A day in the sea..

Sejak kita pindah ke New Zealand 3 taon lalu, masi tetep aja banyak yang nanya gimana caranya kita adaptasi di tempat baru yang beda banget dr idup kita dulu di Singapore. Buat si abang mah kayak ikan balik ke habitatnya, yang dimana dia happy banget..idup di tempat yang adem, musimnya beda beda dan juga malah happy banget di negara yang support work life balance. 

Buat eke? sulit....kakak! 

2 Taon. It took me 2 taon buat finally berasa mantep, iyah..I can live with this. 

Dan yang ternyata, gw happy disini. Although, berasa banget beda lifestyle dari yang dulu di SG..dan jadinya ditanya balik sama temen temen baru disini, ngapain pindah ke NZ? Idup di Singapore itu gimana sih? Yang akhirnya, nanti dibikin video kecil aja deh soal bedanya tiap tiap negara. :)

Sekarang, mo cerita soal kita spend one day in the sea..tapi ga pake berenang. :P

Kita charter kapal pas birthday si abang kemaren..dan ternyata enak banget yah di laut itu..tenang, never ending horizon and kagum sama alam jadinya.

Kita pergi 2 keluarga buat celebrate birthday - dan pengen have a good quality time yang beda pas birthday, akhirnya kita mutusin buat ajak si entong pergi mancing :)

Ada anak kota yang seneng dapet hasil pancingan! Kita berasa seneng banget si entong dapet kesempetan buat explore yang gini ginian disini. Jadi ga melulu ipad ato henponan di rumah. Dan kita peratiin anak anak kiwi sini, kl lagi di luaran gini yah..jarang banget kasi anak anaknya gadget, jadi mereka either dikasi buku gambar ato disuruh lelarian aja di taman. haha :)

Ini 3 musketeer yang hari itu sibuk nangkepin ikan - rusuh ya bo jagain 3 anak di atas kapal dan ga pake pelampung. Mak nya yang deg deg an luar biasa.. omg.

Kita naek kapal jam 7.30 mulai..dan kelarnya jam 4 sore balik ke dermaganya, yang ada semuanya tepar jam 3 sore..kena angin sepoi sepoi sama gajlukannya kapal - molor semua. Eke berasa idup beda banget disini..dari anak kota yang sekota kotanya, gw ga nyangka kl gw bakal enjoy simple life di New Zealand ini. Cuman one thing yang kita belajar, dimana aja kita bisa bahagia kok..asal expectationnya aja yang mesti di adjust. :)

Nanti satu satu dibahas yah soal how life is much different here in a good and bad way..do let me know kalo ada yang penasaran tentang topik tertentu soal NZ. :)

We are almost there!!

Ampir dikiiit lagi kami mulai settle dan (harusnya) resume life as usual! Waktu kita nyampe Auckland, beban pikiran kita ada 4: Kerjaan abang, Container, Rent apartement, sama kerjaan sayah! Urutannya kira kira gitu.. 

Di minggu pertama ma kedua, kita masi settling down..nyari2 mobil, urus2 dokumen etc, dan mulai sebar sebar cv di minggu ke 3. Eh, ternyata..aku dan abang..dapet panggilan interview di minggu ke 4, dan di minggu ke 5, kami berdua keterima di tempat kerja yang kita wish to get!! Cepet banget yaaaa? *yay*  in the same time!

