Ginvera Nutri White Marvel Gel

And so the experimentation with skin care products continues...by the way, I'm not paid in any way for writing these opinions and my opinions are true and frank (as always).

I've never used anything from Ginvera, until the end of last year when my son started sprouting pimples and black heads. He's at that age.

I used some scrubs on him but they didn't do any good in getting rid of his blackheads on his nose, and I'm too chicken to extract the black heads with the extractor as I'm afraid it might hurt his young skin.

Then my maid (bless her!) saw an advert on Ginvera Nutri White Marvel Gel with all the fabulous claims and she wanted to try it for herself (she has oily skin and occasionally  has pimple breakouts). She suggested that it might help my son too.

So off we trooped to Guardian pharmacy one evening and picked up the gel.

What Ginvera claims

That the Nutri White Marvel Gel is the 3rd generation of MARVEL GEL, which was first launched in 1991. It has been No. 1 in sales for 16 consecutive years in the dead skin and blackhead remover category.

Unlike others, this is the only dead skin and blackhead remover that can soften the deep layers of skin to remove dead skin cells and blackheads thoroughly and gently, without any heat or harsh polishing effect.

The gel:
• Thoroughly rubs away deep layers of dead and aging skin
• Removes blackheads without pain
• Removes dry, coarse, dull and dark skin
• Gives way to new born skin for fairer, finer and younger complexion
• Stimulates metabolism to lighten dark spots and pigmentation effectively
• Removes make-up
• Gradually lightens scars with regular use
• Enhances complete and quick absorption of skincare products
• Daily use reveals a smoother, softer, finer, fairer, more radiant and youthful skin

Directions

To be used daily on dry face with dry fingers. Squeeze a sufficient amount and dot on forehead, cheeks, chin, nose and neck. Massage about one minute. Must rinse off with water / facial cleanser after use.

I think...

.... that it does a fairly good job of exfoliating dead skin cells, and thus removing some of the blackheads that form as a result of clogged pores.

After massaging onto my boy's dry skin for the first time, it immediately formed little clumps, probably a mixture of the gel and dead skin. Rinsed off and cleansed his face as usual. After several times of using the gel, my dad-in-law remarked that my son's face had cleared up a bit and looked brighter/ cleaner.

I decided to try it myself. It feels like a very gentle scrub and the sensation of the little clumps forming is interesting. After that, the skin feels a lot smoother, not unlike the feeling after a thorough scrub and/or peel. But the gel is gentle and does not leave your skin red, unlike some harsher exfoliaters.

It's quite economical, at about RM19 for a 60 ml tube of gel. I got a new tube for myself so that I wouldn't have to share it with my son!

Update: Marvel Gels are all the rage now. With lots of cosmetic brands coming out with similar products, and Ginvera has another under their Green Tea series.

Roselle Syrup and Roselle Jam

This morning, my maid and I harvested a marvelous amount of roselle calyxes from our pair of roselle plants.

This is the second batch of roselle shrubs that we have planted. And they are a lot larger than our first roselle plants. This pair looks like they will continue to grow and live despite having given their bounty of deep red fruit. Whereas our first batch of roselle plants were single-season shrubs that died after they produced fruit.

My rottweiler busied herself sniffing around and occasionally seeking a pat while we were cutting off the fruit.

We then separated the calyxes from the little hard seed in the centre of the fruit. We plan to dry the seeds and keep them as our seed stock.

My maid (who taught me all about the roselle) then washed the calyxes and put them all into a large pot. She filled just enough water to cover the calyxes. We don't exactly have a specific recipe for roselle syrup or roselle jam, but whatever we do by approximation works!

The calyxes are boiled till they are soft, and lifted out of the deep red liquid. Add sugar to taste.

Then we used a potato masher to mash the softened calyxes to make the jam. Voila!

It feels great to have a bountiful harvest from my own garden to be made into delightful treats for the family to enjoy. Hope you will try your hand in growing roselle too. It is very easy to do in Malaysia, with enough sunshine and rainfall.  

Applying for Identity Card at the new UTC Perak

Wow! I've reached a milestone. Or rather, my son has.

He just turned 12 and is now required by law to apply for his Identity Card (IC) which all Malaysians are obliged to carry with them.

