Wednesday 26 June 2013

Beeswax Candles to Purify Air

Considering the sky we are under lately, I am doing anything and everything to keep lil' muachi comfortable and safe from the haze. 

I've recently learnt of a little known fact about beeswax candles. They actually purify the air! Beeswax candles are known to draw pollutants out of the air. These candles are not easily found in Malaysia. I did see one in a gift shop but obviously it's not pure beeswax as it felt like plastic.

I am endorsing these candles from twotreehouse. Ok so it is made by a "trusted source" of mine:) But I am currently using them. I feel comforted knowing that it is clearing the air somewhat and it smells of natural honey. yumm



twotreehouse beehive candles are made of 100% pure Australian beeswax. They are non-toxic and hypo-allergenic. These candles are handmade in Melbourne.





Here is their official press release:



twotreehouse premium gift products are Australian handmade using carefully selected quality ingredients and are free from chemicals, parabens and animal testing. twotreehouse promotes ecological sustainability and responsible living.

twotreehouse is proud to introduce our 100% pure Australian beeswax candle into the Asian market. These cute candles come in an appropriately shaped beehive design, glows beautifully in the dark and burns for approximately 25 hours.


Beeswax candles purifies the air
Air contains billions of electrically charged particles called ions. Ions act upon our capacity to absorb and utilize oxygen, and therefore, have a powerful effect on our well-being, which can affect our mood, energy and health. Positive ions are loaded with pollution and allergens that are drawn to them and suspended in the air. 100% beeswax candles are known to release negative ions that remove the odours, pollens, smoke, dust, viruses and other allergens and hazards from positive ions, allowing them to drop harmlessly to the ground. These candles are considered beneficial to people with chemical sensitivities, asthma and allergies.

twotreehouse beeswax candles are paraffin free
Paraffin is a major ingredient in most conventional candles and releases dangerous carcinogenic chemicals when burned. These fumes can contribute to serious respiratory issues like asthma.  twotreehouse candles are made from 100% beeswax obtained from sustainable bee farms in Australia. Our candles are also made with pure cotton wicks, unlike poor quality scented candles with wicks that may release dangerous amounts of lead when burned.


twotreehouse 100% beeswax candles are natural and safe
Our candles are extremely suitable for nurseries as they are completely pure and are virtually smoke-free. These candles are as natural as it comes and releases a lovely light scent of honey as it burns, which is very soothing and calming. They burn very slowly with a warm glow and purify the air around it. Beeswax candles are ecologically and environmentally friendly, sustainable, and natural.



twotreehouse gift products uses natural ingredients and are sold at respectable gift shops around Melbourne.

twotreehouse beeswax candles are currently available for delivery within Malaysia. They are retailing at RM60 per candle.


For orders, please email your request to contactus.asia@twotreehouse.com

Check out twotreehouse in The Star Online!
http://beta.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Family/NewsAndEvents/2013/06/25/twotreehouses-beeswax-candles-now-available-in-Malaysia.aspx





Here are some of the materials I obtained from other websites:
  
Candles made of pure beeswax have well documented anti-allergic properties. Are you bothered by tree pollen, mold spores, or dust? These nefarious particles are positively charged and conduct static electricity. Allergy sufferers are encouraged to close the windows of their house and light a pure beeswax candle. The all-natural wax emits negatively charged vapors that will IONIZE the air. Burning beeswax candles liberates the air of positively charged allergens as it emits negatively charged vapors into the atmosphere. Try it…it works!
(source: http://healthmad.com/health/beeswax-candles-are-better-for-your-health/)

Negative ions are drawn to positive ions.  Positive ions hold on to airborne things like dust, mold and odors; the negative ions latch on to the “contaminated” positive ions and weigh them down this causes the contaminated positive ions to fall to the ground thereby cleaning and purifying the air. A perfect example of this phenomenon is rainstorms. A rainstorm is a negative ionic event, which is why we say the air smells so fresh after a rainstorm. 
(source: http://www.organicsoul.com/the-benefits-of-burning-beeswax-candles/)

So go ahead and light a beeswax candle now.


