This is why I'm a part of 'This is Why'

Some of you would have known by now that I'd been involved in a recent online webseries by TheMingThing called, 'This is Why'.

I'm pretty sure most of you would have watched at least an episode or two by now (hmmm actually, if you watched one episode before, you would have watched all of them since it's really addictive!). If you haven't managed to catch any of them, here are all the episodes of 'This is Why' :)

As much as it was only 6 short episodes, the work put into these webseries was crazy! I must say that only true passion can generate something as genuine and heartfelt as This is Why. My involvement in the webseries ws pretty minimal, but the other cast and crew put in so much more than I, and I must say, I myself am impressed with this team I worked with! ;)

So yes, here's why I'm a part of 'This is Why'.

I've known Ming for about a year and a half ago when we worked together for The Class Clown by JinnyboyTV. One of the days some months ago, we came out for lunch and started to share with each other what we had in our hearts to do and achieve.

Upon hearing what Ming had in mind for his YouTube channel, I knew that he was one of the rare homegrown YouTubers who does YouTube videos purely for the purpose of fun and inspiring others, rather than motivated by virality and money.

One of the many reasons why I love NigaHiga is because from the day he started YouTube until now (being one of the top in the YouTube scene), he has stayed true to who he is, and the style and identity of his videos remain consistent. The contents of his videos are all so...him. As audiences, I'm sure you agree with me that we can tell when a YouTube video is made purely for fun and entertainment, or for the sake of virality and advertising. People want to watch what's genuine these days, too much money-making gimmicks put off the audience. These are just my honest two cents.

I personally see value in collaborating with Ming, because I believe in what he believes in, that is, to use whatever gifts that He has given us to bring him glory and credit. And this is why, I'm a part of This is Why.



Listen to what the director has to say!

I had fun working with this team. Their commitment inspired me!

They're definitely some of the most genuine people I know.
Watch out, Malaysians. TheMingThing will go far because of their passion.

And Ming, here's your supporting actress saying,
"Thank you for being so awesome!"

love, Careen

Father's Day 2013

Since Father's Day just passed, I figured I should blog about it first amongst all the many many other posts that are pending.

So, the Parents' Days have passed! How did you celebrate both mum & dad's day? :) For us, it's the usual warm & cosy family dinner, and for this year, I brought the parents shopping as their gifts. I think the only time our parents really shop for themselves is before Chinese New Year, so it was real practical to bring them shopping to add some new additions to their wardrobes ;)

It's gonna be a photoblog tonight, and let's start with a picture of someone whose smile never fails to brighten my day :)

She's become so seasoned to posing for us, that her standard smile and peace sign are automatically up the moment we ask her to face the camera. 

Hi, I'm Evangeline. 

And this is my standard smile and favourite pose. I haven't reached the age where I feel this is a lame pose yet. All my sisters have already grown past that age.

Okay, maybe not Melody.

How bout some cool shots?

I always buay tahan (cannot stand) her clothes. They look like pyjamas :')

While we shopped for daddy, they made themselves at home.

Had our dins at Delicious, one of my favourite diners.

The parents.

My dad can never take a proper pic.

Prayers before meal.

Duck Confit Spaghettini

Sho nais...

Hainanese Chicken Chop

It has this buttery taste which was really good.

Beef Meatballs Spaghetti

Green Curry Chicken

The Green Curry is pretty kao and spicy. But I still prefer it My Elephant style.

My all-time fav- Nasi Kerabu with Ayam Percik

I still can't tell if this is better than the one in Serai. What say you?

A very normal scenario.

The sissies!

Oh my daddy...

Oh, Delicious had this 50% off all desserts promo after 9pm. We went shopping and came back just for these :)

Red Velvet

Requested for the waiter to reserve this one last piece, and he did! The Delicious staff at the 1Utama branch are really friendly :) About the Red Velvet, it wasn't the best I'd tasted. The one at Upstairs Cafe is better.

If I'm not mistaken, this was called the Chocolicious Pudding with Ice Cream

 Not too bad la. Not my favourite cos it has got nuts in it.

Classic Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream

This is my favourite of all! No nuts! :D

Dad & I :)

Husby & me.

