miss.b.muses

Notable Quotable

2012-02-15T12:41:00.000+08:00

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”

-- Marilyn Monroe

Why you should not eat processed food!

2012-02-14T19:51:00.000+08:00

More youtube video! But this time, this one shows you why you should avoid processed food like instant noodles and Gatorade! Good thing I don't stock instant noodle at home! Most processed food can't be properly digested by our body. I have only organic brown rice noodle and natural real food! Go for the real stuff!

Click here to read the full article. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying all the awesome food in Hong Kong! Woohoo!

Say NO to the Belo Monte Monster Dam!

2012-02-10T11:14:00.000+08:00

Oh no! Damn the damn dam indeed! The new president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff has given the approval to build the world's third largest damn at the expense of ruining 400,000 hectares of forest. As if that's not horrible enough, 40,000 indigenous Indians will lose their homeland and have no place to live.

Help stop this atrocity to our forest and the indigenous Indian by signing the petition here!

Getting Juiced

2012-02-07T15:36:00.000+08:00

Vanity has got me worried about available options in organic make up when I did the switch to safe, organic products. There's a sea of organic toiletries out there but I can't say the same for organic make up products. Take a visit to any organic shop and you'll see there's only a small section of organic colours. I guess the good thing about not having that many options is that it makes choosing what to use/try easier. The first organic make up items I got are base products since they cover bigger skin surface and after some research and shopping around, I got Juice Beauty SPF 30 Tinted Mineral Moisturizer and Refining Finishing Powder to try.

A search on the Skin Deep database shows that Juice Beauty fairs pretty well in terms of safety so that's a good start. I've been using this duo for about a month and I'm generally okay with it. I'm happy with the performance of the tinted moisturizer though not being entirely thrilled by its texture. Its thick texture is similar to that of any BB cream so it's on the heavy side and it leaves a sticky after feel which I don't fancy. You'll definitely need to have a finishing dust of loose powder to set it cos there's no way you can walk out in the tropical heat without having your face turned into a complete oil slick. However, the good thing about this is that it is quite moisturizing for my dry skin. With other brands of tinted moisturizer, my face would feel a tad tight after dusting some powder, but I get a comfortable feel with this one and I guess it makes the slight sticky after feel okay. Don't expect major coverage too but it works fine for me since I don't want anything that masks the skin.

I was expecting my skin to have some major oiling up but that didn't quite happen despite the heavy texture. My skin is actually liking it with better hydration level these days. So it's fair to say that my skin texture improved with this tinted moisturizer over time. However, if you have oilier skin, I doubt it would work for you because of its heavy texture! But for my dry skin, I'll give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

The Juice Beauty Refining Finishing Powder, on the other hand, is less stellar. It's not a bad product but I find that the powder isn't as fine as I would want it to. So when I apply it over concealer, especially the under-eye areas, it tends to get a bit blotchy. It's slight but it bugs me cos base make up is supposed to smoothen you up. If what you want a powder to simply set the tinted moisturizer, then this does the job okay but if, like me, you need concealer for survival, then it could be a bit problematic as it tends to be a bit blotchy when you layer it over concealer.

Also, it doesn't come with a powder puff or brush in the packaging and that's a bit of a minus point for me. The saving grace for this, however, is its ability to keep your skin matt even with a heavy tinited moisturizer underneath. I'll rate it 2.75 stars out of 5. Yes, 2.75 is a strange number I know but I think 2.5 seems a bit harsh cos it's not really that shitty a product and for all you know, it might just work for you. But looks like I won't be buying this one again after I finish it up.

Overall, I think my first foray into organic base has been satisfactory though not entirely life changing. I've kinda set sight on the next couple of base products to try when this duo runs out. I think my only complain about organic make up is the lack of pretty packaging. I don't need fancy boxes cos those would go into the trash anyway, but how about some cute sexy looking bottles or designs? Yes, it's all first world pains but well, I'm just saying...

Notable Quotable

2012-02-06T09:21:00.000+08:00

‎" There are certain emotions in your body that not even your best friend can sympathize with , but you will find the right film or the right book , and it will understand you . "

--Bjork

The Wicked Weekend

2012-02-05T12:46:00.000+08:00

AMAZEBALLS! That's all I can say about my weekend of Wicked The Musical at the Marina Bay Sands! If you haven't caught it yet, do it now! Like NOW really! It's officially my favorite musical of all time and successfully replaced The Producer (I watched that in London) to be my #1 musical. Magnificent set, great songs, hilarious scripts and amazing performance! There's everything to love, especially when I can totally identify myself as Elphaba the green witch! I seriously won't even try to review it as it would be blasphemous and the only way to do it justice is really to watch it at the theatre. All I can say is that, it's AMAZING!

What I would talk about, however, is my pre-show noms at Mozza Osteria at MBS. Like the musical, I have nothing but praise for Mozza cos their food is delish and the ambiance lovely! I only wished that I was really hungry at that time cos we had an early dinner at about 6pm before the musical and I was still full from my previous awesome lunch (at Herbivore at Fortune Center, will talk about it another time).

With hardly any appetite, Mr Bear and I ordered little (very unlike us), with grilled artichoke (yum!), cheese and pesto on burrista to start. Delish! Though the artichoke could have been grilled to be a bit more tender.

Then I ordered a Tortellini with Brodo in Primi size as I wasn't hungry. It's a non-vegetarian (indulgent day hello!) with a bit of parma ham and cheese in the tortellini served in a full flavored chicken broth cooked with parma ham. The broth came in a little tea pot and was poured in for me and after the first taste of it, I regretted not ordering the bigger secondi portion cos it was amazeballs! The broth is totally aromatic and it's similar to those flavorsome double-boiled cantonese soup.

Mr Bear ordered some gnocchi with wild mushroom and butter sauce which was one of Mozza's signature dish. It was yummy but I still think my tortellini was better.

Then I didn't managed to take a picture of the dessert. We ordered the "Nonna's cake" and it was too yummy to slow down for a photo op. I'll have to go back to Mozza Osteria when I'm hungry one day and have a full blown Italian meal.

A wicked weekend indeed with awesome musical and gastro-rgasm! And I can't wait for the next weekend to come cos I'll be in dim sum land with Mr Bear for a much-needed breather! Some serious count down starts now!

February Muse

2012-02-03T12:05:00.000+08:00

Reading: The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard Following the youtube on The Story of Stuff, I'm so amused and inspired by the information that I bought the book to read up more. If I have to choose one book to read this year, this potentially could be the one as it's an eye opener to how our stuff is made and disposed, as well as all the precious insight into consumerism. I'm more determined to reform my ways when consumerism is concerned and so far, I think I'm doing pretty well as I'm not recklessly buying shit anymore.

Watching: Wicked! Finally! Going for the musical this Saturday and I can't wait when I got the tickets in January. I've got some pretty decent seats and it's definitely something to look forward to this weekend!

Wearing: Keeping it real with Gap neon pink stripes tee shirt. I love stripes and this neon pink stripes tee gives the boring black, white and navy ones I have a break. The slouchy fit is perfect for casual look and layering.

Using: 100% Pure Sheer Cheek Colour in Strawberry. I love 100% Pure! Its safe and organic range of make up products are toxin free and made from fruit pigments. This cheek colour gives a perfect flush for a natural, healthy look and the light texture makes it easy to blend. You can increase the intensity by dabbing more layers. Perfect for everyday use. Available at Bud Cosmetics.

My old Chanel 2.55 Reissue Accordion in metallic blue with gold chain strap. Haven't used this baby for awhile but I think the Accordion trumps the classic 2.55 flap cos the classic shape is so common these days that everyone, from socialites to skanks, is using it. Accordion is rare and when I saw the blue with gold, I knew I wanted it cos it's different. It's definitely one of my heirloom pieces.

Eating: At Real Food at Central Mall (it's very much the only attraction there in my opinion) . It's one of my favourite haunts for a good healthy grub and I'm glad Mr Bear loves it too and we're there at least once a week these days and I'm not getting sick of it. I love their Dry Brown Rice Noodle with Mushroom and Miso Soup with Barley and Veggies...I can never get enough of it! Omnomnomnom......

Drinking: This is starting to sound like "Tea of the month" but yes, I'm so loving herbal tea and my poison this month is the Lemon & Ginger tea from Yogi Tea. I've never really liked ginger anything but somehow this blend is sooo very soothing without being overpowering and it makes me goes "Ahhhh" every time I smell and drink it. Such a treat and it makes me feel like there's nothing a cup of nice herbal tea can't solve. It's calmness in a cup.

Loving: Scotch Naturals!!! I can't stop gushing about the awesomeness of Scotch Naturals (see previous post on review) cos it's pretty much the best nail polish out there. It's water-base, toxins free, doesn't smell, paints well, dries fast and glossy, and comes in so many gorgeous colours! What's not to love? I've now amassed a total of 6 delish colours. Can't wait for more!

Lusting after: This is by far the most mumsy lust item, but when I saw the tv advertisement of the Philip Air Fryer during the boring Chinese New Year time at my grandpa's place, I want one! I'm a foodie at heart who once said that if there's no health repercussion of eating deep fried food, I would eat it everyday cos it's so tasty. So this gadget supposedly uses "air" to deep fry your food for a healthy alternative. How it works I have no idea and neither do I give a damn as long as it produces healthy fried food (what an oxymoron!)! One of these days, I would go down to Tangs and be all domestic about it to see the demonstration and try out the food to see if it tastes as good. But at about $400 a pop, it's ouch to the wallet!

Awesome Club 21

2012-02-02T10:59:00.000+08:00

I have to give it to Club 21 when it comes to customer services cos it's excellent. To make up for a wasted trip I took on Monday to pick up my membership redemption vouchers, they sent me a Super Nature (my favorite shop!) hamper of organic Duchy goodies together with my vouchers right to my office.

The customer service manager also called me personally to apologize and make the delivery arrangement the very next day. I'm impressed, considering they have a big membership base and that I'm definitely not their top spenders. Now, all is forgiven and they have redeemed themselves. That's what I call good customer service!

The Organic Pharmacy Antioxidant Face Cream

2012-02-01T09:48:00.001+08:00

There are a couple of reasons why a product review takes forever to write. One is because it's a very complicated product and time is required to digest its technology or formula fully, and two is when the product is kinda underwhelming and I'm not quite feeling it. Sadly, in the case of the The Organic Pharmacy Antioxidant Face Cream, it's mostly because of the latter.

I've been using this closing to two months now but I simply couldn't get my act together to write about it sooner. I believe it's partly because I'm still waiting for some magic to show where I wake up one morning to magically transformed skin or something. That hasn't quite happened and I'm now resigning to fate that it might not happen after all. It is not a bad product since it does what it says by moisturizing the face, but with The Organic Pharmacy brand being so hyped up by the media with its supposed legion of celebrity fans and die hard users, I was expecting a bit more from this face cream. It's retailing at $98 a pop and I got mine at Bud Cosmetics.

The Organic Pharmacy Antioxidant Face Cream is apparently the best-selling moisturizer from the brand with a concoction of anti-aging vitamins, herbs, ginseng, oats and horsetail extracts just to name a few. A little goes a long way and it's best applied to damp skin so I'll mist my face before massaging it in. It's got a light and fluid texture that is well absorbed into skin in general, however, I do find that it leaves a slightly sticky feel to the skin despite its light texture. My skin would actually oil up quite a bit when I wake up in the morning compared to other moisturizers.

Close to two months into using this, I don't feel a lot of difference and I'm not sure if it's actually doing much to my skin other than keeping it hydrated. I guess if providing hydration is what you're after in a moisturizer, then it does an okay job albeit not an exceptional one. I would like to think that it's also feeding my skin with good nutrients and that I just don't feel it yet. To be fair, there are only a handful of products that actually gave visible improvements to my skin as my skin is generally okay and this honestly isn't the best face cream I've used. Thus far, from the truckload of different creams I've used, Kenzoki Cosmic Cosmetic Cream is really the best I've ever tried and it even beats the super luxe and expensive La Mer and Cle de Peau Beaute's La Creme hands down. However, Kenzoki isn't a completely safe brand so that's gotta go.

Meanwhile, I'll stick to The Organic Pharmacy Antioxidant Face Cream and finish it up but it isn't a product I would buy again. I just hope that it'll finish up quickly but then it actually looks like this tub is gonna last me at least the next six months. Till then, I'll hunt for a good organic, non toxic face cream again!

Notable Quotable

2012-01-31T11:46:00.000+08:00

“When things fall apart, it can be your greatest gift. The truth is, it could possibly have saved your life. Chaos shall therefore always be regarded as good news."

--Pema Chodron

The Sacred Truth by LUSH

2012-01-26T22:39:00.000+08:00

Finally! LUSH made its come back in Singapore after disappearing in the market here in the mid 90s! It's back at where it used to be at Wisma Atria but this time, LUSH has got its own standalone shop at Basement 1 (It used to be at B1 at Isetan Wisma).

I used to be crazy over their products and remember loving their I Love Juicy shampoo last time. So when I caught its familiar whiff of LUSH trademark smell a mile before I reached the shop, I got so excited for old time's sake. Trust me, I didn't buy the entire shop really. With a committed effort to buy less and buy well, I only bought what I needed -- Face Mask.

It's meant to be cos it just happened that LUSH got their selection of face masks on display right at the front of the shop. After debating between Oatifix and The Sacred Truth, I got the latter after the sales person adamantly gushed about how fantastic it is.

It's a thick paste of anti-aging slush with papaya, ginseng, wheat grass, green tea, cleansing clay and butter with a mouth watering smell. A quick check on my handy safety guide of David Suzuki's Dirty Dozen and The Sacred Truth passed the non-toxic test.

I kinda like it. "Kinda" because it really is quite good. I smeared it on clean face for about 15 minutes and after washing it off, my skin did feel hydrated and radiant. Also, a tiny 75g tub can probably last you quite a bit as you don't need a hell lot each time, so at $21, it's quite a good deal.

However, I can't say I completely adore it because I've grown to not like products that are way too strong smelling. Yes, this smells divine but after slathering it on my face, its unnaturally powerful cloud of aroma got me investigating more and I realize there are indeed added fragrances! Alas! Quite the opposite of what I've been trying to do!

I ran a search on Good Guide and found that LUSH scored only an average of 5.2 out of 10. That kinda got me cos it scored only 4.9 on the "Health" segment, meaning there are potentially harmful chemicals in it. NOT GOOD!

But confession: I hate to say that I actually kinda enjoy using it. I blame it on emotional attachment to my youth as it reminds me of my carefree college days where I roam around Town with HL and the LUSH smell was quintessential every time we walked past the Isetan at Wisma.Those were the happy days and using it reminds me of those happy times.

I doubt I'll buy it again but I can't promise I won't touch this stuff again after I finish this tub, given my strong emotional attachment to LUSH. Exploring new brands of safe, non-toxic and ideally organic face mask is definitely on the menu but meanwhile, with or without potential toxins, I'm gonna enjoy this one till I'm done with it!

Notable Quotable

2012-01-25T09:31:00.000+08:00

When life gives you lemons, squirt it in your enemies' eyes!

Hello Year of the Water Dragon!

2012-01-23T17:50:00.000+08:00

Wearing baby blue nails from Scotch Naturals Caleigh to usher in the year of the water dragon! I absolutely LOVE Scotch Naturals and I would want all the colours! It paints like a dream, dries quickly and most importantly, is super safe and non toxic! Click here for my previous post on it.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Organic Salt Scrub

2012-01-22T12:38:00.000+08:00

With the toxins and chemicals laden body scrub tossed out of the bathroom, I'm taking matters into my own hand and making my own organic salt scrub. Not only is it easy to whip up, you can customize the scent according to your preference. Here's what you need:

Sweet Almond Oil
Fine grained Salt -- I use Himalayan Rock Salt but natural sea salt or even Epsom Salt is good too. Just make sure the grain isn't too big or you'll tear your skin
Essential oils -- Here's where you can get creative and combine the bespoke aromatic treat of your preference. I've picked Lavender, Bergamot and Geranium

Now here's a general rule of thumbs when it comes to how much of each of the above to use. The sweet almond oil to salt ration is 1:2, and for every ounce (about 30ml) of sweet almond oil, I add about 10 to 15 drops of essential oil. Also, make sure you use good essential oil and not the low grade ones made for diffusing.

Start with blending in the oil and stirring it with a glass rod or wooden stick. I added 15 drops of Lavender, 10 drops of Bergamot and 5 drops of Geranium in about 60ml of oil. If you're new to blending oils, go slowly and drop by drop. Stir and blend well, take a whiff to see if you've got what you want before adding more.

Once the oil is done, add in the salt, mix well and Viola! Home made salt scrub! If you have very dry and sensitive skin, you can use brown sugar instead of salt as it's a little more gentle. I put a small tub at my shower and use it once or twice a week by applying it on damp skin before rinsing it off. Because I don't really love having the oily after feel especially in the tropics, I usually follow through with a tiny amount of body wash. However, in cold country, I'll just rinse off and pat dry.

The fun part is very much the mixing and blending! Whipping up home made body scrubs is totally addictive!

The Rainbow Connection

2012-01-21T23:23:00.001+08:00

I know, I know, the entire Singapore has talked about THE double rainbow but I just have to post the photo, taken right at my kitchen window where I stayed put the entire time till it went home just to take in the magic of it all. It was special not just because it was the first time I've seen a double rainbow but it was special because it appeared at a time where I need to see one. It's the universe's way of saying everything's gonna be fine. Life is beautiful after all.

McScary, McGross, McToxic!

2012-01-19T11:29:00.000+08:00

Still wanna eat McNuggets? Watch and learn more about the processed meat you're eating!

The Ethical Consumerism Manifesto

2012-01-18T12:30:00.001+08:00

Supporting my consumerism overhaul to consume less, choose well and buy ethnically, here's my new manifesto.

