Arriving in South Africa

On previous post: Turns out the No S sign means No Stopping in South Africa.

One of my Facebook followers posted a link on all the South African sign posts. Haha. Genius.


Slightly less than a month ago, I was given a once in a lifetime chance to travel all the way to South Africa to experience 8 days of adventures! for free! on Singapore Airlines!

In fact, I was going along with 20 other winners from Nestle Drumstick campaign contest "Holiday for the Brave" where you eat their Drumstick ice cream, join the contest, and wait for someone to call you that you've won the greatest adventure of your life!

Till now it still feels like a dream while I'm typing this.

But going through all the photos and writing up the next few posts is going be another journey for me again down the memory lane. It felt like yesterday when I landed myself in the rainforest of KLIA airport at 8pm in the evening.




We did a transit over at Singapore Changi Airport that lasted for 4 hours before boarding a 12-13 hour flight to Cape Town, South Africa.

It's been a while since I last took Singapore Airline. So I wasted no chance in ordering the infamous Singapore Sling cocktail even when breakfast was being served.




though the glass could have looked a bit more sophisticated than a... plastic cup.


It wasn't easy to sleep on the plane, by the time 10 hours was gone, I looked like the undead rising to walk the earth again.


If you think this is bad, think about how my dark-circles look like before the photoshop.


After what felt like ages of twists and turnings on my window seat, the view of South Africa slowly seeped in below us.




Then, I wasn't all excited and crazy about it when I landed in Cape Town's airport.

Probably because it didn't hit me yet that I was in South Africa. Not sure the cause of that but feeling wasn't there.

It didn't hit me when I was posing with FIFA World Cup 2010 Mascot Zakumi (that's his name) at the airport.




It didn't hit me when Niki Cheong (the other reporter and blogger who was invited to travel with us too) crashed in to grab poor Zakumi's left nipple in an attempt for a duo cam-whore with me.




It didn't hit me when we had a group photo of "The Spirit of Adventure" banner with Nestle Drumstick's winners.




It didn't hit me when I got on the van and on the road and saw people getting into the world cup fever on fields.




It didn't even hit me when I was passing by squatters and shacks that could have stereotyped how South Africans lived.




Which by the way, is a very bad way of stereotyping South Africa. No they do not live like that, not all of them anyway. :p

(See more of South Africa in the next few posts)


And nay it didn't hit me either when I saw kids in the squatters playing under an electrical tower, aka pylon.




and again, not all South African kids play like that.

In fact, I was so blunt to the point that the fact that I was in Africa continent at all did not sink in until 24 hours later!

I knew then that I was in BLOODY South Africa when I was submerged in freezing cold water and came face to face with a great white shark!




The things I need to go through to knock some senses into me.




Readers! Welcome to South Africa!!

No Shit Sign?

What does this sign say?

I spotted this South Africa and has been curious of its meaning. Does anyone know?





There's an S on it. A slash across it means NO. So.... No Shitting?






What? *acts innocent*


South Africa posts next!

My Beauty Secret - Collagen

*update* this is not an advertorial

A few people have asked and emailed me after reading my previous post on me drinking collagen.

Questions like:

"Does this work?"

"Let me know if this works, I'm tempted to buy."

"Which brand is better? I saw brand xx and xx selling in xxx places".


So I decided to share my so called... beauty secret. *cough*
To answer all questions at once.

I'm drinking this brand called Fabula - CollagenMax.




I've been drinking it since November 2009. But like most people in the beginning, I don't drink it very often like it suggested (once every 3 days) because these beauty drinks are really expensive! RM158 per box which can last me for a month.

But then as vanity striked (birthday approaching then *more coughing*), I started drinking more frequently mid-January onwards. About the time I came back from Europe.

It's very soon when I finished my second box.




I know these sort of things don't just show overnight or in a short period of time. So I kept at it, for a while more. Thinking to myself see how this goes.

By the third month of drinking, people started commenting on my skin.

According to them (and I shit you not), my skin (face) started to glow.

Not in a crazy alien sort of way of course. But in a healthy glow. I was really looking.... good.

No more puffy eyes, dark circles were mostly gone, I don't always look like I'm dragged out of bed all the time (believe me, sleeping the way I do at odd hours, I do look like I'm half-dead most of the time) and not sure if this is the effect of the collagen or just pure stress...

But I was losing weight. Gradually.

I credit the effect to half stress and half collagen. (Stress that were coming from certain people who don't think I can afford a trip to South Africa, which btw, it was sponsored. *stick tongue out*)

So I got hold of more of the products.




By that, I meant I ordered one year supply of it.

:D







If this goes well, I will be drinking this every month throughout the year religiously for the rest of my life. Yes it might stretch a bit on my wallet but hey, it's worth it! See it as an investment on my skin. And I have never found a better investment than these!






And by the way, I actually have another secret too.

Hehe..

Will share it next time.