Down In The Dumps Is An Understatement

Actually, I was hoping for the best, that I would get my blog Juniper's Journal back intact but hope is fading because I just spoke to the website designer who basically admitted that he made a mistake and half my published blog posts along with 65 draft blog posts and half the published comments has gone missing.

Fantastic, Just made my lousy year. I am surprisingly calm. Maybe it is because I became resigned to my fate. I don't even know how things got this way other than I made a very bad choice when I chose someone to redesign my blog.

I have been getting calls and emails from people asking about the links to their posts and I really have no good excuse. It's embarassing and so darn humiliating to have this kind of situation where I have to work hard to restore missing images and a lot of things are beyond my control because I have no idea how to bring back my missing posts and the worst thing is, neither do the so-called professionals whom I paid good money to. This is by far one of the worst things to have happened to me EVER.

Mayura Apothecary Offers Holistic & Natural Products

It was only because I was meeting someone at M+ Pharmacy in Bangsar Village that I found out that the pharmacy has quite a number of interesting skincare and bodycare brands, most of which contain natural ingredients and are made in Malaysia. One of them is Mayura Apothecary. The founders of this brand are siblings, Henri and Yoking Lai. They even grow some of the herbs that go into their products.

Mayura Apothecary started when Henri Lai encountered a lack of safe and natural skincare in the market. Practising as a herbalist, he met a lot of sufferers of skin problems in his day-to-day job in the pharmacy and found it repugnant that the medical world did not offer anything more than steroid creams to patients with skin conditions.

One of Mayura's bestsellers and most interesting products if the Butterfly Pea Shampoo because it darkens hair. Great for those who don't like colouring their hair. We all need to cover our greys sooner or later!

1-Day Acuvue Define Vivid Style

It's much more convenient and hygienic to use 1-day lenses but the price is a lot more expensive than monthly lens which means I can't use 1-day lenses as often as I like. Beauty lenses like 1-day Acuvue Define Vivid Style can be used for special occasions when you want your eyes to look good even without eye makeup.

I can see that my iris looks bigger and more brown when I wear the 1-Day Acuvue Define Vivid Style. It's so comfortable to wear all day, wish I had a few more boxes of these but each box only contains 10 lenses. If price wasn't a factor, I would gladly switch to daily lens. Can also save on contact lens solution.

Product reviewed is a press sample.

SK-II Launches Facial Treatment Essence Limited Edition Inspired By Suminagashi

SK-II's iconic Facial Treatment Essence now comes in a beautifullt crafted design inspired by traditional Japanese marbling Suminagashi or "floating ink" in Japanese. The art of Suminagashi was chosen for its powerful philosophy which states that there is no wrong drop; each dot and swirl come together to create a unique art piece.

Designed in red, blue and green, this art transforms SK-II's Facial Treatment Essence into the season's must-have gift for your loved ones. I watched a demo of Suminagashi - one drop of ink is dripped followed by a 2nd shade and then a 3rd.

Then use tools to create patterns.

Place a piece of paper over the pattern.

Wait for the paper to dry in 20 minutes before cutting into strips, they make lovely bookmarks.

Each pattern is obviously unique and you will never get the exact same pattern even if you use the same shade of inks. This is the 1st time I have heard or seen this art, you learn something new every day.

Chinese Herbs For Cough

Tired of coughing incessantly, I decided to try a different cure. I went into a shop selling traditional Chinese medicine and explained that I had a dry cough. The proprietress said she'd get a bag of herbs for me to brew. She set about opening drawers and picking herbs which she put into a Burger Awam bag. Whatever happened to the paper used to wrap herbs or was that in bygone days?

I don't know more than half of the herbs in this bag. There are a lot of leaves and what I think are white lily bulbs. The proprietress gave me instructions on how to brew the herbs which were good for 2 doses.

Firstly, soak the herbs for half an hour. Then brew the herbs with 5 rice bowls of water for an hour. That would leave me with at least 2 bowls of medicine. Actually, it tasted more like a kind of tea than a bitter brew.

The next day, I could brew again adding 3 bowls of water and this time, I didn't need to brew for an hour. Okay, it didn't cure my cough but at RM16 for this bag, I think the price was a bit steep.

