Gwen Stefani concert...yahoo!!!

As I write this, it's 12.30 am on Wednesday the 22nd of August in KL and if you read this before the newpapers hits the stands, these are probably the first few pictures you will see of Gwen Stefani's concert here in KL! There are not that fantastic or clear, but it will give you an idea....

Of course the place was really crowded!

So what was I expecting from a Gwen Stefani concert?

Number one, of course fabulous costumes! (mesti meletup...kalau tak...fail!)
Number two, awesome, ornate sets

When I arrived and looked at the stage, the first thing that went through my mind was "What an empty stage... kosong betul"

I was expecting to see big gold ornate gilded picture frames and huge ornate chairs... There wasn't a single one in sight....

"Hmmmmm...ok...nevermind..... hopefully she makes up for it in costumes...."

She started the show wearing this really cool black and white outfit.. you can't tell from this picture but the black and white stripes were all glittering!!! I loved it!!!!!



This costume looked a bit strange to me.... I think it was trying to do a modern take on a kimono... it just didn't look comfortable.....



I don' t have a good picture of this but she also wore a gorgeous pair of red shorts which was totally covered in swarovski crystals.... I loved that too!



The song I was waiting for and I'm sure a lot of people were too, was my favourite Gwen song "What are you waiting for?"

Because of the video and because it became obvious to me halfway through the show that she was saving that one for last, I was fully expecting her to come out in a very Galliano for Dior Couture looking gown....

She didn't!!!!! What???!!!!!

Instead she wore a little jumpsuit like she wore for the first song but this time it was blue and black leopard print covered in swarovski crystals as well.....

It's not she didn't have time to change, she was backstage a while before she came out...

Sigh......

Oh well..... I liked pretty much everything though.... I mean, I wouldn't complain at all if she wanted to give me one of her costumes! and after seeing how good her legs look, I feel like I should live in the gym for the next 6 months!

Another item she wore which I loved is this cape like coat/ jacket.... I've seen a picture of Victoria Beckham wearing something like it to.... Hoping ZARA will come up with a version of it!


I still enjoyed the show and am so glad I had the chance to go...

And now, I'm craving more than ever, a TOTALLY SWAROVSKI CRYSTALLED item of clothing....

maybe a jacket.....maybe a skirt....hmmmmm...thinking, thinking......

And who else did I see there....

Two other glitter loving girls....



you rocked the house gwen!

Winner announced!

Well... I'm very impressed!

Everyone who emailed me the answers to the questions this week were correct...

However, I can only give away one prize, so I have to give it to the person whose email arrived first...

And that person is..... (imagine a drum roll please.....)

Nurul Farzilla!!!!!!

Congratulations!

Your Secret Garden set is on the way...

To everyone else, there is still next week!

tonight - gwen stefani!

Tonight is Gwen Stefani's concert!

Yay!

If I can take pictures, I will put them up tonight after the concert!

Skitso as a kitten

I just found these photos of Skitso as a kitten...

isn't she adorable...

The poor thing was dumped and abandoned outside a pet shop in TTDI about 2 years ago...

How anyone can do that I have no idea.. I don't understand and I don't want to...



She was just missing for two days and she had all of us worried sick..

But as I write this now, she is sleeping on a cushion next to me... without a care in the world and oblivious to the stress she caused me when I couldn't find her... and earlier, bullying Tippex and beating him up... sigh!

and this is the cat she has grown into.. full of attitude and way too opinionated for a cat!

Beauty Secrets from the East - Episode 10

Beauty Secrets from the East
in Langkawi and Sarawak
Monday 20th August
7.30 pm
exclusively on TV3

In this episode of Beauty Secrets from the East, I visit Langkawi and Sarawak.... some of the beauty treatments were so nice and so easy to make on your own too!

I'm sure you're interested to know what's the competition question this week and what's the prize, so here it goes!



This time there is more than one question...