Dan kemaren, per tanggal 1 July - aku officially masuk kantor. Babai sudah peranku as stay at home momma. Di kantor yang sekarang, eke kerja nya part time..cuman 5 jam sehari. Ini tempat proses masuknya sih ajubile minta ampun susahnya. 4 stage jek, dari interview pertama, kedua, trus background check, dan terakhir physchometric test. Puji Tuhan banget gw lolos, walo mereka akhirnya ga test kejiwaan gw. Hahahaha. Terima kasi Dian, karena sudah rekomendasikan saya ke tempat kerja ini :) 

Dan yah.. kata orang, pindah ke negara orang apalagi negara bule..kita orang asia skill nya ga dihargain - NOT TRUE! gw berasa Skill is Skill. If you are good, you are good! and you will still get what you deserved, ya ga sih? Dan puji Tuhan banget, gw dapet posisi baik, dan jam masuk suka suka..hahaha! Yang terakhir sih haleluyah banget! Padahal, waktu gw masi nimbang nimbang mo pindah kesini - dan nanya sama ada 1 orang disini, gw dijawabin " bisa lah dapet kerja, tu cafe banyak yg nyari waitress! omg, " - engga ada yang salah sama kerja di cafe! - cuman itu bukan goal career gw, dan kalo gw denger dia ngmg gitu lagi sekarang, pengen tak' kepret pake contract kerja gw yang sekarang. Lagian, jd orang kok so not encouraging gitu sih. Anyway,..

Trus, Ethan gimana? Ethan uda mulai masuk daycare, and how i feel about it? 

I feel like shit waktu hari pertama gw kerja dan hari pertama Ethan went to day care. Sempet kepikiran apa I made a right decision balik kerja lagi, tapi ya..oh well, we need time to adjust to our new life. Although, gw masi ngarep..gw bisa build up client base gw disini dan gw bisa kerja from home lagi. :)

Trus trus..container kami juga uda tiba di rumah baru kami! Dan yah, ga ada 1 barang pun yang pecah ato rusak. Puji Tuhan banget deh. Selamat datang di rumah baru, my stuff! Nanti kalo sudah rapi dan cantik, daku pamer..hahaha. Sekarang, aku mo pamer si entong dengan gaya dia yang yaolooo ga nahan..

Street Style OOTD
Sunnies: random stall in JB Mall.
Top: H&M
Pants: Mangga dua store.
Shoes: Disney

Smart Casual OOTD
Top: Cotton Shirt
Sweater: Lotte Mart
Pants: Uniqlo baby
Shoes: Baby style.

Little E 20 Months update!

Officially 20 mths! Time flies banget yaaa..perasaan kemaren kemaren itu baru new born, baru bisa jalan, eh kok tiba tiba uda jadi banyak mau nya plus pake throwing trantrum segala ye?

Apart from adegan ngambek, kalo apa yang dia mau ga gw kasih - dan dia langsung tiduran di lante (or semen, or aspal, or di lante pasar ikan kayak weekend kemaren -> super wtf!) Ethan so far is a good boy! Dan kemajuan dari 12 bulan ke 20 bulan tuh cepet banget ya..uda mulai ngerti kalo dibilangin. Uda mulai tau yang mana mommy, daddy, ama, grandma, grandpa, orang2 rumah sih intinya..walo suka ketuker kata2 " mommy " sama " tummy " :)

Dan si entong satu ini suka banget ngaca..hahaha..turunan gw ni kayaknye, dia kalo ngaca bisa pake senyum ma diri sendiri, kadang pake elus pipinya diri sendiri yang di kaca..yaowoh, ni laki satuuuuu..ga nahan centilnya. Trus belakangan gini, gw demen banget liatin dia..dulu aja uda suka banget liatin dia (gimana kadarnya sekarang yeh?) tapi iyah, sekarang kok gw berasa ini anak " hamsem " kali yaa - kalo kata acim acim sinciapo! Kalo kata arip " ih, lu bias banget El! " - lah wong gw emaknye , gimana ga bias coba, ya?

Trus so far selama kita 3 minggu disini, yang paling happy adalah si entong ini! Adem ga keringetan, trus dia cocok sama makanan sini. Ini anak beda ndiri, kalo gw ma babe nya sarapan suka model nasi goreng, bubur ayam, mie ayam, dll..si entong kalo sarapan isinya buah ma yogurt, ato cheese ma roti, ato ga homemade hashbrown. Padahal lahirnya di Singapore yah, yang sarapan juga model bak chor mie, ato handmade noodle. :P

Anyway, how was the weekend peeps? Ngapain aja?

