Bath Shower Today: Search results for good night time choice

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Saturday, January 20, 2018

5 Simple Ways to Get Rid of Stress and Relax Completely

Read article : 5 Simple Ways to Get Rid of Stress and Relax Completely

When was the last time you had a quality time dedicated to relaxing? The modern age we are living in forces us to spend more time at work, and since one day has only twenty-four hours, the contemporary “average Joe” chooses to renounce relaxing time in favor of work. Stress is on the rise for the past decade, and according to several statistics, around 80% of workers today are exposed to this condition.

Of course, there is an option to avoid stressful situations, but rather often, this is not possible. Stress is eating us from the inside out and makes our lives miserable if we let it take over. Still, devoting some time of the day to immerse yourself into relaxation is a good solution to battle stress, calm your nerves, and make you feel better.

The only important thing is, that you need to schedule that time and prioritize it. Don’t avoid it – it’s time for you to start caring about yourself.

Cancel all of your obligations tonight, and organize a relaxing and stress-relieving time.

When is a good time to relax?

Basically, any time can be determined for this. In general, I recommend the evening, or at least sundown when the city life is slowly losing its pace. There is also this soothing feeling, coming from the absence of daylight, which will help you to unwind while your body triggers the relaxing mechanism as it prepares to go to sleep.

On the other hand, if there is no possibility to separate some time for yourself in the evening, daytime is also suitable. Just remember to cover your windows. The color of the sheets covering the windows should not be aggressive, such as red or orange; choose a calming color such as cream or purple. It will bathe your room in butter-shaded color and calm you.

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For a start, put some relaxing tunes on, and set up the atmosphere. Luckily, the Internet is full of meditation tunes which can be used for free. Find the one which reflects your mood and suits you best.

1. Wash away the stress

Simple lying on the couch and resting is a good practice in the prepared scenery. But, to relax and shake down all of that stress, you must do something prior enjoying in your peaceful oasis. Start with a warm bath, scented with a few drops of essential oils. There is one simple rule that must be followed – don’t think about anything. Concentrate on the warm sensation of water on your skin.

This will help you not just to relax your muscles, but the clear your mind as well. Try to endure as high temperature of the water as possible, but be careful not to burn yourself. Hot water can help your blood course faster, making muscles supplied with oxygen more efficiently, and thus more relaxed.

In case that you have chosen the shower over a bath tub, there is an Eastern wisdom about meditation which can suit perfectly to this situation. The feeling of your worries being washed away can be achieved if you focus on your senses. In order to improve this state, try closing your eyes.

2. Relaxing your body even further

After the relaxing bath, some people have the energy to do the things they like, and some people want to go even deeper. Many turn to sleeping, the body’s natural regenerating mechanism. It is ok, but today we’re here to reach the deeper levels of relaxation. To get there, a massage is the next step.

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Since this is a guide for relaxing in your home, you’ll either order a masseuse to come to your house or get a massaging chair. If you are lucky enough to possess this wonderful chair, you just strap in and hit “play.” The speed, pace, and intensity are not universal, so you will need to experiment, and to see which mode suits you the best.

Another add-on for ambient and overall improvement is scented sticks. Those can be bought anywhere, and the choice of the type of scent is left to you. However, pine, lavender, and bergamot are good to start with. Their primal purpose is to enhance meditation and give you additional focus, but the purpose of relaxing is also notable.

3. Being creative

The next thing might be your favorite and possibly forgotten hobby. We all have that one thing we used to do daily, but we simply lack the time (willingly or unwillingly) for it. Whether that be calligraphy, maintaining your mini Zen garden, or playing an instrument, there is only one rule; do it.

Again, it is not the point of creating wonderful pieces of art; it is about you doing something that makes you happy. If you do not have any hobby, I recommend you to try painting. It is easy, and there are no rules or limitations. You do as you please, and quite often, being creative will make you feel better. Painting has a psychological effect of relaxation.

Research results published by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology are stating that people’s perspective can be changed if we practice hobbies on a daily basis. It might seem like a long-term goal, but you have to start somewhere, right?

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4. Have a delicious meal

A perfect relaxation isn’t complete without a proper meal. Regarding the type of food you like and if you like to prepare it yourself, get your food ready and waiting. We all love pizza, of course, but as I said, take it a bit further.

