About The Blogger

My name is Tammy Lim and I am an award winning blogger from Top 10 Malaysia Magazine and Cleo Malaysia Magazine. I have been blogging since 2008 and I am also the founder of a local Malaysian beauty & lifestyle community called The Butterfly Project. People often tell me that I'm a wonder woman, but in reality - if it's something you love, you can do wonders.

When I'm not wondering, I'll be on my computer searching for the next fountain of youth or hunting down a fantastic deal. I'm also a shopaholic, wanderluster, spa enthusiast and proud hipster who loves planning special occasions and surprises for her loved ones.
  • Top 10 Female Bloggers in Malaysia Award
  • Cleo's Next Top Blogger Malaysia Award
  • Founder of The Butterfly Project Malaysia



  • My Rice Story Giveaway

    2.24.2014


    Hola! Today I will be throwing a giveaway in conjunction with a yummy dish I prepared few weeks ago. Though I am no Jamie Oliver (but I am a big fan and have a collection of his recipe books already) I still try create yummy dishes at home for my family to eat. My recent dish was a success so I thought a giveaway is in order to celebrate haha! I've picked out several items to match with a really cute recipe planner. I call this the recipe planner kit, it's filled with the basic things to get you started with making your own recipes at home. One lucky reader will win this cute set from me. Just register for my giveaway below using rafflecopter and tell me what rice I used in a mystery cooking post teehee!


    Norton Antivirus Giveaway Result


    Sorry for the delay! It was tough trying to select winners for this giveaway as everyone gave in very good tips. Based on tips given followed by explanation, Norton & I decided to award the following 5 winners with "The Norton 360 Multi-Device". This product has five patented layers of protection provide comprehensive security, improved performance and ease of usability that we feel the 5 winners would benefit from. Congratulations to Rachel Ho, Maggie Woo, Tracy Chan, Izzati and Inked Wings!

    Please e-mail me tammylci@gmail.com by this Friday your name, contact, mailing address and e-mail address so Norton can send the products to you :)

    The main tips for staying safe online is definitely getting a trustworty Anti-virus/Firewall software. Beside that, there're some precaution needed to be aware of. Example, if u are keying in ur bank account number or details always use the keybroad in computer and not the virtual keybroad. Make sure your website is locked before you do bank transfer or payment. Never give full address in those social webpage/stranger. Do not simply accepted friend in foursquare(example) because there's where they can check your location. Create a few password instead using the same password for every single account. - Rachel Ho

    I done alot of online transaction using my hp (samsung note 10.1) via m2u, paypal or visa. But sometime I do worry since I dint install any antivirus software on my hp. That y I really want to win the Norton 360 multi device!! Lol My tips for staying safe online is always deal with well-known and reputable sites, use credit card that need secure code. I basically have one card with d lowest credit specific for online purchase only, just incase got any fraud case. - Maggie Woo

    My tip for staying safe online is never to open on any links that may be malicious even though it is from email addresses that you know. If you need to open, verify with the sender if it was sent by them in the first place. In addition, never reveal too much of yourself online. If you cannot resist shopping online, open payment account PayPal account or use a payment gateway such as Ipay88.com to make your payment. Should you need to use your credit card make sure you sign up the Verified by Visa or Mastercard SecureCode in which an access code is sent to your mobile phone and you need to key in before your transaction is successful. You will get a confirmation via SMS that the payment has gone through. If there were fraudulent usage, you can immediately verify with the bank instead of waiting to find out weeks later when you get your credit card statement :) - Tracy Chan

    My tips for for staying safe online is, always looking for secured sites. Like you said mamasan. Looking for HTTPS websites for transactions. Using Paypal also can protect us from credit card fraud and such. I'm taking this issue seriously because I don't want to end up hutang "RM10k" at the end of the day. Thanks to my computer science background. Very cerewet lah. ;) - Izzati

    Never click into links from unknown numbers unless you are assured that it is someone you know, same goes simply clicking into any online links to avoid phishing. Don't get tricked by the advertisement when it's appeared to ask you to claim a reward that you have never enter into that contest. Don't simply key-in personal information especially credit card information on unsecured websites only asking you to join in as member. - Inked Wings


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    My Vista Eye Health Check Experience

    2.21.2014

    Starting the New Year with an eye health check 

    Happy New Year readers! Another year is upon us and I don’t know how to begin talking about everything that happened in 2013. First I started a bloggers community in Malaysia called the Butterfly Project. I have been keeping myself busy with this community of what is now a wonderful melting pot of bloggers from all walks of life in Malaysia. Combining my passion for blogging, organizing events and making people happy I wanted this to be something I can hold on to and be proud. 

