Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

Hi all, it's really been a while since I last posted on this blog. Neither do I update much on my Instagram and twitter. I deeply apologized as I have been caught up with trying to settle myself back into the busy lifestyle of Kuala Lumpur. It's definitely a major transition for me especially after months of  living in a much slower pace and having wonderfully relaxing life in Europe. Oh, how I missed Europe!

Anyway, back to the main topic. The reason why I am back on the blog today is that I would like to raise the awareness of Premenstrual Syndrome, also known as PMS. 

Probably you would think it is random, wondering why I would want to talk about this. But let me tell you it is really something serious. So SEVERE that it could affect your life, directly or indirectly. If you are a woman, you probably understand what I am going to say. If you are guy, please don't take this lightly as your woman (girlfriend/ wife) may be suffering from this and your support will be very much appreciated. 

So, what is PMS? PMS is defined as a group of symptoms linked to the menstrual cycle. These symptoms occur 1 or 2 weeks before period/ menstruation starts and usually go away after the start of bleeding. 

Symptoms of PMS

Acne

Swollen/tender breast

Feeling tired

Trouble sleeping 

Stomach upset, bloating, constipation or diarrhea

Headache/ backache

Appetite changes/ Cravings

Joint/Muscle pain

Trouble with concentration/ memory

Tension, irritability, mood swings/crying spells

Anxiety/Depression

*These symptoms vary from woman to woman*

Honestly, I don't get it why women have to suffer this way. It's already been quite messy having to bleed each month. Not to mention having all these ridiculous symptoms before the 'big day'! Urgghh... Frustrating. Ok Ok that's my PMS talking here. Sometimes, I really feel like a ball of crazy emotions working the way out of me. If you see what I mean. =,=

Based on a survey done by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, it estimates that at least 85 percent of menstruating women have at least 1 PMS symptoms as part of their monthly cycle. Most of these women have fairly mild symptoms that don't need treatment. On the other hand, about 3 to 8 percent have a more severe form of PMS, called Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, PMDD.

Prementrual Dysphoric Disorder

Prementrual Dysphoric Disorder is a severe form of PMS. A brain chemical called serotonin seems to play a big role in this. The main symptoms which can be disabling, include :

Feeling sad/despair/even thoughts of suicide

Feeling tense/anxious

Panic Attacks

Mood swings/ Frequent crying

Lasting irritability/anger that affects people around

Lack of interest in daily activities and relationships

Trouble thinking/ Focusing

Tiredness/Lack of energy 

Food cravings/ Binge eating

Feeling out of control 

Trouble sleeping 

Physical symptoms such as bloating/breast tenderness/ headache/joint and muscle pain

* One must have at least 5 or more symptoms to be diagnosed with PMDD *

Well, enough of the symptoms! We need solutions!!!!! Hell yeah!!!!

What is the treatment for PMS?

I suggest we start with lifestyle changes before we all rush into the clinic for medication. What do you reckon?  

1. Exercise regularly, each week you should get:

- Two hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity

- One hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity 

- A combination of vigorous and moderate-intensity activity

- Muscle-strengthening activity on 2 or more days 

2. Eat healthy and balanced diet. Remember to eat fruit, vegetable and whole grains

3. Get enough sleep. Try to get about 8 hours of sleep each night. 

4. Avoid salt, sugary foods, caffeine and alcohol

5. Find healthy ways to cope stress. May be talk to your friends, exercise or pour your stress in a journal. 

6. Avoid smoking

Hopefully these will help ease some of the nasty symptoms. I think you should really judge for yourself because no one knows better that you do yourself. Perhaps, there is no harm mentioning your PMS symptoms to your GP and see if you need to go on any medication. 

That's it for now. We shall talk again very soon. I promise. ;) 

Do share with me if you suffer from PMS. I would love to hear from you if you have any wonderful tips of coping PMS.

-GOODBYE & GOODLUCK-

Lemon Yogurt Face Mask

Hi all, if you happen to follow me on twitter you might already know I was trying out a home remedy face mask which I promised to reveal it to you all.

Well, I am super-duper excited about sharing this HG beautifying mask with you as good thing should be shared with one another. It's been nearly 3 weeks or so since I first started using this fabulous combination of yogurt and lemon face mask. I could really notice instant brightening effect on my face which unfortunately not many facial masks that I have bought from the store could do that. Moreover, it is so easy and penny saving to make it at home . I heard you say awesome :) I know your must be eager to find out how you could make this awesome mask yourself. So I will stop beating around the bush and just go straight to the point.

~First thing first~

Benefits of Lemon Yogurt Face Mask
1. Skin Lightening - It's awesome to see acne scars lighten up and freckles disappearing. Woohoo!