Italian food is rather easy to prepare, and since it utilizes light ingredients such as pasta and chicken meat, it will not make you feel heavy after eating. One of my favorites is definitely Cauliflower Penne Puttanesca, a light, vegetarian pasta, which requires about 25 minutes to prepare.

Of course, this exquisite meal should be paired with the matching wine, and if you can obtain a bottle of Villa Bucci’s Riserva, Verdicchio dei Castelli from 2009, it will be simply put, perfect. Wine is a somewhat sensitive drink, so it should be cooled to exact temperature (around 15°C). Luckily, there are many wine coolers & fridges which can do this for you. As a good wine enthusiast, I’m sure you already have a cooler. If not, consider having one.

5. The end of the night

After a good meal, you can spend the rest of the evening as you like. Personally, I love to take another round of easy massage while watching a movie or a TV show. In general, avoid watching TV while eating, because you won’t enjoy it as much.

Also, a good book is a great suggestion, and whether that be something new, such as “The Wright Brothers” by David McCullough, or something more classic, like Shakespeare or Charles Dickens, the decision is yours. After reading, you can go to sleep, satisfied and happy; after all, you did something wonderful for yourself.

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Spare some time for yourself every week

It is not as much about the bathing, the wine, and food, as it is about YOU doing something you are not doing every day. After an evening spent like this, you will finally see the world as it really is, beautiful, colored and sparkly.

But you did not change it, you simply swept away the heavy clouds of every day stress and troubles, and this enthusiasm is really contagious. The next thing you will want to do is to prepare a similar evening for your loving person, knowing how good it feels. Always have the time for yourself!

Saturday, February 17, 2018

How to Take the Best Bath Possible

Read article : How to Take the Best Bath Possible

Taking a bath is not about getting clean—that’s what showers are for. Baths are about calming your troubled mind and soothing your aches and pains, both physical and emotional. As a highly sensitive person, I find baths to be necessary, and I’ve gotten very good at them.

This isn’t to say that baths can’t be cleansing in their own way, especially the steamier ones, but removing dirt is not your goal in the tub. (Plus, if you do remove a lot of dirt while in the tub, you’ll just end up sitting in a body of dirty water. If your goal is to sit in a body of dirty water, I suggest a lake.)

Anyway. Taking a good bath isn’t as easy as filling the tub and hopping in. Plans must be made. Moods must be set. Playlists must be curated. Learn from me, my children. Follow my bath-time plan and reap the most restorative benefits.

Step 1: Clean Your Bathroom

It’s hard to relax in disordered, dirty surroundings, so take a few minutes to straighten up, wipe everything down, and maybe shake out your bath mat and give the floor a quick sweep, as there is nothing worse than emerging from the tub, all blissed out, only to have your joy stolen by the feeling of grit and hair sticking to your feet.

I’m not saying you scrub every tile and little line of grout, but give the tub a quick spray of all-purpose cleaner, wipe up any grody spots, and rinse it well. If your bathroom is in need of a deep clean anyway, go ahead and do that, then reward yourself with a very nice bath. (Honestly, my love of baths and bathing is what motivates me to keep my bathroom pretty clean.)

Step #2: Decide What Kind of Bath You Want to Have

The baths I take can be divided into four categories: physically pain-relieving, beautifying, pre-date, and I’m-going-to-murder-the-world-if-don’t-chill-out. Each one requires slightly different strategies and supplies.

The Pain-Relieving Bath

This is the bath to take if you have aches and pains from working out or—in my case—picking up your dog weird, because I’m old now, and never work out my core. This bath requires Epsom salts, an adult beverage, a cold glass of water, maybe a cold compress, and the hottest water you can stand. I’m a big fan of Dr. Teal’s Epsom salts because they’re cheap (so you don’t feel like you have to ration them) and come in a wide range of excellent smells. I like the Ginger & Clay, but there’s even one for manly men, because sometimes masculinity is just too fragile.

If your pain is anywhere but your head, put on some Netflix or a good playlist (more on that in a moment), making sure it’s something that will keep you in the tub for a while, so that you may reap the maximum amount of restorative benefits. If your pain is in your head, dim the lights, and put a cold, damp rag on your forehead or over your eyes.