I would have gone to the National Registration Department in Meru but for the newly opened Urban Transformation Centre of Perak (UTC Perak). It was officially opened by none other than our esteemed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Friday, 15 February 2013, right spank in the middle of the Chinese New Year week.

So I told my son that we would get his new IC at the UTC Perak. He had wanted to go to Meru, which is farther out from where we live in Ipoh. You know how kids love to go for longer drives. Besides the Kompleks Pejabat Kementerian Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri in Meru is a large, newish and (still) clean building with ample parking in its compound. 

The UTC Perak on the other hand, is housed in the same old dated building as the wet market in town. It now occupies the empty and abandoned floors once home to the Super Kinta supermarket. "Yucks!" my son had complained.

UTC Perak

Contrary to my assumption that the market building would be quiet with ample parking below ground, all the parking bays were full! At 4pm on a Monday. We had to circle a few times before we found a spot to park. 

The moment the kids got out of the car, they smelled the market.

I assured them that the UTC would not smell inside. Anyway, it was a good chance for me to introduce them to the market where I buy my groceries from which all their meals come from! 

We got a little lost trying to find the entrance to the UTC so I decided to go the safe way and find the main entrance of the UTC which fronts the fresh chicken vendors. The people in charge had of course erected nice shiny metallic boards to block off the unsightly chicken stalls.

Once inside the UTC we walked around a bit and finally found the National Registration Dept. Departments of all manner can be found in the UTC so I guess you can get all your routine, boring and frustrating dealings with the authorities done at one place!

Applying for the Identity Card

To apply for your child's IC, you need to bring your child's original birth certificate and the parent's original IC. Then you fill up the form that the officer gives you.
 
Our queue number was 2486. I asked how many people were ahead of us and was told there were 60! It was already 4pm, but the officer told me that everyone with a queue number would be attended to before the close of business today. 

Hmmm, perhaps I underestimated the number of people who would be doing this kind of errand during the CNY holidays! Oh well, we were already there so there was nothing else to be done except to wait.

We hung around a bit to observe the pace of numbers being called up. They seemed to be moving along pretty well, almost one per minute. Too good to be true!

We had a snack at Mc Donald's and came back after 20 minutes. Our number came up pretty soon after. The lady officer sighted the original birth cert and my IC. She then took both my son's and my thumbprints. Then she sent us off for his photo to be taken and we were done by 5pm! I was told to come back for his IC in 3 days' time.

60 people ahead of us and all done in 1 hour. I was suitably impressed. 
 
Perhaps this all has to do with an election year (call me a skeptic!) The officers were even reasonably polite and friendly, as opposed to all the sour faces we are accustomed to seeing at government offices. Maybe dear PM Najib had given clear and present instructions that the rakyat is to be served with smiles, as we pay taxes (their salary!) and we vote!



(images from someecards.com and nst.com.my)
  

Chinese New Year and Lap Chun

This Chinese New Year, for the year 2013, will fall on 10th February, ushering in the year of the snake.

My parents always thought, and therefor taught me, that if one is born on or after the first day of the Lunar New Year, then the newborn's Chinese zodiac sign would be that of the new lunar year. But years later, in consulting a feng shui master for my parents' house, and having picked up a healthy interest in feng shui by then, my parents learned of the all-important "lap chun" day in the Lunar Calendar, which is the first day of spring. The new lunar year actually starts on this  "lap chun" day and not on the Chinese New Year day!

Very confusing, I know! Because then, we discovered that my son is actually a dragon and not a snake. A bonus! My son was born after Chinese New Year but before the lap chun date in the year succeeding the year of the dragon.

My inlaws were not aware of this little bit of Chinese feng shui knowledge but were very pleased when we told them their grandson is a dragon baby after all. My inlaws then chimed that there is always a dragon in the family. Ahemmm...............

