My Things Have Finally Arrived!!!

Just got back from the Pos Laju office and FINALLY I can has stuff. :3

*this is when you hear the angels sing*

#1

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#4

They wrapped my babies so nicely ^__^

#5

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#7

I decided to try these on the spot. They're supposed to hold your hair in place...

#9

...and they do!

Well I can't wait to try these products out, especially the BB cream, Hada Labo lotion & the tamagohada cleanser.

I'm like so happy right now...*awesomeface*

Ishin Japanese Restaurant, Jalan Klang Lama

Ate there a while back. Here are some photos I took :)

#1 Complimentary appetizer (Cucumber, carrot and onion slices mixed with tuna and mayo- like a Mayo Itame)

#2 Sashimi Moriawase

Clockwise from right: Maguro (Tuna), Kanpachi (Greater Amberjack), Abura Bouzu (Escolar, often confused with Shiro Maguro, White Tuna), Sake/ Shake (Salmon), Hotate Gai (Scallops- these were the freshest I've had with a sweet, crunchy texture)

#3 Kurage-su (Vinegared jellyfish)

#4 Chirashizushi (Lit: Scattered sushi)

Had a mix of Maguro, Sake/Shake, Ika, Amaebi, Tako, Ikura, Abura Bouzu and one other fish.

#5 "Malaysia" Roll (Mango and Unagi)

This roll was a bit of a disappointment. The flavors were an interesting mix but the quality of the rice was average (rice fell apart a little) and for about RM15, you could get better maki from say, Sushi Zanmai. This roll just didn't have much to offer.

#6 3 Kinds of "Mini" Chawanmushi

Each has a different topping. From right: Tobiko (Flying fish roe), Caviar (A common kind), Uni (Sea urchin). Worth trying once. Chawanmushi had little or no filling.

#7 Sake no Atama Yaki (Grilled salmon head)

#8 Done with my Sashimi :)

Ate the green seaweed deco by accident :X

#9 Wasabi ice-cream (Not pungent but with a nice aftertaste)

#10 Fat Daikon (Japanese radish) :P

Ate there a second time and the Gyoza was terrible. Way too salty. They even got the dipping sauce ratio of vinegar:shoyu wrong. This place is worth a try if you want really good Sashimi and a variety of homemade Japanese ice-creams.

I miss Kyoto

Back in 2005, I went on a homestay programme to Kyoto, Japan. I stayed with the Murakami family as the picture above shows.

From left to right, 1) Papa 2) Mama 3) Shuuji (We call him Shu-chan) 4) Natsuka 5) Ryo (I was 3 years his senior but had a crush on him when I was there, haha) 6) Grandpa/ Ojiichan

They treated me like family and were so kind and patient with me. They took me to so many places and their home was amazingly huge for a Japanese home. They had a fireplace and a courtyard and 3 separate houses joined into one! I wish I had taken more pictures!

I found this picture on my old blog that's still up and wow it's been 5 years since the trip.

We used to write to each other but I stopped replying one summer and that's about it. I still have the letters they sent me and I keep telling myself I must write back.

Let's hope they'd understand my Japanese.

I don't really know what to talk about in the letter or...WAIT I can email them, right?

Which is better though? Email or snail mail? Maybe I'll write by hand and I can draw little doodles on the sides like in previous letters. :)

Massive splurge! (Long post ahead)

OKAY I just made my first ever online purchase on SaSa.com using my supplementary credit card. sasa.com has those sasa stores in KL and it's a really big company based in Hong Kong, selling beauty products.

Don't worry, I did get my mum's approval after reassuring her (over and over) that the payment would be secured. Sasa.com has Verified by Visa and Verisign thing to secure payments.

I was initially reluctant on purchasing things from sasa.com after reading numerous complaints about their customer service. However, I couldn't resist how much cheaper the things sold on the website were compared to the sasa outlets in KL so I gave in to temptation O_O Things will be fine so long as your order isn't messed up and your charges are all ok. I hope nothing goes wrong with customs.

Shipping costs were initially USD 6 but I managed to get free shipping because my order was above USD 75 *yay*. Slowly bumped it all the way up to USD 80.40...>__<

OK here are the items!

#1 Dariya Hair Magic Sheet in PINK (USD2.60)

I think these are made of velcro and they're supposed to hold your hair in place when you're washing your face/ putting on makeup etc. Since it says "Maegami tomeru" I would reckon it's mainly for getting your fringe out of your face. It supposedly doesn't leave creases or "marks" in your hair like when you use bobby pins or clips.

