gwenXlife

The time I met the lost man

gwenewg

Today, what I thought it would be a long day turned out to be all right.
Arrived back to Sydney from Melbourne at 7.25pm and trying to soak in all the emotions and remembering everything about the domestic airport – the transportation hub I call my third home. A place I travel pass every fortnight. Travelling was a perk and I really enjoyed.

As I was coming down the escalator exiting the terminal, clutching onto my phone ready to drop Vik a text that I’m out. A stranger approached asking if I was Korean (i do get that a lot), unfortunately, I told them the truth “Sorry, I’m not. But how can I help you?” As she looked really lost.

Turns out, there was an old man that looked 75, lost, panicking and spoke only Korean. I looked around hoping to spot a Korean and trying to be as helpful as I could, we could not find anyone.

So here we are, an Australian mom with her 14-year-old daughter who clearly just arrived Sydney. A virgin airline cabin crew who looked like she had a long day and can’t wait to take off those heels and be in bed, an travel information counter lady who did not know how she could help and me, an Asian lady who wished at the moment spoke Korean.

Scrambling our ends, we looked at each other trying to figure out how we can get him to talk to us and communicate. Google translate wouldn’t work cause it would require two young person who knows how to use it. So the easiest was to call someone who spoke Korean and pass the phone since we could not grab anyone.

I called the three Korean friends that I knew while the 14-year-old girl said she met this Korean boy who was his age but not sure if he could be any help. The 14-year-old Korean boy picked up and was immediately chatting with the old man. After 30 minutes of the mum trying to tell the boy what answers to get and what to tell him, we were still lost and they had to go.

By then, we found out a few things
– He missed his flight to Gold Coast
– He is from Korea and is visiting
– He was in a group and was left alone
– He wants to call someone and wrote down a number
– He is searching for his bag
– He doesn’t know anyone that speaks English or Mandarin

So we needed to figure out how he got here, obviously, the travel agent would need to know English or SOMEONE?

5 minutes later, we are at the Virgin Service desk, we found his bag and has confirmed he missed his flight.

So I called my friend who was super nice and patient to talk to this guy (bear in mind, this guy is on leave, back in Korean, preparing for his wedding that is in two days)

After another 30 minutes, here is what we found out
– He insists that he needs to go to Gold Coast
– He was travelling with a group of people who are on the flight and he wants to wait for them to arrive to call them to confirm what to do next.
– He has an assumption that his flights and everything’s covered.

My friend then told me there is only so much that can be done, and I said I need to go, and he said just go. As I was about to leave, the old man came up to me and started speaking Korean to me and I already feel really bad that my friend was on the phone with him for 12 minutes, so I didn’t want to bug the guy. He then used his hands and body to tell me something, and he looked like he was about to cry.

It was the hardest guessing game ever. I guessed
– was he kicked out?
– was he angry and he left?

Something must’ve happened, and he then wrote Korean on a piece of paper which I had NO IDEA. He then wrote 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 – NUMBERS. Yes, numbers! But what do those numbers mean?

Then he said out loud “일, 이, 삼, 사, 오” which means one, two, three, four, five.

I was so confused! He wrote the number 6-10, but said out loud 1-5. Well, pretty much what I can count in Korean. LOL but that didn’t help!

He then kept saying 친구 (chingu), he kept repeating the word. And I’m like I know this word. I’ve learnt this word and I can’t remember what it means. It’s on the TV drama shows, my friend taught me. But I just can’t remember! He pointed at the numbers and said it, pointed at my phone and me and said that. Then my friend called and he was excited and repeated it. I had to ask my friend what 친구 (chingu) means, and he said “friend” and I’m like okay, he wants to talk to my friend. So I passed him my phone.

Just then, I heard a guy, speaking Korean, walking pass behind me. I turned and ran in my heels and grabbed this guy by his arm. (you guys should’ve seen his face. LOL) I said to him “Do you speak English?” he said yes. and I immediately was a relief and said “OMG. Can you please help?”

Turns out. This guy was actually looking for this old man, and they don’t even know each other!

The random Korean guy I grabbed. He looked like this.

I’m serious!

80% lookalike. That guy could pull off as his double 😂

So apparently this old man’s friend could not get to him, and they called someone’s friend to ask someone a favour to go to the airport to look for this poor lost man who missed his flight and spoke no English.