Since the Chinese can be said to be obsessed with dragon babies, I found these lap chun calendar birth years for dragons from  born in the year of the dragon: 

• 09:16 Feb. 5, 1928 – 15:07 Feb. 4, 1929
• 07:07 Feb. 5, 1940 – 12:48 Feb. 4, 1941
• 04:52 Feb. 5, 1952 – 10:44 Feb. 4, 1953
• 03:04 Feb. 5, 1964 – 08:45 Feb. 4, 1965
• 00:39 Feb. 5, 1976 – 06:32 Feb. 4, 1977
• 22:42 Feb. 4, 1988 – 04:26 Feb. 4, 1989
• 20:40 Feb. 4, 2000 – 02:27 Feb. 4, 2001
• 18:22 Feb. 4, 2012 – 00:12 Feb. 4, 2013

Feng shui master Lillian Too simplifies all this by stating that lap chun almost always falls on February 4 every year (as is corroborated by the calendar of dragon years above). So, if one is born before February 4, your Chinese zodiac animal would be that of the previous year.

An example for further clarification that I found on skillon.com explains that when a child is born on 25 January 2012 ( a dragon year), does she belong to the previous year's Rabbit or the 2012 Dragon? The answer: she belongs to the Rabbit and not the Dragon. Why? This is because as long as she is born before “Lap Chun” which normally falls on 4th or 5th February, she still belongs to the previous year’s Chinese zodiac sign. This is always the case regardless when the date for Chinese New Year is. So, with Chinese New Year on 23rd January 2012 and “Lap Chun” only arriving on 4th February 2012, all those born between 4 Feb 2012 and 4th February 2013 (according to the able above, up to 12.12 am) belong to the Rabbit.

To further complicate matters, there are years in the Chinese calendar called blind year or double blind year, when there is no lap chun, hence no official start of spring! This happens when the Chinese New Year starts after 5th of February and ends before or after the first day of spring in the succeeding year. Needless to say, such years are said to be inauspicious, or perhaps, more challenging than usual.

Peanut Root Soup for Growth

It is a Chinese belief that making soup from the roots of the peanut / groundnut plant for children - usually male children - just before or round-about their puberty, will help them reach their full height potential.

I remember my Mom telling me this when I was about 11 or 12 years old. But she never made it for me as I am a girl. They didn't want a girl to grow too tall (hard to find a husband it seems!).

Fortunately, I am considered fairly tall for a Chinese girl, about 5 feet 6 (166 cm).

Having a boy and a girl of my own, with my boy soon turning 12 and with his voice breaking now, my interest in the peanut root soup was rekindled. Here in Ipoh, I asked a couple of friends and one said she did make it for her son.

No harm trying, I thought. A tall boy is better than a short boy, haha!
 
I looked up the net to see if others had tried this soup, and I found lots of people have! Some claim to have grown taller thanks to the soup while others say that it had no effect.

The Star newspaper had a writeup (answering a question) on this some time ago, and I have copied the information below:
I was informed by numerous people within the Chinese community that soup made from roots of peanut will help youngsters to grow taller, especially when given to them during their teen years, but it is not advisable to serve them the soup after they have reached 16. The roots are usually boiled with a young male chicken for three to four hours. Boys whose voices are starting to break are given three doses of the soup. Can you elaborate on this? – G.P. Ng
Not only peanuts popular in Chinese diet, but the seed coat, shell, leaves, stem and roots are useful as well. Peanut is commonly used in making soup. Boiling it together with barley, red date and si seg makes a cheap yet nutritious soup that supplies essential nutrients for the young and aged.

The nut and roots of the peanut are used to make nutritious soups.

The seed coat of peanut, especially those red in colour, is used to treat problems concerning blood and bleeding. Peanut shells are included in prescriptions for treating cough. Boiling fresh peanut leaves in water and drinking the concoction before bedtime is to ensure a good night’s sleep. However, there is no scientific report on how soup made from peanut root would affect the growth of children.

On the other hand, in recent years, several healthful components were found in both matured and young peanut roots. Researchers at National Chiayi University, Taiwan, have identified resveratrol in matured peanut roots (J. agri. food chem., March 2002).

Resveratrol is a potent antioxidant found in red wine. It has been touted as a health component with many healthful benefits including preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer.

A glucose-specific protein-like substance known as lectin has also been isolated from peanut seedling roots (Indian J. of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Dec 1993). People who are lectin-intolerant may have problems ingesting foods such as soya, wheat and legumes.
Would drinking peanut root soup during the teens help to increase immunity or decrease allergy problems in growing children, promote better health and even make them grow taller? These need to be investigated further. Nevertheless, the soup is very tasty and adults enjoy it too!
*********

I made my peanut root soup with the following ingredients (advised by friend):

• 1 bunch of peanut roots (fresh or dried)
• 1 black chicken (cut into large chunks)
• 7 black shitake mushrooms (the black ones Chinese use all the time)
• 1 litre of water
• salt to taste

After washing the roots thoroughly, as well as washing and soaking the mushrooms beforehand, I put all the ingredients together and boiled for about 2 hours.

