✈ Day 1 in Bangkok: Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)

Greetings people! Finally I can cross out one of my bucket list, which is travelling to Bangkok!!!! I'm still super duper excited about the trip even if it was a month ago so please bear with me with the extra exclamation mark(s) teehee :p It is my first time travelling to overseas and so to Bangkok, so I can't really express how excited and happy I am now! Besides that, Bangkok, which known as the shopping paradise gives an extra excitement to all the shopaholics out there (included me) keke

I just can't hide my over excited face when I was about to board the plane and fly to bkk ✈

Touch down in Bangkok around 3pm, unload our baggage at hotel and here we go! 4D3N free and easy at bkk woohoo :D According to our itinerary, our first stop would be Wat Pho, temple of the Reclining Buddha. Yes, a little sightseeing before we go shopping like cray cray! Took the Chao Phraya express boat instead of cab to avoid traffic jam while enjoying the magnificent river view as I've heard that Bangkok has really bad traffic.

We spotted many food stalls along the road to Wat Pho and this is one of the local street food, Gluay Ping, which is grilled bananas. Priced at 10 Baht each and they taste equally good! Yummm..

Wat Pho, the official name being Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn, is the first grade royal monastery, regarded as the most important one during the reign of King Rama I of the Chakri Dynasty. The importance of this is due to the King having managed the restoration of Wat Phodharam, an old monastery from the Ayudhya period, and had it re-established as a royal monastery located near the Grand Palace. Some ashes of King Rama I were also kept under the pedestal of the principal Buddha image known as Phra Buddha Theva Patimakorn in the main chapel.

Prior to the temple's founding, the site was a centre of education for traditional Thai medicine and statues were created showing yoga positions. Hence, the temple is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage. If you've never tried a traditional Thai massage before, Wat Pho is a good place to experience this popular leisure activity. It's quite different to most other forms of therapeutic massage and tends to be invigorating rather than relaxing, incorporating yoga style postures to relieve stress and improve blood circulation. Kindly visit www.watpomassage.com for their types of massage therapy available and list price.

Introduce you my travel partners, Carynn on the left and Jessica on the right! Look at our happy faces before we start the temple tour ^_^ Boyfriend was there too but he hates to visit temple so he waited for us outside there :p

Had fun touring around the temple and we were so fascinated by the beautiful pagodas and function halls there especially their carvings are so detailed and fine :) Such a great work!

Had my favourite panorama shot with the so called "Buddha" pose :P

And here comes the main attraction of the day, the Reclining Buddha. It was crafted to celebrate King Rama III's restoration from year 1824 till 1851. At 150 ft long and 49 ft high, it is believed to be the largest Buddha image in Thailand.

Gilded with gold leaf and featured in the "Lion sleep" position, everyone was trying to find the best spot to catch a glimpse of the Reclining Buddha and take pictures with him as there are so many pillars in the temple. And so do I :P

The murals located above the doors and the windows, illustrate the story of mahavong, which was the history of Buddhism and the Singhalese King in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Whereas the murals located on Kho Song (the secondary beam places below the main roof beam), illustrate the heaven at Tavatimsa (name of the second heavenly abode, of which Sakka is the King) and the battle between Thevada (heavenly beings) and Asura (demons).

The Buddha's feet are exquisitely decorated in mother-of-pearl illustrations of auspicious characters of the Reclining Buddha. 108 is a significant number, referring to the 108 positive actions and symbols that helped lead Buddha to perfection. I just can't help but to admire this beautiful piece of art.

There are 108 bronze bowls in the corridor indicating the 108 auspicious characters of the Reclining Buddha. People drop coins in these bowls as it is believed to bring good fortune and to help the monks to maintain the wat. Though the Reclining Buddha is not a pilgrimage centre, it remains an object of popular piety.

"Wat Pho provides a fascinating glimpse into how seamlessly Buddhist religion and Thai culture blend. Incredible in every way!" quoted by Highlander from Texas on tripadvisor.com.

It's such a waste that we didn't get to visit the whole temple due to time constraint but overall it was a great experience. I would love to revisit the temple, leave my footprints in every corner of Wat Pho and end my day with a traditional Thai massage there. You may refer to the map below when you're planning your visit to Wat Pho or drop me a message if you have any inquiries :)

Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)
2 Sanamchai Road, Grand Palace Subdistrict,
Pranakorn District, Bangkok 10200.


View Larger Map

Transportation:
BTS Skytrain Silom line to Saphan Taksin station, head to Chao Phraya Express Boat pier and take Chao Phraya express boat with orange colour flag (15 Baht) from there. Get off at Tha Tien pier (N8), walk to the main road, Maharaj road and you will see Wat Pho on your right hand side diagonally.

