Albany

Anh and I had the most splendid weekend when we visited my brother in Albany.

It was a 6 hour bus ride to get there but was good fun because Anh kept me company (we did nothing but eat in the bus hehehehe).

Chicko rolls for the bus ride

Now I said 'splendid' because thats the impression I got of this small country town.

Its like a very cosy little english village.  The weather is very cold and houses look the part.

Its a beautiful town and one I'd definitely visit again.

Doggie

Above is a picture of Albany's peaceful protest against the construction of a new building. Take that you construction company - eat our socks!

I'll visit Albany again because Mark tells me there's fishing to be done!  Hehehe. Speaking of fishing, my brother surprised us all by taking us whale watching!  It was such a cool adventure.  Our captain was funny and charming and he really made us feel like we were in an adventure to catch Moby Dick.

Thankfully we didn't have to wait very long to spot some Humpback whales!

Man these things are massive!! (I'm kicking myself for not brining my telescopic lens!)

We did lots of sightseeing - Denmark was just as beautiful (although the town was so empty!)

Best of all it was nice to spend time with my bro again.  We watched the soccer that night and ate home made leek and potato soup with pan fried snapper.

Facial Foam and Eye Roll-on

Han Hyo-ju and Mun Chae-won are so cute.  Brilliant Legacy is one of my favourite series

I have an unhealthy obsession with Korean Dramas.

Like very unhealthy.

So much that I'm upset at my parents for not making me Korean.

Lolz.

The thing is, I went for almost a year without watching Koreans.  Then I bought two K-drama series for my parents in KL.  I wanted to spend time watching these with them but I ended up being super hooked instead!  

And when I get hooked, I get hooked bad!  Late nights, neglicting house work - I've even neglected my PS3!

*shudder*

The late nights are especially bad because I feel tired and lethargic the next day.  And don't even mention the bags!  The puffy dark circles around my eyes - they are my testament to late night K-drama and gaming! 

Thankfully I bought some Men's facial products when we were in KL.  I'm not really a big fan of cosmetic stuff (especially for men), but these products had me wanting to try it out.

The facial cream I wanted to try out because its got whitening!  I don't think they sell this Australia because eryone here is trying to tan themselves instead lolz. 

But the thought of being white enough to be Korean did cross my mind when I bought this.

And eye roll-on I wanted to try if helps with my raccoon eyes.

After a few weeks of using them, it felt like both products were working, but I wasn't entirely sure.  I thought I'd better get evidence before I start proclaiming their wonders.

So I used both diligently for two weeks.  Applying both in the morning and both in the evening.  Then I compared before and after photos for myself.

And the results? 

Well..  I'm not really sure if the skin whitening worked.  The photos didn't turn any conclusive evidence because taking photos a week after changed a lot of settings.  

I'll continue to use the skin whitening foam until the tube runs out.  When someone mistakes me for Korean it's definitely working  (although someone did tell my fiancé that she looked pale and she's using a similar product so maybe it is working).

What I will attest to is the eye roll-on.  You can see the before and after shots after a week of use.

I stayed up watching Koreans for this experiment! Left photo the result of a few sleepless nights.  Right is a week later after using the eye roll on.  The dark lines are still there but the puffiness is gone. Its in black and white so i could match the photo contrasts better.

But then I thought, what if my puffy eyes disappeared just because I slept better that week?  

Hmmm. Good point.

So I improved my experiement and applied it only to one eye!!!

Anh begged me to stop the experiment because she didn't want to marry me with one funny eye (she doesn't see the sacrifice I do for science?) 

But anyhows I agreed to her request and only tried the one-eyed experiment for a few days.

I also agreed not to do the skin whitening test on only one half of my face.

Slight fold on my left eye which I didn't use the roll on.  Why are my eyes so sleepy? And how come my eyelids are not symmetrical? Lolz

Anyways that ends my product review.  Quite good I reckon.  I need to do more extensive studies so I'll get more of these roll on things.  They're like $15 here in Australia but only about half the price in KL.

Birthday Bash

Just wanted to post some quick pics from my birthday bash.   We all had a great time getting all Mexican with friends and family.

Very special thanks to my Anh who made the night possible.

Sorry about the lack of posts lately.  I've been busy studying and working.

And by studying I mean watching Korean dramas.
And by working I mean playing on the PlayStation3.

Season Ender - Thirty

In a couple of days I'm hitting the big three-oh.

That's quite amazing when you consider how much time that is.

Thirty years!

That's a lot of birthdays and Christmases and sleeping and laughing and fighting and showering and drinking and walking and singing and twittering working and playing and worrying and training and reading and swimming and farting and blogging and complaining and fishing and....well, you get the picture!

But I'm really grateful of my first 30 years. My family's been the best and I have the most awesome friends. And I'm soon to be married to the most beautiful person. I'm very lucky and I hope to share this happiness to those around me.

So what happens now? I mean, apart from the cookie Mexican party we're throwing this saturday, what's the next evolutionary stage for thirty-somethings?
What happens when you turn thirty?

I guess the same thing that happens every other day. You continue to learn and love new things. You get a little wiser.

And whole lot more crazy.