Converting your Philippine driving license to Malaysian license

I just love the system here in Malaysia! Well, I am a foreigner married to a Malaysian and I have been staying here for almost 3 years now. My son was born here and he automatically got his IC. Greatest thanks to the staff of the Philippine Embassy and to the friendly, helpful employees at JPJ (Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan Malaysia) for the speedy service in issuing my driving license.

For other Filipinos living in Malaysia and want to drive around here, I've got great news! As long as your Phil driving license has not expired beyond 3 years, you can get a Malaysian driving license. Here are the steps:

1) Submit the following documents to the Philippine Embassy in Malaysia - #1 Changkat Kia Peng, Kuala Lumpur (+603 2148 4233) Mon - Fri 9:00am - 11:30am/ 1:00pm - 4:00pm

a) 2 photocopies of your driving license

b) 2 photocopies of the Official Receipt of the driving license 

c) 2 photocopies of your passport

d) 2 photocopies of your visa

e) payment of RM96.25

2) After 3 working days, you can claim the endorsement letter for your driving license from the Philippine Embassy (make sure you have your receipt as you need this to claim; don't lose the receipt)

3) Proceed to any JPJ branch (Maju Junction, Bandar Sri Permaisuri, Setapak), bring your original driving license and passport, documents from the Philippine Embassy and 2 pcs 25mm x 32mm photo

4) Get a number, fill-up the JPJ L1 form (you can get this from the counter), submit your documents upon your turn. The staff will ask you to proceed to an officer to get an approval then come back to his/her counter. Don't worry, this is just fast. 

5) Pay RM30.00 for 1st year license. You can only get a longer validity upon renewal. 

6) And voila! The staff will laminate your card and give you your Malaysian driving license. The process in JPJ will only take around 20 minutes if the queue is not long. Nevertheless, they are very fast and efficient. 

So thanks to Malaysia and thanks to JPJ!

Tips for Applying Liquid Eyeliner

I started applying eyeliner when I was 16 years old. Surprisingly, during my time, most of my friends are not yet applying makeup, save for the lip gloss or flavored lip balm and the face powder. Well, I've always been conscious of my eyes. I find them small and at a young age, I've been fond of big eyes with luscious eyelashes.

So for 15 years now (OMG, I'm that old...), eyeliners have been a basic part of my make-up kit. Applying liquid eyeliner on your eyelids will take some practice and steady hands. Mistakes cost a lot of time (and frustration when you're late for work or for a meeting) and can be very messy. I would like to share some tips with you on successfully applying liquid eyeliner:

1) Choose your liquid eyeliner carefully. Take a look at the applicator and make sure that the tip is pointed and not a thick brush. I personally use KATE liquid eyeliner in black.

2) Check the viscosity of the liquid. It should not be sticky or it means the stock is old. A sticky one will be harder to apply and will be thick on your eyelid.

3) It is best to apply the liquid eyeliner on top of your eye shadow to maximize effect. But if you are scared to mess it up then you need to re-apply your eyeshadow again, you can start with applying your eyeliner first then your eye shadow. Once your confident in applying, you can put the eyeliner on top of your eyeshadow. Make sure that you also have your eye make-up remover on-hand as liquid eyeliners are very challenging to remove. You can use baby oil or petroleum jelly if you don't have an eye make-up remover.

4) When applying, lean your elbow on the table if you're sitting or against the mirror if you're standing. This way, your hand will be more steady while applying.

5) Start from the inner lid then swoop your eyeliner outwards. Try to create one smooth outline first, don't worry if the line looks thin or very light. You can re-apply on the outline you have created to make it look thicker. You can also choose to create a cat-eye effect by extending the line to the end with an upward curve. 

6) Wait till the eyeliner is dry and try not to blink at all. Then you can apply your mascara.