The Beautifying Bath

This bath is slightly less relaxing than the others, but still soothing in its own way. The treatments you use will vary, depending on your skin type, but I recommend choosing one for your body and one for your face. A face mask is an obvious choice, and I cannot recommend the TONYMOLY sheet masks enough. Not only do they have one for every single type of skin concern you can conceive of, but they’re easy to put on, cheap, and require no scrubbing afterwards. In fact, the serum they leave behind isn’t meant to be removed at all; just gently massage it into your skin.

For body treatments, epsom salts are once again a good option, but I’m a fan of a moisturizing bath bomb or melt, usually from Lush. If you wish to exfoliate, however, get yourself some viscose. I have a Baiden Mitten, but apparently Korean Italy Towels work just as well and are much much cheaper. To use either one of these scrubby miracles, just soak yourself in hot water for twenty minutes and then rub your whole body with your viscose of choice. Dead, dull, skin will roll off of you like magic, revealing a super smooth, new you underneath.

You’ll want to use your mitten or towel at the end of tub-time, and rinse off in the shower after. No one wants to walk around with rolls of dead skin on them.

The Date-Night Bath

The date-night bath is similar to the beautifying bath, only a little less aggressive, and a little more mood-enhancing. You could do a face mask, but I don’t like to do any intense or new facial treatments before a date, just in case my skin reacts poorly. Sensual, fragrant bubbles are must for the date-night bath, either by way of this bubble bar or (once again) a wonderfully scented Teal’s product. A playlist is also needed, preferably something a little sexy but still relaxing. Cigarettes After Sex is my current go-to for cultivating date-night bath vibes. Feel free to use it yourself.

Cigarettes After Sex: Complete Discography, a playlist by Cigarettes After Sex on Spotify

Explore more of Cigarettes After Sex in the playlist below, featuring EP’s, singles and the full…

It also doesn’t hurt to have a cocktail, because most good dates begin with cocktails.

The I’m-Going-to-Murder-the-World-If-I-Don’t-Chill-Out Bath

Also known as the “fuck-it-all bath,” this is the bath you take when you have ceased to be able to even, and must submerge yourself in hot water to replicate the soothing feeling of being in your mother’s womb, when things were simpler, less aggressive, and no one wanted anything from you. This bath is about indulging in whatever you need in that moment, and there’s no wrong way to take do it. For me, it usually involves a cocktail (shocking), and some sort of fragrant bath product, but it has also included ice cream and macaroni and cheese (with potato chips crumbled on top).

The one thing this bath does not include is beauty products or, like, shaving. This is your time to sulk, not make yourself more pleasing to look at by patriarchal standards.

You can of course create your own bath, taking elements from each of mine as needed to craft your best bathing experience. I sometimes combine the pain-reliever with the fuck-it-all; there are no rules.

Step #3: Gather Your Supplies

I am never more enraged than when I sink into the warm, caress of the my tubs embrace, only to realize that I left my drink or book in the other room. A little bit of prep work prevents such a disaster, and you will thank yourself for having such brilliant foresight. Before you even begin to fill the tub, gather the following:

A couple of hand towels: Place them within easy reach of the tub, so you can dry your hands as needed to prevent your books, magazines, or phone (tweet in the tub at your own risk) from getting damp.
Entertainment: Set your laptop on a chair near the tub so that you may watch your favorite show, grab some reading material, or cue up a podcast or playlist.
Beverages: Though a very concerned citizen warned me against it, I enjoy an alcoholic beverage in the bath; I even have a little cup holder for such imbibing. You should also take a big glass or bottle of water in there too, because dehydration is no fun.
Any beauty treatments: Gather your bath bombs, face masks, or anything else you plan to apply to your person. This applies to exfoliation devices as well.

Step #4: Shower, or at Least Wash Your Feet

If you haven’t showered recently, you probably will want to do it before your bath, lest you wish to stew in the filth you’ve accumulated that day. At the very least, make sure your feet are clean, otherwise all that grit and grime will float off of them and contaminate your otherwise perfect bath. Save yourself some rage and wash your damn feet.

Step #5: Unwindulax

Get in the tub, enjoy the blissful time in your tub, emerge renewed. Wrap yourself in a very absorbent towel, then put on pajamas. (Unless you just had a pre-date bath. Then you should put on your sexiest little number, or just stay nekkid, depending on how you conduct your dates.)

