Ho ho ho, Christmas nail art!

(Soli soli verrrrry late nail art post!)

I know everybody expects the typical red, green and white nails for Xmas but mine were ROYAL PURPLE on Christmas day!

It was my first time trying sponge nail art, a technique I discovered last year cause it was on pretty much every nail art blog I read. They use what's called the Sponge Nail Art Set by Konad. They're the same company that makes the Stamping Nail Art I adore!

But because I'm oh-so-kiamsiap, instead of forking out money for an actual Konad sponging kit (which I feel is not worth it cause it's... just ordinary sponge what -_-). I went to buy DISHWASHING SPONGES!! LOL a bit fml. So many huge pieces for only a few RM and they work great, un-fml.

Konad sponge. Grey in uniform circles.

MY sponge wahaha! :D Yellow and looks like it's ready to tackle some plates nails.

This is my new dark purple Face Shop Lovely Me:ex nail polish, one of the 5 that Shar and her mama gifted me. Xie xie x1000!

Quite disappointed that Malaysia's Face Shop doesn't sell the Lovely Me:ex polishes, only Singapore where I picked up this baby pink one at Jurong Point which wasn't available in Brunei.

Anyway, the reason I chose purple is to match the purple dress (and silver shoes) I wore to celebrate Christmas at my brother-in-law's family's house! This is my second year with an emotionally exhausting eventful Christmas thanks to my brother-in-law's family.

My inspiration! Love her starry night theme, but I focused more on just snowflakes.

Ok here's my typical red, white and green Christmas nails :D

Oh I wish! That's just one of my inspirations for my nail art. Here's the other one:

And here's the final product!

Rest of the photo quality isn't that great cause I was in a rush and just took them under fluorescent light.

The 5 elements I incorporated were a Christmas tree (left thumb), a Christmas stocking (left ring finger), Christmas lights (right thumb), a snowman (right ring finger) and Christmas-coloured candy canes on the rest of the nails. Sorry about the wiggly stripes, especially on my right hand, Miss Steady Hands I am not :(

Check out the broken thumbnail I've been hanging on to for the past month. Refuse to cut it cause I'll be so simtiah!

Really, REALLY want to buy this book!! I LOVED The Secret Shopper's Revenge! But I've already blown my Christmas money on new "college" clothes from Padini and pink swimming nonsense gear D:

Talking about college, I feel like I am skipping school cause I didn't go "back to school" today. Or having an extended December holiday. I still don't feel like a high school graduate!

Most of my 'A' Level friends in Brunei are starting school tomorrow so I guess I'm considered a "late-starter" in the month of January. My first day of college will be next Monday but Orientation is this Wednesday! Will get to see who all my future coursemates are. *nervous* Um... what shall I wear!! I think casual clothes to school is going to be a headache for me! I imagine myself standing in front of my closet suitcase for half an hour every morning just trying to decide *long face*

Hope all of you had a nice Christmas and New Year's! :)

July photolog!

July's been a helluva long month, and it's NOT OVER YET!!

I bet all the readers coming to my blog tonight (those who haven't given up hope on my blogging haha thank you btw) will be like FINALLY this lazy ass bothered to blog!!! I've been stinking busy around the clock :(

My Mock 'O'-Level/End-of-Year exams are next month, so you'll be reading less and less of me anyway as my nose is mostly glued to textbook pages. I'm really REALLY sorry, I wish I could keep up blogging, I really do!!!

I truly enjoy getting to know all the new people I've met through Nuffnang and reading all your blogs and having a peek into the lives of different people from all walks of life! And of course reading and replying your kind comments :)

But if you're still interested in getting regular updates from me (psssh), you can always follow me on Twitter! :) @xxmarsarmygirl for the time being still.

