This post is an extension to the previous post on the meaning of itadakimasu.

You now know that when one says Itadakimasu, one is humbly expressing his gratitude to mother nature, and everything that brought the meal on his plate. And when you feel thankful for your food, naturally you will want to savor the very last bit and not waste any of it.

And that is the concept of Mottainai, which closest translation in English is “wasteful”.

But just like itadakimasu, there is a much deeper meaning to that. Mottainai expresses the feeling of awe and appreciation for the gifts of nature or the sincere conduct of other people, and to show one’s gratitude, you will use/consume something in its entirety. read more

A photo post on Japan in June 2015!

It was summer in Japan and it was time to hit the beach!

The danna had surfing itch for a long long time since the last time he surfed was in Bali. Most of the NALU staff (beach boys!!!) are surfers too so the they rented a van and we headed to one of the surfing spots in Ibaraki prefecture.

We began our journey 3:30AM and sunrise was at 4AM!

Reached!

JunJun with Dejima san and his surfboard!

When i grow up i want to be beach boy.

Gomi san and i and JunJun were the non-surfers so we just guard our turf lol. read more

I have not shopped in KL in a long time! For fashion, usually i buy one whole season worth of clothes when i travel to Japan XD

Room8008 invited me over to their shop for a shopping spree, and who would say no to shopping! I have seen them around on the internet as it’s one of many blogger’s favorites, but i didn’t know that they actually have a physical boutique too! It’s located at Berjaya Times Square, KL.

The moment i stepped inside, i was pleasantly surprised. This isn’t one of the million online blog shops i thought it typically would be! At first glance you might think you have walked into a random store in Harajuku. read more

As summer is coming to an end soon, and if you are traveling to Japan in the next few months, these are some of the places you may want to consider going if you are into romantic autumn leaf viewing this fall.

The Tohoku region has some of the best known spots for Momiji (autumn leaf)viewing. I have done some looking around, and there are simply too many of them!! I have picked up my top 3 favorite, and these are the images i found on the internet, and i could hardly believe that they are real. I would like to witness it first hand one of these days. read more

Japanese fruits need no introduction. How can one not be attracted to those perfectly shaped strawberries that are absolutely flawless and so luxurious in size and mesmerizing in colors?

Other than their internationally-famous ichigo, do you know that Japan also produces world class peaches and grapes?

And Okayama, a prefecture in Chugoku, Japan, also dubbed the “Kingdom of Fruits”, is the birth place of some of the finest fruits in Japan including White Peach, since Okayama is already well known as the home town of Momotaro, the Japanese folktale that many of you have heard of. read more

Have you seen this Totoro Cream Puff before?

Yesssssss. It’s #onlyinJapan.

Quite a few of my friends visited this little mysterious cafe so during my trip to Japan this early summer, i decided to drop by!

It’s getting late now (22:55. Yea i know. By my boring mom standard, it is late.) so it’s gonna be a captioned quick post! There’s a video at the end of the post, though, so hope it illustrates better! 🙂

Junya woke up in a super good mood that day <3 read more

Look what just came in for me, again!

The first time i came across Yadah’s product is when they launched their Yadah lip tint (and now they just launched Lovely Lip Tint Stick, check it out here). I was attracted to their super cute packaging and even more so with their all natural formulations.

Today’s skincare review:

Here’s the complete skincare range breakdown:

Bubble Deep Cleanser 150ml
Pore Refining Cleanser 15ml/150ml
Pore Refining Toner 120ml
Pore Refining Emulsion 120ml
Cleansing Nose Strip 10pcs
Brightening Mask Pack (Natural cotton sheet)
Anti-Trouble Mask Pack (Organic cotton sheet)
Oh My Sun Block 20ml/50ml
Brightening Ampoule 30ml read more

Junya turns 14 months today!

(Also read  1st month , 2nd month , 3rd month , 4th month , 5th month , 6th month , 7th month,  8th month, 9th month , 10th month , 11th month , 12th month and 13th month here.)

Here’s what happened in the past month!

1. A Boy

I know i have said it many times before, and i’m likely to say it many more times in the near future, but last month, my baby has grown into a boy.

Even though he looks as baby as he always used to be. read more

So so so!! It is Junya’s Disneyland debut! Unless you count the time he visited Disneysea when he was still in my tummy. Then this is second time hahaha.

A day before Junya’s birthday, i decided to join Number76 Malaysian team’s Tokyo Disney visit! The team was split into the Disneyland group and Disneysea group. I really wanted to get a Duffy for JunJun so i followed Amy who was the Disneysea team leader haha.

Disney #ootd

Bought a steering wheel for Junya’s stroller to get him occupied in case he wonders why he can’t sit on those Disney rides. At least he has his own ride lol. read more

I haven’t done any make up tutorial in a long long time!

For about two years now my make up routine has been simpler than ever. I focus on usually a lip tint and rosy cheeks for an instant perk up. Usually i will forgo eyeshadows or even eyeliner and with just a good coat of mascara, a little brow color, and i’m set to go!

But of course, a good foundation is very important because that’s the base of your make up. I have come to ditch liquid foundations because it requires long, careful application to avoid unevenness, and usually i end up looking too made up. read more

This was on 11 June, Junya’s first birthday!

We didn’t have any birthday celebration for him but we did plan to go somewhere nice where Junya gets to enjoy too, just the 3 of us.

Mama & bb coordinate ❤︎

JunJun is wearing his 1-year-old baby Montsuki, a formal kimono for this special occasion!

First we went to 76CAFE Omotesando for breakfast and to meet all the Number76 from Malaysia for their company trip to Japan!!

My lunch: Chicken Over Rice, my current obsession in 76CAFE. The first time i tried it was when QiuQiu ordered it last December and was instantly smitten. ❤︎ read more

Since i am mostly domesticated nowadays, i need to be an expert in many household related knowledge, such as mold prevention, durability of non-stick pans, the challenge of sustainable gardening, and … if a vacuum cleaner really sucks.

The latest addition in the house: Toshiba Torneo with a Dual Tornado System.

Yes, many of you are now aware that cyclone type vacuum cleaners are one of the most powerful. While some of you may 忍痛 and invest a few thousand Ringgit in a cyclone vacuum machine, this Toshiba Torneo is maybe 1/3 or even 1/4 the price. read more