The Ethical Consumerism Manifesto:

Say NO to mindless consumerism. Buy only when you need something, not when you need shopping to relief boredom or stress. Alternative to shopping, choose a service like a good massage
Quality over quantity! Go for the good stuff that lasts. No more "Buy and Throw Away" mentality
When possible, buy products that's ethically sourced with fair trading. Be aware of externalized cost such as pollution, exploitation etc. (Read more here). Don't buy from companies that exploit animals, human beings and the environment. For instance, don't buy any Disney or Nike products as they are notorious for underpaying factories and poor working conditions. Here's a list of unethical companies to avoid.
When buying something you don't need but want (eg, clothes or shoes etc), take some time to consider before impulse buying. Statistic shows that most consumers use only 1% of what they have bought six months down the road.
Fashion purchases have to be timeless and classic with good quality that will last. If the French can be fashionable with a few key classic items like stripes tees, black cigarette pants, and ballet flats, so can we. No need to deck up like a Christmas tree.
De-clutter and give away useful stuff that you don't use to people who need it more (but don't give rubbish to people!)
Switch to non toxic toiletries and skin care with no harmful chemicals. With the human breast milk being one of the most toxic food (refer to the video I posted in Consumerism Overhaul), you'd like to think twice about using chemical and toxins laden toiletries. Your skin absorbs up to 64% of what you put on it, so don't put toxic stuff on it! Here's where you can check if your products are safe. David Suzuki has a pocket guide of a dozen of toxic substances to avoid called the Dirty Dozens, click here to print it out and keep it in your wallet as reference when you go toiletries shopping.
Use non-toxic household items like floor cleaner, washing powder, dish washing liquid etc. Yes, the toxic stuff is cheaper but think about this, it isn't just about protecting the environment, it's protecting your health too since your skin will be expose to the toxins. The fact that research has shown an insanely high amount of toxins and chemicals in the body of crawling toddlers and home pets ought to make you think about switching to safer products. Also, when you buy less of other stuff, the money you save can use to buy these eco-friendly products. Create the demand and hopefully the cost will go down too! Good Guide provides a great database on the safety index of many products and is my favorite go-to source.
Bring your own recycling bag! Reduce the use of plastic bags!
Locally grown vegetable and produce are more environmentally friendly. Not only are they fresher, they require less fuel to reach your market
Consume less, choose well and buy ethically!

Image from Grafter

Have a Scotch!

2012-01-15T21:56:00.000+08:00

Among most beauty products, nail polish is definitely one of the most toxic ones. Smelling it makes you high with its acrid glue-like stench and the thought of getting brain damage from its smell always flashes in my head every time I paint my nails. That's until I got to know of Scotch Naturals! Hallelujah to a safe, non-toxic option in tons of gorgeous colours!

Thing is, there are a lot of supposedly safer, non-toxic nail polish brands out there like Zoya, Mavala or Butter London (common brands like Sally Hansen, OPI and Revlon too in fact) that's "Three Free". They're free of the top three most toxic substances found in many nail polishes aka Dibutyl Phthalate, Formaldehyde Resin and Toluene. However, despite being Three Free, they're still loaded with a hell lot of chemicals and being Three Free means they simply don't have the MOST toxic stuff.

Scotch Naturals, on the other hand, is a water base option whose ingredients include only water, acrylic polymer emulsion and non toxic colorant, and they're tested for safety, making them truly non toxic. This non-toxic water base nail polish is also a proud signer of The Compact for Safe Cosmetics

I got Kiltlifter (a classic red) and On the Rocks Top Coat to test them out and I'm extremely happy to announce that Scotch Naturals is a major winner!!!

It paints on smoothly and dries faster than traditional toxic nail polish to give you a glossy finish. The colour is a bit lighter than the bottle but it's rich, vibrant and doesn't streak. Like its toxic counterpart, you need two coats for a nice even finish before topping it off with the top coat. But unlike its toxic cousin, the good thing is that there's no need for a base coat even with the darker colours! Instead, you would need to prep your nails a bit by buffing them (add a drop of jojoba oil if you have very dry nails) as the instruction says that it adheres best to healthy nails. Another tip is to apply before bedtime to let the paint sink in and adhere well so it lasts longer.

I was half-expecting it to chip like crazy cos it all seems too perfect to be true, but on the contrary, it lasted me a full week with just a wee bit of chipping just like any other nail polish. There's also no yellowing of my nails after I remove it so that's bonus point!

The verdict? I love Scotch Naturals! I'm switching to this safer options for good! Guess what? I just ordered two other colours now that it's passed the test with flying colours!

Notable Quotable

2012-01-12T12:03:00.000+08:00

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

-- Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan

P.S. This is for you J, if you're reading. Look at the stars! Everything will be fine soon cos even the pain will pass.

Suki Exfoliating Foaming Cleanser

2012-01-11T10:05:00.000+08:00

Awesome face cleanser alert! Suki Exfoliating Foaming Cleanser is one superb award-winning organic face wash! Recently, I've switched over to fully organic stuff for quite a number of my skincare products and by far, the Suki Exfoliating Foaming Cleanser is one awesome organic product that I can say I totally love (more reviews for other products like stuff from The Organic Pharmacy coming soon)!

Suki Skincare makes great organic skincare products with high potency botanic concentrate that are free of all harmful toxins. They're tested for their efficacy in the lab by human beings and not animals. I love the fact that they're an ethical company that supports fair trade and are environmentally friendly. They use mostly glass packaging and minimize the use of plastic to be environmentally friendly and also ensure that the bees aren't harmed in the honey, beewax and royal jelly they use. Super awesome!

The first Suki product I tried has been such a great success that I'm hooked and I can't wait to try the rest of their products (kinda did already and so far so good! More next time). The Suki Exfoliating Foaming Cleanser is better than I expected! It's a sugar scrub cleanser with the goodness of lemongrass. The sugar provides a mild exfoliating effect with its grainy texture and natural alpha hydroxy acid while organic lemongrass purifies and chamomile soothes. It's gentle enough for daily use but you're supposed to use once a day instead of twice. For sensitive skin, use it up to 3 times a week instead.

For an organic product, this cleanser foams up pretty well to give a rich later, something quite rare among organic and natural products as they tend to foam less due to the lack of harsh sulphate. So this face cleanser is a total pleasure to use with its creamy foamy texture. The grainy texture isn't too coarse and it's fine for my everyday use despite my dry skin. All you need is just a small amount (size of 10 cent coin), rub gently to foam up in wet palms before applying to face in circular motion and rinse off.

Skin feels very clean, refreshed and not overly dried up. The scent of lemongrass is such a treat every time I use it and it smells so divine that I'm tempted to eat it. The only draw back is that it's in a jar and I would very much prefer a squeeze bottle but then it's Suki's mission to minimize the use of plastic so I shouldn't complain such first world issue, though I know some people are put off by having to dig out any skin care product from a jar.

According to Suki, many users cited refined skin and even skin after using the products. I'll have to wait for a bit more to see if that's true but with or without those claims, I simply LOVE it as a cleanser and I'm definitely sticking to this.

Toxics In, Toxics Out! Choose Non Toxic Products!

2012-01-08T21:40:00.000+08:00

GO ORGANIC! CUT TOXINS!!

That's my new mantra when it comes to my toiletries. I've always favored organic products but in the last two months or so, after doing some serious research and reading on the negative effects of chemicals in our everyday products, I've been progressively switching to organic for all the stuff I use from shower gel, shampoo to face cream. It's part of my plan in streamlining and buying less stuff by buying only good quality safe organic products that isn't a health hazard. It hasn't gone 100% organic yet but that's my plan in the next couple of months.

Meanwhile, here are some of my favorite organic stores and brands to check out!

Super Nature
@21 Orchard Boulevard, Park House
They're potentially my number one favorite place in Singapore! It's happiness every time I get there cos they have SUPER extensive range of organic everything from toiletries, homeopathic remedies to fresh meat and vegetable.

Bud Cosmetics
@Square2 (Novena) and Mandarin Gallery
My second favorite store for organic toiletries after Super Nature, they stock a pretty good selection of products including The Organic Phamarcy (not available at Super Nature) and Filthy Farm Girl soaps.

Pure Tincture
@OUB Plaza Level 4
Smaller range of organic products but they stock Suki Skincare, one of my favorites and have organic facials too. I'm gonna try that out soon.

Brown Rice Paradise
@Tanglin Mall & Siglap Center
This one needs no introduction, having been around for so long. I've been going to the Tanglin Mall outlet for the last 10 years I realize!

VitaKids
@Forum Shopping Center
Awesome selection of supplements!

Brands I love and use:
Suki Skincare
The Organic Pharmacy
Intelligent Nutrients
Avalon Organics
John Masters Organics
Sante
Balm Balm
Alba Organics

Choose organic! Choose well!

Consumerism Overhaul

2012-01-07T00:57:00.000+08:00

In my quest to simplify, de-clutter and streamline my stuff, my things and potentially my life in a recent overhaul exercise inspired by the book The Joy of Less, I've chanced upon a youtube video that is completely life-changing. It's totally changed the way I look at consumerism and capitalism and I'm so sure that my serendipitous discovery of this video clip (I chanced upon it while researching on safe organic toiletries!) is a sign that I REALLY must change the way I participate in the whole consumerism cycle.

The Story of Stuff is a project started by Annie Leonard in 2007 when she got fed up with the whole "Buy and throw away" culture, prompting her to investigate and dig deeper into the whole cycle of consumerism and what fuels its fire. Along the way, she's uncovered many ugly truths about consumerism and exposes its nasty underbellies that challenges the way we would (at least I did) look at consumerism.

It's a pretty long video but I savored every seconds of it and it'll be something I'll re-watch every now and then whenever I feel seduced by the lure of advertisers and big money-making corporations. I'm even more determined to go through a "consumerism rehab" and re-program myself to not "want" and "need" things too much! This video is truly life-changing for me!

Notable Quotable

2012-01-04T09:39:00.002+08:00

“It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool
than to open one's mouth and remove all doubts.”

― Abraham Lincoln

I really would like to tell this to a certain train wreck I see at work....sad case. Oh and a certain HR head whose pretending to know IT stuff is embarrassing. Zip it people, zip it!

January Muse

2012-01-03T17:46:00.000+08:00

Reading: The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide by Francine Jay. I've been on a mission to declutter, downsize and pare down my stuff. When I told my friends I'm gonna TRY to be minimalist, they all burst out laughing, knowing that shopping and buying stuff seems to be my super power. But really, perhaps one of this year's resolutions (I don't do resolutions btw) is to buy very selectively and to give/throw away all the stuff I don't need. This book is awesome as Francine teaches you how to declutter, drilling down to the the psychology of why people hoard their things. I've been decluttering some stuff and I love the feeling of chucking out old stuff and reclaiming space. It's a wake up call that the stuff I chuck out is money too and it's all from my senseless consuming and buying. So from now on, I'm gonna be very selective in the stuff that I get. Wish me luck!

Also reading Time Out Singapore. I check in on Time Out Singapore every now and then to keep up with all the stuff that's happening in this sunny island of durian eaters. Great tips on where to eat, what to see, where to go etc. A must-read if you're bored of your routine and would want something new to do and see.

Watching: Animations from the Ghibli Studio! How I love Hayao Miyazaki's work! My dad started me on it when I was 9 or so when he took me to watch my first Miyazaki cartoon, Laputa, Castle in the Sky. I've been a fan since, with special affinity to Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service because they're my childhood favorites. I've been re-watching Miyazaki animations over the holidays. LOVE them!

Later this month, I'll also be watching Giselle by The Paris Opera Ballet. I can't wait!! And I've got pretty good ticket!

Wearing: Diptyque Do Son Perfume. I got the solid perfume version of this lovely Tuberose scent. Will blog more about it another time. It's super nice and I love the packaging!

Also wearing a lot of my Vamoose necklace. So pretty! Perfect for layering!

Using: The Organic Pharmacy Antioxidant Cream. I was done with my Ole Henriksen moisturizer and I'm switching a lot of my face and body care to organic stuff. I got The Organic Pharmacy Antioxidant Cream this time. It smells divine with a nice citrus scent and nice texture that's quickly absorbed. I just started using it for about 2 weeks now. Will blog more about it soon when I can speak more about it, but so far so good.

Drinking: EveryDay Detox tea by Traditional Medicinals. I'm hooked on herbal tea and I'm drinking this one almost everyday. Traditional Medicinals makes really great herbal tea and I've got the night time sleep well tea as well for the occasional insomnia.

Loving: Hardly a sexy thing to love but I must admit I love using the NeilMed Netti Pot. The ceramic netti pot I bought in India broke long time ago and now I've replaced it with a plastic one from NeilMed. It comes with its salt mixture in convenient sachets and it does wonders for my sinus. I rinse my nose every night now. I know it sounds painful and uncomfortable to flush your nostrils but trust me, if you have sinus, this is a god sent! On top of keeping sinus at bay, ancient ayurvedic medicine also says using a netti pot balances the Ida (ying) and Pingala (yang) energy too.

Lusting after: The Dior Oui necklace. I love it. Plain and simple. Oui si vous plait!!

Hello 2012!

2012-01-02T17:12:00.001+08:00

Happy New Year! It's 2012 and I declined all party invitations and proudly and unabashedly slept through the whole count down as I always do. I just don't believe in the whole count down party thing as a new year isn't something worth celebrating in my book (unlike say winning the lottery or something like that).

Anyhow, I love the whole festive year end period for the holidays and the much needed break and I got a Happy New Year present from Mr Bear!

Ohh it's a box from Kids 21 and anything from the Club 21 group is good and et viola! Meet my new cuddly friend "Uncle Twinkle" the bunny!

I'm a big kid at heart and I still love my stuffed animals and this super luxurious one from Club 21 is sooo soft! I've always wanted it!

And new year, new stuff. I walked into Massimo Dutti and accident happened.

Bought a pair of super soft ballet flats and two leather bracelets. Nothing like some good old retail therapy to herald in a new year!

The amazing lavender hair oil

2011-12-29T16:25:00.000+08:00

I've come full circle with hair products and I've finally returned to using the trusted Oshima Tsubaki Camilia Oil for my hair.

A couple of years ago, I wrote about Oshima Tsubaki Camilia Oil and I loved it so much. I've since tried many products, including the famed The Moroccan Oil but nothing seems to work as well as the Camilia Oil. So in the spirit of my current mission to de-clutter (will tell you more about it soon, it's a project that is potentially laughable), I've junked all the lousy hair product rejects that's been sitting in a corner and pushed the trusty Camilia Oil on the pedestal. But this time with a twist.

The Oshima Tsubaki Camilia Oil is odorless and to make using it more pleasurable, I've blended in pure Lavender essential oil to make it smell divine and infuse an extra boost of goodness from Lavender.

There are many different grades of essential oil and a lot in the market are meant for diffusing with a burner and not suitable for applying to the skin. So when choosing essential oils for cosmetic purposes, go for the quality therapeutic grade type. It's a lot more expensive but it's worth the quality.

I use Lavender essential oil from Young Living. Young Living does amazing essential oils that's 100% pure and free from chemical. The Lavender oil they produce is so pure you can use it as food supplement and flavoring.

For my amazing Lavender Camilia Hair Oil, I added 24 drops to 40ml of Camilia oil and viola! Camilia Hair Oil with the lovely smell and nourishing properties of Lavender oil!

A note of caution when using Camilia oil; please use sparingly as it's very rich. For shoulder length hair, you probably need just one drop for the hair ends and two drops max. You can apply it either on damp or dry hair. I use about 3 drops on dry hair after blow dry and it keeps my ends moisturized and sleek.

Another way I like to use it is to apply more to the lower half of my hair half an hour before shampooing. I'll put about 6 to 8 drops so that it's a little greasy. Let it sink in and absorb for half an hour or as long as you can before shampooing and conditioning your hair as usual. The result is soft, nourished and manageable hair! Lovely!

Active Serum

2011-12-26T13:24:00.000+08:00

I'm experiencing a skin crisis!

Following the major disappointment and chin zits outbreak from the evil Lancome Visionnaire, I have to retract my previous review where I said the Visionnaire is an alright product. It is NOT. The Lancome Visionnaire is total rubbish! It is supposed to create beautiful skin blah blah blah but it did the exact opposite! It has caused major breakout and I've never had so much zit on my face even when I was in my teens. We're talking about serious zits, those deep embedded acne type where they don't go away and wouldn't pop and heal.

After reading Visionaire's ingredient list, I suspect its mineral oil, a big no no in skin care, is the cause of my break out. Google its review and you'll see there are some women who experienced break out too. My chin is now marred with some serious zits and my forehead has got a couple. It's tragic.

Cue iS Clinical Active Serum to the rescue!! With the amazing result of the iS Clinical Advance+ Serum, I've gone back to using iS Clinical products. To save my messed up skin thanks to the bloody lousy shit of Lancome Visionnaire, I'm trying the iS Clinical Active Serum this time instead because anti-acne is one of its three main properties.

Other than fixing acne, the Active Serum delivers anti-aging and brightening benefits. It supposed to reduce wrinkles, pigmentation and acne while refining the skin texture. Its potent mix of ingredients include sugar cane, bilberry, white willow bark, arbutin, and Kojic acid. Sounds pretty promising, and according to my aesthetic doctor friend, the Active Serum has an exfoliating effect and it's perfect for applying after toning and before other skincare products as it would prep the skin for proper absorption.

Again, iS Clinical product has proven to be the bee's knees and the Active Serum delivers exactly what it's supposed to! I've used it for less than 2 weeks and the results are rapid like it promises. First up, my zits heal really quickly. Small zits went away pretty swiftly and it tackles those deeply embedded ones too. It would normally take more than a month for those deep acne to go away cos they'll usually go stagnant and not budge. With the Active Serum, it went down remarkably overnight. They didn't disappear of course but they were a lot less swollen the next day and the healing process was at least twice as fast! What I do is, on top of applying about 6 drops all over the face, I massage a tiny amount onto the zit itself and that does the trick.

I can't speak for its anti-wrinkle properties since I haven't got much wrinkles, but I can vouch for its anti-acne result which has been stellar. My pores also got more refined too and it's simply brilliant! I'm now a 100% iS Clinical products convert and I can't wait to try the rest of the range! I might just use the remaining Lancome on my feet. Thank god I didn't buy the big bottle of that cow dung!