Just to side track a bit. It was after this day that I told myself I had to get back in shape again. I love wearing simple tanks with high-waisted pants/skirts. But...the sad thing is that all the flabs and fats ooze out so effortlessly when I sit down and let out my breath a little. So depressing. Such is life...you gotta work hard to look good. Determined to slim down to my pre-wedding figure (and beyond). 

I really wanna work very very hard for my figure for once (it has always failed you see), get nice abs and biceps and triceps and hamstrings and any other parts than look smexy, and see the results at least before I get preggers. I know after I get preggers, I'd have to work twice or thrice as hard to get toned. And no, no, not gonna get preggers anytime soon. 2-3 years. 2-3 years.

And as usual, we gotta endure poorly taken, shaky and blur family portraits taken by restaurant staff. This is the best shot out of all 3 :')

Oh my husband...

This was taken just last Sunday, while the rest were taken two Sundays ago. Celebrated Father' Day a week earlier, but managed to make it back to have a short meet-up with the family anyway :)

Sissies had a little fun with the Monsters. Their sweet bro-in-law held them up to have the photos taken cos they were way too short :')

This year's parents' day gifts were shopping spree, hopefully, next year it'll be a trip for 2 for their second honeymoon somewhere nice and far away :) *hopeful*

Since this week I'm away in Kuantan with the husby, the only thing I can do is to face the comp to complete all my work. So no excuses for me not to blog, which is realllyyyyy good.

Will be updating tomorrow, and the day after, and hopefully the day after too. 

Hahaha tryin'a be good, y'know.

Signing off! xx

love, careen

How he delivered our baby

Talks about getting a new camera went on since months and months ago. We've visited all the camera shops there possibly are in 1U, and even sort of settled with which camera we would be getting. A camera for our little family of 2 :)

Yes yes, I have a few cameras. But they were all sponsored, and they all serve different purposes. For example, I use my Casio TR150 when I want to look all dolly for selfie purposes, and my Casio JE-10 when I feel tourist-y :P

But we need a camera that is able to serve us for all purposes, under any kind of weather. A camera that produces high quality photos with sharp and vibrant colors, and at the same time, one that isn't too bulky with huge, protruding lens as the husby feels it would be too inconvenient.

We settled with iPhone pictures during our 'contemplation', and I personally got very tired of my grainy and low quality photos especially when it's posted on my blog. So, we decided we should get a cam soon, and short-listed our camera options down to these two!

Left: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 | Right: Fujifilm X20

Initially, it was only Fujifilm X20 that was in the picture. We were pretty much sure that we would be getting it, just a matter of when. Reasons being: 

1) We loved the look and feel. 

It's pretty lightweight, and it just looks really classic and vintage.

2) It's pretty manual and flexible.

The Fujifilm X20 allows me to adjust the white balance down to the very detail. I personally love my pictures to be slightly de-saturated and not so vivid, so it was perfect for me. Saves the effort of editing my photos afterwards.

3) It's really fine.

The photos are really fine and you can hardly spot any grains even to the maximum zoom, unlike many others cameras that you can spot the noise when zoomed in.

BUT.....

At the very last minute, we decided to go with this.

After reading quite a number of reviews, I chose to go with the safer option.

Ultimately, I want my photos to look sharp, especially for my outfit photos which shows the color and details of my clothes. Secondly, it produces better and clearer low-light images. And thirdly, it's faster and more user-friendly as compared to the Fujifilm X20.

*

Last Friday night while Boon was having a drink with his friends, I spent the entire night with them at the same table but researching on these 2 cameras with my phone (yeah...they had their guy talk so I spent my time wisely while they're at it heh). There were many reviews comparing these 2 models, and honestly, I was really torn between the two. Both had their advantages, and it was clearly a tough decision.

At the end of the night, Boon asked me which camera I finally decided on, and I said I wasn't sure. Told him all the pros and cons for each of them, and he asked me to pick one if I had to. After thinking for a little bit, I went with the Sony RX100.

*

That night itself, I had a horrible dream! I don't know what's up with me these days, but my dreams are no longer about things of the future or stuff that might not happen anymore, but what IS indeed going to happen the very next day.