Operating hour: 8:00AM - 6:00PM daily
Entrance fee: 100 Baht comes with a bottle of mineral water

Website: www.watpho.com

Read More

---

[Beauty Review] Cerro Qreen Cosmetic Makeup Brush Set Fibre Wool in Pink

Thanks to Natta Cosme, the best present was delivered right to my doorstep during last year's Christmas - Cerro Qreen cosmetic makeup brush set fibre wool in pink. Oh yes, I was so lucky being chosen to review this cosmetic makeup brush and I just can't wait to try it out! ^_^ For your information, Cerro Qreen is based in the United States and has been considerately producing professional makeup brushes with countless varieties dedicated to prettify your makeup. Girls, don't miss out the chance for an affordable makeup brushes set and guys, scroll down for more if you're looking for the perfect valentine's present for your loved one. :)

Small treat by Natta Cosme, how sweet of them :)

Don't you just love the simple yet fashionable pink cosmetic case? It also comes with a long strap which makes it even more handy and convenient where you can just pack your makeup brushes in seconds!

The cosmetic pouch also comes with a special partition to put your makeup brushes and cover with plastic for hygienic purposes. I just fell in love with the makeup brush set once I got it on my hands before even I'm using it. Double thumbs up for the packaging (Y)

For the price of RM 36.90, there are 7 pieces of makeup brush ranging from powder brush, eyeshadow brush, eyebrow, eyeliner and even eyelash brush as you can see in the picture below. The brushes are made up of 0.05mm mini fibre as it is more comfortable and equipped with anti-bacterial property. Hence, it is the best choice for people who are sensitive to products made from animals' bristles. As for the wooden brush handle, it is made of synthetic material rods and each brush has the label of "Cerro Qreen" on it.

I know there are many makeup brush set selling out there but there are always some brushes that you unlike use them right? Besides, buying one brush by one brush costs more than buying a brush set and hence Cerro Qreen cosmetic makeup brush set is your perfect choice! It contains 7 pieces of makeup brush not only for your face, but for your eyes as well. It's the most basic makeup brush set that every beauty lovers should have!

One of my favourite brush is powder brush as it is so fluffy and soft compared to the others. The synthetic bristles are ideal for picking up the perfect amount of powder and the plump shape complements the circular movements need to apply mineral powders. Whether you are working with foundation, bronzer or blush, it will help you to achieve your desired look :)

Ever since I have my own brush set, I'm trying to pick up my makeup skill and I realize that brushes do enhance my makeup. Now I know why people are dying to get the full makeup brush set :P For those who are interested, head over to Natta Cosme's website as they have a wide variety of makeup brushes (7, 10 or even 18 pieces) in different colours (blue, purple, green, yellow...) with 20% off! Yes, with 20% discount, now you can get the makeup brush set at RM 29.52 instead of RM 36.90! RM 4.22 for one brush, the best deal isn't it? :) I would definitely recommend this brush set to all make up junkies, students and beginners!


For more information, please visit
Website: www.nattacosme.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/NattaCosme

Read More

---

Press Closing of Eulogy Writing Competition 2013

10th January 2014 marks the day of press closing and announcement of winners for Eulogy Writing Competition 2013. The eulogy writing competition titled "Appreciating Our Ancestors and Love Ones" held by YouthsToday.com in collaboration with Obpedia.com, aims to create filial piety among the Malaysian Youths and remembering their ancestors. It's also the way to make youth's today to think a creative way to deliver the message of honoring their ancestors. 

"In conjunction with Obpedia.com and YouthsToday.com to promote Filial Piety among college youths and also to promote English writing in colleges, we came up with the idea for an eulogy-writing competition and we were pleasantly surprised. We thought the response would be poor as we felt that the younger generation of Malaysians are generally out of touch of values such as filial piety, but we are glad to be wrong. We are very pleased to see many wanting to write about their ancestors and the stories were indeed very inspirational and truly touched," said the founder of Obpedia.com, Kevin Leow.

Mr. Mohd Ar Rahman Hussin, director of Academy Belia, also shows his support towards the eulogy writing competition. Having been involved with volunteer work since his university days, he is passionate about creating youth leaders who are undoubtedly the future of our beloved Malaysia. Started his career in the pharmaceutical industry, he has experiences in multiple fields that includes journalism, politics and media prior to Academy Belia, a civil society organization dedicated to empowering policy and holistic youth development program which aims to produce a number of young leaders in various fields.

A brief introduction of Obpedia.com, Asia's first internet based portal that provides a place to create Obituary, Memorials, Pet memorials and sending messages through e-mails and mobile phone. This portal provides a specific site that is interactive for posting information and also acts as a notification service for direct and personal invitation to relatives and friends on information such as the location of the funeral wake service, memorial services, religious prayer times, cremation and burial information.