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

REVIEW: Accor Hotels in Hong Kong: Novotel Century and Novotel Hong Kong, Nathan Road Kowloon

Read article : REVIEW: Accor Hotels in Hong Kong: Novotel Century and Novotel Hong Kong, Nathan Road Kowloon

I’m packing my bags for Korea, Japan and Penang. The last 2 weeks of October promised to be stimulating, fun and busy.
From bulgolgi to sashimi to Penang char koay teow, I’m ready for the ride! 😀

I took out my stuffs from my luggage (yes I don’t unpack much, I have a travel set of everything, blame it on the frequent travels I do) last week since I’m packing for the cold, with Korea and Japan at 16-25 celcius. As I dug out Hong Kong instant noodles, HK dollars and maps memories came flooding back.
Oh, the craziness of the Hong Kong es-capers Scavenger Hunt by Accor Hotels! Fun, adrenaline packed and an experience like no other!

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We were hosted in 2 Novotels in Hong Kong, 1st night at Novotel Hong Kong, Nathan Road Kowloon and the next night at the Novotel Century Hong Kong.
Oh the comfy beds. The clean and functional accommodation. Bliss!

Accor group of hotels in HK are the ibis and the Novotel, the former leans towards economy but never sacrificing comfort and the latter is contemporary and practical. One thing is for sure, locations of these hotels are faultless; situated right in the middle of a busy/popular part of Hong Kong or in the case of Novotel Citygate, merely 5 minutes from Hong Kong International Airport.

On my first day I only managed to check in NovotelHong Kong, Nathan Road Kowloon at 6pm after day 1 of the Hong Kong es-capers race. I have uploaded a video weeks back (here it is in case you would like a 3-D presentation of the room) and now let’s get into details of my one night stay.

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Novotel Hong Kong, Nathan Road Kowloon is a modern 4-star hotel centrally located in the heart of Kowloon’s famous shopping and commercial district.

In Hong Kong, it’s crucial to be near a MRT station, especially for those who are here to explore the rich cuisine and innumerable shopping districts. The Jordan station is 5 minutes away, and attractions such as the Temple Street Night Market, Ladies Market and Jade Market are all within walking distance.
Since I only had one night here (yea, pretty much a night stand LOL!), I’m able to tell you that the WIFI is strong, the bed is comfortable (in fact I was so tired I was dead as a fossil the moment I hit its sheets), a pillow menu is offered, the amenities and the bathroom were fine and the view was well, the city.

The fact that I only managed to check-in so late didn’t help for photography, but here’s the standard 24 sq metres room.

Space is narrow, as expected of Hong Kong. But thoughtful details like a full length mirrors, overbed table and ample powerpoints makes up for it. Yes, I need powerpoints. Hotels with 2 powerpoints per room and none near the bed gets negative points from me!

See my phone (red colour, on the floor) next to my bed? I would need another for the laptop. The overbed table is just marvelous. I don’t have to pile up a mountain of pillows over my legs as a shaky make shift table.

One powerpoint near the bed means I need a 3 way plug/adapter. Which was supplied as well, in this drawer right beside the Pringles (sorry late in the evening and I was really tired by the time I started taking photos of the room, didn’t think of including it in this picture!).
Now, how’s that for convenience? 🙂

Another powerpoint was conveniently located at the drinks making counter. I didn’t make any drinks, but used it instead for charging my battery pack.
As you know we were tweeting, Instagram-ing, FB-ing, taking pictures throughout the day during the race. An iPhone has only that much juice.

The mini bar, which no hotel guests in their right mind would ever touch unless of course, they aren’t the one paying for the items.

The work desk has more powerpoints. Thank god. These were for my camera and spare battery, which takes about 4 hours for a full charge so these were pretty much occupied for that sole purpose. So you get me when I said I need MANY powerpoints in my hotel rooms right?

Other than electricity (and O2), I breathe and live on internet connectivity. Thankfully WIFI wasn’t any issue here.
Here’s how the internet works:

Via the cable – provided as pictured below. Or via WIFI.

Under the desk I spied 2 waste baskets; one on either end of the desk. The green one is for recyclable materials/wastes and the brown one is for normal waste.
An environmentally friendly hotel? More brownie points from me! 🙂

Other standard amenities include the iron, safe, laundry bag, slippers and dress robe.