After 1.5 hours, the old man finally had some relief he had some help and I had to go as Vik was STILL waiting for me. I tapped the guy’s shoulder and said “I’m sorry, could you please tell him I’m sorry I have to go and I hope everything works out. and thank you”

I don’t know what happened in the end though. I hope everything worked out for him.

gwenXlife

Merry Christmas 2018

gwenewg

With a blink of an eye, it’s already Christmas.

As much as me still not being use to summer Christmas whilst jingles and songs such as “baby it’s cold outside” and “let it snow let it snow let it snow” plays.

I think the song should be ” I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”.

Or maybe song writers should write and sing more about summer Christmas for the southern hemisphere peeps

Next thing we know, it’s 2019 next week already!

So before that,

Merry Christmas to everyone.

Hope you guys had your turkeys and bacon

Uncategorized

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation VS Long Wear Even Foundation

gwenewg

Today I would be reviewing

 Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation SPF15 PA+

VS

 Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Even Finish Foundation SPF 15

The skin foundation and the long wear foundation are both the best-selling foundations among all the Bobbi Brown foundations they have. Many find themselves caught and stuck in a dilemma not knowing whether which to buy. I was one of them.

So what are the difference between the both?

First, by the outside of both of it, they both look similar but yet different. (LOL. doesn’t make sense right?)

The skin foundation is in a glossy taller glass bottle where the long-wear foundation is in a matte shorter glass bottle. In terms of the pump, cover packaging, it’s the same. It’s just the size and the texture of the glass.

More information

According to their website. 

BOBBI BROWN SKIN FOUNDATION SPF 15

DetailsA truly modern foundation that offers invisible, weightless coverage that looks like skin, not makeup. This long-wearing formula evens tone, minimizes the appearance of pores, conceals imperfections, and offers broad spectrum UV protection. Its hydrating technology leaves skin feeling cushioned, comfortable, and clean. Ideal for all skin types.

BOBBI BROWN LONG-WEAR EVEN FINISH FOUNDATION SPF15

DetailsFinally – a natural-looking and long-wearing foundation. Comfortable and hydrating, this medium to full coverage oil-free formula never looks cakey or masky. Glycerin and shea butter keep skin feeling moisturized while a gel base creates a lightweight finish that stays color-true. Lasts for up to 12 hours even in the most humid conditions. Protects skin from future damage thanks to broad spectrum SPF 15 with antioxidant vitamins C and E.

As you can see from the description above, they are a slight difference with the both foundation. They are both oil-free foundation.

            The skin foundation gives a weightless coverage, so it means if you want a full coverage you would need to build it up with concealer and a few layers of foundation with blending and buffing skills. Whereas the long-wear foundation gives a medium to full coverage that doesn’t make your face look cakey or maskey.

            In terms of the consistency of both foundation, the skin foundation is much more watery compared to the long-wear foundation. The skin foundation isn’t up to a state where it’s runny and flowing down my palm, it’s just perfect the way it is and the best way for you to know is to pop into a store/counter and test it out.

The other thing is that the skin foundation evens your skin tone, as well as minimizes your pores where the long-wear foundation gives your skin feeling moisturized and stays for 12 hours even in the most humid conditions.

What do i think of it? 

BOBBI BROWN SKIN FOUNDATION 

  • This is a really smooth foundation that blends and oxidize into my skin really well. It doesn’t break me out, nor does it give me any skin problem with my sensitive skin and all that.
  • It gives me a very natural dewy look as if i barely have any foundation on. Means? NO CAKEY FOUNDATION – even with my pores, wrinkles, tiny bumps, bad pimple week, redness and all.
  • It’s liquid (water base) and much more watery compared to the long-wear foundation, but it’s not dripping wet kind of consistency. Best for dry skin, doesn’t make your face oilier if you have oily skin (i’m combination for those who don’t know)
  • It’s an oil-free foundation. So i really love it that it doesn’t make my oily t-zone worst.
  • Coverage is buildable, but i usually use a concealer for special spots that i would want to cover.
  • My skin looks healthy with radiance after that. I call it Skin Finish cause it’s like a layer of skin.
  • It’s pricey

The list could go on about what i like about it as it is currently my favorite foundation.

BOBBI BROWN LONG-WEAR EVEN FINISH FOUNDATION

  • This is one foundation that really stays and last up to 12 hours.
  • It’s also another oil-free foundation, but this gives a matte finishing rather than a dewy look.
  • This foundation gives a radiant look because the long-wear foundations formula is slightly different, it gives a porcelain radiance matte kind of look.
  • This is a much more suitable foundation if you have oily skin.
  • If you have dry or normal face, you need to make sure your face is properly moisturized. 
  • A little harder to buff and blend compared to the SKIN FOUNDATION. 

