Category Archives: me

Easy Low Carb Tortilla Wraps

I so miss having some wraps so when I stumbled upon this Low Carb Coconut Flour Tortilla Wraps recipe from www.wholesomeyum.com, I quickly checked my fridge to make sure that I have the ingredients needed.   Err…actually, this recipe only needs 3 ingredients.  Easy right?

Below are the ingredients and instructions from www.wholesomeyum.com.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup Coconut flour
  • 6 large Egg (I will use 5 large eggs next time because I prefer a less eggy taste)
  • 1 1/4 cup Unsweetened almond milk (or any milk of choice; use coconut milk beverage for nut-free). I used coconut milk as I don’t have any almond milk. They are expensive!
  • 3/4 tsp Sea salt (optional)

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INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Let the batter sit for a minute or two to account for the natural thickening caused by coconut flour. The batter should be very runny right before cooking – it should pour easily (add more almond milk and eggs in *equal* proportions if needed to achieve this). I actually added 2 tbsp of water to make it more runny.
  2. Heat a small skillet (about 8″ diameter) over medium to medium-high heat and grease lightly (use oil of choice or an oil mister). Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the skillet and immediately tilt in different directions to evenly distribute. You can fill in the sides with a little more batter if needed. Cook, covered with a lid, until the edges are golden and you see bubbles forming in the middle. The edges will curl inward when you lift the lid (about 1-2 minutes). Flip over, cover again, and cook until browned on the other side (1-2 more minutes). Repeat until the batter is used up.

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Here is my Low Carb Coconut Flour Tortilla Wrap with some chicken, lettuce and onions. Yums! Try it when you are craving for some kind of wraps.

Natural Eyebrows Through Microblading

I always admire women who have nice eyebrows.   My eyebrows are very sparse and you can say, it’s so thin that it’s almost bald.  I have been using an eyebrow pencil to draw my brows every day but I am not doing a good job.

I have been mulling the idea of having fuller eyebrows by making cosmetic changes to them.  Yes, this means having my eyebrows tatted. This has been at the back of my mind for quite some time and I did not take any action until last weekend when my friend suddenly asked me to do it.  Her friend, Nilou of SimplyPerfectBrows.com, who is a tattoo artist, has graduated from the esteemed PhiAcademy, specializing in microblading procedure whicih is semi-permanent tattoo.  Since graduating, Nilou has been making women beautiful and younger-looking through microblading.

PhiAcademy is the oldest microblading school in Europe and its technique is known as Phibrows which is used worldwide.  They created the first microblading  pigment that does not contain heavy metals and not based on iron oxid.   Phibrows logo is recognized as a sign of prestige, supreme skill and equipment.

What is Microblading?

It is a technique which uses fine, hair-like strokes to deposit semi-permanent pigment into the skin. Microblading is the most natural-looking way to make the eyebrows look fuller.  Sterile microblade penetrates the layer of the dermis.  It consists of a series of needles that make small cuts in the skin and deposit pigment under the skin.  The cuts look exactly like actual strands of hair which helps to create fuller and more natural-looking brows.

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How Does It Work and How Long Is The Procedure?

The preparation, from consultation to getting ready the sterilized tools took about 30 minutes.  Then comes the shaping part using a compass.  Phibrow uses a patented and precise method for eyebrow shaping with a compass for measurement according to the golden number 1.618.  After drawing the shape and pulling off stray hairs, the next step is the numbing of the eyebrow and the area around it. This took about 20 minutes.

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The above are the tools that were used.

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These are the different pigmentation colours for the brows which would be chosen based on your skin colour.  Nilou created a custom color that matches my natural brow colour and uses several shades.

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After drawing my brows, Nilou used this special application from her phone to measure the

To be honest, I was quite nervous about undergoing this procedure.  I was worried about the pain and also how I would look after it is done.  Nilou assured me that everything is going to be fine and that I would have very natural-looking eyebrows in no time.  The microblading procedure took about an hour.

How Does Microblading Feel Like

Nilou first drew the outline of my brow using a pencil.  Then she started to deposit the pigment onto the outline.  I can feel a sensation while she was doing it.  It felt like a pen drawing or scratching sensation on my skin.  Honestly, this part is a bit painful but bearable.  I guess our face is more sensitive, hence the pain is greater. She explained every step to me while doing my brows.  That is very comforting as this made me aware of what was going on.

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What Happens After Microbladding

After the procedure is done, Nilou put some antibiotic ointment on my eyebrow.   Then there was about a 1-hour break where my eyebrows will be covered with a saran wrap.  This is a protection from the germs as long as it is fresh open wound.  After the break, Nilou checked on my eyebrows again to see if everything is in order.  I have been told that after care is very important and no gym, no swimming and no sweating in general, moreover I cannot draw or put anything on my brow for one month.  I only need to put the cream which Nilou gave me, once in the morning and once at night.

After two days, my brows were itchy and I guess that is because of the healing skin.  There was no swelling at all.  My skin came off in little flakes that resembled dandruff on Day 3 and Day 4.

Post-Care Treatment
–   Apply the ointment every morning and night
–  Do not pick or peel at brows
–  Avoid direct sun exposure
–  Avoid make up and skincare products around treatment area till fully-healed

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How Long Does It Last?

