I am down with a flu 🙁 

Posts will resume in a couple of days. Sorry ladies, gotta nurse meself back to shape.

See y’all soon!

Datuk Michelle Yeoh recently confessed that she does not know how to do a breast self examination. Not surprising. How many of us out there do not know how to do one too?   

*hand raised very sheepishly*

I’m guilty of not checking my boobs often. I should be doing it at least once a month, and not simply do it anytime to my fancy.

I do know how and where to press and check, but like other women out there, I don’t know if the lumps I’m feeling are natural or unnatural. It’s not unusual to feel slight lumps on the breasts, as they’re made on fatty tissue. But the harder stuff, that’s when I’d start panicking.

Anyways, here’s a how-to to doing a breast self examination, courtesy of WebMD.

Monthly breast self-exams are an option for all women beginning by age 20. Women who regularly examine their breasts become more aware of how their breasts normally feel. They are more likely to notice changes – including masses or lumps – that could be early signs of cancer. It’s best to check about a week after your period, when breasts are not swollen or tender. If you no longer have a period, examine yourself on the same day every month. If you see or feel a change in your breasts, see your doctor immediately. But remember, most of the time breast changes are not cancer.

1. Using a mirror, inspect your breasts with your arms at your sides, with your hands on your hips, and with your arms raised while flexing your chest muscles.

2. Look for any changes in contour, swelling, dimpling of skin, or appearance of the nipple. It is normal if your right and left breasts do not match exactly.

3. Using the pads of your fingers, press firmly on your breast, checking the entire breast and armpit area. Move around your breast in a circular, up-and-down, or wedge pattern. Remember to use the same method every month. Check both breasts.

4. There are three patterns you can use to examine your breast: the circular, the up-and-down, and the wedge patterns. Use the pattern that is easiest for you, and use the same pattern every month.

5. Gently squeeze the nipple of each breast and report any discharge to your doctor immediately.

6. Examine both breasts lying down. To examine the right breast, place a pillow under your right shoulder and place your right hand behind your head. Using the pads of your fingers, press firmly, checking the entire breast and armpit area. Use the same pattern you used while standing. Repeat for your left breast.

Hope it helps. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m a-gonna give my boobs a bit of a fondle 😉

I was reading a post on My Women Stuff about a reader who had a bad encounter with MAC sales assistants, and I have to say, I felt very sorry for her who has had such an unfortunate experience. Nobody deserves to be treated that way. I may buy foundation from MAC, but unless I’m running out of foundation, I wouldn’t step foot in that store even if they’ve sales, or a new product in. I really do not need to be harried by pushy and arrogant sales assistants.  

I’ve never been to the MAC counters in anywhere but its branch in Gurney Plaza, Penang, but so far, I have not read any good encounters with the people there. So if any of you out there who’s had a pleasant experience with MAC’s sales assistants, do write in. We’d love to hear from you.

My gripe with the sales assistants in Gurney Plaza’s MAC is that if I do step into the shop a sorry sight (i.e. not as “groomed” as they are, but really, I hope they realise just how over made up they are), browsed the items without buying anything, I’d either be given a dirty look, or thoroughly ignored. Now, I LOVE to be left alone when browsing at a shop (nothing worse than someone tailing your every step. Many a time, I very much would like to tell them to buzz off), but the sales assistants should be on their toes when a potential customer walks into the shop, be attentive to you even though you tell them you’re just browsing. Being ignored altogether, even when you’re trying to get their attention, is a big NO NO.

MAC’s not the only store I have grievances with. The other store which I have an even bigger gripe with, is Sasa.

I was really excited when I heard that there was going to be a Sasa store in Queensbay Mall. I’ve heard so much about the store, been to the website, etc, and was really looking forward to frequenting the place. But, man, it was such a disappointment.

Now, so far, the only place for me to get my supplies of Cellnique’s Pro Sebum Gel is Sasa, which is SUCH a pity, because I really do not like the sales assistants in that store. To be fair, I do not like most of the sales assistants in the Queensbay Mall branch (haven’t been other branches in the country), but there were a couple who were quite pleasant. But the rest of them … pfft.

First of all, I do not like their assumption that every Chinese customer can speak and understand Chinese. Just because Sasa’s more of a “Chinese” store compared to the rest (which, in my opinion, is such a ridiculous concept. Very discriminatory indeed), it does NOT mean all of us speak the same language from the start.

When the sales assistants realised I did not speak Chinese (I answer them in English), they’d continue to speak in Chinese to me, and did not bother switching to English. Then they’d do the biggest NO NO for me; they’d follow me around EVERYWHERE, and begin introducing every single brand to me, promoting them in Chinese, even though I clearly wasn’t interested. If I did not want the items they promote, they’d give me this pitiful look, like they were above me just because they could speak Chinese and I couldn’t. It was only when I forked out my money, then did they speak in English. And when they do, they were unbelievably rude. *scoff*

Oh, and when the store’s not having a busy day, the girls were more interested in USING the makeup testers and primping themselves, than serving customers. It really is no wonder why I do NOT use the makeup testers, because more often than not, it’s the sales assistants who use ’em, and not the customers. They were using the makeup brushes directly on their skin, mascara on their lashes, well, you get the drift. Euuwwwww.

This was not my first bad encounter with the sales assistants at Sasa. Every time I go to the store, I get the same treatment. I really wouldn’t even go there if not for the gel. Readers from Penang, if you know of anywhere else which one can buy Cellnique’s Pro Sebum Gel, I’d really appreciate your comments. Thanks 🙂

So there ya go. Man, it felt good to let that off my chest. But really, poor service from sales assistants can really spoil your shopping experience. I spend a good deal of money on skincare products and makeup. I do not enjoy handing my hard-earned money over to people who do not understand the meaning of common courtesy, nor do I appreciate being humiliated by them.

Everyone’s a consumer, even sales assistants. How would they like it if they were given the same treatment?

Thoughts Aside: The Bally Total Fitness is considered among the largest commercial operators of nationwide fitness programs in New York. They recommend use of bath salts for an oily skin following hours of heavy exercise bike. Plus they recommend using high quality skin moisturizers of Johnson & Johnson, the company producing Acuvue contacts.