The best way to summarize it is that skin foundation is a winter foundation and the long-wear foundation is a summer foundation. 🙂 at least, for me.

*will update the color swatches with photos soon.

Beauty

Maintaining Healthy Looking Skin

gwenewg

We go through a basic skincare regime everyday with Cleanser – Tone – Moisturise (Day & Night). We learn and know how to repair or treat a problem when needed. Hyaluronic Acid when you have dry skin, tea tree oil when you have acne.

But how often do we treat our skin properly without irritating and damaging it further in the long run?

When I first found Celltrex Ultra sitting on my mother’s vanity table, I was curious and picked it up. Tested and tried it like any curious beauty-addict would do. Finally, i looked it up and i was curious. I then asked my mom what it was and she gave me the remaining bottle of what she had.

This was two years ago, and I’ve been hooked since.

It’s literally insurance for your skin.

Why do I say it’s Insurance For Your Skin?

It protects the skin from free radical damage, dust, pollution and all that jazz. It helps to keep skin looking supple, smooth and healthy.

I know they are a few other products out there that promotes on protecting your skin from dust and pollution while providing long term benefit, but with Celltrex Ultra, it also rebounds from daily oxidative stress.

It’s like insurance for your skin as in the long run, you are protected from damage, you’ll age gracefully and keeping your skin radiance and healthy.

It’s not just repairing temporary or what’s on the surface, but keeping your skin safe on the long-run deep within your skin.

Contains patented polyphenol hydroxytyrosol, the most powerful component of Mediterranean extra virgin olive oil, which scavenges skin aging free radicals. Just a few drops of Celltrex® Ultra keeps your skin looking supple, firm, and healthy.

Celltrex Ultra Recovery Fluid fits in the treatment step and should be applied after toning and before moisturizing in the evening to help the skin recover from the days stress/damages.

Well, Apparently… …

Dermatologists understand that cellular oxidation (sometimes referred to as cellular metabolism) is a source of skin aging. Research has shown that the nutrients, especially hydroxytyrosol, found in extra virgin olive oil can be effective in relieving oxidative stress on cells. To demonstrate the ability of Celltrex® Ultra to minimize oxidation, cut a russet potato* in half and spread Celltrex® Ultra Recovery Fluid onto one half of the potato. Do not apply any product to the other half of the potato. Place the two halves side by side and examine both halves of the potato after fifteen minutes. You will notice, the half of the potato with Celltrex® Ultra still looks fresh, while the untreated half is beginning to brown. The longer you wait, the more dramatic the difference between the two halves becomes. *A russet potato will provide the most visually compelling results.

Personal Experience:

I’ve used this for over two years and I never really noticed what a difference it made until I stopped using it a year ago. My skin started to dry up in patches with flaky skin, acne and larger pores, as well as eczema and rosecea due to the dry skin especially over the winter seasons and throughout the period of 8 months. After 6 months of trying to figure out why, I finally got my hands on another new bottle of Celltrex Ultra and all the problems went away. So it’s definitely a holy grail and a highly recommended product for those who wants to be protected and have nice supple skin in the long run.

Uncategorized

Powerlips

gwenewg

Finally, you CAN have it all! Give your lips the attention and care they deserve with Powerlips Fluid. This ultra-long-lasting lip colour contains a special blend of good-for-you, skin-nourishing ingredients to help soothe, smooth, and prevent dry-out over time. And infused with our Sueded Comfort Cushion, Powerlips Fluid’s high-performance, weightless formula cushions your lips, leaving them feeling soft for hours. Plus, with its easy, one-step application, it’s virtually foolproof and won’t feather or bleed.

Enjoy intense, long-wearing lip colour that won’t smudge or budge all day—through work and play.

Seriously powerful. Simply wow! Powerlips Fluid.

Four shades including Determined, Persistence, Confidence and Unbreakable will launch on 11 December, plus three limited-edition shades (Roar, Maven and Breadwinner) are available on Monday 11th December 2017! Purchase individually or enjoy all seven shades in The Powerlips Fluid Powerful Pack.

 

  • Vitamin E—nourishes, softens, and moisturises the skin while delivering anti-aging and antioxidant benefits.
  • Beeswax—calms, soothes, and conditions skin while helping protect against irritants.
  • Avocado Oil—hydrates and softens skin.
  • Kaolin—natural clay base that supports rich, long-lasting colour.
  • Silicones—help maintain moisture and soften skin.