Notable Quotable

2011-12-22T09:08:00.000+08:00

‎"Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know...it just keeps returning with new names, forms, manifestations until we learn whatever it has to teach us about where we are separating ourselves from reality, how we are pulling back instead of opening up, closing down instead of allowing ourselves to experience fully whatever we encounter, without hesitating or retreating into ourselves."

-- Pema Chodron

Watch this!

2011-12-21T11:21:00.000+08:00

Lovely! Wish I could be as spirited as Agnes Varda at age 80 if I'm still alive at that age. Now I just gotta try and get the dvd on Amazon.

To be happier....

2011-12-20T09:07:00.000+08:00

1. Count your blessings 2. Give thanks, even to the small things 3. Be zen and don't sweat over small things 4. Forgive. Don't hold on to anger 5. Exercise! Endorphins = Happy Hormones 6. Be charitable. Do good, feel good. Give more, expect less 7. Sleep more 8. Focus on what you have, not what you lack 9. Live simply. Discover the joy of less 10. Choose the good people in life. Real Friends 1: Frenemies 0. Cut out toxic people 11. Make peace with your past/bad experiences/issues. Let them be your perfect teacher. Look forward 12. Be in the moment. BE HERE NOW 13. Be kind to YOURSELF (many people aren't) 14. See the +ve in things, situations and people. Don't be a Negative Nelly 15. Eat healthy. You are what you eat. Bad food=bad health=miserable 16. SMILE and breathe deeply. Exhale bad vibes 17. Don't harp on the bad things. Let them go 18. Be in healthy relationships. If you're in a toxic one, you'll know. Acknowledge it. Thank it. Get out of it 19. Be self-sufficient 20. Spend enough ME TIME with yourself. Solitude can be therapeutic 21. Be debt free. Debt=Financial stress 22. Love yourself. Remember that nobody is perfect. Accept your flaws, highlight your strengths, enjoy being you 23. Detox. Detox your body, detox your space (aka de-clutter), detox your people 24. Reflect often. Remember the things that matter 25. Choose Happiness. Happiness isn't an outcome or good luck. Happiness is a choice. Guard yours with all your might!

Image from The Minimalists

Lancome Visionnaire

2011-12-19T09:13:00.000+08:00

The Lancome Visionnaire was launched as a miracle in a gorgeous blue bottle. It made some serious headlines in the beauty world when it first came out, claiming that over half the women who used it chose to delay lasers, fillers and peels. A claim so big and powerful that probably warrants its own shrine with daily offerings of fresh lit candles.

So I got a bottle. How not to? With claims that's very much an exclamation marks galore!!!!!! Its secret sauce is the geeky sounding LR 2414 4% that's dubbed the breakthrough molecule responsible for smoothing wrinkles, refining pores, and correcting sun damage. It supposedly recreates beautiful skin. The product blurb gushes “Much more than a wrinkle-corrector, Lancôme's first skincare capable of fundamentally recreating more beautiful skin.”

I've been using this for about 3 weeks now and here's my advice to the Lancome marketing peeps: Let your product speak for itself and never hype up your products way too much.

As you can deduced, I'm not entirely thrilled. That's the problem with an over-hyped product; it got our expectation way too high. This isn't a horrid product. The texture is comfortable and easily absorbed but I don't see visible improvements or magical results. After 3 weeks (2 pumps every time), my skin doesn't feel much different. It's a little bit more even-toned but that's something many other products can deliver and I've seen better results with other cheaper products. So no, I don't experience much other than a very slight improvement in skin tone and I'm a bit disappointed as I was expecting more from this.

The worst part is that, yes, the skin seems marginally more evenly-toned but I'm breaking out around the chin area and I'm someone who don't normally get zits! And these are deep zits; those painful ones that don't go away easily! I honestly suspect the Visionnaire has something to do with the zits as I googled for some reviews and there are quite a lot of women who got zits from it. Let's hope it isn't the case but if the zits aren't going away, I'm throwing it out of the window and cry blue murder.

Another thing I really don't like about the product, or most Lancome products for that matter, is the smell. Yes, I love nice smelling things but Visionnaire has a very strong smell reminiscent of men's deodorant that's very artificial. That's my personal preference of course and I'm sure there're other people who would appreciate the scent.

Then it also got me thinking that if this is Lancome's bee's knees of an anti-aging serum, does that render their other magic sauce Genifique Youth Activator not as good? The sales person said to use both. BOTH? Sorry, but I don't think so.

So the verdict is, it's not a bad product but it didn't do magic for me like it claims it would. Perhaps I'm just one of those whose skin didn't benefit from Visionnaire as I've seen quite a lot of positive reviews online. I doubt I'll buy it again unless my skin suddenly got so damn good within the next 2 weeks. iS Clinical Super Serum is still my favourite and once I'm done with Visionnaire, I'm definitely crawling back to iS Clinical with my tail tucked between my legs, all ready for the imaginary "I told you so!".

Yoga 2.0

2011-12-16T10:49:00.000+08:00

I'm back on the mat. After a 5-year hiatus, I've somehow found my way back on the mat again and this time, it's so much more mellowed, and a hell lot better.

Yoga was introduced to me in my teens by my cool aunt, after an ankle injury forced me to detour from doing classical ballet the professional route. I was given a copy of the original Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar in its orange cover with Iyengar illustrating all the fascinating bendy poses.

What started as my rehab got all serious when I hit my early twenties. The perfect post-yoga mental calm was just what I needed at that time; an effective antidote to the mental stress brought on by a constant existential crisis and an avalanche of bad romantic situations. It was an hour and a half of Ashtanga before sun rise and an hour and a half of Iyengar for alignment at night, six days a week, with a subscription of Yoga Journal and a shelf full of yoga books thrown in no less.

Then came the teacher training course of almost 2 years and yoga trips in India at Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai and Sri Pattahbis Jois in Pune, completed with the infamous "Delhi Belly" for 2 weeks post-India (strange cos I thought I would get it during India). Next, I found myself studying the Vedas, The Yoga Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita and Vedantic text, all of which now covered in dust on my bookshelves. I was so devoted I could write in Sanskrit the entire opening prayer of Ashtanga yoga which I made myself learn by dictation.

It was hardcore. Yoga was me. I lived, breathed, ate, talked yoga and even dated a yoga teacher (who turned out to be a big mistake!). Then, came subbing in for a couple of Ashtanga classes at On The Mat (now defunct, used to be at Robertson Walk) before teaching 5 classes a week while holding a job in a luxury company.

That completely ruined it. Teaching yoga was fun for the first couple of weeks. I loved my yoga practice but hated teaching. The whole "Find something you love to do and you'll never have to work for the rest of your life" is a complete farce for me. Instead of doing my practice in a 6am Mysore class, I was teaching, adjusting my students in different stages of their "pretzel-ness" when all I really wanted is just to do my own practice. Led classes were even more tedious, with the constant need to give out instructions on the asanas, watching everyone and correcting them. My dream job turned out to be a complete drudgery and it was a disappointment I couldn't understand.

First the teaching stopped and slowly, over a period of a year or so, my 6 days a week routine whittled down to drips and drabs before drying down to nothingness. I have no idea how it happened. I traded yoga for Power Plate training and pole dancing but despite being physically fitter and stronger, something's missing.

Then, some weeks back, I clutched my mat and went back to the yoga studio I started out at over a decade ago and then I feel home again.

This time, gone are the obsession and addiction of using yoga as a form of escape and respite from my troubles, it feels so much more mellowed. Yoga used to bring me peace in the 20s but for the simple reason that I wasn't at peace with myself then, my dependence on yoga manifested into a somewhat toxic reliance on it. It was too serious, too intense and it burnt out.

Now that I'm a lot more at peace with things, yoga brings new perspectives, new joy and new teachings. There's no gripping, no stress, no pressure. The way yoga should be.

Namaste.

Wonderful World

2011-12-16T09:27:00.000+08:00

Beautiful and breathtaking! David Attenborough and the documentary makers are such amazing bunch! I'm always amazed by the patience and hardship of making documentaries in extreme conditions. Happy Friday folks!

But just don't watch the part where the animals get killed for food or polar bear cub got missing and died. Don't say I never warn you! I was mildly traumatized watching the full version....

Notable Quotable

2011-12-15T12:32:00.000+08:00

"Some people never go crazy.

What truly horrible lives they must lead."

-Charles Bukowski

Accidental Purchase

2011-12-13T22:14:00.000+08:00

I'm very accident prone when it comes to accidentally buying stuff. I was merely accompanying my colleague to Rock Star to get a pair of Toms shoes during lunch today and I walked out with a river stone and brass necklace from The Vamoose.

The Vamoose pieces are all handmade by brand owner, Kathryn Blackmore, in the UK with natural stones. Awesome designs great for layering! I wish they have more stocks and designs at Rock Star but you can always order online. I might just get the hammered brass necklace too cos it's so pretty!

December Muse

2011-12-11T12:17:00.002+08:00

OMG, it's December! This year, there's no going back home for Christmas for me cos I've started a new job and I didn't expect to feel so lousy not going home for festive :( But it's okay cos I guess it makes me value the time with them more. Anyway, here's a delayed December Muse....been so damn busy! I'm looking forward to the much much-needed long Christmas weekend!

Reading: November Issue of Monocle...yes, I'm a laggard cos it's already December but I simply had no time to read at all! So I'm reading the back issue cos it's an issue on food. Not just gourmet food but supermarket grocer, fast food (MOS Burger made it to Monocle) etc etc...

Listening to: The Best of Vanessa Paradis....Love the easy listening and soothing girlie voice. Perfect for the rainy weather of December. She's definitely one of my favorite celebrities! LOVE!

Drinking: Clipper Organic Chamomile tea with lemon balm and honey. Comfort in a cup...again, perfect for rainy days and it's soooo delicious and immensely satisfying. Definitely one of the many simple joys in life.

Wearing: Lululemon City to Yoga jacket. I'm supposed to not buy any Lululemon stuff cos I've got enough but when I saw this cute jacket with nice scallop edges and a peplum, I couldn't resist. It's super comfy and warmer than the usual Define Jacket. Didn't experience any buyer's regret at all!

Versace for H&M red dress. I call this the Superman dress cos it comes with a cape and my lovely friend snatched one for me. It's in my book, the classiest piece in the collection. I haven't worn it cos I need to get past the chili red colour since I've never been a red person but I think I'll wear this for Christmas dinner or something. Fits perfectly and very comfy fabric.

Using: Lancome Visionaire Serum. It contains LR 2412 and in plain English, it means it's supposed to give you good skin with finer texture, smaller pores, improved pigmentation and reduced fine lines. Fact or fiction? I can't say yet cos I've just started using and I'll write a review a little later. Right now I can only say that the texture is good and light since it absorbs very quickly but as with all Lancome products, I hate the heavy scent that's artificial.....this one unfortunately smells like men's deodorant. I wish Lancome can go easy on the smell. I like nice smelling stuff but I hate smells that's too artificial, especially for stuff I put on my face.

Loving: OPI Rainbow Connection. This is just so awesome! I don't care if it's a total bitch to remove it but I love the colours and the metallic look. Goes with everything and I actually have a matching Ante Prima wire bag for the colors!

Dogeared Emerald Jade necklace. It's simple and so pretty. I still haven't got sick of it and I don't think I will. I love the green and gold combination.

Waiting for: Toms Wedges. I've been wearing Toms classic for awhile and I wasn't sure whether to get the wedges when they first came out due to the mixed reviews, but I couldn't resist and got a black pair and it's on the way to me. I'll let you know if it hurts my feet or if it's the best thing after slice bread when it's here.

Wishing for: Better welfare for all the animals in the world, great health for my loved ones &Mr Bond, and more compassion and kindness.

Separation Anxiety

2011-12-05T23:10:00.001+08:00

We're hardly like peanut butter and jelly. Tom & Jerry or Itchy & Scratchy might be closer to reality. We fight with each other, scream at each other, drive each other crazy, subject each other to the whole cold shoulder treatment, but we always make up. Angry words are always forgiven and shouting matches quickly forgotten (well, usually at least). Such is my relationship with my mom; an amazing one in fact.

I see my mother once every few months when she flies in for her month-long sojourn, a couple of times a year. A somewhat permanent arrangement that has started over a decade ago. She comes and goes like a seasonal migrating bird and that's the drill. Although it's one that I never quite get used to.

So human beings and animals alike are programmed to get used to things. You do the same thing all the time over some months, or some say 21 days, and it becomes a habit. Repeat that over a couple of years and it'll be like second nature. Only that for my mommy situation here, I simply don't get used to her leaving after every month-long stay. Sixteen years and counting, I say hello to separation anxiety every time I bid my mommy goodbye. Every time she goes, the fiercely independent grown up who could effectively change light bulbs turns into the same homesick whiny teen 16 years ago. I get moody. I get emotional. I get homesick. You get the drift.

This morning when I left for work, I'm that whiny moody adolescent all over again, only that it seems more acute this time. Of course some things in life you really don't get used to but I blame this heightened sense of separation anxiety on aging. The fact that I've grown much older to be reminded of the fact that our time together on this earth is limited; that I've matured enough to really appreciate my mom for who she is and what she's done for me; that I've been living by myself long enough to cherish the company of my own mother; and that I relish that sense of security for the simple reason that she's my mom.

So yes, I'm somewhat moody now because I miss my mom tremendously. 世上只有妈妈好Translation: Mom's the only great thing in the world. Yes, really. Even when she drives me up the wall at times. I love my mom!

Feel Good Supply

2011-12-04T23:39:00.000+08:00

"It's too short!"....That's my answer to the standard "How's your weekend?"....Hopefully the lovely tea would make office a wee bit more bearable. Heavy week ahead!

Pukka Cleanse, Organic tea with Nettle, Fennel and Peppermint
Clipper Chamomile with Lemon Balm & Manuka Honey
Dr Bronner's Rose Magic Soap
Dr Bronner's Organic Hand Sanitizer

Beagle Freedom Project

2011-12-02T23:22:00.002+08:00

I just have to post this wonderful video. The Beagle Freedom Project has a mission to rescue beagles that are caged up for animal testing in laboratories. All of these dogs spent their entire lives in a small cage and the Beagle Freedom Project helps rescue them before putting them up for adoption.

This beautiful clip documented the first time these beagles get to enjoy freedom. It's so heartwarming and I sincerely hope that one day, there'll be no more animal testing. All I want for Christmas this year is a cruelty-free life for every animal that roams the Earth.....

Notable Quotable

2011-12-02T21:16:00.000+08:00

"I don't care what you think about me. I don't think of you at all"

-- Coco Chanel

Oh how I love this quote cos it's my kinda of quote...especially to nasty backstabbers/frenemies/jealous peeps etc....fabulous!

Home made cat food

2011-11-30T21:21:00.000+08:00

I've been a responsible "mother cat" to my Mr Bond. Since taking him to the famed Dr Jean Paul Ly who specializes in nutrition and natural therapy, I've been making homemade wholesome pet food for my furry boy after hearing Dr Ly's lecture on the evilness of commercial pet food.

Now if pet food and nutrition bores you, you might want to skip this post. I'm it's gonna be a somewhat long one on it and I feel the need to do my duty and spread the homemade pet food gospel.

After doing my own extensive research online and speaking with my Aussie friend who's also a vet who advocate homemade raw food, I'm so abhored by the shitty and harmful commercial pet food that I feel the need to do a post on it so whoever read my post with pets might benefit. I mean I'll have to try right? I only wish I had known this earlier and started Mr Bond on good decent food. I try to stop kicking myself for being ignorant until now!

To spare you the eye damage of reading pages after pages of reports and research on why commercial pet food is bad, here's the gist of it:

Commercial pet food brands care more about their profit margins than your pets' health. I mean after all, it's a business and they need to make money
Low quality ingredients are used in commercial pet food. When they say it's chicken meal, you get chicken parts like feathers (seriously), becks and feet thrown in and that probably make up the biggest bulk since it's cheaper than the real meat parts of the chicken. The same goes for other types of meat
Dry food is the worst as they're always processed in high temperature for a prolonged period and all the nutrients are destroyed in the cooking process. Not to mention the amount of preservatives added as it's meant to keep over a long period of time
Dry kibbles all have artificial flavors and additives added so that it's tasty to your pets and pets always get addicted to it. Some pets are so addicted that they wouldn't eat anything else. It's the same way some humans are addicted to bad junk food or soda sugared drinks. If your pets are addicted, you don't change brand and they get more profits
Dry kibbles have been the main cause for an increase in urinary and kidney diseases in animals. Wet food is better but they, too, are processed in high temperature and their nutrients are gone and protein denatured
The evilness of commercial pet food affects cats more compared to dogs as cats are biologically pure carnivore. It means they should be having a very high protein diet (at least 80%) and their bodies aren't meant to digest grains (carbs) and vegetable. Doing so means health issues like diabetes, obesity and kidneys issues etc. Commercial dry food often use plant protein to cut cost since it's cheaper and a lot of feline dry food is nothing but "meat flavored cereal" and it is known to cause kidney diseases and urinary problems that can be lethal
A lot of vets push commercial pet food saying it's healthy and optimal but do you know that a lot of these commercial pet food companies actually sponsor and produce education materials for vetinerarian studies???? Very smart of them to brain wash vets

Okay, this is just the gist of it and it's by no means all. Far from it in fact. So with Mr Bond being plagued by urinary problems (one bladder stones removal surgery already) and kidney stones (small ones that got recently discovered), I'm not taking any chance and I'm making homemade cat food good enough for my own consumption (minus the seasoning of course). If I won't eat it, I won't feed it. And here's the recipe that even Mr Bond, the finicky and fussy eater, would eat:

Minced LEAN chicken meat. Please remove skin if you're mincing your own meat
Pumpkin and brown rice (organic if possible and you can replace pumpkin with carrots or broccoli and even dou miao, but never put onion, garlic and grapes as they are toxic to cats)
Flaxseed oil
Vitamin E oil (buy the ones in capsulated oil form and you can then squeeze it in)
Multi vitamin for your pet (I recommend Life Extension Cat/Dog Mix)

I don't have the exact measurement of it cos Dr Ly told me that it's not that strict but keep in mind that it has to be mainly protein, so I'm doing a 80% protein and 20% veggie and carbs. However, cats with kidney problems would have to take in less protein and I would recommend doing perhaps 50% protein, but check with your vet first.

