My First Time Test-Driving a Pickup Truck

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Happy 6th Birthday, Butterfly Project!

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY, BUTTERFLY PROJECT!

My first and maybe last butterfly gathering! Since I was always in Sitiawan and am only here in KL this year for my chambering, I decided to seize the opportunity to join The Butterfly Project's 6th Birthday! It was held on 27th April 2019 at Vilej Damansara.

Credits for all the dreamy, beautiful photos here to the Butterfly Crew!

Pretty butterfly cupcakes from @jomparty for the celebration! 

Let us first take a moment to appreciate the impeccable decoration and set up for the event. So pretty right? The deco is from Avant Garde Blooms and The Blossom Balloons!

Delicious snacks from @jomparty @macaronsbymadeleine

Our beautiful mamasan and founder of The Butterfly Project, Tammy! 

For starters, we held our lighted cupcakes high to sing a birthday song for our not-so-little, 6-year-old community.

Singing the birthday song!

Mamasan prepared a lineup of interesting activities for the event. First up was Joanne Kam's stand up show. Look how attentive everyone is! If you don't know about it yet, JK is Malaysia's Queen of Comedy, and she delivers wickedly delicious humour all the time!

Joanne Kam in action!

Next we had a flower crown making workshop from Avant Garde Blooms. The flowers were lovely but unfortunately not quite enough so I finally ended up using the flowers in the vase on our table to improvise!

Flower crown making workshop @avantgardeblooms

The high tea was so good, especially the mini cakes, tarts and bruschetta, I wished I could have them everyday! Delicious, delicious, delicious! These are from Jom Party And the pretty macaron is from Macarons by Madeleine.

Delicious snacks from @jomparty @macaronsbymadeleine

Some of the glorious outfits of the day!

This outfit is befitting NY Fashion Week!

The best-dressed butterflies receiving their prizes!

Everyone got a complimentary T-Sticks teabox from our lovely sponsor, The Sticks – Get Lost, Naturally The special thing about this product is that you can now drink tea in an innovative, non-messy way - the tea is contained in the stick which has little pores that allow the goodness to pass through, so just immerse it in water and you're good to go!

I chose something different from what I would normally get. @tsticksmy

Finally, Yves Rocher Malaysia kindly sponsored everyone a box of their products with the theme #ActBeautiful in conjunction with their 60th Birthday!

Are you curious to know what's inside?

Well, here you go! Thanks @yvesrochermy!

I got to know some new friends including Rika and Amalina (but unfortunately I forgot to take photos with Rika!) - I consider this good progress for an introvert like me!

Met a fellow butterfly @amalinanadri

A necessary photo with the beautiful set up prepared by @theblossomballoons!

My first time attending the Butterfly Birthday! The balloons are from @theblossomballoons 

A beautiful party favour from @theblossomballoons!

Tammy also prepared a gift for each of us, a heart in pink, reminding us to always be kind and truthful as a Butterfly.

Heart necklace for all butterflies.

Thank you Tammy all the blood, sweat, tears and money that went into making this event a success! Your courage and determination never cease to awe me.

My first photo with mamasan @hellotammylim

List of Sponsors

Avant Garde Blooms

Website |  Facebook | Instagram

Jom Party

Facebook | Instagram

Macarons by Madeleine

Facebook | Instagram

The Blossom Balloons

Facebook | Instagram 

TSticks Malaysia

Facebook | Instagram

Yves Rocher Malaysia

Facebook | Instagram

Review: HappyMask Berries Garden

A look of the whole series. Such beautiful colours, don't you think so?

How it fits on my face.

The masks were surprisingly not strong-scented (good for people who don’t like artificial scents in their masks) and quite hydrating. The size is a good fit for my face. There is some texture to the masks due to the patterned surface. These masks are good for a quick hydration boost to the skin. After using, there will be a sheen of moisture on your face. The residue dries up to be a little sticky on my skin but nothing unmanageable. You may choose to wash it off, or just continue with your post-mask skincare routine i.e. serum, essence and moisturizer/night mask.

I award this product 4 stars.

How Much Are You Worth If You Were Dead?

