Ask Tiny! - Christmas Gifts for Family

This weekend, I went to Oxford town centre to buy Christmas gifts for my family, as it's only 24 days until Christmas! If you're stuck on what to gift your family this Christmas, hopefully this post will give you a few ideas. I did most of my shopping in Debenhams, as they had a lot of discounts on this weekend.

Gift for Mum

My Mum's been looking for a replacement face cream for a long time now, so I decided to get her the Hydra Zen Nuit from Lancome Paris. This is a night cream, and there is a day cream version too, however I personally thought that the day cream was too heavy and thick. I really like the Hydra Zen Nuit as it's so hydrating and moisturising, and I'm actually thinking about buying one for myself soon. At £36, it really isn't a very high price for this product, as it smells nice and leaves your skin baby soft!

Gift for Dad

My Dad's recently been drawing a lot, and some of his artwork is pretty amazing. Usually he likes to draw traditional Chinese artwork, and all artwork needs to start somewhere so I bought him a pack of pencils. I also bought a Copic brush pen, which is made in Japan, and one of the best brands for drawing & makes great gifts for artistic friends or family. My Dad is also very afraid of the cold, so I found a winter-y hat with fleeced lining to keep his head and ears warm. The stationary was about £10, with the Copic pen being £6, and his hat was £16 from Debenhams.

Gift for my Sister

I treated my sister to a Nando's meal as part of her Christmas present, but I like to spend an equal amount of all family members, hence why I also bought her a hat. She's been wanting one to cycle in in the morning, especially with the chilly weather outside.

Happy Christmas shopping guys!

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Tiny x

Outfit of the Day - Floral in the Winter

I love wearing floral in winter as it brings so much colour to an otherwise grey-ish day.

I bought this floral top a while ago from ASOS for my summer work wardrobe but I really like wearing it in winter too. Although it is petite, it's actually still a bit big for me, so I have to tie the straps up, which is why I've worn a white knit jumper over it and paired it with leggings. Because it's so cold outside, I've also worn grey woolly leg warmers inside my boots to keep my legs warm!

Outfit

Floral Top - ASOS Petite @ £11
Knit Jumper - eBay @ £8
Leggings - eBay @ £12 for 2
Leg Warmers - eBay @ £4
Brown Boots - HK Market @ £12

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Tiny x

Outfit of the Day - 24/11/14

It's been a while since I uploaded an OotD, so I decided to take some photos of my outfit today. It's really cold in the UK at the moment, so sweaters and big fluffy coats are items I live in, especially since our heating broke down in my office!

Today, I decided to go for a more casual look. I really love this white jumper I bought in Hong Kong, and it pretty much goes with everything as well. I also love the design on the back on the jumper, which is semi-lace. Of course, I'm currently wearing these trainer wedges everywhere as they are SO comfy and you get that extra height as well. For outerwear, I chose my extra thick ASOS coat, and paired it with a brown satchel and blue wool scarf.

Outfit:

Black Vest - Dorothy Perkins @ £9 for 2
White Lace Back Jumper - HK Market @ £8
Grey Skinny Jeans - Dorothy Perkins @ £9
Trainer Wedges - HK Market @ £20
Blue Scarf - TK Maxx @ £16

Coat - ASOS @ £22
Satchel - Gift Designed by a Friend

Hope you like this outfit :) What's your favourite winter clothing item?

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Tiny x

Baby Groot

I've been wanting to watch Guardians of the Galaxy since I saw the trailer when it was just released. As some of you may know, I love my cute animals so how could I possibly not want to watch a hilarious animated raccoon right? Of course, it's also part of the Marvel franchise and with the way Marvel films have been going at the moment, it's very hard for this film to be a letdown. What I did not expect, however, was to be shown this cute scene at the end of the movie:

Isn't it so darn cute? I think Groot has to be my new favourite Marvel series character! I guess this will have to be added to my Christmas Wish List too!

Baby Groot Figurine

=] What do you think of Baby Groot? Would you want one in your room?

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Tiny x

Ask Tiny! - Healthy Snacks for Work

Trying to stay healthy whilst working in an office can be hard, but there are so many different healthier choices to choose from. So, next time, instead of grabbing that bar of chocolate, try some of the below options instead which have less calories and good for your body.