Question 1 - What is the name of Mahsuri's 7th descendant whom I interview in this episode?

Question 2 - What is the main natural ingredient believed to have been used by Mahsuri in her traditional recipes?

As you know, email me your answers, full name, IC number, full address and hand phone number to sasha_a_b@yahoo.com.

To give everyone more time to email in, you have until 12 pm on Tuesday 21st of August to email me your correct answers.

What's the prize this week?

A 200 ml set of Secret Garden's shampoo and body wash from their Nusantara range.

It really smells like products out of a luxurious spa!

All the best!

Look forward to receiving emails from you!

Does she look familiar to you?

photo shoot and interview

more on this soon......

Perth - Part 2 - Freemantle

One of my favourite places in Perth is Freemantle... a suburb by the beach where on a clear day you get a gorgeous outline of Rottnest Island.... As soon as it's a nice sunny day in Perth, you can bet that Freemantle is going to be crowded...

It's known for it's cafes, the indoor Freemantle markets and fish and chips!

I took the train down from Perth to Freemantle with some friends and just enjoyed the view along the way...

When we arrived, we headed straight for one of the most well-known fish and chips place in Freemantle, Cicerello's...

We bought a whole heap, found a place to sit and ate away without worrying about calories or fat content.



Spare me the health lecture on how bad this food really is for you... I've given it to myself already.. But I really enjoyed that meal, have no regrets and don't feel guilty!

Of course while I was there I went to the Freemantle Markets, an indoor area with lots of stalls selling all kinds of arts and crafts...

One West Australian artist who's work I love and I've been familiar with her work since the days I was studying in Perth, is Wendy Binks.

Her iconic and most well known painting or image is that of 'a stunned emu'....

I just think it's so cute and gorgeous!



She also does pottery and paints on the plates which can be used in daily life....


She also does other beautiful and such cute paintings of other Australian animals...

I would have loved to have bought one of her stunned emu paintings, but I ended up buying some magnets...

Coming soon. Perth - Part 3 - The Shopping!

Perth - Part 1 - My university

So where was I last week?

I was in one of my favourite places in the world.... Perth, Western Australia

Why is it one of my favourite places?

Because I spent almost 5 years of my life there while studying at university... I learnt so much about myself and it was during my time there that I learnt how to look after myself, be independant and make my own decisions...


The university I went to in Perth where I studied dance, acting and singing is the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (aka WAAPA), a faculty of Edith Cowan University...


So while I was there, I decided to drop by... I have such fond memories of the place....

Below is a picture of me where I spent SO MANY HOURS learning the techniques needed to perform to the best of one's abilities.. known as Dance Studio 5.... day in day out, we would have to train our bodies beyond our comfort zone....


When I saw these dance students training in dance studio 1, images of myself doing the same things a few years ago came flooding back....



One of the things I loved so much about being at this university was all of the creative energy that was and still is there... people walking around with their musical instruments, scripts, ballets shoes.... the air is a constant buzz of activity and the energy just bounces off the otherwise cold brick walls... I JUST LOVE IT!

As I was walking through the corridors, I heard the familiar sound of music students rehearsing. So I stopped to watch and listen....

As I was sitting there, I noticed this student with two toned hair.



During my time there, everyone...including myself...changed hairstyles constantly... when you're pushing yourself creatively so much, one tends to get creative with their hair as well.. I will admit to you here and now that I've had blue black hair, purple black hair, red hair (like Nicole Kidman), deep burgundy, shoulder length hair, boy short hair, blonde streaked hair... but my favourite was the electric blue hair extensions I had at one stage....

come to think of it... I'm not sure if I have pictures of me with all these hairstyles...

Just for the record, the hair colour I have now is pretty much my natural hair colour :)

While I studied there I stayed on campus and lived in this little building... the window to the room I used to stay in is behind that big tree on the end of the top floor.... a really small room...


As I was alking around, I saw one of the staff who remembered me and we started talking..