    I am still blogging though and will continue to blog about the experiences I picked up so I could share them on my blog. Information should be shared, that is what I believe in. Staying humble so I keep my feet to the ground. I am a person who can’t drama much. Call it old age? Haha. 

    help doctor! I can’t see!

    Sigh speaking about old age; it’s high time I get my eyes check. The last time I did this was 4 years ago! Which isn’t too long because on average we should check out eyes once every 5 years. I think my eye power has also increased (sigh thanks to late night blogging and reading books in the dark). I wonder if I should do Lasik so I can make do with glasses. It makes me envious to know my fiancĂ© has perfect vision while mine goes blur when the glasses comes off.

    Also I hope to check if my eyes are healthy, not as in I can see but as in I am not in danger or risk of getting eye infections or eye related diseases such as glaucoma or cataract. My friend’s dad has glaucoma and even after getting surgery done, he still went blind in the end. Some say it can be inherited but early detection and treatment can help reduce the risk of permanent irreversible visual loss. Prevention is better than cure right? Which is why I booked a cab, and went to Vista Eye Specialist in Subang Jaya to have my eye health checked.

     this is cataract
    image source: http://www.varga.org


    cataract extraction! scary arghh
    image source: http://www.varga.org

     glaucoma
    image source: http://www.varga.org


     Conjunctivitis
    image source: http://www.varga.org

    Corneal laceration
    image source: http://www.varga.org

    Foreign objects / growth
    image source: http://www.varga.org

    Now this is VISTA Eye Specialist latest location at USJ 25, Subang Jaya. There is a new mall there called One City. The Summit is nearby. VISTA is located at the Garden Shoppe, a row of shop houses just next to the One City Mall. Step right out the entrance and your eyes will spot the big VISTA logo and the colors of blue and green.

    located outside of One City Mall, Subang Jaya

    step right in now come on!

    opening days and times

    the waiting lounge is beside the reception table

    registering my profile at the front desk

    the facilities & waiting area

    The place is like a modern mini hospital but
    catered for all things EYE see (I see get it?)

    meet Dr.Shamala Ganesan

    For my eye health check, I booked an appointment with Dr. Shamala who is in charge of the Bangsar and Subang VISTA centers. It was my first time here so I felt a bit nervous! Everything looks so professional compared to my last eye health check at an optical shop. The nurse explained to me that I would be going for the VISTA’s Comprehensive Specialist Eye Check, which includes 6 eye health checks to be performed by their certified eye specialist. It would take roughly 3 hours to complete them all.

    The first check would be the Vision Check, which is a simple eye test to check my eye power. It also tells me if I am suitable for laser vision correction or LASIK. Pretty fast and I am used to having my vision checked at optical shops.

    vision check

    At the same time I was given the Corneal Check to see if my corneas are healthy. Since I rarely wear contact lens, I don’t get dry eyes like my friends who wear them. Dry eyes can cause itchiness and lead to rubbing of the eyes, which might damage our cornea. Another scary corneal risk is the corneal infections that come with wear contact lens due to improper use or care. I have enough horror stories to make me wear disposable contact lenses to prevent corneal infections.

    Next up was the Glaucoma Check, also known as the eye pressure check. The eye specialist took out a big eye gadget pretty much like the eye gear Cyclops in X-Men asked me to see into it, one eye at a time. She laughingly told me to get ready for the puff of air that would be released by the eye pressure check machine into my eyes to check my eye pressure. I should try to keep my eyes open when it happens otherwise the reading will be off. It was really funny when it happened! I was shocked and almost jump out of my chair. It happened again the second time for my other eye. What an experience.


