13 posts from 2006

During the summer, I got a really cool perm from a student hairstylist at a salon I've been going ever since I started highschool. That salon had loads of stylists with the "looks" and different character personalities. I had really long hair when I went back to Hong Kong during the summer so I naturally wanted to cut all my hair off as it's so humid there. I didn't exactly know what I wanted.. just anything short. I turned to the newbie hairstylist and said "I'm your canvas, do anything you want, just make it pretty." but of course, in cantonese. Sounds waaay better when you translate it into english. She did such an awesome job that I actually forgot to give her tips. But anyway, she gave me a short bob with some strands of cascading permed hair around it. It was so cool that I couldn't believe what was happening! That same day, my friend also had her hair cut with another newbie hairstylist and man, was her one bad. Now, that stylist didn't even care about what my friend wanted. I think she thought I was talking to her instead of my own stylist because she gave my friend a box shaped bangs.

The reason why I waited to cut my hair back in Hong Kong during the summer was because I couldn't find the right hair place. I was afraid of getting uneven bangs and a hairstyle I didn't want. I find that Chinese-canto people understand what pre-adults like me want: a very cool cut! Now, my perm's gone and my hair has grown all the way down to my shoulders. Today, I decided to cut my hair at a salon my roomie's sister's friend worked at before. This salon would be the Aveda Salon. I think there are many locations around the world which is great since Aveda products are so good. They smell a bit funky but if it's good for your hair, you'll have to get used to it right? Anyways, the salon is seperated into two different levels, one with the junior stylists and the other with the advanced stylists. The only difference of the two groups of stylists is students still learning to cut(they charge from $14+CDN) and 10+ years professionals(charge from $70+CDN). Myself being the cheapy I am and in need of time before my NY trip, I decided to go with the junior stylists.

My stylist was really nice. She was full of energy and bubbly. She greeted me right away and took my coat to hang up and quickly asked me to sit down to discuss about what I wanted to have done. Today, I had chosen a short bob with straight bangs hairstyle from a Japanese magazine. It was a Tanaka Miho(田中美保) cut... not the curly one but the normal one. It turns out my hair wasn't so suitable for the cut my hairstylist explained because of the perming, it may poof up if I was to cut it. At the salon they have a teacher stylist floating back and forth on the floor to check each stylists' work and give some tips. He came over and explained more about the poofiness and the consequences. Not only did the young stylist learned something... I did too! In the end, I took a gamble and decided to proceed on and get the cut despite some minor poofing with the finished product. Before I started my hairwash and cut, my stylist offered me a free massage and some nice herbal tea. What service! It was great! Made me feel right at home. Although the stylist did have to consult with the teacher many times, overall she did a great job. I think she'd be great for the Aveda team. And I'm not just saying that because I liked talking to her. I'd definitely go back and find her again when my hair gets out of shape again. She'd be floored to find me requesting her since she's a student.

Offcial Site: Aveda
Store Locations: Search here

Ahhh.. I'm going to NY soon! I can't wait!

I finally met up with my very busy highschool friend, who is studying Industrial Design(wiki), for dinner and a movie last night. By choosing this field, my friend has almost no time to hangout with her own friends unless they are building and constructing things. After her explaining to me about what she does and what she wants to do, I have a new respect for those who want to design furniture in the future because that's what she wants to do. Who would know that there is such a field when we were young we thought that "builders" made furniture. Designers only were for fashion.

Movie movie! We went to watch Casino Royale last night, after hearing many reviews about it. Myself, I have heard good and bad reviews about the acting and storyline. We actually thought we would be in an empty theatre for this movie as the Rocky movie was having it's first showing at the exact same time. We were surprised to find a full house waiting for us. My friend and I aren't extreme fans for Bond but we did enjoy the three that Pierce Brosnan was in. I'm probably going to biased in this review.