The next day, I was supposed to host some announcements live in my church, rapping style. Firstly, I ain't no rapper, and I ain't got much swagger. Secondly, I haven't memorized anything yet. Thirdly, I didn't know what to wear yet. I was anxious deep inside, and it was translated into my dream. Guess I was REALLY anxious. I hate being unprepared.

So my dream was pretty much a nightmare of what COULD possibly happen. I dreamed that I did not know what to wear up until 5 minutes before I was supposed to go on stage, and then I misplaced my lyrics sheet, so I panicked cos without it, I wouldn't be able to rap anything.

Then, I woke up to Boon all dressed up nicely in his usual polo tee and jeans with his hair spiked up nicely, and told me that he was going to get coffee from Starbucks cos our house ran out of coffee. Usually, he doesn't go get coffee from outside. He's damn lazy one. Secondly, IF he does that, he would just go out in his casual tee and shorts, and just wear a cap or leave his hair un-styled. After such a seemingly real nightmare, I really couldn't think straight. So I said okay and continued to sleep.

Then, after don't know how many hours, I woke up to him coming into the room. Told him I had a horrible nightmare, and he said there is something in the living room that would make me forget about my nightmare totally.

So all blur, hair messy and breath smelly, I walked into our living room, and I saw a random black paper bag on the table. Peeked into it, and saw this!

I was so thrilled!!

I took out the box from the paper bag, opened the box, and the camera was missing. Searched the whole paper bag and the camera was still no where to be seen. So after hitting him a few times (hehe), he finally revealed that the camera was being charged so that I could use later in the day :')

You can see the camera on our TV table charging in the picture :')

The night before, he actually suggested that we go buy the camera together on the next morning at 10am once the mall is open, since we had a long, full day ahead of us and that was the only possible time to get it. But I said I wanted to sleep in cos we had a long day ahead, so we rescheduled it to the next day. Manatau he went to get it for me while I was sound asleep. Worse still, when I woke up, the laundry is already being done and hung nicely at the balcony.

I feel like the luckiest wife ever. He really knows how to sweep me off my feet. That morning, I felt so fluffy I really didn't know how to react. In fact, I still feel it now when I think about it.

It's not only the fact that he surprised me with the camera, but the fact that he planned all these just the night before, and did all these just to make me a happy wife. Sometimes, I really don't know what goes on in his mind! He IS good at surprises.

Plus, he did laundry in the same morning :')

Best husband award.

I told him that the FIRST photo we take with our new camera will be of the both of us. Unfortunately, that happened when we were on our way for brunch, and I still looked all sleepy, swollen-faced and hideous, so I had to do myself and everybody a favour by deleting the photo photos (I gave my face a few tries but it didn't step up to the game that morning).

So this was our first, nice photo together.

All I can say is, 

he is amazing, and I am blessed.

Love Tank status: FULL

love, careen

Comfort Ultra Pure: A Simple Act of Love

These 2 months being Parents' Months, many of us would be cracking our heads on how to pamper our parents on their special days.

When I was little and penniless, my options were limited. All I could give to my parents back then were handmade Mother and Father's Day cards, drawn and prepared with loads of love and details (note: girly stickers and heart-shaped cut-outs). To my surprise, my daddy still keeps them nicely in his drawers and safe! :')

As I grew older and started to work part-time as a dance teacher, then slowly getting freelance modelling gigs and TV commercial engagements, I had more options, and could afford to buy them nice stuff and bring them for nice meals that they would never think of splurging on themselves, ever.

I find joy in pampering and showering my parents with these acts of love. To me, it is a way of showing them how much I appreciate them for all they've done for me and the family, and a way of saying Thank You.

It always makes me happy to give. Sometimes I feel that I'm even more excited to show my parents what I have in store for them, than they are being excited to receive the surprise. Hahah! But the saying is true, that it is better to give than to receive. It is always a joy to give, especially to our parents, and I'm sure most of you would know what I mean :)

However, as much as we're busy planning on how to celebrate these special Parents' Days, there are many out there who do not have the chance to show their parents how much they love and appreciate them. You're right, I'm talking about those who have lost their parents along the way- the orphans.