$_57

  • Creates a Sueded Comfort Cushion, a flexible film layer on the skin, that cushions your lips and leaves them feeling soft for hours.
  • Comfortable on lips; does not sting or burn when applied.
  • Has a light and silky, non-sticky consistency.
  • Does not contain a harsh alcohol smell or taste.
  • Is non-separating and does not require shaking to evenly distribute product prior to application.
  • Won’t feather or bleed into lines around or above lips.
  • The weightless formula contains a blend of skin-nourishing ingredients, like avocado oil, beeswax, and vitamin E to hydrate, nourish, and prevent damage.
  • Is smudge-resistant, drink-resistant, and kiss-resistant.

16144195dcc-cache

Apply to clean, bare lips anytime you want a splash of long-lasting, powerful lip colour. Line lips with an applicator and then fill in colour. For best wear, use alone and avoid glosses and balms.

LIP TIPS

  • For longest wear, avoid oily foods and glosses.
  • For a sheer effect, try applying colours with a makeup brush.
  • Contour and shape lips by applying a darker base layer and letting it dry. Then, apply a lighter or more metallic colour on top for a round, plump-lip look.

 

Get your hands now on the new Powerlips fluid!

Uncategorized

Moving to Australia with work visa 457

gwenewg

Find a job these days isn’t easy. (Any job is easy but a job that suits you, and would be happy to stay and in a great company isn’t)

Finding a job in a different country doesn’t make it any easier.

Finding a company to sponsor your work visa and offer you a job isn’t anywhere close to easy.

When I decided to move to Australia, it took a lot of consideration and thinking. I’ve been through a lot in the past 12 months and that is why I have to decided to share my story. When I first graduated, I searched for jobs in Singapore for 9 months and many times I was rejected because I needed a working visa/permit or I wasn’t physically in the country for an interview. Hence, when I decided to move to Australia, I knew it wasn’t easy.

I started sending my resume in October 2016, decided to quit my job back in Malaysia in December 2016 and moved to Sydney in January 2017 and that’s when the serious hunt starts.

Looking for a job is full time – bear in mind. Updating your resume/CV and revising it a million times, cover letter, emails and applications. Everyday, I would be searching and applying for jobs for 6 hours per day and in would be sending and applying over 30 jobs. #lifeishard (Some applications even require you to sign up to their system and do an online test which takes more time)

I was lucky to be able to schedule interviews at least 3 a week and I take my interview sessions as a practice and always improve how I present myself the next time. but after 2 months of applying and interviews I finally got an offer. (with the help of a very awesome recruiter)

With the process of applying visa and waiting which took 4 months, I received my visa and I’ve been working for 2 months.

Time flies.. …

With this, many people have asked me how the process was and what are the steps needed for the visa.

First you’d need a job offer, without the job offer you can’t apply for a work visa.

Second, the company that offer you a job has to sponsor and pay for your visa. (but that doesn’t mean you don’t pay anything)

Third, the agent (usually appointed from the company) will then collect your documents and lodge your application

Forth, you wait till the nomination approval is given – this means the approval for the company to sponsor is given but does not mean your visa is granted. In some cases, agent will only lodge the visa application after the nomination application is given, but in my situation, both were lodged at the same time so when we received the nomination approval, we did not have to submit any visa application since it was done earlier.

Fifth, visa is granted and you may start work anytime.

Fees and Cost 

If you ask around the agents, different agents will tell you a different cost of the visa, it various between $8k to $20k (depending on what the agent fee is and all that document cost and jazz) but that is up to the company to agree to pay for it.

A company can’t randomly say they want to sponsor even if they are willing to fork up the money because they have to be in the list or to be “nominated” – this means, they are allowed to hire overseas and sponsor their visa. Hence during the Visa application there is two part of application

  1. Visa Employer Nomination
  2. Visa Employee Application

Visa Employer Nomination is applied from the HR of the company and Visa Employer Application is applied by you (employee). That means with every document and application there is a fee. Something that I didn’t know and nobody has inform me prior to this.

Visa Employee Application Fee various from agent and time (thanks to the government) but what I had to pay and fork up;

  • Application form $1,750
  • Agent Fee $1,650
  • IELTS test $330
  • Health Check $323

That comes up to a total of $4,053 (rough estimate of RM15,000) that has to be paid for the visa before the agent starts any work what more the application. This fee doesn’t include your flights here, accomodation, transport, food and allowance and anything else that you would need BEFORE you start working to earn any income here. So this is something that you would need to keep in mind and to some people it may be mentally stressful.

