Amazin' Snacks To Graze On

Snacks. The types and variety is endless. And who doesn't love to snack, right? Snacks can either be healthy or unhealthy. You take the pick. 

These days, there are various websites selling healthy snacks like granola bars, fresh fruits, nuts, dried fruits and the like. One of them is Amazin' Graze. Recently they held a simple contest on their Facebook page where they were giving out 5 boxes of Amazin' Box Ramadhan Edition. All you have to do is give advice on how to stay healthy during Ramadhan. Luckily I chanced upon this contest and decided to give out a few advice.

My advice are as follows: (copied from the Facebook entry)

Izyan Darlina  

1. Get enough sleep so you don’t miss waking up for sahur, which is most important. This is the time for you to stock up on your energy for the day by having healthy and fulfilling meals like overnight oats with dates and raisins, fresh fruits and vegetables and eggs.
2. Drink energy-boosting drinks like Milo or Horlicks to give you a full and satisfying tummy.
3. Drink lots of plain water during sahur and break of fast, try to avoid sugary sweet drinks and caffeine as these will only dehydrate you.
4. Break fast with healthy meals as well; include lots of fruits and vegetables and soupy meals to avoid constipation. Since dates are in abundance in this holy month, have a few pieces during sahur and break of fast.
5. Do not over eat, no matter how tempting the foods may look. Always have everything in moderation.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · June 8 at 3:05pm · 

The contest ended on 10 June 2016 and on 13 June 2016, they announce the 5 winners.

I was then contacted by their representative asking for my details to enable them to deliver the box to me.

 This morning, this pretty-looking box arrived at my office. So, what's in the Amazin' Box, you may ask?

 

There are four small packets of healthy snacks, all carefully packed. I received a Satay Lemongrass Nut Mix (40g), Rendang Coconut Nut Mix (40g), Pandan Skinny Cookies (50g) and Sticky Date Granola (50g).  

 There is a leaflet with a detailed description of the snacks.

I haven't tasted the snacks yet and I can't wait to try them! If you are interested to know more about Amazin' Graze and its Amazin' Box Ramadhan Edition, head on over to their Facebook page or check out their Instagram. They have plenty of other snacks too for you to choose from. So go on and snack healthily, OK?

I Did My Raya Hair

My hair needs some tlc and since Hari Raya is approaching, now is the perfect time to pay a visit to the salon for some works. So the week before Ramadhan, I purchased a coupon from Groupon for some chemical hair services at Hair Fancier Hair Salon. There are numerous deals on offer and this one particular deal by Hair Fancier caught my attention.

The package sells for RM98 and is redeemable at any one of the 6 Hair Fancier salons.

The 3-hour package includes:

• professional scalp scan and analysis
• chemical service either perming OR colouring
• nanoe hair repair treatment
• scalp defence treatment
• cut, wash and blow (add RM20 for hair length past bra line)
• complimentary RM100 head spa treatment voucher 

With a price tag of RM98, this deal looks and sounds pretty awesome and worth it, right? So on Thursday 2 June 2016, I actually had a dental appointment in the morning. I then applied leave for the day and fixed an appointment at Hair Fancier Encorp Mall The Strand, Kota Damansara on the same day at 2.30p.m. I have never been to Encorp Mall and I thought I'd like to check it out while I'm there. The mall is a sad and sorry white elephant with only a handful of retailers operating including Daiso, Mr. D.I.Y, Hair Fancier, Sam's Groceria, Caring Pharmacy, Kenny Roger's Roasters and a few more. I should have gone to The Curve instead. 

Anyway, I was greeted by the hairstylists and after explaining to me what the package is all about, they directed me to another area in the salon to have my scalp analyzed. They used a camera which is attached to the computer and showed me horror pictures of my scalp, which is sensitive, red on some spots and also unhealthy where the hair follicles are closed and the hair is thinning, according to them. Then they led me back to my chair and started  to apply some water on my scalp to soften it. After that, my head was steamed for a good 20 minutes or so. After that, I went back to the other room to have my scalp analyzed again to see if there are any hair mites. Yes, mites. Hair mites. They started scraping off some skin on my scalp and placed it on a microscopic dish and put it under the microscope. They did show me the tools and dishes that they were going to use to proof that the tools are clean. Then the horror began again. Apparently I have hair mites. Not many but there are about 2-3 and an ovum, which will hatch into a mite. Eek!

They started 'lecturing' me about hair mites, the causes, the effects and most importantly, how to treat it. Then that's where the story begins. They started promoting me to do a hair mite treatment because hair mites causes hair loss, which, sad to say, I'm dealing with. Even though it is not severe, if it is not treated, it may just go downhill and soon, I may have a bald spot on top of my head. It doesn't help that I like to pick and pluck my white hairs! Sigh. The cost for the hair mite treatment? RM389. And that is the cost for one treatment. Remember in the package I have a RM100 complimentary cash voucher? *scroll above please* I can use that RM100 but I have to top up another RM298. No.freaking.way. 