Ethan 1st birthday!

Ini postingan telat ajee ya? Tapi gpp ya tetep dipajang..kan kata orang 1st Birthday itu milestone buat emak dan anaknya kan ya? Sehari sebelon birthday Ethan, gw tuh melow jellow..antara proud with myself, dan tentunya Ethan..sama berasa sedih sama kemana perginya waktu. Bahkan sampe sempet nitikin aer mata bo. Hahaha..salahkan hormon!

Kita rayain birthday Ethan di hari sabtu, dan gw sok mo bikin birthday cake Ethan sendiri..dan yang ada..sampe siang hari pesta, cake gw belon jadi designnya. Untung gw ada temen temen yang baek bantuin gw. Mulai dari dekor, hias hias, sampe bantuin gendong Ethan di hari pestanya :)

We are blessed!

~*~

The Birthday Party!

Gw tentuin tema birthday Ethan tuh putih biru, jadi bilang ke tamu tamu dress code nya either putih or biru. Dan kita sekeluarga pakenya abu abu ma jeans :)

Ethan, hari itu being such a sweet boy banget. Ga rese, ga rewel, and he seems know that it's his birthday party! Ini dekor dekor nya hasil dari Knick Knack Shop, owner nya itu temen gw dan hasilnya amazing banget kan ya?? kl gw disuruh bikin gini, kaga bakalan bisa dah!

Foto dibawah ini photo kita as family :)

Ampir ga ada loh kita bertiga photo bareng gini.

BIG thank you to Daddy Arip for being the amazing Daddy for Ethan.

Topper nya ini juga dari Knick Knack Shop, tapi cheese cake nya dari temen gw juga si Lily, yang mau pesen..sini kontek aku..tak' bagi nomor henpon nya :)

Gw minta tolong tamu tamu yang dateng untung nulis birthday wishes buat si Ethan.

Blow the candle..

..and cut the cake!

The Birthday Boy

I wish you all the very best my boy. 

I hope that you will grow to one fine young man that love God, family and your future wife.

I am praying for you to have a strong soul and smart head that bring you to places and see the world.

I blessed the day you came into my life and rock my world, because now..I know that you are my life and world. I never asked for anything else that God made you. You are perfect in my eyes.

Bless you my boy. 

*lap aer mata*

Ini baru ulang taon pertama ya bo! Gimana kalo ntar manten?? hahahaha.

Thank you for all the friends and family that celebrating the birthday with us.

We are truly grateful for your time :)

Special thanks to my lovely ladies!

Mama, Ibu, Lily, Becky and Devi for making all of it possible :)

Sungguh, gw rasa gw berbuat baik di idup yang lampau to deserved this kind of kind heart in this very life. Thank you so much for the effort.

Dan gw ga pernah berasa " well done El " Shoulder tap to myself as how i felt on his birthday.

Kayak, gw yang sungguh culun to be a mom, for not knowing how to hold a newborn, how to bath him, and how to change diaper..finally made it to the most precious year in our both life!

We made it Ethan!! Looking forward to enjoy our family life in many many years to come!

I love you so much, maybe too much at some point of time, but if you read this one day..

i want you to know that you are one of the best thing that has ever happened to me.

You are my joy, my pride and will always be apply of my eyes.

My...precious...*ga ding! itu LOTR.

Enjoy your Prezzie Ethan!

Thank you uncle and Auntie for this wonderful gift.

dan terakhir, aje gila cape nya ngurusin beginian!

By end of the day, gw cuma bisa selonjoran maen hape begini loh..ga ada lagi tenaga buat maen ma si Ethan. ke captured di poto lagi ma bang Arip.

Disney baby is in Singapore!

Disney baby is in Singapore!

As a mom of almost 1 year old son, this news is as good as having a new cosmetics brand in town and it's a must to check out!