In my lifetime, I have visited the orphanages for quite a number of times, and for every visit, it would be a bitter-sweet feeling. Sweet feeling because these kids are such lovelies and joy to hang out with, be it little toddlers or grown-up teenagers. Some of them are so cheeky that they're just so fun to debate and joke around with. 

Bitter because while we know that they're just like us, we know that they're not fully like us at the same time. At the end of the visits, I'll always feel like hugging them tight and bringing all of them home with me. 

Some of you may think that just one visit may not mean much, but trust me, it does reassure these children that there are people who still care, though we may not be related to them. I know some of us may not always have the time to drop by for a visit at the orphanage, but there are many other ways by which we can show that we care. One of the most practical ways to do it is none other than giving.

Let's face it, money IS important. Without sufficient funds, the centres wouldn't have enough to cater to the needs of the children.

With that in mind, Comfort Malaysia started an initiative to give to the Rumah K.I.D.S. orphanage. You can read more about this meaningful campaign in my previous post HERE.

For every 10 users, Comfort Malayia will donate RM10 to the children who never experienced the bliss of Mum's pure love. It was previously RM5 as stated in my previous post, but it's now being increased to RM10, all thanks to Comfort Malaysia!

So go ahead and invite all your friends to join this app!

I personally am not a mother yet (obviously. not in the next 2-3 years: standard answer), but I too, can do my part for the children of Rumah K.I.D.S., simply by getting myself a pretty cover photo about my mum! :)

It's really that simple!

They've got many cute and creative Cover Photo designs to choose from too! :)

Besides, Comfort now has a NEW feature! At the Comfort Malaysia Facebook Page, you'll be able to see different Cover Photos by all the participants of this initiative rotating every 15 minutes! 

15 minutes later:

Another 15 minutes later:

I personally have not seen anything like this before. Rotating cover photos! :))

Keep a lookout at Comfort Malaysia's Facebook Page. Who knows, your Cover Photo may be displayed in front of all 117k of Facebook fans of Comfort Malaysia!

Not only is Comfort Malaysia contributing RM10 for every 10 users of the Mum's Pure Love app, Comfort also wants to reward YOU for making it all happen!

These are the prizes for the participants who have invited the most people to join the app! :)

This is charity and giving made easy by Comfort Malaysia. 

Do your bit, and spread the love.

Go to the Comfort Ultra Pure: Mum's Pure Love App, and get started! 

Detailed step-by-step guide on how to participate in my previous post HERE.

For more info, visit:
Comfort Malaysia's Facebook Page
Comfort Ultra Pure: Mum's Pure Love app

Have fun, all! ;)

love, Careen

Seven things I never knew about him

Me: Hmmm. Should I blog or just laze around tonight?

Boon: Blog la...go blog!

And so, here I am.

Not that I don't want to blog, but after such a busy time, I really don't know where to start blogging from! *guilty* 

Just braved through a busy busy weekend, and travelled 3 hours in the car chatting with the husby about anything and everything that we haven't got to update each other with.

You see, he's been attached to a project here in Kuantan for a few months now, another 2 months to go, and only goes back to KL on the weekends. I follow him here only maybe once a month due to my work and commitment back home. We've been coping well...being apart helps us to grow individually and get all excited to see each other every week. It sure does help keep the flame alive. Only thing is that our lives are so fast-paced that once we don't update each other for a while, it turns out to be a verbal diarrhoea the moment we get to just sit in the car for hours and just talk and discuss and talk some more.

3 hours never seemed to pass by so quickly! I love chatting with this guy :)

So, it was the 3rd of June. 

It also means that it's the 7th month that we're married. Yay!

7 has also been my favourite number since I was like, 12. That's because 7 is a holy number (hahahahaha act holy last time), and also, 7 was Beckham's Jersey number back then. Beckham was my first love, then Johnny Depp, then Boon, then Ryan Reynolds, then Ryan Gosling, then...

 So in conjunction with our 7th Monthsary, I'm going to reveal 7 things I discovered about Boon only after we're married. *thinks hard*

Okay here we go.

Discovery #1:
He is ridiculously disciplined.

Q: After a late night, especially when you're back from a few drinks with friends til maybe 3-4am, what time would you wake up the next morning? I'll assume on average, 10.30-11.30am approximately?