Tuesday 18 June 2013

TinyTravellerTales: Taking Flight with Berjaya Air

This is not the first airline lil' muachi has flown with. But it will be the first I will be reviewing. 

Berjaya Air flies from the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah airport (aka Subang airport; SZB). It is a smaller airport compared to KLIA and LCCT; but it has enough eateries and if you are looking to avoid crowds at the check-in counters, this is the airport to be.



But this post is not about Subang airport, it's about the airline. Specifically about our  journey back from Hua Hin ,Thailand.

Berjaya Air is currently the only commercial airline that flies into and out of Hua Hin airport (HHQ). Their inaugural flight was back in 18th November 2012. Prior to that, Hua Hin airport mainly catered to private jets. Yup. People who do not need to wait for their flights. So don't expect much of this airport.

Although, there is immense space for the little ones to run around. May be an idea to let the kids go crazy before a flight.


That said, obviously, the only two counters available at this airport are Berjaya's. Before Berjaya Air provided air flights into Hua Hin, the only way for us common people to get into Hua Hin was to fly into Bangkok and going through a 3 hours road trip.

Now not only do we get to fly like the rich, we also get FREE baggage check-in of 15kg per passenger. 


The check-in process was a bit slow for us that day. While GOTH was checking us in, me and lil' muachi sat briefly at the waiting area to watch a bit of tv before lil' muachi decided to run across the oh-so-big space to daddy. We also did a quick pit stop to freshen up at the simple small loo before we joined GOTH back at the counter. Apparently there was some technical difficulties. 

Be warned. Do not plan for any last minute duty free shopping here as there will be none. However, you will still be spending as there is a THB400 airport departure tax. 






Going through the departure gate was a breeze. There was a group of Berjaya IT employees who let us cut queue at immigration; either because we were paying passengers or that we had a kid. No matter. We didn't wait. So that was great. 


Right here, I would like to mention how much lil' muachi loves airplanes. All the crew got a kick watching her reaction seeing the Berjaya aircraft. Static pictures do not do it any justice.














Like any small airports, you will need to walk to the aircraft. Be prepared for loud noise. But other than that, it's not a long walk. I wasn't exactly out of breath reaching our seats with lil' muachi attached to me.

In our whole check-in process to boarding the plane, I would like to mention this one particular Berjaya Air employee (who I believe is the ground manager - He is the guy in the white shirt in the check-in counter pictures). He greeted us as soon as he saw us walking to check-in. He was at immigration ensuring all was in order and even held an umbrella from the departure gate to the plane for me and lil' muachi. And when he realized we wanted to snap a pic, he took the camera from GOTH and passed him the umbrella. Talk about hospitality. 

So this family pic is dedicated to that awesome guy who made us feel like we were actually flying off on a private jet.
(I just noticed how strategic the umbrella was. Thanks GOTH) 


So here we are in the plane. It's a bit tiny. But good enough for me and lil' muachi. 





For entertainment, they have screens on top which airs movies. But one can barely hear the audio and no earphones are provided. However, they do have newspapers and magazines. Berjaya Air appropriately carries a Hua Hin magazine called Approach that you can read about the happenings in Hua Hin. 





Berjaya Air provides snack boxes in-flight. Finally! An airline that includes meals without passengers having to fumble around for currencies. On top of that, they were actually really good. The jelly was gorgeous.




Lil' muachi had such a great time flying with Berjaya Air. 
This review is for you guys. Great job!




Note: Berjaya Air currently flies to Hua Hin on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. 
Booking site: https://bookingz1.sita.aero/asp/asp/berjayaair



Dear Readers, 
I have revamped and created a new blog. For readers interested to follow my postings, please visit http://zchicchick.blogspot.com/
Thank you for your support.

Thursday 13 June 2013

Click: A Father & Daughter moment

I'm sure everyone has had that moment when they see their child with their spouse and wished they had a camera... Well I did..




Happy Father's Day GOTH

Monday 10 June 2013

Handmade: Baby Wax Gift Ideas

Dear Readers, 
I have revamped and created a new blog. For readers interested to follow my postings, please visit http://zchicchick.blogspot.com/
Thank you for your support.

I just came up with this range last weekend. 