My son didn't mind the taste. It tasted rather earthy and "roasted" to me! My friend said to just make this soup once for my son, but after reading the Star, maybe I'll make it for my son twice more. Believe it or not!

(images from annieliciousfood.blogspot.com, treehugger.com, ars.usda.gov)

Grandparents raising grandchildren

I was flipping through an older edition of The Star on my I-pad while waiting for my son outside his tuition teacher's house.

Da-dee-dum, then the article with the picture of a bespectacled Grandma wrapping presents with her grand-daughter popped up. The article was entitled, "Raising grandchildren can be hard on grandparents' health".

I reproduce an excerpt from the article here:
Two years ago, Ruth Maxey was raising six children, including twin granddaughters, a niece and the girl’s three siblings. She was also in her 60s. It got to be too much, and in January 2011, Maxey had a stroke, not long after she retired from a demanding job as a hospital administrator. She has high blood pressure, which is a risk factor, but “I’m sure the job and raising the kids and the rippin’ and runnin’ had something to do with it,” she said.

My own parents are in their 70s and my mom is still the granny-nanny. She was nanny to my kids until my elder boy turned 7 and my little girl turned 3, then I stopped work and looked after my own  children. At that time, my parents were only in their 60s. That was 5 years ago.

A difference of 10 years makes a big difference in the level of an elderly persons' capabilities - hearing loss, vision impairment, gait abnormalities, cognitive decline, reduced energy levels. A geriatrician said that grandparents face significant emotional and physical challenges as they try to keep up with toddlers, pre-schoolers and teenagers.

I have looked up several granny-nanny stories online, and all the grannies say that while they love their grandchildren to bits, they also admit that caring for them does take its toll on their health and emotional and social well being. Some of there grannies have their grand kids live with them on a full time basis, due to financial constraints faced by the parents or a breakdown in the relationship of the parents. Those situations, I believe, put even greater strain on the grandparents, but things being as they are, sacrifices need to be made.

My own mother dotes on her 2 toddler grandsons whom she babysits, but age is catching up with her. Her movements are slower, she complains of aches and pains, falls sick easily and does not have time for her own social and personal activities. That someone even asked my mom, "But what else have you got to do??" made me mad. That was such an unkind, stupid and selfish question to ask. Everyone has a right to his or her own time, to take care of their own personal matters, to have a morning stroll, chat with friends and go to church. Especially at 74.

I am very grateful for my parents' help in looking after my children when I was building my career, when we could not yet afford to be a single income family. Today, I just want my mother to be able to enjoy her old age, and to enjoy her grandchildren without the burden of caring for their daily needs. 

 

Termite alert!

Yep, you don't want them eating up your house!

Unfortunately, we discovered termites munching on our bed frame in the room downstairs. And our house is just 4 years old.

The discovery of termite invasion

Tell tale signs of wood dust on the floor was the first observation. Being in denial, we ignored it (of course!) at first. But the wood dust kept appearing.

While we were away on holiday, my tenacious maid decided to pry open a section of the built-in wooden frame downstairs and discovered that indeed termites had entered our home. She called us while we were overseas and even sent us a picture through her mobile!

So, upon our return we consulted a couple of pest control companies.

Types of termites

 In general, there are the dry wood termites and the subterranean termites.

The dry wood ones don't do as much damage and are contained (and sometimes come with) within your wooden furniture. The pest control consultant told us that some wood furniture were not treated or dried properly thus harbored these termites, which take a few years before they consume the particular piece of furniture they arrived in.

The subterranean termites are the ones that live in the ground around us and make their way into our homes through cracks and fissures. They leave obvious dirt tracks in your home, making it easy to spot them. These tracks were obvious in our basement.

Termite treatment

Before calling the pest control experts, we did a quick read-up on termite extermination methods.

It seems the method of choice these days is to install termite baits which comprise boxes attached to specific spots in your home with established active termite activity. These boxes contain poisoned food material for the termites to consume which should eventually eliminate the termite colony causing the mischief.