"Do you know that you are one of our most succesful graduates?" she said....

That statement question/ statement freaked me out a bit... you see Hugh Jackman (yes THE Hugh Jackman who as acted in movies such as The Prestige - one of my favourite movies - and X-Men) is also a graduate from this university... I'm serious! He graduated I think about 2-3 years before I arrived....

So.. me... successful.... as compared to him? :)

Anyway, it's believed that 'comparison only brings unhappiness' (am I right sensei?:) ) ... and I am thankful, blessed and grateful for everything so far....

However, one should not rest on past achievements, there is always more...

As I left the university to get on the bus, the same bus number I took while I was there, I couldn't help but ask myself, "If you had a chance to speak to these students, what would you tell them?"

This is what I would tell them...

On the days when you feel like you just can't do it anymore, when every muscle in your body is screaming to stop, if you can just keep going, you will find a deep set strength and discipline you may never knew you had... and even though you may ask yourself, "Why am I doing this when it's just so !@@#%#^$% hard?!)..... It will, I promise you, pay off some way, some how, some day.... it will all make sense some day...

And I still believe, my finest day, is yet to come...

Yours will too...

Winners announced!

Congratulations to Aznein Baharuddin and Firdaus Abdul Rani!

Both of you have won one of the 2-D art pieces from the kebaya series from Arch Collection (www.archcollection.com)

Many thanks to everyone who watched the show and tried to answer my question....

Special thank you also to all of you who guessed the answer eventhough you didn't watch the show.... :)

I'm sure you're wondering what the correct answer was...

The answer is 10 kebayas... (the kebaya I'm wearing in the picture above is one of them)

Besides Aznein and Firdaus, there were some of you who emailed the correct answer, but Firdaus and Aznein's emails arrived first....

But I have good news, I have some Secret Garden products to give away next!

So keep coming back to stay updated!

blog anniversary and birthday...

within the next few weeks, two significant dates are coming up..

1 - the first anniversary of this blog (29th of August)

2 - my birthday (8th of September)

in relation to my blog anniversary, I'm thinking of doing a revamp..
(like what Mr Manager has done... it looks really cool... if you haven't seen it yet, go to www.mrmanager.blogspot.com)

as for my birthday... time to start planning party for friends and family.... (and maybe making a birthday wish list like Mr Manager too)

my dear readers, do give me ideas and suggestions as to what you would like to see on this blog... how you think it can be revamped....

look forward to hearing from you...

later today...

winners for the kebaya competition have been found...

I will be announcing them later today (wedsnesday)...

thank you everyone for trying!

the hunt begins and continues...

I am on the hunt for nice high marabou heels like pictured above....

even better if the heels have diamantes on them...

dita von teese would be proud...

And my shoe collection will not be complete until I get a pair of totally full sparkling shoes... though i do realise to get a pair of shoes like this will cost a small fortune.... then again, my birthday is coming up very soon....


The hunt begins and will continue until found and owned!

The show girl in me will never die...

keep those answers coming.....

I haven't had a right answer so far to my question

How many kebayas did I wear in the Malacca episode of Beauty Secrets from the East?

Even if you didn't watch the show, why don't you take a guess and email me anyway..

You just might get it right... :)

Keep those answers coming!

Beauty Secrets from the East - Episode 9

Beauty Secrets from the East - Episode 9

Malacca

Monday, 13th August

7.30 pm

exclusively on TV3

I really love this episode. When I previewed it at the office I just thought all the shots looked so beautiful.

I also met some amazing people....

Watch to listen to this fabulous woman berpantun (talk in poetic rhyme) a talent that is slowly dying....

In this whole episode, I only wore kebaya tops with either pants, jeans or sarong... as my regular readers know, I love kebayas! different colours, different embroderies.... my personal collection is continually growing!

And as promised I have another competition!