Dried Fruit

This is the perfect alternative to sweet foods, as they taste great but you get your 5-a-day in as well. Dried cranberries are my personal favourite, but dried mango and apricots are also pretty yummy. They are also good for summer, as they don't melt like sweets and chocolate.

Fresh Fruit

Not a fan of dried fruit? Why not opt for fresh fruit instead. A much healthier option as well, although a little harder to bring to work in case you drop it or knock it against something, which can make some fruits a bit bruised or squished. However, pop it into a lunch box, and you get a perfect snack for any time of the day. Most fruits also have a great scent, so you can freshen up your office as well.

Fresh Vegetables

Not so much of a sweet-tooth? Why not try raw vegetables instead. These are great snacks to have, and you can have them either sliced up, as salad or even whole if you really wanted to. My favourites are peppers, cucumber sticks and cherry tomatoes. For salads, I like to use rocket, lettuce, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers with a bit of olive oil and paprika.

Rice Crackers

Japanese rice crackers makes great snacks as they are filling but have pretty much no calories. They also taste great, in my opinion. Of course, opting for normal rice cakes is also good, although I find normal ones a little bit bland for my liking. Just be aware that these makes a loud crunch when your eating them!

Breadsticks

These are great for morning as breakfast food, as they are easy to store in the office and pretty addictive as well. I usually like to eat about 5-10 in the morning to give me some energy for the rest of the day.

Nuts

Again, like dried fruits and breadsticks, these are great for storing in the office. Nuts are especially good snacks to have for women, as they contain a high level of iron. I'm not a huge fan of nuts, but I will have peanuts once in while. Although, if they had roasted chestnuts for sale near me, I would be there everyday!

What are some of your favourite snacks to take to school or work? Let me know by commenting :)

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Tiny x

Ask Tiny! - My Top 10 Asian Dramas

I remember the majority of my high school evenings was hiding under my duvet watching asian dramas. They are so addictive and some of the plots are so interesting, it's very hard to watch one episode without finishing the whole series in one day. Below are some of my favourite ones that I've watched over the years, and only includes dramas as reality and game shows can be covered in another blog post. These dramas that I have listed are some that I can watch and re-watch again, and I've fallen in love with them over the years.

10. Knock Knock Loving You/Quietly Falling in Love with You - Taiwan

Top Left-Right: Maggie Wu, Dylan Kuo, Ming Dao

This is a less well known drama, but still pretty interesting if you can get through the first few episodes. It is based around the main lead's (Dylan Kuo) family going bankrupt and him trying to rebuild it by teaming up with his rival (Maggie Wu), who appears ruthless but is actually very vulnerable. As he realises he is falling in love with her, another business man (Ming Dao) also fights for her hand in marriage. All-in-all, it's a very cute love story.

9. Fated to Love You - Taiwan

Chen Qiao En, Ethan Ruan

I originally heard very high reviews about this but never got around to watching it until a family friend bought me the DVD. I have to say, I regret not watching this earlier. It's romantic, funny and heartbreaking at the same time. Chen Qiao En accidentally sleeps with Ethan Ruan and becomes pregnant, and this drama follows the two strangers learning about each other as well as slowly falling in love with one another.

8. Hana Yori Dango/Boys Before Flowers - Japan

F4, with Matsumoto Jun & Inoue Mao in the centre

You can't have a top asian drama list without Hana Yori Dango. This is a classic, and has been redone several times, but the Japanese one is still my favourite. The story follows Inoue Mao, the poorest student in an elite school, who was forced to pick a fight with Matsumoto Jun in order to defend her friend. This causes her to be bullied by the whole school at first, but Matsumoto Jun slowly falls in love with her tough character. But they have to overcome the many obstacles Matsumoto Jun's mother throws at them first!

7. Goong/Princess Hours - Korea

Joo Ji Hoon, Song Ji Hyo, Yoon Eun Hye, Kim Jung Hoon

Another classic based around a fictional timeline where Korea still has an imperial family. Due to a pact between two grandfathers, Yoon Eun Hye and Joo Ji Hoon find themselves engaged to each other. Yoon Eun Hye, who is originally from a poorer family, struggles to adjust to palace life. With the return of Joo Ji Hoon's half brother, who was originally supposed to be Yoon Eun Hye's fiance, fighting for Yoon Eun Hye's hand, will this royal marriage go to plan?