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

8 days after we lodged our application, Prime Minister announced that the Working Visa 457 would be abolished and everyone freaked out. The same morning, I emailed and contacted both my recruiter and the agent to ask if I would be affected and what would this mean.

New rules;

  • Instead of Work Visa 457, it is now called Short-Term Work Visa or Medium-Term Work Visa depending on skills
  • Instead of 4 years visa granted, new visa would only be 2 years grant
  • Previous 457 visa allows unlimited renewal each time visa expires, new visa (Short Term Work Visa) only allows one renewal with no approval guarantee ( I was told there would be a review )
  • Previous 457 visa can be applied with no working experience, new Short Term Work Visa would require a minimum of 3 years working experience.

Some people applied offshore and they are lucky enough to be able to stay in their home country while applying for jobs overseas, waiting for visa and all that jazz before coming over here hence they reduce waiting time and during the waiting time, you will not be allowed to work unless if you obtain a working holiday visa or any visa that permits you to work.

Many people told me they envy my non-working days but I can honestly say I did not enjoy it at all. I couldn’t do anything to have income, not even part-time of freelance (legally). That was my biggest obstacles but after torturous four months of waiting, I finally started work and I did not regret anything at all even if I had to be jobless of 9 months.

p/s. based on my personal experience.

Food

ACME

gwenewg

When I was in Sydney three weeks ago, H decided to bring me to ACME one day for dins.

The place is located in King’s Cross and we just took a train from Central Station and it’s 5 minutes walking distance to the restaurant.

The place looks like a rundown area from the outside, I was a little surprised from the outside because it was just dead quiet, streets were dark and it was just damn dodgy and eerie.

But that doesn’t mean the place is bad! We arrived earlier than our reservation and the waiter asked if it was okay for us to sit at the bar for some drinks while we wait for our tables to be ready and we figured why not. (P/s. I know Asian restaurants would most likely ask you to stand and wait outside but this definitely isn’t an Asian place.)

It didn’t take us long before we were seated, maybe about 5-10 mins? (I lost track of time because I was just talking to H)

The menu is as simple as how you see it. (not joking – drinks menu are a separate menu of course)

I was a little concern of the serving size being a little too big, then I would have to either stuff myself to avoid wasting or be so sick of it because I’m over-eating. But H mentioned that the portions were quite small that I could even finish a dish myself.

What did we order in the end?

Burrata, burn celeriac, miso

By the first looks of it, I expected it to be cheesy and creamy that maybe I wouldn’t be able to take more than three bites. but surprisingly it wasn’t.

Octopus, Canneli, Old Bay

This wasn’t our first choice that we’ve ordered. Initially we ordered the Char Siu Ox Tongue but then it was sold out so we switched to the Octopus.

By the looks of it I thought it was going to be spicy (well, anything red looks spicy right?) but it was grilled perfectly. It was marinated well and every bites brings a slight burnt after taste. Not a bad burnt but a good grilled burnt that brings out the taste.

Maltagliati, shiitake, burnt scallion

I personally love mushrooms and I always think that mushrooms, like bacon, you can’t go wrong. LOL. So this dish? hmmmm.. *slurp* loving the mushroom. I’d kill for more.

Coffee fettuccine, pumpkin, sage, hazelnut

I was slightly shocked with this because initially I was like ‘COFFEE PASTA?? wtf is that??”. I was expecting it to taste like coffee which is bitter and … i don’t know.. bitter? LOL. But to my surprised, it tasted quite nutty and sour. Well, then again, there’s hazelnut, hence the nutty taste. duhh…

Macaroni, pigs head, egg yolk

What a name!

The only thing I can say about this? “Wish i had more!!”

If I were to come back here, i’d order this again, because it’s really good!

Overall, I would say one thing, the portion is really small. That’s the only downside, and even for someone like me who eats small portions and can’t usually finish my food, I can finish this! That is how small it is!! But then again, a huge portion would be over-flavouring and too much. I’ve heard and seen that during the day (for lunch) their menu’s are different and I would want to go back to try them out again!

WHERE IS IT?

60 Bayswater Road, Rushcutters Bay, NSW, 2011

Opening Hours

Tue to Sat 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Sat 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Find out more about them here;

Facebook: Acmesydney

http://www.weareacme.com.au/

p/s. This post is not sponsored in anyway.