Smooth glowing skin

Just thought I'd share my recipe for smooth glowing skin. For the last three months, I've been dry-brushing my skin every morning with a cactus-bristle brush from Body Shop. It's supposed to remove dead skin cells, detoxify and even move the lymphatic system along. Best thing is - really feels good to brush the skin, kind of wake me up..

Orchard Central

Just came back from dinner at Orchard Central. Been a long long time since I went out wif hub, just the two of us. Well it's our
22nd wedding anniversary! The food was good. Hub's a MEAT eater so we ordered the dinner set for two - Wagyu Beef, pork leg and pork sirloin at $68. Came with some rice and grilled vegetables. The meat was succulent and tender. Not a lot but just nice for two. After a relaxing chat about cars and rich customers, we went for a walk on the rooftop garden. Great view of the night scene around Orchard! Then we listened to a song performance on the ground level. Hub took these pictures of me :) Notice the henna on my hands? Had those done at Little India on Friday!

Ladies Nite Out

Had a great Friday nite out with my ex-college buddy, Anita. Just think of it - a friendship that lasted 27 years! She was there with me every year of my life, through all my milestones. We are so comfortable with each other like a favourite pair of jeans. We have been catching up alot recently during the weekends, either Fri nites or Saturday nites. Staying near each other is certainly a boon as we can just meet ad hoc for a chat and tea at Dome nearby. It's really nice that we are able to end each other's sentences! We like sharing a cheesecake and camomile tea at Dome, just before bedtime as we catch up with each other about the week, sharing bits and pieces of funny, sad or irritating incidents and so on. It's really really such a good feeling to know you have someone out there who cares about you and enjoy your company just as much, especially after so many years, there's no doubt about it. I recall we hit it off like cookies and milk when we first met in 1981 in Hwa Chong. We were mostly together, even though we were not from the same class. She was from the same sec school as one of my classmates then. Even though we were rather different from each other, yet two things we had in common were : we both loved to eat and we both loved to talk about feelings and life..yeah we are both very philosophical. We hardly talk bout fashion or gossip about other people. I find that talking with Anita is very stimulating cos it's like mind-mapping. From one question or statement, we go deeper or we branch out till it's like a whole web. Like tonite, we had planned to go shopping but in the end we talked and talked at Island Cafe till it was nearly 9 plus! Friendships are really like wine - they get better as they mature! Cheers to that!!

Imagine That..

Caught a movie with my son on Thursday afternoon - "Imagine That" starring Eddie Murphy. Had more or less completed most of my pressing deadlines that had kept me busy during the week so thought why not spend some time wif my darling son? I asked him to choose a movie while I was at a meeting and when I came back to my table at 1.30 pm, he pointed to "Imagine That" on the website http://www.incinemas.com.sg/ and we realised we had only 45 min to catch the movie at 2.20! So we rushed there, bought burgers, hot dogs and drinks as well and sat down next to another 'parent and child' couple! The show was basically about how Eddie Murphy, as a high-flying parent, had no time to spend wif his daughter till he realised that his daughter was communicating with spirits that had valuable insights on his insider trading! So he also entered this fantasy world of princesses, dragons and queens with her, becoming closer to her in the process. Although it was quite cliched, it was enjoyable to see how Eddie Murphy let loose his inhibitions and play with his kid. Makes me reflect on my own parenting role - am I spending enough time with my kids? Hmmm....

Kids are really representations of angels. We adults are so i

mmersed in our rat race that we forget the joys of being with these angel

s. My ex-stu

dent invited me to a birthday party last nite. Even though I was reluctant to go at first as I did not know what time the party starts and how to contact t

his boy, in the end I was convinced by my own conscience. How could I let down a kid on his birthday? How many kids invite their teachers anyway, to their parties, two years in a row too? I should be honoured as I was also invited to his birthday party last year

 held at McDonald's. Last but not least, teachers are supposed to portray values such as integrity and trustworthiness. So I bought a pack of sparklers for the kids to play with. It turned out to be a huge B

BQ party attended by the whole extended family of grandparents, aunties

, uncles, cousins and even neighbours. The boy had invited my son as well, so sweet of him. The adults were so impressed that I remembered the names of the boy's classmates, even after

 one year. I told them that their names are imprinted on my mind because I had to call them constantly during the lesson to behave themselves or hand in work, haha! Anyway it was nice to see how the kids enjoyed themselves and I also chatted his grandmother up. She's one hell of a cook - her beehoon and curry veg were scrumptious! 

