Hair-oh everyone!

Okay I think you know what this post is going to be about... yes, we going to hit the HAIRy topic! LOL I'm talking about haircare on the head! Don't go dirty on me...

Anyways, I always get asked about my hair. Be it the color, the style or the treatments. To be honest I don't really take much care about my hair. I don't put much attention to it as people think. But since I get asked a lot so I'm documenting what I use and believe me... this is going to be boooooorrriing!

First thing first, I don't wash my hair everyday. Ha, yes I said it! I know it sounds yuck and all but honestly it does a lot to your hair. I alternate the washes because this helps your hair to breathe a little. If you must wash your hair everyday make sure you don't Shampoo it everyday, does that make sense? Shampooing your hair everyday dries out your hair and will make you release more oil. Try alternating the washes and you will see a difference in a weeks time.

Secondly, you MUST use a conditioner after every shampoo. Shampoo cleanses all the dirt and oil so it can be very drying which is why you must take moisturizing action! Otherwise, don't complain if your hair is like a broom!

So now that is covered, let's breakdown my haircare!

For shampoo and conditioner I just use Head&Shoulders (menthol). I super love this especially in the summer because of the cooling sensation it gives. Best used when you are hot-headed. haha Sorry for the pun!

The only treatment I give my hair is Hair Mask. I don't do the Hair Relax, Hair Spa, etc. Only hair mask and mask alone. And the kind of mask that you buy in the grocery store haha! See I told you I don't take my hair too seriously.

I use this mask at least twice a week. I love this mask because it's cheap, smells wonderful and will really make your hair uber soft and shiny. Give it a try, I recommend! :D

As for my hair color, I get ask about this allloooootttt! And there's only 1 key... I do it myself! Yeah baby, why waste money on salons, pffft! There's this thing called Liese bubble hair color. Note it's not shampoo its hairdye in bubble form. You basically just get a reasonable amount on your palms and spread it to your hair then when you finish spreading all over your hair you just massage the product like shampooing. After 30 mins or so, you can wash it off and voila! new hair color. It's as easy as ABC!

Here's the link: http://web.kao.com/sg/liese/lineup/haircolor/products.html

My current hair color is Mocha Orange, but believe me it won't go as bright as it is in the link.

So that's all my haircare! LOL Bored you to death didn't it? Oh well, I hope these products are going to help you, in some ways.

Ciao for now.

Loves,

jCel♥

Chi Lin Nunnery

30 mins experience but a memory of a lifetime...

Connecting to Nan Lian Garden is the Chi Lin Nunnery. But don’t be fooled by the name, this place has seriously blown us away! There is a part of the nunnery, the Lotus Pond, where it’s literally like a movie set! We cannot believe our eyes when we entered, feels surreal that a place like this actually exists. Quite sad to know that we’ve passed by this place a hundred times but have never given it the slightest glance.

We were supposed to visit this place when we went to the Nan Lian Garden but the bad weather forbid us to do so therefore we made plans to drop by the nunnery after work. As soon as you enter you will be greeted by… guess what. Big bright greenery! But if you walk further along you will see a big temple entrance. We were quite intimidated to go in at first because it looks somewhat creepy but still went ahead. And the only thing that came out of our mouths was “WOW!” It’s like one of the back drops you only see in the movies! We were totally gobsmacked by the ginormous temple and the ponds.

Its probably best to visit this when you go to Nan Lian because you don’t need a whole day for this place. In fact it only took us 30 mins. But we did enjoy it. You don’t get see places like these very often or maybe ever. Either way, we were thankful to have visited such a place, it’s forever locked in our memory. J

Details:

Place: Chi Lin Nunnery

Location: Diamond Hill

How to get there: There’s a bridge connecting to the Nan Lian Garden

Admission fee: FREE! 

*Click the picture to enlarge*

P.S No Jump Picture for this because this place didn't allow us to. They were pretty strict with guards in every corner. I mean, it is a NUNNERY! But we manage to video it so Yay! 

Til next time...

The Son, Who'll take the Son?

I was in my teens when I first read this very inspirational story of "The Son". Do take time to read until the very last ... this is such a wonderful piece! I shall say no more ... here it is!

The Son

Author Unknown

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had Everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Viet Nam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art."

The young man held out his package.

"I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the portrait.

"Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son.

The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this portrait of the son. Who will bid for this painting?" There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted.

 "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." 

But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?" 

Another voice shouted angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" 

But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the long-time gardener of the man and his son. 

"I'll give $10 for the painting." 

Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. 

"We have $10, who will bid $20?" 

"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters." 

"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the painting of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. 

"Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!" 

A man sitting on the second row shouted. "Now let's get on with the collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel.

"I'm sorry, the auction is over. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!"

Image from: http://s4.hubimg.com

God gave his son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The son, the son, who'll take the son?" Because you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything. 

Will you take the son?!

One Picturesque Day! [Nan Liang Garden]

Hong Kong is known for many things but beautiful scenery is not one of them. Sadly not many people bother to try and explore the other hidden attractions in Hong Kong. But fear not because we will help you. Our first stop, Nan Liang Garden!

Nan Liang Garden is located in Diamond Hill near the Hollywood Plaza. It is extremely accessible which is a bit shocking why there aren’t a lot of people going there. I understand gardens might not be your thing but it is definitely worth to check out. It is perfect for an easy stroll and getting-out-of-the-city-buzz kind of thing.

