Kopitiam

I’m back with a treasure find of yet another malaysian eatery in Auckland – and it’s called the Kopitiam. Nestled in a suburb away from the city, Kopitiam in Panmure serves chinese Malaysian food. It’s like a travel machine stepping into Kopitiam. It reminds me of the kind of hawker stalls you get at Seri Kembangan or any villagey area in KL. It’s a small-ish shop with yellow painted – ceiling and walls. Curtains to cover doorways and corridors, the alarm clock radio with oldies playing in the background, chinese calendar on the wall and a big round wall clock are all signature decos of a villagey shop back in KL. Ha ha. Very simple layout and in a strange way I felt it’s great to have a shop like Kopitiam in Auckland. It gives that option for my food mood. Interesting.

Not the first time here, I introduced myself to the owner, Tony and had a chit chat and told him what I will be doing when the food comes and that I will do a write up on my blog. On a Monday and here I am introducing myself as a food blog writer??!! Ok, not that I’m getting paid for this but I seriously feel the satisfaction of doing it. Maybe it’s the kepo-ness in me. (Kepo means busybody).  Anyway, that’s one great advantage working for yourself and having that time flexibility. I’m typing this at home now at 4pm. Sigh.. what a waste of time. But you know what? I’m counting down the days to having these flexibility because I have something coming up in the pipeline.. and will let you know once the time is right. But soon, I won’t be going around food joints taking pics of my lunch and blogging about it in the arvo. @@

Geez, now how did I end up talking about that? Back to the food… Jeff and I ordered Pan Mee and Assam Laksa!! Mmm, the photos… are you salivating already? The taste is just amazing! The laksa gravy is damn ‘kau’ and in perfect balance. It’s spicy though and in no time I had my nose running about. That just makes the laksa tastes better. The Pan Mee is definitely better than the one in Selera, Newmarket. Cheaper too by $3! This one has got mince and good portion of mushrooms in it. All takeaways on their menu is a dollar cheaper. Ahhh, good to take note. We have tried some others on the menu too like the Fried Hokkien Noodles, Bak Kut Teh, House Specialty Noodles (so-so) and the pork dumplings.

No faults with Kopitiam. It’s worth the visit. Check them out at 139 Queens Road, Panmure, Auckland.

dorinranee rates : 5 star

Efrijalados

I had efrijalados (e-free-ha-la-dos) for lunch last Sunday at Ponsonby Foodcourt. I’ve always given the Mexican & Maya stall a miss and go for the usual Malaysian stall. I said to myself I should go for something different and not just stick to the usual. Had a little tongue twisting session while reading the mexican menu outloud before the cook finally came out and asked if I needed some recommendation. That’s how I ended up with efrijalados. 🙂 I enjoyed it and think it’s really healthy too. Didn’t leave me feeling heavy and sluggish.

Voila! You like how it’s presented? It kinda look too busy for food but what the heck, I took it all in. It’s 2 tortilla with mince and topped with bean gravy with salad. Mmm… and helped myself to the salsa to spice it up a little otherwise it can taste quite bland.

And the Winner is…

Tania!! Woooo-hoooo!

Congratulations girl!

At 12am on 8 Dec, the winner with the highest votes for the online photo contest is Tania with 362 votes. I got a text from her saying that she got her friends and family all over the world to vote for her at the very last moment. Wow, I’d make lotsa $$ if it was to be voting via text. *grins*

For Kristy, Reina, Pam and Annabel: You girls were awesome as well. It was really exciting for the past 2 weeks just watching the votes creeping up. Guess what? It’s the season of generosity (just had that sermon on Sunday ;)) and I’m thinking of ways to be generous. I can’t say it now cos I gotta discuss this with JC first (but he’s bound to agree anyways.. hehe) but anyways, don’t fret cos a little pressie is coming your way soon…. before Christmas I promise! 🙂 

Thank you all of you for making this a real fun contest. I’ve got some feedbacks and exciting ideas for the next contest in 2009 already. Can’t wait! In the meantime, do check out Fashion Geek and give us some feedbacks on what you’d like to see happening on StyleCulture as well.

Oh, for those of you still cracking your pretty heads on Christmas pressie, check out the Gilded Lily page (I put it under Links). They’ve got some cool classy christmassy gifts and ideas. I met Susan Elijas from a business course this year – and thinks that she’s an amazing woman who turned her passion into a thriving business. *inspired gaze*

Wishing you happy shopping and may all the great bargains in your size come your way! Stay stylish, stay vogue, stay real! Don’t forget Christ in Christ-mas and may peace and love finds its way in your heart this season.