#2 Banana Boat Aloe Vera Lip Balm with Vit. E, SPF 30 (USD 3)

Got this because the lip balms (of similar kind) selling in drugstores like Guardian or Watsons are usually dearer. Don't have a lip balm with SPF so this will be my first. :) (My lips feel a lil' dry now argh *grabs Vaseline*)

#3 Hisamitsu Lifecella Ceramide Essence Mask, 5 pcs (USD 8 but after a 10% discount, USD 7.20) *You get the discount when you purchase 2 different mask types from this brand*

#4 Hisamitsu Lifecella Trehalose Essence Mask, 5 pcs (USD 7.20)Bought two types of the mask. There was another third one that I initially "added to my basket" but upon check out they said it was already sold out (wth?). That other mask with Hyaluronic Acid is really popular and that probably explains why it got sold out in...half a day. O__O
I really enjoy sheet masks like these and this is my first time buying them from Hisamitsu though I've been seeing them in drugstores. I don't buy masks at all I kinda make my own outta cotton pads soaked in toner (lol). Well they were pretty affordable, about RM 5 per mask. Looking forward to having my DIY facials at home xP

#5 Hadalabo Gokujyun Super Hyaluronic Acid Lotion, 170ml (USD 11)

I first read about this on cheeserland.com then fourfeetnine.com (2 Malaysian bloggers who are uber cute). This lotion has apparently been so popular in Japan that now, 1 bottle is sold every 4 seconds o_o! Manufactured by Hada Labo (Lit: skin lab), it is a simple formulation of Hyaluronic Acid that locks in a lotta moisture in your skin. Totally free of mineral oils, alcohol, parabens and all that stuff you don't wanna find in your skin. It's used as a toner and you pat it on until it sticks, leaving your skin supple. Can't wait to try it on! Oh and they have it at Watsons but I reckon it's a little more expensive.

#6 Arezia Nail Brush (USD 1.20)- Just a very thin brush to paint designs/colour on my nails.

#7 Hadalabo TamagoHada Daily Face Wash, 130ml (USD 8.30)

Got this because I have none left of my Dr. Weil for Origins Mushroom Cleanser and have been stealing some of my mum's and bro's cleansers for some time now, shhh D: This cleanser has AHA and BHA (Alpha & Beta Hydroxy Acids) in it to exfoliate and cleanse. Oh and it's name's cute too- Tamagohada: Egg skin, so after using it your skin's supposed to have a texture like that of a peeled egg- soft smooth and bouncy. Bollocks, lol. :P

#8 Shiseido Eyelash Curler (USD 10.30)- My current one is a cheap drugstore one that keeps pinching my eyelids. So I looked up eyelash curlers and Shiseido's is apparently racist. Don't get it? Well this Shiseido curler is supposedly better suited to Asian eye shapes. Yeah, Asian. In your face, white people, guai lous! (I kiddd, haha) Well I bought it not because of that though, I just needed a better one. But it's an added plus I guess :P

#9 Dr. Jart+ Rejuvenating Blemish Base, SPF 35 PA++, 50ml (USD 25.80)

It's a Blemish Balm cream or BB cream. There are tonnes of BB cream brands out there and it's hugely popular in Korea and Japan. History of BB creams cut short? Idea came up in Germany, Korean celebs used it to hide post-surgery scars on their faces, Korean companies began manufacturing it and selling it to the public, works as a sunscreen (those with SPF) and foundation with a bunch of other acne/scar healing properties. Some say their skin has improved with continuous use of a BB cream but I won't count on that to work, really. Well I got this because I'm running out of sunscreen and the current one from Origins is pretty pricey so lets see it this is any good. I'll still try to use sunscreen under the BB cream though as they say you shouldn't count on the BB cream to fulfill what sunscreen does.

#10 Johnson & Johnson Clean and Clear Grapefruit Oil Blotters, 2 x 50 pc packs (USD 1.90 each)

Got 2 packs and I don't think they have this in Malaysia. Correct me if I'm wrong but I've only seen the regular unscented ones that are blue and oh-so-uncute. I read up on this and it has a strong grapefruit scent that's very, very...pleasant and it's pink. Scent doesn't do anything harmful to the skin, no complaints so far- good. A few pats and I'll be smelling like a grapefruit in no time. :D

Yep! That wraps it up. These will be arriving in 20 days time or even sooner, I hope. Pray that my parcel of goodies doesn't get lost/stolen/damaged and hopefully the transaction went through smoothly and that nothing bad will come up.

It takes mighty fine guts to make your first online purchase, I'll have you know. >__< Sasa.com don't fail me nao.