Appreciate this post yo, specially put on a few kg's of makeup (shattap, girls will be girls. Or better yet, I will be me!) just to take these photos and as usual took MILLENIA editing them in Photoshop. Do you know how much WORK it takes to turn a greenish-grey photo into glowing peachiness?? Proud to say I didn't touch my face with any Liquify or Clone Stamp at all!!! Really keen to look into that Adobe Lightroom 3 that Victor recommended!

Say hello to my gorgeous pink Nokia 6120, the love of my life, the day my daddy gave away RM800 so I could bring it home. I simtiah-ed for 2 secs over the price (it WAS the last pink original 6120 on the island after all) cause it was my PMB reward and I deserved it. Oh boy did I deserve it!

Obviously long before I discovered colour editing... would you just look at how dull this pic is!! And before I discovered nail art too, my two fave polish colours were black and white -_-

And this is it NOW, 1 and a half years later!!! Accessorized to it's full chinky, bimbo potential! With matching blinged phone strap to match!!

Honestly, after 18 months of looking at the same object first thing in the morning when I feel it up to turn off my alarm and last thing every night before I roll over and fall asleep, plus lots more in between, I HAD to reinvent my phone to stop myself from getting so sick of it I'd wanna kill myself. Cause I still love it so much and can't imagine using another phone ever!!! (Hmm I might see a BB in my distant future though :P)

I dunno if it's still selling, but for the price it's going at now (very dirt cheap I presume) it's worth every penny! Faithful, reliable, does almost everything and will love you back unconditionally even when you've got bad morning breath!! *shifty eyes*

MUAKS!

After my more than pleasant experience with Jane Green's Jemima J, I decided to borrow Jia Yee's copy of Life Swap to read as well!

Didn't LOVE it, but definitely liked it a lot! Jemima J started off slow and dry too... is this some kind of a trend of Jane's?? Oh God who cares the only books I should be reading right now are TEXTbooks :(

I love the new clear bottle Bausch and Lomb Re-Nu packaging!

Makes it looks ultra cool and atas :D Downside: in the mornings when I wake up thirsty, it gives me the urge to drink it D:

Look what my mama brought back from my house in Penang!

Blurred out my address, unlike some silly people I've seen before. But anyway, I live in the Queensbay area, so HOLLA fellow QB-ers!!!

The free trial Freshlook Illuminate lenses I ordered last month! Thank you Ciba Vision!! Will save these eye-enlargers for prom ;)

My new Rexona Teens deodorant!! Omgosh it smells so good like vanilla I can't stop sniffing my armpits despite looking like a retard wtf. My old deodorant so massive the bottle I used for 2 years and there's still 1/4 quarter remaining. And chao seng already! -_-

And last but not least, my bronze Sports Day 2010 medal!

Not very proud of it, I think the Cornwallians deserved it more... but you know, better than nothing. 

And at least I'll have something to help me remember the effort I put into that day... :)

The Lit Fest, or Literature Festival, last Saturday was a SUCCESS!!! For me, it was the best Lit Fest I ever attended because it was seriously TOO COOL getting to be a part of it for once, instead of just a member of the audience like previous years. It was all my friends who were competing and performing! Kepo-ed backstage the entire time heheheh!

My Elocution certificate. I miss the days when the school used to give out trophies. I would've loved a shiny gold trophy in my last year :(

The topic I chose was "Beauty pageants are degrading to women and should be banned." Left it till 9 pm the night before the elocution and was rushing like heck! But all's well that end's well :)

That was also Judgement Day #2 for JAMS PP! Everybody seemed to LOVE it! I've never seen the school hall full of hundreds and hundreds of students be so attentive and enthusiastic ever before! Seriously a sight that struck me with awe.

WE had created a SUCCESS! I was surprised I didn't cry. I think I was just too excited. 4 months okay. 4 MONTHS. We held our first auditions in mid March.

A note written to us from the cast and crew, that moved Alisa to tears. And as requested by her, the pics are unwatermarked so she can reblog 'em (sorry it's so late!).