5 WAYS to be LUCKY

5 ways to be lucky

1. be proactive!. the unluckiest people are those who wait for things to happen (it often doesn't).
2. ask questions and listen. The more you know about what is going on the more likely you are to be 'lucky'
3. recognise the difference between 'unlucky' and 'probable' - you aren't unlucky each time you miss a parking space, in fact it would be extraordinary if you didn't every so often
4. reframe failure as an opportunity to learn everyone makes mistakes and successful people usually make more of them
5. share credit for your luck if people think they will gain from your good fortune then they will do more to make it happen

Going Uphill

Thinking positive sure isn't easy! It's like going uphill! But that's where the peak is, rite? I dun wanna sink into depressive thoughts. I don't wanna compare myself with others and feel second-grade. What I wanna feel is hope, faith, love and trust. I'm hoping to be a more effective and understanding teacher. I'm hoping to be a more caring mother. I have faith in myself cos I have abilities that will help me work towards my goals. I want to love deeply and be grateful for every second that people spend with me. I want to trust people when they say they like me.

I had a wonderful break today. This is one of the good things about being a teacher! Went for a hair trim and feel lighter already. Hair is still long, cos my hairdresser said my hair is too silky and soft to waste in a short hair cut. So I'm growing it out and enjoying the feel of longer hair! It feels so nice to touch and play with. I like to twirl it, wear it in a bun, let it fall around my shoulders and feel it brush against my neck and shoulders. I really LOVE long hair!

About Ris Low.. i think Singaporeans have been too harsh towards her. I like her guts and her sweet looks. She has the grace, height and slim figure as well. Despite her past conviction and mental illness, she still took on the challenge of entering this beauty contest. She definitely wanted to put the past behind her and reach for a new life, but too bad she had to be disqualified cos of something she did in the PAST. I really don't think she should be penalised for something that happened in the past, but at least I feel she had the guts to join the contest even despite knowing she might be penalised for it. She really is a brave gal and I think she will move on to overcome this setback and achieve even more remarkable things. My heart goes out to her because I know having a mental issue is a sign that she has been through hard times when she was young. I hope she will stay strong and resilient and more than that, I hope she will meet people who have the heart to help her to be beautiful on the inside as well. When I saw her video, I could sense both vulnerability as well as strength and resilience in this young woman. Some say she was not beautiful enough to win the title. Well I think the judges saw something else besides physical beauty (not that she's ugly actually). Perhaps its the way she carries herself, or something radiating from within her? Well I wish her all the best. She definitely deserves it.

Sometimes beauty isn't about outer looks. It's also not about righteousness. It's about triumph over weakness, courage in the face of fear, success after repeated failures ...and most of all, about forgiveness and hope. People are too quick to judge someone based on their actions but have they looked into the heart? Some of these people may have committed what is labelled as crimes such as fraud or even prostitution, but they may have done so because of circumstances or forces beyond their control. Just because a woman has not stolen, cheated, lied or is a virgin till marriage, does not make her beautiful. It is overcoming the weaknesses in us and through that, learning to be compassionate that makes a woman beautiful. How can we understand shame, hopelessness, failure and fear if we have not experienced them? To me a beautiful woman is one who is gracious and hopeful and holds her head up high despite setbacks and difficulties.

I'm going to sleep now. I've been loved today, but what makes me even happier is that I've learnt to love deeper than before. I've learnt to let go of jealousy and be happy for the person I love, even when he loves someone else..

What Women Need...

I wonder why men often forget that women aren't wired the same way as them. After a night of sex or a "sex-escapade", men go into 'standby' mode. By that I mean they switch off not just the physical part, but also the emotional part. I understand that they need to get back to their work and other stuff, but why is it that they don't maintain the emotional intimacy? After a few days or a week, when they start longing for physical intimacy again, they start getting lovey-dovey, talking endlessly about sex. Well as a woman, I know I need to feel not just physically needed, but emotionally as well..it's not the sexy talk that turns us on, but the loving words of concern, the caring messages, the errands and the company even just to get some groceries or a swim ...


Anyway I know I definitely will hate being treated as a booty call, sex-pet or fuck buddy, as they call it. The way I'd handle it is not by whining or complaining though. Once I start noticing that I'm just being treated as such, I simply switch off my emotions as well and stop picking up the calls. No point hanging around trying to grow flowers in a desert. I'd rather find fertile ground!

Talking about needs, I've been swimming much more this week. 30 laps each time and it really feels good. I bought this red 2-piece from Speedo, a tankini I think. But it's really comfortable compared to my 2-piece bikini from Sunseeker. Check it out below. The reasons why I was inspired to swim more are simply my expanding waistline and my vanity! I noticed this petite slim lady swimming non-stop at Bishan on Monday. Was supposed to swim with someone who pulled out last minute..turned out to be a blessing cos I went to Bishan, got inspired and now my swimming workouts will be 30 laps and no less!! Feel slimmer already, hehe.. That's what I NEED too - to feel fit, slim and sexy :)

Listening to Phil Collins "Groovy Kind of Love'. Bought his CD from Sembawang Music Shop at Thomson Plaza a few weeks ago. I kinda like his voice. Reminds me of a fren I knew long ago, voice a bit nasal but still soothing.
Once a woman has got the right attitude about herself, she doesn't have to worry about not getting what she needs, whether it's love, sex or respect!