2. Skin Pores Tightening - No more large pores. Whee~

3. Acne clearing - Get rid of acne fast and furious. Fab!

4. Wrinkle-free face - Who on earth doesn't want to look young forever, right? Well, yogurt has anti-aging properties that help fight off free radicals that damage skin cells.

Stuffs that you need
1. Lemon

2. Low fat natural yogurt

3. a bowl 

4. some cotton pads

Steps to make lemon yogurt face mask

1. Put about one big tablespoon of yogurt in a bowl

2. Add one tablespoon of lemon juice to the bowl. The quantity of lemon juice is up to how much brightening effect you want and sensitivity of your face toward the lemon juice.

3. Mix the yogurt and lemon juice thoroughly till it is smooth

4. Apply the yogurt on the cotton pad. It's advisable to do this on a basin because it could be a little messy if you are not careful.

5. Apply it on your after facial cleansed face. The cooling feel of the yogurt on the face is just so pleasant and comforting. Keep the mask on for 15-20 minutes.

 It does look creepy but after you remove the mask, it's all worth it :)

6. Remove the cotton pad and wash your face with warm water. Don't use any facial cleanser now. Continue with your normal facial routine like your toner and moisturizer.

Voila. That's all for now. If you want an efficient and cost saving facial mask, you should definitely try this. Let me know what do you think about it? 

xoxo

Berjaya Hills Day Trip

Hi all, have you thought of having a weekend getaway after a long grueling week?

I have a spontaneous day trip to Berjaya Hills yesterday with my family and I think it is definitely an awesome place to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Berjaya Hills spreads across 16,000 acres of tropical rainforest and is located approximately 10 kilometres off the East West Karak Highway. It takes about an hour drive from Kuala Lumpur. You might wonder what you could see there. Well, the picturesque French-style Colmar Tropicale which is an replica of the original 18th Century Colmar Village in Alsace, France is Bukit Tinggi's main attraction and dominates its landscape.

Colmar Tropicale Gallery

Heading towards the entrance of Colmar Tropicale =)

Yes we are here!

The castle drawbridge with swan paddling lazily around the moat

Elegant swan relaxed by the square's fountain

Black Swan

Creative Horse Statue featuring the Chinese New Year that is around the corner

French village with Malaysian style 

Another awesome piece of art

Live show

Pheewit!

Swaggers~ woot woot

Oops! Yes that's us on stage

Okay that's it for Colmar Tropicale. Now how about going to Japanese Village. Yes you heard me... Japanese Village at Berjaya Hills. It would never cross my head before I visited Berjaya Hills since Japan and France has a bit of distance in the real world. But why not? In my opinion, Japanese village is an ideal place to rewind yourself from hectic life. The traditional tea ceremonies conducted and the exotic and opulent spa are just what you need to rejuvenate. However, just to give you a heads up that the spa could be a little pricey.

Japanese Village Gallery

Big fat Japanese koi fish <3

Couples in Yukata

After finishing visiting the Japanese village, you could head towards the Botanical Gardens which can be found besides the Japanese tea house. This four-acre garden has one kilometre walkway that weaves through towering trees and viewing decks as well as horticultural sights such as pears, apples and 7 species of strawberries.

Botanical Gardens Gallery

 That's Berjaya Hills. We had a really good day and it's definitely lovely for a day trip with family and friends. Hope you like this post.
Good day!

Flying with Qatar Airways

Hi all, I haven't been on my blog much for the past week because I was busy packing to go back Malaysia. Well, I have arrived safe and sound in Kuala Lumpur yesterday evening after 14 hours and 5 minutes of flying plus 2 hours and 20 minutes of transit. Yes.. it is quite a long journey I suppose. Currently it's 4.57 am here but I couldn't sleep any more. Guess it's the jet lag kicking in. Therefore, I am here blogging to kill some time. 

As it's my first time flying with Qatar Airways, I would like to share with you all my flying experience and opinions. How many of you actually thinks flying is a pain in the ass? Not to mention a long haul flight (> 6 hours) and flying alone. It's boring and most of your time in the plane you will be sitting at limited positions and cramming with many strangers, literally as though sardines in a can. Worse if there were crying kids sitting around you and have been crying every one hour. It's not as if it is easy to sleep on the plane and with the howling it just makes me feel like wanna [strangle somebody]. In a nutshell, flying long hours isn't always pleasant and the least we could do to improve our experience is to choose the right airline to fly.