Watch the show and count how many kebayas I wear in this episode then email me with your answer at sasha_a_b@yahoo.com after the show ends and before 9 pm tonight (Malaysian time) complete with your full name, IC number, handphone number and postal address. Yes, some of the kebayas I'm wearing in these photos are included but there are others! There are different coloured ones and some only appear once for 30 seconds and some I wear for a lot longer.... some you may only see the top half... they are all included in the final number!

I'm sure you're wondering what the prize is!

Have a look!

Aren't these just beautiful?

These two beautiful framed 2D art pieces are from Arch Collection - www.archcollection.com

I first noticed this beautiful kebaya series by Arch Collection a long time ago as they have a gallery at One Utama (they also have galleries at KLCC, Central Market, PJ Hilton, KL Pavillion & Gurney Plaza in Penang).

I thought they are just so pretty to hang up and they also have these designs in other forms such as bookmarks and magnets which are gorgeous as well...

So of course, I though these were the best prizes to give for my kebaya related question!

I also think this kebaya series makes great gifts to any fashion loving friends overseas with whom we want to share a little piece of Malaysia....

Since there are two prizes, there will be two winners this time. The two winners will receive only one of these art pieces.

Same as last time, to my friends and colleagues at TV3 and Media Prima, this is for non-employees only..thank you for understanding....

I'm looking forward to receiving your emails! I'll be waiting.....

recharging

My dear readers,

my sincere apologies for not updating the last few days...

I'm currently overseas...'recharging' after months of really hard work and barely a day off...

I will be sharing with you soon more pictures...

but, do come back tomorrow (monday) because, I will be having another competition!

Magazine Appearances - August 07

EH! magazine - page 126

In Trend magazine - page 18

Beauty Secrets from the East - Masyarakat Pribumi

Rahsia Kecantikan Masyarakat Pribumi
Edisi Khas
Sempena 50 tahun kemerdekaan negara
Beauty Secrets from the East
Monday, 6th August
7.30 pm
exclusively on tv3

To my dear readers....

Remember how I told you a few months ago while I was on location I had a problem shooting cause I was 'attacked' by a leech or pacat which left me bleeding for ages and a blood stain the size of my hand on my shirt at the back? (title of posting is 'A WHAT?!' in April)

Well, that little incident happened while I was shooting THIS episode!

Below is a picture of me with a Nenek from the orang asli community in Cameron Highlands. The shirt I am wearing is the shirt that got the leech caused blood stain on it and I think it must have happened when we were trekking through the jungle.


Watch the show and you will notice after a while I'm only shot from my right angle....


Sorry guys, no competition with a gift to give away this week... but there will be more coming!

***************************************************************
Side note-
I notice I'm getting a lot of readers from Australia. Great! Do email into me at sasha_a_b@yahoo.com and tell me a little bit about yourself. Eg are you a Malaysian student studying there (like I was)? Are you Australian (like my mother)? What do you like reading on this site?

To my readers in Brunei, Singapore, Japan, United Kingdom, the United States and everywhere else, you're most welcome to write in too!!!

I look forward to hearing from you!

Black ZARA dress

Remember the black ZARA dress I told you about a few postings ago that I couldn't stop thinking about?

Well, I went back and got it....

So now, 22 black dresses..... sigh..... i'm hopeless..

However, since I know that there at least 5 other women in KL with exactly the same dress (because it is sold out at KLCC and only a few left at Bangsar Village and One Utama) I have plans to 'refashion' it...

'Refashion' stories coming soon....

Shoe Stories

I find it so hard to get rid of things in my wardrobe.... Everything has some kind of sentimental value or a memory attached to it (also the hard earned money spent on it).... That's why I end of giving a lot of my things names...

Shoes of course take up a lot of room in my wardrobe....

The Cinderella Story and Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz really hit a note in the female psyche...that your future can change with just a change of shoes.... Things have never been the same....

As my regular readers already know, I have my very own 'Dorothy' shoes...


Besides my mini collection of red shoes, I also have these velvet red boots...