The Chinese don't like to talk about death. However, death is an inevitable part of life, and sometimes it may be the result of an accident. Thus, it is useful to know if your family can receive support should something bad happen to you, and how much your life is worth.

What is a fatal claim?
The name itself is explanatory. Someone (defendant) must have negligently caused the victim's death. Note that an action in tort must be commenced within 6 years of the date the cause of action (harm) arose. There are several categories under fatal claims.

1. Bereavement (Deprivation)

What? 
s7(3A) Civil Law Act - Bereavement award is a one-off payment of RM10,000 by the defendant to the family of a victim whose death was caused by negligence.

Who can claim?

• Spouse of deceased person
• Parent(s) of minor child who is single

The category of persons who can claim are very limited. There is no provision for a situation where a parent dies and the child survives. An estate administrator cannot claim for the benefit of the victim's estate. Note that even if the deceased is a minor, it must be specifically proven that he is not married, otherwise there will be no bereavement award (Hooi Seong v Ooi Pay Yeong [1995] 4 MLJ 670)

What if the deceased is more than 18 (considered adult) but still a student and single? Well, too bad. The parents won't be able to claim for bereavement.

So what if the deceased has more than one wife (Muslims)? 

Hazimah Bt Muda & Anor v Ab. Rahim Bin Ab. Rahman & Anor [2000] MLJU 763 held that  RM10,000 bereavement award was to be shared equitably between two wives recognized under customary law.

Mr Foo mentioned that earlier on there was a bill (subsequently retracted) that proposed to increase this amount to RM50,000 and to allow a child to claim for death of parents and vice versa. However, even if it is increased to RM50,000, is it fair to have it divided between multiple wives and children?

Who is a child? 

s7(11) CLA says a “child” includes son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, stepson and stepdaughter. But don't forget the rule on who can claim above.

2. LOSS OF SUPPORT

Dependency is not found in CLA, but the phrase "dependency claim" is frequently utilized to describe loss of support under s7(3) CLA. 

Who is a dependent?

Since this is a "dependency" claim, the claimant must prove the financial loss that he suffers as a dependent under s7(2). 

s7(2) Every such action shall be for the benefit of the wife, husband, parent, and child, if any, of the person whose death has been so caused and shall be brought by and in the name of the executor of the person deceased.

Siblings cannot claim. Also, if a child is taken care of by his relative, and the latter passed away, the child cannot claim.

Additionally, he must be a direct beneficiary of the financial support (Chan Chin Ming & Anor v Lim Yok Eng [1994] 3 MLJ 233). Nonetheless, if the claimant can show special circumstances that display the likelihood of of dependence, he will have a stronger case (Muhamad bin Hashim v Teow Teik Chai & Anor [1996] 4 MLJ 7, which held that money given by the deceased to the appellant for family expenses implies that the appellant as a member of that family has derived some direct benefit.) 

Time Limit

s7(5) CLA - 3 years

Loss of Earnings

s7(3)(iv)(a) - if victim is over 55 years old, there shall be no award for loss of earnings.

Otherwise it will be calculated as follows:

• Multiplicand (amount you are claiming for) x multiplier (years of purchase) = RM YYY
• Multiplicand will be decided by the court, starting point being how much he earns:

i.                 Person who died must have been gainfully employed at the time of his death (does not matter if you have a contract/promised a job => this does not count)

ii.               Court will only look at the income of the deceased person at the time of death (court is not allowed to consider of any prospects of deceased to be increased in the future)

The current formula is as follows:

• Below 30 years old, multiplier is 16. 
• If 31-54 years old, 55 minus age of death, then divide by 2.

Say I earn RM1,000 nett per month (after deducting approx 20% for income tax), and I give my mom RM500 per month.

Scenario A: I die at 24! Multiplier is 16, therefore 500*12*16=RM96,000.

Scenario B: I die at 32! Multiplier is (55-32)/2=11.5, therefore 500*12*11.5=RM69,000.

However, the sums in real-life might be lesser than what is calculated above as it has often been argued by insurance company lawyers that the award should be read based on the annuity table. Even though many cases held that a straight multiplier should be used, in Takong Tabari v Government of Sarawak and others (1996) 5 MLJ 435, RM270,000 damages was reduced by 1/3 for contingencies, and unfortunately leave to appeal was refused as it was not on a point of law.