To make it, it's quite easy breezy. Cook brown rice as how you would cook rice. One cup of rice to 2 cups of water. Simple but make sure you cook the rice well and it's all soft and not half cooked etc. Then cut the pumpkin in chunks and blanch it in boiling water for a while until it's a bit soft but not mushed up. Next, throw both into a food blender and blend into small tiny bits.

Once that's done, mix it with the meat according to the nutritional needs of your cat as mentioned earlier (check with vet if you're unsure). I do a 80% meat and 20% veggie. Add in a tea spoon of flax seed oil and a few drops of vitamin E (2 or 3 drops is fine and not too much cos it's got a bit of bitter taste) per 100g or so. Mix well.

Then group them in small servings that you would feed per meal (I feed about 100g a day, 100g is suitable for cats. For dogs, check with vet), freeze them in the freezer for 3 days. You can clump them into meat balls and cling wrap them before freezing. Freezing the meat for 72 hours would kill off any potential parasites but in general, the meat you get from the super market is pretty safe to begin with.

To feed, take one out and defrost IN THE FRIDGE. It'll take about 8 to 10 hours for a solid lump of frozen meat to defrost nicely in the fridge. So it it out at night to defrost over night so it's in time for the morning and defrost one in the morning so it's in time for night. You get the drift. And here comes the most important part.

It's supposed to be fed raw. Yes, RAW. Raw food diet is the best as both cats and dogs are biologically built to digest raw meat. It's how nature intend it to be. RAW. If they're in the wild, they'll eat their meat raw and cats would hunt for small mice and they eat them raw. According to Dr Ly's over 30 years of veterinarian experience, the healthiest and longest living pets are those who were/are fed raw food diet. I wouldn't elaborate more but do your own research and you'll find out that raw is really the best way to go.

Initially, to help with the switch, you can blanch it a little in boiling water so it's cooked on the outside and raw on the inside. After that, mix in a scoop of multi vitamin and you're ready to serve.

To help transition your kitty to new food, raw one especially, slowly switch over by adding a bit into the current food and slowly adding more over a period until it becomes totally acceptable. Mr Bond was relatively open to it and it took him about 2 weeks to transition fully to raw food.

Once your kitty accepts raw food, to warm up the meat, just cling wrap (use the microwave cling wrap) the meat and put the whole thing in hot water before feeding.

Now, one important note is to discard leftover raw food after you leave it out for an hour. Given the weather here, you don't want to leave it out too long.

It's really easier than it sounds. I really enjoy making cat food these days and I make it once every 2 weeks. Mr Bond has been on it for a little more than a month now and I could see that he's peeing better as raw meat provides more water content which is essential and very crucial for cats with urinary and bladder problems. He's due for a review in about a month's time and I'll then get to know more about how he's doing with the new diet.

If you're interested to switch your furry buddies to healthy homemade diet, please do more research and read more and check with your vets before making the swtich!

Marni for H&M

2011-11-29T21:57:00.000+08:00

Oh hallelujah! Marni for H&M in March! Overnight queue alert! I hope my buddy still works at H&M next March!

Rainbow Connection

2011-11-27T22:39:00.000+08:00

Sometimes all it takes is just a nice name for successful marketing. A self-proclaimed muppets fan whose childhood songs included The Rainbow Connection, it's illegal for me to not own the OPI Rainbow Connection from the Muppets Holiday Collection!

It's pretty festive with multi colour glitters and I'm gonna wear it solid. The trick is to paint it with a dabbing movements to deposit all the glitters so they fully pave the nails before sealing it with a thick layer of top coat. I love the metallic look it gives and I absolutely LOVE IT! It's very bling!

Happy Turkey Day!

2011-11-24T22:09:00.000+08:00

I don't eat Turkey (or meat in general) but I think Turkey Day aka Thanksgiving trumps Christmas.So while eating my Tofurky (aka tofu turkey) with cranberry sauce, here are the things I'm thankful for (an abridged version of course):

A roof over my head, enough food to keep me nourished, warm comfy bed (with high thread-count egyptian cotton sheets no less!), and great aircon
Hot showers on demand (I know how it's like to have no water for days while being stuck in the lethal Typhoon Morakat in 2009)
Relatively good health
Family, despite not having them around all the time. I love my parents and sister despite at times we drive each other crazy
Having a good upbringing and education my folks gave me
The amazing Mr Bond. The best cat ever whom I love to bits
My awesome boyfriend who's also my bff
The fact that I have a new job that pays better
Lovely friends
Grey's Anatomy (but I'm angry the next episode is only 3 Jan 2012! Argh cliff hanger woes)
NW Tabloid...sorry, but I love my tabloids
Accidentally discovered I actually have a $500 travel allowance every month today! Woohoo!
Having a fabulous bag collections and a decent wardrobe

And last but not least.....

For all the evil people/frenemies/assholes/busy comfort cabs/nay sayers/shit experiences in my life cos they're life's best teachers

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

This is love....

2011-11-20T12:41:00.002+08:00

One of the most amazing love stories that put most heterosexual couples to utter shame....this IS love....

Decked for the weekend

2011-11-18T23:12:00.000+08:00

Weekend stash:
-New Weekly (sorry, I'm addicted to tabloids, if the stars get $20million a movie, I want their privacy)
-Allure
-Monocle
-Gossip Girl
-Grey's Anatomy (OMG OMG I LOVE, LOVE it!!!)

Gonna be a stay-in weekend!

Mid Week Perk Me Up

2011-11-16T21:10:00.000+08:00

I accidentally bought a necklace. Technically, this isn't a new necklace because I've had the same necklace in another stone but I lost it and so, I'm REPLACING it. So again, technically, I didn't really buy stuff, I merely replaced.

To say that I've had a crazy week would be an understatement considering I was so busy I didn't have time to pee till 4pm on Monday. The crazy week would be spilling over to the weekend too as I have the misfortune of being mobilized at work this Saturday. Pretty full on for the second week of my new gig. Right at the deep end of the pool but I'm actually swimming fine! Despite the ridiculous rush and madness, I'm thriving on the adrenaline rush cos time passes real fast! Before you know it, it's time to go home! So I deserve a necklace!

And hello my jade Healing Gem necklace from Dogeared, one of my favorite brands of affordable accessories from the US. I love it's super simple with just a drop of jade (available in many other stones as well as in sterling silver too). Perfect for layering but it's equally beautiful when it's worn alone too. I had so much problem sticking to just buying one but the green and gold combination makes it pop.

The number one peril of working in town is compulsive shopping! What was supposed to be an innocent trip to follow my colleague to pick up something ended up with me getting a new Dogeared necklace. I'll need to be a hell lot more disciplined these days. Wish me luck!

On all things cute & kiddy

2011-11-13T22:49:00.000+08:00

I have a lot lip balms. So many that my collection of lip balm should be a singular noun to indicate its un-countability. Tube, tin, tub, strawberry, mint, gloss, organic. You name it, I have it. Possibly enough to supply a ~~village~~ truckload full of people.

I've vowed not to buy another one but I simply couldn't resist this limited edition Ettusais Lip Essence with The Little Twin Stars! This is an awesome lip balm which has always been one of my many favourites (read more on my previous post), so it's okay. It's justifiable. I can leave it at my work desk cos I need one at work. I'm sure there's some research out there that has shown employees with no lip balm at desk get less bonus. So yes, off to the cashier it went.

Well, I don't exactly need it but I just want The Little Twin Stars! I mean, hello! It's The Little Twin Stars! Not just random boring nondescript Ettusais Lip Essence but one with The Little Twin Stars on it!

Like most XX-chromosomed Asians, it's in my DNA to love all things cute, especially Japanese characters from Sanrio's entourage of cuteness personified. So yes, I've loved Hello Kitty and The Little Twin Stars unabashedly since age five and I don't see sign of it changing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those freak adults who carry Hello Kitty bag, wear pink Hello Kitty tee shirt with purple bobby pins in my hair but I do like a small cutesy items here and there. A Hello Kitty note pad or key chain for the office keys or perhaps a small cute Little Twin Stars pouch to hold the tampons. Something like that. You get the drift. While friends have grown out of these cute and kiddy things, the compulsion to gravitate towards cutesy stuff is still in me, completely intact.

Being denied of cute kiddy stuff as a child while the rest of my peers had cool Hello Kitty and Sanrio everything, it doesn't take a shrink to tell that childhood deprivation drives my obsession. But another reason that I still do, sometimes excessively, is simply because these cute stuff reminds me of the time when things were simple and when I was easily satisfied with small things.

Childlike, not childish, I would tell whoever grimaced at my cute purchase. We're all supposed to grow up and be an adult and yes we all did, didn't we? After all, we've gone through the growing pains of bitchy high school days, some broken hearts, and perhaps occasional sleep nights of freaking out over credit card debts. So we all qualify to say that we have all grown in some ways. But then whatever happened to those little things that used to make us happy and thrilled? What the hell happened to the days when a chocolate ice cream or a devilishly big slice of Sara Lee pound cake used to be such a treat that you savored it like it's the best thing in the world? What about that thrill of having a new fancy scented erase? How about your good old teddy bear sitting forlornly in the corner of the room that you used to cuddle to sleep? What? You threw it away? How could you? You used to love it so much didn't you?

The magic is gone! What the hell happened?

But you know what? Cute things remind me of those days. The days when I got thrilled and all butterflied over what I take for granted these days. Go look at The Little Twin Stars, Hello Kitty, Miffy et all. They're all happy, chirpy, nothing bad ever happens, and that once magical feeling is back in a utopia of cuteness.

I'm not about to give them up because I've lost so many little things that used to light up my face and in my pensive mood, I mourn for their demise every now and then.

The innocent tube of The Little Twin Stars lip balm made me smile. So no, it's not JUST another lip balm. It's THE Little Twin Stars lip balm and it is quite a big deal! And I'm relieved that it still has that effect on me and I haven't entirely lost .

Quickie...

2011-11-11T00:01:00.000+08:00

BUSY BUSY BUSY!

I've just started a new job and have been kinda busy and thus the lack of posts!

Meanwhile, I've picked up a new hobby and it's making homemade raw pet food. Yes, I'm saying goodbye to the evil commercial pet food that's actually harmful to our furry companion pets after speaking with the super awesome vet Jean Paul Ly who specializes in animal nutrition, and much research later, I'm sold that homemade RAW pet food is the best way to go. Evil profit-oriented pet food companies are probably gonna burn in hell scooping animal poo next time for all the horrible and unhealthy pet food they produce for our furry friends!

But yes, I'm actually having fun making pet food every week for my lovely cat Mr Bond! And seeing him eat up my concoction has been such a rewarding feeling! Will do a post on pet food soon cos I feel obliged to spread the healthy pet food gospel a little!

Now stay tuned!

I don't want your life

2011-11-04T13:48:00.002+08:00

"Because I don't want your life. It isn't good enough. "

That's exactly what I would say tonight when nosy distant relatives ask me why I'm not married or haven't popped the 2.5 kids.

With the big ass reunion dinner pending, I'm dreading to rekindle any vague family relations from mom's side of the family. Distant relatives I don't know well but whose kids of similar age as I, have been objects of comparison since time immemorial.

Being vertically challenged all my life, it was annoying to say the least when I was lined up with other kids back to back to compare height. Never mind the blow on the confidence. Then came the game of school results comparo, and I didn't fare well either.

The rest of the kids, of course welcomed this comparing game with a boost in their feel good department as reward. So much so that those little evil drones would scream "Let's compare height!!" the moment we meet when even the blind could tell that I'm at the losing end. Not fun.

As a kid, I wouldn't have thought that genetics issue plays a big part in how tall I'd grow, and neither did I consider the fact that I went to an elite school for the gifted (or rich) and that scoring a "C" there would mean an "A" in other schools. That took me years to realize and even more years to shake off that sense of inferiority.

Adults are so cruel to subject their kids to this kind of rubbish.

To say that I'm not looking forward to tonight would be an understatement, especially when all of those kids have all blossomed into real adults. You know that type of real adults? Married with 2.5 kids type with a tiny apartment and second hand Toyota Camry? Yes, those. Again, I'm the odd one out and the whole shebang of "Do you have a boyfriend?", "When are you getting married?" or "You should really have kids soon!" ensued. Not fun again.

Society punishes those who don't conform but tonight I shall speak my mind to live up to my reputation as the odd one out. The conformists play nice, stay polite and smile. The odd one out will tell them as it is: "I don't want your life because it's boring. Marriage is redundant. Divorce is messy. Kids are such burden. I want to live life the way I want and it's quite different from yours because yours is frankly, underwhelming. That's why I'm not married with 2.5 kids."

So yes, the odd one out has grown up to not let conformists bully her anymore. So there, I don't want your life.

November Muse

2011-11-01T11:34:00.000+08:00

Hello from Hong Kong! It's already November!!!

Reading: Deluxe. How Luxury lost its lustre by Dana Thomas. In my previous blog post, I wrote about counterfeit goods and how it's a vicious trade that's more than buying a couple of fake bags. A lot of the info came from the book and now I'm reading the entire book. Dana Thomas' book expounds on the history of luxury goods and how the luxury industry is no longer true to its milieu with the emergence of counterfeit business. It's an extremely interesting read!

Listening to: Smash by Martin Solveig. Very happy tunes, especially Hello featuring Dragonette. Perfect for my break in Hong Kong now. Happy music and very snappy.

Drinking: Rainforest Ultimate Acai Meal Replacement. My TCM doctor ordered me to up my protein intake to counteract fatigue. Clearly, my mostly vegetarian diet (probably 95% with some occasional sashimi) isn't giving me enough protein, so roll in the Rainforest Ultimate Acai Meal Replacement. It's a plant protein based shake that gives 25g of protein per shot with an additional dose of nutritious Acai berry. Perfect protein supplement for me.

Using: Ettusais Mineral BB Powder. My Jurlique Rose Silk Finishing Powder died a sudden death thanks to my maid. She dropped it into the toilet bowl and flooded all the powder. End of story. So i bought the Ettusais Mineral BB Powder and it's so good I feel that the Jurlique is destined to fall into the toilet bowl instead! The powder is silky fine and goes on smoothly for a nice even finish. The coverage is light but it's precisely what I want. It's got pretty good staying power for a powder and it does cut shine too. It's a good lighter alternative to the Ettusais Sparkling Pack which I super love too.

Wearing: Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue perfume. I'm revisiting this old favorites. So fresh and I just never get sick of it.

Zara Sequin Skirt. The awesome perfect sequin skirt! It's not too sparkly in this nice nude shade. Pair it with a crisp white shirt and a pair of nude pumps for a sophisticated look that can bring you from day to night. I love it!

Loving: My new Balenciaga Giant Work bag in black and rose gold hardware. I've decided that I kinda hate the Celine Luggage Tote for the simple reason that it's never available. They literally get snapped up the moment they hit the store and honestly, that kind of crazy obsession with it really puts me off wanting one. So when I saw the Balenciaga Giant Work in black and rose gold hardware, I went for it cos I've been wanting the black and rose gold combination for awhile and here it is! A new addition to my Balenciaga family. I'm loving the bigger size than my purple City, very roomy and I love big bags.

Bose QC15 Headphones! I got this as one of my birthday "package" from the amazing Mr Bear. It's such a god sent for flight as it cuts out all the noisy airplane engine sound and you get some lovely quiet time on the plane. It comes with an adapter for the in-flight entertainment system so you can watch movies with awesome sound! Amazing!!

Lusting after: Lanvin flats! I'm always willing to splurge on bags cos good ones last forever, but when it comes to shoes, I'm a total Scrooge cos you stomp on them and then they die. But these Lanvin flats are so damn freaking comfy and well made that I'm really trying very very hard to resist!!

Oscar Blandi Hair Lift

2011-10-31T14:53:00.000+08:00

In Chinese, there's a fancy term for hair and it's called "The three thousand strands of troubled silk" or "三千烦恼丝", implying the problem-inducing nature of our hair. It can't be more apt, considering there aren't too many people who truly have no issues with the hair they're born with. In fact, I don't know anyone who are 100% happy with their hair.

While some are complaining about having hair that's too thick, I have flat, limp, baby fine hair as my hair woes. It's annoying because it means bad hair days aplenty. My hair is so flat and limp that I can't have short hair because the style won't stay, especially in the tropical heat. Then, with long hair, the crown gets too flat and heavy. So naturally, my hair woes have long sent me looking for volumnizing products. Years later and lots of money wasted on volumizers that don't deliver, I finally found one that actually does what it promises!

If flat and fine hair is giving you bad hair day, then you would want to go to Sephora and buy Oscar Blandi Hair Lift. Like now! You can thank me later!

Now this is one product that really thickens hair and I can feel the difference for once. It's supposed to be a serum but I find that its focus is still on thickening your hair and doesn't give that swooshy smooth feel that other repair serums do. So I would still use my MoroccanOil before applying this for a boost of extra nourishment.

You apply a dollop (I use one pump) on wet hair from roots to ends before styling it as usual and viola! Fuller thicker hair! If you want extra oomph, apply some volumizing mousse, focusing on the crown bit, before blasting your hair dry with hair dryer. It's great!

The only issue I have is the price. It's going at $45 SGD which is pretty steep and I'm not sure how long a bottle will last. But "Cheap thing not good, good thing not cheap", you get what you pay for. So if you're looking for some serious thickening product, this one works!

Poupée de cire, poupée de son

2011-10-26T11:55:00.000+08:00

One of my favourites old French songs....

And 2 more days before the "Emancipation of Miss B" and then back home to see my folks...woohoo...

Happy Public Holiday people!

(Untitled) Maison Martin Margiela

2011-10-25T11:22:00.000+08:00

Et Voila!