Don't they look oh-so-adorable??



If I knew how to make these during lil' muachi's full moon or 1 year old birthday party, I would have given it away as party favors.  

For more write-up on these candles and how to use them as wax tarts; do read my earlier post
http://muachiandme.blogspot.com/2013/06/handmade-lmm-angry-birds-wax-gift-ideas.html

In this post, I want to share another function of this creation of mine. 

If you have read the earlier post, you would know that the pieces can be lifted from the candle base. Now apart from using it as a wax melt, you can also use this as a "mothball"! It may not actually repel moths but it will definitely repel certain insects (due to its essential oil content). 

The best part about this is, it's heaps friendlier than a mothball. It does not contain any chemicals.

I've used it in the garden and it has definitely kept the ants at bay.

If you have kids and pets around, these little wax wonders are excellent. Non-toxic, smells great, looks great and repel insects.

However, please do still wash the little hands should they play with the wax pieces. 

Here's my little model checking them out.







Lite-Melt-Keepsake



Handmade: LMM Angry Birds Wax Gift Ideas

I have been busy experimenting and am now ready to feature this wax creation in my blog.

Riding on the popularity of these little birdies ...Introducing my Angry Birds wax collection.

My candles are made of palm wax which has that natural crystalized look. They are friendlier than paraffin and burns for much longer as they have a higher melting point.

They work as insect repellents as they each contain pure Citronella essential oil.

Great as Wedding Favors, Party favors, Full Moon Giftpacks, or just to light around the house 

With so much of mozzies problem these days, why spray toxic when you can light a candle?

Here's the special twist to these candles, it's a two-in-one product : You can easily remove the angry bird from the candle base and use it separately as a wax melt! 
(You can still lit the candle base in foil on its own, just make sure the wick is trimmed nearer to the candle)

Just pop the wax melt into a burner and enjoy! 
(For those not familiar with wax melt; instead of essential oil, you replace it with the wax melt) 

Check out the melting Angry Bird...









The beauty of a wax melt is that it is in a way mess free. For easy removal, the remaining will cool off and turn back into wax. You just need to scrape it off the burner.

For myself, I would add pure citronella, lemongrass and eucalyptus oil to my wax melt. They smell fantastic and repel mosquitoes. I can easily pop this pre-mix wax melt onto my burner without juggling several bottles of essential oil.  Pretty convenient while juggling lil' muachi.  

In case of any accidents, at least I know that on cool surfaces, the melt will harden back into wax  quite fast.

I know.. They are awesome.  


Lite-Melt-Keepsake
For Readers looking to purchase or interested to receive more product details : Do drop a note here or email me at megananns.wax@gmail.com

Colors and Essential oils can be removed/changed to preference


Monday 3 June 2013

Made in Malaysia Children's Book

Of all the products I have reviewed so far, I do not believe I have not done one that is "all Malaysian".

Just last month, lil' muachi received a children's book that is written and drawn by Malaysian talents. 

Presenting - The Adventures of Beebo & Friends!

The writer is the Editor of ParenThots (the parenting website where I contribute my articles).

It's such a great feeling to see that she has actually written a children's book! 

.


Her book follows the adventures of Beebo who is the main character and the story takes place in a fictional place called DeliLand. 

There are two stories in the book. Both stories carries teachings of good values. The first story even carries a riddle for kids to solve!

The content is for slightly older kids but the younger kids can still enjoy the pictures and colors featured in the book. 

The one thing that I find pretty great about this book is that the characters are drawn to look like Malaysians. So for once, lil' muachi can look at characters that looks like the people we see in our daily lives. 


Lil' muachi is still too young to follow the story but gets a blast looking at the cartoons. I wonder if one day lil' muachi will get a chance to flip through pages of a book that her mummy has written! Dummy guide for the new age Asian Mothers? hmm...



The Adventures of Beebo & Friends! is selling in MPH and Kinokuniya at RM24.90

Beebo has his own facebook at facebook.com/beebobooks. Check it out!


Dear Readers, 
I have revamped and created a new blog. For readers interested to follow my postings, please visit http://zchicchick.blogspot.com/
Thank you for your support.