6. Witch Yoo Hee/Witch Amusement - Korea

Jun Hye Bin, Kim Jung Hoon, Han Ga In, Jae Hee, Dennis Oh

This is a very funny drama which revolves around the transformation of Han Ga In. She is the CEO of an advertising company, and is at first ruthless. However, after hiring Jae Hee as her housekeeper, we slowly see her change into a softer, more vulnerable, character. With her makeup, Jae Hee also finds love rivals in Han Ga In's first love and her old friend Dennis Oh.

5. Dream High - Korea

Kim Soo Hyun, Ham Eun Jung, Bae Suzy, Taecyeon, IU, Wooyoung

This is probably one of the best high school/music based drama, and there are some moments which literally make you laugh out loud. You follow Suzy, who joins Kirin Art School to pay off her father's debts, and the other high school students trying to achieve their dreams of becoming K-Pop stars.

4. Cinderella's Sister - Korea

Chun Jung Myung, Moon Geun Young, Taecyeon, Seo Woo

A modern retelling of Cinderella, where Moon Geun Young's mother married Seo Woo's father, which makes them step sisters. Although Moon Geun Young grows to love her new stepsister, her dark past prevents her from bonding with her properly. After Seo Woo's father passes away, she finds out her stepmother's previous affection was all for show, and vows revenge on her stepsister and stepmother.

3. You're Beautiful - Korea

A.N.Jell

Park Shin Hye joins boy band A.N.Jell in the place of her twin brother who is recovering from surgery in America. Will she be able to conceal her true identity from the boys and rivals? I love this drama, it's so funny, and has some of the most memorable scenes in drama history. I also love the OST, which is a mixture of acoustic and rock. Definitely worth watching & rewatching again!

2. Schemes of a Beauty - China

Sammul Chan, Ruby Lin

This has to be one of the best historical Chinese dramas I've ever seen. It follows Ruby Lin, who enters the imperial palace and slowly climbs her way to become Empress. However, her childhood friend who mistakenly blames Ruby Lin for several unfortunate events becomes her arch rival, also trying to win the affection of the Emperor. On top of this, she has 2 mother in laws to go through too! It's a beautiful drama, and I would highly recommend you to watch this if you enjoy period dramas.

1. Autumn's Concerto - Taiwan

Vanness Wu, Ady An

No matter how many dramas I watch, this one stands out above the rest. It is the most beautiful love story I have seen in asian dramas, and I was laughing one minute and crying the next. I would suggest a huge tissue box for this, trust me you will need it. Ady An and Vanness Wu were university sweethearts, but unfortunately due to a nasty accident where Vanness Wu was stabbed and had to go through brain surgery, he forgets about Ady An. Ady was also forced to leave by Vanness' mother, but she didn't realise she was pregnant until after she leaves. After 6 years, Vanness and Ady's paths cross, and although he doesn't recognise her, he can't ignore the mother and son who appear to be so familiar. But with a fiance of his own, and a mother who's deadly against the two getting together, will they have the happy ending they deserve? Guess you'll have to watch it to find out :)

Do you like asian dramas? Which one would you put as your number 1?

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Tiny x

Ask Tiny! - Dealing With Bad Days

Yesterday was a pretty bad day for me, in fact probably the worst day this year. Give me bad weather, stress at work and a deteriorating immune system, and you get a sad Tiny. You can't really stop a bad day affecting you, but there's definitely things that you can do to make your day slightly better.

1. Talk About It (or blog about it!)

Keeping things bottled in is never good for you. Look around you, there's so many people who will be there for you if you reach out. Family, friends and partners are the best people to talk to and support you when you are going through a pretty bad day.

2. Try to Think About Positives

Despite what you may think, little things that happened in the day may cloud your judgement on the whole day. If you think back to the positives (and this can be hard), you may actually realise that the day wasn't as bad as you originally thought. Glass half full right? :)

3. Watch Funny Videos (preferably ones with cute animals in)

Laughter is the best remedy, and watching a cute red panda being scared out of its wits literally made my day. I would suggest a good 30 minutes of YouTube compilations to get that smile back on your face.

4. Exercise

Not the first that would come to mind, but definitely something that helps you relax. A bit of yoga or jogging gives you a chance to either stretch out those limbs or get some fresh air. Both are great for calming you down and getting all that bottled up stress out. Plus you get your fitness done for the day and minimises the chance of stress spots appearing on your face.