!!REVIEW MAY HAVE SOME SPOILERS!!
I don't know where to start in this movie. There's so much to talk about! Exactly from the acting to the story! I guess I'll start with the story since that's what it was built on. The movie is about Bond trying to investigate on some terrorist which leads to investigating the whole terrorist organization with loads and loads of money involved. This money is to raise and fund more terrorist activities. Close to the end, Bond wins the money back through a card game known as "Casino Royale" (hence the name) and runs off with the  Bond girl and happily ever after right? No, not right. The Bond girl betrays him and takes the money and leaves him all broken hearted. The love of his life(B!tch, as he says) is dead and he seeks the man who is all behind this who actually blackmailed Bond girl in doing this. And that's basically the story.. I was bored to death. Acting wasn't that great either. I thought Bond was supposed to be athletic, fit and smart. Instead, he was kind of round, reckless, brainless and annoying. Bond actually blows up a whole embassy in the first 10-15 minutes of the movie. It was like a very "um..." moment. What agent does that? Oh, and he also kills the terrorist from before that he was actually supposed to leave alive for questioning. Bond is also has a very short attention span this time. He was going to kill the terrorist fund guy when he lost all his chips at the card table during the second round. Again, what agent does that?! Oh yeah, the terrorist fund guy creeps me out too. He has a "bleeding eye" or something. It's so disgusting when you see blood slowly coming up and dripping from the inner corner of his left eye. Bond girl isn't that pretty either. Sighs.

I'm obviously not satisfied with this movie. My friend gave the movie a 6/10 where I probably would give a 5. It's neither passing or failing. I had such high expectations for this movie. I was hoping the new Bond would be just as good as the last one. But again, I really liked watching Pierce Brosnan in action. He's so handsome and fits the role so well! Hopefully the next one(Bond 22) will be better.

Official Site: Sony Pictures
Information Sites: imdb

Holidays are here! Happy Holidays! I know I am a bit late in saying that but I do realize it's time to go out and party. And what's to say that the QOTD today is about New Year's parties! I've actually never attended one before since my friends weren't the cool type to do hangout together like that. Besides there were no guys to kiss during the last minute. But if I got to plan and design my own New Year's party, I would have loads and loads of glitter and bling bling around. Anything sparkly is key. I personally love anything sparkly and glittery. When the whole metallic bags and shoes came to Hong Kong, I just had to wear that style! I don't anymore though. There is still one thing that I've always wanted to buy: gold eyeshadow. And not any kind of gold but a very nice strong sparkly gold. I think I've been very influenced by the Japanese cosmetics. They have a really different type of makeup line. It's usually pearly and pretty sparkly. Sort of makes you look like a snow angel after applying the whole eye palette. Today I hit the motherload! Urban Decay's newest is the Deluxe Eyeshadow collection which consists of eight really bold colours. Slightly glittery packed into a stylish case with graffiti and art designs on the covers. 

I fell in love with the gold one. It was love at first sight! The exact shade and shimmer I was looking for! The whole set of eyeshadows are all bold colours which makes this shadow really special. I tried all of them on my hand and ended up drawing a rainbow. All the colours are so well made that it makes you want to bring them all home. I know I felt that today! Unfortunately I don't have enough money and the need for all those colours. I ended up getting "Honey", the gold I was talking all about. It looks really nice as my skin is a bit on the dark olive side. I did feel the creamy part of the product which made it last longer than my other eyeshadows. It's just the right texture for blending and using as an eyeliner. I LOVE IT! When I put this shadow on it makes me want to dance to Bif Naked's "I love myself today"!

Note: I wear glasses. Thick orange brown frames.

Official Site: Urban Decay Cosmetics | Check out the eyeliners too!
Where to buy: Beauty.com* | You can see the colour in their packaging here.
                     Sephora | The colours look a bit bright there. 
                     Urban Decay Cosmetics | Does not ship internationally.
                   
* = recommended

When did you start taking special care of your face? Hopefully, you have started already and have been doing it well. I started noticing dark circles under my eyes when I was starting my teen years and started to discover the miracles of concealer a few years later. I was facinated with all the different types of concealers and foundations shown in the teen magazines. You see, I spent my whole teenager years in Hong Kong, where we don't start to use makeup that early compared to the people living in Canada and the US. And at that time, I only had that much of an allowance so I could only afford cheapy cosmetics. Little did I know that the cosmetics I bought were doing a great harm for my skin. Then one day(a few years later), my mom comes home with a bag full of Shiseido's The Skincare products for me to use. By that time, I was about seventeen, a little bit too late to heal?