    Equally funny and shocking was the Cataract Check where this time it’s not a puff of air that would shoot into my eyes but a flash of light instead! My eyes are pretty sensitive to light so I had trouble trying to maintain eye contact with the machine. The light actually helps the machine to snap pictures of my cataract lenses up close and beyond.  The eye specialist would check the picture to see if there is any signs of cataract on it e.g frosty, cloudy.

    Cataract is ranked the leading cause of blindness in the world. A Cataract occurs when the lens become frosty or cloudy, usually caused by aging. If left untreated, the person will eventually become blind. Early detection with modern Cataract surgery and multifocal lens will restore back your vision.

    my eyes was dilated for the this check!
    (you can see my right eyes is bigger now haha)

    Almost done, I have Retina Check and Optic Nerve Check the last two remaining checks before I go home. Gosh, I was so scared of the retina check session because I was told I needed to “dilate” my eyes for 30mins before they can check my retina. The dilation helps to scan the retina to check the blood vessels and retina area for any signs of Retina diseases as Diabetic Retinopathy, Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), and Retina hole. All which can be treated if diagnosed early. 

    These types of eye diseases usually come with age. Diabetes can cause small blood vessel leaks or bleeding in the eye, as well as swelling of the macula, which can lead to vision loss. It is estimated that one-third of the population who have Diabetes are not aware of it.

    So how to dilate my pupils – the window of the eye? First I was given a numbing eye drop (I WAS FREAKIN OUT?! WHY NEED NUMBING EYE DROP?) Which apparently will make my dilation process comfortably. I didn’t feel any sensation when the drops were administered to my eyes. After a while, I was then given “dilation” eye drops, which would dilate my pupils in daylight. Eye specialist told me after my pupils are dilated; I should stay around for at least 2 hours before going back. I couldn’t see clearly with my pupils dilated! It was fuzzy, no wonder she said I needed to wait a couple of hours. One should not drive back in this condition! Not good. Only a minority has this problem. Most people will not be able to read or see up close well but distance is still fairly good.

    Dr.Shamala checking my optic nerves

    With my pupils now dilated, it was time for the Optic Nerve Check. It’s just like the Vision check but using light to see the “optic nerves” in my eyes up close. The Optic Nerve is part of the eye that carries stimuli from the rods and cones to the brain. Problems such as inflammation (Optic Neuritis), tumors and swelling can lead to symptoms such as blurred vision, loss of color vision, floaters, headache, eye pain or discomfort, nausea and vision loss. 

    Alas I finally completed all 6-eye health checks and it was time to talk to the doctor! Like are my eyes all right? Am I doom? Am I getting glaucoma?! Should I wear contact lens or glasses, which is better? So many questions so little time! Arghhh….

    Dr.Shamala teaches us about the importance of eye health

    the stages of Glaucoma

    Talking to Dr. Shamala, I learnt that it is important to have an eye health check as early as 5 years old because eye problems such as lazy eye can be reversed if spotted early. Lazy eyes become irreversible after 10 years old. It’s when your eyes seems to be “out of position”, how’s that for my explanation? Haha. People would call that cockeye or a squint as it can be triggered by lazy eye. 

    Lazy eye is when we have a perfectly normal eye with a refractive error but not corrected fully with glasses. The child sees things blurry and thinks that is normal. The brain records the image with low definition. If this goes beyond 10 years old, the visual pathway in the brain will be permanent. The high definition vision can never be attained.

    Should anyone in the family have glaucoma, which in most cases are hereditary; one should go for eye check annually. 

    Glaucoma is ranked as one of the leading causes of vision impairment in the world. It happens when the pressure in the eyes becomes too high and damages the optic nerves leading to vision loss. Most people have no initial symptoms of chronic Glaucoma, but you can develop peripheral vision loss, headaches, blurred vision, difficulty adapting to the darkness and halos around lights. The best way to prevent is through early diagnosis and treatment.

    the white mass is scarring from an eye infection

    Other important eye related issues are infections caused by wearing contact lenses or merely by foreign body or dust entering the eyes. Wearing contact lenses not suitable for your eyes (not based on your eye ball curvature) will cause issues as well. Dr. Shamala advised that contact lens wearers should go for an eye health check regularly to make sure their eyes are healthy during the period of contact lens use.