5. Have a Bath or Long Warm Shower

Baths and showers seem to have to amazing affect where they make a lot of what makes a bad day disappear. Bubble baths are my favourite, because who can deny the joy of playing with bubbles?

6. Listen to Music

Music has the power to change your emotions or embody your emotions, and it's a great way of turning a bad day around. Get those headphones out and have a good time just chilling or reading a book. Personally I love using Spotify and listening to my Rainy Day Playlist.

What do you do when you're going through a bad day? Let me know in the comments below!

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Tiny

Ouija (2014) - Movie Review (Spoilers)

My boyfriend and I recently watched Ouija after seeing it being advertised so heavily pretty much everywhere in London. I only saw the promotional posters before watching this movie, and didn't watch the trailer or read anything about it online. My initial impression was that this movie would be based around Ouija boards and spiritual entities, and hopefully scary!

Ouija Poster

The opening of the movie was definitely promising, with the lead character, Laine (Olivia Cooke, The Quiet Ones) and friend Debbie (Shelley Hennig, The Secret Circle) playing with a Ouija board as children. We then fast forward to present day where Debbie is playing with the Ouija board by herself but strange things occur and she tried to burn the board and planchette. She calls Laine over to her house, but even though obviously distressed, she turns Laine away. As soon as she steps into the house, she hears noises and the cooker turns on by itself. Debbie then goes to her room, where she finds the board and planchette. As she picks up the planchette and looks through the eyehole, her eyes turn white and as if possessed, drags the fairy lights in her room and hangs herself with it.

When Laine and friends hear about this event, they decide to use Laine's Ouija board to try and reach out to her. As Laine is the housekeeper whilst Debbie's parents are away, they decide to do this in the house. A spirit, who they think is Debbie, spells out 'Hi Friend' before the lights go out. Unnerved, the group decides to leave, but the 'Hi Friend' message follows them and they decide to go back to Debbie's house to reach out to Debbie again. This time, they find out the spirit they were communicating with was never Debbie, but instead someone with initials DZ. Laine looks through the planchette to see a little girl with her mouth stitched shut, who quickly warns them to run as 'Mother' is coming.

After one person in the group is killed, Laine decides to find out who DZ is. They venture into the attic, where Debbie originally found the Ouija board. Inside, Laine identifies DZ as Doris, a little girl who went missing. After visiting Doris' sister (Lin Shaye, Insidious) in a mental institute, Laine discovers that Doris' mother delved into communication with spirits, and used Doris as a channel. She eventually sewed Doris' mouth shut to end the spirits channeling themselves through Doris. Doris' sister convinced Laine that in order to stop the mother's spirit from murdering more of the group, Laine must cut the threads keeping Doris' mouth shut and hope that Doris can defeat her mother.

Laine and friends return to the house again, and after a brief battle with 'Mother', Laine finds Doris' corpse and succeeds in cutting the threads. Unfortunately, Pete, Debbie's boyfriend is later killed. Laine confronts Doris' sister, only to find that 'Mother' was trying to protect them, and that Doris and her sister were the evil ones. After consulting Laine's grandmother, they come to the conclusion that they must burn Doris' corpse. Eventually, they achieve this with the help of Debbie's spirit, although only Laine and her sister survived. The film ends with the sisters going home, only to find the planchette in Laine's room.

Overall, the movie was ok. The beginning was the highlight of the whole movie, but disappoints increasingly fast after the death of Debbie as it revolves its plotline in an already saturated spiritual haunting market. Apart from the odd jump scares, nothing really creeps you out in this movie. Even the parts where characters are having their mouths sewn shut by spirits is, well, meh. It's definitely a one time see, and not for horror seekers.

Rating: 3/10

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Tiny

Ocean Park - I Finally Meet the Red Panda!

One of the major reasons I wanted to come to Hong Kong was actually due to Ocean Park. I really enjoy seeing wildlife, and was particularly excited to see the Red Panda. I love red pandas, and when I heard red pandas were in Ocean Park, it was a done deal there and then.

Doraemon Themed Ocean Park

Again, like the Peak, everything was Halloween themed, with a Doraemon collaboration. Cute pumpkins and Doraemon & Pals were everywhere!