My goodness, I remember buying these boots as if it was yesterday. I was still studying in Perth, Western Australia, in my first year of University. I went into town with some friends on a weekend to go shopping. It was cold and drizzling. We were just browsing through the shops when I saw the shoes in the window. I stopped walking and stared. I went inside and asked to try them on. And I fell in love. They had these boots in 4 colours. Brown, black, blue and red. And they were having an offer of buy one get second pair half price. Reminding myself I am a poor student I gave them back to the sales girl and left the shop. But couldn't stop thinking about them....

My friends then started talking about how they wanted to go out partying and buy some alcohol to enjoy... Since I don't drink any alcohol and never have, I was horrified when I heard how much they were planning to spend on stuff that you won't be able to see within a few hours. I mean, you drink it, then it's gone right? Might as well I buy the boots!

So I did!

I bought a black pair and a red pair (now I wish I bought the blue pair too!).

My friends alcohol is long gone but my 'Ruby' boots (that's their name) still live on in my wardrobe! Proof, it was money well spent!

These shoes I named them 'Carrie', because my sister and I thought that they look like shoes that the iconic fashionable character Carrie Bradshaw would wear in the hit tv series HBO.



I remember one day I annoyed my sister about something. Either I did something or didn't do something... Can't remember now.

But what I DO remember is us sending each other annoying messages and suddenly sent me a message saying 'I'm going to wear your 'Carrie' shoes out in the mud!"

AAAAAAARGH!!!

At this point, I had to call her and try and reason with her about what it is she was annoyed with me....

She didn't end up wearing them in the mud, but I still wonder if she may have worn them around the house.... hmmmm.....

These shoes have a fascinating story....



I was out with my Mum's best friend in Australia two years ago now I think and she wanted to buy me a present..."But you're such a difficult person to buy for cause you have so much already!" she complained...

I don't need expensive things to make me happy. So I said to her that we can just go to the little vintage shop near her house and see if I see something there I like..

So we went.. and within 1 minute of walking into the store I saw these shoes....

Cool! I checked the price tag and couldn't believe it... My Aunty Barb bought them for me straight away.



When I got back home later, I was looking at the shoes more closely when I suddenly noticed the brand of the shoes....

Can you see it what it says?!



It says 'SASHA'!

Now what are the chances of that happening?!

These shoes have now earned themselves a special place in my wardrobe. I have never worn them cause I don't want my name on the shoes to rub out and I will never give them away.

When I was shooting "Beauty Secrets from the East" in jungle locations like you will see in the upcoming episode, I'm not wearing bling bling shoes like my 'Maple' shoes (named after Maple cause she gave them to me at her wedding)....


That's just insane to do that!

What I wear is these....

Black rubber knee high boots.


I bought these in Australia. They are called Wellingtons or either gun boots or gum boots (any Australians reading this please tell me if it 'gun' or 'gum' boots.)

I started wearing these kinds of boots when I was very young. About 5, when I used to visit my grandparents in Australia. My mother thought these were the most reliable, sturdy things a child could wear in cold, rainy weather. I remember having a yellow pair, a bright pink pair and a pair that looked like those rainbow flavoured and coloured Paddle Pop ice creams.

I only just started wearing these kinds of boots again, because everytime I attended TV3's Jom Heboh, It's sure to rain and whatever sneakers I wear get drenched and I spend the rest of the day feeling so uncomfortable.

Remembering how well they served me in my childhood, I bought them again.

When I was shooting "Beauty Secrets from the East in Cameron Highlands" all of the crew's shoes got so wet and muddy cause we literally had to walk in a foot deep stream at one stage.

I had no probelems at all because I wore the boots!

I would like to get a red pair of these rubber boots too.

And my mother tries to tell me to stop buying shoes or start giving away...

Why?

When all of them have a story behind them!

Do I look like a Barbie doll to you?

Because I've had many people tell me that I do......

I have a few Barbie doll related stories to tell though...

Coming soon.....