Stay tune on StyleCulture for Tania’s photoshoot and exclusive interview.

Love ya all 🙂

dR

Contest Finalists

A big THANKS to all contestants for putting in your entries! I was really excited receiving each one of it. 🙂 It was hard choosing the best 5 to put on the website cos all of your photos are gorgeous and meaningful in its own way.

Here are the 5 contest finalists photos and captions. All you have to do is vote on your favourite photo (at the end of this post) and the winner wins the Glamour Photoshoot worth $250!! She will be pampered to a full makeup and gets to model in 3 outfits of her own in a chosen location on the photoshoot day. She also gets a complimentary photo on CD. (So she can share it on Facebook, print it out as her room wallpaper, whatever she wants!). She will also get an exclusive interview post on the blog post photoshoot!

Last day to put in your vote is 7 Dec 08 at midnight (NZ time). Now StyleCulture don’t make that call, you decide who the winner is, so click in your vote today!  

1. Tania N

Caption:  I like this picture because it shows my indian bangles and its a pose that not many people use for a picture.  

 

2. Kristy G

Caption: It oozes confidence and a look that almost challenges the viewer, also, sporting the urban hip-hop look (which I never usually wear!) which just proves that you can be whoever you want to be in a photograph and that’s why we love it!

 

3. Reina C

Caption: I choose this one because the look and the smile is mysterious and give attention to your curiosity.

 

 4. Pamela C

Caption: I like the way I smile in this photo, it shows a genuine smile and my happy mood; it seems like I was comfortable and not afraid/shy to express myself in front of the camera.

 

5. Annabel K

Caption: I love this photo because this was a sweet self portrait self timer-shot photo taken with my self knitted Mr Bean bear. I love the simple colour combination of my bedroom wall, duvet and clothes as well.

 

*Ha ha ha!* I get a kick saying – ‘New Zealand, who is your winner?’ I imagine doing a Tara Bank with this one. Ok ok, thanks for voting and keep watch on the poll!! The last day for putting in your votes in on the 7 Dec 2008…and the winner will be announced on the blog on 8 Dec 2008.

 Thanks again to those who did send in their entries but did not make it to the final round. For your sportiness, we still have a little gift for ya! So keep watch in your mailbox. 🙂

If you’re on Facebook, join StyleCulture on Facebook here.

Style with Conscience

I’d like to leave a legacy; to make a difference in this world. Though it’s fallen; I believe seeds can still be sown and lives can still be touched. It begins with the little that you have in your hand and the commitment to multiply it for greater things.

JC and I agreed that StyleCulture should reflect our beliefs that…people matter; that by committing what we have in our hands to work, we can be a part of making a difference in the lives of others.

I’ve chosen Mercy Ministries, a non-profit organisation that StyleCulture will commit to raise funds for through our events in 2009. You can check out Mercy Ministries here.

Read our updated About page. We hope to pass on that inspiration.

YES WE CAN!… 😉

Whitianga

Hooray for the long Labour weekend! Glad we decided to go ahead with the trip to Whitianga despite the weather forecast. It turned out sunny on Saturday and Monday. Sunday was a little gloom; the sun couldn’t decide whether to shine or not. We call that sissy weather in NZ.

We walked 45 mins to Cathedral Cove…

Some sunrise pics of Mercury Bay, just across the road from where we were staying. I’m so proud that I managed to get up even before the alarm goes off at 5.30am! 🙂 *shoulder pats*

It’s such a breath-taking view! Yea, breath-taking cos it was cold as well. Felt so close to nature; and was marvelling at how awesome God’s handiwork is. Look at the crescent moon! This is all so picture perfect.

Whee! At the break of dawn. 🙂 And finally one of me sailing through… Looks ghostly… hmmpph, an artistic ghost. *cackle cackle*

Keropok Lekor – Fish Sausage

I did it! I finally made keropok lekor – after weeks of ferrying the flour and the can of fish from my place to JC’s and back again; always procrastinating making it! It’s not as chewy as it should be because I substituted sago flour with potato flour. But it was crunchy, tasty and definitely addictive… with good ol chilli sauce.  🙂

Rolling it about…

Yea! All things are possible. I used one cup of potato flour, one can of sardine fish in oil, salt, msg (ajinomoto) and lots of white pepper. Mix it together and add a little water. Roll it into little cocktail sausages. Boil them till they float. Then wait to cool it off before deep frying it. That’s all to it folks!