    For children, it is important to educate them not to rub their eyes vigorously! The risk of damaging one’s cornea and inflammation is high when we rub our eyes without care. 

    what happens when you have cataract? 

    I got really scared when Dr. Shamala shared about eye infections, particularly contact lens wearers who neglect or who are not very good in keeping their contact lens or storing them at an inappropriate place (bathrooms are full of germs!). Infections and ulcers can occur and it will be very painful. This can lead to scarring of the cornea and vision impairment. Not a good sight. Google images of eye infection and you will get a shock of your life! 

    Now that’s an eye opener and Dr. Shamala bid me goodbye. Told me to take good care of my eyes and come back again for my next eye health check. Luckily my friends are around and they sent me back because I still can’t see with my eyes dilated! It returned to normal after 2 hours hehe.

    More about VISTA Eye Specialist:

    VISTA is one of the leading providers of vision correction and eye care since its establishment in 1999. We offer screening, consultative services and treatment related to the eyes. There are 7 VISTA Eye Specialists in the Klang Valley and these are the services you can find:

    Shortsightedness: Lasik & Contact Lens
    Cataract Procedures
    Reading Vision: KAMRA
    General Eye Care & Vision Evaluation
    Glaucoma Management
    Diabetic Eye Disease Management
    Age Related Macular Degeneration Management
    Laser Procedures (YAG, Argon)
    Paediatric Eye Care

    In line with our tagline – ‘from blur to clear’, VISTA is committed to improving patients’ quality of life through quality vision care, thereby employing approved technology and clinical practices to provide safer vision correction procedures and achieve consistent results.

    My Lush Giveaway

    Rainbow Donkeys! I just spent like... $$$ shopping online at Lush Singapore. Call it retail therapy because I have been down since last Christmas. Personal matters, my dad's health took a turn and I went back and forth Port Klang (my hometown) to take care of certain matters. Then right at the same time my fiance went ill, with high fevers and chills at night. I suspected it was dengue and the blood check (dengue blood check, not the normal blood check) came back positive. It was a tiring December visiting the hospitals almost everyday. Yeah so I missed Christmas and decided to splurge on myself a bit and start reviewing Lush products (my near year resolution). 

    To kickstart this happy hope to revamp my blog this year, I am going to giveaway Lush products / gifts this month via Instagram!

    Enter the contest using your Instagram account.
    1. Follow @tammy_miu (if you’re not already)
    2. Repost this photo and “tag” @tammy_miu
    3. Use hashtag #plusizekitten and tell me which Lush gift you love most
    That’s it! One lucky winner will be randomly selected at the end of the month to win a Lush Christmas gift set value around RM65.

    Ho Ho Ho
    This gift is designed as a twist on the traditional Christmas, so we decided to customise a vintage Christmas card with a touch of graffiti. This is one of the many gifts that embraces the spirit of Christmas anarchy this year. Ho Ho Ho is a reworking of a gift from last year whose name, Secret Santa, has now been given to a new bath bomb. We kept this gift as we didn’t want to lose the smiling face of Santa from our shelves. This year, we have removed the plastic glitter from Father Christmas bath bomb, but don’t worry, with his red and green layers, he still creates the ultimate festive bath. Snow Globe soap is packed with energising lemon myrtle oil to leave you refreshed and uplifted.

    Contains:
    - Father Christmas Bath Bomb
    - Snowglobe Soap 120g

    Snowman Invasion

    When we saw a collection of the Snowman bath bombs all lined up in a row, we thought they looked like they were invading the labs! This was the inspiration for this gift, and we added Cinders with its crackles and sparks to create the atmosphere of a snowman invasion. This is great for bath bomb fans, with Snowman’s skin softening cocoa butter, and cinnamon leaf oil to warm you on a cold night.