If any of you are reading this (lol I actually kinda hope not cause I'd feel weirded out! :P), know that the 4 of us are extremely proud of you. All of you exceeded our expectations in every way. You helped turn our little idea, hatched one afternoon in Coffee Bean, into complete reality, and we couldn't be more grateful.

JAMS PP has been one of the most amazing things I've ever had the honour of being a part of, and I'll never forget it. Go here for the full story, contributed by Alisa.

Oh. And guess what? I got chosen for National Service otherwise known as Program Latihan Khidmat Negara Siri 1/2011.

Besides making me feel extremely old... FMMLLLL MAXIMUS!!!!!!! T_____________T

I'm currently quite happy though. National Service is months and months away... maybe even years, so why worry right now? I realize it's kinda pointless and a waste of time.

Gonna focus on things that are happening sooner, like... this Saturday, my sister and le petit are coming back to Brunei!!! :D:D Can't wait, can't wait!! Just saw Ava last month but am missing her already ♥ I think she's the cutest baby in the world! Well, naturally ;)

Stella's bookclub.

I ♥ to read.

Let me repeat that: I looooove to read.

I'll read practically anything I can get my hands on, from newspapers to restaurant delivery menus, blogs to mundane in-flight magazines, the backs of DVD covers to the fine print on my makeup packaging!

Hmm, that's mostly boring shit, so of course I prefer books.

I started reading when I was 4 (I know people who started at 3, makes me feel stoopit T_T), Peter and Jane then Enid Blyton, and I've never looked back. Sometimes I don't understand how some people can even say they hate reading, it just doesn't make sense to me...

I guess you could call reading a hobby, as nerdy as that sounds. I think it's good to be a nerd B) It's sure much better than being a whole lot of other things, if you know what I mean. *darting eyes*

There's honestly nothing much to do when I'm back in Penang on holiday, besides the occasional shopping trip (in Penang, I've seen all the malls before, so I only go when I need to tick something off my shopping list), visiting the grandma, eating, sleeping, online a couple of hours a day...

I finished the book I brought back with me, Will You Be There? by Guillaume Musso, two days after I got here -_- It's nice, but somehow a bit strange because it's translated from French and I guess the essence of it got... lost in translation. (Pun intended :D)

Then I read backdated copies of AstroView magazine (Keanu Reeves on the cover of December 2009 inspired me to watch the old Matrix CD on the shelf... I was having such a nice time watching, totally engrossed, finished Disc 1 and tadah! Disc 2 had some kind of clear sticky gunk on it. Might as well throw it away :( *potong steam*) before I finally made a trip to the Penang Sports Club library.

WHICH IS ABSOLUTE LAV!!! ♥♥♥ <-- See all the hearts??

It's not as big as say... our school library, but it's 15862973x better!!! Stuffed full of awesome books and magazines, everything you could possibly think of! Found rows and rows of nostalgic Sweet Valley books and a huge-ass collection of old ARCHIE COMICS!!! *squeals*

Plus a reading room, WiFi and a really friendly librarian. I wish I could just live in there forever. *melts* But sadly, I was denied. It closes at 8.30 pm.

I picked 3 books that I've been wanting to read for quite a while to bring home with me. When on holiday, all a girl wants is fun, fluffy chick lit.

The Secret Shopper's Revenge by Kate Harrison. I saw this book at Booker in Brunei when I was deciding how to spend my B$20 book voucher, but I inevitably chose the Guillaume Musso one. Guess now I get to have my cake and eat it too! Getting to read both books for free is ♥

I think Kate Harrison may be my one of my new favourite chick lit authors, behind Sophie Kinsella (I will forever be faithful to you, my darling *doe eyes*). The story's really... heart-warming, I can't think of any other word. And it's really funny too! Laughed out loud more times than I can count. And her style of writing is really nice, not crass, the way some other chick lit authors are. And although it's sort of about shopping, it's nothing at all like Shopaholic. So overall = lotsa, lotsa ♥'s!