Ahhh... *crunch* * crunch*

Photos taken with JC’s camera phone. His camera ran out of battery. Sigh. 😛

UPDATED: Another blog on keropok lekor at this link.

Found another great recipe for keropok lekor at this link.

Makeup Brushes

I love makeup brushes! It will do wonders for your makeup I promise; it blends the makeup so well it will look like a pro makeup artiste’s work. The basic ones to have are the powder brush, blush brush, foundation brush, slanted brush, eyeshadow brush, eye blender brush and a lip brush.

I did a little shop around for price comparison on makeup brushes last week to recommend in my makeup workshops. Here’s what I found…

The Body Shop

1. Powder – $38
2. Blush – $30
3. Foundation – $25
4. Slanted – $21.50
5. Eyeshadow – $20
6. Eye blender – $20

Price is reasonable but their brushes are synthetic (not made from real animal hair). Getting the whole lot would cost you $154.50.

Bobbi Brown

1. Powder – $130
2. Blush – $90
3. Foundation (L) – $65
4. Foundation (S) – $45
5. Slanted – $45
6. Eye blender – $56
7. Eye contour – $56
8. Eye smudge – $56
9. Bronzing – $65
10. Lip – $56

Their brushes are made of real animal hair – nice soft bristles.

M.A.C.

#150 Powder Brush

#168 Blush Brush

#190 Foundation Brush

#252 Concealer Brush

#217 Blending Eyeshadow Brush

#239 Eyeshadow Brush

#316 Lip Brush

1. Powder (#150) – $94
2. Blush (#168) – $82
3. Foundation (#190) – $90
4. Concealer (#252) – $78
5. Eyeshadow blending (#217) – $48
6. Eyeshadow (#239) – $71
7. Lip (#315) – $50

Check out M.A.C. for a full list of brushes. If I have a wishlist (I think I have one now!), it would be all products of M.A.C. 🙂 *wink wink* Ok, it’s dead obvious I’m all for M.A.C. brushes! All their brushes are hand-sculpted and assembled using the finest quality materials. I was told only 2 person would have touched the brushes before they were bought! Wooow! Of course that doesn’t include handling at the counter.  

The other brands like Lancome, Estee Lauder and Christian Diors brushes are in the mid range; cheaper than Bobbi Brown and M.A.C. but dearer than The Body Shop! Anyway, if you’re desperate for a brush set and don’t really care if it’s synthetic or not, then go for Revlon’s 5pcs brush set for $60!

But wait!…for the benefit of my makeup workshop-ers, I’m getting a 15pcs brush set in, priced at $88 exc GST. Now that’s the real deal. Yea, will put up more info once I get my hands on it. I’m still waiting for the shipment from Australia. 🙂 So keep watching this space.

Hope you enjoy this piece. Feel free to leave your comments & feedbacks… especially YOU who found the new joy of working with brushes!

Updated 10 Oct 2008: The makeup brushes have arrived! They’re gorgeous indeed! Check it out on the ‘Makeup Workshop’ page for more details on it and how to get your hands on them. 🙂

 

Sistas Conference 08

11-14 September 2008

StyleCulture is proud to be part of this awesome conference. We will be giving away 2 x Image Consultation package plus portrait photoshoot worth $950 each away to two sistas! The package consist of
– Color & Style Analysis (1 hour)
– Wardrobe Analysis (2 hours)
– Personal Shopping Guide (1 hour)
– Personal Makeup Lesson (1 hour)
– Portrait Photoshoot (3 hours) – with a complimentary standard print to take home! 

 

 

 

Geisha or Big Lady Boss?

Here’s what Chloe did for me. She chose a Geisha look. I must say she did well with her research and came prepared with all the accessories needed to complete the look. We didn’t have a white chalk powder of course used for geisha’s makeup. Pity, would have been dramatic!

Tina, Chloe, Geisha & Ruthie (Instructor).

 And here… *drum rolls* is the end result!

You like?

How about this?

*Holding in the giggles*

Then I remembered that geisha don’t smile… and I overdid it!

Big Lady Boss?

It takes a lot of guts to put this photo up but I really like the artistic nature of it. The way it is angled and the expression. I have to pretend that it’s not me!! 😀 We realised it’s not very geisha after all because of the eyeliner flick. Geisha don’t have flicks in their eye makeup. Hmm, so it’s the Big Lady Boss with the pipe in her hand? Ha ha! But it was lots of fun!