After my hoop retreat in Ubud, i booked a place to stay in till the weekend in Seminyak before flying back to KL.
I booked this pool villa because it looked so bright and happy in the pictures,
and there were a lot of good reviews.

That’s the secret for booking places on Airbnb with me, at least someone’s vouching for it!

The villa is a little out of the way (it’s off the Toyota building on Sunset Rd.) but Massimo or his gf Natalie were always easily contactable on whatsapp to help me call a taxi

This is Massimo, he seems a cheerful hardworking fellow who runs a bar in Kuta and another villa for rent. He used to be a banker in Italy till the economic crash that he said stressed him out terribly. After traveling the world for a year, he felt that Bali was the best place for him to build a new life so he moved here!

When i wanted to get a taxi out to get some nasi padang the first night, his girlfriend Natalie offered to give me a lift cos she was heading to a nasi padang place to meet her friends. She insisted i join them for dinner, which was really nice of her, cos i felt i was possibly intruding in on their girl time (and i know how important that is!)

Ananda, (i forgot her name, oops), and Natalie

I worked from the villa all of the next day. No, i swear i was actually working. Like crazy couldn’t-get-0ff-the-laptop kinda working.
And then i fell sick that night which was kinda a bummer, but i still managed to drag myself out to meet Samantha and her family for lunch,
and Rachel at Biku one evening.

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When Claudia asked me whether i wanted to go for a silkscreen printing workshop on a Saturday morning with her,
I was all, “Yessss take me!!”
I’m all for new activities that pushes my creativity, makes me healthier and requires less drinking these days.

We chose the morning class which was from 9-11am so we had to be there at 8:45am for coffee and settling down before.
It was a great excuse to have to be good and stay in on Friday night.

Friday night =
Claudia: Come and join us!
Me: NO! We have to wake up early tomorrow! I’m *not* going out with you and Rahul.
Claudia: He’s doing it too! (the workshop the next day) We’re all in this together!!

Yes, but *i’m* going to stay in, and SLEEP.
Else i’ll be passing out at class the next day!

I stayed in, went to bed by 1am, and got there to have a coffee (i recently picked up drinking coffee -_-)
The other two arrived in the nick of time.

When i walked upstairs, i saw Joe! So nice to hug Joe in the morning, like a big bear!

I’ve always seen and heard about silkscreen workshops but i never attended one cos i somehow went for the other art class choices first.

Now it’s TIME!

Had no idea what the process was. Like, no clue.
Didn’t even do any research before it, but i guess that’s the reason for attending one.
You just need to SHOW UP and it’s all prepared XD

Lisette from L.inc (her design and art studio up the stairs from DR.inc cafe).
She’s the artist behind Nala Designs (i bought their ang pow packets to give away at weddings!) and many of The Big Group‘s branding i’ve admired so much.

Lisette holding up her iconic silkscreen design of kuih lapis

We were to design an image that required 2 colours, meaning two sketches (to represent each colour that was to be silkscreened) were drawn out on paper, copied unto 2 screens, and coloured in with emulsion. Everyone suddenly looked so stressed wondering what to draw.

Joe: Oh my god! The pressure!

Rahul went about drawing triangles and squares.
The little girl across me drew a flower.
Joe and i continued staring at each other, two trained artists caught in the woes of impending doom.
Claudia was as freaked out as we were, but in a noisier manner.

I decided to go with a planet, plotted out how the colours would overlap each other, and drew patterns behind it as well (being the maximalist i am).
Claudia almost screamed when she realised she’d forgotten all about Amanda the Panda (this cartoon she made up on our trip in Bali)
and Joe went with his logo.

In retrospect, i should have done the KBF logo -_-

ANYWAY
did my planet drawings and realised i had SO MUCH to colour in with emulsion
I felt like i was lagging behind the rest and pressed the emulsion pen with furious concentration to colour in as neatly and quickly as i could

I could overhear Claudia and Joe on the other end of the table talking,
“Oh look at Joyce’s”
“Overachiever”

“I can hear you!” i called out while still bent over.

In the end Rahul and her came over to help me colour in
and i released the strong desire to tell Rahul that maybe it was okay and he didn’t need to help
Claudia: “Rahul! You’re so messy!”

