone had problems which lip balm solved, i have. *raises up hand*

After incidences and experiments of going through various lip balm brands, i finally pinpointed the culprit brand (which i’m not going to state), plus it didn’t help that i was allergic to a particular chemical in particular brand.
So yes.
I cannot afford to go out without a lip balm in my handbag.

To avoid having to shift lip balms from one bag to another, i usually have one in each.
Which is why i think Lip Ice’s price for their Colour Lipbalm is very decent at RM12.90.
They have 6 shades – Pretty Pink, Hazel Rose, Hazel Blush, Candy Apple, Fresh Plum and Peach Cream.
Each (naturally) have a super moisture retention formula and AcHA (Sodium Acetyl Hyaluronate, as well as contains Vitamin E, Lanolin oil, Meadow Foam Seed Oil and Mango Seed Butter.

As you can see in the picture below, i only shot 4 out of the 6 variants…

… that they have available because i got too excited in opening two first.

To be fair, i wore it out all last month – office, events, parties.

I was putting some on at Starbucks @ Pavilion when QueenKanch, being the Makeup-Observer that she is, noticed it.
“Eh, Joyce, what’s that?”
“Oh, it’s this Lip Ice thing… nice ar?”
She scrutinized, then went, “Nice, nice,” while nodding her head approvingly.
Okay. When the queen of make up says it’s nice. Then by damn, it must be nice.

I wore it out to one of the Kent parties on a Friday as well.

DatinTini + i

This is what i was wearing then, the Lipice Colour Lipbalm in Hazel Blush -

And that was when i, urm, got greedy, tore open another package to chuck into another handbag ‘cos i didn’t want to go digging for the first one.
Lipice Colour Lipbalm in Candy Apple -

Besides the Lip Ice Colour Lipbalm, there are two other types:
- Lip Ice Color Gloss, for when you really want to draw attention to your lips at parties.
- Lip Ice Sheer Color, for a more natural tinge during the daytime.

Needless to say, gloss is gloss la.

With LipIce gloss, it goes on evenly and its texture allows you to apply a slightly thicker layer of gloss should you want more glam coverage.
The Lip Ice Sheer Color, on another hand, supposedly gives lips a light pinkish tinge.
When i opened it, i was like, “Sheer colour..? More like no colour okay -_-”

But i did the hand test, and there *was* colour.

Seeing its colour’s really sheer, i’d say my best bet for wearing this is to wear it
- in the daytime.
- when you’ve done your eyes up dramatic, as to play down the lips.
- over other matte lip colours you already own, to alter its colour as well as add moisture.

I got a few, to which in fairy happiness i gave out to my close friends and colleagues, but guess what!
I was thinking that because Lip Ice seems kinda fairy-like, i’m going to send three readers one each, with a fairy card! All you have to do is tell me what was the most memorable lippy situation you had (kinkybluefairy@gmail.com), it could be like my horrible lipbalm allergy story, your first kiss, anything at all. The story just has to involve lips ;)You get a Lip Ice and a Fairy card!

Added Note:
Argh, some of you are sending to joycethefairy@gmail.com. No, don’t! It’s mixing up with my other emails..!
Remember send to kinkybluefairy@gmail.com
Contest ends Sunday 16th March 2008

Added Note #2:
Sorry, but only for residents of Malaysia…
Also, please keep it to less then 500 words… some of you are writing super long stories, walau 0_o

And not just any Fairy card. But a Flower Fairy card from M&S
I have so many and what better way to send Lip Ice then in a Flower Fairy card.
I’m sending it out of sheer fairy-lovin’ happiness and joy and spreading fairy love and… Okay fine. You got me. I’m just starting my fairy cult okay.