FUNERAL EXPENSES

Reasonable amount, normally around a few thousand.

INTERESTS

Interest is awarded from the date of filing of writ until date of judgment, now it's 5% p.a. Special interest (as in pre-trial award) is 4% p.a. from date of accident to trial. No interest for anything for the future.

As a conclusion, there are many inadequacies in the current law. Hopefully changes can be made to the CLA so that family members and/or close kins can be properly and adequately supported following the loss of a loved one.

---

I was extremely blessed to have the chance to attend a special condensed course on Remedies organized by Puan Choong and Dr Nur Jannah. The information in this post mostly came from Mr Christopher Foo's session on accident claims but should there be any mistake(s) or error(s) in interpretation, they are solely my own. Please let me know if there are any mistakes so I can correct them. I also referred to certain online publications [Difficulties Suffered by Accident Victims by Etican Ramasamy | Dying Need to Review Bereavement by Malaysian Bar] and cases on Malayan Law Journal.

What A Great Day To Be Alive

Yesterday, I was at St Francis casting my vote. The queue at Saluran 7 was so long it took a good 2 hours before it was my turn. The sun was scorching hot. I was lucky I had Mr Aik to buy me iced barley drink from somewhere outside. Even so, people were determined to make their voices heard.

It's a good thing that many first-time voters turned out - it shows that we care. My mom actually opposed the idea of me coming back to vote because according to her, our constituency is PH sure-win area. But who cares what mom says?

My #voteginity

Then comes the polling. As expected, several places experienced blackouts (a common cheating tactic in Malaysian GE). In fact, some people had sarcastically asked TNB the day before something like this:

English translation: Hi TNB, may I ask what time does the blackout start tomorrow?

TNB promising that there will be no blackouts.

TNB apologizing for the blackouts.

But fortunately we have faithful PACA peeps to lookout for possible dishonest activities.

Then comes the polling. It was a close battle between PH and BN, with BN leading at first, then PH, then same number between both parties. It was scary but exciting. But later on, it was clear that PH is going for the win. In my mind, I was thinking, is this possible? Is this for real? BN tried to delay the official announcement, and we heard news of recounting of votes, emergence of fake ballots and SPR refusing to sign the Borang 14. Finally, at close to 4am in the morning, the (suppressed) results were finally out. 

PH and component parties PKR, DAP, Bersatu and Amanah won a clear majority of 113 seats out of 222 seats. Despite the gerrymandering, inconsiderate voting day (on a Wednesday 9th May 2018) and long queues, the Malaysians managed to make their voices heard. Tun M, aged 93, is officially back as the new PM.

This special moment shall be recorded in Malaysian history.

Today, Tun M is supposed to be sworn in as PM but there is a delay. Now Jibby is throwing the task to YDPA to make things hard for Tun M and PH. Perhaps something is brewing below the surface, we don't know yet. But don't play play Jibby. When you lose, admit defeat with honour.

Even the US Dept of State is hinting subtly for Tun M to be sworn in.

In his press conference, Tun M emphasized that Art. 43 provides that the PM must be someone who likely commands the support of the majority the MPs, not party. Tun M is expected to be sworn in by 5pm today. Hopefully everything goes well. 

#GE14

#090518

#SalamHarapan

#PrayingForABetterFuture

Althea Bare Essentials

Althea, my one-stop online shop for K-beauty recently launched its very own product line.

The latest release from the Althea label is one that addresses a common problem faced by many - the steps in Korean skincare are so complicated and confusing, when it shouldn't be difficult at all. 

Image from Althea Blog

Althea’s Bare Essentials rides on today’s current minimalism movement, by focusing on skincare fundamentals and drops all the non-essentials. These thoughtfully crafted products give the benefits of the infamous 10-step Korean skincare routine, rolled into 3 quick and easy steps: cleansing, toning and moisturizing. Other steps are just additional.