XD I love you guys for helping me

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Thanks to Nasri of Manic Productions and his team for working with us on this video!

Related links:
* Full blogpost on KBF 11th Anniversary Party *
* 11th Anniversary Party Gallery Album #1 by Saufi Nadzri *
* 11th Anniversary Party Gallery Album #2 by Nadiah Ramli *

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I was asked to post a review of this black head removal kit from CNP Laboratory – a brand i’ve never heard of before.

What made me feel optimistic about it was:
1) it’s from Korea, and i’m a big fan of Korea and anything Korean!! And Korean beauty products rock so hard i can’t even.
2) it contains NO synthetic fragrance and colourants, parabens, mineral oils, and artificial additives

I’m not sure if you remember the god awful pictures of my face i posted on my IG a year ago, where i broke out all over my face in hives because i now have sensitive skin. I have to be VERY CAREFUL about the products i put on my face, and even the facials i go for. I just broke out from a facial 3 weeks ago cos the products they used were too strong for me, even tho i had such confidence it wouldn’t be. So yes, i’m very wary of the products i put on my skin. The more natural the better. I feel that the Koreans are doing something right cos all the women there have such smooth, flawless, HEALTHY-looking skin!

The CNP Laboratory Anti-Pore Black Head Clear Kit is a 2-step black/white head removal product
that comes in a little box which holds 3 sets and a bunch of black cotton buds.

Mask #1 = Black head Clear Mask that gently removes black heads and sebum
Mask #2 = Pore tightening Mask to close pores so dirt doesn’t get back in

After cleansing my nose, i put the “Black head Clear Mask 1” on for 10 minutes

And took silly pictures. I asked whether posting the picture on the right was alright.
Baby said “no”; Sweet went “errr…”
But i’m gonna ignore them cos *i* think it’s funny.

After 10 mins, i removed Mask 1 and used the black cotton bud to press and roll on my nose from from outer to inner corners, and bottom to top.

I know it’s not the most appealing picture to post, but obviously the reason they provide black cotton buds is to see for yourself the black heads and sebum that comes out! I was FASCINATED with seeing how much crap i got out of my pores!

Couldn’t help showing Baby and Sweet Ee and we all went between exclamations of “Ewwww!” and “Oh my god it works!”

Then i put on Pore tightening Mask #2 for 10 minutes.

Take pictures while waiting.
The mask seems to have some sort of soothing gel that i didn’t need to wash off after.

And the results…

WOW. Look at the difference!!!
My nose is so CLEAN and SMOOTH and SHINY after!!
We were poring over the pictures, and being quite amazed.
I mean, i didn’t even have that much sebum to start with cos i recently had a facial, but there was still a diff!

(I didn’t edit any of the photos, and if the colour of the ‘After’ pic is slightly diff, it’s because the sun was setting and i took the pix facing the window.)

I’m slightly embarrassed to show you up close pics of my nose… and the two craters i have on it which are scars from the result of: having itchy fingers, pressing black heads out without using a proper kit or facial years ago, not closing the pores after, and THAT is what happens. SCARS. Please learn from my mistake and don’t do what i did!!!

That Mask #2 was efficient at shrinking my pores shut and making my nose super smooth.
And i think thanks to putting on two hydrating masks that come up to a total time of 20 mins, my nose felt really soft and moisturized after.

I even woke up the next morning and FELT my nose to see if it was still smooth – and it was!

Ah-may-zing.

I was given two boxes and Baby already kidnapped the other one after seeing my results.

CNP Laboratory Anti-Pore Black Head Clear Kit costs RM35 per box (with 3 sets), and 2 for RM50.

It can be purchased at Watsons outlets, view list of stores *HERE*

You can read more about it and even purchase online *HERE*

There are videos on CNP that i just watched *HERE* where i discovered 74,000 boxes have been sold in Korea.
I’m not surprised.

Kudos to the Koreans man.

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In my birthday week blogpost, i mentioned how Big Ben was trying to convince me to buy a Cartier.
Besides such an unfeasible option for the moment, he also tried getting me to take particular type of pictures of myself for Instagram.