Jemima J - Jane Green. I had no idea this book was published in 1998! But I've read good reviews about it online, and I was curious about this Jane Green person. The first half of the book is really bizarre and honestly the opening storyline and premise is not nice at all. But I persevered cause I had nothing else to do and boy, does it get better!!

In the end you realize it's not actually a book about a pathetic, miserable, self-loathing fat girl who thinks being thin is the answer to all her problems (see what I mean about shitty opening story?), but about a person with insecurities who's just looking for some luck, and learns to be brave enough to take a risk for happiness. I'm sure a lot of people, including myself, can easily relate.

So yeah, if you think you can make it through the first boring and annoying half (warning you, I did not even laugh ONCE) of a damn thick book, then I totally recommend this! I even cried at the end! It's quite an eye-opener. And Jane Green has a pretty nice writing style.

Chasing Harry Winston - Lauren Weisberger. Read both her previous books, The Devil Wears Prada and Everyone Worth Knowing (didn't LOVE them, but they were okay), so I thought I've give this one a shot. I think I managed to read 2 chapters, then I had to return it today, because we're leaving for KL tomorrow.

Skipped out on Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner because, well, I was only allowed to borrow 3 books and sorry, the sequel to a book I've never read before just didn't make the cut. I hate that confused bong boh (unable to catch the drift) feeling when I'm reading!

I'm back at the library today, returning the books I borrowed. And I managed to find EVEN MORE that I want to read!! The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Letters from Father Christmas and Anne Rice books.

This is just too much! *runs around library like a kid in a candy store*

P/S: Oh oh! I am now a Nuffnang Glitterati! How cool is that?? LOL sakai much. And I ♥ the Analytics section... I found out that people from UK, Norway, Australia, Canada, Serbia, Germany, Italy and America have visited my blog! And the number of visits I get per hour, what referring link they used, which Google keyword they searched... How stalkerish is that! xD But my earnings still RM0 wtf... This is obviously not my day!!
Plus, I missed a meet-up with my contact lens seller at Queensbay yesterday cause I couldn't check my email. Now I have to call her up to reschedule.
And some fucktard phone shop in Bukit Jambul told me that it'll cost RM90+ to get a new casing for my phone. FUCK YOU LA!! I buy from eBay only B$6, plus free shipping somemore! -____-

Reading list.

(Whoah, on the day of my previous blog post, my blog hits shot up to over 100 for that day alone! :X It rarely ever reaches 100. Guess people like reading bitchy stuff? But don't get used to it, I'm really a nice person and I rant very seldom :D)

Chekitout! Books I'm currently reading. And yes, I'm such a shallow chick-lit reader. Lolol.

I really need to read some super old classic or emotional tear-jerker soon, all this lightweight stuff I'm reading is beginning to show in my essay writing.

Firstly is a Sweet Valley High book! Because how can I not love it? I more or less grew up reading Sweet Valley, among others.

Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield have been a constant fixture in my bookshelf since I was 7 and reading Sweet Valley Kids. It's like... a soap opera in the form of books. The over-drama is what makes it so fun!

Next up is my Malay story book. Aku Mahu Popular, lol!

Despite sounding absolutely stupid, it's actually a really funny book about two 17-year-old nobodies on a misguided quest to get noticed and become popular, finding love and taking down the arrogant school bitches along the way, with unexpected outcomes.

And last but not least, the crowning glory. Sophie Kinsella's latest endeavour, Twenties Girl!

It's no secret that I absolutely love Sophie Kinsella. She more or less pwns Lauren Weisberger (The Devil Wears Prada), Candace Bushnell (Lipstick Jungle), Jennifer Weiner (In Her Shoes), Marion Keyes (Sushi For Beginners), Cecelia Ahern (P.S. I Love You) and whatever other chick-lit authors. Except maybe Meg Cabot.

Her characters are so funny, loveable and infectious. They grow on you and you cry, rejoice and laugh together with them. The stories are heart-warming and hilarious and sweet and original.