Courtesy of the amazing Mr Bear who got me the Untitled by Maison Martin Margiela from the US and I love it! It's a very unique unisex scent that opens with green floral notes of Galbanum and Boxwood that's fresh yet smokey. The smokey incense note with a hint of bitter orange that's almost resin-like (similar to Lalique's Encre Noire) and it's quite apparently though not overwhelming. It's masculine with a wee bit of dirty feel that's dangerously sexy and very bad ass. The dry down has a very light jasmine note that balances out the smokey notes well before it goes into a musky cedar base that is soft but with much transparency for a smokey scent.

In short, it's green floral with smokey notes that is suitable for everyday wear and it's definitely not one of those that smells like another perfume, so if you like green notes and don't want to smell like everyone else, this would be My wannabe nose said it's best as a late summer early autumn scent though the green notes make it appropriate for our hot tropics too. The silage is good and it does last quite well.

Its being wearable is something different from the avant garde fashion house's runway creation, but its wearability is definitely something I welcome. Much as I love fragrances as a work of art, its wearability is of utter importance to me. If I only want to smell it on a blotter and not on myself, then it's not working cos a candle would do the trick. There are many artsy fragrances that fall under that category like many of the Comme des Garçons' perfume creations. So yes, Untitled by Maison Martin Margiela is quite a success, especially with its oh-so beautiful bottle. The simple yet gorgeous flacon is hand dipped into white resin to contrast the green juice so stunningly. Oh, and like any couture stuff, it that comes with its own dust bag too. Simply lovely!

Notable Quotable

2011-10-24T10:43:00.000+08:00

"Why do people say 'Grow some balls'? Balls are weak and sensitive! If you really wanna get tough, grow a vagina. Those things take a pounding."

-- Betty White

Jason Wu for Target

2011-10-21T11:06:00.000+08:00

“My muses are always unexpected, a little whimsical. A model, or even a cat.”

Target's collaboration with Jason Wu has got me a bit giddy! I want! Mr Bond would approve! Happy Friday! Hello weekend!

Now Playing....

2011-10-20T09:55:00.000+08:00

Boys & Girls - Martin Solveig ft Dragonette

Naive - Lily Allen (cover)

Young Folks - The Kooks (nice cover of the original)

Diamonds are Forever - Arctic Monkeys (at Glastonbury)

Fluorescent Adolescent - Kate Nash

Gimme Some - Peter Bjorn and John

Mowgli Road - Marina & The Diamonds

Super Serum

2011-10-19T10:01:00.000+08:00

With a name like Super Serum, you would have big expectations and given the avalanche of face products out there promising the world, the name "Super Serum" would normally be a hype; only that for the iS Clinical Super Serum Advance+, I've come to conclude that it is somewhat of a fact.

Say hello to my favourite serum du jour, the iS Clinical Super Serum Advance+! It has successfully knocked my previous favourite, the Aesop Parsley Seed Antioxidant Serum, off its reigning throne as Miss B's must-have serum.

Created by innovative clinical skincare brand iS Clinical, the Super Serum Advance+ is brimming with antioxidants that promise to reduce wrinkles, boost collagen, lighten hyper pigmentation and promote scar healing. It's apparently a favourite among many aesthetic doctors and dermatologists. Having been using it for the last one month, I can absolutely see why.

Though I can't speak for wrinkles reduction as I haven't got much (yet), I can vouch for its skin-healing properties. My occasional breakout zit actually healed at an amazingly quick pace. What would have normally taken a week to 10 days to heal was quickly improved within 4 days and I'm truly impressed. The unsightly zit mark faded off quite fast within 2 weeks or so. I can imagine this to be quite a god-sent for those suffering from acne scars.

My skin clarity was given a big boost as well after a mere 2 weeks of usage. On me, it has a pore refining property and my skin tone has evened out quite a bit as well. It has also tamed the crazy freckles from the Bali sun too with its anti pigmentation properties.

The only thing that requires a bit of getting used to is the texture. It absorbs very well but the watery texture makes it a little hard to apply and you'll have to be careful not to overuse the tiny 15ml bottle. Well, it doesn't grow on tree so you wouldn't wanna splash your whole face with it. It takes about 5 drops to spread out on my face each time. A month into using it, I still have about half a bottle left, so it's really not that bad.

Other than that, it's probably the best $140 dollars I've spent on a single skin care product and this is definitely gonna be a in my repertoire of skincare for the long haul. This little bottle is the bee's knees that really packs in some powerful punch. No doubt about it.

Notable Quotable

2011-10-18T14:17:00.000+08:00

"If human are indeed the most evolved among all the species that populate the earth, we are unusually primitive in the way we treat one another, and how we treat animals. Your pet functions on the premise of unconditional love;even your humble tortoise will not call you a jerk if you do something stupid. And it is this love that can really be disarming."

--Dr Jean-Paul Ly

The Animal Recovery Centre

Bag to Basics

2011-10-17T10:10:00.001+08:00

Blame it on Carrie Bradshaw who started the IT bag trend in Sex & The City with what was possibly the first glorified IT bag, aka the Fendi Baguette. Suddenly, bags have become as important and essential an accessories as weird outfit is to Lady Gaga.

After the Baguette went stale, its successor, the Fendi Spy Bag, hogged the limelight, until the long reigning IT Bag, the Balenciaga Motorcycle bags deck the arms of every celebrities and IT girl wannabes worldwide. Then Chanel gave their classic 2.55 a new lease of life in 2005 with the 2.55 Reissue and celebrities, socialites and the plebs alike raid the Chanel stores, wanting a piece of it. The Mulberry Alexa has been a recent IT favourite that literally turned the Mulberry around and sent their profit rising.Thus is the power of the IT bags!

Many IT bags and hefty credit card bills later, I found myself lusting after the Celine Luggage Tote in Mini Size and in red. None is available. All out of stock. Please be on the waiting list (Tsk...how vulgar!). I've heard how some people would fight over it or harass the shop assistants just to land themselves a piece. I've personally seen how a rude local socialite publicly humiliated the shop assistant for not reserving one for her. A couple of friends trawl sites after sites day-in day-out from Bergdorf, Neiman Marcus to Saks hoping to find one. Much as I'm amazed by the effort put in to scoring an IT bag, I'm equally put off by it. After all, if you devote the same amount of energy you have for the Celine to helping in a soup kitchen, there will be a hell lot less people starving. It's really just a bag, or "a piece of stitched together animal hide" that my friend Ah Meow would aptly put it.

So my operation to score the Celine Luggage Tote has been aborted. If it happens, then good, but no more searching for it. Meanwhile, to satisfy my hunger for a new bag (I haven't bought one since my Balenciaga last December), I'm now going back to basic, exploring non-IT bags that are just as beautiful and with good craftsmanship.And here comes the French and English Confectionery - A couture accessories shop created by Cordwainer-trained designer/maker, Lucie, who specialises in handmade leather bags and shoes. All in very affordable prices.

Expertly handmade in small quantities in a secret London workshop (ohh, don't you just love anything secretive?), Lucie's bags feature clean classic lines inspired by her 1970s childhood. The designs are basic and evergreen with excellent leather and craftsmanship. I treated myself to a small yellow patent leather sling satchel with scallop edges.

The perfect weekend bag. It even holds my Kindle.

See how even the stitching is?

I love it so much! The stitches are perfect and you can see how they are carefully made with no frays. It's just the right size for all your basic essentials, perfect for the weekend when you want to go hands-free without lugging a bigger bag. The fact that it's handmade by one person makes it extra special, it's a little like the equivalent of provenance of art pieces.

If this has tickled your fancy in getting yourself one, they do have an Etsy outlet you can check out on.

The wonderful Mr Bond

2011-10-14T15:55:00.000+08:00

I love my cat Mr Bond! Like A LOT! So much I just have to write and gush about him.

What most people don't know is that he wasn't planned, as in I wasn't intending to keep him initially. In 2003, after losing my first cat, I swore not to keep another one because the pain of losing a pet was so painful I was left in depression for the longest of time. Nothing could take that pain away and it's so profound that I still bawl my eyes out thinking about it these days and it's been more than 10 years. You never get over the loss of pets and loved ones, period. It gets easier, but you don't get over that. So no, no more cats for me I announced.

Then one day, my then-boyfriend and I, innocently walked into a pet store along Thomson Road for fun and there Mr Bond was, looking all coy and way too cute in a little cage. There were a couple of black and white British Shorthair there too who happened to be from the same litter but there's no contesting that Mr Bond is the most outstandingly cute one.

It wasn't a "And the rest was history" story because firstly, I believe in adopting not buying. There are many kitties out there who could use a home, so why buy one? Cats are cats and they're all wonderful. Secondly, I just wasn't ready. But after getting harassed by my ex, I thought okay, no harm playing with him cos it's free, he would get to come out of the cage a bit and I could still say no and walk out. Only that Mr Bond was so horrified of people and refused to get out.

"He's cute but he's got personality problems, he's not fun and he's afraid of people. Get his siblings instead, they are more playful and fun, this one nobody wants him I'm quite sure, he's been around here for awhile already. Very long already in fact. Not that good to be honest," said the pet store guy, and the perfect sales pitch was made.

The "this one nobody wants him" bit broke my heart. Being a long supporter of the underdog, or under-cat, in this case, I softened. In fact, he was so unwanted that the store people couldn't wait to get rid of him and for a British Shorthair, he was a mere $250, a quarter of what a British Shorthair would cost. The fact that it was during the peak of SARS period probably made the prices of kitty cats dropped to its all time low too. My ex immediately whipped out his credit card and I didn't stop him. I haven't looked back since.

It's been a wonderful 8 years and I can't imagine not having him. Some months back, we both went through major trauma that had me crying for nights and burst out in tears in the office. We discovered he had both bladder and kidney stones. The bladder stones had been removed since through surgery but the small kidney stones remained. Our wonderful vet said we have to keep it under observation as the stones aren't big and we just need to monitor and keep it in control and hopefully, not have them cause any trouble.

If there's anything good that comes out of the health drama, it is that I'm reminded not to take him for granted. I haven't been the best pet owner before and there were times I've taken him for granted. The health issues literally grabbed me by my neck like a blistering hot tong and shook me hard. A little wake up call to appreciate the wonderful Mr Bond all over again.

I'm now going all out to get him healthy and I'm taking him to see a vet that specializes in Traditional Chinese Medicine to see if there's any way to shrink or even get rid of the kidney stones using herbs.

Friends tell me I'm crazy, spending so much on a cat when I'm not exactly the richest person around with big fat pay check. What they don't understand is that, Mr Bond is my family. Especially when I've been living alone for more than 10 years now away from my own family. He's family and is the love of my life.

Boyfriends came and went, but Mr Bond is forever faithful. He's here whenever I'm home, he snuggles up to me when he knows I'm sad, and there were a couple of times when he literally came up to me and licked my tears off my face. So yes, I'll give him the same I would give to any family members or loved ones. After all, it's just money. You can always make the money back.

Most important of all, he's really made me a better person and here's why.....

He makes me a more compassionate person.
I'm more dedicated and disciplined on being more vegetarian (I said "more" because I'm not 100%, at times I relent and give in).
He always helps me re-focus on the things that matter in life (ie. things money can't buy).
He's taught me of patience and perseverance when I deal with his health issues.
He's made me a calmer person because my mood affects him. Pet owners project their emotions on their pets and they feel what you feel.
He's made me more generous and helpful. Keeping pets can be expensive. It's heartbreaking to know not all animals get medical care because of cost and having struggled through heavy bills before, I understand the pain and pressure and now I donate to the cat welfare society regularly, especially to their special appeal. The money I save from buying a new outfit could make a huge difference to lives of both the animals and their caregiver and it's far more rewarding.

In short, I've been a much better person since Mr Bond "adopted" me. Pets are amazing with their unconditional love. I know he doesn't and can't read my blog but I still want to thank my amazing Mr Bond for being the love of my life! Here's a sandpaper kiss to you! xxx

Jealousy Not Required

2011-10-13T10:05:00.000+08:00

Saw this on Facebook. I couldn't resist posting this cos it's so bitchy and funny. Especially after being hounded by my douchebag ex's psycho new squeeze recently. LOL!

First World Guilt

2011-10-11T16:24:00.000+08:00

I was in Grade 4 when I first experienced "First World Guilt" during a visit to rural China with my maternal grandparents. A homecoming trip of sort for my maternal grandparents who left China decades ago to pursue a better life overseas. It was a holiday of a different kind and a big deviation from the usual cool and easy "all taken care of" type of luxury packaged sightseeing tours I was used to.

There was electricity, but it was a single light bulb in the dim house. There was a bathroom with running water, but no water heater in the cold harsh winter. There were beds, but in the form of humble thin mattresses. There was surely food, but simple and strictly home-cooked. There were schools but the kids didn't have proper stationery and were still using razor blades to sharpen pencils. You get the picture.

Being a kid of the same age, the image of a pint-size rosy-cheeked school girl sharpening her pencil (singular please) with a dangerous blade left a deep impression on me .When I got back to Hong Kong, I reached for my piggy bank, dug out the little money in there, purchased a bunch of cool stationery supplies, and had them mailed over to the many little friends I made in China. And I stopped complaining, albeit temporarily, that I didn't have that latest Hello Kitty mechanical pencil for that season. That possibly was the first time ever that I counted my blessings in life.

Of course I was fully aware of the less fortunate around the world before that trip. During the Ethiopian famine of 84', schools were dishing out tiny coin banks shaped as of a bread loaf for students to gather donations for famine relief. Images of starving brown babies in the media formed perfect back drop for moms warning their kids to finish up all their food, lest they would get reincarnated as starved brown babies in their next lives. So yes, I was aware of the fact that there were needy people around. It was, however, a different thing, when you see the less fortunate in person during your holidays. Since Grade 4 and despite having trotted around the world with wanderlust quite a bit, the whole First World Guilt hasn't stopped bugging me every time I travel to a lesser developed country.

The latest First World Guilt was felt in Bali about a month ago. While I was happily tanning and sipping virgin mojitos at hipster joints like The Potato Head and Ku De Ta in Seminyak, the numerous Balinese people selling ubiquitous tourist souvenirs, sunglasses and hats by the beach made me feel bad. Nothing like the throngs of professional child beggars I've seen in the streets of India for sure, but not the easiest job nonetheless, standing in the hot sun by the beach the whole day all year round .

Looking at their sun wrinkled faces made me wonder if they would secretly or openly wish to be the ones tanning and sipping virgin mojitos by the deck instead. If they do, do they feel that way everyday? Have they sold enough for the day? If not, oh no, what's gonna happen? How many family members are they supporting? Going into the guilt trip over drive seems to be my brain's super power since age ten.

After some mulling over Dalai Lama's books, I had a mental nudge, reminding me not to judge others with my own standards. That sympathy arising from First World Guilts might well be redundant because these people are just as happy, if not happier than I am. That it doesn't take what makes me happy, material or otherwise, to make others happy. That sympathy has its place and time, and is only a positive thing when it is truly required.

I guess for the China trip, the spoilt first world 10-year-old mind of mine might have conveniently forgotten to register quite a lot of other observations too; that the dim light from a single light bulb made good atmosphere for family chats and banters, that every hot sponge bath was something awesome to look forward to, that the thin mattresses were where the kids huddled every night for cool bed-time stories told by real human and not machines, that the eggs cracked into my simple noodle were so fresh it was just taken from the hen, and most importantly, that young school kids (and adults for that matter) sharpening their pencils with primitive blades actually wore a huge genuine smile that radiates from within.

Notable Quotable

2011-10-10T11:19:00.000+08:00

"Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

--Steve Jobs

Dr Lipp

2011-10-07T14:23:00.000+08:00

It's a case of nips for the lips with Dr Lipp The Original Nipple Balm for the Lips. And it's a good one. What started off as a balm for sore nipples for breast-feeding mother has become one of the best lip balms I've tried.

It's 100% Organic Medical Grade Lanolin that is an excellent long lasting lip balm that is free of paraben, sodium laurel sulphates, petrochemical derivatives, fragrance and colourings. This balm multitasks too, and you can use it for dry skin, nappy rash and even to sooth an itchy mozzie bite though it works best as a lip balm. A little dab keeps my lips moisturized overnight in the arctic aircon condition of my room (the only way I can sleep soundly) and I wake up to soft moist lips every morning. I've definitely got myself a keeper here.

RIP Steve

2011-10-06T11:22:00.000+08:00

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” ~ Steve Jobs

Thanks for the craziness...I'm trading my BB for iPhone next I promise

Of love and kidneys

2011-10-04T13:59:00.000+08:00

With a pretty impressive track record of "Crash & Burn" in the relationship department, I thought I would have a better idea of what that elusive thing called Love is. My past naivety had me thinking that every heart break I suffered earned me imaginary stripes in the quest of understanding love.

The teens years were days of infatuation where the dreamy concept of "forever" smoked up a heady fog that tricked me into thinking puppy love was meant to last. Then, with the demise of the teenage dreams and many Kleenex tissue boxes later, the early 20s was a quest of finding "The One" where the first major break up with "Who You Thought Was The One" possibly gave you your first emotional trauma in life. You realized there are not just ONE but there are many possible ONES. Then, mid 20s was a period of trial-and-error where you find out what you like and what you don't. By early 30s, you've possibly matured into knowing what you want and have hopefully found it.

The Hollywood-movie type of intense crazy passionate love might make your heart skip a beat thinking you've found LOVE, but what builds up quickly and madly sometimes and quite often fades off just as quickly. Embarrassing was recalling the many times where I thought "This is IT!", just to have them ended in shambles. The many divorced friends around bear testimony to this and the movie "Closer" has an excellent quote that aptly describes the whole falling in and out of intense love relationships. In it, Jude Law's character says "If you believe in love at first time, you never stop looking." When the intensity is gone, you'll go find someone else to be intense with. This much I know and this much I can attest to.

Slow and steady seems to win the race corny as it sounds. Go for the turtle, not the rabbit. As an ex junkie for that heady rush of new love's excitement, I've come to a point where I appreciate the comfort of the slow and steady approach. Level-headed good. Melodrama bad. Simple logic. And just as I think I'm all zen and grown-up with my outlook on love , a casual dinner conversation with my friend last night made me realize, perhaps, I knew nothing after all.