I've been using Shiseido's The Skincare line for a little more than two years. It's an awesome line for all skin types. They have another line for oily faced teens called Pureness. I have never used this line before because I've never had oily skin. I'm combination. I only started to use some of the products last week. I have noticed a bit of shine on my t-zone lately and it's been bothering me a lot so I decided to try the Pureness Balancing Softener(under "moisture balancing") plus I was out of toner already. I trust this brand so I expected nothing but greatness! Although it says it's alcohol-free, I did feel so tingly feeling and it didn't smell as natural. It makes my face feel very soft and smooth after using it. However, I still prefer The Skincare's toner... I was already on my fifth bottle!

Note: I have sensitive skin that reacts to most face products including some mineral makeup. I'm not acne-prone but I do have some pinkish blemishes on my face. I also have combination skin.

Official Site: Shiseido's Pureness | Read and see if it's right for you!
Where to buy: Amazon | They have other products from this line too.
                     Strawberry.net | They used to be a chain store in HK.

* = recommended(none today!)

I'm so excited to say this but I'm going to New York in a few days! I'm going with one of my closest friends from highschool. Oh, we're so so sooo excited! I had promised this friend during the summer that I'd come visit her over the winter break. I think we were both secretly itching to go to New York but was too shy to actually suggest the idea. In the end, my friend spilled her own beans and told me she wanted to go somewhere out of Canada.. like New York. I told her I was thinking the same thing along! So far we've plan to go on a five day trip around New York City. We're still "researching" activities. Anyhow, I bought my bus ticket today and bought a few supplies for the trip. It's review time!

I'm taking a ten hour bus ride to New York and I haven't a clue of how to kill time. I figured I'd sleep, eat, play some dslite, listen to ipod and bum around. While doing all that, I assume my face is going to be packing up with dirt and oil so I decided to buy some face wipes. I used to a lot when I was back in Hong Kong, where the weather there is extremely humid making you sweat bucket loads of sweat. Thank goodness, I have inherited good genes from my parents so I'm not acne-prone at all. Anyways, I went to Shoppers to load up on supplies for the trip. First on my list was face wipes so I made a bee-line for the face products aisle. So many brands with so many different types of face wipes! It came down to two different brands and brand lines. I opted for the cheaper on-sale one instead of the one made out of purely H2O. This cheaper on-sale one would be Neutrogena Visibly Deep Cleansing Wipes. For some reason it's not listed on the Canadian or American site. I suppose it's a UK thing then as I only found one online site that has it. You can probably find it at your local drugstore if you live in Canada... I'm not too sure about the states. Maybe when I come back from my trip I can tell you! The product promises to "cleanse and improve skin complexion and help prevent blemishes".

Honestly, I regret buying the cheaper one after using the wipe for the first time. It has a horrible "floral" smell that makes think of the sprays the flight attendents use on the airplane after there is a mess or in between flight cleaning. The smell lasts for a long time too! It's been like three hours already and I can still smell it from my face. I don't think any cleanser has that kind of long lasting smell to it, and even if it did.. it would be covered by the toner and moisturizer smells. This smell actually went through it all. As for the wipe, it's ok. My skin had a refreshing and tingly feeling after using it. I suppose it was tingly because of some chemical they put in it that I'm not used to. And possibly, from the frangrance. I'm really disappointed because of the smell. It did cleanse my face really well as dried my face with tissue just to see if it was clean. But still, I don't know how the people on the bus will react to the horrible smell. I guess it teaches me to stop being cheap from now on. It's my face right?!

Note: I have sensitive skin that reacts to most face products including some mineral makeup. I'm not acne-prone but I do have some pinkish blemishes on my face. I also have combination skin.

Official Site: Neutrogena | Doesn't have the product listed.
Where to buy: Britsupershop | has international shipping.
                    
* = recommended(none today!)

I didn't think "soon" meant right after a few minutes after but I'm on a reviewing spree right now! Since I'm talking about the bus simulation game, I might as well post it's sequel: Tokyo Bus Guide 2!