Ben: Joyce, your instagram sucks. Let me show you how it’s done. *whips out his phone*
Me: Ughhhh
Ben: Look, you gotta take more selfies. See this? *shows me pic of girls sitting down in shorts* Show some thigh! It always works. Confirm guys will like. And this… *shows me pic of girl taking a selfie from a high angle* CANNOT GO WRONG.
Me: No no noooo!!!

Look, i’m DONE taking so many selfies.
Been there, done that.
I took hundreds of selfies when i was in my early 20s and posted them all over my blog, i think i’m just kinda over it!
The only valid reason i have to take a selfie nowadays is when i try some new make up look and want to credit the make up brands who gave them to me.
There. That’s me being really honest.

I don’t mind taking more body selfies of my health and fitness improvement,
but that seems to be moving along rather slowly these days cos of my hectic schedule
(yes yes as i’m writing this i am reminded yet again on how i need to prioritise my life-work-health balance)

Took this online test that made me laugh and think about what Ben said.

And then this question made me think about something Yishyene said to me in London some time last year.

I will unabashedly take pictures of my food ESPECIALLY when i’m traveling (cos i want to remember everything i ate!) and told her something Ryan said to me over dinner a year prior (also in London), “Such an Asian thing to do.”
Well, i *am* Asian so let me take my food pictures in peace!

When Yishyene heard that, she piped up, “Oh, thanks to Instagram, EVERYONE takes pictures of their food now. It’s not an Asian thing anymore. It’s an everyone thing.”

Hahahah!!!

Admittedly, there must have been once or twice i even posted a pic of a dish wiped clean just to exemplify how amazing it was till i dove straight in with no regard for a photo.

A few other questions on this online quiz that made me giggle

Yes that’s me. I *will* congratulate myself a teensy bit.
The feeling of accomplishment is short-lived tho.

Oh my god i actually know of people (whom i shall kindly remain anon) who’ve surfed IG next to me, seen pix they like but INTENTIONALLY don’t like them cos they want to be cool. I call them the silent surfers.

Can you guess what my answer to the above Q was?
The one in the middle. So. Totally. Me.
String of happy emojis and everything.
Likes don’t cost me anything!
And if i like a pic, then i’ll double tap it cos if Love is limitless then Likes DEFINITELY ARE.

There were other Qs but anyway, my result was…

Phew. I know i am but it’s nice to receive some reassurance.

This test (left below) is on The Whyte Academy

Then i thought, huh, might as well just take the FB one for fun (and i know i’m quite bad at FB, i just post stuff and rarely surf :p)

I don’t play candy crush or any games. I just don’t have the time to.
Was just telling someone that i’m so busy i sometimes take a day to reply someone’s whatsapp msg.

Buttt if i DID need points or something, i would shamelessly opt for the answer on the left.

Why can’t one just whatsapp…. :p
Ok ok to each his own. #NoJudgement

On my side, i loudly proclaim my major love for my girl friends all the time on FB XD

Wow why so serious. I chose the middle.
Realistically, i just switch it off in the settings :p

My results…

…. yay me!?

Take the tests yourself *here*

The quizzes above were set by one of the members of The Whyte Academy faculty called Jessie Molarr

Let him groom you (as well as he grooms his moustache) on how to be the ultimate Social Media Socialite.
And then discover if you are a social sociopath or the brink of being socially cold.

There’s another professor from the faculty with crazy eyes (that reminds me of Patty) who will groom you on EXTRAORDINARY ETIQUETTE

So extraordinary you’ll get questions like THIS

The scary thing is i KNOW people who’ve done the right in front of me in public.
And they’re not even my age. They’re a friend’s parent. 

After taking some of these tests, i’m proud to announce i am an alumni of The Whyte Academy!
Ben, I don’t need your approval for the kind of pictures i take for IG!

All i had to do was surf The Whyte Academy and train myself online 

The Whyte Academy is established by Wayne Whyte – an accomplished narcissist who’s been featured in publications like TYME magazine, PHORBES magazine, ENQUITE magazine, and KLEO magazine (not the same one Claudia is editor of).

To help people be as GREAT as he is, he’s created interesting programmes for ALL to take, and is assisted by his faculty of experts.

Visit the whyte-academy.com yourself today and go become a better person.

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