When asked when she first realized her love for her boyfriend of over 10 years and now husband-to-be, my friend,T, the impending bride, said it was only after three years or so that she knew she truly loves him. Six month to a year was the answer I was expecting and my surprised look prompted her to elaborate:

"Come on, the first 2 years don't count because you're new together and it's honeymoon. I love him earlier then but it wasn't the type where I would give him one of my kidneys to save his life kind of love. When it hit the three-year mark, I love him enough to know I would want to spend the rest of my life with him. It wasn't crazy Hollywood type, it was very comfortable and deep."

And she meant the kidney part. What I thought was a figure of speech description was indeed what she meant. She would give him one of her kidneys to save him. Now THAT is love. The irony was that among our group of friends, T was often made fun of for being seemingly cold, boring and too pragmatic that we were forever giving her useless tips from magazines like sexy lingerie to spice up her love life. As she was slowly but surely building her love with her fiance, the rest of us were going through break ups after break ups.

I need to revisit what I think love is now, considering the fact that I wouldn't give a kidney to save the ex whom I considered to be most in love with even at the peak of the lovey dovey epic.

Would you give a kidney to your partner/spouse/lover/boyfriend/girlfriend when push comes to shove?

I think I need to call my parents tonight to ask them their views on this. After all, they have been married for 33 years, lived through what seems like the non-Hollywood movie kind of love but are still very much happy together till these days, "Turtle Couple" style.

October Muse

2011-10-03T10:06:00.000+08:00

Reading: The Secret History of the World by Mark Booth. If you would like to challenge what you've been taught on our history, this book is for you. History is the story of the winners and Mark Booth uncovers some of the hidden history carefully concealed and deflected by religious groups and the secret societies of the world. It also touches on the Mystery schools associated with many famous leaders, scientists, author and in general, people of high power. If you like all the conspiracy theories in The Da Vinci Code, then you'll have to read this one. I actually got this book some time back but left it n the book shelf but then after reading the topic of mind control programme from artist Kim Noble's case, I got so interested in all the secrets different governments and authorities of power are trying to hide. Interesting read though it gets a bit out of the world, but like I said, it's about challenging what you're taught to believe in.

Watching: 3 Idiots. Recommended by my sister and all the rage in Hong Kong now, this 2009 Hindi film is a three-hour comedy extravaganza about the education system in India. I caught it over the weekend and it's freaking awesome! Very funny yet heartwarming with lots of LOL moments and lovely location at the end of the movie.

Listening to: The Best of Beatles. Every now and then, when I've run out of things to listen to, I'll go back to one of the classics, and this month it is The Beatles. I love them and it's always a perennial favorite because it reminds me of the time when I took on a holiday job in Esprit and they played The Beatles on the shop floor a lot. It was such happy times, so The Beatles is always my happy music.

Wearing: TopShop lace top. I like that this has a vintage mama-san feel to it. It's very comfy with a loose relaxed fit and mixes well with jeans for a Friday dress-down chic. Pair it with bright coloured heels for an extra pop of colour.

Jewel Rocks Amazonite bracelet. I can't get enough of Jewel Rocks bracelets and I absolutely regret not getting more while I was in Bali. I wear it almost everyday and their pieces make awesome choice for stacking into an arm party as coined by Men Repeller.

Using: Clarins Liquid Bronzer. Don't let the sun-kissed skin fade! It was compliment after compliment since coming back from Bali with a hint of tan! Self-tanner is the best choice if you want a sun-kissed glow without the UV Rays damaged. It's especially important for me since I don't tan well at all and will normally burn instead. So fake it, don't bake it.

Also using Jurlique Rose Silk Finishing Powder. I'm cutting down foundation and I only wear foundation once in a while. So to keep the skin matte, cut shine after applying moisturizer and set concealer , I use a translucent powder instead. I've used the Lavender version some time back but didn't quite like it then cos it's too dry for me. This Rose version seems to be a little better for dry skin. Not sure if it's due to an improved formula but the Rose Silk Finishing Powder does a pretty good job at keeping the skin matte without drying it out. The nice hint of rose scent is an extra plus.

Loving: Kindle.Yes, I relented. I was adamant about not having electronic book because I love the smell of books and the feel of flipping pages the old school way. BUT, I want to read more while I'm out commuting on public transport and let's face it, books can be bulky to lug around, not to mention the pesky dog ears that I absolutely abhor. So I traded pulp for plastic and I'm actually loving it. I read more now because the Kindle is so light and small and it's always with me. I still buy and collect books despite the Kindle. Just that now I'm collecting mostly graphic books instead.

Also loving China Glaze For Audrey nail polish. Thing is, Essie is still the best nail polish and China Glaze isn't even anywhere near Essie but this lovely teal colour is irresistible, especially among the sea of ubiquitous baby blue. It's probably named For Audrey because it's the Tiffany blue and in honour of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany's. China Glaze isn't easy to paint on because the texture is really thick and it tends to streak. After messing it up many tries, the trick to paint it is doing just 1 coat but with more polish on the brush and yes, it's thick enough to give a good saturation of colour with just one coat. That's how viscous it is. The good thing about it, however, is that it lasts and doesn't chip even without a top coat. So something's gotta give I guess.

The Fight Against Fakes

2011-09-30T10:17:00.000+08:00

"Chanel-inspired bag". "Celine-inspired Luggage Tote". "Marc Jacobs-inspired tops". Designer-inspired this, branded-replica that. It's the fight against the fakes. "Inspired" seems to be the new clever lingo for counterfeit designer knockoffs that are aplenty in many online shops and actual boutiques alike. My vocal condemnation of buying designer knockoffs has earned me the title of being a snob but I don't care, because it disgusts me.

Photo credit: AP Images/Bebeto Matthews

It disgusts me not because I'm a luxury snob whose favourite pastime is labeling people who buy and use designer knockoffs as cheap. It disgusts me because these people are actually supporting a vice business of piracy that isn't as simple and harmless as buying a couple of fake designer bags.

People know where to get their fake LVs and Chanels. People also know what's "AA Grade" of counterfeits but what many don't know, however, is where these fake knockoffs come from and how some of these fake stuff have destroyed lives.

With real designer goods, you know they are made in workshops manned by skilled craftsmen or produced in proper factories where staff are paid a decent acceptable wage. Counterfeits, on the other hand, are very often a result of child labour exploitation operated by organized pirate groups.

Dana Thomas, author of the book Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster, launched an investigation that unveils the dark and sordid underbelly of the counterfeit trade.

"It is estimated that up to 7 percent of our annual world trade — $600 billion worth — is counterfeit or pirated; that fakes are believed to be directly responsible for the loss of more than 750,000 American jobs; that everything from baby formula to medicine is counterfeited, with tragic results; that counterfeiters and the crime syndicates they work with deal in human trafficking, child labor, and gang warfare; and that counterfeiting is used to launder money, and the money has been linked to truly sinister deeds such as terrorism."

And the more disturbing and heartbreaking fact is found in an excerpt of the book.

"I remember walking into an assembly plant in Thailand a couple of years ago and seeing six or seven little children, all under 10 years old, sitting on the floor assembling counterfeit leather handbags,' an investigator told me... 'The owners had broken the children's legs and tied the lower leg to the thigh so the bones wouldn't mend. [They] did it because the children said they wanted to go outside and play."

The report is ghastly to say the least. Clearly, these are things a lot of fake goods supporters don't know, or so I hope at least. The whole condemnation of fake designer goods is clearly more than a couple of rich snobs slamming fake goods supporters or luxury companies protecting their market share and intellectual properties. By buying designer knockoffs, you're inherently supporting a vicious trade of human exploitation.

Now, would you still want to call me a snob for despising fake luxury goods? I really hope not.

Read more here

Kim Noble

2011-09-29T10:05:00.000+08:00

It is often said that tragedy is a source of creativity. Some of the most creative and talented people were/are those who suffered some kind of personal tragedy, be it in the form of life's misfortunes or mental illnesses, or somethings, both. Between the two, mental illnesses seem to yield the most brilliant artists the world have seen.

If there's such a somewhat disturbing thing as the common mental illness that's linked to producing the most amazing artists, authors and musicians et al, it would probably be Manic Depression or Bipolar Disoder. Cue in Vincent Van Gogh, Ernest Hemingway, Kurt Cobain, Virginia Woolf, Nina Simone.....the list goes on. A fact not unknown to the many who appreciate these amazing talents. Then there's a whole different category. The creativity genius of the Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD).

Introducing Kim Noble. The very talented MPD artist with over 13 different personalities. Having spent 20 years in and out of hospital, she discovered her gift in painting through art therapy. Not just hers, but also many of her different personalities within herself are gifted painters, each with their own distinctive styles and voices.Within five years of starting to paint they have already had seventeen successful solo exhibitions and participated in an equal number of group exhibitions. Kim was also the first Artist in Residence at Springfield University Hospital in Tooting, South West London.

People with MPD develop different personalities in themselves (usually during childhood) as a coping mechanism to trauma. Kim's MPD was a result of her extremely traumatic childhood where she was a victim of a trauma-based mind control programme called the Monarch Programme for 13 years. (Read more about the Monarch Programme here).

The paintings from the different personalities in Kim are incredible. Incredible not only for their artistic excellence but also the haunting stories of physical, sexual and mental torture and abuses they tell.

This piece, titled "Symbolic or What", is indeed ... symbolic. Two girls (or two personas of the same girl) avoid stepping on the checkerboard floor due to the presence of a snake. The appear to be covering their genitals, implying that the snake is phallic symbol. The painting also attests to the great psychic power of the checkerboard pattern on victims, a trait that was probably part of the programming.

This one, entitled "Golden Kaballa", uses the same basic layout as the previous image but replaces scenes of trauma with occult symbols and the central figure with the kabbalistic Tree of Life. Each one of the Tree of Life's colourful spheres, named Sephirots, are used in Monarch mind control as "compartments" to store alter personas. The outer layer of the work contains the name of each of the ten spheres of the Tree of Life with its associated Hebrew letter.

This piece is named "Ted's legless". "Ted" is the small Teddy Bear sitting on the floor. Young mind control victims are often given Teddy Bears by their handlers to make them develop an emotional attachment to them. This attachment is then exploited by the handlers to create emotional trauma.In "Ted's Legless", Ria's handler rips off one of her best friend's legs while forcibly holding her on the ground. The trauma causes dissociation, which is represented by the transparent version of the girl. Haunting words are inscribed on the wall: "Help Me Please" and "Pratt was Here".

"The Naming" is an auto-portrait of Kim with one eye that was removed from the face and placed above her, bloody, which conveys the violent nature of the process. Once again, mind control is symbolized by the loss of an eye which appears to have been replaced by a text/poem that was probably used to program her.

These are some of her work and looking at Kim's disturbingly beautiful paintings and the blood-curdling stories behind had me literally in tears. Her art pieces not only chronicles her traumatic life, it again reaffirms the grotesque human race and the atrocity human beings are capable of inflicting on one another. Depressive to say the least. If only a magic wand could make all these go away. Kim's more detailed story is available here.

Notable Quotable

2011-09-28T10:12:00.000+08:00

My problems in life

I am awfully greedy; I want everything from life. I want to be a woman and to be a man, to have many friends and to have loneliness, to work much and write good books, to travel and enjoy myself, to be selfish and to be unselfish… You see, it is difficult to get all which I want. And then when I do not succeed I get mad with anger.

- Simone de Beauvior

Lust vs Must

2011-09-27T10:24:00.000+08:00

Lust

The Louboutin Cork Slingback Pumps

Must

Pedder Red Cork Pumps

(they're a hell lot easier to walk on and more comfy too)

I left my heart in Bali

2011-09-26T10:51:00.000+08:00

The island of gods

padi fields.....nice breezes....infinity pools...villas.........soto ayam........pristine beaches........Potato Head....Frangipani....offerings to gods....

I left my heart in Bali

Notable Quotable

2011-09-23T12:41:00.000+08:00

"If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished?"

-- Rumi

Eating Tree Bark

2011-09-22T12:42:00.000+08:00

You've heard eating tree bark as a survival tactic for fighting starvation. According to my dad and a couple of history books, back in the days of China's Cultural Revolution, it was a common sight that villages were filled with trees that were robbed of tree bark. The tree bark was feasted upon by the famine sufferers in creative ways like cooking it in sauce or eating it neat for the even more unfortunate ones.

Decades later, scientists in another part of the world are stripping tree bark for a totally different reason. The French Pine Bark, to be precise, is now a much sought-after ingredient for one of the most powerful antioxidants available. Otherwise known as Pycnogenol (pronounced as pig-no-gene-nall), it has been hailed miracle supplement by many.

My friend, Princess, happily skipped to my desk one day proclaiming that he has jumped onto the Pycnogenol bandwagon and will soon be young and gorgeous again with the health and beauty promises it's supposed to deliver. Hope in a tablet it seems! Then suddenly, I found myself at the GNC check out, dishing out hundreds of dollars for a year's worth of Masquelier's French Pine Bark supply.

It seems like there are a big selection of Pycnogenol and I guess when in doubt, always get the original one. The Masquelier's French Pine Bark is the original formula founded by Professor Jack Masquelier who is the pioneer researcher for Pycnogenol.

Here's why I'm paying hundreds of bucks for tree bark:

improves overall health with powerful antioxidants. It is 20 times more powerful than Vitamin C as an antioxidant
helps strengthen capillary walls
reduces the appearance of unsightly veins
healthy veins support nutritional support for the heart, legs, eyes and all vital organ by assisting circulation
protection against the breakdown of skin collagen
reduces wrinkles
improves skin suppleness
improves skin tone
assists vision
increases energy and vitality

It does sound like miracle in a pill doesn't it? It's been more than a month of French Pine Bark popping and though I don't think I see major improvement in the beauty front compared to say Imedeen, I do see and feel some result healthwise. Yes, see, because I bruise less from my pole dancing class despite I'm doing more classes more frequently. And no, it's not because my legs get used to bruising cos there will always be bruises anyway. Since I've started the French Pine Bark, I bruise less significantly and the bruises go away quicker. It's probably got to do with the blood vessels strengthening effects I think.

I also get a wee bit more energy I THINK. I'm just as tired as usual but then I do feel that I have say 20% more energy, considering that I haven't exactly been sleeping well at all the last couple of weeks.

Princess, on the other hand, said he feels less tired too and French Pine Bark ups his alcohol limit and he didn't get drunk as easily. A search on google confirmed there's such an effect apparently.I don't see his eye bags receding but then I'm sure health wise, we have both benefited from it.

Verdict? Go for it for better health and leave beauty benefits to Imedeen, botox and good creams. I'll probably take it long term anyway. Well, I did buy a year's worth after all.

Coming of Age, Version 2.0

2011-09-21T12:00:00.007+08:00

Coming of age is always a big thing in every culture, first and third-world alike. It's a whole big shebang of celebrations in a myriad of ways across the globe. The lucky first-world ones get big dos like Debutante, Bar Mitzvah, Seijin no Hi and the likes. Completed with lots of eating, drinking, merry making and sometimes lavish gifts no less. Then, you have the scary, NatGeo-worthy extreme versions common among tribes where freaky and inhumane rituals like getting your clitoris snipped off sans anaesthesia or a saucer forced into your mouth mark your passage into adulthood.

Regardless of its form, one thing is clear. Coming of age is a big fucking deal. The Grand Poobah of life's milestone, possibly ranked high just after birth and death. It ushers and shoves you into adulthood where exciting times and experiences await.

Well, exciting indeed, because you're about to learn the ways of life as an independent and hopefully self-sufficient person. An avalanche of life's different experiences ahead. You'll soon find your place in the working world, feel like you're walking on super glue often, relish the magic of your first love, suffer the pain of a heart broken (hopefully not too many times), enjoy the freedom of financial independence, get a couple of slaps in your face or set backs. A mishmash of everything good and bad, happy and sad.

In short, you'll come to realize that, well, life does suck which makes me wonder why the hell does the whole coming of age warrant such celebrations when the many challenges, set backs, growing pain and hardship you're about to face as an adult are anything but celebratory??

Having survived my 20s struggling to make sense of life while learning to play the game of life and dodge its curve balls, it seems like I've come to a nice spot where I've finally felt comfortable in my own skin. The drowning seems to be gone, treading water is easier and now I'm swimming and managing pretty fine at the deep end of the pool. So how about a toast now instead? A tippling toast to celebrate being comfortable in my own skin? My little second "Coming of age", Version 2.0 perhaps?

With the fading youth and collagen came a wrinkle or two, as well as some pretty priceless lessons and realizations. My pseudo philosophical musing and reflecting have made me discover some of the things I enjoy now that I'm on a comfy spot. So being comfortable in my own skin is like this:

You realize the whole concept of self love isn't some shitty mumble jumble self-help book conspiracy as real as a unicorn. You've finally accepted who you are and be proud of who you have grown into. You enjoy being the person you've developed into and take pride in being you. No more hoping you were as pretty as so and so, as rich as what's her name, or as lucky as someone else. You love YOU.
You have a better sense of your core values.
You're happy at where you are in life.
You realize you don't have to and don't want to please everyone. You focus on yourself and not what other people's perception of you. You're self-ish (self-focused) but not selfish.
You don't take everything so damn seriously anymore. You're more relax with things.
You no longer take rubbish from people. You know your boundaries and set them well with gusto.
You're finally kinder to yourself. No more excessive beating yourself up and you're more forgiving toward yourself. Always a lesson, never a failure.
You have made peace with your own flaws. Your insecurities don't seem to bother you as much.You're able to joke about them, make fun of the flaws and at times, even come to love and appreciate them. Lack of height? No problem, being petite makes me look younger. Chubby cheeks? Good, I'll age gracefully. No boobs? Not an issue, I won't look fat, clothes fit better and they're cute perky ones that won't sag till my waistline. Get the idea?
No more talking big or trying to impress. The last time I talked big and made up things to impress people, I was probably 15 or 18 trying to fit in. My 20s was spent trying to establish where I stand socially with the constant need to impress and be accepted and respected. It's tiring to say the least. Cue in the 30s, well, I don't give a damn. Now, that's just the way it should be.
You count your blessings and give thanks and gratitude to the things you have. I thank the universe I have a comfortable life and a roof above my head every night when I slip into my nice warm bed. In my youth, I asked the universe for a Chanel 2.55 and asked the universe "Why the hell me?"
You understand that you don't always get what you want and that it is okay (though at times annoying) to not have what you want.
You thank your set backs because they're your perfect teachers in life.
You're finally able to see how some set backs are indeed, blessings in disguise.
You're rid of that sense of rivalry to outdo your peers, your friends, your colleagues, everyone. You know your own goals and what matters to YOU and now how it looks to others. You dance to your own beat and it makes you happy.
You're a lot more humble than you were 10 years ago because you've come to realize you actually do not know everything or anything for that matter.
You're more relax and in control of what life is gonna offer

My coming-of-age motto which I put up on my desk.