    Contains:
    - Snowman Ballistic
    - Cinders Ballistic

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    My Rice Journey: Steam Pandan Rice & Curry Chicken

    2.12.2014

    easy curry chicken & steam pandan rice recipe

    Pandan leaves, red onions, freshly cracked salt and pepper ... Is there anything more pure or divine than this simple, delicious rice? :) The combinations of colors, flavors and aromas filled my kitchen yesterday as I attempted to make curry chicken again and this time with a twist to my must have white rice. A curry that is creamy and spicy with white rice is to die for.

    pandan leaves garden behind my backyard

    I am so excited to share this recipe with you today from My Gastronomic Affair called Steamed Pandan Rice which I found from googling. It seemed pretty easy to follow and do without any measurements. The only thing needed is pandan leaves, red onions - the more the better and white long grain rice. I use Jasmine rice which is a long grain fragrant white rice, soft and slightly clingy.

    all that you need to prepare curry chicken rice in less than an hour

    I picked Curry Chicken to go along with the Steamed Pandan Rice because I wanted something simple, easy to follow and does not require me cooking so many dishes for a meal. In Japan, curry rice is a meal by it's own but they use the short grain rice instead of long grain rice. This is just right up my alley and I only needed the main ingredients of curry mix, coconut milk and chicken. Add in potatoes to bring it to the top.

    Lizar's Chili Curry Services @ TTDI Market

    pre-packed or fresh on the stop, curries & sambals

    tell them the weight of chicken & they'll prepare accordingly

    Of course the secret to an easy curry chicken recipe is to just go to the market and get your fresh curry paste prepared by your local curry service stall. I go to Lizar's chili curry services at TTDI market, they prepare the curry mix with you "siap" with grind onions, garlic and curry leaves to go for only RM5. They're open everyday except for Monday. You probably spot Lizar's chili pre-mixed packets at supermarkets. I also bought fresh coconut milk from the store right opposite to Lizar's and a whole chicken chopped (just tell uncle you want to cook curry chicken). Now how easy is that?

    ingredients for steamed pandan rice

    washing rice can be therapeutic too

    can't wait to see how it looks like after!

    Start by washing your rice until the water is clear, chopped up the small red onions and wash the pandan leaves. Tie the pandan leaves, throw in the chopped red onions and season with salt and pepper. Let the rice cook. To know how to prepare rice click here

    look at the colors of the curry and coconut milk

    after 15 minutes, it looks like curry now!

    Next is the curry chicken. I have taken the liberty to show in 8 steps how I cook my curry chicken. It's fairly easy, I kid you not! I'll attached the recipe and a simple instruction below my post here if you're interested. You may notice I fry the oil with a bit of cinnamon stick, cardamon and cloves? It's just what I saw from youtube. It makes your curry more fragrant when you fry it that way. To summarize, I only needed to fry my onions and garlic, throw in the curry mix follow by the chopped chicken, potatoes and curry leaves. Lastly I pour the coconut milk and hot water. Less than 15 minutes I have a boiling curry chicken. I simmer and let it cooked for an hour because I want my potatoes and chicken to be soft.


    my steamed pandan rice is ready!

    on to my plate with yummy curry chicken

    Serve the fragrant rice and topped with curry chicken. It is such a fun and delicious meal to prepare. It only takes less than an hour to get all this ready for a rainy day cozying up in front of the television. My fiance and his mother was commenting how delicious it smells during cooking and they love how I prepare the rice for this dish. Goes so well with curry chicken.

    Here's my 8 steps easy curry chicken and recipes below.


    step by step guide to easy curry chicken

    Steam Pandan Rice Recipe:
    Jasmine rice
    Pandan leaves (wash, tie)
    Small red onions (the more the better)
    Salt and peper

    Step 1: Wash your rice (prepare like usual)
    Step 2: Wash pandan leaves and tie together
    Step 3: Chopped small red onions
    Step 4: Put it all into the rice cooker and season with salt and pepper.

    Curry Chicken Recipe:
    Lizar's Fresh Curry Chicken Paste (pure red chili, turmeric, lemongrass, kayu manis)
    2 Grind garlic
    20 Grind small onions
    Curry leaves (for flavor n garnishing)
    200ml coconut milk + 800ml water
    1kg whole chicken chopped into pieces
    1/2 cup cooking oil

    Optional:
    Potatoes
    Cinnamon, cardamon and cloves (to make fragrant oil)

    Step 1: Fry cooking oil with fragrant ingredients (optional)
    Step 2: Fry the grind onions until brown and add grind garlic.
    Step 3: Empty Liza's Fresh Curry Paste into a cooking pot.
    Step 4: Add in 1kg chicken* and potatoes/brinjal/long bean/curry leaves, and stir.
    Step 5: Add coconut milk and 800 ml hot water. Heat the mixture until boiling. Serve when potatoes are soft.
    *Chicken can be replaced with beef, fish or cuttlefish.