Guess what time he wakes me at?

8am-9am. On a Saturday. On an off-day. On a holiday. On a REST day.

While I'll wake up just in time for a late lunch.

That reflects very very badly on me because I'll look like a lazy wife, so I try to get him to sleep in with me so that we'll wake up late together and I won't feel so bad :P

But that always doesn't work because he said he's just biologically wired that way, and his body is used to waking up early regardless how late he sleeps. HOW IS THAT HUMANLY POSSIBLE???

Sometimes I'll wake up to the sound of him washing our bathroom. This morning, I woke up to the sound of him drilling the wall to install our new bookshelves. HE'S A MACHINE! And I'm just so amused by him. I find it so cute and attractive :)

Discovery #2:
He is a clean freak.

When many people heard this, they're like, "He doesn't seem like a clean freak! I really didn't know that".

You know what? Me neither. I don't know why in the 8 years that we were together, I didn't realize that.

I'm not implying that he looks dirty or sloppy la, but he just doesn't seem to be the super hygienic type. These OCD peeps have a certain 'look' to it, but he just doesn't.

He MUST shower before he goes to bed. Never failed. Never once.

I think his ultimate hobby could be showering.

I, on the other hand who hardly really sweats (I'm serious. I think it's a gift) would try not to shower too much cos you know when girls shower + wash hair + blow dry hair, it really takes a long time. And it's A LOT of trouble. Sometimes if I come home from a harmless, sweatless, heatless yumcha session at some air-conditioned cafe, I can just wash up and go to bed.

But he can't. He'll still shower (and wash his hair).

Which is actually good for me la. I don't have to face a spouse with undesired traits like BO, bad breath and such. Hahahahaha blessings from God.

But him being so clean and hygienic does sometimes make me feel so dirty and lazy. Over these 7 months, he did inspire and motivate me to shower more (though I feel I don't have to). He has this weird theory about dust sticking to your body after you return home from outside. I know I'm no science expert, but that just sounds too funny to me. Hahaha at home, on the bed, in the shower also got dust what!

The debate never ends...

Discovery #3:

He is patient AND impatient.

We humans are such enigma. 

Although he's an angel, he's also like one of us. Wah cheh ahhaha.

He's patient.

He can wait for me while I shop for hours, and occupies himself by chatting with his gay guy friends on their whatsapp group and play some fighting game on his iPhone.

He never complains about why I took so long. 

He never complains about how long I take to dress up before going out. 

He never complains about how slow I eat. 

He never complains about how long I take to finish up a blog post.

BUT...

He's also impatient at the same time.

When he calls me from across the room, he expects me to respond within 0.5 seconds. Okay, not that extreme. Maybe within 2 seconds.

There are so many times when before I could even churn out a reply from my vocal chords, he already called for me a second time. And a third.

Scenario:

12:15:01

Boon: Dear?

12:15:01

Me: Y...

12:15:02

Boon: Dear??

12:15:02

Me: Ye...

12:15:03

Boon: Dear I'm calling you!!!

Yeah. We have yet to match our pace.

Having said that, I find that really funny. Like, he's such an auntie :P

Discovery #4:

He loves watching brainless videos.

His favourite source of YouTube videos are not from JinnyboyTV, DanKhooProductions, TheMingThing, Joseph Germani, Wah Banana, etc, but some random Facebookers. Like, seriously random.

The first is a page called Brainless Driver. This page posts real random videos. Well, that's okay because it's still a Facebook Page.

The second one is a random Facebooker (who might not even know that he has such a loyal fan) called Chan Tiong Ming. He's not a celebrity, not a blogger, just a dude with a public Facebook profile who shares real random and funny videos according to him.

He would visit these 2 Facebook pages everyday and laugh all by himself in the living room. Sometimes, he would stop me from whatever I'm doing, call me from across the room (and expects a 0.5 seconds reply) to watch these videos with him.

Discovery #5:

He talks to himself.

Sometimes, you really find out something about a person only after you live with them long enough. Though 7 months aren't too long a period, but I got a revelation that I never knew.

Many times, he would talk to himself when he plays his PS3, replies emails, texts, etc.