Being a fan of the first one, I pre-ordered it right away. I was so excited when I found the package waiting for me in the mail. Playing the first game over and over again gets boring after awhile. The same routes and passengers.. I bet you they don't want to see me driving their bus anymore either. Gameplay for the sequel is exacty the same thing as the first one but with a few changes. The game has three routes with three different time scenarios. The buttons have changed a bit if you play with the normal PS2 controller. It took me forever to figure out how to change the viewing mode. The passengers are much noisier this time as they actually yell if you stop too fast or crash into something. They also can requests stops too so you have to pay attention to the signals and yellow flashing boxes at the bus stops you would normally drive through. As an added bonus to the left and right side mirrors on the bus, there is a back and front view so you can see how close you are to a car or whatever. The hard(night) mode is much harder in this game too. It's either I haven't found the button to turn on the brighter lights yet or it is how the creators want the game to be played, the hard(night) mode is almost pitch black. The only thing guiding you are your lights so you will have to acquire a general knowledge of where the stops are and how the route is before playing. The good thing is that this time if you crash or run out of time, you can start at the last stop you started from instead of from the beginning. I guess they made this an option because the routes this time are relatively harder.

With that said, I'm afraid I cannot say anymore as I haven't beaten the game yet. I'm currently on the normal(afternoon) mode for the second route. I did pass the hard(night) mode for the first route with the almost pitch black roads. Hopefully, there IS a brighter light I can turn on for the other routes. I would say the sequel is a whole level harder than the first one. In fact, non-fans may not enjoy this at all.

Official Site: SuperLite 2000(Japanese) | SL is cheaper than original!
Where to buy: PlayAsia* | Cheaper because of SL
                     YesAsia | Original copy sold here.

*=recommended (The original and SL version are the same.. just the cover looks a bit different.)

Note: Make sure your PS2 can play Japanese(NTSJ/J) version games!

I know everyone is patiently waiting in line to get the latest console that Sony has put out: the PS3. Unfortunatly, I don't have the money nor do I understand all the hype about it. I've seen it in stores and it doesn't look much different from the PS2 I have at home. I know I'm going to be hit and cursed at, after saying such a thing. But I am intitled to write whatever I want here. I love my dear old PS2, thank you very much!

I am quite picky when it comes to games. I only like the simulation and music games. RPG is alright but not all the time. Today I bring you: Tokyo Bus Guide. A very cool and nifty bus driving game. The game is based on famous(?) routes in Tokyo, Japan. There are a total of three routes set in three different time scenarios(morning, afternoon and night). The only difference between the scenarios are easy(morning), normal(afternoon) and hard(night). You must follow  the right routes and rules in order to do well in this game. Points are deducted if you break any of the rules or go the wrong way and you immediately fail if you crash into anything. However, points are rewarded if you obey everything. There is also a clock that counts down from the minute you leave a bus stop so you can arrive at the next one in time. If you don't make it to a station in time, the point bar will slowly go down until you reach the stop or fail the level. While driving from bus stop to another, you may encounter special passengers where you can hear them gossip. These cut scenes will also let you record these passengers in your special passenger book. Additional to the story game, there is a mini game that you can play where you guide the bus through a maze directed by arrows on the road.

I bought the game when it first came out and loved it ever since! It's not hard to beat the nine levels when you get used to the driving but there is still a challenge in getting no penalties which is awarded with a gold medal. I must say I'm pretty good at this game when I'm playing it at home. I did get a few chances to play it at the arcade. It's really popular in Hong Kong! I always see people crowding around watching some dude play it. The arcade version is way much harder than the console version. You play with an actual large bus wheel and gas/brake pedals. The route is the exact same thing as the console one but it's hard to control the resistant wheel while watching time and arrows. I've never beat a level at the arcade before.. I've only gone half way for easy mode. It's really sad considering I'm such a fan. I'd recommend this game for those who like simulation and driving games just like me. You think you can drive? Wait until you play this one! Oh yeah, watch out for those pedestrians!

Official site: SuperLite 2000(Japanese) | SL charges it cheaper than original.
Where to buy: PlayAsia* | I got my copy here.

*=recommended (I can't seem to find any other sites that sell it but I recommend you buy while they still have it available!)

Note: Make sure your PS2 can play Japanese(NTSJ/J) version games!
Note2: I'll be reviewing the sequel to this game soon!