When I told them it's too expensive and is not in my budget, they started saying that I can't do any chemical treatment e.g. colouring because it will only make the mites active. Seriously? Don't you think those teeny tiny creatures would die of toxicity when in contact with chemical? Are you saying they are super creatures that can withstand chemical? I ain't falling for that, woman! They said if I don't want to do the treatment now, I can always come back another day. This time I was starting to feel frustrated because I took leave that day just to get my hair (and teeth earlier in the morning) done and there's no way I am taking another leave. Secondly I ain't coming back to Encorp Mall because it's like a ghost town. If I were to go to other Hair Fancier salon, I would choose Publika or The Curve. 

I put my foot down and said No, I don't want to do the hair mite treatment and I want to colour my hair today. They had no choice but to follow my instructions. So I got my hair dyed, I got the nanoe hair repair treatment, scalp defence treatment, cut (I had to add the RM20) wash and blow and by 6pm I was done. 

When it comes to paying, another story unfolds. I took out a RM20 note to pay and asked for the RM100 voucher. Out of the blue, I was asked to pay RM298. I was like, "What for?? I told you earlier I don't want to do the hair mite treatment because of the price. If I don't want to pay earlier, I won't pay now either! And What makes you think that I still want to do the hair mite treatment? I am sure there are other natural remedies I can use to treat my hair loss problem." She also refused to give me my RM100 voucher. Instead she said the next time I come, I can use it. I told her the next time I may not come to this outlet, I might as well go to Publika as it is nearer to my place. The hairstylist was quite persistent but I was even more adamant. In the end I told her "You know what, you ambik RM20 ni and you boleh simpan voucher tu. I tak nak." She looked surprised. She asked "You tak mau ka? You boleh datang nanti kalau you tak nak buat hair mite treatment you call kita cakap untuk change buat lain servis." I told her "You patut bagi I voucher tu, you kata boleh guna di mana-mana outlet. Tapi susah2 sangat, takpelah, you simpan voucher tu."

And I walked out of the salon. 

To think of it I only paid RM98 and got what I wanted, which was worth it but the reason why I chose to buy a deal from Groupon is simply to save money. I know they are just doing their job to promote their business but at the end of the day, make sure you stand firm and know what you want and know your rights. Never ever fall into their tricks to make you pay more, pay for things that you don't want. 

Anyway it is also good to know that there are tons of natural remedies to treat hair loss, which is so much cheaper and natural.

In case you are curious or interested to know more about hair mites, you can always google it. Or you can go to this website https://www.ungex.com/

I Think I Need A New Phone For Raya

Wait a minute, I don't think I need a new phone for raya, I MUST HAVE A NEW PHONE FOR RAYA! That's more accurate.

Finding the right phone these days is like finding the perfect pair of jeans and trust me, for someone with my body shape and built, that ain't an easy task. There are just too many phones in the market that choosing one that fits your budget and your needs and specifications is almost impossible. It's always a win-lose situation where you may win in terms of storage space but the camera megapixel may be low. Or you may like the functions and its user-friendly features but the price exceeds your budget.

I was browsing on phones on Lazada and stumbled upon this phone called ZTEBlade V7 Lite. The first thing that caught my eyes is the price. It is selling for only RM495! Pretty unbelievable and I thought maybe it doesn't have all the best features.

I then scrolled and read about the phone and discovered that the phone is pretty amazing in terms of features.

OK when I survey for a phone, the first thing I'd like to know is the camera's megapixels. This ZTEBlade V7 Lite's  front camera is 8MegaPixels. 8MP! How cool is that? Perfect for those vain selfies and wefies, and not forgetting, snapchats right? My kids will absolutely love using this front camera for those fun Snapchats.

1. 

This phone has a pretty wide screen of 5" HD Display Curve Edge Glass. This will definitely make watching videos and reading those WhatsApp messages easily and I can definitely take my Candy Crush addiction to the next level.

My kids both love to use my current phone to watch Youtube and like I mentioned above, take fun and silly pictures on snapchat. Sometimes they take my phone without my knowledge and the next thing I know, my battery is running out. I think this Apps Lock & Private Content Lock feature will come in handy. This way I get to control and limit my kids' usage of the phone and make sure they ask for my permission first before using it.

This is another feature which I am not sure if other phones have. It has a Multifunction Fingerprint Sensor where it can sense my fingerprints from all angles and let me keep my privacy. Another feature that prevents my kids from unlocking my phone easily. Bonus! 

Another outstanding feature is that is has a built-in internal memory of 16GB and you can add up to 32GB of memory. For a mummy like me who takes tons of pictures of their kids, this has got to be a feature that I really need. I am sure most parents, especially mummies take pictures of their kids on a daily basis. As it is, my current phone contains 99% of my kids' pictures. 

Of all the features this great phone has to offer, the one feature that I like most is the 8MP front camera and 13MP back camera. Again, it all comes down to taking pictures and cherishing memories of my kids. My younger kid is 20m old and he love taking pictures but sometimes it is nearly impossible to get a 20m old baby boy to sit still to take pictures. More often than not, the pictures come out shaky and blurry, which defeats the purpose of taking pictures to begin with! With this phone, I am confident taking picture with my little ones will be a breeze. With that price tag, I think this phone is perfect for me especially that Raya is coming where new memories will be made and tons of pictures will be captured.