Disney unveiled the new Disney Baby in Southeast Asia debut at Singapore’s leading parenting expo - Rise and Shine. I was there to shop for little one and when I saw the Disney booth, I immediately mesmerized by how wonderful and gorgeous the theme are, and I immediately join the contest to pick my favourite room in hoping to win the Disney hamper worth $400!

 The new Disney Baby collections provide feel-good, unique products organized around key moments of the day, including Dressing Baby, Mealtime, Playtime and On-the-Go.  The entire range of Disney Baby licensed consumer products offering for expectant parents, new-borns and toddlers will now be available for the first time in Singapore. 

I have some of the goodies from Disney baby that literally bring me back to my childhood memories and it gives me a warm feeling in my heart to know that I am growing up with Disney, and now I got a chance to pass on the Disney magic to my son.

Disney Baby provides Singaporean parents with quality products they need for creating magical moments right from the start, enhanced by the positive family-bonding and magical connection that only Disney brings. The range of products available spreads across nursery linens, feeding time, apparel, toys, bath-time and home-ware.

Disney Baby is distinctively more design-led, particularly the apparel offering, featuring a contemporary colour palette and beloved Disney characters and stories which parents and gift-givers recognise and treasure. The creative direction ensures ranges are coordinated with the emphasis on mixing and matching Disney character accents across ranges, especially within the nursery and home-ware collections. Characters which feature in the Disney Baby range at launch include Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and other classic Disney characters like Bambi.

“With Disney Baby, families can connect and grow a special lasting bond with our stories and characters. Our unique emotional connection with Southeast Asia’s families and kids differentiates Disney Baby, when compared to other baby brands as a trusted choice for expectant and new moms,” says Mark Coleman, General Manager – Retail and Licensing, The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia.

“The Disney Baby represents a high quality that parents can trust and numerous gifting opportunities for extended family and friends who want to share in the Disney magic,” he adds.

Japan here we come!

Kami hendak berangkat ke Tokyo!

Gile ini bener bener ga ada rencana gitu loh ke Jepang, awalnya mo bulan Oktober ke Jepangnya..trus entah kenapa, maju ke April untuk liat Sakura.

Gw ma Bang Arip bakal sotoy mampus berbekal Tokyo - Lonely Planet guide, jalan sendiri ga pake tour kesono. Trus kita cuman bermodalkan bahasa Jepang " Sumimasen " untuk komunikasi..ntah apa jadinya lah disana. ^^

Baby Ethan ga dibawa, padahal gw uda beli baju yang agak tebel buat dipake Ethan di Jepang..tapi rencana berobah, dan akhirnya Ethan bakal spend 1 week di rumah grandpa grandma nya. Yang ada gw terbang bolak balik anterin Ethan, yaolooo dah! rempong bener jadwal gw..

Hari ini gw kerja terakhir, besok siang terbang ke Jakarta - rebo pagi terbang balik ke SG, trus subuhya eke cabcus ke Haneda- Tokyo. Happy? Iyah mayan! Excited? Buanget - secara kita mo sok sok an explore Japan sendiri :)

Itinerarynya mayan simple, daerah2 di Tokyo kayak Shinjuku, Harajuku, Tsukiji market, Ueno, Shibuya, Ginza, dll..tapi kita rencanya mo ke Hakone sama Yokohama, yang gw ga tau gimana cara perginya. Hahhaha..ini uda buta jalan masi sok mo ke luar kota. Modal peta, lonely planet book, portable wifi sama google map aja -> semoga ga nyasar. 