Semi-permanent tattoo brows are different from permanent ones because of how deeply the ink is injected into the skin.   Traditional tattoos are meant to last whereas semi-permanent ones are expected to fade and usually last around one to three years.   This is good because it looks natural and after a year or so, you may want to change the look of your eyebrow.  Since it is semi-permanent, you do not have to stick to the same shape for the rest of your life.

I am sure you have noticed some women with greenish or reddish eyebrows.  Those are the results of permanent tattoo fading away.  It can be due to the type or the quality of the pigment type being used.  With PhiBrow microblading, you do not have to be scared of eyebrows turning green as the pigment used are organic ink.

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Here are my before and after.  Such a big difference eh? The after-photo was taken right after I have done the procedure hence my brows looked dark.  Now they are lighter and look very natural.  Everyone has been commenting that I look younger and this boosted my confidence.  Best of all, I do not have to draw my eyebrows every day.  I do not look pale anymore.  4 weeks after my microblading procedure, I will be going in for a free touch-up.

Well-groomed eyebrows can frame the face and make one look years younger.  Microblading is the perfect solution for sparse or uneven brows. The finest ‘hair strokes’ are tattooed amongst our natural hairs to create fullness, shape and definition.

Right now, Nilou is offering PhiBrow Microblading Eyebrow Tattoo for RM699 + 1 Free Touch-up.  The normal price is $999.

You can expect natural-looking brow, with strokes almost identical to your natural hair colour.

You may contact Nilou at:
Dragonfly Tattoo Malaysia
Mid Valley Megamall Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-22840749
Mobile :  012 805 3605
Email : Niloo_dash@yahoo.com

Do You Listen To Songs When Exercising?

I do.  I have a Running playlist downloaded from Joox and when I go for my running fix, I would turn it on.   When the earphones are on, the world is shut off.  Bliss.

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Some of the songs in my playlist are :-

Climb by Miley Cyrus
This is Me by Keala Settle
Whoomp There It is by Tag Team
Remember the Name by Fort Minor
Million Reasons – Lady Gaga
Fancy by Iggy
Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night by Bon Jovi
That’s What I Like by Bruno Mars

What about you?

I have a thing for floor tiles

I have this thing for floor tiles.  Love the colourful and unique floor tiles.  I was in Hoi An when I spotted these tiles in the old shops.  When I asked the shop owners how old these tiles are, they told me the shops have been around for almost 100 years.  The floor tiles remain unchanged over the years although they repainted the shop.  So interesting.  I can’t help but wonder who has stepped on to these tiles since they were laid on the floor until the present day.  What happened to all those people?

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I can’t remember where I took this photo.

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The above photo and the one below were taken in a tailor shop in the Old Quarter. One is in the living room and one is in the kitchen.

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Please excuse my not so pretty shoes as I wore a pair of sneakers and padded shoe for comfort during my travel.  No heels or my trusted fitflops as I was worried the open-toe sandals may be too cold for my feet.

 

Feedjit Is No Longer Available

I am sad.

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I have Feedjit installed for many years and it has been showing live traffic feeds to my blog.   This is a sample of how the Feedjit looks like on my sidebar. I can easily see who was at my blog.   Since yesterday, I don’t see it on my sidebar and I thought perhaps, it is down for a while. So when I don’t see it today either, I decided to google and saw this message from the founders.

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Thank you Mark & Kerry for letting us use this very useful and remarkable service for so many years.   All the best.

I am still sad.

Shopping Bags Collector

What do you do with the paper shopping bags or plastic shopping bags you received when you go shopping?  Well, I would keep the ones that I like especially if they are from my favourite stores.  I won’t keep all of them though. I find them useful when I need to give something to others and I would use these bags to put them.   I do have this habit of not throwing them out because I think I may need them later.  This is why I have so many paper bags stashed away.  I really must get rid of this habit of mine.

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The above are some of the shopping bags that I received during my travel.  They have lots of good memories so that is why I have been keeping them.  Some are over 16 years old.  Am I crazy?

When I Need To Have Something Sweet

I know I should not be eating sweet stuff since I am following the Keto / Low carb way of eating.  However, at times, I just feel like having some cookies or cakes which I would bake myself using Erythritol.

When I came upon these sugar-free Cappuccino sweets and choc chews at Ben’s, I couldn’t resist.  I only eat them sparingly though, perhaps one a week.   They are pretty good actually.  It’s a once in a while treat for myself.   A quick solution on days that I feel like having something sweet but do not have time to bake.

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What I Do To De-Stress

I try to lead a healthy lifestyle by running.  It is one of the best ways to relieve stress or improve my mood.   I also love zumba but my  class has been cancelled because of low turnout.  So what I do now is to catch the free Zumba / Senamrobik that is held every Sunday at the park.

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During weekdays, I would try to squeeze in one day of running after work.  On weekends, it will be Zumba and a run.

According to some articles I have read, running boosts our endorphins and this means that after a long stressful day, lacing up the shoes and hitting the road can help one to feel better.

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I like to wear a running cap when I go for my run because it helps to keep the hair in place and keep the sweat from sliding into my eyes.

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This is another one of my regular caps.  It is water-resistant and light.

So how do you de-stress?  Please share.   If you are facing stress, please read this article from Betterhelp on stress.