So, this much I know and I wonder what and how the next decade of my life would be like and the lessons that come along. Now that we're not drowning in the deep end of the pool and are swimming pretty fine, let's hope we'll soon be synchronized swimming like a dolphin, or even better, be able to walk on water. You never know. Meanwhile, here's a virtual toast to all of us who have made it thus far intact. Sante!

The art of decorating

2011-09-20T11:02:00.000+08:00

For years, my mom has forbidden me to decorate the apartment where I live alone here. Mama said she decorated the place first and the ownership belongs to her and my dad (on paper), so living here rent-free strips me of any decorating rights.

Only that, mama forgot she's decorated the place more than a freaking decade ago and everything looks dated, and I have to live in a place that reeks of the early 90s. Since she lives thousands of miles away, I'm taking matters in my own hand to give my place a makeover. Limited funds means it'll be a slow process and it'll be a-section-at-a-time upgrade.

While hatching my evil plan, here's my decorating almanac - Domino, The Book of Decorating. It's the most awesome interior decorating book with lovely inspirations, practical tips and advice to help you design the home that makes you happy. The beautiful cover scores extra points too. A must-read for anyone planning for some home improvement.

Jewel Rocks

2011-09-19T09:56:00.000+08:00

In Bali, you Eat, Pray (Play in my case), Love. You lay by the beaches, many for you to choose from. You take walks in the padi fields in Ubud, you eat eggs cooked by burying them in the soil at the foot of Mt Kitamani volcano, you taste the mouth-watering beef rendang and other Indo delicacy but you don't quite shop there.

Unless batik, surf garbs, bottle openers in the shape of penis, painting and art stuff are you cup of tea, there isn't much chance for you to swipe your plastic and splash your rupiah for a bit of retail therapy. You're in Bali. You're supposed to enjoy the wonders of nature on this island of gods. The one exception (for me at least), is Jewel Rocks. Tucked away in Jalan Drupai in Seminyak, my favourite store in Bali sells gorgeous handmade jewelry with their famed beaded bracelets and necklaces that are pretty coveted world-wide.

Inspired by travelers and global trotting, Jewel Rocks makes the prettiest beaded bracelets and necklace with a myriad of material from crystals, brass, silver, tibetan gold, thread, wood etc etc. A note of warning: if you love beaded bracelets, you'll experience a case of hysteria when you walk into their quaint little shop with their big collection of original designs, all handmade with love in Bali. It was Christmas morning for me.

After regaining my composure and sending off the boy to the very lovely Vienna Cafe across the road (excellent place to chill), I ended up with 2,800,000 Rupiah worth of loot and a big smile.....yes, it's ridiculous, but my insanity wasn't unfounded with the boy buying up 2 of bracelets (for his friends) because they're so beautiful. And yes, Rp 2.8 million because these aren't your a dime a dozen cheap stuff from the tourist souvenir stores. These are well-made pieces with high grade stones, crystals and pure silver that let you remember your Bali trip with.

My Stash

Photos don't do them justice really. They look so pretty and colourful that looking at them makes me happy

The simple tassel silver necklace which I got a lot of compliments wearing. Works really nicely on white or gray tops

The only regret is that I didn't buy more. I was contemplating buying more to sell on my blog but well, not sure if that would work in these days where mass-produced lower-price stuff takes favour for many people. So maybe next time. I'm so gonna raid the store next time and I hope it'll happen really soon too!

Bali Bender Part 2

2011-09-17T13:27:00.000+08:00

First it was Ubud, then off to Seminyak I went for the second part of my Bali trip. The Elysian was the luxury abode for my three days in Seminyak. Seminyak rocks and it has a lot of my favourites:

Fave Shop: Jewel Rocks
Fave Haunt: The Potato Head
Fave Cafe: The Junction
Fave Surf Spot: Legian Beach (just right for non-frequent surfers like me)

I absolutely cannot wait to go back.

The Elysian

There's a reason why it's on the Bali Luxe Guide. Luxe villas and facilities aside, the service is impeccable (though still isn't as good as the Komaneka in Ubud). The front desk staff greet you by your name every time they see you. The spa treatment wasn't shabby despite it isn't some famous spa spot but for a in-hotel spa, the massage was really good (especially I got one after surfing).

Nice entrance with bamboo flanking the drive way

The common pool at The Elysian. Very nice cabana

We got upgraded to a 2 bedroom villa with a spacious modern living room. They have Apple TV too in all the rooms and villas

And the bedroom. With an open bathroom concept. Huge tube right smack in the middle (reminds me of the Four Seasons at Jimbaran Bay)

Another view of the huge boudoir

Lovely private pool with outdoor tanning bed and day bed tucked at the corner

Ku De Ta

The once cool hangout for all the cool and beautiful people in Bali seems to be no longer the cool place it used to be when I first got there about 6 years ago, it's full of Euro trash with bad tan. Time to move to The Potato Head.

The Junction Cafe

Very cool cafe built of plank wood. Cozy and warm ambiance with good food that surpasses my expectation. Their Soto Ayam, Gnocchi and Mint Lemonade make really good grubs.

The Potato Head

Now this is the new place to be in Seminyak and my favourite. The Potato Head is where the cool kids hang out now. Impossibly charming are the architecture and deco. Vintage Venetian blinds of different colours are the main theme that coats the entire building for a stunning creative look. Sun decks and beds are aplenty and they face a phenomenal plunge pool. The best part? They provide big fluffy towels if you hang out at the sun decks/beds (minimum spending of Rp 500,000 applies).

Pathway to heaven on Earth

I miss Bali. Badly!

P.S Extra photos will be up soon (being an avid amateur photo-phile that I am)

Bali Bender Part 1

2011-09-16T10:47:00.000+08:00

I'm back from the Island of Gods and in need of Prozac for some serious post-holiday blue. The downside of any holiday is the imminent end of it. Bali has always been one of my favourite places on earth and I can't wait to go back.

Staying@
Komaneka at Bisma, Ubud, One-bedroom pool villa
The Elysian at Seminyak, Two-bedroom pool villa (got upgraded)

Eating@
Cafe Sari in Ubud (best organic cafe in the middle of a padi field, very lovely place)
The Junction in Seminyak (loveliest Soto Ayam, super cool building, great ambiance)
Metis in Seminyak (supposedly very good but was somewhat disappointing, nice ambiance)

Chilling@
Ku De Ta in Seminyak (no longer cool, acceptable but full of Euro trash and bad music)
Potato Head in Seminyak (my favourite now! Super nice place with great day bed and music)

Shopping@
Jewel Rocks in Seminyak (best beaded bracelets ever)

Surfing@
Legian Beach

Wearing:
Jo Malone Nutmeg and Ginger perfume (stolen from the boy)
Metallic Purple Havaiianas
Black glittery Toms
Lululemon sports bra (super comfy, perfect for sweating it out while walking around)
Yellow slouchy tee from Gap (my fave)
Denim skirt
H&M and Paul Frank Bikinis
Roxy rash tee & boardshorts
Lots of Sunscreen!

Carrying:
Agnes B Silver Glitter tote (perfect for the beach cos it's plastic)

Reading:
Meowmorphosis by Franz Kafka and Cook Coleridge
Wallpaper

Listening to:
Lykke Li "Wounded Rhymes"
Best of Vanessa Paradis

Oh and if you would want some seriously good spa and have some extra money to spare for that, I highly recommend the Kirana Spa in Ubud. One of the top spas in the world. I've been there once and it's so beautiful that if that's heaven, I'll promise to be good. The massage and treatment were exceptional and the best I've had (went there years ago, not this trip).

Anyway, here's part one of the photo for Bali Bender in Ubud

Komaneka Villa @ Bisma

The bathroom for the one-bedroom villa is so huge I can live in there.

Outdoor shower available (with the bugs though)

Private infinity pool for skinny dipping

Footpath to Sari Organic Cafe

Near Jalan Bisma, this scenic footpath leads to the best organic cafe in ubud. We got tipped off by an Aussie couple about this place. Best tip ever! The walk was so scenic with lush green padi field flanking the little footpath, warm afternoon sun and refreshing cool breezes. It was pure joy.

Very lovely walk in the padi fields. Perfect weather with nice breeze. I wanna go there again

An art gallery along the way

And a bungalow for rent along the way

Et Viola! We're at Sari Cafe

View from the cafe

Very yummy organic food. Sari Cafe gives you the option to pick your own veggies for them to whip up a meal too.

So here's Ubud for you. I was only there for 2 days. Part 2 to follow soon.

Back from Bali :(

2011-09-15T11:19:00.002+08:00

Super sad face....I got back from Bali last night....such wonderful holiday. All good things come to an end indeed.

Will do a post on it later. Mehh....yes, such first world pain here.

Hello Bali!

2011-09-09T13:11:00.000+08:00

See you in a couple of hours! It's been awhile!

Cut x Paste

2011-09-08T16:51:00.000+08:00

"Nothing is original, so steal from anywhere that resonates with inspirations or fuels your imagination." So said Jim Jarmusch, the multi-talented film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, editor and composer.

The world is your creativity oyster, serving up a smorgasbord of inspirations from everywhere. Films, books, music, family pets, nature, lovers, food, dustbins even (why the hell not?), the Internet. Especially the internet. Inspirations are aplenty and everywhere. Only that these days, it seems like the line between inspiration and plagiarism is seriously blurring up. Creativity is great but plagiarism is faster it seems.

Ripping off others' "inspirations" and then processing it into something new are somewhat the acceptable nature of creation. It's how things are often done. After all, Jamusch is right that nothing is original, and like he quoted Jean-Luc Godard, it's not about where you take them from but where you take them to.

Say, writing a piece of music after reading someone's life story is awesome. Cue Don Mclean's Starry Starry Night whom he wrote after being inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's tumultuous and bipolar life. Or creating a fashion collection after a muse is a proven winning formula. Iconic case in point: Karl Lagerfeld with his various muses like Claudia Schiffer and Stella Tennant et al. Many creative masterpieces have been born this way.

Not acceptable, at least in my book, is the so-called "effort" like trawling through a few blogs or websites, then cutting and pasting all the materials together to make it yours, be it in the form of a blog post or otherwise. Or not giving credit where credit is due, especially when there is a chance that whoever sees it might think it is original. Plagiarism it is. The current fashion world equivalent is probably the high profile case of Louboutin vs YSL where YSL started producing shoes with red soles which happens to be the Louboutin brand's birthright. Given the commercial nature of this plagiarism, copyright infringement it is.(Team Louboutin I am by the way!)

Next comes this really funny observation among my friends and their friends alike. The squabble over the pseudo-ownership of who cut and paste FIRST. The irony is that often times, when the Cut x Paste materials get re-cut-n-paste, the laggard gets accused of plagiarism when the material itself isn't even original to begin with. Person A posts a famous quote or a picture, Person B re-posts it, Person A then accuse Person B. Root cause for many petty cat fights on social media among people I know. High-school like but entertaining nonetheless.

But now, it seems like a good pseudo intellectual question to follow is that "Then what the hell is real creativity in our day and age? Given that most things, tangible or otherwise (in the form of ideas), have already been in existence."

I haven't got a clue and don't intend to explore but you know what? But just so you know, I ripped the visual above off some douche bag's Facebook profile picture.

Notable Quotable

2011-09-08T10:33:00.000+08:00

"People don't want their lives fixed. Nobody wants their problems solved. Their dramas. Their distractions. Their stories resolved. Their messes cleaned up. Because what would they have left? Just the big scary unknown."

--Chuck Palahniuk

P.S. Thanks Tiffany for sending me the link...this quote is possibly the most optimistic thing ever!

MORE Moleskine Madness

2011-09-07T13:40:00.001+08:00

Hi, my name is B. I have a problem and I have been hooked on Moleskine since year 2000.

So the Moleskine madness struck yet again (see previous post) and I proudly own a relatively useless but classically beautiful Moleskine luggage tag. It serves no purpose other than satisfying the capitalistic hunger of possessing pretty things. My only excuse for this is my impending Bali trip which is happening in approximately 48 hours.

Black took precedence (it's also available in my favourite colour pink, purple, blue and green) because Moleskine should come in just black and red.

Time for Moleskine Rehab.

Hello London Fashion Week!

2011-09-06T14:41:00.000+08:00

Ahh, sadly, it's not about me going to the London Fashion Week on 13 September *super sad face* but they have this super cool clips on 100 years of fashion in 100 seconds! It's super cool! Love it! Amazing editing.

Meanwhile I'm counting down to my holiday to Bali!! 3 more days to go!

September Muse

2011-09-05T13:19:00.001+08:00

It's September! Another 4 days to go before I'll be in Bali! I cannot wait!

Reading: The Meowmorphosis by Franz Kafka and Coleridge Cook. Yes, it's the Quirk Classic and it's the only one Quirk Classic I'm will to read. The rest of the Quirk Classic like Pride & Prejudice & Zombies just never appeal to me cos I'm such a literature Nazi but The Meowmorphosis is the exception cos instead of turning into an insect like the original Kafka Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa turned into a giant furry kitten. You don't say no to cute cuddly kitty cat. I'm halfway through it, not too bad I must say. Ohhh, I'm ordered a Kindle online and it should be here anytime now. I'll talk more about that another time....

Listening to: Le Bapteme by M, otherwise known as Mathieu Chedid. One of my favourite French artists. Le Bapteme's his debut album back in 1997. Was listening to this when I was still in school. La Fleur is a favorite track of mine. Lovely lovely lyrics in French.

Wearing: Chanel Le Vernis in Peridot. It's one of the more interesting colours out there as I've mentioned before. Haven't got sick of it!

YSL Arty Ring. It's been many weeks since I got the Arty but I still love it as much and I wear it almost everyday. It doesn't look like I'll get sick of it any time soon in fact. I want more!

Loving: Jo Malone Nutmeg and Ginger Perfume. It isn't mine but the boy bought it for himself and I've been stealing his to use and I realize it might just be my new favorite. I love it. In fact, I like it more than all the rest I've got...oh no! I got fooled by the relatively un-sexy sounding "Nutmeg and Ginger" name, thinking I'd very much prefer the floral version but when I smell it on my man, I realize it's super duper yummy! I'm gonna get one for myself...or perhaps just steal his. I've been trying to convince him that it smells better on me but he's not letting it go haha.

Using: Blackberry Torch 9800. I'm still Team Blackberry and my last one isn't working too well so here's the new one. I know the Blackberry Bold 9900 is all the rage now and lots of iPhone peeps actually switched back to the BB because of the 9900 but I still like the Torch cos it's got a much bigger screen. Best of both worlds, keypad and a touch screen.

Eating: Tofurky. Who said vegan food is always shit? Tofurky does some really yummy vegan cold cuts for sandwich and stuff. I love it! Cruelty-free is always good!

Drinking: Fancl Tense-Up Ex. My skin's been feeling kinda dull lately and Fancl Tense-Up Ex is always a good perk-me-up for skin that needs a boost. It's supposed to boost collagen production and give you more radiance. It's worked for me in the past, so I've bought a month worth of it. Gotta invest in good skin.

Lusting after: The Celine Luggage Tote in red. It's funny how people are calling it the Celine Face Bag cos it looks like it's got eyes and a mouth. I want a Celine Luggage Micro Tote! I'm not really a red person but then I really love the red Celine Luggage Tote. Red bag and shoes are always a good way to wear red cos they're not so in your face like a red dress or shirt but it's bright enough to give your outfit an extra oomph. Only that the luggage tote is always out of stock in most places.

I'm a Unicorn

2011-09-02T10:59:00.000+08:00

Hilarious. Two chatbots bitching at each other. Cornell Creative Machines made its own chatbot talk to itself...funny how the woman chatbot has a bit of an Indian accent....But I really would like to see a screaming match with some serious profanity though.....Happy Friday peeps!

Lanvin Fall Winter 2011

2011-09-01T09:53:00.000+08:00

Love Alber Elbaz...the Lanvin F/W collection is gorgeous (many not shown here)!! Love that there's a dash of coral, mustard and greige on the dresses. Of course, Alber is super cute with a good sense of humour. My all time favourite designer.

P.S. is the awkward dances part of the appeal though?

Chanel Le Vernis Peridot

2011-08-31T09:47:00.000+08:00

It seems like a recurring occurrence that I'm always drawn to Chanel Autumn Winter's makeup collection. Their A/W seems to always have more dramatic colours that's eye popping compared to the standard candy-coloured Spring Summer fair. Last A/W10, the greige colour, Particuliere, got me hooked with its sophisticated tone that goes with most outfit. It was awesome. This A/W, the Peridot is simply the winner!

Chanel's chief make up artist Peter Philips said this A/W, the nails play a role as an important accessories. Thus the dramatic color. All three A/W nail colours come in metallic hues and the other two are in gray (Graphite) and brown (Quartz). Peridot stands out with its unique colour and was sold out awhile back with everyone trying to get their hands on it. Good news is, if you're keen, it's back in stock now (at least at the Takashimaya counter. Grab it while it's still available).

The metallic green/yellow hue (with a hint of blue) got its inspiration from the lush iridescent peacock's plume. The colour looks a bit different in different angles and it sits well even for those with slightly sallow skin tone. The yellow tint appears more as a golden colour. It's definitely an interesting colour to wear.