Suck on that, Stephenie Meyer, you stupid brainless idiot of a writer (I'll save this topic for another time, I can feel it in my bones that I'll get bombed like siao for it).

I finished Twenties Girl in less than 2 days and even stayed up till 3 am on a school night to read it. Laughed out loud a zillion times and cried through pages of it towards the end. I think I love it as much as Can You Keep A Secret?, more than Remember Me? and The Undomestic Goddess, but still less than Shopaholic.

Did I mention I laugh about every 2 seconds when I read the Shopaholic series? Definitely my favourite of the lot. Now, whenever I read a Kinsella book, I feel a pang and miss Becky Bloomwood. The movie did NO JUSTICE to the books. Which I find so sad.

Anyway, this book belongs to Sharlyn, thank you so much for lending it to me! I've wanted to read it even before it was published :D

Hello sister, goodbye life.

Can I just take a moment to say how smitten I am with my new blog design?! Somehow when you work really hard on something, you love and appreciate it so much more. It took me such a long time to get everything just the way I want. But it was all worth it!

I actually had problems with the custom font last night because the website I used to upload the font files was temporarily down, but it's all fixed and okay now! Yay, I have my chio fonts back!

My fatty (less fat now, can you believe it?!) sister arrived back home on Monday, bearing with her goodies from a foreign land! Haha no la. But she did bring back a ton of loose bling crystals in pink and clear. My share of 2000 crystals, actually.

Now to think long and hard about what and how to bling. Still got indecision and commitment issues here! And I'm scared to use them all up. But I guess if I finish the crystals, I can just buy more from eBay any time. No biggie. Let the zhng-ing begin!

She also brought back Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol hard cover which she bought in India for the equivalent of only RM47! My dad's reading it now, so I'll read it in a few days' time. Apparently it's un-putdown-able, so wish me luck! We meet again, Robert Langdon!

Spent the past two afternoons doing major experiments with Konad on my nails, trying to pick a Konadicure for Jia Yee's party for myself, and also one for her (I'll be playing manicurist for the day!). And I've finally made my decision. Mine will be pink, silver and black to match my outfit, and hers will be gold and purple to match her dress!

Nail polishes that don't belong to me :)

My nails! I've chosen the one on my index finger for myself. There's some green design on the red nail, but it's too light so you can't see it :(

And just for kicks, my sister's disgustingly chio pink and silver Konad and bling nails.

I'll show you Jia Yee's one tomorrow, after I confirm it with her. See what a considerate personal manicurist I am? xD A word of caution, I will hunt down and kill whoever tries to copy the Konad nail designs that I came up with! Be nice la, have the decency to think up your own designs and don't plagiarize.

And guess what? I saw my very first BAA car number plate yesterday in Kiulap! It was so cool. Apparently right now in KL, they're having the WTF number plate!! Fecking awesome. I so badly want a cool number plate in the future!

My sister once saw one in Malaysia that was JEN 8886. Her name is Jen and her birthday is 8th August, 1986. Damn chun or not!!

And while I was in Kiulap yesterday, I went to Hua Ho and saw possibly the chio-est chocolates EVER! The brand is Farrel and I've never heard of it before in my life la, but check out the packaging!

Leopard print, zebra print, deep red and baby pink. With bows!! I'm in love.

I'm sad to say that I'm finally throwing away my Bausch & Lomb clear contact lenses after one long, illustrious and wonderful month of service. Now to start using a new fresh pair! The thing that amazed me most about the B&L lenses were they felt just as awesome on the last day as they did on the first. Beat that.

Tonight I'm watching Smallville on PPStream! I realized yesterday that I've spent 9 whole years (that's more than half of my life!) watching Smallville! Now that's dedication.


P/S: This is officially my first time ever using the Blogger image uploader. Which is why the photos are bigger this time. It's super convenient loh, compared to using Photobucket! And they're also clear!! :D (I'm using the updated post editor, by the way. It rocks.) AND it's cut down my blogging time by so much man! HOORAY!!