Instant Home Make Over

This post is probably too late to be called Chinese New Year posting, but wat the heck, I just wanted to share this and here I go:

BEFORE the translucent front of my IKEA chest of drawers made it look super messy and cheap (at HK$499, it really IS cheap)

AFTER georgeous, tidy, sophisticated. Now I can truly stash all of my treasures (read: rubbish) in these 3 drawers.

Super easy to do: I bought a roll of gift wrapping paper. Chose a pattern to fit the occasion/s (Chinese New Year/Valentine's). Cut paper to fit the front of drawer, stick paper with UHU glue. Voila! Instant make over.

I was contemplating sketching/painting/drawing something on a plain paper, but lucky I didn't go for it...well maybe some day. The wrapping paper is so much faster and easier. I could always change it from time to time. Maybe I'll try using local newspaper cut offs next time, and pretend that I got this chest of drawers from G.O.D hehee

My friend warned me for the tackiness of using the modern cutesy Rat decor. But it's the year of the rat, and this was a last minute impulse buy. Since the whole thing is too long to hang on top of my TV, I had to separate the bottom 4 and hung it on my door. 1 slap, 2 groups of (cute) rats.


AFTER the first day of Chines e New Year, I had time to walk (shop) around, and I found these adorable yellow Rat. Although it was too late, I still bought it and hung it in my bedroom. I also got a string of chillis with lettuce on top made of glass...(inviting: money money money)

to top it off...bunches of flowers never hurt. I got myself a hugeeee bunch of these purple cuties and spread them all over my (tiny) home. These babies are really long lasting. I'd rather spend my HK$40 on flowers each week than going out for lunch and I never think buying flowers for myself is pathetic. Hehe


Also read my Chinese New Year Food Adventure

Home Hair Coloring

I hateeee it when the hair color paste's splatterred all over my bathroom, towel, top, bathmat, EVERY WHERE. While I can't prevent and correct my clumsiness, I could stop it from splattering onto my top by cutting off the sides and the bottom of a huge plastic shopping bag (doesn't this baleno SALE shopping bag look hot?)
This is sooo NOT going to get me into Project Runway.

Oh yeah, I wore nothing underneath (now that's hot - kidding!! I had something not sexy underneath)

And this is the color I was going for. At HK$28, it is super duper good deal.

Growing Nationalism

For as long as I can remember, when I grew up and was staying in Indonesia, most people around me (including myself) craved foreign related products (so called - buatan luar negeri). Anything foreign was generally deemed superior compared to local products. This might get myself beaten up but honestly, I was not really into Indonesian products, people would make fun of me if I wore batik/kebaya (Indonesian traditional clothing), people would look down on me if I claimed that my favorite food is gudeg (Javanese traditional food) and people did roll of the floor laughing when I sang dang dut songs (Indonesian music). I would get accepted and probably admired if I wore Esprit/Benetton, dine and hung out at Pizza Hut, and listen to rock and roll. I loved everything foreign, and I seemed to have taken Indonesia for granted.

Strangely, when I moved overseas, first to Australia, then to Singapore and currently now I am in Hong Kong, my sense of nationalism towards Indonesian products has been ever-growing. I miss Indonesian products all the time, I regularly crave Indonesian food, I proudly say that I am Indonesian, JAVAnese, even when people thought I was JAPANese (this is a huge compliment since Japanese is perceived to be superior).

Every year, when I visit my home country, most of the time I just wanted to eat and drink everything Indonesian, I desperately seek for some more Indonesian ethnic decor for my home, bought loads and loads of batik clothing and wear it with pride in Hong Kong. OK, I went one step further, there was a day when I asked my colleagues to wear the Indonesian clothes they purchased during an event in Indonesia.

I gave out packets of Indomie (Indo's famous Instant noodles) to my colleagues and promoted the use of Kecap Manis in Hong Kong at BBQ/cooking party events with my friends. I sang Indonesian songs not only in karaoke (I just changed Japanese lyrics and made up the Indonesian version) but also in the office (this probably won't promote Indonesian music, this could kill it-I'm sorry, will try to stop. lol)

Maybe:
- Everybody misses things they can't get hold of
- Only realised they love something when the thing isn't as easily available
- Anything unattainable is crave-able
or some other reasons...

For whatever it is, despite all the minuses, there are so many good things about my country (not only Indomie and kecap manis yaaa)...So, I just know one thing: Saya Cinta Buatan Indonesia (I love Indonesian products), termasuk saya (which include myself) LOL!

*So much for Rita's Nationalism, she is just another female narcissistic pig*

Funny Valentine

The Importance of Flowers & Gifts on Valentine's Day

From a Valentine's Day Phone-In Interview:

Interviewer: So, what's your opinion on the importance of flowers and gifts on Valentine's day?