We were told NOT to spry any insecticide as this would cause the termites to stop their activity where you saw them and go into hiding or migrate elsewhere in your house to continue their feeding.

I read that there are currently these brands of termite baits on the market: Exterra, Termibait and Sentricon.

I contacted 2 companies which use Exterra and Sentricon respectively, and they sent their staff to inspect our house and to provide a quote. As for Termibait, I found someone using this system from the net and spoke to him on the phone only, as he does not operate in Ipoh. I must say the Termibait consultant, Jack, was very friendly and generous with his information, despite knowing that he would not be getting my business.

Installation

We had 2 above-ground stations and 12 in-ground stations installed today using the Exterra system. This is another lesson and experience in house-keeping. We never stop learning.



(pictures from http://www.sentricon.com/, http://www.termibait.com.my/4320/, asgpestcontrol.com)

Back from Tasmania

Happy new year! 2013 has well and truly kicked in, and we have got back into the home, school and office routine.

Our year-end family vacation in Melbourne and Tasmania was a nice 3-week long family bonding time, with lots of time spent out in nature, bush walking, doing a scary flying-fox routine above the tops of trees, enjoying Australian food and relaxing!

We went on 3 short boat rides during this trip - at Strahan, Port Arthur and Bruny Island - and my son developed a love for fresh raw oysters! Much to the surprise of everyone, as we think this culinary appreciation usually kicks in during adulthood. My little girl refuses to touch the stuff!

Australia is as my husband and I know and remember it from our student days - a familiar place that we like to go back to. With its weather, geographic closeness to Malaysia, excellent range of international-standard cuisine, abundance of outdoor activities, cleanliness and general safety, it is a sure bet for family holidays. Except for the strength of the Australian dollar!!! It's getting expensive to go to Australia.

The Hollybank Treetop Adventures  was a unique experience for us, a little scary for my 7-year old girl. She and I doubled up - we had our individual harnesses but shared the same heavy hook that clasps us to the cables- and as we zoom down the steel cables, she would hook her legs around mine and sit on my lap.

My boy did very well as he didn't double up with an adult and did all the 7 high-wire canopy rides by himself. I knew he was nervous and the whole family encouraged him. Due to his weight (under 40 kg) and the strength of winds that day, he only made it halfway down 2 of the longer cables; he was taught to do the "walrus", basically trying to wiggle yourself forward until the guides waiting on the other end of the cable can slide their locking-mechanism towards your hook, clamp on and reel you in like a fish. On the longest cable ride, my son couldn't walrus forward very much, so he had the privilege of being "rescued" by his guide - the guide hooked himself back onto the other parallel cable and climbed out towards my son to clamp the locking mechanism onto his hook. There my boy was, dangling very very high up above the tree line but calm.  I was very proud of him.

We had a different, and less frightening, tree top experience at the Tahune Air Walk . It was pleasant and refreshing to walk amongst the tops of the tall Australian trees on securely constructed steel bridges.

My little girl took one of her longest walks yet - when the family took in the sights of Cradle Mountain-  6km around the Dove Lake Circuit. Poor baby, and she was having a stomach bug too at that time. We stayed at a very charming log cabin at Highlander Cottages, complete with a fireplace, bunk beds and visiting wallabies every night. 

These were a few of the main highlights of our 2012 family holiday, and I am grateful for the good health and safety of my family then, in 2012 and pray for my family's well being into 2013. As well as good wishes for health and happiness to all my friends and readers in this year of the Snake.

(pictures from Hollybank, Tahune FB page and http://www.cradlehighlander.com.au/)

Holiday checklist

It's the year end school holidays and like many families, we will be taking the family for a vacation. This time we will be gone for about 3 weeks.

Truth be told, I actually find vacations tiring.

There is the pre-vacation preparation and the post-vacation recuperation. I don't know why certain people love traveling so much. Guess I have never been much of a travel bug, especially for far-away long haul holidays.

First when you arrive at your foreign destination, there might be the jet lag to contend with. After being cooped up in economy for hours, I usually feel lousy. If you can afford to travel business for long haul flights, please do!