The garden is not your typical trees and grass, as soon as you enter you’d feel like you’ve gone back to the ancient times. They even have mini museums inside! But the first thing we noticed is how clean the place is. So clean you can actually rest on the floor!

We really can’t stress enough how nice and wonderful it is to have discovered a place like this in Hong Kong. We had a great time walking and taking pictures of all the bright greens and clear water around us the only down side was that it rained a few times during our trip. Guess the best way to end this post is to present you the visuals.

Please do check the place out and guaranteed you’ll enjoy, especially for the photogs out there.

Details

Location: Nan Liang Garden

How to get there: Take MTR, Diamond Hill Exit A

Admission fee: FREE! (Some Museums inside requires an entrance free $10 for child and $20 for adult)

A Rock Museum apparently. 

Ahhhh our Successful jump!

We'll try to have a "Jump Picture" in all our outings from now on. But my god! you have no idea how many takes it took us to finally get it right. As evidence, here are some of the pictures in the Epic Fail Category. 

'Til our next adventure... Bye! :)

Macau ~ Impulsive Getaway ~ 15-16 April 2011

Once upon a time there were two friends who thoughtlessly jumped in a ferry to Macau… the end. (Kidding!)

We have always talked about going to Macau but sadly there was always something that hinders us from pushing through. However last April we just went for it. It was so impromptu that we didn’t have any extra clothes or a place to stay in – Bex is to blame! We were working late that night and realized we didn’t have to work the next day…

Jcel: “Let’s go to Macau!”

Bex: (without thinking) “Okay, let’s! Tonight!”

… and so we went. We were both so giddy with excitement and adrenaline rush that we didn’t really care what was going to happen or whether we have any place to stay in. It was only half way to Macau where Jcel started panicking. She had this inkling feeling that the hotels won’t take us in this late. But Bex kept saying it all part of this “impulsive adventure” we were about to embark so she went along with it.

Day 1 (or Night because we got there around 9pm)

• First stop – Lisboa. Checked to see if they have rooms but said that they are fully booked. Boo! – BTW, Jcel was creeped out on how their reception area was filled with Dragon statues… actually; they were more like gargoyles ready to attack you. There were ancient vases and other antiques plus the ceiling was painted in GOLD! It was not a good sight.
• Then we tried Metropolitan, Sands and Holiday Inn – all rejected us. –
• As we were walking, thinking what to do, we came across a travel agency, so we decided to go in to ask for help but as we enter, we noticed that there was nobody there and so we started taking hotel pamphlets. Then an old man suddenly arrived and we asked him if he could help us get a hotel for the night but he just ignored us. For the second time, we approached him again and asked him for a hotel. He then looked at us (In a creepy way BTW) and ignored us again. FREAK! Lol and so we decided to leave.  
• After what seems like eternity of walking around, we had an idea to call every hotel on the pamphlets we took from the agency, after 2 rejections, we called up The Landmark Hotel and what a blessing it was, finally they took us in. Thank God, it was already 11pm and we were almost considering sleeping in the park that night, honest!
• As soon as we got to our room, first thing we did was order room service. We were starving! It tasted good at first but as we were getting full we started dissing the food one by one. Probably rank it at 5/10.
• At around 1am we went out and played a few slot machines and so we did. We went to the elevator, pressed the floor to the casino and it opened up to this gianormous Pharaoh! Jcel had to be literally pulled out of the elevator! In the end, she got out and managed to take pictures with the huge Pharaoh. Bex got lucky with the slot machines and left with a bucket of coins! Jcel lost, pfft!
• After the casino, we went to The Cave bar and had a few drinks and THEN we called it a day.

Day 2

• We forced ourselves to wake up at 9am because we have complimentary breakfast and didn’t want to miss it. We were the only person in the restaurant actually. Guess people in Macau sleep for breakfast, LOL. The food was great and we had an amazing view (a completely dead quiet Macau). After eating we went back to our room and continued our sleep.
• As soon as the sun was shining we started to get ready for our long day. But first thing’s first, LUNCH!
• We went to Hard Rock Hotel and had buffet lunch at The Wave. (Too many stories at this part of our trip which we agreed not to get into it. LOL)

• Then, we went to get tickets for The House of Dancing Water and Zaia. 2 words: BOTH AMAZING! We didn’t want to spoil any surprises so we won’t tell the details. It’s the kind of shows you’ll need to see for yourselves. But we can promise that you’ll enjoy.
• After the shows, we had dinner in Café Deco and off we went to go back to HK. We were extremely exhausted and slept off the whole trip back.
• Got home at 2am.

Wow that felt short when we break it down like that. We actually thought we’d have a novella-like post about this trip. Oh well… albeit the super quick and kind of rushed trip it was extremely fun and memorable to both of us. 

P.S

We try to make this blog as informative as possible for your future travel references, please see below. (Prices in HKD)

Location: Macau

Ferry: $360 each (roundtrip)

Accomodation: The Landmark Hotel (Approx. $2000)

Zaia: $580 each (varies depending on seats)

The House of Dancing Water: $380 each (varies depending on seats)

The Wave (Hardrock lunch buffet): $300 each

Café Deco: $ 200 each (approx.)