Lalu dari semalem gw mulai galau tak tentu mo ninggalin Ethan seminggu di Jakarta, rasanya antara seneng dan berberat ati in the same time. Senengnya, karena finally gw bisa have a break, bisa bobo through the night, and spend time lebih sama si abang. Soalnya sejak Ethan lahir, gw kan pegang sendiri yah..jadi bener2 berasa idup aye kok berobah drastis ya? :P

Tapi in the same time, gw galau mampus ngebayangin gw ga ketemu Ethan for 7 x 24 hours gitu..takut nanti di Jepun gw mikirin, dia lagi apa..lagi ngelucu apa lagi..dll. *lebay ya?*

Yang pernah ke Jepun, sini kasih saran ke saya..apa yang harus dibeli? apa yang harus dimakan? dan apa yang harus diliat?

Ditunggu..

Chinoshino "MOM'S LOVE" Baby Soap

I think this will be the very first ever baby review I did on behalf of my lil love :)

And the honour goes to the kind people at Beauty Direct and the amazing Camy.

If you start thinking that I risk my lil love in doing this kind of review for my baby, then I think I need to clarify this once and for all that I LOVE my baby more than the sponsorship products or anything. Before i start using it, I do read the label, extend the research, read up the review and even did a skin test on lil love's heels to see his skin reaction towards products. If it appears reddish by the next day, it will be a big NO NO for me to use it for him, if it's not..then it's fine.

So, yeah..I got it covered on this matters.- thank u for your concern -

Anyway, Lil love usual skincare and bath set is under MUSTELA brand.

He cannot take Kodomo, Johnson&Johnson, or even SEBAMED ( I bought a set of SEBAMED set and end up using it for my own lor ~ sigh). I hope lil love skin will not be as sensitive as mine, but I guess he got that gene from me.

So when Chinoshino come to the picture, I am excited to let lil love try for this Japanese brand.

I am hoping this could also be the range that acceptable for his sensitive skin. 

Before I use it for the whole body, I pump a little amount of Chinoshino " MOM'S LOVE " baby soap and wash his feet. I think this is the safe way to tried out any skincare to our baby skin. I observe on how the skin reacting to the soap then I feel at ease to use it all over his body.

●【Not using】synthetic surfactants, coloring agents, mineral oils, flavorings or antioxidants.
●This is eco- and skin-friendly forming soap made from natural materials derived from natural fats and oils.
●It can be safely used as a face and body cleaner for every family member, even babies under the age of one.
●It contains hyaluronic acid Na (moisturizing ingredient) to moisturize dry skin. - See more at: http://beautydirect.com.sg/index.php/chinoshio/4982757912453.html#sthash.hQ4866wC.dpuf

I am glad that Chinoshino is acceptable for lil love's sensitive skin :)

 This soap is eco and skin friendly made from natural oil and fats, it does not contains synthetic surfactant, coloring agents, mineral oils, flavorings or anti oxidants.  

Lil love and I loving the fluffy unscented foam from the bottle. The feeling is similar  with touching the light and airy cotton ball, i like the rich and moisture feeling in my skin. I believe lil love loving it too :)

Look at his joyful moment during bath time :) oh, btw that is my mum's hand on his tummy - bonding time with grandma ^^

●【Not using】synthetic surfactants, coloring agents, mineral oils, flavorings or antioxidants.
●This is eco- and skin-friendly forming soap made from natural materials derived from natural fats and oils.
●It can be safely used as a face and body cleaner for every family member, even babies under the age of one.
●It contains hyaluronic acid Na (moisturizing ingredient) to moisturize dry skin. - See more at: http://beautydirect.com.sg/index.php/chinoshio/4982757912453.html#sthash.hQ4866wC.dpuf

Chinoshio 'Mom's Love' Baby Soap Foamy retailing at $13.90 and available at Isetan and plaza@cosme at 100AM 

Have a fun and joyful bath experience with Chinoshio ' Mom's love ' baby soap foamy.

Chinoshio - baby powder detergent

To come and think about it, my blogging journey has brought me to the level of experience, where by I am not and no longer " just " that beauty blogger, but it's far and beyond than just a lady writing review about beauty products.