These new beauty hybrid products pack a double punch too. They’re products that nourish the skin while leaving it looking bright, glowing, and beautiful. With clean, minimal, yet effective formulas, these straightforward products epitomize simple perfection and deliver maximum results with minimum effort. 

The Bare Essentials range consists of three hypoallergenic products suitable for any skin types.

11CONTOUR CLEANSER

Image from Althea Blog

Contour Cleanser 150g RM23.00 

Packed with soothing Ice Plant and detoxifying Lemon Myrtle extracts, this cleanser is densely filled with micro capsules that burst upon contact with water to gently cleanse, exfoliate, and detoxify skin.

Image from Althea Blog

The Contour Cleanser helps to promote blood circulation, and reduces bloating and swelling for a defined, enviably slim face shape. 

My take on the Contour Cleanser:

　

You don't need to pump too much, maybe just half the amount as I've shown in the picture. 

Before

As you can observe from the picture, my T-zone was extremely oily (this was my "wake up like this" face).

Using the Contour Cleanser

This is how the Contour Cleanser looks like on my face. It has a fresh and soft chemical scent, which reminds me slightly of The Face Shop's Herb 365, only much gentler to my skin. The Contour Cleanser contains ice plant and lemon verbena leaf. The texture is a bit sticky and lathers into a bubbly foam. It cleanses well but doesn't dry out my skin. 

After

After cleansing, my skin looks clean and healthy, minus that oily mess!

It claims to be able to help with blood circulation but I'm not sure how much of that is proven from my pictures. Nonetheless, as a cleanser, it does its job well.

Verdict: ★★★★☆

primer water

Image from Althea Blog

Primer Water 200ml RM43.00 

Both a hydrating toner and a primer in one, the Primer Water contains patented dewdrop technology (Macro Fluidic Dispersion technology) that gently fills the gaps between pores and allows hydration to penetrate deep within the layers of the skin.

Image from Althea Blog

Made with Snow Lotus extracts, this skincare heavy hitter has an incredibly smooth and silky texture that enhances the skin’s natural glow, leaving you with the perfect canvas. 

My take on the Primer Water:

This is probably my favorite out of this series. I just LOVE the smell of the Primer Water. I don't know how to describe it but it's really nice. The active ingredient is snow lotus dewdrop, and the texture is thicker than normal toner but it doesn't feel sticky.

Verdict: ★★★★★

FIXER CREAM

Image from Althea Blog

Fixer Cream 50g RM50.00 

This non-oily, quick-absorbing formula harnesses the power of Trehalose, an ingredient found in the cactus plant that prevents its moisture loss, to provide the skin with 24-hour hydration.

Image from Althea Blog

This ultra-nourishing wonder cream is also rich in antioxidants derived from Camellia Sinensis (green tea) seed oil, and helps to promote collagen regeneration using Baobab Tree extracts. Upon application, your skin is left looking great and feeling bouncy to the touch.

My take on the Fixer Cream:

This smells really woodsy/grassy, probably because it contains Green Tea. It doesn't feel too oily and gives my face a healthy finish. I think I would like it better if it's an oil-free formula. Nonetheless, it does work well in moisturizing my face.

Verdict: ★★★★☆

Quick sharing

Just to share a quick story, yesterday I went to Midvalley right after using these 3 products cos I had a pancake craving. By chance, I walked into a L'Occitane store where the salesgirl told me about their new release Aqua Réotier. She offered to test my skin hydration level (probably cos she wanted to promote their products if my skin was dry) - turns out my hydration level is 47% which is quite high in the normal hydration level range, which I totally didn't expect (since I have dry skin in general). Bare Essentials actually works like a wonder in maintaining skin moisture level even though I did not realize it before.

I'm really happy that Athea came up with the Bare Essentials line as it's simple, easy and effective. I only wish they had also included an eye gel in the series so that it really takes care of my whole face. I get milia seeds real easily so I'd prefer eye gel or creams with an oil-free formula.

SUPER SAVER

The good news is all 3 products in the Bare Essentials line only cost RM116, so you're really getting the best for less! Currently, Althea is giving out an additional 10% off with a free special edition mirror if you purchase now so head on over to www.althea.kr today!