Flight Transit at Doha International Airport

If you are taking Qatar Airways, it's most probably that you would need to transit at the Doha International Airport. For me, the instruction was clear and easy to understand. It is based on the colour of your boarding pass (blue/yellow/burgundy) that you know which station you should go down from the free shuttle that is provided. Instructions are given on the plane before you landed and on the spot with the airport staffs holding up colour board. I have no problem whatsoever finding my following departure gate once I reached there. However, just so you know that at the transit terminal it can get a little too crowded with passengers waiting and finding their departure gates. Other than that, the transit was thankfully smooth.

Flight transit experience rated 5/5

View from the window after I boarded

Once boarded, we were given refreshing towel and sweets. Headphones were given out and kids got some goodies. I was lucky enough to be able to get my hands on one Pirate Spongebobs plush toy for my youngest sister when I saw it was given out to the kids around. Thumbs up to the air hostess that gave me one :D

Refreshing towels and blanket

Pirate Spongebob Squarepants from Qatar Airways

The aisle

The interior of the plane was fairly new and the seats were quite comfortable. At least I didn't get too much muscle ache. Good spacious leg rooms considering I still could stretch quite easily when I wanted to.

Comfort level experience rated 4/5

My seat's screen

The controller

There was a big range of movies and games on screen that you could choose from. But I really think airlines should change the screen to touchscreen instead of having the controller as it wasn't always simple to select things with all the buttons. Besides, movies should come with subtitles because with all the noise around, it is quite hard to catch the conversations in movies. Hence,

Entertainment experience rated 3.5/5

because it's good but not great with the annoying buttons and no subtitles in movies.

Food menu

My breakfast - Tomato cheese omelette, chicken sausage and mushroom

All day snack

Spicy turkey panini and cinammon cake - AWESOME

I just took pictures for the food from Doha to Kuala Lumpur (morning flight) so as you can see, it's breakfast that was served. As a tea drinker, I was impressed with the quality of tea that they served. Love it! Love the fact that milk and extra sugar were provided without asking as it was not always the case with some other airlines that I experienced before. Overall, the food quality was one of the best among other airlines. See the spicy turkey panini and cinammon cake above. It was super delicious that I nearly asked for more. Couldn't believe myself.

Food quality and satisfaction rated 4.5/5

Lastly, in my opinion Qatar Airways provides excellent customer service. All the air hosts and hostesses that I came across were polite and smiley. They were ever ready to assist with any queries.

Customer service rated 5/5

Therefore,

Overall experience rated  was 4.4/5

Well, it think Qatar Airways has done quite a good job. Anyway, this is my personal experience and the rating was based on the comparison with other airlines I have travelled with before. 

Hope you like this post and feel free to comment. Have a good day!

Strawberry Maniac!

I don't know about you guys but I am totally in love with STRAWBERRY.

It's my 'Godsent' fruit. Really, anything related with Strawberry, I would most probably love them.

Last December, I found a body care set that comes with strawberry range at The Body Shop while doing my Christmas shopping and instantly I just couldn't help myself but to have my hands on it. Okay... may be part of the reason was that there was a super-duper cute Reindeer wash ball calling for me to buy it.

Here you go

So this set actually hosts 

a 750ml Strawberry shower gel,

a 50ml Strawberry body butter,

a heart-shaped Strawberry soap, 

a Reindeer wash ball,

a travel-sized 60ml Strawberry showel gel,

and

2 mini bath balls.

So far I have tried the shower gel and the body butter. It gives me so much joy while using them. The shower gel's sweet strawberry scent that fills up the entire bathroom totally makes me have more motivation to take my shower especially when the day is so freezing cold like recently. This soap-free shower gel contains real strawberry seed oil and on the plus, it is so lather-rich! FUN! 

Normally I would take my sweet time applying the body butter in my room after shower. Just couldn't help to enjoy the delicious scent lingering around when I am in bed. Don't know if it is because I am totally psyched about it that I feel this Strawberry body butter is less oily and sticky compared to the other range of body butter from The Body Shop. Anyway, it smooths on my skin so easily and gives a pretty good hydration for my skin. Perfectto :D

In order to show my love to strawberry, I even bought the Strawberry fragrance oil for my oil burner in my room. However, one should be aware that if too many drops are used, this strawberry scent could be a little sickening. 

Before I end this post, I also would love to share the TWININGS' intense red fruit tea.

 As much as I love to have sugar in my English breakfast tea, once in a while I would go for this intense red fruit tea which has the pleasant aroma of Strawberry, Cherry, Raspberry and Cranberry. The reason being is that the sweet aroma simply enough to replace the sugar in my tea. Bliss. 

Well I hope you enjoy this post. Strawberry lover out there, if you think there is product related with strawberry that I shouldn't miss out, feel free to let me know.