Ocean Park Tickets

We headed to the huge aquarium first, where there was an abundance of fish to look at. Then we went to the Panda park which was not as amazing as the Macao one, but still ok. Pandas here were much more active than the one in Macao, who just sat and ate bamboo leaves.

Under the Sea...Well..Almost

Then I spotted the red panda section, where we spent the majority of our time. They were so darn cute!! I think I would have stayed their for the whole day just to watch them, but unfortunately they were tired and went to bed early :(

Red Panda!

Having Too Much Fun in Red Panda Park

The dolphin show is probably the most well known part of the park, especially since there used to be a killer whale performance before as well. Unfortunately, the killer whale passed away a few years ago, but they still have sea lions and dolphins. I dislike watching these kinds of shows where animals perform for us, but they got a decent amount of food for their hard work, which was nice to see.

Dolphin Show

In regards to travel, there are many ways of getting to different parts of the park. As the park is split into two, one part at the bottom of the mountain and one part at the top, you can take the train through the mountain or enjoy the views from the cable cars. I thoroughly enjoyed the cable cars as you have such an amazing view around you, just be careful of the downwards journey as it can get a little bit scary!

View from Our Cable Car

As mentioned before, the whole park was Doraemon themed, including the food. We stopped off at a little restaurant just next to the red panda park where I had some amazing Doraemon themed curry. The portion sizes were very generous, and the curry itself was unique and so delicious.

Beef Curry with Rice and Doraemon Toast

Towards the end of the evening, there was a light show near the main aquarium which was beautiful. The voiceovers were a bit cheesy, but the messaging definitely aims to inform us to love the wildlife around us and try to sustain the natural balance by recycling and reducing waste.

Lights Outside the Main Aquarium

Of course, I couldn't leave Ocean Park with nothing right? I decided to get a red panda plushie, but had the hard choice of choosing between two. They had a safari one and sailor one, and both were so cute! In the end I went for the sailor one, because I really like the sea and ocean.

Safari Version

Sailor Version

Which one would you have chosen?

Find out more about Ocean Park Here!

Rating: 10/10

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Tiny

Until Next Time :)

An Evening at the Peak

The Peak is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Hong Kong. It offers 360 degree view of the city of lights, which is particularly stunning at night. In order to skip the long queue, we bought a combo ticket so we also went to Madame Tussaud's and the Sky Terrace, both within the main Peak building.

I <3 Peak

Taking the tram up was a relatively scary experience, especially as I'm just a little bit afraid of heights. On top of that there were so many mainland China tourists who were very rude and would keep pushing and barging you. So, tip for visiting tourist attractions in Hong Kong: be prepared to be shoved and pushed aside.

Combo Tickets for Peak Tram, Sky Terrace & Madame Tussaud's

We went to a terrace outside Burger King before heading up to the Sky Terrace and you could see this beautiful view without the huge crowd. It was tempting to just stay there and watch the lights for the whole evening, but we dragged ourselves away to head up to the Terrace to get an even broader view.

View of Hong Kong from the Peak

Bad idea...it offered a stunning view but with too many people. It was hard to see past the crowd of heads to really appreciate the backdrop of Hong Kong nightlife. We did manage to get some picture in though (rarely without other people's heads also in the frame). They also offered a free audio guide which was good for learning about all the districts in Hong Kong.

Hilarious Halloween Deco in Peak Galleria

As we visited the Peak near Halloween, there were a lot of Halloween themed events and activities. In the Peak Galleria, they put up loads of Halloween deco, as well as hiring people to scare the living daylights out of you. These staff members, covered in gore, would hide behind pillars and jump out at you with plastic swords and knives. Let's just say a lot of screams went down that evening, so definitely not for the faint hearted.

I found Spiderman!

Finally we headed into Madame Tussaud's, HK version. Inside were a lot of famous actors available to take pictures with as wax figurines. Some looked so real, others less so. There was also a section of superheroes and cartoon characters which you can see below. My boyfriend also took immense joy in taking very close up and unflattering pictures of some wax figures, which gave him endless laughter for the next hour or so...

Astro-Tiny!

Overall, the Peak was definitely worth going to. I didn't enjoy being scared so much, but otherwise the food, attractions and scenery was great. If you can stand waiting in line with crowds of people, then you should definitely have a look at Hong Kong from above.

Dinner with McDull & Mum

You can find out more information about the Peak Here!

Rating: 7/10

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Tiny