Contour Cleanser - RM23

Primer Water - RM43

Fixer Cream - RM50

You can use Shopback to save up to 7% for every purchase when buying from Althea. Just sign up using my LINK, and you'll be rewarded with RM5 immediately, followed by RM5 when you update your personal information. You'll also earn from each purchase on participating merchant sites made through Shopback, which you can later cash out to your bank account. 

Giveaway

*I'm having a giveaway on my Instagram for trial sachets of the Bare Essentials line, just tag a friend to enter! Malaysia only, ends 7 April 2018, 11.59pm.

Female's #MySuperFemale Workshop

I was really lucky to get the chance to be a part of the MySuperFemale Workshop organized by Female Magazine on 17 March 2018. They had a limit of 50 pax, so I wasn't entirely sure I was going to get invited. I attended the event with my room mate Pei Chi, and we paid RM20 each for pair sign-ups. I wasn't too sure what to expect since there wasn't too much information on the event page except that there was going to be sharing sessions by Shizens, DRFORHAIR and Mixxo. I actually thought it was going to be a women's right/freedom of speech kind of thing, but it was more of a beauty/lifestyle sharing session with some words of wisdom from founder of Shopback Malaysia Ms Sharmeen Looi. The event was held at Element KL, Jalan Binjai. Parking for events are RM10 flat rate after validation.

The first session was conducted by Shizens. Samson was the speaker/makeup artist of the day. He gave us a talk on Shizens products and how we should apply them (tbh there are so many products I ended up forgetting the steps). But I remember their new launch the Aqua Pore Base. See, at least I tried to be attentive! 

Secondly we had DRFORHAIR, a scalp-care brand from Korea. Their products are more towards promoting healthy scalp to help you get healthy and shiny hair. Do you know that even though you wash your hair daily, you'll still have dead skin cells on your scalp? I was seriously grossed out when I saw what was sitting on my head. The spokesperson from DRFORHAIR told me that normal shampoo can't remove them, but they have a special product called the Scaler that does the job. Sorry I was too attentive listening to the talk to remember snapping some pics for this post. But I'm happy to share that I got lucky and won a hair care set from the lucky draw session, woohoo! Thanks DRFORHAIR! I'm gonna use this and write a review in the future. 

For the third session, we had Ezza from MIXXO who taught us some casual/semi-formal styling and layering tips. MIXXO is a Korean fashion brand, and they are currently located at Pavillion and Sunway Velocity Mall. Their clothes are quite nice, but I think the concept of layering clothes is not quite doable in the Malaysian hot weather. Nonetheless, they have some pretty trendy outerwear that I'd love to checkout sometime soon.

Got this Zottis Strawberry Yoghurt from the snack bar, I loved it! So nice!

For lunch, we had this tiny Saus Vide Baby Chicken, which looks great but tasted just alright.

For dessert, we had a low-fat cheesecake. It looks really great, but again the taste was just alright. Maybe a tad bit better than the main dish.

After lunch, we resumed our session with Super Female Ms Sharmeen Looi from Shopback. Her prep talk was really motivating. She said a lot, but what stuck in my mind was, "don't say 'I should have' because it means you haven't grabbed the chance and you're regretting now."

I'm a Shopback user too and I really like how it works - you get a bit of your money spent back by clicking into the shopping website via Shopback. The percentage isn't too high but if you always buy stuff online it's going to add up. If you haven't signed up, here is my referral link. You'll get RM5 upon sign up, and another RM5 upon filling in your particulars.

The final session was a floral arrangement class by Garden of Senses. Sensei is a kind-looking lady with nimble hands and a lovely smile. Most of the participants (me included) were unable to make a nice-looking bouquet and ended up asking for her help. In the afternoon session, miss emcee was trying really hard to elicit a response from the crowd so I tried to be as supportive as possible.

White roses! But tbh I prefer red ones.

Posing with my final product.

So, that was my take on Female's #MySuperFemale Workshop! Overall, this is a really laid-back event that's focused on learning basic beauty/health/fashion/lifestyle tips (stuff that women are generally into). Female's  #MySuperFemale Workshop is proabably going to be an annual event, so stay tuned for it in 2019!