This blog has become my journey, a kind that I jot down and shared it virtually with people around the world - yeap, my google analytics just proves me that this blog goes as far as Russia -

and I couldn't be happier that along the journey, I made friends with the fellow bloggers and of course from the brand that i work with before.

Just like the kind people from Beauty Direct that keeps bringing the good stuff of beauty and now baby products to Singapore. If you heard about the famous Starlash eyelashes (that I love so much), Fernanda, JUJU, White label and many more good stuff that made in Japan, they are all from Beauty Direct.

I love them and love the way they shar their awesome products :)

Just like this Chinoshio baby powder detergent that I use in lil love laundry.

I like the fine texture and non perfume powder detergent for lil love, and this Chinoshio fit the criteria. Ever since I become a mom, I very much care about what's gentle to lil love skin more than I care about my skin..and thank goodness this Chinoshio powder detergent is gentle to skin and environmental friendly. 

It doesn't create any foam, and work wonders in removing baby food stain, and any other stain on lil love clothes.Ugh, u know how messy baby clothes could be when they are starting eating solid.

So far, this detergent doesn't create any problem in lil love skin and with the compact packaging..I think it's suitable to bring it along for a holiday. - just in case you need to wash your lil love clothes -

Available at Beauty Direct website and Isetan.

My beauty tips for a busy mum

This March, my lil love turns 5 months old and so far it has been the most rewarding 5 months in my life. I love my new role as a mommy. I love the feeling of giving and loving lil love so much and it always surprises me in so many ways. I love smelling his baby scent, listening to his coo-ing, looking at his smiley eyes, feeling his little tiny hands grabbing my finger, and our daily pillow talk

But most of all, I love his demanding sleeping ritual; cranky and crying if anyone else carries him to sleep but ME. His neediness makes me feel...like a mother. He will just sleep and cuddle himself to me while playing with my hair, clothes or pretty much anything within his grasp before eventually falling asleep.

Being a mommy is awesome.

Apart from being a mom, I am also a marketing ninja by day, professional make-up artist during the weekend and an award- winning beauty blogger, and yeah...I guess I am one busy mommy. 

Despite, my tight schedule and the various roles I have to juggle, staying beautiful is still on my priority list...even though I might not have as much time to get ready as before! :D So,I came out with few beauty tips for busy moms like me!  

1. Choose the right skincare

 Just like a good canvas to start a painting, having healthy and smooth skin is a good way to cut down your make-up time. As you know, SK-II is my preferred skincare brand, and thank goodness because of this...I don't need to pile up concealer and foundation on my face :)

2. Get professional help

For me, eyelashes are important, that is why I have mine artificially extended.

And if you have problems drawing your eyebrows, go get an eyebrow embroidery done to save make-up time. 
I got both from Prestige eyebrow and all I need to do to create the look below is just a line of MUFE eyeliner, a dash MUFE pressed powder, Starlash, Estee Lauder blush and Jane Iredale lip plumper.

3. Get the engine revving 

I don't know about you, but for me I need a cup of good-quality coffee in the morning to keep my mind alert and get a boost good mood.

and I also have a good wholesome breakfast to start a day :)
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It gives you energy for the day ahead and keeps your alert. And we know that part of being beautiful is being vibrant and energetic instead of looking dull and tired. So never skip breakfast!

4. Be Happy

Spend time with your loved one :) A happy mind equals a happy face.

and do things that makes you and your family happy.

5. Get good sleep

No matter how busy I am as a mom, I always find my way to sneak out and have a restful sleep.
I know that as a new mom, to have a good 8 hours sleep seems like a dream come true!

 But, hey! You deserve it! I deserve it!

Do ask your husband/maid/mom/mom-in-law to take care of your baby for a little while so you can catch up with your beauty sleep.

Believe me, this is one of the beauty secrets that everyone knows but ignores.

That's all my tips to stay beautiful as a busy mom and remember...
Beauty is a state of mind, so start believing that you are beautiful in your own way.

Love yourself.