He would say things like,

"Wah....damn sui lo...."

"Wah...yao mou gao chor..."

"Wah seriously...I don't know what to say about this fella man..."

and get not reply from me.

But one day, I got really curious and just randomly asked him this question:

"Dear, usually when I'm not around and when you're all alone, would you talk to yourself just like what you did?"

It was really just a playful question and I expected, "No lah...you're here ma so I just think out loud lo...". But apparently NO! He said he does, and that's his way of thinking out loud. 

*GASPPPPP*

I don't know how many people does this, but when I'm alone, I don't talk AT ALL. It's so spooky. Like I'm talking to some imaginary friend. Just cannot do it.

But he does, and I'm just sooooooo amused. Hahahahah :')

Discovery #6:

He is a great son-in-law

If I have a daughter in the future, I would want a son-in-law just like him.

His philosophy is simple: 

We're married, so your parents are my parents, and my parents are yours. And he has been living up to his philosophy. 

To all of you who are married, I'm sure you can identify with me about this. One of the most difficult adjustments in marriage are the new 'titles' to address your in-laws. I've been calling Boon's parents 'Uncle' and 'Aunty' for the past 8 years. To suddenly call them, 'Dad' and 'Mum' was just pretty awkward. So I took some time to adjust and now it's becoming easier and more fluent :P

But for him, he made a point to call them 'Dad' and 'Mum' since our wedding day, and he deliberately makes a point to do so EVERY TIME they meet and speak, whether on the phone, in person, text or email.

Knowing that my dad has been reading online articles from his small little Sony Ericsson phone screen, one evening, he arrived at our family dinner with a bag. He asked me to go outside of the restaurant to meet him, and told me to tell my dad that it was a gift from me. And it was none other than a brand new iPad mini :')

Of course, when I passed it to my dad, I said it was from Boon. I didn't even know he bought it for my dad, and I didn't even suggest.

It was the evening when the election results was to be announced, and he said my family could see the results from the iPad mini instead :')

My dad was so happy and proud that day. And I was too.

I don't meant to brag, but he's amazing.

Discovery #7:

He loves babies. A. Lot.

I always knew that he was good with children, and he loves babies and babies love him.

He's been asking for a baby profusely since before we got married (which was of course a joke and he wasn't serious then), and even more ever since we got married (which is no longer a joke. he is damn serious about it). His requests would constantly and consistently be turned down cos well, I'm not ready yet though I adore kids. But he's just super onz...and his paternal instincts seem to increase by the day :')

And when I said he loves babies, he's not the moderate type that would just play with a baby for a while type. His case is quite severe.

Babies would actually turn his head when we walk in the mall or on the streets. He would actually play with a baby in a stroller sitting across our table in a restaurant. He would actually pick up our friend's babies and really carry them, play with them, and talk to them like a father does.

And that truly assures me that he would really love our children like mad in the future. 

*

So there, 7 new discoveries in 7 months. They say that the first year of marriage is usually the nightmare year, but for me, it's still a beautiful starting point. Sure, there have been arguments and quarrels, but we're still doing good.

To commemorate this special day, here are my 7 favourite photos out of thousands of favourite photos from our wedding day. Will be posting our wedding day blog post up soon (so many photos to choose frommmm), but for now, I hope you'd enjoy these :)

Final touches.

At the altar.

The moment I always dreamed of since I was little.

We never held our hands together this tight before. Throughout the Holy Matrimony, I held his hands tightly to remind myself that I was truly there and that I wasn't dreaming. It was truly hard to believe we made it after all these years.

During our wedding dinner reception.

I thought he didn't prepare his speech, but he truly surprised me. It was so sincere and so himself. If you know what I mean :')

I think we never held hands that much in a day before :P

It felt surreal. 

It was a happy and beautiful day.

It was perfect for us.

More details will be up in my full wedding day post. Will be spending some time carefully selecting the photos and writing down all that I felt and experienced on our special day, so that I can read back 50 years down the road and still feel the same way :)

Darling, this post is for you, to tell you how much I adore your weird habits and antics. You make married life beautiful.

Love you much!

Happy 7 months :)

love, 猪猪虫