The 2-seat sofa bed in the room can double up as a bed for a small child, which in this case was me. Anyhow I only had time to sit on it and pose for this picture.
Trust me, I barely warmed the seat.

In case you haven’t noticed, each side of the bed came with an overhead reading light. Again a nice touch. If you’re traveling with someone and he/she decides to snooze earlier, he/she can turn off the light on his/her side.
I had the room to myself (even better!) so there wasn’t a problem. I stayed up late for updating my social platforms, work matters and some pictures transferring and back up (sigh, the life of a blogger) so the overbed table and the powerpoint at the bed side was god-sent.

Fully automated controls makes life simpler. Everything at the touch of a button.

I love pillow menus. Not many hotels offers this and if they do my choice would always be for the firm pillows. I have a perpetually nagging neckache.

I requested for additional Pressure Relieving Pillow and it was delivered to my room promptly. And ah, now I know what are those orange pillows in the wardrobe earlier – they are medium soft feather pillows.

Next, the washroom.

Small, clean, everything works as it should be and I have no complaints for a hotel of this standard. Again, environmentally friendly packaging plus quality bathroom amenities deserves brownie points.

The amenities – soap, sanitary bag, nail file, cotton pads and cotton buds, gel scrub, body milk, shampoo and shower gel.

You can drink straight from the tap.

Hairdryer. A good powerful one too. I’m sure there are some of us who had stayed in hotels that provides hairdryers with as much energy as a battery operated fan, which then you’ll probably have better luck drying your mane next to the kitchen oven than via using that piece of useless equipment.

Towels – hand towels, body towels, face towels. And a towel for the floor, which is to me is a very important detail.

A separate shower stall for the shower with a choice of rain shower (top) or the usual showerhead from the wall. There’s heater of course.

The welcome fruits, a bottle of wine and the chocolates was much appreciated. Thank you Novotel. Nothing like a personalized message to make you feel welcomed.

That, and some freebies. I can’t complain.

After a good night’s rest I woke up the next morning looking forward to breakfast. Hotel breakfasts are one of my favourites – the variety, the ability to eat as much or as little as you wish for hours (not that we have hours during this trip) and the opportunity to sample (hopefully) quality or uncommon food/drink.
The Square, the coffeehouse is located on the 1st floor and serves daily buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner, healthy options for kids, as well as an ala- carte menu with options of organic produce.

NOTE: You do not need to touch your keycard to any sensor at the lift to access your room floor.

And consider it a good start to the day when you meet some ‘happy’ people.

While the quality is there, there were nothing out of the ordinary here.

Novotel Hong Kong, Nathan Road Kowloon is a popular hotel with both leisure and business travelers. The morning buffet was bustling with kids to teens in K-Pop attire to businessmen in suits.

Food was decent and well, there’s plenty of pork.

Breakfast is priced at HKD140.80 (RM70) after taxes. Thank goodness it was complimentary.

If you have access to the Premier Lounge, then you have another option for breakfast. Selection are understandably less, but it is also more private and less busy.

Free internet access through 7 iMacs in lobby are available for guests. There is also a 24-hr gym and a play area for kids with Xbox games. Yes, for kids. Thought no one is going to drive away if you were to plant your butt here.

Lobby.

No hotel is complete without a bar yes?

Whew. All that photos for one night stay.
I barely had time to see the pool or the gym (inBalance). I don’t even know where are the meeting/function rooms are. According to their site, there are massage services as well.

Well, there’s always a next time. Our next night was at Novotel Century, Hong Kong. Click to read/view the pictures –> HERE.

Oh, say hi to the GM of Novotel Nathan Road, Mr Olivier Moies-Delval! 🙂

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Novotel Nathan Road Kowloon
No.348 Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China (Jordan)
Hotel Manager : Mr Olivier MOIES-DELVAL
GPS: N 22° 18′ 25.73” E 114° 10′ 18.13”

I must thank the wonderful sponsors for this trip again – Cathay Pacific, Accor Hotels and Hong Kong Tourism Board for the experience and hospitality. :dd
Next, please read about the Novotel Century in Hong Kong.

**Photos + video taken with the Sony NEX 5T.