Girl: They are not important AT ALL, the whole point of Valentine's day is to celebrate your love, with your loved one... yada yada yada...bla bla bla...it is not a problem for me NOT to receive flowers/gifts/expensive Valentine's day celebration, don't waste money as everything gets expensive of Valentine's day. Unlike other girls, I am very considerate...yada yada yada...bla bla bla

Interviewer: So, to conclude, if your lover didn't give you flowers/gifts, you WON'T get PISSED, right?

Girl: (sounded pissed) What do you THINK?

Interviewer: . . .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A recent survey found that 70% of girls think that flowers and gifts are not the whole point of Valentine's day and they do NOT mind not receiving them.

On the other hand, 50% girls say that what they say does NOT reflect how they really feel

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HANDY TIPS
- ALWAYS give your girl/s flowers on Valentine's day, NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY
- Save cost by avoiding the popular Valentine flowers (instead of rose/s, get the chrysanthemum, or broccoli? lol), with lots of luck, you might get considered "unique" or "creative"
- Save cost by not buying the packaging (Opt for loosely packed bunches than neatly arranged bouquet ,or 1 stalk of flower minus ribbons and plastic box)


*Check out my cost-saving albeit Chaotic Valentine's Partee*

Valentine’$$$$$ Day

Valentine's Day in the super commercialized Hong Kong is an affair to remember, for its pricey-ness, especially for boys, but more importantly, for girls.

Exactly how much does LOVE cost on V-day?


BOYS might spend their dough on:

- Romantic dinner for 2 at restaurants which your girlfriend might find acceptable: HK$600 - 1000
- A bouquet of flowers delivered to her office, which must be big enough to impress her workmates (and provoke jealousy): HK$800 - 1000 (kindly note that number of blossoms is generally viewed as directly proportional to how much you love her)
- A box of chocolate (the minimum is HK$59 Ferrero roche, HK$200 Godiva earns you brownie points)
- A gift (ideally whatever bears any of the following labels: Gucci, Miu Miu, Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, or anything hot that season): starting from HK$1000
- A room in a hotel with sufficient stardom? (Sky is the limit) HK$5000


GIRLS might get buried in major (I repeat, MAJOR) debts for (ironically) adapting to the concept of “I don’t need no gift, YOU are already my gift” (quoted from the object of their affection).

Let me paint you a little picture. Girls might need:

The Outfit
Which conveys the following messages (If it is really possible):
- Hard to get, yet attainable
- Sexy, yet respectable
- Strong, yet vulnerable
- Successful, yet humble
- Sophisticated, yet down to earth
- Independent, yet a team player
= sexy undies, delicate tops, sophisticated jackets, vulnerable skirts, stiletto heeled leather boots, successful hand bags, independent watches, down to earth jewelry, etc etc etc (noticed the plurals? Girls buy several of each item, just in case ^_*) = $$$$$$

The Face, Body & Ass
- Hair styling (shampooing, conditioning, softening, volumizing, curling, straightening, coloring, styling)
- Hair removal (brows, underarms, arms, legs, face, butts, ears, back, chest, hello-hello? Wink wink)
- Skin care (cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, softening, perfume infusing)
- Nails (pink with lace, crystal, ribbons, etc. gel nail?)
- Make up (moisturizers, primer, foundation, concealer, powder, shadow, pen liners, pencil liners, bronzer, illuminator, highlighter, brow shaper, fake lashes, sparkly sparklers, cream blush, powder blush, lip balm, lip base, lipstick, lip pencil, lip gloss)
- Eye defining, new colored-contact lenses

The Love Pad
- New beddings (400 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets in hot pink-magenta hues)
- A new sofa (Thai silk covered, in passionate red shade)
- New throw pillows to compliment the sofa (preferably heart shaped?)
- Bouquets of flowers thrown all around the flat (so the guy would think he isn’t the only suitor)
- Room fragrance, something seductive (nono, bleach does NOT count)

I think you got the picture.

To conclude, A Super-Happy-Romantic-Amazing-Memorable Valentine is indeed, PRICELESS

I was Naive & Silly

My deepest apology to have posted something on this topic again...but it is ALL I heard at work, it is the thing that hits a PAUSE button on the usual inter-intra-departmental feuds, back-stabbing, responsibility-dodging, ball-dropping, blame-shifting & arse-licking activities.

So...I'd be NAIVE & SILLY not to post something.

A friend's cousin's husband (yeah right, it is TAT complicated) said that he admired Edison, as he could convince the starlets to take such provocative pictures.

Ehmmmmm...I don't think there ever was any convincing necessary, since the starlets were probably:

Super Narcissistic
Therefore, won't pass on any photo opportunity, the photoes are just a medium to admire themselves afterwards

Willing, if not Eager
When else you can take hot pics with such a hot guy

Better him than Nobody
It is better to be in hot pics with Edison Chen than any Average-Joe-Nobody

Ofcourse, Naive & Silly
To think that the guy was techno-savvy enough NOT to send his laptop (containing the pics) for repair

In press con, Gillian said that she WAS naive & silly, but now she's improved, maybe now even MORE naive & silly. lol