MAC Studio Nail Lacquer Holladeck

MAC Studio Nail Lacquer Holladeck is from their recent Star Trek Collection. This is a frosted gold shade which will really make anyone's nails pop and stand out. Actually, this is the ideal and perfect shade for the Christmas season. It is a most outstanding colour.

One layer and it is quite sheer so you need another layer before it becomes opaque. Because it is so sparkling, one doesn't even require a top coat. However, I won't say it is so long-lasting for me since I do so much typing and other chores. Starts to chip within 48 hours. For me, the only way to maintain a manicure is to apply gel polish otherwise I have to keep re-applying normal polish every 2 days.

MAC Studio Nail Lacquer Holladeck retails at RM60/10ml.

Product reviewed is a press sample.

People Who Screw Up And Think Nothing Of It

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt although in this cruel world we live in now, we should be much more cautious and not be so gullible but guess what, I am sure that every now and then, even the most cynical ones get screwed over. Five months ago, I engaged a website design company to give Juniper's Journal a makeover. They wanted full payment whereas some other companies only requested a certain percentage, 50% for starters at most.

Never mind that, I thought because the company representative seemed quite professional and confident that they could meet my requirements which were rather simple actually, just wanted the same features as my previous theme. How difficult can that be and furthermore, the company had a team of 20 people so they should be efficient, right? Yeah, that is what I thought too.

Weeks passed and I had to call and follow up with emails before a terribly incomplete draft of the new theme was sent to me. It just wouldn't do and it was as if they just simply sent a draft without taking into account ANY of my requirements. I was beginning to have serious doubts about this company.

Then weeks turned into months and there were periods of absolute silence from them. No updates via emails, I didn't even know if they were still working on my project. I had a sinking feeling. I sent multiple emails asking about the progress and had to call the company to get some sort of answer, that they were still working on it. By August, I was beginning to get a sinking feeling in my heart. After all, if someone has been working on what they were supposed to have completed months ago, you would have some doubt too about their capabilities.

I asked if it was possible to have a change of colout in the blog logo and although they sent me a version of it in early August, nothing was heard from them until September and only then because I called and emailed for an update. I received a rather cold response from the consultant (the person I met with before I paid and had made known to him clearly what my requirements were) that what they were doing for me was outside the scope of their work! That was so unexpected. I even gave up on the colour change and told them to stick with my old logo.

As I wanted everything to progress expeditiously (come on, it was already October!), I asked if the blog could go live on 10th October but before that, I'd called them to confirm that the blog would show the latest posts and all the archives from the beginning of the blog once it went live and they confirmed it would, So the blog went live on 10th October and more than half my blog posts especially the more current ones are missing and worst of all, nothing is functioning as readers can only read the headings and see no images!

There are a lot more things I want to say in detail but I will leave it for now as we enter a new week and I have no great expectations that Juniper's Journal will go back to normal any time soon. Such is the incompetency of so-called professionals nowadays, So disappointing and disillusioning.

3rd Annual MURFEST (Malaysian Urban Retreat Festival) Returns

The 3rd annual MURFEST (Malaysian Urban Retrest Festival) returns with an amazing line-up of world class presenters, a market place of health and wellness with the JustBe Markets @ Murfest, a glow-in-the-dark dance fitness party and more, all happening at a brand new KLCC location.

Offerings include:

1. FREE workshops including yoga, dance and more, by international presenters at the Community Pavilion.
2. FREE marketplace with food and drink, complimentary services such as pulse reading, body electrical reading, electro muscle stimulation workouts and more.
3. Just Be Markets for unique products and services, including delicious healthy food and drinks, carnival games as well as entertainment and spa relaxation treatments.
4. 25+ workshops daily over 3 days by world class presenters. Classes include :


a) Awaken Your Radiant Self

b) Agesless Living

c) Explore Your Body Type

d) Breath of Bliss

e) The Feminine Super Woman

f) Dynamic Rejuvenation and Relaxation

Flexible festival ticket options are available and include:

• 1-day Escape pass (RM160)
• 2-day Explore pass (Saturday & Sunday RM275) and the
• Full 3-day Experience pass (RM359)

Yoga Certification classes (priced separately) will also be available by senior instructors from the USA and Australia.