It is a web portal for the families, friends and the loved ones to access the obituary of the departed and to express condolences messages, tribute's and sharing of memorable stories, photo's and video's. These moments are irreplaceable. The portal also creates a family tree should family members connect to their website. This will then create a great ancestral family tree, years later for the families. A place for the future generations to remember, treasure and memorize the achievement of the dearly departed, that's what Obpedia.com for.

As the press closing of eulogy writing competition goes on, it's time for the announcement of winners and prize giving ceremony. And here's the first runner-up, Kum Peng Han holding his prizes, RM1,500 :)

 Andddd.... *drum rolls* the grand winner of eulogy writing competition, Jassie Looi! Jassie was unable to attend the press closing as she was stuck in traffic jam and hence someone took the prize for her instead. Anyway, congratulations on your winnings! :)

So the eulogy writing competition 2013 has ended officially with a group photo of the directors and winners. I believe that there will be more competitions/events in the future to promote filial piety among the Malaysian youths and produce more young leaders. Stay tuned! :)

Read More

---

#Throwback Christmas Potluck with the Butterfly Project 2013

Good morning everyone!! An overdue post but I would love to share with you guys the beauty of nature at Sekeping Sin Chew Kee and how much we enjoyed ourselves during the Christmas potluck ♥ I first heard about Sekeping Retreats was few years back when we were planning for a weekend getaway to Sekeping Serendah but we didn't make it at last due to sister's busy schedule. The Sekeping Retreats is a project consisting of guesthouses with modern architecture and a clever combination of nature and space. It now includes a total of eight guesthouses in Klang Valley, Serendah, Ipoh and Penang. Now let's explore the beauty of nature at Sekeping Sin Chew Kee together :)

Step by step, walking towards the heaven of Sekeping Sin Chew Kee...

The places are very much like "fairy in the jungle" eh? :P Seriously I love their interior designs so much especially the one at Sekeping Serendah as I've always wanted to stay in a glass house aww... The Sekeping Retreats have been a frequent choice for small weddings, engagement parties and even bridal showers lately. Their natural light and dramatic spaces have also attracted many couples looking for locations to shoot their bridal portraits. I would like to have mine taken at such beautiful places too :P

Christmas decorations by the Butterfly Project, so pretty right? :D I wish to have a Christmas tree at my house too..

And again, Christmas presents by the Butterfly Project! They are like the Santa Claus, surprises keep coming up :)

Another surprise when we saw 123cheese.my photobooth setting up at downstairs!!! They have been sponsoring for the Butterfly Project's events few times before and I gotta say I love their services very much :) And look at the Christmas props they've prepared awww... We took tons of pictures that day since we have reached early and there was no people at the photobooth :D

Meet Sabrina and Lizzie (from the left)! Had a great time with them that day :)

Around 7:30pm, it's time for food feast!!!! Since it was raining outside and traffic jam around KL area, most of them were late and it has been a little delay. Hence when we heard the word "You can start eating already", everyone was rushing to get their tableware and fooods! And I quickly grab myself a Unagi sushi as I was aiming for that since long ago :P yum yummm

Yummy satay by Aidazura Sadzi :)

Chocolate pretzel cookies by Edazz :) grabbed a few while waiting for everyone to come :p

Sushi platter by Nicole and it was finished in minutes woots!

Sweet canai by Chocky. Mummy always make this for me at home, it tastes nicer if you wrap it with ice cream :D

5kg roasted turkey by the Butterfly SWAT team. I was pretty excited as it's my first time eating turkey but it actually just tastes like chicken :/

One of my favourite dessert - blueberry boy bait cake by Nurliyana ♥ Gotta ask her for recipe and try to make one myself too teehee

Thanks to Kinohimitsu, they have sponsored 100 bottles of beauty drink for the party :D

Sorry that I didn't managed to take pictures of all the foods as we were too busy eating :P A real food feast as there were about 40 types of foods range from appetizer, main course, snacks and desserts. All thanks to Swee San for managing the food list and ensure everyone is bringing different food :) After that, it's time to exchange Christmas present and photobooth session again!

Behind the scenes: Shivani smiling brightly and she's looking gorgeous here!

Thanks God the photos were uploaded yesterday and just in time for me to blog about it. Here are some of my favourite pictures that we took that day :D

Super sweet looking girl I've met during the party, Melody :)

Ended with a picture of mine :) Seriously the place is so beautiful that you can just take your #ootd shots anywhere or even just a random corner of the house. For those who are interested in Sekeping Retreats, you may log on to their website, www.sekeping.com and have a look of their different type of guesthouses. I would recommend Sekeping Serendah, which is just one hour drive away from KL, as I'm planning for a getaway with family/friends soon x ♥

Read More

---