One thing to note though: Keep your nails short with metallic colours! Or risk looking 80s and tacky! In fact, I've always been an advocate of having short and trim nails because way too long nails are simply garish and unrefined. It's never about how long you can grow your nails but how polished and well kept they are. Human beings should have nails, not talons like birds!

It paints well too. Better, compared to the other solid colours cos metallic polishes always spread better and less streaky. So that's definitely a plus point! LOVE it!

Gunther's

2011-08-29T15:52:00.001+08:00

I'm about to tell you I've just tasted the best thing I've ever tasted in my entire life and I'm not exaggerating one bit.

Over the weekend, the boy whisked me away to Gunther's, a contemporary French restaurant (strangely with a German name), at Purvis Street. For our "Fancy Date Night", we'd go explore new fine dining places and the dressing up for it is the fun part where I get to glam up and wear stuff I don't get to wear daily. It was green Herve Leger bandage dress, YSL Arty ring and bangle, Louboutin Bianca and my 2.55 accordion for Gunther's. The boy got to debut his spanking new Louboutin Alfie. And no, I've got nothing to do with his Louboutin purchase cos he just went into the shop one day with me and happily walked out with the suede Alfie all by himself.

Sorry I'm horribly camera shy. But this is a rare chance I could

wear both the arty ring and bangle together cos in the day

the combi would look too OTT

Now back to Gunther's. The deco was basic with dark walls and an art museum feel, nothing to shout about but nothing to complain either. Despite being a contemporary French fair, they take the traditional approach by presenting you with a tray full of their daily fresh food offerings filled with fish, lobster, rare veggies and exotic offerings like sea urchins, giant bamboo clams from Scotland and pigeon from not-sure-where in France.

Honestly, I would rather do without it because the Maitre d' would come by and introduce the fresh produce one by one while flinging a live moving lobster in front of you to demonstrate its freshness. I felt horrible when the lobster was shoved in my view because it had a look that said "Help! Don't eat me! Let me go!". I experienced a moment of carnivore guilt because while I'm mostly vegetarian and try to be as vegan as I can, I would indulge in a good meal and forget about being vegetarian once in awhile when I go for my Fancy Date dinner. Having a live lobster and fish in front of me really wasn't too pleasant and I had to kindly ask them to keep it away from me!

Anyway, for the starter, I ordered the fresh giant Artichoke (my favorite veggie) in carpaccio style laced with fresh mushroom and its sauce and a bit of jamon iberico just enough to give it an extra flavour. It's ridiculously good and definitely tasted a hell lot better than I expected.

Then came Gunther's signature dish, the Cold Angle Hair Pasta with Caviar and this is the best thing I've ever tasted in my life. No joke, it's so impossibly good that I had a major "gastro-rgasm". Yes, the eyes-rolled-back-and-moaned-in-pleasure kind of food orgasm. I've died and gone to food heaven.

I've had the privilege of trying many great awesome food in top grade restaurants including some with Michelin stars but this dish totally takes the cake hands down. It trumps even white truffles which I'm obsessed with. The cappellini pasta was perfectly al dente and it's served with a chive and truffle-infused sauce and a very generous serving of caviar. It's served chilled on a cold plate too. I'm definitely coming back for more despite the hefty $60 price tag. I simply couldn't have enough of it and I've been thinking about it all the time since. It's so good that the guy next table said "Oh my god, I'm so coming back tomorrow for this" the moment he had his first bite. Let's just say this really is divine and if you need proof that there's magic, this dish is it.

For the main, since I allow myself carnivorous treat, I would go all out and ordered a steak. The boy and I ordered the Cote de Boeuf Flame. It serves two so you would need someone to have it with you. It's done medium rare and they'll flame it with cognac in front of you before taking it back to cut it up and serve it to you.

This, however, was not on par to what I expected of Gunther's. Yes, it's a lean cut but I expected softer meat with more flavour. The boy liked it though because it's very well cut and all but we both agree that it's nothing compared to the angle hair pasta. The next time, we would order the pasta and many hor d'oeuvre instead.

Dessert was Chocolate Fondant for me and Apple Tart for the boy. The Apple Tart is another signature of Gunther's and yes, it's the better one. The fact that you didn't see the photo of the apple tart means that it was quickly attacked, leaving no time for a quick snapshot of it. The Chocolate Fondant was made with dark chocolate with a molten core. Just the way I like it but I still prefer the Apple Tart for sure. Next time definitely!

So here you got it. The best dish I've ever eaten in my entire life and you should definitely give Gunther's a try and if you do, you MUST order the cold angel hair pasta!

Breakfast at Tiffany's?

2011-08-26T10:03:00.001+08:00

So Coco Chanel pioneered the Little Black Dress but if I must pick someone who iconized the LBD, Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's surely took the cake. Hands down.

Despite the somewhat floozy character of Holly Golightly in the classic film, she had got some serious chops in the style department. Well, it's Audrey Hepburn after all. Everyone loved and still loves her and she's undoubtedly one of my biggest idols. Elegance and grace personified. Boy, have I not mentioned enough that I LOVE the 60s?

Now to create the Holly Golightly style, the trademark tiara, Givenchy LBD , gloves, pearls and cigarette holder wouldn't suffice. You'll need that glamorous kittenish makeup to look the part and here is a really kick-ass makeup tutorial I found that would greatly benefit your transformation into Holly Golightly.

The before and after speak volume. So much that for a normally fuss-free daily makeup person that I am (my daily routine is a mere 5 to 7 minutes of concealer, a dust of powder and a hint of blusher), I'm so tempted to wake up half an hour earlier just to rock this look.

Excuse me, are you a Consultant?

2011-08-25T13:42:00.000+08:00

For awhile, there seems to have an influx of the consultant professionals with every damn person saying that they're in the consultancy business. You're cool if your job title screams "Consultant". I've seen many proudly introduce themselves as "consultants" with a smug face that hints superiority of some sort.

Yes, there are some really awesome consultants who have got some real chops but these days, I'm seeing more and more young early 20s babies citing their job title as "Consultant" when they, in fact, don't hold a proper job and are well, unemployed or starting their own little business adventure.

If you have a couple of years of work experience and a proper job as a real consultant in an established consultancy firm, then yes, you're a consultant! I also have no problem is you're say 22 and dishing out advice and strategies on things you've been doing since say 5 years old. Case in point, athletes or professional dancers who're coaching the younger ones. But if you're a mere 22-year-old, fresh off the school brat who's not working in company (or self-employed), I doubt your consulting prowess. Especially those who're a business consultant by the merit of just having a spanking new business degree. Those are really a dime a dozen. You're 22, how much life experience have you got to make you a credible consultant? If it's high school cat fight advice I'm after, then yes, you can be my consultant......

I'm just ranting away....having seen a 21-year-old cites herself as a "Consultant" in some gloss mag because she's about to start her own business....

Move like Jagger, Age like Jagger

2011-08-24T16:37:00.000+08:00

First you've heard "Move Like Jagger" and now you can also Age Like Jagger.....Why the hell not when this 68-year-old rocker is fit like a fiddler and with a 28-inch waist to boot?

Recently flaunting his trim bod and waist in his trademark pink suit iconic of his early Rolling Stones days, the coolest grandpa in the world celebrated his 68th birthday and proved that he's definitely still got it. Apart from the ability to pull of an otherwise tacky pink suit with much gusto, below is evidenct that his fit physique can easily put men half his age to shame.

According to the Daily Mail, if you want to Age Like Jagger, you need an anti-aging ammunition of expensive face creams, organic food, avocado and ballet lessons. Yes, you read it, ballet lessons cos that is how Sir Jagger gets fit and keeps his swagger. Here's a summary of his best kept secrets:

Work out. No short cut to this one, but Sir Jagger is a fitness fanatic since he early days and runs 8 miles a day...long-distance runner of his age is extra sexy. It keeps the mojo high
Personal training and ballet lessons. Yes he takes ballet, yoga and pilates for balance
Organic food and tiny portion. A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips darling
Lots of avocado. The treasure trove of good fat and nutrition
No smoking, drinking and doping. Yes, his wild days of psychedelic drugs are over
Hitting dreamland by 11pm
Creme de la Mar, Le Prairie Caviar cream, Prescriptive Super Flight Cream, stash from Clarins and Lancome and some secret mask called The Lift (now it's my mission to uncover what that is)
Multi-Vitamins, Cod Liver Oil, Ginseng and Gingko Biloba
Hot girl friend
Young friends to hang out with. He supposedly bans old peeps in his circle of friends...

Looks like I'll have to adopt some of his strategies...maybe with the help of a botox jab or two to keep my Jagger Swagger! After all, he is the one man I would want to be if I were given the choice to be any man.

Notable Quotable

2011-08-23T11:04:00.000+08:00

"The most beautiful people are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fill them compassion, gentleness and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."

---Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Psychiatrist

Moleskine Madness

2011-08-22T11:07:00.000+08:00

My relationship with the Moleskine notebook dates back to when I just started my first job or so....yes, close to a decade of inking memories in these classic notebooks. Who can resist the sleek leather cover and its legion of famous Moleskine devotees like Oscar Wilde, Hemingway, van Gogh, Picasso and Matisse? So when Moleskine started doing pens and other stationery, I just have to get the roller pen. You can't deny my good old faithful notebook of a sidekick can you?

At $27 a pop, it's steep for just a simple plastic roller pen with gel ink. But package it with a sleek design and slap on the Moleskine name, resistance is futile. Especially when there is a little click-on cap built in for slotting it stylishly on the good old Moleskine.

A portion of my old Moleskin notebooks int he background, all filled with colorful memories

Only that buyer's regret came when I admitted to myself it's really just a plain black plastic roller pen with a sleek design and brand name. One that I wouldn't pay more than $8 for if not for the fancy Moleskine name. And mind you, the Moleskine brand name is nowhere to be found on the pen. The only merit is that it clips on nicely on the side of my Moleskine...I guess that's worth the other $19 bucks.

The Sixties Music Legacy

2011-08-19T17:56:00.000+08:00

It took the new Maroon 5's song "Move Like Jagger" to have me proclaimed that, in my book, the 60s is music's golden era where many musical legends of different genres left their imprints in history. Move Like Jagger admittedly is an ear worm I shamelessly put it on repeat but it will take more than a tattooed modern day topless rocker in nut-crushing tight pants to trump the real 60s legends.

Mick Jagger & The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Doors, Led Zepplin, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, and so many more that carpal tunnel would be induced if I type out every music legends of that era. You get the drift. It's Rock and Roll baby! It's Rock and Roll! Musos of the 60s, dead or alive, are irreplaceable. No doubt about it. Exhibit A: Just look at these clips of Jagger that has probably inspired Levine's song.

Bad boy rockers, screaming, crying fainting fans, genuine musical talents and great showmanship (stoned to the skull no less, just look at Jagger's glazed out eyes from dope). The allure of the 60s simply can't be replicated by our noughties music world peppered by the likes of Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber whose biggest talents are probably getting caught smoking dope. It's easy to see why we have't got that many real legends these days.

That said, the musos of the swinging 60s had an advantageous head start with the 60s being nothing less of a cacophony of inter-cultural and political mishmash across the globe. Cue in Vietnam War, herald African American civil rights, introduce feminism, swallow in the psychedelic drugs, propagate free love and you get a perfect creative backdrop for hatching up music that influences this era of social and cultural evolution.

So maybe, just maybe, it'll take another round of social evolution or a couple of Bed-In for peace protests ala John and Yoko to catalyze some good music that actually lives on.

John Lennon & Yoko Uno at the Bed-In Protest

I love this so much I have a t-shirt with this picture

But meanwhile, Levine can only move like Jagger because clearly, he is definitely no Mick Jagger.

It's Potent!

2011-08-19T09:02:00.000+08:00

There is a big shoe to fill when you name an eye cream "It's Potent!". Not just "It's Potent" but it's "It's Potent!" with an exclamation mark that is.

Finishing a jar of eye cream can take forever especially if you have rich ones that only need a tiny dab each application. Value for money aside, it gets annoying at times when you're caught between wanting to try new products and finishing what you have. I was overjoyed when I finally emptied out the last bit of my previous eye cream (Estee Lauder Advance Night Repair Eye Cream). And hello It's Potent! by Benefit!

The awesome packaging has drawn me to the Benefit skincare range some months back when it was first launched. But the fact that the brand is better known for their makeup stopped me from getting their skincare range. Then a friend gave me a jar of It's Potent! Eye Cream (and the cleanser too, which I would write about another time) and I was so glad, especially when my friend and celebrity make up artist Clarence Lee said the cream has a lovely texture and doesn't leave any sticky after feel.

And Clarence was spot on. The texture is lovely. Light and spreads well to be quickly absorbed into the skin without any stickiness. In my book, that's half the battle won. Now what about the formula? Promising. It's a brightening cream that's supposed to brighten up the eye area and fades dark circles, helps smooth fine lines and hydrates the eye area.

The cream contains burnet an ancient Chinese remedy to help soothe the skin, and a blend of hydrating botanical extracts to help boost collagen and protect the skin from free radical damage. It's also got peptide complex known to help restore elasticity and firmness to the skin. Then there's sodium hyaluronate, a powerful hydrating agent capable of holding up to 1000 times its weight in water. The whole hyaluronic acid thing is such a fan wank for skincare these days.

Two weeks of slathering the cream has resulted in some brightening effect. I think it does live up to the claim to a certain extend though I'm not sure about the fading fine lines bit. Let's just leave the fine lines to botox shall I say? My eyes feel hydrated although I would say the texture is on the light side. It's better for day use if you have dry skin like mine and at night, I compensate by using more.

So yes, it's somewhat potent if it's good texture and brightening effect you're after. I'll give it 3.5 out of 5. Not too bad really. Oh by the way, it's cheaper to get it online, just so you know.

There is such a thing as Magic

2011-08-18T13:51:00.000+08:00

I know he's been the talk of the town. You've probably watched the youtube clip, heard him sing and most likely had a tear or two welled up but I still would want to post this on my blog because it would be a shame if you miss Sung Bong Choi's performance.

Sung Bong Choi is truly inspirational. In these day and age where tragic news of human atrocities populate the media, he's definitely a bright ray of sunshine that serves as a reminder that there is such thing as magic. There are beautiful things in life after all.

His next competition is on 20 August 2011. I wonder if he'll be singing tunes by my favorite modern day muso composer Ennio Morricone like he did for his last two performances. I'm rooting for him to win and make it big!

The "Scent"imental Trail

2011-08-17T16:40:00.001+08:00

I believe the very first spritz of perfume that landed on my skin was Diorissimo. A perennial favorite of my beloved late grandmother. One weekend afternoon, while we were getting ready to head out for our Sunday family day, she dispensed a spritz of Diorissmo on me. That very same innocent spray of ostensible lily of the valley ignited my insatiable hunger and passion for perfume.

It's the very same passion for fragrance that made me realize I have a highly sensitive nose that can detect different subtle scents in most perfumes. When I was young, I aspired to be a nose to create perfume but the dream was stubbed out by more practical academy pursuit and my mom's conclusion of me not being a nose material.

Fast forward 20 years or so, my mother was proven wrong during my stint in LVMH parfums. At a work trip in Paris, LVMH's nose Alberto Morillas (creator of FlowerbyKenzo) and I had a day sniffing scents in the lab while I impressed him with the ability to identify many raw scents. He pronounced that I have the olfactory prowess of a "Nose". Friends who have been on scent shopping trips with me would be amused and impressed by the fact that I could accurately sniff out and identify the different notes in a perfume. My friend Tessa could be my alibi as she looked at me with a ridiculous look with her eyes rolled back while I spelled out all the ingredients of the Balenciaga perfume when it was first launched.

Being "knighted" an amateur nose by a real nose has only fueled my love for perfume more and I couldn't walk past perfume counters without stopping by. Courtesy of my dad and grandma, I owned 3 bottles of perfume (Escape by Calvin Klein, Tresor by Lancome and Beautiful by Estee Lauder) at age 14, back when everyone in school were just starting to rub on "Smell Like Teen Spirit" deodorant (which brand was it again??). Right now, I unabashedly own more than 50 bottles of perfume.

My cream of the cults...all my cult perfumes I've amassed thus far

Perfume marks memories. Scents are known to be strong memory trigger. Chanel No.5 brings a cocoon of warm and fuzzy feeling to me as it was also worn by my late grandma. cKOne makes me miss my dad as I remember him rushing to the store to snag me a bottle after knowing I wanted one. Estee Lauder Pleasure will always remind me of my first real crush in Junior College, Brandon, as I sprayed the friendship bracelet I made him with its crisp peony notes. L'eau d'issey by Issey Miyaki was a signature of the post A-Level period while I held a holiday job in Esprit. Uni years were scented by Davidoff Cool Water. Creed's Spring Flower was bought in celebration of nabbing my first proper job. L by Gwen Stefani invokes happiness as it was worn during my holiday in Melbourne and Sydney with my buddies Dan and Jeremy. Some scents I can no longer wear as they stir up memories I'd rather forget like break ups and rough patches.

All these scents are the olfactory equivalent of marks on the totem pole of significant events in my life. My early 20s was characterized by a frenzy purchase of fragrance every now and then as the scent became "expired" by certain emotional associations. Now that I'm more grown up, stable, and comfortable in my own skin, I'm finally slowly down with the purchase. I've finally whittled down my staples to three winning scents which are my signature scents.

The Signature Scents: Jo Malone Orange Blossom, Chloe by Chloe, Petite Cherie by Annick Goutal

So here they are, the three winning bottles: Petite Cherie made it here because of its olfactory merits with wonderful peach, jasmine and musk. All the breakups along the way (I first got it in 2004) didn't deter me from spritzing myself with it. Jo Malone is an emotional signature as my dad told me the scent reminds him of his childhood where breezes brought with them the heady scent of orange blossom and wearing it makes me feel closer to my milieu and my father. Chloe by Chloe is another olfactory treat bought during the time where I felt I'm, for once, comfortable in my own skin.

It does look like these three will be in my collection for the long haul.