Then there's the multiple unpacking and repacking for the family as we move from place to place. Not to mention making sure there is the daily ration of drinks and snacks when we are sight seeing, as well as the jackets, hats, sun block and safekeeping of the passports; all of which come under my purview.

I thought as I prepare for this vacation, it would be useful to post a holiday checklist or travel checklist. Hopefully my kids will understand it's not just all play for mommy on holidays!

Holiday documents

• book the air tickets
• book the hotels or serviced apartments
• if it's a self drive holiday, book your car in advance 
• make sure passports are valid
• keep photocopies of your passports, in the unlikely event you lose your original ones
• apply for visas, where needed
• buy travel insurance

The home

• pay all bills - water, electricity, phone etc
• tidy up the garden
• get someone to look after the pets
• stock up on pet food
• fix anything around the home that needs fixing - leaky taps etc
• unplug electrical connections that will not be used
• empty the trash cans
• lock up doors and windows
• leave some curtains open
• leave some lights on timer
• if you feel it might be safer, move your valuables into your bank deposit box 
• leave house keys with a trusted neighbour, friend or relative

Packing

I guess apart from your clothes and shoes and cold-weather gear:

• toiletries - tooth brush, tooth paste, soap, face cleanser, moisturiser, shampoo, sun block, lip balm
• hair dryer
• hand sanitizer to be used when you are on the go
• wet wipes (for those with kids)
• tissue (lots of them for my family)
• medication as needed
• vitamins and other supplements as needed
• bandages
• wound care creams
• favorite pillows or bolsters for the kids
• books, Ipad, smart phone, chargers, adapters
• rain coats
• umbrellas
• hats
• backpacks
• flash light
• some card games for dull (or rest) days

 Phew! I think that's the main lot. Happy holidays everyone! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


(pictures from silampuneon.com, ten2oneentertainment.blogspot.com)

A Secret Garden in Ipoh

I have always lamented the lack of good quality western food in Ipoh. Although there are more choices in this category now, they still lacked the touch, taste and look we were looking for.

Until we tried the Secret Garden.

The Place

It is located in an old refurbished bungalow that has been allowed to retain its original appearance and architecture more or less intact. Many people love these restorations to old structures rather than extensive renovations, and so do I.

The bungalow is charming inside and pleasing to the eye. It is located on Lorong Cheah Cheng Lim, on the same road as Qdees Kindergarten and the newish Banyan Spa. There is ample parking space, and this road is usually quiet, which makes the place even more appealing.



We learned that the Secret Garden has been in operation for more than 2 years now, and offers dining as well as hotel services, although we did not inquire about the latter.I heard about this place over a year ago but between husband, kids, routine chores, dogs, house and garden, I didn't get the chance to try it out until recently.


Our food

My little girl had the Cappuccino of Mushroom (RM13.90), which was served in a cup on a ceramic tray accompanied by a bread stick. The soup was thick and rich, and had a nice fresh mushroom taste to it.

Hubby had the confit of salmon dusted with coriander powder (RM25.90), which surprised even him in terms of the serving size - 2 thick slices of lightly smoked salmon. I had a small piece to taste and it was perfectly acceptable, bearing in mind that I do not generally like smoked salmon. 

The Secret Garden salad (RM20.90): fresh greens tossed in tangy dressing, accompanied by thin slices of bacon and hard boiled egg on the side made for my healthy appetizer.

Both my children requested steak, so it was chargrilled sirloin steak (RM40.90) for my boy and chargrilled rib eye steak (RM45.90) for my girl and me to share; done medium and medium-well respectively. Although, we suspect they got the cooking directions mixed up for the 2 pieces of steak. Small matter. Both steaks were sufficient in size, flavourful and fragrant. Delicious down to the last bite. Hubby had spaghetti with grilled bacon (RM24.90) for his main, and was satisfied with his choice.


By this time we had to leave for an appointment and had no time to sample their desserts. The dining area in the right wing of the bungalow now hosted 5 tables, at 1.45pm, which was reaching full capacity. There are more tables in the left wing of the house, as well as al fresco dining if one is so inclined, preferably at night.

We enjoyed our lunch. The ambience was  pleasant and relaxing, the service professional and the food good. The prices are also not exorbitant. We will definitely return to try out the rest of the menu.

(pictures courtesy of http://reiko67.blogspot.com)