I've never been much of a western music fan. My fandom with Japanese pop(jpop) started when I was entering highschool. Fell in love with a couple of the famous jpop queens/princesses. Got into boybands and actually met a couple of fellow local fans in Hong Kong to shop for goodies at the time. And to this day, I still like my jpop over apop(english) and cpop(chinese). I bring you ayaka(絢香) and her first album First Message. Although I have already written five reviews in this blog, I'm not quite good with music reviews. But I will try anyway!

Before the actual review, let's talk about how I actually discovered ayaka(絢香). I only really discovered her this summer while watching the drama "suppli". She's not in the actual drama but her song "real voice" is used as the theme and ending song. Downloaded the song, hummed it a few times, checked out her site and here we are: reviewing an album! And can you believe she's only eighteen years old? She has such a strong voice!

Who says this was last last year's most purchased drink by celebs? Call me slow, but I only discovered this lovely concoction just this summer. I was at the Starbucks in Hong Kong where I got stuck on what to order. I usually drink the Rhumba Frappuccino but I wanted to try something new. I ordered the Iced Tazo Chai latte and since then I have not been able to order anything but it. Flew back to Toronto to find that they have iced and something called "over ice". I like the original "over ice" way and not the slurpee-like iced one. But you know what? It's quite annoying(and expensive) to always go out to Starbucks just to buy a cup when you have chai tea cravings. I searched online for some recipes but they had these ones where I had to buy all these herbs and grind them. Reminds me of those ancient chinese herbal things. I like to cook but grinding herbs? So not my thing. I gave up and continued on buying cups at Starbucks.

About two months later, I was shopping at local supermaket near home. Now, I must explain about this supermaket. It's extremely expensive with nice furnishing and a self checkout centre and stuff. I heard you can even host a party in the supermaket itself or something. The supermaket has quite a big health/natural foods section which I sometimes shop when I need to get something that won't gain me some pounds. For example: ice cream, cookies, chips and baking ingredients. I hit the jackpot this time! I found a whole new section with different tea bags and tea mixes in cartons. And in the middle of all that splendidness was the tazo Chai Tea mix.

I only tried it just this afternoon despite buying it for two weeks already. It isn't really cheap for a small carton but I bought it anyways to try. Not that I would have much time to shake and mix drinks at home with finals on the way. The instructions are quite simple: "Mix equal part tazo chai with milk" but they don't tell you how much a part is. I figured that a cup is 250ml so I put half(125ml)milk and another half(125ml) of the mix in. It came out pretty well.  looks and tastes the same as a regular tazo chai you'd get at a coffee shop. Starbucks' ones are sweeter though. I do remember back in Hong Kong, I watched the baristas at Starbucks mix milk and some chai tea mix from a carton. I wonder if they will ever sell those. Overall, I liked this but I won't be buying it again. It's too expensive. Starbucks is for me!

Official Site: I can't seem to find one yet...sorry!
Where to buy: Amazon | Check out the other teas!
                     Java Estate | First thing from the search engine.

*=recommended(none today!)

While attending college, I find it extremely hard to wake up early in the morning so most days I don't go to school with makeup or a slight cover-up on. The only time I get is for lipgloss in the car while waiting for the red light to turn green. I was at Sephora a few days ago after writing a 3 hour accounting exam and found a very cool(and promising) product. Philosophy's the present is like a moisturizer and skintone evening powder in one. This product is used as the last step in your am/pm routine(after you put on your regular moisturizer on) or by itself.

I didn't think Philosophy was great for their face products but it seems as if they have proved me wrong. I did try one of their purity cleanser before which is by the way awesome for sensitive skin. Since that wasn't that bad, I decided to try this "clear makeup" application. It makes me think of mineral makeup powder mixed with normal face cream. It has a thin silk feeling to after applying it to your face. It also sinks in quickly which makes it easier for on the go people. As for the scent, it isn't that nice. I find it very herbal plant like. It takes a few uses to get used to it. The product also did say something about minimizing pores but it didn't work on my exceptionally large pores. However, it did even out my blemish-prone skin. I think I might get this again unless I find something even better.

Note: I have sensitive skin that reacts to most face products including some mineral makeup. I'm not acne-prone but I do have some pinkish blemishes on my face. I also have combination skin.

Official Site: Philosophy
Where to buy: Philosophy | Offers international delivery
                     Sephora | Free samples of other products!

* = recommended(none today!)