    This makes 4 - 6 servings.

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    NIVEA Invisible Black & White Deodorant

    2.10.2014

    the first anti-stain deodorant in the world

    Do you know that NIVEA Deo Invisible Black & White (for both men and women) is the number 1 anti-stain deodorant in Malaysia? I don't know any other deodorant products that prevent stains on clothing besides this. Stains such as white marks on dark clothing and yellow marks on white and light clothing. Trust me, yellow stains on white clothes is so hard to remove! Particularly around the collar and armpit due to sweating. My fiance recently gave me the task to remove the stains on his working shirts and despite using bleach, washing repeatedly and soaking it in detergent before washing, the stains still persists like a stubborn nail.

    prevention is better than "kena" stain

    I also resorted to homemade remedies to remove the stains to which it did not work, perhaps the stain is too strong to be removed? The old wives home remedy of using white vinegar to soak before washing. You might have come across using bicarbonate soda as one of the home remedies for cleaning, I have since swear this off any cleaning list because we developed allergies to this powder which causes us extreme itchiness and rash.

    Anyway I found out from Dr. Stefan Biel from NIVEA's research team that :
    Deodorant causes two types of stains on clothing. The white marks that appear on dark textiles immediately after application are easy to explain. “These are mostly residues of the antiperspirant salts used in the deodorant, which may be a temporary annoyance, but generally wash out without too much difficulty,” explains Dr. Biel. NIVEA already succeeded to solve this problem thanks to a special technology in 2005. The aluminum salts (in the formula) are dissolved in an aqueous emulsion and coated with oils that act like camouflage, making the salts invisible.
    The cause of the second type of stain – yellowish stains in the underarm area on light fabrics – occupied NIVEA’s researchers for a long time. But now there’s a solution. “The stains appear after a delay – not immediately after deodorant is applied but often after several washes,” says Dr. Biel. “They won’t come out with laundry detergent any more and they get more noticeable over time as the fibers (of the textile) harden. This can make the garment unwearable.” NIVEA’s product developers joined forces with the textile experts at the Hohenstein Institute to identify the cause of the problem. “These stubborn stains gradually build up in the washing machine. Antiperspirant actives and the sebum & sweat absorbed in the textile interact with water and the detergent especially when washing at low temperatures. This chemical reaction produces yellow-colored deposits that remain stuck in the fibers. With every washing the fabric becomes more and more yellowish and inflexible."

    That is why I'm switching my man's deodorant to NIVEA Deo Invisible Black & White to keep his clothes stain free so I don't have to deal with the mess at home! The exclusive new deodorant concept combines mild NIVEA care with invisible 48-hour antiperspirant deodorant protection and a pleasant fragrance. This Black & White deodorant range is free of alcohol & colorant.

    anyone going to the NIVEA Black & White Collection preview?

    On top of that, I am excited to share that I will be attending the preview of the NIVEA Black & White collection in collaboration with ZALORA on 13th February, 3pm at Jaya 33. It's an exclusive Black & White collection created by NIVEA and Zalora. I wonder what it is about? The invitation has a man and woman sketch, so it must be something to do with a fashion show? I'm just guessing. Can't wait to see the NIVEA anti-stain experts show me how to avoid embarrassing visible deodorant stains on clothes. 

    yes it's a fashion show with Zalora!

    selfies with the beauty props that came with the invite!

    black stays black & white stays white

    This deodorant is available at leading pharmacies and retailers near you. I will update the price list soon!

    The range for men:
    NIVEA FOR MEN Deodorant Invisible for Black & White POWER Spray 150ml
    NIVEA FOR MEN Deodorant Invisible for Black & White POWER Roll-on 50ml

    The range for women:
    NIVEA Deodorant Invisible for Black & White CLEAR Spray 150ml
    NIVEA Deodorant Invisible for Black & White CLEAR Roll-on 50ml

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