For more information, visit www.murfest.com or www.facebook.com/murfest 

The GREAT Britain Festival Launched At Avenue K Kuala Lumpur

There are some exciting events this October and among them is a series of events organised by the British High Commission Kuala Lumpur in collaboration with the UK Department for International Trade, British Council, Avenue K and Homme Productions among others.

The exciting line-up kicks off with a flypast over the Petronas Twin Towers by the British Royal Air Force acrobatic team, The Red Arrows, and ends with two international conference events, namely BETT Asia Leadership Summit & Expo and Wilton Park Education Dialogue in Kuala Lumpur.

The GREAT Britain Festival will see a host of activities in Avenue K Mall, including the #MYUKEdu British Alumni Pop-up Night Club featuring British celebrity DJ Goldierocks, a UK Education Fair and a David Bowie tribute performance by Paul Roberts as the legendary British musician.

Nespresso Reveals Iconic CITIZ Machine With A Modern, City Inspired Makeover

Iconic portioned coffee producer, Nespresso, has looked to the skylines of the world's most loved cities to inspire the refreshed design of its equally iconic CitiZ machine range. Since its launch in 2009, the CitiZ machine has been appreciated by premium coffee and design fans across the globe thanks to its simple interface, stunning design and consistently excellent coffee extraction. Now, advocates of the machine model will be thrilled to see the refreshed design with sleek, premium finishes that were inspired by iconic city landmarks.

"Coffee culture in Malaysia has grown tremendously over the past few years and it's now at a point where it's more than just a caffeine fix, or a kick-start to our mornings. We're in Kuala Lumpur, a city where coffee is appreciated and savoured for its aroma, taste and richness. I'm proud to say that Kuala Lumpur is one of only five cities in the world to be featured in our launch of the new CitiZ machine," said Geoffrey Dalziel, Business Development Manager of Nespresso Malaysia. Optimised for urban living, the refreshed CitiZ machine design will be the perfect accompaniment for any modern kitchen with its slim proportions and classic styling. Among the new design features is a new island base for the Aeroccino milk frother on the CitiZ&Milk model which means that less kitchen worktop space is used, perfect for those with confined spaces or in city dwellings. Premium finishes and an updated capsule container design add to the machine updates, ensuring that CitiZ will continue to be one of Nespresso's most iconic machines and a 'must have' for any coffee lover. The updated CitiZ design applies to both the classic CitiZ and CitiZ&Milk which includes an integrated Aeroccino milk frother. Both are available in a range of stunning colours to suit any kitchen setting:

Silver

Black

With subtle references to city buildings and hints of retro minimalism, the original CitiZ range has a strong personality making it a classic in the Nespresso machine family. The updated design includes the user-friendly features that coffee aficionados have come to expect:

Two cup sizes: Espresso and Lungo - programmable with automatic flow stop

Fast heat-up time (25 seconds)

Automatic switch-off after 9 minutes The newly designed Nespresso CitiZ and CitiZ&Milk machines will be available from 26 September 2016 at selected premier retailers like Robinsons, Harvey Norman, Parkson and Best Denki, and online at www.nespresso.com priced at RM999 for CitiZ and RM1299 for CitiZ&Milk.

Consumers can enjoy free coffee tastings at these venues which will be manned by coffee experts specially trained in the Nespresso systems and Grands Crus Coffee. Malaysian consumers will be able to buy their coffee machines at these point of sale totems, after which they can then order their coffee capsules via the e-commerce platforms, including online and on the mobile app, as well as the customer relationship centre. Customers who buy Nespresso Grands Crus automatically become a member of the Nespresso Club and benefit from Nespresso's range of personalised services.

ORDER: Coffee Specialists are available every day to advise you on your coffee selection and to ensure easy ordering and convenient delivery, tailored to your needs. Call them at 1800-80-7001 (Toll-free) or Click online at www.nespresso.com

Two cup sizes: Espresso and Lungo - pro capsule con